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ashintheairlikesnow · 3 years

Note

For Vampire Chris! What if he and Jake went to a museum and came across some of Tooley's paintings? And Chris has a panic attack! We would finally get some Jake comfort. And maybe Chris would reveal more horrible things that Tooley had done to him.

CW: Discussion of death, blood, vampire whumpee, caretaker and whumpee

The sun sets early in the winter, and it's the only reason they can make this work.

Chris is barely awake even so, sipping from a coffee cup Jake filled with the contents of one of his blood packs, hoping he doesn't trip and spill and lead to Jake having some very awkward, panicked explanations to make to anyone nearby.

He'd slept in the truck Jake borrowed from Nat most of the way over here, curled in the passenger seat. He looks for all the world like any high schooler who stayed up too late the night before, dragged out by his family, forced to go learn when all he wants is rest.

Chris is draped in a hooded sweatshirt pulled on over his head, hair mussed from sleeping in the closet in the little nest-bed he made for himself in there. It sticks out like stray from beneath the hood he's pulled up, coppery strands occasionally covering his eyes and making him shove them out of the way with a snort that has no right to be as adorable as it is, considering the monster who makes the sound.

Not a monster, no. Not really.

Or his monster, anyway, the same way his mother is his mother. Jake is starting to understand the little vampire - more than three times his own age - has chosen him for family now.

The sweater he wears is kind of a joke, actually. Jake bought it weeks ago from a website that puts the covers of books on clothes, and it's an old cover image from Dracula.

Jake thought it was funny, anyway. Nat was less amused. Chris only smiled and said something about being happy the hairy palms thing isn't true.

The air is chilly, and Jake shivers a little as they head in from the parking lot across a small sidewalk next to a park and toward the museum itself, but of course Chris doesn't even notice. He seems to be enjoying it, the way it blows around his hair as they make their way slowly up the steps and past the row of Grecian-style columns that mark the entrance.

Jake has to visit for one of his classes, an extra-credit something-or-other, and Chris had asked to go along with him.

Jake had been hesitant, but seeing the way the vampire's green eyes sparkle as he moves around in public like any other person, well... he feels like he made the right choice to bring him along now.

"Finish up your drink, you can't take anything in once we pay and get past the lobby," Jake says, and Chris nods, gulping the last of the blood as fast as he can as they push through wide double-doors. Jake tries not to imagine how it must feel, swallowing thick congealing cooled blood. Someone's life, someone's heartbeat, down your throat...

Really, is he that much different? Jake has eaten a dozen cows' worth of beef in his life.

Does Chris see them all as just livestock? He doesn't act like it, but then, there are people who treat pigs or cows like pets and not like food...

His stomach flips a little and he forces himself to look around, up at the chandelier at the high ceiling, the heavy wooden desk they have to walk to off to the side to get their tickets. To stop trying to understand if Chris is a sort of stray they've adopted, or if he's a higher-level predator living with prey.

Once Chris drops the cup into a trash can, Jake throwing a couple wadded-up tissues on top so no one can accidentally see the smear of red around the edge of the lid, they buy their tickets, and wind their way through and past the little velvet ropes that mark off the entrance.

The museum opens before them into a grand hall, with paintings the size of two-story buildings on either side, permanent installations in the museum. Commissioned for its opening, sometime back in the 70's.

Jake picks up a brochure so they know which way to go - LGBTQ+ Art in Pre-War America is the temporary exhibit he's here to see, traveling work that is usually housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

"Oh, nice, it's on the first floor. Looks like you go through a couple of 'specialty' rooms, just showing off stuff from the in-house collection. Sounds cool, right?"

Chris, looking from side to side at the gigantic paintings that hang on the walls in the opening hall, hums softly, a tuneless constant sound. He doesn't answer Jake's question. He hums often, and Jake barely notices any longer, but there's something edged to it, now. As if just being around the paintings is making him nervous.

"Okay, little man, let's go over here." He touches Chris's arm, lightly, through the thick fabric of his sweater. The vampire looks over at him, smiling with his lips pressed together to hide his teeth from any potential prying eyes.

He follows easily, but he sticks closer to Jake than he normally does, and his eyes are constantly roving. They move through an exhibit of Pre-Colombian pottery first, on their way to the room in the back where the temporary showcase is.

Jake watches Chris's fingers twitch with the urge to touch, to learn by feeling the bumps and ridges in the ancient clay, and how he holds back as best he can. His urge to lift the clear protective plastic boxes right off the pottery so he can get at it is nearly physically painful.

Jake pretends not to see it when Chris's fingers trail along a column, settling for the white-painted rectangle the pottery is balanced on, taking in the rough texture smoothed by the matte paint.

"Did you ever meet anyone like you that was old enough to have made stuff like this?" Jake asks, stopping in front of a water jug in the shape of a man playing a flute with a dog at his feet. The dog wears a carved smile marked with disturbingly human-looking teeth. The paint it must have been covered in is worn by time, leaving the reddish-brown of the clay behind, with the faintest streaks of white still in the crevices.

"No," Chris replies, tilting his head, making direct eye contact with the statue in a way he never quite can do with any real person. Not comfortably, anyway. Jake has seen him force it and shudder afterwards, overwhelmed. When he'd asked about it, Chris had said he never liked looking at anyone's eyes, even before, when he was alive. It's too much, was all he would say. It's always too much. "None, um, none of us live that long."

"Why not?" They're alone in the room. It's the only reason Jake feels safe asking.

Chris's tongue runs over the sharpening bumps of his growing-in fangs, pressing against them, easing the itch and the ache of their return. After a second, he pulls a plastic bat on a cord from inside his sweater and puts the bat into his mouth, chewing on it idly, jaw working. "I, I, I don't know. That's just what what what my, my, my pack told me."

"I thought vampires lived in covens."

"No." Chris doesn't elaborate on this one. He can be weirdly secretive about how he lived before he came to Nat's, before he was pulled out of a basement, a living drug for a wealthy asshole.

Secretive, or just forgetting whatever wasn't essential.

He moves away to another pedestal, a shard broken off of a larger vessel, marked with a deep white and intense black angular design. He hums again, and Jake takes the hint and leaves him alone.

They spend several more minutes looking over the pottery before they head through a second room full of what must just be the favorite pieces of museum employees, as there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason, and each little card with the name of the piece and its maker has a paper next to it with a note on why each employee loves this piece in particular. Chris lingers around older things, a woven tapestry from medieval England, landscapes from the 19th century. He stares for a while at a painting called The Country Path by Joseph Poole Addy, a pale watercolor of winter trees with bare branches breaking the line of sky and a woman bundled in a coat carrying a basket down an equally colorless road.

Chris's humming getting louder, and he rocks a little, forward and back, his eyes moving again and again through the lines of the painting.

Jake wonders what it is about this one specifically that catches Chris like that, and when the vampire finally moves on he checks the employee's statement. Joseph Poole Addy, Irish painter in the 19th and 20th centuries, blah blah, something something countryside... Jake frowns, and glances over at Chris, who isn't looking back. He's moved on to something else.

Jake decides to ask him later.

They make it to the exhibit they're here to see, and Jake whistles under his breath as he enters. There are vibrant, saturated paintings lining the walls, a couple of large sculptures on the floor that still are taller than he is, a few smaller ones on pedestals. The work is mostly figurative, although there's some early abstraction there, a hint of the contemporary push to take even figurative work out of simply being an echo of a real life thing.

Chris looks at a sculpture, his head cocked so far to the side it looks almost birdlike, not quite human. Jake thinks his own neck would ache for days if he tried to do that. "Must've been, um, later," He mumbles to himself.

Jake files that away in his mental list of things to talk to Chris about later.

He walks slowly along the line of paintings. The whole point of being here is that he's supposed to pick a specific piece and write a short essay about it and the artist who made it, prove he saw it in person.

The class itself is about how to encourage better outcomes for healthcare in marginalized populations - but if she's giving out extra-credit for looking at queer art, well, Jake is happy to spend an hour in a museum.

After his dismal performance on the last test, he could use whatever credit he can get. Besides, the exhibit is actually kind of cool with that in mind. Every one of these artists was in some way outside of the sort of het ideal, and Jake smiles a little as he catches the heaviness of a look between two men seated across a table from one another, looks over the clasped hands of women, sitting with everything from shoulder to hip touching, who are listed as 'friends visiting the riverbank'.

Art that celebrates, hidden in plain sight. Art that rebels by sliding details in under the surface where only those looking for them will find them.

Each piece has another little paper, although this just has details about the artist and their work, what they were known for. He can use it as a jumping-off point for his paper, anyway.

"You, you, you finished her," Chris whispers, standing in front of a sculpture of a woman with her head thrown back as if in uproarious laughter, a woman with curls expertly carved so that her hair seems to have been there before the stone it's made of somehow. "I wonder if she, um, if if if she saw it."

"What'd you say, Chris?" Jake blinks, pulled out of his own internal reverie.

"Nothing," Chris responds, and walks slowly around the statue. The woman's smile is a shining light in the room. No one could carve like that without being at least a little in love with the subject.

Jake wanders away and then comes to an abrupt stop before a large painting, probably taller than Chris is. The background is near-total darkness with only a suggestion of stone, a single beam of light shining down to illuminate the central figure.

A naked boy clothed only in scraps of torn cloth that only emphasize his nakedness everywhere else is crouched in terror. His knees are bent and his feet are on the floor, one hand holding his weight with fingers slightly curled, his spine bent and arched as if he is caught in the midst of turning to look up to find the direction of the light. His other hand is thrown out, as if trying to ward off an attack.

He bleeds from a dozen or more places, the blood curving perfectly around his form, giving it extra weight and heft that makes it seem like he'll step out of the canvas, grab Jake, and shake him.

Jake's heart starts to race as he stares.

There are bones littering the ground around the thin, wasted boy, not bleached but sort of yellowed, marked with little notches as if cut with a knife. There might still be bits of skin attached to some of them, a hint of muscle. The detail makes Jake sick, but his panic, that comes from something else entirely. Just behind the panicked boy there is a body, as if just fallen, the eyes still open in the final terrified throes of death. The body's fingers are still dug into the dirt floor as if the dead man had been trying to pull himself somewhere, to escape.

A skull watches with eerie cheer from one corner of the painting, a few teeth missing and knocked out from its garish grin.

Barely visible, a thin wash of grayish-white, there is a pale, gnarled hand near the bottom reaching out from the background as if to grab the boy's ankle and drag him into the darkness.

Count Ugolino's Last Son, oils, 1932, reads the little plaque beside the painting. Its faint brassy shine glints in the carefully calibrated light. Edward Tooley, 1907 - 1936.

Jake swallows, but the lump in his throat doesn't budge, and he swallows again. And again. He can't take his eyes off the boy's painted hair, a dirtied copper, strawberry-blond badly in need of a wash. The wide green eyes with their terror writ large and clear, painted with lovingly perfect detail.

The boy in the painting is the perfect identical twin of the vampire who is still staring at the sculpture on the other side of the room. The fear in his face is so expertly done as to seem more photographic than painted in oil. The blood that drips to the ground follows his anatomy with absolute perfection. The bones are not bleached by they so often are in paintings, no, these...

These...

Jake holds his phone up and takes a photo, and then another of the little plaque.

"Chris." His voice cracks and Jake clears his throat. His heart is still pounding. "Chris, come look at this."

"Yes, Jake," Chris answers, sounding a little faint, and then he seems to simply appear at Jake's elbow, the teenage boy who has seen two world wars and a half-dozen smaller, stupider ones.

He goes still at Jake's side when he looks up. Jake looks over, just slightly, glancing sidelong to see a look of something like... wistfulness on the vampire boy's face.

"Tooley," He breathes. His hand goes up, and out, and he would have touched the canvas if Jake hadn't reached out and grabbed on to stop him. Chris jumps a little and turns to meet Jake's gaze. His eyes are pink-tinged in the whites, as if he's holding back tears. "Is, is, is he famous?"

"I guess. He's... he's here, isn't he?"

"He always wanted to, um, to to to to be famous." Chris's eyes move over the details, but it's not with surprise, it's with easy familiarity. He's seen this painting before.

He's been this painting before.

"That's you, isn't it?" Jake asks in a hushed voice. "Like, that was really you."

Chris looks away again, a faint flush in his cheeks. He's full enough of blood for it to happen, and you'd never know he isn't alive if you didn't already. "Yes," He whispers, and wipes at the corner of his eye with one hand. "That, that, that's me."

"Were you his model?" Jake blinks, looking back over the painted twin of the vampire beside him. The fear in the boy's face, woven in with a kind of awful resignation. It's all so perfectly rendered.

"Yes. Sort, um. Sort of. He, he, he kept me in a room." Chris exhales, slowly, and his eyes shift over to the paper with the little bit of biographical information on it. Edward Tooley's early works focused on landscapes or retreads of common historical subjects, only to find greater excellence and focus when he began to paint, again and again, the same figure - a representation of the darkness of the human soul - he stated appeared to him and demanded to be portrayed... art historians believe Tooley was driven by the demons of the Great War that had taken his family from him one by one to seek out uncomfortable subjects that force viewers to see the damage humans do to one another...

Chris's nose wrinkles as he reads, his lips moving slightly with the words as he takes them in. "I never did that. Never, um, wanted to be painted. Also, um this, um. He was... wasn't... he wasn't... wasn't like the paper says."

Jake looks over, reads it himself. Gregarious, sociable, popular with the libertine art crowd... he frowns. "What part is wrong?"

"This." Chris points, this at least he can safely make contact with, and presses the pad of his finger under a sentence that reads took inspiration from the ugly side of the city hidden under its shining lights. "He, he, he he didn't care about anyone in the city. He thought everyone who, who who who who-who wasn't him was, um, was stupid."

"What did he care about?" Jake imagines telling his professor that instead of an essay, he's going to bring in a vampire who literally knew one of the artists in person. How she might react.

Probably call the cops and report an unsecured vampire loose on the streets. But maybe she'd listen to what Chris had to say first.

"Blood," Chris says, softly. His voice is getting lower and lower, until it's barely more than a whisper. "Pain. Fear. Being... being the the the the last person who, who saw someone. He, he, he, he liked to lay them out and paint them, liked me to, to, to... arrange them for him."

Jake's eyes go unwillingly back to the dead body behind the scared boy in the painting. The grasping fingers, the open eyes that look sightless, lifeless, at nothing at all. When he looks, he can see - more suggestion than made clear - that the body's throat is torn open, as if by an animal's teeth.

Now, only now that he's looking for it, does he realize there is the slightest hint of red tears on the cheeks of the painted boy, a sheen of pink on his teeth where he begs for mercy from the grasping singular hand coming out of the dark.

His stomach flips again. "Chris, are you saying-"

"His, his, his name was Ben." Chris nods at the dead body in the painting. "I asked. Before..." He gestures, a little vaguely. "That."

Jake feels a sudden, wild urge to look up missing persons cases from New York City in 1932. See if there's anyone named Ben on there. He knows without having to do so that there definitely will be.

"What happened to him... after?"

"I don't know. I, I, I was never let out when Tooley was gone. I... wonder how, how, how many of me there are." Chris looks up at the echo of his own face, his head tilting again. His lips tremble, just a little, and then part to show the hint of white teeth wet with pinkish saliva. "On walls, in houses, in... in places like, um. Like this. How many there are... is, is, is, is that what I still look like?"

Jake clears his throat again, looks down at his feet. This feels, suddenly, like he's walked in on someone looking down at his own dead body in a funeral home. Interrupting a moment so immensely private it shouldn't even exist.

"Yeah," he says, a little gruffly. "Yeah, that's it. More or less. Except I hope I scare you less than that. Also you wear a lot more clothes with us."

Chris laughs - it's a huff of sound, barely-there. Then he turns away from himself. "We, we, we can't see ourselves, in mirrors," He says, and he's got the little plastic bat back in his hand, rubbing his thumb over the carved silicone. "But I have mirrors everywhere. On these walls."

He goes suddenly terribly still. He isn't breathing.

He doesn't have to, but the realization that he isn't even pretending is a jolt of awareness of exactly how dead Chris is. He leaves the exhibit, and Jake is left to scramble after him, struggling to catch up to someone he should be able to easily outrun.

He breaks into a flat run when they get outside the double-doors, jumps the steps three at a time with grace, and runs across the grass and towards the stand of trees halfway across the park. Even Jake, who works out four days a week, is breathing hard and has a hitch in his rib by the time he catches up.

He finds Chris curled up under a tree in the evening dark, the stars starting to twinkle overhead as the sun finally allows them a clear night sky to shine in.

Jake drops to his knees, ignoring the damp that seeps into his jeans from soil that still hasn't dried since yesterday's rains, and he leans over, putting a warm hand to either side of the vampire's face.

Chris looks up, his eyes glinting like a cat's briefly in the dark, and there are trails down his cheeks, his lips pulled back from his teeth in a snarl that is anything but angry.

No, this is grief.

This is loss.

Jake knows the feeling.

"Talk to me," Jake says softly. "Tell me what it was like, what it's been like for you. Tell me about the life you've lived before I knew you."

"It, it, it hurt," Chris whispers, and his own hands cover Jake's. They're the same temperature as the air around them, and Jake shivers a little. It's almost a chill. "Every time. I, I, I try not to kill, Jake, I try so hard, but but but he would keep me so hungry and I couldn't-... stop..."

Jake thinks about the robbers Chris killed - for him, to save him from them - and how he'd locked himself in the closet afterward. Had he cried like this, over taking lives even when in defense?

"The museum thing said this guy Tooley died in 1936. He was only, what, twenty-nine? Did... did you-"

"Yes." Chris's voice is thick but it's not quite with regret. "I was hungry. He, he he he he didn't bring food. I was so hungry... then I was, um, was alone for a while... then, then, then, then then then I was taken for, for, for the, um, the trade, for my v-venom, and..."

"Got it. I got it, Chris. It's okay," Jake says, softly. "It's going to be okay. You're with us, now. And we'll never, ever make you hurt someone that way. We'll never make you go hungry. We'll never hurt you or use you."

Chris ducks his head, rocking forward until it knocks into Jake's shoulder, and Jake slides his arms around the vampire's shoulders, listening to his soft, muffled sobs, wondering how red his shirt will be stained by the time the vampire's tears have been cried out.

The same mouth that tore out the throat of a dead body that lays in a painting on the wall is so close to his neck it would take less than an inch for him to bite down. Even without fangs, he could lock his jaw and break the skin.

The same dangerous monster that has killed likely dozens to stay alive, the same stalking predator that has been the last sight of far too many, cries in his arms. Just a teenage boy who has been lonely, and terrified, and hurt for too long.

A teenager... and a monster that hunts prey after dark. Jake tightens his arms around Chris, holds him tighter.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter how long he's been alive, not really.

He's just Chris.

That matters more.

@mylifeisonthebookshelf @insaneinthepaingame @keeper-of-all-the-random-things @burtlederp @finder-of-rings @newandfiguringitout @astrobly @endless-whump @pretty-face-breaker @gonna-feel-that-tomorrow @doveotions @boxboysandotherwhump @oops-its-whump @cubeswhump @whump-tr0pes @downriver914 @whumptywhumpdump @whumpiary @orchidscript @nonsensical-whump @outofangband @what-a-whump

#whump #vampire whump #vampire whumpee #blood tw #recovering whumpee #caretaker and whumpee #nonhuman whumpee #immortal whumpee #vampire #vampirism #vampire fiction #horror fiction #original fiction #whump writing #chris the strawberry blond romantic #vampire chris au #past torture

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iphoenixrising · 3 years

Text

DickTim Week Day 4: Dark!Dick and Vampire!Tim

So. So. *Steeples fingers* this may or may not be the fic for you. Yet another combination prompt because the people on the Capes and Coffee Discord are fucking enablers. You know who you are.

Warnings for: captivity, blood-letting, missing-in-time Bruce

The hidden bunker is outside the city limits of Gotham, a perfect place to stay off the grid.

Officer Grayson makes the drive with the radio on WKKG, All Gotham, All the Time. He moves his head to the beat of the pop song blaring over the line.

The outside of the abandoned gas station looks positively deserted and if they were any more rural, tumble weeds would be rolling around the decrepit gas pumps.

Officer Grayson parks around the back of the building out of sight and grabs the paper bags from the passenger side, holds his cup of coffee in the same hand, whistles to himself as he gets out of the police cruiser.

A complex locking system on a seemingly outdated walk-in freezer opens up to an elevator that is decidedly the newest fixture in the place.

He hums the chorus of the pop song from the radio on the way down, small smile on his face reflecting back at him from the mirrored doors.

The underground is a completely different world.

Apparently constructed to be a bunker, the basement is lead-lined and spacious with all processes set-up to stay off the grid, perfect for his needs. He has a separate power supply, a separate HVAC system, a security system with nearly imperceptible cameras to make sure no one, no one gets close enough to the property without alerting him immediately.

And he certainly doesn’t want anyone finding his personal mission here.

Officer Grayson puts one of the grocery bags down on a table littered with notebooks and read-outs he’d left the last time after he’d gotten samples. He sips on his coffee as he walks around the first room, lit only by the emergency lights at the top of the low-slung ceiling, and turns on the power, turns on the lights in the rest of the bunker.

The beeps behind him are the locks resetting on the elevator, the only way out.

Dick is still humming when he passes into the next room, blocked on either end with thick, metal doors complete with a complex locking mechanism and impressive alarm system. The many tables in this room are filled with laboratory equipment, a biotechnician’s playground.

Half-completed analyses are still running on the impressive screens mounted overhead, status bar at 68%.

Five-gallon buckets under the tables with black Sharpie denote chemical names with dates scribbled hastily below.

Dick sips his coffee as he looks up at the running totals, makes mental notes, compares previous tests and results.

It’s discouraging, but Dick just sighs to himself. Of all vigilantes in Gotham, he’s the optimist, and he knows that each failure will just bring him closer and closer to success. He just can’t give up.

Bruce is counting on them.

With his coffee and bag in one hand, he lets the analysis churn, and enters his code in the next door, then places a palm print on the pad outside. Leans down so his eye scan can be completed.

Unlike the other rooms, the lights come on the second the door fully unlocks and opens to allow Dick entrance.

The reason for that is to turn on the intense sun lamps to further weaken the figure strapped down to the gurney in the center of the room, strategically lessening the possibility of an attack.

Dick puts the bag and his coffee down on the only table in the room.

“Sorry I didn’t come yesterday. Rupert Thorne had a big shipment planned and we were up late tracking it,” his voice is light and cheery, his smile wide and white. He comes to the side of the gurney, takes note of the slight burning smell that always seems to permeate the room no matter how much he tries to avoid it by making sure there’s always something between skin and pure silver. Struggling dislodges whatever he uses, so the result is the smell of burning flesh.

He clicks his tongue in disappointment, looking down at Timmy’s closed eyes and painfully pale face.

His frown deepens when Tim Drake rolls his head over to face the wall instead.

Silver chains wrap his arms, legs, neck, and torso, rendering him utterly immobile. Holy relics hang over the gurney as an added safety measure. He’s completely naked under a flimsy sheet.

“Aren’t you going to say hello?” He asks softly. “I’m letting Alfred pick up Dami so I can spend some extra time with you today.”

IVs are grotesquely hooked into each major artery, set on slow drain. The multiple blood bags hooked under the gurney show the slow trickle as the bags fill to a crawl.

Tim’s violet-blue eyes crack open a sliver, but he doesn’t look away from the wall, away from freedom.

“That isn’t very nice,” Dick’s tone stays soft, yet firm. “You know what I’m trying to do here.”

The sound of Tim trying to swallow is heard over the soft mechanical beeping, the hum of working equipment. “You know how important you are to this, Timmy. I don’t like how you keep refusing to be a team player.” Dick pauses just a moment, eyes narrow, “is this still about Damian being Robin now? Because you know how many times we’ve been over this.”

Tim closes his eyes again, a muscle in his jaw jumps.

“Well, I think you’ve been sulking about it long enough,” Dick brusquely throws the sheet out of the way to show IVs, burns, and the network of complicated blood vessels below deathly pale skin. “You knew even before you went to Iraq my choices were the best for everyone, not just you.”

Dick checks all the leads, makes sure the drip is slow. He doesn’t so much as lift up the solid silver chains and nudge them with the cloth he keeps underneath, the point of it is to try and keep Tim’s skin from burning, temporarily cauterizing his veins and killing the supply. The last time the chains were displaced this much, Dick had made the mistake of lifting one, giving Tim enough power to bare his fangs and lunge. Since then, the chains have stayed put, only shuffled around a little.

“And if you would have just listened to me and stayed in Gotham, you wouldn’t have been caught by vampires in the first place. You know that, don’t you? If you would have worked with us at home, Ra’s would have never taken that much of an interest and led them right to you. Heck, you might still be alive and have your spleen.”

Shaking his head in frustration at all the events from last year when Bruce’s body was brought back, when the Battle for the Cowl had forced him to raise his hand against Jason again and break his heart over Little Wing again, when he knew Tim didn’t need any more mentorship, didn’t need the support and encouragement Damian did after losing their father, and the ultimate decision to let Tim decide his own future after Robin, when seeing Tim six months after his disappearance as a vampire in a cape, all of it had made the choice on how to handle this situation.

How to fix everything that had gone so horribly wrong.

Do what he had to do, try disseminating the secrets of immortality so they could bring Bruce back.

And like this, Tim is going to help him do it.

“But it’s okay,” he’s back to smiling again, “we’ve worked past all that, haven’t we, Timmy?” Dick is satisfied all the leads are fine and the slow flow unimpeded. He steps back to the bag on the table.

In one hand is a pint of O Positive. In the other, a Krispy Kreme with sprinkles.

Both their favorites.

“C’mon,” he cajoles after taking a bite of his donut, “it’s one of Steph’s extra pints. I know you’re going to like it.”

He holds the oozing bag to Tim’s averted mouth and patiently waits, nibbles on his donut in the other hand.

“Why don’t,” and the tone is hoarse, faint because Timmy mostly doesn’t really talk to him anymore, “you just kill me?”

Dick pauses mid-chew, blinking down at the eyes filling with bloody tears, the hitch in the chest that doesn’t really move anymore.

Dick swallows the bite, suddenly more like ash than icing in his mouth. “You know I can’t do that,” is more harsh than he means. “We don’t kill. Not even vampires.”

“Then let me go.”

“Can’t let you go out and kill people either, Tim, and I need the supply for testing.”

“This is torture. This is fucking torture and you don’t even give a shit about me anymore–”

With a flick of his fingers, a crucifix falls right on Tim’s chest, and the screams are awful, horrible, but that is probably never going to outweigh the smell.

By the time Dick finishes his donut, Tim is weakly writhing in agony and the screams have died down to soft whimpers, mouth open to show those killer fangs.

He dusts his hands off and pulls on a glove from the Nightwing suit under his uniform, gingerly lifts the holy item off, grimaces when tissue and flesh stick to it.

“Kill me,” Timmy whimpers. “Just fucking kill me.”

Dick scoffs and takes the chance to lean down, presses his mouth to Tim’s forehead. “You know I can’t lose anyone else,” is the softest of reprimands. “Don’t worry. Once I just figure this out, we’ll get Bruce back and he’ll help us reverse the turning. Before you know it, this will seem like just a bad dream.”

Dick presses another kiss to each eyelid, talking softly against the deceptively soft yet immortal skin. “And when you’re back to yourself, we can be together again. I’ll take care of you just like I used to, promise.”

