#(how lovely it is to see a wonderful cloud of smoke in the near distance!)

[seawaveleo]

how are we feeling chat

[yelenaslyubov]

A New Frontier: Part 3

𓃗𐚁🏜𖤓⋆｡° ✮ // a new frontier // part 1 // part 2 // part 3

main masterlist || yelena belova || requests

a/n: this is for the one anon that wanted more of a new frontier, this one is for you🙈

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ pairing: yelena belova x reader

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ warnings: language, combat, blood

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ description: after your mishap with your horse, several members of the team accompany you on a trip into town to find some appropriate clothes to wear for the entirety of the mission. though the day passed normally, the night brings the beginnings of your biggest fight yet.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ word count: 2.9k

Somehow you got conned into going shopping with Yelena, Kate, Kamala, and Peter. Peter was an afterthought and he practically invited himself, but you couldn’t care less. It made the entire situation less awkward.

“So, exactly how far is this place we’re going?” Peter asked.

“Well, if you break it down, it’s a couple cities over. So…it takes as long as we need,” Kate replied.

“What does that even mean, Kate Bishop?” Yelena asked.

“I don’t know, I’m just watching the GPS!”

“I’m hungry,” Kamala complained.

“You guys didn’t need to come,” you told them.

“Are you kidding me? Of course we needed to come. Besides, you can’t go the entire trip stealing my wardrobe,” Kate said

You looked down at the jeans and purple flannel that Kate had given to you and you winced. Definitely not your color. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” you said sarcastically.

“Why didn’t you bring your own clothes, anyway?” Peter asked.

You tried to avoid the unprofessional answer. Yelena looked over at you, obviously wondering what kind of answer you would create. “Uhm, I just wasn’t sure what to bring, honestly.”

“It seemed pretty simple to me?”

You sighed. “I don’t know, I guess just because I’ve never really been around horses.”

“It’s not like Mr. Stark exactly gave us a list or anything,” Yelena tutted.

“Jeez, who pissed in your cereal this morning?” Kate asked.

“No one.” Yelena sulked as she looked out the window and waited for the minutes to pass.

You did not love the energy that was happening in the car, mainly because of the unnecessary tension that you felt. You weren’t sure what caused Yelena’s small outburst over your lack of wardrobe, but perhaps she was trying to cover for you.

It felt like a century later as you saw the sightings of a faint town in the distance. You rolled in kicking up dirt trails behind the tires of the truck. The faces of passerby’s were plastered with frowns and suspicion. You shook off the cold glances and turned your attention to the street, or what you thought was a street.

There was no pavement that could be seen, only the endless fog of dirt that was floating from the other cars going through town. The small town you could see only consisted of a few store fronts on each side of the road, a gas station, and several houses that were spread out behind each of the buildings.

“Anybody else ready to leave already?” Kamala asked nervously.

“Me,” everyone replied.

“Let’s make this fast; in and out preferably,” Kate said.

The truck pulled to the closest spot near a store that simply said “GEAR” in faded letters. Each of you got out of the truck and observed your surroundings before charging in. It was clear that everyone was staring in your direction.

“Why are they staring at us like that?” Peter asked.

It was clear that you all stood out like a sore thumb. Each person you saw couldn’t be a day below 70, which was answer enough.

“Maybe we just need to act like we fit in?” Kamala changed her posture and began to walk with a sway in her hips. She tipped her hat to an older man walking by, earning a disgusted look.

“Your theory is foolproof,” you said.

“I don’t like this, we should hurry,” Yelena added. Even though the negative energy clouded the air, you didn’t seem to mind until the unshakable Yelena mentioned that she was nervous.

You all followed her lead and walked inside the store. You were met with a stale smoke that hung heavy, causing everyone turn their noses up.

“What is that?” Kamala said while holding her nose.

“Old,” said Kate, “very old.”

“What can I do you for?” a man from behind the counter said. By the look of him, along with the store, the smell started to make sense.

“Uhm, clothes?” Peter said unconfidently.

“Well, you bunch came to the right place!” He ended his sentence with a toothless grin.

“Ah!” Kamala accidentally blurted and you elbowed her in the side.

“Men on the left, women on the right.” He waved his finger around to each side of the room to signal the different sections. Once he was done holding your attention, he looked down at his newspaper and continued reading.

You were picky about how your clothes fit, so you interchanged between the men’s and women’s sections. To start off, you searched through the hats of all shapes and kinds.

“What about this hat?” Kate asked while placing it on your head.

The hat was tan, with a long brim in the front and the back. It was far from your style.

“I’m going to respectfully pass on this one,” you told Kate.

“Fine, be that way,” she mocked.

You laughed and continued looking through the other merchandise. There were little to no options for jeans, but you managed to find a couple pairs to last you the trip.

In addition, you found a selection of shirts, flannels, and utility jackets. You wanted to be prepared for anything that you may have to face, especially now that you knew what to expect.

You felt another hat being placed on your head and you turned around to face Yelena. “What about this one?”

The way her eyes looked up at you suddenly had you at a loss for words. You played it off the best you could by hiding your face, turning to the closest mirror to look at the hat.

“I have to say, you have good taste Belova.” The hat she picked out was a coffee color with a shorter and flat brim all around. It was the perfect amount of country and casual.

“It suits you,” she commented.

This time, you took your chance and smiled back at her in the mirror. The moment didn’t last long once the store bell rang and a few men walked in.

Yelena was immediately on alert, even if the guests weren’t necessarily threats. Everyone had to be evaluated and assumed as such.

The men were serious looking and did not look like they belonged around here. They walked around as if everything was unfamiliar to them, making them an even stronger suspect.

Yelena left your side and got everyone else’s attention. Now that everyone was aware of the strangers, Yelena went outside to wait on them. Though she liked to mess around, Yelena knew when to snap into Avengers mode in order to fulfill her duties.

You walked over to Peter, Kate, and Kamala. “What was that all about?”

“Yelena said she was going to stake out outside until they’re gone. She wanted to scope out their vehicle and if there was anyone else with them,” Kate said.

“How does she even know they’re bad guys?” Kamala asked.

“She doesn’t, but she has a feeling. I trust her,” you told her. For the short time that you had known Yelena, there were few instances where her gut was wrong.

For the rest of your time spent inside the store, you and the other three killed time while the strange men finished up their business. After several minutes, they left with tactical gear, which did not help their case in being any less suspicious.

You took it upon yourself to bring your haul up to the counter to pay. You ended the trip with a couple pairs of boots and jeans, several shirts, jackets, and one hat, specifically the hat that Yelena picked out.

“Here use this.” Peter handed you a card he picked from the depths of his pocket. “It’s from Mr Stark.”

“Sweet!” Kamala squealed.

You took it without question because you knew you couldn’t pay for it yourself. The others laid their picks on the counter as well to pay for it as a whole. You bid the owner a goodbye and thank you as you all took your things and left.

As you exited the building, you found Yelena outside on the porch in an old rocking chair. “What took you so long?” she complained.

“You told us you were watching the guys leave so we stayed inside. Was that wrong?” Kate matched her energy.

“I don’t suppose so,” Yelena said with a groan as she pushed herself out of the chair.

“Well, what did you see?” you asked, since it clearly didn’t seem like she was going to continue the conversation.

“Oh yes, they’re definitely bad,” she chuckled. “They left in a hurry, dust everywhere behind them. They were driving a large black military vehicle of sorts.”

“We should tell Mr Stark,” Peter said, worryingly.

“We don’t know anything for sure, so we will be cautious until the time comes,” Yelena rebuked. “Now, we should go. I’m tired of these people looking at me like I have one too many eyes.”

You looked around at several people slowing their walk to observe the young group of you. “I hate it here,” Kamala said.

“Come on, let’s go,” you said, while placing your hand on her arm and leading her to the truck.

Each of you piled in once again, but you took the liberty of stealing the passenger's seat. To your surprise, Yelena climbed into the driver’s seat. You didn’t expect to be in this position once again, but you weren’t complaining.

The drive back to base went much faster than going, especially since there were less nagging voices whining in your ears. Peter and Kamala were just sleeping against one another and Kate was staring out the window, the same as you.

“So, which hat did you go with? The right one I hope,” Yelena said.

“You would be correct. I went with yours.”

“See, nobody listens to me. I have good style!”

You smiled shyly. “You definitely do, there’s no doubt about that.”

You couldn’t help but take a glance at her chosen outfit today. She had a simple button up that was disguised by a beige work coat and another black trench type coat on top. In addition, she had a red bandana wrapped around her neck that matched the red feather poking out on her hat.

It was clear that you weren’t being very discreet about your admiration because Yelena was staring right back at you. This didn’t last long before she swerved back onto the road since she found herself drifting off of it.

You hid your laugh by looking outside your window. You caught a glance of Kate in the side mirror of her smirking face. It was the equivalent of getting caught by your parents in the act. Your face blushed hot in embarrassment and you hoped Kate would forget the act all together. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

When you arrive back to base, you and the rest of the group grab your things and haul them inside. Steve and Bucky looked as if they were just rolling back in on their horses, but no one else was outside.

“Successful trip?” Steve yelled.

“We got what we came for, let’s say that,” Kate responded, quickly running over to you. “What happened back there with you and Yelena?”

You shushed her and looked around for Yelena, but somehow she had already run inside. “I was really hoping you wouldn’t bring that up,” you groaned.

“Wouldn’t bring what up?” Kamala asked, now joining the group. You sighed again.

“Y/n and Yelena had a weird moment on the drive home and it made Yelena swerve off the road,” Kate explained. It was like torture listening to the story once again as if you didn’t already live it.

“Nothing happened! She just couldn’t see or something and accidentally drove off the road.” You tried to justify the coincidence of you and Yelena exchanging glances the same time Yelena decided to use the dirt as a road.

“Right,” Kate smiled, “nothing happened.”

Once the three of you walked inside, all conversation on the topic ceased thankfully. You were greeted by soft music playing from the turntable and the smell of food. Clint and Wanda were in the kitchen cooking up something delicious, while Nat and Sam were concentrating on playing a card game in the living room.

“Wow, what did you guys do-”

“Shhh!” Nat quieted Kamala. “We’ve been going at this for hours and I am not losing to him.”

“Him has a name you know,” Same said, offended.

“It’s probably best if we leave,” you whispered.

You guys walked down the hallway to your room and made yourself at home. You took it upon yourself to fold your new clothes into your trunk to have them neatly packed away.

The rest of the night consisted of a comforting meal and many conversations. You weren’t sure what the next day held, but everyone conveniently called it a night very early which didn’t displease you, as you fell asleep faster than you anticipated.

.

.

.

You weren’t sure what time it was, but you awoke quite suddenly to crashing coming from outside of your room. When you sat up, Kate was half way out the door and Kamala was starting to sit up to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

When Kate opened the door a man flew through it a few seconds later, slamming into the wall behind Kate and causing the three of you to scream.

“What the hell is going on!” Kate yelled.

“You’re a little late to the party!” Nat said, while choke-slamming someone into the ground.

You and Kamala pulled yourself together and ran into the hallways. From a distance, you saw Wanda levitating another man in the hair with her red, then throwing him out the front door.

The main room was chaos. Steve and his shield were having their way with someone, along with Sam in another corner. The house was too crowded so you, Kate, and Kamala ran outside to find another way to contribute.

Outside, Bucky and Yelena were using hand to hand combat to their advantage. Everything felt like a dream and you couldn’t quite take everyone seriously due to the fact that everyone was fighting in their pajamas. Yelena was beside the house with knives in hand, swinging them closer with each swipe at the man’s neck.

You felt an arrow zoom by and looked up to see Clint up on the roof for a better view. As you accounted for the fight inside and out, you tried to conjure up a plan to end this.

“Kamala, follow me,” you whispered.

She followed you while you ran to the barn. It didn’t take you long to find a gallon or two of gasoline that was residing right inside the doors. For an extra measure, you took a couple handfuls of hay.

Once you were back outside, you instructed her to help spread the gasoline all over the front lawn. On top, you sprinkled the hay to disguise the liquid, as well enhance what was coming to them soon.

You looked at Yelena once again and found her at the wrong time. She had been flipped onto the ground with a man standing over her with her own knife.

Kamala noticed and took quick action. With the power in her bangle, she conjured up her light and sent it flying Yelena’s way. It was measured perfectly, the small shard going directly through his neck. He fell to the ground rapidly, leaving a splatter of blood across Yelena’s face.

Yelena stood up out of breath. “Thanks,” she said to Kamala.

“Alright, we need to keep watch to see who all makes it out and then hopefully all goes according to plan,” you told Kamala and Yelena.

The three of you hit behind the side of the barn where you were still able to have a good view of the front of the house. Within a few minutes, the remaining men ran out of the house.

“There they are!” Kamala yelled.

That was your queue. You closed your eyes and quieted your breathing. Warmth spread from your wrists down into your hands and suddenly a ball of fire was formed before your very eyes. You cast the ball into a long stream of fire that shot directly into the puddles of liquid on the ground.

The gas caught fire immediately, as well as conveniently when the men ran into it. The three men left found themselves engulfed in flames, dancing around trying everything they could to put it out. The rest of the team inside came running out at the sound of screams.

After a few moments, the screams died just as fast as the men that snuck into the house. Everyone contributed to patting the fire with their feet to put out the weak flames.

“Quick thinking, y/n,” said Steve. “Is everyone okay? Belova?”

“Not my blood,” Yelena said, referring to her painted face.

“How did this happen, Steve? I thought Tony worked out all the logistics of this whole shield thing,” Nat said.

“I thought so too. I’ll get in contact with him tomorrow to figure something out to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

You walked over to the charred ground littered with the fallen men. The closest to you was facing the ground, but you flipped him over with your foot so that he was facing the sky.

You heard footsteps behind you. “It’s them,” Yelena said. “The men from town.”

“Are you sure?” you asked.

“Positive, even with his face half melted. I know it’s him.”

You looked down at his body and a chill ran through you. A surface of untouched skin faced towards you with a large and undeniable brand of the Hydra logo you were far from fond of.

“And so it begins.”

.

.

.

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[warmaidensrevenge]

Always seen you

Pairings: Eddie x Insecure!Fem plus size reader x friend!Elio

If you want to read my other work you can find it HERE

A/N: Hey my loves. Welcome back to my series that got away from me. This is the 22nd part to this. If you would like to catch up. Feel free to click the link above. I updated after most posts. So what's new? Welp I felt like a cute angsty part. Nothing too bad. Just a little jealousy. No Billy in this one. Anywho, I was inspired by a few songs so hopefully you guys can take the time to listen to what helped me write this. I also used a Killswitch Engage song for some lyrics. Thanks for reading. As always feedback is greatly appreciated. Asks and comments are always welcomed. Kay love ya bye.

Warnings: 18+ Language, angst, fluff, sexual implications/ situations, smoking, slight body insecurities, masturbation (f ), oral (f receiving), slow burn and kinda proof read.

Word count: 9,261

I do not give permission for my work to be used on any other site. Respect all creators/writers. Thanks.

Summary: Does it say more about me or you, if i told you that I am still here waiting to do all the things we said we would do? Is there hope that one day, you will be ready?

Part 22

🥺💓

Eddie just got off the plane and was heading to the address you gave him. You didn't know he was coming. That's exactly what he wanted. To just show up and give you flowers. To remind you that he would always show up if you asked or if you needed him to.

It was pretty late when the cab finally dropped him off. He walked up the little pathway through the trees and stopped when he saw you sitting on the balcony. You were nose deep in a book with your legs perched up on the guard. The soft light from the room behind you, looked like God was shining a light on Eddie's heart.

He put down his luggage and took a few steps closer. He heard some music coming from the small radio somewhere near the door. He smiled to himself when he heard you hum to his new album.

He wanted to just say hi. But he had a thought. To make you laugh.

"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?" Eddie stepped closer putting his hand on his heart. " It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief, That thou her maid art far more fair than she."

When you heard him the smile that creeped on you was nothing more than pure unadulterated happiness. You closed your book and stood up. Putting your hands on the railing looking off into the distance as Eddie continued.

"Be not her maid, since she is envious; Her vestal livery is but sick and green. And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were! She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that? Her eye discourses; I will answer it. I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks: Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes. To twinkle in their spheres till they return. What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars, As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven. Would through the airy region stream so bright. That birds would sing and think it were not night."

You rested your cheek in your hand anticipation for Eddie's next line. Eddie was grinning like crazy seeing you play along.

"See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!"

You pressed your lips to hold back a laugh. You took a calming breath as you got ready to say your lines.

"Ay me!" You sighed.

Eddie smiled "She speaks: O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art As glorious to this night, being o'er my head. As is a winged messenger of heaven. Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes. Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him. When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds. And sails upon the bosom of the air."

You tugged on your lip. "O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet."

Eddie opened his mouth to speak when Elio came out and ruined the scene you and he started.

" Hi Eddie."

He chuckled. " Hey man."

You finally looked down and Eddie was all smiles.

" You came."

Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. " Always."

Elio shook his head. " You guys such dorks. I'll be right down."

Eddie looked around for a second. " Nah man. I'm coming up."

You watched and giggled seeing Eddie shimmy up a drain pipe. Once he was close to the balcony he jumped over the guard.

You put your hand on your wide hip. " I swear you are so dramatic."

Eddie gave you a little bow.

You sighed and went towards him. " Same ol' Eddie Munson. As charming as ever."

He stood back up and smirked. " Missed you Angel."

You looked down at the ground and blushed.

Eddie chuckled so damn pleased with himself. He reached for your chin. Lifting it a little so he could look at you.

" Hi."

A small laugh left you. " Hi."

Eddie then pulled you into his arms. Holding you tightly as you hung onto him. Rocking you from side to side. You laughed again.

" Surprised?"

A muffled yes came from you.

" Good. I uhh brought you flowers but I couldn't carry them up."

You pulled away a little. " That's okay. Give them to me later."

After that you buried your face back into his chest. Eddie moved one of his hands and held the back of your head. Putting his cheek on your crown.

" Alright you two. That's enough. Let's go to bed. We have plans for tomorrow."

You pulled out of Eddie's embrace but you didn't go far. You put your small, warm, soft hand in his large rough one and pulled him along.

Elio went downstairs to grab his stuff.

Eddie let you lead the way to a small room. Just a door away from yours.

" I'm not gonna stay with you?" He asked.

" No. E's parental units are very religious. And they think he and I are dating."

" What?!" Eddie blurted

You stopped mid stride. Turning around and put your hand over his mouth." Shhhh! They don't know E's-"

Eddie cut you off by grabbing your wrist. He kissed the palm of your hand. Causing you to blush yet again.

He let go of your wrist and touched your face with the back of his hand.

" So beautiful Angel."

" No you."

He laughed.

" Common." You said pulling at him again.

You pulled him through a room then stopped at a door. You reached for the handle but Eddie grabbed it and opened it for you.

" M'lady."

You grinned. " You're too much Munson."

"Soooo… what do they know about me?" Eddie whispered, following you into the room.

You let go of his hand and went to turn on a lamp. " They think you're my distance cousin."

" Right…"

Eddie watched you sit down on the bed and patted the spot next to you. He sat down and you put your head on his shoulder.

" You really surprised me Eds."

Eddie leaned his head on yours. " I hope it wasn't too much."

He felt your head shake a little.

" It was perfect."

He grinned. " Good."

Elio came in with the bags and Eddie got up to help him.

" Thanks man."

" No problem. Are you hungry?" Elio asked.

Eddie shook his head. " I'm kinda just want to showered and lay down."

" Yeah okay. You and I are gonna share a bathroom. And the only way out of this room is either through the way you came in or out the window. So no sneaking off to y/ns room."

Eddie chuckled. " Don't want to get you in trouble."

" Common E. Let Eddie gets some sleep."

Eddie's eyes followed you asyou got up. You grabbed his hand and gave it a little squeeze.

" Goodnight Eds."

" Night Angel."

As much as you wanted to sleep with him. You know you couldn't.

Take things slow. You said it over and over like a mantra.

You let go of Eddie's hand and went to grab Elio's.

" Angel?"

" Hmm?" You turned back around and smiled softly.

Eddie was standing there with the flowers.

You took them and smelled them." Thank you Eds."

" You're welcome Angel."

Eddie watched you turn and walk away. Closing the door behind you.

He got ready for bed. But before he laid down he wanted to smoke real fast. He opened the window and lit one. He took a couple of puffs before he heard humming. He stuck his head out and you were sitting back on the balcony.

He listened and figured out what you were humming. He tossed the cigarette and started to sing.

🎵

And baby it's true

You're the one

Who caught me, baby you taught me

How good it could be

Fill your days and your nights

No need to ever ask me twice, oh no

Whenever you want me

And if ever comes a day

When you should turn and walk away, oh no

I can't live without you

So caught up in you

🎵

You turned to looked at him and smiled such a beautiful smile. He swore he saw a goddess smiling at him.

You guys finished the song together and just stared at each other for a minute. Both wanting to be in the other's arms. Both wanting to kiss and make bitter sweet love to each other.

You were the first one to break eye contact.

" Get some sleep Munson. I'll see you in the morning."

" Promise?"

You gave him a small laugh and held out your pinky.

Eddie climbed out of the window just a bit and sat on the ledge while you leaned as far as you could over the railing. Finally close enough you guys hooked each other pinky.

" Now get back in there before you fall."

Eddie nodded and let go of your hand.

" Night Angel."

" Night Eds."

…

The early morning ritual had just began. This time you started to draw Eddie. The way he looked last night was embedded in your brain. He had shaved and he had his hair in a loose bun. He looked so good. So…sexy. You squeezed your thighs together thinking about his soft full lips against your palm. You closed your eyes, dropped your sketchbook and let your head fall back. Feeling his solid frame holding you. His wonderful scent surrounding you again. Your legs fell apart as you pictured the night you spent with him. His tongue lapping between your folds. His thick long cock slowly entering-

" Morning Angel."

You jumped to sit up straight and opened your eyes so wide. You looked over and Eddie was leaning out the window with a huge smirk.

You cleared your throat completely embarrassed. Had he been watching you the whole time?

Fuck!

" Uhhh morning."

Eddie chuckled. He definitely did see you. He saw you rubbing your hand up and down your thigh. Every time getting just a little closer to the treasure between your legs.

" Can I come over?" He asked

" Umm yeah…okay."

Eddie was on the balcony in just a matter of seconds. You had already picked up your sketchbook and turned the page so he couldn't see what you were drawing.

He leaned against the guard right in front of you and had a shit eating grin.

" What were we doing?"

You couldn't help but feel ashamed and very nervous.

" Ummm. N-nothing."

Eddie laughed to himself and went to squat in front of you. His large hands ran up and down your plush thighs.

When your eyes met, your body trembled. You tugged at your bottom lip and his hands went higher.

" What're you thinking Angel?"

Fuck fuck fuck.

" I umm…are you hungry?"

Eddie nodded. He was very hungry. But not for food.

He grabbed your book and set it gently on the ground. After he spread your legs apart. Just as he was about to touch you there you grabbed his hand.

" Eds…umm friends don't do this."

" No…but we do."

Your breath hitched and you could feel your core throb so hard. It was almost painful. You let go of his hand and he touched your clothed warmth. Your head fell back once again and softly moaned.

Eddie was just about to pull down your shorts when Elio called out.

