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fanmoose12 · 4 years

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to know your enemy

Hange glanced at him briefly – Levi stood with his hands behind his back, his head raised up high. Their eyes met – just for a second – but it was enough to calm her nerves.

Captain Levi was not an ally, most certainly not her friend, but amidst all foes, he was the only thing that gave her comfort.

A citizen and a loyal soldier of a country that wanted her dead, Captain Levi was the sole source of light in her life during these dark times.

Or, a Marleyan!Levi au

The cell they’ve put her in was cold. The wall she was chained up to was damp. A pool of something sticky and putrid beneath her legs was making her nauseous. It had a characteristic metallic smell that after years of being a soldier Hange knew all too well. She hoped, at least, that the blood wasn’t hers.

A single torch, hanging on the wall outside, behind the metal bars, was the only thing illuminating the cell. It was dark inside, but not dark enough for Hange not to distinguish a figure, looming over her.

She recognized him right away.

“Commander Hange,” Floch curled his lips in a cruel, bloodthirsty smile. “It’s so good to see you here.”

“Ah, the pleasure is all mine!” Hange replied, looking so cheerful and relaxed, as though she was sitting behind the desk in her office back at home, not chained and locked up in the darkest, deepest cell of Marleyan prison. “You know, I always wanted to visit the country I’ve been fighting against for so long. And you provided me with a perfect opportunity to take a much needed vacation!”

“My god,” the smile slipped from his lips. Floch’s expression changed to that of a complete distain. “You really are insufferable. It isn’t a surprise that Eldians are losing in this war, if you’re their Commander.”

“My soldiers don’t really complain. Much,” she grinned, showing her bloody teeth. Despite her high status back in Paradise, her Marleyan captors weren’t gentle or cautious with her. She gave them all the reason for that kind of treatment. “But I guess you know it already. Not that long ago, you were one of my soldiers too."

Floch seethed. "And as a Commander, you’ve disappointed me."

"Aw, you poor thing," Hange cooed, angering Floch even further. “I’ve disappointed you? That’s why you’ve decided to betray your country and your comrades? That’s why, while fleeing, you’ve killed several of my men?”

“I did not betray you, I merely switched sides. Unlike you, I prefer to stick to the winning team.”

“Or you’re just a scumbag with no sense of loyalty.”

“Shut up!” Floch surged forward, grabbing Hange by the collar. “You, Commander, who is dooming your own people with reckless decisions, what do you know about loyalty?”

“Apparently she knows more than you do,” spoke a cold, indifferent voice.

It had an immediate effect on Floch. His face palled and his lower lip began to tremble. He bit it to hide his unease from Hange’s sharp eyes.

He didn’t release his hold on her collar, though, and continued to glare stubbornly at her.

“Floch,” the man stepped out of shadows. Hange swallowed as she watched him. He was short, but his face was menacing enough to more than make up for it. “Are you that slow? Do I really need to spell it out? Let Eldian Commander go.”

“But—”

“No buts,” the man growled. He grabbed the back of Floch’s shirt, yanking him back hard. “You weren’t even supposed to be here, so get the fuck out.”

It was obvious – Floch wanted to argue, but one look from his superior officer and he surrendered, taking a step back from Hange and letting her go. He gave her one last look, filled with hatred, and then left.

Like a dog with its tail between its legs, Hange thought with no small amount of amusement.

After Floch’s departure, she was left alone with the unexpected savior. Hange stared at him, warily, waiting for his next move.

He stepped closer to her, and her eyes widened in surprise, when he raised his hand to unlock her shackles.

“Um,” Hange scrunched her face in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“You aren’t supposed to be here either,” the man explained with a roll of his eyes. “It was another one of Floch’s stupid stunts. This level of dungeon is made to hold rapists and murderers.”

A sparkle of curiosity ignited in the deepness of her honey brown eyes. Hange tilted her head, staring at the man beside her. “I’m sure most of your people would argue that I’m both.”

“I’m not most,” he scoffed. “And your crimes are not bigger than any of our soldiers.”

“Huh,” the last of her shackles fell down and Hange absentmindedly rubbed her freed wrists. “And here I thought that all Marleyans are pricks with a superiority complex. You proved me wrong,” she paused, not able to fight off a smile. “Captain Levi Ackerman.”

“So my reputation precedes me,” he sighed with a disgruntled expression. “Follow me,” he added, leading her out of the cell and down the dark, empty hallway. “And here,” he thrusted something in her hands. With a sense of bewilderment, Hange realized it was a handkerchief. “Wipe the blood off your face.”

“Oh,” Hange awkwardly chuckled. She could have used her own sleeve, but… it was kinda nice of him to offer. “Thanks. And about your reputation, yeah, you’re quite famous back at the island,” she easily fell into step with him. “Although, I admit it was hard to recognize you with all these scars.”

“That’s a courtesy of your soldiers and your deadly inventions, Commander.”

“You’re off from active duty, I take it? My men have a chance at winning this war then.”

“Had to step down from my position,” Captain said grimly. “My mother worried too much.”

“And they say Marleyans aren’t funny,” Hange opened her mouth, the cheerful laughter ready to bubble out of her throat, but then she stopped, gawking at the Captain. “Wait…” she asked cautiously. “You aren’t joking?”

“Marleyans aren’t funny,” he retorted in dead-pan voice.

This time, Hange did laugh.

“Here,” Captain led her into another cell. This one - sufficiently illuminated and with more than enough space to contain not only essentials, but a desk, a chair and even a bookshelf – was drastically different from the last.

“Wow,” Hange whistled. “This cell is almost as good as my office. Are Marleyans that welcoming to all of their prisoners?”

“Doubt you’d be feeling much at home here,” Captain Levi huffed. “Zeke is very eager to chat with you.”

“The infamous Zeke Yeager wants to talk with me? I’m impressed.”

"Just wait until he starts bragging about his royal heritage and other shit. You won't be that impressed after that."

"Well," with a grin, Hange plopped down on a bed that stood in the corner of the cell. Something was very, very wrong with her, but the company of Captain Levi was... actually enjoyable. "Will you be there to witness it?"

"A chance to see Zeke embarrass himself in front of an enemy war chief?" something that almost resembled a smile appeared on Captain's indifferent face. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, four-eyes."

***

“I’ve heard what Floch had done,” Zeke lowered his eyes and shook his head. Hange had to give it to him – he looked almost genuinely sincere. “He wasn’t acting on my orders, please believe me.”

“I know more than anyone how hard it is to rein in Floch. I took no offense, don’t fret.” Hange lifted a cup of tea Zeke brought her and looked at it skeptically. Then with the same expression of doubt, she turned her gaze back to him. “It’s safe to drink this, right?”

“Can I call you Hange?” Zeke asked. “I feel like we’re so alike, there is no need for titles.”

“Sure,” Hange shrugged. “Call me whatever you like.”

Zeke nodded, a pleased smile breaking on his face. “I would never scoop so low as to poison you, Hange,” he answered. “Meeting you is a great honor. I hope you enjoy this time as much as I do.”

Hange raised her gaze, looking over Zeke’s shoulder and exchanged a look with Captain Levi. He was wearing an irritated expression, and when their eyes met, he lifted an eyebrow, as though to tell Hange ‘I told you so’.

She hid a smile behind her cup.

“So what do you want to know?” she focused her attention back at Zeke. “The number of our troops? The location of strategic sights? How many times a day I take a shit?”

There was a sudden coughing sound, and as Hange looked up, she saw that Captain Levi turned around, his shoulders shaking slightly.

“I don’t think you understand the severity of your situation,” a smile slipped from Zeke’s lips. He obviously wasn’t as amused by her witty comeback as his Captain. “I may be kind and polite to you, but you’re still my prisoner.”

“And I don’t think you understand that I don’t give a fuck about that. Do whatever you like, Zeke. I won’t tell you anything.”

Zeke narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. “Enjoy your stay in Marley.” He declared between gritted teeth. “I’ll be seeing you again very soon.”

He rose to his feet, almost knocking a chair to the ground. Hange took a sip from her cup, watching how Zeke stormed out from her cell.

“Don’t take your eyes off her,” he instructed Levi. He muttered something else, something that sounded almost like a curse and then left.

“Wow.” Levi breathed out, when the sound of Zeke’s heavy footsteps disappeared. “I have to admit, you’re something else, four-eyes. I spent years, getting on his nerves, but five minutes with you? And he already calls ‘a fucking Eldian scum’? You’re force to be reckoned with.”

“And that was just our first meeting,” laying chin on her hand, Hange sighed dreamily. “What a nice guy. Can’t wait to see more of him.”

***

“Why are you here?”

Levi was leaning against the wall opposite from the cell Hange was contained to. As soon as the question left his lips, Hange looked up, closing the book she was reading.

An amused grin spread on her lips. “I’m sort of a prisoner here, didn’t you know?”

“I didn’t mean that,” Levi rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the wall and taking a step closer. “How did you get here? How did you get captured?”

Hange frowned, scratching her head. “Haven’t you read the report?”

Levi did, more times that he could count. He read it again and again, trying to piece together the reasons for Hange’s behavior. Trying to understand why did she act the way she did.

“Ship Wings of Freedom was spotted near Marleyan borders.” Levi effortlessly recited the beginning of report. “According to the statement from Eldian Commander Hange Zoe, they were trying to launch a surprise attack at Odiha port. The ship was ambushed before Eldians could charge an assault. The only person, who was discovered at the ship’s board and, subsequently captured, is Hange Zoe, war chief and main engineer of Paradise Island.”

“So you did read it, huh?”

“Obviously, you couldn’t be the only person on that ship.” Levi contemplated aloud. “And that means you let your soldiers escape. Why did you stay behind?”

“Someone had to create a diversion,” Hange explained so easily, as though it was a simple, trite matter and not something Levi was obsessing over ever since she was placed under his care.

“Anybody could have done it,” Levi moved closer, touching the metal bars of the cell with his chest. His cold grey eyes bored into Hange. Perhaps, if he looked hard enough, he’d be able to see it. He’d be able to understand her. “Certainly, there were other less valuable soldiers than you.”

“Exactly. I was the most valuable one. And that meant your men would think twice before killing me.”

“You stayed behind… let us capture you, because… you wanted to save your squad?”

"Well, when you put it like that..." Hange giggled, a little embarrassed. "It sounds like I'm the worst Commander ever."

She couldn't have been further from the truth. In his life as a soldier, Levi had seen his fair share of Commanders. Some were awful, while some were much better. And, as far as he could judge, Hange was the best of them all. With just one act, she showed Levi what a real Commander must look like. Self-sacrificing, fearless and loyal not only to the country they’ve served, but to their soldiers as well.

If only things were different, Levi couldn't help but think, I would have happily followed you.

"Don't you regret it?" he asked. "Leaving your soldiers without your guidance?"

"They'll manage," Hange said without an ounce of incertitude in her voice.

"You're so confident in your subordinates?"

"They're the best of the best," a proud smile curled at her lips. Hange sat back in her chair, putting hands behind her head. "Just wait until they regroup. Mark my words, Captain. They’ll crush Marley in to time."

Marley had the biggest army in the world. They had the most advanced technology. They’ve conquered several countries. They were considered an indestructible, imperishable Empire.

And if there was anyone who could stand a chance against his motherland, Levi was sure - this fit could be achieved exclusively by the soldiers who were trained and tutored by Commander Hange Zoe.

"All this bragging about your squad," a smirk pulled on Levi's lips, amusement painting his usually stoic features. "Are you trying to recruit me, Commander Hange Zoe?"

"Why," Hange gave him a sly grin, raising her eyebrow. "Is it working?"

Levi snorted. "You have to do better than that to sway me, Commander."

"Ah, a shame," she giggled. "We could have used your skills, Captain."

"Need I remind you that you don't have an army right now?"

“It’s true, I don't. Right now. But who knows what is going to happen next?"

There was a small, but enigmatic smile on her lips, and fire inside her eyes burned brighter than the torch he was standing next to. Her expression made Levi realize that not all prejudices about Eldians were wrong. Hange proved that the old Marleyan saying - Eldians always have a trick up their sleeves – could actually be true.

It was obvious that she had some kind of a plan. And it was obvious that she was confident in its success. Rooting for her was wrong, some could even interpret it as treason.

And yet— a part of him hoped that she – and her people – would succeed.

***

Levi unlocked the door, stepping inside. The moment he crossed the threshold, a pair of gentle arms wrapped themselves around his neck.

"Levi," his mother pressed him tightly to her chest. "Welcome home."

"Sorry for being late," he whispered gruffly. He pressed his face into her neck, inhaling the familiar and dear scent of chamomile and lavender. "I had so much paperwork, I was practically swimming in it."

"My poor boy," Kuchel ruffled his hair and took a step back, releasing him from her embrace. "Take off your shoes and go wash your hands. I'll heat up dinner for you."

"Thanks," Levi said, shrugging off his formal coat and undoing his tie. As he stripped his uniform, breathing came a little easier.

"So?" Kuchel put a plate with broth in front of Levi and sat down next to him. "Is it true? Did they really capture Eldian Commander?"

"Yeah," Levi nodded, after he swallowed the first spoon of broth. "I've been assigned to watch over her."

Kuchel perked up. "And? Is she as terrible as they say?"

"No." Levi held the spoon a little tighter. He pursed his lips, staring in his plate with a faraway look. “She’s not terrible at all. Quite the contrary. I know that it’s wrong but… I think she’s a good person.”

"Eldian Commander?"

"Yes. Hange. She's my enemy, I know that. And I know that I must despise her, but... She's so good, mom. She's brave and she cares about her people, and... I can't help but think if this," he gave a vague gesture, "our lives - would have been better if people like Commander Hange were in charge. It makes me think… maybe, Kenny, that old bastard, was right."

"Honey..." Kuchel lovingly patted his cheek and exhaled, her beautiful grey eyes filling with sadness at the mention of her late brother. "During times like this, it’s hard to know what’s wrong and what’s right. Isn’t it wrong to kill people? Isn’t it wrong to hate an entire nation just because we don’t share the same name? They’re people just like us. Just like us, they can be good or bad. It's easier to hate them, to see them as monsters that need to be slayed. Doesn't mean that it's true. And if you see your enemy as someone worth of admiring, if you can forget about you differences and see just another person, isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t it something we should aspire to? You’re a kind and good man, Levi. And if there were more people like you… maybe, we wouldn’t be fighting this war at all.”

Silence fell over the small kitchen room. Levi thought about his mother’s words, he tried to imagine a world she was talking about. A better, kinder world with no hatred and prejudices. A world, where peace and happiness were more prevalent than war, starvation and poverty.

A world like this would have been nice. But sadly, it was nothing more than utopia.

“Well, that was enough philosophical monologues for one evening!" Kuchel chirped, jumping to her feet. "Quickly, eat the broth before it gets cold. I'll brew you a cup of tea in the meanwhile."

Levi complied, diving into his dinner. From the corner of his eyes, he continued watching his mother move around the kitchen. She stood on her tiptoes, reaching out to the higher shelf. As she did so, the sleeve of her dress rolled up, revealing an ugly, purple bruise around her wrist.

He was by her side in an instant.

"What is this?" he hissed, carefully lifting her arm. Kuchel looked at him, her eyed widening in alarm. "What is this?" Levi repeated, even though he already knew the answer.

"Honey-"

"Did that bastard do it?" he let go of her hand. His anger was growing and he didn't want his mother to become an accidental victim of it. He turned around and started to pace around the room. "I'll go to him." He declared, his whole body shaking with rage. He spoke quietly, but every word was filled with cold, merciless fury. "I'll kill that scumbag with my bare hands, I'll make him regret ever touching you."

"Levi!" Kuchel rushed to him, cradling his face in her palms. "Levi, calm down. This was just an accident. He apologized and it would never happen again, I swear."

In the arms of his mother, Levi's fury had lessened. He stared at her, as another feeling took its place instead of anger. The feeling of helplessness and despair.

"You can't continue seeing this bastard,” he said, almost pleading. “He hurts you, and I can't watch it happen."

"My boy," Kuchel kissed his forehead. "My Levi, we don’t really have a choice, remember? But, please, don’t worry about me, I’m doing alright. As long as you're with me, everything is going to be just fine."

"That was the last time," Levi promised, the fire returning to his gaze. "It was the last time he hurt you. General or not, if he ever does it again, I'll kill him. I'll kill him even if that would be the last thing I do. I won't let anyone make you suffer."

“Levi…” Kuchel sighed, quietly and warily. She lowered her hands and turned away, hiding the pain inside her eyes from Levi. He watched her back, his chest tightening. In that moment, his mother looked so small, so fragile. Levi despised the man who made her feel this way and his uncle, who put them into this mess. He despised their world for making her suffer so much.

And more than anything, he despised himself for not being able to protect her.

***

Hange's next meeting with Zeke was vastly different from the first. Instead of a small, suffocating cell, it was conducted in a large, spacious room with big windows and high ceilings.

And as Levi had led her inside, she was astonished to see that Zeke wasn't alone. The other generals - probably the entire main body of Marleyan brass - were waiting for her arrival.

All these attention to the little, insignificant her? And they say Marleyans aren't charming...

“Gentleman!” she greeted with a blindingly bright smile on her lips. There was a chair in the middle of the room, and she plopped down on it, still wearing the same happy expression. “Good day to all of you!”

Levi took his place just behind her shoulder. Hange glanced at him briefly – he stood with his hands behind his back, his head raised up high. Their eyes met – just for a second – but it was enough to calm her nerves.

Captain Levi was not an ally, most certainly not her friend, but amidst all foes, he was the only thing that gave her comfort.

A citizen and a loyal soldier of a country that wanted her dead, Captain Levi was the sole source of light in her life during these dark times.

“So?” Hange put hands on her knees, her gaze studying each member of Marleyan brass carefully. “What did you call me here for?”

“I’m sure you already know,” Zeke, who sat at the center of the table, took the word. He seemed more controlled than during their last meeting, and a confident smile has returned to his lips. “We haven’t finished our earlier conversation.”

Hange arched an eyebrow. “Still interested in my shitting techniques?”

“No.” Zeke answered grimly. A few surprised chuckles came from his colleagues around the table, and Hange could almost hear the sound of his teeth gritting against each other in frustration. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“We are more interested in other aspects of your job,” a man that sat next to Zeke spoke. “My name is Winston Greeves, it’s nice to meet you, Commander. Now,” he leaned closer, prepping his chin with his hand. “Is there something you wish to tell us? Something related to the state of your troops, perhaps?”

Hange lifted her head and tapped her lower lip with a finger. “Is there something that I wish to tell you…” she murmured pensively. “I guess I can tell you how much I’ve been enjoying your country and your hospitality...”

“Again, that’s not exactly what we want to hear ,” Greeves said, and the easy smile that was plastered on his face just moments ago became a little too tight around the edges.

“I would stop this farce, if I were you,” Zeke spoke again, his voice low and almost growl-like. “Unlike your barbaric, primitive island, Marley is a civilized nation, but that doesn’t mean we’re above using techniques that would undoubtedly untie your tongue.”

“Was that supposed to frighten me?” Hange asked with a bored, unimpressed look. She took off her glasses, wiping them with the sleeve of her shirt and looking at Zeke beneath her eyebrows. “Do better next time, Zeke. You think that threats would work on me? You think that promise of pain would make me submit? You think that there is anything you can do to me that will make me betray my own country? I surrendered willingly to you, idiots, I knew exactly what was going to happen to me. And I knew that I wouldn’t be getting out of it alive.”

“You’re right,” Zeke nodded. “You won’t survive. You will die, Hange Zoe. You will die regretting your loyalty and devotion. You will die, but not before you spill out to me every last one of your secrets.”

“Till our next meeting,” he promised darkly, gesturing Levi to take her away.

***

"Zeke's nice guy persona is slipping," Hange muttered, as Levi led her back to her cell. "I wonder what this sudden urgency is all about..."

Levi pursed his lips, thinking. He probably shouldn't say this to Hange. It was classified information, known only to the highest members of brass. If anyone finds out that he revealed it to Hange, without a doubt, he'd join her in that cell. And that's in the best case scenario.

On the other hand, there was no one Hange would pass this information onto. Telling it to her would have no consequences whatsoever.

Levi had decided. He turned to face Hange, but before his mouth could start forming words, a familiar smell entered his nostrils.

Chamomile and lavender.

He whirled around. General Greeves himself was standing behind him.

"Ackerman," he spat, barely looking at him. "We need to talk."

"Can't it wait?" Levi didn't bother to hide irritation from his voice. "I have to take care of the prisoner."

"The Eldian can wait." Greeves scoffed. "It's not like she can escape. Leave her and follow me."

Levi glanced back at Hange. She was looking right at him, her head tilted to the side, watching the exchange intently. There was a curious spark in her eyes and something else, something that looked almost like... concern? Whatever it was, Levi had no time to decipher that.

"I'll be right back," he told her curtly and followed after Greeves.

***

"Is your mother free this evening?" Greeves bluntly asked the second they were out of Hange's earshot.

"She is not," Levi said lowly. He looked at Greeves and all he could see was the frail pale wrist of his mother that was painted in mix of purple and dark yellow. It took all of his willpower and then more not to latch onto Greeves' neck and kill the bastard with his own hands.

"Then make sure she is." Greeves snapped. "And wipe that scowl from your face, boy. Or do you need reminding just how much I’ve done for you?"

Levi said nothing, just glared at Greeves from beneath his fridge.

Greeves looked around, the hallway was empty save for Hange, but he cared not for her. He grabbed Levi by the collar of his uniform, his hold strong enough to lift him off the floor.

"You have the gall, Ackerman," he hissed right into his face. "You, who got from me an apartment in the center of a capital and a fancy title of a Captain. Do you think I won't take it away from you? Do you think your mother is that good that I won't throw you out on a street? Or I can do much, much worse," a malicious smile spread on his lips, as he stared down at Levi as though he was nothing. "I can reveal a little secret. I can tell everyone that the dreaded Kenny the Ripper was actually an uncle of the brave and great Captain Levi Ackerman. Do you want me to do that, hm? Do you want the whole world to know that you were raised by a traitor? Do you want to repeat his fate alongside your dear mother? Believe me, getting lynched on the street is not the best way to go. So stop with attitude and be a good boy, understand?" Levi kept his silence and, furious, Greeves violently shook him. "I asked - do you understand?"

Levi thought of saying no. He thought of throwing the bastard's hands off him and punching him in the face. He thought of taking his gun out, of shooting him right in the center of that ugly, narrow forehead of his and watching life leave his eyes. His hand twitched.

But then he thought of his mother, of what they would do to her if he decides to succumb to his rage, of how many bruises would appear on her body after that.

He met Greeves's eyes and nodded.

"Use your words, brat."

Fury spiked inside him again, threatening to bubble out of his chest, his muscles, his bones and unleash itself onto his enemy.

He closed his eyes for a second, and the face of his mother appeared behind his eyelids. He saw her beautiful eyes, her tired but gentle smile.

"Yes." He said, his voice loud and clear. "I understand."

"Atta boy," Greeves smiled and roughly pushed him away, making Levi stumble. "Tell your mother my shift ends at seven. And I hope it goes without saying that you better not show your face while I'm there. Dismissed, Captain."

Greeves left after that, humming under his breath. It took Levi a couple of minutes to calm down. He stood frozen in place, breathing heavily as though he had just finished a marathon. He was so angry, his vision clouded. He saw nothing but blood. He wished for nothing but violence.

A careful, warm hand on his shoulder broke him out of his trance. He whirled around and was met face to face with none other than Commander Hange Zoe.

"Are you alright?" she murmured softly. The concern in her eyes was more prominent now. He stared at her for a second, wondering what was wrong with her. How much kindness was stored in her heart if she had enough to spare even for her enemy.

Well, he thought bitterly, it was her kindness that had led her there, to Marleyan prison and straight into Zeke’s arms.

In their world, it was best not to care at all. If only he knew how to do that, he lamented as the disquieted expression on Hange's face insistently tugged at his heart.

"Worry about yourself, four-eyes," he tore his eyes away from, putting on the familiar mask of cold asshole and trying to convince himself that that's what he really was. "Let's go, your cell awaits you."

***

When he came home that night, two hours after midnight his mother was already asleep. Or, at the very least, she appeared to be. The door to her room was closed and the house was dark. He approached it nevertheless, his hand touching the wooden surface. He almost knocked, but stopped himself before his hand curled into fist. He ached to know if she was alright, but he already knew that she wasn't, and going inside would only make all of it worse.

The world they live is cruel, he reminded himself, as he turned away and headed to his room. He tore off his uniform, kicking it in the corner.

He lay in his bed, fighting back tears. Fury and sorrow mixed in his mind, as he thought what his mother had to endure today, as he remembered that there was nothing he could to cease her suffering.

Their world was cruel, he remembered, and the only thing they could do is try to survive.

***

Levi took the next day off.

He woke up with the first rays of sunshine and quietly made his way to the kitchen. He cooked breakfast for his mother and then went out to the market to buy her flowers and pastries. He returned back home and went to wake her up.

The smile she gave him at the sight of fresh flowers and warm meal was enough to make him forget about his troubling thoughts.

"Let's take a walk," he offered after the breakfast was over and he dealt with the dishes.

His mother put on one of her best dresses. She let her hair down, and, as she put her arm through Levi's, a small, but endlessly happy smile curved at her lips.

"Shall we?" he asked after he put on his hat.

Kuchel giggled, covering her mouth with a palm, a picture of elegance. She made a small curtsy and murmured. "After you, my dear." The stroll through the park was nice.

They walked around for a bit, and then, when Levi's injured leg started to ache in protest, they sat down on a bench, enjoying the warm weather in the shadow of a big tree.

Knowing his son's quiet nature, Kuchel took it upon herself to fill the silence. She spoke about birds and how prettily they were singing, gushed over children that were running around and waxed poetic about trees, flowers and how beautiful they looked in the spring.

She was just telling Levi how much she enjoyed the smell of cherries when they're in bloom, when he saw one cheery petal fell down. It landed on Kuchel, tangling in her luscious, black hair.

Levi reached out to take it out and realized - it was time. He had to speak with his mother, had to tell her everything that's been on his mind.

"Mom," he began, looking her in the eyes. "Listen—"

"Shh," Kuchel pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. "Levi, don't. I know what you want to say, and I'm asking you - don't. Our situation isn't the best, I can't deny it. But it's better than the fate your uncle has suffered. We're both still alive, we're still together. I can still be your mom, can welcome you home from work and take walks with you in the park. And that's more than enough for me. So," she pushed the hair away from his forehead and leaned in, leaving a kiss on his forehead. "Let's just enjoy this moment. Sometimes it's all we can do, my dear."

Something in the tone of her voice, the way she didn't look in his eyes evoked a feeling of dread inside him. It brought Levi unprompted desperation. He took his mother's hand in his and gripped it just a little tighter than usually.

Enjoy the moment, he repeated to himself, sometimes that's all we can do.

***

Levi returned to work the next day— and regretted ever leaving his post.

A couple of plates stood next to the Hange's cell, all of them untouched.

Hange herself wasn't in her usual spot, sitting behind the desk with a book in her hands. She was lying on the bed, facing the wall.

Levi swallowed and unlocked the door, stepping inside.

"Hey," he called softly, hoping that Hange just decided to take a nap and didn't hear him approach. She didn't respond. "Hey, it's me," he tried again, but received no answer once more.

His stomach fell as he thought about the reasons for her silence.

He hurried to her side and laid a hand on her shoulder. It was still warm. Levi let out a barely audible sigh of relief. Still warm meant still alive.

He shook her. "Get up, four-eyes."

"No," came her curt reply. Her voice was gruff, almost lifeless. Hearing it broke something in him.

Levi looked at Commander Hange, thinking what to do. Then he saw it - red seeping through the yellow of her shirt.

Zeke's methods in action, he thought grimly.

He turned around and marched out of the cell. With hurried steps, he went into infirmary and grabbed a med kit.

Commander Hange wasn't going to die. Not on his watch, at least.

"Get up," he ordered once he was back in her cell.

"No."

"Get up," he repeated, kicking the leg of the bed. "Right fucking now, four-eyes, those wounds of your need dressing."

A short laugh escaped from her lips. It was bitter and devoid of any mirth. "Why do you, of all people, worry about me?"

"I don't," Levi easily retorted. "But your people do. They want to get you back. It'd be a shame if their loyalty would result in nothing because you got too tired to continue fighting."

"Don't lecture me. What do you, Marleyan, know about my people?"

"More than you do, apparently."

That finally got her to face him.

The sight of Commander Hange almost made him choke. Her face was a mess, what was not bruised was covered in blood. Her nose looked broken and her right eye was swollen.

He felt bile rise to his throat as he continued to stare at the results of Zeke's desire to win this war.

"What do you mean?" Hange asked, her voice wary. Life slowly started to return to her eyes. “Do you know something?”

"Not much," Levi shrugged. "But there had been reports about suspicious activity on the south borders. They think your guys are getting ready to attack. That's why Zeke is so impatient to get information out of you."

Zeke was scared shitless. All of them were. Marley was an imperishable Empire who was involved in too many wars. They didn't have enough people to defend themselves in case of the attack on their land. With most of their soldiers fighting and conquering in countries far away, if Paradise attacks, they'll be practically defenseless.

"So quit moping," he told Hange. "Let me fix your wounds and then I'll bring you more food. Save your strength, four-eyes. Don't let your soldiers down."

"Has anyone ever told you you're quite rude, Captain?"

"More times that I could have count, Commander. Now, quickly, turn around and take off your shirt. We'll deal with the wounds here first."

"Bossy, aren't we?" Hange huffed, but complied and started to unbutton her shirt.

As she pushed the yellow cloth down, revealing her bare shoulders and back, Levi sighed in relief. The wounds there weren't as severe as he had expected.

Still, severe or not, the injuries had to be cleaned and dressed. Levi set out to work.

The touch of disinfectant to her bare skin made Hange hiss, but she didn't recoil. A soldier through and through, Levi noted with a growing sense of admiration.

"You weren't here yesterday," Hange spoke, her voice shaking slightly. "What were you doing?"

"Went to a park."

"Oh," Hange turned her face to the side, looking at him curiously. "Did you take Missus Ackerman with you?"

"Miss Ackerman," Levi corrected. "My mother."

“Interesting,” she hummed, biting her thumb. “So Marley’s strongest soldier is actually a momma’s boy?”

“Thinking of using it against me, Commander Hange?”

“You know what they say,” she shrugged, a smile pulling at her lips. It suited her a lot more than the pathetic expression from earlier. “All’s fair in war.”

“You’re cruel.”

“I’m effective.”

“And very annoying,” Levi scoffed, taking a step back. “Put on your shirt and turn around. I need to take care of the mess on your face now.”

“Why are you helping me?” Hange wondered, as Levi inspected her wounds, holding her chin in his hands.

“I’m not,” Levi answered, his gaze focused on the cut on her eyebrow. “I’m a loyal soldier of my country.”

“So by taking care of me…”

“I’m making sure that you live on. So you could reveal more information to us.”

The lie slipped easily from his lips. So easily that Levi almost began to think that it was the truth.

Commander Hange Zoe, however, wasn’t so effortlessly convinced.

“And yet you haven’t asked me a single question, Captain.”

“Levi,” he grunted, as he started to gently wipe the blood from her forehead.

“What?”

“Call me Levi.”

“Oh.” She looked down for a second, mumbling something under her breath. Her voice was too quiet, but Levi thought that she was mouthing his name. Then she raised her eyes and met his. A soft smile was playing on her lips. “Then you should call me Hange.”

“Nah,” he said, desperately trying to fight back a smile. “Four-eyes suits you much better.”

***

A week later the news came.

The base in Lago, where the main body of their navy was located, was destroyed. No survivors. No witnesses.

A banner of Wings of Freedom that was now fluttering in the wind at the top of the once great Lago base was enough of a clue, though.

The pride of Marley, the fear of dozens of their enemy nations, Lago base was thought to be indestructible. Just like Marley itself.

A week later the news came. The next day, Commander Hange Zoe lost an eye.

***

“Stop it with that face.”

“What face?” Levi tore his gaze away from the bloodied mess and a lifeless white that once had been a lively, rich brown color.

“That face. Stop looking so angry. Or I will start thinking that you care.”

Hange lifted a finger, and then— before Levi could react – slap her hand or push her away – she bopped his nose. He blinked and looked down. He didn’t know what face he was making right now, but it had Hange snickering.

“That’s better,” she declared.

“Idiot,” Levi scoffed and turned away, fumbling with the med kit he had brought. He was more than familiar with its contents by now, having regularly used it to treat her wounds, but he felt the need to keep himself busy, and, more importantly, keep himself facing away from Commander Hange. If she had noticed the flush on his face, he wouldn’t hear the end of it. “Of course, I do care. Your wound is bleeding. It ruins the sheets, you know.”

“Ah,” Hange nodded. “That is a serious problem.”

“More than you know. I wash those sheets, if you didn’t know.”

“You do? The great Captain Levi washes the sheets of a mere Eldian prisoner?”

“No one else wishes to do it. And I can’t stand that reek.”

“Oh god,” her remaining eye lighted up, as though Levi has just said the most wonderful thing she had ever heard. “I can’t believe it, Captain Levi Ackerman, the fear of all Eldians,” she paused dramatically, an amused smile playing on her lips. “Is actually a clean freak.”

Levi arched an eyebrow, giving the most unimpressed look he could muster. “Has anyone told you’re very stupid?”

“Never,” she confessed proudly. “I’m actually considered one of the smartest people in Paradise.”

“Makes sense then, why you’re losing this war.”

“Ouch,” Hange winced. “That actually hurt.”

“Speaking of pain…” Levi took a cloth dapped in antiseptic into his hand and grabbed Hange by the chin. “Let me take a look at your eye.”

In his years as a soldier, Levi had seen his share of injuries. But he had never got used to it. The sight of broken bones and lacerated skin, of blood seeping through uniform and sinking in between trembling fingers, it was a sight he just couldn’t get accustomed to, no matter how hard he tried and no matter how many battles he had witnessed and survived.

The wound that he was now seeing on the face of Hange Zoe wasn’t an exception. Looking at the cut running through her eye, the eye that was always filled with so much life and emotion, he felt sadness sip deep into his heart.

“Not as handsome as I was before, eh?” Hange lowered her voice to a quiet murmur, and when he glanced down at her face, he saw that she was wearing a hesitant expression.

“Nonsense,” Levi shook his head, chasing away his troubling thoughts, and began to wipe the blood away from her face. “Who told you were handsome before?”

“You are even snarkier than usual today.” Hange noted, her only eye looking at him closely. “Is there a reason for it, I wonder?”

“Who did this?” Levi asked. “Zeke?”

The hold he had on her jaw tightened ever so slightly, as he fought to conceal his anger. Thankfully, Hange didn’t comment on it.

“No. This little monster I had created myself.”

“Floch,” Levi guessed instantly. Of course, how he could forget about that damned bastard. “Well, if it gives you any consolation, Zeke isn’t having the time of his life either.”

“Oh?”

“Lago base was attacked, and, subsequently, destroyed.”

“Oh…” Hange bit her lip, a cautious and almost worried expression on her face. “And the attackers…”

“Were never found. The only thing that was discovered is the banner of Wings of Freedom.”

“Huh,” a wide, excited grin spread on her lips. “A stealthy approach then. Definitely one of Armin’s ideas.”

Levi kept his silence, continuing to work on her wound.

“What,” Hange playfully kicked his leg. “You’re not going to ask who that Armin is? His full name? His rank?”

“I’ll leave the interrogation stuff to Zeke,” Levi pursed his lips, the disgust showing at his face at the thought of the bearded jerk. “My job is cleaning up his messes.”

“And looking after me,” Hange said with a soft look in her eye. “You’re such a good man, Levi. So kind to me…”

“It’s not kindness,” Levi scoffed, doing his best to remain nonchalant and hide his discomfort. “Just basic human decency.”

“You think I deserve it?”

You deserve it more than most, he wanted to say.

“Why wouldn’t you deserve it,” he answered instead. “You’re a human too, aren’t you?”

Hange chuckled, the sound quiet and bitter. “Most of your countrymen would disagree.”

“I told you already. I’m not the most.”

“But you’ve told me something else too,” Hange argued. She lifted her hand and traced the line from his cheek to his mouth. “These scars… you said they were caused by the weapon I created. Don’t you hate me for that?”

“No.” Levi echoed. “You’re not at fault here. The war is.”

Hange fell silent after that, lost in her thoughts. To an accompaniment of her shallow breathing and infrequent hisses, Levi finished tending to her injury. He cleaned the wound, did his best to stitch the cut skin together and then dressed it in a white gauze.

When he was tying the ends at the back of her head, Hange softly touched his arm.

“Thank you,” she murmured. “For making survival just a bit easier for me.”

Levi looked into her eye, swept his gaze across all of her face and body, carving it to his memory, and nodded.

He turned around then and left her cell. As he walked through the empty, ill-lit hallways, he thought if Hange was able to understand, if she could see in his eyes that he was grateful to her for all the same reasons.

***

“Captain.”

Without asking for permission, without waiting for an invitation, Zeke waltzed inside Levi’s office, plopping down on the chair beside his desk.

“I came to talk with you,” he announced, that infuriating smile plastered to his lips. “Do you have a moment?”