Dick leans back up with a small smile on his face and familiar fondness in his eyes. He holds the bag up to Tim’s mouth again, ignores the red tears streaming down the pale face. “We’ll get there, okay? I’m close to the answers we need. I just need a little more time. But, I have to have samples to work with, which means you to drink, Timmy.”

Like usual, the pink tracks down his face stand out starkly in the false sunlight when Tim finally gives in and punctures the bag with his fangs.

#how is this my life #dicktim #dicktimweek2021 #dick grayson #tim drake #vampire!tim #dark!dick grayson #tw: captivity #this might not be for you #and that's okay #winter goes a little off the rails #because writing #my fic #my writing

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lovestrucked-again · 4 years

Text

Delirium II | Mafia

Summary: After being kidnapped and claimed by the notorious mafia leader, he offers you a 7 day period where you’ll be given the option after of staying or leaving. Until then, you’re stuck, whether you like it or not.

Pairing: Mafia leader X female reader Word count: 2.9k

Genre & Warning: SMUT, fingering, Explicit content, kidnapping, mafia gang, possessive, toxic, yandere like personality, punishment, use of sex toys, multiple orgasms, rough, orgasm denial, begging, orgasm control, praise, teasing,

Please don’t read this if you’re uncomfortable. A very obvious statement but this series is purely fictional, it is unacceptable in real life and should not be taken lightly.

Part 1 | Part 3

Day 2

When you wake up, the sticky feeling from between your thighs is gone. Your body is still bare but the sheet wrapped around you is enough to keep you warm. With the morning light shining through the windows, your finally able to look around the room. You sit up against the headboard, noticing the pain in your thighs as you drag them up. The room is simply decorated. The walls a dull shade of white with a neat desk in the corner. A few plants littering around the room, giving it colour.

The sound of the door opening brings your attention over to the person entering, your hands quickly bringing the sheets to cover your top half. Taeyong walks in, dressed in a white shirt and shorts, clearly having already showered.

“I made you breakfast. I know it’s just a bowl of cereal, but it’s the only thing I won’t burn.” He tells you, taking a seat beside you on the bed. His piercing eyes from the night before now soft and rounded.

“Thanks.” You mumble, bringing your arms out of the sheet to grab the bowl from him gratefully.

Taeyong smiles at you, the silence seeming strangely comfortable. You couldn't tell what this man was thinking. When you first met him, he looked at you like you were something delicate, the way he carefully approached you, pushed your hair behind your ears. Then last night happened, not that you didn’t enjoy the sex, but it was ….terrifying. You didn't realise his personality could change so drastically in just the little time you’d known him.

“Hey baby, I hope you don't mind wearing one of my shirts for now. I got one of the guys to bring your clothes from your place for you.”

“My clothes?” You question, confused.

“Yeah.”

“Why are you bringing them here?”

“Because your moving in with me.” He states, bringing one of your hands to his lap.

“Wh-what?!” You stutter out.

“It’ll be fun.”

“Wait no, I can’t.” You shake your head violently, “I won’t.”

“Baby I wasn't really giving you a choice on that.” He warns, his voice suddenly low.

“Look, I don't know if you’re okay or if you need some help but I’m not moving in with you, I don't even know you!” You tell him, your voice rising with your words, not finding his jokes amusing, “I don’t even know your name for fucks sake.”

“Baby don't swear; I don't like it.” He murmurs, his hand stroking circular motions on the back of your palm soothingly, “And my name’s Taeyong.”

“I won’t tell anyone about last night,” You whisper desperately, “just let me go.”

Taeyong lets the thought swim around in his head for a bit. Truth be told, he was going to have you no matter what, but perhaps you’d give him a little more liking if he lied.

“How about you move in with me for just a week, if you really hate me then you can leave.” He proposes.

“I’ll leave when I want,” you tell him, getting ready to pull off the bed sheets still covering your naked body, ready to leave exposed if you have to. Taeyong is quick to stop you, only needing to grip onto your wrist harshly to prevent you from moving.

“Baby, I gave you an offer, you can take it or decline it.” He cautions, “I didn't say you could bargain with me.”

His dark eyes are drilled into yours. And you can’t help but notice, the depth of the ink, sorrow, perhaps pain, that was hiding behind them. You couldn't see the whites of his eyes anymore, nor the vessels that flowed through them. He looked, frightening.

“I-I’ll take the offer.” You stutter out. His gaze makes you gulp, suddenly losing the attitude you originally had. You decide to just follow through with his words for now, you could always leave when he wasn’t around.

“Great well, let’s take you around the house for now.” He chimes, eyes instantly switching back as he happily grabs your untouched bowl, putting it on the bedside table. He walks over to his cupboard, pulling out a plain black t-shirt and brings it over to you, helping you slip it on.

“Lift your arms up baby.”

“I can do it myself,” You tell him, feeling embarrassed to let the sheets fall and your body expose itself to his eyes.

“Let me.” He pleads, his right hand taking yours and locking his fingers with yours. You let out a sigh, and you nod, wanting to hide under the sheets in a sheepish mess. Surprisingly he doesn't say anything as your breasts reveal themselves out of the sheets. His eyes are still trained on you, helping you slip the fabric over your head.

“Thanks,” You whisper, feeling flushed under his eyes. He laughs lightly, noticing the red in your face. He cups your cheeks and gently squeezes your face before pecking your lips.

“Wow don’t you just look adorable.” He exclaims, drawing out the last syllable. For some reason all his words and gestures only confuse you, strangely feeling like you were already use to his presence, his touch.

The fabric of his shirt reaches below your thigh, better than nothing. He peels back the bed sheet, giving you a hand to help you off the bed. You stumble a little, the sudden weight on your weaker legs unable to withstand the pain. Taeyong snakes an arm around your waist to support you just as you trip, already prepared to catch you.

The memories of the earlier event vanish as soon as you step outside his room. Who would’ve known the door would lead to such a large open, spacious area with a breath-taking view of your city. A huge flat-screen television dominated one wall, with a soft leather couch directly in line. However, it was the transparency of the windows that surprised you.

Your feet began walking to the glass, Taeyong following beside you. You must’ve been on the top floor of whatever building you were in. The faint outlines of people on the road, the entire view of the city in your sight.

“Wow.” You breathed out.

“Still don't want to live with me?” He whispers, moving to stand behind you so he’s able to envelop you around your waist. His head rests against your shoulder as you both stare out at the city, the sunlight shining on your skin.

“Who are you?” You mumble out-loud. You had no idea what was going on anymore. Who was this guy? How could he afford this place? What had happened in such a short time was over-whelming. The butterflies return to you as his hands lock around your stomach.

“Someone whose absolutely in love with you.” He murmurs, pressing a soft kiss on your neck.

You pull away quickly, the words swimming through your mind at a rapid pace. Taeyong takes a step back, letting you have some space to yourself as he walks over to his couch.

“What do you normally watch at home?” He asks, reaching for the remote and changing it to a netflix channel. You’re still lost in your thoughts when he calls again, “Baby?”

“I-I don't mind.”

“Okay, I’ll choose something then,” he replies, deciding between the first or second movie of Despicable Me.

You break your gaze from the city and turn around to look at him, “I didn't take you for a kid’s movie type.”

“It’s a cute movie.” He shrugs, patting the empty side of the couch beside him.

You sit down beside him, leaving a clear distinct line between the two of you to avoid being right next to him. You’re aware of the minimal clothing you’re wearing (only one of his shirts) so you keep your legs crossed on the couch, pulling the fabric down to cover as much as possible.

As the movie plays you can finally feel like you’re relaxing, immersed in the childish scenes playing out as both of you laugh. It feels comfortable.

You didn't have many friends, only receiving a few texts and calls from them once in a while to talk about their own love life. You were mainly focused on your education, barely taking any social time to explore. The one night you did, bought you here. You had gone for a blind date set up by your college friend and you agreed reluctantly. The guy was a jerk, leaving you alone in the middle of a dark street as he receives a call from his ex, clearly not over her.

That was just a few minutes before you had run into Jaehyun killing a man. And seconds later, you were bought here. To Taeyong.

Around 30minutes in your legs start cramping suddenly, most likely from sitting cross legged the whole time. Taeyong notices you shift in your seat, your hands massaging your lower calves.

“Put your legs up, you need to stretch them.” He tells you, patting his legs for you to swing them over.

You hesitate for a minute, but his expression’s sincere, “Thanks.”

You place your legs on his lap, finally stretching them out and Taeyong starts massaging your calf for you. “Is it this leg?" He asks, bringing your left leg closer to him.

“Yeah.” Taeyong wraps an arm around your legs, keeping you there as he adjusts himself, sitting comfortably. Your hands hold onto the hem of your current shirt, making sure it doesn't move.

As the movie’s almost finishing, your cramps have subsided. You realise Taeyong had continued to massage your leg, using less pressure throughout the movie. As you’re staring at his soft features, still mesmerised by the little minions on the TV, your brought back into reality.

“Taeyong?”

“Yes baby?” He replies, eyes still drawn to the movie.

“Why am I here?”

He reaches for the TV remote, pausing the movie, his focus now on you. “What do you mean?” He asks.

“Why didn’t you let me go?”

“Because I like you.”

“You don't know me.” You sigh, exasperated at his response.

“I don't know you? Are you sure about that baby?” He asks, amused at your question.

“I’ve been here for what? Maybe less than a day? Of course you don't know me!” You tell him, stating the obvious.

“Baby I do know you though,” He says, smiling smugly, “I know how to make you scream, I know how to make you beg for a fucking, I know -.”

“Fuck off Taeyong.” You growl, his arrogant attitude annoying you again.

“What did I say about swearing.” He tsks, pulling your body closer to him by tugging on your legs. Your shirt rides up as he drags you, nearly revealing your ass.

“Don't touch me.” You warn, snarling back at him, as you move back to your side of the couch, bringing your legs back to your body.

“That’s not very nice.”

“What’s with you and your crappy attitude Taeyong? One minute your soft and kind, the next you’re like some arrogant lit-.”

“Baby I suggest you reconsider that sentence.” He grins, relaxed and confident as he moves closer, his hands gripping onto your exposed thigh.

“Arrogant little bastard.” You finish.

Taeyong lets out a low chuckle, his eyes flipping a visible switch as he stands up and picks you up easily, throwing you over his shoulder. You let out a squeal in surprise, slapping him on the back as you shriek.

He kicks open his bedroom door, throwing you onto the bed as you land with a soft thud. Before your able to grasp the situation, he opens the drawer from the bedside table slipping the small gold key from around his neck off, he unlocks the case of a square box. The lid flips open and he brings something out of the case. Your neck is craned in the direction, watching his fast movements.

"What are you doing?" You ask, sitting up immediately when you see the item. Taeyong reveals a large, egg-shaped object with a faint string (unnoticeable to you) coming out of it. “Punishing you.”

“What is that?” You gasp, seeing the shape of it.

Your unable to see it properly as he turns around, pulling you by your ankles as you fall back against the mattress. He grabs your thighs tightly, pushing them apart. "You're dripping, baby. I can see your juices running out of you already.”

“What? No I’m not.” You argue, feeling insulted at his statement.

The shirt now no longer covering your thighs lets you feel the air of the ceiling fan spinning above you. Taeyong’s eyes staring right at your exposed pussy. You see him lean forward, bringing the object in his hand closer to your thighs.

You tense and brace yourself, expecting him to shove it in, but the hard shove doesn't come. Instead, he presses gently, rolling the probe back and forth in tiny motions. His other hand slips between your legs as his fingers stroke your pussy and you let out a loud moan.

Eventually, he slips it inside of you, pushing it completely in and leaving only a thin string hanging. The shock paralyses you for a second, as you feel yourself engulfing it whole. Then you shriek and burst into tears as he turns a wheel on a small remote. The vibrator comes to life, buzzing inside you.

“Oh my god Taeyong!” You scream, your hands travelling everywhere, bundling in the sheets and clawing at your own thighs. You squeeze your thighs shut involuntarily and it only causes the vibrations to intensify, bringing a soft moan from your mouth. Taeyong stands up from the bed, pulling up his reading chair next to the bed. He sits down, adjusting the chair for the best view, and watches you write against the bedsheets.

“Ta-take it out.” You groan. He leans back in the chair, smiling, watching you struggle. You thrust your hips in the air, trying to dislodge the buzzing toy; but from his point of view, it looks like you’re fucking an invisible partner. You writhe and twist, as he turns up the speed and power of the vibrator.

“Ju-just fuck me,” You stutter out in a moaning mess, desperate for him.

“What was that baby?” He asks, genuinely surprised at your sudden confession. He turns the dial down for you to repeat yourself, but not completely off.

“Ta-take it out and just fuck me.” “Not right now baby.” He smiles and laughs, leaning back again as he switches it back to high.

The vibrations inside you continue relentlessly as your body grows weak with exhaustion. You clench involuntarily around the hard, smooth object as the vibrations become tingles in your belly.

Taeyong watches. Little by little, the tingle becomes stronger. The thing inside you thrums, fanning the desire into a sense of raging, desperate need. You sigh and moan as your hips rock up and down.

"Good girl. Take it." Taeyong murmurs, moving beside you now to let his one finger part your folds. You let out a gasp as he finds your clit. "This feels good, doesn't it?"

“Y-yes.”

He moves his finger in circle motions against you as the constant buzz chips away inside of you. Soon your hips were rocking again, your head thrown back in a whining mess as he presses harder against your clit. You whimper wordlessly and grind your hips against his finger. "Please...please..." The need consumes you. Your body left on fire as all you can think of is nothing but the vibration inside. You clench and thrust your hips upward.

Taeyong grabs the cord, pulling the vibrator out of you with a single rough tug. The tingle abruptly stops and replaces you with emptiness, tinged with desperation. You felt wetness roll down your thigh, and you pushed your hips back, frantic, longing to feel something inside again but finding only empty air.

He replaces it with his fingers, pushing them roughly inside of you at a savage pace. You let out a loud sob. “You love this, don't you?” He chuckles, continuing his thrusts. "You still need more, don't you, little slut? You can't get enough." He picks up the egg-shaped vibrator again. "Let's see if this does the trick." Without preamble, he shoves it roughly inside your lips, watching it disappear. You gasp and shake as he turns it on to its maximum setting for the first time, letting it resume the hard, insistent vibrations.

Your orgasm comes, ripping through your body like molten fire, and as you clench and tighten, pain lashes through you, too.

When it’s s over, you crash back to earth in a shock. Taeyong turns off the vibrator, pulling it from you with a slurping sound. You make a weak mewling noise as it finally leaves your weakened body. He sits on the side of the bed and pulls you onto his lap; your body curling up around him in instinct as he strokes your hair.

“You did well baby. So well.” he murmurs. Finally, some small amount of strength flows back into you. You open your eyes and look up at him, able to speak at last. "What was that for?" He brushes a stray hair away from your eyes, and looks down at you. "Because you swore again." He smiles.

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wickedgamesoyaoya · 4 years

Text

Amnesia - Let the Games Begin

A mixture of delicious fragrances engulfed the café, compelling those who were fatefully walking by to enter the bistro. While the intoxicating scents may be what lured guests, it was the diverse set of attendants that created loyal customers. Jack Rose was founded by Hyroshi Miya eight years ago after the passing of his wife. Kaori Miya was known for having a sweet-tooth and her obsession with the tragedy of the Titanic. During Kaori’s battle with leukemia, Hyroshi developed an obsession with baking, with young Atsumu serving as his assistant. At first it served as a distraction for the duo, and a source of happiness for Kaori. However, when Kaori passed away, Hyroshi wanted to honour his wife’s life, and so Jack Rose was established. Named after the two love interests in Titanic, with an eccentric menu that no neighbouring café could challenge – it was a massive success.

“Hi, welcome to Jack Rose. Please follow me.” The rehearsed dialogue was not short of any enthusiasm, despite having said it hundreds of times.

“Oh my god, she’s so cute!” The middle-aged woman cooed to the male stood beside her, who nodded in approval. His amusement was untraceable due to the dark lenses that adorned his face, but he too was enthralled by your uniform.

A sugary smile had painted across your fuchsia painted lips, earning you a few extra points with the couple. It was a simple act that came natural to you, serving at Jack Rose had never struck you as a tedious job, rather it was a pleasurable experience.

After leading the pair to their assigned seat, a gentle hand had pressed into your lower back indicating that your replacement had arrived.

“Thank you, y/n. I will take it from here,” The mocha haired boy radiated an alluring aura, instantly capturing the interest of the two patrons. “Hi. I’m Tooru, your server for today.” Once introducing himself, his mouth twitched into his signature grin, prompting his eyelashes to flutter shut for a moment. Seated a few tables away, Oikawa’s fangirls were huddled together, squealing in unison.

“Enjoy your stay.” Folding an arm over your stomach, you bowed to excuse yourself before their hypnosis wore off, and the fangirls’ attention landed on you. Needless to say, anyone close to Oikawa Tooru was considered a threat. One they were eager to eliminate.

At the hostess stand, a familiar figure had shifted their weight onto the podium, the ends of his golden strands were frayed from the exposure to chemicals, yet with the sunlight sneaking through the glass behind, he resembled the subject of a painting.

“Oi. Are you feelin’ better today?” Atsumu Miya had always insisted that his accent was a natural product of his environment, although no one truly believed him considering the fact his family home was located in the wealthiest part of the city. Nonetheless, the accent persisted beyond his teenage years and into his young adulthood. It never bothered you, particularly because you had never heard him without it. After eighteen years of friendship, there wasn’t a single thing you did not adore about him.

“I am, don’t worry. Now will you please get off my stand? You are going to scare the customers.” Playfully you waved a hand in the air, gesturing for the blonde to reside elsewhere. “And if I’m not mistaken, you are skipping class right now, aren’t you?” As your tongue hit the roof of your mouth, a clicking sound was created to exemplify your disappointment.

“What was that? ‘tsumu is skipping class again?” If you had not become accustomed to Kuroo Tetsurou’s large and notable presence, you would have flinched the second his shadow had blanketed over you. Rather than experiencing any form of fear, his presence had only amplified your gaiety.

“Uh huh. Shall we get Papa Miya?” The bed-headed server leaned down, nestling his chin against your shoulder as he grinned provocatively at the target of your amusement. Kuroo was only a single year younger than you two, despite physically appearing to be older. The three of you were inseparable since the tender ages of six and five. When Kaori had passed away, Atsumu relied heavily on his two friends, as he had lost motivation to complete the smallest of tasks. That was why you took a job at Jack Rose, you needed it to succeed for his sake. It was a reminder of how his mother lived, rather than how she died. Kuroo had joined you in your quest a month later, and somehow your dream – Hyroshi’s dream had become reality.

“I swear yer the worst friends ever. It’s an online class! Don’t bring pops into it.” The blonde blew out a huff, turning his gaze away from those who threatened to ‘betray’ him.

“Oh my god, you guys are the worst! Poor Omi is in the back preparing all the drinks and you’re out here doing… whatever the hell this is!” Makoto Saito waved a small napkin at the black-haired server, unwilling to engage in any physical violence since it would require energy she wished to conserve. “Go back there, you man-baby. Help him. Shoo. Get off my adorable y/n.”

“Okay, okay. I’m going.” Kuroo raised his hands in defeat, unbothered by the napkin that was now being swayed towards his chest. Makoto had joined Jack Rose two years ago, and not because she was in any need for money – you were the reason she found herself sending in an application for what others would consider a low-end job. She had stumbled into the café one evening, boredom plaguing her after finishing a three-hour lecture. Oikawa had been the one to greet her, yet it was the positivity you emanated that brought her to return a night later. A month later, a job application was handed to you bashfully, whereas you could barely withhold your excitement. She was the second female to join Jack Rose, with Atsumu (accidentally) recruiting Ichika a year later.

“Now that he’s gone, y/n, I’m here to replace you. Omi said something about teaching you the new drink? I honestly don’t remember because I was on the phone, but let’s ignore that fact, hm?” Makoto’s interest in the boys was below minimal, the only male who was deserving of her respect was ‘Papa Miya’. Once Atsumu had jested that it was because she secretly had a crush on the much older male, to which she responded, ‘so what if I do’. The response had defeated his humour instantly.

“Oh, he must be talking about the blue pearl! It’s the newest addition to our menu.” Tapping a finger against your cheek, excitement burned in your y/e/c irises, prompting something to stir inside of both Atsumu and Makoto. What? You were so damn adorable.

“I don’t care, but you are so cute that I’ll pretend I do.” Reaching out, the black-haired girl patted your cheek affectionately. “Now go on, little bird. Fly fly away.”

“You guys better not fight while I’m gone.” With two fingers, you pointed at your eyes then at the two chaotic individuals you called friends, even with the warning, it was highly probable that the second you turned around they would begin bickering.

“Shoo, birdie.” The comment was accompanied by an unusually heavy sigh, Makoto completely intended on annoying Atsumu, but that was none of your concern.

Upon entering the kitchen, your nose crinkled at the delectable scents wafting towards you. When Sakusa Kiyoomi was working in the kitchen, everyone knew magic would materialize in the form of sweets. No one had believed the germaphobe could bake until he dropped off a box of home-made pastries along with his resume. Papa Miya was in the process of finishing his first bite when he declared that Sakusa was hired. He was just that damn good.

“You’re here.” The curly haired male had a bad habit of stating the obvious, he argued that it was key to the proper performance of his logical processes. No one tried to refute his claim, considering the fact he was essentially a genius. “Are you ready to learn?” Raising an eyebrow, his slender fingers wrapped around a glass-vessel before placing it on the counter.

“Mhm hm.” It was a bad habit of yours to chew on your bottom lip when in thought, but Sakusa found it endearing – even though he would deny such a claim out loud. Removing the notepad from your apron, your eyes darted aimlessly, searching for a writing utensil. You may have been a little too occupied with your pockets, a detail that the male picked up on, as he removed the pen tucked behind your ear.

“Are you sure you are well? If not, you should return home.” He held out the pen, analyzing your visage for any physical sign of illness.

“Woops. Sorry. I forgot it was there! But I promise, I’m fine!” It seemed that everyone was a bit on edge since yesterday, when you may have accidentally forgotten to eat and passed out mid-shift. You appreciated the sentiment, but you were fine. Really.

The curly haired baker refused to begin his demonstration until you consumed some food and water, his dark hues did not waver until each inch of the plate was clean. By the time you were done, Ichika had joined you in the kitchen for the lesson.

“I should have recorded that. I feel like I forgot it already.” Ichika was the youngest person on the team, Atsumu had offered her a job after finding her crying at a bus stop one night. The young girl was the breadwinner of her home, and due to her fathers gambling addiction, she was the only parental figure for her two younger siblings. Atsumu, after learning that her mother had too passed, was unable to turn a blind eye.

“I can show it to you tomorrow. I think I’ve got it.” A reassuring smile was presented towards her as you captured her hands and provided a gentle squeeze. “And then we all have the day off. I think everyone has decided we’re going to the amusement park, so it will be fun.”

“Okay… Thank you, y/n.” Ichika blinked excessively to withhold the tears that were brewing, she could always count on you to provide her with the support she so desperately needed. Sakusa who was simply watching the two interact was on guard with a rag to catch any tears that could possibly fall onto the counter he had just disinfected.

“Please do not cry.” The black-haired boy had almost sounded sincerely concerned for his co-workers emotional state, it was enough to fool Ichika who redirected her affections to him.

“You care about me too? Waa. I’m so loved!” As the tears began to exit her eye sockets, Sakusa jumped forward on instinct, pressing the cloth against her face. Laughter danced past your lips as you shook your head slowly. Jack Rose really attracted the strangest of people.

After your shift ended, instead of returning home to complete your assigned work, you decided to finish your assignment at the café. It was fairly quiet after 11pm, and Kuroo had offered to walk you home after closing up. Recently there were a striking number of assaults occurring in your area, and so you accepted the proposition without any hesitation.

“Welcome to Jack Rose! We are about to close soon, but I think I have enough time to serve you a drink or two. Is that okay with you, kind sir?” The words were conveyed in an anxious tone, as Ichika glanced at the clock plastered on the wall. Upon hearing the ‘kind sir’, both you and Atsumu glanced up from your laptop screens, stifling the laughter that was bubbling inside your throats.

“I won’t be long.” There was something peculiar about his choice of words, prompting your neurons to convey the word danger to your body. Before your mind could catch up with your physical movements, you had lifted from the chair and shuffled closer to where Ichika was stood. From the side of your eye, you saw your childhood friend following close behind, presumably picking up on your apprehension. But before you could utter a response to the mystery guest, the lightbulbs illuminating the bistro had burnt out.

The second darkness had enveloped the space, someone had seized your waist aggressively and a cloth was pressed to your mouth. The more you squirmed, the harsher their touch became – fear gradually paralyzed you. Or perhaps it was the chemical coating the fabric on your lips. Piece by piece your senses began to dull. Whether the person screeching your name was a hallucination or not was unclear…. All you knew was that your intuition was right, but unfortunately a bit too late.

Hume, who pioneered the bundle theory, would state that the human soul is nothing beyond a collection of still-shots and experiences. The self is a loosely connected bundle of perceptions, one that would change overtime. The question that remains is…. who will you be now? Who will you become? Without your memories as a guide, can you win the game that was designed specifically for you…? Or will you lose the never-ending battle?

Amnesia - Let the Games Begin

Masterlist - Previous - Next

A/N: and so it begins! also in this I may have erased osamu!? LMAO sorry

Tag-list: @kara-grayson04 @namyari , @cuddlesslut , @iloveanime691 @shakiraisawesome @idiot-juice-enthusiast @fangirling-25-8 @krynnza @yetchann @chxrry-wxne

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neoneversleeps · 5 years

Text

bad guy | j.jh

pairing: jaehyun x reader - bad guy

genre: angst, fluff, smut

warnings: cheating, swearing, semi-public sex, fingering, oral (female recieving)

description:

The damn leather jacket that hangs over your desk chair is what compels you to finally come face to ace with the man whose heart you broke months ago. The outcome of the encouter however, is not what you had expected in the least.

(this fic is kind of a twist on bad guy by billie eilish)

words: ~5k

playlist ⟡

You feel the blood trickle down your nose before you even feel the impact. It takes a few seconds to actually register that you’ve just been punched in the face. Slaps were a common occurrence but actually being punched? Now that was a new one. You had to hand it to her, she had a mean right hook.

A chuckle escapes your mouth as your hand wipes off the blood on your nose. You could hear the murmurs of shocked onlookers around you. The girl seems even more infuriated after you chuckle, face contorted in anger as she opens her mouth to scream at you.

"You slut! Making out with my boyfriend for everyone to see?

You simply roll your eyes at her. This wasn't the first time you had heard those words. You hadn't really ran any background checks on the long list of hookups you had these past couple months. You couldn't bring yourself to care much, either.

"Who do you think you are, going around kissing other girls boyfriends?"

You cock your head at her, slightly narrowing your eyes.

"Shouldn't you be asking your boyfriend why he's going around kissing girls that aren't his girlfriend?"

She pauses, suddenly at a loss for words. A few seconds later she stomps her foot, not unlike a toddler during a temper tantrum, huffs indignantly and storms off, boyfriend in tow, tail between his legs.

You decide to head to the nearest bathroom, behind the club, to inspect the damage. You catch some stares as you round the corner, the people there clearly finding your bloodstained appearance more interesting than whatever else they were talking about before. You didn't shy away from any of the glances, choosing instead to sneer back at them, which made them turn their heads away without a fault.

