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dancingamongstdust · 3 years

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MHA Scenarios - First Meeting (Part 4)

Requests are still open as of this post.

Shigaraki

You hadn’t meant to cause that level of destruction. It was an accident.

But they hadn’t seen it that way.

Their words followed you even when they could not. You could hear the accusations ringing in your head whenever you used your quirk – for better, or for worse. It became easier to ignore as you slowly learned to stop caring.

Until your quirk went out of control again.

You woke up in a dark room with a pounding headache and exhausted limbs. The doctor who was looking after you (a man you were relatively certain had no actual medical knowledge) had gotten very close and asked how much you remembered. When you informed him that it wasn’t much, he had smiled.

“Well, you certainly drew attention to yourself,” he had laughed. “Perhaps you should consider yourself lucky that the heroes didn’t get to you first.”

“I guess so…”

Something warned you that this situation was more dangerous than it seemed. Your eyes drifted over the covered windows of the room and you stared at the door. “Why did you help me?”

“Well that’s hardly for me –“

He didn’t get a chance to answer before you dashed for the exit. The doctor’s quirk didn’t allow him to grab you and his alarmed shout was all you heard before you were darting down the hallway. You weren’t going to stick around and get experimented on.

You turned the corner, heart pounding in your chest. They must have given you something because you felt drowsy. The entire world was spinning.

But you had to nearly trip yourself up to avoid running directly into somebody as you sprinted down a different hallway.

This was hardly your first time dealing with villains and many of them had odd quirks, to say the least. It shouldn’t have shocked you to see somebody with a human hand on their face but maybe the medication was lowering your tolerance because it was terrifying.

“Who are you?” you snapped out, immediately on the defense. You took a step away, ready to run or fight, whichever seemed easiest.

The man didn’t seem too bothered by your snap at least; the one eye that you could see watched you steadily from behind his hand mask. “I’m sure you’re not meant to be running around here,” he said. “But you’re no hero so you must be here for your quirk. Do you still have it?”

Your heart skipped a beat.

It wasn’t unknown in the underground that there was a man who stole quirks he liked. Nobody knew what he did with them but it wasn’t unheard of for villains to wake up with nothing. And you would never get them back.

You could feel your quirk was still there. It pulsed under your skin like a warning.

“My quirk?” you repeated. “I have my quirk.”

You did a random gesture, summoning all of your past acting experience to appear horrified when nothing happened. Again and again you tried before looking around in shock and horror.

The guy bought it and he shrugged. “Then there’s no reason to stop you.” He brushed past you and continued walking. “Not like you could find the exit anyway.”

The moment he turned the corner, you dropped the act and bolted again. This place was a maze but you found the exit and avoided any encounters with a practiced ease. Before leaving, you looked back up at the building and grimaced, hoping to never see it again.

Toga

It was late at night when you had the strangest encounter of your life. Not that that was a bad thing necessarily but it was something that occurred, nevertheless.

You had been feeling quite exhausted from a long day of fun with your friends. They had headed off to get a cab when you had realised that you needed the bathroom and disappeared to go find one.

There was a public toilet not too far from the street though it certainly wasn’t as clean as you would have hoped. Not to be deterred, you slipped in and found a sight that, even to your exhausted mind was uncomfortable.

A girl stood in front of one of the mirrors, blood staining much of her face. It covered the counter beneath her fingers and seemed to be coming from her lip.

“Are you okay?!” you asked, panicked.

She looked up at you, startled. Her dark hair covered much of her expression but she seemed a little out of it. Maybe she got hit on the head or something.

“I –“ she paused, her voice croaky and sore. She brought her hand up to rub her throat. “I think so.”

“Just wait, let me help you,” you said. You rushed into one of the stalls and gathered up some toilet paper. “Do you need me to call somebody or?”

“No,” she said quickly. “No. Thank you.”

You offered some of the damp tissue to her and she started wiping it away from her mouth. While she dealt with that, you cleaned the blood that she had left on the counter, making sure to get it out of all the cracks in and around the sink. “What happened to you?” you asked. “Did somebody attack you?”

“I slipped,” she said. “The tiles are really slippery and I think that I hit my mouth on the sink. It’s all kind of blurry.”

“Don’t worry,” you said, digging through your bag and grabbing some headache tablets. You offered the bottle to her. “Take two of those just in case. Even if it doesn’t hurt now, you don’t want to wake up with a headache tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Do I still have any blood on me?”

“Just on your jaw,” you pointed out. “Come on, my friends and I are getting a cab. We can call one for you also if you need.”

She took one last glance in the mirror before leaving. You had forgotten your own need for the bathroom and it was for good reason also. If you had hung around for a little longer, you may have seen blood trickling out from one of the stalls. Perhaps then you wouldn’t have been so worried about this stranger hitting her head.

“What’s your name?” you asked as you looked around for your friends.

“Toga,” the girl said, though she didn’t seem too happy with having told you. The words must have slipped out without her meaning to.

You gave her your own name and went up onto your toes to look around the crowd for your friends. Eventually you spotted them and waved but when you spoke to Toga, she didn’t respond.

She had disappeared into the crowd.

You went back into the bathroom and checked but she was long gone. Just like how the blood has escaped your notice earlier, you didn’t see the blonde watching you from the other side of the street, her head tilted a little.

Dabi

It was a rare day when you found yourself alone without at least one person to watch your back. You didn’t always need the protection but sometimes, it was nice to have.

But you had given your word and it wouldn’t do to back out of this now.

The building where everything had been organised was old and crumbling – its ancient nature hidden on the outskirts of the city and slowly becoming overtaken by countless plants. It wasn’t somewhere anybody with good intentions would find themselves.

You liked to think that your work was good. It benefitted many and took only from those who could afford to lose it. Unfortunately though, rules had to be broken for the best results, and sometimes what was classified as ‘wrong’ turned out to be needed in order to achieve a goal. It wasn’t quite in line with what you believed but it had to be done.

Did working with villains make you uncomfortable? Of course. But it was hardly going to be something that stopped you from moving forward.

The two members from the League of Villains that had been sent to meet you were both men. You didn’t bother with greetings, just holding up the briefcase that you held.

“I’m looking for a specific artwork,” you said. “I’ve been told that you might be able to help?”

“An artwork?” the one asked. He wore a white and black mask that concealed most of his face and an extremely gaudy costume.

“Not just an artwork,” you explained. “It has something of mine hidden in the canvas. Normally, I would just get the police involved but if they found it, it would be quite problematic for me. The group that stole it won’t listen to many but the League of Villains, I’m afraid. They have a few good quirks and they’re extremely cocky for it.”

“We’re not lapdogs,” the other man said. “Especially not for whatever agenda you’re pushing.”

“I don’t pay lapdogs,” you acknowledged. “Consider me a sponsor.”

Flames cackled into existence in his hand, surprising his colleague enough to jump a little. “Chances are, they’ve already found your thing. Even if they haven’t, the league can hardly go around picking fights with random gangs.”

“Shigaraki did ask –“

The masked man was cut off by a glare. Blue flames sent flickering light through the air as they waited patiently for your answer.

“If it’s already been discovered or if it happens to get damaged during the process, then I don’t plan on getting anything out of our deal. It’ll simply be a loss on my side.”

The flames slowly flickered out and you allowed yourself to breathe again. Confidence was a requirement for these deals but you didn’t quite have the nerves of steel that you portrayed. It was always a fight to keep your reactions in check.

“I guess if we happen to bump into the group, we can check around for your shit.”

You knew his bluff as well as your own. The League of Villains had always worked well with those who had money. They required funding and wouldn’t say no to being able to flex their reputation around the underground. It was almost needed with the way rumours were circulating.

It was less than a week after that encounter when you found your artwork sitting outside your home. Charred on the edges, it was damaged enough to make the art itself worthless. But your items inside were perfectly unharmed.

Not bad for your first time working alongside the League of Villains. It was worth the cost… you should do it more in the future.

Twice

When you had been called in for this job, you had no idea that it was going to turn into a fight of the magnitude you experienced.

Flames tore along the streets. They melted lamps and trapped hundreds inside buildings – the screams for help becoming almost deafening as you broke down yet another wall to get civilians out. It was the third building you had had to smash into and there were more yet.

Nobody could get out and, if they remained trapped, they wouldn’t survive much longer.

When your partner and you had realised you were dealing with the League of Villains, you had immediately called in the big guns. What you hadn’t realised was that doing so would result in a brawl of sorts in the streets. The League of Villains didn’t care about collateral and honestly, sometimes you wondered if the heroes did.

You were starting to overheat. The amount of fire swirling around was getting to you, drawing the breath from your lungs and slowing your movements. Its angry blue nature hinted at its abysmal nature.

The next building’s walls took even longer to get through but you managed it and a few people scrambled out. You ushed as best as you could although it was starting to get hard to speak.

But then you noticed a dark figure lying in one of the rooms

Outside, the fire roared and smacked against the walls but you couldn’t just leave somebody there. You stepped over the rubble and made your way to the figure.

It was hard to make out details with the flames. The heat seemed to be getting worse as you approached – soon identified as being caused by the gaping hole in the wall. It radiated around the room in waves. You covered your mouth and nose the best you could, creeping forward to reach where the person was.

When you arrived, it took you no time to recognise that you weren’t saving an unfortunate civilian but rather a member of the League itself.

You hesitated for a second before hooking your arms under his and beginning to drag him away from the danger. This was the type of thing that lost reputation for heroes. Civilians didn’t like seeing villains being rescued but you honestly didn’t care.

If he was left there, he was probably going to end up dying.

Though he had seemed unconscious, when you got him out of the building, he muttered something and moved. It was enough to make you jump back but he didn’t attack or anything. He just touched his face and then let his arm go limp again.

You moved back cautiously. His suit had been ripped on the one side, missing its arm and half of the torso. You checked his pulse, relieved to feel that it was still going, even if it was unsteady.

“Can you hear me?” you asked.

He didn’t respond and you reached up to remove his mask. His hand immediately snapped up to grab your wrist and you prepared to activate your quirk but all he did was push your arm away from his face.

Alright then. No touching the mask.

You bandaged the open wound on his side as best as you could. It looked like he had gotten launched through the building. Once he was as stable as he could be, you moved him to a safer area and jumped back into the fray. A ton of rescues later and the heroes had won, at the destruction of much property.

And, rather unsurprisingly, the villain you had saved was long gone.

Overhaul

There was a new drug running around the market. You had heard of a number of small-time villains taking it – most of them dying shortly after consumption. It wasn’t unheard of. If something had even the promise of a good time then it would attract thousands.

But what was a problem was that you had lost several of your newest underlings as a direct result of this drug.

Given how picky you were about hiring, this was going to be a problem.

You tracked the source to none other than the Shie Hassaikai. They were an old branch of the yakuza, sitting on the edge of a downward spiral into irrelevance. Rumors followed that their boss had fallen quite ill and now, it was only a matter of time until they fell completely on their faces.

So you didn’t feel too nervous when you approached the house that fronted their main base. Even with the members watching you from the bushes, you kept a straight line.

You weren’t unknown. It would do them a great disservice to attack you.

And they knew it.

You walked in the front door with absolutely no resistance and remained unsurprised when two masked men came out to greet you. They didn’t ask about your business or enquire as to who you were. Instead, they led you into a sitting room and gestured for you take a seat.

Instead of that, you walked around the room and picked up everything that looked interesting. Nothing was hidden around but you hadn’t expected there to be.

“Please don’t touch things without gloves on,” a smooth voice interrupted your curiosity. “Cleaning this entire house is rarely needed and I’d rather you didn’t change that.”

You turned around to find somebody considerably younger than you had expected for the head of the Shie Hassaikai. He wore their signature mask and a feathered coat, almost his entire body hidden in some way.

“Not a fan of germs?” you enquired.

“Not at all.”

You shrugged and made your way to the couch, sinking down into it. “Guess that means no drinks or anything? Oh well, that’s too bad.” You gestured for him to sit. “So, you’re not who I was expecting.”

“You’ve never worked with our organisation before,” he said, sitting on the edge of the chair opposite you.

“No. You’re not in the same line of work as me and I don’t care too much about the Yakuza.”

“Then why are you here?”

You straightened, aware that you were about to get into the most dangerous part of the meeting. “Your drugs have been getting into my areas. Now, I don’t care all too much about how you distribute stock but it’s not just coming into possession of low-life criminals. My men are getting practically gifted it.”

His eyes narrowed. “We need to test it somehow. Besides, that sounds like a problem for you, no? Have better control of your men.”

“Keep your test tube shit out of my territories.”

A small staring contest took place – a test to see who would break first. You had been in almost a hundred of these over the course of your career. They didn’t bother you much at all in anymore.

Eventually he waved his hand through the air. “I guess we could stop supply to traders in your areas but this isn’t a charity.”

“I could kill your men.”

“But you would lose your own in the process. Wouldn’t it be easier to do this the peaceful way and maybe even establish a relationship between our two groups?”

“You have my attention. Don’t waste it.”

Kurogiri

There are those days when everything begins so well only to rapidly spiral into a situation out of your worst dreams. This was something like that.

You had gotten horribly caught in the crossfire of a battle between heroes and villains. It all occurred faster than you could have ever imagined – flashes of light and explosions of sound. People were screaming, the sound coming through a haze as you tried to get a grasp on what had happened.

Blood was trickling down your arm but you felt no pain. You slowly lifted your head. Something had hit you, you remembered that now as your brain caught up to the dull ache coming from your ribcage.

You tried to move, finding that you couldn’t. The ache became worse and a heavy, scraping sound interrupted your attempts to crawl away.

It was a piece of concrete, heavy and painful, pinning you effectively to the ground. A smaller chunk was holding it up and stopping you from being crushed. But if you moved too much…

You forced yourself to take a deep breath, nearly choking on the dust that filled the air. Maybe if you shifted slowly.

A crunching noise made you hiccup.

Alright, so that wasn’t going to work either. You strained your eyes to see through the carnage but you couldn’t make out any heroes. They would come eventually; you just had to wait patiently and try not to move too much.

The concrete seemed to get heavier still and you fought the desire to cry.

There was a crunching sound. You couldn’t just wait around.

Slow as you dared, you began to inch forward. The rough surface snagged at your clothing and made every centimeter feel like it was going to end with you crushed. Worse still, the more you moved, the more apparent the injury on your back became.

The blood that had been trickling down your arm was now creeping along your torso. It pooled in your clothes and made everything sticky.

You tried not to think about it but it made you light-headed regardless.

About half-way out, you spotted somebody nearby. It was just their silhouette but still, relief flooded your veins and you cried out desperately for help.

The figure made its way over to you, soon revealing that the man was almost entirely made of smoke. He wore a suit and tie but his body swirled as though only somewhat solid. Bright yellow eyes stared at you – any emotion behind them was completely unreadable.

His eyes traced your shape. “You’re not who I’m looking for.”

“Please help me. This thing’s going to crush me.”

He paused, the swirling darkness that made up his face shuddered as though it was unsure how to respond. “I should leave you here,” he mentioned. “You’re of no consequence to me or to my cause. If anything, I should add pressure to the piece of rubble and make sure the fatality numbers are higher.”

You caught of whimper before it could escape. “Please.”

His smoke shook again, almost as though he was struggling to keep hold of it. Then he raised a foot and placed it on the concrete.

You screwed your eyes shut and tried to imagine the best parts of life.

A loud horn blaring made you open them again and a surprised yelp escaped as you saw tires race past in front of you. People were shouting, their voices loud and nearby. Bright lights surrounded you and the air was clear once more.

The last thing you remembered seeing was a panicked nurse rushing over to you.

#my hero academia #mha #bnha scenarios #bnha x reader #shigaraki x reader #dabi x reader #toga x reader #twice x reader #kurogiri x reader #overhaul x reader

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poptod · 3 years

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The Breeding Kings pt. 2, (Ahkmenrah x Reader)

Description: Creeping closer.

Notes: can you tell how much im geeking out on the pyramid section of this. can you. now i want you to guess how long i researched it for a scene that was only supposed to be a few paragraphs and some dialogue. WC: 8.9k (sorry)

The way back to your house was a slow crawl, but a necessary evil. After the incident in which your clothes were ruined, Ahkmen offered to clean your clothes for you, a task you knew little about and usually didn't have to do in the first place. You accepted, though there was an issue––you didn't own any other clothes.

Rushlights in your tiny bedroom dimly reflected off the hanging silks and shawls, bathing the room and your skin in deep purples and reds darkened by both the evening and the smoke of incense.

Cloth rustled in the other room, making your shoulders seize up. The funny little Egyptian man who had taken up most of your evening with laughter was not someone you could fully trust, but few were, and you could still enjoy his companionship for the remaining minutes of the evening. He would leave soon––with your clothes––and you would not be able to leave your home until he returned with them. Nudity was fine in Egypt, but you weren't Egyptian. It was an uncommon practice to you.

You could physically feel your face flush with embarrassment, your chest tightening when he said your name in a soft voice. Unable to respond, you continued to strip yourself of the muddy garments, setting them carefully in a pile on a part of the floor that didn't have any carpet.

"Yogi?" He asked again. You whipped around to the curtain separating you from him, but found it vacant as always.

"Give me time," you said, your voice trembling slightly as you attempted to pull your pants off your hopping feet. "Taking off mud is hard."

"Oh, I know," he said, suddenly much closer to you, but still not breaching the curtain. "I'm a little less drunk right now so I wanted to try and pronounce your name, so... what was it again? Sorry."

"It is okay," you chuckled. "My name is Yogasundari.”

"Ah, right. Yogatsundera?"

"Yoga-soon-dahry."

"Yogasundari?"

"There you go," you said with a smile, happy to hear your full name from someone else after a long while of dealing with a horrid nickname.

With that, you pulled off the last of your clothes, removing the jewelry that had belonged to your family. Those you placed on your desk, but the clothes you folded best you could before timidly approaching the curtain leading to the funny Egyptian man. You couldn't quite remember his name, making your next actions all the more embarrassing, reaching forward to pull away the fabric.

"I finish this," you said, poking your head out, your extended hand beneath you.

Ahk moved to grab the pile, but stopped when he noticed your silhouette, now clear against the rushlight behind you. His breathing halted, caught in his chest. When he met your eye, he remembered himself, keeping his gaze above your shoulders as he took the clothes.

"You do return quick, yes?" You asked pointedly.

"I'll be back here tomorrow."

"Good. I have a work in the morning."

He held the clothes away from his body, but a giddiness ran through him that brought him to a quiet carelessness. His feet worked faster, an intrinsic smile on his face, and his home, the palace, fast approaching.

The whole of the evening accompanied him as he walked. In less than 12 hours he'd gotten the necklace back, 'beat' Panya in a drinking contest, flirted (albeit drunkenly) with an incredibly pretty brewer, and possibly even made friends with someone with entirely different life experiences from himself. The only drawback was that you were clearly not a fan of the royal family despite your liking of Egypt.

What had been his cover name?

Ak'anpu, if he recalled correctly through his drunken haze of a night. His name, and then Anubis', as Piye had called him.

Oh, Piye's gonna fucking love this, he thought as a grin spread across his face, his speed hastening as he approached the palace steps.

By morning the servants had finished washing your clothes, leaving them to hang in the laundry room till they were picked up. Ahkmen didn't notice it, as he was awakened by his servant Naguib, and his first waking thoughts were of unpleasantries against the bright morning sun.

Naguib pulled open the drapes shielding Ahk's room from the outside, leaving the long, intricate arches to cast the sun's glow directly onto Ahkmen's bed. He groaned, flipping over onto his stomach as he twisted in his sheets.

"Good morning, my Prince. You have school at Osiris' temple today, but nothing else. The Pharaoh instructed me to tell you that he is having dinner with the emissaries from Ebla when they arrive within the week. He wants you to attend," Naguib said as he opened Ahkmen's closet, pulling out the Prince's usual daily clothes.

"Is it optional?"

"Ask your father."

Once Ahkmen was safe and back in his clothes, he ran down to the laundry rooms, fetching your clothes and stopping by the kitchens for a tiger roll. He barely stopped to talk to any of the servants, moving on his way at a fast pace that sent him skipping down the stone pathways of Memphis. Ahkmen wasn't small by any means, but he had a way of moving about crowds, slinking through groups and keeping quick on his feet.

Piye managed to find him a couple turns before the temple, grabbing the crook of his arm and interrupting the Prince's stride.

"Ahk," they said as they turned him round.

"Piye!"

"How did it go last night?" They asked, picking back up into a walk.

"Wonderful. I think I remember most of it, too! I got my mother's necklace back, so I'll be gifting her that this evening, and I got to acquaint myself with that friend of yours, Yogi," he said with an animated expression, bright eyes and all smiles. "They're quite interesting."

"I see you have their clothes, too," Piye said, their eyes falling to the folded cloth in Ahkmen's hands. "What the hell did you two do last night?"

"Oh. Oh, no, I – they slipped in the mud and they don't really have access to good cleaning materials, and since it was technically my fault, I offered to have them cleaned," he explained.

"Awful nice of you."

"It's only right."

With help from his friend, Ahkmen made it over the boxes marking the entrance to your home without dirtying your clothes. Piye followed soon after, and the both of them entered your little tent, searching for a hard surface to knock on.

"Yogasundari?" Ahkmen called, feeling his face flush as he prayed he pronounced it right. "I've got your clothes."

"You have my cloths??" You said from behind one of the walls that Ahkmen remembered seeing you through.

"Right here," he said, reaching through the curtain to hand you the stack.

Weight was lifted off his hand and he withdrew, waiting a moment as you eagerly dressed yourself.

"Thank you many times!" You said, appearing with a wide smile that crinkled the flushed skin of your cheeks.

"Of course. We have to go now. I'll stop by soon!" He said as he turned to leave.

"Thank you," you said with a bow.

This time, he and Piye entered the temple through the correct door, walking through the long courtyard and observing the workers. They had been working on the garden for a while now, planting rows of seeds every day that would be fertilized with water, the Nile's silt, and of course, feces at times. At least the flowers everywhere blocked out the scent.

In the trees that towered above even the temple, birds cawed and sung at one another, pecking at the dates that fell on unfortunate people's heads. Piye managed to miss most of them, but Ahkmen was assaulted by one landing on his shoulder.

"Come now, can't be late two days in a row," Piye said, rushing Ahkmen along as the bell began to toll.

"And in the beginning of the year," Ahkmen added shakily as he began to run, coerced by Piye's long strides.

The two burst through the vacant doorframe before the eighth note, rushing to sit on the floor with the other two students. The priest entered moments later, eyeing both of them suspiciously, but remaining silent on the subject. Ahkmen let out a breath he didn't know he was hiding, reaching for the limestone tablets the class would be practicing on today.

Several minutes in he was already staring out the open door, watching the birds that pecked on the dried fruits littering the garden, fallen from the tops of trees and the undergrowth of bushes. However, it wasn't until several hours in that he caught sight of something that actually earned his attention.