“For you, Zeke?” Levi made sure to put as much sarcasm and distain in his voice as it was possible. “Always.”

“Excellent!” Zeke eagerly clasped his hands together. He either didn’t notice or simply didn’t care enough to respond to Levi’s taunting. “I wanted to discuss with you the infamous Commander Hange.”

His stomach fell as those words left Zeke’s mouth. Whatever he was going to say next, Levi was sure he wouldn’t like it. He didn’t let any of his anxiety show at his face, though, and so Levi nodded, prompting Zeke to continue.

“She’s a tough nut to crack, and as you’re well aware, we’re losing our precious time. We need to get at least something out of her, or the whole country is doomed.”

“And how is that my problem?” Levi lazily inquired. “Torturing people isn’t one of my responsibilities.”

“I’m not asking you to torture her, I doubt you can do that,” Zeke said it flippantly, like an after-thought. But his eyes stared at Levi intently, gauging his reaction. “But she trusts you. And I need you to exploit it.”

“Trusts me?” Levi scoffed, genuinely surprised by Zeke’s assertion. “We’re talking about Eldian Commander, do you think she’d be stupid enough to trust me?”

“You’re closer to her than any of us,” Zeke protested, serious, despite his ridiculous claims.

“So what?” Levi sat back in his chair, crossing hands on his chest and staring at Zeke with a deep frown on his face. “She lets me dress her wounds. That doesn’t mean she trusts me.”

“On the contrary. That’s exactly what it means. Do you think I’m such a barbarian, Levi?” Zeke asked, before Levi could continue protesting. “Do you think I have not offered to take care of her wounds? She laughed at me and then spat in my face.”

Despite his best efforts, Levi’s lips twitched as he fought back a smile. If only he could see it… The expression Zeke made in that moment, it was probably the one of pure disgust and hatred. Levi had spent years trying to make Zeke look at him like that.

Truly, Commander Hange Zoe was something else.

“Talk with her, Levi,” Zeke ordered, his voice tainted with anger at the sight of Levi’s clear amusement. “Do your country a service. Or else I’m going to dig deeper into the reasons of why Commander Zoe trusts you so. You wouldn’t want to become second Kenny the Ripper, would you? Your mother wouldn’t be able to take it. So think of her, if the loyalty to your country isn’t enough to motivate you.”

Without waiting for Levi’s reply, Zeke stood up and headed to the door.

“I hope you’ll make the right choice,” he said at last, and then disappeared behind the door, leaving Levi alone.

***

Another week passed, and all the main forces of their army were brought in to the capital. The brass looked at the young, but worn-out faces, at the once strong bodies that were now claimed by exhaustion and traumas, and realized – they had no army.

Their unwinnable, perfect soldiers, the elite of elites, they were too few of them. A lot had died far away from their motherland, conquering countries at the other side of the world, while the others fell victims to stray bullets and bombshells which left them broken and unable to fight.

And the military of indestructible Empire realized – they were going to lose this war.

***

Levi came home that evening, and found his mother behind a weasel, painting a tree branch that was visible from their window.

“I’m home,” he announced for his mother was too occupied with her work to notice his arrival.

At the sound of his voice, she turned around, and the brilliant smile on her lips was enough to calm his raging heart.

“You picked up art again?” he asked, as he approached her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

“I felt a sudden feat of inspiration,” she said, her voice like a sweet melody. “Although, I’m afraid my skills got a bit rough…”

“It’s beautiful,” Levi assured. “Did you eat dinner already?”

“Oh no,” her eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth. “I forgot to make it.”

“I’ll cook something for us, don’t worry. I’ll call you when it’s ready, you can continue painting.”

“Such a sweet boy,” she shook her head, lifting a brush and dipping it in a green paint. “How are things at work?”

Their second base, this one much closer to the capital was destroyed.

The situation was as bad as it could possibly be. Eldian forces were making rapid progress, and no one knew what to do to stop the invasion. They didn't have enough men to defend themselves, and, to make matters worse, they were yet to actually see the Eldian soldiers. The devils from Paradise remained hidden, striking from the shadows.

Zeke had departed from the capital, going to the closest army base to train the new recruits. Most of the Marleyan brass followed after him - Greeves had left too, and Levi suspected that it was the reason for his mother's good mood. They claimed they wanted to overlook the trainings, but Levi knew better - in case of the attack on the capital, they were hoping to wait it out in the safety of base's bunkers.

Zeke had left, but he sent Levi letters every day, asking on his progress with Hange. And every day, Levi had to come up with another lie to explain to him the absence of results.

So no, things at work weren't going that good, but then Levi remembered a smile that bloomed on Hange's face as he told her about the accomplishments of her soldiers, and he said.

"The work? It's going fine."

***

In a desperate attempt to showcase their superiority, to prove to the whole world that they're still the same indestructible Marley, the government decided to throw a parade.

The soldiers were rehearsing for days at end, perfecting their matching technique.

The sound of their tramps boomed through the main courtyard and reverberated through the stone walls of the army headquarters, as military officials and army engineers ran around, preparing the best and most advanced weaponry to show everyone their might.

During a day like this Levi led Hange out of her cell.

She walked through the hallways with a spring in her step and her hands dangling from side to side. For a tortured prisoner, she looked far too cheerful.

"Are you leading me to the gallows?" she asked in a playful singing voice.

Levi swept his gaze across her form, something coming alive inside him at the sight of her looking so joyful. "Unfortunately, no."

"Hm.” Hange nodded, narrowing her eye. “And what about the handcuffs?" she raised her free wrists. "Where are they? Am I not supposed to be an important and dangerous prisoner?"

"Are you going to run away, four-eyes?" Levi looked at her, a spark of amusement lightening his bored expression.

"I could try," she challenged.

"You could," Levi agreed. "And you wouldn't take more than two steps before I catch you."

"I could take you by surprise..."

"And you're saying this to prepare me for that surprise?"

Hange's bravado disappeared without a trace. "Damn your perceptiveness..." she muttered with a slight pout.

"So where are you taking me?" she repeated her question.

"To the bathroom."

"Eh?" a look of confusion settled over her face. "Is this a new method of torture?"

"No. I'm just sick of your smell. You reek worse than a pig, four-eyes."

"Ah, your clean freaky tendencies,” she snickered. “Of course, how could I forget."

“Take your clothes off,” he instructed once they were inside a brightly lit room with a bathtub standing at the center of it.

“I see you already prepared the water…” she murmured, approaching the tub and dipping her fingers in it. “And it’s still warm!”

“Don’t waste any more time then. Get inside, four-eyes.”

“Wait,” Hange sat at the edge of the tub and eyed him suspiciously. “You’re going to stay in the room with me?”

“You’re an important and dangerous prisoner,” he used her words from before. “Can’t exactly leave you here all alone, can I?”

“Or you just can’t resist my sexy and curvy body…” she whispered with a smirk on her lips.

“Start cleaning yourself,” Levi hastily turned around, hiding his blush. “Or I’ll do it myself.”

“Oh, will you be rough?” her sultry, sulky voice was quiet, but enticing. Levi hated the fact that it made his heart beat faster. “Will you manhandle me? Make me submit to your commands?”

“For fuck’s sake!” he growled, his ears and cheeks burning. “Just shut up and take a damn bath!”

“You’re no fun…” he heard her mumble. A moment later, he heard another sound, the one that made him exhale in relief – a sound of splashing water that signaled that Hange finally got inside the bathtub.

Levi tuned out everything else after that and stared out of the window, watching the soldiers march – one foot, then another, left and right, left and right, each move precise and controlled.

“So they’re organizing a parade,” Hange said. “Marley really doesn’t care that Paradise can attack at any moment?”

“On the contrary,” Levi disagreed. “Your guys got army higher-ups terrified as ever.”

“So this parade…”

“Is meant to show the other countries that we’re still as strong as ever, and ensure our own people that we got everything under control.”

“Not bad,” Hange hummed. “When people in Paradise start to doubt the government, they just start throwing shit at us.”

Despite himself, Levi chuckled. “Literally or figuratively?”

“Depends on how much we fucked up.”

“Paradise sounds more and more like my kind of country…” he mused quietly.

“I told you already,” Hange said, and without even looking at her, Levi could see the proud smirk on her face. “We could use your skills.”

“Are you trying to recruit me again, Commander?”

“It depends – is it working?”

Yes, Levi wanted to say. In the end, he said nothing.

“Hey,” she called. “Help me wash my hair, please.”

Levi wordlessly complied. He stood behind her back, his gaze involuntarily darting to the myriad of scars on her shoulder blades. He wondered about the story behind them. Without thinking, he reached out and traced the outline of one blemish, the one that ran along her spine.

“I have a lot of time to think nowadays,” Hange began, snapping Levi out of his reverie. He pulled his hand away, as fast as he could. The warmth from her skin lingered at his fingertips, making him wish to savor it for as long as possible. Ignoring the pleasant feeling, he pushed her down, wetting her hair. Then, when Hange reemerged, he squeezed shampoo onto his hands and buried them into her brown locks, gently carding through her hair. “I know it’s a bit stupid, and I know you most probably will laugh at me, or call me crazy, but… I thought if things were different, if—”

“If I wasn’t me, and you weren’t you?” Levi prompted, his voice hollow. He thought about the same thing.

“Yes,” Hange gave a slight nod. “If we had met under different circumstances, could we become… friends?”

Friends. What a weird word, what a constellation of different, but equally warm feelings. Affection, trust and care… They meant nothing to him. In all the years he was living in this world, he never really had anyone who could fit that description. He had colleagues, had brothers in arms, had his family… but a friend? He wasn’t familiar with that concept.

But if he was, Hange Zoe would probably fit that description to a tee.

If only things were different…

“Close your eyes,” he ordered, ignoring her question as though it had never been asked. “It’s time to rinse your hair.”

“Thank you,” Hange said, when she was finished with a bath and put on the fresh clothes Levi had brought her. It was his own, the white shirt was too wide for Hange in the shoulders and a little short in the sleeve’s area. She should have noticed, she probably had. She didn’t comment on it. “The bath was nice.”

She lowered her head after that, refusing to meet his eyes.

Even so, Levi nodded. “Let’s get back then. Your wounds need redressing.”

Hange followed him without another word. As he led her back, one thought repeated itself over and over in his head.

If only things were different…

***

The parade was fast approaching. And with that, came a spread of a rumor amongst high ranking officers that the attack was going to happen during the festivities. It was based on nothing, a little less than a stupid superstition.

Still, the atmosphere at the capital was becoming tenser and tenser with each passing day.

Zeke had come back along with other members of military, disappointed in Levi and desperate to get at least something out of unyielding Commander, something they could use to protect themselves before it was too late.

The absence of time was working in Levi's favor. Zeke couldn't spare even a second on him, otherwise he'd surely investigate the suspicious lack of any results.

Levi too had his fair share of reasons for anxieties. He couldn't leave the capital, his absence would be noticed immediately and punished severally, but he wasn't so keen to escape. He was ready to stand with other soldiers and do his best to protect his homeland, but his mother... His mother was another matter completely. He couldn't leave her in the city, even if Hange's people weren't quite as cruel, a fallen building or one particularly bloodthirsty soldier could become a reason for his mother's demise.

He couldn't let it happen.

So in the middle of the night, three days before the parade, Levi paid a visit to an old acquaintance.

Uri Reiss, the biggest adversary against Marley's imperial tendencies, the leader of a once influential political party and the sole reason of Kenny's early and shameful loss of a life, was now in the hiding, living the last days of his glory in the slumps at the edge of the city.

When Levi came, he was sitting in front of a fire with his legs folded underneath him, surrounded by a group of people.

Levi briefly wondered if that were his new followers. Looks like the bastard had lost everything, except his charm, he thought bitterly.

Uri looked bad, old and weary, he was a far cry from the charismatic and sharp man his uncle had decided to follow all those years ago. He was wearing baggy, dirty clothes that were patched up too many times. The only part of his garb that still seemed clean, the only thing he obviously took great care of, was a hat he was wearing on his head.

Kenny's hat, Levi realized after a second of staring at it.

Even after all those ten years that passed since Kenny's death, Levi still remembered that hat.

Remembered how easy it was to find his uncle in the crowd of people because of it. Remembered the texture, the feeling of it in his hands from those rare moments, when Kenny put it on his head.

Of course, he left it to that bastard. Gave it away, easily just like his life.

The mere thought of Kenny evoked a sense of deep, forgotten rage in Levi. The mere sight of his friend, the damned Uri Reiss that condemned their whole family with his naive beliefs, was enough to make Levi fume with anger.

"Levi," Uri squinted, looking at him. "Is that really you? What are you doing here?"

He stepped closer, the shadows from the fire that Uri and his friends were sitting around dancing across his face. "I came to collect my debt."

"Your debt?"

"Yes," he nodded. "You promised Kenny, I know you did, he told me so himself. In exchange for his life, you promised that in time of need, you'll help me and my mother."

"I hope you understand that my hands are quite tied, and I don't have the influence I once possessed," Uri tilted his head, his abnormally bright eyes studying Levi. Despite his old age, despite his current state, his eyes remained the same. The same wit and wisdom Kenny couldn't resist, they were still there. "So what do you want?"

"I'm not going to ask for much," Levi assured him. "I just need you to take my mother out of the city, as far away as you can manage."

"Ah, beautiful Kuchel," Uri shook his head, a wistful smile playing on his thin lips. "Kenny had a soft spot for her too. For both of you, you were the only thing he cared about..."

"And yet he gave his life for your cause," Levi growled, his hands squeezing into fists. “And left us to deal with consequences."

He always hated Uri, hated how much influence he had over Kenny. Hated how in the end, Kenny chose him, and not them, his family.

"Will you do this or not?"

"I—" Uri faltered for a second, something changing in the depth of his eyes. "Of course, I'll help you, Levi. In three days, I'll send one of my men to fetch Kuchel from your apartment. They'll bring her to a safe place, you have my word."

"Good," Levi turned around, unable to look at the bastard any longer.

"And you, Levi?" Uri called after him. "Don't you wish to leave too?"

"No," he answered, his gaze determined. "I'll stay here. Until the end."

***

Convincing his mother to leave proved to be a tougher challenge than Levi had expected. But in the end, after swearing to her that he would join her very soon, he was able to persuade her to start packing her things.

And that's how he spent the remaining three days - helping his mother and keeping Hange company. As though sensing the approach of her soldiers, she became much livelier. She talked about them a lot - gushing over her subordinates as if they were her own children.

Levi shared small bits about his life as well - briefly reminiscing about the time when Kenny was still alive, still with them and they were a small, but tight and loving family.

In moments like these, he couldn't get her words out of his head.

if we had met under different circumstances, could we become… friends?

In moments like these, he felt as though they already were.

***

Three days later, Levi was in a hurry.

He glanced at his pocket watch - it showed seven o'clock - and started running. He left his office and headed outside, passing dozens of people who were in the same state of haste as he was. The parade was starting in just an hour, civilians already started to gather at the main plaza, and everyone was busy with the last preparations. And Levi was in a rush to get home.

The pointer of his pocket watch showed that it was almost a quarter after seven and Levi squeezed himself in-between the large, tight crowd, desperate to get home.

If he was fast enough, she'd still be there. If he was fast enough, he could say a proper goodbye to his mother.

Panting and heaving, he all but tumbled into his apartment. Instantly— the smell of chamomile and lavender tickled his nostrils.

Levi relaxed, she was still here. He kicked off his shoes and walked inside.

He headed to the kitchen and froze a few steps short from it. With heart in his throat, his eyes slowly traced the trail of blood on the floor.

His mother— she wasn't there. Not anymore.

"That's what whores get for trying to escape."

Levi's head snapped to the sound of voice, that voice.

Greeves had walked out of the bathroom, the still bloodied knife in his hands.

Levi was at him in an instant.

He didn't think, he didn't feel as he had wretched the knife out of his hands and threw it away.

He glanced back, at the body of his mother. He saw the steely look in her eyes, a mask of suffering etched forever on her beautiful face.

He turned back to Greeves, and he hit.

His first blow broke his nose. Greeves hollered, and somewhere outside, a distance away from the little apartment in the center of the city, the fireworks started. Or, maybe, the defining explosion wasn't caused by fireworks, as the screams that followed were terrified, not excited, but Levi did not care enough to pay attention to it.

He hit Greeves again and again, and then again. His knuckles started to ache, but he didn't stop. Greeves fell to the ground and he didn't stop, just paused long enough to get on top of him. He stroke blow after blow, hit his face again and again, until there was nothing left.

Only then, he had stopped.

With his legs shaking and hands trembling, he stood up and approached the prone body of his mother.

He picked her up - as gently as he could with the hands that were made for war, with the hands that were covered in blood of her murderer - and brought her to her room, placing her on the bed.

He fixed her hair, wiped the blood from her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead, mimicking a gesture he had received from her so often.

Now that the fog that had taken over his mind was gone, Levi was more aware of his surroundings. Now he was able to understand what was going on outside.

It wasn't the sound of fireworks, those weren't the scream of triumph.

As a loyal soldier of Marleyan Empire, he knew all too well the sound of a thunder spear explosion.

The deadly invention of Commander Hange Zoe.

The city wasn't going to hold out for much longer. That meant he was still in a hurry. There was still an unfinished business he had to take care of.

***

All hell had broken loose, when Levi walked outside. The streets around him were ablaze with fire, from all sides all he could hear was explosions, cries and wallows.

The worst of the fighting was done on the main plaza. A downpour of bullets rained down all around him, as two sides desperately fought to achieve victory.

His blindingly white military coat was making him an easy target and wordlessly told everyone which side he was on. So Levi shook it off and made the rest of the way, running from cover to cover, wearing only his thin shirt.

Because, apparently, the universe had its fill of miseries for him already, he was able to get to the entrance of army headquarters relatively unharmed.

Once he stepped inside, Levi had to pause and survey his surroundings. After all the chaos outside, the familiar hallways seemed almost unnaturally quiet.

It was unexpectedly empty too, although Levi was sure it won’t last for long.

Without wasting another moment, he headed to the dungeons. The lone guard that still stood there, protecting god knows what, at the sight of Levi raised his arm in salute.

“Captain Ackerman!” he shouted with no small amount of relief. “We were looking for you, General Yeager needs you—”

The words slowly died on his throat, as he took a better look at Levi’s face.

“Captain?” the guard asked cautiously. “Your face… Did you already engage in a fight? Are you hurt?”

“Get lost,” Levi growled, pushing past him. “Go and hide somewhere, wait until the fighting is over. Don’t throw away your life for this country,” his face changed, a shadow passing through it. “It’s not worth it.”

Without another glance at the soldier, Levi opened the large metal door and walked in.

She must be still here. Thankfully, she was.

***

In the silence of the dungeons, the sound of a key turning and the lock opening was loud like a gunshot.

It had Hange bolting up from her place at the bed.

“Levi!” she exclaimed, relief and happiness mixing in her voice.

“Get out.” He rasped, hollow and lifeless.

“Levi?” she approached him, cautiously, like a cornered, wounded animal. “What—”

“Get out!” he yelled. “While you still can.”

The thundering noise of heavy footsteps sounded up above them. The soldier, guarding the entrance, had probably reported to someone the news about his arrival. That, or they have already found the body in his apartment.

Either way, he was already done for. After murdering a war general, there was only one way for him to go.

And he’d rather get hanged, knowing that he did at least one good thing in his life.

The irony of it all was laughable. Always praised for his loyalty and obedience, he ended up as a traitor.

Like uncle, like nephew.

“Levi, what happened?” Hange stood right in front of him, so close he could feel her breath on his cheek. She watched him, her eye shining with worry. “There’s blood on your face…”

“Not mine,” he answered, staring at the wall behind her shoulder with glassy, distant gaze.

“Thank gods…” she muttered, cradling his face in her hands. Using the sleeve of her shirt, she did her best to wipe the blood from his cheeks and jaw.

Levi didn’t look at her even once.

“Hey…” Hange tried again, moving even closer, her thumb absentmindedly brushing his cheekbone. “Levi, talk to me, please. What happened?”

“Go,” he wanted to push her away, but Hange didn’t sway, a look of stubborn determination taking over her features.

“I won’t go anywhere, until you tell me what happened.”

The footsteps became louder, soon they would reach the dungeon. He needed to get rid of Hange before that happens.

“My mother…” he whispered, shutting his eyes close. The mere memory of her body lying in a pool of her own blood brought him an immense amount of pain. It felt like someone had stuck a knife in his chest and turned it, it felt like someone had ripped his heart out.

“Oh, Levi,” Hange wrapped herself around him, burying her nose in his shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Who did that? Was it—”

“No,” he shook his head. “She was killed by Marleyan. And I killed him.”

“That won’t go unpunished,” Hange carefully said, still holding him in her arms.

“I know. And I don’t care.”

“I do,” she said suddenly, the fierceness of her voice surprising Levi. “Go with me.”

“What?” Levi took a step back, staring at Hange with wide eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“There is nothing keeping you here. And if you stay, they’ll put you in prison or worse. Run away with me, Levi.”

Her offer… was unexpected. He thought his life was already over, made his peace with that, but what Hange proposed… it didn’t sound that bad, not as bad as dying alone, at least.

If he accepted, he’d be able to find a purpose again. He’d finally get a friend.

He looked up at Hange. She was staring back at him, waiting for his answer. The footsteps up above stopped, and the voices appeared, Levi instantly recognized Zeke and Floch. They were close, possibly just behind the door.

Levi knew another way out, a hidden exit almost no one knew about. Hange could use it to escape, but she didn’t have much time.

Nevertheless, she didn’t falter. She didn’t glance back, didn’t fidget or sweat or tremble.

A force to be reckoned with, Levi remembered his own words.

“All this talk of running away…” he lifted his lips in a shadow of a smile. “Do you wish to recruit me so bad, Commander?”

“I told you, we could use your skills,” Hange answered, a smile breaking on her face as well. “So… are you interested in my offer?”

He reached out, grasped her hand in his and answered.

“I am.”

#just so you know this whole thing was created out of idea 'hey wouldn't levi look super hot in marleyan uniform?'#so you can imagine it's not super coherent #levihan #levihan fanfiction

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space-lynn · 3 years

Note

Hey I just wanted to say I love the unintentional gods au! Will you be posting more by any chance?

Yup! Here's Sasha's POV! But if you mean more after this... probably. The original character Dawn Kaen belongs to a friend of mine, while Nash Viseriox belongs to me. Enjoy reading!

~~~~~

Being a god wasn’t easy. It wouldn’t be if you still had a few things from your mortal life to fix. And even if Sasha no longer had any of those, being a god still wasn’t easy. Sure, she’s free from school, free from political jobs (she might as well do something nice for her girlfriends for juggling mortal and cosmic duties), but she wasn’t free from her godly duties. Never will be, she supposed, but there were small instances that she enjoyed. Such as laying on a random rock in the middle of space, watching the ever changing multiverse around her.

A little much needed break from her cosmic duties. Peaceful, relaxing, and quiet--

“Hey, Sasha~”

“Waybright! There you are!”

--if it weren’t for her companions.

A soft groan escaped her lips and she cracked one eye open, tiredly glaring at the owners of those voices.

“Nash. Dawn,” she greeted.

If anyone thought that the Calamity Trio were the only deities around, they were wrong. There were others like them, modern gods born from unfortunate mortals who fully tapped into their prophesied power and became celestial beings. The two standing over her were examples of those mortals.

“Awwww. Don’t sound like that,” Dawn Kaen said, a bipedal fox, from a planet that worshipped her, and a goddess of death. Sasha had met her during an unsavory trip to another planet.

“Something on your mind, Waybright?” Nash Viseriox asked, sharp teeth bared into a grin she’s come to know as worried. She didn’t know what species he was or where he’s from, just that he reminded her of a dragonborn Marcy excitedly explained in a DnD session when they were ten. He was a space god much like her and they’d met when two kingdoms fought one another to prove which space god was best: him or her.

A dumb thing to fight over if you asked her.

“Was just trying to relax,” she muttered, stretching. She looked over at Dawn and asked, “What are you doing here, Dawn? Haven’t you got work to do?”

“Too many deaths,” the fox grumbled, then shrugged. “It’s gotten… meh.”

“Seriously?” Nash asked.

“Hey!” Dawn snarled, whirling to glare at him. “You try your hand at being a god of death!”

“Sure thing! I’ll be better at it than you.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? If I were a god of the cosmos, I’d be doing a better job than--”

A deep rumbling noise echoed from somewhere to her left, interrupting her. Dawn’s ears stood up at that, her tail going in between her legs.

“Well,” she squeaked, “nevermind about that. I’ll go do my job and I’ll let you guys do your work! See you soon!”

She disappeared not a second after, leaving her and Nash alone.

The sound echoed once more and the two space gods turned towards it.

Devourers, shapeless creatures of the void who reincarnated after countless deaths and who loved to eat everything. It was the fucking reason why Sasha was gone for week or months, the reason why she couldn’t come home to her girlfriends everyday because she had to fight months-long battles against these things. Devourers weren’t the only celestial problems in the multiverse, and it was a space god’s calling to deal with those problems.

A loud whooshing sound came from beside her, and she glanced over to see Nash compress a hand-made black hole into a battle axe.

He smirked, “You ready?”

She stood up slowly and lazily smiled, star-forged swords appearing in her hands. “Always.”

-----

She came home late at night a week after that, the eldritch beast a foe she’d already met in battle. A foe she’d already know the weakness of. She slipped through the front door, locked it and padded into her and her girlfriends’ bedroom. Marcy and Anne were already asleep, so she carefully tiptoed around to snatch a few things for a quick shower, to ease her aching muscles, and a comfy change of clothes.

She silently made her way to their bed, slowly settled herself behind Marcy but the soft creak of the bed woke her partners’ up.

“Sash?”

“Sasha?”

Two groggy voices asked.

Fuck-

Two pairs of brown eyes slid to her.

“Hi,” she smiled softly. “Go back to sleep, I’m just… tucking myself in.”

“Hrmmm,” Anne grumbled, breathing almost even. “Welcrm hrm.”

“Thanks.”

Marcy rolled over, one hand out to grab at Sasha’s shirt. She tugged and the resulting pained hiss that escaped Sasha snapped the two in bed awake.

Damn her traitorous mouth!

Anne sat up immediately, brows furrowed. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine,” Sasha lied, trying her best to hide the pained expression on her face.

Marcy narrowed her eyes, the hand still touching Sasha’s shirt skimming across the fabric until it softly pressed into Sasha’s side. The blonde flinched, hand flying to her side.

She heard Anne curse under her breath, and Sasha felt the area around her flicker. She found herself on the bed soon after, in between Anne and Marcy. Anne had an arm wrapped around her, her free hand underneath Sasha’s shirt putting pressure on one of the very deep wounds as her powers helped it heal.

Sasha whimpered, eyes shutting tight and pushing herself deeper into Anne embrace.

“Sorry,” the brunette kissed her head.

“I didn’t know Devourers could do this,” Marcy frowned, arms coming around the blonde to comfort her.

“Bane,” Sasha gasped and Marcy winced.

“Makes sense.”

Anne and Marcy held onto Sasha as she bucked, whined or yelped, whispering sweet nothings into her ear to ease her. The blonde slumped afterwards, barely able to keep herself awake, energy drained from Anne using it to heal her grievous wounds.

“You okay?” the brunette asked.

“Yeah,” she muttered, “thanks.”

“No prob, Sashimi.”

Marcy held her hand and squeezed, “You should sleep.”

“You, too,” a mumble.

Anne and Marcy shared a smile, then took turns to press a kiss to Sasha’s lips. The blonde smiled sleepily.

“We will,” Marcy assured her.

“Good night, Sash,” the gods of life and knowledge said.

“G’night.”

~~~~~

Will I make more for this AU? Probably... If I'm uninspired to write other snippets or continue my fics (I really need to focus on those XD). Always giving my thanks to @fermented-writers-block for this wonderful idea. I'll be taking a break from this AU to answer other requests and work on my fics.

I hope y'all enjoyed reading this! Have a nice morning, afternoon or evening! Until the next snippet!

#amphibia #amphibia fanfic #fanfic snippet #asks #anonymous #sasha waybright #anne boonchuy #marcy wu #sashannarcy #unintentional gods au #amphibia au #original character #dawn kaen #nash viseriox

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itswildwinters · 4 years

Text

Hello lovelies and welcome to my October 2020 fic recs. These are the fics that I read these last few months. The main pairing is Louis Tomlinson/Harry Styles.

This is also an appreciation post to all writers out there. Thank you for contributing so much to the fandom, for making all these incredible pieces of work for us all to read!

I’m wishing you all a happy Halloween in advance!

If you check out any of those incredible fics below, don’t forget to leave kudos and comments to show your appreciation!

Enjoy!

From What I’ve Tasted of Desire by @evilovesyou

When Louis moves to the small Scottish town of Fortrose to spend some time with his father, he thinks he's come to terms with the fact that the next two years of his life will be rainy and dull. That changes when he meets the ever-elusive Harry Styles in his Biology class and he makes it his goal to find out the big secret surrounding him and his family. Louis unexpectedly finds himself in the eye of a storm of secrecy, age-old myths, friendship and romance.

Twilight AU / Vampires / Werewolves / Slow Burn / Highschool & College AU

eyes off you by @soldouthaz

“Just promise me you’ll do whatever it takes to keep us all safe while we’re in there,” Liam says.

Through the crack in the door, Louis can just barely make out the broad curve of Harry’s back, the slope of his curls as they tumble down all sleep-soft and lazy, and the sharp twist of his arm - all leading down to where he’s got his pointer and middle finger crossed over each other behind his back.

“I promise,” he tells Liam firmly, “I promise.”

or; a charlie’s angels inspired fic where louis is the brains, harry is the charm, liam is the muscle, and niall drives the getaway car - and zayn is there, too. sometimes.

Action / Pining / Assassins (kill bad people)

Walls by Travis_Crux

Following his line of sight, he frowned and shook his head, "What's wrong?"

"Wasn't your timer on your ring finger?" Liam asked, at that the Alpha immediately swapped the tumbler and looked down at his finger which sported a string of tiny blue flowers on the underside of his ring finger.

The two of them looked at one another.

"You could've touched nearly fifty people by the time you grew delirious," Liam advocated, always the voice of reason. "Comrades, nurses, doctors."

Sighing, he turned away and continued drinking the water. Literally, the only fucking thing remaining in the middle of a fucking war.

Harry has his soulmate timer stuck at zero from the beginning of time but suddenly the fates show mercy and a lovely forget-me-not takes the place of his timer. In between finding his soulmate in a war camp and solving the puzzle of the charismatic doctor who is treating him, all he can hope for is to live.

ABO / World War I / Soulmates / Angst / Hurt-Comfort

works like a charm by @falsegoodnight

Ever since Louis joined the team in fifth year, a few facts have become set in stone.

One: Louis is the best chaser in Hogwarts.

Two: Harry is the best beater in Hogwarts.

Three: They do not get along.

So it��s really unfair of Liam to think that forcing them to spend time together as Louis recovers from his injury will make them the best of friends. The last thing Louis would do is get along with that git.

Harry Potter Setting / Porn With Plot / Enemies to Lovers

(quiet like a fight) fingers laced together by @letthemkissyou

It’s a thin hope, frail and as thin as the silver strands of a spider web, desperate in the way Louis keeps clinging onto it even when he’s already expecting and preparing for the worst. Maybe one day, he’ll have a home, a place where he can feel safe and sound, tucked away safely from the world that has the tendency to treat him horribly and then even worse, that maybe there will be someone in his life who cares for him, even if in the smallest of ways, and does not just use him for whatever they tend to need at the moment.

Or, the one where Harry is gifted a hybrid and it's a whole new world for the both of them.

Hybrid Louis / Past Abuse / Fluff / Angst

We’ll Cast Some Light (You’ll Be Alright) by fondleeds

There’s tense silence, the whole room completely hushed. The other teams on surrounding tables look between each other. Then, Louis pushes himself away from the table noisily, chair scraping. His face is angered and crumpled, red at the ears. The door slams behind him as he rushes out. The surrounding teams look at Harry simultaneously.

“God, Simon is going to kill us if we don’t die on this mission first,” Niall moans into his hands.

There’s a standard procedure for this. Scan, track, kill. But with a solar eclipse and a Greater Demon with unfinished business looming, the path to keeping England safe from harm becomes complicated and shadowed by mystery and secrets. For Harry and his team, times have never been harder, especially when a few old friends turned foes show up. Harry is left with just over forty days to overcome the hurdle of tension between them and reconcile their past, and figure out just what Louis is hiding from him before it’s too late.

Demons / Enemies to Lovers / Violence / Angst / Fluff / Demon Hunters / Smut

Three Days in February by @mercurial-madhouse

“We have to get out of here, outside,” Harry whispered, turning his hand in Louis’s grip to hold on and pull them both to their feet. “And how do we fucking do that?” Louis hissed, carefully rising and pulling Harry to his feet before Harry could do it. His gaze darted to the front then back of the arena. “None of the doors are where they’re supposed to be.” “What?” Harry looked around again too, couldn’t see any doors, only knew that they must be there, somewhere. “How do you know?” Confusion slid over Louis's features. “Because we’ve been here before, Haz. It’s the O2.” The show. It must be the first night of their tour. They were too late; they were out of time.

Louis is cursed after a night out with the lads and the five have just three days to figure out what happened and how to break it before Harry and Louis both lose their sanity and maybe something more. Louis can hear everything Harry thinks and Harry isn’t sure he can keep his feelings for Louis a secret from his own mind.

Ridiculous amounts of banter and angst, a lot of Harry and Louis alone together, a healthy dose of OT5 friendship, and one very magical weekend.

Friends to Lovers / Fluff / Angst / Action / Adventure / Magical Realism / Hurt-Comfort / Slow Burn

Soaked In The Blood Of Angels by @crazyupsetter

The boy looks drugged, caught between a man who’s almost twice his size and a girl who looks like she wouldn’t even break a sweat snapping him in half despite her small stature, eyes closed and mouth open as he pants, arching up between them almost as if he’s trying to escape.

Normally, Harry would ignore it and continue on his search for someone to drink from, someone who wouldn’t mind his sharp teeth and rough hands. He’s seen plenty of boys like this one, ones who picked the wrong playmates, and if he stopped to rescue every single one of them he would have died from thirst a long time ago.

This one, though. There’s something about this one, the sheen of his bright blue eyes as he blinks slowly, looks around as though he doesn’t know where he is, the weakness of his hands as he tries to push the girl off of him and make his escape.

Explicit Sexual Content / Vampires / Incubus / Dubious Consent / Blood / Violence

The Compulsion to Find Love by Toomanytears

The most prestigious English third-level institution, Candling University, accepts omega students for the first time and Louis Tomlinson applies with bright eyes and brighter ambitions. There he encounters personal obstacles, traditional mindsets and a beautiful boy who inverts every prejudice Louis has ever known.

ABO / Omega Louis / Alpha Harry / Worldbuilding / Slow Burn / Fluff / Angst

Just a bit of work by missyoutoosweetscheeks

It was quite painfully pathetic, really. Twenty five, stable job, stable flat, stable mind (well, quite), a painfully non-existent love life with an even more painfully intact virginity.

Marcel didn't think his life was going to get better with his painfully aparent sociopathic tendencies to block anyone who showed interest in him.

Until, of course, he became Louis Tomlinson's next prey.

In which Marcel is a virgin, and becomes his office's amorous co-worker's next big conquest.

Top Harry / Bottom Louis / Office Sex / Dubious Consent / Porn Without Plot

Fuck U Betta by @jacaranda-bloom

There’s something about having Louis like this, exposed and desperate, that makes a primal urge bubble up from deep inside Harry’s chest. Desire mixed with something else, something unquantifiable. It’s the thing that makes them want this, need this. Nothing else will satisfy them or quench their thirst.

OR the one where Harry likes the thrill of the chase, Louis likes to be chased, and everyone gets what they need… in the end.

Porn Without Plot / Light BDSM / Top Harry / Bottom Louis

push you out, pull you back in by @behisoneandonly

Harry grips his head in his hands helplessly, yanking the base of his dark curls and squeezing his eyes shut.

“Fucking hell,” he whispers, knuckles turning white from how hard he’s gripping the strands of his hair.

“Hey, hey,” says the petite stranger in front of him, quickly standing up. “Stop, you’re hurting yourself.”

–

Or Harry hates feeling vulnerable. Louis is set on breaking through his tough facade.

College/University AU / medical student Harry / Fashion student Louis / Strangers to Lovers / Pining / fluff / slight angst / Hut-Comfort / Anger Management

might we be stardust stories by ryanreynolds

"It was easier being at war."

In which werewolves and vampires have been fighting each other for a century, and Harry and Louis' marriage is what's gonna bring peace to the realm. Hopefully.

Werewolves / Vampires / Arranged Marriage / Slow Burn / Falling in Love / Pining / Fantasy

Like Candy In My Veins by littlelouishiccups

“Um…” Harry said slowly after a moment. “Okay. That’s… this is… Let me get this straight.” He lifted up a hand and swallowed. “You told your family that you have a boyfriend… and my name was the first one you thought of?” “Harry Potter was on TV, alright? It wasn’t that much of a stretch.” Louis pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t believe he was explaining himself to Harry fucking Styles. He couldn’t believe he was stooping this low. “Forget it. I’m sorry I even thought about bringing you into this.”

