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missmonsters2 · 3 years

Audio

Close to You

Edit: gif by giuliacommissions

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader/OFC

Prompt: I’ll keep you warm. Hold me closer.

Note: As we all know, Wanda Maximoff is the love of my life. A break for softness bc Between the Lines will be angsty and sad for a while 👀

Warnings: this is fucking soft™

Genre: Fluff

Count: 3453

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The world is beautiful.

The sunlight's warmth caresses your cheek, a light wind running its breeze through your hair. The only sound you can hear is the soft music playing and a light snore. The smell of pine wafts through the air as you drive at a steady pace. There's no rush; you are exactly where you want to be.

You hear a slight mumble to your right, and you turn over to see Wanda shifting slightly in her seat but doesn't wake. Her eyes are closed as she curls as much as she can in the passenger seat.

Your lip curves upward gently as you turn your attention back to the road.

You think of the girl beside you.

The world is beautiful.

And it was worth saving.

You constantly have to remind yourself of that fact. Otherwise, you don't think you could get up anymore.

Defeating Thanos had taken everything.

Natasha was gone. Tony was gone. Vision was gone. Steve was not gone, but his hip would probably break if he moved the wrong way, so fighting was out of the question for the old man.

So many people were still gone, and the world never felt so lonely.

You lean your head against your fist towards the window, feeling more of the wind against your face and hair. Taking a deep breath in, you let it out slowly through your nose.

Another noise beside you draws your attention back, and you find Wanda waking slowly. She's a little disgruntled, and the side of her hair has lifted and looped from her sleep.

You bite your tongue, holding in the words that want to come out.

Wanda is absolutely charming.

Still, Wanda turns her head to you a little too quickly, unintentionally catching your thoughts. Her cheeks dust a light rose color as she runs her fingers through her hair to straighten herself out.

"Hey," she rasps, still groggy. Grabbing the water bottle between the two of you, she takes a long gulp, finishing with a light sigh.

"Hey, sleepyhead," you smile. Wanda looks apologetic, but you just chuckle it off.

Wanda looks out the window, breath hitching just ever so slightly at the view. She likes that it feels like the world could go on and on forever in the car with you. The trees look lusher, the air seems crisper, and even the sky seems a little happier--if that makes sense.

"Where are we heading today?" Wanda asks patiently.

Every few days to a week is always new, and Wanda has been on the road with you for a while. She's learned that sometimes you have a place in mind and the other times? You're just driving until you decide you like where you are.

"To Lake Cushman," you tap the steering wheel with your index finger in a slow, steady rhythm. Wanda hums as she rolls down her window too to feel the breeze on her skin.

The rest of the drive is serene. The two of you enjoy the ride, listening to the same song over and over again.

When you get to the lake, you park the car, and Wanda goes to the trunk to help you carry things out. Wanda spends her time at the edge of the lake blowing up the inflatable boat you packed along manually.

You smile.

It wasn't always like this. In fact, Wanda wasn't even someone you were really close with. Of course, you were a team, and you wouldn't hesitate to have her back in a battle. But Wanda used to have her own world with Vision, and that world existed far from you.

It wasn't until the funeral that the two of you really noticed each other.

The funeral left you with a hollow feeling. You stood with Clint and Wanda for a minute more before you turned to leave, muttering about contacting you if something happened.

You were a traveler, always have been. Being an Avenger never changed that.

You hugged Morgan and Pepper before you went to your car to pack things up.

"Can I come with you?"

The sudden words made you turn around.

Wanda stood there, the rim of her eyes red from crying and also trying to hold in the tears. Her legs stood together straight, but she held her hands together in front of her tightly, revealing she was worried about you rejecting her.

You stared at her for a long moment.

"Of course."

The first few weeks to two months of traveling was strange. You're not sure what possessed Wanda to ask you if she could tag along. You're not sure what possessed you to say yes.

Wanda didn't talk much, still grieving just like you. That left the road trips with tons of silence. You weren't really sure of what to think about the company or her specifically. The only time Wanda had ever seemed happy was with Vision, and now he was gone.

But still, you think you could pinpoint a certain day that things seemed to change.

"No powers."

Wanda frowned. "Why not?"

"It's my rules when traveling. If you want to tag along, no powers unless we really need it." You stood firm with your stance.

The two of you were on a hike, particularly a long one with a lot of inclines. Wanda wanted to float her way up--generously offering to take you as well, but you said no.

"You think showing our powers would be dangerous?" Wanda scrunches her brows together with a slight frown on her lips.

"No," you blinked.

"Then, why?" Wanda asks exasperatedly.

You sigh, looking at the girl before you. "Wanda, there are times when efficiency is good. Like when our lives are at stake, or we're in a battle or a mission. Powers are wonderful when we need to save others."

You turn your head to look around the scenery. "But look around here," you tell her, your peripheral vision catching Wanda doing as she's told. "Right now, it's just you and me on a hike. The world isn't falling apart, no fight that needs to be fought, and we have absolutely no rush to be anywhere."

You turn your head back to Wanda's, catching the other girl's vibrant but confused eyes. "For people like us, we generally don't have the luxury to waste time. But if we get the chance the smell the flowers along the way, shouldn't we?"

Wanda stares at you. Blinking once, then twice.

And then a tentative, shy smile blooms.

"I used to hate the sky."

The comment is said so quietly you almost miss it, but it breaks you out of thought.

You move your head further to the side, catching Wanda, who is still staring at the sky. The two of you lie on your backs on opposite edges of the inflatable boat.

"Yeah?" You say as you move your head back to look at the sky along with Wanda. A warm leg moves and presses against yours, and you think about how wonderful it is to be able to share the same sky with Wanda. "Why?"

Wanda is silent, seemingly shocked because no one has ever asked why. So, she presses her lips together, trying to formulate her answer.

"I guess...I hated that the sky always seemed to pass by," Wanda sighs as she closes her eyes. "It was like time was passing by, and I didn't get the chance to notice it. I'd wake up when it was still dark, and by the time I was done the day, it was dark again."

At this point, Wanda can't tell if the warmth against her leg is hers or yours. All she knows is that she wants more of it.

"I guess you don't hate it anymore?" You chuckle a little, knowing you and Wanda spend most days relaxing in the sun.

Wanda opens her eyes, staring at the clear blue sky. The thought of how she's always learning something from you crosses her mind.

For example, if they have the luxury to enjoy the flowers along the journey, they should.

Or oranges can be very flammable.

But Wanda has come to realize things on her own too.

Like how life is made up of moments, and if she decides to be just a little brave, she can get the moments she wants.

"The sky is beautiful during the day," Wanda concedes, but she bites her lip as you hum. Taking a deep breath before swallowing. Her moment of bravery comes in the form of sliding her hand across the small boat, her fingers just meeting the start of yours. "But I no longer mind when it's dark when I wake up and dark when my day ends if I am with you."

You turn your hand over, palm facing up as you curl your fingers to just hook Wanda's fingers.

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You're the first to wake up from your slumber. You don't even remember falling asleep. After having enough of lounging in the boat, you took Wanda on another hike. At the very top, you packed food along with a blanket. You and Wanda sat under the shade, watching the horizon just beyond the valley with soft talks about hopes and dreams.

There's a sadness in Wanda that you don't think will ever go away, but you watch her with slow eyes as she talks about how it would be wonderful to exist in a tiny evergreen lush island.

Wanda has a lovely complexion with rosy cheeks as she looks at her hands, talking about an island that may only exist in her dreams. Her long lashes draw you in, and you wonder if it's terrible of you to notice such things.

You check your watch, noticing you only slept for half an hour, and look over to Wanda, who is curled against you. She sleeps peacefully as there's still plenty of daylight out. You look up, the sun passing through the leaves and branches above you.

Wanda sniffles slightly in her sleep. You turn over to find the girl shiver just once, shuffling closer to you to seek warmth.

As you take your jacket off to drape it over her, you wonder how and when you got pulled under Wanda's spell.

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The day comes to a quiet end after dinner and sitting by the campfire. The wonderful thing about your car is that you can push the back seat down and make a little bed to rest in.

The back is filled with pillows and blankets, and as you have your pillow propped up with your back against it, you can look out the back window of your car and into the skyline outside.

Perhaps it's because the two of you have slept most of the day, but sleep doesn't come as easily at night. You've got your Bluetooth speaker playing music in the background to relax you.

"I can't sleep," Wanda mumbles and sits up. You chuckle as Wanda props her pillow up, too, with a sigh.

She rests her head back, looking through the sunroof, and gazes at the stars.

"Do you want me to turn off the music?" You ask, but Wanda shakes her head, hair falling from her ear as she does.

"No, I probably napped too much today."

"Our sleep schedule is going to get fucked if we keep napping during the day," you snicker. "I guess we should find more things to do during the day than a hike. I was thinking maybe we could start going into town to do things."

"Like what?" Wanda asks.

You shrug. "Go to museums, actually eat at a restaurant, watch movies in a theatre. I don't know. Anything we want to, I guess."

Wanda gnaws on her lips because all those things sound like a date, and her fingers thrum against the floor in anticipation. She looks at you, blinking while you stare back, unsure.

"I'm cold," Wanda states, leaving you in confusion.

"Oh, uh..." You stutter, feeling your body tense. "Do you want more blankets? A sweater?"

Wanda stares at you with a tilt of her head. "No."

You press your lips together, opening the blanket just a little from where you are, and offer your arms to the other girl. Wanda may be using all the courage she has, and you realize now is not the time to be dense.

And it's worth it when Wanda can't help but smile as she scoots closer into your arms as you hold her, pulling the blanket up to her shoulder.

There's a certain tingle on your skin. A pit in your stomach, a warmth that spreads through your chest when Wanda's body presses against yours. The way she lies against across your chest while you cradle her in your arms. The smell of cinnamon and orange blossoms permeate the air you breathe, and even though you're in the middle of nowhere, you feel like you're home.

Wanda sighs in contentment. She likes the way you don't say anything else, and the only words that float through your mind are lyrics from the song playing in the background.

The hours pass like it's nothing, and soon, the sun rises steadily. The sky becomes a palette of colors you've seen a million times. You've seen every color of the sky. But seeing everything again with Wanda is different.

You hold Wanda tighter in your arms, becoming more daring as your fingers trail across her arm covered by her shirt. The scent of her hair flirts with you as your fingers trail up her arm until you trace her bare collarbone. The way Wanda breathes is noticeable, filling her chest as it rises and holds.

Your hand drops and Wanda tilts her head to look up at you.

The sky is no longer just pink and orange. It's cotton candy that trickles far and wide. It's the color that reflects off of Wanda's skin, hitting her eyes, and for a moment, you think you saw a glimpse into the future.

"Why me?"

The question holds nothing but soft wondering. Within the words, Wanda suspects you mean why did she ask to come with you that day?

Why now?

Wanda licks her bottom lip.

"Why did you say yes?" She counters back.

You don't say anything. You try to think of an answer, but nothing comes to your head. The truth is you don't know why. You just looked at her that day, and you couldn't have pictured yourself saying no.

Wanda shifts, looking back at the sunrise.

"Did Stephen ever tell you there's millions and millions of realities out there?"

You sigh with a grimace, "Yes, so many times."

Wanda chuckles raspily, and you feel the vibrations against your chest.

"It's strange, isn't it? To think so many versions of you exist out there, that every reality would be different from the one we exist in today," Wanda lifts her hand from out the blanket, holding up and letting the sunlight filter through her fingers.

You don't say anything and only listen to Wanda because this may be the most she's spoken since coming on this trip.

"I loved Vision," Wanda says finally. "I don't think I will ever find a love I had with him again."

You blink, unsure what to make of that statement. You understand it, you really do. You'll always be understanding of her grief, and yet, your tight arms around her begin to feel awkward.

Wanda chuckles again, dropping her hand back down on your arm to keep it in place. "And that's okay."

"I have lost so much," Wanda's breath shutters for a moment. "We both have."

You swallow slowly, trying to not like the pang of pain distract you.

"But as much as I have lost, I've always gained something. I've lost my parents, and that led to gaining powers. I've lost my home country, but I gained a family with the Avengers. I've lost Pietro, and I gained Vision. I've lost Vis," Wanda swallows, "And I gained you."

"So, when you ask why you," Wanda licks her lips, "It's because I'm no stranger to loss. Even though grief has come to my door again, I know something good when I see it. And I saw you. I saw this moment."

"This moment?" You scrunch your brows together. It's such an odd moment to see, and yet so much of Wanda's behavior over the last six months made more sense.

Wanda sits up, turning to face you as the blanket draped over her slides down her back. Hands pressed against the ground on either side of your legs, she leans in close. You catch specks of the sky in her eyes, but this one isn't just the cotton candy that's just outside.

You catch specks of all the beautiful lush green trees you've seen. The sea and the sand the waves push up against. You see the white sun and shy hands that inch closer until they meet.

A hand touches your jaw, shyly sliding further until Wanda holds your cheek.

"Are you cold?" She murmurs, feeling the lack of warmth from sitting upright the entire night.

"Yeah," You mumble as Wanda leans closer and closer until you can feel her breath on your lips.

"I'll keep you warm," Wanda whispers, and you feel the brush of her lips. "Hold me closer."

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"You know, I wish there was a way– that I could let her know. That we won." Clint looks over at Wanda. "We did it."

"She knows--they both do." The rim of Wanda's eyes is red as she looks out onto the lake. Clint gives her a side hug that she returns for a long minute.

"You know where to reach me if you need me," you mutter, turning to leave the two alone.

Wanda looks at your retreating form. You didn't shed a single tear at the funeral, but she did not blame you. She had recognized that kind of grief on herself once upon a time, and she knows it's the kind that hurts more than any crying could.

Clint eventually bids his farewell and takes off, leaving her alone to gaze out onto the lake.

More tears well up, and Wanda isn't sure if she should let them fall or will them to magically go back into her eyes. It seems she decided too slow, and the tears well over down her cheeks as someone comes to stand next to her.

He takes a deep breath, holding his hands behind his back.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he politely passes his condolences.

"Me too," Wanda says without breaking her view.

It's silent for another minute.

"You know," Stephen squints as if that will let him see further. "I went through 14 million realities to see which one where we would win and only came out with one."

"If this is supposed to make me better, it's not--"

"Hear me out," Stephen cuts Wanda off. "In every reality that we manage to bring everyone back, including the one where we win, there was only one thing consistent."

Wanda laughs humorlessly. "And what's that?"

"You are grieving, yes, but," Stephen turns to face Wanda, causing her to turn to him as well. "You gain something so, so very beautiful."

Wanda's brows furrows, confused at what Stephen is trying to hint at. It isn't until he turns his attention to something that she turns too, stunned.

It's you, slowly packing your car.

"Strange, isn't it?" Stephen muses like he's talking to himself. "14 million realities, and every single one you return in, you gain her."

Wanda stares at you, unsure what to make of what Stephen is telling her.

"Why her?" She mumbles.

Stephen grins.

"I think you're a smart girl, Wanda," he tells her without answering her question. "I think if you let yourself, you'll see something good. You'll see her, even if you are grieving."

Stephen places his hand on her shoulder, giving her an encouraging squeeze before he walks away.

Wanda stands there, still looking at you while she tilts her head just to the side slightly.

And she's not sure what happens, but she sees something in her head.

A cotton candy sky, the light barely visible. She sees pillows and blankets in the back of a car. She hears the same song playing over and over in the background.

Wanda sees you.

She sees you in a light she's never had before, in a way she didn't think was ever possible.

"I'm cold," you whine, and Wanda sees herself smiling as she leans closer.

"I'll keep you warm," she sees herself bold and wanting. "Hold me closer."

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff imagine #scarlet witch x reader #scarlet witch imagine #wanda x reader #avengers imagine #mm: my fics #genre: fluff

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simpingforsoftboys · 3 years

Text

The Odds of Us All

CH 3 Part 2/5: The Foxes Burrow

You stood beside Kita, facing the starting members of Inarizaki’s team. Your soulmates were pretty surprised to see you here- but that was a given since you may or may not have neglected to inform them that you would be their new manager.

“This is Ushijima Y/n. She was previously Nekoma’s volleyball club manager- I’m sure some of ya’ have heard of them before. They’re Fukurodani’s main rival- aside from Itachiyama.” Kita introduced her formally, before allowing Y/n to say a few things herself.

“I look forward to getting to know you all! Please take care of me.” You said with a bow. Kita nodded in approval at your brief greeting- concise yet polite- just as he liked it.

“Today’s extra practice for the senior and starting members. So take yer time with gettin settled in. If ya need anythin just ask me or Aran.” A tall male in a #4 jersey strode up to you, a welcoming smile on his lips as he stretched out a hand for a handshake.

“Nice to meet ya Ushijima! Welcome to the team!” You accepted his hand and shook it firmly.

“Glad to be here Aran-senpai- but please just call me ‘Y/n.’ Ushijima is my cousin-”

“Course- ain’t gonna lie- made me double take the first time I heard it.” They shared a quick chuckle. “Why don’t ya go talk to the other’s? We’ll be right here after.” Aran stepped away to speak to Kita, luckily you didn’t need to go seek out anyone else to speak to- since someone walked up to you.

*Apologies in advance ya’ll, I’m only an anime watcher so I DO NOT have a grasp on Akagi, Omimi, or Ginjima’s characters AT ALL... so please- if you guys have tips please comment. Also I have no idea if Akagi or Ginjima was raised in Hyogo so I’m going to give them a normal Tokyo dialect for now- but Ginjima will have hints of Hyogo dialect- this is subject to change if I get advice.

“Hi! I’m Akagi Michinari, you’re new right? How’s Inarizaki so far?” Akagi was fairly cheerful- almost like a breath of fresh air compared to everyone else. Sure, Kita and Aran were plenty nice but they were more like a parental/older brother sort than friendly.

“Mhm, I just got here two days ago! Everyone here is so friendly- I love it.”

“Hey... this is just between me and you but,” Akagi leans forward, hand covering the side of his face like he’s telling a secret, curious, you lean forward to hear better. “It’s kind of refreshing to talk to someone without the Hyogo dialect. Sometimes I still have trouble understanding what people are saying so I smile and nod.” You two look at each other for a good moment before bursting into actual giggles.

“Me too actually, I was so lost in Japanese literature- so I just pretended to know what was going on when Kenji-sensei was lecturing.” You whisper back- sending the third year into a fit of laughter. The two of you were oblivious to the jealous stares from the nightmare trio, and the curious looks from the others.

“Haha- I think we’ll be fast friends Y/n!” The libero says, turning to look at the last two people. “Hey Ren, Hitoshi- come say hi!” A super tall, scary dude with a blank expression walks over, along with a stereotypical alt obsessed looking guy. “The super tall one is Omimi Ren- and the grumpy one is Ginjima Hitoshi!” Omimi doesn’t say anything- instead opting to nod in greeting.

“Hey.” Is all Ginjima says, looking like he’d rather be anywhere but here.

“Call me Y/n! I was meaning to ask earlier but are there any allergies or food preferences you might have? I was going to bring homemade energy bars but realized someone might be allergic.”

“Uh, nah I don’t have any allergies.” Ginjima looks pleasantly surprised, though it’s barely noticeable on his face, “I don’t think anyone here has allergies so ya don’t need to worry.” He turns to look at his seniors for confirmation.

“No one has any.” Omimi agrees.

“Great! Thank you... how about food preferences? Any dietary restrictions for you three specifically?” You’re slipping back into your old managerial habits, pulling out a notepad and scribbling down notes. You may not be of any help on the court directly, but you pride yourself on being analytical and taking care of your team. An example of this was how you’d watch Nekoma’s next rival team beforehand, chatting up their players by starting off with simple conversation- and estimating what makes them tick based off their answers.

“So professional- Shinsuke picked a good one.” Akagi praised, before giving his own preferences (along with Omimi’s), Ginjima spoke after him. Something told you this years team was going to quickly be added to your list of friends.

“What’cha talkin bout over here?” Atsumu slinked over to stand at your side, inserting himself into the conversation. The two third years were unperturbed at his interruption, meanwhile Ginjima looked a little irritated.

“Just dietary restrictions.” You replied showing him your notebook. “Speaking of which I have to speak to you, Osamu, and Suna about yours. Excuse us-” After politely excusing yourself and Atsumu, you walked over to join the other two.

“Enjoyin yerself?” Osamu questioned in greeting, taking a bite of his senbei cracker. “Never seen Akagi so chatty with someone he just met.”

“That’s because they were gossiping.” Suna snickered, shooting you a knowing glance. “It was something about the dialect right? He said the same thing to me when we first met.” He laughed at the scandalized/busted expression you wore.

“What d’ya mean?” The vegetable oil color haired twin questioned, tilting his head to the side- Osamu said nothing, content to munch on his cracker.

“Thank you so much for exposing me.” You ‘thanked’ Suna with a saccharine sweet tone, before answering your faux blonde soulmate. “It’s Tokyo dialect things. That’s it.”

“Oh ok.” He seemed satisfied with your answer, not seeing any reason to doubt you- much to his twin’s, and Suna’s amusement.

“Alright everyone, practice now!” Coach Kurosu called, the gym doors slamming open as he strode in alongside Coach Oomi. “Ushijima- er I’ll just say Y/n yeah? Come over and I’ll give you a rundown on how things work around here.” While the boys began running their warmup laps around the gyms interior, you made your way over to the coaches. “So... says here you were manager of old Nekomata’s team huh? Interestin’ well, it’s the same as any managerial position. Keep the bottles filled, maintain our players morale when you can, and launder the towels and practice jerseys... sound good?” You nodded, already used to the burden of managing a boys volleyball team.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Oh and here,” he hands you a hefty, sealed envelope. “Your budget for the next two weeks. Anything you don’t spend will be subtracted from the next allowance.” Your eyes widen at the weight of it, but you nod along nonetheless. Money is a friend of yours- the Ushijima’s being a very well off family. “Well the bottles are in the locker room hallway.”

“Right, of course.” Then you left, going to begin the familiar tasks that had somehow become an important part of your daily high school life.

Oomi looked at Kurosu. “Why’d you give her cash? We’re supposed to give her the card?” Kurosu is silent, watching his players with a scrutinizing look.

“She reminds me of a boerboel.”

“I don’t follow?”

“I have a feelin that we can trust her.”

Facts/Trivia

This takes place the very next day after CH3 pt1, ignore the 4d mark on that one cut off tweet please

Tendo has this uncanny ability to tell when someone is trash talking either Ushijima

Sakusa still doesn’t know that Y/n is Inarizaki’s new manager

None of her soulmates follow her private twitter- or know of it’s existence

Y/n is very efficient at doing laundry/filling water bottles within a small time frame- she has Nekoma vbc to thank for that

Nekoma didn’t have a allowance for their team- so Y/n just paid for everything out of pocket

Yes their budget for TWO WEEKS is about $270

The only things she can bake well is granola/energy bars, scones, and cookies. Anything else she attempts turns out horribly

A boerboel is a extremely dependable dog breed

Sometimes when the teachers speak too quickly, Y/n can’t tell what they’re saying so she just stares at them, acting like an attentive student so that they’ll be less tempted to call on her during class

I have no idea how to write for Omimi, Ginjima, Akagi, and both coaches so I’ll just do whatever

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crispychrissy · 3 years

Text

Connected - Part 4

Summary: Dr. Austin's theory is put to the test, and she shows Tony, Bucky, and Steve the woman behind the mystery. Pairing: Eventual Bucky Barnes x Reader Word Count: 2976 Warnings: Angst, medical stuff, stretching the medical science behind the super soldier serum, discussion of Bucky's previous trauma & a mention of the horrible things the Nazi's did A/N: I apologize for the late posting, I fell asleep so hard last night I didn't have a chance to queue this, and then I was out all day (good 14 hours out and about) so I am just now able to post the new chapter since I'm home now. As I mentioned in a prior post, I no longer have a forever taglist, but I will still tag series specific people if they request. You can also follow this story & others on my Ao3 as well. The series was beta’d by the lovely @idjitmonkey and I hope you enjoy! Please send me an ask if you would like to be tagged in the series. :)

Series Masterlist – Marvel Masterlist

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Bucky made a quick call to Shuri who, after a thorough interrogation as to why he was asking, assured him his arm would not be affected by the magnets of an MRI machine. So now, Bucky was laying down on his back inside the machine and staring at the small glass covered camera embedded in the inside curve of the plastic above him.

“Stop staring at the camera, Barnes, you’re giving off some crazy resting murder face right now,” Tony’s staticky voice came through the pair of disposable earbuds he was wearing to protect his hearing from the noise of the scan. “Might sell these scans to Ripley’s Believe It or Not. You actually do have something going on in that head of yours.”

“As much as I know you want to answer, Sergeant Barnes, please do not speak or move,” Dr. Austin’s voice came through after what sounded like a small scuffle for the microphone.

Bucky blinked several times in an unnatural yet controlled fashion, and when he heard Steve’s laughter coming through the earbuds, he had to fight the urge to smile, knowing Steve got the message he blinked out in Morse code.

F-U-C-K Y-O-U T-O-N-Y

The scan was over almost a half an hour later, and Bucky couldn’t hide his exhale of relief once the table began to slide out of the massive scanner. Confined spaces still made his skin crawl and flash back to the cryo tube he was kept in, but the MRI was surprisingly open in design and not like the ones he usually remembered seeing in hospitals. When he brought it up to Dr. Austin on their way back to her office, she smiled at him and explained most of the soldiers they treat have PTSD and claustrophobia, so an open MRI design was necessary for the comfort of the patients she treats.