You near the outdoor bathroom, a small rectangular construction with only one meek bathroom stall and a poor excuse for a mirror. Closing the door behind you, you lean forward on the sink and inspect your nose. It could look worse for wear, nothing broken at least. The bad lighting and smudged mirror didn't exactly let you see the full damage, but there was no cracking and no continuous pain so that was a positive. You figure it must be just a few burst blood vessels. You splash some water on your face, cleaning off the already drying blood. You look back up at your reflection. The shirt was ruined though. Bummer, you didn’t own a lot of white shirts that you liked and unfortunately, you did actually like this one.

Slightly sighing in frustration, you leave the stall to go hail a cab, ready to head home for the night.

The door of your small city apartment clicks shut as you enter. You flick on the lights and glance around. The place was in disarray to no surprise. Every time you claimed you’d tidy the whole thing up, something more important always seemed to come up. Truthfully, you couldn't bring yourself to care.

You glance at the clock as you stroll into your kitchen. 2:39am. Perfect time for some plain old buttered toast. You hadn’t drank much, the alcohol levels in your blood probably close to zero at this point. Your stomach, however, was growling in demand for food. So you get to work, taking two slices of bread out of the freezer and placing them in your hand-me-down toaster.

After finishing your honourable 3am meal, you slowly shuffle past your bedroom door and into the adjacent bathroom. You discard your clothes, making a mental note to throw the bloodied shirt away instead of just throwing it in with the wash.

As you step under the shower, the warmth of the water envelops you. None of your neighbors in the apartment complex showered at this hour, so it was always a guarantee for hot water. You stand in the stream for a while, letting your muscles relax and letting the water wash aways all your sins, worries and fears. Of course the water couldn't actually wash those away, but you liked to believe it could linder them. Make them disappear even for a little while.

The bathroom floor tiles are cold against your feet after you finally decide you'd soaked up enough water for the night (morning, technically). You dried off your body, wrapping the towel around your figure before wrapping another one around your hair. You made use of the few skincare products you had for your nightly (again, more accurately morning) routine.

You pad out into your bedroom, removing the towel from your hair and trying to dry said hair with it as best you could. Your eyes flick to the jacket hanging on your desk chair in the corner of your still dark room, illuminated only by the path of light coming from the open bathroom door. It was an old dark brown leather jacket, surely worth a lot when first bought. The years of use have worn it at its edges but it still shines pristinely, leather well kept.

A face flashes before your eyes. The owner of that very jacket. Jung Jaehyun. The one boy who had managed to get a little too close for comfort. The thought of him leaves a bitter taste of hurt and regret in your mouth. A twinge of guilt twists your insides as well.

You had been meaning to give the jacket back to him, tired of it being a constant reminder of your past relationship. You had been saying that for months now though, yet you never got around to actually get it back to him. Coward. the voice in your head helpfully provides the real reasoning behind not returning the jacket. You would one day. In fact you would go tomorrow. Today? Ok, realistically that wouldn't happen. You settled for the coming week. The coming week you would return Jung Jaehyun’s jacket.

Content with your decision, you change into your pyjamas and slip into bed, the clock on the nightstand reading 4am.

It’s a wednesday afternoon two weeks after the bloody nose incident that you finally walk down the street where the garage that Jaehyun works at is located. Ok so maybe you didn't quite adhere to the deadline you set for yourself, but you were here now, right?

You were slowly approaching Jaehyun’s workplace. The buzzing sounds of various machinery filtering in through your ears. The garage always had its doors open, probably willing more wind to enter the hot work space. The afternoon sun stands proud in its place, rays casting a golden light onto the city and pleasantly warming its citizens. Even though you appreciate the balmy caress of the sunlight on your skin, you imagine being stuck working on a car in this heat would be most uncomfortable. Jaehyun never seemed to mind however, you couldn't remember him ever complaining about his job. He was good at what he did, although he did always talk about rising up in the ranks. He didn't want to work at a garage for the rest of his life, and you couldn't blame him. You were sure he would achieve his goals however. If there was one word you would use to describe Jaehyun, it was determined.

Your eyes search the area as you arrive in front of the garage. There’s a nervous feeling in your gut the longer your eyes search, the jacket in your backpack seemingly getting heavier by the second. Maybe you shouldn't have come.

You’re about to turn on your heel but before you can do so, your eyes catch sight of a brown tuft of hair behind the car on the far end. You would recognize that soft brown hair anywhere.

Your feet stroll over to the car furthest away from you. A red 1966 shelby. Nice model, a vintage mustang, the apparently freshly redone paint-job glistening in the afternoon sun. Now, you wouldn't consider yourself a cars connoisseur by any means, but your granddad had taught you to have an eye for value.

“Beautiful car.” You say, your fingers lightly hovering above the shiny red paint, careful not to touch. The man behind the car gets up with a chuckle. “Yeah, well, she's not mine-.” A pause. “Oh, hey, y/n. What brings you here?” The tone of his voice is casual, but obviously forced. It stings just a bit. He stands there just as you remembered him. His well-built frame stands tall, defined muscles visible in the black tank top he was wearing, honey brown fringe damp from the sweat falling just below his eyebrows. His hair had grown a little since you last saw him.

“Oh, you know. Just passing through this area and thought I might stop by. Maybe looking to buy some car air fresheners.” His face tilts, eyes narrowingly only a millimeter. “Uh huh. You don't own a car though?”

Shit. “Right well… it's for a friend. Her car always smells musty.” You recovered rather well in your defense, able to play it off with a chuckle.

“Um, okay. Is that really all? Because if yes I should get back to work before-” “No!” Okay, that was way too quick, you mentally reprimand yourself. Clearing your throat, you continue.

“No, actually, that's not all. I was wondering… if maybe you would like to go get a drink sometime?” What!? What the hell was that? You were supposed to give him his leather jacket back, not ask him out.

Even Jaehyun looks surprised at your question. His hands fly up to his hair, running them through it a couple of times, a habit you had seen countless times before. “Well I, um-” “Jaehyun!” You heard the rather shrill voice of a girl coming from your right. Soon enough the girl that had called his name was now plastered to his side, hands curling around his arm.

“Who’s this, Jaehyun?” The fake tone to her voice is so obvious you want to roll your eyes.

“Oh uh, Y/n is an old...friend of mine. Y/n, this is my girlfriend Nina.” She sticks her hand out and you take it, albeit begrudgingly, while forcing a smile. “It's nice to meet you.” The blonde smiles back, face scrunching up just a little too much to be considered genuine.

“Likewise.” She quips before directing a pout at Jaehyun. “Hyunnie, you promised you’d get off work early to go to that one restaurant I was telling you about.” Hyunnie? You internally shiver in disgust at the pet name. Jaehyun's eyes, which were previously staring at yours, suddenly flit over to Nina’s face.

“Oh yeah, of course. I’ll go get ready and be out in a sec. Why don’t you go wait in the car?” He smiles at her, dimples showing prominently in his cheeks. You hadn't seen those in a while. “Ok!” She says chirpily, leaning up slightly to peck him on the mouth. Suddenly the pit of your stomach boils with anger. Why were you angry? You surely weren’t jealous, were you? No, Y/n. You broke up with him, remember? You ended things.

She turns in your direction, blonde hair swishing around in her high ponytail. “Bye, Y/n!” The lilt in her voice almost made you want to gag but you force out a smile instead and bid her a goodbye as well.

“She’s nice.” Jaehyun almost snorts. Apparently you hadn’t managed to keep the slight disgust out of your voice as well as you had hoped.“She is. I like her.” He says the words as he looks at you. It almost feels like he’s trying to gauge your reaction. You simply nod and give him a tight-lipped smile at first, your hands digging themselves into the pockets of your denim jacket.

“Well, she’s your girlfriend. Isn’t it kind of a given that you like her?” You state more than asks, although you do feel slightly confused now that you thought back on his words. Jaehyun just shrugs nonchalantly.

“Anyways, you heard her.” He jerks his head towards, presumably, the direction of his car. “I'm heading out now.” He worries his bottom lip between his teeth, as if considering his options. “About that drink, text me and we can agree on a day. Just as friends though, right?”

It was your turn to be surprised now. You hadn't expected him to actually accept, especially after his girlfriend had interrupted the two of you. It takes you a few stunned seconds before you can respond. “Um, yeah of course. Just as friends.” You scan over his face, curious if you could make out any hidden emotions, but all you can see is Jaehyun’s pleasant smile.

You start to walk backwards, suddenly itching to get out of the now slightly tense and awkward atmosphere. You feel his eyes trail after you. “I’ll text you then. Bye, Jaehyun.” You turn fully after your goodbye, still feeling the burn of his gaze on your back.

“Bye, Y/n.”

You walk home that day in the afternoon sun, a weird feeling brewing deep in your stomach and Jaehyun’s leather jacket still safely stored inside your bag.

You watch the droplets of condensation slowly slide down the side of your glass, thumbs drawing idle circles on the table. Jaehyun should be arriving any minute now. The thought of him makes tiny balls of sweat form at the base of your neck. You’re nervous. Just like the day you went to see him at the garage, you were starting to regret ever texting him in the first place. Thinking that maybe you should've just ignored his acceptance of your invite.

You had tried to, really. But Jaehyun’s name on the message app on your phone had tempted you one too many times. You had caved a few nights prior, asking to meet at a relatively well-known bar in the city and now here you were, sitting alone at a table, leg bouncing in anticipation.

You heave a sigh and take up your phone. Just as you decide to distract yourself with some mindless game, you hear the scrape of a wooden chair from across you.

Jaehyun gives you a smile as he sits down in front of you, prominent dimples poking out. “Sorry I’m late. Got caught up in traffic. Have you been waiting long?”

You shake your head. “No worries, I only just got here about five minutes ago.” Liar. You had been waiting for over half an hour. Jaehyun glances at your glass and raises an eyebrow. “They must have fast service then.”

You don't let the nervous churn of your stomach get to you as you respond. “For a pretty girl sitting alone in a bar? The service is always fast.” You let a small smirk adorn your lips and Jaehyun chuckles at the statement. “Fair enough.”

After a quick glance at his phone screen, Jaehyun directs his attention back at you, leaning on his forearms. “So, how’ve you been?”

You lean back a bit, unconsciously (or more likely consciously) putting space between you and Jaehyun. “Oh you know, going to work, reading up on the news, getting into brawls outside of clubs, the usual.” Jaehyun laughs at what he assumes was a joke. You bite your cheek as a smile finds its way onto your face as well. If only he knew.

It’s ridiculous really, how easy you could fall into conversation with Jaehyun. It feels natural. However in your mind there’s a voice constantly reminding you that this was just what you had come to fear all those months ago. What you had with jaehyun, you had considered it a fling, even though it had felt like a relationship more than you cared to admit.

Your parents failed marriage and the many failed attempts at love on your own part had made you quite opposed to the idea of a relationship. The last time you had been with someone for longer than two weeks had been Jaehyun. You were adamant about keeping feelings out of the mix as best you could, but Jaehyun was a dangerous man. He had found a way to weasel himself into your heart and as soon as you had realised, you shut him out completely.

You wonder why jaehyun was sat in front of you at that moment, an easy smile on his face. When you think back to the night you “broke up”, you recall being rather horrible to him. The hurt expression on Jaehyuns face resurfaces in your mind and you push it down, choosing instead to focus on the conversation.

You laugh genuinely at Jaehyun’s crazy work story and watch how he leans back, the smile on his face making his eyes crinkle up. He was still gazing at you after you finished your little fit of laughter. “What?” You ask, a shy grin pulling at your lips under his gaze.

“I missed your laugh.” You don't fail to notice the way his eyes trace over your face and down over your body, lingering at the curvature of your breasts in your low-cut tee. You shift slightly in your chair and his eyes flick back up to meet yours. You both stare at each other, as if daring the other to back down. You can feel Jaehyun's leg brushing against yours under the table.

Oh, you think, Jaehyun was a dangerous man indeed.

The bathroom wall is cold against your bare ass as Jaehyun slips your jeans further down your legs. You were unsure of how you got here, your memory going hazy after the little staring contest you had earlier. He’s kissing you feverishly, lips travelling up and down the sides of your neck as you claw at his t-shirt covered back. You audibly gasp as you feel his fingers rub at your clit through your panties. “Fuck, you’re so wet already.” You whimper as he grunts in your ear. You had slept and made out with countless people over the past months and yet none of them could make you feel even a fraction of pleasure compared to what you felt whenever Jaehyun touched you.

His mouth trails down further along your body, roughly pushing your t-shirt and bra out of the way to latch onto your nipple, his free hand coming up to play with your other one. Your head falls back against the wall as he grazes your sensitive bud with his teeth, loving the mix of pain and pleasure.

Jaehyun’s hands grab hold of the back of your upper thighs as his face hovers above your heat. He looked up at you through his lashes and you grabbed a fistful of his hair as you urge him on, the ache between your legs nearing unbearable.

A jolt of pleasure shoots up your body as you feel Jaehyun's tongue lick up your slit before pushing his tongue inside of your folds. His hands still work at your clit in small circles, applying just the right amount of pressure to the bud. You bite your lip as you try to hold back the moans that were threatening to spill, this was still a public restroom after all.

“Fuck, Jae.” You curse as he inserts two fingers into your entrance, moving to suck and kiss at your clit. You could perfectly picture his satisfied smile as he hums against your core, once again sending vibrations throughout your body. Gosh, how you had missed this.

As Jaehyun picks up his speed, you feel the knot in your stomach twist tighter, the gasps leaving your mouth becoming higher in pitch. After a few more pumps you feel your walls contract around Jaehyun’s fingers and pure bliss overcomes you, your body going limp, almost sliding down the wall if it weren’t for Jaehyun coming up to support your weight.

“Shit, I missed this so much. I missed you so much.” Jaehyun mumbles in your ear as he turns your body. Now you stand facing the large bathroom mirrors, hips slightly digging into the border of the sink and panties still halfway down your thigh. You stare at your reflection. You look fucked out, hair and clothes in disarray, with a flurry of small marks beginning to form on your neck and Jaehyun slowly kissing down your shoulders. Looking at yourself was like a slap in the face. This was wrong, oh this was all so wrong. You broke up with Jaehyun. Jaehyun had a girlfriend. You were fucking Jaehyun in the bathroom of the bar where you had asked to meet up as friends. Friends.

Shit. Panic floods your body and you know you need to get out. Out. Out. Out. You turn around and promptly push Jaehyun off you, nearly making him topple over in the process.

“We can’t do this! You- I - We- we just can’t!” You make quick of pulling your underwear and jeans, grabbing the purse you had previously discarded and rushing out of the room, Jaehyun still struggling to keep up with the sudden turn of events.

“Y/n!”

You hear his shouts coming from behind you but you don’t stop. Making your way through the tables, you desperately try to smooth down your hair so you wouldn’t look as disheveled. You push open the main door and the cold air of the night hits you as you step out on the streets. A shiver runs down your spine. All of this was wrong.

And all of it was your fault.

It was currently around 8pm and you’re sat on the couch in your apartment, the stark light of the tv screen casting shadows around your dark room. You mindlessly flick through the channels, not really finding anything worth watching. Your eyes keep on wandering towards your phone. All week you had been avoiding Jaehyun as if he were the pest. You Ignored both his calls and his texts. There was a twinge in your gut.

None of this was Jaehyun's fault. You had given him false hope of a relationship and broke it off. You had ignored him for months after. You had asked him out. You had made him cheat on his girlfriend. You were the one that had played with him as if he were some toy.

He cheated on his girlfriend because of you. Granted, you had slept with guys who were in relationships over the past few months, but that was different. You didn't know prior if they were in a relationship or not, they were just a hookup.

But this time, you had actually seen the girlfriend. Talked to her, touched her. And while yes, you had not liked her in the slightest, that didn't justify your actions. You were a cheater.

Just like your dad. Thanks brain, for that helpful reminder. You sigh in frustration at yourself. Maybe you should just go to bed.

You get up and switch off the TV, but just as you are about to head to your room, you hear a knock on the door.

You freeze, unsure of what to do. A few seconds later, the knocks are repeated. Deciding to just see who it is and not stand around in your living room like an idiot, you make your way over to the door.

“I broke up with Nina.”

These are the first words that leave Jaehyun’s mouth, as he stands on your doorstep. You don’t know what to respond in all honesty. Jaehyun worries his lips between his teeth. “Can I come in, please?”

You nod in your stunned silence and step to the side to let Jaehyun through, letting the door click shut behind him. There’s a pause, you don't know what to say and it seems like he doesn't either.

After what feels like an eternity spent in silence, Jaehyun finally turns to face you. “Ok, I’m gonna say something now and… before you say anything in response, please hear me out.” There’s an unsure fluttering in your chest, your heartbeat speeds up as your hands begin sweating slightly. The situation makes you anxious but after a deep breath, you nod at Jaehyun, signaling to him that he could continue.

“I know that what we had a few months back was intended to be nothing but a fling to you. I may not have known it at the time, correction, I had no idea it wasn’t serious for you at the time. We had been together for three months by then. I believed your lies, I’ll even go so far as to admit you fooled me.” He chuckles in attempt to lighten the blow, but its bitter and it makes the guilt in your stomach rise up to your throat like bile.

“I don’t think it was directly your intention to hurt me though. You probably wanted something fleeting, a temporary boyfriend to get your insisting friends off your back. But you fell in love.” You cross your arms defensively on your chest, an innate response to Jaehyun’s accusing statement.

He sighs and pauses for a moment. “You can lie to yourself all you want, Y/n. I know you were in love. I know it because I felt it too. And you realized... and you got scared.” You feel stubborn tears prick at your eyes and turn your gaze towards the now very intriguing pattern of your carpet floor.

“Now maybe this isn’t my place to say but.... but I feel like it is. I know why you’re scared of the possibility of loving someone, of loving me, but this whole agenda you have of pushing away anything that might make you happy is ridiculous.” You can hear the anger in his voice and it pushes you to do something you know you shouldn’t.

“You say that if you know anything about me!” You yell at him and his expression is taken aback for a second before the furrow between his brows reappears.

“Oh, I don’t know anything about you? Will you stop pretending that our relationship, which by the way, was an actual relationship, didn’t happen? Just for one second, can you acknowledge the fact that we had hour long conversations, that we actually shared our feelings? That you’ve told me about the crap you went through.”

Your breathing has become labored. You want to disagree so badly, want to argue that he knows nothing, that he’s wrong. But he wasn’t, and you sure as hell knew it. “Fine!” You scream. “Fine! Okay! I admit it. We did have a relationship! It was real! I did-” You inhale a shake breath, your voice not as strong when you continue. “I do love you and it scares me.” Tears are flowing down your face freely and you don’t hold back, you can’t, not anymore. “I’m so scared because I love you… so much. I love you more than anyone. These past few months, I- I’ve tried e- everything to get my mind off you but I can’t- I can’t and I’m so fucking sorry. I’m sorry I mess shit up and make you confused and make you cheat-” “Hey, hey, hey” Jaehyun cuts you off as he crosses the space between you, his warm hands cupping both sides of your face. “First of all, the cheating part… we both take blame for that. And the confusion thing, well, it’s true, you did confuse me…a lot but it’s okay because you love me and I love you... and I forgive you.”

You shake your head fiercely and try to pull his hands from your face. “Don’t you get it, Jaehyun? I’m no good for you. I’m… I’m the bad guy.” jaehyun chuckles softly as he rests his forehead against yours, little puffs of his warm breath hitting your face. “You’re not the bad guy, Y/n. You deserve happiness. Will you let me give you that happiness?”

You breathe out deeply through your nose and close your eyes, feeling the anger and frustration at yourself slowly seep out of your body. Jaehyu’s touch relaxes yu and as you open your eyes to look at him, he smiles and leans in to press his lips against yours. It’s a short kiss, sweet and caring and delicate. The kiss is followed by another and another, until they get longer, more heated, more passionate.

Jaehyun’s calloused hands travel around your body with ease. He softly pushes you against the wall and presses his body flush to yours. His kisses trail all over your face, your neck and al the way down to your collarbone. It isn’t long before he hoists you up and you instinctively wrap your legs around his middle . Everything feels natural, easy. You let yourself relax fully and fall into his touch. You let him carry you to your bedroom and push you down onto mattress, let his kisses wander further south until your squirming under his hold. You let your sounds of passion echo through your room until late into the night and finally, finally allow yourself to actually feel something.

You’re done holding back from love. You could finally admit what you were repressing for so long.

You love Jung Jaehyun.

You trace the small crack in the wall next to your bed in the dark. It was well past midnight, and yet you’re wide awake. You feel Jaehyun’s arm safely secured around your waist, the warmth of his body behind you seeps into your very soul. The room aroundyou is quiet save for the few times a car outside passes by and the shallow breathing of the man pressed up against you. Some time ago, you would have found that Jaehyun’s arm around your waist felt like a cage, something that weighed you down and tugged at your heart uncomfortable. Now, however, you find comfort in the way his skin feels on yours, the way you can faintly feel his heartbeat against your back. You feel safe.

Your eyes fall to the corner of your room, where the brown leather jacket still lay folded over a chair. You smile to yourself.

You would give it back, eventually.

#neowritingsnet #nct jaehyun x reader #jaehyun smut #nct smut #jaehyun angst #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun x reader #nct x reader #nct #nct u #nct 127 #smut #angst #fluff #fanfic

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queen-of-deans-booty · 4 years

Text

The Song Remains The Same: Final Part

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 1,934

Warnings: typical supernatural violence, language, angst, blood, you know the usual

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated. I really want to hear what you guys think about this one!

Feedback is the glue that holds my writing together.

Tags at the bottom

Just then, a loud-pitched noise sounded which was an angel talking. Your ears rang from the noise, but you casted your magic around the room to lessen the pain for everyone else. Your mother tried to help, but she was focused on using her magic to protect you inside of her. It became too much to bear, and everyone covered their ears just as glass and lightbulbs shattered, plunging the room into darkness. This happened for a few minutes before the angels shut up. The front door flies open, a sound of angel wings is heard, and a younger Uriel enters the room.

“Who the hell are you?” Dean glared.

“Uriel?” you asked, remembering that he died.

“So, you do know me,” he chuckled.

Sam backed up and urged Mary, John, and your mother to leave the house through the back. They turned to leave but stopped when Anna appeared.

“Alright, here goes nothing,” you muttered just as they attacked.

Both you and Dean went after Uriel while Sam went after Anna. He held the angel blade in his hands, but Anna knocked that shit right out of his hands. John saw an opportunity and took it, snatching the angel blade off the ground and going to use it. However, Anna saw this coming and threw him through the wall and into the backyard.

“John!” Mary yelled.

Turning to face Uriel, you threw magic balls that appeared out of your hands. He dodged your attempts to hurt him and grabbed Dean by the throat when he got the chance. Your eyes were the brightest they have ever been since you wanted to do maximum damage. Uriel was a lot stronger when he was younger, so he was able to overpower you more quickly. He grabbed at your throat and forced you on your knees.

Your mother took the chance to attack, but Uriel was having none of it. He held his hand out and forced her to her knees as she clutched her stomach. She wasn’t as strong as she was before since she had a baby to protect now. Anna had an opportunity and she took it. She ripped a fixture from the wall and shoved it into Sam’s abdomen.

“Sammy!” Dean yelled.

Sam began to bleed profusely through the wound since it was too much for him to bear. He slid to the floor as his skin began to pale. He was dying, if not already dead.

“Sam!” you yelled, trying to get to him.

“I’m really sorry,” Anna said to Marry who could only watch in horror.

“Anna,” John said from behind, but this time he was different.

There was a white glow around his body, and you knew that he was possessed by an angel. The question was… which one?

“Michael,” Anna gasped.

Michael placed a hand on Anna’s shoulder, and she began to burn from that spot. She quickly bursts into flames as white ones shot out of her eyes. She turned to a crisp and her body fell away in ashes. The archangel turned to Uriel once he finished.

“Michael. I didn’t know.”

“Goodbye, Uriel,” he claimed, snapping his fingers to make the angel disappear.

“What did you do to John?” Mary demanded to know.

“John is fine.”

“Who—what are you?”

“Shh,” he whispered, touching her forehead to knock her out.

She fell to the ground unconsciously. He looked at your mother before snapping his fingers. She dropped to the ground, and you were going to go to her when he stopped you.

“She’s fine, and you’re unharmed. Don’t worry,” he cleared his throat. “Well, I'd say this conversation is long overdue, wouldn't you?”

Your eyes never fell back to their normal color in case you needed to do some damage to this archangel, no matter how small it may be.

“Ah, much like me, my aunt took up a bloodline. I didn’t know that before I put her away for all eternity,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, and I’m pretty powerful.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that.”

“Fix him,” Dean demanded as he pointed to his brother.

“First… we talk. Then, I fix your darling little Sammy.”

“How'd you get in my dad, anyway?”

“I told him I could save his wife, and he said yes.”

“I guess they oversold me being your one and only vessel.”

“You're my true vessel, but not my only one.”

“Like me?”

“Precisely.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It's a bloodline,” you answered for him.

“Stretching back to Cain and Abel. It's in your blood, your father's blood, your family's blood. You’re a bit different, Y/N. Amara chose you from the very start of creation.”

“So, she is real.”

“Oh yes, she is. She belongs where she is. She has no place in this world. I’m not sure how, but she chose a bloodline while being locked away. We locked her away millennia before humans were created.”

“Let’s cut to the chase. What do you want with me?”

“You really don't know the answer to that?”

“Well, you know I ain't gonna say yes, so why are you here? What do you want with me?!” Dean yelled.

“I just want you to understand what you and I have to do.”

“Oh, I get it. You got beef with your brother. Well, get some therapy, pal. Don't take it out on our planet!”

“You're wrong. Lucifer defied our father, and he betrayed me. But still… I don't want this any more than you would want to kill Sam,” the archangel turned away in thought. “You know, I practically raised my brother. I took care of him in a way most people could never understand, and I still love him,” he turns back to you two. “But I am going to kill him because it is right and I have to.”

“Oh, because God says so?” you scoffed.

“Yes. From the beginning, he knew this was how it was going to end.”

“And you're just gonna do whatever God says?”

“Yes, because I am a good son.”

“Being a good son doesn’t mean obey every command, Michael. Being a good son means you love unconditionally and make mistakes because that’s how you learn to be better,” you explained with a sigh.

“And you think you know better than my father? Two unimportant little creatures. What makes you think you get to choose?”

“Because I got to believe that I can choose what I do with my unimportant little life.”

“You're wrong. You know how I know? Think of a million random acts of chance that let John and Mary be born, to meet, to fall in love, and to have the two of you. Think of the million random choices that led your bloodline to circle back to Amara. Think of the million random choices that you two make, and yet how each and every one of them brings you closer to your destiny. Do you know why that is? Because it's not random. It's not chance. It's a plan that is playing itself out perfectly. Free will is an illusion, Dean. That's why you're going to say yes. It could be worse. You know, unlike my brothers, I won't leave you a drooling mess when I'm done wearing you. Can’t say the same for Amara if she ever comes out.”

“Well, what about my dad?”

“Better than new. In fact, I'm gonna do your mom and your dad a favor. Even yours, Y/N.”

“What is it?” you wondered.

“Scrub their minds. They won't remember me or you.”

“You can't do that.”

“I'm just giving your mother what she wants. She can go back to her husband, her family—”

“She's gonna walk right into that nursery!” Dean yelled.

“My mother is going to die by the hands of Meg!!”

“Obviously. You always knew that was going to play out one way or another. You can't fight City Hall,” Michael sighed, going over to Sam. He pressed two fingers to his forehead, and the younger brother disappeared within a moment. The pipe that was inside his body clunks to the ground. “He's home. Safe and sound. Your turn. I'll see you soon, Dean.”

Michael touched yours and Dean’s foreheads, and everything went black.

