#nora you are putting me in an early grave
Text
Souja-Chapter 1
Yes. Completely inspired by Leave Her Johnny by Kraken Shanty Band I was going to save this for 2022′s Orctober. But because Burn Without You is done (for once I finish something instead of being burnt out before I can end it) and I need more of this universe becaue Febuary and March are very, very difficult times for me to get through emotionally because of past trauma during this time of year- years ago. I need something to get me through the hardest time of the year for me. I swear one of these years it won’t hit so hard or so bad. But this year is not that year, instead this year, it’s hit hard and hit early. And this is how I cope.
So, this takes place shortly after the events in Burn Without You and Of Heaven and Fire but in another part of the world. But don’t worry, they will all tie together. Like looking at different facets of a stone.
So let’s introduce some new characters and a new place. Middle Row- Young Lord Richard Whiteale, middle is Lady Merideth Ambergreen and to the right is our girl- our reader insert- Nora Souja.
Bottom left is Agnes. Gramma Agnes. Because Meryl Streep is awesome. I love her.
And to the right? Old Dale which is the district that the Ambergreens rule. And just outside of range is Old Fits- the district that the Whiteales rule. So when Merideth and Richard get married- Fits meets Dale to become Fitsdale. But our story starts four months before that very important and fateful marraige at the scene of an accident where Merideth’s life hangs in the balance and her parents are desperate to make a deal to save their daughter and the future of Dale and are willing to give just about anything and everything to assure it which is where Nora comes in to save the day. So this first chapter is just basically a prologue to the actual story. We don’t actually get to meet Johnny until the next chapter but this is important and key to understanding the rest of the story.
Oh and usual warnings apply, language, sex scenes and all that jazz- my usual. Lol.
Also because this is a fantasy story- we are in a midevil/steampunk/pirate/ship armada time period but obviously with a fantasy twist. Enjoy.
Leave Her Johnny Leave Her
Chapter 1
“Agnes! Agnes! We need you!” Lady Isolade Ambergreen practically shrieked as she banged on the door to Agnes’ house in the back of her apothecary that was closed because it was Sunday and everyone usually went to their temple of choice on Sundays. But it was early still, a whole two hours before services would start.
“I’m here, I’m here,” Agnes said as she opened the door, only half dressed but to see Isolade’s daughter Merideth being pulled from the carriage who looked half dead, crumpled up in pain in her father’s arms- she immediately understood the urgency of the visit as Agnes quickly ushered them inside.
“What happened?” Agnes asked as Merideth was put onto the cot as Merideth slowly uncurled herself.
“She was trying to get a morning ride in before service. She was thrown but kicked in the gut before she hit the ground.” Isolade wept as she and her husband stood aside helplessly as Agnes was grabbing all kinds of things off her shelves and putting them rather haphazardly onto the table next to the cot.
“The marriage to the Whiteales is in only four months! What are we to do if she dies?” Lord Collin Ambergreen lamented.
“She’s not dead yet, don’t be digging her grave before she’s cold enough to go into it.” Agnes firmly resolved before she noticed blood under Merideth’s bottom from where she was sitting before she laid Merideth down on her back, still clutching her middle.
“Shit.” Agnes cursed before she rather unceremoniously checked under Merideth’s skirts and had to move Merideth’s undergarments out of the way to find the source of the bleeding because she was bleeding profusely and her undergarments were already being soaked in blood and she needed to find which whole she was bleeding from and to see her bleeding from her vagina, she knew exactly what was happening.
“She’s hemorrhaging. She’s losing her womb.” Agnes realized as she did all she could to stop the bleeding.
“No, no, no, no! Agnes, I beg you, charge us whatever you have to, use whatever arts you must- to save her and Merideth’s womb. We’re done for if she’s lost, we’ll give anything and everything we have!” Isolade desperately pleaded.
“Send a man to the Souja’s. The Souja’s have a daughter who can help.” Agnes answered before Collin nodded and left Agnes’ house and sent his carriage to the Souja’s farmhouse to get the whole family before he immediately came back inside.
“What’s the plan?” Isolade asked anxiously as she and Collin waited for their man to come back as Agnes had already packed the area with cloths to keep the bleeding to a minimum.
“A trade for a miracle. Nora Souja, my adopted granddaughter. She confided in me that she has no wish to marry or have children. Even though the Lass seems custom made by the creators to do just that. But her parents wish to build a tavern and Nora has the makings to be one of the finest cooks in Dale. If you two can tempt Nora to give up her womb and a measure of her health to Merideth. So that Merideth can recover and then once she recovers, she can bear the Whiteales at least an heir and a spare, Merideth can be saved. Nora looks enough like the Whiteales that any child Merideth would carry and birth wouldn’t look suspicious to anyone so that it would be doubtful that Merideth was not the mother. I know the fate of Dale rests on Merideth’s wedding to the Young Lord Richard Whiteale. Nora is 17, her womb is ready to mature, and if Nora will be induced to do the trade, Meredith will most likely conceive a male heir on her wedding night. But we have to give Nora and more importantly the Souja’s enough incentive to make it worth their while.” Agnes told them as she readied her supplies to get her soul forge ready for the trade since she was both medicine woman and witch and she needed the soul forge for this to work.
“Nirewen, we can give the Souja's - Nirewen- to use as their tavern! Because after Merideth marries, we can move in with her to Whiteale’s Dunbower! What’s an old wooden castle, rotting in its core compared to a palace of stone and marble?” Isolade pleaded with her husband who nodded in agreement because Merideth was looking paler by the minute and they were desperate for this miracle. And it would save them the cost of the upkeep of their old ancestral home. Although it was not like they had the money to do it anyway, having to pool all their money into Merideth’s dowry just to marry her into the Whiteales since Merideth was their only surviving child. All of Merideth’s siblings either died at birth or in their early childhood and so Merideth was the sole hieress to Dale. Because Dale was poorer but older than Fits, all of it’s homes were made out of wood. Compared to Fits that was currently building in stone because Fits had a quarry whereas Dale had an old, and rather ancient but very thick forest of stone timber pine.
“Yes Gramma?” Your family asked as all of you came into the place.
“Nora Dear, Meredith had an accident early this morning, she’s dying and the Ambergreens need a miracle.” Agnes informed you as she took your hand and led you over to Merideth for you to see her for yourself as your eyes went wide to see all the blood still coming from Merideth.
“What happened?” You asked.
“She suffered a fall and a kick from a horse, she’s losing her womb and might lose her life if you don’t help. So if you would give her a measure of your health and strength so that she can recover and trade your womb for hers, the Ambergreens are ready to make a trade with you and your family.” Agnes revealed before you and your family turned towards the Ambergreens.
“Agnes has told us of your wishes to have a tavern, if your Nora will do the trade, your family can have Nirewen as your home and tavern.” Lord Collin offered your father.
“But with us inheriting such a castle, we could never hope to pay for its rent.” Your mother paled.
“Oh no, no. You see, we would be moving into Dunbower with the Whiteales upon Merideth’s wedding and Dale is to be combined with Fits then to make Fitsdale. The future of Dale rests on this. You would not rent Nirewen, you would own it. No rent due- ever. You would own it- deed- lock, stock and barrel.” Lord Ambergreen offered as Merideth’s eyes struggled to stay open as Collin knew that it would only be a few more moments that she could stay alive. They were down to the wire.
“And pay only 5% of whatever your profits would be when you open up your tavern in Nirewen. You could even rename it to whatever you wish. Please, we are desperate. Everything we have rests with Merideth and it’ll come to naught if she’s not saved.” Isolade desperately added to her husband’s offer.
“Miss Nora, is there anything we can offer you personally to incite you to make the trade? Gowns? Jewels? A ladyship?” Isolade asked as she came and grasped your hands with her thin, wrinkled and trembling ones as her gaze implored yours as your mind was a blank from the overwhelming nature of the circumstances.
“Miss Nora, if you’ll do the trade, I’ll bless...this cauldron, it will be just as blessed as your womb and health. And whatever you make in it each day, for yourself and your family and your parent’s tavern, it’ll give you limitless amounts of it until you ask it to stop each night. And you will be heiress of the tavern itself and it will keep you better than any husband could and you’d have a say in how it’s run. And you will never have to marry unless you absolutely wish to, for love and only love if you wish. And you can leave it to whoever you wish to when you grow old, whether you birthed them or not.” Agnes incited desperately herself because she had helped birth Merideth herself and was fond of the sweet if not sickly girl. The Ambergreens' investments in Merideth’s health was half of Agnes’ living practically.
“But if I’m trading my womb, for a dying one, doesn’t that mean I won’t have children of my own anyway?” You hesitantly asked.
“That’s why you could adopt! Your whole family can adopt whoever you wish to, all of you can take on the Souja name and all of you would again, only pay a tiny 5% tax on your profits, not your whole income, just your profits. Every year from now until the end of your days.” Isolade insisted before you looked at your parents.
“It’s your body and health Nora, it’s your choice. You would be the one making the sacrifice. But if you do make the trade, I swear you’ll get every penny from each plate or bowl of whatever you make from that cauldron as your earnings and you’d inherit the Tavern itself.” Your Da vowed as they all nodded their agreements.
“Then I will trade my womb and a measure of my health to Merideth. I trust it will take time to do, but I wish for this to be in a contract that everyone will sign so that no that no one may go back on it, no matter what.” You insisted.
“Oh absolutely.” Isolade readily agreed before she looked expectantly to her husband who looked pained because he would never get any more than that measly 5% of profits but in order to save Merideth and to a greater extent- Dale, he nodded his agreement before Agnes began to throw things into her magicked cauldron and turned on her soul forge. She then had you lay down on an extra cot next to Merideth before you reached out and held Merideth’s cold, clammy hand with your own.
“It’ll be ok Lady Merideth.” You swore to her before she turned as you did the same and held onto each other’s hands tightly.
“How much of a measure of my health can I give her?” You asked Agnes.
“She’ll need at least a third of it if she is to recover from this.” Agnes answered.
“Give her half, that way she can recover just as much as I can in a short while without either of us being in too much danger. Like splitting a bunch of chive onions. It’s hard to regrow the bush from just a few. If we split the bunch half way, it won’t be long before they’re back to full size right?” You reasoned.
“Bless you Miss Nora,” Meredith smiled tiredly before she used the last of her strength to kiss your knuckles on your intertwined hands as Isolade repeated her daughter’s sentiment and happily took off the necklace and broach she was wearing and put them on you as you laid there as her thanks for the trade.
“No, My Lady, I don’t need…” You tried to stop her and refuse them.
“No I insist, you’re saving Merideth’s life this day and sacrificing your own to save hers. Much more is owed to you and I hope in time you’ll receive what you’re owed. But this is all I can offer you now. Please, honor me by accepting it.” Isolade prompted before you nodded your agreement, not being able to argue with her further.
“You’ll be alright Lady Merideth, Gramma Agnes is the best healer, she’ll set us both right.” You confidently insisted before Agnes put you both into a translike sleep and showed everyone else out of the house while Lord Ambergreen and your Da drew up a contract to be signed by themselves, as well as yourself and Merideth when you would wake up from the procedure.
By sunset, you both woke back up as both of you felt your lower bellies ache, you felt like you were coming down with the worst flu of your life while Merideth felt better than she had ever felt before in her life aside from the ache in her lower belly too. Her once sickly complexion, was now rosey and the light in her eyes now glowed with more health than she had previously had and instead of being so tiny and frail, she had some meat on her bones and even some fat to spare so that her wedding dress would need to be refitted but she could now bear little ones with ease. Which is all she really needed and wanted.
“Now, let them rest for at least a fortnight. Give them both bone broth and fresh clean water for the next two or three days. Then when they have stomach for it- soups and stews for a few days after that. Then gentle foods after that for a few days and then they should have a regular diet. Full of nutritious foods to build up their strength, but both will make a full recovery before the wedding.” Agnes coached your family and the Ambergreens after you and Merideth both read the contract after Agnes added her bit to it.
Her bit was that not only could the Souja's adopt all who they wished to- but any business bearing the name Souja also would only pay 5% of profits as well. And Agnes had agreed to change her Apothecary 's name to Souja Apothecary. And she too would have the last name of Souja since she was a widow. So she too would only ever have to pay the smaller tax as her own payment for her work as all parties signed it since Merideth and yourself would be the parties involved once your parents passed as well as hers and that the Souja's taxes would always be paid to her and her choice of heirs in the future Fitsdale.
“Thank you Miss Nora. Is there anything I might do for you? Could I make you one of my bridesmaids for my wedding perhaps?” Meredith offered as she watched you sign it after she did.
“Only if you really want me to. You’ve always been kind to me, My Lady. If you will have me as a bridesmaid- then I will have you as a guest of the tavern once we open it up for business and I’ll do my best to make you as fine a meal as I can.” You offered.
“I would like that, might we be friends then?” Meredith proposed.
“Aye, I would count myself happy and fortunate to have a friend like you, your Ladyship.” You nodded.
“Merry,” Merry offered her hand to shake.
“Nora.” You grinned as you shook hands. Meredith was after all a sweet girl. Only about a year older than you were.
Four months later, Lady Meredith Ambergreen became Lady Merideth Whiteale. You were one of her bridesmaids, wearing the finest dress you had ever put on and the nicest, most comfortable shoes too that matched the dress. You were wearing the jewels Isolade had given you and had even danced a fair bit at her wedding and had even danced with Lords and other nobility from all over Creegaria.
However, once they learned that you were just a farmer’s daughter and were wearing “charity wealth” given to you for ‘saving Lady Merideth from an accident before the wedding’. The others made no effort to do anything more than dance with you, abandoning any further designs they might have had which was a relief to you.
Fits and Dale became Fitsdale that day.
Ten months after the wedding, Meredith gave birth to her first son, Richard Whiteale the Fourth. The heir to the Whiteale name and the city state of Fitsdale and the Whiteales were given the status of Viscounts by King Griar since he ruled all of the nation of Creegaria and had just married his son, The Crown Prince Griar the Second to a moura bride from Dorierra, Lila. Who was apparently old friends with the Queen of Yekmeni and because of their close, personal relationship and the political one- Creegaria was now in the Dorrierran Alliance.
And Creegaria and Fitsdale soon boomed in business because of it. And all of the nobility in the country received an advancement, and promotion in noble title rank at the wedding that the King and Queen of Creegaria held that hosted royalty and nobility from all over the world. Even the King and Queen of Yekmeni attended themselves, Queen Audravienne Azurah’s pregnant belly already large and heavy at the time as she was only a month away from giving birth to her first child too. But she would not miss the wedding of her friend Lila and only a week later had to go to Solowards to attend the wedding of her other friend Lavena to the Crown Prince Griar the Third- of Solowards before she went back home only weeks before she gave birth to her son. Crown Prince Ahi-Shumai.
The blessing soon spread to all of Fitsdale. Tadiating from Dunbower and Souja Tavern. Agnes had been so moved by your own selflessness and willingness to help and sacrifice even your own health for someone you had barely known at the time. Agnes added a special blessing that as long as the Whiteales, Ambergreens and your family honored the contract both in the letter and in spirit- that success, prosperity, wealth and comfort would follow all of you.
And she had made sure that like those proverbial bunches of chive onions, both you and Merideth both- not only did each of your health grow back out to full size, but then some. So that both of you now enjoyed excellent health and when your family moved into Nirewen, your family also bought Souja Apothacary for Agnes to own soon after- since your stews were a big hit among all those who tasted them and paid for a bowl.
In that first year, your parents had adopted many other families. Almost all of them being widows and their children in old Dale as well as old Fits as your family moved them into a wing of Souja Tavern. Each family having a large room to themselves so that all of you could work in the Tavern as room and all their meals being provided for them in addition to making a living in the Tavern so that the Tavern itself kept your family and the widows and their children better than most husbands could. Since most of the younger menfolk had been lost in the last war Creegaria fought in only a decade before.
All of you now bore the Souja name to become one larger extended family to fill up Souja Tavern and help make it the largest and best one in all of Creegaria. All of you had helped to renovate Nirewen since it was practically an ancient old wooden castle whose timbers had been rotted out and needing replacing for over half a century but had stood for centuries before that.
But Nirewen’s name had changed to Souja Tavern after Merideth’s wedding and your family moved in- once the Ambergreens moved out of Nirewen and moved into the Whiteale’s Dunbower. And in that first year, your skills had grown from the best cook in your family, to the best cook in all of old Dale and soon to be all of Fitsdale.
Only the cooks at Dunbower were better but not by much. And that was only because they had access to better ingredients, a bigger and more expansive garden and had more experience.
But you were getting better every day.
Within three months of the procedure, you were back to full health and churning out delicious food that had every worker- building up the port in Fitsdale coming to Souja Tavern to eat before they would go home to the worker village that had been built to house all the workers.
Meanwhile Merideth’s health was also full and she no sooner had her son than three months later, got pregnant with her second and life went on with this new normal.
Five years after that Merideth’s wedding- Souja Tavern had grown in size and great popularity along with Fitsdale. Which then became a gigantic port city. Nearly the whole state was one huge city as your family then bought up most of old Dale, first buying up lands then building upwards when they could no longer expand outwards. The Souja name branched out into almost every conceivable business it wanted and needed to have. Until this part of Fitsdale was known as The Souja District. Because the Souja name was not just on all the names of all the businesses but on all the deeds to the properties too.
Everyone in the 9 seas knew of Fitsdale and most importantly Souja Tavern soon after it’s opening five years prior.
Now Fitsdale, ruled by Viscount Richard Whiteale and his wife Merideth after his parents stepped down. He was a good and fair Lord and thanks to Creegaria being part of the Dorierran Alliance meant war was no longer a threat and trade was booming. His lands were always welcoming to merchants of all kinds and since Fitsdale was a port city state with a natural bay that had been developed into a port as fine as any other.
The port also sported three shipyards. One owned by the Whiteales, One owned by Salgria Shipping and the third was owned by the King of Creegaria because of that old, large and super dense forest. The lumbar to be had in Fitsdale was some of the best in the Supersphere because it was an ancient forest of stone timber pine. A wood so hard yet fine and strong it was like you were building with stone. But flexible enough to make both seaships and skyships with as well as any house and of course a good and sturdy harbor with many docks for many ships of all sizes and kinds.
Nirewen had originally been built with stone timbers which is how and why it lasted as long as it had. But in the renovations, your family was replacing one section and wing at a time with stone from the quarry to keep the threat of fire at bay. And by now Fitsdale has also built and kept one of the largest skyports as well because of an old mountain that had settled into a hill with gently sloping sides in the very middle of the city that made building winding roads easy to get goods up and down the hill in every direction and the largest main road from the Fitsdale Skyport, dumped out right across the street from Souja Tavern.
Fitsdale was a magnet for commerce and travelers and often people going to or from Dorrierra in both the western direction through Wakanear and the Brighway Line or eastern towards the Middle Eastern Continent, The Silk and Spice Routes to the Orient through the Enodia Straight and the Southern Poles, to Fitsdale to Forestrong in Solowards ruled by King Grenver. Or really any other place, often passed through here.
Because of the size of Fitsdale’s harbor, even the largest or smallest ships could find proper docking here. Even warships on their way to conquer lands far beyond here- traveled through here to restock and resupply because of the Dorierran Alliance or D.A. as it was known. Being in the D.A. meant that they were safe from the threat of war and invasion but could still do business with others who still engaged in such tactics both in and out of the D.A.
All the docks themselves lined with a broad, stout and sturdy boardwalks still made out of those stone timbers. They were wide enough that two mammoths with their load and cargo and carts could pass each other easily. And Souja Tavern was situated perfectly on the main road- Maveler, from the Fitsdale Skyport to the Fitsdale Seaport and all three shipyards. Salgria Shipyard being the closest. So Souja Tavern had its fair share of merchants and sailors from both ports along with the locals.
And often ships who often didn’t have need to be here in the first place, could take shelter in the large protected bay in bad weather. And whose passengers could also take refuge in Fitsdale instead of having to wait out the weather on the ship itself. And almost all of the ships happily let their crews take their holidays in Fitsdale between loads and even the Skyport had hundreds of braced holders for the sky ships to dock in bad weather so the winds didn’t whip the boats into each other.
So since Fitsdale’s population could swell with the tide. Souja Tavern was built to accommodate the swells with ease. The wooden fortress like castle was slowly changing from wood to stone. One wall and wing at a time seeing as how another quarry had just been opened up that was under the old thick ancient forest that was still being taken down to use the lumber for the ever growing city of Fitsdale and it’s many houses, ports, docks, shipyards and harbors.
The port town seemed to boom into a full fledged major city after the Whiteales really built up the Fitsdale Seaport and the Fitsdale Skyport and especially once the shipyards came in to build their ships as well.
The Whiteales commissioned the building and installing of large cranes right on the docks that would pick up loads right from the docks or the belly of the ships and swing them over to either a different ship or to a cart and helped build up the protected cove. The Whiteales received their investment back almost a hundred fold because Fitsdale just grew and grew ever since.
Even now- five years later, the outskirts of town were getting settled and developed while merchants were building large and fine houses indeed just outside the city. So that the Whiteales and Ambergreens were not the only nobility in the area anymore. Now, the Souja family were the highest ranking merchants in Fitsdale so that the name Souja soon became synonymous with Fitsdale along with the Whiteale name and the Salgria Shipping name as well.
And thanks to some renovation by your parents and their large extended family. The Souja Tavern was relatively new and still getting renovated, updated and upgraded constantly. The swinging and banging of hammers and saws a constant roar in the cacophony of sounds in the place. Usually in the fair weather, that’s when the work on the outside of the place was done. But in the winter and “off season” that’s when the work on the insides of the place concentrated.
And thanks to your parent’s savvy business sense, as well as your own, even when all the ships were out of port and all that was left was the locals in the off season. Souja Tavern did just fine because Souja was a favorite of the area.
Even the Whiteales coming from Dunbower just to come and have a meal when doing business in the heart of the city, by now, Merideth and yourself were some of the best of friends. Even as different as your life paths were as Merry had taught you how to run Souja Tavern and the other Souja businesses since she had been educated in how to run a castle and state and you were a very eager pupil. And the more you learned and the more sage advice Merry gave you that you put into practice, the better things went. And often people coming through Fitsdale, often raved that you needed to stay at least one night in Souja Tavern and be treated like both a royal and like family.
In the five years since the wedding, she had had a child every year since while you had adopted two children yourself. Often her, Agnes’ daughter Ainsley and yourself had all of your children playing together while Ainsley, Merry and yourself ate in a private booth and chatted or played a card game while Richard and your father and brothers did their own business in the main hall. Richard double checked your father’s books to make sure Merideth received what was properly owed to her. Since Merideth received all of Souja’s taxes to herself personally that helped pay for her own needs and wants like gowns and such while Richard received everything from everyone else.
Richard had also been moved by your sacrifice, since he had noticed a marked change after the incident but kept the whole truth of the matter a closely guarded secret. To keep the dignity and safety and security of his wife, children safe. As well as the livelihood of Fitsdale. You now counted him a good friend too. Something like a brother in law, and with the two of you looking a fair amount alike- it was very easy to pass off his own children by Merideth as their pure blooded children by himself and Merideth, simply taking after their father much more than their mother. Although whenever you got to meet Merry’s children, you couldn’t help but notice they looked quite a bit like you too. In both looks and personality. But while you were drawn to Merry’s children emotionally and instictively. Mentally you knew that she was the one to concieve, carry and birth them. You just donated your womb to her- to make her dreams possible for her.
Besides, having adopted two children yourself, any mothering need you instinctively felt was perfectly sated by having them. And it was something you had a hard time explaining. The first time you saw your children, your heart just instantly told you that they were your children and that you needed to take care of them and protect them like they were your own. And while you didn’t birth them yourself, you were very strongly bonded to them like you had, and they were very strongly bonded to you too. So you were family of three, a Ma and two kids. You had a tiefling hybrid daughter named Lena. And a boy who you had no idea what speices of person he was. But he was slate gray but with bright white hair and had horns like a tiefling but no tail. And he couldn’t climb the walls the way Lena could and liked to do. And he and a boy. So your mother had simply called him- your gray son and Grayson stuck. They were a handful but you loved them dearly and the fact that they were orphaned and came to Souja well past nursing age- meant you could take them on pretty easily and didn’t need to rely on Agnes to give your body a spell to make your bosom ready to nurse babes, like she had done with several others. In fact, almost every orphan in Fitsdale found themselves here and found either a parent or a pair of parents or even a group of parents to adopt them since the others had been adopted too.
And when the Souja Family would celebrate the holidays. It honestly looked like a random group of people from all over the supersphere together. But yet, all of you found a way to make it work while your father kept a very important book to differentiate who was related to who and who, who was married to who and who adopted or gave birth to who.
Collin and Isolade Ambergreen were now retired age and liked to stay to Dunbower with Richard’s parents and happily cared for Merideth’s children so that Merideth could oversee the goings on in the castle Dunbower herself. It was decided that your daughter Lena and Merideth’s daughter Tabita as well as Ainsley’s daughter would continue to the contract you and Merideth had entered into which Ainsley Mariot agreed to and signed off on as well since it was now referred to as ‘the ladies agreement’.
One of the biggest reasons why the Souja Tavern did just fine- besides the clean warm rooms because each room now had a fireplace of its own. Thanks to it’s now stone construction. And besides the bathhouse. Since Nirewen had originally been built over a set of hot and cold springs. Supplying the now grand Souja Tavern with hot and cold running water that had been plumbed into the whole tavern. And the Souja family had put a water toilet in each room, which was a grand modern convenience. Besides all of that, Souja Tavern did just fine because the food and drink were excellent.
Souja didn’t have the fanciest food, but it did have some of the best in all of the port. Besides the kitchens in the Whiteale’s castle Dunbower, which was why it was full of the locals even when all the sailors and visitors weren’t around in the off season.
And the Alewives that worked at Souja were practically the best in the country and far beyond and Souja Tavern was lucky to boast of at least two dozen Alewives. All of them having an apprentice or two and happy to take the Souja name as well while keeping a fair bit of independence. Each one with her specialties. Each one choosing to make at least three different kinds of ales, lagers, stouts, meads, grog and such. So that the bar had a vast variety.
And some of the men who worked at Souja worked for the lumberyard and built giant caskets and barrels to store and age the ales and other spirits and the bar was built to store the barrels right there at the bar while the stronger men took care of carrying and loading and restocking the bar itself while the Alewives dispensed their own brews. All of them happy to compete with each other for the best stein of ales, lagers, grog and whatnot each night they worked. All of them working in shifts so that none of them got overworked or burnt out doing it either.
Yes Souja Tavern, and by a greater extention- The Souja District was great success indeed.