It made sense, and when they entered her office and Bucky’s stomach growled for the fourth time in the last fifteen minutes, she tossed him the orange he’d been eyeing earlier before taking a seat at her desk and flipping open her laptop.

“Normally we have to wait for the images to be reviewed by a radiologist, but I’m well versed in how to read brain scans,” Dr. Austin explained, clicking a few times before leaning forward to study the screen. “Oh, wow.”

“What?” Bucky asked, using his teeth to bite a chunk of the orange’s peel off since his right hand didn't have nails long enough, and his left didn’t have nails at all. Once he could see the flesh of the orange underneath, he slid his flesh finger under the remaining peel and began to remove it in large pieces, trying to avoid getting sticky juice on his metal hand.

Dr. Austin spun her laptop around to show Bucky the image on her screen. It was a scan of his head, he could tell that, but the mess of swirling bright colors on the inside where his brain was made his eyes hurt. There were bright greens and blues swirled with more vibrant reds and pinks dancing around inside the image. “This is your brain.”

“Looks more like those posters… the ‘this is your brain on drugs’ pictures if they were made in the sixties, Doc,” Tony said. “I’m guessing it’s not supposed to look like that?”

“No. There’s so much brain activity that it’s likely what’s been burning through your energy and why you’ve been hungry all the time,” Dr. Austin explained. “Any type of brain activity, including emotions and problem solving, requires energy, whether it’s planning a complex strategy of attack for a mission or a simple math problem or crying at a sad part in a movie. Overworking the mind usually leads to tiredness, which leads to sleep, naturally refreshing those energy reserves. Most humans don’t expend enough energy, even when the brain is very active, to require major replenishment. Take Mr. Stark for example.”

Tony looked up and raised his eyebrows. “Me?”

“Yes, you’re a very intelligent man, and I’m guessing that when you’re elbow deep in your inventions or developing something, you don’t sleep and will go days without rest… so you find you get somewhat hungry at random times, right?” Dr. Austin asked.

“Well, yeah, I usually keep snacks around the lab that I nibble on so I don’t have to leave to make an actual meal. It ruins the momentum,” Tony said, confusion in his voice. “Pep’s found me passed out over the kitchen counter halfway through making a sandwich.

“Your body shut down and went to sleep before you were even able to replenish that energy via food since sleep is more efficient. So, that is a normal human mind.” Tony opened his mouth to protest, when Dr. Austin rolled her eyes and switched analogies. “Fine, that’s a standard engine, if you will, that can easily be refueled by a small energy source for a limited amount of time before it needs to be shut down and rebooted,” Dr. Austin said, slowly twirling her right pointer finger in a circle.

“Alright, I’m following you so far.” Tony’s head was slightly moving along with the circular rotation of her finger.

“Now, in the case of our super soldiers here, imagine that engine, but amplified almost five hundred percent,” Dr. Austin began to rotate her finger faster and faster until it was a blur of movement. “The need for sleep is suppressed by the serum, since alertness is crucial in combat, so that reboot requirement is easier to put off. In order to keep this kind of engine going at the same speed and level of activity for prolonged periods, it would burn through a small snack, or a small source of energy, too quickly and would signal the driver of the car, if you will, that it needed more.”

“So you’re saying that something is making Bucky’s brain so active, and he’s burning through so much energy, that it’s manifesting as hunger to make sure he keeps up with what’s being expended?” Steve asked, his mouth slightly open in shock. “I mean, I always remember being hungry after mission strategy and planning meetings, but I just assumed it was because I was bored or had skipped a meal.”

Dr. Austin shook her head. “Nope. You were using your brain in overdrive, doing quick calculations and mission scenarios in your head to find the best possible plan of action, much faster than any normal human brain would be able to calculate. It makes you an excellent strategist, but that kind of brain power burns a lot of energy.”

Bucky snorted in disbelief and leaned forward in the chair, resting his elbows on his knees. “It makes sense. I was a good sniper when I was first in the Army during the war, but after Zola… after he injected me with that bastardized version of the serum… I could calculate trajectory angles and wind velocities and distances in my head in seconds, didn’t have to write them out to do the calculations. Didn’t even need a spotter anymore.”

Dr. Austin nodded. “Exactly. The serum allowed you extra mental acuity at the expense of more energy consumption.”

“But that doesn’t explain why Bucky’s brain is lit up like a psychedelic Christmas tree,” Tony said, gesturing to the laptop image. “Barnes obviously isn’t doing any kind of advanced calculus in his head right now.” Tony looked at Bucky. “You’re not right?” Bucky shook his head and Tony continued, “so why is his brain so active?”

“And that leads me to my theory about Y/N,” Dr. Austin said, standing up from her chair. “Follow me, gentlemen. And Sergeant Barnes,” he looked over and raised a brow as he trailed after her into the hallway, “please let me know if you feel any increased feelings of hunger or exhaustion. The effects might come on quickly, so please let me know if, or when, you feel anything.”

Bucky nodded, and looked over to where Steve was walking to his right. Thanks to their childhood friendship, Steve could always see anxiety and nervousness in Bucky even when he tried to hide it, like when he saw Bucky off the morning he shipped off to Europe. Bucky kept his face stoic, but when Steve hugged him goodbye, Bucky was practically trembling under the Army-hardened mask he had worn then.

Steve reached over and clasped a comforting hand on Bucky’s shoulder, giving him a squeeze of reassurance.

The doctor led them down several hallways, until they reached another wing of the military hospital which held secure patient rooms that could be locked down if necessary, whether due to outbursts of violence due to psychological issues from recovering soldiers or to hold prisoners who had been injured and needed medical intervention. Dr. Austin stopped in front of a room at the end of the hallway and gestured to the one-way mirror in front of her.

“Gentlemen, meet Y/N Y/L/N.”

The three men stepped closer and looked into the room, all eyes frozen on the figure sitting upright in the hospital bed. Y/N had shoved herself in the farthest possible corner of the bed, her knees tucked under her chin and arms wrapped around her legs. The photo in her file, and even the video of her they’d seen looked nothing like the woman before them. She looked almost emaciated, her skin a sickly pale that was almost translucent, and her stringy grease matted hair twitched slightly as her body trembled.

“Jesus,” Steve breathed. “She… she looks like those prisoners… the ones—”

Bucky swallowed and nodded. “From Natzweiler, yeah, I remember.” Bucky took a deep breath, fighting against the telltale tingle in his mind of a long since forgotten memory beginning to rise up like a wave. “Doc… is she eating?”

“She was when she first got here, but only if the food was left for her after she passed out from exhaustion,” Dr. Austin explained. “Now, ever since things have escalated, she rips out her IV’s, pulls out NG tubes, and refuses any food we bring her. I’m not going to sedate her just because it’ll make it easier to feed her, we haven’t reached that level of intervention yet, but we’re getting close. She told one of our staff yesterday, in Russian, that she was not going to eat any of our poisoned food, that she wasn’t some kind of lab experiment and that we were animals for not just shooting her in the head to get it over with.”

All of the air in Bucky’s lungs came out in one hard breath like he’d been punched in the chest, and he had to brace himself against the windowsill to keep his knees from buckling. “Fuck.”

“Bucky?” Steve gasped at Bucky’s sudden weakness, grabbing onto his friend’s arm and placing a gentle hand on his back. ”What? Are you feeling the stuff Dr. Austin mentioned?”

Bucky grit his teeth and closed his eyes at the onslaught of memory fragments bombarding him. “No, I’m… I don’t know, maybe? I just… she’s…” Bucky’s thoughts were so jumbled he could barely form a coherent sentence, even in his head. He made a choked off noise that sounded more like a sob before he lifted his head to look at Y/N. “She’s reliving my captivity with Hydra. This… this was after I was transferred from the facility the Russians held me in after they found me to the one where Zola did his experiments. They were, umm, they were testing the limits of the serum, trying to figure out what I could survive.”

Steve’s face dropped and he took a sharp breath in. Bucky’s captivity and torture was not something he talked about often outside his therapy sessions. Steve only knew a handful of stories, ones that had come directly from Bucky’s mouth, and even then they were very hard stories for him to tell—lots of starting and stopping, frequent breaks, and plenty of tears. But here, with two extra people with him, and one being a stranger?

“Buck, you don’t have to talk about it,” Steve whispered.

“No, I need… she said exactly what I said to the guards who brought me food one day.” Bucky swallowed hard, flexing his fingers against the painted metal of the windowsill, the cold against his flesh hand grounding him. “They were testing different poisons and how the serum would fight it off… arsenic, ricin, even different kinds of snake and spider venom. I had seizures, strokes, and my heart stopped so many times I lost count.”

“Fucking hell,” Tony murmured, leaning against the wall behind them, his face a few shades paler than it was ten minutes ago. “Y/N is reliving your memories, reliving your life.”

“We need to find a way to pull her out of this,” Bucky said, straightening up with determination even though his bones felt like liquid and his mind was full of numbing static. If Y/N was reliving his life, even if it didn’t seem like the moments were in order, he knew it was only a matter of time until she would experience how the Winter Soldier was born, how he was forged, and he wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

Dr. Austin nodded and looked back at her patient through the glass. “If my theory is correct, which I believe it is based on your shared memories and brain scans, Y/N’s mind has somehow melded with yours. And your memories, powered by your mind’s energy, have somehow taken over hers, suppressing her personality completely. I don’t know if it was some kind of dormant mutant ability that was activated by the trauma of her captivity and torture, or something else… but there is obviously some kind of link between the two of you that we don’t have the technology to test for and verify. You’re essentially feeding her your memories, which is why your brain is lit up like that and why you’re expending so much energy.”

“It’s like she’s stuck inside one of Stark’s virtual reality headsets and can’t take it off, experiencing everything I went through while my brain keeps playing her different…” Bucky trailed off and his eyes widened before his head snapped to look at Y/N through the glass.

In a flash of movement, Bucky grabbed Dr. Austin’s ID badge from where it was clipped onto her white coat and darted for the door to Y/N’s room, scanning the badge so the door opened with a green light and soft click. Bucky, ignoring the shouts of his name and hands trying to grab at him to pull him back, opened the door and shut it firmly behind him, engaging the door’s auto-lock safety feature that he knows secure wings of hospitals have. The group outside would need to find another ID badge to get in, which would buy him some time.

Y/N’s wide and terrified eyes settled on him, and she tilted her head in an almost confused dog-like fashion, her eyes softening with an air of familiarity. Bucky could feel the hunger gnawing at his stomach turn into sharp cramps that almost made him double over, and there was a soft circle of darkness starting to creep in around his vision.

Bucky took three large steps forward, and even though she flinched away at his sudden movement, Y/N didn’t scramble away to try and avoid his hands as he lifted them. Her weary bloodshot eyes were full of unshed tears, and the closer Bucky’s hands got to her face, the more she began to tremble.

“You’re safe,” he whispered to her in Russian, before repeating the same sentiment in English.

The moment his fingers, both flesh and metal, touched the skin on either side of her face, it felt like he was on the wrong side of an attack from Thor’s hammer. Whatever weakness and hunger he’d been feeling was burned out of his body at the sheer shock cascading through his entire being. It didn’t hurt, but it was bordering on wildly uncomfortable, and Bucky was afraid he’d never be able to let go, his hands stuck to Y/N like a magnet.

There was something different passing between them, more than what touch alone could provide. Trying to understand everything that was happening was overwhelming, but when Bucky focused, he could almost feel Y/N inside his mind, like another whisper of a presence, a ghost in his consciousness. When he reached out in his head for her where he’d felt the ghost of her presence, he was assaulted with bursts of memories he knew were not his own, images of unfamiliar people, places, and things flashing in his mind like photographs. Bucky's curiosity was almost childlike, awestruck and trying to understand what his brain was comprehending, sorting through what Y/N was showing him.

The more information Bucky absorbed, the darker each memory became until it felt like he was wading through molasses, each image being harder and harder to move past. A hoarse whisper of “No” echoed in his mind, and Bucky couldn’t tell if it was his own voice or Y/N’s.

A solid arm wrapped around Bucky’s middle, one much more firm than human flesh would be, and pulled him backward until his hands dropped from Y/N’s face, breaking whatever connection had refused to release him when he’d touched her. Reality came rushing back, and the room and people around him flashed into existence, the change in environment and sound disorienting him and leaving him panting for breath, his knees wobbling.

“She…” Bucky looked over at Y/N, who was just as distressed, and watched her collapse onto the bed, unconscious, before his vision blacked out and darkness took him as well.

***

Connected Tags: @ginger-swag-rapunzel @that-one-gay-girl @fanofalltheficsx @joseyrw @lana-writes-04 @gia-25 @klanceiscannon14 @ahahafudge

#connected #part 4 #marvel series #marvel fanfic #mcu fanfic #mcu #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #reader insert #bucky barnes x y/n #angst #medical stuff

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moonflower-31 · 4 years

Text

I Won’t Forget You - Spencer Reid x Reader

Masterlist

Part 2

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Warnings: Descriptions of dead bodies and cases. Usual CM stuff.