" Breakfast guys."

You sat back up and snapped your knees together. Trapping Eddie's hand.

Thank God!

" Saved by the bell." Eddie sighed, slipping his hand away when you finally let go and stood up.

Eddie watched you grab your coffee and book. Following you out to the kitchen. He smirked to himself watching you wide hips sway. He definitely was going to taste you tonight.

…

After breakfast you guys headed to Venice. It was quite a long trip but it was worth seeing such a beautiful place. You guys found yourselves in a water taxi. Eddie sat next to you the whole time with his hand on the small of your back. Elio of course had already been there so he just laid down and took a nap.

" You look very beautiful today Angel."

You looked at Eddie. " Thank you. "

He leaned in so that he could whisper in your ear.

" Can we finish what we started this morning?"

You swallowed gently. " Umm Eddie. I-"

The guide started to sing. When you looked back the guy driving the boat was smiling at you and Eddie. You listened for a bit and gave him a sweet smile. You turned to look at Eddie.

"I don't care about the moon

I don't care about the start

You for me are the moon and the stars

You for me are the sun and the sky

You for me are everything

All that i want to have

Never ending

Never ending"

" That's beautiful." Eddie said, pulling you closer. " When did you learn Italian?"

" Umm taught myself in like 8th grade."

" I didn't know that."

" There's a lot we don't know about each other. "

Eddie frowned. " I'm sorry."

" Don't be." You whispered, raising your brows. " Keeps the mystery alive."

You put your head on his shoulder.

" I want to know everything about you Angel."

You smiled again. " I would like to know everything about you too."

Just take things slow.

You guys went to lunch after the boat ride, planning on the next activity.

" A museum? Aww common Angel. We're on vacation." Eddie whined.

" Eds. When are you ever gonna do this again? It's going to be fun. I picked the perfect place."

" Maybe for you two." Elio chimed in. " I'm gonna go to the market and see what's going on over there."

You looked at Eddie and pouted.

He shook his head and laughed. " Alright, but this better be cool."

You giggled. " Of course. Have I ever led you astray?"

"Hope it doesn't start now."

You gave him a playful push. " Don't worry. You're gonna love it."

" Alright kiddos, meet me in like two hours. Then we can all go to St. Mark's Basilica." Elio said getting up.

You nodded. "Okay. Hey, don't talk to strangers."

Elio grinned. " How else am I supposed to get a date?"

You let out a throaty laugh. " Okay but make sure to use protection."

Elio raised a brow. " Likewise."

Eddie threw his head back and chuckled.

You slapped his shoulder gently. " Stop it."

" Shit. Sorry. My bad. It's just-"

You covered his mouth. " Don't you dare."

Elio laughed too. " Okkkkayyy. See you two love birds later."

When Elio left you finally took your hand off Eddie's mouth.

" You are…. Too much."

Eddie grabbed at your plush tummy and started to tickle you. " Not too much I hope."

" Ahhh." You giggled. " No…don't"

You tried to push his hands away but he wouldn't let up. So you got up and started running away. And of course Eddie chased you.

" Get back here Angel. I promise I won't bite….unless you want me too."

" God Eddie." You laughed trying to keep out of his grasp.

You rounded a corner into an alley and hid. When Eddie came he skidded to a stop.

" What the hell? Angel?"

He took a few steps and you jumped out from where you were hiding.

" JESUS H!" He yelped, grabbing your arms.

You were in a fit of giggles. " Got you Munson."

Eddie grinned and shook his head. " I'm totally gonna get you back."

There was a moment when your laughing faded and Eddie slowly pushed you up against the brick wall.

He let go of your arms and put his hand flat on the wall behind you. One arm on either side of your head. He felt your hands on his narrow hips, slightly pulling him closer.

Eddie looked down at you. His tongue shot out to lick his lips.

" I really want to kiss you."

Your mouth parted and you took a small breath in. You wanted that too.

" Can I?"

You hesitated for a second. But nodded.

He was just about to kiss you when someone in the window just off the side threw some water out. Splashing you and Eddie shoes.

You did a little hop and jumped into his arms. Both of you laughed again.

" Maybe later then?"

You smiled. " Maybe."

You pulled away and grabbed his hand. " C'mon Munson. We don't want to be late for our tour."

…

You guys were standing outside this big cobblestone building with a sign above.

Museo Della Tortura

" What does it say Angel?"

You beamed at him. " Museum of torture."

" What?! Okay… that's cool as hell."

" I told you you'll like it. They even have an Iron Maiden."

" Seriously?"

" Yup."

" Well what are we waiting for?"

Eddie opened the door for you. " M'lady."

" Thank you Ser Munson."

Eddie was in aww. You really did pick a cool place. You guys took so many pictures. Eddie wanted to get in the Iron Maiden so he stepped over the velvet rope and you quickly snapped away.

" Let's go. Before we get in trouble." You said holding out your hand.

" What? Don't you want to get arrested in international waters? " Eddie joked.

" No thank you. I kinda want to be able to come back here."

Eddie took your hand and grinned. " With me?"

" Hmmm not if you're gonna get me in trouble."

Eddie grabbed his heart. " I wouldn't dream of it Angel."

You guys continued with the tour until you found yourself heading towards another roped off area.

" It says roof access." You answered Eddie's question before he could ask.

" Care to take a gander?"

You looked around to see if anyone's watching.

"It might be a gorgeous view." Eddie tried to convince you.

" Okay. Hurry."

Eddie grabbed the rope and hooked it for you. He followed you up and found something to prop the door open.

He watched you go to the edge or the building and looked around. The slight breeze blew your hair back making you look like a damn Angel.

" Doesn't it make you wanna cry?"

Eddie looked out to the city. It really was beautiful. But what made it even more so was that you were there. He put an arm around your waist and you rested your head on his shoulder.

" I'm really glad you came Eds."

" Me too Angel."

…

The bus ride home was quiet. You had fallen asleep with your head on the window. You didn't look comfortable at all, so Eddie lifted the arm rest and pulled you into his arms. You let out a little sigh and subconsciously got closer. Snuggling into his neck. Wrapping your arms around him.

He kissed your forehead and leaned his head back.

" You guys are really good together."

Eddie looked at Elio and gave him a half smile.

He then took a look at you." Thanks man."

" For?"

" For letting me come. For letting me stay…for taking care of my girl. Just thanks…for everything."

Elio gave him a thin lip smile. " I'm sorry I didn't give her your messages. I just didn't want her to hurt anymore."

" It's okay. I get it. But I'm not gonna hurt her ever again. And I'm not just gonna say it. I'm gonna show her."

Elio nodded and looked at you. " I hope so."

" I will."

Finally at the house Eddie woke you gently.

" Common Angel. We're here."

You looked at him behind heavy lids. " Okay."

He helped you up and led you inside. Everyone showered and washed the hot summer day away.

Eddie and Elio were in the kitchen snacking on stuff when you came out to grab peach and some water.

" So what's the plan?" Eddie asked, pulling his stool closer to yours.

" Well I have a date and my parents are visiting some relatives. So besides the maid. Who is sleeping right about now." Elio looked at his watch. "You guys have the place to yourselves."

You yawned and nodded. " Oh-kay. Are you coming back?"

Eddie put his arm on the back of your chair looking back and forth between you and Elio.

" Probably not until the early morning. "

You yawned again. " Oh-okay. Be careful."

Elio winked at Eddie." You too."

Eddie smirked looking at you. You must have been too tired to catch that.

After Elio left you sighed looking at your peach.

" Want to go to bed Angel?"

" Umm it's still early."

" That's okay. You can sleep if you want."

" No Eds. I'm not gonna sleep away our time together."

He tucked your damp hair behind your ear. " I can sleep with you."

You looked at him and gave him a sweet smile. "How about you come and sit on the balcony with me. It's a nice night. We can play cards or something."

" Whatever you want, Angel."

You got up and he followed.

Eddie sat down outside while you went to find something for you two to do. Even though there was only one thing on your mind.

Friends first girl. Friends first.

When you went outside Eddie smiled at you. You sat down opposite from him and started shuffling and dealing out the cards.

" Ok Munson. This is war."

Eddie leaned over and grabbed his cards. " Oh shit. Okay. Let's do this."

After a few games you were wide awake now. Eddie was being a big cheater. But you didn't care. It was nice spending alone time with him. You hadn't laughed so much in such a long time. And you were glad that Eddie could still do that for you.

However, the thought of Billy crossed your mind. You had to tell Eddie. You needed to be honest with him. He had come all this way. And he's been trying to kiss you and touch you. You couldn't let him do that. Not until he knew the truth. Maybe he would be fine. Or maybe he would be so angry that he left. Hoping for the first, you cleared your throat and put your cards down.

" Eddie?"

" Yeah Angel."

You couldn't look at him. You felt so damn guilty. But you had to. You forced yourself to look at him.

" I have to tell you something…and I don't think you'll like it."

Eddie grabbed your hand. " What is it?"

You looked at your hand in his and prayed to the god that he doesn't hate you after.

You took a second trying to find the right words. But when you felt the tension you just blurted out.

"Billy and I have feelings for each other."

Eddie flexed his jaw and furrowed his brow. But he didn't let go of your hand.

For...for how long?"

You kept your eyes on your hands. " For me…I think it was after the concert…and umm…a few days after my birthday he kissed me."

Eddie squeezed your hand for a second but then loosened it. Still not letting go.

" Does he know that you and I…"

" Y-yes."

Eddie sighed. " And he still kissed you?"

You nodded.

Eddie was filled with all types of feelings. He was angry yet sad. He was jealous but worried. Happy that you were being honest, still upset. There was one question he needed to ask. Though the answer was going to break his heart. He needed to know.

" Did you kiss him back?"

Tears filled your eyes. Know that your answer was going to drive you and Eddie apart. That wasn't something you wanted. A part of you wanted to lie. To say you pushed him away. But Eddie didn't deserve that. He deserved the truth. The whole truth. The truth about Billy, the truth about why you broke things off, and why you even got close to Billy in the first place. He needed to know that even though you had feelings for Billy, that they were nothing compared to how you felt for him. How you've always felt.

" I did."

Eddie squeezed your hand again and looked away. But this time you squeezed back.

" Eddie. I liked the kiss. And I liked being wanted. But that doesn't change how I feel about you. If anything it opened my eyes."

You both loosened your grip.

" Why am I here y/n?"

You lip quivered hearing your name that sounded so foreign coming out of him.

" Because you're the one I wanted here. You're the one I want to be in this place with."

Eddie felt better. But he was still upset. " Why?"

You hesitated for a second. "Please…please look at me."

Eddie met your gaze with tears in his eyes. He blinked them away and saw that you were already crying.

" Because Eddie. I want you. I want you so bad that it hurts. I never wanted anyone as much as I want you. But I can't lose myself again. I can't…I won't."

Eddie reached over to catch your tears. His hand cupping your face felt so good that it made you cry a little harder.

" When I got to the hotel and ended things, I wasn't completely honest with you. I should have said that the kiss broke me. I should have said that all I needed was time to put myself back together. But I lied. I didn't have feelings for someone else. Back then, I wouldn't dream of looking at anyone the way I looked at you."

Eddie scooted closer.

" Billy was there for me. And he was there after the concert…for weeks he was by my side. Comforting me and holding me while I cried for you. He was there as I mourned for our relationship. He never tried anything or got physical…he was just there. And I wish he wasn't. God Eddie, I wish it was Elio or my brother. But it wasn't. It was him. He helped me find myself again. And I love him for that… I'm thankful for it. Now…now I'm good. I'm better. I'm happy."

" What does that mean for us?"

" It means I want to be your friend. I want to take things slow. We rushed everything before. We wanted each other so bad that we didn't think about what being apart would do to us. And it broke us. It pulled us away from each other and did a lot of damage…I know how I want this to end. And I think it's the same for you."

" It is."

You gave him a half hearted smile. " I think we just need to give it time. Build up the relationship again. Learn how to be around each other again. Like before we got together…I know we can't do movie nights like before. Or spend time with one another like we used to. But I want this to work this time. I want this to be it for us. I want it to finally be right. Because Eddie, I want to fix what went wrong. I would rather work on us than to do this all over again with someone else. I want…you….just you."

Eddie closed his eyes and finally let his tears fall. That's all he had been wanting to hear since the day in the hotel. He wished so hard, prayed every night for it. Now it was going to happen. The time had finally come that he could try this again.

He felt your hand on his cheek wiping away his tears. He brought your hand that he was holding to his lips. When he looked at you again he gave you a small smile.

" Angel, we'll do whatever you want. Whatever you need from me, I'll do it. If you want me to hold you. I will. If you just want to sit and talk, we will. Whatever you say, I'll listen. Whenever you need me, I'm here. For us…for you."

You stood up and pulled him to his feet. " Let's go to bed."

Eddie held you all night. There was nothing else to say right now. Both of you need this trip. Needed this night to just be. So many nights spent without each other was torture. But right now. The way his body felt next to yours. And yours next to his was everything. As you fell asleep you held him tighter. Breathing him in.

When Eddie finally heard your soft moans he kissed your forehead.

" We're gonna make it baby. No one and nothing is going to stop us now."

…

The next few days were spent just like the first. Hanging out enjoying the beautiful weather and each other's presence. With little moments that happened often. The ones where Eddie would get close. The ones where a hug lasted just a little longer every time. The moments where even though you guys were just friends, somehow always finding ways to touch each other. Sometimes it would just be a hand on the small of your back. Or shoulders touching while you walked. It was a small amount of touching. But it was perfect. The best ones were when you would be sitting outside, chairs pulled as close as they could be listening to music. The backs of your hands would touch. Fingers would caress one another's. It got to the point where it happened without a second thought. You didn't know you were doing it. But Eddie's heart filled every time it happened. You were happy and content how things were. And that's all he could ever ask for.

Two days before Eddie was going to go back to the states, you guys all went out to a fancy dinner then dancing after. You had bought a new light blue green dress. With brand new matching 3 inch heels. All of you guys got dressed to the nines for this incredibly fancy restaurant. Elio looked amazing in his suit. Especially since he started growing his hair out. However, he had nothing on what Eddie emerged from the bathroom in.

Your eyes started from the bottom up.

He had the black matte dress shoes. Tied tight with a perfect bow. His slacks were slim fit. But they weren't too tight. Well only where it counted. His bulge was slightly showing. When he turned to put on his chain wallet you caught a glimpse of he perfect little ass. These pants hug it just right, making your core tremble. You continued checking him out. His silver belt buckle stood out against his black on black outfit. His button up shirt was tickled in and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. The silver of his rings nearly matching his belt. Your mouth parted seeing a few of the top buttons of his shirt were loose. Showing off a little of his chest hair. It was open just enough to catch a glimpse of one of his tattoos. You tugged at your bottom lip as your eyes went up to his thick long neck, that still had his silver balled necklace and pic. Finally your eyes settled on his face. His hair was in a low bun, that was held up by your stolen scrunchie. With trendles of curls that were too short to reach the tie, framing his beautiful face. He was utterly and completely stunning.

When Eddie finally was ready he caught you staring at him. When his eyes met yours you quickly looked away and blushed like a tomato. He chuckled to himself. So happy that he got the outfit just for you. Just for tonight. Sure Elio was going to be joining you two for dinner but it didn't matter to him. He was happy to finally do something he'd been wanting to do since your first visit in LA. Take you out on a proper date. Though it wasn't one. He chose to believe it was.

You cleared your throat. " Ready guys?"

Elio clapped his knees and stood up. " Let's go. I'm starving."

You looked at Eddie and he gave you such a gorgeous smile. Showing you all his laugh lines. You smiled back just as big and then this guy did something that had you weak in the knees. The fucker winked at you. You felt your knees buckle and you were trying to grab something to catch yourself but Eddie was right there. Holding you in his arms.

You were so embarrassed that you couldn't look him in the eye. You stared at his necklace and put a hand on his chest. The heat of his skin felt good. Too good.

" You okay Angel."

" Umm y-yeah. Just ummm a little dizzy. Need some food."

He smirked and put a hand on the back of your head while leaning in so that he could whisper in your ear. "Liar."

You playful pushed him away. " Eddieeee. Stop it."

He laughed, holding you firmly to his chest. " You look beautiful Angel."

You finally hugged him back. " No you."

Eddie leaned so that your faces were only inches away.

There was another moment. Eddie bore into your eyes so deep that you felt like his soul was looking at yours.

Elio cleared his throat. " Guys seriously. Come on. If my parents catch you. I'm so dead. And so are you."

Eddie chuckled and let you go.

…

" Cobblestone and high heels do not mix."

Elio shook his head. " I told you Hun."

" Well now I'll listen to you from now on."

You guys were walking back to the house after a super great night. Dancing the night away with Eddie and Elio was a perfect way to spend Eddie's last few nights. But now the pathway was kicking your ass. You tried to watch where you were going. But by now you've twisted your ankle about 3 times. Eddie had a firm hold on your waist just in case you wouldn't fall.

" Walking like bambi Angel." Eddie teased.

You twisted your ankle again and yelped.

" That's it I'm going barefoot!"

You stopped walking and leaned on Eddie so you could take your shoes off. But Eddie had a different idea.

"Hop on my back. I'll give you a piggyback ride."

You looked up at him." Seriously? No. I'm wearing a dress. Plus, I'll squash you."

Eddie grabbed your hip and dug his fingers in. Not too hard but hard enough to get you to see what he was about to say seriously.

" Y/n I swear to God. If you keep saying shit like that…." He leaned in and whispered in your ear. Grabbing your neck loosely with his free hand. " I'll take off my belt and spank you."

Oh shit!

Instead of giving him any indication that what he said really turned you the fuck on. You decide to play his game.

" I would say you can spank and choke me whenever you want. But.." you leaned in closer to his face, feeling his grip on your neck tighten. " Friends don't do that."

Eddie hung his head and dropped his hand. You had made him so God damn hard he could have fucked you right then and there. But he liked this little game. So he decided to keep it up.

" You're being naughty Angel…I like it…keep talking like that…." He looked at you pulling your hips to his. Pushing his erection against your tummy. " And I'll fuck you so hard, that all of Italy will know my name."

You pushed back harder. Moving his bangs so that you can see his face better. " Then I better be good then….or…" you move your face so close that your lips were almost touching. " Maybe I'll just be a little brat."

You moved to kiss his cheek and pulled away.

Eddie sighed. You were so fucking hot when you acted like this.

You started to walk away but he grabbed your wrist and pulled you into his arms again. This time lifting you up. Carrying you bridal style.

" Eddieee!"

" Shhh Angel…you're not heavy."

You blushed and looked away. Letting him carry you until you were finally at the front door. Elio smirked at you two.

" If you guys have sex tonight. You better be quiet."

" E!!"

Elio laughed. " I'm just saying."

Eddie gave you a smirk. " I can't promise anything."

" Edward Eugene Munson!"

Eddie winced as he put you down. " Ahhh. Okay. Okay. I'm sorry."

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. Elio opened the door for you and you walked in.

" Friends don't have sex E." You said, glancing back at Eddie.

Eddie frowned while Elio nudged you.

" Sometimes they do."

You rolled your eyes again and stomped off to your room.

You sat on the bed trying to get a hold of yourself.

Why did I do that? We're supposed to be going slow.

You have been so good these past few days. But fucking Eddie Munson made it so hard to not want him.

Maybe just this one time you could.

No!

You sighed, taking off your shoes. You grabbed your pajama shirt and went to take a bath. As you laid there you started caressing your thighs and softly massaged your breasts. Imagining Eddie's big rough hands touching you. You dipped your hand down and started rubbing gentle circles around your hardened nub. Your head fell back slowly and you moaned softly as you pinched your nipple.

" Eddie." You sighed.

You added more pressure and fluttered your finger towards your entrance. Spreading your slick back up towards your clit. This time rubbing a little faster and with more pressure.

Breathy sighs fell out when your mouth parted.

" Mmm Ed's…I want you so bad." You whispered.

Sliding your fingers inside felt okay. But only one set of hands would make it feel incredible.

You repeat his name over and over again to yourself. With your hips bucking as you dug deeper into yourself.

The small knot in your tummy got tighter the closer you got to your release. You sucked on your bottom lip pulling at your nipple, picture Eddie tugging it with his teeth. Then what sent you over the edge was hearing him say. 'That's it. That's my good girl…just like that…cum for me.'

After your orgasm you felt a little better. Feeling like you could finally think clearly. By the time you actually got out your fingers and toes were all pruny. You wrapped your hair up and pulled on your shirt and panties. When you walked to your room you turned on the radio and went outside. With your eyes closed you raised your arms and stretch your slightly sore muscles stepping over the threshold. Suddenly you felt a warm rough hand trailing up the back of your thigh over your ass. You looked over and Eddie was sitting there with his hair down and just in pajama bottoms. His eyes were focused on your bottom and he gave it a little tap then grabbed it.

" Fuckin' love your ass."

You dropped your arms and started running your nails up his bicep, then down just past his elbow. Going back up again.

Eddie stood up and faced you. Still with a firm grip on your bottom, he leaned closer.

" You know what else of yours I love?"

You gulped. Guessing the whole 'taking it slow' is off the table. Not that you could complain right now.

" Hmmm?"

He let go of ass and moved around you. Dragging his hand across your soft tummy until he was behind you.

When you came out and stretched, Eddie knew you had been a bad girl. You only stretched like that when your body got stiff when you came. He also sensed the calmness that you got after. And he was jealous. He wanted to be the one who made you cum.

So he decided that even though your beautiful hands made you cum once. He was going to make you cum on his tongue. Then on his cock.

When he was finally settled behind you he bent his knees a little and ran his hands up from the back of your knees to the front of your thighs.

" I love these thighs…so soft and thick."

You dragged your teeth on your bottom lip and closed your eyes.

Eddie grinned when he felt your raised skin.

" I also love this belly."

His hands went under your shirt. Digging his fingers into your puggy flesh.

His hands went back down and he pulled at your hips so that he could press himself on you.

" I love your back."

His hand went from your hips up your back. Then up to the back of your neck. You felt his soft lips press a gentle kiss there.

" And your neck. Mmmm. Love that."

Your core trembled as he went higher and pulled the towel off your head. Damp locks falling down.

Eddie dropped the towel and grabbed a fist full of your hair. Not pulling it. Just holding it close to your head.

" I love your hair and how it always smells so good."

You heard him breathe you in. Then suddenly he let go and grabbed your breast. Massaging them ever so gently.

" And these…fuck…I looove these."

You whimpered a little when he pinched your hardened buds.

Eddie moved his face so that his lips barely touched your earlobe.

" But my absolute favorite part of you…"

You gasped as he snaked one of his hands down between your legs. Pressing hard on your clothed bundle of nerves.

" This…god I love this…it's so perfect. I love the way it hugs my cock. I love how wet and a fuckin' warm it is."

Your body shivered at his touch. Core throbbing. Aching to be stretched and filled to the brim with his seed.

But Eddie was having too much fun with your body that you thought you would say what you loved about him.

You pulled away out of his grasp and turned around. Your fingers laced in his curls as his hands held onto your waist. You gently scratch his scalp making him dig his fingers into your flesh.

" I love your curls. It was like they were made to wrap around my fingers."

You freed one hand, cupping his jaw. Running your thumb across his lips.

