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painless-innit-colourful · 3 years

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After Wilbur leaves, Tommy’s legs give out, and his panic takes over, feat. the rest of the Bench Trio. TW for suicidal ideation, massive amounts of self-loathing. Also, spoilers for today’s stream.

---

"What did you do?"

He falls to his knees, and for a few minutes, the world goes blank.

What has he done? He's doomed them all, that's what he's done. He let one of the only people that believed in him get killed, he failed in his mission, and now he's almost single-handedly released one of the biggest sources of pain and misery back onto the server. Any moment he expects some righteous punishment for what he's done: a cruel hand, the final blow from a sword, the divine arrow, another damn lightning strike, because why not? Why should he get to sit and cry like a baby when the whole server will soon suffer for what he's done?

The reason they had to kill Dream was just like Ranboo had once said: 'If the villains can come back, then what's the point in winning?' Ranboo, whose presence he can feel, vibrating angrily mere metres away. It's like when you agro an enderman; Tommy expects the hit to come, he wants it, he deserves it, because Ranboo was right! They can't win. Not anymore. All Dream needs is the body, and they can welcome back all those they banished to the other side. Wilbur was supposed to be gone. That was supposed to be done with. It can't be happening again. He can't be back.

His mind whirrs, trying for any solution to this mega-problem, no matter how outlandish, but it returns nothing. Wilbur defeated himself last time. They can't conquer the prison again; besides, Sam will kill him if he goes near it again. Sam, who helped him build Jack Manifold's (his, his, his) hotel, who built him a robot that helped him gather materials and work for himself and protected him and refused to hurt him. Sam, who nearly just took his last canon life several times, who told him he should be dead, who told him he caused all the problems at the prison, on the server, hell! Why didn't he kill him? Maybe the server would be safer that way. Perhaps Wilbur isn't the first villain Dream's resurrected.

He'll never sleep again. Partly because he has to find a way to stop this, has to put an end to everything even if it kills him, especially if he can take them all out at the same time. But also partly because that look Wilbur gave him, the fire that burns nations to the scorched earth underfoot dancing behind his eyes, already haunts his dreams. He already knows which words he'll hear when he tries to rest, which crazed looks, which gestures he'll never forget; he doesn't want that. He wants to sleep in peace, without the ghost of a villain returned beckoning "Let's be the bad guys." and "Why not?" and "My hero, Dream!" The roles have reversed, the blackstone table has turned.

"You wanna be a hero Tommy?" He thinks he'd rather have died one than become... whatever monster stares back at him in the glass beneath his feet. Glass that protects the crater of a nation. A nation that he died twice for. That caused so much pain and strife. That ultimately was razed so far down that the earth will never forgive its creators for painting upon it a target so large and flammable. It was never meant to be, indeed.

And he cries. The tears make tiny 'plinck, plinck, plinck' sounds as they hit the glass, forming a small puddle as the once-proud soldier puts his head against the grave of his home, and himself, Prime knows how many times, and sobs. The ground is unforgiving, the silence carries his weeping out to sea. He shed tears like these for Wilbur once. He wants him back. He wants to go back to the Void. And with a whole server of people about to wake up to the news of the impending chaos in the form of one persuasive former president, he doesn't think it'll be long before he returns. He wants to go back to the Void, and play Competitive Solitaire with Wilbur forever, and maybe, just maybe, that'd be enough to give his friends the peace they need to build lives in the shelter of the shadows. In the runoff and the rubble, they could grow old. And maybe they'd mourn him occasionally. He doesn't see the point.

He doesn't deserve their love anymore. He's fucked up. He's fucked up, and he should pay the price. He should march up to Wilbur, and kill him, and die in the process. But if they both woke up, what then? Who knows how many canon lives zombies have anyway.

He doesn't deserve kindness, or love, or affection. He watched the sweet, innocent ghost be slaughtered because of him. A man he might've accidentally called 'father' should've killed him. Ranboo, dear Prime, patient, forgiving, compassionate Ranboo stared at him with eyes full of disappointment and betrayal and anger and stormed off. He doesn't deserve anything but his ruined city's sky, not anymore... But he wants it. Needs it. Needs it, or what is there left?

So when Tubbo stands at his side, his scarred face barely reflected in the glass, he doesn't compel him to leave. When he kneels and puts an arm around Tommy's shoulders, the younger boy does not ask for Wilbur's end. And when he is scooped up in arms that no longer tremble, he does not try to escape. He merely buries his face in his best friend's coat and waits. Waits to be let go. Waits to be thrown from the clifftop. And somewhere along the journey, he blacks out again.

---

"Would you?" "No, but-" "Exactly! He's fucked up, we can't-" "We can't just abandon him, he's my T-" "The whole server'll be out for blood within the week! We can't hide him here!" "Why not? We have basements, and secret rooms and tunnels and-" "They'll find him, Tubbo."

Ranboo puts his hands firmly on Tubbo's shoulders, staring right into his eyes. Tubbo freezes, as people often do when eye contact is maintained. They're silhouetted in the doorway, haloed by the light spilling in through the ajar curtains. "They'll tear this place apart if they think they'll find him here. We can't do that. We can't let them do that."

"But-" "Michael. That's who you're putting at risk if you do this. People'll tear Michael's loft apart if they think we've hidden him up there, you know they would! They'd frighten the life out of him." Tubbo puts his head in his hands, quickly wiping his hair back from his face. "A life for a- a life. That's what you're saying, basically. They'll kill Tommy. No question." "They'd kill Michael too!" "Would they? Who the fuck is this 'they'?" "Literally the whole server- Look, I haven't been around here as long as you have, alright, but I know enough. They'll come for Tommy, and they won't have mercy for anyone caught in the crossfire."

Tubbo looks up at his husband for a long time, his expression becoming guarded while his posture straightens. "You're right. People don't care who they hurt around here; it's all means to an end. But-" And his eyes dart towards Tommy, Ranboo's following, and while Ranboo looks shocked and maybe a little embarrassed to see Tommy awake, lying awkwardly dumped on the guest bed, Tubbo's expression doesn't change. "-I won't leave him. I did it once, and it was the worst damn choice I ever made." He sighs, taking Ranboo's hands and staring down at them while they speak. "I don't know what to do, truth be told. I won't let anyone hurt Michael, and if they want to try then perhaps I should get back in the nuke lab. But Tommy's a part of my family as much- as much as you are." His eyes flick to Tommy, and the barest hint of a smile appears. "Looks like it's us against the world, again."

He leads Ranboo with one hand into the room as he sits beside the mute, exhausted form of his best friend. His best friend that leans into the arm he puts around his shoulder and tries not to start crying again. "Us against the world." Tubbo repeats. "And I ain't leaving you behind."

Tommy looks up at Ranboo, who's staring at him with an impassivity that borders on scary. "Did I tell you you have mesmerising eyes? Because I actually think they're very intimidating." The enderboy's face softens. "Where did you find him." He asks Tubbo drily as he also sits on the bed, the other side of Tubbo, who smiles. "You'll have to-" He cuts himself off. "You'll have to ask Wilbur." He says softly.

"Don't sacrifice yourselves for me." Two heads snap in Tommy's direction, and Ranboo tries to answer first. "Oh, well, we weren't exactly planning on-" "I mean like, your happiness." He quietens again. "Don't lose lives, don't jeopardise Snowchester because of me." "How about you let me decide what happens in my nation." Tubbo's voice has regained some element of its smile. "You focus on surviving, alright Big Man?" "Don't- Please, don't let me ruin all this. Again."

‘I don't deserve your support. I don't deserve a place in your family. I don't deserve you.’

"You deserve another chance."

They make no promises in the half-dark. There are no agreements made over the steaming teapot. There are no settlements reached as the minutes tick by, and nothing comes of the quiet hours spent by a warm fireplace. But there are enough things said in the silences to fill the whole house. And even if Tubbo can't make his best friend fall asleep anymore, he can still hold him close somewhere that maybe, once was, once could've been something like a home.

#crim writes #dream smp #dsmp fic #tommyinnit #tubbo #ranboo #bench trio #clingyduo #i really have to go to sleep #but i couldn't not #i missed writing late night reaction fics like this #anyway if this makes sense i'll be amazed #and if you read the whole thing? thank you so much #look after yourself and have a nice evening

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sustraiii · 3 years

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TEAM ZRCN ARC 4 - CHAPTER 6

Back with the Rossi’s this chapter, who are preparing themselves for the eventual backlash following the attack on Highpoint.

BIANCA

The return of Belleza Rossi to the O.R.C.A.S marked the end of the few days of peace Bianca had been enjoying without her elder sister’s presence. She had been back for less than a day before tensions were already bubbling over, and the tentative peace Bianca had brokered between Laurel and the Astrella siblings, was swiftly shattered.

Things became even worse when Belleza was suddenly keen to implement an intense training regiment for those of their group who could fight. They had never been strict on training before, and when Bianca questioned the sudden change from her sister, Belleza merely smiled sweetly and told her it was good to prepare. Bianca wasn’t going to take that for a sufficient answer, however, and after some further questioning on her behalf, was finally able to get Belleza to reveal more about what happened.

After learning the truth, Bianca was not impressed, but she could not say she was surprised either. She knew when Belleza had elected to stay behind that things would not end well. Bianca had quickly consigned herself to the fact that Calantha would not be returning anytime soon and then after that it was just a matter of time to see what chaos Belleza would bring home with her. When Belleza revealed she - or rather, Miho - had partially blown up the school, Bianca could suddenly understand why her sister was keen to get in some extra training. Belleza might have only been anticipating the Mob Ops and a handful of fighters from Highpoint to retaliate, but with everything she had done in Atlas and Shizukana beforehand, Bianca wouldn’t have been surprised if the general himself arrived to raze the O.R.C.A.S to the ground.

News of further training was generally well received by those they had working for them, none more so than Maia who had gleefully relished in the opportunity to hone her skills to take on the military. Nearly everyone at the O.R.C.A.S had lost family due to the inaction of Atlas all those years aho, and Maia was no exception to this, but she was the only who spoke as though she had a personal vendetta against every single person who worked for the military, and that she deserved to punish them.