You were near unrecognizable without your striking clothes, without the dim lighting he had already gotten so used to seeing you in. Reds, golds, and purples were replaced with the common warm white of servant skirts, allowing him to see the whole of your stomach and chest, as well as your legs that no longer hid within pants. Ahkmen hardly understood your insistence on wearing such warm clothes in Egyptian weather, and his ideas on the matter were only enforced when he felt blood rushing to his cheeks in a fiery blush.

For a long while you didn't notice him, and since consequences weren't part of the equation, Ahkmen stared free of guilt. You were positioned on your knees, rags and sponges in hand as you scrubbed the perfect marble floor of the outer temple halls. His jaw began to fall open, his eyes enraptured in the sunlight that shone off your dark skin, and was only dragged away by Piye manually shutting his mouth.

"Stop drooling. They won't come over just to clean your spit off the floor," Piye whispered in his ear as the priest's backs were turned.

"What?" Ahk whispered back, but went silent as his teachers turned back to the class.

"Now, what are the ways our Pharaoh's names written and how does the type of name change with the way it's written?"

"The Horus name is written in the box with the falcon on the edge?" One of the younger boys asked, his hand raised hesitantly in the air.

"No," said the priest with a tut.

An hour or so later he and his classmates were released for the midday break, rushing out of the enclosed classroom and into the long, stretching gardens of the temple's courtyard. Though the days were growing steadily cooler, flowers still bloomed with abandon in their ponds and bushes.

Piye began to part from Ahk as they approached the kitchens, causing Ahkmen to halt and grab their arm.

"Where are you going?"

"My father wants me to study runes in bones and teeth, so... I won't be back for the rest of the day. Tonight, though, I might have something planned for us," they said, shaking off his grip with a teasing wink.

Ahkmen watched as they jogged out of the temple, disappearing down the more common streets of Memphis. He frowned. Most of the other students his age were either too scared of him or didn't like him based purely off his status and his father's rule. It was things like that that had Ahk swearing up and down he would not be like his father––he would not be the reason his children couldn't make friends.

After gathering more food than he actually needed, he snuck out of the kitchens, speed-walking around as his eyes searched for the familiar stature of his new 'friend,' if he could call you that. How perfect it was that you worked here as well, and that he discovered that fact on a day of Piye's absence.

He searched the entirety of the temple's courtyard, classrooms, and worker rooms and couldn't find you. There was much of the temple left––about half unexplored––but those areas were blocked off. It was then he recalled you weren't from Memphis, and you might not understand the rules of priest-ly areas and citizen areas. He paused mid step, dread dropping his heart into his feet. Priests and oracles were not kind to those who disobeyed their direct rules of the holy.

Even with his royal status, he had to adhere to the same rules when it came to Gods. Sometimes even the Pharaoh was given such commands. But respect had never looked his way, and his desire to see you overcame his reluctance, stewing ideas in his head.

For a good few minutes he waited outside the entrance to the God's gardens, watching to see if anyone would try to stop him. In that time he pretended to eat, and after earning no strange looks, he ducked into the long hallway that would soon lead to the home of Osiris. Today, the massive oak doors were shut tight.

On either side of the hallway were gardens––to his left, a water garden, rife with lotus and reeds. To his right, a garden of date trees, lentils, lettuce, grapes, and pomegranates. The tall arches allowed him to easily see in, and the absence of a roof had sunlight raining down on the golden and green plants. What little light made it through the arches fell on his tanned skin, warming up the cool temple air, that had in times left him shivering.

Unfortunately, you weren't in either garden. He checked for a while, too, worried that he might've overlooked you behind tall plants or thick brush, but to no avail. All that remained was Osiris' home––the inner temple.

He had been in there before––rather recently, as well––but that did not mean he didn't fear it. He was quite clearly not where he was supposed to be, and his break wouldn't last much longer, as he'd spent much of the time making sure he wouldn't be caught. However, if he didn't find you, then it would be for nothing, and with that thought he continued forward.

To his surprise, when he just barely cracked open the doors, no one was inside. Not even the High Priest. The towering statue of Osiris stared blankly forward, the softest of smiles pulling at his perfect lips. Entirely still and cold.

He shut the doors slowly as he left, returning down the thin hallway with a furrowed brow. Perhaps you had left?

As he made to reenter the hall of gardens, a quiet hum reached his ears. He perked up almost immediately, eyes widening as he turned, staring at the temple's door as though it had spoke. He didn't dare move, but the song continued.

With steps of the utmost carefulness, he returned down the hall to the door. Pressing his ear against the wood, he heard nothing, and stood with yet another frown.

The voice had to be coming from somewhere. Further towards the courtyard it grew quieter, so it originated from within the holy ground, but where?

Ahkmen closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he listened attentively to the hum. Centering in on it, he began to follow, paying close attention to the volume. He reached with his hands as he walked blind, and came to a doorway he had never seen before when he opened his eyes. It was barely more than a crack in the meticulously painted wall, but large enough for a person to walk through. How he'd never noticed it before escaped him.

Echoes filled the massive room, entirely unlit with a stone roof above it. Ahkmen had to take a moment to let his eyes adjust, but when they did, he jumped back.

The room had to be larger than the whole of the courtyard, with walls that stretched too far to see the end of them. Pillars of a massive size filled the room, positioned with a graphed precision revered by other nations, each one too large for even Piye to wrap their arms around. And without fail, every single one of them was painted in hieroglyphs small as his fingernails paired to scenes of gory victory.

Music reverberated in his bones, painting the empty air that now thrummed with a thousand voices singing one after the other, yet still faint enough for Ahkmen to be unable to make out the words.

Without being able to track the volume of the humming, finding you would be much harder. This was, undoubtedly, you––your voice, speaking in words you knew well instead of the jargon of Egyptian. He tried his best, and in the end he found you scrubbing the floor mindlessly, staring up at the paintings above you as you murmured songs to yourself.

Hunger of cannibals...

those black-eyed pigs.

"Yogasundari?" Ahkmen said quietly from behind, hoping he wouldn't startle you.

You did jump a little, but you turned around with expectant, not fearful, eyes. Upon recognizing him, you smiled.

"Aganu!"

He thought to correct you, but realized it meant little considering it wasn't his real name anyway.

"Good to see you, as well," he chuckled. "What are you doing in here?"

"They ask me to clean, I clean, and it is quiet, this room. I like it here," you said, leaning back on your haunches as you returned to staring at the high pillar in front of you.

"They let you in here?"

"It is not hard to get in. You got in."

"No, I mean –" he took a moment to think of his words, "– they usually have one of the priests clean the holy places. They let a citizen clean in here?"

You paused, glancing away. "I did not ask," you admitted.

Ahkmen's eyes widened, reaching for you and pulling you to your feet.

"Then we need to get out of here before they punish both of us," he said, not pausing to let you gather your cleaning things before pulling you along.

"My cleans!"

He didn't stop running till he found the crack of an entrance, sneaking himself and you through to the slightly-less-illegal area of the holy gardens. Bright sunlight blinded him, and he squinted his eyes, shying away from the sudden stimulation. He kept the both of you moving though, till you reached the entrance of the hallway to the courtyard.

"You cannot go in such places," he said once he felt as though he had the peace of mind to address your stupidity. "I don't know what you've been taught, but when a priest tells you to do something, you do it. No questions asked."

"That is not a good thing," you said, frowning.

"It doesn't matter if it's good or bad. That's just how it is, and you and I are powerless to stop that. It's easiest to just listen," he said, growing softer as he noted your confusion.

"I..." you trailed off without ever having started.

"I'm sorry. I wish it could be different," he murmured, tucking stray hairs behind your ear.

"Why make all that beautiful if no one can see it?"

"It's for the Gods."

"I saw no Gods in that."

Ahkmen sighed.

"Just – do you understand me?" He asked, resting his hands on your shoulders to force you to look him in the eye.

"I think so," you said quietly.

"Thank you," he said in a rush of relief. "What were you singing in there?"

"A song," you said with a shrug, eyes falling to the ground. "My mother had sing to me. And.. one I heard, in the market."

"You have a very nice voice," he said, carefully watching for your reaction.

"Yes, she was nice," you nodded.

"That's not... never-mind. Here, I brought some food for you," he said as he handed you one of the sweetbreads.

Instantly your face lit up, a toothy grin matching your bright eyes.

"Thank you!" You said, taking and eagerly biting into it. "You are very good."

He chuckled, mumbling a thank-you through his own small smile.

"You know, you didn't tell me you work here. I go to school here," he said, pointing behind his shoulder to the classroom he would soon be returning to.

"That is funny," you said through a mouthful of food.

Your hunger reminded him of his own, and he returned to his own loaf.

"I'm glad you're here. Usually I only talk to Piye, and they can get rather busy sometimes. Do you come every day?"

"Most days. There are days they tell me not to work, no one is here but priests. But I am told to leave at a 'midday'. So I will leave soon, I think," you said, already finishing up your bread. "I go to my house and do my work."

"Your beers and such?"

"Yes!" You said. "My brews, they give me food like the priest. But from market adults."

"Do you –"

Ahkmen had begun to say something, but was interrupted by the tolling of a bell that called him back to class. He sighed, his shoulders falling as responsibility once more came to the forefront of his mind.

"I must go. Can I come visit later today?" He asked, already beginning to walk away.

"Of course! Come buy lots of beer!" You called with a singing laugh.

By eveningtime, Ahkmen's fantasies of you had reached an all-time high, daydreaming about how you would react if he had no qualms of anxiety holding him back. What you would do if he had the courage to pull you into him and kiss you, dipping you as your songs echoed in the silent, might halls of pillars reaching for the clouds.

Nothing the priests said was retained by his fog-heavy mind. The bell rang, startling the Prince, making him move for the first time in hours. He shoved his materials away haphazardly, leaving before any of his classmates and heading straight for your alley.

The sun was at its' low height above the western mountains, casting the shadows of tall graves past the river and onto the shore of the living. Red and gold bathed the land, painted his skin into a bronze, which deepened with a blush as he scaled the wooden crates. Already your hidden home had turned to a sort of oasis, entirely separate from his city.

Myrrh, which was the priest's incense of choice during the midday ceremonies, once again met his senses, swirling round his head as he entered the tent.

"Yogasundari?"

"Wait a bit, I am there in a bit of time," you said from behind one of the walls.

Clattering followed by two voices then came, but Ahkmen recalled that this was your business, and left you to it for the time being.

A few minutes later, you called him into the backroom without coming to see him.

"... are you sure?" He asked. To his knowledge, your customers hadn't left.

"Yes, it is good," you said, failing to elaborate further.

Ahk bit the inside of his cheek, reaching forward to pull away the cloth walls. Warm light came from a wall further on down, and when he pulled it away, the yellow light of fire burst in the tent, safe in an entirely-stone enclosing. A clearly handmade mechanism allowed you to hang four pots over the fire, two of which you tended to at the current moment.

Beside you, two familiar faces stood against one of the walls, quietly discussing with one another. His stare caught Unas' attention, who motioned to Panya that Ahkmen was behind her. She turned, scowling when she saw him.

"Why are you here?" She asked with crossed arms.

"I could ask you the same thing," he said, his mood suddenly soured.

"We're here for expertise on an ore I found in the junkyard," Unas explained with a small smile.

He and Unas weren't exactly friends, but they'd always held respect for each other. Ahkmen admired his ingenuity. Junkyards, however, were not the Prince's scene.

"Fun. I'm just here to get drunk," Ahk chuckled, sitting down on the dirt floor with his back pressed against the stone wall.

The number of colorful fabrics in this room were contained to only the entrance, and from the voices surrounding him, he correctly assumed that the 'walls' that made up this room were simply the closely-built walls of many homes all facing away from the one center point. A makeshift wooden roof had been placed above him, mostly blocking out the dying sun's light.

"I work with many rocks," you murmured, concentrated entirely on the stone in your hand, "but this is not rock. It is too pure. You found this in a.. a... what did you name it?"

"Junkyard?"

"Yes, that," you said, snapping your fingers. "This is very different. Others can come looking for it."

"So it's worth something?"

"I do not know. It is just pure, and that is not normal," you said as you handed it back to them. "I can try hard to name it, but it could be long of time."

"Hmm," Unas said, looking to Panya to communicate with her silently.

"Keep it," Panya said. "If we need it, we'll come back for it, but just concentrate on figuring out what it is."

"I will find it," you assured them with a small bow.

Panya and Unas left a few minutes later after having been served an older batch of beer that had sat to ferment. The boiling pots of beer hung over the fire were not yet ready, even if they smelled good, so Ahkmen settled on one of your specialties; a more alcoholic, sweeter beer.

Most of the beer Ahkmen had in his lifetime was for simple nutrition, thick and quite clearly tasting of sweetbread. At rare times, the Pharaoh would bring in more alcoholic beer, an event saved mainly for festivals where beer was cheaper than distributing wine.

Your brew, though––the sweet flavor of wine, an alcoholic content higher than both, for the price of a regular mug of beer. Ahkmen returned to one of the carpeted rooms, finding himself more comfortable surrounded by your purple silks, pillows and blankets cast beneath his feet. There he sat at your table, content to sip at his drink.

A moment or two later you returned to him, straightening out your long clothes before taking a seat across from him. You folded your hands neatly on the table.

"How long have you been working at Osiris' temple?" Ahkmen asked, setting his cup down on the table.

"I found it not long ago. My work is not much known, so I get little money, little food. So more work lets me eat, keep safe in the city," you explained, eyes cast to the side as you thought through your translations.

"Do you like working there?"

"I do not like the clothes they give me," you said, lips twisting into a pout. "They are not enough."

Ahkmen chuckled, though he hadn't meant to, and sighed to calm the delight in his chest.

"As long as you listen to the priests, you'll be alright," he said as he took another swallow from his cup.

"Have you something eaten today?" You asked, moving to stand.

"Yes. Haven't had dinner, if that's relevant," he said.

"I have slow night this night. Come and make food with me," you said as you offered your hand.

He glanced to his cup, and then to your outstretched hand. There was no option.

Ahkmen found himself in your kitchen, where he had been several minutes earlier, except now the brews of the day had been set to cool in their jars, leaving the fire open for other uses. Your choice ingredients weren't unfamiliar to him, but your method of cooking them was.

In most kitchens Ahkmen visited, pans of vegetables were fried over smaller flames, different oils and spices flavoring them. Slabs or slices of meat were cooked in a similar fashion. Your style consisted mainly of throwing every ingredient into your largest pot and letting it cook in its' own stew. You poured a sort of gravy over it, mixing the vegetables, meats, and other such things.

"You like bread in soup?" You asked, pulling a large knife out of its' storage on your counter.

"Sounds good," he said with a shrug. He'd never tried, but it couldn't be that different from beer.

You took a loaf out from underneath a white square of cloth, setting it on a board as you began to cut into it.

"May I help?" He asked upon realizing this was a task he actually could complete.

"Uh," you looked to him, then back to the bread and knife, "okay. Make in small, good?"

"Of course," he said, taking the knife and positioning it.

He did his very best, concentrating far more than was actually necessary, which you giggled from. You tried to hide it, and though he did spot it he appreciated the effort.

You went to chopping more vegetables, cutting lettuce in long slices that acted like noodles as you poured them in from your cutting board. When Ahk's board got overcrowded with cubes of bread, he set the loaf to the side, sliding the pieces in. He looked to you, stared at you as you worked diligently. The slip-up nearly cost his left middle finger.

His hands shook when he realized his mistake, but he couldn't stop smiling. Not till the both of you finished, and you returned to your spot in front of the fire, slowly mixing the concoction.

"You must do this a lot," Ahkmen said as he sat down on the cold floor.

"What do you say?"

"You do this a lot. Mixing pots over fire."

"Oh. Yes, I... I do. My potions, my beer, and my food can all be in this pot," you said, clanking the edge of it with your spoon. "I think... it is good. I like this moving. I can get tired, but it is one thing I know. We eat now."

It took a moment for his brain to process what you'd said, but he soon jumped to his feet, bringing down two bowls from a higher shelf. You thanked him quietly, asking him to hold them as you filled them up. The warm steam of stew drifted up towards his face, causing his mouth to water before he could even eat.

The two of you returned to the carpeted rooms, seating yourselves on the floor near to one another.

"Have you given mother your necklace?" You asked as you waited for the soup to cool to a bearable temperature.

"Not yet. I said I'd do it this evening, so I'll do it once I leave," he said, attempting to sip at his bowl, only to be burned.

"You eat fast then! You were very drunk for her," you laughed, rocking backwards in your seat.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Ahk said, grinning pleased when you giggle in response.

"I see you that night, Aganu. You were sick drunk."

"If I acted strangely it was only because you're incredibly pretty," he said, blowing on the bowl of stew before sipping it this time. It helped, however minute.

"I get you drunk again, put you out on streets to walk alone," you threatened with a raised brow. "You still be strangely."

"Don't forget stupid."

"Haha," you leaned forward, pinching his cheek, "funny Egyptian man."

The sun disappeared earlier than usual, as was customary for the cooler months, and the darkness that followed left Ahkmen enraptured in your games. Thought of his mother, of Piye, and of his father faded into you, paying close attention as you described the rules of your drinking games, with which you had unwittingly kept Ahkmen in your home.

His vision had already started to go hazy, blurred by what beer he had drank for fun hours ago. Through that fuzz he saw two large cups and two smaller ones, the smaller filled with beer, and the larger empty. Two thin sticks were balanced in a row on each large cup.

"Now – now put cup on – on cup," you said, your hands swaying as you went to grab the smaller glass. "Veerryyyyy... kavanyamehka."

Ahkmen did his best to copy, and with great concentration, succeeded.

"We do this talk," you said as you curled your fingers into fists, setting them on the edge of the table. "Do this bang-bang. And.. then, it falls, in big cup. We do again and again an' again and... again. Good?"

"Okay," said Ahkmen, who had a very weak grasp on what you just explained.

He copied your fists, and when you spoke, he followed in loud mumbles, caught in the adrenaline you'd suddenly built. In time with your garbled speech, you banged your fists against the table, and the cups began to tremble on the two twigs.

"Enka kapo ai'il kuttika ventu nam, muta'lilvila matten'atai, en tontaiyl uravem en tanllyial entovuetem, nan 'rrakemen viri naiuta ventaum!"

The louder you got, the more incomprehensible you grew, till Ahkmen was assured you weren't even speaking coherently in your home language. Ever dutiful, he matched your energy till his heart pounded and his cup fell into the larger cup. You then let out a shout, throwing your hands into the air.

"You fail!" You laughed. "Funny man."

"We," he reached into his cup and pulled the smaller cup out, "are doing – going again. I actually understand it this time! So you are finished."

You went a second time, speaking in tongues and yelling raucously when you lost, your own laugh fading into the background as Ahkmen spoke.

"I told you!" He snorted, falling back in his cushioned seat.

Three more rounds, in which there were varied successes and losses, and you paused for the best part––drinking the strange mix of different types of beers and alcohols made from the fallen cups. You linked arms, shooting back your drinks as quick as you could.

The flavors you created for your beers mixed wonderfully together, but Ahkmen was too far gone to notice any of his senses except the ones that related to you. His sight, never leaving you, the sound of your voice, the sensation of your uncommon touch. His heart pounded furiously even without him shouting.

There were few people he could legitimately claim he enjoyed getting drunk with, which made his fondness for you all the more special. Already he knew you would be a fantastic drinking buddy.

Hours that felt like minutes passed, and with both of you hidden away from the sky, you had no way of knowing it was far past midnight by the time exhaustion trickled into your body. Before you knew it, you were lying down on your back next to Ahkmen, staring silently at the detailed ceiling, your hands folded neatly on your stomach.

"I think I have not made me better because I am scared I will become a person who is not the person that my parents knew," you said in a voice that croaked.

"There will always be a part of you that is that person who knew your parents," Ahkmen said softly, turning to face you as you stared up. "And you'll always have them with you in your memories."

"But I change, and if my parents are in me, they change too? Then, they are not my parents. They are changed to someone else. I changed them."

"Everything changes. If they were alive, they would have changed over the years eventually. That's one of life's simple natures," he said.

You fell silent.

"I miss them."

Your cat meowed softly as it jumped up to your seats, walking up over your chest to face you directly. You raised a tired hand, petting the hairless skin, still staring at the ceiling.

"How long have they been gone?"

"Years," you said as you raised up your fingers to indicate 'two'. "I do not know they are dead... but I see no words from them."

This time Ahkmen went quiet.

"Do you like learning about things?" He asked when an idea popped into his head.

"Why have you ask this?"

"I like learning about things. It's a distraction, of sorts," he said, fidgeting with his fingers.

"... alright. Better than sitting," you said, grunting as you attempted to rise to your feet.

Ahkmen stood before you did, chuckling as he noted you quietly trying to convince your cat to get off you.

"You do not sleeping forever," you cooed, bopping her nose gently with your fingertip. "I will come back."

Eventually, the warm lights of your home made way for the evening chill, bathing you in darkness halted only by the presence of a half-full moon. This late into the night––or early in the morning––near no one was awake, and if they were, they were contained mainly to their bedrooms within the walls of their homes. It left the streets and walkways vacant as you wandered aimlessly at Ahkmen's side.

Though most everywhere was quiet and unoccupied, there were houses in which lights had been lit, visible through windows that allowed it to pour out onto the ground outside. Those little spots of light illuminated your path, allowing you to skip over rocks that you would've otherwise tripped over.

"Are you religious, Yogasundari?" Ahkmen asked, his hands folded behind his back as he strolled with you.

"A what?"

"Do you believe in Gods, in a life after death," he clarified.

"My family is," you said, kicking a pebble. "They talk to this god, Shiva Pashupati. I am – my name, it is from the Bandha, which – it is to sit in a way as He makes."

"Shiva..."

"Pashupati."

"Right. What do you ask of him? If you do ask anything," he said, glancing between you and the path ahead.

"Food, no danger, you know," you said with a shrug. "I do not know a lot. My parents did not speak about my home a lot. I know... there is more Gods, but I know no names."

"We have many Gods as well. They lead us into a happy afterlife. Has anyone ever told you about who we worship?"

"No, but I want to know."

"For starters, that temple you work at––it's the home of Osiris, who is the ruler of the underworld, where we go when we die. He is a God of power, righteousness, and death. People here are allowed to choose which Gods they want to worship at any given time, but many choose favorites. For example, I am a devotee of Khonsu and Ptah."

The river before you grew nearer till you stood at the bank's edge, the edge of your toes just barely touching the water. You hardly noticed where the both of you were walking, but you recognized this spot, and identified it as the place Ahkmen had washed up the other day.

"Khonsu... and Ptah," you said in deep concentration as Ahkmen pulled you up onto the wooden docks. "What do they do?"

