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alltheirdamn · 22 days

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Killing Me Softly | (Joel x teacher!f!reader)

Chap. 6 Buried Truths

Summary: When the past can only be contained for so long, Joel is there to pick up the pieces. Rating: 18+ MDNI Explicit Word Count: 8.4k Warnings: Pre-outbreak AU, language, mentions of a hospital setting, mentions of injury, mentions of past trauma, a FUCK ton of angst, little sprinkle of smut, another cliffhanger (don't worry, i won't make you wait long) A/N: This is the part where you all collectively say OH...

Masterlist | Ko-Fi

Joel’s hand remained wrapped around yours as you stared blankly out the plane window. Everything had been a blur the last twenty-four hours. After you got off the call with Beth, you ran through calling the school to find a substitute, packed what you could into a small carry-on bag, and went online to book the first ticket out to Boston. You tried to talk Joel into staying back in Austin; he had work and Sarah to care for, but he was adamant about coming. He made a quick call to Tommy to make a plan for Sarah and contacted his work to find coverage for the rest of the week. He was only apart from you when he rushed home to pack his travel bag. Then you were both off to the airport: you bleary-eyed and Joel more stoic than you could ever recall seeing. He hadn’t said much between security and the flight gate, but you were too exhausted to try and force conversation.

“Hey,” Joel said, nudging you. “How you feelin’, baby?”

You glanced at him and shrugged, the tears from earlier still drying on your cheeks.

“I’m okay, I guess.”

His fingers squeezed around yours before he brought your hand to his mouth to kiss it softly.

“He’s gonna be alright,” he assured. “Beth said he’s recovering now, right? It’s just gonna take some time.”

While you and Joel were waiting at the gate, you called Beth again to find out what happened with your dad. She explained he had been up on the ladder fixing the roofing above the patio when his foot caught in one of the steps, ultimately forcing him to fall ten feet to the ground. He had a broken hip, a fracture in his lower spine, and a severe concussion—leaving him in a temporary medically induced coma. Beth had said he was lucky to be alive, but the anxiety still bubbled inside you in fear of what he would endure through his recovery. The thought of his injury only elevated the already strong emotions connecting you to the past, making it nearly impossible to cope with your dad’s accident while you simultaneously still struggled with your own.

The plane made a rocky touch-down in Boston well after midnight, the autumn rain causing the plane to slide against the tarmac before coming to a jarring stop. You and Joel rushed around the other passengers, filing out of the plane and sprinting through the airport to find Beth. You singled her out of the crowd, her face rosy and hair piled onto her head in a messy bun. The second she had your arms around you, you crumpled to the ground as the sobs broke out of your chest.

“It’s okay, sis,” she said, her voice breaking. “He’s stable. It’s gonna be okay.”

“What if—what if he’s not?” You sobbed.

You clutched onto her sweater, your head buried into her shoulders. She hushed you, her hand rubbing into your back.

“The doctors said he’ll make a full recovery. We just need to wait,” she said.

“Is there any…” Your voice broke once more.

“No,” she whispered. “There’s no serious damage to his brain.”

You choked on your breath, relief swimming through your veins. This wouldn’t be like your accident; he would be okay.

“C’mon,” she urged, pulling you to your feet.

You wiped your nose across your sleeve, sheepishly turning to Joel. Gesturing from him to Beth, you gave a weak smile.

“Joel, this is Beth. Beth, this is Joel.”

Joel and Beth stood motionless, staring awkwardly at each other. You glanced between them, your eyebrows furrowing. Why weren’t they saying anything?

Finally, Joel cleared his throat and extended his hand to Beth.

“Nice to meet you, Beth. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Beth took his hand cautiously, giving him a friendly smile.

“Same here.”

You’d revisit this awkward interaction later, but you needed to go home.

“Is mom home?” You asked Beth.

You reached for your bag, but Joel gently nudged your hand away. He took it into his hand and walked to the parking garage behind you and your sister.

“Her and Stella are at the hospital,” she explained.

You stopped in your tracks, sending Joel staggering into your back with a soft oof.

“Sorry,” you muttered to Joel. You turned back to Beth. “Take me home.”

“No,” she said sternly. “They want you there. You need to be there.”

“Beth,” you started.

She lifted a hand to silence you, glancing over your shoulder at Joel.

“Can you jump in the car real quick? I need to talk to my sister alone.”

Beth tossed her keys to Joel, waiting until the back door shut before she glared at you.

“Does he know?” She questioned.

“Of course, he doesn’t know,” you argued.

She scoffed, folding her arms.

“Considering everything going on, you didn’t think to mention it to him?”

“Sorry, I’ve been a little busy getting my ass out here as fast as possible. It didn’t register in my mind to share the sad details of my accident with him.”

“You need to tell him, sis.”

“This isn’t the fucking time to do it!” You snapped.

Beth rolled her eyes, her lips pursed for another attack.

“It’s going to come out sooner or later. You know that, right? He’s not going to run away if you tell him.”

“Bennett did, so why is he any different?”

“Stop comparing him to Bennett!” She yelled. “He’s nothing like him, and if you seriously think that, then you’re a fucking idiot.”

“Don’t say that,” you mumbled.

“What? The truth? Because the truth is that you are a fucking idiot. And on top of that, you’re a coward.”

“Fuck you,” you spat.

Beth laughed. She actually laughed. Rounding the car, she left you standing teary-eyed and frustrated.

“Get in the fucking car,” she shouted. “We’re wasting time.”

You hauled yourself into the front seat, keeping your eyes out of the window and avoiding the heavy truth sitting between you, Beth, and Joel. If any one of them told him about your past, you’d kill them. It was yours to share whenever you were ready.

Beth drove like a bat out of hell to Mass General. No one said anything the entire drive, and you were grateful for it. After the blowup between you and Beth, you had no more energy left to fight. You just hoped you’d be able to reel in the anger with Joel; he didn’t deserve it.

Mass General loomed above the rain clouds settling over the city. Joel and Beth had already exited the car while you sat inside its warmth, your eyes stuck on the Emergency sign at the front of the hospital. Joel tapped on the window, stirring you from the numbing sensation rolling through your body. You didn’t even flinch at the sound of his knuckles on the glass. Joel cracked the door open, pulling it wide enough to fit his broad between the metal and your shaking body.

“C’mon baby,” he urged, offering his hand. “I know y’can do this. I’m right here with you, okay?”

“I can’t,” you whined.

Joel crouched slightly, leveling you with soft brown eyes, a curl drifting over his forehead. You wished you were both in bed, curled under the covers and far away from Boston. You wanted his soft hair between your fingers and his stubble ticking your skin. But no, you were here in Boston, with a rain cloud hanging in the sky and your father unconscious in a hospital bed.

“Look at me,” Joel breathed.

You wanted to look anywhere but at him. If he looked at you any longer, you’d shatter completely. He cautioned your name, coaxing you from your hesitation. His strong hands cupped your cheeks, holding you firm as he kept your focus on his eyes.

“I’m right here,” he repeated. “Ain’t gonna leave your side no matter what. Y’understand? Whatever happens, I’m right here.”

You chewed on your lip to keep the sobs from escaping. It was surprising you had anything left to cry; all you did was cry… and cry… and cry.

“I can’t go in there, Joel. You don’t—you don’t understand.”

“Help me understand,” he pleaded.

“Go without me. I’ll wait outside, okay?”

“Baby,” he groaned. “Beth will have my ass if I don’t get you inside.”

You scoffed, ripping his hands from your face.

“You speak a few words to her and suddenly know how she’s gonna react?” You glared. “You both acted so fucking weird in the airport and now you’re taking her side?”

Joel straightened to his full height, the shadow of his body blanketing you. You were pushing him away; you knew it, and so did he. You just needed to nudge him a bit more, and he’d run. You’d be alone again and spare yourself the humiliation and heartbreak.

“I ain’t takin’ sides,” he argued. “I’m bein’ realistic. I saw the way she went at you back there. I’m not ‘bout to get the same treatment for leavin’ you behind.”

“Just go!” You yelled. You shoved at his chest, forcing him back into the door.

He didn’t respond in anger like you expected. He did the opposite, pulling you towards him and into a desperate kiss. You tried to push him off—tried to fight it— but he only held you tighter.

“Keep fightin’ me, baby,” he said against your mouth. “I’m only gonna fight back.”

“I hate you,” you cried. “I hate you.”

But you didn’t stop kissing him. You gripped the wild curls at the base of his neck, pinning him to your lips as you sobbed through every slant of his mouth.

“Why won’t you leave?” You cried, the words muffled as his tongue searched for yours. “Why, Joel?”

“I ain’t leavin’ you again, baby,” he murmured. “I can’t.”

Joel pulled away from your swollen lips, tears pooling in his eyes. You instantly felt remorse for treating him so badly. You wouldn’t do to him what Bennett did to you.

“Remember when I said this was real?” he asked. “Do you still believe that?”

You nodded, squeezing your eyes shut as more tears ran down your cheeks.

“Yes,” you whimpered.

“Then trust me when I say I’m never leavin’. Not now. Not ever.”

You inhaled a sharp breath and buried your head in your hands.

“Just give me a minute, okay?” You exhaled. “Catch up with Beth, and I’ll be right behind you.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” he said, echoing the words you spoke only a few weeks ago.

“You and your deals,” you grumbled, peeking out your fingers.

That garnered a slight grin from Joel, his lips curling upward.

“Take your breather, and I’ll wait by the back of the car. If y’wanna go in, we can go in together.”

You remained silent, hiccuping over another sob. Joel raised his brow, waiting for a response. Avoiding his eyes, you nodded, the Emergency sign taunting you from a distance. Joel leaned down to press a soft kiss on your forehead and abandoned you to retreat toward the back of the car.

You steadied your breathing, focusing on the slow inhale and exhale of the air within your lungs. It wasn’t you in that hospital bed; it was your dad. He didn’t sustain the same damage you had, and that’s all that mattered. Whatever the outcome, he was better off than you had ever been, and you needed to be grateful for it.

You let your legs move on their own accord as you took your spot beside Joel, his hand instantly grasping around yours. His touch grounded you in the moment, keeping you centered as your mind swam upstream through the rocky waves of the past. You had to stay strong. You had to prove you could do this.

The second your feet crossed through the sliding doors, all that strength collapsed. Joel hooked a strong arm around your back, bracing you to his side as he guided you into the waiting room. Your mom and Beth sat side by side in the worn-down seats, their faces grim and tired.

“Hey,” you said wearily.

Your mom's eyes snapped up, and she broke down at seeing you. She ran up to yank you from Joel’s grasp, smothering you into a tight hug.

“Oh, honey,” she cried. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“How’s dad?” You asked, speaking into her hair that wrapped around your face.

“Doctors haven’t given much of an update, but he’s alright. They’re taking him in for surgery in a few hours to help reset his hip.”

“And his head?” You faltered.

“There’s no serious damage,” she whispered.

You peered over her shoulder to where Beth sat, eyes meeting in a quiet understanding. There was still a tension running thick between you both, but those words from your mom were enough to soothe the surmounting anxiety inside you.

“Mom,” you sighed, tearing away from her embrace. “This is Joel.”

You motioned to Joel behind you, an eerie repeat of what had happened between him and Beth. Your mom stood frozen, her eyes widening as she stared at him. Joel cracked a welcoming smile, extending his hand out to her. No one moved, and his hand remained wavering in the stagnant air.

“Mom?” You pressed.

She shook her head and opened her arms to Joel, inviting him in for a hug. It was strange but not entirely unexpected, considering the circumstances.

“Hi, honey,” she said as she rocked Joel back and forth in the embrace.

“Hi, Mrs. Smith,” Joel replied. You caught on to the way his biceps flexed around her, squeezing her just as tightly as he would with you. He was comforting her, and something softened inside you.

Beth cleared her throat behind you, snapping you out of your thoughts. Your mom released Joel and turned towards Beth.

“She should go up and see him,” Beth told your mom.

“She is right here,” you snapped.

“Oh, now she wants to listen to me,” Beth snorted.

“Both of you!” Your mom shouted. “Enough!”

You shrunk away, folding yourself into Joel’s warm frame. The press of his body against yours quelled the anger rising back up, and you kept focus on his hands rubbing over your arms to keep from lashing out. Beth was pushing, and you knew exactly why.

“Listen, Beth, stay here and chill out,” your mom started. She glanced back at you and Joel before continuing. “Let’s go upstairs, and I’ll take you to see him.”

You followed your mom up to the ICU, your eyes shifting from one room to another. The repetition of machines beeping and murmurs of nurses through the hall slammed into your head like a hammer, and you found yourself clinging to Joel, twisting his cotton shirt until it stretched between your fingers.

“It’s okay, baby,” Joel crooned. “I got you. Ain’t lettin’ you go.”

Mom guided you to the room where Stella was perched on a chair beside the bed. You averted your eyes from your dad, refusing to look. Stella turned to see you walk in and immediately sprinted into your arms, sobbing into your chest.

“I know. I know,” you cried.

“I was so scared it was going to happen again, sis,” she muttered.

“They said he was okay, right? It’s not going to happen to him,” you assured.

“But what if it does? What if he wakes up and doesn’t remember—.”

“Don’t,” you interjected. “Don’t say it.”

She peeled herself from you and wiped away her tears. Joel stepped forward, his hand pressed to your lower back, as he made his way to introduce himself.

“I’m Joel,” he smiled, extending his hand.

Stella flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling into his chest. Your mom watched them with a knowing look, something you couldn’t discern.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” she sighed.

Weird. You only really talked to Beth about Joel and didn’t expect her to share it with anyone except your mom.

Joel rubbed her shoulders gently, then pulled away.

“Likewise, Stell.”

Stell. You didn’t recall calling her that in front of Joel; that nickname was reserved for you and only you. Your head was pounding, and the nagging feeling that you were losing grip on reality was slowly settling in. You worked so hard to remember everything; it wouldn’t happen again. Not now.

“You okay, sweetie?” Your mom cautioned, stepping beside you.

Her voice roused you from your confusion, and you made the mistake of looking at your dad for the first time. He looked so much smaller, lying in the hospital bed: a breathing tube situated under his nose and IVs running through the bend of his arm. Oh God, and his face. Both of his eyes were rimmed in dark bruises, and a thick layer of bandages was wrapped over his forehead. Was that how you looked all those years ago? Your stomach churned with nausea the longer you looked at him. The whirring of the machines in the room dizzied you, and you felt your body swaying in place. Joel quickly steadied you, his arms coming around your front to lock you into a tight hold.

“You’re okay, baby,” he murmured into your ear.

“Do you want to be alone with him, sweetie?” Your mom asked.

“Please,” you said, nodding.

Joel kissed the crown of your head before following your mom and Stella out into the hall. You glanced over your shoulder to see them all huddled together, the cracked blinds inside the room obstructing your view of what they were saying. You’d ask Joel about it later.

Turning back to your dad, you let the real tears fall. The ugly, gut-wrenching ones you had held back for so long. Tears that weren’t just for him, but for you as well. No one in your family knew the fear and pain that came with a head injury. No one could understand you—not even Bennett, despite everything he tried to say and do. You were alone in its entirety, but you’d be damned if your dad dealt with the same.

Cradling his hand in yours, you drew circles over his calloused skin with your thumb. You didn’t have words to express your pain, so you sat in silence. The constant repetition of machinery beeping throbbed through the recesses of your brain, a migraine looming on the horizon. You’d suffer with it later, but it would be worth it just to stay in this moment a few seconds longer.

“I love you, dad,” you whispered.

You didn’t know if he could hear you, but you hoped he did.

You remained silent for a few more minutes and glanced at the clock above the bed. 3: 13 AM. You hadn’t realized how much of the day had drained away, and the fatigue in your body was settling in rapidly. You wanted to lie down and wake up when everything was better, but it all came with time. And you hated that. You hated time and things it had stolen from you.

A light rap on the door startled you from your silent cocoon, and you turned to see Joel peeking in through the window. You motioned him to come in, and he bent beside the bed, his hand resting on your thigh.

“How ya’ doin’, baby?” He asked softly.

“I’m tired,” you lamented.

He smoothed his hand over your legs, the warmth of his touch radiating through your body. You leaned into his touch, letting your head rest on his.

“I’m gonna ask Beth if we can take the car and go home,” you said. “I can’t be here anymore, and I need sleep.”

“We can do that. Your mom said they’re gonna take him for surgery in a few, anyway. No point stickin’ around if we’d just be waitin’.”

“When he’s out of surgery, they can call me, and we can come back.”

“Sounds like a plan, baby. Let’s get you home.”

Joel offered to drive Beth’s car back to the house. You sat beside him, your head propped in your hand, watching as he drove through the city streets. Even cast in the late night sky, he was so handsome. The rich tan color of his skin seemed to be illuminated by the moonlight glinting through the windshield, his brown eyes softer than you’d ever seen. There wasn’t a trace of a smile on his lips, but he still looked so kind and so loving. Joel glanced over at you as the car slowed in front of the red light.

“What’s that look for?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m just really thankful you’re here,” you exhaled. “I’m sorry you had to see me so angry earlier. It wasn’t fair of me to take it out on you.”

Joel leaned over the dash to pull you in for a soft, fleeting kiss.

“There’s a lot happenin’ right now, baby. Be angry all y’want. I can take it,” he said.

You chewed on your lip and nodded, turning your attention back to the street as the light turned green. Joel drove in silence the rest of the way to your parent's house, guiding him quietly with directions every few turns. Even though it had only been a few weeks since you were last home, the streets were scattered with yellow and orange leaves, autumn settling over the neighborhood. The car's tires flattened over them as Joel slowed to the front of the house and killed the engine.

“This where y’grew up?” Joel asked, tilting his head toward the house.

You nodded, but your eyes were glued to the porch. The ladder was still lying on the ground; the metal pressed into the cold grass of the front lawn. Joel must’ve picked up on your fixation and sighed.

“I’ll go pick it up, baby. Why don’t you grab your bag and head in, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” But your eyes didn’t stray from the ladder.

You watched Joel reach the ladder, his body a beacon under the moonlight. His tall figure moved against the cover of the night sky, working quickly to move it off to the side of the house. You took an extra moment to collect yourself before gathering your bags and meeting him on the porch. Joel took them immediately from your hands as you guided him into the house. You’d give him a tour of it tomorrow; you just wanted to curl under the covers of your bed and waste away.

When you opened the door to your bedroom, Joel gave a low whistle, glancing around at the artifacts of your childhood. Miscellaneous pictures of you and your sisters hung on the walls, along with a collection of CDs stacked on the floor in one corner and a reading nook built into the windowsill. The dated white armoire was nestled against the wall beside your vanity, and the large queen bed sat untouched and nicely made with its white comforter and grey pillows.

“Nice lil’ room y’got here, baby,” Joel chuckled.

“Yeah, it’s alright,” you shrugged.

You dumped your bag on the ground, collapsing backward until your back hit the bed with a soft thud. Joel followed your lead, and you both lay there silently, staring at the ceiling fan as it spun in circles. It was tempting just to succumb to sleep right in that moment, but you knew you needed a shower to wash off the lingering stress of the day.

“Come shower with me?” You asked, glancing over at Joel.

“Of course.”

The heat of the shower pelted your skin as Joel rubbed a loufa into your back muscles, working out the knots that had materialized through the long day. You basked in the warmth of his body pressed into yours, your head falling back against his muscular chest and eyes drifting shut. His tender touch helped alleviate the pressure building in your head, and you prayed that the migraine would subside soon enough.

“Doin’ okay, baby?” He asked, his mouth pressing into the side of your neck.

You hummed at his lips on your skin, bringing your arm up to wrap around the back of his neck. His fingers drifted over the curves of your body, squeezing your hips softly before trailing between your legs.

“Can I?”

“Mhmm,” you sighed, shifting your body slightly so that he could explore further.

His hand dipped between your legs, your arousal already pooling at your entrance. He was slow with his touch, each graze of his fingers over your sensitive bud eliciting a soft moan from your lips. Joel’s mouth roamed over the expanse of your neck as he continued to draw circles over your throbbing clit. Your fingers tugged at his wet curls, urging him closer. The blood coursing through your veins thrummed with pleasure as he teased the build-up of your release.

“You’re beautiful, baby. Y’know that?” He whispered in your ear.

Maybe it was the gentle touch of his fingers or his words swimming through your mind, but your climax shattered you into pieces in record time. Your thighs clenched tight around his hand as you let out a soft cry.

“That’s it,” he crooned. “Let go, baby.”

You slumped against his body, your heart settling back into a normal rhythm. Joel held you close, wrapping his arms around your front and swaying you under the spray of the water. Your eyes grew heavy the longer you remained in his embrace, so you decided to cut the water and drag him out and into bed.

Under the security of your comforter, you clung to Joel and buried your head into the crook of his arm. He traced circles over your bare arm, letting you lay quietly against him. The familiar pressure of a migraine began forming in your mind, the pounding ache settling behind your eyes. You squeezed your eyes tighter, curling yourself up into his body in hopes it would fade away as you slept.

“What’s wrong?” Joel asked, noticing the tension paralyzing your muscles.

“Migraine,” you choked out.

“What do y’need? I can go get it.”

“No, I’m fine,” you lied. “Just stay here. Please.”

“These happen often?”

“Not in a while.” You couldn’t find the strength to form complete sentences, so the words came out choppy and pained.

“Will sleep help?”

“I hope,” you muttered, tears slipping down your cheeks.

Joel’s arms tightened around your body, anchoring you to his side as he hummed softly into your hair. Pain pulsated through your head as you forced yourself to fall asleep, your limbs shaking as they wrapped around his torso.