For the training Belleza had insisted on, Maia had been paired with Sparrow. It was yet another decision that Bianca had disagreed with in recent days, and despite protests from herself and Theodora that Sparrow wasn’t ready, Belleza pushed ahead. Although Sparrow had accepted the decision, that didn’t stop Bianca from keeping a careful watch on them during training, staring down from a walkway in the atrium to where they were currently sparring with Maia.

There were others sparring as well - Laurel with Miho, Biggs with Euphemia, Belleza with Uriah - but only the match between Maia and Sparrow held her attention.

Although Sparrow still lacked their usual speed and ease of movement due to their healing burns, they were managing to carry themselves quite well in the fight, though Maia’s relentless attacking gave them little chance to let their guard down or slip up. On the one time they were slow to react, Maia followed through with a swift uppercut, which hit Sparrow square in the chin, and caused them to stumble backwards. Maia used this opportunity to grapple them to the floor, where she continued to punch at Sparrow, who shielded their face from the worst of the blows. A sudden twisting motion managed to knock Maia off of Sparrow and break them apart. Although Bianca was certain Maia would have continued their fight if given the opportunity, the presence of Belleza coming over put a stop to that.

Bianca was too high up to hear what was being said, but she could imagine what sort of praises her sister was bestowing upon the woman by how she had her hand on her shoulder, and seemed to be speaking in a softer tone. It didn’t take long for the praise to shift to mockery, with Belleza and Maia speaking down to Sparrow, who was still on the floor, albeit on their knees as opposed to being sprawled on their back as they had been moments before.

Sparrow listened with a neutral expression, and then something shifted in their face, and a more enraged expression took hold. As Maia threw her head back in laughter, amused at whatever she had said, she was completely ignorant to the speed in which Sparrow pulled themself back to their feet, before they tackled Maia to the ground. The ferocity in which Sparrow lashed out at Maia was unusual, and once again Bianca could only imagine what horrid things Maia had said to prompt such a reaction.

As Belleza clearly was in no hurry to break them apart, it fell to Laurel to intervene, who broke away from her own sparring with Miho and managed to pull Sparrow off, who writhed around in the other woman’s grasp.

“Keep his name out of your mouth, you bitch!” Sparrow’s furious voice echoed around the atrium. “If you dare say it again, I’ll cave your head in!”

After the breakdown of the sparring, Bianca took her leave from the atrium, deciding she had had her fill of violence for the day. However, her disappearance had clearly not gone unnoticed, as not long after she had turned away and had begun her walk back to her quarters, she was aware of footsteps behind her.

“Bianca.” Belleza dragged her name out with a mocking tone. Bianca turned her head to see Belleza emerging from a staircase that led down to the floor below where everyone had been sparring. She was leaning over the bannister dramatically, fluttering her eyes when Bianca glared at her. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Yes, I’m going to get some work done,” Bianca said simply, hoping if she ignored her sister she might go away. Alas, she soon felt the grasp of Belleza’s hands at her waist informing her that this was not the case. She groaned. “What do you want, Belle?”

“Why are you leaving?” Belleza asked. “Didn’t you like the show?”

“Oh yes, because watching Maia beat up an already injured Sparrow over and over again is exactly how I wanted to spend my day…” Bianca said sarcastically.

“I must admit I didn’t think they had it in them,” Belleza laughed, ignoring Bianca’s words. “Sparrow has never been a good fighter, hence why we always sent them on reconnaissance missions. So for them to have knocked down Maia...colour me impressed.”

“Do I even want to ask what Maia said to get that sort of reaction?”

“Oh, we just reminded Sparrow of what it is they were fighting for,” Belleza smirked. “Maia pointed out that Sparrow needed to put in more effort or we’d put them “out to pasture” like we did Marcel.”

Bianca tensed. “You didn’t.”

“We did.”

Bianca sighed, suddenly understanding why Sparrow had reacted that way. Marcel had been Sparrow’s mentor and companion when they had first joined their family, a fellow orphan who had taught Sparrow how to survive in the harsh world of Mantle. But Marcel had been weak and sickly, stemming from years of malnutrition and a further untreated illness on top of that, and Belleza had sent him on his final mission knowing it was likely he would not come home. Bianca was never certain if Sparrow knew the truth of what happened to their friend; they never said otherwise, but Bianca always suspected they knew more than they let on. It was probably easier to convince themself that it all went back to the poor health he was encumbered with due to his life in Atlas and ignore the truth staring them in the face, than it was to confront Belleza over what she had done.

The two sisters walked in silence after that, though Bianca got the impression her sister had more to say. Their silence was interrupted by yelling further down the hall. From where they were, it was hard to discern what was being said, but as they drew closer it became apparent that one of the arguing parties was none other than their father.

"Why won't you answer me?!" Alden asked with a frustrated voice.

"Alden, please calm down." A second voice belonging to Theodora Crest pleaded.

The two sisters eventually came across the scene, finding their father yelling at Theodora and Lunick, the latter of which seemed to be the primary target of his frustrations, if Theodora's mediating presence between them was anything to go by.

"What's the matter?" Bianca asked.

At the sound of her voice, all three heads turned to look in their direction, and a look of relief flooded Alden's features. "My darlings," He sighed softly, before approaching his two daughters, and embracing them in an awkward hug. "I know you two will be honest with me."

Bianca raised a questioning brow, at Theodora, before looking at her father. "What's wrong?"

"Theodora won't answer my questions…" Alden murmured.

"And what questions do you have?" Belleza asked.

"Where's your sister?"

Bianca opened her mouth to speak, but before she could give her answer, Belleza jumped in and was her usual tactful self.

"I'm afraid she's no longer with us," She told him.

"Belle!" Bianca glared at her sister. Noticing her father's clear distress at Belleza's words, Bianca was quick to clarify what her sister meant. "What Belleza meant to say is that Calantha is currently taking some time away from home right now. She's alright and will be back soon, I promise."

"Calantha wouldn't do that," Alden said, frowning as he did so. "She wouldn't leave here...she wouldn't leave me."

"Well she has," Belleza said, folding her arms. "The sooner you grow accustomed to that the easier it'll be to move on and forget her."

"That's your sister!"

"Yes, and she betrayed us."

"Belle, that's enough." Bianca warned, putting a hand in her shoulder in an effort to stop her from saying more. "Can't you see you're upsetting him?"

"I don't care," Belleza said, shrugging Bianca's hand away. "He needs to hear this."

Belleza took a purposeful step towards their father, and he flinched away. "Calantha has chosen to leave us. She has abandoned our family and she has abandoned you. I advise you to forget about her; which considering your condition shouldn't be too hard."

Alden backed away and started to shake his head. "This is your doing," He said, pointing at Belleza.

"She made her own choice."

"But your actions probably didn't help either," Bianca said coldly, ignoring the glare Belleza gave her soon after. "How about you tell our father about how you killed a woman in front of her?"

"You did what?" Alden blinked, stepping back in disbelief. "Why would you do something like that?"

"What do you mean 'why'?" Belleza asked. She unfolded her arms, and placed them on her father's arms "I did this for us! I did this for you!

"No," Their father shrugged Belleza's hands away, and took a step back from her. "This isn't what I wanted. I never wanted such violence. I don't deny a little bit of force might have been necessary in the past, but my intention was to always go through the appropriate channels. To get our justice the fair and legal way."

Belleza snorted. "What, do you think they will play fair or something? The same people who look down on us from their floating city, who stood by and did nothing whilst men, women, and children perished in Olympia? Those people?" She pressed. "Your mind is more broken than I thought if you really believe that."

"That is what your mother would have wanted. She would have never approved of such violence," Alden said softly.

"Mother was weak. She didn't understand what needed to be done," Belleza retorted. "And that's why she needed to go."

"You…" Alden's voice trailed off. He began to tremble softly, and Bianca moved towards him, putting her arm around him to try and calm his shaking.

"I think I need to lie down," Alden said softly, raising a hand to his head. "Bianca... would you please take me back to my room?"

Bianca stared at her father for a long moment, concerned at how he was processing this information. “Of course,” She finally responded, calmly moving him away from Belleza’s presence. With a tilt of her head, she gestured for Theodora and Lunick to follow her and get them away from her sister as well.

As they walked away. leading Alden back to his room, Bianca cast one last look back at her sister. Belleza watched them leave with a smug look, and when she caught Bianca looking back at her, she raised her chin and gave them a mock wave of farewell in return.

#team zrcn fic #belleza rossi #bianca rossi #alden rossi #sparrow #maia astrella #theodora crest #lunick otieno

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jemej3m · 5 years

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RADIO CALLER AU RADIO CALLER AU RADIO CALLER AU

OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY

I’m way too lazy to link the rest of the parts so here’s the latest one lmao srry

Wymack settled into his chair. He well trusted Neil by now, but Minyard had a reputation that precedented him, so Wymack wouldn’t let the man derail the show with his presence.

He hadn’t told Kevin about Andrew’s sudden and startling reappearance yet: He knew his son would grow too fanatic and overenthusiastic, and probably put Andrew off all over again. Wymack looked into the man’s credentials: His behavioural record was tarnished to all hell, but every one of his grades had been stellar. It was baffling enough that the name Minyard had remained, lodged in his brain, until Neil had finally admitted who he wanted to co-host.

It was a Tuesday evening, already hitting close to midnight. Through the glass Neil was setting up, the routine old hat by now, but Andrew was lounging in a chair he seemed too familiar with, a lolly-pop in his mouth.

Wymack leaned into his soundboard and spoke into the comm. “You sure you’ve never been here, Minyard?”

The candy came out of his mouth with a pop. “Nope.” Neil sent Minyard a quiet smile and jostled his shoulder gently. Minyard flipped him off.

I’m too old for this.

‘This’ entailed: Obvious, middle-school flirting and being away past ten o’clock, both of which Wymack’d had enough of to last the rest of his presumably short lifespan.