" I adore these lips. And what comes out of them."

You lifted to your toes and kissed Eddie's favorite spot. Just below his jaw line. Then your fingers traced his tattoos. Cause goosebumps in their wake.

" Your ink is insane. I just love touching them…especially this one."

You moved to the one on his ribs. Your eyes catching Eddie's Adam's apple bob. His breath quickened when both hands were now on his narrow hips.

" Just love these….they fight perfectly between my legs."

Eddie groaned when you dragged your nails from the back to the middle. Touching his happy trail.

" Love this little patch."

Eddie softly chuckled while you played with it.

You stared the his chest. And the moment of teasing each other passed for you. Feeling a bit shy now. You moved away from the sexual stuff and went on about something more personal. Your hands when back up. One went for his hair again and the other laid flat over his heart. You looked up into his big brown eyes.

" But what I love the most is between these two." You lifted to your toes as Eddie put a hand on the small of your back and held your elbow. You pulled his head down gently and kissed his forehead.

" I love your mind. And how crazy and sweet it could be."

You planted your feet back on the ground and looked at your hand over his heart.

" And this…I truly love this. I love how big it is and how you put all of it into everything you do."

Eddie licked his lips. Your words made him swoon. No one has ever liked let alone loved all of him like you did. Well at least no one ever said it before. Or even said it out loud that he actually believed it. But here you were. Speaking as if it was the only truth you knew.

" Angel…I…" he sighed and started rubbing your shoulders. " I want to say I love you. And I want to take you into that room... I want to make love to you so bad….but…I want to do what you want to do. I don't want you to feel like that's all I want from you."

You pressed your lips together and started outlining his tattoo on his ribs again. You wanted all that too.

" I think we needed this trip Angel…I think…no I know that being here with you has been the best time of my life. You have been so sweet and just so damn perfect these few days. That I remembered why I fell in love with you in the first place."

" Eds…I want this." You move your hand from his curls over to his heart. " I want this forever. But as much as I want us to be together. We have to take our time."

" I know we do. But Angel, you have my heart. You've always had it. It's yours to do with whatever you want. If you just surrender yours to me again. I promise. I won't hurt you. Never again."

You pulled away and started for the room. That hurt him. He hated when you pulled away from him.

" Eds?"

He turned to look at you.

" You coming?"

He nodded and followed you into the room. He closed the balcony door while you went to light a candle and turned the radio a little louder. After you turned off the light and met him on the bed. You both sat in the middle of it and stared at each other. Eddie don't want to be the one to make the first move. Just in case you didn't want to go there with him yet. So he just sat there waiting.

For a second you thought to just lay with him. Like how you used to. But your need for him out ruled every thought of not doing this. You took off your shirt and looked down, placing your hands on your knees. Eddie reached for your chin and lifted it so you could look at him.

" You're so beautiful baby."

You sucked in a small breath. " Kiss me Eds."

He leaned in and gave your a sweet but quick kiss before he checked to see if you were okay.

" No. Kiss me like you mean it. Show me how much you-"

Eddie cut you off by getting to his knees and pulled you up to yours. He held you tightly by your hip and the back of your head. This kiss was absolutely beautiful. He never kissed you with such need and love. It made you whimper and hold onto him. He laid you down and still kissed you with such a passion. It made your skin rise again. He finally let up so you guys could breathe.

" Can I taste you?" He said into your mouth.

You bit your lip and nodded.

Eddie gave you one last kiss before making his way down your body. With your body quivering when he left a trail of moistened kiss across your chest. When he got down to your panties he placed a tender kiss on your mound. He laced his calloused fingers under the elastic and pulled them off. He brought them up to his nose after and took a big whiff.

" Mmmm. God you smell so good."

You brought your thumb to your mouth and chewed on your nail. Blushing at his words.

Eddie smiled at you and lifted your knees to a bend.

" So...so damn beautiful Angel."

He kissed your knees while spreading your legs apart. His big thick fingers ran through your slick folds.

" Oh look at you. So fuckin' wet." He cooed. " Such a perfect pussy."

"Mmm...It's yours."

He looked at you with a smirk. " Is it?"

" Uh huh...All yours. "

"Sh-shit...Yeah it's mine....all mine."

You moaned as quietly as you could as he laid his tongue flat on your cunt and slowly licked up to your clit.

" Fuuu…So...so sweet."

Your giggles made him look up.

" What?"

" Do I taste like peaches?"

Eddie chuckled before he lapped again. " Mmmm…actually yeah."

You giggled again. You were gonna say something else but covered your mouth to stifle your moans when he put his fingers into your aching warmth. He went painfully slow as he flicked his tongue on your hardened nub. sucking and massaging it. Your hips started to swivel but Eddie used his free hand to stop you.

" Eds?" You whimpered.

" I know baby. I know. But you have to be patient. I want to take my time with you."

You nodded and relaxed.

" That's it Angel. Let me take care of you."

You hummed softly as he sucked, licked, and pumped. Every hair stood up on your body when you felt the build deep in your core. Legs shaking, hands wrapped in his perfect hair. Close. You were close.

Eddie felt it and coaxed you further. He was like a starved man. Even when his jaw and neck started to hurt, he powered through it. He didn't care about the pain. All he wanted was to make sure you were feeling good.

45 minutes and 3 big orgasms later. You finally asked him to stop. When he pulled away he climbed up your body and put his full weight on you. Resting his head on your chest. Your fingertips ran up and down his back. While you stretched out your foot you felt a cold wet spot. You quickly pulled your leg back to a bend.

"Eds? Did you cum on the bed?"

He turned his head kissing your chest.

" Yeah I'm sorry. You just tasted so good and your little moans just got me."

" I wanted to do that."

He looked up at you. Pressing his growing erection against your thigh.

" Still can Angel."

You tugged at your lip." Can I be-"

You yelped as he rolled off of you pulling you on him.

He smirked. " Yeah. You can be on top."

You sat up and looked down at him. Eddie's mouth was slightly open as he massaged your breast. Lifting to your knees, you balanced yourself using his arms. Aligning his hardened length with your pulsating warmth.

Eddie pressed his lips together to stop a loud grunt from escaping when you lowered yourself.

The first thrust was always so incredible. Every inch of you was sensitive. Your head fell back as Eddie's tip worked its way through you.

Heaven was a place on earth and it was between your legs. Eddie was lucky enough to even get a taste of it. But now you were letting him have it. It felt like he didn't deserve the pleasure or the happiness you were blessing him with. Seeing you and feeling you was all he wanted since your birthday. Since the second he got off the plane. Now he was finally where he was supposed to be. Where he was always meant to be. With you.

Settled in his lap you looked at him. You wanted to say those three little words so bad. But being that you guys seemed to be friends with benefits right now. It really didn't seem right to say. Eddie noticed your slight withdrawal and sat up. While wrapping an arm around your waist, his free hand moved your hair behind your shoulder.

" What is it Angel?"

You looked at his lips and started playing with his curls.

" There was umm. A song on the new album. "

Eddie asked which one. Knowing exactly the one you were thinking.

" Always."

Eddie started to stroke your back. " Yeah?"

Your eyes met his. " I really liked it…you sounded genuinely sad…not that I-I like when you're sad or anything. I-." You hung your head and sighed feeling stupid. " I just thought it was really good."

" Y/n I was sad when I wrote it."

You met his eyes again. " Why?"

He gave you a quick soft kiss with both pairs of eyes still open. When he pulled away, he looked back and forth between your eyes.

" Because I wrote it for you."

" You did?"

Eddie was distracted for a split second when you started rolling your hips. His hands fell down to hold on to them.

" Y-yeah. Most of my songs are either about you. Or for you."

" But why were you sad about this one?"

Eddie tried to focus on your question. " I-I wanted you to know that…I'm with you…always. No matter what. Even when you don't want me."

You started rocking a little faster, searching not for your release. But for his. You wanted it more than anything right now. To be the one who made him feel good. The way he always made you feel. Not just during sex. But outside of it.

" Sing it to me?" You asked in a small unsure voice.

Eddie's breath picked up as you set a steady pace with your movements. He swallowed thickly and tried his best.

🎵

I am with you always

From the darkness of night until the morning

I am with you always

From life until death takes me

When hope seems lost down and lowly

I am here with you always.

🎵

You closed your eyes and met his forehead with yours. As he tried to sing the rest of the song, you felt a knot forming low in your belly.

His lyrics were pulling not only at your heartstrings but serenading your orgasm. Asking for it. Begging for it. And you wanted to give in. But you held back. For him.

Your little whimpers and sighs were amazing. And by the way your warmth clenched him made him choke up a bit while he still tried to sing. Then when you started to move slowly again, Eddie nearly exploded. He buried his face in your neck trying, praying so that he could hold it. To last longer than just a few minutes. He grunted and cursed.

Eddie felt your warm breath on his ear.

" Eds please. You have to be quiet. "

" Sh-shit. S-sorry. It's just…fuuuck."

You pushed him down against the mattress and captured his mouth with yours. His hands slithered down to your bottom. With a firm grip he lifted your ass up and let you drop back down. With him bucking his hips to go deeper.

You gasped into his mouth when you felt his head hit a sweet spot. Eddie lifted to kiss you this time. So that you could be quiet. He did that over and over again.

You pulled away from his lips and buried your face into his neck.

" Eds?" You said just above a whisper. " Please. Please cum. I want it"

He squeezed his eyes shut and leaned his cheek on your forehead.

" C-cum with me baby."

You nodded and let go. As you slowly came you sat up once more and put your palms on his chest. Using him to steady yourself as you kept up the little hop and rolling of your hips.

Feeling Eddie twitch inside you made you cum come harder. You closed your eyes and bit your lip rocking until you were just about spent. Eddie's body tensed as your warm velvet walls throbbed around him. Claiming every last drop of his release as your own.

Your body shook uncontrollably as you both finished. When you rolled off you were panting. Eddie draped his arm around your chest and snuggled up against you. Running your nails across his forearm you hummed.

Eddie smiled and kissed your shoulder.

Just before you fell asleep you heard Eddie whisper an I love you.

You wanted to say it back. Maybe you should have. But you weren't ready.

Not yet Ed's. But I do too....always

…

@chloe-6123 @irishhappiness @idkidknemore @hiscrimsonangel @hellv1ra @browneyes528 @b-irock @erinsingalong @salenorona23 @eddie-is-a-god @screaming-blue-bagel

[throatcoat]

//chapter 7// //dear laurie allen//

i am crumpled on my floor amongst the laundry heaps, and there is fruity pebbles stuck in my hair. my head aches, and the bottle is empty. i can not remember even taking a sip. all i can smell is the saltwater vomit in my nose. the tape deck has released, the speakers crackling, and i swear i can hear my name amongst the empty transmission waves. groaning, i turn on my back, and stare at my ceiling. there is a crack there, it matches the one in my childhood bedroom. i wonder if the same earth quake caused this one, too, i wonder if we are on the same fault line.

slinking out to the kitchen, i squint my eyes closed. the morning sun is blinding. the coffee in the pot is lukewarm, and the handle on my mug is broken. opening up the sliding glass door, i step out in the cold mist of the pacific west coast. between gulps of coffee and lungs filled with smoke, i am looking at mt. rainier hidden between rain clouds. this place has never felt like home, not to me anyways. home was some place different, untouched by the mold on a windowsill.

before my little sister was born, i lived in a different town, nestled closer to the mountains of canada, away from the valley. closer to the Fire-camp, it was a tiny place, no more than 100 population. it is made up of the chapel, an old tavern, a gas station with the best charleston chews, and the post office with only one post-master. the house we lived in was blue and the yard was covered in wildflowers, in daisies, there was an apricot tree right next to the maple that housed a held-up-by-twine homemade baby swing. my grandparents lived up the hill, in a 100 year old school house made of cold concrete. If you look near the clear blue lake, you can see the look-out i used to dream climbing up. Old Ruby Mine lies just a couple miles further, and now no one looks for gold in the creek anymore. my earliest memories lie here, the sweetest ones. This ghost town, it might as well be a holy land.

my grandparents used to watch me while my mom and dad went off to work. pops would make me vegetable soup made with their summer crops, i would hide in the clawfoot bathtub and sing softly to my grandmother's porcelain dolls, my cousins would hold my hand as we walked down to the gas station for an ice cold soda pop. the air always smelled like moss, the sap leaking from the pine trees, the wet soil of the lake. it smelled like daffodils and chimney smoke. it smelled a little like happiness. I'd sit in the grass, making clover chains and watching the rabbits sprint into the woods. it felt safe here. ghosts refused to step foot here.

sometimes, i wonder where it all went wrong, if there were ever warning signs of the mudslide, was there a flash flood? I realize my eyes are closed now, no longer looking at the volcanic giant in the distance. the coffee is cold as the mist and it seeps into my bones. the colder i get, maybe the more it will feel like home. there is a crane sitting in the bay, looking for fish and it reminds me of the herons that would dip into palmer lake. the night prior i spent drinking, looking for answers, and now, some how the salt waters seep into the fresh glacier lakes and i am no longer here in the sleepy sea side town.

i still have a scar on my tongue from when i almost bit right through it. i was a stubborn child, and although my mother told me not to try to walk down the cement stairs alone, i did it anyways. i wanted an apricot. i do not remember stumbling, i remember my mother yelling for my father, the first time i ever tasted blood in my mouth. she picked me up and held me close and it was the last time i ever felt remotely loved by my mom. she only seems to love me most when she is scared. even now, over twenty years later, that first time ever falling sticks to my brain, the way my mom looked. the same look she had when my dad fell off the ladder and convulsed on the ground.

we ended up moving down to the valley after that, my mom pregnant, wanting to be closer to the hospital, closer to where there were more people than just the fishermen at the bar, truckers at the gas station, and folk just passing through. we ended up in the yellow house by the highway, the one we would stay in until i was 16 years old. although it was not the chilly mountains, i would grow to love the desert just as much as the snow. often, i would give anything to be back there, now i do not think anyone would be able to name me, recognize me. maybe it could be safe again. at least it is always familiar.

the town we ended up in was the same place i had been born, right in the hospital on main street. my parents had both spent a portion of their childhoods here, too, at different moments. always within reach of one another, never in sight. they thought it would be the perfect place to also raise their two daughters, familiar. safe. it used to be, at least.

the valley was on fire the last summer i spent there. 256,108 acres in total, it was a massive wildfire turned complex, caused by lightning and just the right conditions. carlton led my town to be under evacuation orders and i watched on the side of the highway as person after person flew past in their pickup trucks. if you stepped outside, the smoke choked you. i stayed as the fire burnt through, scorching the abandoned orchard behind our house. if you kept walking up the dirt road behind the apple tree stumps, you will find a small village filled with folk in plain clothes, mennonites who claimed their own stake a century past. i wondered if they stayed, too, if their prayers worked, or if it felt like punishment, all brimstone and sulfur.

it felt fitting, that the last remnants of me existing in the place i always knew would end like this- burnt up, dried out, and abandoned. i took a deep breath and the ash in the air choked me. i walked down the highway, opposite of where all the cars were headed. following the traintracks, you will end up near an apple processing plant, a small one. it smells like wine and wet cardboard. this is where my first field trip took place, right before we walked to the library. keep walking, and you'll find empty crates stacked up, blocking the entrance to history park. i lost my first tooth there, in that park. i buried it beneath the elm tree, near the swing set.

the park was where i was headed, even without intention. the can of grape soda was sweating against my hand, slowly slipping each time i lift to take a sip. there is one person there, other than that i was alone. i sat at the wooden bench where my friends and i had carved our names once in middle school, and it was the same bench i smoked my first joint at. i always found myself here, at this bench, when i needed some place quiet to think. i sat watching the kid shooting hoops, practicing dribbles like our town was not on fire, like he had no place to go and had all the time in the world. the pool was closed, abnormally silent for a scorching july day. the only sounds were the okanogan river and the dribbling of the basketball. the birds had all left.

i lifted the can only to find i had finished it already. i took out my pocket knife and carved into the wooden table, right beside the initials we had left years prior. a crooked heart. sloppily, i carved three words. i carved my own name. sometimes, i wonder if it is still there, the heart with my name. did someone cross it out? scratch it and replace it with a better name? my cellphone began ringing out, and it is my mother on the other end, asking where i am.

i hung up, slam the phone shut, and laid my head on the warm wood. all i wanted in that moment was to sink into the earth, buried right next to my lost baby tooth.

sometimes, when i close my eyes, i am back there, in that park, under the layers of grass and mud and the indian burial ground.

[chickenroost]

Chapter 9 - On the Battlefield

She nodded, but smiled a little. “Thank you, Keir. For everything. And, for sticking up for me too, back there. You're an honest person, and I hope you never get lost again either.”

He smiled and nodded. “I won't. I’m sure of myself on that. But where are we?”

Reappearing on the outskirts of a grassy plain, the two got their bearings together and looked around. In the distance a village could be seen, figures seemed to be gathered looking past them as behind them clouds of smoke and fire and more rained down far from view.

She shivered. “All that smoke and those flames...What's going on?”

An old man trotted up to them looking warily at first then called to them. “You two? You wouldn't happen to be soldiers, would you?”

She shook her head. “No, we're not.”

The old man sighed a bit and nodded. “Such a relief, many have begun fighting and the plains are lit up in chaos. It’s sad.”

She blinked. “Wait. You mean we're near the battle of the nationless and the fire dragons?”

Keir blinked. “Over there? That's where their fighting?”

The old man nodded. “What you’re seeing now is the outskirts of the battle it’s so devastating that you can see it from here. The land is bound to be reshaped from the battle.”

She shivered. “Oh...but that's horrible...! I. I’ve never seen anything like that before...”

Keir blinked and kneeled, looking overhead as five dragons, two blue and two yellow were being led by a large red dragon. “What? More?”

He nodded. “Dragons from all over are heading to the battlefield. Looks like reinforcements for the nationless dragons.”

She looked to the old man in wonder. “Do you know how...the nationless are doing in it so far?”

He nodded. “It seems the plan of the nameless prince is working. He’s gathered two hundred but followers who all have a hate or feeling of anger towards the fire king have increased. Over seven hundred dragons have appeared to his side and their growing.”

She blinked. “Seven hundred? But that’s. Good, right? So, they stand a better chance now then?”

He shook his head. “Sadly, it won't, there's a big problem. The supplies they need is cut off. The dragons who go to his side are not as strong as the experts... They need food and energy. The king knew this and that's why he set up a blockade makeshift fortress in the east. He's stopped supplies. Now the soldiers are forced to fight with what they have.”

Keir blinked and thought for a moment. “The east? Is it nearing Telgrid village? The light dragon border is just a few bits away from there.”

Era blinked. “But, then why doesn't someone ask the light dragons to supply them?!”

Keir looked to her. “The light dragons are neutral on conflict. They wouldn't help even if someone died in front of them. Every dragon knows it but more than that they have to be. Their very sensitive to wars and more their powers are on a very shaky balance. They can only fight true evil if they get in a war like this, they'd become corrupted mindless beasts that kill everything.”

She frowned. “But, there has to be something that can be done! What if... What if someone just helped remove the blockade?”

He smirked. “Someone like you, human? Why would you help them? Risking your life for dragons?”

She looked to him, blinking. “Well...yeah, but what does being human have to do with it? So, what if their dragons or humans, if they’re your friend, you help them!”

He let out a soft chuckle. “A human a friend with a dragon? That's a day I'd love to see. Hmm?” He blinked looking as a tower of gigantic fire spouted into the air and rained down on the battlefield in front of them. “Oh ho! So, that's the sun spot fire. Amazing so much power and heat I can feel it from here, that prince is really something.”

She stared at it. “You mean Creed did that?”

He nodded. “I've seen him as a child once. He used this power on a smaller scale. Many people don't know but dragons in ancient lore once said the sun sends bursts of fire into the air at times. He’s taken the concept to a new level.”

Keir blinked. “If Creed’s fighting, something must be up. They might need those supplies more than they care to admit.”

She thought for a minute, but looked to the old man. “Do you think you could point me in the direction of the blockade? I think I have an idea for a way to give them a chance to break through...”

Keir looked to her worriedly. “Are you sure of this, Era?”

She nodded. “Yes.. I may not be able to directly fight the fire dragons, but I know what I can do!”

The old man smiled. “I admire your tenacity and spirit, young woman. I can tell you, if you head east, you will see a forest. In that forest, there is a path behind the blockade. Their you may be able to sneak in and sabotage it.”

She smiled and bowed to the old man. “Thank you very much!” She started off to the east at a run, waving off to them both as she did so. She trudged on for a while at a quick through the forest, but quieted and slowed a bit as she edged along the eastward path on in towards the blockade. She was nearing the edge of the forest, as she stuck within the undergrowth of the forest, trying to stay hidden and out of sight. “I wonder if I'm getting close yet...?” She whispered quietly to herself, having long back put the egg in her satchel as she tried to be careful to hug the bag tightly close, so as not to lose it in a snag on the low branches and brush.

In front was a large wall of solid rock made from two large dragons who spat out lava to make it larger. Being behind the wall she could see cracks in it as if it was rushed. The dragons focused on the path ahead unwaveringly. She crept up closer as far as the undergrowth could get her, before quietly making her way towards the wall. Taking off her boots first, to make her footfalls noiseless, she softly stepped over towards the wall as the dragons focused on the path , seeming to not notice her for the moment. Forming several pale green orbs between her fingers, she made quick work of forcing them into every crack she could find, before backing away from the wall so as to be safe. She took a deep breath as quietly as she could and focused, before she held her palms to the wall, forming a translucent pale shield with one hand as she set off the orbs, causing first one then the rest to explode as she tried to break down the wall.

A low hum came just before the bombs exploded. The dragons were surprised and move back falling over several other dragons rushed in and started to disable the guards. She blinked, but let out a happy yell before she could stop herself, seeing this. “Yes, it worked!”

The dragons blinked and looked over to her spotting her and growling, as one dragon peered to her. “Whose there?! Show yourself!”

She blinked, but lowered her shield in sudden surprised at being seen. “Eep… crap! I.. I just was trying to knock down the blockade!”

Keir huffed moving out of another side of the forest. “It’s OK, we just wanted to help.”

She blinked, looking to him. “Keir?”

They stood on their guard as one Soldier transformed and reverted to normal nodding. “I thank you for help but civilians need to stay clear. Call in the supplies!” The soldiers traveled through with loads of supplies and passed by.

Keir nodded. “You’re welcome... Still, how goes the war?”

He growled. “I am Lyex in charge of this squad. Before I say anything, I want to know who you are and why you assisted us.” He looked to her. “I've no ill against humans but I know not to trust good fortune.”

She blinked, looking to him. “My name is Era. I wanted to help you because of Creed. And I..I didn't want you all to lose if I could help..” She spoke openly.

Lyex blinked. “Did you say Creed? Oh, I see, we were told of your group. Your help is fine but know this, you've become a target in helping us. The scout has already left. In a chance this place was taken he is to report to the commander of the main forces. Directly under Fyrus is the traitorous Lava dragon Pyro.”

She blinked. “Traitor? But didn't Pyro always serve Fyrus?” She looked to Lyex in confusion, but then her eyes widened. “Wait. Target? But that's silly. I’m not even directly fighting, why would they do that?”