#Leave Her Johnny Leave Her#Oh leave her Johnny leave her#God I love that song#This *should* be a shorter story#chapter 21 of my ten chapter fic' says the writer#Orc love story#orc reader insert#male monster female reader#Male monster female reader with a family#Orc blended family#Look found family is just as good if not better than traditional#take this trope out of my cold dead hands#Thanks for reading
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
Bags
(not my gif)
Summary: After another duffle bag of supplies washes up on shore, the girls realize that they’re going to be stuck here for a while. Episode six rewrite. 3.0k words.
Pairings: Toni Shalifoe x fem!reader
Warnings: Swearing, throwing up
A/N: Okay listen I just wanted Toni fanfic but no one was writing it so here you go. Also I really tried too hard to get the bed sharing trope LEAVE ME ALONE I LIKE IT PSLFDLJ (this is your reminder to turn on Interactivefics xx) oh and also theres a bit in here thats heavily inspired by @ drewstarkeys Toni fic which you all should go read asap its amazing.
This was weird. It was really fucking weird. It had only been four days since we found Jannette’s grave empty. Four days since we found a clean water source. The longer we stayed on this god forsaken island, the more it felt like we were never getting off. And now another round of duffle bags have shown up. You know, as crazy as I think she is sometimes, Leah’s starting to have a point. Something is way off about this place.
Nora and Rachel were the ones who spotted the bags. They washed up on the rocky side of the beach, covered in weeds. Dot was hoping for some more food, maybe more medicine if we were lucky. But to all our confusion, all the bags contained were blankets and pillows. Ten pillows and five blankets, Dot so cheerfully announced. My first red flag was that the insides were completely dry. I didn’t want to say anything though. I was sure there was a reason for this.
“There’s enough shit here for us to double up,” Dot told us while Nora and I laid out the makeshift beds. “Except for one person who gets to sleep alone.”
“Well that’s not fair, why does one person get a bed all to herself?” Rachel asked, standing up defensively.
I rose to my feet as well. “Why don’t we rotate it?” I suggested, hoping to relieve some of the tension. “W-with our off days. That way whoever’s off can have an extra good night’s sleep before they have to work again?” The girls all nodded their heads and mumbled words of agreement. Rachel sat back down on her log.
“Great idea y/n. So who’s bunking with who?” Dot asked. Rachel and Nora instinctively reached out for each other. Beside me, Toni looked to Martha. Martha gave Toni a weary look before reaching a hand out in the opposite direction. Towards Shelby. Even I had to stop myself from dropping my jaw.
Fatin gleefully agreed to pair with her “new bestie for the restie,” Dot. That left myself, Toni and Leah. I glanced between them. Leah was avoiding my eye and Toni...Toni just looked mad. It’s not that I don’t like Leah, I just don’t know her. Not that I know Toni any better, but at least Toni hasn’t gone batshit crazy more than once. On the other hand though, I didn’t find Leah unbelievably beautiful the way I did with Toni. And Toni would never want to bunk with me anyway. I crossed my arms, not doing a very good job at hiding my uncomfortableness. I was about to open my mouth to ask Leah to share when Toni called my name.
“Y/n,” I turned to face her, eyes wide. “You’re with me?” I nod and swallow hard. Fuck.
The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky, just like our food supply. Rachel offered to go foraging for something meatier in the morning, so at least I could look forward to that.
I shuffled under the blanket Toni and I shared. “Sorry you got stuck with me,” I whispered. “I can go sleep with Shelby if you want, so you can be with Marty?”
“Nah,” Toni shook her head. “I don’t mind. Besides, I don’t really think Marty wants anything to do with me right now.” I didn’t know what to say. I felt bad for her. A lifetime’s worth of friendship thrown out of the plane. Literally.
I wondered if anyone else was awake. The light from the fire was enough to see everyone’s feet but that’s about it. I still wasn’t accustomed to how dark it got at night. I was limited to just my hearing after the sun went down. I would try not to listen though. The more you listen, the more you realized how we definitely were not alone out there. Focusing on Toni’s breathing beside me was enough to keep me sane.
Couldn’t say the same for Leah though. She sat straight up and I thought she got bit by a crab or something.
“Does anyone else think that this is crazy?” She asked us.
Fatin groaned. “Leah, we got into a plane crash. Is that not enough crazy for you?”
“No seriously Fatin, what the fuck is going on?”
“What are you talking about,” Dot sat up.
“I mean these,” Leah held up a fist full of her blanket. “Where did they come from? Do none of you think that something’s up?”
I pushed myself upright. “I’m starting to agree with Leah.”
“Oh God, not you too,” Dot flopped back down onto her back.
“No, think about it,” I started. “A bag with medicine just happens to show up? And then we find Jannette’s grave empty!? And now these duffles appear with nine peoples worth of blankets and shit? Who brings that to a resort retreat? That’s weird. It’s really fucking weird.” Everyone was sitting up at this point, staring at me. “I didn’t say anything when we opened them, but these things were dry. Everything bone dry. Rachel and Nora found the bags on the shore, like they were washed up. They should have been soaking. Hell, they should have sunk!” I took a shaky breath in. “Every day we stay here the more it feels like we’re not leaving. It’s like someone wants us to stay here. I know I sound crazy but come on!”
“Y/n...”
“We don’t even remember the crash!”
“We all blacked out.”
“That’s not how plane crashes work though!” I realized how loud I had gotten. I noticed how Nora was sitting, hugging her knees tight. Shelby’s face was pale, even in the orange glow from the fire. I closed my eyes. “This isn’t my first crash.” I kept my eyes shut. I didn’t need to see their faces while I told this story. “I got into another one like eight or nine years ago. The engines broke and we crashed in a forest somewhere near Chicago. And I remember it all. I remember the engines failing, and the plane falling and the back coming off when we hit the trees. I didn’t black out until I was on the ground. So yeah, I think something is fucking off. This isn’t right, none of this is right! We shouldn’t be here, we shouldn’t-”
I started to choke on my own words. I think I was starting to throw myself into a frenzy. Something grabbed at my hand. It was Toni. She looked me in the eyes. There was something in her gaze that told me I was safe. Told me to calm down.
“Okay,” Dot said slowly. “I think we’re all starting to lose it a little bit Y/n. And no sleep isn’t gonna help. Let’s all try to get some shut eye, yeah?”
I nodded profusely and flipped onto my side, embarrassed now from that outburst. I guess I didn’t realize how far off the rails I’d been slipping. Silently, I started to cry.
I tried to stay as far away from Toni as possible. With my back to her, I figured that my crying could be somewhat camouflaged. I was very wrong.
“Hey,” Toni murmured. When I didn’t respond, she tugged on my shoulder to roll me over. I quickly wiped the tears off my cheeks. I couldn’t look at her directly. Her gaze softened. I realized then how close we were. Even in pitch darkness, I could still make out the outline of her face, her cheeks, her nose, her lips- I prayed she couldn’t hear how loud my heart was thumping. Toni reached a hand out and brushed another tear away. Had I started crying again? Jesus I was so far gone. “I know how you feel. I wanna get out of here too.’ I said nothing.
Toni moved to create some more space and put her arm out. I looked at her, questioning, though I doubt she could see my face. “Come here,” she said quietly. “I heard what you told us yesterday, about what your mom says? Sometimes you just need a hug.” I nearly started crying again right there. Slowly, I squirmed closer until my body was curled into hers. I smiled inwards. Besides the fact that my heart was trying to beat right out of my chest, I felt better. We both drifted off soon after.
I woke up to the sun shining way too bright and the sound of…snickering? I opened my eyes and tried not to get totally blinded by the light. I looked up to see Nora, Fatin and Dot standing over me, all chuckling.
“What?” I mumbled. I must have woken Toni up because she started moving underneath me.
Oh.
That’s why they were laughing.
I had fallen asleep curled into Toni’s side and woken up completely entangled with her. It wasn’t a one-sided thing either, she was holding on to me for dear life. What. The. fuck. I jolted upright, maybe a little too fast because the three girls around us started to laugh more.
“Good morning love birds,” Fatin cooed.
“Shut up,” Toni said, using a hand to shield her eyes. “We were conserving heat.”
“Yeah, what she said,” I smiled. “Is it breakfast already?”
“Not quite,” Dot shrugged. “Martha and Shelby are still getting some berries and shit.”
“Oh well in that case I’m going back to bed,” Toni grunted, rolling over. Her and I were on water duty today, so technically we had no need to be up before breakfast anyway. Dot and the girls made their way back to the fire. I was half awake though. Might as well start the day early too. Except that Toni seemed to have other plans.
Before I had the chance to get up Toni was tugging at my arm, silently asking me to come lay down. I gave in immediately. “Come keep me warm,” she mumbled. And so I did. As I laid my head down onto her chest, I noticed Shelby looking at us. She turned away when she met my gaze, but there was something behind her eyes. Disgust. Great, just what we needed. Stranded in the middle of nowhere with a fucking homophobe.
“Do you think Shelby is homophobic,” I asked lowly.
“I dunno, maybe? Why?”
“No reason, I just….That would be pretty awkward if she was.”
“Yeah…”
Nora woke me up a second time that day for breakfast. We ate in silence like we had done for the last few days. Food was running short and we were getting antsy. Toni and I broke away from the group after we ate with half of Fatin’s luggage bag. We trekked up and through the forest towards the waterfall. Neither of us said a word the whole trip. I was starting to overthink. Like, heavily overthink. In normal circumstances, overthinking might be appropriate. The night before was…not normal. But these were not ordinary circumstances. The middle of nowhere is probably the best place to have not normal and still be fine. Whatever. Right? Was it weird? Does she think I’m some weird crybaby now? Was that just a pity hug? Am I going absolutely crazy for no reason?
I’d gotten so wrapped up in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice we’d arrived back at camp. As Toni and I got to work, filling bottles to boil, Rachel was shouting from the top of a cliff. She was holding up a sack of something, I couldn’t quite make it out.
“Who’s ready to fucking feast?”
Mussels. Rachel found mussels. Now, I’d never been one for survival training but the one thing I knew was that seafood was a no.
“I really don’t mean to be a bubble burster, it’s just that seafood can be really dangerous,” I explained. Rachel looked like she wanted to take my head off. “And we do not have the vicinities to properly prepare these.”
“So what, you’re saying I’m trying to poison all of us?” Rachel challenged.
“No! No, no, not at all Rach. This was a great find, you did good.” I smiled wearily. “All I’m saying is that maybe someone should sit this one out, you know? Just in case. If we’re all sick then we’ve got no chance.”
“Great then who’s gonna be the starving one?”
“I don’t mind. I got berries.”
Turns out Shelby wouldn’t eat either. An allergy, I think she said. It felt good to see everyone this happy. Leah was genuinely smiling, Dot seemed a little less stressed. For a second it felt like we were actually on the retreat we were supposed to be on. Toni started to make out with her mussels. Or…well you know, with them. We all found it hilarious. Except for Shelby...
“Fuck you.” And with that Toni was off, running down the beach. I myself was on the brink of tears. Some churches man…they’ll brainwash even the best of 'em. I stared at the sand, not sure where to go. I wanted to chase after Toni, I wanted to stay right here and hide in the sand. The rest of the girls had gone quiet too.
“What?” Shelby asked. “Am I not allowed to have my own beliefs?”
“Not those ones,” I spat. I pushed myself up and jogged around the bend.
I saw Toni near the shoreline. She had her feet in the water. Cautiously, I crept up behind her. I didn’t want to startle her. “You good?”
Toni turned and her stance signaled she was ready for a fight. Her shoulders relaxed when she realized it was just me. “Yeah. No. Whatever, I just need a break from barbie bitch.”
“Yeah, you and me both,” I chuckled. “Will you though? Be okay?”
“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.” She looked back out at the sea.
“G-good. Okay, I, uh…good, I’m glad,” I was muttering. I mutter when I’m nervous. Avoiding eye contact, all that fun stuff.
“Why are you so nervous?” Shit. So she did notice. “I mean you’re chill around everyone else but you get all twitchy around me. What’s with that?” She paused and her face fell a bit. “Do I scare you?”
“Oh god no,” I grasped her hand. “No I promise Toni, I’m not scared of you.”
“Then what?”
I look down at my toes. “I-I um…you-“ I swallow hard. “You’re pretty.”
She didn’t say anything and I was about ready to jump into the ocean and never come back. And then she laughed. She fucking laughed! Oh my god I was going to cry. I felt like I had just been publicly rejected in middle school all over again.
“That was cute,” Toni said, still chuckling a bit. I looked her dead in the eyes and she wasn’t kidding.
“Okay, I’m gonna go back now.” I turned on my heel and started walking back, very briskly might I add. I could not believe that just happened.
“Yeah me too-“Toni cut herself off and started heaving. I looked back. Toni was throwing up her entire stomach and then some. I rushed to her side, brushing the hair from her face. In the distance, I could see Rachel throwing up too. Oh Jesus Christ.
Shelby and I spent the rest of the day running from girl to girl, holding hair and passing out water. It was one huge haze of running back and forth, trying to make sure no one died. I knew that the mussels were a bad idea. God, how could I be so stupid? This was all my fault. Once Dot resurfaced from the dead, she took charge. Leah was sent to go find the medical bag while Dot and I boiled more water. She had me look over Toni and Marty while she took after the twins.
Toni was not good. By the time I got back to her, she was practically lifeless. Fatin was trying to get her to drink some canned water but it wasn’t working. Matha, who was equally unwell sat by idly, crying into her can of water and trying not to throw up again. I pulled Toni off of Fatin and into my lap, trying to get her to drink the water from my bottle. She kept turning her head away or pushing my hand. I pulled her closer and upright with one arm and got Fatin to hold her face in one place.
“Drink,” I told her. She couldn’t even speak but she shook her head. “Toni, drink. Please. You need to rehydrate for me okay?” I got her to drink a little, but she just couldn’t swallow. Martha started crying at some point. Luckily, Leah made it back with the medicine.
Trying to fight Toni into taking the pill was not working Especially not when everyone started crowding and screaming at myself and Dot. Shelby crouched to our level and took the pill from Dot. This only made things worse. No way in hell was Toni ever going to accept anything from Shelby. But blondie wasn’t going down without a fight. In one motion, she’d shoved me out of the way and climbed on top of Toni, dropping the pill into her mouth and forcing her to swallow.
Night fell and everyone was exhausted. Toni hadn’t woken up since Shelby drugged her and honestly I was getting a little worried she died in her sleep or something. Martha wasn’t looking too hot either. She’d broken into a sweat despite the cold of the night. Everyone else is tucked into their respective beds, dead silent. The cold night air made it easier to relax. After a day like today all i wanted to do was curl up next to Toni and never wake up.
Beside me, Toni started to stir. The weight I’d been carrying finally lifted off my shoulders. “Toni?”, I chimed. “Are you alive?”
“No,” she grumbled as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. I didn’t give her a moment more to readjust to life before I tackled her in a hug.
“Oh my god, you’re okay.” She laughed at me again, but this time I didn’t mind. Cause she wasn’t dead. Or close to dying. I pulled her back down on top of me. She fell asleep again in my arms. I smiled down at her. Once again, there was a moment where I wasn’t in living hell. It was just me and Toni. Somewhere safe. And warm, preferably. Everything was going to be okay.
And then Marty dropped dead.
#erana james#toni shalifoe#the wilds#amazon prime#shoni#shelby goodkind#leah x fatin#martha blackburn#dot campbell#rachel reid#nora reid#toni shalifoe x reader#toni shalifoe imagine
256 notes
·
View notes
Text
Rosegarden Week- Day 1: Cuddles
Hello friends!! First day of Rosegarden Week, let’s keep this sweet week going!
______________________
“Don’t worry lil sis, you’ll be able to come when you grow up big and strong like me!” Yang yelled from the door, one arm wrapped around Blake’s shoulder and the other wrapped around Weiss.
“Yeah, Ruby. Don’t worry, you’ll get there soon.” Enthused Weiss, continuing to tease Ruby.
The girl in question only shot daggers at her friends and burrowed deeper in her cocoon of blankets.
Blake regarded her leader with a look of sympathy but decided against saying anything. She herself had been at that age that she wanted to be more independent, do grown up things, but then landed herself in Adam’s clutches. Rookie mistake of burning stages when time is your best ally.
Checking her scroll, Blake announced the time, and tugged on the blonde’s arm lightly. Burn as she might have been, Blake decided that being in Yang’s clutches was way better.
“Kay, Rubes! We´re leaving!” Weiss nudged Yang’s side and pulled, rolling her eyes.
No answer.
Ruby wrapped herself in a blanket, grumbling at her sister’s farewell from the door, too engrossed in her musings to truly care for a goodbye. The door closed mutedly, a gust of wind shuddered the windowpanes, and still Ruby fumed silently.
It had finally happened. Ruby’s most embarrassing moment of her life, one that no one would let her live down.
Even after all this time of fighting Grimm and being promoted to Huntress status, Ruby still got thrown out of a nightclub, planting her butt on a bank of snow, because she was 17 and thus, still considered a minor.
Twice.
‘It’s just so unfair!’, Ruby thought after brooding a bit more in furious quiet. ‘I risk my butt out there every day, and I can’t have fun!’. While very true, it was the middle of winter, and her coming of age birthday would not come for another year.
A few minutes passed before her mood lifted a bit. She had been putting off exploring the Atlas Academy kitchens, as well as their rec room. She was free to do as she pleased. Sighing softly, she shook the remaining grumpiness from her shoulders and rolled out of bed. She still had on the clubbing clothes Weiss had chosen for her: red shimmery top and black leather coupled with soggy tights after being pushed down a snowbank twice.
Peeling off her street wear, Ruby clad herself in her favorite long-sleeved pajama set, and wrapped a gray fleece blanket around her shoulders as she walked out the door.
She was gonna have some fun tonight, even if it were by her lonesome.
__________________________________________
Oscar hummed as he worked on incorporating the eggs into the sugary butter mixture in his bowl. He was in such a good mood, even after all his friends had gone out to party like hooligans. He was sure that the coming tales from the partying teens would make his breakfast much more interesting.
The academy kitchens were at his full disposition and Oscar was too much of a homebody to care that he was alone. He had dressed in his Nora-Issued Pumpkin Pete patterned pajama set (all members of team JNPR just had to match!) and a fluffy brown robe loosely tied to his waist. His shoulders were relaxed and with ease he found himself whisking away in his own world of warmth and coziness. He had forgone the bandages for the night, as his teammates would be long before they come back to their dorm and had applied some scarring salve to his neck.
He felt at ease, with his neck scars uncovered and airing out. They itched like they normally did after so long under bandages, but he avoided touching his itchy neck while he was cooking.
He threw in a handful of chocolate chips to the mixture as he fell back to his thoughts.
Nora and Yang would for sure bring the funniest anecdotes of the night, seconded only with Jaune’s string of guys and girls that would surely go after his “earnest and boyish allure”, as one of the Mantle moms had put it. Oscar chuckled at the thought of Jaune not understanding how he got a fanclub in the first place as he measured the cup of flour.
Slowly, so as to not overwhelm the cookie dough with the Atlesian flour (he preferred the one that his neighbors manufactured at their mill), he spooned a bit of the flour as he felt relaxing again. He imagined that each spoonful was one individual problem or obstacle of his day, and as he released it into the bowl, he felt letting go of his daily troubles. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils like Maria had taught him and was about to release slowly through his mouth.
Except.
“Whatcha doing, Oscar?”, an inquisitive voice startled him into a surprised gasp as a cloud of flour filled his field of vision. Both teens spluttered and coughed as flour got into their airways.
“M-milk!” groaned Oscar, his eyes stinging as his throat constricted painfully. Through the massive hacking, Ruby found the milk and uncapped it fast, and delivered it with a slap to Oscar’s chest.
Oscar took one gulp of milk and slammed the carton on the counter, his coughing fit reduced but not contained. Ruby took the carton then and had a swig herself before slamming it back on the counter, Oscar taking it then, and so on and so forth.
After the milk had been drank, the two teens slumped on the counter as evil (in the form of non glutinous Atlesian flour) had tried to take them to an early grave.
Winded out and cheeks planted on the cold countertop, they looked at each other and gave a giggly sigh.
“So…what were you doing before almost dying at age fourteen?”, Ruby asked as she booped him on the cheek.
He blushed lightly and sat back up as he slid the bowl of cookie dough to Ruby.
“Chocolate chip cookies.” He answered simply as he watched the black-haired girl taste a spoonful of dough. She wiggled in her seat.
“Man, this is good!” She said enthusiastically before a deadpan Oscar plopped a whole cup of flour into the bowl Ruby was digging her spoon back in. She pouted as he resumed his whisking around.
Oscar worked in silence, as Ruby watched his every move. He made baking look like a meditative process and looked so in the zone that she dared not to speak.
It was only as he planted the last of the dough using an ice cream scoop that he spoke up again.
“And I’m fifteen, by the way.”
The way that Ruby screeched her surprise made him stumble a bit, as he looked bewildered at her.
__________________________________________
Ruby paced back and forth in front of Oscar as he held a jar of freshly baked cookies in his lap. This particular rec room they were in had been loaned specifically for their group, seeing as General Ironwood in true Atlesian fashion, liked to play favourites and offered a ‘special housing arrangement for such a special group’.
The girl finished the last bite of her cookie, and as she gulped down, she turned to look at Oscar.
“March. The. Twentieth.” He shrank slightly as he passed another cookie to the fuming teen in front of him.
“Yep.”
“We are in APRIL! THE! TWENTIETH!”
“Mhm.”
“A whole month passed!” He just looked at her as she inhaled the cookie in her hand. She turned back to him and shook his shoulders slightly, “Why didn’t you tell us!?”, he just shrugged.
“I lost track of time; I swear! We were all just so busy training, and going to missions, and stuff…”
“But you didn’t go to any missions you just trained with the General!”
Oscar just rubbed his arm, looking at a cookie as he seemingly inspected it for imperfections. He sat silently as he willed his face to not heat up under such strong scrutiny.
Ruby bit her lip as she realized that he had not gone to any missions, but she and the rest did.
“Ah.” She said, suddenly feeling quite lame as she wrapped herself tighter in her blanket. Ruby watched as Oscar nibbled on a cookie, collecting his thoughts. She sat down on the couch with him shoulder to shoulder, her bravado gone.
They sat in silence munching on cookies for a bit, before Ruby jumped up and dashed away in a flurry of red petals, leaving Oscar mulling the past minutes over and over again.
Sitting there alone he thought about how silly it became to him that he halfheartedly hoped for Ruby to come back. Just as he was dusting himself off, Ruby reappeared in front of him carrying bulks of blankets under both arms.
“Meet me in my dorm in like ten, kay?” she said hurriedly as she tucked the sofa cushion under her chin and bolted back to her dorm.
Oscar felt a flurry of nervousness, and giddiness at the pit of his stomach, which he tried to stomp with yet another cookie.
Deciding to get the rest of the cookies, he walked back to the kitchen and prepared a basket with whatever he could find.
__________________________________________
“Woah.” Oscar had been caught unaware and surprised many times over since he joined the ragtag group of hunstmen rookies, he had seen horrors beyond his imagination, and his fate revealed cruelly in front of his very eyes. He had also seen bouts of astounding magic and impossible things. He had done impossible things.
But he had never been surprised silly by the simplest of things. Like this. Oscar felt a special type of warmth in his heart as he watched as Ruby applied the last touches to the most spectacular pillow fort he had seen in his life.
Somehow, she had found fairy lights and attached them to a canopy of blankets over the nest of pillows and sofa cushions that lay arranged in a very cozy manner on the floor. It looked comfy as hell and knowing Atlas’ penchant for luxurious materials for the tiniest of things, he had no doubt that the pillows were heavenly soft and plush.
He swept his gaze to Ruby as she set her scroll on top of some books, the camera facing a wall and in projector mode as it displayed a frozen still from a movie (or something). He sniffled a bit, touched by the barest of details, and his eyes pricked ever so lightly.
Hearing the quiet sniffle, Ruby whirled around and caught him misty eyed. In a panic, she rushed to him and squished his cheeks as she shushed him.
“Not! No crying today, Oscar. We´re gonna watch comedies and gorge ourselves in food till we enter a food coma.” Oscar nodded, his cheeks and ears heating up as Ruby continued to press her palms to his face.
Oscar had felt the rush of blood to his veins before, but it was always under perilious circumstances. Never before had a friend (definitely not a crush!) done something so touching and…homey. Like this.
“Mm mwot gwon cwa, boh plis rewt me gwo.” Ruby blinked at the unintelligible string of sounds that left Oscar’s pinched lips. Realizing she had squeezed his cheeks for too long, she let go immediately.
“Oh! He-hee. Oops, my bad.” She stammered, suddenly embarrassed.
“It’s ok. I got some of the fancy stuff that Winter keeps sending Weiss but that she doesn’t actually like.” He said, lifting the basket up for Ruby to inspect.
After accepting his offer of cold meat cuts and fancy-difficult- to-pronounce cheeses, Oscar and Ruby settled on the nest of soft blankets and plush pillows on the floor.
“Kay,” Ruby began as she went over tonight’s movie selection, “I got The Yuletide, about a girl living in a cottage in Mistral and another lady in a mansion in Atlas who swap homes for the holiday. I also got Huntsman Trap, about two estranged huntress trainees who get into the same Academy, discover they are twins and set up their big-name Huntsmen parents who got divorced. Or! The Pink Manticore, a crazy detective from Vacuo joins forces with experts to find the fabled Pink Manticore, a huge pink diamond that is rumoured to be possessed.”
Oscar scratched his chin deep in thought as he hugged a pillow to his chest.
“Mhm… How about the twin movie?”
Ruby grinned. She had already selected the movie.
_________________________________________
After watching two of Ruby’s movie selections and eating sweet and savory foods until they could no longer accept one more crumb, both teens plopped down the pillows and burrowed in the fluffy blankets contentedly.
Ruby had turned off the fairy lights, and her scroll was projecting on their canopy of blankets overhead the pinpricks of the night sky.
Oscar was looking at the soft flecks of lights, flickering like they would under the winter night. His hands rested lazily on his full stomach, his left hand every so often pointing at the makeshift heavens.
“What’s that… smoky section of the sky?” Ruby asked, her right hand pointing at the general direction of the splattering of spots above.
Oscar narrowed his eyes a bit, pulling a memory not his own, but soon to become, out of the recesses of his soul.
“That’s the Seafoam River, we can’t really see it because of pollution, but many years ago it was brighter than the Moon.” He explained.
Ruby ‘aah-ed’ and looked at the stripe of stars and nebulae. She turned her body slightly to look at him, her palm under her chin.
“I have a question.” She said simply, her stare was hot platinum, intense and burning into his very soul.