He simply shook his head and settled further into the chair to watch the slow as it went live.

“Welcome back to Mid-Nights, with me, the same person who’s been hosting this show for months and yet still repeats his name, Neil Josten.” He grinned into the microphone and winked at Wymack, who rolled his eyes. Minyard mirrored him. Maybe Andrew would be the one to finally tame Josten’s shitty attitude. “But guess what? There’s someone else here with me today, cohosting tonight.”

“It’ll be a one-off event, undoubtedly.” Minyard said into his mike.

“Am I introducing you?”

“You dragged me on here, junkie.”

“I did, didn’t I. Cohosting with me tonight is Andrew Minyard, who’s got some new music and absolutely scathing opinions to share with you all. It’s a pleasure to have you here, ‘Drew.”

“Call me that again and I’ll sew your lips shut.”

Neil just laughed.

Wymack didn’t have to worry. Neil seemed well versed in conversing with Andrew, who, despite his misgivings, was very good at what he did: Things ran incredibly smoothly, to the point that Wymack realised it was ridiculous that he was here. Of course, he needed to assess Minyard to see if he was up to a permanent gig if he ever wanted one, but Neil easily had it under control. Minyard was way too familiar with the space, the boards and controls: He had to have been here prior, but Wymack wasn’t going to ask.

They made a good pair, Wymack thought. He wondered what they’d say if he offered them a prime-time spot.

It hit about two-thirty in the morning and Wymack hit the comm button mid-way through a song. “I’m going home. Congrats, Minyard. You better not have razed my studio to the ground by the time I get back here in a few hours.”

“Can’t make any promises.” The pint-sized man muttered. Wymack simply shook his head and tucked his chair under his desk, shoving his notes into his bag and filing out with his keys hanging off his ring finger.

It could just work. Neil and Andrew in evening peak-hour, the most promising intern Robin running graveyard shifts, and Allison moving up and out to the news broadcasting position she’d been offered.

It all fit together, like a hideous puzzle. Wymack didn’t mind: He’d keep adding pieces and making the FM-OX network a home for his kids.

“How’d you like that?” Neil insisted, forever obsessed with his work. Andrew rolled his eyes, standing up and pushing the chair under his desk. “It was good, wasn’t it?”

“You can’t think you’ll successfully entertain me with your own obsessive tendencies.”

“Fine.” Neil challenged. “I’ll let you drop me home if we go to Sweeties on the way.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes. Neil didn’t give in to an argument so easily, especially not one that had been consistent over the past few weeks. Neil, as Andrew eventually discovered, walked home in the dead of the night after his show. Like the reckless idiot he was. As if his striking features and scars didn’t draw enough attention to him: He deliberately put himself in harms way so often, and so carelessly, that Andrew wondered what kind of childhood he must have endured to be so infuriatingly reckless.

He’d asked Neil why he was so obviously flippant about himself. Neil had retorted with a sharp “I do care. I just can’t trust anyone to look out for me in my stead.”

“Can’t, or won’t?” Andrew offered. Neil, in a particularly bitter mood that day, had said nothing else.

Now Neil was letting Andrew drop him home. He had to want something.

“Only if you get me fries and ice cream.”

“Pl - Don’t put them together. I’ll be sick.”

Andrew noticed the way he caught himself before saying ‘please’. It was the little things about Neil that had him stumbling over himself as he fell deeper and deeper into the hole that was being attracted to Neil Josten, when he realised that Neil adhered to every one of his boundaries.

“Funnily enough, I couldn’t give less of a shit. Let’s go, Josten.”

They’d queued good music on the station in their absence and listened to it whilst Andrew drove with the windows down, careening into Sweeties’ drive-through. Neil had a small smile playing across his lips, curls fluttering in the breeze. When the car rolled to a stop his cheeks were flushed red, looking utterly windswept. Andrew had to avert his eyes.

Neil ordered for him, seeing as he’d spent the past four hours talking intermittently - more than he’d ever had to before, but also surprisingly easy when it was with Neil.

The other man said just what Andrew was thinking as they sat in the parking lot, Andrew dipping curly fries into strawberry ice-cream and Neil breathing in the steam from his black coffee.

“And to think this all happened because you called me one night.” Neil muttered, a teasing sparkle in his eye.

“You were confounding enough to keep my interest.” Andrew said dismissively.

“Am I still? Confounding?”

Yes and no. Andrew felt like he knew nothing about Neil. He’d known Neil did a course with Kevin and got into FM-OX through Kevin’s connections. He knew he didn’t talk to his family, that his scars were a premeditated attack from someone he knew. He knew Neil liked the colour grey and fruit and obscure, unknown musicians and the radio and that he didn’t celebrate his birthday. He didn’t have a car and liked going for jogs in the morning and took his coffee plain black and had moved around a lot as a kid. Neil was smart enough to entertain anyone on a specific topic, but he never let on that he knew more than he should for some scrawny young guy in the middle of a scrappy South Carolinian city.

Other than that, Andrew had nothing. Neil was like water between his fingers: Cool, refreshing, but impossible to get a grasp on.

“You’re still irritating.” Andrew answered. Neil just snorted and drank his coffee. “You haven’t eaten and definitely shouldn’t be drinking coffee at this hour.”

“I can take care of myself,” Neil argued, hiding behind his cup.

“Clearly.” Andrew grunted, shoving the car into reverse once he’d finished and pulled out of the empty parking lot.

Neil’s home was relatively close to FM-OX studios, a decrepit looking doorway between two crusty shop-fronts that lead to studio apartments that looked down on the street. Neil clambered out but turned around and leaned back into the car with a shit-eating grin.

“I had a good time, ‘Drew.” Like he was dropping Neil home from a date. Should he walk him to the door? Kiss him on his doorstep? How horrifically cliché.

Andrew scowled. “Don’t get comfortable, junkie.”

Neil winked. The fucking bastard winked. “Keep an eye out for a call from Wymack. He might just have an offer that’ll be too good to resist. See you soon, Minyard.” The car door slammed behind him.

Andrew was too late, distracted by watching Neil in his jeans and button-down walk to the front door of his apartment block, but still muttered “Fucking asshole.” like Neil was still there to hear him.

He thought he’d be exhausted, but he was fucking wired beyond belief. Even when he laid on his bed upon arriving home, he couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes. Sleeping would reset the day. And Andrew wouldn’t admit this to anyone, not even to himself:

He didn’t want it to end.

ibfnakhrualhifwkjdbhferghifwuekjnhv HOW MANY PARTS WILL IT TAKE FOR THIS PINING TO BE OVERRRRR

#andreil #radio show au #neil josten #andrew minyard #david wymack #all for the game #radio presenter au #weeeeeeee part 4 bby #jem writes

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lunaschild2016 · 5 years

Text

Worth Fighting For: Chapter 85 - Uncomfortable

Rated: M

Summary: He was ruthless, cunning, and completely committed to protecting his city; but her arrival to Dauntless called everything he ever thought he believed into question. She was haunted by a past she vowed to make amends for and resolved to sacrifice her very life it meant she could protect her family, faction and city. Duty and following orders were no longer enough and they both found more than they ever hoped for. They both found something worth fighting for. Eric/OC AU M (Language, Sexual Content, Romance, Fluff, Angst, Tragedy)

@kenzieam @pathybo @jaihardy @every-jai @ericdauntless@beautifulramblingbrains @bookgirlthings @jojuarez26@oddsnendsfanfics @offroadinjandals @singingpeople @iammarylastar@irasancti @captstefanbrandt @clublulu333 @fuckthatfeeling @tigpooh67@ex-bookjunky @jughead-wuz-here wuz-here @badassbaker@beanzjellly @beltz2016 @meganbee15 @affabletimelady @scorpio2009@gylisaa @geekybeyondallreason @violetsonthelam @kyloswarstars@emmysrandomthoughts @kgurew @beltzboys2015-blog @slytherin-princess-25273 @whatwouldbuffydo666 @jaiboomer11 @holamor@wealwayskeepfighting @original46 @blakefc @xtheserpentx@artisthedgehog

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Chapter 85 - Uncomfortable

Kat

The sun is boring down on my face with relentless annoyance that's only matched by the rocking and jarring my body is being subjected to as something is hissing words beside my ear.

"Kat," I blink and look to see my sister bending down over me and shaking me awake. "You need to get up. Lynn called and said they're on the way to get us. They left a while ago, but I missed all the calls before now."

I blink again, confused as to what my sister is talking about then I get a good look at us, our surroundings and remember last night.

I groan loudly as I start to raise up, slapping a hand to my head to stave off the pounding. "I can't believe I got drunk,"

I can hear Tris snort from somewhere in what was once my room at our parent's house. "I can't believe we both did, and that our parents had to help us to bed to sleep it off."

"We didn't even drink that much!" I exclaimed loudly and then grimaced at the way the sound of my voice made my head pound. "Whatever that stuff was, it's nothing like they have in Dauntless."

I stand after taking the glass of water and a couple of aspirin she brought with her and see that she's now by the window looking out apprehensively. Then her words finally register for me. I put the glass down and bend down to pull my boots on hurriedly.

"Maybe we can get out of here before they get here?" I say with faint hope in my voice.

She sighs and walks towards me from the window. "Too late,"

Her words are proved true by the loud thudding of the door being pounded on.

"Shit," I mutter as I hear the door being answered followed by gruff voices.

"Kat, Tris…" My dad calls up the stairs. "You two might want to come down here."

"Do we have to?" Tris whispers from beside me. I look over at her and she looks at me before silly smiles start to grow on our faces.

I don't have to know what he is saying to know that Eric is growing impatient. I glance at the window briefly but dismiss trying to climb out of it. I'll have to face him at some point. "Let's go face the firing squad,"

Eric

Kat doesn't come home after her girls night. Not that I was really expecting her to, but I always hope that she will when she has these nights. It was one of the first rules established when we made up, and she's held true to that rule so far.

