Apologies if you've already answered it. I've been reading your metas today and linked posts and ngl I really love them and I feel like we're in full agreement with everything.

With season 2 of Loki merely 6 weeks away (idk, are you going to watch it? I think I will, regardless of my current feelings about it) what are your thoughts about the upcoming season? What do you expect we'll get in it? Do you have any hopes for it, or do you think it will be more of the same. The current promo does not give me a good feeling tbh. Also do you think Hiddleston could leave the mcu at the end of season 2? Or at least if this could be the last time we see TVA Loki. Sorry for lenghty ask 🙈 my season 2 anxiety is off the charts, I expect it will be more of the same with Sylvie leading the story and Loki following her and I'd love to hear your thoughts about s2

Awww, thank you!!! Season 1 was something I felt so deeply for! All my hopes and dreams were focused on it. And then it shattered me in a way I didn’t know was possible. Now, I see that it took me a full year to cope and decode what I was feeling. The metas I wrote during this time (including the survey) are more like an open diary of how I processed the show and stabilized my mental health. It means a lot to me that now those thoughts may help others, too. 💚

I’ll put the answers under a cut, because there are some triggers included.

what are your thoughts about the upcoming season? What do you expect we'll get in it?

Frankly, I expect the season to focus mainly on Sylvie and her character development. If I put my criticisms aside and try to see what the creators wanted to do with the series, it looks to me like their only goal for Larry was to morph him from a villain to a hero in a way that would be undeniable for the general audience. This was achieved by him watching the video and finally finding someone he cares for. So his arc was completed in season 1. His role now is probably to serve as a guide for her, and maybe to discover that his true power is only achievable through or with her. I don’t count this as “his” arc especially, but more the core of the general admiration Sylvie is supposed to get from everyone in-universe. It’s a part of being a Mary sue. As is excelling at everything, even stuff that is opposite to your characteristics and you have no former knowledge on that would make it seem believable you’d excel. Like this, you know?

I‘m quite certain of this because Eric Martin is a huge fan of Sylvie and the ship. If you want to confirm I suggest looking at his Twitter. His tweets imply he intends to stay true to Waldron‘s and Harron‘s original ideas. This was confirmed by some people working on the set of season 2. I made the effort to find the original post, and it turned out that two people contributed to the post I experienced as thoughtful and reliable on Reddit. I personally believe those leaks.

Do you have any hopes for it, or do you think it will be more of the same. The current promo does not give me a good feeling tbh.

I think it will be more of the same. Sorry, I wish I could tell you something more to your taste. I absolutely share this feeling, and so do others.

Also do you think Hiddleston could leave the mcu at the end of season 2?

This article claims that Tom was supposed to leave the MCU at the end of season 1. Allegedly, season 1 was supposed to have 12 episodes and only was cut short because of Corona. This would mean that the original end of season 1 would be now the end of season 2. Does this mean he will leave? I can’t say. Disney‘s stock is progressively decreasing. Social media opinions on the MCU seem to grow more and more negative and depreciating. Perhaps Iger and Feige feel like Tom is one of the last strong pillars and try to keep him. At this point, I wouldn’t put it past them to try to keep the MCU afloat with Tom’s personal fandom. I don’t think that will work since Google stats show that his popularity decreased after season 1 to a point where it is now below the level it was after endgame. But they might attempt it.

Or at least if this could be the last time we see TVA Loki.

Even if he leaves I assume cameos are always a possibility, especially now that the studios are utilizing AI. But Loki? I‘m heartbroken, but I am very sure we have seen the last of him in TDW (and Ao3). May his reign bring him all the joy he deserves.

So last but not least:

idk, are you going to watch it?

I honestly don’t know. I certainly won’t pay for it. The last time I always watched the episodes was the day they came out so I could write my thoughts down here. But ngl, I’m tired of the fighting, the anon hate, and the feeling that opinions online are getting more important than the love for Loki. Right now, I’m trying to focus more on my fanfics than on the canon. Season 1 made me unable to continue my fics for almost a year. I don’t want to repeat that with season 2.

I still think that the show has done great harm to the fandom, to (some) people with poor mental health who needed Loki as a focus point, (some) gender-fluid or non-binary people who got exposed to sexism because of it, and possibly Tom‘s reputation (based on the google trends Infos). But for season 2 we know what to expect. We know it’s not Loki but Larry who will appear. And in this case, I think it might be best to leave the season to those it was made for, so they can enjoy it and keep as far away from it as possible.

If you want to watch it and still want to give Disney some negative feedback, I recommend watching every episode more than 7 days after it aired. Afaik Disney only counts views in the first week as real interest. Alternatively, 🏴‍☠️.

When Blue Eyes Meet (Good Vlad AU ~ Oneshot)

Summary: I couldn't sleep and got this beautifully heartfelt idea in my head about how my Good Vlad met his cat Madison for the first time and how she helped turn his life around. It's about she adopted him, sensing how bad Vlad needed a friend after Jack and Maddie moved on with their lives until they finally meet again at their college reunion. Warning, this mentions character death.

Vlad's POV

I'll never forget that day, the day I met a very special little lady.

I had only been fully discharged from the hospital for a few weeks but...after I insisted on making sure Jack and Maddie could move on with their own lives without me since I wouldn't drag them down, but once returned home I was suddenly reminded of how alone in the world I really was now. Both my parents had passed away before I started my freshman year of college but they left me with everything I would need to secure a bright future, even the house which gave me a place to return to in the first place since we had no idea the accident would result in me being bedridden for several years.

But as soon as I stepped inside the house, just like my heart it felt so...hollow.

The warmth I used to feel there was long gone, and it had nothing to do with still needing to pay the heating bill. And I suppose it's fortunate that the money I had set aside to pay for my school supplies and my half of the rent was enough to pay for my hospital bills so I had just enough left over to invest in gaining a new lease on life after the accident. It would take time, but I was confident I would be able to go back and continue my studies eventually, but for now I need to focus on figuring out how to cope with the other huge transformation I had undergone.

I almost had to laugh at the irony because perhaps I'm only living a half-life since the accident turned me half-ghost. It was difficult at first, hiding the truth about my condition not only from Jack and Maddie, but the nurses and doctors as well. Thankfully, I inherited my father's sharp wits and managed to conceal my powers fairly well. As for the rest, it was just easier to let people assume they were only seeing things whenever they saw a strange light or my hand seemed to pass through solid objects. After all, who would ever believe that a human with ghost powers could possibly exist...?

Still, I suppose one good thing about returning to that house is that it was nice to finally be able to relax somewhat knowing I wouldn't need to hide my powers from anyone, or at least not nearly as often when I was still a patient. I would still have to be careful if someone came to visit me, but honestly the odds of that happening ere  highly unlikely. I say this because I have no living relatives left. No parents, no cousins or siblings, just me.

Sighing I set down my bags and started unpacking boxes. I needed something else to occupy my thoughts because I still hadn't quite gotten over the fact that I lost my scholarship. Realistically I knew that couldn't be helped given what happened to me so instead I turned my attention to the things I still could control, such as ensuring I still had a place to live since I was no longer a student and Jack wasn't my roommate anymore.

Speaking of which, right from the start I wanted make sure to avoid living somewhere with too many people around so although my original plan was to move back here after graduation I made the decision to return to this town ahead of schedule in light of my extenuating circumstances.

There were still faint traces of my old life here back from when my parents were still alive such as my father's desk and my mother's cooking supplies. And quite honestly, being back here and suddenly feeling their absence all over again...it made me sad. I missed them, just as much I miss Jack and Maddie but I had to start moving on too. So I shook my head, turned our old record player, and kept myself busy by unpacking my belongings.

Luckily I had everything I owned in the dorm moved here after it became painfully clear I wouldn't be able to attend classes anymore due to my critical condition. Jack and Maddie offered to do it for me personally but I declined their kind off because for one thing I didn't want them to find out where I live before I had enough time to gain full control of my powers, and for another I wanted to make a clean break for their sake...

I was dangerous to be around whether I liked it or not so exposing them to danger while my powers were still a bit difficult to control was not a risk I was willing to take. Especially since those two are all I had left and someday...I really hoped I'd be able to meet them again and tell them the truth about my powers. But until then, all I could do was try my best to start over and hope for the best.

~

Once I settled in, I began testing out my powers more, taking notes, pushing my limits, and yet the more I learned about myself the more I wished I had someone to share my discoveries with. Jack could be overzealous at times, but I missed how excited we both felt after making a new discovery about ghosts or ectoplasmic energy. And Maddie, she always knew how to reign us in so we could look at things more objectively even though she was usually just as eager to find out more too.

Having no one left to talk to or come home to had finally started to get to me and sadly as a result that's when the nightmares started up again too. Just like back in the hospital I would wake up in a cold sweat, clutching the sheets in both fists as the ghostly blue glow of my eyes cast flickering shadows on the walls. I had gotten careless because I thought I would be alright as long as I didn't have to worry about a doctor or a nurse walking in at any second and seeing my eyes glowing in the darkness.

That's when I realized I had to do something about this before things escalated even further and my emotions spiraled out of control again without some sort of outlet. I needed to make a connection, a way to overcome this shadow looming over me, so I considered seeing a therapist to prevent these nightmares from overtaking me. But I was afraid that if I did talk to someone...what if I became too emotional and exposed my powers to them? That could be a huge problem. I could always overshadow them, but I'd still be avoiding dealing with this terrible helplessness I felt.

That day, I was wandering around town in a daze, conflicted about how to deal with the problem when I happened to enter a local animal shelter. The people at the front desk were friendly, but I had never considered how my...ghostly attributes might make most animals wary of me since they have a sixth sense for the supernatural which quite honestly made me feel even more detached from the person I once was. As a boy I got along well with most animals but I never felt particularly attached to them. Dogs were a bit too energetic for my tastes and I had to deal with that enough with Jack but cats on the other hand, well I have always appreciated their independent spirit but I never considered them to be very affectionate animals...

That all changed the instant I saw her.

On my way out the door after satisfying my idle curiosity about how animals seem to perceive me now that I'm only half human I noticed this sleek black kitten staring directly at me with the most stunning blue eyes I've ever seen and when our eyes met, what I felt...I can't even describe it. It felt as though she was looking right at me, into my heart, and for the first time since the accident, it was like someone had noticed how lost I was and there was this unmistakable look of gentle sympathy in her eyes.

Mesmerized by her gaze, I turned around and asked the person at the desk more about her and they told me she had been abandoned which I could relate to to some degree. To be fair I hadn't been abandoned necessarily, but I felt that way sometimes since it was gradually becoming harder and harder to wake up alone in that empty house every morning, not sure what I should be doing with the rest of my life now that I'm all alone and don't have friends to confide in anymore I can visit whenever I want.

Impulsively I asked if I could hold her and they agreed, smiling at me secretively as if they already knew I felt an instant attachment to her and as soon as they handed her to me...she clung to me like her life depended on it and then crawled up onto my shoulders, wrapping her tiny body around my neck as much as possible and as soon as she was comfortable she started purring. It was like a hug of sorts and I had no idea how starved for the gentle contact from another living creature of any kind from someone that wasn't just another doctor poking and prodding me that all I remember is falling to my knees soon after, sobbing and resting my cheek against her head as she rubbed against me, licking away my tears.