Now that you were back in your own time, things were different. Well, everything stayed the same with your mom and the brothers’ parents still dying, but the atmosphere changed between you three. The room was thick with tension as you packed in silence. The only thing on your mind was Castiel, and where the hell he was or if he was okay. Looking up, you noticed the angel in question standing behind you with a look of pain etched into his face.

“Castiel,” you gasped, rushing over to him.

Sam and Dean did the same when they heard your outburst.

“Cas!” Dean said as he hurried over to help.

“We got you.”

“You son of a bitch. You made it.”

“I… I did? I'm very surprised,” he mumbled before collapsing.

The brothers held him up, and thought the best idea was to lay him on the bed to rest. Once there, you got next to him to heal him.

“You’re going to be okay, Castiel,” you whispered, placing your hand on his cheek.

His skin absorbed your magic, and a white light shined through his mouth and nose. Whatever you did worked only a little bit.

“Well… this is it,” Dean sighed.

“This is what?”

“Team Free Will. One ex-blood junkie, one dropout with six bucks to his name, Mr. Comatose over there, and a witch. It's awesome.”

“It's not funny,” you sighed.

“I'm not laughing. Want a drink?” Dean offered.

Sam nodded, but you had a strange feeling that you shouldn’t be drinking alcohol. There was something deep in your gut that told you alcohol was a bad idea.

“No thank you.”

“They all say we'll say yes,” Sam sighed, accepting the drink.

“I know. It's getting annoying.”

“What if they're right?”

“They’re not,” you muttered.

“I mean, why would we, either of us? But then again, I've been weak before.”

“We’re not you, Sam,” you snapped. His face fell at your jab, and you immediately felt bad. “I’m sorry, I was out of line.

“You’re right. I mean, Michael got Dad to say yes.”

“That was different. Anna was about to kill Mom.”

“And if you could save Mom… what would you say?” Sam asked.

“We should get some sleep. We can head out tomorrow morning,” you sighed.

“Yeah, good idea,” Dean said, ignoring his brother’s question.

Staring at the flickering 24-hour sign posted in the gas station across town, you took a deep breath. There was no one on the road, no one passing through because everyone was asleep.

Why weren’t you?

Something was calling you here, to do what you were about to do. The thought was planted in your mind before going back in time, but you tried to ignore it. There was no way this was happening now; you wouldn’t allow it.

Walking inside the place, you headed to the section specifically for these products. Grabbing two, you paid for them and headed back to the motel since you didn’t want to do it in a gas station. Making sure you were really quiet, you headed to the bathroom before doing what needed to be done.

The wait process was always the worst since three minutes can feel like hours. Nonetheless, when the time was up, you looked at the results. You couldn’t believe what you were seeing right now.

You are pregnant.

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mgrgfan · 4 years

Text

Past of the future, future of the past...

Chapter 9. A strange beginning

25.06.2000, 20 years after the Shift Neighborly Town, Sinnoh

Gentle ringing sound filled the room. With a sigh, a boy with long blue hair has removed the blanket and got up, doing morning stretches. After he was done, he took a shower, changed from his favorite dark pajamas to something more suitable and left his room, going down to kitchen for breakfast.

As always, his mom Deborah has made something amazingly-smelling and his dad Yakob was trying to start himself up with a cup of some horrifying caffeine mix, as dark as…

"Oh, and there you are, just in time!" said Deborah, as a figure has arisen from the shadows in the far end of the room.

"Suppose so. Morning, everyone," replied the Pitch-Black Pokemon, crossing the room.

"Morning, Darkrai," sighed Tobias, taking a seat. Yakob mumbled something welcoming too, then returned to drinking his crime against coffee. Darkrai visibly shifted away from Yakob, still having highly unpleasant memories about that one time he tried whatever infernal substance Tobias' dad was brewing for himself. There was a good reason it was once nearly classified as a chemical weapon, as a wide-awake Komala in Yakob's lab, who also made a mistake of trying this liquid insanity, could attest to.

After a wonderful breakfast (with Latios joining them soon after the beginning), the entire group started to pack up for today's trip in Unova. Thankfully, whatever unholy mixture Yakob was taking was sufficient to finally wake him up, so, he took the wheel, leaving Deborah, Tobias and Darkrai free to take seats, while Latios has cloaked and clung to the car's roof, loving the thrill of "riding" like that.

With a silent hiss, hydrogen started flowing into the fuel cells. Seconds later, with a quiet whine, wheel hub motors kicked in, driving the car away from the home and towards the Sunyshore City - specifically, the Theta Spaceport.

----

The not-so-young-anymore dragon silently flew underneath the forest's canopy, using the flexibility of its serpentine body to maneuver between trees. Something in the back of its mind screamed, that it shouldn't be going like this, that it should be soaring free in the sky, but immediate concerns continued to override it for many years.

Jet-black Legendary knew, that here, it was in relative safety. Humans would have massive troubles searching for it there. They won't risk using their horrific weapons there… or, at least, so it hoped.

Right now, it was nearing the edge of the forest, near the road from place, known to humans as "Pallet Town". It has decided to stay here for a bit, until the night comes… which should happen relatively soon, in fact.

Rayquaza took a rest on a tree, monitoring the situation around. Thankfully, the road wasn't used this often and Rayquaza knew, how to hide, so, even with its jet-black scales, it didn't have much trouble hiding.

Some time later, it has noticed a single young human, who was traversing down the road with two Pokemon at his side - a Pikachu and a Solosis.

Sky High Pokemon knew this human - quite a few years ago, this young human got lost in the forest and ended up taking shelter from rain under the roots of a large tree, together with a lot of Pokemon. Rayquaza knew this moment very well, especially since it also took a shelter there, coiling around others… and, despite worries of the Legendary, it all went pretty nice.

Sensing no one else of note around, the not-so-young dragon decided to take a risk and lit up the bioluminescent stripes, then flew almost right in front of the young human, even showing off a bit. While human did end up taking some device and pointing it at Rayquaza, evidently, it has malfunctioned and produced no result of worth… although Sky High Pokemon decided to stop doing the risky things now, darkened the bioluminescent stripes again and disappeared under the canopy of the forest, barely noticing Ho-oh flying above it, to which none of the participants paid much attention.

----

"Good afternoon passengers," sounded from the speakers. "This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight P-52-4 to Nuvema, Unova. Please have your boarding pass, Pokeballs and identification ready. Boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time on Tower 12. Thank you."

Tobias, Deborah and Yakob nodded to each other and headed towards the appropriate access terminal. Two elevator and one travelator rides later, they were walking through the access arm to their vehicle, which was just finishing getting refueled with slush hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Seemingly short and stout (but only seemingly so), it, nonetheless, was capable of easily carrying up to 1000 people between any two points of Earth.

Family took their designated places, with Latios being confined to a Pokeball and Darkrai managing to secretly leave it and sneak into the shadow under Tobias' bunk.

"Attention, passengers, this is your captain speaking. The vessel will take off in ten minutes. Walkway is now retracting," sounded from speakers, as the doors to the outside world got closed and walkway got retracted. Passengers were still chatting, as they were taking their places and preparing for takeoff, some of them checking safety cards and/or watching the safety videos, some sharing their experiences, some merely talking… all was as usual.

"Attention, passengers, this is your captain speaking. The vessel will take off in five minutes. Make sure you're on your designated acceleration couch, safely strapped and with your Pokeballs put into the safe underneath it," sounded from the speakers again. Tobias, after a small check, found out Darkrai's small machination, but decided to stay quiet, knowing his oldest Pokemon partner all too well.

"Ten, nine, ignition sequence start, six, five, engine running fully... Liftoff! We have a liftoff on ballistic liner P-52-4! Tower cleared!"

As those words were being said, the plug-cluster aerospike engine has ignited and reached the nominal power. The launch clamps have opened too, letting the huge rocket soar into the sky and set the trajectory to suborbitals, while also making passengers experience moderate G-force. People, however, seem to take it just fine, some of them even joking about the flight being "Smooth, quiet and, in altogether, delightful experience".

Finally, all external fuel tanks ran dry and, with quiet dull clangs, separated from the rocket, starting their own flyback sequence to allow for easier recovery. In the meantime, ballistic liner finished the boost phase and entered the microgravity coast, with captain making another announcement:

"Good afternoon passengers. This is your captain speaking. First I'd like to welcome everyone on Talonflame Aerospace flight P-52-4. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 185 km at an speed of just under 7 km/s. The time is 1:25 pm. The weather under us looks good and with the lack of wind at the arrival point we are expecting to land in Nuvema with some fuel to spare. The weather in Nuvema is clear and sunny, with a high of 25 degrees for this afternoon. If the weather cooperates we should get a great view of the city as we descend. Right now, you will be able to unstrap yourself and to get some awesome views in the illuminators. I'll talk to you again before we reach our destination. Until then, relax and enjoy the rest of the flight."

Indeed, soon enough, people liberated themselves from the safety straps and started gathering around illuminators, with Darkrai managing to slip out of the shadows and get near Tobias too. While it did prompt some uneasiness, authority of Yakob and Deborah was sufficient to prevent it from escalating further, allowing a blue-haired boy and a white-haired Mythical to enjoy views of Earth from the space for a bit longer… until another announcement came through:

"Attention, passengers, this is your captain speaking. In five minutes, we will begin the flip maneuver. Please, return to your couches and strap yourselves back."

Grumbling, people have complied, returning back to their acceleration couches and strapping themselves in order to prevent flying away, when rocket fires maneuvering thrusters. In exactly five minutes from announcement, RCS engines rumbled and the rocket flipped around, pointing the main plug-cluster aerospike engine in the direction of travel. Soon, the main engine woke up again, decelerating the rocket a bit and correcting its trajectory.

The rocket plunged through the atmosphere, decelerating even further as it goes, with liquid hydrogen circulating through the truncated spike of main engine and cooling it down, allowing it to work as a heat shield. Soon, it ended its flight by a gentle hover landing, with exactly right position and heading to allow one of the access arms on the service tower to reach it. After the connection of access arm and opening of doors, Tobias and his family packed up and left the rocket, reaching their rented car two elevator and two travelator rides later.

As usual, human part of the family took their places in the vehicle, Latios cloaked and clung to the outside, while Darkrai stayed in shadows near the backseat.

"So…" started Tobias. "What's this conference's going to be about?"

"As always, yearly conference between researchers of Legendary and Mythical Pokemon," replied Yakob, driving the car to the hotel. "Thanks to your help, we've got some nice results."

"Yakob, if they ever try this again…" said Darkrai from the shadows in a pretty grim voice.

"I know, crouch, get to the nearest cover and wait for the Dark Void attacks to stop flying, then use the replicas of Lunar Wing over the victims, once you've cleared the area."

"Exactly. The fact of me deciding to follow Tobias and you two on my own volition does not mean me welcoming invasive experimentation."

"I sure remember the last time…" muttered Deborah in a strange voice.

"I didn't kill anyone back then, though," quickly replied the Pitch-Black Pokemon, as if slightly afraid, prompting Tobias to enter the conversation again:

"Mostly because of Latios with his Heal Pulse being capable of stabilizing their condition, until I was there to break the Lunar Wing replicas from my personal stash out."

"Yep. Exactly what I've counted on," said Darkrai, even leaving the shadow a bit and nodding.

"Not the best strategy… but, I guess, we'll have to let it slip for now." mumbled Tobias' mother, then sighed. "I hate the rocket lag, to be honest."

"We all do!" agreed everyone inside the car with her.

----

"Now arriving to the Space Colony Core-Middleway," sounded in the cabin of "Drapion" Galarian deep space transporter, as it was slowing down and preparing to dock to the still-unfinished Bernal Sphere - a greatest testament to the insane race of the Space Fever, alongside with automated factories on the Moon, as well as mass driver, which was used to deliver parts of the colony into space, where they were assembled.

"Finally…" mumbled a remarkably unremarkable human, cradling some strange case in his hands. Soon, a quiet, dull "clang" announced, that the ship has docked to the gigantic space installation. Man, blending in with the rest of passengers of the Earth-L5 express, left it through the docking tube and went through a route few people knew, heading straight to the biolabs block on the equator of the sphere.

Inside the Lab 14, another man was already waiting for him.

"So?.."

"Recovered," said the newcomer, opening his case and extracting a strange, tubular device with a faint glow inside the transparent middle section. "You have no idea, how hard it was, though. But old Fuji built some stuff real sturdy."

"Heh… brother was sure like this… was."

The colonial sighed, knowing too well, what's happened back on the planet, then went for another question:

"What about the second specimen?"

"Was unable to recover."

"Well… I guess we'll have to do with only her for now."

"I guess."

The newcomer gave the device to the colonial scientist, who, gently cradling it, took it to the adjacent room and placed it on the table, starting to connect it to the equipment.

"Lessons were learned, mistakes will not be repeated," mumbled the scientist, working on the device and, from time to time, looking at a huge empty biogrowth tube behind him. "I just hope you'll understand me, when the time comes…"

----

"Your Majesty?" sounded a message from the comm app.

"Yes?" replied the Empress.

"Project SAS is going almost as planned. Phase 2 is at 70%, industrial automation is progressing surely, second level networks are almost established."

"ISFs 3, 5 and 9?"

"Gave us all-clear on the technical side."

"And… what about possibility of Scenario 5?"

"Non-zero, but not too great. Roughly 3.6% possible."

"3.6% - not great, not terrible," concluded the Empress, before the call has ended and she relaxed in the chair, remembering, how has it all started fifteen years ago...

----

The Empress was sitting in her chair, listening to the group of scientists, who were standing before her and telling about a plan - a very audacious one, but, given, what has happened a week ago, worthy of consideration. When they've finished giving the explanation, she stood up a bit, walked to the window and, looking at the city outside of the Palace, asked:

"Automation of the economy, huh?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"And… what does it promise for the Empire?"

"Well… an economic solvency that will eclipse that of the rest of the world, no corruption, once it's fully implemented, highly-reactive planning, allowance…"

"Enough. Tell me one thing… Does it mean, that, should it be fully and completely implemented, I will lose my power and be, in fact, left without ability to rule the Empire, remaining merely a face of the new, automatic government system?"

"... Yes."

"And… will this system bring more prosperity to the Empire, than I and the rest of the current rulers can?"

"... Yes."

"... Then you have my full approval."

"... Huh?"

"You are to begin the implementation process as soon as you can. If sacrifice of my position and power will mean the best for the Empire - I am ready to do that."

"... As you wish."

The group of scientists left the room, leaving Empress looking in the window and thinking, whether this decision was right or not and should she cancel this project, while there's still some time left.

Author's notes: The ballistic liner Tobias and his family rides is based on ITHACUS global transportation rocket; The "Drapion" is based on a real project of a "Scorpion" general-purpose space transportation system; Space Fever will be explained more, as the time goes; Can you guess, what was the device the newcomer gave to the scientist on the space colony? The hint is in the only name mentioned in this section...

#Shift Universe #mgrgfan writes a new fic #Ancient Soris Empire #tobias #darkrai

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skvaderarts · 4 years

Text

Soliloquy Chapter Five: Adrift

You can check out the Masterlist Here for more links to places to read!

Otherwise, you can read the new chapter below. Enjoy!

And sorry it was late today! Family got int he way!

Chapter Five: Adrift

Note: Once again, Mallovarwen and Skylarmorgan1899 are my emotional support reviewers, and reading your comments always puts a smile on my face. Thanks a bunch! I’m always happy to read everyone’s comments and feedback, so feel free to send them my way. I don’t care if it’s just a smiley face emoji. Now back to the story!

The overhead fan that hung from the double-height ceiling spun lazily as it wafted barely chilled air throughout the front office. A nearly finished box of pizza sat next to a pile of now negligible utility bills and empty drink bottles on the desk. Despite the fact that the music was still booming loudly throughout the space, Dante had slumped onto the front desk, his arms hanging over the far side facing the front door. The Youngest Son of Sparda had dozed off shortly after his troublemaking older brother and nephew had vacated the premises. It hadn’t been until they left that he realized how much he needed a good nap.

At seemingly the precise moment that Dante entered deep sleep, the front double doors slammed open and knocked against their respective sides of the wall. Dante jolted slightly at the sound but didn’t make an effort to raise his head and see who had just come into the building. He already knew. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Not by a longshot.

“So you both made it back, hu,” Dante inquired, the desk muffling his speech as he laid face down on it,” I was starting to think that Nico had finally crashed the van and killed you ya.”

Standing in the doorway was none other than Nero and Vergil, the two of them looming over Dante from across the room like gargoyles. Nero crossed the room and leaned over the desk, trying to rouse Dante from his restful state. The older man didn’t exactly feel like snapping out of his groggy delirium when Nero probed him, however.

Nero stood back and shook his head. The gravity of the time constraints they were under made him feel uneasy, to say the least. “Come on, get your ass up. We need to get going!”

Dante rolled his head to the side to make blurry eye contact with the younger descendant of Sparda. What was he going on about now? He then glanced over at the clock in another part of the room, exhaling in discontent. “And where the hell are we supposed to be going at almost ten at night?” Dante asked in a mixture of distaste and disinterest. He had been taking a perfectly good nap and now it was ruined.

From his place standing against the far wall of the shop next to the now-closed doors with his arms folded across his chest, Vergil chimed in. “Apparently, to Fortuna. I would have never seen myself going back there, but here we are.”

Dante sat up at his brother’s statement, now more curious and perplexed than irritated at them both. “And why would we go there?”

By this point, Nero was pacing aimlessly in front of Dante’s desk. He was not accustomed to being this out of his depth in a situation, and the time pressure only made things worse. At least when his arm had been cut off, there were more definite variables in the situation. Like the guarantee of pain, suffering, and the risk of bleeding to death. But using some sort of arcane anchor to pull a soul from Purgatorio, or limbo, or hell, or whatever this place was called and risking basically everything? Everything about this situation was supremely stress-inducing. He barely understood the concept of what they were even going to use the book for when they got it. All he knew is that they needed it because it was an item that V clearly cherished and that made it vital to this situation. And somehow it had made even less sense when he had tried to explain things to Nico. Magnolia would have to explain it to her later.

Clearly realizing that his hypertension riddled son wasn’t going to answer his brother’s question, Vergil interjected again. “We need to recover something important and we have a rather short window of time to accomplish our goal.”

Setting aside the fact that Vergil has just used the word “our” for probably the first time in their entire time that Dante had known him, the youngest Son of Sparda stood up at his desk and stretched, yawning. After he had cracked all of his bones, Dante shoveled down the last sliver of pizza in the box on his desk and turned back to face his clearly disgusted twin. “Alright, so how are we gonna get there? Doesn’t the ferry stop after dark?”

Nero nodded. “The last one runs in less than an hour. Which is another reason you need to get your ass in the van so we can go before we miss it!”

Dante chuckled under his breath at Nero’s comment. He was ever the firebrand of the family, no doubt about that. He didn’t respond, but he did decide to reach back and grab his blade off of the back wall. While Fortuna was relatively a cakewalk after the events of the last while, it was still better to be safe than sorry. “Alright, but this better not be the day she decides to drive through a building or something. I’m in enough debt as it is.”

Vergil raised an eyebrow slightly at the statement. “I should look into that one this is over. But Nero is not incorrect. Time is of the essence.”

As the eldest Son of Sparda turned and headed out the door Dante visibly paled. Nero shook his head and snickered as he walked towards the front door with his uncle. “200 bucks says he’s going to beat the living shit out of you when he finds out how far in debt you are, Dante.”

Dante shook his head and passed through the threshold of the front property. “Considering the fact that I still owe Patty those ten ice cream cones, making a bet with me isn’t going to do you any favors.”

Nero mulled over the comment for a moment in confusion before deciding that he’d just ask another time. Right now, they had much more important things to take care of.

~-~

To say that Vergil’s brilliant plan to simply use their Devil Triggers to fly to Fortuna instead of just taking the ferry had been a bust would be a gross understatement. As a general rule, none of them were willing to, under normal circumstances, reveal their true nature to innocent bystanders (unless you counted V…), but there had been no inconspicuous places to trigger at the waterfront, and doing so in the van was an explosive accident waiting to happen, so they had been forced to board the vessel. It wasn’t a huge ferry since cars weren’t exactly used commonly in Fortuna, but no one was going to comment on Nico’s driving abilities or the fact that she was probably the only person going to this island who knew how to fix a car. The vessel was mostly used to transport goods back and forth between the island and the mainland, but it hadn’t taken much effort to get on board at the last minute once one of the former had recognized Nero. For better or worse, seemingly everyone on the island knew who the young white-haired man was. This just happened to be one of the only times that that had been a beneficial thing.

Given the circumstances, Nico was the only one excited to be returning to Fortuna. The young woman missed Kyrie’s cooking and it had been a little while since she’d had the opportunity to terrorize the little ones. Before today, she and Nero had been out of town checking on things in Redgrave city, and before that, they had been out of town doing a mission for a client in Enamel City. Things had been tricky lately. After everything that had happened, the local government on the mainland had addressed the public, announcing an investigation into the matter. Catching the eye of the local authorities didn’t seem like a great idea. But they had left Fortuna alone, at least for the time being.

Nero leaned on the rail looking out across the water. The young devil hunter let out a steadying sigh. Given the fact that they were on the last boat for the night and were going to have to stay the night on the island, it was best that he calm down now as to not upset his family when he arrived at home. The boat would be docking soon, so he had come here to enjoy a last moment of reprieve before they disembarked.

As if carried forward with the breeze, Nero suddenly felt another presence near him. The young descendant of Sparda snuck a glance over his shoulder only to see Vergil walk past him. His father leaned against one of the nearby poles, leaving ample space between them. But somehow Nero could tell that despite the distance between them, Vergil had come here to say something. Or maybe he was just losing his grip and Dante had gotten on his nerves again. Either way, he didn’t spare it much thought. After all, he was trying to relax, and what could be better for his state of mind right now than salty sea air and solitude?

“... So who is Kyrie?”

Nero could practically feel the nerves in his brain pop lose and the neurons die as his brain came to a screeching halt. Vergil seriously wanted to ask him about that right now? This was the furthest from a relaxed topic that he could get at the moment.

To Nero’s continued horror, Vergil briefly smirked before turning slightly away from him. He no longer needed his young son to answer the question. The implications of their relationship were written across his now blush covered face.

Vergil stepped away from the pole and slightly closer to Nero, even if only by a few feet. He folded his arms and leaned over the railing, quietly captivated by the black sea before him. In a way, they reminded the eldest twin of his time in the underworld. Although not quite as luminescent, the mirror shine on the water’s surface was reminiscent of the quicksilver river that Dante had so foolishly questioned if he could drink from earlier that same day. Vergil shook his head silently. Dante would be dead within a few hours if left to his own devices in the underworld.

Nero rubbed his neck in discomfort before looking out across the water again. Vergil couldn’t make eye contact with him if he was faced out across the water sea. Or so he presumed. In all honesty, Vergil’s immense strength and power made Nero question just what he was capable of. He hadn’t forgotten how powerful Urizen had been and he never would. “She’s my, um… girlfriend. Why?”

The younger man hadn’t intended his response to come off so awkward. As he watched Vergil nodded in amused satisfaction, he decided that the best way to get out of this conversation and reclaim his now tarnished reputation was to redirect the question.

“Anyway, while we’re talking about family, where the hell is my mother? Do V and I even have the same parents?”

Despite the fact that Nero didn’t ask the question with any level of malice in his voice, Vergil seemed like he wanted to avoid his son at all costs. He leaned further over the rail, seemingly keying into Nero’s avoidance method and using it to his advantage and stayed quiet. Nero wasn’t sure if he was being ignored by his father or was thinking, but he decided to give Vergil a few more seconds before he got confrontational about it.

Vergil shifted and stood back up straight, his hands resting on the rail. He spared a glance at Nero, half looking at him but still not fully facing him. Nero gave him a sideways look, insinuating that he was still waiting for an answer and that he wasn’t exactly bursting with patience. After an awkward moment that felt more like a standoff, Vergil turned to full-face Nero. Despite his discomfort, the eldest Son of Sparda had never been one to back down from anything, even in situations when it most suited him. Call it a fatal flaw, but it was simply the way he had always been. At least as an adult. “The two of you have different mothers... And I have no idea where they currently are.”

Nero nodded slowly, quietly taking in the information he had just been provided. He was not shocked that Vergil didn’t know where either of them currently lived. After all, he had been in the underworld for probably as long as Nero had been alive. It made sense that he didn’t exactly have them on speed dial. Knowing Vergil, he probably didn’t even use a phone. But that did raise a few questions, some for now and some for later.

“... So do you know which one of us is older, then? Or did you even know you were related before all this bullshit started?” Nero asked sarcastically as he unfolded his arm and placed his hands in his pockets. He was starting to see why his uncle never seemed shocked when his older twin told him something else despicable or unbelievable that he had done. Although, this didn’t seem quite like the other times. Nero couldn’t quite place what it was. Maybe it was his father’s demeanor, his reluctance to speak on the matter, or maybe what he had said back at Magnolia’s house had changed his view towards him a bit, but Nero couldn’t quite shake the feeling that Vergil might actually regret what he had done to the two of them. He wasn’t sure if the eldest Son of Sparda was capable of apologizing, but Nero was willing to be surprised.

Vergil seemed to be becoming used to Nero’s little jabs at him, as the comment didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest. “I knew about him long before I knew about you, but that is... an exceedingly complicated matter for another time,” Vergil glanced in the direction of the van where Nico and Dante currently resided,” As for your second question, you’re younger. I’ve known his mother longer than yours.”

The eldest Son of Sparda paused for a moment, giving his next words careful thought. “... I will look into their locations after this is done. I make no promises.”

As if on cue, the horn for the ferry blew, signaling that it was time to disembark. Vergil headed back towards the van. It seemed that this conversation was done for now. Nero seemed to understand that and opted not to press the issue, for now, opting to head back to the van instead. After all, the ferry was going to dock and then return to the mainland again, with or without them on it. They needed to go. After all of this magic and mayhem was behind them, they would have all the time in the world to talk. That would be the time for concrete answers. As the sun fully fell behind the water blanketed horizon, one thing was certain. A reckoning was coming.

OMG, I AM SO SORRY THAT THIS IS SLIGHTLY LATE!! It’s just past midnight, but family matters came up, so I had to set aside my writing for the majority of the day. Also, this is a shorter chapter than normal by about 1k words or so. My bad! The next chapter is going to be much longer though. Much, much longer. And a lot harder to write lol! But look forward to Friday. This chapter is going to be fun hehe! And once again, thank you for your lovely comments!

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1000roughdrafts · 5 years

Text

Family Secrets: Chapter Five

Pretty Thoughts

Summary: After interrogating a demon for weeks on end, she gives you the information you‘ve been hunting for. Enlisting help from Garth brings trouble in the form of Dean Winchester.

A/N: again, sorry about formatting, I’m on mobile. Also, happy halloweeeeeen🎃:)

Warnings: SPN style demon torture (lol), obscenities, slight angst (argument between reader x dean), Dean in slight pain

W/C: 2.7k

Masterlist/schedule

Previous Chapter

"Just give me their names you disgusting rat," you shout through clenched teeth at the thin, black hair and black eyed demon you have strapped to a rusted chair. Dumping holy water onto the demons face you smile as it screams out in agony. With clammy hands you lean in, your face just inches away from it's blood drenched cheek. "You're going to die no mater what, so give me what I need and I'll put you out of your misery."

The demon stays silent, looking at you with it's now chestnut eyes with russet rims. It's long lashes bat once at you. "Mandy," you say gingerly while pushing yourself up to stretch out your back.