Tags: @dra-reid, @eevee0722, @ceeellewrites

~~~~~~~~~

Okay, so, maybe you'd admit that sitting next to Reid on a plane was making you nervous.

After you had made it to the jet, you carried your go back to the back of the jet where they stored the luggage. Right as you did so however, your phone began to ring. You looked at your watch and sighed. You would have to answer the phone and get on the jet. Whoever it was was going to have to accept that it would be a short phone call.

"Hello?" You answered, adjusting your bag as you made your way back to the boarding stairs of the jet.

"So~? It's probably not your lunch break yet… but how did seeing mister teacher's pet go? Did he give you any hair care tips cause he looked good for having such messy hair."

You fought the smile that formed on your face, staying put near the bathroom so your phone call could be semi-private. Though you knew that Gabriel wouldn't have cared otherwise.

"Hello Gabriel. And for your information, I'm headed out on my first case. On an actual jet of all things. So don't expect me home tonight. I don't think these cases are usually as quick as a day."

"Ah okay. So you’re avoiding the question now? Jesus, you're really into this guy." He teases.

"Gabriel I swear-!" You growl. After a much needed sigh, you close your eyes and start your statement over again. "You tease me enough about my study habits. If you don't stop this you'll need to sleep with one eye open. Maybe start wearing a night-cap so I don't cut that hair of yours." You playfully threaten. Gabriel lets out an offended gasp.

"You wouldn't!"

"I totally would. Try me."

"Grr… Fine. Get me lover boy's number and I'll call it even. I'll tell Iris we'll be alone for a few nights~" You could hear his tell-tale smirk in his voice, causing you to roll your eyes.

"Don't you even dare. You know you'll wake up in the middle of nowhere in nothing but your rainbow underwear. She's capable of more than you realize." You laugh as you warn him of what you both knew Iris was capable of doing to him if he pissed her off.

"Yeah yeah, sure don't want that to happen again. Anyway, have a good trip with that pretty boy of yours~" Gabriel teased.

"What did I say?" You warned sternly.

"What? You didn't get me the guy's number yet, so teasing is still on the table."

"Leave it to you to find a damn loophole." You groan, rubbing the creases of your forehead out with your fingers.

"Everyone please take your seats, we need to go over the case, see if we can start building a profile." Hotch announces behind you.

"Sorry, I gotta go. We're about to take off. Don't die, please." You teasingly beg before you hang up and put your phone in the slot on your belt.

"So… Gabriel, huh?"

You gulp a bit and turn your head frantically until you find where Derek had sat on the jet. You roll your eyes and specifically choose the seat farthest away from him out of spite.

"Oh hush. He's my roommate. Not what you think." You insist as you grab your bag and place it in your lap, situating the case file in front of you. As soon as you get settled into your seat, you feel a presence suddenly sit next to you.

"Sorry, I had to grab something real quick."

You feel a slight blush grow on your face as you realize who the presence was. That was also accompanied by the sudden increase in the smell of mahogany wood and soft musk. It was pleasing.

"Don't worry about it, Pretty boy. We were just talking about L/N's little 'roommate'. Weren't we?" Morgan teases. Instead of taunting back you feel like almost sinking into your seat. Why did he have to bring that up right now? Especially when Spencer was here to fucking hear?

"Living with roommates is actually more common than you think. There was a study done recently that showed a total of 18-34 percent of people have roommates. It's more logical as it helps people afford apartments with minimum wages." He explains. You sigh with relief. You were glad for Spencer’s statistic. It moved the conversation away from you. At least you hoped.

"Whatever. Still. Who is this 'Gabriel'?" Morgan asked with a determined smirk, ignoring Spencer’s statistics. You sighed. You weren't going to get out of this as easily as you thought.

Spencer swallowed a bundle of nerves as Morgan pushed aside his attempt at changing the subject. If he was truthful, he didn't want to speak about the possibility of you having someone special in your life already. Although he doubted he ever had a chance. Who was this Gabriel though? He wouldn't deny that he was curious, at least to his own conscience.

"Fine," you sigh. "Gabriel is my best friend. Well… one of my best friends. He is gayer than a rainbow and is currently working as an FBI undercover agent. Happy?"

Morgan raised his hands in defeat, chuckling.

"I'm just asking baby girl, no hard feelings." He teases.

Spencer let out an undetectable sigh of relief, his unknowingly clenched fist loosening against his leg. "He's an undercover agent? How did he get hired as one as a new graduate?" Spencer asks. "Of course there are some rare occasions where recently graduated agents have gone immediately to a semi-high position, but that in itself is exceedingly rare. Almost impossible." He rambled, finally finishing and turning towards you.

"Oh, well I think it might've been because of his family ties. His father works in the CIA. Though I doubt that his father pulled any strings. He's kind of homophobic." You shrug. "But hey, it's not too impossible. It happened for you and me, right?" You asked, wiggling a teasing eyebrow.

Spencer chuckled a bit and nodded, laughing gently. "I suppose it isn't as impossible as I make it sound. Although it still is rare. We just both happen to meet the requirements." He answers, flashing you a genuine smile.

"For someone who's pretty private about her own personal life, you're pretty open about sharing your roommate's life." Morgan speaks up with curiosity. Spencer bites back a growl and glares at Morgan to knock it off.

"Don't worry, Gabe's not that worried about his own life being leaked. He's got a squeaky clean record, and he says anything that someone finds out from someone other than him is always hearsay in court without proof."

Morgan shrugged and pulled out the case file, getting the notion that the conversation was over.

"We should get started. We'll be touching down in Illinois in a couple hours." Hotch announces, gathering everyone's collective attention. Garcia's face popped up on Derek's laptop he opened up as Hotch began to go over the case. "Any outstanding details yet, Garcia?" He began.

"No sir, the only thing I could find was that each of your victims visited stores for newborns to toddlers. Babies R Us, Bottles and Babies, you name it. Each of them also had either a wife or serious romantic partner who had recently given birth." Garcia answered, looking up from her list.

"What kind of job would you have to have to know this stuff about your victims? I don't think our unsub is stalking them." Rossi spoke up.

"Maybe they work at one of the stores? Garcia I'm gonna need a list of employees at each of those locations." Derek started.

"No wait, if they're all different stores then the idea of the unsub working at one doesn't fit… do each of these stores have the same supplier?" You speak up, looking over the case details before looking up at the rest of the team.

"Uhh… yes, a company called Mommy and Me supplies all three of the stores these men visited." Garcia clarifies.

"Good work, (L/N). Garcia, I'm going to need that list of names." Hotch informed.

"I'll get that straight back to you sir as soon as I can. Garcia out." She says, disappearing from the screen.

"So what are we thinking about behavior? Why would our unsub attack these men? And why now?" Emily spoke up.

"The stressor in this situation is most likely to do with a partner. Or perhaps something to do with our unsub's physical appearance or self-esteem. Since each of the men are dark haired and left out for anyone to find." Spencer explained, laying the folder down onto the table in front of him.

"Maybe something to do with a child? This unsub might just be a customer at each of these places. Maybe their partner recently left them and they're lashing out at surrogates for that partner." JJ suggests.

"Are we looking for a female unsub?" Morgan asks.

"I believe so." You spoke up.

"Why is that, (L/N)?" Prentiss replied.

"Well, in one of the crime scene descriptions, it was said that the newborn of one of the men was fed after their father had been murdered. I don't believe any man could do that. There weren't any leftover bottles either." You answered.

"Actually, it is possible for a man to lactate. Although very rare, some men still produce the hormone prolactin even if they have a Y chromosome. This produces the process of lactation. But I doubt that is the case here, as most examples of this happening have been influenced by medical means." Spencer expressed, his eyes widening and sparkling with wonder at his fact.

Derek groaned. "I really, really did not need to know that man."

"But he's right. If there is no trace of a bottle having been used, or of one missing, we could be dealing with a woman." Hotch affirmed. "That paired with the obvious craving of power in the way the bodies are dumped and each victim is tortured."

"What if our unsub recently had a baby also?" JJ spoke.

"That would make sense, if our unsub is finding men at these different stores, then it could be plausible for her to have taken these men while alternating between stores." Rossi points out.

"Good work everyone. When we land JJ and I will talk to the families. Morgan, Prentiss, Rossi, I want you three to investigate the last dump site, see if we can gather any more information on this unsub's methods and cause. And (L/N) and Reid, I need you two to take a look at the bodies. See id there are any patterns we missed. However we need to be quick, or Galesburg is going to have another body on their hands very soon." Hotch divides the jobs, closing the folder for the case. "Reid."

Spencer looks up and turns towards Hotch. "Yeah?"

"Show (L/N) the ropes for Prentiss. Try to teach her if you can. This is a learning opportunity for her as much as this is a case for us." Hotch orders. Spencer nods in understanding, feeling nervous butterflies building up again in his stomach.

"Well, I guess you're stuck with me for a couple hours. I promise I don't bite too hard." You tease, nudging his shoulder. He smiles at your tease, letting out a soft laugh.

"Oh I know that. The question is…" he pauses, raising a teasing eyebrow. "..if I do."

You snort and laugh, shaking your head. "You wouldn't hurt a fly, Reid. No offense."

"Wouldn't hurt-" Spencer playfully scoffs. "You hearing this, Morgan?" He says with a teasing smile on his face.

"I've hurt a fly. I outsmarted its mother." Spencer insisted. Morgan snickered and looked towards Prentiss with a knowing look. She gave him one back, smiling smugly.

"Really? Outsmarted its mother? Reid, a human infant is capable of outsmarting a damn fly. But whatever you say, Fly Genius." You teased. Morgan let out a long 'Ooo' in response.

"You just got told."

"Whatever Morgan." Spencer playfully rolled his eyes, smiling still under his attempt at trying to look annoyed.

"You're just mad I ended up getting you to prove your innocence." You insist.

"You totally didn't." He retorts.

"Spence, you've always been innocent." JJ interjects.

"See? You can't deny that." You insist, a playful smile cemented on your face.

"Who knew of all of us to bond with, you'd choose Pretty Ricky first." Morgan teased.

"You're just jealous I got to talk to her first." Reid insists playfully. You roll your eyes.

"Yeah, cause without seeing a map I assume your sense of direction is terrible." You tease. He looks at you mock offended and laughs a little.

"Is not. Your eyes just met mine and you looked friendly." Spencer defended.

"Alright children settle down before you give me an aneurysm." Rossi teases in a playful sigh. You giggle and shake your head. You didn't expect that amount of welcome feelings coming especially from Spencer. But everyone was already warming up to you. It felt nice. You just hoped you didn't let everyone down.

○●♡●○

Walking off the jet, you immediately were greeted by the chief of the Galesburg PD.

"Hi, you must be the BAU. I'm Chief Anthony Sherwood. Thanks for comin' down so fast." The chief thanks, shaking Hotch's hand.

"Of course. I'm Agent Hotchner. This is Agent Morgan, Prentiss, Jareau, Rossi, Reid, and our trainee, Agent (L/N)." Hotch introduces. The chief goes down the line, shaking almost everybody's hands. (Spencer gave him a peace sign instead)

"So, a trainee huh? If we weren't so crunched for time to find this guy, I'd ask how you're liking the BAU. Come along now, we got everything you need set up at the station." Sherwood spoke to you before he gestured to everyone else and began to lead you all to the rental SUVs they had waiting for you all.

You gulp softly and sigh, clenching and unclenching your fists a couple of times before you begin to follow. It was your first case. You were a big bundle of excitement mixed with nerves that wouldn't go away.

Once inside the police station, you found a place for your things, setting them down in the main room that the Chief had set aside for you all to use.

Once you had everything settled, you began to head out to the SUVs again without much of an introduction to everyone else. Hotch had said to get to the morgue as soon as you could to take a look at the bodies. You told yourself you were just following orders.

You climbed into the driver's seat of the SUV that you had ridden to the station and immediately groaned, placing your now aching head against the steering wheel. With all the excitement of being on a case you hadn't been prepared to go on yet, you hadn't noticed you were having one of your head splitting migraines from your hyperthymesia. And lucky you, you had left the bottle of acetaminophen in your bag that you had left in the station. Great.

"Rough day already?"

You jumped with sudden fear, banging your head against the window of the car. You groan and rub the affected area, turning your attention to the owner of the voice who just spooked the shit out of you.

"Reid…" you sighed, turning back to the wheel. Of course he had followed you. He was supposed to go with you. How dumb could you get?

"Yeah… that's me." He says, a slight smile on his lips. "You okay?" He asks.

"Yes… No… No not really. With my condition, I get occasional head-splitting migraines. They usually happen at least once a month. I hadn't gotten one yet, till today. And I left my prescription in my bag." You groaned, running a hand through your hair.

"I see… but I don't think it's just the headaches."

"Guess you caught me. I'm just nervous about this being my first case. Trainee or not. I've thought about this experience plenty of times. But you can't predict what the case is gonna entail." You conclude, squeezing the steering wheel.

"That's understandable for any new agent, (L/N). Whether you're wide-eyed like Hotch and Rossi, or cautious, I think it's pretty normal. At least from my own experience."

You can't fight the urge to smile as he finished his advice. He really didn't have to do this. You were new. But then again, he probably just saw a piece of himself in you.

"Thanks Reid."

"Of course, (L/N)."

○●♡●○

"I've seen plenty of messed up injuries in my time, though I've never seen something as crude as this." The mortician said as she guided you and Spencer into the cold chamber room.

"Most places like this don't usually see much serial killer action, so it's to be expected." Spencer says, trailing off as the mortician pulled out the most recent victim.

"He looks pretty athletically built. Garcia texted me and told me they all were pretty active in the gym too. Not the same ones nor the same days though." You point out, pulling on a pair of gloves to take a look at the different injuries. "Each of these bruisings seem to be done by hand, no remnants of wood or anything else. So then how did our unsub subdue these men? They had to have been stronger than her." You questioned, looking over John McAllister's wounds near his neck.

"He wasn't strangled around his neck either… she might've used some sort of drug to temporarily paralyze the body. We've seen it before in a few cases. Was there any traces in their systems?" Spencer asks the mortician.

"Unfortunately, no. Nothing other than an increase in the production of glutamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and a few others." The mortician clarifies.

"Hm…" you pondered, crossing your arms briefly. "Are there any needle marks at all?"

Spencer considers what you say before he takes a gloved hand and tilts the head of the victim to the side. "Yes, behind his ear. Though the access to the blood supply would be harder to reach."

"I doubt that mattered to her." You remind.

"Can we see the others? Or have their bodies been claimed?" You ask.

"The first one, yes. But the second one no." The mortician says, putting the latest victim back in the cold chamber before pulling out the second.

"Is there a needle mark?" You ask, hoping this connection would help the case.

"Yes, around the same area too…" Spencer trails.

You turn your head to the second victim's file and narrow your eyes. "Hey… from this photo, our second victim is supposed to have long dark brown hair, our unsub is cutting the hair."

"She's trying to make them look like a partner." Spencer realizes, pulling out his phone to alert Hotch. You nod to the mortician and help her put the second victim's body back into the freezer.

Then you began to follow Spencer out of the morgue, your nerves finally having calmed down. Maybe this is what you had needed, as morbid as it was. Just to see the reality of the case instead of just your own worries and ideas of the case. You were going to be fine. You felt like a real profiler.

Of course it helped that Spencer was there, but still. It felt good. And you knew this case needed the good.

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x reader fic #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #criminal minds fandom #spencer reid fanfic

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panlight · 4 years

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tagged by @iknowyouloveme-thanks and @volturialice

favorite scene: murder family meeting. My favorite scene in the whole series tbh. Has been since the Midnight Sun draft. It’s the best glimpse at the Cullen family personalities and dynamics. And the idea is just hilarious? “On today’s agenda: should we kill this girl?” and then a few weeks later they’re breaking all sorts of laws to save this girl. I’m still not totally sure how I feel about the darker implications of Esme’s stance of “any plan that keeps the family together” but I can’t deny it’s interesting.

least favorite scene: car chase. Look, I’m not denying that the use of powers was really creative here. It absolutely was. It just . . . felt like it came from a different book entirely and had no real emotional pay off. In that way it reminds me of Bella’s side quest to see J. Jenks in Breaking Dawn. Like suddenly she’s in some noir thriller sneaking around visiting lawyers and getting forged documents and it’s like, that’s not what Twilight is about, and it never goes anywhere. And I hate Carlisle sedating that lady. The version of that character I’ve had in my head all these years simply would not do that. They should have just thrown a wad of cash at her as they drove off with her car that’s the ~Cullen way~. Also like, I’m aggressively uninterested in cars in general and less enthralled with vampire powers than most of the fandom so personally the scene just doesn’t interest me.

funniest quote: It’s not a quote exactly but I really lost my mind when I realized that poetic quote about how far Alice sees into the future and how she doesn’t even understand the things she does sometimes WAS ABOUT THE WHITE SLEEVELESS BUTTON-DOWN SHIRT. Like, I was giggling about that for a half hour at least.

character you like more after reading midnight sun: Bella? I’ve never been a main character kind of reader but she’s so much more fleshed out here, so much more specific. I don’t know if this is a function of Bella not being the narrator this time, or her not being the reader proxy and therefor not left purposefully a little vague to appeal to the widest segment of readers, but I liked the change. In the draft I was like “why does Edward think she’s so good and selfless?” but now there are examples of her being nice to the human kids and that helps.

character you like less after reading midnight sun: The Cullens as a group, I guess, which kind of pains me to say. I just REALLY can’t get past the moral implications of that car chase. It is REALLY bothering me! I still ‘like’ them and find them interesting, but 27 cars worth of people potentially injured?!?! Why would you do that, Stephenie? You could have written like 2 cars and I would have been like, “okay.” but 27?! But then I can kind of blame it on Jasper’s “war focus” that he was blanketing everyone else with and the fallout from that could be interesting, and weirdly I ‘like’ Jasper more the less human and more ruthless he is. Like the point of him in my head is to be The Vampire-y One so him doing immoral things doesn’t bother me in the way having Carlisle (The Unvampire-y One) involved with that whole thing does (let me have my compassionate vampire Stephenie! This is ‘not bothering to even try to persuade his guests in BD not to eat people’ all over again. Just give him to me and let me write him, please).

what headcanon(s) does midnight sun help to create or ruin for you?: Carlisle/Edward’s bites are all different than I imagined. You’d have thought if Edward was bitten on the hand it would have come up in the books since JAMES BIT BELLA ON THE HAND. I had also headcanoned that Esme brought Christmas trees to the Cullen household but Carlisle surprising Edward was cute.

what question(s) does midnight sun answer or create for you?: How do you get “accidentally” bitten on the hand in a vampire raid? I keep thinking of Carlisle like trying to pet the vampire and then it bites him like a mean cat or dog but I’m sure that’s not it. How DOES James know how to fly a plane?! Also I just don’t understand Jasper’s gift at all anymore. SM had described it before a physical gift about endorphins and heart rate (which was already weird because vampires don’t have heartbeats but okay) but what does any of that have to do with ‘war focus’ or boredom? I did appreciate that she explained why the nomads didn’t notice Bella’s heartbeat but it felt almost like overkill with Edward tapping his foot to cover the sound and Jasper making them just not notice her.

how do you rank midnight sun relative to twilight and life and death?: I don’t know if I can rank it yet I’m still weighing the stuff I did like vs the stuff I didn’t and doing the math, as it were. But they’re probably all roughly equal in my mind, but I like it way better than Breaking Dawn.

what’s one midnight sun-related thought that’s been on your mind but you haven’t yet found an opportunity to share?: I love at the end that Carlisle couldn’t sit still at the hospital and like his doctor friend was like dragging him around to diagnose other patients. THIS is the Carlisle content I wanted, not sedating soccer moms and weird phone calls to Billy Black that just make the whole situation worse.

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slimysnaildaddy · 4 years

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Hi! Do you mind explain some more about Tourettes? I got kinda shocked that the percentage of people with coprolalia is so low, I've always herd that it was one of the main symptoms

Sure thing! I actually love talking about it, the more people are informed the less stigma there will be and the better people with Tourette’s Syndrome and other tic disorders will be treated.

The most visible symptom of Tourette’s is what’s known as “tics”. You’ve probably heard of tics as in like a “nervous tic” such as someone tapping their foot. There are many kinds of tics, but they’re usually divided into two categories, and then within those categories, they’re divided again.

A motor tic is a tic based in movement of some sort. Snapping fingers, tapping feet, scrunching one’s face, sticking out one’s tongue, or blinking rapidly are examples of motor tics.

A vocal tic has to do with making noise. Saying something, coughing, whistling, and making a humming noise are good examples.

You can divide both of those into simple tics and complex tics. A simple tic is usually a single basic movement or sound, such as a clap or a single sharp whistle. A complex tic usually involves more than one movement or sound (speaking counts as a complex vocal tic).

Complex tics can also be a combination of motor and vocal. For example, I often jerk my head to the side or throw my head back and make a loud honk that sounds a lot like a goose.

Tourette’s syndrome is one of many tic disorders, but has one of the most specific and complex diagnostic criteria of all of them. When I was diagnosed at 15 (about 6-7 years ago) the criteria were:

Patient must have at least 5 motor tics and at least one vocal tic, consistently over a period of at least one year.

Tics are often somewhat random, but only in that they can happen at seemingly random times (more on that later). Most people have a “set” of tics that they have, unique to them. For example, I jerk my head or clap or slap my chest, sometimes I stomp and I also say things like “I eat worms” and “hot dogs”. Two of my most well known tics that are meme’d to hell and back by my close friends are “I fuck gargoyles” and “Hit or miss, I guess I’m drinkin’ piss”. Both of which are examples of coprolalia.

Coprolalia is a very common stereotype, but as I said in my post only 10% of people with Tourette’s present coprolalia. I think the reason it became so famous is because it’s very shocking and visible, similar to how a lot of blind people in media use white canes or wear an eye covering all the time, while only a relatively small percentage of blind people in real life do those things. I happen to be one of those people with coprolalia, and I do sometimes feel like I’m playing into a stereotype, and it can genuinely be a struggle to be in public spaces or around people who don’t know I have TS when I suddenly bust out saying “I FUCK GARGOYLES” or “EAT SHIT, MOTHERFUCKER”.

Speaking of struggling with tics, there are quite a few tics that can be very painful or otherwise harmful. Like I said, I have a tic where I slap my chest and I usually do it with a lot of force. I also stomp (also with a lot of force) and slap or hit walls (do i need to repeat myself here? anyway my hand is in agony 99% of the time). And I don’t need to tell you that shouting about fucking gargoyles in a King Soopers gets you some weird looks. As a result, a lot of people are ashamed of their tics or feel very negatively towards them, which is one of the main reasons why triggering someone’s tics intentionally is considered a very bad thing to do.

And in regards to triggering tics, this is actually an interesting topic. For a lot of people, it seems that one of the most common ways to trigger a tic is to be reminded of it. Not necessarily directly, but seeing or hearing someone clap on TV will trigger my clapping tic. Yesterday there was a scene on TV where someone was describing how to bait a fishing hook with worms, and I couldn’t stop saying “I eat worms” over and over again until we had to pause the TV until I finished what I was doing and left the room. They can also be triggered/made worse by things like stress or excitement, though I find that doing something very distracting will often leave no room for my brain to tic.

I’ve seen a lot of people describe the feeling of needing to tic (called a premonitory urge) similar to the feeling you get in your sinuses when you need to sneeze or yawn, but in the place the tic will be. I experience that, but I also experience a more mental urge to do my tics (eg “I need to slap this wall exactly 15 times RIGHT NOW OR I WILL ACTUALLY DIE”) As a result, it is often (but not always) possible to tell when a tic is coming and sometimes you can worn people or attempt to hold it in, but...

Holding in tics is comparable to holding in a cough. The longer you hold it in, the more painful it will be, and the worse it will be when you actually let it out. Once a tic starts, you have to sort of... satisfy the tic. If you don’t do it just right or just enough times, you have to do it again. And again. And again. It’s almost impossible to stop until it’s run its course. This leads me to the topic of tic attacks, which I mentioned in my other post.

A tic attack is when someone starts ticcing (yes, that’s the verb, though I do see “ticking” as well) a lot uncontrollably. In my case (bc I have so many tics that involve jerking my body around or holding myself in weird positions), this usually leads to me falling to the floor in a writhing mass while trying not to accidentally bite off my own tongue and maybe screeching a little bit, and usually I’m too occupied with trying to relax to be able to talk. People have told me that it looks like I’m having a seizure, but that’s not the case. For some people, it’s simply a lot of tics at once. Tic attacks are usually (but not always) caused by stress or overstimulation.

Tics aren’t the only symptom of Tourette’s. There’s also attention issues and impulse control issues and emotional control issues as well, and some of the side effects of Tourette’s can be a bit debilitating. I lose energy pretty quickly, but caffeine and lots of sugar can just send me into an attack. I also get a compulsive urge to do shit that’s usually very stupid (”hmmm a stove burner. TIME TO PUT MY FACE ON IT”) but it’s a lot easier to resist than a tic. Stimming is also very common, though this may be partially attributed to the fact that TS is very likely to be seen in people who also are Autistic or have conditions like ADHD.

I hope this is enough information! Let me know if I need to tag stuff.

#serious time #tourettes #actually tourettic #cw mentions of involuntary self-harm #asks

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tsarisfanfiction · 3 years

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I have three, hope that's okay :> 9, 22, and 25

Of course that’s okay! Ask as many as you like; I don’t bite! I love answering these things :D

Fanfiction writer asks

9. Which character(s) do you find most difficult to write? Ones I don’t understand, which sounds kinda obvious so I’m gonna expand, using some examples from different fandoms.

The idiots. The ones who go off and do things while you’re screaming at them to not do that you idiot because nope, I cannot get my head around why anyone would do that, how am I supposed to write you when I think this is the daftest thing ever? Obvious example is Luffy from One Piece. Don’t really have anyone I’d put in that category from TAG... Fischler maybe but I might also be stalling on that wip because it’s a pov from another character I struggle writing.

The characters I don’t like. When I say I “don’t like” a character, I less mean “you’re a bad guy and you’re mean so I’m gonna sulk at you because you hurt my fav” aka Danzou from Naruto, Blackbeard from One Piece, or even the Hood from TAG because those sorts of characters can be some of the most fun to explore, I mean “I don’t think you’re well-written/designed and there’s nothing for me to get to grips with to write”. Biggest example for me at the moment is Kayo from TAG (I know some people love her and I’m sorry but I just can’t).

The characters that are too nice. The ones who sit there and just love everyone and everything and let people get away with murder and this really annoys me because I love those characters! I love the ones that sit there and go “you know what, that’s okay and I forgive you here, have a hug”. Those are the ones I’d actually like to meet irl! I just apparently can’t write them! And if you haven’t guessed by now, yes, I’m talking about Virgil from TAG. Could also include the likes of Hinata from Naruto or Orihime from Bleach in that, too.

