#☾ dark side of the moon; reflection

[lunarruled]

[bumblebeesfromvenus]

The Kiss of a Siren 🫧

Pirate!Leon S Kennedy x Siren!reader

A/N: it's done!!! I actually love how this turned out! This was a really fun pairing to write and I can totally see myself writing more Pirate!Leon in the future :)

~Fi 🐝

《Content》: a little bit of gore, but not descriptive. Death (a girl's gotta eat)Luis cameo! MIKE CAMEO! Leon runs straight into danger (Aka being Leon)

《Word count》: 6.1k

Please don't copy my work! I put a lot of effort and heart into the things I write.

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─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ──🌊── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

The ocean laid almost still, only soft and gentle waves blew over the water, causing it to ripple and lap at the wooden hull of his mighty ship. His gaze turned towards the horizon, watching as the moon reflected and glitter on the surface.

There was a soft slosh from his nearly empty bottle of rum as he took another swig, the burning as it went down starting a fire in his veins and being the only thing shielding him from the cold and salty breeze.

It was dark, all lights extinguished. His crew and his first mate were slumbering peacefully beneath deck, all rocked to sleep by the sea.

A feeling of melancholy washed over him as a sigh rolled off his lips. He knew his heart belonged to the sea, but he couldn't help the pressing loneliness in his chest on nights like these, wishing he had a fair lady to love.

Maybe then he'd consider coming home now and then.

He loved the ocean dearly, but she couldn't dry his tears and fill his arms as a woman of his own could.

He shook off the thought, taking a breath and focusing on the peaceful sway of his ship, looking forward to another day of wearing his Tricorn. Stolen, of course, although earned. Perhaps not by the accords of the Captain he'd snagged it from, but by his loyal crew.

Although Leon was a pirate, he wasn't heartless. He'd been through every terrible storm and ruthless attack with these men, and they respected him as their Captain.

There was no mutiny, no plans of overthrowing him, simply because he hadn't given them a reason to.

He was often called the Robin Hood of the seven seas; taking from the rich and cocky and giving it to the less fortunate. Of course he still plundered purely for the fun of it, but only other pirates.

They knew to avoid him, especially if they were the rowdy kind that took from the poor.

Because, above all, he wasn't just the greatest pirate Captain since Anne Bonny but a harbinger of justice that could both lend a gentle hand to those in need and strike fear into the hearts of anyone who had crossed him or his morals.

He was pulled out of his self pity by a distressed sound that cut through the silence of the night like a freshly sharpened cutlass. His brows pulled together as his eyes searched for the source of this noise.

Leon was on high alert, he wouldn't be surprised if rival pirates were using distress calls as bait for an ambush. Setting down the empty bottle of dark rum, he went over to the other side of his ship, facing the sandy shore.

And, as if the gods wanted him to see, he spotted a woman desperately clinging onto a large rock in the water. She was perfectly illuminated by the moonlight, even as she sobbed and struggled, she looked ethereal.

Leon sprung into action and climbed down the rope ladder at the side of his ship into a row boat.

What he hadn't noticed in his hurry, however, was the faint glow of a lantern being lit and a dark figure watching him carefully from atop his ship.

"Hold on, I'm coming for you!" He said loudly, rowing with his entire might as he saw the woman slipping.

"I-.. I can't hold on much longer, please help me!" She wept, seemingly trying to dig her nails into the algae covered boulder as best she could. Seeing her in such distress made his heart ache.

He didn't want to imagine what the outcome would be if he hadn't spotted her. With heaving breaths and a pull in the muscles of his arms, he rowed closer and closer, seeing her more clearly now.

She was quite beautiful, with her wet hair clinging to her skin and her tears glittering on her cheeks.

His boat bumped into the rock as he jumped up and held out his hand for her to grasp onto.

"Here. Just take my hand, I'll help you." Leon heaved, trying to steady the wooden vessel.

You reached for him, tightly clinging to his arm as he reeled you in like a fisherman would his catch of the day.

How ironic, you thought, having to stop yourself from smirking.

Your tail swished in the water, concealed by its darkness, as you made an effort to keep up your act.

"Thank you. Gods, you saved my life. I just wanted to bathe but the current ripped me away and I couldn't-" You babbled through sobs and wails.

"Calm down, alright? I've got you. You're safe." He spoke softly, much softer than you'd anticipated.

His huge yet gentle hands were steadied on your upper arms as you tightly gripped the edge of the boat.

"I'll help you into the boat." He breathed, now very aware of your bare skin. Your eyes widened slightly and your grip tightened.

"I- no, no, I... I'm so exhausted... I just need a break.." you tried to assure him with a half hearted smile.

"Oh, yes, of course." He chuckled awkwardly, sitting back down but still keeping a hand on you, just in case.

Your eyes glid over his form. His broad shoulders and bulging arms with a strong chest. Not to mention the mix of soft and sharp features and those beautiful blue eyes.

They reminded you of home. The deep, silent and peaceful parts of the ocean.

Lucky you; your dinner looked extra delicious today. Your mouth watered at the mere thought of sinking your teeth into his flesh and taking a bite.

It was quiet except for the waves crashing onto the rocks and the small ripples caused by you sloshing agaisnt the wood of his boat. You gazed upon eachother, a scene bathed in the fairest of moonlights, as your shared curiosity took over.

His hand slowly migrated to gentle hold your face as his thumb softly, but not without a hesitant twitch in his fingertips, wiped away at your tears.

Tears that shimmered like diamonds and the most notorious treasures of the seas. Leon was mesmerized, almost captivated, by your presence.

Something was pulling him in, something so deceiving, that he let himself slowly slip into your spell.

"A girl like you shouldn't be out alone past dusk." Leon broke the tense silence with quiet words as he brushed some of the hair clinging to your forehead out of your face. Your lips turned up into a soft smile, and Leon could feel his heart pound at your beauty.

"A girl like me?" You asked playfully, trailing you hand from the wooden edge to gently grasp at his arm. He thought for a moment.

"A girl so... beautiful. So sweet. So soft." His words were merely above a whisper and you could see his chest falling and rising just a little faster than before.

His pupils almost swallowed up the entirety of his pretty blues, making you mourn the mirroring image of your home.

"You flatter me." You replied with a soft chuckle, your other hand rising up to plant itself against his chest. He instinctively leaned forwards, his warm breath tickling your face.

There was a hint of sadness in your chest and it was getting harder to play the part. It seemed so easy to fall for those sandy locks and ocean eyes.

The line was awfully thin and you'd be damned if you crossed it.

"Tell me, what's your name?" You asked innocently, fiddling with the strings of his shirt.

"Leon." He swallowed thickly, his other hand itching to dip beneath the surface of the water, pull you out and whisk you away as his treasure, only for him to know the beauty that you hid beneath that darkness.

"Leon..." You tested his name on your tongue with a small smile and gazed up at him with such a bright sparkle in your eyes. Leon thought he was about to choke on air.

You gently, but with a firm hand, pulled him closer to you, your lips just a hairs breadth apart.

"What is it you desire, Leon?" You purred, your eyes darkening. Leon was hunched over, halfway to toppling into the water.

Right where you wanted him. His lips were parted and his cheeks were flushed, his pupils dilated so much you could spot yourself in them.

"You." He breathed out, leaning in far enough to brush your lips together.

You cracked a smile and brought your lips to his ear.

"How unfortunate." You whispered.

Those words made him snap back into reality, the hazy fog over his mind lifted enough to catch the sharp teeth as you smiled and the scattered, shimmering scales he'd missed before.

But it was no use.

The second he had realized, he was pulled under, ripped from his steady seat in the boat and plunged into dreadful darkness.

The air was knocked from his lungs and he struggled against your surprisingly strong hold on him as you dragged him deeper. Leon could see the moonlight fading, reaching out for it.

You, on the other hand, were euphoric. Ravenous for your meal.

Usually, you'd wait. Drown your prey and watch the life drain from their eyes, making them dull. But there was something about him that made you so impatient. So eager to get a taste.

Without another thought you sunk your teeth into his strong shoulder and reveled in the sweet taste of his flesh.

Leon screamed out in agony, but it was dulled and muffled by the water. Bubbles rose up as he desperately tried to get you off of him. His strength was exhausted, and the red tinting the water blurred his vision.

You hummed against his skin at the delightful taste of him. To your dismay, your feast was cut short by a loud noise, making you detach from Leon and flinch away.

Before you could get far, there was a searing pain in your tail, the salty waters now stained with your blood instead of his. A silvery harpoon was embedded in your tail, shooting hot spikes of agony up your spine.

You swam as fast as you could with the weapon in your fin, bullets whizzing past you as your form merged into the deep blue, vanishing before his eyes.

Leon pushed up to the surface with his uninjured arm before a hand plunged into the water and grasped him tightly before pulling him up to the surface.

He gasped for air and heaved in deep breaths as someone wrangled him into the boat.

The shirt on his left shoulder was ripped and stained with deep crimson as the rest of the wet fabric clung to his sculpted body. There were heavy pats on his back as he coughed up water, wincing at the excruciating pain in his shoulder.

"¡Joder! Are you alright, Capitán?" The frantic voice of his ever so loyal first mate, Luis Serra, rang in his ears, making him slack in relief.

"¡Mierda!. That beast got you good, huh?" He tried to lift the mood with a chuckle but Leon couldn't respond, his head spinning as he slowly took in his surroundings again.

Luis had a lit lantern with him, which got knocked over in his attempt to save Leon, his blunderbuss laid in the boat, smoke pluming from the barrel. A couple of harpoons were laid out as well, ones they'd usually use for fishing.

"Thank... Thank you.." Leon forced through heavy breaths as he held his bleeding shoulder.

"Always, Captain. Let's get you fixed up, eh, Sancho Panza?" Luis grinned helping Leon up onto the ship, who cracked a tired smirk at the friendly banter.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Leon was lost in thought as he sat on the edge of his sofa, a singular lantern illuminating his day cabin. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he replayed the events in his mind.

With a heavy sigh he slumped back against the soft cushion, wincing when he adjusted his arm. There were so any feelings weighing down on him. Pure, hot fury. The urge to hunt you down, gut you and hang you out to dry.

He knew of your kind, of course he knew, the maneating maidens with the voice of a nightingale. Half fish, half woman. Sirens caused the worst shipwrecks, he'd heard the stories from the very few that were lucky enough to escape their clawed grasp.

There was shame. Ashamed that someone like him was so easily fooled by a pair of pretty eyes and a smile so sweet he could feel his teeth ache.

Was he just desperate and pathetic? Longing so deeply for a maiden of his own that he'd jumped at the first opportunity? Wasn't it honorable that he'd sprung into action to save a damsel in distress? He didn't know. He lived up to his reputation, that's for sure, but Leon couldn't bring himself to take the credit. He never could.

And then there was this bubbling curiosity. The urge to know more, to see you again. He didn't understand. You'd almost taken his life, yet there was not an ounce of fear for you in him. He was intrigued, he needed to see you again.

Whether it was to squeeze answers out of you or to get a smidge of that connection back.

He damn near broke his head in two that night after he'd retreated to bed, wondering if some of it was real. It felt real to him.

The way you looked at him, spoke to him, touched him. It all seemed so real and genuine. Were creatures like you even able to feel things of that sort? He didn't know.

What he did know was not only had you had his flesh between your sharp teeth, but his heart, too, it seemed.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

The sun sparkled on the surface of the ocean as the Lone Rookie treaded along her path, splitting the waves.

Captain Kennedy and his crew were leisurely sailing across the calm sea, letting the tide guide them. He stood atop the quaterdeck, giving directions to the pirate that manned the wheel, knowing this part of the wide ocean like the back of his hand.

His first mate was keeping watch over the remaining crew, making sure their daily tasks were done as they should be.

Some were scrubbing the deck, others were covered in soot from keeping the cannons in good condition while the rest was busy hoisting the sails.

His coat looked pristine and elegant with the golden appliques sewn onto it. His Tricorn sat proudly atop his sandy locks adorned by a large, fluffy feather. His leather boots shone in the sun, same as his belt, that held his cutlass and blunderbuss.

His shoulder was still healing, the arm hanging close to his body instead of in the sleeve of the coat to minimize the strain.

It had been weeks since he almost met his end at your hands. Leon's mind had been occupied by thoughts of you since, wondering if he'd ever see you again.

There was shouting coming from the crow's nest, drawing his attention away from thoughts of you. They were coming up to a small formation of sharp rocks emerging from the water, but the lookout claimed to have seen something shimmering, bringing hope for it to be a lost treasure.

The Lone Rookie was carefully maneuvered closer to the boulders, being mindful so she wouldn't shatter to pieces against the rocks. But before anyone had the chance to inspect this mystery further, all heads turned in search of a soft melody that seemed to he carried by the wind.

Upon one summer's morning, I carefully did stray

Down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay

Conversion with a young lass, who seemed to be in pain

Saying William, when you go, I fear you'll never return again

Whispers and questions echoed across the deck as they searched for the source of this enchanting tune. The crew slowly moved in tandem, migrating towards the edge of the ship.

Leon's brows furrowed as he took out his spyglass and tried to spot something between the rocks against the blinding sun.

A shiver ran down his spine when he laid his eyes on none other than you, in all your beautiful, sparkling glory. Your tail shimmered in all colors, and your skin was glistening from the water.

You were going to be the demise of his ship if he didn't act now. With a quick movement his spyglass was attached to his belt once again.

"Everyone below deck. Now!" He yelled, seemingly breaking his men from their trance. They scattered like rats, obeying their Captain.

"Capitán-" Luis began but was swiftly cut off.

"You too. Now."

"Leon-"

"Go."

With hesitancy Luis, too, made his way below deck. Though he did stay close, just in case. How his Captain thought he was invincible made him want to shake his head.

Leon kept his eyes on you, a hand resting on his blunderbuss. He spotted one of his men, a gunner named Mike, out of the corner of his eye.

"Mike, get below deck. Now!" He yelled, not getting a reaction.

The gunner's arms hung slack by his side as he slowly stepped further towards that lovely melody, drawing him in.

My heart is pierced by Cupid

I disdain all glittering gold

There is nothing can console me

But my jolly sailor bold

The words glid easily off your tongue as you eyed your next meal before your gaze flitted to Leon for a moment. He locked eyes with you and you could faintly see him scowl which made the corners of your mouth twitch upwards in a mischievous smile.

Mike had now reached the edge and was leaning over, his pupils dilated as his eyes were trained on you and your beauty.

"Mike!" Leon rushed towards him, gripping his shoulders and trying to pry him away from what would be his certain death.

As if suddenly possessed by inhuman strength he shook his Captain off of him with ease and climbed down the rope ladder at the side of the ship.

"Goddammit." Leon cursed under his breath.

"Snap out of it! Don't listen to to her!" He tried to reason with his best gunner, but there was only so much he could do from atop the ship.

Leon watched as Mike eagerly descended into the water and swam your way.

You held out your hand in a tantalizing manner, watching as he reached you and desperately clawed his way up the rock.

His hair it hangs in ringlets, his eyes as black as coal

My happiness attend him wherever he may go

From Tower Hill to Blackwall, I'll wander, weep and moan

All for my jolly Sailor, until he sails home

Mike panted with a smile has he gazed upon you.

"The gods have heard me." He spoke brightly, steadying himself with one hand in the slippery rock and the other on your hip.

The gesture made you want to physically recoil. They usually never lived along enough to lay a hand on you. Still, you put on your best face and cupped his cheek, pulling him closer.

My heart is pierced by Cupid

I disdain all glittering gold

There is nothing can console me

But my jolly sailor bold

With the last, softly sung note you chuckled, a sound that could rival your singing. Mike drew closer, his breath on your face.

Your stomach twisted and turned when you remembered who else's warm breath you could feel on your face just a few moons ago. A much more pleasant and welcome sensation than from your next meal.

"You're all I've ever wanted." Mike spoke quietly, making you giggle and lean in to whisper in his ear.

"What a shame."

Your teeth dug into the side of his neck, puncturing his jugular as he let out a blood curdling scream and desperately clutched his neck.

In a calculated move, you slid down the rock with a tight grip on your prey and pulled him under, his blood staining your skin.

Leon's blood boiled as he watched one of his best men die in front of him. He wanted to gut you and parade around your corpse for everyone to see, but there was a sick and twisted jealousy in the pit of his stomach.

You had charmed and enchanted Mike just as you had him, but there was a part deep inside his heart that hoped he was special. You didn't put up a damsel on distress act for Mike, but you did for him. Surely all that effort must've meant something? He felt nauseous at his thoughts and returned his attention back to you.

You were smiling at him, your sharp teeth stained with blood before you dove under and splashed your fin, a noticeable scar from the harpoon sitting on the glittering skin.

He slammed his fists down on the wooden railing, a few splinters flying overboard. Luis emegered from below deck and hurried toward him.

"What happened?" He asked hurriedly. Leon stayed silent for a moment, sighing deeply, his eyes trained on the pool of red around the rocks.

"She got Mike." He spoke coldly, faintly hearing the gasps and sounds of sorrow from his crew.

His jaw clenched as he swiftly turned on his heel and waltzed towards his cabin, slamming the door shut behind him.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

The death laid heavy on him as he tried to find some solace at the bottom of yet another bottle of rum. Though not alone in his state of mourning,

Luis sat next to him, puffing a cigar. Not as his first mate, but as his friend.

"I have to find her." Leon spoke sternly, deep in his thoughts.

His hands were intertwined and tucked under his chin, most of his weight resting on his elbows.

"Won't be too hard. She keeps showing up where you are. Maybe she likes you." Luis grinned, tapping his cigar over the glass ashtray.

Leon hated how that speculation made his heart jump in his chest. He shouldn't feel like this, especially after you'd cruelly killed one of his best men. But he just couldn't help the giddy feeling in his stomach. He didn't physically react apart from a sharp glare that made Luis put his hands up in mock surrender, and the faintest of blushes dusted on his cheeks.

"You know what they say about the kiss of a Siren, eh?" Luis began with a mischievous smirk, taking a drag from the roll of tobacco. Leon leaned back into his chair with a tight-lipped sigh.

"What, that you'll 'control the mighty seas and command the storms'? All bullshit if you ask me." He muttered, a slight frown on his face.

"Whatever you say, Capitán." Luis blew a new plume of smoke with a faint smirk playing on his lips.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

You carefully poked your head out of the water and watched the Lone Rookie, specifically the handsome Pirate Captain that you'd gotten a taste of.

You've been mesmerized by him ever since you met him that night. Those kind eyes, that gentle touch... could he really be a pirate? He was nothing like the dirty brutes that you had the displeasure of meeting.

Your curiosity is what urged you to follow his ship and observe him almost every day since you'd eaten one of his crew. You did feel a little bad about it afterward, guilt eating away at you as you twirled a button from his shirt between your fingers.

What we're you even going to do with it? Give it Leon as a peace offering? Now, that seemed unnecessarily cruel.

In your defense, you had to eat something. It wasn't your fault that you were cursed to be a Maneater.

Some were whiny and outright annoying while others disgusted you to the point where you'd just leave them drifting in the sea and went off to find another, their behavior ruining your appetite.

Gods, what were you thinking!? He probably hated you know. A fair outcome, you supposed. You wouldn't be very happy if someone ate one of your friends.

You dove back under, pondering your options. You knew you shouldn't, but something about him was so intriguing that it was impossible for you to stay away.

How ironic that the Siren seemed to be caught in a spell.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

The panic that arose in your chest as you struggle against the rough rope you'd managed to get tangled in was like nothing you'd felt before.

You were always so careful, kept your distance so no sailor would get their hands on you and do Gods know what.

You clawed and gnawed at the net, hoping your sharp teeth could cut you free. You were getting closer and closer to the surface, your eyes not having enough time to adjust as you were ripped from the deep.

Making yourself as small as possible, you waited in dreadful anticipation, saying goodbye to the ocean.

"This' a big one, Cap'n!" One of his men cackled, grunting as he continued to pull in the net.

Leon quirked a brow and stepped down from the quaterdeck, his belt rustling and his boots clacking against the wood as he walked. He waited patiently as his men reeled in their net, speculating about a big fish that would last them for weeks.

They plopped you down onto the deck unceremoniously, your tail hitting the floor with a thud as you pressed your back agaisn the railing, hoping to just disappear.

You hadn't even noticed Leon yet, to caught up in your fear to see how his eyes almost popped out of his head as his gaze landed on you.

"You." He breathed out, an unidentifiable mix of emotions in his tone.

Your head shot up, recognizing his voice, before it quickly fell again in shame, avoiding all eye contact with the handsome Captain. There were murmurs and whispers form the crew, some demanding to get revenge for their dearest friend and others that were interested in how much you'd go for on the fish market.

"What do we do with her, Capitán?" Luis asked from behind him, an uncharacteristically unsure tone to his usually so confident demeanor.

Leon's mind was void of all rational thoughts as he kept taking you in. How you cowered and kept your head down, seemingly afraid to even move a single muscle.

You were so confident in the water, seducing and luring men to their demise, but as soon as you hot caught on dry land all that cockiness evaporated and you looked more like a scared girl than a flesh-eating monster of the seas. He glanced around quickly before answering his first mate.

"Put her in that barrel." Leon gestures towards it haphazardly, continuing to bore holes into you with his look.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

That's how you ended up here. Cramped in a wooden barrel, sailors shooting you weird looks as you tried your best to sink as deep as you could, hoping to run from their judgmental gazes.