Taking a glimpse at the devils trap you've carved into the floorboards of a room you and Rufus had added onto the cabin, it wretchedly begs, "it's been weeks."

"Pretty neat, huh?" You mendaciously chuckle while toying with the dagger. "I've expanded on the normal version. Thought I'd had a trick of my own. You're dying, slowly and never to return again that's to some spells I've learned along the way."

"How cute. A hunter dabbling in magic. Does daddy know that you're no better than those you're in search of?" She puts on a false pout before breaking into laughter, "oh, wait."

Your eyebrows erect to reveal your arrogant eyes and temperate smirk. "Names. Now."

The demon stays silent, continuing to look around for a way out. Fed up with its evasiveness you grab a syringe filled with holy water and finished off with a spell to elongate the effects, to quickly inject the demon before it can scream out. After giving a second dose, you throw the empty syringe back onto the tray.

"Guess I'll see you in a few days, then." You laugh, "if you're still alive that is. See, I do need this information, but if you die before I can get it, well, that just means I have to kill more of your kind. And that's a win win for me."

You stealthily turn to walk towards the wooden block of a door that leads to the cabin. As you approach the first step, the demon lets out a thundering, frustration driven growl. Twisting around to face the demon, you smile, "yes?"

"Allanah Sandburn, Rose Coach, Taylor something and Violet Yasmin."

"Who else?" you demand while striding over and paralleling you're torso to the demons, pulling your dagger to her cheek.

"Guess you're gonna have to get another 'rat' to tell you that one," it shrieks, spitting at you. "That's all I know."

"Good one," you say, wiping the saliva from your cheek with the back of your hand and letting out a small chuckle. "I guess you're right."

Thrusting the blade into the left center of the demons chest it lets out one last ear piercing shrill, throwing its head back in torment. The body twitches and convulses and the last bit of essence vanished from the vessel in a luminous flash of vivid energy.

After showering the dagger in holy water you use your handkerchief to wipe it dry before dialing a number into your cell. "Hi, Garth." You pause and smile, "yeah, grab a piece of paper, would ya?"

You rotate around and stride over to the demon. "Can you do me a solid and have a look-see at a few names?"

—

A nauseating stench vents into the smokey air as you glare into the pit and gawk at the burning carcass. You reach into your pocket and put the singing phone to your ear, "what's the word?"

"Why are you asking Garth to track down a coven?"

"Grumpy? What are you doing with Garths cell?"

"What? I'm no- didn't you see the number before you answered?"

"Luckily for you, I didn't. Slick move leaving your card behind, I thought I had your number blocked."

"Yeah, well," Dean clears his throat. "Sam says I may have been a little too tough on you."

"Tough?" You called me a fucking monster, asshole, your thoughts scream.

"Now, I know I called you a monster and hey," he chuckles, "I've been there. Like you said, a lot of hunters have a bounty on my head."

"And?" Do you expect me to fucking care? You think as you sit on the cement steps in front of the porch.

"And I'm not expecting you to care or anything, but, uh, I thought 'what the hell, let's give her a shot'. What do you say?"

"Give me a shot?" Better make sure that's an iron bullet, you cynically joke.

"No, look, I'm not fixin' to shoot you," he says quickly and then more smoothly, "I'm saying I want a second chance."

"Yeah well you can take that and-"

"Shove it where the sun don't shine? Tried that. It can right on back."

You can hear a playful grin that he's attempting to suppress, and roll your eyes at the image. "I have gone a very long time with just myself, I think I can handle-"

"You're not doing it on your own. Covens typically meet in groups of-"

"Thirteen. I'm aware. I wasn't born yesterday."

"Says the girl who doesn't even know when she was born," he scowls.

You laugh, "aw, would you look at that, it didn't even take more than five minutes for your true colors to shine back through."

"Okay, smarty pants, I'm looking at this from a logical point of view. Thirteen against one are not great odds. You want to get yourself killed? Be my first. But if you want help, do nothing until we get back. What do you say?"

"That's assuming that I'm not already being logical about this." You pause, "tell me what Garth found out and I light agree to that."

He sighs, "the main one you're looking for Allanah. I guess she was last seen somewhere near Kansas City, but seriously... don't go poking around until me and Sam get back to the cabin. Just stay where you are. Do you hear me?"

You switch the phone to your alternate ear, standing up from the steps. "You are not in charge of me, Dean! We met purely coincidentally, you threatened me and I went off on my own remember? I didn't even want to hear from you again!" What does he care anyway?

"Whatever. I don't care. Just don't drag Garth into it."

"Oh," you scoff. "So that's a perfectly acceptable thing for Dean Winchester, but I can't?" Asshole.

"What did you just say?"

Louder this time, you repeat yourself, "I'm saying you don't own him. You can't just keep bossing people aro-"

"No, something about an ass."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I could have sworn you called me an asshole."

Immediately you end the call and hold the phone against your chest. "How in the hell could he have heard that?" You say aloud, too scared to say anything mentally.

Walking inside to grab yourself a much needed beer you try to drown out the idea of Dean Winchester heading your every thought. You're trying to keep them concealed and nothing too personal, but after a lifetime of privacy as far as thoughts go, it's not as easy as you hope. Opening the beer, your phone rings again.

"Leave me alone," you growl.

"Oh," Tim says, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were upset with me."

You put your palm to your forehead, "I'm not, Tim. I'm sorry. I was just on the phone with someone else, and... what's up?"

"Well, there's this guy missing from my town. The police don't seem to be doing much, but I really gotta know if he's okay, you know?" He sniffles, "I figured since you're part of the FBI or CSI or secret service or something you could look into it?"

"Oh, I don't know, Tim," you sigh. "It doesn't really... work that way."

"Please? It would really mean a lot to me."

"Just... just text me the location."

By the time you arrive, the neighborhood is dark. No street or porch lights are on. Most of the houses are guarded up with rusted chains on the windows and skirted with tall metal fences. You grab your pistol from the glove box and double check the clip. With the dagger still in your boot, you sneak out while checking for wandering eyes. The sidewalk that interrupts a dandelion garden leads to a golden brown door. Checking over your shoulder once more, you pick the lock and creep inside.

What you presume used to be a coffee table is wearing the couch and underneath the two is a torn up rug. Shards of splintered wood litter the floor where the dining table had collapsed. A thick coating of muddy red blood is splattered over the previously cotton white walls and wooden floor. You aren't sure whether it came from one person or more, but it is enough to leave a man dead. The only room unscathed is the office, which seems to remain orderly if it weren't for the papers scattered around.

Whoever is doing this was looking for something.

After bowing to your knees, you rummage through the cluster trying to find a clue. You check the mahogany dressers of his desk, and find nothing to suggest he had a life outside of work. You open the screen of his laptop and smile when it pulls everything up with no need to enter a password. Finding nothing but excel worksheets and business projects, you focus your attention to the matching bookshelf to see much of the sale.

Nothing seems to be helpful until you notice that one is remarkably shallow compared to the other. Quickly and quietly, you pull everything out and using the heel of your gun you give the makeshift bottom a rough tap. After a few attempts it opens just enough to reach inside. The tips of your fingers are instantly cold to the touch of a large skeleton key.

"I believe that belongs to me, sweetheart."

Drawing your weapon you whip around and lime the barrel between the mans eyes.

"Ah, the ol' gun to the head trick," he laughs with his arks in the air. "Go ahead, love, wouldn't work on me anyway." He drops his arms as you bend to reach the dagger, keeping him in sight. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I know what you're going for, darling, and I'd strongly advice against it."

"Who are you?" Dean help! You scream in your mind, putting as much strength and emphasis onto the name as you can, hoping that he can hear you.

"Trying to cut out the foreplay I see," he snarls while walking to your side. "Very well, then. The names Crowley," he says proudly, chin held high.

Bursting through the door of the cabin, the Winchester's lug in their bags and plop them into the floor. Sam shuffled through one of the books shelves while Dean is staring out of a, foolishly open, window. He steps back and forth along the floor before throwing his arms out and halts his pacing, “we have four missing people, and never seen or heard of before weather patterns."

Sam lets out an exasperated sigh, "are we sure they're even connected?" He pulls a book from the case and settles in at the table to flip through it. He scans the room, twisting his body in both directions, "said a minute. Wasn't Blue supposed to be here?"

"I couldn't give a -" in completion of a sentence, Dean screams obscenities as he drops to the floor boards, holding his head in his hands.

"Woah, what's going on?" Sam scrambles to his side, dropping to the floor with him.

"I don't-" Dean belts out another cry of pain, "I don't know. I can hear her though."

"Who?" Sam pulls his brother up by the shirt and sits him upright. "Who do you hear?"

Dean clasps at his chest, looking up at Sam with wide eyes, "Blue. She's in trouble."

"I'm only here for one thing." He puts his lips next to your ear, and a hand in your hair. "And I'd hate to break those lovely little fingers of yours to get it, but you see, I'd do anything to get what I want." After rolling his fingers down your sleeve he removed his hand to point at the key, "and what I want is that."

"Did you kill him? What's so special about this key anyway?"

He chuckles, taking a short breath and turning his back to you. "You're such a naive, little, what? Hunger, are you? You really think I would waste my precious time on this fool?" He side eyes you while walking over to the bookshelf. "The key," he says, pouring some bourbon into a glass, "is really for me to know and for you," he paused with a grin and takes it down in one gulp, "to never find out."

"Wow," you scoff. Dean! Dean! Dean! Grumpy! Dean!

His eyes squint before trailing up and down your figure. When they meet back up with yours they are curious, and intrigued, "what's your name, love?"

"I'm not about to play share and tell with a demon," you scowl.

"King of Hell," he says through his teeth. "I could snap your neck with a snap of my fingers," he smiles and holds his hand up, "humor me."

"But I've piqued you're interest, haven't I? You could have done that from the start, but you didn't." You mirror the expression on his face as he pours himself another glass without removing his eyes from yours. "Which means you need me alive, don't you? Why?"

"Because we made a deal," a woman's voice fills the room before she can be seen. Grumpy, please! She slowly walks to Crowleys side, glancing at him once before resting an arm on his shoulder. She smiles at you, "hi, Y/N. It's been so long since I've seen you. So for the sake of meeting in, oh I don't know, twenty or so years, I'm Allanah."

She makes her way over to you, wrapping her arms sound your back and grabbing the key. She hands it to Crowley, who disappears instantly.

Allanah laughs, "the part he doesn't know is that without you, that key is nothing more than a paper weight."

Dean drops his hands to his knees and struggled to get his words out through chunky breaths, "have you seen a woman?"

"I run a bar, kid. You're gonna have to be a lot more specific than that," the man scoffs.

"I got this," Sam whispers and turns to face the bald and bearded man behind the counter. Clearing his throat, he asserts, "I'm agent Scott and uh, my partner here is Agent Paxton." Dean sits at the bar, using it as a pillow and only raises a hand in acknowledgment.

Sliding a picture onto the counter, Sam continues, "her name is Blue. Have you seen her come by in the last month or so?"

The man only shakes his head, Sam puts a palm down on the counter. "She may have had a, uh, fling with one of your employees."

The man laughs, "if you think that narrows it down, you'd be mistaken."

"I believe his name was Tim."

"That sounds about right. That Tim sure did have a way with the ladies," she shakes his head with another chuckle.

"Did?"

"Yeah, he quit comin' round about two weeks ago. No calls, nothing. Was a shame, too. It's difficult to find people who work in this damn town."

Dean... please, I'm begging you. Please.

"Shut up!" Dean yells, pounding the counter with his fist and capturing the attention of the people in the bar. When he noticed all eyes are on him, he adjusts his tie and gives a tired chuckle, "bad dream," he jokes with a half nod and light wave before dropping his upper portion back onto the counter.

Sam pulls a card from his suit and places it onto the bar, "if you hear anything." He lifts his eyebrows while tilting his head slightly and adds force to his words, "from either of them, give me a call."

Next Chapter

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alexboehm55144 · 4 years

Text

Alex Final Wars 2: Dark Alex, Chapter 23 - Devastation

Hello! How is everyone doing? Its summer, at least here in the northern hemisphere. So enjoy the warmth and sun of this time of year, but don't forget to social distance! If you're free and need some reading material, then good news for you! Because I have an action packed chapter right here thats waiting to be read! Once again I would like to thank JKnight97 for beta reading this!

00000000000

Heroes had been dispatched to Japan, where persistent Chinese efforts had managed to breach US and Japanese defenses, and now People’s Liberation Army forces were flooding into Tokyo. Although it was the most heavily defended part of Japan, it was also the most valuable target, hence the reason the Chinese concentrated much of their military might on the city. Japan was a key US ally at a location close to China, and that was a problem for the PLA. The Chinese needed to deal with it so that they could strengthen their own position. The most recent attack had broken through into the city far more quickly than expected, and US military personnel were baffled as to why this attack was so different from earlier assaults.

Even before the Typhoon reached Japan, everyone could tell that Retsuko and Haida were upset. Tokyo was their home city, and just the thought of the destruction being wreaked upon the city was almost enough to bring them to tears. Toothdee had told the couple they could have the day off, and everyone was trying to console them somehow. Jack and Skye promised they wouldn’t rest till the Chinese were routed from Tokyo, while Judy had tried making a blueberry and carrot pie to cheer them up. However, it was difficult as Nick kept eating the blueberries.

Heroes gathered on the bridge as Toothdee guided the ship through a bank of clouds towards their destination. When the vessel exited the cloud bank near Tokyo, everyone could see the scale of the devastation. Columns of smoke stretched upwards into the night sky, blocking out the stars. The orange glow of massive fires illuminated tall buildings, and anti-aircraft guns fired upwards, trying to down enemy aircraft.

Sighs spread through the assembled warriors as they looked at the horrible scene in front of them. This was the city they had rested in just a short time ago, after the Korean campaign. Many members of Heroes would consider this one of the most depressing and soul crushing sights they had ever seen over the course of this war. Although combat was their life, it still hurt to see homes burning and the country’s capital drowning in smoke.

On the bridge, the couple watched as their home town was slowly being destroyed by the invaders. The red panda was crying and covering her face. Haida knelt beside her and put his paws on Retsuko’s shoulder. She turned and buried her face in the fur of her hyena, the situation being too much to bear. Things only deteriorated further as a radio call from a US marine in the city came in.

“This is Private Norton of the US marine corps; we have a confirmed sighting of dark heroes! Repeat, confirmed sighting of dark- HUGH!”

The call was quickly cut off and those listening heard what sounded like a chainsaw. They instantly assumed it was Dark Alex’s weapon, cutting through the US soldier. This explained why the Chinese assault had been so successful, and it would make the Heroes’ response all the more difficult. Their counterparts appeared to revel in conflict, and it seemed like the desire to fight was what drove them.

Holding back the horrible thoughts about such destruction and the presence of dark heroes, captain Boehm tried to rouse his friends into a fighting spirit. He always tried to be positive, even in dire circumstances.

“I know it hurts to think about what’s happening in that city, but remember, preventing further disasters like this is why we do what we do.”

It hurt to see the innocent Retsuko brought to tears. It hurt to see the entire team looking downtrodden.

“We beat them in Zootopia, we can beat them in Tokyo! Let’s inflict on those Chinese forces, what they inflicted on this city! Tenfold!”

The captain saw a few small smiles, but the aura of depression could still clearly be felt. As the Typhoon landed in an empty container storage area near the city docks, Toothdee took this opportunity to check on Kion and assign everyone’s orders.

“Kion, do you feel like you're ready to get back in the fray? It’s okay if you don’t.”

“I’m fine, besides I want to help.”

“Very well. Jack, Skye, go out and see what you can find out about Chinese movements. Laval, Eris, link up with the US forward operating base. Nick, Judy, you're with me guarding the Typhoon. Alex, JayJay, assault the main Chinese positions with the US Marines. Kion, Jasiri, search for any civilian stragglers and evacuate them.”

Everyone only responded with simple nods and left the bridge to gear up. As they left, many heroes gave Haida and Retsuko a hug or a pat on the back as they passed by. Today, Heroes would be fighting for their friend’s homeland.

000

The teams left the Typhoon and went their separate ways into the burning city. There wasn’t much in the way of chatter. The destruction wreaked on Tokyo had left a somber mood. Jack and Skye found their way down into the Tokyo subway system. Using a map on file, they began moving behind enemy lines.

“It’s like Zootopia all over again.” Skye said “It never gets any easier.”

“I know,” Jack responded. “But, this is what we’ve trained for. We can do this!”

Skye appreciated her partner’s enthusiasm, and gave him a playful nudge as they continued down the subway tunnel. All of a sudden Jack stopped in his tracks, and Skye bumped into him a few seconds later.

“What?” The arctic fox asked.

“Chinese soldiers.”

Flashlights appeared at the end of the tunnel and the two could hear soldiers speaking in a foreign language.

The pair frantically looked for somewhere to hide, and quickly dove under a bench nearby. They huddled closely to each other in order to stay concealed, but it wasn’t anything they were not used to.

From where Jack and Skye were concealed, they could see a trio of boot pairs passing by the bench. Once the soldiers had passed, the pair exited cover and snuck up behind two of the unsuspecting soldiers. Silenced weapons finished off the three unfortunate soldiers, and the pair continued.

Jack radioed Toothdee and informed her that the Chinese were using the subway to move around the city. Toothdee said she would alert US forces. As the two went deeper into Chinese territory, the tunnel got darker due to the ongoing power failure. Jack moved to turn on the flashlight on his weapon, but Skye stopped him, saying that the light might alert any more Chinese soldiers they came across.

“But, I can’t see.” Jack protested.

“Here, I’ll guide you. Watch out for the third rail.”

The fox took Jack’s paw and started leading him through the darkened section, with both mammals enjoying the touch of the other. Once they left the pitch black section of the subway, the pair continued to hold hands, not out of necessity, but simply out of love.

However, once Jack and Skye came to a subway exit, they let go of each other’s paws and prepared themselves for whatever was next. Peeking up onto the surface, they spotted a Chinese armored personnel carrier and infantry. The two then sprinted into a nearby building so they could get to higher ground. Finding their way up to the third floor, the elevated position revealed a lot more of the Chinese assault force. There were dozens of soldiers and a large number of vehicles, both armored and unarmored.

Skye turned on the camera on her uniform and got a few good shots of the enemy force. Jack rooted around the building and found out that it belonged to a company called Chararyman Trading. Now they had the position of a lot of Chinese forces, as well as their numbers.

“I think we have all we need.” Skye said, “let’s get out of here and move on to somewhere else.”

Suddenly the pair heard yelling coming from nearby, and turning to the door of the room they were in, they saw a PLA soldier. Jack gunned the soldier down, but not before his opponent managed to get a shot off. This alerted other Chinese soldiers who began to enter the building.

Thinking quickly, the two sprinted to the other side of the floor and reached a window through which they could see the roof of the next-door building one story below. Skye shot out the window with her firearm and then readied a crossbow she had on her back. The crossbow was designed to fire zip lines, with the weapon itself capable of being affixed to the ground to make an anchor for one end of the line. Taking aim, Skye discharged the weapon and the arrow embedded itself in the roof of the other building. She then affixed the crossbow to the ground. With the line now stabilized, Jack tossed a grenade at the advancing Chinese soldiers to buy them some time to escape. The pair used their weapons as trolleys to zipline across to the other roof, before pulling out the arrow and preventing Chinese soldiers from following them the same way.

“Toothdee, we could use a bit of help here.” Skye said into her radio just as the Chinese soldiers on the Chararyman Trading building opened fire, forcing her and Jack to duck for cover.

“Kion and Jasiri are nearby, I’ll send them to help.”

Jack and Skye managed to get down via the fire escape on the side of the building, and began running down the street to avoid any Chinese forces. An enemy off-road vehicle began to pursue the two mammals, who ducked into an alleyway to avoid being run over. The vehicle stopped and the soldiers got out and pursued the team on foot.

Jack and Skye turned around to engage, when suddenly Kion and Jasiri were at their side, weapons at the ready.

“Someone order a rescue?” Kion said, blocking enemy bullets with his sword. The other three heroes laid down gunfire, killing some enemy soldiers and forcing the others to retreat.

“Thanks for the assist.” Jack said “we owe you two.”

“Don’t mention it, all in a day's work for two Heroes.” Jasiri said. “I hear you two got some good information.”

“The location of dozens of Chinese soldiers and vehicles. I think with this we can kick them out of the city.”

“Excellent job!”

“All in a day's work for two agents of the ZIA!”

000

While Jack and Skye had gone behind enemy lines to ascertain information about the Chinese forces, Alex and JayJay were meeting the enemy head on in combat. They were in charge of clearing a specific sector of the city, while US marines cleared adjacent sectors. The plan was for all forces to converge on the Chinese line. Currently the human and wolf pair were walking down a street, keeping watch for Chinese soldiers.

“All this destruction.” Alex said, “it’s like Zootopia and Guam all over again.”

The wolf went over and patted her ally on the back in case he was feeling depressed.

“Hey, remember what you told me. We can’t let ourselves feel down, we have to keep going to prevent further devastation.”

“True, it’s definitely motivating. It pushes you to do your best to prevent more damage.” The Captain looked up at the smoke filled sky. “Even though there’s a lot of enemy forces out there.”

“With you by my side, I feel like I can get through anything!”

Alex playfully pushed her and the pair laughed, before JayJay’s keen wolf eyes noticed a glint in a nearby window.

“Get down! Sniper!”

JayJay pushed Alex out of the way and jumped back as a bullet struck the street next to them. The pair took cover in an alleyway, and formulated a course of action.

“What’s the plan?” JayJay asked.

Alex noticed a flyer on the wall, which he ripped off and held outside of cover. A bullet went through the paper, confirming the sniper had a good shot on them if they got out of cover.

“You stay here and keep them distracted, I’ll sneak around.”

The wolf nodded and fired blindly around the corner of the building, while Alex headed down the alley towards the building where the sniper was. The Captain saw shots coming out of a window, and quickly climbed up to the window using a fire escape. Alex timed his climbing with the gunfire, so the sniper wouldn’t hear the fire escape creaking.

Alex crept closer to the window, and in a split second, looked in the window and fired his pistol, killing the sniper.

The captain whistled and let JayJay know the coast was clear, before returning to street level.

“I expected more enemy soldiers.” JayJay said.

“I know, it’s quiet, too quiet.”

JayJay held up a finger, prompting Alex to be silent. She closed her eyes, sniffed the air, and remained silent for a few seconds.

“I can smell and hear a vehicle, but it’s hard to tell with all this smoke.”

“Well, that's good to know. Let me know if you detect anything else.”

“Will do.”

The pair continued down the street, and soon they came across a Chinese ZBD-09 light armored vehicle sitting in the street, along with some infantry.

“You were right!” Alex whispered, the pair sneaking up to the vehicle. Alex took a spent shell casing and threw it, distracting the Chinese soldiers and prompting them to move out of the way of the Heroes. JayJay knocked on the hatch on top of the vehicle. When a Chinese soldier opened it up, the wolf quickly punched him, knocking him out, and dragged him out of the vehicle so that she and Alex could climb inside. They immediately neutralized the enemy driver and companion before they could even draw their firearms..

“Can you drive?” Captain Boehm asked, moving the downed soldiers out of the way and back up through the top hatch.

“I mean.... it’s just like a car, right?” JayJay said nervously as she felt the controls.

Alex shut the top hatch and got in the gunner’s seat. “Then, let’s get moving.”

The wolf put the pedal to the metal and the vehicle lurched forward, nearly running over two Chinese soldiers. Alex used the turret to open fire on any enemy troopers he saw, making sure he took down every one.

The vehicle crashed through several stopped cars, hitting a Chinese soldier. Other soldiers in the vicinity opened fire, including some armed with rocket launchers.

JayJay messed with the controls inside the vehicle and fired the main gun, eliminating the pair of PLA infantrymen. Alex targeted any trooper with a rocket launcher, making them a priority due to the danger they posed. Most infantry ran for cover as the captain opened fire on them, taking down one hostile after another.

After all the infantry had been neutralized, another ZBD-09 entered the fray, engaging the heroes with its weapons. The wolf at the controls stepped on the gas and spun their vehicle around the enemy vehicle.

“JayJay...” captain Boehm said, unaware of what she was planning.

JayJay sent their armored vehicle crashing right into the side of the enemy vehicle, pushing it into a construction site. The wolf then backed up out of the site and the duo then fired at the building’s support structures with their weapons.

The concrete and steel buckled and came crashing down, crushing the enemy vehicle. As the dust settled, the pair could see part of the enemy ZBD peeking out from under the pile of rubble, crushed like a tin can.

“You think we got them?” JayJay asked.

“It never hurts to be careful.”

The pair fired at the immobilized vehicle, causing it to burst into flames. There was no way the crew could have survived.

“I think we got them.” Alex said, giving JayJay a thumbs up, before they moved onwards. The pair had to disembark the vehicle at a certain point and move through an alleyway into a market. Although the air was still heavy with smoke, JayJay’s keen wolf nose picked up something, and it wasn’t market food.

“I smell something familiar.” the wolf said “and yet... different...”

The area was illuminated by bright red neon lights and the glow of fires in the city. Smoke still obscured visibility. Two figures ominously appeared at the other end of the market, and the Heroes readied their weapons. As the unknown combatants drew closer, their identities were revealed. It was Dark Alex and Dark JayJay, smirks on their faces as they were obviously thinking about how doomed the Heroes were.

“Well, well, well,” Dark Alex said. “Here to stop the Chinese invasion?”

“We were, but you will be a good substitute.” Alex said, getting out his sword.

“Ha! Prepare to be disappointed. You will surely be a worthy opponent, I enjoy fighting the best!”

Dark Alex drew his blade, and the chainsaw inside hummed as the glowing red blades rotated around the sword.

The two wolves prepared themselves for paw to paw combat, each warrior staring down their counterpart.

The pair of swordsmen charged forward and clashed blades, as JayJay and her counterpart engaged each other.

Alex and his adversary got in a sword lock, causing the chainsaw on Dark Alex’s sword to stop, as it was blocked by Captain Boehm’s blade.

“This is your end!” the dark warrior yelled.

“Last time I checked, Heroes killed four of your members!”

Meanwhile the pair of wolves battled, each of them landing melee strikes on the other, but blocking each other’s attacks. Both warriors had heightened levels of agility and endurance, making their fight fast paced.

Dark Alex fired his grappling hook, but the Captain managed to dodge out of the way. Alex grabbed the line of the grappling hook as it passed and pulled, knocking his enemy off balance, before delivering a powerful punch to his opponent’s chin. The dark warrior yelled in anger and took a few steps back to collect himself.

JayJay’s dark counterpart performed a drop kick on her enemy, hitting the wolf square in the chest. The young Hero was sent staggering away while she regained her senses.

Dark Alex was now closer to JayJay, and Alex was now closer to Dark JayJay. Each warrior decided to attack the enemy nearest to them, switching up the partners in the fight.

The dark wolf stared down Captain Boehm. “You know you're kinda cute.” She said, chuckling to herself.

“No thanks, I’m taken by that wolf over there.” Alex said, gesturing to the other Hero in the battle.

Dark JayJay ran forward and attacked with a series of kicks, but Alex blocked them with his sword.

Every sword swipe the Captain attempted was merely dodged by the wolf. Dark JayJay used her agility to dodge Alex’s sword swings, with JayJay using the same tactics against her enemy.

Dark Alex tried to bring his sword down onto JayJay, but she evaded the strike and landed a few good hits. The dark warrior retaliated with a shoulder charge that put the hero on the defensive.

