#like kit is louder about it but jade is right there with her | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

corinneecrivaine · 1 month

Text

The Day You Healed My Soul.

Chapter 6

Between Past and Present

Sapphic Romance Fanfiction

Main characters Kit and Jade (Willow 2022)

A soft morning light gently awoke Kit from her daydreams, lulled by memories of Emma that still permeated every corner of her room. She got up, leaving her notebook on the bedside table, preparing for her new day. However, the events of the previous day had unsettled her, subtly manifesting themselves in her every hesitant gesture and the troubled look she furtively caught in the mirror.

Arriving at the restaurant, she exchanged a shy smile with Jade before plunging into work. The day passed between services and cocktails, complicit exchanges and glances that spoke louder than words.

Jade mentioned Boorman's invitation.

— Ready for tonight? she asked.

Kit hesitated, her eyes reflecting a deep uncertainty. Going to this party represented a confrontation with her complex emotions and with the spark that was growing inside her, a spark named Jade. She let out a sigh before answering.

— I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to come.

But Jade persisted.

— And missing the Boorman parties that the whole island is talking about, impossible. (She put her hand on her friend's shoulder.) It'll just be a chance to have some fun. We can go together if you like.

Although the idea of being at this party filled her with apprehension, she finally agreed.

The hour drew near. When she opened the door, Jade's sparkling eyes awakened a glimmer of wonder in her. A mutual attraction captured in their knowing glances settled in. Although still reserved, Kit took a deep breath, preparing herself to face the life that continued to unfold around her.

Once there, the two friends found themselves immersed in a magical, enchanting atmosphere. Strings of lights surrounding the façade of Boorman's warehouse projected their dancing glow onto Jade's sparkling dress, making her even more seductive. At her side, wearing elegant black canvas pants and a navy-blue silk blouse, Kit radiated an aura of mystery and charm.

The mystical sound of musical notes, at times soft and melodious, at others percussive, combined with the enchanting scent of jasmine, carried by a gentle breeze, overwhelmed Kit with a sense of fulfillment.

The two friends were mingling with guests dressed in extravagant outfits, when Boorman, as eccentric as ever, swapping his paint-splattered vest for a psychedelic jacket, matching pants and fancy jewelry, joined them. His eyes widened with an enthusiastic smile.

— You look radiant !

Jade looked at him and replied with mischief.

— Thanks Boorman, but don't go overboard..

He placed a hand over his heart dramatically

— You make a magnificent couple.

Slightly embarrassed, Kit quickly retorted.

— We're friends.

Just then, a female voice, full of excitement, rang out in the distance.

— Jade !!!

Elora radiated unreal beauty. Dressed in white pants that harmoniously emphasized her gait, matched with a lace bustier. The lines and sophisticated cut of her outfit highlighted her natural grace, caressed by magic. Her face lit up with a radiant smile, she rushed to embrace her friend. In a burst of joy, Jade made the introductions.

— Elora, let me introduce you to Kit.

Kit smiled warmly.

— Kit, this is Elora, the island's pastry magician and our invaluable baker. She's our bread supplier.

— Ladies, I don't want to interrupt this wonderful sentimental moment, but if you'd like to head over to the buffet. Boorman exclaimed, spreading his arms wide, revealing the hearty dishes just waiting to be savored.

— Great idea, I'm starving. Said Elora enthusiastically.

Kit discovered a buffet of a thousand colors, pyramids of exotic fruits, alongside rivers of melted chocolate flowing down gourmet fountains, and veritable edible sculptures with heavenly names. A variety of seafood dishes, refreshing and phosphorescent cocktails.

— You're right, Jade, Boorman doesn't do things by halves !

Jade picked up a skewer of delicately grilled seafood and handed it to Kit.

— Here, taste this.

An explosion of flavors caressed every taste bud on her tongue, between the salty sensations and the tenderness of the grilled, spicy seafood. Kit felt transported into an ocean of delights. Her gaze met Jade's, creating a silent sensory connection between the two young women.

— Little did I know that behind this eccentric being was a famous cook.

Elora hurried to reply to Kit.

— Oh no, it wasn't Boorman who prepared all these dishes, but his friend and my baker : Lori.

Kit smiled before answering.

— In any case, this Lori seems to be an artist in the kitchen. It seems like every dish is an edible work of art. And you, Elora, what's your specialty ?

Elora laughed softly.

— My pastries. They have a fairytale touch, especially my muffins.

Jade couldn't help but intervene and add mischievously.

— You're very modest, Elora. Lori didn't cook all by himself, and the names of each preparation are rightfully yours.

Embarrassed, the young woman changed the subject.

— Welcome Kit to our enchanted world. Let yourself get lost in the magic that surrounds you.

Just then, a young man arrived, with casual elegance and a mischievous smile. He adjusted his jacket slightly, looked at Kit with an air of curiosity and declared in a soft, melodious voice.

— If magic hasn't enchanted you yet, Princess, perhaps a poetic melody might remedy that.

As he spoke, he approached Kit and curtsied, placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

— May I introduce myself : Graydon.

The young woman was taken aback by the man's long black hair flowing wildly around his face, and his beard accentuating his neat, elegant appearance, making him a man from a bygone era. He wore a dark suit with a white satin shirt. His vest, adorned with fleur-de-lis motifs, and a fine silk scarf accentuated his aristocratic style.

Elora smiled and answered Kit with a touch of humor.

— I don't know why, but he always thinks he's a prince from ancient times. (She turned gracefully to Graydon) My princely poet. she said before kissing him.

Graydon answered her lovingly.

— You radiate elegance, my love. I love it when you wear those refined pants and bustier. They enhance the sparkle in your eyes and your natural charm.

Exasperated, Jade retorted.

— We're going for a walk. she said, before walking away with Kit.

The two friends let themselves be carried away by the bewitching magic of the party, lost in the enchantment of a crowd vibrating to the rhythm of the music. The intoxicating phosphorescent drinks projected a verdant glow, reminiscent of fireflies dancing in the middle of the night in an enchanted forest. With every sip, a fruity explosion of exotic flavors ignited the palate. Every smile exchanged, every silence shared, forged a deepening emotional bond. Kit felt the weight of her emotions intensify, crescendoing, passionate, as she shared moments with Jade. Their eyes met, reflecting a glimmer of complicit tenderness.

A little later in the evening, everyone gathered around a campfire whose golden flames mingled with the blue of the starry night. Graydon played his flute, accompanied by local musicians improvising a gentle melody. The air was charged with aromas, a mixture of wood-fire smoke, the salty scent of the ocean and incense fragrances evoking a sense of mystery. The sea breeze gently caressed each member of the group, soothing them. Scorpia had joined them, snuggled up against Boorman, her eyes fixed on Kit.

As everyone was lulled to sleep by the music, Boorman took a deep breath and shared a few words with Kit.

— Graydon's parents have run the island's most famous family distillery for generations. They look forward to Graydon taking over.

— What does Graydon want to do ? Kit asked curiously.

Boorman smiles, delicately holding a cup of tea infused with local herbs.

— Well, he prefers to write poetry and play music. His grandmother used to say that music is a balm for the soul. He finds fulfillment in the arts, unlike the conventional family business.

Kit's face darkened slightly, her thoughts unconsciously wandering to Emma. She sighed before asking.

— Is it so difficult for him to reconcile his artistic aspirations with his family's expectations ?

Boorman shrugged his shoulders.

— I guess it's a daily struggle he has to face between his obligations and his choices.

Kit nodded and inhaled deeply, enjoying the sea breeze and the warmth of the campfire. She saw in Graydon's story her own emotional struggle.

The music gently stopped and the musicians put down their instruments. Scorpia turned to Elora.

— Why don't you tell us the story of the island's guardian.

Everyone cheered her heartily.

— Ok. A long time ago, a man seeking redemption for all his past deeds was lost at sea. Alone on his boat, doomed to certain death, he was drawn by a distant call. The benevolent spirits, protectors of the island and nature, had just saved his life. Discovering the beauty of this place, he let himself be guided by the songs in every tree, every leaf, every trickle of the waves.

Considered a living link between magic and the inhabitants, he became the island's guardian. Some say he's always there, his spirit linked to this enchanted place. In quiet moments in the middle of the night, it's possible to hear his whispers in the sound of the wind. Others claim to have seen lights guiding lost souls.

Lori arrived just then, and as she joined the group, he added.

— As much as this island has a bright, salvific side, it also has a side that will engulf anyone in the abyss of their soul.

Scorpia angrily stormed off.

— Damn it, Lori, you just ruined the mood !

But Lori insisted.

— Come on, Scorpia, don't tell me you've never felt there was something sinister going on.

Scorpia shook her head.

— No, I don't feel anything like that. This place is a source of healing and peace. That's all that matters to me.

— Fine, think what you like. But everyone knows that there can be no paradise without its dark side. This is the duality of all existing things. Shadow cannot exist without light.

To ease the tension, Boorman stood up and invited everyone to follow him.

— My faithful friends, it's time to honor our tradition of wishing lanterns.

He led them to a place where piles of lanterns twinkled like will-o'-the-wisps.

Jade, whose face was bathed in the soft light of a lantern, shared with Kit the secrets of this enchanted custom.

— It's an ancient tradition. We write our wish on this small parchment and place it in this lantern. We release it into the sky, and the universe makes it come true. Here, your turn.

She handed Kit a small piece of parchment and a lantern. The latter hesitated, skeptical at the idea, and murmured.

— A wish... Between the possible and the imaginary.

Enthralled by the mystique of the moment, Jade urged her friend to accept.

— You do have one wish, Kit. Everybody's got a wish.

— After all, we're on a magical island. she replied with a smile.

Kit took the small piece of parchment and the lantern and set off on her adventure. As she wrote her wish, it seemed to her that this intimate gesture carried meaning, as if each word placed on that small piece of parchment simultaneously connected her to Emma and freed her from her suffering.

As they launched their lanterns together, watching their ascent until they disappeared into the starry background, Kit, her eyes riveted on her wish, let a slightly melancholy thought turn to Emma.

Graydon roused them from their reverie by wrapping his arms around both of them, and with a big smile, shared the existence of a mystical presence at the party.

— Ladies, would you be up for an escapade into mystical territory ? A reliable source tells me that the island's most exceptional adventure teller is attending the party.

Kit and Jade exchanged glances. Without giving them time to react, Graydon led them through the crowd, directing their attention to a small, secluded tent. The red sails danced in the night breeze, giving off a subdued glow.

Before leaving them, he spoke passionately.

— Ready to let yourself be guided through the twists and turns of spiritualism ?

— I think when it comes to magic, or whatever you want to call it, I'll be fine. Kit replied dryly.

But Jade, her eyes sparkling with excitement, was no longer listening to her friend.

— Absolutely, Graydon, we're ready. she says excitedly.

She ignored Kit's skeptical look and headed for the little tent. Kit sighed before following her, murmuring to herself, "You look too much like Emma, Jade."

Graydon left them, winking and smiling.

Inside, an enigmatic woman awaited them, seated at a small round table draped in a white velvet veil, on which rested various esoteric tools. Her hands, gloved with fine black lace, were clasped in front of her, and her mysterious allure was accentuated by a long, dark cloak that concealed most of her body. Her untidy, deep-black hair framed her face with indiscernible features, concealed by the flickering light of the candles on the table.

With a graceful wave of her hand, she invited the two friends to sit down. The young women complied, looking at each other in silence before taking their seats.

The fortune-teller gently took each woman's hand, her gloved fingers gliding tenderly over their skin. Despite the aura of mystery that surrounded her, this woman seemed imbued with benevolence. When she spoke, her soft, melodious voice echoed in their minds.

Whispering, she said :

— Together, we'll explore the depths of your soul, where your most secret aspirations and deepest fears reside. I invite you to surrender to this experience, to let go and trust the process. Be open and honest with yourself.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to harmonize her own vibrations with those of Kit and Jade. After a few seconds, she lifted her eyelids and stared at the two friends, but her attention was particularly focused on Kit.

— There are so many shadows in your Kit eyes, the past intertwined with the present, both linked by a strong pain in your soul, a burden you can no longer carry or hide behind that bandage.

Kit shivered at the words, the candlelight flickering to the rhythm of her anxious heart. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked:

— Who are you, anyway ? How do you know my name and what do you know of my pain ?

Preoccupied by what she had just heard and her friend's reaction, Jade gently placed a comforting hand on her arm while whispering softly :

— It's all right, Kit.

The fortune-teller smiled slightly at Jade's reaction, then took a deep breath before answering Kit.

— I am the messenger of the past and the present. I see beyond appearances and feel the soul's deepest emotions. Your pain is so visible in your aura, a suffering that has haunted you for far too long. What remains is an absence, a love, both unfinished. Your father knew the secrets of this island. Your beloved Emma left you a flame that consumes you.

The words struck Kit like an icy punch to the soul. Her heart raced, sweeping away any attempt at inner calm. Not knowing what to think or feel, between anger, sadness and perhaps hope. She tried to conceal her emotions, but the tone of her voice betrayed her when she asked :

— My father... What do you know about my father ?

Stunned by the evolution of the session, as she became aware of the intense pain linked to this absent father tormenting her friend's soul, Jade tightened her embrace on Kit's arm to show her presence and support, addressing her with a look of solicitude.

The fortune-teller continued to address Kit in a soft, soothing voice.

— Explore this island, Kit, discover its mysteries, dive deep into your soul. It's time to release those emotions and thoughts that hold you back. Don't be afraid of what you might discover, for it's in exploring your deepest truths that you'll find peace.

Caught up in rage, a storm of fury swirling inside her, Kit stood up abruptly.

— That's enough!!! She exclaimed as she left.

Jade turned back to the fortune-teller, her face marked by concern.

— Sorry.

But before she could leave the room, the mysterious woman called out to her.

— You were destined to meet in this place, Jade. Your destinies are intimately linked.

*******

Overwhelmed by her emotions, Kit decided to isolate herself, and as she walked through the drunken, joyful crowd, she felt a mysterious call that guided her towards Boorman's warehouse.

As she explored this unusual place, a temple of heaps of objects, each stranger than the last, the lights flickered, creating dancing shadows on each shelf. Her footsteps led her to the motorcycle. She turned to Emma.

— What am I doing here, Emma ? I don't know what to think, what to feel.

She placed her hand on the motorcycle seat, closed her eyes and let the silence wash over her.

Suddenly, a presence at her side broke the stillness of her thoughts. Kit reopened her eyes and saw a shadow approaching her. For a brief moment, she thought she saw Emma's face, but as the figure took shape, she realized it was Jade. Jade gave her a sympathetic look.

— I'm... I'm sorry, Kit, about what happened at the seance. she murmured tenderly.

But as her friend remained silent, looking back at the bike, Jade tried to soften the situation.

— Are you going to restore it ?

Kit took a deep breath and nodded her head.

— I can’t.

— Kit, accepting Boorman's offer doesn't mean you'll betray Emma's memory. (She paused before adding.) Do you think she would have wanted you to stop living ?

— What do you know about what she would have liked or not ! You don't know her !

— Kit, listen to me, I...

Jade tried to calm her down, but Kit, her fists clenched, took a deep breath, her emotions still bubbling up inside her, and cut the conversation short.

— Coming here was a terrible mistake !

She left, leaving Jade alone, silent, meditating on what had just happened.

When the young woman returned to her group of friends, Scorpia couldn't help but intervene when she saw her sister's sad face.

— Where is she ? Scorpia asked sharply.

— Stop it, I have neither the desire nor the strength to argue with you. Jade replied in exasperation.

In order to calm the tension between the two sisters, Elora addressed Jade gently.

— Come with me.

She pulled her away from her sister and began to question her.

— What happened ?

— I hurt Kit's feelings unintentionally by mentioning Emma. She locked herself in her anger. she replied sadly.

Elora took her hands.

— It's painful for her, caught between her past emotions and the present. Find her. Just tell her you're sorry. I don't think her anger is directed at you, but rather at herself.

*******

Kit walked along the moonlit beach, seeking some solitude to soothe her spirit. She gazed at the horizon, where the stars, twinkling on the surface of the ocean, lulled her soul with the gentle melody of the waves. The solitude and contemplation of this natural immensity were for her a refuge from the emotional storm that overwhelmed her. When she turned her head, her gaze met that of Jade, motionless, a few yards away. Without a word, a torrent of emotions passed between them. The gentle breeze caressed their faces and accompanied Jade's footsteps, an echo of tenderness vibrating in the air of that magical night.

She stopped beside Kit, their eyes gazing at each other. She spoke tenderly.

— I'm sorry Kit, I didn't mean to hurt you. I know how hard it is for you, this suffering you're going through.

Jade gently took her hand. Kit shivered involuntarily at the touch and, against all expectations, welcomed the gesture by tightening her fingers around Jade's.

— I'm sorry, Jade, for getting so carried away. I don't know how to deal with all this, my emotions, my pain.

— You don't have to face it alone.

Kit smiled slightly, then let herself go against Jade. The two women remained silent, lulled by the gentle melody of the waves. Their heartbeats were in tune, and a feeling of peace washed over them. The moon illuminated their silhouettes. They remained entwined, enjoying the moment.

*******

Alone at home, Kit couldn't get the fortune-teller's words out of her head. Sitting on her bed, she tried to understand the meaning of her words.

She murmured to herself, "What connection could my father have with this island ?"

Just then, she plunged her hand into the cover of her notebook and pulled out a photo of Emma. As she looked at the portrait, she thought back to the vision of the warehouse.

« Were you really there ? This place is driving me crazy. »

She thought, overwhelmed by a mixture of confusion and apprehension.

2 notes · View notes

jerrienelock · 3 years

Text

Colours- Perrie Edwards

Colourless, dreary, dull.

The words that describe the life of someone who hasn't found their soulmate. Having to see the world in a greyscale when those who have found theirs could bask in the beauty of the pulsating colourful scenery that the world ever so kindly left them to admire- nature showing off their bright vibrant greens, oceanic blues and violent reds.

Perrie was one of those people- soulmateless and only seeing the world through a black and white picture printed on an old newspaper. Her dream was, is and forever will be to see the world in those precious beautiful colours that everyone gloats about.

"That's red."- Leigh-Anne shakes her head at the blonde who had picked up a red crayon instead of a blue.

Perrie throws her head back in annoyance, stomping her foot slightly on the ground. Although the girl couldn't necessarily see colour, she had taken it up to try and at least denote what colour connotes to which grey she could see, with the help from both Leigh-Anne and Jade but it just wasn't working, she would ask Jesy but the brunette was never straightforward as to what she could see- one second it would be colour and she would drone on about the faint greens and the mystic blues of a butterfly that would flutter by, and the next she would complain about how miserable life is looking at the same blank canvas every day for the last twenty-nine years. Perrie had a feeling that the girl just didn't want anyone to know the truth about what she could see- that maybe her colours were different to Jade and Leigh-Anne's or that the thought of her maybe not having a soulmate simply drowning her in her own fantasy of what she dreams it will look like.

Although Perrie appreciated the fact that her friends were trying their best to teach her, it was just so infuriating how the blonde had trouble to grasp which was which- they all were so similar and she felt like giving up each time. It was just a small thing to help prepare her for when she is faced with the actual thing.

Leigh-Anne shuffles the small crayons back into their pack, sending the blonde a sympathetic look. -"We'll continue tomorrow, let's get to hair and makeup."

Leigh-Anne puts the pack to one side and the two head off to the makeup room, where Jade was just pushing herself out of the chair that laid neatly in front of a mirror. Perrie smiles at her bandmate watching as Jade flicks her hair back while throwing a wink at the two.