"Khonsu is a God of the moon, of time, and can extend or shorten the lifespans of anyone he meets. Ptah is a creator-god, so he creates many things, like you do," he said, his hand falling from yours as he stopped at the edge of the dock. "He is a blacksmith of sorts."

Ahkmen bent down, kneeling with one knee on the wood and the other raised to his chest. From there he pulled at the rope keeping a canoe in place, reaching forward to steady the boat when it came loose, now slave to the soft currents of the river.

No words were exchanged as he once more took your hand, helping you into the canoe. You grabbed the oars so as to balance yourself, even though it didn't help in the slightest, and took your seat on the bow of the small boat. Ahkmen soon followed, sitting down across from you. He took the oars and began to row slowly away from the shore.

"The Nile is a beautiful thing that brings to us life through the power of the God Hapi, who controls the floods that entail both death and revitalization. But, if you sail straight across, we find our earthly version of the underworld," he said, and the few words you could understand seemed to only confuse you.

"I am not sure I –"

"The Eastern bank is for the living," he said, gesturing to the city behind him. "The Western is where the dead lie forever. It is where the sun casts its' final rays before dying."

"Ohhh," you said with a wide jaw, looking out over his shoulder to the banks ahead of you.

You had, for a time, wondered why the other shore seemed deserted while the one you occupied was so lively. You had also wondered why there were massive pyramids shining a stark white against the warm sand and blossoming trees, their heights a monument of human achievement, jutting out of the desert to remind all who watched that there was greater power than they will ever behold.

"The pyramids out there," Ahk paused to look behind him before returning to you and rowing, "they're tombs. Resting places of great Pharaohs who came before us."

"Those are for one person?!" You asked with wide, shocked eyes.

"Each one is built for one person, yes," he chuckled. "Generally we're not allowed to go here unless it is for prayer, but I don't think anyone will ask questions this late at night."

Crickets and frogs croaked from the safety of bog-like swarms of lilypads, welcoming you loudly to the land of the dead within the land of the living. Ahkmen jumped out of the boat, sullying his sandals and skirt in muddy water as he traipsed through the undergrowth, bringing the stern of the ship to rest fully on the unmoving shore.

Once he finished that, he took your hand, helping you out of the canoe and onto dry land. You thanked him quietly, and in turn led him out of the water.

The distant pyramids had been a wonder to you, but you never gave them much thought. You didn't know what they were used for, if anything, and you had no idea why, or even how, they were built. Now the alabaster pikes remained shadows against a star-lit sky, a painting of a million stars illuminating nothing more than a silhouette of the once glittering pyramids. Your breath caught in your throat as you stared up. They were much taller than you'd originally thought.

"A good long while ago, there was a Pharaoh by the name of Djoser, and he was the first to build any sort of pyramid. Before him, the graves of Pharaohs remained simple mastabas. I look up to Djoser quite a lot... him and his vizier, of course. Imhotep. He was the one who did the most work," Ahkmen rambled as the two of you continued forward, nearing the monuments.

"... how did you.. make these?" You asked in an awestruck voice, murmuring in the presence of great beasts.

"Many years," he said, continuing on. "And much devotion."

Ahkmen went on to explain in great detail what the pyramids contained––their history, their wealth in both understanding the ancestors, as well as the wealth of treasure hidden beneath what seemed like miles of stone. He told you of the different rooms within, where offerings were still placed to this day.

Given the overwhelming size of the pyramids, it took longer than you imagined to get to the end of the long line, where the step pyramid sat. Ahkmen began to approach the tomb, but halted when he noticed you weren't at his side. Turning round, he found you stuck in place, your hands raised anxiously to your chest as you stared at the pyramid.

"Yogi?"

Nothing.

"Yogasundari, are you alright?" He tried, this time returning to you and gently pulling your hands apart, hoping to stop your straining fidgets.

"This is... a King," you said in a quiet voice, the glaze in your eyes slowly disappearing as you came to focus on him.

"Well, yes," he said with a frown. "We do have those, you know."

"Sorry, I... sorry," you murmured, and as Ahk's grip on you fell, you walked on past him towards the tomb.

"Wait," he reached for your wrist, turning you around, "are you alright?"

He had not asked you to apologize for any behavior––he had asked you if you felt okay, and that was the answer he sought.

"I am good," you assured him with a chuckle. "I am thinking on Kings and my family. I do not want to... make dirty of your Kings, but it is hard to think of Kings and to not think of family."

"Oh, don't worry about that," he said, taking your hands once more. "We're actually going to be desecrating holy ground so it's alright to say fuck you to some Kings."

Out of the two options he gave you, you decided to enter the tomb, opposed to scaling the sheen surface of polished limestone. Moonlight from a half-moon reflected off that clear stone, a light that faded away as Ahkmen led you into the earth.

Staircases upon hallways upon staircases led deep into the ground, lined with stray dust and paintings of stories Ahkmen hardly understood, let alone you. The darkness soon came to a high, leaving you in a pitch-black darkness too thick to even see each other. You stumbled forward, bumping your head on Ahk's shoulder, and letting out a small cry.

"You alright?" He said, offering his hand before remembering you would not be able to see.

"I am okay," you said, dirt and sand shuffling as you made your way back to your feet. "We need light."

"We'll find a torch soon, we can take that," Ahkmen said.

As predicted, a few steps forward with his hand running along the wall, and he found the end of a burnt out torch. At the next crossroads there would be a vat of oil, with which he could relight it.

"When the Pharaoh, Djoser, built this place," Ahkmen said as he lit the torch, holding it up to see the hieroglyphs above your heads, "he built it with temples outside, courtyards... gardens and houses. It was a city all for his death. And none of it was used until he died. All his life he built this pyramid, and never reaped the benefits."

"Why?" You asked, looking up from Djoser to him.

"It's a purpose in life. At least, that's how I see it," he said, his voice growing quieter. "I think that it is our purpose to leave this world better than when we came into it. This was simply his way of doing it."

"How will you doing it?"

"... I don't know," he murmured after a moment of silence.

His eyes fell to you, meeting your gaze as you simultaneously looked up with a special sort of adoration in the reflection of your eyes. Time paused; his heartbeat, his breath, the flame in his hand. You still waited expectantly.

"I will find my purpose someday," he said. "I'm still young."

"You will say that to the day you die."

The long hallways were much more entertaining with your sight returning, allowing you to scan and absorb the art painted on every surface. It was hard to tell who was who, but those in power were always clearly marked, and those below them would always tremble by their might. You bit the inside of your cheek, tearing your eyes away from the gory scene and following Ahkmen onwards.

"Here we reach the blue chambers," Ahkmen said, his echoing voice calling your attention away from the dark hallway walls.

You looked ahead to him, past him, to the blue strokes of paint shrouding the ceiling in midnight and stars. Your mouth fell open as you looked straight up.

A woman's body was stretched across the center plane of the room, her toes at the door and hands at the opposite end. Her skin was a deep blue, peppered with yellow, five-pointed stars. Massive jars and pots neatly filled the corners of the room, half-buried in dust, the paint still remaining on the surface. Besides that, the room remained empty, cobwebs filling the space, and dissipating wherever Ahkmen held his torch.

From here, there were two directions to choose from; left and right. Painted reeds lined the entrances, captioned by the hieroglyphs far above your head.

"Down that way is the burial vault," Ahkmen said, pointing down to the left, "and down that way is the King's apartment."

"Why would you need a apartment in a death home?"

Ahk snorted, "a tomb, you mean. It's to be used in death. Everything you are buried with comes with you in the afterlife, so those with great riches build homes they want, treasures they want to carry forever. It's a portable home."

"Hmm," you said in a detached tone, wide eyes turning back to the painted walls. "There is so much turns. I do not know how we get out."

"Ah, the layout of the pyramids remains a mystery to all but me," he said with a wide, cocky grin, throwing his arm over your shoulders. "I will lead us safely onwards."

You giggled, covering your mouth as you did. It disappointed him slightly not to see your smile, but he kept to his word, and led you down to the Pharaoh's 'apartments'. He rehearsed the correct path to the living areas, and by the time he came to the split path he recalled which turn to take.

He moved to continue quickly on, but you paused, his arm falling from your shoulders as you stood in place. That quickly caught his attention, and he returned to you.

You were staring at the wall with a furrowed brow, eyes searching the large blue tiles.

"Faience," he told you, sneaking up from behind. You jumped slightly, relaxing when you realized it was him.

"It is beautiful."

"It's meant to look like the palace," he said, easily recalling much of his studies on Imhotep's pyramid. "Mimicks the reed mats and such."

Several passageways and long, detailed hallways later, the two of you arrived in a room stacked with dark, elegant cabinets filled with everything from clothes to chairs. Red and reed carpets covered the floor, broken after their long-lived lives. As with many of the rooms and halls you'd already seen, the room was filled with vases and jars of all sizes, containing everything from honey to bits of unprocessed stone.

Being a home of sorts for the royal family from years ago, it contained a number of comfortable chairs, as well as detailed carpets both hung and set on the ground. Spiderwebs had grown over the edges, crowding the corners of the room with dusty string.

"As long as you know the paths of the pyramids, they can be a good place to find solitude. Sometimes I enjoy studying here," he said, craning his neck to look at the hieroglyphs carved onto the ceiling.

"You do work a lot, I think," you said, your shuffling feet slowly moving to the end of the room.

"Perhaps so. But you cannot claim that without acknowledging you work quite a lot, as well," he said with a smile. His amusement grew when you just nodded, pretending to understand what he had just said.

For the remainder of the evening, Ahkmen set to what he had been planning all along––distracting you from your dissipating drunken haze, as well as from the thought of your parents. Studying and researching had always done well to keep his own mind off things, so he offered the same opportunity for you.

A chart of the night sky hung above the frame of a bed, numerous blankets and pillows cast haphazardly aside upon it. You were reluctant to put any more weight on it, but Ahkmen assured you it would be fine, and pushed you to lie down, staring up at the ceiling.

"Do you see the brightest star?" He asked, climbing over you to sit on your hips, his hands on your waist.

"To that way?" You asked in return, gesturing to the right with your chin.

"Mhm. Her name is Sopdet. When she rises in the night sky in the summer, she brings with her the floods of the Nile," he said softly, creeping closer still, "and the fertility of the land. She is married to Sah, who holds yet another place in the sky. When Pharaohs die... that is where they go."

"What does Sah do?"

"He is one of the largest constellations," he said, a grin forming across his face. Ahkmen began to creep up your body, using his fingers like claws as he gripped you. "He is eaten in the morning and spit out at night––and he rises into the sky to protect his wife."

You giggled, blushing from the intense overacting of the man pinning you to the old bed.

"He is a God who sails the skies. He navigates the stars in a papyrus skiff, and the old Pharaoh's souls go with him. It is a death I yearn for," Ahkmen said, his energy suddenly cooling, his hands less grasping you and more holding you.

"I like to see the stars now. You show where they are, yes?" You asked, searching his eyes as you looked up.

Behind the faint halo of his face, the soft skin reflecting the dying light of the torch, stars painted in gold on a midnight canvas surrounded him. It was him, the life in his eyes against the eternity of the sky––distant, and far enough to only be found in the heart.

"Of course," he said with a smile, crinkling and blushing around his grey eyes.

#ahkmenrah x reader #Ahkmenrah #Night at the Museum #rami malek #rami malek character #ahkmenrah x male reader #ahkmenrah x female reader

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gohyuck · 4 years

Text

pairing: ceo!lee donghyuck (haechan) x cfo!reader

genre: slight angst, fluff, smut (that’s a first for this acc o.o)

word count: 3.6k

warnings: explicit heterosexual sex (slight dom!hyuck)... like, really, over 50% of this is just sex lol. not a warning but hyuck is implied to be bisexual in this, it’s hinted at once or twice

a/n: sm knew what they were doing, making the 127s play office in full business attire. also, i still think we should eat the rich. just saying. this is not meant to glorify billionaires. i just think hyuck is hot. also! cfo = chief finance officer.

part of a series?: yes, 37.5% viewer ratings, my hyuck bday celebration

🎵 often - the weeknd

☀️ push and pull

“i already emailed you this month’s finance report and talked to the men from kim corp. - i think they’ll end up being major investors. my balance forecasts are done, and,” you pause in your report, your gaze meeting donghyuck’s across his desk before you continue speaking, one corner of your lip quirking up slightly. “and you have a hickey that’s a little too high for your collar to cover.”

“i - what?” the ceo of lee technologies, ltd. hisses out the last word, his brow furrowing as he processes what you’ve just said. you put a finger up, silently telling him to give you a moment, before you pull your purse off of the floor and onto your lap. it takes you less than a minute of rummaging to find what you’re looking for: a compact mirror. donghyuck all but snatched it out of your hand, and you see him visibly redden once he realizes that you aren’t pulling his leg.

“shit, (name), i have meetings all day today,” he groans, slumping backwards into his far-too-expensive office chair. donghyuck shuts your mirror and tosses it haphazardly onto your desk before running both his hands down his face in incredulity and embarrassment. his neck is bared as he does this, allowing you to survey the mark further: it’s a deep red and clear as day, likely having been brought into existence the night before. you wonder briefly who it’s from - the pretty secretary who always bats his eyes at the ceo, the diligent but meek girl who can’t keep her eyes off of donghyuck and works in hr on floor 14, the red-lipped and cat-eyed ceo of the company that operates out of the top floors of the highrise next to you? you doubt you’ll ever know. as your heart twinges slightly, you realize that you don’t want to know.

donghyuck groans again, although it dissolves into a petulant whine this time. a chuckle falls from your lips without you wanting to let one out, and your boss glares at you because of this.

“don’t look at me like that,” you scoff, turning your attention back to your bag for a moment. hyuck watches as you triumphantly pull a band-aid from one of the smaller pockets. “here! it’s small enough to be covered by this.”

donghyuck narrows his eyes.

“is it professional for a company’s ceo to walk around with a highlighter yellow tweety bird band-aid on his neck?” he asks, quirking one eyebrow as he does. still, he leans forward, placing his forearms on his desk and clasping his hands together as he does.

“is it professional for a company’s ceo to walk around with evidence that he’s getting laid on his neck?” you throw back, and donghyuck stares at you for a moment before sighing, slumping his shoulders, and reaching his hand out. you drop the band-aid into your outstretched palm.

“it’ll be fine, hyuck,” you tell your boss and longtime friend as he picks your compact up again, using the mirror to place the band-aid properly. “it might even humanize you a little bit.”

“humanize me?” donghyuck asks, though the small lilt to his voice tells you that he’s just fishing for compliments. he knows what you mean. still, you have time today, so you humor him.

“your reputation is all ‘young god’, ‘untouchable billionaire’, ‘genius entrepreneur’, ‘national playboy’,” you point out, watching as donghyuck’s smirk grows, making him look a little bit like an overexcited frat boy. his expression directly contrasts his crisp gray tom ford suit and franck muller watch. “tweety bird might make you more... approachable.”

the young ceo thinks about your words for a moment before flipping his wrist towards himself to read the time. it’s 10:27 - he needs to get down to the main conference room. you stand as donghyuck does, letting him walk past you before you follow. the band-aid is even brighter underneath lights, you note, and you can’t help but smile to yourself at this. donghyuck places his hand on the door handle, though, right before he opens it, he turns back to you.

“you forgot sex icon.”

“what?” your eyes widen for a moment before you force your brows down, scowling at donghyuck’s statement.

“when you were naming off things that make me larger-than-life, you forgot to say sex icon.” he grins, his tone as matter-of-fact as its ever been.

“who says?” you throw back, determined not to let your friend’s ego inflate so easily. he grins before leaning towards you, closer and closer until his mouth is right against your ear. you do your best not to let your breath hitch at the proximity.

“cosmopolitan. they interviewed me for the cover last month, remember? came in the mail today. i’ll give you a signed copy of you want. courtesy of your favorite sex icon.” he tells you, and you swear his lips brush your earlobe before he pulls back, mirth dancing in his eyes. before you can say anything, donghyuck pulls his office door open, stepping aside as he does.

“after you.”

♕ ♕ ♕

the lee donghyuck that exists within his private office and the lee donghyuck that exists outside of it are two entirely different people. his posture is still easy, still open, still exceedingly confident, but the moment he steps out of his office his back straightens up, one hand going to adjust his tie and the other slipping into one of his dress pants’ pockets. he goes from hyuck to haechan, meaning fullsun, the name given to him by the media at some gala or the other a couple years ago. hyuck is your friend from college, a brilliant programmer and free entertainment for those close to him. haechan is a charismatic but cold leader, his eyes calculating as he surveys the empire he’s only just begun building.

he walks out after you, but immediately commands everyone’s gaze. donghyuck’s office is in the corner of the 18th floor - the highest floor of the skyscraper. all of the offices on this floor belong to executives - hell, your office is right next to his, your one wall with floor-to-ceiling windows adorned entirely with a row of potted plants both small and huge - but there’s always plenty of other people milling around on the floor: possible investors, lost interns, secretaries, and employees with questions. today is no exception: several pairs of eyes are directed to the ceo as you stroll out, him in tow.

nobody says anything about the obvious band-aid on haechan’s neck.

“i’ll see you after work,” donghyuck mutters discreetly into your ear, and you nod as imperceptibly as possible before giving your friend a parting smile.

as you head back to your office, haechan’s secretary joins him in step, tablet in hand, to read him off his schedule. as you close your door behind you, ready to bask in the sunlight that’s filtering in, you can’t help but scrutinize the secretary’s slightly rosier-than-usual cheeks, nor the way haechan had straightened his shoulders while speaking to the other man.

if you were one for betting, you’d put down money on the fact that you’ve probably just found the culprit responsible for donghyuck’s bright yellow band-aid. you shake your head sadly as you set your things down on your desk.

the poor boy’s going to get his heartbroken soon.

after all, if there’s one thing donghyuck and haechan have in common, it’s this: commitment is not in the cards. you know this better than anyone.

♕ ♕ ♕

“hyuck, i-”

“shut the fuck up.” donghyuck hisses into your ear, tugging harshly at the front of your shirt as he backs you into the closed door of his office. the material rips away easily, buttons skittering onto his floor as he shoves his warm mouth against yours. your hands go up to snake around his shoulders immediately, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck as he draws whimpers from your lips. once you part for air, you watch as he studies you for a moment. his tongue darts out, wetting his lower lip, and his eyes are beautifully hooded.

you’re already gasping for air. you’re already drowning in him.

“this blouse was from saks, you asshole,” you manage to get out, though you sound more like a petulant child than the indignant business executive you are. he chuckles almost mockingly, simply raising an eyebrow at this before he starts shrugging his suitjacket off, placing it across the back of the chair in front of his desk.

“it’s your fault for wearing a $300 shirt to work,” he throws at you, no bite in his voice. you can’t help but roll your eyes as you push yourself off the door, making to follow him as he settles down into his office chair.

“you’re one to talk - your suit is, what, $4,000 at least? don’t get me started on the fact that you’re wearing a 5-digit watch.” you make your way so you’re standing directly in front of him, shirt torn open to expose your bra and part of your stomach and the top of your skirt hugging your waistline perfectly. donghyuck sticks his tongue into his cheek before leaning forward and tugging you onto his lap with ease, smirking as your skirt flies up momentarily.

“touché.”

his hands cup your ass, fingertips pressing into your skin as he forces them up past your safety shorts. you rise up slightly so you’re situated above hyuck, cupping his face as you look into his eyes. he grins up at you.

“this,” he squeezes your left asscheek fondly before meeting your eyes with his own mischievous gaze. “this is why i instituted a casual dress policy.”

“one hell of a policy, considering the ceo himself doesn’t adhere to it.”

“i don’t need to, baby,” your heart flutters at the term of endearment, and you will it to stop immediately. “after all, i’m the boss, remember?”

“you’re a pig.” you throw back, and he only chuckles before attaching his lips to the skin above your collarbone. donghyuck laves his tongue over the fresh bruises as he dots your clavicle with them, forcing you closer to him by forcefully pushing your hips down towards his. as his lips move southward, brushing over your open chest and spilling kisses onto the tops of your bra-clad breasts, you can’t help but keen loudly and grind down on him of your body’s own accord.

“someone’s hasty to get marked up,” your friend points out, not waiting for a response as he reaches into the large hole in your shirt - a lee donghyuck creation - and around your back, popping your bra open. your mind is too hazy to respond at first, in part due to the way he slips your bra straps down your arms, chasing them with wet, open-mouthed kisses across your shoulders before pulling the article of clothing off of you entirely. you can’t help but buck slightly against him as your breasts meet the cool air, and he takes this opportunity to wrap his sinful lips against one of your nipples, one of his hands coming up to run his thumb over the other one.

“you’re - ha - you’re one to talk. mark? really?”

“he’s a good secretary,” donghyuck pulls his mouth off of you momentarily to speak, eyes sparkling as if he knows he’s teasing you, and you can’t help but flick your own eyes upward in annoyance. suddenly, you feel the need to have his dick in you immediately, as if it’ll fill the growing hole in your heart. you adjust yourself, and donghyuck watches, his arms wrapping around your waist to keep you steady, as you pull your safety shorts off.

he immediately drops a hand to your leg, tracing a finger up the expanse of your inner thigh as his other hand reaches up to grab your chin, gently forcing you to face him so your eyes meet. your mouth goes dry just as he slips two fingers into your wet heat, and you can’t help yourself as you rut forwards, grinding on his hand. the whine you let out has donghyuck’s eyes becoming even more hooded, almost naturally smoky, and you can’t help but gasp at the sight.

“he’s a good secretary,” donghyuck says again, and you realize he hadn’t finished his thought earlier. you hate that he’s speaking about another person when his fingers are knuckle deep inside your sopping heat, but it’s donghyuck - your hyuck, who’d held your hair back when you puked at frat parties and who let you crash on his dorm room floor whenever it was too late to walk to your own place - and you can’t say anything about it. “but if you wanted me to yourself, you could’ve just said so.”

your heart stops, but not before he has the audacity to wink at you.

“we need to fuck,” you choke out, finding it hard to breathe even though his hands are nowhere near your throat. “now.”

the desperation in your voice, the way your pert nipples are right in his face, and the way you’re humping his hand like a bitch in heat all have donghyuck groaning and rolling his head back on his shoulders. he flicks his chin towards the top drawer of his desk right behind you, and you use one hand to brace yourself against his shoulder as you lean back to pull the drawer open. this unwittingly forces hyuck’s fingers to angle deeper inside you, hitting the bundle of nerves in the back of your cunt exactly in a way that has you moaning his name long and low. your grip slips off of the drawer handle without you meaning to, and you scramble, patting your hand haphazardly around in the drawer before you come across a condom. you pull it out, slamming the drawer shut triumphantly before turning back to hyuck. he pulls his fingers out of you before you come, much to your chagrin, but you realize that you’ll be coming around his cock in no time.