All you wanted was for the pain to go away.

A few hours later, the morning light dancing through the window stirred you awake. The residual aching pain in your head still lingered, but it was far more manageable than it had been before you fell asleep. Joel snored softly beside you, and you took the chance to watch him as he slept peacefully beside you. The creases in his skin were softened in his slumber, his face relaxed and calm. His lips were parted slightly, the bottom one plush and pouty and tempting to kiss. You nestled into his body, your mouth roaming over his scruffy jaw and eventually reaching his lips. The strange urge to say I love you nearly tumbled out of your mouth as you kissed him, but you swallowed it and saved it away. It was the first time you thought those three little words in the space with someone other than Bennett. Knowing Joel was digging closer to your heart, breaking down every barrier and wall, it was still frightening. But if this sudden trip had taught you anything, he was right; this was real. You weren’t ready to confess those words, but in time you would.

Just not now.

Joel roused himself from sleep, groaning softly as he pulled you in for a gentle kiss.

“Mornin’, baby. How’s your head feelin’?”

“Better,” you sighed.

“Ready to go back to the hospital?”

You groaned, shoving your head under the comforter.

“I hate it there.”

He squeezed your side, urging you back up to the surface. Your eyes connected with his, the morning light coloring his eyes a rich shade of amber. Flecks of gold scattered through his irises, blending into the rich chocolate brown you were drawn to.

“Why do y’hate it so much?” He wondered.

“I—I just don’t have good memories of it.”

“Y’wanna talk to me ‘bout it?”

You rolled onto your back, closing your eyes as the memories waded through the headache still swimming in your head.

“Bennett, there’s a chance this could actually work,” you begged.

“I’m not risking it. What if it doesn’t work and things get worse?” He argued. “Isn’t it easier to just move forward?”

You rubbed circles into your temples, trying to soften the onset migraine surging to the surface. All this arguing was making you nauseous and tired. Why wouldn’t Bennett be on your side about this? Why wasn’t he agreeing with you?

“I want to remember,” you lamented. “I want those two years back.”

“The doctors said it’ll take time. Why isn’t that enough?” Bennett sighed, crouching down to meet you at eye level.

“You don’t understand, Bennett.”

“I’m trying,” he snapped.

It was the first time you’d experienced his anger in such a way. He wasn’t taking your side, and he wasn’t even listening to your requests. You could only nod and cave to his arguments; he was the one holding the power now. You had to trust him.

Situating yourself against the headboard, you inhaled sharply and glanced at Joel.

“I might as well tell you since everyone is on my case about it,” you groaned.

“Only if you wanna, baby. I ain’t gonna force you,” Joel sighed, looking up at you.

Giving yourself a moment to gather your thoughts, you dove into the story.

“I was in an accident when I was twenty-two, or I guess twenty-four. The last thing I remember was being twenty-two and just moving to Austin with Bennett. We had just moved into our apartment, and I was about to start substitute teaching while finishing my Master's degree. Everything was great. Then, I got in an accident on the way home from school, and the next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital.

“I guess in the crash, my head hit the dashboard hard enough to cause serious damage to my brain. They—the doctors, told me I had sustained enough trauma to cause retrograde amnesia. I woke up thinking I was still twenty-two, Joel. I lost two years of my life. I couldn’t remember a single thing.”

“Oh, baby. I’m so fuckin’ sorry,” he whispered, propping himself on his elbows.

“Bennett tried to fill me in on pieces of it, but trying to remember did more damage than anything,” you continued. “I had migraines all the time. I could barely function for the first couple of months, and that’s when my parents talked me into coming back here. To Mass General. They ran so many tests on me and tried to find solutions, but there was no hope. Bennett was adamant about not causing any more damage to my brain, so I just gave up,” you explained.

“You gave up tryin’ to remember?” He asked, pulling himself up to sit beside you. There was a deep furrow between his brows and a noticeable shift in his body language. Everything was tense, from his jaw to how his fists clenched together.

“Yeah. I trusted Bennett with the memories I no longer had and knew he would take care of me. Or at least, I hoped he would. The doctors suggested I stay in Boston to go through psychotherapy to help try and piece together those memories, but Bennett was against it. It caused a huge riff in my family since they wanted me to stay and get help.”

“He kept you from rememberin’ things,” Joel frowned.

You nodded, digging your knuckles into your eyes to try and push away the pressure building behind them again.

“We were here for almost two months, just constantly going in and out of the hospital. I’d have these debilitating migraines that would lead to fainting spells, so I was always back at the emergency room for more testing. The outcome was always the same, though. I felt so defeated every time like it was my fault,” you confessed.

Joel laid a hand on your thigh, smoothing over your skin as you tried to drag in a lungful of air.

“It ain’t your fault though, baby,” he assured.

“I should have advocated for myself more. I just did whatever Bennett said because he knew things I couldn’t remember. He even proposed here. He made this big, long speech about how he never wanted to face the fear of losing me again, and I went with it because I loved him. I loved him enough to do whatever he said because I owed it to him.”

“You were tryna heal from everythin’,” he offered, trying to make sense of it all. “It’s not your fault for what happened after.”

You laughed, rolling your eyes.

“But it is,” you argued. “It’s my fault Bennett left. If I thought our fights before the crash were bad… It only got worse. We moved out of our apartment and got this big house. We decided to speed through our engagement for the sake of my fucking memory. All the while, Bennett just started to get angrier and angrier. I was trying so hard to remember things, and he just started to remember less. He was always fighting with me over every little thing. He barely touched me or looked at me. For fuck sake, he wouldn’t even sleep in the same bed as me! It’s like he didn’t want me to have those memories back, and I just—I don’t understand why.”

Joel pulled your head into his hands, his eyes darkening as he stared at you. His thumbs rubbed over your cheekbones in an attempt to calm your rambling. You wanted to flinch away from his touch, but he only held you tighter.

“None of this is your fault,” he emphasized.

“It is, though,” you sniffled. The tears were ready to slip at any moment. “He wanted the girl I was before the crash, and I was so hell-bent on trying to fix my memory that I stopped being that version of myself. I couldn’t be what he wanted, so he left. I wasn’t enough, Joel. I couldn’t fight for him to stay because he didn’t want me. I—I’m so fucked up, Joel.”

Joel’s nostrils flared, a wash of anger clouding his eyes. But you knew it wasn’t anger toward you. It was toward Bennett.

“Hey, don’t talk like that,” he snapped. “You’re not fucked up. Bennett was an asshole, and I swear I’d kill him if I could.”

“That’s not funny,” you deadpanned.

“It wasn’t meant to be funny, baby. I’m serious. Ain’t no way y’went through hell and back for him to do that to you. Y’didn’t get the time to heal because you were so focused on tryin’ to make him happy, and he didn’t deserve you. You know that, right? None of this is your fault.”

You shrugged off his hands and scooted out of the warmth of the bed. Digging through your bag, you pulled out a change of clothes, carelessly throwing an outfit together while Joel sat motionless on the bed.

“Baby,” Joel pleaded. “Stop for a minute, ‘kay? Are you listenin’ to me?”

He threw back the covers and strode to where you stood, your arms halfway into a sweater. He helped tug it the rest of the way, settling it over your body before reeling you in for a long kiss. It was his weapon for shutting you up, and he was really fucking good at using it. You dragged yourself away from his mouth, staggering back until there was enough distance between you and him.

“I should have fucking listened to everyone,” you heaved. “I should have fucking stayed in Boston, but I wanted to prove I could do it. I wanted to prove I could continue living with this fucked up part of myself.”

Joel cautioned your name, and you took another step back.

“Look at me, Joel!” You laughed. “I’m fucked up! I still can’t remember a damn fucking thing, and being here is only a brutal reminder of that. I lost so much of myself because of that accident. And I swear to God, if I lose my dad, too. I—I can’t…”

Your knees hit the ground before it even registered in your mind. Joel was quick to drop to the floor in front of you, pulling you into his lap as the sobs wracked through your body. You rocked yourself back and forth as Joel’s arms wound into a vice around your chest. He hushed you softly as you audibly cried loud enough to echo around the room.

“You aren’t gonna lose him,” Joel whispered in your ear.

“What if—.” You choked on another cry.

“Breathe with me, baby. Just breathe. C’mon.”

Joel inhaled loudly, coaxing you to do the same. You followed his lead, exhaling when he instructed to. You both repeated it a few more times until you felt the surge of emotions slow.

“That’s it, baby,” he sighed. “I’m right here with you. Everythin’ is gonna be okay.”

You burrowed your head into his chest, your tears dampening his bare chest. How was he not running away from you? You laid all your damaged pieces out, and he still had his arms around you. You didn’t deserve it. You couldn’t make sense of it.

“What do y’say we get back to the hospital?” Joel offered after a moment. “We can check in and see how the surgery went. It’ll give you some peace of mind.”

“Okay,” you acquiesced.

Joel helped you to your feet, and you both finished changing in silence. You grabbed your purse and followed Joel to the car, and you both returned to Mass General.

“He’s fine, honey,” your mom said, giving you a weak smile.

You were all crowded in the hospital room surrounding your dad as he lay unconscious on the bed.

“The doctors say he’s going to make a full recovery,” she continued. “They’re going to slow the sedative down, and hopefully, he’ll be waking up in the next day or so.”

Beth and Stella stood close together, Stella’s head resting on Beth’s shoulder. Their expressions were painted with relief, and you felt your muscles loosen at the news.

“So, we just wait?” You asked.

“We will wait,” your mom corrected. “You and Joel should go back to Austin. There’s no point sticking around now that we know he’s alright.”

You turned to stare at her, your lips twisting into a scowl.

“I am not leaving until he wakes up,” you argued.

“We’ll call right when he wakes up,” she offered. “I know being here is hard for you, honey. And you’ve got a job that needs you.”

“Mom!” You shouted. It was loud enough to startle everyone. “I’m not leaving.”

“She’s right, baby,” Joel chimed in. “He’s gonna be okay.”

“I want to stay.”

“Look, let’s make a deal. We stay another day and then go home, okay?”

You glanced between everyone in the room, finally settling your eyes on your dad, still unconscious in the bed. Everyone was right, but you didn’t want to leave yet. You weren’t ready. Even if being here felt like hell.

“One more day,” you agreed.

You remained at the hospital most of the day, shifting between the waiting room and your dad’s room. Everyone took turns visiting him and meeting with doctors, and Joel stayed at your side every minute. Stella took a liking to him most out of everyone, spending a good majority of the time talking his ear off about Sarah. Seeing Joel engage with her as he did was endearing as if they knew each other and were old friends catching up. He treated everyone in your family so kindly that it was hard to continue shoving down those three little words. You wanted to say them more than ever…but weren’t sure when you’d feel ready.

Eventually, the day faded into night, and your mom urged everyone to go home while she insisted on staying. You didn’t know when she had slept last, but she was adamant about staying with your dad. Beth drove you all home, humming some song that floated through the radio. As the house came into view, she dialed down the volume and turned toward the backseat.

“Joel, Stella, will you guys head in while I talk to sis?” Beth asked as she parked the car.

You gave her a confused stare as they filed out and walked up the driveway toward the house.

“Did you tell him?” She asked, turning to look at you.

Her eyes were dark with heavy circles, and her lips stuck in a straight line.

“I did,” you nodded.

“What did he say?”

“He just sympathized with me. There’s not much else to say,” you shrugged.

“That’s it?” She pressed, her brows scrunching together.

You scoffed, glancing out the side window.

“What did you want him to say, Beth? There isn’t much to say when you tell someone your memory is all fucked up.”

“I just figured he’d say more,” she offered.

“Like what?” You snapped. “Nothing he says is going to magically make it better.”

“I know, I know. I just thought he’d say more.”

You stared at her, the tiredness creeping into your bones. You didn’t want to argue anymore, not about this or anything.

“Can we just go in? I’m tired,” you said.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Beth and Stella offered to make dinner that night, all four of you quietly eating in heavy silence as the evening drifted later. Once dinner was all said and done, you and Joel retired to your room, curling up under the covers once again. You tangled your legs between his and kissed up his chest and under his jaw.

“Baby,” he warned. “The girls are right down the hall. Don’t be doin’ that.”

“Why?” You questioned, continuing the path up his cheek and to his lips.

Joel captured your mouth in a hungry kiss, his hands tangling in your hair. You moaned softly as the kiss depended, his hands roaming over your body.

“I want you, Joel,” you whispered against his mouth.

“Baby, we can’t,” he groaned. But he didn’t stop kissing you.

He rolled his body over yours, pinning you to the bed as his hand slid under your pajama bottoms. You bucked into his hand, searching for a fleeting touch to quell the ache growing between your thighs. Joel responded to your desperation, slipping a finger between your slick folds.

“I’ll be quiet,” you promised. “Just keep kissing me.”

Joel relented to your pleas, locking his mouth with yours again. He added another finger, plunging them inside you as you cried out at the pressure. His teeth quickly bit down on your bottom lip, a silent demand to keep your voice down.

“Sorry,” you exhaled.

“Be good for me, baby,” he whispered.

His fingers abandoned you, but it was barely a moment of loss before he sank his cock into you. You used all your strength to hold back a groan of relief as the slight sting of your body stretching to him faded into bliss. Joel kept his hands tangled in your hair as he rocked into you, your bodies moving in unison as he drove himself deeper with each thrust.

“Joel…” You whimpered against his mouth.

“Stay quiet, baby.”

His mouth roamed down the column of your throat, sucking gently at your skin as he reached one arm down to hook around the back of your knee. The change in position only sent his cock deeper inside you, your core clenching around him with every drive of his hips.

“It feels so good,” you panted, rolling your hips. “I’m so close, Joel. Don’t stop.”

“Good girl,” he hummed. “Cum for me, baby.”

His hips snapped harder against you, and you bit back another cry of pleasure. Your body thrummed with the need for release, the waves crashing inside you growing stronger. Just a little more… a little more. Joel’s other hand snaked between your bodies, his fingers brushing over your clit. You arched into his touch and ground your nails into the skin of his biceps.

“Joel,” you choked.

The orgasm exploded through you, fogging your vision as your core pulsated around his cock. Joel let out a strangled groan and tumbled over the edge with you, his release filling you only seconds later.

Joel collapsed against your body, his cock slipping out of you as it softened. You welcomed the weight of him, letting his skin meld into yours. I love you. It was just a breath from escaping your lips, but you kept it shoved down.

Another time, you told yourself.

“Can I sleep like this?” Joel chuckled, resting his head on your shoulder.

“Whatever you want, handsome,” you giggled.

He peered up at you, a grin curving over his face.

“There’s that word again,” he smirked.

“Oh, shut up. You like it.”

“I really fuckin’ do.”

You bent your neck to kiss his forehead before settling back against the pillow. It was easier to sleep like this, knowing you’d have him in your arms when you woke up. It made everything inside you hurt less.

After an extra day at the hospital, nothing new had progressed with your dad. Your mom assured you that she would call if she had any news of him waking up, so you and Joel said your goodbyes and made the trip back to Austin.

Nothing had changed in Austin, not that you were expecting it to. Joel returned home after spending an extra few hours under your bed sheets with you, groaning about not wanting to leave. You urged him to go, knowing Sarah was probably missing him. That first night home alone was the hardest; the nightmares continued again now that you had no distractions. The migraine had returned at full throttle when you woke up the next morning, and you had to make an extra effort to pull yourself from bed and dress for work. Not a single cell in your body wanted to return to a classroom full of loud kids, but you had missed enough days and needed to make up for lost time.

Maria was the first to drill you with questions as you arrived at the school.

“Is everything okay? I asked around and only heard that it was a family emergency.”

You shuffled into your classroom, Maria hot on your heels. You could barely stand the stream of light coming through the windows, let alone the sound of her voice.

“My dad had an accident, that’s all,” you assured. “Everything is okay.”

“Oh, thank God he’s okay.” She flung her arms around you, giving you a suffocating hug.

You peeled away from her, steadying your body against the corner of your desk.

“I’ll tell you more later, okay? I just need to prep for classes before the first bell.”

“I’ll check in on you later,” she announced before leaving.

The day moved on slowly, and before you knew it, your final class was over. As the students filed out, you started gathering your things but noticed Sarah lingered behind.

“Everything okay, sweetie?” You asked as she approached your desk.

“Um, kinda?” She gave you a sheepish look. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Of course, sweetheart. What’s going on?”

She shifted her weight between her legs, her hazel eyes on the floor.

“Are you dating my dad?”

Your breath stalled, and you were unsure of what to say or do. Was it appropriate to lie? You and Joel hadn’t discussed the possibility of her finding out much and now was definitely not the time.

“Why do you ask?” You were deflecting.

“I overheard him talking to my Uncle Tommy last night,” she explained.

Your heart pounded in your chest, and blood rushed through your ears. God, what had they said? What did she hear?

“Go on,” you insisted, your voice unsteady.

“My dad told Uncle Tommy he loved you.”

At that moment, her hazel eyes met yours, and everything came crashing down. You tripped over your words and found yourself gripping the desk.

“Miss Smith?” Sarah cautioned.

“I’m sure your dad was talking about someone else,” you lied. “Why don’t you head home? I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

She looked at you with confusion written all over her face but eventually followed your request and left you in an empty room.

You sank into your chair, pinching the bridge of your nose. You knew Joel’s feelings were there for you, but you didn’t want to hear it from Sarah. You wanted to hear it from him. Searching for your purse, you found your phone and dialed his number with shaking hands.

He answered immediately.

“Did y’hear from your mom?” He asked in a rush.

“No, it’s not that. Can you—” You steadied your breathing. “Can you just meet me at my house?”

“Of course, is everythin’ okay? You’re worryin’ me.”

“I’m fine, Joel. I’ll see you there in a few.”

You hung up before he could say anymore and be-lined for your car. You drove home on autopilot, the words jumbling together in your head.

I think he’s already falling in love with you.

My dad told Uncle Tommy he loved you.

Over and over again, Beth and Sarah’s voices played on a loop. You turned onto your street and blinked back tears. You weren’t ready to face this. What were you going to say? What would Joel say? What would—

You slammed on your brakes right before you got to your house.

Joel’s truck wasn’t there.

But Bennett’s car was.

#joel x reader #joel miller x reader #joel x f!reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel x teacher!f!reader #joel miller #tlou #tlou fanfic #joel miller fanfic #pre outbreak!joel #angst angst angst #joel miller smut #joel miller tlou

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traitorca · 11 months

Text

My Iron Lung - The Walking Dead

Daryl Dixon x Grimes!Reader: 1

Masterlist

Disoriented.

Disoriented was the only word that could be used to explain that agonizing plane trip to Georgia, and in following, the extensive drive to Kings County. Your childhood home, the one in which you shared with your older brother, Rick, the same man who was shot in a police chase and left in a comatose state in the hospital.

When you got the call, it was late that evening, having just clocked out of work early to get some very needed shut eye. You hadn’t slept in days, being called to the office to investigate a newly reported bacteria in one of the patients donated for study.

You were walking to your car, the bastard sitting alone in an empty hospital lot. You had stayed late tonight, being the last to finalize a recent study.

“Hey-! Lori, just the girl I was missing.” You cheered, exhaustion lacing your tone as you opened your car door. “What’s up?”

There was no response, just heavy breathing, an unfocused mind on the other side of the phone. You could tell something was very wrong.

“Lo?” Your voice came out more raw than intended, worry now flooding your mind. You knew of your brother’s marital issues. Christ, he’d call you in distress, day by day about the countless nonsense they chose to argue about. “Lo? Did you guys fight-? Hey, you’re okay right?” You knew Rick wasn’t aggressive, never in your life could you imagine he’d get violent, not with Lori. He treated that woman as if she was fragile, like he was afraid to speak his mind. That’s what pissed her off so much, you knew that. “Just- breathe! Hey, it’s okay-“

“No-“ Lori’s voice croaked out, pained, broken whimpers following as she failed to keep her composure.

“Oh, sweetheart.” You frowned, adjusting your position in your front seat. The doors were locked, key resting in the cars ignition. “Really- it’s going to be okay-“

“Rick’s been shot-!”

You fell silent, jaw slacking as your eyes nearly widened out of their sockets. Your lips quivered, small cracks of sound escaping your throat before you cleared it. “..he’s dead?”

It was more of a statement than a question. You didn’t want to know the answer, but at the same time, you needed it.

“..No- no, not yet. He’s- he’s in the hospital right now- he’s in a coma they said.” She was afraid to answer, voice shaking as if she couldn’t believe it herself. This poor woman.

Carl. Oh, poor Carl.

“I’m coming.”

“Oh-“ Lori sounded relieved, her breath releasing as if she had been holding it in. “Oh- but I don’t want you to get in trouble with your job-“

“That’s my brother, Lori.” You whisper “and you’re my family. You need me more than they do.” Do not cry. Do not cry. Do not cry. He was still alive- you could make it to see him.

“Oh god-“ she started to cry, her voice breaking under the pressure, long ugly sobs releasing into the phone.

“I’m coming, Lo. I promise.”

Working as an epidemiologist was plenty difficult, but being across seas was even harder. You and your brother shared many values, one of them being family oriented. You loved your family. Your sister in law, your nephew, your parents, but your brother was the closest person you ever had to a best friend. Seeing as you grew up quite sheltered under the protection of your older brother and his best friend, Shane, you never found the need to venture outside that circle.

That was until you all grew up, and they chose their professions, and you chose yours.

“Remember when we were little and I stole your toy truck?” You whispered, firm hand gripping his own. Rick looked like every other body you had seen in your line of work. But he wasn’t like them.