She calls them 'sandwich nights'. I have no fucking clue where she got the idea for the title. I think she said something about some old romance movie Mar had them watch one time.

The theory is, having these nights completely away from each other will keep us from falling into some kind of rut or some crap like that. Also, that we aren't always in each other's spaces, allowing us to have our own lives apart from each other.

Honestly, I don't mind the spending time with friends away from each other.

I get that I'm, in general, not the most spontaneous of guys and I much prefer my own company over the idiots that populate our faction. So, I get there are things her friends do that I refuse to. In the end, it's a win for me.

She gets that shit out of her system and I don't have to be subjected to it.

What I mind is the fact that this includes her sleeping somewhere besides with me at the end of the night. Nights that usually end up with me finding reasons to drag out Zach and Chase sticking around, so that I don't have to attempt to get sleep that will just end up in failure.

That might be why I gave into Uri's pleads for poker night to actually happen. It didn't help that Chase was making comments that it might as well happen, seeing as he knew I would just keep them there anyway.

Four leaving for that portion of the night helped seal the deal.

Peter showed up around the time Four was leaving and took his place. Things didn't wrap up until Zach called it a night for him and Peter around dawn. Zeke left with them when he realized the time and that Shauna was probably waiting up for him. Chase stuck around to keep me company and helped me clean up the apartment.

"It went well," He said after sinking onto the couch and propping up his feet on the coffee table.

"Better than I expected," I agree and run a hand over my face tiredly. "The sooner we get that meet up, the better. The weather should be warming up soon enough and we can try and figure out where that other group of factionless have taken off to then."

"Did Raze email you about what happened at the Council meeting?" Chase asks, reaching for his phone to check for an update.

I reached forward to the table where I tossed mine earlier and frown at it when I realize it's dead. "Shit! Phones dead."

I stand abruptly and head to the charging station, hurriedly getting it connected and scowl when I realize it'll take a bit to power up.

I hear him chuckle from behind me. "Relax," He yawns and stretches then looks at me as I stalk my way back towards the couches. "She's fine or we would have already heard something about it by now. Enough people know that if they can't reach you, to get ahold of me or Zach."

I sigh and sink down onto the couch. "I know, I just hate when I miss her messages or calls."

"I thought you guys had a strict rule of not messaging each other on girls nights after the incident," Chase asks me with a smirk on his lips and his eyes twinkling in humor.

"I blame that shit on you and Zach. You could've taken the phone away from me. Especially after the first ten messages."

He full on laughs and shrugs. "Yeah, I could've, but it was funny as hell to watch you drunk texting and getting all pouty when she wasn't responding right away."

"Another thing I blame on you two. Why didn't you stop my drunk ass from going to find her after she stopped responding to me and turned her phone off!" I hiss at him.

It wasn't bad enough that I spent an entire night making an ass of myself in front of my brothers, much to their immense amusement, but then I had to do it front of Kat and her girlfriends.

My reputation took a serious nosedive that night.

Lynn still won't let me live that shit down.

It was the first girls night Kat had after the date where we truly made up and when she started sleeping in my bed again. The first scheduled girls night had to be postponed after Lynn, Tris and Kat had to accompany Max and me on a night patrol that couldn't be put off anymore despite the weather. It was a full two weeks by the time they were able to resume the night out for friends and during that time she was in my bed almost every night.

I was more than a little miffed she was going to be gone for the entire night instead of just going out and then coming back to me. My brothers came to my rescue and had the night planned, or so I thought.

I guess I can't blame it all on them.

They did at least try and keep me in the apartment to drink instead of going out to one of the bars or something like that. It started out well enough. I messaged her a few times and she responded. Then the times between responses started to get longer and the drinks got stronger. I started to get frustrated she wasn't answering right away and then she just stopped messaging back completely.

Even worse she turned off the damn phone and at that time she didn't have the watch yet, so I couldn't even track her! That didn't go over well when I was so far gone drunk and I went looking for her.

It took Chase messaging someone else to find out where they were to prevent me from dragging my drunk ass all around the compound, making an even bigger fool of myself or doing something else completely stupid.

I found her in Shauna's apartment with all the girls. Shauna answered the door and I didn't give her a chance to try and tell me to go away before I pushed my way in.

Kat was there in an instant and not at all happy.

What happened next is blurry. I would love to forget what I do remember, but can't because Chase and Lynn won't shut up about it and like to throw it in my face often.

Apparently, I started out demanding Kat come home with me only to be told no and that she wouldn't be going anywhere with me like I was.

When my ordering and commanding her didn't I work, I attempted to try and sweet talk her.

Fuck if I know why I thought something like that was going to work because it for damn sure didn't work. Didn't even come close to working and to my sober mortification, I came close to begging her to come home and to bed with me.

Her response? She stomped her foot in anger and shoved me away from her while scowling at me.

'Eric Devin Coulter, you get your ass back home and go to bed this minute. We can talk about your behavior in the morning when I get there for breakfast. I warn you now, another word out of you and I won't be there until lunch if I even come at all.'

I do clearly remember the laughter after that, as Chase and Zach were dragging me away. Lynn lost her shit and collapsed to the floor laughing while Chase wasn't even bothering to hide his as he helped to drag me away.

The only one that bothered to save me from myself was Zach who quickly helped to keep me from saying another damn word and make it worse for myself. At least until he got me back to my apartment.

The aftermath is that Lynn will randomly use my full name, asking me if I'm being a good boy or does she need to get mommy to send me to my room.

Fucking Lynn.

I guess I say this out loud instead of to myself because Chase starts to guffaw and hold his stomach.

"Fucking Chase." I snarl and throw a pillow from the couch at him, making him laugh even harder.

"Man, that was some funny shit right there," He says in a fake southern drawl and I roll my eyes in response.

"So happy I can amuse you," I deadpan and let my head go to rest on the back of the couch.

I close my eyes, deciding to just rest them for a bit. If Kat holds true to how things go for us on these nights, she'll be home in a few hours where she will drag me to bed and we'll sleep for a few hours together before getting up for a late lunch and then spending the day together doing whatever we feel up for.

I sigh in pleasure at the thought of that, and swing my body to stretch out fully on the couch where resting my eyes turns into actually resting and sleep claiming me.

"They aren't there, Chase. I went there first before I came here. Tris didn't show up like she normally does and she wasn't answering her phone at all. When I checked their apartment, Lynn wouldn't say where they are, just that they needed sister time and hadn't gone to girls night."

Not ten minutes ago, he came banging at the apartment door demanding if I knew where Kat and Tris were. I was passed out one couch and I guess Chase had done the same on the other. It had taken a few minutes to actually process what he was saying before my friend let him into the apartment so we could figure out what the hell is going on.

Now, Four is pacing in the living room of my apartment, running a hand over the back of his neck and fuming, but in his normally bland way.

I, however, have a tick going at the corner of my eye while I pull up the app on my phone that will locate Kat and Tris with her.

"Lynn knows more than that, but good luck getting that shit out of her," I snarl in impatience.

"I know. I already tried to get it out of her and said that it was for Tris' safety. She brushed me off and snipped that she could do a better job of making sure her friends are safe than I could, considering what happened while they were staying in dorms I was in charge of."

I pause and look at him for a second and snort then shake my head as a pang of sympathy for Four hits me. Leave it Lynn to make me feel sorry for my enemy when I should be feeling amused that she took him down a few pegs.

The app with Kat's location beeps and I see Chase crane his neck to get a look. His lips are still pressed together tightly and he still looks angry, but it does seem to relax when he sees the location.

"Abnegation," He shares with Four as I let out a sigh and tuck my phone in my pocket then start grabbing my winter gear to change into. "You could just let her come back on her own." He offers with a shrug. "I'm guessing they went to see her parents. The holidays did just pass and she mentioned she was upset that they were all too busy to have been able to do the last visiting day."

I know he's right but there is no way I'm just letting her roam around out there by herself, especially so close to the factionless sector and Marcus' former stomping grounds. So his words fall on deaf ears and he knows this as I stomp my way to the door after I'm dressed, armed and ready.

I look over my shoulder to see Four following close behind and lock eyes with Chase. "Get eyes on the sector and make sure they don't leave before we get there. Update me when you have that done."

"Will do," He confirms, already on his phone getting things called in and set up.

Four and I walk through the compound in tense silence. Each upset we're having to endure each other so soon after last night but even more upset that our girls decided to go off on their own.

As we huddled into our jackets and waited the few minutes for the train to near, he broke that silence.

"Eric," He started out by calling my name and I knew just from the tone of it, hesitant and awkward, that something was up. "I need to say something now before too much time passes and I don't like I did after Marcus was found."

I don't respond vocally. I just lift my eyebrow and he looks away from me. Like even that much from me was sufficient to irritate him enough to not want to go on.

"I appreciate the fact that you didn't use my mom to bring him down, even if I know that it really was all for Kat; at least for you. That couldn't have been an easy decision and I don't know if the role was reversed if I would have been able to stop myself. Not just to use it against you, but also because I would have seen it as the only right thing to do to bring justice if that were anyone but my mom." He stops and looks back at me, the train rattling in the distance letting me know that it'll be here in moments and end this awkward as fuck encounter. "I also haven't thanked you before for you covering for me but more importantly, for not telling Kat and Tris it was my doing. I know I'll need to find a way to tell them what I did to Marcus that night and I will. I guess I'm just trying to come to terms with it myself still."

I grunt in response and give him a stiff nod but I can't stop myself from asking a burning question that has been plaguing me since I heard about the attack on Marcus. "Did you want to kill him?"

He doesn't answer me for a few seconds before he turns his head and looks at me dead in the eye. "The only thing that stopped me was Amar."

The train rattles closer and it's time for us to start our run to board, ending whatever else I might have wanted to ask but I think I'm okay with that. I can see what he was trying to do here and it's best to just leave it as is for now.

I stay standing and lean against the wall instead of taking one of the seats that are in this train car. I take out my phone and pull up the app that shows me Kat's location. Her little dot still blinking in the same spot as earlier, and I wonder what the hell she's up to now.