Perrie takes her seat in the lone chair- resting her back flat against the backside. The room looked so empty, now that it was just the three of them in the band. Since the departure of Jesy, she had felt like she lost a piece of her. Though they were all still good friends with Jesy, it was just still so unusual for the group to carry on as a trio, but just the thought of abandoning the mixers because of Jesy leaving left an unwanted sense of guilt and sadness bellowing at the pit of her belly. At least Jesy will be out there in the audience supporting their first tour as a three.

Adam, the makeup artist appears behind Perrie and flicks through his makeup kit- in search of the perfect shade of lipstick for the blonde, an earth red colour that brought out the natural pink of her cheeks. He proceeds to coat the girl's lips in it, before swiftly moving on to dash some foundation and concealer onto her cheeks and forehead.

All throughout the process, the blonde just stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes drifting over her various different shades of grey her features proudly sported. Her eyes were the lightest of them all, just barely winning against her hair. She hoped that whatever colour they were to be, it would be something nice- like the colour blue that Jade seems to fawn over whenever she talks to the blonde.

Adam pulls Perrie's head down slightly, -"Close your eyes really quickly."

Perrie does as told and she can just barely feel the touch of the bristles on the makeup brush travelling across her closed eyes in a swift formation. As soon as Adam takes the brush away, Perrie peaks her eyes open.

"What's the colour?"- She questions peering at the makeup artist beneath her barely open eyes. Adam continues to apply the eyeshadow, running the brush delicately over the top of the blondes eyelid.

"Pink" He smiles, -"With a hint of red."

"Can you describe it?"

He ponders for a moment, -"Well the pink is lighter than the red and it blends so smoothly with it. It makes your eyes pop."

"I can't wait to see it for myself."- Perrie smiles cheerfully, allowing the man to finish her off so he can move on to do Leigh-Anne before the first act finishes. -"Who knows. Maybe it'll happen during the concert."

Adam laughs turning to get the makeup he uses on Leigh-Anne out.

Soon the hair and makeup were done and the three girls were ushered to the platform where they'll be descended up onto the stage.

They get ready in their starting stance and the platform starts to lift allowing the muffled cheers and music to get louder and louder.

The first show of the tour so far was a blast for three, the ecstatic screams of the fans each fueling them with adrenaline and dopamine that would last for days on end.

But still, there was no sign of any colour for Perrie- sure she was beginning to doubt she'd ever see colour despite the arena being filled with thousands and thousands of people that could potentially be her soulmate, but she didn't let that push her mood down as she still had more than enough time to find them.

The trio had just finished their second to the last song, and Leigh-Anne was busy beginning to introduce the final song of the show.

"Now this is a song that feeds the message about you feeling good about yourself." Leigh-Anne smiles, her voice echoing through the loudspeakers. -"No matter the size you are, no matter how look..."

Perrie scans the rows of cheerful fans down in the pit, still listening intently to the words her bandmate was saying to introduce the song. Perrie continues to scan the rows of audiences of different heights, shapes and sizes and different tones of grey.

And then the starry dull colour of the world faded- replaced with bright vibrant rays of colour- that she couldn't recognise for her life- that burst through every gap in the audience in front of her. The lights above shone clear dancing over the arena. Perrie's heart thumped hard as the realisation of what was happening hits her.

"Oh my god."- She yells in excitement disrupting Leigh-Anne's cheery speech. Both Jade and Leigh-Anne turn to the blonde confused, -"Colour."- Perrie continues to yell turning to grab hold of Jade, shaking her, -"I can see colour!"

Tears brim in her eyes as she then proceeds to engulf the small brunette in a hug that lifts the girl off her feet. -"This is amazing!"- Perrie cheers dropping Jade onto the ground before shifting her attention to admire everything. -"But I guess the lessons we had been having weren't working out, none of these colours I can put a name to."- She frowns.

"We'll teach you."- Leigh-Anne reassures the girl, -"But right now, that's the least of your worries. You just found your freaking soulmate!"

"Oh no."- Perrie freezes her gaze darting back out into the direction where her colour first came to. -"I just found them, but I don't know who they are."

Panic starts to surround her and she tries to place who she looked at, but she just couldn't remember- the excitement about the whole ordeal had blurred out the placement of them.

Slowly the vibrant colours she had been able to see for the first time in her life, starts to dull and she sprints towards the edge of the stage in frantic. She had barely even had the time to bask in the beauty of the moment and it already was coming to an end. Worry and tears cloud her vision as she tries her hardest to find her soulmate.

"Perrie!"- An all too familiar voice shouts frantic off to the side of the stage. Instantly her head snaps to the side where Jesy is seen in the audience waving and pointing to you next to her. Your eyes wide not believing anything happening at that moment.

Perrie hurriedly runs over to you and Jesy, slipping off the stage carefully not to injure herself due to the height of it and into the gap where the security guards are. Perrie looks at you and gasps- the slowly greying world bursting out into colour for the second time that night.

"I found you!"- She pulls you into a hug over the metal barricade, she buries her head into the crook of your neck feeling your hands hesitantly snake around the top of her waist. -"I finally found you."

*** Masterlist; Celebrities

#perrie little mix #perrie edwards #perrie edwards x reader #perrie edwards x fem reader #fem! reader

50 notes · View notes

eastertag · 3 years

Text

Jasmine and Jade

@katblu42 gift for @bonsaiiiiiii

—

“International Rescue, we have a situation,” John’s holographic figure announced as the last echoes of the alarm died away. Once he was sure he had the full attention of his brothers and sister he filled them in. “An EPIRB device has been activated in a remote section of a national park in Vietnam. Local authorities have requested assistance. The remote location combined with challenging terrain makes access to the area difficult. There is also a weather concern. Heavy rainfall expected to hit the area soon and continue over the next 12 hours will likely cause rock falls and mud slides as well as flooding in the cave systems.”

“How many people are we looking for?” Virgil asked, already on his way to his launch chute.

“The EPIRB device is registered as belonging to a pair of visitors who entered the national park two days ago.” John replied. “This rescue could turn ugly quickly. I suggest you take Alan and Gordon with you on this one. Thunderbird 4 may be required to traverse the river system that runs through the caves and canyons.”

“FAB,” two voices responded as the youngsters raced off to suit up.

“I’ll head out there too,” Scott suggested. “I’ll liaise with the local authorities and park rangers and co-ordinate on site.”

“FAB.”

And with that Kayo was left alone in the sunken lounge to wait and watch as her brothers took off towards Vietnam.

Jasmine was exhausted. The fall had left her battered and bruised, scrapes and scratches all over her hands, knees, forearms and shins from her attempts at grabbing hold of something on the way down.

Initially when they had cut the rope she thought she had a chance of making it to the top without the safety of Jade’s belay. Then she’d heard the gunshot. She hadn’t dared look down to where she could hear Jade yelling for her to get out and get help. But when she’d looked up there was someone waiting for her, a stranger with a vicious grin and a gun.

Fear had frozen her to the spot as she’d tried to figure out whether to go up or attempt to climb back down and help Jade. In the end fate decided for her as her hand had begun to slip on rocks already slick from earlier rain. Her attempt to adjust her hold failed and she slid several feet before hitting a protruding rock. Hard. She’d jarred her right hip but managed to hold fast and catch her breath.

She had caught sight of the canyon floor below her and seen Jade being dragged back toward the cave entrance by two men dressed like Indiana Jones wannabes. She could hear a voice above her but she hadn’t thought he was talking to her – maybe the guys below that had Jade were talking to the guy above through some kind of radio. Jasmine had tried to haul herself into a sitting position on the rock, but her foot had hit loose stones and she’d slipped again, this time bouncing and scraping down the cliff face until reaching the bottom.

“You still alive down there?” a male voice had bellowed from the top of the cliff.

Instinct told Jasmine not to answer. Instead she had taken time to asses her injuries. Nothing broken, so far as she could tell. Her hip was complaining, there were tears in her clothing and blood stains beginning to appear in places, the cuts in her left leg needed dressing, but didn’t look too deep, and her right ankle was tender, but otherwise she considered herself very lucky.

Taking stock of her surroundings she realised she had landed a few metres away from where her original ascent had begun. Jade’s backpack was still lying on the ground next to the severed belay line. When Jasmine attempted to retrieve the backpack another gunshot rang out, and the bullet ricocheted off the rocks a few feet to her left. Looking up she spied the gunman far above her and her heart lurched in fear – for him.

“Get back from the edge!” she yelled up at him. It was mere seconds later that the rock he stood on gave way and he was tumbling down the rockface.

Now she was sitting with her back against rocks, tired and sore, beginning to shiver as the cloud cover increased, trying to keep an unconscious, unknown enemy alive. She had activated the EPIRB alarm from her own pack, and used the medical kit Jade had carried in hers to treat what she could of the man’s injuries as well as the cut on her own leg. She had tried the man’s radio, but it seemed to have been broken in the fall. She had considered leaving him and going after Jade, wondering why the other men had taken her, and what they might be doing to her, but staying put was safer. She just had to trust that someone would come in answer to her beacon in time to find and rescue Jade.

The canyon was rapidly growing dark. A look skyward confirmed the ominous threat presented by the gathering storm clouds. Jasmine could hear the rumble of distant thunder as the rain began to pelt the surrounding rock and the surface of the river that ran through the canyon. This was why she and Jade had given up on their quest for the next clue in the treasure hunt and decided to make their way back out of the canyon. They were right on the edge of the rainy season, and once the rain began it would not take long for the water level in the river to rise. The cave system was known to be prone to flooding. Water would come at you from below, with the river and its network of creeks and streams winding through the various caverns, tunnels and caves, and from above trickling down through cracks, crevices and swallow holes in the rocks and earth overhead. Rock and mudslides in these caverns and caves were common in heavy rain and Jasmine and Jade had stayed as long as they dared before this weather system had arrived.

Despite the cold and the rain and the intense worry about the wellbeing of her closest friend Jasmine must have fallen asleep. She didn’t remember closing her eyes, but now she was struggling to open them. She was aware that the distant and intermittent rumbles of thunder seemed to have become much louder, closer. There was something not quite right about the deep rumbling sound reverberating through the canyon. Between the loud cracking booms that came seconds after lightning the rumbling sound never completely died away, and instead of fading it seemed to be growing consistently louder. It was the oddness of the sound that gave her the mental strength to drag her eyes open. The river had moved closer to her – or rather the water level had risen significantly and she wondered how long she’d been asleep. She could feel the rumble of the thunder now, vibrating through her bones, unceasing and growing in intensity. The realisation that this wasn’t thunder came milliseconds before she saw the flash of blue and silver overhead. Not thunder – a Thunderbird.

“Thunderbird 5, I’ve arrived at the coordinates and have a visual on two small all-terrain vehicles and what appears to be a campsite,” Scott reported. “Commencing bioscan now.”

John was keeping a close eye on the weather. His own scans were being hampered by the storm activity. The topography of the area didn’t help either with the deep, narrow canyons surrounded by steep cliffs and rocky outcrops, and the complex cave system beneath the dense rainforest requiring complex 3D ground penetrating scans.

“John, I’ve got two biosigns. Looks like they’re at the bottom of the canyon, just below the campsite. There’s nowhere to land Thunderbird 1, so I’m going to jetpack down and take a closer look.”

“FAB Scott. Be careful. I’m detecting some unpredictable wind gusts in that area.” John’s eyes flicked across the various projections of information before him. “Thunderbird 2 should reach your location in 4 minutes.” He knew that information would not stop Scott from racing into danger, but he hoped it would help moderate any risky behaviour.

Scott set Thunderbird 1 into a hover over the canyon, opened the floor hatch and swung down before launching himself out into the rain and wind. Seconds later he was crouched beside a shivering young woman with a thick, long, dark braid protruding from her climber’s helmet, and deep-set dark brown eyes that seemed to take a second to focus on him.

“I’m from International Rescue. Are you injured?” As he spoke Scott was visually checking for obvious signs of injury, noting the bandaged leg and the paleness of the girl’s skin.

“I-international Re-rescue?” The shivering affected her speech, and her trembling fingers tried to grab hold of Scott’s arm. “Jade! Y-you have t-to help Jade. They took her. P-p-please find Jade!!”

“Woah, let’s look after you first. What’s your name?” Scott already had a med-scanner out and proceeded to check her vital signs.

“Jasmine,” she stated simply. “But J-jade …”

“I promise we’ll take care of Jade, but we’re gonna need to get you somewhere dry and warm and look after that leg of yours.” Scott looked over at the jumble of rocks and dirt to his right and asked “Who’s your friend there?”

“N-not my f-friend. H-he’s one of them!” Jasmine’s eyes were wide with fear or anger, Scott couldn’t tell which. “He had a gun.”

Scott needed more information, but his primary focus at that moment was the unconscious man. His injuries were many and severe. He needed Virgil’s medical expertise, and an urgent evacuation.

“Thunderbird 2, what’s your ETA?” Scott now had the med-scanner on the pasty white guy who was barely clinging to life. “I’ve got a critically injured man here who needs immediate evac, and a second patient with minor injuries but showing signs of shock.”

“We’re about 30 seconds out, Thunderbird 1.” Virgil’s voice seemed quiet beneath the roar of the rain and Thunderbird 1’s engines as she remained hovering above. “I’ll send the cradle down and get you all safely aboard.”

By the time Virgil had finished speaking Thunderbird 2’s engines had been added to the symphony echoing through the canyon. Scott adjusted his ‘bird’s position so Virgil could hover directly above them and lower the rescue cradle as close as possible.

“Thunderbird 5,” Scott almost shouted over the background noise, “we need to locate an unknown number of people who entered the caves from this location. One was taken in there against her will.”

“FAB, Scott. I’m scanning now.”

Scott helped Jasmine to her feet as Alan and Gordon descended from Thunderbird 2 aboard the lowered rescue cradle. Virgil had to fight the wind gusts to hold Two steady and prevent the cradle swinging sideways too much. As soon as the downward motion stopped Scott assisted Jasmine into one of the seats and secured her restraints, while Alan and Gordon readied the hover stretcher.

Jasmine watched from her seat as the three rescue operatives carefully transferred the man to a hover stretcher and secured him to the cradle. The one all in blue and silver with the dimples and blue eyes had made sure she was aboard and safely harnessed before turning his attention to the other patient. She knew they had to help the man, but everything in her was insisting that they needed to be looking for Jade.

The instant the hover stretcher was locked into its secure position in the cradle they were ascending towards the belly of the great green beast above them. Scott directed his attention back to Jasmine, placing a comforting hand over hers were it sat trembling on her knee.

“We are running search scans to try and locate your friend,” he assured her. “We will find her.”

She was still losing herself in the depths of those blue eyes that spoke of hope and reassurance when the cradle came to rest inside Thunderbird 2 and the hatch was closed. There was movement around her, Scott helped her out of the seat and over to a fold-down bed in what she assumed was some kind of medical bay, while others fussed over the stretcher. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought one of the men who had come down into the canyon had been replaced by one she hadn’t seen before. Voices seemed to float through the space around her, but her attention was still held by the man who had come to her rescue. He handed her a towel and had dry clothes for her to put on and a blanket to wrap around her. He checked her scrapes and bruises, removed the bloodied bandage from her left leg, cleaned and re-bandaged those cuts and even handed her something hot to drink. Tea. Weak and sweet, but importantly hot enough to warm her hands as she held the cardboard cup, and spread warmth through her with every sip.

On the other side of the medical bay Virgil was busy assessing the condition of the man who had fallen some 15 meters down a ragged cliff face. Alan had assumed piloting duties, freeing Virgil to do what he could for the man, assisted by Gordon. There was a great deal of frowning and mumbled phrases that might have been curses between instructions and medical jargon.

“Scott,” Virgil turned to address the commander, “we need to get him to hospital now! I’ve stabilised him as much as I can, but he needs much more than I can provide here.”

Before Scott could answer a flickering of holographic blue light burst forth from Scott’s forearm.

“I have a probable location for your missing people,” John informed them. As he spoke a map of the area appeared in hologram form. Three little red dots seemed to indicate life signs. “They appear to be well inside the cave system, quite deep beneath the surface and not making much progress. I’m trying to map the caves and tunnels as best I can, but there are difficulties. Thunderbird 4 has the best chance of being able to reach them, but you’ll need to head downstream of your current location to launch.”

John showed them the location they’d need to head to in order to deploy Thunderbird 4, some 4km downstream where the canyon was wide enough to lower the module. He also showed them the location of a doline located upstream of the position of the three life signs where an explorer POD could gain access to the caves.

“The water level in the caves is rising quickly,” John said, reappearing where the map had just been displayed, “and I have detected some rockslides in the vicinity. These people may not have much time.”

“FAB, John.” Scott looked across at Virgil and Gordon, formulating a plan of action as he spoke, and checking that the comm channel to Alan was open. “Alan, take us downstream for module deployment, Gordon you’re heading out in Four.”

“FAB,” the two youngsters replied as one, Gordon rushing out to prepare for launch.

“Virgil, can we safely transfer your patient to Thunderbird One so I can get him to hospital? You’ll need to head to the doline and drop off Alan in the POD then stand by to assist with the rescue when we find our three cavers.”

“We should be able to make the transfer at the location where we drop the module to launch Thunderbird 4.” Virgil’s reply was delivered with a frown as he mentally calculated risks and logistical practicalities. “I’ll have to transfer some equipment with him or he’ll never make it, even taking One’s speed into account. I’d prefer it if I could go with him, but under the circumstances, we have little choice.”

The two men exchanged a look of determined resignation and a nod. Virgil’s eyes flicked across to Jasmine and back to Scott, a silent question.

“Jasmine,” Scott said softly as he returned to her side, “I’m going to take you to the hospital with me in Thunderbird One …”

“No, please!” she pleaded. “Let me stay here. I need to know what’s happening. I want to be here when you find Jade. Please!”

There was another silent conversation between the two men, seemingly conducted purely through eye contact and the smallest shrug from the shorter one with the green sash. It was that one who answered, addressing her for the first time.

“Okay,” Virgil said. “You can stay here, but I need you to tell me straight away if you’re not feeling well.” She nodded emphatically. He went on, listing symptoms she was to notify him of if she felt even a little. His deep baritone voice was soothing and his warm brown eyes held so much concern she almost wanted to reach out and hug him.

The next few minutes were a blur of activity around Jasmine. The aircraft she was in – Thunderbird 2 she had to remind herself – was able to land almost straddling the river as it lifted on its landing struts to let Thunderbird Four launch from the module. The man on the stretcher was taken away, presumably so he could be securely loaded into Thunderbird One along with some complicated looking medical equipment the man with the green sash and gentle brown eyes removed from the medbay. Minutes later she heard the rumbling of Thunderbird One’s explosive take off, and soon after that Thunderbird Two lowered back down around her module and made her own take off, with the green-sashed man at the helm. The smaller man with the red sash rushed past her on his way to prepare the machine she’d heard them call a POD.

After a very short flight Jasmine felt as much as heard the changes in the ship’s engines as Thunderbird Two descended slightly, hovered for a moment, circled and landed. Once again the ship rose up on its legs to allow a vehicle to exit the container they called a module, then settled back down into her natural turtle shape. By the time all the mechanical clunking and whirring of pieces moving into place had ceased, leaving a few clicks of cooling, contracting metal and the dulled sounds of rain against the hull, the green-sashed pilot was approaching her.

“Hey, Jasmine,” he said softly as he took a seat beside her. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” she answered a little more emphatically than she perhaps really felt. Those kind, gentle eyes were pinned on her and she was compelled to say more. “A little shaky maybe. Mostly I’m just really worried about Jade. It’s so dangerous to be in those caves with the rain like this. Jade knows that, but the men who dragged her in there …” Words failed her and she took in a ragged breath.

“Who are they?” Virgil prompted. “You told Scott they forced your friend to go back into the caves, why would they do that?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know who they are, and I’m not sure what they want but I guess it must have something to do with Patterson’s Treasure.”