That seems like a insensitive thing to say- as if those bodies weren’t people too, once alive- laughing, crying- breathing people. (ironic considering what you’re reading huh? guess we’re all just bodies in the grand scheme of things.) but the difference was- Rick wasn’t dead. He was in an induced comatose state, hooked up to several ivs, machines clicking and beeping as they worked to keep him stabilized. It sounded like your new life, the sounds you had grown so accustomed to- now surrounding the memories of a life you once lived.

They had gone into surgery before you had even arrived, bullet wounds dressed in thick, white bandages. You wouldn’t label yourself as a paranoid individual, but you wouldn’t lie when you said you checked them at least once or twice since you had been there. They had to force you out by the time visitation hours closed- you begged, attempting to use your badge, your rank as an individual, to stay with him in the hospital. Your brother had always been a protector- but seeing him now, you felt as if it was your time to return the favor. Alas, most people in the United States who worked in healthcare were jackasses, so they were the least bit lenient, and you were sent home.

Shane had temporarily moved in with Lori and Carl, your sister in-law and nephew almost dependent on him as Rick slipped into his unresponsive state. You didn’t blame her for needing the extra help, that’s why you had flown all the way from the UK to see her.

Now, you would say your relationship with Shane was strained- you two definitely got along FAIRLY well in your youth- but let’s just say, his aggravating ass could’ve been an attributing factor to your occupation being across the ocean. So seeing him now- well, you wished it'd be under better circumstances- this didn’t really give you the chance to be an ass towards him.

“Hey, Aunt Y/N-“ Carl started.

“Yeah babe?”

“What’s it like? In Europe?” He came to sit next to you, the couch barely shifting underneath his weight.

“It’s not as hot as this, I can tell you that. Jesus Christ, I don’t know how you put up with it. So glad I left-“

He giggled at that, head leaning down upon your shoulder. You smiled. You had never given a thought to having kids- hell, you never really dwelled on relationships. High School was a mess, leaving you with an untasteful look into what future relationships could hold for you- highschool sweethearts were hard to come by, Lori and Rick being an exception, but even now you could attest that there was nothing “sweet” about them. They had a rocky relationship, as much as you’d like to say you didn’t blame either of them for their quarrels, Lori left you often surprised at what problem she had conjured up against your brother. Nevertheless, your brother raised you right, and you knew she meant well. For the most part.

“It’s not that bad! We have ice cream-“

“Oooh yes, Ice Cream.” Shane joined in, walking over to the couch with a mug in his hand. Coffee sounded so good right now. “Y/N, I didn’t get to welcome you back properly- so, I hope this will suffice. You’ve been real busy with Rick- so. Relax a bit.”

You take the mug almost immediately, eyelids slightly lowering as you brought it near to your face. You sipped from it, body immediately encased in a foreign warmth. You couldn’t imagine a world without coffee. (Woo child, get ready too.) “Relaxing would be wonderful, Shane. If only that was possible.”

He laughed, save his questionable sense of humor, as his hands went to mess with the remote control to the tv.

“Can I have some coffee-?” Carl curiously asked, eyes wide as he took in the glorious mug cemented in your hands. He half expected you to hiss, like a vampire revealed in the light- but you merely smiled, hands lowering the mug to his lips.

“Careful Carl, it’s hot.” You giggled. He honestly felt more like a brother than a nephew, reminding you of Rick when he was younger. It was uncanny.

He took one sip and recoiled- cheeks puffing out as heat swelled to his face. “Gross-! It tastes burnt!”

“Yeah, because there’s no sugar in it, idiot.” You responded, hand going to mess with his hair. He groaned in response, body sinking into the couch to avoid your hand. Despite the noise, Shane seemed rather distracted by what was on the tv, driving your attention away from giving Carl the biggest noogie of his life.

‘UK GOES UNDER GROWING PANDEMIC, MARTIAL LAW ACTIVE’ in big bold letters. A news lady giving a report, videos and photos of strange, sickly people. What a time to come over to the states, am I right? What the hell did you miss? Surely this couldn’t be related to the patient you had seen a week ago- something couldn’t spread this fast. Not normally, you’d get a sign first- a warning.

Was that patient your warning? Had you left them unattended to see your brother- was this your fault?

“Well shit, you know anything about that?” Shane pointed the remote at the tv, drawing his hand back down to the side of the couch. You jumped, almost as if he had read your thoughts. “Lori, you hearin’ this?” He called to her, distracting her from her frazzled, grieving state in the other room.

“What?” Now she had another thing to worry about- great, thanks Shane. “What the hell is that?”

You just stared, eyes narrowed, struggling to fully understand the concept placed in front of you. Videos of people biting- no, eating other people. It was something out of the horror games you’d used to play- Silent Hill level shit. “I didn’t hear about any of this.” You whispered, eyes trailing down to Carl, who seemed equally perplexed as his mother. She looked so lost.

“I’m sure it’ll be taken care of- Martial Law is a big deal.” The only thing you could muster, eyes meeting Lori’s. She looks grateful for your attempt, but it did nothing to calm the panic behind her eyes.

And as if the good lord was smiling down on you, he decided to prove you wrong. One more fucking time.

Which brings you to now, things stuffed in a car as you waited on Shane to come back with your brother. You were semi-confident- (haha, right)- in your abilities, as a scientist and a doctor, that you could take care of your brother in his state while you got the FUCK out of Kings County and to Atlanta. The pandemic- newly named the Apocalypse, was the fuel of everyone’s Halloween, Michael Jackson: Thriller inspired nightmare. Zombies everywhere, but they weren’t dancing- no, they were just- doing.. zombie things. I guess.

That’s making light of a situation that was not fucking funny. It actually, to your dismay, was as dry and dark as Shane’s humor.

Carl and Lori laid in the back seat of the car, huddled away from the windows as you sat in the driver's seat. Stressed was an understatement, you were scared shitless. Waiting for your brother and his best friend to come out of those hospital doors, government troops rushing in and out of them at the same time- guns, gunshots, sirens- those dead people walking the streets, steering for any sound, anything that moves.

“Shiiit, come on Shane- come on-“ you were gripping the steering wheel, leather squeaking as you strangled it, nails nearly folding in on themselves as you pressed. “Oh shit-“ you watched as a gun was shot by an army soldier, a bullet fatally landing in a corpse's head, its body dropping afterward. Blood flew everywhere, your eyes growing heavy as you wished to close them- close them and wake up only to find that this was a dream.

You know that before this, you had wished your brothers accident was a dream- a stupid, fucked dream, but this was so much worse- and the candle on top? it might’ve just been your fault.

But to your experience, the Grimes family had a strange way of coming to church, and if being the subject of every plague was your way of repenting, God was giving you no chance to miss it this time.

Which, must've been why he had sent Shane back out of that building without your brother over his shoulder.

taglist 🏷️: @poubxlle

#the walking dead #the walking dead x reader #daryl dixon x grimes reader #daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #twd x reader #twd #Rick grimes #Shane Walsh #daryl dixon x you #grimes reader #carl grimes #lori grimes

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loadedberetta · 5 months

Text

Wraiths of the Past

Ghost x GN!Reader callsign Wraith

cw: character death (not Ghost), angst, the supernatural

summary: A Wraith visits Ghost when he cannot find solace after a botched mission.

1.1k // M // masterlist

notes: Reader is referred to by they/them; Reader is referenced to have a small stature; it's platonic I guess?, Reader is dead the whole time, they're just a ghostie themselves

a/n: this is the second version of the story. Ghost got scared in the first draft, I had to redo it.

Ghost didn't leave home base.

As soon as the plane touched down, a heavy feeling settled in his stomach. The day went by and the feeling didn't ease, no. It became something tight, a heavy knot he carried around for days more, weighing down on him like a parasite attached to his very soul.

Finally, days later, he dragged himself down to the empty gym at two in the morning, when sleep escaped him for the third time that night.

One sore spot, he couldn't quite remedy with a few warmups.

On the last mission, he fell particularly hard as a glass roof collapsed under him and another few soldiers in a grenade blast. Among those soldiers was Wraith.

Wraith.

Wraith, who had become his - dare he say - acquaintance during the time they were a part of his smaller circle. They never made it to the 141, but they were an honourary member.

And now they lay in an induced coma somewhere not even in the country; too weak to be transported from the base they had to rush them after the fall, and the eventual failure of the mission.

Wraith… They were a presence. Their voice never became agitated, worked up, or even; happy. They were but a shade, lurking in unknown corners of the base, always seemingly hiding something Ghost couldn't quite make sense of. A soul akin to his, it felt like for him.

When he approached Wraith alone for the first time, he noticed they carried a strange air of unease. He never dared to talk to them alone again about anything other than lighthearted topics or professional matters, not for his but for their peace of mind. They almost seemed fragile off the battlefield, as if a gust of wind could knock them over.

But when it came to action, Wraith never missed. Deathly precision and the faint sound of the reaper lurking followed him around. A silent executioner, who could rarely spare a few words for fellow operators; but when they did, it hit the spot.

"Great hit."

"Flawless."

And the most curious remark Ghost had ever gotten from them:

"The Wraith approves."

Not bothering to turn on any lights, he maneuvered skillfully through the large room to the barbell rack.

Familiar warmth spread in his body as he rolled his neck once more, and settled for weighed squats. A strange sense of sudden emptiness hollowed his insides and even robbed him of that tight knot deep in his gut. Still, he pressed on and finished the set.

"Careless." A murky voice called from somewhere as he lowered himself to start the second set after a short rest.

Quickly, he picked his head up and trailed the voice to the half-open door of the gym.

Wraith was standing in the door, form leaning against the frame.

"You're back on your feet?" He asked somewhat confused, not being able to notice any crutches, bandages, or casts on the fragile body that was Wraith's. But he found no telling sign of a blinding white piece of bandage of the otherwise dark and shrouded figure.

"You are too." They dodged the question. "It's the dead of night, Ghost. Why aren't you in bed?"

He rolled his eyes and pressed on with the set, thighs lightly trembling under the navy sweats.

"Listen…" Wraith remained in the inky shadows, body seemingly phasing in and out of existence, as the shadows played tricks with Ghost's eyes. "There's something about the mission I need you to know."

Ghost picked his head up, and tried focusing on Wraith's figure while finishing the set.

"The mission is a bust. Haven't you read the briefs?" He scoffed and put the barbell back on a rack.

"It's not a bust." Their head swayed lightly, reflecting moonlight sparkling at Ghost as he looked for Wraith's gaze. "The intel is still there. I saw it. The whole server…"

"Why didn't you grab it then?" He fixed his gaze on the shadowy form that was Wraith's body and tilted his head in question. "If it's so easy. Besides, they could have moved it… It's not rocket science, that we were after the server, Wraith."

"You have to believe me, it's still there." Wraith's voice was insistent and emotional, something Ghost couldn't remember hearing before from them.

"Wraith…" He sat down on the dark leather cushion of the bench press. Thoughts swirled around in his head, and disbelief was getting the better of him.

"Yes, Ghost?"

"Is this a hallucination?" Ghost looked Wraith in the eye, as much as he could, finding the dark speckles around them disconcerting.

Silence.

"No," Wraith responded. "but I do need you to know something."

"Entertain me." He responded flatly.

"Price is going to call you in the morning, when he gets the news."

"News?"

"Go back for the server, Ghost, it's still there. They think we destroyed it. They're making a new one, with new code, new everything. You won't be able to crack that for a long time. Take this one. Please."

Wraith's voice almost pleaded. They remained in the doorway, body hiding in the thick shadow of the hallway.

"Wraith, I can't go off on your word. Tell it to Price yourself, see if he believes you."

Wraith chuckled, a sound with which Ghost was unfamiliar with yet again.

"But you do believe me, don't you?"

"Wraith…"

"Tell me."

"I want to."

"See?" They tutted with an audible smirk, which Ghost couldn't see from his vantage point.

Steps echoed outside, in the hallway, and Ghost registered Wraith's head turn in the direction of the footsteps, before they vanished from the doorway into the darkness.

Ghost recognized the footsteps as Price's, and looked up at him when he peeked in the room. His eyes were puffy from sleeping, hair toussled, and he only had a shirt and loose sweats on.

"It's the witchin' hour, boss."

"Wraith's dead." Price replied in a flat tone, and pushed in the door.

"What?" Ghost stood up. He and Price stood for a moment in silence in the large room.

"But we got some shaky intel that the server wasn't moved. At least nobody's spotted it outside the compound."

"It's still there." Ghost replied in an instant, staring at the floor.

"M-what?" Price asked, arms crossed, also focused on a spot on the vinyl.

"It's in there. They haven't moved it, I don't think." He added the last part of the sentence a second after. "When did the base call?"

"'bout Wraith?"

Ghost nodded and hummed.

"Few minutes ago. Mustn't have happened longer than thirty minutes. They said the trauma was just too much and too severe."

"I want to get back, first thing in the morning, Price." Ghost looked up at his Captain, eyes almost pleading behind his mask.

"If you're sure."

"Haven't been more sure about anything in a long time, boss."

Price put his hand on Ghost's shoulder as he walked past the Captain. "I like your thinking. The Wraith would approve."

"They did." He muttered from the doorway and disappeared into the pitch-blackness of the empty corridor.

a/n: whipped this up last night after a burst of energy hit me. deal with it. reread it like thirty times lmk if I accidentally put gendered terminology in there

#beretta does fics #simon ghost riley #ghost cod #simon riley #ghost x gn reader #captain price #captain john price #john price #price cod #cod mw fanfiction #call of duty #ghost x oc

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heyidkyay · 1 year

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I guess I’ll take this pain, instead of your name |

Part Fourteen

A/n: Hello! This part honestly took me a while to work out so here's me hoping it came out alright:) Big thank you to @Youlookjustfinetome btw for finding me some more G pics, honestly lots of love to you, practically saved my life🥲 And I hope you all enjoy part fourteen!!

Summary: In life, things changed. The boys you'd once grown up with were men now, and famous ones at that. The type that toured the world and had millions of adoring fans.

The five of you shared a shit ton of history. But you also shared a lot of mixed emotions for one of them in particular, a certain drummer.

Warnings: There's some medical stuff here, lot of mixed feelings, bit of an angry rant but not much to warn you about tbh

Masterlist

—

I'd found myself nodding away, head in another place when the doctor had come in to speak to me.

Wishing I’d been on another plane.

Or in a different fucking reality altogether, I really didn’t know.

But I’d hardly paid her any attention, even when she’d rattled off the extensive list of the injuries they’d discovered since the paramedics had wheeled me in.

Severe blunt force trauma to the head. “There’s no need to fret, I know it can sound daunting but the induced coma you were put into on arrival was used to protect your brain from any further swelling after the initial hit. We’ve also done multiple scans since so we’re almost certain that there will be no longterm damage.”

“Hang on- almost? What’s that meant to mean?” Matty had piped up in retort, having held my hand through it the entire time. He hadn’t let go, not even for a second, once the shorthaired woman had arrived not long after Lee, my nurse, had slipped out.

“Only time will tell with these sorts of injuries.” She’d tried to appease us with a clinical sort of smile, but then had gone on to describe the hit to me…

I had to shake away the thoughts of it even now, long after she’d left.

It sounded so violent. So harsh to what I could barely even recall.

“You were hit head-on. Meaning that your torso took the brunt force of the collision, which also resulted in you being thrown backwards nearly three feet. That in itself left a lot of room for damage when your body collided with the ground. The back of your head will have a rather large scar but we did our best to minimise it, and the hair should fall nicely over the top without any notice.”

I’d nodded at her once and had fought the urge to reach up and touch beneath the thick gauze they’d padded there.

Another scar.

I’d had to look away when Matty had tried to catch my eye.

One perforated eardrum, left-side. “There was a severe rupture in one of your inner ear canals which was a cause for concern too. At this moment, we’re still left unsure on how long it could take for the damage to repair itself, or if it ever will as a result of the injury to your head. Currently, we’ve got you taking a high dosage of-”

She’d prattled on after that. Talks of antibiotics and surgery (if things really came down to it), and then the warning of me maybe having to deal a with a total loss of hearing incase of any infection in the future.

I’d checked out rather quickly at that. But in truth, it had explained a lot. The ringing that wouldn’t stop. The earaches and the itching. As well as the feeling like I’m underwater, hearing everything through a tinny in-ear piece, or trying to talk over the sound of a very rowdy washing machine.

Matty had asked the doctor a plethora of questions on my behalf at that. Or I only assumed, because the woman had replied telling him that she would be happy to pass on a couple of pamphlets for him to look over. I remembered that he’d been anxious in his agreeable nod, thanking her a few times under his breath. And that had been the last of it before she’d moved on again.

A distal radius fracture. Multiple breaks in the ribcage. “The distal radius is the larger one of the two bones in the forearm. You suffered two fractures there, one on the distal end and another a little further up. It’s a very common break though and you were able to avoid any surgery on the arm. Though, it will take between six to twelve weeks to heal. And after that, some patients still find that they need physiotherapy to get back full usage of the wrist.”

I’d looked down at my hand in that moment. Stared at the cast which started at the centre of my palm and worked its way up to the crook of my elbow. The small cut I'd received in the shop earlier that same week had nothing on this.

It was my right arm too. Which only fucked me further, and I’d had to laugh at that. As though I hadn’t suffered enough. Now I had to forgo the next few months trying to manoeuvre through life and work with my left. fucking. hand.

I’d tried not to let that thought get to me in the moment. Focused on the fact that I could still move my fingers somewhat, even if they were swollen and a tad bit numb. It hadn’t helped then though and hardly reassured me now.

The detailed description of my ribs current state had followed swiftly after. Which explained the trouble I had breathing, as well as the severe burning pain I felt whenever I even thought about moving.

“It was just the three fractures.” Just, I’d wanted to scoff at her. “All on one side, most likely due to the first impact made by the car. Most cases of broken ribs can be treated with rest, icing a couple times a day and pain relief.”

The doctor had then gone on to explain about the breathing and coughing exercises she was going to have me do whilst I was under-observation. Something about preventing pneumonia or the sorts. Which had just been another thing I had ended up not having the heart to hear.

Although the fracture in one of my ribs had quickly waylaid her onto her next point. She’d actually had to pause when she’d come to it and really took the time to look me in the eye, her stoic and impersonal manner dropping.

I mean, the woman had been nice enough, she’d smiled when necessary and took the time to explain things to me in thorough detail, but she was also evidently detached, that much was clear. She didn’t want to get overly involved in my case. Couldn’t. But then, something had ultimately shifted. Even Matty had appeared to notice it, he’d clued in to the way she’d propped herself forward in her seat, the slight glance she’d gifted her colleague before she’d cleared her throat, eyes trained back on me.

She’d begun her account in a sincere but well-practiced tone, informing me of the injury that had been a result of my broken ribs. And as she had, I’d actually felt my entire world tilt on its head. And I only wished then to be floating again.

Splenic rupture. That one had been the toughest pill to swallow.

“One of the ribs on your left side pierced the spleen on impact but it only tore the organ further during transport I'm afraid. It had been hard to determine at first, the three breaks had been one of our first concerns and because of your difficulty breathing our first thought had been a collapsed lung. By the time we realised how much damage had been caused, after we’d witnessed a CT scan result, there was a large amount of blood that had poured into the abdominal cavity.”

I’d just stared blankly back at her.

“You were put under an anaesthetic rather quickly and rushed into theatre…”

“Surgery went well, although there was an altercation or two…”

“Tried to minimise scarring…”

“Risk of infection…”

“Future treatments..”

“Medications…”

I had tuned it all out.

Physically I’d still been there. In that room with her. And Matty of course. But mentally, my mind had been far away. Beyond even my own compression. It’d felt like I’d sort of drowned and the struggle to find air had suddenly stopped. Leaving me with just an empty head. No thoughts. No feelings. Nothing on the matter.

Just the fact that I had another scar.

And that, that made me feel like a walking voodoo doll.

—

My stay in the hospital was beginning to grate on my nerves. Slowly but surely I was starting to lose my mind. And I was so sure of it.

It had taken two days for me to come to the first time around. Two days since the hit, I mean. But now, I’d been here almost a week. Sleeping mostly, but bored beyond belief or in mind-numbing pain for the rest of it.

Ross had come to visit. He came daily, sometimes even twice. He brought food (sticking to what he knew best) and it often ranged from the chocolate pasties he knew I tended to drift towards in the Danish bakery up near his, to all of the sugar he could smuggle inside the lining of his coat.

He liked to keep me company too; told me all about the football, who was top of the league and what players were currently injured; kept me updated on how things were going with his mates down at the pub (the very blokey bloke types he’d always seemed to get along with); and whispered to me about all the hot gossip that was making its way around the hospital that he often caught wind of on his way up to the ward, and during his frequent visits to the vending machine.

Ross didn’t ask too many questions either and after his first frantic visit, I found myself wanting to ask him less and less too. He was also one of the fair few that still treated me like an actual person. The usual bullying and typical snarky responses were a very welcomed change of pace, as were those eye-rolls of his that he usually gifted me each time I had a coughing fit.

“Here we go,” He’d say with a put-upon sigh, slumping in the chair he tended to drag up beside my bed whenever Matty gave him the chance. “Always the centre of attention! I mean, can’t we just talk about me for once?”

Which only proved to worsen things because then I’d been coughing, laughing and spluttering all sorts of obscenities at him, all at the same time.

Yeah, it was safe to say that my doctors weren’t too fond of Ross.