You'd find Leon staring at you from afar, striking under his gaze.

The protection of the sea was gone now. You were out of your element, and he was in his. You tried your best to behave, hoping they'd just get bored of you eventually.

Your first attempt at escaping and went as followed;

You nervously glanced around the deck, hoping you'd catch a moment where no eyes were on you. Leon seemed occupied looking at various maps with his first mate, while the crew was busy fulfilling their duties. You took your chance and took a breath to start singing, hoping you'd get them to dump you overboard so you could swim for it.

Before even a single not left your throat, a large hand was slapped over your mouth, muffling any sounds you would've made. Leon stood above you, his stature completely blocking off the sun.

"Don't even think about it. One of my men was enough." He said lowly, fueling the fire of guilt in your heart. You tried your best to ignore how his touch sent a prickly feeling down your spine.

You'd crossed the line miles ago, and you were swimming straight for the Bermuda triangle.

The sparkling moonlight on the ripple of the sea brought you no solace as you stared at the deep blue with longing, wishing you were back in your home.

You'd been on the Lone Rookie for about a week. Leon insisted on not letting you starve, to the dismay of some of his men, so they fed a part of their daily catches to you.

It wasn't human flesh, but enough to keep you going. Although you were around people all day, you hadn't felt more lonely. The disgusted expressions and whispered insults started to wear on you.

You were here only because you couldn't resist a couple of blue eyes and sandy hair that reminded you of the bottom of the ocean.

The door of the Captain's cabin opened and Leon stepped out with a lantern in hand, walking towards you.

Your heart was starting to beat faster but you still wouldn't meet his eyes. He placed the light on the railing next to you and leaned against it, staying quiet. You could tell he wanted to look at you, maybe even talk to you, but he held himself back.

The button in your hand seemed to almost burn your skin as you grasped it tighter. This was your chance at mercy and freedom.

"I'm... I'm sorry about your friend." You muttered quietly, the water in the barrel splashing gently as you turned your body to face Leon.

He was slightly stunned at your apology, maybe that you spoke at all, yet he didn't reply.

You bit your tongue, not knowing whether saying any more would be a good idea. You wordlessly lifted your hand out of the water and presented the button to him.

A soft crease formed between his brows as he eyes the button.

".. What's this?" He asked quietly.

You swallowed and raised your hand higher.

"From your friend." Your voice was merely above a whisper.

Hid jaw slacked slightly before he let his head fall forwards and let out a soft huff.

"Thank you." He replied softly as he took the button and squeezed it tightly, holding his hand to his chest.

There was a beat of silence before all your self-control left you, and you couldn't stop the words that spilled out of your mouth.

"I just couldn't stay away from you. That's what got me into this whole mess." You sighed, resting your head against the rim of the barrel.

Leon's head snapped towards you, your words igniting fire in his heart.

"You're just so... so.. different. I didn't actually think anyone would come to save me that night. I mean, I wasn't actually in trouble, but it was nice, still. You're nice. Not like all the other pirates I've met. They're rough and rude and.. you're not. I just can't stay away."

You laid your heart out for him. His heart was about to jump out of his chest, and his cheeks were dusted in a deep pink as he processed your confession.

He was speechless, his brain trying to come up with an answer.

You, on the other hand, were tugging at your hair, anxiously waiting for a reply. He could reject you, and you'd finally be able to move on, but as long as the option of him reciprocating was there, so were you.

Leon swallowed thickly, the way the moonlight was shining down one you once again not making it easier for him to finally find his words.

"I can't stay away either..." he confessed quietly.

"I know it sounds silly considering that's your whole deal, but... It felt real to me. Even if you bit me, even if you killed my best gunner, I..." he chuckled, running a hand through his hair and looking up at the stars.

"I've never... felt like that before. Never thought love was in the cards for me. You changed that." He spoke softly, gently guiding your head to look at him.

It was the first time you'd actually met his eye for days and it felt like your heart was going to melt right out of your chest. You were just as stunned by his words as he was by yours.

"It was real." You replied eagerly, lifting yourself out of the barrel to be closer to him.

"You remind me of my home. Your eyes are like the sea when she's calm and welcoming and your hair is like the sand at the bottom of the ocean, where all sorts of treasures can be found." You rambled breathlessly, the proximity of him making the air hard to breathe

. Leon was breathing heavily just as you were before he helped support you by placing a steady hand on your lower back.

"I just... I'm sorry for biting you, but I had to get a taste." Your face felt hot and your chest was rising and falling faster than normal.

His gentle touch was setting all of your nerves on fire, spiraling them into a hot frenzy.

"What if... what if you get a taste without drawing blood?" He asked in a quiet and breathy voice, a smirk tugging at his lips.

You nodded quickly, grasping onto him wherever you could.

With your confirmation, his strong arm wrapped around your back and he lifted you out of the barrel and onto the railing, holding you tightly, before finally pressing a kiss to your lips

. The desperation and passion in the kiss made you melt against him, a satisfied hum escaping your lips. Leon smiled into the kiss, teasingly squeezing your waist, making you giggle.

You gently held his face, the image of the both of you like that from a painting. You pulled away from each other for air, chests heaving, and your lips slightly puffy.

"I want to keep you forever." He muttered, pressing his forehead to yours.

You chuckled breathlessly, playing with the hair at his nape.

"I'm sorry I can't stay. But I belong out there," you nodded your head in the direction of the sea, "and you belong here." You spoke with a soft smile, placing a peck on his lips.

He made a soft displeased noise.

"Here." you untangled an iridescent shell from your hair and placed it into his palm, closing his hand and bringing it to your lips to press a kiss to his knuckles.

"That way, I'm always with you." His expression softened.

"Thank you."

Leon stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small golden anchor charm, one he'd gotten on one of his first raids and kept as a lucky charm.

"Now, I'm always with you, too." He attached it to the lock of hair you'd taken the shell from, pushing a few strands out of your face with a smile.

"Will you promise me something?" Leon asked quietly, stroking his thumb over your cheekbone.

You hummed softly, leaning into his touch.

"Promise me you'll always sing for me."

You smiled softly and pulled him a little closer.

"I promise. I'll only sing for you." You whispered, gently bumping your nose against his, making him smile.

You pulled him for a last kiss, one he happily indulged, before loosening your grip on him.

Letting yourself fall back from the railing, you elegantly dove into the water, Leon's eyes glued to the shimmering scales of your tail.

You blew him a kiss before diving deep into your home with a heavy heart. It was a bittersweet parting, no doubt, but the trinkets you'd exchanged with your lover would ease the ache.

With a sad smile Leon watched you disappear before retreating for the night. The only thing he'd have to explain in the morning was how you'd escaped and where he got the shimmering shell that was pinned to his coat.

When he heard a soft comforting melody that night, he smiled to himself, keeping your gift close to his heart.

From then on, you were never far. Always circling around the Lone Rookie, keeping an eye on not only Leon but his crew.

The kiss of a Siren might not have given Leon the power to command the sea, it did, however, give him the benefit of a hauntingly beautiful complicit that was more than happy to feed on his enemies.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ──🌊── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

I hope you liked it!! (you specifically, @sweets3rial <3)

More Leon -> 💫

《tag list》: @vampkennedy @dmitriene @k-fallingstar @agrerion @leonslittlekennedy @allysunny

Let me know if you'd like to be added to my Leon tag list!!

(Sorry for any typos, it's late :,))

[sixpennydame]

dark side of the moon⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ [chapter 2]

Pairing: Yakuza!Levi x F!reader

Word count: 6.2k

Newly out of prison, Levi is thrown back into life in the yakuza.

Series Content/Warnings: mafia/yakuza AU, flashbacks, slow burn, mystery, cyberpunk, sci fi, non-binary Hange Zoe, eventual smut, dark content, graphic violence and sexual content

Author's Note: A huge thank you to my beta reader @bitchymanlet - you were such a big help through this!

next chapter/masterlist/AO3

“Inmate 012025, Ackerman. It’s time.”

With a loud thud, the heavy, titanium doors slide open, and bright light fills the small cell.

”Hands against the back wall. Make it quick.”

Levi stands up and walks to the back of his cell. With a sigh he raises his hands and presses them against the wall.

Immediately a guard grabs his arms and places them behind his back, before clicking the cold cuffs around his wrists.

“Don’t give us any trouble now, Ackerman.”

As if he would do something today, of all days.

The two guards lead him down the corridor, past all the other cell doors; Levi can feel the other inmates staring out from the tiny window on their cell door. Their eyes follow him, wild and predatory.

But Levi Ackerman had never been their prey.

One of the guards presses a code into a keypad and another heavy door opens. There’s a series of offices, all behind thick-plated, forcefield glass.  The three men move toward a desk where a woman with blue hair, deep wrinkles and uninterested eyes types in the air. With a blink of her eyes, the screen before her disappears.

”Ackerman, Levi?”

Levi nods and the woman takes a device that scans his eye, confirming his identity. 

“Hold out your right hand.”

He does so, while she scans another device over his wrist. There’s a sharp sting, and then the glowing tattoo of his inmate number - 012025 - was gone.

“That takes care of the detection device implanted inside your wrist,” she informs in a monotone voice.

Levi touches the silver button behind his left ear. “What about my cerebral comm system?” 

“It’s been completely deleted. You’ll have to have someone reactivate it.”

The woman moves to a back room and returns with a large vinyl bag.

”Here are your belongings. You can change there.” She gestures to a door just outside their office cluster. 

Levi takes the items, walks to the room and closes the door. He steps out of the grey prison jumpsuit and stands there in just his underwear, looking at the stack of clothing he hasn’t seen or felt in almost five years: a black t-shirt, black combat pants, boots, socks..

He puts on each item, and wonders if he’ll feel different - if he’ll revert back to the man he used to be before he was put behind titanium bars.

But he doesn’t feel different. He doesn’t feel….anything.

When he finishes dressing, the guards walk him to the outer gate of the prison. The forcefield comes down and Levi takes his first step outside as a free man.

”You’re late. I’ve been waiting out here for over 30 minutes,” comes a voice from behind him.

Levi turns to see a tall man with sandy brown hair leaning against a cherry red vehicle. “I thought you’d done something to get another year added to your sentence.”

”Tch, as if I had any say in what time they’d release me.”

”You look like shit.”

”Takes a piece of shit to know one.” 

Both men glare at each other, then the tall one smirks. “Good to see you again, Levi.” He pats him on the shoulder.

”You too, Farlan..” Levi replies warmly.

”Come on, let’s get you out of here.” 

The car’s engine purrs as Farlan weaves in and out of traffic. Levi is enveloped by the leather seat, the glow of the neon accents inside reflecting off of Farlan’s dark suit coat.

”Looks like you’re doing well for yourself,” Levi says.

“The last few years I’ve been managing all our legit businesses, making sure they look good on paper. At least good enough that nobody will snoop around further.”

”So you’re a paper pusher,” Levi remarks. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

”Beats fixing the books for underground gambling rings,” Farlan answers defensively. “It’s the same concept though, just a different arena. I’m suited for this.”

Farlan had always been smart. He knew how to work the angles and how to get people to let down their guard.

They’d met at the orphanage they were both put in during one of Neo Tokyo’s efforts to, “alleviate the growing population of homeless children littering the city’s streets.” Farlan had convinced Levi that his calorie bar - the only thing they received for dinner - was infested with invisible larvae and that if he gave it to him he'd get another one. Finally figuring out he’d been conned, the next day he punched Farlan in the face and took his daily ration. 

They’d been friends ever since. 

During their teenage and young adult years with the Ackerman clan, everyone knew their names. They had their hands in almost every backalley operation - from gambling to fights and everything in between.

And if Farlan had been the brains of their operation, then Levi was the brawn. Farlan could shake people down through intellect, and when that didn’t work, Levi would beat them to a pulp. Together, they were feared and respected.

They had been equals. But now, after five years, Levi felt left behind.

“So where are you taking me? I need a shower.” Levi scrunches his nose at the musty smell emanating from his clothing.

”To your apartment. I made sure they didn’t touch anything. It’s all there as you left it.”

”Probably a dusty mess…but thanks for looking after the place.”

”Wasn’t that hard. Not like you had much stuff in there.”

”…and Isabel?” Levi asks tentatively, afraid to know the answer.

”Still functioning, and still entirely devoted to you. She could barely contain her excitement today.”

Levi felt a rush of relief. He never thought he’d feel any sort of affection for an android, but Isabel was different. She was a friend and comrade, and had saved his ass on more than one occasion, stitching up his cuts and gashes from a fight or standing beside him during a back alley brawl. But he was often surprised by how human she behaved sometimes, tearing up when she’d see a dead animal on the side of the road, or stealing food to give to a needy family. 

Sometimes he thought she was more human than he was. 

The buildings grew higher and higher the closer they got to the city center, their reach seeming to pierce the orange-red sky of the late afternoon. The next thing he knew, Farlan was pulling up to his apartment building, both of them entering the elevator decorated with layers upon layers of graffiti, and finally walking down the hallway and standing in front of his apartment door. 

It was finally hitting him. He was free.

”I bought you some suits, hopefully they fit. Though you do look like you’ve bulked up a bit.”

”Not much else to do in prison but exercise. I tried to train as much as I could, too. I wanna get back into the ring.” 

“After all this, you still want to fight?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“It’s just…nevermind. Take a shower, get dressed,” Farlan hesitates. “Oyabun wants to see you this evening.”

“Oyabun…” Levi repeats, the word turning sour in his mouth. “Your professionalism is getting on my nerves. You don’t have to talk to me like I’m some new recruit.” 

“That’s who he is, Levi. He deserves our respect.”

Levi grimaces. “So Kenny’s pulling my leash already, huh?”

”Levi.. I know things were…strained between the two of you before, but he kept you protected while you were in prison.”

”Bullshit.”

”Believe what you want.” Farlan waves his hand in surrender before walking towards the door. “I’ll be back this evening.”

”Don’t bother, I can drive there myself. Where’s my bike?”

“It needed some tuning up since it’s been out of commission for so long. Isabel’s getting it ready for you.” Farlan turns to grin at his friend. “So you’re stuck with being chauffeured by me just a little longer. See you in a few hours.”

The door shuts and Levi is surrounded by silence. It’s a different sound than he’s used to; even though it’s the space he lived in for years, it feels unfamiliar and new.

His eyes scan the room; it really was exactly as he left it. Always the minimalist, his small sofa nestled in a corner across from a dining table with two chairs. No pictures, no books; the only personal item was an antique ceramic teapot and two cups.

”Petra.”

Suddenly, the lights fade up in the room, as if the apartment itself was coming to life.

”Welcome back, Levi,” the female voice resonates in the space, “it’s good to have you back. I haven’t been activated in such a long time.”

”Yeah, I’ve been…away.”

”Shall I prepare you some tea?”

”That’d be great,” Levi pulls off his shirt, “but I’d like to take a bath first.”

There’s a chime of recognition and then, “The bath water is ready. Please relax, sir.”

”Thanks.”

Levi had always felt prompted to treat Petra respectfully, even though he knew she was just an apartment AI - an assistant built into almost every home in Neo Tokyo. But it was so rare for him to hear a kind word from anyone in his life, so hearing her voice made him feel like he was being reunited with an old friend.

He takes off his clothes and turns on the shower, taking a sponge to wash away the dirt and grime from his body and hoping in some small way, that it might wash away some of the memories as well. 

But those proved harder to get rid of. He knew only time could do that.

He finally sinks into the steaming bath water and a heavy sigh escapes his lips; he can feel his muscles relaxing with the heat, years of built up tension slowly melting away. The Martians of Neo Tokyo knew what an important resource water was, but now Levi felt it in his very bones. 

Stepping out of the bath, he looked at his naked body in the mirror. He was bulkier than he was five years ago, Farlan was right about that. His lean, muscular frame, useful for street fighting and cage matches, was now replaced by more defined arms and chest; it was noticeable now, even beneath the tattoos swirling on his body. 

A giant eagle, designed in the classical Japanese style, stretched across the length and width of his back; its wings outstretched and talons out, as if attacking prey. A red moon shone from his right shoulder and clouds wrapped around his torso, swirling up his abs and around his pectoral muscles. Over his left pec was the Ackerman clan crest, the Japanese character for power, 力, encased inside a circle.

That had been his first tattoo, when he was initiated into the Ackerman clan as a teenager. That felt like an eternity ago now.

His yakuza tattoos covered many of the scars Levi had received throughout his life, but there were new scars from his years of incarceration. He collected them all like badges of honor; evidence that he’d survived another day.

He found his electric shaver and erased the light stubble growing on his face, then decided to shave his undercut again, just like he’d always had it. But this time, he kept his hair slightly longer than it had been before. He slicked it back with a comb, exposing the sharp features of his face - flawless, except for one scar running through his right eyebrow, breaking it in two and barely missing his eye.

He’d forgotten how he'd received most of his scars, but that one…

…he’d never forget that night.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he walks to his bedroom.

”Petra, I’ll take that tea now. Green jasmine.”

”Right away,” she responds. 

As Farlan had promised, there were several suits hanging in the small closet. The yakuza were old fashioned, and clan members always preferred the look of the classic, tailored suit, in contrast to the bright and bold fashions prevalent on the streets of the city. Levi scans each one and decides on a dark navy blue suit with a white shirt. In a drawer are several ties, but he decides to forgo them and instead keeps the top two buttons undone, slightly exposing his chest tattoos that start just under his collarbone.

If Kenny wants him to wear a suit then he’ll do it his way.

He rummages through another drawer and finds his gold earring stud. The hole in his ear has grown smaller but he pushes it through, wincing just a bit as it breaks through skin. He welcomes the pain, though. Pain has always made him feel alive.

“Your tea is ready, sir.”

Levi takes the tea cup from the food preparation compartment and eases into a chair that’s facing his balcony window. How long has it been since he’s had a steaming cup? Tea wasn’t the type of contraband that could be obtained in prison, no matter what an inmate had to trade. He lifts the cup to his lips and takes a sip, breathing in the aroma.

”These are imported leaves from off-planet. Where did you get them?”

Petra blinks on. “Mr. Church wanted to make sure that you had the best for your homecoming.”

Levi’s lips turn upward into a faint smirk. 

Farlan.

He guesses his old friend can afford things like this now. No more slumming it like they did when they were kids. He’d made his way in the world, and now Levi wanted to as well.

But first things first…

He finishes his tea then grabs his suit jacket. “Petra, I’ll be back later,” he says to the room, before stepping out of his apartment and into the city streets. The sun was just starting to set, creating a copper glow to the sky as it reflected off the high rise buildings and skyscrapers. Neo Tokyoites filled the sidewalks, bustling from one place to the next, but no one drifted an eye toward Levi as he walked along the city streets - just another face in the crowd. 

The city hadn’t changed much since Levi had left it, but even if it had, he could make it to his destination with his eyes closed. He takes a right, then a left, turning into a narrow alley and scaring a cat or two before arriving at an unmarked door. 

He knocks once, a pause, then two more quick knocks.

There’s commotion on the other side of the door, as if someone is scrambling towards it. Then it bolts open.

“Aniki! I knew you’d come!”

A small red-headed young woman throws her arms around Levi’s neck, practically throwing his body across the alley. 

“See? Didn’t I tell you he’d come right away?” she boasts as she pulls him through the space Levi had once used for training. His punching bag was still there, gathering cobwebs in the corner, along with his other training equipment, but the rest of the room was now littered with electronics and various tools.

And sitting in another corner was Farlan, scrolling through his comm device as he lounged in one of the only chairs in the entire space.

“Isabel knew you wouldn’t stay in your apartment for long, so I thought I might as well just wait for you here. Saves me a trip, anyway.” Farlan smirks.

Isabel can hardly contain her excitement. “The trio is back together, just like old times!”

Old times…Levi thinks as he looks around the space. Everything - and he’s sure everyone - has changed, but it’s a relief to see that Isabel is still the same. 

Levi puts his hand on the top of her head. “Glad to see that Kenny didn’t get rid of you once I was arrested.”

“What? No way! Farlan got me out of there the moment you were busted. He’s been getting me steady work ever since, working on bikes and cars, even some augments here and there.” Her face beams, “Kenny may have thought me a useless android, but I’ve been making my own way.”

That also gave Levi some relief. Throughout these past years, he’d wondered what had become of the spunky little android he’d saved from the wrecking yard. 

Levi had always had a soft spot for things that were considered broken beyond repair. 

“Isabel, I need you to reboot my cerebral comm connection.” 

“Oh yeah, yeah, not a problem.” Isabel takes his hand again and leads him to a part of the room with a computer connected to a multitude of cables. 

Levi sits on what looks almost like an examining table, leaning his face into the light above. “You’ve got quite the set up here.”

“Since I’m not a certified augmentation android, I have to stay under the radar, so most of my clients come from Farlan or from word of mouth.” 

Isabel rolls her chair over to Levi. “Just turn your head to the right for me…” One of her small hands finds the silver button behind his left ear and with one swipe of her tool, pops it out.

 “Let’s see what I can do here..”

There’s a slight sense of pressure as Isabel sticks a cable into the port, connecting Levi to her computer. She rolls back over to her station, clicking her keyboard methodically.  

“All your contacts are still here…at least they didn’t try to wipe your memory for names and information.”

