#what little she had been able to claim for herself. I feel like people underestimate the impact the rebellion had not only on Earth
Text
Mercy
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Pairing: Jean-Luc Picard x fem!Reader
Words: 2.1K
Requested: Yes, by @leylovestaytay
A/N: I'm sorry that it took so long, but I had a lot on my plate lately. I also discovered how different it can be to write for a request, so I had to get into it again.
I hope it's somehow satisfactory.
Frustrated, she stared at the drink in front of her. She hadn't even ordered one, yet Guinan had only glanced at her before placing the drink in front of her.
The blue liquid had an almost hypnotic effect on her. The swirl she created by stirring the spoon was a frighteningly good representation of what she had been feeling until just now. With another stir of her spoon, the last moments of the last few hours came flooding back.
But before she was able to lose herself in the unwelcome and rather unattractive memories, a shadow was cast across her table.
"May I join you?" She looked up and a broad smile spread across her face at the sight of the android. "Of course." Hastily, she took her belongings aside to make some room for Data. "Please, sit down."
Data accepted her invitation with a curt, yet friendly nod and settled into the chair opposite her in that special, elegant way that only he could manage.
She continued to stir her glass, but couldn't really concentrate on it, as Data's piercing gaze was on her, unblinking. Sighing, she dropped the spoon back into her glass with a soft clink and looked up. Data's gaze was on her, the expression innocent and curious at the same time. A soft smile crept onto her expression.
"How can I help you, Data?"
" To be honest, I was about to ask you the same thing." Data moved his head into a slightly tilted position, with that all-too-familiar movement that was so typical of him.
Confused, she drew her eyebrows together. "Why is that?"
"During my time among humaniod species, I have learned that it is a common behaviour of people who do not feel well and want to be left alone, but at the same time long for company. Normally, when you visit Ten Forward, you either sit at the bar itself, or at least at an already occupied table where people you know or friends of yours are sitting. Today, however, you have seated yourself in the far corner of this establishment, which is not usual for you."
She smiled slightly. Her friend might claim that he didn't understand human nature, but moments like this proved over and over again how much the android underestimated himself.
"You're right, Data." As always, she added mentally. "I just had a bad day today. Nothing more troubling." Data tilted his head.
" Clarify."
She sighed and continued stirring her drink with her spoon. "Oh, it's nothing more. Just - Jean-Luc and I had a little argument, nothing bigger. I got upset that he's never around, he got upset that I'm not more understanding. The bottom line is that we both just made the whole thing unnecessarily heated and said things we both didn't mean." With another sigh, she propped her head on her hand and stared into her glass again.
"If you're aware that neither the captain nor you meant what you said, then why are you sitting here looking 'as miserable as sin' , if I used the phrase correctly?"
Her friend's behaviour put a small smirk on her face, however she could not suppress another sigh. Even she was getting annoyed with this constant sigh. "Because I feel bad in spite of everything. I mean, theoretically he's right. He is the captain of the ship and therefore the welfare of the crew and the safety of the ship is the most important matter in his life. And I knew that when we decided to take this relationship a step further. But- it just frustrates sometimes. And over time, that frustration built up and built up and then I took it out unfairly on him tonight. Heavens, I kicked him out of my quarters. At five in the morning!"
Data nodded curtly, clear understanding evident on his face. "That would explain why the captain was in such a negative and almost irritable mood today."
She groaned. "Great. A grumpy Picard, just what everyone needed today. The crew that was on duty on the bridge today must hate me."
Data tilted his head slightly again. "It would be illogical for the bridge crew to hate you. For one thing, the captain was mostly in his room, which meant he had little influence on the bridge crew anyway, and for another, I doubt they would know he was in such a bad mood because of you, if I may put it that way."
She smiled slightly. "Thank you Data."
~**~
Jean-Luc felt absolutely awful. He had a headache, couldn't concentrate and, to make matters worse, an uneasy feeling had settled in his stomach region, the origin of which he knew more than well.
He ran his hand over his head. What an old fool he was.
Just thinking about what he had said made him feel sick. It had been unnecessary and unjustified, because in the end, she had been quite right. She had asked him for one, just one evening they could spend together, after he had already missed the last five.
He should have agreed with her, he should have shown understanding, because he could understand how difficult it could be to be with a captain who hardly ever had time for her.
However, he had been too stubborn for that and had probably lost her through his stupid headstrongness.
Jean-Luc was about to bang his head on the table in despair when a jolt went through him.
No, he wouldn't waste his time in his study when he could just as easily use it to reclaim the one person in his life who had filled him with warmth since the Borg had taken it so ruthlessly and abhorrently.
Jerkily he rose, straightened his upper garment and left his room. On the bridge, Riker rose from his chair, however Jean-Luc gestured for him to remain seated. "You have bridge number one." A reassuring smile, at least that's what Jean-Luc hoped he was radiating, crept onto his face. "My shift is over for the day."
For a moment Riker looked at him in confusion before a knowing grin spread across his face. He just managed to shout a "good luck" to Jean-Luc before the turbolift doors closed. Jean-Luc swallowed slightly. The way he saw the situation, he was going to need it.
As the turbolift passed deck after deck at an agonising pace, Jean-Luc gave the computer the order to locate her.
It didn't feel right to use his authority like this, however, he needed to get this matter out of the way as soon as possible. He simply had to.
He frowned all the more puzzled when the computer played back that she was to be found in the arboretum.
He couldn't remember hearing her mention that she liked it there. A stab hit him in the ribs. Maybe he really had just been horribly inattentive.
As soon as the turbolift doors had opened wide enough to let him out, he slipped between them and hurried down the corridor. He was well aware of the astonished looks from his crew, but at that moment he didn't care. He had more important things to do.
He turned the corner until he finally stopped in front of the doors to the arboretum.
Jean-Luc took a deep breath and adjusted his uniform top one last time before entering the arboretum through the sliding doors.
The scent of hyacinths immediately filled his nose, along with other scents of plants he could not identify at first, but Jean-Luc thought he remembered receiving a report from Mrs O'Brien. Apparently, it was about one of her projects that she had not been able to finish before her relocation to Deep Space Nine.
He would read it over again later.
With brisk steps he hurried along the winding gravel path, paying no attention to the floral beauty around him. His only thought at that moment was to find her, and beg for mercy.
He turned another corner and stood stock-still. Surrounded by shrubs and beautiful purple, Bajoran flowers, stood Data, with a puzzled look on his face, and her.
Bent over in front, shaking with silent laughter, she stood there. Silent tears of laughter ran down her face and for a moment Jean-Luc's whole being filled with warmth.
However, only a moment later, he felt another, more unattractive feeling spread through him and was startled to discover that it was jealousy.
Jean-Luc was well aware that there was no point in being jealous. She and Data had always been excellent friends, with a unique friendship that even he had valued, yet a small, insecure part of him couldn't help but feel jealous at the sight. Immediately he felt ashamed for having such thoughts, but he simply couldn't push them completely aside.
What if she has already gotten over you?
Jean-Luc shook his head vigorously, but that cursed insecure part of him, however small, could not get rid of the thought that he had already lost her.
Just at that moment, Data turned slightly to the side and noticed him. Instantly he stood a little straighter and nodded curtly at him. "Captain."
The words seemed to bring her out of her trance, for slowly the laughter died away, which Jean-Luc more than regretted, and slowly straightened up. As she did so, she waved her hands in the air to stop herself from bursting into tears of laughter again. She nodded slightly at him too, but fought her laughter too hard to say anything.
Jean-Luc took a step closer to her. "I need to talk to you." With a sideways glance at Data, he added "'In private', please."
She hesitated, or was he imagining it, before she turned to her friend and nodded at him.
For a moment Data's eyes twitched back and forth before he nodded. "Ah. I see. I will leave you alone now." With that, he turned completely and left the arboretum.
They were alone.
With a raised eyebrow and a slight smile, she turned back to him.
"You wanted to talk to me?"
"What do I have to do?" Confused, she drew her eyebrows together, causing a crease to form on her forehead. "What?"
"What do I have to do?" Jean-Luc knew the expression he was wearing right now was more than desperation as he grabbed her hands.
"Do you want me to get you something? Do you want me to do something? Do you want me on my knees begging for mercy? Because I will if you ask it! Tell me, please. I know I've been inattentive, unreliable and not understanding, but there must be something I can do." He didn't understand why sheer horror showed on her face. "Jean-Luc, what-"
He interrupted her. "I know I work too much, I know I can barely spend time with you, and I know I'm not the youngest or most attractive man you could have. But please, mon amour, I ask nothing more than one more chance, just one, to prove that I am quite capable of improving."
Now she seemed completely horrified. "Jean-Luc, what are you talking about? Is everything okay? Has Beverly been shoving some kind of medication down your throat again, darling?"
Now it was up to Jean-Luc to be confused. Darling?
"Our fight... you threw me out and I said horrible things. And our relationship was... ended?"
"What?!" For a moment she stared at him before bursting into peals of laughter. Jean-Luc felt his face grow hot and was pretty sure his ears were also turning red. He didn't think he could remember a moment in his life that had been so shameful for him.
He had screwed up, so badly that she couldn't even take him seriously anymore. Slowly he tilted his head and let go of her hands as her grip tightened around his.
Confused, he looked up, only to look into her understanding smile.
"Darling, you've got it wrong." Gently, she ran the back of her hand over his cheek. "Yes, we had a fight. And yes, we both said things in the heat of the moment that we didn't mean. But that happens. It's not pretty, but it's normal for relationships. I mean, in some species it's already considered flirting if you argue."
Jean-Luc looked at her hesitantly. "That means you're not breaking up with me? Even though I seem to be horrible at being in a relationship?" She just laughed and put her arms around his neck. "You're not horrible. And if you think I'm going to let you go now after making me wait so long for you, you're wrong."
She pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek and pulled a befuddled Picard behind her. "Now come on. Keiko told me she had planted some Bajoran lilacs around here somewhere, which are supposed to smell incredibly good."
A warm feeling spread through Jean-Luc and he smiled slightly at her, though she couldn't see it. He might be an old fool, but he was the happiest old fool in the Alpha Quadrant.
#star trek#star trek next generation#star trek the next generation#star trek tng#tng#captain jean luc picard#jean luc picard#picard x reader#jean luc picard x reader#captain picard x reader#cross posted on ao3
44 notes
·
View notes
Note
Ding part 2.... SAMANTHA I AM IN SHAMBLES!!!!!!!😭 i don't know where to start!!!!
Knowing a bit on how Harry got into boxing broke my heart! Imagining little Harry feeling so misunderstood by his peers was so 💔and that mention of him not having a father figure 💔
But of course I LOVED how you described how he felt when first meeting/seeing cupcake! You know I love when your Harry's are just so far gone for the MC! Thought it was so cute that little interaction with him and Louis in the ring like 😭
But their little moment in the bakery😭 Him being so sleepy yet still wanting the comfort of her presence is just so adorable! Realistically yeah he's a stranger but who cares I think this is just so cute! and the cupcakes! She's so sweet( like all of your MCs) of course she would bake him cupcakes! and that call back to the first part was so perfect!
Was i a bit gagged that 2 MOTHS had passed? YEAH but im not mad about it lol Now my heart froze for a bit when she had a date! Now i knew this was like a distraction bc my girl is so gone for him too so I was not worried lol
Now the aftermath of the date... my heart BROKE for her! It genuinely made me feel so sad bc men are the absolute worse :( The way you depicted her showering and her feelings felt so real to me and hit close to home :( But i did not feel uncomfortable reading it so im okay! I just felt so much for Cupcake like I wanted to just hug her and comfort her so bad! And her blaming herself :( Those feelings are so hard to avoid and ugh I wish that anyone who has ever experienced this that it is not their fault at all! No matter how much our brain tries to convince us!
But the change to her interacting with harry after months was just so sweet! I was for sure smiling like an idiot from just how well their banter is! It didn't feel like so much time had passed between them at all and I love that for them!
NOW THAT CLIFHANGER BESTIE!!! I SCREAMED INTO MY PILLOW! I AM ITCHING TO FIND OUT HIS REACTION!! will she tell him the truth? SO MANY QUESTIONS! I ATE this up! I felt so immersed in their world while reading this! You did such an AMAZING job, but you always do that! I loved reading this! And the new layout is cute and so are your little notes at the beginning!
sorry for the late reply! This week has been so busy! But I hope you are enjoying your break so far!!!! Love you lots!-💜
AHAHAHAHA FULL NAME
I plan on adding on a little more about how Harry is a bit grumpy and frustrated. Always underestimated kind of thing. I don't usually describe Harry all that much because he's pretty much already described--or everyone just knows who I'm talking about. But I think he's mainly face claim, right? I feel like that's what most people do nowadays anyway.
I love to add a bit of 1D back into the mix when I can. I also LOVE to have him be so far gone for the MC. I do love my callbacks. I'm glad you feel that way about him being a stranger, I was getting kind of nervous he was being creepy--another reason I cooled Harry's heels and put a span of 2 months between them. I know that was a lot 😂
MEN ARE THE WORST. I'm so sorry it felt close to home; I'm glad you were able to read it without feeling uncomfortable. I don't want you to go into detail if you don't want to but I'm sorry you related to that. Nothing about that kind of situation is okay. I'm really sorry :( I always get so nervous when posting delicate storylines like that. I want the plot to move but not at the cost of making people uncomfortable. I think you'll REALLY like the next part in regards to blaming herself. I completely agree with your feelings. It's hard to ignore the way we feel and experience situations and it's easy for our brains to trick us.
Even though I put two months between them, I'm--as always--trying to sell that they just click; time and social norms be damned hehehehe I'm glad you liked their banter 💕
I know i said it just a second ago, but I really think you'll like the next part 😉 i think it will cover a lot of the questions you have.
AS ALWAYS please don't apologize. I'm sorry your week is already off to a tough start that on Tuesday it's already been so busy. I HATE weeks like that. I'm enjoying my break and love you lots too! 💕
xoxo
1 note
·
View note
Text
MTOBEIYF Planned Ending
Apologies for not writing in a long time. I haven’t been able to work on my fic due to personal reasons. Not sure if I will have time in the future but didnt want to leave people hanging so here is the planned ending:
May come back to this one day, so obvious spoiler warning
CH 8 Hide and Seek
The girl from 6 attempts to kill YN but YN wakes up hearing the sound of twigs snapping as she climbs the tree. She feigns being asleep only to swing her knife when 6 gets close, causing her to lose her balance and fall from the tree to her death.
At the sound of a canon Hoseok awakens – immediately seeing Athena, Namjoon and Yoongi all still in the tent. Realizing it could only be 6 or YN Hoseok rushes out and starts screaming her name over the edge of the fall. When there’s no answer, he immediately grabs a bag along with bow and arrow, and leaves camp. Namjoon says he’s coming too and this time they won’t return without her – brings a sword.
Athena notices the boys leaving and follows without them realizing.
Back in the forest YN hasn’t eaten since the games began and is beginning to starve. In desperation she makes her way back towards the cornucopia to gather food but comes across a bush filled with berries. Remembering the training she spent on foods she can’t decide if the berries are blueberries or nightlock and decides to nibble just a little bit first. The taste is initially sweet so she swallows the mouthful before a numbing effect on the tongue and throat- making her realize it’s the poison nightlock. Quickly she shoves her finger down her throat and induces vomiting to bring up as much of the poison as possible, but some is still in her system. She forces herself to throw up again before drinking all the water left in her bottle to try and rehydrate only to throw up again. Makes a run for the river.
Athena sees the nightlock and vomit and thinks YN has gone to the waterfront to try and wash it out of her system given there was no canon – so she’s still alive – but no one is there. Athena tracks. Meanwhile Hoseok and Namjoon are both near the bottom of the hill – they make a truce to not attack each other until Yoongi and Athena are dead before splitting up to cover more ground. Namjoon takes the forest, Hoseok goes towards the water.
YN drags herself in and floats on her back, scooping water into her hand to try and drink before Athena suddenly appears above her. YN is weak, with no will to live, and can tell Athena is about to kill her and asks for a quick death to which Athena promises a stab to the heart. Athena tells her she really does look like an angel and YN responds that Athena is her angel of death, a mercy killing saving her from a much worse fate with Namjoon or Hoseok. Athena agrees and steadies her with one hand under her rib cage, YN holds onto her arm with her closest hand and stares up to the ‘sky’. But before Athena can strike a blow an arrow is launched into the side of Athena’s head and her dead body falls onto YN, who is too weak to push her off. Hoseok sprints out from his hiding place to rescue YN, meanwhile Namjoon, watching from inside the forest, decides to head back to camp before sunset – knowing Hoseok and YN will be safe together.
YN is barely conscious as Hoseok drags her out of the water. Shouldering her bag with the blanket inside, along with his own bag, he carries her over to the waterfall and to 7’s old camp inside. He lays her down before running off to fetch dry twigs and branches in order to build a fire. As the sun sets and the temperature drops YN is still wet from the river and beginning to freeze. Hoseok strips her of her clothes and wraps her in the thermal blanket before another gift from a sponsor arrives of a container of hot soup. Hoseok feeds her and YN becomes more conscious but increasingly depressed about having survived.
She blames him for taking away her painless exit from the games and he asks her what kind of death she wants. Remembering how sweet the berries were she tells him she wants to die by nightlock. She asks him to promise to let her eat nightlock if they are the final 2 and he doesn’t answer. She then asks how he would want to die and he says he doesn’t plan on it and tells her to instead imagine being old together. She jokes about growing old and living in the arena forever before saying the capital would force them to kill each other somehow.
Still shivering under the blanket Hoseok strips off his remaining clothing to warm her up with skin to skin contact from behind. Initially starts with rubbing her arms before his hands circle around to her breasts.
YN feels ashamed at how quickly she responded and tries to push Hoseok away only for him to push her onto her back. She puts her hands against his chest unsure if she was trying to pull him closer or away. Looking her in the eyes he sees them glassy and in shock as he tries to sooth her, running his fingers through her hair lovingly. The other hand holds hers before moving his hand to wrap her thigh around his hip, kissing her as he pushes in. Hoseok wipes a tear from her cheek, a combination from the shame and how good the sex is feeling. Her eyelashes flutter close and she sighs her head tilting to the side resting her forehead against their joined hands letting out whimpers whenever he pushes inside of her.
His other arm braces himself by the side of her head, caging her underneath his body. She stares up at him entranced by the warm light of the fire casting a golden glow on his tan skin, as the shadows emphasize his sharp cheekbones, pointed nose, and strong jawline. If she was an angel then Jung Hoseok was the devil himself and she was being dragged to hell. Hoseok uses his shirt to wipe her down before holding her tightly against him as they both fall asleep by the fire.
X
CH 9 A fate worse than death
They’re awoken by the sound of a canon early in the morning and quickly realize that they’re now down to just 3 people. YN wants to stay in the cave and wait for the last person to try and find them here but Hoseok wants to confront them at camp, telling her to wait for him. She refuses and follows him. He warns her of traps they set around the camp and holds her hand to guide her through the forest.
Nearing the camp they see Yoongi’s body floating face down in the river, ‘Namjoon wants us to know it’s him’ YN wants to walk through the river to avoid leaving tracks but Hoseok says it’s too visible and steers them back into the forest to take another way around to the camp, along the area he set the traps up in. Hoseok becomes suspicious the traps he set have been moved only to trigger a rope trap that he dodges only for YN to be caught in a net. As Hoseok tries to find the rope to cut her down Namjoon appears, severing the back of his leg with a knife. YN screams and Namjoon remarks that he looks forward to hearing more of that sound after he finishes with Hoseok, saying sharing time is up and that he wants to have his way with his district mate before securing his victory. He toys with Hoseok, making deep cuts that are painful, but not lethal – taunting him. It becomes increasingly clear that Namjoon deliberately toned down his skills in the training and assessment and is even smarter and stronger than his 10. Meanwhile YN is inside the net cutting a hole. As Namjoon teases Hoseok, telling him he’s going to force her to watch him die, then he’s going to fuck her and finally gut her like a fish from their district, YN falls out from the net and breaks her arm on impact – alerting Namjoon. Namjoon decides he wants to force Hoseok to watch and stabs his him through the hand with an arrow pinning him to the ground.
‘Silly little dove,’ Namjoon taunts as he reaches her laying on the ground – falsely thinking she’s cradling her broken arm – but she really has a knife. When he grabs her by the hair and yanks her up she swings her arm and slashes him across the chest, drawing blood. Namjoon sneers and goes to hit her but remembering their sparing session from training YN dodges the attack and is able to land another slash in with the knife, this time across his arm. Namjoon acknowledges his mistake in underestimating her and promises it won’t happen again. YN attempts to surprise him by attacking first but he blocks the knife and slams her wrist against a boulder until she drops it. YN slams her knee up in Namjoon’s groin who retaliates by gripping her broken arm and slamming her against the boulder. In too much pain from the broken arm she can’t defend herself when NJ backhands her across the face, sending her to the ground. She reaches for her knife but he steps on her arm and she screams in pain as Hoseok snaps the arrow in half and pulls his hand out of the broken stem, biting down on his shoulder to try and smother his scream. Namjoon leans down to grab her knife, holding it to her throat as he straddles her waist and tells her he’s going to claim her as his, and if she behaves then he’ll give her the quick death. YN sobs as he reaches for her pants only for Hoseok to appear behind and stab Namjoon in the neck with the tip half of the broken arrow. Namjoon drops the knife in shock and YN quickly picks it up and stabs him in the heart mockingly saying she’s granting him a quick death. She kicks his body off of hers and he floats down the stream towards the edge of the waterfall before disappearing off the side. – a canon sounds
Both injured, YN and Hoseok collapse into each others arms. Hoseok has multiple stab wounds, a bad one on his leg and the hole in his hand from the arrow. YN has her broken arm, a bruise on her face from the hit and a cut on her throat from where the knife had been held. Hoseok confesses he loves her as he cradles her in his arms, YN with her eyes closed and leaning against his chest can’t bring herself to admit her love but instead asks him to let her eat a nightlock berry like she tried to make him promise. Hoseok holds her tighter and asks if she trusts him. She says yes and Hoseok leans down to kiss her one last time which she returns. ‘close your eyes angel’ she does. With his injured hand he wraps his arm around her neck to cut off circulation, his good hand covers her nose and mouth, smothering her. She tries to struggle but passes out within 10 seconds, he keeps the hold for another 10 and the canon sounds
Hoseok is declared the winner of the games
*
YN awakens inside of a medical bay. Confused she wonders if she is in a strange version of hell, or if the capitol has somehow found a way to harvest souls, before a nurse realizes she is conscious. She is informed that the trackers injected into the body detect when the heart stops beating which sounds the canon. Hoseok had refused to leave her body and demanded she be taken with him on the ship that came to claim him as the winner and remove him from the arena. Immediately on board he began to resuscitate her and is able to start her heartbeat again. He convinces the capital workers to let him keep her. She had died, he had won the games, if he could revive her afterwards it wouldn’t make a difference to them, they could continue to let everyone think she had died. The capital agrees on the conditions she is to live with him and never able to leave their mansion in the victors’ village and Hoseok is to comply with any future demands of the capital to do with his obligations as a winner. He accepts and the medical team take them both away. YN asks where she is now and the doctor tells her inside of the train. Hoseok is on victory tour of all the districts and refuses to let her be taken away from him – fearing the capital will dispose of her. He fears she could still be killed whilst inside the train but he would also raise hell during one of the stops if that happened. YN is confused, distraught and traumatized when Hoseok walks in to see her awake. He runs to her side and envelops her in a hug, kissing her. He repeats how much he loves her and that nothing can ever take her form this world without him following right behind her. YN is in shock, not believing she is alive, not believing Hoseok is real and struggling to speak. The doctor tries to explain to Hoseok she may have brain damage and it’s a possibility she could never recover. The only thing Hoseok cares about is that she is alive.
A summary of the tour continuing with YN recovering although her speech is permanently impaired (aphasia). When they finally conclude and return to 2 she is moved in a van that is disguised to look like a delivery and transported inside of a box from the van to the house, so no one can possibly see her.
Inside the blinds are shut and all the doors are locked before Hoseok appears again and forces an ‘engagement’ ring on her finger, but there is a device inside that tracks her location. YN begins to panic, she went from being trapped in one arena to trapped forever in this house. She tries to run but there’s nowhere to run to. She runs to the kitchen to search for a knife but Hoseok restrains her before she can injure herself. She goes limp in his arms losing all hope as he whispers in her ear how much he loves her and now they can always be together forever.
134 notes
·
View notes
Text
Ghostly Mystery Tour
For Phic Fight 2021! dey’s lovely prompt c:
On Ao3
Maddie and Jack had fully prepared for their adventure into the Ghost Zone—or so they thought. The fuel on Specter Speeder had fizzled out about a mile in.
They're stuck. At least, until Phantom comes by, offering help.
“I just don’t understand it Maddie, I swear I charged it just this morning!” Jack’s voice managed to be louder than his frantic jabbing at the fuel gauge in the enclosed space, the sickly green glow outside making him look ill instead of agitated.