Adam though, they liked. He popped in too, and brought Carly along with him whenever she could make it. Those two were oftentimes too empathetic in their visits though, which was sometimes hard to bare. But they’d also brought me my favourite kind of teabags and the lactose-free milk I opted for. As well as my own little kettle that they’d gone and plugged into the wall beside my bed for me- but only after I’d nonstop complained about the hospital’s lack of fulfilling drinks.

Their tea tasted like piss water was the shorter defence there.

But Hann had also been the one to bring me over some of the things I’d been missing from home, like my pillow, laptop and my charger- seeing as my phone had been dead since it’d been handed back to me in a plastic baggy, alongside an array of other things I didn’t much want to look at. Mostly just the clothes I’d been wearing the night of the accident.

It was a heaven send though, to be able to distract myself with a shitty Netflix series or the odd scroll through social media. Although I did have to limit my usage. Stop myself from googling questions I knew I wouldn’t like the answers to. Still, it had been a nice gesture in all, made even better by the comfort of finally wearing my own clothes and actual underwear! Instead of the itchy gown they’d had me in.

Though mentioning that, the one who knew me best, who I thought would be by my bedside, holding my hand, and making sure I stayed well-rested. Who soothed me during the moments of panic and disorientation. Who whispered quietly in my ear and held me close when the reminders became too much to bare, and when pain was all I could think about.

He was nowhere to be found.

Because Matty had gone and stepped into that role for him. For me, I guess. Sweet, chaotic Matty who could barely even look after himself at the best of times, and who’d spent most of his adult life revelling in the fact that he had no strings to tie him down. He was there for me. A constant.

Only ever leaving in a rush to shower and change so that he could make it back in time for when I had to take my medication.

Charming Lee into letting him stay long past visiting hours and having the sweetheart swindle him a makeshift bed that he could use, instead of the clump of chairs he’d converted into a shitty lounger.

Talking the rest of the patients into doing a bit of karaoke and dancing by my bed to keep me entertained. He’d even had Ross bring him his guitar so that we could sing together before lights out. Him crooning like he did best, me all muffled and croaky. Though he still claimed that my voice was as angelic as the last time he’d heard it.

Matty. My best mate Matty.

I didn’t think I’d ever been more thankful to have another human being in my life. Nor would I ever be.

So after prodding him with multiple questions on where George could’ve possibly been. What was keeping him away. And only receiving vague responses in turn, or worse, being easily distracted. I finally decided to give up.

Well. Not give up, per say. Just allowed Matty some peace and quiet. I knew it wasn’t his fault that George had been a no-show. That he’d gone and left me when I needed him most. So the questions had become less and less frequent, until I’d decided to not ask them at all.

“You sure you’re alright?” Matty repeated for what felt like the fifteenth time since I’d accidentally woken him that morning.

He was setting out my lunch for me, something I found infuriating but was also what kept his hands occupied and brain busy, he was eyeing me a bit strangely. Like he felt as though something was inherently off and he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I rolled my eyes, a fond smile limning my lips even as he pierced the straw through my smoothie’s carton for me.

“I told you I could do that.” I scolded lightly.

Matty merely hummed in reply, “Yeah, well you say that but you can hardly hike down your own knickers even after I’ve dragged you all the way to the loo, so…”

He snorted at my sudden glare, waving me off with a smirk as he handed me the drink and stole the sandwich the nurses had dropped off for me.

“What kind is it today?” I asked him, sipping at the smoothie that came with it whilst he plopped himself down on the other end of my bed, kicking his feet up near my uninjured wrist.

“Ham and cheese, I reckon. Maybe a bit of mayo but can’t be too sure. Stingy fucks these lot.” He retorted through a mouthful. I grinned and withheld a painful laugh.

This had become a bit of a pastime for us. Him stealing the sandwiches that I refused to eat, because they always seemed to line the bread with a crap ton of butter, which even thinking about had my stomach rolling. And him then critiquing every flavour to me.

Yesterday’s had been stuffing and egg, something that had had Matty grimacing even as he fought to finish the first few mouthfuls. He’d quickly given up on that one though and washed the foul taste out with one of the many cans of San Pellegrino he'd asked Hann to bring in for him. Prat.

“Anyway, you never answered me.” Matty mentioned again, bringing me back to the present. I hummed at him with only a tilt of my head. He rolled his eyes and prodded my hip with his socked foot. “Come on, something’s up. Can sense it, can’t I?”

I snorted softly at him, quirking a brow. “What, you become a self-proclaimed empath in the time you went home to shower?”

He flashed me a toothy grin which wrinkled his brown eyes. “Summat like that, I reckon.”

I huffed, shaking my head albeit in a measure of amusement. “Nothing’s wrong, Wonder Woman. Dr Mann even said I was improving, did she not?”

I wasn’t met with a reply though, so I glanced away from my smoothie and back towards Matty. I found him to simply be staring back at me. A prominent line etched between his brows.

“What?” I asked him with pursed lips.

It was his turn to shake his head then, looking away to gaze out the shuttered window. We were quite high up, 6th floor if what I can recall Ross saying is true. The sun was high in the sky, and there was not a drop of rain in sight.

I looked away then and kicked at Matty’s elbow. “Come on, what is it? You’re bein’ a right weirdo.”

He shrugged, chewing away, eyes still cast outside. “Just, you haven’t mentioned it is all.”

I frowned at him, unsure of what he possibly could've meant. “Mentioned what?”

Matty’s gaze pivoted towards me for a brief moment, looking for something I was sure, probably a a tell only he could make out. Then he shrugged at me again.

“Don’t worry about it, yeah?”

“Matty…” I tried, but my tired groan was cut short by the prominent arrival of Ross.

An angry looking Ross, actually.

I boggled a little at the sight, as did Matty who'd jumped around to see what had caught me by so much surprise.

“Matty. A word.” Ross demanded of the curly haired twat curled up by my feet, having stuck half his foot in the door and not had the common decency to even spare me a hello. What would his mother say?

“Erm, morning to you too, MacDonald!” I scoffed as I made a face, but it'd been futile seeing as Ross was already back out the door and pacing up and down the hallway. Matty patted my shin in quiet comfort and gave me an apologetic smile before he gestured his head over towards the hall.

“Best go see what he wants.”

And all I could do was watch as Matty left, still chained to this hospital bed. Once the door had dragged close behind him, I found myself with literally fuck all else to do. So, like the adult I was, I threw myself back into my nest of pillows and groaned pathetically. Wishing I could do more than just lie here day in and day out.

—MATTY’S POV—

“I’m gonna fucking kill him, Matty.” Were the first words Ross spoke to him as Matty slipped out of the room, catching him mostly off guard.

Ross was hardly ever the aggressor. In actual fact, he was one of the most tolerant guys Matty had ever known. It truly took a lot to get him to crack, or even tell you to piss off, let alone this riled up. He didn’t actually think he’d ever been witness to Ross’s ire, but reckoned he could easily check that off the list now though.

Matty blinked for a moment then cast a chance glance back through the glass and towards his best mate. The girl who was currently holed up in a hospital room with a frown as huffy as it was prominent. It was hard seeing her like that, so broken. When in actuality, she was the toughest fucking person he’d had the privilege of knowing.

Cut deep.

“Right,” He dipped his chin and took a much needed breath before he ushered Ross a little farther down the ward, away from the room's entrance. Not wanting her to hear or see the state Ross had seemingly worked himself into, although Matty could already guess what the cause would be. “What’re you playing at? You can’t storm in here like that, mate.”

Ross groaned into the palms of the hands he dragged harshly over his face, tugging on his temples for a second before he dropped them altogether. His shoulders were still tense though, practically touching the lobes of his ears.

“Yeah, yeah ‘course, sorry.”

Matty jerked his nod back down the hall. “No need for that, ‘cause you, man, are gonna be the one dodging all her questions when she ultimately starts asking what that was all about.”

Ross almost came very close to pouting then. Matty was sure of it, if only it hadn’t been for that fiery wall of anger he was still shrouded in. “Really? Alright. Fine, yeah fair. Deserve that much, I ‘spose. Just- I’m beyond fucking livid, mate.”

Matty’s brow pinched. “Why, what's happened?”

“What didn’t, you mean.” Ross scoffed, back to pacing in his big boots. Matty just hoped that none of the morning staff came to see what was causing the sudden commotion. They already seemed to hate the pair of them enough.

“Alright, mate. Just, I don’t know. Start with what’s got you so…” Matty shrugged a hand aimlessly towards his bearded bassist.

Ross tugged another hand through his long hair, loosening the bun he had it in by a tad.

“I don’t know where to start, to be honest. Maybe with the fact that I’ve tried everything. Fucking everything! Phoning, texting. Even passed by his a couple times. He won’t open the poxy door. Won’t answer Jamie or Hann either. I went over again this morning- saw some shit on Twitter last night so I reckoned I might find him there. Stole that spare key from you too, like you said, and tried using it on the locks but the prick’s only got the chain on. Latch too. So I didn't make it far.”

Matty was already chewing at his lower lip. Something he’d found himself doing more and more often as of late. Ever since that sodding fucking phone call, the one he’d almost missed. He could still hear George’s muffled cries now. The sirens. The pleads. Then the apology.

His hands shook even as he recalled it all. Fucking coward.

His attention was swiftly brought back to the present when Ross started up again, only getting more and more irritated the longer his story went on.

“So, like the twat I am. I sat outside his all morning. Just managed to catch him dragging himself home, though. Don’t know how the fucker had gone and locked himself out from the inside but, well, it’s G ain’t it?” He said through gritted teeth, “Looked a right state, too. Still halfway to pissed and smelt a bit. I mean, is he deluded? She’s in here. Whilst he’s off, doing fuck knows what, out there! It’s an utter piss take, mate. Everyday she asks after him, asks if he’s doing alright, if things are okay. And he, he could not give less of a shit.”

“Hasn’t today.” Matty found himself mumbling, dark eyes casted out towards the lifts as a familiar itch passed through his veins. Which was convenient because just as Ross went to question him on it, Hann stepped out through the sliding metal doors.

The man paused, catching sight of them just as the lift closed behind him. “What’s going on?” He asked with a furrowed brow.

“George.” Ross muttered with venom.

Whilst Matty sighed “Nothing.” at the exact same time. He simply shook his head dismissing it all when Hann approached them. “Where’ve you been anyway?”

Hann’s sharp gaze darted between the pair of them before he answered, “Was on the phone to Jamie most of this morning, then popped by to talk to Y/n’s boss. Lovely woman, actually.”

A real grin stretched its way across Matty’s face at the mention of Delia. “Isn’t she just?” He fawned.

Hann gave him one of those famous smiles of his and then proceeded to hold up a bag. “She mentioned she’d be stopping by again soon, but wanted me to bring this over.”

Matty’s attention dropped down to the bright bag, a prominent ‘Get well soon!’ engraved in gold on its side. “Nice of her. Did you get the stuff I asked for too?”

Adam rolled his eyes and moved his right shoulder, showing off the other bag, this one a duffle. “Yes, all here. Don’t stress.”

He went to reach for it when Hann’s eyebrows did a weird sort of dance on his forehead. Matty pulled a face at it and glanced over at Ross, who was still acting a bit aggy with his arms all crossed and nostrils still flared. Though Matty couldn’t fault him. He was still rightfully pissed off too.

“Tell me what’s gone on and then you can have the bag.” Adam bargained, receiving a pair of narrowed eyes in return.

“Drive a hard bargain, you do.” Matty huffed, falling back against the wall as he gestured outwardly towards Ross. “Was gonna tell you anyway.”

Hann merely hummed at him, dropping the bags between his legs as his head rounded on Ross. “What’s G done now?”

Ross’s jaw ticked and he went on another ramble, rehashing things to Hann in a bit more detail before Matty had to stop him.

“Where’s he at now then?”

“Passed out back at mine.” Ross told them, though he didn’t appear too happy about that fact. “Fucker had me drag him back to my car, wouldn’t move from the curb otherwise.”

Matty tucked his tongue between his front teeth, mind whirling. He hadn’t been to George’s yet, hadn’t wanted to leave the hospital let alone the place where everything had happened. He could only imagine what torment George has been faced with having to look at it day in and day out.

From what Ross had told them, the road had been fully blocked off until late afternoon the very next day with police patrolling and removing the vehicle from the scene. Matty grimaced at the thought of it all and listened to the quiet tones of Hann’s voice trying to calm Ross down. He deemed the moment as the easy access he needed to grab hold of the duffle and head back down the ward, deciding not to think too much about it right then.

Adam’s tut echoed and followed after him. Matty threw him a smug smile from over his shoulder.

Now it was time to get to work.

Part fifteen>

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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 8 months

Text

so.... I just finished my first read through of Clementine Book Two and... spoilers below the cut, but what the hell did I just read?

I don't even know what rating I'd give this honestly?? It was certainly more enjoyable than Book One but probably not for the reasons intended..... 2/5 stars for now?? I think?

I guess my feelings about this second installment are... it feels like a very big missed opportunity.

The art style is significantly improved though the characters do still sometimes look like potatoes, but the environments? Lovely. Really makes me wish this was done in color but alas, the walking dead is allergic to color.

The story goes that Clementine, Ricca, Olivia, and their pet cat Dr Barnaby ended up crashing the plane in Canada... because if you'll recall from Book One, they all escaped in a plane after Georgia decided to be evil and murder Amos, then tried to murder everyone else.

So they're in Canada, and Clementine's leg got so infected due to lack of proper cleaning that she goes into a coma for a month... no really, she goes into a coma. But it's okay, because Ricca and Olivia manage to flag down a boat to help them. Clementine wakes up on this island, we're introduced to a whole new cast of characters, we see how the island works, all that.

I like the Island group. They're not as likable as the Ericson crew, or any of the groups from the games. But we've got:

Miss Morro: the "doctor" of the island

Emi: She saved them and brought them to the island.

John: Miss Morro's son

Amir: A kid who lost his arm because his father didn't believe him when he said a dog bit him and he was too little to fight getting it cut off. Also one of my favorites.

Shu-Fen: she's probably the most interesting of the new cast. She and her family were on vacation here on the island when the outbreak occurred, and since she's originally from Taiwan, she's slowly trying to piece together a map to see if it's possible to ever make it back home.

Ginette and Giles: elderly couple who only speak French.

Mercy: a little girl that Ginette and Giles take care of.

There's a lot more focus on emotional drama and trauma, which I don't mind, especially since we're not given any real antagonist... well, I guess the closet person to an antagonist is Miss Morro, but she's just kind of... an asshole? She's verbally and physically abusive with her son. She's petty. After Clementine and Ricca have a big fight, Miss Morro says things clearly meant to hurt Clementine, and imply that Clem's incapable of love.

Miss Morro used to be a pathologist who performed autopsies, and her whole thing is she spends all of her time in her little hut doing these autopsies on every walker the group kills, she documents everything, and then buries them. She prioritizes this over the living people of the group in a way that feels like she's trying to convince herself that she's a good person?

Honestly, I was waiting for the big reveal that she was actually doing science experiments on the walkers... but alas, that's what I mean when I say this book feels like a wasted opportunity.

But don't worry, we have more drama because guess what. No, really, take a guess at what was revealed part way through this book. Do it. Guess.

That's right, Olivia's pregnant.

Yep. Apparently she and Amos had sex in Book One, and now Olivia's pregnant.

But why, though?

Can I share my conspiracy? Imma share my conspiracy, I think Tillie's fucking with us now. I know I've said time and time again, "When you review the comic, leave Tillie out of it," but my tinfoil hat says she's getting the last laugh and honestly? .....I'm here for it, ngl. I don't have the fucks to care anymore.

Because c'mon. Another side character from Clementine's group having a baby that she'll have to help raise? If Olivia dies next book and Clem and Ricca have to raise that baby, I'm gonna laugh.

Oh my god, what if they name the baby Amos Junior...... AJ 2.0

do it, Tillie, doooo iiiiiit

what, no I'm not losing my mind shut up I am so normal about this

Anyway... Clementine even has this line of dialogue: "I've seen a baby born before, but it was so scary I blocked it out." You blocked it out??? Are we talking about Christa? or Rebecca?? If it's Rebecca, that means Clementine blocked out AJ's birth.

It's absurd, right? And Olivia is soooo uneducated about it! Clementine finds her in the lighthouse and Olivia tells her she got bit *because she felt something move inside of her*..... and then Olivia asked why it matters when she last had her period.... How the hell did she and Amos even figure out what to do, honestly.

Speaking of Amos, my hopes and dreams were crushed. He did not come back as a twist villain, he only came back as the voice of the dream sequences.

No Lee in this book, btw. Or AJ. Amos served that purpose this time and I am disappointed. I still refuse to believe he's actually dead, you gotta show me his dead body or his walker form. We still have one more book, I'm just saying. He could come back. I won't lose hope. It wouldn't be the most ridiculous thing to happen.

And I guess I should talk about Clementine and Ricca... y'know, I kept an open mind. I really did. I went into this wanting to ship it because it's pointless to go into this mad, y'know? I can't change it, there's nothing I can do about it. So I had high hopes that we would get more development on their romance and we did... it just wasn't good.

Clemricca isn't a very healthy relationship, nor is it entertaining. Clementine's fickle, Ricca's demanding. She tells Clementine that she's willing to wait for her since Clem's still hesitant about these feelings. But then they get into an argument and I just... here's the dialogue. I would show the actual pages but from what I've found, no one has actually uploaded the book yet and I don't have a means to do it myself but:

Clementine: I don't want you to think that anything is more important to me than you. Ricca: That's kind of how you made it sound. Clementine: What I meant to say was that I… I want this island to be safe for us. We can't do anything if we're dead. Ricca: What do you mean "do"? Kiss? Date? Talk about how we actually feel? The dead decide when that can happen? Clementine: … Ricca: I love you. And I'm pretty sure you love me too. But you're not making me feel loved. You're making me feel you just want to protect me or… Clementine: But I do want to protect you. It's all I ever think about. Every minute of every day. Ricca: I don't need saving, Clem. I need you to love me. And I need it to be always. It can't start and stop. Clementine: …I… Ricca, turning to leave: Oh my god, maybe this has all been in my head- Clementine: Ricca- Ricca: I get it, okay? Clementine: If I let… If I let myself… Ricca: Forget this. Clementine: You said you would wait for me! Ricca: That's not fair. You want me to wait for the impossible!? Clementine: No, I- Ricca: I'm done, Clem. Clementine: Ricca, don't go in yet, please, we can talk more- Ricca: What else is there to say?

I dunno, Ricca, what else is there to say? Because I'm speechless.

By the way, at this point they haven't even had their first kiss. They don't have that kiss until the very end of the book...... and then they have sex. I think?

Again... but why, though?

It's not explicit, nothing is shown, it's not really anything, it's just implied that it happens through dialogue and a "fade to black." I don't even know how to talk about it, and I keep questioning myself like, "IS that what's happening??" but again, it's not explicit or sexualized in any way, it just is and I don't know how I feel about it. Hopefully I can collect myself for the big review and properly discuss it because... I think I get what the story's going for with it, but I don't love that direction, y'know?

So much happens in this book that I haven't covered, like... so much happens, it's longer than Book One and there are more characters. There's a lot of bullshit, but it was honestly enjoyable for what it was until the ending... which the ending was a problem in Book One, too.

I haven't covered that big tragic ending yet, I'm saving that for my in-depth review. I don't know when that will be out, I want to read this a few more times and be thorough. If y'all have read it let me know your thoughts. I'm very interested to know what you thought of that ending, just... all of it, Chapter Seven onward.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go read a palate cleanser and to collect my thoughts.

#twdg #clementine book two #twdg clementine #y'all these comics are so far removed from the games #i'm laughing

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sanguineterrain · 1 year

Note

hello i am finally watching stranger things so i am humbly here for some recs of your favorite steddie fics if you wouldn’t mind 💕

ilana!!! i'm so glad, and please feel free to shout at me about st whenever you like. we'll wade through the brainrot together <3

now then. onto some personal favorites:

-> steve harrington's six-step guide to getting the guy. 34k. by oaseas

"Alright, listen. You want to romance Max? It’s easier said than done.” When Lucas’s face falls, Steve is quick to tack on, “But it is doable. There are steps. Six of them.” He spreads his hands theatrically, bending a little at the waist as if setting the scene.

or: Lucas needs love advice, Dustin & Robin despair, and Steve's a regular Casanova.

i love all iterations of steve, but this author did a fantastic job of writing him as the charming young man he is. he's also so so romantic, which is basically canon. one of my favorite falling in love stories.

-> not fade away (a cover). 37k. by dorcas_gustine

Vecna is dead, Eddie is cleared of all charges, Robin shakes on a bet and Steve Harrington has got game.

....maybe you're seeing a pattern here. anyway. you can probably guess the bet has something to do with eddie munson and steve harrington's charm. again, an absolute powerhouse of a fic that showcases steve's love languages and eddie's panicked, lovesick butt.

-> talk it up (what i came here for). 12k. by heartofwinterfell

“Wait, wait, wait. You, Erica Sinclair”—Steve brandished his spoon at her, flinging flecks of ice cream spit onto the counter, before flipping it back on himself—“want me to help Eddie Munson get some game?”

“You know, Lucas said it took you a while to get with the program, but this is embarrassing.”

[or, erica spends the month of june trying to solve a love triangle]

some of my favorite fics are steve and eddie from the perspectives of others. this is one i read recently which i LOVED! erica is very straightforward and you can see how she comes to care about the boys and it's interesting to have a completely unrelated narrator describe them falling in love (even if it's unknowingly so).

-> eddie munson and the dreamboy. 8k. by pukner

"How'd you get in here--" Steve hisses.

