#{or we could say word hasn't reached them yet that he's dead}

[mind-intheclouds342]

Do it for them - Co-captain reader x Curly

Part 4 - Part 5

You heard footsteps approaching, which made you wake up immediately, but when you felt hands on your shoulders, that's when you opened your eyes.

When you saw Jimmy sitting on your bed with his hands on your shoulders, you were surprised, although he also looked surprised to see you awake.

Jimmy: "Captain... I need to tell you something."

"...Is it so important that you had to wake me up in the middle of the nigth?..."

You sat down and turned on the light to see his face clearly, you didn't feel comfortable at all in this situation.

Jimmy: "I was thinking if we open the cargo, maybe we can find something useful there or gain access to some part of the ship that could help us-"

"Couldn't that really wait until morning? Did you have to come into my room?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out, he just took your hands and bowed his head, avoiding your gaze.

Jimmy: "I want to be helpful..."

You pulled your hands away from his and patted his head a couple of times.

"Alright, but let's wait until tomorrow, go get some rest, it's not good for you to be awake at this hours."

He nodded with his head still down and got up to leave your room, but you stopped him at the door.

"How... Is Curly doing?"

Jimmy: "Haven't you asked Anya?"

"She always tells me the same thing... I need to know his condition, I don't want to cling to false hope."

Jimmy: "Of course, she's going to tell you it's fine... Do you want the truth?"

You nodded at his question, preparing for the worst.

Jimmy: "I don't think he can hold on much longer, he's agonizing in the state he's in, his body is useless, he can't move, he can't speak, he can't even open his mouth on his own and can barely swallow. It's a dying dog waiting to be euthanized."

You covered your mouth upon hearing that, the harsh reality your husband was suffering.

You jumped out of bed and grabbed him by his uniform.

"You know the code, you can go see him. Take me there now!"

Jimmy: "I can't, the captain hasn't authorized it yet."

"He can't speak! Can't move! With that logic, I'll never be able to see him! It's an order!"

The man looked at you in silence and with seriousness, soon you let go of his uniform and ran your hands through your hair.

Jimmy: "Just imagine that he's already dead, maybe that way you can work with a cool head, captain."

Those were his last words before leaving your room.

You looked at your empty bed for a few seconds before sitting on it.

"He... is dead... like the cat of Schrödinger..."

You sighed and turned off the lights, trying to go back to sleep, too tired to keep thinking or to notice the unbuttoned buttons on your shirt.

Swansea: "No way, they told us to stay away from the cargo, it's completely forbidden."

"Do those rules really matter right now? Maybe we'll find something there."

Anya: "Maybe there are meds... We are running low..."

Daisuke: "It's not going to kill us to take a look!"

"Here we go"

You sighed as you headed to the cargo hold, the entire crew following you. You entered the code to open the door, and it slowly opened, revealing its contents.

You ventured into it, ignoring the boxes scattered around, more interested in finding something useful to bring you back to Earth while the others checked the cargo.

A light caught your attention, and you could see that there was a screen showing the ship's trajectory; there was a warning alert because they were moving away from the delivery zone. 

You looked closely and tried to figure out where they were going, your face lit up for a moment when you realized they were heading to one of the Pony Express stations.

You did the calculations to figure out how much they would reach.

That place was like a service station, where they could stop if they had any issues with the crew or the ship, but normally it was much faster to make the delivery than to go to one of these, which were too far from the delivery points.

"Maybe the asteroid changed our route and brought us closer to the station before the delivery point... Making the autopilot take us directly there... three months! In three months, we'll be there!"

You gave a small jump, excited about what you had discovered, soon going to the others to be able to inform them.

But just as you were about to reach them, there was a collapse of boxes in the aisle you were passing through.

You could hear their screams and how they called you, you felt a great weight on your body and it was extremely painful, your chest was crushed and you couldn't breathe.

You knew very well that those boxes were strategically placed to avoid damage, so you were sure that someone intervened to make them fall that way.

You let out a sigh, immediately spitting blood, trying to pull your hand out from between the boxes and the mouthwashes on you.

Until you were left with your hand raised and your eyes closed.

.

.

.

.

.

You jumped up with your breath quickened and clutched your stomach as you felt a sharp pain.

"I'm going to kill him"

You didn't take another second to get out of bed, clutching your stomach feeling the pain, but your anger was bigger.

When you were about to leave the nurseary, you heard a groan.

You slowly turned to see that man, or what was left of him, lying on that table.

[lovrily]

hi :) could you do steve x shy reader at like a party or something and steve is her boyfriend who is super flirty but she's never had a boyfriend before so she's nervous bc he's being flirty?? i hope this makes sense 😭 thank you!!

it makes so much sense! i hope this is good! fem!reader | 2000 words | suggestive but no smut

"we should leave."

you look up from the fire, a marshmallow melting on the metal skewer you're holding. "really? why?"

steve shrugs. "let's do it."

"why?" you laugh. you're not disappointed; you wouldn't mind going back to his place and getting in pajamas, where it's quiet and familiar. but it had taken a lot of convincing on steve's part to get you to come to the bonfire in the first place, so you're surprised he would want to leave so early. he'd even convinced you to wear your bathing suit, although you'd worn his shirt over it for most of the night.

he hasn't answered.

"are you upset?" you ask quietly.

"no, it's not that." he smiles at you, a little crookedly. "sorry, babe."

"it's okay," you laugh. when you flip your skewer around and bite into the marshmallow, he inhales- bending down to pick up your purse. when you bite the rest of it off the tip of your thumb, his nostrils flare.

your eyes flash wide. "what?"

"nothing. you wanna go? we don't have to."

"yeah, but-"

"i got you, then. my car's out front. did you know that?"

he's murmuring and grinning like a fool. yeah, he jokes again, this time in your ear. let me take you home. you can't help but laugh.

there's a small chorus of friendly but mostly unfamiliar girls around the fire who whine various lines like, no, don't take her yet! or, leave her with us! and while you're flattered that so many people have taken a liking to you in one night, you're perfectly relieved to go home.

steve puts his hand on your back while you weave through the small crowd. his friends holler at him, trying to say goodbye, and he waves back at them, every gesture noncommittal. the sky is a murky, midnight blue, the sun completely gone. you're gawking at him by the time you've hiked back to the empty section of the field where you parked, a handful of other empty cars around you.

"are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"wrong?" he scoffs. "no, nothing's wrong."

"you're scaring me."

he opens the passenger's door and leans on it, smiling. "you're ridiculous."

"what!"

once you're inside, he shuts the door and hauls around to the driver's seat, shutting it and locking it behind him. the breadth of his shoulders blocks the moon, his hair fluffy and dark, mostly towel-dried after swimming. you lean away and he's watching you- so you're tempted to lean back over and just let him do whatever it is he's planning to do. but you're genuinely rather confused, so you hold your ground against the seat. it's cold against your back, even in the dead of summer.

"your hair is still wet," steve murmurs.

"i know. sorry, i'm getting it on your seats."

he reaches over and takes a section of your hair in his fingers. "babe, you know i don't care."

"i know."

he's still smiling.

"what is your problem?" you nearly shriek.

then you're laughing, and he's laughing even harder, and then he kisses you, and you're very, very quiet.

he's still grinning. his fingertips rake against the back of your neck, at your hairline, careful not to yank at the wet strands there. his thumb skids over your cheek, your face still slightly damp, your skin too-clean and sensitive and a little cold.

"are you cold?" he says suddenly.

"no," you breathe. not now.

you pull away, dizzy. he breathes hard, beaming at you, but he doesn't look nervous. he's steve. he doesn't get nervous doing stuff like this. especially not with you.

why would he, with you? he's your first boyfriend. he doesn't have to impress you, if he doesn't want to. maybe you're not very impressive, either. every time he kisses you, you feel like you're going to pass out. that's not very cool girl of you.

now is not the time to be feeling insecure, but the feeling has already set in- even after he wraps his right arm around your waist and hauls you over to the driver's seat. you squeal as he sits you on his lap, grabbing his keys from the console and putting them in the ignition behind you. the heat comes on in a dull wave.

he's about to kiss you again, and then he stops, pulling wet, knotted strands of hair away from your eyes as you loom over him, not fully settled.

"you okay?" he asks.

"yeah," you try to say confidently. it's more of a wheeze.

"yeah?"

"yeah."

he smirks, and it might look a little evil if he wasn't so sweet.

"can i kiss you?"

it's the stupidest question you've ever heard. he's practically gloating.

"again?"

he gawks at you, laughing. "again, yeah."

"you want to?"

you're not even sure why you say it. but you do, and at first, steve just snickers quietly. then his smile goes a little crooked and his brows knit together. and he says-

"of course i do."

you swallow. "okay." be cool. "do it."

that was not cool in the slightest.

steve watches you, leaning back a little bit, like you're something to examine. you fight the urge to wrench your eyes shut. one of his hands lands softly on your hip, and the other comes up to rub your arm, warm over the thin tan sleeve of his waffle shirt.

"are you okay?" he asks. this time, he really means it.

"yeah," you nod. "i'm okay."

"but you're hovering."

"i'm what?"

"sweetheart," steve laughs softly, letting go of you for a moment. you droop a bit, and realize he's right. "you're not sitting."

"you can't just ask a girl to sit on you, harrington."

he looks like he might laugh, but he doesn't- his expression oddly serious for the night. "did i do something?"

"no!"

you finally lock eyes with him, and he looks so worried that guilt blooms in your gut. just be honest.

"i don't know, sometimes...i just get nervous. when we're together."

your words seem to wound him, but he's listening intently. "okay."

he brings his hand back to your arm, tracing lines on your skin over the fabric of his shirt.

"i...haven't had a boyfriend before," you say. it's not a shock- he knows. "you're my first. for everything."

he nods. "my luck is crazy."

"sure," you scoff, but his face is gravely serious. "i just worry sometimes that you're going to realize i'm not worth it. sometimes, when you...when you kiss me, or...touch me, i just get scared you're going to realize i'm not what you want. you could have someone who's less nervous. or who's been with other people before."

someone who isn't me.

you're a little horrified once you've said all of it. steve just watches you, crickets chirping outside the car, the heater blowing by your waist and over your elbows. his hands go still, and his face crumples, like he'd cut himself on something sharp. his mouth falls open a little bit.

"honey," he laments.

"i know. sorry-"

steve leans forward and wraps his arms around you, pinning your biceps to your sides at first, not weaving your limbs with his. you both inhale. he squeezes you, your head drooping onto his shoulder, and then he pulls you away and loops his hands through your sides; where you finally sit on his lap, thighs brushing against the console and the door. he holds you around your stomach and puts one hand on the back of your head, holding you to his neck. the scent of sunscreen and bug spray laundry detergent make it more real; his hands warm and dry from swimming, his neck tan from being in the sun. the entanglement of you both is a heavy weight on the seat.

you breath in again and exhale. he's real, and he loves you, even when it's hard to believe it.

"are you kidding me, sweetheart? are you joking?"

"no," you laugh, voice muffled at his neck, but he doesn't in return.

"you should have told me that before. i feel like i'm gonna be sick."

"steve!"

he squeezes you once more and plants a kiss to the top of your head, then one on your forehead. his palms meet your cheeks and he tilts your head back, your arms wrapped around his neck.

"i don't want anyone but you," he says earnestly. "there is no one i want to be with but you. it doesn't even cross my mind. it's not an option."

you might cry. he wipes his thumb over your cheek, now hot as an iron.

"you're it for me," he says plainly. "okay?"

"okay."

"do you believe me?"

"yes," you nod, embarrassed.

he shakes his head at you, expression still pained. it's almost comedic how awful he feels, but you feel even worse for bringing it up.

"i'm sorry."

"don't," he retorts. "no. don't be. c'mere."

you lean forward and kiss him this time, and he's happy about it; the palms on your cheeks sliding back into your hair and over your ears, drowning out the sounds of the field like a fishbowl. all you hear is him. all you feel is him.

"i love you," he murmurs, kissing your lips- and then the tip of your nose, and then your chin and the crook of your neck. "you're my girl. i love you. there's no one else."

you melt like ice cream, slumped in his hands. what else can you do?

"steve..." you whisper.

"mhm?"

"let's go home."

his response is delayed. he kisses the crook of your neck again, then closer to your collarbone. when you inhale sharply, he leans back, screwing his eyes shut.

"but we have to drive all the way there."

"you're the one who wanted to go home in the first place!" you beam, amused at his grimace.

"home is far," steve utters. "you're here. right now."

you're going to die if he keeps talking like that. so you climb off of him and drop ungracefully into the passenger's seat, clicking your seatbelt into place. steve groans.

"oh, that's evil."

"take me home, harrington."

he sits there for a second, and then shakes his head; running his hands over his eyes and his hair, black against the night. his laughter is a quiet rumble.

"you're killing me. you don't even get it."

"what'd i do?"

his head is still in his hands. "you don't even have to do anything. you're just sitting there, and you're driving me insane. it's embarrassing. it's bad for my reputation."

"take me home, steve."

you're trying to be firm, but you're smiling. it's impossible not to. steve sighs once, then sits up, putting the car in reverse.

"you need to watch for cops, at this point, sweetheart, because i'm going to go fifty over until we get home."

you consider saying something snide in return, but honestly, you'd be perfectly happy if he did.

[tarnishedxknight]

Gabranth was silent as he took all of this in, listened to Gylfie as she explained the snare Vayne had set for her. Only... it was not really for her. It was for him. He could see it plain as day, for he knew what Vayne ultimately wanted, and marrying Gylfie would gain him nothing. Even so, he was quiet, taking in every detail and feeding it into the bank of information he'd already stored on Vayne and his motivations. Gabranth knew he cared nothing for Gylfie or what happened to her, but getting him out of the way was almost essential to his plans.

"Alright..." he whispered when she had finished explaining everything to him, keeping his voice gentle so as to keep her from spiraling. "You've a few avenues at your disposal," he began. "Let's discuss them, yes? Take a few deep breaths, and let us decide upon your best course of action together." Together. Although he didn't say it in so many words, he wanted her to know that she was not alone in this.

"Vayne does not wish to marry you, and I would venture to say that he never will. He wants... only two things: Archadian superiority over all of Ivalice, and supreme power for himself. Unrestrained expansion of the Empire with him at its helm, that is his design. In order to accomplish this, he must either subjugate or destroy every land that has not already sworn allegiance to the Empire."

"The most strategic of these lands are Dalmasca and Nabradia. Nabradia could not be controlled because its throne could not be married into by Vayne with only a Prince remaining as heir. Destroying its seat of power with nethicite was the quickest and easiest option for him. Dalmasca, however, does have a Princess who can be married to gain control of her land. As soon as she can be located and captured, Vayne will seize her for himself. Dalmasca has a system of divine succession, believing that only those chosen by the gods are fit to rule. Vayne is not of Dynast blood, but by marrying the Princess, he can gain the right to rule in her place. With Nabradia on its knees and Dalmasca his by marriage, Vayne can control the peninsula and shut the Rozarrian Empire out of much of central and eastern Ivalice."

He paused for a moment to make sure she was alright and listening, before continuing. "So you see... marrying you would derail all of that for him. I know for a fact that these are his plans. My agents have been elucidating Vayne's plans in detail for some time now. I see no reason why he should change them now, when he is so close to achieving his goals, and so I do not believe he will ever marry you. Which means he is expecting you to refuse him, and that makes a great deal of sense. The Judge Magisters are the only ones with any reasonable power, both legally and in military might, to oppose Vayne. If he places you in this position, and you refuse him, he forces me to either denounce you, a trusted ally, and casts doubts on my own allegiances, a move that failed previously with Drace. Or, he forces me to defend you against my equals, causing a rift within our rank. Either way, it works to Vayne's advantage and destabilizes the rank of Judge Magister, his greatest threat."

"So... to remove that advantage, we must remove the benefits he stands to gain. Are you with me thus far?" He could see that she was very upset, but they needed to think this through very carefully and make an important play in this game of Vayne's. Not playing... wasn't an option. "It will be alright," he whispered. "You have options. Several of them. If you wish me to place you on probation, I can certainly do that, but that may not be our best course of action."

"Vayne will not give up Dalmasca. She is his pet project and has been for some time. Marrying the Princess is essential to that project. One of your options... would be to call Vayne's bluff and accept his offer of marriage. He will not want to go through with it, forcing him to either backtrack or rescind his offer, or to let you linger in a state of engagement until such time as he can break with you to marry the Princess. Either way, your loyalty to him cannot be questioned because you have not refused him. That is your second option."

"Your third... is to voluntarily resign. You can cite personal reasons. What this does is end your appointment as Judge, but on your terms. If you are dismissed or placed on probation, your loyalty is called into question and you may never be permitted to serve in the Imperial Army again. If you resign for personal reasons, that leaves you eligible to be reinstated at a later date... for example, a date in the future when Vayne may no longer be in power..." Gabranth said that very carefully, not going so far as to say that he was certain Vayne would not be in power for very long, but implying that it was a possibility. "It also removes his leverage over me, for you would, by your own choosing, no longer be one of my subordinates."

"Your fourth option... is perhaps a bit trickier." He didn't know if she would want to discuss this at all, but it was as decent an option as any. "May I ask you a very personal question?" he said gently. "What is your sexual preference? Would it happen to be homosexual or asexual? I ask because you could refuse Vayne on the grounds that it violate your sexuality to marry a man and bear children. It is a reason to refuse him that has nothing to do with politics or allegiances, but one that would be difficult for Vayne to press you too hard on."

"If Vayne tries to force you to go against your own sexuality, and you make that pressure public, he will make an enemy of Ghis. If you were not aware, Ghis is homosexual, and he becomes very sensitive about it when he is mocked or challenged for it, as well he should. I hold no love for the man, but he deserves to have his preferences respected... as do you. Vayne wants total allegiance of all the Judge Magisters to himself. Right now, they follow my lead, save for Bergan. But this would give Ghis a very personal reason to oppose Vayne's rule that has nothing to do with you or me. Vayne would not risk that, not while his hold on the throne is still in its infancy."

And here he stopped, knowing that he was hitting Gylfie with a lot. Unfortunately, Vayne pulling this sort of petty move warranted this kind of serious, in-depth discussion, however. Much as he might like to give Gylfie time and space, that may not be the best choice to make. He was trying to keep her safe while juggling Vayne's own ambitions long enough to find a way to take him down and seat Larsa on the throne. There was no time to shy away from a challenge like this one. "What say you...?" he asked after a time, that same gentle, fatherly tone remaining. It was a lot, but he was willing to spend as much time with her as she needed to arrive at a course of action she thought best.

@tarnishedxknight - continued from here

Gylfie didn't react as Gabranth stood from his desk and calmly walked by her. Didn't react as he locked the door and waited for her to give him a reason for her being there. For her distress. She only focused on her breathing - doing her best to keep it under control as she did her best to recall what Drace had told her. To try and regain some composure even though she knew Gabranth would not judge her.

But that could still not stop the shame that sludged through her. That lodged like a thorn in her heart and caused her to shudder, even through her fear and... panic.

Oh, there was still a part of her still lodged enough in reality to hate how far she was falling. She was not one to give to her panic. To her terror. But this...

She choked back bile and swallowed thickly as a cough caught in her chest, and she shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut as she turned her head away. Unable to meet Gabranth's steady gaze as he spoke gently to her. As he attempted to coax an answer out with a voice so soothing, it almost brought her to her knees with grief. Why could my father not be like you? she thought, and tightened her grip on her helm to keep it from clattering to the ground.