“I’m sure you did honey, but we need to think of a plan.” Maddie was already trying to think of what they could use. They weren’t too far away from the portal home, with how quickly the Speeder ran out of power. They had plenty of gear and weaponry packed in for their research trip, but the Specter Speeder wasn’t powered with something they could just toss in a gas can and bring along. “Maybe we can hook some of the ropes to the floating land masses and tow it?”
“Oh! Great idea!” Jack brightened, shoving the previous problem aside, hands now occupied with measuring the distance of the nearby rocks. “The sooner we get moving, the sooner we can get back to work!”
The problem about how safe it actually was to breathe in the air when in the realm of the dead had been accounted for, but if they had to waste the air tanks just to get back- well they wouldn’t get to have nearly the amount of time to actually explore on foot, let alone gathering samples. They could learn so much about the ectoplasmic terrors from the world they clawed out of, weaknesses they didn’t need to fear on Earth even! So to have their expedition, a trip that had been months in the making derailed like this in mere moments hurt. At least Jack could keep his eyes forward, his positive attitude the only thing keeping her from screaming from the absolute unfairness of it all. “Just run the best options past me before you open the hatch, okay darling?”
“You betcha!”
She was still going to enable the Fenton Child Safety Lock as a precaution, he could get a little over eager when he saw an opportunity. It was just a matter of what tools could be repurposed into a makeshift claw or skewer to actually keep hold of the rocks. What would be the smallest loss?
The sound of something hitting the roof of the speeder halted her thoughts, turning to look out of the windows, drawing up her hood in case they’d be fighting so soon. Even Jack had stopped with his mental calculations, pulling a weapon from under the seat. “Company already? Guess we’ll show em what for, eh honey?”
“Well it is the Ghost Zone, they’re probably braver here. Not that it’ll be any problem.” A little boasting could help keep morale up, even if the situation was less than ideal. Stranded with a ghost already trying to take advantage, typical.
“Well one little zap with this baby and it’ll scoot right on back!”
If the ghost could hear them, maybe it would be frightened off just by their voices. Whatever had hit them hadn’t shown itself near the window, or hit their vehicle again. It didn’t feel right. There might be no evidence for whatever it was lurking around, but sometimes you had to follow your intuition. Jack was inquisitive, but didn’t ask out loud as his wife stood to knock the ceiling herself.
“Sooo are we doing knock knock jokes, or do you need a tow?”
She should have known. Of all the ghosts, it would have to be the one that always managed to get her hackles up, pretending to be helpful so people trusted him. A ghost that even tried to have a human name to fit in, not that she’d ever call this thing ‘Danny’. It was an insult to her baby boy, quite frankly. “What are you up to now?”
“Asking you if you need this thing moved. Duh,” the ghost snorted, the metal clanking as he knocked it again. “Talking at you from the roof feels dumb, you gonna shoot if I go to the front?”
“Depends on what you do, ghost scum!” Jack had looked pensive for a moment, but spoke up quickly on spotting Maddie reaching for a notebook. He just had to give her time to think it over, and he was great at distractions.
“Is scum what you call all people who help you out, or am I just your favourite?” A white haired head appeared at the top of their window, looking down with an amused smirk at the pair. Still playing innocent when they were at a disadvantage.
“You’re a ghost ‘claiming’ to want to help.”
That earned a frown, though the ghost stopped half hiding to float in front of their stranded speeder. “Riiiight. Put it that way, whatever,” he paused, as if studying their faces. His green eyes lingered on the weapon, notably so even as he went back to jabbering. “I’ve got some stuff to do, but I can drag the s-that thing back to the portal. So?”
The hunters shared a glance, unsure how to handle it. Phantom liked to claim he liked humans and protecting them, but he was a ghost. There had to be something he wanted out of them in return. Or might get violent if refused in the wrong way. At least he shouldn’t be able to see the quickly scrawled message to Jack. ‘You play the doubtful one, I’ll pretend to trust him- it’ll underestimate us’
“As if, spooky! Jack Fenton doesn’t need any ghost’s help!”
The ghost bought the open hostility without a second thought, eyes rolling to a sky that wasn’t here. “Really? I heard tow trucks were expensive out of state! Can’t imagine the out of dimension costs.”
It was going to be difficult to stay civil when it would be so much easier to just demand the ghost stop playing around. “We’re listening. So what do you want?”
“Awwww Mads, we don’t need this punk’s help! He doesn’t even have toes!”
The passion Jack had put into his moping managed to baffle the ghost. “Wait, what? Of course I do! No, stop, why does that matter? I know tows and toes are different things! I’m not that bad of a student, sheesh.” He seemed quite thrown, which was good. If the ghost forgot what the plan had been he might just get lost.
“Yeah, and you don’t have either Phantom!” Her husband managed to keep from laughing, but the shake in his shoulders showed it was a near thing.
Phantom glanced down at the black wispy tail that made up his legs, muttering something. “Well okay I don’t right now, but I normally do!”
It was a bit fascinating that Jack had distracted the ghost from his goal so completely. They’d have to think about an invention that could replicate the effect. “Can we focus please? I already said I’d listen to what you wanted.”
“Oh! Right, sorry,” he coughed, a strangely human expression of embarrassment. “I don’t actually need anything? I just have some stuff to do so you’d need to wait a bit.”
Oh right. Sure, the most dangerous ghost in town wanted to help the ghost hunters that wanted to destroy him ‘just because’. Just wait here while he goes to get some friends to attack them! Honestly, did ghosts think they were stupid? “Then why not tell us when you’re done? We’re not moving very quickly.”
“Cus he wants to make us think we’re safe before WHAM! Outnumbered by cowardly ghosts!” Jack expressed her true feelings effortlessly. “Not that it’d help em!”
“No way, you think I’d leave you guys here where anyone can try something?” The ghost still seemed confused, eyebrows raised and arms crossed. “You guys are here to study or whatever anyway, right? So you can look around while I get my errands done. And you know, you don’t get attacked. Most of the little guys leave me alone.”
As if that was a surprise! A ghost of Phantom’s strength could destroy smaller and weaker entities without effort. Perhaps it was a subtle threat slipping through his mask of ‘helpful child’. The idea of going deeper into the Ghost Zone, completely at his mercy was...well absolutely idiotic. Even if they could probably overcome him...being able to still get some studies done would make it not a complete waste of a trip. “So you think it’s likely we’ll be attacked here, so close to the portal?”
“Yeah, by him!” Jack looked tempted to grab his weapon, but refrained. “So what if we say no, huh?”
“Then I guess you can float here? Up to you, I guess.”
It was strange, to see the cocky ghost a bit hesitant. Even if there was an obvious threat he wasn’t mentioning. “Well if you could pull the Speeder, you could take it even if we don’t want you to.”
“I think that’s called kidnapping.” Phantom’s cocky smirk returned “Which is weird, you’re not kids! Adultnapping? Nah, that sounds dumb.”
“Ah cut the innocent act, we’re not falling for it!”
“Hey, I said it’s up to you! Either you agree to come along and I get you back home, or I just leave you guys to do whatever you plan to do. Even if yes, I could totally just drag the ship anyway. I’m not, because I’m trying to help, remember?” A hint of frustration slid past the confidence at ‘remember’, but the ghost folding his arms behind his head as if kicking back to relax did defang most of the threat. “I don’t have all day here.”
“We don’t have all day either Phantom. We have family to get back to, and no idea how long you plan to be ‘on errands’.” Maddie pointed out, still unsure what they should do. Trusting him was stupid, but he had showed his hand. Refusal might be met with the same result anyway, but ‘agreeing’ might trick the ghost into thinking they fell for his ‘trustworthy’ act.
“Like an hour or two? Not too long.”
“Well I’d use my Fenton Stopwatch! So don’t think you can pretend it’s a shorter time than it is, ghost!”
“Yeah yeah, you do that D-Jack,” he stumbled over the ghost hunter’s name, but otherwise didn’t move from relaxing. “It’s not gonna kill you to trust me for a bit.”
Even though it very much could kill them. He really was a smug bit of ectoplasm, thinking he blended in with humans well enough to be considered one. “So only a few hours, and you won’t stop us from researching or taking samples? Or lead us to a trap?”
“If I wanted people to get threatened by ghosts, I could just take some days off. No trouble, cross my heart. I’d swear to die but I got the jump on that bit,” he snorted at his own joke, but otherwise left the family to consider.
It was just safer to say ‘yes’ so the ghost thought they were fools. It had nothing to do with wanting to salvage something out of this disaster of an expedition. “Yes. We’ll accept your help, this time.”
“And you aren’t getting any thanks until we’re home, got it?” Good, ghost hunter, bad ghost hunter. An easy enough trick. Even if she wished Jack was the ‘trusting’ one. Yelling would feel nice.
“Yeeeah, kinda expected that too. Rude.” The ghost only shrugged before flying up and out of sight. She half expected to hear the ghost grab the Speeder, but they only really noticed when they started moving. Moving very, very quickly.
She couldn’t help it, her curiosity tamped down some of the fear she should be feeling, pointing out interesting landmasses as they passed, Jack just as enthusiastic to discuss what caused them, if the ghost built them or they were simply generated when a ghost squirmed into existence. A great castle that seemed familiar, an island with some sort of skull as a decoration and thousands of doors. Most ghosts they only could get sparing glimpses at, even when carrying an entire vehicle the ghost boy was fast. Ridiculously so. She thought it was his small figure that contributed to how quickly the pest could move- how the ghost could just vanish out of range in moments. That most of the power behind his physical attacks came from the speed they were delivered with instead of raw strength. Clearly that was an incorrect hypothesis, moving this quickly and carrying so much extra weight without any real difficulty. They slowed near what seemed to be another castle, though it was much less foreboding looking then the other one.
That sinking dread returned after they landed. She had some landmarks, but this much distance would be a big ask to get back. That, and this castle seemed more...occupied, judging by some humanoid ghosts loitering near the gates. One even waved. To them, or the ghost carrying them?
“Okayyy so. Ground rules? Don’t shoot anyone. None of these guys even go through the portal, they’re not the fighting type. Other than that? Have fun, I guess?” He’d stopped floating, standing on the ground beside their stalled craft. He didn’t look as if preparing to fight, which is what she’d assumed the ghost meant by ‘errands’. So what was he up to?
“We won’t do anything if they don’t.” A lie, honestly, but the ghost nodded.
“Wait, what’s that stuff for?” White gloves pointed at the masks the ghost hunters were pulling from under the seats. “Like you can hear me, there’s air out here.”
“It might be safe for ghosts, but we aren’t ghosts.”
Phantom opened his mouth as if to protest before shutting it with a frown. Strange, it was hard to get him to shut up most of the time.
“Nice try, we’re not gonna choke on ghost air today, Phantom!” Jack chuckled, adjusting his mask before popping open the hatch.
“I wasn’t expecting you to- oh whatever. Just don’t embarrass me,” he sounded like a sulking kid, only glancing at them for a moment before kicking off the ground to fly closer to the castle. Off to fight whoever ‘owned’ this area, perhaps?
“Well look at that! Regular plants!” Jack shook her from her pondering, crouched over what looked like a tended to flower bed near the walls. “Well, ghost plants that aren’t trying to attack. Think we should sketch em for the kids?”
“Well Jazz has been more interested in ghosts lately, I suppose.” It was interesting, but she was more curious about the ghost meandering past the walls. They seemed docile, almost like people just walking and apparently talking with one another. Not attempting to fight for territory or resources. Perhaps they were just repeating the memories of their lives over and over? Yet none of them had reacted badly to Phantom zipping past either. A different breed of ghost, perhaps? Or ghosts often had ‘kings’ that kept the lesser ones from squabbling. The large brute of a ghost that stole the town had claimed to be a king of sorts, and this was another castle...but she didn’t want to test anything by getting their attention. They might only act savagely towards humans, being jealous of those still alive after all.
“Yeah, she has! Danno might not like em, but that goth chick he’s eyeing might like em too!” He was already sketching away, quickly getting the basics. He’d fill in the details from memory back home. “You want to try seeing if those ones talk? Not sure how the ghost kid thinks we could embarrass him, ha!”
“Oh he was probably just trying to insult us. He likes to pretend to be a teenager,” she waved that question away, double checking her weapon was easy to reach in case of an emergency. No reason to make their predicament worse by being unprepared. While still considering to go near those ghosts instead of safely observing from a distance. Jack’s enthusiasm was too infectious, really, but that’s how they made so many discoveries!
The ghosts didn’t object to her moving closer, but she kept off the busier paths to be safe. So many stalls of what seemed to be goods, clothing and paintings, rugs and nick knacks. Well, the ghosts didn’t need anything to live, so it would make sense for them to prioritize other items first, but the art was strange. What did the dead know of creativity? Were these all recreations of something found in life? No, some of the paintings had the green skies of the Ghost Zone, implying at least some ‘new’ thought. They were strange, very unlike the wild animals that often attacked the town, or the showy inhuman mimics that tried to claim world domination. They just looked like greener, more transparent people. Barely any of them even floated much. They’d need new categories, they broke too many rules that stayed true on Earth.
“Oh that’s a lovely shade of blue! I wish I could make something like it.” The voice echoed, but it wasn’t growling or mocking. In fact, the ghost woman who had paused beside the hunter was smiling warmly, despite the dead red eyes. “Are you just visiting for a bit?”
“We’re mostly stuck going wherever the ghost boy is taking us, our ship broke down,” Maddie struggled not to frown, her natural inclination to get away from the still potentially dangerous ghost strong with so many fights. She could tell it the truth, in a sense. Phantom was far more likely to be dangerous then this waif of a woman. How she could move in so many ruffles was baffling.
“Oh dear! Well if he’s any trouble you can let Dorthea know, she’s a caring ruler. A human helped her get her rightful throne back, so I’m sure she’d be happy to help!” The ghost tittered a little, as if expecting that to be obvious.
So the ghost did know she was human? Far more alarming was the idea some other human had been dragged this far from home, possibly trapped. Maybe this would turn into a rescue mission. Unless it was too late for them, a distinct possibility. “Oh really? How did that happen?”
“Oh I don’t really know the details, but it was a human that inspired our good Queen that she didn’t need to fear that tyrant and she could fight back. I wish I’d seen it!”
It was disquieting how human the ghost sounded, a friendly sort of gossip. If only she had a way to record it. “The human got back home after helping, right?”
“Well I assume so, she had no intentions of staying here very long, that’s for sure!” She laughed easily, apparently blind to Maddie’s confusion and apprehension, or just unable to see it past the mask and goggles. “I’m fairly sure Sir Phantom took her back, you could ask him.”
Sir? That town terrorizing scoundrel was respected around here? And had been taking humans out of the ghost zone? Probably because he made whoever it was get here in the first place, just to rescue them. Was that why he was here? To stage some new act with this ghost queen? “Right, I might do that.” Would she? This morning she hadn’t expected to talk to ghosts, let alone multiple.
“Oh! If you see any of those angry blobs you can just run back towards the guards and they’ll deal with it. It’s their job, and they’re quite good at it. I actually considered doing that job for a bit, but I like looking after the plants more. Maybe I’ll switch in a decade or two!” The ghost kept talking, apparently taking Maddie’s lack of further questions as permission to keep chattering.
“Can’t you deal with them yourself?” Attacking ghost blobs was something she knew about, and if this ghost was strong enough to mimic humans, shouldn’t it be able to deal with the much less sophisticated tactics of blobs?
“Me? Oh no, I’m not not trained. Do you still have lions on the other side? It would be like trying to fight one of those with a stick!” She laughed, but not unkindly.
“You’re both ghosts though, aren’t you?” Perhaps they differentiated themselves by name in the Ghost Zone? It would lend some evidence to the ‘different breeds’ of ghost hypothesis she was rapidly stringing together.
She tapped at her chin for a moment at the question. “I suppose we are, but they’re more like animals. They might have always been animals, or never alive at all! It’s perfectly safe here though, they usually fight more among themselves.”
Well that was fascinating. Some ghosts didn’t instinctively know how to fight and had to be taught? Yet didn’t consider themselves completely separated from the more animalistic ectoplasmic terrors. Perhaps the more ‘domestic’ setting here made the ghosts less feral and more reliant on their previous memories. Well, the ghost could be lying, but she couldn’t see the benefit she’d gain from deception here. “So you’re kind of stuck here then? We saw a lot of those outside of this place.”
“No no, we’ve got safer ways to travel than just flying around! Not all of us are that brave, dear. Though I don’t think I’d want to stay somewhere else very long anyway. Here it’s safe, all my friends are here and we have one of the largest markets in the whole Ghost Zone. Other ghosts come to us!” There was a hint of pride as she spoke about her ‘home’, gesturing over to some of the stalls Maddie hadn't had time to look at before getting interrupted. “I was really hoping to get something from the seven armed bloke over there, but he’s not very interested in my clothing. Maybe next time.”
Said ‘bloke’ had far too many eyes to go with the arms, and a collection of honestly terrifying little statues with strange designs that made her head hurt if she looked at it too long. A clear outsider to the more human ones, but not causing a stir. So much for constantly fighting out groups, but they barely had anything in common either! Not to mention engaging in some kind of simplistic trading. “So this happens often?”
“Pretty much. It’s fun to make new things, but you get bored of just your own stuff after a few centuries you know? So we swap and find new things.”
Well of course, it’s not like the ghosts needed to trade for something vital to existence. Swapping ‘things’ made more sense in that context. So why weren’t any trying to trade strength or favours? Or simply taking what they wanted? Was it related to having a queen? She had so many questions that knowing what ones needed to be asked was next to impossible. “I suppose you would. How can you tell if a ghost that comes is peaceful?”
“Asking!” She laughed again, apparently finding the question funny. So they didn’t deal with constant attacks from spectres like Phantom trying to ‘take over?’ Why?
“Oh geeze, I’m so sorry if she said anything about trying to-” Phantom’s voice interrupted her thoughts, the ghost suddenly floating beside the other ghost and sputtering.
“Sorry? She’s been perfectly lovely! Haven’t you- oh I’m so rude, I didn’t even get your name!” the ghost tisked at herself, once again strangely apologetic.
“Wait, she has?” His doubtful tone made the ghost hunter scowl. As if he had any room to judge them.
“We’re scientists, not uncontrollable monsters.” Like him. She was fairly sure he caught the implication when the boy muttered something she couldn’t hear.
“Cool. Anyway, got another stop, then I’ll get you two back home.” He still hovered, glancing between the two of them a few times. “Oh. Maddie, that’s her name.”
“Lovely speaking with you Maddie! Had a good trip back, I’m Guenivier if you’re ever in the area again,” she smiled and gave another wave before somehow drifting back into the crowd without displacing even a bit of that dress.
“Who said you can give out my name?” Maddie hissed, once certain the other ghost was out of earshot.
He leaned back on teenager mannerisms, scoffing and heading away. “Because she wanted to know and thinks you aren’t a total ghost hater? It’s not gonna hurt anything.”
“How can I know you don’t have a way to locate people by name?”
He was rolling his eyes again as if she was being ridiculous. “You live in a house with a giant glowing sign. Not exactly subtle.”
“That isn’t in the ghost zone.”
“It’s attached to the ghost zone, it totally counts.”
It really was like arguing with a teenager when he bantered on like this. “Just don’t do it again.”
“Yes ma’am. Sheesh.” He hopped on top of the speeder, kicking his heels against the side. “Hey Jack, you coming?”
“Coming!” he bellowed back, jogging over from the patch of plants she’d left him at. However, he wasn’t just carrying his notebook, but a folded glowing bit of cloth. Some sort of tapestry judging by all the stitching? “Just wanted to get a few more lines done-” he broke off after spotting his wife, apparently reminded that he shouldn’t be so chummy with the ghost. “I mean I leave when I want to, you can’t boss Fentons around!”
“Oh come onnn, can you pretend you don’t hate me for like five minutes? I’m not even doing anything!” Phantom complained, flopping backwards onto the Speeder. “You were totally having a good time”.
“How did you get that, dear?” Maddie chose to ignore their sulking captor and instead look at what Jack managed to gather besides sketches.
“Oh, one of the ghosties liked my pictures and asked to trade for one! So I gave em a page for this! We can study how they made it back home, neat huh?”
Apparently he hadn’t been too worried about it being a trap, but a picture he’d just sketched wasn’t a big ask for something that could teach them a lot about the ghosts in here, so it was a good trade nonetheless. “You did great sweetie. Just make sure to store it safely, just in case.”
“Already on it sweet cheeks!” He was indeed, already pulling out a large sample bag to store their find before opening the hatch again.
“Ew. I changed my mind, go back to threatening me. Sappy is worse.”
Well, at least the ghost regretted his actions a bit. He’d be more sorry if he tried anything, but this did just seem to be something to sooth that hero complex it had. So far, anyway. She was tempted to ask the ghost what it had been up to at the castle, but it didn’t really matter. He’d just lie anyway, he clearly wasn’t the same sort of ghost as the weaker ones back there.
“Ha, he crumples in the face of our love Madds!” Jack laughed, hugging his wife and they got comfortable back in the speeder. “You think he’d take us back home if I said how much I love ya?”
“I so don’t need to hear this.” He was muffled, apparently still flopped on the speeder. He didn’t add anything before the Speeder lifted from the ground and resumed speeding through the strange green expanse.
“Clearly he buys his own teenager delusion.” Maddie mused, content to rest against Jack and look through his sketches. “Did they seem strangely lifelike to you too?”
“Oh sure! They just talked and didn’t even seem interested in going to the human world! Even though one was very jealous of how bright my jumpsuit is.” He leaned a bit to flick a few pages forward. “I sketched a couple and got their names, so we can see if we can look em up. See if they’re similar to their old selves according to history and all.”
“That’s a good idea. I didn’t get a complete name, but apparently they have jobs? Not like the wilder ghosts, and they do have a queen…” she paused, remembering the ‘human’ Phantom apparently ‘helped home. “Hey! You did help someone home from the ghost zone before, did you?”
“Huh? Oh! Yeah, she’s back safe. Wasn’t even a whole day.” He sounded distracted, or at least surprised by the question.
It could be a valuable lead. That, and the human might need help after such an experience. Who knew how ecto contaminated they might be! “Who was it?”
“How should I know? Just because I’m in town a lot doesn’t mean I know everyone’s name.”
She frowned, glancing at Jack who only shrugged. So he hadn’t heard that story, only her. “You know ours.”
“Because you shout them at me and shoot at me a lot? Pretty easy to remember!”
“Ghost kid’s got a point.” Jack admitted, patting her on the shoulder. “We’ll just find who it is ourselves! Just an extra project.”
“What, and just make their life weird again by bringing up ghost stuff? Leave em alone.”
Well now they absolutely had to look into it, if Phantom wasn’t keen on the idea. Better to let him think they agreed though. “True, it could just lead you back to them.”
“Hey! This is all you, not me!”
Jack chuckled. “You’re really good at riling him up. Almost sounds like our Danny like that, getting all touchy about fun family activities!”
“Well he probably copies behaviour from local teenagers,” she didn't like that comparison though. Their children were nothing like life destroying ghosts. It was better to turn her attention to the passing green and how the amount of doors seemed to dwindle as masses of ice started to become the most prominent detail. That made more sense, actually. Phantom had started using ice in addition to ectoblasts, if he came from somewhere with this sort of climate it seemed less out of place with his other abilities. Even if he was otherwise ill suited to snow and ice with how he insisted on looking like a kid.
The next stop felt more like a mistake, with only hills of untouched white powder and ice to see, but the crunch of snow below confirmed they were no longer moving. Good thing they came prepared with heated coats!
“Not a whole lot around here! If it wasn’t for all the green we could pretend we were in Alaska.” Jack chattered as he shrugged a coat on, still apparently too excited to look around to keep his suspicion up. “They don’t all like castles, or maybe it’s a hidden one!”
He better not be thinking Santa had an ice castle. That was probably what he was thinking of, but she didn’t really want to bring up their annual argument at the moment. He could be wrong today, there were more important things to do. “You do realize it’s a frozen wasteland you’ve stranded us on?”
“It’s not that cold.” Phantom objected, circling the Speeder idly.
“Easy for a ghost to say, you’re always cold ghost kid!”
He stopped at that, glancing back at Jack. “It's not that bad, is it?”
“Only because we brought warm clothing. Jumpsuits aren’t enough for the living.” Maddie huffed, looking at the snowfields to find anything worth looking at. The structures of ice were somewhat interesting, but not inherently ghostly.
“Well you guys can stay here, I guess.” The ghost bit at his lip, playing up the concern now that they pointed out a frozen wasteland was cold. Honestly, how did anyone fall for Phantom’s act if he made mistakes like this? “I don’t think Frostbite’s people come out this far…”
“Oh, are they dangerous? We can take any of your little ghostly pals!”
Phantom looked as if Jack suggested exploding a building. “No! Don’t fight any of them! They just look scary, okay? Just ignore them, if any show up.” He didn’t wait for a response before flying off this time, apparently in much more of a hurry this time.
“Sounds like he’s worried about what we can do to his little pals, huh?” Jack elbowed his wife with a grin. “Well, maybe we can find something weird about the ice here!”
