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random-tinies · 3 years

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Crowza - 2

Hey, I’m on AO3 too! It’ll be the first thing updated when I finish a chapter from now on, but only by like, a few hours. :P I’ll be updating this fic on the first of every month so you guys know when to expect it next. This was sitting in my Docs almost done for weeks and I finally sat down and went “I’m writing the rest of this.” and did it, so here’s chapter two!

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Sunlight filters through the branches and leaves of the old oak. Phil lifts a wing over his face, grumbling about how the sun is always at the perfect angle to blind him every morning. Of course, he does this song and dance every spring. He’s not exactly an early bird, which is why he never blocks it. It helps him get up in the morning.

The tiny bird hybrid resigns to his fate and sits up, blinking blearily at his old home. A torn picture of his boys hangs on the far end of the hollow. He grins, happy to be greeted by their faces. The photo had been yoinked last year when it fell out of Tommy’s jacket during one of his more daring excursions. Always so chaotic, that one, Philza chuckles to himself as the thought crosses his mind. Good memories.

He walks to his stash of nuts and jerky and various other bits of food he collected and preserved the autumn before migration. He crafts a quick granola bar, thanking his lucky stars that chocolate is so easily preserved, and enjoys a sweet homemade breakfast. Pleased chirps escape him as he basks in the perfect simplicity of it all.

Today is full of plans. A lot can happen in a few months and Phil needs to make sure there’s no new predators in the area that might get the jump on him, so he’s going to patrol the area. His territory needs to be safe. He’s always very careful about going about this. It’s rare, but if humans decide to start building near him, he’d need to know.

That and he needs somewhere to get coffee. He’d think that centuries of drinking the stuff would convince him to invent a tiny coffee machine, but why create something that will break eventually when he can just sneak into a human’s house and borrow enough to last him a month of two? Of course, he won’t be borrowing that much today, but the next time all three boys leave the house, he’s certainly going to stock up. Today, he just needs a little pick-me-up.

Phil walks to the edge of his home and ducks under the branches protecting it from outsiders, then hops up them like a staircase to get the best vantage point to take off flying. A low mist hovers over the pine forest, the sun’s rays burning away at it and painting the morning in brilliant hues of gold. Phil launches himself into the air, powerful flaps disturbing the mist and sending him high above the trees. The sky above is void of clouds as he spreads his wings and coasts. The air he breathes chills his lungs but the morning sun provides a warm contrast to the feeling. Appreciation for the peace fills his chest as if it were something physical.

Spring truly is his favorite season. The crisp scent of pines and melting snow permeates the air. A few shy birds send their song up, declaring their presence to the world. This is home, this is where he loves to be, where he longs to be every winter when he has to migrate south. Occasionally, a crow joins him in the air, lazily flapping in the soft breeze.

Phil casts his eyes towards the ground, watching for any stray movements. He’d heard of mountain lions moving into the area from Kristin. They’re fleeing the forest fires west of them, she’d said. She thought maybe they were the cause of the odd feeling she has and Phil was inclined to agree, but you can never be too careful. Eventually, after finding nothing, he flies to the humble house his boys call home.

When the birdman reaches the cabin that houses his boys and nothing is amiss, he decides to land in a nearby tree and rest. The sun had climbed to about midday and he has yet to find anything that would tip him off. He fluffs his feathers as a chill sets in, the branches and needles of the tree warding off the sunlight, and takes out some squirrel jerky he packed for lunch. Perhaps it simply isn’t time to find this ominous omen Kristin gave him and he’s jumping the gun.

The door to the home opens and two people step out. It’s the blonde and brunette from the previous day. Philza watches them as they talk about something with low voices. It’s a bit odd to hear the youngest one talking so softly. Tommy’s usually boisterous and loud, throwing banter back and forth with Wilbur and giving the occasional sibling shove.

Philza hums as he takes another bite of jerky. When he goes on his coffee run inside the house, perhaps he’ll look for any clues. The thought that something could be wrong with them twists a knot of worry in his stomach. A chill goes down his spine as he realizes he hasn’t seen Techno out and about these last few days. He forgets any plans to raid the house later and throws all caution to the wind. Oh Ender, please let him be okay and not deathly ill or something.

Tommy and Wilbur climb into the red pickup next to their house and drive away. Phil immediately swoops down out of his tree and soars the short distance to the old cabin, flapping to slow himself so he can land quietly. It was his saving grace that they like to decorate the windows so he doesn’t crash into them all the time. He flap-hops around the house until he finds a window cracked open and slowly opens it further so he can crawl inside. It’s harder to find open windows further into the season since so many bugs come out.

He listens hard and looks around for any movement, staying stock still.

Nothing, the house is silent, save for the crackle of the fireplace.

He carefully steps in further, wings poised to take off at any given moment. The inside is just as cozy as the outside. The walls are decorated with photos of the trio, of a family Philza has watched grow up over the years. It’s surprisingly clean, the hand-knitted rainbow blanket folded over the back of the old leather couch. It smells like pine smoke and coffee, and bacon. Phil would find it funny if he wasn’t so worried for Techno at that moment. He hops about the living room, making his way towards the kitchen. If he can’t find anything here, he may as well get some coffee.

There’s nothing amiss on the coffee table. Phil’s claws leave tiny indentations on the softwood as he walks across it. The lamp next to him offers a little bit of light but he can see fine with the natural light coming through the windows. There’s an ad for an animal shelter in the newspaper, a comic making fun of teenagers with phones, news of the new president, and an article about a pipeline being built sometime next year. The birdman frowns at that, making a mental note. He’ll need to put an end to that before it ruins his home. He shakes his head. Right now is not the time! He needs to see if there’s anything wrong! His gaze gets caught by the fashion magazine open to a page on robes and turns a few pages, admiring the modern clothes that differ so much from his own- Oh right! Techno!

He flaps into the kitchen and trots across the counter towards the calendar hanging on the fridge. Today is circled in red with the word “ADOPTION” in messy, bold lettering. Adoption? Techno and Wilbur aren’t married, right? They can’t adopt children, right? Confusion replaces the worry in his mind but he shrugs. As far as Phil can tell by all the clues, Techno isn’t in any danger and it’s safe to get some coffee from the pot on the counter opposite of him. He hops over and crouches on the edge, dipping his rabbit-skin waterskin in and filling it full of the delicious drug.

There’s a cough from upstairs in the attic and Philza nearly jumps out of his skin. His feet slip on the edge of the pot and his wings flare out to make up for the sudden loss of balance. The mug next to him falls off the counter and shatters on the linoleum flooring with a loud crash. Oh god, oh fuck. There’s no way Techno didn’t hear that. The bird hybrid quickly reaches into the pot and retrieves his waterskin and swiftly flies back to the window, heart pounding.

He knows he’s leaving a few feathers behind, but it doesn’t matter as long as he himself doesn’t get caught. He can hear the telltale creaks of a ladder as he takes off into the open air again, inhaling deeply and landing back in his tree. What was he thinking?! Going to check on one of the beans?! He put himself in unnecessary danger just for some person he got way too attached to!

From the safety of his branch, Phil watches Techno shut the window he’d made his escape from. The piglin hybrid seems fine, no hint of any severe illnesses. The cough didn’t even sound that bad, like he was just clearing his throat. That was too close. He can’t let it happen again. Phil takes a swig of his coffee and flies off to keep scouting out his territory. I’m going to give myself a nice preen tonight, he thinks as he coasts over the trees. That nearly gave me a heart attack.

He goes back to doing his routine check-ups and patrolling around his territory, promising himself he would do better to keep himself safe. Surely he’s not losing his edge, right? Surely not…

59 notes · View notes

ssscentral · 3 years

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Traveller

Summary : Jung Hoseok loves you, regardless of what universe you’re in and he’s going to make sure to find you no matter what. Good thing you feel the same.

Pairing : Dimension Traveller!Jung Hoseok x Dimension Traveller!Reader

Genre : Fluff, Established Relationship!Au, Sci-Fi, Fantasy!Au, College!Au

Rating : PG13

Warnings : Swearing

Wc : 4.7k

Member : Hoebii || @hoebii

A/N : First of all, thank you @eatjeanjin and @kerikaaria for being my amazing betas! You’re what made this story even readable ukfhgj Second, HAPPY BIRTHDAY @moccahobi!!! ILYSM HOPE YOU HAVE A BLAST TODAY BB <3 I hope you like this fic, I literally crammed 12 prompts into this fic and made this hot mess in a few hours lmao so hope this isn’t too hard to read sksksksk. Love you lots Lil bean, happy birthday and thank you for existing, you’re such a precious bb, always there for everyone. You deserve the world, love <33 Also the time stamp for the text isn’t canon, so ignore the time!

-----------------

“You will be transported to a new dimension after spending one month in each of them for this experiment,” the animated voice crackled from the speakers. “The inhabitants in those universes will already have memories of you to help you blend in easily. You are to live a normal life during these experiments while making sure not to disclose your true identities for that may cause unnecessary complications.”

The voice kept going on about the experiment that you no longer had any interest in after the first few minutes. You fiddled with the necklace around your neck in boredom while you waited for the meeting to be adjourned. This wasn’t the first time you were going to travel between dimensions and you were sure it wouldn’t be the last, so having to sit through the same briefing over and over again felt completely useless and a waste of time.

The only reason you even attended these were to get your files for the potential dimensions you may get sent to. The management really needed to get their shit in control and stop sending you to these places with little to no information.

You understood that these experiments were to test out the stability and how each universe was doing after being created but it made no sense for the management to send out travellers blindly like they do, they could at least provide you with a little backstory for your character rather than a list of ’potential’ places. Even those weren’t certain and that made no sense! For an organisation that thrived to keep peace and regulation of all dimensions, their system was chaotic as fuck.

You only came out of your thoughts when you felt someone nudge your leg under the table. Glancing up from your necklace, your eyes met that of a cheeky looking Hoseok who was now pushing a little harder against your leg, now that he had your attention.

‘Hi,’ he mouthed happily only for you to answer with a raised eyebrow. ‘I miss you,’ he mouthed again, jutting his lower lip out in a pout. You snorted at his antics, coughing to hide your smile when the sound caught the attention of those around you.

It was only when they shifted their attention back to the screen at the end of the room to continue with the briefing that was ongoing, did you finally look back at Hoseok. Rolling your eyes, you grabbed a pen and tore a paper from the diary they provided for the meeting before hastily scribbling down something and sliding it to the man sitting in front of you.

‘We’re literally sitting in front of each other.’

Hoseok picked up the paper and quickly read the content on it before grabbing his own pen to write his answer down and passing it back to you.

‘But I can’t hold your hand right now :(‘

You bit your lip to stop the smile that was fighting to shine through when you saw his adorable handwriting under yours. How someone could be as endearing as Hoseok was beyond you, but you loved that about him.

Wordlessly, you pretended to pay attention to the briefing once more while you slid your hand towards Hoseok to let him hold your hand. You could feel the way his smile brightened when his fingers intertwined with yours, squeezing it gently.

You shook your head as you bit your lips harder to fight the smile that was now on your face when you squeezed his hand back.

-----------------

Walking out of the conference room, your hand was still engulfed by Hoseok’s bigger one. Your face was flushed in embarrassment as you walked out. It wasn’t because you were holding his hand, but rather the fact that he never let go after the meeting was over. So you had to walk from your seat to the end of the table with the said furniture in the middle of you as you walked.

“If I didn’t love you as much as I do, I would’ve kicked your ass by now, just so you know,” you grumbled as you walked down the corridor towards your shared room.

Hoseok laughed, his grip around your hand tightening as he bumped his shoulder with yours. “Good thing you love me then! It would be a nightmare to jump between dimensions with you otherwise.”

“Who said it’s still not a nightmare to have you as my partner?”

“Don’t be rude.”

“Make me,” you teased before quickly freeing your hand from his and running towards your destination.

“Come back here!”

-----------------

It was the day of action, as you liked to call it, the day when you were supposed to start experiments.

“You ready?” Hoseok asked as he came to join you in the transport chamber.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Promise to find each other no matter what?” he asked while putting his pinky finger out, smiling at you.

You laughed as you wrapped yours around his. “Of course.”

“I’ll see you around then.”

You only hummed in agreement before pressing the power button on the transport bracelet and the world went dark.

-----------------

You woke up to the blaring alarm of your phone, blindly looking for the device to turn the godforsaken sound off. When you failed to find it, you pushed yourself up from your bed to scan the area, getting more irked the longer the sound went on.

Finally, your eyes landed on the black vibrating phone on the ground and you had half a mind to just stomp on the damn thing and break it. Picking it up, you harshly tapped on the stop button and sighed when the apartment went quiet, closing your eyes to bask in the peace.

Wait. Apartment?

Your eyes shot open again as you examined your surroundings, trying to decipher which universe you were in currently. The place seemed like any other average looking apartment in a bustling city. You unlocked your phone when you felt it vibrate in your hand, realising it was a text from someone saved as ‘Chicky Chimmy’.

Opening the conversation, your confusion only grew at the text.

“I’m a student, huh?” You pondered as you grabbed a random outfit for the day along with what you assumed to be your books on the reading table in your room. You then proceeded to head down and out of your apartment. “Could’ve been worse.”

-----------------

Stepping out of the elevator, you saw your… friend impatiently leaning against his car looking at you with displeasure all over his face. You gave him a sheepish smile as you approached him, praying to whatever higher power that he says his name for one reason or another. From the previous conversations you had after taking some time to go through your phone, the two of you were supposed to be best friends so you weren’t in a position to ask his name.

“Y/N our class starts in 30 minutes and it takes 30 minutes to get there!”

“Hehe?”

He faced palm, moving to go around to the driver's seat. “Just get your cute butt inside.”

----------------

The moment Chimmy parked his car inside the university, he dashed out of the car with you close behind, panicking about how mad the professor was going to be for being late.

You almost bumped into him when he stopped in front of a classroom, shooting you a nervous glance before slowly stepping inside the class. The two of you couldn’t even get two steps in before the voice of the man teaching the class boomed across the room.

“Y/L/N Y/N and Park Jimin. Late again, I see?”

Again? How many times have we been late before? Jimin’s a cute name though, perfect for him. You smiled slightly at your thoughts before fixing your expression to be neutral before the professor could catch you.

“We’re so sorry professor! This will be the last time!” Jimin pleaded, fidgeting on his spot.

“That’s what you said last time, Mr. Park,” the professor replied, looking unamused.

“Pro-”

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” A new voice joins, the person who barged in after the two of you hunched over and panting from surely having run to class.

“Mr. Jung Hoseok, I did not expect such tardiness from you.”

Hoseok! You felt your heart rate kick up just at the mention of his name. It’s not often the higher ups make it easy to find your partner but it seemed that they were feeling courteous this time.

Hoseok’s eyes met yours and he flashed you a giant smile, one that had his eyes turning into crescents before looking back at the professor with a dashin smile. “I’m sorry sir, it surely won’t happen again.”

The professor sighed, rolling his eyes when he looked back at Jimin and you before muttering, “That’s what they always say.” Shaking his head, the professor gave a small nod. “Go to your seats and don’t be late again. Especially the two of you, Miss Y/L/N and Mr. Park.”

Jimin bowed before grabbing your hand and dragging you to the back of the room, taking a seat and patting the one beside him urgently. Glancing at Hoseok one last time, you sat beside Jimin.

You couldn’t help but pout at the sight of Hoseok sitting somewhere else and already interacting with the strangers around him as if he knew them for a long time. He was always a social butterfly but it was always shocking to see him get accustomed to new universes so easily.

“You look amazing today, just so you know,” Jimin whispered in your ear, his eyes trained on the board even as he spoke.

“Thanks.”

-----------------

It was lunch time and Jimin had basically dragged you to the cafe near the university, claiming that cheap and instant coffee was the only thing his body needed to go through the day.

“Coffee is great and all but you need actual food too, you know,” you nagged Jimin as he downed his second cup of coffee in one sitting.

Placing the brown coffee cup down, Jimin raised his index finger as if giving a speech. “People need a lot of things, doesn’t mean they have it though.”

You gave Jimin an unimpressed look. “Stop trying to be a philosopher and get some food in you, tiny.”

“I’m literally taller than you.”

“I will fight you, Park Jimin.”

----------------

“I still don’t get why we need to do this,” you grumbled as you stretched your hands and legs.

“Because,” Jimin said, dribbling the orange basketball as he waited for you to finish. “Warming up is important before starting any exercise to decrease the chances of pulling a muscle or something.”

You snort at that, stretching one last time before dropping your hands. “You make it sound like I’m going to exercise.”

“Y/N we’re literally in PE class.”

“And?”

Jimin could only give you an unamused look before shaking his head in defeat, his newly dyed pink hair bouncing from his movement.

-----------------

You were sitting in the library surrounded by textbooks for the upcoming exam when you felt someone pull out the chair in front of you and take a seat. Paying them no mind, you continued drowning yourself with new information from the book when you felt someone nudge your leg under the table.

You glanced up from the textbook in front of you to see none other than Jung Hoseok sitting in front of you with a smile. Just before you could shoot him a smile and delve into a conversation, your brain reminded you of the fact that it had been a week since you came to this dimension and this the first time he tried to come talk to you after seeing each other in that one class on day one.

Scoffing, you looked back down at your book, ignoring the way he nudged your leg again to get your attention.

“Are you mad at me?” He finally asked when he realised that you were ignoring him.

“What do you think?”

“What did I dooooo?”

You slammed the pink covered book in your hand shut, looking him in the eye. “What did you do? Oh I don’t know, maybe because you basically ignored me for a week? Acted as if I don’t exist?”

Hoseok frowned, trying to take your hand in his but you moved away from him. “I’m sorry baby. I’ve just been so swamped with work. Did you know I’m the dance club leader and a part of the student council in this universe? I swear I would’ve come up to you earlier if I had the time!”

“I tried talking to you a few days back, you acted as if you didn’t even know me,” you replied, not being able to hide the hurt from your tone. “You didn’t seem busy then, you were just having lunch and laughing with your friends.”

“Baby…”

You sighed, pushing away the chair and standing up. “Forget it, I’ll see you around, Hoseok.” Collecting your books, you gave Hoseok one last look before walking away.

-----------------

You were currently playing with the dog Jimin recently adopted on his couch when he plopped down beside you with snacks. You had come over for movie night but now you were more interested in playing with his dog than the movie.

“So you going to tell me why the Jung Hoseok has been following you around like a lovesick puppy for the past week?”

“No, because there’s nothing to say,” you replied, not paying much attention due to the energetic puppy that was jumping about on your lap.

Jimin groaned, placing the bowl of snack down on the coffee table and then taking the chocolate coloured labrador puppy away from you - much to your protest. “Stop playing with Doggo and give me the tea!”

“I still can’t believe you named your dog Doggo.”

“That is not the main topic of this conversation and you know it!”

You sighed, rolling your eyes so hard that your head hurt a little. “There’s nothing to say, Hoseok and I talked in the library when I was studying for the test and then had a little argument and I left.”

Jimin scoffed, his lips pulling into a pout as he crossed his arms. “That’s the weakest tea I’ve ever gotten. Give me the details! Since when do you two know each other enough to be having ‘fights’?”

“I-” you stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse. “We don’t! He just approached me in the library and I found him really annoying.”

Jimin gave you a skeptical look. “Y/N… You’ve had a crush on him for like a year now. You find him annoying?”

“Yes?” You answered, though it sounded more like a question. “What do you want me to say something like ‘Oh we’re actually dimension travellers and know each other from before and this is all just an experiment? Don’t be ridiculous!” You rambled, laughing nervously when you realised that you had basically just exposed yourself.

“Huh?”

“Listen! I liked him but he’s actually annoying, so that’s over.”

“If you say so…” Jimin conceded hesitantly, still looking at you skeptically which now looked more concerned.

-----------------

You had successfully avoided Hoseok like the plague for almost the remainder of the time you had in this dimension. You knew what you were doing was petty and it really wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t come talk to you at first, but now you were in too deep to stop being petty. Not that it stopped Hoseok from trailing after you anytime he could, trying to get you to talk to him.

“Y/N, please stop!” You heard Hoseok call from behind you but you kept walking, ignoring him like you usually did. “Oh for fuck sake,” you heard him grumble before you felt someone grab you by your wrist and twirling you around for their lips to press against yours.

You were about to push them off when you realised that it was Hoseok who had kissed you, not a random person and you unconsciously melted into it. Your arms slithered around his neck to pull him closer as his hands wrapped around your waist to move closer to you too.

Breaking the kiss, Hoseok pressed his forehead against yours while looking you in the eyes. “It’s the last day here before we move on and who knows how long it’s going to take us to find each other there. Stop being mad, please?”

Not being able to help yourself, you placed a kiss on his nose, stepping away from him and smiling cheekily. “I’ll see you around, Hoseok.”

-----------------

“YOU KISSED HOSEOK IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CORRIDOR! OH MY GOD I NEED THE DETAILS!” Jimin exclaimed when you met up with him after school. He was your ride home after all.

You only laughed, your face flushed in embarrassment. “Uh huh, how about I tell you all about it tomorrow?”

“Promise?” He asked, looking at you in disappointment that he couldn’t get you to tell him everything right then.

You shook your head, looking away from him. “We’ll see.”

No point in making a promise that you knew you couldn’t keep it. You were going to leave tonight, who knows if you’ll ever come back here or if he would ever remember you once you left.

-----------------

The next time you opened your eyes, you were underwater. At first, panic took over you from the possibility of you drowning. But when you opened your mouth, rather than feeling the water rushing in and suffocating you, you found out that you were completely fine.

“Huh?” You blurted out Your eyes widened when you realised that you could hear yourself clearly underwater too. Looking around, your eyes zeroed in on the shimmering tail that began from your waist down. “HUH?!”

You looked around only to see nothing but water, a few fish swam by you but that was about it. It wasn’t your first time in a fairytale universe but it was your first time being a mermaid. You wondered if Hoseok got transformed into some sort of mythical creature like you too.

“Oh well, I hope he’s safe.”

-----------------

You didn’t know how much time passed but you were still blindly swimming around trying to find out where to go. You had breached the water at one point and sat on some rocks by a beach in true fairytale mermaid fashion but even then you found nothing of interest. You did get to sit and watch the clear blue waves peacefully for a while but that got boring after some time, too.

“I never thought I’d miss wearing sandals but here I am,” you sighed to yourself before jumping back into the water.

You were just about ready to give up and just sit on the sea bed when you saw a cave underwater. You couldn’t help but snort at how similar this felt to the fairytale ‘Little Mermaid’ you used to read when you were younger. All you needed was some evil old witch to be residing in there and a prince charming to drown some time soon so you could save him and lose your voice.

Having nothing better to do, you began swimming down to the cave to explore it when you felt someone grab you and drag you away from the cave entrance urgently.

“What the fuck? What are you doing, let me go!” You exclaimed as you tried to wiggle free from your captor.

“Stop struggling, you’re going to get us caught by the hag!” A deep voice harshly whispered in your ear.

The mention of a hag had you stop struggling. “Caught by the what now?”

You felt your captor loosen their grip around you, giving you the perfect chance to move away from them. You turned to come face to face with a beautiful man… er merman?

“The hag? Evil sea witch out to get merfolks?” the man asked, looking at you incredulously at the fact that you seemingly had no idea as to who the hag was. “Are you new here? I haven’t seen you before.”

“I guess you could say that. I’ve been swimming for ages now and you’re the first creature I found,” you explained.

The man hummed, tapping his lips as he scanned you over before breaking out into a large boxy smile. “Well then, nice to meet you! I’m Taehyung, what’s your name?”

“Y/N.”

Taehyung gasped when he heard your name. “Y/N? As in Y/L/N Y/N?”

“Why do you know my name?” You asked cautiously. Fuck, were you supposed to know who he was? If that was the case then why were you transported away from them, also he didn’t seem to know you before you introduced yourself.

“Princess! Welcome!”

Excuse me, WHAT?! You choked on nothing. “Who?”

“You! Princess! Welcome!”

When you were thinking about this universe being a knock-off ‘Little Mermaid’ universe, you didn’t think that would be the right assumption.

Not knowing how to act, you shot Taehyung an awkward smile, waving a little. “Thank you?”

“You have to meet the others! Let’s go, princess!” Taehyung exclaimed excitedly before grabbing your hand and swimming away from the cave.

-----------------

After Taehyung had brought you to others, you met 5 other mermen - each almost unimaginably beautiful. It was a pleasant surprise to see this dimension’s Jimin, he was just as sweet and excitable as the one before.

After the initial meet-up, you got to know that you were indeed the daughter of Triton - something that had you laughing at the absurdity for a good five minutes much to the confusion of others - and you were supposed to be visiting ‘your kingdom’ to get acquainted with everyone before your coronation and living here.

As Taehyung had escorted you to your room, you had joked that all you needed was a handsome man to drown so you could save him. Which, in hindsight may have been a very weird thing to say from the look Taehyung gave you.

Currently, you were exploring the kingdom, asking people if they knew of anyone by the name Hoseok, only to end up with no clue as to where he might be. No one had any idea about Jung Hoseok and you were getting worried about not managing to find him.

Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t realise that you had left the premises of the city and wandered away. You stopped in your tracks when a giant shadow moved above you, completely leaving you in the dark.

You looked up to see what blocked the sun when you realised you were directly underneath two ships, the sound of fighting barely audible under the water but present nevertheless. Curiosity getting the best of you, you cautiously swam up to peak above at what was going on, only to find that a full on war was ongoing between the two ships.

“Damn, am I in a Grimm Brothers Fairytale or the Pirates of The Caribbean movie right now?”

You didn’t have much time to ponder, however, because you noticed someone eerily similar to Hoseok going overboard and you dove underwater for him.

“I swear if that’s actually Hoseok, I’m going to lose my mind.”

Catching the sinking body, you almost wanted to let him go so you could swim over and slam your head against a rock when you realised, it was indeed Hoseok.

Muttering a few curses under your breath, you proceeded to drag Hoseok towards the beach close by to make sure he didn’t drown before you could give him a piece of your mind.

-----------------

Hoseok sat up abruptly, his nose, throat and eyes burning as he coughed violently. “Mother of bitch, that’s salty,” he spoke, his voice hoarse from almost drowning.

“Of course it is! What were you doing on a pirate ship?!” You exclaimed, hitting his thigh with your palm.

“Y/N?” He asked, his eyes widening when he realised that it was you in front of him.

“The one and only.”

“Oh thank goodness you’re alright!” Hoseok exclaimed, pulling you to his chest and resting his head on top of yours after placing a kiss there.

“You didn’t answer my question,” you said, your voice muffled by his chest from the way he held you close.

“Hm? What was your question?” He asked, letting you go to face you properly.

“What were you doing on a pirate ship?”

“Ah! I’m the captain!”

“What? Why don’t I get to be badass characters like you,” you whined looking away from him petulantly.

“You don’t need a character to be badass, you’re a natural one!” He happily answered, grabbing your chin to make you face him. “You look beautiful baby, but how’d you find me?”

“Are you telling me that you didn’t notice this huge ass tail I have?”

Looking down at your words, his eyes widened, voice rising in pitch with his excitement. “Oh my god you have a tail! You’re a mermaid!”

“Gee? Am I?! Wow Hoseok, thank you for enlightening me!” You mocked his excitement. You didn’t want to act so short with him but the adrenaline running through your body after basically finding the one you love drowning had your brain going haywire.

“Are you mad at me again?”

“I don’t know, Hoseok. Am I?”

“You know I don’t choose the roles I get!”

You sighed, feeling guilty for the way you acted towards him. “I know, it’s just. At first I couldn’t find you anywhere and when I did, you were drowning and it just fucked me up. I know I was joking about how I’m Ariel from Little Mermaid and I need to save a drowning prince but this was not what I was expecting.”

Understanding as ever, Hoseok gave you a sad smile before pulling you back into his embrace again, running his hand through your hair in the way he knew you loved. “It’s okay, I understand. I’d be worried too if I were you, just don’t be mad at me, you know I hate it when you’re mad at me.”

“‘M sorry.”

“Can I have a kiss?” he asked after the two of you basked in each other’s warmth for a moment.