Kat keeps her eyes on her plate and scoops up another forkful of the spaghetti I made her for lunch. Things are still tense from this morning after retrieving her from her parent's house, and we still haven't talked about what went on.

Honestly, I probably would have bombarded her right there in her parent's house but her dad had….subtly….advised that wouldn't be a good idea, and that she would talk to me when she was ready.

To say I left worried would be an understatement. Especially when she couldn't meet my eyes and just seemed to withdraw into herself. She came home with me and we did the normal thing of trying to grab a few hours of sleep together. She didn't even pull away from me when I held her close while she slept.

But I didn't get any more sleep. Instead, I just held her and wondered what the hell happened to have her like this and afraid to talk to me.

I can't stand to sit here at the table idly, waiting for her to finish eating, so I stand up and grab my still mostly full plate. "Did you want some more?" I ask with my back to her as I head to the kitchen.

"No thanks," Kat replies meekly, making me grit my teeth and violently scrape the remains of my food into a container and then move to do the same for the food in the pans. "Thank you for making this. I know it's not your favorite."

I shrug noncommittally and put the plastic container of the leftovers into the fridge then turn to do the dishes but see she's already padded into the kitchen and started to rinse them off herself.

"I got it," I grunt and try to elbow her away but she just shoots me a glare so I back off.

All during the morning, when I was wide awake and laying there in the silence of my own thoughts, I tried to figure out what could be going on. My thoughts took me to some very dark places and that wasn't leaving me in the best of mind frames right now.

After I moved away from her, I realized I couldn't go far. I itched too much to reach out and hold her, but the way she's edging around the kitchen and still avoiding looking at me tells me that isn't going to be well received. It just served to give rise to the darkest of my thoughts, and it broke my silence for me.

"If you're going to end things, you might as well do it now instead of just dancing around the kick in the balls you're about to deliver."

The plate she was washing clashes to the bottom of the sink and I can hear from the sound it makes that it just broke. I don't give a fuck about the plate. All I care about is her and the way she whips around to face me again.

I let my eyes move over her, taking everything in slowly and wonder why she has to look so fucking beautiful in the moments before she's about to rip my heart out.

Then I get to her eyes and see a fury there that makes me gulp and straighten up as she approaches me slowly and in the way that reminds me of myself seconds before I strike in a fight.

"So, I need a little time to process a rather emotional reunion with my family and you automatically assume that I want to end things? Why? Because I didn't immediately throw myself in your arms crying and beg you to make it all go away? Because I wanted to deal with this myself and didn't need the big bad leader to make it all better? Well, I'm sorry to tell you Eric but I don't need to you to solve my problems for me. That isn't how things are going to work here. Maybe that's how you see me though, given things that have happened in the past. Like I'm some weak little girl that's going to need you to hold her hand for her and guide her along the big bad world out there."

She slammed her arms across her chest and stood just inches from me giving me a snarling curl of her lip, waiting for me to say something.

"So…" I pause and frown deeply while trying to figure out what's the safest portion I can touch of that little speech of hers. "You're not breaking up with me?" I ask and want to reach up and slap my forehead at my less than an intelligent response.

She rolls her eyes and looks away but I see the snarl starting to curl in the opposite direction in just the slightest. "I hadn't planned on it, but I guess that will depend on the next several seconds." She replies dryly and looks back at me.

I take a big breath and let it out slowly then rub my hand over my chest on the left side. "I don't think you're weak and never have," I say firmly after letting my hand drop to my side. "And believe me, I know I can't make things all better for you or make the problems go away no matter how much that might kill me. It doesn't matter that I know you're strong, I don't and never will like the thought of you in pain or being upset."

I stop and watch her closely, seeing the fury starting to melt away as she nods slowly and the shiny glint of tears at the corner of her eyes lets me know she is hearing me.

"I don't want to push you to find out what's wrong. Which is why I kept quiet as long as I have," I leave out the veiled warning her father gave both me and Four as we waited for them to come down from the bedrooms, "but something is obviously wrong, angel. It's in my nature to want to fix it if I can, just as much as it is to wonder if I'm the reason for it to begin with." I give her a side smile and reach out slowly, letting my hands go to her hips and give a gentle squeeze as I pull her closer. "You've gotta admit that my track record in that regard hasn't been the greatest so far."

She sighs and lets me pull her fully against my chest, her arms going around my waist and burying her nose into the material of my tank top. I can feel the beginnings of wetness from her eyes through the thin cloth and wrap my arms around her, holding her firmly against me.

"It wasn't anything you did," She says with her face still pressed against my chest making the words muffled.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask her carefully.

She nods into my chest but doesn't seem ready to move from the embrace either.

"Can you talk about it now or would you rather wait?"

She sighs against me and slides her hands from my waist until they travel up my chest to push back slightly. She tilts her head up to look at me and is biting her lip looking at me seriously. Then she reaches a hand up to pull my head towards her and whispers into my ear.

My eyes widen and I jerk away then look at her to see she's absolutely serious. I nod and step back but take her hand then lead her into our closet. I drop it when I get to the right section, crouch and uncover the hidden compartment. One I hadn't shown her and can feel her stiffen slightly behind me. I look over my shoulder and shake my head then hold a finger up to my lips, reminding her to remain silent.

The compartment contains fireboxes like my others that have weapons in them but these boxes don't contain the normal weapons that I have in those. I leave one of them in place and take the smaller of the two before covering it up and moving out of the closet. I enter the combination quickly after I have it sitting on the table and whip it open looking for the small device and hitting the scanner before I even have it pulled out.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I see the blinking green light then hit the button that will jam any devices trying to pick up audio from outside of the apartment. I sigh and move everything over to the living room where she is, pacing slowly near the windows.

"Okay. We're all set." I say after sitting the box and the jammer down on the coffee table. "What's going on, Kat." She whips around and looks down at the box meaningfully. I motion for her to take a seat on the couch while I take my own seat.

"I showed you everything else, but what's in those two boxes aren't really things I even want to acknowledge myself having, much less worry about you knowing about them and what you're going to think about me for having them. I did say no secrets, though. The bigger one has some very powerful and dangerous items. Things that Erudite cooked up to be used in specific situations. Most of them are for...interrogation purposes. They're serums that can be used in different ways to get information from a subject. But, Kat, what they really are, are things to torture people. For example, one is called is an extremely modified fear serum that doesn't just take the person's worst subconscious fears, but actual things that have happened in their memories and corrupts them, turning them into things out of their worst nightmares. That is just one example of what the serums are capable of but really, when it boils down to it, they're all ways to mind rape a person and strip them so they are completely under the control of whoever is using the serum on them." I shrug and look away from her. "People call me a monster and if I were, then I wouldn't have any problem with using that shit. It probably would have made some of the things I've done a lot easier." I stop and shake my head. "No, not easier, more efficient, at least in the eyes of people like Jeanine and my brother. And they are right in some of those cases," I look up at her and see her watching me, listening closely. I look for judgment but I don't see any. "Would you understand what I mean when I say that there is using interrogation techniques….and then there is just outright torture for the sake of torture?"

I try not to let my eyes plead with her but I can't help it. She moves forward and takes one of my hands in hers and nods. "I have said before that I don't agree with some of the ways you go about things, and I still don't. Before actually getting to know you, some of the things…." She lets out a breath and shakes her head. "Then I got to know you and I saw that despite what people might say about you, you weren't doing it for pleasure or to be sadistic. So I can understand that much."

I let out a shuddering breath and grip her hand in mine. "I'll take that," I mutter and then we both look back at the box and the device on the table. "So I keep them locked away, trying to forget they exist but never really being able to. I can't get rid of them either because there is that part of me that if it came to it, I would use them. Can you understand that too? That there will always be this part of me that is capable of doing things only a monster is capable of?"

I refuse to look at her as I look away but she forces me to when she climbs in my lap and grips the sides of my head making me look at her. Her face inches from mine.

"I accept all the parts of good, the bad and the ugly, Eric. We promised each other that, didn't we? The very fact that you have these things locked away so that they won't fall into anyone else's hands but also keep them away from you, already tells me everything I need to know. I know you might not …."

"I trust you…" I object loudly, interrupting her. "I swear, I didn't tell you about them because that was how far I pushed them out of my mind."

She smiles softly before pressing her lips to mine. "I didn't think different once you explained, which is why I kept my mouth shut instead of assuming." She says after pulling away from the kiss and smirks at me, making me smile wryly and shake my head.

She shifts around and settles in my arms and on my lap then lays her head against my shoulder letting out a tired sigh. "I can't believe my dad drank me under the table." She whispers.

The sudden change in conversation throws me off completely. "What?" I ask, laughing and watching a grin cross her face.

"It's a long story."

I nod with a raised eyebrow. "Well, you got some explaining to do then."

She takes a breath and looks away from me, to some point on the wall in front of us. "We went there to talk to them about what Raze and Hana told us. Trying to figure out why they never told us and why it had to be kept secret. We also just missed them."

"I understand." I run a hand through her hair and wait for her to go on.

"We talked with mom for a bit because dad was still at the meeting with the council. It felt good to be able to talk to her again. It felt different too. Maybe it was because I went into it hoping that we could all talk honestly and openly now that everything I was hiding is out in the open? I don't know, it was just freeing. I got to see sides of her I never have before." She looks up at me, her forehead wrinkled in seriousness. "Obviously we know she was Dauntless after New Year's day, but I wonder how I never saw that in her before?"

I shrug and smile at her. "Because she was probably just as good at keeping that part of herself locked up like you had to."

She nods and relaxes against me again. "Anyways, we didn't talk about anything big, just about how Tris and I are doing." Then she inhaled deeply as if she just remembered something, and her eyes snap to mine. "Except for finding out a certain person met up with my dad before visiting day. Did you really, state your intentions, as she put it?"

I flush and my ears heat up as I look away from her trying to figure out how best to answer. I decide the truth is best. "A man your father didn't trust and thought badly of approaches him and starts talking about his daughters in a familiar way…. he was always going to have a few concerns. He wanted to make sure I wouldn't try and pressure you into something with me. So I told him the truth, that I knew what I wanted but it would always be your choice and that whatever was going to happen would have to wait anyway."