Alex managed to land some good kicks and jabs on the dark wolf, as he was able to predict most of her attacks, blocking them accordingly. The Captain then used the wolf’s own force against her, evading an attack, spinning around her, and kicking her in the back.

Dark Alex tried another shoulder charge, but this time JayJay was ready and easily jumped out of the way.

With some good timing, both dark warriors were sent slamming into one another, dazing them. The pair of Heroes used this opportunity to get in a few good strikes. Dark Alex and Dark JayJay regained their senses and once again prepared to resume combat.

“Come on then!” Captain Boehm said, his blade hungering for combat.

“Let’s see what you’ve got!” JayJay yelled.

The intense fight began anew, with each fighter squaring off against their counterpart. Swords and fists clashed together, and the marketplace was filled with the sounds of combat and yelling.

The duo of swordsmen got into a blade lock, their weapons pushing together, sending sparks flying. But the dark Captain knew how to get the upper hand.

“You fight so hard for your country. Such ferocity.”

“All to stop you and the Chinese. They started this war, and now we’ll finish it!”

“You think China started this war? Hasn’t the US always been good at starting pointless wars? What you’ve been told is lies, it was your nation that fired the first shot.”

While the Heroes leader was distracted, absorbing this information, the other swordsman took the opportunity to push his enemy back, sending him staggering.

As the two pairs fought, they soon became aware of a loud sound coming closer and closer. Artillery fire began raining down closer and closer to the marketplace. A nearby building was struck by incoming shells, causing debris to start falling down on the market.

The Heroes ran for cover towards the market, while the villains ran for cover in the opposite direction. Alex and JayJay took shelter in an alcove on the side of a building, while their counterparts disappeared into the smoke. The Captain instinctively shielded the wolf with his own body, as artillery and debris crashed down nearby. The earth shook and JayJay yelled in fear as dust and smoke filled the alcove. But as quickly as it had come, the bombardment ceased, and the world was silent once again.

“Are you ok?!” Both heroes asked each other, before quickly assuring the other that they were alright. They raced out of the alcove and peered through the marketplace, their vision heavily impaired by the particles suspended in the air.

“Do you see them?” The wolf asked.

“I can’t see anything.” Captain Boehm said, activating his flashlight and moving through the dust.

As the particulates started to settle, the Heroes reached the other end of the market, but they still hadn’t come across their counterparts.

“Aww, they ran off? I was just getting started!” JayJay said.

“Oh don’t worry, this war isn’t over yet. I have a feeling that we will see them again.”

000

A few hours had passed, and the sun was steadily rising. Darkness still covered the city despite the sun having risen above the horizon, due to the many fires that raged throughout the area.

Haida and Retsuko were sitting out on the deck of the Typhoon, watching their home city enveloped by destruction. But, at least for now, there were more US troops in the city than Chinese. Haida had been holding onto something he wanted to say, and until now he was just unable to find the correct moment to speak. The hyena knew he couldn’t let the silence linger between him and his red panda any longer, and he gathered up the courage to talk.

“Reports coming in say the Chinese have been pushed back, for now.”

Retsuko still remained quiet, just looking at her feet.

The silence returned, both mammals too upset about the state of their home city. But now, it was Retsuko’s turn to say a few words.

“Our city.... our home.... ”

Hearing Retsuko speak felt like the only thing that gave Haida joy in this trying time.

“I know.... I know it hurts.”

The red panda squeezed her mate’s paw, prompting Haida to wrap her in a hug.

“Just to see Tokyo burning like this...” Haida said. “I hoped this city would emerge unscathed.”

“Places we know, places we’ve been, all gone.”

The hyena nodded, and patted his red panda on the back.

“At least.... I still have you Haida.”

“We can make this right Retsuko, we can help fix this...”

“I know,” the red panda said, more determined than ever to carry out her job aboard the Typhoon, “we will make sure this never happens again.” Although she wasn’t doing the fighting, she knew her work was a big part of the war against the Chinese.

Haida pulled back and looked Retsuko in her eyes, which looked so beautiful, even with the fires from the city nearby reflecting off them.

The space between the two grew smaller and smaller, the burning city moved out of sight and out of mind. The only feelings the pair had being a gentle breeze, a rapid beat in their chests, and the soft touch of the other’s lips.

They had both vowed to do whatever they could to stop the Chinese from causing further destruction to Japan. Although their home city had suffered, they still had the most important thing to them: each other.

00000000000

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Stay safe and wear a mask!

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party-of-rpg-muses · 5 years

Text

Mun Plays Kingdom Hearts 3

............. I finished Kingdom Hearts 3... For those who may be confused, I’m not upset or disappointed. If anything... I’m surprised. Speechless.

Continuing where I left off, I took the Leviathan and sailed to Shipwreck Cove, but found myself getting intercepted by Luxord and his army of Heartlesses. For the first time, I made use of the water wall, which I had completely forgotten about and it really saved me a few times. I just barely managed to beat Luxord with only a sliver of health.

Also, one thing I forgot to mention in my last post, I thought game was going to follow the whole Never say “Die” rule. In Monsteropolis, you can hear Randal saying “Why won’t you just fail already” and in The Caribbean, Jack says “Four of you tried to annihilate me.” when the line in the movie was “Half of you tried to kill me.” So I thought they were going out of their way to not have characters say “die” or “kill” or “death”. But when Jack was traded for Will, Elizabeth did use the word “die”. I just wanted to mention that.

Now, at Shipwreck Cove, I fought against the Kraken, saving the Black Pearl from both it and the Flying Dutchman, allowing me to use the water all even more to protect myself. The fight against Davy Jones was honestly rather difficult, if mostly because of the Kraken, but I managed to win. Not only that, but I won with STYLE!

I was interested in the fact that they didn’t show Davy Jones’ heart, but I understood why they couldn’t show it. Even then, you could just faintly heart his heart beating inside the chest. I was surprised to see them keeping Will dying and even Davy Jones dying as he fell overboard. A little disappointed they didn’t include the marriage between Will and Elizabeth. I also couldn’t help but notice that Sora basically had a hand in killing a normal human being and not a Heartless or Nobody.

After that was San Fransokyo from Big Hero 6. Brief mention: Didn’t care all that much for BH6. Didn’t hate it, but found it kinda average. I’ll say this, I had tons of fun exploring the city and I was able to practice Flowmotion and get used to using it in battle. Funny thing, while out on the town with the others, I forgot the chest that held a map of the area. Like, I saw the chest and planned on getting it after taking care of the Heartless, but completely forgot about it once I was directed to the top of a nearby building, so when I had to track down the Micro-bots, I had to backtrack my steps to find that chest. But other than that, nothing was really major. I know many people would be super happy to have the original Baymax back, but I didn’t really care.

But one thing that was of interest was seeing Possessed Riku from KH1. I’ll admit, I was actually confused about how he was there, but that’s kinda par for the course with a Kingdom Hearts game.

With that done, I went to the Realm of Darkness, YAY! I had the biggest grin on my face when the best character Aqua showed up, even if she was Norted. And I still had that grin while fighting the Demon Tower as Riku. It wasn’t hard, but it did kinda take a while. Then I got to play as Sora to fight my wife Aquanort. Honestly, she was quite difficult, what with her tendency to attack while offscreen and combo Sora for some good damage. But as time passed, I started to figure her out. But I managed to beat her. I want to bring up my theory again and as it turned out, my theory was half-right.

I couldn’t help but shed a tear when Aqua realized she was finally free from the Realm of Darkness, but I couldn’t help but wonder how she lost her Keyblade, but I think they might have been explained in a previous game that I didn’t play, but whatever. I also grinned when I saw Aqua return Castle Oblivion back to the Land of Departure. I grinned even more when I saw how beautiful the inside was, especially when compared to what little was shown in BbS. It feels much bigger than in that game and even more regal.

And I was SO excited to play as Aqua after so long and I was able to take to playing her almost instantly. And I LOVED the new animation for Spellweaver; the way she pirouettes and performs like a graceful ballerina is beyond graceful! Fighting Vanitas wasn’t too difficult, since he pretty much acted the same way as in BbS. I managed to beat him and I was SO happy to see Ventus finally wake up! And the way Aqua and Ven treated each other was adorable, much like an older sister and younger brother. I do wish Ven and Sora could connect a bit more, but I guess there were more pressing matters.

And in the cutscene after, I enjoyed Aqua remembering Kairi and Sora from when they were kids. Of course Sora and Kairi wouldn’t remember meeting her, since they were only children and it was a long time ago. And yay! Axel/Lea and Ventus still remembered each other and they’re still close friends!

After that, I went straight to the Keyblade Graveyard. My blood was pumping during that massive battle against the Heartless and Nobodies, which I called the Battle of A Million Heartless and Nobodies. It was tons of fun laying waste to countless enemies one after the other and once it was done, I continued onward.

While I was happy to see Terra, I instantly knew things weren’t right. Why would Terra just suddenly be there and unpossessed? What followed was the gang getting destroyed one by one while Sora was left in despair as the Demon Tide claimed him. I enjoyed seeing the Chirithy (I don’t know much about the other games, but I know he belongs to Ventus, so there’s that.) It was fun collecting all the different Soras and interesting seeing other people who found themselves in the Final World, clinging on the something in the real world. And going through all the other previous worlds was kinda fun, but the Lich quickly became a pain, what with his Aero magic and leaving behind afterimages that Sora sometimes focuses on, leaving me unable to get away in time. But I managed to get them all. Still confused as to how everyone was seemingly warped back in time to before Terranort and the Demon Tide attacked.

But this time, I was excited to see the Lingering Will return and protect Aqua and Ven. And even pull off these insane moves with its Keyblade that I had no idea it could do. I didn’t fight it in KH2, so yeah... And as for the Demon Tide fight, I was doing... decently until later in the fight. I got combo’d so badly, not even the Kupo Coin could help me and I got a game over. When I tried again, I learned I could damage the core while the tornado is spinning, just not when it turns orange. I eventually managed to win, which then brought one of the coolest moments in the game up!

The Keyblades of the fallen warriors came to Sora’s aid to help him against the swarm of darkness. And not the Keyblades of any fallen warriors, but the people who actually played Kingdom Hearts χ! There were so many names and so many Keyblades being used! And I want to say this; for those who lost their lives in the Keyblade War, I thank you. Your hearts may now rest and be at peace. Light shall prevail.

After that, found myself in Xehanort’s maze, deciding to help Riku against Young Riku, Ansem, and Xigbar. By accident, I focused on Ansem until he ran away, leaving only Young Riku and Xigbar. I focused on Xigbar, since he was always a bit of a pain; both in KH2 and BbS. But thanks to Sora’s amazing aerial combat skills, he wasn’t all that difficult. Young Riku, however, was a bit harder and rather aggressive. But I managed to win. After that, I helped Mickey out against Xemnas, Larxene, Luxord, and Marluxia. I ended up targeting Larxene, but after a few hits, Xemnas left the battle and Luxord captured Mickey, so I focused on Luxord and defeated him first before turning my attention toward Larxene. Once she fell, Marluxia was next.

Later, I decided to help Kairi and Axel with Saïx and a mysterious hooded figure. I focused on Saïx until his Berserk meter filled up, triggering another cutscene. Xemnas managed to defeat Axel (and somehow(?) took his Keyblade away) before having the hooded figure attempt to kill him. I had my guess, but I was so happy to see I was right! Xion is a vessel! Sure, she hasn’t been Norted with the orange eyes and white hair, but she was one of Xehanort’s Organization XIII. I was even happier to see her come around. And happier still with Roxas suddenly appeared to help his friends while Kairi was kidnapped. With Xion and Roxas, I was able to defeat Saïx almost easily. I then went to help Aqua and Ven against Vanitas and Terranort. I focused on Vanitas because he’s kind of a massive jerk and I wanted to see how Sora would react to seeing Vanitas’ face. It was nice to see Ven act so mature towards Vanitas and I was expecting him to accept Vanitas as a part of himself and absorb him back into his body. But honestly, this is fine too.

After Vanitas, I focused Terranort. I was really struggling when he brought the Guardian out and I couldn’t seem to do anything. No way to damage it and no way to avoid it, but I managed to survive. Terranort fell shortly thereafter, since he also got caught in the crossfire against Vanitas. I was surprised to see the Guardian resist Terranort, only to find that the Heartless in question was Terra himself, successfully driving Xehanort’s heart out of his body and reclaiming it as his own.

I then turned my attention to the Xehanorts. I focused on Young Xehanort, managing to defeat him despite having to also deal with Ansem and Xemnas. Once Young Xehanort was defeated, I felled Ansem, followed by Xemnas. My heart stopped when Master Xehanort up and killed Kairi and my jaw dropped when I saw the old man actually stop ULTIMA, AKA THE ULTIMATE MAGIC SPELL with Stopza!

I went into Xehanort’s heart (I think) and entered Scala ad Caelum. I struggled heavily against the masked enemies. Even Rage Mode could only help so much and I eventually got a game over. When I tried again, I wised up to some of their tricks and eventually managed to beat them.

Next cama Armored Xehanort... I barely knew what I was doing during the first phase, struggling to find my footing, but managed to beat the first phase, even making use of Flowmotion attacks. In the second phase, underwater, I was more cautious, since I was out of items. I also bought an Elixir earlier on to use in a desperate situation. I used it during that phase, so... yeah. At times, I would just run away and try to survive until Donald was either revived and healed Sora or my MP was filled again so I could use Curaga. I eventually managed to win as the third phase started.

Almost instantly, I was blindsided and instantly defeated, since I didn’t have time to heal. Now, during the entire fight, I feared that if I died, I would have to go through the whole fight again, but thankfully, I was just sent back to the start of the third phase. I managed to deal good damage and ALMOST WON but thanks to some bad luck, I lost... Rage Mode helped me out a bit. And for the third attempt, I FINALLY managed to win!

Then came the battle against Master Xehanort himself! Honestly, it was much more managable compared to the others and nowhere near as stressful. I did quite well until he summoned Kingdom Hearts, making for a great backdrop. I still fought against him quite well until he took Sora’s light, forcing him into Rage Mode. I wasn’t expecting it, so it took me a while to recover, but when I did, I managed to take back Sora’s light... and found myself in a grey area with the Organization XIII chairs surrounding the area. I was assaulted by hooded figures with weapons of the Organization XIII and barely managed to even gain a footing, let alone heal. And there were the massive lasers. But I managed to heal and hold my own until returning back to the battlefield.

Once the battle restarted, I returned to fighting Xehanort, eventually getting him down to trigger the ending. But he easily deflected Sora’s Ray of Light and countered with his “Ray of Darkness”. And during the struggle, I couldn’t help but notice a different version of Dearly Beloved. This truly was something major! And thanks to the power of friendship, Xehanort was defeated!

And with that, I BEAT THE GAME!!! I watched the ending cutscenes, Xehanort and Eraqus becoming friends again as their hearts pass on. And I liked how Xehanort acted at the end too. I was hoping that Sora could finally return home to see his mom after so many years, but with Kairi missing, Sora went on a journey by himself to search for her while everyone else went back home. AND Naminé is back too! During the absolute final cutscene before the credits, I thought that Sora had found Kairi and they were returning to greet everyone, but it seems Sora was gone somewhere, leaving Kairi alone, despite being with her friends.

And for the after-credits scene? Well... I won’t say~ But I’ll say this, my jaw dropped, since it revealed MASSIVE things! Some characters will be returning, but I won’t say who. I’ll also say this; the end of the beginning and the beginning brings about the end.

I look forward to the next game! Also, my total game time? 25 hours. Yes, if given enough time, I could start and finish the game in a single day, with an extra hour. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed that there were only 2 returning worlds: Pirates of the Caribbeans and Hercules. Sure, the new worlds are great, but still. And the number of worlds overall is disappointing. So few Disney worlds and all of the worlds don’t give much. Winnie the Pooh can easily be finished in a few minutes while the Disney worlds take about an hour or two to finish. But I guess they wanted to focus a bit more on story and wrapping things up. Still, the game felt short overall. I also hope that Final Fantasy characters make a return in a later game. I’m still bothered by the fact that they removed Final Fantasy characters, who have been present in every KH game since the first, 17 years ago! Again, oh well. Overall, I had fun playing the game and really enjoyed KH3!

#Kingdom Hearts 3 #Kingdom Hearts 3 spoilers #outofexp #really long post

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whimsicallyenchantedrose · 7 years

Text

Love Potion #9

Happy (day after) Valentine’s Day! This is a collaborative story written by @ bixisarusher, @flslp87 @hellomommanerd @snowbellewells and @whimscallyenchantedrose. A big thanks to @duathadun for making the above graphic!

Summary: When Cupid puts a love potion in Storybrooke’s water supply on Valentine’s Day, all kinds of chaos ensues. Can the heroes find a way to reverse the spell and bring peace back to their overly loving community?

~<3~<3~<3~<3

Valentine’s Day dawned crisp and clear, the sun shining down on the snow that had blanketed Storybrooke overnight, making it sparkle like tiny diamonds. Emma woke slowly, enjoying the warmth of her bed and the security of Killian’s arms around her.

Life was actually pretty great right now. She and her family had found that third way. She’d managed to avoid getting stabbed by Gold’s 30-year-old newborn son (what even was her life anymore?). She’d helped defeat the Black Fairy. They’d managed to foil Jafar’s crazy plan and brought back Aladdin and Jasmine’s happy ending, and they’d been slowly but steadily been working their way through the Land of Untold Stories folks, bringing them their happy endings as well.

Best of all, there hadn’t been a villain in Storybrooke for a good two weeks. This had to be some sort of miracle.

She and Killian had made the most of their peaceful moments, spending long days and passionate nights holed up in their home, thoroughly enjoying each other and the fact that neither of them were dead, about to die, or prophecied to die.

Tonight, she and Killian had plans for a romantic Valentine’s dinner followed by, no doubt, plenty of other romantic stuff, because Killian was probably the most romantic guy she knew.

Yep, life was pretty close to perfect right now. Nothing could ruin her day today. Life was good…

And that’s when her phone rang.

“Hello?” she said sleepily into the receiver.

“Miss Swan?” Regina said. “I think you need to get down to my office ASAP. We have a situation. Seems Cupid was among our Land of Untold Stories guests.”

“Um…okay?” Emma said, running her free hand through her hair. “Cupid being in town qualifies as a crisis?”

“It does when he’s been secretly making a love potion, that he decided to pour into Storybrooke’s main water source, the wishing well. The whole town’s going crazy. I just saw Grumpy chasing Granny down the street with an armful of red flowers.”

Emma rolled her eyes at the mental image of Grumpy and Granny, “Well, it’s not a pretty picture but i have no problem with that. As long as he’s chasing her, he won’t have time to interrupt Hook and me.”

“Emma,” Regina’s voice lowered, “there’s more.”

“There always is, Regina. What else?”

“Well, there’s your parents,” she stopped as if hesitant to say anything.

“Come on, just spit it out.”

“It seems your mother ordered some interesting gifts for your father for Valentine’s Day and he’s sharing just a bit too much with some of our the guests who still remain.”

Emma groaned, “Oh dear, that doesn’t sound like dad at all.”

“What doesn’t sound like your father,” she heard from behind her in bed.

Turning to Killian, who had been absorbing every word, she quickly explained what was happening in Storybrooke. When she finished, his eyebrow went up, “Oh, I don’t know about it not sounding like your father, love. While just the other day,” was all he could get out before she covered his mouth in a quick kiss to shut him up.

“Emma, are you still there,” coming through the phone quickly brought her back to the problem at hand. “What else?”

“Well, Gold is in the clock tower singing some aria at the top of his lungs to Belle.”

“OH that I need to see.” Emma interrupted her, “And you Regina, how has it affected you?”

“What do you mean?” Regina responded with an uncharacteristic giggle, “It’s not affected me at all, but I can’t say the same for Robin.”

“I’ll be there in a while,” Emma told her clicking off the phone and tossing it on the nightstand. “I guess our quiet time is over for now. Do you have any ideas how to handle this situation?” she asked Killian who was laying back, arms behind his head and a devilish smile on his face.

“Now that you ask Swan. I…”

Unfortunately, before Killian could voice the solution he had been ready to propose, or could try to kiss the whole situation out of her mind and get her focus back to more enjoyable activities, there was a wildly panicked flurry of knocking on their bedroom door, and soon Henry’s anxious voice broke through as well.

There had been one fairly PG, but still supremely uncomfortable incident where they had nearly scarred her teenage son for life early on, once Emma had returned from the Wish Realm and they hadn’t emerged from their bedroom promptly enough for her bottomless pit of a son who’d wanted his breakfast the next morning. Without thinking, he had barged in to demand sustenance and been permanently cured of entering without knocking at just the idea of what he’d nearly seen. Though Killian had been flopping around laughing so hard at the whole thing when Henry had made his quick exit that he’d gotten them both tangled up in the sheets and nearly made the lad wait even longer for his morning meal, Emma had been seriously considering a lock on the door for a bit. Her pirate swore the blush hadn’t left her cheeks that day until it was nearly time for lunch.

Regardless, Henry was knocking now, but clearly not going to be put off for much longer. “Mom, Killian, come on! I know you’re awake; I heard the phone! This is important!”

Emma stood, wrapped a long robe around her festively red, silky camisole and shorts pajama set and went to open the door.

Henry launched into his explanation the moment the door opened and was already moving toward the bed to lay down the opened storybook where she and Killian could both see. “The storybook is going crazy this morning! I can’t even add anything to it! All the stories are mixing around together, the endings are shifting, and they keep coming out wrong with the wrong couples together… Archie’s going to get himself killed by Mr. Gold if he brings Belle any more gift books of romantic sonnets with coupons for free sessions tucked in the pages!”

“I may have an idea about that, Kid. That was your other mom on the phone…”

“But that’s not all,” Henry blurted out, too excited to wait for her to finish. “I was sure we had documented all the newcomers, but according to this, there are two sisters roaming down Main Street handing out fancy, old fashioned Victorian-looking valentines to EVERYONE. And some fussy little short dude they’re ignoring following behind telling them to ‘behave more decorously’. According to this, their names are Kitty and Lydia, and the guy pestering them is a Mr. Collins? Have you heard of them before?”

Emma shrugged uncertainly, but when her glance slid to Killian, there was a gleam in his eye. “Really, Swan? You haven’t heard of them? They’re from quite the romantic tale…”

“Yeah, well,” Emma said, rummaging around her closet for appropriate love potion fighting attire, “We’ll have to save the full story for later. Sounds like things are getting dicey in town. Now, either of you have any idea how we stop Cupid?”

Henry shrugged. “I guess the best thing to do is learn all we can about love potions, and then maybe we can figure out what to do?”

“But in the meantime,” Emma said, “what do we do about everyone who’s already smitten?”

Killian stepped up before her, leaned down and kissed her gently. “Perhaps you should alert your parents. We could all meet at the mayor’s place of residence and devise a plan. In the meantime, as this curse does merely elicit false feelings of love, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Henry facepalmed. “Killian, take it from an author. That’s the thing the heroes say just before everything goes crazy.”

~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3

Killian stepped from Swan’s yellow vessel and looked around the main street of time. It appeared the lad was right. He hadn’t seen such chaos in the streets since the bloody Snow Queen’s spell of shattered sight.

Leroy chased Dopey through town brandishing his pickaxe. “Don’t you run away from me you leafy bag of tree sap!” he yelled. “I saw the way you were looking at Granny! Don’t think you can steal her from me!”

A crash across the street from Granny’s made Killian jump. He turned to find Will Scarlet standing among the shattered shards of Dr. Whale’s jar of tongue depressors. “You thieving scum!” Whale growled, “ You think you can just take Mother Superior right from underneath my nose? We’re in love.”

“Mother Superior?” Will whined. “What the bloody hell would I want with her, mate? It’s Tinker Bell who warms the cockles of me heart.”

The door to Granny’s banged open, and the woman herself stalked out, crossbow at the ready. “Alright where is she?” she asked. “Where’s the bookworm? She thinks she can have the Dark One? He’s my hunk of sparkly golden imp.”

Killian turned concerned eyes toward Emma. “Swan, I believe your lad was correct. It seems we’ve got quite the problem on our hands.”

“You think, Guyliner?” Regina asked, pulling up to the curb and getting out of her car. “It’s complete chaos, and this is just Main Street. You should see the rest of town. Now, if you and Miss Swan would stop gawking and follow me, I think I have the beginnings of a plan. What we need to do

is gather everyone in town who has not been affected and see if there’s a pattern. “

Emma turned to Killian, “Will you see if you can find my mom and bring her to Regina’s office?”

“Just your mom? Shall I round up Granny and Belle also?”

Smiling her thank you, she kissed him quickly and turned to follow Regina into her office, but just before the door shut, stuck her head back out and yelled, “Oh and Killian, whatever you do, don’t drink the water.”

As they walked down the hall, she couldn’t help but notice that the usually pristine city building was far from tidy as she stepped over flower petals, lose leaves, pieces of confetti and what appeared to be a pair of black boxer briefs covered in red lips.

“Regina hold up,” she called just before Regina rounded the corner into her office. “Do I want to know the explanation for those?” she asked pointing at the garment.

Spotting the black garment on the shiny floor, Regina’s face flamed red as she hurried forward, picked them up and stuffed them into her coat pocket before pretending to zip her lips, “not a word,” she muttered with clenched teeth.

Emma zipped her own lips, her eyes twinkling, “I won’t say a word about the briefs but is that a,” she leaned in for a closer look at Regina’s neck, “hickey you’re trying to cover up?”

Regina slapped her hand over her neck and growled, before stomping into her office to sit down behind her desk, once more attempting to regain control. “Now, shall we make a plan?”

They sat around the desk and talked about what they knew about the curse. As they made a list of who was affected and who was not affected, one thing became clear. It seemed that the curse affected men, differently than it did women, which explained why all the men, save one or two were acting very much unlike themselves.

“Now that’s interesting,” she murmured just as footsteps were heard outside the room, and the buzz of conversation from her mother, Belle and Granny came into view. Frowning that Killian wasn’t with them, she got up and walked to the door to look down the hall. “Where’s Killian, mom? Isn’t he with you?”

Snow turned to look over her shoulder, “Oh, I think he said something about being thirsty and was planning to get something to drink before meeting us in here.”

Emma’s eyes got round and she turned to Regina, “What is there to drink in this building?”

Regina frowned, “ugh oh, water,” she responded sheepishly.

Before she could second guess her decision, Emma took off looking for Killian, praying he had heeded her word and not taken a drink of water. Just as she rounded the corner, Killian was balling up a paper cup to toss into the trash.

“Killian,” she exclaimed breathlessly as she clutched his arm, “did you just take a drink of water?”

“Aye Swan, it went down quite nicely too. Shall I get you a cup?”

“Oh Killian,” she said, “tell me you didn’t! You know what that water is doing to everyone!”

He grinned and then winked at her. “Perhaps you best come inspect for yourself, love.”

“Killian,” she growled, “this is not the time for…”

He stopped her with a long, slow, passionate kiss.

“Rum,” she said breathlessly when they finally had to come up for air. “You taste like rum. That’s what you drank, isn’t it?”

Killian laughed. “The very same. Who would settle for water when rum is available for consumption?”

“Who indeed,” Emma laughed. She considered going in for another kiss, but finally decided against it. She was afraid if she tried Regina’s patience too much longer, the fireballs might start flying.

“Okay, Regina,” she said instead, taking Killian’s hand and rejoining the rest of the group. “We’re all here. So what’s this big plan you have?”

“What we need to do is to first of all get to a safe place - I was thinking Gold’s shop.“

Confused looks answered Regina’s suggestion.