You pulled back from him, scrunching your nose at him, feeling shy when you noticed how intensely he was looking at you. Grabbing the collar of the shirt he was wearing, you pulled him down for a kiss, pouring out all your emotions into it - from how much you cared for him to how sorry you were for the way you acted. You hoped that he would understand.

Hoseok kissed you back with just as much emotion, pulling you close and smiling into the kiss. Breaking away from it, he gave you a blinding smile, one that had your heart melting like butter.

“I love you,” you whispered, afraid that speaking any louder would make you break from all the emotions that were rushing through your heart.

“I love you too. I need to go now, can see my ship coming towards us.”

You nodded, not really processing his words, too busy staring at his gorgeous face. Hoseok realised the fact you didn’t pay attention to his words, making him smile wider. Waving a hand in front of your face, Hoseok chuckled when you seemed as if just coming out of a trance.

“Did you hear anything I just said?”

“Not really,” you shrugged.

Hoseok threw his head back in laughter. “I said, I can see my ship coming towards us as we speak so I reckon it’s time to leave, baby. I’ll make sure to come visit you here as much as I can in the time we’re here.”

“Promise?” You asked, offering your pinky to him as you looked at him through your lashes.

“Promise,” Hoseok answered, wrapping his finger around yours, giving you one last smile as he stood back up.

“I’ll see you around, alright?”

“I’ll see you around.”

With that you swam back to the sea, waiting just out of sight to make sure that Hoseok was okay before actually leaving.

You might travel to various places with no certainty of what you may face but one thing was for sure, you’d always find your way to Hoseok.

#jung hoseok x reader #j-hope x reader #jung hoseok fluff #j-hope fluff #bts jung hoseok x reader #bts j-hope x reader #thebtswritersclub #bangtaninn #castlebangtan #bts!au #bts fluff #jhs fluff

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let-them-read-fics · 3 years

Text

Happiest Year(s)

Pairing: Jisoo x Fem!Reader

Word Count: ~ 1,759

Warnings / Misc. -- Angst, Character Death, Illness, Crying

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: OMG!!! This writing absolutely wrecked me... I’m so sorry Jisoo 😭 I promise that I have some fluff in the works to make up for this one. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

PS ~~ I listened to the song “Happiest Year” by Jaymes Young when I wrote this (hence the title). I highly recommend that you check it out -- maybe even play it in the background while you read this.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

The pain was something you had grown accustomed to, especially within the past few months. It was nothing you couldn’t handle, though it sure gave you a run for your money sometimes.

One fateful night, everything changed: Hot, excruciating jolts shot through you, burning and raging like a fire within. Jisoo found you in the bathroom, curled up in the fetal position, and immediately called for help. To her, this was something totally unexpected -- you had always worked hard to hide what you were going through from her, not wanting to give her any added stress. She had enough to worry about; you didn’t want to be another thing on that list. Perhaps that had been the wrong thing to do, judging by the panicked look on her face as she cradled you in her arms. Surely her stress had increased tenfold now.

~~~~~~~

The soft click of the door to your hospital room grabs your attention, and you open your eyes.

“Y/N, why did the doctor just tell me that you’ve known about your condition?” Her voice is quiet, unbelieving; she sounds tired. For the first time in a long time, her eyes are unable to meet yours. She swallows thickly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and fear. Tears threaten to spill from her beautiful eyes, and you curse the universe for not giving you enough strength to reach up and wipe them away when they inevitably fall.

“I was going to tell you… I just never found the right time. How was I supposed to tell you something like that?”

“You should’ve.” The reply is simple, but her delivery is profound: her voice is laced with pain, a hint of resentment mixed in. Who could blame her? She’s having to witness her world crumble before her eyes, and she has absolutely no way to stop it. Her jaw clenches as she finally gives in, little by little, allowing her tears to fall. You can tell she’s trying to stay strong, though.

“Would you have lived as fully if I had? No. You would’ve spent every second with me worried about that, looking at me different. Like I was fragile and would break at any moment. Maybe you wouldn’t have meant to, but I would’ve felt it. It would’ve been at the forefront of your mind; you wouldn’t have said what you meant and did what you wanted. I needed to make those memories.”

~~~~~~~

As you faded in and out of consciousness again, the distant sounds of monitors served as a beacon for you. Fighting sleep was growing harder every time, but you held on for Jisoo. She wasn’t ready to let go yet, and neither were you; although, the two of you never really would be.

“What am I supposed to do without you, Y/N?” Her hands are cradled around your left one, lips pressing against it as the words roll off her tongue. She’s looking down, attempting to wrap her head around what’s about to happen. Hot tears drip onto your skin, and you pray to have enough strength to hold her one last time. You want to leave this world embracing her, feeling her warmth for as long as you possibly can. You have to.

“J-Jisoo.” Within an instant, her head snaps up, her eyes searching your face, waiting for your command.

“Hold me.”

As she moves to lay next to you on the bed, she makes sure not to hurt you. One of her arms supports your head and wraps around your shoulders, while her other comes to circle around your waist. Her soft skin rubs against your own, and a hum of happiness leaves your lips.

In an instant, it hits her: she won’t be able to hear that sound again. She won’t be able to hear your laugh… God, your laugh. It’s always been one of her favorite sounds in the entire universe; after tonight, she’ll have to settle for listening to it from videos on her phone. Those captured memories, frozen in time for her to replay as often as she wanted, could never compare to the real thing.

Soon, you’d be gone from this world, leaving her behind as a shell of what she once was. How could you keep this from her? Everything the two of you had spent so much time creating -- the stable life you were going to keep on living well into your 80s -- is crashing down around her. That dream of passing away together in bed, a long and happy life replaying as you fade away, is rapidly disappearing into nothingness, and she doesn’t know how to cope.

She tries to make sense of the situation -- to rationalize like she always does -- but it’s not possible this time. Why were you burdened with this terrible disease? Why you? You’re one of the greatest people Jisoo has ever known, always doing right by everyone you come across. So what kind of higher power would damn you in such a way?

“Stop thinking about it. Just be here with me, please.”

As hard as it is to do as you ask, she does her best to push those thoughts away.

“I can’t do this without you, Y/N.” Her sobs get in the way of her words as they struggle past her lips. She’s a mess: streaks of tears are running down her cheeks again, her hair stuck to her face in various places. The mascara she applied earlier that day is smudged underneath her eyes, mingling with the salty liquid spilling from them without restraint.

“Yes you can, baby. It’s gonna be alright; you’ve got the girls, and you know I’m gonna be there, too. I’ll always be with you.”

She presses a kiss against your forehead, and you can feel her lower lip tremble against you.

“I’m not afraid. You don’t have to worry about me anymore, I’m not hurting.” You try your hardest to remind her of that and soothe her, even in the state you’re in; seeing her like this hurts you more than any sickness ever could. Both of your hearts are breaking at the same time, attempting to figure out how to go on without the other.

A rather violent cough racks through your body, and she holds you once it’s over. In that moment, it’s clear that your time to go is rapidly approaching.

“Jisoo--” You begin, mustering up all of your strength to utter some parting words.

“Don’t. Don’t say it. You’ll have to go once you do. I’m not ready.” She shakes her head in protest, still unable to accept what’s happening.

“I have to, jagi. Just let me get it out.”

With a shuddered breath and fresh set of tears replacing her previous ones, she nods. You take that as your cue to continue.

“Thank you for the happiest years of my life. Knowing you -- being able to love you -- has been the biggest privilege I’ve ever had. There’s no one I would have rather spent my time with. I know it’s hard baby, but please don’t hate me for not telling you… I think you’ll understand why I didn’t, in time. Just be happy, Jisoo. For me. Remember me and the times we shared; those aren’t going anywhere. I’ll love you forever.”

Her lips are against yours in a flash, gentle passion burning wildly. The feeling takes away all of your worries, and you sigh against her. She doesn’t want to stop, but she has some words for you, too.

“You’re all I’ve ever wanted, Y/N… that’s what makes this so hard. I could never hate you, though. I just wish we had more time. I’ll love you always, even through the distance that separates us. You’re my happiness.”

“Ooh baby…” The words come out through your tears, your voice unstable from all of the emotions you’re feeling. “I wish I could stay. God, am I gonna miss you.”

She kisses you again, and some of the pain is alleviated from your heart immediately. It still hurts, of course, but her kisses soothe you in a way that nothing else can -- part of you is healed now.

“I think I’m gonna miss that most of all.” She mumbles as her forehead rests against yours again. Her tears are at bay for the time being.

“Not as much as I will.” The faintest chuckle is drawn from her; even as you lay dying, you’re still just as competitive as ever.

You wrap your arms around her and let your face rest in the crook of her neck. You’re at peace in her arms, warm and comfortable in every way possible. Only she could do that -- no one else made you feel as safe and protected as her. The realness of the situation is hitting you again, but you try to focus your mind on the feeling of her heart beat against your chest. Yours is slowing down, the process becoming unnecessary now.

She can feel you slipping away, right between her fingers, and it’s almost too much to handle. Her entire world is fading right in front of her, and she just has to be a passenger in the process. If she could save you, she would; if there was a way for her to trade positions with you, she would do it in a heartbeat. Every other type of pain pales in comparison to seeing you, the love of her life, so weak and frail.

“I love you. Now, kiss me one last time.”

She does as you ask, whispering her own declarations of love against your lips in between kisses.

In stark contrast with her broken state, your mind is running wild with memories from the life the two of you shared. All of your “firsts” replay in a flurry of various emotions and colors. It’s difficult to explain, but your mind is aglow with the vivid hues of a life well lived -- one with no regrets, no stones left unturned. It’s all playing in your head like some sort of slideshow, and there’s no other way you’d want to be sent off.

“It’s beautiful, Jisoo.”

Just as she looks down at you, ready to ask what you’re talking about, the monitor flatlines. You have a content, peaceful smile on your lips, your eyes closed in comfort.

“I’ll see you later, my love.” She whispers to you -- and those are the last words you hear before leaving this world, beginning your journey to the cosmos.

#kim jisoo #jisoo x reader #kim jisoo x fem reader #blackpink #blackpink imagines #blackpink one shots #jisoo imagine #angst #kpop angst

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whereflowersbloom · 4 years

Text

Questions

Damian found his girlfriend standing out on the lovely vine-shaded balcony, dressed in civilian clothes and staring out into the city. Night turned Gotham into an endless sea of luminescence. Skyscrapers around the city glow with the light of thousands of residents inside, creating trails of brilliance that ascend up towards the starry sky. It is quite beautiful, in its own way. The soft evening breeze caressing her ebony hair, creating wafts of lavender and rosemary in the air. Had she always been this breathtakingly beautiful? Slowly, Damian set his gaze towards the stars above. The precision that Raven studied the sky with passion, it fascinated him. It was as if she was reading lines from a story book, but instead there was a mass of speckled lights as she was connecting them, tracing invisible lines.

Raven took a deep breath of fresh night air and sighed, a mix of contentment, and something else, she couldn’t point it. “Have you ever considered what your life would be like If you had taken a different path?” Her breath hitched on the last word but her eyes had glance sideway to his large calloused hand still in hers, for someone who appeared to be controlling and unapproachable, Damian was surprisingly gentle and affectionate. The question caught him off guard. He felt a bubble of longing as he remembered her words that night at the carnival when she had called him kind and generous, nobody had ever spoken that way about him. That night something inside him changed, high and fenced walls began to crumble down.

Soaking in the view a little longer, Damian waited a few minutes before deciding to speak. He supposed that the saying that one’s life flashes before their eyes must hold some kind of truth, though he was not dying, and yet he had been dangerously close to the gates of death several times. Raven was his anchor amidst the unpredictability of their life as titans, always bringing him back from the turbulent waters. He couldn’t stop himself from recalling the most memorable moments of his unusual and complex life. He exhaled a long audible breath as he begins.” My life had been long decided before I was born into this world.” He murmured to the whistling wind, his words sounding faraway, even to his own ears. He would rather not relive any of the horrors he’d seen, the terrible acts he had committed in order to build a new world, make it better. What a blind and naive child he had been. At some point he had been ready to surrender his sword, his Robin suit, his claim to fight for others, offer her perhaps a normal life if that’s what she wished for. He would give her anything she asked for in a heartbeat. He squeezed her small hand tighter, Raven immediately noticed way he’s gripping onto it, like she’s the only thing keeping him tethered to this world. “After some time coming to the tower, I contemplated a rather uneventful, ordinary life. If my parents had conceived me under very different circumstances. If mother loved me more than her own insatiable ambitions. If father wasn’t the eccentric, mysterious millionaire Bruce Wayne or a vigilante consumed by his thirst to serve justice.” There was a tone of melancholy in his voice, the promise of a different retelling of a story. His story. “It wasn’t all bad. Mother…she used to read to me, every one now and then, nights like these. Tales about the greatest leaders in history, others about the origin of the Al Ghul dynasty. I treasured those moments.” He looked over at her, and he didn’t seem to recognize her for a moment, like the memory had been so strong it had actually confused him, taking him back to that instant. This was the most he’d ever really said about his mother. His past as an Al Ghul. Sure he’d shared some stories, about certain things he enjoyed and disliked. But he never spoke about Talia with such profound emotions. This was personal and precious to Damian. It saddened her. Saddened for the pain in his emerald eyes that he was trying to hide. Another long breath was blown between his full lips, and he deflated again, like he was accepting the undeniable truth. “Perhaps I would have met Jon at a local school and we would play basketball after classes and Greyson would be the team’s coach. Maybe we would have crossed paths at the extensive and valuable Gotham Public Library. I would have offered to treat you a cup of Earl Grey tea. A part of me believed I’d have picked Veterinary medicine as my bachelor degree.”

She looked at him with such intensity and Damian thought her violet eyes grew deeper, darker, more reflective. She was weighing her own reflection in his eyes, trying to see through him like she always did. And they both were visualizing, a different life consisting of trivialities, a simple lifestyle, maybe in the countryside, a rather nice and quiet house, perhaps similar to the Kent farm with some slight but substantial improvements. “What about you?” He abruptly asked her, startling her. Oh she had never been sure about her own future. “As the daughter of an inter-dimensional demon. I didn’t think a future was possible for me. A happy family, a stable romantic relationship, loyal friends. Everything was endless blackness when I was trapped by Trigon. What I have right now is more any blissful future I could have imagined.” She muttered softly. This companionship between them, the mutual care, the tender loving, the sense of equality between them, the feeling of belonging to each other beyond any outer interference because they chose one another. Their family and friends. Everything was more than enough. Damian was unconsciously too absorbed at how she looked at the whole world as one precious thing, values life in every form and shape. Her unnatural powers gave her the ability to look into something and see what others can’t. It was fascinating. He was thankful too, sincerely appreciated what he had. His father, troublesome siblings adoptive or not, his teammates and Raven. He is product of the flames which burnt him, his actions, his choices and the will that made him grow formidable instead of breaking. They both were. This woman was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his human days with.

“There’s something that wouldn’t change. You. It’s always been you, Raven.” He’s got a dazed look in his eyes, a familiar bright gleam to them that hadn’t been there earlier, but he flashed her a dazzling smile at her, one that make her insides jump. Raven let his words sink in. He wanted her even if things were different and joy seeped through her whole body.

She just felt greedily wanting more time with him, every moment and experience. She loved him, from the possessive way he held her or how he kept on touching her the instant they are alone and he felt he same. They have been together for a few years now, it took them some time to announce it to their significant others. No matter how things turned out, they have this genuine, real and consuming love. That emotion when you felt like your lungs are out of air when your lover is away from you, everything was so intense and yet so tender, you were worried it would break between your fingers like crusty autumn leaves. She focused on him.

Damian looked out of his depths. He’d always been so controlled and measured, knew the weight of his every word and was completely unflappable despite whatever life threw at him, but now he didn’t. He seemed as if he was nervous, unable to spell out his own feelings. Hesitant. Could be her imagination but she sensed a slight agitation awakening in him.

“Marry me, Raven.” The words are said with his whole heart. They are genuine and honest and very him. He couldn’t hold back the words any longer. Why wait anyway? theres simply no time when you’re busy saving the world day-to-day. There’s no question to calculate when is the right right or your fated person, no formula for the correct time. Timing. There’s no use reminding about the past or the life they would have dreamed to have. The present was a gift and ultimately what matters the most. They have been romantically involved for 4 years now. He knew she was the one the moment he gathered courage to ask her out, court her properly the way he had been taught. Initially, he planned to propose differently but it felt right. This conversation only strengthened his resolve to make a Raven his wife.

“Damian.” She breathed with astonishment.

“No buts. Marry me.” He commanded with an eyebrows raised stopping her from coming up with an unnecessary excuse, content filling his veins and the marrow of his bones, flooding him with a blanket of warmth and hope. He didn’t want to wait anymore. He wanted her, now and tomorrow and the rest of his existence, and she loves him. Like he knew she’s always had her doubts on if she could be loved or she did before they started dating.

Her bottom lip trembled momentarily. She felt a bit like she can’t breathe properly, but then Damian is reaching up and gently cupping her cheek, and she exhaled shakily as he runs the pad of his thumb over her lips. He was looking at her dead serious, asking her to marry him. “I’m not taking the chance to wait too long.” Damian whispered urgently. His tone more serious than before. Her heart was hammering in her chest. They moved in together about a year ago. Were they ready to take the next step?

It felt too real all of a sudden. Too damn real, and she wants to drown in it this moment, in this bottomless sea of feelings for him. She wanted to pretend that this is real and more than that, she wanted to say yes. Damian Wayne didn’t take a no for an answer. When he was determined, he did everything posssihke to get it, one way or another. And she loves him nonetheless. Raven felt her heart flutter, her chest tightened ever so slightly as she finally exhaled. “Yes. I’ll marry you, Damian.”

“I love you.” Her voice breaking as tears are rolling down her cheeks and the small smile on her lips. It was easy to find herself gravitating toward Damian, falling back into that wordless sync they had. To feel herself being pulled into his personal space as he crowded hers. Until they faced each other with barely inches between them and her breath hitched as he snaked his arms around her, emerald eyes softened, glowing against the moonlight, they didn’t leave her, and his arms made the distance between them disappear. Their lips are barely touching but he can feel the softness, the plumpness of her mouth, like an overripe fruit. She brushes her lips against his and Damian rapidly kissed her fervently. His lips breathing silent ‘I love you’s. The low giggle that rumbled up through her could not be contained though she tried. She knew several language but no words could describe this ecstatic happiness.

Damian is overwhelmed by the sweet taste, the delicious scent, the warm feel of her. He was intoxicated and drunk off their hungry kiss. He trailed his hand on her waist up her back and feels her heart hammering against her ribs and wonders for a moment if she’s feeling as consumed by the kiss as he is. If she is as incredibly happy as he is right in this moment. He didn’t need a different life, this one was exactly what he wished for.

Damian made a mental note to ask Jon to accompany him ring shopping tomorrow. Tonight he had plans to celebrate his engagement with his gorgeous fiancée.

His lips brushed hers in a soft, tender rhythm once again. Once. Twice. Thrice. Harder, and a little bit hungrier than before, until her fingers are intertwined in his hair and his solid body is pressing against her frame. He lifted her up effortlessly, taking a few steps back, taking her back to their bedroom. Two figures bathed in tranquil starlight disappeared.

Oneshot because I need fluff. Final edit

Thank you to @chromium7sky @ravenfan1242 @deep-in-mind67 and all my readers for motivating me to write. This might be the last chapter for a while. 💜💜

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pappydaddy · 4 years

Text

I Wanna Know What It’s Like (f.w.)

A/N: So, I am going to start making new Masterlists and today I was supposed to start them, but I’ve had this idea for an imagine in my head for weeks now so I am writing it instead. I also couldn’t choose who to write this for so I’m doing multiple variations of this for different characters and stuff. I decided to do Fred first bc my other Fred imagine was really sad so this is a way to make up for that unnecessary sadness.

I am also testing out a new scene divider, idk if I’ll like it, but we’ll see! This is a repost bc the tags weren’t working the first time a posted which was upsetting and I really hope that they work this time. This is another repost (last one for a while if this one doesn’t get any feedback or the tags don’t work).

Anyway, Enjoy!

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Gryffindor!Reader

Fandom: Harry Potter

Inspo: The Tik Tok audio for Let’s Be Friends by Emily Osment, links to the song below so you don’t have to search for it like I had to 😂

- The song the Tik Tok audio is cut from - Slowed version I found and really like

Warnings: None except making out I guess. Some NSFW hints and thoughts. Like downright sinful thoughts. Hints towards a kinky reader? (Is that even a warning? And is wanting to be completely railed a kink? Is it?)

masterlist | taglist | wips | navigation - my gif -

Y/n couldn’t seem to pull her eyes from the red-head seated next to his identical twin. The pair of them sitting farther down the Gryffindor table than Y/n and her friends. The hall was silent as all the students were working on their essays, being monitored by Snape, but the greasy Potions Master nor the rules silenced the twins - them having found a loophole that let them annoy the largely hated Professor. There was a rule about no talking, but he couldn’t punish them if they never spoke actual words, could he? From where she sat, she could hear their loud grunts and hums from their wordless conversation with each other.

She didn’t understand the sudden fascination with the Weasley boy. It confused her since when she had left Hogwarts last year, she found him annoying, but alas, once she laid eyes on him for the first time this year at the Welcoming Feast, something had changed. She definitely couldn’t pin-point it to save her soul. Maybe it was the fact that he had grown his hair out, but then she’d also be attracted to his twin since he had done the same. Could it have been that she finally developed her attraction to bad boys? Was she looking to spice up her dating life since her past boyfriends had been quite lackluster with their golden-boy attitudes? Whatever it was, it made her question her sanity since this was Fred Weasley she was talking about. The same boy who decided it would be funny to throw a large Dungbomb into her dorm in First Year. She had stunk for a good two weeks along with the only other girl that was in her room at the time.

“L/n,” The monotone drawl of Snape made her feel like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water over her - which she was thankful for since she could sense her thoughts for the red-head were about to take a steamier turn. Gulping, she slowly turned her head to look at the scowling man donned in black. “I suspect that you’re done your essay already since you certainly do not look like you’re working on it anymore. Didn’t take you to be too keen about potions based on your unsuccessful potion brewing.” His voice was slow and sharp, showing that he was not in the mood to even be pleasant to Gryffindors.

“Almost, sir. Just a bit distracted. Sorry, Professor.” She shrunk under his hardening glare, realizing that he probably didn’t want her to answer his statement.

“Five points from Gryffindor for talking, L/n.” Snape sneered making Y/n’s jaw fall in shock. Her eyes stared up at him in disbelief. He was the one who talked to her first!

“But I was just-”

“Another five points from Gryffindor, need I take more?” Snape asked in a threatening tone, his frame seeming to grow and tower over the girl, intimidating her. She gulped, shaking her head nervously, remaining silent. She might not be someone who thought things through before acting, but she certainly did learn from her mistakes - usually after the second time. With a nod and a flick of his long cloak, Snape stalked along the table, glaring at the Weasley twins as they continued on with their nonsense, pushing his buttons as he waited for the moment one of them slipped up. Huffing as she casted one last glance towards Fred, she couldn’t help letting the question slip through her lips.

“When did he get hot?” Her eyes widened when she realized she muttered the words out loud. Her friends looked up from their own essays, snickering at the red-faced Gryffindor. A few other Gryffindors looked up at the girl in confusion, but she noticed that her quiet voice hadn’t reached the students near the Twins. She let out the breath she held, thinking that she was safe from embarrassment from Fred hearing and Snape hearing, but her false sense of security was yanked out from under her.

“Another five points from Gryffindor, Miss L/n!” She cringed, peeking up to see Snape glaring at her from the middle of the Great Hall. A groan emitted from her before her forehead fell against where she thought her pile of parchment and books were only for it to thud against the wooden table harshly. She didn’t react, only hissing and scrunching her face in pain but otherwise keeping her head down.

_____________________________________________________________________

Saturday was the day of relaxation. Where you ignore all your problems like the load of homework you had due on Monday. The day was designed for this, putting everything off and worrying about it on Sunday when you had a pile of work that needed to be done in the single day. Y/n was the queen of blissful Saturday ignorance which is why it was so surprising to see her sitting outside, staring blankly at the lake (at least they thought it was the lake) as she clearly worried about something. Her friends, in turn, ended up breaking their Saturday tradition to worry about their friend.

In reality, Y/n wasn’t staring at a wall and she really wasn’t worried about anything. As her and her friends sat under the shade of a large tree, the Weasley Twins were tossing something into the lake. She was sure they were up to something, but that wasn’t on her mind. What was on her mind was the fact that she was still trying to figure out why she liked Fred Weasley. She had figured her feelings for the boy when she saw him flirting with some random Ravenclaw Prefect to create a distraction for George to slip past the Prefect and place their product in her bag that sat on the floor by her feet. Before realizing what the two masterminds had plotted, she felt a wave of unfamiliar anger flaring in the pit of her stomach - something she later diagnosed as jealously.

Her thoughts were definitely clouded with steamy thoughts that could be the contents of a dirty movie. As her eyes scanned over the tall boy standing at the shore of the lake, laughing mischievously with his twin, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was different than her past experiences. He was a flirt, he talked a big game, but when it got down to it, did he really know how to please her? Did he know how to make her scream louder than she ever has? Would he be scared to hurt her or would he not think twice to push her into the mattress and completely destroy her? “Y/n!” Her friend shoved her, making her almost topple over. Snapping her once glazed-over eyes to her friend, she saw her friend group blinking at her expectantly.

“What,” She asked, clearing her throat when her words came out too high to be played off as normal. The friend that had pushed her shared a concerned look with the others before looking back at the wide-eyed girl whose cheeks had become tinted with pink when she retraced her thoughts. “What do you want Cami?”

“We were talking about Cedric and asked you a question-” Another friend, Alyssa, popped into the conversation. Cedric, Hogwarts Heartthrob and Golden-boy. When Y/n broke up with Roger Davis, they were sure her and Cedric would pair up, they were the most attractive students at Hogwarts, they would be the power couple - it must have been destined. Y/n was even convinced that they would end up dating this year, but once she caught sight of Fred, that all went out the window. She wasn’t entirely convinced that it was entirely the oldest twin’s doing since when Y/n saw Cedric on the platform before boarding the train, she questioned what all the fawning was about. Sure, he was attractive, but he was too good. If she had dated him, she’d probably end up bored of the relationship just like the others.

“Repeated it ten times, too.” Her Hufflepuff friend, Sophie, spoke up.

“We wanted to know when you guys were going to get together? Word has it, Cho and him have been talking, you might want to jump on him when you have a chance! Ask him to the Yule Ball!” Cami regained control of the conversation. Y/n shrugged, opening her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by her other friend pointing off towards the lake.

“Look! Janet Green is going to ask Fred to the Yule Ball,” Alyssa exclaimed in a hushed, gossipy voice. Y/n instantly looked towards the lake to see the same Ravenclaw Prefect Fred flirted with approaching the snickering twins. “I heard she’s been plucking up the courage for days. Poor girl, hope he says yes. It’d be awfully embarrassing to be turned down after it’s all she’s been talking about!” She gushed in a fake sympathetic tone. She lived for drama and gossip, no matter what Fred answered, it’d be good for her since she’d be able to spread the news.

The group watched, Y/n hoping that Fred would say no. Janet started to talk, nervously playing with the ring on her pointer finger as she talked to him, George watching with a playful smirk on his face still. Y/n took in the younger twin’s form, seeing his shoulders shaking ever so slightly with smothered laughter, the smirk on his face saying that he knew the answer his brother was going to give. Y/n furrowed her brows as he obviously enjoyed the situation his brother was being placed in. “I can’t watch this-” Sophie gasped, being cut off.

“Be quiet, they’ll know we’re watching!” Alyssa hissed at her, whacking her with the muggle magazine her mother sent her. The snap of the magazine resulted in George flicking his eyes up to the group, all of their eyes widening, but his smirk just grew more and they could clearly see a sparkle in his eyes when he noticed Y/n staring intently down at the group. They could all see that his eyes stayed on her for a solid second, singling her out before he sent her a knowing wink before he looked back at his stammering twin.

“That,” Sophie breathed out. “Did not go well, poor girl.” She finished with a real sympathetic sigh.

“Yeah,” Alyssa let out a fake sigh before smiling brightly. “I’ve got to go tell Alicia Spinnet, she owes me ten sickles!” And with that, she scrambled up and was running towards the castle.