Finally, I thought, this is what I've been searching for ever since I came home. I've missed having someone there who cares about me, someone to remind me that I'm not alone, someone who can stay by my side so I don't have to suffer in silence anymore without a friend there to comfort me just when I start to think I can't bear it anymore.

I'm sure everyone who saw me that day were just as stunned as I was by my meltdown, but I didn't care. I needed her. And she needed me, no, for reasons I cannot even begin to fathom she WANTED to be with me and no one else. It's like she had been waiting for me to walk in that door from the very start. Waiting for me to give her a home, a family, and most importantly...a name. And that name would become a bond that could never be broken, not even after her tragic death some years later when she returned to my side once more as a ghost because she knew I still desperately needed a friend-

And that's how Madison became my closest and dearest companion.

We’ve been inseparable ever since.

What exactly was Tau’s brilliant plan? Not sure beyond a vague idea. Why did Baru agree to it? Because she’s stupid. Here’s my second completed poem for the month! A thing that happens in some sort of vague time period after Tyrant. I hope it’s enjoyed: Go into the desert, Tau said. It’ll be fine, they said. “You carry my place in trim And with it all the threads that Connect me and the world, Baru. Trim will carry you through and Prove itself true, then you with it.” What a crock of shit. Right now all trim had proved Was that she’d die here, Stomping through the sands, utterly lost, For having stupidly thought That maybe, just maybe, Trim was real and right and true And that the path to victory lay here In a series of connections forged Through happenstance that was not happenstance. Yet it had seemed that way That day before she stepped out Into the Oriati dunes With hardly any food or water. It had seemed that way When Tau looked at her Their eyes a fierce flame That could convince the firmest scientist that There was more to the world than numbers. Hadn’t circumstance and connection saved her after all? Yes. They had, the both of them, But only because of coincidence. Anything looked like a sign If you let yourself get caught up in it. And let herself get caught she had, So now she was going to die here With sand in her eyes and her boots And everywhere else between. Farrier would frown at her Saying that he was disappointed For hadn’t he taught her better? Baru cocked a grin at that Before laughing loudly, Proud to have failed him once more. Then she tripped. Over a rock or her own two feet, Whatever the case, She fell face first into the sand Landing with a soft thump. Fuck. Laying there, Warm sand against her face, Baru tallied up her water once more And found it’d last half a day If she was lucky. The growl of her stomach reminded her, That the food wouldn’t last that Because it’d been fucking lost At least seven days back. Growling, scowling, she sat up Trying to put away the thought That a human could last twenty-one days maybe If they were lucky and fit, And without a hint of food. But if you weren’t so lucky or so fit? You had a paltry eight days at best. Yawa warned her of that. She fought with Tau over it, Saying that Baru was epileptic, That a lack of food might cause a fit, And then where would she be? “Eaten or starving in a fucking desert! That’s what you want to happen, Tau-Indi? You want the Empress to die in the desert?” Baru couldn’t tell then If it was concern for her home Or genuine love for her Which drove Yawa to such a fury. She liked to think it was the latter. She wanted to pretend as much. And pretend she did As she got to her feet again And started walking once more Looking for some sign that trim Would bring all of Oriati Mbo To a belief in her just as fierce As that held for Tau-Indi. She filled their place, after all, So why couldn’t she fill them With feelings just like Tau did? Nothing filled Baru though. Hunger gnawed at her. Day in, day out, At every hour and every minute, The pain hung there A persistent reminder That she was so mortal And with so little time left. Worse than that pain Was the weakness that came with. Her arms felt half present, Her legs only half worked. She was sure she walked in circles And a part of her couldn’t care Because she lost track of the world And of her thoughts right with. As she looked to the clouds, Hoping in vain for a sign Of where to walk next, She called out to Hu once more Asking for her help in this act. Hu said nothing back. Not that she ever had, Save when Baru was seizing. But what then was her tie to Hu If not some thread of trim That led her to more threads still? And what was Hu herself If not the greatest haunter in Aurdwynn? Tain Hu wouldn’t have woken up To find her pack torn apart And her food missing. Even if she had it’d be easy for Hu To find something somewhere to catch. These weren’t woods and she had no bow, But Hu would manage because she was Hu. Brilliant, strong, stubborn. So good at living she only ever died Because she permitted the sea take her. Baru was not Hu. Hu had left Saying it was best That she learn to live A life without her. That it was best To find another, to love another, Which had seemed bullshit then And seemed even more so now With Baru dying Having accomplished fuck all. She needed help. Help had gone. She tripped again. Tears had come. From the sand, from the want. “Why did you leave, Hu? You said you’d be with me No matter what happened, And now I’m going to starve In some Himu fucked desert!” Baru beat her fist into the sand, Knowing it sapped just more strength From her already weary limbs. She couldn’t quite care though Because she was alone and scared and doomed, And all because Tau said it’d be fine And because her wife had said it was fine And neither of those things were true Because here she was dying. Shit. Fuck. Dammit. She sat up, Wiped her eyes Then swore when sand got in them, And swore some more when her stomach growled. Why hadn’t she listened to Yawa? Why hadn’t Iscend stopped her? Iscend had been there that night Standing off and to the side, Enigmatic smile on her face. She said nothing, merely watched, Until the details were settled on For gaining the trust of Oriati Mbo. Then she left to pack Baru’s bag With only a few words of concern. Why hadn't Iscend pushed further, Asking her to stop this fool venture? That was a stupid question. The Clarified was deprogramming herself, That much was true, But she still took to Baru’s words As though they were sacrosanct. Why would she stand up and say, With power and force, “Your majesty, I think this is stupid, And you should stay right here While you think of some other scheme That won’t leave you dead in the dunes,”? She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. And now Baru missed her too. Her lithe limbs, her blonde hair. Her coy smile, her cruel words. She’d tried to lobotomize Baru once. Iscend said as much one night Over a glass of wine That was kept at just one, And Baru found that horrifying But not shocking. What was shocking Was that she laughed at it, And said that her good looks saved her. Which Iscend cocked a brow at, Pointing out once more What Baru had said that night In the river waters. No. They can’t do this. No. She didn’t want this. Baru wanted it now though As she staggered to her feet, Almost falling right back down Into a bed of dust and death. She wanted it now though Her want was probably a waste As she marched on to die, Her queenly work left undone. At least if Baru had to die, She’d die horny and stupid, Forever Farrier’s failure. Wydd, she didn’t want to though. There was so much to see, to do. There was a whole world waiting To be broken free of Falcrest. There were women and drinks And a little home on Taranoke Filled with wives and a gull, And one of those was Iscend Who walked towards her now, Head crowned with light Both blue and white, A savior in the dunes. At least her last seizure would be a nice one. --- She woke with a headache In a tent that was blissfully dark Her hunger even worse than before. She never thought she’d be so grateful For the want of food. Alive. Against all odds, Baru was alive. Thank Himu. Her head ached though, And all the more at the sound Of voices speaking a language Which she didn’t know, And another that spoke A language she did know. What they said she couldn’t make sense of. She couldn’t make sense of much now, Save that her lip was swollen. Likely bitten while she shook, Helpless and left to the elements: To trim. This was trim, right? It felt like it As she felt the world too clearly Yet too opaquely, Dragged down into a ball Of pain of all sorts. It was trim, She was certain, Because someone said as much Before thanking a falca girl In accented Aphalone. It had to be trim, She knew it, Because a familiar voice said That she’d come looking for a friend And found new ones besides To help for their help in return. Iscend. She couldn’t say it. Not with her parched tongue Or with her fat lip Or with her epileptic brain That tried to sort the world And all the sounds mouths could make From the static of too much, too fast. She couldn’t say it, But she could say “Send”. The empress of the world And breaker of all empire Mewled out to a Clarified Not in demand or dominance, But for want of connection. The flap opened And the light burned, But Baru looked up regardless Desperate to see her. Iscend Who held in her hand a bowl And held in her throat words That slipped by Baru Only half comprehended. Comprehended in full was the warmth Of a woman sitting next to her. Comprehended in part was knowing Her joy came from it being this one. Baru said something stupid And barely articulate About how Hu had told her That it was best she leave So that Baru would find others To cling to and love and get to know. Iscend just laughed, Before saying something about scientism And Baru’s...what? She lost that bit. She didn’t lose the next bit though: “I thought this wasn’t allowed.” It wasn’t. “Or did you just not want it?” It wasn’t that. “You’re not a very good liar.” Now that was just wrong. “At least where it concerns women.” Baru began to protest But her throat ached And her words caught. “Are you going to order me away?” Iscend asked, looking at her. “No,” Baru managed, lying there. The bowl was set aside. The hunger called again. They looked at one another, Baru wondering just what ran Through that mind looking back. How did she think? Baru knew how, the facts of it. But what was it like To run through thoughts that sought Only to serve the Republic Or whatever replaced it? Was there will? Her attempt to complain Was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Surely there was will in that, Iscend would insist. And that will came in words: “Gaios, nurse her.” Next, that will came in hands Lifting Baru up into warm thighs And with will came trim, In the form of warm broth Spooned to her gently. Maybe they were right, When it came to matters such as these. Maybe she could reach out, For life giving broth and more. She wanted to pretend as much.

I’m Gonna Make This Place Your Home (Part 6)

Bakugo X Reader 

Words : 3036

Warnings: SMUT! THERE IS SMUT IN THIS CHAPTER (finally) also there’s some violence and mention of abuse. 

Runaway reader finds a home with Bakugo. But will trouble follow?

*****************************************************************************************************

You were packed in record time. It helped that you didnt have much to pack.

Bakugo was now pulling you into a car you didnt know he had while yelling at someone on the phone. “No you cant come!”.... “Because we’re trying to hide her and blend in and your hair is literally a bride red fucking target!”... “Yes! I will tell you once we’re settled... Thanks Man..”

He threw his phone out the widow of the moving car and sped up. “Alright so they found you, and they know you’re with me. We just need to get somewhere safe and lay low for a bit. I’ve filled Kirishima in on everything and he’s going to see what he can find out through our hero database.” His grip was tight on the steering wheel and shoulders were stiff as boards. He was stressed out.

You reached over and placed your hand in his lap. You could feel him relax only slightly, but enough for him to release some tension. “Where are we going?”

I’m going to drive us out of town then stop at a random hotel. We’ll check in under a fake name and use cash. I have enough to last us a while.” He took the  hand that you had put in his lap and intertwined your fingers, “They’re not going to lay a finger on you. Not if I can help it.”

Later that night you laid next to him while he clicked away on his laptop. “You threw your phone out the window but kept your laptop? Wouldn't they be able to track that as well?”