“Patterson’s Treasure?” The raised eyebrow gave him an expression of curious puzzlement, and Jasmine was reminded of the fact that not everyone in the world was as obsessed by treasure hunting as she and Jade were.

“A few years ago this rich guy named Manfred Patterson decided he wanted to give away a chunk of his fortune,” she explained. “He was really into old pirate treasure stories and stuff, so he created this elaborate treasure hunt, promising that whoever could find and solve all the clues he’d hidden in some of his favourite places all over the world would be led to a mysterious hidden treasure worth a quarter of his net worth.”

“Oh, yeah. I remember hearing something about that. He released a set of navigational coordinates for the first clue and there was practically a stampede of nu- uh, people trying to find whatever he’d hidden there.”

“Nutcases. You were going to say nutcases.” She caught his guilty expression, and a hint of apology in the way he leaned his head sideways and shrugged. She laughed. “It’s okay. I would have used stronger language. A lot of them thought he’d hidden the treasure there rather than just a clue. When they found out the coordinates led to a hidden data hotspot that revealed a cryptic clue a lot of those idiots gave up. There is still a small but dedicated community of treasure hunters like me and Jade who have kept searching, but most of the money hungry get-rich-quick types lost interest a long time ago. Seven clues have been discovered so far, but Jade and I are the only ones to have found the seventh.”

“How do you know that?”

“Patterson created a kind of online scoreboard. Every time a clue is found for the first time its coordinates appear on the scoreboard. When the hotspot at each location is activated it triggers a counter next to each clue’s location. Clue seven’s counter still reads 1, so Jade and I are the only ones who have activated it. You have to find the actual hotspot to access the clue though, those don’t appear on the website. So If these men are after us because of the treasure hunt I don’t know how they knew to look here.”

Just then some kind of alarm pinged from Virgil’s comm. He excused himself and moved back over to the ship’s cockpit to activate the holocomm there. Jasmine could see the glow of the holographic light, but not the details of what was displayed there.

“I’ve detected vehicle activity not far from your location,” John reported, his eyes constantly darting and flicking between the numerous sources of information he was monitoring. “Park rangers have reported that they don’t have anyone currently in the vicinity, and local search and rescue have recalled all vehicles due to the weather.”

“Could it be related to these mystery men who kidnapped Jasmine’s friend?” Virgil asked.

“That would be my guess. The vehicle appears to have very similar markings to the ones Scott saw at the campsite. Eos has already identified the markings on those vehicles and uncovered the company that manufactured them, and Kayo is on the way.”

“Kayo?”

“That’s my name,” the woman in question joined the conversation. “Scott filled me in on the kidnapping and the fact that guns had been mentioned. Neither of us like the implications of that, so I figured I’d be more use in the danger zone than sitting at home. Does your victim have any information about what these guys are after?”

“Jasmine thinks it has something to do with Patterson’s Treasure,” Virgil replied. “She and her friend Jade were here looking for the next clue.”

“A treasure hunt?” Kayo sounded incredulous. “What exactly is this treasure that makes it worth risking lives to go searching in caves?”

“That’s just it,” Virgil explained, “Jasmine says they were looking for another clue, not the treasure itself. The odd thing is that no one else has the previous clue, so if the next clue is here its location hasn’t been revealed yet.”

An ominous rumble shook through the hull of Thunderbird 2 at the same instant warning signals started blaring at John, and both Alan and Gordon’s voices could be heard exclaiming in alarm over the comm.

“John?!” Alan’s voice was edged with panic. “I suddenly have a lot of water and a bunch of rocks coming down in front of me!”

“We’ve got cave-ins down here!” Gordon shouted at the same time.

A view of the map John had been monitoring appeared in front of Virgil, highlighting the positions of Alan in the pod, Gordon in Thunderbird 4 and the three biosigns they were trying to reach. Gordon was deepest in the layers of tunnels and caverns, but not far from the location of the three. Alan was in a cave that ran closer to the surface and approaching a position that would be directly above them. Thanks to the combined sensor information from Thunderbirds Four and Five the map now provided a fairly accurate and detailed picture of the labyrinthine subterranean landscape.

“Alan! Are you clear of the rockslide?” John called out.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good, but that was close!” came the breathless reply. “I’m gonna have to shift some of this stuff to get through though. Gordon, what’s going on down there?”

“I’m fine Alan, but it looks like one of the side tunnels near here just collapsed. John, tell me how much more use I can be down here. This river’s getting to be a pretty tight squeeze. I’ll need to leave Four here and continue on foot soon. But I’d rather not do that if we’re gonna get more collapses like that one.”

“We have a fairly detailed map of the tunnels and caves now,” John confirmed. “Head back out to the canyon river, I’ll manage the rest of the topographical scanning without the additional information from Four’s scanners. Get to safety, Gordon.”

“FAB. You don’t have to tell me twice!”

“John?” Virgil interjected, needing to get John’s attention. His voice was quiet but had an edge to it. His eyes were darting over the instrument panel checking readings from various sensors and visual feeds from outside his ‘bird. “How close can I get to Alan’s location in Thunderbird Two, and where is that vehicle you mentioned earlier?”

“What’s on your mind, Virgil?” John was also eyeing his various sources of information, looking for their mystery vehicle and wondering where his engineer brother’s concern was coming from.

“Sinkholes, unstable ground … and explosives.” As if in answer to Virgil’s statement there was another rumbling tremor in the earth. He turned and looked straight at Jasmine, who had crept closer to see what was going on. “You better come over here and strap in. We’re taking off.”

Jasmine limped over to the nearest seat, just behind her pilot, sat and secured the restraint.

“John?” This time Virgil’s tone, low and almost menacing was a demand for information.

“I’m sending you coordinates. Looks like you’re right about the sinkhole, and it’s close to the last known location of the mystery vehicle. Alan’s position is slightly east of there and around 18 meters below the surface.”

Jasmine found herself rapidly overwhelmed by information coming in different voices and holographic images as Thunderbird Two roared into life around her and took to the air. Female voices talked about custom modifications to vehicles which somehow meant they now knew the company the men that had Jade worked for. The voice she associated with Thunderbird Five said something about a vehicle descending into the caves through the sinkhole. Another voice – she thought it might have been the red-sash man – was reporting a cave collapse where it seemed the floor had dropped away a short distance in front of him, but the roof above him seemed unmoved this time. There was a low throaty noise from the pilot in front of her, like a growl.

“They’re blasting their way out,” Virgil grumbled. “Don’t they know how dangerous that is in these conditions?”

Jasmine’s heart leapt into her throat. She knew how dangerous explosives in the caves would be right now, and Jade was down there with these idiots who had no idea what kind of problems they might create.

“Jade!” she gasped, barely realising she’d spoken aloud. That earned her a concerned glance over the shoulder from the green-sashed pilot, but his attention was quickly torn away.

“Whoa! What was that? Did I just see a …”

“I saw it too Alan, and yes that was a small airborne vehicle that just shot out of the sinkhole.”

“I’m on it, Virgil!”

As the female voice spoke Jasmine could have sworn she saw something black streak across the sky in front of them, and heard the loud, close-by swoosh of jet engines.

“The GDF has been notified and are on their way, Kayo.” John’s voice was calm amidst the chaotic flurry.

“Hey, guys? I’ve reached the edge of the hole in the floor here,” Alan reported. “It’s a long way down to the bottom of that pit and the sides are still pretty unstable.”

“I’m still reading one biosign down there,” said John. “Do you have a visual?”

“I’m doing my best, but it’s too far and too dark down there for me to see much. What I wouldn’t give for one of Thunderbird One’s drones right now,” Alan lamented.

“I might be able to grant your wish little brother!”

Suddenly Thunderbird One was zooming in to hover close by Thunderbird Two, somewhere above the sinkhole that led down to Alan’s current depth below the surface.

“Nice to have you back with us Thunderbird One.” The pilot of Thunderbird Two seemed relieved to have the commander back at the scene. Even from behind him Jasmine could not fail to notice his smile at the new arrival.

It seemed that in no time at all a drone had been launched into the hole, and the view from its camera was being projected in the cockpit of Thunderbird Two (and, Jasmine presumed, also in the vehicles the other International Rescue operatives currently occupied). It was difficult for Jasmine to make out exactly what she was seeing at first. The drone seemed to descend so quickly into the darkness of the cave tunnels. She caught a glimpse of the yellow pod vehicle as the drone approached the pit it sat beside, then the drone was once again descending. As the young man had said, it was quite a long descent. The drone’s lights illuminated streaks of mud running down the slick, shiny rockface, and the occasional tumble of small stones dislodged by the dribbling water. Then the lights hit the bottom of the pit.

Jasmine gasped. There amid a jumble of rocks and dirt appeared an outstretched arm, a shoulder partially covered by a tangle of dark red curls emerging from beneath the back of a blue helmet, and a scratched and dirty leg that led to a sturdy hiking boot clad foot.

“It’s Jade,” Jasmine cried in sheer relief. “Look, you can see the tattoo!”

Sure enough, there on the wrist of the extended left arm was a tattoo of an elaborate key attached to a chain. Jasmine held out her own right wrist to show Virgil a tattoo that appeared to be a continuation of the same chain attached to an equally elaborate treasure chest.

“I’m going down there,” Virgil stated emphatically. “Alan, I’ll come down to you via cable from Two. Scott, can you come stay with Jasmine? I’ll slave One’s controls so you can keep them both in the air from here.”

“You gunning for command, Virgil?” Scott asked with a laugh. “I’m on my way over. You have control of Thunderbird One.”

Once again Jasmine was struck by how fast International Rescue did things. No sooner had decisions been made than things were set in motion. A hatch above her was opened and the man with the blue eyes and dimples flew in by jetpack. The green-sashed pilot with the gentle brown eyes vacated his seat and ran off past her, while the other man took his seat at the controls of Thunderbird Two. It seemed like only seconds later she was watching vision of the man they called Virgil, who seemed to be attached to some kind of contraption that gave him mechanical arms, lowering into the hole below them on a cable which swung slightly in the wind and rain.

It was not long before he reached the pod vehicle and climbed aboard. She listened along with the IR commander as the man in the mechanical suit gave navigational instruction to the pod driver. Their progress was cautious, and there were some anxious moments as they descended deep into the earth.

When they reached the bottom Jasmine waited with bated breath as they approached her unresponsive friend, and cried with relief when Virgil reported that she was alive. He said they would have to be extremely careful digging her out, that her injuries were many, and some serious, but none life-threatening.

“She’s gonna be okay.”

Jasmine hadn’t noticed the commander of International Rescue muting the comm and coming to kneel in front of her. She had jumped when he spoke. He took hold of her hand and looked up at her with so much reassurance contained within the sparkling blue eyes and the soft smile. She nodded and tried to smile back as tears trickled down her cheek.

“She has to be,” Jasmine choked out past the lump in her throat. “I couldn’t … I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s my best friend, my closest – I mean closer than family. She means – I mean, she’s my everything. If I lost her …”

“You would feel lost,” Scott finished for her. “I know that feeling.”

While Virgil and Alan worked at freeing Jade without causing more rock and rubble to fall around them, Scott kept Jasmine talking. He was able to keep an eye on vital information about Jade’s condition and the progress of the rescue, as well as the occasional update from Kayo and John while he kept her distracted.

Jasmine mostly spoke about Jade, detailing how they had met as young girls whose families shared an interest in geocaching. The fun of following a geographical clue to find a little hidden gem had sparked something in each of them that they had never lost. As they got older the two girls began creating little treasure hunts for each other, complete with clues and sometimes maps. Then they had begun fostering each other’s love of outdoor adventure and exploration by learning about real treasures they might be able to hunt for, and setting out to track some down. Patterson’s Treasure Hunt had come along at the perfect time for them, and they were determined to find and solve every clue, even if they weren’t the first to find the treasure. It was enough for them both just to share the adventure of the hunt.

With a little prompting from Scott she explained the matching tattoos.

“We both always felt there was a bond between us, even when we lived far apart. Right from when we were ten years old, anytime we were together we’d end up holding hands. It was almost always my right hand and her left, like we were tied together. When we finished high school we both took a year off to travel (and look for treasure) together before we would go our separate ways again for college. Towards the end of that year together we decided to get the tattoos as a physical reminder that no matter how far apart we might be we are always tied together. She’s the key to all the things I treasure, and she says I’m the most valuable treasure she ever found.”

A beeping sounded from Scott’s wrist and he unmuted his comm.

“We have the patient stabilised for transport and we’re on our way up,” Virgil reported.

“Fantastic news, Virgil,” John chimed in from a new hologram popping into Scott and Jasmine’s view. “Kayo has handed over the two men who kidnapped Jade, and the pilot of their rescue vehicle to the GDF.”

“I can’t take all the credit,” Kayo interjected. “I had some, shall we say, creative help from Thunderbird Four!”

There was a giggle over the comm. “You’re welcome, Kayo!”

“Do I wanna know?” Scott asked.

“Probably not,” Gordon replied. “Now, can someone hurry up and give me a ride home?”

“Give me a few minutes and I’ll see what I can do,” Kayo responded. “After all, one good turn deserves another. You don’t mind being suspended beneath Thunderbird Shadow the whole way home do you?”

“Uh, no? Not what I had in mind, but I’ll take it.”

“By the way, if you’re still wondering what these guys were doing in the caves, you’ll never believe it. They’re not treasure hunters at all – they’re smugglers. They were sent to collect a stash of goods that had been hidden in the caves. They had a grid reference and a hand-drawn map, but once they got close they realised they needed a guide to get them through the caves,” Kayo explained.

“So they kidnapped Jade to act as their guide,” Scott surmised.

“And threatened to hurt Jasmine if she didn’t cooperate,” Gordon added. “The victim you took to hospital earlier was meant to hold Jasmine hostage to make sure Jade stayed compliant. The GDF have placed a guard at the hospital. He’ll be arrested too, as soon as he’s well enough.”

“Great work you two.”

Soon after that the call came through to say the explorer POD had emerged out of the pit. In some way that Jasmine didn’t understand Virgil took back control of Thunderbird Two, remote piloting from the where he was at the bottom of the sinkhole. He expertly manoeuvred the big green plane into position above the sinkhole and launched a grapple claw to lift the POD vehicle out of the ground and back into the module.

Jasmine was up out of her seat as soon as the POD was secured aboard Thunderbird Two. She watched the three men from International Rescue settle Jade into a drop-down bed in the medical bay. Once she was securely strapped in for transport Jasmine watched the commander of International Rescue leave via the overhead hatch, firing up his jetpack to return to Thunderbird One, while the young man with the red sash took over piloting Thunderbird Two.

Virgil beckoned Jasmine over to a seat next to Jade’s bed, and Jasmine gratefully took it, strapped herself in and tentatively reached out to take Jade’s hand in hers. Virgil smiled at her, briefly diverting his attention from monitoring scanner readings and administering IV fluids.

“I know it looks bad, but she’s gonna be okay,” he reassured her.

Jasmine’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you,” she said. “For saving her. For saving me. Everything.”

She knew that without International Rescue, without these amazing men and women who had answered her call for help, she might have lost the greatest treasure she had ever found.

#thunderbirds #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds 2004 #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirds 1965 #Virgil Tracy #Scott Tracy #Gordon Tracy #John Tracy #alan tracy #easterTAG #submission

19 notes · View notes

batfam-imagines · 5 years

Text

Choices

A/N: This one is a little long, and was an idea that has been stuck in my head for awhile. Not all of my ideas managed to make it into the story, mainly because I’m not that good of a writer!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! Italics mean sign-language. I know that’s not how the word structure of real sign-language works, but it’s just easier to write this way.

———————————————————————————–

Bruce watches the two videos in utter horror. One is of Robin, his second son, his Jason, being beaten with a crowbar by Joker, and the other is of Sparrow, Jason’s best friend, Bruce’s only daughter, being held at knife-point by Harley Quinn. Bruce had an impossible decision to make. He could only save one of his children, which one was is going to be?

Batman’s knees buckle, his fingers scrabbling frantically through the rubble, desperate for any sign of life. He couldn’t have been too late. Joker had made him choose. He’d made his choice, and had still been too late. He couldn’t be too late.

“Batsy, Batsy, Batsy!” The Jokers voice seems to echo through Bruce’s head, it takes his sluggish brain a moment to realize he must have stolen a Comm unit. “Just a few minutes too late, Batsy! Poor little bird just kept beggin’ for ya! He was so confident that you’d show!” The scrape of a knife on metal is loud even over the Comm, “Now. What am I gonna do with this pretty little thing?”

Harley’s loud laughter seemingly echo’s through Bruce’s head at the realization: they still have Y/N. One of his children is still in danger. “Why don’t we cut off all her feathers, Mista J?! Birdies can’t fly without feathers!”

“Not a bad idea, Harley, but I was thinking something a little more … permanent” Bruce feels like he’s paralyzed. He’d never found out where they’d been holding Y/N because he’d been so focused on finding Jason, he thought he would have more time. “She’s been screamin’ an awful lot since we killed that other bird, why not make it so the bird can’t sing anymore!”

Finally, Bruce finds the strength to respond, “No! Joker, you said I had to choose! You said I could save one!”

Another manic cackle spills directly into Bruce’s ear, “And you could have saved one. You could have saved that little street-rat of a Robin, but you were too late. You made your choice, Batman, and you chose wrong” It’s obvious that Joker is moving. The knife continuous to scrape along metal, and those horrible gut-wrenching screams grow louder every second. “There’s no need for the tears, pretty bird! You’ll be joinin’ him soon enough!”

“Joker! You can’t do this!” Bruce can almost picture it, one of Joker’s hands in Y/N’s hair and yanking her head back, the other holding one of Y/N’s own knives to her throat.

“Oh, Batsy, when are you going to learn. I can do whatever I want!” There’s a slick sound of the knife cutting deep, and then harsh gurgles. Somewhere in back of Bruce’s mind he knows that the Joker must have taken out the Comm and help it right up to Y/N slit throat. After less than a minute, the gurgling quiets, “See what happens, Batsy, when you bring children into our game?”

Talia al Ghul watches the two figures move listlessly through Gotham’s streets. She turns to one of her guards, “And you are sure it’s them?”

“Yes, Mistress. We have had our spies watching them for two months now. The way they fight is a match to the deceased Robin and Sparrow”

“Interesting. We will be taking them back to the Compound with us. Gather the men, I will gather my Beloved’s children.”

Talia scales down the building, landing several feet in front of the two teenagers. Almost immediately the girl, Y/N if she remembers correctly, is in front of the much more injured male. Y/N’s vacant eyes hover near Talia, and she lets out a shrill whistle that makes Jason tense.

“I am not here to hurt you, little ones. I am here to help you, to get you off the street,” Y/N let out a curious sounding whistle, and Jason hummed softly in response. “That’s right, somewhere safe”

Slowly the two inched towards Talia, Y/N still keeping herself firmly between Jason any anyone else. Talia grinned, these two were the ticket to her Beloved’s heart. These two would become her perfect weapons.

It wasn’t until several weeks later that Talia’s father joined her in observing the two teenagers fight. While their minds had not been fully restored to them, their ability to fight had been.

“The girl has potential. Even without her mind, she fights with thought. The boy, however, he is not unlike a rabid dog, his only thought is to survive.” Ra’s watches as Y/N takes down one of the League members who had been sneaking up on Jason, “And yet they always fight for each other.”