It was better to try getting some of the ghost ice instead of doing nothing, though she doubted it would be very different from regular ice, beyond the ectocontamination. Now what would a ghost think is ‘scary looking’? He hadn’t given such a warning when close to all of the other ghosts, after all. It was a bit of a mystery, and none of the ice here had any identifying marks or hints of another odd little ghost ‘civilization’. ‘Frostbite’ wasn’t much of a name either, perhaps they were more like the wild sort that came to Amity?
“Oh hoh! Look at this!” Jack yelled out, pointing to something below him as he waved her over.
A large, clawed footprint left in the snow, and fairly deep. So something monstrous after all, as expected. “Maybe we can get a cast of it?” They had supplies for it, but she wasn’t certain if it would work in the ice correctly. The tracks didn’t go for long, but following them wasn’t a very tantalizing idea. Better to keep a distance and be well armed if they wanted to tangle with whatever left this.
It wasn’t as distracting as the previous stop, but the sound of crunches increasing in volume had the couple back on edge and wary.
“Seriously, we should just go-”
It sounded like the ghost boy was near wherever the crunches were coming from, which didn’t improve her mood one iota.
“Nonsense! I have been asking to meet them for how long?” A deep, growling and carrying voice came in response as Maddie readied a weapon.
“Yeah, that’s the problem. You don’t want to, trust me.”
“Seems he doesn’t have a very high opinion of ghost hunters, eh Mads?” Jack was less noticeably readied, still half crouched near the footprint, but his hand hovered where a weapon was concealed. She focused on her breathing as the sound grew louder, eyes narrowed as she spotted a large figure cresting the nearby hill. With the little white haired ghost boy completely at ease near it. Nothing like his regular behaviour, let alone the talking. Why would this huge beast know of them?
“What did I say about not shooting people?” Phantom actually seemed to blush on seeing her holding the weapon, smacking his face. “Okay, you saw them, bye now!”
The large furred creature ignored how the smaller ghost pushed at their shoulder, instead waving with a horrific ice claw, bones gleaming from within as it seemed to rip at the very air. “Well our first meeting was hardly perfect either, I can manage.”
“Yeah but I can’t just pull a ‘won’t shoot a big yeti’ icicle out of their jumpsuits!”
For a human loving ghost, Phantom was certainly very concerned about this giant horned monster being harmed by ‘mere humans’. More proof of his act, at least. Though the large creature did have a cloak of some sort and clothing. He spoke well, if you ignored the fanged mouth and growls. A strange contradiction of appearance and intent. That wasn’t a normal thing for ghosts either, you could gather a decent amount about one by how they looked. So why was this one chatting and apparently interested in seeing two humans? “So, you’re the ‘Frostbite’ he mentioned?” She hazarded a guess, but wasn’t going to put the gun away.
It showed its fangs, maw wide and unnerving. “Yes, I am! It is an honour to meet you” The furry head bowed slightly, as if trying a sort of nod of respect. “Your work assisted the Great One in vanquishing Pariah Dark, we all owe you a debt of gratitude.”
“Please don’t call me that. Especially in front of them!” the green eyed ghost practically squawked, somehow flushing even harder when he didn’t even have blood.
Maddie’s mind almost flipped over from the sheer confusion of what this terrifying ghost said. They had ‘helped’ vanquish something? More likely, Phantom had stolen something. So why did this ghost still give them credit? That wasn’t even starting to touch why the ghost boy would be considered great in any aspect. “Assisted him? Do you mean with that ghost who took our town into the Ghost Zone?” She wasn’t sure if that was what the ‘king’ ghost was called, but it made more sense than anything else she could think of.
“Indeed. The King of All Ghosts would have sent the infinite realms into chaos and conflict. Of course we are grateful for your help in preventing that.”
“That’s when you stole the Ecto Skeleton!” Jack spoke up, no longer tense. “You never brought it back.”
“That’s not my fault, that thing almost wasted me! It was gone once I woke up!” The boy objected, but seemed to settle down when the larger ghost ruffled his hair. “I wanted to bring it back.”
“I’m sure now they understand how vitally important that technology was, for your world and ours.” The ghost’s yellow eyes watched them expectantly, the unnerving void of pointed daggers thankfully closed now.
“Well it did get Amity back where it belonged.” Losing the Ecto Skeleton had been a blow, but an acceptable one to get back to normal. The fact that more ghosts seemed to know and care about their part of it was somewhat unnerving. She very much doubted Phantom just ‘lost’ it either. Jack suffered from the demands of the suit, but the ghost was just ectoplasm and electricity. Quite unlikely he could be drained that much, it wasn’t meant for ghosts to use in the first place.
“Your world? Doesn’t the kid live here?” Jack asked, making his wife blink. She hadn’t noticed that odd phrasing.
“No, no. The Great One prefers the human world and his friends. How are they doing?”
He froze up, eyes flicking to the hunters and back to the yeti. “Fine. They’re great.” He darted closer to the two hunters, gesturing at them to move. “Okay let’s go.”
How much interacting was this ghost doing with humans to have ‘friends’ it told other ghosts about? They could be in danger, or used as targets! “No no, we’d love to hear about your friends.”
“Nope, you don’t, gotta get home right? Big hurry, don’t trust me, remember?” He was practically pleading with them.
Frostbite’s ears twitched as he tilted his head. “Don’t trust you? Surely they’re the ones who taught your friends how to drive that craft of yours?”
Phantom had the gall to turn invisible.
“We were unaware anyone other than us was using it, actually.” Maddie didn’t bother to keep the frost from her voice.
“Ah, well at least the good news is I already knew how to make a replacement battery for it when the Great One came asking for help.” His tail twitched, as one of the great claws scratched at his furry chest. “It should be good as new once you can install it.”
So not only was this ghost stealing technology and bringing humans to the ghost zone, it was teaching other ghosts how it worked! The second that ghost was in their grasp, he’d have some serious answering to do. “Do all of you call him that?” It was the only question she could ask without wishing to spit acid, quite frankly.
“All of the Far Frozen recognize him as such, but not all ghosts are the same. He should be proud of the title, a savour of two worlds.”
“Frostbite I’m begging you, stop! It’s embarrassing!” The ghost dropped his invisibility, still looking more like a flustered kid instead of the heroics seeking fame junkie he was.
“Well if it helps your relationship with these ghost hunters, I think it is important that they know.”
“Yeah no. Let’s not.”
It felt like there was something the two ghosts weren’t saying. That, and the fact Phantom didn’t seem to like being hailed as a hero here in the Ghost Zone didn’t make sense. Why all the grandstanding in Amity then?
“Well we’ll be glad for the lift home. You shouldn’t steal from us, kid.” Jack tried a stern approach, and the ghost actually flinched from the rebuke.
“You’re not the only ones who want to map this place out, that’s all,” he didn’t really seem to be answering them, more talking to himself before launching himself at the Speeder again. “You can shoot at me about it back home or whatever.”
“Travel safely! Do try and explore your other half more often, Great one. You’re always welcome here.” His great furry head watched them all easily, seeking out the ghost hunters eyes as well. "I understand you are less interested, but you are welcome to see the realities of my home as well. It may surprise you, in a good way."
She desperately wanted to ask what that monster of a ghost meant by that, but managed to hold her tongue. If all the ghosts here saw Phantom as some sort of godlike hero, chewing him out here wasn’t safe. Jack’s small nod of agreement and warm hug helped, but it couldn’t stop her mind churning. They’d seen and hurt so much, and none of it made any sense! This Frostbite just threw in several more wrenches in the works with only a few sentences, but with how agitated Phantom was getting now wasn’t the time to push their luck. Perhaps when the shoe was on the other foot, and the boy needed their assistance.
He didn’t speak up or grumble this time as they left the frozen land behind. Though that might be them as well,m sitting close together and considering the notes and samples they had taken. That and the huge list of questions Jack had scrawled down in the margins of a sketch of Frostbite. How could a ghost like Phantom truly manage to stay in the human world most of the time? Did it have to do with this ‘other half’ that ghost had mentioned? Would knowing what it was reveal a weakness in the ghost?
So many questions, but no answers. Why had Phantom even let them speak to any ghosts, considering how badly he’d reacted to some of the information given? He couldn’t genuinely be wanting to help.
The inviting glow of the portal appeared sooner than either of them could expect, the ghost dropping the ship on the lab floor with a loud clunk.
“See? Home. No ‘evil plan’” he floated into view, and she was fairly sure he only did so to make those air quotes with his hands.
“So you say, ghost kid. Don’t think we won’t be checking for tricks!”
“Yeah sure,” he shrugged, grinning after a moment. “Oh hey, by the way, you do know what the Speeder is powered with, right?”
Maddie didn’t actually know how to take that question. “Of course we do, we built it!”
“Uh huh.” His grin widened as he kicked back, legs vanishing into that strange tail. “All you had to do was take the cover off. It’s the Ghost Zone! There’s ectoplasm everywhere! I just had Frostbite make a backup.”
...Had they really-
They had. They’d been dragged around by a ghost for no reason at all! “Why you little-”
He kept laughing before turning and getting out of the way. “Thanks for flying with Phantom Zone Tours! I’m out.” A jaunty wave and he was gone, leaving two baffled ghost hunters behind.
“I think some fudge is in order after that!”
She couldn’t say he was wrong. Maybe fudge could make sense of that whole affair. All that for a prank? It didn’t add up. They’d have a lot of work to do.
#Danny Phantom#phic fight 2021#Maddie Fenton#jack fenton#hey look a fun one!#tho they are kinda mean about poor danny-boy#but hey minimal angst! woo!#Team Ghost
249 notes
·
View notes
Text
London Calling - 2
So, guys...I know it took me a while but here it is. Part 2 of Bodyguard! August and his adventures in London. I hope there are still some people out there who want to read this. Enjoy and let me know what you think! Every single comment/reblog/like is very appreciated 💜
Pairing: August Walker x ofc (Lucretia "Lu" Johnson)
Words: ~ 3.2
Summary and A/N: This story plays with the thought of "what if…" What if August Walker had taken another road? What if he had turned into John Lark for completely different reasons? What if he had found love before becoming a bitter, disillusioned man?So the events of "London Calling" take place about ten years prior to MI:Fallout and August Walker hasn't joined the CIA yet, he's an FBI Agent and his new mission in London that lies ahead of him is going to be a challenging one. Maybe it's even going to change his life.
Find the previous chapter and my other fics here: Nashi's Masterlist.
Warnings: 18+! This story deals with the topic of a toxic/abusive relationship, gaslighting and problematic behavior of one of the protagonists in general. Please don't read if these topics trigger you or make you feel uncomfortable.
English is not my mother tongue but the lovely @sillyrabbit81 was so kind to be my very helpful and patient Beta! Thank you so, so much, bunny 🐇💜 (Edited by me, so there might still be mistakes and they're all mine)
Credits/Disclaimer: I don't own August Walker or anything related to MI:Fallout. Pics for the moodboard from pinterest, face claims: Lu - Hannah van der Westhuysen, Adam - Freddie Thorpe. FaceApp helped me with making August look a little younger.
Ready? Let's go!
*********
"John Lark," Adam said to Lu, who was sitting opposite of him at the dining table, having a coffee and some fruits for breakfast. He grinned and rolled his eyes. "What a boring name. Let's hope he has a boring personality as well and likes staying in the background just like poor old Eddie."
Lu shook her head with a sad smile. "I still can't believe he's dead. I mean, one moment he's alive and kicking and then he misses a red light and is six feet under."
"He should have been careful, baby. He was an idiot anyway. Please don't tell me you liked the old grinch." Adam ran a hand through his light brown hair and gave her a surprised glance.
"I did like him and he wasn't old, not even 50. He was a nice guy, always friendly and helpful." She leaned back in her chair with a sigh and looked out of the large windows that gave a fantastic view on the Thames and the city of London.
"Did you fuck him?"
Lu froze at the coldness in his voice, that sent icy shivers down her spine.
"Of course not, I…I would never...he wouldn't have..." She stared at the man she was going to marry in just a few months, eyes wide, lump in her throat, feeling offended and unsettled by his accusation.
Adam burst out laughing. "You should see your face, Lu," he chuckled with a big grin on his attractive face. "It's hilarious, you're so easy to lead on, darling. It's really cute how naive you can be. That's exactly the reason why I have to look after you by the way. People take advantage of you but no one fucks around with Adam Mayfield." He gave her a wink but she knew he wasn't just teasing her, he meant it. Lu forced a grin, trying to relax and regain her composure by taking a deep breath. Getting serious he reached over the table and took her hand, pressing a tender kiss on her knuckles. "I was joking of course, I know you are loyal, baby. You're not a cheating whore. If you were I wouldn't marry you and if you were I would know. Nothing remains a secret to me. Nothing, Lu. Never forget that. No secrets."
She gave him a sweet smile and squeezed his hand, her heart beating like crazy. "No secrets," she said because she knew that's what he wanted to hear.
Adam gave her an approving nod, obviously content with her answer.
"So, until Lark arrives the day after tomorrow, Big Ben is gonna take care of you."
"What about you, won't you need him?"
Lu was genuinely surprised. Since Eddie's accident, Andy, the third member of their security staff, had taken over his duties. Big Ben was Adam's bodyguard, more than that actually, over the years he had become his right hand, his assistant, his eyes, his ears, his shadow. The middle aged man, with the thin, sparse light blonde hair and the hooked nose that dominated his puffy face with the pasty complexion, was a nice guy on first sight, always very polite and friendly, always up for a joke, but he had something in his watery eyes that scared Lu. Maybe it was because he was so loyally devoted to Adam. Lu had never heard him question any order, he did whatever he was told to and Lu was absolutely convinced he would turn against her in the blink of an eye, if Adam asked him to. She feared him and she didn't trust him and she was quite sure the feeling was mutual.
"I can do without him for two days, right Ben?" He asked the man who was entering the room right then.
"Sir?"
"You'll look after Miss Johnson today and tomorrow and Andy will keep an eye on me."
"Of course," Big Ben nodded with a smile. The nickname was pretty ridiculous, because he was anything but big. He was neither tall nor broad. He was hardly Lu's height and a little overweight but he was tough and a skilled martial arts fighter. He had been pretty successful in his youth, winning various tournaments and he was still very strong and flexible. Lu had watched him doing some Jiu Jiutsu with Adam a few times and it had been impressive to see the stocky guy so agile and light-footed.
"I won't be much of a nuisance, Ben," Lu said, "I will be busy preparing the vernissage for the rest of the week, so we'll be at the gallery most of the time."
"That's fine, Miss Johnson. I like the gallery. I don't know much about art but you have some beautiful paintings there."
***
An hour later Big Ben was looking at one of these paintings and Lu was watching him closely. Something was off, not only today, it had been for a few days. It started with Adam letting Andy stay with her at the gallery all day. That was very unusual. Eddie had always run errands while she had been working or he had washed the car or whatever. She didn't need him around, the gallery was a safe place, nothing bad had ever been happening there. She had asked Andy a few times why it was necessary that he stayed but he'd always said he didn't know and was just following Mr. Mayfield's orders. And now there was Ben, who was obviously trying to pump some kind of information out of her, asking strange questions.
He was subtle, she had to admit that, but just like anyone, including Adam, he underestimated her. He and the rest of the world considered her to be just a blonde bimbo, Adam's arm candy, a classic gold digger and nothing more. She could hardly blame people for thinking that way and actually she even liked flying under the radar. It gave her a certain kind of freedom because nobody was really paying attention to what she did. Adam was the one in the limelight and since she'd never dare to steal his thunder even the yellow press found her too boring to write about her. So she was able to focus on her work and try to make herself a name as a galerist, not as Adam Mayfield's trophy girlfriend.
She knew most people thought she wasn't very clever, but as hard as her youth had been it had given her two very useful skills, street-smartness and the ability to judge character. She had more knowledge of human nature than most women her age and she for sure could tell when someone was trying to hide something from her.
"Eddie liked that painting too," she said with a smile. It was a lie, Eddie had never been taking interest in any of the artwork she presented in her gallery but she wanted to get Ben to talk.
"Really?" A sad look crossed Benjamin's face. He and Eddie had been pretty close and Lu imagined he was mourning his old friend badly.
She gave him a nod and a friendly smile. "You miss him, don't you?"
"Of course, Miss Johnson."
"Lu," she corrected him for the millionth time although she knew he'd continue calling her by her last name. She had no idea why he insisted on this formal way of addressing her, all the other staff members called her by her first name, but since he did the same with Adam she supposed it was just his way of showing respect and keeping a professional distance. "I miss him too. I can't believe he was so irresponsible. He was always such a careful driver, he never even got a ticket for wrong parking."
Big Ben wrinkled his nose. "I'm sure he wasn't acting irresponsibly. It was an accident."
"Well, Adam said he missed a red light because he was distracted by answering his phone. That's pretty irresponsible, if you ask me."
She saw his jaw working and his hands were balled into fists. Her accusations were making him angry and she assumed that meant they were wrong.
"We don't really know what happened. Just what the police file says," he replied with a shrug.
"And you assume that it's not telling the truth?"
"I don't assume anything, Miss Johnson. I believe in the things Mr Mayfield tells me. And so do you, I guess."
"Of course I do," Lu said quickly, dropping the topic, fully aware of the threat that his words involved. She had heard enough anyway.
****
August took a deep breath before he dropped his suitcase on the floor and took a look around. The room -his room- was nice. Big and bright, with large windows and a big bed that appeared to be very comfy. The en suite bathroom was luxurious and gave off spa vibes while the modern paintings and photographs on the walls made the room look like a very stylish and exclusive hotel suite. He liked that, but he had to remind himself that this wasn't a city trip for a weekend, this was his job and his new life.
He had spent the last days slipping on his new personality, becoming John Lark, embracing his alter ego. He grinned when saw his reflection in the window. That mustache and the three day stubble he wore now was an unusual sight but he had to admit he liked the new look, it suited him. August unpacked his suitcase, placing his clothes in the closet and the few personal items John Lark owned in and on the nightstand. A few books, a moleskin and a pen, a jump rope and a pull-up bar for staying in shape and his personal mobile. He had been handed out an official cell phone by that guy called Ben right at the airport where he had picked him up. He put on the watch Lark's mother had given him after high school graduation, his initials engraved on the back. 6:45. Fifteen minutes till dinner. He had been asked to eat with them to meet Mayfield and his Barbie. Miss Johnson. Just be professional, he scolded himself, she's your target.
Don't fuck this up. Kyle's words resonated in his head. This had to be his goddamn creed from now on if he wanted to join Erica Sloane's team at the CIA, and fuck he did. She was infamous for being the toughest and strictest woman at the agency and for being the best. Her team consisted of the most respected and effective agents and that was exactly where he belonged. He wanted to work with the best, he wanted to be top of the class, he intended to become primus inter pares. The best of the best, notorious, feared, valued, celebrated, desired...all those things that had been refused to him throughout his childhood and youth. He had been a victim till he joined the army, a loser, a pussy. Now he was a winner and he would become a champ and claim what he deserved.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Ready, Lark?"
"Coming."
He put on his jacket and straightened the soft brown fabric of his suit. Adjusting the matching tie, taking a deep breath he opened the door and smiled at Ben who just gave him a nod.
"Let's go," he said. "They're waiting."
****
She knew John Lark was trouble the moment she saw him. It was nothing specific that made her feel this way, not his looks or his behaviour, it was more the aura that surrounded him. Lu couldn't quite put a finger on it, but she knew she had to be careful around him right away.
"Mr. Lark...John," Adam greeted his new employee friendly, flashing him a bright smile. "I suppose it's okay to call you John?" Not waiting for an answer he continued while shaking August's hand. "Really nice to meet you. Welcome to your new home."
August returned the smile. "Thank you, Mr. Mayfield. Nice to meet you too."
"Please, call me Adam. There's no need for formalities. After all, we're going to live together, work together…"
Another charming smile. The guy was smooth, August had to admit. He was even more handsome than his picture had suggested, with fine facial features, tall and lean, exuding natural elegance and wit. A charmer and a ladies man for sure.
"This is my fiancee, Lu Johnson." Adam pulled Lu close, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in a possessive manner before kissing her cheek tenderly. He usually wasn't the kind of person who liked public displays of affection but Lu knew it was his way to put John Lark into his place right from the start, to make sure he was aware who she belonged to.
Lark was dangerously good looking and way too attractive for Adam to let it go without staking his claim. Not that Lu was interested in him, he wasn't even her type -too many muscles and probably too little brains- and she would never dare to even look at another man. But objectively he was very good looking, tall and broad shouldered, sharp jawline, a handsome face, outstanding blue eyes, and most of all he had an appeal that obviously hadn't remained hidden to Adam. "She's going to be your charge. I cherish her like life itself. Make sure you do the same when I'm not around."
Mayfield kissed her again and she blushed, obviously feeling uncomfortable being the center of attention.
"John," she said softly, extending her hand to him gracefully with a polite but distant smile on her pretty face. Just like her fiance she was strikingly beautiful but in comparison her beauty was a little steril, forced. She was lacking the naturalness Mayfield owned, maybe because she wasn't born into the social class she lived in now. It felt like she was wearing a mask. Her appearance was too immaculate to be real, too perfect. There had to be a crack in it, nobody was free of flaws, but whatever it was that was lying underneath the sleek, stainless surface, she was hiding it well.
"Miss Johnson." August shook her hand and held her gaze, giving her a smile and a respectful nod.
"Lu, please," she offered stiffly, pointing at the set dining table. "Why don't we sit."
"Yes, darling, you're right. Let's eat before the Beef Wellington gets cold."
***
August found all of his prejudice confirmed during dinner. Mayfield was a cocky prick, who tried to hide his asshole side under a veil of sophistication and British humour. That veil, luckily, was full of holes big enough for August to see right through.
Johnson however was an ice queen. Cool and aloof, not willing to lower herself to talk to the newest member of her royal court. He wanted nothing more than to ignore her, to make her feel that he wasn't in need of her attention, to make it clear that he wasn't attracted to her in any way. It was actually true. She was pretty of course and sexy, too, but the kind of beauty she represented was not his cup of tea. She was one of those ethereal beings who were much too fragile for him, too fanciful, too distant. Like a precious showpiece that was presented on a pedestal and that whispered "look at me" seductively but at the same time it shouted "don't touch…you're not worthy". He needed a woman to be more than beautiful, he liked women that were sturdy and energetic, lively and witty, confident and strong. He didn't want a queen, he wanted an amazon.
So all of this and more made him dislike her, but he still had to be friendly and charming to gain her trust and to make her fond of him without alarming Mayfield. He was obviously very possessive and protective, the jealous-for-no-reason kind of guy who would make his woman wear a chastity belt if it was socially acceptable. To sum it up, this job was a ride on the razor's edge.
"So how do you like your room, John?" Lu turned to him with a friendly smile. Those were the first words she addressed to him since they'd sat down to eat. Adam had engaged Lark in conversation from the very first moment and Lu took care not to interrupt him. He hated it and he'd accuse her of stealing his thunder afterwards for sure. So she kept quiet, trying to blend into the scenery, contenting herself with being not much more than a pretty ornament, decoration like the sculptures that were placed all over the penthouse - a beautiful, silent object. When Adams' phone rang, he took the call with an apologetic smile, leaving the room in a hurry. Now she was forced to make conversation with her new bodyguard and she felt uncomfortable and awkward because she assumed that he didn't like her. He had seen her and he had branded her, just like anybody else, she was quite sure of that.
"It's great, I like the modern style," August said, returning her smile.
"Really? I'm so glad to hear that." Her face lit up in an instant, her lips curling up into a genuine smile. "I refurbished it a few months ago and Eddie... your predecessor… he didn't really like it."
"Oh, why's that?"
Lu took a deep breath before she answered. "I'm not sure, I never asked him. I didn't want to put him on the spot, but I guess it wasn't cosy in his eyes. Not warm enough. He was a very traditional man…," Lu said and her expression softened with her words, her eyes giving away that she had liked the guy, that she was mourning him.
Not the ice queen you pretend to be, August thought surprised.
"Well, I'm not a traditionalist, I like it bright and clear. The black and white photos are really interesting."
"Aren't they?" Lu agreed with excitement that made her voice sound different, like it had just been brought to life. "They are works by a very talented young artist from France. I discovered her art when we were in Paris last year and now I exhibit her photographs in my gallery. People love her unique take on everyday life, the way she plays with light and angles. She's one of my most successful…"
"Don't bore your new guardian angel to death with your art stuff on the very first day, honey," Adam interrupted her chuckling, when he joined them again.
"I was just talking about the pictures in John's room."
"Sure, and those are lovely pictures," he gave her a generous smile and a peck on the cheek, "but we both know you tend to babble on about the topic and that can be a little unnerving."
"Of course, you're right, darling." Lu's mask was back on, her expression blank again. "I'm sorry, John. Sometimes I forget that most people don't share my passion for art. Consider yourself lucky that Adam saved you just in time."
John gave her a nod and a smile. He wanted to say something, feeling the need to let her know that she hadn't been boring him, but before he was able to do so, Adam carried on with their conversation about his new job and his duties and the wasted chance to show his solidarity with her left a bitter taste in John Lark's mouth.