“my blouse was actually about $600,” you say, your eyes meeting his as you tear open the wrapper. he lets out a chuckle before raising his fingers - covered in filmy strings of your arousal - to his mouth and wrapping his tongue around them like it’s the easier thing in the world. you feel yourself clench. he wraps one arm around you before shifting slightly, and you realize he’s unzipping his own pants.

“i’ll buy you another one.” is all donghyuck says before pulling out his thick length, and you swallow on impulse as his bulbous tip, oozing precum, comes into your view. you want it - need it, you decide as you recall his earlier statement about having him for yourself - and you need it now. you hand him the condom, and he rolls it on with a small grunt before both of his hands fly to your ass. just as you’re about to sit down properly on his cock, fill your voids the way they’re meant to be completed. donghyuck stops you with his hands on your hips.

you look down at him, and your eyes meet his for what feels like the millionth time tonight.

“are you sure?” he asks, and you fall deeper in love with him even though he’s doing the minimum. you’re sure, you realize, and you nod before remembering that he has to hear you say it.

“yes, i’m sure.” your voice is uncharacteristically quiet, but donghyuck says nothing of it. he grips your thighs, spreading them as much as he can without pushing you off the chair - he’s grateful it has no handles - before pressing his tip to your entrance. you press both of your hands into your shoulders as you sink yourself onto his throbbing dick, your teeth sinking into your lower lip as you do. it takes you a moment to adjust - usually the foreplay is much longer - but once you’re ready, you start bouncing on donghyuck’s cock, setting the pace for yourself.

it doesn’t take long for you to get to the brink of orgasm - riding hyuck has always placed the head of his dick directly against the place inside you that makes you see white behind your eyes. for his part, he shoves you down onto himself when you start tiring out, tugging on a nipple in between his teeth or running his tongue down against your skin or slapping your ass and causing you to buck against him as he sees fit.

you’ve been friends with benefits for almost a year, now, and the sex only gets better.

you’ve been friends with benefits for almost a year, now, and everyday, every damn day, you curse your heart more and more. you curse your feelings when donghyuck whines as he nears his high, too, and you curse yourself for spending your ability to love deeply on the one person who won’t take it as he finally takes over, anchoring you against his body while his hips snap up into yours. he’s chasing your orgasm just as much as he’s chasing his, and when donghyuck pulls you down to smash his lips against yours, forcing you to taste the red wine he’d had with dinner on his tongue, while circling your clit with one finger like a madman, you can’t help but let go completely, clenching and spasming and shaking around his length and in his arms. this is all it takes to push him over the edge, too - he spills into the condom with a beautiful, keening whine against your shoulder.

it’s only when donghyuck looks up at you after catching his breath and his face falls that you realize you’re crying.

“(name) - sweetheart, what’s wrong? did i hurt you?”

his recognition of your state has the dam breaking, and you shake your head frantically to soothe him as your tears start falling more heavily. he wraps his arms around you immediately, pulling you into his chest as he does. donghyuck waits patiently for you to speak.

“i - i can’t do this anymore,” you start off, and you feel his arms tense around you. before he can interject or argue, you forge ahead. “i cant! i can’t fuck you and stay your friend - just your friend. i can’t sleep with you knowing that you’re the only one for me when you’re out there hunting down anyone that looks at you, i just - i can’t. i can’t...” you trail off, breaking down into sobs again while burrowing your face into his shirt. it’s expensive, you know it is, and now it’s ruined with your tearstains. you try not to think about it.

donghyuck is silent for one, two, three beats. for a long moment, all you can hear are the sounds of your own bawling, your own quiet sniffling and hiccuping. his hand runs a soothing trek down your back.

finally, he speaks.

“i haven’t fucked anyone else in 6 months.”

that is the one thing you’d never expected him to say.

“but... mark? the hickey?”

“that’s all it was,” he says, forcing you back slightly to be able to look at you as he speaks. hyuck raises a hand, wiping your stray tears away gently with his thumb before continuing. “for 6 months, i’ve kissed people and made out with them, but only half-heartedly. every time it’s gotten close to getting heated, i’ve had to stop. do you know why?”

you shake your head, sniffling as you do. his heart cracks at how forlorn you look, how innocent and confused you seem. he’s suddenly well-aware of the fact that he’s still sheathed inside your dripping pussy.

“because every time i was with someone - anyone - else, all i could think of was you. you’re the only one for me, baby. i think you always have been. i didn’t say anything because i didn’t think you’d want me.”

“not want you?” your voice is strong enough to sound properly incredulous now. “you know me better than anyone else. you’ve been there for me when i’ve needed you, and you’ve asked me to be there for you when you’ve needed me. we built all of this together. you’re everything, hyuck. you’re my everything.”

he lowers his head almost bashfully, and you know that he’s processing what you’re saying. donghyuck’s never been good at registering compliments - it’s a side-effect of always moving, always pushing forward - but you can tell that he’s savoring your words. it makes him even more endearing in your eyes. eventually, he looks up at you again, soft smile gracing his features.

“are we good?” he asks, and you can feel your heart sewing itself together again at the genuine honesty in his eyes. he really does love you back. you nod, before leaning in to capture his lips against yours in a chaste kiss.

“we’re good.”

bonus:

“this is great, and i’m going to ravish you when we get home, but right now i really, really need to get this condom off and you probably really need to piss,” donghyuck says, lifting his hips to force you off of him. you swing your legs over to stand, leaning against his desk for support as you watch him tie the condom up and toss it into the bin underneath his desk.

“when we get home?” you ask, raising an eyebrow. donghyuck stuffs his cock back into his boxers and makes sure his slacks are on properly before standing up to situate himself in front of you. he takes both of your hands in his.

“you think i’m letting you spend a night alone when you said i’m the only one for you? not fucking likely. now hit up the bathroom and then let’s go,” he says, fishing his car keys out of his pocket. “i brought the bugatti today.”

#nct-writers #kwritersworldnet #thekpopnetwork #fullsunnet #haechan #donghyuck #haechan smut #haechan angst #haechan fluff #donghyuck smut #donghyuck angst #donghyuck fluff #nct #nct smut #nct dream smut #nct 127 smut #nct dream #nct 127 #haechan x reader

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sun-summoning · 4 years

Text

Summary: When Marinette’s plant shelf breaks, Adrien comes to the rescue. (Inspired by this tweet.)

Adrien only sees one problem here: he doesn’t think asking any of his father’s staff for power tools is going to go particularly well. Plagg, on the other hand, sees multiple other problems here.

“Beyond the fact that you aren’t even remotely handy--”

“I can be handy!”

“--you also don’t know how to use those tools--”

“Everything is on the internet nowadays.”

“--and you really don’t have the time for this project.”

“I’ll make time.”

Plagg sighs deeply. Normally he doesn’t have to play the voice of reason, but somehow Adrien got it into his head that he was the one who needed to help his friend after the plant stand on her balcony broke. Marinette had moped about it to Alya earlier that day, which immediately had Adrien looking up how to make one himself.

It would be the perfect gift for the perfect friend.

“I realize you’re against leaving dead birds on her pillow, but isn’t this going a step too far for your crush?”

Adrien’s cheeks turn pink. “Plagg, I’ve already told you dozens of times -- Marinette is just a friend.”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, you know you can just buy one, right?” Plagg throws Adrien’s phone at him. “You can save the staff the headache of your hammering.”

“I can’t just buy one,” Adrien scoffs.

“She bought her first one.”

“Yeah, for herself. This is a gift from me.”

“Gifts are generally purchased.”

“Not with Marinette.” Adrien shakes his head. Positioned conveniently by the window, he leans against the panel and stares outside wistfully. The light hits him just so, making him look as lovesick as he denies being. And then to complete the entire picture, he sighs.

Honestly, Plagg kind of wants to throw up.

“Marinette always makes her gifts.”

“Marinette is also skilled in her craft.”

“Plagg, I’ll be fine,” Adrien assures him. “I’ve got this.”

So maybe Adrien did not have this. Not entirely. Not yet.

After deciding it would be best to leave power tool procurement out of any conversation he might have with Nathalie, he heads to the hardware store. He needs to get wood, a saw, a screwdriver, some screws, sandpaper, and some other things he wrote down on a list.

Eventually an employee with a kind smile comes to help him. “You look a bit lost,” the man comments.

Adrien tries not to look too bashful. “Is it that obvious?”

“Maybe I can help you?”

Adrien nods eagerly and hands the man his list.

“I’m building a plant shelf.” He takes out his phone to show a photo of what he’s trying to accomplish.

“That’s quite the project you have there.” The man notices Adrien’s nervous grin so he pats his shoulder reassuringly. “Why don’t we gather all the supplies then?”

The man walks with him through the aisles and suggests which items Adrien should get. He asks what kinds of tools Adrien already has, but Adrien decides to just get everything new. Maybe there’s a drill or a some screws somewhere in the house, but he really doesn’t know where to look or who to ask.

His shopping cart is mostly full when they get to the last item on Adrien’s list: paint.

“Do you have a colour in mind?”

“She likes pink,” Adrien says. “Do you have pink paint?”

“We have plenty of pink.” The man brings him to a wall of paint swatches. He chuckles when Adrien gawks at them, clearly overwhelmed. “Why don’t you take a few for now and think it over? You still need to build everything before painting.”

“That’s true.”

“And maybe you can consult the lady herself for her paint preference?”

Adrien shakes his head. “This is a surprise.”

The man smiles. “Then I’m sure your girlfriend will love it.”

Adrien promptly chokes on his own spit as he sputters out that Marinette is just a friend. In his pocket, he’s certain Plagg is laughing.

Since his foosball table is the right height, Adrien decides to clamp a plank of wood to it and saw from there.

He dons one of his older t-shirts and a pair of googles because safety is key. Then he gets to work. At first the circular saw makes him anxious. But a few levels to Marinette’s plant stand later, he feels confident. So confident that he’s humming a tune while working on the next part.

“Adrien, what are you doing?”

Apparently he hadn’t heard the door open over the sound of the circular saw. He turns the saw off and sets it down. Pushing his safety goggles into his bangs, he musters as innocent a smile as he’s capable of. If he’s learned nothing from his father’s unique brand of parenting, it’s that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission (largely because both yield the same results).

“I’m building a plant stand.” Then he pauses. “Plant ladder. Or plant shelf? Honestly, they all same the same purpose. This is going to look more like stairs when I’m done so plant...stairs?”

“Why are you building this plant--” Nathalie gestures at the pieces of wood sprawled out on the floor, “--thing?”

“Marinette’s broke.”

“And?”

Adrien shifts his stance, deciding to go for dumb rather than repentant. Repentant would mean he actually felt bad, whereas Adrien is actually really enjoying himself. “It’s...broken?”

Nathalie’s lips thin. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re building this.”

“It’s a gift.”

“And?”

“It’s...from me?”

“Why can’t you just buy one?”

“Why does everyone keep asking that?” Adrien mutters.

Nathalie looks down at her tablet. “Your driver can take you to a furniture store to purchase one after your photoshoot tomorrow.”

“No thanks.” Adrien picks up the circular saw because Nathalie never explicitly told him to stop. He grins, but with a power tool in his hand, he probably looks a little bit silly. “I’ve got this.”

A muffled snort comes from his pocket.

“I do.”

Adrien is comparing swatches of paint with utmost concentration when Nino and Alya decide to join him. Alya mentions something new on the Ladyblog, and while normally Adrien is the quickest to contribute to any conversation regarding his lady, right now he’s trying to make a decision between Romantica and August Sunrise.

“Okay, what are you doing?” Alya glances at the rest of the other eight swatches he’s considering.

“That’s a lot of pink buddy,” Nino says.

“I know.” Adrien drops the two in his hands so he can pull at his hair. “This is so stressful.”

“Are you, uh, repainting your room or something?”

“Huh?”

Nino nods towards the swatches. “Trying to pick a new colour?”

Adrien snorts. “As if I’d be allowed to change anything.”

“Then what are these for?” Alya asks.

“Uh.”

Adrien bites his lip as he looks around wildly. So far none of their mutual friends know about his little side project, and he really wants this to stay a surprise for Marinette. He knows Nino will keep this secret to himself, but he’s not totally sure about Alya. Then again, it’s not like he a choice right now. Alya leans in, a curious gleam in her eyes.

“I’m building something,” Adrien offers.

“What is it?”

“A plant stand.”

“I didn’t know you liked plants,” Nino says. “My mom has tons of aloe she’s always trying to give to other people. I’ll bring you one--”

“No!” They both look perplexed by his denial. Adrien swallows. He glances around once again to be safe. “It’s for Marinette.”

“Marinette?” Nino echoes.

“Marinette.” Alya leans back, a contemplative expression on her face. Finally, she smiles. “She told you that her old one broke?”

“Er, not really.” Adrien rubs the back of his neck. “I kind of overheard the two of you and she seemed really upset, so I...”

“You thought you’d replace it for her?”

He nods.

“That’s really sweet, Adrien.” Alya grins. “Marinette’s going to love it.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“But that doesn’t explain the swatches,” Nino says. He still looks confused. “Unless, wait--” His eyes widen. “Are you making it?”

Adrien frowns. “I don’t appreciate your tone.”

“Why can’t you just buy one?”

Adrien is starting to resent that question. He grumbles as such and crosses his arms. “Why can’t you just believe in me?”

Nino snorts. “Adrien, you’re so scrawny I can’t even imagine you picking up the wood.”

Alya bites back a giggle while Adrien makes a noise of indignation.

As usual, Plagg is quietly laughing at him too.

“Hey Marinette!” Adrien greets in the morning. She’s in the middle of stuffing nearly half a croissant in her mouth, so she chokes when she notices him there. He waves a hand, telling her to just finish, so she chews vigorously and swallows and then grins at him. “You’re here early.”

She laughs. “I decided it’s easier if I wake up early to work on my commissions and then go to class, rather than stay up late and tell myself I can wake up in the morning just fine.”

“Do you have a lot of commissions right now?”

Marinette nods. “Yeah.” Then she sighs. “I broke my old plant stand and wanted to replace it.”

His research showed him you could get some stands for cheap and that there were a lot of DIY methods on the internet. But from all the times he visited her balcony as Chat Noir not at all for treats and pets, he remembers hers to have been white and wooden and with intricate carvings along its edges.

“What happened to it?” he wonders.

Marinette is quick to flush. Her cheeks are visibly pink when she looks down. “I, uh, fell on it.”

“Huh?” Adrien remembers that it was mostly against the wall right beside her chair. Personally, he’s also almost fallen on it, all those times he tried to land directly on her chair and narrowly missed crashing into all her plants instead. “How?”

“That’s really not the point. The point is it broke, okay?”

She sounds embarrassed, so Adrien backs off. Marinette always calls herself a klutz and he’d hate to make her feel worse.

“Do you have a new stand in mind?” he asks to steer away from that sore spot.

Marinette nods. “I do!”

They still have a few minutes until class starts, so she pulls out her phone and goes to her screenshots. She swipes through a few versions, some ladder-like, some closer to bookshelves, and some that look like step stools. Her favourite one is painted a lovely dusty rose.

That evening, Adrien proceeds to assemble the pieces of wood he finished cutting and lightly sanding. He’ll do the rest of the sanding later on. For now, he balances and drills and uses the levelling tool to make sure the shelves are actually something akin to straight. When he finishes drilling in the last screw, he steps back and grins.

Plagg assesses his work with a shrug. “Not bad,” he says. “You actually did well.”

“Why does no one think I can do this?” Adrien grumbles. “Fine, I’m not particularly handy, but I know how to use my hands for things! I can play piano! And fence! And speak, like, three other languages--”

“Kid, you don’t know Japanese. You’re just reading subtitles.”

“--and okay, that has nothing to do with my hands. What was I saying?”

Plagg plops down onto one shelf, eyes closed and body languid. He soon zips up though when the entire thing wobbles.

“Dammit!” Adrien shouts.

“Huh.” Plagg hovers over Adrien’s shoulder as he steadies it.

“This is your fault,” Adrien mutters.

“I’m not the one who can’t use a drill!”

“Look at your hands! You obviously can’t use a drill, Plagg!”

“Still not my fault?”

“I’m unlucky and it’s your fault.” Adrien throws upon his couch with all the grace of a distressed damsel. His hand rests on his forehead as he whines. “You and your ring and all the destruction and...and is that it? I can’t create things because only Ladybug can?”

“No.” Plagg floats over Adrien’s face. “You’re just bad at this.”

“Why can’t you just be on my side?!”

After a sufficient amount of time spent wallowing in self-pity, Adrien stands back up and considers Marinette’s plant holder. Or, well, the plant holder. There’s a chance he might not bother giving this to Marinette. He pokes it lightly, resulting in a slight sway. Then he shoves it, mostly out of curiosity, and instead of wobbling, it just falls over entirely.

“Oh no!”

Adrien scrambles to stand it back up, but groans when he notices the way it leans to the left.

His door opens after the commotion. That’s not particularly surprising. Nathalie’s at the main office today which meant he could use power tools uninterrupted, but he supposes there’s only so much noise and yelling the staff can take before someone checks up on him. Soon, his bodyguard is at his side.

“I’m fine,” Adrien assures him.

The Gorilla’s expression hardly wavers.

“This is my plant stand for Marinette. You remember her right?”

He nods.

“She’s my friend and she makes the best gifts! And I thought I’d make this for her but...”

“Where is this going?”

Adrien blinks. He didn’t expect his bodyguard to have anything to say. “Uh, her balcony.”

“Then it needs to be able to stand up to the elements.” The Gorilla picks it up like it’s nothing more than a handful of grapes. Then he starts to shake it.

“What are you--”

He sets it down soon after. “It’s not going to fall apart,” the Gorilla tells him. “Although, admittedly, it’s a bit wobbly.”

Adrien tries not to bring his hands to his face. “Yes, I know.”

“Come,” the Gorilla says, leaving his room. Adrien barely grabs Plagg as he follows him to the car. The Gorilla drives them to the hardware store, where he directs Adrien to a package of L brackets. “Get these.”

“Okay?”

“Get some more screws as well.”

“Sure?”

“I’ll wait in the car.”

Adrien picks a set coated to look gold. That would look nicest with the dusty rose paint Alya helped him pick out. He pays for the brackets and then heads to the car. The Gorilla drives them back to the mansion. Adrien looks at him curiously and his bodyguard opens the packages of brackets and screws.

“Here.” He rests one edge on the shelf level and the other on the side. “Screw this in place to reinforce the shelves.”

“And then it won’t fall apart?”

The Gorilla’s lips twitch like he wants to smile. Instead, he shakes his head. “It was never going to fall apart,” he assures Adrien. “It just needed a bit more work.”

“Okay!”

The Gorilla holds the L brackets in place while Adrien uses his drill to get the screws in.

He only hurts himself twice and his bodyguard once in the process.

A few days after building and painting, Adrien still hasn’t given the plant stand to Marinette. He feels like it’s missing something, but he just can’t put his hand on what. He’s too busy thinking to muster a decent greeting when Lila sits beside him at the library.

Maybe he picked the wrong colour? No, Marinette wanted a pink plant stand. Maybe there were too many shelves? But Marinette had so many plants! She needed as many shelves as she could get. So then maybe his creation was too tall when it needed to be wider. If that’s the case, then he’ll just make her another one. Perhaps he can decorate it more? The plain pink is a bit boring. Maybe white borders? Or stencils! What would Marinette like? Little kittens? Leaves? Flowers?

Girls liked flowers, right?

“Do you like flowers?” he asks Lila.

Lila blinks, taken aback by his random question. Then she grins. “Of course.”

“Do all girls like flowers?” Adrien shakes his head and winces. “Sorry. No. I shouldn’t generalize.”

Lila shrugs, something he only notices because her shoulder is inching closer and closer to his, so he inches closer and closer to the opposite edge of his seat. “Were you planning on getting me flowers, Adrien?”

“No, it’s for this plant stand I’m building.” He’s awfully proud of his handiwork, so he pulls out his phone and shows Lila a photo of the mostly finished project. “It’s just kind of...plain. I was thinking maybe I could, I don’t know...put flowers on it?”

“That’s kind of what it’s for, Adrien.”

“Right.” Adrien leans back in his chair. When he feels Lila a bit too close for comfort, he leans to the side. “What would Marinette like?” he wonders to himself.

He hears Lila inhale sharply. Glancing at her, he watches her cover that up with a look of concern. “This is for Marinette?” she asks.

Adrien nods, and because he can’t help himself, he positively beams. “I really hope she likes it.”

“Oh.” Lila makes a forlorn face. “Adrien, I don’t know how to break it to you, but Marinette already got a new plant stand.”

“What?”

Lila nods. He resents how eagerly she does so in the face of his obvious disappointment. “She was telling Juleka and Rose about it earlier. She said already filled it up perfectly. And there’s no room on her balcony for another.”

“Oh.”

Adrien looks down at his lap, completely missing Lila’s little grin. He supposes he could just scrap the gift. It wasn’t like it was Marinette’s birthday or anything. The plant stand was just to repay Marinette’s unfailing friendship. She always helped her friends without them even asking. He just wanted to do the same. The plant stand was one of those “just because” presents. Something to show Marinette that he knows she’s amazing and kind and generous and that he would give her the world if he could. Or whatever. Something like that.

Adrien sits up straight when one brain cell makes itself known. He turns to Lila. “Okay, thanks for letting me know.”

“No problem,” she replies slowly. “I’m sorry you wasted your time, Adrien. I’m sure there are other people that might appreciate your hard work though.”

“Nah.” Adrien shakes his head. He spots Marinette across the library and stands. He packs his bag, expertly dodging Lila when she tries to grab him. “It just means I get to buy Marinette some plants to put on it!”

“What.”

“Thanks for the idea, Lila!”

The thing is, Adrien knows nothing about plants. Fortunately, he has another friend that’s amazing and kind and generous who also knows a lot about plants. Ladybug is always careful about identities, but she has a habit of pointing out random plants they might see and mentioning that she has the same one in her garden. He hopes he gets to see that garden one day. And if Marinette’s plant stand turns out to be a hit, maybe he can make one for Ladybug too.

“In addition to being my lady, you’re also a plant lady, right?”

Ladybug snorts. “I can keep things alive, yes.”

“Great. I need to buy some plants for my friend but I have absolutely no idea what to get.”

“How many?”

“Uh.” Chat Noir starts doing some basic addition with his fingers. “I don’t know. Maybe three plants along four shelves?”

“What kind of lighting does this spot get?”

“Sun...light?”

“Direct?”

“Oh.” He nods. “Yes. I guess? It’s for a balcony.”

“That helps.”