“They care for each other, even though they do not who they themselves are. And they care for children. Many nights I have found Y/N or Jason, or both of them in Damian’s room, or indulging him in play fights” Talia watches her father out of the corner of her eye, “They both have potential, I just need a little more time to reach -”

“Enough, daughter. These pets of yours are taking up too much of your time. I have already allowed you to keep Damian, but I cannot allow you to keep both the child and these two.” Ra’s turns to completely face his daughter, “You have a choice to make, and I would suggest you choose wisely”

Talia had made her choice. She could not kill two children that her Beloved loved so much, and she could no longer bare to endanger her son. She had gathered as many people loyal to her as possible and was going to try and pull off an impossible scheme. She was going to use the Lazarus Pit on Y/N and Jason, and then have them run as far and as fast as possible with Damian. If this plan doesn’t work, then all of them would be dead by morning.

It had worked. Somehow Talia’s plan to get you, Jason, and Damian to safety had worked. The little four-year-old was curled up in your lap, having fallen asleep soon after the private jet took off. Jason is still shaking, the aftereffects of the Pit not having worn off yet.

Snapping your fingers, Jason’s eyes latch onto your hands, “Are you okay?” Even though the Pit had left nothing, but a scar wrapped around your throat, it had not been able to restore your voice to you. Thankfully Bruce had made you and Jason learn basic sign-language to communicate on stealth missions, and the two of you had just continued the education, becoming fluent.

“I’m fine. Everything feel so … fresh, you know? And I’m so damn angry at B for choosing me over you, and then getting both of us killed anyway”

“Watch swearing around Damian. And we got ourselves into the mess, it was our fault. It’s in the past. Focus on now”

“I know, I know. We get a second chance at life even if we both have crazy PTSD and Pit-Madness. Now we’re off to travel the world for a few years with a toddler to become the most deadly assassins alive” Jason rakes a hand through his now white streaked hair, “This will be freaking fantastic, Y/N”

“Better than being dead” Damian starts to stir in your lap from the constant hand movements. His jade-green eyes blinking up at you. “Good morning, little prince”

The smile he flashes at you would brighten even Gotham’s rainiest day, “Good morning, ‘Gale!”

Jason snorts and ruffles Damian’s hair, “Her name isn’t Gale, kid. Her name is Y/N”

Damian rolls his eyes with all the attitude a four-year-old could muster, and considering he was raised by Talia, it was a lot. “I know that, dummy! But she whistles like the Nightingales in Mother’s room. Nightingale is her new super name; I don’t have one for you Jay”

“It’s okay, little man. We’ll figure one out for me and you sometime soon. Okay?”

The little boy grins, “Okay. Where are we going?” This time he looks up at you for an answer, but you gently tap you throat and shake your head. “You still can’t talk? The green water didn’t fix you all the way?”

“No, it didn’t. When we were hurt, there were some things that couldn’t be healed all the way.” Jason glances over at you, at the scar the barely peeks out from the turtleneck.

“How can I talk to Y/N then?!” Damian’s lower lip wobbles dangerously.

“Don’t worry, kid. Y/N can talk with her hands, it’s called sign-language. Both us will teach you, and then you’ll be able to talk to Y/N as much as you want, okay?” Immediately Damian brightens, and demands to be taught something. “Alright, lets learn the alphabet first.” And that’s how the rest of the plane ride is spent, with you and Jason teaching Damian how to sign the alphabet.

It takes another six years for the three of you to end up back on Gotham, and the main reason you’re there is so Jason can kill the Joker.

“Jay, I still don’t think this is the best idea. We said that we were going to stay away from Batman, not antagonize him”

“I am in pain right now, Y/N. Can you patch me up and save the lecturing for later” Jason gingerly lays down along the couch as you pull out the first aid kit, “And plus, it’s not like I went looking for him! He and Dickhead attacked me!”

“Language, Jason. You know Y/N does not like it when you swear around me” Damian quietly closes his book and surveys the damage done to the only fatherly figure in his life, “I could kill them for you”

“Listen, kid, if I couldn’t take them, then you couldn’t take them” Jason hisses as you pour alcohol over one of his cuts, “And plus, Y/N doesn’t want you to go out while we’re in Gotham. Batman might find you”

Damian rolls his eyes, “I do not care about Bruce Wayne or Batman. He does not even know I exist. I do not need a father; I already have one”

“Aw, Dami, you’re gonna make me choke up!”

The ten-year-old scoffs, “I made my choice many years ago. You two are the only family I need. My father does not know of my existence, my mother never tried to contact me after sending me away, and my grandfather is constantly trying to kill me”

“We love you too, Damian. We can go out tomorrow night if you want, Jason will be resting” You throw a glare at Jason who just holds up his hands and grins.

“Whatever you want, sweetheart. Just as long as you bring back some tacos from that truck on 17th, the owner likes you more than me.”

Damian grins, “Of course, they have the best vegetarian tacos”

Damian, as always, is eager to put on his mask and hit the rooftops. Unlike Jason whose main goal is to cause chaos and keep all the focus on him, you and Damian are meant to stay under the radar, to gather as much information as possible.

“Stay low, stay quiet. Do not draw attention to yourself. If we are found, you hide, I will handle it. Understand, Shadow?” Being in the field without a voice is dangerous, it means if you get in trouble the only way someone can find you is if they can hear you whistle or follow the tracker that only Jason and Damian have access to.

“I know, ‘Gale. I will be careful, Batman will not even know I am in the city, I swear”

“Good. Now, let’s go before Jason comes with us” Jason chuckles from his seat on the couch and flips you the bird.

“The city is quiet tonight.” You glance over at Damian to see him perched slightly under one of the many gargoyles, trying to get out of the rain. “It does not seem as foul on nights such as this”

You snort, “Now that you said that, something is going to happen. Besides, I thought I told you to go home. You’ll get sick”

“I will not get sick from rain.”

Before you can reply, three figures land one a nearby building. Barely moving, you send a quick sign to Damian, one of the first words you had taught him, “Hide”

Immediately Damian slips further into the shadows, his much smaller body easy sliding between the stone structures. It takes almost 20-minutes for Batman, Robin, and Nightwing to finally leave, and another 15 for you to be sure they’re gone. “Come out, it’s safe”

“I hate this city. I hate that Jason feels the need to seek revenge and torment your former family. Why didn’t you and I wait for him elsewhere, like we had planned? Seeing them terrifies you, and that makes me hate them”

“I chose to come here with Jason. He needs us to keep him sane, and this city drives people insane much faster than most. When we lived on the streets together as children, Jason and I promised to always stay together, no matter what. We are here to protect Jason and to help him, little prince, that is what we chose to do as a family”

Damian lets out another sigh, “Fine, but as long as we’re in the city I want to fight Robin at least once, to prove that I am superior”

“Whatever you want. Now, let’s go mix up some trouble, I’m getting a little bored” You flash a bright smile at Damian and ruffle his wet hair.

“Sounds fun. I’ve been wanting to try out my knew knives”

“And then tacos. We can’t forget the tacos or Jason won’t let us hear the end of it”

———————————————————————————–

Let me know what you think! Send any ideas or requests you have to my Ask Box!

554 notes · View notes

ma-lemons · 5 years

Text

the wolf of the yellow woods (RoseGarden)

@godzillajuniorreborn asked: Oscar finding werewolf!Ruby as a wounded wolf and letting her sleep beside him for the night only to find her in her human form the next day.

note: i really like this prompt, so thanks for being patient!!!

——————————————————————————

Oscar slung his pack over his shoulder, glancing up at the shattered moon above him. Dusk had already fallen before he even noticed it. He had taken a short break to rest his legs but now he needed a place to sleep for the night. The chill wrapped the young boy in a cocoon of harsh winter. And now he needed a secure place, and fast.

How long had it been? Two days? A week? A month? He couldn’t keep track of the sunsets and sunrises, he only knew that he had been wandering the woods for what seemed like forever. What had turned into a trip of finding a special rose with crimson and silver petals had turned into a journey of survival. Oscar had taken up botany, and had began to sketch out the flora of Mistral, documenting them in his leather-bound notebook. He heard rumors of the rare rose in the Yellow Woods, and had decided to take a little trip. He had never ventured into these woods, and found the map he used to locate the patch of special roses was quite outdated. Now, he had no idea where he started from and had to survive off of his supply of carrots and turkey sandwiches. He only had a dry carrot and one sandwich left. It was a good thing he always overpacked, but he had only prepared for a day trip. He was sure he had been lost in the greenery for longer than a day.

You see, Oscar was more familiar with the Jade Woods. The Yellow Woods was much more vast, and much more dangerous at night. And night was coming quickly. But buried beneath the supplies in his knapsack lay a pocket knife, which he’d have no qualms about using if he needed to.

“Oscar, you are incredibly stupid and you will never find this rose,” he sighed to himself.

The moon rose in the night sky, shrouded by wispy white clouds. The air was still sticky and he knew he’d have to find a stream to bathe in.

So the former farmhand trekked along, searching blindly in the dark for trees to steady himself upon. He heard the sound of rushing water and directed himself towards the sound. Guided by the moonlight, he found himself next to a little creek.

“Gods, why does these things happen to me?” And why didn’t he invest in a scroll? Technology was all the rage these days. Stripping off his clothes, Oscar decided that if he survived this trip, the first thing he’d do would be to buy a scroll. His feet crunching over dead leaves, he put one foot into the cold water, before stepping his second foot into it. He prayed that there were no frogs or fish near his toes. This was so icky.

“You’re a botanist. You were a farmhand. Icky is part of the job,” he muttered to himself, trying to rinse his arms. As he bathed, a chill went up in the air. The boy tried to ignore it and continued washing his face. He’d felt fish scales rubbing against his legs and he wanted nothing to but to run away. As he was finishing up washing his hair, a weakened howl sounded some yards away from him. He froze. Wolves. How did he forget wolves dwelled here?

Wolves don’t eat humans.

He hoped wolves didn’t eat humans.

“SHIT,” he yelled. He just realized that he was taking a bath in a muddy creek, only for him to have to return back into his sweaty clothes. He might as well have skipped the bath. He was now cold and naked, lost in the wood, and a perfect target for any large predators.

Quickly, he hopped out of the water, and used his jacket to wipe himself. Before he finished dressing in his dirty clothes, another howl ripped through the air. Oscar wasn’t taking any chances. He dug through his pack and brandished his knife. This was ridiculous. He just wanted to find a place to rest but he could only see in the moonlight. If he had known he was going to get lost, he would’ve brought a flashlight.

Once you’ve been spooked by something, you usually become hyper aware of all the suddenly movements around you. Oscar found himself focusing on every rustle in the leaves and every hoot of an owl. He’d jump and turn around if he thought something was behind him, only to swing his knife into the air.

“Okay, calm down. It’s okay. Calm down,” he tried to reassure himself. He assumed he was walking in the direction opposite of the wolf’s howls and he wanted to make sure he was thrown off its scent. Eventually, he grew weary of walking and found a large oak tree. He sat at the base of it, breathing a sigh of relief.

“I’m... so sleepy,” he yawned. Stretching his arms, he whispered a meaningless prayer to the wind, that he wouldn’t be devoured come morning time. Just as he was preparing to retire for the night, a piercing call shattered his eardrums. The wolf was closer than he originally thought! In fact, it felt as if it was...

Right next to him. Oscar heard ragged panting and scrambled backwards, while desperately digging through his bag for his weapon. As soon as he found it, he shot to his feet and jabbed it towards the sound.

“W-whatever you are, stay back!” he warned. The panting only grew louder. Oscar stood in the same position, suddenly alert.

His heart started beating, anticipating a ferocious beast with glowing yellow eyes and a terrifying maw. He pushed back against another tree. Paralyzed, he clutched the knife in one hand and his chest with the other. Why couldn’t he run away?

He could only watch as the beast emerged from its dark space. A black paw stepped into the moonlight. Then another. Then a face. The wolf didn’t look ready to pounce. In fact, it seemed docile. Its breathing was ragged, as if it was exhausted. Or injured. Its body rose up and down, as if it was limping. Its silver eyes only held purity, if lupine eyes could possess purity. Almost as if the creature was once a person.

“It’s just a wolf,” he reminded himself.

The wolf slinked towards him, and Oscar shrank back. It moved slowly, until its whole body emerged. From the side, Oscar noticed it was dragging its right hind leg. It was injured. He didn’t waver. A wolf was still a wolf.

At the sight of his knife, the wolf let out a whimper and crept back the best it could. Oscar faltered.

“If you really wanted to eat me, you would’ve, wouldn’t you?”

The wolf paused, as if in understanding. Oscar shoves the knife into his pocket and gripped his hands. He neared the wolf, who started to whimper again.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.” He felt obligated to help the wolf, mainly because he tried to hurt it. He took a white bandage roll out of his knapsack. He had packed food, work supplies and a first aid kit. But no extra clothes. Still gross.

He neared the night creature again. It had settled on its front paws, and looked up at him with curious eyes.

“I’ve never seen a wolf like you before,” he breathed, kneeling down to it. Granted, he had never seen a wolf, period. He felt brave enough to touch it, and raised his fingers towards it, stroking its fur. The wolf rumbled in what he assumed was delight. Oscar have a tiny smile and neared the wolf’s injured leg.

“I’m going to help you, alright?” he asked the wolf. Of course it wouldn’t respond. He proceeded to tear off a length of the bandage. Carefully lifting up the wolf’s leg, he began to gently wrap the gauze around it. The wolf prickled, seemingly discomforted.

“I am no animal doctor, but I suppose you wolves heal yourself naturally. The bandage might help,” he said to the wolf. The day in the woods must’ve done something to his brain, for he has spent quite a portion of it talking to himself and non-responsive animals.

“You’re vey gentle. I wonder how you got hurt, though,” Oscar wondered. He put his hand back on the wolf’s pelt and continued to stroke it. A yawn escaped his lips. It was going to be daybreak in a few hours; he needed energy for the journey back home.

“I suppose we can sleep here, if you promise not to eat me,” Oscar joked, moving back toward the base of the tree. The wolf rose to its paws and hobbled next to him, settling down once again. Once it seemed content with its sleeping spot, it shut its eyes.

If he wasn’t so tired, he would’ve stayed awake, in an attempt to assure his survival.

————————————————————————-

Oscar woke up to the smell of fish. Fish? He blinked twice, taking in the sunshine above him. His back stiff and aching left him with the impression that the ground would have been a better sleeping option.

He looked beside him; the wolf was gone. Gone? Without so much as a thank you, the glorious beast had left. Perhaps it had healed over night, but why would it leave so early?

A bit saddened, Oscar stood up stretched. His knife still in his pocket, he headed towards the smell, in case someone had come to join him in his time of need.

The botanist entered a little clearing on the other side of the creek. In a little pit of rocks, there was fish roasting on a makeshift spit. A person, clad in a red hood, back faced to him, was rummaging curiously in something he couldn’t see. Oscar stepped further into the clearing, trying to make himself known. “Uh, hello. Have you... have you seen a wolf around these parts? Lean, long, black fur? Silver eyes?”

The person froze, and silence, except for the birds chirping ensued. They stood up and brushed their knees before turning around. They seemed a bit wobbly getting up as well.

It was a girl. A girl with dark hair and silver eyes, quite like the wolf from yesterday. Her eyes were quiet piercing, and most of her hair was concealed by the hood she wore, but she was like a human version of the wolf. She wore an oufit that hid her hands, as if she didn’t want them to be seen. A long black dress that reached her feet.

Oscar was more shocked then anything.

“Hello,” he said again, slowly.

“He... hello,” she drawled out. “Fish?” she pointed at the spit. Oscar was quite hungry, so he nodded in anticipation. “Yes, please.”

The girl invited him to sit on the dead leaves, and handed him a piece of fish. He desperately ripped into it, taking in the texture and the dryness. Certainly could use some salt, but he wasn’t complaining.

“So”, he said in between chews, “do you live here?”

The girl, who was attacking her fish as if she hadn’t eaten in days, looked up at him. “Yes,” was all she said. And then she returned to her meal. Maybe she wasn’t very literate. When she bit into her fish, sharp teeth protruded put at awkward angles. Odd.

“You seem to like the fish,” he smiled, in an attempt to make conversation.

“Deer better,” she answered.

“Ah.” Deer? What kind of person ate deer?

“Um, I’d like to thank you for breakfast... what is your name?” Oscar asked.

“What?”

“Your name?”

The girl’s eyes widened. She was kind of adorable, in a helpless kind of way.

“Name... name is Ruby.” She stretched out every syllable, as if the language was foreign on her tongue.

“Ruby... my name is Oscar. I actually got lost in these woods looking for a silver and red rose, and met a friendly-looking wolf.” At Ruby’s apparent panic, he continued to explain.

“It was injured. I helped it, but it ran away from me. It was strange, because I grew quite attached to it in a short amount of time.”

Ruby stayed silent and stared at her feet.

“Do you think you could help me get out of these woods?”

Ruby’s head looked up. She nodded. “Yes.”

He grinned. “Thank you. Let me go get my things!” He jumped off and ran towards the tree he had slept on, but didn’t find his knapsack. Did that wolf take off with it? It had all his important findings in there!

Frustrated, the botanist headed back to the clearing, where Ruby was turned away from him again. He neared her to see what she was so transfixed by, only to see that she was pawing through his knapsack.

“Ruby! Why do you have my bag?” Oscar hissed, narrowing his eyes. The girl seemed surprised that he had snuck up on her and jumped back. She landed awkwardly on her back; her dress pulling up to reveal a bandaged leg. Ruby howled in agony.

“Oh my goodness, are you alright?” he asked her. He tried to near her, but Ruby didn’t seem to want that. She inched away from him as he stepped closer.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I’m not mad about my bag...” he murmured. She shook her head.

The more Oscar moved toward her, the more she scooted back. As he approached, he noticed that Ruby was unusually hairy. Not that a woman couldn’t be hairy. Just... this was a lot. Oscar raised an eyebrow, looking into Ruby’s eyes for an answer.

“What... who are you, Ruby?” he asked, again.

Ruby looked down at her leg and sighed. And then the strangest thing happened. Before his very eyes, Ruby began to shift. She shed her clothes and her hair began to grow. Her mouth grew into a muzzle and her body extended... before his eyes, she turned into a wolf.

A howl ripped into the air. Ruby had transformed into the very wolf he had healed last night.

“You.”

Ruby turned around and started running as fast as a wolf with an injured leg could. Oscar snatched his bag and started chasing after her, wanting answers.

“Wait! You promised to take me home! Please, Ruby! If you can understand me, please turn around! I need to get home!” he panted, dodging a thorn bush. Wolf-Ruby stopped abruptly, and panted, seemingly in pain. She turned around and made her way back to him, dragging her foot behind her. When she made it back to Oscar, she laid down, face in her paws.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were a wolf? A werewolf, I see,” he asked softly. He wasn’t angry, no. Mostly curious. He heard stories of mythical creatures such as the Fae, mermaids, and werewolves, but he never though he’d see one in real life at all. Strangely enough, he wasn’t scared.

Ruby whined and came towards him. Oscar kneeled down in front of her and ran his hands through her thick fur. Ruby approached him and sort of licked his face. A very affectionate kiss, or more like her mouth had captured his entire nose. Oscar pulled away and wiped his nose. “Your breath smells like fish,” he laughed.

Ruby cocked her head, as if it say, As does yours.

Oscar tilted his head and burst into laughter. He was talking to a wolf. A wolf!

“Okay, Ruby. You said you can take me out of these woods. Do you know the farmlands? The place with all the big windmills. The silver things?”

Ruby shied back.

“Oh, yes, I read in a novel that werewolves hate silver! Don’t worry, it’s nothing that’ll hurt you. It’ll be kind of interesting have a werewolf friend. There’s so much I’d like to learn about your kind.”

Ruby simply got on all fours and slowly walked eastward. Oscar jogged up to catch up to her. “Maybe you want to rest up a bit? If your leg still hurts?”

The werewolf ignored him and continued her trek. Oscar decided if she couldn’t talk, he’d keep the conversation himself.