Oscar turned his body to mirror hers and noticed her steadfast gaze. Feeling blood rush to his neck, he realized with a jolt that his scars were visible and had been for the entirety of the night. His hand flew fast to the side of his neck, shielding as much as he could the reminder of his childhood trauma.
“I… This is from the day my parents died.” He confessed. Ruby made a sound at the back of her throat, confused. “Can’t remember well, but a Grimm-“
“That wasn’t it!” Ruby interrupted as she grabbed his hand in hers, shaking Oscar out of his memories. “Just wanted to ask what type of farm you had, that’s all!” Oscar let a soft ‘oh?’, surprised. “But if you feel ready to tell me about it, I am here.”
Oscar shook his head.
“Sorry! I just thought… I didn’t want to scare you off with this.” He pointed at the cris-crossed scarred pattern in his neck.
Ruby giggled softly as she squeezed his hand.
“Oscar, my sister lost her arm and Weiss and Blake all have scars. We all do. We just gotta… accept them for the gift of a second chance that they are.”
Slowly, Oscar laid back down on his back. His long mile stare bore holes on the piece of fabric over their heads as he just laid there pensive.
“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to… I can put on another movie from our selection, its fine!” Ruby sat up quickly to select the Pink Manticore, the funny Vacuoan noir comedy, when she felt Oscar tug at their still joined hands. She squeezed his hand softly.
“Actually, I always dreamed about getting sheep so I could collect their wool and make dyed yarn and maybe sell it down by the town square.”
Smiling softly, Ruby settled back down and tuned to Oscar as he explained the process of shearing and dying wool.
Over time, the conversation petered out in between yawns and strenuous effort to keep awake. The last thing Ruby saw was Oscar’s eyelashes brushing his cheeks as he finally fell asleep, his face relaxed and content.
Looking at their held hands between their bodies, she felt happier than she had been in a very long time. She had finally gotten to learn more about her friend, and feeling particularly close and placid, she let sleep wash over her.
_________________________________________
“Aw man, look at this!” Whisper-yelled Yang from the doorway to their dorm before she got loudly shushed by a barely sober Weiss.
The white-haired huntress was standing impossibly slanted, forty-five degrees to her right as she tried (in vain) to regain her composure, while Yang looked on the scene before her from the door.
“They. Are. Sleeping!” Weiss complained to her blonde teammate, who shushed her back sarcastically.
Irritated, Weiss began shushing Yang as she mimicked the white-haired girl back, initiating an argument expressed in overly dramatic shushing.
Blake and Ren shared a long-time suffering look, peeking out close enough to the door but not too much, avoiding Nora who fell asleep in the middle of the hallway, standing straight up, holding on to a stop-sign she had nicked from Mantle.
Jaune looked at Ruby and Oscar, both looking impossibly cozy as they cuddled in their pillow nest. They hugged lightly in their sleep, snoring softly and unaware of their friends looking at their snuggle.
“Look at them!” Jaune exclaimed softly, blue eyes soft and fond as he regarded his younger teammates. “They are headbutting their foreheads together!”
Blake poked her head into the room to see better and hummed.
“I get what they are trying to say. Headbutting is a whole declaration.” She said sagely, her ears twitching over her head. Blinking, she turned to the hallway as she heard someone approaching. She cocked her head when she saw who it was.
“Hey, Penny.”
“Salutations my friends!” The red-haired android girl exclaimed happily.
Weiss stopped her shushing match with Yang and slowly turned to Penny.
“Penny! Hush! Look at them they are sleeping!” she slurred.
Penny engaged her lock-on optics to scan Weiss quickly.
“Oh! It seems that you have been inebriated!”
Weiss spluttered indignantly.
Deciding to leave the dorm for the time being, Jaune pushed his way out of the dorm and closed the door.
“Hey guys, maybe we should simmer down a little bit.” Jaune said, pointing at the closed door as he tried to her the group further down the corridor.
Yang chuckled.
“Yeah! Looks like Ruby and Oscar need to catch up on their sleep to grow big and strong.” A chorus of giggles echoed as the group tried to stifle their laughter while Penny looked on confused.
“Sleep? But if I came here to wait exactly forty-five minutes until your usual waking time?”
Weiss snapped out of it suddenly.
“Are you telling me its already five a.m.?!”
__________________________________________
Later that day Marrow noticed that the kids from Beacon all seemed lethargic and whiny, compared to their usual selves. Their reaction times were off and seemed confused. Frankly, it was like herding cats that day.
Marrow decided to take Ruby and Oscar, who were spry and looking fresh, on a stake out with him by the Solitas’ mines instead. During the entire mission, Oscar and Ruby seemed to have a new spring on their steps, and in Marrow’s opinion, he had once again stuck babysitting more lovesick fools.
———-
Hope you enjoyed this tiny drabble! Cross posted on AO3, you can find me as ClaraLaClarividente 😗
#rwby#rwby vol8#rosegarden week 2021#rosegarden#ruby rose#oscar pine#yang xiao long#blake belladonna#weiss schnee#penny polendina#jaune arc#nora valkyrie#lie ren
83 notes
·
View notes
Note
Angsty Shoni prompt with 1&8: where Toni comes in heavenly knocking on Shelbys door turns out she got into an accident on her way for their date and collapses right into Shelby. Girls come running in (maybe theyre all at same college) once they hear Shelby distraught
[I’ve just finished exams, so I actually have time to write now:) Here, have some angst to celebrate]
It was set to be a good night. Fatin and Dot had spent about two hours helping Shelby get ready; picking out a chic, navy dress, applying some killer eye-shadow and curling her blonde bob. She’d checked and double-checked the restaurant booking- she didn’t want a repeat of last time when they’d got the wrong date and lost their table. Everything was going well and she felt… happy. Genuinely happy.
Away from the island, away from her “family” and the suffocating life she’d left in Texas. She was free and ready to go on a magically ordinary date with her incredible girlfriend.
Perfect- it was all perfect.
And not the fake perfect that she’d pretended to be for so many years. Or the toxic, unrealistic levels of perfection her parents had expected of her. Real perfect.
Messy and ugly and completely terrifying. But still just perfect.
Once her friends had finally left, retreating to Nora and Rachel’s dorm, Shelby checked the time- 7.50. Toni would be there in ten minutes.
She couldn’t help but wonder what the other girl would be wearing. Of course, Toni looked stunning in everything and she loved her girlfriend no matter what outfit she wore. But, at the same time, Shelby really hoped Martha had forced her into wearing something vaguely fancy for once. Preferably, that black and white button-down shirt that she’d bought the other day, perhaps with the leather jacket that never failed to make Shelby’s heart flutter.
When it got to 8.15, Shelby just rolled her eyes. Trust Toni to be late. She was always late. Hence why Shelby had booked the table for thirty minutes later than she’d told her girlfriend- she wasn’t about to let Toni’s terrible time keeping ruin their night.
At 8.30, Shelby was getting worried. Toni was never this late. Something was off.
8.45. She’d called Toni’s phone three times- no answer.
Then it was 9 o’clock and Shelby was panicking. She was grabbing her keys to leave the house and dialling Martha’s number. Maybe she was being overdramatic, maybe it was too early to freak out. But Shelby knew something wasn’t right.
Read on AO3
And then, there was knocking; quiet but frantic taps, getting weaker and weaker.
Shelby opened the door and there was Toni.
Eyes crystalized in pain, a hand clutched against the doorframe, in a feeble effort to keep herself up. As soon as she saw Shelby, she collapsed forward, stumbling clumsily into her arms.
Toni was falling down and bringing Shelby, still warped with shock, along with her. As they both crashed to the ground, Shelby’s whole world tumbled with them. Her vision was in fragments, the scene before her blurring hazily across her eyes. In the back of her mind she knew she was crying- wailing, screaming even, but she heard nothing.
All she could process was Toni’s defeated body, crumpled against hers, and the red.
Red streaks trailing through the hallway, red soaking through the black and white shirt, red smudged across her own hands and dripping down her arms.
In the corners of her eyes, she saw the other girls rush over- presumably alerted by her sobs. Dot was calling 911, Martha was crouched on Toni’s other side, Leah had a hand on Shelby’s shoulder. But Toni- Toni’s heartbeat was getting slower.
Tears slapped down Shelby’s face, her hands were shuddering so badly it hurt. Against her sore limbs, she could feel Toni’s skin getting colder. The girl’s eyes were now shut, her face damp and pale; Shelby whimpered a gasp, realising how similar she looked to the other time. Four years ago now, on that horrific island that she wanted nothing more than to forget, but, at the same time, wanted to cherish the bitter-sweet nostalgia of its memories.
She looked at Toni’s icy features and she saw the seventeen-year-old, broken foster kid, who’d just washed up on a deserted island and who’d had the terrible luck of eating bad oysters. The girl who’d been too stubborn to surrender her pride, even to save her own life. The girl who, only a few hours later, had screamed and yelled at her.
“I don’t matter”.
Even then, Shelby had known it wasn’t true. Maybe her feelings for Toni had been complicated at the time but she’d known- in the dark, aching parts of her chest- that Toni was going to be her everything. Her someone. She mattered, even if to no one else, to her.
And now…
As she looked down at the dying girl, she could feel herself slipping away too. Her heart was a searing ball of pain, she couldn’t face the thought of her being gone.
“Toni”, her voice came out as a crumbling whisper, “Toni, I need you to hold on”. Amongst the storm of movement and sound around them, her words sounded pitifully small; but she knew Toni heard them. “You matter much to me, so much. Please don’t let go”.
Maybe she was just being hopeful, but Shelby could have sworn Toni’s heart rate got steadier, even if it was only very slightly. She had to be hopeful.
Without warning, Shelby’s mind was flashing back to another girl. Another girl she’d loved. Another girl she’d lost.
Becca had been her first love, even if not her final. Sometimes Shelby would see parts of her in Toni; a dumb joke, a smile, a reflection in her sparkling, brown eyes. They were so similar but so different all at once.
It had taken Shelby years to adjust to the fact Becca was gone, she still wasn’t quite there. Years later, and she still couldn’t fully process the fact she’d never hear that infectious laugh again, there would be no more chances to hug her tightly and tell her what an amazing friend she was, Becca would never be at her wedding, she’d never have her own; Shelby had been given this whole life that was thriving and beautiful, and Becca was still a lost sixteen-year-old in Texas.
As she’d slowly started to come to terms with her grief, her one saviour had been Toni- her tether to the mortal world. Toni hugged her tightly after her worst nightmares, she’d listened patiently on the few occasions Shelby had actually had the strength to talk about it, she’d held her hand when she’d finally been able to visit Becca’s grave. She wasn’t anywhere near over it, but with Toni next to her, she was getting there.
Worse than the grief, was the guilt. That was still very much there. Like a cruel knife, that had found its way into Shelby’s stomach and wouldn’t move, no matter how much time past; it was cold, it was sickening, it was what stained her sleep and lurked in the back of her mind, even when she was at her happiest.
She had let Becca die.
If it wasn’t for her, perhaps it would be Becca who got to have the perfect life.
No matter how many people told her it wasn’t her fault, it always would be to her.
Becoming heavier in her arms, Toni’s coarse breaths were getting weaker. She couldn’t let her die. This girl that she’d loved from the moment they’d met (even if she hadn’t realised it at first), and that she’d only grown to love more and more as the years past. The girl who was passionate about everything and willing to risk her life to defend the people she cared about. She was brave, even if recklessly so, and stubbornly determined but also the softest, kindest person Shelby had ever known.
Through tear slashed eyes, she saw not only Toni but the young girl from the island, and she saw Becca- an echo in Toni’s lifeless face.
She leant closer and put her mouth to Toni’s ear,
“stay alive, please”.
In the distance, screaming sirens approached.
#my fic tag#the wilds#the wilds (amazon prime)#angst#shelby goodkind#toni shalifoe#becca gilroy#shoni#goodfoe#shelby x toni#fanfic#fic prompts#prompts
40 notes
·
View notes
Text
Chapter 89-2 thoughts
HA HA WOW WHAT A FUN CHAPTER AM I RIGHT
Also, hey, it’s me, the blog formerly known as kurisuumakise. I changed my URL slightly since last month! Anyway, spoilers under the cut~
Kazuma used an incantation against Yukine, and I was under the impression they only worked on ayakashi. I think his ayakashi form is coming out because of his emotions acting up (like how when Nora transformed in front of Hiyori a few chapters ago), but weirdly it doesn’t look like the crow from before. More like a cat.
(also want to throw back to my 89 thoughts where I wondered how stable Yukine’s new powers were. fuck.)
Could it also be the god’s greatest secret? Like, Yukine learned his past without his name breaking, but it still seems like his memories are peeking out from the cracks.
“He’s actually crying, isn’t he” stab me with a rusty fucking knife I hate this an unbelievable amount
Yato’s words “There’s only one thing I can do to save him, even if I have to do it by force” concerns me. What is he referring to? The blow he/Kazuma lands on Yukine at the end of the chapter? Something else?? He already apologized, and he’d never release him, so I’m afraid to speculate on What it could be if it’s not the aforementioned blow.
Speaking of, I have no idea what happened there. But I’ll get to that, I want to talk about Ebisu first
Apparently if they can find the sorcerer’s grave and destroy it, they can kill him. This is eerily similar to Yukine destroying his own grave (the fridge) a couple chapters back. But also, hello, Father backstory? ARE WE FINALLY GETTING AN EXPLANATION?
To recap, here’s what we know: He was a human, heaven/gods did some wrong to him, he died with a grudge, escaped Yomi, gained godlike powers along the way (whether it’s directly because he escaped Yomi or something that happened during/after his time there remains to be seen), and can now name shinki with a brush and hop bodies every lifetime.
If they defeat Father, I wonder what will happen to Fujisaki. Is his soul dead? I kind of hope it’s not so he can apologize for all the shit Father pulled while using his body.
anyway back to Yukine sobbing hours
we KNEW Adachitoka went full pain mode on Yukine seeing Yato as his father. but HOLY SHIT the way he insulted him, and imagined even at the beginning that Yato was being condescending and arrogant, just cut me deep to my core. He’s replaced all the fond memories he has with Yato with the terrible ones he has from his life. After all, one year of good memories can’t override 14 years of abuse...
Yukine, my boy, Yato loves you so much, he’s not the piece of shit you’re imagining, PLEASE,
We saw a bit more of his father’s face now, and I think I’m right in saying he looks rather young. It’s hard to tell, but to be the father of a 14 year old? (And however much older Yuka is?) He’s not exactly...aged.
“If I raise my hand against him, I’m no different from my dad!” and all my homies started crying. No, but really--the verbal confirmation that Yato also sees himself as a father to Yukine, and as such refuses to hurt him. Adachitoka has to stop oneshotting me with these sad quotes. “That boy loved people” “So even now my father is still killing me” “Come home, Yukine” and on and on with this FUCKING MANGA
okay so. The Hurt. Let’s start with the positives--Yukine didn’t lose his hand or any of his fingers. Looks like it got cut pretty badly, but I would have screamed if they pulled a Kugaha with him.
Also, he reverted from that weird catboy form and is now back to being emo. Is that because he got his feelings back under control?
I have a nasty feeling “I did it” referred to Yukine thinking he killed his father finally. ughhhhhh.
“I did it” could also refer to Yato attacking Yukine with the way it’s laid out on the page. I hate it here.
anyway Yato got stabbed through his stomach, looks like, and since Kazuma seems to be taking the same injuries, he probably has that wound too.
WHO WANTS TO BET THAT INSANE AMOUNT OF PAIN WAS WHAT WOKE BISHAMON UP. WHO WANTS TO FUCKIGN BE T. I swear if she comes to them only for Kazuma to die in her arms I will scream so loud Adachitoka will hear it in Japan aND THEY WILL KNOW WHAT THEY DID
As stated, I have no idea what to make of Yato attacking Yukine. I really hope Kazuma was the one who did it, since Yato JUST said he refused to lay a hand against him and Kazuma has insisted fighting is the only way. And god knows we love blaming things on Kazuma. But then Yato’s eyes went blank, just like when he lost control and almost killed Bishamon. Plus he said “That tree is...” and most people have (I think rightfully) speculated that’s where he buried Yukine’s body, so naturally he’d want to protect it. But enough to draw his sword against him?
I don’t know but I assume they’ll explain it next chapter
how many times can I say “they’ll explain it next chapter” and then the manga fucking ends and I still don’t know jack shit I’m putting on my clown makeup as we speak
Either way, Yukine still thinks Yato attacked him. And either way, Yato will blame it on himself. they have a LOT of apologizing and therapy to go through once this arc is over
Yato dying right above Yukine’s final resting place is a horrible fucking turn of events and I really wish literally anything Else had happened
anyway. The question remains, where will Bishamon go? Will she be able to track Yato and Kazuma down based on his pain, and save them? Or will she join Ebisu and the others in their research? Or neither? Maybe she’ll get Nana to have a weapon?
I think Hiyori and Nora are heading to Yato anyway, so with any luck they’ll find him and be able to save him. Hiyori becoming a doctor shoutout? anyone?
Or maybe they’ll meet up with Bishamon there and help Yato and Kazuma while she tracks down the sorcerer. I don’t know that she’s in any condition to fight, but [honks my clown nose] we’ll see next chapter
90 is coming a bit early next month, the 3rd for me, and I can’t tell if that’s better or not. Rip the bandaid off early, but also. idk if I can take it. That remains to be seen.
Another thing that remains to be seen is whether this is the most painful chapter of the manga for me. Right now it feels like it’s on par with 71, but time will tell. Especially since 71 at least had Yato and Yukine being ride or die for each other, and this time it focused on the “die” part.
Father naming Yukine was the midpoint of the Nora arc (this arc) to me, so now I think we’re getting close to the end. I really don’t see what else there is to accomplish now that Yato’s gotten hurt so badly. Maybe he’ll be in better shape than we thought and still able to go after Yukine? He got roughed up pretty badly fighting Takemikazuchi in the last arc, and his neck got sliced open that time too. But it’s really hard to tell the extent of the damage from just one panel. Obviously he couldn’t chase after Yukine. Then again, he did also just get concussed.
Yato can you please go one damn arc without suffering grievous injuries this is bad for my heart.
143 notes
·
View notes
Text
RNM fic: 5 Times the Malex Squad tried to intervene and one time when Kyle Valenti, self-proclaimed best friend to Alex Manes, had enough.
1.
Kyle hadn’t been too proud to admit he was hurt Alex hadn’t said he was playing at the Pony. He’d stared at Alex all wounded and betrayed when Greg had gone on and on about how Alex’s song made him cry.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Alex gave him a look then mockingly repeated, “I really hate Open Mic Night.
“I meant country music and crappy spoken word poetry. I don’t mean you!”
“For the record Forrest is an organizer and he does spoken word. Maybe don’t say that around him if you’re serious about coming next time.”
Kyle had grimaced. Someday he was going to stop inserting his foot into his mouth, but it had not been that day. He did however, concoct a great plan to make up for missing Alex’s performance and accidentally dissing Alex’s new boy wonder and that was grabbing a table front and center during the next Open Mic Night.
He was even there early which was nice cause he was able to hang out with Alex and Forrest. What was unfortunate was that they had to excuse themselves the moment the program started – Forrest to host and Alex to do whatever musicians do to pump themselves up before a game. Unfortunate, because Isobel arrived dragging a surlier than usual looking Guerin and commandeered the empty seats.
“Um, someone’s sitting there.” Kyle pointed out.
“We’ll move when they get back,” Isobel said, “We’re just here for one song.”
Kyle scowled. Fine. He could just ignored them. He was gone after Alex’s anyway. There’d already been one guy singing about dusty roads and pick up trucks and that was already one song too many.
The moment Forrest said Alex’s name Kyle hooted embarrassingly loud grinning brightly when Alex rolled his eyes at him. He didn’t miss the softer smile Alex aimed at Guerin.
Kyle also didn’t miss Isobel’s soft “Oh no,” when Alex called Forrest up to perform with him.
It was a new song. One about hope and new beginnings. Alex sang and played the piano with Forrest reciting bits of poetry during the refrain. It would have been cringe-worthy if Alex’s music didn’t turn Forrest overly dramatic words into something heartfelt and beautiful.
Kyle could almost say he was enjoying it.
What he was not enjoying was the furious whispering between Isobel and Michael.
“This is stupid,” he heard Isobel hiss. “You should be the one up there singing with him.”
“We’ve talked about this.”
“Yeah, yeah. That was before you spent the last month and a half moping. Tripp and Nora never got their chance at happiness. I don’t want you to lose yours too.”
“You know what would make me happy? If you two shut up while Alex is singing,” Kyle interjected quietly. He trained a glare at Isobel. “Regardless of who’s up there with him this is a big deal for him singing with a guy and you’re ruining it."
Isobel huffed, but stayed silent.
Michael stared at him for a second looking like he’d swallowed curdled milk, before finally gritting out the word “Thanks.”
Ah. Apparently, that sour look was him experiencing gratitude towards Kyle. Figures.
2.
“Your doctor said you can go back to work slowly. That doesn’t mean jumping straight into a 12-hour shift.” Kyle gave Maria his sternest doctor face, but Maria just brushed him off.
“It’s been two months. I’m not doing anything excessive. I was doing paper work, but Max needed a break.”
The fact that Max was now a bartender still broke Kyle’s brain sometimes. Not because there was anything wrong with bartending, but nerdy Max Evans was no bar hound.
“I said I could watch it for him,” Guerin grumbled from where he was brooding like a gargoyle on a bar stool.
“If I left you to watch over the bar, I’d be out of business and your liver would be one big alcohol rag.” She paused, then whispered low, “Wait, do you have a liver?”
“They do,” Kyle confirmed. He’d been intimately acquainted with Noah’s for a while.
“And we all know you really have a heart,” Maria said, poking Guerin in the chest. “Although why you enjoy breaking it, I have no idea.”
Kyle turned when he saw that Michael was no longer paying attention to them and was in fact, staring across the room where Alex and Forrest were alone in a booth.
Nope.
He gave Maria another stern look, this time coming from the guy who was fast considering Alex Manes as his best friend. “Your doctor definitely advises against meddling in other people’s affairs.”
Maria rolled her eyes, but didn’t press further. The pained grateful look Michael threw at Kyle was still hilarious.
3.
“Valenti.”
“Evans. Guerin.” Kyle said, eyebrows up to his hairline. The two of them showing up at his doorstep at any time of day meant trouble.
“We need your help,” Max said, pushing Michael gently forward. The two of them showing up at his doorstep with Michael’s hand wrapped around a bloody shirt definitely meant trouble.
Trouble in this case was thankfully not of the alien variety. More like Guerin was apparently a genius who turned into a clumsy idiot around Alex. Kyle had known that for a long time now, but he’d figured after half a year of the whole tortured unrequited love schtick, Michael would at least learn to be less self-destructive.
“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Michael said, when Max pointed out the same thing.
“You’ve been fixing cars for how long?” Kyle asked as he wrapped a proper bandage around Michael’s hand.
“Since I was thirteen.”
“And you accidentally slammed the hood of your truck on your head then on your hand because?”
“Alex was out jogging shirtless,” Max said when instead of answering Michael huffed petulantly. “Which I still don’t understand, man. You’ve seen him shirtless before.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have some acetone, would you?” Michael asked Kyle, completely ignoring Max. “And another bandage to cover his mouth.”
Kyle ignored the second request, leaving to grab a bottle of acetone from the stash he’d started keeping for alien emergencies.
When he got back to the living room, Max still seemed to be ragging on Michael. “He doesn’t even know how you feel.”
“He doesn’t need to know. Not right now.”
“You keep saying that. It’s been more than ten years of waiting for the right moment.”
“Then what’s a couple more?” Michael snarked back.
Jesus. This again. His friends needed more hobbies aside from going after alien murderers and prying in people’s love lives.
Kyle thrust the bottle of acetone at Michael then told Max, “The patient needs to rest. You need to leave.”
“I drove him here.”
“You can come back for him after a few hours when I’m sure he doesn’t have a concussion,” Kyle said, practically pushing Max out the door.
“Thanks,” Michael said, resting his head against the back of Kyle’s couch and grimacing slightly.
He wasn’t sure if that face was because of Michael’s injuries or because he had to thank Kyle again.
"I’ll get you some ice for your head,” he stopped halfway to the kitchen and turned to Guerin. “You know whose side I’m on in this, right?”
Michael gave him a small lopsided smile. “I still hate you for what you put him through, but you’ve been a good friend to him lately.”
Kyle nodded. Yeah. It took him a long time to stop hating himself for that too.
4.
True to her character, Rosa didn’t even try being subtle.
She gave Alex the stink eye when he walked into the Crashdown with Forrest in tow. “Wait, I thought Isobel said you were soulmates with Gu—”
“—Guh-regory.” Kyle blurted out, then backpedaled quickly when all three of them gave him confused looks, “and she said service mates, not soulmates. Which is wrong because Greg was in the Navy.”
Rosa raised her eyebrows then proceeded to sip noisily from her milkshake.
When Alex and Forrest moved on to their own booth, Rosa eyed him suspiciously. “Are you trying the protective older brother thing on Alex too?”
“I’m not trying to be anyone’s older brother. And you’re both older than me. Technically,” Kyle added. “Besides, Alex doesn’t need protecting. He’s happy. People should just let him be happy.”
“Whatever,” Rosa said with a roll of her eyes. Then she grinned. “You’re totally on Team Malex though right?”
“Malex?”
“It’s what Isobel calls them.”
Kyle shook his head. “People in this town have way too much time in their hands.”
5.
The last straw was Liz literally lifting a straw from Alex’s leftover milkshake.
She had barely arrived back home updated on all the gossip thanks to Maria and Rosa and had apparently not changed one bit.
“No,” he said, grabbing the straw from her and grimacing at the sticky mess now in his hand.
“Rosa said Isobel mentioned a cosmic connection. If I checked for proof then maybe—”
“No,” Kyle repeated bringing the straw with him when he left the Crashdown.
Seriously, was he the only adult amongst his friends? This was getting out of hand.
+1
“What’s the big emergency?” Isobel asked the moment the three aliens arrived at their newest secret bunker. Maria, Rosa and Liz were already sitting there, waiting impatiently for the reason Kyle had called the meeting.
Michael looked around, then froze. “Wait, where’s Alex?”
“Oh god, did he get kidnapped again?”
“No, he’s safe!” Kyle clarified quickly when six pairs of stricken eyes stared at him.
“Then why are we here?”
Kyle paused then said gravely, “This is an intervention. You all need to lay off Guerin and Alex. I know lately he’s been more sad, pathetic cowboy than angry cowboy, but he did the right thing walking away. It would have been a dick move rejecting Alex then going after him again just when he started going out with someone else. He’s right to wait until they’re both ready. So leave them alone.”