“Except any of you have a less romantic place in mind.”

She had a point, and so they maneuvered themselves through the street, as the chaos around them intensified. People threw things at each other, Tink and Katheryn seemed to be in a cat fight over Jefferson, who himself was trying to outrun Thomas on his way to Aurora. “And they said Make Love Not War”, Emma mumbled to herself as they finally entered the shop.

The looming place offered shelter today.

Killian sighed and leaned against one of the counters. “Speak, Regina, what did you come up with so far?”

She collected herself for a moment before she began. “Well, we know the potion is in the water supply. It must have affected anyone who drank tap water or, you know, boiled a tea this morning. It has a quite random pattern of picking the object of affection, I haven’t cracked that code yet, but maybe the book can help with that. Cupid himself was said to be registered at Granny, but I couldn’t find him yet. Another reason I picked Gold’s as hideout: Maybe there’s something here that helps us at least spotting him.”

“Good. I’d suggest we split? Henry, you should occupy the book together with Regina, Killian and I will search the back room.”

They nodded and hastily applied their terms. In moments like these, Emma was glad she has a partner like Killian. He had his own fair share of experience when it came to magic and tactical approaches, as well as all sorts of decoding. It’s something she had noticed back in Neverland and in her crisis-laden life it always came in handy. Well, two calm weeks they had had, back to the normal goose-chase it was. So, the two searched the shelves and boxes for anything possibly linked to a love potion.

She handed him a book written in runes, but he shook his head after glancing over the title. “It’s on animals. I don’t think Cupid classifies a… - Bloody Hell.” He scooted forward a few sentences, staring pointedly. “There’s a label for True Love Potion here!” A little rack stood at a side counter, with neatly stacked labels to it although only a few bottles could be found in it. Killians finger pointed at a sing with a seemingly glowing heart, between one with a sun and a half-moon. “Those are alchemists’ symbols, and the heart looks like it’s supposed to be made of gold, thus in its purest form.”

Emma settled next to him. “Yeah, I remember it from when the curse first broke. Gold made me retrieve a bottle of my parent’s True Love from Maleficent. It’s what he used to bring magic to Storybrooke, so now it’s gone.” She took a second to process how ridiculous that whole statement was. “That’s probably where it would belong, but as I said, he used it up.”

“Just how long was that ago?”

“Phew, I mean, time blurs in this town, - definitely two years.”

“But look at the dust markings on the wood. There’s a rich layer on that board, just this very spot is clean.” Instead of saying more, Killian met her eyes.

“You mean…”

“Not long ago, a single bottle stood there and then someone took it.”

Before Emma could fully realize the depth of their finding, a noise from the front room drew her attention and she saw Astrid peeking into the room. “I was looking for Mister Gold,” she said in her quivering voice.

“The bloody Crocodile?” Hook began, but Emma shooshed him.

“Killian, she can’t help it.” She held up the empty vial. “Potions and spells and stuff, remember?”

Astrid’s eyes grew even huger than normal, “Oh NO! I don’t love him. I mean, how could I when I have a man like Leroy?”

“You mean Grumpy Leroy,” Emma said, “With the pickaxe and…”

“Untimely interruptions?”” Hook added.

Astrid nodded. “I was hoping for some help with a locator spell. My fairy powers aren’t up to snuff at all today, and there’s too much crazy going on all over town. Have you seen it out there?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Emma said. “Let’s go. We know there’s a missing spell from in here, and we might have an idea on how to counter it, but you and the other sisters are a lot better at brewing up that stuff than I am. You think you could gather the other fairies?”

“I know I can!” Astrid reached for the empty glass tube and waved her hand goodbye and took off out of the shop.

Emma turned to Killian and rolled her eyes. “Even the fairies are susceptible to whatever Cupid dumped in the well. She actually thinks she’s in love with Grumpy!”

“Poor lass won’t stand a prayer against that crossbow.”

~*~*~*~*~

The hysteria in town was escalating at an alarming rate. Emma had become separated from Killian when he left to break up a fight between Anton and a very crabby man with a Jamaican accent. The last she’d seen of her pirate, he was reaching for his sword and yelling, “Sebastian, don’t make me use this again!”

Sea people.

In the meantime, the fairies had the beginnings of a counter potion brewing, or so they thought, and Emma was startled to learn that Astrid wasn’t under the spell, and Mother Superior and a serious attitude about dating relationships. What the hell was that about?

She just wanted to find Killian and see if they could find an easier solution to this mess. He wasn’t out in the street, but there was a huge crowd gathering at The Rabbit Hole. Curious, she made her way over to the bar, and heard a piano sounding the ending chords to an old love ballad she used to hear in one of her foster homes. The people crammed inside were clapping and calling for an encore, and there, leaning against that old Spinet, was the love of her life, nodding toward Happy, of all people, who worked his fingers across the keys and began playing a new song. Killian opened his mouth and started singing another ballad, this time one sang by Barry Manilow. Emma leaned back against the door frame deciding to listen and noticed her father and Robin climbing up on stage beside Killian. Robin picked up a guitar and pulled the strap over his head while David slid behind the drum set and picking up sticks they joined in, their voices harmonizing beautifully. Realizing her mouth was hanging open, she slowly shut it just as she felt someone loop their arm through hers. Turning she saw that her mother and Regina had joined her.

“Aren’t they wonderful?" Snow murmured, a sappy grin on her face. Emma frowned at her, "they aren’t bad, but why didn’t I know dad could sing?” Snow patted her hand, “I don’t know, I guess it just never came up. He croons in my ear sometimes when,” she hesitated a moment, “we’re getting busy.” “Eww, mom. TMI!” Snow dimpled and blushed prettily, “Sorry?” She turned to Regina, “Doesn’t Robin sing to you?” Regina looked at them out of the corner of her eye and winked, “He has been known to burst into song a time or two.” When she looked back at Emma, she had a satisfied smile on her face and asked, “Did you know Killian could sing?”

Emma glanced back up onstage, watching him work the crowd, “I’ve heard him in the shower a time or two but I can’t say he’s ever sang just for me,” she finished just as the guys transitioned into the opening bars of Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA.“ Snow laughed, "Well now you know.” “Yea, now I know.” Emma looked at the other two women, any idea whose idea it was for them to suddenly give a concert in the middle of this latest crisis?“ Regina glanced at Snow, "It was your mother’s. I have to say when she first suggested it, I was hesitant but it seems to have worked.” Emma glanced at them a confused look on her face, “Wait a minute. You told the guys to get up on stage and hold an impromptu concert? Why?” “Well,” Snow explained, “there was so much chaos going on, I suggested we needed a way to get everyone’s attention, and this is what the Killian suggested. I mean, look at the crowd,” she waved her hand toward the room at large, “they’re mesmerized by what’s happening up on stage.” Emma looked around the room and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Killian, Robin, Happy and her dad had the crowd eating out of their hands. People were standing, moving closer to the stage and singing along. “As strange as this is, I agree, it’s working. What should we do? Shouldn’t we be looking for a way to break the curse?” Regina looked around the bar, “I think we sit down and enjoy the concert. The effects should wear off the longer they’ve not had any more water.” “Ok, shall we?" Leading the way, Emma found them a table in the back and they sat down and watched the happenings. She couldn’t believe how well the men worked together, almost as if they had been practicing on a regular basis. They moved easily from one song to the next, ballad to rock, pop to blues. She had to admit one of her favorite moments was when they sang a Led Zepplin song and her dad killed the drum feature but she almost lost it when the first few bars of Bohemian Rhapsody came on and Gold took over the parts that had been made famous by the late lead singer of Queen. "Well I didn’t expect that,” Regina responded dryly when they finished and after taking a bow, Gold jumped down off stage and joined the melee in front who were moving to the music. “Emma, any idea where they got their song choice ideas?” “Henry.” “Henry? Really?” Regina asked. Emma nodded her head. “Yes, Henry. He turns the satellite radio up really loud and plays the air guitar along with all the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s bands. Says that’s how "real” rock should sound.” Turning back toward the stage, Regina smiled, “It seems he’s not the only one who likes that music.” Snow shook her head, “Apparently not. Look at them.” A few more songs and then they announced the final song of the night and segued into a surprisingly decent rendition of The Backstreet Boy’s ‘I Want It That Way’ while the crowd raised their hands holding lighters aloft and swayed back and forth in time with the music. Once the song was over, the men played to the audience with bow after bow and the noise overwhelmed the room causing the table to shake. Emma clutched the edges of the table and looked around wildly for some way to stop the motion, but the shaking kept on. "Mom. Mom, wake up,” Henry called to her, gently shaking her shoulder. Emma roused herself enough to open her eyes to see Henry leaning over her and a concerned look on Killian’s face who was standing close behind. Looking down she realized she was clutching a pillow from the sofa so tightly that her fingers were aching. Pushing herself into a sitting position, she looked up at her boys, “What about the curse? Was it broken?” They exchanged confused looks before Killian spoke up, “There’s no curse love. You were dreaming.” Emma pushed her hair back from her face, “Dreaming? But it felt so real.”

“Come love, let me draw you a nice bath while Henry and I prepare your Valentine’s Day dinner.” Emma took the hand he was holding out to her and let him pull her up and they walked slowly up the stairs. As he was preparing the water, adding bubbles, laying out towels and bringing her a big fluffy robe, she watched. Once the bath was ready, he leaned in for a quick kiss, “Can you take it from here Swan, or do you require my expertise?” Emma frowned, “Your expertise?” “Aye love. My expertise at getting you out of your clothing.” She put her hand on his chest, “Slow down. Impressionable boy downstairs.” Killian took a deep breath, “Maybe later then.” He winked at her as he turned to leave the small room.

“Killian, can I ask you a question?” “Anything Swan, you should know that.” “Do you sing?” He raised his brows curious about the origination of the question, “I’ve been known to sing a seafaring song or two. Why the Inquiry?” “Oh it’s nothing,” she responded, a slight frown between her brows. “Do you know the song ’I Want It That Way.’ "And what way would that be Swan?” He inquired of her. “No, no. It’s not what I want, it’s a song that plays on Henry’s radio station he always has blaring.” “Oh well Swan, you know what I think of that music box. You should get in your bath before the bubbles pop. I’ll see you downstairs when you are done.” Emma shooed him out the door, undressed and sunk under the warm water. Shaking her head at the craziest dreams she could come up with she leaned back and let her thoughts drift. Later as the bubbles started to pop and she heard music drifting up the stairs, she climbed out, dried off and wrapped herself in the fluffy warm robe that Killian had left behind. As she opened the door, her feet took flight, when the song that started playing happened to be “Born in the USA.”

~fin

#cs ff #captain swan fanfiction #cs valentine #collaborative fic

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hyrulehb · 7 years

Text

I’ll Show You A Winter Wonderland

Kei’s morning started out crazy, being woken at the ass-crack of dawn and then pulled by his boyfriend, dumbass extraordinaire, onto a bullet train to who knows where, because apparently it’s a secret that not even the threat of disembowelment could loosen Kou’s lips for. Well, maybe he should give the brunet the benefit of the doubt.

Thing was, Kei hated the cold.

Follows my ‘How do you walk forward?’ series for ajin. Includes my own experience in Japan of going to the Tokamachi snow festival and have Kou and Kei acting sweetly domestic, with more than a dash of angst.

Happy ending!

Edited by Origami10, sorry about the delay this is twice as long as my other four ajin fics so I hope that makes up for it!

To say Kei was annoyed was an understatement. He was groggy from being forced to wake up ridiculously early by an oddly excited… for the time of day it was, Kou. Forced to get dressed only for the light-haired ajin to tut at what he chose and making him change into his selection. Why the fuck did he need to wear a thermal undershirt, two sweaters, thermal loose leggings, thick knee-high socks and then thick jeans?! Kou was dressed similarly and Kei was certain that he saw some thick overcoats also shoved into the backpack that Kou shouldered on.

It felt like he was starting to melt. Sure, it got cold in Tokyo, but not nearly enough to warrant THIS.

It was tempting to just have his IBM dispose of his annoyance of an immortal boyfriend, but there was this happy gleam in the other’s murky red eyes that somehow convinced Kei to just go along with whatever scheme he had cooked up.

After the fall of Sato over a year ago, things had been calm and after living a short time at home Kei had decided it would be better for everyone if he stayed at the new Ajin Services Department Headquarters with the rest of the remaining team members. Since Sendai was only a short distance from the main hub of Tokyo he could visit home whenever he wished anyway and see his sister in the hospital.

Izumi and Tosaki lived at the headquarters of course, the woman still had her secret of being an ajin safe and continued to serve the white-haired human as his bodyguard and secretary. Kou had been officially adopted by Tosaki, but it was mainly for legal reasons for the minor to stay with him and to be separated from his neglectful parents. The pair were as far from father and son as one could get, though Tosaki took his responsibility seriously after a note in Hirosawa’s will made his concern for the pair of young ajin known. Kou had finished getting his high school diploma online, after much harassment from the human. Now Kou was taking online college classes along with Kei.

Kou’s identity was still unknown to the public which was why, unlike Kei, he didn’t have to wear a beanie over his hair or a medical mask to obscure his image. It was nice that the chilly February weather didn’t make anyone question the look. While Kei had been cleared of any ‘crimes’ for his escape from the police and government, there was no magic button that would make all humans have good will towards ajin.

It was better to be safe than sorry.

The next thing that had happened was Kei was bustled out of the headquarters, frowning in confusion as a passing Izumi forced another backpack in his arms and gave him a knowing smile before Kou pulled him along and into a waiting taxi.

Any time that Kei tried to question what was going on or where they were going, he had simply been brushed off as Kou led them through the bustle of the train station and slid through the ticket gates of the bullet train section of Tokyo station. That was Kei’s first hint that Kou had planned this well in advance as he looked down at the ticket that had been shoved into his hand.

Max Toki Line, reserved seat, destination Echigo-Yuzawa. It was a two-hour long journey, and wracking his brain to remember his geography, Kei remembered that it was in a more northern part of Honshu and on the west coast of the main island of Japan.

What the hell?

Ass in the seat, a mixture of confused, annoyed, surprised, and disbelieving was that state that Kei found himself in. Of course, only Kou could make him feel like this. The taller ajin was a mixture of both spontaneous and predictable. But for the life of him, Kei could not figure out what Kou was plotting. Good thing, Kei had extra of those to spare with always being able to come back from the dead.

Probably the only thing that was keeping Kei from possibly shoving his boyfriend out of the window while they were going hundreds of kilometers per hour was the fact that there were too many witnesses around… and the fact that when he opened his backpack he discovered a still warm breakfast inside and a thermos full of coffee, prepared the way he liked it with plenty of cream and sugar.

Tosaki grimaced whenever he saw the color of the concoction and Kou always asked if the other would ‘like some coffee with his sugar’. Izumi chimed in that it was probably the only way that Kei could balance the bitterness in his soul when he first started the day.

Kou was digging into his own food and Kei knew better by now to not interrupt the other while he was eating unless he wanted to see him talk with his mouth full. A disgusting habit that the group hadn’t managed to curb yet. A pack of yaki-pudding also helped to sooth Kei’s annoyance. Stomach full, both teenagers let out a collective sigh of contentment.

It didn’t last long though as Kei rounded on the more athletic ajin, “Mind telling me where the hell we are going, dumbass?”

“If I promise it’s nothing bad will you give me the benefit of the doubt?” The other countered with a small wave of his hand, practically immune to Kei’s glares by now.

So, it looked like Kou was going to play dirty right out of the gate, using the trust card was a shitty move. His cocky smirk told Kei that Kou knew it as well. If the other teenager had pulled this a year ago, he would have had some dagger-like claws poking through his stomach by now. However, Kei had learned how to communicate and control his IBM since then. It still wasn’t perfect, the asshole of a black ghost still appeared from time to time without his permission. Ogura had said it was part of the creature’s unique ‘charm’.

Kei didn’t quite agree with that sentiment of course, but he accepted it.

“And what’s the harm in telling me now, I feel like I’m going to die of heat stroke at this rate.” The clothing was heavy and made him feel like a marshmallow more than a huma-, more than a living creature. The train suddenly darkened as they entered another tunnel carved through a mountain. This had to be the fourth one and each time it made Kei’s ears ring as the echo of the train was magnified.

It didn’t look like Kou was having any difficulty though and he seemed just as bundled up as him, actually, most of the people in the train appeared to be wearing layer upon layer. Kei didn’t like the cold and this really didn’t look like it was going to bode well for him. He’d never traveled further north, but had seen plenty of pictures online and seen weather reports droning on and on about how the northern regions of Japan got hammered every year with snow. If a few centimeters of snow fell in Tokyo the trains would be delayed and schools would be closed, but it was daily winter life for the people in these areas.

It sounded like an oh so miserable existence to him. Why would ANYONE out there put themselves through such a yearly torture like that?

The tunnel continued to stretch around them and it felt like a breath of fresh air was breathed into the train when daylight flooded the vessel once more. Kou’s eyes were gazing out the window, expression soft and smile gentle as he spoke, “Man, I love this place. It’s beautiful.”

Craning his neck around the taller boy’s shoulder, Kei could agree with part of the sentiment. Before they had entered the tunnel, they had been working their way through green mountains and a few scatterings of fields. This though… was completely different. Coming out the other side it was like entering a completely different world. The mountains were still there, but it was different.

This was Niigata prefecture, “Snow Country”. There was a famous early modern era novel named exactly that and it took place in this prefecture and they had just traversed the same tunnel that the story opened with. Kei never imagined that it would be so accurate.

…Or literal.

There was that frigid white shit everywhere. Just looking at it had shivers running down his arms and they hadn’t even left the train. Still his attention was turned from the white hell to mull over the words that Kou had spoken, asking, well more like demanding as the white capped mountains and snow covered rice fields continued to whiz past, “You’ve been here before?”

“Well, umm yeah,” Kou scratched the back of his head and Kei could almost see the wheels in the other ajin’s head turning as he tried to decide how much to tell his lover without ruining the apparent surprise. Kei still hadn’t the foggiest idea of why they were out here.

“Actually, my family and I aren’t originally from the Tokyo, or even the Kanto, area. I was born and grew up mostly in Niigata. I grew up in a suburb of Niigata City the capital of the prefecture, but we’re not going there. That’s further north and it’s not as pretty as here since it’s closer to the ocean and they don’t get as much snow being on the coast and crap. It’s just slushy and annoying.” Kou chuckled at the shorter ajin’s flabbergasted expression. Kou didn’t talk much about his past, mostly being vague when asked, though Kei could be the same when asked about what took place during the government experiments.

They might have been dating for almost a year now, but they were still learning things about each other. Sometimes it concerned Kei that he actually knew very little about the taller ajin, sure he loved Kou for who he was. But it seemed he still didn’t have all the pieces for what made the other teenager turn out the way he is.

Loving, trusting, funny, determined and stubborn as hell. He had so many of the characteristics that Kei himself lacked that it seemed they could balance each other out.

“If you’re from Niigata… That’s why you throw a fit every time we have to buy groceries,” Kei blinked, it felt like he had suddenly solved a difficult equation and Kou huffed as he crossed his arms, sinking further into his seat, “If they would buy the right kind of rice, I wouldn’t have to. Everyone knows that the best rice in Japan comes from Niigata prefecture.”

“Doesn’t it all taste the same?” Kei groused back, rolling his eyes. Honestly, the dark-haired ajin would eat almost anything, but Kou was surprisingly picky. Apparently, it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that Kei had once poisoned the other with mushroom onigiri. Which Kei had been suspecting, seemed he was wrong again about his energetic lover.

Kou looked scandalized, volume rising as he leaned closer, “It does not!”

Kei flinched, trying to shush the other while Kou continued his tirade, but his volume thankfully did decrease, “The texture, flavor, stickiness, all of it is better in rice from Niigata! I’ll prove it to you when we get something to eat. I’ll make a believer out of your tasteless ass! My grandparents had a rice farm and while I was growing up I would go help plant and harvest it with them every year.”

The brunet’s eyes were dreamy as memories were obviously playing through his mind, his smile wide, but as the seconds ticked by, Kei witnessed a slow transformation.

Bushy brows started to furrow, pinching the area between them, his nostrils flared slightly and his lips started to turn downwards. Kou’s back flopped back against the seat once more, eyes turning back towards the window as the wintery landscape passed by, “At least, I did until they both passed away, it was during the same year too. No one in my family wanted to deal with the farm so I think it went to some distant cousins or something. Don’t know if I’d even remember where it was honestly.”

That somber tone, that wasn’t something that Kei was used to hearing from the cheery ajin, it made his skin crawl. He really, really didn’t like it. Still things like comforting didn’t come to him naturally and he struggled to find something that could turn the other’s mood. Wasn’t it supposed to be Kei in the bad mood with the secrets and having been dragged on a mysterious journey?

“So, you’re even more blue collared than I thought,” Kei finally muttered, making Kou glance towards him in confusion. Good, if his attention was on him, then it wasn’t on whatever depressing thoughts were obviously going through his brain, “In Japanese the word ‘aoi’ can mean both blue and green depending on the situation. There’s the English phrase ‘green thumb’ for someone who is skilled at growing plants. Maybe you can start a garden or some shit, Tosaki would probably allow it if it was cost effective.”

Kou’s eyes had started to sparkle again asking as he perked up, “You think he’d really go for it?”

“It’s worth a shot,” came the answer with a small shrug, smirking as he added, he couldn’t resist getting another dig in while he could, “I still think if you grow rice it’ll taste the same as everywhere else though.”

The scowl Kei received was instant as Kou growled back, tone surprisingly serious, “I’m going to make you literally eat those words.”

The dark-haired teenager would have probably countered with something witty if not for the trolley of snacks and drinks coming to a stop by their row, the woman cheerily asking them if they wanted anything. Kei’s muddy red eyes flicked over the boxes, ignoring Kou’s warning about ruining his appetite as he pointed towards some kind of cheesecake thing. Taking out his wallet which he discovered had already been packed into his bag, Kei’s eyes widened minutely as he noticed the thick stack of bills stuffed inside. Why the fuck-?

He’d have to question it later as the woman was still waiting for the payment, getting his second sweet of the day Kei smirked as he took a slow bite out of it to spite Kou who was grumbling about his lover’s apparent lack of self-control around desserts.

Unfortunately for Kei as he enjoyed the delicious treat, Kou would get the last laugh as the other’s eyes caught something on the wrapper. Snatching it up from the pull-out tray attached to the back of the seat in front of Kei he crowed with victory, finger tapping against the familiar kanji as he shoved the plastic into Kei’s face, ‘Made with Niigata rice flour’.

Kei was tempted to stab the loud teen with a chopstick, but resisted… barely. His tone clipped as he bit a little bit harder into the food than necessary, “You’re lucky that we’re in public, you know that right?”

“And you know you love me~,” Kou sing-songed right back, Kei had finished eating and slipped the mask back over his nose and mouth, but Kou pulled it right back down so he could place a kiss over the other’s lips.

While Kei didn’t push him away, the intellectual could feel his cheeks burning in embarrassment as he hoped no one was watching him, a too high of a hope with how loud his companion kept carrying on in a place that what was supposed to be quiet by the standards of social norms. Hissing softly as he pulled the piece of thin cloth back over his face, “Dumbass, pulling it off kind of defeats the purpose of wearing it.”

“It’s not my fault that I have a kissing quota to fill, babe.”

At least the mask helped to hide Kei’s flush as he hissed back, “There is no such thing.”

“Of course there is,” Kou childishly raised his hands to count on his fingers as he smirked, “On a good day it’s ten, on a bad day it’s fifteen, and on a great day it’s twenty-two.”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Kei groaned, feeling a bit exasperated, rubbing at his temples as he tried to make sense of the other’s logic. Eventually just giving up as he slumped back against his seat and pulled his backpack onto his lap so he would riffle through it. Hoping to find his phone but coming up empty. Was he really going to be stuck out in the sticks without any form of communication? What if something happened back at the base, what if somehow Sato came back, or something equally as bad occurred. While his expression remained mostly calm, his heart started to pick up its pace as he desperately searched through all the pockets of the bag once more and of the clothes he was wearing.

“I have your phone, and no, you’re not allowed to have until I say so,” Kou’s voice cut through Kei’s rising panic, hands freezing in their frenzied scramble as he turned his head to stare at the taller teenager. The gaze should have been unnerving, but it rolled off Kou like the rain as he continued, “The volume is on max, so if something does happen we’ll know, okay?”

Kei’s brow twitched and Kou could see the other’s internal debate strikingly clear, speaking as he heard the ding of the audio system of the train, “Our stop is comin’ up. Get your trash together.” He started to quickly gather his own things as the announcer rattled off their stop and other people started to shuffle about. “I’ll give it back after we get to where we’re going, I don’t want you getting any hints. It wouldn’t be a surprise if you did.”

A drawn-out sigh was Kou’s signal of victory as Kei started to zip his bag up, grimacing as Kou shoved another thick coat at him from his own bag. A glance out at the frozen landscape had him grudgingly accepting it, the scarf, and the gloves tossed into his lap.

Honestly one more layer and he felt like he might be reduced to walking like a penguin, but as the door of the bullet train slid open and the cold air rushed his face, Kei decided he could deal with not becoming the first ajin popsicle.

Maybe the immortal race could be likened to frogs, if they died in the cold and were frozen solid, would they revive in the spring when their flesh started to thaw? It was an interesting theory and if Kou pushed him far enough he might be tempted to test it on him.

Kou was similarly dressed and the bright yellow earmuffs that adorned his head would definitely make him stand out in the crowd if Kei lost him. Still the thought of getting lost in an unfamiliar prefecture without any means of communication made him walk closer to Kou as they worked through the crowds and eventually out of the station.

Kei’s eyes were scanning the walls they passed, looking for some kind of clue as to why they were out here. The advertisements passed too quickly to read, but he could see the pictures of people snowboarding and skiing, along with plenty of pictures of traditional hot springs whose business must flourish in the winter season. They had their own private hot spring back at the base, they wouldn’t need to come all the way out here for one, even if the backdrop would make a spectacular image.

Dragged out of his musing as he was shoved into yet another taxi, Kei continued to brood as Kou made small talk with the driver, rattling off some address that obviously meant nothing to the teen in the back of the car. Apparently, it was to a rental car place where Kou had already made a reservation, the brunet signing some papers with the fake ID that Tosaki had given him. Kei had a similar one of his own.

It didn’t take much time and the pair were on the road again with Kou at the wheel while Kei had nothing else to do but look out the window at the passing mountains and snow covered rice fields or play with the radio. When it landed on a classical station the brunet smirked as Kei quickly tried to change it to something else.

Finding a station that was tolerable for both of them was more difficult than one would imagine, but when they finally did Kei let himself spend the rest of the time staring out into the landscape. While his expression showed that he was still annoyed he was also fascinated as he looked out at the winter wonderland.

Kei didn’t grow up around any areas that had big open spaces like this or had enough snow to warrant any kind of winter sport. He could easily see Kou skiing or snowboarding, flinging white powder as he sped down the mountains and wove between other people.

Kei wasn’t athletically inclined, sure he managed to dodge, run, and fight the police and Sato, but sports weren’t his thing. He’d probably slide down the mountain on his ass if he tried that.

“Alright! We’re just starting to get into town!” Kou’s excited shout made Kei jump, eyes searching for a sign to tell him where they had ended up. There was still snow everywhere and it seemed like a decent sized town they were starting to roll into. Squinting as he read one sign aloud, “Tokamachi?”