Lyex growled. “Fyrus makes sure to destroy any chance of an advantage. Once the thunder dragons were fighting and became tired. The village nearby assisted but.. In the night all of them were destroyed he takes no exception innocent or fighter. Helping us is signing a death warrant.”

She frowned, gripping her hands into fists. “That's...fine.” She shivered but looked to him with determination, a feeling of conviction in her eyes. “I don't mind.. if helping you all helps stop Fyrus from winning against you, I don't care. It's not right. That he's doing what he does, and I won't let you all lose if I can be of use!”

He smirked. “You are feisty for a human, but you shouldn't be ready to fight. Lord Creed has asked us to keep you out of the fight as is. Don't worry we will track down the scout before he can get to his camp. Now leave, the more time you waste here the more closer enemy troops get.”

She tilted her head, surprised to hear that. “Why. Would he ask that? But. I understand. I don't want to get in the way of what you all need to do..”

He shrugged. “I'm not sure exactly why he would but I do know you’d be safe to stay out of this. We might be able to use your help secretly though.”

She nodded. “If I can help, just let me know. Oh and if anyone is injured, I know how to heal too.”

Keir shook his head. “We are close to a village in the light kingdom, let's cross the border and head there first.”

She nodded. “True. And we still need to head there. Let's go then.” She bowed to Lyex.- It was nice to meet you and be careful. I hope you all do well. Good luck!” She waved to him as she started to head off in the direction Keir had meant.

They watched as the two of them ran off down a path to the borderline of the light dragons. Ahead of them stood a large gate and two guards in white robes. They stood silently eyeing them as they made their way to the gate and intercepted them halfway. One spoke out with a direct and stern tone. “Hold it, who is there? You’re approaching restricted territory.”

She blinked looking to them. “My name is Era.” She told them clearly, pointing to herself. “And, this is Keir.” She motioned to him.

Keir stopped ahead keeping himself a bit away, looking to them calmly, “Please, you have to let us pass, we came here under the orders of the water dragon king.”

The guard huffed. “Do you take us as fools? You are with a human and trying to cross the border. No human or outsider can cross. Especially when war is all around! We won't let you pass.”

She sighed, but began to recite a code she'd uttered aloud only once before to dragons. "To serve to the best of our ability, to protect with all our power, dragon kind and dragons friends, in any time or hour." Rummaging through her bag as she suddenly grabbed what she'd been looking for. It was tattered at the edges, but she held out a miniature emblem of with the dragon tamers insignia, as she carefully unfolded it to show it to them, along with the scale of a father dragon. “You see these. You know what I am. I have come very far with Keir, and he has never lied once. I respect if I may not enter your territory, due to the threats against all dragons, but Keir was sent here by the water king himself, and is a water dragon himself. He cannot lie to you and the king has sent him with a message to talk with you. If for no other reason than out of respect for a dragon fellow, is there at least someone you could ask if he may at the very least complete his task on the borders then?”

He blinked looking to her then spoke to the other guard whispering. He nodded as the two of them then moved around the sides of the other two. The large gates opened as two more guards appeared and stood in front one spoke and shook his head. “That code is only known by two types of people, tamers and hunters. You don't look like a hunter but there hasn't been a tamer here in months. Seize them, take them to the prison in the guard post. Until you are verified, we will keep you there. Both of you.”

Keir blinked and shook his head. “What? We don't have time for that. Right now, the water dragon emissaries are being held hostage and the army cannot leave the homeland. What's more crazy mercenaries are somewhere in the land. We need help now!”

She thought for a moment, but sighed quietly. "I am Remiel's daughter. If that has any meaning for you. My father is a mercenary within the guilds of Oarth and my mother, Tattiel, was a friend to any dragon that came near Mercias, my home village before she passed away.“ She bit her lip, pleading to the light dragons. “I'm Era...” She repeated. “Era Stormbreaker.. My mother is who taught me to heal…Well… in a way. I inherited my healing abilities from her.”

He growled. “You expect us to believe that?! The Oarthian Mercenaries had no family! Your only making the situation worse by lying!”

A man's voice was heard behind the group. “That's enough, calm yourselves.”

They blinked looking then gasped and gathered next to each other. Bowing to him. “L-lord Aisel!”

The old man from before appeared behind them smiling and looked to her. “Impressive, young one.”

She blinked, looking to him in confusion and let out a soft cry of surprise. “Y- you again?! But. You were back at the village we left. When did you. How the. Wait, so you’re a light dragon?”

He laughed. “I am, does that matter? A woman like you who helps both human and dragon is worthy of being noted. Hm, with a bit of a test. At any rate it is nice to meet you, Era. You two are welcome and I will listen to you with my other elders in our grand hall. You men return to your post. And, ease up. You take your jobs too seriously.”

They shivered a bit and nodded returning to their posts as Aisel walked into the gate along with Keir, who looked to him calmly but a bit embarrassed. “T-thank you sir..”

She smiled in relief. “Thank you so much, Aisel! And no… it doesn't matter , but I was curious.” She followed along with them through the gate. “Um... but what do you mean a test?” She shied then nervous.

He smiled. “I tested your heart to see if you really would do what you say. As pure as light itself.” Once they were in the border, the doors closed and he looked to them. “You two have come a long way so I will not test you any longer.” He rose his hand as he started to glow along with the two of them. “Let's get to the others right away. You'll be there before you can...” They suddenly vanished and reappeared in a large temple with four seats in front and a large hallway. On both sides were doors and people guarding them. “Blink.”

She looked around the room a bit, glancing towards the doors and then the seats. “Where are we...?”

He smiled. ‘In the homeland of light dragons. Illios (ill-e-os).”

She nodded but looked over at him. “Um. who did you mean by the others though?”

He smiled and sat in the furthest left chair. “The ruling clan of course. Me, Tiallia, Jourm, and Allia. The four heads of the light dragon clan.”

Keir blinked. “There’s no king?”

She tilted her head. “This reminds me of like a council.”

He nodded. “It’s based on a council, yes. “

She smiled. “So, we need to just be honest with you all and let you decide from there what you will do?”

A man with a scar on his face walked in from a side door. “Honesty is only one thing. I will see if you are worthy.”

She blinked, looking to him as he entered. “Worthy? Of what?”

Aisel smirked as Jourm took a seat on the middle chair at the end. “Of our help of course. You will be representing the king of waters.”

Era blinked, but shivered a little out of nervousness. “Do you mean we have to convince you somehow that they are worth helping?”

A woman with blonde hair walked in looking to them. “You do, but you also must tell us why they truly ask? Our history with them was only resentment. I’m sure the king’s spite was in his words at being at our mercy.”

Aisel nodded. “That is true, Tiallia, however, they don’t carry the king’s spite, do they?”

She smiled, closing her eyes, and sat next to Jorum. “Humph, I suppose still a meek human hasn't been here for some time. Almost looks familiar.”

“The water king seemed reluctant, yes. But I didn't know the history enough to see anything like resentment. If there was any, I only noticed it because he didn't seem to be happy about my being there.. “ Era blinked, but spoke in answer quietly. “And it's not nice to say that about being at your mercy, even if it may be true a little. Because then it sounds like you might judge it unfairly based on the past, rather than the validity of the request itself...”

Tiallia nodded. “I judge fairly, child, do not question it. It's hard to not judge such a rude race and greedy. They believe the water all belongs to them. They would starve everyone else. That's why they stay in water, their king has once tried to take all the water for himself. Utterly foolish.”

An old woman walked out of a door on the side looking to Tallia. “Calm yourself, Tallia, your age is showing.” She walked over and sat at the final chair. ”All of you have played enough games with these two. We will give them reinforcements, is that clear?”

The group muttered a bit as she gave them a small glare. “I said is that clear?”

Era blinked, looking to the old woman in surprise. “I...am not sure I understand. So, they were toying with us?”

They looked to her and fell quiet intimidated by her glare then agreed. She smiled. “Then, its settled. As current head of the dragons and leader of the council, I, Allia Starling, call our light dragons to assist the water dragons. The seals will be opened so the water dragon army can move.”

Era blinked. “You already knew about the request?”

She nodded. “We have people in the water kingdom and all across the lands. We know that the emissaries have been taken and where.”

Era hesitated a moment but asked quietly. “The water king mentioned. That you had a message for me? What was it?”

She blinked. “Oh, yes, everything you need should be here.“ She opened her hand and held out a small crystal. "Take this."

Era held out her hands as Allia dropped the little crystal into her waiting palms. However, she was surprised to see that the crystal seemed to react to Era's own touch, as it began to glow and a voice could be heard, as well as someone's face seemed to be revealed in the light shining from it.

“My dear little Era.... “A woman's voice spoke quietly as if with effort to be clear. “I am so sorry for what I must tell you...and the cost you must bear...on behalf of us...” The face grew clearer, as a rendering of light showed a woman's face fully now.

Era looked to the face in shock, her mouth falling open as she listened in silence, only muttering one word in a cracking whisper. “Mother......?”

The face continued on, seeming to ignore her words. “For you and those with you to be hearing this.... It can only mean you have found yourself seeking answers in the light dragon lands...Answers no doubt your father could never bring himself to tell you, and ones I could never tell you...As for you to be here, I am long gone... from this world.”

With a soft expression, her mother 's voice filled the room softly. “The cost you must pay.......is for the past of your father....He has always loved all of you dearly, but he as a mercenary has done regrettable things....Things he was forced to act on against his own feelings....For my time as a tamer....It is a heavy burden he bears for aiding me in leaving that past behind me so I may be with my children for a time...Your father was once ordered to kill the mate of a dragon named Nelius, of an old clan near the borders that once were near our home. Her name was Seguin....And she was my friend...My former partner.... I was cursed in Nelius's rage, cursed to die over the course of time, for which no manner of killing may cure.....For he cast a spell in his grief, to plague all the women of your father's life, a love

for a love.... Your father, Remiel killed Nelius for this.....thinking if he died, it would end the spell.....Oh how sorrowed he was when we realized.... Nothing could change the spell as it targets only humans....Only if Nelius had forgiven us would it have ended... “Her mother's voice paused, as the sounds of gasping and raspy coughs could be heard. “I do not.... blame your father...He was only trying to protect me...But he had no way of knowing...We had no way of knowing.... That I was also pregnant.... with you when it cast....on me...I am so sorry my little Era...For when...I leave this world....It falls next on you...” Her voice faded and the crystal stopped glowing.

Era closed her eyes in quiet contemplation before sitting on her knees and placing the crystal on the ground in front of her as she thought. The dragons stood in silence seemingly hearing the words she spoke. Their faces were both in awe and sadness. She stood back up then and shook her head. “Don't look at me like that!” She spoke to them, but smiled softly. “I'm not dead yet, so I won't give up.”

Keir frowned a bit. “I don't understand. Why... You?”

Allia looked to her contemplating. “Those dragons. They were them.”

She tilted her head. “What do you mean...?”

Tiallia frowned. “Grandmother. Those were the fallen. I thought none were left.”

She looked to Tiallia in confusion. “What's a fallen?”

Jorum growled. “We got rid of the fallen dragons due to them becoming shadow dragons. They were corrupted by grief and filled with anger. Only a shadow dragon can curse a person so strongly.”

Aisel rubbed his chin. “Still, the curse. And this girl, Remiel had not told us that she even existed. I suppose we need to meet with him then.”

She blinked. “Wait. You mean you know my father?”

They stayed silent then looked to her as Allia spoke. “We do, your father is a hero of the light dragons. He’s done remarkable things. Impossible for a human. Still, knowing where he is now, I am not surprised.”

Keir growled. “So, where is he?! He should be saving his daughter not off to who knows where.”

Jorum growled. ‘You fool that's exactly what he's doing. In the forbidden lands. The curses source. Nihelion.. The graveyard of the shadow dragons...”

Allia looked to him. “We cannot say anymore, we promised.”

Era frowned, gripping her hands into her fists as they shook a little. “Does father really blame himself for it...? I understand why it happened now...but he better not intentionally be putting himself in danger over if. It also explains...why he was so hesitant for so long to let me be a tamer...”

She closed her eyes looking away. “Your father... He... What?” She gasped coughing suddenly as a wave of energy hit the room and the dragons started to fall over coughing and weakly struggling to rise. Next to her, Keir shivered trying to stand but fell over in pain.

Jorum growled. “Uugnn! Someone... Is absorbing power... In all directions... The dragon’s power... No, not someone... “He closed his eyes sensing the source of the power and stood up a bit. “It’s... It’s!.”

She looked to him. “What is going on...? How could anyone absorb your power?”

A voice was heard behind them. “Because their being targeted. Every dragon in this region is, their not as strong as me so they can't resist it.”

She tilted her head, but looked over at the sound of the voice. “Who... is there?”

A strong heat filled the room as he walked in and looked to her with a smile. ”Hello, Era, I've come to end you.”

Keir gasped, trying to stand, as his eyes widened. “I-Ignis. Creed’s brother... Run!”

She shivered as she looked to him in surprise. “What...?! Creed's brother? But why would you be coming to kill me?” She took several steps back away from him.

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t have pushed your luck and messed with my battle. My father wants you dead.”

She looked to him with a frown. “I wasn't just going to let them lose from something I could try to help with!”

Keir shivered. “B-be careful Era... He's every bit as strong as Creed. He is known as the Crimson Blood Fire.”

She shivered, falling quiet. ‘Great… But… that still doesn't explain...Why would your father send you...Ignis? Surely that’s bit of overkill...if you really are that powerful..”

He grinned. “You poked your nose into our war now you’re going to be a victim of it. More than that you cost me a battle.” He rose his hands as fireballs grew in his palms. “I'll burn you to ash!”

Era looked to him worriedly, but shook her head. She gripped her fists tightly, as looked to him determinedly. “Like hell, I won't let you kill me without a fight! But not when here... You're not getting these people involved.... " She took off running towards the doors, and fled outside. “Come get me if you really are going to try!”

He grinned. “With pleasure!” He suddenly transformed into a ball of flame and flew at her in pursuit.

She looked back over her shoulder to see him closing in from behind as she reached open ground in the area outdoors. Rummaging through her robes quickly, she reached for the statue Creed had given her and looked to it as she gripped it in one of her fists even as she slowly turned to face the coming Ignis. “I'm sorry...If I lose this fight, I can't keep my promise...” She whispered under her breath. Her head snapped up as she focused and looked to Ignis. She opened her other hand and shoved it forward, sending a wave of the green orbs towards the flying Ignis, forcing him to dodge or be hit with the explosives. “I can't let you kill me!”

He laughed and was hit with her explosives absorbing them and moving quickly. He then burst the flames in front of her and gripped her arms sending flames in his palms heating them up. “You can't stop me!”

She yelped a bit as he held her arms in place and as the flames appeared, tears began to fall as the heat began to dance against her exposed skin. Still, she struggled in his grasp, trying to free herself as she glared at him, focusing as she cast the green glow over where he held her arms. She was being burnt, but she kept him from setting her aflame entirely. “This hurts...but I'm not giving up...!”

He smirked and transformed his face growing scales along his cheeks and readying flames from his mouth. “The pain ends now!”

She managed to free one of her arms, by wedging her knee against him and yanking it away, though he still had a grip on the other and she hurriedly tossed the statue into the air above their heads.

He blinked looking to the statue then gasped as it grew into a giant Phoenix bird blinding him with the fire of light. He growled pulling back an letting her go as it started to fly up high and burst into ashes. She fell backwards as he suddenly go, but looked to it , watching as it burst, and him in surprise, trembling as she shivered from where she now sat on the ground awkwardly.

As it faded, he snarled and rose his hand igniting it and transforming it into a part of his dragon form - His dragon claw. He rushed forward in fire and roared. “I've had enough of your games!”

As he moved close however a golden ball of fire fell from the sky in the middle of them, he pulled back but gasped as a fist smashed into his face sending him flying back and crashing into the ground. From the fire, Creed walked out, glaring to him. “You want to pick on someone, brother? Then, fight me."

She looked to him in wonder and slight relief. “Creed...?” She blinked in surprise, but ignored the pain in her arms as she focused on standing up. Era trembled, realizing how close she had been to being killed by his brother and her whole body shook. “Thank you...”

He looked to her a bit and handed her a red stone. “I told you I'd keep you safe, now get this stone to the elders. They'll know what to do.”

She blinked, shivered as she took hold of the stone quickly with a nod. “Be careful. Please..” She told Creed but took off running back inside towards where the elders were.

He nodded and rushed forward transforming, into a significantly bigger and pure gold dragon clashing with Ignis and both were in a struggle claws gripped fighting to push each other back. “You've gotten strong, Era! So, have I!”

Inside the others still struggled as they looked to her confused. “Era? What's going on? What was that light?”

She shook her head as she hurried towards Allia. “No time.. Creed protected me… but he's fighting with Ignis… he said you'd know what to do with this..!” She handed her the stone.

She blinked and gripped the stone as a wave of gold aura was sent out. Suddenly, they started to stand and huff but were okay. “Yes. I can move again this aura in the Firewall stone. Its Creed’s. He's gotten powerful. He could be going through another evolution. Still, we need to know what caused our powers to drain.”

Keir and the others stood up as Jourm nodded. “It’s a forbidden weapon. And I can bet, It’s not over.”

Tallia growled and looked to see dragons in the street still in pain. “Our people are still struggling. It’s still active.”

Aisel nodded. “This is bad. Hmm, we should capture, Ignis. Let's go outside and see how the youngling is doing.”

Era blinked, but went back outside to try to look for them. “Hopefully...he's doing alright.”

The group headed outside and looked on ahead as Creed still was in a deadlock with Ignis. Ignis smirked and shook his head. “Give up ,my twin brother! You may be a Sun Dragon but the power I have is and always has been more powerful than you. I've taken the corruption of my father willingly and gained even more power!” A large black tattoo filled over his scales as he proceeded to push back Creed and overpower him. “Accept this end, you cursed dragon, you have no home no one cares for you and father hates you, you'll never rule the kingdom and die forgotten!”

She looked to them, but yelled at Ignis as she ran over towards them. “I don't care what power you have. And twin or not, Creed will always be better than you! He....He's not cursed...and I care! So what if your father hates him, He could do a better job than either one of you at ruling because he will always be a better person then you horrible men! He's not weak, just because you have power, doesn't make you the better man! He will never, ever be forgotten, unlike you. Because...because corruption will just destroy you both, and I won't let him be! And I won't let you kill him either! “She moved forward, ducking beneath both of their arms as they struggled with one another and shoved her hands at Ignis, using her deflection to shove him back away from Creed a bit with her shielding power. “He's stronger at heart then you will ever be!”

He was pushed a bit then roared to Era sending his tail swinging at her. Creed smirked and gripped her with his tail pulling her back, then smirked to Ignis. Ignis gasped as Creed easily overpowered him and knocked him back. He huffed and glared. “What was that?! Creed?! Are you toying with me?!”

She blinked as she was tugged back with his tail, but smiled. “Ha! See! He's stronger than you think!”

Creed smiled. “It’s true you and I were on equal terms... When I was in the kingdom. That was years ago. I'm more powerful than you and stronger than father.”

Ignis rushed forward as the two clashed again this time him being knocked back and a strong headbutt to him. He growled pulling away then sent a ball of flame at him. Creed smirked and slashed the flames dissipating. Ignis blinked then looked to Era and smirked. “Do you know who she is Creed? A dragon tamer! Your enemy!”

Creed growled a bit looking to her then to him. “It’s true, I hate dragon tamers, but I don't like you any better.”

She looked to Ignis, but shook her head. “He already knows that...Frost had me recite the tamer's oath the first time I met Creed... In front of a meeting.” She smiled softly, almost sadly. “And....He has every right to hate tamers...Any dragon does....I wanted to be a tamer, because as soon as I learned my mother used her healing powers as one, I wanted to get a chance to be able to share what I can do too, to help others...I refused to try out for a partner, because I didn't feel a dragon child should be forced to given up by their parents. Not for that. I may have passed the scale test to be able to qualify...but the elders of my village, also respected that I felt I had to not be a part of the tamers' guild when i found out what they were about.. That's how I met Eiwyen… Creed. That's how I met her. She tested me and was going to let me pass...I told her she should let the hatchling stay and be raised with her mother, rather than be away from her..”

She laughed a bit. “Hell...He tried to kill me once too.. He can hate me if he chooses. But you trying to make it seem like he has any obligation to protect me, he doesn’t. And that he helped me at all was nice. That he saved me from you, I am grateful for...But I don't expect him to do anything back.. I don't help because I expect a stupid reward or something in return. I helped your brother and the nationless, because...I wanted to help. Because it was wrong not to. And I knew I wanted to try if i could. He is a good person, no matter dragon or not, or whether you believe anything in him or not. He is strong and I meant it when I said I believe he is better than you.”

Ignis growled and sighed. “I'm outmatched. And I'm outfought... And being lectured by a human... Heh....Hehe Hehe… but I've stalled you enough… Creed!.. We have won this battle.” He laughed transforming into a ball of flame and flew into the sky heading north.

She blinked. “Damn… so he really was just a distraction...?”

The ground started to shake as Creed blinked. Over the group in the sky a large green beam of energy shot past them and crashed far away, shining and lighting up the sky's. Jorum growled. “We’re too late… Damn.”

She looked over at the sky. “Wha...What the heck was that? “

Creed growled. “That powerful energy... It was heading to the plains! My army...”

She blinked. “But, who could possibly have sent a beam like that?”

Jorum nodded. “That blast was from a forbidden cannon. It must have been their true objective.”

Creed looked to him. “What do you mean? Were they using this battle as some sort of test?”

He nodded. “That power is devastating. It must be King Fyrus's plan.”

She shook her head. “To what end? What does he gain by killing so many?”

He growled. “He always wanted power but how did he even get it...hmmm?!”

The ground shook as dragons started to yell and groan again, feeling the energy drain again. Creed growled. “Grr, again?” The elders looked to them, as Creed spoke up. “You’ll need to help me take out the cannon.”

She nodded. “Alright. I can do that.”

He transformed and looked to her then to Keir. Keir shook his head. “I have to send word to the king. I'm going to ask him for a favor.” He whispered to Aisel quietly as he smirked and nodded. Next the two of them disappeared in light.

Jourm, Tiallia, and Allia looked to them. “We will stay here and shield our people using one of our own gifts from the past. Till then, good luck.” the three nodded disappearing as large lighthouse like pillars appeared in three spots of the kingdom. They shined bright as a shield started to expand and cover the area. Creed flew upward exiting the barrier as he looked to them a bit, then headed north to the source of the energy drain.

She looked to Creed as he flew out towards the north, from on his back. “Doesn't the energy drain effect you too, though?”

He shook his head. “I thought so too but for some reason it’s not. Not only that, look below us.”

She blinked, but looked towards the ground. “Hm? Well… at least it's not.”

Shadows of fire dragons rose up from the clouds - All fire dragons. They flew next to Creed as he nodded. “That weapon was targeting specific races of dragons.”

She looked in surprise. “Would make sense... if Fyrus was behind it...He couldn't target you guys without targeting himself and his own troops too.”

He nodded and blinked seeing it coming into view. The dragons moved back a bit as all of them looked in stunned gazes at the cannon. “This thing... Is huge!”