Harry snorted. “What? Did you want me to pretend to be your boyfriend or something?”

(Basically the A/B/O, enemies to lovers, fake relationship, Christmas AU that nobody asked for.)

ABO / Fake-Pretend Relationship

until this blood runs cold by @soldouthaz

In a town as small as Louis’, everybody knows everybody and gossip spreads faster than the wildfires that rage on just outside their backdoors in the sweltering heat of summer. When something happens here everyone knows about it within seconds. Neighbors call neighbors and notes are left on doorsteps, old telephone lines ringing until there isn’t a single person who is left in the unknown.

So it’s definitely hot gossip when a vampire moves in across the street from him, the very same one who’s just become Louis’ boss.

Vampire Harry / Frottage / Blood Drinking

call you mine by @falsegoodnight

“I have a request.”

That’s what Louis Tomlinson says to Harry when he opens the front door a bit too aggressively. The latter feels justified after a round of annoyingly incessant knocking that was much too loud in the drowsy sludge of early Saturday morning.

“Zayn’s asleep,” is Harry’s tired, hoarse reply, irritation prickling at his skin. Less than a minute ago he was in bed, feeling perfectly content sprawled out on the mattress with the chilled air from the fan cool against his bare skin. And now he’s leaning up against the wooden door frame in nothing but his briefs because Zayn’s best mate decided that showing up unannounced at seven in the fucking morning was a brilliant idea.

“I’m not here for him,” says Louis curtly.

Or, Louis’ curious about how it feels to be bitten. Harry’s going to need more than just one bite.

Plot What Porn / Vampire Harry / Bottom Louis

your biggest fan by @soldouthaz

Just like everyone else, Louis has a few habits that he can’t seem to break. Guilty pleasures, rather. His nails are perpetually short because he can’t quit biting them, the bottom of his shoes scuffed from tapping his foot constantly. Sometimes his leg gets a cramp from bouncing it so often underneath his desk. That isn't too bad, he reckons, just some average teenage coping mechanisms.

And also, occasionally, minor instances of theft.

Top Harry / Bottom Louis / Porn What Plot / Nerd Louis / Jock Harry

give me love by @falsegoodnight & @soldouthaz

Despite being an omega, Louis’ always had a blatant dislike of alphas.

Or, Louis doesn't feel like a good omega, Harry doesn't remember how to be an alpha, and they figure it out together.

ABO / Alpha Harry / Omega Louis / Bottom Louis / Past Relationship Trauma / Slow Burn / Angst / Fluff

The Stars Look Very Different Today by @kingsofeverything

For Harry Styles, child genius turned glorified spaceship mechanic, rescuing lost or broken down ships is a fairly common occurrence.

There’s nothing common about his latest mission, the ship, or that ship’s captain.

The last thing he expects to find in a distant galaxy is the one thing he’s been missing on Earth.

Space / Time-Travel / Science Fiction & Fantasy / Enemies to Lovers

The cat is out of the bag by 28sunflowers

Harry somehow gets himself stuck as a black cat on Halloween and needs help from Louis to change back into his human form.

The problem is: Louis doesn’t even know witches exist, much less that Harry is one. And there’s also the fact he thinks Harry is ghosting him after they had sex for the first time.

So the situations isn’t ideal. But it’s okay. Harry will figure something out.

Light angst / Witch Harry / Potions Accident / Fluff and Humour

#fic recs #october 2020 #larry stylinson

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m0onbean · 4 years

Text

tutoring & loving

genre: enemies to lovers!AU, tutor!reader, popular boy!eunwoo, high school!AU, JEALOUSYYYYYYYY, flooooooof!!! angst but it’s okay because angst is wonderful, basically most of my favorite AU’s combined in one

warnings: jealous eunwoo and this AU is much more in depth than the others ones

words: 2.8k

note: this is an old draft that has been sitting in my notes so i thought i would post!! enjoy and I HOPE EUNWOO IS CASTED FOR TRUE BEAUTY!!!

as one of the top students in class, all of your teachers absolutely ADORE YOU

school is pretty smooth for you: you study well, pass tests, socialize with friends....... except for one little threat that makes your life so much more difficult...

Cha Eunwoo.

not only is he one of the most popular boys in your grade, but unfortunately he’s also your seat partner for English and he’s the most annoying person you have ever met

you haven’t given him a reason to disrespect you!! ... okay maybe sometimes when you see him and his group of friends being loud in the hallways you shoot an icy glare....... ok and MAYBE you roll your eyes everytime he says smth dumb in the middle of class

but other than that??? completely innocent you are. but this man doesn’t seem to agree, as he seems to have made his life goal to ANNOY THE SHIT OUT OF YOU.

foe ex. you would be peacefully paying attention in class when suddenly you feel something kick your foot

and when you look up, you see eunwoo “paying attention” to the board and feigning innocence

but you immediately know that he’s just trying to aggravate you because when has this man ever actually paid attention in class??

so you go back to listening when you feel ANOTHER kick and you’re like BITCHoh hell no so you kick him back bc we’re not all perfect human beings let’s be honest

and now y’all are kicking each other back and forth, and everyone can hear the desks shuffling underneath them

he also makes snarky marks constantly when you literally just breathed???

like you would sit down at your seat and he’d be like “Congrats, you’ve somehow managed to choose the ugliest outfit in the world to wear today”

and you respond, “It’s about time i have a turn, you’re wearing the ugliest outfit everyday” and then you just glare at each other until the teacher tells you two to snap out of it

on some days eunwoo will just flat out point out one of your flaws like if your hair is messy or if there’s a stain on your shirt

so one day your English teacher asks to see you after class and you’re like Oh he’s just gonna offer me extra credit ... but instead of doing that he asks right off the bat, “i have another student that needs tutoring, are you willing to take one more?”

for the past month, you’ve already been tutoring a few students your teacher recommends to you. it’s easy money, especially since you’re saving up for college

only this time, you can tell he’s desperate because he’s like “Please (y/n) he’s failing in English and misbehaving in class you’re my only hope!!”

and now you’re like Hawld on..... Why Is He Being So Desperate About This.... like you’re cool with tutoring..... what makes this-

the realization strikes across your face.

who in this school would you would hate teaching??? who is failing in English??? WHO IS THE BANE OF YOUR EXISTENCE. look to: c. e. w.

“ofdjoaaja i’ll give you gummy bears or something” he pleads. and honestly, if you were not so broke, you would’ve spat on his feet and walked out the door. but you need the cash, and you sure do like gummy bears.......

you gracefully relinquish, and your teacher gives you a proud smile. he then goes on to tell you that his mom requested extra help smh why couldn’t she have just hired a tutor i hate rich people.. anyways so yeah pls Help me

so the next day @ school you approach your seat and you see eunwoo sitting on his desk, talking to his friends until he notices you.. and he’s about to open his mouth to probs criticize your untied shoelaces but you interrupt him and are like:

“eunwoo i’m privately tutoring you starting today. Meet at the library after school.”

and he’s just sitting there, jaw dropping to the floor and you’re like :) He’s finally quiet for once...

but little did you know that during class he’d be pestering you with complaints like:“why you??? is there anyone else that can do it???” “i don’t need tutoring.. i’m getting consistent D’s... not a singular F and it ain’t much but it’s honest work”

at a certain point, you get so sick of his complaints and go like “your mom asked for you to be tutored!!! OK i didn’t just ask to tutor you, you dumbfuck.”

and once you mention his mom he just kinda shuts up... and stares at his desk for the rest of the period

ou notice this and recall the teacher telling you that eunwoo’s mom is a tiger mom... you keep this in mind because now you know that making his mom proud might be his motivation

after school, you wait at the library for him inside.. but a couple minutes pass and you’re like ? did he forget ? .

and eventually an hour passes and you’re like nope he’s definitely ditching

and honestly,,, you feel a little betrayed and a little hurt ... but just when you’re about to leave you see him panting and making his way to your table nd you’re like ???????and eunwoo’s like “im so sorry i forgot...”

and you’re like oh? so you didn’t ditch?

and he’s like No!! i just ... forgot.

and you’re like well you little shit don’t forget next time i’ve been sitting here for an hour..but then he reaches something from his pocket and hands it to you and it’s a triangle sushi (it’s super crumbled too...)

and he’s like “i got this to make it up” and you’re like flustered and just weirdly but pleasantly surprised he feels this bad about almost flaking

but you catch yourself slipping and go back to your annoyed tone: “uh-What the fuck are you on?? I-Wh-I’m not hungry. T-thanks tho.”

the first tutoring session is... awful to say the least.

he couldn’t pay attention well and continuously complained and even tried to go off topic

like you’d be asking him what foreshadowing meant and then he’d be like “so.. where’s your family from (y/n)?” 33r*#$&(@$

after an hour of no progress you get frustrated and shut the textbook, about to call it a day

but just when you stand up eunwoo grabs your wrist

and he’s like “where do you think you’re going?” you scoff and reply with “why do you care? it’s not like you want to be tutored right? well i don’t want to tutor anymore”

when you try to budge, you feel his hand still firmly gripping onto your wrist and you’re like “let go of me” until you realize he’s staring at you dead in the eyes

and in a quiet voice he sadly says “please don’t give up on me... i’m trying my best.”

it looks like he’s about to tear up and that’s when you realize that you need to be patient for him... and need to help him because he’s trying to make his mom proud.

when you sit down again, he gets a bit startled that you gave in so easily but regardless, a relieved smile spreads across his face.

instead of going back to teaching, you conclude that you two should “break the ice” first so tutoring wouldn’t be you two just glaring at eachother

“breaking the ice” turns into a two hour conversation about random things or anything that comes into mind.

eunwoo is really good at conversing and he’s good at filling in the awkward pauses and bringing up new topics!!

next thing you know the librarian is trying to shoo you guys outside since the library already closed fodjsoakal

when you get back home, there��s a stupid smile on your face and you’re like SHIT why am i smiling? why can’t i stop smiling???? get yourself together youRe just helping him you still think he’s annoying!!! ..but he has a breathtaking laugh... NO he’s still that annoying guy i hate

the rest of the tutoring sessions aren’t as bad at you thought.. eunwoo is actually pretty smart he just has the attention span of a toddler honestly.

you could be trying to read him an excerpt from The Great Gatsby and when it’s his turn to read.. it’s absolutely silent and when you look up like ???

you see him staring at you and you’re like “eunwoo.. it’s ur turn” and he’d be snapped out of his trance and be like OH! and ask you where you left off

and inside you’d be like.. was he.. staring at me?? (he actually was. you just looked so pretty reading out loud with such emotion)

after a couple of more classes with him, he starts immensely improving in class. he doesn’t really bother you anymore, but he stills throws some playful remarks at times.

tutoring sessions seem to be effective, and you learn that he actually has a really.. really great personality

one day, you’re approaching your seat in English and are about to roast eunwoo as your daily routine when you almost bump into somebody

but thank god you have great reflexes so you managed to stop yourself... and when you look up you see a handsome face and you’re like. Oh.and he’s like smiling sheepishly and is like “sorry! i’m clumsy hehe” and you’re like Oh.. he’s cute

you smile back and insist it’s fine.. and now you’re both still standing there smiling at eachother because he’s like eye candy

he manages to introduce himself as Moonbin and you’re like I’m (y/n)!! and then his face transforms into recognition and he’s like “oh! you’re eunwoo’s tutor aren’t you?”

and you’re like “Oh?? yeah how’d you know?”and he’s like “Ah.. i’m good friends with him. i heard your tutoring sessions are really helpful though. you’re super smart”

and on the outside you’re like :3 m-Me????!??! <3

what you actually say: ah, thank you.

then he’s like “do you mind if you tutor me too?? i’m kind of struggling in English as well” and you’re like “oh sure!” it’s raining money girl

the bell starts ringing and he waves goodbye

you go to your seat with a wide smile, and when you sit down, you don’t notice that eunwoo is glaring at you

so when you look at him with a smile on your face, he gets even more glary.

you quickly wipe the smile off and are like “oh it’s you.”

but instead of insulting you back he’s like “why were you talking to Moobin?” and youre ???? “why CAN’T i talk to Moonbin? he was asking me to tutor him.”

when he hears that, he clenches his fists under the desk and is like.. “did you accept his offer?”

and you’re confusedly like “yes.. why would i reject him?”

not one to handle complicated feelings well, eunwoo just stands up, his chair loudly screeching against the floor.

he wants to tell you that he doesn’t want Moonbin to watch you read lines from poetry so dramatically, smile whenever he makes a joke, text him reminders to study before he goes to sleep.

but when you’re looking at him with such bewilderment in your beautiful eyes, your facial features frozen as you wait for his next move, he feels disgusting for having these feelings towards you. you’d probably be happier with Moonbin, who doesn’t have these nasty problems you’d be burdened with.

but before you can even properly react, he’s leaving the classroom and you look around, grateful that nobody was watching.

and you don’t know how it happens.. but your feet control themselves and now you’re running after him, not caring about class starting already

and as you’re sprinting, so many scattered thoughts run through your mind. eunwoo.. jealous? does he like you? and even though you thought you were interested in eunwoo... there’s something about eunwoo you can’t let go about.and there’s no way you’re going to lose him.

so when you finally catch up to him you grab him by the arm and turn him around so he’s facing you... you hug him tightly.

and the crawling feeling that’s been stirring in eunwoo’s stomach suddenly dissipates

and bc you know that nothing will be the same after this, why don’t you just end it off strong? so you confess

you quietly tell him that you’re new to this... relationships have always been a new territory for you. liking somebody is new for you. “please don’t run off and let go of me either... i’m trying my best, too”

and he wants to push you off of him, tell you what’s best for you, and go back to being the annoying shit he once was. but your hug feels so nice and.. well.. maybe eunwoo can be selfish once in a while.

falling in love with eunwoo is a gradual but addictive progress. when people describe falling in love, they would describe it as fireworks... exciting but risky. you would pretty much say the same but.. it’s so much more than just that.

it’s feeling tingly and funny when he randomly holds your hand or shows affection. it’s feeling enormously upset when you’re not around him or when you see him talking to somebody attractive. it’s feeling empty when he cuddles you because you want this to last forever, but you’re scared because you know it won’t.

you tell him this as you two are nestled on his couch, blankets jumbled across and TV playing some cooking show neither of you care about

he laughs and kisses your forehead which makes you feel that stupid tingly feeling again.

“are you confessing that you’re in love with me (y/n)?” before you can try to smack him, he says “i love you too.”and with that.. you quietly respond “i love you...”

and it feels so refreshing voicing that out loud.

eunwoo as a boyfriend would be the most blood rushing and adrenaline pumping feeling there is. he’s filled with so much energy that it’s never not fun around him

he would sneak you into carnivals, and take you on the ferris wheel where you two would probably makeout in the passenger car scksksoao

he’d also try to win you prizes at the arcade but.. he’s just so bad at playing it and either A) you end up playing and winning him a prize or B) he bribes the arcade owner to give him the prize

lots of PDA. lotssss of them.

sitting next to eunwoo in English is a struggle now.. he’s always distracting you from the teacher.

like you’d be taking notes but then you’d feel his head on your shoulder and now he’s straight up cuddling you in class

eunwoo always encourages you to have more fun

“you’re always locked up in your room, studying.”

thus, he likes to knock on your door and enter the house with your parents’ delightful approval (because your parents love him. so much.) and go in your room and shower you with kisses while telling you that it’s time to stop studying because you’ve been reading the same chapter over and over again

your texts to each other would be littered with emojis that don’t even relate to the message. like you’d text “i stopped studying. are you proud of me 💃👒🐟🥐”and he’d reply with “of course my sunshine 🍣🎧🔑”

you still tutor him but your tutor sessions are a lot more longer now since they take place at either of your houses instead of the library LMAO.

+ after tutoring him, you two would just cuddle and raid your fridges

when you meet moonbin again, eunwoo gets a little jealous again since he thinks that moonbin has a chance of snatching you

but after kissing him and assuring him that you’ll never be “snatched”, he feels so relieved

eunwoo relishes all of the affection you give him. and he always gives you twice as much :’)

one day the same English teacher asks to see you after class and you’re like “is there something you need?”and he’s like “.... ok so tell me how y’all went from kicking eachother to cuddling together in class 🤔🤔”

and you’re like “.. BYE I THINK I HEARD SOMEBODY CALLING ME”

the doors were closed... nobody heard anything...

when you ask eunwoo why he hated you so much in the beginning, he tells you that he was just jealous of you. jealous of how flawless you did in academics and how you’re such a bright student + your glares were “extremely unnecessary”

he also tells you that his older brother is already a doctor and has been so successful in everything so his mom always pressures him and compares them

and you’re like weaving your fingers together while telling him “don’t compare yourself. he is him and you are you.”

and you pause.. and say “and i love you this way. i’m proud of you”

and eunwoo just immediately breaks down right there because nobody ever tells him that.. nobody is ever proud of him

falling in love with one of your enemies was definitely one of the best things that’s ever happened to you :)

#astro #cha eunwoo #eunwoo scenarios #eunwoo fluff #eunwoo angst #eunwoo fanfiction #eunwoo fanfics #eunwoo aus #eunwoo au #kpop #lee dongmin #tutor!au #enemies to lovers!au #bulleted #bullet

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tamakiamajikistentacles · 4 years

Text

Fit For A King {Katsuki Bakugo}

A/N: Please be sure to reblog, comment, review, and like if you enjoy! Feedback is what keeps me motivated! I really want to thank the anon who mentioned they were interested in seeing a fantasy AU fic which got me to organize my ideas and come up with this story. I hope you like it and would love to hear your thoughts!

Boots hit heavily on the forest floor as the two men ran through the foliage dodging trees and trying not to slide on dew-soaked leaves. Their lungs burned and their breath came out in labored pants but they couldn’t stop, not with the shouts of the rogues pursuing them growing steadily louder.

“We can beat them from the sky if you shift!”

“I can’t, they got me across my back and if I shift before it heals my wing will be mangled! We have to fight them on the ground, Bakugo!”

The blonde grimaced. A twelve-on-two close combat fight was absolutely one they could win even without Kirishima’s ability to shift but the problem lie in their location; his magic, his strongest ability, would end with the entire dense forest burning to ash right alongside the men after them if he tried to take them all down at once.

“What’s our plan? We can’t run forever!”

“I know!” he snarled.

Being more familiar with the forest and on foot they had an advantage over their pursuers on horseback, but they would need to face them eventually and if his explosions were their best option that meant they needed a wider area. They were coming up on a small clearing only a dozen or so meters wide, not ideal but for the circumstances it would have to do.

“When the trees open up we fight. I’ll blast as many as I can as they file in, the forest is too dense for them to be spread out enough to surround us.”

“Got it!” Kirishima said with a nod, and they pressed on.

The greenery around them blurred but they knew the area, knew where they were and when he trees parted into a clearing they turned and took their fighting stances.

Rustling behind them made Bakugo’s eyes widen and as he began to move he heard a crack to his left and Kirishima was falling to the grass, eyes closed. When he registered the rogue smirking he gritted his teeth and sent a thundering explosion to his face, making the man pitch backwards and startling his horse enough to run off.

Bakugo realized he was going to be alone in this fight, their foresight to use the clearing not accounting for the fact that maybe the rogues knew the forest too, but he knew he could win if he continued his explosions to the other eleven pursuers.

He crouched down to move an unconscious Kirishima against a nearby tree so he wouldn’t be caught in the melee, and when the rest of the rogues appeared he sent blasts towards the first three that entered the clearing. They too fell to the ground and their horses dispersed, but no more breeched the tree line for several moments.

Until one single man on horseback burst through the branches, and as the blonde prepared his magic once again the silver tip of an arrow split open the skin of the rogue’s neck, piercing his throat easily and beginning to pour blood. He weakly clutched his neck and slumped sideways as the horse continued its gallop through the clearing and out of sight, Bakugo jumping back to press his spine against the rough bark of a tree to avoid the falling body.

“What the…”

The snapping of a twig had him looking past the fresh corpse to find a cloaked figure before him, a golden bow held at the ready. The hood was pulled far forward to shield their face as they scanned the area—they were ready to strike but realized by the silence that the enemy had been taken down.

Another silver tipped arrow glinted in the morning light as they relaxed their grip and slid it into the quiver on their back. It was then that they noticed the two men against the trees, approaching cautiously.

Bakugo stared them down, still unsure if he would need to explode their face like he had done the rogues. The cloaked figure stopped in front of him and regarded him quietly. The tip of the bow was placed beneath his chin and he growled, swatting it away.

“I don’t need coddling. The hell’s your name?”

The stranger said nothing, only cocked their head to the side which shrouded their face even further in shadows.

“I asked you for your name,” Bakugo repeated, pushing off of the tree and advancing toward them. His hands let off subtle pops and sparks, a small threat of what would come if he continued to receive no answer. “Tell me your damn name!”

Before he could come closer three arrows were pointed at him that, if fired, would pierce his neck, chest, and lower stomach. He froze, furious that this stranger had the audacity to threaten him but well aware of the deadly accuracy they held.

“Do you know who you’re fucking threatening? I’m Katsuki Bakugo, dragon master and next in line as leader of the Bakugo clan!”

“My sincerest apologies for assisting a barbarian prince in the first place if his thanks is to become aggressive,” a feminine voice sneered from beneath the hood.

His scowl morphed into surprise, not expecting a woman to be the cloaked stranger. Skilled female warriors were essential to his culture, his own mother a perfect example, but these lands were dangerous for anyone travelling alone and she didn’t appear to have a companion. Bakugo himself travelled with Kirishima as a second set of eyes to watch for rogues who would linger at the border of the Todoroki kingdom and the ungoverned wilderness.

“Don’t look so shocked, prince. I know your wildling women can fight just as well as your men. My skill should not surprise you.”

“I’m only surprised you’re reckless enough to travel alone,” he replied honestly, mindful of the arrows still aimed for vital areas. “Even I have the dragon with me.”

“Fair bit of good he did you here, eh?”

Bakugo glared at her. “He was injured when they ambushed us and the cowards hit him over the head when we got ready to strike back, but you’d probably know that much. Now you gonna lower those arrows or what?”

There was a long pause before she slowly lowered her bow and tucked the arrows back into her quiver, taking a tentative step back. She allowed the hood to fall back and expose her face for the first time, expression stoic as she said her name.

“Why are you travelling alone?

She strung the bow across her body easily before answering. “I’m going to the ports at the edge of the barrens to find a ship sailing to the western lands.”

“Why the west? You’re already in lawless territory,” he said, eyeing Kirishima’s still slumped form.

She followed his gaze and her features softened. Rummaging through her cloak she pulled out a dark purple pouch and moved to kneel in front of the redhead, holding the pouch below his nose. Kirishima’s face pinched and he turned away, his eyes blinking open as he groaned. She asked his name, and though it took a moment, he was able to answer with a slow exhale.

“Who’re you?” he slurred.

“The one with a good shot,” she chuckled, taking his hand to help him up. “I recognized the ones after you as you passed my campsite, so I followed and took aim. I’m just glad you’re alright aside from your back. I have healing salve if you’d like some.”

He smiled and thanked her as Bakugo snapped, “As if we need your help!”

She rolled her eyes as she found the salve in her cloak and handed it to the redhead. “Then I shall take my leave, prince.”

“Bakugo!” Kirishima chastised. “Stop being so rude to her, we should be grateful!”

He snatched the salve from him and spun him around roughly to help apply it. “Grateful?! A lone stranger inserting herself into our fight is nothing to be grateful for!”

“You’re all alone?” Kirishima asked her, frowning when she nodded. “These aren’t lands to be travelling alone. Where are you headed?”

“The southern ports. I’m going west.”

“We’re going that way! The tribe’s village is a few days’ trek from the shipyard so you can travel with us!”

“LIKE HELL SHE CAN!”

Ignoring the blonde’s outburst, she shook her head. “I appreciate your generosity but I don’t think it’s in anyone’s best interest for me to do that.”

“It isn’t manly to leave someone alone in these lands,” Kirishima argued, “and besides, you’re going the exact same way as we are. Wouldn’t you prefer to travel with us instead of on your own and wondering if the voices you’re hearing beyond your campsite are friend or foe?”

“The fuck you mean friend—”

“I… suppose that’s a good point,” she relented. “Though only if it won’t cause any problems.”

Kirishima grinned. “It won’t be a problem, we’re not savages!”

At his final word, Bakugo stiffened and his eye twitched in anger. It was the exact right thing to say to stop his protests because dammit it would be savage to leave someone to travel alone in ungoverned lands, wouldn’t it? Barbarian was one thing, wildling another, but savage was worse; barbarian meant violent, wildling meant free, savage meant immoral.

“Just keep up,” he finally said.

Summer faded quickly into autumn, the changing of the leaves in the forested areas turning the lush green leaves to warm oranges and reds that matched her travelling companions. Despite the divided feelings of her joining them she found herself more relaxed as they crossed the lands together though she remained vigilant.

The crisper air and shorter days brought others to their sights, but none interacted other than with wary side glances as they too forged on to their destination. Encounters with rogues were the opposite; the colder the weather the less likely they were to saddle their horses and pursue travelers.

Still, there were a few encounters that ended bloody with those who mistakenly thought they had an easy group of targets. The precision of arrows, explosions, and dragon claws easily proved them wrong and allowed the trio to keep a steady trickle of supplies available to them.

She grew closer to both of the men too as they crossed the wilderness albeit in different ways—Kirishima was a fast friend to her, always asking questions about her and speaking about himself and the adventures he had shared with Bakugo and their other companions. It was through one of these tales that she learned that they were both involved in the defeat of the Mage of Decay alongside her former fiancé and a slew of others she had met while at the Todoroki castle.

Bakugo’s additions to this retelling are what gave her pause and made her reevaluate her first impression of the explosive prince. Yes, he was brash and rude and standoffish to anyone but his best friend, but the passion with which he spoke when detailing his reasons for fighting alongside the prince, knights, a farm boy, and others was almost inspiring. He had wanted to protect his people knowing that the Mage’s intent was to conquer the entirety of the east, but he also wanted to prove himself as a warrior and worthy of one day ruling his tribe as their most powerful leader. It caused her to look at him in a different light, one that morphed easily from admiration to a building desire.

Unbeknownst to her, he had also reconsidered his opinion since their first meeting in the clearing.

Her skill with a bow impressed him more than he would ever admit aloud but as they travelled together he saw the true warrior she was. When there were signs of rogues her first thought was strategy and how to take them out in the quickest and most efficient way. Most instances included several plans that were possible and would cause the least damage to themselves and the surrounding areas.

She was fierce and seemingly unafraid, though he could see deeper to the insecurity she carried. What she carried it for he didn’t know, but it reminded him of himself. He saw within her the same desire to be respected, regarded for what she was good at, to be the best version of herself that she could. But there was uncertainty, and he wished he knew why because a growing part of him wanted to be the one to make it disappear.

It wasn’t until a bitter mid-winter evening that he gained the insight he had craved.

The fire crackled in the quiet of the night and Kirishima’s heavy breaths kept the small clearing warm as embers floated from his snout with every exhale, fizzling out before they could hit the ground. Delicate snowflakes danced their way through the air under the shroud of darkness and silence.

Bakugo stoked the flames every so often, his body tired but mind unable to stop its racing thoughts of the woman across from him.

“Do you realize we’ve seen over one hundred moons together?” she murmured, face to the stars.

“Over one hundred moons and I still don’t know more than your name and skill with a bow,” he replied.

She closed her eyes and drew her bottom lip between her teeth. A heavy breath shook through her, emotion far more chilling than the winter air, and she levelled him with an unreadable expression as her eyes opened to lock with his.

“My family is from the golden lands of King All Might, my father a member of his council until his death. After he passed my mother inherited his wealth and we lived off of it for years in comfort but not as excessive as we once did when I was a child. She knew it would run out without someone working so she took a job as a seamstress and I helped where I could in the tailor shop. It wasn’t a bad life; I’d still be living it if I could.”

Bakugo listened to every word knowing she could stop at any moment and he would be left with more questions to ask than had been answered.

“My mother became ill and couldn’t work so I did everything I could to keep us fed and buy medications but it never seemed like it was enough. Until one day the princess of the Todoroki family visited the shop when the family came to the kingdom. She told me I was pretty, fit for a king and asked if I would be in the shop for the remainder of their visit because her brother, the prince who was the heir apparent, should meet me.”

“Fuyumi wanted to set you up with Half’n’Half?”

She blinked in surprise. “You call Shoto that?”

“He’s called me worse,” he smirked. “But keep talking. I want to know your story.”

“Well, I met Shoto,” she continued, “and he was… awkwardly charming, but very sweet. The problem arose when his father decided that the young seamstress would be a nice wife for his prince and offered my mother more gold than my father had ever brought home in his time on council for my hand. I… I didn’t want her to suffer through sickness in poverty if there was something I could do about it so I told her to accept King Endeavor’s offer and I would marry Shoto to keep her comfortable. She said if it wouldn’t make me happy to marry him I shouldn’t, but I told her if it kept her alive then I’d be happy.”

The fire’s light was just bright enough for him to see the thin tracks of tears beginning their descent from her lashes.

“I went to the Todoroki kingdom at spring’s first breath and by it’s last, I had learned palace etiquette and how to shoot a bow and arrow for the coronation ceremony, been custom made a gown of the finest materials only a royal could buy, and lost my mother to her illness.”

He stared at her in disbelief. Such a selfless act to marry not for romantic love but for the love of family and the desire to keep them comfortable, and she wouldn’t even be able to have that in the end.

“Shoto understood when I told him I couldn’t marry him and he encouraged me to stand up to his father in a way that he couldn’t, and so I left. Endeavor tried to burn me with his words and threats but I didn’t care; I had no family to mourn me and if I died, I died. But I didn’t. I took the golden bow and handcrafted quiver throughout the Todoroki kingdom and the golden lands but it wasn’t enough to explore or to build a home. Sometimes I still wonder if its honoring her wishes to cross these eastern lands with no true intention, so I decided that if the ungoverned territories didn’t bring me a place for roots or a desire to roam it further then I would go west. I just never expected a wildling prince and a dragon to be my companions to the southern port.”

Bakugo shifted beneath his cape awkwardly. He wasn’t very good at comfort or support but damn if she didn’t make him want to ease the ache of painful memories however he could.

“You made good decisions for the person you loved and when she passed, you honored her wishes to be happy. Half’n’Half wouldn’t have made you happy, you’d have just existed with him and had his colorful little heirs,” he said quietly, twirling the small tree limb between his fingers before adding, “And after one hundred moons, you can call this wildling prince by his given name.”

She smiled. “Thank you… Katsuki.”

Somehow his name on her tongue sent more shivers through him in one moment than the snow falling around them had all night.

“If you’re cold, we don’t have to wait until it’s time to sleep to get closer.”

Bakugo’s eyes widened at both her boldness and her ability to read him but he couldn’t deny that the closeness she was suggesting, something they had only done during sleep to conserve heat beneath Kirishima’s wing on the coldest of nights, was exactly how he wanted his waking hours to be spent. His time with her was limited as every day they drew closer to the shipyard that would take her west and right out of his life.

She stood, breaking him from his thoughts, and extended her hand to him over the fire. He rose slowly and took her outstretched hand, letting her guide him to where the sleeping dragon lay with his wings arced out on either side of him. Beneath one wing they had spread out a few furs as a makeshift bed with the intention of using Katsuki’s cape as a blanket as they had during previous nights.

He removed his cape from his shoulders as she laid in the furs, following just a minute later and draping the heavy cape over them both. It was familiar from past nights trying to conserve heat but now it held more significance when she curled close to his side and splayed a hand over his stomach. He wondered if she could hear his quickened heartbeat from where her head laid on his chest but chose to push the thought away as her lips pressed against his collarbone.

“You’re a good man,” she murmured between light, slow kisses up his neck and across his jaw.

His hand came up to the back of her neck and guided her to face him, features dim in the darkness. He didn’t speak, he only leaned forward to kiss her. When she pressed herself harder against him his hand fell to the small of her back and kept her close as they moved together.

Her fingers dipping just slightly below his waistband is what made him break away with a chuckle. “If that’s what you’re after, you think you can handle me?”

“I’m the only one who can.”

And as the night wore on he learned that she was more than capable, a fact he wanted to relearn in the dark of the night and any moment of the day she saw fit. The only true shock was that Kirishima, for being in the form of a beast with hypersensitive hearing, didn’t wake.

Somehow, as the winter months stretched on, he never did.

The stolen kisses and muffled moans in the darkness went unheard by the redhead, but the longing looks and brush of fingers on soft cheeks did not go unnoticed in the day. His silent acceptance of a sharp-toothed smile to each of them was enough. It was when the warmth of spring descended upon them that he began to worry, though. Each rise in the temperature drew them closer to the southern port and a ship headed west.

Bakugo too was acutely aware of the shortening amount of time he had with her. Over one hundred more moons had passed since the night they went to bed with the intention of more than sleep and every moon that rose in the sky was one closer to the night that she would no longer be next to him, every quiet plead of her voice was one closer to the last time he would hear it.

He knew she needed, wanted, deserved freedom. He could understand why the west appealed to her, but he would be lying if he said that he hadn’t wished upon every star in the sky that their eastern lands were enough to make her stay. Or maybe that he was enough to make her stay.

When dawn broke the morning they arrived at the ports he quietly asked Kirishima to give him the last of her moments on eastern soil alone with her. The redhead solemnly obliged and he kissed the crown of her head as the two set off.

It was quiet between them, words unspoken but understood—“don’t go” and “I have to”—as they walked into the shipyard.

Bakugo watched her speak with several captains until one agreed to allow her passage west on his cargo ship. Part of him longed for a change of heart by the captain while the other considered what part of the ship exploding would delay its journey the longest.

“Katsuki?”

He looked up, crimson eyes meeting hers as he felt his chest constrict.

“This has been an incredible adventure,” she said softly. “The day I found you and Kirishima in that clearing was a blessing, and you gave me a taste of the freedom I hope to find going forward. I… I truly wish this wasn’t goodbye.”

He stared at her for a long moment and watched her features morph into confusion and apprehension at his lack of a send-off. Honestly, he wasn’t sure he could give her one. Not when the ache in his chest had multiplied tenfold with every step on the dock.

He wasn’t good with words like she was, her training to be a princess and a queen showing through in the eloquent way she could turn a phrase. To beg would go against his upbringing, so he chose to make his point the only way he thought would reach her and his expression softened as he began to speak.

“They were wrong about you,” he murmured. “You’re not fit for a king, you’re so much more. You’re smart, you’re an expert markswoman, a brilliant strategist. You go on even when you feel you have no reason to.”

“You just want me to stay,” she said with a watery laugh. Behind her, the ship’s last few barrels were being loaded and a shout went up for stragglers to board.

“I do want you to stay, and it’s because I think you’re more than fit for a king… you’re fit to be queen. And if you stay, you will be. You’ll be queen of my tribe.”

Her jaw dropped in shock. “You want…”

“…you,” he finished as the call went out that the ship was ready to depart. “I want you to stay with me and be my queen. Become a Bakugo and you can have every bit of freedom you could ever want without worry and so much more.”

“Ask me properly and I’ll give you the answer you want,” she smiled, tears making their way slowly down her cheeks. “I just—”

He cut her off with a kiss, one hand coming up to gently cradle the back of her neck and the other falling to her waist as he pressed himself against her. Warmth bloomed in her chest as she wound her arms around him beneath his cape, fingers brushing the dip of his lower back. The noise of the dock faded, the bell of the ship she had intended to board ringing as it left the port paid no mind.

“Will you marry me?” he asked against her lips. The hand on her neck slid forward to cup her face, his thumb brushing her cheek tenderly.

“Yes,” she whispered, “of course, Katsuki.”

He smirked, kissing each of her cheeks before taking her hand in his. Interlacing their fingers together they began to retreat from the shipyard with wide smiles on each of their lips.

“Thank you,” she said after a moment. “For everything.”

He clicked his tongue. “Tch, don’t thank me for anything. Being your husband means I would do anything for you. I’d bring you the heart of any man you asked.”

“You say that as if I couldn’t get it myself,” she replied slyly, reveling in the twisting pout of lips in annoyance but also acceptance that she was right. A small victory.

But the greater victory came when they approached the barbarian village where the Bakugo tribe had laid their roots, cheers rising as Kirishima’s red scales glinting against the setting sun announced their arrival far before she and Katsuki’s boots reached their borders.

When they entered the sizable village questions were thrown at them almost immediately as the journey on which their prince had set out had not included finding a pretty woman to bring home. Annoyed at all the voices Bakugo had snapped at them but was quickly reprimanded by a tall blonde woman draped in a jeweled cape, the resemblance strikingly obvious as she introduced herself as his mother Mitsuki.

The members of the tribe were dismissed as she and her husband led her and Katsuki into a darkened hut—one she quickly realized belonged to the prince at her side—and demanded to know the adventure from which they had returned. Delight had spread across her face when she learned of this foreign woman’s skill with a bow and her smile grew wider still when Katsuki announced proudly that she would be his wife and the new queen of their people.

“I can only hope he brings you the happiness I can see that you bring him,” his father, Masaru, murmured as his wife and son spoke loudly of when the wedding would take place.