Teenage boys. Teenagers in general, actually, but boys specifically because not only am I not a boy and was never a teenage boy, I also spent the vast majority of my teenage years at an all girls’ school and never actually... interacted with teenage boys! So I have no idea what goes on in their heads! (I ask my boyfriend and he just tells me teenage boys think with a different head and nope, not going there, thanks, boyfriend). I should also clarify this means normal teenage boys, not ones in anime who don’t act like teenagers because they’re busy being child soldiers, because yes I can write most of the Naruto boys just fine. This is mostly a long-winded way of me saying “hi, Alan from TAG”.

There are other random characters I struggle with for no good reason, but normally if I’m struggling with a character I can shove them in one of the above boxes.

22. Do you listen to anything while you write? Yes, yes I do! I don’t like silence, I don’t like working in silence, and sometimes music is the real kick to get my muses playing. I have a playlist labelled “Scott” but I’ll be honest, it’s basically my whump playlist. Songs include GET UP, special, Through the Ghost etc. by Shinedown, Do or Die, Over and Done, Danger Zone etc. by Amaranth, Sharp Edges, Heavy, One More Light etc. by Linkin Park, and Downfall of Eden, Jaded, Bleed and Scream etc. by Eclipse.

If I’m not listening to that, I’ve either hunted down Tir na Nog (Celtic Women) or something else of that genre - which I often use for Penguin and Shachi inspiration - or I’m in the depths of Eurovision because I’m trying to write something that isn’t whump or angst and that means upbeat party time!

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them! They get bizarre, but yes I do! One current one that floats around (that I actually chatted about to @janetm74 the other day) is an AU of my TAG fic Silent, where the whole thing ends up in a time travel AU with the adult boys (normally just Gordon, I’ll be honest, but it varies) somehow ending back in time and finding out about Scott’s struggles and taking it into their own hands to sort it out and basically just give Scott the help and support he needs to get through it.

Long Way From Home has these going on constantly, but at this point I don’t know how many of them are going to actually end up in the fic (just the other day I was thinking about something and went ‘oh that’d be neat’ then realised I can put that in) so I’m gonna keep a lid on those for now, just in case!

Although I’ll admit because this is not happening: my muse does like to go “what if they managed to somehow watch through a portal what happened in the TAG world and react” kinda like those old fics where people would write the characters literally sitting down and watching their own show, only it’s the TOS guys watching TAG. But no, that’s not happening. Anything they learn about TAG is gonna be from TAG!Scott (whether he’s willingly/knowingly telling them or not).

Tales From The Heart likewise gets a lot of those, but they normally end up as later chapters, especially if they’re a different pov for the same event! That’s the fun and games with writing lots of mini stories - I can expand on them later!

#ask me #fanfiction #not fic #pansexualakane

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gottlem · 4 years

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you’re my jewel (crygi)

a/n : here it is! the fluffy crygi songfic based off of jewel by adam melchor, (specifically this version). i fell in love with this song and i hope all of you do to, but without further ado, here’s the fic!

summary: crystal and gigi are very much in love with each other, they just can’t seem to find it in themselves to admit it. (5.2k)

I’m no good at swimming

I’ve got no use for diving

Even in a scuba suit

I’d still feel like i’m dying

The beach is hot; the sun beats heavily down onto the sand, burning the soles of the feet that walk upon it. That’s why Crystal and Gig take shelter in the cool water. It’s the perfect temperature - cold enough to cool them down, but just warm enough to stop them from freezing. Their belongings had been long forgotten, hidden underneath the shade of an umbrella and waiting for them to come back out the water. But they’re having too much fun to return to them anytime soon.

Coming to the beach, they had planned to take a dip in the sea, bringing extra towels and wearing their bathing suits underneath their beachwear. They held each other's hands as they ran into the cold water, giggling as it splashed onto them and rose further up their bodies until they were treading water. Luckily for them, the water is calm, small waves only coming across once in a while, but every single time one does, they grab onto each other for safety. They didn’t really have much of a reason to. They just like the contact.

Crystal takes the time to admire Gigi. She isn’t wearing much makeup - not wanting it to be ruined by the water but also not wanting to wear none at all (despite the fact that Crystal insisted she was beautiful either way, Gigi agreed). Her teal blue bikini is bright against her pale skin, and her blonde hair sticks to her back. Crystal thinks it’s stunning - she’s stunning. Breath-taking, actually.

It’s not a secret to either of them that they are both gay, but they had been friends before coming out to each other, and had been friends when Gigi had her first girlfriend, and her first breakup. Crystal still hasn’t gotten to that part in her life yet, she knows exactly why. She feels like her pining for the girl was useless, but she tries not to let it get in the way of anything they have. Even if they never became more than friends, they both know they are soulmates. They are just meant to be together. Crystal just hopes it could be in the way she wants.

She doesn’t realise how deep in thought she is until Gigi swims up to her and asks her what is wrong. She’s holding onto one of her arms under the water, and her face is so, so close. But not close enough. She shakes her head, smiles, and moves her free arm to splash some water at Gigi. Soon enough, the question is completely forgotten about, Gigi too busy trying to get Crystal back to keep poking at it. They’re back to having fun.

When their legs eventually become too tired, and they realise they’d probably consumed much more saltwater than what is safe, they run back to their umbrella and dry themselves off. It’s too hot to stay wrapped up in towels, so they sunbathe in bikinis, the salt from the water drying their skin, causing it to burn in the heat.

When Crystal turns her head to admire her friend once more, she notices how her nose has turned red with sunburn, and her freckles are becoming more and more pronounced. She wants to reach out and touch them, kiss them. Instead, she smiles, turns her head back and closes her eyes, unbeknownst to Gigi turning round a second later, and doing the exact same to her.

I don’t need to look for buried treasure on an island,

I have you.

Cause you’re my jewel.

As the sun becomes only slightly cooler, and the girls retreat back underneath the shade of the umbrella, Crystal stands up and starts to walk around the edges of the beach. Gigi lazily watches from afar, admiring her child-like curiosity at the rock pools, and the little animals she finds. She finds it cute. She always finds Crystal cute.

It’s still boiling hot out, and if Gigi wasn’t in a bikini on the beach, she would have found the heat uncomfortable, but with sand in between her toes and a thick layer of sunscreen (that had been applied by Crystal far too late to save her from burns), she is happily content. Blissful and calm as she watches Crystal pet dogs passing by and constantly stepping into the sea to cool off.

Gigi joins her every now and again, but secretly she prefers to admire from a distance. That way, she doesn’t have to worry about being at a loss for words, having to bite her tongue to stop herself from flirting - not like that had ever worked before. They have always been close friends, so much so people have automatically assumed they were together. Even strangers could see it, how infatuated they are with each other. They’re never found too far from one another, often coming as a package deal. If you invite Gigi somewhere, Crystal would undoubtedly tag along, and vice versa. They like it that way.

It wasn’t often that they would flirt, at first at least. When they first came out to each other, it was as if they were scared of any physical contact, but years later they would find it difficult to keep off the other. They both individually convince themselves they are too far into the ‘friend-zone’ to ever get out. Cuddles at sleepovers quickly turn into hand holding, which turns into almost constant contact. The flirty banter started as a joke, but each girl means every word they say. The other is just oblivious.

Gigi’s gaze shifts back onto the curly-haired girl, who is jogging towards her, bright smile on her face. She lands on the sand with a soft ‘oof’ and places a small rock in front of Gigi. Or maybe it was a big pebble? She doesn't quite know. “You ran here to show me a rock?” Crystal just smiles even bigger. “Isn’t it pretty? It matches your eyes! Keep it! Use it as decor or something”

Gigi chuckles softly at the girl, and agrees to keep it safe in her room, a blush rising in both their cheeks. Gigi thinks Crystal is prettier than any rock anyone could find. They leave the beach shortly after, deciding they’d visit again sometime soon. Gigi places the rock pebble on a desk in her room, it reminds her of saltwater and bright smiles every time she looks at it.

So call the search off,

Didn’t think I’d find ya.

Look for every message in a bottle

in caught lightning.

Movie nights are a common occurrence for the pair. They lie in Crystal’s bed, eyes fixated on the screen and bodies tangled up under a million blankets. It’s dark outside and the moon watches them bundled up next to each other. He wonders how many more times he would watch this same scene before they actually get together. It wouldn’t be much longer by now, surely.

Fairy lights emit a soft yellow glow onto the girls, Crystal is in love with the way they light up Gigi’s features, making her seem ethereal. Her lips curl up at the sides, a permanent smile taking residence on her face as Crystal pretends to be interested in the movie unfolding in front of them. She drinks her hot chocolate and offers a sip to Gigi, who takes the comically large mug with a smile. Crystal watches as she takes a drink and closes her eyes. She likes to look at Gigi, she likes to study her features and find new details to fall in love with. It’s too easy to fall in love with her.

For hours, they stay mostly still, wrapped up in eachother and only moving to share the hot chocolate they had made before starting the film - they both like it to be made the same way, so they had started to make one huge mug of it and share. It was nice. Crystal feels like it might be the closest thing she could get to kissing her, and she would take anything at this point.

Despite her unavoidable feelings for Gigi, Crystal reminds herself every day how lucky she is to have her friend in her life. Their time together is the perfect example of ‘right person, right time’. While becoming more than friends sounds more than ideal to Crystal, she’s happy to bite her tongue and reside in the friendzone, especially if it means she has Gigi around to cuddle, and look at, and talk to. She cuddles in closer, closing her eyes and abandoning the movie all together. Gigi leans into it.

I never have to go to far

Without feeling the light

that comes from you.

Cause you’re my jewel.

Gigi loves the movie nights she shares with Crystal. To her they’re just an excuse to get close to the girl, wrapped in blankets with a mug of steaming hot chocolate between them. She stares at the screen, playing whatever movie they found on netflix, pretending it doesn't take everything she had not to look at Crystal. She knew that if she does, if she gave in, she wouldn’t be able to take her eyes off of her.

It’s no secret that Gigi thinks Crystal is breathtaking. Her unconventional fashion sense makes her so much more endearing to Gigi. She is fascinated by the way she makes things look so beautiful, even if on a hanger they seem to look awful. But it isn't just her fashion that she’s attracted to. It’s the way her eyes light up when she’s with her. The curve of her jawline and her soft face. The way her hip juts out when she shifts the weight on her feet. Her smile. Her laugh.

Gigi feels like the luckiest girl in the world when she’s with Crystal. Sure, they aren't together, but she is content to just be with her, laugh with her, watch movies with her. She can trust her, which isn't something she would say about many. There are walls she has built up so high, and Crystal is the only one to have come through and broken them down.

Everyone knows that Crystal is the emotional one. She’s always the first to cry, the first to laugh, the first to storm out in anger. Gigi is good at hiding all that, often waiting until she’s in the confines, the safety, of her own room to let it out. She doesn’t need anyone to see her like that. Until, one day, Crystal had come over completely unannounced. Her room was dark - blinds drawn and lights off. Gigi sat, hugging her knees, in bed, earphones blasting out music and making her unaware that Crystal was even there. Somehow, Crystal had just known that something was wrong, to this day Gigi didn’t know what gave it away. Crystal wordlessly walked up to her friend and sat with her, putting a strong arm around her shoulders and pulling her in. Gigi had rested her head on the girl's shoulder and the pair sat there in silence until Gigi was okay again.

She smiles at the memory, despite it being quite a difficult one. Ever since then, Crystal has been the only one that Gigi lets see her cry, or in any sort of distress. It’s nice to have someone see that side of her - the side that isn't invincible. The side with insecurities and anxieties. Crystal never judges her, and always seems to be able to tell when she wants to talk about it and when she just wants a hug. It’s normally the latter.

At this thought, she feels Crystal tighten her grip around her waist and Gigi does the same. She watches her close her eyes and she smiles to herself as she watches the girl drift slowly into sleep. It doesn’t take her long to catch up.

Diamonds are forever,

But I’ve got something better.

Yes I do....

Gigi has never asked for anything for her birthday. She has always been more than happy to spend the day with a friend or two and just enjoy herself - to her, that's a present in itself. However, she doesn't complain when Crystal shows up at her door with a small box, a birthday card and a massive grin. She feels herself smile at her friend's presence. She holds out the box, no bigger than her palm, and tells Gigi to “Open it! Quick!” so she does.

It’s a ring. Small, and beautiful. She picks it up, slowly, delicately, to admire it. “Happy birthday babe!” Crystal beams, and Gigi wraps her in a bone-crushing hug. When they step back, Gigi takes another look at the ring, when she notices… a diamond.

“Crys, please tell me this is fake and you did not spend that much money on me oh my god” Crystal laughs, full.

“I love you but that is NOT real. I don’t have that kind of money to spend even if I wanted to. Though I wouldn’t mind if it was for you. It’s still pretty though, right? Do you like it?” It’s definitely not something Crystal would wear. She prefers jewelry that’s really in-your-face. But she knows what Gigi likes - a small ring would make her happy. One that was petite and pretty. Dainty, if you will.

“I love it” And Gigi does love it. She loves it so much that she never takes it off.

And all the precious metals

Are just roses without petals

Next to you…

Valentines day. Every single person's nightmare - unless you are Crystal or Gigi. For a few years now, they have vowed to be each other's valentine if they both happen to be single (and also that one year Gigi had a girlfriend, but kept Crystal as her ‘secret valentine’ anyway). Each year, it gives them both a little bit of hope. Hope that maybe they aren’t imagining the touches that last a little too long to be friendly, or the sometimes oddly serious tone of their ‘joke’ flirting.

Gigi shows up at Crystal’s door with a bouquet of flowers, and a promise to stay over for the night. It isn’t every year that one of them would buy a gift, so when they did, it’s always gratefully accepted. And Crystal loves the flowers. As soon as she lays eyes on them, Gigi watches her face light up as she takes them from her to place them on a coffee table and thanks her with a tight hug.

Crystal pots the flowers and takes them to her room, placing them on her windowsill and deciding in that moment that she will keep them alive for as long as possible. The girls celebrate valentine's day in each other’s arms, watching movies and eating snacks until they drift into sleep as Crystal’s new flowers watch over them.

Cause you’re my jewel

You’re my jewel.

There’s a certain aching that both girls feel when they wake the morning after and the spell of valentine’s day is lifted. They remind themselves that friends are all they’ll ever be. It’s starting to hurt.

As someone who feels every emotion with so much power, Crystal sometimes doesn’t know what to do about Gigi. Part of her wants to walk up to her and kiss her. Just to see if she feels the same. Another part of her wants to push her away, to try and stop the feeling altogether. However, not one part of her wants to continue the way things were. She doesn’t know how much longer she can keep up the facade of having strictly platonic feelings.

Sometimes she convinces herself that Gigi feels the same. This is what really does it for her, allowing herself to live in a fantasy world where they are together. Blissfully and mutually in love - this has been true for a while, it’s just neither girl is aware. Everyone around them can see it. Crystal finds herself reaching out to Jan often, to send streams of consciousness about herself and Gigi. Jan usually just tells her that if it’s meant to be, then it will be. It’s easy for her to say.

Gigi is usually such a pro at hiding her deepest, strongest feelings. But Crystal brings something out of her that she just doesn’t know what to do with. She always has. She wants so badly to push her feelings for the girl far, far away. They are just friends. Nothing more. Never more.

She daydreams about what could be if Crystal did feel the same. Sometimes she thinks about telling her, about how much better she would feel if she could just stop hiding. But telling Crystal about her feelings for her is a scarier thought than when she was thinking about coming out to her. It’s just so personal. Not that Gigi has ever had a problem with being personal with her, she is pretty much the only person she feels that comfortable around, which somehow makes the whole situation that much worse.

Her rants fall, seemingly, onto ears that just aren’t listening. She figures Jan has had enough of her constant complaining, but she just doesn’t know who else to talk to. She wonders if Crystal ever talks about her to her other friends. She wonders what she would be saying.

There’s a rooster

In the yard behind us,

Crowing at all hours of the day.

He must be blind but

One morning, they set an alarm so early they beat the sun. In the dark morning, the pair untangle themselves from each other and slowly leave their shared bed to make some coffee and set out on a mission they had planned before falling asleep the night before. The front door closes quietly behind them as they make their way to the hill that sits a five minute walk from Gigi’s home.

Clutching their still-hot coffees, they sit atop the hill (that was surprisingly easy to walk up, even in the morning) and cuddle close. For warmth. Obviously. The only sounds that surround them is the soft music from Gigi’s phone speaker and the birds around them. They sit in silence as they watch the sun rise, hands intertwined.

As the world gets covered in golden light, more and more wildlife wakes up and fills their eardrums with chirps and calls.

“God the birds are so loud” Gigi whispers, scared to break the tranquility of the moment. Crystal sighs, content.

“Yeah, but they sound pretty”

“Not as pretty as you though”

Crystal is too tired to formulate some witty response, so she lightly chuckles and rests her head deeper into the crook of Gigi’s neck so she doesn't see her smile.

He only has to get it right

Just once,

Like i got it right with you

Cause you’re my jewel.

The sun rises just enough to start warming them from the chill of the morning when Gigi straightens herself up and looks directly at Crystal. She can’t quite read her face, something that would always worry her. She was used to being able to read her like a book. So instead, Crystal watches as her friend stares her down, jaw clenching and unclenching, as if she’s willing it to just open.

“What is it?” Crystal asks, breathy and quiet, as she tucks some hair behind Gigi’s ear and follows the long strands past her shoulders. They lock eyes for a moment, Gigi smiles.

“I’m just happy to have you. Here. I don’t know why I’m getting all sentimental but shit, Crystal, I’m so lucky to have you in my life. It’s not often you find someone who you just click with, and can trust and just have a good time with. A lot of people don’t have that. I feel like we just… fit” She has to bite her tongue before she rambles more and admits more than she should. Crystal has glassy eyes.

“You can’t say things like that Geege, you’re gonna make me cry” She laughs at the way a tear rolls down her cheeks, and Gigi wipes it with her thumb. She thinks it’s just so utterly Crystal, and then a pair of arms are wrapped around her neck, pulling her in closer.

Crystal lets go, but keeps her head resting on her friends shoulders, as she idly plays with the blonde’s long hair. She combs it with her fingers; it’s soft and it smells like vanilla. Gigi feels the soft tugs at her scalp, and closes her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling. It’s calm, comforting. Her hand fiddles with her ring and she wants to open her mouth again to speak, to say more, but she doesn’t. She wonders if she ever will.

Diamonds are forever,

But i’ve got something better

Yes I do…

Crystal wakes up on her birthday filled with excitement. It takes her no longer than twenty minutes to get ready for the day (normally it would take that long just to get out of bed) and she waits impatiently for Gigi to arrive at her door. It doesn’t take very long for her to hear three knocks on her door. She runs to open it and is quickly enveloped in Gigi’s arms.

She lets her inside, and they sit close, facing each other, on the couch. Gigi beams as she pulls out a box from behind her, “Happy birthday Crys, I hope you like it” she has a tone to her voice that Crystal can’t quite read, but she doesn’t pay that much mind. Instead, she opens the box to reveal a necklace. It's big and bulky - when Gigi first walked past it she hated it, until she thought that it was something Crystal would wear and absolutely be able to pull off.

“After you got me that ring, I thought this could like, match? Plus’ I thought of you as soon as I saw it.” The necklace has a large fake diamond on, not too different than the smaller one currently being worn on Gigi’s finger.

Crystal just stares at it, a toothy grin on her face. She wraps Gigi in their second crushing hug of the day. It wouldn’t be their last either. She puts it on as soon as they let go, and tells her friend that she loves it.

All the precious metals

Are just roses without petals

Next to you…

Cause you’re my jewel

Autumn is Gigi Goode’s favourite season. The sun stays out, but the breeze begins to cool and the leaves begin to change colour into yellow, oranges, and browns. It’s a great time for fashion - cool enough to layer, but warm enough to avoid those big, bulky coats. Gigi decides it’s also a perfect season to have a picnic, so on a random weekend, she shoots the girl a text;

geege: hey !! if ur free today come over! i have a surprise :))

Crystal doesn’t reply, instead she shows up at Gigi’s doors not even twenty minutes later. She wears the necklace Gigi had given her and a bright smile. Gigi wishes she could just kiss her, just a peck to say hello. But she knows that would never happen, not really.

They drive to the park - it doesn’t take them long, but the journey is filled with songs and laughter. Crystal finds herself wishing it would never end, that she could just stay like this with Gigi forever, heads thrown back in laughter, cheeks tight from laughing, feeling light.

When Gigi pulls a picnic basket and a blanket out the back of the car, Crystal squeals in excitement.

“Geege! You didn’t say we were having a picnic! That’s so cute I love it!”

Gigi sets down the blanket on the soft grass and lays down on it with a soft huff, patting next to her for Crystal to join. She does, lies right next to her and intertwines their fingers. They lie like that for a while, in a comfortable silence. It wasn’t uncommon for them to just exist with each other, they didn’t have to say anything or do anything. Just being near each other had always been enough to make them happy.

Soon enough they sit themselves up, cross-legged on the soft blanket, and start picking at the snacks Gigi had brought with her. It wasn’t much, but she didn’t bring Crystal out here to eat, she did it so they could just have some time together, somewhere they haven’t been in a while.

At some point, Crystal wonders off, just like she had at the beach months ago, to pick at flowers. And just like she had at the beach, Gigi watches her, admires her as she inspects each plant, picking the ones she likes the looks of most. She runs back after a few minutes, one hand filled with roses. She sets them down as she sits next to Gigi, and tells them they’re for her. Gigi just smiles.

“I’ll keep them forever,” She has a wave of deja vu, thinking back to that day at the beach, “I still have that pebble you gave me in Summer you know”

Crystal takes Gigi’s hand in response and squeezes.

“Good.”

Emeralds and rubies,

They all mean nothing to me.

The only pearls that drew me

Were your eyes.

Exams are coming up soon, and so Crystal and Gigi somehow find themselves spending even more time with each other than usual. They sit in Crystal’s room, heads deep in textbooks, random stationary littered around the room. They don’t speak, other than asking for a hand with the work every now and again.

When they finally decide, a few hours later, that they can stop studying for the day, the sun has already set and Gigi decides its best to just stay over for the night. Crystal agrees, handing over some spare pyjamas and then going downstairs to make them a mug of hot chocolate while Gigi changes.

The sweats hang loosely on the smaller girls frame, and Crystal finds the sight both funny, endearing and disgustingly adorable. She feels her stomach flutter as she goes to change in the bathroom. When she returns, Gigi has already settled in bed and turned a movie on - something they’ve seen many times before. That means she wants to chat. Crystal joins her with a sigh.

“I feel like my brain is jelly after all that studying”

Gigi laughs softly, and they fall into an easy conversation about the usual nothing, but also everything. Crystal likes how they always seem to find something to talk about, the conversation never lulls unless they absolutely want it to, and when they do it’s a comfortable silence, filled with cuddles and sips of hot chocolate. They talk until after the movie finishes, not that they were paying attention.

It’s late at night when Gigi notices a familiar set of flowers on Crystal’s windowsill, and she feels a blush rise to her cheeks.

“Hey! You kept the bouquet I gave you for Valentine’s day!”

“Of course I did, I even added some of the roses from the picnic, I kept some for myself so we could both have some” And there’s just something about how sweet Crystal is talking that makes Gigi’s mind go blank. Her voice is laced with honey and all Gigi wants to do is taste it.

“I kept mine too. And that pebble. Everytime I see them it always makes my day a little bit better you know, it’s like you’re right there, smiling at me” Gigi is whispering, she doesn’t quite know why but she feels like being too loud would break the intimacy of the moment. Their bodies are intertwined just like they always are, and yet, for some reason, it still feels so new. It makes Gigi’s breath get caught in her throat. Crystal’s face is merely inches away.

“That’s cute” Crystal sounds so sincere, so serious, that Gigi feels the weight of the words on her whole body. They lock eyes. Neither of them look away. Suddenly, Gigi can’t quite take it anymore.

“I really want to kiss you right now” Her voice is so quiet, that if Crystal’s nose wasn’t already almost touching hers, she wouldn’t be able to hear.

Then, barely audible over hearts beating so loudly, coupled with anxious staggered breaths, comes a reply.

“Then kiss me.”

And when they looked right through me

It shook me and it moved me

Something in my heart then crystalized...

Kissing Gigi felt like coming home. It felt like something Crystal had done a million times before, and it felt new. It felt right. It felt so right to have Gigi’s hand on her neck, and her nose pressed lightly into her face.

Kissing Crystal was like heaven to Gigi. The kiss itself was certain. And suddenly, Gigi regretted not doing this sooner. She could have been kissing Crystal like this the whole time, and all she wants to do is go back in time so she can make a damn move sooner. But she can’t. She can’t, so she does what she can, which is put as much passion, as much love in this one kiss to try and make up for lost time.

They relax into it, lips moving against each other slowly, steadily. Crystal’s hands find their way through Gigi’s hair as Gigi’s tongue finds its way into Crystal’s mouth. They stay like that for a while. Half because they’re too scared to face the conversation that will follow, and half because they’ve waited so long and it just feels too good to stop.

Crystalized...

Crystal wakes up first that morning, with Gigi’s arm around her waist, and her head on Gigi’s chest. She smiles at the memories of the night before. She smiles at the first kiss, and smiles at the confession that followed. She smiles at the tears that she shed, and smiles at the fact that Gigi had laughed when she started to cry, but ended up crying herself anyway. She smiles at the second kiss. And the third. And she’s already lost count at what kiss they’re on. But she doesn’t care, because when Gigi wakes up, she can have more. From her girlfriend. Girlfriend… It didn’t even feel like much had changed. Maybe it hadn’t, because maybe it didn’t need to.

Diamonds are forever,

But I’ve got something better,

Yes I do…

Years later, and the girls are still just as blissfully in love with each other as they were the night they started dating. And today, they celebrate another milestone.

The wedding isn’t very grand, with only close friends and family in attendance, but they have a fun little party afterwards, everyone dances and gets happy drunk. The couple are just happy to be there, really. Happy to still be with each other. But they are even happier that Gigi’s ring, which she had worn right up to their wedding day, is finally replaced with another ring, only with a real diamond in.

All the precious metals

Are just roses without petals

Next to you…

Not long after the marriage, Crystal and Gigi finally open up their own business together. It isn’t huge, nor is it that extravagant, but they are proud of it nonetheless, proud of each other.

The small bell rings out through the shop to signify the door opening. Crystal and Gigi watch as the first customer walks into the shop. It’s Jan. And she’s looking for some flowers to get her new girlfriend.

You’re my jewel