"Your security sucks, sweetheart," says Eddie. Then, "Actually, that isn't true. It was a nightmare getting here, and the inside of your brain is a fucking labyrinth."

Or, five times El and Eddie find a version of Steve Harrington while traversing his mindscape to drag him out of a coma (thanks, Vecna).

And one time Steve finds Eddie.

this one isn't focused so much on steve and eddie falling in love. it takes place inside steve's head, so there's a lot of character study (and a lot of eddie wanting to wrap steve up in blankets and shield him from the rest of the world). it's one of my favorites, and there's a lot of eddie-steve-el interaction, which is always a win.

-> leave the light on sometimes all night. 78k. by anniebibananie

June 1986 Steve is lonely.

He’s always been lonely, honestly. An empty house, absent parents, friends that didn’t really know him. Frankly, he probably doesn’t really know himself, either. It used to be easier to ignore—between sports and parties and searching for the next girl to hang around with.

Then Nancy Wheeler told him he was bullshit. In the wreckage of the storm, he realized she probably hadn’t been that off base to call his life bullshit.

[Life in Hawkins, Indiana is boring, ordinary, no supernatural entities. Steve still changes.

Luckily, he still makes some new friends, too. Certain people are simply meant to be in the same story.]

this one was so good i downloaded it to finish it on the plane. as the summary says, it's canon-divergent in that steve doesn't get the chance to meet all the good people in his life through the upside-down chaos. it's a spectacular concept and spectacularly written. the author really understands steve's character and !!!! read it, okay.

-> blooms of the darkest garden. 12k. by tminuseternity

Steve is going to die.

And because this is Hawkins, a town with an alternate dimension right up its asscrack, he isn't going to die in a normal way. No, instead he's going to die because he can't stop coughing up the most disgusting combination of Upside Down gunk and...flower petals?

What the fuck is happening to him?

i'm a personal huge fan of the hanahaki trope and if you think steve harrington would rather hack up flowers than risk rejection, well. you'd be correct. it also has the oh. moment, which was absolutely delicious. a classic take on a classic trope. all around great read.

okay i'll stop here but if you (or anybody) wants more recs from me, i'm always reading them!!! hope you enjoy these ilana, happy reading :)

#steddie #steddie fic rec #steddie fics #inbox

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ali-annals · 30 days

Text

Is this Hope just a Mystical Dream? (i)

Pairing: Jason Todd x Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Rating: T+ | WC: 2.7k | CW: Discussions of death/murder, dark humour, temporary character death, mentioned permanent offscreen character death (it's the villains it's fine/hj), morally grey MDC >:) | A/N: For the loml @sarcasticbambi <3 | ao3 | PART TWO (final) |

Did you know that some soulmates' souls are literally connected, meaning that when one half dies, the other follows them soon after to a personalized deathscape? Marinette and Jason sure did.

3…2…

Bruce wasn’t coming. Jason squeezed his eyes shut.

...1…

“Dad.”

Kaboom!

~~~

A soft white light surrounded the cloudlike bed he lay on, surprisingly not hurting his eyes when he opened them.

This was clearly not his room and he was not dressed as Robin. Maybe someone got him out of there in time after all? Maybe Sheila came back for him?

He didn’t feel hurt and wrapped in bandages or high on painkillers like the beating he’d received warranted. Had he been in a coma and was fully healed now?

“Bruce? Alfred? Dick? B?”

When no one answered his calls for his family, he edged out of bed, feeling as spry as ever, and cautiously stepped into a hallway.

This was definitely not the Manor, but it had a similar appearance. He wandered around, taking in the kitchen, living room, and a few other rooms eerily similar to the Manor’s. Then he saw the library.

Shelves full of his favourite volumes, plus his ever-growing list of books he wanted to read. A couch that looked like he could stay there for days, getting immersed in a thousand fictional worlds. Steaming tea just the way he liked on a table next to the fire, a bookmark in place at Chapter 34, where he’d paused his reading to disembark the plane in Ethopia.

A scuff drew his attention away from the setup of his dreams. He looked up, expecting Bruce or maybe Alfred or Dick, but it was a stranger. A girl with black hair and blue-grey eyes and a worried smile, around his height.

“Bonjour. J’mapelle Marinette.”

He eyed her carefully before deciding she wasn’t an immediate threat and relaxing from his defensive stance. “Hi, I’m Jason. Where am I? What is this place? What happened?”

The girl–Marinette–sighed and plopped onto the far end of the couch he was standing beside. “What’s the last thing you remember? Before you woke up here?”

“Um…I was in a warehouse, a bomb was about to go off. Joker beat me and left, but I managed to free m–my mother.--Do you know who saved me? Where B is?”

She smiled sadly, placing her hand on his knee in a confusing gesture of comfort. “I’m sorry, Jason…you’re dead.”

He gaped at her. “What?! Why are you here, then?”

“I’m your soulmate. We meet here, in this deathscape of ours. You know how some soulbonds manifest through dreams?”

“How do you know so much about this? How…long have you been here?”

“I just arrived, but I’ll be leaving soon, I think. I’m Ladybug, one of Paris’s heroes. Our team is powered by magical jewellery, which house tiny gods that lend us their powers to fight. Mine, the Ladybug Kwami of Creation, Order, and Good Luck, is one of the oldest kwami, and she explained the deathscape concept to me after the first time I died and ended up here.”

Jason shook his head. “That’s a lot to take in. Paris has heroes? And magical jewellery? The Justice League has seen weirder, though, so I guess you make sense. But you shouldn’t go around telling people your secret identity like that!” he scolded suddenly, straightening. “You could end up…”

Like me. Apparently, dead.

Ah wait, she is already.

She smiled sadly as he trailed off. “You’re my soulmate, if I can’t trust you, who can I?”

Jason sputtered, unused to such easy reassurance. “Still, you only just met me. Why did you say you’ll be leaving soon? Scratch that, why did you say ‘the first time I died’?!”

She grimaced. “My kwami has the ability to restore any damage that happens during a fight. Now that I’m dead, my teammates will pass my Miraculous on to one of them and continue the fight. Once it’s over, Miraculous Ladybug will cover the city and reverse any side effects of the fight, which includes my death. I’ve been in and out of this deathscape several times.

“I must say, this is a new look for it, though. It usually looks like a mix of my favourite places and my home, but this time it’s quite changed. I guess you influenced it since you’ll be here a while longer than me.”

“What?”

“Deathscapes are tailored to the soulmates’ lives, or so my kwami tells me. You must be well off, huh?” she glanced around the poshly furnished room.

“My dad is pretty rich, yeah,” he shrugged. “Er…how many times have …”

“Have I died? Mmm…28,379 I think. Will you throw me a party if I hit 30,000?” she blinked innocently at him.

He stared at her incredulously. “How are you so blasé about it?”

She shrugged. “Dark humour helps…and it makes others uncomfortable, so it’s not just me. And death is a social construct, y’know? So far, it hasn’t stuck. I’m sure you’ll un-unalive too. But a lot of these deaths, like 27,000, were in a now-erased timeline. So only 1,379 belong to other timelines.”

Taking pity on his confused look, she explained. “Two of the Miraculous have time abilities. We often spend hundreds of loops on one akuma, and until we figure out the correct sequence of events to take it down, we have to keep replaying the fight. Sometimes the collateral is a little higher than we’d like. But don’t worry, only a couple of us team members remember the timelines. The civilians are blissfully unaware.”

“That’s great for them but it must be tough for you, not being able to talk about it or get sympathy for it, Marinette.” Jason could feel his heart squeezing in sympathy for his new-found soulmate.

Taking a leap of faith (he was dead, what more could happen?) he told her his biggest secret. “I’m a hero too, so I understand how that feels, though I don’t have powers.” Being Robin gives me magic! “I’m Robin. From Gotham.”

“My ex-best friend loves superheroes; I think I heard her talk about you before. You work with Batman, right?”

“Yep. Can...I ask how you died?”

“The battle’s been going on for 24 hours. I was slow. I missed a piece of metal and got impaled. Can’t say it was the nicest way I’ve gone. You?”

Crowbar. Which hurts more? A or– ”I went looking for my biomom. Found her working as a doctor in Ethopia. Joker, one of B’s Rogues, was blackmailing her. I offered to help her and she sold me out to him. He…beat me with a crowbar, then turned on Sheila and left us in the warehouse with a bomb. I untied her and she escaped but I couldn’t…B didn’t…didn’t make it.” I hope he kills the clown.

Marinette winced. “I’m sorry.” After a pause, she added, “the piece of metal that impaled me was a crowbar, too. Kinda poetic, both of us dying by crowbar, huh?”

He snorted. “Crowbar buddies. Cool. When you get resurrected, do you think we can stay in contact somehow? Phone, ghostly apparition or haunting, telepathy, something?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll ask my kwami, Tikki. Try anything you can think of, I’ll be listening. While we’re waiting, do you wanna play 20 Questions?”

“Sure, but we have to answer our questions too, to get more mileage out of them.”

“Sounds good to me! Okay, when is your birthday? Mine is July 9–I’m fifteen.”

“August 16 and I’m fifteen, too. Oh–I can’t answer this one. What day is it?”

“April 27th, why?”

“I thought I lost time. Still the day I died. Do you like to read? I do.”

She looked around the well-filled library in surprise. “You mean these books aren’t mine?” she gasped sarcastically. “It’s not my favourite hobby, but I like classics and well written books.”

The game continued, the two traumatized teenagers bonding over mutual interests and mocking the other when they disagreed.

Finally Marinette looked at Jason. “I’m leaving now. I’m sure I’ll be back–hopefully not too soon. Is there anything you want me to look up to tell you when I return?”

“If Bruce killed Joker yet. Where I’m buried. Don’t come back for 80 years!”

“No promises! I’ll see what I can find. Au revoir, soulmate!” With a shimmer, she disappeared.

Jason collapsed lengthwise on the couch, suddenly feeling incredibly lonely. “Now what?”

~~~

The first time Marinette died, she’d woken up in a strange bed in a huge fancy house that was much nicer than Adrien’s. It definitely had a more lived-in, home-like feel, for one. She’d just finished exploring its vast premises when she woke up again in Paris, to her teammates’ relief.

Later, she’d asked Tikki about it. “You must have a soulmate, Marinette,” the kwami decided. “Some have dreamscapes, and a very few have deathscapes. They’re usually involved with the Miraculous or magic or supernatural forces of some kind. Both sides of the soulbond end up in the shared ‘scape when they die. They tend to join one another fairly soon…the Miraculous must affect it some. Your deaths are temporary because of the cure, so I do not know how that will affect your ‘mate’s bond and life. Your death must not be long enough for your soulmate to join you.”

The next several times she ended up there, Marinette took note of the things familiar to her from her life, such as the extensive sewing room. Other things hinted at aspects of her ‘mate’s personality, such as the large tea collection, the vast library, the well-equipped gym that has many types of equipment she wasn’t familiar with.

The deathscape appeared to have been shaped around more of their life than hers, leading her to suspect that they would be in the ‘scape longer than her.

And then she was fighting a metallokinetic akuma, and got impaled by a shiny crowbar. And there was someone else in the ‘scape with her–a boy with blue eyes and black hair, a little taller than her (but still pretty short) and scrawny but muscled, sipping tea and reading Pride and Prejudice.

“Bonjour, J’mapelle Marinette.” Does he know he’s dead, he’s my soulmate, this is our deathscape? That it’s my fault we’re here right now?

He took the news fairly calmly, all things considered, and appeared to tolerate her, though it could just be loneliness and shock keeping him so subdued. She liked him, like she knew she would–he was funny and smart and well-read and had a nice smile. It was relaxing to get to know him, knowing he was her soulmate for a reason and she could trust him. Besides, they were dead, who was he gonna tell she was Ladybug?

She was a little sad to feel the now-familiar tingling signalling her return to the land of the living. She only hoped that her return would somehow work through the bond to revive Jason as well, so he wouldn’t be stuck in their ‘scape alone for who knew how long. He knew enough he could look her up if he revived, she was pretty sure.

Once she’d reassured her team that she was fine, she zipped home as fast as she could, desperate to talk to Tikki alone about her soulmate.

Tikki hummed thoughtfully when Marinette asked if there was any way for her to contact Jason. The kwami told her to contact Adrien and get him to bring Plagg over so they could discuss a possible solution.

While the miniature beings confabbed, Marinette told Adrien about Jason.

Finally, Tikki turned to Marinette. “You should be able to communicate in a manner similar to telepathy.” The two kwami placed their paws on her forehead. “You can try to contact ~Jason~ now.”

“Jason? Can you hear me? It’s Marinette, your soulmate.”

“I can hear you loud and clear, Marinette. Can we contact each other? Is it telepathy?”

“Sort of…it’s like souls talking instead of our minds talking, because we’re uniquely linked?”

“Cool. Are you okay?”