———————————————-

At last, they reached the edge of the woods. Over the hills, was his home. Silver wind turbines peeked over the peaks of the earth. The hot afternoon settled upon them, making them both weary and famished.

Oscar had given up talking a long time ago. It was hard to keep up a one-sided conversation. He guessed Ruby lived alone in the woods, and that’s why she couldn’t speak well. But clearly, something had come to attack her. What happened to her pack? Why didn’t she come live with humans? She could pass as one.

Before he knew it, he found himself on the dirt road that led to the old farmhouse. His aunt, getting old in age, had decided it belonged to him. She was off traveling, but was due any day from now. Or maybe she was already back. He hadn’t exactly seen a calendar in the woods.

Ruby followed him, slowly. He considered asking her to transform into her human form so he could at least pick her up, but maybe that was too forward.

Finally, he reached his door. Ruby stopped at the porch.

“Thank you, Ruby. Sincerely. I didn’t know how I’d get out of there all on my own.” Oscar smiled and cracked open the door. He almost closed the door shut, before swinging it back open. He eyed Ruby’s leg and sighed.

“You can’t walk into the woods on that leg. I’m sure you’re tired. We don’t have deer, but we have chickens, if you’d like.”

Ruby seemed hesitant.

“Please consider this as a thank you. My aunt isn’t home yet, so stay as long as you’d like.”

Ruby tossed her head and shifted again—this time, growing taller.

“Thank you.” She limped towards his home, touching the edges of the door cautiously. “I... human homes... are strange.”

“I suppose they are.”

Oscar steadied her, brought her inside, and helped her settle on the couch.

“Are you alright?”

Ruby nodded, but she looked faint.

“Lie down. I’ll bring you a rag.” The werewolf obeyed and waited for the botanist to bring her a rag. Impulsively, she leaned over and sniffed him. “Dirt.”

Oscar laughed. “Yes, I am quite dirty, thanks for noticing.”

He kneeled down on the rug so he was face-level with her. He placed the cool rag on her head. She stiffened, then at the sight of his reassuring eyes, calmed down. Oscar wasn’t used to her stare. Silver was such an unusual eye color.

“You’re not going to swallow my face again, are you?”

Ruby shook her head. She leaned a bit closer, as if she was really interested, however. Something in Oscar’s head told him not to dare, but he did so anyway. Reaching a tentative hand to Ruby’s face, he pushed a lock of thick hair behind her ear. Her sharp features are interesting to look at. She seemed a bit soft, yet fierce at the same time.

“Could I see your hands?” he asked.

Ruby obliged; letting her hands peek out of her sleeves. Her hands had patches of hair on them, and sharp claws at the top. They didn’t frighten him, however.

“Is that why you tried to hide them from me? I think they’re very useful. I like them,” he complimented her.

If wolves could blush, Ruby was blushing then.

“Will you tell me about being a werewolf one day?”

Ruby bit her lip, but didn’t answer. Oscar guessed she was hungry and went to warm up some frozen chicken. Then he went digging through his knapsack for the first aid kit for Ruby’s wounds.

Five minutes later, Oscar had a plate of chicken in one hand and a first aid kit in the other. Ruby has sat up now, her hands pressed against her rag. She had taken off her hood and Oscar could make out her defined muscles, probably from all the running.

“Eat. I’m going to treat your wound while you do. Is that alright?” He took out the rubbing alcohol and ointment to show her. Applying the alcohol on a cotton ball, the botanist cleaned the gash, making sure any bacteria was eradicated. Ruby shook a little, maybe from the cold, or either the wound still stung. He quickly applied the appointment and wrapped a fresh bandage on it.

“There you go, good as new,” he nodded his head. Looking up, he found himself staring straight into Ruby’s eyes. She chewed slowly this time, as if registering his face as well.

“Where,” he whispered, “did you think of the name Ruby?”

Their noses were almost touching.

“In the book,” she muttered back. She then scooted away, taking another bite of chicken. Oscar cleared his throat. Of course. His book contained many sketches of various plants. She was digging through his bag today and probably saw the Ruby Rose sketched in his book. If she managed to pronounce “Ruby” correctly, maybe she was a quicker learner than he anticipated.

Oscar propped his head on his hands. “You can look at the book if you’d like. It seems you’re interested.” He brought the book over and leafed through it. He stopped at the page where a grainy photograph of the silver and red rose was glued in. “I came into the woods looking for this flower, but got lost.”

Ruby nodded thoughtfully. “Seen it.”

“You have?” he asked, ecstatically. She have a nod of confirmation.

“Next time, I plan to have a guide through those woods. Care to take on the role?” Oscar asked mischievously.

“Next time?” she echoed in disbelief.

Oscar barked out a laugh. “Okay, maybe not.” Silence. “You know, it’s hard to believe I’m sitting here, talking to a werewolf, but it’s true. I’ve enjoyed my time with you, and I’d like to get to know you more. I could teach you some human things and you could teach me... how you grab fish.”

Ruby’s lips quirked up.

“I mean, this isn’t a permanent thing, but only until you heal. If you’d like. My aunt would probably be confused, but she’s very welcoming.”

“Aunt?”

“Oh... she’s like my family. Like a pack. Do you have a pack?”

“I... they’re...” she trailed off.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain it to me,” he reassured her.

Ruby wrapped her arms around herself. “Yes. I want sleep. Is fine?”

Oscar nodded. “It’s fine. Do you want a blanket?”

The girl shook her head. Wolves didn’t need blankets. He didn’t really mind, but he’d prefer not to find a huge wolf on his sofa the next morning. It was getting late, and Oscar was quite tired himself. He could converse with her more tomorrow. He quickly made himself some oats and went upstairs to his bedroom. The moon rose and in the middle of the night, Oscar swore he heard Ruby howling to it. He thanked the gods it wasn’t a full moon. In the stories, werewolves were attracted to the full moon and unleashed their werewolf forms, running rampant through the land. Rolling over, he found Ruby, in wolf form, in bed next to him.

“Ruby, what are you doing here?” he hissed. The wolf girl had slipped into his bed without noticing and was already fast asleep. He thought it would take some time for her to get used to a human bed.

He watched her with interest, as she curled up by his side, breathing steady and deep. And for the first time in a long time, he understood that Ruby really had no family. No pack. Saddened, he stroked her fur slowly, hoping to give her just a slither of comfort.

He was interested, unusually, in Ruby. Even as part wolf, something about her made him all the more curious. Thoughts ran ablaze in his head, but eventually, Oscar found himself floating away to the dreamland.

————————————————————————

The next morning, Oscar went downstairs hurriedly, his suspenders hanging loosely at his sides. He didn’t want Ruby raiding his pantry so he’d make them breakfast, chat a bit more.

“Morning, Ruby!” he shouted cheerfully. He skipped down the steps, and walked over to the couch, only for there to be no werewolf on there.

“Ruby?” He looked around, in case she was wandering off somewhere.

“Ruby?” He looked outside, worriedly. Perhaps she was running around the farm. It was a lot of open space. Maybe the moon activated her wolf mode and she’d run off. But she’d come back, right?

Oscar searched around the farm again before settling down for a hot cup of tea. “She’s still injured, she’ll be back later.” Ruby probably wasn’t used to sleeping on a bed or a couch. She needed nature. But she’d be back, he kept reassuring himself. Because he was sure that what he felt, the suddenly need to form a connection, wasn’t one-sided. It already took him ages to accept his own feelings internally. He didn’t want to regret bringing the werewolf home, and now he couldn’t help but feeling part of it was a mistake.

Unsure, Oscar lazed on the couch, flipping through books. Every time he wanted to leave, he asked himself, “What if she comes back?”

But Ruby wasn’t coming back. It was 3 pm when Oscar realized. No matter how many silent jokes passed between them, or affectionate gestures they shared, at the end of the day, he was a botanist, and she was a werewolf. There was nothing there, nothing was ever going to be there, and that was that. He was simply a bit curious about her. A curiousity that needed to be extinguished.

At night, Oscar still heard wolf howls from the Yellow Woods. They sounded lonely, and yearning, as if they were beckoning him over. All he had of this time was a constant image of a wolf sleeping by his side that made him feel comfortable in an otherwise terrifying forest. Maybe he was hearing multiple howls and she had found a pack. Her pack.

He still did want to get to know her, and her kind, if she was willing. But those chances were lost to the wind. Now the beings, from separate worlds, would no longer see one another. They met out of chance, and were too different to ever become close. Maybe he was crazy. Oscar would have never befriended a wolf before today, he would be too afraid. Maybe he was just a bit lonely. Just like her. And now she was gone, as fast she came.

—————————————————————————-

I have no idea what I was planning to do with this, my mind kept forgetting Ruby was a werewolf not just a wolf but here I am. I lowkey wanna write more of this, though. This was very long and quite strange, but I hope you like it. Thank you for the extreme patience you must’ve had waiting for this.

#the wolf of the yellow woods #rosegarden #oscar pine #ruby rose #roscar #rosepine #rwby #fanfic #fanfiction #requests

19 notes · View notes

infini-tree · 6 years

Text

FANFIC: Bùkěsīyì - Part 13

prev | next

Summary: In which the Musician's Village is evacuated.

A/N: So. This is a year overdue.

Lots of stuff happened, leaving me to go on and off with this chapter. The reason why its something of a supercut of events is mostly to show the monotony of all the traveling back and forth, as well as help highlight things that deviated from all it. Also because the original version just had a lot more unnecessary stuff-- there's a whole scene cut, and another that had to be condensed.

Originally, I wanted this to be one chapter but par for the course it became two in order to give proper depth/development/pacing, so this is more of a chapter 13-a. Shifu is a character that I have very little experience in writing, AU or otherwise.

The Musician’s Village was the furthest village under the Jade Palace’s protection. It wasn’t so much a town you stayed at, so much as passed through. And those that did stay were a hardy folk that could brave whatever nature could throw at them.

Invasions, on the other hand, were another story. They were called the Musician’s Village for a reason.

Shifu breathed in the mountain air, looking at the settlements ahead lit in early morning light. Turns out, the masses had many questions regarding evacuation. Most of them regarding how. First thing’s first-- he needed to organize everyone. Everything needed to be just right for this. He looked down to a small scroll from his supply; on it was a basic procedure, some quick notes penned by him, and a map.

Past the winding trail, past the forest marked down hastily was their destination-- a town with proper walls and safehouses in case worse comes to worst.

It seemed simple enough, but he’s heard enough stories from the Five to know otherwise. He looked back up to a small group, who were looking were looking back at him for guidance. Chatter continued to ring in his ears-- there was too much of it, but he managed to catch snippets of conversation.

“-- he’s the master?” a young voice mused aloud.

“They sent just the one...” another whispered, tone tuned to gossip.

And through the panic, he heard a calmly embittered voice grumble, “Of all the-- I don't have time for this...”

Shifu cleared his throat a little bit louder than expected. The people in front of him lulled into a relative silence.

“You are the first of many groups that I’ll take down to the merchant village at the foot of the mountain.” He began to pace back and forth in front of them. “The Five have already informed the people there and are more than willing to take you all in.

“Women, children, and the elderly should be at the center. Those that don’t fit those categories should be situated around them, while I lead all of you down.”

“Er, that sounds like a lot of work for a little guy like you,” a pig with uneven tusks piped up.

Shifu opted to pretend not to hear that comment, a feat in and of itself considering his large ears. “If they’re unable to walk, get something or someone to carry them with.”

“Are you sure about that--” the pig continued, undeterred and unaware… at least until the master was face to face with him.

The red panda stared him down, shoulders squared as if readying for a battle. He had half a mind to lecture him in front of an entire village for disrupting the assembly of people, but he relented.

It would reflect poorly on the Jade Palace, after all.

Shifu took in a deep breath. Blew it out. “If you have anything to share, I suggest doing it out loud and in front of me.”

Everyone’s eyes were on the both of them. The pig had the decency to look partially chagrined.

“I get that you’re a master,” he continued. “But that seems like a lot of work for any one person. Can you blame me for being worried?”

“No need,” he said with a wave of the hand holding the scroll. “I’ve personally made the quickest possible evacuation plans, accounting for everything; walking speed, population, alternate routes--”

“But is that enough?”

Shifu stared at him, his mouth opening only for nothing to come out. He already knew that this mission had no margin for error, but those words made the failure more palpable. Made him much more aware of everyone’s existence, and how much they depended on him.

Everyone’s eyes were on him now, and they’re expecting something. As much as this was a terrible ordeal, he needed to stay strong for these people, like how the Five would be.

He gulped. No pressure.

“You have my word as a master of the Jade Palace that all of you will get out of here alive.” Shifu’s voice was noticeably slow and deliberate. “I have been assigned this mission, and I will do whatever it takes to finish it. Do I make myself clear?”

The pig pulled back his mouth and could only manage a grimace of a smile, but he nodded regardless. Even if they weren’t being directly lectured at there were others that held similar doubts in the group did so as well.

“Good.” Shifu turned around. “Now the lot of you should get ready before noon.”

“Can I ask you somethin’, master?”

The third group, thankfully, got their bearings quicker than the ones before them. Not by much, admittedly, but just enough to reach the safe town earlier than expected.

And in that reprieve, there was a lot more time for questions… much to Shifu’s chagrin.

He looked up from his planning scroll with a disinterested gaze and meeting eyes with nothing. A quick look down, and he was face-to-face with a rabbit kit that, save for the dirt clinging to her robes, was in good condition.

“Can’t you see he’s busy, Lan Min?” The father stepped forward, his entire frame shaking as he pulled his daughter back.

Shifu’s face smoothed out into something that at least seemed friendly. “It’s fine, I have a bit of time,” he said with a tone that barely masked how not fine it was, or how little time there could be.

“You’re a kung fu master, right? C-- couldn’t you just fight th’ army?”

His ears perked up at the incredulity of that. “Er-- no,” he said finally. “I could fight, but… they’re a lot of people. I would get tired.”

You would be slaughtered, his mind thought back to training sessions with Tigress.

“Oh.” The kit was silent for a moment, a sad sort of disappointment etched on her face. “Wha‘bout the Dragon Warrior? I heard there was a big, big festival an’ then he just kinda appeared.”

Shifu’s brow furrowed in frustration. Even with how far away he was from the Valley, the Dragon Warrior still taunted him-- still infuriated him. He wanted to say no, that the person they chose to be the Dragon Warrior wasn’t even that well-versed in kung fu. That it should have been any of the Five.

That it should have him.

But he didn’t have the heart to say that to a child-- especially one going through such an ordeal.

“I… don’t know,” he managed. Seeing the child’s confused face, he gave a soft smile in an attempt to mask his tiredness and disappointment. “But… I hope so.”

The kit seemed satisfied with this answer before she beamed, completely unaware. “I hope so too!”

The rest of the family shared a soft laugh at that, but before the child could answer any more questions, Shifu straightened up.

“In any case,” he said, perhaps a little too hastily. “I should get back up to the village. There’s still-- there’s still people.”

The mother had ushered Lan Min away, much to her protestations. Meanwhile, the father looked back at him, his brow furrowed. “Master,” he said finally. “I know you must hear this all the time, but… thank you.”

“It’s no problem, this evacuation is all in a day’s work.”

“I’m not talking about that,” he said quietly as his gaze shifted to his wife and kid, who were now mingling with the local villagers here.

They seemed… lighter, if only a little bit.

The buck coughed quietly before making his way to his family, leaving Shifu to stare at where they once were.

The red panda wasn’t exactly sure what he was feeling, but he could ruminate on that later. He was burning daylight here, and there wasn’t much time to ruminate on what exactly he was feeling.

Days began to meld into each other. So did the evacuating villagers’ faces, although Shifu was sure that was due to fatigue. With everything that had happened, it almost felt like he had been doing this for decades as opposed to a few weeks at most.

The mists had overtaken most of the mountains, and by extension the final group to descend. Villagers trudged onward and behind the red panda, their collective brows knitted and eyes downcast.

The trek, like all the treks before it, was monotonous. Maybe that kind of thinking, Shifu surmised, came with the territory of being bedraggled.

They had barely managed to make it past the first turn of the path before someone spoke. “Er, master?” One of the villagers-- a merchant goose with his feathers in a messy topknot looked at him with concern. “Are you alright? One of us could take the lead while you rest--”

“Absolutely not.” He emphasized that point by sweeping his hand in front of him in a defiant gesture.

“I think we can stand to take a small breather.”

Shifu looked back from his position in front. Even with the blanket of fog obscuring everyone, he could see how everyone dragged their collective heels as they tried to keep up. Which, upon further thought wasn’t even a fast of a pace in the first place due to how tired he was. At this point, all of them were running on survival instinct.

With a quiet sigh, he sat down cross legged. “Just keep it short-- we’re on a schedule here.”

The collective group let out a sigh of relief, setting their packs down and took out their respective rations. Soon enough, there was quiet chatter that could even be considered as amiable. There was a faint sour scent of pickled vegetables lingering in the air as they ate and relaxed for the first time in weeks.

From quite a ways away, Shifu took a swig of water from his canteen as he surveyed the path ahead… by walking the length of it back and forth with ears perpetually perked up. For the most part, there was the din of the group behind him and the breeze blowing past the mountaintops.

Despite that, he could still hear… something under all of that. A low rumble, or perhaps--

The red panda tensed up.

The villagers nearest him took note of the sudden shift and stared at him. The goose from before approached him. “Master?”

Even through the wind and low chatter, the sound of marching released was unmistakable.

“Be quiet and follow me.” As the villagers made their way to collect their carts and such, he stopped them. “Only bring what you can carry on your back and a canteen. Everything else needs to stay.”

A howl pierced through the silence. The villagers let out a collective gasp.

There wasn’t much time to process much of anything as the sound of taut string being released echoed in the mountain range.

“Take cover!”

Hundreds of arrows flew out from the mist. Many of them had been aimed at the village, but there was still dozens coming after them.

Shifu leapt up to bridge the gap between him and the arrowfire. As each one had closed in, he had quickly struck them mid-air, quickly gaining upward momentum as they clattered onto the cliff ground around them.

Higher and higher he went, until finally he could just barely see past the cliff edge of the Musician’s Village. Through the fog, he saw a platoon of wolf archers who fell back… and were going down the same path they were currently on right now. Before gravity took over and pulled him back down, the sound of something off had caught his attention.

The sound of metal clanging against each other.

As soon as he landed, the group of villagers crowded around him. The sound of snarling was fast approaching.

“Master, what do we do?”

The red panda stayed silent as his ears began to swivel in the direction of where they came from. Far above, there was the sound of marching and things being moved around.

“Master?” Another villager said through gritted teeth.

In the bit of quiet between footfalls, he could hear a caw, followed by the clanging of metal. He knew a fight when he heard one.

“All of you need to go,” Shifu said finally. With great hesitation, he handed off the scroll he had been using for his mission to the merchant-- surely, he knew his way around a map, if not the way down. “Just take what’s on you, everything else needs to stay--”

There wasn’t time to protest as the sound of snarling was fast approaching. Five wolves cut through the mist armed to the teeth. That is to say, the only weapons they had was their teeth and claws.

The villagers stood stock still, too mortified to run.

"Just go already!" Shifu leapt in front of the final group, standing off against the squadron of wolves. "I'll buy you time!"

After a moment's hesitation, the villagers ran.

One of the wolves noticed the evacuating villagers on the far edge of the ridge and attempted to run after them. This was met with the master pulling him back by the tail and throwing the wolf back. One soldier had managed to get hit square in the face with the body of his comrade, and left them in a bewildered heap.

There wasn’t enough time to process what to do with the downed wolves before the rest of them tackled him to the ground. Shifu quickly struggled out of the grasp of one of the wolves gripping at the collar of his robes, pulled his legs in, and let loose a double kick to the stomach towards the offending wolf.