“Oh they tried,” Levi remarks, “but it didn’t work. Seems my Ackerman genes are good for more than just kicking people’s asses.”

“I bet that pissed them off,” Farlan adds, still scrolling through the air with his pointer finger as images only he can see moves across his eyes.

“Almost there..” Isabel says, intensely concentrated on her computer screen.

There’s a few more clicks of her keyboard, and then Levi feels a slight jolt of electricity through his head.

“And that should be it.” Isabel rolls back over the Levi, disconnecting him and replacing the silver button. “You should be connected to your old contact list now.”

“Thanks.” Levi pats her head again and she grins from ear to ear. 

“I’ll have your bike ready for you tomorrow.” The red-head responds while Levi gets up from the examining table. Farlan gets up, giving both of them a look that says it’s time to go. As Isabel walks them to the door she puts a tentative hand on Levi’s arm.

“Aniki…once the word is out that you’ve been released, people are going to wonder when you’ll start fighting again.” 

“That’s a good question, and one I’m about to get an answer to,” he responds. 

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

The Ackerman Clan headquarters was housed in a nondescript, four-story building, just on the outskirts of the entertainment district. The only thing that made it stand out from the other business buildings was the Ackerman crest emblazoned next to the door; no other signs were needed, and inhabitants of Neo Tokyo didn’t have to be fluent in Japanese to know its meaning…

Power. The word that’s synonymous with Ackerman.

Farlan pulls up and the door to his car lifts up automatically. “Oyabun is in his office - I assume you remember where everything is.”

“You’re not coming in.”

“Nah, not this time. Kenny wanted to meet with you privately, and I have a meeting to get to, anyway. I’ll see you later this evening.”

Levi steps out of the car, straightening his suit jacket before stepping up to the door. The moment he touches the handle the door unlocks for him.

At least he knows he hasn’t been completely shut out of the organization.

There are voices coming from the second floor - new recruits, most likely, being made to clean and prepare dinner for the evening. Levi remembered the hierarchical structure well; it was something he’d also had to go through in his teenage years. But unlike the others here, he wasn’t recruited into this clan.

It was something he was born into.

The elevator takes him to the top floor, which was reserved entirely for the clan’s leader. Levi walks through the empty reception area and knocks on the office door.

“Come in,” a low, gravelly voice answers.

Behind the door is a room split in half; the front part serving as a reception area and in the back, a broad desk surrounded by pictures of past leaders. The man behind the desk grins broadly then stands up, gesturing to Levi to come in. His face shares many of the same features as Levi: a sharp profile and even sharper eyes of a stormy grey hue. He’s taller than Levi, however, and leaner, with a powerful aura that fills the entire space.  

“Look who’s back from the dead,” he says, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Levi scoffs at the phrase, but it’s true; the last few years in prison made him feel like a corpse, a half-life that dragged on and on. In a way, he has been resurrected.

“Kenny…” he says sharply, “you wanted to see me.”

”Of course I did! It’s not every day that I can celebrate the release of my nephew from prison.” He gives Levi a once-over. “You survived with all your limbs, that’s good. And you look strong,” he frowns, “but not any taller.”

Kenny laughs at his own joke and then offers for Levi to sit, but he refuses, standing in front of the broad desk with his arms crossed. 

“And no better sense of humor either,” Kenny deadpans before sitting on the edge of his desk. “Always so serious. But no matter…let’s get right to business.”

At that, Levi finally sits, though he’s on edge and alert, not sure where this conversation might go.

Kenny walks behind his desk where a katana sword is displayed. He picks it up and slowly removes it from the sheath.

“You know, Levi, we Ackermans have been feared for our strength for generations, even before we were yakuza. This power has shaped us into what we are today. I’ve been preparing you to take on this role someday, but you’ve been a pain in my ass from the beginning: disobedient, disorderly, and headstrong. That fire in you needed to be beaten into submission.”

Light glistens off the katana as Kenny moves about the room. “I let you do those cage matches because it gave you a purpose and kept you compliant. But when you started earning huge sums of money, and weren’t paying your dues to me and your brothers - well, that just wouldn’t do.”

Kenny stands in front of Levi now, the katana held loosely at his side. “I hope your time in prison taught you a thing or two about respect, Levi. What I say, goes. Always.”

He pauses, as if expecting to get some sort of reply from Levi, but gets none.

“You were supposed to lose that match - that was the deal we’d set - not beat the humanoid within an inch of his life. You lost me an incredible amount of money, and respect from the Reiss Agency. So you needed to be taught a lesson.”

Levi’s hands ball into fists in his lap, his nails digging into his palms. He takes a deep breath before he responds. “Consider the lesson learned. When can I start fighting again?”

“Fighting?” Kenny laughs. “You think I’m gonna put you in the ring again after that stunt you pulled? Abso-fucking-lutely not. It’s time you started preparing for a bigger leadership role.”

Levi grits his teeth. He wants to grab that katana Kenny holds and slice him right down the middle. 

He could do it - he’s strong, probably stronger than Kenny now. He could do it and finally be free. 

He takes a breath. No, this isn’t the time.

Be smart…

Kenny presses a button on his desk and a few seconds later, a tall, blonde woman enters.

“Sir,” she says in a stern, serious voice.

“Levi, you remember Caven. She’s my wakagashira now.” He grins. “The title you should have had. I suppose you’ll have to usurp her someday.” Levi can tell that it gives Kenny no greater joy than to think of the two of them fighting for the role and for his approval. 

Caven’s eyes slide towards Levi, her body on edge, as if Kenny could call for them to fight any minute. Kenny laughs. “But that’s a problem for another day. Caven, introduce Levi to the new shatei - he’ll be in charge of them now.”

At that, Levi stands up. “What? I don’t want to be in charge of some brats.”

“Oh, but you will, Levi. Because what I say goes.” Kenny’s eyes darken and his voice lowers. He walks towards Levi, looking down at him, the katana still in his hand. “Got it?”

Levi looks away, wordlessly conceding to Kenny’s demand. He turns to follow Caven out of the office.

”I guess this is when I’m supposed to welcome you back,” she says coldly.

”Don’t bother. We don’t have to pretend that we like each other.”

They both walk down the stairs to the second floor. “I’m not sure what you mean, Levi. You’re my brother. We’re all family here - or did you forget that while you were in prison?” 

Levi clicks his tongue at the statement. He always thought the yakuza’s obsession with family laughable; if this was supposed to be a family, then it was the most dysfunctional one he’d ever known. 

Not that he’d really ever known anything else.

The brief times he’d ever felt the true bonds of family was when he was with Farlan and Isabel, or as a small child, when it was just him and his mother. But those years were fading from his memory with every year he grew older.

“Speaking of which,” Caven opens the door to the second floor, where there are clattering and raised voices coming from the living area.

”I told you to clean this place up!”

”I did! Why can’t we just have androids do this?”

”There are no androids here, idiot. Oyabun is against it. Now hurry up, our brothers are gonna be here soon.”

Caven pinches the bridge of nose and gives a heavy sigh. “Connie! Jean! Get out here.”

Two young men emerge from the room: one on the smaller side, with silvery grey hair and a buzz cut; the other tall and lanky, his light brown hair growing slighting over his undercut. 

They both look at each other then at Levi, mouths slightly agape. Caven clears her throat, clearly disappointed at their sudden lack of manners.

”Connie, Jean, this is Levi. He’ll be your big brother from now on and will prepare you to be a true member of the clan.”

”Levi… Ackerman…we heard all about you,” Jean says, bowing deeply. When he sees Connie still standing there staring, he pulls him down as well. “It’s an honor, sir…uh, aniki.”

They both stay in a bow and Levi shifts uncomfortably. “What am I supposed to do with them?”

”Take them around on neighborhood patrols and payment collections. You know, standard stuff.” Caven raises an eyebrow. “Unless you’ve forgotten the basics.”

Levi gives Caven a cold look, then walks over to his new younger brothers, their bodies still at a ninety degree angle. 

“Ok, that’s enough. You don’t have to bow to me.” Levi looks around the space as they stand up. “You were cleaning?”

Jean rubs the back of his head nervously. “Yeah…then we were gonna start cooking dinner after we finish this…”

Levi’s discerning eyes continue to survey the room, seeing every hairball and clump of dirt left behind. “Oh, you are nowhere near finished.” He hangs up his suit jacket. “You. Baldy.” His finger points at Connie. “Go get the mop. Jacques – ”

“...it’s Jean, sir..” 

“-- get a rag and start wiping everything down.”

“But we just cleaned —,” Connie interjects, but when Levi glances towards him, his mouth clamps shut.

“I’ll leave you all to it, then,” Caven says, sauntering away. “Good luck, you two.”

Connie and Jean immediately start their tasks. Levi rolls up the sleeves of his dress shirt.

”I’m sure you’ve heard lots of things about me, but one thing you should know right now: I do not tolerate filth.”

”Yes, aniki!” They both answer.

”I’ll start on dinner prep. You two join me when you finish here.”

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

It’s not long until other clan members start ambling into the building for dinner. Levi hears their voices before he sees them, and the corners of his mouth curl into a slight smile.

”It smells cleaner in here! Could it be?” 

A tall man with long, blonde hair strides into the kitchen. “If it’s not the man himself! Oi! Levi’s back, everyone!”

“Pipe down, Eld, the whole damn neighborhood can hear you,” Levi chides, before shaking his hand. “Good to see you again.”

“Shit, I don’t believe my eyes. Levi!” Another man enters, patting Levi on the back generously. 

“Gunther..”

“It’s about time they let you out..” comes a lackadaisical voice from the back. Levi turns to see a third man, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. 

“Well you know, Oluo, I had to get back here and beat your ass back into shape.”

Eld and Gunther laugh, but Oluo frowns. “Come on, Levi, I’m a lot stronger now. You’ll see.”

Levi feels a bit uncomfortable with all this attention on him, but it’s expected; these are men he’d known since they were new recruits. He’d done jobs with them, showed them how to take a punch and even give them when needed. It’s amazing how much they’ve changed in just these few years.

He wonders what else has changed in this organization. 

“I see you’ve met the little brothers,” Eld says, grabbing Connie and putting him in a headlock.

“I’m in charge of them, actually.”

“Damn,” Oluo laughs. “Hope you two are up for it.”

“Up for what?” Jean asks.

Oluo smirks as he sits down with the others at the table. “For the daily ass beatings you’re gonna get if you don’t keep the damn place spotless.”

Everyone laughs except Connie, Jean, and Levi, who looks at his two little brothers. “They are right about that.”

Connie and Jean eat their food quietly, listening to the stories being told around the table by the others about Levi. He shifts in his chair uncomfortably; he doesn’t particularly like being talked about like he’s some history report, but he’s content enough to listen, especially as the conversation shifts to updates on the clan and its newest exploits.

Hours pass with more stories being told and alcohol being drunk, until Caven walks through the door, a serious look on her face.

“There’s been a disturbance at Club Azure. Some members of the Jaeger Clan are causing a scene and harassing the hostesses. Levi, Kenny wants you to take care of it.”

Before Levi can even respond or refuse, she’s on her way out the door, but stops, glancing at him behind her shoulder. “And take Connie and Jean with you.”

“Fucking Jaeger Clan, thinking they can mess around on our territory,” Gunther says, his hands balling into fists. “Unfortunately for them, Levi’s back.”

Without a word, Levi gets up from the table and grabs his jacket.

“Those Jaegers won’t know what hit ‘em,” Oluo adds. 

“Come on,” Levi finally says to his two brothers, who scramble away from the table and file behind him. “Let’s get this over with.”

Levi hadn’t realized how much time had gone by that evening until he stepped out into the brightly lit streets of the entertainment district. Signs flashed and holograms coaxed patrons to step inside their clubs, while drunks stumbled around them, yelling about which bar to hit up next. 

Pachinko parlors, night clubs and host and hostess bars lit up every corner of every block; and when these institutions closed in the early morning light, there was still entertainment to be found in the sex clubs and soap lands. 

And every one of them was protected by the Ackerman Clan.

“Does Hange still own Club Azure?” Levi asks as they make their way to the club, an easy walk from the clan headquarters.

“Yeah,” Jean answers, “but I’ve heard times have been tough over there.”

“Tough for a lot of the clubs these days, I heard,” Connie adds. “Members of the Jaeger Clan have been busting shit up around here recently and scaring customers away.”

Levi wants to ask more about this Jaeger Clan, but they’ve already arrived at the doors of the club. By the time the three men enter, there are raised voices amidst the smooth jazz music.

“We got ourselves a non-aug!”

Levi hears a voice say over the others. He looks over to the source of the noise and sees a man - probably no more than nineteen or twenty - being slapped by one of the hostesses.

“Don’t you touch me,” the woman says.

A few seconds later, he sees the man backhand the woman.

And that’s when something ignites in Levi.

“Stay here,” he says to Connie and Jean, wasting no time in walking toward the disturbance. The man grabs the woman’s face hard, saying something about not fucking with the Jaeger clan.

“Oi.”

From then on, Levi goes into combat mode, the rest of the world fading away as he throws the man across the room. He senses the rest of the men gathering around him; he deals with them one by one, barely breaking a sweat.

The leader reaches for a weapon in his jacket, but Levi is faster, his knife in his hand in the blink of an eye.

Even in the heat of the moment, his breathing is calm, his heartbeat is steady, and his concentration is laser focused. He feels his strength coursing through him.

The feeling of his fist against skin, his punches sending a resounding crack across the room…

This is who he is. This is what he does.

He blinks a few times when he sees them scrambling away, the room incredibly silent, until - 

“Thank you so much, um..”

You’re in front of him suddenly.

Your dress does little to hide every curve of your body, and every bit of skin that is revealed shows not a single tattoo or augmentation. He blinks a few more times to focus on your face, and it’s like time stands still. Tears have formed in the corners of your eyes, probably from the force of the blow to your cheekbone, but your eyes are still bright, undefeated. 

No longer able to hold your gaze, he gives you his name and turns away. 

Why is his heart beating so fast?

When he reaches the bar he turns around to see you being whisked off by another hostess.

“Whew! Well that was not how I wanted this evening to end.” Hange says, leaning against the bar and looking at Levi. “And when I called Caven, I had no idea you were gonna show up. I didn’t even know you were out of prison.”

“I just got out today.”

Hange laughs and pours him a drink. “I bet this wasn’t the welcome you had in mind.”

“Who’s that girl? The one that got hit.”

“That’s Luna. She just started here today. Guess you two have something in common there.”

“She’s not augmented?”

“Nope. Pure as snow. Not that I’ve ever seen snow before.” Hange pours a drink for themself and downs it in one gulp.

“Where is she from?”

“Earth… Why do you want to know so much about her?”

That breaks Levi from his concentration on you. He doesn’t answer, but instead shifts on the bar stool and takes a swig of his drink. 

“It’s natural to have those urges, Levi. You’ve been in prison for so long,” Hange’s voice has a teasing lilt.

“Fuck you, Hange.”

“Not even on a good day, Levi. But she might.” Hange gestures to the dressing room where you’ve been taken.

Wanting to get away from the conversation, Levi gulps down his drink and stands up. “I’ll take my guys and search the perimeter of the club to make sure they’ve left.”

“My hero, just like old times!” Hange yells out, as Levi and the other two walk towards the exit of the club. “Don’t be a stranger!”

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

“Hange has a new girl working at Azure.”

It’s the first thing Levi says to Farlan when he picks him up the next morning. He hasn’t been able to think about much else since last night.

”You’re not usually interested in the products.”

“She’s from Earth.”

”So what?” Farlan counters.  “There’s lots of Earth refugees here; in fact, many of them work in that sweatshop Kenny has, making fake….”

”She’s not augmented. At all. Not one mark or change.”

Farlan looks up. He knows where this is going. “That’s not a rarity for Earthlings, Levi. It’s a coincidence.”

“What if it’s not?”

”What difference would it make now? What’s done is done, Levi. You can’t change the past.”

”That’s easy for you to say.”

”Look, I know you want answers, but you’re not gonna find them in some girl from Earth. You have a chance to start things over. Don’t stir shit up.”

But it was too late. Levi’s curiosity had already been piqued. His gut told him there was more to you than what you seemed, and he wanted to know what that was.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Glossary of terms:

Oyabun - title given to the leader of a yakuza group

Aniki - “older brother”, used to refer to someone who is considered a superior

Wakagashira - a lieutenant, works directly under the Oyabun

Shatei - “younger brothers”, they work under the more experienced “older brothers” (kyodai) of a yakuza clan

Pachinko Parlor - a mechanical game like pinball, used for gambling

next chapter/masterlist/AO3

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[koyagifs]

shattered trust

pairing: Ravenclaw!Hongjoong x Hufflepuff!reader au: harry potter genre: angst | fluff | Summary: as the years go by, you never noticed the dark side of your lover.

Warning(s):

Some cursing, their ages will be aged up a bit! This fic is not meant to reflect how Ateez are in real life. This is a fanfic.

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | part 12 | part 13 | part 14

st masterlist | ateez masterlist

.𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖ .𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖ .𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖ .𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖

You stayed in your seat, shock evident on your face as you looked at your friends. Seonghwa held his hand out, a smirk on his face as Wooyoung mumbled curses as he pulled out a few galleons and placed them on Seonghwa hand.

" he can never catch a break can he..." you mumbled, feeling awful for Harry.

Hongjoong shrugged, wrapping his arm around you as they waited for the great hall to clear. " but aren't you happy? Someone from your house finally got called"

You rolled your eyes, " Cedric will do well i'm sure but Harry is just a boy. I would be fearing for you all."

Wooyoung clutch his chest, throwing his body onto yours as you laughed. " yn finally admits that she cares for us"

" all but you woo" you said, shoving him off you.

Wooyoung began to protest, the others laughing as you playfully pushed him away, trying to stifle your giggles. The energy in the room was infectious, and despite the earlier shock of Harry’s name being called, the camaraderie among your friends was lifting your spirits.

Seonghwa, still grinning, leaned back in his seat. “Honestly, though, it’s wild. Who would have thought Harry would be in the Triwizard Tournament?”

“Yeah, it’s insane,” you said, shaking your head. “He’s just a kid! I can’t help but worry about him. It’s dangerous.”

Hongjoong tightened his arm around you, his warmth comforting. “You care more than you let on. It’s okay to be worried.”

“Don’t worry, YN! If anyone can pull off some crazy stunts, it’s Harry,” Seonghwa reassured, still smirking. “And if he can’t, we’ll just send him some flowers to cheer him up in the hospital.”

“Or a nice card,” you added playfully, “wishing him luck on his next life!”

The group erupted in laughter, the tension of the evening fading away. You felt lighter, surrounded by friends who brought joy even in uncertain times. The Great Hall was slowly clearing out, and you could see the stars beginning to twinkle outside the windows.

“Alright, let’s get out of here,” Hongjoong said, standing up and pulling you with him.

“We should celebrate a bit. Who’s up for some butterbeer?”

“Count me in!” Wooyoung exclaimed, practically bouncing in his seat. “I need a drink after all that drama.”

Seonghwa chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Always the dramatic one.”

Hongjoong wrapped his arm around your shoulder once again, leading the way with you towards the three broomsticks.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖ .𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖ .𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖ .𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Hongjoong and you separated from the group once you all enjoyed the company of each other. Walking around Hogsmeade, a store had caught your attention. Hongjoong eyed your excitement, a smile placed on his face as he watched you bounce toward the shop window, your eyes sparkling with curiosity. “What’s got you so captivated?” he asked, stepping up beside you.

" look the rings Joongie" you pointed out.

Hoongjoong came beside you and leaned closer to the window, his eyes widening at the display of beautifully crafted rings. Each one shimmered with a different enchantment, some changing colors while others seemed to glow softly. But one caught his eye, it screamed you. The particular ring that had a delicate silver/gold band with a tiny charm shaped like a star. His star. Beside the one was a matching one, a gold band with a crescent moon charm. It was almost as if the two rings were made for each other, perfectly complementing one another.

Hongjoong couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the two of you wearing matching rings. He turned to you, a smile still place on your lips.

" ahh, it's getting late we should probably head back now" You muttered, leaving Hongjoong at the window shop.

" give me one second i'll be right back. Meet you at the bridge?"

You nodded, a mix of curiosity and excitement swirling inside you. “Okay, I’ll see you there!”

As you watched him dash back into the shop, your mind raced with thoughts of the rings and what they could symbolize. You leaned against the bridge railing, gazing out at the serene landscape of Hogsmeade, the sun beginning to dip below the horizon.

A few moments later, Hongjoong returned, a small bag tucked securely under his arm. His eyes sparkled with anticipation as he approached you, and your heart skipped a beat.

“What did you get?” you asked, unable to contain your excitement.

He held up the bag triumphantly. " that's for me to know and for you to find out later little badger,"

You pouted, " Joongie~"

He chuckled at your playful pout, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Alright, alright. I’ll give you a hint. It’s something that will remind you of me every time you wear it.”

You thought for a bit, both of you walking side to side back to the castle. Surely he didn't get the rings you both eyes moments ago.

You turned to him, your curiosity bubbling over. “Is it really something from the shop? You wouldn’t just tease me like that, would you?”

Hongjoong feigned innocence, his lips curving into a sly smile. “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. You’ll just have to wait and see!”