He’d heard the name before, so it had to be famous for something. For the life of him he couldn’t remember though, was it for a food, event, or a building like a temple or shrine? Then again Kou didn’t seem like the kind of person that would drag someone across the country to see a shrine or temple, no matter how elegant or important to history it was.

Still he digressed, he’d just have to wait for a clu… and what the fuck was that thing?!

As the car pulled to a stop at the intersection Kei found himself leaning forward, curious about the shining white display before him. It was huge, probably half the size of a small house and almost as tall as a one whole story. As the sun peeked from the clouds he was able to take in even more details of the apparent sculpture. Around the base coiled the form of a phoenix, feathers of which were curling towards the sky. One the right side looked to be the form of a man attempting to move a boulder. Rising from the center of the piece was a feminine face and form dressed in a traditional kimono made of the same material the rest of the sculpture… snow.

Another ‘stone’ sat in the backdrop and was wrapped with an incredibly realistic shimenawa, complete with the traditional white strips of paper that hung from the braided ‘rope’, all made of the frozen substance. It looked like a scene from a fairytale.

Squinting his eyes, Kei could read the small sign beside the work of art, “Amaterasu Phoenix”. There was also a number and the name of the group that had apparently created the sculpture on the sign. It was a retelling of a classic Japanese legend about the goddess of the sun, but through the most unique medium. Maybe it was the fact that it was so pointless seeming to Kei that made him so fascinated. For someone, or a group, to put so much work into something that would disappear as soon as the air started to warm.

Then again, Japan was obsessed with the idea of ‘fleeting’ being the most tragically beautiful. It was true for cherry blossoms as well, they bloomed and stuck around for only three weeks at the most and then the petals would fall, their beauty fading as they rotted on the ground and were swept up into trash cans if they were on the street or sidewalk.

As murky red eyes caught some people walking down the sidewalk, all of them gesturing wildly at the sculpture and with wide grins on their faces. Kei couldn’t help but think that human lives too, were just as fleeting. Snuffed out in a moment. They didn’t get extra lives like an ajin.

Still as sardonic as Kei’s outlook was, he had to admit, both the sculpture and blossoms were beautiful.

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Glancing to the side, the dark-haired ajin was met with a wide grin from Kou as he asked, voice teasing as he obviously was enjoying the open expression of awe the usually stoic teenager had, “It’s so cool, right?! This is just the tip of the iceberg too!”

If Kou wasn’t driving, Kei would have probably smacked him for the pun as the light turned green.

As they continued into the town the streets were lined with pink and red banners, all of which read, Tokamachi Snow Festival. Finally, everything was starting to click together, news reports and articles he had seen in many magazines came back to the forefront of his mind. Tokamachi located in the southwest region of the Niigata prefecture, was home to the second largest snow festival in Japan. The largest being the one in Sapporo. It was known as one of the best kept secrets from foreigners and Japanese alike, whom would flock to the island of Hokkaido instead of staying on the main land.

The main difference between the Sapporo and Tokamachi festivals was the size of the crowds. Not to say that this one wasn’t going to be crowded, after all, almost all places in Japan were packed with throngs of people.

So… they were here to see the annual snow festival. That was the surprise…. But why the hell did it have to be a surprise!?

“You couldn’t have just told me were we coming here?”

Kou chuckled softly as he answered, “I mean, that kind of takes the fun out of things, ya know? Mystery making the journey more exciting, babe.” Also, he really wanted to see the other’s face when he was greeted with a sight he had never seen before or been expecting. It was another present to the lighter-haired ajin to himself. To see his lover enjoy himself, despite how he tried to play it off.

“I think you mean frustrating.” Kei griped back, only getting a shrug from Kou as he turned the car into a parking lot. It was still early afternoon so there didn’t seem to be too many people around yet. If they had arrived any later, parking would have been a hell of a lot more difficult… and expensive if they had been forced to use a paid lot.

Kou urged his companion out of the car, bringing only one small side bag between them that held whatever Kou shoved inside and their wallets. The rest was left in the vehicle.

“Come on, we got to head to the station first and we can pick up a map of where all of the sculptures are and a list of the event schedule.” Kou’s tone was excited, linking arms with Kei despite the other’s protest. After a few attempts at shaking the taller ajin off, Kei finally gave up as Kou interlaced their gloved fingers.

Kou was stubborn if he wanted to hold Kei’s hand, he was going to hold onto it, even if he had to regrow it courtesy of a certain ‘murder mummy’. At least way out here, no one knew who they were. It shouldn’t bother Kei, it really shouldn’t. A relationship regardless of who it was with, was something that you were supposed to feel nothing but love and pride about. However, in Japan with same sex couples being a minority and still looked upon with scorn by many of the older generation… it was difficult.

Of course, Kou was bold enough to not care and would even shove his bi-sexuality into people’s faces, Kei was more withdrawn about it. His mother’s lessons about keeping a good outward, respectable image had left their mark on him. Along with his personality, ‘people-ing’ wasn’t something that Kei was good at.

For Kou, though, Kei would try. Falling in step beside the other as they made their way through the downtown area covered in old brick and cobblestone. Smaller snowmen and more sloppy sculptures sat outside of shops, probably made by the storeowners or their families in an attempt to draw in business and to be a part of the local festivities. There were many columns made of snow, a small hollow made into the side of each that held an unlit candle.

Just imagining what the downtown area must look like at night, lined with soft glowing pillars was an enchanting image to Kei.

As they continued to move down the streets Kei noticed something, Kou wasn’t using his phone for directions and there weren’t any signs pointing them in any direction. Though it wasn’t exactly hard to find the train station, Kei could only draw one conclusion, “You’ve been to this festival many times, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, my parents and I used to come here every year up until we moved away from Niigata. It was something I looked forward to every year, they always make new sculptures and a lot of them get modeled off of whatever is popular in the media at the time so it’s always amazing. There’s also always ones that are made to look like legends or more traditional so older people can enjoy them.” His voice was filled with fondness, even though Kei caught those lips twitching down for a moment once more before returning to a natural smile.

This time, Kei didn’t say anything, just tightened his grip on the brunet’s hand as he was led forward. It seemed to be enough as Kou squeezed back, steps quickening slightly as he pointed towards where the station sat. Already there was a large group milling about the area, still it was nothing compared to the crowds of Tokyo that they were both now used to dealing with in their work under Tosaki.

Kei stood back, letting Kou do the dirty work of sliding between bodies to get to the event’s main stall, a few minutes later they were in possession of a map and two VIP tickets to get into the front section of the apparent concert and firework show that would be happening in the evening.

Kou’s eager grin was infectious as he linked hands once more with his boyfriend and urged them towards the next sculpture, which was right next to the station. It was, amazingly, of Donkey Kong the character towering over the crowd and hands sculpted into a fist that if you stood behind, it looked like he was holding you, King Kong style. Kou demanded a picture exactly like that, the athletic boy being over dramatic in his pose, while when it was Kei’s turn the dark-haired boy just stared blankly at the camera. The mask obscuring his face making the stoic expression rather hilarious.

A tunnel went through Donkey Kong’s mouth and after shuffling carefully through it, the backside of the sculpture greeted them. But it was themed with a completely different game. Pokemon.

The digital creatures were numerous as they sat on top of or appeared out of the smooth sides of the sculpture. Kou babbled excitedly as he named each and every pokemon, almost clapping his hands like a child as he pointed out how there was a pokemon from each generation, both past and present.

To Kei it just sounded like a lot of word vomit, he had never been into video games and while he recognized and knew the names of some of the famous pokemon, the rest just went over his head. Seriously, a Waba-what?

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There was another sculpture to the side, it was of a classic Japanese train coming out of a tunnel, thing is, the ‘mountain’ that it was coming out of was actually this huge fat creature Kou called a Snorlax. They discovered another tunnel inside of one foot of the beast that revealed a chilly hollow with shelves carved into it that held large bottles. One sniff of the air revealed it to be a place where many were enjoying the free saké the event was serving.

Their trek began again after another photo op, Kou leading the way, keeping hold of the map in one hand and Kei’s hand in the other. Of course, people stared at the odd duo, but no one approached or said anything, at least nothing that they could hear that is.

They passed by a giant teddy bear, Snoopy’s dog house with the character sleeping on top of it, some more Pokémon, and a few other sculptures of mascot characters before finally ending up in a soccer field of some high school that had been turned into an improvised, outdoor food court.

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The smell of classic festival food wafted through the air along with the happy chatter of visitors and families. The workers shouting out their wares whenever someone passed by or made eye contact. It was noisy, but in a good way.

Different from the noise of people screaming for their lives, the pops from guns, and booms of explosions that had rocked through Japan during Sato’s reign of terror. While Kei had never been one for so much excitement, he found himself relaxing as Kou tugged him past the stalls, wanting to look at them all before deciding what would be their lunch.

Yakisoba, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, chocolate covered bananas, fried chicken, fish, and squid were the common fare of most festivals, but this one catered to the cold season and local traditions as well with ramen, udon, oden, and mochi being offered. Along with some local restaurants having stalls and offering mini versions of their menus, hell one place was selling tiny pizzas apparently made in the Chicago-style… whatever that meant.

There was one stall that made Kou gasp, surging forward and dragging Kei with him to a stall selling something called poppo-yaki. To the shorter ajin, they looked far from appetizing, short brown log looking things that were as long as Kei’s hand. They were floppy, but didn’t rip when picked up. Kou proceeded to buy twenty of them, speaking happily, and almost flirtingly with the old women that ran the stall as he explained how happy he was that they were selling what was apparently more of a spring and summer season food. Kei watched as the women included six more of the sticks for free as they giggled and winked at the two boys.

Shuffling away, Kou ripped open the bag that had been so carefully wrapped and stuffed one of the sticks in his mouth, practically moaning as his eyes closed in bliss.

Instead of answering Kei’s inquiries, Kou shoved the still steaming snack towards him, deciding to let the food talk for itself. The other ajin rolled his eyes but took one of the pieces anyway, pulling down his mask so he could take a bite. It was just slightly sweet and the texture was springy, it reminded Kei of a thick pancake.

Only when Kei found his fingertips brushing his own lips did he realize that he had already devoured one stick. These things… they were addictive, and so they were dangerous as Kou had two of the sticks hanging out of his mouth.

Once Kou’s mouth and airways were clear the ‘green-collar’ ajin explained, “They’re special to the Niigata area, made from flour, brown sugar and water. Usually they only sell them during warm festivals, I’m shocked they had them! They’re best eaten fresh, they don’t keep well at all. If a convenience store tries to sell them pre-made and packaged it’s basically seen as blasphemy.”

“I’m surprised you know the meaning of that word.”

“Oh, shut up!” Kou snipped back, shoving another poppo-yaki into his mouth and letting Kei steal some for himself. While they were delicious, the pastries weren’t exactly filling and they started to search the stalls once more for something that would sustain them in the cold. Snow crunching under their boots as they did two rounds to help make their decision. Kou would be the one to go buy the food while Kei would guard their spots at the picnic tables where other people were gathered.

Kei really shouldn’t have been surprised by the mountain of food that Kou brought back with him and stacked the containers in their little corner. A glance around the other groups and Kei found many people had done the same, maybe it wasn’t just a Kou-thing, but a Niigata-thing.

They started with two small bowls of udon, with a light flavor and feeling as homey as any chicken noodle soup, then came the karage the Japanese version of fried chicken, the breading was crispy and crunchy as each piece had been fried in oil twice. Some ridiculously long French fries and pieces of deep dish pizza finished their gorge. All the hot food sitting inside of him made Kei sleepy and Kou’s breaths came out as puffs of steam as they sat for a few short minutes to rest and digest before Kou urged Kei to get back to his feet… a difficult task in its own right.

They continued on their journey, seeing one sculpture modeled off of the golden pavilion in Kyoto, another that showed a scene from a Buddhist tale. Both gave off this peaceful aura and it felt like a literal frozen piece of history was before them. There was one sculpture that was just plain terrifying in Kei’s opinion though.

It was of a towering piece that was modeled after the man that performed the ‘Pen, Pineapple, Apple Pen’ song, they even crafted glasses to sit on the man’s nose. Still it was rather impressive the accuracy of it, and it was obvious that the rest of the crowd loved the humor this sculpture held. There was even a stereo playing the accursed song in the background.

Which prompted Kou to do an imitation of the infamous dance, prompting laughter from some of the adults and cheers from some of the little kids that joined the ‘big kid’. Kei wanted to die of embarrassment, why did he have to be in love with such a…. precious dork. A smile was on the intellect’s face, comforted by the fact that no one could see it because of the mask on his face. Yeah, it wasn’t so bad to be stuck with Kou, not when he could drag amusement so easily out of Kei.

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More often than not, just following the flow of people led them better than the maps did to where some of the sculptures were hiding, behind buildings and at the end of dead-end streets. That was how they found their way to what both ajin would later agree to be the best piece of art the festival had to offer.

“That is… the coolest fucking thing I have ever seen in my life,” Kou’s voice was dripping with awe as he took in the sculpture before him. When stomping up the staircase made of snow, the visitor didn’t have a clue as to what awaited them. But it was only from that higher vantage point that one could see the wondrous piece.

First thing you noticed was the European style cobblestone walls that were created from blocks of snow, then the busted-out area of them, scattered just on the other side of the rope that kept visitors out of the exhibit. Then the huge clawed paw that stood as tall as Kou. The creature that the paw was attached to took the breath away from both teenagers.

It was a dragon, huge and muscular with wings creeping out of its back and a face that looked closer to that of a lion. Its maw was gaping wide showing off pearly white snowy teeth and even a tongue had been crafted for it. Lines and grooves carefully carved into the beast to make it look like it had the perfect mixture of fur and scales. The piece was named the ‘Go-GiDo-‘ but neither of them knew if it was from anything. It was impressive nonetheless.

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They saw a few more sculptures, but as the sun started to set Kou checked his watch more and more often, “We need to start heading to the show area, the VIP tickets get us to the front section, but it’ll still be crowded as hell.”

“Okay, well how far of a walk is it from here?” There was that guilty, nervous look that Kou had on his face that made Kei’s brows pinch together, already knowing whatever the other was going to say next was going to probably truly test how much control Kei had on his IBM and emotions.

“Ya see… The thing is…” Kou shuffled his feet, seeming to be debating if they should stay in a crowded place or to duck into some alleyway. Problem was, the brunet didn’t have any spare clothes on him and walking around covered in blood would be an issue for sure. “It’s kind of on top of a mountain.”

“I hate you so much right now, I hope you know that.”

“Yeah, I do, now come on, it’s not going to be THAT bad,” Kou answered, trying to appease his boyfriend as he tugged them onwards, it was a basically a steep and winding slope up the mountain so at least there weren’t going to be icy stairs or the like that they would have to navigate. Kou linked their arms together though to make sure that Kei wouldn’t slip, the taller ajin far more used to maneuvering on the thick blanket of snow that covered all the roads.

Food stalls and little souvenir stalls were even up here as they called for customers to take a closer look and good luck on their journey up the mountain. Kou spotted another poppo-yaki stall and left Kei to look at a trinket stall while he went to go feed his apparent addiction. There were some more elegant carved wooden keychains and some refined looking postcard sets that Kei decided to buy to give to his family and the people back on base. He chose a pair of ugly tanuki keychains that he planned to give Tosaki and Ogura.

Pulling out his wallet, Kei was reminded of the fact that he didn’t know where the thick stack of bills stuffed inside came from. Flicking his fingers through the sheets of paper as he counted, the ajin caught sight of a small memo stuck between a 1,000 and 5,000-yen bill. The handwriting said that it was from Tosaki and read, ‘buy him something nice’.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was ‘him’ supposed to be Kou or someone else? Why would Kei need to get anything for the dumbass anyway? He frowned, glaring at the piece of paper like if he looked long enough it would tell him what he wanted. Of course, that didn’t happen. If he had his phone he could just text the pale haired researcher and demand an explanation. However, Kou was still holding his phone hostage.

In any case, Kei didn’t see anything at this stand that Kou would particularly like so he just paid for the other trinkets and left. Being greeted by a grinning Kou holding another large package of steaming poppo-yaki as soon as he left the tent.

Snacking definitely helped to make the walk more bearable. It gave the body something else to focus on rather than the discomfort of the muscles of one’s thighs and calves screaming from the harsh exercise and unfamiliar flexing to deal with the angle of the slope.

There were also more sculptures that dotted the path up the mountain to entertain and motivate the visitors onwards. An older couple and child walked a little ahead of the pair of ajin. The obvious mother and father each having a hold on one of the child’s hands and whenever the toddler started to slow down, obviously getting tired from the climb the pair would work as a team to lift the boy up and swing him gently forward getting squeals of excitement and joy as the child demanded to do it again, forgetting his tiredness for several more meters.

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The sight was almost sickeningly sweet and Kei turned his head to voice those exact thoughts, ready to get rebuffed by his lover. But the words died on his lips as he saw the pained expression on Kou’s face, his murky red eyes watching the young family with such longing that the dark-haired ajin felt some squeezing pain in his own chest.

Kei looked away, turning his gaze to the ground they treaded. It was painful for the brunet, that was obvious. But Kei, he just had to know what was going through his thick skull and what had happened in Kou’s past. For once it was Kei that felt like he had a monster ready to attack him if he made the wrong move, he didn’t want to hurt Kou… at least not in this way.

“Kou… What happened to you and your family?” He remembered how Kou experienced his first death, dehydration after he couldn’t move because of a broken spine he received after falling from a stack of magazines while trying to change a lightbulb. Kou had died simply because no one was there to help him.

Kei watched as the other ajin’s adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, but still his eyes didn’t leave the carefree trio in front of him. A soft breath whistled through Kou’s teeth before he started to speak, “My parents didn’t start out bad. They were just normal people, we were a normal family. They loved their lives here where you can actually see nature every day and mountains in the distance, they loved each other, and they loved me.”

A small strained smile crossed Kou’s face, the wound that he had thought to be scarred over long ago, still ached from time to time it would seem. Funny how as an ajin all physical evidence of a wound would heal, but in Kou’s experience he had yet to meet an ajin that didn’t have their soul cracked in some way. "But... things change ya know? People change, not always for the better."

Last year Kei would have argued the point that people couldn’t change, ajin or human alike. Now though, he knew better, so he kept his mouth shut and let Kou continue at his own pace.

“My dad got a job transfer into Tokyo, neither of my parents had ever lived in a big city like that so they were excited. I was around ten when we moved, old enough to understand what was happening to my family. My mom was originally supposed to stay at home and not work so she could take care or the house and me. But that didn’t last long, there were so many tempting things out in the city. I was old enough to stay home alone for the most part so she usually just left me there while she went out.”

His shoulders slumped and Kei gave a comforting squeeze to his hand, “I was trying to be a big kid, prove I didn’t need to be babysat. Mom always made sure to be home before dad got back from work. Then they would go out together and be gone until the early morning.”

“Of course, this didn’t happen all at once, it took three years to get to the point where I would go without seeing either of them for days or even weeks,” a soft sigh escaped Kou as he watched the father ahead of them put the little boy on his shoulders, “I think they pretty much forgot I existed for the most part, there’s a lot of ‘what if’s’ that haunt me. What if I had stood up to them, what if I tried to speak to another family member, what if I knew that I should have gone to the police or something.”

“In the end, the past is in the past… I can’t say the city is like a toxin, but they didn’t know how to handle it, didn’t grow up with the need to hold back.” As Kou finished Kei’s brows pinched together, rage bubbled inside of him at the childhood that had been robbed from his lover, a boy far too sweet to be simply cast aside, “You shouldn’t justify their actions.”

“I’m not!” The defense was given instantly from Kou as he finally looked towards Kei, the pained creased line on his forehead had eased and in turn made the dark-haired ajin’s chest loosen just slightly, “I’m just saying my parents were shit at adjusting and so was I. However, if things didn’t happen the way they did, I might never have found out I was an ajin.”

Catching Kei’s look Kou knew what he was about to say and beat him to it, “And no, it wouldn’t have been better if I hadn’t found out. Living a ‘normal’ life would have been boring and it kind of changed me for the better I think.”

There was no arguing with Kou, not when he believed in something with such conviction and honestly Kei found that he couldn’t completely find fault in the taller teen’s reasoning. Though it was mostly for his own selfish reasons.

Trying to imagine how things would have turned out if the two ajin hadn’t crossed paths, if he didn’t have Kou constantly pushing Kei past his comfort zones, and finally providing a foil to his own character, the cold boy knew things might have turned out a lot worse.

Maybe not just for them, but for the whole world as Kou was one of the people that helped to drag Kei into the fight, rather than fleeing and saving himself.

His fingers curled tighter around the hand in his own, no, Kei was quite happy to have Kou all for himself now. He didn’t have to worry about the brunet having a disapproving family either. Then again, he did have to deal with Tosaki acting as Kou’s guardian. Still it wasn’t like the human disapproved of the relationship, he just got annoyed by the PDA that Kei sometimes did on purpose to get under the man’s skin when he was feeling like a little shit.

Of course, Kou never caught onto why Kei would suddenly get affectionate, after all, he had no reason to complain when the usually cold boy did!

“They’re still assholes,” Kei finally grumbled, getting a laugh from Kou as the other ajin didn’t disagree.

Finally, they had made it to the summit of the mountain, Kei’s legs felt a little like jelly, but he was dragged on as Kou flashed their passes to one of the guards and they were shuffled closer to the section closest to the stage.

There was still a crowd, but at least they had some elbow room between them and the other people. It was a big mix of people from all walks of life. There were couples with and without children of all ages, and women and men dressed in traditional kimonos. How they managed to walk up the mountain in geta Kei hadn’t the slightest clue. Then… you had those crazy diehard idol fans.

Kei was silently glad they had chosen a side that was lacking in those people.

Not that Kei was paying much attention to the people, not when there was something so spectacular before him. The towering stage, it was made completely out of snow. It was all one huge sculpture with a pre-modern castle façade and a staggering staircase that ran down the center and out of the castle to the main platform. It was elegant, and simply incredible.

http://hyrulehalfbreed.tumblr.com/post/157903018250/tokamachi-snow-festival-snow-stage

The boring introductions played their part before the first performance started, a pop idol group that was called NGT48, Niigata prefecture’s own version of the famous group AKB48. Their songs were cheery and their dances cute, but it really wasn’t Kei’s cup of tea, while Kou looked completely enamored by the group. Still his arm that wrapped around his lover’s waist never loosened its hold.

A few other singers performed of varying fame, and then some boyband group, none of them were bad. As each performance marched on, the darker it got and the lights were used to paint splashes of color and different designs on the white surface of the snow castle to pulse and swell with the music.

The next act got a few confused murmurs and snickers from many of the audience as a large, rotund man took the stage, decked out in a grand, sweeping red and black outfit that glittered in the stage lights. It was too over the top and when it was announced he was an opera singer Kei saw many of the people his age around them grimace. Obviously, all were bracing for the worst.

However, as the music started, the most enchanting falsetto voice escaped the man’s lips and the entire crowd fell silent. There was no jeering now, no, everyone was just listening. He didn’t just sing in Japanese, Italian also rolled out of his lips. Producing rolling r’s that were almost impossible for most Japanese to reproduce. But this man was able to do just that. One of the songs he performed was a battle ballad. The stage being flooded with red lights and the booms of the drums could be felt in the bones. Halfway through it started to snow, adding more to the power this man was able to produce.

When his segment finally grew to a close the applause started, Kei didn’t doubt for a second that the opera singer was the one that received the loudest cheers. Glancing to the side the dark haired ajin blanched as he demanded, “Kou, are you fucking crying?”

“N-No, I just got a snowflake in my eye! …He was really good.”

Well, there was no denying that, but now Kei was wondering if he should invest in researching opera music and where they could see it live in Japan. It’d be a good way to return the favor of this trip. Also, it might be something that even hard-ass Tosaki might like… Or he could hate it, either or. It didn’t really matter to Kei.

The air was growing more frigid as the snow continued to lightly fall across the crowd and drift along the stage to add to the ethereal atmosphere. Kou pulled the shorter ajin against his chest, chin resting on top of the head of dark hair as Kei leaned back against him, with so many layers of fabric between them, the closeness didn’t exactly make them any warmer. But it was nice nonetheless.

The final performance began, the idol group came back out to perform one last song with a group of local elementary school students as background dancers. It was kind of endearing as some kids looked like they were having the time of their life, while others looked scared shitless or had faces pinched in concentration to perform each of the moves.

Kei wondered what the chances were that one of those kids might also be an ajin. Unware or aware of their immortal state.

Still those girls must have been freezing their asses off in those miniskirts and dancing on a literal block of ice.

The closing ceremony began and Kou started to shift anxiously behind Kei as he murmured, “Come on, wrap it up already and start the fireworks. I don’t care about your pre-scripted banter and pride in traditions shit.”

Now Kou was starting to sound like Tosaki, it was kind of frightening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFlC3EvYTAA (not my video but good quality shot of the finale and the music that was used)

Before Kei could comment the countdown began, Kou almost screaming in the dark-haired teen’s ear as he joined the call. As the time reached zero, the line of cascading fireworks that laid far above the stage were set off, creating what looked like a waterfall of golden sparks to rain down towards the stage, from the speakers traditional Japanese music swelled and danced with the flashes of light as more fireworks shot off into the sky.

“It’s beautiful.” Kei was surprised by the fact that the words came from his own lips.

“Yeah,” Kou hummed to himself, his voice so soft that Kei’s ears had to strain to hear it over the chatter of the people around them, ooh-ing and ah-ing with the booms and cracks of the explosions of color dancing across the dark sky, “This is definitely the best birthday present I could have asked for.”

Wait… What!?

Well now Kei felt like an asshole, or at least more so than usual. It was Kou’s birthday and he didn’t even realize it! He had also been horrible towards him during some points of the day, had made the other talk about painful memories of his past. Fuck, he was such a dick, the words came tumbling out of his mouth without his permission, he pushed slightly away from the brunet so he could turn and face him.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh? What for?” Kou’s eyes flickered away from the sky back to his boyfriend, head cocked to the side as he didn’t know why Kei suddenly looked so guilty.

“For everything, being grumpy this morning, dissing on your home, making you talk about… them,” No, Kei didn’t think that those people had the right to be called parents. They might have been good people at one point in their lives, but to let greed and change in environment make them abandon their son. A being they gave life to and were responsible for, left completely alone in the world. It made anger swell inside him like a wave, his mother might not have been the greatest person either, but she still looked out for him in her own way.

A thumb brushing against the skin of his cheek that was exposed above the mask brought his attention back to Kou, a warm smile and gaze directed at him.

“Oh, babe, the past in in the past. Yeah, my parents are pieces of shit and did horrible things. But in the end, it doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve discovered I do have self-worth, it does matter if I come home or not. I have things I want to do and see with people that I now count as family. I have Izumi, Tosaki, Ogura, and most importantly you.”

He pulled the mask down once more to place a soft kiss to Kei’s lips, “Besides, the memories I made with you today have been some of the best.”

Colors danced on the edge of Kei’s vision before he let his eyes close and returned the kiss, yeah, this memory was one of the best for Kei too. He would find the perfect gift for Kou in return on this stupid mountain. Something that represented only the good memories of the brunet’s childhood home.

Snowflakes stuck to their hair as Kou drew away to watch the finale of strobe light-like fireworks danced above them.

Maybe being out in the cold wasn’t so abysmal after all.

Welp, there you have it, hope you enjoyed it, tell me what you think!

#hyrulehalfbreed #hyrulehalfbreed writes #Ajin #Ajin: Demi-Human #ajin: demi human #koukei #kei nagai #nagai kei #keikou #nakano kou #kou nakano #origami10

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