“Alyssa, no! You’ll embarrass the poor girl further!” Sophie gasped, chasing after her Gryffindor friend. Cami watched the two runoff, but Y/n couldn’t be bothered with them. She was too busy trying to decode what had just happened. From her thoughts to George’s wink. It was all like a secret code. She watched closely as George poked fun at Fred once the embarrassed Ravenclaw was far enough away. She hummed, noticing George trying to discretely point towards her as he tried to convince Fred of something. She could see Fred’s hair blowing slightly, the flaming hair looking smooth. Suddenly, her mind was clouded once again, imagining how it feels to have him press her up against a wall, her legs wrapped around his waist, their lips locked together in a heated kiss, their tongues invading each other’s mouth, her fingers tangled in the locks of fire-

“What are you doing, Y/n,” Cami asked, snapping her out of her daydream. She looked over at her friend to see her with furrowed brows. “You were,” She paused, looking disturbed by the next word she was going to say. “Moaning, I think?” She wasn’t even sure what Y/n was doing. Y/n would have normally flushed in embarrassment, but it seemed like her mind had a different plan. She wanted to know what the big deal about Fred Weasley was about. There must be something about him that she wanted, why else would she be plagued with these curiosities? She can’t even look at the guy without suddenly wondering something about him. She wanted to know how his lips tasted, to know if his hair was soft, if her fingers could glide right through his locks without getting caught on any tangles. She wanted to know everything her mind was wondering.

“I’m going to go get answers, that’s what.” She told her friend, making Cami more confused as she stood up, her eyes on Fred and George. George, seeing that Y/n was storming her way over, looking like she was on a mission quickly told his brother who seemed to freeze before turning around to see that his brother was telling the truth. After a second of shock, he plastered his normal smirk on his lips, but Y/n could see the nervousness in his eyes. She had studied that smirk since the beginning of the year after all.

Cami watched in shock and confusion as her friend marched up to Fred, standing in front of him. The tall boy looked down at her, his smirk still on his face (looking normal to her) as Y/n craned her neck to look at his face. “Hey, Fred.” Y/n smiled, completely unsure of how she was doing this. Her inner self was having a complete meltdown, her brain being overridden with confidence.

“Hello, Y/n.” He perked an eyebrow at the girl, feeling her confidence rolling from her, a stark difference from Janet a mere few minutes ago. She hummed, a smirk that she didn’t even know she could produce stretching onto her face. It was like she wasn’t even in control of her body, she was being driven by her sheer attraction to the boy standing in front of her.

“Let’s be friends so we can make out,” She came right out with it, Fred’s smirk falling as he nearly choked on his own spit, taken back by her statement. “You’re hot, I wanna know what it’d be like. We can go to the Yule Ball, sneak away to make out in a dark hallway,” She shrugged, her eyes glistening with the normal flirtatious sparkle Fred held in his. “Don’t you wanna know what it’d be like to make out with someone who has only been with good guys? Show me the wild side?” She stepped closer to him, her hand skimming his hip as she did so, her hip bone hitting just below his hip due to the height difference.

Fred was silent, his pupils completely blown as he processed what was going on. Her confidence faltered slightly, but she then remembered all the flirting tips she had read in Alyssa’s magazines. Walk away, leave them wanting more. She picked the dropped confidence up, adding more onto the surge she was miraculously given somehow. “If you want to take me up on the offer, you know where to find me.” She rolled up onto the balls of her feet, pressing a soft kiss to the skin close to Fred’s mouth while still being able to say it was the cheek before spinning around and sauntering back towards stunned Cami. It took everything in her to fight against her inner self that wanted to die right there not to drop the smirk, hoping that he’d come after her once he got over his shock.

The hand wrapping around her wrist didn’t surprise her, she almost knew it was coming. In a swift movement, she was whirled back around, facing Fred who panted slightly, a flirty smirk on his face as he gazed down at her. “I think I’ll take the offer,” He hummed, his eyes dropping down to look at her lips, his tongue swiping over his bottom lip hungrily. “You and me, the Yule Ball and a dark hallway, see you then.” He pressed a kiss to the very corner of her lips, regaining his confidence before releasing her wrist and walking back towards the lake where his brother smiled proudly. She watched him, the corners of her lips feeling the aftershocks of having his lips touch her. Cami walked up to stand beside her, looking at Fred and George as well.

“Guess you’re gonna need to get a really sexy dress now,” She commented, nodding absentmindedly. Y/n hummed in agreement, stunned that it had worked and that she had actually just did that. “Now I know why you’re a Gryffindor,” She added on before grabbing Y/n’s arm and dragging her back to the castle. “Come on, we need to make a list for possible dresses and Alyssa owes me the ten sickles Alicia is giving her.”

#fred weasley imagines #fred weasley x reader #snogging #tik tok #tik tok songs #fred weasley #snogging fred weasley #fred weasley imagines snogging #yule ball #harry potter and the goblet of fire #harry potter imagines #fred weasley x fem!reader #fred weasley x gryffindor!reader #fred weasley prefernces #fred weasley oneshot

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writingpaperghost · 3 years

Text

There is a Me Who Can Become Strong (Chapter 9)

Chapter 9: Beat Up the Dragon!

The CR prepares for the arrival of the Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Kyotaro Hinata, but as he arrives at Seito, Graphite infects him. As it turns out, there's one person here who is rather familiar with Hinata, Emu, who takes Hinata's infection close to heart.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32857183/chapters/82742431

The CR was not in a state of panic. Director Kagami was in a state of panic, intensely cleaning and rearranging everything in the CR. Saki and Poppy are already there when Emu arrives, Poppy watching a bit concerned, while Saki just looks resigned. Emu thinks this is probably something to be at least a bit concerned about. Why was the director obsessively cleaning everything?

After a moment, Emu finally asks, “Is… is the director okay?”

“He’s fine,” Saki responds, “Just nervous. He gets like this sometimes.”

Watching the scene for a moment again, he asks another question, “Why is he so worked up?”

This time, it’s Poppy who responds, “The Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Hinata, is arriving today,” At her words, Emu can’t help but get excited. He knew who Hinata was very well. “He’s here to discuss recent events with the rise in Game Disease cases, this black Rider, Gemn, and what we should do about Nico and Kiriya, since they aren’t apart of the CR.”

While Emu certainly heard her words past the mention of Hinata, that was the part that he was fixating on, “Doctor Kyotaro?”

At such a casual and familiar use of the Deputy Director-General’s name, Director Kagami froze mid-wipe of the table. He looks up at Emu with shock, “What?”

This was when Emu realized that none of the CR probably knew of his past with Doctor Kyotaro. They’d have no way of knowing and he’d certainly never mentioned it. He should probably explain, because even Saki and Poppy were looking at him with surprise and confusion.

“When I was eight,” He began to explain, “He saved my life. He was the one who inspired me to become a doctor myself.” The little child in the hospital bed, treated by an adult with genuine kindness that wasn’t required, changing that child’s life forever. Words that would echo in his thoughts constantly, “a smile is proof of your health”. It was the actions of Doctor Kyotaro that made Emu want to become a doctor, to be to other children what Doctor Kyotaro had been to Emu.

That’s what he was fulfilling right now. That dream that had been planted sixteen years ago. It was now growing and growing and about to bear fruit. Even more so, perhaps, with him working as a Rider.

Poppy is the first to speak, wondering, “What are the odds…?”

---

Graphite’s waiting patiently, knowing that his target will arrive soon. He knows that Mu is watching from somewhere further away, ready to help if necessary, having gotten the Gashats and Driver back from Kuroto, but far enough away he wasn’t in any unnecessary danger.

He sees the one he’s waiting for entering the hospital and grins. Teleporting to appear in front of the Deputy Director-General, he puts his plan into motion, a fog of black flowing from him to the director, infecting him. His action and the sudden collapse of Hinata draws the attention of several people in the hospital, but Graphite teleports away before anyone else can get near him.

Reappearing where Mu was hiding, Graphite is immediately greeted with Mu grabbing his shoulders, “Graphite what the hell?!”

Graphite wasn’t sure why Mu was starting to freak out like this, “What’s wrong?” He asked, looking around to see if he’d somehow been followed or someone had found Mu. There was no one to be saw, though.

“Why did you infect him?!”

Still unsure what exactly was wrong, Graphite answered, “Because he’s the Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Health,” He watched as Mu’s expression failed to get any less frantic. “What better target would there be?”

Mu’s hands fall off Graphite’s shoulders, “But- but why him?! He’s – He’s – But!” He’s seemed to have lost his ability to speak as clearly as he’d probably like. But Graphite still didn’t understand.

There were brief areas on the ground that began to glitch, with Mu’s own hands beginning to glitch. His red eye began to glow more. If they didn’t want the possibility of getting caught Graphite would have to make sure that Mu calmed down.

Placing his own hands on Mu’s shoulders, Graphite said, “Calm down,” Though his words were doing little on their own, he continued, “Calm down. Tell me why you’re upset.”

---

Worriedly, Emu scanned the CR’s newest patient, Doctor Kyotaro Hinata, the Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Health. He didn’t like seeing Doctor Kyotaro in the patient bed, knowing that he’d been infected. No matter how capable the Riders were of defeating Bugsters, it still made him worried. More so than usual.

Saki looks over his shoulder at what the scan brought up. She frowned, “Drago Knight Hunter Z,” She said, her tone bitter and grave, “Graphite’s strain.”

“So you think that Graphite infected him?” Emu asked, putting his Game Scope down.

“Almost certainly,” Saki glances at the infection percentage, “Be ready, the Bugster will certainly appear soon.”

As she speaks, a mass begins to form from Hinata. She places her Gamer Driver on his waist and holds up the Taddle Quest Gashat. As the mass grows and Saki clearly prepares to transform, Emu can’t help but curse his inability to help against the Level 1 Bugsters again. He really doesn’t know how he did it with Salty and wasn’t going to risk the lecture from anyone if he tried to do it again.

Taddle Quest!

Let’s game! Metcha game! Mucha game! What’s your name? I’m a Kamen Rider!

As Saki transforms, the Bugster finally forms and she moves the three of them to a different stage, this a forest waterfall.

Taking a good look at the Bugster, Emu realizes that he’s seen it before, “Saki!” He called, “That’s an enemy from Drago Knight Hunter Z!” Before he can say anything more on the matter, he’s cut off by the arrival of Graphite. He wasn’t even in his Bugster form, instead standing as a human. Out of the corner of his eye, Emu can see Saki’s grip on the Gashacon Sword tighten.

Graphite is holding something in his hand, he’s a bit far away, but it looks like a Gashat. It was grey colored, though, like the one that Gemn used. He looks between the two Riders, one transformed, one not, and says, “I will use the Prototype Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat,” He begins firmly, “To create more Bugsters.” With his declaration, he holds the Gashat up and stabs it into his chest. He takes his Bugster form, but now he’s no longer green colored, instead being black.

---

Kuroto watches as Mu enters the room and falls onto the couch. “You look tired,” He says bluntly, “More than usual.”

“Did you know who Graphite was going to infect?”

Considering the question for a moment, Kuroto answers, “I knew he would take the Prototype Gashat, I let him, really. I need data from it to finish the complete Gashat.” Though even he knew that didn’t answer Mu’s question, “But no, Mu, I did not know who he was going to infect.”

That seems to reassure Mu, at least a little, thought Kuroto is still unsure why Mu was so upset at all. Why was he upset with who Graphite infected? Mu had never talked about really knowing anyone before, so it couldn’t have been because he knew whoever it was Graphite had infected.

Mu falls a bit, ending up in a lying position on the couch, throwing an arm over his eyes. Kuroto regards the sight for a moment, before getting up and wrangling one of the blankets free from the nest. “Get some rest,” he says, “I’ll keep an eye on Graphite and makes sure nothing happens.”

“’M not tired,”

“Sleep,” Kuroto insists, laying the blanket down over Mu. Mu doesn’t continue to protest, at least.

---

“Emu, transform and help me!” Saki calls, quickly dodging out of the way of an attack from Graphite’s weapon.

Nodding, Emu pulls out Mighty Action X. Now would be a good time to have access to another Gashat, but there wasn’t much they could do about that.

Mighty Action X!

Let’s game! Metcha game! Mucha game! What’s your name? I’m a Kamen Rider!

Level Up! Mighty Jump! Mighty Kick! Mighty-Mighty Action X!

Emu slashes at Graphite hoping to be able to knock his weapon off a little, but given how much bigger his weapon was, all the attack managed to do was get blocked. Beside Emu, Saki switches her sword to fire mode and slashes, causing Emu to need to move away from Graphite.

“I’ll handle Graphite,” Saki declared, “Worry about the other Bugster.”

“What?” Emu asked, looking between Saki and the other Bugster, “Saki, I can’t fight that Bugster. I don’t have a Level 1!” It was literally the worst idea. At least Emu had to fight at Level 2, meaning that he’d probably stand a better chance against Graphite.

Still, his protests fall on deaf ears, Saki’s attention drawn almost, if not entirely, on Graphite. Left with no other choice, Emu turns his attention towards the other Bugster, clearly a dragon. It was obviously based off one of the dragons in Drago Knight Hunter Z, but it was hard to tell which type. Not that Emu was entirely convinced that knowledge would help.

He was already at a disadvantage since this was usually the stage of the fight that he’d have to let the others handle, since it was supposed to be done with Level 1. That level that he distinctly lacked and hadn’t had ever. He’d managed, somehow, against Salty, but he isn’t really sure what he did that day.

After getting thrown around by the dragon, Emu was knocked out of his transformation, having never really stood a chance. Moments later, Saki’s knocked down not too far from him, her own transformation disappearing. Neither of them were a match for even one of these Bugster, certainly not without their Level 3s.

Graphite looks at the two for a moment, before turning his back to them, “How pathetic of a fight,” He said, “I expected more from the both of you.” With that, the game world around them disappeared and Graphite and the dragon Bugster were gone.

---

“Saki, why the hell did you decide I should be the one to fight the dragon Bugster?” Emu growled, glaring at Saki. The two of them stood in the CR, with Asuna watching them from the side. “I don’t have a Level 1! There’s nothing I can do against it!”

Saki crosses her arms, a serious look on her face, the sort of look she always had when Graphite was involved, “I can handle Graphite,” She said, clearly trying to end this argument before it even really started, “You seem to want to save Director Hinata so badly, why shouldn’t you deal with the Bugster that’s certainly afflicting him?”

There was a lot there that didn’t even make sense. Like she hadn’t heard a word he’d said earlier. And she was also throwing in at least one assumption on the Bugsters they were fighting. “I don’t care who fights Graphite,” he said, “I just know that I can’t beat that Bugster. It’s not that I don’t want to, but I don’t have a Level 1! So please, how the hell am I suppose to beat a Bugster I literally cannot beat?” He’s not expecting an answer, Saki clearly isn’t thinking straight.

Finally, Asuna growls and jumps between them, “Enough!” She yells, “Enough fighting you two!”

Emu takes a step back, startled by Asuna’s sudden outburst. Saki, though, seems rather unphased. She doesn’t say anything, but continues to watch Asuna anyway. The three stand in silence for more than a few moments.

Then they hear the door to the CR open. Emu initially assumes it’s just the director and sighs, going to go sit down, only to see he was wrong. Entering the room, briefcase in hand, was Masamune.

“I’ve heard about Director Hinata,” He began, “I have something that might help you, but it’s still incomplete.”

Asuna’s the one to ask first, “Incomplete?”

Masamune nods, “It will require the data of that dragon Bugster that currently infects Director Hinata to be complete.” Opening the briefcase, they’re presented with a discolored Gashat. It bore the cover from Drago Knight Hunter Z.

Though Saki reaches to take it, Emu walks over and grabs it first. He takes the briefest moment to examine it before declaring, “I’ll be the one to cure Doctor Kyotaro,” He can’t afford to be the nice, kind, pushoverEmu. He had to be Genius Gamer M today, so he could make sure that Doctor Kyotaro was cured. Doctor Kyotaro had saved Emu’s life sixteen years ago, so he’d save Doctor Kyotaro’s life now.

“Drago Knight Hunter Z,” Masamune quickly began to say, “Is a four player game, designed to be played in co-operation-“

Emu ignored him.

---

Kiriya waltzes into the room in Taiga’s clinic that Nico’s commandeered. Nico sits on the bed, clicking away at the keyboard of her laptop. “Yo, N,” He greeted, “Were you able to find it?”

Looking up, Nico grins, “Surprisingly easy, actually,” She clicks and types for a moment, before turning her laptop towards him. “Emu Hojo, born August 16th, 1992,” She began to summarize, “Had a surgery when he was eight, performed by one Doctor Kyotaro Hinata, now Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Health-“

“Oh really?” Kiriya quirked his eyebrow in interest, “Director Hinata performed a surgery on him?”

“Yes,” Nico rolled her eyes and continued, “Prone to accidents growing up, just enough to land him in the hospital for a bit, had regular check-ups until six years ago when they just stopped. Same with the minor injuries. Now he hasn’t been to a doctor for six years.”

“Six years?” Kiriya read as questioned the statement, “Hm, his last appointment was in June… Before Zero Day, even.”

Watching Kiriya, Nico comments, “I don’t really see how his medical records will help, other than he obviously hasn’t had the compatibility surgery, but then he shouldn’t even be able to use a Gashat.” Kiriya finishes reading and Nico swings her laptop back around to face her, “Do you think that Emu’s lack of compatibility surgery and lack of trips to the doctor so suddenly has something to do with each other?”

Sighing, Kiriya answers, “I’m not sure,” He shoves his hands in his pant’s pockets, “It’s hard to say yet, there’s still some answers we need. He probably has them himself but…”

“He probably wouldn’t give them if we asked,” Nico finished, shaking her head, “Maybe I can dig into what M was like prior to six years ago, see if there’s anything else that might have changed.”

Kiriya nods, “You do that,” He turns to leave, “Keep an eye out, Graphite’s infected Director Hinata and Ace and Saki are outmatched without their Level 3s.”

Of course that would happen. In a way, Nico knew that there was always a chance that something like this would happen. “Director Hinata?” Nico wondered. It couldn’t have been a coincidence, could it? “Yeah, I’ll see about helping them out soon.”

After Kiriya left, Nico sets her laptop aside, looking at the white board she had on the wall. Grabbing a marker, a pen, some sticky notes, string, and magnets, she gets to work. Twenty minutes later she’s made good progress and she hears footsteps coming down the hallway. Probably Taiga.

“Hey Nico-“ Taiga stops mid-sentence, standing in the doorway and staring at the whiteboard. At the moment, it had the heading, written in colorful marker, “The Mystery of Emu Hojo”. There were notes pointing out the lack of Driver but ability to use Gashats, his newly found out medical history, and occasional odd behavior.

Taiga stares as Nico turns to look at him. He blinks. Finally, he breaths in, “Nico,” There’s a pause before he asks, “What the fuck are you and Kujo doing?”

Nico stared at him for a moment, put the cap on her marker without looking away from him, blinked, set the marker down, again without breaking eye contact, and finally answers, “Investigating,” She grabs her bag off the ground, throwing it over her shoulder, “Anyway, I’ve got some dragon slaying to do, so if you’ll excuse me.”

Taiga blinks but otherwise doesn’t say anything else. It seems, he’s still rather shocked.

---

As Emu was about to enter the patient room, hoping to figure out what might stress Director Hinata, he’s stopped by Asuna. She stares him down, serious, “Emu,” She said, “You haven’t been acting like yourself since Hinata got infected, but especially since you and Saki got back from fighting.”

Tilting his head, Emu shrugged, “I want to cure Doctor Kyotaro, that’s all.” That was true. What was also true was that he was worried and knew there wasn’t room for worrying about nice, kind, caring Emu, when the more aggressive and confident Genius Gamer M was what was required. He couldn’t let Doctor Kyotaro die because Saki was being stubborn and Nico had taken their Level 3 Gashats.

Continuing into the patient room, Emu put on a smile, walking over to the bed Hinata was in. “Doctor Kyotaro,” He greets.

Doctor Kyotaro gives him a smile, “Emu, it’s good to actually see you again. It’s been a while since we met in person, though I do wish it were under different circumstances.”.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you get cured,” Emu assured.

“Which reminds me,” Doctor Kyotaro began, “If you’re trying to figure out what would stress me, I can tell you. People finding out about Game Disease and the panic it would cause.”

“So that’s what Graphite’s probably planning to do right now,” Emu realized, “Thank you Doctor Kyotaro – I have to go.” Rushing out of the room and past Asuna, Emu made his way out of the hospital. The best way to spread a disease openly and largely would be someplace that was exactly that – large and open. So Graphite was probably somewhere large and open where there would be lots of people.

Quickly he finds people being infected with the Drago Knight Hunter Z strain of Game Disease and he knows he’s on the right course. He can see that it’s coming from the top of a roof, so he rushes up.

On the rooftop, standing and looking out over the city, was Graphite. He turns to look at Emu.

“About time one of you arrived,” He said, “I assume you are ready?”

Emu answers by pulling out his Gashat. The two are brought into the game world, though Emu isn’t sure who did it. He didn’t have a Gamer Driver to do so and neither did Graphite. Emu transforms and is about to attack Graphite, only for the dragon Bugster to fly by, catching him off guard. It was bigger now, maybe because of all the new people who have been infected.

Wasting little time, Saki arrives, already transformed and focusing her attention once more on Graphite. That was alright though, because Emu had an idea on how to beat the dragon Bugster. Hopefully Saki wouldn’t even see, so he wouldn’t get a lecture.

Jet Combat!

Jet! Jet! In the sky! Jet! Jet! Jet Combat!

Just as quickly as Saki, Nico arrives – at least Emu assumes it’s still Nico, shooting at the dragon Bugster. At least she was also focusing on the more important target. She probably didn’t even know much, if anything, about the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat.

---

Mu watched as the Riders fought Graphite and the dragon Bugster from afar. When Para-DX had arrived to confront Graphite, Mu had used the Gamer Driver to relocate them to the forest. A rooftop was no place for a good fight.

He notes that a colorfully dressed and haired woman, who looked like she was cosplaying Poppy Pipopapo had arrived. He wasn’t sure who she was or where she came from, but could only assume she was connected to one of the Riders. He paid her little mind.

As upset as he was about who Graphite had chosen to infect, he also didn’t want anything bad to happen to Graphite. So he was making sure nothing bad happened. He’d leave this to Graphite, but was ready to step in if necessary.

---

Entering the CR’s patient room, still marveling at how easy it was to get into the CR, Kiriya is ready to ask the question that’s been burning in his mind since he and Nico spoke earlier. “Director Hinata,” He begins, seeing how Hinata watched him, “I have a question for you, about Emu Hojo.”

“And what’s that?”

“Did that operation you perform on him really save his life?”

“Yes,” Hinata insisted, “He’d been hit by a car, if I hadn’t operated on him he would have died.”

Kiriya frowned, “Is that all you did? Save his life?”

“What are you implying?”

---

Emu decided that he and Nico had done enough that he could put his plan into action. He was hoping not to have Poppy and Nico here to witness it, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He grabbed his Gashat, letting his transformation disappear. He needed to replicate this.

He puts his Gashat in his axe, still in his hand. By Graphite, who just so happened to be near where the dragon Bugster was heading, Saki was preparing her own attack, her sword in ice mode. Emu runs over toward her.

“M, what are you doing!?” He can hear Nico yell, but ignores her. He grabs Saki’s sword, using it to pave an iceway up to the dragon.

“Intern what are you doing!?”

“I’ll change Doctor Kyotaro’s fate with my own hands!” Holding both his axe and Saki’s sword, he slashes at the dragon Bugster.

Mighty-Taddle Critical Finish!

The attacks comes in contact with the dragon Bugster and Emu can feel something rush through his entire body. He feels the glitching before he sees it. It’s small and brief, hopefully only noticeable to him, but it’s there. For a moment, his entire appearance changed, only to revert back to what it had been.

As the dragon disappeared, four pieces of armor emerged from it. The pieces flew into the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat, completing it as it changed to be gold colored. Landing on the ground and dropping the two weapons, Emu holds the Gashat, alongside Mighty Action X.

Mighty Action X!

Drago Knight Hunter Z!

Do-Do-Drago Kni-Kni-Kni-Knight! Dra! Dra! Drago Knight Hunter! Z! Para-DX!

Four pieces of armor, like the ones that had come from the dragon Bugster, appeared, landing on Emu. Then everyone was moved to a different stage, this one an open field. There was now extra armor on his head and both his arms, each seeming like its own weapon.

Despite this new power, there was something off about it. It flowed through him, yes, but for some reason, it also brought powerful urges that he just couldn’t resist. He’s reminded of six years ago with the pain and the lack of control. Crying out, he realizes his attacks are heading towards both Graphite and Saki and Nico.

Graphite looks at him and rushes, hitting him with what would definitely have been a strong attack. Despite that, Emu was still, somehow, standing. He counters with his own attack, which knocks Graphite back a considerable amount. As the transformation disappears, Emu falls to the ground, feeling oddly exhausted. He could feel a tingling in his hands and feet, which surely was tiny glitches trying to reveal what laid underneath.

The game area disappears and Emu’s on the roof, Graphite nowhere to be seen.

#kamen rider ex aid #kamen rider exaid #kamen rider #my writing #there is a me who can become strong

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misssilencewritewell · 4 years

Text

Overall review of wizards. Spoiler warning. This is just my opinion. If you enjoyed it, I’m happy for you. I think it was far too rushed.

Five episodes in we finally started to get introduced to interesting characters. But the pace never slowed down long enough to understand their role, their personalities, purpose, etc. It was a quick flash of ‘Oh that’s cool-and they’re gone...but I wanted to see more and understand...’ The quick glimpse of Angor Rot (my boy 😭) Why did he fish Morgana from the river? He hates humans...I’m confused??? He has magic. Did he learn from the evil magic squad?

The graphics are incredible. It looks amazing but I feel like for me to have a connection to this part of the story it had to have been longer. Another ten episodes of us getting to know Douxie in Arcadia would’ve been nice. When you dump as much information and new things on viewers it’s just too much for us to handle. I was so distracted by going “the heck is happening” to ever bond with Douxie. This makes me sad because I was enamored with him in Trollhunters. Also, he went from super suave bad boy to derpy bard boy. Not necessarily bad...but personally, I enjoyed his confidence in Trollhunters. Straight up hit a gum gum with a guitar. Not a magic one...just a regular guitar. Chad move. But this...felt weird. I personally think it would’ve been a much better plot twist had he been Mordred. Would’ve given him a darker edge, a vendetta, an interesting character arc. His goal to be to avenge his mother Morgana and kill Merlin/Trollhunters. Instead we find out that he’s basically a edgy, awkward bard. Which isn’t bad but not enough character development for me to be excited about any apparent growth or newly discovered powers.

Steve Palchuk (while I love his character) was unnecessary to this plot. I would’ve preferred Eli. His brains would have been helpful and I think his comedic relief would’ve fit better than Steves. Steve’s jokes just didn’t seem to land. The comedy relief was not timed right. Again, I absolutely loved Trollhunters and 3 Below...but there was never a moment to stop and catch your breath to know the world and characters which made it difficult to enjoy.

I still don’t fully understand how magic works. Douxie taught Claire for a minute and that was it and now he’s her teacher? Morgana and Merlin walk to the other side and say that sorcery dies with them but Claire and Douxie are left. Magic is...emotion? Kinda? Idk they never explained. 🤷‍♀️

Arthur’s character was...confusing to say the least. He misses his love and hates “dark” creatures because they killed her. But he comes back from the dead...to atone for his sins...by being evil? That didn’t make sense to me. Same with Morgana coming back and him being like sup sis! Know I tried to kill you but we are blood family! His super quick switch to asking for trolls help and loving his sister again was unexplained and made 0 sense. Just make him a dislikeable character and leave it at that. Sometimes it’s better to keep things simple. Over complicated plots can be messy and unenjoyable.

Morgana going from villain to hero was expected but executed poorly. She would flip like a switch and I just couldn’t sympathize with her as much as I did when she was a villain. I enjoyed her passion while being dark. Her redemption arc could’ve been handled so much better. Her having a romantic thing with Merlin and Merlin betraying her becoming the true villain while she is thirsty for revenge would’ve been top tier world building. We got butt jokes from Steve instead.