He scoffed, “I wish they’d try. This is government issued from work. As soon as they even tried it would alert my agency of their location and who they are.” He continued to click through. He started off by asking who I ordered the pizza from. From there he hacked into the cameras of all the locations near our apartment and was now busy watching through hours of footage trying to find whoever wrote the message on the box. You tried to stay awake to keep him company but your eyes were so heavy. His fingers threaded through your hair, “Go to sleep babe. They’ll be plenty of time to talk tomorrow.”

So you snuggled into him and let sleep take over. You kept waiting for him to join you. In fact every so often you'd reach out to join his dream, but he wasn’t there. You hoped he wasnt driving himself mad with all of this investigative work. Wasn’t that was Kirishima was supposed to be doing?

Hours later you heard a loud “Mother Fucker!”

You shot up strait and grabbed onto Bakugo’s arm. “What is it? What’s going on?”

“That fucking asshole from the coffee shop was the one who rated you out... Your boss.” He turned the laptop towards you and sure enough there was a video of him sneaking into the pizza shop and writing his lovely little note on the pizza box before turning to the camera and flipping it off. “He’s one of eight brothers. All of them bad news. The oldest brother is the head of some secret society that they’re all members of. They call him the puppeteer. Riku’s the youngest and his job is to find girls and trick them into going to a ‘party’ after which they're never seen again. Police have been trying to take them down for years but there’s never been enough evidence. I had Kirishima email me over every file he could find on this secret society.”

He opened up a new tab that was full of pictures, mugshots, and reports. “They call themselves the Pure. They believe in arranged relations and breeding for maximum quirk efficiency. There’s allegedly a lot of really important people involved which is why a case has never been made against them. Drugs, arms dealing, racketeering, kidnapping, slavery... this.... this is crazy. How can they be involved in so much but no one even know about them. I’m a fucking hero and I had never heard about it.” He turned to you, his red eyes burning with intensity. “How do you run from something that doesn't exist?”

You scrolled through the file before your heart stopped. “Bakugo.. I recognize that man...”

He looked over your shoulder and you could hear him gasp. He recognized him as well. He had seen him in your dreams. This man had been your prison guard for years. He had hit you, starved you, drugged you, stripped away your clothing and left you to freeze. He was an animal, he was evil, and Bakugo wanted to kill him.

According to the file his name was Bruce. He was from Slovakia, and as far as anyone knew he died in a train accident fifteen years ago. You wish he has though.

“I’m going back to sleep...”

Bakugo held you to him, “You sure? You don’t want to talk about it?”

“I know his name now... I know his face. I think it’s time I pay Bruce a little visit... You coming?”

It clicked with him what you meant. You were about to visit him in a dream. And there was no way he was going to let you do that alone.

He gripped your hand and spooned up behind you. “You sure about this?”

Your only response was, “If it gets to be too much for you , you can leave at any time.”

Then you were falling asleep and taking Bakugo with you. You had done this plenty of times when you were held captive. Taking people with you into dreams was easy enough. They usually couldn’t affect anything the way you could though.

The bright light flashed behind your eyelids signaling that you were connecting with your intended target.

Eh. Even his dreams were gross. You looked around and saw he was dreaming of an orgy. Naked women and drugs everywhere. You strolled right up to him as he sucked at some poor girls neck. You had to touch him to control the dream. That was the rules. And usually you waited for them to make that decision. But not Bruce. He didnt get that privilege. You slapped him across the face.

He shoved the girl off of his lap, “What the fuck-” his eyes met yours and his angry scowl turned into a disgusting smirk.

“Hello Bruce..”

“Well if it isnt my little slut? I was wondering when you would show up. I was careful to never tell you my name but I knew it would only be a matter of time.”

“My name is Y/n..”

He chuckled, “Shit I didn’t even know you had a name. Thought you were just another one of the boss man’s pets.”

Your fist shook with rage and all of the girls disappeared and you were back in that cold room that had been your cell.

His eyes shifted back and forth, “What are you doing? This is my dream. You cant...”

“Oh but I can. I am capable of much more than you ever knew.” All of the sudden his face started to sink in as if he was starving. His skin became littered with bruises. His ears and nose began to bleed just like yours would when they made you overuse your quirk.

He started to panic and tried to run away but his foot was shackled to the floor like the animal he was. “Fucking bitch! Stop it!”

But you didn’t. You continued to make him suffer, he deserved it after all. All the sudden a hand came down on your shoulder. You grabbed it and threw the person to the ground. Your eyes glowing purple with rage. But they softened when you realized it was just Bakugo. Looking worried with his hands held up in surrender, “It’s just me. It’s alright. It’s okay. Just breath. Calm down. This isn't you!” 

You ran your fingers through your hair and began to pace. You really wanted to hurt the asshole in front of you but you couldnt allow yourself to stoop that low. You couldn’t break down like this. Especially not in front of Bakugo. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little on edge right now. I hope I didnt hurt you.”

He shook his head as he regained his footing, “I’m fine, you're the one I’m worried about. You sure you can handle this. We’ve been here for only a few minutes and it looks like you're already losing it a little bit. I’ve never seen you so... angry before.” 

Bruce started laughing that sickening laugh that made your stomach turn. “Your little boyfriend thinks so highly of you. I wonder if he would stick around if he knew some of the twisted shit you pulled to get out of here.”  

You walked over and gave him a swift kick to the ribs, “I did what I did to stay alive. I will never apologize for that.” You knelt down to look him in the eyes. “Now tell me where you are.” 

He spit blood onto your feet, “This is just a dream. You can do what you want and it’ll never actually hurt me. I’m not telling you shit!”

You narrowed your eyes at him but a cool smile came over your face, “That’s true... Assuming you ever actually wake up. I can make sure you don’t. Keep you here forever, in a coma. Have you ever wondered what happens when you die in a dream? No one really knows right? Because our brain wakes us up because it wants to avoid the trauma. Well I know what happens... Would you like me to show you?”

Bruce gulped as his eyes shifted from Bakugo to you. He spit one more time before he groaned, “FINE!...We’re in the mountains. We're at the main campus for the Pure. There’s a big meeting coming up and everyones coming.” He went on to ramble in great detail about how to get there. He made it very clear that you wouldn't make it past the front gate. That they had some strong quirks up their sleeve.  

He was still spilling his guts when Bakugo grabbed your hand. “What if he’s lying? What if he’s setting a trap?”

You sighed and rubbed your temples, “I don’t think he’s that smart.” 

You looked over when you no longer heard Bruce’s labored breathing. “Shit... he woke up” You reached for Bakugo’s hand, “Come on we should wake up too.I have a feeling we have a lot to talk about..”

“You’re fucking right we do.”

You woke up and you felt that your face was soaked in tears. You may have put on a brave face in Bruce’s dream but it didnt change the fact that you had been terrified to be face to face with him again. You wiped furiously, trying to dry your cheeks before Bakugo could see. He probably already thinks you’re unhinged. No need to fuel the crazy fire. 

You took a few deep breaths before turning around and facing Bakugo. To your surprise his eyes were wet as well. “I’m sorry. I know you’re the one who just had to confront the monster from your past. But... That shit was hard to watch. What did he mean when he said you did twisted shit to get out? You told me you jumped out of a moving car?”

You bit your lip and played with the hem of your hoodie. You couldn’t look him in the eye when you told him this. “I lied.... I was scared if I told you the truth you would be scared of me.” 

He cupped your damp cheek and kissed your forehead, “You say scary.. I say badass.”

You would have laughed if the moment hadn't been so tense. “I uh.. If I really focus I can make people see things... when they're awake. Like daydreaming.” You leaned into him and he instinctively wrapped his arms around your waist. “I made them see intruders when in reality no one was there. They all ended up shooting each other and when backup came I made them think that I was also dead. They threw me into the back of a van, didn’t even bother tying me up. When we got close to town I made the drivers vision go blank so he would crash and I could get away.” 

Bakugo pushed your hair out of your face, “Why would you be scared to tell me that? Like you said in Bruce’s dream, you did what you had to. After everything they put you through? I know it has to weigh heavy on your conscious, but it shouldn't. Those people were bad people who did bad things. Who knows how many people you saved by taking them out.”

You nodded, “I guess... But heros aren't supposed to kill people.”

Bakugo smiled, “Well not to be a dick but I’m pretty sure I’m the only one here with a hero license. You’re a survivor. There’s a difference.”

You took a deep breath, trying to expel all of your anxiety. “I also didn’t want you to be constantly trying to guess if what you were seeing was real or if I was manipulating you.” 

“Well I guess it’s a good thing I trust you then...” 

You leaned forward and gently pressed your lips to his. 

You should have known better though because there was rarely anything gentle about Bakugo. He returned you kiss with a burning passion that had you dizzy. 

He rolled on top of you and your legs wrapped around him pulling you to you. You wanted him, all of him. You reached down to waistband of his pants and pushed your hand past it to palm him through his underwear. He groaned and bucked his hips towards you before pulling back. “Y/n. I love you. But are you sure you want this?”

You arched your back so you could peel your shirt off. You hadn't worn a bra to bed and naturally you weren't wearing pants so now the only article of clothing you did have on was underwear. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.” 

He leaned forward and attached his lips to your shoulder while he rubbed one of your nipples between his fingers. You arched your back to lean into his touch a soft moaning falling from your lips. He smiled as his kissed trailed south over the swell of your breeds before sucking your other nipple into his mouth. Licking it and sucking util it grew hard. “Looks like someone has sensitive nipples...” 

Your eyes blinked open, “What are you doing? Dont stop!”

He chuckled, “Yes ma’am.” He tore off his shirt followed by his pants. Now you were both in your underwear. He grinned into you and its made you throb. You bucked your hips up to meet his, desperately needing friction to ease the desire building inside you. 

His lips returned to your neck as he tapped your hip signaling for you to lift them off the bed. Without any hesitation he ripped them off leaving you bare before him. His fingers teased around the sport you wanted him most. But he was trying to give you time to make sure you hadn't changed your mind. And as sweet as that was... You needed him. “Bakugo... I need you. Please.”

With a feral groan his slipped his middle finger into you and slowly pumped in and out. “God Y/n you’re so tight.” He added a second finger and you had to suck in a breath, shit that felt good. He had you whining beneath him. Squirming around his fingers wanting more. 

He kissed up your neck until he got to you ear, where he stopped with a breathy whisper, “You ready?”

You wrapped your legs around him, “Yes! Please!” 

His slid his underwear off and you heard the sound of him opening a condom then his weight returned to you. His forehead already sweaty pressed against yours. “You let me know if I need to stop. If it hurts, if you change your mind. I dont care just let me know...” 

You nodded and he slowly pushed into you bit by bit. Letting you adjust as he went. It definitely stung but in the sweetest way possible. Your fingers gripped his shoulders as he began to thrust into you. It started out as slightly painful but all the sudden he snapped his hips at a completely different angle and you were seeing stars. You couldn’t help your moan of pleasure, “Oh shit! Right there!”

Bakugo picked up the pace looping his arm around the back of your knee and lifting it up so it sat on his shoulder. Heat began to burn within you as you pleasure climbed. You understood why in books they always called it that climax. Legs shaking, fingers digging into his back, “I’m gonna - I’m gonna-”

Bakugo growled as he thrust at an erratic pace, “Let go. I’m right behind you. COME ON Y/N!”