Era looked to It at first, but turned to glance around as a thought came to her. “Um...hate to interrupt. But wouldn't they have it guarded...? So where's the person working this thing?”

Suddenly a ball of flame crashed into one of the dragons sending him falling to the ground then several more from above them flew down at them raining down. Creed growled and turned towards them a bit avoiding them but slowly descended. “Above us... Everyone move downward.”

Several dragons landed and rushed to the sides of the others but gasped being pulled into the ground and heated up encasing them. The ground quickly turned to lava encasing them inside until then were solidified. Creed and the rest of the dragons pulled up but were still being hit with the calling rocks. He decided to lead them away from the cannon flying back with the rest of the dragons to a small rock formation. Only six dragons were left out of the group as others were killed. “Damn. It’s got to be Pronym and Pyro.”

Era looked down at him and then to the remaining dragons with a shiver, glancing towards the lava they'd avoided. “I have...a suggestion. What we need is either a way to distract them to get them out of that position... so we can get to the cannon. Or a way to get rid of their advantage. With the lava and the attacks above the clouds.. If we can think of a plan, it might help...”

Creed nodded. “Good idea but if that's the case. Then, we should split up. Leave us to the distraction. Era, you get to the cannon. I’ll lead the troops to fight and keep them busy. That thing is so big you can get inside it. Theirs likely something inside harnessing the energy. Search inside.”

She nodded. “Understood.” She slid off his back landing to her feet. “I'll try that. Maybe, if I can find that, it can be disabled somehow. Be careful though, you all. too.”

Creed nodded as the dragons started to fly upward and from the hidden spot. Staying right on his sides they moved together avoiding the falling meteors and now the eruptions from the ground. As they kept them busy she made her way to the large cannon and climbed up a small ladder on the side. As she moved close, she found a small opening into the cannon. Inside cracking could be heard as four orbs colored by their energy was centered around a black orb in the middle that seemed to be absorbing the energy. The red orb was not active but the yellow, blue, and white orbs were draining energy.

As she dropped down inside from off the ladder, padding quietly in her bare feet she studied the room a moment. Comparing the red orb to the others, she listened to the crackling sounds. “Geez...this reminds me of one of those clocks with all these gears. “She realized the colored were representing the dragons from different regions, but stared at the black orb. “Whose energy absorbs...like that?”

She shook her head and went to each gear beneath the three activated orbs, and wedged several extras gears she had founded in a box, into the moving parts to try to freeze the machine from being able to be active. Carefully, she also surrounded each gear by attaching her green energy to them as she jammed them into place and stepped back towards the ladder once they'd each stopped moving, grinding against each other squealing in the effort of being stuck. She hurriedly entered the opening and just before climbing back out the way she'd entered she set off the gears to try to explode them.

The gears suddenly exploded as the machine started to smoke and sizzle the cannon then whirred down as the group of dragons stopped fighting and looked. Creed smirked and looked. Suddenly two dragons appeared, one on the ground was Pyro, who looked to the cannon growling and a woman with long red hair started to the cannon flying in the clouds high above. “Damn. But who? Did it?”

Era finally slid down the final rungs of the ladder, touching her feet to the ground, as she smiled, hearing the explosions go off and the machine stopped. “Ha, It worked. Good.”

Creed looked to Pronym and smirked. “That thing won't fire anymore, right? Why don't you two....what - what?!”

He blinked as the entire group felt their energy now being drained into the cannon. Just behind the door Era came through a bang was heard. Pyro growled. “Damn. You released it..”

She blinked. “What. Was that?”

The door blasted open flying over her head and a long broken tattered decaying wing of a dragon stuck out first. Next it stuck its head out growling and finally came out of the room. It roared loudly as energy was drawn into it further forcing the dragons to land. Even Creed stumbled a bit but made his way to Era. The dragon looked to her with a fierce snarl.

Her eyes went wide with surprise, as she let go of the ladder in shock as it appeared.

“Wait...it's absorbing their energy, Just like the black orb was...” She looked to it in wonder but also a bit of fear as it snarled at her, taking a step back. Focusing on the dragon, she readied herself in case it tried to attack her by focusing on casting a glow to one hand.

Creed moved in front of her quickly to defend. The dragon snarled and slashed at him he dodged the attack but stumbled and fell over then gasped looking at his arm turning black. “What but I didn't get hit.”

Pyro moved next to them and rose a large wall of magma blocking the dragon a bit but the wall quickly turned to ash and the dragon slashed at him he avoided the attack but his leg was black he growled focusing on it. “It’s a shadow dragon... You must not get close!”

She blinked. "Shadow. Dragon? But I thought they were all gone?"

The dragon roared as Creed grabbed Era and pulled back, farther from the dragon. Pyro and Pronym moved next to him, staring to the dragon. “It was in the cannon when he had it. Sealed in that orb for power. When you broke the energy cycle it was strong enough to free itself.”

She thought for a moment, but freed herself from Creed's hold by pulling away off to the side of them. “I'm human. It can't absorb my energy like it is doing with yours. And I have an idea.. but you might not like it.. It's temporary only though. And I'm sorry, but I think this will work... “She took the egg out of her satchel, and gently placed the shell against her forehead. Focusing her green glow into her hands, she looked towards them sadly as her lips moved in a quiet whisper, and then suddenly both her and the egg shone bright white. When it disappeared, the egg was gone and her hair had taken on the blue green of the color of the shell of the egg, fading off. She looked away then, her eyes focused on the dragon as she ran towards it, sending a beam of energy out from her arm towards the dragon, as her and the unhatched dragon's powers combined together, and sent a wave of blue green light at the shadow dragon.

The dragon roared being hit by the beam of energy and faded into ashes quickly. Creed looked on confused and stunned as the others. “That. Did you...”

Suddenly, darkness started to reform and the dragon reappeared in front of them now larger and focusing on Era, the attack drew its attention and it hungrily focused on them and started to drain both her and the egg’s energy. Creed growled. “It’s taken to your energy!”

Pyro shivered and shook his head. “You fool! It will not stop now until its drained all of the life force from the egg! Everyone attack! And get that girl as far away as possible! Both her and the egg are in danger!”

She looked towards the shadow dragon with wide eyes, and felt the drain. ” Damn it..” She placed her shield around the egg, stopping the egg from being drained but couldn't focus it on them both as she took several steps back.

The dragons sent fireballs at the shadow dragon only for it to seemingly burst out of its range. This did get its attention though and it headed downward toward the now fleeing group. Pyro, Pronym, and the dragons lured it away from Era and Creed. Each step it took made the ground rot underneath it. “I'll get us away but unless we figure out some way to destroy that thing, it’s not going to stop.”

Footsteps could be heard behind them and a man in strange armor walked next to them. “You dragons have messed with something you couldn't understand.. The shadow dragon, no powers of dragons can destroy it. Not any special magic or even power. Anything that gets close to it will decay and die and anyone hit with its breath will be cursed a painful slow death.”

Era looked to the man as her spell faded and her appearance went back to normal. “Um... How do you know so much about them? And, who are you?”

He looked to her. “I am a shadow dragon hunter, well, the only hunter. I am known as the Green Knight to dragons although that name doesn't apply to my armor but this.” He pulled out his blade. It glowed with green energy. Sensing this the shadow dragon completely slid to a halt and tuned around rushing and running now at the man who walked in front of them and readied himself for it. “You two don't move.”

She nodded but held still, watching him in slight confusion.

Creed shook his head. “There's no way... All my senses are telling me to run.. What's with your weapon! How can it affect even me?”

The shadow dragon jumped and dived down at him, but he rose his blade in the air and slashed it in two quicker than any could see. It split apart with each part burning now in a white fire roaring as both halves disintegrated and the draining aura faded from the area. He then sat down and closed his eyes. “Sleep in the eternal light of peace now...”

The others looked on at the knight confused as Creed shivered, looking wide-eyed to him. “You... Who are you? No human. Not one can defeat a shadow dragon... It took an alliance to defeat them in the past...”

He stood up and sheathed his blade then turned to him. “Your father is responsible for this, is he not? Tell him to not search the forbidden lands again. Anything taken and used without knowing how it was made will only become a danger to everyone.” He looked to Era. “Tell your father that I've fulfilled the first half of my promise.

She looked to him with wide eyes. “How do...How do you know about that? You’re a light dragon then? And what promise...? How am I supposed to tell him? I haven't seen him in a long time. Does this have to do with what my father is trying to break for me?”

He blinked. “He hasn't met with you, yet then? Fine since you haven't met yet I'll leave it be. Just know this. I am no light dragon; I am only half.” He then started to fade in a white light and vanished.

She watched him disappear and frowned. “Oh. For crying out loud! First, I find out the light dragons had the thing that even let me know about the unbroken curse on me as well as mom before she died. And the dad going to the forbidden lands, but now we find out that Fyrus was there too..? What the heck is going on!” She set the egg back in her satchel and buried her face in her hands after with a sigh of frustration. “And who the heck is the green knight exactly and why would he even make a promise to my father?”

Creed nodded. “I have the same frustration right about now, and since the answers are getting so far away, I'm going to make them come to us. How would you like to meet your father? This time we will make them answer. Come with me, Era, we will go to the border of the fire dragon kingdom there is a shrine there that supposedly "grants anyone’s wishes." Of course, it’s fake but, I'll spread rumors and then let’s see who comes.”

She nodded, looking to him as she uncovered her face. “I will go with you.. Would be nice to get clearer answers on this stuff. If possible. But. Will it really be safe enough for you to go that close to the fire kingdom...with what your father ordered against you?”

Pyro and Pronym walked over to Creed and bowed. “Lord Creed. We can't go back to your father with failure. Please allow us to follow you.”

Creed smirked. “With you two, I’m sure it will be fine. You two fit perfect in my plan.”

Era blinked, looking over at him. “Um...what plan?”

He looked to them then blinked seeing in the distance, a large group of fire dragons approaching. “What now... That's not good.”

Pyro nodded. “It seems the king has sent more forces. Roughly five hundred troops.”

Pronym growled. “My lord we must leave now.. We are severely outnumbered.”

She blinked. “Won't they. Follow us though if we flee?”

Creed blinked seeing another army east heading to their location. “Hold on... I smell water dragons.”

A dragon flew ahead and landed next to them transforming revealing himself as Keir. “We made it. Not many but the rest of the army will join us soon. The light gates that the light dragons made gave us a sneak attack chance and freed the emissaries held captive.”

She smiled. “That's good news...! And it's nice to see you were able to get your message through to them. At least the king knows you kept your word now too. and that's good timing too.”

He nodded as the fire dragons now came into view but were still a way back. “The king has decided to go to open war with the fire dragon king but he wants your army Creed to as he said "stand aside".”

Creed blinked then growled. “If he thinks I'm just going to let this go he is wrong. I have plans set already to deal with him. But... Well, we will talk later. For now, I'll disband my army... What's left of them anyhow. Give me some time. Pyro, Pronym, you two fill Era and Keir on the next step and what we discovered.” He walked over to the rest of the nationless dragons and began to talk with them.

She blinked, looking over to the two. “Um... What did he mean? What is the next step and what did you discover?”

Pyro sighed a bit but nodded. “We have discovered that the king is not at the fire dragon lands. In fact, he has been moving silently with an unknown band of people. Theirs an odd mixture of humans, dark dragons, and even thunder dragons. Well known, too. They’re not nationless, their elders, historians and even a trader. Ask for the humans.. Their hunters.”

Pronym nodded. “The war is just a distraction. Its probably Lord Ignis who is commanding the troops. The king however has been all over. He's hard to spot because he used something to mask his scent and others as well but their have been incidents all over of people falling asleep or being enraged easily, then hunters flying away with individuals. Dragons and humans. Their all being taken somewhere under his orders.”

She tilted her head. “But what would he want with both? That sounds almost like he's either forcing them into something or using them for an experiment, like to try it out. But...why would the hunters be helping him? Hunters don't really gain much unless he's giving them something they need out of it. As for the elders and such, is he using their knowledge for his plans. For something in the past that he can use against the rest for the power or edge he seeks?”

He smirked. “All the right questions and if we go to to Ellial village, we will have answers. The rumor about the village is it was abandoned but only because it is where a shadow dragon died. The land there is all dead as well. But a treasure is there. No one knows what it is but its said to give immeasurable power to those who gain it. The reason no one goes near is because a very powerful guardian lives there. No one knows who it is but all who tried to find the power was stopped by it. Brought to the edge of death and carried out of the village to die.”

Keir shivered. “Something like that exists in this world? Terrible.”

She shook her head. “Sounds more like it's protecting the power from being found by people who need it for the wrong reasons. Not sure if I agree with letting them be made to die...that part is terrible...but what if you’re not there for the power, but just to talk to the guardian or to find something else?”

Pronym shook her head. “No one has ever talked to it. Their hearts were set only on attacking it and taking the treasure. The ones that made it back alive did say a few things that the guardian seemed to mutter.”

She nodded. “Makes sense. but what does the village have to do with his plan?”

Creed walked over to them smiling. “This village is very special, veeeerry special. Since a humongous shadow dragon was killed on the land years ago it’s become a sort of energy nullifier. Dragons can't transform there, humans not strong enough lose themselves to insanity and one rumor in particular is that if you die in the land, you become a restless zombie defending it even after you died.”

Keir shivered and shook his head. “A-and you want to go to a place like that?! Era. Are you seriously going there?”

Creed growled. “She will be safe; I'll be going along with my two trustees.”

Keir shook his head. “How would that make it any better! If that place is like that, how can you make any difference?”

Creed shook his head. “I never go into a place that I don't have plans for. Why would I say it, if I didn’t?

Keir growled “There has to be something easier..”

She sighed but held her one palm towards both of them. “Hold on! Geez, don't I get any say in it? Don't you two fight again, please? Look, I can appreciate if it's dangerous to go, Keir, but I'm going and that's that. I already told him I would, and I plan to keep my word if I can help him with his plan. And there's no reason to not trust Creed either. “She lowered her hands and looked towards them. “And I'll be honest, I don't want to waste time being safe, if I can be useful...It's not like me staying behind and refusing to go is going to do any good in the war, or even make the curse go away, so it’s fine. I'm going to ignore having it since it isn't affecting me right now. So don't box me into protection like I'm completely a child, and let me do something when I can.”

Keir blinked. “Era... Alright. Yes I guess I've been too protective about this. You have a right to do as you like. Just don't die. I swear the next time you see me, I'll be stronger. More than that. ‘I’m going back to find Lord Frost.. I need to learn what he wanted to teach me. The true power of ice and water.”

She smiled. “I'm not trying to die anytime soon. and I know you can get stronger. Good luck with what you want to learn from him. You can do it, and I'll be careful, so you too, okay?”

He nodded, smiling. “I will, i swear I will. “Creed looked as Keir gave him a bit of a serious look. “I've one last thing to tell you, Creed. It imperative you and Era stay safe. Theirs a Dragon Mercenary after you and her. Someone you know, and someone that knows Era. He is known as Black Death. A black dragon known as Diome Ghallahand. He is a nameless dragon feared even by strong veterans. I met with him before we met you Era.. He hates humans but he in particular hates Remiel and swore in his words "he took my family; I'll take his as well." Apparently, he knows a lot.”

She blinked, looked towards Creed and Keir then. “It would make sense if he hates dad...Maybe he was related to a dragon that my dad was ordered to take down. But… I'm kind of confused how he knows about me. unless it's through my father. Um… but why is he after you Creed?”

The group looked to Creed whose eyes were pure red and he gritted his teeth in anger. A warm heat seemed to singe and crackle the air a bit. He looked like he was remembering something and was in a state of pure anger with his fist tightly clenched. Pyro and Pronym looked away a bit sad. He sighed a bit releasing energy into small bits of steam then closed his eyes. “That dragon. I hate him... More than Fyrus... More than all humans and dragons and hunters. Diom Gallahand… He killed my baby sister...”

She looked to him in confusion but also sadness. “I'm so sorry. But...why would he kill your sister?”

He growled. “My sister was just a child. About fifty-three years ago, the black dragons invaded the fire dragon kingdom. I was out subjugating the thunder dragon land with a few of the main forces of our army under HIS orders. He never cared for the kingdom. That night was when they attacked.. The night of the Eclipse Massacre. First the guards were killed.. Next the patrol then on a bright moonlight.. Massive amounts of black dragons filled the sky. Their king was the father of the current king of black dragons. He was ruthless.. He killed every Soldier.. But Diom.. He was the dragon’s right arm.. A bloodthirsty lieutenant. He hunted the strongest. After the town was taken my father was taunted to come out from Mount Firan, the main volcano in our land that was his roost. He never came out..because he wasn't there.. The black dragons started to take everything they could find and searched for a means to get him out.. I heard the news of the attack and with what troops could keep up rushed home.. Before I knew it I was the only one who made it there.. I saw it.. Just as ruthless as humans.. In a rage I killed many but they overpowered me with numbers.. I wasn't as strong as I was because of the fights with the thunder dragons.. Now they thought they had leverage.. They tried to threaten to kill me if he didn't come out and give up his power..of course... No one came out..”

Pyro stayed silent feeling Creeds pain in his words. Creed looked to Era. “Do you wanna know what happened next? How they responded?”

She looked to him with wide eyes and her mouth open slightly. She pressed her lips together, biting her lower one firmly and she met his gaze, but spoke softly after a minute. “I won't lie to you, Creed....Yes.. I do want to know...what happened to you..your story and her's, your sister’s too..But...you don't have to tell me anything...if you don't want to... “ She shook her head but walked over towards Creed, took hold of one of his hands by the wrist softly and gently placed her palm on his. Tracing the lines of it with her finger tip, she tried to get him to look at it. “You cared for your sister, yes? And you miss her? And no matter what awful thing happened that night ...No matter how awful or horrible or unspeakable...or how many even...Her loss of life is not your fault..and don't let yourself be angry for still being alive..” She showed that she had traced a heart and then traced a line through it to show loss. “You still feel so strongly the pain of everything and the anger... that even in your words and when they mentioned that person's name, you showed it. Please don't keep reliving things until you forgive yourself of the pain you feel over it..even if someone stupid like me thinks to ask..I don't mean to hurt you by asking a thing. “ She let go of his hand and stepped back to bow in apology. “And, I'm very sorry.”

He sighed a bit and shook his head. “Era.. This goes beyond the feeling guilty.. I do.. But what he did, he deserves his fate and that's to be killed by me. After the king had no avail luring out my father.. My mother came to my rescue.. She was nearby.. She had a home just beside the mountain.The fire king never let anyone up there. Not even here. She attacked the Black Dragon king and scorched out one of his eyeballs. In agony he attacked back and clawed her arms. He slashed her tendons of her arms so badly she couldn't use them. Paralyzed.. All she cared for though was protecting her child.. Me. She flung herself at him and charged in a rage but he regained himself and she was hit hard. Enough to knock her unconscious.. She was out.. I could see in his eyes he felt horrified at what he did.. He then ordered his entire army to leave he himself included. They were just about to release me when.. One dragon didn't leave.. Diom, he was insulted that my mother harmed the king..so insulted he found her nest. At the time my other brother was out with me but he was slower than me. Like the rest.. But what Diom did...I'll never forget...”

An image appeared in her mind of Creed's story. She seemed to see them. His mother with long red hair was out on the ground bleeding, while the black dragon soldiers were leaving. The king with long dark hair wearing armor looked to Creed as he was pulled up to his level. “I am not interested in harming your mother.. I want your father.”

Creed smirked. “Get in line.. I’ll never tell you squat for what you did to my mother!!”

He growled. “I underestimated mothers instinct today.. I am willing to leave this land but I want Fyrus to kneel to me. If you share my conviction....”

A voice called to the king “Don't bother my lord. The only thing these fire dragons need to know is fear us. That will get his tongue flapping!”

The man smirked holding an egg as Creed and the king looked eyes widened. “No...! Leave her alone!”

The king growled. “Diom! Stop at once!”

He smirked shaking the egg a bit. “Look how weak their eggs are, hey brat! You better get your father out here now or I'll make omelets out of your sister!”

Creed struggled to free himself his eyes red with rage. “Stop it don’t you dare harm my sister! I'll kill you!! I'll kill you!”

He glared to him. “I said get his scaly ass down here so he can kiss my kings feet!”

Creed growled more, hissing in his teeth. “We don’t know!.. He's gone! He might be even dead! We haven’t seen him in years since founding the village!”

The king blinked. “What? Then who wiped out our village? Who is responsible for burning our people alive in ash? His silhouette was seen flying away!”

Creed shook his head “How the hell should I know?! He wants me dead! He doesn't care to tell anyone anything! Now let her go! Let my sister go, damn you!”

Diom's smirk turned into an evil grin as he let go of the egg dropping. It fell to the ground. It withstood the impact and landed beside his leg. Creed’s eyes widened as he somewhat shivered looking to it. Diom laughed. “Oops! But it looks like her shells harder after all.. Hm, however..”

Creed struggled as the king rose his hand but groaned feeling his hurt eye. Diom looked to the king sadly a bit then glared to Creed’s mother. “You witch.. His pain.. Now you'll lose something permanent!” He rose his foot up high then smashed the egg under his boot grinning.

Creed’s eyes widened as he looked on shocked and screamed. “Ah.. Ah.. AMIAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!”

He cried out as his skin tingled and Diom laughed as he stomped more completely smashing the egg. “Die! Die! Die! Cry in pain, you garbage!”

Creed cried out finally breaking free and in a rage rushed to Diom roaring as his arms transformed but halfway through the king of black dragons swifly punched him in his stomach leaving him breathless, as he collapsed to the ground and struggled reaching out to the egg. “Gnngh!.. sniff Amia... No.. Amia..”

Diom sighed smiling a bit. The king looked to him with a glare and gripped his arm tightly. Diom screamed in agony and kneeled as the king looked to him fiercely. “What you have done is unforgivable.. You are hereby exiled from this land and my army you are filth. You disgust me.”

Diom shivered and looked to him confused. “M-my king.. Why...why...but I

...I... Why...”

He snarled and gave him a powerful punch full force to the back of his head sending him deep in the ground to make a rut and shake the area. Diom gasped in agony as his eyes whited out and he fell out cold. The king then looked to his troops. “Throw this trash as far away from my kingdom as possible and leave him for the birds.”

They nodded picking him up as the king walked away but looked to Creed who was struggling and crawled over to the crushed egg holding the pieces in his arms and crying. He shook his head. “He's still conscious.. I can break his body.. But not his heart... more than that.. He will come for me.. And Diom.. Fine.” He walked away as the vision started to fade away.

Era was shocked. “...She was only...She wasn't even....hatched? No..... Oh my god, no wonder you..were so ...determined to kill me when you tried....I... I'm sorry... He's....He's horrible... Horrible...how can he do that?? This is worse than the executioners in the village... it's just utterly cruel... “ Her whole body trembled as her eyes welled with tears and they began to fall as she fell quiet as the vision left her mind.

The group felt the emotion in the air as everyone stayed silent. A long silence filled the air. He lowered her head but spoke out quietly after a long while. “Are you sure it's okay for me to travel with you ...Creed? I understand if not...”

He nodded and stared to her. “Yes. Era you are the only person I will respect. You see all life as valuable.. You taught me that. More than that.. If you were there.. I know you would have saved my sister's life just as you did that egg. I trust you.”