Strickler and Nomura. I want to see them. Especially back then? Oh they would be so evil and dark and I LIVE FOR IT. Especially since we love them now. It’d be cool to be reminded of their past. Back to the Jim smelling of human without being a changeling. Could’ve seen more on that and an interaction with him. They’d be fascinated I’m sure. Morgana created changelings but that could’ve easily been explained that she was working behind Arthur’s back the whole time. Working with Gunmar and creating changelings to infiltrate the castle while pretending to be submissive in court to Arthur and Merlin. It would explain why Changelings value cunning even more so and it would’ve been more believable than her talking to Claire one time and saying “yes! I’ll just tell my bro he crazy and needs to stop! Thank you kindly foreign hand maiden with dark magic!” Like there’s no reason for Morgana to trust her. Use her...sure. She would want Claire power, but Morgana’s character was far too rushed to make sense. I miss it when she was just a villain.

Also...Jim gets stabbed by a blade and they don’t call his mom? They don’t let her know her son could be dying? She’s a doctor. She doesn’t know much about the dark Magicks but she’s so smart and Strickler is her boyfriend. She should’ve been told. She should’ve shown up. I love her character and she adds a lot to the dynamic. Steve was the focal point far too often.

Bular. (Inhaled deeply). I missed him so much. It was cool to see Gunmar and Bular again. Bular I feel could’ve been interesting to build more too and I’m grateful for what we received. He obviously was more impressionable than his father. Morgana saved him and he immediately vouched for her while touching his fathers shoulder saying softly “she spared my life.” Like...Bular is an excellent character because even when fighting Jim in his final moments, Jim talks to him about dad issues and you can see Bular think about it and ultimately decide his fate. Just...ugh yes I missed the angry tall charcoal man.

Confusing part though...Gunmar and Bular declare that forest their own. Jim and Deya are there and watch as they scare off Arthur. You’re telling me they just let them go??? When they’re trying to recruit trolls for the war? They just go welp...see ya. Nah. There should’ve been dialogue there. The strange troll that smells of human but isn’t an impure. Cue the changelings. Could’ve been an awesome Segway into the life of the gum gums because honestly...Arthur was a douche and I sided with the Gum gums. Like yeah they eat people but Arthur was so...weird and uncomfortable to watch that I’d rather see the Gum gums who make no qualms over what they want or who they are.

The...giant dragon that’s the familiars dad. No reason for him at all. An attempt at a quirky dad character that landed flat. He went from oh lemme get you a cup of tea to DONT ChALlenge Me BoY I KnOw KaRAte!!! And I was like...ummmmm excuse me??? And then he went on to give a lesson on grief and show pictures of his son and I was like Soooooo we aren’t burning Douxie to a crisp? We are just going to throw in a quick ill timed lesson on grief?

The fight between Krel, Claire and the gang vs evil Jack Frost, eye ball raven, and evil Arthur electric boogaloo. Instead of showing the fight they did a recap. That fight would’ve been so awesome to watch and instead we got a recap of them getting their booties kicked. It’s an effective time saver but lazy story telling.

The fawn earth bender woman is important because she was part of the secret magic club and decided she didn’t want to kill people anymore...or something. As if her club ever lied to her about what they were about to do. Like Oh we are killing people? I thought you were joking for millions of years.

They all need her back to do...something evil that I can’t remember which I assume the movie will be about. I want more lore on evil Jack Frost and eyeball raven. They just were like “Congrats Morgana! We are the cool super old magic squad. We are the dopest thing in this show and we won’t say anything about ourselves besides a vague description in under 3 secs that leave our viewers confused and disappointed because they want more.”

Like seriously. They were the best part. Their intro was on a flying castle and I kinda hate that their intro was Merlin yelling “Oh no! Them!” Like we are supposed to know what and who they are. Build up is so important for an aundieces understanding. Like who they are? What they want? What they are? I spent the first half of the show mostly confused and the last half moderately confused and bewildered.

In conclusion, not my fave. It lacked the charm and quirkiness of 3 below and the depth and character development of Trollhunters to deliver a mediocre segway to a film. I really want this film to do well...but they will be on a time crunch and I was not impressed with how they handled this one in ten episodes. Fingers crossed the movie does better.

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clansayeed · 3 years

Note

Hey Jack! I wanted to know what your thoughts are on Rheya. Was she really a villain to you? Were her motives justifiable? Was she a good villain? Did you think she deserved to have a redemption arc in chapter 16? What could have been written to make her have a better character story? Any thoughts at all about Rheya!

FOREWARNING: Anon... I accidentally wrote you a 2500 word essay. I shit you not this thing is 2,528 words long. So... I don’t know whether to say you’re welcome or I’m sorry. Just letting you know in advance.

ADD-ON POST-POSTING: I’m fully aware this is an app game. A three book series written with sexying vampires in mind. Where the medium is limited both size and content-wise, where you can’t go into much detail because they can only have so many panels in a chapter, etc. Still thinking what I think though. And if you get paid to create content professionally the least you can do for your own paycheck is go back and double-check your work.

Actually this ask came at a good time since I have to work on some character motivations for her for my series... and I always break down the in-canon versions before working on my own. So anon, let’s talk... are you a mind reader?

Kidding! mostly

So. Rheya.

I actually just finished my first replay of book 2 and at the moment I’ve only ever played book 3 the once. I played it as it was releasing so there were some memory gaps in some places and needed-refreshers in others. But on a whole I have similar thoughts about Rheya as I do Xenocrates, and you can find those thoughts here.

Overall she was a solid setup, good design and potential, and PB pretty much wasted her execution.

I wanna start with a genuine question to the fandom since I’ve never actually been able to ask this... but y’all like... totally saw the Bloodkeeper being related to her coming, right? Like I was so convinced of it that when it was revealed in some big dramatic point at the end I was like “yeah... they told us this...?” and it turns out they fuckin didn’t??? Like I could not understand the people who were like super into her sprite like yes she looks good but here I was thinking she was our ancestor from the get-go so I was... confused to say the least.

Not gonna lie when they started pushing in snippets of Rheya’s past trauma in book 2 (things like her yelling “you know what they did to me/took from me” which is paraphrased but you know what I mean) I really hoped they weren’t gonna do what they did. So of course they did it.

But I wish they’d like... just given her the kid. Just give her Iola and leave the weird suddenly random husband out of it. At this point we know Gaius has an unhealthy idolatry for her, we know Xenocrates adored her in his own way in his youth... but we know fuckall about Demetrius up to and including his existence until literally book 3. Sloppy, IMO. They took something not being mentioned and used it to put in a plot device when the omission should have been strategical.

TBH I thought the whole “you know what they did to me” was gonna get hella dark RE: Rheya and King Kaelisus’ obsession with her. That’s as far as I’ll go there.

But you have a Priestess, a known Priestess, who was definitely faithful enough not to stray even when she thought she was walking to her own death. It’s pretty easy to assume (as I did ngl) that she would be completely devoted to Phampira, including romantically/sexually. It would have been a good setup to explain why she never gave Gaius the goods if anything.

And there’s nothing wrong with having said Priestess have her own family while still being devoted. I just wish PB would have used some fucking forethought and hinted at that earlier on than they did. Because they didn’t hint. They dropped this random fisherman-something husband on us and told us she cared enough about his opinion to make him part of her advisory board but not... to like... mention him in any of her conversations in any of the flashbacks... including those in which he would have been alive.

On that note the whole timeline there is really messy, they obviously threw him and Iola in later on after some things were established/couldn’t be taken back. I’ve studied this shit extensively and it’s really muddled exactly how long Rheya ruled, when shit went down with her family, how much time had passed when Xenocrates staked her, etc.

I would have loved for Iola’s father not to have been there. Give me a strong woman, a strong single mother, who would burn the world for the loss of her daughter. Doesn’t matter who did the deed, Iola was hers and the Sons/Order took that from her and the world would have to pay the price.

If I had been given that I would end all of my complaints right here. I would, genuinely. Because then her descent into madness, her paranoia, her megalomania would all have been explained. And they still technically are but -- maybe it’s just me -- there’s something about her having to factor in Demetrius that just... takes me out of it. IDK.

I didn’t mind the guy... though him being a talking tree of doom was a little much for me... though by that point I had accepted the plot was off the goddamn rails and just kept nodding and going with it. But his presence made the story okay when his absence could have made the story impactful and powerful and emotional. That’s just my thoughts. Which you asked for. You did this.

No takesies-backsies.

Was she a villain? Hells to the yes.

It’s a classic case of obtaining ultimate power and abusing it; of crossing the line between justice and vengeance. Not that she wasn’t justified in her freak-out over the death of her family. But everything after up to and including her fatal feeding schedule was totally unnecessary. For a villain, yes necessary.

For a vampire goddess who could have easily used Gaius’ influence over the vampires of the modern world to form a cult following around herself with an open dialogue about her big ass appetite and probably would have ended up with swaths of willing adorers ready to lend their blood to her cause thus eliminating the need for secrecy and subsequent feeling of betrayal...

You tell me.

I feel like she was definitely more than a little hyped up though. Not even going into my whole-ass issue with the entire Unchained plot and thus the first like 4-5 chapters of book 3, she was hyped up in myth and kind of a let down in person. She could FLY. Walk in the SUN. Heal the DYING. She’s vampire JESUS.

*ADDED IN LATER: She took out THE ENTIRE ORDER OF THE DAWN, WHO HAVE RAVAGED THE VAMPIRE POPULATION FOR LITERALLY 3000 YEARS since they were around in her time after all IN LIKE A THREE-MOVE COMBO BREAK. ALL THIS SHIT THEY HYPED WITH THE ORDER and their entire ERADICATION isn’t even an ON-SCREEN THING. Unless you pay.

Dude if they had kept Xenocrates and the Order and used the two of them against each other; the Order’s long-standing influence on the modern world versus the new world Rheya wanted to create with the human populations not knowing the history behind their hatred, where like the first half of the book is Rheya and MC and gang taking out the Order and Xenocrates only to find out in the middle point that she’s been doing it for selfish reasons and they were on the wrong team the whole time and THEN Rheya becomes the big bad... I would have enjoyed the shit out of that.

Anyway. “She’s vampire JESUS...” and her big evil plan is to... suck face on national television? IDK. It didn’t play the mood right for me. I can see from a writer’s perspective how they kind of played out all of their options and went with a quick and easy solution... but it didn’t work for me. That’s a no from me dawg.

Do I think she deserved a redemption arc? I don’t think anybody deserved a god damn redemption arc, unless they are done with extreme care and attention to detail before/during/after said arc they go horribly, and overall tend to be the plot device pick of lazy writers.

And I take nothing back. No like I think I might have gone into how much I fucking hated Gaius’ “reDEmPtiON aRc” before or at least I have somewhere and to someone. Probably Sofia... no most definitely Sofia. But anyway. They spend TWO GOD DAMN BOOKS hyping Gaius as this ultimately irredeemable bad guy.

OMG I was literally playing the book 2 finale and got a quote hold on... HERE. Adrian literally says about Gaius in 2.16 “It’s like there’s no humanity left.” And that’s just one actual example of the tons of times they make him out to be devoted to Rheya of his own volition, the ultimate example of the line between believing in something and being blinded to everything by it, etc. Like a huge chunk of Kamilah’s and Adrian’s arcs RE: Gaius are about how he was definitely a monster, he turns the people around him into monsters, and while they have worked their asses off to be good and right their wrongs he has not, will not, and would not ever do such a thing.

Then suddenly he’s brainwashed, tried to turn Rheya down and was made into a loony toon because of it, and everything he made MC’s loved ones do that they blamed themselves for but needed to blame him for is suddenly Rheya’s fault and now we should blame her for.

Mmmmmkay sweetie. I’m good, thanks.

But really -- that was the last straw for me when it came to both Gaius and Rheya. There’s a difference between giving the villain something they see as a just cause (ex. Rheya avenging her family) and giving the villain a cop-out that absolves them of guilt (ex. Gaius and... everything about him). Like yes I know MC didn’t have to forgive him, I know Kamilah didn’t really forgive him, but it’s pretty fuckin obvious from how it was put out into the world story that the writers were trying to lean you towards blaming Rheya and letting Gaius off the hook.

I mean... making him save Lula for real when Rheya saved her for fake earlier on in the book, using Lula as a stand-in metaphor for her own child daughter that she finds out she was the cause of her death for, etc? That symbolism is so transparent I could put it in the asset database.

And I’ll only briefly touch on this since I could write a whole other essay on the matter RE: PB and their fucking constant repetition of this, but “let’s give both bad guys similar moral quandaries but suddenly reveal it was a consent issue and the woman is wholly to blame and now gets the man’s crimes piled on with her own” is super common in fiction and hella. fucking. sexist.

But that isn’t to say all of this is necessarily bad.

When done right, everything I’ve complained about above can be a part of a really good story. What “done right” means is different for everyone, everyone has a different example and different thoughts on it. These are mine. I think the better term would be done well. It was not done WELL.

But given things like PB’s weird obsession with redeeming the attractive (apparently) bad guy, PB’s history with narrowing a woman down to one trait or part of her (ex. Rheya’s power corruption centered around her role as a wife and mother and not... a super all powerful vampire goddess...), their obvious lack of attention to detail and overall lack of vision when it comes to the big picture* and more, I personally don’t think they knew what the fuck they wanted by book 3 and were already well into transitioning into whatever adultery-obsessed lingerie shenanery they’re fixated on now; so much so that it’s almost a disservice to the writing done in earlier book 1 and a decent chunk of book 2 when calling it a whole series.

*I keep bringing this up only because it means I can back up stuff like this with real examples of theirs: these guys did not write the plot of this series as a cohesive story. I get that, as a writer writing a big series myself I get the fuck out of that. But you have to solidify some things early on in the development process in order to avoid writing yourself into a hole or, like with this, having to result in trope-y plot devices that work in theory but on paper don’t give the story the full-circle fulfillment it deserves.

Their timelines are out of whack, they contradict themselves in quite a few places, constantly wishy-washy their own lore, and definitely didn’t go back and double check if they’d said something already... and that’s not including where they focused on the details of one unimportant thing and left another more important thing to just be “and this is the way it is moving on.”

I literally have no way/idea how to summarize any of this bullshittery going on in this ask. Did I like Rheya? The character personality, design, and overall idea as this big ass badass power/hungry goddess demanding fealty was pretty cool. Did I like Rheya when they narrowed her story down to her grief over her family (which, again, is valid, but just seemed really disjointed and rushed when compared to everything else they had given about her/shown of her by the beginning of book 3)? Not... as much.

I think they wanted her to seem like she could be redeemed. I mean FFS in the “big battle” she literally just stands there and lets you do the thing. 3000 years imprisoned and however many centuries before that spent taking the power that she was denied all because some bad dudes in masks killed the mortal husband and daughter you would have eventually lost to old age anyway...? And she just stands there???

Even knowing she was really behind Iola’s death they could have stuck with the “madness consumed” plotline and had her be like well... what’s done is done back to taking over now thank you.

But sometimes a bad guy just has to be a bad guy. Rourke from ES, mister capitalism -- can’t remember them trying to redeem him. If they had I don’t think I would have liked it so much. Who else... UGH. Thomas in NB. Crazy zombie man wants all monsters dead because one killed his family (can we stop using dead families for grief porn please and thanks...) another example of a useless villain. Hence why I removed him from my NB rewrite don’t even get me going...

What’s his face in TCATF! Luther! You join up with him and he still tries to kill you in the end! Now that was fucking classic. Hex, who suddenly is forgiven for the literal enslavement of a race of people and the thoughtless murder of a civilization that didn’t agree with her.. and all because she was ‘like a mother’ to the kid genius? Not so much.

I could go on and on and go search out tons of examples but in the end the one thing you can say PB does well is that they stay consistent in their ideas of redemption, of who deserves it and who isn’t, and just how far they’re willing to stretch the fucking story to forgive a character if 1. the sprite is hot or 2. the sprite had a little sprite family somewhere in there.

legit just talk to me about bb/nb

#; ask jack #diving in depth: bloodbound #rheya apostolous #re: bloodbound #bloodbound #consent tw #;; like just a brief sentence about it but wanted to tag accordingly #;; also fair warning this is LONG AS FUCK ANON #;; and in many places real damn preachy #;; so I'm sorry in advance and in no way expect my thoughts and opinions to be the only ones #;; and know much of my thoughts are colored by my experiences and others have their own valid thoughts and opinions #;; which should be a given but I just wanted to put it in writing just in case #;; you know how it be #Anonymous

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miracul0us-multishipper · 5 years

Text

Welcome to the back (Part 10)

First Chapter Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Warning: I am trying not to romanticize Akumatization. Felix’s motives may be noble, but he’s still an akuma and not going easy on anybody. So don’t get your hopes up he might be a chivalrous bad boy who only punishes the evil guys.

- - -

Chat Noir had his baton at hand, camera opened and zooming in on what was happening. He didn’t want his Lady to get hurt, of course. Just to wait long enough that she truly appreciated his arrival.

“That was quick.”, Sentiquill said with raised eyebrows. “How did you...” His eyes widened. “Of course. Marinette still had her phone, right?”

He sighed and raised his quill as Ladybug swung into the room, planting herself between him and the students.

“You have bigger worries now, Sentiquill.”, the spotted heroine declared, then turned towards his terrified classmates. “You guys! Everybody out of here, and take Alya and Madame Bustier with you!”

The class hurried to comply, and Chat Noir purred with adoration. She was always concerned for others, looking out for everybody. It was so cute! Though he didn’t get why she hadn’t tried to lure Sentiquill outside. The classroom wasn’t ideal for a fight, space was limited and furniture created unnecessary hindrances. What was she thinking?

Sentiquill seemed confused as well, suspiciously taking a step back. Ladybug was known for her impossible traps and plans, it was only natural he’d be on edge.

“Felix”, Ladybug called him surprisingly gentle. Caring even. “Give me the quill. We can end this without a fight.”

Chat scowled. No fighting? Then how was he supposed to impress her? And why was she so sympathetic towards Felix of all people? She’d never talked to Chat like that! So... sweetly. It made his nose wrinkle in jealousy.

“Trying to reason with an Akuma, Ladybug? Unusual approach.”, Sentiquill commented, adopting a fighting stance. “What’s the reason for your sudden change of attitude? Gone pacifist overnight?”

“I know you can’t want this.”, his Lady continued unwavering. Did she know Felix personally? Did she visit him after patrol, now that she had forbidden Chat from accompanying her? His claws dug into the ground and bared his fangs when she continued.

“You’re a thinker.” The admiration in her voice made him sick. “You enjoy outsmarting people, you don’t like resorting to violence. Let me help you, please!”

His breathing hitched. Why was she- Why would- Didn’t she think of him at all?! She couldn’t just go around saying stuff like that! It was far too... intimate!

Sentiquill didn’t seem to share Chat’s opinion, instead of flustered, he looked furious.

“Help me?!”

In the blink of an eye he was moving, slashing his sword and shooting ink at Ladybug. She blocked it with her yo-yo, but the force of the attack hurled her through the window into the yard, where the rest of the class ran into hiding. She landed on her feet, sliding over the ground.

“You didn’t care to help Marinette either!”, Sentiquill roared. “All it would have taken was a single word of you and nobody would have listened to Lila ever again!”

“I know, and I regret this, but-“

“Then show it!”

Sentiquill followed her, attacked with his blade from every angle. Ladybug could barely keep up with blocking his slashes with the string of her yo-yo.

“Come on, tell them the truth!”, Sentiquill snarled and gave her a shove that sent her against a wall. “Tell them who Lila really is!”

The students leaned out of their hideouts, curious for what was going on despite the danger. Chat stiffened. Surely she wouldn’t... Ladybug knew how important it was to leave Lila in peace, didn’t she? She wouldn’t say anything rash now, would she?

Ladybug got up again, a fearsome scowl on her face.

“You think Marinette cares about that now? She wants her friend back!”

A bitter laugh got over her lips, so untypical for her Chat leaned back a little.

“But fine! I couldn’t like Lila less! She’s a dirty liar, we’re not best friends and I would be more than glad if she left Paris again. Happy now?”

The yard was dead silent. If Lila was still hiding somewhere, Chat couldn’t see her. He was flabbergasted. Had Ladybug just... Was she insane?! Oh fuck, he should have joined the fight when it hadn’t been too late yet. Now his carefully protected, unproblematic school life would be completely out of control!

Sentiquill laughed in disbelief.

“Why, thank you, Ladybug! I didn’t expect you to actually do that for me.”

He smiled, genuinely. If Chat hadn’t still been so rattled, he would have hissed in disgust.

“I appreciate the effort. Alas...”

His face darkened.

“Too little, too late. The damage is done, and I’ll set things right again.”

He raised his sword.

“Let’s see which dark secrets hide behind that little mask of yours.”

He pounced again, ink swirling through the air. Ladybug held her own skillfully, dodging his slices at her sides, dancing around the ink torrents he sent her way and blocking the thrusts of his blade. Before he realized it, Sentiquill was dangerously low on ink. Hectically he looked around for a potential victim and made a run for Rose, who had leaned out of the girl’s bathroom a little too far. Before he could reach her, Ladybug’s yo-yo wrapped around his foot and kept him in place. That’s when she spotted him on the roof.

“Chat Noir!”, she shouted without sparing Chat a second glance, eyes fixed on her opponent. “Finally!”

Not the greeting he had hoped for. Ugh! This whole day was a disaster, nothing went as planned! Couldn’t life go his way just this once?!

“His quill’s ink comes from negativity others carry!”, Ladybug informed him of what he already knew. “You need to get the civilians out of the way!”

That’s all she wanted of him? Not to fight by her side, to protect her from Felix, but to play savior for classmates he already protected from their own carelessness as Adrien? Who would doubtlessly create nothing but chaos now that Lila was exposed? No, he didn’t think so!

Angry, Chat stood on the roof and watched Ladybug. She really was getting arrogant these days, yelling at him to leave her alone and then expecting him to follow her every command. A decision formed in his mind and he crossed his arms. It wouldn’t do any real harm if he left her to deal with this alone, would it? Miraculous Ladybug always cured everyone anyway. So why not teach her a lesson?

“Wonderful morning to you as well, My Lady!”, he hissed sarcastically. “I thought we shouldn’t work together until absolutely necessary?”

Her face fell. She was still fighting to keep Sentiquill in place, who was hacking at her weapon with his quill. Revenge truly is sweet.

“Chat, this is not the time to-“

“Exactly!”, he interrupted her smugly. “Now is not the time it’s necessary.”

With a satisfied grin he dropped on his butt, watching cross legged as her grip on Sentiquill loosened and he ripped himself free.

Rose had started to run, abandoning her hideout to escape to Juleka. The taller girl was hiding behind the stairs and hectically waved her girlfriend closer.

But Rose had no chance to outrun an Akuma.

When Sentiquill stabbed the hilt of his quill into her back, her scream was drowned out by Juleka’s.

Chat flinched, but forced himself to stay put. He had to do this, Ladybug forced him to. If she didn’t learn to respect him more now, she’d only harm their teamwork and therefore endangered Paris in the long run.

Yes, Chat Noir was in the right. She’d understand that, eventually.

This occupied with his own righteousness, he didn’t notice his ring beginning to pulse in a green glow, reacting towards its wielder’s deeds. Fused with his chosen, a Kwami could not consciously act on their own. But every one of them could feel if their power was abused, it changed their aura in the fabric of reality itself. The change might not be noticeable to humans, but fellow Kwamis would feel it instantly, just like they had felt it with the very first akuma.

Four thousand meters away, a little green creature snapped out of his slumber and flew to his master, warning him of the danger it sensed. The guardian’s eyes closed in resignation as he stood up, ready to do what was necessary.

They had lost Nooroo.

They could not afford to lose Plagg.

Ladybug in the meantime was despairing. Juleka had jumped out of hiding to help her girlfriend, who was forced to whimper about being a burden to everyone as Sentiquill dragged her innermost fears to light. If Ladybug tried to save Rose, she’d make herself vulnerable for an attack and Sentiquill had the chance to go after Juleka instead. So she had to make the unfair, horrible choice and intercepted Juleka, stopping her before she could get too close.

“Stay hidden!”, she tried to calm her, “I’ll take care of everything!”

“Rose! ROSE!”, Juleka yelled, not listening. With a groan Ladybug lifted the struggling girl up and ran towards the next classroom in which she found Nathaniel and Mylène, standing protectively over Alya’s and Bustier’s unconscious bodies.

“Take care of her!”, she ordered as she pushed Juleka inside. “Don’t let her out and stay hidden! Do you understand?”

“Yes, Ma’am!”, Nathaniel hurried to assure her. According to his intimidated face, she was sounding harsher than expected. She nodded and closed the door again, turning back to the yard. There was no time to think of a plan, however, because Sentiquill’s ink was already all around her before she could fully face him. At the very last moment she managed to jump up the wall and somersault into safety, milliseconds before the black torrents crashed down on the place she had been a moment ago. She had no time to get to her bearings, Sentiquill’s blade coming at her from left and right.

“Chat!”, she screamed for her partner, desperately trying to avoid getting hit. Rose was laying on the ground a few meters away, drained and crying. How could Chat Noir abandon her like this?! “Stop this nonsense and help me!”

The other hero only crossed his arms and pouted.

“I’m not sure if you really mean that. What’s the magic word?”

She was on the brink of tears when Sentiquill started to laugh at her.

“Looks like Marinette isn’t the only one with friends who won’t stand up for her.”, he said almost pitifully as he brought his blade down on her. “You truly have a prick of a partner, Ladybug. My sincere condolences.”

She ducked to escape the blow, only to be kicked in the chest when she came up again. The impact sent her crashing into a wall again, and she had to cough a few times before being able to breathe again. If it hadn’t been for her magically strengthened suit, she would’ve had a few broken ribs.

To her surprise, Sentiquill allowed her a few seconds of calm to turn towards her par- Chat Noir. In a single, fluid motion he thrusted the Quill in his direction, creating a blizzard of ink headed straight for the treacherous cat. He barely had the time to take out one of his batons, which was promptly knocked out of his hand. The metallic clang told Ladybug it landed somewhere on the upper walkway, out of her sight. Chat Noir screamed when the ink hit him and knocked him straight into the nearest chimney. Cursing, he got up and searched for cover as Sentiquill’s attention shifted back to Ladybug.

“See this as my thanks for exposing Lila earlier.”, he stated matter-of-fact and pointed his sword at her. “Now give me your Miraculous!”

Ladybug inhaled and stood up straight.

This was going to be a long day.

Sentiquill was vicious. She was still shaken from being thrown into a wall - again! - and without Chat at her side she was quickly loosing ground. Her supposed partner had started to watch from the sidelines again, continuing to ask- no, demand that she apologized and begged for his help. As if she was some kind of stubborn, disobedient pet.

She was all but sobbing in frustration when Sentiquill cornered her at a wall, with no chance of cover.

“Come on, My Lady!”, Chat patronized her like a parent would a toddler. “You’ll only end up hurt if you keep this up. Just say it already!”

She’d never regarded Chat Noir as anything other than a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Right now, however, the feeling that burnt in her lungs was dangerously close to hate.

“Please!”, she swallowed down her pride and fought back tears. “I’m sorry for rejecting you! Please help me!”

Sentiquill towered over her, his gleaming blade at her throat. He could hear their conversation, but he couldn’t see from which direction Chat Noir could attack without taking his eyes off of Ladybug - who would use every chance to escape. Behind him on the roof, Chat Noir got up and stretched.

“As you wish, My Lady!”, he beamed smugly and raised his hand. “Cataclysm!”

Sentiquill smiled, just when Chat jumped down on them. Only now she realized he hadn’t been looking at her. The Akuma had watched Chat’s reflection in his blade.

It was too late to warn him. Chat - rash as always - was already descending, his sparking claws aimed at their opponents back. In the last second, Sentiquill moved aside, just when the cataclysmic hand came down on them, not able to stop or avert its course - which now aimed for Ladybug on the floor. He was going to hit her.

She was going to be cataclysmed.

She was going to die, at Chat Noir’s hands.

She didn’t, of course. But it was close. Chat Noir, eyes wide with terror, had pulled his hand aside just when Ladybug had flinched in fear, missing her head by a hairs breadth. Instead, he touched the ground beneath them.