You rolled your eyes, unable to suppress your grin. Hongjoong laced your fingers together, the walk back up to the castle a peaceful one. With his fingers intertwined with yours, you felt a sense of warmth and comfort wash over you. The gentle evening breeze ruffled your hair as you walked, and the soft sounds of Hogsmeade fading behind you created a perfect backdrop for your shared moment.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖ .𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖ .𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖ .𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖

A ball.

There's going to be a ball.

The buzz around the Yule Ball was electric, and you could hardly walk through the halls without hearing someone talk about it. Your friends were just as caught up in the excitement, but you couldn’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed. The thought of going with Hongjoong crossed your mind many times, each causing you to blush profusely.

The thought of the Yule Ball sent a flurry of butterflies through your stomach. You imagined walking in with Hongjoong, his hand gently resting on your back as he led you into the grand hall. The sparkle of enchanted lights and the soft music playing in the background created a picture-perfect scene.

“Who are you thinking of going with?” Seonghwa asked one day as you all sat together at lunch, his curiosity piqued.

“Honestly, I have no idea,” you replied, taking a bite of your food.

Seonghwa raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on his lips. “Oh come on, you can’t tell me you haven’t thought about going with anyone special?”

You felt your cheeks heat up as you glanced over at Hongjoong, who was laughing with his friends at the other end of the table.

“Maybe you should take your time,” Yeosang suggested. “There’s no rush.”

Just then, a nervous-looking fourth-year approached your table, glancing around before he spoke. “Um, would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me?”

Before you could respond, Mingi jumped in, pushing you behind him. " Not happening, buddy! She’s way too good for you!” He shot the boy a playful grin, but the fourth-year quickly scuttled away, clearly embarrassed.

“Thanks for that, Mingi,” you said with a laugh, shaking your head. “now no one will ask me to ball”

Mingi smirked, hands on his hips before they moved to be placed over your shoulder. You smiled up at him, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Good! They don’t deserve you anyway.”

You chuckled, feeling a warmth spread through you at Mingi's supportive words. “Thanks, Mingi. But what if I end up going with no one?”

Something shifted in Mingi eyes, before he looked at you with all seriousness, " you won't be, you'll be my date before i let you go alone"

You were going to reply before Yunho came beside him, shoving him off you as he gave him a look. Mingi held his hand up before he shoved them into his robes, leaving you confused. Yeosang spoke up, cutting the tension that was lingering in the air.

" plus, it's only fair that we scare the boys off. You're scaring all the ladies away ynie"

You couldn’t help but laugh at Yeosang’s comment, which broke the tension that had just built. “Scaring the ladies away? Really?”

Wooyoung smiled, coming beside Yeosang as he hung from him, " yah, come on. Who wouldn't want to go to the ball with us"

"i'm surround by idiots" Jongho muttered, rubbing his temple, a smile place on his lips as he watched you and Wooyoung argue back and forth.

As the day went on, more boys approached you with varying degrees of confidence, only to be intercepted by your protective friends. Each time, you felt a mix of amusement and frustration. “I appreciate the effort, but I really can handle it!”

Wooyoung smirked, “We just want to make sure you end up with someone worthy!”

“Alright, so who do you think is worthy?” you challenged, raising an eyebrow.

Your friends exchanged glances, and then Jongho grinned. “How about Hongjoong? He’d definitely treat you right.”

You felt your cheeks heat up at the suggestion. “he hasn’t asked me.”

“Maybe we should give him a little nudge,” Seonghwa said, a mischievous smile on his face. Seonghwa nudge Mingi who looked at him confused before he nodded his head. Mingi walked up to you, confusion placed on your face. Mingi began to lean close to you, your eyes widen in shock. Just as Mingi was about to place a kiss on your cheek, he was pulled back. A furious looking Hongjoong that did not let go as Mingi held his hands up in the air.

You watched in shock as Hongjoong’s expression shifted from confusion to protectiveness. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, glaring at Mingi.

Mingi smirk didn't falter, " ah just giving our badger a kiss on the cheek."

Hongjoong huffed, letting Mingi go as Seonghwa patted his back. " we've done it before, what's the problem"

“Yeah, but this time it’s different,” he replied, crossing his arms defensively.

You giggled, " joongie, they're just playing. They were just leaving too, right guys?"

Wooyoung eyes sparkled with glee as he nodded his head, shoving the guys along as they began to protest, a few throwing a quick bye before they were hushed. Hongjoong let out a laugh before he turned to you.

" i'm sorry, i've been busy helping this girl study. I'm pretty sure she's just trying to keep me away from my star"

You blushed at the new nickname, his star. " it's fine, i knew i'll see you sooner or later."

Hongjoong smiled warmly, and you felt your heart flutter at his words. “I’m glad you’re here now. I missed hanging out with you.”

“Me too,” you admitted, feeling a shy smile spread across your face. “It’s nice to have a break from all the chaos.”

He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. " i have a free period. What about you?"

You nodded your head, Hongjoong smiled. holding his hand out for you, " great, let's go to our special place hm?"

Your eyes lit up at his suggestion, recalling the peaceful moments you had shared there.

──･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.────

Hongjoong summoned a blanket, laying it on the ground as you both sat down. He laid his head on your lap, your fingers immediately finding his hair.

“This is nice,” he murmured, a content smile on his face.

“Yeah, it really is,” you replied softly, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere around you. The sound of leaves rustling and the distant calls of birds created a perfect backdrop. You looked down at Hongjoong, admiring his feature. His eyes were closed, a slight hum leaving his lips.

"remember how i said i have a surprise?"

You smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair away from his forehead. “Of course! What’s the surprise?”

Hongjoong opened one eye and grinned, clearly pleased to have your attention. He grabbed your hand, lacing your fingers together. " well, i was thinking -"

" Hongjoongie!"

You both turned your head, startled to see a girl walking down to you both. Hongjoong furrowed his brows, confusion placed on your face as well anger. Hongjoongie? You felt a mix of annoyance and curiosity as the girl approached, her bright smile contrasting with Hongjoong’s furrowed brow.

Sitting up, his arms now wrapping around your waist. " Mina? What are you doing here?"

Mina smile faultered a bit as she noticed Hongjoong arm around your body. The urge to roll her eyes at the scene but she kept her smile, "we were supposed to met up silly. Did you forget?"

" we don't meet at all this week Mina. I told you i had to catch up with my personal stuff. "

Mina’s smile tightened, clearly frustrated. " we'll, let's just do it now then"

With that she plopped down, your jaw hanging in shock as she shoved your legs. Hongjoong was once again furious for the second time.

Hongjoong’s grip on you tightened, his expression shifting to one of irritation. “Mina, seriously? This isn’t the time or place.”

You felt a mix of disbelief and anger. Mina shrugged, unfazed, a smirk now on her face she noticed how angry you are. " you don't mind do you. It's really important Hongjoong and I get this done."

Hongjoong stood up, helping you along as Mina looked up at you two. " seriously, fuck off Mina. I told you next week. You have a month to complete it and you literally had me all last week. "

So this is who was taking up all of his time. You bit the inside of you cheek, " hongjoong... it's fine. We can talk later?"

Hongjoong glanced down at you, his expression softening a bit. He pulled you away from Mina, giving you distance as he cupped your face.

" are you sure? I'll tell her to fuck off right now" He asked, looking at you for reassurance.

You smiled, " just find me later yeah? you still have to tell me my surprise joongie"

Hongjoong’s expression softened even more at your smile. “Okay, if you’re sure.” He leaned in, hesitating a little as he hovered over your lips before he moved towards your cheek. You felt a flutter in your chest as he brushed his lips against your cheek instead. The warmth lingered there, making you smile even wider.

A cough breaks the moment you two were having, a curse slipping hongjoong lips. You giggled, placing a kiss on his cheek before you said your goodbye. He waved, standing up as he watched your figure retreating.

" thank god she's gone, now we can be alone together."

He wondered how long the sentence would be in Azkaban would be if he threw her into the lake for the kraken to have her.

[wosoluver]

Satellite

Andrea Medina x reader

kind of platonic, short

Andrea Medina Masterlist

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

Andrea was a the sunshine in the life of everyone who lived around her. But not even her brightest rays could have saved you, from the depressive downhill state you felt since your recent breakup.

Your ex had left you on the one year dinner celebration you had planned so excitedly. You were fighting to stay afloat.

Your friends tried their best. But you only pushed everyone else away.

Which only made everything worse. The loneliness, the empty hours of your days that used to be filled by the people you loved, only brought a little more sorrow.

And you didn't know how to ask for help at this point.

You felt embarrassed and undeserving. And most people would have definitely turned their back on you.

But not her.

She waited patiently.

"Y/N can you please come to dinner with us today?"

"Uhm I don't know if I can, I had some plans and-"

"It's fine."

You were thankful for her to not push you into things.

"I know you're not in the mood. But your birthday is coming up, and I wanted us to celebrate it. Lola and Cris have been trying to come up with some good ideas for the party."

"I won't be able to get out of that one, huh?"

"You were so excited for your birthday last week. I know you're not feeling too well but distancing from us, from me, is not the answer."

"I know." you looked down, a bit shameful for your own actions.

"I'm ditching dinner. We can go watch the sunset on your favorite spot. We'll stop to get the snacks on the way."

"Today?" she swore your eyes twinkled for a second in excitement.

"After training. I'll pick you up."

'I go 'round and 'round

Satellite

Spinning out, waiting for ya to pull me in

I can see you're lonely down there

Don't you know that I am right here?'

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

You were woken up by the sound of your phone ringing on the side table. Before picking it up, you took a look at who was calling.

"Hey."

"Where are you? You're late."

"In bed. Today is our day off."

"We are having brunch today, with Wifi."

"Andrea-"

"Don't. We're waiting for you at the cafe."

"I love you guys but I don't want to deal with anything today."

"Fine." and she simply hung up. You thought she was pissed off, and decided on going back to sleep.

'I'm in an L.A. mood

I don't wanna talk to you

She said, "Give me a day or two"'

The knock on your door was loud enough to hear from the bedroom.

"Give me a minute!" you yelled going for the door.

"Good morning." and there she was again. "I dropped Wifi off, and came to see you, I brought your favorites." she said handing you the bag.

"You brought me brunch?" half surprised. "I thought you were angry, when you hung up the call."

"I was. But then I remembered it's not like you to cancel plans like this. You were doing a little better no? So, qué pasa?" she asked you softly.

"I was just on insta. And a friend my ex and I had in common, messaged me asking how I was doing, then proceeded to tell me they've moved on.

Like two weeks? Really? I'm getting over them but at the same time it made me feel sort of meaningless."

"You have to stop basing your value on other people's actions towards you. You can't let this pull you back into the dark. You have people who love you right here!"

'I'm here, right here

Wishing I could be there for ya'

You reaction was to simply cry. You knew she was right. She had tried everything to bring you up. All the girls did. And still you could only keep your mind in the bad things, blinding you from feeling better. From feeling the love, that was constantly poured on you.

She hugged your side, soothing your back, calmly.

"I don't deserve you. You're like the sun in my orbit, making sure I always have what I need. And I'm like the moon bringing the darkness along were ever I go."

"You know that's not true. You're just going through a phase. Like the moon always does. And the moon doesn't bring darkness. She reflects the light, to guide others through the dark in the night. You have guided me many times before. Even if you have no idea. You shine bright like a full moon."

"Only because I have your sunshine. Thank you for never leaving me alone."

"I've tried." she joked "But I can't."

I can see you're lonely down there

Don't you know that I am right here?

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

[astrowithkaro]

❥ 𝐋𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝟏𝟎𝐓𝐇 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄

This post will explain what it means to have Lilith in the 10th house, I will be assuming that you know the basics of Lilith and won't go into details about her symbolism 🌹

(Black moon) Lilith is named after Adam’s first wife before Eve who was the outcast of the garden of Eden as a demon for asserting her sexuality and independence. Lilith represents our worst flaws, our unconscious mind and repressed desires as well as our hidden sexuality. This dark goddess symbolizes lust and carnal desire; she epitomizes all things taboo.

You can find your Lilith by creating a natal chart for yourself on Astro-seek.com and specify Lilith placement (PS: NOT ASTEROID LILITH 1181, it needs to be BLM/h12 that is usually an option in the extended chart settings).

All credits goes to the writer - @astrowithkaro. Do not steal or repost!

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

You guys are made to play out the Lilith in your lives. Lilith will point where your hidden powers lie. People with this placement often have the ever-lasting sense that they are meant for something big. They have a higher calling in life and are often determined. They have long-term goals that are bigger than usual. They posses a lucky-girl mentality, but it comes at a cost.

Since the 10th house rules the eye of the public, your hidden extremities might be an invitation for rumours and scandals. Therefore, this placement can often get caught in drama, both at a young age while being in school, and often tend to manifest into their work life as well. You might have people speaking about you behind your back, but these rumours don't always resemble who you really are. As teens, you might develop crushes on teachers, or anyone that you idolise. In order to get their attention, you might try to seduce them or make yourself look as appealing as possible to the other person's deepest fantasies/desires. You often compare yourself to the best students and look up to the most successful people in your life, and even copy those tactics in order to gain those same traits you lack in yourself. On a darker note, you could have issues with your father or have a father figure that is absent. You might be oblivious to the insecurities that other people reflect onto you, and feel like it burdens you without being able to recognise where it stems from. You might fall in love with difficult people, people that are narcissistic or possess antisocial traits. People who do not have clear motives for you, but still lead you on in ways that would trigger a trauma bond between you two - love bombing is a clear example of that.

You might be labeled as a difficult person to work with and have a lot of competition when it comes to job opportunities. The people who are responsible for your job role/recruiters might ask you for sexual favours in return for a better position or a raise. Refusing to do this might lead to people throwing dirt on your name, you have the choice to stand up for yourself and make authority figures responsible for their bullshit. Having this placement also has a higher chance of working job positions that involve anything sex-and identity related.

There will be a certain fixation on shaming your position, or having people try to barber that recognition out of you. You might feel self-conscious around people who are highly successful. Though, you are able to recognise manipulation tactics used and you are not afraid to use it against anyone else if it comes down to it. But this could be a dangerous move since you can sometimes be vulnerable to Machiavellism due to your emotional side. You might also be prone to sexual partners who toy with your emotions, and want to use you for sex, might even try to shame your sexuality. You have a lot of public influence no matter what you get recognised for, two famous examples are Albert Einstein and Vladimir Putin. Therefore, you need to utilise it carefully.

Since there is a certain fixation on the desire for authority, you may sometimes desire darker powers or leadership, especially for those who meet a lot of resistance that lead to social isolation. You are afraid of failure and might be very responsive to any sort of failure or to be seen as vulnerable. You might develop a hyper-independence complex or a play a damsel-in-distress for people of power. You need to put your feelings aside when it comes to business. Your test in life is connected to having a sense of responsibility. There will be a delay in finding your career path.

There might also be a period during which you feel the need to over-sexualise yourself or romanticise parts of your life that are difficult for you to handle. This is rooted in the need for control over something that seems difficult or hard to reach. You might find it difficult to connect to your own deeper goals and ambitions, often due to unresolved resentment towards certain people or situations. You might hold grudges towards people who did you dirty. The path to empowerment is self-acceptance and moderation. If your needs aren't met, you tend to be ice-cold and might even appeared detached and distant - sometimes even "head in the clouds". You need to draw a line between your emotions and have an endurance.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･

𝕿𝖍𝖆𝖙'𝖘 𝖎𝖙 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖓𝖔𝖜 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖈𝖆𝖓 𝖋𝖎𝖓𝖉 𝖒𝖞 𝖒𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊

[crow-raven-crow]

Holaa, podrias hacer un fic de Larissa inspirado en la canción "Young and beautiful-Lana del rey" algo demasiado romántico, por favoooor 🙏💗

𝐈 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥..

𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭

✧･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧ :══════⊹⊹══════: ✧･ﾟ｡˚☾.･✧

𝐋𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐱 𝐟!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: ~2.5k 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬/𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: LYRIC FIC, angst, insecurity, flashbacks, issues with looks and self image, mentions of time and aging, insecurity within aging and looks, bittersweet feeling, crying, anxiety, FLUFF, lyrics are jumbled but in order of the song

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: see ask above

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

AO3 link in title ✧･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧ :══════⊹⊹══════: ✧･ﾟ｡˚☾.･✧

✧･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧ :══════⊹⊹══════: ✧･ﾟ｡˚☾.･✧

The purple and blue hues of the night sky were slowly making themselves known with the moonlight, taking over the welcomed warmth that was casted over the blonde. Her eyes fluttered across the screen, her fingers moving rapidly against the laptop keys as the tapping was the only sound that filled the room. With a heavy sigh, she hit the final button, sending off the email and finishing her work for the day.

I've seen the world..

She leaned back into her chair, seeking comfort in the leather backing as the disappearance of the sun made itself known to her, making the room dark and cold in the presence of the moon. She had gone hours with no break, working off the determination to get everything done for a relaxing weekend that always seemed to run from her grasp. Of course, reality had different plans, as a light ping came from her laptop and signaled the delivery of a new email.

Done it all..

She closed her laptop in defeat, capturing her face in the palms of her hands as she gave herself a moment to just be, but the tiredness that sat underneath her skin became all consuming as it enveloped her entire being. Her hands moved down her face, dragging and pulling the skin lightly before landing against her thighs. She turned her chair to face out the window, choosing to distract herself in the endless tree line, only to be met with her own reflection staring back at her against the cool glass.

Had my cake now..

She took in the state of her features - her tired eyes, her growing bags, her tense shoulders.. and the deep frown that sat on her lips. Her bones felt heavier than normal, weighing her soul down and allowing an emptiness to settle within her chest. Everything about her screamed exhausted, casting one thought to the forefront of her mind: When had she gotten so.. old?

The insecurity clawed its way into her throat, closing it up and making her eyes burn with the realization. She brought a hand up to her face, fingers tracing along the features that now showed themselves so unpleasantly. Aged, awful, vile, revolting, worn down.. her..

She thought back to a time where she felt younger, a time where she felt better, one of the many times she spent with you..

~~

Hot summer nights, mid-July..

You danced with the heat of the setting sun, sand softening every step as you both moved along with the waves of the deep blue ocean. A city line met you on your other side, so far into the distance that only the lights were seen from this far. There was no music playing, no work to be done and no meetings to be had.. The sounds of your laughter moving along with the breeze as your hands were in hers, making your honeymoon a core memory within you both.

Where you and I were forever wild..

She pulled you along with her, spinning you and pulling your body flush to hers and repeating the action time and time again. The sound of your laugh filled her heart, making it beat faster and soar along with the clouds that sat above you both in the sky. There was a moment where you had lost your footing, one foot planting itself so deep into the sand that the next move had you toppling over.

The crazy days..

Her back met the yellow and brown grains as she attempted to catch you, your legs tangling together as you fell on top of her. Her hold around you was tight, only loosening as your gaze met hers. After realizing that you were both okay, smiles overtook your lips and your chests rumbled as laughs escaped them.

City lights..

A calm washed over you both after the laughing fit. Choosing to relish in the moment, you moved beside her and rested your head against her chest, enjoying the sound of her heartbeat and soft breaths. One of her hands smoothed along your side, drawing soothing circles, while the other rested on top of yours.

The way you'd play with me like a child..

She'd never felt so at peace, so at home than when she was with you. Your existence had opened something dormant within her, bringing all of her best features forward, bringing no fear to let all of her insecurities and doubts come to light , bringing a safeness into her life and having her find the comfort within her own skin that she had lost so long ago..

~~

Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful..?

Her mind caught back up with her body, a deep insecurity flooding through her veins and making her heart feel heavy. The tears that had formed just before now fell freely down her face, dipping into every curve and crease her face had to offer. She let in a harsh breath at the realization, the air burning her ever closing lungs and making her quickly move to rub the tears away.

Channeling angels in the new age now..

There was a bittersweet feeling now locked with that memory. It was years ago, still filled with the same feelings she had during that trip, but that was when she was much younger.. and oh how time and age loved to display itself against her face..

All the ways..

The sound of her heavy office doors opening made her actions still, the familiar creek of the hinges and a stream of golden light filling the room behind her. You were quite at first, letting your eyes adjust to the barely lit room. Then, when your eyes focused on your lover, you nearly ran to her as worry consumed you.

I got to know..

Everything that was on your mind before this was long forgotten. Your movements slowed when you had gotten in front of her, your heels softly clicking against the floor as you took in her defeated state. You hadn't seen her like this in months, but it pulled on your heart strings all the same. Your lover was hurting..

Your pretty face and electric soul..

Her eyes were glossy, a shine coming off them as the sliver of moonlight twinkled against the unfallen tears. Her fingers moved between each other, wringing and smoothing against her own skin as her nerves made their way in. Her shoulders were slumped, but there was still a tenseness found in her form. Even in a moment like this she was the most beautiful being you had ever seen, but your heart ached seeing her in such pain.

Will you still love me..

You lifted your hand up slowly, as if a normal movement would scare her, and wiped a tear away from her face, brushing a fallen strand of hair behind her ear after you did so. You turned her chin, making her look at you for the first time since you'd arrived, and met her gaze with all your concern shining in your eyes.

When I got nothing..

You moved your hand away and allowed her a moment to ground herself. Her head tilted to the side a bit in confusion as she looked at you, for she couldn't understand why, in the state she was in, that you still looked at her as though she had hung all the stars. It caused more tears to fall from the sapphire goddess, each drop and each heavy breath breaking her walls down more and more.