"Vayne is going to call for my dismissal," she finally forced out - her strained voice wobbling. "He... He claims the other Judge Magisters are... are worried about Drace's influence and believe I may... I may follow..." Her voice cracked, and she shook her head - clenching her jaw tight as she inhaled sharply through her teeth. "He says it's... for my benefit-" those words spat out in shaky disgust "-but that he knows I... That my loyalty is not treacherous. He has... has offered--"

Gylfie couldn't bear to bring herself to say it aloud, but... she knew she needed to. She had already damned herself by not revealing Vayne's intentions sooner with Gabranth so he could take it into account - in believing she could handle it alone. And... although she dared not to admit it, she knew it was probably too late for her to be saved.

"He has offered me power if I agree to marry him."

There was venom in her voice as she spat it out - anger twisting her features despite the way panic still gleamed in her eyes like a fever. Still unable to meet Gabranth's gaze as her hands trembled. Unable to shake the fear that clawed at her heart and encouraged her to flee.

"I know there will be no power with him." She shuddered again, and breathed out through her teeth as she clenched her jaw once more. Doing her best to try and settle her stomach. "Being Empress would mean nothing more than me being a broodmare. But if I... if I refuse him..." Vayne's offer was a veiled threat she recognized immediately, and... she knew he would not hesitate to use it against anyone he saw as a threat. There was little doubt in her mind that he would find a way to make Gabranth force his hand once more if she did refuse, and have him be the one to kill her for treason. To tighten that noose around his neck to remind him who was in power. To test to see how far he would go to keep Larsa safe.

She jerked her head up and stared up at Gabranth pleadingly - a desperation bright in her eyes that shined beneath her fear. "But if... if you call for my probation, then... then it would be public that my loyalty is in question. He would be fool to marry someone who may follow a traitor's path. I would be removed from position, yes, but at least then I would have time to... to..."

To figure something else out.

It was clear her plea was her last Hail Faram. Her final, desperate attempt to keep her piece on the board before she lost it all. Because... the only other option she saw was to flee, and... she could not bring herself to abandon Archadia. Could not bring herself to abandon Gabranth and Larsa and everything she fought for.

[starry-bi-sky]

ive been hesitating to ask this bc youve been on a roll with the clone^2au (which i am frothing over) but could i poke you for some childhood friend au? bc GOD i wanna see how danny reacts to reuniting w jason or how the rest of the batfam react to learning jason never told danny of his resurrection or wondering if dannys gonna put jokers dead body on a display/offering to jasons grave. i havent been normal about this since i first read it and was wondering. thank you for your writing.

RAAAAHHHH DON'T BE HESITANT I AM JUST AS FERAL OVER MY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AU AS I AM WITH CLONE^2 I AM DELIGHTED BY THIS. Like.,,,, i literally love them,,, so much. I can't listen to The Crane Wives without thinking of them.

(which is my fault - the ao3 fic of them has literally only crane wives lyrics for each chapter title and summary (posted AND the ones not written) so of course im gonna associate with them.)

(if you wanna listen to some of their songs while thinking of cfau here are my recommendations: "Once & for All", "Here I Am", "Hollow Moon" is a Danny AND Jason song to me, this would be my go-to song for an animatic of CFAU if i had the skills for it. "Tongues and Teeth", "Curses" and "take me to war" is a heavy cfau danny song to me, and of course, "the moon will sing")

Like they're BEST friends dude, they're two sides of the same coin and when they were kids they would do this thing where their 'fingers crossed'/'double-crossed' was them hooking their index fingers in the fingers crossed gesture.

and i'm actually currently rewriting my original post into a more fic-like format, and when I'm done I'll post it on here under the cfau tag - with the original post still in tact. But its,,, gonna be so long dude,,,, the original behemoth was just over 9000 words,,, and I've written 3k words already of the new one and we haven't even reached Jason and Danny reuniting at the gala yet,,, i need to get back to that,,,

and then to answer your questions!! god im almost hesitant to answer because i dont wanna spoil the little fic i had planned for it but also like,, its not like im gonna spoil everything, right? and answering the questions isnt the same as writing the scene down so!!

i love danny and jason's reuniting, like i've thought about it SO much and I've thought about it happening after Danny kills the Joker. I know the reveal could have been before that, and it could have been equally just as dramatic but like??? Thematically, doing it after danny kills the joker is SO good. To me at least.

Because like?? Jason's been in somewhat denial about danny's plan to kill the joker for months. ever since danny told him that he wanted to at the gala. And from Jason's pov its not even technically a plan. He sees his best friend for the first time after five years and his best friend still isn't over his death. He hasn't stepped foot in Gotham since his funeral and now suddenly he's here.

And he's still so full of grief over his death that he tells a masked vigilante that he's going to kill the guy that did it, who lives in said masked vigilante's city. And danny's got that look in his eyes that Jason knows so well that means he's being serious. And yet he still doesn't know if he should believe him or not.

And then he does. Danny kills him. And Jason can't fucking believe it. And when he goes and sees Danny, Danny's hands are still covered in blood. And that reunion? God like a fucking firework show. Danny's so fucking angry, and pissed, and hurt, and so goddamn overjoyed that he's alive and here that he sends them both to the ground, and if he doesn't calm down he's gonna take out the power in a five block radius.

there's just so, so much yelling on Danny's end. And then so much crying, first from Danny and then them both. because god, you're alive. you're here. i've missed you so much. i'm never letting you out of my sights again.

and Joker's death! God I don't want to actually say too much about that, but the way I have it set up thematically makes me actually not want danny to take any part of the joker with him as an offering. and he may actually forego that particular ghost etiquette and offer something else as an offering to Jason in substitute to not bringing him the Joker's heart/head/ritualistic body part.

Because you know what the last thing a man whose been spending the last two decades of his life building himself up to be larger than life would want? A death that's unremarkable. :) and that's all i'll put on the matter for now.

and the batfam!! they technically already know that jason hasn't told danny he was resurrected, and plenty of them have mixed feelings on them. largely bruce and dick i think, considering they saw firsthand how close jason and danny were when they were kids.

Dick was honestly surprised at first when he found out that Jason hadn't told Danny he was alive - and on one hand he understands the reasoning for it, and on the other hand he isn't sure if it was such a good idea. Especially after he sees Danny again after he arrives back in Gotham and sees just how badly Jason's death was still affecting him. But it's not like he's going to try and convince Jason to tell him - he can make his own choices, even if Dick has questions about them.

Bruce has much the same thoughts as Dick, so there's not really much to add here other than he might bring it up once or twice to Jason like, vaguely. And then immediately drops it when Jason shuts him down. He might actually somewhat...?? prefer that Jason hasn't told Danny because that raises a lot of questions and could jeopardize their identities. However, again, Jason can make his own choices and there's not much Bruce can do about it other than disapprove from afar.

Tim who knew of Danny from stalking the Wayne family shares similars sentiments of being surprised that Jason didn't tell Danny, but again, yeah, understands the thought process to some extent. Doesn't bring it up ever.

Everyone else who hadn't seen firsthand how close Danny and Jason are don't really have much opinion on it -- Jason didn't tell his best friend he was alive, great, he also didn't tell them either so it's not like its that much of a surprise. It would've been more of a surprise to them if Jason had told Danny before he told Bruce and co. Damian may make a comment or two about Jason not telling Danny, but its not about how he can't believe he didn't tell him or anything like it.

[captain-sharkie]

The art for this chapter has nothing to do with the chapter I just thought it would be funny

Story under the cut!

Chapter 2

Word count 1040

Kidd stood outside the temple, the cool air brushing against them as the sun began to set, watching as Lambert handed out new clothing to followers young and old,

“I will be on the way home once this dinner is finished, promise.” Kidd mumbled seemingly to themself, the crown moving slightly on his head,

Kidd just sighed, anxiety filling them as Lambert walked towards the temple, five robed figures following behind.

All of them were carrying bowls, the lamb held two in both hands as they walked towards Kidd

“Can you get the door?” Lambert asked, Kidd just nodded, reaching for the handle as they opened the creaky door,

The five in robes sat at a table the lamb magically summoned, setting down the bowls, Lambert summoned a small box.

“Crown in the box, I’ll put mine in there too, no magic at dinner.” Lambert hummed, Kidd just shrugged, placing the crown in it as it gave him a more than displeased look.

Lamb took the two crowns and put them in another room in the temple, closing the door and locking it.

“There.” Lambert sighed, “Hoods off everyone.”

One by one, each of the bishops removed their hoods,

“Guh. Why did we have to wear these stupid things!” Leshy huffed, untangling his antlers from the holes in the hood,

“Because someone’s little friend doesn't seem to like us very much…” Narinder mumbled before Shamura promptly smacked his back.

“Dont speak rudely of our guest or their friend Brother.” Shamura hummed,

Heket just munched away at the food, not even engaged in conversation in the slightest sense.

“...Why are we here exactly?” Kallamar asked, crossing his arms as he sat

“We will get to that after everyone eats.” Lambert hummed, sitting down and pulling a chair out for Kidd

“Well I am not hungry, Lamb.” Narinder spoke, glaring at Kidd,

“I’ll… I’ll eat it.” Heket coughed, her bowl already empty, licked clean even

“Heket you fat fuck.” Leshy coughed, acting like he didn't say anything.

“I’m gonna… throw you…” Heket grumbled as Narinder passed his bowl off to her, Kidd just held back a laugh.

Shamura sighed, taking a few bites of their food as Lambert huffed.

“No throwing each other at dinner.” He spoke, Lambert’s face in his own hands.

“Lamb, you're no fun.” Leshy huffed, pouting as they crossed their arms, tossing the bowl of food in their mouth, eating the whole lot.

Bowl included.

“...And you called me… fat.” Heket mumbled, Leshy just scoffed,

“God I am so happy they aren't like this.” Kidd mumbled, getting raised brows from everyone,

the room was silent for a few moments,

“...Well, everyone is just about done? Right?” Lambert hummed, cleaning up the remaining bowls,

Kidd stood up, brushing themself off,

“Okay so… I was hoping I could get you guys to come with me soon.” Kidd spoke,

“To The Holy Isle.”

“...Like some sort of pilgrimage?” Shamura asked, raising a brow,

“Well- Mostly because I need some questions answered.” Kidd admitted, “All of the gods there seem to… have a…” Kidd spoke, trying to find the right words in his head

“Vendetta, against you all, even you Lamb.” Kidd look around, the bishops raised their brows and looked at eachother,

“Well why’s that?” Lambert asked

“I… have no idea.” Kidd sighed, taking a deep breath,

“Yet you want to bring us… why?” Shamura spoke, standing up,

“I was hoping you guys could come and settle things,” Kidd shrugged, “She said what happened was thousands of years ago… I thought maybe if I could prove you guys have changed…”

“She won't have to watch my every move here.” Kidd mumbled,

“She… watches everything you do here?” Leshy asked, “She sounds worse than Shamura.” Leshy whispered as Shamura groaned,

Kidd just huffed,

“How hasn't she recognized any of us?” Narinder asked, his ear twitching.

“I may or may not have convinced all of them you guys were dead…?” Kidd shuddered, “Besides she says it's been thousands of years since she's last seen you all!"

“...” Narinder groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose,

“Who do you even work for?” Narinder asked,

“...We all call her The One Who Remains.” Kidd spoke, “I’m… not exactly allowed to call any of them by their real names.” Kidd hummed,

“Hmph…” Narinder huffed “What do we get out of coming?” Narinder grinned.

“Well… uh…” Kidd mumbled, a little confused.

“You get information, what do we get?” Leshy joined in, grinning

“If I get the information I need, anything you want that Madame can give.”

All the bishops looked at eachother, raising a brow as Narinder and Leshy laughed,

“I highly doubt she can give me what I want.” Narinder smiled, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

“If she can't, her siblings can.” Kidd retorted, “I promise you that.”

“Well, what about me?” Lambert asked, pointing to himself

“Well, I’ll tell you this.” Kidd turned to face Lambert,

“Ever since the word of the Lamb massacre began, she vowed to protect any flock she came across.” Kidd sighed, “Albeit few made it there.”

Lambert's eyes widened, “Are… you being serious?” they asked,

“I promise you.” Kidd sighed,

Narinder raised a brow, “Why would she do such a thing?”

Kidd just rolled his eyes, “She believes no life should be sent to waste, each one important in its own way.”

Everyone was silent for a while, the wind whistling against the temples thin walls as Lambert spoke up,

“What’s the plan?” Lambert spoke,

Kidd smiled, “Simple.” they spoke,

“You all, wear robes and all, same as today.” Kidd hummed,

“Walk north until you spy a broken bridge marked with blue paint, I will meet you on the other side.”

Leshy just groaned at Kidd’s words, “Why do we have to wear these stupid robes!”

“Because, you don't know who could be watching.” Kidd spoke, Lamb motioned for everyone to put the hoods back up as they went to retrieve the crowns,

“Thank you for the food, friend.” Kidd spoke as Lambert handed the crown to him, the crown’s single teal eye staring into his own.

“Hope to see you soon.” Lambert spoke, watching as Kidd walked out into the night, fading away with the wind.

[getvalentined]

I really love all your Vincent analysis, I get very excited whenever you post them. I was wondering something, Grimoire has always seemed a very distant figure in canon, (yet he affects so much) and it is very likely that his and Vincent's relationship wasn't the best. But I am curious as to what you think his reaction to the experiments Hojo and Lucretia put him through would be if he was informed? Especially given that Grimoire knew Lu well. (I know this is completely non-canon)

Believe it or not, way back in 2011 I posted a hastily-drawn Ask Vincent Valentine entry that addresses exactly this! It's been a really long time, and my opinion there hasn't really changed, but I'm more than happy to expand on the concept in more detail now.

We don't actually have a lot of information on Grimoire as a character, and even less on his relationship with Vincent, so most of my opinion here is definitely headcanon, and I'll be tagging this post accordingly. That said, we do know a few things, and establishing the details of their relationship as I understand it is pretty integral to my opinion of how Grimoire would handle Vincent's inclusion in Lucrecia's terrifying thesis project.

First, Grimoire and Vincent seem to have had some kind of falling out in the past. Although it's impossible to say what caused it or how recent this was, it's fairly clear based on Grimoire's last words being a request for Lucrecia to apologize to Vincent on his behalf, and Vincent being unaware of the circumstances of his father's death until finding his file open on Lucrecia's computer. (I've seen it argued that Vincent may not even have been aware that his father was dead until that point—I don't generally subscribe to that idea, but this may actually be the case.)

Secondly, although this is more up for interpretation, Vincent's feeling toward his father appear to be somewhat...harsh? I reach this conclusion based on the word he uses to refer to him in the original Japanese, which is 親父 (oyaji). While this is a term for "father," it's also colloquially used as equivalent to "old man," and is kind of a catch-all term for middle-aged men in general. It's pretty rough in comparison to other terms that could have been used here, and also seems fairly out of place for how Vincent speaks otherwise, making it seem to me that he uses this harsher term in order to indicate either a lack of formality or a lack of respect for his father.

In headcanon territory, my take on their relationship has always been that Grimoire is extremely disappointed in Vincent for failing to pursue a career in academia, opting instead for the Turks—a role in which he excelled to such a degree that the Turk Vincent sim battle in Dirge PlayOnline indicates the assessment and training records he set were still standing when the Crisis took place. We know that Vincent is intelligent and highly educated (there is a complex series of interconnected equations scrawled on the wall of the Shinra Manor basement in Rebirth that was canonically written by Vincent, he's obviously very smart), so he could certainly have pursued the same career path as his father, and for whatever reason he chose not to.

One thing that isn't up in the air is whether or not Grimoire loved his son. Vincent was the last thing on his mind, as Chaos ate away at his body and ripped him apart into pyreflies, the last thing that mattered was that Vincent know he was sorry. Grimoire loved Vincent, even if they didn't always get along.

But Grimoire was, unfortunately, a Shinra scientist. According to Dirge PlayOnline, Grimoire was the first Shinra scientist to theorize about using foreign energies and excavated materials in the creation of an otherwise human child, with the goal of creating a hybrid able to communicate with humankind with ease. Grimoire loved his son, but he was comfortable with the idea of turning someone else's into a monster in utero if it meant that science could progress. This hypothesis is probably one of the leading reasons that Lucrecia volunteered for her role in Project S; she loved her mentor very much, and what better way to honor his memory than to prove at least one part of his theory right?

At the end of the day, it's the expansion of human knowledge that mattered to Grimoire. He would have been thrilled to know that he was right—proven with Sephiroth, with Vincent, and eventually with Nero. The three of them exist, even if only in part, because of Grimoire's thirst to understand the world beyond humanity, and all three of them changed the face of scientific progress. Sephiroth and Vincent's projects both helped to facilitate the creation of SOLDIER, while Nero literally proved the existence of a secondary plane of reality which had only ever been considered theoretical—if not simply written off as a myth—prior to his birth. That's amazing. That's wonderful.

The only problem Grimoire would have with any of it is that it was his child in the tank. Also unfortunate is that the other two were technically his grandchildren—Nero is pretty much undeniably made from genetic material harvested from Vincent, and my headcanon for why Vincent was assigned to Nibelheim at all is that Gast also wanted some way to honor the memory of the late Professor Grimoire Valentine, and selected Vincent to be the "sire" to the main subject of Project S. Vincent was never meant to know, and Lucrecia was never meant to care. It did not work out that way.

Grimoire would initially be horrified to realize what Lucrecia had done—and then fall right into complete understanding, because she did it to her own child too. She experimented on Vincent, yes, but it was in an attempt to save him! Who could blame her for using what she learned in her thesis? Two birds with one stone, salvation and enlightenment both from a single questionable act. He might disagree with her methods, with her disorganization and her lack of foresight, but he couldn't blame her.

He'd be devastated to know how his theories had ruined his child in every possible respect—but only because it was his child, not because of what was actually done. He'd grieve the loss of those grandchildren that neither he nor Vincent ever had a chance to know—but only because they were Vincent's children, torn away before he ever got to know they existed at all.

And, deep down, Grimoire would feel the slightest swell of pride that the only subjects that worked, the only ones that survived and excelled, the few that could literally call themselves gods even if only for a short period of time, were part of his bloodline.

It turns out that Valentines are amazing at anything they do, whether they choose to do anything or not. Vincent rejected science, and science took him anyway, because science is what Valentines do. It's what all of them do, and they do it better than anyone. How could he not be proud of that?

[ga-yuu]

About Ikegen Management Team Message!

The fact that Ikemen Genjiden Management Team formally send out a statement to thank everyone who send them supportive and kind messages after the announcement of EoS and saying that they themselves are sadder than the players itself really makes me think that Ikemen Genjiden must have been their passion project. This really feels like a shut-down that is forced rather than planned like Ikemen Revolution. Correct me, if I'm wrong, because Ikemen Revolution suddenly stopped releasing new trailers for their game out of nowhere, and sometime after, they formally announced their EoS. Usually, an EoS of a game means that, a new game announcement is right around the corner. Ikemen Revolution was killed to bring out Ikemen Villains. But I feel like Ikemen Genjiden's EoS is out of nowhere. I don't really think they planned this to happen, at least not this year. I don't know. Everything really feels sus, because they just released Kurama and Ibuki's sequel and everything was going well. Let's just wait and watch if there will actually be an announcement for a new Ikemen game this year or not.

According to them the management team haven't changed since the start of the development of the game, which means, every single member in the management team has longing memories for this game.

The story is about Rikka was already in development 2 years before the game's launch, and he is meant to be the counterpart to Tamamo and the starting point of the whole Genjiden story. According to the Management team, the story hasn't even reached its full potential yet. If the game was still on-going, we would have been able to see more crazy things unfold. It's sad that no matter how many kind words and encouragement to continue the game we sent, nothing will change because at the end of the day, it's a business and this is a strategic decision made for making profits.