Ladybug recovered first from the shock, rolling aside and throwing her yo-yo around a chimney to pull her to safety. Chat Noir wasn’t as quick. He was still frozen in place when the ground and part of the wall behind them began to crumble, before breaking through completely. He screamed when he fell into the cellar, and then again when he was hit by debris.

“My jaw!”, she heard out of the newly created hole. Carefully, she inched her way foreword. The ground seemed stable enough now - Chat less so. He was back down on the bottom of the whole, trapped by the bricks and concrete debris that covered him. One piece had hit him right into the face, effectively breaking his jaw.

He was yelling and wailing, unable to move beneath all this debris. If it hadn’t been for his suit, he would be dead now, no doubt about it. His ring gave a weak blink and made peeping sounds. Time was running out!

“Take his Miraculous!”, she could hear Hawkmoth’s voice and turned around to see Sentiquill standing over the hole as well, a violet butterfly outline in front of his face. He shrugged.

“That one’s out of commission, he’s not going anywhere. Let him suffer a bit.”

His blood red eyes fixated her.

“For now, I’ll take care of the bug first.”

She had no chance. He was faster than her, and her yo-yo was a limited defense against a sword. Without any hope of back up she was as good as defeated. Still. When he finally hit her with his nib, she was surprised anyway - for a second, at least. Then, her mind and body went numb.

”Gotcha!”, Sentiquill mocked her with her own catchphrase. “Now, show us how perfect Paris’ hero truly is!”

The sensation was... terrifying. Control of her body was stolen from her as his power rummaged through her mind, finding all her dark, hidden places and tearing them out of her.

“I... I am scared... that I’m alone.”, she pressed out between clenched teeth, trying to fight his spell.

In vain.

“That I have to carry all this responsibility alone a-and mess up. I’ll disappoint everyone.”

She closed her eyes as darkness rose around her, feeding into Sentiquill’s weapon. He scoffed, before giving her a malicious smirk.

“Oh, but you already have.”, his painfully familiar voice dictated. The words seeped into her mind, trying to take root. She couldn’t let that happen, she knew it was a trick. The people he drained sank into a despair of his making, it was just Hawkmoth’s magic!

“You currently are, and you won’t stop being a single great disappointment.”, he finished, breaking through her mental defenses. She flinched, realizing he was right. She... had lost. She had been abandoned by her partner, her best friend was fighting her and she was... too weak to save him. Useless.

”You had your fun, Sentiquill.”, Hawkmoth’s voice commented. “Now take her miraculous.”

His champion nodded, but didn’t seem as if he had quite enough yet.

”Anything else you want to fail at?”, he asked her gleefully. “Keeping your identity secret, for example?” He laughed when she lowered her head.

“Come on, tell us who you really are, beneath all that false glamor!”

“I’m...”, her voice began, part of her still trying to resist. “I-I am... Ma-“

A loud clang startled her and Sentiquill’s sword was knocked out of his hand by a flash of silver. He jumped back in surprise and looked at the object that had hit him: a silver staff, clearly belonging to a certain Cat. But Chat was buried beneath tons of debris! Who had...?

She looked around and her eyes, blurry with unshed tears, focused on a splotch of yellow on the metal walkway. Was that... Chloé?

“Hey, Leanne!”, the reckless girl yelled and flung her hair over her shoulder. “Stop being such an obnoxious bastard and get away from the Lady!”

She grinned, propping her chin up on one hand and giving him her most judgmental glare.

“You’re acting utterly ridiculous.”

An angry snarl came from Sentiquill as he picked up his sword and jumped up to the walkway, cornering her. Chloé didn’t even look at him, instead leaned over the handrail to wave at her in excitement.

“Hey, Ladybug”, she greeted without a care in the world. “It’s me, Chloé! Did you see that throw?! Just miraculous, wasn’t it?”

Sentiquill towered behind her like an angry bull, but she only spared him an annoyed glance.

“Oh shoo, get away from me with that ugly hat! Who designed your outfit?! It looks like a toddler made it!”

The violet outline returned to his face.

“Stab her, now!”, Hawkmoth shrieked, having temporarily forgotten about Ladybug. Not that it was of much use to her. She was beaten and on the ground. There was no way she’d get up now. She was a failure, a lost cause.

And so she could only watch as Sentiquill raised his sword and hit Chloé with the nib of the hilt.

“If that isn’t a whole lot of dark thoughts you have. Care to share them, Bourgeois?”

Chloé contorted her face in pain, but didn’t flinch when the inky swirls rose around her.

“I don’t know how to act around the others, after all that I’ve done.”, she admitted openly, with no sign of being forced to. “I don’t want to disappoint Ladybug, and I certainly don’t want to become like my mom. But i can’t apologize either, I don’t know how. And I hate feeling vulnerable like that; to be at the mercy of other’s judgement.”

Sentiquill scoffed, ready to fill her with his poisonous words as he had with Ladybug.

“It’s in vain, Chloé, and you know it. You already are just as horrible and worthless as your mother, and Ladybug is fully aware of that. That’s why she took away your Miraculous for good.”

Ladybug knows what came next; she was experiencing it herself, after all. The doubt, the pain, the horrible knowledge to be useless.

But Chloé surprised her. Instead of crumbling under his scorching glare, she looked him straight in the eye, chin up and back straightened.

“I don’t believe you.”, she declared confidently. “I know my worth. You’ve all already seen me at my worst, and I’ve dealt with Hawkmoth and Mayura at the same day. Your ridiculous power doesn’t impress me, Felix.”

Sentiquill let go of her, visibly taken aback. It took him a moment before he could collect himself.

“Pah.”, he played her resistance off. “Your confidence is admirable, for someone this...”

He trailed off. His gaze had wandered behind Chloé and downwards, where Marinette’s earlier ink prison stood. Ladybug gulped. Now that he was on the walkway, in an elevated position, he could look right inside the cylindrical cell.

“Empty...”, he whispered, his hands clenching to fists. Then he pounced, landing right on the walls to check every angle. “Empty! Where is she? Where is Marinette?!”

He looked around, eyes rabid with fury, searching for the rest of the class.

“Who of you took her?! TELL ME!”

Ladybug flinched as she watched him slice the prison into shards of dried ink, his angry roar echoing off the walls of the yard.

“Don’t get distracted!”, Hawkmoth tried to command. “Give me Ladybug’s Miraculous, now!”

“Shut up! Where is Marinette?!”, Sentiquill yelled back, his sword hacking at bare stones now. He caught sight of Nino, hidden beneath the stairs, who was filming everything with his phone. He growled and stomped towards him, but before he could even take two steps, a flash of purple covered his hand and he screamed in pain. What had happened? Was Hawkmoth punishing him?

She didn’t have time to ponder. In the meantime, Chloé had managed to run down the stairs and shout orders at the rest of the class, before dashing over to Ladybug. The fallen heroine groaned in pain when she was picked up and pulled to the side of the yard.

“Come on, Ladybug!”, Chloé muttered, panting under the weight of her idol. “You gotta kick his ass! Get up already!”

Ladybug closed her eyes, resigned.

“I can’t.”, she whispered. “I’m sorry! I’ve disappointed you. I... can’t.”

Chloé pouted, hands on her hips.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Of course you can!”

She shook her head. Useless, worthless, abandoned.

“Okay, I’ll definitely feel bad about this later.”, Chloé sighed. Then she slapped her - hard!

“Ow!”, she yelled and sat up straight. “What the-“

”Stop the nonsense right there, Ladybug! Look at me, I’m still on my feet as well. If I can fight him, you can do it too!”

”But...”, she protested, still halfway under the spell. “I failed! I’m alone and... I failed.”

Exasperated, Chloé rolled her eyes.

“You haven’t failed yet, and you’re not alone. Look!”

She gestured at the yard, where her classmates had come out of hiding. Some were armed with brooms or mops, Markov flew around clutching a wrench twice his size while Max was carrying an unconscious Rose to safety. Kim had Alix on his shoulders, who held a spray can in each hand and looked ready to bite her way through to Sentiquill. Next to them was Nino, rotating his headphones like a lasso - or like her yo-yo! And was that a knife in Sabrina’s hand?! Where had that come from?!

Chloé flipped back her ponytail, obviously proud.

“We’re all with you. Now get up or my knees will get dusty.”

Ladybug smiled as the last bit of darkness faded from her. It felt like breathing after being underwater for too long.

“We can’t have that, now, can we?”, she chuckled and stood up. “Thanks, Chloé. You did great!”

The blonde blushed and swatted her hand through the air.

“A-alright, alright, I know I’m awesome. Do your thing!”

She didn’t have to ask twice. Now that she was free of Sentiquill’s influence, he would get his ass handed to him on a silver platter!

“Lucky Charm!”, Ladybug yelled and threw her yo-yo, only to catch a long, rectangular box.

“Aluminum foil?”, she wondered when she opened it. How would that help her?

She looked around. Her eyes fell on Ivan and Kim, on Alix’ skaters, then on a table next to the hole Chat Noirs cataclysm had caused. It was missing two legs thanks to the crumbled wall, but maybe...? She looked to the other side, then to Chloé in front of her.

Handrail. Nino’s phone case. Sunlight. Sabrina on the walkway. Quill. Chloé’s sunglasses. Aluminum foil!

“Yes!”, she cheered, then pulled Chloé closer. “I need your help! And your sunglasses!”

The blonde all but sparked with excitement.

“Aye, Aye, Ladybug!”

“Sentiquill!”, Ladybug called her opponent, who had only recently recovered from Hawkmoth’s punishment. Since then, he’d been busy defending himself from all kinds of objects that were hurled at him from a safe distance. Whenever he tried to attack one of the students, the others would step in with even more things to throw. They were no match for his sword, of course - it simply sliced through the stones and metals with ease - but it had slowed him down, irritated him. Now however, her preparations were complete. It was time to bring Sentiquill down and get her Felix back!

“Time to end this!”

“Finally something we can agree on!”, he snapped back, quill at the ready. She smiled grimly and put on the sunglasses, then went in for the attack. She was lighter on her feet, this time, her steps elevated by the knowledge her friends had her back. She dove underneath the first blow and jabbed at his face, but he dodged and jumped back a little. They danced around each other in a dangerous game of a fight, a competition to see who would show weakness first. He didn’t notice she was maneuvering him closer and closer to the stairway.

“Now!”, she gave the signal when she had him where she wanted. Sabrina nodded and raised her hand, Nino’s phone case in her hand. It was wrapped in Aluminum foil and reflected the sun like a mirror, blinding the fighters below. Well, one of them, at least. Chloé’s sunglasses allowed Ladybug to get the upper hand and she dealt a rapid series of blows and kicks to his torso. Enraged, Sentiquill blindly slashed in the direction of Sabrina, shooting ink at her. A grave mistake! Chloé pulled her friend out of the way in time, and now Sentiquill had left his sword hand wide open. With all her weight Ladybug threw herself against him and hurled him forwards, until his sword slipped between two bars of the stair’s handrail.

“What the-“, Sentiquill begun but never finished. He had caught sight of his impeding doom in form of three students and a table with roller blades.

“Here I come!”, Alix announced from on top of the table, which had its two remaining front legs tugged in her skates. Behind her, Ivan and Kim high-fived before giving the improvised battering ram a strong shove. It scooted down the stairs towards the exposed broadside of the Akuma’s quill.

“Razzle Dazzle!”, Alix cheered when the table crashed into the metal, shattering it in two.

Sentiquill sank to the ground as his power was drained from him and the corrupted butterfly broke free of his quill’s shards. Triumphant, Ladybug opened her yo-yo.

“Enough evil doing for you today, little Akuma. Time to de-evilize!”

She spun around herself to gather momentum, then threw her yo-yo and let it snap shut around the troublesome akuma.

“Gotcha! Bye bye little butterfly.”

Relieved, she released the purified butterfly into the sky, then she held her hand out towards Nino. Sabrina had returned his phone to him, and now he happily removed the Aluminum wrap from its case.

“That was a close one, dudette!”

She sighed and weighed the balled foil in her hand.

“It really was. Miraculous Ladybug!”

Pink and red lights flashed over the sky, then swirled around the school. Broken doors and windows repaired themselves, ink stains vanished from the walls. The hole in the ground was closed by the Cure as well, just like the adjacent wall. The door towards the other classroom opened and Nathaniel and Mylène came out, followed by a cured Alya and their teacher. Juleka flung her arms around Rose’s neck, who nearly cried into her black shirt. Everyone was unharmed again. Well... almost everyone.

Ladybug stepped next to Sentiquill the moment the purple smoke around him faded, turning him back into Felix.

“What... What happened?”, he asked confused, holding his head. His eyes widened and he jumped to his feet. “Where’s Marinette?!”

“Don’t worry.”, she calmed him, hiding her euphoria at having him back behind a soothing smile. “She’s alright. How are you feeling?”

He blinked, looking at the repaired pen in his hand.

“I’m... fine, I think. Why does Sabrina have a knife?”

Ladybug’s smile turned forced.

“I‘m afraid to ask, if I’m being honest.”

A floor further down, Adrien beat the dust out of his clothes and rubbed his freshly healed jaw. Miraculous Ladybug had closed the gaping hole above his head only seconds before his transformation ran out, keeping his identity a secret once again. That aside, this akuma attack had been a single disaster.

“I can’t believe it”, he muttered. “She just left me lying down here! I was hurt and bleeding, and Ladybug doesn’t even come to look after me.”

He groaned.

“This day is a catastrophe! I almost had her admitting she needs me, and then everything went south! That stunt with my Cataclysm? Lord, that was so embarrassing! A rookie mistake; I was looking like an idiot. Do you think she’s still mad at me, Plagg?”

Only silence answered him and he turned to search for his Kwami.

“Plagg?”

The tiny creature floated motionless in front of him, eyes hard as granit and his face absolutely expressionless. Adrien shrank under his burning gaze.

“Look, I know I should have intervened earlier.”, he tried to appease him. Plagg’s expression was creeping him out. “But I already got my punishment, didn’t I? Ladybug exposed Lila, and now school is going to be so much drama. Lesson learned.”

His Kwami was still silent. Slowly Adrien started to get nervous. Sweat was forming on his forehead and he was going for a shifting of blame before he fully realized it.

“It’s not like it was all my fault, you know?”, he desperately tried to fill the quietness. “If Ladybug hadn’t slapped me the last time, we wouldn’t have gotten into this mess!”

His words sounded eerily close to what he’d said about Marinette earlier, he noticed.

“I just wanted her to learn how to treat her partner better! I’ll be nicer next time.”

“There won’t be a next time.”, a commanding voice behind him declared. “And you are in no position to teach Ladybug a single thing.”

Adrien whirled around, raising his hand.

“Claws out!”, he yelled before remembering Plagg hadn’t eaten yet. There would be no transformation any time soon. Realizing his defenselessness, he swallowed and looked at the figure that had ambushed him. As if on cue, it stepped out of the shadows, revealing...

“Master Fu?”

Adrien almost fainted in relieve.

“Oh god, you gave me the scare of my life! What’s the matter? Any new potions to deliver?”

The guardian didn’t blink. Instead he raised his hand, expectantly.

“You have forsaken your partner. You have willfully sacrificed a civilian in order to punish Ladybug. You have abused your powers by choosing inaction for the sake of revenge.”

Adrien gulped when Fu came closer.

“I cannot risk Ladybugs safety anymore. Give me your Miraculous, boy.”

“What?!”, he spluttered, covering the ring with his other hand. “No! You don’t even know the whole story, it was nothing like that!”

Fu’s eyes narrowed.

“I won’t ask again.”

“But I am Chat Noir! Ladybug and I are meant to be together- to be a team! You can’t take that from us!”

He searched for his Kwami, desperate.

“Tell him, Plagg! I was just helping Ladybug grow to be the bigger person! It’s not like there’s any permanent damage anyway.”

The cat Kwami closed his eyes and breathed out. When he opened them again, there was no compassion in them.

“I’m sorry, Kiddo.”

Adrien had no time to react. Fu’s cane had jabbed at him out of nothing, swatting his hand into the air. His ring slipped of his finger and was caught on the wooden staff, just when Plagg began to blur and merge with it again.

Adrien stumbled back in shock, before fury took control of him. How dare he?!

“No!”

With a battle cry he went after Fu, fists clenched and ready to get his ring back by any means necessary.

He was taller than Fu, younger and quicker. The senile guardian wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

“Shelter!”, a voice to his right exclaimed and a green, solid barrier slammed into his side. Adrien yelped when he was thrown against a pipe and fell to the ground, breath knocked out of his lungs. He panted for air and looked up.

A tiny green creature floated next to Fu, hands raised to summon what he knew as Carapace’s superpower. Wayzz, the turtle Kwami, Plagg had mentioned once.

Adrien’s eyes widened. He might’ve had a chance to win against Fu, but a Kwami was another topic. Without his Miraculous, he stood no chance.

“Please!”, he resorted to begging, tears welling up in his eyes. “I need it! There’s nothing I can do as Adrien, I’ll be trapped at home forever! What will Ladybug be without me?”

Fu turned his back on him without hesitation, walking towards the stairs.

“Better off, I hope.”, he retorted coldly. “I regret your situation, but I can’t afford to waste Plagg’s powers on someone out of pity.”

He stopped.

“Adrien Agreste, you were granted the Miraculous of Destruction, a great honor. But you abused this privilege for selfish gains and tormented the one you were meant to protect. You will never again be worthy of its powers.”

He sighed when Adrien let out a helpless sob.

“I hope you can grow beyond what you are now, I really do. But until then... Farewell.”

With that, he disappeared into the shadows of the cellar, leaving Adrien behind.

#miramu writes #wttb #welcome to the back #felinette fanfic #ml felix #sentiquill #akuma!felix

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fruitygal26 · 3 years

Text

The shining Moon//Zutara One shot Pt.1

WARNING: SMUT 18+ READERS ONLY!! - Contains strong sexual content and language! - CHARACTERS ARE AGED UP

Cold. Above anything else Katara was overwhelmed by at the moment- the cold seemed to take precedent. It was a strange feeling. Usually Katara had been accustomed to the cold, being from the Southern Water Tribe and all. Her body had created a sort of tolerance. But ever since she began her journey with the Avatar and had traveled through all four nations, her body hadn’t felt the cold in quite some time. And let me tell you- she loathed it. As Katara lay in her sleeping bag shivering, she tried to let her mind wander in an attempt to ease her suffering. She thought of the days to come. What would happen if Aang didn't master firebending? What if Ozai had been training as well. What if it's an unmatched fight- Ozai and his army against poor Aang. There would be no way to see it coming. What if Zuko doesn't teach Aang everything he needs to?

Zuko..

Katara tried to wipe his existence from her mind ever since he had arrived at the western air temples ten days ago. Somehow he managed to convince toph, aang, and even sokka to let him to train Aang in firebending. She understood their options were limited- but Zuko? Really!? The guy who had been hunting them through their entire journey suddenly wants to do the right thing? No. That's not true. Katara knew better. If you had asked her before their chance encounter in the prisons of Ba Sing Se- she may have given him a chance- but not anymore. Not after earning her trust in a matter of minutes only to have it thrown back in her face at the first opportunity.

To put it lightly, Katara held a grudge. But deeper than that, Zuko haunted Katara's dreams. She never told anyone- but Katara was afraid of him. What would have happened if she had trusted him in Ba Sing Se and they escaped arm in arm. He could've killed them all in their sleep when he finally decided to “change his mind”. What haunted Katara the most about their exchange was just how quick she was to trust him. How taken aback she was when she finally came face to face with the banished prince, and worst of all… how attracted she'd been to him. He was much more handsome than the first time they had met- she had a feeling his haircut had something to do with that. She had been engulfed by his dark presence and even mesmerized by the power his eyes held. Even with his scar and the dimness of the prison- zuko had a glare that could pierce through any girl's soul. But Katara was not just any girl, she was an integral part of helping Aang complete his destiny. She couldn't put that in jeopardy by trusting the wrong people, like Zuko. She fears that the reason she was so quick to trust Zuko back then was due to her surprising attraction to him and she hated herself for it. That thought haunted her every night…. Among other things.

Her nightmares began that dusk, though- it may be unwise to deem them all “nightmares''. While some created an uneasy sense of panic that Katara could not run away from, others created a much different sensation. In fact, on some of the coldest nights- it was these dreams that managed to warm her. She hated herself for it, but more and more often Katara found herself dreaming of Zuko's toned body and strong arms. These were the dreams that truly burned Katara. Of course the nightmares were terrible, but at least with them when you woke up you were able to escape. When she would wake from her warm dreams, she seemed unable to differentiate between reality and her hidden desires. Not to mention those dreams often left behind specific evidence in Katars underwear.

And now Zuko was here. Sleeping yards away from Katara every night. Capable of killing her and her friends in a matter of moments- and yet, that was not what Katara feared most by having some close by. Now when she would wake in an attempt to escape her vivid dreams, she'd be met with a pair of golden eyes staring back at her. And as much as she loathed him, she feared that one of these days her body would betray her mind. She could not let that happen.

A gust of wind hit katara's face, interrupting her thought process and bringing her back into reality. Her very, VERY, cold reality. She decided if she could not sleep, the least she could do to prepare for the upcoming fight was train. Ever since Toph had joined the Gaang, Katara had been taking her training more seriously, and not just because she was intimidated by how much toph trained. I mean seriously, how can a 12 year old girl have more power and stamina than an entire army?

Katara slowly slid out of her sleeping bag, trying not to make any noise. The closest people to her location were Sokka and Suki, who had spent most of the night talking and had ultimately fallen asleep cuddling each other around 1am. They wouldn't wake easy, and even if they did- Katara doubted either of them would let go of the other to see what all the noise was about. It was sweet, and disgusting. Although, Katara had to admit… ever since Sokka and Zuko rescued Suki and the others from the fire nation, Sokka had been way less uptight, which was much appreciated. She still couldn't believe Zuko was instrumental in the rescue, but stranger things had happened. She wasn't just going to trust him after every good thing he did, even if he saved her dad.

As Katara neared the edge of the lake she reflected, for just a moment, on how life has changed since the rescue. Don't get it twisted, Katara was endlessly grateful to see her friend and father. It took a lot of stress off her, and on warmer nights even allowed her to sleep calmly. But she couldn't shake the feeling that came with reunion… loneliness. She knew it was absurd, but ever since she sokka and suki were brought back together, she longed for the feeling of being touched. Not in a platonic hug, or handshake. Not even in a way she could feel herself. Though she was finally the least alone she'd been in her whole life, she just could not shake the feeling of being wanted by someone else, and it killed her.

Katara's mind was rushing at 100 miles an hour, while her body was practicing traditional water bending forms, even tackling new scrolls in an attempt to learn a few surprise tricks before the fight. In such a pit of concentration katara had not heard the footsteps approaching her from behind.

One second. Katara felt his presence one second before he had put his hand on her shoulder. It was not much time, but enough for her to muster up the strength to conjure the water beneath her feet and redirect it forcefully towards the attacker.

“Ow!”

Katara turned around to see a soaked Zuko collapse to the ground, clearly surprised at the unnecessary use of force from the waterbender.

She didn't hit him hard. Well… not hard enough to do any true damage, but apparently enough to create a gash on his collarbone. At least she knows the water whip serves its purpose.

“Zuko” She said, not bothering to hide the spite in her voice. “You should know better than to sneak up on a master waterbender, shouldn't you? Especially if that Master happens to be me.”

“Youd think I would have learned that by now.”

Katara couldn't put her finger on it, but something in his voice made it seem as though he was teasing, but then his expression changed.

“I'm sorry Katara truly. I’ll go back to the campsite now. I had just woken up and didn't see you in your sleeping bag. I- I just wanted to make sure you were ok.”

Katara started turning around, ready to get back to her training and to ignore the man huffing away behind her...but she couldn't just leave a member of their team injured. Even if she never agreed for him to be on said team. She reasoned with herself that this was because If they were attacked, she needed to make sure none of the members of the gaang were injured in a way they couldn't fight. Though this wound did not create any real problems for Zuko, better safe than sorry. Besides, we know how he gets scars.

“Wait Zuko… come here for a moment.”

Zuko stopped in his tracks and turned slowly towards Katara. The full moon glistening in his eyes as he gave Katara a confused look.

“I need to heal your collarbone before you go back, wouldn't want you using that against me in front of the team, or as a device in whatever plan you are hatching would we?”

Zuko seemed even more confused than he was in the beginning, but that didn't stop him from moving towards Katara's hands.

When he was far too close for Katara's liking, she stopped him by pressing her hands forcefully into his chest, halting his movement. The moment her palms had made contact to his dripping robe, she felt a surge of electricity flow through her. This made her blush incredibly hard, but lucky for her, the darkness made it so Zuko couldn't see. To her surprise, her blush faded in a matter of second- only to be replaced with a loopy sensation in the pits of her stomach.

This can't be happening….she repeated over and over to herself. This isn't one of her warm dreams, this was real life. With a real zuko standing less than a foot away from her. She detested this man, feared him even. Why then was she letting her imagination bring down her defenses. And yet- Katara could not shield the curiosity of the body lying beneath her firm grip.

“Shit. I can't see properly in this light… this may be harder than I thought.” Great. Just what Katara needed. Not only to be distracted by the boy in front of her, but to do such a poor job on his wound that she would appear weak.

If there was one thing Katara was not, it was weak.

Without a second thought, Zuko ignited a small flame from the palm of his hand and brought it up towards Katara’s face. Katara was shocked. Of course Zuko was a master firebender- but everytime she thought of that she thought of war and destruction. For some reason it had not occurred to her that fire could be used in gentle ways too.

“I forgot you could do that… thanks I guess.”

“Don't mention it.”

She wouldn’t. Katara slowly moved her right hand from her initial halting position towards his collarbone. It was in this moment, when Katara's skin touched him, that she realized how cold she truly was, and just how warm Zuko seemed to be. Even by standing near her, his body radiated heat. She had been so caught up in her own actions, she hadn't realized she stopped shivering.

“You're cold.” said Zuko, more as a statement than a question.

“I'm used to it”

It wasn't a lie, she had grown accustomed to it. But that didn't change the fact it sucked.

“Oh” he said quite abruptly. It appeared he was trying to make conversation, but he should have known that would never work with Katara. That didn't stop him from tyrin though.

They both fell silent for several minutes. The only noise being the sloshing of the water Katara was using to heal him. Suddenly Zuko spoke.

“I wouldn't by the way.”

“What?” She asked, genuinely confused.

“I would never use it against you. The gash.”

“ What-what do you mean?”

Katara was genuinely confused.

“I snuck up on you, you reacted- you reacted very well as a matter of fact. You're a very powerful bender, I should have known it was unwise to approach you in that manner. Im sorry.”

Suddenly it made sense. The comment Katara had made earlier, about her healing him so Zuko wouldn't use this “fight” as ammunition against her. Did she offend him? Not that she cared. She knew what kind of guy Zuko was. She knew whatever reason he was here with them, was not truly to help Aang. She just didn't know what reason it was.

“Whatever.”

“Katara looks at me, I'm serious. I'm sorry, and I'm sorry if you feel like I would do such a thing.”

Katara nearly rolled her eyes.

“Look here Zuko. You may have everyone else here fooled, but I’m not buying it. I don't want your intentions to be by joining our group- but I know they aren't pure. You can try this whole nice guy act on everyone else- but it's going to take a lot more for me to believe you pal.”

In the heat of the moment Katara had not realized how close to Zuko’s face she got, or how much shed raised her voice. She looked around suddenly, checking to see if anyone had heard the commotion and were rushing to help her- but alas, no such thing. She was sure Toph would have heard something- then she remembered the bottle Ba Sing Se’s finest rum shed bodied before heading to bed. Not even a fire nation attack could wake Toph at this moment.

“Katara…” Zuko mumbled softly.

Oh no. She felt it again. Her stomach felt the same way it did when She took a sudden drop with Appa. And the war began infecting her bloodstream, spreading through her whole body.

Stop it Katara. This is real life.

Then Zuko interrupted her thought process.

“Katara I swear I’m here to help. It hasn't been an easy path for me to take, and yet I wish for no other. I am here to fulfill my destiny, and to help Aang fulfil his. What can I do to make you believe me?”