“You called us here to tell us to mind our own business, but aren’t you also technically minding their business by telling us to mind our own business?” Isobel asked, obviously faking confusion.
Maria and Rosa giggled, while Liz tried looked like she was trying not to smile and failing miserably.
Kyle crossed his arms, mustering his dad’s patented disapproving look and giving them all a good dose. “Alex has made his choice. If it’s the wrong choice then it’s his wrong choice to make. If we’re really his friends we need to respect that.”
Pulling out the friend card quickly sobered up Maria, Rosa and Liz who looked at each other guiltily. Max just sat there quietly seeming unsure why he was there in the first place, while Isobel finally huffed then finally nodded.
“Good,” Kyle declared. “No more pushing. No more meddling. Now we’re all going home, and Guerin is going to drown his heartbreak at the Wild Pony.”
“You really think Alex is that into Forrest?” Isobel asked, when everyone else had left and it was just her and Kyle.
Kyle let slip a small smile. Now that he had her word she wouldn’t interfere; he had no qualms in telling her what he knew. “Alex said it’s been fizzling out for weeks. They finally called it quits a few days ago.”
“What? Why didn’t you say anything? Michael could have rushed off to wherever Alex is and declared his undying love, black cowboy hat in hand.”
He gave her a look because 1.) they just went through this and 2.) Isobel was clearly watching too many soaps.
“Right. No meddling,” She pouted, then brightened immediately. “Doesn’t mean we can’t still watch in the sidelines. Where did you say Alex was again?”
“I didn’t,” Kyle paused and then added casually, “But we’re supposed to have drinks at the Pony tonight.”
Isobel gasped seeming to remember Kyle directing Michael to the same place. “You are such a hypocrite.”
“It’s not meddling if they just happen to be at same place at the same time at the right moment.”
She grabbed his arm, dragging him towards the door. “You and I are going there right now. We deserve to see this pay off.”
Kyle didn’t resist. As cheesy as all this was, he’d love to see Alex’s epic happy ending too.
#malex#alex manes#kyle valenti#michael guerin#kylex brotp#just pure kylex brotp#this is awful#but also pure id fic lmao#deej writes#deej writes malex#deej writes kylex brotp
113 notes
·
View notes
Text
Love your Walt adopts Michael fic!! Any chance we might see more of it beyond the 2nd chapter? Maybe some more if the early days where Michael is learning to trust Walt?
The silence is so thick Walt thinks he can hear his own hair grow.
“Well what’d you do before?” He asks, “when you went to those other schools?”
Michael looks down and pushes around his cereal. Walt gets the feeling that he isn’t going to like the answer. Not that he has a whole lot of faith in the system, but Michael seems determined to show him how god awful it really is. The kid has medical records, he’s seen them. But he doesn’t believe for a second they’re accurate.
“Sometimes my foster’s would forge them,” he says, “I’d usually just piss the doctor off enough that they’d sign them so I would go away,” he shrugs, “or I’d forge them.”
“You’re forging documents?” Walt repeats incredulously.
Michael bristles and puffs up. Walt takes another drink of his coffee. Dealing with an alien is hard, dealing with an orphan is hard. Dealing with Michael’s prepubescent hormones makes him want to throw himself out of the window. Walt doesn’t think he could have gotten him at a worse time if he’d actively been trying for it. He can’t quite figure out if there’s a specific thing that sets him off or if it’s just everything. It seems to be the later.
“My species matures faster,” Michael says.
“I didn’t realize you were such an expert,” he says.
Michael’s glare almost makes him regret saying it. But he’s done stupider things to scarier people. Michael might be telekinetic and he may owe the boy something he can never repay, but Michael’s still a punk kid. Walt’s read enough parenting books to know you can’t just give kids whatever they want. You gotta discipline them. But not like the disciplining his old man used to do. Walt refuses to be that kind of person. The disciplining was kind where you said you were disappointed in them and they shaped up because that was supposed to be worse than being mad. Walt doesn’t believe it works on anything except tv but he’s got a preteen alien sitting at his kitchen counter so he’s going to try.
“So you’ve never been to a doctor?” He says. Michael shakes his head, “dentist? Any medical professional?”
“Of course not, I’d be in a lab somewhere if I did.”
“How do you know that?”
Michael stares at him. Walt knows he’s full of shit, that he’s the farthest thing from an expert on aliens despite being one. The old guilt churns through him. He got time with Miss Nora, time that Michael needed more than him. He ran away as a kid but he was able to find out about his own body. What he could and couldn’t do. Aside from being able to move things with his mind, he’s not sure Michael knows anything. Michael pushes his cereal around as Walt waits for his answer.
“May I be excused?” Michael asks in a weird impression of an obedient child. Walt chokes on his coffee.
“What? No,” he sputters, “where’d you learn manners?”
“Two families ago,” Michael says. Fucking smartass.
“And how do you know you can’t go to the doctor?” Walt asks.
Michael says nothing.
Walt can see where this is going a mile away. More than a mile if he’s being honest. He doesn’t need two eyes to see that Michael looks like a scared kid with a secret. God knows he used to see the look on his own face enough to recognize it, even if it’s been a damn long time since he saw it. Dropping it isn’t going to help either, he’s a bad sell on a good day in the parenthood department. He’s surprised he got approved at all after the way the social worker looked at the junkyard.
“Did one of the others tell you that?” He ventures.
Michael freezes and the look on his face shifts to horror. How the hell this kid is going to keep being an alien a secret is beyond Walt. They’re going to need a lot of rules. He’d say that he’s surprised Michael has kept it a secret this long, but the exorcism would say otherwise. Before Michael can sputter another lie or choke on his cereal or something, Walt decides to put him out of his misery.
“Your mom led me to the eggs,” he says, “I know there were three of you.”
“We were found by the side of the road,” Michael says, shifting from horrified to angry.
“I was younger than you when I found the eggs,” Walt says, “you ready to take care of three kids?”
Michael has the grace to look down, shake his head and mutter an apology. It doesn’t make Walt feel much better but right now he’s the adult. He doesn’t need anyone to hold his hand of absolve him of his sins. Especially not when it comes to the aliens. Michael shifts his weight and licks his bottom lip before looking up at him carefully. Walt can’t imagine the war going on in Michael’s head. Or, actually, he can. He doesn’t know where he comes out in all of this or why the hell Michael should trust him.
“Max can heal,” he says, “humans and us. He knows we’re different.”
Walt nods, he guesses it was too much to hope that something in this would be easy. He sighs and picks up the paper. The idea of Michael having to forge documents is not one he wants to entertain. He almost signs the damn thing himself. But Michael is a kid, if for some reason they get caught he can blame any number of things. If Walt gets caught, Michael goes to someone else. When he looks up at Michael, the boy is watching him intently. Walt slides the paper over to him. Michael goes for it eagerly and Walt puts his hand over it.
“You tell me when you do this kind of thing,” he says, “you shouldn’t be doing it at all but we don’t have a choice. The way I see it, here’s the safest place for you right now. But there’s gonna be a lot of lying involved so we gotta be honest with each other. Think you can do that?”
“Yeah,” Michael says and Walt believes him. He watches as Michael hunches over and gets to work, “I gotta do this for Max and Iz too,” he says and glances upwards.
Belatedly Walt realizes he’s asking for permission.
“Whatever you gotta do,” he says.
A few days later when Michael asks to go on a camping trip with them, Walt agrees and ignores the stupid feeling in his gut. He makes sure Michael has the phone number to the cell he’s got on him, then he makes sure he can recite it from memory. It’s just supposed to be one night and Walt tells himself that they are human enough that nothing terrible is going to happen. But when the damn phone shows a number he doesn’t recognize, he realizes how stupid the reassurances have been.
“You okay?” He asks instantly. There’s silence, in the background he thinks he can hear someone crying, “Michael,” he says, “remember what we talked about?”
“I need you to come pick us up,” Michael says finally, “I—“ he hesitates.
“Am sorry to wake me up?” Walt says, already pulling on his boots, “don’t worry about it.”
“Thanks,” Michael says.
He gives where they are and Walt hauls ass to the location. Michael is standing near the road looking anxiously out. A ways back Walt can see Max and Isobel huddled together. It’s odd to see them all together. He hasn’t since the group home. Michael is skittish but stubborn as he gets out. Walt looks him up and down.
“You hurt?” Michael shakes his head and Walt exhales, “you need my help?”
“We took care of it,” Michael says, “we just need a ride,” he licks his bottom lip, “please.”
Walt wants to demand answers to what it is and what they took care of, but he can see the desperation on Michael’s face. It’s almost as heartbreaking as him asking for help with a please or the look on the twins behind him. Walt reasons that what was done here is done, there’s no fixing it. So he motions them into the car. The three of them nearly collapse with relief and Walt wonders if this is the first time that they’ve gotten help from an adult. He helps them pile their stuff into his truck and watches as Max helps Isobel in and scrambles after her.
“Are they hurt?” He asks Michael when they close the door.
“Not physically,” Michael says.
“I guess that’s the important part right now,” Walt says, “get in.”
Michael scrambles in and he gets in after him. No-one speaks, the only sound is Isobel’s heavy breathing which echoes loudly in the car. Michael reaches over and turns on the radio, finding something that covers up the sound. Walt watches the three of them move seamlessly, taking care of one another in little ways that seem almost instinctual. Hell, maybe they are. What the hell does he know about families and how they take care of each other? No-one says anything as they drive. Walt gets off the main way and drives to a quieter place and pulls over, killing the engine.
“I know you all want to go home,” he says, “but your parents are going to want to know why.”
“Don’t you?” Max asks. There’s a quiet authority in his voice that’s damn unnerving.
“Course I do,” Walt says, “but I want you all safe more than that.”
“I killed someone.”
Walt whips around. Max meets his eyes but there’s no defiance in his. It’s that same authority. He killed someone and he knows why he did it. That’s damn powerful stuff. Walt feels sick at the sight of it. That’s not an expression anyone should wear, but especially not a kid. Isobel lets out a shuddering breath that gives away exactly why Max feels so justified. He’s almost afraid to look at Michael but he forces himself to do it anyway. Michael’s head hangs and the guilt rolls off him in almost palpable waves. When he raises his eyes to Walt’s, they’re bright. But he swallows and forces the emotions back.
“I buried him,” Michael says.
Walt hates the relief he feels.
“Deep?” He asks, “shallow graves—“
“He’s buried deeply,” Michael cuts in.
Walt almost tells him to not interrupt and then stops. That isn’t something important right now. He looks between the three of them and sighs. It’s not important but he’s getting the feeling that this is their life. He’d better get used to it.
“Don’t interrupt,” Walt says. Michael raises his eyebrows, “I’m not putting your manners on hold until weird shit stops happening, I’ll be old and grey if we wait that long.”
“You’re already grey,” Michael points out.
“Grey-er,” Walt corrects, “the way I see it I can take you all home or I can take you all nearby and give you a night to sort out your feelings. It’s not a lot but—“
“Nearby,” Isobel croaks.
Both the boys nod and the decision is made. Walt puts the car in gear and takes them nearby where he found them. When he goes to get their tent and gear out, none of them look thrilled at the prospect. He doesn’t blame them.
“Get your sleeping bags out,” he says, “you can camp out in the back,” Max and Isobel trade looks.
“What?” Michael says, “he knows what we are, I don’t think Max wetting the bed is gonna upset him.”
Max lets out an indignant squawk and suddenly they’re teenagers again. Or two of them are. Isobel still smiles though which is a lot better than the look she was wearing a few minutes ago. The three of them clamber into the back. It’s not the first night that Walt’s spent in his car, but it definitely wasn’t on his plans for the night. Still it’s kind of nice to hear the three of them talking in the back of the truck. The world’s going to be a mess in the daylight, but he hopes that one night of feeling safe will mean something. Somehow. He closes his eyes and opens them and it’s somehow daylight and the three of them are standing there.
“Here,” Michael says, handing him a paper cup of coffee.
“Thanks,” he takes it, looks at the time and swears, “lets get you back before your parents freak out,” they all climb in, “happy birthday,” he adds.
He drops them off and drives him and Michael home.
“Come here,” he says before Michael can get in the house. He leads him to another part of the junkyard and opens up the hatch, “I found this when I bought the place,” he says. Michael looks nervous and Walt rolls his eyes, “you think if I wanted to hurt you I wouldn’t have done it last night?”
That makes sense to Michael and he shrugs, following Walt down the ladder. Walt’s done his best to clean out the dust and get some damn lights going, but it hasn’t been the easiest job to finish Michael’s back. He supposes that the work’ll go faster if it’s the two of them. Michael looks around the space slowly, taking in the white board and couch Walt has down there.
“I figured you might need your own space, when things get crazy. Or you need to do your alien thing,” Walt says, “it’s deep enough you shouldn’t disturb anything up there.”
“This is mine?” Michael repeats.
“I know it’s not much but I figured—“
He’s not expecting Michael to throw himself at him or squeeze the daylights out of him. It’s an objectively awful hug. Awful enough to make Walt’s good eye tear up and his throat tighten. But only because it’s a damn shame no-one taught the boy to hug properly, not because the kid’s hugging him at all. He claps him back on the shoulder which is what you’re supposed to do. He thinks. Hell do either of them have any business hugging?
“Happy Birthday,” he says.
“Thank you.”
#michael guerin#walt sanders#roswell new mexico#roswell nm#michael sanders#malex#malex fic#Roswell nm fic#roswell nm fanfic#max evans#Isobel Evans
66 notes
·
View notes
Text
One Hit West
Chapter 5
Author's note:
Took forever!!!! But for a 4000 word chapter I think the two week wait was kinda OK? I hope? Of course as always this chapter will leave you with more questions then you care to have and all building up to the great answer!
Hope you all like it!!
Cliffhanger warnings apply 😉❤️
P.S There’s a bit of a flashback within a flashback here. Hope it doesn’t confuse you!
XOXO
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
[Iris]
The doorman holds the door open for her and Iris thanks him with a smile as she pushes the stroller in. Her mom jeans hang loosely around her legs, concealing the armada of weapons strapped to them and years of practice allow her to walk without acknowledging the extra weight. It’s an easy enough target, mistaken identity style kill, but she’d rather be prepared then to get trapped with nothing but a rifle. Iris walks into the lift and keeps on her act. Bare hands (except for her ring); large, square shades obscuring her face and a short wig that’s styled into a generic “mom-like” messy bun.
As the numbers on the little screen change, taking her closer to her destination, she finds herself taking deep breaths and completing her transition into her work persona.
Cold.
Cruel.
Calculated.
The transition is almost ritualistic. Usually she switches within the blink of an eye but this evening her mind is pestered by memories of the night before…
“Iris,” her father greeted calmly, without turning his head towards her. His relaxed attitude aggravated her further and she found herself forcing deep breaths in order to stay as composed as possible.
“Where’s my daughter?”
“Upstairs, fast asleep, but…”
Iris stopped in her tracks.
“…before you go up and get her…”
Joe put his cup down and stood up to face her for the first time.
“…you owe me an explanation.”
“I don’t owe you shit,” Iris spat, and turned around to ascend the stairs when her father’s bellowing voice stopped her mid-step yet again.
“Don’t you dare turn your back on me Iris!”
“Or what? Huh?” She challenged, her cool seeping out of her with every passing second.
“What are you gonna do dad? In a matter of hours you’ve attempted to kill my daughter’s father then kidnapped her. How are you planning on topping that off?” Iris kept her voice down out of fear of waking Nora and having to face questions she wasn’t as yet ready to answer.
“What were you doing at the casino?” He asked, ignoring her question. Iris looked at him incredulously then let out a half-hearted chuckle and answered:
“I felt lucky, thought I’d have a go at some poker.”
“I’m going to ask you, one more time. What? Were you doing? At the casino?”
“I already-”
“Iris.” Joe’s tone came out as a warning and he turned his head to the side, closing his eyes shut like a man trying to hold back an outburst.
“Hasn’t that boy ruined your life en-”
“No dad! He didn’t ruin my life, you did! You ruined my life when you kicked me out!”
“I gave you an option God damn it! It was your decision to walk away!”
Iris couldn’t believe her ears. To this day her father still thinks that the alternative to her packing her bags would have been the better choice.
“I’m not in the mood to have this conversation for the billionth time. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to get my daughter and go home.”
“Where is he?” Joe demanded, once again paying her statement no mind. His ability to hear what he wants to when he sees fit never fails to surprise her.
“We both know I’m not going to tell you. I didn’t save him just to have you kill him.”
“So you were interfering with my hit?”
Iris sighed, tired and exasperated.
“Yes dad I was. Is that what you wanna hear? That I was doing what’s right for my child like any good parent would? Do I have to explain how this works since clearly good parenting is a language you forgot the minute I told you I was pregnant?”
She regretted the words the minute they left her lips but it was too late and the grave expression that fell over her father’s worn features told her that she’d pressed the mother of all buttons.
“Get out,” he growled under his breath.
“Gladly. After I get what’s mine,” she answered without letting her regret show through.
The lift dings on her floor and Iris pushes the empty stroller to apartment number 64, the very apartment she pretended to be scouting a week before as she took notes of the building’s important features: emergency exits, security cameras, fire alarms etc. That’s how she knows that the hallways are monitored with cameras while the apartments are kept safe with motion detectors.
The stair ways are dead zones and are basically the least secure places save for the automatic locks on the doors that can only be opened with access key cards. The stairs are also the only way to reach the basement and that’s where the screen room is located. Not that she needs any of this information. Her father has a Loyal in almost every building in the city. These are people that either owe him, work for him or are too afraid to test him and therefore grant him any and all means of access into a number of places. Apartment buildings, restaurants, entertainment destinations, tourist attractions – you name it. And all she needs to get in is her red ruby ring. It’s a simple stone, common enough not to draw suspicion if worn by many and yet unique enough to be used as a distinguisher. Although in her case the red makes it special. The rest of her father’s hit family have rings with much the same design but their stones are green emeralds instead. Red rubies are reserved for those with the last name West.
They were her mother’s favourite gem stone.
The walk up the stairs threatened to bring back memories she didn’t need roaming through her mind at that very moment. Memories from before. Before loss turned her father in to a cold hearted killer. Before she saw the way his face changes just before he pulls that trigger.
Before she became him.
Iris walked into her old bedroom, all the details giving her a sense of Déjà vu. It was all exactly as she’d left it, from the positioning of the furniture to her high school photo frames (considerably emptier than they were when she still called the room hers), to the paint on the walls. It was like stepping into a time capsule of some of the greatest moments of her life…
Her freshly painted toes wiggled in the air as her feet rested (crossed at the ankle) against the wall. The still hot curls in her hair, cascaded over the edge of her bed like a water fall and she passed the time with a book in her hand. Getting dressed with three hours to go seemed like over kill and even though she was excited to see Barry, she wanted the moment to be perfect.
Perfect didn’t include her looking sweaty in a wrinkled dress. So she practised the art of patience as she dove into the third of the Twilight books. A knock on her door drew her attention away from Bella’s latest inner turmoil and she asked the visitor to come in. Barry’s fresh shaven face popped into her room, his hair neatly slicked back and as he stepped inside, the space was filled with a deliciously masculine scent. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets as she took him in, pressed suit with a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand, ready to go and earlier than ever.
He was up to something.
“Barry what are you doing here so early? We’re not supposed to meet for another three hours!” She asks, putting her book down without saving her page, she’d already read it three times any way, she’d be able to find that page with just a few flips.
“I just couldn’t wait to see you.” He smiled, though she noticed the glimmer of nervousness in his stare.
“But - ” Before she had a chance to finish her sentence Barry dropped down on one knee and Iris felt herself grow pale.
“Barry? What are-”
“Just, hear me out ok? I know that we’ve only known each other for a year and that we still have a life a head of us – graduation and college and work - but Iris the truth is, within our first week together I already knew that no one would ever complete me the way that you do,”
“Barry,” was all she could whisper out as she tried to keep her tears in. She was shocked out of her mind and had no idea what to think but her heart felt every word that slipped out of his mouth.
“I love you Iris,” he said as he reached into the bouquet and pulled out a tiny red velvet box.
“And I know that we’re too young to get married, but I can’t stand the thought of a possible future without you. Which is why I found a compromise.” He opened the box and inside rested a single silver band with tiny red jewels imbedded into it.
“This isn’t an engagement ring, not yet anyways, but it is still a symbol of my promise to you. My promise to love you, be there for you, support you and take care of you for the rest of our days. And someday, hopefully soon, I promise to replace this ring with a much more permanent version.”
Iris found herself struggling to breathe and if it weren’t for the fact that she was still standing paralysed in front of him she might have thought her legs had magically disappeared because she couldn’t feel them. She couldn’t feel any part of her body except for her roaring heart.
“What do you say Iris? Will you take this ring as a symbol of my promise of forever?” he asked and at that the tears made their debut on her yet to be made-up face. She nodded, unable to speak and covered her mouth with her left hand as she slipped the delicate piece of jewellery on her right hand’s ring finger. Barry rose back onto his feet and she half laughed, half sobbed as she noticed the moisture in his eyes before she pulled him into her and hugged him tight. They parted a few inches, just enough for him to lean into her and offer her a tender kiss.
“I’m guessing this means that she liked it?” came Joe’s voice from the door way and the young couple took a reprieve from their embrace to look at him, though they remained in each other’s arms.
“Dad?”
Joe smiled and folded his arms over his chest as he leaned side-ways against the door frame.
“And I thought I had a hard enough time gift shopping for you, but this young man right here second guesses everything when it comes to you. This was the longest jewellery hunt in the history of man.” He commented with a chuckle and a look of fondness directed at the youth before him.
“Wait a second, so you knew?” Iris asked.
“I kinda asked your dad for help shopping for the ring,” Barry admitted, sheepishly.
“Right after he asked me for permission to give it to you and promised never to break your heart.” Joe added proudly, there was nothing Joe loved more than a respectful young fellow with good old fashioned morals. Except of course if that young fellow happened to look at his little girl like she hung every star in the sky. That was reason enough to have his old heart smiling for the rest of its beating days.
Because she’d found someone who would love her as much as he once loved his wife.
“Hold on to this one baby girl. He’s one of the good one’s”
“I know,” Iris said, her twinkling gaze glued onto Barry’s just before he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers.
Her eye’s drifted briefly to the jewellery box on her vanity table and almost as if she had x-ray vision, in her mind’s eye, she looked past the white jewelled exterior and could picture the ring where she’d left it. Hidden from herself at the very bottom. Almost as if she we’re trying to bury the memories and emotions that came with it.
The whiskey burns its way down her throat and warms her up from the inside out. It’s the only thing she currently feels as she waits for the tiny buzz of her watch.
Beep – beep.
There it is.
With one last look at the city she downs the rest of her dry drink and turns around to make her exit, grabbing the diaper bag and travel seat that rested on the couch. Her “busy mama” act has her power walking to the nearest stairway exit where she uses her access card to disappear from the cameras view. The stairs offer her all the privacy she needs to slip out of her baggy sweater and jeans to reveal the black leather, skin tight suit she has on underneath. Her weapons are still carefully attached to the sides of her legs.
Iris pulls on her gloves and ankle length trench coat then whips off her wig and reaches down for a gun as she gazes at her watch. A door on the wall to her left opens up to a storage closet that she uses to hide away her baby seat and diaper bag then up the stairs she goes, screwing on her silencer as she takes the stairs two at a time. All the while she takes deep breaths and pushes down the last of her humanity, the last of her thoughts of her baby girl.
Her focus shifted from the Pandora’s box on the table to Nora’s sleeping figure. Cecile, who was seated on the edge of the bed beside Nora, looked at Iris and smiled sadly. Iris’s heart went out to her, she was the only one who could get her father to feel anything other than hatred at the world since her mother’s passing and yet she couldn’t get him to be the old Joe, the Joe she deserved.
“How long has she been asleep?” Iris whispered, kneeling down beside her bed and stroking her daughter’s hair gently. All at once the action soothed her every insecurity and it felt like discovering how to breathe a new. She leaned in and planted a tender kiss to the child’s warm forehead and breathed her in.
She smelled like home.
“Not long. Go ahead, take her, I’ll help you out with her chair.” Cecile whispered back, smiling sympathetically. Iris thanked her with a smile of her own and shifted so as to slowly lift her daughter up. She was careful not to make any violent or miscalculated movements, almost like she were handling a rare doll made of glass.
But the caution was needed.
Nora curled into her mother’s arm burying her face in Iris’s chest and no words could describe the paradoxical feeling of fear and security that came with having her baby in her arms. With one arm under her daughter’s knees and the other supporting her back, Iris walked down the stairs and out the door towards her car, her father paid her no mind as she left and she did her best to ignore the sting his lack of attention injected into her.
“Thanks Cecile.” She said once Nora was safely strapped in and her chair tucked away in the trunk.
“Not a problem, and don’t worry about your dad. He’ll come around.” She said.
“Not if he keeps hating on everyone with the last name Allen,” Iris pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone.
“That name, it’s taken a lot from him.” Cecile tried to reason with Iris and the other woman’s eyes seemed to say ‘form us’ though she dared not speak of her loss. It hurt too much to think about.
Iris wouldn’t budge. She knew better. She knew that her father didn’t know the half of what he’d lost, of the nightmares she attributed to that name. And with the way that things were going he would never know. Not from her mouth anyway. So as she steps into her car she responds:
“Not me, he pushed me away all by himself.”
The jog up the three flights of stairs help circulate the adrenaline in her system so by the time she steps out into the hallway of the 28th floor she’s fired up and ready to strike. She takes calm steps towards apartment number 81 and stands in front of it like she’s ready to knock. With a subtle movement she tucks some stray hair behind her ear, flashing her ring at the camera and a few seconds later, the red recording light dies out.
She’s got five minutes.
Her actions gain a certain fluidity as she turns back towards apartment number 83 and knocks as gently as she possibly can. A tall man with a 6 o’clock shadow and a head free of hair answers the door. His dress shirt is half undone yet still tucked into his black suit pants, under different circumstances Iris might have stopped to allow herself to take him in but her mind is elsewhere and she’s still pissed about last night. She needs to blow off some steam. His seductive smile slips from his lips when his eyes land on Iris giving away that he was expecting someone else.
In his confusion he asks:
“Who the he-”
But Iris has no time for chit chat. Before he can blink, she’s moved into the apartment, closed the door behind her, pressed her weapon against his forehead and pulled back the trigger. Pieces of cerebral tissue redecorate the space behind him and he falls to the ground, painting the white tiled floor with blood. Iris approaches without hesitation and stairs at his wide eyes with indifference.