Just like that you you peaked and clamped around him as he stuttered into his own finish. 

You both laid there breathing heavy as he rolled over and pulled you into his chest. His fingers carding through your hair with occasional kisses to the crown of your head. “Hey not to alarm you or anything but I literally saw fireworks...”

You laughed and gave him a funny look, “Yeah me too. That was amazing!”

He gave you a serious look, “No I totally agree.. best night of my life... but Y/n I dont mean metaphorically.. like I literally saw fireworks at the end there. I think you may have subconsciously used your quirk...”

You blushed, “Oh my god I’m so sorry! I didn’t even realize...” You covered your face with your hands out of embarrassment.

But Bakugo wasn’t having any of that. He took your hands and pulled them from your face, “Are you kidding me? That was hot. That was awesome! It was like you got to show me exactly how you felt.” He snuggled closer to you, “Makes me want to do it again.” 

*****************************************************************************************************

Tags: @1000fandoms​ @carolinawindsay​ @targaryens-blog​ @fukyouthink​ @malibusurfer56​ @theoneforallkiddeku​ @emmyljo​ @water-melone98​ @opentheskeletonkey​ @ilikeanimeandbands​ @dexterous-deku @joonishantics​ @-hiddlesdweeb-​ @crimson846​ @emotions-and-potions @tokoyamis-luv​ @itsmetsuki​ @awkwardlife202 @tinymatwrote​ 

Hey guys quick thing about the tags, I really am trying to remember to tag everyone who asked. If you aren't here I apologize I have the memory of a goldfish lol. Just shoot me a message and remind me. Or if you want to be added thats totally cool as well!  Also it looks like some of the tags aren't working as they should. So if looks like you’re there but you didnt get a notification let me know. Maybe I spelled something wrong lol. I tend to do that a lot! Thanks! 

- Molly 

The Best of Us

The Last of Us Joel/OC Rating:M

AO3

Joel and Ellie nearly die on their way back to Jackson,  Wyoming. Traumatized, tired and with a tentative new bond between  them, they move forward into a new, very different life. Luckily there  are new friends to be found that are not easily deterred by their wounds  and flaws. And there is a woman who likes to laugh, to get into other people’s business and help and heal were she can. Maybe she can help heal their bond. Maybe she can move more. It has been long since either of them had a home.    

Diligently she blocked the doors by hooking a chair through the handles. Liv tied Apollo up in the entryway where he couldn't make as big of a mess. The added benefit was that he'd hear anyone approaching outside and warn her, and this way he was close enough to the door should they need to make a hasty escape. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. It was unlikely that something was going to happen, but they were in a pretty exposed position, and she the only healthy person. It made her feel uneasy.

No helping it. Gotta get us through this. You got this.

And she really wasn't alone . Liv knew that most of Tommy's skills, he'd learned from Joel. As long as she could keep him conscious, he'd be able to fend off attackers. She wasn't really worried that he was going to attack her himself— she was his only chance of saving the girl, and getting them to Tommy. Besides, while she wasn't the best fighter in Jackson, she could handle herself. Maybe she couldn't win against him in his prime, but he was weak, tired, starving, and his ankle was cut open pretty badly. She'd be able to take him, if necessary.

Joel was still working on the first sandwich when she returned to him, and Liv was pleased to see he'd listened to her.

"How are you feeling?", she asked as she handed him Jesse's bedroll and blanket. He cleared his throat, trying to get his voice back.

"Better."

Not a man of many words, huh.

" That's what I like to hear." She grabbed two cups from the bar, filled them with hot water and put some mint in. She was glad she'd taken her stash of herbs with her. Sure, it was the beginning of May, and if it came down to it, she'd be able to find most she'd need outside, but she had learned the hard way that it was better to be prepared. "Here. Drink that; it'll help settle your stomach."

"Thank you." He accepted the cup before he looked at the girl, brow furrowed. " How's it looking? And no sugarcoating, please."

Liv followed his gaze and ran her hands through her hair with a sigh, tightening her ponytail.

"Well, there is no pus visible on the outside, which means at least outwardly, it's healing well. But you see that swelling around it? Means it's infected and filled inside. Not uncommon if there's dirt in the wound."

"I tried cleanin' it with our last water, but it kept raining." Joel's voice was raspy, but no longer from disuse. The guilt was plain on his face.

Liv shook her head slowly, her voice sympathetic. "Not much you could've done about it given the circumstances. Honestly, considering, this really is the best case scenario," she sighed and rolled up her sleeves. "I'll still have to cut it open to get the pus out and clean it, otherwise she might get really sick. But once it's clean, I've got iodine here and we have some antibiotics back in Jackson… I won't make promises, but I think she'll be fine."

"Can I help?"

Liv shook her head with a smile." You just keep eating. I should be fine. Honestly, you probably shouldn't even watch. Maybe even move away a foot or so, this'll reek." She looked over to him, and almost laughed as a stubborn look crossed his face, almost a little insulted.

Just like Tommy. Stubborn fools.

"I'll be fine."

"Suit yourself," she answered with a shrug. " But please try and keep the food down, for you sake and mine. We don't have much to spare and I have neither time nor the will to clean up right now."

Joel only scoffed as an answer, so Liv let him be and got up to ready everything. She took the mixture with the bandages off of the fire so they could cool down, then she poured some hot water into the basin Eugene had readied and washed her hands in it once it was sufficiently warm. She soaked the rag in it and wrung it out, before turning to Ellie. By force of habit she started talking to her, even though she was unconscious, as she deftly ripped off the already cut sleeve.

"Alright, let's get you cleaned up."

Next to her she felt Joel stiffen as she grabbed Ellie's wrist and lifted her arm to clean it.

"Sorry, the shirt was already ruined, we'll get her something— What…?" Her fingers had caught on ridges on Ellie's inner arm, and she'd turned it to inspect them. Liv froze, her question caught in her throat. She stared down at the upturned arm, her thoughts racing as her stomach dropped. Immediately she saw in her mind the half-submerged corpse of a runner she'd spotted in the ditch.

It was days old. It's too long. She'd have turned by now. But that's a bite.

Joel rose along with the hairs on her neck. " She's not infected, I swear." His voice was hard and choked, and the way he said it, the tone of defense and wariness, didn't help at all.

She didn't look at him, instead Liv kept her eyes on the crescent shaped scar. Her eyes wandered over the silvery-white ridges and knots, the discoloration and cysts, the teeth marks clearly visible. She took a deep breath to calm herself, as Joel gave voice to her thoughts.

"Look at the scar: it's old. She ain't infected, I swear. If the runner had bitten her, she'd've turned by now, and you know it." He swallowed hard and leaned forward slowly, placing his hand gently and slowly on her arm. "Careful." Liv looked down to see that her fingers were digging into Ellie's skin, her knuckles as white as his on her arm. For the fraction of a second they met eyes, and what Liv saw equally calmed and worried her. He was right; Ellie was not infected, her gut had told her so after the first shock, too. But she knew that she was right too: He wouldn't stop at anything to protect this girl. With a swallow, she nodded and let go of her arm.

"Yeah, I can see that. I'm sorry."

Joel released her arm and leaned back, nodding. "I get it." He cleared his throat, occupying himself with his cup. "She uh— Apparently she was bitten back two years ago or so in a struggle— bitten by a human, I mean. Got infected and all, that's why it looks like that. Snuck out of the QZ and crossed some wrong people."

Liv studied him for a moment, then the scar. As far as she could see there was no fungal growth anywhere, so his story might check out as well, and to contemplate the other option was too much for her right now. She decided to do what had always served her best; focus on the problem before her that she could solve. For anything else, she was too tired, to terrified, too needed right now. Ellie showed no signs of turning, so the most important part was true. She nodded, more to herself then to him, and set to work with the cloth, cleaning the arm of dirt.

"So you haven't been together that long?"

"Uh, no. I was… tasked to get her somewhere, as a favor to someone. Took us damn near a year. When we got there, nobody was left there… so we came back here together." She felt him look at her, but she kept to her task. " Tommy didn't tell you?", he asked, his voice a little higher than she'd felt was natural.

"No, he just told me that his brother came through a couple months back. I didn't ask."

"You guys close?"

She smiled a little as she got up to wash out the cloth and wash her hands. " Somewhat, yes. I've known him a long time." Liv stood and dried her hands, then grabbed her knife and stuck it in the boiling water. " So she was an errand. But not anymore." When he looked at her with raised eyebrows, she shrugged. "It's not hard to see that you care about her."

"It's hard to travel the country with someone and not grow close." He sounded defensive, almost a little embarrassed.

Liv nodded. "Especially with a kid." She plucked the knife out of the water and laid it on the clean table, before she grabbed the bottle of alcohol to clean her hands. "What's she like? I need to concentrate for a moment, so I can't talk, and it'll keep you occupied and conscious," she told him with a grin.

Joel snorted. He watched her clean her hands and ready everything to cut into Ellie's arm. He was pretty sure he wouldn't pass out again. The food, water and rest had already done wonders, but the knot in his stomach had returned full force.

She'd seen the bite. Again, someone was readying knives next to an unconscious Ellie. He tried to stay grounded, but his nose was filled with the scent of copper and his heart was hammering away.

This is different. Tommy is on his way. She knows Tommy. She doesn't have it in her eyes. This is different.

He repeated the thoughts over and over, but he couldn't help being forcefully aware of every weapon, every asset, every exit. And Joel knew that she was aware of it too. When they'd looked at each other briefly over the scar on Ellie's arm, while Joel was cursing himself for his recklessness, he'd seen it in her eyes. She wasn't harmless, but she was no danger to them. Most importantly, she was smart. Silently he cursed himself for his fumbling attempt at diversion. She'd accepted it wordlessly, to his relief, but it made him realize that he— that they needed a story. Ellie couldn't run around with a bite mark on her arm, making people have questions, or worse, telling people she was immune. He'd screwed up with his story to her already, and now he needed to rectify that. Protect her. He figured that this was his best choice. Liv didn't seem like a gossip, but as a nurse and with connections to Tommy, whatever they may be, she probably took a central role in the community. Having her as an ally was valuable.

Joel watched her grip Ellie's arm and quickly, efficiently cut the wound open. He gagged as the scent hit his nose, and he turned his face away, jaw clenched. Behind him, he heard Liv scoff.

"Told you so."

"Fine, you win." He pushed himself further down the couch, away from the stench.

"So, you were gonna tell me what she's like."

Joel studied his thumb tracing the rim of his cup, and couldn't help but smile. "Disrespectful and a smart-ass. Stubborn as hell, and reckless. A real troublemaker. Haven't met anyone so prone to get herself in a bad situation. Doesn't listen to a word I say. She's a decent shot. Obsessed with comics and cursing and the worst puns you'll ever hear. Overflowing fantasy. Cares more than is good for her. Heavy, in a ways. Her mother died at birth, she's grown up in the Boston QZ as an orphan. But it made her tough, having no one to rely on. She's a fighter."