The management team, did say that they will try and release as many stories as possible before the end day. So lets' look forward to that.

I really love the management team of Ikemen Genjiden. They are so creative and passionate about Ikemen Genjiden that it saddens me that the game did not get the recognition it rightfully deserves. People were asking for the English release, but they don't seem to understand that if the Japanese market doesn't do well, they won't be releasing it in English. That's why I have always been saying people to go play the Japanese app if you're that interested to play the game. But whatever. This was bound to happen someday.

When I saw the introduction of Rikka, I had hope that this game would at least go on until Rikka's story is released but I guess it did not and that makes me even more sad. Rikka is such an interesting character and I'm still dying to know more about him. I wish, if they are not going to release a main story, they at least release an event of something or give out free stories about Rikka just so that the fans could learn more about him. The fact that everything about this character is now going to disappear in fucking space.....I'm sad. I'm really really sad.

I wish that this Management Team really gets the praise that they truly deserve. I hope this same Management Team, comes together again and create new game which could be even better than Ikemen Genjiden. This Management Team has the potential to create stories that truly touches one's heart and soul. A MC like Yoshino who is so beautiful and lovable than any MC I have ever seen in my life. Eccentric but lovable suitors with very unique and some of which have never-before-seen personalities. Hilarious brain-dead nonsensical humor. Amazing and heart-touching dialogues. Beautiful music. Beautiful art style. Best cast of VAs ever. Everything about this game is so positive that I'm dying from the inside when I see my child slowly dying.

I love you, Ikemen Genjiden Management Team. You guys are literally the GOAT!!! I really hope you guys do well in the upcoming years and have more opportunities to shine!!! I'll always pray that upcoming projects get recognition it deserves!

[iznsfw]

People say that everyone is connected by a red string of fate. The people we are destined to be with could be close by while some cases the string stretches out.

You have the ability to see other people's red string as well as your own, but in your case you haven't found the person at the end of the string. Time passes and you see that the color red started to fade away, which you didn't mind.

One day while you're working the late night shift at the convenience store when a girl suddenly entered the convenience store. When she reaches the counter she places two bottles of soju and a couple cans of beer. You catch a glimpse of her face, even in that small period of time you saw how beautiful she is. She then hands you her card, and right then and there the two ends of the string meet.

"Sorry, but can I ask what's your name?"

"Kwon Eunbi."

Now, how would you tell Eunbi that both of you are bound to fall in love at the cost of one of your lives?

i'm looking right at the other half of me

[ IZ*ONE's Eunbi x Male Reader Fluff & Angst ]

4540 words

masterlist

This took so long... and finally it's out! Thank you @brokennightmares01 for such a great idea, and I'm sorry I took so long to reply </3 This was difficult emotionally to write. I guess I'm just too attached to Eunbi lmfao

"The fuck are you looking at, cunt?"

Ah, welcome to South Korea, one of the many places in this miserable world where you can just be an adult fresh out of teen years trying to make a living, yet still be bothered by people like this one. You never should have agreed to this ridiculous night shift. There were less of these freaks in the daylight.

You look away from the musty man and give no response. It's how you deal with ninety-eight percent of these situations. It's the safest way to go around it, but also the most dangerous. You never know when you looked or said nothing the wrong way.

11 PM on the clock. Just five more hours to go and you're good, you reassure yourself. Remember, the pay will be much bigger if you go through this shift.

"That'll be a total of 17000 won, sir," you inform the man, looking nowhere but down. Down as you collect the change and the receipt. Down as you pass the money to his hands blackened from dirt and grease.

When he leaves, you feel the relief come back to you. Oh, you're thankful just to live another night. You may hate this world and all the miserable little fuckers in it, but it's no good lying and saying you thought death was the best escape route. No, death would do nothing at best. You have no family, you have little friends. Being dead changes absolutely nothing. Because of that, you just have to hang on the best you can.

It can be pretty hard sometimes.

You hope that there won't be any more customers. You don't have the mood to deal with more rude individuals who don't see you as an individual. You're just a servant to them. Although that's kind of your job, it hurts to see how differently people look at you if you had a different job, looked a little differently.

The bells to the 7-11 ring. A woman enters.

Strange how you knew it was her from the moment she entered. From the moment you caught an eyeful of her pretty face, her pretty smile, you know now that you've finally met her.

It's ruining you. She's ruining you. It should have been a moment of evangelization, finally meeting the supposed love of your life. But what good is there in having one when you know just by looking at the red string, that you could die at the climax of your meeting? That she could die? It's like an indie film with a poor plot twist.

When you ask her her name, she's blunt. Straight to the point; no poorly composed giggle or attempt at conversation. She looks tired—her eyes are swollen with red, from what you guess isn't sourced from just lack of sleep. What was she doing, you wonder, during all the time she hasn't found you? How was she doing?

"Well?" she prompts, rather impatiently.

You realize you've been staring at the red thinning thread between the two of you for too long. The more you gaze at it, the more fear you feel for the two of you. But there comes the love, too; she's like living deja vu. You've seen her before, you're sure. You just can't place where. But she reminds you of a good memory nested in a photo album, a sweet puppy love crush in middle school years. Eunbi is nostalgia, sweetness, affectionateness—all rolled into one pretty girl you meet by chance, who also happens to be your lover.

(Not yet, anyway, but soon.

Soon? You can't love her! If you fall in love with her, she could die. You could die. If you went ahead with this, one of you could just drop dead during a normal date. One of you would be left alone, heartbroken for life. This is a world where there would be no other one for you. No, the crush you had in middle school for whom you tried desperately to match your string with isn't your destiny. Neither was that one-night stand. There's only one for you, molded by whatever came before the world, and she just told you her name. You can't just move on to a rebound.

But you can't just... stop this from happening, can you? It's fate; there's no easy way around it. You're made to fall in love no matter what happens, no matter how short the time you have left is.

So, what should you do?)

"It's on the house," you tell her.

"Don't test me, please," she says tiredly. She's supporting herself by one arm perched on the counter, gazing at you with unamused pupils. "I've had a long night. I just need the beer and you can go your merry little way out of this underpaying convenience store."

Ouch. "Are you usually this straightforward, Kwon Eunbi?"

"Are you usually this desperate for a good fuck?" she counters smartly.

"Y-you're pretty and all," you admit. You have to admit you were not exactly just admiring her gorgeous face, but also her gorgeous body. But you have your morals, and she has hers. You have no intention that strays from wanting to settle this out. "But I don't want to fuck you. I promise."

"Huh." Eunbi smiles, crossing her arms on top of her green sweatshirt. "That's a first."

You push back her credit card, sliding it above the smooth cashier counter-table. "Do guys not, like, do stuff for you without wanting a 'favor' in return?" you ask.

Eunbi shrugs. "I guess. They just think I'm a pretty face with a pair of tits. Nothing more." She slides back her card. Her forced, sarcastic smile warns you to not play this losing game with her—you're tired, she's tired, you both want an easy way out.

"Well then let me be the first."

"And why would you do that for me," Eunbi leans over the counter, looking up at you with a sweetly challenging smile, "mister Nice Guy?"

She's right. What proper answer can you give her without sounding like a creep? What were you supposed to do, anyway? Tell her you're the love of your life who needs to spend all hours of the day with you now before it's too late?

"I guess we'll have to find out," you say steadily.

It's definitely not an answer she expected, but hey, she's smiling. It must mean something.

-

"You left your shift just like that?" Eunbi asks, looking back at the 7-11. It's a dark, pitch-black night, and the forest surrounding the area doesn't look too safe. You've ventured in scarier places before, though, so they can give as good as they can, and you'd be unbothered. Working in retail gives you that immunity.

You answer, "Yeah." Unscrew the cork from the soju while Eunbi pops open a can of sizzling beer. The smell mixes in with the natural scent of leaves and ground. Your 7-11 is set in a rather rural part of the city, as ironic and contradicting as it sounds, so the smell of gasoline and smoke is much more distant than one would think.

"Wish I could say that for myself," Eunbi says, shaking her head with a smile. God, she's pretty. She has the cutest, most mischievous-looking smile in the world. And yes, you're pushing through Korea and setting that record for her. Her smile is contained and small, not as wide as your friend Jiwoo's or as timid as Hyewon's, but her eyes slant upwards, adding to the cuteness factor. "Should have ditched that exam the second I saw Professor Bae was in the class."

"You're still in school?"

You can't remember the last time you stepped foot into a college. There's a reason you've been working at 7-11 ever since the first semester: you couldn't pay for it. You saved every penny and dime you could find, yet never got to the needed amount. This girl's lucky to even be attending classes.

Beer drapes Eunbi's plump lower lip as she takes it all in, bottoms up. You can tell she's been drinking for most of her life—she barely struggles for air while she downs the intoxicating liquid.

The can goes down, and her head remains tilted downwards from the back as well. Her eyes are a different story, though. They're hidden far back her eyelids. " Fuck, that always feels so good," sighs Eunbi.

"Careful," you add helpfully.

"Fuck you. Why do you care?"

Because I already love you. Okay, let's settle for "like," just in case you want to take things slow. But I know I love you because I've been searching for you my whole life. Because that's how it's supposed to happen. Because you're so pretty but so fucking lonely that it makes me want to protect you. Because I don't want to leave you when we both need each other, when you probably need more help than I do. Because—

"I don't know," you say. Shrug. "It feels right. Don't you think?"

Eunbi giggles a little. "Yeah, you're right. It sure does."

Suppose since Eunbi's drinking straight from the can, you can drink straight from the bottle. It's been a minute or more since you had soju. And it's... good. Weird, but still good. Drinks like these are on your neither-good-or-bad side. They're just something to fill your stomach when food becomes scarce, or when strength is so scarce you can't eat food around the house.

You would offer some to Eunbi so she can finish it instead of you, but she doesn't look like the type of girl to be able to stomach down a mix of liquids, no matter how "similar" they are. So you hold yourself back.

The forest has streetlights, so you safely go through there. It's not a typical wilderness kind of forest, but one you just like to call as one for the mass of trees. There aren't any animals—just you, Eunbi, and the pregnant moon.

Minutes pass filled with nothing but silence (except for twigs snapping), and finally Eunbi speaks up. "Yeah, I'm in school," she answers. It's probably just to fill the awkward silence, but it's already a step.

"Uni?"

"How'd you know?"

Lucky guess? Lover's instinct? You-or-me-can-die-at-any-given-second-if-we-fall-in-love instinct?

You force a grin. "Just do. Is the drinking because of the exam thing?"

Eunbi's shoulders slump. "Yeah," she says. "But I've been drinking even before that, so don't you worry. I'm an experienced alcoholic."

"Gotcha. I wasn't planning to, though."

Wrong words. Wrong delivery. You picture the frown that would darken her features, but once you look into the bigger picture, all you can see on her face is an entertained smile.

She bumps you, driving you sideways of the road. Shocked, you do the same. But she's stronger than you thought. If she put all her might into it, she can knock you down and send you rolling down the hill. And she almost, almost does, if it weren't for your grab at her arm. From there, you maneuver the force she exerts into nothing but air, pulling her to you. It ends up with her back against your front and her small face right below your chin.

And now, you're staring each other down. Great. Way to go for the first meeting. You got drunk and bumped into each other on purpose then you wrestled her to stay calm. To finish it off, there's this staring contest.

Her long dark hair rounds her face, which displays a challenge: keep your front strong. But it's not easy to when you literally have the prettiest girl you've ever seen pinned to your chest, with her back and bum pressed firmly to your front, and her pretty face looking arrogant and smug in the moonlight.

Stare her down. She looks deeply into your eyes.

One. Two. Three? Four. Then, five—

Eunbi's blink signals defeat. Still looking up at you, with her head tilted backwards, she smiles. "I like you, mister Nice Guy," she says.

"You're not so bad yourself, Kwon Eunbi."

"Hm," she chuckles. She pulls away. "What's next?"

"Mall?" you offer.

To your surprise, she laughs. "The mall? At this hour?" she asks you, just to make sure you aren't kidding or anything.

"Why not? We're both depressed kids trying to survive. Can't we call this a cheat day?"

Eunbi considers this. "As long as I ride shotgun."

"Wait," you say, holding up your hands, "how'd you know I drive a—"

Cold metal meets your palm. Eunbi's holding your ring of keys in place with your hand. Your fingers are curled around each other. Your breath feels nonexistent.

Eunbi bumps the signal button with the heel of her wrist and looks deep into the woods expectantly. Your car then beeps to life, sending a red signal to the darkness and blaring its lights. Your mouth is sore from it being wide open the entire time.

"Lucky guess" is all Eunbi is able to offer as an answer.

-

Okay, so the love of your life pickpocketed your car keys and you didn't know until she chose to tell you herself. Wifey material? Probably.

You're on the road, veering through a clear path on the way to your local mall. It's known for having a twenty-four-hour open time, so it's sure to have a majority of its stores open, even at this hour. You can probably spend a lot of time there doing fun stuff.

Eunbi's beside you in the passenger seat. The wind whips her black hair back. She's smiling; that gives you a bit of fulfilment. But then she says:

"You're a terrible driver."

"Oh yeah? I bet you can't drive for shit either!" You have to yell over the gusts of wind entering your rolled-down windows.

Grasslands and trees say hello and goodbye to your side point of view. When you were younger, you tried to say hi to them and goodbye as quickly as you could, knowing the speed of the car your father drove would make it impossible for you to have a proper time with the view. Your dad drank and drove like a maniac, hence your driving.

But you aim not to become the person your father once was.

"Okay, dad!"

Great timing. "I'm not your daddy, Eunbi!" you shoot back. "I'm just saying—"

"Nobody said you were! I said you were my dad! "

"What?"

"Nothing!" Eunbi tosses the empty can outside the window. The world is already polluted as it is. There won't be any harm in littering. "I said you were a shit driver!"

"No, I heard you!" Take a left. The soju bottles almost crash. " Dad and daddy are completely different things, Eunbi!"

"For your porn-addicted self, maybe!"

"I'm... I'm not addicted to porn!" you say indignantly. You've watched some before, but it never grew to an addiction. It's just an occasional source of dopamine on lonely nights. "Just... watch your wording, is all!"

Eunbi scoffs, smirking in disbelief. "Daddy issues?"

The car slows down, but you aren't even near the mall yet. Your shoulders tense. The mention of your father, or anything related to that, makes you feel ill.

Every day that passes, you try to convince yourself that your father only wanted the best for you. That was why he was like that. But you can't come up with a fitting justification, which probably should have made clear to you your father's heart wasn't pure at all.

What's left of it lies in a small urn back at your apartment. You didn't know why you bothered taking home an urn containing the memories of the man who hurt you, who did not look at you as if you were his own flesh and blood.

"Yeah, I think so," you mutter. You start up the car's pace again. No use trying to cover it up; the red is already fading.

Eunbi smiles tightly. "Same here. More on mommy issues, but dad... he was something else."

Laugh a little. "Tell me about it, huh?"

In a fucked up way, you and Eunbi are meant to be. Both of you are tired, both of you have (or had) horrible parents. They say that opposites attract, but love and fate can easily shoot that misconception down, because when you look at Eunbi, you can see your reflection, your self, looking back at you. The swollen eyes, tired face... they all scream you. You wonder if she knows that the two of you are bound to be together. And if she has no idea, how would you tell her?

You get off the car at the local mall. It's a lonely Friday night. Nobody is out here except the store owners and the like. Nothing and no one else.

You walk in, still in your 7-11 uniform: a white polo shirt and a green vest, complete with your name on a golden tag, and Eunbi in her green 1987 sweatshirt.

"Baskin Robbins?" you offer, spotting an ice cream stand just as you enter the building.

"I'd rather get some Sprite," says Eunbi. "But go ahead."

You purchase a birthday cake ice cream in a cup, pay the owner, and sit with Eunbi at one of the tables in front of it. She had bought her Sprite already. She's downing it like water, just like she did to the beer. The owner looks on with obvious concern.

"Are you a sodaholic or what?" you chuckle. You've never seen someone buy so many soda cans.

"It's better than continuing being a miserable drunkard," Eunbi explains. There's a cut on her lip from the sharp metal rim of the can, but if it bothers her, she doesn't show it.

Eunbi leans forward and licks her lower lip. "So."

That can't be a good sign. She looks suspicious. But you pretend that you're not anxious yourself about what would follow this conversation.

"What?"

"What's your deal?" she asks.

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't just buy me drinks on the house without a motive. What's going on here?"

She's smart, you'll give her that. But you have no doubt about her intelligence, although you've only met her an hour ago. There's the folks' tale going around that you know how and who your soulmate is, even if you've never met them before. Maybe the grandmas and grandpas were right.

But the death of the soulmate if they haven't met earlier was not just a mere myth. You've read cases about it. Lost a friend's friend's sister's friend to it. The string isn't exactly strong enough to hold for eternity.

But how can you tell her that? She might not even notice; her end of the string looks strong still, but the rest that connects you to her is already fatally weak. If you're apart for more time, it wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Because you look like you needed it," you say. That's the half of it anyway. "Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes."

Eunbi quirks a brow. "Nothing else?"

Bite your tongue and shake your head.

Eunbi juts out a bottom lip thoughtfully. "Huh." It hasn't occurred to her that it's possible for men to be like that with her. They go feral for her in the classrooms. It's nice to have someone who didn't want to do a nice gesture for her without her body playing a role in that for a change.

"You wanna know something, mister Nice Guy?" asks Eunbi.

"Enlighten me."

"That's the first time I ever felt safe with a guy at night. And yeah, I know about all that BS: 'not all men are the same.' But it's..." She squints emphatically. "Relieving, you know? You don't look like a pervert, you don't look like a fed. You don't look like you'd stuff my body down an acid pond. I feel safe with you."

"That's really flattering, Kwon Eunbi. Thank you."

"No problem," she says kindly. Her smile is a genuine bright lamp that fills the nighttime mall. She gestures to your cup of birthday cake ice cream. "Can I have some?"

And that's where it all began: a 7-11, a broken-down car, and a talk over ice cream and soda. That's how you made Kwon Eunbi yours.

-

Fast forward to a two years and five months. You're still working at a 7-11, a thing you wished would have changed. You still meet up with Eunbi, but this time, it's about something more.

The door bells jingle. She comes leaping in with dance in her skips. "Hey, hotshot," Eunbi greets you in the most unorthodox boyfriend-girlfriend manner.

Chuckle. The strings meet again. But this time, you don't worry about it. You have been with Eunbi for this long. Nothing can take her away from you. The string may be thinning by the day, but the two of you and wake up in the same bed everyday, and it seems like you've beaten all the odds. You're okay. She's fine. All is well.

Eunbi's kiss makes your cheek flush, as if the red on her lips infected the area. "Hi there yourself, Eun," you say. Yep, you're on a nickname-basis with each other. It grew after months and months of playful loving.

"I was thinking we go to the Han River tonight?" asks Eunbi hopefully. Her hands push down on the hard counter while she raises a lower leg to the back cutely. "Just you and me?"

"Why not?" You brush a kiss on her forehead. "After I finish this hour, we can go."

Eunbi smiles. "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course. I love you, too."

Looking back, you should have said that more. You really should have if you knew how the world loved to toy with you. It has to at least be expected, but you trust that everything would go well. It's been a long time since the string of red bothered you; why would you stress over it now?

-

Because of this:

One day, you'll die. You'll die alone. Whether from the fate of the string or natural cause, the only sure thing that will happen to you is death. One day, you'll have to leave her alone. If it's not you, then she will have to leave you.

But you forgot all about that. Right now, you've brought your mic and laptop to the side of the river, and you're both singing your hearts out.

Well, she is. Eunbi is an amazing singer. You found out about that when she volunteered to sing at the bar. She sang a self-composed song she sold to Woollim Entertainment, one of the leading mid-sized companies in Korea: Amigo.