The soldier flew back into the carts that were left behind, letting out a horrible cacophony of crashing. The remaining two hunched down on all fours and attempted to pounce on the red panda once more.

Shifu leapt up at the last second, causing the both of them to collide into each other. In their bout of disorientation, he delivered a Tiger-styled jab to the both of them. The soldiers fell, their bodies too tired to continue.

For the briefest of moments, the master's shoulders heaved. His ears twitched as the sound of retreating footsteps echoed from below the mists. The evacuating villagers was safe for now, but there was still more soldiers... and by the sounds of the overhead growls coming closer, they were now suspicious at the sound of conflict down here.

Shifu took in a deep breath as he began to go back up the path into the Musician’s Village, steeling himself and following the distant noise of fighting.

Dragon Warrior or not, he was going to end this.

#mellsian fanfics #kfp generationswap au

8 notes · View notes

katekyo-hitman-aus · 6 years

Text

Self Insert!Nana

When Masami died, it was a tragedy, but she was quickly forgotten. She wandered around, craving for human contact only to pass through each body in her beloved city.

The killer was quickly caught but she never thought it’d be her own kin. Her brother killed her and her parents committed suicide right after her death had appeared on the news. Her brother was supported by her auntie who convinced both parents to commit suicide. Masami saw everything. Her heart broke once they both agreed and their bodies were quickly buried by everyone.

She wept for two weeks straight, and then the rumors about this new ghost appeared instantly, making the city even busier. At least the tourists tried to appease her by offering her flowers. She tried to make friends with the dead but they were all busy staring at the sky. She didn’t get it. She stared at the sky in frustration.

What do I do now? Masami felt so so tired.

The next thing she knew, phantom hands grabbed her wrists and shoulders, pulling her into a concrete sidewalk. She struggled to free herself but did it with flames???

Her hands were on fire. Blue fucking fire. She panicked and tried to calm down but a man with a giant cloak and blond hair smiled amiably at her and grabbed her hand. She gulped.

“Hello.”

“Hello?” Masami looked at her surroundings, feeling nostalgic. Wasn’t it the mafia manga??

“Yes it is.” the man answered her voiced question. “You’re in my world. Tsunayoshi hasn’t been born yet.”

Tsunayoshi?

She hasn’t heard of the name since high school- her eyes blink in surprise. “Is this the..mafia?"

"Yes.” Multiple dissembodied voices screamed in the sky. The voices got louder. “You have been reborn as one of the destined.”

Masami gaped. She frowned, “Who am I?”

“That we can not tell. If so, then we’d ruin the tale of Vongola.”

“Then you’re all Vongola Primo, Secondo, and etc? Oh of..course.” Masami groaned. Curse her luck. She had the worst luck in university. Her mind flashes back to when her brother teased her and said he was surprised she survived this long. Middle school. He was adorable~!

Too bad she got murdered by her little brother. She puffed her cheeks, looking down.

A man with short white hair appeared, greeting her in a deep voice. “Yo! I’m Kawahira!” Masami was way confused but Kawahira could’ve been a mist, she supposed.

She saw how Kawahira twitched and she quickly bowed, introducing herself.

“Now that introductions are over, your mission is to make Katekyo Hitman Reborn more interesting! Or not. You’re going to be reborn and you can’t change that Masami-channnn~”

Masami only nodded, signs of irritation clear on her face as she was gently knocked out by drugs. She cried inwardly, opening her eyes rapidly.

It hurt! She must’ve been just born. The cold lights made her wail even more as pale arms carried her in a blanket.

Stupid Kawahira.

5 years later, Yashida Nako weakly coughed and hit her crazy father in the face with a good arm and a toy gun.

“Nako-kun! You’re still bad at this! Blehhhhh-oUCH! SHE GOT ME IN THE EYEEEEEE!” Her father weeped like crazy, her mother popping out from the ground with a first aid kit. Nako blankly stared at the event before hysterically laughing.

Uncle Tokomi thoughtfully glanced at Nako, wondering if she needed a sanity check up. Nako instantly shut up and glared at Uncle. Uncle sheepishly grinned and lifted the girl up

Nako simply enjoyed life, throwing herself into something related to defense. A toy gun that was painted green, the Masami part of her lovingly pretended it was Leon and that she was Reborn.

Her mother cooed at her huge fedora which featured her doe yellow eyes. Masami did look up to Reborn, no matter how weird Reborn was, and she was naturally born with honey yellow eyes. Nako madly cackled, which sounded like angel’s laughter in a baby suit.

Her father guffawed, almost cursing when he realized he had to go to work. Nako frowned as her mother said good bye to her father. Unfortunately, she still had busy parents who had to work due to Japan’s work ethics.

She is grateful her family didn’t live in a farm like her Old family. It was a life full of hives chasing her thanks to the move in family that thought no one lived right next to them and swatted the nest all the way in the middle of Masami’s treehouse.

Nako pouted cutely as her Mama took away the green gun. “Mama!” She cried. “I want my toy backkkkkkkk!”

Mama groaned playfully, flicking Nako in the forehead. Nako owlishly looked at her from the carpeted ground. “Mama?”

“Take your medicine then I’ll give you your toy back!” Mama grinned, lifting Nako into her lap. Nako fidgeted but gave into the disgusting medicine. Sometimes Nako wished she was normal.

She smiled once Mama gave her the green gun and she made loud noises near her mama’s ears. Her mama was slightly surprised but Nako quickly climbed out of her lap, looking for Uncle.

“Uncle! Uncle!”

“OompH-” Uncle stares at her in surprise, smiling kindly at her. “Yes?”

“Can we get more gu-gundos?” Nako hopes it’s a yes.

Nako looks at him in hopes but is slightly curious about his expression. He looks exasperated at her question and a little wary.

“Why?” The kind him comes back. “Didn’t we get you that toy gun a long time ago? Isn’t it pretty important?”

Nako thinks about it and tears up but insists on a new toy gun. “This one’s gon be my special one! I want to get better! Maybe it’ll come in handy!"

Uncle grins, taking out a plastic white gun with a grey handle and a bright yellow trigger. Nako notices it looks a lot more… compact. It’s cold and shiny, compared to her smaller green gun.

She practices until her hand starts to twitch for an actual gun, much to her horror. Masami didn’t even think of any type of harming people in her last life.

Masami in her dreams realizes that she is a Yashida. She must protect herself before anyone in her family kills her. She remembers her death that day so vividly, the younger side of Masako-Nako, cries and cries in front of her parents randomly, so glad she didn’t have a little brother.

She takes things more seriously. Her past life as Masako blurs between this life and her past. The only thing she knows now is how to take medicine and aim plastic bullets at intruders.

Now that Nako is 10, she realizes that her mother is sometimes a lot more tense than when she was younger. Her uncle appears only to give her more plastic ammo and her father was in the hospital. Her father doesn’t say hello to her anymore. Nako feels empty.

She didn’t know much people other than her babysitter but then she was gone. Nako is always thinking about her past life but is sad when she cannot remember it. She remembers the adults that she met before she was directly Yashida Nako.

She hates it. So she forces her mother to explain what’s happening in the family. Her mother glares at her but gives in.

"You shouldn’t be asking for this. Are you sure?"

Nako nods in response.

Her mother explains everything. She’s not normal at all. The Yashidas are a branch grouping of yakuza and mafia. The reason why she’s never had any communications with other people is because she is the weak link to the Yashidas.

Nako also noted that her family was notoriously known for handguns and daggers in their jobs. Nako wasn’t that dense to notice her mother almost said assassinations. It wasn’t like Nako knew everything but now that she had knew about her family’s background, she began to consider how to actually use her skills to help her family and then develop enough skills to run away if things got out of hand.

Nako smiled at her tiny green handgun. It was 5 years old but she did know how to dissemble and polish each of the gun parts. She still wore a new fedora every year and got her favorite fried foods on her birthday.

She weakly groaned one day, one January 1st. It was time to go celebrate New Years. She got up and greeted the maids who only got to see her a few times a year to prepare her Kimono.

Nako beamed at the maids who slipped her extra candy and manga. She hoped her family didn’t notice the sudden influx of manga. She ate the candy before her family came in to take her to the shrine.

Nako tightly held onto her Uncle’s sleeve, focusing on the hidden scars he received a long time ago. Her mother and father were nowhere to be seen but she expected that.

Skip to 3 years later, as a 13 year old, she had grown weaker yet more powerful. She was officially inducted at a Hibari meeting. Nako inwardly gulped, trying to stay still as everyone fluttered by, chatting each other up.

Her uncle groaned at her queasiness and gave her a blue jade bracelet with gold animal charms and was nowhere to be seen after that. She panicked and smiled weakly at the curiious bystanders. She recognized the light brown eyed lookers with dark formal clothing as the Kusakabes.

A woman with a sharp jaw smiled at her and gave her a book. Nako eagerly read it and tried not to cry. It was about a woman that loved her husband and willingly joined in his place. But then the man mourned the death of his wife. He never married or had any adopted children after that. And everyone in his family died.

Nako sniffled, not noticing a slender figure creep behind her.

"Oya? Yashida-san, why are you crying?” A light voice chirped. She yelped and gripped the book tightly.

That was the time she met Hibari Masae, a girl with a soft spoken voice but strong morals. Unknowingly to Nako, Hibari Masae instantly adored the mousy girl and kept her under the Hibari claim.

Nako was probably the most happiest at this point in life. Her parents and uncle looked afar in relief. She had passed the test and the Hibaris and Yashidas would become united once again.

Life for Nako was fulfilling and she entered high school with Masae. She experienced an overall happy school year and stayed with Masae until they both graduated college with top rank grades. Masae moved to Namimori and Nako had stayed in Tokyo, happily working in her secretary job and translating Japanese novels to Chinese and English.

Then she met Iemitsu. For the first time in forever, she felt wary and her blue flames flared actively. She snapped out of her civilian act, avoiding Iemitsu.

But then she fell in love as he noticed her. She knew very well who this was.

The young Lion. And she was screwed, for someone who probably had better aim than Iemitsu in guns.

She could see he was a stale Sky, not that he knew and she went in anyways. Nako remembered Primo mentioning her favorite character back when she was Masami.

That was the only part she remembered. All parts of Masami were dying by now and the only thing they were both connected to were weapons and the Hibaris. Masami had no knowledge of the Yashidas and cut the connections at those two things. Nako didn’t care and smiled at Iemitsu, taking his orders to the boss for a translation.

Sawada Iemitsu had an Italian contract that was about a peace treaty. Nako giggled in feigned ignorance at Iemitsu’s poor excuse of a treaty. She knew Vongola would fail and her family wouldn’t mind if the Hibaris protected her in Namimori.

Nako had changed her name from Yashida Nako to Sawada Nana in a nice quiet Namimori. Namimori was an odd town with many types of characters who were way too oblivious about the gunshots in town. Perks of being protected by Hibaris she assumed.

Nana was so disgusted by how the teachers of Namimori were and had secretly supported Hibari Kyouya’s reformation of the school. Nana instantly shot down the dangers of mafioso as Masae was weakening.

Nana stayed by Masae’s side and ruthlessly killed with Masae’s weapons. Nana had at least soothed Masae’s chronic fatigue while Tsuna was still running around, perfect timing for Kyouya and her Tsuna to get to know each other.

Tsuna was embarrassed by Nana’s antics but he had learned to take hand to hand combat from Nana’s white hairs about Namimori’s weakspots and complaints he heard everyday at dinner with Masae-san, Kyouya-kun, and Okaa-san.

Everyday was fun and Tsuna didn’t really care about his deadbeat father. Tsuna thought Iemitsu was dead.

Then Vongola Nono came during summer vacation with Iemitsu in sight. She locked all of her guns in place and it was hidden behind the bookshelves. Just like scooby-doo, Tsuna giggled and went to the kitchen once Nana shooed him away.

Nana had hovered over Tsuna like a shadow and smoothly intercepted her husband from cornering her son.

“Why don’t you two talk about your job with us? How’s everything?” Silence.

Nana thought so, laughing at her husband’s lack of response. Even a trainee in her family has a backup plan.

This was the great Vongola that Nana heard about? Nana knew she’d have to put herself into the crossfire in order for her Tsuna to go and have a happy life!

She knew Tsuna was meant to be Decimo though. Tsuna warily peeked at Nono, forgetting about the man that was his father and her husband. She hummed happily.

2 days later, they’re gone, much to Tsuna’s relief. Tsuna had voiced that the nice old man would’ve sealed the instinct he had. Nana narrowed her eyes and dragged her son to Italy with her.

It is there that she finds a young girl named Bianchi. Bianchi leads her to her Family and there Nana had made a secure alliance with the Fiorentinos and the Greco.

They’re small in numbers but cunning in executions and expansion of the Family.

By luck, Nana meets a female Skull. Odd. Masami doesn’t remember that part but she and Skull occasionally get along in mercenary missions.

A year later, Vongola still hasn’t found out about Nana and Tsuna’s disappearance thanks to the Hibari Clan. Kyouya and Masae are pretty set off by everything and Masae recovers and takes out her pretty and heavy fans to slash at mafioso.

The cloud arcobaleno comes back with Nana and Tsuna and is instantly filed as a civilian. She was originally a girl of all trades in the circus and passed those skills onto Tsuna.

Tsuna was slightly less clumsy with his fire and stepped with a cat’s grace by the time all of Vongola’s heirs died out. By the time Reborn ends up in Namimori, Tsuna dodges all attempts made by Reborn even if it’ll kill him.

Nana laughs loudly at Tsuna’s misery but is thankful Tsuna is a lot less like his canonself. Skull is there to cheer on Reborn for once as punishment for Tsuna taking her desserts.

And everything changed slightly.

(this prompt was way too long and it took me multiple hours ow my hands are s w e a t i n g imdead-) :)

note/ Bianchi may or may not have a crush on Nana instead of Reborn. Reborn finally gets to know the infamous Nana everyone talks about.

Reborn is slightly put off by Skull’s sadism. It’s almost like his and he’s disturbed but shrugs it off because Reborn.

Skull used to be a circus performer and often did gymnastics with giant rings of fire. She’s pretty sure most circus performers she had worked with used to be mafioso because of the bullet scars and their ideas of presents(g u n s). Tsuna admires her the most and Reborn is slightly miffed by that. Adorable as Reborn and has a tiny lisp like Reborn. She has purple hair and light pink eyes.

Tsuna is still short haha but Nana can rock a pair of 3 inch heels but is still shorter than Hibari Masae.

The Hibaris are freaking giants and no one ever grows in the Yashida genes smh.

Tsuna’s pretty average in class. Tsuna proposed to be Dame-Tsuna but Nana has flashbacks of being a No-Good in her old life and refuses, smacking Tsuna.

Hibari Kyouya refuses to acknowledge the Sawadas as carnivores but almost pisses himself when he sees Nana glance at the gun the same way Reborn does and instantly puts a bullet into the nearest mafioso’s brain.

^it was the first time he learned about Sawada Nana’s life as Yashida Nako. He stays away from her house whenever he patrols Namimori. Masae laughs her ass off tbh.

#Self Insert Nana AU #khr #katekyo hitman reborn #katekyo hitman aus #sawada nana #vongola primo #sawada tsunayoshi #skull khr #katekyo hitman fics #submission

153 notes · View notes

velerodra-valesinger · 6 years

Text

Broken Mirror

Notes: This is a follow-up to previous post. These things turned out to be longer than I had expected. There is still at least one more. I ended up stuffing a lot of backstory in here again. Sometimes I need to write these sort of meandering things, to sort through Vel’s brain. I forget sometimes, how messy it can be to keep track off all the different directions her head gets pushed and pulled in. There are bunch of really brief mentions in her towards the end.

Mentions: @avaraelia, @kurel-andiel, @eilitheduskbringer , @residentsofdeadsun , @ellwelune, @twiddist , @galirayna , @evelynnblackmore , @raylendaerthe, @recke-stoutmantle , @gaelin-duskwhisper, @crymsynlotus, @novinderethehierophant, @strixena, @jagged-little-pieces

This is the story of your gypsy uncle

You never knew ‘cause he was dead

And how his face was carved and rift with wrinkles

In the picture in your head

remember how you found the key

his hideout in the Pyrenees

But you wanted to keep his secret safe

So you threw the key away

This is the story of your gypsy uncle

–The Decemberists, ‘Red Right Ankle’

At dawn, she wrapped herself in robes and moved from the temple, to the chilly grounds outside. She turned to vapor, and let the winds carry her southeast, towards her home in the Jade Forest. Few knew exactly where she lived, and those who did, were unlikely to pay her a visit.

Avaraelia remained a major factor in what made Velerodra - who she was but her search for clarity was not over. Before she was her mother’s daughter, and all that entailed, she was a weapon. A weapon forged for a very specific purpose. As she walked the grounds of her Master’s home, which she had inherited, she knew that he too played a crucial role in sculpting Velerodra in - whoever she was now. His influence, like her mother’s remained.

She locked her door as she got inside and moved to her living room, the one room in her entire house that had any sort of ornamentation on the walls. Masks. A wall of them. Hozen masks. She stared at the wall and felt her head grow heavy from the void energies that she was containing. She knew what those masks held, she knew better than to look them in the eyes now. But she could still feel them, glaring at her. And even glances towards them caused whispers to start to creep from one container of her mind into another.

As the murmuring began to fill her head she left the room and freed herself of the dozens of blackened eyes that had been staring at her. Why keep such grim souvenirs?

They were hers. Each mask, had been used to aid in an exorcism. Each mask still contained the the essence of the Sha that had once possessed someone. That was the weapon her master had forged. He had found Vel, a strange elf who he quickly realized was missing something.

If our pasts define us, or shape us, what is someone who has a limited past? If someone has lived for years, but never could form coherent episodic memories, do they have a past at all? And how might such a being develop? If one day whatever had prevented the formation of long-term episodic memories suddenly was gone? The mind of a child, the brain of an adult? Was there a distinction between the two?

Velerodra Valesinger spent the first ninety years of her life hexed. She only knows this from medical records she had poured over endlessly. Ninety years, she spent, being moved from clinic to clinic, healer to healer, weak and feverish. Some records suggest her mind needed to focus on the most essential resources to keep her alive, and the formation of episodic memory was not such a function. It is the best explanation she has found for why she has no memory of most of her (estimated) life. In truth she had little idea how old she is, little idea where she comes from, and little idea of how she somehow was freed of her hex.

When Vel’s Master found her, she had that childlike mind, impressionable. Malleable. And he saw in her a blankness. A lack of emotional affect. She tried to emulate emotion, but she did not seem to grasp them. And with that as his material, he forged a weapon designed to deal with the Sha that had infected his homeland. The death rattles of an Old God. They preyed on emotions, but Vel, with her blank mind, had little to prey upon. She was taught to use her mind as a temporary prison. The masks that decorated her wall held the emotional turmoil of whomever she’d placed it upon. Why did she keep them? Because, she sometimes, longed to relive them. To experience the fears, hatred, doubts, and rage of others, in the hopes that she might understand what she seemed to lack.

Her Master later regretted what he’d conditioned his student’s mind to be. He’d essentially kept her emotionally stunted. Meanwhile other aspects of her mind developed normally.

For all the harm Avaraelia may have caused, she did, if nothing else, encourage her daughter to feel. To feel angry, to feel hatred to feel love. The demoness manipulated her in order to get Vel to experience feelings that she had been taught so hard to simply not acknowledge.

These two influences, Avaraelia and Xyolo could not have been more opposing. Yet they formed the foundation of who Velerodra Valesinger was. Somehow both of their influences still coexisting within her.

She was her master’s weapon. She was also her mother’s daughter.