Ladybug takes his baton from him and opens up the notepad app. She’s busy typing names of plants that thrive in direct sunlight, which these ones will inevitably get. She explains various things about those plants and their needs, but Chat Noir is mostly just thinking about how their “phones” have apps at all and how they connect to the internet. Were they hackable then? He had so many questions--

“Anyway, don’t fill the entire shelf up.”

Chat Noir blinks. Ladybug is giving him a look that tells him she knows he definitely wasn’t paying attention. When he grins sheepishly, she hands him back his baton and rolls her eyes.

“How come?”

Ladybug smiles. “Sometimes plants get a bit too big for their pots, or they have little pups of their own that need repotting. If you get your friend some of the ones I wrote down for you, her garden will definitely be multiplying in a few months. She’s going to need the space.”

“But are you sure?”

“Why, kitty, are you doubting your lady?”

Chat Noir laughs. “I would never.”

As it turns out, transporting everything is difficult. There’s no way he can hand Marinette the plant shelf and the seven potted plants he selected at school, so he asks the Gorilla to bring it all with him when he picks him up later. Knowing Marinette has a student council meeting after classes end, he heads to her house where Sabine lets him in. When Tom notices him struggling awkwardly, he takes the shelf and tells Adrien to just bring up the plants.

After everything has been brought up to Marinette’s balcony, Adrien gets to work setting it up. He leans it against one wall and puts the wall brackets on Marinette’s chair so they can put them in later. As he arranges the plants he brought along with him, he notices all her other pots lined up against the rails.

Where was the new plant stand Lila mentioned?

“Really kid?” Plagg zips around with zero regard for the daylight and the people that are unlikely to see him. “She was lying.”

“What?” Adrien frowns. “Why would Lila lie?”

“I don’t know. Why do cats purr?”

“What?”

Plagg just shakes his head and floats down to Marinette’s chair. “Just let me know when we’re leaving. Or when the cheese arrives.”

Frowning, Adrien goes to retrieve Marinette’s original plants. He arranges them along the shelf he built her and mixes them among his new plants. When everything is settled, he grins.

“Plagg, Marinette is going to love this--”

“Adrien?!”

Adrien looks down at the hatch and finds Marinette climbing out. She stares at him with wide eyes before her gaze falls onto the new set up for her plants.

“Oh, hey Marinette.” He winks. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I...what?”

He cringes. “Nothing. Hey.”

“Hello?” Marinette shakes her head. Then she laughs. “Papa said he sent you upstairs to the balcony and I ran up as fast as I could -- by any chance, did you have a look around my bedroom on your way up?”

“No?”

“Good.”

“What?”

“Nothing. So. What’s up?”

“Right.” Adrien beams at her as he gestures to the shelf. “This is for you.”

Marinette looks at the shelf like somehow she never noticed it there. Her lips part, like she’s trying to get something out but doesn’t know what. Her eyes go from comically wide before lowering. She watches him with wonder in her gaze, like she can’t comprehend a gift like this from him. He starts to fidget, worried she hates him and whatever he might want to offer him, but Marinette nods and bites her bottom lip. She continues nodding slowly, as if processing his words, and Adrien thinks her cheeks look a bit flushed.

Marinette nears the shelf and runs her fingers along the sanded and pink-painted edges. She touches the string of pearls and sniffs the jasmine. When she’s taken it all in, she turns to him with a smile.

“This is all so beautiful, Adrien.”

Adrien rolls his eyes fondly. “You don’t have to lie to me, Marinette.” He knocks on the wood that, fortunately, no longer wobbles. “It’s not like I’m about to open my own woodworking company.”

“Wait.” Her jaw drops. “You made this?!”

Adrien nods. She continues gawking at him, making him blush. His hand finds the back of his neck and rubs at it nervously. “Er, yeah. It’s not the best, obviously, but I tried. I mean, you always make your gifts. I figured I should try doing the same--”

He grunts when Marinette pulls him into a hug. Her arms wind around his middle and after a moment, Adrien slowly puts his own on her too. She feels warm against him, and when she doesn’t seem like she’s going to let go anytime soon, Adrien rests his cheek upon her head.

“Thank you so much, Adrien.”

She releases him, much to his dismay, and marvels at the display he created. She notices his scrawled signature on one of the shelves and runs her finger along the curves.

“I love it.”

Looking into her eyes, Adrien wonders why he didn’t think to buy her bluebells. He promises her he’ll get them soon, but Marinette just giggles and tells him he’s done more than enough.

#fic #adrienette #adrinette

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soundsaboutrighttumblr · 4 years

Text

ramking fic: gimme the Tee

Read on AO3

Summary:

Some dialogues that need to happen. Set after Cool Boy, won't probably make much sense without it. After a leisurely breakfast, probably.

Knock knock who's there?

Notes:

I am a tiny, tiny bit sorry about that terrible title. Not enough to not keep it though.

The knock on the door startles King out of his favorite routine. Three urgent raps of knuckles against wood, and some crumbs of soil spilled onto the floor.

He’s been deep into a contented buzz of mindless concentration, murmuring playful nothings and letting his hands and senses do the work, completing his round of checking up on his plants after breakfast. He tends to get a tiny bit lost in it, maybe. Especially when he feels as light as he does today.

When the knock is repeated, although with some hesitance, King brushes his hands off on his pants, and goes to answer.

Finding himself face to face with Tee's raised eyebrows.

“Hello and good morning, most esteemed project assistant!”

There’s a cupholder with two steaming hot drinks in his hand, and a laptop clutched under his other arm. King’s eyes barely have time to narrow.

“Soooo, about our talking over the school paper’s blog article? On our reforestation charity project? And you helping me choose pictures and edit some paragraphs, would now be a good time? I thought it would be quicker in person.”

King’s eyes definitely do narrow then: “Our what? I didn’t know there was an OUR-anything?”

“Oh, I… texted you? Did you not see? Is now not good? I was on my way to the shops, so I thought I’d take a chance.”

King opens his mouth to say something, but his attention is drawn to the click of a door, and then Ram appears out of the bedroom, one headphone already in ear:

“I’ll be back with the dogs around three, text me if I should pick up any- P’Tee.” He stops short. King’s heartbeat stumbles and quickens.

Because. Oh.

There is that comical moment of them all blinking at each other. In silence. The one that's more than just the absence of sounds.

Then something well-meaning inside King decides that this is rather ridiculous, and he brushes over it, as light in tone as he dares:

“Okay, Ai’Ning, see you later then.”

Ram turns big eyes on him, wide and a tad anxious: Will you be alright?

And it makes King want to laugh somehow, but also? His throat and chest feel kind of tight.

He manages a smile, possibly even a confident and soothing one.

Ram looks at Tee once again, who wiggles the fingers of the arm holding the laptop in an awkward wave.

Ram nods and slips out of the door next to Tee. Maybe King imagines it but his leaving steps do sound rather hurried.

King heaves a sigh, only partly for show:

“Well, dearest friend Tee, do come on in then.”

---

Tee sets the drinks on the counter and King waits. Ignores the slow waves of panic that want to take hold, berating himself because what is there to fear? This is Tee.

Tee, who sets up the tablet, turning it on and tapping on the display. But he is biting his lips continuously; so King just waits for it.

“So. You two live together? “

There. No denying it now, really. But why does it feel like he’s supposed to guard secrets that are not only his own?

“He needed a place to stay.” No going wrong with a part of the truth though, is there? Still. The knot at the base of his tongue feels thicker, letting through less air.

Because how official are they? And is Ram out? And why the heck didn’t they talk about this?

Tee’s voice cuts in casual but curious: “I thought he had his own room, over with…”

“It’s family stuff. He needed a place to stay.”

“Okay!” Tee raises hands in an apologetic way and King thinks the echo of his own tone in his ear does ring rather uncharacteristically clipped.

The article draft is pulled onto the sceen, and King starts skimming over the lines of text, not really absorbing much.

“So… you guys are okay?”

It takes King aback.

“Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Well, there have been some tensions the last night at camp after our drinking game, and I just wondered…” King feels Tee’s eyes on him from the side. Then Tee coughs.

“Also there have been some ‘incident reports’ about late night yelling from an undiscerned tent…”

Heat shoots up to King’s neck and Tee throws up his hands: “Without too many specifics, of course."

King takes a moment to soak in his shame.

“Yeah, we are okay. Sorry about that.”

“Okay then.”

“Okay.”

Tee’s eyes still stay on the profile of King’s face, so he taps onto the screen, directing Tee’s attention there:

“I wouldn’t use that picture here, have you seen the ones P’Thara sent? There are some among them that fit better, I am sure he’ll let you use them.”

“Oh. I see, I’ll ask him!” For the moment, Tee complies.

King takes a breath and forces his concentration on the text written, clicking the editor to remove some typos.

“So, Ram is bringing his dogs here? I thought you said some time that you didn’t like dogs?”

King deflates. His thoughts feel like they’re in knots: “It’s not like I don’t like them, they just make me feel uneasy.”

“But you let them stay in your apartment?”

“Once you get to know them it’s easier to get used to them…”

“Still…”

“What’s your point?” King’s tone might be a tiny bit overly nonchalant again. And Tee might be throwing up consoling hands once more:

“No point, really, no point at all.”

“Do you wanna do this or not?”

It annoys King that he still sounds so defensive.

“Yes! Okay, okay, no more questions.”

It annoys him even more how Tee’s voice sounds like he is suppressing laughter.

---

When Ram comes back, the dogs are a white grey whirl around his feet, still excited from their walk. They do look at King, tails wagging carefully, but Ram keeps them close to him on their leashes for now. They sniff around and sneeze at some plants, and they sure are the adorable sort, King thinks, all puffy and fluffy and… safely over there.

Ram looks at him. “You okay?”

King decides he might mean the Tee situation earlier, rather than the dogs now. Or maybe both.

He makes a gesture with his hand, from where he is sitting on the couch, tablet on his lap.

“Yes. It went fine, we sent out the finished article, he’ll link us once it’s published.”

Ram’ eyes linger for a moment, then he nods and goes to settle the dogs with food.

Once they are happily crunching and slobbering on dog dinner in their room, Ram washes his hands at the kitchen sink and comes over, and for a moment just stays, stands next to King. King looks up to him and smiles. Ram sits down.

King gets lost in his eyes, drawn in easy and so naturally, until Ram suddenly speaks:

“Duen was there. He asked… He’s planning another short get away trip over the break and he was asking if I… and you would want to join them?”

King can’t help his mind springing up questions in a million different directions at once.

“Why would he be asking that?” He realizes how it possibly sounds, but he is genuinely curious. “I mean, I get the you, but why the you and me?

Ram shrugs but there is a tiny something in his eyes: “I guess, Bohn… well, we have been spending time together. You and me, I mean ”

“Does Duen know?” It’s slipped over his lips before he can reign it in. He doesn’t want this to sound like an interrogation.

Ram looks directly at him. Though he might be squinting a bit: “About?”

King feels strangely flustered under that look: “About us, or about you…?“

“Me?”

“That you like…”

“That I am gay?”

Ram sounds settled in that. So much so that the fascination over it pulls King out of his own head for a moment.

Ram shrugs: “He might. I never explicitly told him. But then, I never told him I am not, you know.”

King nods. He’s not sure he does know though. There are already countless more questions on his mind, but he remembers earlier with Tee, and so he decides on this one:

“So, you and me… we just tell our friends?”

More narrowed eyes: “We don’t?”

“Don’t look at me like that, Ning, I am asking because I genuinely want to know! I am asking so that I know. You’re not some secret-“, some secret affair his mind supplies in an echo, and he realizes why it might rub Ram wrong, so he hurries on with all the sincerity he can muster:

“It’s just that I think I am rather private about that stuff?”

“I am, too.”

It feels like a strange impasse, and it’s not like they are arguing, but King is at a loss for words for a moment.

He’s usually really good at this, but here and now he’s finding once more that it is a wholly different thing, trying to embrace and dissolve a tension when you are a party involved and invested.

But Ram stays, in that way that he just does. And it feels like they take in and let out the same breath. King finds he can let himself lean his own shoulder against Ram’s without hesitation or inhibition.

He sighs: “I think most of them are already convinced we are a couple.”

Ram’s voice is softly matter-of-fact. “Well, we are.”

King plays along through a smile: “Well. When you put it like that.”

His fingers pick a piece of dried leaf from the cuff of Ram’s sweater; touching his wrist.

“So, when they ask… I can tell them that you are my boyfriend?”

Ram turns his head to King, and it’s a long, studying look.

“Yes. Can I?”

There’s a flutter in King’s stomach, and he’s not quite sure if it’s a flare of nerves or metaphorical butterflies; maybe both.

“Yes.”

Ram nods and smiles.

The corners of King’s lips tick up before he can stop it:

“Will I have to go through some trials like Bohn, too? You know, to be allowed to date you?”

Ram’s face is dead-pan. “No.”

Then one eyebrow arches: “That’s it? Were you honestly afraid of that?”

King sinks deeper into the backrest, flustered. “No. It’s not… no. I wasn’t afraid. It’s just new to me, is all.”

Ram scoots a little bit lower on the couch, too, until he’s at eye level with King, leaning his forehead against King’s, so that King can feel him nod.

“New to me, too.”

---

Later in bed, when they are lying face to face, King finds once more that looking at Ram until his lids grow heavy is the most potent source of peace, without the feeling of wonder and awe ever lessening.

“So who else knows? Your family? Ruj?”

Ram half-shrugs, half-yawns: “I think he might.”

He shifts and puts his arm up and King follows the invitation and presses his lips to Ram’s naked shoulder, before resting his head there.

“He asked me once if I liked any girl.”

King grins: “And you just stared at him?”

Ram nods, moves his head against the pillow.

“He then asked if I liked any boy.”

“And again, you just stared?”

Another nod.

“So, he probably knows.”

“Yep. He probably does.”

King smiles and watches his own fingers trace the tattoo on Ram’s chest.

“How long have you known?”

It takes a moment for Ram to think about it, and King waits.

“Early on. Around 10, 11? Took more time to understand it, though.”

“Huh.”

“You?”

King blinks. “I think… I am learning, that I take time with people… have to get to know them, before attraction takes hold? I mean, I’ve always understood as a concept that guys can be fascinating and beautiful to me, too, I just assumed that’s what every open-minded person’s brain operated like?”

He knows Ram has raised his brow before he looks up to confirm. It’s not really judging, but then again, it totally is.

King laughs: “But, that’s not attraction, I guess.” He puts his lips against the skin where Ram’s shoulder meets his chest once more: “So yeah, you… kind of hit me hard.”

It’s the same with Ram’s smile; King just knows it is there, doesn’t even have to look up to check. He feels it.

“God, I am kind of terrified to have Kamfah find out.”

Ram tenses beneath King, and he has to hold back a giggle.

He starts drawing soothing circles into Ram’s skin again, and amends:

“A bit excited though, too. But mostly terrified. We’ll be invited to lunch every weekend.”

The both stare up at the ceiling imagining for a moment.

King breaks first:

“You think we can keep it a secret in front of her for a bit longer?”

There’s a snort that might be a laugh, as Ram pulls King close:

“We can try.”

Notes:

always want to hear what you think! <3

sorry this took forever... I got distracted buying plants and making little plant terrariums, me, who never even really owned plants, now my apartment is a tiny jungle. Oh, who to blame? Does anyone come to mind? PS: I am loving it

#ramking fic #my engineer the series #ramking #kingram #some dialogues i had in my drafts because it needed adressing

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anachronicwriting · 6 years

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The 007!AU No One Needs (12/?)

#The 007!AU no one needs #Taekey #I promised a chapter this week #and here it is #I hope I can keep updating constantly #it's been kind of a good day Kibummie's solo stage is so awesome!!!#and Jinki posted on insta<3 #and Kimi Raikkonen won for the first time in five and a half years!!!#and I almost am not freaking out about all the assignments I have to turn in next week #almost

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agentmarymargaretskitz · 6 years

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Freefall

Another installment in the Legends of SHIELD AU created by @incendiaglacies and myself. Based on AoS 1x06 FZZT

AO3

“Okay, time’s up, ma’am,” Lily said as the timer on her tablet hit zero. “You can slow back down now.”

Gideon nodded and reached out a hand to slow the treadmill. As she came to a stop, Lily passed her a towel to wipe down with.

“Vitals are all normal,” Lily reported, showing her the results on the table. “And you’ve worked up quite a good sweat.”

“I don’t sweat,” Gideon replied. “I glisten.”

The scientist smiled a little at the crack. “All that’s left is to take some blood.”

“Let’s do it then,” her superior nodded. “Get this all over with.”

“You do realize your records show you aren’t due for a physical anytime soon, right?” Lily told her. “Why the need for all of this now?”

“Physical therapist’s orders,” Gideon grumbled. “Got a call for a check in and said I felt a little off. Next thing I know, I’m ordered to get all this done.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Lily nodded. “I heard what happened in New York. We’d hate to lose you now after you came back from the great beyond.”

“Thank you. Now, shall we get that blood sample?”

“If we have to,” Gideon grumbled. “But you should know that I’m not a fan of getting poked.”

“An ounce?”

“Yes,” Nate nodded as he set the Icer down. “One ounce too much. It’s the difference between success and failure. When you have to make a shot on a rooftop with a 15 mile per hour wind with your target at 500 yards away, that difference determines whether you make it or not.”

Ray sighed and picked up the gun. “I’ll do what I can, okay?”

“Great,” Nate clapped him on the back before walking out of the lab. “Thanks, man.”

Zee was directly to his right as he walked out, but he didn’t say anything to her as left. A while ago, she wouldn’t have blamed him for it. But Nate had been giving her a cold treatment for weeks now, ever since the Cooper incident. She knew she had messed up bad, but she was trying to rectify her mistakes. However, he was still only speaking to her when it was necessary.

“You okay?” Ray asked, looking over at her.

“Yeah,” Zee nodded, glancing away from the computers she was running simulations on that Nate had assigned her to do. “Just wish I could go back in time and not help Cooper so half the team isn’t mad at me.”

“We all screw up,” the scientist replied. “You made the rounds and apologized. Besides, you’re back on our side one hundred percent.”

“Absolutely,” she said. “And I’ve been working hard. I don’t complain during training, I read all the things he gives me on SHIELD protocols, complete the simulations, everything. I even let Gideon put this internet nanny on me. What do I have to do to prove to Nate, and Rip too, that I’m not going to double cross him?”

Ray shrugged. “Give them a little more time?”

“Yeah, because that’s working,” Zee snorted. “They think like specialists. I wish I could just speak that same language as them.”

“Kinda like we do a bit?”

Zee grinned. “Well, you and Lily are practically psychically linked. You have this bond that’s so unbreakable. It’s hard to imagine one of you without the other.”

“Well, we have been working together practically since we started at SHIELD,” Ray admitted.

Zee noticed he was blushing a little and smiling as he said this. Did he really not see how into Lily he was?

The doors opened, and Lily walked into the lab. “I’m back with blood.”

“Gross,” Zee wrinkled her nose.

“It’s for Gideon’s doctors,” Lily explained, her eyes falling to the Icer pistol. “Still problems with it?”

“According to Nate, it’s an ounce too heavy,” Zee piped up.

“Ugh,” Lily groaned. “He always has a problem with something.”

She then stood on her tiptoes to look taller and planted her hands on her hips. “I’m Agent Nate Heywood, and I can take out six men with a plastic spoon. As long as my hair looks good.”

Zee threw back her head and laughed. “That’s just what he’d say!”

“With the amount of product he seems to put in his hair, it wouldn’t shock me if he has said that,” Lily giggled as she got off of her tiptoes. “But some agents are really picky about their weapons. Yesterday, Rip asked us to modify the handle of his Icer because it didn’t fit right against his ring and pinky fingers.”

“Okay, I can kinda understand that one.”

“Yeah,” Ray agreed. “Hey, I can actually do an impersonation of him.”

“Oh yeah?” Zee folded her arms. “Let’s see it.”

Ray straightened up. The smile disappeared off of his face and he narrowed his eyes. He actually looked a little scary.

It took a few seconds before Zee got it. A wide grin stretched across Lily’s face as it clicked with her too. The two of them began to laugh, and soon Ray broke his impression to join in.

“Can either of you do Gideon?” Zee wheezed as she held onto the table for support.

“Never tried,” Lily said at the same moment Ray answered with a ‘nope’.

“Hold on,” she instructed, slowly letting her laughter die before crouching down and opened her mouth.

Before she could get a word out, Gideon herself entered the lab. Zee straightened up, banging her elbow on the table.

“We’re landing soon,” she told them. “Be ready to be on the road.”

A few hours later, the team had returned from the investigation site with a body bag holding their victim. His body had been levitating in the air until Lily got close to him, and a jolt of static electricity between the two of them had sent the body falling down onto the ground. Zee had done her research on him once they were back on the Waverider, finding no motive for any foul play. Nate had ordered her to research again after telling her no one was clean the first time around. On her way down to the lab, Gideon had lectured him about letting himself forgive Zee for what she’d done. It was in the past, Zee was committed now, and the last thing she needed was a divided team.

“Any news on the body?” she asked as she entered the lab.

Lily had the victim’s body laid out on the Holotable, where she had been performing an examination. “Some.”

Gideon noticed Ray was missing and turned around to see him outside of the lab. “How come Raymond’s not with you?”

“Ah,” Lily pressed her lips together for a moment. “He, well, you see…”

“He’s afraid of it, isn’t he?”

“It’s the smell really,” Ray called out, his voice somewhat muffled since he was outside the enclosed lab space.

Lily shook his head. “Ray, being afraid of death is perfectly natural. It happens to all of us at some point.”

“Yeah, but we had a rule about bringing dead things into the shared lab space,” he argued. “Remember the cat?”

Gideon frowned as Lily rolled her eyes. “Not the stupid cat again.”

“Yes, tell Gideon about that cat!”

“Ma’am, it’s nothing, it was a misunderstanding-”

“Lily, you left the liver next to my lunch!”

“Timeout, children!” Gideon shouted, holding up her hands in a timeout signal. “Lily, what have you found out about the body.”

“Well, this death was not caused by anything manmade,” Lily explained, pulling up an image of the man’s brain. “His brain has been fried to a crisp. Judging by the severity of it, he must have been hit by two thousand megajoules of electrostatic electricity.”

“What?” Gideon murmured, shaking her head. “That’s twice the power of a lightning bolt. I don’t even know of anything on the Index capable of this.”

“I don’t know either,” Lily agreed. “But there’s got to be something else in the body that can indicate what lead up to his death. I might have to dig a little deeper.”

“Do what you have to,” Gideon instructed.

“It’s happening again!”

“It’s science, Ray! I have to dissect something!”

“Okay, yes, but that’s not what I’m talking about,” Ray held up his tablet against the glass of the lab door so Gideon could see the map onscreen. “It’s another electrostatic event.”

Gideon hurried over to the doors and exited the lab so she could speak to Ray face to face. “Where?”

“About twenty miles away. The signature keeps increasing.”