"You seriously don't know how this song goes?" asks an offended Eunbi, glaring at you when you blank out halfway through the tune. "I thought you loved me!"

"Shut up and do the rap part!"

"I'm not Babysoul, you little shit!" Eunbi says, panickedly looking at the upcoming lyrics of the rap break. Rapping is not her forte.

"But you are my baby," you point out. "Now go do it, baby. Rap for me."

Eunbi cringes. However, she's laughing. "You're so ridiculo—"

Her words never find their way out.

Eunbi starts to choke. You immediately go over to her, trying to keep her steady. But she's already fallen to the ground, unable to get up. Her eyes look straight to the empty, dark blue sky, but never at your face floating above hers.

"B-baby—" she chokes out. Coughs and gags squeeze their way out from her chest. "I can't, I can't, I can't—"

"Did you swallow something, hon?" You're stuck. You don't know what to do. "Look at me, look at me, Eunbi. Please."

You hold her face in your hands and lift it up. But then you see the string that once connected the red thread from you to her. Your lifeline. It's snapped; blunt yarn-like strands disconnect your thread from hers. It can never be tied up again.

No.

Eunbi hasn't choked on anything. She's simply dying, just like how the fate of the string has foretold. It's her time to leave. You were let go, while she's taken in your place.

Somehow, she knows that, too. "I want to live," Eunbi confesses. Her eyes are two dark oceans of sadness. "Please, baby, I can't die yet. I want you here with me. Please."

You shake your head. "You're not going to die, Eunbi," you lie through your teeth. You lift up her black hair to your thigh so she can breathe properly. "I'll call the doctors, you want that? Just hold on for me, please."

"No, don't go!" sobs Eunbi, grabbing your thigh. She's crying loudly. She climbs onto your lap and hugs you with her shaking frame. She suddenly feels worryingly thin and light. "Don't leave me, don't leave me, please don't leave me."

"You're going to make me cry, pretty girl," you sob. "I can't call for help if you don't let me go."

"Please, please stay with me. I don't want to die. But everything..." Eunbi blinks twice. "Everything is so dark. I'm so alone."

That strikes a chord in you. Eunbi has talked and joked about death plenty of times, but now that she's on the brink of it, she doesn't want to give in. She can't give in.

You pull her closer and hug her hard. You begin to rock her like a doll as she grows more limp in your arms. "You're not alone. You have me, remember? I'm here. I'm going to take care of you. Remember when we first met, baby? You do? We went to that mall, right, and ate ice cream? You want to do that again?"

"Oh... oh yes, please," whispers Eunbi, nodding. But she's still not looking at you. Aside from that, her voice is incredibly weak. Her shoulders indicate the effort it takes for her to speak.

"Then you have to fight for me, Eunbi. You have to stay strong. You have to let me go so I can call someone who can help and we can do that."

She starts whimpering. "Why is this happening?" she sobs. "I just want to be okay. Why is it... why is it..."

Why is it like this?

Why does it have to be like this?

You don't tell her. Not at her last moment. On her last seconds left, you cradle and kiss her. You tell her of all the things she does and is that make you smile, of the funny moments the two of you shared in this lifetime. You tell her that if there is a next life, you'll be there with her. It wouldn't matter if you were a worm and she was the bird; you'll find a way to make it work. And oh, Eunbi, I love you so, you tell her, from the moment I first saw you. From the moment you sassed and insulted me, I knew we were meant to be. You're forever mine.

But you're wrong. The breath leaves her lips. Her soul has left. She's in another world now, where she's no longer yours.

It's over.

[biohazard-anon]

Summary: Kel'ath calls a meeting, Tovoth asks his brother a question

Content warning: none, ask me to tag

Previous:

Next:

Tagged: @kit-williams @sleepyfan-blog

@egrets-not-regrets @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan

Authors note: sorry this chapter took so long, hypomania is a bitch

Chapter 7

Apophis and the unnamed custodian stood out of the way of the incoming group of word bearers. He counted six in total.

Two of the marines split from the group to presumably set up a perimeter. The other four go to set up a stretcher to carry the body with.

Apophis looks up at the custodian.

The custodian appears to be glaring at the group of word bearers as they work. They then go to unclip their cape and walk towards the body.

A few of the word bearers back up with what he assumes is apprehension. The marines look to each other then back to the golden giant.

The custodian covers the body slowly with the cape.

They walk back over to Apophis.

"You. False salamander." The custodian states.

'Way to blow my cover' Apophis thinks.

"Yes?" He asks.

"Take me to your commanding officer. Now." The custodian demands.

Apophis nods and turns away to start walking back to base with the custodian in tow.

~~

"C'mon Tovoth! We're gonna be late for the meeting!" Iskandar says, grabbing onto Tovoth's armored hand and pulling him along.

Tovoth looks back to Sephariel.

Sephariel nods to him.

Tovoth speeds up with Iskandar. As they turn the corner they almost run into Zykord.

"Watch it!" Zykord snaps at the younger marines. He mutters to himself as he goes down the hall.

"What's his problem?" Tovoth asks.

"He hasn't seen his bonded human since last month, that's enough to make anyone grumpy." Iskandar replies.

"Bonded?"

"Short version, tied together by the warp." Iskandar explains.

"Oh."

The three marines reach the mess hall just as someone starts to talk.

"Alright everyone! settle down, settle down."

The murmuring of the other marines begins to quiet down just as the chaplain steps up onto a table in the middle of the mess hall.

Vandrur goes to say something but is interrupted by the approaching steps and the sight of a custodian ducking under the doorway to the mess hall.

The custodian is followed by captain Kel'ath and Apophis. They walk towards the front of the table Vandrur is standing on.

Vandrur grumbles as he steps down from the table and Kel'ath gets up onto it.

The salamander looks around as he adjusts his vox before he begins to speak.

"I have bad news, we have recently discovered the body of a custodian in the woods north of town."

The murmuring starts up again. Kel'ath waits until it quiets down before he continues.

"We don't know who, or what, has caused it. But what we do know is that it was murder. I would like to ask if anyone knows anything or has seen something suspicious that they share that information either with me, or with our new resident custodian Abraxas here. I am also issuing out a warning to stay in groups of at least two until we can find the culprit. That is all."

Kel'ath steps down as the room bursts with the sound of many marines talking at once.

"I cannot believe someone actually managed to kill a custodes." Tovoth says.

"They don't know that yet." Iskandar retorts.

"Then what do you think killed them?"

"I'm not quite sure myself."

Sephariel's attention drifts to the sound of someone calling his name. He looks towards the door to the mess hall, confusion written on his face under the helmet.

"Seph? Brother?"

Tovoth reaches a hand out to his brother's pauldron.

Sephariel's helmet snaps towards Tovoth.

"Iska wanted to know if he could come along to check out the ship." Tovoth says.

"Yes, he can come with."

"Oh thank you thank you!"

Tovoth then jumps up and hugs his brother. Their helmets knocking against each other. Sephariel wraps his arms around his Tovoth.

They separate and stand up, Iskandar stands up with them.

The three marines get up to leave, waiting until the other groups leave to step out of the mess hall.

Sephariel watches the two scouts as the talk excitedly about their sleepover, a smile on under his helmet.

[moss-bride]

Koi boi (Lawrence x fem!reader) Chapt:4

Dead dove do not eat.

How do deers mate?

The female doe enters estrus. The male buck enters rut. His horns shed blood lining while her hormones course through her body and shed tissue. Both lose themselves to a dance

She mulls over that weird fact while juggling the decision of her clothes trying for a look that isn't too showy. What will Lawrence wear? She generally saw him as an unkempt man. He will be choosing comfort over looks, she's sure, sweats and a thrown on sweatshirt with a red patterned shirt. Hair tied in the same loose ponytail. That's his usual outfit worn day in and day out.

Now that she thinks about it, does he even change? It doesn't seem it since the clothing that hang on him is always wrinkled.

Even though Lawrence isn't exactly fashionable she intends to impress him.

She chooses a decently short skirt with warm leggings and a long sleeve blouse. Going with something that looks pretty second and keeps warm first. She fights the sleepiness in her eyes and finishes her makeup. (lip balm and eyeliner for now,)

 The final touch prior she leaves is perfume. Unlike her clothes, this one is important, a scent can serve as a signature or introduction before she can even say a word. Lawrence is constantly checking out gardening books, it would make sense to single out a flowery or earthy smell. 

(she tucks thoughts of grass, horns and decay away for now.) 

After much debate she chooses warm Magnolia. She rubs small doses into her neck and wrists, heading out into the dark night. 

The hour he chose for them to meetup is oddly late. The streets are empty and free of human milling. Stores are closed, the windows on business buildings are dark. An hour before the bars close and past the time a usual person would be awake.

She's been to The Jackalope once in the past. A kind colleague had invited her out with the rest of the female employees sometime ago. The whole evening was awkward and she never got reinvited but she appreciated the sentiment.

She walks around the corner and makes it there in record time. Nothing changed around the place except the obvious fact that there's far less people. An employee is in the far right, wiping down the bar table, winding down after what must have been a busy night.

She spots the shiny blond hair in the corner, waiting for her. He hasn't ordered drinks yet. She takes a deep breath, gathering her courage, clutches her purse and heads his way. When Lawrence sees her he goes still

Doesn't break contact until she reaches the table.

Wearing his usual clothes as she predicted.

"Lawrence. I'm really happy you asked me out."

She could say 'No one's ever made an effort to know more about me. I feel that there is a chance we might mean something if we play our cards right. I hope -' but that would be idiotic thing to do. Worse, he might find it creepy.

 She sits across from him and he nervously flits his eyes from place to place. "I hope you weren't waiting long."

"I wasn't." he assures her. They order drinks. He gets a beer and she does the same, politely sips after his cue. Ignoring the awful taste in her mouth.

He gulps it down halfway, as nervous as she is. Yet they let the silence settle between them. They aren't talkative people and that's what makes her like Lawrence. Others would try to start a forced conversation but he's perfectly fine with the quiet in the beginning.

She tilts in to covertly sniff him. There is that familiar smell emanating from him. Overripe fruit and…decay. She never thought she could stand such a scent but maybe it's the person that makes it tolerable.

Staring at the amber surface of her drink, the light inside the bar bounced off the ice cube to give her a warped expression. She drums her finger on the table. "Is beer your go-to drink?"

He shakes his head. "I don't drink much."

"That shows a good amount of restraint." alcohol can be such a chore to avoid.

She takes a sip as he thinks. Lawrence invited her here for a reason, an intrinsic want to act on the desire to know. It's been taunting him and growing since he started to stalk her. For years he held off, swimming beyond her vision as the whispers and loneliness grew. ( After finding her, He didn't know what to do with a kindred soul. Still has no idea.)

Since asking her to the bar, he was a ball of nerves. This is his first time willingly spent in someone's company.…what questions does he ask? What does he do with his hands except ball them on his lap? He's sweating bullets under his clothes, looking anywhere but her eager eyes. The kindness in them burns because-

He's not a good person.

 And if he continues on with this she'll find that out. Part of him imagines a world where he shows her all his perversions and she doesn't turn him away. (she understood the river, can't she understand him too.) His brain knows this is naive. What sane person would want to talk to him if they knew the skeletons in his closet?

Earlier he spent the day switching between clutching his toilet bowl puking until all that was left was bile and smoking half his storage. Neighbors had sent a complaint to the apartment office because of the smell. Bitter burnt leaves and overwhelming rot. 'A skunk orgy' a neighbor muttered as he walked past today. 

 Poppy milk ridden dreams and nicotine hazed truths that for a singular moment are less daunting.  Not that it helps. The high never lasts and he's thrust back into reality. Choking through the hazy smoke to find that it's time to leave. Throwing on what he could find and marching out the door.

Currently, he feels it's too hot in here. He can't breathe-

He takes a couple of breaths to calm the nerves jumping under skin. Slow draws of life that he counts until hitting triple digits, then he calms.

 He begs his mouth to come up with something to say. But she doesn't mind his voicelessness. Her serenity eases the worst of his worry

Sensing this inner turmoil in her 'date', She begins her next question to alleviate the pressure. A statement. "So, you are a big reader." Of course he is, why else would he be in the library practically everyday?! She could bang her head against the table with how ridiculous this is.

"I like reading. Fiction and nonfiction. But especially florilegia books, they exist as a curated collection of botanical art." While he talks she keeps her expression tentative and encouraging. Gets the feeling that he's not used to talking so much. "It's an escape. A moment where I can stop being." 

She can relate to that. "Florilegia are kind of the same as bestiary books, right? Does that mean you garden?"

He enjoys this question better than the others, visibly perking up. He must be a plant person. "I do. Vines, and shrubs mostly." She wonders the number of plants he takes care of. The location of his garden can be saved for their (hopeful) next date.

Lost in the daydream she almost misses him adding on a whisper. "I like how they need me." 

When you are needed you exist to complete a function for necessity sake. She could fit that role. "Being needed can be a wonderful feeling. Makes you feel less alone." 

He flushes, seems happy that she understands.

Then he says a strange thing. "They are helpless and can't live without me, it's nice…"

She chooses to ignore that heavy statement in favor of naive delusions

Two borderline strangers, heavily sedated by anxiety and wrapped up in their own world to an almost egotistical degree, attempting to reach across the line of understanding and knowing. He's able to let go of the haunting thought of things going bad to just be there. In this empty bar with her while She leans her chin on her palm, swirling the drink in her hand. Nodding in agreement.

 "Yeah. I mean. In my opinion, Not being needed is the closest thing I ever felt to being dead."

His head snaps up and there is an edge of a glare. Too late, she realizes she said some kind of a trigger word. "Death isn't like that at all!"

His voice is surprisingly deep, gone is the forced wispy tone. She sits up straight and glances at the bartender, who's too distracted in the back to hear. Thank the Lord.

His pink face displays a new energy. She winces, apologizes." I shouldn't have brought it up." startled by his sudden exclamation she tries to smooth over the mishap. Not expecting the turn in their conversation at all.

 But he seems oddly defensive of a topic others speak on with derision and fear. "You've experienced it..."

He stutters and falls silent. Confessing. "I did." the information breaks her heart. 

She reaches across the table and holds his sweaty palm. "I have too." shaking her head she tries to gather composure by freely admitting a personal detail. She doesn't care about her death experience. "That shouldn't be a topic for a first date.," she tries to quickly move on.

It's on the tip of his tongue to ask her what she saw. He recalls that she was an infant when she died and from that, has strange images of unmoving water. He can't reveal that he knows yet.

He notices the bandages on her finger. Thickly layered but the red soaks in a bit. 

"You had an accident." She was in her restroom when it happened. 

"Oh yeah… I was clumsy and slammed it against a drawer." She lies extra prettily while shifting the hand way. She'll take what really happened to the grave because there is a high chance if she told the truth he'd pity her or look at her with disgust, either way it's a goodbye to a second date.

Lawrence is focused on another side of it. Why underwear? He wants to ask. Can you give me these bandages too? Said underwear he shoved under his pillow. Folded so the blood patch is visible and he can reach to snake it in his palm. It's faded into pink from the amounts of times his tongue brushed and sucked it 

He's gazing at the wraps with a need he hopes isn't apparent. She's too sweet.  Drawing him in to be consumed by her flame. Helpless bug that he is. 

They don't talk much, however, the air between them is one of acceptance. His anxious mind is able to think. His body doesn't need to be stopped from shaking with uncertainty. "What do you do for a living?"

He curtly responds "Warehouse. And you?" But he already knows what she does. 

She answers brightly. The job is boring and the men around her joke too often about her going home with them. Suggestive looks they give her make her gag. Lawrence wouldn't do such a thing. He's a gentle soul. She wanted his eyes on her and she got her wish, his cool gaze hardly leaves her face as she talks, 

Lined with stress and gray skin.

Instead of testosterone driven frenzy Lawrence is pensive, would never hurt a fly. Maybe it would be more accurate to call him Ferdinand in that sense. Her docile man.  "How old are you?" she asks and eagerly observes his pink lips move.

 She was right about being in his late twenties, not that it matters, she imagines she'd still be interested if he was batting a hundred. She gives him her own age and he doesn't seem to care.

'Stag' means an adult male deer. A male deer has antlers for defense and to compete with other stags for the claims of a Doe (female deer)

I'll be your Doe. Whatever you need, I'll be. She dazedly thinks as they walk side by side with each other, out the door and into the world.

His hands are in his jacket and so are hers. They should be hand holding, romance movies say that's how a night should end, but she doesn't want to push him. Lawrence might spring away. Stags are demanding things and she needs to make the necessary adjustments to have his company. She swears she won't take what isn't offered 

Yet when they arrive at her building doors she can't help but turn to him. A novel expectation that he will initiate a romantic gesture. 

"Thank you Lawrence. I had a good time."

His gaze darts. Reluctant to leave her but unsure in showing it. His fingernails bit half moons into his sweaty palm.

She goes up one step so they are the same and cups his face. At first he freezes, ready to pull back. His skin is a bit oily under her thumb, she rubs soothing circles on his cheekbones. Her deer doesn't flee. 

The moment she's been waiting for, she inches close and lays a single peck on his lips and lingers, though chaste. Taste of a misplaced sun. Smelling of things rot and sour.

Fur hyde, salt water. She closes her eyes and enjoys the still lips that part in a surprised intake. If you told her she's kissing porcelain instead of a man she would believe you. They are chapped and cold yet she loves the brief peck. It's all she dares to take right now.

"Lawrence…" She puffs his name against his frozen cheek and he shivers.

 Her touch and breath burns into his rotten core.

She's silent as he backs off, leaving her at the doorway to her building. Her final smile is soft. Dreamy. Not a goodbye but a confession. "You're wonderful."

He could be mistaken but she's looking at him in a hopeful way, as if he brought her the world. A sight too beautiful to be a lie. He desires so desperately for it to be true. For her face to be one of those rare few in the world that don't use a pretty facade to lie.

Is he as useless as a moth in this situation? 

Helplessly drawn to the first sight of distant light on the horizon with the lack of hindsight that once reached he'll be burnt to a crisp in the graze of fire. He hates it. 

His throat seizes in confusion. 'You think you can control me?!' He wants to shake her. 'I'm not giving you anything!'

Wants to frighten her for inspiring these emotions in his chest and in the same vein, sink into the hook of understanding.

Lawrence licks his lips, faintly tasting magnolias in hot may. White/green Buds bursting in full bloom. Her enthralling scent.

He decided......

Take her thread! (kidnap)

His plants will bloom and fruit but stay in the confines of a pot. They don't move or utter words of disagreement. He does what he wants without judgment or derision from them. She would go well with his other flowers.Can't stand the thought of her existing without him, leaving him on the steps to continue her life

Leave it for now (+2 more chapters of stalking before kidnapping)

What if her trustworthiness is a lie? A trap set by her because she sensed the things that are wrong with him and is closing the trap door so she can laugh and scoff with the rest of humanity

Sound the alarm and tell everyone he is not normal. It makes him angry. He can't stand the attention

If there ever was such a thing as a baseline for his fractured mind, it is slipping in running currents. He's called to a stall. Yearning to watch her for moments more. The same way one watches a thrown pebbled sink into water.

[mydarllinglover]

Alone || Mine

Previous

After the funeral, Carol had approached  Natalia, when Daryl had been distracted with getting his things ready.

She had been preparing herself to settle the tension between herself and the woman, and to ask her to join them, but Natalia was already a step ahead of her, she had already chosen that she would be accompanying them to the herd, but when she was asked why, she refused to give a reason, just that she needed it to end, once and for all, and that meant any way how, she needed to do her part.