*******
Taglist (let me know if you want to be added or removed)
@lunedelorient @inlovewithhisblueeyes @willkatfanfromasia @hell1129-blog @mis-lil-red @agniavateira @kebabgirl67 @omgkatinka @legendarywizarddetective @summersong69 @taebfada @xxxkatxo @artandotherdelights @notabronte @littlefreya @luclittlepond @eldarwen333 @meowpurrbooks @marantha @liliumdream @enchantedbytomandhenry @greensleeves888 @witcherfan @margauxmargaux07 @radaofrivia @m07belzen @a-little-counter-esperanto @starstruckkittyangel @mary-ann84 @sillyrabbit81 @emelinelovesjc @wheretheriversrunintothesea @lam0ureuxq @kingliam2019 @pandaxnienke @littleone65 @coloraturadiva
#henry cavill#cavillry#henry cavill fandom#henry cavill fanfiction#august walker#august walker x ofc#august walker fanfiction#slow burn
56 notes
·
View notes
Text
The relationship between the Yagami siblings
The above line is possibly one of the most vital lines in contextualizing the relationship between the Yagami siblings, but is all too often omitted, and so it can lead to a lot of other questions about whether Hikari has dependency problems or whether Taichi has a natural tendency to be overprotective (also not helped by the fact that Hikari’s own voice actress, Araki Kae, was very fond of joking about Hikari having a brother complex). Once the proper context is applied, however, the relationship between the two ends up saying a lot about both individually!
That's the kind of girl she is! She's always thinking about other people before herself, and she'll never tell anyone that she's in pain or having a hard time, even if it kills her! The thing is, she might not have even wanted to come to this stupid world at all...But when people tell her that the fate of the world is in her hands or something, she could never refuse!...
...That's why...That's why I'm supposed to look after her and protect her...
The summary of everything going on between the two siblings at the time of Adventure has to do with the following:
Hikari is “always thinking of other people before herself” (i.e. she “doesn’t want to be a burden”, a very common sentiment among these very selfless kids in Adventure and 02), and therefore will accept massive burdens or pain on herself because she doesn’t want to trouble others. Because of that, she also will not speak out about her pain, simply suppressing it and pretending that everything is fine, while working for others’ sake.
Even Taichi has no idea what she’s thinking, because she’s so bad at vocalizing what she wants or is actually feeling that he has to guess. While he’s obviously emotionally compromised and thinking the worst of everything at the time of the above incident in Adventure episode 48, he also states that “that’s the kind of girl she is,” which implies that the above incident where Hikari got pneumonia was not an isolated incident, and therefore that Hikari has a repeated pattern of behaving like this. Hence, why Taichi has to keep stepping in -- he has to constantly assume the worst and go overboard, because Hikari will not do anything for herself if left to her own devices.
Both siblings are characterized as “dangerously self-sacrificial”; Taichi will recklessly risk his own welfare if it’s for the sake of others not getting hurt, whereas, as just indicated here, Hikari will refuse to burden other people even if it leads to her own personal destruction. This is not the only time Adventure has portrayed the negative aspects of being too selfless (it’s also a huge theme of Sora’s character arc), and it’s also why Hikari so easily offers herself up at the end of Adventure episode 36; it’s not just about Taichi! Hikari just puts others before herself by default to the extent that, while doing something for herself is hard to do, doing things for others is a no-brainer.
This is also why Hikari’s actions of “clinging” to Taichi in Adventure episode 21 shouldn’t be contextualized as her being clingy to him and wanting him there for her own sake -- remember, the point that was made is that Hikari thinks so little about what she wants that she doesn’t even consider her own wishes as an object, so the reason she bids for them to “stay” in this episode is because she knows he’s been in another world, a potentially dangerous one, and is about to go back and risk his own welfare for it. Since her attitude revolves around “other people’s sake”, it’s natural that she’s not going to be very enthusiastic about her brother and their new friend heading back to the unknown like that. (Remember, she seemed to be fine with him being out at camp and being away from her for prolonged periods of time in general.)
Which is especially enhanced when we see the context of why Taichi has his massive freakout in Adventure episode 48, and the way Hikari behaves in both the episode and the flashback:
The conflict in the episode was kicked off by, once again, Taichi being unable to tell what Hikari was thinking or feeling, and underestimating how much pain she was in, while Hikari had been suppressing it because of her selflessness. As Taichi says, he can’t tell if Hikari had wanted to come, or if she had simply come out of “obligation” regardless of how she’d felt.
And, in the flashback depicted, again: Taichi hadn’t insensitively dragged Hikari out, he had legitimately thought she was fine and misjudged her condition, and Hikari had agreed to go out without protest, only for that to be very much not the case. And when Hikari returned, she had no blame for him and only continued to blame herself for ruining his fun. So, again: Hikari doesn’t even think of herself, and only thinks about how much of a burden she’s being on others, and the incident (and presumably others) had brought Taichi into the understanding that he cannot use what Hikari says about herself as an accurate bar for how she’s doing.
The Character Complete File gives us a bit of an interesting tidbit about Taichi and Hikari’s home lives, in that, if you pay attention, you’ll notice that the Yagami siblings don’t share a room anymore by the time of 02. According to both Taichi and Hikari’s testimonies, Hikari had “constructively” kicked him out by hint-hinting that she was actually not very fond of sharing a room with him and was embarrassed by it! She does eventually admit that it’s a bit lonely without the second person around, but she’s very happy to claim her room as “my own little castle”, and, moreover, with the above context, you can imagine that she, once again, might have been self-conscious about being a “burden” on him due to both of their spaces intersecting too much.
So when we do get to 02...
The line from the second screenshot is the most commonly cited line about Hikari’s attitude regarding her brother in 02, but recall that this is from Hikari basically doing her own version of rambling incoherently. The actual context clue required to decipher this comes from earlier in the episode, when, drowning in the negative atmosphere and impact the Dark Ocean is having on her, Hikari has a vision/flashback of saying “I’m sorry” to her brother. Remembering that the Dark Ocean is heavily associated with “negative emotions”: what does “I’m sorry” mean? “I’m sorry” -- or, in other words, “I caused you more trouble again.” So when Hikari says that “my brother always protected me”, she’s basically saying “I’ve been burdening my brother by making him protect me all of the time,” and the fact that she pairs this with a statement “the next time they call me, I may end up there” is one about inevitability -- she does not like the idea of continuing to burden him, and is letting horrible things happen to her because she would rather not keep doing this to him.
This is what threads the apparent “contradiction” between Hikari supposedly being so “quiet” about certain things yet so assertive about others -- Hikari has never shown any hesitation about putting her foot down assertively when it’s about other people’s sake, but it’s always about her own sake and her own feelings when she suddenly clams up. Tailmon even alludes to it herself in the episode:
Hikari is “strong”, and she’s shown it many times -- she’s assertive, brave, and heck, in this very same episode, the moment she realizes the “Hangyomon” need help, she doesn’t even hesitate to do her best to help them even at the risk of pain to herself! But she’s not going to make it until she can accept the help of others instead of denying everything out of worry for being a burden, which is why the issue starts to resolve a little when Hikari finally breaks down and admits that she wants others to help her, including Takeru, whom she had spurned earlier during the episode.
Hence, this is why the “follow-up” to this episode, 02 episode 31, doesn’t involve Taichi at all -- but it does involve a continuation of the same thing about Hikari’s problem, and she even confirms what Taichi had said about her back in Adventure episode 48, that she won’t vocalize her own problems. On top of that, she adds another layer to it: Hikari compulsively suppresses her own problems to the point she’s outright jealous of Miyako for being able to vocalize them. Hikari’s “selflessness” problem is so bad and self-destructive that even she realizes it’s a problem and wants to do something about it, but literally cannot. This is how bad her problem is, and why none of her actions to this point can really accurately be read as her being clingy or wanting to do anything for truly selfish reasons; this problem of “self-destructive selflessness” was so bad that even she didn’t like this about herself. And, hence, why she felt like she was “burdening” her own brother while she was at it -- it was a problem she did with everyone, but since he was one of the people she knew and trusted the most (having literally grown up with him, and all), it had been the worst with him.
Therefore, Miyako is able to address this issue even without Taichi being involved at all, because the problem wasn’t really about Taichi -- but 02 is a series about the importance of relationships and accepting a need to grow with the help of other people, and therefore, Miyako addressing Hikari’s issue of being so closed-in, and encouraging her to seek help and stop accepting her own destruction just to not “burden” others, is likely to help her have a better relationship with her brother in the future.
...although, by this point in 02, this really was more of Hikari’s own issue than it was Taichi’s by this point, because Taichi treats his sister pretty “neutrally” over the course of the series -- when Hikari’s stranded in the Digital World in 02 episode 7, Iori’s the one more panicked than he is, and he’s mostly just concentrated on having an alibi for her to come back with. And he has zero problem with her flinging herself into dangerous situations over the course of the year, including the stakeout trip started in 02 episode 18 (and for what it’s worth, Hikari herself clearly had no issue flinging herself into such a situation). And when he discusses the issue of the new kids in the 02 group having to accept that killing an enemy will soon become an inevitability in 02 episode 43, it’s a pretty serious conversation with him advising her the way he would have advised any of his other juniors.
This is why context is so important! Taichi had said, back in Adventure episode 48, that he’d hovered over her because he’d had no clue what she was thinking, and would have to take extra precautions because she could easily get herself killed like that. But in 02, it’s not like she was constantly suffering a cold, and it’s a lot more obvious that her actions throughout the series were because it was what she wanted to do, regardless of the risks, so it’s her right to do whatever she wants, and therefore he leaves her to it; she’s clearly doing a much better job taking care of herself, so there’s no reason for him to step in.
Hikari also takes his advice at face value and doesn’t have any particular weirdness about it; she’d never put him on a pedestal or anything, she just still happened to have very self-destructive tendencies that were ultimately resolved with the help of the rest of the 02 group. Often submitted as Hikari having proof of putting him on some kind of weird pedestal is her reaction in 02 episode 4, when she gets angry at Daisuke for being disrespectful about an older sibling, but this omits the fact that Yamato (being a very offended older sibling) got in on it too; the point was more about the disparity between Daisuke and Jun’s more vitriolic relationship compared to the more mutual-esteem relationships between the Ishida-Takaishi and Yagami siblings, plus the fact that, even if the perspective was different, Daisuke was being pretty harsh about his wording (he outright says he hates his sister...).
This is also presumably why, when everyone is presented with illusions regarding their personal worries in 02 episode 49, Hikari’s is the only one that has no relation to her family or home life whatsoever. She has nothing to really worry about with her home life, and Taichi seems to be fine and she has no particular interest in what he does as long as she’s not burdening him further. Rather, again, her character was largely about “doing more for other people than doing anything for herself,” so of course, her “dream” ends up being about everyone else in the world being happy.
In the end, it was more about her larger issues of her relationship to “other people” versus her relationship to “herself” than anything else -- it was just impacting the siblings the most since they were, well, siblings.
#digimon#digimon adventure#digimon adventure 02#yagami hikari#yagami taichi#hikari yagami#taichi yagami#shihameta
138 notes
·
View notes
Text
Guilt and Consequences Pt13
AO3 Beginning Previous Next
When she walked into the apartment Marinette was sitting on the floor by the coffee table going through a stack of papers. There was a second packet closer to the middle of the table. Lila hated filling things like that out. She was never sure how much information they needed or even if certain things were relevant. Given the unique nature of the school she had a feeling this was going to be worse.
“Do you know why Chloe is so invested in what you’re going to do about school?” Lila cursed at herself internally when Marinette jumped. She had a tendency to sneak up on people. It drove her mother insane. She’d actually put a motion sensor in her office doorway to make sure Lila didn’t see any of her work on accident. At least that’s what she said.
“Chloe?” Lila wasn’t certain if the confusion was from the question or the surprise.
“Yes. She was waiting for me after I got my stuff. She wanted to know what my game with you was and when I told her it wasn’t a game she seemed too interested in what your plans are.” More confusion. That had to be from the question right?
“That doesn’t make sense. Unless she’s making fun of me she acts like I don’t exist. Are you sure it was me she was worried about?” Lila replayed the conversation in her head again. Chloe wanted her gone, that was obvious, but she didn’t seem to care beyond that. When she’d asked about Marinette though… that was a different tone.
“Fairly certain. It was weird. Why exactly doesn’t she like you anyway?” Not that Chloe needed a reason other than feeling like they were beneath her, but it seemed like more. Marinette was her favorite target from Lila could tell.
“I think I hurt her feelings.” Well that was vague. She motioned for Marinette to continue. “When we first started school, everyone else seemed to be afraid of Chloe, or at least wanted to keep their distance.”
“But you were nice to her.” It wasn’t a question. That was just who she was.
“We were really close for a little while but everyone else hated me because I was friends with Chloe. I told her that I wanted to be friends with everyone and she didn’t take it well.” As dramatic as Chloe was that really didn’t seem like enough to set her off.
“So basically you said you wanted more friends and she started bullying you.” Marinette nodded. “But because of that you did end up getting more friends.” It was a logical conclusion but Marinette was looking at her like she’d lost her mind.
“That’s not… I mean yes but… You don’t think that was on purpose?” That hadn’t actually occurred to her but it was a possibility.
“Well, Chloe’s been entrenched in politics her entire life because of her father. I suppose she could have seen it as helping. Her resentment now would likely be because you didn’t realize what she’d done and she thinks you’re being ungrateful.” That sounded like Chloe. Lila had to wonder if the girl hadn’t stopped her lies just so that Marinette would find out how good she had things.
“So… she’s a better friend than the others?” Lila just blinked at Marinette. She couldn’t follow the girls reasoning. “I mean, I was her only friend and she gave that up so that I could have something I wanted. Maybe things didn’t turn out the way she expected, but she was trying to help.” Convoluted, but possibly accurate.
“I suppose you could see it that way, though I don’t know that it makes things better. Especially if she tries to cause problems for you once she finds out you’re not going back.” That at least got a thoughtful frown, but not the worry she thought Marinette should be feeling.
“I’ll talk to her. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.” Lila felt her eye twitch and she had to take a few deep breaths. She really didn’t understand that sort of optimism. Or delusion. She still couldn’t figure out which it was.
“Not alone.” Marinette opened her mouth to argue. “I mean it. No offense but you’re a terrible judge of what people are capable of and Chloe is not someone you want to underestimate. Maybe you’ll be able to explain things and it will be alright, or maybe she’ll accidentally push you down a flight of stairs. Having a witness is just common sense.” Marinette didn’t answer but she looked thoughtful at least. She decided to give her time to think about that problem. “So does this school require your firstborn or will a blood sacrifice suffice?” She just got a blank look for a moment before Marinette giggled.
“Neither. Though given the amount of forms, papercuts could make the blood sacrifice happen regardless. There’s at least ten pages that look like some sort of personality test. All the questions are open ended and you have to answer them on your own paper because there’s definitely no room between the questions.” Oh that wasn’t good.
“Yeah, there’s no way I’m getting into that school. The last time I had to take a test like that I was sent out of the country we were in.” She still had no idea why either. All she knew is that she’d been sent to that awful reeducation facility. They claimed it was a school for brilliant but troubled youths, but the only thing she’d learned there was how to keep her head down and how to answer their questions so she could get out. “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”
“I’ll help you. Maybe you just didn’t understand all the questions. We could talk about different scenarios and possibilities before you write anything down.” Lila just frowned at her.
“That sounds like cheating.” Marinette looked shocked at the idea before shaking her head.
“I’m not going to tell you what to put down. We’ll just go over the questions so that we both are more certain what they mean. Some of them are worded oddly.” Lila still wasn’t convinced but honestly, she couldn’t afford to screw this up. Going behind her mother’s back to do this in the first place was going to cause enough drama. If her mother found out she tried and failed… yeah she didn’t want to think about that.
AO3 Beginning Previous Next
Ko-Fi
Tag List
@readeracctagmepls @aestheticnpoetic @akana-sama @schrodingers25 @runestarchild @paradoxal-occurance @heaven428 @animegirlweeb @deepestobservationwombat @iggy-of-fans @yin-390 @thehufflepuffranger-blog @trippingovermyfeet @misslenamooney @ladybug-182 @zalladane @pale-lady-dreamer @smolplantmum @peachedpocky @bezzy-d @naoryllis @sassakitty @18-fandoms-unite-08
105 notes
·
View notes
Text
What if...things are not what they seem?
“Okay…” Dulsissia cradles Nemi close and turns to face the teens while Davarax stands next to her. “Paz, you’re responsible for keeping Raga and Barthor on the Razor Crest.” He nods, so she continues; “Mose, you’re responsible for keeping Zev and Din on the ship. Nobody leaves. Understood?” The Hutt nods.
Corin crosses his arms with a sullen look. “I don’t get why Din can’t come along.”
“It’s just for a little while.” Davarax says. “You two can survive without each other for a little while.”
Din sighs. “It’s fine, Corin. Go. I’ll be here when you come back.”
Dulsissia is already regretting her decision, but now they’ve come here and landed the ship so might as well get it over with. “Okay…” She repeats, stalling for time and probably would have stalled longer if not for Davarax placing a gentle hand on her arm.
She’s not alone. That gives her strength. She can do this.
Wearing Manadalorian armor draws quite a lot of attention, people on Seswenna are not used to seeing someone who is neither rich or a slave walk among them, but Dulsissia has no trouble holding her head high and the helmet serves mostly to hide her own disdain for these people.
The guards at the Motti mansion hesitate to let them in and Dulsissia actually has to remove her helmet for them to believe she is who she claims to be, and even then they insist on sending a message inside to see if she’s welcome.
For half a second, Dulsissia is not sure. If her mother is in a bad mood, she might not be. But shortly after, the gates open and the guards ushers them inside.
Antonia Motti greets them in her office. That alone tells Dulsissia how low she’s ended up on the Motti ranking system. She’s not allowed into the private rooms, it seems.
“Mother.” Dulsissia greets as she walks into the office, followed by Corin and then Davarax.
Sitting behind her desk, Antonia looks at her with a cold, calculating gaze and the smile on her face is mixed with disdain. “Dulsissia.” Her gaze flicks over at Corin and one of her eyebrow lifts, but then the bundle in Dulsissia’s arms makes a sound and her focus snaps back to Dulsissia.
“I thought maybe you wanted to meet your granddaughter?” Dulsissia says, absently rubbing her daughter’s back in an effort to either soothe Nemi, or herself. This is a bad idea. Why had she felt that she should let her mother know she’d become a grandmother again and let her see Nemi?
Antonia gets up from her chair. “You had another one?” She looks over at Davarax. “With this one?” A wry smile to her lips. “Macero must be spinning in his grave.”
Davarax is about to say something, but then Antonia steps forward, eyes on him, and he falls quiet. She continues to walk forward until she’s right in front of him and then, to Dulsissia’s indignation, Antonia circles her husband with a critical eye before coming to a halt between them. “Davarax, correct?”
“Ma’am.” He replies with a nod, polite as always.
Antonia makes a thoughtful hum, then turns to face Dulsissia and holds her arms out with an impatience Dulsissia remembers too well from her childhood. “Come on then. Let me hold her.”
Strangely reluctant, she has to remind herself once again that this had been her own idea, Dulsissia eases Nemi over into her mother’s arms and clenches her hands into fists to keep herself from reclaiming her daughter.
Antonia looks down at Nemi, scans her features and probably finds a rank for her among the Motti grandchildren. “She looks healthy.”
“She is.” Davarax replies with pride. “She’s strong. Like her mother.”
Antonia sends him a dry look. “Like her father. A big buck like you will give strong children.” She turns her attention back to the gurgling Nemi for a moment before looking at Corin. “Though, my daughter always makes her children beautiful. It’s the Motti blood in her.”
Corin has been trying to do his best to melt into the background and now his eyes widen as he is under his grandmother’s scrutiny.
“I don’t think you should underestimate your daughter’s strength, ma’am.” Davarax gently counters. “Few would have been able to go through what she did and come out even stronger on the other side. She’s truly a remarkable woman.”
Dulsissia has to bite her lower lip to keep the tears back, dank farrik if she’ll cry in front of her mother, but Davarax’ words makes her heart glow.
Antonia does not look impressed. “If she had listened to me, she wouldn’t have had to go through all that mess.”
Anger and humiliation flares up inside Dulsissia. “And if you had listened to me every once in a while, I wouldn’t have been so desperate for attention that I believed his lies.”
A wry smile tugs at Antonia’s lips. “Blaming others for your mistakes, Dulcy? Now you sound like your father.” She rocks Nemi gently and tuts as the girl makes a worried sound. “There, there, little one. Mottis don’t whine.”
Gritting her teeth, Dulsissia steps over and reclaims her daughter, but the irate glare she sends her mother goes unnoticed as Antonia simply moves on to stand in front of Corin.
“Grandmother.” Corin greets her, a little cautious and very nervous.
“Corin.” Antonia says. “You should meet your cousins. I’m sure you would get along really well.”
A look of curiosity takes hold of Corin and Dulsissia feels a stab of fear. “Another time.” She sees Davarax frown from the corner of her eye and prays he keeps quiet. “We have to leave now.”
“Already?” Antonia says, a little confused. “But you just got here. Surely you could let a grandmother spend some more time with her grandchildren? I’ve barely gotten to see my granddaughter. Stay for dinner at least.”
“Sorry.” Dulsissia glues on a smile. “We have other obligations. Maybe next time.”
Antonia does not look not pleased at all, then turns back to Corin. “Let me know if you want to visit, Corin. I’ll send someone to fetch you and you can meet your cousins. I know Monarch would love to show you his new ship that he got for his fifteenth Life Day.”
Corin blinks. “He has a ship of his own?”
“Of course.” Antonia says, as if it is perfectly normal. “All the Motti children have their own ships.” She reaches out and takes a light hold of Corin’s chin, moving his face a little from side to side to really study him before letting go. “Send me a message, yes? I’m sure we can find a ship for you too.”
Corin nods, all eyes.
Dulsissia is clenching her jaw so hard it hurts and it takes no small amount of will-power not to flinch away when Antonia comes back to hover over Nemi again.
“She looks promising, Dulcy.” Antonia says, which is as close to a compliment Dulsissia can hope to get from her. “I look forward to watching her grow up.”
“We have to go.” Dulsissia repeats, clutching her child a little closer.
Antonia nods absently, reaching up to gently ease the blanket around the girl down so she can see all of her face. “We have excellent nannies here on Seswenna, as you know, Dulcy. Feel free to bring her with Corin, if you and… Davarax want some time to yourselves. I’m sure even Mandos babysit for each other?”
“We do, ma’am.” Davarax confirms. “Very kind of you to offer.”
“Goodbye, mother.” Dulsissia blurts out, leans over to place an air-kiss by her cheek and then turns to usher her son out of the room.
Davarax looks a little confused, but he gives Antonia another respectful nod before following Dulsissia out of the room and eventually the mansion.
Corin is trotting ahead, eager to get back to the Razor Crest where he can brag to the others that his grandmother wants to buy him his very own ship, while Dulsissia and Davararx follow at their own pace.
“That didn’t go too bad, did it?” Davarax asks as they approach the hangar.
“Other than her trying to buy my son and treating you like livestock? It could have gone worse, I suppose.” Dulsissia looks down at her daughter and has to kiss her head.
Davarax snorts a laugh. “I’ve been called worse and treated a lot harsher, so don’t worry about it. As for Corin, I suspect she doesn’t know any other way to connect with others. Maybe letting her spend time with our kids could-”
“No.” Dulsissia halts and spins around to face him so abruptly he nearly walks into her. “Corin and Nemi will not be staying with her.”
Davarax frowns. “But she’s their grandmother…”
Dulsissia cradles Nemi with one arm so she can reach out with the other and her fingers grab a hold at the top of his breastplate. “Listen, I need you to promise me something.”
“She is my mother and I unfortunately haven’t been able to find a way to stop wanting her approval, but she will not poison my children. Our children.” Dulsissia states, her voice as hard as Beskar. “Her interest in Corin and Nemi is all about what they can bring to the family. It has nothing to do with any kind of love for her grandchildren. I don’t think that woman is capable of feeling love.”
Her harsh words seems to stun Davarax.
“Anything.” Davarax says, but he sounds and looks uneasy.
“If something happens to me, if I’m no longer around, promise to never let her watch them. Promise me you will never let them out of your sight if she’s around.” Because Dulsissia knows, if he does; he will never see the children again. Livestock is not worthy of bringing up Motti children.
Davarax gives a faint nod, but he doesn’t look any less uneasy.
Dulsissia nods and tries to put on a smile. “Good. Thank you.” She lifts her hand up to cup the side of his face for a moment in an apologetic and comforting gesture. “Let’s go home.”
And Antonia Motti watches them walk away with a sharp smile on her face.
#the mandalorian his son and the storm trooper#What If#Mandorin AU#Dulsissia Motti#Davarax#Teenage Corin#Fearsome Four#the one-shots start coming and they don't stop coming
34 notes
·
View notes
Text
Initially, Obi-Wan thought that sleep would assuredly allude him.
Perhaps he underestimated the trust and affect his troops had on him and how exhausted he really was because he slept fairly soundly through the night.