“Run and get Rip and Nathaniel down here,” Gideon instructed, then turned back to Lily. “See if you can figure out anything else with the body.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Gideon, Rip, and Nate arrived at the location of the signal, an old barn next to a farmhouse, only to have Ray report that it had vanished. When they opened up the bar doors, another body was found floating in midair. Once they had an identification on the victim, Zee drew the connection that both victims worked at the same volunteer fire station, which had sent a truck to New York after the Dominator invasion. The trio then went to the fire station to investigate, suspicious that whatever killed those firemen could have extraterrestrial origins. It was practically confirmed that the firemen were in trouble when another electrostatic reading starting to pick up at the station.

Nate and Gideon had talked to the firefighters while Rip explored their station, eventually finding a Dominator arm blaster from New York in a case in the break room. Gideon interrogated one of the firefighters who had been cleaning the arm blaster with the two other victims a few nights before. Lily determined that an alien virus from the Dominators had been on the blaster, but then transmitted to the firemen while they’d cleaned it. The third fireman had died after those at the station were evacuated to a safe distance so the electrostatic wave wouldn’t harm them. SHIELD came in then for clean-up, Lily was tasked to find a cure for the remaining firefighters if their blood tests came back positive for the alien virus, and the arm blaster was put on the Bus for transport to the Sandbox.

“Are we really taking this with us?” Zee asked as she watched the crate containing it brought towards the Waverider. “It killed three firemen.”

“We’ll be fine,” Gideon assured her. “None of us have tried to clean it or even touched it like they did. We’ll get it there, and then we’ll move onto our next assignment.”

Zee pressed her lips together and followed after Ray and Lily.

Gideon entered the lab to see Lily staring at blood cells on the big screen behind the Holotable. “You said you had a breakthrough?”

“Uh-huh,” Lily nodded eagerly. “Look at this.”

Gideon stepped closer and noticed something else amongst the red blood cells. “Is that-”

“The virus,” Lily nodded. “These are the samples from the firefighters who died. The Dominator virus is still active inside them. It’s just waiting to be passed onto its next host. It’s propagative.”

“It moves from person to person,” Gideon murmured as Lily walked around the table to retrieve something. “Do you know what kind of contact is responsible for the transfer of the virus.”

“Not yet,” she shook her head. “I’m working in uncharted territory since the virus has alien origins. But the things we could learn from this could possibly lead to new developments in human medical endeavors. It’s completely fascinating!”

As she said this, a pair of tongs used for grabbing test tubes began to levitate in the air behind Lily. Gideon sucked in a soft breath as she remembered how a frying pan and other metal objects had begun to rise in the air with the last fireman as the virus started to take his life in the end. Then she recollected how there had been a shock of static electricity between Lily and the levitating body of the first fireman at the campsite. The pieces of the puzzle quickly assembled as Lily continued to ramble on, oblivious to the floating tongs.

Gideon began to back out of the lab. “Lily.”

“Ma’am?” Lily raised an eyebrow. “Is everything okay?”

“The virus…it’s transmitted through static electricity,” Gideon told her, activating quarantine mode and sealing the doors of the lab per SHIELD protocol. “I’m so sorry.”

Lily stared at her before her eyes widened. She whirled around and gasped loudly as she saw the tongs hovering. Gideon watched as she extended a hand towards them, only to drawn them away as static jumped from her hand to them and sent them plummeting to the floor. The scientist looked utterly terrified as she took a step back.

“Oh no.”

For the first twenty minutes after finding out that she was infected with a Dominator virus, Lily had sat against the doors of the lab with Ray on the other side. Gideon, Rip, Zee, and Nate were all discussing what they needed to do next. The path to the Sandbox had them right in the middle of the ocean, so there was no way to land and get her out of the plane to a safe distance. It would be four hours to get there, and she had two left at best based on the knowledge she had of how quickly the firemen died after contact with the blaster. No matter what they said outside the doors, the rest of the team was trapped in a death sentence with her.

Ray wasn’t saying anything as if he could sense she didn’t want to talk, so Lily was left with her own thoughts. She thought about her life so far and all the things she wanted to do, but now never could be able to do because she hadn’t been careful. If only she hadn’t gotten so close to the first body and treated the victim with more caution, then she wouldn’t have received the static discharge and never would have contracted the virus. Now she was going to die and bring the whole plane down with a static discharge that would kill also Ray and Gideon and Zee and Rip and Nate.

After twenty minutes, Gideon approached the doors and told Lily that she couldn’t give up so easily. She had a drive to find a cure for this virus more than ever. Gideon said that she had faith in Lily that she could find a way to save herself. Ray had told her that he would help in anyway that he possibly could for her. Given she had around two hours to live, Lily figured it would be better to find ways that didn’t work rather than not trying at all.

Soon, Ray was giving her a delivery mechanism through some modifications to the lab doors so he could get her what she needed. “I think I have what you need.”

Lily didn’t say anything as he pushed the box over to her side and she took the taser-like device out.

“You know, it was a bit of a challenge to get that,” her best friend added. “It’s not exactly easy to find a mineralized solution that can suspend the vaccine and conduct electricity.”

“Could you not say vaccine?” she asked. “This is more of an anti-serum.”

She prepared her first attempt at the anti-serum as Ray watched through the glass. Her heart thudded against her chest, but Lily was able to keep her hands steady as she prepared the cure. Once she had the first trial loaded, she made her way over to the three rats that she and Ray had been allowed to bring on the Waverider. The one they’d named Manchego was the first one up.

“With the antibodies from the fireman’s brain cells,” she explained to Ray as though he was beside her and not on the other side of the doors. “The antigens of the virus can be targeted and neutralized, and that’s if alien viruses have antigens, but if they don’t-”

“Lily,” Ray said. “It’s okay. You’ll figure it out.”

She nodded and used the delivery device on Manchego. For a few tense seconds, she waited to see what would happen. Then there was a pulse of electricity, followed by the dead Manchego rising to hover in the air. Lily bit her lip and turned back towards the samples she’d gotten from the firefighters.

“At least we know one formula that doesn’t work?” Ray offered.

Zee approached the door of the briefing room quietly. Inside, Nate was leaning against the Holocom to watch the surveillance of Lily working in the lab. A concerned expression had taken over his facial features. He probably knew she was watching him, being the super spy and all, but was still holding her at an arm’s length.

“How come you aren’t down there?” Zee asked finally.

“They don’t need an audience or any more pressure,” Nate replied.

Zee nodded and prepared to leave.

“Zee, if you want, you can stay.”

She turned back around and entered the briefing room. “I hate seeing this. Lily’s my friend, and seeing her like this makes me feel-”

“Helpless?” Nate supplied, and she nodded. “I feel it too. I was hoping it would be a person all juiced up with superpowers. I wanted it to be someone I could fight head-on, someone that could be hurt or punished. At least then I could do something then.

Zee noticed his tone got darker as he kept talking, but then Nate sighed and shook his head. “Instead it’s a virus. It’s tiny and I can’t do anything to protect the team from it. I can’t see it or understand it. It makes me feel so useless.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it though,” Zee reminded him, crossing her arms.

“I know,” her SO nodded. “We just have to wait and get ready.”

A small chill ran down Zee’s spine. “What could we possibly get ready for?”

“For whatever it is that we are called upon to do,” Nate explained. “No matter what it is.”

She nodded her head and went back to watching Lily work on her cure. There was already one rat floating, so she had two more shots left at least at a cure. She approached a second rat and shocked it with something that looked like a taser. A few minutes passed and a smile started to creep across her face. Then there was a pulse of blue light, and Zee raised her hand to cover her mouth as the rat began to float up.

“I’ve been too hard on you,” Nate broke the silence between them. “Ever since Hewitt died.”

“Was wondering when you’d say something about that,” Zee muttered.

“I didn’t know how to handle being betrayed,” he told her. “I had no idea how everyone else would be reacting. I trusted you, then I didn’t want to trust you after you betrayed us. I didn’t want to see it as a mistake. I should have forgiven you sooner for it.”

“Got it,” Zee nodded. “So, you’re saying you see what I did now to be a mistake? What made you change your mind?”

“Because you showed you were truly loyal to SHIELD above Helix. If you were really loyal to Helix, you’d never have put that bracelet on, found a way to jam it, or run away from the team.”

“Is that what you would have done if you were a traitor?” Zee asked jokingly.

Nate chuckled lightly. “Something like that.”

Lily squeaked as she turned and saw one of Ray’s screwdrivers levitating in the air behind her before dropping to the ground.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Ray said from outside the doors. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Don’t,” Lily shook her head. “Just don’t, Ray. I see you checking your watch.”

“If you want, I could come in and help you out, make sure that this trial works and all.”

“I’m fine,” she snapped harsher than she intended to before grabbing the delivery mechanism. “Have you even made sure this thing works?”

Ray looked somewhat offended. “Of course it does, you’ve seen it! Besides, why would I give you something broken when your life in on the line. If anything, it’s your vaccine that’s not functioning…yet.”

“First off, it’s an anti-serum! And secondly, I’m wondering if you even calibrated this correctly.”

“It’s not the device.”

“How sure are you about that?”

“I know you’re upset, but you don’t have to take it out on me,” Ray retorted. “You were the one who wanted to see the world so much. You were safe in a non-mobile lab that was at a grounded SHIELD facility. Then Gideon came along and recruited us. You wanted to travel and have adventure, I said this was the perfect opportunity, and then we both decided to do it.”

“We should have listened to Smith,” Lily huffed. “He warned us it was a bad idea to take the offer when we told him we planned to.”

“I thought if it came to it, we could protect each other!”

“Protect each other?” Lily scoffed and shook her head. “How could we do that? We didn’t even pass our field assessments!”

Ray’s eyebrows knitted and he hesitated for a few seconds. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Well, it’s too late for that now!”

“No, I won’t believe that,” Ray shook his head again. “It’s been the two of us always. At the academy, at sci-ops, on this plane. You’ve been beside me the whole damn time, Lily. You’re one of the smartest people I know, you can fix this!”

Lily bit her lip and shook her head. “I-I don’t know.”

“No, you do! You just haven’t found-“

“I don’t know how!” she cried out, sniffling as she felt herself start to break. “The antibodies from the firefighters aren’t able to fight this virus. They aren’t strong enough because they didn’t have the time to develop enough immunity to an alien virus. I have nothing to create an antiserum from because there are no survivors from this aside from-”

“The Dominators,” Ray finished.

It was like the puzzle pieces arranged themselves into the big picture. Lily wiped her eyes and nodded. “The Dominator who wore the blaster had the virus and managed to be survive until the mass death-”

“-yet never emitted an electrostatic pulse because they were immune!” Ray started to smile.

“The alien who had it was immune,” Lily nodded. “They were just the carrier- the Typhoid Mary! Or Typhoid Dominator. That’s the key to this!”

“Maybe there’s some cells that can be scraped from the blaster since it was on its skin,” Ray said. “You can use those to generate a vaccine!”

“Anti-serum, but exactly,” she laughed. “Yeah, but I can’t get to them, I’m in quarantine!”

“I’ve got this,” Ray promised before he darted towards the staircase and ran up it. “Just hang on.”

Lily nodded to herself and exhaled slowly. She could do this. There was hope now. And even if it failed, she had a plan of what to do.

“Where is he- Ray, no!”

“Come back here with that!”

Ray ignored Nate and Gideon and kept running with the containment box that held the arm blaster. He had been apprehensive about having to transport the weapon after finding out that it had been responsible for the deaths of three people who had come into contact with it. However, he was all too grateful it was with them right now. This was what they needed to save Lily’s life.

As soon as he was down in the cargo bay, he pushed the code to open the lab doors up. Technically, the quarantine wasn’t supposed to be broken, but he didn’t care about that at the moment. Besides, the box was too big to put through the slot in the doors. As soon as he set it down, Lily whirled back around from where she was getting set up for the third trial.

“Ray, what are you doing?” she scolded. “You can’t be in here!”

“Too late now,” he replied, pulling on a pair of gloves. “Just…try to keep your hands off me.”

She cracked a smile. “Ray, are you sure about this?”

Ray nodded. “Of course I am. We’re going to do what we always do. We’re going to fix this- together.”

“Then let’s do it.”

Together they worked side by side, with Lily being careful to not make contact with him in any way. At some point, the rest of the team came down to observe their process. Ray barely paid attention to him. All he could think about was making sure that this attempt would be the one that saved her. Time was running out for Lily, so there was no room for error.

Finally, they had their cure. Ray loaded the cure into the delivery unit and passed it over to her. Through the window, he could see Zee chewing her thumbnail as she watched them. Lily reached into the cage and picked up the last rat, Cheddar.

“Third time’s the charm, right?” he murmured before she delivered the cure to the rat and set it back down in the wood shavings.

The two of them stepped back. Cheddar continued to wander about his little space, his nose sniffing the air. It looked like he was going to be okay. On the other side of the glass, Zee started to smile and Nate looked relieved. Ray looked over at Lily, who looked like she was about to start crying of happiness. They had actually managed to do it.

Then there was a flash of blue, and Cheddar joined Manchego and Gorgonzola in the air.

Everyone’s faces fell instantly.

“No,” Ray whispered.

Lily stepped away from him to walk toward the glass. Ray turned back to what they had done so far, his head down. Sound suddenly became muted to him. The normal hum of the electronics in the lab was dulled to his ears now. He faintly heard Lily requesting to Gideon to tell her father first so he could break the news to her mother.

This wasn’t something he could wrap his head around. He knew the facts that Lily was dying from an alien virus, but it didn’t make sense to him. She had been by his side for long now. They were brilliant on their own, but unstoppable together. It wasn’t fair that this was how it was ending. There was still so much more that she had wanted to do, that they had both wanted to do.

“Can I have a moment alone with Ray please?” Lily’s voice rang out, clear as a bell.

Ray felt himself snap from the haze. They could still pull this off perhaps. Maybe they could get this one right immediately.

“I think we can figure it out with one more try,” he said, taking what they had left of the third trial back to work with it. “Did you think the electrostatic pulse seemed lesser than with the other two? It looked that way to me. Maybe we just need to calibrate the antiserum a touch and we’ll have it.”

“You said antiserum,” Lily sniffled behind him. “You finally got it right.”

“Heh,” he chuckled. “Yeah, I did.”

“I’m sorry, Ray.”

Something struck him in the back of the head hard. He felt pain explode in the back of his head. Ray sunk down to the floor, feeling woozy. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was Lily standing over him, a fire extinguisher in her hands.

She had never wanted Ray to be around for this, but then he had forced his way into the lab to help her. Lily hadn’t wanted to do this to him. He was her best friend after all. Yet it was because he was her best friend that she had to do this. She would not let him be burdened with watching her die.

Letting the fire extinguisher drop to the floor, she walked to the lab doors and opened them. The rest of the team was still upstairs, probably waiting for Ray to call them back down. It hurt that she wouldn’t get to say goodbye to Zee or Gideon or Rip or Nate. At least they’d be safe though. None of them would have to put a bullet in her.

Lily walked past Lola as hot tears began to trace their way down her cheeks. Her hand reached out, tempted to touch the car Gideon loved in a small act of rebellion, but she pulled back at the last second. Instead, she just kept walking toward the control panel. She pressed the switch that would open the cargo door.

As it began to open, Lily knew she only had a minute or so before the team figured out what was going on and came running. She needed to be gone by then for their safety. Staring out at the blue sky and the puffy white clouds, the scientist gazed out at it as the buzzing in her ears grew louder. Even though the sky was beautiful, she wished it was nighttime. She would have liked to have died seeing the stars.

She walked to the edge of the ramp once it was down. Her legs shook as she neared the edge. By some force, Lily found herself looking behind her at the lab. Ray was awake now, trying to open the doors. He was screaming something at her as he tried to open them, but she couldn’t hear it. Seeing his distress and knowing he was about to see her die despite her best efforts made her cry more.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

Then the wind pulled her from the edge she stood upon.

So began the fall of Dr. Lily Stein.

Nate had been with Gideon and Rip in the briefing room when the alarms began to go off. Zee had taken refuge in her bunk after they’d gone upstairs to give the sunshine twins time to say goodbye. Gideon was refusing to speak to the head agent at the Sandbox and in the middle of giving Rip an excuse for why she couldn’t give an update when they all realized that the cargo bay doors were lowering. Nate had a feeling what was happening immediately and broke into a run towards the back of the plane. Any other mission would have seen him just leaving the poor soul to die, but he needed to look out for the team on this one.

He practically leapt down the stairs to the cargo bay. The doors were open and Ray was fumbling to get a parachute on while holding the taser-like device he and Lily had been using on the rats. The other half of the sunshine twins was nowhere in sight, confirming his thoughts on what Lily had done. At this point, Ray, a scientist with no experience in jumping with a parachute, wouldn’t be able to reach Lily in time.

“Ray!” Nate shouted as he ran over to him.

Ray looked back at him frantically. “She jumped! The cure worked but she jumped!”

Nate grabbed the parachute and the delivery mechanism from him. Quickly, he strapped it on before leaping out over the edge of the Waverider. Wind rushed past his face as he realized there was going to be no ground to land on. Not only was he going to have to save Lily, but also keep her alive until they got a rescue.

It took Lily ten seconds to realize she didn’t like falling.

As she hurtled towards the ocean beneath her, the buzzing kept growing louder. The Waverider was completely out of sight now. She wondered how much longer it would be before she finally succumbed to the virus. Would she be hovering in the air at spot where the pulse would leave her, or would she just hit the water? With a whimper at the thought of her impending death, Lily closed her eyes for a moment.

When she reopened them, Lily saw Nate shooting towards her. Once he finally reached her, she could see the delivery mechanism in his hand. He zapped her leg with it before grabbing onto her. Lily tried to scream for him to let her go, but then she noticed the buzzing was fading away. The cure had actually worked, although she felt a little sleepy now.

Nate pulled the parachute, and the two of them had their fall slowed. Lily wrapped her arms around him so she wouldn’t fall. He also adjusted his grip on her to ensure the same thing as a pulse left her body. Try as she might to stay awake, she passed out.

The water of the ocean hitting her face was what it took to wake her up.

Zee paced back and forth in her room. They had landed at the Sandbox about an hour ago. Lily and Nate had been fished out of the ocean by SHIELD agents and taken to the base for a medical evaluation, which both passed with flying colors. The two had been released back to the Waverider half an hour ago, but Gideon had taken them straight to her office first. Zee had heard her shouting briefly earlier.

She’d been staying with Ray ever since Lily had thrown herself out of the plane. The scientist had been an inconsolable mess until they received word from Nate that Lily had been given the cure and both of them were alive. After that, he’d been anxious to see her again. Zee couldn’t really fault him there. Even though she hadn’t known Lily for as long as Ray had, she still had a friendship with the other woman.

Finally, she heard something in the distance.

“Because I’m Agent Nate Heywood, and I jumped out of a plane without checking if my parachute was on properly,” Nate’s voice said in a mocking imitation of himself. “And my hair still looks good.”

Lily’s laughter drew Zee to leave her bunk and start down toward Gideon’s office. She walked toward Nate and Lily as the latter asked him how much product he was even putting in his hair. A smile cracked at Zee’s lips as she listened to their banter. As she came closer, Nate looked over Lily at her. The scientist turned around, noticing that they were no longer alone.

“Hey, Zee,” Lily greeted quietly.

Zee walked quickly towards her and embraced her. There was a slight noise of surprise from Lily before she hugged her back. Tears were pooling in the hacktivist’s eyes as she gripped her friend. She hadn’t spent very long on the plane or even in SHIELD, but she’d never felt a connection to so many people before. Lily, Ray, Gideon, Nate, and even Rip all had come to mean something to her and for the first time in years, she wasn’t afraid of caring for them.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Zee whispered. “Don’t do that to us again.”

Lily nodded against her. “I’ll try not to.”

“I was close to doing it-”

“I know you were.”

“I really was,” Ray nodded quickly as he gripped the pillow in his lap. “I mean- I had it all. The antiserum worked and there was a parachute. I just couldn’t get the straps on. I knew I should have taken that refresher session before we got on the plane.”

“Ray,” Lily put her hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“Although Nate does know what he’s doing, since he’s a specialist and all that,” he sighed. “He has more experience. He went all James Bond to get to you. I’m sure if I could have done that whole show for you.”

“Ray, stop talking.”

“Sorry,” he winced. “I was worried about you so much early and it’s still kind of in my system.”

“It’s okay,” Lily assured him. “Yes, Nate did something amazing while also incredibly risky. But the person who was by my side in the lab searching for a cure and running to get the Dominator blaster to me wasn’t him. Nate wasn’t the one who stayed and gave me hope when I was ready to give up. That was all you, Ray.”

He turned towards her. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “You’re the hero, Ray.”

“Thanks, Lily.”

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m going to head to bed. Good night.”

“Night,” he said as she left his bunk.

Once she was gone, Ray touched his cheek where Lily had kissed him and smiled.

#legends of tomorrow #agents of shield #legends of shield #aos au #gideon #rip hunter #lily stein #ray palmer #zari tomaz #nate heywood #fanfiction #au #raily

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renaroo · 7 years

Text

The Search (6/16)

Disclaimer: Red vs Blue and related characters are the property of Rooster Teeth. Warnings: Language, Canon-typical violence, Psychological manipulation and trauma Rating: T Synopsis: [Canon Divergence - Alternate S15] The Reds and Blues saved Chorus, but it has been a year and they are still missing. A motley crew has been gathered with the common goal of finding the war heroes, though the road is more troubled than anyone seems to realize.

A/N: Woohoo!!! Bringing it in three hours before it was too late. I’d almost be impressed with myself if I didn’t spend that time being disappointed that I procrastinated as much as I did lol Hope everyone enjoys the chapter! Hope you’re ready for some roller coasters of emotion : )

Special thanks to @secretlystephaniebrown, @scribbleboxfox, @cobaltqueen, @analiarvb, LostOneHero, Yin, MKDemigodZ-Warrior, JP, RiverDelta, and @notatroll7 for the comments and feedback!

Implementing a Plan

The moment it was certain that Washington and Junior were in the clear, Carolina went into action.

It didn’t matter who their attackers were, but it was certainly apparent when she took them by surprise from the side that they were not trained soldiers. At least not the vast majority of them.

Even without utilizing her speed boost, she was able to maneuver through the group — five of them in total — with the momentum of one hit leading her into the next. One solid kick took out the first gunman then, as the second whirled around to get off a shot, she caught his rifle by the barrel and pushed it up to the sky as he pulled the trigger.

When the man recoiled, Carolina shoved the rifle in her grip, causing the butt of it to smack him in his unguarded face twice before he went down to the ground.

Still holding onto the gun, Carolina flipped over the dropped man, pushing off his shoulders to land a mule kick on the next prisoner who was beginning to turn toward her. Just as she landed over him, she cocked the gun and fired into the next man’s shoulder, sending him stumbling back.