Daryl, who still refused to say a word to her, had all but dragged the woman onto the back of his bike, whilst Carol and Aaron rode two horses.

Once they got to their destination, "parking" their "vehicles", Connie, Kelly, Jerry and Magna had appeared from the foliage.

"Hi." Daryl greeted them.

"Hey, D." Jerry replied. "Nat!"

"Jerry" She grinned, jogging forward to hug the man. "How's Nabila, and the kids."

"Y'know, like normal, heard what happened to Rosita and Archie, they alright?"

"They're... they're all good, I have a lot to thank her for." She nodded, before moving on to greet Connie, as well as Kelly and Magna.

"Let's get to it. Screw these freaks." Magna sighed. "I say that in Siddiq's honour."

"That's the spirit." Natalia looked around the woods, seeing if she could spot anything.

"Thanks for helping." Daryl thanked Connie, patting her on the shoulder.

She pulled out a notebook, preparing to give a reply.

Natalia couldn't see what it said, but she couldn't deny that she craned her neck to see.

"You okay?" Aaron peered at her, as they walked.

"Fine." She smiled at him, pretending to not even notice the two conversing.

It was nightfall by the time they had reached the new border, and with a heavy sigh, they crossed it.

Daryl had been the last person, waiting after the others.

At some point, Carol had drew her bow, seeming to have spot something, though no one really took notice, except for Daryl, as per usual.

"Hey. Wait." He called to her, spotting the bear trap. "Coulda lost a foot." He commented, when she had saw it.

"They laid traps. Means we're getting closer. I saw something over there." Carol said.

"Will you stop this shit?" Daryl asked her. "Please. You want her dead so bad, you don't even care what happens to you."

"That's not true." She denied.

"You never came off that boat." He shook his head. "It's been like talking to a goddamn ghost."

"I'm doing the best I can."

"You didn't have ta drag my wife along with this, she didn't needa be out here."

"She wanted to come." Carol corrected. "I didn't make her."

"Yeah, only cause she thinks she owes you, she blames Henry's death on herself, bin beating herself up about it all morning, causea what happened to Siddiq, with Dante. I know you went and asked her, specifically when I wasn't around."

"She's useful, Daryl. You've been forgetting that, for a while. She's skilled and she knows her way in a fight, better than most of us."

"Not anymore, she's not meant for it out here, anymore, hasn't for a long time."

"You underestimate her, she's still capable."

"Well, the way you bin acting, I don wan' her getting hurt in the crossfire." He stated, before heading forward, to join the rest, temporarily stunting Carol.

The sun had risen high when they reached a clearing, the place Mary had said the horde was, and yet, it was an empty field.

"God damn it!" Daryl cursed, turning away as though it was an offensive sight.

"Wait." Aaron told him.

"For what?" He asked.

"This doesn't mean Mary lied to us, alright?" He tried to reason. "They were protecting this place. T-They put a trap in the road as a deterrent."

"Yeah, from some hunter a decade ago."

"No, that thing was rigged more recently than that, and you know it." Aaron pointed out.

"You wanna stand around and figure it out?" Daryl challenged. 

"Look, the herd could have been here last week or yesterday."

"Or not at all." Natalia interjected.

"We!" He glanced at the woman. "Had an obligation to come check this out."

"Nah. Time to find Lydia. Let's go." He walked away, Natalia shook her head at Aaron in sympathy before also turning and leaving.

"She's our main priority." She reminded.

"You didn't have to snap at him like that, not in front of everybody." Natalia told Daryl, as they walked further ahead than the rest.

"What?" He grunted, trying to look for tracks.

"He was sure on this, and he had hope, its Aaron, you know what he's like, but you didn't have to shoot him down like that."

"I don' need a lecture, alright, we're looking for Lydia so we can get the hell back home." He finalised.

"Oh, how I wonder where our daughter gets her pessimistic attitude from." She sighed to herself.

They hadn't spoke again until they reached water.

"Lydia would have taken this river downstream." Daryl told the group. "Back to our side."

They followed, until they noticed that Carol wasn't,

"Hey, Carol. Let's go." Daryl called for her.

"You go on. I'll meet you." She told him, walking the other direction.

"Nope. We all stay together." He clarified, as though he was some chaperone on a school field trip.

She didn't back down though, so they changed course, following her.

Even when she darted through the tree's.

"Hey!" Daryl shouted, sprinting after the woman. "Carol!"

"It's Alpha, she's following her." Natalia shared, spotting the woman through the leaves as she also ran.

She had managed to pass Daryl, being faster than him, but he got the chance to catch up when she ran into walkers, taking them down, throwing them into the same hole they had passed all those months ago to find Henry and Evie.

"You alright?"  He asked, when she had thrown the last one down.

"Still got it." She huffed. "Come on. Carol's still going after her." Natalia reminded, carrying on.

Daryl had waited back though, checking for more to come, as they ran, Natalia led the rest of the group into the same walkway she saw Carol going through, though she froze when she heard it, the large chorus of walker groans.

"I think we found the herd." She sighed, as the others also stopped staring down at what looked like a hundred walkers. "Well done, Carol.

"Guess they did move them." Aaron spoke lowly.

"Y'know, it's kinda reminding me of both of my pregnancy reveals." Natalia commented, raising her brows.

That's when a loud collision sounded, Daryl rolling along the ground just above them, stopping just before the edge.

"Speak of the devil..." She sighed, whilst Jerry and Aaron helped him up.

"Pregnant?" Daryl sputtered as he got to his feet.

"No, you idiot. I said, I was getting flashbacks to both reveals." She gestured to the horde.

"Yeah, we got a way bigger problem than memory lane." Magna looked around the cave, and so did the others, without the hundreds of walkers, the cave was a danger, alone, it was small, cramped, could possibly collapse at any moment and there looked to be no way out.

"Uh. Hey, guys?" Jerry called over the noise of the walkers, looking up, bringing attention to Alpha, who was stood on a high ledge, holding an torch of fire.

Carol stared at the woman with pure hatred, the realisation that she had been tricked got to her, then... she just screamed, loud, agonisingly and long, letting out all the rage she felt, and Alpha left her to it, exiting the cave.

"Give me a boost, I think I can reach it." Magna said, staring at the platform.

"Maybe Natalia can give it a go, she'll probably be lighter." Kelly suggested, sizing everyone up.

"Pipsqueak?" Magna, assessed the small woman. "Yeah, she won't reach a thing." She then gestured for the three men to help her up, and spot her.

"Ouch." Natalia muttered to herself, halting back, letting the others help up Magna, as she dealt with the walkers that were able to climb above the others, getting pushed towards them. 

"Aah!" Magna screamed, losing her grip and falling to the ground.

"Damn. You okay?" Daryl asked, helping her up.

"I almost had it." She told him.

"Nah, it's too high, no one's getting up there." He said. "You risk breaking your neck."

"We could try hopping across." Natalia suggested

"What?" Aaron asked her.

"Look." She moved Daryl's hand, the one holding the flashlight, showing off the small platforms above the walkers. "Could use those to jump across." She signed as she spoke, her and Daryl had been learning it, as well as teaching the kids, they had decided to, after they met Connie.

"Nice." Daryl nodded, looking at her proudly.

"Wait. For real?" Kelly asked.

"Uhm, yeah, Unless you got a better idea." Natalia asked her. "I'll go first, follow my lead, but don't all bunch up, leave a spot in case I need to turn back."

"Wait, Nat, are you sure?" Aaron asked.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"Just that... you know, you got kids."

"Yeah, so do you, and you, and you." She pointed to the men in group, who were all fathers. "Alright, ready?"

"Let's go." Daryl slightly squeezed her hip as she got ready to jump, flashing the light over her head.

"Follow after, If I want anyone watching my back, it's always gonna be you." She looked up at Daryl, speaking to him quietly.

"'M always gonna. Don't die." He murmured lowly.

"You either." Then she jumped, reaching the small rock, and the walkers instantly swarmed around her.

"She did it!" Jerry whooped at her success.

"Hey." She grinned. "Look at that, I'm so small, they can barely reach me." She looked right at Magna, who didn't seem at all impressed, but Connie was also smiling nudging her friend.

"Alright, baby, keep going." Daryl told her, moving the flashlight to show her next spot.

She moved up, letting Daryl take her previous space, as she jumped to the next, which was a bit more crowded, having to kick walkers away from her, as she moved around the rock, before running along a small pathway, stopping in a crook, catching her breath.

Natalia lightly threw her arms around Daryl when he sat beside her, kissing his cheek, as the others moved along, towards them.

"You alright?" He asked.

"We're still alive, is it weird that I'm kinda having fun?"

"Yes." He stared at her.

"I don't know, guess I kinda missed when my life was on the line, getting from point A to point B, that kinda stuff, I don't know." She shook her head looking around the cave. "Up there." She pointed, standing up and moving towards it, as Carol came flying towards them.

"Hey! Hey! Come on! Come on!" Aaron began shouting at Kelly, who had just jumped, but fell, hitting at walkers as she scrambled to her feet.

"Come on, I gotchu!" Daryl told Carol, as she prepared to join them.

Carol jumped, but had also skidded, falling and landing on her stomach, walkers reaching at her feet whilst Daryl pulled her up.

"Nice going, like a real knight in shining armour." Natalia commented at him completely not having her.

"Shut up." He scowled, when they were sure Carol was alright.

They then helped the rest over, making sure everyone was okay.

That was until one walker had clung onto Kelly's foot, but Jerry acted quick, using his large axe to chop it off.

"Hey, hand me that thing." Daryl told him, gesturing to the arm.

"Knock yourself out, dude." Jerry said as he passed it to him.

He had ended up turning it into a torch, using it to navigate as they made their way through the mine.

"Alright, I need you to stay here, alright, keep everyone together." Daryl told Natalia, passing her his severed arm torch.

"What, where you going?" She asked.

"Gonna go look around for a way out." He told her, as though that were obvious.

"Nuh uh, Connie, take this, I'm going with you." She handed the severed arm torch to Connie, following Daryl.

Should I even ask how we're doing on food?" Aaron asked Jerry.

"Not great."

"Food?" Kelly asked. "How long do you think we gonna be here?"

"Hey, no worries. Walkers got in here somehow. We'll get out." Jerry attempted to reassure her.

"I think we know exactly how they got here.  Alpha put them here. These are theirs. We have to assume we're not alone." Aaron theorised.

Connie signed to Carol, asking if she was okay.

"I'm fine. Just a lil winded." She replied.

"She's claustrophobic." Daryl answered, as they made their way back over.

"Why didn't you think about that before you got us all trapped down here?" Magna asked.

"Hey." Aaron told her, not wanting to start anything. "It's not the time for this."

"Why not, seems like we got plenty of time for this." She shrugged. "What the hell were you thinking, huh? Running off like that by yourself?"

"Because she doesn't think, she see's and she does." Natalia said. "That's Carol, to hell with the actual important stuff that's going on."

"Hey! We ain't got time for this shit." Daryl told them. "We got in this mess together. We're gonna get out of it together. Now follow me, I think I found a way out."

They had found a large "room" to set up camp in, sorting themselves out, plotting.

"What did you mean, when you said that this place reminded you of when you found out you were pregnant." Kelly asked, filling the silence.

"Long story." Natalia answered, as she layed on her back, staring at the ceiling.

"It's either that, or we can go back to figuring out who's to blame for all of this." Magna said, her tone sounded awfully sarcastic, though.

"Fine, It was a whole bunch of us, all the leaders, basically, we took a trip to a museum in D.C and they have, had this uh, glass floor, so you could look down at all the exhibits, though, at this point, the only thing you could see was dozens of walkers, and as I was walking along it, it started to shatter, which did wonders for my self- esteem , as you can imagine, and as I fell through, like a swinging pinata, Siddiq decided to radio in and tell me that I was pregnant... with twins." She recounted that time, around seven years ago.

"Wow." Kelly raised her brows.

"Yep." Natalia had closed her eyes, her head leaning on her folded arms.

"And the other time?" Magna asked.

"Oh... I didn't actually find out then, he did." She pointed at her husband, who was sat by himself, in front of a fire he had built.

"The story of Archie? We never got to hear about this, either." Aaron, who was beside Jerry, shared.

"Yeah, I wanna hear this." The large man grinned.

"Too bad, I don't feel like sharing anymore." She decided.

"But..." Aaron began to complain.

"I don't wanna talk about it, because instead of being with my 1 year old baby, I'm stuck in a fucking cave."

"You chose to come." Carol remined.

"No one mentioned a cave." She replied. "Or that we were gonna be here... for hours, with nothing to do... just waiting... for a stroke of luck, or death... hopefully soon, I'm not picky."

"She's kidding." Aaron assured Kelly, who was looking terrified by each passing word. "Nat... Nat tends to get morbidly sarcastic when she's either bored or scared. Right now, that's both."

"Naming your son Archie, is a lil on the nose, isn't it?" Magna asked, looking at Daryl.

"I didn't name him, wasn't even there when he was born." He sniffed, examining his knife.

"What do you mean?" Jerry asked.

"Birthed and delivered him, myself, just like the twins. Not bad for a pipsqueak, huh?" She opened one eye, glancing at Magna, who rolled her own. "And I named him after two of my best friends, father and son, just combined the first letter of their names though, Archie Carl."

"Natalia, you are the most terrifying person I've ever met." Aaron complimented her.

"Thank you, Aaron, it means a lot to be taken seriously."

They had sat in more silence, until Magna stood up, walking towards Daryl, with a limp.

"Hey. Hey... can I, Can I get matches?" She asked him.

"You should try to take it easy for a minute." He told her.

"I can't." She breathed heavily. "I need to do something."

He caved, handing her the box.

"Thanks." Magna said, as she accepted them, then walked away, then Carol sat beside him.

Natalia moved to lay on her side, her back to them, so she didn't have to unwantedly over-hear their conversation, she needed to rest, for her own sanity, but she really, really didn't want to die in this cave,

It was quiet for quite a while, before Magna had shouted at them.

"Skins!" She cried, and everyone was up in the second, running towards her.

Magna was trying to fight one off as more emerged.

One, a stocky looking man, had lunged at Natalia, aiming to stab her, but she managed to duck, knocking him on his ass, before stabbing her knife into his skull, she turned around and the others were doing the same, killing without hesitation.

Daryl stood back from his, looking around, whilst another came running at him from behind, but Natalia was quicker, throwing an knife into their head.

"Let's go." Daryl decided, turning in the way they had come from, bending slightly to retrieve Natalia's knife, wiping it on his trousers, handing it back to her as though it were a relay race.

They had ran into another room/spot.

Connie began signing in frustration.

"If we don't follow each other in the dark, we're gonna get split up." Kelly translated.

"She's right. We stick together." Carol agreed.

"At least we know there's a way out now." Aaron said.

"Yeah, but where?" Magna asked.

"I think they went this way." Jerry suggested.

"You see where they went?" Daryl asked him.

"Not exactly, but... I know a road sign when I see one." He shone his flashlight on an arrow, that had been carved into the rock.

Daryl followed it, and the rest followed him.

"Hey, come on." He hollered, reaching something that had caused him suspicion.

Connie shone her light into the crack, but nothing seemed to be jumping out at them, just a path.

"I'll go through." Natalia suggested.

"Naw." Daryl shut her down, instantly.

"I can fit." She argued.

"So can I, I'm going first." instead of giving her space to make her piece, he squeezed through the rock.

Natalia huffed, folding her arms in frustration, leaning against the wall.

"He loves you." Connie signed, nudging her. "And he wants to protect you."

"I don't need protecting, I'm fine to look after myself." She signed back, though hers was a lot slower as she remembered which word meant what sign.

"He knows that, but he's scared, and the best way he can deal with that is by taking charge."

She shrugged not knowing what to say, but feeling slightly defeated.

"Are you guys doing okay?"

"You seem to know more about my husband, then I do, these days."

"This is it." Daryl called, from inside the tomb.

Natalia was the first to move, pushing off the rock to go after him, letting the others follow after her.

"Hey, Nat?" Jerry called, from the back. "I'm really jealous of you, right now."

"I would love to trade, Jerry, obviously, after we get out this cave." She replied, back. "We're almost there, anyway."

She had reached Daryl, who was stood, staring at another hole, except this one wasn't walk through-able, they would have to crawl through it.

"Mine." Natalia decided, getting ready to climb in.

"Nat, no-"

"Nuh uh, this has my name written all over it, you can join the queue." She told him.

"I don't want ya doing that."

"And you think I want you to? Look, I can easily get through that, you're gonna struggle, and so is everyone else, I don't wanna wait behind you lot, besides, if it's a dead end, it's gonna take me half the time to figure that out, then it is you, so I'm going first."

"She has a point." Magna said.

Natalia saw the confliction on his face, and as he was about to speak his mind, she kissed him, briefly, giving her enough time to startle him and sneak into the hole, crawling through.

"Hey, you alright, back there?" Aaron called to Jerry, as the rest were crawling through.

"Yeah, sure, I'm just a 6,2ft dude that had trouble fitting into airplane bathrooms. Why wouldn't I be okay?" He grunted.

"Fair enough." Aaron nodded.

"Hey, quit your whining, I can see the end." Natalia called, "It's like, a hairs away."

"Who's hair are we talking about, before the twins, or after?" Aaron called.

"Don't get her started." Daryl sighed.

"Aaron, you know I don't like to talk about that, okay? It's a real sensitive subject for me." She admitted. "Hey, I'm out! Baby, come on!"

"I'm comin'" He breathed, crawling forward.

"It's so spacious out here, oh wow, come on, keep coming, the oxygen here is great."

Daryl came struggling out, then Magna, Kelly was after.

"I'm good." She told them, as she fell to the floor, despite Daryl helping her out.

Carol's breathing had gotten out of control, by the sounds of it, she was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack, if she wasn't already in one.

"Carol! Carol!" Daryl shouted down the hole, trying to spot her in the very dim light.

"I'm here." She said, weakly.

"Hey, Carol, there's nothing to be scared about, alright, you're so, so close, just a little further." Natalia told the woman. "You've almost made it, and this is like the least scariest thing you've ever done, this is nothing compared to the thing's you've accomplished."

She was still struggling.

"Carol, I get your pain, okay, I understand, I understand it more than anyone could, okay, you know my daughter, my first one, before Evie, damn, when I lost her, I thought my life was going to end, and it did, it did feel like that, but then it didn't and I- I got to greive and I got to live a life that I could imagine her being a part of everyday, but yet, the vengeance I feel, that's never left me, to this day, I still wish I could cause harm over what happened to her, so I get your need to hurt Alpha, believe me, I do, but you're not going to get that satisfaction if you die in here, because you refused to move, but when you get out, I promise you, nothing on this earth will stop me from helping you see her bleed, I swear that on my life, but I need you to get out of that damn crawlspace, so we can drop that bitch and be done with this, with her stupid rules, and her meetings, all of it, so I need you to get the hell out, Carol."

"I can't." She whimpered. "I can't!"

"You can!" Natalia snapped. "You can, y'know why we named our daughter after you? Because you are brave, and you are strong, and one hell of a fighter, nothing stops Carol Peletier from getting to where she needs to be, nothing, because you are not scared of anything, even crawling through this, don't make us have named our child after someone who couldn't crawl through a damn tunnel, at least go down fighting, so we have a story to tell."

They heard movement, Carol was crawling through.

She felt a pat on her back, looking to her side.

"Thanks." Daryl muttered.

"I didn't do it for you, she needed a reality check, it's a long time coming." She smiled, reaching for his hand to hold.

When Carol had reached them, Natalia took the flashlight from her hands so that Daryl could help her out.

"Go ahead." She told him, as he carried her out of the cave

"I got you, I got you." He grunted, dealing with her weight.