“Your wife sends her love,” she says before firing two more shots. The hit brief she got requested that this be staged as a crime of passion. Hence the foreign gun and overkill. Some poor unfortunate side piece is about to get some major jail time while the “weeping” widow cashes out the prick’s life insurance. All’s well that ends well in the game of hearts. Iris discards the weapon on the floor and walks out with a minute to spare. She sees the numbers above the elevator light up as it brings a passenger closer to her and she smiles, assuming that it must be the unsuspecting mistress. Just before the lift reaches her floor she walks back out into the stair way and follows it down to her disguise with a reassurance that a few seconds later the cameras rebooted and set the perfect trap.
…
[Barry]
Earlier today…
It’s a weird feeling, waking up in a strange bed at a strange house and yet somehow feeling completely at home. This notion haunts him all morning as he stares up at the white ceiling and tries to make sense of it.
Maybe it’s the thought of it being her house. Or the fact that her scent lingers in every little corner of the place. Maybe that’s why it all seems so strangely comfortable. Like getting to share her little secret.
Getting to be her little secret.
Yet, as good as that all might sound Barry can’t help the sinking feeling in his stomach, the dull ache of his heart’s every thud. The gut twisting sensation that she’s hiding something from him, something life changing. He plops one hand underneath his head and sighs. It’s mid afternoon and Barry is wasting his day away in bed. He tried to do a little cardio, made some breakfast, read a page or two but every action put him down a path of what ifs.
What if Iris were there? Would he be making her breakfast? Would she be reading him a passage from the book as he poured her coffee? Would she be wearing one of his old t-shirts and chuckling when he pressed a random kiss to her cheek?
Sigh.
More questions without answers.
It’s times like these that Barry normally turns to his brother. Bart is most definitely the most rational of them both. Barry always thinks with his heart despite his superior intelligence but Bart always finds a way to act with rationality. They always joke that their personalities came with their middle names. Bartholomew “Barry” Henry Allen took after their father, flexible mind but much too large a heart. Bartholomew “Bart” Harry Allen took after their ‘uncle’ and legal guardian Harrison, kind at heart but ever the critical thinker. It’s a trait that Barry, at times, envies in his twin brother: the ability to disconnect from emotion in favour of science. Barry can’t bring himself to do it.
He always wears his heart on his sleeve.
The sound of keys turning in the lock draw Barry’s attention back from his differences with his twin and he turns his head towards the sound while listening intently.
“Can we get the purple tights and my STAR Labs sweater aunt Anissa?”
A young girl seems to ask and the innocence in her voice brings a smile onto his face.
“’Course you can baby. Since your mom forgot to pack your clothes this morning you get to pick what ever you like.”
That voice is unmistakable. It’s definitely Iris’s favourite cousin Anissa. Barry hasn’t seen her since that random run in, a year after the break up…
It had been a year since he’d last seen her. Their anniversary was drawing near and he hadn’t so much as glimpsed her across the street or bumped into her at the grocery store. It was hard but nothing compared to those first few months.
The confusion as to what could possibly have gone wrong. The multitude of questions without answers. The heart ache, so strong at times he’d wake up in the middle of the night fighting for breath. He’d sunk into a depression so deep that his uncle had him seeing both a psychologist and psychiatrist. He’d been prescribed antidepressants and moved to England because a “change in scenery” would do him good.
All it did was provide him with enough isolation to feed his loud mind. So during the brief Christmas break, when Harrison summoned him back home, Barry made a habit out of wondering aimlessly about the streets of Central City. He blamed his sleeplessness on the time zones but he knew better. A good night’s sleep hadn’t formed part of his routine in a while. Power naps and unhealthy amounts of coffee were what kept him afloat in college.
In England he’d found an escape in his academics, burying himself in pile after pile of literature. Completing assignments way ahead of the due dates and prepping tutoring material to help a few nameless faces after class. So when the holidays came around he suddenly found himself spoiled for time and with nothing else but his neglected heart ache to occupy his mind.
That’s when the endless drives around the city became routine. He’d managed to convince himself that he was simply trying to pass time but he knew – he felt – that in reality he was looking for her.
Iris.
It was on one of these drives that he ran into Anissa. With no where to go, Barry found himself at a 24hr convenience store, roaming through the aisles of all things comforting and deadly. On his way to the freezers he glimpsed a familiar profile in his peripheral and stopped mid step. Low and behold there she stood, with a tin of powdered milk in her hand and a shopping basket filled with baby supplies. The tin she held grabbed all her attention so she didn’t notice Barry approaching till he was a few steps away and asked:
“Anissa?” She startled, which was expected, but when her face turned towards him it didn’t instantly flood with recognition and a drop of sympathy. Instead her eyes widened and her face paled with fear. Without warning she dropped her basket on the floor and took off running. He chased after her, too desperate to pay the questioning looks any mind.
“Anissa wait! Please!”
But she didn’t slow. Instead she knocked down a stack of canned food in an attempt to leave the tin of milk that was still in her hand. Barry chased her outside but couldn’t catch up to her. So eventually he stopped and simply watched her make her escape. Jennifer, her younger sister, was in the car with her and she seemed to have a baby in her arms…
Barry remembers wondering who’s baby was in the car that night. Now, doing the math, he realises that it could have been Iris’s little girl. Which leaves the question: Where was Iris when her cousin was playing house with her daughter?
“Do you want to get any books while we’re here?”
“No it’s OK. I’ve read all of these already. Mom promised she’d take me book shopping on my birthday anyway. I can wait till then.”
The little girl’s voice held a note of sadness at the mention of her birthday, but a sadness brought on by hope. Almost as if she wanted to believe that the statement was true but knew otherwise.
“Does that mean you’re not coming to see aunt Jen and me? You know she’s been working real hard on your surprise.” Anissa tries to cheer the little girl up, all the while Barry listens intently from his new vantage spot behind the door.
“I like cup cakes better the next day. Aunt Jen can just put them away for me.” She answers, by the sound of it she seems distracted.
“Cupcakes? Who said anything about cupcakes?” Her aunt sounds surprised.
“Come on aunt Nissa. I practically live with you and I know you barely get enough time to bake. I also know that you only get one bag of flour to last at least five months if the expiry date permits and only get enough chocolate chips to cover one batch of pancakes or cookies when you feel up to the task. That being said, last week you bought a fresh bag of flour, a dozen more eggs when you already had in your refrigerator and enough chocolate chips to either make three batches of cookies or aunt Jen’s double chocolate cupcakes. You’re out of shortening so that can only mean you’re making cupcakes. Conclusion: aunt Jen is making me cup cakes for my birthday.”
Barry’s jaw drops and it isn’t till he sees his own shock reflected on Anissa’s side profile that he realises he’s stepped out of his hiding place. His ears couldn’t believe what they were hearing so he subconsciously walked towards the sound of her voice only to find that the person giving out such a detailed explanation is in fact a little girl.
Her back is to him as she’s sorting through some clothes in a drawer and her hair is done in two loose fish braids that disappear into the back of her wheel chair.
“Are you sure you’re five?” he blurts out, unable to suppress his own shock and startling them both. The little girl manoeuvres her chair so that she can face him and Barry feels his mouth go dry as he takes in her face.
He’s suddenly lost in her little green eyes.
#The Flash#westallen#iris west#barry allen#barry and iris#the gold standard#fan fiction#fanfic#flash fanfiction#flash fan#flash fiction#angst#danger#eventual smut#romance#hitwoman
59 notes
·
View notes
Text
Past And Present (Choose What I Write Story)
Summary: you believed that you had met your soulmate as a child but you had been wrong.
Pairing: Park Jinyoung x reader (ft Im Jaebum)
Genre: soulmate au / university au
Trope: enemies to lovers
Warnings: none
A/N: Well, he’s done it again. This time it was intentional though! For the longest moment during the voting period, it was a battle royale between the JJP boys and Jinyoung just cinched it in the last day. So I decided to add in Jaebum to help bring an obstacle to this storyline. Originally, like most of my Jinyoung stories, the plan was much simpler than this. Of course, you throw in a supercharged Park Jinyoung who hasn’t had a story written for him in over a month and a soulmate au on top and well, this is a bit of a lengthy piece than what I had hoped for!
I also was a little concerned about writing another soulmate au with Jinyoung after Destined, but this world is far different than the one in my first soulmate attempt, so hopefully it won’t feel like something you’ve read before.
Word count: 5869
You were certain you had known who your soulmate was for your entire life.
Im Jaebum had been your first friend as a child and when you touched for the first time, the gasp that left you both had your parents rejoicing.
Just like that, you had met your destined partner.
With that title between you and Jaebum established, you continued your childhood at each other’s sides and moved easily into teenage years where exploration further enhanced your connection. It was an effortless relationship, with every touch, kiss or stare, you each felt cherished, overwhelmed, connected.
And that was why when you both got into different universities as young adults, neither of you were phased about the separation.
Of course, you voiced how hard it would be living so far apart when you were used to being only five minutes away from each other. But you had prepared for the lack of physical stimulation from Jaebum, with scheduled video chats and using other technological advances to make the distance work.
On a deeper level though, you trusted your connection.
Nothing had disturbed it yet. And you had believed nothing ever could. Your life was set. After university, you would marry Jaebum, move in together, have a couple of kids and live out your predestined lives together. The guesswork had been completely taken out of your hands.
So why was your life in chaos ever since you met Park Jinyoung?
At first, you were hopeful that seeing him in all your classes would help you settle into tertiary life with a common link. Perhaps, that was your first mistake. It wasn’t as if Jinyoung was unfriendly either, he had a similar thought process as you, taking a seat next to you in all your shared classes for the first week of your semester.
And that was when it all began. You hadn’t ever experienced being irked by someone as much as you were by him. Jinyoung was just as smart as you, rivalling you in answers and provoking endless debate. You could have dealt with this if he wasn’t so egotistical in his approach whenever he beat you, his smug smile causing you to seethe instantly. You were no longer comrades taking the same papers, yet he refused to let up about sitting next to you.
Jinyoung had figured out your buttons early on, purposely winding you up at any chance he got. And when he wasn’t focused on annoying you, it gave you too much time to sit and anticipate his next move. Some days, he would leave you alone entirely, aware that he still had your full attention. It was those days where you realised that every little action he made could bother you. His breathing, the way his hand would run through his hair, his laughter, everything was capable of spiralling you into a state.
You tried to separate from him, of course. Once you established that he was a major distraction to your degree, you took active steps to avoid him. It wasn’t easy, given every day was full of hours spent in the same lecture halls, tutorial classes and library spaces, but you made a solid effort to ignore his existence as best as you could.
Yet, this bothered him greatly.
“Why aren’t we sitting in our normal row today, Y/N?” he asked as he sat down beside you, blinking all too innocently for someone who could read your emotions well. The ghost of a smirk was tugging at the corners of his lips and you rolled your eyes, reaching to pick up your supplies to move seats. Jinyoung’s hand came down on yours to stop you and you gaped at him incredulously. He merely pouted. “I’m offended.”
“I sat here to actually get some work done.”
Jinyoung nodded. “What’s holding you back from doing so?”
A thousand curse words and snappy statements flooded your mind in response; instead, you smiled forcibly at him. “Surely, you could befriend someone else.”
“I have friends,” he agreed casually, shrugging a little as if having a vast amount of friendships was normal for everyone. Jinyoung then stared at you, eyes alive with amusement. “But none of them react as well as you do to me.”
“Honestly!” you breathed and a couple of groups around you both glanced in your direction. Feeling your cheeks redden as Jinyoung positively glowed from your outburst, you slumped back down into your chair, resolute on ignoring him for the next fifty minutes.
Jinyoung was having none of that.
He bounced his leg consistently until you shot him a warning look and then he started with his little sighs, each one sounding louder in your ears than the last. You reached to pinch his arm in protest and he gaped at your assault, acting as if you had gravely injured him. He decided instead of moving away from you that he would shift even closer on his seat, pressing right into your side.
You threw your pen down in defeat. It was impossible to get anything done with him playing dirty like this.
When class ended, you spun to face him, Jinyoung now smiling triumphantly at you. “Yes, Y/N?”
“I’m done with you.”
“Are you really?”
You nodded firmly. “Why can’t you leave me alone?!”
“Now where’s the fun in that?” he asked, standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder before leaning down into your face. “It’s not my fault you’re incredibly easy to make this flustered.”
“Flustered?!” you repeated an octave higher, shaking your head. “I am not flustered!”
“Really? Then how come your cheeks are so pink, hm?” Jinyoung reached out to poke one before a soft chuckle left him. “The colour suits you.”
“Park Jinyoung, you are positively the most annoying human to ever exist!”
He grinned, stepping away from you into the aisle of the emptying lecture hall. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Over the next few weeks, you suffered at the hands of his insistent behaviour. You grew increasingly frustrated, wondering why he was being like this with you.
You regretted the day you had openly reached out to befriend him.
“And so today, he overheard me telling my friend Nora that I planned on having sushi for lunch and when I went to the cafeteria and fell in line behind him, he purposely took the last tray of sushi when he never eats it. He always has one of the sandwich packs so he can study at the same time as he eats!”
“Maybe he was feeling like sushi today?” Jaebum offered over your video chat but you shook your head immediately.
“No, he did it to spite me.”
“I’m sure you’re reading into this too much, Y/N. The guy probably doesn’t have anything to bother himself over you about. Maybe he’s just messing around with you because you are easy to rile up.”
“You too?!” you cried and Jaebum chuckled. “No, I’m not easy game! And even if I were, I’ve asked him to leave me alone, so shouldn’t he?”
“Well, what have you exactly said to him?” Jaebum became thoughtful for a moment. “You have told him you’ve met your soulmate already, right?”
“No,” you answered, wondering why it was needed to do so. You didn’t view Jinyoung in a romantic light in the slightest. Even considering it for a mere second made you shudder. “I don’t share my personal life with him.”
“Maybe he likes you.”
You smirked, readjusting your laptop. “Just because to you I’m irresistible, doesn’t mean everyone thinks the same way. Jinyoung is just annoying me because he is an asshole.”
“Don’t you remember when Jackson wouldn’t leave Glynnis alone in middle school? He annoyed her until she screamed at him in front of everyone in class.”
You thought back to the time, smiling lightly. “He blurted out he was in love with her and made her cry from embarrassment.”
“Jinyoung could be doing the same thing.”
Trying to compare your situation with the juvenile one of your past, you shook your head. “He’s an adult now Jae, surely he would know there are better ways to approach someone if he felt that way.”
“You never know. If you state it to him that I exist, he might stop.”
“Maybe,” you replied, still in thought. And then you glanced back at the video representation of your boyfriend and pouted. “Doesn’t any of this bother you?”
“No, why should it? You’re capable of solving this issue yourself and I’m not threatened if he does like you. I know you only have eyes for me.”
You grinned, nodding happily. “Of course, you’re my forever.”
Deciding to put Jaebum’s advice into action, you attempted to throw it out that you were in a relationship with your soulmate more than once but it never quite eventuated. Either Jinyoung would steer the conversation away or you would be disrupted by something around you. At night, you would consider new options on how to tell him, chiding yourself for holding back from doing so when you could have just pushed forth. Once he knew you were in a relationship, hopefully, he would step back and give you some space.
It was three weeks later when you both had hired a study room to escape the noise of the main library floor to get some actual work done that you finally announced it. You were both silent for most of the first hour, and for once, Jinyoung was more involved in preparing for your upcoming exams instead of harassing you. It was a perfect opportunity and yet you stalled for twenty minutes, trying to word it right within your head.
Jinyoung sighed heavily. “What is it?”
“Do you believe in soulmates?” you wondered and he didn’t look up from his laptop, his tapping on the keys persistent.
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“Have you met yours?” you continued and finally his hands slowed down, now hovering over the keys without any direction to keep moving. Jinyoung blinked slowly and you leaned over the table unconsciously. “Whether through dreams or in person?”
Whilst you hadn’t dreamt of Jaebum, you had always believed you never needed to since you met him at an early age. Most other people dreamed of who they were destined to before they met them and suddenly you were curious if Jinyoung had or not. Maybe you could help him find his soulmate so he could leave you alone.
When he looked up at you, his eyes were darker, swirling with several emotions. You were taken aback, jumping and hitting into the back of your seat in the process. “What if I have?”
“You have?!” you asked, eyes widening. “Really?!”
“Does it matter if I have or not?” He went back to typing, albeit at a slower rate.
“Well, not to me it doesn’t I guess.” You weren’t sure why his vague answer troubled you so much. You almost didn’t say the next part in your thought process, and when you did, it came out weaker than you intended. “I have.”
Jinyoung tilted his head but didn’t otherwise respond. It irked you. “Did you hear me?”
“You have what?”
“I know who my soulmate is,” you told him and Jinyoung glanced back up you, his eyes now hesitant. You searched his vulnerable expression for a moment, blinking rapidly when you felt your heart thumping in your chest harder. “I uh, I’ve known my soulmate since I was a child. We don’t go to school together but we’re very much a couple.”
No response.
You watched Jinyoung until your cheeks were burning with embarrassment, wondering why you had even listened to Jaebum in the first place. Jinyoung hadn’t reacted how you expected him to and you felt increasingly uncomfortable.
Just when you thought he was going to ignore you entirely, his head snapped up, a smile that you had never seen before now greeting you. You didn’t have enough time to examine it as his next words distracted you. “I didn’t know we were that close to share personal details like that, Y/N.”
“Oh, well uh-”
Jinyoung scraped back his chair, still smiling yet the force of shutting his laptop conflicted the cheerful gesture exhibiting on his lips. “I’m done studying today, you can have the rest of the time to yourself.”
You watched him leave and it hit you then, the fakeness of his response. His eyes had said otherwise.
He very much so cared.
Jinyoung was bitter from your announcement. And instead of giving you immediate relief, his reaction only troubled you further.
Why did you feel like you had broken him?
You snapped up with a jolt, breathing heavily as you attempted to shake away the dream. You had found yourself standing outside the same unfamiliar home you always dreamed of, seeing the back profile of a man who you had never been able to distinguish. Desperation overwhelmed you still; just as much as you wished to reach out for him in your dreams, now back within reality, you craved to know who this man was. For some time, you had been convinced it was Jaebum with how much you felt a need to be around the mysterious person. You did eventually realise his figure was different than your boyfriend’s and it puzzled you that you wouldn’t ever dream of anything but this one person.
Everyone believed dreams were the gateway to your past life’s connection to your soulmate, so it always bothered you when Jaebum wouldn’t turn around and face you within this alternate reality.
Reaching out for your bottle of water on your nightstand, you unscrewed the lid and gulped down a couple of mouthfuls, your eyes still searching the darkness surrounding you for clues. You knew the dream world wouldn’t be waiting behind your eyelids again, no matter how much you would try to force yourself back to that house, to that view; it was never in your control.
You were comfortable with knowing your destiny wasn’t fully within your hands, but you also required clarity in your life. Whenever the path looked unclear, you would dream of this other lifetime, never finding out anything further than what was shown to you.
And ever since you had told Jinyoung about Jaebum, the dream had reoccurred every night for the past twelve days.
Which was the same amount of time that Jinyoung had disappeared from your world.
You had rejoiced initially. The one thing you had always hoped for was just this, freedom from his teasing, space from his close proximity and yet you didn’t appreciate this feeling at all. Your eyes sought him out across the room longingly some days, watching his back view often. It felt too familiar to you, something you had seen so often within another world.
Tonight you were slowly starting to entertain something conflicting.
Why would it be Jinyoung in your dreams? He had no place in there and you laughed incredulously, as if the sound could dislodge your disillusioned thought process. What would your past self have to do with Jinyoung? Jaebum was your soulmate. You had the feelings, the connection, everything you were meant to. With Jinyoung, you had merely frustration. You had touched him before and there had been no sudden revelation of feelings to overwhelm you with.
Before you placed too much weight in it, you picked up your phone, letting it ring until a sleep-filled voice mumbled in answer. “Hello?”
“You dream of me, right?” you pleaded, chewing on your lip in anxious anticipation.
“Y/N it’s four in the morning, why are you calling me about dreams?”
“Just answer it. I’m in your dreams right?”
Jaebum paused, evidently wiping the sleep away from his face with the sigh that sounded into the receiver. He didn’t answer right away, and you blinked back your emotions. Why was it so hard to respond? If you weren’t dreaming of Jaebum, you would feel at ease knowing he dreamt of you instead. His silence was confirming suspicions that had been growing underneath your relationship for some time.
“You don’t?” you whispered and Jaebum groaned.
“Y/N, why are you getting hung up on dreams?” he wondered but even Jaebum knew that dreams meant something to one’s soul. The lifeline of your past had brought you to this point.
You existed and so did your past. It was an intertwining bond of past and present that shaped your destiny. Being ‘hung up’ over dreams was kind of expected.
“You really don’t?”
Jaebum sighed again. “I’ve never dreamt. Not once.”
The very next day, you walked across the lecture hall to where Jinyoung sat, his gaze widening when it connected with yours before he looked away to his textbook. When you didn’t move on, he let out a heavy breath, glancing back at you. “Can I help you with anything?”
Was he always this cold towards you? It made you blink rapidly whilst your chest panged with heartache, as if he had just attacked you physically. Breathing felt difficult and you placed your hands down on the top of the desk for support and to hopefully break free from the pain.
“I dream of you.”
Such a simple sentence to blurt out but the reaction from Jinyoung was instant. He looked as if all the air had been sucked out of him, his dark eyes unblinking as they bored back at you. At first, you saw fear. The hope that swirled within his panic. The multitude of emotions reached out for you one after the other, overwhelming you until you could no longer take it and you turned away, departing the class before it began.
For the rest of the day, you avoided the world. You hid in your dorm room, trying to decipher all that had happened in that moment. You connected it to the conversation you held with Jinyoung in the study room that day, linking the reactions as one and the same. You had been right; it bothered him greatly when you mentioned having a soulmate already. Your proclamation this morning only convinced you further that Jinyoung’s attention on you had more reason than that of a fellow student.
Did he dream of you as well? Of that quaint house you had never entered? Was it a home he had once lived in? You were riddled with questions, yet you ignored every message you received on your phone as well. You knew it was him. The incessant buzzing reminded you of his constant appearance at your side this year and eventually, you silenced your phone, throwing it down on your nightstand and yanked your covers over your head.
At some point, you fell asleep.
The house stood before you yet again, though this time, you saw him. Not within the house, no, you were there instead. Why had the angle changed? It was you who had the home, the fence behind you keeping Jinyoung out. He seemed so far away yet you could make out that gaze all too well. He was hurting and you couldn’t fathom why.
And then you heard someone calling for you, or at least, it felt as if it were a name you once went by. You turned to see Jaebum standing before you, pulling you within the home and shutting Jinyoung out behind the door.
When you sat up from this dream, you were breathing heavily, the tears streaming from your eyes effortlessly. You should have rejoiced, you had finally dreamed of Jaebum. Yet you felt a loss like no other. Even when your grandmother had passed away when you were a teenager, it hadn’t hurt this bad. You wanted to close your eyes again, to go back to the door and open it. You needed to see Jinyoung again. The gaze he held before Jaebum pulled you inside was haunting you now that you were awake. His pain felt like your own.
Somehow, you noticed the sudden glow in your room despite your eyes seeing a different world still. Blinking, you turned to pick up your phone, unlocking the device and reading the latest message from Jinyoung with a tremble.
I dream of you too.
Sitting across from Jinyoung the next day felt awkward. You gripped onto the burning hot mug within your hands and yet it was all you could think to do.
That and reach out for him. Strangely, all you had wanted since meeting up with him at the campus coffee house was just that. Part of it was juvenile. You wanted to see if you felt something this time touching him. But more so, you craved a comfort from him that you never expected to desire.
So you held the mug tightly, ignoring the warnings your fingers were sending to your brain about the heat and stared back at the dark haired man before you.
Silence had sat between you both for a good ten minutes before Jinyoung finally spoke up. “Since when?”
“When what?”
“Are you sure it’s me?”
You stared at him then, properly this time. There was no humour, not a playful smile in sight. Instead, he was scared. You knew you were as well, but noticing the emotion in his eyes made you wish to remove it. And that only frightened you further.
Blinking away your thoughts, you mumbled, “For as long as I can remember. And it’s you, I saw your front view for the first time last night.”
That dream continued to repeat over and over until the morning finally arrived, your mind and soul fatigued from such a constant workout. You noted the lack of quality of sleep within Jinyoung’s gaze too and it made you curious.
“When did you start dreaming of me?”
He shared a wistful smile. “When I was eight.”
“You remember a distinct age?”
“Well, of course,” he replied with a grin, easing you somewhat. “When I told my Mum I dreamed of some weird woman, she freaked out and made me tell her every detail. Then she explained to me what the dream meant.”
“What did she say?” you wondered, leaning forward, encouraging him to share more. Jinyoung’s ears flamed pink and you smirked. “What?!”
“She told me one day I would meet you and to record every dream I’ve had because you were my past and eventually would be my present and future.”
You slumped back in your chair immediately, cursing yourself for being eager. You willed your heart to slow down.
Finally, you found the courage to talk. “I have a soulmate, though.”
“Doesn’t everyone,” Jinyoung murmured, taking a sip of his coffee. He sighed softly. “My soulmate is in love with another man. History is repeating, huh?”
You glanced up then, eyebrows knitted together. “What?”
“Have you dreamed of much?” Jinyoung asked, posing himself within the chair, exuding confidence that only confirmed what you had assumed on your way here. Jinyoung had dreamt of you a great deal. And whilst you had as well of him, it had always been the same angle. What had he seen that you hadn’t? You stared at him for a moment, jealous that his connection with his dreams seemed stronger.
He smirked. “Unlike you, I’ve had years to wait for this opportunity. You weren’t even looking for me, so why would you dream in-depth?”
“How do you know what I have and haven’t dreamt of?”
“You face gave you away,” he admitted with a chuckle and you pouted at his teasing. It was nice though, to see him like that again and your childish reactions to it.
It didn’t last long, Jinyoung’s expression faltered, much like his mood. He still couldn’t slip back to before.
Back to when he thought you were his this time around.
You groaned with how confusing this all was. “What am I like in your dreams?”
“Someone who I missed the opportunity with in another life. We didn’t cross paths until it was too late. I chose to let you remain with the man you had married.”
Wait… married? Your mouth fell ajar as you tried to keep up to speed.
“My mother urged me to not let you slip away this time. If soulmates miss their opportunity in one lifetime, it can lead to complications in another. If they miss twice, they may never meet again in the future. At least, that’s what is written whenever I researched it.”
Of course, Park Jinyoung and sought out the knowledge of the phenomena unlike you.
Not that you had believed you had a reason to.
And what made you think you did now? Because you dreamed of him? Just because that happened didn’t mean your life had to change. You had been happy with Jaebum. You had always believed it was him. He was familiar, like a home.
You thought back to how he pulled you within the house in your dreams and you grabbed at your throbbing head. “It’s too much.”
“Is it?”