Pyro looked to her then nodded. “I see.. Lord Creed. I will protect her as well. This girl who is able to even change you.”

Pronym nodded bowing. “It is as my husband says. I too shall protect her with all my life."

Era raised her chin to look up and meet his gaze, blinking a bit in surprise. She smiled softly and gave a nod. “I trust you too, alright? Besides.. I ...Just thank you for letting me understand a little by showing me.. “ She looked over to Pyro and Pronym. “Um...but Creed doesn't have to change... He's a bit fiery and straightforward, but at least he speaks his mind..and if I can, I'll try to protect you guys too.”

The two of them nodded a bit as Creed sighed. “At any rate.. We should head out. The dragons have already started to move and skirmishes will start.” He looked to Keir. “Good luck, tell the old man, I'm taking her with me.”

Keir nodded as he transformed and began to fly. “Just both of you stay safe I've got a bad feeling theirs more to this than we all know.”

Creed nodded transforming as well as Pyro and Pronym did the same. “Hop on, Era, and keep the egg close. You probably haven't noticed but it's taken a liking to you.”

She climbed onto his back but blinked, looking to him curiously as she kept the egg tucked against her belly. “What do you mean a liking?”

They started flying upward as roars came from below and the first part of the dragons of water and fire began to fight below. Creed nodded. “Even in this war.. It sees you as someone, it knows it’s safe with.”

She tilted her head, looking to the egg. “How can you tell?”

He smirked. “I used to hold my sister like that. I could hear her heartbeat. It is as calm as hers was. I used to hold her so much I could see the tiny shakes of her egg with each beat.”

She smiled. “That's so cool.. I'll have to pay more attention to see if this one shakes at all like that..I'm glad the egg is relaxed with me at least. I wouldn't want it to be afraid all the time.. Though I wonder if this one's a boy or a girl.. “ She hummed a little tune a moment to the egg in her arms instinctively in her happy feeling just then, as she thought on it.

He nodded. “I'm sure we will find out soon. Still, I'm concerned a bit taking them to the village but after what you did against the shadow dragon, I’m thinking they are strong enough with you to handle it.”

She nodded. “I'm nervous on that too... but as long as I keep the egg close, the baby should be okay, I think. I'm just going to do my best and trust you all too. Besides, you said you had a plan, right?”

He nodded. “Yes and so far it's working. You won't be able to notice but ever since the shadow dragon fight, we've been followed.”

She blinked. “Followed by who..?”

He shook his head. “Not sure completely but their in the clouds masking their scent with the air. Their also sending out small signals of energy to their friends on the ground. Their quite terrible at it.”

Pyro nodded. “Every dragon and anyone else who knows how to follow the energy will move after it. Whoever they are, their making sure everyone knows where we are.”

Era nodded. “So their leaving a trail behind so we can be tracked by more than just them..? But it makes me wonder why ... and who are they leading to us?”

Creed shrugged. “I'm not sure but then again they are following us to a place even fire dragons would avoid. We will see.”

[hiddcnhorizcns]

the wind cut through the heavens like a blade, sharp and cold as thalindra’s wings cleaved the clouds with effortless grace. below, the world stretched out in vast tapestries of green and blue, but kael’s attention was locked ahead—on the glimmering sea and the thin wisp of smoke curling up from a camp near the coast. her camp. amara. his brother’s new bride. the thought twisted something in his chest he couldn’t name—a tightness not born of resentment but of unease. she was a stranger to him, and yet, she was family now. bound to their bloodline, her fate tethered to his brother’s ambitions and their kingdom’s precarious future. it was a political arrangement, one he understood all too well. alliances forged in fire, not in love. a tradition as old as their highlands. and yet, something about the whole ordeal sat uneasily in kael’s mind. he descended slowly, letting thalindra circle once, her shadow casting over the camp below like an omen. the dragon let out a low rumble, a noise somewhere between a purr and a growl, and kael reached out to stroke her neck, his gloved hand brushing against her rough scales. “i know,” he muttered. “she probably doesn’t want to see me either.” thalindra snorted, her wings flexing in an almost playful response, and kael huffed a dry laugh. for all her ferocity, the beast had an uncanny ability to cut through his brooding moods. it was as if she could sense what he couldn’t say aloud—that he didn’t want to be here. that he didn’t know how to greet the woman now tied to his family’s future. still, duty was duty. and kael valorian had never been one to shirk it.

the dragon’s massive form landed softly for a creature her size, her talons sinking into the damp sand. kael swung down from her saddle in one fluid motion, his boots crunching as they hit the ground. he adjusted the heavy mantle draped across his shoulders, its weight a familiar comfort against the sharp bite of the sea breeze. his eyes found her immediately. her figure silhouetted against the dying light of the sun. the white of her wedding dress gleamed faintly beneath a deep blue cloak, the image so stark and solemn that kael felt a pang of something—sympathy, perhaps? she looked small but not fragile. there was a quiet strength to the way she held herself, her shoulders squared against the wind as if daring it to break her. kael cleared his throat as he approached, stopping a respectful distance away. “you must be amara.” his voice came out gruffer than he intended, and he winced inwardly. great start.

“i'm kael,” he added, softer this time. “your husband’s brother.” he gestured behind him to thalindra, who was now lounging lazily on the ground, her massive tail curling like a serpent. “i thought you might prefer a faster way to the reach than another day in the saddle.” it was an impulsive idea, born more from his own discomfort than practicality. he hated long silences, and the thought of her enduring another monotonous journey through unfamiliar lands made his skin itch. still, as soon as the words left his mouth, he wondered if it had been a mistake. would she think him foolish? reckless? did she even trust him? kael resisted the urge to fill the silence with more words. instead, he waited, his hands loosely at his sides, his heart thrumming with the rhythm of the sea.

muse: amara varorne, 25, pansexual open to: m - 25+ plot: amara’s father has finally married her off in an attempt to create an alliance and gain more power. feel free to read about her family here. indie starter page: @indiestarter open to: will post responses as new posts for tracking purposes

There she stood—bare feet brushing against the cool, grainy sand, the rush of the sea roaring before her like an untamed beast. Arranged. The word clung to her mind like a curse, a bitter reminder of the life-altering deal struck just hours ago. Amara had been wed to a man she’d never met—a stranger whose name held no meaning to her—sealed in a union that served not love, but strategy. A marriage forged not for joy, but for war. Her father’s desperate solution to save their crumbling kingdom: trade his daughter for an army. The ceremony had passed in a blur, lacking the grandeur and warmth of celebrations she had once dreamed of. No lively music, no jubilant toasts. Just solemn vows exchanged in clipped tones, binding her to a man whose face she could hardly recall. From there, she was whisked away, surrounded by unfamiliar soldiers whose voices were low murmurs, their whispers carrying a weight she couldn’t yet comprehend. The steady clatter of hooves had filled the long hours of their journey, punctuated only by the occasional crackle of tension in the air. Now, as they rested on the cusp of foreign lands—his lands—Amara allowed herself a rare moment to breathe. Her crystal-blue gaze swept over the horizon, lingering on the churning waves and the endless expanse of sky. A land so unlike her own, yet so full of potential danger. The ache of loss twisted her chest; she would likely never see her home again, never step foot in the palace she once called hers. Fingers tightened instinctively around the edges of her blue cloak, tugging it close against the chill that crept beneath its folds. The white of her wedding dress peeked out beneath, a ghostly reminder of the vows she’d spoken. She felt small beneath the weight of it all—small, but resolute. Amara was many things: a daughter, a princess, a sacrifice. But she was also a woman of her people, raised to protect them at any cost. Even if that cost was herself. The wind picked up, carrying the salt of the sea and the distant murmurs of the camp behind her. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, steeling herself against the wave of emotions clawing at her. There was no time for regret. No room for fear. For her people, for her kingdom, she would endure. Even if it meant surrendering her future to a stranger.

[shisnhou]

very suggestive content!

under the influence

it‘s a chilly evening. the wind is whispering its nightly lullaby, while the stars are slowly lighting up the city. you‘re standing in the balcony, glass of wine in hand, whereas your boyfriend has his usual cigar between his lips.

you‘ve always wondered what the smoke would taste like on your lips. although you aren‘t one for smoking, your curiosity just tends to pique a lot.

so you tend to turn to your boyfriend, geto suguru, and ask him all the things you‘re curious about his habit.

"babe," you turn to him, quirking a brow as you eye the lit stick between his lips. "do your lungs not burn after taking a drag?"

geto looks at you, then back down at his stick before he puffs out a white fog. "not really. i‘ve gotten used to it." he hums, taking your wine glass and drinking from it. "why?"

you hum in return, shrugging your shoulders as you look far into the distance. "seeing you smoking has got me intrigued. i‘ve never smoked before, nor have i ever tried it."

this isn‘t new information to him. he already knows that you‘ve not once touched a lit cigarette in your life. he isn‘t against it, in fact, he finds it bewildering that someone like you—who‘s not into smoke— is someone with him—who‘s never seen without the cancer stick hanging between his lips—.

"well, if you‘re so curious," lowly, he reaches in for his pocket and grabs the last stick he has. you eye him and smile. "here."

you shake your head and place his hand back into his pocket. "that‘s your last stick."

geto simply shrugs his shoulder and looks at you with a lazy smile. "if it‘s for you, i don‘t mind."

you can‘t help but roll your eyes at him, chuckling as you take a sip of your wine. "thank you, but i‘m not into it. i just wanted to try and feel what the smoke is like when it‘s in me for once in my life."

at your words an idea pops into your boyfriend‘s head. "yeah? you want to try what it‘s like?" he asks, intrigued but also almost eagerly.

"mhm, kinda."

his smile becomes wider at that.

geto tips your chin, forcing your eyes and his to meet. he smiles lazily and inches closer to your face. "you sure you want to try it?" he asks.

you have no idea what he‘s about to do, but you figure it must be one of his stupid yet hot ideas. as much as you know that he could be doing one of the dumbest things ever, you‘re still going to fall through with it; because it‘s him, your boyfriend, the love of your life, geto suguru.

you nod and he smiles once again, bending down and whispering into your ear. "close your eyes," he says in a husky voice.

you do as told, quietly listening to whatever is happening. all you hear is him taking one long exhale before his lips are pressed against yours.

geto‘s deft fingers are holding your cheeks softly to open your mouth as he passes something on to you. you moan lowly, feeling his tongue wrapping around yours before he pulls back and smirks at you.

"exhale, baby." is his order. you follow strictly and blow out the smoke from your mouth. white fog fills the air as he watches you with hazed eyes. he licks his lips and takes a short drag from his stick before he nears you and slowly blows near your face.

through the fog, you see his eyes clouding with lust as he holds you close to him. "how did that feel? good?"

you‘ve truly never been one for smoking, but god forbid would you be on your knees just to do that again.

[dailytatsu]

Hello! I love your writing and I recently saw a post of yours about the reader being the God Of Chaos and I was wondering if you could make a part two with characters of your choice, if it’s not that much of a trouble! Remember to drink water and rest well <3

Tysm! I’m really happy to see that a lot of you enjoyed it, and being honest, chaos reader now have a special place in my heart lol

Then let’s write a second part! Hope everyone likes these as well! ( ✌︎'. ')✌︎

Thanks for the request!✨

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[II - HC] God of Chaos! Reader & Genshin Characters

Characters: Bennett, Tartaglia, Scaramouche, Ganyu, Chongyun

Gn! Reader

Sorry for any mistakes!

Request are open!

Genshin Masterlist

<- First part

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BENNETT

First of all, how dare u

This boy already has a chaotic life for you to arrive and making it worse.

But being honest, it wasn’t intentional, just like always.

Besides he’s a kid. The chaos of a kid + chaos of his bad luck, I mean- how were you not supposed to meet him?

That day was really strange, for the very first time the chaos wasn’t attracted by you, but you were attracted to chaos. Like a moth following a lantern on the street, something that you felt like you had to do, some kind of childish curiosity that guide your way to find Bennett in the middle of his adventure.

Poor boy was charging his pyro attack to max until a barrel exploded near him, he flew in the air waiting for a rough landing before his trajectory sent him where you were standing, still looking for the origin of that uneasy sensation of curiosity.

Luckily for him you could see his shadow just in time to react. You looked up because of the strange silhouette on the ground next to you and there he was, surrounded by a cloud of smoke and fire, with his screams getting louder and louder as he falls.

You trapped him in your arms, with the situation turning even more strange when the first thing he said was “nice catch!” with the bright smile of his.

Like if his hair on fire wasn’t a big deal.

It’s raining men ig

Before you could ask anything, a crowd of angry hilichurls appeared from the same direction where Bennett came at first.

The white haired boy jumped off from your arms and tried to grasp your hand to run away together, but instead you pulled him near and then behind you before rising your hand to the front, pointing the stampede of furious creatures about to reach you both.

Not even a leaf fell from a tree before the hilichurls stopped, all of them felt your presence immediately, the primitive sensation of danger that meant a silent threat. Following the message that another camp of them told long ago, ‘get away from that stranger’.

Bennett was surprised, kind of scared at least. He wasn’t sure about how to call that feeling.

Are you a beast tamer?! Maybe an adventurer that discovered a secret about hilichurl’s behavior! Wait- where are you going? Don’t leave him behind, the doubt won’t let him sleep tonight!

You explained to him that it was dangerous for both to be near each other (more dangerous for him than for you), still you needed to get away. To protect Bennett and the other adventurers that were exploring nearby.

But why? He was so excited about meeting someone who could react that fast and precise! Like the heroes in the legends!

Please show him your ways, he’s begging you, how can you be rude to Bennett? That literally illegal.

When he heard that there was a God of Chaos exploring all over Teyvat like an errant he connected two points (even if there wasn’t a single thing to connect in first place).

You’re like him!

Hello ?? You’re literally ?? the most qualified to be part of Benny’s Adventure Team ??

Negative plus negative is positive, isn’t it? Maybe if you roam near Bennett his bad luck can collide with your chaos to neutralize each other!

You told him that you were leaving after that short conversation, but in reality you just hide from his sights and followed him from behind.

That kid really put you on your nerves, running into danger without knowing. Was that what Zhongli have to deal with every time you visit Liyue?

The old man really deserves an apology.

You’re not doing this an habit, of course not! You’re the all mighty God of Chaos, the ultimate troublemaker! How was even possible to think about wanting to protect a human just because he has bad luck? That’s ridic-

“Watch out!” You had to abandoned your hiding spot to reach Bennett again, pulling him away from the place where a bunch of hunter’s traps were. “Barbatos, why all your children have to be like this?…” You whispered for yourself, actually waiting for a answer, maybe a little too much because you didn’t free Bennett. His feet were just barely touching the ground.

“Oh, it’s you! Hello again!”

Enough of babysitting, that’s it, both of you are heading back to Mondstadt. This boy is a danger for himself, who allowed him to be an adventurer in first place?

After abandoned him in front of the city’s bridge you turn back to the forest, believing that it was the end, even if in the process your chaos took the life of some pigeons nearby.

Next morning you were sleeping peacefully on the branches of a huge old tree, feeling the wind of your bard friend greeting you from the distance.

Then a storm started out of nowhere; your fault.

And almost immediately you heard a cheerful voice below you, calling your name like a lost child searching for their parents.

As Bennett climbs the tree to talk with you a lightning strikes near enough to make both of you jump because of the surprise, falling from the branch and meeting each other on the mud below.

“Sorry, my bad.” Bennett and you said at the same time, to later laugh because of that.

It seems that both are more alike than you would expect

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TARTAGLIA

How do I explain that this guy already knew about you-

As you may suspect, yes, his only reason of wanting to meet you was to fight you.

The first step for taking the thrones of gods is beating one of the youngest, isn’t it? It would be a good start, and you’d be also one of the best opponents he ever fought! The only thing still needed was a way to make you accept his challenge.

Tartaglia’s first try was by attacking you without hesitation, not even a warning, just shooting an arrow for behind and waiting for you to counter. And yes, that didn’t go as planned, the rope of his bow snapped even before aiming.

It wouldn’t be that easy, the distance is always boring for a fight, why not just attacking directly?

Because you learned from Morax that you must not hurt mortals; the reason of your trip was for appreciate the human’s life, to understand why you exist, to have a reason to not end with everything that crosses your path.

To convince yourself that you’re not only destruction.

But it was hard to stay calm if he constantly provokes you to fight back. Always dodging, always running away, always breaking his weapons.

Barely holding yourself to not to break his Vision at this point.

Dodging one of his attacks again you ended up on top of a nearby structure by the side of the road, watching him from above and begging for him to stop for once.

Tartaglia clicked his tongue in annoyance, you would escape again. He was as sick as you of that senseless hunt. Maybe was the stress what impede him to think wisely, because his next strategy was like a death wish.

The water blades disappeared from his hands and, for the first time, he had a casual talk with you. Smiling and waving his hands to look relaxed.

Then he mentioned the incident with Osial, a event that almost became a tragedy. And the only reason you knew about that was because Morax told you about it, about his contract and the reason why he left his position as an Archon the next time you visited him.

It was your fault, isn’t it?

“… what?”

"As you heard! The conditions for summoning Osial was ideal, bringing back a sealed god filled with hatred and hungry for destruction couldn't have been possible if you hadn't been around Liyue that day.” His hand lifted to pointing at you, also smiling as your expression turned into a concerned one. “Oh, our God of Chaos, you were successfully satiated as the catastrophe filled the ocean! Bring us back the destruction, because it's the only thing you ever knew!”

He was obviously just mocking you, but still Tartaglia managed to actually make you think about it.

Your fault. Your chaos.

And even with that, Rex Lapis didn’t seal you or tried to eradicated you like the burden that you are for every nation.

It’s just a matter of time before you destroy all humane existence when you get bored of your fantasy of not being a spirit of chaos.

An infinity of negative and dark thoughts began to fill your mind.

It was sad, it was so sad that the erosion already began to have an effect on you being so young. You were afraid, you were concerned, the stress ate you inside while you tried to convince yourself that it wasn’t like he said.

Your mind collapsed, and you left the wrath take the control for the first time in centuries.

A fight? That’s all he wanted? Easy, that’s easy, just kill him and everything will end. His annoying voice won’t torment you ever again, his words won’t hurt ever again.

It’s easy, so easy. Mortal life is so easy to end.

He’ll defeat the gods, he’ll take their thrones and will witness the world’s end in the final battle he planned since his first encounter with the traveler.

But that day Tartaglia noticed the difference between your strength, it wasn’t huge, neither significant enough. But you were stronger, and it’s well known that wrath and despair can provide extra energy when it’s needed.

The perception of time disappeared, the world did too. Nature, men creation, everything will succumb against chaos, existence itself will be reduce to ashes.

That’s why you exist, to make sure there’s not too much heroes trying to make the nations a boring place. You just need to accept it!

But…

‘There’s no other way?’

The question sparkle inside your mind, bringing you back out of nowhere. There’s a lot of irregularities in the ground nearby, the land was broke for something that impacted with an inhuman strength, even the structure where you step on top was gone, just the remain of a building was left.

And your hands were holding something bland and soft, the warm sensation on your palms and the strange movements caught your attention to look down. Your hands were strangling Tartaglia.

From the other side his hands were trying to remove yours, his strength was minimal, not even able of closing his fingers around your wrist.

A expression full of pain and regretting of his decisions, question by question filling his mind while the air became harder to get.

A broken bow, his Vision has been thrown away. Now it was a human versus a god.

You took a step back, afraid of what you were about to do. You have to stay calm and quiet forever? To prevent catastrophe, to bring peace to mortals? Who’s the one you have to blame for creating you? How you could think that coexisting with humans was possible? Even if you say that you don’t want to make any problems you would stay near them.

“Just… leave me alone.”

Was the last thing you said, a whisper that wanted to apologize for a whole eternity, a regret that couldn’t be forgot. And then you left that place, escaping one last time.

But wait for him, Tartaglia thought, he didn’t need your compassion.

Sooner or later he would have his revenge.

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SCARAMOUCHE

Finally! With Shogun Raiden’s gnosis on his possession and the all mighty hero of Mondstadt weakened there’s no way things can go wrong for him!

A little delay in his plans, but still a smile remained on his face. Kunikuzushi couldn’t wish for anything else right now.

But you already know what is going to happen next.

In this world exist Murphy’s Law?, because anything that could go wrong went wrong after he claim for victory. Even being far away of the factory it seemed that the karma reached him immediately.

He just got his guard down for a couple seconds, and then, whoshh. Now you see it, now you don’t. The gnosis disappeared from his pocket, not here, not there. The annoyance filled his chest and then a irritated growl came from his throat.

What in the world happened?

Scaramouche looked to a huge tree in front of him, and there you were. On your favorite place to sit, above from everyone else in a branch. Holding the gnosis as the board piece it looks like, playing throwing it up a little and then catching it again and again.

Who you think you are to act that carefree on his presence? If you wanted to die so bad then you could just have asked for it.

Even if he called you and made a question first you counter it with another one, what was he doing with that thing?

You were sick of those who defy the gods thanks to his ‘workmate’.

Scaramouche ordered you to give him the gnosis back, threats and insults came out from his mouth as a distraction; in reality, he was just ready to set the first hit from behind.

But something made him stop just in time when you talked again.

“I don’t care what you are planning, but if it involves the ones who I’m in debt with, you will surely fail.”

“Another clairvoyant? Hah, your type are more words than an actual subject matter, but I have to admit it, they’re also very skill to escape.”

“It was a warning.” You said, throwing again the gnosis, this time to his direction.

Scaramouche reacted in time to rise his arms but in midair something caught the chess-like piece before his fingers. Surprising him again and making the irritation event more unbearable.

It was a tanuki. The same that looked behind a second before running even deeper in the forest.

The chaos isn’t necessary a huge disaster; a little accident, an inconvenient, a failure, it depends time and place to be considered like a catastrophe.

Scaramouche had a killer gaze just for you in his face, in respond you smiled at him, then covered your mouth with both hands to fake surprise.

“What a shame! Better luck next time, gods defier.” Your laugh could be heard all over the woods, like a spectral echo that chased him his way to get back the gnosis.

He got it back after a few minutes of a stressful walk through the forest, found the tanuki dancing on a stone before disappearing again. When he got closer he found that piece, making sure it was the real one and not just another trick.

The following days he received endless reports of Fatui soldiers and entire camps being reduced to rubble aside lost or destroyed materials; it was a higher level sabotage done by who they said was someone of relatively young appearance in strange clothes, the one that enjoyed staring at them until something goes wrong.

Nobody could defeat them, not even get closer. And with that, Scaramouche knew they were talking about you.

Was that what you meant with “warning”? Who are you exactly? Not even holding a Vision, how could you… ?

A quick order was enough to deliver him a book full of ancient legends, part of the Fatui private collection. Texts that were lost and the world had forgotten, his only hope was that you weren't exactly mortal, and if that was the case they could take advantage of your nature.

Hah, he found you.

God of Chaos, a body sculptured by the blood and bodies of the ones who died in middle of the wars. At first they were just a being full of anger and affinity for taking the life of every living being on earth, until the same hand that created them gave them a human heart of their own. Made without any prior basis, without being the remains of the deceased. Something one of a kind, the mortal heart of a god.