"You did it." Natalia whispered to the woman, smiling, before turning back to the hole. "Right, three of you guys left, you got it."

"Hey, love the support, Nat, I really do, it's a nice change for you... but, just be quiet for a second." Jerry instructed, as something started whizzing.

"What is it?" Aaron asked.

"Aaron, man, be quiet." Jerry told him, as the whizzing continued.

Then was the sound of angry walker growls.

"Go, go, go! Go!" Jerry shouted, as Connie and Aaron clambered forward.

"Go, go, go!" Aaron tapped Connie, pushing her forward, faster.

Connie soon emerged, Natalia stepping back so she could climb out.

"Jerry, come on!" Aaron called back, as he also clambered out.

"Come on! Come on!" Daryl encouraged.

"Jerry, come on! You're almost there!" Aaron bellowed, when Jerry got to the tight bit.

"Guys! I'm... I'm stuck." He told them.

"Here, take my hand." Daryl said, reaching to grab for him.

Jerry groaned as he stretched himself tall, reaching for the other man.

"My feet! My feet! They got my feet! They're biting my feet! My feet!"

"Take your gear off!" Aaron suggested. "Take it off!"

He did as told, passing it forward.

"Come on, come on, give me your hand!" Daryl continued, as Jerry kicked at the walkers.

Daryl and Aaron were able to get a hold of him, pulling him out.

Natalia stabbed the walker that followed.

"You good?" Kelly asked, as they checked him for bites. "It's okay. They didn't bite through. You're good. It's all right. It's okay."

They all looked ahead, there was a small light, from up top, shining down onto the dark rock.

"Hey. Hey!" Magna called, standing up. "Look"

"Wait!" Daryl grabbed her around the waist, as she almost plummeted to her death, a large, dark void was just below.

Daryl tore off the arm of Natalia's latest kill, lighting it on fire and dropping it down, illuminating the horde just below them.

They had found another area, that had been boarded up with slabs of wood, Daryl had been the one to break through it.

The group walked through, silently, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did, and they hadn't found anything, either.

"Why are we standing around, just looking at it?" Magna asked.

"We got to be very careful." Kelly translated for Connie. "We take out the wrong piece, this whole thing's gonna collapse."

They took this in mind, as they looked for their exist.

"Alright, find something to dig with." Daryl told everyone, as they heaved and hooed.

"Hey, Aaron, can you help me with this?" Jerry asked, as they worked together.

"Yeah, yeah." He nodded.

"Kelly, what's that?" Natalia asked the young woman, seeing the box she had just uncovered.

"Look for yourself." She grinned, holding up a stick of dynamite. "Guys, look what I found!"

"Kelly! Uhm, that's great, but, that is dynamite, and unless you want to blow up into a million pieces, drop it!, like it's a new born baby!" Natalia demanded.

"What's going on?" Carol asked.

"Nothing, uhm, it's nothing, she thought she found something, but she didn't, it was just a cool looking rock." Natalia lied through her teeth, blocking Carol's view.

"But-" Kelly intervened, having dropped off her new find.

"Zup"

"No, but I-"

"Zup." Natalia repeated.

"But-"

"Kelly, go help the others, now." Natalia told her, pushing the girl around Carol.

"Nat?"

"It's fine, I don't wanna bore you with a rock, we haven't got time for that." Natalia walked away, quickly.

"Want to take a break?" Aaron asked Magna, as they lifted things around.

"I can rest when... when we get home." She replied.

"You in a hurry?" He pried.

"I just don't wanna hang out here any longer than I have to. Do you?"

"No, but... you barely rested, haven't eaten anything. You never stop."

"I didn't leave things good with Yumiko." She breathed, heavily.

"I'm sorry." He squeezed her arm in condolence.

"Me, too."

Daryl had found something, yanking at it hard, until it broke, falling to the ground with a cloud of dust.

"You okay?" Natalia asked, as he backed away, covering his mouth.

"Yeah." He nodded, "Fine, now." He pointed at the window he just opened up to the outside. "Come on, go." He gestured for Kelly to peep out."

"Just a little more." She told them.

"Where's Carol?" Daryl asked, as the others gathered around the exit.

"I have an idea," Natalia grumbled, heading towards the now rifled through, box of dynamite. "For fuck sake." She sighed, heading back to where Carol would be.

When they had found her, she was hanging of the edge of the rock, right over the horde, struggling to get up.

Natalia had been the one to go to her, she didn't trust Daryl getting over the rocks.

"Carol, come on." She held her hand out for her. "Just grab my hand, okay? I'm right here."

Carol latched on, and together, they were able to get her up.

"You okay?" Natalia asked, as they still clung to each other?

"We can take out half her horde from here." Was Carols reply.

"And that's worth risking your life for?"

"She killed my boy." Carol broke down.

"I know, Carol, and I am so sorry that she did, but this? You just can't do this, you can't live your life suicidally, he would never want that, you can't let his death be in vain, cause then, then she would win, and you can not let her win, we need to make her pay, this? She can always get more walkers, and she'll just double it next time, no, you need to do what she did to him, to them, you need to take her head, and that's when it stops, that's when this ends, and you can't do that if you're down there. Come on."

Natalia went to move back, and she thought Carol would too, but then she reaching for the stick, dropping it, and they both watched in horror as it fell into the horde.

"Hey! Come on!" Daryl called to them to come back, as the walls around them shook.

"She- She's bleeding." Natalia wheeped, as they reached Daryl, blood was dripping down Carol's face, it was all she could see.

"So are you!" He told her, grabbing hold of her, just as Connie and Magna came, helping support the two.

"Come on! Come on! Hurry!" Magna rushed them towards where Jerry was holding the support beams, by himself.

"I can't!" He grunted, struggling with the weight.

Magna helped Natalia stand, whilst Daryl squeezed her arm.

"You keep her safe, you get her out of here, Imma help from up there." He told her, squeezing the woman's hand again, before darting to the top.

"Give me her hand, I'll pull her up!" Daryl shouted down, when he was ready.

"No, no she goes first, she's bleeding." Natalia urged.

"Nat, so are you!" Magna told her.

"She's bleeding, get her out of here!" She pushed, hitting Connie to get Carol to move.

Connie helped push Carol up, as more rubble fell down.

"We've got more skins!" Magna cried, letting Natalia stand on her own, so she could fight.

Jerry screamed in agony refusing to let go.

"Get outta here!" Magna cried.

"I- I gotta help" Natalia, who was going considerably pale, stuttered, looking for her knife.

"Nat, I love you, but you need to get the hell out of here, before I drop this on you" Jerry told her.

"Hey, come on!" Daryl shouted down.

"But they're-"

"Go!" Jerry screamed at her. "Daryl, your wife, she ain't looking so great, you're gonna have to help her!"

"Nat, baby, come on, just give me your hand!" Daryl told her desperately.

She caved, staggering up, and as soon as they caught sight, Aaron and Daryl yanked her up.

"She's bleeding, real bad." Aaron looked at Daryl nervously.

"Jerry, come on man!" Daryl ignored it, wiping at the blood coming from a large gash on Nat's hairline, dripping down her face.

"We gotta help them" She almost whispered, reaching down as, they tried to pull her away, whilst Jerry climbed up.

They had three seconds to run before the mine exploded, sending a large thick cloud of dust into the air.

The group coughed as they got their barings.

Daryl looked around him, but he couldn't see her, he could've sworn she tried to pull away, but he held on to her, he did, right, he pulled her back, so why wasn't she by his side?

"Nat? Nat! Natalia!" He called, running to the rubble, turning over the rocks. "Nat? Nat, baby, where are you?"

He threw the rocks, as more dust clouded his vision.

"Natalia!"

"No!" Kelly cried, realising that her sister hadn't emerged from the mine, neither had Magna, but he couldn't focus on that right now. "No! No! No!"

"Nat, baby, where are you, please." He begged, as he searched.

Aaron had helped him, then, he found her.

"Daryl..." He said, his voice shook. "Daryl... I- I found her."

He turned in a mili-second, almost running to the man, until he froze, staring at her body, her unmoving body.

"Daryl...." Aaron whispered, as he darted to her.

"Nat?" He threw the large plate of rock that was over her arm, now, it looked out of place, her wrist was bent, he could've sworn that was her bone sticking out.

Her eyes were closed, there was a slash across her cheek, her head injury looked more and more bloody, her skin, that he could see under the dust, was ghost pale.

Daryl held her, her head fell down as his arm supported her neck.

"Nat, baby..." His voice was weak, he layed his head on her chest, listening for a heartbeat. His own fluttered when he could hear it, weak and soft, but there, her pulse was near enough the same, but she was still alive. "Help me!" He shouted to Aaron. "Help me!"

"Daryl-"

"Help me! She's alive! She's-... she's alive, just, just help me, please!"

"This blast is gonna call walkers and Whisperers from a hundred miles from here!" Kelly yelled, staring at the wreckage, from where her sister was buried in. "We don't want our backs pressed against this mountain when they come. We can't save her if we're still here, and we can't save them if we're dead."

"She's- we're, help... help- we're gonna get help, and they're gonna, they'll" Daryl could barely make out his sentence, his eyes welled up as he held Natalia tightly, lifting her off the ground.

"Go ahead, say it to me." Carol

whimpered, clinging onto his arm, but he shoved her away. "I deserve it. Just say it to me. She's going to die because of me. You were right about everything. Just say it to me."

He struggled to get past her again, but she grabbed him once more.

"No, please." She wailed. "You care about her. You've loved her for so long. And now she's going to die because of me. Please, just say it! Please say it!"

He ignored her, turning back to Aaron and Jerry.

"Take her. Go home and get her help, you... you'll get her there. Evie, Rosita, they can help her." He walked towards Jerry, who met him half way. "You... you protect her, you keep her breathing till she can get help." He told him, not giving her up yet.

"I will, Daryl, I will." Jerry looked at him sincerely. "All of us will have to have been dead before anything could happen to her."

Daryl looked down once again, even like this, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever graced his eyes on.

His lip trembled as he took her in, leaning his forehead on hers.

"You stay alive" He whispered. "You stay alive for Evie, For Daisy and Bambi, for Archie, and for me. God damn it, you stay alive for me, Natalia Isabelle Dixon, you fucking stay alive... I love you." He kissed her forehead before letting the large man take her, gently, he made sure she was safe and comfortable, even if she was unconscious, before he turned away, passing Carol without acknowledgement, once more.

"Tell the others we found the horde." He told the group.

"Where you gonna be?" Aaron asked.

"They got out before us." His voice shook, as he fought back tears. "There's gotta be another way in." He needed to stay busy, there was nothing he could do for Natalia, and he'd lose the strength to not hurt Carol if he stayed around, he needed to stay busy, and away.

Jerry walked in the direction of home, holding onto Natalia tightly, muttering words to her every so often, to remind himself that he wasn't holding a dead body, no matter how it felt, Kelly walked in his shadow, whilst Aaron limped behind, focusing on getting home, focusing on getting one of his best friend's back so she could stay alive.

They left Carol.

Next

[bonesandthebees]

And Phil pieces everything together so quick when he sees Sneeg. He just has to see him to know what happened, only really getting it confirmed with words.

There's just something so sweet about Phil not even thinking twice about Tomys when he hears the carriage hasn't returned. It's Wilbur. It's all Wilbur, Wilbur is the only one who matters. Who cares about anything else?

Power is so easy but his son isn't. And we see that both here from Phil, but also from Wilbur's POV. Phil makes mistakes, so many. Constantly having him under surveillance allowing no privacy, such a huge part of being young is hiding stuff from your parents, and Wilbur never gets to do that. And Wilbur gets so much paranoia because of it, as he should. But it's to keep Wilbur safe.

And this one time Phil can't get to him! This one time Wilbur is completely out of reach!

And Sneeg… poor guy. "Hey… So uh, you know how uh, your son left for L'mannes? Who you love very much and do everything for? And he… well, he supposed to return like an hour ago… About that…"

I can not wait for more Phil POV, it's so interesting to see everything from his side of things. His relationships, his thought process, and his absolute determination to get this sorted. RIP whoever hired those bandits. Wilbur might be alive, but whoever hired them certainly won't be at the end of this if Phil has anything to say about it (which he definitely has)

This was such a good chapter and I'm so excited to see how it continues!

-🐚

phil didn't get to where he is by not picking up on the subtle clues. he's incredibly smart, which is what makes this news all the more painful. how could he miss this? how could something like this happen to his son right under his nose? and of course, who gives a shit about this game between the potential heirs when his son might be dead?

phil has fucked up in many ways, and of course the one time he lets wilbur out of his reach this happens. it's the kind of painful irony that just happens in a world like theirs. these games are dangerous and phil knows that.

literally poor fucking sneeg man he got woken up by a servant telling him the carriage didn't come back yet and he was like "oh fuck me" because he knew he would have to be the one to tell the consil 😭

I'm sooooo excited to write more phil POV I love rose!phil he's so fun

thank youuuuu I'm so glad you're enjoying so far!! I'm so close to being done with the tntduo thing so once I write just one last scene then I'll be able to jump back into rose. so happy to welcome you to the anon ranks!!

[riahlynn101]

"Eyes Are the Reflection of the Soul" (1).

Summary: Jokes aside, there's a reason Hisashi Midoriya hasn't returned home to his family.

-x-x-x-

"Izuku screams, flailing his legs. “Help!”

“Are you working for them?” The man asks, getting close to his face. In response, either out of discomfort or pettiness, Izuku shuts his eyes and turns his face away, unwilling to engage.

“No,” he finally says after feeling the man’s grip tighten around his wrists. “No, I’m not.”"

Trigger warnings: Blood, heavily implied child death, grief, inaccurate portrayal of mental illness, and torture (mostly implied).

Spoilers for the ending of 424! Kind of, none of this happens, but someone does show up. (We just don't know who yet).

This story is dedicated to the person that commented on an edit I made of Tenko (RIP) on TikTok and told me that the person at the end of 424 is actually Hisashi Midoriya. - I now can't stop thinking about that possibility, so thank you.

--

Hisashi gasps. Awareness comes back to him like a semi-truck crashing into him. He wriggles, but finds his arms and legs are binded to a chair. To make matters worse, he’s been gagged, and no matter how hard he tries, his quirk is useless against the material.

If he had to use one word to describe the room he’s currently trapped in it would be, ‘white’. White ceiling. White floor. White walls. White. White. White.

The only light comes from a bare bulb hanging over his head, a metal pull string dangles just out of reach (well, if his hands were actually free that is). The room is empty of anything besides the chair Hisashi’s tied to. His blood drips onto the floor, contrasting with the bright white. He sucks in a breath through his gag. His dark hair hangs over his eyes.

He can’t remember how he got here. The last few hours are a blur.

He remembers leaving his house.

He remembers getting in his car, driving to the harbor, and parking a few blocks away.

He remembers getting out of his car and nothing else.

It’s like his memory’s been scrubbed. Or maybe, the dull ache radiating from the back of his head tells him, some low-level thug cracked him over the head.

Guess the boss found out.

A door is thrown open to his left. It fits seamlessly into the wall, so he jumps when it opens suddenly.

“Hello,” a short, stout man in a lab coat says. He pushes a cart.

Hisashi tries to take in everything about the man. Anything that could possibly help him when he gets free. His face is familiar. One of the boss’ minions, perhaps?

He tries to speak through the gag with no success. “Wh’v ‘r v?”

The man chuckles. “Who am I?” He clicks his tongue, pushing the cart right in front of Hisashi. “It shouldn’t matter to you.”

His eyes widened, because laid on the metal surface of the cart, are photos of his wife and son dead. His beautiful Inko’s hair is darker than usual, blood staining her hair, face, and clothes. She lays sprawled out on the floor; arms tied behind her back. The shadow of the camera man can be seen hovering over her, capturing her final moments.

Hisashi shuts his eyes, forcing down the wave of emotions that overtake him.

“Look,” the doctor laughs, grabbing his chin. “Look at what you did.”

He opens his eyes, but he can’t make himself look at any of the other countless photographs. The idea of seeing what became of his son is too much. The doctor doesn’t seem to like this, because he grasps a fistful of Hisashi’s hair and forces his head downward.

His eyes, against his will, catch a glimpse of his son’s fate. His baby….

He coughs, bile forcing its way up his throat. The gag stops most of it from leaving his mouth. Hisashi’s head spins.

(His son…why would they?....Izuku, baby…..).

The doctor jabs a finger into his cheek, laughing cruelly. “Like what you see?”

He does not. At all. But he can’t muster the strength to tell him that.

“No?” The doctor sighs. “That’s disappointing. Oh, well. I suppose I should tell you why you’re here.”

Next to the photos is a tattered but well-loved baby blanket. The exact same one they brought Izuku home from the hospital in. Blood stains the blue fabric. That, more than anything else, convinces Hisashi that all of this is real. His son refuses to go anywhere without it, dragging it around the house and occasionally out in public.

Images of his family’s demise, illustrated so vividly by a thousand-dollar camera, flash through his head. Over and over and over again. Splashes of deep red on forest green, dripping and spilling and ruining everything.

“AHHHHH!” He screams. The gag is singed as his quirk is let loose. The doctor tells him to calm down, but Hisashi is beyond reason. He prizes himself on having excellent control of his quirk (something he owes to his now-deceased parents who put him in quirk therapy after he burned down their house). But none of that matters now. Nothing matters now. He’s the only one left.

The door slams open.

“Hold him down,” the doctor says, pointing at him. “Sensei, doesn’t need another hideout burnt down.”

Hisashi is forced out of his chair. Two men, bigger and stronger than him, hold him down. The doctor makes quick work of placing a muzzle over his face. “This is fire-proof,” he mutters. “Perfect for someone like you. Wouldn’t you agree, traitor?”

-x-x-x-

Izuku screams, jolting awake. The nightmare he’d been having is already starting to fade, but he knows from past nights that it has something to do with the war. He also knows that it changes - seeing Kacchan covered in blood and unmoving, his mentor fighting All for One, or failing Ten-

He sits up, placing a hand over his racing heart. It’s been like this since the war ended a month ago. Sometimes the nightmares follow him into the waking world. Flashes of images, barely glimpses, stampede through his mind. It never lasts long - maybe three or four seconds. But everytime it feels like a life sentence. It almost feels like he’s there, experiencing it all again.

Talking to Mr. Aizawa about it would be the wisest choice, if not going straight to Hound Dog. But everyone is so busy (too busy for him certainly), and it’s not like a few scary images will kill him.

He looks at his alarm. The red glowing numbers read: 1:30 am. Izuku sighs, resigning himself to staring at the ceiling. He lays back down, ignoring the way his sweat soaked shirt clings to his back.

-x-x-x-

“I can’t take it anymore Mon!”

“Is…is Shigaraki still in there?”

Stumps where his arms used to be. Useless as he himself has always been and always will be.

“Midoriya!” Mr. Aizawa yells. Something in his voice startles Izuku out of his thoughts. A creeping concern that is plain as day, especially when he looks up and meets his homeroom teacher’s eyes.

His classmates have a similar look in their eyes as well, but they have the decency to look down at their desks (somehow that makes Izuku feel worse. It reminds him of the few kind people at Aldera that wouldn’t make fun of him but would also look the other way when he got bullied. Putting their heads down or holding their hands over their ears, as Izuku begged for help).

“Sorry,” he clears his throat, clasping his hands together on his desk. “What was the question again?”

“See me after class,” Mr. Aizawa says instead of whatever he originally asked. He calls on someone else.

Izuku stares at the empty seat ahead of him.

Kacchan….

-x-x-x-

By the time the bell rings for lunch, Izuku has zoned out and zoned back in more times than he can count. His classmates send him pitying smiles as they file out of the room. Uraraka pats his arm as she passes.