You glanced up then, the vulnerable way Jinyoung was staring at you catching your breath in your chest. He blinked back his own emotions, trying to smile. “Too much is dreaming of never being the chosen one. Too much is hearing from your own mouth that you’d known your soulmate since a child. I don’t know, Y/N. Was I truly destined to suffer so much over and over?”
Your world blurred then as the tears welled within your eyes. Had he really suffered that much? Since figuring it all out, the last two days had been a whirlwind of emotions you had never anticipated to experience.
Especially not with him.
For the first time, you doubted who Jaebum was to you. You even doubted who you were.
You didn’t want anyone to suffer. And yet, it seemed inevitable.
Exams were done with, and semester break had arrived. Heading home signalled a crossroads within your life. You would leave Jinyoung back in your schooling world and immerse yourself in the one you had once felt confident within.
You were nervous to see Jaebum, however.
Things had been somewhat strained since your phone call that night, with you now knowing that your soul had two men within its past journey and neither was a right or wrong. Jaebum hadn’t pressed the matter either, which upset you more than you had let on to him. You had hoped he could break you out of the funk you were in over Jinyoung. That he could say something to make you forget about all the dreams, the newfound feelings, the continued battle within you to spend more time with someone who wasn’t your boyfriend. At one point, you had considered Jinyoung an enemy! Now you considered too many things about him.
The solace you craved from being home again was short-lived. You met with friends, you laughed with family and you reminisced of the old times.
With Jaebum especially.
Sitting across from him in your family home felt strange now. At first, you had bounded up to his arrival at the door, smiling when you saw him and wrapped your arms around him as he hugged you back. You had hoped that hug would remove any niggling insecurities. It hadn’t, if anything, his embrace felt different. Not cold, because you could never imagine Jaebum to be that way with you. Yet there was no warmth like there once was.
The barrier between you was evident.
After catching up on school stuff, your conversation fell short, neither of you immediately addressing the elephant within the room until the silence became unbearable. Why was it hard to connect with him now?
“Are you still dreaming?” he finally asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Mm.”
“Have you seen who the man is in person at all?” Glancing up, you were surprised that Jaebum had asked the question at all. He was watching you intently, a sad smile crossing his lips. “You have, huh.”
One time, you had told Jaebum about your dream. Hoping that he had seen it himself and could shed light on what it meant. Now and then he would ask you about it, and in the past, you had assured him that you were none the wiser.
Had Jaebum known you weren’t his soulmate all this time?
“Is it him?”
“Who?”
“The guy who bothered you, is it him?” Jaebum continued and you nodded once, only listening to the sigh that left him as you were too ashamed to look up now. Even though you hadn’t done a thing, you felt as if you had cheated with Jinyoung. It was a precarious feeling, and you didn’t know what to do with yourself.
Jaebum didn’t respond for a while. You couldn’t speak of your thoughts either. Nothing made sense, and clarity remained out of reach.
And then he stood up. He smiled down at you, chuckled even. “I always wondered why I didn’t dream of you. Now I know why.”
“I wish it was you.”
“No, you should wish for your real soulmate.”
You shrugged. “I’m kind of over the whole concept, to be honest.”
“And we thought our teenage years were hard, huh?” he mentioned with a grin and you rolled your eyes, a small smile tugging at the corners of your mouth all the same momentarily.
“What do we do, Jaebum?”
He reached out to rub the top of your arms, still smiling down at you. “Are you sure of him?”
“How can I be sure of anything? I’m with you.”
“Maybe you need to step back from me and find out who he is. I’ll always be in your life, perhaps just not as how we originally thought. Who knows, maybe I’ll start dreaming now too.”
And just like that, your first love had given you the sacrifice you would need to figure everything out.
When you returned to your dorm after your break, a package was waiting for you. Once settled in from your journey, you reached to open it, finding a plain notebook inside. There was no note from the sender, and you frowned before placing it down on your desk and taking a shower. When you returned, the puzzle of the book grappled at you until you flipped to the first page.
The handwriting was legible but definitely youthful. What it lacked in style was made up in the content. It felt as if you were reading some fantastical storyline about soulmates for the next several pages. You felt the years go by as the writing style changed, the neatness improving, and losing that story-telling charm. Some pages only had a few words on them. Others were longer, more time spent on the feelings experienced rather than the actual happenings.
By the time you reached the last entry in the journal, you felt as if you had ridden a rollercoaster and as you climbed off, you found you knew more about yourself through the eyes of someone else than you had ever expected to.
It made you leap up from your chair, hurriedly place on some extra clothing, and then head out into the brisk evening. You had an idea of where Jinyoung lived, but not the exact address and yet this didn’t deter you from making your way over there at all. After bumping into a fellow classmate, you found out the information you needed and went into a building, taking a few deep breaths outside of the door before you knocked on it.
When it opened, Jinyoung stared at you quietly, not inviting you in, nor greeting you at all. It made your cheeks flush with embarrassment, unsure now as to why you were standing here. The item you held tightly to your chest reminded you of your rushed emotions and you held it out towards him feebly. “I read your journal.”
Jinyoung still didn’t respond, eyes hard, searching yours for something.
You smiled weakly and rocked on your heels, thrusting it out towards him further. “Thank you for letting me read it.”
“Really? That’s all?” he wondered and you blinked, frowning slightly. “You’re thanking me for showing you the most personal thing in my life?”
“Well, I … I mean… can I come in?”
You glanced both ways down the hallway, feeling exposed. Jinyoung was still for a moment and then scoffed. “Do you really want to?”
You knew the added implication despite his response. That was his way of protecting his feelings, it always had been. Despite this, he was searching your eyes for a sign that he could let some of them show. Hope infiltrated his stare once more. You smiled and that was enough for him to grab a hold of you, pulling you inside his room.
And once the door was shut, he pressed you against it.
The swiftness of this new position winded you, though breathing became all too difficult to comprehend once Jinyoung’s lips met yours. They merely pressed into yours, connecting yet unmoving. Even with just the weight of his mouth on yours, a fire burned within you, unlike anything you had felt before. Every inch of your body felt as if it was alive, the colours around you both now vivid, blinding. His kiss began to build languidly, and within that moment, your eyes fluttered shut, still feeling, seeing and hearing too much. Stars rained down behind your eyes, and the hairs stood up upon your skin. You could hear his equally staggered breath, the hot air blowing out from his nose onto your cheek. The thumping of your own heart rivalled by his own and when you finally pulled away to catch your breath, your hands were now threaded through the ends of his silky hair, anchored there.
Jinyoung slowly smiled. “I can actually do this with you, right?”
“I wouldn’t have come to you if I couldn’t do this with a clear conscience.”
Somehow, his smile grew. And then you were tasting him again.
You didn’t rush. But as the weeks went by, you realised that the past that you had once lived, both in this lifetime and beyond that was definitely not your future.
It eased you when Jaebum messaged you telling you he had dreamed of someone as well. It was as if this whole puzzle had pieces that needed to be put in place before the next one could be discovered and placed down as well.
And there was still a whole lot of pieces to go. After all, you had so much to discover about Jinyoung. You hadn’t grown up with him, and over the months of getting to know him so far, well, you had kind of disliked him.
Perhaps your dislike towards him was because you couldn’t figure out why he bothered you so much. And even though you now had a reason behind his place in your life, he still was the same guy you had sworn was sent to drive you insane. Which Jinyoung had innate skill at doing, whether it was by getting your attention during class, or taking your breath away in endless kisses, he was always there right at your side.
And you knew in this lifetime, he always would be.
_________________
All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft
[GOT7 Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]
#got7creators#kwritersworldnet#park jinyoung#jinyoung#got7#got7 imagines#got7 scenarios#got7 fiction#got7 fanfic#got7 au#soulmate au#got7 soulmate au#got7 romance#got7 angst#park jinyoung imagines#park jinyoung scenarios#park jinyoung fiction#park jinyoung fanfic#park jinyoung angst#park jinyoung romance#park jinyoung soulmate au#pwyl; choose what i write#prettywordsyouleft writes#jinyoung imagines#jinyoung scenarios#jinyoung fiction#jinyoung fanfic#jinyoung romance#jinyoung angst#kpop imagines
476 notes
·
View notes
Text
RNM 2x10 - American Woman
EPISODE SUMMARY:
SECRETS OF THE PAST — After uncovering a cryptic message from the past, Alex (Tyler Blackburn), Isobel (Lily Cowles), Max (Nathan Dean), Michael (Michael Vlamis) and Maria (Heather Hemmens) set out in search of answers at the reservation where Alex’s mother grew up. Meanwhile, Cameron (guest star Riley Voelkel) encourages Liz (Jeanine Mason) to reach out to someone from her past after Auturo (guest star Carlos Compean) gets detained. Marcus Stokes directed the episode written by Rick Montano & Vincent Ingaro & Jason Gavin (#210). Original airdate 5/18/2020.
DETAILS:
Tripp brings Louise to the Reservation in a body bag where the Navajo doctors are able to save her life.
"Your message said that you were gonna bring two women that would be no trouble. This looks like a lot of trouble."
"I must have gotten the codes wrong."
"No, don't give me that Manes man nonsense. Not here in my own home."
"Her name is Louise. I promised her friend Nora I'd protect them. My brother triggered an ambush before I could get them here. And Nora…"
"Wait, what does the Air Force want them for?"
"They're not from around here. They're from...up north."
"Yìiyáh. No. She can't stay here… What if your brother comes here and finds a fugitive. I can't put my people at risk for a white woman."
"Please. You're the only person I trust. If she doesn't make it, it was all for nothing."
"I'll have you remember that I was the one that saved your ass in Okinawa. I don't owe you anything. I'm only doing this because you're my family. And because I'm a damn fool."
A few notes on this scene:
--I don't know why Tripp pretends he got the codes wrong. Unless he's spiraling and talking about the timing of the attack. But it seems like he means the message that he was bringing them to the reservation. Clearly things didn't go according to plan. Though, it is always possible that we're still missing bits of the story.
--OG Easter Egg. "They're not from around here. They're from up north." For anyone who didn't watch OG, this is almost exactly how the exchange went when Max told Liz he was an alien in the 1999 pilot.
--Yìiyáh - I found nothing on this word. I'm assuming that it's a curse word or general exclamation of negativity, but literally got zero results on google. It's possible, of course, that it's misspelled in the captions. There were a lot of errors in the captions in this opening scene.
--While there really isn't any overt statement that Alex is half Navajo and this town is part of Navajo Nation (which has been in the news a lot lately and therefore is a good place in this country to be aware of), there's lots of clues or subtle enough statements that I feel like it can be accepted as fact, since: Harrison is a codetalker, the necklace is Navajo, tsela is a Navajo word. So I did a little peeking and it could work. The closest Navajo town is about a 4 hour drive from Roswell.
Navajo Nation:
(side note - Navajo Nation has extreme poverty but also is utterly gorgeous. And the Tribe gets income from tourism. Just a few places there that I'm dying to go? Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, Shiprock. Check it out.)
Liz comments on Max's irregular heartbeat, with literally no acknowledgment of the fact that she's straddling him and has a history of causing his heart to race...and other forms of lack of control (think 1x03).
"I'm excited about this though. You know Alex dug up all that info on our bio Mom. You sure you can't come?"
"Got to take my dad in for his blood tests. I want to check on Jenna too. Cannot believe she's back in the hospital again."
"She's been in pain for weeks. I have no leads on the mysterious hunting van, and Charlie hasn't made contact."
"Hmm. To be fair, I do hear that phone service is a little spotty in flying saucers."
"Okay, I get that. You think my alien abduction theory is bogus."
"I know you're worried that this has something to do with you, but I don't think this is an alien thing."
"Cam and I had fractal burns on our necks. We had no memory of what happened. That's alien stuff. I just want clarity on something."
--Note that it's past time to abandon all hope of anything resembling a defined timeline for this show...once again we have weeks passing between episodes. This is the second time this season that the time passing has only been generically described as "weeks". It's been at least a year since Liz came back to Roswell (per her conversation with Diego), but a year would be summer (late May or early June, specifically), and in this episode Isobel mentions that it's winter (which would be a year and a half).
Maria's pitch:
"In conclusion, esteemed members of the Roswell Tourism Board, while the Pony is normally a sanctuary for locals during CrashCon, I think that my plan to turn it into the Contact Cantina Pop-Up Bar will be a hit with alien fans."
"We're talking more money than we first speculated, aren't we now?"
"You know, Mayor Bernhardt, I forgot to tell you about our new morning cocktail… It's coffee, vanilla cream, and our best bourbon. Let me get you a double."
Note: so this is the famous Mayor Bernhardt. Funded by the Long family. Doesn't like immigrants. Had a racist relative who wouldn't give first prize to the black man.
Maria's vision…
Herself, younger, sitting at the Pony bar.
"You have to let me go! You're just crazy! And I'm trapped!"
And then she runs from the bar crying.
She's not wearing the necklace.
Describing it to Michael:
"I had a vision, but it was more like a memory. Of a fight I had with my mom when I was younger."
Isobel interrupts Michael and Maria to pick them up for the road trip. Just a few relevant excepts from this scene:
"Pack your bags. We're going on a family road trip."
"Is this why Max wanted the day off?"
"In the photo of Max and Isobel's bio Mom, there was a water tower. Alex recognized that water tower from the town where his mom grew up. You should come with us."
Alex and Forrest talk in the Crashdown:
"Hope that limp isn't from a paintball injury."
"Nope. Those bruises have mostly healed. I just got a new prosthetic. Takes a minute to get used to. You working on your book?"
"I write my book on my computer. However, I write my angsty emo poetry in an angsty emo journal."
"I'm actually working on some poetry myself. Well, song lyrics, technically. It's a lot harder than it was in high school."
"Yeah, writing was easier for me when I was a kid too. Feelings...we bury 'em now. You just got to find that thing inside of you that doesn't have a voice. Lend it yours. You know? Listen, I have like, zero musical talent, but if you need help with the worst part, we could, uh…"
"Actually I'm leaving tomorrow for a few days to go talk to some recruits."
Michael interruptus, and the conversation goes casual.
--What happened to "angsty nerd isn't really my type." Or...was it FORESHADOWING!!!?! 😂
--Oh hi there clear shot of Forrest's clearly Deep Sky logoed ring…
Cam has been having debilitating migraines that have been keeping her bedridden since the abduction.
Nurse Kate is a badass. she tries to keep ICE from getting into a patient's room. Liz hears her and hurries to the waiting room, where there's more ICE activity. Liz panics and tries to get Arturo out of the hospital, but she caught the attention of the ICE officers. However, Liz knows her rights.
"He has applied for his green card. I'm his sponsor, okay? This is his G-1145 right here."
"You can show that to the court."
"It's okay. Call the lawyer."
"No. He is a diabetic. It is illegal to detain a patient."
"Exigent circumstances. Move."
"No. Hey, this is an unconstitutional arrest and the ACLU will be all over you."
"Elizabeth, we respect the law in this family. If you're in trouble, who will take care of the mouse?"
--G-1145 is a request for confirmation that your green card application has been accepted:
--The timing of this all. Liz has been prepared for this moment all her life and would fight it to the point of getting arrested herself, if not for Rosa. Rosa's safety is the only thing that convinces Liz to step aside.
--As an only semi related note, this is a really interesting contrast to how they wrote Jeanine's character out on Grey's Anatomy.
--Also feel like it would be remiss of me to not point out Liz's reactiveness and fightinf mentality is mirroring how Liz initially reacted to Max pulling her over in the pilot.
"Okay. So the Deputy on call says there's one detention center in the county. Here's the info."
"He doesn't have anything left in Mexico. No one. Nowhere to go."
"You can't think like that right now."
"I think like this always. Rosa and I used to recite our escape plan for if our parents got deported and we got separated in foster care. I begged my parents not to tell Santa where we lived because I was afraid he'd ask for papers. My whole life was built on a fear of this day coming, and it's here. If I'd have kept better track of his health, he wouldn't need these tests. I should have made him move to California. I thought we were safe being outside the hundred-mile zone, but after this election I should have known better. And I should have made him wear a sweater this morning because it's freezing out there. And what if he…?"
"...okay think. Is there someone we can call?"
"Kyle's at a conference, but I can have him call his mom."
"Do you know anyone with some real power? You know, Federal muscle?"
Cam gets dressed to take Liz to the Detention Center and Liz calls Diego for help.
The road trip group arrive at the reservation and meet Gregory Manes. He says he remembers them all from high school. He takes Max, Michael, and Isobel to learn about Louise while Alex and Maria go jewelry shopping.
Meanwhile Gregory is taking the Pod Squad to Louise's grave, but pauses for some flirting:
"You're still the Isobel Evans who convinced the basketball captain to pull four different fire alarms to get out of AP Gov, right? Yeah, legend. Here she is."
"Oh my God, it's covered in flowers. It's winter."
"Rumor is they grow year-round unattended. She was a healer. I'm told she helped with trauma, addiction, that sort of thing. All without speaking."
"This another grave?"
"She was pregnant."
"Louise arrived gravely injured. And the baby didn't survive.
--Louise died the same day the Pod Squad came out of the pods, confirming that she is probably the old woman on the reservation that was described in 1x09.
--Michael found the mysterious purple flowers growing on Louise's grave.
Alex and Maria at the trading post.
"Are you okay? Seem a little off."
"I had a vision during a meeting this morning. It almost cost me a deal that could save the bar. Maybe I should just wear the necklace. Go back to being a social media guru. Slash barkeep. Slash magical trope in our redneck mayor's fantasy."
"So why did you really come today? Your ideal day off isn't fighting for the radio silence with Isobel Evans, so…"
"This is the back of my necklace. The word stamped in the silver says Tsela. The necklace is Navajo, so I thought maybe that was the jeweler, but no one I've asked here seems to know who made it. I just want answers."
"Well, there's a ton of silver jewelry for sale here. So why don't we just keep looking for something with the same stamp?"
Pod Squad sharing a bottle of acetone by Louise's grave.
"Noah said our planet was war-torn. But the hell they found here can't have been worth it."
"Do you think that Louise's baby died from her injuries or do you think maybe it was never going to survive?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I was pregnant. When you died. Obviously I'm not anymore. I just can't help wondering if that was my last chance. Assuming that humans and aliens can't procreate because they're different species. Maybe that little baby wasn't viable."
"You almost died during the abortion, didn't you? I could feel it. Noah almost killed you again, huh? Oh, I need a minute."
After Max leaves Michael offers to be a sperm donor for Isobel if she ever wants to have a kid.
Liz at the Detainment Center
"It's Ortecho. Arturo Ortecho. He's my dad. And he needs gliclazide and beta-blockers. I brought both."
"We can't take contraband here, but there is an infirmary on-site, if he's here."
"You know, out of curiosity, did Nebane Abienwi visit an infirmary before he died of a brain bleed in your custody? What about Johana Medina León? She was 25 years old, okay? People walk through those doors and they die...Who's your supervisor? You need prior approval before conducting enforcement in a hospital. There was a compliance memo."
"Right, a memo, which is just like a law only not. Unless you calm down, I'm gonna arrest you for obstruction."
"Okay, Liz, maybe sit down. Sir, I'm Deputy Jenna Cameron, and we appreciate your interpretation of your guidelines, but we have an urgent health concern about an inmate here, if you just wouldn't mind checking the system."
Jenna goes with the agent…when she returns...
"Do you have a court case next week for a vandalism charge?"
"What? Yes, but I didn't do it. I'm just gonna plead guilty and pay the fine. It's nothing."
"They denied your dad's green card application because of a misdemeanor on your record. You can't be his sponsor."
Jenna's headaches overtake her. Meanwhile, the ICE agent comes back with news:
"Here just came up. Ortecho is being transferred to El Paso for his deportation hearing. You can see him there around Tuesday."
--Liz's misdemeanor is taking the fall for Rosa's vandalism from when she was arrested by Sheriff Valenti in 2x02.
Gregory takes the Pod Squad to see Harrison who is on his death bed. Manes boys are always welcome here, the woman tells them. Harrison is the only one Louise ever spoke to on the reservation.
"He met my great uncle Tripp Manes fighting in WWII. Harry was a code talker."
Michael gets Gregory to leave with him so that Max and Isobel can go inside of Harrison's head. Their conversation:
"You look like her."
"Harrison. You look different."
"That was a lesson I learned from Louise. How to take your mind to a better time when you're in pain. Come on. I haven't seen the sky in a while. I'll tell you about her...I taught Tripp the codes in the Pacific. That's how we set up the rescue. He was supposed to snuggle Louise and Nora here, but the plan fell apart."
In the past between Harrison and Tripp:
"You've changed. The man I met on that ship obeyed orders."
"Guess I saw what happens when good men fall in line with bad orders. I'm a Christian, Harry. When evil itself tells me to kill a woman with child, I disobey. Even if the evil looks just like my brother."
A nurse rolls Louise into the room in a wheelchair.
"Did you find a family for her?"
"There should be music where you take her. I think she's a dancer."
"You can give her a house full of music, Louise. Nora wanted me to protect you so that you could protect the child."
"No. He's coming for me and I can't even move. No. When the devil comes, I won't be able to fight for her. Please. It is hard to be a woman on your planet. It's only gonna be harder still for her. Roy Bronson believed in meeting hatred with compassion. And I want her to be like him. A light in the darkness. A little star on the ground. I want that for both my girls."
"Where did he take the baby?"
"Can't say."
"No. Tell us where our sister went."
"She isn't your sister. Louise rarely spoke, but when she did, she spoke of two daughters. Two stars on the ground. She had no sons. You aren't hers. You came from something else...She lived for decades longer than she should have, trapped inside of a body that could no longer dance, waiting for a sign that you would be all right. She loved you."
Jenna wakes up back at the hospital.
"I asked them to run a new test. Your headaches are spinal headaches. Because there was a hole torn into your spinal cord."
"I'm sorry, what? My kidnappers gave me a spinal tap?"
"Do you mind signing off so I can look at your tox screen?"
"Yeah, of course, but, Liz, you don't have to do this, okay? Your dad, and…"
"I need a distraction. I can't leave for El Paso until tomorrow, and they're not letting him have visitors other than his lawyer until Tuesday, so...thank you for being here. You used your privilege to help me. I'm furious that I needed it, but I needed it."
--Reposado is a type of tequila
--Spinal Headaches:
Isobel and Max on what they learned from Harrison:
"You've always been different than me and Michael, okay? Always. You were the leader. From the start. I mean, you're the special one. You're the healer."
"I was. Now I can't even sneeze without my heart skipping a beat. All my life, no matter how weird things got, I never felt alone. Because I was your twin. Maybe I'm different. Maybe I'm a freak...I can't stop thinking about being chained up when I was a kid. It didn't feel like someone bad chained me up. It felt like I was the someone bad."
"Max, you're not dangerous."
"Saving people destroys me. But killing Noah? That felt good. I was high. And whenever I think about what he did to you, I want to chase that high. I wish I could kill him a thousand times. Louise mentioned the devil. Maybe something evil was chasing them. And maybe that something was me."
"Okay. I want to show you something. You see this hand on her shoulder there? See, Michael thought it was just someone who got cropped out of the photo, but no. Any female would recognize that body language. She does not want that hand on her. Louise said the devil would come. I think something evil was after them, but it wasn't you. I want to find out who it was."
Alex and Gregory:
"Hey, I just wanted to say thank you before we go. I also feel like I should congratulate you on getting out."
"Of the Navy?"
"Of the family. Getting out from under Dad."
"You got to break free of him, man."
"Do you feel free?"
"I don't think I get to be free until you are, Alex. You know, you're my brother. I wish that I would've stood up for you more."
"You know, I think he's actually getting a little bit better. It's like the stroke melted away the psycho in his brain or something."
"If you can forgive him you should. Cast off the stone. Let me hate him for you. I owe you that much."
Back at the trading post with the whole road trip group.
"We scoured the store for jewelry that said Tsela on it, but nada. Although I did manage to spend an entire week's worth of tips anyway."
"Tsela?"
"Yeah it was printed on the back of my grandmother's necklace. I thought I might find some answers here."
"Well, apparently, it is Navajo for star on the ground. So, you guys ready to go?"
"Star on the ground. Maria? What year was your grandmother born?"
"Uh, '48, I think?"
"Was she adopted?"
"Yeah. Oh my God."
"Your grandmother was my sister."
Note: The direct translation of Tsela is stars lying down. Interestingly, it's often a name in Navajo. When I googled it, the top results were names for Navajo boys.
Diego and Liz's conversation:
"Diego, I never would have reached out if it weren't an emergency. Thank your mom for me."
"The Senator was more than happy to call in a favor. She's always liked you."
"I like her too. We need more people like her."
"Look, we got lucky your dad got out at all, much less without an ankle monitor. And you pissed a few people off back there, so it's not likely that this is the end for you. Who's your lawyer? Or should I make some calls?"
"No, you've done enough. After what I did, I can't even believe you listened to my voicemail...How did you get here so fast?"
"I was at the airport in Phoenix when you called. Just had to reroute real fast."
"And how have you been?"
"Well, my fiancée left me. I'm kidding. No, I'm seeing someone. It's getting pretty serious, so…"
"Good. Me too."
"Good. We can be friends...And don't take this the wrong way. Please tell me you're not wasting that incredible brain of yours writing alien hamburger puns."
"I am working on a few projects. Nothing I can talk about, but, I'm not wasting anything."
"Well, all the coolest studies make you sign NDAs anyway, so…"
"You know what? There actually is something...Do you know what butyricol is? Worth a shot. It's this chemical I found in my friend's tox screen. I had never heard of it."
"Maybe you're slacking, Ortecho."
"I am sorry, it has only been a year. Did you literally forget everything about me?"
Note: I'm very pleased to say that when I googled butyricol, half of the top results were RNM related. Definitely not a real drug.
Malex fight in the bunker:
"We're closed!"
"Hey, that alien console piece that Jim Valenti left me...You still have it?"
"No. I sold it on eBay."
"You didn't attach it to your console."
"I tried. Doesn't fit."
"So, Tripp left this for my dad before he died. My dad thought it was a code, but this is a reference sketch of this exact piece. My dad's been looking for this thing for 30 years and Jim Valenti had it all along...I'm gonna give it to him. I want to see what he does with it once he's got it. Look, if it didn't fit in your console, then it fits somewhere else. My dad could lead us there.""Your dad hunts aliens, Alex. He'll lead my family right off a cliff."
"I've protected you so far. That's not changing. Besides, he's different these days...I don't trust him, Guerin. I just…I'm asking you to trust me.""When we were kids, you believed people were good, despite humanity doing everything to prove you otherwise. And, God, I loved you for it. But what was charming when we were 17, it's just stupid now. How do you not see that? You believe there's some good in your father?"
"Yeah. Yeah I do. God forbid I have faith in people who don't give me a good reason to."