When human emotions filled the vessel they were released into the world, to mourn over the spilled blood and to know how everything of their existence originates. Born from the red that stained the fields and being the bud that seemed withered, the same that now has the deepest roots ever found.

Hmm, that brings back some memories…

But hey, that vital energy could be useful.

Don’t be surprised if one day you wake up chained and feeling dizzy as Scaramouche drains your life. You know what? Just wait for it! Running away as you did with that idiot won’t work this time.

Every possibility can be foreseen, every inconvenience can be solved. And if you think that you’re an exception then you’re stupider than you look.

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GANYU

Bold of you assume that Zhongli didn’t introduce you to everyone the first time you travel to Liyue.

The difference between your meeting was that it had to be really short. Ganyu is always busy so you couldn’t know her better before her duty called for her again.

Obviously you heard a lot of stories of her childhood thanks to Cloud Retainer. The day she knew about it Ganyu avoided you, next week she apologized with you about it. It was very rude, please pardon her.

Such a big sister vibes ngl

An Adeptus working that hard to human’s matters. It was so cool to follow her from a significant distance to see how was her routine.

If you could only live that peacefully near humans without causing any problem! What a dream! The envy was killing you.

Ganyu didn’t mind about you stalking her, the feeling of a companion was always present and she also knew that you had to keep some distance from everybody to not cause any accident. She appreciated your consideration.

Until a soldier from the millelith arrested you for harassment, wait- you’re innocent! Don’t get closer, hold on! Hold on!

The handcuffs broke almost immediately, though.

When Ganyu resolved the misunderstanding she hold your hands to apologize again, it had to be really stressful to be aware of any chaos you could create accidentally.

What if you… wait for her on the surroundings of the city?

Please, she have a lot of work, don’t interrupt her, she’s begging you.

Ganyu thought you heard her request, but she knew that you were just hiding when a window opened out of nowhere and a lot of documents flew away in the room.

You appeared hanging upside down from the other side of the window, jumped down and entered to pick up the documents. You hand her over all the pages and then you leave through the space on the wall.

“… I’ll be in Huaguang Stone Forest… ”

“Thank you.”

Even though you both agreed that you would return to the stone forest, she couldn't help but feel guilty as the hours passed, did you feel like a nuisance? Maybe she should apologize. Again.

When another successful day at work ended, she realized that repeating the same words over and over was not the best way to show her regret. That’s why a better idea formed in his head as she approached the abode of the rest of Adeptus.

Ganyu found you being scolded by Mountain Shaper for unintentionally releasing the trespassing intruders along with other creatures from their amber prisons.

After rescuing you again, she was able to propose her idea to you. With a calm and charming voice she asked you if you would like to learn about Liyue's traditions from the human perspective.

Sure, Zhongli could tell you about the beginning of traditions and festivities, but the way to celebrate them and pay tribute to the Adeptus was something that only a person who had lived among mortals for years could explain to you.

Your eyes shone in gratitude but no words really came out of your lips, kind of embarrassed you said some nonsensical things and then another amber cracked when you brushed its surface.

Mountain Shaper kicked you out without thinking twice.

But hey! The next day your classes on Culture from the Mortal Perspective began! A quick but calm walk through Liyue that got spread when a bunch of kids recognized you.

How could they not remember the person who plays with them every time they get a chance?

Ganyu sat by the side of the road on an empty bench, watching you scamper the children who seemed happy at your mere presence. Like the occasional accidents of a child, the curious and outlandish nature cannot be controlled, only accepted.

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CHONGYUN

Don’t move! The future best exorcist in the world, Chongyun, will put an end to your legacy of misdeeds and pranks! No evil specter that causes bad luck will survive to-!

Just by lightly tapping with your fingertips you were able to break the seal of the talismans that surrounded you out of nowhere. Pushing back the boy who was convinced that he had beaten his yang.

how dare u interrupt him.

Another of Xingqiu’s pranks? Isn’t this going a little to far? He hadn’t learn about not believing everything his friend says smh.

Let’s just mess with him a little.

‘Measure your words, human. In the presence of the God of Chaos, the first thought that should run through your mortal instinct is to beg for your life, since those who dare to defy them will be punished and displayed as a trophy in the infinity of the abyss from which the catastrophe came out.’

You took a few steps closer to him, while Chongyun kept backing away. The scene was so dramatic that you had to stop when the boy summoned his sword.

Haha jk, nice to meet u.

It's nice to know that there are still such dedicated exorcists out there.

But wait-, so you're not an evil spirit? A God? Why is there a god causing accidents all over Liyue!? That makes no sense! If you think you can deceive him by pretending to be a deity then he shall punish you severely for disrespecting them!

After a detailed explanation of your identity, Chongyun's mood plummeted again due to another failure as an exorcist.

He sat silently on a rock and remained silent, his expression showed so well his disappointed that it made you feel like it was your fault.

Ohno, a sad human child, your weakness-

At the end you sat next to him to listen to what he had to say.

Did he really want to see a spirit so badly? Those things are horrible, wearing strange clothes and yelling all the time, buagh! The thought of it gives you chills. But there's nothing you can do, after all they are drawn to your chaos.

When you finished talking so indifferently about what you lived through from day to day, you looked back at Chongyun, finding his expressive eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.

Are you a magnet of evil? Chaos and destruction? Demons and spirits alike appear wherever you go?

Then you stopped him, it wasn't something to take so lightly; there’s also the chaos of the butterfly effect, natural disasters, unforeseen events, influencing the mood of evil people, losing your favorite pair of socks-

But you attract spirits, right!? You have to help him! How can you say ‘no’ to that face?

The next day he took you to one of his commissions as an exorcist, a house that had numerous reports from its previous tenants. He stayed outside and asked you to come in first, obviously you refused, if your chaos broke something inside you would have more problems besides the ghosts of the house.

He insisted a little more, it worked. Now you were waiting to feel the presence of some spirit trying to attack you. You could feel it, their energy was spread throughout the building, but still there was no movement. Neither hostility, neither terror, just the presence of a soul.

When it was Chongyun's turn to enter you explained this to him, his yang was also easy to perceive, you could describe it as a blizzard in the middle of the storm. But despite this, that presence didn’t react to his energy, nothing changed.

Then you understand it, your energies neutralized each other. Your chaos and his yang ended in a stalemate that went nowhere.

“I was really hoping to see an actual spirit and not only stay still in the middle of the entrance… “

“Well, I can still curse you. Want to try?” Chongyun crossed his arms, annoyed for your jokes.

“Maybe I should exorcize you instead… ”

“Ohh, so the little exorcist wants a deity to be his personal dummy? Let’s make a pact then. Promise me your soul.”

“I-I thought you said you weren’t actually a demon!”

When you stroked his hair he couldn't help but think about how much he still had to learn, so much so that even the gods were taking pity on him.

[theladyofdeath]

I’ll Be Seeing You {1}

Nesta x Cassian, 1940′s AU

Collaboration with @snelbz​

Summary: After Cassian gets injured in the war, he’s taken to a war camp to be cared for until he gains enough strength to return to his battalion. While he’s there, he falls for a nurse that couldn’t care less about his title and doesn’t put up with his bullshit. Once he’s healed and the years pass by, he finds that there’s only one thing he wants to remember from the war, and she’s only a letter away. 

Trigger Warnings: war

A/N: FINALLY. Shelby and I have been writing away (both at this one, and the one she will begin posting later this week). We’ve been so excited to share, and hope you all like it.

Chapters will be posted every Monday. 

Word Count: 3745

IBSY Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist 

Tara’s Masterlist  

September 1940, The Winter Court

It was cold.

It was cold and Cassian couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten a full night’s sleep. He was bleary eyed in the midday sun, which did little to warm the frigid air as he walked, one hand braced on the gun hanging from his shoulder.

He idly wondered where Rhys and Az had been deployed to, if they’d ended up in one of the milder courts, or if they were as unlucky as he was, patrolling the borders of Winter.

If they were in one of the warmer courts, he hated them.

Loved them, missed them, hoped they were safe.

But he hated them, nonetheless.

Alongside his fellow soldiers, Cassian continued on, marching through the snow from the night before. It had been a wicked storm, one Cassian wasn’t certain they wouldn’t make it through. But they did, through some miracle their fires remained burning all night long, snow and all.

“Perk up, Nazari,” the soldier beside him grinned. “At least it’s above freezing today.”

“It’s at least ten below freezing,” Cassian said, snorting. 

The soldier's grin just widened and he kept marching on. At least someone was happy to be there.

He’d stopped learning anything aside from his fellow soldiers' names after the first couple of months. After losing someone he’d grown close to for what felt like the hundredth time, it was easier that way.

Andras, the golden haired man, continued on. “We’ve only got another ten miles before we meet up with the seventeenth battalion. Rumor has it they got a resupply in rations last month.”

There was too much to unpack in that statement for Cassian to waste his energy and warmth responding.

Only another ten miles made him want to wring Andras’s neck. They’d been moving since dawn and had only covered seven miles. At the rate they were moving now, they’d likely have to make camp again in volatile unclaimed territory.

He also knew a resupply of rations was unlikely. He hadn’t heard of any of the courts sending out any aid, because none had any to spare. So it was likely that rumors were all Andras had heard, and rumors they would stay. And if they somehow were true, Cassian was sure that the seventeenth battalion had probably gone through them themselves, not concerned with any forces coming to meet up with them.

He knew his legion wouldn’t have cared.

But this was war. Every man for himself, even if f they were fighting for a common goal.

Peace.

Peace seemed far away as the sound of rapid gunshots went off in the distance.

Someone screamed, and then an explosion went off up ahead, sending smoke and bodies flying into the air.

At first, Cassian’s body locked up but then his training kicked in. He fell into formation.

As he hurried behind Andras, Cassian took pity on one of the younger guys. He couldn’t have been more than eighteen, and this was most likely his first attack. He looked terrified, completely frozen.

“Move!” Cassian yelled, and the kid’s eyes connected with his, then he was finally moving, fumbling for his gun.

Cassian wished him the best but didn’t think about it long. He couldn’t. This was war. He had to remain focused.

The sound of the canon roared and before they had time to think, the cannonball landed just up ahead. Close enough for Cassian’s ears to ring.

He looked around, trying to locate the enemy.

He raised his gun.

His ears we’re still ringing and he couldn’t place where the shots were coming from, just saw man after man in his battalion go down. But Andras surged ahead and Cassian followed behind, trusting the instincts of his fellow soldier.

“Into the trees,” he called, knowing they wouldn’t offer much cover, but they wouldn’t be as exposed as they were on the open road.

Andras’s quick nod was his only reply and they pushed, but not before white hot pain shot down Cassian’s arm.

He cried out, still barely able to hear himself over the high-pitched ringing in his head, but he didn’t go down. He knew the only thing that awaited him if he did was death.

They’d been split up, separated and disoriented, just like the enemy had wanted them.

Cassian pressed a hand to his arm, hoping he’d just been grazed, but when he looked down, he knew that wasn’t the case. He was lucky he was still able to use his arm, with how much blood was pouring from the wound. He leaned against a tree as they made it deep into the cover.

“Fuck, man, you’re hit,” Andras muttered, not even pausing to consider before tearing into his own small med kit and tying a tourniquet above the wound on Cassian’s arm.

It took every ounce of willpower in him not to snap something like “No shit,” back at the man, but knew it would be a waste of energy.

“This should hold you over,” Andras yelled, above the screaming, the gunshots, the sound of the cannon. “You good?”

“I’m good,” Cassian promised, even though he wasn’t sure it was the truth. He was certain that he was running off adrenaline. There was a bullet in him, after all.

Bullet and all, he raised his gun and looked toward the hillside.

He could see the enemy, dressed in black. They looked like ants, being so far away, but Cassian took his aim, nonetheless. 

He aimed.

He fired.

He repeated the process.

The others near him did the same.

The battle was in full force.

Gunshots echoed and the men around Cassian went down. It was no use, really. The enemy was stronger, and far more confident. 

“Fuck,” Cassian muttered when he ran out of bullets. As he was reloading, a scream echoed from beside him, and Cassian looked down. “Andras? Andras!” He fell to his knees and took the soldier’s face into his hands. “Hey. Hey! Stay with me.” A crimson stain appeared on his uniform, just over his chest. 

The man coughed, blood spraying his chin and Cassian knew death lingered around them.

Granted, it was a constant shadow over all of Prythian.

He watched the light leave the man’s usually bright, laughing eyes, watched as they dimmed and stared unseeing to the canopy of trees above.

He didn’t have time for sadness, didn’t have time for grief. He picked up Andras’s gun, slinging it over his shoulder and grabbed his ammunition.

“We’ve got to move,” Cassian called back to the soldiers around him. “Deeper into the trees and head south. Try to get to the Autumn border.”

He held rank above the men, but not by much. Enough that they listened to his orders and did as they were told.

If they could just get to Autumn, they’d be back in friendly territory. He dared a look back as they retreated.

The number of bodies left bleeding in the snow made him sick to his stomach. How many men were still breathing and how many had passed on into the darkness?

A blanket of white, splattered with red. 

Cassian tried not to panic, but they were outnumbered. “Move!” he yelled, but with every second that passed, another body fell. He pushed down that panic, and moved forward.

He had only taken a few steps before a searing pain hit his back, just below his shoulder. Cassian landed facedown in the snow, and this time, he was unable to move. 

A burning sensation began to spread, and that panic that he had pushed down began to resurface. 

He heard someone yell for him, heard someone call his name, but it sounded far away, too far away. Someone was holding him, but Cassian felt nothing, nothing but that burning in his back. Darkness clouded his vision, and as much as he told his feet to keep moving, as much as he told himself to get back up and keep going, he couldn’t move. 

Time moved slowly. 

Cassian felt like this is what it was like to die.

And, surprisingly, once that panic began to fade, he was no longer afraid.

An explosion sounded nearby, and Cassian’s body was thrown.

In the snow, in the heart of the Winter Court, the darkness took over, and Cassian was gone.

*

There had been an ambush.

That was all that they were told as bloodied and battered men were hauled into the med camp just over the Autumn border.

Nesta Archeron’s eyes were wide as she took in some of the injuries.

Blood. There was so much blood.

She’d had to tend to a few of the men as they passed through, but most of the fighting had been deeper into the territory. She hadn’t seen the violence of all out bloodshed.

The screaming of a man whose arm was hanging in tattered ribbons broke her from the haze she’d settled in. She looked around the tent at the dozens of men and wondered if the other nurses tents were filling as quickly as hers.

“Madja,” she breathed, surprised to find her voice gravely. “Who should I—?”

“Anyone,” the head nurse snapped, pressing a wad of bandages to a wound in a man’s chest. “Just pick one.”

She nodded and tied her hair back, hurrying across the tent.

The bloody man was unconscious, covered in burns and mud, but the young soldier who brought him in still stood beside him. She asked, “What are his injuries?”

The young man was a stammering mess. “He— He took at least two shots to the ba-back, one to the arm.” She was about to reach for him, to turn him over and inspect his back but he added, “And then we tripped a land mine on the trek over.” Nesta went still. “He wasn’t in the direct path of the explosion but he was in the radius. I think— I think he was thrown, but I’m not sure. I helped carry him in after that.”

Nesta only hesitated for a moment before nodding, tight lipped. “Thank you. Help me turn him over.”

The young soldier nodded, helping Nesta flip him onto his stomach. She could see where he had been shot. Crimson stains coated his uniform. Without another word, Nesta began to cut the fabric.

First things first: remove the bullets.

Nesta cleansed his wounds, then went to work. They had very limited surgical equipment, but Nesta had gotten used to using what they had since she arrived in the recent weeks. The young soldier remained as Nesta removed the bullets from her patient’s back and arm, and once that was complete, she checked his vitals.

His pulse was steady enough, although it was slower than it should have been. He had a fever, most likely due to infection of the bullet wounds. Considering he was out, there was no way to check for any sort of head injury, but if he had been thrown due to an explosion, Nesta had no doubt that he did.

She could only hope that he would wake up soon so that she could examine him further.

“What’s his name?” Nesta asked the young soldier that continued to stand by his bedside.

“Corporal Cassian Nazari, ma’am,” he answered. 

Nesta nodded. “Thank you.” She wrote his name on the sheet of paper on the clipboard hanging from his bed. 

“Should I— What should I do?” He asked, swallowing hard. “Do I help or—?”

She looked at him, nearly shaking in the medical tent. “What’s your name?”

“Isaac, ma’am. Private Isaac Hale,” he replied, and it was the first thing he’d said that he sounded confident in.

“Do you have any medical training, Private Hale?” She asked, firmly, but not unkindly.

“No, ma’am,” he admitted.

She nodded. “Then go be with your men. Your presence is appreciated, but we need the space to work.”

He accepted the dismissal, nodding, and hurried out of the tent.

Nesta looked back down at her patient and reached for one of the damp rags. She needed to get him cleaned up so she could fully assess his injuries. He was still out cold, so she whispered, “Sorry, Corporal Nazari, but this is probably going to hurt.”

After re-drenching the rag in alcohol, Nesta was cleaning the gunshot wounds, carefully but quickly. At one point, Corporal Nazari stirred, which she assumed was due to the horrid stinging of the alcohol against an open wound, but Nesta took it as a good sign.

He was responsive.

He was alive. 

Once his wounds were cleaned, she flipped him back onto his back and checked his pulse, once again.

Slow, but steady. 

She had stitched and bandaged him up, so the blood loss had been minimized. Nesta made a note to check on him in half an hour and wiped her hands on her apron, continuing on.

Cassian Nazari was not the only soldier that had gotten caught in an explosion. In fact, there were men far worse off than him. Madja was assisting a man who had his leg nearly blown off, and although Nesta had a tolerance for such things, she looked away.

War on the frontlines was not easy.

But being a nurse, seeing what the frontlines did to soldiers, was not easy, either.

It was nearly two hours later, the sun beginning to set and lamps being lit inside the med tent, before Nesta made her way back to check on the corporal. One of her fellow nurses had cleaned him off as much as they could and underneath all the mud and gore, she found that his face, despite being battered and burnt and bruised, was…handsome. Ignoring that handsome face, she gave him a full once over, finding burns on his entire left side, four cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a broken bone in his forearm. He was also probably concussed, but until he woke up, that couldn’t be confirmed.

Not the worst injuries he could have gotten by far, but the number of them would keep him down for a while. He was lucky he hadn’t been closer to the blast when the mine had gone off.

Quickly, but efficiently, she set the bones in his arm, and popped his shoulder back into place, before wrapping his arm and slinging it around his neck.

The injury to his back worried her. One of those bullets had been very close and she wasn’t sure if any damage had been done to his spine. Again, they’d have to wait until he was awake to see just how bad it was, but until then, she elected to check for response in one of the few ways she knew how.

Carefully tugging off one of his boots, she ran a finger along the inside of his foot, tickling gently. His knee jerked slightly and she breathed a sigh of relief at the quick response and movement.

A raspy voice whispered, “That’s the strangest version of foreplay I’ve ever seen, but I’m open to trying anything once.”

Nesta’s eyes were immediately on his face and one of his was barely cracked open and trained on her. The other was swollen shut.

She hurried to the head of the small bed he laid in. “Corporal Nazari, how are you feeling?”

“Who are you?” He asked, and even though his voice was quiet, it sounded like the man had been gargling gravel.

“Nesta Archeron, sir,” she breathed. “You’re in the med camp of the twenty-sixth legion.”

His eye fell shut again and he rasped, “Autumn?”

She nodded, but then voiced her words. “Yes. There was an ambush—.” She paused, realizing she didn’t have much information for him. He had been there. He probably knew better than she did. 

He sighed, grimly. “How many of us were brought in?”

Nesta looked around. Nearly all of the beds were full. “About twenty of you so far. Your men are still scoping the valley now that the ambush has cleared.” 

He stayed quiet for a moment. “Casualties?”

Nesta cleared her throat. “I’ve yet to hear an update.”

His eyes remained shut as he said, “Okay. Thank you.” 

“Can I get you anything?” she asked.

“How long until I’m on my feet again?” he asked, in answer.

Nesta looked over his body, wondering if he’d make another snide, inappropriate remark. “Now that you’re awake, I’d like to examine you further.”

Cassian nodded, and tried to sit himself up, but hissed the moment his palms hit the cot, and he put pressure on them. 

“Your ulna is broken, don’t put pressure on it,” she explained. He probably hadn’t even noticed that it was wrapped, considering his eyes could hardly open and he hadn’t really taken a moment to take in his surroundings. She assumed that the entirety of his body hurt. “You also have four cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and some severe third degree burns. The bullet wounds have been cleansed, but…” 

Cassian looked at her. “But?” 

“A bullet just missed your spine.”

“Okay,” he said, slowly. “And that means?”

“That means that I need to see how your body has reacted,” she said, simply, and helped him into a sitting position. At this point, she had learned to ignore the horrid smells that came from soldiers. She wondered when the last time he’d been given the luxury to shower. She made a mental note to offer to help clean him up when she was finished with her examination. “First, we’ll check for a concussion.” 

He nodded, slowly.

“Do you have a headache?” she asked.

Cassian looked at her, and blinked. “Seriously? Look at me. Every inch of my body aches.” 

Her lips thinned but she gave him a curt nod. “What about nausea? Dizziness?” She lit a candle and held it up. “Sensitive to light?”

His eyes, already barely open to slits, closed further as he tried to turn away. “Let’s say yes to all of the above.”

She nodded, leaving the candle burning, but setting it down atop the small table beside the infirmary bed. “You’re going to to rest for the remainder of the day, after we get you cleaned up. Tomorrow, we’ll further look at your back, make a plan based on that, and go from there.”

She could tell he wanted to argue, to say they needed to begin treatment now, but his eyes were so weary. They were still glazed.

“I can get you something for the pain,” she offered.

He didn’t answer her, just asked a question of his own. “What’s your name?”

Nesta pursed her lips to suppress her laughter. “You’ve already asked me that, corporal.” 

Cassian looked up at her. “No, I didn’t.”

Nesta didn’t bother to correct him as she subtly shook her head. Concussion, indeed. “My name is Nesta Archeron. I’m a nurse.”

“I’d hope so,” he grumbled. “If you’re not a nurse, I’m afraid for my health.”

“Rest assured, I’m a nurse,” she promised. “I’ve got the certificate to prove it.”

“Were you a nurse before the war?” Cassian asked.

A lot of nurses were volunteers, with very limited training. They were tossed into battle with as little experience as the soldiers.

“I was in school for it,” she answered, simply. “Only in my second year.”

“And you stopped going to school?” He pushed. “To come here?”

“You ask a lot of questions, Corporal.”

She was ringing out the rag in a warm-ish bowl of water on the table when he spoke.

“Just trying to figure out why someone as beautiful as an angel would be willing to be dropped into pure hell with people like us.”

Nesta froze from where she’d been about to wipe down his neck and shoulder. She didn’t look at his face as she began to carefully clean the bits of burned skin. “I’m just trying to do my duty. To protect my village, and to keep my sisters from getting it into their heads that they need to join the war.”

“You must be the oldest,” he replied, hissing as she cleaned out a wound.

“I am. One of my sisters is twenty-one and the other just turned eighteen.”

“My brothers are somewhere on a battlefield.” His words were quiet, eyes distant, even as they didn’t look at her. “But I have no clue where.”