“Be strong,” she whispers.

Iida is more blunt but no less kind. “Be honest.”

And then, they’re alone.

“Midoriya,” Mr. Aizawa starts. “What’s gotten into you?” There’s nothing in his tone that indicates an accusation, but with how fast Izuku’s heart is racing it might as well be.

“Not- nothing. I…um…it’s just been hard since the war ended.”

Mr. Aizawa doesn’t say anything. It makes his heart beat faster as his brain struggles to come up with a coherent reason.

“And…uh…um….I guess it’s hard to sleep sometimes.”

“You’re tired?”

“No, well, yes. But that’s not what it is. I promise it’s not on purpose. I really have been trying to sleep.”

Mr. Aizawa tilts his head. “I figured. Have you talked to Hound Dog, yet?”

Izuku frowns, looking at the ground. It’s not that he dislikes their school’s guidance counselor, but he would be lying if he said that the pro hero doesn’t scare him a little. The last time he got scolded by him, while dealing with Gentle and La Brava, felt like enough interaction for a lifetime.

“Midoriya, you need to talk to someone. And if that someone isn’t me or Hound Dog, then it has to be someone else. But you need to talk to someone.”

Izuku shakes his head. “I’m fine,” he says, forcing a thin smile. His teacher looks thoroughly unconvinced, almost worried. “I am,” he insists, smiling wider. “Today was just an off day.”

Mr. Aizawa narrows his eyes. “Are you sure?”

No, no, he isn’t. Izuku has never been less sure in his entire life. Everything feels not quite right, like someone has come in and placed all his things two inches to the left. But saying that would be admitting that he has a problem. A problem that, in the grand scheme of things, is insignificant.

“Positive.”

-x-x-x-

Lunch doesn’t make him feel any better. Todoroki and Uraraka are distant - understandably so - and are almost adamant about keeping Izuku at arm's length. He tries not to take it personally. He can’t imagine how much they’re suffering (fighting your own brother can’t be easy. And he has no idea what went down during Uraraka and Toga’s fight, but it’s changed something deep within her.)

His other friends try to keep the peace. Iida is more talkative than usual, filling the quiet with updates about his family (his brother is doing well, better than the doctors could have possibly hoped).

Izuku finds himself looking around the cafeteria, searching for the one person that might understand him. Only that person is still in the hospital, their heart being closely monitored.

“Midoriya,” Iida says. His eyes are soft but determined, much like they were that day in the rain. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Izuku stares down at his still-full plate. He pokes at his rice, stomach roiling at the idea of eating anything at all. “Yeah,” he mutters. “Just tired is all.”

-x-x-x-

The sun has only just started to set. The sky is full of pinks and soft oranges. It’s late June, so there’s no chill that follows the sun going down.

Izuku got permission to go for a run off school grounds. Mr. Aizawa hadn’t wanted to grant it, still shook up from the (second) loss of his long lost friend, but he relented when Izuku promised to keep his cellphone (tracker and all) on him.

While U.A. is almost completely rebuilt, the homes and businesses around it aren’t. Rubble has been cleared from the road but it remains off to the side, forgotten for the time being. Houses burnt and half-decayed sit abandoned.

Izuku pays it no mind. The people and shop owners here were among the first to be evacuated to safety. Hopefully no one was foolish enough to stay behind.

Glass crunches under his feet as he runs along the darkened street. He runs and runs until the sun has set behind the horizon. Usually, this would trigger the streetlights to turn on, but they aren’t there anymore. The remainder of them lie in pieces along the sidewalks (or what used to constitute as a sidewalk).

He finally stops for a moment, panting and heart pounding, near the konbini he and his class used to go buy food at. It’s in a sorry state now, less a building and more a rundown gazebo.

Izuku puts his hands on his knees, allowing himself a moment to breathe. It’s quiet out here, he realizes, comparing it to the constant chatter of his classmates.

It’s quiet out here.

The hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He looks back at the glass-less windows of a house. No one’s there. He huffs, standing straight. Of course, there’s no one there. Most of the villains have been rounded up and the civilians have been instructed not to return until further notice.

But the minute he turns back around there’s….also no one there.

Izuku sighs.

I’m being paranoid for nothing.

A glass bottle rolls out from behind the abandoned konbini. “Hello?” He calls out. “Is someone there?” He’s stuck between moving closer and rendering aid, or running full force back to school grounds. Which, while unhero-like, is exactly what Mr. Aizawa wants him to do.

The urge to make sure everyone is alright wins out. Izuku creeps closer, one hand on his left pocket - the one carrying his cellphone.

“Hello!? Don’t be scared! If you need assistance, I can escort you to U.A., or wait for an ambulance with you.”

No one answers him. “Is anybody there?”

Izuku purses his lips, hands on his hips. Maybe it was all his imagination? His mother has told him, in no uncertain words, that he has an overactive one. And with the war and his nightmares hanging over him like a dark cloud, it wouldn’t surprise him if it was nothing.

He sighs again, turning back towards U.A. He’s traveled far enough today. Pressing his luck might make Mr. Aizawa take back his permission for next time.

A loud crash has Izuku getting into a fighting position, fists clenched and eyes narrowed. He stares at the space beside the shop. Something’s being dragged along the ground, heavy and weighed down. Metal clangs together rhythmically.

Izuku breathes out and in, forgetting his cellphone and promise to his teacher.

Out from behind the Konbini a man appears. Izuku sizes him up, assessing him. But the man is in bad shape, even from fifty feet away Izuku can see that. His hair is choppy and uneven. He’s dirty and covered in cuts, bruises, and burns. His mouth is covered not by one muzzle but two (one fabric and one metal. The latter one hangs off, it’s straps dangling down the man’s back). He wears hospital clothes, dirtier than the rest of him. Zip ties and bits of rope dig into already raw skin.

The man’s eyes are watery. He holds his hands out in front of him. Izuku is quick to hurry over. “Can you talk?”

The man wheezes, shaking his head.

“O-kay, that’s fine. I’ll call an ambulance.” He waits for the man’s approval to dial 119 (he would have done it anyway, but he would rather avoid an altercation if the person is wary of getting help).

The man’s eyes seem unfocused, and they never stop tearing up. It’s like a constant, never-ending fountain of tears. In a weird way, it reminds him of his mom.

“They’ll be here soon,” he says, speaking softly. “In the meantime, I can try taking that muzzle off you.” Realizing that he might have misstepped, he quickly adds, “if you want, that is.”

The man looks at him, no less unfocused and no less teary-eyed. He looks back at the ground, sitting down.

Izuku reaches out tentatively, hands shaking. He goes slow, in case the man wants to pull away, but he doesn’t.

He touches the metal around the man’s mouth. The thought, it might be there for a reason, pops into his head but he ignores it. Maybe this is foolish of him, but the man doesn’t look like a threat (at least at the moment).

His hands feel around, trying to find the release. A button or a clasp, perhaps. Whoever did this must have built one into it.

Unless they wanted the man dead….

His fingers brush up against a notch on the side of the mask. Barely noticeable unless you’re looking right at it. Izuku fidgets with it until the muzzle falls off. Part of him winces, terrified that the muzzle might have been there for protection.

But it falls off and the man doesn’t react at all.

The sides of his mouth are covered in dried spittle and (what Izuku can only assume) sick. Izuku digs into his pocket for a napkin or cloth. He remembers stuffing one in after lunch. It should be around here….

He pulls out a napkin, crumbled but still clean. “Here,” Izuku says, holding it out. The man doesn’t look at him.

The man mutters something.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

The man continues muttering. It sounds like “gone” “my baby” “come back” but Izuku can’t be sure. He kneels down next to the man.

“I’m going to clean your face, okay?”

More muttering.

Izuku carefully dabs at the dried spittle. It’s little use, but some of the worse bits do flake off. “I know this isn’t much, but it’s the best I can do.”

More like the least I can do. After Tenko, I shouldn’t even be able to call myself a-

He clenches his eyes shut, willing the unpleasant (but no less true) thoughts to go away. This isn’t about him.

“The doctors and nurses will clean you up. Make you all better.” His words are childish, spoken as if he’s reciting a nursery rhyme. Calm and soft and gentle.

“My baby…” the man rasps, eyes flitting up not quite to Izuku’s but somewhere between his chest and stomach. Izuku tenses up, hands pulling back. “I need….to go home. They….they….” he trails off.

Izuku tilts his head to the side, confused. “They?” He asks.

The man’s expression turns stormy, eyes glaring at Izuku. It’s such a 180 that he’s left with no time to react. “They lied to me!” Each word sounds like it hurts, being dragged out just like the man’s lame leg upon the ground.

Izuku scrambles back, dirty napkin clutched in a fist. “Sir?”

The man’s eyes are like blazing infernos. He practically snarls at Izuku, clawing at him. Izuku, in spite of losing One for All, hasn’t lost his training, so the man ends up grappling air. Still, that doesn’t help his racing heart.

“Sir? What are you talking about? I can’t help you if you don’t talk to- ah!” He’s abruptly cut off by the man lunging himself full force, from a crouched position, at him. It takes Izuku by surprise, and in the few seconds between realization setting in and the man pouncing, it’s too late.

The man is skinny, likely due to improper meals, but he’s shockingly strong. He’s taller than Izuku and his hands are bigger too. Easily holding Izuku’s hands to his chest.

Izuku screams, flailing his legs. “Help!”

“Are you working for them?” The man asks, getting close to his face. In response, either out of discomfort or pettiness, Izuku shuts his eyes and turns his face away, unwilling to engage.

“No,” he finally says after feeling the man’s grip tighten around his wrists. “No, I’m not.”

“I don’t trust you.” The man grabs his face, turning his head. “Look at me,” he says, almost teasing. When Izuku doesn’t oblige, his voice turns demanding. “Look at me, damn it!”

Izuku’s been in enough life or death situations to know when to listen. Despite popular belief, he does, in fact, want to live to see twenty.

He forces himself to open his eyes. The man hovers over him, eyes still burning and mouth forming a scowl.

The man gets closer, until they’re nose to nose. There’s nowhere for Izuku to go. His only hope is the ambulance arriving, or one of his classmates coming to look for him.

The man’s eyes soften suddenly. “Your eyes,” he murmurs. “My baby’s eyes.”

“Sorry,” Izuku squeaks out. He knows there’s no reason to apologize. It’s not like he went out and stole some unsuspecting baby’s eyes. But the man is breathing down his neck, on the verge of a breakdown, and he has nowhere to run.

“‘M sorry, baby.” Hot tears fall on Izuku’s face. “‘M so sorry.” The man sobs quietly, grip unwavering.

Izuku shuts his eyes again, wanting to disappear into the ground below. He feels every bit the failure that everyone must think he is. This man is hurting and all he can think about is running away!

I want my mom. I don’t want to be here. I want this man to go away.

“No!” The man shouts. It startles Izuku to tears, or maybe he’d already been on the verge of crying? He doesn’t know anymore. “Open your eyes! I need to see your eyes!”

Izuku listens.

“I-I’m sorry, shhhh….I didn’t mean to make you cry.” The man uses his free hand to comb through the curly side of Izuku’s hair. “Shhh….daddy’s here. Don’t cry, baby. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

There’s a time and place for everything.

In war and stopping violent criminals, it’s fighting.

During a wedding, it’s not declaring your undying love for one part of the married couple.

And under a strange man who is shushing you like a baby and claiming he’s your dad, it’s to play along.

“I-I’m fine,” Izuku stammers out.

“Of course you are, because I’m here.” The words while dissimilar enough to his mentor’s catch phrase still makes Izuku’s heart twinge (he misses All Might’s bentos and words of wisdom. He makes a mental note to visit him - if he gets out alive that is). The smile the man sends Izuku is almost fatherly.

“I’ve missed you so much.” The man’s smile is almost contagious. If Izuku wasn’t a scare away from peeing his pants he might have smile himself. “I’m so, so sorry for leaving you and mommy. That must have been scary, huh?”

Something in Izuku tells him that the man isn’t expecting an answer. Not that he could give one.

The man hums, hand finding the back of Izuku’s head. It presses him closer, forcing his face into the crook of the man’s neck. It’s warm there. If he pretends, putting his overactive imagination to good use, maybe he can picture his mom holding him, instead of this madman.

Eventually, the shrill alarm bells of the ambulance break the quiet. Izuku fears they might run them over, but it’s quickly dismissed when they pull up beside them.

Two people get out of the back. An older woman and a man, maybe two or three years older than Izuku himself, are quick to assess the scene.

“Sir,” the woman says, “I need you to get off…ah…what’s your name?”

“Iz-” he stops himself. Does he really want this person to know his name? What if he escapes and tracks him down? “Deku.”

“Deku,” the woman continues. “Please, get off, Deku.”

The man looks between the first responders and Izuku, eyes wide. “Stay back! Get away!” He covers Izuku’s body with his own. “I won’t let you take him!”

The woman sighs. “Sir, please, we just want to help.”

“No! I won’t let you hurt him! Take me! Kill me! But leave my baby alone!”

Izuku tries to breathe through his own rising panic. More and more he feels like he’s being slowly suffocated. An impossibility given their size difference, and yet, Izuku squirms underneath the man, terrified that every breath might be his last.

Off to the side, the woman and man chatter about something.

Hopefully, a way to get me out of this situation.

The man kisses Izuku’s sweaty forehead. His lips are chapped, pressed firmly to his skin. “It’s okay. I won’t let them take you.”

Please do.

After a moment of deliberation, the woman comes back. She kneels down a few feet away. If Izuku’s hands were free he could reach out to her.

“Hey,” she murmurs. “I understand that something bad must have happened to you. And I know you don’t want us to take your baby away from you.” The woman puts on a fake smile. “You know, I have three kids myself. I don’t know what I’d do if someone took them away.”

The man says nothing.

“Would it be okay if we took both of you to the hospital? Just to clean you guys up.”

Shaking his head, the man tightens his grip. “No!”

Izuku looks at the woman’s exasperated expression, and comes to an understanding inside himself. He summons all his dignity and promptly throws it away.

“Daddy,” he murmurs. The man’s attention is instantly on him. “I…I want to go to the hospital.”

The man blinks, as if processing Izuku’s words. Slowly.

“But…but those people-”

“Want to help us.”

Help you, help me, it’s all the same really.

The man sighs. “Okay,” he says. “But you stay right next to me the whole time.”

Izuku barely stiffles a groan. Mr. Aizawa is definitely not letting him leave campus again.

-x-x-x-

The ride to the hospital is uneventful.

Well, as uneventful as having a grown man you’ve never met in your entire life, hold onto you like a lifeline. To make matters worse, the man refused to answer any questions about himself. And any attempt by Izuku to talk to the first responders was shot down with a shush.

A nurse and a security guard meet them at the entrance of the hospital. The man looks between all the adults, a betrayed expression crossing his face. “You-you liars!” There’s a click, like the flick of a lighter. And then, orange flames erupt from the man’s mouth.

Thankfully for the ambulance and the staff, the man’s flames are interrupted by a hacking cough. He chokes, covering his mouth in his elbow. The security guard takes the brief opportunity to haul the man off the ambulance and subdue him.

Izuku watches on, numb, a single thought running through his mind.

Didn’t my father have fire breath as his quirk?

[talonslockau]

Fire and Ice - Chapter 35

Chapter 34 || Index || Chapter 36

"I wonder if this is part of Shadowclan's plan."

Firepaw twitched an ear towards Pepperpaw as he was walking. It was early in the morning, before the sun rose; after a long day of bringing water to the Clan, he had had to endure a sparring session with Cinderpaw, Ravenpaw, and Graypaw before this patrol. He felt dead on his feet from the lack of rest; he didn't know how the rest of the cats on patrol seemed so awake. "What do you mean?"

"They threatened to drive us out if we didn't let them hunt in our territory, but it's been over two moons since their last attack." The gray molly pointed out steadily. "I can't believe they honestly gave up when they didn't find the elders. Aside from the occasional hunting party, they've been quiet."

"And that's supposed to be a bad thing?" The ruddy apprentice shrugged. "Let them stay gone. We have enough to worry about without them showing up. Just look at what happened yesterday." He was trying not to let Frostfur's words bother him, but he couldn't help but shudder as he thought of how deep Tigerclaw had sunk his claws into the Clan.

"But that's what I mean. What if they're trying to get us to tear ourselves apart?" Pepperpaw shivered despite the greenleaf warmth. "Getting us to attack each other, thinking there's a traitor, then come in and-"

"I doubt Brokenstar could plan that well." Dappleshine interrupted the apprentices' conversation before Pepperpaw could finish her statement. "Perhaps they realized that they couldn't drive us away as easily as Windclan and decided to back off."

"Maybe." Her apprentice seemed doubtful despite the tortoiseshell's confident words. "I just wish they'd attack instead. All this waiting is getting to everyone. You heard how Frostfur yelled at Ravenpaw yesterday."

Firepaw could see the older warrior wince at the gray molly's words. "She's always been high-strung. She was just misdirecting her anger at an innocent, is all." Even as she said it, he could see that Dappleshine didn't quite believe what she was saying.

"That's not what the Clan is saying." Tinyfrost observed. "Most of them agree with her. They really believe Ravenpaw is a traitor." His voice was a low growl as he spoke, and Firepaw felt the fur bristle along his spine. Did his mentor agree with them? "None of them feel comfortable around him. They're acting worse than when I was an apprentice."

The patrol was silent for a few moments. "You think I haven't noticed?" Dappleshine finally responded, a hard edge to her voice. "It's not fair to him. Just like it wasn't fair to you."

The two apprentices kept silent, all too aware how touchy of a topic this was for the small black tom. "At least Bluestar gave me my name, despite what the Clan said." Tinyfrost spoke flatly, letting little emotion into his voice. "Ravenpaw has been an apprentice for seasons now, yet he still hasn't received his warrior name. Does she intend on keeping him an apprentice forever? Or does she believe that if she waits long enough, the Clan will get over it?" The dark warrior snorted derisively.

"She's doing her best. These are unprecedented times." Despite her words, the tortoiseshell tensed up, as though she were holding more back. "Ravenpaw will prove himself to the rest of the Clan." She spoke with a conviction that didn't quite reach her green eyes. "Then she'll have no choice than to name him a warrior."

Firepaw hesitated, waiting for his mentor to respond. The patrol had a long moment of uneasy silence as they patrolled, until he felt he had no choice but to break it. "Do you really believe that'll happen?"

"I have to." Dappleshine replied simply. "Someone has to believe in him."

The ginger tom glanced at the other apprentice, the two speaking without words as they traveled. He was about to reply when Tinyfrost spoke up. "His father certainly won't."

He was surprised by the venom with which the warrior spoke. Did he too know the truth about Tigerclaw's intentions? "What do you mean?" He pried gently, curious to know what his mentor had against the senior warrior.

"Isn't it obvious?" It was Dappleshine who responded, the black warrior seemingly lost in thought and not glancing at the others as she spoke. "Tigerclaw's never cared for his son. Not since Nightwish died." Her ears flattened at the memory of the dead queen. "Maybe he blamed him for her death, I don't know. All I know is that after I took Ravenpaw in, Tigerclaw didn't visit him in the nursery once."

Firepaw couldn't say that that surprised him, given how gruff Tigerclaw was normally. It was hard to imagine him playing with a young kit, like those from Goldenflower's latest litter. It seemed all that grief he had pretended to have over his son was fake, too, not that that surprised him. After all, the giant tabby was a cold-blooded murderer. 

"He likes to think he's toughening up his son, but the rest of the Clan doesn't see it that way. His words have more sway than he seems to realize." He didn't miss the despair in the queen's voice as she spoke. "He just needs to prove himself to the Clan. Once he does that, they'll forgive him."