She watched the mother/son duo fondly, chuckling when alcohol was produced in celebration. “He already has.”

For several days she and Katsuki observed both Mitsuki and Masaru’s duties as the queen and king of the tribe, learning the roles they would take over once the wedding ceremony was complete. It was fast, much faster than when she had been in the Todoroki kingdom, but she supposed that free folk didn’t really need such extensive formalities.

But it did unnerve her to know that she would be taking on the title of a queen so quickly when she barely knew the customs of the tribe. Though each member had introduced themselves and given her well wishes in her marriage to their prince, she felt the positivity was misplaced.

Katsuki had been swift with vocalizing his own confidence in her when she told him her fears one night as they lie in the darkness of their hut.

“They only need someone who will support them and uphold the morals our village has carried for centuries. You already do that for me so just be you, silly woman.”

And while it didn’t dispel all of her worries it lessened the toll they had been taking on her significantly, and she thought again how grateful she was that she had Katsuki by her side.

She thought it often, really, in the days leading up to their wedding. Without knowing much but what she would wear, she pushed her worries aside and only indulged in her curiosities. She asked many questions about her title and what restrictions it held, what rights she had if something were to happen to her husband, and so much more. The only questions that went unanswered were about the approaching nuptials and she made it a point to ask Katsuki at his most gentle moment when she needed the knowledge most.

That meant that her best chance was after intimacy, less than an hour before they were to meet in front of the large fire the village had assembled the day prior.

“You haven’t told me anything and the ceremony starts within the hour. Are there traditions to honor?” she asked as she took her time changing from her every day clothing into the wedding attire the queen had given her that morning.

“Yeah,” he grunted, lounging back lazily in the bed and enjoying the sight of her, “but they’re not formal like you’re probably used to from your princess days.”

“I’m marrying a wildling prince who will become a king and I his queen, formal is the last thing I’d expect, Katsuki.”

He snorted. “You’re gonna be half naked and covered in blood.”

“My own?”

“No, mine. I’ll be covered in your blood.”

“I’m gonna need some context, love.”

A feral grin spread across his face and he rose from the bed to cross over to her, his body completely bare. Pressing himself against her back, he trailed his hands up her sides under her tunic and nipped at her neck before whispering, “What good are vows if only words are exchanged? Actions mean more, and what better than the rushing of blood, the very thing that keeps us alive?”

She shivered as she tipped her head back against his shoulder. She opened her mouth to reply, but a shout from beyond the door cut her off.

“KATSUKI! YOU KNOW YOU NEED TO FIND YOUR FATHER TO GET READY, DO NOT MAKE ME DRAG YOU OUT!”

His expression soured at the sound of his mother’s voice but he pulled away, scooping his trousers from the floor and pulling them up his legs. Turning back to her, his gaze softened.

“I’ll see you by the fire,” he said. A promise he wouldn’t, couldn’t break.

She smiled as he kissed her cheek. “I can’t wait.”

He moved toward the door just as his mother swung it open, biting insults exchanged as they passed one another, and he was gone.

Mitsuki smiled as she closed the door behind her. The way she scrutinized her half-dressed from made her flush from embarrassment at not being completely ready, only the dark pants sitting at her hips.

“Are you ready to learn your role for the ceremony?”

“Of course,” she replied, nerves twisting in her stomach. She wished there was more time to prepare, that she had been told something prior to the eleventh hour. Regardless, she listened intently as Mitsuki walked her through the simple ceremony and the phrasing of her vows.

She was able to repeat them back easily several times to show her mother-in-law that she had them memorized, the older woman nodding proudly at each completion. As she repeated them, she continued to dress herself in the traditional outfit of the tribe; she had donned it all save for the long strip of dark fabric that would serve as her shirt, a tight twist at her bust unable to cooperate as she tried to hold it up while tying it.

“Could… could you help me with the top?” she asked, cheeks flushed. “I can’t tie it tight enough.”

Mitsuki smiled warmly. “Of course. Turn around.”

She did as instructed and held the cloth tightly to her chest, making sure the twist was centered and her breasts covered properly. Mitsuki pulled it taut and looped back around her torso before tying it securely behind her back. Once her hands left her, she dropped her arms from where she had been holding the fabric and looked into the reflective surface of the shield mounted on the wall of the hut.

What she saw was a far cry from the girl who had once turned down a prince; black charcoal lined her eyes and matched the black ink on her left arm, still red from the tattooing process that morning, and she was showing more skin that others would be seeing than she ever had before outside of her intimate moments with Katsuki. Red gems interwoven with various sharp animal teeth hung from her neck.

Her silent marveling must have been mistaken for hesitance as Mitsuki cautiously asked, “Are you… unsure of this?”

She turned back to the blonde woman quickly. “No! No, I just—I’ve never looked like this before. I’ve always covered myself for modesty’s sake but now I don’t answer to anyone who would demand it.”

“This life gives you freedom to choose your own path and others who will support your decisions, even selfish ones, so long as you truly find your peace within them. Its why Katsuki lives the way he does. My only wish for him from the moment he was born under the hot sun was for him to live as he saw fit and love just the same. And look, it brought you to him.”

She gave her a smile and carefully picked up the small scabbard for her dagger, adjusting it so that it sat comfortably on her hip. “I had thought that being in that clearing the day he and Kirishima were ambushed was just luck, but now I think that it was exactly where I was meant to be.”

Mitsuki placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze, her other hand fastening the final touch to the twist of her top: a golden brooch.

The noise from outside the hut grew louder, and the two women knew it was time.

She hung back as the older woman went out first to cheers and whistles. Then, after a moment, she exited the hut and was greeted with an even louder reception than the queen. The respect they held for her already after so little time knowing her was shocking, but she couldn’t have been more grateful.

Head held high, she took her place between Mitsuki and the large fire separating the metaphorical alter from the members of the tribe. Masaru stood behind and to the left of his wife, and Bakugo stood across from her. When she met his eye, she couldn’t help the hitch in her breathing and shamelessly took in the sight of him.

The fur lined cape around his shoulders was darker in color than his usual scarlet one, older and more faded, likely traditional. His necklaces had been polished and sat proudly on his bare chest, broad and defined in the light of the fire. His tattoo was to their audience, muscular arms flexed as his thumbs were strung through the beltloops of his black pants. A golden buckle that matched her brooch secured his belt and the leather scabbard for his own dagger sat against his thigh. Darker fur boots were also different than his usual choice, but again she cited it as a probable tradition.

Mitsuki clapped her hands together once and silence descended on the gathering, then brought her hands out in a sweeping gesture to the bride and groom.

They each took the other’s dagger from their beltloop and cut across both palms widely, blood welling to the surface. When the daggers were sheathed they reached out and clasped their hands in front of them, blood flowing steadily down their fingers.

“A king cannot rule alone,” Mitsuki began. “Nor can a queen. As Masaru came to stand by my side decades ago, she now comes to stand by Katsuki’s.”

The light of the fire cast him in a warm glow, ruby eyes intense as he listened to his mother and watched his bride. Had he looked away since they came to stand in front of one another?

“Marriage is a partnership in our clan, one spouse does not rule the other but each contribute equally. What do you bring to this union?”

Katsuki brought his hand up to her face, careful not to touch her but with his thumb as he spoke, drawing a red line of his blood across her cheek with each promise he made. “I bring you protection in the night, as the moon should only shine. I bring you a respect the likes of which you’ve never known. I bring you the opportunity to travel these lands without fear.”

“I bring you protection in the day, as the sun should only shine,” she murmured, her own hand rising to paint bloody streaks across his cheek. “I bring you a respect the likes of which you’ve never known. I bring you the opportunity to travel these lands without fear.”

A smirk graced each of their lips as the vows continued and they spoke in unison, one bloody palm splaying across the other’s lower stomach to leave a handprint.

“I bring you pleasure each moment you are willing and a future in children fit to rule when you are gone.”

Her hand came to rest on his bare chest over his heart and his laid over hers just above the fabric tied around her chest.

“I bring you a life of adventure and years of contentment.”

Finally, their hands rose one last time to cup the other’s clean cheek. A slow, careful kiss followed, and with the warmth of the other’s lips still lingering on their own they spoke their last vow.

“I bring you love for the rest of your days.”

Their hands dropped and they faced the fire to see the rest of the tribe as an audience on the other side of it. Glancing at one another, they laced their bloodied fingers together once again.

“And so it is my last act as your leader to present to you your new king and queen,” Mitsuki proclaimed. She then stepped back into the shadows to give them their moment, Masaru at her side.

Katsuki raised their joined hands and the fire illuminated the red handprints and smears of blood across their bodies. Cheers rose in celebration from the crowd and Kirishima shifted to breathe flames into the starry sky.

She could only smile proudly next to her new husband. Fit for a king, fit to be queen—it didn’t quite matter so long as Katsuki was by her side.

A/N: Please be sure to reblog, comment, review, and like if you enjoy! Feedback is what keeps me motivated! The wedding ceremony is probably one of my favorite moments I’ve ever written so I’d especially love to hear your thoughts on that!

97 notes · View notes

hongsside · 4 years

Text

BITTERSWEET : : WYG X MNG

pairing :: everyone ✘ everyone ateez ( mingi and wooyoung focus )

hidden pairs :: mingi ✘ wooyoung, hongjoong ✘ seonghwa, san ✘ yunho, jonho ✘ yeosang

wc :: 3.3k

genre :: unfinished slow burn • “world against us” • romance

tags :: college party, college! au, onenight stand, conflictions, classmates

tw :: drugs, smoking, alcohol.

authors note :: I wrote this based of a song ‘right here’ by chase atlantic (hence the multiple lyric quotes and dialogue in here), i hope you guys enjoy this and take it as a treat for i will leaving on another hiatus because of school starting up and the stress build up is not gonna do well with the friendship problems, schoolwork etc that i already have. i hope you guys understand that this means ‘Finally Us’ will not be updated in a while, i’m very unhappy with this but it must be done, thank you for reading and for the support i got with the first chapter of FU, i couldn’t be more thankful! - misty <3

⇱ ORIGINALLY CALLED NUMB ⇲

-------

(o´ω`o)ﾉ⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･ ❝ ˡᵉᵗ'ˢ ᵍᵒ~ᵎ ❞

-------

mingi and wooyoung were at the peak of their college lives: partying every night, mid-term flings, drugs, alcohol, and the careless habits that would be developed. of course, they never knew each other; sure, they shared a few classes together and might’ve met eyes a couple of times, but that meant nothing to them…or did it?

the two young men weren't considered friends, nor were they considered foes; they were nobodies to each other, strangers in a way.

simply, classmates.

there were countless ways to put it. all wooyoung knew was that the group wasn't very fond of mingi, yet he could never pinpoint why.

both of them were split into two different friend groups, to say the least, which consisted of 4 men ranging from different social statuses; although ultimately irrelevant to this account.

--✯★✯

finals had just come to a close, a wave of leisure washed over the scholars as they turned to their end-of-year celebration; no, it wasn’t the school’s dance. god knows how everyone boycotted those no matter the circumstances. it was the party at one of the deserted mansions near the road alongside the school-- the authorities never bothered filing it as trespassing due to the property’s legal owner who turned out to be one of the high-class seniors in the student council.

god, they were all filthy rich-- from the janitor to the highest class students, everyone always managed to pull a fortune seemingly out of their ass. there were exceptions, of course, those were students that no one ever knew how they slithered through the cracks of the school, but it wasn’t that they fretted about them regardless.

while packs of students hopped over the rusted edges of the wired fence separating the school from the small patch of pavement leading to the open courtyard of the grand house. Others were settled inside already, cutting corners and exploring the rooms as the purple hue of the party lights bounced off the glistening façade of the expensive furniture.

it felt relatively uncomfortably expensive.

as the tiny packets of white powder were passed around and people headed off to the rooms upstairs, the roar of the rn&b music grew more resonant than before, so much so, that surely the after-school study groups back at the school would be able to hear it no doubt.

“i don’t think hongjoong-hyung would appreciate you taking that, wooyoung.”, said an ivory-haired figure, as he snatched a small packet filled with the white powder as mentioned before, from the not-so-unknown man.

“just once? please yeo-hyung?”, the other man shook his head disapprovingly as he passed the packet to a stranger passing by, rolling his body to the beat of the song playing in the distance, the echo bouncing discreetly from the empty dull walls.

“go play with your other hyungs, won’t you woo-ya? keep yourself occupied.”, yeosang instructed, careless of his surroundings as he danced along with a different crowd of students.

wooyoung bit his lip, nodding in reply. he observed the crowd, tippy-toeing as he sought for a bright blue-haired man, eyes glistening when he ultimately found him.

“hyung!- hongjoong!”, he asserted, pushing and shoving through the endless amount of drunk scholars that filled the already lethally crowded room.

wooyoung’s only goal that night was to get laid--- or to at least to find a fling to last him the end of the year. his hyungs wouldn’t allow him to take in any of the substances being shared, although they single-handedly knew he had already consumed them; they just wanted to prevent another reckless addict among the bunch, it was already enough with san. not to mention how protective they were of him, wooyoung was aware of why and he understood that he was like their little brother but sometimes it just felt like too much for him.

hongjoong turned his head, smiling at the younger man; he was certainly wasted out of his mind but regardless, he kept his cheeky grin plastered on his face. the younger man panned around, analyzing the face of the tall chestnut-haired man beside hongjoong.

“who the fuck are you?”

“wooyo-”, hiccupped the short man, getting interrupted by the voice of the stranger.

“park seonghwa, pleasure.”, he said, nonchalantly running a hand through his hair.

wooyoung let out a soft gasp, his lips parted in a not-so-subtle ‘o’. he was taken aback-- his best friend was seeing the student council president. he mentally slapped himself, how could he not recognize the student council president, yet the bigger question was, how did he never realize the two were dating

“oh my go- i’m so sorry hyung-” he stuttered through his sentence, scarcely perceptible as he spoke.

the couple smiled as seonghwa shook his head and murmured things that wooyoung couldn’t seem to recall as he reminisced on that night. as the lights flashed, before they knew it they were being escorted to a room by seonghwa--- that was after climbing up a long flight of lavish stairs that surely they could never afford to walk on; well, maybe except seonghwa.

while they passed some girls making out on the second-floor banister, not making too big a deal about it, they were led into a room in which the obscure smell of alcohol and sex lingered faintly. the odd-colored hair duo studied the room, eyeing the crowd of men scattered around the room. their expressions were painted with uncertainty, as they noticed their friends were already situated in the room along with additional unfamiliar men.

first, they saw yeosang, the man was immersed with the music, straddled onto the lap of a much buffer man by the name of jongho. his raven-colored hair fell a little above his shoulders and his hands were gently settled on yeo’s waist, securing him from a possible fall due to his drunk state. next, they saw san, who was already getting busy with a remarkably tall blonde boy-- assuming by the cup in his hand his name was ‘yunho’ written in black sharpie that was professedly rubbing off already.

the group of men continued to carefully examine the reckless mess in the room, watching as a redhead slightly taller than yunho poured another cup of whiskey for himself. the tall man exchanged it for san's empty cup and advanced to the pair of perplexed men-- seonghwa already cutting corners to another room, motioning for hongjoong to follow him.

the unnamed redhead lit up a joint, smiling as the orange hues illuminated his face giving the younger male a chance to study his complexion. his lips were plump and adorned by a small silver lip ring, his nose was prominent, and his eyes were much too powerful for him to grasp-- he was unbelievably stunning, and no one could deny it. the taller man passed the joint to wooyoung, chuckling as he noticed that the room once filled with pairs of their friends was now desolate.

they shared a quick glance as they puffed out clouds of white smoke, the stench of the haze slowly filling the room.

“name?”

“song mingi.”, wooyoung slightly tensed at the name, remembering the words his friends had exchanged about the man in front of him.

“don't have to ask you, mister jang.”, the taller man breathed, not giving much of a fuck as he continued to smoke the last bit of the joint before eyeing the other man up and down with haste.

“how do yo-.”

“irrelevant.”, he said smugly as they sat in the loudest silence of their lives; the music reverberating throughout the house, and the sound of muffled moans overlapping, fusing mutually to form a sonata essentially created especially for the party.

the colors they saw were vivid and not only that but almost excruciatingly painful to look at but ironically it was, at the same time, so blissful to them--- except this time, the vibrant rays of flashing colors did not belong to the party lights but instead their own euphoric state. the pair was in the clouds, their blood-pleasure rising by the minute, unaware of the various consequences their careless decisions would have in store for them. although it's safe to say they couldn't care less. their minds were spinning-- and their hearts were pacing. The music continued to reverberate softly throughout the walls of the house as they grew oblivious of their morning headaches that could kill, although they didn't know that yet.

as the clock chimed, one a.m., the two men would still be admiring the fading colors allowing the incoherent drunk words spilling out of their swollen lips to be overlooked. at that moment, wooyoung noted how he'd never found another man so attractive till he saw mingi's chiseled body splayed across the couch in an effortlessly charming way, wooyoung watched intently as he let out soft giggles and mumbles ad the younger man studied him in awe.

"another one?", he sang lighting up another joint.

"what if i pass or i-"

"one more, you'll be fine"

wooyoung could've sworn he went to heaven and back with mingi as he admired the blue glow of the stars he saw slowly reappearing in his eyesight-- he remained dazed by the redhead's display, meeting eyes in the process. meanwhile, the music which once resounded through the widish halls had moved far away until seemingly, little by little, the distance was much too far away to hear it-- the silence was broken by the sound of his sonorous voice.

“so..we gonna fuck or nah?”

--✯★✯

the moon soon rose above all, painting the sky with a fine shimmer of silver as the clouds masked the excellence of the dark-blue midnight sky. it was an enchanting sight, truly it was, but there was something about the way the distant sounds of heavy panting mixed in with the scenery of the moment.

--✯★✯

the next morning came with a hurry, awakening those in its path, as the smell of sex hindered in the now silent atmosphere to an overbearing extent. recalling the events of the previous night, wooyoung woke up, eyes fluttering open in an instant. his eyes adjusted to the change in brightness and carefully slithered from under the sleeping man's silhouette. the raven-haired man frowned slightly at the lack of warmth; he hoped it would've lasted longer but i suppose this wasn't the case. wooyoung scanned the room casually, unable to remember how he ended up in this unknown bed. everything seemed like a blur to him as he sat in such an empty square room in utter confusion; while he pondered on how he ended up in this room, he shifted uncomfortably from under the covers as he looked down and noticed he was nothing but naked. shocked by his discovery, wooyoung panned around in search of his clothes humming in approval as he found a shirt just below the desk, uncaring that it very much did not belong to him.

the clock chimed, six a.m., and wooyoung was almost out the door until the sound of mingi's trembling voice stopped him in his tracks.

“wooyungie? where are you going?”, he almost croaked, voice hoarse from last night's events which perhaps he wasn't aware of yet. wooyoung only stared in response, watching as the beams of the sun's rays shined through the cracks of the curtains.

“just going to get water.”, he lied, stomach curling in regret.

“ahh, alright i thought you were leaving me for a second.”, the sleepy man chuckled as he sat up, revealing his upper torso unintentionally. wooyoung smiled in return, walking to the kitchen to “quench his thirst”-- that was until he heard mingi utter drowsy nonsense again causing him to freeze.

"i don't wanna leave this bed..stay right here instead, woo.", the younger man hesitated, unable to process what he was saying and even more reluctant to not do as asked.

"i could've sworn you were right there.", the red-head continued, as he pointed to the vacant side of the bed that wooyoung had slept on. wooyoung chuckled, nearly forgetting about his initial plan of leaving mingi alone.

"you know we uh fu- umm that! right?", wooyoung said delaying his words in embarrassment. mingi only laughed.

"its cause you were high!", he interjected his own sentence, his cheeks slowly brightening to 50 different shades of red.

"i wasn't that high, i swear.", mingi chimed in defending his behalf with a joking tone.

minutes passed and an unexpected form of tension arose. mingi's had darkened, his expression was no longer the lively expression it once was but rather it was substituted with stern eyes. the pair were seated side by side from under the covers of the bed, perhaps unknowing of what the other truly was thinking about.

"why did you really leave, wooyoung?", mingi hummed through nearly pursed lips. the raven-haired man's eyes widened, beads of sweat slowly running down his temple as he stuttered on meaningless excuses.

"mingi- my friends..they don't like you..-"

"i don't give fuck about your friends! i'm right here and it doesn't change that you slept with me!"

"..and not only that, i'm the only one that hasn't walked out! i mean- look at my friends! i'm here!", he continued, growing impatient by the minute. mingi rested his head on his hands, frustration seeping out of his words. it's happening again.

wooyoung sat there, perplexed and guilty of everything he'd done. whereas mingi sat there in sheer hurt, remembering the great times they shared the night before.

"ill get going...i'm sorry."

--✯★✯

it's been three nights since the party and ever since then, wooyoung couldn't sleep. it felt like a year's worth of guilt had washed over him and the urge to call mingi grew stronger by the hour. his bangs fell before his eyes as he stared at the ceiling, watching the lifelessness of the white cover spread across the dorm.

his hyungs had noticed wooyoung's shift in attitude and grew curious of why their youngest "brother" had changed so rapidly.

"woo we gotta talk.", purred the quiet voice of the blue-haired man from behind the couch.

"about?"

"you."

the room became silent almost instantly, a silence so strong there was a fear within the men in breaking it. the remainder of the group filled the room practically on cue, and so the achingly awkward talk commenced-- but not in the way any of the men expected.

"why do you guys hate mingi?", inquired the youngest to their surprise.

"we-"

"answer the question."

"woo-ya, we're just afraid he might be a bad influence on you.."

"bad influence my ass, have you met san?", their eyes all darted to the man with eyes red with addiction, and he chuckled nervously knowing exactly what they were hinting to.

"not the point, we just want to know what's up with you all of the sudden? im talking about you not sleeping for three days after the party, wooyoung. we're worried about you."

"don't be, i'm not a child."

"we know-"

"if you knew so well then quit treating me like one and hiding things from me, thank you very much."

wooyoung stepped out of the room walking to the parking lot of their dorms as he reached for his phone and called the number he was once so reluctant to dial.

the number you have tried to reach did not respond, call again af-

the man sighed, hopping onto the rood of his car and sitting there ready to lose all hope that was seemingly never there, to begin with. he glanced up and watched at the glow of the stars lit up the sky alongside the same moon that shone over them three days ago.

he clicked the call button again, it rang and rang until almost impatience got the best of him.

the number you have-

one more time? he asked himself, what if he's busy? maybe his phone is dead?

"baby, just pick up your phone.", he practically cooed out loud in hopes to hear mingi's voice on the other side of the phone.

the number you have-

there wasn't anything he could hate more than hearing the sound of that voice. no, not his. never his.

he looked up to see the stars twinkle once more, getting ready to go back inside and endure the questioning that awaited him from his friends. he wasn't ready for what he would see when he gazed down though.

there he was, song mingi. he wasn't going to lie, he looked just as rough as he looked. the frame of his glasses was pushed up to the bridge of his nose and he carried two small blankets with him, passing one to wooyoung and he ran a hand run his disheveled hair. the younger man stared at him, eyes fixed onto his in astonishment, why would he drive here when he could easily just answer his phone?

mingi hopped onto the top of the car, taking a seat next to the raven-haired silhouette without a single word. they observed the stars together, watching as they flickered from afar; occasionally humming in admiration.

"i'm sorry, mingi."

"there's no need to apologize.", he murmured eyes still set on the sky gleaming with beauty above him.

"but-"

"no 'buts', just look at me. i'm the one who's sorry..but..do want an apology gift? you can't say no."

wooyoung let out a noise of puzzlement before nodding hesitantly. "close your eyes, silly.", mingi snickered slyly, and that's the last thing wooyoung saw before being given the gift that would be forever with him, in his mind, in his body, and that was more than enough for him.

"you ready?"

"this isn't a pregnancy announcement right?"

"no, you dummy.", he giggled softly, wooyoung couldn't see it but the way he imagined made it seem as if there was a work of art before him.

"yes, i'm rea-"

time stopped when mingi's lips met his, interrupting him slightly. his heart pounded in his chest as his body gradually got weaker. the younger man could only concentrate on how soft he felt against his lips, how addictively he kissed him in a way that wasn't filled with lust but rather love and affection. wooyoung couldn't get enough of the way the cold metal of his lip ring brushed along his lips, giving him a distinct sensation he'd never forget.

he couldn't tell if he dreamed this moment to life, but there was raw passion in the way his hands cupped his cheeks fondly as if he didn't want to let go. mingi kept his half-opened gaze on wooyoung, sneaking adoring glimpses at him now that he wasn't looking, just to make sure this moment wouldn't be forgotten.

he wanted to remember the way wooyoung's eyes fluttered open and sparkled in a way so similar to the stars they had been looking at, he wanted to see his face when he kissed him in his dreams.

and this time he wouldn't be high for that.

but there was a sense of bitter sweetness to it, they both knew their friends would never approve. They knew the stares they would get from their friends, they knew exactly what they would say to them when the interlaced fingers but, did that really matter to them?

perhaps it would matter to them then, but surely not know. it all felt like a false reality to them? maybe even a dream, a dream they'd dread waking up from. but it wasn't. they were there in the heat of the moment, together under the stars sharing an unforgettable kiss that spoke like a poem and could say things that not even 1,000 words could say.

surely, it was like that poem wooyoung once read...

"even if the world is against us, the love we share is enough to put the world beneath us."

they pulled away, catching their breaths as they rested their foreheads on each other. he couldn't help smile like an idiot hoping that the darkness of the night would mask his flustered condition. it's not like mingi wasn't doing something much different, except he was basking in the moment pulling away to cup wooyoung's cheeks one last time, loving the way his face was glazed with the divine mantle of light belonging to the moon.

"i love you, idiot."

"i love you more, silly."

end of story

all work by hongsside

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hotpotrandomfics · 3 years

Text

Sixth Year AU: Missing Part 1

Summary: It was a lone night for Jason, one that he thought he’d spend with his girlfriend but with a series of events that went on in the previous year she had be come distant. Stood up for another night, Jason tries to make his way back to Hogwarts only to find a foe lurking...

Word Count: 2,456

It was Saturday evening in Hogsmeade, and the streets were buzzing with the sound of Hogwarts students going through the shops. Jason had been at the Three Broomsticks having a pint of butterbeer alone. It wasn't his intention to be alone, Merula and he was supposed to have had a date. She had to cancel because she wanted to train, or vent, after what happened at the last cursed vault. Especially when it came to Rakepick betrayal.

For now, he was alone and sipping from his cup. The taste wasn't as enjoyable without Merula here, he thought. He looked around, seeing the other couples sharing their pints, kissing, and flirting.

"Are you alright dear?" Madam Rosmerta was doing her rounds cleaning tables. She noticed Jason was a bit downcasted and took notice Merula wasn't with him. "She didn't come with you?"

Jason shook his giving a sad smile to Madam Rosmerta.

"Hey now, you're both young, and it's okay dear. I'm sure she has her reason, all women do," Madam Rosmerta patted his shoulder. "Hey, it's getting late. Why don't you make your back to Hogwarts, eh?"

"That would be best. Thank you Madam Rosmerta." Jason left a few Galleons on the table and made his way outside. He looked around and saw the last of the students trickling out of the town or heading into shops before they closed. "Hmmm."

Jason walked to Honeydukes and entered the sweets store. After a few minutes, he stepped out with a bag of Merula favorite sweets. He may not have been able to enjoy a date today, but he wasn't going to not do something for her.

"I really should be getting through." Jason made his way down the quiet streets of the town. "Hopefully this will get her to smile."

From the corner of his eye, Jason caught sight of a shadow heading into an alley. Against his better judgment, he walked towards the alley to see who was there. No one, not a single soul.

"Guess I must be seeing things," Jason sighed.

"And you failed to keep awareness of your surroundings. I thought I taught you better," said an all too familiar woman voice.

Jason turned around, pulling his wand, but his wand was sent flying.

"Rakepick." Jason stared at his former teacher with contempt. "Here to kill me?"

"In time but for now," Rakepick motioned her hand, and two men in red robes grabbed Jason from behind, "you're coming with us. Don't think I forgot what you did to me. That trick by Severus was clever but not clever enough. He should have given you something deadlier."

Jason struggled and screamed but was knocked out by one of the men holding him. A few students witness the sight before Rakepick and her associates apparated with Jason in tow.

The next day, the Great Hall was bustling with the gossip of what transpired the night before. Penny ran into the Great Hall, looking for her friends. Penny found Rowan, Charlie, Talbot, and Chiara and pulled them to the side.

"Guys," Penny was in near tears.

"Penny, what's the matter?" Talbot asked.

"Jason," Penny tried holding the tears, but the streams just wouldn't stop.

"What about Jason?" Charlie looked around the hall. "I don't see him." "He's been abducted! By Rakepick!" Penny shouted to them in tears.

"He's what?!" Rowan couldn't help but believe it. He tried laughing it off as some messed up joke, but Penny wouldn't make a joke like this.

"Oh no! Does Merula know?" Chiara asked.

"Do I know what? And why are you crying, Haywood?" Merula looked at five friends with a raised brow.

"I uh..."

"Merula, it's not easy for us to say this, but Jason was kidnapped." Talbot stood in front of her. "By Rakepick."

Silence.

"No, no, no, no, no, no..."

Why? Why him? Of all the people to kidnap, why him?! Merula couldn't believe what she was being told. Her heart sank into her stomach, and her hands wouldn't stop trembling. Yesterday she was supposed to go out with him to Hogsmeade, but she just couldn't let her desire to make Rakepick pay settle. Was she at fault for not going with him? If she did would she have been able to help him?

"Why him?" Merula looked down as she shook with rage. "Why him, dammit!"The friends looked at her with concern. Chiara and Penny walked towards her, but Merula turned her back and stormed out of the Great Hall.

Merula never ran so fast in her life as she made her way to Dumbledore's office. She stood in front of the statue that led to the office of the old wizard. The moment she took a step toward it, the platform raised upwards, allowing her to make her way up. She swung the door open stomping in as Dumbledore was speaking to the four people in his office. They all looked at the Slytherin girl with confusion as to wonder how was she capable of being so rude.

"Miss Synde, to what do I owe this intrusion?" Dumbledore asked.

"You fool! How could you not know? Are you unaware of what goes on your school grounds and the area around? Jason is was taken by Rakepick! AND YOU SIT HERE NOT DOING ANYTHING?!" Merula snapped at the older man. Dumbledore was a fool who waited for problems to solve themselves. It's always others who were doing the heavy lifting.

"Miss Snyde, I can assure you we have everything under control." Dumbledore rose from his seat and made his way to her. "My dear, we will find him."

"How can you be sure?!" Merula looked up at him. Her face flushed with anger and tears. "Jason has been the one to solve all of the problems here, and you sit in your office doing nothing?"

"I can assure you that we are doing everything we-"

"Well, maybe you need to do more!" Merula snapped. "Merula," Bill walked over to her and Dumbledore. "Professor Dumbledore is doing all he can, but you need to have faith in him."

Merula hadn't really taken notice of who else was present for her meltdown. The fact Bill Weasely was here didn't make her feel better. She noticed two other individuals making her way.

"Dumbledore already contacted the Ministry, and they sent us these two Aurors who've been on Rakepick tail for some time." Bill smiled at her. "I'm sure we can count on them-"

"I still don't believe a word you say. Especially not the word of Aurors." Merula left the office before Dumbledore could say anything about her actions.

"Professor, she is-" Bill tried to speak only for Dumbledore to a raised hand silencing Bill.

"She cares for him deeply. Maybe the only person she cares for at all. We must find him before it's all too late." Dumbledore stroked his beard as he tried to collect his thoughts on how to proceed in the matter. If he's not quick on the issue, the family would have lost two sons.

As Meurla is making her way out of Dumbledore's office, she sees Professor Snape making his way to Dumbledore's office. Snape glanced at her and before continuing on his way. He seemed unease, but it was hard to tell if he was.

Merula slammed the door to her dorm room, sifting through her drawers and tossing clothes onto her bed.

"Merula?" a groggy Ismelda said as she sat up in her bed. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving."

"Leaving. Oh, okay- what?!" Ismelda tossed off her sheets and stopping over to her. "Why are you leaving?!"

"I have to!" Merula said as she stuffed her bag frantically.

"What has gotten into you?"

"Rakepick..." Merula looked at her friend.

"What about her? You'd be safer, not leaving." Ismelda brushed her hair out of her eye.

"Rakepick..." Merula bit her lip as she started getting teary-eyed. "She has Jason..."

"What do you mean?" Ismelda asked.

"She kidnapped Jason! What about that you don't get?!" Merula shouted.

Ismelda looked at her friend with concern. She knew all too well how Jason was an influence on Merula. Positive or negative. The fact that her house prefect has helped her with her own issues in the past softens up her impression of him. A sense of dread filled her gut as she wondered about her prefect.

"I'm gonna go find him," Merula closed her bag and started to the door before Ismelda grabbed her shoulder. "What?"

"I'm going with you."

"No."

"I wasn't asking permission," Ismelda commented as she grabbed a bag of her own and stuffed it with some clothes, "I owe your boyfriend a debt for helping."

The violet-eyed girl wanted to argue but was happy someone was going to stick this out with her.

"We won't get far with just the two of us. Chances of us getting kicked out of Hogwarts are possible."

"I hate here anyways," Ismelda said as dressed herself, grabbing her bag ready to leave.

"We need to convince his friends," Merula scratched her chin.

"We'll have to wait until the evening. Should we send an owl to them?"

"Good idea," Merula placed her bag down and wrote a few letters. Now she needed to do was bide her time till night time. She hopes she can convince them because alone she's not going to get far.

That night, Merula and Ismelda were waiting in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. One by one, her friends began to show up wondering what Merula is planning.

"It took you long enough. I'm going to keep this short. I'm leaving tonight to after Rakepick and find Jason." Merula looked at them all with determination and desperation in her eyes. "But I can't do this alone. I need your help."

"Have you any idea where to go?" Tulip asked.

"No."

"Then why call us if you don't have a clue?"

"Jason needs help!" Merula snapped. "I'm not gonna standby and wait to hear him be announced dead in that stupid Daily Prophet!"

Tulip went silent and looked down as did half the group of teens. They wanted to help but were scared themselves. Jason one time or another helped them without any question. Should his friends hesitate when making this discussion? "Merula..." Penny finally spoke up. "We want to help, but we have to think this through."

"What is there to think of?!"

"We can't just leave!" Andre said. "Merula, we all care about Jason, but we should leave this to the Aurors! I'm sure they'll be able to save him. Trust Dumbledore!"

"Trust them? If you haven't gotten a clue Andre, what has Dumbledore done to solve the curse vault issues? Nothing! Aurors, what have they done? Nothing!" Merula stomped towards him and grabbing him by his scarf. "Tell me, do you value quidditch, fashion, or your friends?"

"My friends." Andre looked at her nervous.

"Snyde, we all want to help but..." Rowan spoke now.

"Khanna! You should be the one to want to save him the most! He's your best friend!"

"I..." Rowan bit hard on his lip, contemplating what she said.

"I thought you cared for him as much I do, but you don't," Merula said as she made her way out of the class with Ismedla. "Jason wouldn't have hesitated if it came to any of you."

With that, the teens were left contemplating what they were told. Merula words cut them more profound than any insult they have ever received. Now they had to deal with an inner conflict of making a choice. Save their friend or leave it to fate to solve it. They were scared, and understanding so Rakepick nearly killed half of them but failed. Would Jason be alright?

Elsewhere, the fears of those friends were slowly unfolding. Jason woke to the sensation of a cold bucket of water being slung on him. He looked around groggily, seeing a dimly lit room of stone and a metal door with the silhouette of two figures entering into the room, one being the witch that captured him.

"What the-?!" Jason looked around seeing the two red cloak men with Rakepick. "Rakepick! You disgusting-!" Jason tried running at the woman but couldn't far as his wrist were chained to the wall.

"Oh, come now. That's no way for a gentleman to speak to a lady," Rakepick smirked at him deviously.

"You're the farthest thing I would call a lady," Jason stared at her with disdain. "When I get out of here I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to Meri and my friends!"

"Ha! You won't be able to do as you say." Rakepick walked up to the chained boy and grabbing his chin, digging her nails into his jaw. "See, I'm going to need you to find the vault."

Jason spat in Rakepick's face and proceeded to throw every bit of profanity at his disposal. Rakepick didn't take kindly to this form of insult. Rakepick wiped her face and pulled her wand out, sticking it under his neck.

"If you want to kill me, you better get it over with. Nothing you can do would make me help you," Jason smirked, trying to appear confident despite being scared, "so Patricia, are you the strong witch you claim?"

"Oh, I plan to kill you but not now though," Rakepick slapped Jason with the back of her hand. "But I am going to break you, the hero of Hogwarts. Then I'm going to finish your friends one by one. Starting with Merula."

"You better stay the hell away from her! I'll rip your damned heart out!" Jason shouted as he struggled in his chains. "I swear it!"

"No, you won't." Rakepick raised her wand and with a grin of malice she cast Crucio, with glee. Jason screamed as his muscle contorted as the pain rushed through him.

The screams of the boy couldn't escape as the sound of crashing waves, and a thunderstorm drowned the wails of agony. The pain shooting through him felt like a constant blaze, splitting the pureblood down to his very core. "Is this what Merula suffered?" Jason thought as the pain was unrelenting. Before it could get any worse Rakepick stopped as Jason collapsed to the ground, heaving.