She grins at me and laughs softly since we both know how that turned out. "Thank you, Eric. I'm not sure he would have come that day without your visit."

I kiss the top of her head and leave my lips there before nudging her slightly to go on.

"Dad came home finally and it didn't take long for us to get into the things she and I had been holding back on. I want to tell you about them and I will, Eric but I found out things that…." she straightens in my lap and grabs my tank in her hands and grips it tightly. "You have to promise me, that for now, this stays with just us. I had to promise them too that it wouldn't go beyond family. Dad stressed the word so I know he means that we have to be sure we absolutely trust the people we tell."

"You know Zach and Chase would never betray you." I defend my brothers with a scowl and she nods and lets go of the tank to run her hands over my chest soothingly.

"I know and we can tell them, but we'll need to take the same precautions we are here. Even Tris won't be telling Four until she knows she can't be overheard. So, I promised her if you had something but he didn't, then she could borrow it."

I frowned while taking her hands in mine and nodding. "Tell me what this is all about and we can decide together what and when to tell the others."

She inhales slowly and lets it back out just as slowly. "I thought when I was younger that I could actually make a difference. That I could make things right, make up for things I caused, but now I'm not so sure. That's what was wrong with me. Because, I don't know if anything we do will save this city from itself and….I don't know how to handle that."

She looks at me with tears filling her eyes. "It so much bigger than just Marcus and Peter's dad or the factionless, even Jeanine and Erudite. Those are just the symptoms of something that I can't even begin to try and unravel or figure out how to fix. I don't know how to keep everyone safe, Eric. I don't know how to fix this!"

She sobs now, burying her face in her hands and making my heart hurt with the despair in those cries. Her admission doesn't surprise me because I've been thinking the same thing myself since the start of the investigations. The more we uncover the more that it seems like we have an impossible task if front of us.

And I get how Kat is taking this burden on herself, thinking she's in it alone. I know, even with Chase and Zach, I've always done the same. There was only so much I could allow myself to put those I care about in danger. I know this is exactly where Kat's mind is right now, but that shit isn't happening.

"Kat, look at me," I demand of her, taking her hands and prying them away from her face slightly more forceful with how I am feeling but it does the job and my expression catches her attention more than my demand had. "What did we promise each other? That we do this shit together. No more thinking you need to be a one-person salvation army or whatever the fuck you call it. Neither of us has to do it alone anymore. We have each other. We have Chase and Zach…" I let out air through my nostrils as they flare widely. Trying not to let my feelings and mouth get away with me. "We even have your sister and Four when it comes down to it. Do you understand?"

She nods and leans her forehead against mine when I reached up, fisted her hair and pulled her towards me, but she is still crying and it's killing me.

"Talk to me. Tell me what else is going in there," I use my index finger to tap the top of her head with the hand I still have twisted in her hair.

"My parents were telling me all these things about the city….and about outside the city...and…." She chokes a little and lets out a bit more of a sob. "I just, for a minute I felt so hopeless and wondered what I'm fighting for here. Is it worth trying to fight for this city? Do they even want to be helped? It just….it doesn't feel like it and I just…" she stops and grips my shoulders, holding on to them for support. "I'm just ashamed for feeling that way. For feeling like giving up. I couldn't look at you because I just knew you would see how much of a…"

I reach up as soon as I knew where her thoughts were taking her and put my hand over her mouth. Letting her hair go so I could look her in the eye. "Don't even say it. Don't even think it." I hiss out then exhale and pull my hand back from her mouth to go to the side of her face and frown. "There are things that I haven't told you."

Her forehead wrinkles when her eyebrows knit together in the middle. I can see she's working up to an outburst of anger, and I stop her from speaking. "Not to keep secrets but because we both have a lot of stuff on our plates right now. The investigation you're handling ties into one that the three of us have been doing on our own with information we have been compiling. There isn't anything solid, but it all points to this entire fucking city being dirty as hell in one way or another. I planned on telling you when actually had more information to go on but that's not what's important right now. You need to know that all three of us have had those moments, angel. Where we wonder if it wouldn't be better just burning this goddamn city to the ground and start out new. It's not being a coward to have those thoughts, wondering if it would be better to walk away. What's important is what we actually do and the reasons we do it for."

She calmed finally and after kissing me deeply I was able to get her talking.

She told me the conversation started about why they kept having godparents a secret. She and Tris wondered if it was connected to Marcus but that was quickly dismissed and they decided they needed to get answers from their parents.

Neither could have known what would be revealed. Honestly, it was leaving me reeling myself but things start to connect for me. I try to let her tell the story without stopping her, asking too many questions. I'm desperate for the full picture but even when I get the full story, I feel like there are pieces I'm missing.

When she is finished, I tell her my thoughts and that we need to get the others in on this too. She and I are too close to some of the things revealed and I need my brothers to help bring the perspective and insight I've counted on for so long now. I didn't expect her to object, especially after my earlier words, and she doesn't.

"I'll invite them over for dinner," I tell her while I hold her close in bed later.

Our talk had gone past dinner and we just stayed in by ourselves. The next day is an off day for us. I plan to make full use of the hours in between now and dinner with my brothers.

#fanfiction #divergent fanfiction #eric coulter fanfiction #divergent au #eric x oc #romance #angst #drama #smut #fluff #tragedy #eric coulter #oc #tris #four #jai courtney #chloe grace moretz #shailene woodley #theo james

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queen-scribbles · 7 years

Text

In Memoriam

For @meflashfanwork January theme of Letting Go.

Growing up in a farming colony, followed by spending a couple years bouncing solo through the Alliance foster system had left Quinn with something of an independent streak. Teamwork in combat was one thing, but off-duty he found it very hard to ask for help. Which is why Ashley nearly fell out of her chair when he started a conversation with "Hey, Ash, can you do me a favor?" "Sure, but I feel like I should be making a vid of this conversation," she teased, leaning forward to give him her full attention. "What do you need, babe?"

"I have something I need to do where moral support would be appreciated," Quinn said vaguely. "I was wondering if you'd be willing to come with me and not ask any questions 'til we get there?" "This isn't illegal, is it?" She raised an eyebrow. "No, nothing like that," he promised. "It's just.... You'll see." Something told her that whatever this favor was, it was serious, so she simply asked, "When would we be leaving on this mystery trip?" "Tomorrow, if that works for you." "Way to give a girl notice, Skipper," Ashley chided gently, pushing to her feet. "Guess I should go pack."

She trailed one hand over his shoulder as she walked past, and Quinn grasped it, looked up at her gratefully. "Thanks, hon." "Anything for my captain," she teased lightly, squeezing his hand. "I really should go pack." Quinn nodded and let go. "It'll be temperate where we're going, and we'll only be there a day or two." "It's like you read my mind," Ashley couldn't resist commenting as she shot him one last smile and left the room to go pack accordingly. >>O>>O>>O>> Their trip to... wherever they were going went smoothly. Quinn was quiet most of the trip, and more than once Ashley caught him browsing through pictures on his omnitool, wistful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. When they entered the Attican Traverse, she suspected. When they landed on Mindoir, she knew. So she didn't push when Quinn took his time with the landing procedures, when he wanted to double-check things twice, when he took far longer than necessary changing into civilian clothes. He finally looked at her as they prepared to disembark. "I guess you've put it together by now?" Ashley nodded, linking her arm through his and giving his hand a supportive squeeze. "Everything but the significance of the date." The slaver raid that orphaned him had been in the spring, still several months off. Quinn swallowed hard, grip tightening on the stuffed animal he held. "My- Mika's birthday." Even just those two words came out rough, and when he fell silent, Ashley didn't push. This had to be so hard for him. The destroyed section of the colony had been abandoned, but Mindoir was a resource-rich world, so the Alliance had simply recolonized elsewhere, with better security. It had to be jarring to carry memories of a smoking ruin and be greeted by a bustling city. She definitely understood why he'd wanted her help. Quinn stayed silent all the way through the city. Ashley asked for directions, Ashley handled the shuttle rental, Ashley thanked the security guard for his concern when he warned them to stay in colonized areas. They didn't stay in colonized areas. Soon as they were out of the guard's line of sight, Quinn punched a set of coordinates into the shuttle guidance system. From memory. "You still have it memorized?" Ashley muttered, not sure whether to be impressed or concerned. Quinn just shrugged and nodded. "We were supposed to know it by heart. In case we ever got lost." He absently stroked to stuffed horse, fingers sliding through the soft plush coat. "I... don't know if I can do this, Ash." She slowed the shuttle to a halt and let it idle while she looked at him. "Then we don't have to. If all this is gonna do is hurt you and stir up ghosts, then I can turn this shuttle right around and we'll go back. Find some other planet and steal a mini-vacation. We only have it's something you want to do, Skipper." She reached over and covered his hand with hers. God, it killed her to see him hurting."So, which way?" Quinn was silent for a long, heart-breaking minute before he met her eyes and said quietly, "Forward." "You sure?" He nodded. "I'm sure. This is something I want to... need to do, Chief." Neither of them spoke until the shuttle beeped an alert that they had reached their destination. "She'd be your age," Quinn commented as they climbed from the shuttle. "Huh?” "Mika. If she were still... She'd be the same age as you." Ashley couldn't think of a reply beyond, "Oh". She remembered hearing about the batarian slavers razing and kidnapping from the Mindoir colony. She'd been eleven. "I think you two would've gotten along," he said absently, staring at the scorched earth that must have held a home. His home. "She was all about standing up to bullies and protecting people and loved to read." He actually chuckled, a small and rueful sound in the vastness that surrounded them. "She wanted to go back to Earth and be a cowboy when she grew up. No matter how many times Zane and I tried to tell her there weren't really cowboys; they only exist in old vids and books, she was adamant she was going to be a cowboy. We stopped trying when she was nine." "Zane was your brother?" Ashley said softly. He didn't talk about his family much, always steering conversations back toward her still-living siblings. Quinn nodded. "Twin brother, actually. Older by five minutes and never, ever let me forget it. Slavers hit the day before we turned sixteen. We spent our birthday hiding in the bedroom with Mika, trying to keep her quiet , trying to keep her from looking for Mom and Dad. They were already dead and we knew it." He reached a spot on the burnt shadow and knelt, setting the stuffed horse against a rock. "But we were teenagers. We fell asleep. She got out. Zane went after her. Told me, made me swear I wouldn't move for anything short of them burning down the house." His voice shifted to a monotone, eyes staring at nothing. Ashley slipped her hand into his and let him squeeze as he waded through the memories. "They never came back. And the slavers did torch the house. I went bolting out, coughing and crying. Tripped over... something, looked to see what it was, wished I hadn't. It..." He squeezed her hand hard, shook his head. "Let's just say I'm positive my family's dead. There are friends who probably got taken by the slavers, like Talitha, but I know my family died. So I started running and didn't stop 'til I hit that Alliance patrol. I don't even know if the batarians cased me or anything. I just ran." "Skipper..." She found herself at a loss for words. "So why now?" Quinn looked over at her, eyes bright and cheeks damp. "Mika's birthday is harder, but I figured with the right help I could maybe be strong enough to let go of one of my ghosts." He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, gratitude having replaced the stress of earlier. "I wasn't wrong." Ashley felt her own eyes well up at the implication. "Oh, Skipper, you gotta quit doin' this." "Doing what?" "Saying things that make me want to kiss you. Particularly at wildly inappropriate times." "Can't get enough of me, huh?" His voice was gruff and shaky, but the levity was unmistakably there. "Nope." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. Quinn fell silent again for a while. Ash sat with him patiently, quietly, even as the cool of the ground sank through her clothes. Finally he took a deep breath and ran one hand over the stuffed pony's mane. The words began as a whisper, barely audible. “’I hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most;-”