“Of course, I’m alive now. The cure heals everything.”

~~~

Jason and Marinette talked to each other often, especially during school and fights, where he would coach or distract her as she wished (he was an invaluable help during her English and literature classes).

But even with his help during akuma fights, Marinette started dying more. Tikki said it was their bond trying to balance each other out, bringing them together once again.

In October, Marinette appeared beside Jason yet another time. “Hi.”

“Hey. What happened this time?”

She flopped on the couch beside him, tilting his wrist so she could see the title of the book he was reading. “I have the Miraculous.”

The non sequitur made him blink until he remembered her telling him her plans to retrieve the two abused Miraculous from Hawkmoth.”Really? That’s great! Wait, why are you here then?”

She sighed. “Our bond. I think I’m gonna be here for a while. Anyways, I was with Adrien at his dad’s–’cause he’s Hawkmoth and that’s why Nathalie had a heart attack so young, she was using the broken peacock Miraculous–and we were all transformed. We fought and I got the Grimoire and Miraculous. Then Adrien and I switched and I cataclysmed Gabriel. Then we detransformed after we said Hawkmoth and Mayura were gone for good. I went home and apparently died again.”

“You cataclysmed Gabriel?!” Jason’s voice went up an octave.

“Yep. He deserved it. He ruined Adrien’s, my, my team’s lives, terrorised Paris for years, abused Nooroo and his powers…he absolutely had it coming.”

“I just can’t see my sweet pixie Marinette cataclysming someone,” Jason shook his head in disbelief. “You’re so longsuffering. Everyone has a limit, I guess–and I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it, I’m just surprised you did it.”

Marinette gave him a shaky smile. “I hold one of the two kwami of balance. I’m perfectly capable of balancing the scales where I need to.” She promptly burst into tears.

Jason panicked for a second, bewildered, but recovered quickly, scooting closer and wrapped his arms around her, letting her sob on his shoulder.

“I’m so confused, Jay,” she wailed. “I’m glad he’s gone, but he was Adrien’s dad. I just killed one of my best friends’ parents! How can I feel so relieved to know everything is over? It’s not over for Adrien, I just made him an orphan! Yeah, he’ll be better off with his aunt, but that was still his father-”

Jason patted her back soothingly, understanding the sudden outpour of emotions coming from his soulmate as she was coming down from quite an adrenaline rush, being in a safe place to feel freely for the first time in years. He wouldn’t be surprised if she acted erratic and was extremely emotional for the next little while. He didn’t mind–he much preferred her to be her entire self, emotions and tears and all.

“It’s okay to feel relieved, Marinette. It’s okay to feel sad, too, or angry, or guilty. Feel it all. You’re safe now.”

She breathed out a shuddering sob, squeezing her arms even tighter around him.

They sat there for a good while, Jason’s shirt absorbing all of Marinette’s emotions. Finally she wiped at her face, scrubbing the sleeve of her shirt over the tear and snot tracks.

“Thank you, Jason,” she said hoarsely.

“You’re welcome. Anytime, okay?”

She shot him a watery smile. “I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you that I portalled over to Gotham before the fight and cataclysmed Joker.”

His jaw dropped. “You what?!”

“He definitely deserved it.”

“You’ve got no arguments from me, believe me, I just–you killed him? Why?”

“It was about time. He killed and hurt hundreds of others and he killed you.” She cupped his face in her hands. “I’m thrilled I got to meet you and know you, but I’d far rather you alive than with me right now, if it meant Joker never killed you.”

“Thank you, Marinette,” he whispered, leaning his head against her shoulder.

“You’re welcome. Anytime.” She repeated.

After a while he laced their fingers together, staring at their entwined hands. He looked at her. “I’m glad you’re my soulmate.”

“I am too. That you’re mine, I mean.”

“I know,” he snickered. “I…really like you.”

“Like, like-like?” she frowned. “That was too confusing. I like-like you as well, Jay.” Her gaze met his as they slowly leaned in.

Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed over hers, so soft she barely felt them, and disappeared. She cracked one eye open.

Jason…wasn’t there.

“When I said I’d rather him alive than with me, I didn’t mean for him to resurrect before we even properly kissed for the first time!”

Taglist (open): @jennifer-rose123 @questioning-blob-of-fog

#jasonette #dcxmlb #ali writes #fic

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gainerbf · 2 years

Text

The One Part IV

CW: WG, FFA/BHM Relationship, Feedism, Female Feeder, Male Feedee, Burping

December 31, 2019

The Vacation

Eddie and Sydney decided to go on a cruise for their 1 year anniversary. Eddie was excited because he liked boats and the sea. Sydney was excited because room service was all you can eat. She was going to have Eddie test that.

Eddie: FINALLY!

He dropped his carry on bag and *carefully* pooled out onto the bed. Huffing and puffing from all the walking he had just done.

Eddie: That’s the most exercise I have gotten since the war

Sydney, walking out of the bathroom smirking: The..war?

Eddie: ‘Yea you know. The war. Nam.’

Sydney: ‘You weren’t alive for the Vietnam war weirdo’

Eddie: ‘But if I was then I would have gotten plenty of exercise 😌’

Sydney threw a snickers at him.

Sydney: You’re not yourself when your hungry.

He undid the candy bar, big belly puffing up and down still and ate his treat.

The walking may have been bad but the plane ride was embarassing. Eddie had gotten so big that he needed two seats. He wasn’t in the best mood because of that but Sydney knew how to calm him.

Sydney: Wait here babe.

Eddie: Where ya going?

Sydney: Just wait here…

Eddie was out immediately. He napped off the jet lag before being woken up by something that made him gasp audibly.

Surrounding the bed was food. Tons of it. Burgers. Fries. Chicken wings. Tenders. Lobster. Steak. A beverage cart. Cake. Shakes. Fudge. Pie. You name it, it was there.

Sydney: SURPRISE!

Eddie was speechless and his mouth was watering

Sydney: Yep that’s the response I expected. Welp, lets get to work!

Sydney had fed Eddie before (Obviously) but this was an extreme amount. Eddie had a huge capacity for food but this was larger than any amount of food they had tried before. Eddie got about halfway through when he finally tapped out.

Eddie: Babe I can’t fit anymore

Sydney dropped her robe. She was wearing a very revealing bikini. Her tummy accentuated by the lovely wrap skirt she was wearing which drove Eddie wild. She leaned over, pretty much teasing eddie with her big boobs in his face and said

Sydney: You know big boy…if you could eat a little more for me…I’d make it REALLY worth your while…

She dropped the bikini. Eddie started scarfing everything.

The burgers were housed. The steak was gone. The beverage cart was half empty. The cake was eaten by hand.

The bed was covered in crumbs and empty plates, leading up to Eddie sitting upright with Pillows propping him up. He was a big bloated burpy mess. Chocolate stained his mouth. He looked so gluttonous

Sydney coiled up beside him, still bare and revealing, and gave him a sensual belly rub.

Sydney: Good boy 😊

Eddie: BBUUUUURRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPP

He got super red in the face but couldn’t help it. He was fuller than he’d ever been.

Sydney, giggling: Well I guess that’s one way to send compliments to the chef! Nice burp babe.

Eddie was in a food coma induced haze. His belly was massive. It was practically parting his legs.

They laid there, admiring eachother. A girl and her big growing boy. They peacefully slept until a knock at the door woke them.

Sydney threw on a robe and answered the door

‘Wing eating competition starts in 20 minutes! Deck floor! Everyone who wants to join in, head on over!’

Sydney laughed at her miscalculation. If she knew there was a wing eating competition, then she wouldn’t have stuffed Eddie to the brim.

Sydney: Hey babe so what do yo-…

She was dumbfounded by the sight of Eddie washing up and buttoning his 4XL shirt.

Eddie: It’s time to *uuurrrrpppppp* win a wing eating competition babe

Sydney: I. Have never been. More turned on. Than I am. In this moment. Here and now.

Eddie won the competition…by 37 wings.

Eddie, current weight: 274 pounds

#gainer diaries #the one

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sillytaetime · 2 years

Text

Seventeen reaction: When their gf (you) goes through surgery pt.2

Previously, i got a request for this, and i wanted to do ot13, but i felt 13 was too much to put into one post. So i decided to do 2 parts. Hyungs & Maknaes

I hope you like it!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mingyu:

His baby? Needing surgery? He gets himself so worried and worked up that you’re not even worried about yourself and having to get surgery, you’re worried about you’re pale asf boyfriend. As you’re being taken back for surgery, this dude looks like he’s watching them take you away from him forever (he might start crying). It’s ok tho because after a few hours, when you’re back in your hospital room, guess who’s there? Gyu. As soon as the doctors leave, he’s on top of you.

“Gyu, you’re crushing me!”

“Y/N, i missed out of 4 hours of cuddling and all you do is complain :(”

Y/N: *rolls eyes*

DK:

*Pretend you’re gyu*

Looks at you so lovingly it’s like you’re about to die or sum. His hand never leaves yours. the doctors probably have to pry his hands off yours so that they can do the surgery. Guess who’s hand is in yours after the surgery? Dk’s. But its cute so you’re not going to complain.

The8:

Sneaks your pet into the hospital (until he’s told to take it home). After he drops your pet off at home, he goes to the store and gets chocolate, your favorite candies, potato chips, your favorite drinks, and plushies for you and you guys have normal conversations (well, normal for the two of you) until it’s time for your surgery and then he patiently (not really) waits for your surgery to be over and once it’s over, its right back to your totally (not) normal conversations.

Seungkwan:

You were literally asleep before, during, and after your surgery. boo literally just watched you sleep and smirked. He talked to your sleeping figure like you were in a coma. He literally had a whole roleplay going when you finally decided to wake up and he gets upset :((

“Y/N!! You ruined my roleplay!!”

“Whatever!! come cuddle me”

Which ofc he complies and climbs on top of you :))

Vernon:

You broke your leg while riding your bike and he was on tour so he just stayed on the phone with you until you were going back for surgery and then you guys skyped when you got out of surgery so that he could see you. He wishes he could have been by your side and almost quit being an idol right then and there so he could always be with you in case something like this happened again, but you and the rest of svt stopped him from doing that.

Dino:

Fucking takes over your hospital bed. Your on the actual floor.

"Y/N I'm tired can I sleep here?"

"Do I have much choice? You've already pushed me out of the way😑"

Yeah, it's not anything new. Eventually the doctors kick him off the bed so they can wheel you back to surgery. Just when your out of sight is when he starts freaking out (he might cry) but everything's back to normal when you're wheeled back into the room and your ok.

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

I hope you like it!! I'm hoping to continue updating regularly but i do have some plans coming up in a few weeks so I'm going to be writing a lot so that I don't have to write while I'm on the plane and I can just upload as soon as I've landed in my destination!

Navigation

Svt masterlist

Requests are open ( I'd actually appreciate if y'all requested some stuff bc I have no thought one what do do when I post all my drafts)

Have a nice day/night!

~Kara💖

#kpop #kpop imagines #kpop senarios #kpop reactions #seventeen #svt #seventeen imagines #seventeen reactions #seventeen mingyu #seventeen dk #seventeen the8 #minghao #seventeen vernon #seventeen dino #seventeen scenarios #seventeen seungkwan

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a-glimpse-of-fantasy · 2 years

Text

DUSKWOOD THE HEIST - CHAPTER 29

English is not my first language, so please spare me for grammar mistakes. 🙏

I'm not very confidant about this chapter tbh. My head kinda keeps being numb & empty 😣

The Heist Master list

Previous chapter

Chapter 29

"We could get the flight list with your name on it and showing you board it and then sneak you off,"

But it's trickier than it seems to pretend to be dead. It’s almost impossible; especially in this era. Simply sneaking Mark out of the plane would not satisfy anyone’s doubts. Simply blowing off his private plane won’t get anything done. I gulp, unable to let out the seemingly possible next option.

Breaking the heavy silence, something completely unexpected escapes from MC’s lips. Never in a million years did I imagine, my little genius could utter such words.

“I guess we have no choice but to use a dummy instead of you, no matter how I imagine,” MC says, thoughtfully tapping her chin with her index finger.

Did I get that right? Did she mean we should kill someone else in Mark’s place?

I feel like I’m slowly turning her into a monster…a monster akin to me.

Mark draws a devilish smirk at her words. Aha! You’ve got a nice catch there, Jake! His face seems to say.

If only I could wipe away the existence of this guy…

In another minute, MC puts her hand on my thigh, “By the way, wouldn’t they be suspicious if we stay here for too long?” Then she turns to Mark, then shrugging her arms, “Surely they’d think we got caught or switched sides.”

Right. The most important thing right now is to get out of this place first.

Whether we’re working with you or the FBI…let’s see after that, you bastard.

Soon, Mark nodded along. “That’s true indeed. I see that you need to sneak out of here first.” He stood up, “Still, we need to discuss our next steps before you do.”

“Right.”

***

Jake and Mark continued the discussion (Somehow that bastard, Mark didn’t want me joining in. Is that gender discrimination?) while I… I kept contemplating whether I should tell the truth. Still, I can’t imagine how Jake would react to it.

Then we were both sneaked into a lorry full of…well, onions. Is this that bastard’s way of bullying us? It stinks! Where the hell did these freaking onions come from even?!

And now, here we are. On a country road, a dense forest on either side. (We were dumped here) For god’s sake, it will take months to find our bodies even if that Mark bastard shoots us and shove our bodies into the woods.

Is it my imagination? Jake seems a little…no okay, VERY angry. He already contacted Kyle and we are waiting for him, while we smell like… onions. We are sitting by the road, in silence.

I think now is the time.

“Um…Jake?” He turns to face me, and I gulp. Should I just say it’s nothing?

“Actually…there’s something I didn’t tell you…before going to the farm…” The latter of the words blurring, I avoid his gaze sneakily.

Jake frowns a little, “What is it MC?”

I clench my fists, “The thing is…your relationship to Mark..” Upon hearing those words, his face visibly contorted. I close my eyes tight, “I already knew about that.”

“What?”

I open my eyes slowly, to see Jake, whose face is full of confusion.

“You know…that day when we argued about me going to the farm and all? That night, while you were working on something I got Kyle to talk.”

Jake clenches his jaw, deeply sighing. I’m so sorry, Kyle! I didn’t mean to betray you either.

“Well, at first I just needed some assurance. I get it that you trust him and all, but…Kyle said his mother was killed and his sister was in a coma. I couldn’t leave out the possibility of Kyle being blackmailed using his sister. Because, if I was Mark, I’d definitely consider that option to corner you.”

He chuckles, taking my left hand into his. “I should’ve seen that coming.”

I nod, “So what happened was…”

-FLASHBACK-

“ I apologize if you’re offended but I need to know.”

“What is it?” Kyle looks up from the laptop screen, raising his brows.

“Before that, can we talk right now? I mean, it’s okay if you’re busy. We can talk later…possibly.” I fidget a little, honestly, I’m not sure if we’d get another chance before going to the farm. Jake is slumped with work, and won’t care to look for me right now.

This is the perfect chance.

Kyle shakes his head, “No. Now’s a good time.”

I nod, then proceed to sit on the chair in front of him. “I can’t be hundred percent sure, but I felt like you had something to tell me.” He widens his green eyes, then avoids mine.

“Is it…concerning your sister maybe?”

He looks up again, sighing. “Before that, let me ask you a question. What is our relationship to Master according to Jake?”

I raise an eyebrow, a little confused but answer anyway. “That you two are college friends and Master was your immediate supervisor at your first job?”

“Pfft. Seriously? Then how did we get involved in this mess?”

I feel it, I am getting annoyed. Still, I won’t get another chance for this. “That bastard was a vigilante or something and Jake was tricked into helping his illegal stuff. You refused but you suddenly warned him of the bastard then disappeared.” Forgive me for continuously calling someone’s child, a bastard. Sorry but not sorry, I simply have no heart to call that bastard ‘Master’. “Then he was framed by the bastard.”

He smirks, leaning over the chair. “Honestly tell me, you don’t buy that, right?” To which I just shrugged. Yeah. I don’t buy it. Why? Because Jake isn’t stupid enough not to see the consequences of his actions. For god, he wasn’t a f*cking six-year-old!

“Your hunch is somewhat right, I’d say. My sister was captured by Master. But, I’m not being blackmailed…At least for now. I guess he is assuming I’d lay low.”

I cross my arms across my chest, leaning over the backrest. “Then that means, by helping us, you’re putting her life in danger. Why are you doing this instead of licking his boots?”

Kyle sighed, deeply before closing his eyes for a moment. Then opening his eyes, he leaned forward. “You saw it coming too, right? Master always sees a few steps ahead. The truth is, tomorrow is a trap. A trap set for you and Jake.”

I bite my lower lip, I can taste the metallic taste of blood. “But there’s one thing we can be sure of. My involvement in this is something Master won’t see beforehand.”

“Let me guess, is your sister perhaps kept on the farm?”

He nodded, grinning. “Yes. The real goal for tomorrow is, you two saving your ass from his grasp while I, I’ll save my sister.”

“We are to buy time for you so you can save your sister...” While he nods, I frown. “And for what reason do we have to risk our lives for your sister?” Kyle sucked a sharp breath, “I swear miss Davis, If you help me with that, I’ll do anything. ANYTHING. Master won’t kill you two. No. If he wanted to, you’d be dead already. I suppose he has another motive.”

My heart races, “That means, we have no exit in this game other than going to the farm tomorrow. Because everything is a play, and that bastard is the screenwriter.”

“Yes. That’s why we have to take him by surprise with a plot twist.”

Ha ha ha! I see that weird twelve-headed creature has finally gone crazy! F*ck you!

“But why aren’t you telling this to Jake instead of me?”

He shrugs with a smug face, “He has gone crazy, that’s why.”

I scoff before staring into his eyes directly, “Then tell me this, then I’ll consider what to do next. What are you two’s REAL relationship to that bastard?”

-To be Continued.

#duskwood the heist #duskwood #everbyte duskwood #duskwood everbyte #jake duskwood #duskwood fanfiction #jake x mc #duskwood fandom

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ohjustkreat · 1 year

Text

Closing The Distance

A Shuri x Riri Fanfic

************************************

A/N: Hey everyone! I know it’s been awhile! I’ll hopefully be updating more frequently! I’ve started a one-shot series (Moments In Between) so send me your prompts if you got ‘em! As always, Enjoy- Kreat

Table of Contents

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Chapter 14

Beautiful.

The only word that came to mind as Shuri stared at her slumbering girlfriend. Aneka had successfully guided them back to the safe house with Ayo at her side. Shuri held Riri, afraid any movement would wake her. But Shuri knew they had to exit the plane sooner or later. Gently, Shuri began to nudge Riri.

“Riri, babe, wake up. We’re here.” Shuri felt a slight tinge of guilt for waking Riri. Her bruises and physical state were only a surface level representation of the previous day’s events. She still didn’t know the extent of what her girlfriend had gone through. She knew in time answers would come but right now she just wanted Riri to get some rest.

Riri’s worn eyes blinked her out of the coma like state she had been in. Looking up, she found the same warm eyes she had been longing for only hours earlier.

“Hey, baby. Where are we?”

Riri responded, sleep still lingering in the shadows of her voice.

“We’re at a safe house, love. You’re okay. You’re safe.” Shuri assured her as she ran her hands gently through Riri’s hair.

Slowly, Riri lifted herself up and from the embrace of the strong arms currently securing her. Turning to her side, she peered through the frosted windows. Her eyes scanned the almost empty warehouse. Besides the warriors, who seemed to be loading a black SUV, there were only a few storage lockers that she saw. Until Riri’s attention was captured by a broken desk in the far corner of the room. She glanced at Shuri then back at the desk, confusion running through her face along with a list of questions.

“Soooo, anything you want to explain?” She said partly joking, and partly concerned.

“Yeaa, there’s a lot we need to talk about.”

Shuri let out a small laugh. Hoping to relieve some of the tension.

“Come on, let’s get off and back to your dorm. Okay?”

“Yea, but can we stay at your place tonight? I just don’t want to be on campus right now.” Riri asked as they both began to get up from their seats. Riri moved a little more slowly as her body was still in pain.

“Mm, of course, love. I didn’t really want to go back there either. Not right now.” Shuri leaned down and pecked Riri’s lips. Breaking away she took Riri’s hand and lead them off of the plane and out into the safe house.

“Well look at the love birds, deciding to join us.” Ayo

Shuri rolled her eyes to the heavens.

“Let them enjoy themselves, Ayo. They just got each other back. Bast! Would you prefer I tell them how sickly you act after returning from a mission.” Aneka added in.

Ayo’s eyes went wide as she shook her head repeatedly, “Enjoy.” Ayo wasted no time leaving the group and returning to loading the vehicle.

“Don’t mind her. She’s always wound up after a mission.” Aneka’s smile then faded into a more serious but comforting look. Unexpectedly, she placed a hand on Riri’s shoulder, “And we’re all glad to have you back.” Squeezing her shoulder ever so gently, she pulled the shorter woman into a side hug. An action that had Shuri baffled. Riri was shocked as well. Aneka released her almost as quickly as she had pulled Riri in and went to back to assist Ayo.

Riri chuckled, “Well that has been the strangest part of the past 24 hrs. Are they always like that?”

“Pretty much. You’ll get used to it, eventually.”

“Mm, you make it sound like you’re in this for the long run.” Riri said only half joking.

“I mean, I may or may not have just rescued you, so I mean, I guess you could say that.” Shuri flirted as she took ahold of Riri’s waist and pulled her in closer. Causing the shorter girl to squeal.

“Ahhah, for some reason I think I’m okay with that.” Riri leaned up towards Shuri, until the distance between them was almost nonexistent.

“Hey, you two!” Ayo yelled out from her spot by the SUV. The warriors intrusion caused both women to spring away from each other.

“Bast! Great timing, Ayo.” Shuri yelled back in frustration.

“My apologies, Shuri.” Ayo, said as she approached them. “But it is time to head back. And where exactly are we going anyways? Will we be dropping you and Riri off?”

Shuri, still with irritation pumping through her face, responded through gritted teeth, “No, Ayo, you will not. We’ll be staying back at the hotel.” Shuri relaxed a little bit as Riri had started rubbing the small or her back.

“We’re coming, Ayo. Thank you.” Riri said as Ayo nodded and returned to the SUV.

“Babe, are you okay?” Riri looked up at Shuri. Her big brown eyes filled with worry.

“I think I’m just tired.” Shuri kissed the top of Riri’s head. “Come on, let’s go.”

Shuri took Riri’s hand as they walked to the SUV. She only briefly let it go to open the door for the other woman.

“Thank you” Riri said with gratitude as blushed from the small but thoughtful gesture.

Shuri followed her and sat next to Riri on the bench style leather seats. Riri didn’t hesitate to rest her head upon Shuri’s shoulder. Shuri took her hand and began using her thumb to rub careless circles onto the back of Riri’s palm. Shuri was grateful for any contact between her and Riri. In the short time they had been reunited, Shuri found herself needing physical contact with her girlfriend. As if letting her go meant she would disappear again. Shuri was pulled from her thoughts as the SUV came to a startand Aneka began driving down the path. Coming onto the main road, the group began the drive back to the hotel. Shuri felt a sense of relief wash over her. She began to feel the immediate stress of the situation lessen. As if it were left in the confinement of the safe house.

The drive back to the hotel seemed shorter than before. Riri slept soundly on Shuri’s shoulder. While Shuri rested her head on the window, nodding in and out of consciousness. Waking up every so often to make sure Riri was still at her side.

“Shuri, we’re here.” Ayo said from her position in the front of the car.

Aneka had parked the vehicle and was currently unloading the few bags they had.

“We’ll go ahead and go up and just leave your things in your room.” Ayo explained as she exited the vehicle.

The sound of her closing the door caused Riri to jaunt awake.

“Hey, it’s okay.”

“Sorry, just loud noises, right now aren’t my thing.”

“Don’t apologize, love. I get it. Why don’t we head up to the room. We can shower and get some food and rest. Okay?”

Riri looked up at Shuri “That sounds perfect.”

Shuri got out first and Riri followed. They made their way into lobby of the hotel and to the elevator.

Once inside the elevator they made the short trip to their floor.

Shuri unlocked the door and they both entered.

Riri let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as she took in the sight of the Shuri’s hotel room. She felt safe in the company and place of her girlfriend.

“You wanna shower and I’ll order some room service?” Shuri asked.

“Hmm, yea. I’m gonna go grab some clothes from your room. I’m pretty sure I left some stuff here.”

“Yea, you did. It should be in my bottom drawer.”

“Okay. I won’t be long.”

Shuri watched as Riri’s figured disappeared into her room. She walked towards the phone that was sitting on one of two tables in the living room. Dialing the number she picked up the phone. Unsure of the perfect meal, she ordered a little of everything. Once the order was placed she hung up the phone and proceeded to unpack the bag she had packed. It contained a med kit, clothes, para-cord, some basic and advance tools and a few other items. Moments after unpacking, she heard the water from the shower turn off. Shuri became almost gleeful at the thought of seeing Riri even though it had only been a maximum of fifteen minutes. Shortly after the water had been turned off, Riri was opening the bathroom door. Wearing an oversized MIT t-shirt and a pair black sweatpants, she had chosen comfort in her tired state.

“Hey, babe, is the food here?”

“Well, someone’s hungry. Hey, to you too, love. And no it’s not. It should be arriving soon. I’m going to go shower.”

Okay,babe. I’ll be here.”

Riri sat down on the bed and waited on her girlfriend. She had been trying not think about the events tht had just transpired. The pain, abuse, and the bloodshed. It was something she’d seen before. But seeing Shuri in that position resonated with her differently. She couldn’t quite describe it. She held mixed feelings on the matter.

Ones she would have to decipher later as a voice calling “Room Service!” distracted her from such thoughts.

Riri stood up and made her way to the door. Opening it her eyes were stuck on the mountainous cart before her. Riri had never seen such a blend and variety of food. It seemed as if Shuri had ordered everything the kitchen had in stock.

“Enjoy, Ma’am.” The worker said as he pushed the cart inside the entry way. Nodding his head as a goodbye, he left without a word. Riri instantly noticed the pancakes, along with every topping she could think of. Grabbing a plate from the kitchen, she quickly piled the pancakes, some fruit, and different pastries and cookies onto it. Being so indulged into the food before her, she didn’t hear the water in the bathroom turn off. Sitting down she began to stuff her face. Forgetting all courtesies she knew and eating like it was her last meal. In the midst of her feasting, she hadn’t notice how Shuri had found her way into the dining area. Shuri was watching her girlfriend enjoy a meal that was needed.

“Couldn’t wait for me, huh?” Shuri joked.

Riri coughed, almost choking from the surprise of her girlfriend’s presence. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough. But I’m glad you’re eating. You deserve it. Don’t stop on my accord.” Shuri said as fixed herself a plate. Sitting opposite Riri she began to indulge her own self. Their meal was had in silence. Food being their only concern right now. When they both were done, Shuri insisted on cleaning the few dishes. Fortunately, for Shuri, Riri was too tired to put up a fight. Instead, she went to lie down.

“I know it’s the middle of the day but I’m sleeping until tomorrow.” Riri joked as Shuri walked in.

“I might join you.” Shuri chimed in as she joined Riri on the bed.

Shuri took Riri into her arms. They both lied there for a moment. Shuri broke the silence first. Her eyes were closed, her voice barely above a tremble. Riri couldn’t tell if Shuri had tears in her eyes or not as she began to speak,

“I know today was a lot. And I- I feel guilty. Like this-this was my fault. And I know we talked about it, but the feeling…it just doesn’t go away. I mean- will this be our future? One of us always putting the other in dan-“

“I’m going to stop you right there.” Riri pulled back from Shuri just enough to meet her eyes.

” I meant what I said earlier on the plane. We’re not worried about the future. Just the now. Listen. And this might be hard for you to hear but bare with me.” Riri took a deep breath in and then exhaled slowly, before beginning to speak again, “Even after he - beat me…choked me even, I- I knew, that you would come a rescue me.”

Shuri’s blood began to run hot as the thought of someone putting their hands on Riri crossed her mind. Riri read her girlfriend and began to rub her back before continuing. “Baby, I’m okay. We’re okay. Now, as I was saying. I never doubted that you would come and rescue me because I’d do the same for you. And besides, that’s just the type of person you are. A protector, a fighter, a leader, and a lover.”

Shuri was close to tears and she took in the beautiful sight before her. Riri couldn’t be more perfect.

“Babe, I-“

“Don’t respond. Just take it in.” Riri said.

“Listen, I’ll always be there for you. No matter the reason. And I meant what I said earlier too, I do love you. Which brings me to my next topic. I want you to move to Wakanda.”

Riri pulled back and gave Shuri a shocked look.

“You’re serious? And what about school?”

“It wouldn’t be until the summer. You were olanning on visiting anyways. It’s just not safe here.”

“I don’t know Shuri, I’ll have to think about that. Besides I was planning on visiting not getting a U-haul.” Riri said.

“Babe, you wouldn’t need a U-haul. We do have a highly advanced aircraft.” Shuri said not understanding the joke.

“It was a joke, love. And like I said, I’ll think about it.”

“No, I get it. You don’t have to rush to answer me.”

Sensing the tension in the air had almost dissipated, Riri resumed her spot in Shuri’s arms. Eyes closed, she listened to the rhythm of Shuri’s heart beat. Soon that sound was accompanied by Shuri snoring softly. Riri laid there until sleep took her captive as well. Had it been left to either woman they would never be separated again.

#closing the distance #shuri x riri #shuri fanfiction #black panther #shuriri fanfic #letitia wright #wakanda forever #shuriri #princess shuri #love #lesbian #night #lgbtq #black #shuri #riri williams #shuri black panther

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eliias-bouchard · 2 years

Note

Alright! Enjoy your dinner :-]

And hm!! I guess starfallverse! I'm a sucker for good fantasy settings

- 🐩

stuff under the cut cus its Long

(edit 27/04/2023 tons of the stuff in here is *way* outdated go here for up to date info)

OK starfallverse.

there Is magic. there are two types of magic: weak magic and strong magic.

weak magic uses magic to influence & affect the mundane. strong magic uses magic to influence & affect the magical.

i.e weak fire magic would be igniting the air and controlling that. strong fire magic would be taking fire from the plane of fire, or using a fire sprite.

mages have a tendency towards weak magic & wizards have a tendency towards strong magic. royal courts tend to employ mages due to weak magic being easier to control.

wizards are often solitary and move their dwelling a lot, including often hiding it in extraplanary spaces mages are often social and stay in one place, usually with other mages

wizards share their secrets carefully to a select few - often other wizards they're close with, spirits and sprites and nonhumans seeking guidance, and/or an apprentice mages are open about magic, & mage schools take on new students consistently

wizards tend to conform to ideas passed down through the lineage of wizard -> apprentice (apprentice becomes a wizard and repeats it with their own apprentice) this is why the task of writing down what a wizard learns & knows is very important; if that wizard dies that's often millenia or centures of magic dead

mages often have similar ideas of what magic is & tend to be kind of snobby about it. they dont really think wizards are real magicians.

a wizard's apprentice will often use their teacher's name once they've become a wizard themselves.

magic comes from the stars. extra-terrestrial objects are the only things with souls. dont ask me what that implies cus idk.

not everyone can do magic & certain constellations are related to certain kinds of magic, so your star sign is Very important in this 'verse and goes beyond the 12 signs we have.

that's basically all of the background. it's set in a kingdom called Cuitera (sweet-era).

so . yeah. oh also potions exist & are their own separate form of magic, mixing different ingredients together. the ingredients themselves are magical. i.e a fish born in magical water will grow into a particular species of magical fish rather than the species of its parents. a plant that grows in magical ground will become a species of magical plant rather than what it was supposed to be. etc.

now that you've got the whole background lore dump, its time to introduce our first character!

her name is renée di. it's a play on the word remedy, because she makes potions and remedies. she also did healing magic.

did you notice the past tense? wondering what that's about? well lemme tell you my friend

imagine the world is a snow globe, and all of the stars are little tiny glowing drops of water on the outside of that snow globe.

now imagine the stars dripping off.

that's what happened.

so the stars are completely gone now, and with them, so is magic - well, weak magic is possible, but it's Difficult. it leaves people shaking. the single instance of someone performing strong magic was done by The Wizard Graceira, and he's in a coma now.

renée takes to the road - she knows how to survive in the wilderness. other people might not, and they'll be desparate for any aid others can provide. she can provide potions.

ok, so- magic was used for basically everything electricity is used for right now, save for like, living beings powering their bodies. this isn't like a full scale power outage. this is like if electricity just stopped existing. magic used as life support? gone. magic used to heat homes? gone. magic used to stop crops from failing? gone. magic used to keep meat fresh? gone. magic used to power vital infrastructure? gone. this is, like. a catastrophe. people are dying.

renée's headed to the capital to offer her services to queen ida. they're a lil homoerotic, and then the queen asks her to investigate a group called les fils du soleil - the sons of the sun. they're a cult dedicated to the sun, claiming the sun gave them magic.

oh, yeah. the sun can't give people magic, because it isn't a star. again, don't ask me what that implies. i haven't figured out what it actually is yet.

specifically, the queen wants a couple pieces of information from a woman named sunflower.

sunflower isn't the cult's leader, but she's their messiah. she's meant to be the sun's daughter - like directly, not in a metaphorical way like the rest of the cult claims. the leader is some old guy that i haven't thought too hard about yet.

sunflower is cruel. she's like jude perry if jude perry were like three times as cruel and was in agnes' role instead of agnes. she's also very powerful. she keeps implying that ida is manipulating renée into doing something, but it's entirely possible she's just doing that to make renée nervous and question the queen to do something sunflower wants her to.

somehow, via Shenanigans and Plot Necessities, sunflower and renée end up somewhere very far away in the middle of nowhere. renée is the only one who knows how to survive in the wilderness so they stick together and slowly learn how to get along. hooray!

also they're definitely gay for each other but they refuse to actually be gay for each other.

now, before she even set off towards the capital, renée gained a companion. a little spider had settled itself on her (now magically defunct) staff, and made itself at home. she decided to keep it.

this spider is Not a normal spider tho !! he's an asteroid that got reincarnated into a spider. like i said, only extra-terrestrial objects (excluding the sun) have souls, and thus they're the only ones that can get reincarnated. objectively, he's the only sane one of the three (renée, him and sunflower) - and the only one who can do legitimate magic, instead of the weird sun magic that sunflower can do.

that's about all the plot i've got. but there are a couple people i need to introduce.

solomon is The Wizard Graceira's apprentice. he ran away from an abusive home to learn magic, and blames hismelf for the wizard's coma. he's dedicated himself to writing out grace's teachings, and is very snippy. he gives zero fucks. he's also pretty powerful.

the hag is actually an average looking woman, but she does strange magic, and bargains for expensive things. many people owe her, but ceros, a reincarnated star from the monoceros constellation in the form of a young man; he owes the hag a significant portion of his soul. he's very carefree, but trusts nobody. not even himself.

aaaand yeah! if u have any questions lmk :D

#🐩 anon #not tma #answered asks #starfallverse #my ocs #not gonna character tag lol #about starfallverse

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alsjeblieft-zeg · 1 year

Text

304 of 2023

Look out of the nearest window. What do you see? Details, please.

Last time I’ve seen the pine forest; now it’s the other side of the street, the neighbours’ house.

When you think of the word “posh”, what springs to mind?

Knokke-Heist. I used to live there for a few months and I didn’t like it.

When you have chocolate, do you eat it room temperature? Or are you like me and stick the bar into the fridge first?

I don’t eat chocolate.

What’s the most shocking thing that’s happened in your part of town?

There was a burglary in the local bookstore, twice.

Which brand are your headphones/earbuds?

Beats. I absolutely love them.

Do you see planes fly over your house at all?

On occasion. They are more present at my parents’ place, which is the military area.

Are there any constellations you recognize just by looking at them?

Just Orion, Ursa Major and Cassiopeia, and maybe Coma Berenices.

Which room of your house/apartment do you spend the most time in?

Living room.

Which insect do you find the most beautiful?

Ew no.

Did you have crafts/woodwork at school growing up?

Yeah, I did. I was pretty decent at it.

If so, what was the best assignment you did for it?

Probably the keyring.

Do you have a friend who likes to tell you everything?

Yeah, Bianca. She’s pretty annoying at times.

What was the last thing you got very excited about?

Vacation in Poland. It was great, but too short.

You can go to any city in any country you want. Which city do you go to?

Tampere, Finland. I’ve always wanted to visit.

Do you like gardening? If so, what do you grow?

We don’t even have a garden.

Do you enjoy puzzle games? If so, which one’s your favourite?

I don’t.

Is there a substance you avoid at all costs? If so, what is it and why?

Alcohol, cigarettes, coffee and all drugs. Anything that potentially messes up with my medication.

What would you absolutely hate living next door to?

Our Dutch ex-neighbour lol. He was smoking weed in the backyard.

What would you love to live next door to?

All my friends, my parents and my sister.

What gives you nostalgia?

My hometown, the sea, the city of Hasselt, visiting old places I have an emotional attachment to, particular smells, forests, food such as croque-monsieur because my grandma made the best ones..

When you think of a classy drink, what comes to mind first?

Red wine.

Do you prefer eating out or cooking your own meals?

I enjoy both.

Which language do you think is the most complicated to learn?

Chinese or Arabic? I don’t know.

Is there a place that you might call your second home?

Where my parents live.

How do you imagine your later life to look like?

Hopefully without problems.

What is a job you would never in a million years want to do?

Cleaning. Did it once,e never again.

Is there a piece of jewelry that you feel naked without?

Yeah, my wedding ring.

Do you ever “go commando”?

Did yesterday out of must, XD but typically I don’t.

What’s the sweetest thing someone’s done for you?

My husband was visiting me every dy when I was in the hospital. He’s been taking care of me.

Which wild animals are a common sight in your area?

Rabbits.

What’s the weirdest building in your city?

Can’t think of anything.

How do you keep in touch with friends usually?

We rarely do. Mostly through texting or visits.

Do you get a lot of visitors?

As in my city? Way too many.

Is there a subtle way your partner gets you excited easily?

His spontaneous ideas for road trips.

Do you recognize friends’/family’s vehicles by sound?

I recognise ours, that’s enough.

Which Disney villain is your favourite?

I don’t give a fuck about Disney.

On a regular day, what do you usually do at 3 o'clock in the afternoon?

Eeither travel somewhere or being at the physiotherapy.

Which possession would you not want to inherit from a relative?

Debts, hands down.

What is something you would never dare to do in public?

Have sex or jerk off, I guess. XD

Would you/ did you have a hen night/bachelorette party?

No, I didn’t.

Has anyone taken you on holiday somewhere? If so, where?

My husband. Several times to Poland, France and the Netherlands. Once to Berlin and twice to Wallonia.

When you left the house last time, where did you go?

To the car :P unless our vacation abroad counts.

How did you spend your last birthday?

I gave candy to my workmates.

#survey #q&a survey #random survey

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utilitycaster · 3 years

Text

Wizard Breakdown Tracker, #135

Each week I think “man it would have been cool if I had thought of this idea, in which I make jokes about how stressed out the wizard NPCs are, during, you know, the Vergesson heist or something when we were interacting with more than one wizard NPC instead of during a dungeon crawl with only one wizard NPC, emphasis on crawl” but you know what, I persevere, because where else am I going to put song parodies about the death of Vess Derogna that are literally only funny to me? Twitter?

Anyway while I am personally team Jester, in that the faster Lucien is simultaneously disintegrated, run through in the chest with both a vestige and a holy avenger, shot through the heart (and Veth’s to blame), beheaded with a hand axe, banished, punched in the face, and sent into a black hole the better, the party has other plans. Thanks to the long rest though it has been about 12 hours, plus the 4-ish from last week, so I guess we’ll check in with a few of our other wizard friends as well.

As a reminder Caleb Widogast is a PC and thus excluded from this list.

Currently sidelined

Presumably having a good day: Pumat Sol (blissfully unaware of all of this); Allura Vyesoren (saint-like patience and a wealth of experience with disaster adventuring parties; at least this one has a cleric at more than 0.33 FTE, a wizard, and some lesbians), Ludinus Da’leth (this miserable pile of power plays wakes up every morning and is like Isn’t it Grand to be head of the evil wizard council and no one realizes I probably destroyed the first non-drow elven civilization on the continent to arise after the calamity! Fetch me more pastries!).

No idea but here’s hoping he found the cat portion of ScryTube: Oremid Hass

Lady DeRogna, taken off the scene, sorry that your murder happened while off-screen.

Trent Ikithon: I’ve established that I think the only real things that can damage Trent emotionally are Caleb paying too much attention to him so as to destroy his standing within the empire, or else Caleb ignoring him. Honestly if Trent would not continue to torture students and spread propaganda if left unchecked I think he could be slowly murdered solely through Caleb expressing apathy. So despite the amulets of nondetection I like to imagine that somehow, somewhere, Trent felt Caleb reaffirm to Essek that his top priority is still stopping the city from returning, not Trent, and it necrotized just a little bit more of his liver.

Conclusion: 7/10. I went to the OG evil mageocracy and no one knew who you were.

Essek Thelyss: Well on the one hand he’s still flirting but on the other imagine spending a literal century being like “what if we’re wrong about how we approach the fundamental basis for our society” and he just got proved right. I have to imagine he’s got that kind of stress where suddenly everything becomes dead calm and also this explains why he unnecessarily cast a 3rd level spell, which he knows could in theory cause him to lose all his hair, to impress a boy. I didn’t even get into the conversations he had with Caleb, the bad dreams and eyeballs, Fjord teasing him, Yasha being like “ALRIGHT ALREADY”, the horrible Aeorian creatures, the fact that robots might be back(?) or his ongoing terror that the Assembly is after him!

Conclusion: 8/10 but he’s like, kind of having a good time. Essek is in all ways but physical in a Hawaiian shirt right now drinking a Mai Tai and going Nothing Matters; I presume he will have a full breakdown following the boss battle and honestly he deserves it.

Astrid Beck: Others have already established the parallels between Essek and Astrid but honestly I want to highlight it because really, on the one hand we have Essek, whose world is crashing around him because he was right all along and is in terrible immediate danger but surrounded by friends, and on the other we have Astrid, whose world is crashing around her because she was wrong all along and she’s probably not in immediate danger but Eadwulf is the only person she can trust and we don’t know all the details about that either.

Conclusion: 8/10 but in the bad way, not Essek’s kind of fun way.

Wulfpupy:

Conclusion: 3/10. You know that tiktok with the blonde woman with glasses who has a lot of highlighter on her nose who talks about how sometimes if you have guy friends they will say something deeply fucked up and you’ll be like “oh my god do we unpack this right now” and then you look over at them and the only thing in their mind are the lyrics to Kokomo? That’s Wulf. He will activate the second Caleb comes back in town or Astrid actually falls apart but until then he is on Island Time.

Yussa Errenis: I wonder if there’s a small part of Yussa that is part of the city’s awareness and, moreover, can see what Beau and Caleb at least are doing, and he’s like “I’m so simultaneously proud and impatient, also we live in a world that does not have IV fluids so like, hopefully my body still exists in some kind of functioning state when I am rescued” (note: did I google “how were coma patients kept alive in olden times” for this? Perhaps.) Anyway if he is aware he’s also just like, watching all this like “I WILL GET YOU SO MUCH PAPER OH MY GOD CAN YOU JUST KISS THE OTHER WIZARD SAVE ME FROM THE EVIL HIVEMIND CITY.”

Conclusion: I mean still infinity/10, he is still trapped in the city of madness and also if he does have a small part of his mind that is sane and able to observe the material plane he also is aware that Trent and the Volstruckers broke into his tower.

Known Gem Wizard Hotsauce Lutefisk: I know, I know, weird that I brought him up. However consider: Yussa’s wizard tower now contains two wizards in suspended animation, their consciousnesses trapped in eldritch astral sea-related spaces. This is incredibly funny to me. We’re in a real Old Lady who swallowed a fly scenario except it’s centuries-old wizards getting sucked into traps because of their own hubris. The reason why mageocracies no longer exist isn’t the lack of magical knowledge or even because power corrupts absolutely, it’s because literally just put some lightly fried forbidden knowledge under a box with a stick propping it up, add your parody of Long-Term Nuclear Waste Warnings above it, and a wizard will be like “that sign won’t stop me because I CAN read and what’s more I’m better at reading than you are!” And then they get trapped in a box.

Conclusion: what is a breakdown tracker to a man whose mind has been stuck in a gem for, from his perspective, at minimum about 35 years?

#critical role #critical role spoilers #wizard breakdown tracker #shadowgast #honestly i want shenanigans that rival any post-dragon vm shenanigans after aeor and i want essek to have a starring role #sorry percy i want a BLACK HOLE in the hot tub #your music this week was lady madonna by the beatles and kokomo by the beach boys #i swear i am a millennial i just spent a lot of formative time in the car with my boomer parents listening to the oldies station

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fijiangecko · 3 years

Text

The End of It All

Vampire!Katsuki Bakugou x Witch!Reader

WC: 6k+

Warnings: Cussing

Angst - breakups and makeups

A/N: I wrote this over two years ago and just found it. If I decide to edit it I’ll post that one on my AO3, or if people ask me to post it here I can <3