"Tighten his chains," Rakepick order the two men, "I have more for him soon. But for now," Rakepick made her way out of the cold room, "I need to get my tools."

Whatever Rakepick had planned for him wasn't going to be good. Jason hoped his friends would be safe and hope Merula would stay away. He began to lose consciences with his last thoughts being of his favorite witch.

"Meri..."

#harry potter hogwarts mystery #hp hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphm fanfiction #hphm mc #jason piscius aurelius de leone #merula snyde #jacob's sibling x merula #jason x merula #talbott winger #ismelda murk #bill weasley #chiara lobosca #patricia rakepick

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sablelab · 5 years

Text

Covert Operations - Chapter 89

DISCLAIMER: This is a modern AU crossover story with Outlander and La Femme Nikita. LFN and its characters do not belong to me nor do those from Outlander.

SYNOPSIS: Back at Section One the Rising Dragons mission has come to a standstill due to its two main operatives’ non-involvement. Things are starting to unravel and Operations and Madeline decide to call a truce and ask Jamie to return and they will help him search for Claire. She leaves a clue for him that implicates Karen Yee and he goes in search of her as a starting point. Meanwhile Jonathon Randall pays Claire another visit but doesn’t get the answers he wants.

Previous chapters can be found at … https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations

THANK YOU for coming along on this ride as Claire faces her foes and Jamie tries to find where she is. I appreciate your patronage and support of my writing and I am glad you are enjoying this story.

CHAPTER 89

Murtagh Fitzgibbons observed the comings and goings at Section One from his post in munitions. Although operatives went on about their duties like clockwork, something was missing. The halls of Section One appeared austere and even colder without James Fraser and Claire Beauchamp’s presence. The fact that his Sugar had been kidnapped only exacerbated his feelings of melancholy, but as he watched and observed, Murtagh’s eyes suddenly lit up as if struck by a thunderbolt. He knew what it was. It was Claire’s lightness that was missing. He missed seeing her luminous face and he missed their friendly banter whenever she came over to his station. Every time he looked up or turned a corner, Murtagh kept expecting to see her striding purposefully down the hallway coming back from a mission with the target apprehended ... but that hadn’t happened for some time. He really missed his Sugar for she was the ray of sunshine in his day. He missed her laughter, her smile and her calming presence in this world of ruthlessness. Claire was in trouble and Jamie had gone looking for her, but it was the not knowing if she was alive or dead that was eating away at him. The fact that Fergus hadn’t been able to make contact with her or her with them was also very worrying.

How could they find Claire’s location, if they couldn’t track her? She could be anywhere in Hong Kong and had probably been transferred to God knows where because they couldn't discover her whereabouts.

Although he hadn’t put much faith in God over the years, Murtagh thought it appropriate that he say a few prayers in hope of divine intervention of a miracle. However, even that was of little solace to him. He hadn't realized before how deeply Claire Beauchamp affected everyone at Section One, even Operations and Madeline had seemed a little more short-tempered since they’d known of her kidnapping and Jamie’s request for the fifteen days owing to him. Perhaps they’d realised that they had made the wrong decision, not that Madeline or Operations would ever admit to that. Their pigheadedness would be their downfall one day and now the Rising Dragons’ mission had come to a standstill due to its two main operatives’ non-involvement, and without their participation, things were starting to unravel.

Would Operations and Madeline call a truce and ask Jamie to return and offer Section’s resources to help him search for Claire? Pigs would fly before either of their leaders would change their minds and reverse their decision as far as Jamie and Claire were concerned, Murtagh thought. If he ever saw that day, he vowed that he would run naked through Section. Shrugging his shoulders, the weapons’ expert looked over towards Tactical to see if Fergus was there. He was. Knowing how worried that his buddy had been since Claire’s disappearance, he decided to mosey on over to see if he had made any inroads in his attempt to contact her or if he’d heard anything from Jamie. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Operations strode through the corridors of Section One and made his way to Madeline’s office. He’d been having second thoughts about his decision where Jamie was concerned and had been weighing up the conversation, he’d had with him in the perch the other day. His persistence to search for Claire had goaded him and he’d forbidden him to pursue her citing that the triad was the target and that Claire was expendable. He realised now how that must have sounded to his Level 5 operative particularly knowing of their bond. There were obvious similarities to her persistence that they retrieve him when Jamie was missing in Russia. However, that was where the similarities ended. Madeline had been sent with Claire to find him, but the retrieval mission was really a hidden agenda to bring in deep cover operative. No doubt Jamie had been reminded of their subterfuge, hence his reaction to the orders he had given him. His reluctance to do anything about Claire’s kidnapping had not been well received. In retrospect, had the tables been turned and Madeline was the one kidnapped, he too would have reacted as Jamie had. Dougal knew that Madeline would be able to be more rational, hence he sought her counsel. However, little did he know but his second in command had gone behind his back and had already asked Fergus to keep her informed on any progress on Claire’s whereabouts. Grappling with the wisdom of his decision Operations continued on through the halls of Section One and as usual entered Madeline’s office with his normal aplomb to see her working on her computer. She looked up to see who it was on hearing footsteps enter. “Ah, Dougal ... Come in ... What are you doing here?” “I want some answers.” “Answers to what?” she asked curiously not being able to make sense of what it was he was after. “Claire Beauchamp's status.” “I thought you had dismissed her kidnapping as a fate accompli and that Jamie was not to go after her?” “Yes, I did say that but in hindsight I feel I may have been a little hasty,” he announced, the words almost choking him as they were uttered. It was not often that Operations had to eat humble pie and admit that he may have been wrong in his judgement. “Hmm ... yes that may be so, but it’s not the first time you have been a tad irrational in a decision Dougal.” Operations raised an eyebrow at her pointed retort. “Really?” “Yes ... you were reckless, but fortunately I have made contingencies.” “Good. I like your surprises.”

Operations smiled at Madeline’s forward planning ... she always did play the end against the middle. He knew immediately that his second in command had her finger on the pulse. She knew him well and he was right in his decision to seek her input.

“We will need to take care of this soon ... The mission has come to a standstill since Claire’s kidnapping and Jamie going dark to look for her. The Rising Dragons will be able to regroup if we are not proactive.”

“It seems we have a dilemma then doesn’t it?” Was her tacit remark. Operations refused to give her question credence and merely asked a question in return. “You obviously are familiar with the most recent situation Madeline ... So, tell me ... where are we with locating Claire then?” She too refused to be irritated by his words and answered concisely, “Fergus has been trying to initiate contact with Claire but he hasn’t had any success as yet.” “And Jamie? Does he have a next move?” “I don't know ... but you of all people know what James Fraser is like.” She paused before continuing, “His level of commitment to Section is extraordinary but Jamie’s commitment to Claire Beauchamp is inimitable. He will leave no stone unturned until he finds her. You’ve seen the lengths he goes to with targets. I don't think he's finished ... not by a long shot ...this is his partner after all.” Operations pondered the wisdom of her words before asking, “Has he tried to communicate with Section at all?” “There’s been none as far as I know. If Jamie doesn’t want to be stopped, he won’t be.” “Then get Fergus on to it immediately. I’m sure he has a way of getting in touch with him.” “Very well Dougal ... I’ll see to it. By the way, have you heard from Colum?” “Indirectly. Oversight is still monitoring this mission closer than I'd like.” “At least it keeps his attention away from other things.” “Yes, but if he gets wind that our two best operatives are missing Madeline, all hell will break loose.” “So far, everything's covered. That's not the problem.” “What is the problem?” “Fergus is working on a location, but there's been no response whatsoever. Your brother Colum is going to look at anything out of the ordinary as suspicious.” “Then we’ll need to move quickly to ally his inquisitiveness. I'm sure we can shore this up.” “I wish I were as optimistic.” “What do you mean?” “There are too many variables beyond our control.” “That's true. But so far, so good. I’m sure things will go exactly as planned.” “The Rising Dragons members are ruthless; we can’t forget that.” “Yes ... but Section One is more so,” he stated proudly. Acknowledging the wisdom of his statement, Madeline replied. “I’ll have Fergus come to my office and we’ll set the wheels in motion to contact Jamie.” Good ... I knew I could count on you Madeline. I’ll be in the perch should you need me.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* “Thank you for coming, Mr. Claudel,” Madeline stated when Section’s computer whiz stepped through the door into her domain. She watched as he came and stood in front of her desk, then without any preamble asked, “What are your plans?” Fergus raised his eyebrow at her question not quite understanding what Madeline meant. “Plans?” he queried a little perplexed. “Regarding Claire.” “I’m at a quandary as to know what to do. Claire’s comm. unit is down and I haven’t been able to establish contact. Until it becomes operable, then we have little to go on.” “I see.” “Have there been any communiqués with Jamie since he left Section?” “No ... nothing.” “Then I feel we should try to make contact with him.” “Does Operations know about this?” Fergus asked a little wary of her statement given that she’d asked him to go behind his leader’s back. “For the good of the mission, Operations has had a change of heart. He insists that we allow Jamie to use Section’s facilities to assist in Claire’s speedy return.” “But Jamie has gone dark ... it may be impossible to make contact.” “I’m sure you will find a way Mr Claudel,” Madeline implied categorically knowing that if anyone could contact Jamie then Fergus could. “It doesn't look good if we can't keep track of our own people.” “I’ll try my best.” “Good ... Don't worry. Both you and Jamie will be protected. I expect to hear something soon. You may go.” With her dismissal Fergus turned on his heel and left Madeline’s office and immediately went in search of Murtagh. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* The two friends nearly bumped into each other as they each came around the corner into the Common area of Section in search of one another. “Hmm, you scared me.” “I didn't think anything scared you, Murtagh.”

Fergus adjusted his glasses and they briefly held looks until he broke eye contact.

Understanding his unspoken meaning the weaponries’ expert replied flippantly for anyone who may be watching, “Get out of here,” then he continued on back to Munitions knowing that the two would get together secretly later on. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Fifteen minutes later, the two friends met up in the hallway away from the prying eyes of the perch and the common area. “So, what’s up amigo ... what's going on?” Murtagh inquired eager to know why they were meeting in secret. “Operations has had a change of heart about Jamie.” Taken aback by his announcement, he was gob smacked. “You’re joking ... right?” However, by the look on Fergus’ face, Murtagh knew he was deadly serious. “No ... he wants me to contact him.” “But why? ... Operations never changes his mind. ... It’s set in concrete.” Murtagh suddenly had a mild rush of blood to the head as he thought of his earlier musings about a nudie run through Section. Perhaps the day pigs would fly was actually here. I didn't see that coming, he thought. “So, what happens now? Have you had any word from Jamie yet? “No ... It's still too early ... it’s only been two days. But now, I’ll have to try and contact him on a deep channel.” “Whoa, whoa Fergus, not so fast.” “Do you have any better ideas?” he asked needing some inspiration for what he‘d been asked to do. “No, all I'm saying is that we should put some thought into your next move.” “Well, the way I see it, I don't have any choice. Operations wants me to contact Jamie ASAP.” “He’s gone dark and unless we have something to give him about Claire’s whereabouts, he won’t listen ... Operations knows that. You can’t pull off the impossible.” Murtagh looked at Fergus for a reaction to his statement before asking the obvious question, “Do you have a location for Claire?” “No ... nothing.” “There ... see what I mean?” “So, this is a waste of time?” “No, I didn’t mean that ...” “What do you mean?” “Something's not right. It doesn't make any sense. Operations is cold and ruthless but he's not generous. Does he want to help Jamie for ulterior motives?” “I don’t know ... Look; I've got to go Murtagh.” “Just keep your head down and your mouth shut, you'll be fine until we figure something out or something happens to force our hand.” “Okay ... I’ll think of something to put Operations off for a while.” “Good.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

James Fraser had a conundrum to solve and the quicker he did so the better. His Sassenach had been missing now for nearly 48hours and although she had left him a clue as to who may be involved in her kidnapping, he seemed to be wasting precious time criss-crossing Hong Kong in search of leads for her kidnappers. He wished he could have been more expeditious, for if he had, Claire would now be safe with him. But that was not to be. She'd been transferred from her first place of incarceration to somewhere he didn't know and couldn't discover ... but he would.

All of his instincts and resolve were telling him that he was not too late to save his Sassenach despite this setback. He was certain that Karen Yee would provide the crucial lead as to where the triad was holding her, and once again Jamie sped off back to Hong Kong. This time however, he would get the answers he wanted. This time she would have no option other than to tell him where Claire was. He would accept nothing less. He'd never trusted Karen or her boyfriend and now they would face the cold operative that he was. Whether Karen or Andy gave him the information about Claire's whereabouts voluntarily or not ... it was of no consequence to him, but they would tell him what he wanted to know. How they did so was the decision they would need to make. He would have no compunction as to how he dealt with them. They meant nothing to him ... but Claire meant everything and he would do whatever was in his power to find out where she was being held captive.

Without the resources of Section One, his task was made that much harder, but he would prevail ... he would find her and once those who held his Claire incarcerated were found, they would pay the price. Death would be the only consequence for their brutality. His suspicions would be verified about Claire's neighbour and she and her kind would suffer the consequences of their actions and deception. The thought of his Sassenach suffering at the hands of this ruthless triad was an anathema to him, but what worried Jamie the most was that he had no control over what happened to her. Therefore, expediency was so crucial. The longer she remained incarcerated the greater the risk to her safety. So far, he was no closer to finding where she was being held captive although he felt buoyed by the clue she had managed to leave for him.

Karen Yee knew something ... she probably knew much more than he even realised ... and she would divulge what she knew to him or die. Karen had no significance to him whatsoever ... she was a target... nothing more, nothing less. Her life for Claire's life was, in his mind, a fair exchange. She would tell him what he needed to know or better still ... take him to where the triad was holding her. Whatever choice she made was irrelevant. There was no way it would end well for Karen ... her fate was sealed.

Hoping that his Sassenach was still alive was keeping Jamie going ... if she had met her demise, he didn't know what he would do. He hadn't realized how deeply she affected him, how her spirit lifted him up, or how her laughter warmed the recesses of his heart. He ached. Fear and unadulterated trepidation played on his mind. Jamie was worried for her safety and what might be happening to her at the hands of the triad. Steven Bonnet and William Ransom had already paid with their lives. He would have no compunction in killing any and all of the bastards who in any way had hurt his Sassenach. They would all pay with their lives once he had found where the triad was holding her. However, Jamie felt powerless as he was no closer to finding her and he was struggling to remain focused, but that is just what he needed to be. Claire was depending on him. She needed him to find her and he would, with or without Section's help. He'd thought about contacting Fergus but had decided against that. However, if this lead didn't pan out, he would reassess the situation. Despite his orders from Operations, Jamie knew that he could enter and leave Section without detection if he came up cold with a lead. But at the present time he felt confident that he was on the right track and that Karen Yee would provide the answers he was seeking. His sole purpose was focused on finding Claire before the triad had no further use of her. He knew she was strong but ... how long could she endure being tortured? This very thought brought bile to his throat. Jamie swallowed the rancid liquid forcing it back to the depths of his stomach. He refused to acknowledge the muses in his head. He had scarcely slept and he'd eaten only when he could no longer ignore the demands of his body. Jamie knew there was little chance of getting any rest before confronting Karen Yee and Andy Ma ... but that was not a problem unless there was some hold-up to finding the targets. He'd make that decision when and if he needed to. He had functioned for days without respite and would rest only when his Claire was safe and sound. Putting these thoughts to the back of his mind, James Fraser had clear and precise objectives. Nothing would stand in his way of executing them. Failure was not an option. It never was and never would be. He depressed the accelerator a little harder breaking all speed limits in his haste to return to Hong Kong to find Karen Yee and her accomplice. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Jonathon Randall was deep in thought as he watched their prisoner sleep in the darkness. Was this woman really associated with the deaths of senior triad members over the past months or did they have the wrong person? If she was ... she would pay the price, but if not then they would need to cast the net further to find out whoever was responsible. It didn't really matter one way or the other though. The woman was damned. Claire Beauchamp would never leave here alive. There was no way that she could possibly live especially now after all that she had seen and heard. Leaning back in his chair Jonathon reread the reports from MacNab and Robert about both Claire and her companion. Karen had been explicit in her observations of Claire's so called "brother" and had relayed all the information she had on Jamie Fraser. But they were none the wiser as to his role in the turmoil that had befallen the triad other than he was her lover. Ronald on the other hand had been asked to give him something he could use next time. He'd come up trumps and had managed to find some information about the covert Section One. His report specified that Section One was the most clandestine organisation on the planet whose job was to bring down the criminals and terrorists that no one else could get. Jonathon gave a chuckle at their profile and pondered this information. Suddenly it all began to make sense. Had it not been for Steven Bonnet finding Claire's dropped revolver, then they would not have known of her affiliation to Section One. Jonathon had heard of it but this was the first time that the triad had come in contact with anyone associated with Section One. So ... this was the organisation that Claire was a member of. Was her companion also a member? If so, it would explain such a lot, but they would fail in their mission. There was no way that these two people could bring down the might of the Rising Dragons ... the triad was invincible especially here in Hong Kong. Claire Beauchamp was an enigma and this Jamie was more so. James Fraser didn't seem to exist which gave more credence to the fact that he was Section material ... ghosts that moved among people but who were "dead" to the real world. He certainly fitted the mould. There was only one thing Jonathon could think of that would prove if they were both working for Section One and that was to flush out her companion. Karen had alluded to this Jamie's conduct around her and Andy as if the man was always sizing them up but in turn giving nothing away of himself. Jonathon knew that he must mean something to Claire for she was too evasive and guarded when his name was mentioned.

Was he her weakness and vice versa? If so, it was something he could exploit.

It was time to find out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Randall activated the surveillance speakers and snapped the light switches on in Claire's room. Glaring white light flooded the room and shone on her beleaguered face. Her body jerked as she woke abruptly. Unable to focus because of the brightness, she automatically raised her arm to shield her face from the glare. Claire then gingerly sat up on the bed and lowered her head slightly. Through her closed eyelids she felt the light searing its way through her light deprived eyes. The glare was unbearable and the white-hot rays shone on her face burning the corneas of her eye sockets if she so much as opened them even a fraction, so she kept them tightly shut. "Are the lights too bright for you my dear?" "No ... they're just peachy thanks." "Good ... I see you haven't lost your sense of humour." It took Claire a short while to adjust to the light, but she did. She sat up straighter on the bed and waited for what was to come next. "I told you I would be back," were Randall’s menacing words as he made his way back into the room. "So, I noticed," Claire replied equally disinterested in anything that came out of his mouth. "Now ... Let's talk about James Fraser again ... shall we Claire?" Jonathon Randall remonstrated in a more sinister voice.

“You really love him, don’t you?” He persisted with some glee in his voice.

“Did I love him?” She asked herself already knowing the answer to her question. “Beyond the urges of the flesh?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jonathon Randall continued his tirade as he watched Claire’s face for any indication that his words had touched a nerve. "You do love him. Not just to bed him; I know you’d want that, and he does too, doesn’t he Claire? Men all do. But do you love him?"

The incarceration of this place had the dark anonymity of the confessional, and a soul on the verge of death had no time for lies. She knew not what lay ahead or how long she would be here until Jamie could rescue her as she knew he would.

"Yes," her mind and heart muttered silently as she stared unflinchingly at her captor. “Yes! Yes, I love him.”

It was silent in the room for some time, as Jonathon Randall waited for any sign from Claire Beauchamp that his words had touched a nerve.

With a look that would kill, Claire refused to comply to his aspersions. He could go to Hell for all she cared, for she would never admit to anything concerning James Fraser. Randall could speculate all he wanted about Jamie or who had sent her ... but she would never capitulate.

"You'd be wrong then," was her only reply.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The interrogation had been fruitless yet again. Their hostage never gave an inch and once more Jonathon had gotten nowhere with his questioning of her. The woman would not break and would not be compromised. His frustration was at its zenith. Hence, due to her headstrong behaviour, Claire Beauchamp left him with only one option. It was time to set his other plan in motion. He called for Ronald MacNab to come and prepare a video transmission.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ to be continued

I will be posting two chapters next week as the following week is Christmas and I will be busy with family and Christmas preparations.

Therefore, I will post Chapter 90 on Tuesday 17th December … and then …

Chapter 91 on Saturday 21st December.

I will also post Chapter 92 on Monday 30th December just before New Year.

#Jamieandclairefanfic #jamieandclaireau #jamieandclairecrossover #outlander fanfiction #outlander au #covert operations

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seriouslyhooked · 5 years

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Lost Souls and Reveries (Part 22)

24 part AU written for @cssns. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6,Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21. Story available on AO3 Here and FF Here. Banner created by the amazingly talented @shipsxahoy!!

Killian Jones is a wolf shifter without roots, without plans, and without a pack. He’s a rogue, someone humans should avoid and shifters should be wary of given his lineage. But one night years back set him on a path he didn’t realize he was taking, a path leading to a future he is destined for. That future is tied up in one woman – a human named Emma Nolan. Together Emma and Killian will find not only answers, but a love that’s truly fated. But will love be enough to set them free, or will past demons win out in the end? (Answer: love always wins – I am writing this so despite some tiny pockets of angst it’s basically a fluff-filled insta-love fest). Rated M.

A/N: Hey everyone! I know it has been such a long time since I updated this fic, which is crazy because the chapters are taking place one right after another still, but this fall has been filled with travel and very little free time for me. I didn’t get a chance to write, and though I wanted to get the story out there and share the ideas I’ve had all this time, I wanted to give myself the space to do this story justice. It’s been an ambitious AU for me, there’s a lot of moving parts and way more reveals than I ever do, making it a really big undertaking. But all of your support along the way and your continued interest has helped keep me motivated even in the time I couldn’t work on this. As such, I really hope you will all enjoy this chapter, and I thank you all for reading!

She is never leaving my sight again, Killian thought to himself as he held Emma to his side, keeping ever vigilant about their surroundings out here in the woods.

The two of them had stolen their temporary moment alone after the encounter with the bear, but both of them knew that quiet couldn’t really last forever. Nevertheless, the wish to run away with Emma and barricade her from anything that might harm her was strong in Killian. He resisted, knowing that leaving would not only put everyone else at risk, but that it would make his Emma deeply unhappy, but in the privacy of his own mind, he allowed those thoughts to wander. At the end of the day, his priority was Emma and the baby that she was carrying now, and there was just no changing that.

As if she could hear his mind’s rampant musings, Emma’s hand came to cover his arm, a silent show that she was here and that she was readily accepting his need to protect her. She looked up to him, and though he was certain he hadn’t pushed the worried internal dialogue her way through their mental link, he could see that she knew anyway. He couldn’t hide the hurt and the harried frenzy that nearly losing her had conjured up. It still lingered here with him, as it would until all of this was over and done.

We’ll get through this, she pushed to him quietly, and in response Killian quietly brought her hand to his lips, pressing a delicate kiss atop her smooth and creamy skin before leading it to rest above his heart. The smile she graced him with at the reassuring motion filled him with renewed hope, but yet again their quiet shows of intimacy were short lived.

“I still don’t get it,” a voice interjected, pulling Emma and Killian from their semi-private moment. “He comes to town, tries to kill us all, claims Anna, barrels into the magic force field, and now… nothing.”

Tink’s words, lobbed at the bear that had at first seemed like nothing more than a foe, prompted all of them to look in the beast’s direction. The grizzly was ferocious and imposing still, with eyes a tempered red color, but they lacked the vibrancy of before. Now, instead of glowing a sickening scarlet, they were more molten, a deep burgundy where they were once so bright. The mellowing out of the color signaled to Killian that the bear had calmed somehow, not breaking from its fever, but tamping it down. That didn’t mean he trusted this unknown shifter though, and until they were certain he posed no threat to Emma, that bear was getting nowhere near his woman again.

“Could we maybe keep our less helpful thoughts to ourselves for the time being?” Emma countered, and though the words were sharp, it was understandable why she said them. For as much as the bear was an enigma to them, he was just as much of a puzzle to Anna, if not more so. Emma’s friend was still somewhat dazed from it all, and currently Elsa and Liam were standing with her, the former trying to comfort her sister, and the latter keeping his reflexes sharp in case the lass made a break for the bear.

“Sorry, it’s just…” Tink trailed off, unsure of how to phrase this precarious situation.

“It’s just bat shit crazy is what it is,” Ruby exclaimed.

“And about to get crazier,” Emma’s Uncle Lance noted, commenting on the impending hubbub that was coming down the road right now.

The Nolan’s were all together in their car, not having had the chance to run as Liam, Killian, and Graham had. They’d also had to wait until they were given some sort of all clear. The situation was now somewhat contained, but before that there was too much risk in having Neal, Mary Margaret, or Ruth out here. Killian had never seen Emma’s father in action, but he knew the man had been trained his whole life to be a hunter. David Nolan would have all the necessary skills to have been a part of this fight, but as it turned out, the fight came down almost entirely to the instincts of Emma and her wolf.

“Emma!”

The car was still in motion, braking on the loose, dirt path, but it did nothing to stop Mary Margaret from jumping out and running to her daughter. Killian moved back ever so slightly, knowing what would come next, but he stayed as close as possible to the massive hug Emma’s mother bestowed on her. Tears of relief streamed down the older woman’s face, but she didn’t break down, even in her moment of vulnerability. She may have been human, but Emma’s mother was strong, and fiercely protective of the children she loved so dearly.

“I told you I’d be okay,” Emma whispered, attempting to share a smile with her Mum, and the words felt like a punch to his gut. He closed his eyes briefly, seeing again the image of Emma trapped beneath the snarling bear, but he shook it away, willing himself to be strong for his mate. Reliving that terrible moment did nothing but make him weaker and more worried.

Emma’s father, brother, and grandmother all surrounded her as well, hugging Emma close before turning their attention to the others. Mary Margaret immediately moved to Gwen, trying to take strength from a woman who had answered in their hour of need, and David clearly felt the support of his lifelong friend and capable shifter Lance, but soon the greetings and reunions were tossed aside, and all attention turned to the problem at hand. It was interrogation en masse, and the questions tossed out were free game for all of them and in dire need of answer.

“Is everyone all right?”

“Everyone’s in one piece,” Graham said, having taken account of the whole group’s status as soon as the bear was contained. No one had withstood anything that amplified shifter healing wouldn’t clear up by the end of the day. All in all, they’d been incredibly lucky.

“Any injuries?”

“Just to my pride. Damn bear got the better of me at one point, and I can’t say I’m too thrilled with that,” Granny quipped, prompting the ghost of a smile to tug at Killian’s lips. In another moment he’d laugh at the old wolf and her totally serious resentment at having been bested, but things being as they were, he couldn’t quite get to the level of comfort needed for a good dose of fun. “But other than that, we’re all fine.”

“Barely,” Emma’s aunt coughed out and Killian watched as Emma’s head snapped to her. A quiet contest of wills elapsed between them. Clearly her aunt wanted to disclose how close things had really come, but Emma wanted to spare her parents the pain of what could have been. It wasn’t clear who would prove victorious, but then Mary Margaret caught the exchange and there was no avoiding the conversation.

“What happened?” Her tone held the firm but alarmed kind of shrillness only a mother could produce.

“Uh, it might be totally out of the realm of normal, but it’s also kind of straight forward,” Tink hedged, shrugging a shoulder as she proceeded to give the barest of highlights, thus helping Emma keep things under wraps. “A giant, angry, magically roided up grizzly shifter came to town, we lured it out here, we got it in the magical crystal thing, and now here we are.”

“Is that all?” David asked, having caught on to his wife’s increased agitation. “Emma?”

Emma’s muscles tightened significantly as the conversation went on, her stance looking more and more like she might just shift and run away from all of this. But instead, she looked to Killian, asking him only with her expression if he’d have her back. Of course he would, and he sealed that silent oath with a kiss to her temple. She leaned into the action for only the briefest of moments before taking a deep breath and coming clean.

The look of anguish on her parents’ faces was likely punishment enough for Emma, who had already felt some guilt about the danger she’d put herself in. Neal, for his part, looked awed at her bravery, and at one point he even interrupted with a word of praise, before a look from his mother quickly cut that thinking off. When Emma was done, it was clear that her mother especially was both wracked with worry and terribly angry. Her emotions were big and jumbled and messy, but though she probably deserved to get them out, Killian felt it was time to step in.

“Obviously there’s a lot to unpack there, but the big thing is Emma is safe now and there will never be another similar instance again.” He looked to Emma, who nodded readily. “And right now we don’t have the luxury of examining this all again. Gold has essentially declared war on us with this attack, and we can’t assume that’ll be the end of it.”

“So we’re certain now that it’s him?” Ruth asked. She was struggling to keep up given how much had been happening and that was understandable. Between Gold and Emma’s great uncle George’s appearance, there were so many unknowns hanging about right now, certainly more than could ever be easily understood.

“There’s too much magic involved for it to be anyone else,” Ruby replied. “But we were hoping you might confirm. The enchantment on the collar is still pulsing even now. It should look similar to the charms you witnessed.”

Ruth followed Ruby towards the choker, which had still yet to be touched by anyone but Emma. Without any discussion about the chance of her being jinxed somehow by the object, Ruth reached out to examine it. She nodded as soon as her skin made contact with the magic itself.

“This is definitely Gold’s work. It looks and feels the same. It’s reptilian almost, if that makes sense.”

“It doesn’t, but not much does anymore,” Liam remarked, and again Killian wished he was in the place to laugh. God knew they all needed it, but with so much still unknown every bit of their energy needed to be tied up in solving this life threatening puzzle.

Ruth continued to examine the artifact, her eyes taking in the material that appeared to be leather bound together by some kind of silver or platinum. It was a strange combination, but there was something in Ruth’s eyes that spoke to familiarity. Killian didn’t know if it was just her identifying the magic or what, but the hairs on the back of his neck went up just before she turned the leather over, a shocked look rushing across her face as she dropped the object back to the ground.

“Grandma?” Emma asked, having picked up on the same nervous energy that Killian did even before it truly managed to manifest. They both moved towards Ruth, searching for answers, but she appeared speechless as she looked back at them.

“Mom?” David asked, moving towards her quickly, trying to see if she was all right before sparing a glance at the cursed collar. Instantly his face portrayed the same shock, and then he let loose a very rare curse. “Son of a bitch.”

“Language,” Mary Margaret and Emma’s Aunt Gwen both said absently, but it was obviously instinct and driven by no sort of real intention. Within seconds Emma’s mother was at David’s side and held his hand in hers once more. “David, what is it?”

“That sigil.”

Killian turned his focus to the emblem on the leather collar. It was all hard lines and angles, and though it was a random association, Killian thought of how it looked so unlike most shifter symbols. It was clearly old, dating back far before the flags and figures of most great houses, but it sliced through the collar with an authority and a bluntness that looked like many knives hard at work.

“You know it?” Emma asked, prompting her father out of the angry and confused mood he was now grappling with,

“It’s the Nolan crest,” her Dad said. “And not only that, it’s my Uncle’s work. See here,” he motioned at the ridges and how the slices were jagged but perfectly symmetrical. “Nolans for centuries used branding techniques to establish our crest, but my Uncle said it left the smell of smoke. He wanted something cleaner and so he studied the old ways. All this was done with one knife in one stroke.”

“But with magic anything can be recreated, can’t it? It could be a set-up, something to throw us off the trail,” Anna said. Yet even as the words left her lips, she was still trying to figure it all out for herself. “Still, the magic is so obviously Gold’s. No one else can recreate that, why bother with any attempted distraction?”

“It’s not a diversion. It’s a claim. Gold made his with his magic and my brother made his with this,” Ruth said, her words finally reappearing though her eyes were still somewhat glazed over by ghosts from her past. “God, I wished I’d never see this symbol again, never mind the man who made it. To think he’s working with Gold. This is a nightmare.”

“I just don’t get it. Why are they both doing this? What’s the end game?” Graham asked.

“My Uncle’s will be as it always was – to eradicate shifters.”

“Even family?” Killian asked and David nodded.

“But what about Gold?” Elsa asked. “He’s got no ties to any of us but Ruth. Surely she can’t mean that much to him. She’s been awake five years, and he could have found her in any of that time.”

“Look, I don’t know the guy, but from everything you guys have found out, does it really seem like he needs a reason?” Tink asked. “The man is clearly more than a few marbles shy of a whole set.”

“He’ll have a reason,” Ruth responded. “But Elsa’s right, it can’t be me. Most likely it’s you all.” She gestured at Ruby, Elsa, Anna, and Emma.

“All of us?” Emma asked. “I mean I get them, they’re witches, but I’m -,”

“The Nolan heir and a hybrid shifter. Not to mention you’re mated to the true alpha of one of the strongest packs in America. Elsa, Anna, and Ruby have tremendous power, to be sure, and having joined together in one place, they’d be a natural threat to a power-hungry beast like Gold. But you’re truly unique, Emma, something that can’t be recreated, and to Gold that’s worth more than anything.”

“Clearly he’s willing to die over it,” Liam said shaking his head as his eyes met Killian’s. “And he will. Soon as we can find that fu-,” A shove from Elsa reminded Liam of the smaller ears in the group now and he cleared his throat before finding another word that didn’t fit nearly as well. “foe?”

“Not terrible. Not a great save, but not awful,” Neal joked, earning a smile from the adults who were still all in awe that this young boy was managing to swim in the deep end of all of this shifter drama.

“Where’s Lance?” Emma’s father asked, drawing attention to the fact that his old friend was missing from this conversation. Killian hadn’t even noticed, a testament to the extreme stealth of mountain lion shifters.

“He picked up a scent earlier but with the bear and all there was no time. We had to get to you all as fast as we could,” Gwen explained. “He’s circling back to track it now.”

“Another shifter?”

“No. I mean I don’t know. I didn’t even smell anything, but he said there was something…”

At that moment, the low rumble of a wild cat running came through the underbrush and then Lance appeared at the tree line in his shifter form. In the blink of an eye he transformed to human again. This was pretty normal for all of them, as even Emma and her friends had more exposure to shifting this summer, but for Neal it was a shock and that manifested when the boy gasped aloud. One look spared in the boy’s direction showed he was nothing but excited. No fear, no dismay. Just the giddy look of childlike wonder that a kid might have in the face of a perfect Christmas or a trip to Disney World.

“You didn’t recognize it because it’s a scent from before we ever met,” Lance said emerging from the woods. “It’s feint, but it’s citrus rinds and tea leaves.”

“George,” David and Ruth said at the same time, both resigned but obviously perplexed.

“Lance?” Gwen asked, putting her hand to his arm in question, echoing everyone else’s confusion.

“Hunters bathe in salted citrus waters with tea leaves before an attack. It largely suppresses human scent and keeps them nearly untraceable, blending in with forest smells better than any other combination. I only know about it at all because it’s what David always smelled like growing up.”

“He’s here?” Emma’s father asked, skipping over the tea bath tidbit.

“If he isn’t then he was. Trail leads to the clinic. It’s strong there but no sign of him. SUV tire tracks in the dirt. Recently left.”

“Was the SUV big enough to hold him?” Anna asked, motioning towards the bear, her face angrier than Killian had ever seen it.

“Would have been a cramped cage,” Lance admitted, making the air around Anna practically crackle with her resentment of David’s Uncle. A breeze floated in the glen around them, and in it there was a glinting of light that spoke to something more than wind. It was Anna’s palpable energy, and though she did her best to conceal it, the storm inside her mind and heart was starting to brew in the world around them. “But there’s more. The clinic has been marked, and the animals inside are feeling very on edge. You’re gonna want to get over there before some humans do.”

“Wait but hold on, how is this even possible?” Emma asked, stalling everyone in their tracks before they sped off to the clinic. “How would your Uncle have had time to get here after messing with Neal? The bear attacked maybe thirty minutes after you left. And I’m sorry, I don’t care how skilled a hunter he is. You’re telling me he brought a giant grizzly in a huge SUV into the city Boston? Doesn’t that seem like a really dumb idea?”

“Emma’s right, the timeline is all off,” Killian affirmed, and it seemed to dawn on the others how accurate that was.

“I showed Neal a picture once we got back to the house, and he confirmed it was definitely George who approached him.”

“But what if it wasn’t?” Ruby asked, turning her inquiry to Emma’s brother. “Neal, was there anything strange about the man who approached you?”

“You mean other than the fact that he cornered me and said all that cryptic stuff about my being a hunter and his family?” Ruby nodded. “Uh, I don’t know he spoke kind of fast. Like a little faster than was easy to follow. Made the already crazy stuff he said even more confusing. It also felt like he was kind of talking to himself, answering his own questions when I didn’t really feel like he’d asked anything. And he kept flicking his wrist as he talked and then balling it up. His face got mad when he did that but only for a second.”

“That doesn’t sound like George,” Ruth said critically. “He’s a methodical man. His whole life has been about control and perfection. He speaks so well, he’s a vocal coach’s dream. Same with his movements.”

“Hunters don’t fidget,” David said, sounding like he was repeating words he was oft told in his past life as opposed to making any sort of additional commentary.

“Could a human smell a hunter, even though shifters mostly can’t?” Neal asked and Emma’s father responded.

“Yes but it would be almost unnoticeable. Why do you ask?”