"But now she has you." Liv said it as a fact, not looking up, still focused on her work. The way she said it made it sound so simple. It was a million ways more complicated than that. But true nonetheless.

"I guess."

"No?"

He sighed. The old instinct to lock up, to hide and defend reared in him, but Joel was tired, and he felt no judgment from her. And a little vulnerability would go a long way for helping his plan. Only now, here in the calm of the lodge, he realized what it would mean to return to a form of society that was secure and had room for anything else than survival. Even if it went against his instincts, he'd have to get used to it anyhow. Especially if he wanted to keep Ellie around.

"She does… If she wants to."

He saw Liv's eyebrow lift, her hands unfaltering. "Why wouldn't she?"

"She no longer needs me to survive now. She's free to choose now."

Liv seemed to contemplate that. Instead of encouragement, she simply said: "I see."

His stomach dropped at her admission, even if it gave him the slightest hope that he was at least doing the right thing. Ellie would get to choose. Tommy's accusation still rang in his head.

I still have nightmares from the shit you did to protect us!

Joel swallowed and stared down into his cooling tea. " It was… hard for us. We're both stubborn— that probably ain't a surprise to you, if you know my brother," he said with a slight smile, and he heard her snort, " and it took a while for us to get used to each other. There were a lot of close calls… After we left here, we ran into a hunter encampment down in Colorado. I nearly died. She saved my life, but was caught." He swallowed against the lump in his throat. His dreams were either filled with the hospital or filled with smoke, fire, blood, a sobbing Ellie cradling a machete. "She wasn't harmed. Physically. But the things she saw… They had no food, so they… made it."

For the first time, Liv stilled her work and turned to him, eyes wide and face pale as she understood his meaning. " Jesus, " she whispered. She shook her head to clear it, and he saw blood drop to the floor next to the couch, turning his stomach. Liv followed his gaze, and returned to her work. "Don't worry, it's clean now. She'll survive the blood loss. It's good that it flows, it helps me clean the wound." At that, she pulled the basin filled with herbs closer, and started preparing bandages. He saw her clench her jaw as she grabbed the small bottle of iodine. "These fucking hunters. They're worse monsters than the infected. At least they have no choice. It's a fucking farce..." Joel watched her wrap Ellie's wound carefully, all the while shaking her head incredulously, and it almost made him smile how outraged she was, as if that wasn't the world they had all been living in for the last fifteen years.

Liv sighed and stretched her neck and shoulders. Silently he watched her grab needle and thread, focusing himself on watching her work, watching Ellie's face twitch in her sleep, to ward off the images in his head. Liv worked quickly, clearly having done this a hundred times. She was silent, probably occupied with thoughts of killing as well, as she wrapped the bandages around Ellie's arm and secured them. When she was done, she pulled the blanket over Ellie and touched her forehead to check her temperature.

"Alright, we'll leave it for now. I'll change bandages again later, unless the bleeding doesn't stop, but it's looking good. Right now she needs rest, water, and later, food."

He watched her wipe the blood from her hands and picked up bandages soiled with blood and pus, throwing them into the dirty water. " And now, to you." She came over to him and knelt down in front of him, and at his puzzled look, she laughed. "Your leg?"

"Oh." Honestly, he'd forgotten. There were few parts of his body that didn't hurt and throb.

Joel watched Liv kneel down and gently grab his foot. "I'll take off your shoe, and then you'll put your foot against my shoulder."

He wanted to argue that he was reeking and she certainly didn't want his shoes off, but quickly realized that there was no use for vanity. She hadn't flinched over Ellie's wound, and he doubted that she'd be doing her job if she was that sensitive. It wasn't a luxury she could afford.

As if that isn't the world we've been living in for fifteen years.

At his nod she made short work of his laces and pulled his boot of, and even though she tried to be gentle, at her yank, he was painfully aware of his leg again. Grinding his teeth, he lifted it up to her shoulder with her help, were it fit surprisingly comfortably.

"I'll have to cut open the jeans, I'm afraid. You could take it off, but this'll be easier, especially for checking on the bandages later. Too complicated to get you in an out of it with the wet bandages, to cold to keep it off altogether. I can sow the cut back together when we get to Jackson."

There was no teasing to her voice, but Joel felt the slightest blush anyhow, much to his annoyance. "Just do what you have to."

Gracefully, she ignored his blush and slid her knife beneath the seam of his jeans. For the moment, she seemed satisfied to work, no questions shooting his way. As he watched her wrap the cut fabric up and grabbing a clean rag to wipe the mud from his leg and wound, Joel took his time to study her. He realized he hadn't really looked at her the whole time, too wound up in the anxiety to survive and Ellie's injury.

Sure, his brain had scanned her briefly, the way he was used to: she was a head smaller than him, neither skinny nor particular muscular, probably around Tommy's age. His brain had categorized that physically, she wasn't much of a challenge, then moved on to study the men. It wasn't that he thought women were no threat— he'd lived and fought with Tess long enough, god knew. His brain was just used to getting the necessary information and moving on.

Now that the immediate danger was over, his brain moved further. Up close, he was sure she was younger than Tommy, at least by a couple of years. Joel guessed she was in her mid thirties, even if her face looked younger. No lines around her eyes, no grey or white in her dirty blonde hair, that was longer than he was used to seeing. Joel assumed that was due to her living in a secure settlement, in the outside world, no one bothered with long hair or risked giving the world and others one more opportunity of getting caught or grabbed. Her face wasn't as gaunt as he was used to, helping her look younger, he assumed. She looked… healthy.

But Joel noticed the other signs too, the look in her eyes, the worried wrinkles on her forehead, the scars she carried that he could see. A cut at her throat, left by a knife pressed there. The edge of a ridged scar that peeked out above the collar of her shirt, looking like she'd been stabbed. Cuts on her arms and hands, a sizable silvery line running along the left edge of her jaw, a newer, red scar on her right temple that broke her hairline, no hair growing where the injury had left a small breach between the strands. She had seen violence.

The hands that were currently finishing wiping down his leg felt soft but calloused, obviously used to hard work, and despite their small size, they were strong.

This world had made him good at judging people out of necessity, and he wasn't surprised that she was a friend of his brothers. He wondered if there had ever been more between them. He knew his brother, and she seemed to be a good, sturdy person.

Liv poured alcohol over her hands and wiped them down, before she tilted the bottle above his leg. It stung, but Joel bit down the grunt as she cleaned the cut. As she readied himself to sew his wound, his curiosity won out.

"So, how long have you known my brother?"

She briefly glanced up at him, a small smile appearing on her lips. "Uh… We're going on seven years now."

Joel lifted his eyebrows. Tommy had told him he'd been in Jackson for four years, so that meant she'd met him before. Again, she seemed to guess his thoughts.

"I met him and Eugene in the Denver QZ, back when they were with the Fireflies."

He felt the hairs on his neck rise. "You a Firefly?"

Liv shook her head. "Nah. I've served with them for about eight months, because the only alternative was joining the military, but I never considered myself part of them." She was silent for a moment, lost in thought. " I did go to Denver to join them, but I was young and stupid and had only heard the good stories. Reality caught up fast, and I disagreed with their methods. " A grin broke across her face. " In the end, it turned out well though, because I found Tommy and Eugene, and brought them both back here."

That surprised him. "So you were livin' in Jackson before, but left? I thought this was one of the places that was more or less secure from the start?"

A sigh escaped her. "Yes, to both. I lived here with Maria— Tommy's wife— and her father. We built this place up. I was only twenty on outbreak day, and my … temper is very different from theirs, so we disagreed over the years. I was young, and thrilled by the idea of saving the world. I thought we ought to share our resources with the Fireflies, make Jackson a base. We disagreed, had a horrible fight, and I stubbornly left for Denver. Luckily, I was smart enough to first get my opinion on them before I told them about Jackson. I was disillusioned pretty fast. Denver was horrible. Violent. There was no hope in that place." She grew silent for a moment. With a sigh, she dipped her head toward his leg and bit off the thread, tying it off neatly. Joel hadn't even felt the stitches. "I befriended Tommy and Eugene though, and since they weren't happy either, we escaped a few months later when we had the chance, and came to Jackson."

He studied her and tried to draw comparisons, but he truthfully couldn't for life of him recall Maria's face. Joel was fairly sure she was blonde, too.

"So Maria is your sister."

A small smile as she pushed herself up after dressing his wound. "In all ways that matter, yes."

Joel scoffed. " You always this vague?"

Liv grinned. "Keeps you on your toes. Have to make sure you're awake. Oath and all that jazz." As he rolled his eyes, she laughed openly. " We're not sisters by blood, but she is my sister. Don't worry, there is no great mystery, there are just more pressing matters right now."

She picked up the remaining basin and placed it next to him, pushing a piece of cloth and small slip of soap into his hand afterwards. "Get yourself cleaned up. I'll go out to the stream and get some fresh water— I'll leave the door open so you can hear me. I'd rather get enough water for the rest of the night in while it's still light outside."

At his nod, she turned and carried the basin soaked with Ellie's blood outside. Joel took the cloth to the warm water and rubbed the soap into it. Now that the option to clean himself was there, he noticed how much he reeked after their days in the pit. He felt the dried mud crack on his skin whenever he moved.

The relief he felt upon rubbing his face with warm water never failed to catch him by surprise, no matter how often he was caught in the wilderness, unable to clean himself properly. Joel wiped his face, his hands, eventually surrendering, unbuttoned his shirt and dipped his head into the basin. As he started working on his chest, he heard Liv return, and murmuring to her horse in the entryway, followed by the sounds of greedy drinking.

A minute later she returned with another basin, after having secured the door again, and filled the pots on the fire. They payed each other no mind, her feeding the fire and busying herself, and him, battling the dirt on his skin. Joel thought that maybe he ought to feel embarrassed at sitting half-naked, but Liv seemed unbothered and paid him no mind, and he was too tired to care.

That was until he winced while trying to reach past his shoulder and a hand appeared next to him, softly withdrawing the cloth from his hand.

"Let me help."

Efficiently but gently Liv took the cloth to his back, wiping away the dirt. He'd had no doubt about her skill, having seen her patch them up, but the way she washed and gently massaged his sore muscles showed a skill beyond the simple stitching of a wound. Joel bit the insides of his cheeks, stifling groans of pain and the pleasure of its relief. A shiver and violent goosebumps broke across his skin, both from the icy air against his now wet skin, and the simple, almost entirely alien pleasure of being touched without the intention of harm. It shook him more than he would've expected. It was too easy forget that care was part of being human, too, when you were surrounded by nothing but violence. The things he had seen. Joel fought down the urge to run, to fight, to protect himself. He had made a choice when he had turned them back to Jackson. Ellie needed them. He couldn't be afraid, even if this all went against his instincts.

"There you go." Joel could hear the smile in her voice as she took a small dry towel and dried his back. Once she was done, she handed it to him and grabbed his shirt, caked with dirt, and studied it with a frown. "I'm afraid if I wash this, you'll freeze to death. Better to get you a bit dirty again. I'm almost sure that shouldn't kill you." With a grin, she went to one of the vacant tables and started beating his shirt against it, the dry mud cracking and bursting into clouds of dust, before returning it to him again.