He was still surrounded by troopers by the time he woke up, although he was fairly certain that there significantly less numbers of them. Although it was a bit of a challenge with position, Obi-Wan tried to meditate a little before the next disaster would inevitably occur. It was only a tad successful as he kept going back to thinking about Anakin. And right now he just…couldn’t.
Afterwards, he got dressed, complete with his old armor pieces and left the barracks to get to work.
“Greetings, Master Kenobi,” Cin Drallig nodded at him as Obi-Wan walked onto the bridge. There wasn’t many present; it was mostly a skeleton crew, but they paid him little heed. Next to the battle master stood a clone trooper from the meeting before, one of Obi-Wan’s 212th boys, Menace.
“General,” Menace welcomed.
“Master Drallig, Menace,” Obi-Wan nodded at the both of them.
“The boys and I have encrypted and encoded a way for you to get a message to the other Jedi generals that are scattered across the galaxy,” Menace explained as he pulled up a map of the galaxy, planets already highlighted. Obi-Wan presumed that was where jedi and their troops had been positioned. “As long as we know where they are stationed, we can get it to them and encode it so only a Jedi would be able to access it. We made this option just in case there are any activated chipped troopers around or natborns who are loyal to the Empire.”
“That was rather fortuitous of you,” Cin glanced at the trooper, curiously but he projected gratitude, something a little odd from the battlemaster but it was no less appreciated.
“Just precautions sir.”
“Alright, we have to figure out exactly what information we need to send to the others,” Obi-Wan said as he followed Cin and Menace down the halls which ended up being to an office. Was it his? At this point, he wasn’t really paying attention and most of the office rooms looked virtually all the same. This one had been recently packed with communications equipment and a holotable for good measure.
“The basics will be key,” Cin replied with a hum as he closed the door behind them and tied back his longer hair. “We will have to divide it up between what to do when running from activated soldiers or what to do when communications have been shut down so they can’t receive the orders to active the chips.”
“Constrain natborn officers, no communications aside from jedi, which will come up in about three days,” Obi-Wan listed.
“That is a fair chunk of time,” Menace admitted as started to open up and turn on the machinery around the room, as well as the data blockers for outside communications, just incase someone would try to butt in on the networks. “Can they avoid the Empire for that long? We don’t know which forces that the emperor has now or how quickly they will go after those they cannot get a hold of.”
“If they come across conflict, leave immediately,” Cin suggested as made his spot off to the side. “Getting too close to activated chips will active any clones they are around. But we did warn many jedi. The Empire Forces have to be fairly diminished if they understood those warnings. I can’t imagine the new government is completely on it’s feet yet.”
That was true. Even though the Republic had been slowly shifting into something less democratic over the course of the war, it was still a fairly big change, and a lot of things would have to be restructured. There was also the issue, for the Empire, of those who would fight back against its creation or not agree with it. That may buy them some time, he mused.
“But we do need to plan quick, because I’m sure it won’t be long before they are organized and mobilized enough to chase us,” Obi-Wan added, sitting down in one of the chairs next to Menace. In front of him was a little desk area. “If they haven’t realized that Kamino specifically isn’t responding because of this, they will figure it out soon.”
“How about we make a list?” Menace suggested, his gaze flickering between the two masters.
Obi-Wan nodded and his hand shuffled around the desk to find a data pad. Putting it in front of him, he grabbed a utensil and created a list.
“Alright, so first and foremost, the clones are chipped, proximity to activated chips activates others. Activation can also be verbal but only from the Sith. Block all communications available to clones,” Cin started quickly as Obi-Wan immediately wrote down the thoughts on the datapad.
“We can send Healer Che’s information on where the chips are as well, if anyone has the equipment or skills to start taking them out,” Obi-Wan added, the pencil flipping around his fingers to momentarily point at the battlemaster. They both nodded in response.
“Two; the Republic is gone, an Empire has rose. We are being hunted and killed as we are claimed to be traitors. Confine any officers loyal to the Empire until further notice,” Cin continued
“If you have inactivated clones, keep them away from conflict with others, due to the proximity thing,” Menace included, flicking on a few more nozzles and switches.
“If you are around activated clones, get away as quickly as possible, stay low or get away from them if you can,” Cin added, eyeing Menace, carefully. The clone’s presence filled up with a moment of quiet grief and disappointment.
“I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan whispered, unable to meet his eyes.
“Don’t be, it’s not your fault sir,” Menace swallowed harshly but shook his head. “We can’t save anyone yet without a real plan.”
“Contact,” Cin started up again, a little hesitant to keep going as he looked between the two. “Contact will be reestablished within a couple of days, once we get to Kamino. If you have a long range holotable, use it, but keep your comm on you. There will be a coded message to indicate if communications come from us.”
They paused.
“I think…I think those are some good basics, hopefully they can survive until then,” Obi-Wan sighed, jotting down the last of the notes.
“Battle master Drallig and I can get these coded and sent out fairly quickly,” Menace said, gently taking the datapad from Obi-Wan’s hands.
“It’s a start,” he echoed.
***
“I believe it is about time we talk,” Padme said, her face flat with one hand rested on her stomach. Her greeting was desperate and although not exactly unkind, it wasn’t very patient either. Obi-Wan glanced around and let out a silent sigh. This was not going to be a pleasant conversation. One that he didn’t particularly want to have.
He had been working with the other masters and clones to figure out where to go and what to do next for some time. He knew this conversation was coming. He was just dreading it.
Obi-Wan just swallowed and nodded in defeat as he turned to face the pregnant woman. “Alright. But I think it would be best if we would keep this conversation rather private. The 501st survivors and much of the 212thhave been following me like ghosts and they certainly don’t need to hear this.”
Padme’s expression was something of confusion, but she consented, and they found themselves in Obi-Wan’s former office. It was still technically his office, he supposed, but others had been using it since the evacuation. One could tell by all the paperwork and things that cluttered it more than it already was, the things that he knew were not his or Cody’s. He locked the door behind them and let Padme sit on the cot in the corner. He dragged a chair over to her to sit himself, although he could not find a position that was comfortable.
“I suppose we can start with what happened with Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, a bit quietly. He did not want to talk about this right now, not at all. He wasn’t ready for this; he was hardly wrapping his own head around what had happened. His heart clenched harshly in his chest, and he was sure his throat would close up. Taking a shaking deep breath, he tried to continue to speak. “What, exactly, do you already know?”
“Ahsoka called me, telling me there was an attack on the Jedi Temple,” Padme confessed, shaking her head in disbelief. “She told me that Anakin had turned to the Dark Side, that he was killing younglings and leading brainwashed clones to kill everyone.”
Her tone was incredulous and unconvinced, not that Obi-Wan could exactly blame her. He was not even sure if he believed it, and he was there. It seemed impossible. He knew Anakin struggled with some of the jedi tenants, especially that of attachment, which Obi-Wan had tried to talk to him about, to reach out. But Anakin had been closing off more and more as of late. That didn’t mean he could have ever have seen this coming.
Perhaps he should have. Was he so blind?
“That…that would be accurate,” Obi-Wan choked out but did his best to keep his voice constant and steady with as much as patience as he could lacing it.
Padme stood up suddenly but then wavered and leaned against the wall for support. He leaned forward, ready to catch her if she should fall. She steadied herself and straightened her back to stare down at him. “That is absolutely ridiculous,” she announced with such confidence even he almost believed it. “And you know it, Obi-Wan! He is your friend, and he would never do such a thing; the Jedi…”
“If you start blaming my people while we are fleeing for our lives, please refrain,” his own voice continued to be soft but there was a steel bone underlaying it, that made no room for challenge.
“Anakin would never do such a thing,” Padme repeated firmly and shook her head. He closed himself off to her in the Force, he didn’t want to know what she was feeling. He wasn’t sure if he could handle her feelings along with his own. “He has been worried and stressed but that is only because of…”
“Because of what?”
“He’s been having nightmares…” she started slowly, eyeing Obi-Wan as if that would give her some insight, some answers on what was happening. “About me, dying in childbirth.”
“Nightmares,” Obi-Wan repeated numbly. “That is what he was so worked up about? He didn’t come to me or anyone else about them. And he knows how dangerous pregnancies are in this sort of situation. He should have known to talk to the healers about it.”
He should have talked to the healers. At least doctors, someone. Generally speaking, people didn’t just die in childbirth, not on Coruscant, certainly not a prominent senator. No one would ever deny her prenatal care, no matter who the father was.
Even if the father was a jedi.
“He was probably afraid,” Padme glanced away.
It was as if Anakin didn’t know anything of the Jedi at all. The Jedi would have never turned Padme away for pregnancy care or information, Force around, the Jedi wouldn’t turn anyone away who came to their steps in need of help with pregnancy. Force sensitive or not.
“We are getting off track,” Obi-Wan shook his head with a small sigh. He ran a hand through his hair. He just wanted… honestly, he wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted. He supposed he wanted this to all be his own nightmare, one he could just wake up from. One where none of this was real. “Padme, I don’t know how to convince you of what Anakin has done,” he continued. “He led an attack to kill everyone in the Temple, he led an army of brainwashed clones. He murdered Temple Guards and younglings just trying to escape the battle. He fought mewith the intent to kill, rambling about the failings of the jedi,” Obi-Wan stressed, leaning forward. “Master Drallig said he called himself Darth Vader which let me tell you, is a Sith name. All I could feel in him was desperation and fury.”
“You’re wrong,” Padme insisted, her eyes blazing into something so passionate, it nearly hurt to look at. Her loyalty, although her perhaps commendable to an extent, was difficult to work with. Difficult when she wouldn’t believe the truth. He knew it was hard to swallow. He was still in that process. “He is good, there is good in him, of course there is. Something else must be at play.”
“Something else?” Obi-Wan asked, his own voice echoing confusion. He couldn’t imagine much else being at play, his former padawan, his brother, had intended on murdering everyone in the Temple, all those that thought he was their family. All those that thought he cared about them. He had nearly succeeded. If Cody’s chip hadn’t been activated when and where it was… Obi-Wan nearly shuddered at the prospect. He sighed and shook his head again. “I love Anakin. And even after all that he has done I still love him; I will always love him. But I am not blind to what he has become now. I was blind before, not seeing it; only seeing what I wanted to, the good person I thought he could be, the person I thought he was.”
“He is that good person,” she persisted with a sound not open for debate.
Obi-Wan was tired, even the several hours of last night’s sleep would not erase all of the time he had been awake, active, fighting for his life and the lives of those around him.
“Tell that to the younglings that he cut down in front of his former padawan,” Obi-Wan’s hand waved out in emphasis. He hated bringing Ahsoka into this but Padme cared about the young Togruta, probably nearly as much as Anakin used to as well. “Or the 501st troopers who were forced to lead an attack on the Temple, on the Jedi, against their own free will.”
The young woman just stared at him, and he knew that she didn’t believe him. He didn’t think she would ever actually believe him without seeing it for herself.
The fact that Anakin, of all people, would lead a forced brainwashed army to fight people they never would have in their right minds seemed ludicrous.
“Okay, we are at an impasse,” Obi-Wan slumped back a little in his chair. He took a commlink out of his pocket and let his fingers sweep over it, absentmindedly. “Perhaps a break from this line of conversation may be beneficial,” he said slowly, giving Padme the time to sit down on the cot once again. “I think…we need to also talk about your pregnancy,” Obi-Wan added slowly. Padme placed a hand on her belly, protectively.
“You mentioned…you mentioned I could die from this,” Padme replied slowly, her eyes meeting his in a massive flurry of concern and fear. The conversation was not over about Anakin but for now, for now what he had said would have to do. He didn’t know how much longer he could try to help her in that scenario. “So, Anakin was right, I’m going to die in childbirth.”
“It’s not that simple. There is a lot that is included,” Obi-Wan shook his head. How to explain something that he only knew the basics of? Perhaps a professional was best to be in order “Look. Let me call my friend Bant. She is a healer, and she will be able to answer most, if not all, of your questions.”
Without waiting for an answer, he sent his friend a message who near immediately contacted him back, relieved that he had found their wayward patient. Apparently, Padme was not supposed to be out of the medbay. Obi-Wan imagined they would want to monitor her, considering her pregnancy and situation. His comm beeped again.
“We’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
Obi-Wan didn’t know who the other side of the we was but at this point, he would take all the help he could get.
Those few minutes were the most awkward ones Obi-Wan could remember.
The Mon Calamari walked in with another healer trailed in behind her and Obi-Wan could not even help the sigh of relief. At last. “Hello Obi-Wan, senator,” Bant greeted, giving them both a nod, her large dark eyes brimming with sympathy and kindness. Obi-Wan would forever be baffled and astounded at the amount of love and compassion his friend could hold. “Senator, my name is Bant. I am a healer. This is Healer Jayden; she specializes in pregnancies.”
“You have special doctors for pregnancies in the jedi?” Padme asked, a little taken back.
“Of course,” the doctor nodded as Obi-Wan got up to give them both seats. He ended up standing off a little to the side, often finding himself leaning against the wall for support. “Believe it or not, the jedi are not celibate,” she pointed out, even though Padme’s glance looked a bit skeptic. “And although it isn’t extremely common, jedi can and do get pregnant.”
“They do?” Padme echoed.
“Of course. Force Sensitivity isn’t always passed down, but it is more likely if one or more of the parents have it,” Jayden explained, her voice smooth and calm. It could not be said that Jedi didn’t know when they were supposed to be healers. He could only imagine how determined they must be in such an art. “Pregnancies involving force sensitivity in general can be quite difficult, but we should really talk about your case specifically.”
“Is it…different?”
“I have been briefed on a few things,” Healer Jayden said, giving Bant a quick glance as if for confirmation. Obi-Wan wondered how much she had been told about the situation, about the father. “The father of your children is former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, is it not?”
“Current Jedi Knight,” Padme corrected, her voice laced with bitter undertones and eyes narrowed. Something she had picked up from Anakin, he supposed. “Unless the Jedi have kicked him out for loving someone.”
“The Jedi do not typically, kick people out,” Bant continued, her voice just as relaxed and mellow. She was taking this very well. Obi-Wan nearly felt like shaking Anakin or someonewho should know better for all the things misinterpreted, deliberately or otherwise. “Not for loving anyone or getting people pregnant.”
“Yes,” Padme confirmed, her voice subdued. “He is the father.”
“Alright. So, the father has an incredibly high number of midiclorians in his body, which is how one can determine how force sensitive an individual is. He is a very high number, more than anyone else and is very, very strong in the Force,” Jayden explained, patiently. She spoke in chunks, probably to better allow Padme to follow what she was saying.
“What does that mean for the baby? That it will be force-sensitive?”
The healer nodded but her expression was a bit grave. “In your case, certainly. Because if they hadn’t, you would probably be dead already.”
And… Obi-Wan hadn’t expected her to be so blunt. Padme stared wide-eyed.
“Skywalker is so strong in the Force that it is killing you, not to mention the darkness that is practically permeating you,” the healer continued and although Obi-Wan could feel a tad of concern with it, she did not show it outright, rather keeping a cool presence of security. “The only reason that you are still alive and as strong as you are, currently, is because the two babies inside of you are also extremely force-sensitive and are keeping you alive. It is…very complex and seems a bit paradoxical, and difficult to explain when it comes to the specifics, as well as the ins and outs of what is happening in your body.”
“So, I will not survive this birth,” Padme realized.
“The odds are not fantastic,” Jayden replied truthfully with a small frown. “But the only way you can survive is with a Jedi Healer’s help. If you stayed on the planet, you would not have survived the birth and I doubt anyone would have understood why. But we can and we will help you, Padme,” she said, taking the woman’s hand gently, curling her partially translucent fingers around the younger senator’s. “You can trust us that we will do everything in our power to make sure that you survive to see your children grow up.”
“What are the odds?” Padme whispered, staring at her hands.
“It is difficult to say,” Jayden admitted, candidly. “We’ve never had a child from someone as powerful as Skywalker before. Best case scenario you will be out of commission, maybe even comatose, for some time while your body regenerates its strength.”
If it can, went unspoken.
With her free hand, Padme brought it up to cover her mouth, letting out a shaky breath, tears starting to slip down her cheeks.
“I think you could use some rest, senator,” Bant advised, speaking up for the first time. Although Healer Jayden did most of the talking, Obi-Wan was still grateful for his friend’s presence. “I think we have a small room near the medical bay that we can use for you,” she added and glanced at Obi-Wan. “Would you mind getting her there?”
He didn’t think, just nodded. With a second thought, he didn’t really want to, he didn’t want to talk with her right now. He was just so tired and there was much to do but he knew it was right. Walking over, he helped Padme up and walked her out of the door. He led her through the halls towards the medical bay, appreciative for the silence.
He didn’t need an argument right now.
As they got to the small room, he unlocked and opened the door. “I will have some of my handmaidens come and bring things from the ship,” she whispered.
He hadn’t realized that she had brought anyone. Oh, he hoped she hadn’t brought Jar Jar. He didn’t mind the Gungan, almost liked him really, but he had a tendency to get into trouble and that was the last thing they needed.
He was about to leave when she pulled him back to look at her. “There is good in Anakin, Obi-Wan,” she announced, although her voice stayed rather quiet, just firm. “You must see it. And I will prove it to you,” her tone reflected her eyes, something fiery and passionate.
This was always going to be a tragedy, he realized suddenly.
There was very little he could say to that. He didn’t believe her but then again, he was trying hard not to think of Anakin right now. His thoughts were dominated with the survival of his people, both jedi and clone.
He had to put them first.
“Okay,” he croaked.
And then whisked himself away as quickly as he could without making it seem like he was literally running from her.
He was entirely exhausted.
The talk with Padme had last longer than he had anticipated and honestly, all he wanted was to sleep. Could he though? How much was there left to do? Then again, at this point, he wasn’t sure if there was anything specifically, he could do, aside from perhaps trying to research? Maybe?
His brain just felt full. He wasn’t entirely sure if he would be of any help.
“There you are sir,” the familiar voice and tonal individuality of Boil registered to Obi-Wan’s ears nearly a beat too late. He turned to see the clone walking up to him, a small youngling on arm.
Waxer was the one who was outspoken about loving little ones but anyone who knew anything about Boil knew he loved being around them just as much.
The thought made Obi-Wan smile and his chest warm.
Presence of people that he cared about, that perhaps cared about him, ones that he didn’t constantly have to fight tooth and nail with, were something of a relief. Just a presence to fall into that wasn’t consistently looking for lies or secrets or to tear his head off.
“How are you, Boil?” he asked, trying for a smile.
It must not have worked very well because the clone gave him an odd glance but, in the end, he just shrugged. “I’m alright, just taking this young’in to the modified creche,” he explained, gesturing to the young jedi child on his hip. “He accidently got lost and I’m bringing him back before my allotted hours of sleep.”
“Allotted hours?”
How late was it?
“Sir, it’s quite late,” Boil pointed out, answering his unasked question for him, and gesturing lightly for the general to follow. He did so without pause or thought. It was interesting, he believed, how easily and unthinkingly he would follow them. Perhaps it was foolishness but perhaps it was just trust and faith. He was in a rather short supply of that these past few days. “The daytime officers and workers are getting ready for sleep. The Jedi are hunkering down in the creche places and barracks along with the children and troopers. I never realized how cuddly Jedi could be when they sleep together,” he added with a bit of a half laugh.
The child laughed alongside with him, although a bit louder and fuller.
“We slept in piles a lot,” Obi-Wan replied.
“We like to do that too,” Boil shrugged to keep a hold on the little one hanging from him. “It’s good that your sleeping arrangements are around the men, it’s good for morale, especially at a time like this. Everyone is a little freaked out, I think it helps there is someone they can trust around during those times.”
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. Who taught Boil manipulation tactics?
He paused, nearly tripping at the realization.
Oh right. Hedid.
Accidently, of course. It wasn’t like Obi-Wan was giving lectures or classes on how to manipulate or negotiate yourself out of situations. But still, his behavior would be seeming to be biting him in the butt now, as his troopers were now using it against him.
Part of him almost felt impressed.
“Right,” Obi-Wan muttered.
The child hanging off of Boil, giggled knowingly. As the two of them dropped the child off at one of the places set aside for the children, Boil offered to escort him to the barracks for sleep. Obi-Wan tried to back out of it but Boil was rather adamant and then….
And then Rex showed up.
And Obi-Wan knew he was completely was doomed.
He couldn’t say no to Rex right now, not with what his troops had gone through.
“Hello, general,” Rex greeted with a bit of a wavering smile. He was trying hard. Obi-Wan suspected he had spent most of his day with the survivors of the 501st. He knew it wasn’t pretty and they were trying very hard to make sense of what had happened to them. “People have been wondering where you have been.”
“Is that so?” Obi-Wan hummed in response.
“Yes, the 501stsurvivors have been curious to know if you are coming back tonight,” he added in, thinking himself rather sly. Survivors; wasn’t that what they all were now. Survivors of a genocide, survivors of brainwashed slavery, survivors of being unmade into a vacant body.
“As a matter of fact, Boil was just escorting me to the barracks,” Obi-Wan shot back. He kept falling into this trap, he knew it. But at least this time he would not be caught floundering like the day before. “It has been quite the day, full of… colorful conversations.”
“Oh? Who did you talk to?”
“I had to have to talk about Senator Amidala and her pregnancy.”
Obi-Wan could practically just feel Rex’s stomach drop. “You…you know about that sir?”
“I probably knew about it before you did,” he muttered under his breath. As if Anakin could keep a secret like that from him, as if Padme could. Any Jedi that came across her would have known; would have sensed her pregnancy. He, of course, was the one who knew it was Anakin’s child because honestly, who’s else could it have been. But louder, instead he tried, “Yes. I’ve known about Anakin and Padme for quite some time. It is not difficult to sense her pregnancy. I do not know why Anakin thought he was being subtle or discreet. And you, captain, well, I think you could work on your acting skills a little.”
The captain just blushed hard. “My apologies sir.”
“No worries. It hardly matters,” Obi-Wan shrugged. “But talking with her, about what we had to, was rather exhausting and I will, quite frankly, be a bit glad to get some rest before the next day comes about. Because soon, we will be at Kamino and a whole new situation will arise.”
“We don’t know how much time it will be before the Empire comes after us,” Boil realized with a deep frown.
“So, we should get as much rest as we can until then,” Obi-Wan nodded at the two of them as they neared the barracks. “Because who knows how much real rest we will get once the new conflicts arise.”
***
It was the middle of the night when he had heard it.
Obi-Wan had been stuck in the near middle of a pile once again, surrounded on all sides by mostly clone troopers, the main force being the de-chipped 212th and the 501st survivors, with a few others they had rescued within the Temple before and during the siege. He could make out Inkspot somewhere, leaning against Trapper and Gearshift.
Many of the survivors, mostly those of the 501st specifically, had horrible nightmares, even so soon after the events. He couldn’t blame them; it was a horrible ordeal they had gone through. He tried to shield them the best he could, to help them sleep with less nightmares. He did his best. He didn’t dare take a look into what they contained, he feared they would just feed into his own.
For some reason or another, the scratching woke him up.
Shifting his body up carefully so he wouldn’t awake the troopers surrounding him, he glanced around at the barracks for the sound. No way he was just hearing it in his mind.
There. Some movement in the corner.
Carefully he cleared himself of snuggling troopers and got up.
Obi-Wan moved through the bodies, making his way to the edge of the pile of clone troopers until he found one of the 501st in the corner, frantically trying to scrub his armor. Not just his armor, the jedi realized, but the blue paint off of it. And there was quite a bit of it.
The trooper nearly jumped feet in the air when he realized Obi-Wan had sat next to him, his eyes wide in fear and panic.
“At ease,” he assured quietly but it did very little to ease the trooper’s anxiety. Obi-Wan reached out into the Force towards his presence.
Calmpeacesafe
It helped more than words had.
“Are you alright, Graffiti?”
The trooper looked at him, a little surprised. “You…know who I am? Y-You remember?”
Obi-Wan nodded. “Yes. Would you like to tell me what is going on?” he asked gently.
The trooper swallowed, staring down at his armor before tearing his eyes away. He couldn’t seem to keep his eyes on it for more than a moment.
“Everyone has nightmares, it is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I do, sometimes,” Graffiti admitted, hesitant with his voice choked on tears. “It’s not even the fighting or the war or anything. I just see blank faces, marching blue, so much blue. People…people always think when terrible things happen, when blood is shed, everything is in a haze of red because blood is red. But for me…for me it was a haze of blue. Not just any blue. The 501st blue. It’s…its supposed to be something proud of, a color we should be proud of.”
Obi-Wan just waited patiently.
“I woke up shaking this morning,” he continued, his voice quivering with tears already accumulating in his eyes as he shoved the piece of armor that was in his arms away. “It was so bad I couldn’t even put my armor on. One of my brothers had to do it for me. But even then, I…. I felt so awful. I kept making excuses to go to the head and then my brothers kept making excuses for me, just in case.”
“You do not have to wear it if you do not wish to,” Obi-Wan replied gently. “Things, I imagine, are going to be different now.”