“Well I didn’t really think much of it but I smelled something awful in the air when he came up to me. I thought it was just one of those city pockets you know? Where the air is just dirty and you kinda have to walk through it.”

“Could be,” Ruby said, “But sulfuric smells can be a side effect of dark magic. Ruth, what was Gold like when you interacted with him all those years ago? Do you remember?”

“Well he was much more unbalanced than George, that’s for sure. Gold used to talk in riddles anytime I met with him and always so fast you barely knew what he was saying. Now that you mention it the wrist thing sounds like something too. He used to kind of flick his up like this,” Ruth said, displaying a gesture that was almost caricature of what a person with magic might do.

“So the body language and the other clues hint that Neal was actually dealing with Gold and not George, and if that’s the case he must have used a glamour spell,” Elsa acknowledged. “Unless there’s another way?”

“No, for him to look like George it would have to be a glamour, it would explain the smell, but it would also take a lot of magical energy. He should be really weak after expending himself like that. I mean between that and the magic that’s been spent on trapping this bear… he shouldn’t even be alive.”

“’Should’ doesn’t really seem like a word that fits in our world at the moment,” Granny sassed and they all agreed. There was no reason to assume Gold was anything but fully healthy right now, no doubt through some sinister means.

“I think realistically we need to split this up. George has apparently left this mess for me at the clinic. We should start there,” Emma’s father said, nodding to Lance and his mother who both silently accepted their new assigned posts.

“Usually I’d say I’m all we need over at team ‘scent tracker,’ but with everything that’s happened today and all the breaches…”

“You need help,” Graham said, filling in for Tink without hesitation. “I’d go, but we need to keep up the appearance of normalcy for the rest of the town, and after this bear warning people are going to have questions.”

“I’ll go with Tink,” Granny offered, surprising most of them before letting out a disgruntled huff and straightening her shoulders. “Oh please, I’m old, I’m not dead. Heck the kids would say I’ve got ‘mad skills’ when it comes to tracking.”

“Any kids who would have said that are probably in their mid-thirties by now,” Killian whispered, and despite everything Emma squawked out something close to a laugh. She then sent him a sharp but loving look, telling him that now was not the time but that she did find him funny.

“As much as we have to find George, we need to track Gold just as badly,” Elsa proclaimed. “I still don’t sense him as being the biggest threat, but he’s in this too and if we’re ever going to get an idea of what the end game is, we need to know everything we can.”

“So that leaves what?” Ruby asked. “Bear watch? Liam and Killian can handle that.”

“What about us?” Emma asked, motioning towards her brother and her mother.

“We need to put some of that natural organizing to good use,” Ruth said adamantly. “Mary Margaret, you more than anyone could try and map this out. Getting everything we know in one place could help make everything more clear.”

“Plus no one is better at wrangling multiple groups,” Gwen added, waving her walkie talkie in the air before nodding towards Graham. “You’ve got a direct line to all of us, and the patience and know-how to get everything you need.”

“Well when you put it like that,” Emma’s mother said, clearly pleased with her role. “So what are we waiting for? This war ain’t gonna win itself.”

And since that was true, they all moved off to their designated jobs, though Killian kept track of Emma constantly. Luckily her mother decided to set up their brainstorming outside here in the glen, so as much as Killian was on bear watch, he was also looking out for his mate. Killian would not let anything happen to Emma and their family, so right now it was his mission to use all of his years of experience as a shifter to aid in their protection. In the long span of his life where he sought to avenge his mother, and then in the years spent tracking and avoiding any signs of Liam and his pack, he had become a well-honed machine. His skills allowed him to feel ready for whatever may come, and he trusted that his love of Emma and his want to protect both her physical being and her heart would make anything possible. Whatever foe may present themselves, he would handle them, because there was no other option as far as he or his wolf were concerned.

That readiness and familiarity with trouble, however, did not apply to everyone, and there was one person amongst them who more than anyone must be flummoxed and uneasy given all the tumult. Killian looked even now at young Neal and he felt for the boy. He was putting on a brave face, but there was still concern that made its way to the surface now and then. Emma’s brother hid it well from his overbearing and constantly watchful mother, but when Mary Margaret moved away to talk with Gwen on the walkie talkie about everything going on at the clinic, Killian saw a chance to try and do some good.

“You holding up all right, lad?”

Killian posed the question like it could in any way be straight forward to this young boy. Emma’s brother had woken up this morning a gifted but largely ordinary child. He was brilliant to be sure, but he had no real notion of what any of this meant. Human science alone couldn’t prepare him for this, not when the books they taught in schools mentioned nothing of this whole different part of the world. It must be a great shock to him, yet here Neal stood, ready for action and above the fray of questions most people, no matter what age, would grapple with when a situation like this arose.

“It makes sense in a way,” Neal admitted, shrugging his shoulder. “Not the whole my great uncle is working with a warlock thing. That’s just crazy.”

“Aye it is. But the shifting, and your wolf, they’re not as surprising to you?”

“I had dreams, back when everyone thought I was going to die.” Neal shrugged at the memory of those times, because his childhood illness was just a part of his life. It was a painful chapter of the Nolan family story, but Neal looked to be all the stronger for it now. “They were pretty all over the place. I was sleeping all the time and I was in and out, but there was a woman towards the end, that I remember. She was nice, with a smile like my mom. I knew I could trust her, and the next thing I knew she turned into a wolf and I did too. It was weird, but it felt right, you know?”

Killian gulped, knowing that the woman Neal spoke of was his mother. He debated telling the boy the full truth, but given everything that he was saddled with now, it didn’t seem wise. There would be time, hopefully, when all of this had been resolved and he and Emma could have a full discussion with Neal about all they’d learned. They’d tell him of Emma’s own dreams, of the process Elsa’s magic had undertaken to save them both, and how Killian’s mother found a way even beyond the grave to watch over him and the family he would one day love. But for now, the best course of action was bolstering Neal’s faith and telling him this would all work out okay.

“It must be strange, to learn of what you are later like this. I know for Emma it was a unique process. It can be overwhelming. But it’s also…” he searched for the right words.

“Uh, totally cool?” Neal filled in, looking genuinely enthusiastic. “I mean I can turn into a wolf. That’s pretty bad ass.”

Killian and Neal’s heads both whipped towards the direction of Mary Margaret, but despite her motherly senses, she seemed to have missed her son’s bit of cursing. That was likely for the best.

“It’s an amazing gift to be sure. I know I’d never feel truly whole without my wolf. I’m glad you and Emma will have that now too.”

“Yeah. I just wish I didn’t have to wait. I mean five more years? That feels like forever.”

Killian smiled and he knew that for Neal it must seem like just that. As a kid, years felt like they’d never pass, and time would never move in the direction that you wanted it. It took the benefit of hindsight to see that everything comes exactly when it should, and as a new shifter, Neal would be in much better shape if he had a few years of understanding who he was before moving into that phase of his life.

“When things calm down, we should talk. You’ll have questions, and while your father is well versed in much of the shifter world, he might not have all the answers.”

“Did your Dad have them?” Neal asked, not out of any malice, but because he just genuinely didn’t know the history of Killian and his family.

“No, but I was lucky to have an elder brother.”

“And now I will too,” Neal said, like Killian’s new status in the family was a long time given. Killian smiled at that, nodding.

“Aye. That you will. Whatever you need, Neal, I’ll be here to help. So will Emma, and Liam, and all of us.”

“Like a real pack,” Neal said and Killian thought about it a moment before nodding. After all, what else could they be called at this point? There were so many of them, shifter, witch, and otherwise, tied together through love, through family ties and friendship. If that wasn’t a pack as it was intended to be then Killian didn’t know what it was.

Feeling secure in the fact that Neal was okay, Killian planned to switch his attention back to the others and their deliberations, but the bear suddenly let forth a harsh huff of air, propelling the front of his body up into the air, before stomping its thick paws into the earth below. Killian went on alert, preparing to get to Emma if the grizzly should break free, but then he gathered that the others were talking about the bear and the bear was somehow communicating, though perhaps not very effectively.

“It’s the weirdest thing,” Neal said, shaking his head as he watched the captive beast.

“Seeing a mammoth grizzly in a magic cage? Yeah, weird is one way of putting it.”

“It’s not that. It’s the smell around him. It’s sterile and sharp. I swear it smells like when I was in the hospital. Like an IV but not quite.”

Sniffing the air, Killian could at first only sense the overwhelming stench of a shifter sickness and Gold’s magic, but there, underneath those notes, there was something he belatedly recognized as medical. Now that Neal said it, he wondered how he, or any of the other shifters had missed it all this time.

“I’ve got news for you, lad: those supposed genius tendencies of yours are not purely human. You’re gonna be a hell of a shifter.”

Neal grinned at that, and after Killian urged him to tell the others, a whole new door of inquiry opened. Everyone came back from their separate corners of Storybrooke, seeking to put a new piece of the puzzle in place.

“Magic and medicine? But that’s crazy. Can it even be done?” Tink asked.

“I think we’re looking at the proof,” Elsa hedged, gesturing at the bear.

“Did anyone get a bite of his neck?” Emma asked and the others who had been there in the thick of the fight shook their head. “He’s got two puncture marks there, I saw a flash of them when I took the collar off, but I just assumed…”

“Let’s all just make a plan to stop doing that for the time being,” Graham said and they heartily agreed, for surely assuming anything was getting them nowhere. They had to start from scratch and do as Neal had done, study the problem just with the facts and clues before them.

“Are the marks identical, Emma?” Neal asked and after a moment of reflection Emma nodded.

“Yeah, they looked pretty similar. I only caught a quick glimpse though.”

“Can you get him closer to us?” Neal asked and Mary Margaret shook her head.

“Neal, no -,”

“He doesn’t need to leave the enclosure, Mom. I just need to see his neck. Emma said there’s two punctures. That’s rare in medical treatment of any kind, human or animal. There’s usually only one puncture site. Whenever I needed more than one medicine they stuck me in different places or they’re infused through one site, resulting in only one puncture. Two identical pierces is almost unheard of. In fact, the only researchers I know that have regularly and successfully used two study genetically based nervous system manipulation.”

“Uh, can you repeat that in English?” Liam replied and Killian related to his brother’s sentiment. This was elevated stuff well beyond the experience set of any of the adults here, save for maybe Emma and David who had a veterinary background, and Neal was a teenager. How did he know about this?

“Basically treatment to regrow and stabilize a broken nervous system. Yes, it’s super complicated and obscure, and before you ask, I just spent the summer rooming with a medical prodigy who is headed to Columbia pre-med at 14. You pick up stuff when all your friend talks about is cutting edge science stuff.”

“That’s brilliant, Neal, but what makes you think that this has anything to do with that?”

“Well the dual needle there wasn’t just used for fun, it was necessary to yield any positive results. The doctors were trying to infuse damaged nervous systems with a lining that would revamp nerves and allow for an artificial system reboot. They needed two different solutions to do that, and they needed to mix at the same rate through the body while not being combined outside of the system itself. They said that allowing the chemical interaction to happen inside the body actually improved the lasting effects of the treatment.”

“So that begs the question, how do we get closer to him?”

Granny’s query prompted all of them to look to Anna automatically, but that only prompted Elsa to get defensive.

“No! No way! Absolutely not! You are not going in there.”

“Elsa we need to know,” Anna replied, her tone even, not matching the loudness or the fear of her sister. “And it’s like I keep telling you. He won’t hurt me.”

“Maybe we can just ask him to come closer?” Emma added, clearly not wanting her friend anywhere near that bear without the barrier still between them.

“But what if one of the solutions Neal is talking about isn’t just science?” Ruby replied, her brow furrowed together. “If it’s magical then we need a witch to gauge that and that would be damn near impossible with Elsa and Anna’s enchantment as strong as it is.”

“We’re not doing this,” Elsa said, her anguish clear, but the fight in her starting to fail somewhat.

“What other choice do we have, Elsa? We’re in danger and more than that we’re blind. We need answers. We need them to stay safe, and we need them to heal him. He has to be okay, Elsa. He just has to be.”

The connection Anna felt to this bear was strong already though she’d never even seen his human form. Killian understood that, and though it must feel impossible to accept that Anna might be in any kind of danger, Elsa did too. All she needed to do was think about when it was Liam. When the two of them first met, Liam was still unstable and unwell, perhaps to a different degree, but Elsa stood by him. She was devoted right from the start, and she did everything she could to heal his brother and to stop his pain. Anna wanted to do the same thing, and now Elsa had to support her, fear and all.

You will not hurt her, do you hear me?

The mental push came from Emma and was aimed at the bear, but Killian still heard it. Her eyes were wary, set on the grizzly as her face gave nothing but seriousness away. The bear snorted but gave a sharp nod, unwilling or unable to reply with coherent thoughts, but showing with animal action that he was not in an aggressive place.

“Okay, Anna. You can go in there, but only for a minute. You find out what we need to know and then you get back out here. Are we clear?” Emma asked and Anna nodded. Without any more deliberation she moved to the edge of the crystal enclosure and then she stepped in.

Not knowing how things would go made the moment of Anna’s examination emotionally fraught, but beyond that this was a moment that both Emma’s friend and this unknown shifter must be craving on a cellular level. They were fated mates, destined to be together and yet unable to have more than a brief interaction. They couldn’t even speak to each other, and the fact that this was all happening while he was a bear must make things even more confusing. Yet none of that translated. Instead, Anna approached with cautious determination, stopping just before the bear and pausing only for a moment before she raised her hand to the bear’s face. Her hand made contact and everyone held their breath until the bear made a low, but welcoming growl.

“Hi,” Anna murmured after a moment, her voice raspier than usual. “This isn’t how I thought something like this would happen. I had all these ideas about who you’d be and how we’d meet and this is just… well, different.”

The bear closed its eyes for a moment exhaling what could only be called a grizzly form of a sigh, and then nuzzled more so into Anna’s touch. A sign of agreement and docility that was so alien a concept with a shifter this sick.

“Anna.” Elsa’s calling out to her sister reminded Anna of her mission and she straightened her stance and nodded.

“Right. I have to fix this. I have to help you. And I don’t know if you heard what we were saying but -,”

The bear didn’t even need to hear the rest of her request, instead shifting so Anna could be up close and personal with his neck and the site of the punctures Emma had seen. Anna let out a sound of sadness at seeing where the bear had been injured.

“What do you see?” Neal asked.

“Two puncture marks, just like Emma said. And they’re really big and thick. I can see why you thought someone bit him. He’s started to heal over it but there’s scarring and…” she raised her hand over the wound but trailed off from speaking to them.

“And what?” Ruby asked.

“You were right Ruby, I can feel the magic. Some sort of potion of something. But there’s something else here. Some residue of something else.”

“We need to see that!” Neal said, his desire to figure out this puzzling situation clear as day. “We can test his fur or maybe get some blood work, but it would be better if we had the actual solution itself.”

With just the barest flutter of her fingers Anna used her magic to extract the droplets of whatever liquid coated the bear’s fur. It was entrancing to see, and the little bits of whatever injection was used hung suspended in the air. It was a small amount, but small was better than nothing at all. “I need something to put this in.”

A vile was produced from Mary Margaret’s bag, and no one bothered to ask why she had it. No doubt some sort of ‘always be prepared mentality’ and Emma brought it to the edge of the barrier with Killian right behind her. But while they expected Anna to come right away, she was stalled, wanting, no doubt, to stay close to her mate.

“I know how hard this must be, Anna, but the sooner we figure out what this is the sooner you can heal him.”

“I’m going to fix this,” Anna said, for the bear’s benefit and not for any of theirs. “We’re gonna find out what this is and I swear I will fix it.”

At the mention of her leaving, the bear’s eyes went dark, looking more onyx than any shade of red. It reminded Killian of his father and of Liam and it all clicked. This was some sort of manufactured alpha sickness. It had to be. But just as soon as that darkness came, the bear shook its head and pushed it back again, its irises back to a deep burgundy color. The bear hoisted its body up and then stomped its two front feet to the ground but made no more sounds. It was a dismissal of Anna, and a nonverbal warning that she had to go now before he lost control. Anna seemed to understand and she moved quickly towards the barrier and back outside with all of them. With shaky hands she used her magic to put the droplets in the vial and then sealed it before handing it to Neal.

“You want me to look at it?” Neal asked, his eyes growing wide.

“Yes, Neal, I do. You were right about the injections, and if we didn’t have that we’d pretty much have nothing to go on,” Anna said. “You are brilliant, and you are my brother, in every way that matters. Right?”

“Right,” Neal agreed without hesitation.

“I know it’s asking a lot, and I know you might not be able to handle everything alone, but I just need you to try. Anything you learn is helpful. Anything. I can do the magical stuff, but I don’t know anything about medicine.”

“I’m gonna need help,” Neal said looking to Emma and Emma nodded.

“And you’ve got it. You’ve got me and Dad. I don’t know much about double injections or genome treatments, but I’ll do whatever I can. We’ve got equipment at the clinic. We can run some tests and see what compounds we’re working with and -,”

Killian was about to speak up and say that Emma needed to think about this before making any bold decisions. She’d been through the ringer today, and this testing would no doubt be an involved process. It worried Killian that Emma would continue exerting so much energy when she’d had such a close call earlier, but surprisingly it was Neal who vocalized that worry first.

“That’s exactly what we’re gonna do, Emma. But I think Dad and I have got this for now. You should rest up. You’ve had a way longer day than the rest of us.”

“But I can help too,” Emma reasoned.

“And you will. But maybe tomorrow, all right? This is gonna take a while. We won’t find any answers right away anyway. You know that.”

Killian waited eagerly, hoping that Emma would reach that conclusion on her own as well, and he felt himself relax when she agreed. It was such a relief to know that Emma wouldn’t be over extending herself into the wee hours of the morning. The day was already fading away, with the sun dipping low in the trees, and Killian knew that what his mate needed was food, rest, and time away from the insanity of their world right now.

The others all agreed with Neal’s take, and with a new plan in motion people started to split up, headed for their evenings in different ways. The Nolans headed to the clinic to grab start testing things both at the lab and then back home, while Ruby, Anna, and Elsa agreed that they should try and process the magical concoction that Anna had sensed in the bear and in the collar. Ruby would do so with her family’s archives back at Graham’s, but where Elsa tried to offer a similar scenario for her and Anna, Anna was uninterested.

“I’m not leaving him,” Anna said sternly, looking back to the bear with a fierceness of conviction that had no chance of being swayed. Knowing this instinctively, Elsa let out a small sigh but nodded.

“Okay, so we stay.”

“You two mind?” Liam asked, and Killian smirked at his brother’s question. Even if he did mind it wouldn’t matter much. Liam would just camp out here with his mate and her sister. But there was no need, not when he had somewhere else he and Emma could go.

“Knock yourselves out,” he quipped, gesturing to the doorway. “We’ll just pack a bag and be out of your hair.”

“We’re not staying?” Emma asked, looking surprised, but also a bit relieved if the flash in her eyes was anything to go off of.

“I have a better idea, love. That is, if you trust me.”

“Always,” Emma said, and though he stole a fleeting kiss from her lips, it was but a mere morsel to tide him over until real privacy could be procured.

True to their word, they took only a few minutes to pack what they needed, and then they were off. They could have walked to their destination, or shifted and run over, but with George still on the loose and Gold MIA Killian wanted the opportunity at a faster getaway if need be. The drive was rather short, even with a stop at the town diner to grab some dinner, and the most notable change was that they went from the deep woods where their cabin was further towards the coast just at the edge of town. Eventually the paved Storybrooke road turned to one of pebbles and dirt, and Emma looked both amused and confused at why they would be going this way. Her eyes soon shifted though to mere enjoyment, as she took in the picturesque surroundings of this coastal lane, surrounded by greenery and bushes that held large summer flowers in shades of pinks and blues and whites.

“They’ll be paving this soon,” Killian announced and Emma’s brow furrowed as she looked from their surroundings back towards him once more.

“How do you know that? No one even lives here.”

“Ah, perhaps not yet, but the house has been recently purchased and a move in is likely inevitable.”

“Well the new owners have done a ton of work. This was all overgrown before. Has been since I was a kid. I always loved this house though.” Emma made the comments just before they pulled around the bend, and when she saw the house in question her jaw dropped and her shock was palpable in the car. “Oh my God! Look at that. It’s… well it’s…”

“Do you like it?” Killian asked and Emma nodded immediately though her brow furrowed with confusion.

“I do, it’s gorgeous, but I don’t understand. When you said there was somewhere else we could go I assumed you meant my place above the clinic.”

“We could have gone there, but tell me you wouldn’t have then been tempted to burn the candle all night searching for answers.” Emma couldn’t say that truthfully so she opted not to respond, giving Killian the space to pull her closer as he confessed his intentions. “When we were in the woods before I told you that someday would be here sooner than you think. This house was meant to be your wedding present, but I think, all things considered, we should cherish every moment that we have.”

“I thought you were talking about the baby” Emma whispered, her eyes misting over with happy tears as he stole a kiss from her lips with soft but sure affection. His hand came over her stomach automatically at the mention of their pup and when his lips pulled away from hers, he couldn’t help his genuine smile.

“I was, my love. Our family is on the path to exactly what we’re wanting. But as much as I cherish our cabin in the woods, this,” he waved his arms at the house before them. “This is the home you and our little ones deserve.”

With Emma still stunned into near silence, Killian produced the keys to the house from his pocket, having grabbed them from the cabin discretely enough to escape Emma’s notice. On the keychain there was also a token charm that had caught his fancy while in town. It had a swirling design that looked like the fur of a wolf when examined up close, or the sea in the midst of great uncertainty. In the foreground of the metalwork, there was an anchor, and for whatever reason, he found he liked that symbolism and that it made him think of his mate and the life that they were building together. In every way, Emma was his anchor, an anchor to goodness and love and hope, all things he now could no longer live without and that he wished to carry with him always.

“Killian.”

His name was all that Emma could seem to say in this moment, and her fingertips came to cover her mouth as she shook her head in awe. For a split second he wasn’t totally sure if he had made the right call. Buying one of her favorite houses in town might seem like a great idea, but perhaps Emma wanted to be more involved herself in the process of finding their forever home. There was so much that had to be selected and chosen to bring the house into this century and up to a livable code, while still maintaining the quintessential charm of the coastal Maine mansion. But when Emma’s green eyes welled with happy tears and her cheeks flushed that familiar shade of pink, he knew he’d made no wrong moves. Emma was happy with this, and that was all that he had ever wanted.

“Now I should warn you, love, not everything is finished. I gave them a timeline of the end of the summer, knowing that I wanted it done by our wedding night. But it’s structurally sound, and the upstairs is all furnished. Well at least it’s supposed to be and I -,”

Emma laughed at his sudden feeling of remorse, and then she pulled him in for a kiss so fast that he lost all sense of himself before his worry could actually begin to take hold. All there was in this moment was Emma and her happiness. Out here, away from everyone else, Killian allowed his overprotective need to kick in, and with a quick maneuver, he had Emma backed against the front door, knowing he had boxed her in, but never going so far as to hurt her. If anything, it just turned his mate on, and she arched even closer, taking as much from this kiss as he did, until they finally broke apart.

“You bought us a house,” Emma whispered.

“Aye, love,” he said, cupping her cheek after brushing some of her hair back from her beautiful face. “I bought us a house.”

“How do you always manage this?” She asked, and Killian didn’t know what exactly she meant by ‘this’ but he awaited her assessment whatever it may be. “Every time things go sideways, there you are, making things better. This is perfect, in every way. There’s only one thing I wish was different.”

“What is it love?”

“I wish I was already your wife. I wish we didn’t have to wait anymore.”

Hearing that amplified Killian’s own want for the same exact thing, but despite the fact that they had tonight ‘off’ so to speak, a wedding, a real wedding, worthy of his mate and all her hopes and dreams, just couldn’t be done. As such, he had to improvise.

“Do you, Emma Nolan, choose me, Killian Jones for this day and all your days? In sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in this life and any more we may be blessed enough to see?”

“I do,” Emma said, with tears glistening in her eyes as she smiled, looking at him with all the love in the world. “And do you, Killian Jones, choose me back? Will you promise to love me, to cherish me, and to honor me in every way I plan to do for you, for this day and for always, no matter what may come?”

“I do,” he replied and Emma let out a soft laugh, a tantalizing sound that caught on the wind before fading away as their lips came together to seal their vows to each other.

They were now, in their hearts, man and wife, mate and mate, and though it might not be ‘official,’ Killian knew in that moment that he and Emma had bound themselves together in a new and enduring way. And so, even though things might not be going exactly according to plan, Killian delighted in the moment when he swung his love up in his arms and whisked into the house of their future and showing her the place that would be the site of their hopefully impending happily ever after.

Post-Note: So there we have it! I know this chapter has taken so long to come about, but with so many elements that I had wanted to incorporate, I knew I needed time to not only write, but to read through what I’ve already written. This whole George and Gold fiasco will soon be coming to a head, BUT please be informed it might not all be in this particular story... For those of you who have been begging me for a story that includes CS but is mostly told from the POVs of others, you will be *eventually * getting your wish. Elaborating more would be spoiling what is yet to come, so I’ll leave it there, but suffice it to say I am really excited for this next cool idea when it does come to pass. aAs always I appreciate you guys reading this, and I hope you all enjoyed and have a wonderful rest of your week!!

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amythingys · 5 years

Text

Waiting

Pairing: 40s!Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 2537

Warnings: pining, some sad boi hours and perhaps a hint of suggestiveness if you reaaaaally squint

Summary: September, 1945. The war is over and the boys are coming home. Though, unfortunately for Y/N, it seems that some soldiers find their way home a lot slower. For a month she waited and just when it seemed like all hope could possibly be lost there he was, The Miracle of Manhattan, well Brooklyn - but she wasn’t minding too much.

A/N: hey hey hey y’all! Eventually posting again, just a quick one and of course it is the au in which Bucky made it through the war and got to live his happy lil 1940s life. It’s what he deserves. Now, first of all this is very much based upon an old Newsie fanfic which I posted on a previous blog last year and though I highly doubt any of you would recognize it as such, if you do pls do not block and report me for plagiarism, thank you. Also this was scrambled together in two hours max so if it’s a little meh that is very well why. Now, she didn’t beta this at all but I love her and always wanna hear what she thinks so I’m tagging @quantumarvel . Okay that is all, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy and feedback is always appreciated!!!

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Waiting was just a part of her routine by now.

Every day: wake up, have breakfast if she felt up for it - if not, then just some coffee - and then get dressed for work. The next logical step would have been to head for the hospital, but that never seemed to be the case. She was always early, too early for her shift beginning, so she would spend the extra time at the train station. Waiting. On days off she would stay for far longer, hours if the workers allowed.

September 5th, 1945. The first week she would wait an hour. Anxiety flowed through her as she moved from platform to platform, asking about when the next train was coming in, toes just nearly too close to the tracks. One more carriage and he’ll be home. That’s what she would tell herself. But, she soon learned that was not the case. It wouldn’t be the next carriage or even the next hour, it would be the next day or week if she was lucky. Few troops would come home so quickly, soldiers having to come from all over the globe took a little time. But still, she couldn’t help being jealous. She watched as they strode across the platform being met halfway by loved ones. Parents greeting sons with teary eyes and shaking hands. Children attaching themselves to the legs of their father with giggles and shouts of excitement. Women would meet them, ready with a kiss to welcome home their soldier.

It was hard not to be a little jealous, at least.

So, the next week she kept waiting. Though, this time she sat down on the bench by the newsstand, taking the first paper her hand found after waiting for a quarter of an hour. Anything to distract the mind. At every train whistle, she’d look up and scan the incoming crowd, sighing and looking back to her paper after coming up with nothing. This happened another four times before she had to leave. She’d glance at the paper in hand, thinking it over before tucking it into her bag; she had a growing pile at home. She kept them because she knew he would want to get all caught up when he made it home - she didn’t trust herself to remember every single thing. She gave the newsboy a tip before rushing off towards the main entrance. She had left late for work that morning. Something that had been happening more frequently.

She began to show later and later each day, a different reason why each time. Each reason different than, waiting on nothing hurt. But still, she was always there.

The third week was much the same as the one previous. Workers began to recognize her, a few even knew her by name. Every time she went to the newsstand, Tom, the newsboy of only 17 greeted her with a polite, ‘Morning Miss Y/N, which would you like?’ before displaying all the papers he had available for her. She picked one, a different title every time and he would always reply the same, ‘Great choice, ma’am.’ And she’d walk away. She’d sit, flipping the pages slowly but never really read them properly. And, when it was time to go and his train hadn’t arrived she handed the paper to a waiting customer at the ticket kiosk, ‘something to read, for your travels.’

The fourth week, the final week of September, it had begun to get colder in New York. so much so, she often waited inside the station now. It was a grand building, Central Station and Rebecca, who was by her side, would marvel at its high ceiling and watch as workmen pulled down war posters that decorated the walls. Her boss had allowed her a few days off of work that week, knowing fine well that the thought of Bucky was distracting her. Plus, if she was being honest, Y/N was glad to have the company. ‘Becca told her stories of the British boy who had been in her class for her senior year before shipping off, Thomas. Y/N threw a glance in the direction of the newsstand as ‘Becca continued chatting, but Tom wasn’t there - the clock above their heads informed her his morning shift must have been over and he was off to school.

Y/N was quiet then, sparing but a tired smile as they shared one seat and a jacket between them. It was nice to have someone with her for a few days.

Of course, Rebecca had to go back to work eventually, but Y/N promised the youngest Barnes that she would tell Bucky that she had been waiting for him when he got back, not that he would’ve had any doubts, to begin with. She doubted he would return before ‘Becca had the opportunity to wait with her again. If she kept waiting that is.

She made a promise to herself then: She would wait until Sunday, and if he wasn’t home she wouldn’t- she couldn’t wait anymore.

Thursday came and went as quickly as Friday and Saturday did afterward. It was Sunday before she had time to come to peace with it.

October 7th, 1945. Sunday. The last chance she had given herself to be there when he stepped off the train- if he stepped off the train. She waited on the platform for the first time in a week but stayed close to a small cafe attached to the station, it was giving off a warmth she needed in that weather. She gave herself one hour in this cold before heading home. Even the days off had been cut short. Half of her time passed as quick as a blink, she felt.

With just half an hour left a whistle blew, she recognized the noise as a foe along with the familiar hustle and bustle of the station. She heard feet shuffling and greetings called across the way. And, just as she had done with every train that day she looked up from the book in her lap, hearing as a newsvendor called the day's headline:

“Miracle in Manhattan! Read all about it!”

She gave in to an eye-roll at the news before giving a quick search. Nothing, as always. But, when her eyes, once again, met the pages of her novel she couldn’t help but feel like she should look again.

She set the book aside and stood to get a better view. She could’ve sworn she caught sight of a familiar face. Before she could comprehend what she may or may not have seen, her boots met the bench on which she had just been sitting and with a moment to herself, she took a breath. Y/N turned towards to train which had just stopped and the crowd that had just stepped off of it.

And then, a whisper, “Bucky?”

He hadn’t expected anybody to be waiting when he arrived, not with it being a month since the war ended. He suspected they had waited the first few days, perhaps even a week but after that, he hoped they had just returned to normal life. Bucky was aware that this is not the most likely scenario at all but that’s what he longed for.

He longed for Y/N. Complaining about how early they would get up on Saturdays, but doing so week in and week out anyway just so they would get to market as soon as it opened. He longed for his family. Dinner served every Sunday night when his Ma cooked way too much food and bombarded he and Y/N with way too many questions for the pair of them living just a block away. He longed for what he had missed. Listening as Rebecca caught him up in all the neighborhood gossip or when she would rush up to his and Y/N’s apartment after school- well work now, he supposed. He longed to belong again, settle in just one place. He longed for comfort, for peace.

He longed for normal. Thankfully, normal could be just a ten-minute cab ride across the Brooklyn Bridge. Ten-minutes became mere seconds when a familiar voice called for him across the platform.

She was easy enough to spot as she dashed through the crowd, all smiles and rushed apologies to all of those who she ran into en route. Her grin lit up what was once just another dull New York day in the middle of October.

They collided, his bag dropped to the floor just in time for her to be caught in his arms. The breath was knocked from him, arguably not from their collision at all, and a laugh quickly took its place. Hands pressed flat to her back, keeping her held flush to him as they collectively ignored the groans from passersby they had momentarily obstructed. They barely noticed their presence at all.

Her feet hit the ground but her head remained in the clouds when she got a look at him. A good look. He was still Bucky, the one she knew but she also knew that some things were bound to change. Scruff covered his jaw and cheek, neat but a far cry from the clean-shaven look he always insisted on before. His hair was a little longer too, something she was certain he would rectify soon enough - he always liked to keep his hair short, tidy around his face. She couldn’t complain, he had the face for just about any style he desired. Then there were his eyes. Y/N couldn’t quite put her finger on it but there was definitely something about those baby blues. Maybe it was the tears that began to line them as he looked right back at her.

She was glad she waited.

“Bucky…” A whisper in the busy station, but it said loud and clear all she needed it to, all she hadn’t found the words for quite yet. He knew. He knew exactly what she meant, nodding quickly before he brought her close again, lips meeting her own after what felt like a lifetime. It was feverish, kissing as if they may never have gotten the chance again - which is a possibility they would never scoff at after the war.

“Bucky I-” She cried after they parted, tears streaming steadily down her cheeks as she caught her breath. “I did-didn’t know whether- whether you-” Hands clumsily reached for him, fingers brushing his jaw, his nose, palms pressing close to his cheeks and catching his own tears.

“I know baby,” he murmured. He kissed her again, quick but just barely pulling back before he spoke once again. “I know, I’m sorry it’s just, we- we were doing some real important work out there, Steve, the Commandos and me. God, the Commandos, baby you’re gonna love them.”

“I can’t wait to hear all about them.”

“They’ve already heard all about you, trust me, they may very well be sick of hearing your name by now.” He chuckled, and she did the same, sniffling still as they stood there.

“I missed you, wasn’t a moment I didn’t have you on my mind.”

“I missed you, every day.”

“That’s not true, I’m sure you’ve been real busy, y’know with the hospital and ev- everything… don’t you usually work Sunday mornings? What’re you doing here?” He asked, brows knitting in confusion and eyes darting all over as if searching for the answer materializing in front of him before he focused on her again. He couldn’t stand to look away for too long.

She gave a breathy laugh, almost scoffing as if the answer was the most obvious one that could ever possibly exist. “I promised I would wait for you getting off that train didn’t I?”

“You’ve been waiting here?” She hummed in agreement, nodding as her eyes fell to his lips and she stole another kiss. The platform began to empty around them, leaving them alone for the most part for a minute or two before it would begin to refill for the next train’s arrival. “Every day for a month?” She never replied to him, the small smile on her being an answer enough for him to know. “You shouldn’t have done that for me, it’s freezing out.”

As if that would deter her. No storm could keep her away for long, not from him. A kiss to her forehead, and her hands gripping the lapels of his uniform tight as if he would even dream of leaving again any time soon.

“Well, ‘Becca wanted me to tell you that she would have been here too but her boss, Mr…”

“Davis, Mr. Davis. Her new boss, right?”

“That's the one: Davis. She said that Mr. Davis would have busted her chops if she missed anymore work this month. Plus, I think you’re Ma said something about her focusing all her energy towards something helpful until you got back, y’know to keep her mind away from you.” Bucky chuckled at her words, mumbling a ‘Sounds about right’ before pulling back and opting to take her hand in his instead.

“But! She is very excited to catch you up on every single thing that you missed while you were away.”

“Did I miss anything? Exciting I mean?”

“New neighbors,” Y/N mumbled with a shrug, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek, nose scrunching as his stubble tickled her chin.

“Upstairs or down?” He was simply wondering if Y/N and he would be annoying them or they would be annoying him.

“Up. You’ll hate ‘em.” She laughed against his skin and pulled back in favour of pulling him towards the exit.

Bucky gave a comedic groan and picked his bag up before following along. “Great, excited to get home then. Can’t wait to meet ‘em, also can’t wait to shave - Ma will pitch a fit if I show up to dinner for the first time in forever and this is how I look.”

“I don’t know, Sarge…” She turned on her heels, stopping dead in her tracks and therefore crashing into his chest for the second time that morning. “I think it makes you look pretty… handsome.” A coy smile and he was already 99% convinced to keep it.

“That so?”

“Yeah, it seems I got myself my very own casanova.”

He was perhaps a little skeptical, teasing the language they often spoken and he had a feeling this may be going in that direction. “Careful, sweetheart,” He paused, smirking at her before stepping aside and grabbing her hand again. As they began walking again, hands laced together as they took on the New York streets together for the first time in years, he spoke, “Wouldn’t want none of these folks to be thinking you’re sweet on a guy like me.”

“A guy like you?” She cozied up to his side, free hand wrapping around his arm, “Baby, I’m convinced you’re the ‘Miracle in Manhattan’ that newsvendor was yelling about.” The couple shared a laugh, feeling the weight of the time passed but interacting as if not a second had gone by since they were last together.

“How couldn’t I be sweet on you?”

#My writing #Bucky Barnes #40s bucky #bucky barnes x reader #MCU #MCU fanfiction

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theflashdriver · 5 years

Text

Silvaze: Tending the Flame

This is a little fantasy AU Silvaze oneshot! It doesn’t play on your usual fairytale tropes though, it’s far more like a D&D AU. I hope you enjoy!