"Thank you."

Cleaner, dry and warm, he already felt a lot better, and now that the most pressing matters were taken care of Joel felt heaviness settle into his bones. The muscles Liv had just cleaned and massaged felt like lead, and a yawn broke its way out of him.

A second later, a blanket hit him in the face.

"Get some sleep." It was a command, but she was smiling. "I'll make us some food and you need rest. I'll wake you once it's done. You need it… and honestly," she said, glancing about and across the huge windowed front, "I'd rather have you sleep now while it's light outside and be awake with me once it's dark. Better safe than sorry."

"Any reason to worry?" Joel thought about the ambush on the plant the last time he'd been at Jackson, and her reaction to the Hunters.

Liv hesitated. "The last time we saw Hunters was two months ago. The last stragglers, five weeks ago. Some infected cross this valley now and then, but they aren't what's worrying me. … We'll probably be fine. "

"Still. Wake me when you're done." He nodded at her, understanding her worry. He spread the blanket above himself and lay back dutifully, sleep gripping him almost immediately.

Chapter Seventeen (FMITN BOOK 1)

The rest of the week Jessica is made to take someone with her to the gym, just to ensure she doesn’t pull another stunt like the last time. Though understanding she really wishes her brothers would understand they can’t stop her once they all part in just a weeks time. The last week is spent finishing packing, gathering school supplies, and of course stocking for the road trip to Florida itself. It is over 669 miles, and should only take about 10 hours by highway, but somehow Jess just knows her brothers won’t keep to the route. So snacks and drinks were a must, and whatever wasn’t used on the trip down could easily be split and she could keep her part in her dorm room. She really wasn’t looking forward to who’d be sharing with. New people kinda freaked her out, though she swore to herself she’d try to be more. Saturday morning rolls round and the early part of the day is spent loading boxes into the back of the moving truck. Looking around Jess fiddles with her necklace as she wishes her home goodbye. She knows she’ll be back for breaks...well if her brothers have time off and she can be with them she will be otherwise she’ll just stay at her dorm. No sense in going ten plus hours home just to be as alone as she’d be in the dorm, that’s just a waste of time and gas. She giggles at the silly thought before a tear slips down her cheek. Once everything was in the truck, Matt, Jeff, Finn, and Jessica all get in. Thank the Moon Goddess the cab was large enough, otherwise this would have been an awkward ride.

Once settled the drive starts, The brothers decided that about half way there they’d stop for the night. They’d be stopping somewhere in Georgia, which the possibility to explore which really excited Jessica. Having never really even been outside of her hometown this was all new to her and she was really looking forward to it. Though she’d have to admit she was anxious about being left in Florida alone. The first seven hours, because of course Matt and Jeff fought over music and missed several turns, was filled with fighting over music, talks of how things were changing for the best, and how proud everyone was of each other. Finally arriving in a town called Savannah in Georgia. After getting 2 rooms for the night, the brothers and Jessica start to walk around. 

Admiring the historical district, and walking through the Victorian one as well, they finally find a small cafe to stop at and have dinner. They continue to talk about the upcoming changes, for some reason Jessica suddenly picks up on a smell, and her inner wolf whimpers. Looking for the source of the smell she spots a man, tall, short hair, tan, tribal tattoo on his arm and blue eyes. The smell of ink and mint starts to make Jess shake, and without explanation she jumps up and runs out of the resturant much to her wolf’s protest, she takes off the way she and her brothers traveled in hopes that the smell will leave her. She recalls it from her childhood and the last thing she wants right now is to find her “mate” right when she’s about to move on to college. Stopping at a nearby park she found she leans against a tree catching her breath. No longer smelling ink and mint, she shakes her head. 

Jeff, Matt and Finn are still staring at the seat Jessica once sat in trying to figure out what just happened. She’d never reacted in such away, never mind running like her life depended on it. Jeff and Matt pick up on the smell of ink and they’ve only ever come across two with that smell, Randy and Alesiter. Looking around they don’t see anyone who could resemble Alesiter, but the smell of ink they find it, as he comes to the table. Smirking at the seat Jess had abandon he looks at the brothers, and Finn stands, unsure really what was going on,  but knowing that he needed to find the girl he thought of as his sister.

“Jeff, Matt, I’m going to go look for her. I think I have an idea where she might have gone. I’ll get her back to the room safe.” Finn glares at the stranger before leaving. Jeff shakes his head and Matt sighs.

“Been a long time Orton, can we help you?” Jeff asks a little pissed off that what time he has left with his sister has now been interrupted. Randy chuckles.

“Calm down alpha Hardy, I was just passing through with WWE, we have a show here in Georgia tonight. As I was walking, I smelled something I hadn’t smelled since I was a child. Citrus and Candied Ginger, I simply followed it here. Jessica sure has grown into a  beautiful woman how old is she now?” Jeff grits his teeth, he knows he can’t prevent true mates from being together, is an unwritten rule should any werewolf actually find a true mate.But the timing just like before is all wrong.

“She’s 16  going on 17 this Halloween and starting college this week. We stopped here for the night before we continue on our way in the morning, and we start in WWE.” It was true the three of them knew for a fact that WWE was in the area and would be in Florida the next two days after tonight’s house show. It was why they weren’t rushed about getting to the meeting with the higher ups. It played out into their plans better than anything else. Randy took an interest in Jessica starting college at 16, that was on the young side after all. But he wouldn’t lie she had grown into such a beautiful woman.

“16 and starting college? How is that possible?” Randy cocked his head to the side and this time Matt answered as calmly as possible.

“Jess proved at a young age to be intelligent. By all means she could have actually been starting college at the age of 12, but she chose to be in the same grade as Jeff. She graduated this year valedictorian, with a full scholarship to the college she’s attending.” Jeff nodded and Randy looked at the pair with slight shock and amusement. He knew they were purposefully not saying which college she was going to. Not that he could find and claim her, Not now anyways not with his training schedule and work. But one of these days he’d find her again. 

“It's good to know she’s so smart, must be why she ran, she didn’t want to ruin her chance at higher education by being claimed.” Randy smugly spoke as he turned to leave. “But know this Hardys’ I will claim her one day. She is rightfully my true mate.” With that Randy left. Matt and Jeff got the food to go, paid and went back to the hotel in hopes that Finn had found Jess.

Meanwhile Finn had run back the way they came, he had remembered passing a park that Jess mentioned wanting to go to when they’d be on their way back from dinner. Sure enough that's where he spotted her, sitting on the ground leaning against a tree trunk. Carefully walking towards Jess, she snapped her head up and sighed when she saw Finn. Whispering she spoke.

“I’m sorry about that. I’m just ...I'm not ready for my mate to claim me and I ran. I just want to live my life and be happy, I want to be able to go to college and be somewhat normal. I know I’ll never be, being what I am, but I can try for the next four years can’t I?” She took a shaky breath and looked up and the man she considered her brother. He smiled down at her and reached his hand out for her to take. 

“Of course you can! But instead of being normal, how about we go dye your hair? I happened to bring some dyes, I wanted to surprise you with it back at the hotel room, but I think you need this now more than anything. If you want we can wait for Jeff to get back and he can help too.” Finn suggested and Jessica smiled. The truth was of the last year or so when ever she wanted to dye her hair, Jeff and Finn fought over which one would be the one to do it.She nodded her head, took Finn’s hand and the two left and headed back to the hotel. It was about another 45 minutes till the boys showed up, but they came baring take away containers. Looking around at the setup Jeff glared at Finn.

“Oh no, oh hell no! If anyone is doing Jessie’s hair I am! Come on, you’ve done her hair the last few times she wanted to change it.” Jeff practically whined and everyone choked on their laughter. Even though he was the alpha he still would whine to try and get his way. Jess stood up and hugged her big brother.

"Jeff, why don't you both do my hair? We have to bleach it out first, then we can put the Raven Black on top and the High Voltage Blue on the bottom layer. What do you say?" Jess smiled up at her pouting brother and he sighed in defeat. He barely could say no to that face.

"Fine but let's eat first. I'm starving."  Everyone nodded in agreement to that. They began talking again avoiding bringing up Randy. That was till Jessica asked a rather intriguing question.

"Is it possible to have two romantic soulmates? I know and understand that he is my mate, at least according to our wolves, but ...Aleister, everything in my body pulls me to find him and be with him again. I love him still and hurts so fuckin much that he just abandoned me." Jess pushed her fries around and sighed. Honestly other than stating she missed him this was her first time talking about her true feelings. She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel the same for Randy, deep down she did, but at the same time she didn't have a connection or bond with him the way she use to have one with Alestier.

With no one noticing Finn shifted into his demon form. He had heard the conversation of course but being the literal oldest in the room he also had answers to the little game's question. When his demonic voice rang out everyone turned to look at him. Matt and Jeff were unaffected Jess on the other hand kind of freaked out. Yes she accepted that Demon King Balor was apart of her "brother" Finn, but she'd never come face to face with him. His black and red skin, tendrils for hair and his long sharp pointed razor like teeth that hung from his slightly stretched jaw, they scared her. And to be honest she had no freakin idea WHY he suddenly decided to make himself known.

"Jessica, you asked about the possibility of two romantic soulmates, did you not?" Balor tilted his head to the side studying the hybrid. She simply nodded not trusting her voice. "I may not be thousands of years old, but I do know the history of all of our kinds. The two whom came before you, were not only intelligent beyond their time, and greatly gifted magical, but they too were the purest white in their wolf forms." Jeff, Matt, and Jess looked at the demon as he spoke, each nodding to show they were listening. "Listen here little gem, it is beyond possible that both these men you speak of are your true mates. Aleister Black his family bloodline is known for being pure magic, it's highly likely with the abilities you possess with magic though left unrefined he is your the soulmate to your witches half. And this Randy Orton, well if both your wolves agree and know the other to be their true mate there is no denying that. You will be the key to bringing peace to the unity when it is time. You are far from ready for that task yet. You are very important to the supernatural realm Jessica. I can't say more at this time. Just know there is a reason many seek to want to protect you naturally and will flock to you." Balor hugged his little gem and placed a careful kiss to her hairline. Before whispering "Never let anyone change you. Remain the good, kind, caring soul you are." And with that Balor was gone and Finn asleep on the floor.

Jessica stared blankly at the wall in front of her. The Demon King had given a lot of information and she, well she needed to digest all that was said. She grabs her watch, the bleach and emotionless walks into the bathroom locking the door. Staring at herself in the mirror she doesn't know, remove her shirt she mixes the bleach contents together and applies it all throughout her waist length hair. She sets a timer on her watch. Too far in her own mind she barely hears her brothers yelling for her through the door. Suddenly brought  back by the sound of the alarm she gets up and washes the bleach from here hair before using the hotel blow dryer to dry it. Putting her shirt back on she walks out of the bathroom and into Matt's arms. 

Finn has yet to awake and since Jess wasn't talking, Jeff decided to finish dying her hair while trying to talk to her. He could actually smell the fear and uncertainty flowing from his sister's body.