The ruddy apprentice forced himself not to outwardly react to her words, but he knew all too well that that wasn't likely. Not as long as Tigerclaw was seeding doubt within the Clan. Still, he could tell she was desperate to believe that what she said was true; who was he to take that away from her?

"Do you smell that?" Pepperpaw interrupted his thoughts. The patrol collectively sniffed at the air, the scents of the forest mixing in with the acrid tang of the Thunderpath. But in between that…

"Shadowclan. And fresh." Tinyfrost was the first to speak. With his tail, he signaled for them to drop into a low crouch, taking the lead as they crept forward.

It was then that he caught sight of them. He expected the well-muscled warriors that had invaded Thunderclan camp before, but was surprised to see small, scrawny cats huddling in the foliage. If he didn't know better, he would guess they were apprentices, but no apprentice would be alone on enemy territory. They were scenting at the air and looking around; another hunting party, if he had to guess.

The patrol moved forward as one, the stink of Shadowclan getting stronger as they moved closer. Suddenly, one of the intruders raised their head, looking away from where the patrol was coming and shouting something to their comrades. It was snatched by the wind before it could reach the Thunderclan patrol's ears, but it seemed to be a warning, as they all immediately slid into the shallow dip that ran alongside the Thunderpath. Their small forms were quickly swallowed up by the undergrowth.

It was mere heartbeats before a Monster came roaring past, the wind in its wake buffeting the patrol. They all hunkered down as it passed, waiting a few moments before continuing to where they had seen the Shadowclanners lurking.

Yet when they got there, there were no Shadowclan cats to be found. Their scent permeated the area, yet it was quickly fading in the breeze. It didn't seem to lead deeper into Thunderclan territory, either; it was as though they had just vanished where they stood.

Firepaw looked to the others, hoping that perhaps it was just his inexperience in tracking other cats that was confusing him, but they all seemed as perplexed as he was. "They couldn't have crossed the Thunderpath. Not with the Monster." Dappleshine said to Tinyfrost, who just nodded in response, his ears perked as he scanned the undergrowth for any sign of life. Firepaw did the same, but he knew he wouldn't find anything; somehow, the Shadowclanners had disappeared.

"We need to get back to camp. Bluestar must know about this." Tinyfrost finally spoke, his tail tip flicking in irritation. "If Shadowclan is loose in the forest, it's only a matter of time before they reach camp."

The others nodded and followed him, racing through the forest as swiftly as the wind. Glancing behind him to where the sun's rays were beginning to light the Thunderpath, Firepaw wondered if the Shadowclan cats were watching them even now. He could only hope that they weren't lurking in the shadows, waiting for a chance to strike.

Though they ran quickly, paws skimming over fallen logs and dried streams, dread filled Firepaw’s thoughts. What if they were too late? Perhaps they had waited too long to return to camp, and Shadowclan had already beaten them there. Would the camp be once again ravaged by a bitter turmoil between Thunderclan and their aggressive, code-breaking neighbors? He tried to keep his mind focused, but by the way the other cat’s scruffs were rising he could tell he wasn’t the only one with these thoughts.

The patrol arrived in camp just as the sun had driven all the stars from the sky, turning the sky a light pink color. The day was already promising to bring more scorching heat, yet that was the last thing on their mind as the two apprentices stood at the entrance to camp, watching as Tinyfrost and Dappleshine hurried over to where Quickflash was sitting. Firepaw could see Graypaw, Cinderpaw, and Ravenpaw sitting by the tree stump, discussing something he couldn't hear from here. Just as he considered walking over to them, Quickflash's loud yowl rang through camp, catching everyone's attention.

"Shadowclan has been spotted on the border!" The deputy called as curious cats began padding towards him. The mood in camp immediately shifted as the Clan glanced around warily, remembering all too well how their camp had been invaded less than a season ago. "Apprentices, pick a den and make sure Shadowclan haven't found a way into camp. Tigerclaw, take Longtail and Mousefur and sweep the ravine to make sure the border patrol wasn't followed." 

The warriors that had been called immediately sprang to their tasks, sprinting past the two apprentices without sparing a glance to them. He could see the apprentices across camp spreading out, poking into odd corners and nosing around the warrior and apprentice dens. Firepaw glanced at Pepperpaw beside him. "I'll take the elders?" He offered, since he was standing right beside their den.

She nodded decisively. "I'll make sure everything's okay with the nursery, then." She padded swiftly across camp, leaving him to slip into the tree trunk that the elders slept in. 

Most were already awake, having heard Quickflash's call. "They better not show their faces again." Halftail growled to Patchpelt, flexing his claws in and out. "I'd still be out fighting if it weren't for this dumb tail."

Patchpelt snorted in response. "I agree. My muzzle might be gray, but I can still show those Shadowclan upstarts a few tricks."

Firepaw politely maneuvered around them, sniffing at the bark of the long-dead tree. He didn't see Shadowclan making their way through the hard, thick wood without the elders noticing, but he still had to do his duties as Quickflash had assigned them. Just as he was passing One-eye and Smallear, a screech rang through camp.

It was Pepperpaw! The ginger tom bolted for the entrance, nearly shoving Rosetail to the ground as he did so. He didn't stop to apologize, racing for the nursery alongside several warriors. He didn't get far when Pepperpaw emerged, something long dangling from her mouth. Speckleflight was right on her heels.

"What happened?" The crowd slowed, Quickflash reaching the front and nosing his daughter protectively. In response, she dropped what she was holding; the long, thin body of a young adder.

"She saved Snowkit!" Speckleflight gasped, her fur still on end. Dappleshine parted the crowd to stand by her mate, pressing into her side in relief. "The adder must have slithered in while we were sleeping. Poor Snowkit stepped on it, and if it wasn't for Pepperpaw's quick thinking he would have been bitten!"

There were gasps from the crowd as she spoke. "Is everyone alright?" He heard Spottedleaf call behind him, instinctively moving out of the calico's way as she rushed past with Dewpaw.

"We're fine." Pepperpaw seemed stoic despite her bushed tail, a faraway look in her eyes like she was staring at something behind the crowd. "I killed it before it could bite anyone." Her voice was soft, and the ruddy tom had to strain to hear it as the crowd erupted in murmurs of approval and surprise.

"She saved our son." Speckleflight insisted to Dappleshine beside her, her words incredulous as though she could scarcely believe what had happened. "If she hadn't been there, it would have killed him."

A hush spread over the crowd, and Firepaw turned to see Bluestar striding past, as regal as she had been when he first met her. "It is a rare warrior that can outwit an adder." The molly spoke, her blue eyes glittering in the morning light as she looked down on the gray apprentice.

"She was a true warrior. As swift as lightning, as strong as thunder." He realized that Speckleflight was shaking as she spoke, trembling like a leaf on the Thunderpath. "Not a single cat could have done better."

Bluestar nodded in understanding. "Dappleshine?" She looked to the calico beside the queen, her ears perked forward to hear the mentor's answer.

The dappled molly paused, looking at her apprentice and appraising her for a long moment. "Speckleflight speaks true. Pepperpaw acted as a warrior today." She finally said, dipping her head respectfully.

The leader nodded. "Then let it be so." She turned around, crossing camp in a few quick strides and swiftly ascending the Highrock. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" She called out as the assembled crowd followed her to the shadow of the large rock. Firepaw followed, the three other apprentices joining him while a few cats that had been sleeping merged with the crowd.

"I, Bluestar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." She looked down as she spoke on Pepperpaw, who was shivering, alone, beneath her. "Pepperpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend Thunderclan, even at the cost of your life?"

The gray spotted molly stared up at her leader, her expression unreadable as she did so. Firepaw couldn't fathom what she must be thinking; only moments prior, they had feared a Shadowclan invasion, and now she was being named warrior. "I do." She finally answered, her voice ringing clearly through camp.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name." Bluestar looked down with a smile on the former apprentice, her gaze warm and welcoming. "Pepperpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Peppermask. Starclan honors your courage and compassion, and we welcome you as a full member of Thunderclan."

"Peppermask! Peppermask!" The chant picked up quickly, Firepaw adding his voice to the crowd's as he watched the leader leap down to stand in front of the new warrior. She pressed her muzzle to Peppermask's forehead, the two grays blending together seamlessly before Peppermask licked the older molly's scarred shoulder. She still seemed in shock of it all, almost numb as Bluestar stepped back and the crowd pressed in to greet her by her new name.

Cinderpaw and Graypaw rushed forward to their sister, ears perked in delight. Firepaw stood to join them before he noticed Ravenpaw beside him, still sitting as he stared at the crowd. His expression was unreadable, but the ginger tom could guess all too well what he was thinking behind those eyes.

"That will be you next." Firepaw whispered to the dark tom beside him. "I'm sure of it."

Ravenpaw looked up to him, his eyes glimmering - glimmering, he realized, with tears. "Will it?" The skinny apprentice questioned softly, his voice wavering. "Or will I die before then?" Not waiting for an answer, he turned and escaped back for the comfort of their den, his ears flat against his head.

Firepaw watched him go, his heart aching. "I'll make sure of it." He whispered after the tom, though he had no idea how he'd make that promise come true. Instead, he turned to see Peppermask - he would have to get used to saying that - surrounded by her siblings. Even Dewpaw was there, nuzzling happily under her sister's muzzle. 

"Congrats, sis!" It was Cinderpaw who spoke, pressed up against her sister's side. "You're gonna be a great warrior! Not as great as me, of course." She added with a wink.

"Thanks, Cinderpaw." Peppermask seemed to be warming up now that her siblings were next to her. "It's gonna be lonely in the warriors' den without you guys, though."

"Then I guess we'll just have to hurry up and become warriors!" Graypaw replied cheekily. "We won't keep you waiting long, I promise."

He watched, suppressing a purr as the siblings moved away and their parents came up next. "Congratulations, Peppermask." Willowbranch purred, barely audible above the crowd. "I know you'll do great things."

"Welcome to being a warrior." Quickflash added, licking her forehead quickly before moving away to give others the chance to congratulate his daughter.

Some heads turned as the bramble tunnel began to rustle, and Tigerclaw emerged out of it. "No Shadowclan near the ravine." He called out, before noticing the celebration. Darkstripe slipped up to him and murmured something in his ear, presumably explaining what had happened.

Firepaw looked away as the other apprentices found their way to him. "Aren't you gonna congratulate Peppermask?" Graypaw asked incredulously, realizing the ginger tom hadn't moved from his spot from the meeting.

He dipped his head. "Of course I will, just later. She seems a bit busy now." He glanced over to see Dappleshine and Speckleflight speaking with her. "Maybe once she's had a chance to process everything, you know?"

Dewpaw nodded in understanding. "Everything happened so fast." She murmured. "At least no one was hurt. Cats rarely survive snake bites. Even full grown warriors."

Firepaw shivered at the thought. "I'm glad she was so quick, then." He glanced at the freshkill pile, which had been filled during the night's hunts. "What say we celebrate among ourselves with a meal, hmm?"

"Sounds like a grand idea!" Graypaw replied with a purr, already trotting to the freshkill pile. The ginger tom followed his friend, but spared a glance towards the apprentices' den, where Ravenpaw was hidden beneath the ferns. They should be celebrating him, too. If only the Clan would realize that.

He hoped they would soon.

[aerodaltonimperial]

Okay well Ive been catching up on all the tv matches Ive missed the past month or two and Im REALLY feelin some Orange/Darby sooo.... 🤔😳👀 maybe some post match hurt/comfort? Maybe after their tournament match against SIOG?

(🍊⚰️)

"It's fine," Darby says, even though Orange hasn't uttered a single word. He's not sure which of them has it worse right now. His head is killing him after Swerve decided to kick his skull in, but Orange got thrown around just as much, and he's got the busted blood vessels to prove it.

Darby sits across from him on the bench with the ice and the towel. He can't figure out where to put it first. Orange's back is a mess of never-ending, never-healing blows, but his wrist requires taping to hell and back just to function, so... Darby hesitates.

He dithers too long. In the time he spends struggling to decide where to start, Orange finally moves. He reaches for Darby's face, runs his fingers across Darby's forehead. It's not necessarily a strange thing to do, but it's certainly strange for Orange. For them.

"Orange," Darby tries. It comes out softer than he means it to.

"You okay?" Orange asks. His fingers remain where they are, sliding across Darby's skin.

"Not dead yet."

Orange huffs, but it sounds tired. Half a laugh. Not abnormal for him, but still. "Thanks for doing this."

"Doing what?" Darby asks.

"Tagging. With me."

"Don't have to thank me for that," Darby tries.

Orange's mouth screws to the side a bit. "Maybe I want to."

And that's...not bad. It's not bad when Orange leans forward to kiss him. It's not bad when Orange's hand shifts and flattens, curving around Darby's ear. It's not bad when Orange sort of sighs, in a way, a full-body shudder that rattles into Darby's bones. In fact, it's pretty damn good, like maybe Darby could get used to this, get used to the way Orange goads his mouth apart slowly, the way Orange is so languid and unhurried in his explorations.

When Orange breaks away, mostly so he can suck in a deep chestful of air, Darby can't help but laugh. "You know we lost out there."

"Yeah, I don't think we did," Orange replies, and, well, maybe he's right.

[lendmyboyfriendahand]

Indis looked up. Very few people approached her here, in the foothills of Taniquetil - it was why she had moved here after her husband's death - but there was someone coming.

A Maia was at her gate, and not the river or the meadow she had become accustomed to speaking with, neighbors as they were .

"Lady Indis."

"I am she. Have you come to speak to me about a specific matter?"

"Your scion has been reborn. As you dwell closest to my lord's halls, he is entrusted to your care."

"What? I never even heard any of them died- who is it, where is he?"

The Maia stepped to the side, revealing a wide eyed child who looked almost identical to Nolofinwe. "He is here. Do you accept the charge of his care?"

"Of course, but-"

"I must return to the halls. May the wind bless your paths." The Maia turned on his heel and kept turning, so that rather than see the back of his head he simply vanished.

Indis stared after him for a moment, though it did explain how he had reached her house so suddenly. But there was a child who needed care. "May the stars shine upon us. My name is Indis of the Vanyar, wife of Finwe of the Noldor."

"I know that, Lord Namo's messenger introduced you."

"Perhaps, but I don't recognize you. You must have grown a lot since leaving Tirion." Perhaps the boy was Turgon and Elenwe's child; he was certainly an old enough child to declare themself a boy or a girl regardless of their parents' first guess.

"I'm Arakano."

He could not be her son - there was no reason to believe Nolo dead - there was no reason he would have returned as a child - Indis managed an "Oh?" in reply.

"I don't have a mothername because she hasn't met me yet, but Dad said I fit his name."

"Anaire didn't tell me she had a child younger than Aredhel."

"Dad said she didn't know, and wouldn't have stayed behind if she did. He says a lot of their plans for after the Festival got forgotten, she could have even forgotten they planned a baby."

"I am sure she will be happy to meet you, as I am happy to meet another grandchild of mine."

Arakano nodded. "Is that your house behind you?"

"Yes. It's not a palace, but I like it, and it even has a guestroom. Would you like to come inside?"

Arakano shook his head. "I'm not tired yet, but thank you. Is it always this warm here?"

"It gets a little bit cooler in the winter, but we're too far south to get more than a day or two of frost in the winter."

"Huh. Is that why there are trees here?"

Indis looked out at the meadow that stretched unbroken to the next hill, at the three pear trees that grew by the walk, and the poplar that shaded her garden. "Trees can grow in almost any temperature, depending on the type of tree. Some even grow their leaves long and thin to last in the snow."

"Well, there weren't any trees where I grew up."

"They need a certain amount of dirt as well, rather than sand or rocks. Did you live on the Sea-side?"

"I guess? That's kind of a weird way to put it."

"Maybe on a ship, or an island?" Indis could recall when the Valar had brought Tol Eressea over, and nearly all the crops on it had died with the sudden changes in weather and the disconnect from the solid foundation.

"No, Dad says that Feanor destroyed all the ships before I was born. And if there any islands, we can't tell beneath all the ice."

"Forgive me for the intrusion, but where did you grow up?"

"I jut said, on the Grinding Ice. We need to fight Morgoth and avenge Grandpa Finwe, and Feanor burnt the ships, so we walked."

"You spent your whole life on the Grinding Ice?!"

"I guess? The day after the bright circle appeared in the sky, there was a whistling, and Aredhel said it was a bird that only lived on land. But we couldn't actually see the ground under the ice and snow, or any plants other than cousin Angrod's aloes."

"Are you talking about the Moon or the Sun appearing in the sky?"

"I don't know, we hadn't figured out a word by the time... I think it was less bright than this, did the sky light get brighter?"

"There are two lights in the sky. The Moon is less bright, and was the first to rise by a week. The Sun is the one that's out now. Most people have built the habit of doing work by Sunlight and resting when it goes down."

"That makes sense, you can save fuel if you don't need torches to see by."

"Exactly."

Arakano seemed utterly fascinated by Indis's yard, and she watched him while thinking on his story. She knew that children could die; her own cousin had been killed in a landslide beside Cuivienen. But coming to Valinor was supposed to make them safe. On first sight, she had hoped that Arakano had returned in a form younger than his life out of preference, choosing to grow up in safety and put off his responsibilities for a while longer. But if he had not seen the Sun, he must be very young indeed. The time from the Trees going out to the Sun rising had only been thirty years, half the time for a child to grow to physical maturity (though elves counted them as not full adults yet for just as long again, to give them time to learn about society before choosing which path to followe). This child looked about the same age.

She hoped for a moment that he was lying to her, that he had a safe childhood ended only in a freak accident. But contemplating what would lead a child to lie to his own family led to thoughts even worse than the harsh world he grew up in.

Arakano was squatting down next to a weed. "Is this the kind of flower that's in Laurefindel's crest?"

"No, although they are similar shapes. This is a dandelion; Laurefindel has sunflowers."

"Findekano said that sunflowers were as big as my face, but I wasn't sure if he was joking, or if this plant would grow bigger."

"Most leafy plants don't grow any taller once they flower. The ones that do, like trees, tend to be the ones that keep blooming every year, rather than only bloom once and die."

"Huh. And they all stay in one place? Does the whole field just die if the ground collapses under it?"

"I suppose it would, though people could transplant anything that still had a bit of roots. But I've never seen the ground collapse."

"It collapses every few days! You can hear a sort of moaning if it's got too much weight on it, and then a crack right when it splits. That's why I had to wear a rope when I was a baby, so Dad could pull me back up if I didn't notice in time."

"That sounds very practical of Nolofinwe."

They continued as such for a few minutes, Argon asking questions about the plants, and the butterflies, and the Sun.

Shortly though, his stomach rumbled.

Indis said, "Would you like a snack? I'm not hungry myself, but you've had a very unusual day." When her youngest grandson didn't answer for a few moments, Indis added, "There's more than enough food, even with a second person. The nearest town is only a day's journey away on foot, and I keep enough in my pantry for several weeks." Not that she ate the dried beans and canned carrots very often when instead she had a lovely garden, but even if the land went dark again she would not starve.

"I'll have a snack if you do," Argon agreed after a minute's thought.

Indis's mother had skipped meals to be sure she had enough - it pained her to know that her son had to do the same. "Alright. What are you in the mood for? I like cheese and crackers in the afternoon myself, but I'm sure I can find something sweet if you prefer."

"Cheese! I haven't had cheese in forever, not since the goats died."

"I'm surprised the goats lasted long on the Ice at all, as cold as it is."

"The cold wasn't a problem, Aredhel and cousin Angarato made them seal coats just like the rest of us. But they ran out hay, even with feeding them the weird bits of meat too, and then there wasn't any more cheese. I got to ride one when I was smaller though, and they were very soft."