“It’s…it’s not the armor itself,” he confessed, staring down at the piece that he was holding. “I don’t think it is the armor. It’s…it’s the color,” he looked confused when he glanced at the jedi, as if he wasn’t entirely sure why he was saying this or even the reasoning behind it. “Every time I see it, I keep getting sick. I keep remembering when we were marching towards the Temple, all the blue of the amor, creating a sea of soldiers, all in time and not even…not even hesitating on what we were going to do.”
“You couldn’t move.”
“I couldn’t even think until afterwards,” Graffiti admitted the quiver in his voice growing. “I just wanted to scream. Even after we got into the Temple, I remember everything but…it’s all in this horrible blue haze that I choke on. Something I was once proud to bear, a color that I was proud of, was twisted into something horrible and evil. I know it doesn’t make any sense but…”
“Sometimes things like this don’t make sense to others or even ourselves,” Obi-Wan’s voice was quiet and calm as he looked over at the trooper. The latter had a difficult time meeting his gaze, but he finally had, tears welled up in his eyes, certainly obscuring his vision.
“I think I would rather have no paint, just be a blank set of armor like a no-name shiny again before I wear something that has been so twisted,” he whispered, running a hand along his helmet, half scrubbed of blue paint. “And isn’t that awful? I was brainwashed into being no one and now, I want to go back to being a no one again, just…slightly different type of no one.”
The jedi’s heart shuttered in his chest.
“Would you mind waiting here for a moment?” he asked, placing a hand gently on the soldier’s shoulder. “I will be right back. I think…I think I have something.”
Graffiti looked quite confused but nodded.
Obi-Wan stood up and made his way through the maze of people, towards the door. As he got to the halls, his pace quickened. There weren’t particularly many people around, but a few had caught him gliding through the halls quickly, often giving him looks that made him want to shrink back into the pile in the barracks.
Some did not seem happy to see him out and about.
He got to a storage room and opened the door. Upon finding what he was looking for, he grabbed it and hurried back. Obi-Wan came back, worked his way through the maze of sleeping men again, and set down a large can on the ground as quietly as he could. The trooper just stared at it, wide-eyed, a bit confused and certainly a lot speechless.
“It’s yours, if you want it.”
Graffiti took a moment to realize what it was. At first, he didn’t look entirely sure, like it might be a trap, but it took only a minute before he burst into a quiet sob, covering his face with his hands.
“It may not stop the nightmares,” Obi-Wan explained quietly. “But know that you will always have a place with us.”
Eventually, when he got a little more control of himself, Obi-Wan could make out a nod from him.
“I think I might need something new,” Graffiti rasped out, just barely.
“Perhaps you should make a visit to one of the creche groups,” Obi-Wan offered, shooting him a quick, warm, glance. “They are full of ideas. And they would love to see you.”
Graffiti met his gaze, his eyebrows scrunched together. He didn’t verbally reply but the jedi master had a feeling he would anyways.
Obi-Wan spent the rest of the night with him, quietly scrubbing off the blue paint and replacing it with shimmering gold.
#we are burning stars#we are burning stars au#order 66#order 66 au#star wars fic#star wars#star wars au#my writing#pro jedi fic#jedi positive fic#jedi postivity#pro jedi#pro clone#clone troopers#clone trooper boil#captain rex#padme amidala#cin drallig#menace#obi-wan kenobi#obi wan kenobi#bant eerin#jedi#look im sorry about padme#she's hard#especially right now#but look let me distract you with cuddle piles#and other emotional moments
17 notes
·
View notes
Text
Far From Home - Part 5
Peter Parker x reader
Synopsis; Coming from another reality yourself, what will happen when you see straight through the lies of the mysterious Quentin Beck.
Series Masterlist 🍒
Normal Masterlist 🧚🏻♀️
The air came in and out of Peter's lung so fast it was hard for him to keep up. He swung through the city, his webs going faster than his mind as he got on the first train to Berlin, ready to spoil Mysterio's plan to Nick Fury.
But what Peter didn't expect what that Mysterio was waiting for him instead. Crashing his plan of telling Fury everything.
Peter found himself dancing in between his many illusions, getting his mind tricked in every corner, not ready for what was about to hit him when he saw you. All illusions were out, and you were standing there, Mysterio's grip holding on tight to your hair. You were crying for your life as you saw Peter, his name escaping your lips as you screamed words of help.
Peter suddenly let out a gasp of joy as he saw you alive, but his heart fell down to his stomach as he saw your bruised skin and bloody face, making his anger towards Mysterio rise even more. He reached for you as Mysterio's wicked smile just grew stronger.
You didn't know if it was an illusion or not when Peter was hit by the train but the doubt made you fall to the floor incapable of doing anything to save yourself when Mysterio let the grip on you go. A wicked laugh escaped his lips making you think it was real, but if it was, the truth was too hard to take it. Your whole world was crumbling in front of your eyes and the way you had ended things with him left you with a large hole in your heart.
But Mysterio finally got what he wanted, so while you were crumbling and dying of heartbreak every part of you slowly shutting down as the will to live slowly escaped you, Mysterio had a large smile on his face watching the train that had hit Peter slowly pass in front of his wicked stare.
~
The constant reminders that Peter was gone were always there.
Mysterio was always repeating. Whether it was to a broken you, or to his teammates, making every little second since you had seen Peter die in front of your eyes even more difficult to bear.
You opened your tired eyes, not being able to rub them as you woke up still tied in the same chair. You looked around the unfamiliar room, trying your best to sense where you were but everything seemed hard to do, the pain in your chest left by Peter making your powers impossible to use. Time felt lost to you. You didn’t know how long you had been out.
The last thing you remembered was the loud sounds of a plane, and a vague skyline, looking much different to Berlin.
Your entire body was in pain; you tried moving your legs but the large bruises that covered them made it hard, the rope rubbing on every single little hurt part of you that hurted. You didn't think of anything as a sob escaped your lips, losing all control.
While on the other side of the building, Mysterio was madly going over his plan to attack London, and on the far off end of the city, high up in the sky, Peter was going over his plan ready to fight Mysterio and get you back.
"Peter you got to get a grip." Happy almost screamed at him as he finally arrived in London, unable to get Peter to stop crying.
"What if she's dead?" He trembled as he looked up to happy.
"Peter please! If- Who's this?" Happy's stare went from Peter to a tall tanned brunette that had appeared from a golden circle.
Peter quickly turned around, a small smile finally appearing on his lips.
"Kyland-" He whispered standing up.
"I heard what happened."
"How?" Peter's lips trembled.
"im a reality keeper, Peter." He deadpanned. "You need to stop underestimating me."
"Sorry who are you? and why did you do the same weird thing as Strange?" Happy folded his eyes.
"How are you, Hogan." Kyland gave Happy his signature charming smile. "I'm Dr.Strange's apprentice. You've met me before." He chuckled and Happy racked his brain, the memory of him being fully lost by the tones of work Happy had on his hands.
"Anyways we got to go. Y/n is in big danger." He turned to Peter, worry filling his eyes at the thought of you being powerless. "She's letting herself die" He could barely speak the last part of the sentence.
"What?" Peter whispered barely being able to think as he darted on his feet grabbing the suite that he had built.
"She thinks you're dead." He said, making Peter's jaw clench. "I talked to her, she was too weak to communicate with for long I couldn't get any message through-"
"Let's go."
~
“Do you think this is an illusion?” Kyland said as he tried his best to fight off the multitude of drones that were thrown his way.
“I don’t know.” He sighed before punching a drone that turned out to be an illusion, his fist flying into thin air, before lifting his head as Mysterio’s voice called out to him. The sight of your life being in danger suddenly created a flow of emotions inside him. Peter clenched his fist as he watched you dangle over a bridge, the mix of panic and anger being so high something snaped.
Peter growled as though he was an aminal in the middle of the Savana ready to pounce on his enemy at any chance. He grabbed all the strength that was left in his body and screamed in anger.
“Peter, I’ll bring you up there.” Kyland placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll manage without you,” He pointed to the drones that were coming his way, a flash of worry passed Peter’s eyes before a portal to head to the bridge ate him whole as he took a step forward.
Peter questioned where he was for a few seconds before turning around to face a pale white Mysterio. Spider-man’s enemy took a second, before a small ball of fear suddenly settled inside his stomach.
“Do something!” He screamed into his intercom as the fear in the pit of his gut grew stronger.
“We’re already doing our best sir.” A weak voice replied as he continued multiple attacks that Peter simply dodged, his feelings fueling his thirst to hunt Mysterio.
Mysterio ended up facing the furious teenager he thought he had so easily killed, grabbing onto the last piece of credibility he had to grumble something into his intercom making an illusion of you fall from the bridge and disappear into thin air once it was about to hit the floor. For a second the air that flowed in and out of Peter’s lungs stopped until he realized what Mysterio was doing.
He grabbed all the strength in him, and trotted to Mysterio, punching the illusion with all his strength.
“Where is she?” He growled talking to the air in front of him.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Mysterio’s voice echoed through the bridge.
“Why are you doing this.” He cried as the helpless feeling rose in him.
“People will believe anything Peter.”
Whatever happened next, Peter was too overwhelmed to remember. But what he did remember was blaming himself for Mysterio's death and seeing your almost lifeless figure sat on a chair, almost bruised to death.
“EDITH, is this an illusion?” Peter carefully asked, not daring to come near you.
“All illusions are out Peter.” At this moment he felt a world of pressure fall off his shoulders. “Y/n” He cried in relief as he bent to you, immediately sensing your faint heartbeat as he got closer. He quickly removed the ropes that were tightly wrapped around your body, taking you in his arms as your limbs fell from the chair.
“How is she?” Kyland appeared from behind, trembling when he saw your poor state.
“I don’t know.” He sniffed as he took you bridal style, fixing some strand of loose hair that fell on your eyes.
~
Your eyes fluttered open before they were met with the bright lights from the hospital room, making you wonder if it was an illusion, or that someone had found you and brought you to safety.
“Peter-” You mumbled as you tried to move, but every part of your body hurted causing your head to flip to the side.
“Y/n.” A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he walked to your side, meeting your tired eyes.
“Where are we?” You coughed and tried to hold yourself up but failed in the process.
“London.” He tried to smile as he took your hand in his like it was made with porcelain, the sadness in his eyes alarming you.
“You alright?” You wondered feeling the tears for yourself as Peter silently nodded.
“I was worried about you... We fought Mysterio... You um- you were right.” He looked everywhere but your eyes. “Im so sorry.” He sighed, a small tear dropping on your hospital sheets. “I should have believed you- you um, you could have died.” He looked away as more tears balanced on the rim of his eyes.
“It’s alright.” You used some of the strength you had gained back to raise your hand to his cheek, bringing his stare back to yours. “I’m ok.” You smiled brushing his cheek. “You couldn’t have known Peter. I've done the whole other reality thing. You couldn't have known.”
“But I could have believed you. Believed in you. You’ve lost everything to this, and he claimed the same things, he claimed to have lived what you had lived, I should have believed you. You’re far from home, and he wasn’t, this wasn’t fair for you." He cried out as he brought his forehead to yours.
“It’s ok” You smiled a tear slipped your eye, using your last bit of strength to press a small kiss to his cheek. "I like being far from home as long as I’m with you."
The End
- Taglist -
@averyfosterthoughts @justifymyfeelings @slytherinambitious @criminaly-supernatural@supernaturallover2002 @trustfundparker @tomhollandreads @prettysbliss @ksmy-99 @allycat449-blog @big-galaxy-chaos
#peter parker#peter parker x reader#peter parker imagine#peter parker x you#peter parker x y/n#tom holland#tom holland imagine#tom holland x reader fluff#tom holland x reader#tom holland x y/n#fan fiction#far from home#series#mysterio#last chapter !
73 notes
·
View notes
Note
How about 11, 24, 26 or 43? Just any of these is fine.
First, I apologize that this took so long, but I do hope it was worth the wait! Second, there ARE references to self harm in this, so here is your warning.
Prompt 24: “You’re the only one I trust to do this.”
Trust
Yuriko was just barely able to hold Midari up as they stumbled into her dorm room. Her body was searing against Yuriko’s, even though her clothes. That wasn’t a good sign and Yuriko was eternally grateful she found Midari when she did. Any longer and Midari may have been needed to be hospitalized.
The Beautification Officer was burning up with a high fever, but somehow still able to gain a sense of her surroundings. She looked irritated and to an extent, embarrassed. Yuriko knew why; Midari didn’t want to appear weak. Yuriko didn’t once consider her to be weak, even when she collapsed in the hallway from sheer exhaustion. Her stubbornness was both a blessing and a curse; in this case it only made things worse.
Thankfully, Yuriko found her and was able to help her up so she could walk her back to her dorm in hopes that she’d be able to rest. She didn’t know why Midari decided to press on that day regardless of her high temperature and raw throat from coughing all night. Perhaps it was a masochist thing, but Yuriko had a feeling it wasn’t. There must have been another reason why Midari didn’t stay in bed when anyone could see that she was sick as a dog and needed to sleep.
“Bed,” Midari murmured, weakly pointing to the correct direction.
Yuriko huffed in frustration. “How could you be so stupid? You’re burning up! Even you should know to stay in bed if you have a fever!”
“I’m not in the mood to be nagged like you’re my mother, Yuriko,” Midari groaned. “My head is killing me as it is.”
“You should be thankful I found you and brought you here,” Yuriko flushed with embarrassment.
Midari shrugged as they reached her bedroom. “I guess that’s true. I feel like fucking shit now. It’s gotten worse since this morning. Maybe you’re right about staying in bed.”
“Of course I’m right,” Yuriko rolled her eyes and helped Midari sit on the edge of her bed. “I know this must be hard for you.”
“Eh? Hard?” Midari raised a brow at her before letting out a wicked cough. “What are you talking about?”
“Allowing someone to assist you since you’re so reluctant about not letting someone help you when you need it,” Yuriko snickered jokingly.
“I do that because I don’t wanna be dead weight to someone,” Midari admitted. “Plus, I’m not a people person. I don’t really trust people much unless I genuinely like them.”
Yuriko frowned. Midari rarely admitted things like that and Yuriko suspected she only said it because she was in such a weakened state to begin with. If it was true that she didn’t trust people… why did she trust Yuriko so easily?
Though, Yuriko couldn’t deny she had been growing closer to the one-eyed girl as of recently. Call it fate or “sheer absolute boredom” as Midari claimed it to be, the two had started talking much more and actually seemed to enjoy each other’s company.
It was strange. Of all the people Yuriko thought she would form a bond with, Midari Ikishima wasn’t at the top of her list. Yet there was something so alluring about the Beautification Officer all the same. She stood out in the crowd of faces at Hyakkaou. She was known by practically everyone, but at the same time she wasn’t considered to be popular so much as she was feared. Many of the students saw her as a freak. Yuriko however… found her to be intriguing. Surprisingly, talking to her was as easy as breathing.
“Thanks for uh… getting me here,” Midari swallowed her pride and said quietly.
Yuriko nodded. “You’re very welcome.”
“What are you gonna do now?” Midari asked softly, her voice scratchy from the coughing.
“Stay here, of course,” Yuriko chuckled.
It wasn’t like Yuriko had anything better to do anyway. All club activities were finished for the day and it was a weekend which granted her freedom to do what she pleased. Although many wouldn't want to spend their weekend tending to someone who was I'll, Yuriko really didn't mind.
Midari wrinkled her nose in confusion. “You’ll be bored out of your mind.”
“I won't,” Yuriko assured her. “I want to help.”
“Why?” Midari scoffed.
“Believe it or not, I actually consider you to be my friend,” Yuriko murmured. “And… I care about you.”
“Well that’s sweet,” Midari smirked. “And I guess I can’t force you to stay or go, so do what ya want.”
Yuriko knew that was Midari’s way of telling her thanks. She watched as Midari slowly stood up and walked over to place her revolver on her nightstand before plopping back down onto her mattress, lifting one of the covers over her.
“Um, Ikishima-san, shouldn’t you perhaps strip down a little so you don’t increase your body temperature?” Yuriko asked.
“Hm, I’m too exhausted to take off my uniform right now and I've got the chills,” Midari retorted tiredly. “You want me to rest, so I am.”
“I don’t think it’s wise to leave so much clothing on though,” Yuriko insisted. "Take off one layer at the very least. I assure you, it will help."
"Hm, you're really eager to strip me down, huh? Shouldn't you at least buy me dinner first?" Midari playfully flirted.
“I’ll leave the room if you need time to unclothe," Yuriko ignored her comment.
Midari sat up and winced, holding her head. “Don’t bother; I don’t give a shit. Actually, why don’t you give me a hand since you're so insistent?”
Yuriko blushed, though she didn’t know why. “A-alright then.”
"Just do me a favor when you do," Midari requested when Yuriko walked over to her.
Yuriko raised a confused brow. "Okay?"
"Don't stare too much," Midari huffed.
Yuriko stared at her in slight confusion. Why would she stare? She wasn't rude like that, nor was there really anything of interest for her to stare at. Nothing she would ever admit to, that is.
"Why would I stare?" Yuriko chuckled uneasily.
Midari sighed. "I have some scars from my past that I don't like people seeing."
This wasn't all that surprising to hear considering Midari's line of work and responsibility in the academy. Or maybe these scars were there for a completely different reason; self inflicted perhaps. That may explain why Midari didn't want anyone seeing or knowing about them. It was a rather taboo topic after all.
"I understand and I won't stare," Yuriko nodded. "But we really need to get your body temperature to go down."
Midari complied, slowly standing up. Yuriko looked down at Midari's red, sleeveless shirt and looked back up at her, asking for permission. Midari nodded tiredly, sluggishly lifting her arms up while Yuriko helped lift the shirt off of her. Next came the buttoned up shirt which Yuriko quickly undid each button.
Yuriko removed the article of clothing off of Midari's body, feeling the intense heat radiating off of her. Her eyes locked onto the one-eyed girl's basic purple bra, slowly looking down to see her well toned stomach. She wasn't sure to be surprised to see that Midari had abs or the large, noticeable, faded scars across them. Midari said she had scars, but Yuriko recognized these to be cutting scars. She had no doubt that these were indeed self inflicted. They were too intricate; too close together to be accidental.
Instantly, Yuriko felt her heart swell with sorrow. It made her realize just how little she really knew about the Beautification Officer. It was true that the two had grown close as friends, but even then Yuriko couldn't say she truly knew Midari and what occurred in her past.
Breaking free from her thoughts, she felt Midari grab her hand and guide it toward her scars. Her hand was pressed against the hot skin and her entire body heated up as Midari allowed her to touch her abs. Midari had her eye closed with an almost pained expression, as if being touched hurt her.
"W-why?" Yuriko stuttered, her face turning intensely red by this point.
"You looked like you wanted to touch them," Midari teased, her tone unusually soft. "Besides, I knew it would fluster you and your reaction didn't disappoint."
"No... no I meant... why are you letting me?" Yuriko asked, looking away in embarrassment.
"You’re the only one I trust to do this," Midari admitted quietly.
Trust. That was one thing Midari rarely felt and Yuriko knew it better than anyone. The only person Midari truly trusted was herself, or so she thought. Yuriko now questioned if she underestimated how Midari felt about her.
She looked up to see Midari's cheeks dusted with red and she knew that wasn't from the fever. She too was flustered by this, but wouldn't easily admit it. It made Yuriko's heart flutter, causing her to have an overwhelming desire to lean forward and close the distance between them. But now wasn't the time.
"I see," Yuriko murmured shyly. "Are you comfortable sharing why these scars are here?"
Midari thought back to when she first placed a blade onto her skin, soon creating a wound that would become the first of many cutting scars. She didn't do it to punish herself or because she felt like she deserved it like a lot of people would feel when they did something like that. Her problem at the time was feeling anything at all.
The pain from the blade allowed her to feel something when she struggled so desperately to feel anything. She was so out of tune with her own emotions that she was beginning to struggle feeling anything physically as well. Every time she cut into her skin, she was finally able to feel. Granted, it was severe pain which in itself wasn't the best feeling, but to her it was better than not feeling anything at all. It gave her something to hold onto, knowing she was still able to feel something albeit it was pain. It reminded her that she was still alive and helped her figure out what was real and what wasn't.
It was the darkest time in her life.
Midari shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not ready to talk about that. Not yet at least."
"And that's alright," Yuriko nodded in understanding. "You will tell me when your ready or not at all if you cannot. I will respect that."
"That's good," Midari agreed, then giving the shorter girl a seductive expression that caused Yuriko's blush to travel to the tips of her ears. "Now, are you gonna finish stripping me, princess?~"
"W-why do you have to say it like that?" Yuriko stuttered.
Midari weakly cackled which prompted a coughing fit.
"Because there's no better way to say it!" She choked out.
"You make it sound so lewd," Yuriko grumbled, placing her hands on the hem of Midari's skirt before gently tugging it down. "Then again, I don't expect anything less of you."
Midari shrugged and stepped out of her skirt. "Can I rest now?"
"Of course," Yuriko confirmed.
Midari gave a subtle nod before crawling back into bed, now covering her body fully with her bed sheets. She felt hot and sticky yet at the same time her body had the chills; it was a very odd sensation and she didn't like it. It was uncomfortable. Thankfully, she was able to fall asleep within minutes, completely forgetting about the uncomfortable sensation.
Yuriko sat down on the edge of the bed, watching the exhausted girl's chest rise and fall as she slept. She shook her head, trying to ignore the feeling in her heart to join Midari and wrap her arms around her, assuring that this sickness would soon pass and that she wasn't alone. Would that have been such a bad thing?
Midari woke up to the feeling of something damp and cool press against her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes to see Yuriko with a wet cloth in her hand. Midari had almost forgotten Yuriko was still here, but seeing her warmed her heart nonetheless. It's not like she knew anyone else who would do this for her.
The one-eyed girl glanced over at her clock. It was close to midnight. She had been asleep for roughly six hours, but still felt exhausted and like she could sleep for another six hours. Her symptoms hadn't worsened at least, but they didn't necessarily subside either.
"How are you feeling?" Yuriko asked softly.
Midari sluggishly sat up. "Not much better, honestly. The cold cloth feels nice though."
"I took your temperature earlier. Your fever went down slightly which is a good sign," Yuriko smiled encouragingly.
"You know, you didn't have to stay here this whole time," Midari commented, laying back down.
Technically Yuriko didn't. At some point when Midari was out cold, she left her dorm to go purchase some medication as well as bring a novel from her own dorm room. She wasn't planning on just leaving Midari there alone for the night when she was barely able to stand up on her own.
Yuriko nodded. "I know I didn't, but I wanted to. So don't worry about it."
Midari grinned weakly, lightly tapping Yuriko's arm. "Hmmm, you've got it bad for me, don't ya?"
Yuriko's eyes widened, not knowing how to respond to that. Midari was flirtatious by nature, but somehow she flirted with Yuriko far more often than she did with anyone else.
Yuriko said nothing, but the blush that formed in her cheeks spoke for her. Did she like Midari? Platonically she did without a doubt. Romantically however... that was a complicated answer that she didn't even know herself.
She brushed the thought to the side, knowing Midari wasn't in the right frame of mind at the moment. She looked over at the cough syrup she placed on the nightstand earlier. Midari followed her gaze and scowled.
"You're crazier than I am if you think I'm gonna drink that nasty shit," Midari said warningly, turning over in bed once Yuriko grabbed the bottle.
"It's going to help you get better," Yuriko huffed. "Please don't be difficult."
"I'm telling you right now there's no way you're gonna get me to drink that," Midari grumbled. "I'd rather die."
Yuriko ignored her. She looked over the directions and poured out the correct dosage of cough syrup into the measuring cap. She could smell how bitter it was and understood why Midari didn't want to drink it; she'd honestly have a hard time consuming it herself.
"Just grin and bear it," Yuriko suggested, holding the cap up to Midari's lips.
Midari shook her head childishly. "Why? It's gross."
Yuriko sighed in frustration. "Please, Midari. For me."
Midari rolled her eye in compliance. How could she say no to that? She allowed Yuriko to pour the bitter liquid into her mouth. Midari's senses may have been weakened, but she was still able to faintly taste the disgusting medication and wanted to gag from the taste.
"Thank you," Yuriko smiled slightly. "I think you need more rest now."
"Yeah," Midari nodded in agreement. "And so do you. You look exhausted. Maybe it's time for you to go back to your dorm."
Yuriko was exhausted. She rarely stayed up past ten in the evening, let alone stay up till midnight. Her eyes were heavy and she wanted to sleep, but didn't want to leave. If she could just stay awake for the night to make sure Midari's condition didn't worsen. She knew if it did, the girl wouldn't go to the hospital to get the medical treatment she would need on her own. So Yuriko decided to stay. Just in case.
"No, I'm staying," Yuriko shook her head.
"I don't have an extra bed and the futon is too small to sleep on," Midari pointed out. "Not to mention the floor would also be fucking uncomfortable to sleep on."
Yuriko shrugged. "Then I'll just stay awake."
"Yeah, no," Midari sniffled and sat up slightly. "If you're gonna spend the night here, then you're gonna sleep here."
"Where would I sleep? You said it yourself that there's nowhere I can," Yuriko questioned in confusion.
Midari smirked, patting the spot in bed next to her. Yuriko's heart nearly stopped. She had never shared a bed with anyone before and there was something about sharing a bed alone with Midari that seemed rather... intimate.