Then the last dropped his gun and held up his hands, which Carolina ignored in favor of punching him directly in the face.

She took a breath and planted her landing, throwing the unfamiliar rifle away to the side.

All in a day’s work.

“Editorial note: the combat prowess of Agent Carolina is… suitably impressive.”

Immediately shaken from her thoughts, Carolina whirled around. “What?” She then sat eyes on two sets of white armor. “Andrews? Grey? What are you doing off the ship?”

“Oh, shit, were we not supposed to leave?” Kai asked, drawing Carolina’s attention to her inclusion in their group. Which… brought up many, many questions since Carolina probably should have seen the obnoxiously bright yellow armor in the corner of her eye first. “Nobody told me the rules. It’s Wash’s fault. He’s the one who’s supposed to know all the laws.”

Carolina’s mouth opened slightly but words failed her until she remembered the ship in the equation. “Who is watching the ship if all three of you are here?” she demanded.

“FILSS said she’s got this,” Kai shrugged.

Well, it was difficult for the Freelancer to think of anyone more suitable for such a job than an AI when their options on the team were… somewhat limited.

“None of you need to be here in open combat!” Carolina snapped instead.

“Pfft,” Kai shrugged. “I’ve got a gun. I just don’t use it. Well, not in that way.”

“Excuse you, Agent Carolina,” Doctor Grey bristled. “I would argue that other than you and Agent Washington, no one in this group has more experience in true combat than I, as a medical physician during a planet wide civil war, have.”

Taking a breath, Carolina accepted the women’s arguments and let her gaze instead fall on Dylan Andrews.

The reporter was taking notes before realizing all eyes were on her, then she looked up slowly and glanced from side to side before clearing her throat.

“Ahem,” she coughed. “I’m a reporter.”

“That’s not a trump card for every situation,” Carolina informed her.

“It’s worked on this adventure so far,” Andrews pointed out.

Grey crossed her arms and rolled her head back. “I would hardly call what happened back on the Charon ship working, Miss Andrews. And it certainly hasn’t worked to endear you to anyone on this crew.”

“I kinda like her,” Kai piped up.

“You like everyone,” Grey argued.

“Uh… nuh-uh,” Kai scoffed in return.

“You like everyone but cops and Agent Washington,” Grey sighed.

“Which are the same thing but yeah duh,” Kai crossed her arms. “But he’s getting better. I mean he gets scary sometimes when he’s angry and stuff, but it’s not really at me anymore. Usually at things like the coffee maker and the sink and the bathroom not having toilet paper.”

“All things you caused, L’il Grif,” Carolina pointed out.

“Yeah, but he didn’t know that,” Kai snorted. “Which is, like, the best part.”

Finding herself already getting sucked into the moment, Carolina shook her head to bring herself back to reality. “None of this matters,” she argued. “You three need to get back to the ship and let Wash and I handle whatever mess Junior has gotten us into.” She then remembered Wash and Junior and walked over toward the edge of the building to peer down below where Wash and Junior had taken cover.

She wasn’t entirely sure what she had been expecting, but seeing Washington literally putting his hands on his hips and enthusiastically scolding the young alien managed to both catch her by surprise and provide monumental relief.

Carolina reached for her sidearms and glanced back to the others, seeing that cooler heads were not the winners for much longer.

“Doctor Grey,” Carolina called, getting the Chorusian’s attention quickly. “Are any of these guys our mysterious lieutenant or should we move on and find what we can further on?”

“Oh! Very good thought, Carolina!” Grey said in quick cheer, a completely different tone than just before. She hurried over to Carolina’s side and hummed loudly while looking over the available unconscious prisoners. “Oh, my. These men are rather malnourished… And many of them have healing bruises and wounds — they have been having a tough go of it for some time.”

“Abandoned by the UNSC, left to fight for supplies and necessities among each other and who knows what else,” Andrews said, aiming her tablet toward the unconscious men as Grey carefully removed helmets and examined their faces. “This gets deeper and deeper.”

“That’s what he said,” Kai called out excitedly. She waited for a pregnant pause before stomping down her foot. “Oh, c’mon, the one time Baby Alien Fucker isn’t here to say it!” She looked around and then pointed at Carolina. “Dude! Carolina! Washington said you have the same shade of gray armor that Tucker does.”

“Not… exactly,” Carolina tried fruitlessly to defend.

“You have to say the thing in his place,” Kai demanded. “C’mon! Say the thing, it was too good of one to not let it be said!”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Carolina just glared back at Kaikaina. “Li’l Grif, I have said it before, and was told to never say it again. By Tucker,” Carolina said firmly.

“It’s true! I bore testament to it,” Grey said, standing back up again. “It was quite the awkward moment! We all barely survived the pursuing moments.”

Kai crossed her arms in mimic of Carolina. “Say it.”

“No,” Carolina refused.

“It’s your responsibility! C’mon!” Kai crooned. “She said this gets deeper and deeper. Then I said that’s what he said. That’s when you say…”

All three of the other women looked at Carolina expectantly. There was an absurd amount of pressure Carolina felt in their gazes.

“Bow chicka…bow wow,” she got out.

“YES! SCORE!” Kaikaina cried out in a cheer, going so far as to jump up with her arms raised.

Doctor Grey was even laughing, putting a gentle hand against her chest. “Ah, that brings back memories.”

Despite herself, Carolina cracked a smile in the relative safety of behind her mask. “It does feel… better hearing it out loud again after so long.”

“That’s what she said,” Kai tried.

“You’re overdoing it,” Carolina warned.

“Aw, fine,” Kai sighed with a flip of her wrist.

Andrews looked around at all of them before lowering her tablet. “I have no idea what’s happening right now. I’m not sure I even like it. Or that I care.”

“Well, it is kinda like a taco stand up here right now. It’s gonna depend on your preference for the ps or the vs,” Kai shrugged.

“What,” Andrews responded flatly.

“Don’t worry about it, Dylan,” Carolina assured the reporter before waving them all forward. She could see in the periphery that Wash was waving down to them. “We need to get moving. Doctor Grey, did you see anyone who could be our guy?”

“No, unfortunately,” Grey huffed. “It all looks like this was one big entrapment.”

“After we blew our cover back with Charon, of course it is,” Andrews replied as they followed Carolina. “These are not idiots we’re currently dealing with. They’re professionals. And they needed us to stop looking in the right places.”

“Oh, the right places such as where you got us into a trap and almost killed,” Grey retorted.

“They obviously caught wind of us not because of me but because of recognizing the two of you, or maybe the stolen ship that entered the port—“

Kai followed at a leisurely pace, arms crossed behind her helmet. “Shit. Things are hard to follow when everyone’s angry and yelling. Hey, Carolina, are we closer to finding everyone?”

The truth was, as much as it frustrated her and as much as she hated it, Carolina didn’t know.

Still, it didn’t keep her from saying what they all needed to hear in the moment. “Yes,” she answered. “Yes we are.”

Once they were down to Wash and Junior’s level, Carolina met with her fellow Freelancer and crossed her arms. “What can you tell me from down here? The shooters were left behind prisoners. None of them was our guy.”

“Well, after I informed Junior that one more betrayal of our agreement is going to get him sent back on a pod toward the nearest Sangheilli Embassy,” Wash said, bothering to look enough back toward Junior that the alien snarled and muttered as he looked away from Wash’s gaze, “we found a map layout of the floor level of this facility.”

Carolina tilted her head. “What? Really? Wait, what does that even mean?”

“It’s like… a mall directory for some reason,” Wash said, walking them over to the large sign standing in the middle of the large prison hall. “The cell blocks were color coded by level of danger and access.”

“That’s convenient,” Grey hummed, studying the map. “Hmm. Yes. Okay. Memorized it.”

“Good work, Emily,” Carolina said with a nod.

“Wait, you can memorize it just by looking at it?” Andrews asked critically. “Are you being serious right now?”

“Of course,” Grey responded, tilting up her chin. “I’m one of the foremost intellects of the planet—“

“Ladies, ladies,” Carolina said, holding up her hands. “You’re both pretty and intelligent. And I appreciate you being parts of the team. Now kiss and make up.”

“Holy shit, really? I knew this was going to be a great backdrop for a prison exploitation porno,” Kai laughed, looking around. “Gotta admit, though, a bit more plot in this than I usually like.”

“Wait what,” Wash said flatly.

Andrews and Grey, however, seemed to mark Carolina’s words with quite a bit more reverence. Both rubbing at their shoulders and looking down awkwardly before finally daring to face each other again.

“You’re… quite extraordinary,” Andrews started. “Just already from all the intelligence I’ve seen you use and all the things I’ve read since I first learned your name and started frantically googling your name in order to cross reference all the outrageous claims you’ve been making about your multiple doctoral theses… I shouldn’t doubt your intelligence. It’s proven itself. And pretty much saved our lives as much as Agent Carolina’s kicks back on the Charon ship.”

“Thank you,” Grey replied before clearing her throat. “You are an excellent and sharp reporter who is being very selfless in the name of finding the truth and helping to tell our story when all is said and done. I’ve been following your work for quite a while now and you live up to the hype.” She then shrugged. “And I suppose my extraordinary photographic memory isn’t that impressive when we’re dealing with a giant multilevel schematic which is perfectly color coded. It helps make it much easier to remember that cell block B for the first twenty-three and one third rows are orange compared to the green counterparts in cell block H—“

“Whoa! There’s orange on here?” Kai asked, racing up to the map and scouring the diagram for herself.

Carolina raised a brow at the younger woman. “Li’l Grif… you can’t tell the difference between colors. Just take our word for it.”

“Please, what advantages do colors give you for perspective?” Kai waved her off.

“I hear it’s plenty useful helping you remember what side of a color coded war you’re on,” Washington replied dryly.

“Hey, cop, you’re a fucking asshole and you make fun of me again I’ll show you how quickly I can make a shiv out of a sucker stick,” Kai warned before looking at the map again. “Besides, I’ve spent, like, my whole effing life memorizing all twenty-six shades of gray that are absolutely necessary to fake out your driving test dude into giving you a license after a hand job. And I can tell you, none of these places on the map are as important as this one.”

She then pointed directly at the infirmary in the map.

“What do you mean?” Carolina asked.

“Duh, there are laws about making things translate well for all disabilities, so if something’s stupid important it’s going to be noticeable even to a high school dropout who joined the military to find her big brother,” she retorted. “All the other grays are basically the same but this one stands out.”

“Well, of course an infirmary will be important,” Grey responded before stiffening slightly and holding up a finger. “Ah… ah… AH! EUREKA!” she cried out shrilly.

“What is it?” Wash asked.

“Medical records! They should be able to tell us who has been here regardless of anything else. We can determine if this was a false lead by verifying that the lieutenant was ever here or not, and perhaps see if we can find any more connections to Chorus or a pattern of movement for Charon facilities. One is bound to have the Reds and Blues, after all,” Grey spoke so quickly even Carolina nearly had trouble keeping pace.

Perking up, Carolina looked to Washington and found the same apprehensive encouragement they had shared the night before. Her gaze fell back onto Emily.

“That’s helpful,” she said. “And anything will be better than leaving this day with nothing. So let’s get moving.”

There was no argument heard from that and they soon began swiftly, though cautiously, following Doctor Grey’s directions to the infirmary.

While it was total bullcrap that they weren’t giving her enough praise for her contributions to the team, Kaikaina was absolutely rocking it in her own mind for using her color blindness to perfection. She even carried the content feeling in a little skip added to her walk.

Everyone else was on edge, but Kai had just gotten the exact words she needed to stop worrying about it all:

Her brother and friends were still alive. They were closer to finding them.

Already more than content with those facts, Kai could hardly worry about the way Wash and Carolina kept their guns up and aimed for the shadows surrounding them. Or how Grey was worriedly muttering under her breath as she led them through the maze-like facility.

Heck. She could hardly be worried about the fact that Junior was some little kid basically out of control causing all the problems when they landed. Or that she still didn’t trust the news lady because yuck fake news.

She was going to find Dexter and their friends and they were going to kick anyone’s butt who tried to stop them from there.

Once they arrived at their destination, however, Kai found herself met with a grim, horrifying reality though.

This prison smelled like shit.

“Oh my god why’s this sell like a crust vag?” she demanded.

“Wait what,” Wash said, looking over his shoulder at her.

“Maybe the sewers have backed up without treatment or maintenance in so long,” Carolina determined.

Junior honked and slapped both his hands over his nostrils to keep the smell out, which had never made Kaikaina more grateful for wearing her full head helmet for once.

“It smells more like decay,” Andrews said, looking around. “It’s possible — with the condition those men we saw were in — that there are some dead among those who had been left behind.”

Humming, Doctor Grey neared a large door with a H in a circle. “I must agree with Miss Andrews. We are certainly dealing with a scent of decay. But the true question is what exactly would be decaying.”

“You guys know what dead bodies smell like?” Kai asked critically. “Shitfire, I understand why knowing what fragrant vaginas smell like but that’s normal. What’re you guys doing with your time to smell bodies? Like, gross, double-you tee eff.”

“We’re in the military!” Wash snapped at her critically. “We all have smelled a dead body before.”

“I’m in the military, I’ve never shot a gun,” Kai countered. “Well, not my gun at least.”

“Bow chicka honk honk.”

Throwing her head back, Kaikaina roared with laughter. “Fuck yeah, li’l dude, that’s what I’ve been waiting for all day!”

“Li’l Grif, stay quiet for a minute,” Carolina ordered, nearing the door with Grey.

Annoyed, Kai crossed her arms and huffed while Washington looked unreasonably smug.

“Can you get us in?” Carolina asked. “Seems sealed.”

“It is, I’m afraid,” Grey replied, pulling out a drive. “Fortunately, I foresaw technical difficulties and asked for a direct line to our new friend just in case.”

“The infirmary being sealed could be proper procedure for a shutdown like this,” Andrews mused, coming up behind the other two women. “But it doesn’t make sense why the remaining inmates haven’t done more to break in. You would assume that the supplies inside would be invaluable to their survival after all of this.”

“Very astute observations, Miss Andrews,” Grey said civilly.

Kai’s eyes rolled back and she groaned. “Ugh, it was more interesting when they were just honest and hated each other.”

“Private Grif,” Wash snapped.

“What? I value honesty, and you know I’m saying the truth,” Kai defended, hand on her chest.

Doctor Grey seemed to be expertly ignoring them, fiddling with the passcode lock of the door before sticking in the drive. “Sorry to bother you so quickly, FILSS, but I’m afraid we’ve already ran into something of a snag.”

“I’m happy to assist those working the preserve the remaining successes of Project Freelancer like Agent Carolina and Agent Washington!” the AI responded cheerfully.

“Again, thank you so much,” Grey replied sweetly before getting back up straight and standing in front of the doors like the rest of them. They were very interested in moving things forward.

Kai sure as hell knew she was. Moving forward meant moving toward Grif. And he was her primary motivator in most things at the end of the day.

It seemed like it only took FILSS seconds after Doctor Grey plugged her in to turn all the lights surrounding the door on, making the room a slightly brighter gray before a hiss of air escaped and the doors began to slide open.

Everyone stood at the ready at first, but then within seconds, every one of their group recoiled back from the room as the atrocious smell hit them. Kai stumbled back, almost getting sick in her stomach as she coughed for air and steadied herself by grabbing her knees. Everyone else either stepped away or waved the air in front of their helmets away only to stop all at once.

Kai looked up just as Washington grabbed Junior’s shoulders and spun him around to face the other direction despite the younger’s protesting chatter.

“Oh my god,” Andrews said, nearly dropping her notes.

Shocked, Kaikaina kept staring at what should have been an infirmary but was, instead, a brightly lit surgeon’s room, caked in brown stain and flies, bodies stacked on the floor around a strange table-like chair where a rotting corpse sat underneath some hideous instrument with multiple arm-like appendages ending in various medical tools. She had never seen anything like it before in her life. Her stomach churned with it.

“What the fuck — who walked onto the Hostel set?” she screeched, breaking the silence.

“They… left people to be… experimented on,” Doctor Grey concluded, still holding her hands over her helmet filter as if to stifle the smell as much as she could. “The men who were left back there were never meant to survive to begin with. But… what were they attempting to— ah. Agent Carolina, if you could please tilt the man in the chair’s head down and check the back of his head — I cannot help but notice that the… others have the same unusual close shave on the back of their heads regardless of style—“

“Shit,” Washington murmured before turning around himself, and pulling Junior along as he walked away from the room.

Concerned, Kai watched as Wash passed her. “Wash?”

“Not now, Private Grif,” he muttered, almost sounding dazed.

Kai stood her ground for a moment and then looked to the rest of the group. Carolina was doing as Doctor Grey had asked and let out a snarl.

“Damn it,” Carolina cursed. “These are… low-grade implants. Neural netting is fried to shit — a hack job. This guy didn’t have a chance getting out of the chair.”

“That smell isn’t simply decay, it’s burnt skin and hair,” Grey concluded with a genuinely saddened tone.

“Doctor Grey, what was the name of our mystery man again?” Andrews asked, walking over to the table near the operating chair. “They seem to have a list here of patients. All with x’s. Could save us time trying to hack into the computer.”

“Yes, of course,” Grey said absently. “His name was Lieutenant Bartholomew Husk. Federation Army of Chorus—“

“He’s here,” Andrews said, walking over to Grey with Carolina, handing over the clipboard. “I’m sorry. He has an x. When he managed to somehow make it off of Chorus he must have been intercepted by a Charon ship. To keep him quiet they sent him here, and I suppose if that wasn’t enough to satisfy Chairman Hargrove…”

Grey looked down on the list, shaking her head. “I wonder how many others we assumed dead after leaving the planet were taken unawares by that awful, horrid man…”

Knowing that they were going beyond her at that point, Kai cleared her throat to get the other women’s attentions. “Hey, this is fun and all, but how’s this help us find my Big Bro and the others?”

“It gives us an idea of what they were aiming to do here, Li’l Grif. That’s important,” Carolina explained.

“And what the hell was that?” Kai demanded. “Burn their brains out?”

“To use their successful AI implant augmentation to whatever ends they were unable to with these unfortunate prisoners of the UNSC,” Grey explained. “And to be frank, yours, Agent Carolina’s, and Agent Washington’s would be just as valuable to them now that we understand what their interests are.”

“Successful AI implantation… the crown jewel of what Project Freelancer was trying to make,” Andrews said almost in thought.

Kai glanced back toward where Wash went with Junior. “What about Washington?”

Carolina grew stiffer. “This was probably a difficult scene for him,” she admitted finally. “His implantation… wasn’t all that successful either. Leave him alone for now. For now what we need to do is find more clues as to where to go next.” She turned toward Andrews and Grey. “Ladies, have any ideas? See anywhere we can give FILSS access?”

As they talked, Kaikaina knew she wasn’t going to be of much help. There weren’t any color coded signs or anything. So she went back to what she did best — ignoring orders and hijacking things.

Name, hijacking whatever Junior was trying to do to pull Agent Washington out of his weird, stony stare down the hallway. A stare that never went well with someone who was also holding a rifle in their hands. Like yikes.

“Hey, what’s up?” Kai asked, coming up to Washington.

“Not now, Private,” he said lowly.

She glanced back to the infirmary and then toward Washington. “Was it the smell? It’s okay if you throw up, I heard our helmets can filter it out.”

“That’s not true,” Washington said, still staring.

Junior was clicking his tongue rapidly, looking around the building as if trying to see something that Washington wasn’t seeing. Kaikaina hadn’t seen or gotten much action since she had joined the military, truth be told. But she knew enough from being around everyone else that Junior was too young and too pure to see whatever it was Wash was looking at in the distance.

“Carolina said that room might give you mad mojo so… sorry if it did that,” Kai offered quietly. “If I knew it was going to upset you, I’d nevera pointed it out on the map thing.”

“It’s going to get us closer to putting pieces together, Kaikaina,” he said, finally looking away from the hallway to stare at her instead. Almost as creepy as him staring down the hallway, honestly. “That’s thanks to you.”

“Hey, you used my name,” Kai said with a smirk. “You comfortable in a prison, cop?”

“Quite the opposite,” Washington replied. “I’ve been in one too many already thanks to Hargrove—“

“Holy shit you did hard time?” she asked, impressed.

“The… hardest time,” Wash exhaled sharply. “It was… difficult.”

“Well, no shit, Sherlock, it’s prison,” she snorted in return. “So that why you freaking out?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I’m… What’s going on back there — what we found in that room. If it’s what I think it was… then they may be trying to do to the Reds and Blues what was done to me.”

“Go to prison?” Kai asked. “Because Dex already did, like, fifteen minutes of it once on Sidewinder. he told me about it. Changed him, he said. But I dunno how since he was still fat and full of reasons to yell at me.”

“I’m trying to be serious here,” he snapped in frustration.

“So am I! It’s my fucking brother we’re talking about and you’re freaking me out!” she yelled at him. “What’re you saying’s gonna happen if they do to them what they did to you? Is it gonna hurt them or something?”

Washington shook his head. “I don’t know. That’s why I’m concerned! That’s why… if it is then I will personally rip Hargrove in half. Because what was done to me… I was supposed to make damn sure it never happened to anyone else.”

By the time Washington finished his snarl, Kaikaina was covering her mouth, eyes tearing up under helmet. She let out a choked sob. “So it’s really bad. We came here to find answers and they’re really bad,” she concluded, voice growing more hysterical.

“What…” he turned to her directly. “No, Private… Li’l Grif… Kaikaina, don’t cry. We’re going to get them back, and we’re going to make anyone who hurts them pay.”

Choking on all the emotions she had been feeling since the second she had seen the broadcast, Kai curled forward and continued to cry, unable to breathe more than through a few heaves. “I don’t want payback, I just want Dexter safe. I just want him safe. He’s the only family I have. All of them are the only family I’ve had and I haven’t even seen them for years—“

Kaikaina couldn’t wipe away her tears with her helmet on and her vision was blurred well beyond seeing. But she could feel when Washington wrapped arms around her shoulders and pulled her in against his chest, chin resting on the top of her helmet.

He didn’t say anything, and Kai was glad. She sniffed and coughed and went through all the motions instead.

She was so tired of finding hope only for it to be dashed again. They all were.

#writing #rvb fic #RvB: The Search #Agent Carolina #Kaikaina Grif #Dylan Andrews #Emily Grey #Agent Washington #Tucker Junior

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missnicolealways · 7 years

Text

Cataclysm ~ Chp 1-3

Chapter 1 Year 2470

Shaeden woke up with her face in the book she was reading. She loved to read. Reading anything from old fantasy novels to botany books; and at a phenomenal rate. She could get through seven to nine books in one week. Some of it is research for her position in Raven Rock while others were simply for pleasure. She had always been different from everyone else in everything she did.