"That's not fair."
"No? Why is your hand covered? You miss your injury because you want to hurt. Your anger made you feel safe. I will always hate my father for what he did to you, but I don't want to live in that toolshed for the rest of my life. I don't want to walk around thinking that people don't change, that one day everyone's just gonna let me down, 'cause I am not building a damn rocket ship in a hidden lair. There's one way for me off this planet. And I need to believe in a reason to stay. I promise I'll keep you safe."
"Can't let you leave with that."
"What are you gonna do? Fight me for it?"
And then Alex leaves and is kidnapped. Hit over the head by an unknown assailant. The note from Tripp blows away.
Max and Liz are talking back at Max's house while Max drinks a lot of bourbon.
"You know, you never told me why your parents immigrated here in the first place."
"My dad wanted a family, but not in Juárez. There was no opportunity, no money. Women were disappearing there all the time. He didn't want my mom to be one of them. So he fled. You're wondering why your family came here."
"If I even had a family. I know so little about my own story. And the parts I thought I understood are just unraveling."
"Max. Family is the one area where I am certain that biology does not matter. Look, when I found out that Rosa was only my half sister that didn't change anything."
"This is different...There are only three of us on this planet, as far as we know. I mean, feeling disconnected from them makes me feel completely alone."
"Completely alone? I'm right here."
"When you needed a rescue today your Mensa society, old money son of a senator ex was there to answer your prayers. I couldn't even answer a call. You didn't need me."
"Oh my God. Okay, so would you prefer that I did need you? Would you prefer to come home to find me crying into my dad's windbreaker so that you can swoop me up and drive me to El Paso for his deportation hearing in the morning?"
"That's not fair. You wanted me to talk about today."
"Yes, okay. I'm sorry. I want you to feel better."
"Well, you think maybe you could go back in time and not meet someone as handsome as Diego? Seriously. He's like if someone mixed a cologne ad with a Kennedy. It's ridiculous. I will never feel adequate again."
"You're wrong. Max, let me be clear. You are objectively better in bed...And I never woke up on a Sunday morning to him singing Hank Williams in the shower...He never snuck unreasonable tips into my dad's checks. Or quoted Henry the Fourth. Coming home to you at the end of my worst days and my best days is the only rescue I need."
I actually found this background on the Ortechos to be fascinating. In case you don't know Juárez is a pretty big city directly opposite the border from El Paso. It does have some huge crime issues. But it also is one of those border cities where the border is a little thinner. Like San Diego and Tijuana. People live in Juárez and work in El Paso and vice versa.
If you want to see a really dark & gritty portrayal of Juárez, I'd highly recommend you to check out the American version of the show The Bridge. Which literally deals with an investigation related to disappearing women.
Isobel and Maria at the Pony:
"She looks so determined."
"Yeah, neither of us would be here if she hadn't been. You know she was paralyzed 50 years and she still managed to use her powers to help ease troubled minds. You know how hard that is? To take on someone else's suffering? I mean, it doesn't just disappear. She would have been carrying all of that."
"She suffered so much loss."
"I don't know how to be worth it."
Michael on the bracelet.
"The beads are made with pollen from the alien flower. I found another plant growing at Louise's grave. Okay my working theory is that they grow from alien remains. There's this UFO lore about that Libyan desert where the flowers have been discovered before. You don't have to wear it if you don't want to. I know better than to think I can save Maria DeLuca. I hope you decide you can save yourself."
Max is still drinking after Liz went to bed. At 4:04am Diego calls and wakes her up.
"I made a call, about that toxin in your friend's system. Butyricol. It's a drug. It's a memory eraser. It was developed by a private organization and purchased by the military for weaponization. There's no approved application outside of violent combat."
Liz tries to call Alex, but he's too busy being unconscious in the back of his SUV. So his kidnapper pockets his phone.
Max has a memory flash. There's fighting, weapons clashing, a woman's voice...all while he's chained down in the cave. Louise appears and kneels down to touch his shoulder. He looks afraid, but she's trying to comfort him (even though she has blood splattered all over her white clothes). She smiles and nods and then cuts Max free of the chains with her alien weapon. She offers him her hand, but before he can take it a figure in white appears and he and Louise fight. Max cries out and hides his face.
Present day Max is visibly shook by the flash.
MUSIC:
1. Shelly Fairchild "Worry No More"
2. Powerslide "Just You And I"
3. Will Fox "Against The Tide"
4. Tommee Profitt feat. Sam Tinnesz "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"
17 notes
·
View notes
Text
Nothing Breaks Like a Heart- 5
I’m on a roll kids...here’s the next part!
As always- thank you for likes, reblogs, comments, shares, etc. please let me know if you would like to be added to my Marvel tag list. I write for Supernatural as well. I also do TVD/The Originals, Arrow & The Flash.
Requests are always open!
Tag list: @shreddedparchment @fanfictionjunkie1112
@this-is-mycrisis
Nothing Breaks Masterlist
Marvel Masterlist
Steve watched Nora from inside of the kitchen. She was sitting out on the patio, fire roaring in front of her, lost in her thoughts. She hadn't said much after she told him about what she had found. She hadn't decided what to do yet. He could tell she was conflicted. Her first instinct had been to want to call Tony, but then she thought about it, and put her phone away. Heeding her father's warning. How was she supposed to go against the wishes of her dead father? He didn't even want her to know, so the fact that he requested she not tell Tony, she couldn't.
Steve moved to the door quickly as he watched her stand and drop the journal into the flames. Shocked that she would do that.
"Nora...what did you do?" She looked over at him, eyes still glassy.
"It's too dangerous. Too many people in this world have died because the wrong person wanted to get their hands on that serum. Now, as far as anyone knows, it died a long time ago. And anyone that knew my father could make it, they think it died with him. But it will die with me. No one will ever get their hands on that ever again." She wasn't wrong. Steve was just worried she'd regret she burned her father's life work. "Part of me wishes I never pulled at this string. I always wondered if his death was suspicious. Now I know it is. There's now way he wasn't killed for this. He's dead because he wouldn't talk. But he was developing this for me...to protect me." Steve looked at her.
"You knew that before you went looking for it. How?" She was quiet for a long time.
"Can I trust you?"
"Nora...of course you can trust me. I thought you knew that already."
"No...I mean...take my secrets to the grave kind of trust you." Steve stepped closer to her and he cupped the side of her face. She stared into his eyes for a moment and he said quietly.
"I'll take every secret you have to my grave." She nodded.
"Loki told me." Steve dropped his hand.
"Loki told you? How did Loki tell you?"
"Sit down." She lead him over to the couches and sat down on her knees to face him.
"So...when we were there. When I saw him...it was like he knew me. He called me something, I think in Latin...that's normally something I could recall, but for whatever reason...it's gone. I couldn't tell you what the hell he said. But he knew me. After...I started having dreams. I don't even think they're dreams. They're visions or memories or something. But Loki found a way to reach me, to get into my head when I'm asleep." Steve's expression turned alarmed. "I know, I know." She waved him off. "But not to manipulate me, or to hurt me. But to show me, things I was too young to really see...or things I wasn't around to see. He was going on and on about protecting me...keeping me safe from what's to come? Because Alien armies out of the sky weren't enough. Something else apparently is coming. But he didn't tell me in that letter. I don't know if he told anyone. The only other person that knows is my Mother. And she's dead too. I'm missing some puzzle pieces about who I am. And I know...I sound completely mental right now. That some Asgardian God is visiting me in my sleep...but I swear to God I'm not crazy. I thought I was...until I confronted Fury about my father...and he all but confirmed it. And then I found this here today. He left it for me. He knew I was coming here to look. Loki told me to come here to look. So that tells me there's something else here for me to find. Please don't have me locked up." He had never heard her talk so fast. She was looking at him with anxious eyes.
"Well first of all...after everything we've seen...you're not crazy. I just...I mean...it's Loki. Are you sure he's not just messing with you because he can?"
"No Steve. There's a connection. I don't just feel it with him, I felt it with Thor. I had never met the man a day in my life and I knew I could trust him with my life." Steve quelled his jealousy at the mention of Thor and a deep connection.
"We should contact Thor."
"If he knew something...wouldn't he have told me already? And we can't exactly shoot him a text message to stop on over."
"That's true."
"You really don't think I'm crazy? Because you can hop off now if you want. I feel like this ride is going to get only crazier from here."
"I'm not going anywhere." He smiled at her. "You're sure you don't want to clue Tony in?"
"No." She shook her head emphatically. "I can't. I've never kept a secret from him before. But I can't. He'll want the serum. He'll want to be able to protect everyone. But not every super solider is Steve Rogers."
"You burned the notebook." Steve heard himself say it and then the realization hit him. "You have a photographic memory. You could whip up a batch right now if you wanted to."
"Technically. Yes. But that begs the question...what did my father think was coming for me that I would need any army of super soldiers to protect me? Or even worse...become one myself?"
"I wish I could answer that for you."
"I don't think anyone can. I'm not sure that even Fury knew. From what I saw...he thought my father was loosing it. And this package he left me, I can guarantee you it's the only information that I'm ever getting from him. He wont discuss this with me again. I know him."
"Then we'll have to find out. Whatever you need, I'm yours." She didn't know what to say to him. This man...was everything her father said he was. She moved over to sit directly next to him, like a habit, Steve wrapped his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm scared...about what I'm going to find out. There's something different about me. The fact that Loki can reach me the way he can. The fact that the stab wound and infection didn't kill me. I'm scared to find out things about my parents. I've never been this scared before."
"Whatever it is Nora, we'll deal with it." He felt her nod her head and didn't say anything further. So he sat there with her, holding her close to him, letting her mind run frantic. He didn't admit he was scared too. She was a target now.
___________________________________________________________
Nora was up early again. She and Steve had said goodnight relatively late after spending a good amount of time by the fire. After almost having to make a sacrifice to the Gods, she felt asleep around 2 am and was now up at 5 am. She started going through her father's room. Looking for anything she could find. So far...it wasn't much. She wasn't sure how he could hide things here. The house wasn't big, it had no basement or attic. He must have gotten creative. Or...Loki was messing with her. She just couldn't buy into the idea that he was doing this for kicks.
For the past hour and a half, however, she found herself reading a box of letters her father had saved. Some were from her grandparents while he was away. Some were from Tony. A great many of them were from her mother. This was the biggest insight she had into the woman that she had lost before she ever got to know her.
"You really need to start sleeping." Nora looked up at Steve. His face fell when he saw tears on hers.
"I swear to God I don't cry like this. But these aren't sad tears, I promise. I found some stuff and...it's good. It's good stuff." Steve...looking like he was ready to go for a run came in and sat down on the bed next to her. "Letters to my Dad...from my mom." She smiled at him.
"That's amazing." She nodded.
"She was funny. Like witty funny and smart. She was also kind. God I wish I could have known her."
"It's not surprising. You're brilliant and funny."
"I mean...that's a given...seeing as who my grandfather was, and my Uncle. He's brilliant." Steve rolled his eyes.
"You don't say things like that to him do you?"
"OH God no. He already has an ego. I make sure to tell him how much of a moron I think he is on the regular." She laughed.
"Find anything else?"
"No. So I'm going to have to tear this place apart."
"Do you want to take a break and go for a run with me." The look of pure and utter disgust on her face was priceless.
"I don't run Rogers. And if I am running...you better run too...because something is chasing me. And I don't run from much." He laughed.
"I'll be back in a little bit then."
"Sounds good Captain." He felt a twinge in his stomach every time she called him Captain. She didn't look as desperate as she had the days prior. Steve hoped unburdening herself to him helped. He couldn't imagine keeping things like that to himself.
______________________________________________________________
“So how’s your All-American get away?” Nat teased Nora. Nora currently had all of the contents of her fathers desk on the floor and she was painstakingly looking at each and every detail.
“You are such an asshole.”
“I see the way you look at him. And I saw you two dancing on the balcony.” Nora could feel the heat rising to her cheeks again, happy Nat was on speaker and wasn’t looking at her.
“How do I look at him?”
“Like he’s Captain America. You’re like that heart eye emoji.”
“Fuck off Romanoff. It has nothing to do with him being Captain America and everything to do with who Steve Rogers is. I mean Nat- I didn’t believe the hype. The way Peggy talked about him. The way my father did because of the way my grandfather did. The museum. I thought it was too good to be true. No one could be that nice. That good of a guy. That decent. But he is everything they said he was. He’s been there for me in the past month in ways that only Tony has. You know me. I don’t trust anyone, not really. I mean there’s you, Pepper, Happy, Rhodey and my Uncle. Phil is dead. I mean Nick is Nick. I know he had my best interest at heart always, but he’s still Nick Fury. After Obie and then what happened when I was in school. I just can’t open myself up. But here comes Steve Rogers trying to knock all my walls down.”
“Let him Nora. You deserve someone like him. You deserve to be happy.”
“Nat- we both have SO MUCH baggage. I have a whole airport worth of it. And Steve....Peggy. It’s not like they broke up. You can’t tell me that in a couple of months out of the ice that he’s over loving her. I can’t compare to that.” Nora didn’t see that Steve was back. And Steve couldn’t help but to stand off to the side and listen. He knew it was a gross invasion of privacy and made him not the man she thought he was, but he couldn’t help it.
“Nora Margaret Stark I will slap the shit out of you. I will literally drive to Cape Cod, slap you, and leave. In and out without Rogers even seeing me. You are beyond words. You are amazing. And Peggy loves you. She would hate to hear you say that. She moved on. She had a whole life. She would want Steve to have that too. She definitely wants it for you. Let me ask you this. What if Peggy wasn’t a factor?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how he feels.”
“Nora- you deserve to find out. Because I have a feeling he may feel something for you.” The two continued talking Steve snuck back out of the house deciding to run a little more.
He cared for Nora, of that he was certain. He felt things for her. Hell, he got jealous over watching her have a conversation with Thor. Things he didn’t expect to feel for anyone again. She was right, it was complicated. He did still love Peggy. But Natasha had been right...she would have wanted him to live a full life. He wanted that too. He needed to move on and live his life now. How many times had he thought about kissing her since they met? He was enamored with her. She was his chance at a future.Steve had gotten back while Nora was in her room getting changed. As she walked out into the living room she heard the the shower running. He had been gone for a while. Nora had gotten through all of her father's desk and didn't find a damn thing.
_________________________________________________________
She piled her long curly hair on top of her head, threw some sun glasses on and headed down to the beach to try and clear her head.She was wearing a hoodie and black capri leggings. For May, it was chilly at the beach. The water was still extremely cold, but Nora relished it biting at her feet. One of her favorite feelings as a child was the rush of the ocean water up to her ankles as she walked along the beach with her father. She felt her stomach clench. She missed him so much. Digging into his past just made her miss him all the more. He wasn't perfect, that was for sure. Tony never said anything to her directly, but she remembered comments that he would make to Pepper, Happy and Rhodey about Grant's absence. It had been for her though. Everything he had been doing was for her. She just wished she knew why. She wanted to understand. She was struggling. And when she struggled, Tony was always the one that got her through it. How could she not tell him? She was about to pull out her phone and dial his number, but her brain flashed back to him on the screen, a bag over his head and a terrorist threat. Even though Stane had set it up, the threat had been real. She would not put him in that kind of danger, as much as it killed her not to tell him. Still, she needed to talk to him all the same.
"Hey there baby doll...how's the beach?" She smiled at his greeting.
"A little chilly, but the weather is beautiful."
"What's eating you?"
"How did you know?"
"Impromptu trip to the beach, the sound of your voice. I know you kid."
"I've just been thinking about everything that happened in New York. I went mental when you went into that hole in the sky and Steve told Natasha to close it. Like completely lost it. And now that I've had time to process...it had me thinking. If Steve hadn't said to close it...the Chitauri could have done more damage, hurt more people. If we let other people die to save you, you wouldn't have been able to live with yourself."
"True. We talked about this already though."
"I know. But you know me and how my mind runs. I've just been thinking about this whole Avengers thing. We thought Fury tabled it...but now it's happening. There's going to come a time where this happens again. So, I promise that I will never put your life over the masses. As much as it would kill me. As much as I would want to die if you did. I wont do that to you."
"Nora..."
"No, I know. But you have to promise me the same."
"What? Nora...I don't want you involved in any of this. Not in combat."
"But we both know that I'm involved. By being a Stark I'm involved. We've both been involved since your father formed Shield. Whether we want to be or not. Just promise me that if someone tries to use me against you...you wont let people die for me. Tony...promise me." She rarely didn't call him "Uncle Tony". She only commanded him by name when she was serious.
"Nora, I promise. But I also promise you that I will do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't ever come to that. Do you want me to come out there? We can take a few days. I'll kick Capsicle to the curb." Nora laughed.
"No. You're busy. I'm not sure how much longer we'll be here. I went into his room."
"You've haven't been back in there since he died." Tony was surprised. Nora could never find the strength to open that door. Tony didn't want to do it for her.
"It was time. I...I found some letters from Mom."
"You did?"
"Yeah...it makes me feel like I actually know her a little bit. She seemed pretty amazing."
"Yeah kid...she was."
"I'll let you go. I just, I had to call. I love you."
"Love you too kid. See you soon." Nora couldn't leave this place without having that conversation. If anyone that wanted the serum knew that she could make it, they'd come for her. She knew Tony would be tempted to let the world burn to save her...she couldn't allow that to happen. She felt his eyes on her before she even saw him. She turned, and there stood Steve leaning against the doorway. He smiled and headed towards her as she waved him down.
"Did you find anything else?" She shook her head.
"No. I just don't know where else he would keep anything. Maybe Loki is messing with me."
"Or maybe someone moved it." Nora looked over at him.
"I hadn't even considered that." She put her face in her hands and shook her head. When she picked her head up she was laughing. That made Steve more concerned than tears did. "This is so fucked up." She didn't notice his flinch at her language and he didn't dare bring it up. That was one thing he was having a hard time getting used to, the amount of profanity people used now. Though...her description was accurate. "How? How is this happening? How am I here? God, two months ago, everything was so much simpler.”
“A month ago we fought aliens.” He commented. “I think the world has always been this way, we just didn’t notice.” Nora hummed in agreement.
“This was always my favorite as a kid. I used to love standing in the water before a storm was coming and the waves were crazy to see how long I could stand before they knocked me down. I can still hear him laughing. This has all brought up a lot of feelings I thought I had put to bed.”
“Loosing a parent stays with you.” Nora looked at Steve’s far off glance.
"You know you can talk to me too. I know I've spilled my guts to you. You can talk to me about anything or anyone." If Steve hadn't heard the conversation with Natasha, he wouldn't know she was trying to figure out how he was feeling about Peggy. "You've lost a lot too. And coming out of a 70 year nap...I can't even imagine. And I've been to the museum. I'm not going to push you, but if you ever want to talk about Sergeant Barnes...you can." She took Steve by surprise again. Maybe she wasn't referring to Peggy at all. He had a glimmer of a smile on his face thinking about his friend.
"Thank you. I haven't really been ready to talk to anyone about much of anything. Someday I will. So you went to the museum?" Nora scoffed.
"Seriously, you're not appreciating how much of a fan girl my father was. I've seen some pretty entertaining videos too." Steve narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm just saying don't rule out a Broadway career of super heroing doesn't work out." She covered her mouth to stifle a life and screamed as he picked her up and swung her into the freezing cold water." The look of sheer shock and then outrage on her face was priceless. "If I get hypothermia...I'm telling Tony you did this to me and he'll eviscerate you."
"Really? You're going to 'I'm telling my mom on you' as your defense?" Steve doubled over in laughter.
"You're like 10 times faster and stronger than me. I gotta go with what works." she shrugged. "Also- you probably just destroyed my phone...so when Tony can't reach me and he shows up here. YOU can deal with him." Steve's face fell.
"I didn't even think about your phone. I'm so sorry. I'm still not used to having one in my pocket all the time."
"Steve...these things are like paper weights to my uncle. He's just over protective and needy." As if on cue, Steve's phone rang.
"Nat...slow down. She's here with me. Oh...her phone got wet" Nora roared with laughter. "Nora, how the hell do I put this on speaker phone" She rolled her eyes and took it from him.
"Heya Rusty." You could hear the smile in her voice. Natasha immediately hated having to call them.
"We need you guys to come back. There's a mission. We need Steve. Your Uncle said not to tell you we needed you too. But I think we're going to need you too."
"We'll be there in a few hours." Steve looked over at Nora. The carefree moment had vanished.
"Ummmm...about that. We're coming to pick you up. Be ready in 30." With that, Natasha hung up.
"C'mon, lets get our stuff together and you should change." Steve gave her a sheepish look before he turned to walk towards the house.
“Payback will be fierce Rogers!” She laughed as he shook his head while walking back into the house.
____________________________________________________________
“What?! No!” Tony threw his arms up as Nora stepped into the quinjet.
“Yeah because I was totally going to stay behind when you came to pick up Steve in the Quinjet.” Nora had her hands on her hips challenging Tony.
“We need her Tony. These guys are high tech and you can only do one thing at a time. We talked about this.” Natasha rolled her eyes.
“Fine. You are on this Jet, hacking away and getting us in. You’re not stepping in there.”
“I’m pretty sure I held my own in New York.” Nora crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.
“YOU COULD HAVE DIED.” Tony roared. “You could have lost your leg. By some MIRACLE you’re able to stand here and give me attitude. I can’t do this if I’m looking over my shoulder trying to make sure you’re not dead. Please...” Nora blinked rapidly for a moment. She felt Steve’s hand on her shoulder.
“Cap come look at this info. It’s a drug ring and it runs deep. This is probably the first of many we’re busting.”
Nora went and sat at the controls of the Quinjet. She cleared her throat. “Coordinates Nat?”
“Nora...you don’t have to...”
“Coordinates Nat.” Her voice was a little harsher. Steve and Tony both stopped and looked over at the two women. Tony had an instant look of regret.
“She’ll be okay.” Steve understood where Tony was coming from. Nora didn't see how she was when they got her to the med bay. Screaming in pain, high fever; it was terrifying. Tony looked at him and nodded. They went back to going over the files as Nora flew the jet towards South America.
"...Okay Steve, I'm unlocking the North West corridor now. You can go in through there. Once you get in, plug the flash drive into the computer and it should feed me all of their files and you can get the hell out of there." They had known someone was coming, the facility had been hastily cleared out, but they did a sloppy job. Nora was certain they left an electronic trail. While Steve was making his way through the building Tony and Natasha were checking the grounds for anything else. Jarvis had noted no heat signatures, but you never know.
Nora had proven herself useful. Why painstakingly break into a facility when a few clicks of her fingers she could get the doors to open? Tony didn't want to admit it and Nora was still nursing a bruised ego by the time they all made it back on the jet.
"Files are loading. We can go through everything when we get back. Nat- fly us home." She closed up her computer and went and took a seat in the back of the jet. Her head was pounding. The days of little sleep were catching up to her. Tony was keeping his distance. He knew she was upset and it was better to let her stew in it for a bit before trying to talk it out. Steve felt like a kid with two fighting parents. He sighed and went and sat next to Nora.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm going to start charging you every time you ask me that." She cracked him a small smile. "I'm just tired and my head hurts. I just want to get home."
"Should I stay?" He saw something pass through her thoughts when it took her a moment to respond.
"Honestly...I kind of need to be alone."
"Yeah, okay." Steve didn't know how he felt about that. He had fallen into a comfortable routine staying with her.
"Besides...you need to start packing your apartment right?" Whatever darkness that had been clouding her thoughts had dissipated when she looked up at him.
"Yeah I guess I do."
"Steve...seriously. Thank you for everything. You made these past few weeks so much easier." She took his hand.
"Now why does it feel like you're saying goodbye?"
"Never. You're stuck with me for good Rogers."
Tony looked back at Steve and Nora. He felt a mixture of things. He was starting to bury unearned resentment he had for the man. Steve Rogers was something...and now that he had gotten to know him a bit he understood the infatuation his brother and father had. He was a good man...and in a normal world he was good for Nora. But this wasn't a normal world and he was most definitely not an ordinary man. Nora was a weak point for Tony Stark. Being his niece...being someone he loved put a target on her back. Being someone that Steve Rogers cared about? That would prove to be dangerous. As hard as he tried to keep her safe, to keep her out of danger, she insisted on running head first into getting herself killed.
"You seeing what I'm seeing Romanoff?" Tony nudged the red head who glanced back at the two in their own little word.
"I saw this happening the first time I saw the two of them interact. You know that if she wants a relationship with him that you can't stop it and you'll just make things worse right?"
"I wouldn't try to stop it. I just...I couldn't handle if something happened to her."
"Look...you are fighting against her to keep her locked up in your tower and safe from the world. She's not that person. She's just like you. And apparently from what I've heard like her father and your father. She wants to do the right thing. She wants to help people who can't help themselves. The truth of the matter is, you could wrap her in bubble wrap and she could get hit by a bus and die anyway. The only thing you're going to do is force her to do it behind your back and cause continuous fights between the two of you. She's got a good head on her shoulders. I've watched her calculate risk and reward in the matter of seconds before making a decision. She'll be okay." Tony looked over at Natasha and then back to Nora.
"I guess I'm just scared." Tony shockingly admitted.
"It's okay to be scared. But you can't let that fear drive your actions."
"Thanks for the advice agent. I appreciate it." It took Natasha back a bit to have a genuine moment with Tony not laced with sarcasm.
"Anytime Stark...anytime."
_____________________________________________________________
Nora found herself back in the dark corridor. She felt her stomach drop. She didn't want to be here again. She didn't want this to keep happening. She wanted this to be over. As she turned around, there stood The God of Mischief.
"Did you find it?" He asked her simply.
"Find what?! There was nothing in that Beach House that was hidden. Nick Fury dropped a package off for me which essentially was an information bomb from my father. I dug his room apart...there was nothing else."
"Someone must have taken it." She saw the distress on his face.
"That's what Steve said."
"You told Captain Rogers? Interesting." Nora narrowed her eyes.
"I don't know how you're here...I don't know what the point of all of this is. But if you're screwing with me. I will find a way to get my ass to Asgard and I will murder you with my bare hands." Something in Loki's eyes sparkled.
"I assure you, I'm not, as you put it, screwing with you. This is very important. You're looking for a diary."
"Who's diary?" Nora was growing more exasperated as time went on.
"Her diary." Loki turned Nora and the same window from last time appeared again. Loki watched as Nora froze at the scene before her.
"That's- that's my mother." She whispered. Nora had never seen her other than in pictures. She was sitting on a couch, her legs tucked to the side furiously writing in a diary.
"Sweetheart, what are you doing?" A younger version of her father entered the room. Nora's throat tightened. What she wouldn't give to be in that room with the both of them.