Katara looked away from Zuko for only a moment, but when she looked back- her eyes locked on his… and she knew shed lost all control over her actions. Even if Zuko hadn’t yet.

“You have a girlfriend do you not?” Katara asked smugly.

Zuko looked taken aback, even sad for a moment- though the sadness washed away in under a second.

“I- I did. Not anymore. We just were not destined to be.”

“Pity. But that is not why I asked.”

Katara was in complete control of this situation. Though she was a bit shorter than Zuko, at this moment she felt as though she was towering over him.

“I- Im sorry Katara. I think I'm a little confused…”

“What was her name?”

“I don't see how that's relevant,” Said Zuko, getting a little defiant. Not to worry, Katara would put him in his place in just a moment.

“Answer the question Zuko. How am I supposed to trust an outsider if he doesn't even answer simple questions about his life?”

Defeatedly, Zuko responded.

“Mai. Her name was Mai.”

Katara smiled.

“Thank you for your candor Zuko. How long were you together?”

“It's complicated,” he started. “We liked each other when we were kids. After the attack on Ba Sing Se we kind of got together on the trip back to the fire nation. We were together a few months before I knew where my destiny would lead me. She wasn't as understanding. We split up not long after that.”

His face fell forward. He was trying. He was really trying to open up to Katara. If this was the only way she would feel safe with him, or even start trusting him- it was worth it.

“And in all that time with Mai, I have to assume… you two got intimate didn't you?”

Zuko’s head bobbed up suddenly. He was perplexed- and quite honestly.. A bit embarrassed.

“I-”

“Remember to answer honestly Zuko- I’ll know if you're not.” she interrupted.

Blush filled Zuko's cheeks as the little fire dancing in his palm struggled to stay lit.

“Yes. We did.”

“No need to be embarrassed, Zuko. You're a 20 year old boy- it's only normal.”

“I… I guess. What does that have to do with anything?”

Zuko had no idea where this conversation was going- but he felt a tad uneasy.

“What did you guys do?”

Zuko's eyes widened.

“Katara, I- Im not just going to, you’re-”

“I'm almost 19 Zuko, answer me honestly. Did she suck your dick?”

Katara said this with no trace of it being a touchy subject. She might as well have asked him his favorite breakfast food with that tone.

“Whaa”

Zuko was ambushed. He didn't know how to react and his facial expression showed it.

“Did you eat her out?” Katara said, as a small grin grew on her face.

“Kata-”

“Oooh or did you fuck her. Did you fuck Mai in your fancy bedroom Prince Zuko?”

This seemed to be the final straw for the banished prince. It had taken him a moment to realize how he wished to react, but he had decided upon being offended. No one dares speak this way to a prince in the fire nation.

“THATS ENOUGH KATARA” Zuko said loudly, yet he did not shout it.

“If you have a point get to it.”

Katara was not shaken.

“I just need you to answer the question, great prince” she said with a hint of sarcasm. “I need to know what kind of man you are.”

“All of it-”

“Huh?” Katara said, missing the moment.

“We did it all. Not all at once, obviously. But we were very passionate. Is that what you wanted to hear?” He said rather defiantly. Katara didn't mind- in fact, she kind of liked it.

“Yep, that's all I need to hear.” Katara said as she slowly withdrew her hand from his previous wound. The healing process had ended a bit ago, but neither one of them had retreated.

“Now I’m going to tell you what you need to do Zuko, if you want me to ever trust you.”

“Wasn't that it? The questions? I mean- I've never told anyone any of that stuff, doesn't that prove anything?” He asked, rather coyly.

“It's a start.” Katara said as she made her way to a nearby rock and propped herself on it. Zuko following slowly behind.

When she was settled on the large boulder, she turned to face Zuko. Confident in her actions, Katara felt no hesitation in her next statement.

“You’re going to eat me out Zuko.”

She was met with a blank stare. She couldn't tell if he was confused or pondering. So she decided to clarify either way.

“You're going lick my pussy with your warm tongue, and you're going to make me cum. If you don't make me cum- we’re gonna have a serious problem, and who knows what I’ll tell the gang about you. And now that we know about your little shenanigans with Mai- we know you have no excuse to not come through.”

Katara smiled to herself. This was an ultimatum he could not pass up. He knew it, she knew it. All that was left was the anticipation in the air from waiting for his response. As Zuko slowly contemplated his options, their eyes made sudden contact. Katara was now the one taken aback. For in all his pondering, she could see the excitement reflected in his golden specks.

Without breaking their eye contact, Zuko spoke.

“This is the only way?”

Katara responded with the slow spreading of her legs up on the boulder.

“The only way.”

The fire concentrated in the center of Zuko's hand suddenly grew strongly before going out completely. It was as if some had poured gasoline on it. With no more light to guide them, Zuko slowly made his way towards Katara.

#zutara #zuko #katara #18+#mature #smut #lemon #zutaralemon #steamy #moon #oneshot #aang #sokka #firebender #waterbender #zukoxoc #The shining Moon

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lovelessmako · 3 years

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This is a demon/exophilia love story I've been working on that I thought I'd share here. If people seem to like it then I'll add more.

Chapter One:

Kivet laughed inwardly as blood and adrenaline rolled off his dark form in waves. The thrill of the chase. Watching a child cling to you, begging you to let them go as the light slowly leaves their eyes. This was what he was created for. He was a peacekeeper between the different species. It was his job to keep the status quo in any way possible. If that meant killing children because a fae dared to have a child with a human, then that was what he had to do. Afterall, mutts were incapable of kindness or love. Sure, they could fake it quite convincingly, even Kivert himself would've fallen for it had he not been taught the truth, but it was impossible for them to experience any pleasant emotions. If Kivet enjoyed his job then that was nobody's business but his own. Everyone needed to stick to their own people. Only the Ve, which he was, could leave their lands.

Sometimes people would send messengers to other species in order to broker peace. Kivet hated those. Scared, unarmed, diplomats with enough medals to make you go blind as they reflected the sun. They didn't deserve those. He always made sure nothing arrived and would leave a bloodied medal behind as a warning. He would keep the others, of course. They were rather good quality and he had quite the collection coming along. He had no idea what they stood for but surely he deserved them more than their original owners.

Kivet set to work wiping his claws off on a rag he kept in his pocket. He frowned slightly when he saw that the blood had reached there as well. So much for clean hands. He gave up and settled for sitting with his back against a tree and admiring his work. Even in their last moments, the two criminals had held each other and tried to shield the child. That's commitment, he'll give them that. Maybe they thought it would gain his sympathy. Dumb. It did make him a bit lonely though. If such scum found someone to play along with their ruse, then why was a hero forced to work alone? He wasn't forced per say, but his old partner had fallen for an orphaned mutt's tricks and had to be put down. It was unfortunate, Suvo was pretty good at his job. He had even told Kivet that what they were doing was wrong! Saving lifes is wrong? What an ass! No, he reminded himself, it was that mutt's fault. Suvo had younger siblings and the creature looked similar to one. Meanwhile, Kivet had never been around children except for when he was in school.

He gathered himself and started in to the nearest town. Kivet could use something to eat, and there were always mutts scatted about to kill. It was disturbing how many there were. Why do people insist on disobeying the natural order of things? The strangest part was how many purebreds supported the movement. The town wasn't too far of a walk, and his shadowy wings were still a bit sore from the long flight over, so he didn't mind walking. The land was nice enough, a dirt path with a small lake to the right and wilting forest to his left. There were some huts in groups of 3 or 4 every now and then; It seems the humans were not advanced enough to feel safe living alone yet. It made sense, they were a very fragile species, very easy to injure; even by accident. They also contracted illnesses often and usually died from them. And, even if they managed to be extremely careful, their lifespan was still very short. Most species told tales of these weak creatures and used them as examples of the good alliances between species would do. They were nothing more than figureheads, however. Something that would be cast aside when no longer needed.

Humans were the worst when it came to mutts. They found fae and elves to be attractive for some reason. He could see it from a procreation standpoint; every parent wants their children to be powerful. But what did the others gain? Maybe humans had special bonding rituals that they preformed in order to create children. That could be interesting. Not that it would ever be possible for a Ve, even if it was allowed. He was reminded of that time and time again as humans ran or hid from him. "Nightmare. Demon. Bad omen. Monster," he had heard it all.

This time, however, the humans seemed to be crowding around a figure on the ground. He hissed loudly, causing them to scatter and leave the body. He crouched nearby, not caring about the pool of blackened blood that was leaking from a bashed in skull. This was a Ve. A wing had been torn off along with their hands, likely for grizzly trophies. Something caught his eye behind their ear. Kivet yanked out the sharp object to see a steady, blinking, red light. A tracker. This wasn't a Ve that had gotten out of line and needed to be put down. They were hunted. He growled and glared around at the humans. No, not one of them. They were much too timid; many crying already. Entire towns had been decimated for less serious offenses.

If someone was hunting Ve then Kivet needed to be safe. While Ve normally had a solid form, they could take on a shadowy apperation that couldn't be harmed. Unfortunately they couldn't harm anyone either. An even trade off. It also took effort. Not a lot, but it would surely add up. He weighed his options. He couldn't eat while in that form so he would have to drop it for those moments. But waiting a few days to eat could help. It would be a lot easier if he had a partner that could help by taking turns keeping watch. But they would just be hit instead. Maybe he could trick a troll into protecting him. They're a good 3-4 feet taller than him and bright blue; an easy target. But that would mean putting up with a troll. And he didn't even speak their language. Not worth it.

"Are you alright, sir?" Kivet jumped, how could he have let a human sneak up on him like that?! They continued, ignoring his suprise, "it's a pretty gruesome sight."

"Don't talk to me." He went ignored.

"Did you know them?"

"Why are you still talking to me?!"

"Its still sad, even if you didn't. I know if I saw a human like that I'd likely take my own life from the trauma."

Why didn't this human-? Wait, they probably couldn't understand him. Humans had a spoken language, not psychic. Kivet remembered studying that back in Academy; they had to choose a language and it seemed the easiest.

"Fine," he choked out, voice scratchy and broken from lack of use. The human apparently took that as emotion and placed their hand on his shoulder. He hissed in warning, but it wasn't removed.

"Why don't you come inside? I'm not sure if you can digest the same things as us, but I made some nice potato soup. Its chilly today as well. I already have a fire going inside."

Why was this human being nice to him? They didn't even know his name. Hell, he didn't even know their gender; humans were difficult to ascertain with their lack of horns or spikes. He considered the offer. On one hand, he had come to the village for food, and while he wasn't affected by the weather, seeing such a mutilated corpse sent shivers down his back. He was reminded of what his father told him when he started school, "Don't trust anyone, regardless of species or blood relation."

"Sounds lonely."

He startled, not realizing that he had spoken it aloud. "Its all I've ever known." Lie. He had traveled with Suvo for 3 years before the incident. "Find me another Ve and I'll consider changing my mind," he tried to joke. It probably sounded too serious in his underused voice.

"You'll be pretty hard-pressed to find another." A tall fae with tanned skin and a whimsical voice pranced over to them, feet light and airy. Humans referred to Fae as the opposite of Ve. Kivet hated them. Even more than mutts.

"Oh, don't give me that look, demon. I come with news." Kivet continued to glare. How dare he speak to him! "The Ve were attacked a few weeks ago. Whole towns wiped out. Only a handful of you guys remain and they're hunting you down." Who? He was too confused to ask. Ve were untouchable. Heroes who used their strength for good. Why would someone attack? How could they lose? "The Golems." The Fae seemed to understand the unspoken question. "They asked the Fae to join them but our queen refused. The last time we angered Ve our capital was destroyed. So much unnecessary death."

"Just tell me what happened already!" Kivet was getting fed up with this stupid voice already.

He shrugged, a human expression, "that's all I know. My guess is a full frontal assault. Ve are good at tactics, but you lack- what was the word? Oh yeah-strength." That was a blow and he knew it. The Ve were all about strength. They were the best when it came to 1-on-1 fights. Then other species had to invent blades and spears. Kivet, like most Ve, refused to use them. They were a crutch. He hated to believe what a fucking Fae was telling him, but it added up. Golems were known to be able to track anything; relentless hunters. Now he knows it was all thanks to tiny machines.

"Serves you right! The Ve should've be wiped out centuries ago." The Fae laughed. Stupid, musical laughter. Kivet couldn't take it! He lunged at the taller man, causing them to fall to the ground. They seemed shocked and caught off guard. Kivet spread his wings threateningly and hissed in his face, taking joy in seeing the spots of saliva that splattered that stupid, perfect face. The human seemed to be saying something, but all Kivet saw was red. His instincts tuned out all other distractions and focused on their prey. He tried to let out a threatening laugh, but it only sounded broken with emotion. "Not strong, huh? Then what does that say about you?"

The Fae relaxed suddenly, much to his confusion. "Hear that? The Golems are coming." And they were. Their heavy footfalls could be heard not too far away. Likely near where Kivet had left the mutt and it's parent's bodies. He acted solely on instinct and shot off flying towards the sound of the noise. He had to see it for himself. His wings burned from the effort, not used to going faster than a leisurely pace. He stumbled in the air when one popped. Likely a sprain or dislocation, not broken. He fought through the pain until he heard the voices nearly under him. He landed on a sturdy tree branch and started to leap his way across to get a better view, yet be less visible. He didn't know much of their language, but he could pick out a few words "Troll. Her. Reward." They weren't tracking a Ve afterall! But who was this Troll? Someone important for the Golems to make a special trip. Maybe a criminal? Didn't matter. They could kill her for all he cared. Wasn't his problem.

Wait, then why was that Fae in a human village if not to warn him? The fucker came up with some random story to district him from his job! A Fae in a human village was very clearly against the rules. He inwardly scolded himself for not realizing earlier. Oh, he was going to pay!

Kivet turned to move, forgetting about his hurt wing, and stumbled slightly. The rustling attracted the attention of one of the Golems. He froze as he was stared directly in the eye. Neither made a move for what felt like forever. Another Golem said something to the one watching him who then turned his attention away. This was the perfect opportunity to run! So why couldn't he move? The one who had spotted him said something about a bird before the group continued on their way. Did a Golem just cover for him!? Wait, why would that be shocking? Ve had important jobs and couldn't afford to be distracted by insignificant creatures. Surely that was public knowledge by now.

He should really go after that one Fae, but right now he was just too tired, rules be damned. He doubted he could sleep with all that had happened in the past few hours. It seemed like weeks had passed since he last awoke. He wrapped himself into a snug position and closed his eyes.

#original story #demon oc #tw death #exophilia #monster #monster boyfriend

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slumberinglabyrinth · 3 years

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a while back i did a review of the prison chapter in por and it was totally overblown and whatever but i kinda wanna do that again for (what remains of) radiant dawn so i guess i will

I'll be doing them in batches since this got long. In this post: 3-5 through 3-9

3-5: it's been two years and i forget why we have to defend this castle

this was a pretty alright map. the reinforcements were annoying but that's because I generally don't actually turtle all that much on defend chapters and as a result I was Right There whenever and wherever they showed up. I tried to grab the energy drop off the boss but the dude ran away from Heather the moment I created an opening and I didn’t want to reset so :^/

I moved provoke off of shinon and onto Brom for this and its... probably way too strong? like it wasn't a 100% draw rate but there were several turns in a row where he was the only person being attacked which is. insane. and also super fun lmao. I think it's a shame that the hostility mechanics in fe aren't as well documented; on some level it ruins the magic, but in cases like this where you're actively influencing it i think it'd be useful to know to what degree you're actually influencing it

disarm + steal is also a really neat/fun idea that would be a great way to counteract how i apparently will never have any money for weapons while playing as the greilgallia party crew 😔 (not to be confused with the greilgallia polycule, which disbanded around twenty years earlier) but I can also never get disarm to proc and half the things that i was able to get unequipped were too heavy for Heather to actually steal 😔

all around a decent map to ease myself back into playing rd with. I certainly could have played better, but defend maps tend to be easier and I appreciated that here

3-6: dawn brigade returns and promptly sinks into a swamp

god this map sucked. it's really hard to pick where to start with it but while i get that lore dictates that they need to only be fighting laguz right here it was probably the wrong gameplay decision with everything else that was going on. I think maybe making tigers have ~4 less str across the board would have been a nice start since I kinda needed to either never get hit by them at all or to kill them first.

several chapters later I’m also realizing maybe i should have like. started to use bexp lol

fighting laguz is also really weird in terms of like... because they have boosted stats while transformed so you can either kill them while they're untransformed (which is fairly easy but since they don't attack, you have to kill them during player phase which means one per turn per unit), deal chip damage (or none at all) to burn down their gauge so you can actually kill them, or try to power through their boosted stats and hope you don’t die in the process.

Because I hadn't used bexp and almost all my units were super weak, I mostly had to rely on the eff against beasts knife that you can buy in the bargain shop this chapter and also volug, who had enough def (even with halfshift) to not die in one round. Honorable mentions go to noland (a fitting name for this map), jill (with canto!), and zihark, who were able to help pick off untransformed laguz, and to micaiah, who could deal magic damage and actually damage transformed laguz.

this was also the first dawn brigade map! i know lots of people people dont like their maps after act 1 and while i was trying to go into this one with an open mind... yeah, they totally got shafted by this map design. it's not really their fault but this map sucked hard. I know that they generally did one of each class variant (fire mage, wind mage, etc.) and not have duplicates but I think that the dawn brigade would have benefited from another mage of some kind if only so you could have someone who could deal with all these goddamned cats

also bk shows up but since he's not a bonus unit i didn't want to feed him kills so i didnt really use him. maybe that was a mistake. also why couldn't he like. warp someone that wasn't the furthest away from the action.

3-7: hey so we heard you liked the previous map

Zihark is there? fuck this i'm reverting to a previous save and unrecruiting him

3-6: i forgot to mention that this map was a swamp map and also had darkness

I know I've mentioned that the similar map in fe6 (desert+fog) was actually kinda alright but this one isnt that at all. Playing through it a second time helped because i knew where enemies were spawning, but it was still more annoying than fun.

Swamps commit the cardinal sin of forcing everyone that can't fly (in this case: everyone but jill) to suffer massive terrain penalties. Deserts at least let mages move a little bit further (which admittedly wouldn't help much here since it's only micaiah and laura), but here everyone friend and foe alike (except Jill) moves slowly and it makes gameplay just grind to a halt which is never, ever fun level design.

Also Fiona just. could not move beyond the starting island. she couldn't even wade a little bit into the swamp like i did with ed and leo to attack at range and get laguz to untransform. they let you deploy everyone but it genuinely felt like i wasn't handed the tools to succeed at this map. always a great goal to have when designing a game

I don't know how to improve this map. unrecruiting zihark (by flying him up to the northeast with jill and having him talk to mordy/lethe) wasn't particularly difficult (battle saves make it easy enough to scout out where they were, and it's not like i'd ever feel bad about 'cheating' on this map) but... would a greater field of view actually help? would making it not a swamp actually help? would giving you more allied units that'll throw themselves in the face of danger with no regard for their own lives actually help?

I don't know.

3-7: but for real this time

Back to ikequest!

this map is... literally the same map as the previous one, but with a different map objective. and larger. and backwards. and not at night.

it's still a swamp.

Luckily, it's a survive map, and the vast majority of the enemy force does not have the time to actually reach you if you hide up in the corner.

Which is exactly what i did.

Here's the list of the optional units (ike and ranulf are mandatory, which sucks because i don't like using twinks cat laguz and ike's plot promotion feels miles away) I deployed and why I deployed them

Haar: to fly out and recruit Jill

Gatrie: to be carried by Haar and specifically to bait the single thunder mage in Haar's way (and help Haar clean out that area so Jill can be safely recruited). I gave him corrosion two maps ago and it actually fully disarmed a guy on this map! 🎊

Brom: stand near where the swamp ends and draw the handful of enemies that actually make it all the way there away from ike and ranulf and ulki and jaffar (who are auto-recruits in this chapter).

This map is. so incredibly easy to both beat and complete the (meaningful) optional objectives on. I missed a conversation between Ike and Micaiah (which requires you to travel all the way across the map that i just finished saying takes forever to traverse and do it in 12 turns), but as long as you unrecruit Zihark on the previous map (he's.... right in the middle of the main force so good luck if you don't) you can probably do this map first try with no deaths even if you haven't trained haargatriebrom At All

I think that kinda underscores a problem that intsys had with rd which was... it feels like they didn't really have a lot of time to fine-tune stuff? like you're going from the hardest (or at least most unpleasant) map to the easiest one this side of the tutorial and it just. doesn't feel good? like there's going to be some inherent difficulty in balancing a difficulty curve when you're shifting from party to party but. this was bad. really bad.

Also a side observation but it does actually say who units can talk to in battle prep which is pretty useful thing to have! you need to shift the stat spreadsheet allllll the way over, but it's there!

i promptly forgot about it by the time 3-10 came around and was like "hey i should just. have ike run up to elincia, see if they'll talk, and then reset" though lol

3-8: Less-than-Lethal Lava Land

A fairly standard lava cave map. My only real comment here is that it was kinda nice how they made the spots where you'd take damage fairly obvious while still making them appear as natural parts of the terrain. I think it was the durandal map in 7 but its "if you're on these at the end of the turn you'll take damage" tiles looked super out of place while the armads map on the other hand wasn't super self-evident and i'm glad they improved

3-9: still cant use lucia >:(

Another party shift (this time to Elincia), and there was some good use of ledges in this chapter!

Most of your units couldn't use them but it created alternate paths for the ones that could (Calill and Devdan). Previous maps tended to use them more as holes in your defenses than needed to be plugged, but it created ways to progress (and ways for reinforcements to catch up) that are usually reserved for flying units, except now you're interacting with the map instead of ignoring it completely.

I think I've yet to meet someone who genuinely likes ledges as a map element, though I think this map really drives home that the sole (inherent) problem with them is the accuracy modifications (which, as this map also demonstrates when the stairs near the end become a chokepoint, are actually present with all elevation changes). While the +2 damage dealt while on the high ground is reasonable, +50 and especially -50 to hitrate are insane and completely unnecessary modifiers. They should be half that if you even choose to retain both.

Anyway.

the absolute lack of a (player-controlled) healer in Elincia's party was also........ interesting. Annoying, but interesting. Why must allied clerics choose death?1

#fe10 #its a lot easier to articulate myself when the context of what im saying is so readily apparent

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of-muppets-and-men · 4 years

Text

Penumbra

Chapter 5: Rising Light

For the first time in what felt like eons, Rukia could say she felt happy. Her life after the Quincy war was most definitely not at all what she’d thought it would be, but at least she could find solace in the little things. She would keep her promise to Katsumi and visited the Shihouin manor every chance she was given, Ichika eagerly by her side every time. The unknowing half-sisters would play from morning till evening, uproarious laughter and pure smiles never leaving their faces. Rukia could happily sit and watch for hours on end; the mother’s joy of seeing her girls flourish delighted her beyond words.

Because if she refrained for even a moment, she would drown in all the regrets that plagued her. The things she should’ve done differently or things she shouldn’t have done at all. If it weren’t for these gracious visits, Rukia likely would’ve fallen apart at the seams ten times over. So to spare her children the harm of the truth, Rukia omitted it altogether. And foolishly intended it to stay that way.

Three years passed by far too slowly and far too quickly in equal measure. Passage of time was typically inconsequential for Souls and Shinigami; decades could whip by and no one would bat an eyelash. Most in the Seireitei stop keeping track after a century or two. Three years was a wink by comparison, but that didn’t change Rukia’s perception by any stretch. Not to mention today: Katsumi’s birthday.

It was odd. Seeing the girl who once was barely bigger than her forearm growing into a beauty nearly as tall as her now. Bitter as it may have been to come to terms with. But still… Ten years old. In a home of warm and plenty. All things Rukia wanted for her but couldn’t provide. A debt to Yoruichi she’d never be able to truly repay.

The party was going to be a small affair, just the way they wanted it. As grand as Rukia and Renji’s wedding had been, most shinigami including them and Yoruichi weren’t big on pageantry. But for what it lacked in guests, it made up for in substance. The Abarai family came down as they normally did, Ichika beaming with excitement to see her best friend again. Renji begrudgingly held Katsumi’s gift: a limited edition Chappie plush. She was Rukia’s daughter after all…

As the family came through the front door, they barely managed to take off their sandals before they could hear Katsumi barrelling down the hallway.

“ICHIKA! AUNTIE RUKIA!” the little girl exclaimed as she tackled them both.

“KATSUMI!” Ichika roared, equally excited.

With a thud and audible groan, Rukia was planted on the ground, Katsumi’s arms wrapped around her waist. Her eyes, by the soul king her eyes, looked identical to Rukia’s. Her elated firstborn giggled as Rukia ran a hand through her hair.

“Hey Sweetie.”

“Jeez, you guys okay?” Renji asked, able to avoid the chain reaction.

“Mhmmm!” both girls said together.

“I’m fine, dear.” Rukia noted weakly, still a touch winded.

Her husband chuckled and crossed his arms at the entanglement of bodies while Rukia scoffed at his lack of action. Eventually, Ichika and Katsumi got up on their own, helping Rukia too albeit a bit unnecessary. The acting captain of squad 13 dusted herself off just before delivering a swift kick to Renji’s kneecap. The lieutenant slumped over in pain, while Rukia and the girls smirked deviously.

“The hell was that for?!” He snapped, clutching his abused leg.

His wife didn’t say or do anything besides give him a playful raspberry; a gesture Katsumi and his daughter copied. Renji could only groan in response, evidently outnumbered again.

“My oh my, I was wondering what all the fuss was.” A voice from beyond the foyer said.

The Lady of the Shihouin slowly sauntered into view, her typical grin stretched across her visage. Katsumi’s eyes brightened, running into her arms.

“Mama! Auntie Rukia, Uncle Renji and Ichika came!” the little one sang, bouncing up and down.

“I can see! C’mon let’s show them inside.” Yoruichi said lovingly.

“Okay!” Katsumi cheered “Ichika! I’ll race you!”

Ichika locked her gaze on her best friend, full of determination, “You’re on.”

Before anyone could argue, they bolted down the hallways, leaving their parents behind in a cloud of dust. She was sure they couldn’t hear her, but Rukia called out to them anyway.

“Ichika! Don’t break anything!”

Her daughter slowly faded into a speck in the distance. A short sigh escaped through her nose followed by a chuckle. Her husband did the same, save for his almost proud smile.

“Well, I guess we should find them before they find the cake.” Yoruichi chimed in.

She had that right. The last thing those two walking cataclysms needed was sugar. The shinigami weaved their way through the winding corridors; Renji marvelling at the unexpected complexity of the manor. Even Rukia was a touch surprised, far too accustomed to the layout of her own home. Unlike Ichika, Rukia didn’t have the child-like enthusiasm to explore. It was exsquisite, lavish in every sense of the word compared to the bland tastes of the Kuchiki household. Formality may not have been in Yoruichi’s vocabulary but luxury definitely was.

Well, nothing is broken so far, Rukia thought to herself.

A minute or so later, faint laughter could be heard from the dining they’d been searching for. With a gentle slide of the door, the shinigami saw their children playing a rousing game of tag around the dining table, loud as always. Though what they didn’t expect to see or who rather, was Isane joining in on the fun.

“Hey you guys! Long time no see.”

“Isane?!’ Rukia smiled.

“Captain Kotetsu? What are you doing here?” Renji said, equally perplexed.

The captain of the fourth division casually walked over to her friends, a captured Katsumi trapped under her arm. As Katsumi tried to wriggle free, Ichika pulled on her arms in an attempt to free her. But they sorely underestimated the might of a captain.

“Auntie! Lemme gooo!” the girl protested happily.

Ignoring Katsumi's cries for release, Isane answered Renji’s lingering question, “Why wouldn’t I be here? This one here would never forgive me if I missed out on her birthday.”

A lump had begun to take shape in Rukia’s throat. Her violet eyes gazed into her former nursemaid’s, a silent plea for her to maintain her secret. Please Isane, her mind repeated over and over. Luckily, her pleas would reluctantly not go unanswered. Isane put down her adoptive niece, giving her a loving kiss on the forehead. Renji stood like a stump, confused by the relationship between Isane and this seemingly random kid.

“Yoruichi asked me for help when Katsumi was little. Who was I to say no to an innocent child.” the captain explained.