But my aching soul..

Your body moved without your knowledge, bringing yourself closer to the blonde as she openly wept before you. Moments in which she cried were rare, so the scene before you ate you up with worry, digging into your bones and gnawing at your flesh as your mind raced with the sight of her.

Dear Lord..

You knelt down in front of her, your hands meeting her knees and rubbing against the cold skin exposed there. You moved them up with each circle, bringing her back to you with every second that passed. You leaned in slowly, placing a soft kiss against each of her knees to let her know that you were there when she was ready.

When I get to Heaven..

She looked down at you, her tears coming to a halt as your expression took her breath away. Your brows were furrowed, eyes moving between her own in distress, your body rocking softly as your touch gave her the warmth and comfort she so badly craved.

Please let me bring my man..

She leaned forward, her hands coming to rest on top of yours, as she readied herself to speak, to voice out the demons that plagued her mind. Her gaze faltered as she spoke, not finding the confidence in herself to fully face the reality of her mind. "Age can be terrible thing to face in all its physicality.."

When she comes, tell me that you'll let her in..

You took a breath in at her words, truly understanding the exact place that her mind was in. You turned your hands over, thumbs smoothing over each of her knuckles as you thought of what you could say. You were going through the same thing, time showing it's common signs against your features, and you found comfort within it. But it never got rid of the heaviness of looking back on who you once were, what you once looked like before the weight of age took you in its hold.

"But it's a sign that you lived.. And isn't that something beautiful within itself? Oh, what a privilege it is to live.." You shook you head while saying the last bit, removing you gaze to glimpse out the window before landing sparkling eyes back onto your wife, knowing that you would get to spend the rest of your days living with her.

Father, tell me if you can..

Your words shocked her, the softness and sincerity within your voice making her feel as though she could breathe, taking away the heaviness of the ocean found within her lungs. She had lived.. Through every up, passed every down, she had the privilege to have moments where she felt so undeniably human like this one.. More importantly, she had lived with you..

All that grace, all that body..

She broke her gaze away, shaking her head as she turned to face the window. "I'm not perfect-"

"I don't want perfect.. I want you.." She snapped her head back in your direction, taking in the tears forming in your eyes, acknowledging the small tremble of your bottom lip, understanding the pain that both of your hearts felt under the moonlight..

She's my sun, she makes me shine like diamonds..

"We are so brave that sometimes we forget that we can suffer.." You brought her hands up to your lips after you spoke, placing soft kisses against the backs of each of her hands before settling closer to the blonde. The love you held for each other ran so deep in the simplest forms but never failed to evolve and make you both fall for each other all over again. "We're lucky enough to have each other to fall back on, to have the other help pick up the pieces when we are inevitably broken down.."

Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful..?

"You make me feel like I am strong enough to rebuild the parts of me that have been broken…" Her voice was weak, somewhere lost in the plane of pitiful yet worthwhile existence. It cracked and broke as the words came out, translating the beginning of the slow rebuild that we all faced as time slipped from us.

Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul..?

"You are strong.. in every aspect of the word. And this," you gestured your hand towards her in this state, "doesn't lessen that, love.. I think it's even more powerful and admirable that you are allowing yourself to feel and work through these things.. To be so vulnerable and face that is to be strong.."

I know you will..

You brought yourself back to your feet, settling between her legs to keep your close proximity as you hands smoothed up her body. You cupped her face in your hands, bringing your lips to every wrinkle, each side of crows feet, each smile line, every sign of life that had made its existence known against her face. You ended it off with a gentle kiss to her forehead, appreciating the smile that lifted to her lips as her hands rested against your hips.

Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful..?

Your thumbs wiped over her cheeks, drying her tears away, and you loved how she rested against your fingertips, her own love and trust forever being shown to you. Her eyes fluttered shut for just a moment, true peace meeting her once again and reminding her of the highs that always followed the lows. Your eyes met hers, moving between them both as you held the heaviest weight of all your emotions within your words. "I love you.."

Will you still love me..

The words ran so deep through her veins that she was grounded within the moment, her soul seeping into each word as though she had heard them escape your lips for the first time. Her hands wrapped around your wrists, fingers flattening against the backs of your hands.

When I'm not young and beautiful..

There was nothing but undying love and admiration swirling within your eyes, something that shook her to her core and made her soul once again dance with yours along the sand of a memory. There was no more doubt, no more worry found within her after the display of the love you held for her. She was your brightest star in the sky, and that truth was made known to her time and time again.

"I love you too.." She finally said, her mind catching up to reality as she brought herself up to her feet. Your hands slid down her shoulders, smoothing out the fabric of her dress before they met her back, pressing her into you.

“You’re beautiful, my love.. I love living with you..” She melted into you as you did her, her head coming to rest against your shoulder as her breath kissed the crook of her neck when you spoke. The silence that followed was a comfortable one, any and all tension from the previous emotions disappearing with the no longer evident sun.

The safety the she felt in your arms consumed her, your hearts coming face to face as your chests pressed against each other, the feeling of home taking over you both as you stood there. The love that was felt was one to be had for an eternity, making the existence of all else kneel before it.

There is a beauty in living - traces of it found within everything human, everything broken, and everything built back up and loved again..

~~

✧･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧ :══════⊹⊹══════: ✧･ﾟ｡˚☾.･✧

𝐚/𝐧: UMMM?? THIS MADE MY HEART HURT MANNNNN COME ON

baby girl larissa deserves the world i swear she needs all the love she can get

found some time! worked on this request just in time for Gwen's birthday!! Happy Birthday Gwendoline Christie <33 I hope she knows just how much she means to all of us and just how much of an impact she's made on all of our lives. she's truly amazing and i'll forever be thankful for having such brilliant and beautiful inspiration in my life AND for the community she unknowingly created.

I made her some art ! You can find it here

I was definately inspired by the way she speaks in this.. Her words are so beautiful and so well put together that they're so powerful and always strike something within me.

I hope you enjoyed this one, anon :) It was really really nice to write

x,

~ 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐯𝐲𝐧

✧･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧ :══════⊹⊹══════: ✧･ﾟ｡˚☾.･✧

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: (tagged anyone who asked/wanted to be on the "all works" taglist) ask to be added, if you'd like xx

@weemssapphic @readingtheentrails @finnja555 @barbarasstar @vendocrap8008 @gwendolinechristieiscute @lilfartbox1 @agathaandgwenslesbian @lvinhs @elvira-dear @kimiinou

✧･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧ :══════⊹⊹══════: ✧･ﾟ｡˚☾.･✧

[trancylovecraft]

(AOEX) The Blood Of An Unwilling Covenant

PART 3 OF 8: Astaroth

(Yandere Platonic Demon Kings (Ba'al) x Reader)

SERIES SUMMARY:

BARISTA'S NOTE: I FORGOT TO POST IT YESTERDAYYYY 😭 GENDER: Femme FANDOM: Blue Exorcist

☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★

LAST PART ,AO3 LINK, SERIES MASTERLIST, NEXT PART

Her hands gripped around the cold metal bars, The nipping of the night's air reflecting in the brisk chill coming from them.

A half-crescent was placed high in the sky, The moonstruck light reflecting in the ebony skies along with the sparks of the stars gleaming like spilled glitter. It was a beautiful night, One you could stare at for hours upon from your bedroom window while you fell into the depths of Hypnos's hold.

But he didn't have a grasp on [F/N] tonight, Instead she was wide awake to view his mother in all her glory. The song of the wind travelled through the outskirts of the town she stood in, Symphonic in nature as it played through her hair.

[F/N] stood grasping the corroding bars of the towns cemetery, One of it's kind and a rarity for Japan as the majority of the dead decided to be cremated. She was lucky it was in walking distance from the youth centre.

It had been about a year since the incident with Umaimon or whatever his name was, Only becoming a funny story to tell while mingling. She hadn't thought about it in ages however, Less than a C plot to her current arc.

Her eyes peered through the bar gaps, Pushing her face right in between as irises searched the perimeter for any kind of staff attending to the tombstones, Or whatever they did, [F/N] didn't know.

But she did know that there wasn't anyone in her sight, No matter how far she squeezed her face in between the gate bars or how much she listened out for any footsteps. Made sense, These places always tended to be understaffed.

She'd been staking this place out for nights now. Just like clockwork she would slip through the cracks of her old window, Always after making sure that the makeshift dummy of pillows and blankets was fastened in place.

[F/N] hadn't been allowed out for ages now, Serves her right for sneaking out so often and getting into trouble she supposed. But it was cruel not to let her come here, Not to let her speak her sorrows.

This was where Tetsuya was buried after all.

[F/N] stuffed her hand into her basil-coloured hoodie, The darkest shade she had to hide her in mother nights shawl as she pulled out a branded flashlight.

It was a childish design, Really. It was trademarked by scooby-doo, An American cartoon she and Tetsuya use to watch on the daily. It was designed like that old van the gang drove around in, Blue with green flames and the occasional orange flower to break it up.

It was also a flashlight that use to belong to Tetsuya, A fact that she smiled at, Admiring the chipping paint only for a moment before she flicked it on.

The light fluttered. [F/N] had to shake it to stabilize the rays as it finally shone against the bars in front of her.

It finally illuminated the grounds hidden behind the gate. Though the moon was luminescent it only helped to see the shapes of gravestones and flowers within the dark, The shadows consuming everything else leaving it difficult to see.

Though with the flashlight she could now see the exposed engravings of the granite rocks. Whispers of the dead and their legacies inscribed onto the stone. A brother, A sister, A mother and a wife was what they were known as but they weren't anything she knew.

As usual, There was no guard to react to the spotlight. Incompetent staff, They wouldn't even be able to spot her freshly-teenage self climb over the gates of the grounds they were meant to protect.

A foothold in the first bar. [F/N] pushed herself up and was just tall enough to grasp onto the upper bar of the gate's design, Hanging from the metal digging in her palms. She was spry enough to pull herself up.

It was easy cake to lug herself to the top of the gate, Fling a leg over the side and hop down into the overgrown grass of the graveyard below. Feet hitting the dirt with a thump, Barely even ripping her old jeans in the process.

[F/N] didn't hesitate to start sprinting across the valley the graveyard sat in, Guarded by the thick brick walls and nothing else as she seen the security passed out in the booth. Slobber down his shirt and a cup of coffee gone cold on the desk.

She ran past gravestones filled with flowers in all colours. Peonies, Roses and Daffodils were only the few she could name as she passed by, Only seen by the spotlight. Names she didn't recognise, Dates she wasn't around for and family members that weren't hers.

She knew however when she saw the far off headstone, One surrounded by nothing but corrosion and empty pots that it was the one she was looking for.

Her run skittered to a halt, Almost tripping over her feet as she came to the end of the row she was in. The scooby-doo flashlight still held tightly in her hands, The spotlight it shone dusting over the engravings of the tombstone.

Tetsuya Toyama

20XX - 20XX

Beloved child. Forever in our hearts, Rest in peace.

[F/N] smiled as she read the engravings, Almost as bright as the spotlight shining on them. Her body lowered, Knees bending as she crouched in front of the tombstone belonging to her late friend.

"Hey, Tetsu'.. Haven't been around much, I'm sorry about that but Mrs. Ono hasn't been letting me out. You know how she is.." [F/N] giggled lightly as she flicked the flashlight off, Stuffing it back into the front pocket of her hoodie.

She didn't get a response as she sat back onto the dry grass of the grave, Sitting directly in front of the soil where he was buried. She curled up into a ball, Arms hugging her knees as she let the silence sink in with the wind.

[F/N] sighed, Clicking her tongue.

"It's been so long since you've left me.. Ya know? Even though has been so long you're still my friend, My only friend.. Since the other kids think I'm delusional" [F/N] laughed lightly, Though it sounded strained in her throat as her smile started to die.

Her hand reached out, The very tips of her fingers dusting the surface of his headstone. The ice cold stone seeping into her skin like a sponge, Flooding her pores with an algid frost overtaking her body heat.

Her thumb brushed over his name, Lining the letters.

"I know I'm not crazy.. You know I'm not crazy, Don't you Tetsu'..? It was a demon that did this to you, It was a demon that took you away.. I know it's not a bear or a boar or a.." [F/N] trailed off as her thumb brushed along the words, Reaching his second name of Toyama.

She hummed.

"But to be fair.. I didn't even know you had a last name until you were dead." [F/N] muttered, Fixated on that one little last name and every syllable it held. "I don't even remember my own, To be honest with you.."

Her hand dropped from the headstone, Falling to her side as she sat in the silence of the wind. Her hands snaked themselves over to the opposite elbows, Hugging her hoodie closer to her body.

She sniffled, But it wasn't from the cold.

"I don't know a lot of things.. How to multiply fractions in school or.. Or I don't know what I want to do when I'm older. I don't know how you can make money or make new friends.." [F/N] trailed off, Shaking her head as a lump formed in the apex of her throat.

She stared at the gravestone, And as she read the name once more she hugged herself just a little tighter.

"..And I don't know how I'm ever gonna go on without you, Tetsuya. I want to avenge you, Tetsuya, I just.. I just.. I just don't know how.." [F/N] choked out through a salesman smile, Holding it up the best she could as her vision started to blur.

"Y-You were always the headstrong one.. You were always the one to find a solution first. You were never a crybaby like me, You always knew what to do so.. Please.. Just tell me.." [F/N] pleaded softly, Hands running down to the ungrown soil and gripping it tightly.

But yet again, She got not a single response from the coffin of her dearest friend.

[F/N] sniffled, Gripping the soil tighter. She knew she was never going to get a response, She knew there was no reply to her prayers or her pleads. There was never going to be one from him, Even if there was she didn't know what it would ever be.

"T-Tell me.." But she asked anyways. Body descending to the fresh soil of the grave, Cheek laying against the coursed soil as she rested in front of the grave. A makeshift bed for one, Yet knowing very well the second was lying just underneath beside her.

[F/N] shut her stinging eyes, The light red of them closing on the moonshine of the soil. She was so tired, So very tired.

What the counsellors, The staff and the psychiatrists didn't know was that the reason she kept leaving the youth centre was that she was searching for evidence. Every day she'd run off into the woods where he was killed, Retracing her steps and finding the exact spot.

For hours she would think of possible deaths, Angles and ways he could of died. Especially where the culprit would scamper off, Not to mention the search for the evidence of demons existence.

It was the only thing she did with her time nowadays, Nothing else.

The cigarettes she smoked were really the only fun she had left. She had grown to known it was bad but the way they tasted and the addiction was just so.. Enthralling to her. Even when they were kids and they pretended lollipop sticks had smoke raising high, She had liked them.

Tetsuya always thought they were cool, And she thought he was cool.

[F/N] loved him, She truly did. That old saying, The blood of the covenant was thicker than the water of the womb. It really did hold some weight, After all, She was lying next to the evidence.

He was her best friend, Her brother. In life or in death they were partners. Nothing would ever denounce that.

She just wished she had more time to tell him that.

"I-I'm sorry.. I was always the one holding you down.. I-If I wasn't such a coward then maybe I would of been there to save you.. I'm sorry, Tetsuya.." [F/N] sobbed quietly, Whispering the words to the cracked stone of the grave like the sweet nothings of a lost lover.

And most of all, She wished she passed over with him. Maybe then neither of them would need to be alone, Neither would have to go on without the other.

CLASH!

[F/N] jolted up from the silt of his grave, Cheek smeared in dry dirt as she craned up at the sudden sound.

Could it be the groundskeeper? Last she saw he was knocked out so deep that his drool dribbled all over his polo, Coffee so cold that it seemed iced and untouched for hours so did she really have such bad timing for him to wake up now?

Her hands lunged to the top of the gravestone, Peering over the edge of it. The sound had came a bit away from behind it, It sounded like something heavy slamming into the side of a large object.

Her eyes scanned back and forth like a hawk, Alert and attentive as she searched for whatever could of made the noise. [F/N] gulped, Hopefully it was just the deadbeat stoners coming out after a hit and not the groundskeeper.

[F/N] really couldn't afford the trouble.

There wasn't anything to be seen apart from the faraway mist surfing around the valley, Only illuminated by the tranquillity of the moonlight and obscured only slightly by the rows of shadowed gravestones.

[F/N] looked side to side once more. There was nothing in sight, Not person nor predator to be found within her vision. It was completely empty, All alone under the watchful eye of the moon.

[F/N] sighed, Breath dusting the air.

She lowered herself down from behind Tetsuya's gravestone, Knees resting on the dirt as relief washed over her like a rising flood.

Though that relief was drowned out by a taloned hand yanking her up by the scruff of her hood.

"AAH!" [F/N] screamed out into the night's air as suddenly her feet connected with nothing, Raised at least a few feet from the ground as the only thing holding her up was the sturdiness of her hoodie. Front fabric digging into her neck and choking her like a noose.

The hand shook her around, Body swinging back and forth as her screams echoed out into the night. She flailed and flailed but nothing she did let her go from whoever was attacking her, Neck craning behind her to try and get a good look.

But she could smell him before she saw him, And all she could pick up was the stench of deathly rot.

"GREAT! I come all the way here to absolutely nowhere and all I get is some human brat spying on me?!" The man wretched. His voice sounded like his vocal chords had decayed from his throat, Rotten and foul.

[F/N] couldn't hear him over the volumes of her screams, Her own chords straining to their final string.

"Y-YOU'RE NOT THE GROUNDSKEEPER-!" [F/N] shrieked as she was roughly shaken about by the hood, Both brain and organs hitting the insides of her flesh making her want to throw up her dinner of chicken stew.

"Shut up, You squealing little bitch! Of course I'm not your 'groundskeeper' or whatever the hell you think I am." The man snapped, Unflinching at her soles of her feet slamming wildly into his midsection.

[F/N] cried out, Feeling the edges of his overgrown and assumedly grotty nails start to run down the back of her neck, Teasing the uninjured flesh. She flailed her head around, Screams turning into obscenities as she finally got a glimpse of the man.

Tall and and withering, That was what came to mind at the sight of him. He was dressed in a salaryman's suit yet the oversized folds of his jacket and trousers could never cover his decaying weight.

What should've been out was in and vice versa, Ribs jutting up from behind his wrinkled blouse and his stomach caved in from what could've been hunger atop disease. While she couldn't see his face she could only guess what maggot-infested skeleton would've been of his complexion.

She could almost hear his teeth grind, Pincer's snapping together.

"W-What do you want from me?! I don't want any trouble, I-I don't know why you're here but let me go and I promise I wont say about seeing you here! J-Jus' let me go home!" [F/N] wailed out as the kicks to his shins, That seemed to do absolutely nothing to deter him.

"Let you go? Let you go?!" The man scoffed, Spit flying from his throat before his eyes lit up. "Ah, I get it now. You must be with those wretched little exorcists aren't you?! Tell me, Now!" He hollered.

The clawed nails on her neck went in, Jagged overgrown corners puncturing into her neck ever so slightly more. [F/N] screamed almost imagining it, Blood starting to pool up from the incisions and trickling down like rain on a car window, She could only imagine.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! I don't know!" [F/N] babbled out, Hysterics setting in as her voice reached a crescendo.

The nails jabbed in further, The carmine of her bloody pulp spurting up once more, Making her screech.

"Liar! You came here to take it, Didn't you?! You did! Tell me now and maybe I'll let you go with the majority of your limbs attached!" He bit. The claws puncturing her neck wrapping around her throat. Jerking her body to face him.

[F/N] gasped.

The mans face, The mans face was unable to be seen. Not the majority of it but from what she could see?

He was decaying.

Black and blue splotches were hidden behind an old paper bag covering his head, Holes ruptured to form a crooked frown and eye hollows. The splotches, Disgusting and just like the festering mould on expired bread. This time however, Covering his skin like red-hot pimples.

Bile rose in her throat, His sickly yellow eyes hidden within the shadows of the paper lunch bag he wore. [F/N] wanted to puke, The smell made so much more sense now. The one that reminded her of the squirrel carcasses often found on the roadside outside of the centre.

Sometimes days old, Scabbed with their cool blood and their black beady eyes listless. They were often mangled, Tiny little limbs dissected into their tendons and ligaments all across the road.

And as she looked at him, The image of the squirrels was the only thing that came to mind.

She swallowed back her burning puke, Though that only made her words all the more choked.

"P-PLEASE! I-I don't know what you're talking about, I really don't know what you're looking for-! I'm not with 'exorcists' or whatever I swear! I-I'm just here to visit a grave!" [F/N] bellowed, Dripping mucus coming down from her nose as she wept at his visage.

The pointed teeth in his maw bared into a hiss, The shadows of the bag only making the drips of saliva glinting from upon them. [F/N] shuddered, Unconsciously turtling into the warmth of her basil hue hoodie as she waited on baited breath.

And just like that it was over.

The hand around her neck tightened, Bringing her closer ever so much before launching her across the graveyard.

[F/N] screamed as the wind wept round her body, Flying back at impossible speeds for someone of his muscle rate before her back connected with the hard surface of the ground. [F/N] cried out, Something in her back cracking as she tumbled over on the grass.

She rolled onto her side, Vomit not being the only thing coming out as her lips were coated in a thick ichor. Her hands grasped clumps of the grass, Near tearing it out of the ground as she hung on for dear life. Vision spinning, World dizzy.