"I'm writing my story- our story- for Nora. She'll want to know it someday. It's a good one."
"Is that a good idea?" Grant had a look of alarm on his face.
"Yes. She has a right to know. She needs to know. You and I will be able to keep her safe. This is her legacy." Nora watched as her father bent down to kiss her mother and her heart clenched. The scene faded and with it went the last shreds of Nora's patience. She spun towards Loki.
"No more of this. WHAT is in that diary? What is this about? You need to tell me now. Or I'm going to Thor with this nonsense." She watched Loki contemplate what she was saying. The threat of Thor knowing he was haunting her dreams was enough to make him blink.
"Well...I don't know exactly what she put in that diary...I've never been told the full story. But I can tell you this...your mother was not from Earth. You, my darling, are half Asgardian."
Nora shot straight up in her bed and tried to catch her breath. She had to get her hands on that diary, no matter what it took.
#steve rogers x stark oc#steve rogers x oc#steve rogers fic#steve rogers fanfiction#steve rogers#steve rogers imagine#steve rogers fanfic#tony stark x stark!OC#tony stark x oc#tony stark fanfiction#tony stark fanfic#tony stark fic#tony stark imagine#captain america x oc#captain america x stark!OC#captain america fanfiction#captain america fanfic#captain america fic#iron man x stark!oc#iron man x oc#iron man fanfiction#iron man fanfic#iron man fic#avengers#avengers fanfiction#avengers fanfic#avengers fic#avengers imagine#marvel fanfiction#marvel fanfic
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
rereading aftg with my dumbass opinions pt. 2 (tfc chapters 6-10)
pt. 1 | pt. 2 | pt. 3
look guys! its the highly unanticipated continuation of my reread of aftg!
chapter 6 (aka. meet this MESS of a team)
“My mother's family is French." It was a lie that probably had his British mother rolling over in her sandy grave.”
neil really never misses an opportunity to remind readers that he fucking buried his mom on the beach huh?
“A liar who practices occasional honesty. Clever. Keeps people guessing. Very effective. I would know. I do it myself, you see. Come on, then. After you.”
have i mentioned how entertaining high andrew is? because he’s funny as hell
also rereading these are fun because Nora is incredible at foreshadowing just sayin
“Neil automatically reached for his seatbelt, but one of the brothers was sitting on it.”
how neil would be in the back of the cousins’ car if they let him:
“You?" Neil said. "You can't." Andrew's smile curved wider. "Ohhh, that sounds like a challenge. Mother may I?" "Your mother's dead. I don't think she cares what you do.”
HO HO HOLY SHIT NEIL
“Starting a fight was too out of character for who he portrayed "Neil” to be, though.”
“Consider this your official invite, you suicidal wretch. I'm bringing you to Columbia with us this Friday.”
awe suicidal wretch... glad they’re starting those pet names early
“I don't drink or dance," Neil said.
andrew: i kno u can
“Kevin doesn't dance anymore”
anymore? ANYMORE??? release the cursed events that led to him not dancing anymore Nora im begging you
“Are you bleeding anywhere?" Matt asked.
"Nowhere vital," Neil said.
gskjgnsak god i stan this little asshole so much
“She said it gently, with the hint of a smile on her face, but Neil still felt the rebuke. It was subtler but somehow deadlier”
have i mentioned how gay i am for renee? because im very gay for renee
“Allison looked ready for a photo shoot with perfect platinum curls, spiked heels, and a skintight dress.”
im also gay for allison ngl
“I can move if you want to sit here," Neil said.
"No, this is fine." She smiled, but it had a smug edge to it, probably because Seth was glaring at them like he could kill them with willpower alone. ”
lol remember how neil doesn’t think he’s attractive and yet in 0.1 seconds after meeting him allison is like “yes this idiot is hot enough to piss off the other idiot im dating”
“Personal favorite was when someone told the police we were running a meth lab out of the dorm," Dan said sourly. "Police raids are awesome.”
no offence dan but that’s fucking hilarious omg
that’s kind of like the time my residence floor had to get evacuated bc some kids hotboxed their dorm room
god i love uni
“The death threats were creative, though," Nicky said. "Maybe this time they'll follow through and actually kill one of us. Let's vote. I nominate Seth.”
pfffffttttt i love Nicky omg
also hahahahahah foreshadowing!
“It'll be fine," Andrew said. "I promised, didn't I? Don't you believe me?"
It took a while, but at last Kevin visibly relaxed. ”
again this is why i thought they were fucking for like the better part of the first two books
“The dead look Kevin turned on Andrew today was the same look Neil saw in his reflection. When Neil stopped acting, when he stopped worrying about who was watching, when he let go of the lies that kept him alive, that was the only expression he could make.”
it’s fine i didnt need a heart anyways
this kid is 18 hes A BABY
the first time i read this i was 18 too and like jfc i was a BABY at 18 and so i neil
“One of us has to make it, Mom."
It wasn't going to be Neil. It was obvious he was too stupid to survive without his mother if he let himself get into messes like this. But maybe Kevin could do it.”
sorry let me just wipe my TEARS off my fucking laptop neil honey what the fuck
“He felt distant as he watched them walk in. Maybe he was already dying, his stupid soul fading from his short body in preparation for a brutal end.”
neil we get it you have depression (me too bitch u aint special)
“Fuck running," Seth said.
now that’s a whole ass mood
“he didn't know how Renee could smile so warmly when she was speaking to Andrew.”
haha bitch just wait
“when he slept, he dreamed of his father waiting for him on the Foxhole Court.”
remember how at the end of the series his father is waiting on the court but neil wins??? god we love good storytelling
this is such a fucking wild chapter
could you imagine? coming back from the summer and your first introduction to this amateur from arizona is this neil josten level of sass? because i’d probably kill him
first years are bad enough but first years who dont care about other people’s opinions? the fucking worst
chapter 7 (aka. neil does NOT have a fun night out)
“It seemed Allison and Seth didn't believe in middle ground: either they were slinging vile insults at each other or they were making out in the locker room regardless of whoever might be around.”
that’s just how the straights are
“It reminded Neil a little of Allison and Seth, except without the desperate sexual undertones.”
i’ll just leave this gem of a line here
“His teammates held so little regard for him he didn't even have the dubious honor of being dead last.”
neil shading himself is actually hilarious how relatable
“Neil watched him do it, trying to remember the last time someone gave him a gift and coming up blank. That his first one should be from Andrew was unsettling.”
i actually love the fact that andrew bought him clothes so early on like andrew your gay is showing
“Neil debated how much damage the thick heels of his new boots would do against Andrew's face and liked what his mind came up with.”
i thank god everyday that these books are neil’s pov
“Andrew gave Neil another slow once-over and let go. "We're going.”
^andrew seeing neil w/o contacts (aka. the ‘i can’t think straight’ vine)
“Most of the men wore leather, half the women had corsets, and a good number of both genders were covered in buckles and chains.”
this... is a... gay bar
“Andrew saluted the bouncers on his way by and led the way into the club, bypassing the line entirely.”
i always forget the drinking age in the us is 21 but like this bar really dont care about their liquor license AT ALL lmao
“You think Kevin would risk his future over a night out at the club?"
"What future?" Neil asked.”
WOW NEIL WAY TO BE A BITCH
“Neil hadn't seen Aaron get up, but he was waiting behind Neil when Andrew let go. Neil reached for Andrew with lethal intent, but Aaron grabbed the back of his chair and pulled hard enough to topple it over.”
why are the twins literally this gif:
real talk nicky kissing neil like that is horrible and really reflects poorly on nicky as a character
andrew for this entire chapter:
chapter 8 (aka. a hitchhiker’s guide to lying about your identity)
“I don't know how your conversation with Andrew went, but it didn't end well. Rumor has it you paid a busboy a hundred bucks to knock you out. Way to cut our night short.”
this is probably my favourite thing neil does in the entire series ngl
“Wymack grabbed his elbow and hauled him inside. He slowed just long enough to slam the door behind Neil. "Are you stupid or just crazy? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you between here and there? What were you thinking?”
Why does Wymack literally sound like my father?
foxes: daddy?
wymack: DO I LOOK LIKE
follow up:
kevin: daddy?
wymack: uh yeah
“I don't know what the beef is between you two, but it ends here and now.”
Wymack @ neil: tell your boyfriend, if he says he’s got beef that your a vegetarian and your not fucking scared of him
“Then correct me."
"Give me a reason."
"Besides the obvious?" Andrew said. "If I can't get an answer from you, I'll get it wherever I can.”
andrew:
“I'm—" Neil didn't want to say it, but the word was already there, broken and pathetic between them, "—nothing. I'll always have and be nothing.”
“He wondered for a moment if Andrew could handle the entire truth so calmly, but that was too dangerous and stupid to consider.”
“Hope was a dangerous, disquieting thing, but he thought perhaps he liked it.”
this is such a good fucking line like i am shooketh
chapter 9 (aka. neil is, like, really horny for exy)
“Are you stupid?" Seth asked. "Yeah," Neil said.”
what a fuckin MOOD
“Neil had almost forgotten why he liked Exy so much. He did his best at practices but these days he worked mostly to keep his teammates off his back. As Neil surveyed Kevin's damage, he finally felt inspired again. On its heels was a hungry, desperate rush.”
“Seth made as if to throw his beer at Neil. "His life is not more important than mine just because he's more talented.”
sometimes i really wish seth was actually given a chance to have some character development
“ "Maybe you're not as stupid as I thought."
"Maybe I am," Neil said”
another big fucking MOOD
chapter 10 (aka. shocking: university is hard :/ )
“It's fun telling Kevin no," Andrew said with a wicked grin.”
why is andrew like this omg
betsy probably was like just looking for a chill job and was like “oh cool uni students? ill have to deal with like a lot of anxiety, sexual tension, depression and like confusion about the future, not to bad” but NOPE welcome to the fucking MAFIA WARS
“That wasn't so bad, was it? Andrew was convinced it would be a disaster. He put money on you hating Betsy."
"Did you bet against him?"
"Yes," Renee said. "It was a private bet between the two of us.”
“I hope you didn't lose much," Neil said.”
god why is he such an asshole at every opportunity i love him
“I can take care of myself," Neil said.
"Watch me beam with pride.”
wymack is the best father in the world and you cant convince me otherwise
“There was one for every fall team with schedules printed on each. Neil kept the Exy one, tossed the rest into the trash, and buried his magnet deep in his pocket where he didn't have to look at the dates.”
neil “i only care about exy” josten strikes again with his great school spirit
“Palmetto State was facing Edgar Allan on Friday, October 13th”
that’s such a cliche and i love it
“He detoured around students toward one of Palmetto State's three dining halls. Two were for the general student body. The third was for athletes only”
lmao my school literally has one dining hall and it couldnt give less of a fuck what type of student they’re selling food too as long as they’ll pay $15 for chicken fingers
what kind of money does palmetto state fuckin have
like i get us tuition is a lot but jesus so’s mine and my school couldn’t be less fucked
“It was only the first day of school and he already had three assignments: a short paper, a fifty-page chapter to read, and a page of questions about said chapter. Neil debated for a minute as to which one sounded least painful. Five minutes later he was still uninspired, so he put his head down on his desk.”
1. MOOD
2. first years are so cute thinking that’s a lot of assignments i remember in first year being like “i have to read 40 pages thats so unfair :(” and now i’m like “ah sick only 200 pgs of readings this week? im gonna have so much free time!”
upper year history sucks ngl
“I'm fine," Neil said.”
neil knows exactly two (2) words and those are it
“You say that an awful lot," Matt said. "I'm starting to think you don't know what it means.”
overall thoughts:
the plot is pickinnnng upppp
i kind of forget how much world building happens in the first book but like its good
also i love neil literally hating everyone its so funny bc like bby these going to be your best friends just wait
anyways that’s all for now
part 3 will be the rest of tfc and then we’ll move onto trk if you guys still want more of this? let me know
love u all bye
188 notes
·
View notes
Text
The mayors journey across remnant (A WKTC story)
warning: my grammer and puncation aren’t the best so i hope you can understand this story takes place volume 6
Damien soon said goodbye to Glynda and began his trip across the kingdom he took it upon himself to get to atlas the hard way by getting someone to take him from the small town of argus he walked thru beacon one last time for awail sighing gently seeing this place in destruction hurt him gravely but he didn’t have time to think about that he must began his long journey not only to see his friend William again but to find his sister Celine.
Damien traveled all around soon buying a horse and got on top of it traveling from villiage to villiage all around soon ending up at the wreckage of a small little farm house that had been burnt down he looked at it and got of his horse exploring it but soon enough a single apathy grimm came out of the wreckage he looked suprised but soon jumped back on his horse as he got it to start running away soon the apathy screamed draining him of his energy but damien was determined his eyes glowed blue soon enough he fired a powerful blast from his cane shooting the thing to bits with in a few minutes but he didn’t stick around.
After that he made his way to the town of argus even running into Abe just as he was entering the town.
“Abe my old friend good to see you by any chance you wouldn’t happen to know where celine is would you?”
Abe chuckled taking a swig from his bottle as he looked up at Damien it was good to see a friendly and farmilar face.
“Well she’s traveling with some girl whos wanted for a few crimes named Neopolitan or just Neo for short so I don’t know much but last time she called me she said their at haven also good to see you Dames.”
Damien smiled soon putting his horse away and hugging abe a bit.
“And good to see you my friend i hope where ever you might be going brings you good luck and success! and hmm thats odd but she always knows best I am sure she knows what she’s doing.”
Abe soon put away his bottle and hugged Damien back inreturn.
“Same goes with you Dames hope to hear from you again soon.”
After that Abe left the city and began his own trip.
Damien soon wandered around the city soon coming across his old friend Crow drunk and asleep outside of a bar he must have been kicked out he cheeked his pockets just incase and sure enough he still had his belongings Damien soon picked up Crow and soon began walking trying to figure out where he was staying but soon enough Crow woke up but not for long and looked at Damien confused but told him where he was staying thinking he was just seeing things.
Damien nodded and took him to the door step of the house and carefully placed him at the stairs of the place and smiled.
“It was nice seeing you again Crow hopfully next time we will be able to talk and you won’t be drunk as a high schooler at a frat party.”
He chuckled and soon went and got himself a cup of hot chocolate at a local cafe after his drink on his walk to the military base he soon seen the statue of.... pyrrha nikos he dropped his cup as he walked up to it and sniffled holding back tears he soon enough left some flowers at the statue.
“...You died at a young age a hero none the less it’s good to see you will always be remembered young lady I hope you might be resting in peace do not worry I am sure thoes responsible for your death will pay for their crimes soon enough.”
He decided to wait till morning to go to the military base getting up nice and early though in the very early morning team JNR visted the place together instead of just jaune himself telling stories but nora did notice damien and decided to get him a blanket.
In a few hours time he woke up covered in snow and shook it off him as he looked at the blanket suprised but smiled soon packing it away with his things and then went to the military base the person who ran the base offered him a safe trip to atlas alongside some other soldires who needed to go there anyway he didn’t mind being in a somewhat cramped ship soon enough he’d be in atlas and he’d see William again.
hope you all enjoyed the story it’s kind of short but i do hope you liked it none the less!
#rwby#rwby au#rwby fandom#who killed markiplier#who killed markiplier au#markiplier fandom#who killed team cordium#who killed team cordium au#crossover au#rwby fanfiction#markiplier fanfiction#fanfiction#damien the mayor#wkm Damien#crow branwen#abe the detective#wkm the detective
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
i really do miss the early days of rwby where it was decent. it was clunky, and it was okay; the show was just starting out. the characters were interesting and the fights were so good! the world of remnant was mysterious and full of potential and miles and kerry have just... wasted it. the titular “protagonist” is just a squeaky voiced husk (seriously, watch vol 1 and then watch vol 5. it’s fucking insufferable) who always gets put on the back burner for other characters who you couldn’t pay me to give a shit about. jaune is annoying. phyrras death was a waste. nora ren are passable but on thin fucking ice. blake has the potential to be really interesting powerful but miles and kerry are too fucking incompetent to capitalize on her. yang was the best thing this show ever had going for it and they literally timeskipped her fucking CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. THEY TIMESKIPPED HER RECOVERY. THE MOST COMPELLING AND INTERESTING PART OF HER CHARACTER AND ITS JUST A JUMPCUT. what a waste. ilia IS a token gay character, and her representation is so fucking poor. the entire plot and world building of the faunus being oppressed is done so fucking poorly. really?? you’re gonna make the oppressed minority fighting for recognition and equality terrorists?? jesus.
rwby as a show is a waste of beautiful concepts and truly interesting ideas. miles and kerry are manchildren who think legitimate criticism is bullying and they’re incompetent fucking writers. monty must be rolling in his grave.
163 notes
·
View notes
Text
Great Expectations (1998)
The best thing I can say about the 1998 film adaptation of Great Expectations is that it makes me want to revisit the novel. I wonder why my English teacher selected to show us this version in high school. Certainly for the performances. This film makes many grave errors throughout.
Hired by the richest woman in Florida, Mrs. Nora Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft), to entertain her and her niece Estella, young Finn Bell's knack for illustration captures the attention of the eccentric recluse and falls in love with her niece, Estella. When a now grown Finn (Ethan Hawke) receives money from a mysterious benefactor to put together an art gallery in New York, he discovers Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow) waiting for him there.
This plot's tough film to summarize. It’s about a kid who grows up poor but befriends a crazy rich woman. He falls in love with her nieces, but she pays no attention to him. Years later, he gets an opportunity to win her over. Where did the money she's offering come from? Why is she suddenly reaching out to him? There's romance as he tries to impress his childhood crush (will she reciprocate his feelings?) and drama as Finn begins drifting away from his roots after he finds fortune and fame. There's simultaneously not a whole lot going on and plenty of emotional content. It’s a rise and fall story with some smoochie-smoochie thrown in.
If it feels uneventful, it's because what should be huge time gaps, slow, gradual transformations, and deep characters plots have been trimmed away to make this novel by Charles Dickens fit in a movie. You can sense the gaps and know how they'd be filled but there's still no meat.
Gwyneth Paltrow's character is an emotionless viper so her cold performance is intentional. Why Ethan Hawke is channeling Keanu Reeves from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, I don’t know. There's no chemistry between them which could work on paper but you can never understand why Finn is intoxicated by the thought of Estella except for what must be the most basic of physical lust. Numerous times throughout the film, we see Finn’s artwork as he gets it ready for his gallery. I have to give this picture credit for one thing: in most films, you can tell the actor is simply shading in some black or tracing over the lines that are already there rather than painting/drawing. Here, it looks like Ethan Hawke is producing the pieces. In actuality, they're by Francesco Clemente, whose work is an acquired taste (certainly not for me). The pieces often have their subjects conveniently posed so their hands and feet are out of frame, proportions are all out of whack, the choices of colors are muted - I’d even say uninspired. I don’t sense that this is an intentional commentary on Finn not deserving the fame and success he receives. There's another mistake in the casting: Robert DeNiro as a prisoner Finn meets early in the movie. DeNiro's too big of a name to have a mere cameo and this knowledge ruins surprises later in the story.
This 1998 adaptation of Great Expectations was a mistake. The performance by the lead is flat, the casting ruins the story's twists, and it's all about a romance you won’t care about. (On DVD, August 11, 2016)
#GreatExpectations#movies#films#MovieReviews#FilmReviews#alfonso cuarón#MitchGlazer#CharlesDickens#Ethanhawke#GwynethPaltrow#HankAzaria#ChrisCooper#AnneBancroft#RobertDe Niro#1998movies#1998films
1 note
·
View note
Text
Season 3 Rewatch – Beebo the God of War
Young Marty – right in the feels.
Beebo!
Hmmm, so if old Martin prompted young Martin to make a baby in 1987, how is Lily already five years old in 1992? I mean, pregnancy is a thing, right? I'll just assume they were very early in the year in 1987 and Clarissa got pregnant immediately, then I guess this still works since this is Christmas 1992. And maybe Lily was born early.
I did not realize that the Arrow theme is playing when Martin shoots the toy arrow until someone said it. LOL
Run!
Barbarians, LOL
Ooops, real barbarians.
The puppet. I will never get over the puppet. This show…
Amaya's reaction is my reaction. This is wrong. On so many levels.
Ray's question and Nate's comments are funny though.
Mick just hits the puppet. Of course.
I do want to know how Sara would have reacted to the puppet but I assume she just refused to talk to Leo on the account of not doing feelings.
Sara, no, boxing up feelings is not a good idea. For anyone.
Level 12, oioioi
Cool hat
Kicking ass is how we heal. Hm.
What the hell is a Beebo? You'll know soon enough.
Beebo hungry!
Wah, wah, Beebo love you!
Aw, Jax is cute here. Poor Jax.
Sara sees right through you Jax.
Young and lively. At peace. They are really bad at keeping secrets.
It never got explained why they always bump into things that are personally connected to them, did it? Or is it just Mallus and the Darhks doing this on purpose because they want the Legends distracted and therefore out of the picture? I guess.
Yuletide, nice.
Nope Ray, not a good idea. LOL
YAY AVA! This is what I'm here for.
Captain Lance! Finally she calls her Captain Lance! That’s progression!
"No. Okay, yes."
Beebo Day miracle. OMG
She is so cute, god.
"Never felt right." Yeah.
"No. Okay, yes."
And here she is. Seriously, this is so awesome. Just woosh, here I am.
Ava going along with a plan the Bureau wouldn't approve of whatsoever shows how desperate she is for something to go right after all the disarray in the Bureau.
"My goal is to do this peacefully, without any action." "First time for everything I guess." Amaya might still not completely approve of the Legends' methods, but she sure adapted to them.
We brought booze! Definition of this show. :P
But wait a second, didn't Leo just say that the Waverider is a dry ship now? Did Sara re-reprogram Gideon and then Leo reprogrammed her right after again so Mick doesn't get any of the alcohol? Probably.
Let's feast!
Meat leg!
"Nah, you look good!"
God that smile. I love that smile. That might be when I fell in love with Ava. Somewhere in this episode for sure.
There is Beebo! Thirsty Beebo.
Bad idea.
"Beebo will decide your fate." That's not a sentence you'd like to hear.
I will never get over Ava's facial expressions. Gaaah.
Or Sara's.
"Not really the husband kind." Hmmmmm. Sara is curious what that means. So am I.
Everyone is going "Really, Mick?"
That little headshake Mick does. LOL
Ava is confused.
And then she saves the day with improvising, love it.
And that little nod Sara gives, OMG. Approved!
Amaya, no, not good. "So damn huggable."
Leif can't get his sword out of its sheath, literally. Guess they didn't want to do another take and the actor doesn't go "shit, my sword is stuck", at least not overly visibly, so they just kept it. Still one of the funniest goofs for me.
Sara's eyeroll, awesome!
Hehe, Zari beating Jax in computer games. Of course she does.
"I'm also trying to beat you." You go, girl!
Why don't they just fabricate another Beebo for Martin? They clearly do later.
Let's play Beeboball! Just be warned, there could be random fires!
"I hate puppets." Well…
That heheeheeeheeeeheeeeee… dead is quite creepy, nice.
Odin Day, oops. That did not work.
Oh, look, it's the Darhks. Big surprise!
"I told you the Norse God costumes would work." Well, yeah, he did.
Amaya is confused by Sara retreating, cutie.
Ava approves though.
Gideon stating the obvious.
Ava hesitating and then immediately agreeing to contact the Bureau after Ray says Nora put Sara in a coma the last time they faced the Darhks is just… AWWW, you do care for them.
Zari, Sara knows what's up, you can't fool her.
Let's do Back to the Future. Or not.
Looking for booze?
I kinda really like the way Leo enunciates.
Good. Good. Good. Good.
No good news. Truth time though.
Ava and Sara sitting together on the table are so cute
"We can't afford to lose anyone else." "And I can?"
"I really am sorry, Sara." Sara! Aaargh
"Screw his orders. I need you here."
"This is not a fight the Legends can win." Pffft, do you know them?
"I have a plan." Hmmm…
Darhk just casually breaking Sara's neck was so shocking when I watched it the first time. Aaargh, why would you do that, show?
"Pretty's right." Yeah
Some sort of quip, evil but not too moustache twirly. LOL, I love them so much
Performance anxiety, hehehe
"Either we do this together or not at all." YES!
Sara is so confused but also happy that the team has her back
Yeah, Damien is not so easy to kill
"Hold, it is I, Beebo, risen from the grave!"
Doesn't mean science or evolution isn't real! Global warming is also real. Ray, you got the right priorities, LOL. This is about where I lost it I think. And where I decided that this is my new favourite show. Which is kinda ironic seeing that this was the last episode to watch at that time.
Woops, now the Vikings are all angry and Damien gets out his shock staff.
"Not this time."
Oh, noes! Mallus dimension.
YAY, Ava! "You came back!" "Like you said, you needed me." Could you be any more awesome? Guess not.
That little head tilt and the "yas". I love her so much!
"Wasn't my first time" Hmm, when did she visit an alternate dimension? Does she mean the alternate reality the spear created? Cause that wasn't her, technically, it was the other her. Or the shared hallucination in Invasion? Or Rip's brain? I'm kinda confused, because I don't think either Legends or Arrow ever did "alternate dimensions" per se before this.
"Aren't you afraid of getting in trouble for disobeying orders?" "It was worth it." God, they are so awesome!
"Our work here is done." Yep.
What did the letter say? 'Wear a bullet proof vest to Barry and Iris' wedding'?
Lily's Beebo will become Ronnie's Beebo and then Martina's and their families will tell them about how it ultimately saved the world. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I love Sara's attitude like, yeah, I might be the captain and have to tell you not to change history but doesn't mean I don't know you're still gonna try.
"You wanna leave? You can't leave." Aww, Sara is so heartbroken already but she would never actually even try to force him to stay. That's why I love her.
Hehe, Surprise!
And it's Yuletide. I love the touch of the wooden tables and plates.
"it's true, it's true"
"That's right, little brother." Waah. *sniffle*
I love them all so so much
Aztecs with jetpacks. OMG
Oh, look, it's John Constantine.
"Last time I saw you, I saved your soul" Sara is just doing a little head tilt like, so, and, what?
And that's it. Now on to Daddy Darhkest, for the first time being able to actually see it right after this, as it's supposed to be. So funny, it feels like a lot of time has passed between the two episodes because of the hiatus but in world, it's just a few moments. Weird.
#legends of tomorrow#Sara Lance#Ava Sharpe#Avalance#beebo the god of war#season 3 rewatch#long post#my writing
12 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
doubleabili
Double troube
leopolds-galaxy
Does God too live in fear of what he has created?
than-miss
Untitled
joseonjubu
💜JoseonJubu - 조선주부💜
samatchaya-tb-blog
Pipo Samatchaya Chavengjaroenkul