~~~~~~

The idea of a calamity had never even crossed their minds until a couple of days ago. Everything seemed to be harmonious between the humans and the supernaturals, but never in a thousand years could they guess just how wrong they were. In a matter of days, war had broken loose between the few humans who knew of the other world, and the extremists of the supernatural that wanted only bloodshed. The Negotiator was notified immediately, and brought a group of friends onto the scene. It only spiraled from there.

Mina and Uraraka sobbed into one another as it dawned on them that very soon everything they loved could be eviscerated, while Kaminari and Kirishima attempted to soothe them as the night went on. Midoriya and Iida ran around searching for books that could possibly lead to a solution, but there was no manual on how to fix the destabilization between the supernatural world and the human one. Todoroki sits in a chair by him lonesome, contemplating if he should leave, while Katsuki has the same thought on the opposite side of the room as he leans against the doorframe.

“Do you think we should try (Y/N) again? She might pick up this time,” Iida flips through a tome as he speaks, eyes glancing at Midoriya.

“I don’t think we should. Last I heard from her she was going to visit the harpies, and if her phone went off during that meeting then we could be royally screwed. They could have a solution, so I think it’s better if we just have faith and-” “Have faith?! That’s your shitty advice?!” Katsuki growls from across the room, a deep scowl decorating his features. “We all know damn well that (Y/N) could have ditched us and left the world for dead! She’s a fucking witch and doesn’t give a shit what happens to the rest of us as long as it doesn’t fucking bother her!” His fangs started to grow as he spoke. During his little outburst he had walked over to the table and slammed his hands down, putting more emphasis on the cuss words than anything. “She. Doesn’t. Give. A. Shit. About. Us.”

“You shouldn’t say that about her, Bakugou. We know you have a past with her, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to forget about the rest of the world. She’s not that petty.” Iida is calm as he speaks, making sure not to make eye contact with the vampire, as it could set him off even further.

“You see her as a friend, and I see her as a lover. She’s a completely different person, I can promise you that.” A low growl had escaped Katsuki’s lips after he spoke, but his ear twitched as he sensed movement outside. Looking out the window, he saw no branches move, but a bright light shone through it.

Todoroki gets up and inspects the outside of the estate, careful to not move the curtains too much. He didn’t want any uninvited guests knowing what room they were in. As he stared outside the glass, he could see an alchemy circle burned into the grass with your figure lying in the middle of it. Your body is in a fetal position, as if trying to protect something. Upon seeing this, Todoroki bolts out of the library without saying a word and goes out into the cold night. Katsuki runs after him to see what was going on with the rest of the party in tow.

The stream of people watched as Todoroki made no hesitation to pick you up bridal style from the ground and carry you back to the house. In your hands is an old book; its sides were ripped apart and there was a lock preventing it from being opened. The bind had decorative gold inlays, but no title. As of now, Todoroki did not care for the book, but the girl he carried in his arms.

“She’s breathing,” he looked to Uraraka, “and will most likely need medical attention.” With nothing left to be said, he walks briskly into the house and finds the nearest couch. Uraraka follows him and starts to check on you and perform a series of healing spells.

Kirishima, Mina and Kaminari walk back inside and sit near the other three, but make no move towards them.

“Is there anything we can do?” Mina’s quiet voice pierces the thick coat of silence around them.

“Right now I don’t need anything, but stay put just in case there is an emergency,” Ochako’s eyesight don’t leave your figure once. The party of four sits behind nod silently and watch as she works..

Outside, Iida and Midoriya are trying to figure out what the alchemy circle means. Not everyday does someone use such powerful magic to teleport, let alone a witch who prefers not to use alchemy at all. They carefully examined the etchings in the ground, the symbols older than anything they’ve had the chance to work with. Katsuki stood a couple of feet away, also trying to figure out where the fuck (Y/N) teleported from.

“Well this symbol means ‘ancient’ and this one over here means ‘creature’, but there’s one in between…” Midoriya pulls out his notebook and starts to sketch the symbols down.

“This is definitely from a different plane of existence, but I’ve never seen it. Is this from her personal dimension?” Iida spoke.

“No, it’s not. Her sigil phrase would be ‘nisi rogatus non transient’ and her keyphrase is ‘fiducia’. Plus there aren’t enough swirls in the alchemic circle to fit her personal taste,” the blonde grumbled. His eyes fixed over the old text, but this language was way before he turned into a creature of the night.

“Did (Y/N) use alchemy way back? I haven’t seen her use it in decades,” Iida ponders out loud.

“Doesn’t matter. Shouldn’t you be fucking figuring out what this shit means?” The two nerds nod and walk quickly back into the library where they begin a whole new search. The vampire slowly approached the living area where his once lover was lying on the couch with a fairy over her form. A glow erupts from Ochako’s hands as she tries to wake you up. Again, Katsuki leans against the door frame, eyes carefully watching what was happening.

He couldn’t help but feel concerned; he never truly got over you, no matter how poorly he acted. Remembering everything you had, everything you lost and the times he wished he had spent with you only caused his cold heart to clench in pain. What if I had been there when she asked? Would things be different? Does she still care? His mind raced with a thousand different thoughts. This was, afterall, the first time he had seen you in almost a century after one of the worst breakups to ever exist.

Long story short, he was more focused on hunting rather than your relationship, so you decided to give a dangerous alchemic spell a shot after having no one to talk sense into you. Bakugou doesn’t know what kind of spell you were trying to cast, but he does know that it caused some sort of damage to your magical force. He wasn’t there during the ritual, but showed up at your hut months after the disaster. You had looked sick, as if death’s grip was starting to drag you down into hell, and before letting him speak you told him to leave, and never come back. After hours of screaming and bickering, he left. Not once did either of you try to speak to the other, but you both knew you were in the wrong. Katsuki wasn’t there for you, but you blamed him for your dangerous actions, which was in no way his fault.

Nothing brought him joy after that; not the hunt, not the warmth of another. Nothing. For almost a century he felt empty. Katsuki wanted nothing more than to embrace you in his arms once again. Take you away from everyone and keep you to himself, but he knew that it simply wasn’t going to happen. He knew he had fucked up and is now trying to find a way to fix it. Not in a century had he been this close to you, and it was slowly taking away his life force. For all he knows, you’re in a coma caused by the harpies and have no way to save the world - or you found a way to save the world and sacrificed yourself. Either way, someone has hell to pay.

“Bakugou!” Ochako breaks his train of thought, her eyes screaming concern. “I need ice, her ribs are broken.” Standing up straight, he swiftly walks to the kitchen and retrieves the ice, taking a plastic bag and some paper towels.