"If you're cool with sharing my bed, then you can stay," Midari said tiredly.
"I don't have my night clothes with me," Yuriko muttered shyly.
Midari raised a brow at her. "Okay, and? Just borrow some of my clothes for the night."
"O-oh," Yuriko hummed, not expecting that. "Thank you."
Yuriko stared at her reflection in the mirror. Midari's clothes didn't fit her, yet they were comfortable. Secretly, she enjoyed seeing herself in Midari's clothes. There was something about being engulfed in Midari's scent that felt comforting. Natural, even.
She left the bathroom and noticed Midari sitting up in her bed, inspecting her revolver. Midari still looked exhausted and pale, but she appeared to be returning to her normal self. She must have gotten out of bed at some point to put on a night shirt as well.
"They're a little big on me," Yuriko said quietly, gripping the hem of her borrowed black shirt.
Midari looked up and smiled slightly. "Don't worry, ya look cute in em'."
Yuriko felt her cheeks heat up from the comment. "T-thanks. They're a lot... softer than I imagined."
"I normally don't wear clothes to bed, so that probably explains why they're like that," Midari explained with a shrug. "Alright, now get over here. I wanna go back to sleep."
Yuriko didn't respond and instead climbed into bed next to her. She could feel the heat from Midari's body from where she was, though it wasn't uncomfortable. She laid on her back as Midari shifted her position to look at her. Awkwardly, Yuriko slowly turned her head to see Midari smirking at her.
"What?" Yuriko asked uneasily.
"Nothin'," Midari laughed. "You're just pretty is all."
Yuriko smiled and rolled her eyes. "Sleep. You're starting to talk strangely."
Midari yawned. "Whatever you say. Thanks for staying with me. And... taking care of me. It wasn't so bad."
Yuriko had never seen this soft side of Midari before. Perhaps it was due to her sickness or tired state. Whatever it was, Yuriko liked it. Even the most feral beasts could be tamed by the right person or situation, it seemed.
Yuriko stiffened when she felt an arm wrap around her waist and Midari nuzzled into the crook of her neck. The one eyed girl had already fallen asleep and Yuriko had never seen her look so peaceful or content before. Yuriko came to the realization that Midari would do this with no one else except for her. She truly trusted her, even when she was in a weakened state.
No, this wasn't so bad at all.
38 notes
·
View notes
Text
Agony of a Witch...
…This episode. It BROKE me.
I was afraid this episode would be intense, but my heart is GENUINELY beating, like Belos’!
Where… where do I begin.
Lilith cursed Eda. She really did. She said there was more to the story, and asked Eda to explain herself first… I remember speculating that if it HAD been Lilith, what would’ve been the motive?
Either way, Luz is OUT FOR BLOOD in this episode. Can we… can we appreciate that she felt like she had to pay back Eda for anything, as if just being in her life wasn’t enough? And that in her last moments conscious, Eda made this clear to Luz? Luz is someone who’s always thinking about what she can do for others, that sometimes she forgets herself. She underestimates how much she can mean to OTHERS, and now…
She KNOWS how much she means to Eda! And it’s tearing her up inside that she FAILED Eda, that she wasn’t good enough… She must feel like a failure, because her attempt to heal Eda got her captured and cursed! And she must hate herself, and King waiting for her… That cold twist on the ending title! I knew this episode was Agony of a Witch, but it really was TRUE agony.
I feel like I’m hyperventilating, I almost feel faint… I feel like CRYING, I can’t remember if I’ve ever felt this intense before! The intensity of that duel with Eda and Lilith, Eda really IS the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles! What’s interesting is that Willow doesn’t directly dispute this, she merely states that Belos is the most skilled…
Does this have to do with ‘wild magic’, not being restrained by a coven binding? Or is it something more… Eda is glowing with a golden power and summons some sort of Owl Deity, is this the effect of the curse? Is the curse her physically manifesting the power of this being that she’s the avatar of? But Lilith caused the curse, but then again we don’t know WHY the curse was placed… Was it just to restrain her magic? What was Lilith doing…
This episode was a fucking nightmare for me. The intensity, the FEAR in my heart seeing that flashback of Eda, asleep and so happy… Only for her older sister to open the door, the FEAR in my heart… The BETRAYAL, of a little sister being cursed by her older sibling, it was like something out of a horror movie… This episode BROKE me, I’m shaking I really am I swear…! It’s almost hard to breathe, I…
Why Lilith, WHY?! You clearly cared so much before, was it just guilt? What was your reasoning?! Why the HELL would you curse your own sister?!
And Belos! Emperor Belos himself… He’s got a coldly mechanical, yet viscerally biological feel to him, I know I keep invoking Bionicle but it really IS like it, that biomechanical aesthetic! I was right, I WAS RIGHT, that the chasm in the titan’s chest, that the subject of its heart would come into play… It seems that Belos himself penetrated the titan’s sternum and built this mechanical, iron-lung castle around its heart, having total control.
Why? Is it control the power of the titan’s bile, the magic flowing from its heart? When Belos gets agitated, the heart starts beating faster… Is he the Titan, reincarnated? Or is he a usurper, seeking to control the Titan? To direct the flow of its magic… Could he stop the flow entirely? Does he control bile, or ALL magic, period…?
I love his mechanical voice, something about him is just… It’s CREEPY, it’s eerie, like he’s barely holding himself together, when he cracks open that creature and gets back his sight… Is he dying, is he incredibly ancient? Has he attached himself to the titan’s own heart and bile to survive? Why does he want control, he claims to be able to speak with the Titan…
…And so can Luz. More parallels between him and Luz, no doubt. Does he mean well, his VA called Belos ‘misunderstood’ in a sense… Regardless, he is WONDERFULLY creepy, and the way he’s drawn, the shots of him watching silently, it was TERRIFYING… He claims to be the most skilled, does this relate to knowledge from the Titan itself? What of its BRAIN…?
Oh, god. What if the Titan is DYING, and this Iron Lung castle is meant to keep it alive? Or worse… What if he’s trying to resuscitate the Titan, but with himself in control? Just like Makuta from Bionicle… And he needs BILE to do that! Bile to power its veins, to course through… And what of that furnace, that chimney? What is it burning…
…Oh god. Remember those jokes about witches being burned? And what Belos alluded to rogue witches without a coven, and what would happen to Lilith?
Is he harvesting them for bile? Burning them as fuel, as energy to power something?!?
This episode TERRIFIES me, holy fucking shit. What’s interesting is that the Coven System itself is apparently new, relatively speaking, only about fifty years or so… Eda describes bile magic as having been around long enough for glyphs to be forgotten, but was it really? Did Belos… Did Belos harvest the titan’s bile and graft it to the hearts of others as well?!
And the atmosphere, the mood around his castle is just so HAUNTING and foreboding… My heart is still racing, people.
Anyhow, I… I like the beginning, we get to see how messed up Hooty can be beneath it all! And it’s funny that King gets to pop out of the cake first, but not Gus! Eda was making the cloak for Luz, was it in preparation for the day she’d be unable to take care of her? I love the touch of Luz not wanting to go the castle because of the kind of person Belos is, but going just for EDA… And poor Amity! Her broken leg really DID stop her… Maybe that was for the best, though. I don’t think her heart could’ve taken seeing her crush defy the very order she strives to join. On a side note, maybe I’ll need to update my Boscha fic to include the detail of her leg still being broken…
Belos calls the pre-Coven System the Savage Ages, but was it really? This reeks of colonialism. Whatever he is, I feel like if the mask were to be peeled back, it’d be a scenario of a robot being punctured and explosing FLESH inside… Flesh, I suspect, may not be so well-put together. Flesh barely holding itself together, cooped up inside a metal exoskeleton, more a tin container and a prosthetic than anything… There’s something so disgusting about Belos’ vibes just from this brief clip, like he’s both organic and mechanical, I love it!
I like the touch of Luz having been in an eating contest, she’s always so wild like that! And jeez Lilith… Her elitist bias really shines here, with how she regards Luz and just tells her to go back to her own world…
Also, the chest gem is finally acknowledged! Apparently it’s connected to Eda’s magic, after all, or an indicator based on how much the curse is advancing. What do gems do? Are they merely a fixture of the bile sac, or something more? Could Belos’ castle be his attempt at recreating one?
What’s interesting is that the relics from the ‘Savage Age’ are deemed useless by Lilith, and the Healing Hat so quickly burns and she just dismisses it! Given how she sees this but isn’t at all concerned about Eda not being able to be healed, I imagine Belos had another method and she knew of it…
And JEEZ Lilith, I had a feeling that you had the flaw of feeling like Eda’s true family and prioritizing what you knew for her as an older sister, feeling more entitled to Eda than Luz!
I wonder why the relics are weak… ARE they weak, the Greenthumb Gauntlet seemed somewhat powerful? Or did Belos just drain them of power, or maybe they’re fakes? I thought it was sweet for the Oracle orb to say that Gus is always his best self, but now I’m afraid its guidance may not have been so accurate after this revelation…
Goodness. I’m WEAK. This episode had an increasing sense of foreboding that made my heart race, more and more, slightly easing only to go back to full-pumping! Which makes sense, given the heart-motif of this episode and the setting…
I’m… I’m done y’all. Peace. I am BREAKING.
#the owl house#owl house#the owl house eda#edalyn clawthorne#the owl house luz#luz noceda#the owl house lilith#lilith clawthorne#the owl house belos#emperor belos#the owl house king#the owl house gus#the owl house willow#willow park#the owl house kikimora#speculation#theory#bile#analysis#spoilers#the owl house spoilers
153 notes
·
View notes
Note
48 + Arya/Gendry? (Backup-pairings in case the first is a notp: Katniss/Peeta or Ron/Hermione?)
48. One person has to bend down in order to kiss their partner, who is standing on their tip-toes to reach their partner’s.
Years had passed since they parted and Arya had grown quite a bit. Yet she still hadn’t caught up to Gendry. Or most people for that matter. Being small had often served her well. The smaller one was, the more they were underestimated.
But when it came to dealing with Gendry, a foot of extra height would have helped considerably.
The first time she kissed him, Arya had to leap up to do it.
The freshly crowned King in the North, her little brother Bran, was sending her and Jon south to negotiate with the Targaryens. A least a few moons would pass before she saw Gendry again, so she made a point of bidding him farewell in the Winterfell forge. She had been a breath away from turning to go when the question burst out.
“Can I kiss you?”
Gendry’s blue eyes widened before his face scrunched into a scowl.
This wasn’t like her. The Faceless Men had taught Arya to keep her words, expressions, and feelings locked away. Yet, something about Gendry made her feel like that stupid little girl she was rather than the woman she had grown into.
And the words continued to pour out.
“I’ve never kissed anyone, not for true,” she explained “I think I’d like to kiss you. To see what it’s like.”
She managed to hold back the, To see what it’s like when you mean it.
Too quick for him to make a move, Arya jumped up to hook an arm around his neck and fit her mouth against his. It was quick and natural. More than that, it felt fresh and new as if she hadn’t kissed anyone else before. Even as she broke contact and slipped down to the floor, Arya had the strange sense of being exposed. With Gendry, she had no need to hide herself away to complete an assignment. It was the opposite really. He drew her out.
Gendry considered her in that way he did, a scowl on his face, showing how hard he was thinking, before nodding. “Alright then.”
Arya summoned every bit of self-control she had to walk calmly away rather than fleeing the forge at a run.
The next time, Arya had the high ground, but only because he was injured and forced to stay abed once they reached Moat Cailin. The few maesters they had were stretched thin with more serious patients, so she watched over him and changed his bandages at need. This also gave her ample opportunity to chide him for being stupid.
“Why would you risk yourself?” she demanded.
He was ordered to continue the flight south with the rest of the survivors of Winterfell, while Arya helped Jon and their troops protect their escape. Yet, Gendry came back. They managed to hold off the wights until the winter sun returned, but still.
“You know why,” Gendry snapped, jaw clenching as she finished washing the wound to his left arm. “If I hadn’t done something-”
“It was stupid,” she insisted, wrapping the arm. “You’re one of our only smiths. You know how much we need you!”
But he was too stubborn to hear that. “I’m more than a smith. I’m a knight.”
“We have knights and fighting men,” she snapped. “More now that Daenerys has met us here to hold the Moat. We don’t need to waste smiths. Not yet. What are you doing!”
He was obviously trying to sit up now that she was done tending him.
“M’lady’s smith is getting back to work,” he shot back. “Must be grateful I only hurt my left arm and not my right so can still shoe horses for you and your brothers.”
“Not just for us, for everyone! For the whole realm!” Why did he have to be so frustrating? “Now lay back down!”
Once she had shoved him back onto the thin pallet, she brushed a kissed against his mouth that did more to still him than her hands had.
“I’d better not hear about you getting back to work until one of the maester’s says you’re ready,” Arya warned before hurrying away to attend the war council.
It wasn’t until she was halfway down the hall that she fully realized that she had just kissed him again and her cheeks began to burn.
The third time she kissed him, they seemed to find their balance, meeting each other half way.
Arya huddled in the shallow niche that once served as her bed at the bottom of the Wailing Tower in Harrenhal when Gendry found her. He didn’t say anything. Most importantly, he didn’t ask stupid questions like, “Are you well, princess?” or “Is something amiss?” like someone else might have. He simply leaned against the wall near her and waited.
Jon had died. Again. It was the second time that Arya had seen and the third in total. She wept in relief when Melissandre burned life back into him. But even still, there was less and less Jon each time he rose. But she couldn’t let him see how much that hurt. Calm as still water, Arya had smiled as she embraced him then claimed fatigue before retiring. The old Jon would have seen that forced calm for a lie -- just as Gendry did.
“I thought everything would be better once my brother’s and I took back Winterfell,” Arya said. And for nearly a year, everything had been better. Then the Wall fell. “But everything is so much worse.”
Before, at least she could strive for home and family. Now she strove to protect the pack she had regained, knowing she could lose any of them at any moment. Knowing that one was already slipping away bit by bit.
“In Old Nan’s stories, even the scary ones Bran loved, everything always got better in the end.” Arya swallowed, squeezing her knees even tighter against her chest. “But even she’s gone now.”
Jon didn’t remember what his favorite story had been.
“Have you lost anyone?” Arya blurted.
“My mother,” Gendry said. “I miss her. I even miss her yelling at me. I miss her singing even more, though.”
Arya watched his profile as he glared down at the stone floor.
“I never knew my father. Most like, I wouldn’t’ve missed him even if I had. No brothers or sisters neither.” His face screwed up in that way it did when he was thinking. “The way I see it, the only person I worry about losing is you.”
Those words struck Arya straight in the chest.
Without thinking, she was already on her feet and rushing straight into Gendry’s turning form. Clinging to him, Arya wanted to tell him how stupid he was to think he only had her to lose. Jon, Bran, and Rickon had befriended him as well. To tell him that he was part of their pack and had been or some time. But she didn’t trust her voice not to come out of her thickening throat sounding like a whine.
Instead, Arya lifted her gaze to his blue eyes and tried to close the distance between them by rising onto the tips of her boots. But even that wasn’t enough. He was still too tall while she remained too short. Just as she considered jumping up, Gendry bowed his head and met her the rest of the way.
Only the sound of a horn blowing thrice was able to part them.
28 notes
·
View notes
Text
Rules of Engagement: Chapter Sixteen
Link to Masterpost
Well, I couldn’t wait TOO long to bring you this one! Enjoy!
~*~*~
Rowan stared at Aelin, knowing his face would show his shock. He knew by now that Aelin rarely did anything without a reason, but he couldn’t fathom why she was asking such questions of Maeve when the sensible thing to do would be to run and never look back. She had stolen him away from Maeve’s clutches, she had even gotten answers from her about her parents.
His icy heart had cracked when she’d wrung that confession from the queen. He’d known, of course, that Maeve could be cruel and vindictive. He’d also known that she never forgot or forgave someone who crossed her, not truly. Oh, she would say she had offered forgiveness readily enough. It was what had convinced him to swear to her, after all, her offer of forgiveness for everything that had come to pass with Lyria and for losing himself for as long as he had.
He had since come to learn that forgiveness didn’t come attached to a string, much less a web of half-truths and outright deceit. Forgiveness didn’t ask for the completion of difficult tasks, or for the surrender of free will.
Forgiveness was Aelin burning away his guilt and his doubts with a simple smile. Forgiveness was how he had nearly ruined everything they could come to share with his own foolish nerves, but she had come to Doranelle to demand he be freed regardless.
No, a creature like Maeve could never exhibit true forgiveness. She was too self-serving, too arrogant, too cold and cruel. Which was why Rowan was certain, so certain, that Aelin would have realized that she was at a significant advantage with the concessions already granted and leave before Maeve could turn the tables.
Deep down, he supposed he should have known she would see a possible vulnerability and seek to press that advantage, take as much from Maeve as she could possibly get. It was a fighter’s instinct, a move from someone who knew they would never get this opportunity again.
Maeve pursed her lips before responding, voice tight with barely-restrained anger. “I know a great deal more than you could pretend to, child.”
“I’m certain that you do; our histories indicate that you were present for the war, after all.” Aelin was back to carefully examining her fingernails rather than looking at the queen, her posture that of idle nonchalance. To a casual observer, it would appear that Aelin was already bored of the conversation, but Rowan knew this was all a part of a carefully calculated act. He was more than familiar with her character as Celaena Sardothien, and he could see that she was using that mask one last time.
At least, he sincerely hoped it would be one last time. He had no greater wish for her than for her to be able to be truly herself once more.
“And what question is it that you seek answers for?” For all of Maeve’s posturing, for all of her tight control over her tone, Rowan could see through to the vulnerability within. He had spent centuries at her side, doing her bidding, and this was something he had never seen from the dark queen.
Maeve was afraid.
“They were said to be terrible creatures, weren’t they? The Valg, I mean. Demons from another world, with the power to possess humans and Fae alike.” Aelin’s words were light in tone, careful and precise. “I heard the princes, or the kings like Erawan, were even more powerful. They could take on their own form and walk among us. They could manipulate shadows, or a person’s very thoughts. Is that true?”
“It is,” Maeve replied, “and you should be grateful that I worked with your ancestors to banish them all back to their home.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s true,” Aelin said, “but that’s a different question. No, what I was wondering was something else. What sort of power do you imagine one of their queens would have possessed?”
Maeve hesitated for a moment, clearly debating whether or not to answer the question at all. “It was said,” she finally replied, “that the queens were even more powerful than the kings. Given that the kings were difficult enough to kill or banish, I would think most would hesitate before battling a queen of the Valg.”
“How interesting,” Aelin remarked, her eyes focused now on the ground near Maeve’s feet. What on earth was she doing? “I read that the princes could manipulate your thoughts, force you to relive your darkest moments so they could feed on your despair. If a prince could do that to one person, do you suppose a queen could do that to many?”
“I suppose it’s possible,” Maeve allowed.
“I’m sure you’re wondering exactly what my questions have to do with… well, everything, really.” Aelin laughed, and Rowan could feel himself frowning. He certainly wondered what game she was playing. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you wondering for long.”
The arrogant smirk of Celaena Sardothien crossed Aelin’s face again as she finally looked the queen in the eye. “Did you know,” she finally asked, “that Brannon of the Wildfire was able to locate histories before he fled to Terrasen that claim there were only two sister-queens of the Fae?”
Distantly, Rowan knew the sensations coursing through his body were those of shock. His vision narrowed and went slightly grey, and his hands and feet were tingling. He could hardly focus on such things, however, given the implications of Aelin’s pointed question, hurled like a knife at a female who was turning out to be far more deadly than either of them could have known. To have convinced the entire world that there were always three sisters… that was more power than Rowan could comprehend.
Too late, he noticed the shadows lancing at them from the floor. Even if his reflexes had been at their best, he couldn’t have avoided this attack. Instead, he looked at Aelin, horror dawning on his face.
Aelin smiled back at him…
And then threw herself between Rowan and the shadows.
He could hear a voice screaming in the distance. It took several seconds for him to recognize it as his own.
~*~*~
Aelin gritted her teeth against the force of the blast but held strong as the shadows—or perhaps the female controlling them—shrieked, throwing a desperate line of fire between herself and Rowan to ensure he would remain safe.
As she had suspected from her research but not had time to prove, the ring she had continued to wear on her thumb was indeed a protective ward—bespelled for Athril, friend of Brannon’s and former lover of the very female she faced now, an unnamed goddess’ gift granting protection against the powers of the Valg. Rowan would have been injured, or killed, or worse had the shadows managed to reach him, but though they could bring her almost to her knees with their strength they could not actually touch her.
Finally the shadows ebbed, and she stood against a backdrop of her own flame. “Queen Maeve of the Fae,” she declared, “if that truly is your name, I must confess I have misled you until this point. My true charge, and my truest accusation, is not that of the murder of my parents. You stand accused of deceiving Mab and Mora—deceiving the world—as to your true nature, to hide amongst the Fae whilst your brethren tortured and killed us. You stand accused of being that which you professed to aid in killing, for whatever unknown purpose you may have had.”
Aelin summoned a small flame into each hand, a further reminder of her power. “You stand accused, my dear aunt, of being a Queen not of the Fae, but of the Valg. How do you plead?”
Maeve only laughed, the sound high and cold, though her eyes remained fixed on the fire Aelin controlled. “You think yourself clever, but you will never leave this place alive to utter such an accusation unless it is by my own choosing.”
“How, exactly, do you plan to stop me?”
“Surely you’ve realized by now that only two of my blood-sworn are in this room. While I believe that either of them would prove more than your match, I have called the others here. They will arrive within mere minutes.” A bluff, Aelin realized; at least one of them was too far away to be recalled in any haste.
“And I’m certain you’ve guessed by now that I did not come alone either,” Aelin retorted. “Nor am I a fool. You may strike me down if you so please, but it will only serve as further evidence to the rest of the world. War will be upon your doorstep if you do not yield, a war you have sought to avoid for centuries.”
She began to feel a weakness in her knees, and a cramping sensation toward the base of her spine. Maeve wouldn’t have to defeat her outright, she realized. If she merely kept Aelin talking for a few minutes more, she would be at the point of a burnout. And yet she could not risk lowering the curtain of flame that protected Rowan, not when she had only just won him away from the female who sat before her.
No, she had to hold on, for as long as she could manage.
“Your ancestor’s little book can be discredited easily enough,” Maeve sneered. “A bastard, who was no one until he fought in the wars and then fled across the sea, is no historian.”
“Perhaps you underestimate how well-loved Brannon Galathynius was by his people. They remember him kindly, as an honest male who was so brave, who shone with a fire so bright, that even the goddess of flame herself was entranced. Think about that, about an honor you will never know. A goddess gave up her immortal life for him. An act like that reverberates for ages to come, and does much to credit his word.”
Maeve shrugged with an air of indifference, but her cold and calculating eyes remained locked on Aelin and her flames. “There’s no way of knowing if your little book was even written by Brannon. I certainly don’t recall him writing one, and it is not disputed that I was present for these events.”
A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face, and the hairs at the back of her neck were already drenched with it. She had to end this, and soon. “I grow weary of your games,” she snapped. “You’ve heard the accusation. How do you plead?”
“If it is answers you seek, you will find none here.” Shadows grew once more around Maeve’s feet, gathering around their mistress. “And you grow weary of more than simply games. You haven’t the strength to carry out any sentence you could deign to bestow upon me.”
Aelin laughed. “Oh, but surely you know.”
Maeve snarled, revealing elongated canines for the first time. “Know what?”
“Know that I don’t have to have the strength myself.” As she lowered the shield of flame protecting Rowan from the shadows, she drew her blade across her hand and called him to her. A quick slice across his palm and their hands clasped together as they had what felt like a lifetime ago.
Cold, swirling, ancient power slammed into her, and then there was only fire.
~*~*~
“What are you doing here?” the warrior—no, his father—hissed. “No, on second thought, don’t tell me. Don’t tell me anything about why you’re here, don’t tell me you’re who I suspect you are. You shouldn’t be here, it’s not safe.”
“You’re…” The words died in Aedion’s throat. “You’re the one Whitethorn warned me about,” he finally managed.
“Whitethorn? Rowan is back?” His father sighed. “Don’t tell me. The less I know, the better. I’m only supposed to be patrolling, there’s a chance I won’t have to get involved.”
“Involved in what, exactly? The queen’s dirty work, I would imagine.” The words came out bitter, more bitter than Aedion had intended. He didn’t know why exactly his father had left, whether it was the only protection he could give or whether whatever glory he had sought as a warrior had won over any family he could have. He’d told himself for years that he didn’t care. Aelin and her parents had been as much a family to him as he could have asked for, and he had set his thoughts of his farther aside, thinking they were unnecessary and could be forgotten.
He should have known that one day all of those ignored thoughts and feelings would come back to haunt him, though he could never have guessed that it would be in this way, with the male who should have raised him now standing between him and Aelin.
A scream sounded from the inside of the room, sounding suspiciously like Whitethorn. What was going on in that room? Aelin had told him her suspicions, her belief that the ring given to her by Dorian was unintentionally the best protection she could have acquired for this exact situation, but what if she had been wrong?