Rain was falling thick and heavy, coming down in cold sheets to batter against a thick green cloak and obscure a radius cut by weak yellow lantern-light. Silver the hedgehog, age nineteen, had been on the road for much too long. His feet were raw and soaked, his quills and fur were matted, shivers wracked his body and nought but grumbles filled his stomach. The thick bag on his back was crushing his shoulders and weakening his knees but discomfort was almost at its end. Dirt trails through uneven bogs were a mere mile behind him, a treacherous but ultimately foe-less stretch. His boots had just met with the mossy cobbles of a small village, the first true trappings of civilisation he'd seen in weeks.

It was well beyond the witching hour, the night was moonless and clouds cluttered the sky. Buildings constructed of wood with thatched or board roofs surrounded him and, though they were in the evening, sings of life were scattered. His lantern scoped out store signs, farmer's tools set on doorsteps, freshly chopped lumber and well maintained gardens.

The tiny town of Grey Larch didn't see many tourists and those who did visit typically walked straight through the town and unto the wild lands beyond it. For that reason, Silver was rather worried about finding a spot to rest for the night; if no one was using the inn then the staff likely wouldn't linger. He didn't know the town well, alike others he normally passed through with little more than a gander in the shop windows, so when a signpost caught his eye it became his first port of call.

It was difficult in the dark but raising his lantern granted a slightly clearer view. He ignored most of the pointers, they seemed to indicate local amenities and landmarks, until he found the one he was looking for. Six hundred yards ahead was a tavern and inn called The Wanderer's Haven, it was a name that Silver vaguely recognised.

As he turned, the path ahead of him suddenly seemed a lot darker. The box's light was flickering; the range of its cast light had shrunk! Silver glanced back to the sign; words he'd struggled to read were now unreadable! The flame was fading! He'd already felt desperate but that small change sent a shiver down his spine and forced speed into his step.

"Stay with me, we're almost there!" Following the rudimentary signage, Silver soon went from running to hovering; cyan magic flickered before surrounding his body and rending him from the ground, carrying him faster towards his desired destination.

Famished as he was, Silver was willing to burn what little energy he had left to spare his lantern's faded flame. The hedgehog tore across the city, gaze thrown in all directions as he sought out an inn. He struggled to slow as he caught sight of a larger building with a swinging sign, stumbling as he returned to the ground and pushed his way towards its door. A glance to the window proved that there was candlelight inside but when he went to try the door he found it locked. Teeth grit, another glance was thrown to his fading lantern before he began to pound on the door with his free hand.

"I need a room for the night, I'm willing to pay!" He yelled, desperation turning to panic.

There was no response, only the battering of rain against cobbles and wood. Silver started to panic more, pulling the lantern deeper still into his cloak, when he heard something shift inside; a chair had dragged along the ground. A few more moments past and stress continued to eat away at him but, finally, the jingling of keys and the clicking of a latch heralded his respite.

The half opened, a bright blue eye and a tuft of brown-cream fur came into view. After a moment's scanning, a voice accompanied it, "Pay you said?"

"I have money, I have goods for trade, whatever you take I'm willing to give," He pleaded, half reaching for his gold.

"Money's good enough for me, hurry inside and out of the rain. You'll die a death of cold," The door was flung fully open and a tiny yet rotund ferret came into view. Despite owning the establishment and being the only staff around, she looked both old and frail.

The promise of coin had clearly put a spring into her step though and the moment Silver was inside she'd redone the latch and bolted back behind an old wooden counter. This tavern wasn't in the best state, there wasn't a single patron in sight yet dirty glasses littered the tables and the floor was thick with dirt. Still, he was relieved to finally have a roof over his head. The floorboards groaned beneath him as he quickly followed the crone.

"Room for," He tripped on his tongue, "One?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to charge you for a double dearie, that's the smallest we've got," She apologised, drawing out a small leather-bound book and scribbling in it.

"That will be fine, thank you," Silver reached into his cloak, intent on pulling out his coin pouch, when his stomach growled. That feeling and noise served as a reminder, he'd exhausted his supplies, "Do you have any food going? I know it's late but I'm famished."

Pausing whatever note taking she was doing, the old woman ducked backwards into a door behind the deck, "Hang on. I can make no promises but I'll have a rummage in the back!"

Seconds were ticking by like hours but he didn't regret his query. Silver drew the lantern up to sit on the desk to give it a thorough inspection. The entirety of its bronze-work was in good condition, there weren't any dents that needing pushed out, and he couldn't identify any cracks in its glass. He went to wipe its outside with his cloak's interior but found it no drier than the exterior, the streaking droplets of water and general wetness of the container would have to linger for a little longer.

As the woman re-emerged Silver quickly lowered his light from the desk, the woman dropped a battered tin tray in its place. He'd been presented with two rather pitiful looking rolls (without butter, meat or cheese to go with them), a dark green bottle and a sturdy metal tankard. Despite how meagre this meal would look to most, Silver knew that it was more than enough.

"Afraid that's all we've got in at the moment, I'll be gettin' groceries tomorrow morning," She explained, "You didn't ask but I figured I'd throw in a bottle of wine, on the house, you look like you need it."

"Thank you, how much do I owe you?" Silver asked, already drawing his purse.

"For just that? Only three gold but I've got so much more I could sell you," She smirked as she boasted.

Without even blinking, Silver drew three coins and set them on the bar, "Alright, where is my room?"

"Just up there, you're the first door on the left," She explained, pointing to a set of stairs, "Washrooms are at the end of the hall, breakfast runs from nine till twelve," She continued, though the words quickly fell from Silver's ears. As she set a rusty key on the tray Silver quickly grabbed it, "Anything else you'll be needing? Extra blankets, further drink, I could wash your cloak if you want…"

"No, thank you, that will be all," Silver quickly replied.

"Are ya sure? If you want some paraffin I've got that too, won't set you back much more," The innkeeper offered, clearly trying to squeeze more profit out of her single customer, "There's a light in the room, course there is, but that lantern's looking awfully dark."

That reminder added fuel to the flame beneath Silver. Shaking his head, he rushed for the stairwell, "I have all the fuel I need, goodnight."

"G'night," The old woman croaked, surely giving him a stare for his rudeness. That was the least of Silver's concerns though; there wasn't time to be polite.

The mouldy stairs creaked and buckled beneath him, surprising considering his frail frame, but they managed to carry him safely. The second floor was dimly lit, likely to obscure filth, but a frantic glance to his lantern proved that he didn't have time to care. With no more than a moment's concentration, the gentle orange of Silver's surroundings was overwhelmed by cyan. The key slipped free from his grasp and rocketed to the door, turning in the lock before pushing open the door. The hedgehog barged into the room without hesitation, the door slammed shut and locked behind him. There was a window on the far side of the room, with no more than a thought Silver forced closed the heavy beige curtains.

"O-Okay, okay…" His mouth was dry, his soles were raw and his eyelids were heavy. The hedgehog quickly shrugged off his bag and hung his cloak on the door handle. A dingy bed in the right corner of the room, slightly better made than the one in the left, immediately caught his eye. He dared to sit but refused to relax; the meal was set beside him, everything was prepared.

Silver set the lantern down a full pace away from his bed and, quickly, popped its lid. What couldn't have been half a minute of patiently waiting felt like a full five hours of waiting, his eyes trained on the lantern's lip. Silver picked up one of the stale rolls; his stomach growled again but he didn't dare busy himself with eating, not until his duty was done. He watched intently as the lights continued to dance behind the frosted glass, shifting and shaping before, finally, emerging to sit on the lantern's rim.

Sitting beneath him, staring up at him, was a flame no more than five inches tall and half an inch wide. The fire had taken the shape of a bipedal feline; she was cast in a bright candlelight yellow and a long ponytail crowned her head. In her current state it was difficult to make out the finer details of her appearance, her expression entirely alluded him, but her form was intact; things weren't as bad as he'd worried. Still, it wasn't as though her current condition was healthy.

A sigh of relief slipped his throat and a small smile worked its way onto his face, "Hey, sorry about the rough ride towards the end there, I saw the sign and just couldn't help myself. Figured it was best to get us out of the cold and wet," To anyone else this would look insane but being able to sit with her like this, talk with her like this, was relieving him so much, "How're you feeling?"

Her response was no more than a fizzle, entirely indistinct, but the tiny figure's body language told him more than enough. Blaze's hands were clasped in her lap, the flickering tips of her ears were slightly bent and a faded orange tail kept lashing behind her back. She was concerned, about him no doubt, but she didn't look uncomfortable. A quick glance to himself, catching sight of his gloves and boots, reminded him why she was worried. He'd been cleaning and trying to maintain his clothes but he hadn't had the time or money to replace them in six months. Things had been so difficult since she'd changed; he hadn't let himself stop, not even for a moment.

"I know, I know, I look awful," He admitted, pushing back his quills in an attempt to return them to their usual formation, "I'll see what I can do about that. This town isn't very big but he inn's cheap so, if you're okay with it, we could stay for a few days?"

Blaze's ears flickered upright and her tail ceased its waving, what'd once been tense shoulders immediately relaxed. A thorough nod followed that change, making her answer clear as though it already wasn't. Well, he supposed others wouldn't have been able to read that much into her shifts; they'd been together so long, even before she was like this, it was all so plain to him. He knew fine well that shifts in his demeanour were similarly obvious to her, Blaze always knew when he was lying, but he'd often been told that his heart was affixed to his sleeve.

Silver's smile warmed again, "Alright, I'll take a look around tomorrow and see if it's worthwhile. But first…" Silver leant down, extending the roll to Blaze, "Let's get you back to your usual size."

Despite her state, his partner immediately shot him an icy cold stare; she didn't even touch the roll.

Her tiny, nigh unreadable, expression clearly read, "I know you could have bought fuel for me and had both of those rolls for yourself."

He awkwardly swallowed. This wasn't going to be easy, "Come on Blaze, you know what paraffin does to you. You wouldn't have been able to maintain your proper form and you'd be too chaotic to fit in the lamp," Silver's explanation didn't seem to have much impact, despite the concern in his voice and truth to his words. Whenever she took in wood, coal or other more typical fuels it'd return her body to size but she'd lose partial control over her form. By using real food they'd learned to increase her size more incrementally, resulting in a smoother flame, "You need to eat properly."

The flame turned away from him, now her arms were fully folded and assumedly her eyes were shut. Seeing no other option, Silver lowered himself to kneel on the grubby wooden floor. He held the bread closer still, not daring to prod her lest he disrupted her form but making the mass unavoidable for her. She paid him a glance but, almost immediately, turned away again.

Her body language read, "There are only two rolls and you haven't eaten in over a day. I can endure until breakfast in the morning or consume something else; I'll burn up some linens or a rag if I must but you need to eat."

They were fair arguments, she probably would last beyond breakfast, but his worry worked against her kind-hearted endeavour. He uncorked the wine he'd thought useless and, without so much as hesitating, doused the mass. Usually wine wouldn't burn that well but the unique nature of Blaze's spiritual flames meant they'd burn just about anything; he wasn't making the meal inedible for her, he was making it inedible for himself.

Blaze quickly realised this of course, much louder sizzles began to explode from the small figure. As he corked the bottle, Silver couldn't bring himself to meet the small woman's burning eyes. Instead, he simply held the roll out to her again, "You wouldn't eat so I had to…"

The hissing only grew louder in response to that but, a few moments later, it finally ended. Silver felt the roll start to grow lighter in his grasp, the scent of burning entered the air. He dared to glance down and found that she had indeed started to eat, her tiny mouth would close over a section and the mass would burn before being absorbed into her form. Even after only a couple of bites she was already a far healthier colour.

"Thank you, Blaze," He said, beaming down at his tiny friend.

Another fiery grumble sounded but her feasting didn't stop. She didn't eat like ordinary fire rather she bit like any normal person. When her mouth passed over an area it would burn away the mass and deliver power back to her. This meant the, as she worked further through her meal, Silver had to twist and turn his grip in order to accommodate her eating. When she was this small, this low on power, wrapping the foodstuff in his psychic aura wasn't an option; she'd never break through. Even while she was in this state, even while he felt so worried, Silver couldn't help but admire her magic.

Their combined powers made them a ferocious team, capable of competing quests that far better travelled adventurers would shirk. They'd both been born with a high degree of magical aptitude, capable of performing powerful arcane feats even during their infancy, and had thus been sent in the mage's academy in the capital city. It was there, little more than infants, that they'd collided for the first time. Blaze, a scholarly student who struggled to control her power, and Silver, a naturally gifted student who failed at all but practical work, had found themselves lost and alone in their new home. The destructive nature of Blaze's power had drawn both fear and thus ridicule from her peers but her flames had always fascinated Silver and soon, following a few scuffles with the other students, they became a duo. It was this bond more than the combination of their powers that'd made their partnership last beyond graduation; they quested as a team, working together to vanquish the world's evils and make a living.

Travel and time had left him weary, he shook the reminiscing from his head. Energy had pooled in her tiny form, eating the bread had refuelled her. Two thirds of the wine-soaked roll had been consumed; Silver knew she'd eaten enough to, at the bare minimum, return to normal. Recognising this and no long feeling the flame's touch on the foodstuff, he shifted up and onto the bed. He was giving her some distance, knowing what was about to happen.

The flame feline dropped back into the lantern, pulsing light was magnified to fill the room's entity. A moment passed, as the cacophonous crackling of flames filled the room and Silver's gaze flickered to the door. He hadn't heard anyone on this floor, perhaps the rooms were empty, but being allocated room three rather than room one was worrying him.

A twisting pillar of flame, as tall as him, exploded from the lantern's depths. The light had weakened as the flames expanded; he could watch freely. Trepidation quickly forgotten, Silver settled in; this was always wonderful to watch. The blaze was constantly warping and reshaping, growing and shrinking, exploding and imploding. Slowly but surely the energy was condensing and what many would have seen as uncontrolled and erratic mutations was actualised into her elegant regrowth. First he saw her head in the flames, eyeless and featureless, then an arm, a leg, her tail and, finally, her torso. The pieces came into alignment, connecting and congealing into a single form as the excess flames shrunk into her body and applied detail. It was almost a dance, as she fully formed his partner was practically pirouetting. Finally, clothes made from that same fire grew and granted her a degree of further personification.

Blaze the cat was fully realised; Silver's fellow sorcerer and companion had fully manifested. The flames that made up her body were sleek, warm yellow and well contained, save for a slight flickering atop her ears and ponytail. She wore the same outfit every time; it was the garb she'd worn when her body was transformed to this state. What'd once been a cropped woollen mantle hung from her shoulders to her midriff, beneath it was once a robe-like shirt with hanging sleeves that was always tucked into a set of leather trousers. Completing the outfit was a pendant around her neck, its chain was hardly visible against her body's matching colouration but what had once been a circular timepiece still hung outside her robes. He'd gifted her that just a little under seven months ago, he'd wanted to thank her for saving his life but she was livid that he'd spent so much on her. Of course, now it, alike all her clothes, had lost its colouration to the flame; her outfit was essentially her body now rather than trappings.

Having caught himself staring, Silver psychically floated the remainder of the roll towards her. Because she was made of fire, Blaze couldn't really interact with material objects so he had to be her hands. Despite the rolling of her eyes, the feline opened her mouth and reached to simulate holding the mass. With her power restored she could break through his aura as she willed and easily consume the remaining mass. It'd taken them so long to figure this all out, how to keep her housed and safely refuel her and so much more. He'd come so close to losing her so many times.

In a matter of moments the roll vanished and Blaze was cast a healthy yellow, "I could have lasted until tomorrow," Her voice, to match with her current form, took on the tone of a crackling heart. Others would struggle to decipher her words even while they were this loud but Silver was used to it, "Hunger hurts you far more than it hurts me."

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to make you a safer size. Any stray wind or water would be dangerous. That and," His gaze broke from her and his hand found the back of his neck, "Well, we've been traveling in silence for a few days. I just wanted to talk with you again."

The sighing of fire was a sound that Silver had grown all too familiar with, "You're so naïve."

In an attempt to placate her, he reached over and took the remaining roll. It was like eating a small bolder but, to be frank, it just felt good to finally be eating something. The last day and a half of travel had been performed on an empty stomach; he'd pushed her to consume the last of his hardtack following a long and particularly wet day. It wasn't that they weren't well off, their jobs provided enough coin to sustain them, but things rarely went as planned on the road.

"How are you feeling?" He piped up, forcing himself to swallow the final bite.

"A lot better," It took a moment but she managed to admit that much, "Thank you, Silver, but you know I'd much rather you tend yourself first."

"I know you would it's just… difficult, you know?" He sighed, "When there's so little of you left it scares me."

"I know it is but you're doing the bulk of the work, you deserve aid first," She'd leant in a little closer and, thus, the heat had grown a lot more intense, "Are you okay? Have you been hurt?"

"I'm fine, don't worry. Just a little damp around the edges and slightly more blistered, nothing time and rest won't fix," He promised, unleashing a small smile, "Your situation took priority."

"Well, I suppose you were being less foolhardy than I thought," She reached forward; burning fingers cupped centimetres from his muzzle but he didn't flinch. The brush of her warmth, not the lick of flames but the heat they radiated, began to eat away at the worst of his wetness, "It was still more than a little foolish though, I'm holding you to the offer you made earlier. I want you to spend five nights sleeping in a proper bed."

Her concern warmed him more than her flames ever could, "Alright, five days in Grey Larch before we hit the road again. That should be plenty of time to heal and stock up. Do you want anything?"

"The lantern's still watertight so there's really nothing to worry about," She waved him off, reaching out with her other hand to aid in the warming process, "You should get your cloak stitched properly, it's not keeping out the rain anymore. You're soaked to the bone, aren't you freezing?"

"Blaze," He closed his eyes, relaxing into on her gifted warmth more than he probably should, "I asked if you wanted anything, not if you needed anything."

There was a short pause; Silver found himself almost falling within her false grasp. A wispy sigh slipped from her throat, "Well… do you remember the little bookshop in this town? I suppose, if you're going to insist…"

His eyes flickered open and her gaze broke from him, "Anything in particular? Did you spot something last time?"

"No, no; I've not nothing in mind really. Just some new stories, something relaxing to help pass the time," She half-elaborated, still refusing to meet his stare.

"Yeah, we've only got that one romance novel left," He mused, "Maybe we should finally start it?"

Eyeballs of flame rolled within her fiery head and landed back upon his face, "We've been putting it off for a reason Silver, it's trite. By the blurb alone I know it's far too embarrassing to share."

"We won't know that till we try it though, right?" He offered again, pulling away from her touch and reaching into his bag's side pocket. The book was a little damp but still in good nick, its hard cover had protected it well.

She looked at him incredulously, her tail slowly swished to curl around her waist, "If you're so interested then you know you can read it yourself, I'll sit right here and happily watch you turn pink."

"What? I don't want to read it alone, we always read on the road together," He whined, trying not to fall for her teasing. They'd been putting off reading this one since before Blaze had been bewitched. That thought, coupled with the sight of the book's deep green cover, forced the groggy Silver back into a state of absentminded reflection.

Six months ago they'd been recommended for a quest by one of their past lecturers. A peasant town to the south had been scorched to the ground, all of its citizens mysteriously vanishing as their homes went up in flame. There had been no further attacks but repeated sightings of strange lights and will-o-wisps dancing from the depths of the town's mineshaft. The task had been proposed as a simple way to move up in the world, an easy way to get a good reference and thus access to better quests, but the fire's origin had been far more dangerous than the expert had anticipated. Minor demons weren't an uncommon sight, menageries held them and they were key to various studies, but more significant demonic entities were only to be dealt with by the most powerful of sorcerers; certainly not two new graduates.

They'd fought for their lives in that mine, first thinking they stood a chance before collapsing it as they fled. No matter how much dirt or stone fell into the monster's path it managed to push through, it managed to lay a hand on Blaze's shoulder. In a flash of red light, faster than Silver could react, purple fur and clothes alike immolated to leave only a burning silhouette. With its single attack dealt, the entity allowed itself to be swallowed by the soil and vanished from sight. Bewildered and terrified, they couldn't even consider giving chase; they'd ran free from the shaft and bolted all the way back to the academy. Cursed they'd said, the only way to undo it was to kill the demon they'd said. Having had control over fire her entire life, Blaze was in a better position than most to manage her new form than most but, regardless, a life changing, blow had still been dealt to her. No more touching; she was left unable to feel and, equally, unable to touch without causing destruction. The creature had probably assumed that she'd accidently kill him before burning out, just as the village had destroyed itself. It'd gravely underestimated her.

Catching himself spacing out again and frowning at his own tiredness, he sat the book atop the tray and set them both on the ground, "I suppose it can wait a little longer."

"A little longer might well be a lifetime," He hands had moved to clasp in front of her but her warmth was still reaching him, "I'm sure we'll find something worth reading tomorrow, you should focus on resting tonight."

She wasn't wrong, there was still a fair journey ahead, "We're still five days travel from the capital, assuming good weather. Hopefully our next job will give us some better leads on where to try next," Of course, ever since her transformation, all of their quests had been picked with their ulterior motive in mind. Whether they were saving civilians or hunting monsters, their eyes and ears were permanently searching for that demon, "I'll try to ask around again too, a couple of places said they'd keep an ear open and it'd be worth visiting the college I think. Even if it only proves what we already know it'll be worthwhile, right?"

"Its been six months, Silver. If there were alternate methods we'd have heard by now," As far as they knew, tracking down and killing the demon was the only way to break the spell. The scholar who'd assigned the mission was deep in research but all this time it'd turned up no results, "Its wise to keep an ear to the ground but try not to get your hopes up again."

"I won't I just… I don't like you being so uncomfortable," They'd had this talk so many times but the wound still stung like it was fresh, "If there was anything I could do, anything, you know I'd do it."

"I know you would," She responded, her right hand cupping the air mere centimetres from his shoulder, "You've been doing all you can this whole time."

Distress was plain on her face, he so desperately wanted to take her hand, "And I'm not going to stop trying."

She paused for a moment, her eyes flickered shut and her head leant just a little closer, "I know, I know, it's okay Silver. As long as we're together it'll be okay. As long as I'm with you, I'll be okay."

"And the same goes for me," He swore.

Silence briefly engulfed them again, his partner returned to her full height but refused to meet his eye. Another sigh slipped her throat; she was clearly mulling something over. Just when he'd started to consider prying, her gaze finally returned to him.

"Stand up," Her insistence was plain but her eyes flickered away from him, "Put up your aura."

Silver did as he was told without hesitation; a cyan hue, fainter and thinner than it'd usually be, manifested around him and pulled him to his feet. They were eye-to-eye now, no more looking down to her nor being looked down upon. He knew what she was going to do and, admittedly, he longed for it.

She started with her right hand, gently pushing into the aura atop his chest. This was the only way she could touch him, the only way she could touch anything without burning it. By wrapping himself in psychic energy, effectively sealing himself off from the outside world, he allowed her to come the closest she could to touching anything. He still couldn't touch her, fire could handle spreading but not being intruded, so she had to lead in all of their physical interaction. Of course, this wasn't touch as he actually knew it; Blaze was touching the barrier between them and he could merely feel the reverberations. It was a tease of a touch; he felt the licking of her heat and crackling against his psychokinetic barrier but no more than that.

Her hand traced up to his shoulder, the closer she shifted the more he was blinded but Silver was more than willing to indulge in this. He felt her free hand crackle against the back of his head and then, not more than five seconds later, her forehead was pressing against his. Memories of touches they'd shared played in his mind; they'd held this position more times than he could ever hope to count. Every time they reunited and whenever exhaustion claimed them, they'd find comfort in each other's arms. Silver hadn't realised until she'd changed but he'd always been a rather physical person. Where once he'd take her hand without hesitation or pull her into a hug, he now had to await her contact and cherish what little they had.

He felt her fingers curl and toil just above his shoulders and her tail slinked its way around his hips. There was something different in the air tonight though; at first he thought it was due to his tiredness but soon he noticed a difference in her contact. Blaze was usually soft, scared of puncturing his aura and burning the skin beneath, but tonight she was being more heavy handed; she was seeking out his touch more than ever before.

"Thoughts swirl in my head sometimes, questions that I know I shouldn't ask," He tried to meet her eyes but the light was just too bright, "What if we can't break the curse, what if we never find that demon?" Before he could answer, more words crackled from her fiery frame, "I know you're certain we will but what will you do if we can't, what if we never find that demon? We can't search forever. It's not realistic, you can't keep pushing yourself like this."

He resisted the want to hold her close, he struggled for words, "I'm not going to stop trying, I promise."

"I know you don't want to Silver, but look at the state you're in. You have to take breaks, I don't want you to lose yourself trying to save me," Her next words set his blood to boil, "Or, well, what's left of me."

"You're still Blaze, you're still you. It's not a matter of what's left of you, you're still right here; holding me," Those words came out faster and louder than he'd really intended but he stood by them, "I'll never leave your side; I didn't leave when you first turned, did I? I'm used to this life now and, even if I wasn't, I'm not going to give you up. I care too much about you."

"No not like that, I meant," She took a moment, struggling to gather the right words, "You spend so much time tending to me, you have to be so careful and I can't even hug you in return. Is that not wearing you down, is it not wearying you?" Her hands left his frame but her head remained, pushing and rubbing against his, "I've accidently hurt you before and I could fade so easily but, even with that in mind, you won't want to leave me for some scholar to deal with?"

"Of course I won't, I've never even considered it," His response was immediate, not a second wasted thinking, "I'll never leave you behind, you're my partner, Blaze. When I say I'd do anything to give you your body back I mean it; I don't care what it takes to help you, I'll do it. I want to free you from this curse," He was certain that tiredness was limiting him, making it difficult to make his point, but Silver pressed on, "No matter how hard the road is, no matter what form you take, it's easier to walk it with you. I'd miss you too much if I left you behind, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I might need to stop searching from time to time, we can take breaks, but we won't stop for good until it's done. I won't stop until I can hold you again but I don't mind being like this; as long as I'm with you and you're safe, I am happy."

The feeling of contact, the fuzziness of their power's overlap, suddenly faded. Silver tried to look at her, eyes narrowing as he tried to stare beyond her radiance, but Blaze hadn't truly pulled back. His aura remained, the cyan hue obscuring details that were already difficult to make out, but he could tell that her ears had tilted. All of a sudden contact resumed but the site of her touch was significantly different.

Her burning muzzle was pressed against his; Blaze was kissing him. They'd never done this before; his touch-starved state had led him to consider this, led him to long for this, but he'd never dared to dwell on it. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, he longed to lean into her touch but Silver knew how dangerous the unprompted contact could be. His hands hovered a mere inch from her body and his eyes came to close as he focused on the feeling of her touch. Physically, there wasn't much different from her other touches; as her burning form met with his magic, Silver felt the touch echo through his very being and her heat ebbed through to grace his lips. It was all so very real, it felt more genuine than any touched they'd shared this past six months.

Before he could even question what this was or what it all meant, Blaze had fully pulled away. His fingers rose to touch his lips, he could still feel her warmth.

"I planned to do that after that mission, the day I'd turned, but…" She seemed to lose her words. No longer focused on the endeavour, only on her, the hedgehog's aura faded away, "I'm sorry it's like this rather than physical but… I couldn't really help myself," Her hands found her tail and her gaze drifted to the floor, "Thank you, Silver."

Her yellow muzzle, all of a sudden, shifted to a hot red colouration. It was a sight Silver had seen before but, either due to his naivety or obliviousness, hadn't fully understood. She was embarrassed; his stoic companion was flustered? Touches like the prior were nothing new to them but kissing was a step further. Even if he could barely feel physically, she'd awoken something deep within him.

"I-It's," He was stuttering? Was he burning up? Had he caught fire? "C-Can we…" Words continued to fail him but he couldn't act, he didn't want to risk quelling her form even slightly. She had to lead, which, to be honest, was fortunate because he was shaking, "Again?"

That fiery blush continued to spread further, "You're so naïve…"

Silver allowed his aura to flare as Blaze leaned in again, sparks of cyan and yellow resumed their chaotic entanglement. Crackling like new wood piled on a roaring flame filled his ears, it was the closest that her new form could come to purring. Despite the difference between it and the sound he knew, Silver loved to hear it so very much.

His lips longed for a friction they could only imagine, their closest representation the crackling of psychic energy against burgeoning flames. He could feel her heat burying against his muzzle, desperately trying to make some kind of meaningful contact. His eyes closed as he attempted to focus on her touch; ears scrunched and toes curled. He just wanted to hold her again; he missed nights spent huddling in their tent, how her hand would find his shoulder whenever he needed reassurance and the way that her tail would absentmindedly brush against him. Despite how long had past, Silver could still imagine the feeling of their fur hitching against each other as they shared grumbles about travel and work. Silver couldn't help but feel a little greedy but he'd been so starved of her touch; having her close like this yet still beyond being tactile was a little maddening.

He felt her licking flames trace across his shielded back and her head tilted further still in an attempt to deepen the kiss. She was longing for more too; no matter how touch starved he felt, Blaze was surely struggling more. At least he could taste and touch other things; the feline had no skin, no nerves, she was fully without feeling. It was amazing that she could even see and talk to him in her current state, they should have been thankful for that but it was just so difficult.

"Blaze…" The heat had risen, he could feel the sweat on his brow and her warmth was sinking deep into his fur, "No matter how long it takes, we'll fix this," Her kissing shifted lower on his muzzle, she was tracing along his jaw. As the contact finally concluded, her arms remaining on the small of his back, his eyes reopened and fell upon her glowing form. Her blush had cooled slightly but crimson heat still very much lingered. Using his powers had drained him further still but her contact had energised him; he found the strength reinforced his promise, "I'll do whatever it takes, I'm not going to stop trying, but you're still you. If it doesn't work then I'll still be here with you, you'll always be my partner…"

"I know, I know," Despite the cooling of her blush, a lack of eye contact proved that she was still embarrassed, "You should rest Silver, you hardly slept last night."

"You just came back though," He protested, "I want to talk with you more, I want to stay up with you. Even if we don't touch that book, we haven't read together in ages."

Silver thought that was a compelling argument, he was required to turn pages for her after all, but, alas, "It's not like I'm going anywhere; I'll be right here when you wake up, we can talk in the morning and we'll have plenty of time to read tomorrow," Her touch faded from his form, her small smile came back into view, "You've been looking after me all this time, let me look after you again. Its been too long."

She was right, this was so different from how things had been, prior to her transformation Blaze had taken charge most of the time. Whenever they had been lost or deciding to set up where to set up camp, she'd point him in the right direction and only rarely lead them wrong. Even when she'd been mistaken and had grown frustrated at herself, Silver had felt entirely comfortable following her lead. Thus, in the few cases it was now applicable, Silver would fully concede control to her, knowing that he'd have to plan the next day and manage all of their business.

A yawn finally pushed free from his mouth, the warmth of the room was aiding her argument. He knew they'd need time to understand the step they'd just taken but he offered one last time, "Are you sure? I know you don't sleep and you're just free from containment; it has to be boring in there.

"Watching over you will more than hold my attention, don't worry," Her embarrassment had almost fully cooled but she was still insistent on him resting, "Besides, you mumble in your sleep."

Silver's brow quirked, he bent down to untie his boots, "I do?"

"Oh, quite a lot," Was she teasing him? The slow swishing of her tail suggested so but that didn't mean she was lying, "Sometimes we'll have whole conversations."

"About what?" He didn't want to look like he was worrying but, equally, Silver knew his dreams could be quite vivid. Trying to maintain a guise, he dropped to sit on the bed.

"Just sweet and silly things," She mused, refusing to look at him directly, "You make a lot of promises, talk about what you want. Most of it is nonsense…"

"M-Most of it?" He cringed at his stutter, she was just riling him up… right?

Her legs crossed in the air, Silver doubted her position changed much but she looked far more comfortable. Perhaps it was the knowing smile on her glowing lips, "If it happens tonight it'll give us something to talk about it in the morning. For now, just rest."

It was a well-planned stratagem, she wanted him to rest so she'd suck a deal. Another yawn slipped free from his throat. She was intentionally making the room stuffy, he knew she was, "Fine, but you'd better tell me everything in the morning."

He didn't bother to slip beneath the blankets; he'd swelter under there with the heat she was generating. The wooden frame buckled beneath him, the pillow was practically a board, but it was better than what he'd known on the road. He'd take a bath in the morning, tidy himself up a bit and have a proper meal; for now, he just wanted to rest and stay by her side.

"I will," She went from sitting in the air to lying on her side.

This was the closest they could come to laying together, it was either this or him simply cuddling her lantern. They'd been living out of a tiny tent for so long, the former just hadn't been an option. Even though she wasn't actually touching him, being enveloped in her warmth brought him no end of comfort. It was her way of holding him without holding him, evaporating what little remained of day's rain and pushing warmth into its place. Taking the place of bodily touch, her heat caressed and tended the entirety of his form. If they had to lie like this forever then that was more than good enough for him.

As his eyes came to close, crackling like that of a well-stocked hearth popped and snapped from her form; she was purring again, "Goodnight, Silver."

A smile slipped onto his lips again, if she could hear his dreams then he hoped he'd dream her a good tale tonight, "Goodnight, Blaze."

#silvaze #Silver the Hedgehog #Blaze the Cat #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sonic au

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faithambr · 6 years

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The Bullies of Walnut Grove Epilogue

(Author’s Note: So this is it! This is the end of a beautiful journey, I do plan on doing some drabbles in this AU, but for now for now I’ll be taking a break and try something new.)

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Previous Chapter

It was almost evening by the time the Bjorgman family was sitting down for supper.

“So Papa,” Mary began as she poured some rabbit stew into her bowl, “how are you feeling today?”

“Oh I’m just fine.” her father had answered while he was eating his portion.

“Good.” Mary smiles at her father.

“Guess what Papa?” Caroline had smiled fondly at her parents.

“What is it, Caroline?” her father quirks an eyebrow.

“Phillip got hurt today.” Caroline answers as she continued on eating her food.

“How?” her mother had asked.

“Mary gave him a good punch,” Caroline continues, “and broke his nose!”

“Mary?” Anna gasps while Kristoff gave their oldest daughter a shocked look.

“Well he was a bully,” Mary began as she stopped eating her food, “and he hurt me and the other girls.”

“But Mary,” Kristoff shot her a warning glance, “you got into a fight.”

“But you said that if you get into a fight,” Mary counters back, “it better be for a good reason.”

“Let me guess,” Kristoff adds as he continued on eating, “he was being a bully and you wanted to put a stop to it?”

“Yes.” Mary answered. “So I gave him a good punch in the face, but I didn’t realize that I broke his nose.”

“It’s alright.” Anna gave her daughter a comforting look. “Although we don’t condone that kind of behavior, we’re just glad that both you and your sister had stood up for the right thing.”

“That’s right.” her husband had nodded in agreement.

“Was his nose really broken, Mary?” Jacob had asked as he continued on eating his food.

“Was it icky?” Jeremiah adds.

“Boys?” Anna gave them each a warning glance.

“Well Mama we want to know.” Jacob pleads with his eyes wide.

“Boys,” Kristoff cocks an eyebrow at the, “we aren’t gonna talk about that, y hear?”

“Yes Papa.”

“Now children,” Anna nods in appreciation, “finish up with your eating and get yourself ready for bed, alright?”

“Yes Mama.” the children had chanted back just before they went on up for bed.

“Anna,” Kristoff gave her a loving look, just as she got up to tend to the children, “you’re the best. I love you..”

“I love you, too.” his wife had answered while she was helping out the children.

“I’ll be outside, Anna.” Kristoff had stated as he grabbed his pipe and tobacco for a smoke.

“I know.” she nods just before he had left the house. “See you in a bit.”

“Same to you.” Kristoff smirks with his pipe in tow.

“Mama,” Caroline had called out from the loft, “I need help with unbraiding my hair. Mary says she’s too tired to do it.”

“Alright,” Anna answers, “I’ll be up there in just a minute.”

“Okay Mama.”

While Anna was helping the children get ready for bed, Kristoff was outside smoking from his pipe. Normally he would be smoking his pipe in the house, but tonight he decided to enjoy the stars outside. At least it’s beautiful out tonight. he thought as he stood by the stump nearby.

“Such a beautiful night, huh?” a voice had interrupted his thoughts.

“Yes.” Kristoff smirks as his wife had joined him at his side. “The stars are out tonight.”

“That they are.” Anna gave him a loving glance followed by a kiss on the lips.

“Say do you think that Mary did the right thing?” Kristoff had asked while he was smoking his pipe.

“Yes.” Anna answered, just as one of their daughters went on outside to see them.

“Good night Mama and Papa.” Caroline had smiled as she gave them both a good night kiss on the forehead.

“Good night.” Anna smiles fondly at their dear daughter.

“Good night Caroline.” Kristoff whispers, just before Caroline had went back inside.

“Caroline?” Anna had called out.

“Yes Mama?”

“Did Mary give him a good punch in the nose?” Anna asks with anticipation in her voice.

“Yes,” Caroline smirks, as she made the same gesture of her sister’s punch, “a real good one.”

“Oh.” Anna giggles, making her husband laugh along. “Good night Caroline.”

“Good night.” Caroline smiles just before she went to bed.