The cold air was so much much nipping as she heard the muffled stomps of angered footsteps approached her over the ringing in her ears. The back of her throat burned, The sepia retch splattered across the dry dirt being the cause.

The footsteps stopped, Fixed just behind her.

"Stupid little girl.." The man chided as his diseased eyes looked down at her pitiful form curled into a fetal position. His foot pressed into the dip of her back, Roughly pushing it forward and turning her onto her front as she retched at the movement.

Though as much as he looked at her like a dying rat, He did believe her. What a pitiful little thing like her would never be accepted as an exorcist, Even though they were rodents just like herself.

What he had came out here for, She obviously didn't have. An artefact the Illuminati had been tipped off to by one of their members, Said to just be lazing around in this nowhere graveyard.

What a waste of time.

"P-Please.." [F/N] choked out weakly, She had landed wrong at an odd angle and now she was paying the price. She had no idea who he was, Writhing around on the chilly grass as the moon watched over the scene as an avid spectator.

A junkie, A drunk, A psychopath or a felon. Any of those could've applied to him. She had just wanted to visit her dead friends grave, So what were the chances of this scenario happening?

What were the chances that he would let her go?

The man, Designated as The King of Rot, Astaroth raised his hand. The sheen of his dirty claws glistened in the pale moonlight, Fingers curling to take in the rev of the killing blow. He grinned, Slitting a rats neck was always so.. Satisfying.

His hand fell down, Falling down from the air at a velocity so fast it could cut glass. Her neck in sight, Exposed as she coughed up even more of the mixture of bile and blood.

Her eyes only caught the shimmer of the grime on the claws as they came at her neck. She opened her mouth, Spew dribbling out and she clenched her eyes shut to brace.

[F/N] screamed.

The excruciating agony of claws slitting a bloody ribbon on her neck, The tendons in her neck snapping like faulty guitar strings as her lifeblood spilled out into a punch. Juices shining in the abomidable night.

All of it together, It never came.

[F/N] waited a second, Shaking as she held her knees close to her chest before she widened her lids.

Head still laying against the valley's grass, Eyes opening to see the close up of weed strands and blue-back beetles scurrying about. Her neck, It was still intact, There was no connection of a blade or talon wringing it.

Instead it was only an inch away, Hovering just above her throat. Her heart thundered looking at it, Hands still grasping at the grass for dear life as she turned her head over. Snot running down from her nose as she came face to rotting face with the assailant.

He was angry, He was furious.

And for some reason, The angry chitters of insects was all she could hear.

"YOU WRETCHED BEASTS-! LET GO OF ME, I'M A KING! YOU SHOULDN'T BE ATTACKING ME- DID HE-" The man was bellowing, Body jerking around at odd angles from seemingly nothing. Face scrunched up as his bony limbs stood entirely still.

The bugs, The angry chitters were coming from all of the bugs surrounding him. She watched as they came from nowhere, The graveyard only housing the odd centipede or ant hiding in the grass.

But this seemed like swarms pooling at his feet, Angry pincers snapping at the hems of his trousers and ants biting at his bare ankles. [F/N]'s jaw dropped, In absolute awe at what was happening before her.

She scampered back, Body still splayed across the grass as her back hit an unidentified gravestone. The bugs were so miniscule like the stars overlooking them and despite their large numbers and nips, There was no way they could've been doing something like that to him.

Body jerking as if something much bigger than ants and beetles was attacking him, Ramming into sides of his body. Biting and scratching at his skin as dark marks and bloodied gashes were suddenly found on his skin.

Was it something she couldn't see? Something she couldn't grasp? What was it, What was it doing to him?

He toppled over, Back thudding against the ground as the bugs took their chance and started to swarm. Crawling up his arms, Legs, His torso and his neck. They were eating him alive, Gnawing him down to the bone.

He yelled.

"YOU'LL REGRET THIS-! IF THIS BODY WASN'T SO WEAK I COULD-! I COULD- BEELZEBUB!!" Astaroth hollered, Spit flying out from his mouth as he cursed out some unseen name. Yet even so, It made [F/N] gulp.

Beelzebub, She recognised it yet it had been so long since she had heard it at all. It was the name of her old imaginary friend she use to have when she was younger, One she pretended to play with out in the sticks.

All before she found.. She found the corpse..

[F/N] swallowed back the acid reflux singing away at her throat, Pushing herself forward onto her knees, Her body moved for her along with her tongue.

"S-STOP IT! FUCKING STOP IT, ALL OF YOU!" [F/N] screamed. She knew not what she was doing nor did she know why, The only thing she did know is that she wanted this all to stop. To go home, Never had she ever envied the fake dummy under her bed before now.

Her sweat dropped, The angry shrieking of cicadas and centipedes came to a sudden halt. As if a sudden trance had came over them, Pincers stopped snapping together. Little legs stopped churning and the jerks of the man's body fell entirely.

The moon just a little higher in the night, Whisping trails of mist still dancing across the scenery. [F/N]'s sweat turned cold as she watched the insects march backwards away from the man, Almost like a hive mind they parted like the red sea.

Just like a new-born foal, [F/N] got up onto shaky knees.

She was covered in dirt from head to toe, Her hoodie of polyester was blemished with dark splotches. The backside of her jeans wet and muddied from the way she hit the ground, Not to mention the throbbing pain in her back that is.

[F/N] pulled back the strands of hair from her eyes, Knotted and tangled from the commotion as she looked at him. The bugs, So small yet so violent did such a big number on him.

The moulded spots across his body were so much bigger now, Like the marks of the black plague he was twitching. Covered head to toe there was no more sign of his sickly pale skin now, All bitten off by the invertebrates around him.

[F/N] swallowed, If she hadn't let go of her lunch before she would've done it now. He was groaning or what sounded to be groaning, [F/N] couldn't tell as his vocal chords were chewed out from their place in his throat.

One foot forward, Pressing down onto the ground in front of her. The bugs surrounding them moved backwards even more, Watching as she warily stumbled her way over to him, Eyes never leaving him for a second.

"What the fuck.." [F/N] breathed as she stopped and stood over his body, The paper bag on his head long gone and floating somewhere off in the wind. She didn't care about it now, Only seeing the horror of what disgusting carcass he had become.

His rotting skin was layered out over his thinning bones like purple tarp on a corpse, His eyeballs were non existent yet there seemed to be some flicker of what use to be still in there. [F/N] gagged, The stench of guts so much more prominent now.

Why did the bugs attack him like that? Why were they so aggressive and why did they leave her out of it? [F/N] glanced warily at the invertebrates still surrounding them, Terrified as she eyed them carefully.

"You.. You bitch you.." He croaked out, Belching as his body quivered. His head lazed round to meet her, No eyes yet he stared straight into her like he did. [F/N] bit her quivering lip in attempt to stable it, Fighting back the urge to back away.

"You have connections.. You.. and Beelzebub.. You, How-"

The man choked out gargled coughs, [F/N] gasped as his body jolted in place. Wincing back from her position only a little bit.

"A.. Are you okay..?" [F/N] squeaked, Tears rolling down her face and tickling at her bare skin. Her hands together, She knew the answer very well as it was obvious, Yet the question so natural on her tongue it could've been instinct.

The coughing stopped, Wheezing dying off from what was left from his lungs. [F/N] sniffled as she watched his eyes hone in on her even more so. If [F/N] wasn't stupid, She might of mistook it for confusion.

"W-What..?" He spluttered, Blood pushed out from his mouth and spilling out over his charred cheeks as he choked on the rest. [F/N] shyed her eyes away, Heart drumming like rain on a rooftop as she kept back cries of your own.

"I-I said.. I said are you okay..?" [F/N] repeated, Trying not to look at the carcass lying not even a foot away from her. It was a stupid question, Making her feel so seen within the empty gravesite.

She kneeled down towards him, Hand hesitantly reaching out to where his heart should of been and pressed down, There was no beat yet he seemed to still be alive. Though her eyes darted, Her thumb brushed against something in his suit.

Astaroth twitched, Eyes still hawked on the girl perched above him. For some reason he couldn't speak and it was not because of the state of his vocal chords, It was strange and nothing like he had ever dealt with before.

But for some reason, It made his crumbling ribcage shake, Something pulsati-

THUMP!

"What the.." [F/N] said as she pulled out a folder of sorts. It was similar to the ones found in the youth centres archives, One's she snuck around in at night time but this one caught more dirt than the ones she was digging through. Stained with muck.

For some reason she felt compelled to take it, So much so when she spied a single word upon it.

DEMON

Her hands seemed to move on their own, Possessed by the desire of a prying feline. Eyes narrowing in and sparkling with the shine of the Luna above as she opened the cream-folder-front to the first page.

"What.. What is this.." Astaroth wheezed though [F/N] wasn't focused on him. Documents, Dozens of them were stored inside the file. [F/N] shifted through them, Picking at the perimeters of the paper as she scanned the sentences inside.

Illuminati. Demons. Artefact. Laboratory. Location.

Words that made her widen her already-wide eyes, Her hands gripping the edges of the folder like it was her last life-line. It shook in her firm grasp, An oxymoron but she wasn't inclined to care.

"You.. Human, What are you doing to me..?" Astaroth whispered as his hazy eyes landed onto her form shifting through secret Illuminati files. He seethed, He couldn't be sure what was happening to him, Was it rage that she was searching through his stuff or was it.. Something more warm.

Was there a difference to him?

[F/N] wiped the drool on her polyester sweater sleeve, Not caring about the mess as her heart ran thousands of miles per hour. What was this? What did this mean? It spoke of atrocities, Talking of terrors and horrors she couldn't even comprehend.

Pictures, The pictures that were attached to the documents with a simple little paperclip were showing mutilated carcasses. People strapped to something you'd see in a dentists office yet their contorted, Almost disfigured jaws screaming was enough to speak to her.

This had to be fake right? This had to have some explanation..!

"You.. Come here.." Astaroth coughed out and this time it was enough to get her attention as [F/N] jerked her head over to him, Snapping the folder shut on instinct. She stared at him, Terror in her eyes as she let this sink in.

"Fuck.. I can't be here.." [F/N] exasperated, Suddenly realising the weight of the situation she was in. There was a dying man in front of her, A person she could be linked to if the groundskeeper woke up and saw her.

[F/N] shook her head, Lungs puffing out her chest and depressing back in. She took a few steps back from the cadaver. She couldn't afford to go to juvie! She had stuff to do, She had a mission to do, She needed to find Tetsuya's killer and there's no way she could do that behind bars.

The bugs around her chittered once before squirming away. Beetles crawling under stones, Worms and grubs returning to the earth from whenst they came. Ladybugs, Roaches, Snakeflies and mantises all skittered away from the scene, Leaving them alone.

[F/N] followed with them, Not wanting to be here any longer.

She shoved the file under her shoulder, Not taking her eyes off the dying man as she leaned down to pick up her scooby-doo flashlight that she had dropped in the fall. She shoved it into her pocket, Ready to turn away before she heard it.

"Wait.. W-Wait.. Come back here.." The man gurgled, Bony hand rising up from his side and pointing a withered finger at her. [F/N] shook, Stepping back further from the scene.

"No.. I gotta go, I'm sorry." [F/N] replied quickly, Shaking her head as she watched the mans body return to jerking and twitching. He moved violently, Making her hold her breath as his rotten carcass tried to get up.

"N-No! Get back here-" The man spluttered out another round of bloody coughs "D-Damn this weak body.. Useless! Stupid! M-Mortal body-!" He screamed out into the night, Wretched voice echoing throughout the valley.

[F/N] whined, Jerking away.

But by the time she had looked back, He had fallen silent.

He made no move now, Not twitch nor jerk of a single finger. He was just splayed out on the ground, Skeletal jawbone dropped open with no single syllable to be let out. He had died, Gone comatose after everything he seemed to still live through.

[F/N] seethed out air through her teeth, Dioxide turning into vapour in the night. She couldn't linger any longer, She couldn't be caught with a corpse. Even though it was the bugs that had done it, There was no way to explain why they did it.

[F/N] turned, Legs picking up and starting to sprint with the folder still sat under her armpit. The word demon written on a piece of paper in there, It could only mean that he was aware of their existence or at least had some idea about it.

He wouldn't miss it, He was dead. But she could use it well enough, Useful for her search.

So off she took into the night, Gone under the shawl of Mother Nyx. The groundskeeper would awaken and find the corpse lying through the rows of headstones without ever knowing she was there.

No camera's, No witnesses and an incompetent staff member. She was glad that these places were underfunded.

As she hopped the fence once more, [F/N] escaped into the open streets.

Uncaught and unseen.

[cambion-companion]

Stars and Midnight Blue

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Legolas is a character who has remained close to my heart since I was 7 years old. There's something so special about these Elves of Middle Earth and I hope in this series I can do them justice.

Legolas x human!reader | drabble | writing exercise

The music of the Bruinen flowed around you as its crystal waters reflected silver moonlight upon its rippling depths. A warm breeze brushed strands of hair back from your face as you leaned into the comforting figure perched beside you, his arm wrapped around your side.

"Thank you for bringing me here." You murmured softly, afraid your voice might break the spell of this midnight scene.

You felt Legolas shift against you as he smiled, his keen eyes still fixed on the glittering sky above. "I'm glad you deem the journey worth it after all. Despite your frequent protestations."

"I'll definitely feel it tomorrow." You nudged him reproachfully with your elbow and smiled as he laughed. "You neglected to mention how far we'd be walking."

Legolas met your gaze then. After all the time you'd known him, he still managed to make your breath catch in your throat. His hair was argent under the brilliant night sky, shining against his dark tunic. "You have my apologies, meleth. However, I believe such adventures will, how do you say it, 'build your character'."

"I think my character is doing just fine." You huffed, looking away toward the bubbling water framed by dark trees beyond.

Regardless of your mild embarrassment at your own human limitations, you melted into Legolas' embrace as he placed a gentle kiss to your temple, remaining with his nose in your hair as he breathed slowly.

You closed your own eyes, savoring the feeling of this moment, committing it to memory and storing it within your heart. The both of you knew your time together was short but had determined to make the most of what little grace was allowed.

The fate of Elves and Men were divergent, as Eru had foreordained, and thus the bonding of immortal with mortal lead only to ruin in the end.

You pushed such thoughts away and turned your face into him, your nose brushing his throat as you breathed in the familiar scent of pine and leather.

"Gi melin, elenath-nin." Your words came out hardly audible to your own ears, but you knew he heard.

Legolas pressed his fingers beneath your chin, tilting your head up as he studied your moonlit face pensively. "Cin gar-nin emel." His warm lips brushed over yours. "To whatever end."

The smile he bestowed upon you then matched the moon above his head in brilliance and hope renewed within your heart that your fates would remain intertwined until the sundering of the world and beyond. You leaned forward, kissing him once more before leaning your head on his shoulder, his strong arm holding you close as you enjoyed the peace of the night under the moon and stars, with the river's song mingling with the beating of your heart.

Cin gar-nin emel : you have my heart (sindarin)

Gi melin, elenath-nin : I love you, my stars (sindarin)

meleth: love (sindarin)

End notes:

this was my first fanfic attempt at bringing Legolas or anything Middle Earth to life and is sincerely a daunting task. Especially writing fic for Elves of Middle Earth because their culture is so incredibly singular. Hope you enjoyed that little scene.

[shiroi---kumo]

( @ghostboy-291 would like to befriend the cloud ) ->

There are many oddities in this place. This world. It's not any sort of afterlife (he would know if he was there again), and yet this "Wonderland" has more ghosts than any other place he has ever visited. The boy has to wonder why it's called such a strange thing, but beyond that... He has other things to worry about. The warnings, mostly - things said by the scared townsfolk telling him to stay away from the White Devil. No rumors like that usually exist in full truth, and whatever or whoever the White Devil is... he is probably much better company than these people who drove him away and hate him. The eleven-year-old continues his awkward, hunched shamble alongside his friend, the little Mimikyu seeming content enough to help him search for this white mist everyone seems so afraid of. This Devil wasn't hard to find at all, if his assumption is correct. Sitting up in some tree, moonlight reflecting off of several brilliant crystal horns. He is white in every other aspect from what Allister can tell looking up at him, with the sword mentioned in some of those poems close by to boost confidence in his guess. He kneels to pick up the Mimikyu, debating whether to get the swordsman's attention or to wait for him to come down. His friend chooses for him, letting out a little series of chirps and 'kyu's to explain that answers will come easier from someone like this than someone in town. "... Mhm," he agrees. "You're... you're probably right..." Now the hard part. With a deep breath, he makes sure his mask is still on, totally obscuring his face. "I... Excuse me," he starts. "But..." How should he do this? The same way he usually does when he speaks to supposed demons. They've always turned out to be friends and they're usually just as scared as he is. "But... I um... I like your horns... Purple is... such a nice color. Um... my favorite." It's probably obvious, with how he is clad in purple from head to knee. His shoes and mask are white, of course, but his entire outfit otherwise is black and violet. It's common ground to build conversation off of, at least, if they both like purple. Anyone who gets cast out like this can surely do with having something nice said about them, and it's probably better if it seems genuine. If there's any sort of ghost or demon, Allister will be the one to befriend them. They are not bad. At worst, misguided... but usually just deeply misunderstood. A lot like himself. The living people are usually the cruel ones.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ "I like your horns." Is not a sentence the Misterican hears often, moreover ever in a place like this. A compliment to the color and a head of snow and porcelain is turning to drop jade moons down on the source of the voice. A small child of dark hair and the oldest face - no if he had to wager a guess that was just a mask. Most likely for protection but a different kind than his own provided.

If he had to wager a guess, it was to scare away any who may attempt to harm the boy, all considering the look of it. Perhaps this boy thought him the otherworldly. The boy's small friend had referred to him as 'someone like this' so that meant he was separating from anyone else the boy could have met in the town just a ways down the road.

Perhaps he heard the rumors then? Perhaps the boy thought him a demon... If so then why would he approach. He couldn't say he wasn't curious.

So the swordsman is swinging his legs around so they can hang off the branch he's perched upon and his hands can come down to rest on it at his sides.

"That's quite kind of you, young one." He begins as jade continues peer down at the youth before him. "Do you require something? Are you lost? That's quite the mask you have. Marvelous construction. Do you wear it for a reason?"

Still the man of snow does not descend from his perch but instead remains merely looking down from his place within the branches and the moonlight casting from over his shoulders.

"Your small friend is right about what they said, young one. I am not like the others in town. Are you not afraid of me?"

[sillypinkboy]

Meetings

Characters: Jake Lockley, Joe Fixit, Bruce Banner, Marc Spector

Pairing: Bloody Protectors

Word Count: 1.5k

Tagging: @goodoldfashionedengineer

──────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Bruce was stopping through New York. That was the only reason Joe even met the cabbie- it was an accident. Not intentional. He was just trying to get to a bar. Really, he was. How was he supposed to know the New York cabbies were so charming?

Joe had crawled into the backseat and shrugged off his jacket. The car was much hotter than the snowy weather outside. As he sat the coat down, a smoky voice filled the small area.

“Where can I take you?” The driver questioned as he readjusted the mirror. Dark eyes caught Joe in the reflection.

Joe leaned back in the leather seats as he spoke. “Know any good bars? Still new ‘round these parts.”

The driver nodded, and merged back into the traffic. A gloved hand moved to turn up the radio. Something in Spanish started playing. Joe closed his eyes, taking in the smells that filled the cab - old leather and cigarette smoke.

The car ride wasn’t that long. It took no longer than five minutes to get from point a to point b. Joe moved closer to the driver's seat, expensive cologne filling his senses.

“7.06,” the driver stated after pulling aside. It took a moment for Joe to realize what he was talking about.

Joe grabbed for his cash - finally taking a moment to look the driver over. The man was quite handsome. Dark curls poking out from a cap, tanned skin, freckles, the start of a beard, rusty eyes that watched him impatiently. Joe looked down and counted the money before handing it to the cabbie. He grabbed his coat and stepped out.

As the cab left him on the sidewalk, he screamed internally.

“Fuck, shoulda asked for his number,” he mumbled, slipping the coat over his hawaiian shirt. He turned and started walking towards the bar doors, the sign lighting casting a bright green glow on his auburn hair before he disappeared inside.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

The snow had stopped by midnight. Clouds still coated the sky in a thick blanket of gray. A masked face looked towards the hidden moon, steady eyes looking from whatever light streamed through. A wet thump from the street below caught the figure’s attention.

It took seconds for the hero to come crashing down in the dimly lit street, silver flaring behind like a shadow. The sickening sound of bone breaking echoed through the tight alley, alcohol intoxicating the air. Broken glass littered the concrete below, crunching under the patted boots of the suit. The hero coughed as the smell filled his lungs.

The only man still standing groaned, looking over at the newest face to join the brawl. Amber light casted odd shadows from a broken casing, pulling the whole scene together. Blood and glass littered the snowy alley, a set of men left mostly unconscious. The victor pulled his weapon - a broken bottle - above his head in an attempt to show he was in charge here. The hero kept his hands to his side.

A breeze swept between the two, carrying the smell of blood and sweat closer to the vigilante. He spoke, keeping an even tone, “What happened?”

The bloodied man stared back. He slowly lowered the glass as he narrowed his eyes. “Nothin’ to worry ‘bout, huh?” he answered, straightening his stance.

The hero didn’t seem happy with the response. The man huffed.