“Thank you,” the round faced girl was sweating at this point, tired from healing but knowing that she couldn’t stop anytime soon.

“Guys! We found out what (Y/N) was doing!” Midoriya races into the lounge, holding several books within his arms. “She was trying to make contact with the Great Ones!” He flipped open some of the books, showing different languages and sigils.

“Why the fuck would she do that?! Wasn’t she going to see the harpies?” No one needed to look to understand who was speaking.

“I contacted the harpies, and they said she did speak to them, but only for a short time. They didn’t have anything that could help, so she left in a hurry.” The green haired male put his books down on the nearest surface and flipped through a particular book. “They did say that she bought some mandrake liver, which is odd considering it’s very expensive and very hard to come by, but I guess if she made contact with the Great Ones it makes sense. No one has been able to talk to them in years, not after they cut themselves out of the supernatural. If (Y/N) actually talked to them, then she is the first person in a millenium to ever see or speak to them. It’s a miracle she’s even alive.”

“Yeah, they almost fucking killed me.” You start to rise from the couch, rubbing your temples as you do so. “Think I could get a glass of water, my throat is fucking killing me.”

“You’re up! And so quickly!” Izuku stared in amazement at the girl who not only escaped death, but talked to some of the oldest beings in the universe.

“Yay, lucky me.. Can I just get some fucking water? Don’t mean to be rude, but I can feel my broken ribs and my dry ass throat so a little help would be appreciated.” Dry as ever, you spoke to no one in particular as you lean back into the couch and press the ice bag into the ribs that are broken. “Could someone grab me some rat tails, lavender powder and milk from the toad? Should fix these ribs real quick…”

“On it,” Mina hops up from her seat and runs off to gather what you asked.

“How are you feeling? Besides the ribs and headache.” Ochako reaches for your hand, taking it into her own.

“Pretty good, actually. Great Ones offered some knowledge, albeit for a price.” Peeking an eye open, you gaze at your peers.

“Did you find the answer?”

“What ‘price’?” The negotiator and the vampire spoke at the same time, both asking valid questions but concerned about different matters.

“Cool your jets, besties,” fangs bared, Katuski growled at the thought of being “besties” with a fucking nerd, “I need to heal up before I start spilling the details.” Just then, Mina runs back into the room, all three ingredients in hand along with a mortar and pestle.

“I got the stuff! What do I do now?”

“Now, you hand it all over and watch a witch work her magic.” Your greedy hands swipe the contents of a healing elixir and begin to mash everything together. Tediously, your fingers throw components into the mortar, then pressing them together with the pestle makes a liquid in which you drink in one big gulp. The group watches as your ribs emanate a sickly light, making the room glow in a mysterious manner. After about five seconds, it stopped and you stood up to stretch.

“Much better, now how about we go into the library so we can examine this,” you wave the torn book, “and figure out how to save the world.” Moving forward, you give them no time to answer. It gave them no choice but to follow you.

“Would you at least answer my damn question?” Katsuki remains in the doorframe, unmoving from his comfy position..

“How about you move out of my fucking way, and go to the library like I said? Maybe you’ll get your answer there, huh?” You shoulder check your way out of the lounge and into the library.

After everyone takes their places in various spots around the library, you begin to speak.

“I want to apologize for being so late, after I said I was only going to the harpies. Turns out, they don’t have much more information than mine and Midoriya’s libraries combined. Right as I was about to leave, Tokoyami said there might be one more group I should go see. He pulled me into his private room and gave me the liver of a mandrake as well as a page from his personal grimoire. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but it was the alchemic way to reach the Great Ones. We talked for a short time after it about how to approach them and what would happen if they did or did not decide to help. Knowing we’re getting short on time, I did the ritual right there in his room, and low and behold I was taken to a dimension far outside our normal planes of existence. It was cold, dark and dank with a stench that rivaled the odors of giants. My senses were being attacked in the most foul of ways, but that was the least of my concerns as I was met with the eyes of not one, but three of the Greats.” You shudder at the memory. “When they spoke it was deafening. I felt like I was going mad, or at the very least I was losing all sense of control. They knew why I was there, and decided that it would be more beneficial to help me, as what is going on now also affects them.” You cast your gaze downward, whispering the next sentence. “They agreed to tell me what to do only if they were given a sacrifice-”

“EXCUSE ME?!” Bakugou roared from the other end of the room. “YOU TOLD THEM YOU WOULD SACRIFICE SOMEONE?!”

“Kacchan-”

“YOU DON’T GET TO SPEAK, DEKU. SHE IS GOING TO SACRIFICE SOMEONE! SHE DECIDED TO TRADE ONE OF US OFF FOR THE ‘GREATER GOOD’! THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU ASK A GOOD FOR NOTHING WITCH FOR HELP! I TOLD YOU IT WAS A MISTAKE TO ASK HER FOR HELP!”

“I NEVER SAID IT WAS GONNA BE ONE OF YOU.” The commotion stops. All eyes are now on you. “I never fucking said it was going to be one of you, I didn’t even finish what I was saying…” Your eyes look down at the shaking in your hands.

Todoroki reaches forward and takes your hands in his own, stopping the tremble that has overcome you. “Go on.”

You take a deep breath in, “Like I was saying, they asked for a sacrifice of a magical being, but one of great power so the balance in the cosmos would be right. I tried to ask them what the requirements were for ‘great power’, but I received no answer. Instead, this book,” you put it down on the table, “appeared in my hands. Next thing I knew, I was on the couch…”

“So you don’t know how to unlock the latch on the front?” The green haired boy slides the book to himself, examining it with a sense of importance.

“No, but I have a feeling I’m the only one that’s going to be able to open it.”

“Why is that?”

“I mean, I’m the first person in forever to even see one of the Greats, let alone live from an encounter with them. If I’m not able to open it, then no one can.”

“Okay, well are there any keys that you have on you now? Maybe it’s the same one as your house key or lab key?” You shrugged and pulled out a set of keys from your pocket. Immediately you noticed one that hadn’t been there previously.

“Or the one that just happened to appear…” Inserting the key, and twisting it releases the metal strap on the bind of the book. It makes a soft clicking noise as it opens. Greedily, you opened up the pages to see what they held, only to find them blank. “What the fuck?” Aggressively, you flip through the whole thing until you find one page where a plethora of information was held.

“Is that it?” Iida was peaking over your shoulder. In fact, the rest of the party had gathered around the table to see what was going on. Well, everyone except the blonde haired, red eyed vampire.

“It has to be. This is the only marked page.”

“Well, it seems to be in celestial. Can you decipher it?” You cock your eyebrow and turn to Iida.

“Is that a question?”

“Hey, less flirting, more reading,” Kaminari spoke.

“That wasn’t flirting, but not like you would know.” He jolts back at the sudden attack, feigning a hurt look. Small chuckles could be heard around the room, but they died down as everyone anticipated your analysis.

“It’s a ritual with both alchemic and abjuration magic,” your eyes continue down the page, trying to make sense of all the scribbles, “but it looks like there’s only one ingredient.”

“Let me guess, a sacrifice.” Red eyes bore deep into your figure as Katsuki spoke.

“...yeah.”

“And where the fuck are you going to find some ‘great magical being’?” His teeth are showing as he scowls once more. It may have been years since he’s seen you, but he knows what you’re thinking.

The knuckles on your hands start to turn white from the frustration that was building in your chest. You weren’t intending on telling everyone how you were going to let yourself be sacrificed in the name of Great Ones. You wanted to keep it a secret from them, but Katsuki could see right through you.

“I don’t know.”

“FUCKING LIAR!” He crosses the room with lightning speed and wraps his hands around your neck, crushing you into a nearby bookcase. Your vision is white for a split second, but returns to see a face with nothing but disgust across its features. Gasping for air, you attempt to pry his hands off of you, but it wasn’t worth trying as you knew the kind of strength Katsuki possesses. “I know what you’re planning to do! You want to kill yourself because some old ass supernaturals want you to, but I’m not gonna let that fucking happen.” He slams you into the bookcase once more after seeing your eyes start to drift off. “Do you hear me?!”

“Bakugou, get your hands off her now!” Iida, Todoroki, Kaminari, Kirishima and Midoriya run over to the scene and start to restrain Katsuki. They struggle to pull him back, but after a few seconds of letting you go, your whole body drops to the floor and your lungs start to gasp for oxygen. While you are coughing, Mina and Uraraka latch onto your sides and help you up. Now sitting down, you cough trying to catch your breath.

“What the hell were you thinking dude?! You didn’t even let (Y/N) fucking speak?!” Kirishima’s speech was a low growl, his eyes turning from the normal black color into a more yellow, dog-like eye.

“I’m not going to let her fucking die because she thinks she is self righteous. She’s not more important than any of us, and if she thinks so I’ll kill her myself.”

“How do you know that?! How do you know that she wants to sacrifice herself?! How do you know that she thinks she’s better?!” Kiri stops, waiting for an answer. When none presents itself, he continues his rant. “You don’t know what is going in her head! So stop assuming you know stuff that we don’t!”

“Kiri, stop before you make a fool of yourself.” Gently, you put your hand on the shoulder of the raging werewolf. His eyes fade into the black abyss they once were. All eyes were now on you, “Katsuki’s right. I was going to sacrifice myself…” several gasps were audible in the thick silence, “but not because I think I’m better than anyone here. We all are powerful in our own regard, but I’ve been alive for twelve hundred years. If anyone of us is going down, it’s going to be me.” Scoffing, Katsuki barges out of the room, unable to deal with the level of bullshit he just heard. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe he was powerful, or anyone else in the room (he wouldn’t say it outloud), but he couldn’t believe that you were willing to give up on yourself to save the world. Did you not see how important you are? Whether you knew it or not, he cared about you and he didn’t plan on letting you die anytime soon.

The tension built itself around the room as the still airwaves remained unchanged. Not even breathing could be heard. Standing up from the table, you put the chair back into place and made a grab for the book, but someone stopped you.

“No,” green eyes bore into your own, “you’re not taking it. We’re locking it up. There has to be a different solution.”

“There isn’t! We’ve talked to everyone we possibly could have and no one else thought of anything! For fucks sake Midoriya, I had to talk to some ancient beings to get a hold of this spell and almost died because of it! I’m taking what’s mine!” With both hands, you yank it from his grasp.

“I said no (Y/N). We’ll find another way. There has to be another way-”

“There’s not! What is so hard to understand! The clock is ticking and it’s only a matter of time before it all turns to shit, might as well fix it now and get it over with!”

“(Y/N), just give me the grimoire. Don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be. No one here wants you to die, and we’re not going to let you! Just pass it over.” Conflicted, your white knuckles loosen on the rough leather and place it down on the table. Without looking at anyone, you make your way to a spare room and sit on a bed, thinking about what else there was to do.

Hours passed as you thought about the end of it all. There is no other way for this to end. The fucking Old Ones said that this way the only way possible, so it has to be right? We exhausted all other resources: the scripts from Alexandria, my personal collection, Izuku’s personal collection and the harpies. None of us had anything. Your foot was tapping against the floor anxiously. If I could just get the pages from the book and get back to my place then it could all be over. None of them would have to worry anymore. It’s been a couple of hours… maybe they’re asleep. If I take it now and make a run for it, I’d have at least a couple hour head start. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about someone trying to stop me…

With a gameplan in mind, you stealthily make your way out of the room, creeping around as silently as possible. Passing a few other rooms, the snores of several companions reassure your suspicion. Now was the time to strike. Trying your damnedest not to make the floor creak, you tiptoe through the house to the library. You’re assuming it’s still there, but they could’ve removed it. Too busy focusing on trying to make a sound, you didn’t realize the pair of blood red eyes that closely follow.

Upon reaching the library, your eyes land on the old leather cover that lies exactly where you last remember. Swiftly taking it from its place and reaching for its key, you took the latch off and ripped the single page from its binding. As you did so, a knocking noise was heard from the entrance, but looking at it didn’t give you an answer. Everything was where you left it, but the uneasy feeling of eyes on you causes a thought to cross your mind. Am I being followed? Shoving the spell into your pocket, you glanced around one more time to make sure no one was there.

“O custos revelare,” voice barely above a whisper and clutching the necklace of the triple goddess, the knowledge of Katsuki’s watchful eyes on you entered your consciousness. Great, just what I needed. How the fuck am I supposed to leave now? Maybe if I trapped him somewhere that he can’t be heard, or if I place a silencing spell? No, he’ll still be able to get someone’s attention. Best shot I got is to lure him out of earshot from the others and place a trapping spell, but that requires time… Fuck! What the hell am I supposed to do?!

Quickly trying to recover from the stream of thoughts, you make your way to the attic. This should be far enough from the others. If he screams up here they shouldn’t hear him, especially with all the fabric. Now how do I get the circle in place? ...goddamnit why the hell can’t my brain think of something? Abjuration? No, that’s later. Conjuration? No. Divination? No. Evocation? No. Necromancy? What the hell, no! Transmutation is a no go as well. That leaves alchemy, enchantments and illusions. Alchemy takes too long, so that’s out of the question, and Katsuki can easily overpower my enchantments. So illusions it is.

Katsuki watches as you stumble your way up a couple flights of stairs, trying so hard not to alarm anyone of your presence. He couldn’t help but feel amused at your little act. You just look so cute acting like a rogue trying to steal their first jewels. On the other hand, he couldn’t believe that after the outburst he had and Deku’s own freakout you still were going through with your plan. Do you not care about him? Do you seriously not realize just how important you are? Of course he’s gonna stop you; the minute you stormed off he knew there was a plan being formulated.

Shattering glass littered the stairwell as the nearest window blew inward. Immediately, Katsuki checks for intruders and looks down the stairwell to see that the other windows have been broken in as well. Peering up, he doesn’t see your figure any more and begins to panic. With his enhanced speed he runs downstairs and starts to sniff out anything suspicious.

Leaving the crystals in their place to keep the illusion going as long as possible, you could care less about making much noise. Bolting up to the attic, you shut the door behind you and took out a pocket knife, working on a trap, or abjuration, spell. The intricate carvings were taking longer than you thought, and the panic of being caught was causing you to slip up.

“Shit! Fuck!” There’s no time left! Once again grabbing the necklace of the goddess, you start reciting a simple fire spell and start to burn the lines into the wood floor, being careful not to burn the house down.

“Adolebitque imperium.” A small flame danced around the floor, as if following a line of gasoline. It wasn’t even a flame, but looked like the end of a stick of incense. The small embers made their way around the room, carving out sigils and words. Trapping a vampire was tough enough, but with Katsuki’s strength and will it was going to be even worse.

Back downstairs, Katsuki stalks the main floor, careful not to alarm something that could be in the house. His nose isn’t picking up on anything out of the ordinary, but he got the feeling that it was all a ruse. Looking around more only confirms his suspicion as he noticed no other windows were broken, and when he got back to the stairs those windows were put back.

“That sneaky little-” his feet pound on the ground as he makes his way to your location. “I can’t believe she- what a little- UGH!” He fells dumb. He knows your magic, but he couldn’t even figure it out on first glance - not like he used too, that is.

Reaching the top of the stairs and closing the door, he tries the doorknob, but to no avail.

“(Y/N) open the door.” No response. He waits a few seconds until he tries again. “I swear to fucking God (Y/N), open the goddamn door or I will break it down.” Pressing an ear to the door, he listened to double check he was in the right area. After hearing some shuffling on the other side, his fists pound against the door. “I can fucking hear you, you know!” When no response came, again, he grabbed the door knob and snapped it off like it was a candy cane. “I’m coming in so don’t fucking attack me!”

You stand by an opened window, wind softly blowing through your hair and the moonlight highlighting your face in all the right ways. If only someone had a camera, this shot could make “Time” magazine. Katsuki’s breath was taken away at the scene; you looked so serene and just as beautiful as the day he met you. Although his heart wasn’t supposed to be beating, he felt as though it might leap out of his chest and run into your arms. You turn slowly, to face him with the ripped pages gently folded between your fingers.

“Hand it over. We both know I’m not letting this happen.” He inches closer in the room, about a foot away from the carvings on the floor. You just need to provoke him further, but the look in his eyes was killing you. They weren’t like anything you’d ever seen come out of Katsuki; even in the most intimate of moments. They screamed desperation but remain firm.

“It’s the only way, and you know it.” Eye contact hasn’t broken once since he bust the door open, but it only intensified as you speak.

“I don’t fucking care if it’s the only way. You are not dying for this, for these people! We both know what kind of shit the world puts us through and you want to put your life on the line for them. For those BASTARDS!” Screaming, he moves another few inches forward, eyes pleading for you to give in. “WHAT HAS THE WORLD EVER DONE FOR YOU?! BESIDES PUT YOU DOWN AND BEAT YOU TO THE CURB?!”

“It showed me you. Didn’t it?” The question startles him. You were the calm to his storm, the yin to his yang and yet… he didn’t want to admit that the world actually did him good.

“No. I gave myself to you. I wanted to be with you. I loved you. I still love you. Can’t you see this is fucking killing me?! Can’t you see that I just want to be with you?! CAN’T YOU SEE THAT I WANT YOU BACK?! THAT I WANT TO WAKE UP TO YOU WITH ME EVERYDAY?! WHY THE FUCK CAN’T YOU-” He didn’t realize he had closed his eyes with rage, and that you had made your way across the room to him. In the middle of his rant, you placed your soft hand on his cheek, caressing his face. Instinctually, he presses his cheek further into your touch, opening his eyes to meet yours. It felt like he had just had a sip of water after a centuries-long drought; this was something he didn’t acknowledge that he needed so badly, but now that it was happening he only wanted more.

“That day that you left, I was broken. For years I was only half the person I once was, and it was because I didn’t have you. I thought that you hated me, and never wanted to see me again…”

“I could never hate you,” he grabbed your wrist, “not after everything we’ve been through. Not after our sleepless nights of talking, the years of moving around and the fact that you’re the only person I’ve ever been myself around.” He sighs, the whole ordeal becoming emotionally taxing. Not once did he ever open himself up to anyone; not after you. It was hard enough for you to crack him, but once you two were through, he built up walls of steel. “I never stopped loving you. You are the only one for me. You’re the only person willing to put up with my bullshit and able to control my temper. Even if you are a damn witch, you’re my damn witch.”

Tears start to haze both of your visions, but you give in, letting them cascade down your cheek. Heart clenched, ready to burst, you enveloped yourself in his scent, embracing him like your life depended on it. He quickly returns the gesture and places his head in the crook of your neck. The two of you stayed like this for a moment before gently rocking back and forth. Slowly, you inch him closer to the abjuration spell.

Goddess, what have I done to deserve this? Why do I have to be the one fucking person he loves but also the one person that can save everyone from certain doom? Why am I just getting him back now, right before the end? Crying harder, you push yourself further into his chest. He didn’t take this as “out of the normal” because he thought you were still crying over him; that’s not saying you weren’t, but other thoughts were on your mind. Your body still moves closer to the circle, pulling Katsuki with you. What the fuck (Y/N). You could’ve just placed the circle and left, but no. You had to stick around and make everything 1000 times harder.

The sound of wood burning turns Katsuki’s attention to the ground, where he sees the sigils recarve themselves into the floor. He was flabbergasted, the breath knocked right out of him.

“(Y/N)...?” His voice was weak as he spoke, as if pleading for this to be a dream and not the hell he was about to go through.

“I’m so sorry. I wish there was another way but there isn’t and I just-” He releases your hug, his body going rigid as he starts to piece it together.

“You tricked me… after everything I said and did, you trapped me. You’re gonna fucking kill yourself and you trapped me here so I can’t stop you.”

“There’s no other way. The Greats said that it had to be a powerful magic user, and we both know Izuku, Iida, Todoroki and Uraraka don’t make the cut. The harpies don’t have anyone as powerful as me either and it doesn’t look like we’ll be finding anyone powerful within the next couple of days. I can end this now. The panic, the worry; it could all be over with tonight.” You step out of the circle, grabbing the instructions from your pocket and holding them to your chest.

“You decided that instead of staying with me, you’d rather die. Am I hearing this correctly? YOU WOULD RATHER NOT EXIST THAN BE WITH ME?!” He ran up to you, but the invisible barrier holds him from reaching your body.

“Don’t. Don’t make this about you. This is about more than just us and it is definitely about more than what we had forever ago. I’m fucking sorry neither of us got our acts together in time, but the balance of nature needs to be set anew. If I had known that you still loved me, that you still cared for me, then yeah, this whole situation might’ve turned out differently. But the fact that it took us almost 1000 years to get our shit together and talk to each other says a little something. Maybe we’re both too headstrong to be in a relationship. Hell, that’s how the last one ended! So don’t you dare make this about you, because there are so many other people that I love and want to look out for than just you. The world is counting on me because if I don’t do this, then the world as we know it won’t be in existence within the next few days.” You turn to the window, taking a deep breath and slowing your rapid heart rate.

As you approach the window, you mutter “revertetur in terram suam” and the forest around the house transforms into the inside of your bedroom. Once more, you took a deep breath to ease the pain of leaving everyone behind.

“Tell them I love them, and I did it for the best.” You walk over to Katsuki and rip off your triple goddess necklace, offering it to him. “I know you’re not religious, but it’s a piece of me. So you don’t forget.” Reluctantly, he reaches out and takes it, examining it with a furrowed brow.

“I would never fucking forget…” it was barely audible, but it made your heart flutter.

“I love you, Katsuki. Even if it seems like I’m betraying you, I want you to know that I hope you find someone who loves you and can crack that barrier over your heart.” Walking over to the portal, you utter one last sentence, “Please take care of yourself,” and then you’re gone.

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