You’re my jewel.

#gigi goode #crystal methyd #please tell me what u think !!!!#this is some tooth rotting fluff i am so sorry #literally no angst whatsoever #im so desperate for a relationship i write about other people being in love #lol i hope theres no typos its LATE but i wanted to post so #gigi x crystal #crygi #rpdr #rpdr12 #rpdr fanfiction

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miracle-sham · 4 years

Text

Hold Your Wake Softly, for the Dead Sleep Lightly.

| {MaribatMarch2020, Week 3, Day 17: Grave} |

| [Ao3 Link] | | [Masterlist Link] |

| Triggers/Warnings: Major Character Death, Temporary Character Death, Graveyards/Cemeteries, Mentions of Death, Explicit Language/Swearing, Blood and Minor Injuries. |

| It's been six months since she died, so Jason goes to visit her grave. Only sometimes things aren't quite as they seem, and dreams are merely reflections of reality. |

| Word Count: 1794 |

-<◊>-

| A/N: So this is probably going to be my last Maribat March ficlet. I've been super busy and I got ill again (which is why I've not responded to comments yet, sorry!), so I've barely been able to get any writing done, and most of the fics are turning out not great. This fic is the only one that turned out well and I'm happy with it. I've not really got else much to say, so uhh enjoy! |

| If you want to be tagged in future oneshots/fics, or a specific Au, then comment or send me a DM/ask! |

| Also side note, Don't Like? Don't Read. Also also, please do not criticise any of my writing. This was written for fun and receiving criticism, even in a compliment/criticism sandwich, is the exact opposite of fun. |

-<◊>-

Jason knows he's dreaming. But what strikes him as odd, is that he's dreaming. He's not dreamt since his dip in the Lazarus Pit. Weathered nightmares and night terrors, sure. But not the stuff of rainbows, sugar plums, and happiness, no. Although, this dream he's dreaming isn't exactly that either, so perhaps it shouldn't be that much of a surprise.

He can't quite tell where he is. The surroundings are completely unfamiliar. He's on a roof, that much is clear. But it's not a roof in Gotham, no. Jason knows the roofs of Gotham like he knows the back of his hand. If he had to guess, the roof looked European in style, maybe Gothic French/Parisian if he had to guess specifically. There are poles and fairy lights strung up around the roof, and a picnic blanket is laid out with a basket overflowing with sandwiches, pastries, and fresh fruit.

And as lovely as the scene is, the disconcerting part, is the phantasm sitting beside him. A phantasm in the guise of his lost love. Just sitting there, alive and breathing—with her eyes, so bright, twinkling in the low light—and her dazzling smile, the lovesick one he'd always catch her doing when she thought he wasn't looking.

Jason can almost imagine the warmth of her. But this is a dream, and she's nothing more than a phantasm. So there's no real warmth. It's just his imagination. Not that that knowledge does anything to ease the aching of his wretched and bleeding heart.

He's almost tempted to stay here. To indulge in this love-stricken reverie of a dream. But he can't. Not tonight. Not when tomorrow he'll wake with the dawn and trudge over to the cemetery and lay a bouquet of marigolds upon her grave.

It almost sickens him, to need to leave this place. He'd love nothing more than to hold her in his arms one last time. But she's not real.

Jason feels a need to wake up, for the sliver of peace in the hopes that he'll forget this torturous dream upon waking. It hurts. It hurts so much to be close to her only for her to be a phantasm.

No sooner does he think this, he feels the darkness of the dream ending pull at him. Tugging him away from the rooftop with her and tossing him into the swirling shadows of dreamless sleep.

-<◊>-

Except, he doesn't wake up in his bed from a dreamless sleep like he expected to. No, he finds himself in a bleak observatory with a giant window that has a butterfly design in it. The edges of the room are shadowed, as only the window and a circle in the centre of the room are illuminated with faded blue light.

There's a shimmer in the centre of the illuminated circle, and a young child kneeling on the floor flickers into view. No matter how much he tries to focus, Jason finds himself unable to tell what the child looks like. It's almost as though there's a magical glamour surrounding them that makes it impossible to see their true appearance.

Jason walks to the edge of the circle and stares at the child. They're holding two pieces of jewellery, one in each hand. In their left hand, is a pair of red and black spotted earrings and in their right hand, is a black and green ring.

Two strange small creatures float above the child's hands. The one floating over the ring, is a weird-looking purplish-black cat with green eyes. The one floating over the earrings, is an even weirder looking red and black spotted bug thing.

Jason squints then furrows his brow, the child and the creatures appear to not have noticed him yet. Yet.

“I want to make a wish.” The child says solemnly.

The bug creature looks pained at that statement. “There'll be consequences.”

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” The cat creature pipes up.

The child bites their lip. “I know and I don't care. I want to bring the previous Ladybug holder back to life.”

The bug creature starts to tear up. “Mar—” it pauses. “The previous holder has been dead for six months.”

A chill runs down Jason's back and his mouth becomes inexplicably dry. Fuck, he thinks weakly. They're talking about her. He drags a hand down his face and bitterly blinks back tears, feeling so fucking conflicted.

The child tilts their head to the side and closes their eyes for a minute. “I know. I still want to bring them back. Again, I don't care about the price. The previous holder shouldn't have died.”

The cat creature narrows its eyes at the child. “If you bring the previous holder back with the wish, it won't be an immediate revival. Whoever pays the price for the wish will spend the next six months slowly wasting away as the previous holder returns to life.”

Jason feels sick because as much as he misses her like a lost limb, he doesn't want to subject her to the trauma of coming back to life and digging herself out of her own grave, like he did.

The child hums. “Like a portable charger? Drain the power in one object to recharge the other object?”

Huffing, the cat creature rolls in its eyes. “That's one way of putting it.”

The child nods. “Do I get to choose who pays the price?”

“No, the person who pays the price must be of equal value to the previous holder. For example, you couldn't pay the price because you're too young and don't use a power to achieve a goal.” The bug creature explains, shaking its head.

The child frowns and puts the earrings and ring on. “Okay. Tikki Spots on. Tikki, Plagg, Unify.”

The following flash of bright light temporarily blinds Jason.

“Using the power of the Ladybug Miraculous of Creation and the Cat Miraculous of Destruction, I wish that...—”

The world fades to darkness and silence before Jason can hear the rest of the wish.

-<◊>-

It's the dawning of the wake, with its claggy skies above and claggier mud underfoot; rain splatters against the pavement in a constant solemn cadence. Rusted wrought iron railings are all that stands between him and his love.

Jason treads slowly, shoulders hunched, gaze averted. He's walked this path before. Too many times, the others would claim. He bites his lip and blinks back tears. He follows the path to the marble gravestone, her gravestone.

Falling to his knees upon the grave's soil, he lightly traces the stone's engravings with one finger, silently muttering along.

When he runs out of words to trace, he closes his eyes and leans his forehead against the stone. Digging his hands into the grass and soil, he can't help but let out a hollow sob.

The minutes ebb by as he slowly recomposes himself. The cold wet mud of the grave clings to him, both that and the rain chills him to the bone.

He sighs, then swallows thickly. “Hey, Mari. I know missed visiting you last week, I'm sorry. I got caught in a bit of a scuffle in our—uh night job.” He quickly glances around incase anyone's nearby, but on such a dreary day like this, there's not another soul in sight. “I attempted to bake your signature macaroons last night. They turned out fairly well but they're shit in comparison to how you get them to turn out.” He chuckles hollowly.

“Last night whilst out on the night job, I found a tiny blue kitten with the most piercing blue eyes ever. Kinda reminded me of you, so I kinda ended up adopting it. I think you both would get along like a house on fire if you met. I was going to bring her today, but well you can see what the weather's like. Don't really want to get the thing sick when it's like this.” Jason rambles idly, not really putting too much thought into what he's saying.

He huffs and pauses for a second, “Actually speaking about last night, I had the fucking weirdest of dreams. And it wasn't just a weird pit nightmare like it usually is—”

He's cut off as a swarm of black ladybirds converge around the cemetery. On autopilot, Jason stumbles to his feet and backs away from her grave, eyeing the swarm with calculative apprehension.

As he does that, the swarm sweep over her grave before dissipating into the sky.

Jason holds his breath, waiting to see what the ladybirds did.

A minute passes in silence, and just as he's about to step closer, a muffled and sickening scream emanates from beneath the grave. Fragments of last night's dream rise to the forefront of Jason's mind. “Fuck!”

He throws himself forwards and starts desperately digging into the mud with his hands. “Come on, come on, come on…” Each second passes as slow as molasses but eventually, the mud starts to gradually give way underneath him.

A grasping hand breaches the surface and starts frantically clawing at the ground. A wave of nausea hits Jason like a brick wall. He hesitates for a split second before fixating on digging up the mud around the hand. With each scoop of mud dug away, the hole around the hand starts to widen and widen until a second hand breaches the surface. With increased desperation, Jason continues to dig and dig and dig.

After another couple of minutes digging, the hole's big enough that Jason can see the coffin shards and ripped scraps of clothing among the mud. He grabs at the arms and pulls with everything he has but the resistance is nearly equal.

Gritting his teeth, he continues to pull until the resistance against him suddenly weakens and he stumbles back, dragging the cor—body of Marinette out of the grave.

Jason let's go of her after a second and drinks in the sight of her, alive and breathing. Under his breath, he whispers, “Mari…”

Frankly, she looks awful. Skin pallid, eyes bloodshot and glassy, freckles faded, hair dull, hands bloody. Her clothes are ripped, muddied, and bloodied. Earthworms, as well as other underground creepy crawlies, fall off her.

Her eyes manage to focus on him for a second but almost immediately after, her eyes roll back and she collapses, unconscious.

Jason rushes forwards and grabs her, to stop her from hitting the ground. Dazed, he fumbles for his phone and calls Bruce. “Marinette's alive.” He immediately blurts out, “She fucking dug herself out the fucking grave and she's unconscious and injured.” It takes all his willpower not to choke on his words.

“We'll ready the medbay. Tim will pick you, he'll be there in five.”

-<◊>-

| Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little oneshot! Comments, likes, and reblogs are much appreciated! |

| @maribat-march2020 | | @vixen-uchiha |

#Miraculous Ladybug #Maribat #ML x DC #DC x MLB #Jasonette #JasMari #MariJay #MaribatMarch2020 #MaribatMarch Week 3 #MaribatMarch Day 17 #MaribatMarch Grave #Hold Your Wake Softly for the Dead Sleep Lightly #HYWSftDSL #Sham's Posts #Sham's Writing #Sham's Fics

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haro-whumps · 4 years

Text

Box Boy Plurality: Reliable

CW: villain monologue, referenced dub/noncon, slavery, gag use, dehumanization, degradation, brainwashing, creepy + intimate whumper

Tag List: @thatsthewhump @whump-it @ashintheairlikesnow @fairybean101 @finder-of-rings @comfortforthepain @shameless-whumper @that-one-thespian @burtlederp @castielamigos-whump-side-blog @raigash @im-not-rare-im-rarr @spiffythespook @whumps-the-word @frnkieroismydaddy @whumpity--whump--whump @michelleswhumpyreblogs @jo-castle @newandfiguringitout @lumpofwhump @infested-with-bloodv2

Masterlist

02’s knees hurt very, very badly, but his back hurt worse. The dining room floor was unforgiving against the bruising on his knees, and having to hold still, muscles in his back taut despite how much they ached, served as a reminder to 02 of what his new owner had done. Had just finished doing, even though they were now acting like nothing had even happened. They sat at the table, the other pet, Soren, cozied up to their side, claiming most of their attention, the two of them eating something that smelled so good it made 02’s stomach burn and twist and cramp. He was, reluctantly, grateful, to Soren.

He’d saved him. He was continuing to save him, by draping himself so artfully over their shared owner, by feeding them careful bites and shifting attractively, every so often, just often enough to keep himself interesting.

02’s back was grateful, even if his brain had a hard time getting there. He was--still pissed. The pain didn’t help with the anger, any. The guilt didn’t temper the anger, either, knowing that he’d needed rescued, that he’d forced Soren into a position where he had to service their master like some television whore.

Fuck. Fuck! He hated this. Hated the pain. Hated how the floor kept going in and out of focus, his earlier exhaustion laughable compared to this. Hated knowing that the moment Soren stopped being captivating and pretty and sweet, their owner would turn back on 02 and the pain would start again. What would they do to him? Starvation seemed on the menu (ha), they were in a good position to just lift up their foot and stomp down on 02’s aching back, or maybe they’d just kick him in the side while they got up. They had some sort of fucking god complex, it could be that they wanted him to know just how far below them he was.

Exalted (and what the fuck? The arrogance!) murmured something into Soren’s ear, and Soren got up. 02 twitched, knowing that whatever was about to happen, it would start (resume) now, and he wouldn’t be able to stop it. And Soren cocksucking wouldn’t work twice. He felt his breath picking up.

“There, 02, see?” Exalted purred oh so fucking smugly from where they sat. “You kept your ugly little mouth shut, and you waited until Soren was done just like you’d been told, and now you get rewarded for your troubles. See how much nicer things are when you obey?” Their tone was saccharine, syrup-sweet, and 02’s teeth grit. Yeah right.

Except Soren set a plate down in front of 02, and he immediately began drooling, sealing his lips shut and swallowing hard. A trick? 02 glanced at his new owner (it made him woozy), waiting for the punchline.

Exalted grinned. “You behave so well for someone with such a bad attitude. Good boy, 02, you may eat now.”

02 lifted his shaking hand and Exalted tutted at him, making him flinch. “Did I say you could use your hands?”

Right. Right. Well, okay, not the worst thing he’d ever been forced to do; and this food was much more enticing. He bent down further (ouch) and bit into it like a dog with its foodbowl. He hated it. But it tasted so good, and he was hungry, and he needed the energy, and 02 didn’t know when his next meal would be. Mike hadn’t fed him much, but there was a routine, and he could carry on knowing Mike would simply beat him when he felt like it, nothing else. But Exalted, 02 gathered, was significantly more methodical. Much more like the Processors at the training facility. And with the Processors, the pain had never stopped.

His chin and nose and cheeks were messy, no precision when he ate like this. He could hear Exalted murmuring to Soren, and his returning, hesitant, “Yes Exalted”s and “I understand, Exalted”s. Was 02 just an example for Soren? A “Don’t act up or I’ll treat you like shit, too” before he started getting too out of line?

02 licked the plate clean, then ran his tongue along his mouth, chin, nose, everywhere he could stretch his tongue to reach. He lifted himself back up slowly, knees hurting, wondering what he should say, and if he even gave a fuck about what he should say. Probably something humiliating and grovelling like ‘thank you’ or some shit. Gee willickers Exalted, thanks for feeding me! Thanks for showing off the fact that you control every aspect of my life and not being a total and complete demon about it!

The hand in his hair made him flinch, his back searing with the spasm, moisture in the back of his throat getting sucked down the wrong way and choking him before he coughed. The pain came now, right?

“Easy, boy,” Exalted murmured, toying with 02’s hair as he tried to get his lungs working again. “So jumpy.”

“I wonder fucking why!” 02 shouted, and was immediately struck backside the head for his words. Dizzily, he swayed down close to the floor, back protesting the movement, knees stinging at the shifting pressure.

“Such a filthy mouth. But then again, you’re a filthy person.” Exalted stood up, Soren with them, and 02 bit down angry, frightened tears, his fatigue and the pain leaving him vulnerable to the traitorous habits of his own body. “We’ll need to fix all of that, and fortunately one of those will be remedied quicker than the other. Back down to the basement, come pet.”

02 tried to stand. He genuinely did. He made three attempts before Exalted simply ordered, “Crawl.”

It was humiliating. It was painful. 02 couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be a mercy or not, and he hated that. He scooted down the stairs butt first like a goddamn toddler, embarrassed and exhausted, and bit back relieved tears when he finally got to the basement bathroom and saw thin wafts of steam coming from the shower Exalted had turned on. Not burning, not freezing.

“Soap and shampoo thoroughly,” Exalted ordered, Soren pressed up to their side with their arm around his waist, looking like a doll, an angel, some sort of forest deity all dressed in draping cream and white and gold. Worried. Pitying. “More than once, if you need to.”

02 bit down hard enough his teeth ground together. ‘Yes Exalted’ was the right answer, but he really wanted to tell them to fuck off again.

But he was so tired.

Ultimately, they didn’t wait for a response, simply strode past him with Soren trailing after them, sending 02 a final, nervous glance before shutting the door behind him.

The warm water felt so good. So stupidly, mercifully good. The Processors hadn’t let him have this; a gift for pets that kept their mouths shut. Mike hadn’t cared, but if 02 took too long he’d be punished for wasting hot water.

Exalted was wealthy, with a water heater the size of a tank in their utility room, and had specifically told 02 to wash twice.

He almost fell asleep, lying in the tub, warm water seeping into his skin and aching joints, dirt and blood sifting down, over, past him and into the drain. He let the spray lull him until he finally felt strong enough to stand, albeit on shaking legs, and he set to actually cleaning himself.

He guessed the fact that he’d been given hair-growth shampoo and conditioner made sense, given Soren and Exalted’s hair. Still weird though. He wondered, as he worked it to a lather, if he’d be able to read things much, now. Mike had let him. Made him, really, doing that stupid fucking job for him. Would Exalted care?

He’d keep his mouth shut about it until Exalted brought it up. And if Exalted didn’t bring it up, it was their own damn fault if they didn’t want him to. He’d read as much as he fucking wanted.

He didn’t know how much later it was when he finally felt, really and truly, all the way clean. He also didn’t give a rat’s ass. He was warm and clean and it felt nice, and everything out that door was going to be painful. He took his time drying off, and when he limped out the door he stumbled backwards, then down onto his ass. Exalted was right there, walking towards him with terrifying timing.

“Come on then, mutt,” Exalted said, staring down their nose, and there was Soren, right on their heels. “Put these on,” they said, tossing a pair of dark orange sweatpants at him. “Into your box.”

Soren watched Ren lock 02’s box anxiously. He’d never seen this side of Ren before. He honestly hadn’t believed they could be like this. When they turned back to him he stared up at their eyes anxiously, one hand on his collar and the other on his wrist.

“Easy, pet,” Ren shushed, caressing his cheek. He leaned into it, needing their comfort so badly. Everything with 02 was scary and new and unfamiliar but he knew this, knew the gentle touch of their palm and the way they soothed him down from his worries. “Just the bed for you. I won’t put you in a box, you’re not bad for me, easy Soren, you’re fine.”

Soren bit his lip.

“Oh, pet, what is it? What do you want to say?”

“Just, um. At my facility,” Soren started softly, eyes down, “they kennel trained us. It--It wouldn’t be a punishment for me, Exalted. I, like my box. It’s comforting.”

Ren was quiet a moment, and Soren risked a glance up. They seemed surprised. Then they smiled, and kissed Soren, and he kissed back because he needed this touch.

“What a good boy you are,” Ren praised, warming Soren. “Such a good boy for telling me. I had no idea you liked your box.”

“I, I like the bed too, Exalted,” Soren said eagerly. “I just, it wouldn’t be a punishment for me, I guess it would kind of be like a rare treat?” Soren hoped he was making sense.

“I understand.” Soren relaxed. “You’re so good for saying so. Would you like to sleep in it tonight? Maybe keep 02 company?”

Soren bit his lip and nodded. That sounded wonderful. A chance to talk, and the familiar safety of his box while everything else was being chaotic and confusing and scary. He let Ren lead him over and helped them move 02’s box to the ground, wincing a little when he heard 02 squeak, and then climbed into his own box, feeling his body settle the moment he laid down.

“Goodnight, my precious bird,” Ren said, muffled through the wood, and Soren smiled into the pitch blackness.

“Sleep well, Honored One.”

It wasn’t long after Ren left that 02 spoke. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Oh, I wasn’t lying. I really was kennel trained,” Soren assured, subtly shifting and feeling the close walls of his box, taking comfort in how little he could move. It was like being in a blanket burrito, only sorta better and very dark. “But we don’t have to talk; I know you’re tired.”

“I meant--everything. The cocksucking and for during dinner. Thank you, I guess, you didn’t have to, and I, fuck, appreciate it?”

Soren frowned, trying to think of what happened during dinner. Mostly he’d just desperately tried to ignore 02 and act like everything was normal, which had worked until they finished eating, and then he had to go get a plate for 02 and Ren had ignored him in favor of staring at 02, which they’d never done before! He touched his collar, reminding himself that this jealousy was absurd and dumb. Not to mention, Ren was being very harsh on 02, so Soren didn’t even have anything to be jealous of! More than anything, he should be worried about 02 (and he was, oh he was.)

“You’re welcome,” he said softly.

“Must be hard,” 02 said, “having a fucking freakshow like that for an owner.”

Soren felt rage flare up, replacing his confusion and anxiety. “Don’t call them that!” he snapped. “Ren is wonderful and treats me very well; you’re just a loudmouth!” That was--mean. That was rude, and Soren shouldn’t have said that. “You’ll see,” he tacked on, quieter, guilty, “they’re very kind. They’ll be kind to you, too, once you stop trying to fight them.”

“Shit, you actually believe that.”

Soren sighed and rolled onto his side, away from 02. “Of course I do. This is the first time I’ve ever seen them hurt anyone.” Soren hugged his arms and let the smothering blackness comfort him. “You’ll see. They’re reliable; soon enough you’ll believe them too.”

“I doubt it,” 02 said, quieter as well, now. “But thanks.”

Soren fell asleep with surprising ease. Given everything.

Ren listened to their pets talk, and spent a mild moment attempting to determine if Soren fell asleep first or not. Unable to see either of them, it was a coin toss, and no need to imagine up reasons to punish their new plaything when there would be plenty of real, solid reasons to do so, soon.

They pulled Soren from his box in the morning and kissed him, slow and sweet and much longer than they normally would. “Go shower and change, pet. You smell like old newspaper.”

Soren giggled with a “yes Exalted” before he rushed off, only glancing back once with a worried lip and look as Ren flipped the hatch on 02’s box. They helped him onto his feet, admiring the bruises they’d left, and turned his head this way and that, titillated by the glower he gave them.

“Since Soren is busy and I need to get dressed for the day, why don’t you go make breakfast for us, mm mutt?”

They watched his internal struggle, the little gears of his maggot brain churning slowly, but only briefly this time. Turned out he wasn’t interested in getting a repeat of last night this early in the morning. Ren went back up to their room, getting dressed and doing their hair and makeup just so before popping by Soren’s room and helping him with his jewelry. They entered the kitchen together, and 02 looked at Ren apprehensively.

They ate, they phoned their work to let them know that they’d be taking the day off, they let Soren feed 02, and then they took both their pets into the living room and pulled out one of the two nifty little tools they’d stowed in their skirt pocket, but kept it hidden in their palm just yet.

“Now, 02,” Ren started, seated on the couch with Soren leaning preciously against their side, 02 kneeling at their feet, “I’m going to teach you a lesson; it is up to you whether you would like help being good during this lesson.” Ren stretched the gag between their hands, like they were presenting him with a fine necklace and balancing it on their fingers for maximum appeal.

He was familiar with this tool. He very, very evidently hated it. His glare was nothing shy of delectable, and oh, they’d drool if it wasn’t unseemly. They let the moment drag out, staring with a faintly pleasant expression at the storming boy, Soren a warmth at their side. 02 said nothing, did nothing, but if he was playing the waiting game, his knees would ache long before Ren got bored.

Slowly, with clear evidence that it caused an immense blow to his stubborn pride, loathing radiating from him like a fire on a cold night, 02 lifted up on his knees, leaned forward, opened his mouth, and bit down on the center of the gag.

“Good boy,” Ren praised immediately, caressing his face as they fastened the straps and delighting in how he couldn’t stop himself from shivering at the kind touch, even as they gagged him. “See? You’re learning already.”

They pushed his shoulder gently and he sank back down onto his knees, and they wrapped an arm around Soren, tucking him into their side sweetly. “Now, 02. You are stubborn and you are vile, but those are only temporary afflictions, and you will be cured of them. I give you a week, maybe a week and a half before I have cleaned you of these deformities,” 02 made an offended noise, but given that he couldn’t talk, Ren kept going, “Maybe two if you’re really stubborn, and I have every intention of detailing to you, right now, exactly how that will happen.

“You see, 02, there are four factors to making a good slave: fear, obedience, stress, and loyalty.

“Fear is generated by pain, yes, but far more than that, fear is generated by inconsistency. A person can go through immense pain, but if that pain is consistent, reliably given, and tracked onto preconceived patterns, that person will adjust. Their mind will adapt, and the fear will simmer to a low boil, regardless of the intensity of pain. But place someone in a situation where nothing is patterned, nothing is sensible, and there is no consistency? They will be afraid no matter the pain or lack thereof. This is why Soren has been so frightened, since your arrival.” They smiled at Soren, nudging his chin up with their forefinger and softening at his nervous returning smile.

“You being here has thrown a wrench in our routine, and I’m behaving differently than he’s seen before. But worry not,” Ren said, their voice going low and soft as they spoke to Soren specifically, petting his hair out of his face, “You’ll adjust soon, my sweet.”

They turned their attention back to 02, who seemed befuddled, angry, frightened, but still attentive. Good. “Fear is what you currently have the most of. You are terrified of me, and it warps itself into anger, which is why you lash out the way you do.” Another noise of protest, but still, Ren didn’t care. “You are in a new environment, I am nothing like anyone or anything you have experienced before, you don’t know what to expect. Soon, you will. You will always have the memories of the pain that I can and will give you, so your fear will never truly disappear, but fear is best kept at a moderate level, middling of the four.

“Obedience is generated by fear and respect. This is why you behave physically, even though you mouth off. You do not respect me yet, because you are used to an owner who does not command respect. You only fear me, fear the Processors that you know you can be sent back to anytime your owner’s dissatisfaction creeps too high.” Both pets tensed at that, and Ren felt a giddy little shiver at it. “Obedience should be kept the highest of the four traits, but through a combination of moderate fear and high respect. It is obedience that lowers pain, causing a decrease in fear and stress, so there’s a positive cycle there.

“You are very obedient, which is good. It’ll keep you conscious long enough to learn how to keep your mouth shut. But over the next week or so, you will incrementally begin to take after Soren, who obeys me because he adores me, first and foremost, with the pain of the Processors a long-distant memory that barely factors anymore.

“Stress is generated by inconsistency, yes, but primarily it is generated by pain. Your body’s threshold can be expanded, but only by so much. People who are stressed make more mistakes, suffer from a higher number of physical afflictions that are more intense than in others, and their bodies do not process food or rest properly, and can directly increase acting out. Stress should be kept lowest of the four, as its presence has no particular benefits but many drawbacks.

“Stress and fear also directly impact each other, which one might assume since they are caused by the same factors. A rise in fear will be inevitably followed by stress, and an increase of stress will naturally be accompanied by heightened fear. However, stress is significantly easier to keep low, since pain only needs to happen with disobedience, but there will always be some inconsistencies in life, due to the fact that a lack of variety is terribly understimulating.

“Loyalty is generated through trust. Trust is generated by consistency and kindness, so we are once again presented with positive cycles. Loyalty should be kept moderately-high, not as important as obedience, but far more important than fear. You are still too new to understand that I am reliable, that I am trustworthy, but it is when I get this fact through your thick little skull that everything will fall into place for you.”

“In the coming days, I will hurt you, but it will be to fix you. I will hurt you when you disobey, every time you disobey, and only when you disobey. You will adjust, adapt, quicker than you believe yourself capable, than your fear currently allows you to believe. You will settle, and with the kindness that comes due to your newfound obedience you will feel your stress lessen and your opinion of me rise, leading to respect, trust, loyalty, and continued obedience.”