Vel sat at the foot of her bed staring into a mirror, carefully studying her own mismatched eyes. A trail of mist began to wrap around her twist and turn and weave into a slender string that sort of hovered from her wrist. Her dark eye stared at her in the mirror as she heard more mumbling inside of her head. The mists turned black and thick, less a string and more a whip. With a hiss she pulled her arm back and struck forward, the dark sludge shattered the mirror and dissolved as a grey vapor. She stared now at the shattered mirror that covered the floor. She looked away in disgust. She had barely been able to look at her reflection, and now she glanced down and saw a cavalcade of partial reflections staring back at her.

Despite averting her gave, she still felt as if her own eyes were staring back at her. She wrapped her arms around her chest and shuddered. She felt — vulnerable. She moved to her closet and disrobed, exchanging her robe for something she felt truly safe in. Heavy metal gauntlets and boots, and thick fel-infused leather that seemed to cling to her flesh. There were two reasons she didn’t wear this armor often, the first was because of the sheer amount of demonic energy it gave off was not likely to go unnoticed and unquestioned. The second reason was because of the pain it cause. But, it made her feel safe.

She went to clean up the shattered mirror and knelt down. She stared at the fragments of her reflection. She reached out with one of her heavy gauntlets to try and collect some of the larger shards. But as she leaned forward she was again assaulted by a barrage of her own fractured images. She clenched her fist as her mind began to buzz.

She felt sick. Her stomach churned and she scrambled towards her bathroom, but she collapsed to the floor in her hallway. She vomited onto hardwood floors. She coughed and gagged. She didn’t get up. She closed her eyes.

She felt her mind shift. As it was trained to do. She felt the voices grow faint.

Who else, sculpted her? There was more to her than whatever this was, wasn’t there? Her thoughts wandered to more recent events. About the things she still didn’t know after the events of Friday night.

She wondered if Kurel was doing any better.

She wondered if Kurel’s shape was still as it was before, or if it had returned to normal.

She wondered if she could have done more to help.

She wondered why she’d even offered to help Eilithe in the first place.

She wondered if Dalen had collected Elle, and if they were holding one another.

She wondered where the fuck Ethan had come from. She though he’d been exiled.

She wondered if Kit was right about calling Ray by her name. She’d tried it, but couldn’t tell if she liked it or not. Perhaps it was a poor time to test such things.

She wondered if Evelynn got away from Raylen.

She wondered if Evelynn was settled down.

She wondered if Recke ever went to check on her.

She wondered why Gaelen had attacked her and Saeris and if he was upset because of that time they’d knocked on his door.

She wondered if Lady Draconis and her people all survived.

She wondered about the screech from whoever the Dark Mother was, and what it meant.

She wondered if that meant this was over now.

She wondered if anyone found No’vi.

She wondered all of these things. But why?

Part of her mind told her it was natural curiosity. Part of her mind told her it was because she cared. Other parts of her mind started to grow louder and her stomach began to churn again.

She spent the rest of the day on the floor in her hallway. She spent that night there too.

She suddenly missed her friend, Ara. She tried to think of Ara as she lay there, about how they were both ‘alone-type-things’. And she told herself that Ara would not need help to get through this sort of thing, and that if Ara could be that strong as an ‘alone-type-thing’, she could be too.

#voidsick #day2 #velstuff #more backstory #internal conflict #velissues

21 notes · View notes

wittystiles · 7 years

Text

Injured Brat || Mitch Rapp

Author: wittystiles

Relationship: Mitch Rapp x Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: Cursing (it’s me so obviously). Blood. Injuries. Mentions of violence (sorta i guess idk).

Summary: Mitch is injured and he’s the least helpful patient.

A/N: A huge shout-out to @ellie-bee242 for her wonderful input and proofreading. Idk if this would’ve happened without her push tbh. Also. One of my favorite quips in this was her idea. And another to @lovefilledtragedy for proofreading as well and her encouragement. Please enjoy. (-: Ps. the gif doesn’t really go with what happens in the fic but it’s a great gif so.

The music from your phone played lowly throughout the small studio apartment to give you ambient sound. You had vaguely hoped it would help, and were only mildly disappointed that it hadn’t. You shifted restlessly in the bed, pulling the covers a little higher, bunching the top around your neck slightly. You had been tossing and turning for a decent amount of time. Too cold, too uncomfortable, too lonely.

Mitch should be home by now, you thought to yourself as you cracked an eye open to look at the alarm clock on your nightstand. The letters shone a bright green, offending your eyes. 3:38 AM.

“Where the hell is he?” You questioned of the empty apartment, sitting up in the bed. You pushed your hair back and away from your face, patting the mattress beside you to make sure that he hadn’t been able to sneak in during the few times you’d managed to become briefly unconscious. Nothing.

You contemplated calling him, deciding that it would be useless. If he was at work, which you surely hoped was the case, you doubted he’d even bother to shoot you a “sorry can’t talk” text message. With a deep breath you threw the covers off of your body, goosebumps rising up on your cold skin immediately. The window near the bed had been left open to let in the cool autumn air, and you regretted it. You assessed your outfit, a thong and Mitch’s shirt. That couldn’t possibly be why you were cold...

“Socks,” you said to yourself as if you discovered a miracle solution to your coldness.

You walked on the balls of your feet across the chilly wooden floor, stopping at the black dresser against the wall. You opened a drawer and rifled around in the dark before finding a pair of socks. You returned to the bed, sitting down on the edge to pull them on. You’d managed to get your left foot covered when a bang sounded loud throughout the apartment.

Your heart started pounding against your chest, your head snapping up to the source of the sound. You saw light pouring in from the hallway, the front door hanging wide open. Mitch was leaning against the door frame. You could see his chest rising and falling hard from labored breathing.

You sprang to your feet, hurrying to the front door to greet your boyfriend. “What the fuck happened to you?” You asked, grabbing at his arm to help him inside. He shrugged you off, pushing off of the door frame.

“Nothing good,” He remarked, limping to the sofa where he landed heavily. He huffed loudly, stretching his long legs out in front of him. You shut the front door, throwing the dead bolts before flicking on the living room light.

“Jesus Christ,” you said breathlessly. Your eyes quickly raked over Mitch before you found yourself instantly at the sofa, getting on your knees beside him. “I’ll repeat my question from earlier, and if you give me another bullshit answer I’ll strangle you. What the fuck happened to you?”

Mitch groaned, rolling his eyes and hoping you didn’t notice. You did, giving him a irritated look in response. When he shifted in his seat but didn’t answer you jabbed your finger against his left hip. “I’m serious, Mitch!”

His groan was louder and leaked annoyance. “I was in a fight. It’s nothing I can’t handle. Would you go back to bed? It’s three in the morning, Y/N. We can talk about this when you wake up.”

You were about to snarkily respond to him when your brain finally caught up with everything you had taken in while standing beside the door. “How hurt are you?” You asked, pushing up from the floor.

“Not enough to kill me,” Mitch responded, his right hand moving to rest on his side. His left gripping his thigh. “Like I said. It’s nothing I can’t handle. Really.” He was trying his hardest to be reassuring. He was failing.

You walked to the bathroom, returning with the extensive first aid kit that you had assembled when the two of you had first moved in together. Perks of being the biggest worry wart this side of the Mississippi river, and a jaded nurse.

“Let me get a look at you. Take off your shirt so I can make sure you’re not about to have your intestines drop out onto my floor. I just mopped.”

Mitch gave you an annoyed look and shook his head, covering more of his thigh with his hand. It was your turn to roll your eyes. “Mitch, don’t make me lecture you until you give up. Just let me see!”

He hesitated for a moment before moving his hand. He sat up with a wince, pulling the black sweater over his head. He let the fabric fall to the floor, leaning back against the sofa to let you get a look at his torso. He had various cuts and scrapes along his chest and stomach, and a sizeable bruise on his side. You were almost alarmed at how angry the mark looked against his skin. You were sure that was what was causing him pain.

“Shit, Mitch.” You breathed, reaching out cautiously to touch the mark. He let out a quick breath, you pulled your hand back. “This is right over your floating ribs, Mitch. You might’ve broken one of them, and with the way you’re reacting, it wouldn’t surprise me if you did. Can you breathe okay? God. You need to get x-rayed.”

He scoffed at you, shaking his head. “That’s not happening.”

You suppressed a groan, checking the rest of his torso. “That looks like the worst of this. Let me see the rest of you and then I’ll start patching you up.” You said with an air of defeat to your voice.

“No.” Mitch said flatly, replacing his hand over the bruising on his side and ribs.

You took a deep breath, sitting back against the heels of your feet. “I’m not asking you Mitch. I’m telling you. Either willingly let me check the rest of you, or I’ll cut your pants off. Try and protest, and I’ll punch your side.”

Mitch glared at you, his jaw set. “Since when do you talk like that?”

You sighed, “since I obtained a difficult boyfriend. Just let me help, would you?”

Mitch sat for a moment unmoving, looking both pissed off and in pain. Eventually, he reluctantly lifted his hips and let you help him out of his jeans. Only then did you notice the blood oozing from a round wound in his left thigh.

Your eyes widened a little as you moved closer to his leg, getting a better view of his wound. “Mitch,” you breathed out. “What the hell?” You found yourself asking, gently resting the pads of your fingers underneath the wound. “Have you been shot?”

Mitch shrugged, looking down at the wound in his thigh. “Looks like it, doesn’t it?”

You looked up at him, narrowing your eyes in annoyance. “Mitch, would you stop answering me like that. I’m going to have to take you to a hospital now, you realize this right? It’s my job as a nu-”

Mitch cut you off by leaning forward, gripping your cheeks in his hands, and giving you a firm kiss on the lips. You took a second to enjoy the kiss before pushing him away. “Don’t do that!” You shrieked, making him sit back against the couch. “You’re injured and you only did that to try and shut me up. Well it’s not gonna work!”

You dug around in the first aid kit, finding some gauze, wiping away the blood around the wound. “Give me your phone,” you said holding your hand out to him. He stared at you blankly for a moment before indicating his pants with his foot.

“In the pocket.”

You reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled his phone out, turning on the flashlight. You held it over the wound in his leg, frowning sadly. “Baby, this is not good. You really need to go to the hospital. I can’t do anything for you here. They’ve got to remove the bullet and make sure that you get stitched up.”

Mitch shook his head, sitting up a bit. You could see from the look on his face that he was doing everything he could not to wince in pain. “I’m not going to the hospital. Just, dig the bullet out yourself and stitch me up. You’re a nurse, you’re capable of doing this aren’t you? If not I’ll do it myself.”

Your eyes widened a bit in shock. “Mitch! I’m not going to dig a bullet out of your thigh! I could seriously hurt you. This isn’t a sanitary environment, I don’t have the right tools. You’re no where near numbed up enough for me to do that to you and I can’t numb you here without causing you even more pain. Babe, please. Go to the hospital.”

Mitch shook his head, rubbing his leg above his wound. “If you don’t do it, (Y/N), I’ll just do it myself. Honestly,I’ll be perfectly fine. I just figured it would be better since you sort of know what you’re doing.” He went to push himself up from the couch and you pushed on his hip to stop him, making him stay seated.

“Mitch, fine…let me, let me think for a second on how to do this. Okay? I uh, let me figure out how to get you a little numb.”

You stood from the floor beside Mitch, rubbing your forehead anxiously. You didn’t know what you were going to do, or how you were going to do it. “Fuck, alright. Let me see if I have any pain killers.”

Mitch shrugged, “I don’t really need any.”

You scoffed, nodding your head. “Right, of course you don’t Mitch. Of course you don’t need any. Because you’re some big tough man right?”

Mitch shook his head. “No, I don’t need any because I’ve been through this before. I know I can handle it, (y/n). I’ll be fine.”

You walked into the kitchen, resisting the urge to roll your eyes at him. “Of course you’ve been through this before, Mitch. You’re so strong and fantastic, right?” You found a large bowl, filling it with hot water from the sink, heading for the bathroom to find a few wash clothes. You placed the bowl down on the coffee table, dropping the wash clothes into the water. “Lift yourself a little.” You instructed Mitch, placing a towel down on the couch underneath him to keep blood from staining it.

“Are you planning on giving me a sponge bath?” Mitch asked, glancing from you to the bowl on the coffee table. You glared at him, taking a deep breath to keep from snapping at him.

“No, I will not be giving you a sponge bath, Mitch. That is to clean your stupid bullet wound.” You reached into the first aid kit, pulling on a pair of blue latex gloves.

“Oh, I’m allergic to latex.” Mitch said casually, shrugging his shoulders a bit. You widened your eyes at him, going to pull the gloves off. “I’m kidding.” He smirked, watching your expression darken with annoyance.

“I’m about to dig my finger into your bullet hole.”

Mitch smirked, raising an eyebrow at you. “You gonna let me dig my finger into one of your holes later as payback?”

Your cheeks reddened a bit as you searched in the first aid kit for the hemostats. “At the rate you’re going tonight, hell no.” You huffed, placing the package down on the coffee table by the bowl of hot water.

“You act like I’m never like this.”

Rolling your eyes, you found the gauze and medical tape. “You’re normally only an ass. Not an injured ass. It’s different.”

Mitch watched you with hooded eyes as you continued setting supplies out on the coffee table. “I’m always sort of an injured ass, babe. You just don’t know it.”

“Yeah, well, just shut up, how does that sound?” You wrung a washcloth out, pressing it against his wound. He sucked a sharp breath of air in through his clenched teeth, breathing deeply. You tried ignoring the noise he made, wiping delicately at the wound to clean the blood away. “That doesn’t feel too good, babe.” Mitch whispered, shifting a bit in his seat. You made an apologetic expression continuing to clean the wound.

“I’m going to have to start digging into the wound to remove the bullet.” You said softly, pulling the hemostats out of the sterile packaging. You had to take a few deep breaths before you could begin digging into the wound. You stared at it for a second before pressing the tips of the hemostats into his thigh wound. Mitch’s eyes widened a little, watching you press the wound. “Careful.” He hissed, voice deeper than normal.

You looked up at him, keeping the top of the hemostats in the wound. “I figured I’d just root around like a pig looking for food in there, Mitch. But, now that you’ve told me to be careful, I guess I’ll try.”

Mitch gave you an unamused glare, clearing his throat. “Proceed.”

You rolled your eyes, inching the hemostats in a few more millimeters. “Thank you for your permission.”

You felt the hemostats hit something and your breath caught in your throat. You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, biting down in concentration. “Please, do not move, Mitch. I’m serious. I could lose grip of the bullet and you’d be fucked.”

Mitch shook his head. “I’m not going to move, but. I wouldn’t be fucked. You made that clear with your comment earlier.”

You looked up at him, your eyes narrowing into a glare. “You know, Mitch. If I didn’t love you, I’d shove this bullet further into your thigh and leave you to figure this out on your own.”

He huffed, trying not to laugh at your comment. “You would never even dare, (y/n). Your threat doesn’t hold any water with me.” He clutched his side again, taking a few shallow breaths. “I’m beginning to think that this is quite possibly a mistake.”

You dug the hemostats around in his thigh, ignoring his groans and moans of pain as best as you possibly could. You needed to get the stats around the bullet, and to do that you needed to clear a bigger space.

“Why don’t you just cut the wound open bigger with a rusty kitchen knife? I’m sure it would feel just as nice.”

You looked up at Mitch, keeping your hand steady so you wouldn’t move the hemostats anymore in his leg. “If you’d have gone to the hospital, you wouldn’t even know this was happening, Mitch. You’d be knocked out and I’d be spared a massive headache.”

It was his turn to roll his eyes at you. “Point taken.”

You felt the hemostats firmly close around the bullet, and you clamped your mouth shut. Breathing heavily through your nose. “I’m sorry this is going to hurt.”

You pressed your left hand firmly to his knee to keep his leg from moving at all, carefully pulling the bullet from his thigh. You dropped the bullet and hemostats into the metal bowl of hot water, taking a wash cloth out to press to his thigh. You started cleaning the wound, making sure to clean up as much of the blood as possible. When you glanced up at Mitch you saw that his eyes were closed and his head was leaning back against the sofa. “Are you alright?” You asked, rubbing gently at the wound.

“Mhmm, I love having foreign objects removed from my body. Almost as much as I like having them forced in. Guns are so much fun.”

You sighed heavily, dropping the wash cloth back into the bowl. “I’m sorry, babe. I really mean it. I hate doing this to you.”

He shrugged his shoulders a little. “I know you do babe. I appreciate this, thank you.”

You nodded, dropping the wash cloth back into the bowl on the coffee table. “You’re welcome. Feel it would’ve been a lot easier without your sarcastic remarks but, oh well.” You fished around in the first aid kit to find a needle and thread to stitch him with. “This is gonna suck.” You remarked, all of your concentration being on threading the needle once you removed it from the packaging.

“I’m aware.” Mitch said in a tone that didn’t indicate he cared. “I’ve been stitched before, (y/n).”

You carefully gripped his thigh, taking a second to choose from which side you’d start, trying to remember all of your stitching training. It had been a while since you’d had to close a bullet wound. “Any time you’re ready. It’s not like I have a gaping wound in my thigh.” Mitch said with a bit of whine to his voice. You looked up at him, narrowing your eyes into a near glare. You’d made this expression too many times tonight for it to be as effective. Mitch got the point that he was irritating you.

“I’m going to stab this needle into your wound and walk away. Would you like that?”

Mitch shook his head. “No, that won’t be necessary. Please just get this over with.”

You breathed in deeply through your nose before pinching the wound together as best you could with the thumb and first finger of your right hand. Mitch made a near whimper noise. “I thought you were supposed to be tough?” You said, still holding his wound in a pinch. Mitch snorted at you, “I am.”

You took a moment to make sure your hand was steady before pressing the needle into his skin, pulling it through before pushing it into the other side. Mitch had started bouncing his uninjured leg, but when you looked up at him, his face was expressionless. “Are you okay?”

Mitch nodded, realizing his leg was bouncing. “Yes, I’m fine. Adrenaline is just wearing off I think. Starting to feel everything. It isn’t the funnest thing I’ve ever been through, to be fair.” He gave you the smallest shrug and went back to resting his head against the couch with his eyes closed.

You finished stitching his leg quicker than you had thought you would, thankful you could get this over and done with. You grabbed the gauze and medical tape from the coffee table and quickly fashioned a bandaid of sorts for his wound. You taped down the gauze securely, and leaned forward to kiss his knee. You knew it didn’t help anything, but affection was your favorite method of making someone feel better.

“Here, I’m gonna wrap your chest with an ace bandage. It won’t do anything for your surely broken rib, but the compression might make it feel less achy.” He lift his arms up over his head, wincing as he did. “Isn’t this fun?”

You rolled your eyes and got to work wrapping the bandage around his ribs, making sure it was tight enough to be affective, but not enough to hurt him. Once you fastened the velcro you stood from the floor and pulled your gloves off. “That’s all I can do for now, I think. Your other scrapes aren’t bad enough for you to let me put bandaids on them, I think.”

He nodded in agreement as you began tidying up the coffee table.

Mitch took a second to make sure he was okay before he shifted on the couch, trying to make himself more comfortable, groaning a bit as he did. You rushed to the bed to grab a pillow, placing it down on the couch for him. “Lay down.” You ordered, carefully grabbing his ankles to lift his legs onto the couch. He almost protested, but thought better of it. You covered him with the blanket over the back of the couch, and went off to find water for him. “You don’t need to fuss over me.” He said, sinking himself a little further on the couch, his feet resting against the arm.

“I know I don’t have to, Mitch. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to.” You made him a glass of water and set it on the coffee table for him before you started cleaning up the mess you’d made. You contemplated how to dispose of the hemostats and the bullet, deciding to put them into a ziplock and throw the ziplock into your purse for you to dispose of properly at the hospital on your next shift.