“Is that right?” said Renji, arms crossed with vague suspicion.

“Mhmmm. Katsumi was quite sickly when I found her...” Yoruichi piped up, vouching for Isane’s lie, “She probably wouldn’t have made it if Isane hadn’t helped me.”

“I see…”

Silence enveloped the Shinigami, save for the girls in the background. A familiar solemn look adorned the lieutenant’s face, a look the captains were fishing for. Meanwhile, Rukia couldn’t say a word as her confidants lied on her behalf. Every syllable created a deeper pit in her stomach, worsened by the fact Katsumi was mere feet away. She tried her hardest to remain composed, but the mask threatened to slip at every turn.

Before the mood could devolve any further, the refreshing scent of food filled the air. In a moment’s notice, a slew of attendants filled the room, carrying platters of anything you could possibly ask for. Meat cutlets, Ramen, Curry, and so much more; arguably too much for the small party to handle.

A single member of Yoruichi cooking staff approached her, “Everything you requested, my Lady.”

“Yoruichi! You didn’t need to serve this much…” Rukia chided.

“Nonsense!” Yoruichi rejoiced, “Now let’s dig in”

Rukia rolled her eyes at her old friend as everyone blessed the meal before them

“Thank you for the food!” they all said in unison.

Plate by plate, the group slowly chipped away at the banquet that laid before them. Unfortunately with the girls present, alcohol was strictly prohibited by the Lady of the House. Much to Renji’s annoyance. But he wouldn’t let it put a damper on the meal. After all, everything tasted divine. The birthday girl barely gave herself time to breathe, she was stuffing her face so quickly.

Though it didn’t take long for things to slow back down. While they recovered from a phenomenal meal, now seemed as good a time as any to give Katsumi her gifts. Ichika excitedly gave Katsumi the large box, taking no time at all to tear through the wrapping paper.

Katsumi gasped in delight, “A CHAPPIE?!”

“Special edition too.” Rukia added, warmed by her daughter’s shared love of the rabbit.

Katsumi leaped into Rukia’s embrace, brimming with glee “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“You’re very welcome, Katsumi…”

Ichika joined in, hugging her half sister and mother as tightly as her little frame would allow. Renji sat by, basking in the joy of his family while Yoruichi and Isane disappeared into the kitchen. And when they returned, dazzling light drew the birthday girl’s attention. In her hands, Isane held a cake decorated in sparklers courtesy of Kukaku, while Yoruichi held something behind her back. Katsumi’s gaze remained fixed on the cake, her cake; her mouth agape like a flytrap. As Isane placed it on the table in front of her, Yoruichi stroked a hand through the girl’s hair, saying a sentiment everyone repeated.

“Happy birthday, Katsumi.”

With a blow of the candles, the group cheered on the little soul, making her smile more brightly than she ever had before.

“Did you make a wish, Sweetheart?” Yoruichi asked tentatively.

“Uh huh!” Katsumi proudly declared.

A poke in her ribs led her Katsumi’s eyes to Ichika, “Well, what is it?”

“I wanna be a Shinigami!”

A twinge of horror shuddered down Rukia’s spine. A Shinigami? She was far too young to even flirt with the idea. Beads of sweat formulated on her brow as she looked in Yoruichi’s direction. It seemed the Captain of squad 4 shared her concern but the Commander of the Onmitsukido had other ideas.

“Well then… If that’s what you want, then you’re probably going to need this.” Yoruichi said, pulling out Katsumi’s zanpakuto from behind her, “I think you’re tall enough to hold it now.”

She placed the sheathed blade in the girl’s hands while Renji and Ichika marvelled at its size. The weapon tipped as Katsumi tried to find her balance with it, the weight still unfamiliar. Eventually, she managed to hold it still, smiling at her first steps towards her wish. Rukia, however, did not share in her delight; all too eager to voice her objections. Both of her children sat quietly while she raised her voice.

“She’s too young. They’ll never let her enroll at Shin’o.” Rukia argued, upset Yoruichi would entertain the idea while she was still a child.

“No matter, she can apprentice under me.”

“Yoruichi…”

“I could teach her some basic kido” Isane half-heartedly spoke up.

Rukia was less than entertained. She may have forfeited her right as Katsumi’s mother, but that wouldn’t stop her from protecting her. How could Yoruichi be so blase about this? Katsumi is a child. She shouldn’t be so eager to thrust herself into a life of dangerous combat. Curses, of all the things she could’ve inherited, it just had to be Ichigo’s recklessness.

“Well, it does matter too much right now.” Yoruichi spoke again, “given that she has yet to learn her zanpakuto’s name.

“True. But if that thing’s size is anything to go by, then I look forward to the day she’s ready.” Renji suddenly remarked.

Rukia’s gaze snapped towards her husband, but he only replied with a shrug. A defeated shake of the head ended Rukia’s outburst. What Yoruichi said barely set her at ease. Sole reason being, if she’s Ichigo’s daughter, then it won’t be long until she learns her zanpakuto’s name. And that idea gave her chills.

Quick as the day started, it was now coming to a close. Evening just on the horizon, Rukia and Renji decided it was about time to bring Ichika home. As much as Ichika might’ve complained, her wails weren’t as convincing as she began to drift off in Renji’s arms. After a lovely party, the abarai family said their proper goodbyes, promising to return sometime soon. One last hug from a teary eyed Katsumi and they were on their way home. It was bittersweet, but Rukia felt blessed she was able to share this day with her.

Yoruichi and Katsumi waited by the gate as was customary until their guests were no longer in sight. Isane had returned to her own barracks some time before; an urgent matter according to Kiyone. With a big yawn, Yoruichi felt it was long overdue for Katsumi to be in bed.

“Such a big girl, putting on a brave face. C’mon, let’s go inside.” Yoruichi coaxed, offering a hand.

The exhausted child took her mother’s hand, barely awake enough to make her way back inside. Every hallway looked the same as Yoruichi guided her through. If only for a moment, she found the strength to ask a question that had lingered on her mind.

“Mama? When will I learn my sword’s name?”

The sudden question took Yoruichi by surprise, but was able to answer, “One day Katsumi. Once you start your training, it will tell you.”

“How?”

“Your Zanpakuto is a part of you, an extension of your soul. When you’re ready, it will tell you its name. Now no more questions, it’s time for bed.”

Yoruichi could hear her daughter’s disappointed pout, but fortunately she was too tired to argue any further. The pair continued through the manor until they at last came to Katsumi’s room. The massive bedroom fit for a princess matched the luxurious tone of the rest of the manor. With a spot of help, Katsumi lazily changed into a nightgown leaving her Shihakusho in a pile on the floor. Yoruichi chuckled as Katsumi shambled towards her bed, flopping on the mattress like a fish out of water. The captain made sure to tuck her beneath the velvety duvet and with a kiss on the forehead, Yoruichi made her exit.

“Goodnight, Sweetheart.” She said quietly though she was only met with her daughter’s delicate snoring.

Katsumi drifted off in a sea of blankets while Yoruichi shut the door behind her. Shrouded in bliss, she faded slowly into a dream or what seemed like a dream?

She heard a voice call out her name and awoke in a place she didn’t recognize. Where am I, she pondered to herself. Katsumi arose on a slope of green grass; her eyes shot forward to a place she’d never been. A riverbank? That bridge… this wasn’t the Seireitei… but if so, where was this place. Katsumi’s gaze continued to dart around, trying to make sense of what was going on.

“Mom?! Auntie Rukia?! Anybody?!” She called out to no avail.

But the strangest part was.. Even though she was alone, Kastumi didn’t feel scared. She was remarkably calm despite having every reason not to be. Suddenly, she saw a woman by the river. Where did she come from? She definitely wasn’t there before. Katsumi slowly and carefully approached, the woman turning to look at her. Whoever she was, she was beautiful… a warm smile accompanied by long wavy, brown hair flowing over her shoulder. She was dressed up in a silver kimono with a golden obi. Another thing felt strange about her, somehow familiar? Yet Katsumi had never seen her before. Before Katsumi could even say a word, the mysterious woman spoke first.

“I’ve watched and waited a long time for you to arrive here.” the woman said.

“Who are you?” Katsumi asked, finding her voice.

The woman then proceeded to pick something off the ground, a thing Katsumi hadn’t noticed before. A long object she recognized as a sword. Eyes wide, she stared at the woman. With a smile, the woman spoke once more.

“I am your Zanpakuto.”

#Bleach #Ichiruki #pro ichiruki #rukia x ichigo #ichigo x rukia #oc #rukia kuchiki #yoruichi shihouin #renji abarai #ichika abarai #katsumi kurosaki #Isane Kotetsu #Penumbra

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its-flicked-switch · 5 years

Text

All The Things She Said

5k | MSR | Post-MS4

Mulder takes Scully home following their conversation on the dock.

—

"Words are like eggs dropped from great heights; you can no more call them back than ignore the mess they leave when they fall."

― Jodi Picoult, Salem Falls

—

MULDER

She stirs when the car hits the rough gravel drive. He can sense her initial unease and subsequent relief as she shakes off the reminisce of sleep and orients herself. Normally, he would tease her about drooling on the upholstery or complain about his inability to hear the NPR due to her obnoxiously loud snoring, but tonight he says nothing as he eases the mustang up to their front porch. Shutting off the ignition, he reaches for her hand, bringing it to the center console and giving it a light squeeze — a silent request for her to stay put until he comes around to open her door. It's not something that he normally insists on doing, nor is it something that she would regularly allow, but tonight calls for chivalry. Tonight, he knows that she will not object.

Scully has always been fiercely independent. In the early stages of their relationship, she resisted being waited on, fussed over, or coddled, often doing so with a single, pointed glance that required little to no interpretation. All these years later, her eyes still hold the same fire and intensity they did when they first met, but tonight, as he opens her door and takes her hand, all he sees is resignation. She's exhausted. They both are.

No words are exchanged as they make their way into the house. They move in a silent rhythm that comes from years of intimacy: every look, touch, and gesture relaying meaning and underlying conversation. Words come secondary because, after all this time, they are often unnecessary.

They pause briefly in the entryway to unload their pockets, ridding themselves of their phones, keys, credentials, and weapons. Slowing his movement, Mulder angles himself to watch Scully as he places his keys next to hers. Her tailored coat is still damp from the rain, making it difficult to remove, but her efforts cease, and her body relaxes when his hands come to rest on her shoulders. He says nothing as he removes it, but he can't help but be troubled by her silence. The last time he can remember her being this quiet was when they were on the run… a time when she had given up everything to be with him, including their son.

As he turns to hang her coat on the wall, he checks the thermostat and bumps the temperature up a few degrees.

He turns to find her standing in a daze in the middle of the living room with her arms crossed over her chest as if she doesn't know where to go or what to do. As he moves to stand directly behind her, he sees a shiver move through her body. Even after two hours in the car with heated seats and all the vents angled in her direction, her clothes still aren't completely dry. While he's not shocked that she stood out in the rain to observe the diving teams, he is surprised that she remained out there as long as she did in her current condition without an umbrella.

After 25 years, one would think that he would have a handle on all things involving and encompassing that which makes Scully, Scully — but he doesn't. She's always been a puzzle. While at times it's aggravating beyond measure, her ability to still surprise him is one of many things that draws him to her.

Looking at her now, Mulder is torn. He wants to talk to her and comfort her, but he's also not sure how. If there is anything that his relationship with her has taught him, it's patience. Scully is a lot like a turtle; she's cautious and moves at her own pace. Any attempt to draw her out before she's ready often results in her closing shop or snapping, which is why even with all of the questions burning in his mind, he has remained silent.

Placing his hands lightly on her shoulders, he angles his head to speak softly in her ear.

"You need to get out of these damp clothes, Scully," he whispers. "Go jump in the shower. I'll make you some soup."

She turns to face him, dropping her hands to her side.

"I'm not hungry Mulder; there's no need to —"

But he doesn't let her finish.

"It's not just for you."

The bomb she dropped on him earlier is far from forgotten. While he's respecting her silence and her need to process everything that has happened, he can't allow her to go to bed without eating. Not now.

He can tell by the look on her face that she wants to protest. Normally what she says goes, but not tonight. She searches his face for a moment, processing his gaze and expression before averting her eyes to stare down at their joined hands.

"Mulder, I…"

Squeezing her hands lightly, he silently interrupts her, directing her eyes back up to his. As soon as she raises her head, his lips catch hers, lingering only for a moment before raising them to the tip of her nose, and then her forehead. His fingers weave themselves into her hair and caress her lower back as he pulls her body tightly against his own.

"We don't have to talk about this now, Scully," he whispers into her hair. "Not if you aren't ready."

Surrendering into his embrace, she burrows her head into his chest and breathes deeply.

Despite the day they've had, he can still smell the remnants of the hair products she uses. Taking in her scent as he kisses the top of her head, Mulder is desperate to comfort her. He wants to promise her that it's going to be okay… that he will never again abandon her and that this time will be different. But Mulder says nothing. Instead, he remains silent. Not because he fears commitment but because he knows he's powerless to make such promises. History has taught him that much.

He can feel the current of emotion running through her as his hands roam the expanse of her back. After speaking briefly to Skinner and learning of her pregnancy, her words on the dock and behavior over the course of the past several weeks makes more sense. Her words and actions were provoked… guided by a madman, pregnancy hormones, and fear.

Giving her a gentle squeeze, he releases her and turns her towards the base of the stairs.

"Go shower. Your soup will be ready when you get out."

She's halfway up when she stops.

"Mulder?"

"Yes?"

"I want chicken noodle."

"Chicken noodle, it is then."

He waits until she disappears at the top of the stairs before retreating into the kitchen. As he gathers the ingredients for the soup, he can hear her moving around in their bedroom and the sound of the water running in the master bathroom. While he desperately yearns for answers that only she can provide, he is also grateful to have some time to himself. Odds are, she is too.

He and Scully have always known that there was more to William's conception, but knowing something and having it slap you in the face are two entirely different things. Having now seen what William is capable of, the gravity of what has been done to them and to their son hits him with full force.

In the years following William's adoption, all they could do was hope that the magnetite injection had been successful in silencing the alien sequences of William's DNA, rendering him useless to the evil forces who had invested interests in him. Now, Mulder wonders if the opposite were true. Had the magnetite somehow enhanced William's abilities, eliminating all the weaknesses observed in the alien-human hybrids that preceded him? Had Jeffrey Spender actually made William more powerful? And if so, had it been intentional or incidental?

Mulder's faith in anyone carrying the name Spender borders on nonexistent, but after what he witnessed tonight, he's inclined to believe that his half brother's attempt to save his nephew was genuine, even if it was for all the wrong reasons.

When Mulder appeared behind the Smoking Man after he shot William, the confusion and shock that crossed his features was genuine, giving rise to something Mulder had not previously considered.

Having spent his entire career being lied to, manipulated, and mislead, Mulder had always assumed that the devil holding the candle knew the end game, but perhaps that was the greatest misdirection of all. What transpired on the docks has made one thing abundantly clear to Mulder.

They don't know.

The forces responsible for William's bioengineered DNA have no idea what they have created.

And suddenly, a great deal of what he and Scully have experienced over the course of the past two decades makes sense to him… even William's birth. The super soldiers who gathered to witness his birth left disinterested and disappointed. While he's not sure what they were told or what they were expecting, it's now more clear to him than ever that William has never been what was expected. How much Jeffery and the Smoking Man knew and from who is still unclear, but the more Mulder thinks about it, the more he suspects that even those behind the curtain are at a loss to explain William.

William is powerful. Far more powerful and gifted than his creators anticipated him to be.

He's a train off the tracks, and they don't possess the manpower or the technology to stop him.

With this in mind, Mulder has little doubt that Scully is right. William is alive. After what he witnessed in that hotel room, he doubts very seriously that a single bullet would be capable of killing him, and that is assuming that the bullet even struck him, to begin with. As for the Smoking Man, he should hope to be dead. If he's not, he will be soon enough.

Now that he's had some time to ponder William's actions and replay their conversation, Mulder is left with far more questions than answers. William clearly didn't need his protection and knew Mulder was being followed, so why didn't he just run or hide in plain sight as he had done previously? Was he simply curious to meet his father? Or was there something more sinister at play?

In the short time they had together, William had only asked Mulder one question, and Mulder got the distinct impression that he already knew the answer. Mulder and Scully possess the same amount of alien DNA. The markers they each possess have slightly different variations, but the percentages are the same, leading him to believe that William's ability to communicate with Scully and not him has more to do with the chip implanted into the base of Scully's skull than it does their shared alien DNA. The only way to be certain would be to remove the chip, and that's not an option. With this in mind, he's not sure why William asked him about the visions. Was he trying to tell him something? Take a stab at his paternity? Or was it some sort of test to determine how much or how little he knew? If this were any other case or any other person, Mulder would be inclined to dismiss it, but he can't suppress the nagging feeling that William had asked him that question for a reason.

Mulder's interaction with William had also awakened something inside of him that he hadn't anticipated.

Fear.

Rather than avoiding his pursuers, William had opted to kill them in a violent display of power that was not of this world. Mulder has seen and experienced a lot of weird and terrifying things over the years, but nothing, not even his abduction, death, and subsequent resurrection could compare to what he witnessed in that hotel room.

He was in awe, yet he was terrified.

How could something he and Scully created all those years ago grow to be something so viciously violent?

The conclusion he has come to is one of purpose.

Extinguishing the threat in the manner that he did was a message, not only to Mulder but to all the others who pursue him. It was a warning laced with a promise. William is not to be captured, controlled, or contained.

Monica Reyes had called to warn them.

Whoever controls your son controls the future.

Twenty-four hours ago, that warning had sent him on a mission to find his son and to be his protector. What a joke that had been.

To those still pursuing William now, all Mulder can say is — good fucking luck.

Sounds associated with a stovetop disaster snap him back into action. He's been so deeply lost in thought that he's nearly let the soup boil over. When he turns off the burner and shifts the pot over to the other side of the stove, the room quiets, drawing attention to the fact that the water upstairs is no longer running. Cursing under his breath, he wonders how long Scully has been out of the shower. Not hearing her hair dryer or any movement coming from upstairs, he begins to wonder if she has already crawled into bed when a chair is pulled out from underneath the table behind him.

Her sudden appearance startles him enough that he lets go of the soup ladle, letting it drop into the depths of the soup as he turns to face her.

A look of apology crosses her face as she sits. The past twenty-four hours have left them both a little on edge.

"The plan was to bring this up to you so that you didn't have to come back down," he says, eyeing her curiously.

She nods her head from side to side, dismissing the sentiment as she begins to unload the tray he had been preparing to take upstairs.

"You need to eat too."

Mulder isn't hungry, but he knows he can't tell her that, so instead of arguing with her, he grabs another bowl, fills it, and places it on the table across from hers and joins her.

He can tell that she recognizes her mother's recipe by the small smile that plays on her lips as she picks up her spoon and stirs. She doesn't vocalize it, but he can tell that she is touched by his gesture.

Taking in her appearance, he's surprised to see that her hair is still damp. She normally dries it immediately after she gets out of the shower, but tonight it possesses the wildness of quick towel dry. Her silk pajama bottoms and fuzzy socks explain her stealthy entry.

He's briefly curious as to where she found the socks because he's never seen them before. The long-sleeved Oxford tee she is wearing, however, is familiar — because it's his.

"I owe you an apology, Mulder," she says quietly, breaking their silence.

"For?"

"I shouldn't have said the things I said earlier. Not without explanation," she says, her eyes retreating into the depths of her soup. "William is our son… a DNA test confirmed that 18 years ago, but it also confirmed that it was more complicated than that."

"Is it?"

His question earns him a look, but she takes his point, quieting as she stares back down into her soup. He would say more if he didn't sense she was working up to something… something that he suspects has been weighing on her for some time now.

"He's…"

She doesn't finish her statement because she doesn't have to. William was never truly theirs, at least not in the way they wanted him to be.

"To think that I abandoned him all those years ago… dumping him off on an unsuspecting family, who couldn't have possibly had any idea of what they were signing up for… I can imagine how they must have felt the first time they saw him move an object across the room with his mind because I certainly remember how I felt." She pauses again, this time making eye contact. "And that was with the added benefit of knowing where it came from."

The hand not stirring is now resting on her forehead, her fingers entangling themselves into her damp hair as she continues.

"The magnetite injection Jeffrey gave him worked, at least initially. He stopped moving his mobile, and Jeffrey assured me that results were permanent. For years, I convinced myself that giving him up was my only option, but we both know that isn't true. I could have run. The gunmen created false identities for all of us, not just you, but instead of running, I signed our rights away. I abandoned him."

At this point, Mulder interjects because she knows better, and they've had this discussion before.

"Scully, you did the only thing you could to protect him. Running wouldn't have been the right choice for him, and you know that… you, of all people, know what life on the run entails, and it's no life for a child. The knowledge that he was with you would have always given them a starting point. Putting him up for adoption gave him anonymity. You didn't abandon him, Scully… you saved him."

He can tell she is on the verge of interrupting him, so he raises his hand to silence her because he's not done. He's not even close to being done.

"No. We don't know what it was like for him or his adoptive family to go through that process blindly, but I think it's safe to say that choice you made bought him time that he otherwise wouldn't have had. When he was born, they didn't take him from us because he wasn't what they were expecting, but that doesn't mean that they weren't watching."

The cameras in their apartments had only been the tip of the iceberg. The syndicate and their associates had been tapping their phones and tracking their vehicles for years, using the intel they gathered to manipulate them further. Instead of shutting them down, the syndicate had used them to their advantage. Mulder knows that Scully knows this just as well as he does, but he continues to press in order to make his point.

"Once they learned of his abilities, they would have taken him from us, and we wouldn't have been able to stop them. But now… Scully… what he was able to do… adoption was the greatest gift you could have given him. It gave him the time in the dark he needed in order to be able to protect himself. The monsters who helped to create him can't touch him now. The power he possesses is beyond their reach."

"Mulder we helped to create him. You and me. We knew… we knew of his abilities… his alien DNA. Doesn't that make us just as culpable as they are?"

"Scully, what happened to you outside of your consent…"

"He didn't force me to get into the car Mulder! I packed a bag. Hell, I drove the car! We may never know exactly what he did or how he did it but —"

"You agreed to accepting the cure for cancer, not to being impregnated with science."

She looks surprised by his choice of words, so Mulder elaborates.

"Skinner told me what Spender said."

While this gives her pause, she still doesn't let it go.

"It doesn't change anything. The point is still the same, Mulder. We knew —"

"Did we really? You and I both have alien DNA, and neither of us can change what the mind perceives."

"Mulder…"

"No. Listen to me. We knew that he possessed alien DNA and that he could move his mobile, but we couldn't have possibly foreseen this. They certainly didn't."

"Mulder, what are you… ?"

"When the Smoking Man shot William, he had no idea he was shooting William. He thought he was shooting me. Don't you see? They don't know, Scully. They have no idea what he is and what he is capable of… so how in the world can you blame yourself for not seeing it? What happened to his adoptive family isn't your fault. There is no way you could have known."

He knows that the guilt Scully carries isn't just about William. She feels responsible for the Van De Kamps' death. Raising and protecting their son had cost them their lives.

Tears are forming in her eyes, but he presses on because he has a point to make, and she needs to let this go.

"What else could you have possibly done? Abort him?"

Her head jerks up. The fire in her eyes a warning that he's hit a nerve.

"No. I would have never —"

"Exactly. The only thing you are guilty of is wanting him and loving him. None of this is your fault. Not a damn bit of it."

A single tear threads down her cheek as she releases her grip on the spoon she's been holding, letting it settle down into the bottom of the bowl.

"Do you think he knows?"

She says it so quietly that he almost doesn't hear her.

"Do you think he has any idea how much we wanted him? Prayed for him?"

"I think… I think it's safe to say that he knows that the circumstances of his adoption weren't typical."

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, she snorts.

"He's bright, Scully. How could he not be? He's an uber-Scully."

And that does it: she smiles.

Her smile calms him. Looking deeply into her eyes, he does everything in his power to portray the calmness and security that he knows she needs. There are a lot of difficult conversations that lie ahead, but they don't all have to come tonight.

Taking his cue, she retorts back.

"Oh, I don't know, Mulder. I think we can both agree that he's a little bit spooky."

"Just a little?"

Her soft laugh fills the kitchen.

There's a pause. It's not awkward, but it is pointed, a sign that she's about to shift the conversation.

"Speaking of spooky uber-Scullies…"

As relieved as Mulder is that she's bringing up the baby, he's not really sure where to start or what to say. Dozens of questions and comments immediately come to mind, but, ultimately, he decides to start with the basics.

"How long have you known?"

Her hesitation confirms what he already suspected. She's known ever since he found her sobbing in the shower last week.

"A little over a week," she says as she takes a weighted breath. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner… that I've kept this from you. I wanted to tell you so badly, but —"

"Were you afraid that I wouldn't want it?" he asks, unable to hide the emotion creeping into his voice.

"No… no… I knew you would never… Mulder, I'm 54 years old. We've never… why now? After all that we've been through and everything we've tried? Why now? I just… I had to be sure. I already took one child away from you. I couldn't do that to you again. I had to make absolutely sure."

"So you would have —"

"NO. I'm not saying that… I just… Crystal had a close friend of hers run some tests … off the books. And then I ran them again myself. I wanted answers. I wanted to understand. If this was something other than a miracle, I had to know. I couldn't give you hope only to take it away."

Reaching his hand across the table, he places it on top of hers, encouraging her to hold his gaze.

"No matter what you've found, I want it, and I want to know everything. No more secrets. Not anymore."

Scully's eyes start to water, and her voice cracks as she struggles to control her emotions.

"The last time we went through this, I never got to tell you. By the time I figured it out, you were gone, and when you came back, I was already so far along that I didn't have to tell you."

Her tears are falling freely now, and he can't stand it. Within seconds he has her in his arms, cradling her as she sobs.

"I'm scared, Mulder. I'm so scared."

She doesn't have to say what she is scared of because her fears match his own.

"What if —"

But he interrupts her because he doesn't want her to go there. He doesn't want her thinking about the long list of medical complications, chip activation, or alien DNA.

"Scully, you can't go there. You'll drive yourself crazy if you do. And unless there is something else you haven't told me, neither of us have taken any field trips with members of the underworld lately, which can only mean…"

She snorts, lightly smacking at his chest.

"I just don't understand it, Mulder. Why now? After all of this time… we never exactly —"

"I know."

They had never used any form of birth control. Not even after William. Each of them secretly hoping for a second miracle, never dreaming in a million years that it would come nearly two decades later.

Although Scully's tears have subsided, neither of them moves.

Mulder hates to break the moment, but he also doesn't want her to overthink anything. It's late, and she really needs to eat something. Neither of them has eaten in over 12 hours. Dissecting the mystery of miracle baby number two can wait until tomorrow. Right now, his primary concern is feeding her and putting her to bed.

"You're letting your soup get cold."

The feel of her mouth curling up into a smile against his shirt warms him more than a hot bowl of soup ever could.

"Oh, and yours is staying warm," she asks, pulling away just enough to look up into his face.

"My soup — is special," he tells her.

To this, she smiles and shakes her head, her expression turning more serious as she stills.

Gazing up into his eyes, she whispers, "I love you."

The intensity of her gaze puts butterflies in his stomach and makes his hands shake. The fact that she can still do this to him twenty-five years later never fails to amaze him.

He knows that she loves him. He can see it in her eyes every time she looks at him, but hearing her say it has always stirred something deep inside of him. Something that he doesn't have the words to describe.

Unable to respond with words, he lowers his head to hers, capturing her lips and running his hands through her hair and along her side. Halting his hand to stop just under the swell of her breast, he kisses her with everything he has, and she kisses him back without hesitation, pulling his body more tightly against her own as she encourages him to deepen the kiss.

With all of the storms that lie between them, this aspect of their relationship has never been a source of contention.

As much as Mulder would love for this to continue and progress into something far more intimate, he knows that now is not the appropriate time. Breaking the kiss, he places smaller kisses along the sides of her face and forehead before gazing into her eyes.

"Let's eat," he tells her softly.

Nodding, she runs her hands down his chest and raises up onto the tips of her toes to place a soft kiss on his lips before returning to the table.