Ren gripped 02 by the chin with their free hand, making sure he was paying extra attention to this part. “And every time a change happens inside you, every step forward you make, every ounce of progress, you will remember this lesson, and you will know that I am right.”

They leaned back with satisfaction. “I only want a plaything, 02.” They smiled at him. “This doesn’t have to hurt.”

But it would.

#bbu #whump #box boy #villain monologue #slavery #slave whump #gag use #referenced noncon #dehumanization #brainwashing #creepy whumper #intimate whumper #codependent whumpee #multiple whumpees #ren #soren #02 #mine #writing

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bbq-hawks-wings · 5 years

Note

I want to express an unpopular opinion. I hope for your understanding, because such things don't like to listen. Why does everyone think that Hawks is a bird? I couldn' fit my logical arguments into the askbox :( (about how he sits on a pole "like a bird", supposedly likes jewelry and so on). Even his quirk is called Fierce Wings, not a Hawk, not a Red Bird. Do you remember the names of the quirks of Hound Dog and Tsuyu-chan? We haven't evidence to believe that Hawks is behaves like a bird.

I do believe very much he’s a bird, and if you would let me friend, I would love to try and prove it to you because I think the evidence is overwhelming. I’ll make a TL;DR at the end but I’d really like to take the opportunity to perhaps teach others at least one method for literary analysis since it can be a really dry and boring subject to learn in school but is SO useful not only for getting good grades but getting into colleges as well as interpreting both entertainment and genuinely important information like the news, history, laws, and scientific papers. Using fiction - especially such a rich, engaging one like HeroAca - is a great way to try it out without the pressure of a grade. I don’t have the qualifications to teach in any formal capacity, but as a “peer” tutor I hope I can be helpful.

I’m going to put everything under the cut from here because this is going to get LONG, but I promise the TL;DR at the end will be very easy to read. If you liked this sort of unofficial tutorial please let me know. I’d love to help make “academic” skills like this more accessible for those who might benefit from it and enjoy it, but it doesn’t make sense to put in all that effort moving forward if I’m garbage at it.

Before we get too into things, I want to lay out a few notes to keep in mind as we go.

I will only be using the official translations from Viz’s Shonen Jump website when available. Fan translations are more than close enough to casually enjoy and follow the story, but professional translators are paid to know and get various nuances correct and some of the trickier cultural background behind certain phrases (for example, the phrase “where the rubber meets the road” might make zero sense in a foreign language if translated literally, so an equal cultural phrase should be used instead) that give more exact information. Rarely is this too important, but sometimes it helps, plus it supports the source material.

If you’ve followed my blog for a while you might know I’m very fond of doing this kind of thing in my spare time and that I’m a huge fan of YouTube channels like Game/Film Theory, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Extra Credits, and Wisecrack that do this kind of thing with popular media as well. If you like this sort of content, may I encourage you to check them out after this to see how else you can apply these kinds of analytical skills to things that aren’t homework.

My writing style tends to meander, but I do my best to cut out the fat and only include relevant information so even though there’s a lot of information here, please know that I’m trying to be thorough and explain things to the best of my ability. If I seem to go off on a tangent, I’m trying to set up or contextualize information to explain why it’s relevant and then come back to the point. In other words, please be patient and bear with me as I go.

Now, to start, I want to explain at least my method for analyzing a text/piece of media. There is a set order and number of steps to take, and it’s as follows:

Read the material all the way through.

Come up with a hypothesis about something you’ve noticed when reading it. (In this case, it’s “Is Hawks actually supposed to be a bird?”)

Collect as much relevant information as possible and test the evidence to see if it supports the hypothesis we’ve made.

Step back and look at everything again with those points in mind.

Determine if we were right or wrong with the evidence we have.

If we were wrong, go back to step 3 to figure out what fell apart and see if we need to go back to step 2.

If that sequence sounds familiar it’s because it’s the scientific method! Aha, didn’t think we’d be pulling science into all this, did you? Don’t worry, we won’t be putting numbers or formulas anywhere near this discussion - the scientific method is just a way we can observe something and test if what we thought about it is actually true; and it applies to almost everything we as humans can observe - from the laws of the universe, to arts and crafts, to philosophy and religion, and so on! When you think about it that way, whole new possibilities can open up for you when it comes to understanding how the world works.

So with that set let’s (finally) begin!

Steps 1 and 2 are already done. We’ve read the manga and want to prove that Hawks is a bird. (We’re going to try and prove he IS a bird because in the context of the series there’s a lot that *isn’t* a bird and less stuff that *is* which will make our job easier.) So now, we’re onto:

Step 3 - collect data and see what conclusions we can get just from our evidence.

Now, to pause again (I know, bear with me!) there’s a few different kinds of information and considerations we have to keep in mind as we collect. There are four kinds of information that are important to know about in order to determine if it’s good data that will help us with the testing phase in Step 4. The kinds of information to keep in mind are:

Explicit information - this is information that is directly spelled out for us. For example, Hawks says, “I like my coffee sweet.” and his character sheet says “Hawk’s favorite food is chicken.” That’s all there is to it, and it’s pretty hard to argue with. This is the easiest type of info to find.

Implicit information - this is info that isn’t directly spelled out but is noticeable either in the background or as actions, patterns, or behaviors that can be observed. For example, Hawks has mentioned in at least three very different places his concerns over people getting hurt while he tries to get in with the League:

Chapter 191 when confronting Dabi about the Nomu he says, “You said you’d release it in the factory on the coast, not in the middle of the damn city!”

Chapter 191 again in a flashback with the Hero Commission he asks, “What about the people who might be hurt while I’m infiltrating the League?”

Chapter 240 when discovering how much influence and power the League has gained, “If someone had taken down the League sooner, all those good citizens wouldn’t have had to die!”

Hawks never says in so many words, “I never want innocent people to get hurt under any circumstances!” but the pattern of behavior and concern is consistent enough to form a pattern and clue us in that this is a key part of his character to keep in mind.

Peripheral information - this is information that isn’t directly to do with Hawks or maybe even the series as a whole but is still relevant to keep in mind for his character and the questions we’re asking. This may include extra content that isn’t the “series” proper, but is still an official source like interviews with Horikoshi, etc. but it can go even further. For example, while we try to prove that he’s a bird, we should have some knowledge about what makes a bird a bird, some specific and notable birdlike habits/behaviors/features, etc. This is just to show how wide-ranging we need to cast our informational net.

Contextual information - this will be important when we get to Step 4, but it’s good to keep in mind now. This is when we compare evidence against the broader scope of the series and consider the circumstances under which we find the information. For example, if I told you, “Harry kicked a dog.” you might think “What a jerk! What decent person kicks a dog?”; but if I said, “Harry kicked a dog while trying to keep it from biting his kid.” suddenly it re-frames the story. “Is the kid ok? Why was that dog attacking? Harry put himself in danger to keep his kid safe - what a great dad!”

I’ll go chronologically to make it easier to follow my evidence as I gather and give references as to where I found that information. I’ll go through the manga first, and then any peripheral sources that are either direct informational companions to the series (like character books or bonus character information sheets) and interviews with Horikoshi. Please note the categories these details fall into may vary based on opinion/interpretation, but I did my best to list them out for reference.

Chapter 185 - Explicit Type: Feathered wings - regardless of the specifics of his quirk it’s undeniable his wings are made up of feathers which is a distinctly birdlike quality. There are many mythical creatures and even dinosaurs that also have feathered wings, but this is our first big piece of evidence.

Chapter 186 - Peripheral Type: Large appetite - birds have an incredibly fast metabolism because flying takes so much energy. They’re constantly eating. Plenty of young men are big eaters, but it was specifically pointed out and works towards our hypothesis so we’ll keep it in our back pocket for now.

Chapter 186 - Implicit/Peripheral Type: Fantastic vision - Hawks senses the Nomu coming before the audience even is able to make out what’s headed their way. It could be implied his wings caught it first, which might be the case, but he looks directly at the Nomu and brings Endeavor’s attention to it. Birds have fantastic long-range vision, especially birds of prey that mainly swoop in from high in the air to ambush highly perceptive prey. Also good to add to the pile.

Chapter 192 + Volume 20 Cover - Implicit/Peripheral type: Wears jewelry and bright colors - birds are well documented to be drawn to bright colors and are known for decorating their nests with trinkets. Scientists actually have to be careful when tagging birds with tracking bracelets because they can accidentally make him VASTLY more popular with the ladies by giving him a brightly colored band to the point they can’t resist him! Male birds are also known for having bright, colorful displays for attracting and wooing mates. While Hawks isn’t the only male character to wear jewelry in the series, he’s the only one (to my recollection) that wears as MUCH jewelry so often both during and outside of work. It may not be obvious, but the illustration on Volume 20 is actually an advertisement for his line of (presumably) luxury jewelry. In other words, Hawks on some level is synonymous with style and flair to the point he can make money by selling jewelry with his name on it.

Chapter 20 Volume Cover - Explicit Type: Hawk emblem on the watch face - If the name “Hawks” didn’t give it away, he’s very clearly trying to align himself with more avian qualities if his merch has bird motifs. In other words Hawk = “Hero Hawks” and “Hero Hawks” = bird.

Chapter 192, 244, clear file illustration - Peripheral Type: birdlike posture. Chapter 244 isn’t quite released yet on the official site as of writing this, but when Hawks swoops in and beats the kids to the punch apprehending the criminals trying to subdue Endeavor, his hands are clenched in a very talon-like manner similar to a swooping eagle. When walking with Endeavor in 192, he holds his resting hand in a similar fashion. On the clear file illustration he’s not only perched on his tippy toes in a pose that has been famously called “owling” (remember that trend/meme, y’all?) but his wings are slightly outstretched to catch the breeze to keep from falling over which a lot of birds can be seen doing when they don’t have great purchase on a surface in a place that’s a little windy. The fact that he seems to gravitate to high places like birds are often seen doing might also be a noteworthy indication.

Extra sources:

Hawks Shifuku: Horikoshi describes Hawks as a “bird person” and says that his initial design was based off of Takahiro from his old manga.

Takahiro’s design:

Current character design: The banner image on my blog was commissioned from a friend of mine who doesn’t follow the series. When I showed her reference images of Hawks, you know what she said? “Oh! His hair is feathers!” Even his eyebrows have that fluffy/scruffy texture to them that his hair has. The markings on his eyes can also be seen on him as a young child in Chapter 191 which means it isn’t makeup meant to tie in a theme or look. He has those dark, pointed eye markings like many birds do. So on some genetic level he resembles a bird.

Step 4: Testing our hypothesis with the gathered evidence.

There’s already a lot of compelling evidence that already closely aligns him to birds which is promising. However, to really prove our point we should try to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt he is a bird. To do that this time around I’m going to see how the series treats people with animal-based quirks and see if it’s consistent with the way Hawks is portrayed.

You bring up Hound Dog and Tsuyu, and they’re fantastic examples. Let’s start with Hound.

He’s pretty straight forward - he’s like a dog. He has a dog face, has dog-like tendencies, and dog-like abilities. Superpower: dog.

And in Tsuyu’s case - quirk: frog, just frog. She’s stated explicitly to have frog-like features, frog-like tendencies, have frog-like abilities, and even comes from a “froggy family.”

So with these two very explicitly animal-like characters the common theme seems to be “If they’re considered to be like a specific animal, they have to physically resemble that animal, act like that animal at times, and have abilities like that animal.” Let’s see if another animal-quirk character matches up and then put Hawks to the test.

Spinner’s quirk is Gecko. Based on our criteria, is he a gecko?

Does he look like a gecko, even vaguely?

Yes, he’s covered head to toe in scales, and his face is very lizard-like.

Does he occasionally act like a gecko?

Unclear. We haven’t really seen any evidence of this, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t. For the sake of our argument, we’ll just say no and move on.

Does he have gecko-like abilities?

Yes! Though most of his abilities are limited to things like being able to stick to walls, it’s still gecko-like in origin and qualifies.

Spinner hits clearly hits ⅔ criteria and our standards seem pretty consistent, so let’s see how Hawks stands up.

Does he look like a bird?

Not all of his features may explicitly scream “avian” at first, but upon closer observation and with his clear previous inspiration this is a resounding yes.

Does he act like a bird?

Many of the mannerisms and behaviors he displays can just be chalked up to him being a little eccentric, but with the sheer number of them that also parallel birds in some way this is also a pretty convincing yes.

Does he have bird-like abilities?

While most of the emphasis is on his wings and what they can do, it does seem that he not only possesses things like heightened senses which could be attributed to avian abilities but he also very much possess high intelligence and incredibly fast reaction times which birds are also known for.

Even if we only gave Hawks a “maybe/half a point” for those last two, he still meets the 2⁄3 that Spinner did. So we have another question to ask: Does a character have to have an explicitly named “animal” quirk to be considered to be/resemble a specific animal? Let’s look at Ojirou and Tokoyami for reference.

Ojirou’s quirk is just “tail,” but he’s been described by his peers and classmates as a monkey and does seem to share some more monkey-like features. It isn’t lumped in with his quirk because the only notable monkey-like quality he possesses is a tail. He doesn’t have fangs or an opposable toe - he just has a tail. For quirk classification as far as hero work goes, that’s the only important thing to note.

Tokoyami, on the other hand has an entire literal bird head, but nothing else. He has a beak, feathers, and even in illustrations of him as a baby he had fluffier feathers on his head. Even with only those details, he just screams “bird!” However, his quirk is classified as “Dark Shadow” because that’s what sets him apart for hero work.

Back at Hawks we see his quirk classified as “fierce wings” but like Ojirou and especially like Tokoyami, the emphasis on his wings is what sets his abilities as a hero apart. Otherwise, he’s just a guy who looks and acts a LOT like a bird.

But astute observers may have noticed I’ve left out a detail that’s more or less a nail in the coffin on the whole matter, so let me ask a question: Tsuyu in particular has something else of note that solidifies in our minds that she is, indeed, a frog - she explicitly calls herself a frog. Could we say the same about Hawks?

Chapter 199 - Explicit Type

Bingo. Hawks has known himself for as long as he’s been alive. He knows his habits, his impulses, his family/genes, and so on. If he calls himself a bird, are we going to call him a liar? In fact, he calls himself a bird not once, but twice!

That’s pretty much it. With the evidence stacked to that degree, I’d be hard pressed to NOT believe he’s a bird.

That was a long amount of text to get through, so if you’re here at the end thank you for sticking out with me to this point. I really appreciate it. This is more or less the process I use when analyzing anything and everything whether it be HeroAca related or not. Maybe it’ll help you if you’ve struggled with literary analysis, or at the very least I hope you got some enjoyment out of it.

TL;DR If Hawks looks like a bird, walks (acts) like a bird, is based on a bird (character), and calls himself a bird, he’s probably a bird.

#hawks bnha #bnha hawks #hawks #hawks mha #mha hawks #she writes #let's talk hawks #bnha meta #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #manga spoilers

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tfw-no-tennis · 3 years

Text

mtmte liveblog issue 22

oooh man, its time to feel some EMOTIONS!

I'm BACK after a hiatus, which was due in part to me getting my 1st dose of the covid vaccine! woohoo!

anyways, starting here w/issue 22....we have a great cover w/thunderclash, the legend himself

oof. the covers made me forget how much I don't like the art this issue...I hate to be mean to the artists but this art style just isn't doin it for me chief

god I love this issue though. the framing device of rewind’s movie is so so fantastic

tailgate listing off all his fake awards/accomplishments....ily

rodimus my boy, you're a prime in my heart

the ‘not a decepticon’ label for cyclonus is so much hvbhkjfbskjf

I literally wanna comment on every single panel bc I love all the characters so much but then id be here forever...that being said whirl ily sm

hvbjdfbhsfjhdfshja BRAINSTORM ‘according to perceptor - ships genius’ hvhdkjhbfhjs ily dumb gay idiot

and then the cut to perceptor after brainstorm like, blew up his lab vjbkdsfnbksjf dude

GODDDDDD drift ‘your name...defines you. it’s your soul expressed in syllables. hm? oh, yes, sorry. it’s drift.’ GOD he’s so fucking funny. I love early story hippy drift

god I cant stop thinking about how good this whole issue would be as an animated show...like, specifically rewinds film, it would be SO FUCKING GOOOOOOD mtmte show WHEN

rewiiiiind ;_; I fuckgin love rewind god. fellow video editing enthusiast....

ohhhh rodimus being embarrassed about his big speech at the beginning of mtmte....my boy I love u so much

gjhnbgehjsrkfbjksf magnus being suspicious of rewind oh my god. magnus ily but please, look at the lil guy, he’s a good boy, most of the time

the fuckgin footage that magnus removed hbvhakjbfhskf god. wasn't that intended to be footage of magnus dancing? I love him

minibot squad.....

and here it begins, the mystery stick rung question...

poor rung oh my god he’s just trying to polish his lil spaceship and people r throwing shit at him. taking Ls as per usual it seems

hand grenade tag hvbfjksdnfbkjdf love that callback

noooo rungs ship :(

magnus’s censorship vhbhadkjfhdbhjsakjhfn

oh man I forgot about how they met that race of Transformers But More

the one-upsmanship hbvkajsbehfjks

whirrrrrl lmao I love whirl sm

goddddd whirl just killing that other alien and ending the 16 million yr long civil war bvkjsdbfhjjkafs so fucking much

oh god oh god the ‘are you happy’ page, I'm not emotionally equipped to handle this like, ever

but I will say I feel like it would be EVEN MORE oof if it were milne or someone drawing it bc I feel like this art style takes away from some of the impact bc the expressions aren't really that...expressive? idk how to put it

anyways. every single answer destroys me!!! like even the happy ones, like chromedome and rewind and tailgate - well, in present time, none of those three are doing so hot, so that makes this just hurt

and rung....that is so fucking depressing. jesus. this guy is so fuckng sad, somebody get him a friend stat

and swerve...ouch. this readthru I've really noticed how much early-mtmte swerve is not-so-subtly like, crying out for help bc he’s so alone and shit. jesus

also brainstorms response is just plain ole sad w/context, but at this point in the story without context, it just seems very foreboding lmao. I'm realizing this readthru that brainstorm is very sketchy and ominous in a particular ‘is he evil?’ mad scientist sorta way in early mtmte

and then everyone else is also just so OOF in their own unique sad ways, but I think the worst out of everyone is drift....GODDDDDD. especially considering that at this point in the story, drift is this kinda goofy hippy guy, so seeing him just sit there with his face in his hand, not even answering the question...AND knowing that shortly after this he’ll end up banished...IT FUCKING HURTS M8!

meanwhile, the more upbeat ‘quest to see rungs alt mode’ continues...with an ‘alt mode party’ vhbadkjsdfnabskjf it looks so silly with a bunch of cars just sitting around a table lmao

I cant even tell who everyone is bc they so rarely turn into cars n shit lmaoooooo

rodimus with the bucket on his head hbvhakjbfskjf I CANT

everyone’s reactions to thunderclash...i fucking love it

the fact that TAILGATE doesn't hate him, even though we’ve seen that tailgate tends to dislike people who are universally liked/who have achieved a lot of impressive things

rodimus you petty thot vbdkjbfdjhsakjdf ily

RODIMUS IS SO FUNNYYYYYY ‘I'm not making all these sacrifices and leading these guys into battle and being inspirational - I'm not doing that because it makes me look good’ RODIMUS VBHSKJDFNBKSJF

thunderclash talking about magnus’s article on typefaces....hdbksjfsdbkjgfb bro

AND THEN MAGNUS HUGS HIM....HGBSKJFDSHFKD I CANT

POOR DRIFT bvhajkdfbhjkjsfd rodimus saying he ‘rehabilitated him’ oh my god

the whole spectralism thing...im sorry I cant get over how funny all this is vbakdjfbksjf thunderclash rlly b out here charming rodimus’s entire crew

and then ratchet comes in, calling tc ‘thunders,’ and tc immediately notices ratchets new hands (somehow) hvbkjfhbskjf truly amazing

it cracks me up that rodimus is all 😒😒 at thunderclash, even though as we come to find out, tc really IS That Perfect, and him complimenting rodimus isn't sarcasm at all lmao

AND THEYRE LOOKING FOR THE KNIGHTS OF CYBERTRON TOO HVSDHFJBSHKHDFJS OF COURSE

the vis vitalis being a life support machine spaceship is a really cool concept tho

‘rescuing some orphans from an exploding sun’ I fucking cant

evil guy: [holds a gun to thunderclash’s head]

rodimus: :D finally something doesn't go his way!

he’s so petty I’m..........dkdjhfdabhduifadijgl

and its the aliens from earlier! oooh

GODDD I forgot that swerve used rung in mystery stick mode to SCHWACK the guy

rung casually dropping the fact that the functionists like, experimented on him...there's a lot of implications there, and that'll certainly be explored more later...

the fact that his ID card says ‘rong’ hvbhjakhdsbfakhsjfn

oughufadkfujbsfk the circle of light throwing wrenches n shit at skids...guys cmon vbhsdjkfnslfd

the circle of light is like ‘wtf you all have trauma and a bunch of weird unhealthy coping mechanisms this is wack byeeeee’ lmao

skids calling the lost light his home is rlly sweet tho

cant believe the religious space hippy cult is being so rude about a film made by a guy who died like a week ago. unreal

cd finally figured out how to make the pffft sound, good for him

AUGHHHHH the fact that rewind used ‘little victories’ as the title of the film and that's something that chromedome said in the video ;_; I'm fucking inconsolable

rodimus, despite his obvious posturing for the camera during the whole issue, comes off as surprisingly genuine when he says that he hasn't thought about his own future much, but wants the crew to have a happy ending....im gonna cry

‘who knows what's around the corner?’ tailgate, PLEASE don't say that, oh my god,

OUGHHHH GROUP SHOT

OHHH mannnnNNNNN i love this issue SO MUCH. what a good fun emotional rollercoaster wrap-up to mtmte s1. god.

like, this issue has it all - humor, drama, crippling sadness, intrigue, worldbuilding...it’s so excellent

and getting to see rewind again hurts so bad but also I love him

ok quick mtmte s1 retrospective...god s1 is so fucking good. I'm gonna have to read more to say which chunk of mtmte I liked best but s1 is so fucking excellent that it might be my favorite. though its hard to pick bc there's so much good stuff later on too...whatever, the point is s1 is so so good

the plotlines and characters are fucking stellar. like I cant even believe how well Everything works, its very impressive. I cant really think of anything major that made me go ‘yeah could've done without that plotline/character’

I love how dedicated jro is to connecting everything. I've mentioned it before but basically every single moment in the series has payoff - what you initially think is just a funny moment, or a fluffy character establishment bit, ends up ALSO being an important plot point later, in some way

an example would be here w/rung and his alt mode - it just seems like a fun little B-plot for this issue, and seems to pretty neatly conclude with the reveal that rung was eventually classified as an ‘ornament’ (lmao)...but we later on get to see a lot more about this, both here and in the functionist universe

and like, stuff like tailgate’s autobot lessons w/magnus - at first that can be seen as purely character establishment stuff, showing that magnus is a strict rule-lover and tg is a loveable try-hard good boy - but that becomes plot relevant in remain in light, with tailgate saving the day due to his knowledge of the autobot code (and its also character relevant, with magnus’s arc in remain in light).

and I know this is like. a normal regular thing in writing, but I'm just very impressed about how cleanly jro pulls it off, and how many things he’s juggling at once, especially in early mtmte - it’s very ambitious!

and we gotta remember, this is a comic book. I've read a lot of comic books, and the quality is all over the place. a lot of writers bite off more than they can chew, and the story ends up kinda scattered as a result.

another thing I see a lot in franchise writing like this is a lack of strong early character establishing due to the author assuming the readers are at least somewhat familiar with the characters already - which can be totally fair depending on where it is in the continuity, but other times it can come off as lazy

in mtmte, the cast is extremely well fleshed out, and not only that, the cast itself is unique in that there are a lot of relative unknowns (franchise-wise) - which I think was an absolutely brilliant move, because then jro was able to essentially create The Definitive Version of these characters - characters like swerve, brainstorm, chromedome, rewind, tailgate...mtmte is their baseline characterization, because they haven't really appeared in much else

this also allows for deviation from the franchise norms - again, a comic book classic is good writing being stifled by a need to stick to a certain status quo regard the characters, the world, the powers, relationships, etc

(I've mostly read DC comics, and some marvel, so I'm thinking superheroes w/all these comic comparisons)

so mtmte had a good recipe for genuine creativity in that the characters were relative unknowns, the plot was basically ‘space road trip,’ the status quo of ‘autobot vs decepticon war’ had been demolished throughout the entire franchise...so jro was able to take all that and run, and it turned out so fantastic

and luckily it isn't over yet! so many comics suffer from premature cancellation...and sadly mtmte/ll isn't exempt from this, as we’ll see later, but I've seen some awful ones, where comics are forced to wrap up in like 2 issues while in the middle of an arc. yikes.

but another comic staple...one of my least favorite things about comics books in general...something that was basically responsible for driving me away from comics after reading a bunch...the dreaded crossover event

yep, even mtmte isn't immune to this unfortunate plague on the comic industry. crossover events are the absolute worst, and I'm saying this as somebody who adores crossovers (in concept more than execution usually). they SHOULD be my favorite, but unfortunately they p much always completely suck

they're essentially a ploy to get you to read the other ongoing titles, but they usually only serve to bog down whatever story you're reading to the point where you don't even wanna read that one anymore, let alone read all the other ongoings. at least, that’s been my experience

it doesn't help that reading orders tend to be hard to find/keep track of, and that you need to go read the other series to know what's going on. I just hate it, like, I came here to read THIS series, I don't want a bunch of other series showing up too - even if I was reading two series, I wouldn't want them crossed over, because they're separate stories! augh!

I'm totally losing my focus here but my point is...crossover events suck, and mtmte unfortunately is involved in one. I have not read dark cybertron, and I'm not about to. I've heard nothing but bad things so I have no desire to inflict that upon myself

soooo ill be reading through the tfwiki articles for those issues to give myself a better understanding of what went on - which is more than I've ever done in the past - and maybe ill even make a single post summarizing my thoughts on what I read in the wiki, lmao

but yea ill be skipping to the mtmte s2 stuff next

phew ok I'm super tired, my vision keeps blurring out and stuff lmao. its time for bed, I probably have more thoughts but ill save them for later. for now...peace out!

#lj rereads mtmte

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atiny-piratequeen · 4 years

Text

Against the Tide: Third Voyage (Ch.3)

Pairing: Eventual Poly Ot8

Genre: Heavy Angst, Eventual Smut and Fluff mixed in

Rating: 18+

Tags: DemonPirate!Au, Supernatural, Eventual Poly Relationship, Violence, Blood, Elemental Powers, Past and Modern Day AU, Mythical Creatures, Character Death

Chapter Specific Tags: Graphic Violence, Blood, Character Death, Depictions of illness, Sexual Content

Chapter WC: 11.6

A/N: There could be tags added later, especially if there’s something I write that potentially triggers my readers. The last thing I want is for that to happen, so please don’t hesitate to give me feedback if there’s something I write here you’d like me to tag.

Additonal A/N: I changed my banner in hopes that tumblr stops making reblogs eat all of these tags before the read mores. Fingers crossed.