“Thanks for helping me.” Mitch called to you while you were cleaning up. You smiled softly, nodding your head.

“You’re welcome.”

In the medicine cabinet in the bathroom you found some strong painkillers from when you’d hurt your shoulder at work, and popped two into your palm before returning to Mitch. “Here,” you said holding your hand out to him. You picked up his water glass, offering that to him as well. “Take these, they’ll help with your pain.”

He shook his head in protest, pushing your hand away from him. You let out a huff. “If you don’t I’ll wait until you pass out, crush them up and mix them with water to inject into you. Is that what you’d prefer?”

He gave you a stern look before taking the pills, swallowing them dry. “There.” He said, sticking his tongue out so you could make sure he wasn’t hiding them in his mouth. “Can you stop nursing me now and just come give attention? As my girlfriend?”

You nodded, sitting beside the couch. He huffed and scooted over, tapping the spot next to him. You gave him a questioning look before moving to lay on your side next to him on the couch, careful not to put any of your weight on his body. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around you, pulling you against him. You made sure not to press yourself against his ribs too much, and to only rest your hand on the middle of his stomach where he’d had no injuries.

“Thank you, again.” He whispered, eyes closed and breathing steady.

“You’re welcome, again.” You responded, lifting yourself a bit on your elbow to be able to kiss his cheek. “I love you.” You said, getting back into a comfortable position, resting your head on his shoulder.

Mitch made a noise that you knew was him trying to say ‘I love you’ back as he fell asleep. You smiled softly, thankful to have your man back with you. Regardless of his injuries.

#sam writes #sams post #mitch rapp one shot #mitch rapp oneshot #mitch rapp fanfic #mitch rapp imagine #mitch rapp #dylan o'brien imagine #dylan obrien imagine #dylan obrien fic #idk what else to tag this bc i am trash so???#teen wolf maybe? lol why not #mitch rapp x reader

495 notes · View notes

internsinbarca · 6 years

Text

Chapter 113: The FINALE

Hey hey everyone! So to be honest I have always had the ending kind of planned but when it came to writing it I'm still not sure if I'm a hundred percent happy...also I wrote half this on my phone so please forgive any grammar or spelling mistakes!

FOR ALL YOU LEO FANS I WILL UPLOAD AN ALTERNATE ENDING. THIS IS THE CESC ENDING.

ENJOY MY Lovelies!

And please let me know what you think and if I did the story justice otherwise I might write it again :p

CESC END

I could feel my nerves starting to build, my stomach was beginning to feel tied in knots. It had been a while since I had been this nervous but I knew how much this game’s outcome affected everyone. It was not just about me anymore.

I started to fidget and pace around the locker room.

Where is she?

Jade was not the type of person to not keep a promise. I knew that if she said she would be here to wish me good luck, she would come. I looked at my phone even though there was no indication of a notification, just wishful thinking.

“You okay?” Pique asked me concerned.

“Just nervous,” I told him honestly although I made sure not to mention Jade’s name. I knew he would tell me to put it out of my mind. What he didn’t know is that I couldn’t get her out of mind. Not anymore.

“It’s so stupid!” Pedro said annoyed while raising his hands.

“It’s not her fault,” Leo said sadly.

“Still, how can they not allow her to watch the match?” Pedro said his eyes wide.

“Who?” I asked interrupting their conversation but I was sure I already knew by Leo’s tone.

They both kept quiet.

“No wonder she’s on her way to the airport!” Pedro said without thinking.

I froze.

The airport?! She’s leaving?!

And then it dawned on me. Of course she would leave during El Clasico. No one would look for her. I didn't blame her not wanting to greet everyone. She had been through enough pain already.

“Okay let’s go!” Pep’s voice boomed through the locker room. I watched as everyone began following him towards the pitch.

I had a choice to make. I could lose the match or I could lose the one person in my life that I really loved.

I smiled, I really did love her. Right now, that was the one thing I was sure of.

I grabbed my keys without hesitation and began running to my car. I needed to tell her I loved her and that she can’t leave. I will do anything. Anything to get her to stay.

I switched on my car barely thinking about anything else but Jade. I reversed hastily and drove as fast as I could towards the airport. I made the same mistake years ago with Carla and I have regretted it for my entire life. I won’t make that same mistake twice.

I drove as fast as I could trying my best to still drive safely but the image of Jade leaving had me pressing the pedals aggressively.

“Come on!” I shouted at a traffic light that had just turned red. It felt like it was taking forever.

When I had finally arrived I barely parked my car and began running through the doors to enter the airport. I quickly scanned to find the screens listing the departures. There was a flight set to depart for Madrid soon. I sprinted towards the boarding gates but stopped abruptly as I saw the barriers to go through to security.

“Sir, you boarding pass please,” the guard said indicating to the barcode reader.

“I uh, I don’t have one,” I told the guard.

“Then I’m sorry sir but you cannot go beyond this point,” the guard said.

“But it’s urgent!” I said getting annoyed.

“I’m sorry sir, there is nothing I can do,” the guard said sternly

“Please!” I begged, “I just need to see someone!” I said desperately.

“Sir I’m sorry but-,” the guard said but I couldn’t hear anything else as I already jumped over the barrier and started running to the security check. As always the security line was long and I did not have time to waste. I pushed past everyone in the line and ran past the guards.

“Sir!” the guards shouted at me, “Stop at once!”

I knew I could get in trouble but that was far from my mind. I checked the gate number as I ran and sprinted to the correct one.

Don’t leave me Jade, please.

I ran faster than I had ever ran in any match in my life. Finally I could see her and I stopped with my hands on my knees not realising how out of breath I was.

“Jade!” I screamed desperately.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

JADE POV

I was waiting at the boarding gate for Antonella. I could not hold back my happiness. I was so worried I had ruined things for her and Leo but it seems she was still willing to give him another chance.

I was lucky the guard allowed me through. Normally I would have to wait in arrivals but he happened to have seen the press conference and said after what I went through, he would make an exception. It made me smile that people were finally seeing the truth.

I waited patiently but was hoping they would start coming out. I still wanted to catch some of the game if possible, even if it was from the tv.

“Jade!” I heard a voice scream.

I froze.

It was a voice that I could never mistake. I turned around with my eyes widened in shock.

“Jade,” Cesc said out of breath walking towards me. I was too startled to speak.

“I should have done this a long time ago,” he said with a smile while moving a strand of hair out of my face.

“I love you,” he said but before I could even respond his lips were on mine. For a split second I thought I had crossed to another dimension. It was just him and me. After all this time, after all the pain we had both gone through, he was finally kissing me.

Time stood still and I didn’t want it to stop.

“GGOOOOOOOOOOL!” we heard someone scream. Immediately I jolted as reality came crashing back. I noticed Cesc had his arms around me and mine were around his neck. I looked towards where the older man who had shouted was looking.

The Clasico. We were losing!

“Cesc!” I said worriedly letting go of him.

“Yes,” he said dreamily.

“Cesc, what are you doing here!?” I said freaking out. His facial expression changed immediately.

“I am stopping you from leaving!” he said desperately.

“Leaving? What are you talking about?” I asked him.

“You were leaving to go to Madrid now and take the job,” he said sadly grabbing my hands, “But I couldn’t let you!”

“What are you talking about?” I asked him confused, “Who told you that?”

“I-,” he said and I could see no one had actually told him that.

“But you’re here,” he said now unsure.

“To pick up Antonella!” I said to him but before I knew it he was tackled to the ground.

“Sir you need to come with us! You have broken the rules of the airport!” a guard said as two others held him down.

Oh no.

“He can’t!” I screamed, “He has a Clasico to get to!”

“We will see about that Miss,” the guard sneered.

“Don’t you watch football!? He’s Cesc Fabregas!” I said desperately.

“Wait, it is him!” someone from the crowd said.

“I knew he looked familiar,” someone else said.

“Let him go!” another said.

“If this is true then why is he here instead of at the match?” the guard said strictly.

“Because I needed to tell her I love her,” he smiled at me as I blushed.

“Awws” were heard from all around.

“Move,” we heard another person said. As people made way, I figured it was the head guard.

“Let him go,” he said looking disapprovingly at the guards. I noticed it was the same kind guard from earlier however he didn't look as friendly now.

“Paulo!” Cesc said looking at the guard like a saviour.

“Could you have not asked me for help?” the head guard asked shaking his head.I figured it must be someone they are used to since the team flies up and down so often.

“You know him?” the one guard asked confused.

“You don’t!?” Paulo shouted at him and the guard immediately looked embarrassed.

“Let him go! He has a game to get to!” Paulo’s voice boomed.

“Yes sir,” the two guards said as they obeyed.

“Gracias,” Cesc said gratefully to Paulo.

“You better just hurry and win the game!” Paulo said as Cesc nodded.

“Jade?” I heard someone ask unsure from behind.

“Antonella!” I said happily smiling at her.

“Cesc?” she asked him confused.

“It’s a long story,” he said scratching the back of his head but we looked into each other eyes with knowing smiles.

“Let’s just get going!” I said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“We can do this,” Pep said inspiringly.

“We are a team and when things get tough we don't run away, we choose to fight. I know it has been a difficult few weeks for all of us,” he said glancing around at all of them.

“Especially a few,” he said looking to find Cesc and that's when he realised Cesc wasn't there. He glanced around at the team again. The team could sense something was wrong.

“Where's Cesc?” Pep asked them.

“He was with us in the locker room,” Pedro said confused.

“I'll go check,” Pique said. Pique ran to the locker room. He figured Cesc just needed a few moments alone to get his mind into the right state.

He walked in noticing he was nowhere to be see.

“Cesc?” he shouted looking around frantically.

“Cesc?!” he shouted louder.

No way he thought. Could Cesc be this irresponsible? Would he leave the team to deal with his mess? He shook his head in disbelief. There had to be a reason but now was not the time to figure it out.

He ran back to the others who were lining up getting ready to go onto the field. He saw the Madrid players there as well. He greeted Ramos as he walked towards Pep.

Before he could even speak, Pep understood from his facial expression.

“Affelay,” Pep said, “Put on your kit quickly.”

Affelay didn't ask questions and did as he was told.

“Don't worry,” Pep said with all the encouragement he could muster, “We can do this,” he told the players.

The players walked out onto the pitch meeting a sea of blue, red and yellow. Seeing that helped lift their spirits. There were thousands that had come to show their support. To stand by their team.

The players stood for the anthem and quickly enough they were already choosing sides. Madrid had won the draw which already made everyone feel slightly more tense.

As the players walked to their positions, the tension was building. You could feel it in the air. Unlike every other Clasico before, Barca had their reputation on the line not just in terms of their skills but where they stood as a club on values.

The whistle blew and the game had begun. It was tense the first ten minutes with Madrid almost having a goal. Luckily Pique had just managed to tackle Ronaldo.

Pique took a small breath in relief. A goal that early in would have been the worst thing that could have happened. The players were unable to string passes and kept losing possession. It was clear that Cesc leaving, whether anyone wanted to mention it or not, had affected the team.

Pep was starting to pace, this was the team he trained. They were making mistakes, making silly challenges, making inaccurate passes. And finally when it seemed it could not get worse, Pep felt his heart sink into his gut.

“GGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLL” rang throughout the stadium and the crowd was silenced by Ronaldo jumping in the air. The mood in the stadium turned from joy to disappointment within a matter of seconds. All that was heard was the few Madrid fans who were going crazy with happiness.

The worst had happened. They had conceded. Normally Pep kept optimistic, he knew Barca could always turn it around. However this time he was not so sure. He pushed the negative thoughts out of his mind as much as he could. He needed to think clearly if they were at least going to draw. Time went by and soon enough the whistle was blown for half time. The players all headed to their locker rooms.

Immediately the mood of the team was felt as Pep walked in. The players sat down looking dejected.

“We can still turn it around,” Pep said as confidently as he could, “I didn't train you to give up halfway. Barca is a team and when we get knocked down, we get up and fight twice as hard!”

The players listened and knew he was right but still they felt uneasy.

“He's right!” Cesc screamed running through the locker room.

The players all looked at him in shock. They didn't know how to react. To be happy he came back or upset that he ditched them in the first place.

“Cesc-,” Pep began to say.

“If I may say a few words,” Cesc said gently as Pep nodded.

“I could say sorry a thousand times to all of you and still that would not be enough for the trouble I have put you all through. I was supposed to come to Barca to help the team win and instead it seems like all I did was make it worst.”

Some of the players wanted to chime in but knew he wasn't done speaking and let him go on.

“In these few months I've made a lot of mistakes and even then I still have not learnt from all of them but the one mistake I didn't make was doubting my team and knowing they are the best damn team in the world. Even in our worst hour, even if we were angry with one another, we still stood together. I thought tonight was about winning but it's not. It's about showing the world that no matter how tough it gets, we don't break, we stand together, we fight and we stand united. We-,”

Cesc was forced to stop taking as Pedro started crying.

“He's so right,” Pedro said dramatically with his hands in the air. Everybody else could not help but laugh at Pedro and just like that everyone felt better.

“Cesc is right,” Xavi said, “Let us show everyone that we are united.”

The players all nodded and then looked at Pep.

“I don't think I could have given a better pep talk,” he said honestly with a smile.

“Coach,” Jade said unsure from the back of the locker room. She felt everyone look at her.

“I went through the stats that I could on our way here, I don't know that this will work but it's worth a try,” she said hoping Pep would give her one more chance.

“Let me see,” he said open to her idea. She walked forward and handed him a piece of paper.

“This is risky,” Pep said.

“I know,” she said.

“But I believe we can handle it,” he said with a proud smile as Jade smiled back.

“Is he ready?” Pep asked Jade in a low voice while looking towards Cesc.

“Right now, he's in the best mindset you could ask for,” she said with a smile. Pep nodded at her and they began to make their way to the field.

It was clear the team's morale had changed.

“What happened?” Pique asked Cesc as they walked towards the field.

“I couldn't let her go,” Cesc told him honestly.

“But it's a Clasico,” Pique said and at that moment it dawned on him how much Cesc was in love with Jade.

“I know I just-,” Cesc said but Pique answered for him.

“You love her,” Pique said simply as Cesc nodded.

“Well I hope you love her enough to score a goal for her huh?” he said immediately lightening the mood.

“Geri, thanks” Cesc said full of gratitude.

“For everything,” he said honestly.

“The game isn't over yet huh?” Pique joked.

As the players made thier way onto the field, Cesc waited to be substituted on. He was determined, he was going to turn this game around. He had too.

The whistle blew and immediately it was evident that Barca were back to their normal selves. They were keeping possession and making good passes.

A few minutes in and Leo already had a shot close to the post. The whole crowd gasped as the ball went slightly wide. The crowd then started chanting for the team again and it helped to build the energy.

Madrid were getting frustrated and this showed in their constant tackles providing free kicks for Barca. Finally Pepe managed to tackle Cesc very near the penalty box. It was a clear foul and Barca were given a free kick.

The nervousness in the stadium was building. It was close enough for it to be a goal. As expected everyone saw Leo lining up to take it. They could see the determination in his eyes. This could be the goal that turns the game around.

The whistle blew and everyone all waited in anticipation. After a few seconds Leo began running towards the ball. The next couple of seconds were a blur.

A roar erupted around the stadium and all Jade remembered was standing to jump around like a lunatic with her friends. Barca had levelled. It was game on. It was clear this half Madrid looked like Barca did earlier. Barca were dominating and for the first time in a while, they were having fun.

You could tell because they became a bit complacent almost conceding from a counter attack from Madrid. However this time it didn't break them, instead it seemed to have invigorated them to try even harder for another goal.

The attack started building from the back as Pique ran to ball and then passes to Alves. Alves sprinted down the wing managing to outrun Carvalho, by a few split seconds. Immediately he passed to Leo. As always Leo had four players on him but he managed to outrun them all while Cesc found space in the front. Leo passed to Cesc to keep it perfectly onside and Cesc slotted the pass onto the net.

“GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL,” the entire crowd was on their feet screaming. Barca was now in the lead and it didn't seem to be changing anytime soon.

Pep who normally withholds his celebration could not keep it in this time. He jumped for joy seeing Cesc score. This would end all the troubled rumours for sure.

Barca were playing a perfect game and everyone could see it. The game was winding down and three minutes of extra time were added. Xavi executed the perfect pass towards Pedro and miraculously he managed to score. No one erupted with more joy that Pedro who couldn't stop jumping into the crowd.

There was no need for the whistle to be blown, it was clear the game was over. The entire team ran on the field to celebrate with the crowd. The Madrid players hung their heads in disappointment as both sides greeted each other civilly.

The players stood in a line jumping and cheering with the fans. Finally someone came to call Cesc. They wanted to interview him after the game. He followed the field guard to the small podium that was set up.

“Ah and here comes our Man of the match, Cesc Fabregas!” he said excitedly while Cesc came to stand next to him.

“I was man of the match?” Cesc asked again to confirm and the interviewer nodded eagerly while handing him a small trophy.

Cesc had to fight back the tears in his eyes. This trophy wasn't just a representation of playing well this match but proof that the fans of Barca still supported him despite everything that had happened.

“If you can give us a few words about the game and your performance?” the interviewer asked.

“Well I-,” he began saying but stopped the second he saw her. Jade was just in the distance but she was beaming. She looked the happiest he had ever seen her and he couldn't help but smile back at her. She was walking towards them and was looking around the stadium in awe.

“Cesc?” the interviewer asked noticing he was dazed for a few seconds.

“You asked about my performance, the truth is it was completely inspired by a special person. Some people tried to destroy her reputation or her career but through all of that she stayed strong. Without certain interns at the club, I don't think the win would have been possible,” Cesc said and no more detail needed to be added, it was clear who he was referring to. Jade stood in front of them with her mouth open in shock.

“Ah I see,” the interviewer said trying to take in what Cesc said. He then moved on to another question.

“Jade,” Pep said coming to talk to Jade, “I have some good news,” he said with a joyous smile, “It seems your internship has been extended, possibly even a permanent position!”

“What!?” Jade said unable to contain herself.

“Unless of course you don't want it,” Pep said jokingly.

“No of course I do!” Jade said ecstatically.

“Great,” Pep said happily, “We can discuss the details on Monday.”

“What news are you telling my girlfriend coach?” Cesc said cheerfully as he put his arm around Jade's waist. Jade's eyes went wide wondering what he was thinking doing that in front of Pep. Pep simply smiled, he knew he couldn't tear the two of them away from each other. They were simply meant to be.

“I was telling her that she might have a permanent job here at the club,” Pep said.

“Really?!” Cesc said just as excited as Jade.

Pep nodded.

“Cesc, I was really proud of you tonight,” he said proudly.

“Thanks coach,” Cesc said graciously. Pep had done so much for him. He's sure not many would have helped him the way Pep did and for that he would be forever grateful.

“I'll leave you two,” he said as he left the two of them.

Cesc picked Jade up and spun her around.

“What are you doing,” she giggled happily.

“Kissing my girlfriend of course,” he said as he slowly let her slip through his arms so that their lips were perfectly in line. He kissed her this time even more passionately than before. He didn't care who was watching anymore. He wanted everyone to know how much he cared about her and how much she meant to him.

“By the way,” she said softly, “I forgot to tell you something.”

“What?” Cesc asked slightly confused and she chuckled at his expression.

“I love you too,” she said and she was about to kiss him again until someone shouted.

“Hey, love birds! Party at my house huh?!” Alves said as he ran to the locker room.

“Guess we better get going then,” Jade said.

“I guess,” Cesc said as he locked his hand with hers.

And for the first time in a long while, both of them were finally, truly, happy.

THE END

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So what did you guys think of this story huh?

#interns #internsinbarca #fanfiction #cesc fabregas #Lionel Messi

5 notes · View notes