After they finish eating, he encourages her to head upstairs while he cleans up the kitchen and turns off the lights.

When he enters their bedroom, he finds her in the bathroom, drying her hair. Taking a moment to appreciate her, he stands and watches her until their eyes meet in the mirror. Moving to stand behind her, he rests his hands on her hips and kisses the top of her head before turning and stripping to get in the shower.

Of all of the things currently unknown, there is one truth that he does know with absolute certainty. She is his everything, and he's going to spend the rest of his life making sure that she never regrets coming home.

When he gets out of the shower, the lights in their bedroom are off. Although it's dark, he can still make out the silhouette of her small frame curled up in the center of their queen-sized bed and wastes no time joining her. As he pulls back the covers, she relaxes and shifts her weight to encourage him to pull her into his embrace. Burrowing his nose in her hair, Mulder says the words that were caught in his throat earlier.

"I love you too, Scully. More than anything."

"I know," she replies, her voice thick with emotion.

Bring his hand up to her lips, she kisses his fingers lightly, before moving them down to splay over her stomach, resting them protectively over the life currently growing inside of her — a life they had created together.

AN: This story is a chapter from a larger work that is currently in progress. For those of you who are interested in delving further into the conspiracy, want an actual conclusion to the William arc, and are curious about the ins and outs of being pregnant at 54, the full work can be found here.

And, as always, a HUGE thank you to my betas @kikocrystalball, @admiralty-xfd, and @suilven19 for their edits and encouragement... because nobody gets there alone ;)

#x files fanfic #the x files #msr fanfic #msr #mulder and scully #x files season 11 #x files season 12 #x files my struggle

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haildoodles-writing · 4 years

Text

Of Childish Hopes

A Loki series oneshot

Summary: After Loki was captured by the Time Variance Authority, he thought he was immune to surprises. What he didn’t know, though, is that the TVA had one last card up their sleeve.

Pairing: Loki x OFC

WC: 5527

Warnings: violence, angst

A/N: hey folks! I haven’t published a MCU/Loki fic (not to mention a character x OC fic) before, so I’m honestly not sure how this will go over with the tumblr community. But I had fun writing this—and Nova is an original character that is very dear to my heart—so I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

The first time she visited him, Loki Laufeyson was confused.

The Time Variance Authority had managed to capture him a few weeks prior, locking him up in a dismal cell with too many security measures that he deemed unnecessary. Since then, it's been a daily routine: wake up, eat, change, and then be chained to a metal table and interrogated for the rest of the day. There, they only talked about the Tesseract and his faults in "creating too many timelines," and not much else.

It was mundane. Irritating, even.

That is, until the woman walked in.

The TVA had been quite brainless to give him the same few interrogators that they rotated through daily. All male, all spineless, and all too easy to intimidate. So when a woman walked through the doors to the interrogation room--if he was honest with himself, he was caught a bit by surprise.

Through the blinding light of the lamp overhead, he was able to tell that she was quite fair--well, she would have been, had she not have been adorned with purple beneath her eyes and a miserable expression upon her face. Frankly, she looked as if she had gotten run over by a Frost Beast, straight from the Jotunheim caves.

But still . . .

She looked familiar. Surely, he'd met her before.

He didn't know from where, though. Or when, for that matter.

"Hello, Loki." Her voice was soft, but her words were forced, as if she didn't want to speak to them at all. Loki really didn't know what to say to that--he wasn't fond of greetings, anyways. He resorted to biting instead.

"If you're here to seduce me into giving information, I guarantee you that your men have already tried--"

The woman, having pulled a metal chair up to the table, huffed a laugh. "Why am I not surprised you would say that," she said, more to herself than anything.

Loki waited, raising an eyebrow as she steeled herself. Then she leaned forward slightly, bracing her hands against the table, letting the light flash against something very familiar adorning her finger--

With the free hand not currently chained to the table, Loki lunged forward and snatched her by the wrist. Surely enough, it wasn't a trick of the light--it was his mother's ring, fit snugly upon her finger, and not on his own mother's hand--

Loki swallowed back the thickness in his throat.

"Where did you get this," he ground out. He clenched her wrist a little harder, just to get his point across. She winced, but oddly didn't react more.

"Let go, Loki," she breathed. Loki could sense the desperation in her tone, watching as her own hand began to change color.

But no. That was his mother's. Who was this pathetic little mortal to steal such a thing--

"Let go and I'll explain everything," she begged. For the first time, she matched his gaze, and something flashed in them that felt so strangely familiar--

Loki relented.

The woman snatched her hand back, rubbing it as blood rushed back into her fingertips. For a moment, she fiddled with the ring--but then retracted her hand, as soon as she saw Loki's pointed stare.

"Well?" Loki snapped, sweeping his hand out expectantly.

For a moment, he waited as she took a bated breath and closed her eyes--steeling herself, yet again. When she finally opened them, she stared directly into his own.

"My name is Nova," she said. "I'm your wife."

Loki paused. And then he dropped his hand.

That was new.

Back in his princely days, he'd often gotten ragingly drunk and done things he'd later regret. Women--and men--were often part of that equation. But lately, he hadn't touched a sip of mead, and there weren't many people to talk to in his excursions, let alone wed--

"I'm sorry," he said, "Last I checked, I don't recall courting a human."

Nova raised her hand, a playful fire alight in her eyes that he hadn't seen yet. "Let me speak, dear," she said--and then promptly retracted, biting her lip. "Sorry. Pet name."

Something twanged in Loki's chest at that. He chose to ignore it.

"I'm not your wife here, per say," she began, before pausing again and sighing. "Look--I know they've talked to you about what you've done with the Tesseract, and how that cube sliding to you in New York wasn't supposed to happen . . ." Loki nodded, and she continued. "Good. Well, what they didn't tell you about was what was supposed to happen, had you not taken the stone. What really happens to you."

What really happens to you.

Why did she sound so hopeless?

". . . Go on," Loki said.

Nova hesitated, her gaze flickering between his eyes. In her own, all he could see was exhaustion. Despair. Pain.

And then she began, telling him of everything that happened after New York. How his mother died during the Convergence, how he usurped the throne and became king, and how Hela, his sister, destroyed Asgard and the people escaped. How his brother became king, then, and their relationship finally began to mend. And then how, along that path, he found her. How they fell in love, hard, and how he palmed his mother's ring for years until he finally offered her his hand on Asgard's ship--

As she spoke, her face was soft, nostalgic. And then it dropped.

"We never got married, though. We planned to, after Asgard's people were settled."

Silence fell, swallowing up the room as Loki's stomach twisted.

What really happens to you.

"What happened, Nova?" he asked. Softly, quietly, as if approaching a timid fawn.

Shaking, Nova traced her ring. "Thanos," she said.

Loki's blood ran cold, trapped in his own veins.

Thanos. Thanos. Thanos.

"He was on the hunt for the stones, and he attacked the ship. He killed half of the people that were there. And you tried to stop him, to protect me--" She bit her lip, hard enough for it to bleed, and Loki could see how much she was fighting not to tremble.

But all that was running through his head was that name.

Thanos got to him. In another time, another life, sure--but nonetheless, the wretched, sadistic beast found him--

"Why are you here?" he asked, pushing it through his own fear clogging up his thoughts. He forced his face to remain impassive, calm. He felt anything but.

That, evidently, seemed like it was easier for her to answer. "The TVA found me, after everything. They brought me back, to try to convince you to fix the timelines you . . . messed up."

Of course they would.

Of course they would bring in this woman, his alternate self's wife, pulling her out of time and forcing her to clean up his mess--

"No," he said. He had already wreaked too much havoc, anyways. The TVA would likely kill him the moment he straightened it all up. And this woman, Nova . . . Though he didn't want to believe her, it made too much sense. And something deep inside him, slumbering and warm, knew she was telling the truth. And that truth hadn't been kind to her.

"Loki, please--"

"No," he said again, more flippantly this time. "If you are who you say you are, they shouldn't have brought you here nor gotten you involved in any of this. Besides, it's too much effort to slave after a bureaucracy that seems only fit to punish me in the end," he added.

Nova seemed desperate. "Loki, you don't understand--"

From the loudspeakers in the corners of the room, a buzzer sounded. A couple of guards filed into the room, lifting Nova up by her forearms and escorting her out. She protested the entire way.

"Goodbye, Nova," he said. Her name felt . . . pleasant, on his tongue.

He hoped though, for her sake, to never see her again.

* * *

The second time she visited him, it was after hours and in his own cell. She appeared late in the evening, holding two green fruits up to the force field that held him captive.

Even in the dim light, he could see her timid smile. "I brought your favorite," she said.

It was true--he did have an uncanny fondness for pears. The fact that she knew that, though, settled in his stomach wrong.

Wife, he reminded himself.

He swallowed thickly. "You're not allowed to be here, I presume."

She grinned. "Nope." Something in his chest warmed at that. Pride, perhaps.

Slowly he stood, taking measured steps to the force field separating them. "And how, do tell, do you plan on getting inside?" He flicked the blue aura in front of him for good measure, burning the tips of his fingers in the aftermath.

Nova rolled her eyes at that. "You genuinely think you married an imbecile, Loki? Of course I know," she said, chuckling. And sure enough, as she pressed her hand against the force field, it didn't scorch her. Instead, the imprint of her palm flashed green, allowing her access.

"Hacked into the system," she said flippantly, stepping through the barrier with a wink. She tossed him his pear.

Loki hummed as she collapsed atop his bed, throwing his blanket over her thighs and setting the pear by her feet.

Green suits her, he thought, before instantly shoving it out of his mind.

"Why are you here," he demanded instead. He kept himself a few feet away--for her sake, at the very least.

Nova shrugged. "Couldn't sleep," was all she said. It was obvious that that wasn’t the reason, though--so he waited, staring at her until she slowly collapsed in on herself.

She closed her eyes, swallowing thickly. “Can you . . . come here? Please?”

If he heeded the common sense belting its chords within him, he would have remained where he was. He would have demanded she leave, saving herself from the grief that was likely consuming her in front of him. He would have ignored her entirely, detangling himself from her finger and forcing her out of his own mind.

But lately, Loki had been more in tune with his rash persona. Common sense was a title claimed by bland heroism, anyways--and Loki was far from heroic.

So he shoved logic to the wayside and sat by Nova, his pear long forgotten, watching as she seemed to slowly fall apart. But as she crumbled, she seemed to relax, too. As if her broken pieces gave her, uncannily enough, some semblance of comfort.

“Can I be honest with you, Loki?” she asked. Her gaze, though sometimes flickering to his form, remained on the barrier separating them from the outside world.

“Always,” he said. It was surprising how quickly the words came to his mouth.

Slowly, cautiously, Nova plucked one of his hands from his lap and placed it on her own. Her hands encased his, slowly tracing the lines and creases of his palm. She was oddly cool to the touch--something that Loki didn’t take lightly. Usually, humans radiated heat like a blazing furnace. But she was soft, and her touches were light--and strangely comforting, despite his distaste for human contact--so he didn’t mention it.

“I wish I never met you,” she eventually whispered. A stone-like weight fell into his stomach, but she didn’t wait until it landed to speak again. “It is . . . so hard to see you, knowing that you’re not . . .”

“Him?” Loki finished, allowing her to hold onto his hand like a lifeline. Loki was not him: the Loki she was in love with, the Loki she courted. The Loki that, if he assumed correctly, became as soft as Asgardian silks and as pliable as child-made putty. The Loki that, in his own form of heroism, had died.

No, he was not her Loki. And she had every right to despise him for that.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she said after a long pause. And one glance at her told him everything--a soft smile played on her face, betrayed by the loneliness in her eyes. “You’re not mine,” she said. “But you’re so much like him that it makes me sick.”

“Then why are you here?” Loki spouted, much too consumed in the way she held his hand to give much thought to his words. But his comment made her retract, and she leaned back slightly as if he raked his own hand across her face.

“I don’t know,” she eventually said.

Liar, he thought. She was visiting him because either she wanted to pry him open herself in some morbid version of curiosity, or if she simply loathed herself enough to enforce her own punishment. Either way, she wasn’t here to be healed.

Loki stared at her until she gave in. “Because I love you,” she said simply. And it didn’t sound joyous or romantic, the words dripping from her mouth like fresh honey. No, it sounded tired, and sad, and it fell out broken. As if the mere thought of it drove a knife into her chest and twisted it.

In some curious, depressing sort of way, Loki understood.

This woman--this wife of his--was damned, cursed by the gods to meet someone she loved but could not have. She needed healing, and Loki wasn’t the one to give it to her.

But he could dull the pain, if he wished. If only for a moment.

“Sleep,” Loki said.

Nova stared at him, as if not fully convinced of his words, until he spoke again. “You need to rest. Sleep.” And then he stood and stepped aside, lowering himself to the floor adjacent to the bed itself.

Nova didn’t need to be told a third time, kicking off her shoes and collapsing atop his blankets and pillows. In less than a minute, she was asleep.

And as she rested, Loki stared at her ring as it reflected moonlight against the wall, and he laughed.

How cruel it was, for the gods to taunt her with a mirage of her love. And how cruel it was, for them to play with his own childish hopes of domesticity and shape it into a slumbering woman at his side.

But Loki was a walking curse, after all. He should have seen it coming.

* * *

Nova visited him every night for a week.

The TVA still kept him to his interrogation schedule, sometimes including Nova herself to beg him to return the Tesseract. But her pleadings were bland, flat, as if she didn’t want to be asking him about it either, and she didn’t complain about his lack of a response.

At night, though, they didn’t mention the Tesseract.

Instead, they talked about each other--about her upbringing, her Loki, and the stories from his own past that she didn’t know already. And with each tale she told and each memory he shared, she seemed to become lighter. Happier.

Loki didn’t deny that he enjoyed her company, much more than he should.

That night, she had brought him a basket of pears, mixed with some other goodies that he fancied. Anniversary present, she told him. A week of mismatched friendship.

“I’ll never understand your love for these,” she was saying, sprawled amongst his pillows as if she owned the room. “They’re so . . . weird.” Overhead, she tossed her pear around, giggling as Loki consumed his stash at her feet.

“They’re the gift of the gods,” Loki snapped, swiping the fruit from her hands and placing it in his basket. She had long since voiced her distaste for pears, much to Loki’s complete horror.

“You’re so pretentious,” Nova laughed. Sitting up, she patted Loki on the head in playfulness--evidently something that she didn’t think through, as she swiped her hand back faster than she moved it forward. Loki brushed it off, instead running a hand through his locks to fix it.

“I used to joke about you having extensions,” Nova commented, eying the curls that framed his face. “Your hair was always so long and wellkept. Now I’m starting to think it’s true.”

Loki scoffed as she giggled. “You truly think so little of me?” he jested.

Nova stood, still laughing as she spread her legs. “Well, you were obsessed with your appearance, dear. One would think you would rather be caught dead than disheveled.”

Now Loki was intrigued, raising a brow as she rambled on. “You always wore the finest shirts, along with some weird version of leather pants that you claimed were Asgardian; I couldn’t get you in jeans to save my life. And don’t get me started on how you did your hair, especially when it grew past your shoulders--”

Loki was still fighting a chuckle as he snapped his fingers, lengthening out his hair and changing his clothes in the blink of an eye. “Like this?”

She turned around, still grinning from her speech. And then when she saw him, Loki instantly regretted doing anything at all.

Her face dropped and Loki could only stare as she froze in place.

“. . . Yes,” she said softly. “Just like that.”

Loki felt guilt pooling in his gut like spoiled wine. If his tongue didn’t feel like lead, he would have apologized. But then he saw her breathing catch and tears gloss her eyes as she blinked them back, and he walked towards her without a second thought. Words piled behind his lips--but his silver tongue did nothing to sort them out.

When he was close enough, Nova reached out blindly, grasping his arms as her eyes squeezed shut. “It’s not your fault,” she spouted, seemingly more to herself than him. “You didn’t know.”

Still doesn’t excuse it, he thought. Nothing ever really excused his actions.

He let her breathe for a while, clutching his arms like a lifeline and trembling like a newborn fawn. Eventually, though, she calmed, though she didn’t open her eyes.

“Look at me,” Loki said. He still hadn’t dropped the illusion--seeing him would be good for her. It would help her heal, help her begin to let her departed love go.

At least, that was what he told himself.

She swallowed thickly, audibly. “No,” she said.

“Why not?”

Squeezing his biceps briefly, Nova let out a strangled sound. “Because if I open my eyes and look at you, then I am going to kiss you, and I am never going to let you go.”

Loki paused.

Would that be so bad?

In that moment he nearly laughed again, cursing the Norns for bringing him her: his retribution, his downfall. And someone he wanted to keep so, so badly.

So slowly, he dropped his illusion, tilting her chin up and waiting until she looked at him again. She sagged in relief at his appearance.

“This isn’t fair,” she told him. But she stepped forward nonetheless, letting him slip his hand to the crook of her neck. Let him lean towards her, throwing caution to the wind as he rested his forehead against her own.

“No, it’s not.” Because it wasn’t fair, to either of them. It was torturous, and it was cruel, and it made him feel things he would much rather avoid.

But he kissed her regardless.

He brushed his lips against her own until she fell into him, slipping one hand into his hair and clutching the fabric on his chest with her other. He could feel her tears against his own cheeks and the trembling of her frame in his arms--but the only thing he could think of was her hand in his hair, and her lips against his, and how much she tasted, she felt, like home.

He didn’t know what to think of it.

Even when she pulled away, burying her head in the crook of his neck, he couldn’t shake it--the odd, nagging feeling at the bottom of his chest that begged him to keep her.

He couldn’t, though. She needed to go somewhere better, somewhere safer, and he needed to face the damnation that he reaped himself.

But that could happen later, after he finished kissing her and imagining things that weren’t meant to be his.

Later.

* * *

After that night, Nova stopped visiting.

At first, Loki brushed it off, considering how frazzled she had been over the past week’s events. So he allowed a few days of her absence. But then those two days shifted into three, then four, and then another week--and still, not so much as a wave, a glance, a presence. She hadn’t appeared in his interrogations, either.

After the second week, he began to wonder if she was dead.

Though he didn’t like it, it seemed plausible. The TVA were a clan of stone cold brutes, anyways; it was incredibly unlikely that they let her go out of her own volition.

The thought of her--cold, lifeless, at the hands of some twisted bureaucracy--didn’t sit well with him. It didn’t sit with him at all, really--so he pushed it off, forcing the image into the back of his thoughts and burying it under a lock and key.

And there it remained, until he was woken from his slumber three weeks later with an aggressive shove.

“Wake up,” a voice demanded, its source uncomfortably close to his ear. “Get up, Loki.”

It took him much too long to recognize the voice--but once he did, he shot up, and knocked into her in the process.

Nova leaned back on her knees, cradling her head with one hand. “Ow. Give a girl a warning, will ya?”

In his sleep-addled state, Loki managed to chuckle through everything that was plaguing him.

I thought you were dead, he wanted to say.

“Why are you here?” he said instead.

He blinked until her form cleared, revealing her wild curls and her disarrayed clothes--

And a bruise, sprawling across her cheekbone. Her knuckles were bloody, too.

His hearing slowed to a halt, and he didn’t notice she was speaking until he looked at her mouth. “We need to get you ou--”

“What did they do to you?” he cut off, the words leaking from his mouth in a hiss.

At his snap, Nova retracted a bit. Her hand instantly pulled at her sleeve, trying to straighten herself up.

What did they do?

Nova puffed out her cheeks, slowly letting the air seep from her lips. “It doesn’t matter,” she eventually said.

Loki ignored her, reaching forward and tracing the discoloration on her cheek. She didn’t so much as flinch--but still, Loki’s blood was still boiling. Other than chaining him up, the TVA hadn’t laid a finger on Loki since he arrived here. And yet they harmed her, of all people--

“What did they do,” he ground out again.

He didn’t know his hands were clenched until Nova grasped at his fingers, slowly pulling them from his palm. “Don’t worry,” she chided. She tugged at him until he was standing before releasing him and backing up towards the barrier.

“We need to leave,” she said, the barrier’s blue aura lighting her skin as she stepped through. “I found the Tesseract. We need to get you out.”

Loki stopped.

Though he wanted to leave and bury this compound in the dirt, he knew it wouldn’t be that simple. The TVA had cameras on every corner and guards in every hall, and mountains upon mountains of intergalactic weapons at their disposal--

If he had access to his full magic capabilities, he would whisk the both of them out at a moment's notice. But the TVA had found a way to drain him, leaving him as powerless as any other Asgardian. Attempting an escape like that would be too risky--especially for a mortal.

“No,” Loki stated, coming to a halt just a hair’s breadth away from the barrier. The wall thrummed with energy, nearly biting at him.

One wrong move, and you’re dead, Nova.

He wouldn’t have an innocent’s blood on his hands.

Though Loki forced impassiveness onto his face, Nova seemed to read right through it. Her face softened. “I need you to trust me, Loki,” she whispered.

Loki didn’t budge until a quiet laugh bubbled through her.

“I have a distraction, and I found a few employees that hate this place as much as we do. You’ll be fine,” she swore.

Loki paused for a moment, considering.

It wasn’t until he glanced at the ring on her finger that he surrendered. Wife, he reminded himself again.

His other self trusted her. What kept him from doing the same?

“Fine,” Loki muttered eventually, steeling himself as he crossed his arms. “When do we start?”

Nova snickered, pressing her palm flat against the barrier as she pulled a peculiar device from her pocket. “Now,” she said, much too nonchalantly--because with one squeeze of the device, the barrier fell and all the lights turned to a bleeding red. In the corners of his cell, he noticed the cameras grow dark. The sirens began to blare not long after that, and Nova giggled again.

Stepping through where the barrier once was felt freeing--much too freeing than what he would have preferred, given the circumstances, but it didn’t matter. He was already running.

“Past the interrogation room,” Nova called, a few steps behind him as he sprinted down the hall. At that, Loki scoffed--the TVA had always blindfolded Loki as they transferred him from room to cell, but it made little difference; Loki wasn’t a dimwit.

And so they ran, avoiding the shouts of sentries for as long as they could until confrontation was inevitable. They made it a few turns away from the interrogation room when a handful of guards spotted them--surprisingly later than he expected. Loki took no thought to pounce on them before they could draw their weapons, slamming one’s head against the wall and kicking another’s knees out from under him. In a few strokes, three more were down, collapsed in a pile at Loki’s feet.

He didn’t fight the grin that pulled at his lips.

In front of him, Nova pulled a gun from the waistband of a sentinel’s slacks, checking the magazine and cocking it before turning to him. Her eyes went wide.

“Duck!” she yelled, not waiting for him to crouch to the floor to shoot two sprinting guards. Another one rounded the corner behind her--but Loki didn’t need so much as move before she was pivoting on her heel, shooting the third one down.

“Clear,” she called. She picked up another gun by the barrel and handed it to Loki before speeding up into a run again, Loki following close behind.

A few more sentries tried to block them along the way, but it wasn’t more than they could handle--and soon they were running past the interrogation room, the dim overhead light still shining through the window.

Loki shot the glass as he ran by, just for good measure.

In front of him, Nova leaned left--but abruptly stopped, sliding on her heel and slamming herself up against the wall. Loki soon followed, hearing the shouts of a group of soldiers coming their way.

At his side, Nova cursed--but then here eyes lit up with an idea. “Crouch down,” she demanded, ignoring Loki’s scrunched brows. “When they get close enough, I want you to throw me.”

Loki nearly laughed, but did as she said nonetheless. Well, I suppose that’s one way to catch them off guard.

And true to her word, she spun on her heel, jogging down the hallway a bit and sprinting towards him when the guards came close enough. She stepped onto Loki’s intertwined hands and he shoved her foot up, sending her leaping over him--and, subsequently, onto the shoulders of an oncoming sentry. She twisted herself around as she fell, bringing him down by his neck and shooting a few others along the way. She managed to roll out of the way of a few oncoming bullets--but not before Loki slid in, grasping both guards’ guns and squeezing until they snapped in half.

“Evening, gentlemen,” Loki simpered, giving them both a wink before reaching up and knocking their heads together. They collapsed instantly, giving Loki enough time to flip around and down the last guard. Nova stood a few feet away, grinning.

“You obviously didn’t end up changing your fighting commentary,” she teased, dropping her now empty pistol and replacing it with another. Loki scoffed.

They didn’t encounter much after that as they twisted and turned throughout the halls, eventually stumbling upon a stairwell.

Nova yanked open the door. “Down to the basement, and then it’s a straight shot there,” she said, quieting down as her voice began to echo.

Loki stepped through and trotted to the railing, looking down to see over seven floors worth of stairs below. Nova was already sprinting down them--so he soon followed, picking up his pace as a door a few floors above ripped open. Floods of sentinels came through--some sprinting down the staircase in hopes to catch them both, and others lining the railing and shooting. Loki managed to yank Nova to his side as a bullet very nearly sliced through her.

They managed to make it down three more flights before a door below them--the main floor, from what he could gather--burst open with a clang. Even more guards piled through, arms at the ready. They were surrounded.

That is, until Loki lit up with an idea.

He swirled around, backing up until he and Nova were both against the wall, and then, before Nova could protest, he scooped her up, swiveled on his heel, and sprinted for the railing.

Then he was falling, and the soldiers from the main floor became a passing blur as he dropped.

The concrete below him cracked as he landed.

Nova, still clutching at his neck, was breathing heavily as Loki set her down. “Warn me,” she snapped, hands on her knees. Loki shrugged and yanked her through the door as bullets began to rain down the stairwell.

She wasn’t exaggerating when she said it was a straight shot down the hallway, much to Loki’s surprise. At the farthest end of the hall resided two large doors, painted a bright red, cracked open slightly. A bright, familiar blue light shone through. Four sentinels guarded the doorway--that were quickly shot down, collapsing in front of the entryway.

Loki managed to kick the doors open and push Nova through before more sentries flooded the hallway, slamming it closed behind him, twisting the metal handles together, and breaking the hinges.

“Hands up!” Nova yelled, aiming her gun at the few people in the room that still resided--all scientists, presumably, given how much they were poking and prodding at the Tesseract in the center of the room. One in the far corner tried to shoot them with a nearby pistol, but was quickly shot down. The rest seemed far too compliant for Loki’s tastes--but they all dropped their devices and kneeled on the floor, so he didn’t bother questioning it.

Loki was already climbing the steps of the pedestal the cube sat on before Nova lowered her gun. He didn’t fight the grin that broke out on his face--nor did he stifle the dread that simultaneously spread through him.

He loathed the Tesseract--every sin that it made him do, every trauma that it conjured up. But still, it was the one thing that saved him from a lifetime of torture from the hands of a titan.

It was his redemption, but it also was his downfall. How ironic.

So, suppressing both his terror and delight, Loki grasped the cube and opened up a portal. To where, he didn’t know. Just . . . somewhere else was all he needed.

Nova stepped to his side, her gun still at the ready, when he looked to her.

She matched his gaze. “Go already,” she chided. “I have an escape route. Go.”

He didn’t question her and stepped forward, clutching the Tesseract between his fingers as he put one foot through the portal.

He paused. Something in his chest began to twist--something that didn’t sit right with him, though he hated it.

“What are you waiting for?” Nova called, looking over her shoulder long enough to show how confused she was. “Go, Loki!”

And then he was spitting the words out before he could think twice. “Come with me,” he said, retracting his foot from the portal and spinning on his heel.

Because the idea of leaving this woman, this wife of his, in a building full of people who would rather hurt her than help her . . . he wouldn’t do such a thing. He was corrupted, and he was unredeemable, but still. He wouldn’t abandon the love of his life.

Even though it wasn’t his life, exactly.

Nova was staring at him blankly as he held out a hand. “. . . What?”

“Come with me,” he repeated, slowly backing towards the portal, “before I change my mind.” He winked, just for good measure.

And he watched as Nova paused, swiveling her head back and forth between his hand and the people still kneeling on the floor. Distantly, he could hear the door slowly collapse from the banging on the other side, shifting under pressure.

Slowly, she breathed, closing her eyes. Steeling herself, once again.

And when she opened them, she dropped her gun to the floor, and she took his hand.

“Okay.”

* * *

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#my writing #loki #loki series #loki laufeyson #mcu #loki x oc #loki fic #loki ofc #mcu fic #marvel #marvel fic #ff

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