“'Tis better to have loved and lost,’” Ashley joined in, fingers lace between his, “’Than never to have loved at all.’” They both fell silent again, and Ashley couldn't help but feel there was a finality to this visit beyond the fact Quinn was remembering his dead sister. But she didn't say anything as Quinn stood, tugged her to her feet, and headed back to the shuttle. She didn't say anything as the engines whined to life and the ride back to the new colony began. It wasn't until after they'd reached the settlement and settled with the rental agency that Quinn said, "I wasn't... wasn't entirely honest in explaining why we came now." "Skipper, you don't have to-" Ashley began. "But I want to," Quinn interrupted. "It is Mika's birthday, and that's why I wanted to come today. But this trip is different. I've come before on birthdays, my parents' anniversary, the first couple anniversaries of the attack- 'til I realized that was a lousy way to spend my birthday and stopped. But this... this is my last visit. Hence the letting go of my ghosts, or trying to." "How d'you know it's your last visit?" Ashley frowned. "Because the new colony needs to expand and the best direction to go is over the old colony. I won't be able to visit that spot any more. There'll be a house or an office or a business on top of it." "Can't you say something?" She linked her fingers between his and squeezed his hand. "I mean, you just saved the whole damn galaxy, I would think that carried some weight." "It does," he sighed, smiling slightly at her joking tone. "Just not enough to convince them to expand somewhere else. I've made every argument from it being in poor taste to pointing out the benefits to other parts of the planet. No dice." "Couldn't they just give you that plot of land? Not build anything there so you can keep this up? It obviously means a lot to you." Quinn shook his head. "I couldn't do it. It'd be too different. I can come now because it's quiet. Lonely. Peaceful." He squeezed her hand back. "It'd feel really weird having a moment of silence for my family less then ten yards from city bustle." "Good point," Ashley conceded as they entered the spaceport. "I can see how that would make it difficult." "It's sweet that you thought of something." He kissed the top of her head. "But it's probably for the best that I let this go. Move on with my life and all that. Future's lookin' pretty rosy right now..." "Oh, yeah?" Ashley paused, tugged him out of the flow of foot traffic to kiss him properly. "That so, hero man?" "That's so, hero lady," Quinn nodded and kissed her again. "It's time to look forward rather than behind me." "Good plan," she nodded, settling his arm around her shoulders as they resumed they path toward the ship.

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The poem that they quote is ‘In Memoriam A.H.H’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. I’d already been thinking about titling this ‘In Memoriam’ just cuz of the nature of the fic, and then I found that poem in my search for one to include and it was too perfect to pass up. Poetry’s very important to Quinn(part of why he fell for Ash), so I wanted to include it at one of his more vulnerable moments. I’ve been meaning to write something that ties in with his background/psych profile(Colonist/Sole Survivor), and had actually already started working on this when I found @meflashfanwork and the month’s theme fit with something I already had half written. So I finished it, typed it up, and then very nearly forgot to post it. :P Whoops. But here we go.

#queens fic #meflashfanwork #otp: poetry nerds #quinn shepard #ashley williams #i love them #but mass effect's always been a smidge harder for meto write #so i needed incentive

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theoracleparadox · 3 years

Text

WIP Wednesday (bonus): Andromeda Sneaks her Aunt away from the Empire

This was the original reunion I had planned for them, and it still has that dramatic bittersweetness to it. It’s a complicated relationship, but they try harder after this.

The road showed more and more signs of the Empire as they got closer to the city. Harper drove until the first gate came into sight. Imperial troops and mechs stood guard. She stopped just before entering their range of sight.

She swore. “There weren't so many when I came out last night.”

“Let me try to clear them.” Layla offered.

Before Harper could ask what she meant, Layla rolled down the passenger window, a dark green orb already growing in her hand. She stuck herself halfway out the window, took aim, and lobbed the orb at the center of the blockade. It was too far for a person to logically throw, but the orb struck right where she intended, expanding much faster with something to feed on.

The three women watched from the truck as the Imperial forces were sucked into the large orb, struggling against it in vain. The orb seemed to absorb light as well, darkening its surroundings. Once the troopers and mechs were gone, it quickly shrunk until it disappeared completely. The area became a little brighter again.

Once it was clear, Harper drove up to the closed gate, then got out. She entered the toll booth and pressed a button. She returned to the truck as the gate opened for them. Then she slammed the gas pedal to the floor, speeding across the long bridge to the city.

“What was that?” She demanded.

“Etro's Blessing.” Layla answered. “The version she gave to me, at least.”

It was quiet until the reached the second gate, just before the city. Another barricade of Magitek infantry blocked their path. There was a lot of movement among them as reinforcements were being prepared for the first gate. They were bolstering the defense of the second gate as well.

Layla again stuck herself halfway out of the window and threw another orb at them. It stuck in place again, absorbing everything that moved. Even the few troopers that charged at the truck were suddenly pulled back into its maw.

Just as before, Harper left the truck and opened the gate. This time, though, people suddenly appeared and hurried past. They saw the big menacing truck and stayed out of its way.

There was another bridge to cross, and as they took in the mass amount of destruction, it was a surprise the bridge had remained untouched. Buildings were blown to pieces or razed completely. Metal frameworks were bent and twisted from the use of bombs and daemons. Even from a distance, it could be seen that the Citadel had taken some damage as well. Yet it continued to stand tall in the center of the city.

About a year ago, Andromeda had left the city with no intentions of ever returning. Its fall was inevitable, but she had always thought it was far off. She hadn't thought it would happen so soon. She recalled all of those she had met, and realized they were all most likely dead. Guilt nagged at her as she thought of the king. He really had only wanted to help, but she had been difficult. She had told him she would not help him with the prophecy, and that was still somewhat true, although she had no idea what exactly Etro had planned. Clearly she was up to something.

As the truck reached land again, the road became too uneven and littered with remains of cars and buildings. Harper pulled off to the side and stopped.

“Do you know where you're going?” She turned to Andromeda.

She shook her head. “I couldn't find my aunt exactly. But I know she's alive.”

The older spy gave her a dubious look. “Well, we should start where the people are. The survivors will have been rounded up by now.”

“Do you know where they could be?”

Layla spoke up, having gone somber since her victory at the second gate. “We should go to the Citadel.”

Harper frowned. “That's where it started. The roads are too broken up. It'll take too long on foot, unless you also know how to fly.”

The other woman continued looking ahead, where they could see one of the spires of the Citadel. “I need to see it.”

“This isn't a day trip! We need to get in and out before the Empire knows we're here! We're all wanted on some level. This is the last place we should be. We can't just walk out into the open.”

Andromeda thought it over. “We have to risk it. We've come this far. Once we find my aunt, Layla and I can use our powers to break out. The Imperials aren't prepared for us here.”

The other two frowned at her. It was futile, if they weren't smart about it. As they thought it over, they came around.

“You have a point.” Layla agreed. “Sitting here won't get anything done.”

Harper pulled the sun visor down and retrieved two small ear pieces. “You two can wander around all you want, but I'm not coming with you. I've had enough. If it fails, I'm not coming for any of you. I'll try to hack into their radio communications here. Try to be quick about it. They'll catch on eventually. You don't want to spend the night in the city.”

With that, she handed one of the pieces to Andromeda, who put it in her ear. She and Layla got out of the truck as Harper began to fiddle with the radio.

There was no sign of anyone in the area—anyone alive, that is. Plenty of bodies still laid where they had died; no one had come for them yet. Layla took the lead, walking straight towards the Citadel. It was heavy on her mind. Andromeda remembered how often it showed up in her dreams—at least, the ones she saw. They hadn't shared dreams since before the treaty was announced, over a month ago. She suspected Layla had had a lot of dreams since then, but kept quiet about them.

It would have been easier to follow the road; on their return, they could find the truck again quickly and leave. But as they moved closer to the center, the destruction became more severe, severing the raised road completely. They had to backtrack a little for an alternate path.

“The Citadel must be really important to you.” Andromeda mentioned as they came upon a building that was leaning precariously close enough to the expressway that they could climb through the window.