“This ain’t your area, is it? Didn’t mean ta intrude,” He offered, trying to find a way to leave without more questioning.

The hero nodded, “We don’t appreciate when people start fights this close to the mission,” he gave back, the tone still as cold as the air between them.

The other nodded, pretending to understand.

“Then, I should uh- get goin’, huh?” His voice carried leftover adrenaline.

The hero nodded and watched the other run his hands down his pant legs. He lingered by the alley moments longer, before scurrying off.

The hero watched him go before he pulled himself back into the night. Something about the other man had felt vaguely familiar. A twinge of recognition pulled at the caped crusader’s mind. There wasn’t time to dwell on it now.

The hero faded into the busy streets.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Bruce was the next one to meet the cabbie. It was… late. The city left the stars unseen and he felt tired. The day had been difficult, he needed to pack- get out as quickly as he could.

He pulled himself into the backseat, and buckled himself in. Arms hung tightly around his chest- he tried to ignore the copper that filled his nose. The radio played quietly, forming into just another ball of noise he had to tune out.

“Where to?” a warm voice filled the silence. Bruce could feel eyes on him. He tried shrinking into himself more.

The eyes quickly dropped from the mirror.

Bruce took a breath, mumbling the block he needed to be at. The driver nodded and started the journey. He kept the radio quiet and rolled down a window partly, trying to allow some air in.

Bruce laid his head against the cold glass, arms still held tight. His eyes slowly closed, his head felt full of static. He slowly let out a deep breath. The last feeling being cold and eyes watching him.

Joe blinked against the window. The world outside felt still as they sat in traffic. Lights glistened back at his still foggy vision. As his sight cleared, he noticed where they were. A cab. It smelt different than the last one he had been in- a much more familiar scent. A bad night that felt best with rain.

“Smells like blood,” he said, the tone of a joke wrapped around the words.

The cabbie chuckled, “Had to bring someone to the hospital. Saw you on my way to the carwash,” he continued to explain.

Recognition hit Joe. The cabbie from a few nights ago.

“Hell, I’ll take it, yeah?” he responded, sitting up from the window.

The cabbie smiled to himself, catching a sight of his passenger scribbling on the back of a crumbled receipt. His gaze quickly dropped back to the road as traffic started to move again. The sudden movement jerked the passenger forward, he cursed as pen ink ran onto his pant leg.

“Everything okay back there?” The driver questioned, honey-like heat dripping off his words.

Joe offered, “Yeah, jus’ a sec,'' with a nod. He licked his thumb and scrubbed at the mark.

The cabbie nodded and continued to focus on the road, a gloved hand moving to turn up the radio. Pop music filled the small space. He never moved to change the channel until the other asked - if the other asked.

Joe softly hummed along and watched the outside streets. When the ride finally ended - the car stopping at the corner - Joe unbuckled and leaned forward.

Blood and cologne. The smell was much clearer now.

“How much?” he asked, digging in his pockets for money.

The driver hummed, “14.35.”

Joe handed him a twenty, the receipt tucked behind it. He held his hand up and mouthed call me before slipping out.

He shut the door and watched as the cabbie drove off. Pride struck a chord and he smiled. Cold air swept at his curls and he moved forward.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Marc stared at the newest number added to the notepad. There was nothing written next to it, unlike the others. The handwriting was familiarly Jake’s - messy and difficult to read. He reached out for the alter, hoping for any explanation. None was given, so he tried to ignore it.

The number sat unchanged for a few days. The days grew into weeks - by now the owner of it was long gone. Still, the number sat unused.

It had been a long, busy day for Jake. He had gotten home and poured a cup of scotch with a sigh. Walking the familiar apartment, the floor groaned under his heavy boots. His tired eyes caught the closed notebook that sat on the makeshift desk.

He hummed, setting the glass down with a small thump, ice clinking against the sides. Gloved fingers lazily flipped pages, trying to find the latest entry. A number - the last one he added - caught his eye in its red ink. A warning. Or.. a promise?

He quickly slid his phone - their phone - out of his pocket. The phone opened with a click. He typed the number in, double checking on almost every number. His thumb hovered over the dial button, unwilling - unsure - if he should call.

The glass was picked up, ice clinking as Jake made his way to the couch. He tried to get comfortable before deciding to click dial.

The phone rang. And rang and rang and rang. He gave up on any hope to get an answer. The phone continued to ring. It hit voicemail - or to be exact, lack of voicemail.

The robotic voice met Jake’s hum. He quieted, hanging up. The phone was set aside as he sipped at the drink, taking mental note of the lack of answer.

The drink was finished in tired silence. The glass met warm water when finished, as Jake rinsed out the sticky residue. After setting the dish aside, he made way for the bed.

As he sat undoing his laces, the phone buzzed. A text.

[lunarruled]

[ggyutarist]

✩₊⁺⋆☾ —— Moon, I hope you still know you always shine the brightest at night.⟢

A/N: harhar this is most especially for those who always did their best but were still outshined by some others (oh i wonder who that is). this one is kinda different as it uses I/me pronouns for most of it. uhhh yeah guys. ik some of us are tired of trying to get our efforts noticed but ykw?? live for yourself bc if they wont notice then they sure are missing a lot of stuffs💥💥. inspired by that random uquiz i took ahasshshasha.

💫: Beomgyu x GN reader 

(except its mentioned that its beomgyu only at the very end)

Content: Angst (i attempted pls forgive me), barely any cursing, Moon represents reader, Sun could be anyone you wish, Sun outshines Moon lol and Moon cries abt it.

WC: 1k

Foolish, innocent children would think the Moon has its own light that blooms only when the sky is inked in a dark shade.

“It’s so pretty!” A kid would say.

It is truly pretty, isn’t it? I can’t bear to tell you it’s fake. I can’t bear to tell you that the Moon gets the light from something that actually shines. Something that shines way too much. Fuck the Sun. It shines on its own, sure, but it’s blinding. No way anyone can even look at it for too long without risking their precious sight.

Why? Why does everyone like the Sun? Okay, it shows you big clouds you can make shapes with, wow! Lightens your path so you could see everyone and everything, that’s so astonishing!! It shines a lot, doesn’t it? The Sun has lots of people watching over it. Appreciating it every. single. day.

But the Moon?

Is long forgotten. Everyone turns off their lights, puts on their sleeping mask, and hits the bed. A few may give some glances, but they let themselves soon fall to the temptation of sleep. No one really bothers cranking their necks up a bit and look towards the Moon. You know, give it a bit of attention too.

Too bad that nobody cares, right? I don’t know. I don’t know why I’m so forgettable. Why do you just brush past me? Don’t you care? Don’t you give a fuck at all? Is my glow not pretty? Is Sun prettier?

If only the gods gave the Moon freedom to cry, it would sob. Sob so loudly that it would echo among the skies. If that’s the only way to get a few eyes on it, then so be it. If they would not look at it for its beautiful aspects, then look at the ugly side. Hear it sob so noisily till you scrunch up your faces in disgust, asking what the hell was wrong with it.

That’s the problem. You don’t know.

The Moon would cry and cry, choking up apologies that no ears would hear.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I cannot light up the sky as much as Sun does. I’m sorry that I cannot give you clouds you can make shapes out of. I only have stars with me.

Stars aren’t as big as the clouds but there’s many of them.

Clouds look too few because they’re large in size. It was okay to the people. Why? Because it looked grand. They covered up majority of the sky unlike stars.

No one bothers looking at the stars. Not as many as with clouds, at least. Everyone sleeps. They all sleep. Why don’t you look at my stars? They’re small but I gave you millions, billions, trillions of them. Please notice my stars. Please.

I know, I know, I know, I KNOW. I know I can’t shine as bright as the Sun. I know my light is just reflected off from the Sun. But what will I do? No matter what I do, it is what it is. Please stop comparing me to Sun. I know it’s the better version of me but I’m trying okay? I really am. Why can’t you see these trillion stars I try showing you?

Right. Because you’re asleep, waiting for Sun tomorrow.

Why do you brush me off so easily? Don’t you fucking understand how hard it is to light up a sky that ends up black the whole time? I said I’m trying. I really am. I have to go through that every single night but no one bothers looking at me. I have to light up my brightest using Sun’s light but the sky still ends up dark. 

Why is my sky inked in this miserable black while Sun gets a pretty blue? Is my shine not bright enough? Am I too dull for you?

Sun gets the privilege of seeing everyone unlike Moon. Moon, who is doomed to a fate of prolonged darkness, cannot see everyone because it is too dark. But that’s where Moon’s view is wrong in. Just because Sun can see everyone, does not mean Moon has no one at all.

There is someone looking over Moon, all the time. Perhaps, not just one person but Moon will never know because it is too dark. Although, it should not assume that it is trapped alone in this inked sky. Always, someone is looking up at it and appreciating its beautiful stars. It may not cover up the sky as much as clouds but who should care? The stars still have their own charms and the fact there’s too many of them to count…is amazing on its own.

The way the dark sky was bedecked in tiny stars that glowed was mesmerizing. Whoever missed on seeing that is truly unfortunate but maybe, not for him.

Someone who is watching the Moon right now, he wishes he could show just how pretty they are. If there was a big enough mirror, then he would bring it. The way the Moon shined in a dark night was inspiring. The little stars along with it…he wished he could hold it in his arms. Embrace them and show them to Moon so they would love themselves a little more. The stars were always pretty. Small but pretty. Take out his camera and snap a picture of it? Maybe. He wants to show the Moon so badly but unfortunately, in this life, the Moon might never be able to see. Although, still…

I hope the Moon can see that someday…somehow, somewhere that they are not alone and someone is watching them. I hope the Moon knows it still shines the brightest at night with their stars. Even if it takes millennia.

“The Moon is so pretty, isn’t it?”

For you were the moon that tried their very best for the longest time up to now and Beomgyu, was the sole person who saw every effort and wish he could show you how pretty you made the sky. Even if it was just little stars that you did.

[geographytrash]

☽ It paused for a moment, like an old computer slowly processing the most basic of inputs. ☾ '' OH!!!! Okay !!! Hello Tiptup friend !!! ,, ☽ A big tooth filled grin spread across it's face, her tail speeding up as it swayed against the dirty concrete. ☾ '' Tiptup is !!! Good !!! Very very good Tiptup friend !! And and how are you Tiptup friend !! What are you doing in. Scary. Dark. Alleyway. !!!!?? ,, ☽ Her eyes still reflected the faint light of the moon, cocking it's head to the side ever so slightly. ☾

(@liberal-arsonbur)

Wil was walking along through the back alleys of the city at midnight, the moonlight creating dark shadows which are perfect to hide his jumpsuit under the coat.

Then he hears chittering, which makes him stop and look around, brows furrowing in confusion.

Hello?

He asks to the shadows softly, eyes gleaming slightly orange with the thought of flames and burning churches still in his mind.

☽ Tens of small beady eyes peered through the darkness, a sharp toothy smile forming across the face with the largest eyes. ☾ '' HELLO TIPTUP FRIEND!!! ,, ☽ Loud chuckles escaped the darkness as a figure dropped down from the darkness above, latching onto the man as it continued to chuckle to itself, a large fuzzy tail flicking back and forth as it crawled up the others torso, eventually landing on the shoulder before jumping off. ☾ '' Wait... you- you aren't tiptup friend-.. Whoops !! Sorry city stranger !! ,, ☽ It chuckled softly to itself, large ears flicking ever so slightly as the chittering around her came to a sudden stop. ☾

[redsabres]

☽Remember Our Eclipse☾ • prologue

Moon Knight x Reader, Friends to Enemies to Lovers

• one

Based on the poem "A Letter To The Sun From The Dark Side of The Moon" by Ranata Suzuki

Chapter Spotify Playlist

Summary: You and Marc did everything together, even dying in the desert and becoming avatars for gods that hate each other.

Warnings: profanity, canon-typical violence

Words: 2,547 (following chapters will be longer ;))

AN: not to flex but I wrote most of this before episode four came out, so maybe I should become a fortune teller.

add yourself to the taglist

The headlights of the wrangler bobbed up and down as it sprang across the northern Sudanese dunes, A Man Without Love playing softly on the radio. It was supposed to be a normal mission – at least, as normal as it could be when you were a bad person being paid to do worse things for the worst people. However, nobody with a properly functioning moral compass becomes a bounty hunter. That's why you all ended up here, wasn't it?

You swallowed the question down with a deep gulp. Sprawled across the back seat of the wrangler, your hands fidgeted nervously with the various weapons on your waistband, a nervous habit you picked up from your time in special operations with Marc. He softly chuckled from the passenger seat, noticing your actions in the reflection of the rearview mirror. This made Bushman – your somewhat pain in the ass colleague, roll his eyes.

"This is why I don't let both of you sit in the back seat." He grumbled.

"Hey!" You exclaimed, kicking the back of the driver's seat. This just made Marc laugh harder.

While the three of you laughed – although Bushman would definitely deny he ever so much as chuckled, you glanced at the rearview mirror, only to see Marc's eyes already trained onto your form. He gave you a soft smile, which you heartfeltly returned. The song faded into the background as the two of you were momentarily lost in each other, hearing nothing but your hearts beating in tune with one another.

"Focus, you two," Bushman glared at the both of you, "Save the lovey-dovey shit for the hotel."

You kicked his seat again.

"Hey, don't anger the driver." He warned, frowning at you in the rearview mirror.

You stuck out your tongue in response.

"And what? You'll crash into a pillowy sand dune? How terrifying." You joked, leaning to lay down across the back seat.

Suddenly, Bushman stopped the car – as close to a sudden stop as he could get considering the terrain, causing you to slide forward. For a moment, you considered he just slammed the brakes to prove a point, however, this was dismissed when he left the car and walked to the trunk.

"Hurry up, assholes!" He scolded, despite the fact that he had barely given you or Marc a warning to leave the vehicle, "Mission site is six hundred yards east." Bushman gestured to a map he had already rolled out in the trunk. Circled in bold, red ink, was a site labeled 'CAMP FOUR' in large letters. He continued as you and Marc prepped your gear, "We're gonna be heading towards a dig site where they've allegedly unearthed an ancient map showing where some old Pharoah is buried." Stated Bushman as he set up the communication equipment.

This piqued your interest. Regularly, the bounty was a living person, not an already dead one. You found this thrilling. Marc, however, had a different take.

"So, what? We get to play Indiana Jones for some rich fuck?" The words rolled off his tongue as his upper lip pulled into a slight snarl. You had to try not to giggle while Bushman smiled mischievously.

The larger man turned to Marc, "Precisely."

"Now, continuing with the details of our mission. The site is run by four archaeologists. There may be a few others, but they're all of no concern. There are two guard stations," Bushman began gesturing to areas on the map again, "One on the southwest end, and one on the north. They should be easy to take out." You and Marc nodded.

Bushman gestured to you, saying your name.

"You'll infiltrate the archaeologist's tent while Marc and I handle the guards. Grab the map, get out. Should be a clean run."

You nodded at Bushman, Marc mirroring your actions.

"Alright then," he continued, "The two of us will go along the southern path, "he gestured to a blue line drawn on the map, "and you'll go along the northern path." Bushman pointed to a purple line on the map. "We will give you a signal when the guards are down. Be ready."

"Affirmative. Will await signal." You responded, the formal wording a once thought forgotten habit from your days with Marc in special operations.

Bushman turned to leave, gesturing for Marc to follow. Before turning to leave, Marc glanced at you. He softly raised his hand to your face, gently caressing your cheek. Resting his forehead upon yours, he exhaled a deep sigh.

"Be safe." He said, barely above a whisper.

"No need to worry." You reassured him, softly smiling before turning to head down your separate paths.

"Hurry up, Spector!" You heard Bushman call from somewhere along his trail.

Chuckling, you continued on.

You waited in position just over the crest of a sand dune, awaiting the signal from Bushman and Marc. The two men were taking their sweet time, as per usual. But it was just supposed to be a few guards, right? Something felt off. Against better judgment, you pushed into the camp without the signal. After easily slipping past the guards, you silently slid under the white tarp wall of the tent.

It was completely dark, except for a lone LED lantern hanging from the central support. Sprawled out through the whole tent were various work areas, littered with papers and artifacts. Finding the map in this mess would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. You began your search anyways, the nagging feeling of something wrong still hanging at the back of your mind.

Suddenly, a light clicked on from the other side of the tent. You panicked, darting for the large desk near the central work area of the tent. Soft footsteps padded toward you, before walking around the desk and to the other side of the tent. You let out a soft breath as the footsteps padded back to their side of the tent, the quiet click of the light turning back off soon following.

You were halfway through a sigh of relief when bullets began tearing through the tent. Screams erupted into your surroundings as you pushed yourself deeper into the kneehole of the metal desk, praying none of the bullets would hit you. Your shuffling under the desk knocked it around considerably, as a drawer slid out of its place while you were rushing to take shelter. While bullets rained around you, an intricately carved, lapis lazuli scarab caught your eye. Without a second thought, you quickly reached out and stuffed it into your boot.

The bullets stopped, and all was still. Even you remained motionless under the desk. Shortly after, Bushman came waltzing in, eyes scanning the tent. You huffed, pulling up from the desk, anger painting your features.

"Bush, you asshole!" You screamed, "You could have killed me!"

The large man looked surprised to see you for a moment, but continued to let out a dark chuckle. "That's what you get for not waiting for the signal, sweetheart "

You just stared at him, lip raised. The thought of what Bushman had just done without so much as batting an eye made you sick to your stomach. You couldn't handle it anymore; the sight of the bullet holes combined with the occasional splatter of blood made bile rise into your throat. You turned to leave, tearing through the already shredded tarp. You stopped, upon noticing, turned back to Bushman.

"Where's Marc?" You asked, accusation littering your tone.

Bushman shrugged, "Said he had a headache. Went back to go sit in the wrangler."

Something still felt off, but you nodded, accepting his answer.

"You find the map?" Said Bushman, gesturing to the area around the two of you.

"Maybe I could have, if someone wasn't trying to turn me into a slice of swiss cheese!" You continued to shout at him, gesturing to the bullet holes dotting your surroundings. Bushman rolled his eyes. You huffed, shaking your head at your colleague.

"Fine. You can find the map then, I'll be outside."

Bushman looked like he was going to stop you, fingers twitching at his sides. However, once it was clear you were exiting on the side you came in, away from the camp, he seemed to calm.

The walk back to the wrangler was quiet. About halfway through, Bushman snuck up on you.

"Jesus man, did nobody ever tell you to not sneak up on people when they're walking alone at night?" You scolded, almost pulling a gun on him in surprise. He let out an amused huff in response. You decided not to think anything of it, chalking your colleagues behavior up to the strangeness of the overall mission.

Soon enough, the two of you were back at the wrangler, but something still felt off. Despite allegedly being inhabited by Marc, none of the lights were on. You silently prayed it was because Marc had a headache and wanted to rest, like Bushman said. Against your better judgment, you went to open the car door.

Bushman let out a deep, maniacal chuckle from behind. You went to look back at him, giving him a questioning glance. However, you were met with one of his giant hands as he slammed your head into the car door with a metallic thunk.

You were on the ground somewhere. You wanted to get up, scan your surroundings and calculate a way of survival. However, it was almost as if something was holding you in place. You barely managed to open your eyes, only to immediately close them. Everything around you was white. Above, the sun still beat down, feverishly so. You managed to turn onto your side, an attempt to escape the heat caused by your back being on the warm ground.

Suddenly, a deep, booming voice spoke.

"Get up."

You spun around in a sitting position, trying to find who, or rather what, was calling out to you, however, the blazing sun and white surroundings weren't doing you any favors.

"Get. Up."

The voice spoke again, this time more stern.

Somehow, you rose to your feet.

That was a mistake. Every inch of your body felt as if it were set aflame, your head feeling as if a large, molten stick were prodding it.

"Come, my child." The deep, commanding voice coaxed you.

"Nng... Everything hurts." You stated, stumbling toward the voice.

"Yes," the voice spoke. By now, you were close to seeing what it belonged to. The voice softly spoke your name, "You are dying."

No... Your steps faltered, causing you to trip.

"I don't want to die." You spoke weakly from the floor.

"If you are to be reborn, you must suffer through pain," the voice stated, it sounded much closer now, "It is the way of things, my child."

Propping yourself up onto your elbows, you were finally able to see what you were speaking to.

On an intricately carved stone throne sat a humanoid being with the head of a falcon, clothed in a loose-fitting white robe with long sleeves, adorned with many pieces of golden jewelry. The scorching sun settled behind the being's head, almost appearing as if its golden blaze was a halo.

You pulled yourself to your feet, pain forgotten in favor of the godly being in front of you. Stopping a few feet away from the base of their throne, you looked at the being, awaiting their next words.

"In exchange for your life," the being stated, your head perking up at the chance of not dying, "you will become an Eye of Ra. You will enact vengeance on my behalf, ensuring the balance between light and dark. If you choose to accept, you will be blessed with godly power and take a role as my avatar."

You nodded, mulling over the god's words. In full honestly, you had very little clue what exactly the god spoke of. However, you were in no place to bargain.

"Fine," you panted, the heat of the sun unwavering, "I accept your offer."

"Good." The god spoke, reaching out a hand to shake. You returned the gesture, sealing your hands together. You immediately felt a rush of power at the god's touch, the burning sun fading into a light warmth.