Tag List: @coffeekpopandcookies @wonderlandsobsession @prettyjoongs @thereal-smolchild @tokyojoong

AO3 Link

Taglist

← Last Voyage Next Voyage →

Wooyoung had hoped he would be starting the next chapter of his life.

That his weak and frail body wouldn’t hold him back, and that he could become a man strong enough to make his family proud. He would come back and support them with the gold and silver he got from his job, and it would all work out.

He stood on the deck, waving goodbye to his tearful parents, a wide smile on his face as he did so. He would make them proud, he’d come back healthy and strong-

“Alright, enough of that. Get them under into the hold with the others.”

His arm was grabbed roughly as he was shoved into line with the other men that had eagerly joined the crew. A frown came to his face as he was shackled, pushed into an area of the ship where there were others, all of them looking worse for the wear, beaten and bruised as they looked up at the newcomers.

“What in the hell-”

The man beside him was jabbed sharply for speaking, and all of them were lead-rather forcefully-deeper into the hold, forced to sit beside the people already shackled together inside.

“I demand you tell us what this is all about!” The man from before snarled, tugging at his shackles uncomfortably. There were heavy footsteps that approached them, and the hulking form of a man approached them. He kicked the rowdy man in his chest before nodding towards some of the scowling sailors. They nodded in agreement and rained down on the man, kicking and beating him while the intimidating man calling the shots rolled his neck on his shoulders, looking towards the remaining cowering men.

“Listen up! When yer on my ship, ya listen to my rules! Any disobedience will earn ya a beating and no dinner, understand?”

Wooyoung frowned, slightly trembling as he and the men shackled behind him looked up in terror at the hulking form of the captain. They were too afraid to respond, and apparently this was the wrong answer, as he loomed over the brunette, grabbing him by the hair.

“Shall I make an example out of ya? I asked a damn question!” He snapped. Wooyoung whimpered, eyes wide as he looked up at the captain.

“We heard you, you loud idiot.”

A voice sneered from the left and Woo looked over, spotting a man from the group that was already onboard, his lip curled up into a snarl as he glared at the captain, the hatred boiling in his eyes. The captain dropped Wooyoung in an instant, lumbering footsteps heading over to the other man.

“Ah, still haven’t learned your lesson, eh? I’ll be sure to beat it out of ya before we get to port.” He threatened before one of his heavy boots came down on the dark brunette’s thigh. He hissed in pain, and the other chained men and women looked away as the captain beat him, careful not to hit his face.

“We’ve got people paying top dollar for ya rats! Unless ya want to die before we get to port or be like this sorry welp, you’ll learn to obey the pecking order!” He barked, holding up the bruised man before dropping him onto the cold wood, scoffing in his direction before he left, some of the crew members in tow.

Wooyoung frowned, quickly making his way over to the man. He was the only one to do so, and he hesitated before he crouched down to meet his gaze.

“A-are you okay? Can I help?” He whispered, frowning at the way the man rolled up the leg to his trousers, a large purple bruise adorning the cream colored skin there. The man shook his head, hissing when Wooyoung’s fingers brushed over the abused flesh.

“Ah, I’m sorry! G-goodness, why are they doing this to you?" He pulled his hand back, looking up to meet the man's dark eyes.

He looked like an injured animal, his hair messy and his feline eyes dark, watching his every move. Once he decided Wooyoung wasn't any form of threat, he ran a hand through his dark hair.

"You still haven't gotten the full picture, hm?" He pushed himself up and waved Wooyoung off when the man tried to help once more.

"This is a slave ship. They're selling us off."

Wooyoung felt like the ground below him opened up, springing to his feet as he looked around frantically.

"Wait- no! My family!" He screamed, moving to dart towards where the captain disappeared to. He made it a few steps before one of the sailors that stayed behind grabbed him by the back of his shirt, punching him square in the chest before dropping him down beside the dark haired man from before.

"Aye, settle down, you! It would be an awful shame if I had to mess up such a pretty face, got it?" He growled, motioning to the knife strapped to his waist. Wooyoung swallowed thickly and made himself smaller, looking away from him.

Satisfied, the man walked back to his spot.

"They...they said they could get me a cure and that I could work and support my family-"

"They spun you a lovely tale, did they? They only told my family that we had a choice. Send off one of my sisters or send me off. As you can see, they made their decision. Name's Choi San, by the way." The man, San, extended his hand to him. Wooyoung bit back the tears that sprung in his eyes, but it was a useless effort, and they rolled down his cheeks as he shook San's hand.

"J-Jung Wooyoung…"

"It's okay to cry, lad. It's the only way you'll be able to sleep the first few nights, anyway."

Wooyoung curled up on the cold deck, surrounded by other shackled men and women, and promptly broke down crying.

-1 Week Later-

"I brought what you asked for, Captain." Wooyoung scurried into the captain's quarters, handing the captain a bowl with some freshly cooked meat and cheese.

It was still early in their voyage, so the crew got to enjoy the luxury of the food before it spoiled and had to be discarded.

Well-

Most of the crew, anyway.

Wooyoung and the other slaves were forced to eat small rations of beans and sea biscuits while the crew enjoyed the finer foods.

"Good job, cabin boy. Ya keep up the work and I may 'ave to keep ya aboard." The captain joked before bursting into mean spirited laughter.

"Leave me be, I'll find something for ya to do later."

Wooyoung nodded, biting his lip to keep his expression in check before he hurried away.

As soon as he stepped out of the cabin, he closed his eyes, breathing in the sea air deeply. He had gotten used to that much, at least.

When he opened his eyes, he looked down, frowning when he saw San swabbing the deck. He had been forced to be a swabbie, spending most of his days either above or below the deck, swabbing it to keep it in good condition.

His constant defiance had lead to him being beaten and often Wooyoung had to watch on as the older man was left without dinner or left to shiver after having water dumped on him at night.

The younger man nearly bumped into another sailor, but he pivoted, scurrying away with a quick apology before he could be scolded. He made his way down to San, picking up a mop so he could swab beside him.

San glanced up at him before turning his eyes back to his work.

"Can't you just behave? I don't know how you're still standing with all the beatings you've taken…" Wooyoung started, breaking the pseudo peaceful silence between them. San’s nose scrunched in distaste before he leaned against the mop in his hands, sending him a flat look.

“Behave? For them? I’d rather die.”

“You will if you keep this up. Don’t you want to be free and see your family again?”

Wooyoung regretted the question as soon as it asked it, watching the way San’s face darkened. The older man’s jaw set for a moment and Wooyoung winced, internally cursing himself.

“How about you worry about yourself and I’ll worry about me? You cling on to whatever dreams you have of escaping here and stay out of my business.” San snapped, grabbing the handle to his mop in a near white knuckled grip before he turned, brushing past him to move to a different part of the ship. Wooyoung looked down at his feet, sighing as he began his own swabbing.

“Dammit…” He huffed out, disappointed in himself.

-Later-

Wooyoung looked over, finding San laying on his side, eyes closed as he rested. He wasn’t sure if he was asleep or not, but he noticed the man hadn’t been able to eat. He looked down at his bowl, noticing he had gotten a slice of meat for his work pleasing the captain with running errands.

Nodding once, he decided he would make it up to the older man for insulting him earlier and scooted over to San, gently setting his bowl down in front of him. San didn’t move from his spot, but Wooyoung wasn’t dissuaded. He scooted the bowl closer, gently touching San’s shoulder.

“Why are you bothering with that one, lad? We all know the Cap’n doesn’t like him. You’d be better off fending for yourself.” A woman scolded him. Wooyoung smiled politely at her and turned back to San, tapping him a bit more firmly.

“You should listen to her.” came the disgruntled voice of San as he opened his eyes. Wooyoung ran a hand through his hair, frowning at the sticky feel of the sea salt from the ocean breeze. He put his hand down and nodded towards the bowl.

“Eat. You didn’t get dinner again today.”

“I don’t need your handouts.”

“It’s not a handout. It’s an apology.”

San’s eyes drifted down to the bowl and Wooyoung held it up to him, clearly having no intention of taking no for an answer. He sighed and sat up, taking the bowl. Wooyoung sat back on his haunches, smiling slightly as he watched him eat, looking away when San sent him a look.

He settled with sitting beside San, humming gently as the others around them chattered quietly. Before he noticed, he had begun to sing, his voice drifting through the hull.

"Why,

Why am I afraid?

A cloud of mist…"

San looked up, having been so hungry he downed all of Wooyoung’s food before the younger man could take the bowl back. He blinked a few times, noticing some of the people around them had also paused their ministrations, listening to Wooyoung as he sang, gently tapping his feet against the wood of the deck.

"I can’t see anything on the side of the road

Between the dim lights

Walking on a fearful night

Walking again on a scary night…"

San set the bowl down, his gaze softening as Wooyoung sang, his body swaying as he did. Despite his situation, he looked calm, his face almost angelic as the words drifted out of his mouth.

"I looked at that far away place

A gleaming cloud of light…"

“That’s enough of that, if you lot are finished eating, get to sleep. Lights out!” One of the sailors barked, moving to blow the flames out for their lanterns. He tossed a few blankets into the room, uncaring of who got what, and closed the door to the hold, locking it behind him.

The captives broke into a low, unhappy grumble, reaching for the blankets in a hurry.

Wooyoung reached out, but yelped as a larger man reached over him, snatching it over his head. He frowned, sighing. Tonight would have to be another night of sleeping curled up with himself for warmth, he supposed.

Something draped itself over his shoulders and he blinked, looking up in the darkness of the hold, squinting in confusion.

“You shared your meal with me, so now you can share this blanket with me.” it was San, his voice a little less rough than usual. Wooyoung smiled slightly and nodded before realizing the other man probably couldn’t see him.

He scooted closer, curling up as San pulled the blanket tight against them both.

“Thank you...for the meal. Sorry about being so sensitive. I really shouldn’t care about my family being brought up like that.” San muttered, closing his eyes again. Wooyoung bit his lip for a moment before he set his head beside San’s shoulder.

“No...I shouldn’t have brought them up, especially knowing what happened to you and how you got here. It’s not my place. I’m sorry.”

San hummed, feeling exhaustion pull at his sore muscles and mind. There was no more conversation between the two as they drifted to sleep.

-2 Weeks Later-

“So, what’s that song you keep singing while you work?”

Wooyoung looked up, holding a sponge in his hands as he washed the grime off his body. It had rained a fair share the past week, so the captain had ordered the entire crew-captives included-to wash themselves. He mentioned the foul stench of them combined ruined his appetite, but no one questioned him, and everyone took the opportunity in stride.

He looked down at himself, frowning at the bruises and scratches he’d gotten over the three weeks at sea, both from the captain’s violent outbursts with him for not being able to do tasks as quickly as the other captives because of his body’s weak nature and from the hard labor in, general.

“My mom would sing to me a lot growing up. She stopped when I got older, but I liked that song so I remember how the beginning goes.” He admitted, quickly wringing the sponge out and dipping it back into one of the various buckets littering the room before the clean rainwater got tainted with dirt from the others. San did the same, taking Wooyoung’s sponge to wash his back idly.

“Have you considered adding more lyrics to it? You have...a nice singing voice.” San admitted, clearing his throat as his clean cheeks flushed. Wooyoung looked up at him, sending him a doe eyed look before his cheeks rose, a smile blooming on his face.

“No, but if you’d like, you can always help me?” He suggested. San looked at him in surprise, pointing at himself.

“Me?”

“Who else would I be talking to?” Wooyoung laughed lightly and San noticed the way his heart beat harder when the younger man settled down and looked up at him again.

“It would be nice to make more lyrics with you, San. It would be more special.”

San cleared his throat and turned his attention back to his own washing, unable to calm the thundering in his chest.

“Ah...I guess I could give it a shot.”

-2 Weeks Later-

"If if if

If there was another way

Maybe maybe maybe Could I not be afraid?..."

San sang quietly as he looked around as he and Wooyoung snuck out of the hold. They had made bonds with the other captives, so when the two managed to worm their way out of the hold to sneak more food out for them all after hours, nobody dared to rat the duo out.

“Shh, we’ll get caught!” Wooyoung warned him, though he smiled, squeezing San’s wrist as they snuck past some sleepy sailors that were supposed to be keeping watch. San looked down at their hands, moving down to lace their fingers together, pulling Wooyoung to a full stop.

“Ah? What are you doing? We have to hurry-”

“We should run away.” San blurted.

Wooyoung blinked, looking around before he leaned into San’s space, a playful smile on his face as he tapped San’s temple.

“Did you hit your head? Run away? We’re in the middle of the ocean-”

“We’ll be at shore in a few weeks’ time. We can run away when we get to port. Start over.”

Wooyoung’s smile fell and his lips parted as he observed San’s face, finding he was dead serious. San lifted a hand and cupped Wooyoung’s cheek, holding his gaze.

“We don’t know if we’ll be sent off to the same place...and honestly, even if we are, I doubt we’ll be able to be together like this and I want to-” San bit his lip and leaned closer, slightly crowding Wooyoung against a dark corner just in case someone happened to walk by. “I want to stay with you.” He admitted.

Wooyoung’s eyes watered slightly and he opened his mouth to respond when he was pulled in completely, gasping ever so slightly as San pressed their lips together. He watched him with half lidded eyes, his face hot as San kissed him delicately. He relaxed, grabbing his shirt as he kissed him back, a blush on his face when San broke the kiss as soon as he initiated it.

“Let’s run away.” He repeated, putting their heads together. Wooyoung smiled softly, cupping San’s cheek.

“I’ll go with you. Don’t leave me behind, okay?” He teased as they turned their attention back to the kitchen. San tutted, shaking his head.

“As if I would ever entertain the thought of leaving you. You’re stuck with me.”

Wooyoung’s blush only darkened as they slipped through the ship, snatching as many sea biscuits, dried meat, and beans that they could before they made their way back successfully.

“You two are amazing.” one of the captives cheered.

They smiled, passing out the extra food to everyone as soon as they got back, settling down once they were satisfied everyone had gotten an extra snack. San settled behind Wooyoung, pulling him tight against him, enjoying the added heat of the extra blanket they got from a younger girl, as a sign of appreciation for their dangerous food mission.

Wooyoung put his hands over San’s, closing his eyes, enjoying the sound of the other man’s strong heartbeat.

Like music to his ears.

-3 Weeks Later-

"So please

Tell me it’s all right

In this uneasy mist

Things are ephemeral

So please

If this is my way

Hold my hand

So we won’t wander for much longer…"

San ran a hand through his hair before he looked down at Wooyoung, smiling fondly at the peaceful way his breathing started to even out, sleepily singing himself to sleep.

They had managed to go most of the voyage with only minor incidents here and there. No one was none the wiser to their plan to escape, either.

Neither the sailors or the other captives.

In an ideal world, San would’ve been able to save them all, but it was already risky enough with the two of them and he couldn’t jeopardize freedom by trying to play a hero.

"We'll be in port soon." San whispered, running a hand through the younger man's dark hair. Wooyoung cracked his eyes open, smiling up at him, his eyes shining in adoration despite the bruise adorning his swelled cheek. The Captain hadn’t taken too kindly to the way Wooyoung adopted San’s sassy manner of speaking and it had gotten him clocked not too long ago.

"We'll run. I can be strong if I'm with you. We'll see the world and how beautiful it is without these chains on us." Wooyoung sleepily mused, finding it harder to keep his eyes open. San felt his heart growing heavy, biting his bottom lip hard.

"I've already seen my entire world. He's right in front of me."

Wooyoung moaned quietly in his sleep, though it didn’t seem like he heard the older man. San exhaled and continued combing his fingers through Wooyoung’s hair.

He had to keep him safe. He had to.

-Port Arrival-

Hongjoong sighed as Seonghwa and him exited a shop empty handed.

“How is it no one in this area knows anything about this treasure? Did I look at the map wrong?”

“Non, I just think it doesn’t exist. We may just have to call it a loss, mon putois.”

Hongjoong groaned before nodding, sticking his hands in his pockets.

“I suppose. We should pick up some fresh food, since we’re here. Could check out the market and see what type of spices and meat they have.” He licked his lips, happily walking ahead while Seonghwa followed close behind, the smallest of smiles on his face.

“I personally feel like we should look into getting some-”

There was a crash not to far off and the two looked up, eyes widening when they saw two men running full speed in their direction. Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong’s elbow, pulling him back hard before they could run into the duo.

As they passed, Hongjoong noticed the brunette with the slightly lighter hair was horribly out of breath, tears rolling down his cheeks as the other man dragged him along.

“I don’t wanna d-die, San!”

“Keep running!”

They disappeared down the street and the two pirates exchanged a look, brows furrowed.

“Strange. We shouldn’t get involved, though.” Seonghwa shook his head. Before he could take a step away from his spot, a group of men stormed past them like bats out of hell, followed by an enraged hulking man.

“Get the slaves! When ya do, bring them to me! I’ll have their damn heads!” He snarled.

Seonghwa huffed in annoyance, looking left and right for any more people potentially involved in the chaos. When he was satisfied that there were none, he turned to Hongjoong to mention the market once more.

The smaller pirate was no longer at his side though, and he had already taken off down the street, his bangs flying up from the sudden sprint. Seonghwa cursed under his breath and took off after him.

“Of course we can't just have one normal day in a port town, can we?” He hissed to himself, quickly catching up to Hongjoong with long strides.

“What are you doing?! This has nothing to do with us! We don’t know who the hell those two are, they could be criminals!” He hissed, brows going up in surprise when Hongjoong ignored him completely, quickening his strides as he caught sight of the two men from before.

“Seonghwa, we’re pirates. We’re criminals. And did you see the look in his eyes? I can’t just leave them like that.” Hongjoong growled, determination shining in his eyes as he wove through the people in the street, looking for a way they could take a shortcut.

“Of course you can’t!” The blonde first mate huffed, making a hard turn to follow the smaller man.

“Fall in love, everyone says,” Seonghwa grunted, nearly colliding with a woman holding an armful of fruit and vegetables. “It’ll be fun, they say!” He continued, venting to himself as Hongjoong made a sharp left, following him down the less crowded street.

“You definitely won’t spend your free time chasing two random strangers through port towns!”

“Shut up and follow me!” Hongjoong barked. Seonghwa pursed his lips, but obeyed, knowing Hongjoong didn’t often use that tone or expression with any of them on the crew unless he was deathly serious.

“Yeah, yeah, lead the way. You owe me a full meal after this.”

Wooyoung felt like his lungs were screaming. His legs were on fire and part of him was worried San would rip his arm clean out of the socket. The smaller man’s vision was blurry from the tears and sweat that ran down into his eyes.

“S-san...San, please, I don’t think I can keep going-”

“No, Woo we just have to get far enough and we can rest.”

Wooyoung panted, he may have been on the boat for two months and that may have helped condition his frail body, but he still was much weaker than San, and he could feel his body locking up from the strain.

“Let me go, San! We’ll both get caught if you keep holding onto me!”

“Absolutely not!”

Wooyoung was ready to protest again, but he tripped hard, crashing to the ground. San cursed and stopped immediately, turning around to help him up. His eyes widened when he saw the large scratch that adorned Wooyoung’s leg.

“Shit, you’re hurt. C’mon, I’ll carry you-”

“We found em!”

San froze, looking up, throat going dry when he saw the alley they had ran into being cut off by the irate sailors. He glanced from left to right, knowing he wouldn’t be able to pick Wooyoung up and flee fast enough.

Still, he put the smaller man’s arm over his shoulders, picking him up and backing away slowly while Wooyoung whined.

“San-”

“I’m not leaving you.” San pushed him behind him, glaring down at the approaching pirates. The Captain pushed past the group, face red as he held up a pistol, snarling at the two.

“What did I tell ya? To learn to obey! I figured you would be a problem-” He pointed in the direction of San before moving slightly between his shoulder, aiming at Wooyoung.

“But you? I assumed you would behave yourself. Guess I should’ve just cut my losses and just killed you when I had the chance, but now I have to lose two products instead of one.”

He clicked the safety off of the gun and San pushed Wooyoung further back, his heart pounding hard as he stared down at the captain.

“S-San, I’m scared…”

“I won’t leave your side, Woo.”

“Damn shame. They woulda paid top dollar for ya miserable welts, too. Something about pretty boys like you always gets the cash flowin’.”

The captain pulled the trigger, grinning wildly.

San and Wooyoung flinched, but a chill blew through the entirety of the alleyway. There was a sound akin to glass cracking, followed by a sigh behind them.

“Honestly, if you spent less time antagonizing someone you intend to kill and just kill them, we may not have caught up in time.”

The two looked back, finding a tall blonde man who looked beyond annoyed walking towards them. San moved to put Woo behind him again once more, but the man only strolled past them, bringing their attention to the massive wall of ice that was suddenly between the three of them and their captors.

“W-what the hell-”

“I suppose I should keep this up to keep you two from seeing something truly gruesome. Are you hurt?” He inquired, looking back at the two while a commotion came from the other side of the wall. San frowned, shoulders relaxing ever so slightly before jolting when he heard the sound of screaming.

“M-Monster!”

“What’s happening?” Wooyoung questioned hesitantly, eyes wide. The blonde man gave it a moment before he answered.

“I haven’t seen the Captain this pissed off in months. Which is good for you. Not so much for them.” He vaguely answered and put his palm to the ice wall, ignoring both men behind them and the way they gasped in surprise at how it instantly melted.

At the other end of the alleyway was a man in a brown coat that had blood stains all over it. His shoulders heaved as he faced away from them, a low, animalistic sound leaving the back of his throat.

“Seonghwa, are they safe?”

“Mm, they are. Are you alright? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so upset, Hongjoong.”

Hongjoong ran a bloodied hand through his hair, seemingly uncaring of the way it smeared into his brunette locks. He turned his gaze to the trio, focusing on Wooyoung and San.

They noticed his appearance, the unnatural eyes and the demonic feel he gave off and it made Wooyoung feel faint. He fell to his knees behind San, feeling all of his adrenaline ebb away. San frowned and came to his side, looking up as the small man at the end of the alley walked towards them, stopping in front of them.

“W-What are you?” San inquired, cringing at the stutter in his own voice.

“Short and sweet answer is I’m a demon.” Was the response as Hongjoong inspected Wooyoung’s injured leg through his tattered clothes, knowing better than to try and reach for him with San clearly sitting in a defensive stance in front of him.

"There's a long version of that?" San inquired incredulously.

“Mon petit putois, I think it would calm them more if you didn’t look so beastly. You’re already covered in blood. Can you tone it down a bit?” Seonghwa inquired helpfully from the left, observing the wary way both Wooyoung and San eyed his captain. Hongjoong looked up at him with those electric blue eyes before he realized he had snapped and let his demonic powers run wild because he was angry.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and the two escapees watched the veins on his forehead and cheeks disappear slowly. He opened his eyes after a moment or two and both of them looked into warm, concerned honey-colored eyes instead.

“D-demon…? Really…” Wooyoung muttered, looking at him with both fascination and fear. Hongjoong shook his head and fixed them with a look.

“He said something about you escaping...where did you come from? Were there more people trapped by them, too?”

Both of them were taken back by the concern and urgency in his tone, but they both nodded, watching as he stood up, jaw set.

“Show us where. We’ll help.”

Seonghwa chuckled from beside him, a hand on his hip above his falcata, the other extended to the two men on the ground.

“You only need to let us know which ship they’re in. Then I suggest you flee with the others. Things are going to get...messy.” Seonghwa warned then. Wooyoung stood and nodded, squeezing San’s hand as he looked over to the two of them.

“We won’t run if you’re going to free them. We’re coming with you.” He told him adamantly. San blinked, tilting his head.

“Wait...we are?”

“We are.”

"...of course we are."

-Later-

Seonghwa hummed, sheathing his falcata as the ship sailed away slowly, ignoring the cheers and waving of the passengers aboard. Hongjoong strolled out of the port, exhaustion on his face. No one looked twice at him since the blood from earlier was gone.

He washed it off of his face with his powers before he freed the other captives, giving them a few…'borrowed' resources before he sent them off on their way, feeling confident that they would be able to sail home safely.

"Is there any particular reason why you two are hanging around still?" The calm silence was broken when Seonghwa looked behind them, finding Wooyoung and San following them not so subtly, trying to hide behind people and buildings as they tailed the two.

Wooyoung pursed his lips and stepped out from his poor hiding place, looking like he wanted to say something important. Hongjoong tilted his head.

“We wanna go with you.”

Seonghwa arched a brow, looking over Wooyoung’s shoulder to see San didn’t look even a fraction as enthused as he did. He still had a telltale wary look on his face and neither pirate blamed him. He and Wooyoung had witnessed Seonghwa’s ice powers up close and Hongjoong’s demonic form, covered in blood.

Not to mention the violent way they...dispatched of the other sailors holding the other people captive.

“Are you sure about that? The one beside you looks like he would rather be anywhere but here.” Seonghwa pointed out flatly, pointing a finger at him.

Wooyoung looked at San, and he sent him a small, forced smile.

“I just...we don’t know them, Woo. Why are we going with them when we can just-”

“They’re pirates, San! But, nice ones! We can still see the world, but as pirates!”

Hongjoong came to a stop in front of the group and turned on his heel, sending the two a look.

“Being a pirate isn’t all fairytales and magic,” He started, ignoring the way Seonghwa cleared his throat sarcastically from beside him. “Plus, I’d rather not have anyone in my crew that didn’t wanna be there. And? I don’t remember offering to make you two members anyway. You’re free now, plan your lives together and come to an agreement on what you really want.” He lightly scolded them before nodding towards the building they were standing beside.

“I’ll get you two a room for a few days. You should rest, at the very least. You’ve been through a lot.”

The two visibly relaxed as Hongjoong tossed a small pouch over to them. Inside was enough money for them to stay in a room in the inn that was beside the quartet, plus some extra coins for them to start their lives after they were out.

Wooyoung and San looked up to thank them, but Seonghwa and Hongjoong had already walked inside.

“Do we really have that much money lying around that we’re giving them away to strangers that easily?”

“You’re doing an awful lot of complaining today, Seonghwa. It’s unlike you.”

“And you’re doing an awful lot of unnecessarily grandiose heroics today, so I think we’re even, putois.”

-x-

“If I can’t see anything

If I can feel you, I’m fine

I want you to make me sure

I need you to help me out of my misery

I can see the light in the dark,

It quickly blurs

Step back in place.”

San stepped out of the washroom, looking over to the bed to find Wooyoung singing happily, eating an orange he got from the market. He settled beside him, smiling as Wooyoung looked up at him.

“You’re getting better.” He complimented. Wooyoung blushed and held out an orange slice to him, his hand lingering near San’s face after the older man took the slice in his mouth.

“I can sing louder without worrying about getting us in trouble.” He mused, biting his lip. San pressed his cheek into his hand firmly, rubbing Wooyoung’s knuckles with his thumb.

“We can do a lot of things now that we’re free.” He told him, leaning close to brush their noses together. Wooyoung closed his eyes, letting out a shuddering breath.

“Are you crying?”

“I feel...so bad…”

San frowned, brows furrowing.

“Bad? Why would you-”

“I...I honestly didn’t fully believe we’d make it out alive. I doubted us. If I were stronger, we could’ve escaped by ourselves. We got lucky with Seonghwa and Captain Hongjoong and I…” Wooyoung’s bottom lip quivered and San shook his head, running his hand through the smaller man’s hair.

“It doesn’t matter how it happened. It doesn’t matter who helped or who was stronger. All that matters is this, here and now. Us.”

Wooyoung looked up at him, tears slipping down his cheeks as San pressed his lips against his. He melted against him, letting San take the gentle lead as their lips molded against each other over and over again.