“It is.” Layla mumbled. They had entered an office building. “We both lived here for at least some time, haven't we?”

“Yeah.” Andromeda watched her step. “It's hard to believe this is the same city I remember.”

They fell silent again as they found the staircase and carefully made their way down at an angle. It was quite a ways to the ground floor.

The streets down at this level were even more unrecognizable as streets. They tried to follow them the best they could despite the debris and missing signs. Soon the two of them spotted a group of people being escorted by four Magitek troopers. They trailed behind them.

The people were taken on a somewhat beaten path to an encampment that was already overcrowded with people. Much of the debris had been cleared from the area, and some people were assigned with clearing the rest out to make even more room. Large lights, like the ones at the outposts, were being erected to keep the daemons away when night came.

The perimeter was guarded by troopers to keep people from wandering off, or entering without first being registered by an Imperial official. Andromeda and Layla took cover behind a fallen segment of road as they observed the area.

“How do we get in without alerting them?” Andromeda looked around. Her powers were useless in this situation. One small attempt would lead to a bloodbath. Ultima would be just as deadly.

“I have an idea, but we need to be closer. Let's go around the back.” The older woman took the lead once more. She might not have gone through the training Andromeda had, but she seemed to know what she was doing.

They had to stumble over a lot of rubble as they crept along around the camp. Layla found a hidden spot behind more broken road and moved closer. Andromeda followed behind, wondering what she had planned.

Once safely hidden but close to a Magitek trooper, Layla picked up a rock and threw it at a nearby building, shattering one of its few remaining windows. She and Andromeda then huddled together and waited until they heard the trooper pass their hiding spot. They scrambled into the camp.

Countless tents had been set up for people to rest and to be tended to by medics. They were all crowded—as were the paths in between as people sought loved ones as Andromeda did. She and Layla blended in perfectly.

“What if she's not in this one? This can't be the only camp in the city.” Layla asked over the myriad of conversations around them.

Andromeda knew what she was implying. It could take too long to search through every single camp, however many there were. They would be caught long before they finished. Linda would be caught as well.

“We'll keep looking.” Andromeda didn't have a better idea than that. Her aunt had to be here somewhere. The more she looked around, the more she dreaded finding her.

They were pushed around several times as everyone tried to move in seemingly different directions. There were rumors that an additional area was being cleared for another camp. The officials had too many people to corral here. Andromeda dreaded that even more.

And then she was just there. Linda sat in a chair just outside of a tent. Her clothes were slightly tattered and covered in dirt. Her hair, still as short as Andromeda remembered, was tousled. She was exhausted, but she continued to play with the dark-haired toddler on her lap while exchanging a few words with the man sitting beside her.

Andromeda stumbled out of the crowd and stood before the three of them. Linda noticed her immediately, the playfulness leaving her face. She handed the toddler over to the man without looking away from her.

They were suddenly holding each other, sobbing into each other's shoulders. Andromeda couldn't hold it back, and it didn't sound as though Linda could either. She once more regretted those years that she spent hating her aunt, refusing to answer the phone whenever she had tried reaching out. She had been so stupid to leave Insomnia without saying goodbye. She had run away again. In truth, Andromeda had missed Linda. She had never expected to see her again. She now understood just how afraid of that possibility she had been.

“I'm sorry.” Linda was the first to say it, although her first couple of tries hadn't been coherent. “I'm so, so sorry.”

“Me too.” Andromeda took a deep breath. “I'm sorry, too.”

Time was running out, but it took awhile for them to both calm down. Linda was the first to let go, taking Andromeda's face in her hands.

“I thought you were gone forever.” She brushed the tears away with a smile. She looked back to the man and child, who, like many around them, had watched the scene with some curiosity. He stood and stepped closer, towering over both women. “Um, this is my husband, Travis, and our son, Kai.”

“You're Andromeda, then?” The man asked, offering a free hand. Andromeda awkwardly took it, looking him over. His shirt and khakis suggested that he was an office worker. It was preferable to the last boyfriend. “Linda told me a lot about you.”

“Good things, I hope.” She smiled back weakly. Somehow, she had never expected there to be a husband and child. Linda had kept living life.

Kai watched Andromeda, giggled, then hid his face against his father. She had seen enough to know that he had his father's blue eyes, but he also had the thick black hair that marked him as one of the Bramblewood clan.

“You shouldn't be here.” Linda sighed. “The Empire is everywhere.”

“Neither should you.” Andromeda frowned. “They'll come after you because of me.”

“They won't let us just leave.”

“It'll be just like Tenebrae.” She assured. “Let's go.”

There was no more argument to that. Linda seemed to already understand the risks. She grabbed a bag of belongings and they all followed Layla's lead through the camp.

The trooper had returned to its position by the time they reached it again. Just as the first time, Layla picked up another rock to distract it. Andromeda grabbed her wrist before she could through it.

“Wait.” She looked back into the camp. “There's more.”

Her first thought when it came to Insomnia was Linda, but she had spent just as much time with Hira's family. She couldn't leave them behind to live under the martial law of Imperials.

Layla frowned. “We don't have the time. Rescuing one person is dangerous enough.”

“Who is it?” Linda asked.

“The Galahdians I used to spend so much time with,” Andromeda admitted, unsure of how she would feel about them. She had never hidden the fact that she preferred to be with them than her own aunt.

Linda winced. “That district was destroyed during the night. Even if they managed to escape, they aren't in this camp.”

“We don't have the time,” Layla repeated. “We can't save everyone today. Trust that they can take care of themselves.”

Andromeda submitted and let go of her wrist then. Layla threw the rock past the MT and into the nearby building. Once the automaton left to investigate, they hurried out of the camp and into the difficult rubble.

Despite there being three people instead of one, they seemed to be getting away without a problem. Layla and Andromeda led the way to the building they had climbed down before, this time going up. It was even more precarious that way, so they moved even slower. Andromeda couldn't believe how well the shoddy plan was working.

It stopped working once they reached the right floor. Magitek troopers were surveying the road outside of the open window.

Andromeda pressed the ear piece. “Harper?” She had been silent the whole time.

A man answered. “She's right here. Come out where I can see you. Try any of your tricks and she dies.”

Layla took a closer look at the window. “They have Harper.”

Andromeda already knew, but joined her at the window. An Imperial officer stood waiting. Two Magitek troopers held Harper. She was on her knees. An airship was grounded nearby on the road.

“Ultima could kill Harper.” Layla turned to her with a frown.

“Mine could kill all of us.” Andromeda countered. “And it takes too long to wear itself out. Reinforcements would come by then.”

They were at a loss for ideas. Surrender seemed to be the only option that didn't get everyone killed. She took the ear piece from her ear, considering an attempt at negotiation. The Nifs had never been open to negotiating things with her before.

“We could do it together.” Layla offered. “I can protect Harper.”

“What are we doing?” Linda approached the window as well now.

Andromeda began to understand what was being suggested. “I'll go first. Let them see me first, then bubble her.”

With that, she crawled out of the window. Immediately the troopers raised their guns and approached. She held up her hands.

Linda began to call her, but was quickly hushed. Andromeda walked slowly towards the officer, whose face looked as though he had already received his promotion.

“Of all the places to hide,” He began.

On cue, Harper was suddenly encased in a purplish dome, the MTs knocked away from her. Andromeda took it as her sign to summon her chaotic power. There was plenty of debris for the shadows to pick up. She made sure a large chunk of concrete hit the officer in the head, knocking him unconscious and possibly breaking his jaw.

The troopers screeched together, charging at the one standing human they could touch. Some clawed at the dome protecting Harper, but it had no effect.

Andromeda drew out her kukri and stabbed at the first trooper that reached her. She tore its core out and shoved it back towards a couple others. She fled as it exploded, taking at least two others with it.

A few others jumped at her, but they were battered and beaten by the shadows and the flying debris. Andromeda dodged here and there, slashing at the troopers when they got too close. Her power made quick work of the whole troop.

The bubble around Harper disappeared once all of the troopers had been dealt with. Layla led Linda and her family through the window of the leaning building. The chaos was still storming, and they all were made jumpy by it.

“Reinforcements are coming.” Harper announced over the din. She had enough experiences with Imperial forces to know that. “Shut it down.”

“I can't.” Andromeda shook her head. “Take the ship and go. They won't chase you if they have me.”

“No!” Linda argued.

She pulled the shoulder strap of her bag from around her neck, handing her bag of crystals along with her kukri over to her.

“Don't let the Nifs get these. They're too important to me.” Andromeda pushed them into her aunt's arms. She gave a smile. “This isn't goodbye.”

Linda gave a sob. They hugged again. Andromeda regretted not hugging her like this at the bus station all those years ago, and again when they had reunited a year ago.

Harper cleared her throat. “We don't have time. Let's go.”

“I'll stay with her.” Layla decided. “Our powers work well together.”

“Fine.” The spy beckoned for the refugees to follow her on board.

Linda looked back before disappearing into the ship. Its hull door promptly shut. Surprisingly, the maelstrom did not hinder its ability to take off. As the ship shrank into the distance, the storm finally passed. Andromeda hadn't given it much to feed off of.

As they predicted, though, another ship arrived with reinforcements. Andromeda and Layla continued to stand in plain sight as it landed not far off. Troopers filed out, led by yet another officer.

“My turn?” Layla asked as the troopers charged.

“Can you fly an airship?” Andromeda asked, genuinely curious. Layla might not have conscious memories, but perhaps she had muscle memories.

“No. I don't believe I've ever been close to one before.”

“Then let's just give up. I don't think they'll keep us in Insomnia for long.” Andromeda just hoped they got away before reaching Verstael's lab again.

They were soon surrounded by the Magitek troopers. Rifles were pointed at them from all around. They held up their hands together, then were forced down onto their knees by two troopers. They handcuffed both women as the officer finished examining his comrade's body. He looked down at the two, then signaled for the troop to return to the ship. Andromeda and Layla were pulled up and pushed along.

#wip wednesday #Linda is one character that I just can't kill off #not everyone has a dead family

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