Aedion’s blood ran cold at the thought that his cousin could be injured, or worse, and he wasn’t there to help her.
His father, on the other hand, barely even grimaced, though his tawny eyes revealed a deep sadness. “I would say she was not always like this, but I’m afraid I would be lying. When it was only my own life I had to worry about, I paid it no mind. What good was my life, without a cause such as hers? For all her flaws, she protected my people. It turned out that I was good at protecting them as well—good enough to attract her attention. But know this. If you are who I suspect—and do not tell me if you are—then your mother changed everything.”
A shriek came from the room, high and cold and angry, and this time his father did flinch. That didn’t stop him from speaking, however. “For the first time in my life, I had something that mattered. And I realized what would happen if it ever came to light. Hiding our relationship would never be enough, not when all she would have to do was command me to speak the truth and it would all be revealed.”
“And so you left.” Aedion dimly realized his hands were trembling. He didn’t know what to think, what to say, what to do. Not when everything had changed so suddenly.
“And so I left, knowing that I would never be able to see her again. I couldn’t even risk knowing any more than was necessary about her life. She knew why, though. Before I left, I told her everything. I told her to keep it secret, to keep herself safe. I warned her to never come looking for me. It was without a doubt the most difficult choice I’ve ever had to make, but at the same time there was never a choice. There was only this. And there… there is not enough time in all the world to tell you everything. In fact, we only have a few more moments before her orders will demand that I bring you to her.”
“What would you have me do? I cannot abandon my—”
“Don’t tell me,” his father snapped. “And what I would have you do does not matter. All that matters right now is keeping you safe. And if that means sending you away from here, then so be it.”
“And if I don’t leave?”
“Then—” the words of the other male stopped short as he stumbled, hand going to his chest in what appeared to be an automatic gesture.
“What is it?” Aedion asked.
“The oath—it’s… but it cannot be.” The words came slowly, their speaker clearly deep in disbelief. He glanced down at his hands, and then back up at Aedion.
As one, they looked at the door to the audience chamber, where all had gone suddenly silent. Then they ran to the door, forcing it open and gaping at what lay beyond.
~*~*~
By the time the flames died out, there was nothing left of Maeve but a smoky black stain on the white stone floor. Aelin slowly let go of Rowan’s hand and approached it hesitantly, as though somehow the creature that had posed as her aunt could re-emerge from the ashes.
Then again, she had been lying to everyone for centuries. Aelin wouldn’t put it past her to come back from the dead.
As she walked, step after halting step, each breath echoing in the sudden silence of the room, she allowed herself to think a desperate prayer that this all had worked. If this all turned out to be some foolish dream, she didn’t know what she’d do.
Carefully, she drew the toe of her boot through the ashes, effectively scattering them. A black stain remained on the stone underneath them. Finally, hardly daring to hope, she looked up at Rowan. She knew immediately that his expression of wary longing matched her own, but still they stood, simply staring at one another.
One of the wolves moved behind her, breaking the silence, and suddenly they were moving, walking briskly toward each other from across the room. She had just reached the midpoint when she was swept into the arms of a laughing male.
Aelin blinked, startled from the sudden spinning, only to find that it was the wrong male who had swept her away.
He was objectively beautiful, long golden curls offset by eyes of onyx and lips curled into an easy grin. “You did it,” he was saying through his laughter. “By all the gods, I never thought this day would come!”
A growl from behind her cut off any response she could have hoped to make, but the male only laughed harder. “Oh, come on, Rowan! You’ll have her for… gods, however long this one lives, I suppose. Assuming she doesn’t get another crazy idea and get you both killed tomorrow.”
The door burst open then, Aedion coming through at a sprint with another Fae male who looked stunningly like him. Aelin gave him a pointed look and then gestured between the two of them questioningly, but Aedion only shook his head. She’d have to pester him later for answers, then.
Another door opened, this one behind the dais where Maeve had sat, and a voice, rough and dark, shouted, “What have you done, you fire-breathing bitch?”
“The queen wasn’t Fae!” the male who was still holding her shouted, laughter turning desperate and almost hysterical. “She was one of the Valg, who disguised herself to stay behind. This one here figured it out and confronted her, and she freed us! She freed us, Lorcan, could you be less grumpy for one second of your miserable existence? Gods, I could kiss—”
A strong wind blasted around the room, knocking the golden male backwards, and when she turned she saw another male knocked to the floor as well. This one was almost impossibly tall, with dark hair and even darker eyes that were angrily fixed on Aelin herself.
The black wolf beside him shifted as well, revealing the mirror image of the golden male who had approached her. “It’s true,” he murmured. “I don’t know what to make of it. But everything Fen said is true.”
Aelin’s gaze stuttered from male to male. It was too much, it was all too much, she couldn’t—
Warm arms scented with pine and snow surrounded her, and she buried her face in Rowan’s shirt, eyes squeezed shut to block out as much sensation as possible. Her fingers clutched at the utilitarian fabric, and a small part of her mind wondered what it would take to get him to wear finer shirts.
A larger part recognized that voice for the hysterical distraction that it was, but it was better than facing… everything.
Finally, she realized Rowan was speaking to the others. “—sort this out later,” he was saying, the words rumbling in his chest so she felt as much as heard them. “We’ll have time, and Aelin came too close to a burnout. She needs rest.”
“She killed our queen!” the angry male shouted. “What has she done to you, that you would not have her answer for what she’s done?”
Another growl, this one from Aedion, but she couldn’t even look at him. Not now.
A calmer voice rang out from across the room, one that hadn’t spoken yet as far as Aelin could recall. “She’s overwhelmed,” the voice pointed out. “We’ll have no answers from her in this state, none that make any sense anyway. Let Rowan take care of her, and let us speak to her companion.”
“And if her companion doesn’t wish to speak without her consent?” Aedion replied testily.
“It’s all right, cousin,” she called, pulling away from Rowan to look at him. “You can tell them whatever they need to know.”
She took one step toward him, then another, but she could feel the weakness of her knees and the trembling in her limbs. She had overextended herself, gone too far, and the strain of unleashing all of those accusations had taken its toll as well.
Soon she was swept back into Rowan’s grasp, one arm holding her legs at the knee and the other supporting her back. “As much as I admire your determination to handle everything all at once,” he said with a shake of his head, “not even you can take on the entire world at the same time. It’s all right to need rest.”
“Go on,” said the male that was standing beside Aedion. “Take her out of here. We’ll speak with her when she’s ready.”
Rowan didn’t say anything else to any of the others, instead silently stepping out into the hall and beginning to walk. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“I did live here, you know,” he said dryly. “I have rooms.”
“Why, Rowan Whitethorn,” she grinned, pretending to be scandalized. “Are you taking me to bed?”
“After a stunt like you just put us through?” he asked.
Aelin felt her face fall. Of course he wouldn’t want her that way. Being mates was no guarantee of love, or even of happiness. There had been times where she thought perhaps he wanted her, but that didn’t mean that he would ever act on it.
Before she could say anything, could play off her remark as a simple jest, he had shifted his grip on her, using the wall to support her back so he could grip her chin. “Aelin, of all the countless mistakes I’ve made over the course of my life, making you doubt this is among the greatest,” he confessed. “There is much we need to discuss, you and I, but I don’t want to have that conversation when you’re already overwhelmed.”
Aelin could scarcely believe her ears. “So then you… are taking me to bed?”
“Aelin,” he purred next to her ear. “I am absolutely taking you to bed.”
She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck, only to fall asleep in his arms before they even reached their destination.
~*~*~
Tagging:
@ireallyshouldsleeprn
@queen-of-glass
@fangirlprincess09
@sassys-world
@morganofthewildfire
@superspiritfestival
@perseusannabeth
@sis-it-dont-add-up
@jlinez
@julemmaes
@emilyoftheshadows
@thegoddessofyou
53 notes
·
View notes
Text
RWBY V8 Episode 13 “Worthy” Reactions
There is so much going on in this episode and naturally because it’s the penultimate episode, so much conflict still in progress. I may miss or forget things and this will take me a while to get out because I have so much nervous energy it took me half an hour just to start typing. So keep that in mind as you read on
People were saying the plan went so smoothly but as I pointed out in my last reaction, local comms going down was and has thrown the evacuation into disarray, we can see it. So already we have Jaune and Nora splitting off from their team to spread the message, leaving less people to secure the gathering point in Vacuo
Second complication, a sandstorm that cuts off local comms and makes it impossible to know where Vacuo is. And a growing number of terrified refugees just out in the open with less than a handful of fighters to protect them. No way back to relative shelter or to even warn the rest either because true to his nature Ambrosius built exactly what they ask for.
Third complication, I wondered why Cinder seemed to be prepared for their plan. I thought Watts somehow also intercepted comms between Winter and Weiss but it seemed a stretch. Using the last question is going to bite her in the arse later, but I suppose she is in a damned anyway if she can’t give Neo Ruby before Salem respawns
And now we can also confirm she knows of Emerald’s “betrayal” but unless she leaves or gets knocked through the Vacuo portal, we may not get a confrontation this volume. Hard to say what she makes of this, she’s only shown to treat Emerald as someone she can use, much like how Cinder herself was and is being used.
Also Jinn definitely looked remorseful, but just like Ambrosius and the other spirits, she has rules to follow. BTW, I thought of a possible loophole for Jinn’s question limit. She can only be asked three questions every 100 years but I find it curious one question was already used. So my question is would it be possible to ask Jinn the same question twice. Technically it would not be a fourth question, but is that technicality enough to at least allow Jinn to repeat information for new ears.
Watts has access to the Command Centre. Jimmy’s need to control everything has once again backfired and given the enemy everything they could possibly want to do as much damage as they desire
All those people that Cinder blasted off the edge just to get RWBY’s attention, this has always been who she was, which is why there will not be any form of redemption for her. Even if she turns against Salem, it will be for her own selfish reasons and it is why she’ll never truly be able to escape from her fate
Our first RWBY vs Cinder fight (and probably not the last). Not many places worse for them to fight (if at all), with little ground (not a problem for a flying enemy), no cover, civilians in the line of literal fire (and glass). Got knocked off, game over. Speaking of which...
And Neo. Fucking Neo. And of course, protective big sister to the rescue. And she is the first to fall.
I did find it interesting that she seemed to vanish at a certain point on the way down. I interpret as proof, it’s not some endless void, there is something down there. And of course, there has to be a way back. We’re talking the Y of RWBY here, not to mention half the show’s most prominent LGBT+ couple. Contrary to what some individuals claim, RT do not do “Bury Your Gays” or “Queerbaiting”, at least not intentionally. As I said for Penny when she got hacked, Yang is going to be just fine, eventually. She’s not fine right now, obviously, but this isn’t the end for her. RWBY isn’t that type of show.
Ruby seems to be just surviving, no time to think or process what happen unless she wants to end up dead-dead by her sister’s supposed murderer. In this case, it is somewhat fortunate that Ruby’s coping mechanism is through actions, but when she stops it’s going to catch up with her
As for Blake, who got over repressing all her emotions several volumes ago, is not only the one to lose it the most but has gone absolutely feral. Still, she is not so far gone that she isn’t completely unaware that Penny and Weiss are unless in danger. Dilemma, exact vengeance on Neo, or lose another person you love?
While I’m on this point though, this is an excellent example of the destructive nature of the cycle of vengeance. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. In her pursuit of vengeance, Neo has naturally made herself the target of the same type of vengeance. Precisely why killing often not actually a final solution, it also has consequences as well.
I fear for Penny but I’m still confident she’ll survive this somehow. She is something new and unique, a whole new chapter of her life has just started and it would be anti-climatic and a huge waste for the show not to explore that. Besides, if Cinder has learned anything than she knows the relics must take priority over her power lust. All the power of Maidens won’t save her from Salem if she doesn’t return with both of them.
Weiss seems to be the one in most trouble right now, and in most danger of falling next. Still, I’m curious to see if her Nevermore summon will come into play again. A finale seems like the best time for it, and could potentially be a tide turner, perhaps more so than the Queen Lancer summon in Volume 5. She could use more wins.
Back to the Loser Ops. Hoping Marrow is okay. But of course, Harriet is still set on delivering that bomb. Much like her boss, she seems incapable of admitting she is wrong or has lost. I don’t think most people expected Vine to be the next one to concede that Jimmy was not the one to follow, but it makes sense. At that point, blowing up a city for man who has already lost is the furthest thing from logical. It’s just spite at that point, and just a way to make sure everyone loses.
So the bomb is back in play, thanks to Harriet. And while everyone is focused on her, no one will notice Watts pulling the strings from behind the curtain. But what is his target? He wouldn’t waste such a thing on mere civilians. It could simply be to occupy and/or eliminate several powerful combatants, given the villains are currently outnumbered. Still, he’s in his element and the last person we want to underestimate now. If this is truly the end of Atlas, this may probably be his last great act of villainy before he truly falls into irrelevancy and expendability
Lastly, Jimmy F@#$ing Ironwood. Forcefield prisons are such a bad idea. And of course, we can’t forget Chekhov’s gun-gun-gun. We had to see it in action and what it can do to a person. He recovered extraordinarily quickly, but then his body is more machine than man at this point. Also, as I predicted, shattering his aura did not snap him out of it. Atlas the city, the idea, is everything to him. He stopped seeing the people in it a while ago. He’ll kill them all if it will keep the city afloat.
I have complicated feelings about Jacques Schnee. I don’t need to tell anyone how much of a terrible person he is but I can’t ignore the truth that not everything he touched turned to shit. Weiss is perhaps my favourite character in the show, and she would not only not exist if it weren’t for Jacques, she wouldn’t be the person she is that I love now if Jacques was any different as a father. Same goes for Whitley and Winter. It’s a reminder that some good can come from even the shittiest of people acting in the shittiest of ways. He was also right about Ironwood all along, can’t forget that.
That all said, Jacques did not deserve to be murdered like that, whatever his crimes. The man had nothing left, no threat to anyone anymore. He should have lived for the rest of his pathetic existence knowing what he lost.
So now Winter is facing Ironwood again, this time she is alone and he is armed. Neither are in the best shape. I only see this ending with one or both of them dying.
One final note, Yang may be gone but... what if instead of the others also falling... those still standing take a leap of faith to jump after her and whoever else falls
17 notes
·
View notes
Text
I’m Right Here (Owen Joyner x Fictional Character
Warnings: anxiety attack and self-deprecation
A/N: Sorry this one took so long! The fictional character has been shamed for her anxiety from her parents. The experience of an anxiety attack is based on the ones I have. It’s different for everyone.
Disclaimer: This is a FICITONAL writing piece! In no way do I claim characters in this piece act this way in real life.
Masterlist *now taking requests ;)
I’m Right Here
“Hey Jade! Wait up!” Jade was walking out of her trailer and on her way to her car, until she heard Owen call out for her. She paused and turned around to face the tall blonde, who stopped in front of her slightly out of breath. He bent slightly over his knees, catching his breath and still in costume.
“Aren’t you supposed to be filming a scene right now?” she cocked her eyebrow at him and rested a hand on her hip. They were on set filming for Julie and the Phantoms season 2, and Jade was brought in as a minor character as a part of Carrie’s posse. She didn’t have any major dialogues save the one or two quips her character had, so she was mostly there for the dance portions. That often meant she was able to leave set earlier or she had less days on set than others.
“Yeah, they’re setting up, but I wanted to catch you before heading out” Owen started to shift his weight from leg to leg and began to avoid eye contact. Jade felt butterflies in her stomach but immediately tried to suppress them, knowing that what she hoped was happening was probably not. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, only for them to be deflated. “You got any plans Tomorrow night?”
“Just snuggling with my dog and drinking wine while singing karaoke” she mentally facepalmed herself at her honesty. She just sealed the deal on being forever single. Owen fidgeted and the air between them became awkward, no thanks to Jade’s awkward confession.
“Listen, I was wondering, and you can totally say no, if you wanted to maybe go to dinner with me? That’s if dinner is something you do, not like eat, because I’m sure you eat dinner, but if you don’t I’m not judging you. I mean like dinner dinner, y’know?” the boy looked frazzled and a little desperate to stop his verbal diarrhea from making him look even stupider than he did in that current moment.
“Like a date?” Jade hoped she wasn’t being too forward, but then again, a girl had to know. Owen gave her a sheepish smile and a nod yes, instantly filling her with excitement. “YES! Uhm... I mean sound great. I’d totally love- i mean like to go on a date with you” she blushed furiously, hoping she didn’t sound too desperate or too excited.
“Great! I’ll pick you up at 7?” she nodded and he smiled turning around and jogging back to set. Jade felt like she could fly or bench press a bus. She always tried to deny having feelings for him, but whenever she was asked she would stumble over her words and everyone instantly knew. Savannah and Tori often teased her about her feelings and pushed her to ask him out, but she was too nervous. Correction, she was too afraid to be rejected.
Jade never thought of herself as anything more than a plain and ordinary girl who happened to be able to dance well. She wasn’t overly pretty but she wasn’t hideous either, and there were very little standout qualities. Most people described her as quiet, mousy with a pretty smile, but nothing ever more than that. She believed she got it from her family as they too were described similarly. Her mother was a dentist and her father worked at a law firm. She was an only child and they have always lived a comfortable life, so naturally Jade never had any interesting stories to tell. She was just your average plain Jane.
The drive back to her apartment was full of joy and she blasted the music in her car as she drove, singing along to every tune. She was extremely excited to go on this date and her enthusiasm carried on as she bounced to her apartment door and inside. Placing her keys on the counter by the door, she went to her closet to pick out the best outfit. Looking at the array of clothing, she picked out a few and sent them to her co-stars/best friends for their opinions. Unfortunately, they both had different ideas as to what she should wear that night.
Sav: go for something cute and conservative! Southern boys like all American girls!
Tori: go for something a little sexy Cali girl. Like I’m a good girl but I’m also capable of being bad too
Sav: for the first date? Idk...
Tori: Sav, do you really think Owen is only about them all American girls? He was the one talking about how peaches were a brilliant emojis for butts
Sav: point taken.
Sav: go for something that best represents you!
Jade: a paper bag?
Tori: really?
Tori: you are more than just a paper bag J
Sav: we gotta go, Kenny’s calling places. I’m sure what you’ll pick will be fine! Send us a pic!
Jade frowned that her friends couldn’t chat longer to help her, but she knew she had to do this on her own. After filing through clothing, she finally found something she liked but noticed that she had spent an hour picking an outfit. Owen would be by in two hours, meaning that she had to speed up her process if she didn’t want to feel rushed!
She slipped stepping into the tub to take a shower, smashing her elbow on the towel bar. She quickly tried to rub the pain as she cursed under her breath. She had no time to be clumsy! She started her shower up and gracefully hopped in this time, hoping to avoid any further injury. After doing her daily hygiene routine, she applied the hair mask and wrapped it up in a shower cap, applying her face mask right after. She noticed that her legs felt the slightest bit fuzzy and cursed herself for not shaving in the shower. Quickly glazing at her phone for the time, she slathered on shaving cream and attempted to shave her leg using her bathroom counter, which was a mistake. She slipped, nicking her leg on the way down, bumping her head against the wall too.
“It’s fine, you’re fine, not a big deal Jade” she comforted herself. “Stick a Band-Aid on it and just wear jeans!”
She began to wash out the hair and facemask, making a mental note to patch herself up after. As she patted her face dry, she opened the medicine cabinet to grab a Band-Aid, when the lights shut off. Fumbling around for her phone, she quickly turned on the flashlight to find a Band-Aid and her bathrobe. Slipping on the robe, she made her way to the apartment breaker. Nothing had tripped on the breaker panel, but the power in her suite was completely shut off.
“That’s fine! You’ll just have to go with your natural curls instead of spicing things up with a straightener!” she could already feel the nauseous and claustrophobic feeling in her chest creep up on her, but she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Now was not a good time for her to have an anxiety attack. She had an hour and fifteen minutes before Owen came. Plenty of time... right?
Making her way over to her closet, she began to look for another outfit that would look good with the jeans that she had picked out. She tried on top after top, but nothing seemed to fit right. Giving a huff in frustration, she sat on the bed to take a deep breath. She had to get going if she was going to have enough time to do her makeup, but it seemed like life had other plans. All of a sudden, the fire alarm in the complex went off, indicating that everyone was being asked to evacuate. She jumped at the noise and quickly threw on a sweater, grabbing her passport, wallet, documents and phone before exiting the building with the other residents.
It turned out to be a fire drill that was scheduled to happen last week, but Jade had completely forgotten about it. They all had to stand outside while the fire marshal cleared the building and checking the safety of it. By the time Jade had made her way back into the building and up to her suite, she had 30 minutes before Owen came over. She hated the outfit she was wearing, her hair was a mess due to the wind outside and she had no makeup on!
The feeling in her chest increased gradually as she rushed around the house, doing her best to multitask. The power came back on when she entered the suite, so she tried straightening her hair as the curls were a mess, but she underestimated her multitasking skills. She burnt herself multiple times as she tried to do her makeup and hair at the same time. It didn’t help that the bottom half of her hair was straight and the bottom half wasn’t, and her eyeliner was uneven. Looking at herself in the mirror stressed her out even more, so she washed her face and decided to restart. The alarm on her phone notified her that Owen would be at the door in 5 minutes, and that’s when everything bubbled over. Looking at her messy face, half done hair, wet shirt and jeans, she sniffled until the tears welled over. She sank to the bathroom floor feeling like an idiot. No normal person would be this upset over their appearance, so why was she? Would Owen think she was weird because of this? Would he even want to go out with her? Her breathing increased and she started to feel her ensuite close in on her, signaling a full blown anxiety attack.
Jade wasn’t comfortable talking about her anxiety. Her parents often made her feel like she was overreacting or seeking attention whenever they happened, but they never understood that if Jade had the choice, these things wouldn’t get to her. This feeling that you need to escape, but you don’t have the energy so you’re just a buzzing ball sitting in a deep dark hole. She would often cry during her attacks, ashamed that she lost control and ashamed that she got to this place. Her friends would tell her to seek professional help for it, but she waved them off knowing that if she did see someone, it would make things worse between her and her parents. She loved them a lot and often sought for their approval, and doing this would work against the hard work she put in to make them proud.
“Jade?...unlocked...hope that’s okay?... helloo?....dead?.... Jade?”
“Jade? Hey... Hey you’re okay...”
“Jade? It’s Owen.”
“Squeeze my hand if you hear me”
“Okay good. I want you to breathe with me”
“You’re doing great”
“That’s it”
“Breathe in for five, out for five”
“In five”
“Out five”
The murkiness of the voice became clearer and clearer as she regained control of her breathing. She began to feel a warmth enveloping her and holding her firmly. She wasn’t in the bathroom anymore but rather on the sofa in her living room with the balcony door open, letting in a cool breeze.
“Jade?” She focused her attention on the blonde boy who sat beside her, his arm currently wrapped around her and the other holding her hand. “Hey” his smile was warm and understanding, but Jade couldn’t help the tears that came to her eyes. Seeing this, Owen knew immediately what was happening. Before the apology left her lips, Owen had already began to speak.
“You have nothing to apologize for... Is this the first time?” She bowed her head sadly, wiping away the tears and shaking her head no. In this moment, she felt like a little kid getting into trouble, bracing herself for the disappointment she caused.
“Listen, I know how you feel. Your anxiety? Your panic? I feel it every day. You don’t have to be ashamed in front of me. Hell, you shouldn’t have to feel ashamed in front of anyone. Everyone goes through this right? Well obviously, in their own ways and not like you and me, but I think you get the point” his rant elicited a small chuckle from the girl. “Want to talk about it?”
Jade nodded her head, feeling comfortable around him. She recounted her struggles since getting home to the razor to the power to the fire drill up until their current moment. Owen was silent and attentive the entire time, hanging on to every word that came from her mouth.
“I mean, I’m flattered that you put in all this work to go on a date with me, but seriously, and I’m not saying this to like get on your good side or anything, but you don’t need all the makeup and stuff. You’re pretty pretty on your own” she smiled at his comment, grateful for the compliment as it made her feel better.
“Thanks, I’m sorry I ruined our date” he scoffed and shook his head, moving to the kitchen counter picking up the flowers he had brought for her.
“I was going to give these to you at the door, but seeing as the plans have changed, you should probably take them and put them in some water?” she blushed at the gesture and took them gratefully from him. As she puttered around the kitchen for some sort of vase, he tapped away on his phone. “Do you like pizza?”
“Owen, I LOVE pizza” he grinned back at her and tapped a couple more times on his phone. “What are you doing?”
“Bringing date night to us.” he replied simply, locking his screen and plopping down on the couch, clicking through the apps on the TV. “Alright, so you’re gonna show me your favorite musical and I will show you mine”
Jade thought that in order to make a good impression on a first date, you had to look perfect. Owen that night helped her see that when two people like each other, Pizza and Musicals are all you need on a first date.
#owen joyner#imagine#fanfiction#owen joyner fanfiction#owen patrick joyner#owen patrick joyner fanfic
14 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
misterymyra
digital visions
beelightasafeather
♡Bee♡
vileandvenom
Chin up, Sunshine
lucas4907
Sin título