This was the first time they got to fully enjoy the feeling of each other’s lips without having to rush and worry about being caught. San gently pushed Wooyoung back so he was flush on the bed, kissing down the tanned expanse of his neck.

"I wanted to touch you so much more." Wooyoung finally spoke, his face flushed as he panted. San put his hands at either side of his head, looking down at him.

"Then touch me. We have all the time in the world right now. It's just us."

Wooyoung nodded, and pulled him in for another kiss, pushing his hand under San's shirt, feeling the muscle that had formed after their two month voyage. San smiled against his lips and let the younger man do what he wanted, simply enjoying the proximity and intimacy.

"San?"

He opened his eyes, looking down to admire Wooyoung's flushed face.

"Yes, baby?"

Wooyoung closed his eyes for a moment, calming his raging nerves before he opened them back up, having steeled himself for whatever it was he had to say.

"I want you to make love to me."

San pulled back, blinking in surprise at the way Wooyoung stared adamantly into his eyes despite his embarrassment at the confession.

"Wooyoung-"

"Please? I...I want you to. Like you said, it's just us, right?"

His voice was strong and determined but San could see the way he shyly wavered the more San stared at him.

After a beat of silence, san chuckled and nodded.

"I would love to."

He took his time, stripping them both down until they could press their flushed bodies against each other. They looked into each other's eyes, soft moan leaving their lips as their heated lengths slid up against one another.

"San," Wooyoung breathed shakily, rolling his hips needily for him. San smiled gently and pushed himself up, resisting the urge to laugh at the way Wooyoung whined in protest.

“Its okay, I’m going to grab something from the washroom, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Wooyoung blinked in interest, sitting up slightly as San retreated, coming back with a small ornamental jar. The younger man tilted his head, watching as San put it beside them on the bedside table, opening the lid.

A sweet smell filled the room in an instant and Wooyoung tilted his head curiously.

“Coconut?”

“Coconut oil I found in the bathroom. I think it’s for washing our faces, but it should work just fine for us.”

Wooyoung didn’t look any less confused as San took some of the oil out of the jar, rubbing it into his hands before he wrapped his hand around Wooyoung’s length. He hummed lowly, relaxing against the sheets as San stroked him. With his free hand, he used the remaining oil to roll his fingers against Wooyoung’s entrance, planting a small kiss above his brow when he felt the smaller man tense up under him.

“Relax, baby. I got you.” San promised, his voice was gentle as he pushed a finger in, slowly stretching him open with his oiled up fingers. He cooed sweet nothings to him, stroking him to take his mind off of the unfamiliar stretch from his fingers as the scent of coconut filled the room.

“S-San, I’m ready. Please…”

San pulled back, looking down at Wooyoung. His cheeks were flushed, his brunette hair pressed against the pillows beneath him as he stared up at San with half lidded eyes full of adoration.

San nodded at him, his dark bangs falling into his eyes as he reached for more oil, sighing in relief as he stroked himself, slicking his cock up with it before he lined himself up a Wooyoung’s hole.

“Hold onto me.”

Wooyoung wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing him and pouring all of his affection into it. He whimpered against San’s lips when he felt the unfamiliar feeling of him stretching him. He broke the kiss, turning his head away as tears gathered at the corner of his eyes once San got half way in.

“O-Oh my god-”

San paused, frowning as he looked down at him.

“Did I hurt you?” He inquired quickly, his heart dropping when he saw the tears. He immediately went to pull himself out, but Wooyoung shook his head.

“N-no, wait. I’m just getting used to it. You’re...much bigger than your fingers, of course.” He blushed from the lewdness and awkwardness of it all, but San’s gaze only softened, kissing above Wooyoung’s brow as he nodded, giving him time to adjust.

When the younger man squirmed below him, San began to move, rolling his hips slowly. Wooyoung moaned softly, closing his eyes as he felt small sparks of pleasure bloom through his body. San kissed gently at his neck, moaning light praise to him as he moved his body against Wooyoung’s, increasing his pace the more he moaned.

“You f-feel so good, Wooyoung.” He panted against his neck, growling when Wooyoung drug his nails down his back.

“F-faster, move faster, please.” was the breathless reply. San kissed him, grabbing the sheets tight by his head as he rocked harder and faster into him, the wood of the bed creaking as the sound of their love making grew louder.

There was a sound of a sniffle amongst the moans and San cracked his eyes open, finding Wooyoung crying again.

“W-why are you crying again? Wooyoung…”

“I’m so happy…” He wrapped his arms around San’s neck, crying between his moans as he buried his face into his shoulder.

“Stay with me, just like this. Don’t let me go, San.” He whispered, arching his back as pleasurable heat spread through his body, his moans raising an octave, the melodies of pleasure feuling San even more.

“I won’t. I won’t ever let go of you. I love you Wooyoung.” San breathed against his hair, his voice nearly being drowned out from the volume of Wooyoung’s cries of pleasure.

They clung to each other for the rest of the night, long after their release pushed them over the edge. After washing up once more, San tucked Wooyoung’s head under his, rubbing his back gently as they felt sleep tug at them.

“San?”

“Mmm?”

“I love you too.”

San closed his eyes and held him closer, letting the smaller man fall asleep before he followed soon after.

-1 Week Later-

- Lost and wandering hands again

Hold me and hug me

Your whisper is my compass

Even if we’re going back for a long time

Stay with me, always

I’m not sure. I don’t know the way

I’m just Like Alley Cat without you....-

“Cap’n, we’re all ready for departure!”

“Okay, good. We’ll be raising anchor soon, then.”

“Wait!”

Hongjoong blinked, turning around to find Wooyoung and San rushing up to them at port, looking leagues more refreshed than they had days ago. He put his had on his hip, tilting his head as he watched the two-hand in hand-run up to him on the docks.

“Oh, look. You already look leagues better than you did before.” He complimenting them, smiling at the way they both looked full of life.

“If you came to thank us, don’t worry. I don’t really do things like that to make people owe me-”

“We want to join your crew. If you’ll allow it, sir.”

Hongjoong blinked in surprise, looking over at San. He didn’t expect either of them to come back to them, let alone for the more reluctant of two to echo their earlier request to join, especially so enthusiastically.

“You’re still trying to-”

“Yes. We talked about it and we’d like to join you. Please.”

They both bowed their heads to him and he panicked, looking towards Seonghwa up on the ship’s bow. He shrugged a shoulder, leaning over to watch the two with mild interest.

“Sure. If they can make themselves useful, why not?”

Hongjoong looked back at the two, seeing the determination in their eyes. Running a hand through his hair, he nodded once with a defeated sigh.

“Fine, fine. Let’s go, I’ll run you through some important things.” He nodded towards the Utopia and the two exchanged a look with each other, smiling happily as they rushed aboard, fingers still laced together.

-3 Months Later-

“Okay, today’s checkup is all done, lad. Make sure you don’t strain yourself. I’ll be sure to tell the Captain to get you some eggs from the chickens in the hold.” the ship’s new surgeon-a rather eccentric gentleman named Yunho-informed Wooyoung, smiling at him.

“Thank you, Yunho. It’s still a pain to get so light headed, but you’ve helped me so much.”

Yunho nodded, pushing his glasses up so it rested in his hair instead of on his nose.

“Of course. Being anemic and out at sea has to be tough, but I’ll be sure to keep you healthy for this voyage so you can meet your family with San, no?” he teased, standing up and walking out, picking up a docile python from it’s tank in his room, settling him around his neck before Wooyoung followed him out.

“I’m still so glad the captain agreed to let us visit my home country. I can’t wait to introduce you all to my family. They’d be so proud of me for surviving and making something out of myself, I just know it.” Wooyoung spoke with a faraway look in his eyes, though Yunho smiled at the genuine joy on his face.

“You may have to leave Atlas behind, though. I don’t know how my mother would react to you walking up with him around your neck like that.” He added, looking over at the aforementioned python. Yunho looked down at Atlas before shrugging.

“Fair enough, I suppose.”

Wooyoung parted ways with Yunho, making his way into one of the upper rooms of the ship just for it’s Sailing Master. Or rather, Sailing Masters.

San was already in the room, humming the familiar tune of Wooyoung’s song they had continued to work on in their time together. The duo had settled on calling it ‘Mist’, and were excited to tell Wooyoung’s family of all the ways they had added to the song.

Wooyoung settled beside him, giving him a thumbs up at the concerned look he gave him.

“Don’t worry. Yunho said I’ll be fine. I just need some rest and iron. I’m glad I finally have a name for this.” He relayed the information to him, trailing off in his own thoughts before moving to lie down in the bed they had in the room. San’s gaze softened, closing his eyes as he felt the ship moving smoothly.

Hongjoong’s wind and water powers often meant they could sail much faster and much smoother without worrying about long months out at sea. It unfortunately left the Captain exhausted with constantly using his powers for long periods of time, so everyone in the crew made sure to work hard.

“I should tell momma to make Hongjoong a big meal when we get there. He’s been overexerting himself to speed up this trip.” Wooyoung mused as San reviewed the maps they had, taking his time, using a pencil to draw a new map from the pieces of maps Hongjoong and the previous captain of the Utopia had collected over the years.

“I agree. Seonghwa has been doing his best to make sure he rests, but I can tell it’s not working. We should all pitch in once we get to port and buy enough food for a feast.” San added, making sure his lines were precise.

Wooyoung smiled and put an arm over his face, deciding a nap was in order.

“It’s going to be a great day. I can feel it.”

-x-

"This isn't right. There's no way this is correct."

"Wooyoung…"

"I've been gone for a long time. Maybe I got the location wrong."

"Woo…"

Wooyoung clenched his fists, brows pulled up as he looked at the rubble before him. The location looked familiar to him.

The beautiful fruit bearing tree situated near the left side of the rubble, an old rope swing still attached to one of the old branches.

The the patch of flowers that used to be full of life not too far from it, withering and drooping.

The fence with the lavender chipped paint that enclosed the area.

"Who are you lads?" A voice drew Wooyoung's attention and he snapped his head to the left, recognizing one of his neighbors. He rushed over to the fence, peering over it as the man looked at him in surprise.

"You're-"

"Please! Tell me what happened? My family…"

"Ah lad, I knew I recognized you. I didn't figure we'd see you again after the town found out about that ship but lo and behold, they sailed back into port about a month ago, telling stories of how some pirates save them. A real strange tale but-"

"My family. Please tell me what happened to my family." Wooyoung pressed, tears in his eyes. The man looked down and took his hat off.

"There was a fire. It took both of them with it."

Hongjoong, San, Yunho, and Seonghwa tensed from behind Wooyoung as the words hit them like a wild bull.

"A...a fire…?" Wooyoung muttered, looking back towards the rubble. His chest heaved as he took one step towards it and collapsed, prompting all of the men to swarm to his side.

"Wooyoung I need you to breathe, baby." San urged, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. Wooyoung let out a scream in response, having a full breakdown on the ground. The men startled and Wooyoung’s previous neighbor apologized quietly before leaving the quintet alone as Wooyoung continues screaming bloody murder for his lost family.

Hongjoong reaches under him and picks him up, nodding at San and the others to follow him as Wooyoung thrashed and cried in the captain's arms.

“C’mon. We should go somewhere inside. Seonghwa, Yunho, can you please find out where...where Woo’s family was laid to rest? We should pay our respects.”

The two taller pirates nod and split off from the other three.

-x-

Wooyoung sat silently, aboard the Utopia a week later, idly thumbing the rings on his fingers. He had gone back, rummaging through the rubble for anything he could salvage, but the only thing there was were some black rings that belonged to his father, left behind in a steel box under the floorboards.

San rubbed his back, sweat rolling down his brow as they sat on the deck. Hongjoong relieved them of their navigational duties until Wooyoung felt well enough to continue.

The young man stayed curled up against San, a faraway look in his eyes as he held his hand.

“San…”

“Yes, baby?”

“Don’t leave me.”

“I’ll never leave you, Woo. I swear.”

Wooyoung exhaled, closing his eyes as he put his head on his shoulder, a few more tears slipping down his cheeks as the sound of the crew working, the seagulls above them, and the rolling waves filled the silence between the two.

-x-

“What’s wrong with him?!”

Yunho ran a hand through his hair, taking a moment or two to choose his words, moving away from the sweating man on his table. San groaned weakly, his eyelids fluttering as his head rolled on the table.

“Cerebral malaria.”

“What?”

Yunho ran a hand down his face, biting his thumbnail.

“He must have contracted it back on land. It sometimes takes a while for the effects to show. But I’m almost certain the lad’s got malaria.”

“You can help, right?!” Wooyoung was nearly hysterical, pushing past Yunho to hold San’s hand, his chest heaving. Yunho watched him, pursing his lips before he looked away, a conflicted look on his face.

“I...I don’t know how to tell you, lad. But there’s no known cure for it.”

Wooyoung felt like he had been punched in the gut. He looked up at Yunho, his lip trembling before he shook is head.

“No. You have to fix him. YOU HAVE TO FIX HIM, I CAN’T LOSE HIM!’ He screamed, startling the tall surgeon. Yunho jolted and looked at the doorway. He couldn’t fix him, but he could try something else.

“Just...wait here, please. I need to see something. Stay by his side.” He told him gently, though it was unnecessary. The younger man would have to be pried off of San’s side at this point.

Yunho turned, long legs swiftly taking him out of his quarters and up to Hongjoong’s quarters, banging hard on the door.

“Capitan! Cap, I need you!” he urgently cried, banging harder on the wood until the door opened, a disgruntled Seonghwa greeting him.

“ Enculer! I just made him rest, what the fuck-”

“San is dying.”

His shoulders slumped, his mouth falling open as he looked at him, eyes wide. Hongjoong appeared at his side in an instant, looking just as shocked as he did.

“What-”

“He’s showing symptoms of malaria. I can’t use any medicine I have. There’s no cure and...well, if I may be blunt, if he dies, we’re going to lose them both. Wooyoung will be inconsolable and I’ve seen my fair share of life and death to know that if San doesn’t survive, Wooyoung probably won’t be strong enough to take that loss, especially after the shock of losing his family and his body’s anemia. Him being under severe stress like that, plus the mental toll-” He cut himself off, sighing.

“Cap’n. If I may, I suggest you-”

“Yunho! San’s started convulsing in your quarters!” Tzuyu screamed, nearly tripping over herself as she rushed to the trio. Yunho’s eyes widened and he burst into a run, with Seonghwa and Hongjoong quickly following him.

Hongjoong looked up, cursing when he saw the moon, both full and sporting a brilliant red color.

“Tzuyu, clear the deck for me!” He called over his shoulder before they disappeared into Yunho’s room, finding Wooyoung crying as San convulsed on the table, his eyelids fluttering as his head rolled from left to right.

“Bring him to the deck, now!” Hongjoong ordered, grabbing Wooyoung’s wrist and pulling him out so Seonghwa and Yunho could heft the seizing man out of the room.

“What are you doing?! Help him!”

“I am! Give me your hand!” Hongjoong pulled a knife from his boot and Wooyoung’s eyes widened.

“What-”

“Just do it!” He barked, startling the man as the other two joined them, settling the still-convulsing San beside them. Wooyoung looked at him in horror and nodded, extending his hand. He whined when Hongjoong cut into his palm a little deeper than intended. He grabbed San’s hand, whispering an apology before he cut the man’s palm as well. He ignored Wooyoung’s worried questions to cut both of his palms.

He reached out to them, squeezing their palms together and exhaling sharply.

There was a pressure that fell over them all as San’s eyes snapped fully open, a light gleaming in them before the same happened to Wooyoung. The latter collapsed onto his knees beside him and Hongjoong stepped away, backing away from the two.

“Seonghwa.”

“Oui?”

“Get ready.”

Seonghwa instinctively looked up, cursing when he saw the state of the moon.

“Oh hell-”

There was a ghoulish scream that pierced through the air as Wooyoung’s head snapped back. The sound was nearly deafening and Yunho was the first to notice the blades of metal flying at them. He grabbed the two demons and threw his weight to the left, knocking them all to the deck as the blades flew by, embedding themselves into the wood.

They looked up, finding Wooyoung’s trembling, panting form. He looked down at San, finding him motionless, several black marks on his unnaturally pale face. His lips were black as well and Wooyoung panted, touching his face and shaking his shoulder desperately.

“San...Sanie...please please move, move!”

Hongjoong slowly stood, holding his hands out as he tried to approach Wooyoung.

“Woo-”

“You said...You said you would help him….”

“I did, I formed a pact with you and him just now. He probably just passed out from the power-”

“Liar.”

Hongjoong tensed, watching as Wooyoung raised his head, tears rolling down his cheeks. They dried, turning into black tracks as he stared at Hongjoong, rage burning in his onyx eyes. There was a backwards crescent on his forehead, with small dots decorating his forehead and nose just above and below the crescent, respectively. His black lips turned up into a sneer as he looked at Hongjoong.

“YOU LIAR! YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME!” He screamed, and the blades were back in an instant. Hongjoong threw his hands up, knocking them away with powerful gusts of wind. Seonghwa stood quickly, ice surrounding his feet with every step as he approached the conflict.

“His powers seem to be triggered from screaming, like some kind of banshee. If we can calm him down and keep his tone down-”

“GIVE HIM BACK, GIVE HIM BACK”

Seonghwa cursed, throwing up a thick ice wall between the three of them and Wooyoung.

“Yunho, get to the cabins. This is gonna get ugly.” Hongjoong ordered, his eyes flickering back to that electric blue as Wooyoung’s blades of metal began to chip through the wall. One sliced the top part clean off, and it took Hongjoong’s fire to melt it before it fell on top of Seonghwa.

Yunho scuttled away to a different part of the deck as Wooyoung stopped screaming, his hair a wild mess as he stared at them, eyes wild and unfocused.

“I didn’t want to be alone...he...he was gonna stay with me...he was the one person who wasn’t going to leave me and...and…”

“We won’t leave you, either. You, San, you’re part of my crew. A captain never leaves his crew. Trust me, Wooyoung. San is okay...he was weak when the pact was formed, he probably just got overwhelmed. Calm down, breathe, we can watch over him together.”

Wooyoung looked at him, his brows pulled up. He looked down at San, not liking the twisted way his body was situated, arms and legs bent like a broken doll.

A doll, easily broken and forgotten.

“No...no no no no. NO NO NO NO!”

Hongjoong was caught off guard as the blades came once more, gashing him across his chest. He fell to the deck, gasping in pain as blood spilled onto the wood.

“Hongjoong!” Seonghwa’s eyes widened before he turned towards Wooyoung, his grey eyes turning snowy white. His lips-now red-curled up as he stormed closer, the red marks on his cheeks illuminated by the light of the blood moon as he held his hand out, freezing the small man completely with a powerful blast of ice magic.

“S-seonghwa...you can’t…” Hongjoong grunted, hissing at the pain of the gash. Seonghwa turned, frowning as he rushed over to him, looking at his bloodied chest in worry.

“Are you okay…? It went deep…” He frowned at the blade still embedded in Hongjoong’s chest. He reached to take it out, but there was a telltale cracking sound from behind them. They turned, eyes widening as the sound of a faint scream could be heard before the ice shattered, blades of metal flying every which way. One flew right at Seonghwa, leaving a deep wound in his back. He cried out and fell into Hongjoong’s arms, eyes wide.

“Seonghwa! Seonghwa are you okay?!”

Wooyoung panted, eyes full of rage as he took a step towards them.

“I love him...he said he would never leave me, I thought you could help me. You lied. You lied. YOU LIED-”

“If the rain gets heavier, the sun will rise

It will brighten up when the mist is gone…”

Wooyoung froze as the sound of singing caught his attention. He turned to his left, finding Yunho approaching him, singing to the tune of Wooyoung’s song. His brows furrowed, and Hongjoong shook his head.

“Yunho, no!”

“Sing with me, Wooyoung. We can wake San up together, okay? He loves your voice, y’know. I’m sure he’d love to hear you when he arises.” he told him gently, ignoring the startled captain. Wooyoung looked at him, tilting his head as he opened his mouth, his wary voice harmonizing with Yunho’s.

“If if if If

There was another way

Maybe maybe maybe

Could I not be afraid?... ”

Yunho stopped in front of him despite Hongjoong and now Seonghwa’s desperate pleas for the human to leave before he got injured, too. Yunho flashed Wooyoung a disarming smile, petting the top of the demon’s head as they sung, Wooyoung finally relaxing his shoulders.

“So please

Tell me it’s all right

In this uneasy mist

Things are ephemeral… ”

Wooyoung smiled softly, closing his eyes as the markings faded slowly. When he opened his eyes, he looked tiredly up at Yunho before he tensed, looking at Hongjoong and Seonghwa.

“Oh my god-”

Yunho looked over his shoulder, noticing a sudden movement. He grabbed Wooyoung’s wrist and darted out of the immediate area as San’s body twitched to life. A low growl left his black lips as his head spasmed until he sat upright suddenly, his eyes snapping open, one as bloody red as the moon, while the other was a dazzling lime color.

“Oh...oh good, both of them. Why did you have to turn both of them in the same night?” Seongwa huffed tiredly, finally standing back up as they watched San sway, the runes on his face flashing for a moment.

“So I have ice powers, Wooyoung has some kind of metal powers. What the hell did you give him?” He inquired, watching the demonic smile spread across San’s face.

It idly made him wonder what the hell he looked like the first night he used his powers and had to deal with his own demon side becoming one with his ‘true self’.

“I have my fire, my wind, my water-”

“C a p t a i n~ Where is Wooyoung? Did you take him from me?” San’s rough voice cut in as he slowly staggered towards them. Hongjoong pulled the blade fully from his chest, ignoring the intense pain that came from it, looking at San with his jaw set.

“You can’t go near him until you calm down. We don’t need any more chaos. Wooyoung is safe.”

“Oh? Did you decide to keep him away from me? Why? Why, why why why?” San smiled at him despite the rage that filled his gaze.

“He’s all I have. He’s the first person that’s ever cared about me like that. Why did you take him?”

Wooyoung whined from his spot beside Yunho, but the surgeon shook his head, pulling him back when he went to catch San’s attention.

“Don’t. If he’s anything like you were, he’s going to go berserk. We need to trust Hongjoong to calm him down-”

San scoffed, raising his hand.

“You’re just like the other pirates. I won’t let you take away the only person that’s ever loved me.”

Hongjoong felt a tug at his chest, eyes widening as he watched the blood that pooled on the deck rise back up, wrapping around both him and Seonghwa before San flicked his hand, slamming both of them down onto wood hard.

“The blood! He’s controlling the blood!” Seonghwa cursed, freezing the blood around his waist before moving to Hongjoong’s.

“Ah, wait, are you two the only ones that get to be in love? Is that it? Why would you take him, otherwise? Is that the ship you’re running?” San took a step forward, looking at the blood in his own hand before he smiled, watching as it twisted and formed into a short sword.

“I’ll get him back.”

He rushed at Seonghwa, smiling wildly as the ex prince parried his first attack, following his lead by making a falcata out of ice. San swung hard while Seonghwa blocked each one, trying to ignore the pain in his back.

San-quick to recognize his disadvantage to the skilled first mate-flicked his freehand, tossing Hongjoong full force into him before he snapped his fingers, using their own blood to lock them down again.

He raised his blade over his head, mix matched eyes murderous as he swung.

“Give him back!”

“San!”

The blade froze right above the back of Hongjoong’s neck, and San’s face went soft as he turned, looking around the deck to find Wooyoung had ran out from his hiding spot. He looked at him, his lip trapped beneath his teeth as he watched him.

“S-San, I’m right here. Please…”

“I told you to stay hidden!” Yunho scolded, coming out of his spot to pull at Wooyoung’s wrist.

The move made San’s anger flare as he let out an ungodly sound, turning his full attention towards Yunho, the blade dragging against the the deck.

“DON’T TOUCH HIM!”

Yunho noticed his charge and shoved Wooyoung aside, crying out as San’s blade cut through his shirt and coat, leaving a nasty gash against his side. The younger man put a foot on his chest, sneering. He wordlessly raised his blood sword once more.

“So please

If this is my way

Hold my hand

So we won’t wander for much longer…”

San froze again, looking behind him to find Wooyoung singing shakily. He looked at him, tears staining his cheeks.

“San stop...we...we can’t keep raging like this...we hurt them...they took us in and look at what we did.” He whispered. San looked around at the wrecked deck, his brows pulling up as his anger faded, realization settling on his marked up face. He looked to his captain and first mate, his lips parted as the two panted weakly, pushing themselves up off of the ground to look at him.

“H-Hongjoong...Seonghwa…” the groan underneath him reminded him of Yunho’s presence and he quickly stepped away, covering his mouth.

“Oh no. No, no no-”

“Its..its okay. We’re alive.” Yunho chuckled before he winced at the move. Both San and Wooyoung whined and he only waved his hand as Hongjoong and Seonghwa slowly approached them, limping from their wounds and blood loss.

“Yunho, your wound-” Hongjoong started before the kind surgeon raised his hand, interrupting him.

“A mere flesh wound. Don’t bother doing any more pacts tonight.”

Seonghwa looked at his blood loss and frowned.

“Are you sure? That’s a lot of blood, doctor.”

“I am. Just...just take me to my quarters. I’ll stitch myself up. It’ll be an interesting scar and story to tell in the future, to say the very least.” He joked, wincing when Seonghwa slowly leaned down to pick him up, carrying him off slowly.

Hongjoong watched them go before he turned his gaze back to the mess left of his deck. He felt ashamed, letting such damage come to his mother’s ship. He clenched his fists before running a shaking hand through his hair.

“Hongjoong...we’re so sorry…” Wooyoung hesitantly approached him. Hongjoong’s shoulders shook.

“Don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have turned both of you. Especially with the moon being full and bloody. I just want to make sure...the two of you stay together. At the very least, please stay together forever, okay?” Hongjoong sent them a small smile before he limped away.

Wooyoung and San exchanged a look before their shoulders slumped.

-The Next Morning-

Hongjoong sighed, rubbing his temples as he walked out of his quarters. He had to find a way to explain to the other crew members how they could work around the badly damaged deck.

“Before the sun is rising up

Before the sun is rising up

In here…”

He blinked, looking up to find the broken parts of his deck and masts had been patched up with some sheets of metal. His lips parted as he looked down, finding Wooyoung and San swabbing the blood off of the deck, singing as the sun gently rose in the sky.

“Before the sun is rising up

Before the sun is rising up

In here…”

“They’ve been at it all night.” Seonghwa’s voice came from his right, startling him slightly. His eyes widened and Seonghwa smiled slightly.

“I stayed with Yunho as he stitched his wound closed. When I came out, they had already practiced enough with their powers for Wooyoung to control it and fill in the damage from the fight. I tried to get them to rest, but they refused. They seem to be very remorseful, putois.” he told him, sending him a small smile.

Hongjoong looked at the two hard working men before he walked down to the deck.

San noticed him first, avoiding his gaze as he shied away from his captain.

“I’m so sorry-”

“I’m glad I have such hard working additions to my crew.” He smiled. The two gaped, tearing up as Hongjoong swayed his hand, a gentle wave of water sweeping away the blood before Hongjoong disposed of it in the ocean. He put a hand on his hip and sent them a tired smile.

“Come, now. You two need sleep. I’ll bring you some food later.” He promised, nodding in the direction of the cabins.

“But Hongjoong, aren’t you going to punish us for...all of this…?” Wooyoung inquired, gripping the handle of the mop tight. Hongjoong shook his head, looking unphased as Seonghwa joined his side, the other members of the crew filing out onto the deck to start the day’s duties.

“No. You two have a very similar deep fear of being all alone. I changed that and yes, Utopia suffered some damage, but you two healed and that’s more important. Besides, you don’t have to worry about being alone ever again. You have each other, and I’ll be by your sides no matter what.” He promised, sending both of them a warm smile before he walked past the stunned men to speak to the members of the crew.

Seonghwa took a deep breath, enjoying the air for a moment before he looked at the two men.

“Go get your rest. We’ll be here when you wake up. And every day afterwards.” He nodded politely at them before following Hongjoong, leaving the two men teary eyed, clutching their heavily beating hearts before they retreated to their own rooms.

Hongjoong looked up at the sky, smiling at the pastel colors of the sky, the breeze sweeping his bangs across his forehead as he hummed.

“Before the sun is rising up

Before the sun is rising up~ ”

#fie writes #Against the Tide #Kwritersworldnet #AtT Ch3 #Ateez fic #ateez fanfiction #kim hongjoong #park seonghwa #jeong yunho #kang yeosang #choi san #song mingi #jung wooyoung #choi jongho #ateez ot8 fic #the woosan chapter (tm)#woosan smut #techinically

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