"Yaknow Jessie these are really nice colors you picked. I think they'll look really good on you." Jeff smiled as he applied the Raven Black to the top portion of her hair careful not to get any on the under side. Jessica spoke but it was so faint that even his werewolf hearing almost missed.

"Thanks I had told Finn awhile ago I wanted to do these colors next." She tried not to shift her head. Once the black was completed, Jeff pinned it up with a hair clip, changed his gloves and began the next color.

"Where did you even find High Voltage Blue dye? I've never seen it around before." Jess hummed and tapped her chin thinking. Though she didn’t answer, a wave of sickness began to hit her. 

“Jeffy, I think the smell of the dye is making me sick. I’m not feeling well.” Jessica whined, and Matt touched her forehead, she was feeling warm and then almost like being hit by a freight train, Matt’s eyes widen. Swallowing harshly Matt spoke.

“Let Jeff finish putting the dye in your hair, then I want you to go take a very cold shower. You were suppose to have the room to yourself, but Jeff, I think it’s best you stay here with her tonight.” Matt looked Jeff in the eyes practically begging him to agree. Smells were faint in the room even to the Alpha but he nodded in argument and she quickly finished adding the colors. Matt went to Jessica’s overnight bag, and grabbed what she had packed for sleepwear, sighing he knew what she had was not going to be comfortable for her. Looking at Jeff then Finn who was finally coming too, he spoke.

“Guys, could you come to our room for a minute? Jeff you need your sleepwear and we need to talk about something.” The eldest Hardy shifted uncomfortably, neither of them had ever given thought to this happening, and they were hardly ever around and since she had never gotten sick or presented they never thought to get her on suppressants, this was going to end up being the biggest mistake the two brothers could have ever made. Jessica looked at all three of her brothers and nodded. Once they left the room and went next door Matt ran his fingers through his hair trying to think of how to explain what was happening to Jessie. This wasn’t a conversations brothers should ever have to have about their little sister, but they were all she had. Once everyone was in the room Matt paced slightly his beta wolf calm over the situation thankfully. Jeff snapped though growling.

“The fuck is happening to Jess, what the fuck was that smell?!” Matt huffed up, maybe  having the alpha stay and protect her was a mistake?

“So Jeff, you remember when you had your first rut? The pain, the fever, the arousal? However thing was just fucked up till it passed almost two weeks later? And how from that point on you had to be secluded like most unmated alpha’s till it passed?” Alpha’s typically faced ruts every three months, as a Beta Matt only faced it twice a year, but and Omega, well from what was taught in school it could be as often as an Alpha's rut, and if they were near a suitable mate it was to said to be worse, the fact that Jess very possibly has two soulmates an ran into one today is what Matt guessed brought it on, even if they weren’t near each other that long. Jeff huffed.

“Yeah that rut was shit, and so are the ones that came after wha-” Jeff stopped mid-sentence eyes widened. “Are you fucking sayin she’s … no, no NO!” Jeff paced this was their little one, no way in hell was she entering her first heat, he refused to believe it. Finn meanwhile was listening to Balor in his head explain everything that was actually being said, though he had taken the same classes in school that didn’t mean he bothered to remember it as important infomation, well now he wished he had, having a demon, let alone the Demon King explain in your head the sex cycles of werewolves was not pleasent. Finn cleared his throat.

“So we need to get her some kind of medicine so that next time this happens she won’t be affected or something? Why wasn’t she already on the suppressants?” It was an honest question, Finn had noticed Matt staring out the window almost as if on garud. Jeff gritted his teeth.

“Honestly we never thought about it. Yeah we knew but that's our flesh and blood, our little sister, we didn’t want to think about her like that.” Sighing, Jeff had really wished he made her go for those, the smell was overwhelming and an unmarked Alpha who happened to be nearby was bound to come flocking to it, which only caused Jeff to get more angry. Without moving his gaze Matt spoke up.

“We need to get her through tonight, someone HAS to stay with her as protection from anyone whom might try to get to her. I thought at first the best idea would be for Jeff to do it, but I’m beginning to wonder if his Alpha is really best. As a Beta I can be calmer around her, and Finn being a demon shouldn’t have any issue either. However with that said, one of us will need to trade pajamas with her. She has sweats and a heavy top, even with the air conditioner blasting tonight, according to what we’ve learned she’ll sweat through her clothes and end up stripping. This is her first heat, and it's just barely starting, IF we’re lucky and we leave early in the morning, we should be able to get her to AMU before her heat is full blown.”  Jeff scuffs.

“The hell is the college going to do for her?” A look of realization hits Finn.

“They’re known for being most supernatural creatures and beings! One of you should call the school, speak with the nurse or doctor on staff, explain what’s happening, they’ll be able to assist Jess the moment she gets there, and then once her heat passes they can get her setup on the suppressants! Is that what you were thinking Matt?” Finn smiles when Matt nods. 

“It’s true they’ll be able to help her. I’ll make the call since Jeff..” Matt trails off looking at his brother, yeah he won’t be able to handle this on so many levels. “..Jeff can’t handle this, you’ll stay in this room, Finn, you go and watch over Jessie tonight. If you have to bring Balor out, or scream for us we’ll come running.” Matt grabs the phone and places the call to the school, he explains everything and the doctor on the line somehow already was aware of the lack of a suppressant in Jessie’s system, but wasn’t judging given the fact she was younger than most students that attend the school, and this after all was her first heat. Finn grabs his bags and heads back to Jessica’s room.

A Game of Hearts - Chapter Seven: Assisted (The Royal Romance AU)

Pairing: Drake x MC [Liam x MC]

Notes: I took a while to start writing this chapter but once I did, it flowed faster than all the other ones I’ve written. This contains more dialogue and a bit of action, I hope you’ll like it. It you read, I really wanna know what you think!

I do not own these characters, they belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: Princess Sapphire, going as Aurelia, comes across some new challenges in her journey to the South... and maybe a new travelling companion? 

Content Warning: Mentions of violence and death.

Word Count: 3537

Tagging: I’m tagging everyone who asked me to. If you want in or out the list just let me know!  @confessionsofabrokegirl, @museofbooks, @stopforamoment, @scarlettedragon, @annekebbphotography, @queenodysseia

Prologue: Promised

Chapter One: Unveiled

Chapter Two: Tied

Chapter Three: Acknowledged

Chapter Four: Disarmed

Chapter Five: Gone

Chapter Six: Unbarred

Chapter Seven: Assisted

A few days travelling with the children have passed rather smoothly. As expected, her pace has drastically decreased, but the Device was almost ready. She couldn’t avoid the questions, of course, and by now her three companions knew her story well. They understood they can’t tell anyone who she is and if anyone asks, they are siblings.

The only real struggle so far is finding food. What she had is almost over and it’s been a whole day since the last time they saw another person. Aurelia is starting to grow worried. She would not let the mission fail because of them starving to death.

The day is winding down and they are making their way across an old street, now covered with sand and debris. She wonders if they’re anywhere near the sea, with all the sand. They’re not supposed to, but she knows better than to trust the maps they have these days, they’re not nearly as precise as the ones from the world of before. Obviously she has never seen the sea in person, only in the photographs from her books. She remembers reading about how you can’t really see where the waters end in the horizon and how the waves in the water come and go, endlessly in movement as if it is alive.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a sudden rain that increases its intensity with every passing second. They rush to take cover under the ruins of the nearest building. If it was not for the collapsed walls and part of the ceiling, the enormous building they find themselves into would be very dark. It looks like every floor is made of one big and large aisle, with small rooms with no doors in the sides. Shreds of glass are scattered all over, and metal stairs along the hallway connected the three floors.

“We should go up. It’s best if we sleep somewhere with a better sight of the surroundings.” Aurelia does not want to take their safety for granted.

After they’d climbed up the stairs, they are quick to find the biggest room which still have a ceiling on, so it’s not ruined by the weather and they’ll be sheltered from the rain. Fortunately enough, it has a good amount of clothes laying around, some of them hanged from metal bars. They were probably for sale once, and Aurelia takes comfort on the fact she can change into clothes that were never worn before, for she is eager to get rid of the same clothes she’s been wearing for several days now. If only they weren’t so dusty…

“This is nice!” Elliot’s loud voice cut through her thoughts. He’s already discarded of his old clothes and is now trying to put his arm though the sleeve of a coat that’s obviously too big for him.

Jonah frowns at him. “Keep it quiet, Lott.”

Well, at least Aurelia isn’t the only one concerned with their safety. As she passes them to get to her bag and start placing the blankets for them to sleep, she puts a comforting hand on Jonah’s shoulder and gives him a tired but genuine smile.

Once they’re all settled, the princess takes one bread and divides for all of them and then picks up a bottle of water. “I’m sorry it’s all we can have for tonight. Hopefully we’ll get lucky tomorrow and find more food.” She’s decided to do whatever it takes to get them some food the next day.

The rain has diminished considerably when they finish eating. Not long passes before they are startled by a noise coming from downstairs. They all are on their feet almost instantly, Aurelia quietly taking her sword out of the holster and motioning for Jonah to do the same.

“Stay here.” She whispers to Eleonora and Elliot.

They move to the center of the hall, where they can peek at what’s happening on the floors down. They can’t see anything at first, but they hear wet footsteps and rushed voices coming from the first floor.

When finally the people who entered the building get into their view, they identify that the voices belong to two men, one of which is carrying a large cage with some chickens inside. The men are both tall, one thinner than the other, and wear dirty clothes. Aurelia can see even from afar that they are both armed. They seem to settle in one of the rooms in the first floor, talking and laughing loudly, but not enough to muffle the sounds of the chickens that have now started clucking.

Aurelia and Jonah turn around and get back inside the room where the two children are waiting anxiously.

“Who’s there? I hear chickens! Are there any chickens?” Eleonora asks with excited eyes.

“Two men, and they look dangerous.” Jonah tells them with a warning look. “The chicken are theirs, and hopefully they’ll be gone tomorrow.”

Elliot looks disappointed. “Why can’t we go and ask for some?” He asks in a high-pitched tone.

“Shh. Because we do not know them.” They definitely do not look friendly, and the young woman does not wish to take her chances. “They could hurt us.”

She notices the defeated looks on the children’s eyes and offers an apologetic one of her own. “I’m sorry.”

After a while of making rounds with Jonah to make sure the men would stay put, Aurelia finally allows herself to rest. Eleonora and Elliot are sleeping on the blankets in a corner of the room when the princess and the teenager lie on their spots. Instead of falling asleep right away, her brain can’t stop going on and on about her latest choices. Was it really the best decision to bring the kids along? Now their lives are in her hands too, and she’s not really sure she can do this. Well, she has no choice now. The last time she felt so on her own like this was right after her mother had died.

She’s never been to a funeral before. In truth, she’s never been to many places in her short lifetime. When her mother fell ill, she supposed it would be just like years ago when her cousin Max got ill… soon, she would be back and feeling new. But now, only three days later, she’s burning in a raft down the water stream.