Shaeden was one of the predecessors, a rare person in their society. There were only three predecessors in all of the bunker. There was the one they called the Elder, Shaeden’s mentor, and a younger boy named Colt.

As babies are born they get an initial shot of Radcon. Every once in a while, the Radcon not only boosts the immune system to deflect radiation but also gives the host an extra ability to learn at an increased rate. There has never been more than three people alive with the extra ability at any given time. The council had decided a long time ago to separate the predecessors out from normal education and allow a freer range of development. The Elder was always the one to share the stories of before the cataclysm and it was Shaeden’s job to remember all the details about the Crust. When the time comes for people to rebirth onto the Crust the vast knowledge of the past from predecessors is what will help them regain a solid foundation.

Shaeden found herself alone in the library, which was one of the biggest spots in the bunker. The library held all sorts of old books and art. It was open to the public at all times since the council wanted everyone to have access to educational materials from the past. Most knowledge shared within Raven Rock was digital. Messages from the council as well as newly written articles could always be easily found but with a bit more maneuvering there was a vast amount of digital information to access.

Her tablet beeped twice and then the recording played as it does every day, “Good afternoon Shaeden, it is your time for reflection. Thank you.”

Most of the population used smart contact lens instead of a tablet, but Shaeden liked the ability to have it in her hands instead of in her head. She got up and began heading to the reflection room. This was really an hour block of time where you are exposed to strong UV lights to keep the population’s vitamin D up. After research, they also found that the time spent meditating helped develop the hardwiring of your brain to allow for a smoother, easier flow of thoughts.

Shaeden turned out of the library and headed for the elevators. Reflection is on the first-floor closet to the Crust. Also on the first floor was agriculture, where all of the plants were grown as well as a fish hatchery and chickens. Everyone played a role here at Raven Rock and no matter your bloodline you could aim to be in just about any position you wanted. Of course, there was a balance system but you can constantly update your list of desired positions as they became available.

The Administration consisted of two platforms of power. First there was the Descendants of the President; it was believed that without their guidance we would not be alive today. The other half of the Administration were common everyday people. The spot to hold a position on the Council rotated among those who chose to put their name in the Elected Box. The drawings were held every six months as to maintain a constant flow of new ideas. They would pick names one by one until that box was empty, at which point they would move on to the second box. There were only two boxes, one they drew from and one placed in the library, where you could enter your name. The Council consisted of seven people with a minimum age of 23.

Shaeden’s thoughts were like a spider web where she would weave different thoughts together until the web was complete. This made her and excellent problem solver. As she entered the reflection room she walked over to her number, which was digitally displayed on her tablet and also on the ground under where the UV light hung. The room looked like sun spots in neatly lined rows. It held over four hundred spots which were in constant hourly rotation with five minutes in-between. Once you got used to where your spot was it became easier to achieve the five-minute goal.

Shaeden sat directly center of her sun spot and crossed her legs. She liked to begin in a meditation stance and then would rotate to lying down on her front and then back. The last five minutes she always spent stretching with her eyes closed reaching up to the light as if it were the sun. Shaeden stood tall with average body weight, and long red hair that ran down her back. Her face was pretty and always gave off a kind expression. Her eyes are what drew people in though; they were stark aqua blue. Many people didn’t talk to her, but those who did knew how her smile lit up her whole face.

Shaeden’s reflection time was right before supper. The Café, with its long wooden tables, would fill up quickly as soon as food was served. At times, the roar of four thousand voices could be deafening when all she wanted to do was eat in peace. Food was line style where you would pick up your premade plate and head to whatever seat you would like. She made her way to her friends. Her current problem to solve for the Council was how to make some new clothing designs. Ideally the outfit would require sleeves and pants that can be easily removed for reflection. Maybe if I can talk to agriculture, possibly up the hemp plants just for a while. Of course, they would need to take the space from some other crop. Her thoughts rambled on.

“Shae!” Shaeden looked up at the call of her nickname. With a smile, her thoughts receded as she approached her friends. “Shae, did you hear that Thorn got promoted into the sentinel?!” Iris exclaimed.

Iris was the chattiest in the group, she always knew the gossip. Iris was beautiful with deep brunette hair that fell into curls and eyes that were light grey. The others in the small group were Camilla and Autumn. Twins as fate would find it. Twins were the only exception to the one baby rule. They looked almost identical but Shaeden could always tell the difference. They went through different phases where they wanted to look nothing like the other but always came back to wanting to be the cute twins. Their skin was smooth and dark like cocoa and they had elegant facial structure. Currently they both had their hair cut short; they had heard gossip from Iris that you absorbed more vitamin D this way.

“No, I didn’t hear about Thorn. That is wonderful for him!” Shaeden replied. She and Thorn had grown up together. They were best friends all through childhood. I wonder why he didn’t come and tell me himself. Then again, we haven’t talked in quite a while, Shaeden thought.

Iris watched her, waiting for some kind of expression to expose how Shaeden felt about the whole thing. After a minute of realizing she couldn’t break Shae’s bubble Iris began to chatter off again. “Yeah, anyways, he is looking more and more attractive each year.” Poking more at Shaeden. Still no reaction. “But you know who else is in guard that I would love to have some one on one time with? Hawke!” Iris giggled with the twins. Iris went on chatting and they all tried to stay interested but it seemed like she could go on for hours.

“The yearly dance is coming up for the Den”, Iris stated.

The Den was a slang term for Raven Rock. Seemed to roll off the tongue easier. “I have already started scraping up materials to make my dress breathtaking.” Iris works in the sewing section of the clothing center. So, it seemed like she always had the best dress. Camila and Autumn then chimed in about their ideas for their dress. Shaeden tuned them out mostly since she never tried to be the most fashionable or one to stand out. Being a predecessor did that for her.

The Midnight Ball was the name for the special event that took place once a year. It was a chance for people to dress up and mingle together. The council implemented the idea shortly after coming to Raven Rock. The ball was a way to not only encourage happiness in a bleak situation but it also allowed people to meet others that may not share their schedule. They also used this as a way to form families, and pushed the fact that it was each individuals’ responsibility to have a child. Once a vow was taken, they would move you to the family living quarters. You would be fully encouraged to have a child. Once someone says their vows then they are partners for life.

After dinner Shaeden set out to go see her father and grandmother. All three of them lived in separate single living quarters. Each living quarter consisted of a small center area that could comfortably fit four people; a small bedroom with a bed and dresser off to the side, and a bathroom. Families got an extra bedroom and slightly larger living quarters.

Shaeden and her father always met at her grandmother’s and visited for about thirty minutes each day. Most families tried to stay connected and all of them generally assembled in the living space of the oldest relative. Shaeden could see her father up ahead waiting for her in a small corner, same as always. A smile found its way onto Shaeden’s face. she loved to spend time with her father and grandmother. Once her mom passed away, family time was something they found time for every day.

“Hey Buttercup!” Steele said.

“Hey Dad!” Shaeden responded. Steele was tall and toned. He had short chestnut hair that was speckled with grey, and light blue eyes.

“I spent my day studying worms. How about you?”

“The council still has me working on a better design for everyday clothing. Something breathable and light but strong.” Shaeden replied with a sigh. “I thought about talking with agriculture to see what plant options we might have, but hemp seems to be the most viable option right now.”

“Well, we have a pretty strong group of silk worms. I almost have them modified to create the thickest, toughest silk yet. Maybe that’s something you could use?” Steele proclaimed as he and Shaeden walked down the hall toward the elderly living area. Most people worked until death, usually ending in a position as teacher or trainer. However, some people lose the physical ability to continue working.

“Worms - now that could be a great small source of materials.” Shaeden said smiling up at her dad.

“Exactly! We can breed them at a quick rate until we have a steady source. They produce copious amounts within a twenty-four-hour period.” Steel readily volunteered information to help as they strode up to Luna’s door.

“I will draw up some thoughts tomorrow.” Shaeden said as she knocked on the door.

“Good evening Sugar!” Luna exclaimed as she hugged Shaeden.

“Hey grandma.” Shaeden responded with a smile

“So good to see you Steele.” Luna said holding a big smile on her face the whole time. “This is my favorite time of day!” Luna was thin and short. She had white hair and golden eyes. Luna was Rosalean’s mom; Shaeden’s late mother. Steele had easily been adopted by Luna about 30 years ago, when Rosalean and he had gotten married.

Their conversation included new knowledge from the day and each other’s thoughts on the most recent news. Luna always had some sort of cookie or little cake that she had probably held on to from dinner. Raven Rock did not have a strict food policy and no one ever went hungry. Each living quarters had a cabinet for snacks or quick morning breakfast bars. If someone did not show up for work or dinner one of the ‘cheer’ nurses would come and visit with a hot meal. If you were found sick they would then sign you up for daily meals to be delivered as well as medicine depending on the severity of the sickness. If you were found too sick to be alone, you would then be taken to the sanitarium where further evaluations would take place.

As their conversations drew to a close, hugs were exchanged before Steele and Shaeden headed off to separate cabins. Living quarters were arranged by marital status and age. Only a couple of things could make you have to change living quarters. At eighteen you got assigned a room; having a family got you moved to the family section, and getting old or sick beyond work got you moved to the assisted living. Shaeden finally made it to her door, went inside and dressed for bed. Around seven pm the lights changed from a bright white, to soft yellow. Eventually, around nine pm the same lights turned a soft blue which faded to black as the bed registered the change in body heat. The light settings could also be modified on your tablet. As she was sprawling out in her bed she looked around at the standard room. The walls were a soft green color and her dresser was made of canvas drawers in a metal frame. The lights dimmed to blue and Shaeden turned onto her side as she fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 2

“Good morning, Thorn. The time is now seven am.” The lights slowly brightened to a soft blue. Thorn turned over and gently stretched his muscles awake. He sat up with his legs over the bed. He slowly rolled his head in a circle to stretch his neck. Thorn was tall with sandy blonde hair and soft caramel colored eyes. He had broad shoulders and muscle that showed he worked out. It was normal for Thorn to be stopped by many ‘damsels in distress’. Thorn was a part of the sentinel. The sentinel was the top group of the guard. The guard was the eyes and ears of Raven Rock. The guard ensured peace inside the walls whereas the sentinel focused on the outside of the walls and on special missions. Thorn was currently assigned to a new unit that was being trained an array of new skills. Those who did not make it through training became eliminated and would go back to regular guard duty.

As Thorn stood up he watched the tiles on the ground. As his feet touched the floor the tiles lit up to a light green. Thorn smiled, watching his steps never got old. The tiles in Raven Rock were kinetic energy tiles. The tiles absorbed the energy from each step taken by all of the populous. That was just one of the ways energy was sustained in Raven Rock. The beds also had heat absorbers to turn natural body heat into electricity. Over decades the scientists and some of the sentinel came up with a way to deploy the solar panels that had been built with the bunker. Raven Rock was also equipped with geothermal technology, so energy came directly from the Earth’s core. The bunker was also located on an underwater aquafer from which they drew some hydraulic power; but mainly it was their clean water supply.

Thorn walked over to his tablet and swiped it up onto the wall in the living area. Okay, daily schedule. Reflection this morning after breakfast then down to the sentinel headquarters. Thorn thought as he switched over to the news; Nothing different, he noticed as he scrolled through the feed. He turned and went into the bathroom to prepare for the day. Lastly, he put in his bionic contact lenses and his schedule settled into the top left corner of his vision. The lenses were customizable; slide shows of your family, the day’s food menu, your individual schedule, and articles were just a few things you could view while walking.

After dressing and grabbing a quick breakfast bar, Thorn was out the door and on his way to reflection. The Den was made up of eight floors. The top floor belonged to food and agriculture as well as reflection time. The second floor was where all meals were prepared and where the dining hall was, as well as a large auditorium where the rare play may be held or speakers come and try to educate others in their field, also called ‘recruiting meetings’ by the teens at Raven Rock.

The third floor held ‘centers’, which is where individuals would go work to contribute in their own way to Raven Rock’s survival. Clothing, small kitchens for food experiments, and computer monitoring were just a few centers held in the Den. The descendants and council also met on this level in one of the larger sections with multiple rooms. Many people had to no idea what was down those hallways.

On the fourth floor, there were classrooms for the children and the library. Study sessions also took place on this floor, so there were multiple empty research rooms in rows, for free use, anytime. The fifth and sixth floor contained the living quarters as well as a great room, equipped with cards, board games, and puzzles, among other things, for groups of friends to play. Both floors also had a gym with an array of equipment. Challenging exercises like rock climbing or balancing on a tight rope were Thorn’s favorite; although they had trampolines and basketball as well.

On the seventh floor were the labs and the sanitarium. In the labs, various scientists, normally in the top of their field, came together to fix energy problems, water issues, agricultural dilemmas, and experiment on new medicines. Most of the sentinel remained on the third floor but there was also a significant presence of them around the labs.

The eighth floor was reserved for the water chemist and evacuation. It was the strongest section of the bunker, in case of earthquakes or some other natural disaster. The water chemists ensure that clean water is always filtered through Raven Rock for human use. Water recycled from showers and sinks drained into a vat that would then clean the water for reuse on plants, among other things.

As Thorn entered reflection and headed toward his circle. He caught Iris out of the corner of his eye. She was waving at him with the biggest smile she could present. She seemed to be making it a point to talk to him more. He mainly kept to himself except for a couple guy friends. He managed to make it to his spot without being stopped and he pushed up his sleeves and pant legs to expose more skin to the sun. Thorn sat leaning back on his arms with his legs out in front of him as he closed his eyes to meditate.

“Thorn,” Iris said as she nudged him back to reality. It didn’t happen often but on occasion Thorn got trapped in his pondering. He opened his eyes in a casual way as if he meant to sit a bit longer than others.

“Iris,” he responded coolly. Her face turned into a smile.

“Just making sure you weren’t getting lost,” She said flirtatiously. “I heard you got a promotion, I would like to personally say, congratulations!”

“Thank you,” Thorn said as he stood up. “I’m not really sure of all the details yet but I’ll be glad to learn new things”

“Yeah, I always try to learn new things when I make clothing. Learning how to cut fabric, or if green really can go with blue.” Iris stood there looking up to the ceiling as if she was thinking, maybe, a bit too hard. The next group of people were entering for their reflection time. An automatic device sprayed the mat, down under the light, to eliminate any germs from being transferred.

“Well, I have to get to my next station, so I’ll see ya later.” Thorn stated to Iris and then headed out the door toward the elevators. Once inside he hit the number seven.

“Please place your eye before the senor to verify your identity.” Thorn looked into the blue light as it scanned his eyeball up and down.

“Access granted. Welcome back Thorn.” The automated computer system, Ava, ran most of the electronic interactions. Thorn stepped out on to level seven. The seventh floor was made of many hallways with doors, but the walls were a pleasant yellow and well decorated.

“Ava, please give me directions to my assignment,” Thorn said aloud. Ava could respond to requests on tablets or contacts. His top left schedule quickly changed to a map with a light red line indicating which corner should be taken next. Thorn arrived to sentinel lab 2311 and opened the door. He was greeted with smiles and hellos and he reacted accordingly.

“Alright guys, let’s get down to business now that the tardy person has finally showed up.” Ivy stated with a smile. Ivy was the instructor of the group. She was beautiful with long straight black hair and a sleek body type. Everyone took their seats and quietly awaited todays lesson. “Today we will be experimenting with fire. We will observe many plants burning and test to see if the smoke gives us any clues as to what type of plant it is. Also, we have come up with some new designs to ignite fire in almost any situation.”

Thorn was interested. He always enjoyed learning new things and it didn’t hurt that Ivy was the one teaching him. With the thought of learning new things, he was steadily reminded of Shaeden. She had taught him just about everything growing up and tutored him regularly so he could stay in the top of his class. Her father, Steele, had taught Thorn that it was okay to seek knowledge as a man, even though his own late father would constantly remind him of the opposite. Staring into the fire as plant after plant was burned he still couldn’t keep his thoughts far from Shaeden. She never did congratulate me, but I guess it only fair since I was the one to end communication, Thorn thought. Thinking of Shaeden only made him want to go see her more but he also took his position very seriously and having both did not seem like a viable option.

“Alright! This is the part I have looked forward to all day. Alden, could I please insist you be my volunteer for this next demonstration,” Ivy said.

“Absolutely,” Alden quickly responded. Ivy took out a large glass tank and filled it with water from the hose that came to the lab.

Ivy pulled out what looked like a small pack of paper. “These are matches. You may have heard of them from your history classes but they are the most efficient and reliable form of fire ever since the nineteen hundreds.” She opened the fold, “This is a standard pack. It comes with twenty-two individual matches.” She pulled out a box from the drawer of her desk and began passing the matches out for everyone to look at. “Okay. So, take the pack and break off a match. These matches are waterproof and today we will see if we can even light them underwater.” Ivy went on with the demonstration. Also, allowing everyone to light their own match. The match did light under the water. But for a shorter amount of time. She explained how matches were not made with the same material back then and how no one could light a fire in the rain. Rain… like a big shower. I can’t even imagine, Thorn thought as he tried to picture the earth and rain falling down on it.

Class came to a close and Ivy was sure to get all of the matches back. Thorn was the last one left cleaning up when Cedar walked through the door. “Ivy, listen to me, please,” Cedar said before noticing Thorn was still there. Cedar was one of the top agricultural scientists in the Den. As soon as he saw Thorn he uttered, “I’m so sorry, I did not see you there.” Cedar was lanky with brunette hair that looked like it may need to be cut by someone soon or it would be covering his eyes. He was a very kind-hearted man.

“No problem, just finishing cleaning up,” Thorn stated as he stood up and headed toward the door. “Have a good evening” he said with a small wave. As soon as he was out the door Cedar began to plea with Ivy, but Thorn had no interest in hearing other people’s problems.

Thorn headed to the dining hall for his dinner. Lunch had been brought to them in class but for dinner he would not be so lucky. The council insisted everyone eat as many meals as possible together so the community would form a strong bond. With this relationship in place with neighbors, the crime rates remained low. There are always troublemakers, but the more you know the person next to you the less you want to harm or take anything from them.

Thorn headed through the line and grabbed his plate. He saw his friend Flint sitting and talking with a group of the guard. “There is the man of the week,” Flint said. “How is class? No one is being a bully yet are they? Or are you the bully?” Thorn and the guys laughed. They all knew Thorn could not talk about classified information.

Flint was a doctor’s assistant in the sanitarium where they treated deeper problems than just the flu. He was tall with dark hair and dark eyes. Some of the guys went on to talk about the troublemakers they found that day. Most of the time they were under the age of 18. After dinner and a couple laughs Thorn said his goodbyes and headed out. He was on his way to the library to do some assigned research, when he saw Shaeden up ahead. Her face was buried in a book, which made Thorn grin. Well, there is no avoiding her this time, Thorn thought. He was not one to jump and dodge a situation should it occur.

Shaeden looked up and caught Thorn in her sight. Her breath got caught in her throat. Thorn smiled, “Hey Shaeden, how are you?”

“I am good.” Their walking came to a stop when they met in the middle of the hallway. “How are you? I heard about your promotion, congratulations!” Shaeden responded earnestly with a smile.

“Thank you. I’m just excited to be doing something different. Learning new things.” Thorn answered.

“Learning was always your favorite,” Shaeden grinned.

“Hey, listen, I’ve been thinking about the past a lot recently…”, Thorn stopped short as the alarms started to go off, which was a sign for the people to evacuate to the eighth floor. There was no one around them, not many people frequented the library and classes were out. It was just the reverberating sound of the alarm ringing off the walls. Thorn instinctively grabbed Shaeden’s hand and started to run. The earth was growling. It was an earthquake. And from the sound of it one of the largest ones since Shaeden and Thorn had been alive. As they ran down the hall chunks of rock fell from the ceiling. Some pieces so big it was almost like the bunker was trying to fall apart.

Thorn kept dodging rocks and leading them toward the stairs. Shaeden began to slow as the situation started to overwhelm her thoughts. She stopped and let go of Thorn’s hand for just a second. Thorn’s reflexes were incredible but not quick enough. He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her to his chest. The large rock was faster than Thorn’s pull and landed on Shaeden’s leg. She screamed in pain as the rock pinned her leg to the floor.

“I won’t leave you Shae, it’s going to be ok.” Thorn started to push at the rock until he was finally able to flip it off of Shaeden’s leg. Her leg looked bloody and the bruise was already starting to show. Thorn grabbed her up into his arms and continued to the stairs. Thorn’s mind was racing for a plan B, the stairs were still several halls down.

Shaeden looked up at Thorn, “in lab D4 there is a sound proof room for study purposes. It’s also a really strong, well-padded room.” Thorn nodded and ran toward the lab. The alarms were causing a thumping pain in Shaeden’s head as she tried everything to distract herself from it. She began to hum.

Thorn could see the pain writhed on Shaeden’s face. This was a sensory overload for her and he knew it. They reached the lab and as quick as Thorn opened the door, they were in and the door was sealed back behind them. The alarms sounded like faded waves in comparison. Thorn took this opportunity to look at Shaeden’s leg. It was most likely broken.

“We are going to be fine, let’s just wait it out in here and as soon as I get notice I will take you to see a doctor.” Shaeden had no energy to do anything but nod in response to Thorn’s words.

Chapter 3

Part of the council sat at the computer main frame as they focused on bringing power back to all of Raven Rock, and recovering any injured. They knew there would need to be clean up which was another thing the guards did for the complex.

“We need to find Shaeden. Colt and the Elder are accounted for but Shaeden is not to be found. Since she insists, on not wearing contacts, meaning we cannot key in her location.” Jay, one of the current powers from the Eden Descendant line, was well aware of how important Shaeden was for Raven Rock. To lose a predecessor is to lose a whole line of memories. Not to mention a waste of incredible abilities. The Eden family all stood tall with a fit figure. Black hair and deep green eyes that would give away their bloodline any day.

“We will find her Jay, she was on her way from the library so she probably found a safe place on that level.” Alaric responded with a cool tone. Alaric was a member of the council, but he also worked with the descendants personally.

They left the message lines open so the population could contact the mainframe and check in as safe. As power was manually turned back on, floor by floor, more and more green dots showed up next to a large list of names on the far wall. The list had the names of everyone in Raven Rock.

“Ok, sending power to the fourth floor now,” said Chip. Chip was one of the best computer technicians in the Den. “I think I may have something over here!” Jay rushed over. It was Thorn and he was carrying Shaeden. She looked injured and in need of attention.

“Send in an emergency response team now.” Jay grabbed the microphone. “Broadcast me to the fourth floor,” he said with a quick glimpse to Chip. With a few buttons pushed he was on the fourth-floor speakers. “Thorn, help is on the way!”

Keep up to date with whole chapters and previous chapters at nicolegrobmyer.com

I will post a chapter or two a week until it is all released on my website. let me know what you think of my work.

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