“Guess I should have Mary pick my fights for me, huh?” Kristoff chuckles through his pain.

“I guess so.” Anna smiles as she held onto her husband’s side.

Her husband just continued on chuckling, while minding the dull pain.

The next morning

It was a beautiful Sunday morning by the time the Bjorgman family had arrived at church. Both Mary and Caroline were looking forward to seeing their friends at Sunday school, while their brothers were looking forward to the annual picnic after church.

“Maybe we could go and play out by the creek.” Jacob had suggested while he was sitting in between his parents. “Won’t that be fun?”

“Well I don’t know,” Kristoff smirks as he stopped at the church, “but it sure does sound like fun. Now how about that, Anna?”

“Oh I don’t know.” Anna had shrugged her shoulders.

“Well I would love to go for a swim at the creek today.” Jacob had stated while Kristoff was helping his wife down from the wagon.

“That sounds like a plan bud.” Kristoff huffs as he helps the other children down from the wagon.

“Thanks Papa.” Caroline had smiled just before her and her sister had wandered on off to the church.

“You’re welcome.” Kristoff smirks as he took a glance at the Canters coming into town. “Looks like the good Christians have come to town.”

“Kristoff,” his wife whispers into his ear, in hopes of calming him down, “it’s not worth it, love.”

“Anna,” Kristoff looked down at her as they continued on walking to church, “they’ve hurt you and our family.”

“Kristoff,” his wife had placed a gentle hand on his forearm, “we are at church. We can deal with them later.”

“Alright.” Kristoff had groaned in frustration as they had entered into the church.

“Although I sure wouldn’t mind a good talking to, to them especially.” Anna had casually mentioned as they sat in the pews with their children.

Kristoff just rolled his eyes playfully at his wife’s remark.

“Good morning everyone.” the reverend had called out for their attention. “As much as I’m sure that you’re looking forward to some hymns, but I would like to get to the point of today’s sermon.”

The congregation remained silent.

“I would like to talk about the difference between good and evil.” the reverend continues with such emotion.

“What is he talking about Mama?” Jeremiah had whispered as he sat in his mother’s arms.

“Shh,” his mother had hushed, “listen, love.”

“Now good people would do anything for friends,” Reverend Alden continued, “while the evil take advantage of others.”

Oh no. Kristoff had thought while he was taking a side glance at the Canters. He knows what’s going on.

“As I have mentioned earlier,” Reverend Alden adds with such anger towards the Canters, “about there being good in everyone. However, evil can be shown easily through one person and sometimes the others may follow along.”

“What are you trying to say, Reverend?” one of the older brothers had asked.

“What I’m trying to say that there’s evil in our town.” Reverend Alden breathes in his anger.

“And you’re perceiving us to be evil?” the other brother smirks up at the revered. “Isn’t that kind of sinful, even for a reverend?”

“Not as sinful as you and your brothers taking advantage of the good people here in town.” the reverend had called out.

“Now Reverend....” the older brother had got up to face the reverend. “that’s a lie. You’re lying.”

“Am I?” Reverend Alden had snapped as he shoved the older brother up against the wall.

“Hey.” the other brother had shouted just before Almanzo and Mr. Olaf had hauled him away from the pews. “What the...”

“What’s this all about?” the older brother breathes out to the reverend.

“It’s time for you to leave.” Reverend Alden answers while he pinned the brother up against the wall.

“Alright,” the brother coughs out, “we’ll leave.”

“We’ll be out of here by nightfall.” the other brother had added.

“No,” the reverend snaps back, “you’ll go now.”

“Alright.” both the brothers had chanted in unison as the men had pulled them on out the church’s door.

“Anna,” Kristoff had whispered just before he had left her side, “I’ll be right back.”

“I know.” Anna gave her husband a gentle squeeze on his arm for comfort.

“Oh Laura.” Reverend Alden had called out.

“Yes.” Laura answered as she stood right next to Anna.

“Would you do the honors of leading the church in hymns?”

“Yes Reverend.” Laura had nodded, just as the men of the church had walked on out of the building.

“Onward Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before. Christ, the royal Master, Leads against the foe; Forward into battle, See, His banners go! Onward, Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus, Going on before.”

While the women of the church were singing inside, the men were giving the Canters a good send off. For they want to make sure that the Canters had gotten the message. From then on the Canters knew not to mess with the people of Walnut Grove.

#the bullies of walnut grove #little house on the prairie #frozen fandom #kristanna fandom

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datshq · 7 years

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BNHA Secret Santa Fic

@bnhasecretsanta gift for @todoiideku ! I hope you had a great one and that you enjoy my gift, late as it is. I tried to fit at least nods to all your preferences! You told me you liked AUs and I saw you reblogging Fantasy AU stuff so that’s what this is based off.

Title: The Greatest Gift of All Summary: Prince Shouto’s path to receiving all he ever wanted lasting three Christmases. Also known as: Shouto is really, really bi and keeps falling for the altruistic knight types.

Christmas was celebrated in the Kingdom of Shizouka in early winter. The region had extreme variations between seasons, which was why winter came so late in the year. The potential for both snowstorms and heat waves through the year was believed to be the reason why the royal family held the power of heat and cold, combating the worst of the most extreme seasons.

For Shouto, the reality of the world was nothing so whimsical and fairytale-like. The reality was that the Todoroki family's regard in the eyes of their subjects had been going downhill during the reign of the previous king, and Enji Todoroki had felt he needed to recreate the strength of the lineage. Because of that he had tirelessly searched the entire kingdom in his youth for the purpose of finding a bride with the magical potential to balance out his own.

Weather magic was commonly practised within the kingdom, but summoning winter had never been seen as too much of a priority, considering the season's destructive nature. As such, King Enji, crown prince at the time, had commanded the magically gifted women of the kingdom to present their level of affinity for the magic. That was how he had found his bride and secured the good standing of the royal family for a while longer.

It didn't last, as was the nature of temporary fixes. Enji's obsession with creating a perfect prince to continue the Todoroki reign had caused the family to become splintered, ruining the unity that also could have served to create the image of strength that Enji coveted. As things stood, all of Shouto's older siblings had abandoned the castle, seeking their fortunes elsewhere with whatever magical talents they'd been born with and trained in.

As for Shouto's mother, the much coveted winter witch, no one had heard from her in years. She'd been sent away from the castle years ago, spirited away into some distant corner of the kingdom where no one could find or recognize her.

What she had done to deserve such a banishment was kept as much a secret as her location. Regardless, the countless servants at the castle didn't miss how the crown prince was kept secluded soon after and how, when he finally emerged from his chambers, half of his face sported a faint burn scar.

In a kingdom ruled by Enji, Christmas was a grand, bright and impressive celebration. It was all a testament to the man’s ego, a bright and warm party in the cold and dark of winter, a victory over a season. Enji was like that about everything, treating everything as a foe he could overcome, even weather or his own family.

A man who only had enemies and conquests didn’t have the time or interest to celebrate just for the sake of it. As such, Shoto had never learned to do so either. In fact, Shoto could barely stand Christmas celebrations.

While Shouto himself wasn't much of a Christmas person, others more than made up for it. During Christmas time the castle was always brimming with cheer and singing voices as servants and temporary hired help set up and maintained the grand two-day long party. The guest were equally merry, among them Shouto's oldest and dearest friend, the knight Momo Yaoyorozu.

Momo was still young, but everyone knew she would be leading the royal guard when the current commander retired at the latest. Her family was highly influential, nobles of the highest calibre, so no one questioned her status despite her age. Outside of that Momo's strategic ability, combat ability and magical prowess created an impressive resume that had Shouto fully believing that he could rely on her any day and that she deserved the high regard even if her family could have potentially influenced it.

Every year, Momo and Shouto would exchange gifts privately, away from the bustle of the party. They were small, practical but fun things: books, spyglasses and maps. It was a reliable tradition and one of the few things Shouto enjoyed about Christmas.

This year Momo gave Shouto a map of the kingdom of Shizouka, with handmade markings sprinkled on the edges of the kingdom.

"What's this?" Shouto, asked, curious about what made these spots so special that Momo would catalogue them for him.

Momo fumbled with the spyglass she'd gotten from Shouto, military grade with shadow-repelling enchantments. "Those are all the places mentioned in rumors about your mother."

Shouto's eyes widened and his hands immediately rolled up the parchment, protectively hiding it from the curious eyes of anyone passing by.

"Because of the secrecy, no one knows anything for certain, but people have been curious for years, so there's been a lot of digging around and whispering going on among the nobles. I collected the most promising leads here," Momo explained. She gave Shouto an encouraging smile. "Maybe one day we can check them out?"

"Yes," Shouto breathed out with no hesitation. "Yes, I'd love that." He felt like he loved the idea of seeing his mother even more when it was combined with the idea of leaving this palace with Momo. He wondered how he could tell her that.

"Thank you," he finally said. "You're amazing."

Momo's smile was beaming, her eyes sparkling like they always did when she got a compliment. "You too," she replied, happy, eager and friendly.

She hadn't understood what Shouto meant, but Shouto decided that this was fine too. She understood enough. Even if his feelings weren't exactly reciprocated, he was still valued, so much was clear in this meaningful gift that was one step closer to getting him what he'd wanted for years: to see his mother again. He could wait to find someone to love and to love him in return, just like he could wait for this.

---

It was the day before Christmas Eve the next year that Momo approached Shouto again with the idea of leaving the palace.

"I need to get you out of the city," was what Momo said, and it was also all she needed to say.

Shouto knew opinions on his father's rule were growing less split and more entirely negative. Of course there was going to be a coup. Indeed, Shoto's quiet observation of the servants had noticed more outsiders were helping with the Christmas preparations than the year before. Disguised rebels possibly.

"Thank you, Momo," Shouto said sincerely to the guard as they made their way out of the castle casually, like they were simply going out for a stroll, arms linked companionably. "I appreciate you going through this extra effort to make sure I'm not hurt."

"Of course," Momo said passionately, eyes gleaming with intent. She was breath-taking like this. "You're my friend, Shouto." Her cheeks flushed. "I can't take all the credit for this consideration, however, Jirou was the one who pointed out that the nobles are most likely involved in this for their own selfish reasons." Momo's arm around Shouto's tightened protectively. "She knows I'm friends with you so she said I should get you away from the power struggle."

So Momo wasn't so much worried over Shouto getting caught in the crossfire as she was worried over someone purposefully coming after Shouto to make sure he didn't claim his father's throne. While the common citizens might have considered Shouto a good replacement for his father, the noble families thirsting for more power wouldn't care about much outside their own grab for power.

"Good thinking," Shouto said, instead of the several uncomplimentary things he was thinking about adults and their games.

"Jirou is so practical like that," Momo said, and there was something in her tone that indicated she meant much more than that.

This must have been the difference between Shouto telling Momo she was amazing and her saying it back. Hidden meanings that hoped for more. A game of emotion rather than power. It was nice, even if disappointing.

---

There was a bright side to everything. Going into exile granted Shouto the unique ability to go searching for his mother without any other responsibilities holding him back. He would have wanted to take this journey with his friend but, by the time they were united, if they ever were, Shouto would most likely have to take his father's former throne. As things were, Shouto would have gladly allowed the crown to go to anyone else, as long as it meant he could finally find his mother.

Shouto didn't travel alone for long. He'd told the end goal of his journey to a pair of knight-errants who'd eagerly agreed to help him traverse the scarcely-habited outskirts of the kingdom. Well, Izuku had agreed with no questions asked, but Tenya had insisted on the term that Shouto wouldn't keep them from fulfilling their duties. With that agreed, the trio had continued the journey together.

It was a long journey to begin with, with few roads to make travel easier, but Tenya and Izuku made the trip even longer, since they stopped to help with every minor or major disaster, settle every dispute and help with any problems. At first Shouto put up with these knightly duties grudgingly. Then he became used to the interruptions. Finally he started to appreciate the side trips for the new sides to his companions they brought out.

Tenya was an organized person and a good speaker. He was the one who usually settled the disputes they ran into, convincing people to come to a conclusion. He organized groups to take care of bigger problems and he was generally very logical and almost impossible to argue with.

Shouto thought, if he ever did take the crown and became the new king, he'd like to lead like Tenya did. He didn't think much of his admiration for the knight when it first started popping up, mostly because, even as he looked to Tenya with appreciation, Izuku's similar looks were downright starstruck. Obviously Tenya just was a very admirable person, or so Shouto convinced himself.

Izuku was as led by his emotions and gut as Tenya was by his logic. It was watching the easy way he cared for the well-being of complete strangers that taught Shouto the difference between helping because you wanted to right a wrong and helping because you cared too much to let something unjust slide.

It was Izuku's example that finally moved Shouto from simply liking the idea of people getting help, to actually taking part in helping people with their problems. He also noticed that Tenya had, bit by bit, stopped talking about his knightly duty so much whenever they stopped to help someone, also developing a softer side to match Shouto's new outlook. Even Izuku was more willing to speak his mind after they had all travelled together for a while, becoming more assertive from having his friends support him in the things he did.

All in all, the three of them all benefitted on a personal level from travelling together. They had all grown as people and become better. Because of that Shouto had started to see the arrangement as a status quo of sorts, the way things were and would continue to be. Because why change something that so obviously worked?

But all journeys have an end goal somewhere and, if nothing stopped you, you'd eventually reach the ending. As such, it was a bittersweet occasion when Izuku and Tenya presented to him the map he'd based this journey on, with added markings on a location close to the town they were currently stocking up at.

"So, we asked around," Izuku explained. "Well, I did most of the talking because apparently some people think Tenya is intimidating." Izuku scoffed at the very thought but then put himself back on track as he tapped the woods Momo had marked originally. "But, there's a young woman living in the woods around here, who always comes to town alone but still buys supplies for two people. Also, no one knows where her assets come from, since she's never selling anything."

"We think she might be your mother's attendant," Tenya carried on, easily offering up the conclusions based off Izuku's facts. "Since your mother's location was to be a secret, and you mentioned she was unwell, it would make sense for her to have an attendant with her who could take care of her needs."

Shouto grasped at the map to look more closely at it, at the more exact coordinates for his mother's hideout that Izuku and Tenya had managed to discover. Somehow, the situation felt almost dreamlike and unreal. After all this time, after almost a year of searching, they'd finally found her.

Shouto swallowed. "How do you think she's doing?" he asked.

Izuku moved closer in comfort while Tenya considered the question. "You did say it was living at the castle that didn't agree with her," Tenya said. "And this is a peaceful region. It's the perfect place to recover."

In other words, if his mother could recover, this was the place to do it. It was good news.

"This is amazing," Shouto said, after a moment to collect himself. He turned to his companions, thinking about how he'd grown thanks to them, how he probably never would have made it to this point without them. "You're amazing."

He'd never managed to say that quite like he meant to with Momo. He hoped that this part of him had changed too.

Tenya's cheeks reddened, but he smiled brightly as he clapped Shouto on the shoulder. "You're magnificent," he returned, tone holding a weight of meaning.

"Wonderful," Izuku added in, his voice equally meaningful even as his body seemed to curl up from embarrassment over the sincere regard, arms tight around his own torso.

Shouto looked at them both and now realized that even as he'd admired these two and as they'd admired each other, they'd also been admiring him back. His feelings were reciprocated.

The map in Shouto's hands felt heavy and real. The warm regard of his companions made this new perception of reality finally make sense. It wasn't a dream and he wouldn't need to wait anymore. He was getting all he'd ever wanted, in one fell swoop.

#bnhasecretsanta #my hero academia #mha fic #todoiideku

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ruffsficstuffplace · 7 years

Text

And The AWRD Goes To... (Part 38)

I wrote a massive, self-indulgent Magical Girl episode that probably wouldn’t be safe for Earth kids, but totally fit for Remnant kids, considering that they allow marital training at extremely young ages to slaughter Grimm.

The good news is, I have the basis for yet another LWA/RWBY AU, or an original series of my own.

The bad news is, I felt it was WAY too self-indulgent to show you guys, and completely got out of any of the plot or the characterization of the show, along with being too self-congratulatory to my writing skills, however my audience will take the self-indulgent trash I wrote.

The other good news is, I figured out a completely different way to write this chapter that won’t alienate people or feel like desperate, self-praising filler.

I hope, at least.

“I must say, I’m rather impressed the creators took the time to weave such complex, coordinated, and physically-involved fights into the show!” Diana said during the credits of another episode of Starlight Crusaders: Solar Eclipse. “Most other examples I’ve ever seen of this genre always seem content to have the characters blast their foes with an obscene amount of visual effects from a distance, and have the monsters just writhe and cry out before they’re defeated.”

“Not Starlight Crusaders!” Weiss said, hugging one of her pillows to her chest as she sat up and watched. “Man, there’s so many things I love about this franchise, but the way all the fights just leave stick with me long after the credits are a huge part of it...”

“Hah, remember when we used spent the entire week between each episode trying to recreate them in the training grounds?” Akko asked.

“How could I forget?!” Weiss replied, laughing. “It’s why I wanted to become a huntress in the first place!”

“You decided to go into this dangerous career because you wanted to reenact scenes from a children’s show...?” Diana asked.

Weiss smiled at her. “Relax: I’ve added a whole lot of other mature, deep reasons to it since… but as they say, every aspiring hunter had to get that passion from somewhere. I guess it didn’t hurt that grandpa and grandma could actually make it a reality, to a certain extent.”

Ruby blinked, before her eyes brightened. “Are there giant robot monster parts stored in your house somewhere?!” she asked excitedly.

“Sorry, Ruby, just giant monster costume pieces, made to be worn by Schnee Grimm summons,” Weiss replied.

Ruby frowned, the light in her eyes fading. “Aww…”

“I suppose that’s why your house’s training grounds were so complex and modular?” Diana asked.

“Mhmm!” Weiss said. “Could basically reenact the mechanics of any sort of Starlight Crusader fight, save for those while falling out of the sky, underwater, in low-orbit, or the Shiny Chariot special crossover special for Luna Nova.”

“What was the problem with that last one?” Ruby asked. “Maybe I could help solve it.”

“I appreciate the offer, Ruby, but it was entirely with the cast,” Weiss replied. “Lack of a Shiny Rod and what means Chariot used to transform it into so many different forms aside, she had both my speed and agility PLUS Akko’s strength and endurance; whenever either of us tried to play her, we’d either end up exhausted before the ‘episode’ was even halfway done, or didn’t have the necessary finesse and grace to even try to pull off her acrobatics.

“Looking back on it, she probably needed to be that strong and skilled to even use the damned thing without breaking every bone in her body after each show...” she finished, casting a glance at the Shiny Rod.

“More like ‘definitely needed!’” Akko added, before she sighed. “I always knew Chariot was awesome and incredible and way beyond my level, but I’m only realizing by just how much right now… I’m conflicted, you guys:

“On the one hand, she’s like, 500% more awesome, and given how amazingly spectacular she was already, that’s a huge increase in raw Coolness Factor!

“On the other hand, now the difference between us is even bigger than before and I’m not sure if I can even reach that, period...” Akko finished, now moping in her bed.

“… Maybe I can still help with that...” Ruby said.

The next episode of Starlight Crusaders was about to begin, Weiss paused it. “What do you mean…?”

“Ah, how do I explain this… back at the Bunker, it was generally a given that someone would be heavily reliant on tech to compensate for something when they first get in. If it wasn’t prostheses to replace original parts, it was accessibility technology, like a sound-sensitive pair of glasses with a heads-up display for a student with hearing impairments, or Battle Saddles.”

“Pardon me: Battle-what-now…?” Weiss asked.

“Battle Saddles!” Ruby repeated. “It’s what we called wheelchairs and other mobility devices, generally after we motorized, armoured, and armed them. They even have specializations called ‘Battalions’--my favourite was Rolling Thunder, the heavy weapons, artillery, and explosives specialists.

“Anyway, we were always making, adapting, and developing new tech to compensate for impairments and handicaps, and I could definitely do the same here, like develop shock absorbers for Shooting Star so the reaction from all the raw force the Shiny Rod is capable of won’t break our bones and send us flying off again.”

“May I interrupt you, Ruby?” Diana asked. When Ruby gave her the go ahead, she continued, “I know it might be rather irrational and biased given my experiences, but it feels like we might end up over-relying on your tech, which has its own consequences...” she said, looking down at herself.

Ruby nodded. “And you’re right to be worried about that, Diana, but you didn’t let me finish: once we were done getting someone up to the standard levels of performance, we started thinking about how we could go BEYOND that.

“Heck, that was actually a huge part of my developing Crescent Rose! At first, I didn’t have the balance, the coordination, or the strength to even swing her properly, let alone all the essential combat techniques, so I built a giant robot helping arm to provide raw strength and control for me.

“Then, when I could swing it and stop it without its help, I started thinking how I could start using all that momentum and weight to my advantage. And after a LOT of experimenting and redesigning, I started using it to amp up the force of my attacks like back with the grave lord, and all the other times I’ve cut something when I wouldn’t normally have enough raw power to do so.”

“So… what, you’re suggesting we make training wheels for the Shiny Rod…?” Weiss asked.

Ruby thought about it for a moment. “… Yeah!” she said. “I guess I do want to try and build training wheels for the Shiny Rod, if those training wheels happened to get cannibalized later as components for magnetic-levitation wheels to help your bike go even faster!”

She got a thoughtful look on her face, before her eyes started scanning the others, too. “… And come to think of it, I could make improvements to all our other weapons, too, especially Gwragged Annwn...”

Diana frowned. “Ruby, I’m not entirely sure I want you experimenting on my spear… it’s a prized family heirloom, totally irreplaceable!”

“Oh, then I promise I won’t!” Ruby said, smiling. “I respect the weapon’s owner more than my desire to improve and experiment on said weapon. Or I guess in the Shiny Rod’s case, the weapon itself. How about you guys, though…?”

“Count me in!” Akko said.

“The designers called Myrtenaster the peak of multi action dust rapiers, but that’s what they called her predecessor, too—feel free to experiment” Weiss replied, nodding.

“Awesome, thanks!” Ruby replied. “That’s going to be for when we’re all out of the hospital, though—back to the anime!”

Weiss picked up the remote and began to unpause the video.

“WAIT!” Akko cried. “I forgot something!”

Weiss flinched. “What is it...?” she asked, the others turning to look at her.

“What happened to the giant robot helping arm?” Akko asked.

“Oh! It’s probably in the storage room along with all the other robot helping arms, waiting for someone to either study it to make their own, or borrow it for their experiments,” Ruby replied. “They still take it out to the cafeteria sometimes to try and arm wrestle with it—still unbeaten in the ‘Giants League’ without disqualifying damage to the apparatus!” she said, beaming.

“Nice!” Akko said. “High—oh wait, sorry...”

“We’ll high five in spirit!” Ruby cried. “High five!” she said, cast-covered limbs still immobilized.

“Up top!” Akko replied, her cast-covered arms still by her sides.

Diana and Weiss both burst out laughing. “You two are ridiculous...” Diana said, shaking her head.

“You haven’t seen the worst of it, trust me,” Weiss added, smiling. “Unpausing now!”

The four of them went back to watching Starlight Crusaders. Whenever there was another fight scene and weapons started getting brought out, however, Ruby didn’t seem to be enjoying herself quite as much as she did earlier.

They eventually made it to the last few episodes, tensions ramping up, story arcs coming to a close, the Crusaders tearing their way through the main villain’s ranks until the inevitable final confrontation.

One of the nurses knocked and opened the door, Weiss reluctantly paused the video again as a nurse popped his head in. “Excuse me, Ms. Schnee, your family has come to visit you.”

“We brought umeboshi and blueberry froyo!” Whitley called out from outside.

Weiss and Akko both brightened up. “Let them in, let them in!” Weiss said.

Snowie stepped in with a shopping bag filled with the promised treats, among others. “Hey there, sorry we took so long, we couldn’t really—“ her eyes widened. “--Oh my gosh, is that Solar Eclipse?”

“It is, it is!” Whitley said, giddily rushing into the room and taking the seat beside Weiss, Snowie and Winter sitting or perching by Akko’s side. “Play it, play it!” Whitley said, beaming as he leaned forward with his chin in his hands.

Weiss didn’t hesitate. The nurse looked at them, patients and visitors alike all completely enamored with the show, smiled, and began to close the door. Then, he felt someone put a hand on his shoulder, turned around, and knocked again.

“Excuse me again!” the nurse said. “Ms. Rose, your father’s come to visit you.”

Ruby’s eyes brightened up as she took her eyes off her screen. “Dad! Come in, come in!”

The nurse turned back to Taiyang, and opened the door with a flourish, he happily stepped in with a silly swagger and a huge smile on me face. “Hey there, dear daughter of mine! How’re you doing?” he asked as he came over to Ruby’s bed.

“All four limbs still broken, dear dad of mine!” Ruby chirped. “I’m getting better, though, especially since Weiss can use the remote for all of us.”

“That’s good to hear!” Taiyang said as he carefully hugged her, she tried to nuzzle her head into his shoulder. “So, what are you guys watching?” he said as he settled into the chair next to her bed. “No, no, wait, don’t tell me! It’s... Starlight Crusaders, and this season’s, this season’s, ah...”

“It’s--” Whitley, Weiss, Winter, Snowie, and Akko began.

“No, no, don’t! I’ve got this!” Taiyang said, peering intently at the screen, sweat forming on his brow as he concentrated, listening carefully to the names of the characters and their Crusader titles as they fought each other, willing forth the answer from deep within his mind...

“NEW MOON ORDER!” he cried, nearly launching out of his seat. “It’s New Moon Order, right?” he said, nodding and smiling, proud of himself.

Whitley, Weiss, Winter, Snowie, and Akko spared a few moments from the show, and all shared looks with each other; after a silent vote, Snowie got the duty of breaking the news to him. “Ah, Mr. Xiao Long? It’s actually Solar Eclipse; New Moon Order was one of the movies.”

“Call me Taiyang or Tai, please. Anyway, it’s based off this season, at least...?” Taiyang asked hopefully.

Snowie smiled politely, slowly shook her head, and went back to watching with the others.

Taiyang sighed. “At least I got the franchise right this time...” he muttered to himself.

The episode ended in suitably dramatic fashion, the girls and Whitley all cheered. Weiss paused the video as the credits started rolling, and turned to Snowie. “You mentioned blueberry froyo earlier?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

Snowie dug out a tub from the bag, and handed it over.

Weiss took it in both hands, and cradled it to her chest. “Thanks mom, you’re the best,” she whispered, before she opened it and started digging in with the spoon attached to the side.

“You’re welcome, Weiss,” Snowie hummed, looking proud of herself. “We even got treats for all your other friends!” she said as she dug into the bag again.

Akko cried out in delight as she pulled up a jar of umeboshi, Ruby eyed a pack of chocolate chip cookies hungrily. “I didn’t really know whatever it was the rest of you liked, so I just sorta got a little bit of everything from a convenience store on the way here.”

“She really does mean everything,” Whitley added as he took the jar of pickled plums, opened it up for Akko. “You should have seen her back at the aisles, trying to figure out if she should grab any special varieties, or just stick with the original flavours.”

“Hey, it’s not MY fault someone decided there needed to be like, 500 different flavours of Kari-Kari!” Snowie cried as Winter took to the bag of snacks over to the other side of the room. “I swear, that store had basically everything on the shelves!”

“There’s 317 total, and only 47 in that store, mother, I looked it up and I counted while we were there,” Whitley said as he started feeding pickled plums to an eagerly awaiting Akko.

“Still too many damn flavours of candy coated wafers...” Snowie grumbled. She blinked, looked around, and sighed. “Aw, crap—anyone seen my snowball?”

“It’s right here, mom!” Winter called out, pulling up a ball tightly wrapped in plastic, colourful packets taped to it.

Snowie held her hands up. “I’m open!”

Winter tossed it, Snowie missed it, it hit her in the face. She winced, caught it before it could fall to the floor, and started unwrapping it, revealing a ball of shaved ice.

“Well, haven’t seen those in a very long while...” Diana said as Snowie ripped open the syrup packets with her teeth, poured the blue liquid onto her snowball.

“Probably because it’s not as good as what you’ll find from the shops that really care, or the kind you could make at my da—father’s office, but you know, the mass produced stuff isn’t half-bad,” Snowie said, before she gleefully chomped down on her snowball.

“Anything you’d like in particular?” Winter asked as she showed off the rest of the bag over to Diana.

Diana looked uneasily at the sea of junk food, then back up at Winter with a frown.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure there’s something healthy in here…” Winter said as she sat down and really dug into the mess.

“There’s a handful of sandwiches and a salad in there!” Whitley called out. “Don’t take both the egg sandwiches, one of them’s mine!”

“Found them, thanks, little brother!” Winter said as she dug them out. “Any catch your eye?” she asked as she held them out to Diana.

Diana looked at the plastic wrappers, and the proud labels of Mistral’s ubiquitous “Sari-Sari” convenience store franchise, and said, “I suppose I’ll take the strawberry cream…”

“Good choice!” Winter said, putting the rest back into the bag.

“I’m really rather sorry for inconveniencing you like this,” Diana said as Winter unwrapped the sandwich.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Winter replied. “Though if it bothers you that much, I suppose I could just wedge a tray on your chest to your chin, let you try and eat this with just your mouth?” she asked, smiling.

“… I’m not that sorry.”

Winter chuckled, and started feeding her.

“So!” Snowie started. “Diana, your family planning on flying over from Vale to visit any time soon?”

“No, actually,” Diana replied, before she took a dainty, careful bite out of her sandwich, started humming shortly after she started chewing.

“Aww, that’s sad,” Snowie said. “You want our help making a video to send to them, while they can’t come? I found that always helped when my parents were still going off on expeditions.”

Diana’s chewing slowed down, before she swallowed, and smiled politely. “The gesture is appreciated, Ms. Schnee… but I’d really rather not.”

Snowie paused for a moment, before she nodded, and went back to her snowball.

“Anyone else want more?” Winter called out after empty containers were thrown into the trash, or resealed for later. “Plenty of snacks still left in here,” she said, gently shaking the bag.

Whitley took his sandwich, and Taiyang grabbed some “to go” for himself, but otherwise everyone answered in the negative.

“So, anything else we can do for you guys while we’re here?” Snowie asked.

“We were just planning on going back to watching Starlight Crusaders, thanks,” Weiss said as she picked up the remote, Whitley hurriedly unwrapped his sandwich in preparation. “There’s really not much else we can do when I’m the only one with a working pair of arms.”

“I could recommend some pretty cool voice-recording apps we use at the Bunker!” Taiyang offered. “Free of charge, too, though getting support if something goes wrong can be a little… iffy, because they’re all experimental.”

“The offer is appreciated, Mr. Xiao Long, but Blake and Lotte have been doing an excellent job of transcribing from our diction,” Diana replied.

“I just wish Constanze wasn’t so busy with the mind palace machines and her own projects, though,” Ruby said. “She’s basically the only person that can help me take down weapons engineering notes.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to get right back to it soon enough, Ruby,” Taiyang said, ruffling her hair.

“Maybe I could try helping with that?” Snowie said. “I take a lot of notes and dictation for my parents when they’re busy, I could probably do it.”

Taiyang chuckled. “Now I’m not saying I don’t believe you, but I have to warn you: my daughter’s thought process when she designs or studies weapons is a giant, jumbled mess of jargon, doodles, and schematics flying everywhere all at once.”

Snowie snorted. “And you’ve just basically described what my brain is like 24/7! I’ve got this, probably,” she said as she stood up.

“I’ve seen parts of Ruby’s journal when she sent me info on the Shiny Rod, mom, he’s really not kidding!” Winter said.

“Be my guest, though!” Taiyang said as he stood up, and gestured to the chair he was sitting in.

“You sure about this, Snowie?” Ruby asked as Snowie sat down beside her.

“Positive!” Snowie replied. “Jumping headlong into things without being entirely sure what I’m doing is kind of my thing! I mean... it doesn’t always work as well I think it will, but I work best when I’m figuring things out as I’m going along!” she said as she pulled out her scroll, complete with her own quill.

“Alrighty then!” Ruby said.

Whitley nudged Weiss to resume playing Starlight Crusaders, she did, and the others went back to watching the show. She found herself frequently looking away from the screen and listening in to Ruby and Snowie’s conversation, however.

“So, what exactly are you thinking of here?” Snowie asked as she got her quill at the ready.

“Well, I was thinking about trying to make some sort of recoil buffer for Shooting Star, hopefully one that will also work when it fuses with the Shiny Rod to become Shining Star,” Ruby started.

“There’s just WAY too much force that thing is capable of whenever Akko chops with it, and short of starting to learn how to throw it; let go just before each impact, and hope it doesn’t hit her or anyone else when it inevitably flies off in the opposite direction as soon as all that aura force is discharged; or chop really, really, really gently with it, we need to drastically increase her upper body strength, muscle mass, and possibly even aura reserves if we’re ever going to be able to use Shining Star without ending up in the hospital, or causing more excessive, collateral damage if we try to use the firearm component.

“It’s really bad because we can’t really use any of my momentum harnessing and/or controlling techniques and tech I use with Crescent Rose because Shining Star’s a shotgun-axe, and it’s a lot less aerodynamic.

“On the plus side, I might be able to just freely attach them to the weapon thanks to the already bulky design, but then that might necessitate Akko having to get used to the entirely new balance and weight of it.

“But do the buffers need to be on Shooting Star itself?” Snowie countered as she continued scribbling without much effort. “My daddy’s robot limbs have a lot of internal buffers and servos to amplify and compensate for all the stress, damage, and physical labour he puts himself through, not to mention all the upgrades he made specifically for surpassing his biological limbs’ limits, or making it a better option than using his originals.

“He prefers punching Grimm in the face with his robot hand for a very good reason! You know, aside from the fact that it’s easier and less painful to repair if it breaks, than his flesh-and-bone hand.”

Ruby blinked. “Huh. That’ll definitely be much more expensive, and I’ll have to call some friends back at the Bunker who specialized in exoskeletal enhancement rigs, but yeah, it could be better in the long-run!

“Maybe we could even go past recoil absorption, and go straight into power amplification, with all the extra leeway.”

“Thermoelectric generator to charge and power servos, make the second chop hurt much more than the first?” Snowie offered. “Though we’ll have to limit how much energy they can actually store, or else we’ll probably blow Akko’s arms off from the reaction...”

“And even if they do stay on, they’ll likely shatter all her bones, probably beyond repair this time...” Ruby muttered.

The two of them furrowed their brows as they considered a way around of this problem, before two metaphorical lightbulbs went off in their heads at the same time.

“Her semblance!” Ruby and Snowie said at the same time, their eyes shining with a similar glow.

“Temporary invincibility, plus a strength boost from the inhibition of her pain receptors, right?” Ruby asked.

“Exactly!” Snowie said, furiously scribbling now. “If we can train Akko to activate it JUST before it comes into contact, every single time, she can probably decimate whatever she’s attacking without completely fucking herself up!” The light in her eyes faded, her writing slowed down. “… And probably everyone around and behind her, too, because the reaction will likely send her spinning, or flying off at an angle like a missile, and then we better hope there isn’t anything hard and solid that she’ll hit while she still has high velocity, because her semblance would be deactivated and recharging by then, so...

She sighed and looked down. “… Never mind, it’s a terrible idea...” she mumbled as she put her quill down.

“Hey, don’t feel bad, we’re brainstorming!” Ruby said. “It’s a feature, not a bug! And besides, I got a great idea for how we can redirect all that force away from her arms, inspiration thanks to Diana’s semblance...”

Snowie blinked, looked at Ruby in a mix of wariness and fear, before she hesitantly took her quill back up. “Okay…? I’m listening…!”

Whitley gently nudged Weiss on the shoulder. “Don’t worry: I’m certain it’s simply just the two of them platonically nerd-bonding, nothing more,” he said teasingly.

Weiss blinked, and looked at him. “What are you talking about…?”

Whitley he looked at Ruby and Snowie deep in conversation once more, then back at Weiss’ confused expression. “Oh... oh, I see how it is,” he said, nodding and looking satisfied.

Weiss’ eyes widened. “Are you--?!” Her cheeks turned red. “Look here, you little shit: this isn’t one of your yuri manga or fanfics when the team full of girls eventually hook up with each other!” she hissed. “This is real life, Ruby is just my teammate and my friend, and if I may remind you again, I swore to hold off on the romance ever since Aqua...!”

“I believe you!” Whitley said, holding up his free hand. “Calm down, I believe you, Weiss!”

Weiss glared at him, before she sulked and went back to watching Starlight Crusaders.

“Here’s to hoping it goes better than it did with Aqua...” Whitley thought as he turned back to the screen, a small smile spreading on his face.

Yes, the Bunker also has a storage room full of robot helping legs, giant or otherwise. The other body parts and non-human limbs share a series of rooms together, because they’re not nearly as numerous enough to justify having their own dedicated storage.

No, Weiss is DEFINITELY not afraid her mother is going to attempt to make a move on Ruby, it’s more a “I’m jealous I can’t do this thing that my new, good friend clearly enjoys so much and needs at the moment because her arms are broken, and realize I could have learned to do it if I bothered to learn more about mechanical engineering when I was younger, and now I can’t even concentrate on my favourite show because I really kinda hate myself right now for not being here to help my teammate.” sort of feeling.

#little witch academia #rwby #fanfic #and the awrd goes to #dianakko #white rose

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