Suddenly, the white abruptly faded, leaving you alone in the desert. Although the sun was gone, your hand still burned. On the top of your left hand, thin, fresh scars now adorned your flesh, forming an eye of Ra. You clutched the scarified hand to your chest, careful not to irritate the fresh scars.

"Get moving, or the night will swallow you alive." Ra spoke, startling you.

You shot up, frantically looking around for any sign of the god. However, he was nowhere to be found.

"Where will I go?" You asked.

The god paused, as if thinking for a moment. Finally, he responded.

"We will start by atoning for your wrongdoings." The god stated cryptically.

"That's gonna take a while..."

"I heard that," he scolded, "Now come, experience your first taste of godly power."

To you, godly power would have been something more out of a children’s storybook, like shooting lighting out of the palms of your hands. To Ra, however, godly power was a reality, and that reality was making you fly around in a decadent suit, punching whoever he deemed a “threat to the balance between light and dark”, whatever that meant.

Through your many days together, you slowly learned of Ra's relationship with the other gods, how many respected him – with the exception of one: Khonshu. Apparently, the two gods have hated each other since their respective creations, a destiny determined by their control of opposing forces. You found it a bit childish, but would never admit that to Ra.

You and your god had highs and lows. At times, you adored being gifted with such power, but at others, it was like a weight that threatened to drag you down to inescapable depths. However, the worst night was easily the first. After being sent to bury those that Bushman murdered at the dig site,

you spent the entire night searching for Marc. You wouldn't be surprised if you flew over the entirety of the Sahara ten times that night. It was hell, barely having a grip on your newfound power. You would fly for a mile, then lose focus and drop from the sky. Each time you hit the ground, Ra was there to heal you. The cycle repeated many times that night, each fall worse than the last.

Eventually, Ra couldn't bear it anymore. He took control of your body, forcing you to land in a small cave filled with various statues of his fellow deities. In the front of the cave, where the sunlight would filter in, stood a tall statue of Ra, holding an ankh in one hand and a scepter in the other. On the other end of the cave, shrouded in darkness, stood a statue of Khonshu, missing its telltale cape.

"To my dearest love, my brilliant Sun,

The world has decided we can no longer be one

So you take the day and I’ll take the night

You with your happy glow, me with my cold & lonely light"

A Letter To The Sun From The Dark Side of The Moon by Ranata Suzuki

[embracethemadmess]

Dreaming with the Witch- #2b - just Marc

Story summary:  Steven is refusing to sleep at night again, but this time he also doesn’t want to front during the day, so Marc has to cover for him at work, running on little to no sleep every day, straining his voice on -quite bad- British soft accent. If that wasn’t enough, there’s this third alter still actively moon knighting without the other two knowing. All this leaves the body completely exhausted and, well, on the edge of falling apart. One time the system meets a witch willing to help heal both the body and the disturbed minds in it.

Chapter summary: Steven disappears for a day.

word count: 4075

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Chapter notes: I can't write flirting scenes, sorry you have to witness that. I'm gonna do beta reading tomorrow after work, so I'm sorry in advance if there are any mistakes.

Enjoy and don't hesitate to share your thoughts :).

Disclaimers: I do not have D.I.D., therefore my story should not be treated as a trustful source of knowledge on the topic. I strongly encourage you all to learn about it from actual systems or other resources. Mirrors and all that reflections theme are used as a way to connect the story to the TV show. If you notice any mistakes on my side, please let me know so I can fix them.

* * ☾ * *

"Okay, okay, sorry!" A high-toned squeak is torn out from the woman held by him while the fingernails of her free hand dig desperately into his bare forearm's skin, leaving half-moon indents on it. 

Although Marc feels as if his brain is clouded, he disentangles her from the armlock instantly. Worrisomeness hides in crinkles between his brows as they furrow, and in the amber of his eyes now focused on her face after he put his hands on her shoulder and turned her around so she could face him, looking for any sign of distress in her facial expression. The tension in his body increases a notch when he realises the woman is, as a matter of fact, a girl. Young adult. Adolescent girl. Practically a child. He lets out an almost laboured grunt at that, a few of his own curses directed at him echoing in his mind. 

"Jesus, what was that?" The girl - Anna, he discovers after taking a quick glance at the name tag on her beige blouse - inquiries, a breathy cry in her voice loud and clear for his ears to hear being one part of the remnant of the abuse he's deployed on her, the other making itself present in massaging sore elbow and exercising a mild shoulder rotation.

"Please, accept my dearest apologies," Marc begins, his voice adopting Steven's tone and manner as if a default setting, his face not so cooperative, though, remaining more of his own than his alter's which he can tell even without seeing himself simply by not feeling the slightest tug of a single muscle. His wording choice, moreover, surprises both him and the girl in front of him, but it doesn't stop him from continuing, "I didn't mean to cause you any harm, it's just, I-" he stutters just a tad, hoping it would grant him some bonus points, and then focuses his stare at everything but her eyes, scratching his beard in a clear sign of discomfort. "I was in my head straight up fuming at this bloody stupid machine over here, and your touch caught me off guard."

As a response to his elaborated apology, Anna gives him as much as a simple shrug of her shoulders which almost earns her his scoff. Almost, because by the time he opens his mouth to express his discontent with her reaction, she muses:

"Should've guessed it myself." And as she gets no reply, with Marc just standing there, expression as blank as the circles dark around the redness of his waterlines, eyes now closer to the shade of onyx rather than amber, and plump lips closed in a straight line in between salt-and-pepper thick growth, she feels the urgent need to add: "I mean, with the way you always flinch when something unexpected or louder than you'd want happens around you, I figure I kind of deserved this whole American arrest hold."

After admitting that, her shoulders shrug again and then a devilish grin plays on her lips as she takes one step closer to him, barely leaving any space between the two of them. Marc's brows knit marginally at the movement, making the permanent crease in the skin between them even more prominent, but he doesn't back away from her as he examines her face in silence; freckle by freckle, acne scar by brownish patch, rosacea's redness blemishing her fair skin. So young, he makes a notice in the privacy of his thoughts when she cocks her head a little to be able to burn a hole in the lion's wrinkle of his with the sky blue of her gaze.

"Nevertheless, I think I also deserve a tight hug, eh?" Anna murmurs, later on drawing her lower lip between her teeth and keeping it there long enough for him to notice. "To ease the pain, you know, you're not exactly the weakest man alive" comes in addition, as if she tried to excuse her suggestion. 

With a faint, faked smile Marc nods in agreement.

"I guess s-" he trails off mid-sentence and instead nearly chokes on the air she seems to punch out of his lungs with the force she uses to pound into his embrace, enclasping his neck, giving him no other choice than to wrap his own arms around her waist.

Marc swallows the dryness in his throat at the sudden realisation that this, the hug, feels wrong. For many reasons, he tries to tell himself that the one being most crucial is the fact this girl is significantly younger than him and barely knows him, while he doesn't know her at all, even if she's not aware of it, therefore she shouldn't be this comfortable near him. 

However, the truth is, and the American resigned himself to the fact some time ago, it feels wrong because it's not Steven. For both of them, actually, it should be Steven but it isn't, and that aspect of the embrace lies heavy on Marc's heart, trying to sink it deep into the melancholy of memories of the one hug that's been engraved in his memory for months now and the one that came to his mind every time someone tried to give him something similar.

He would call himself a narcissist, yearning for the touch of his own body, if it wasn't for the fact Steven carried it differently to an extreme degree; to the point where it felt like a completely separate person. His touch was so tender whereas Marc's was firm, his was dripping hesitation when Marc's distinguish itself by confidence, and finally - Steven brought warmth, trust and love where Marc could only provide safety. 

Physically, they were also different. Marc was always straight as a ruler, unable to stoop, his posture always asserting dominance. Used to deploy an iron-clad grip, muscles constantly tense and on the verge of ache. Steven wasn't like that, no. There was a gentleness in the way he slouched a little, with his shoulders and bladder loose, prioritising everyone else's comfort above his own. Absurdly naive sometimes in his belief that everyone was good at heart, some people simply lacking something in their life if they showed other, cooler shades of their personalities. Letting them walk all over him due to refusing to accept the fact that some of them were just pricks and no amount of kindness would ever change that. It all showed up in the way Marc was constantly keeping his guards up while Steven walked around wearing his heart on his sleeve.

But when it came to holding his close ones in his arms, Steven changed diametrically; his grip strong and desperate, squeezing their body with his own, locking them in an unbreakable hold for what could last an eternity. Marc was his opposite; he would wrap his arms around another person with a sense of distance, not letting them cling to his body completely, so he could still have a good chance of blocking an attack or escaping. 

Of course, with Steven in his arms, he threw all his tactics away without batting an eyelid, letting his body join the battle over who consumed who in the tight embrace they shared twice. 

Marc still could recall his scent as he buried his nose in the British one's hair after quickly pressing his lips to his temple while Steven occupied himself with clenching his fists on the material of Marc's t-shirt, squidging the meat on his back and possibly bruising his shoulderblades in the process. The world around them seemed to stop spinning for a while, time frozen on a single second stretching to hours. Not an ounce of spare space between the two of them to fit the thinnest needle. Their knuckles white as snow on the tan skin of their hands, with veins more visible and bluer than usual. It felt like home when Steven was blowing hot air down the side of Marc's neck, his sharp jaw nudged into the American's collarbone. Desperate gaps that were making them both feel dizzy made the whole experience even more special, and Marc quickly decided at that moment that it was once in a lifetime experience no one ever would be able to replicate for him.

And yet, Steven did it again, holding him tight enough to steal his breath if he wanted to, not so long after the first time. His Steven. The incredibly stubborn, righteous Steven who refused to kill a hippopotamus and hijack an ancient boat to save his life.

Ever since then, no one could make Marc feel quite the same as he felt in his alter's arms. Not even his wife, and he loved and cared for her deeply. Nothing seemed to taste even remotely similar, at some point Marc resigned to this thought. 

Even so, he still can't help the immense tug of longing deep in his chest as he gives Steven's coworker a few friendly strokes on her lower back, earning a satisfied purr from her.

"Can't believe you finally let me do this, after so long?" she says with her fingers buried in his hair, playfully curling some locks at the back of his head around her finger. Marc stiffens at the sound of this statement, and as he slowly pulls away from her, he feels his heart sinking, joining the little tight knot already formed in his stomach.

"What'd you say?" He asks just for the sake of hearing it again, already knowing the answer and processing it in his mind.

"You never let anyone touch you, honestly I was starting to worry you'll never give up and let me hug you. I suppose you like using force beforehand, I don't know, some kind of hot and cold behaviour," the girl starts mumbling so fast the words blur together and it makes Marc's brain feel like it's about to explode trying to make sense of what is happening, "Hey, I don't judge, of course, I just didn't take you as an 'into bondage' kinda guy, know what I mean?"

"Anna" is all he's able to say as the begging of a headache builds up a familiar pressure behind his eyes. An ice-cold feeling shoots up his spine when the realization of the meaning behind her words strikes him with the force of a thunderbolt, and he lets go of her in a matter of seconds, glaring at her in unspoken reprimand that only he knows hides stupefaction behind its sharpness. She looks surprised, he can tell by the way her blue eyes widen and a faint blush makes its way to her cheeks and nose, but she's mainly confused, and to be honest, so is Marc. He only agreed to this hug because he thought it was a norm for her and Steven; a standard greeting they gave each other every day at work. He left the safety of his comfort zone because of this misunderstanding, letting unwanted memories get to him when he needed them the least. All because of a girl who decided to take advantage of his mistake.

He lets out an exasperated sign.

"Listen, I need you to understand that this was a one-time thing," he starts, his voice is soft but firm, letting her know he's not mad at her, but he's also not kidding with what he has to say, "I attacked you without reason, and you deserved some kind of a remedy, eh? But it doesn't change the fact that if I say I don't wish for you to touch me, I mean it. For as long as I don't voice out that I've changed my mind. You heard me?" as he asks that question, he points at her with an expectant look in his eyes, actually meeting hers for the first time in the entire duration of their conversation.

"Loud and clear, Steven." Anna nods while answering him, and at that, he shakes his head, more to himself than at her actions, and settles himself behind the still not fully operative cash register, muttering under his breath something alongside the words:

"Something to keep in mind for the future, yeah?"

* * ☾ * *

She lives up to that promise for approximately two hours. 

Two long hours, or not long enough, Marc can't really decide. The entire room seems to be spinning as he tries to mimic Anna's actions around the gift shop, discreetly peeking at what she inserts into the system while scanning merchandise, hesitantly serving some older clients (which he chooses on purpose, hoping their age would help them be more patient with his pace than younger people), and sneaking around the room, pretending to be tidying up the store just so he can avoid the stubborn cash register. As he's picking up different figurines, puzzles and books, he actually takes short moments to inspect them in his late attempt to get to know what kind of job Steven deals with on daily basis. Obviously, he's ignoring the fact that half of the letters on the books' covers are barely visible to him without his reading glasses - that goes without question. In his opinion he doesn't need them, glasses are for the other guy, and he does just fine without them. And if his eyes start hurting after the first hour of having to read small letters on everything, he tells himself there's surely another reason for it. Thus, he settles on rubbing his eyelids every five minutes as a solution to the problem.

When the clock on his watch hits 12:10 pm and he's standing next to the scanner with the fingers of one hand curled around a paper cup halfway filled with coffee and the other fidgeting with a stray wiry basket with some cheap bracelets in it, that's when Anna shoots her shot again.

With one smooth move, she places herself in the small space between him and the counter, and Marc's hand, forced to abandon the basket, is quickly shoved down his front pocket. He raises an eyebrow at her ministrations, not sure what the sinister sparkles in her eyes could mean. The silence around them feels thick on his lips, sounds loud in his ears, and it all makes him uncomfortable, so he tries to step backwards in a desire to regain the sense of personal space, however, he's stopped dead in his tracks by the slender hands on his sweater.

"I know I'm not allowed to touch you," she asks with a sweet, gentle voice, attention directed at one of his sleeves which she finds herself absentmindedly playing with. One of her fingertips accidentally brushes over soft skin there and she feels how the dark hairs on his forearm stand up as a direct result of goosebumps. A ghost of a smirk dances on the corners of her lips as she makes notice of his reaction to her touch, "but you didn't really tell me why. Don't you like me?"

"I-I don't know" comes as an answer, to which confusion settles in her furrowed brows.

"You don't know?" she repeats after him in a form of a question and he only nods in response.

It's true, he doesn't know. Not the slightest idea comes to his mind as to why Steven feels repulsed about his co-worker to a point where he visibly keeps off her touch and makes her aware of that, even. Out of the two of them, Marc is pretty sure he's the one who avoids socialising, with Steven being the one craving it so badly, he's willing to go to a steakhouse, despite being vegan, just to meet up with a girl he had a date scheduled. The American once again regrets not paying attention to his alter's behaviour at work and therefore being left in the dark as to why it seems like for once in his lifetime Steven is running away from human interaction instead of chasing it.

"Listen, Anna. Please, listen to me," he murmurs after putting the coffee cup away and he snaps his fingers to get her attention before putting his hand in the pocket of his pants. "I'm 38, come to that I could very easily be your father," he adds in the hope this excuse will be enough to take the girl's hands off him. Unfortunately, he quickly discovers how wrong he was for thinking it when Anna places her hand on his cheek and focuses on tracing the line of his growth.

"Wouldn't mind calling you daddy, you know." As Marc registers her purr, a cold shiver slides down his spine at her words and for a moment scotomas are taking over his vision. 

"Why would you- it wouldn't make sense, now, would it?" he asks, disorientation painting across his face, and it has Anna chuckling genuinely but Marc continues nevertheless as if she hasn't interrupted him with her reaction. "I meant that I could be your father, I'm old enough to be. I'm not, so there's no-"

"Steven." Her voice takes a demanding tone, yet her expression remains soft. She's looking him straight in the eyes and he's not looking at her at all, glancing at the scanner behind her instead. "See that's why I like you so much."

"You do?"

"I do," nodding, she swipes at his lower lip with her thumb, making him thread his brows in consternation. "You're so awkwardly funny, so adorably unaware, and so freakishly hot with your tan skin, forever exhausted look, and now this," she accentuates her last word, gesturing lazily at his entire frame prior to going back to her rambling, "fuck, you're looking good today. Can't take my eyes off you."

At that moment Marc is too close to passing out, to say the least.

"Sorry. But..." comes from his mouth, he sounds husky and it encourages him to clear his throat while he takes a quick look over the store to check whether there's someone in there save for them. Then his eyes lock with hers, "Are you flirting with me?"

"Been doing it since you first arrived here, thanks for finally noticing." Before, during and after making this statement, she's laughing gently, there's pure joy in her eyes, that he could be sure of. "Bit late to the party, aren't you?" she asks next but she doesn't sound rude. Something in Marc wishes she sounded rude, though, so he could end this conversation. 

"I don't actually do- speak... the language of love. Or whatever." It's obvious he's trying to act as nonchalantly as he possibly can, but nervousness pours out from the tone of his voice. Once again he makes an effort to step away from her.

"Oh, I'd gladly teach you if you let me." A suggestion dripping with something that tells Marc she wanted to sound coquettish, which only adds to his rapidity as he wraps his hands around her wrists and pulls away from her.

"No, thank you," he says, already on his way to the store's entrance, "Be right back, need to use the loo."

Needless to say, he doesn't return.

His head is throbbing agonisingly while he's making his way across the hallway in search of the toilets. Stroking through the mess of wild curls, he scratches at his scalp hoping to find relief in mild pain. Words can't seem to describe the utter confusion that ties a knot in his abdomen.

He looks over his shoulder when cautiously scanning the space around him, as if expecting Anna to follow him for some reason, and when he makes sure she isn't, that's when he bumps into something, or rather someone, and if it makes him jump a little, he will take this secret to the grave with him.

"Steven!"

"Mr- Security guard," Marc breathes indiscriminately, just to hawk as soon as the elder man knits his brows at him, and immediately corrects himself, "Mr Henry" comes from him right after glancing at the man's nametag. "Mr Henry."

"I'm old, Steven, not deaf" the guard snaps at him, Marc winces, even though he doesn't show that on his face, and the older one sighs without any particular reason. "Where you headed, eh?"

"The loo."

"It's the opposite way, kid."

"Oh. Right."

For a moment they resign to the dead silence of the awkward situation. Both of them cross their arms on their chests, Marc hawks two or three more times, and somewhere between the second and the third time he switches his pose to staying straight and rubbing the nape his nape. Meantime Henry absentmindedly taps the silver clasp of his belt with the fingertip of his index.

"So... How are you?" Marc begins, trying to sound as friendly as he can, but trails off as soon as he sees Henry's hand waving at him dismissively. 

"You know I'm not a fan of small talks, Steven," he admits, making Marc instantly like him, "Might wanna hurry if you really need the loo, they are closing the museum." 

After that, Henry is already continuing his walk across the hallway, leaving Marc even more confused than he already was. The younger looks at the dock of his watch and his eyebrows furrow for gods know which time this day. His stare chases the slowly pacing co-worker, and before he even acknowledges it, he shouts after him.

"Any particular reason for that?"

"I don't know, something in the air is killing people again and the authorities told people to sit their arses at home. It's like the damn pandemic all over again..."

The guard is still grumbling as he slowly disappears behind the corner, but Marc doesn't listen to him anymore. He lets out another exasperated sigh, trying to wrap his lost head around what's going on exactly.

"What pandemic - never mind, actually," he adds a blurred fuck this day in his mind, then gives up in favour of making his way out of the museum with the heels of his palms digging ruthlessly into his eye sockets.

The ex-mercenary doesn't go back home, though, instead, he drags his feet to another familiar place that is the storage locker. Again, on his way not even once does he look around, a part of him secretly wishing for a deep hood in which he could hide his face. Forever grateful that the word seemed to have spread about the lockdown, the streets and pavements are almost empty, with only a few lost souls here and there rushing homes and a distant siren of an ambulance reaching his ears. Marc detached himself from the external stimuli, with half-lidded eyes watching the route before him but not really seeing anything peculiar.

The warm light of a single bulb welcomes him in the well-known emptiness of military green boxes stocked neatly along the walls, right after he's greeted by the guy working at the reception and given the key to locker 43. With a prolonged glance around the room, he makes notice of the artefacts of his old life - some clothes, emergency supplies and a cot in the corner with a modest, flat pillow on it. 

Weirdly enough, tin walls blurrily reflecting his body, with the pervasive order of the room coming from every single thing stored in it, somehow manage to ease his every nerve, spreading a sense of peace through every limb.

With a quiet sigh, he makes his way across the room until he's standing at the side of the cot. He sits up on the edge, takes his sneakers off to set them aside, lined up with the box standing next near, and lays himself on the flat, a bit rough even, surface.

He stays in late, just lying there and staring at the ceiling.

If he takes the pillow from underneath him and puts it on his face for a brief moment somewhere along the way, there is no one with him to witness it.

If he lets himself scream once or twice in the same pillow, there is no one there to hear it as well.

If he passes away from enfeeblement, he also comes to on his own, still able to deny he's tired, in case someone asks him about it.

He doesn't feel Steven, which in this precise case is good, too. Other than that, he wants him back already. Still, he does nothing to trigger him back to the front.

Even as a single tear carves its way along the crow's feet, down the side of his cheek.

He's not tired.