At the age of fourteen, the princess knows well enough how to bury her emotions and show a strong facade. She’s standing there in the grass, beside her family, lips pursed, eyes only a bit red, but the thick line of black ink underneath them does a fine job of diminishing it. On the inside, her heart is crushed. Are princesses allowed to have broken hearts?

“Go back to the castle with Lord Maxwell.” It’s her father’s first words to her since her mother’s passing. Even though he is the king, it was Queen Aurora who always managed to bring him out of himself.

Sophie cannot predict what things will be like from now on. She follows the command, walking side by side with Max, both silent while the clouds cause a grim shade of grey to the sky.

Upon reaching her room, Max crosses the entrance with her. “Want me to stay here with you?”

“There is no need, Max, I’m fine. She only woke up a couple of hours before, but she feels so tired.

“You’re not fine, Sophie. You know you can talk to me about all this.”

The princess knows he’s being compassionate, but for some reason she just wants him to leave so she can suffer alone. “I don’t know what to say, Max. And you wouldn’t understand!” She doesn’t mean to disregard his friendship, but the hurt in his eyes is clear to her as soon as she ends her sentence. “Max I…”

“No.” He cuts her in. “It’s fine. you should talk to someone who understands.” He doesn’t let her add anything as he storms out of her chambers.

She decides she should try and sleep, since it seems like she is making things even worse by being awake.

The girl doesn’t know how much of the day she’s spent sleeping, only that she’s being woken up by some knocking on her door. Her curtains were left open, and warm rays of sunlight peers through the windows now, clouds have moved away it seems. She rubs her eyes before standing up, ready to talk to her cousin now.

“Max, I’m sorry...” She concedes as she opens the door. However, at her door there is not her cousin, but another familiar face. “Liam!” She exclaims, brows knitted.

“Hello, Sophie, I…” He looks uneasy, gazing at his feet before settling at her face. He exhales, “In truth, Max told me to come here. I was still in Stormholt, so...”

Of course Max would do that. Even hurt, he still cares about her feelings first. She allows herself a weak smile. Maybe she’s not so alone, after all.

“Umm, yes. Do you want to go to the gardens?”

Since the weather is better, she supposes it’s best they talk outside, after all, the guards can’t let the princess inside closed doors with someone else who isn’t her parent, even if this someone is Prince William.

After arriving at the gardens, they choose a spot to sit on the grass where they can be seen yet is considerably far so they can have some privacy. They spend a few minutes in silence, observing the view in front of them.

Sophie then decides to break it, fearing she would start crying if she thinks too much. “Do you think much about you mother still?”

Liam turns his head to look at her for a moment before answering. “I do.” He turns his gaze back at the horizon. “Not everyday, and not with the same intensity every time.” Since the girl didn’t say anything else, he kept on. “I wish I had more time with her.”

“I do, too.” She practically whispers, and allows a tear to run down her face. “I’m scared.”

In one of his few spontaneous moments, the prince puts an arm around her back and lets her rest her head in his chest. “You will not be alone.” He states. “Just… remember her, and the things you learned from her.”

Sophie pulls back a little to stare at him. “What do you remember most about yours?”

“I think the strongest memory I have of her, was one time we were here, at Stormholt… she took me to the library and read me the book of my favourite story, of all the ones she used to tell me before bedtime.” The corners of his mouth pulls back in a shy smile upon remembering it once again. He looks down to see Sophie beaming at him.

“So are you saying people actually used to visit the library?”

He chuckles quietly. “My mother did, before you were able to anyway. She was like you, you know. Loved books.”

“Really?” He nods at her question. “I wish I’d known her.”

“Me too.” He stares at the princess with eyes full of tenderness.

Sophie moves to sit upright again. “I already miss her terribly.” For the first time she isn’t afraid of looking like a child to Liam. For the first time she feels he truly understands her. Maybe she doesn’t have to feel afraid of the future, after all.

Muffled, repeated sounds come from somewhere she can’t see, getting louder until the young woman is aware of something touching her arm. She opens her eyes.

“Aurelia, wake up! Lott went there!” Eleonora is kneeling in front of her, her blond hair all tousled and eyes wide in panic.

“What?” Sitting up, she feels her muscles tensing as her brain rapidly tries to make sense of her surroundings. It has stopped raining, but it isn’t morning yet. “Went where?”

“Down there with the two men, to get the chickens.” The little girl sounds calmer, but is still scared.

“Oh no.” In a second, Aurelia is on her feet, blood gone cold, cursing and grabbing her sword. She looks to find Jonah already with his sword in hand, walking fast out of the room.

She and the boy make their way down the stairs as fast as they can without making any sounds. There is a cart fallen in the middle of the aisle and the pair does not hesitate to duck behind it so they can view the inside of the men’s room.

The scene in front of them is as bad as she feared it would be. One of the men, the thinner one, is holding Elliot still by his jacket, while the other points a sword at the boy, wearing a disgusting smirk in his face.

“Someone’s a little thief, huh? Now what are we going to do to you?” He moves the sword closer to Elliot, almost touching him in the stomach.

The princess doesn’t have the time to think what would be the best rational approach before her muscles react instinctively to reach for her sword and stand up. She’s about to round the cart hiding them when Jonah’s hand holds her wrist. “Wait, look.”, he whispers, motioning his head to where the action is playing.

Another man, seemed to have come out of nowhere, slams his body with the bigger man, knocking him to the ground and away from Elliot. He has his own sword in his right hand, and as soon as the man on the ground gets up and charges at him, the new guy reacts, his precise moves disarming the man in mere seconds, before hitting him in the head with the hilt of the sword, knocking him out.

The man holding Elliot promptly lets go of him and reaches for his sword but is too slow for the stranger; in a blink of an eye he’s down too. The princess doesn’t let it go unnoticed that he did not kill the scary pair of men.

Elliot is still there staring bewildered at this stranger, a mix of fear and awe in his blue eyes.

“What about you?” The man’s deep and low voice comes out from the first time, as he points the sword to the little boy in front of him. Even in his threatening posture, there is something about the way he stands that tells he is not about to charge at the defenseless child.

“Get away from him.” Aurelia finally reaches them, her own sword out and directed at the man. Now that she can see him a bit more clearly, she notices he wears nice and clean - well, clean enough - clothes and seems younger than the two knocked out men next to them, probably closer to her own age.

He turns his gaze to her, dark eyes matching his hair. Somehow his features turns even more serious. “Who are you?” He turns his back to Elliot and takes a step towards her, maintaining his sword up. “And what are you doing around these parts?”

“That’s none of your concern.” It’s clear, now that they are closer, she’s much smaller than him, yet she holds her ground. She has to. This mission is too important for anyone to stop it now.

“I did not ask you out of cordiality.” He takes one step closer. He is breathing a little fast, but overall it seems as if the action with the two men didn’t affect him at all.

Jonah moves to stand next to Aurelia. The boy means well, but she knows he is absolutely no match for this man’s skills, and she won’t have him getting hurt. “Jonah, take Elliot and stand back.”

He’s about to protest but he concedes to the poignant look she gives him. There is no discussion on this. If anyone present can take up against this unknown man, it is her. She’s had lessons and practiced constantly, after all, but she isn’t that good. At least not good enough, from what she’d just witnessed this man do.

“I do not wish to hurt you.” He stares at her but nods his head indicating he means the boys as well.

Aurelia ponders her next move when Eleonora comes down the stairs to join them, still looking scared. The man’s gaze shifts when he notices it, and the young woman takes this distraction as a chance to catch him unguarded.

He is too fast though, and blocks her charge with his blade. He promptly counter-attacks, but she dodges his blow and lunges at his side. He moves his sword so quickly she can’t even see it arriving to block hers yet again. With one last stroke, he sends her sword flying from her hand and to the ground, far from her reach.

In a swift move, the stranger steps closer to her and touches her neck with the point of his sword. “I will ask you one more time.” He grabs her arm with his other hand, as for her not to run away. How would she even try to run when he has his blade to her throat? Unless he meant it when he said he doesn’t intend to hurt her at all… the grip on her arm isn’t even strong. “What are you doing here?”

She could run, but she can’t leave the children behind. If this man is not as dangerous as it seemed at first… well, then she can afford to take her chances. “I am not with them.” She gives a spiteful look at the two unconscious men. It is the truth, after all.

“My name is Aurelia.” She tries to read his eyes to make sure he believes her. She figures it’s best if she maintains whatever she can of the truth in her story. “These are my siblings Jonah, Eleonora and Elliot. We’re just travelling down south.” She says through gritted teeth, chin pointing up to avoid his blade. “And who are you? Did you come here just to attack strangers?”

“I just wanted a chicken, I didn’t know those men were going to wake up!” Elliot half-shouts from where he stands beside Jonah. The older boy gives him a nudge for him to stop talking.

He narrows his eyes and gives her a suspicious look, yet he lets go of her arm and she steps back while he sheaths his sword.

“From what I see, I saved your brother from said strangers.” He crosses his arms, finally answering her question. “It’s dangerous to travel alone by these parts.”

Her eyebrows shot up and she crosses her arms as well, aghast at the incredibly condescending tone from someone who just met her. “Well, it looks to me you’re alone too… unnamed man.” Her eyes scan him up and down, and she thinks there’s something familiar about him. She quickly dismisses the idea, she’s sure she would remember had she seen such a handsome man before.

“It’s Dragomir.” His voice pulls her back from her thoughts.

“What?” Her eyebrows wrinkle in confusion.

“My name.” His features finally grow softer, and he moves to get the cage with the chickens. “We should leave before these men wake up.”

“We?” The woman blinks, trying to make sense of what he is saying.

“As I said,” He then proceeds to pull the cage from the from the ground, “it’s dangerous to travel alone. And I’m travelling south as well.”

She walks to where the children are, but her gaze is fixated on the man in front of them. No, absolutely not. Taking the children with her was one thing, but travelling with an adult she knows nothing about is practically choosing to jeopardize the whole mission.

“I am sure you can’t expect a woman to simply accept the company of a stranger. I am not familiar with your purposes.” She says, in an attempt to make this man let them go. “You just walked in here, knocked out two men you didn’t know and now you’re stealing their chickens.”

His mouth falls open, looking uncharacteristically outraged. “Those men are deserters. They were in the South’s army, did you not see their tattoos and clothes?” He lets out a sharp breath through his nostrils. “They probably stole these chickens from the war site too.”

Aurelia stays silent as she feels a pang of guilt pass through her. Now that she thinks about it, she indeed has seen their clothing and tattoos before. Inside cages, at Stormholt Castle’s undercroft.

His face grows serious again, and he steps closer to them, his stare so intense she fears he’ll figure all of her secrets just by looking at her. “And I am not familiar with your purposes as well.”

She gently brings Eleonora closer, resting her hands on the girl’s shoulders. “Why, we are simply looking for a place to settle.”

“Alright…” He gives a slight nod, as though as he’s assuring himself this family is of no danger to him. “Well, my purpose isn’t unlike that of many people from the North.” He states, matter of factly. “I am here to find the Lost Princess. And to kill the Builder.”