She needed to stop talking, needed to stop telling this soldier about herself and her family. He was just as likely to heal under her care and go back out and get blown up as he was to die from infection in these festering camps. “I’ll be right back, corporal.”

She tossed the rag back into the bowl, the blood staining the water pink and hurried to the large cabinet where the medications were stored. She poured water into a mug from one of the clean pitchers and mixed in a healthy dose of the powder indicated for pain relief. Carrying it back to his bed, she helped him prop up slightly. “Drink this, please.”

He did as he was told and she watched as the powder took hold.

“Trying to knock me out so I stop asking questions?” He asked, as he drank from the glass.

“Just trying to ease the pain,” she answered, simply, and helped him lay back down.

Putting that wet cloth back in the bowl, she dabbed it on Cassian’s brow, cleaning off the dried blood.

“It will do you well to get some sleep,” Nesta said. “When you wake up, I’ll get you something to eat. A new shipment should arrive soon from our neighboring camp.” 

In response, Cassian’s stomach rumbled and he was grateful for the news. “Can I ask you just one more question?”

Nesta hesitated, but nodded as she continued to wipe off the blood.

“Will you always be the one tending to me?” He asked, with a yawn.

Nesta took the emptied glass from him and said, “We are a team here, but you are in my section. We typically divide to stay organized, unless there is an emergency we will work together to save the life, to do what we can. As for rotational check ups, I will most likely be your primary caregiver, yes.”

She looked down at him and his eyes were closed, his breathing even. She shook her head, already being able to tell this corporal was a handful. 

After dropping the rag in the bowl, she began to walk away, but before she could go she heard him say, “Good.” 

[hopetune]

His words unearth some mysterious feeling inside her, a small ease that starts at the knot of her stomach and travels upward to her throat. Like a resonating frequency that brings dissonant chords together, letting the vibrations quiver and quiver until they formed a oneness: a Harmony. 

Robin has a myriad of questions. None have settled since the beginning of this conversation. Each gathers like storm clouds and blocks out the light. But she slowly realizes that, of all the Questions, there was only One that mattered.

She trusts the birds, she trusts their wings, but does she trust her brother?

A Moment passes—lasting for a breath or maybe for an eternity. But she soon meanders into her conclusion.

The Answer is Yes. It had always been Yes. It was Yes even when Robin left the Planet of Festivities— it was Yes even when he had flown to near-Aeonic heights— it was Yes even as he began falling. Whatever Path he would go on would no doubt be difficult, but she felt this unyielding Faith in his ability to overcome it. He is strong. Stronger than even she could Hope to be. He burdened himself with the World but managed to keep his shoulders straight. He is strong. He does not need her to catch him—just as she does not need Him to catch her, either. Even if she had wanted to be the one to protect him, it would only cage him in the end.

The Answers to her other questions will never come to her. The question of that train, of that falling bird, of that failure—not even the most Erudite scholar could hope to exhaust them. But she has Answered the most important one, and her wonderings can soon cease. She will not be there to see her brother take to the sky again. She wouldn't get to see the smoke coming off the engine as the train moves further away from the station. But she doesn't have to. Tragic as it is: Birds are meant for the sky but they do not always end up flying together. You don't always get to wave the train passengers goodbye. But what matters is that they would all end up in the same destination: that stretch of Endless Blue, where they could watch the same Stars glitter against the backdrop of a waning sun.

Robin's coat begins to disappear. Her wings begin to spread out, and her halo crowns her head once more. No longer would witnesses of this Dream see two strangers, but rather, a Robin and a Hound, standing at the precipice of their grief and accepting what they cannot see over the edge of it.

"...I understand it now." Robin finally says, her voice feather-soft and similarly fragile, as though threatening to break beneath the weight of her realizations, "I think I have the answer. Or rather… I don't." she shakes her head lightly, "No, I don't have any answers to the questions I've been asking you or myself. But I see why it doesn't have to matter."

Breaking away from the railing, Robin turns around and looks at the Golden Theater glittering in the distance. She holds her gaze towards it as she speaks, as though addressing it directly.

"Because I trust my brother, despite everything. I know he has the same heart as he had all those years ago. People who know him now wouldn't believe it—I don't think he does either, but this belief is all I can leave him with. I can no longer protect him… but he is more than capable of protecting himself. I should have seen that."

She wonders how he feels, in this Moment. Would he believe in himself? Would he believe in her, too? But Robin wastes no more time seeking Answers. No, she'll simply trust that he will find his own, eventually. 

"You've given me a lot, Mr. Gallagher. Your words…" she laughs quietly, recalling the fondness that lay hidden beneath his gruff tones and name-calling. A fool, a friend— whatever the case, he must have cherished him deeply, "I can sense they come from a place of great love. It must have taken you quite a long time to reach your conclusion."

A Quietness distilled

˚ʚ [robin & gallagher] ɞ˚

[myonepiece]

Law, Luffy, Zoro headcanon- he is at your execution, but you react to the situation like Gol D. Roger then escape yourself

•~•~•~•~

Warnings: slight angst, mentions of death, EMO

Also feel free to change any of the “last words” quotes

Ztgsfdkzjdb this was so fun to imagine

Also I’ll make this with other characters too!

Law

•The salty smell of the sea was carried through Loguetown and whipped your hair around as you turned the corner

•You started walking down the isle with your hands in shackles, surrounded by marines

•You heald your head high as you strutted through the parted crowd

•You had no regrets of taking their lives, you felt pride knowing that you were such a threat that you were to be executed the same way Gol D. Roger had been

•One foot in front of the other, you smirked as your eyes scanned the crowds’ faces- finding fear, anger, amazement, and sorrow as they watched you being walked to your “death”

•As you stood on top of the platform, you looked into distance with a contempt look that only made the marines and citizens angrier yet fearful that you showed no sign of terror- it was as if you didn’t know you were being executed

“Any last words” the marine next to you asked

•You glanced at him then back at the crowd smiling your infamous grin as you said,

“It’s a fine day for bloodshed”

•You watched the look of fear wash over the faces of those watching, then you jumped and kicked the marines off of the platform

•You kicked up one of their swords and broke your shackles, then into the crowd you jumped slicing as many throats as you could get to as you sprinted towards the docks

Law’s Reaction~~

•He was watching from the docks

•He was watching the love of his life being led to their death, hoping that some miracle would happen that landed you safely back in his arms

•He knew he couldn’t take all of the thousands of marines that were there making sure your execution was carried out

•As much as Law had argued with his crew to save you, they explained there was nothing they could do

•Law felt part of his heart begin to die as another person he cared about approaching their death

•The one thing he couldn’t get out of his mind, was the resemblance you showed to the Pirate King

•You had no fear on your face, only pride

•You had always showed in incredible resemblance to Roger, so much that Law thought you to be his kid at first

•Law listened to your last words and let the tears escape, even in your last moments you were a violent pirate, that he had somehow come to admire and love with all his broken heart

•But as he watched you take down the marines and free yourself, he realized that was why he loved you- your unwavering pride and bloodlust that drove you to your success and constant return to him

•The crowd thrown into panick and he lost sight of you as dust and gunpowder filled the air that was now laced with screams

•As you emerged from the smoke with blood smeared across your face and dripping from your swords, Law realized that he didn’t deserve you, you deserved a king with as much strength as you, but what he didn’t know was that he was the only king you saw fit to hold your heart

Luffy

•It was a spring morning, it couldn’t have been better weather for your execution day

•You took a deep breath and inhaled the familiar smell of sea air mixed with flowers, then you were led into the sunlight and the sound of boos mixed with cheers filled the air

•You grinned at the parted crowd as the marines walked you forward closer to the execution platform that your idol had died on

•You looked at the different types of flowers that littered the shop fronts and ground

•You felt pride in your chest as you thought of the victories that had gotten you to this moment

•All the deaths were worth it and you felt no remorse

•The crowd was varied- some had looks of disgust, some had sorrow, terror, anger, awe, excitement

•You smiled at the kids peeking from behind their parents, it was a smile the world knew all too well, one that always ended in blood

•The closer you got to the platform the more your heart beat with excitement, you would finally see the view that the pirate king had, you had to remember it so you could tell Luffy about it once you were back to him

•You looked out at the crowd with your eyes full of pride and joy, with a hidden layer of violence

“Last words” the marine said

“You should really stop asking for last words, I could’ve killed 10 men while you asked that. But now I’ll kill 100”

•And with that you knocked your head into the marine’s and kicked the other one off the platform

•The crowd erupted into screams as you leaped down, breaking your shackles on the way, and snatched the swords from the dead marines

•You counted down 100 lives as you ran through the crowd dodging bullets towards the docks

Luffy’s Reaction

•Luffy felt like his heart was being ripped apart as he watched the woman he loves being walked to her death

•The whole strawhat crew had to hold him back and explain to him that they would all die if they ran in to save you

•Tears were streaming down his cheeks while Chopper, Sanji, Usopp, and Nami sobbed into each other’s shirts with Robin in background quietly crying as her friend neared the end

•Zoro stood by Luffy holding the back of his shirt in case he tried something- although Zoro knew he wouldn’t completely stop Luffy if he did

•Luffy had planned for you to be his queen, in every dream he had of his victory, you were right by his side

•Mixed with the harrowing sadness and guilt that he felt, there was a hint of pride that you were meeting the same fate that his idol, Gol D. Roger, had met

•What especially intrigued Luffy, was the pride and unwavering grin that you wore across your face- the resemblance to Roger was uncanny

•As you stood on the platform, Luffy’s tears quickened- he would give anything to have you back with him and his arms wrapped multiple times around you

•But the whole crew froze as you proudly said your “last words” then leaped into the battle

•Luffy watched as splashes of blood flew into the air and screams rang throughout Loguetown, the dust covered you from sight and the crew leaned over railing trying to see you

•As you emerged from the smoke with your clothes soaked with blood and the terrifying grin that Luffy loves so much, they cheered

•And as Luffy watched you run towards them, he knew he had made the right choice to make you his queen, he realized that becoming pirate king wasn’t his only dream anymore, he now dreamed of spending the rest of his life with you

Zoro

•The winter wind nipped at your nose as you watched the sun begin to set

•You stepped out into the pathway separating the crowd, with your hands shackled and a group of marines leading you forward to the execution platform

•You held your head high with pride, having such a big execution gave your ego a boost

•You had no regrets, only pride, and you weren’t going to fake sympathy or guilt for the families of your victims

•Walked with pne foot in front of the other and smirked down at the kids who watched you in awe

•The crowd wore expressiones of fear, sadness, joy, disgust, and confusion- most likely wondering why you showed no sign of terror

•Your hair whipped around you as you climbed the the platform and looked out at the same view the Pirate King had seen

•The pride you felt just grew as the marines took their place beside you

“Any last words”

You kept your eyes on the crowd as you smirked and replied “I won’t be killed by a mere marine, enjoy the show”

•You kicked the marines off the platform easily and ran down into the crowd taking a sword with you

•After freeing your hands, you unleashed the force of your violence that had earned you your name

Zoro’s Reaction

•Zoro’s tough exterior cracked when he saw the marines walk you down the isle

•He let the tears slowly fall down his cheeks while the rest of the crew sobbed into his clothes

•He had fought with them because he, Luffy, and Sanji wanted to go in and save you- but deep down they all knew it wouldn’t do any good

•He thought back to all of the times you and sparred with him, watched him train, cheered him on during battles, and napped with him

•Oh how he would miss your naps, the moments he thought of spending every moment of every day with you for the rest of his life

•But now he couldn’t, you wouldn’t be there the day he became the greatest swordsman like the two of you had always planned, even though with you at his side he already felt like he was the greatest

•He would show no mercy in his future fights against the marines

•Zoro snapped back to reality and noticed the resemblance between you.. and the first Pirate King

•Your face showed no fear, you held your head up with pride, the pride he admired so much

•He was proud of you for showing no fear, and proud of the resemblance you held to the greatest pirate

•He watched as you climbed the platform, his heart breaking with every step

•But as you stood on the platform awaiting your execution, he realized that you had no plan of dying

•That gave him hope that maybe, just maybe, your pride and thirst for blood would safely return you to his arms- and that wish came true

•The second he heard your “last words” he knew you would be napping on his chest in just a few moments

•The strawhat crew watched in awe as you tore threw the crowd with astounding skills and grace

•As Zoro saw you emerge from the smoke and gunpowder filled cloud that blocked the sight of the Loguetown town square, he knew that you wouldn’t be leaving him, that you be there to see him become the greatest swordsman and be there at every victory after that- and he’d be dead before he let you get taken away from him again

[a-edgar-allan-hoe]

The Last Chthonian

Bucky x Reader, Sam x Reader, Zemo x Reader

Part 8

A/N: Part 8 is here lovelies! Let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list! 🖤🔮🖤

Summary: Imagine being Hekate, the Greek goddess of magic and witchcraft, the night and the moon, doorways and crossroads, creatures of the night, and ghosts and necromancy. You stumbled upon Earth many centuries ago and since then have resided on the foreign planet. During the recent years you created an alias for yourself to hide your true identity, and after the war against Thanos you chose to live out your days in the Scottish countryside, until a certain trio appear at your doorstep one day.

Warnings: language

You and Zemo had sat there in silence in the green house for quite some time, watching the rain slowly die down. And though your eyes were focused on the rain, Zemo’s would occasionally leave the windows to glance at your profile, studying the features of your face and the scar that ran down your eye. It was then he noticed that you had a few others, like the smaller ones across your nose, eyebrow, and lip. These weren’t as prominent as the long one you had, they were older and starting to fade. Your cup was already empty while you stared out the glass windows. Your thoughts still dwelled on what Zemo had said to you earlier. As the sun’s rays started to peek out over the horizon, you let out a sigh, standing up as you did so. You needed to go outside and clear your mind.

“If you’ll excuse me. I should get dressed.” You spoke before leaving the glass room, your robe and nightgown flowing behind you as you went. Zemo watched you leave before getting up, taking the tray of the empty cups with him as he decided to get himself dressed as well.

You went back to your room to take a quick shower before grabbing some clothes from your closet to pack up. You threw on a black mock neck sweater and a pair of dark charcoal grey tweed pants along with your grey plaid blazer that had a black velvet collar. You stopped at your dresser and stared down at the intricate silver metal box that was tucked away in one of the drawers. You pulled it out, your fingers tracing along the floral and vine engraving before opening it. Inside the blue velvet lined box sat a silver necklace. Pulling the necklace out, you laid the pendant in the palm of your hand, it was a little crystal ball filled with tiny stars that had a silver tetrahedron point attached to the bottom of the sphere.

Your mother Asteria had given you this. Her being the goddess of shooting stars and nighttime divination such as oneiromancy and astrology, she had made this pendant for you and filled it with her favorite stars. And engraved on the bottom silver point were the words ‘For my favorite star of all. Love, your mother.’ Your heart sank at the words. She had made you this when you were little, to help you with your nightmares and when you had trouble sleeping. All you had to do was spin the sphere and watch the tiny night sky and shooting stars that were captured in it, and soon you would be fast asleep. The only reason you hadn’t used it, was because you would see your mother in your dreams. And though she had made it where she would be there to provide words of comfort, you couldn’t bear seeing her without breaking into tears. Wiping away the tear that slipped down your cheek you decided to put the necklace on anyways, looking in the mirror as it hung delicately under your collarbone, sparkling against the light in your room.

Lacing up your black docs and throwing your hair up in a braided low bun, you went downstairs and decided to head out to the stables as your dogs followed you out. You stopped by the kitchens on your way out, grabbing a big bag of some krystállinomílos, vegetables and a variety of peppers. You grabbed a few pieces of meat and tossed some to your dogs, laughing as they chowed it down eagerly. “I’ll be back pups.” After you exited the back entrance to your home and approached the stables, a smile broke out on your face as you saw your dark dappled grey Pegasus munching on some oats. Once she saw you she neighed in excitement, jumping around in her stall and stretching out her stormy grey wings.

“Thýella!” You beamed, stroking her forehead as you nuzzled your face against hers. “O pós mou leípeis! (Oh how I’ve missed you!)” You had always admired her and had her since you were but a small child back in Olympus. Zeus had given her to you on your birthday when she was merely a foal and you had named her Thýella, which translated to tempest since she reminded you of a storm. Her muzzle was black and faded to a grey as it went up her forehead. Her mane was jet black, and her tail started as black before fading to a white. Her body was a stormy grey with lighter colored spots throughout her coat before fading into black on her legs, save for her left legs that had a bit of white near her hooves.

“Páme gia mia vólta (Let’s go for a walk).” You told her as you set up her saddle and her reins before hoisting yourself on her back. You exited the stable, strolling through the green of your land as you headed towards the bigger stable you had. Getting off Thýella, you held her reins you stepped into the larger stable. As you peered into the wooden stalls you saw your dragon, his black, maroon red, and dark magenta scales rising and falling as he slept in his stall next to the pile of trinkets he has collected. You smiled once you saw him, he was a gift from your uncle Hades and you had him since he was a wee little dragon in his egg.

You creeped closer, hiding behind his stall before jumping out and scaring him. “Kólasi!”

Kólasi jolted awake, knocking his big horned head into the side of the stall before shaking it off. He stared at you with confusion in his fiery eyes, watching you giggle like you used to when you played with him as a child. He was surprised to see you here at first before squinting his large eyes at you and letting out a disgruntled huff as he turned his head away from you with his snout pointed in the air.

“Oh come on.” You teased. “Min eísai étsi (don’t be like that).” You stepped closer to him, stretching over to look in his eyes only to make him huff again as turned away even more. “Den mou leípses? (did you not miss me?)”

Kólasi side glanced at you, giving you a considering look before nuzzling your face since he was truly happy to see you again.

“Mou leípeis polý paliós fílos (I’ve missed you too old friend).” You chuckled as you scratched his head. “Éla. as páme éxo (Come. Let’s go outside).” You led them outside in the warm sunlight before plopping down on the grass with your bag of food. Kólasi sat down behind you, allowing you to lean back on him as his head craned around to face you. He lifted his wing up above you to provide some shade while you opened up your sacks of food. You handed over the krystállinomílos to Thýella and gave the meat, vegetables, and peppers to Kólasi. You grabbed a krystállinomílo for yourself, taking a bite out of the juicy fruit as you pondered on what the three were doing right now. They were most likely having breakfast since you informed Gudrun and the others to make something for them. You then wondered what they would think once they saw Kólasi and Thýella but decided not to dwell on it any longer since you knew there was only one reaction they would have, and it definitely wasn’t a positive one.

You felt Kólasi nudge his head against you, making you look at him. “Ti eínai aftó? (What is it?)” You watched as he nodded towards the sky and a smile appeared on your face. “I knew you’d say that. Éla Thýella. As páme na petáxoume. (Come Thýella. Let’s go fly.)” You went back into Kólasi’s stall, grabbing the special saddle you had made for him before going back outside and strapping it on his back. With a grunt, you climbed into his back, and considering he was about 16 to 18 feet tall standing on all fours, he always had to lower himself for you. Once you were situated and strapped onto the saddle, you held onto his neck as he flapped his dark red wings before taking off the ground. As you turned your head to look behind you, Thýella had just caught up with you and was flying beside you, your castle became smaller and smaller the higher up you went.

A smile was on your lips as you could see everything below you, relishing in the feeling of the wind against your cheeks as you went higher and higher until you could practically touch the clouds. With a small laugh, you stuck your hand out, feeling the whispy clouds slip through your fingers as Kólasi became level with the ground. Thýella stayed beside you, neighing happily as she soared through the sky. No matter how many times you’ve done this, it never got old. After a few rounds of gliding and loops, it was time you headed back home before Sam got worried. As Kólasi began to descend towards the earth you lowered your body to his neck, the wind picking up speed against you as you dived through the clouds. The clouds around you cleared up and you could see your castle in the distance below you, getting bigger and bigger. Kólasi slowed down as he neared the earth, pulling his body up as he and Thýella landed gracefully on the grass of your backyard.

“Theé mou to échasa (gods I’ve missed that).” You breathed out, your blood pumping with adrenaline from the rush you just had.

“Y/n?” You heard Sam call out for you, which made you curse under your breath.

It was too late now.

“Y/n?” Sam rounded the corner of your home and you saw his face turn into one of terror, his mouth and eyes wide as he tried to process what he was seeing. Bucky and Zemo shortly followed and they too mirrored Sam’s expression. “Is that a dragon or am I seeing shit now?”

“This is my dragon Kólasi, Sam. You’re not going crazy.”

“So......you have a dragon and a pegasus now?” Bucky asked you as he eyed Kólasi. Kólasi towered over the three, casting a large shadow over them as he huffed out smoke from his nostrils while a low growl emitted from his chest. He didn’t recognize any of them and they didn’t seem to be a threat, but with one command from you he would readily light them up in flames. You had noticed this uneasiness in your dragon so you scratched his neck, signaling him that they were most definitely not a threat.

“I’ve had them since I was a kid.” You answered Bucky’s question as Kólasi lowered himself to the ground, allowing you to get off the saddle. Giving Kólasi and Thýella a quick pat on their sides which meant they were free to go, you watched as they wandered off a bit before heading back into your home with the three following you in.

“Y/n isn’t he dangerous? Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t dragons breathe fire?” Sam questioned.

“Yes, they do. But trust me when I say that Kólasi is harmless. Now if you guys don’t mind, I just need to get a few things.”

Sam and Bucky decided not question on it any further, trusting your word, though the thought of you having a dragon still baffled them. They’ve read stories about knights and dragons and now were wondering if dragons really did roam the earth and whether knights had really slayed them. And though Zemo knew you meant what you said about about Kólasi being harmless, he knew that wasn’t entirely true and that you understood the limits to that harmlessness. But despite that, he trusted your word, because if you were wrong about your dragon, the earth would already have burned to nothing years ago.

The men had followed you into your library/study, watching as you went over to a certain section on the wall. You reached towards a candle sconce on the wall, pulling it down slightly before there was the sound of gears turning. Then, as they looked, a book shelf began to open up like a door, revealing a narrow stone staircase that spiraled down to who knows where.

“Of course you have a hidden passageway. Why am I surprised?” Sam uttered which made you glare at him.

“You’re welcome to follow me if you’d like, or you can stay out here, if you’re scared. And don’t touch anything.” You informed before disappearing down the staircase.

The men looked at each other before following you down anyways. At this point they didn’t know what they’d expect to find down there. They were curious as to why you didn’t bother bringing a candle with you down the dark staircase, but as they went in, they soon realized why. There were already candle sconces lining the wall of the staircase, and the candles would only light up as they neared, before going out as they passed it.

Once they reached the bottom of the staircase, they found themselves in a spacious, enormous room, which you had used as an armory and a place to keep your artifacts. The walls were hung with weapons of many kinds from different eras. Armor and uniforms which you had worn from various time periods were displayed near the walls on mannequins, as well as different strange looking artifacts dating back to Ancient Egypt and the Sumerian civilization. In the center stood an open space with obstacles and devices which was where you trained in your combat. In the back of the room, down a corridor was where you had dungeons in case you ever needed them. Next to the dungeons was a laboratory, where you used to make potions and concoctions of different kinds. There were even old paintings of you from different eras, some of them were of just you, and some were of you and other people. But the biggest painting of them all hung in the middle, a painting of your whole family in Olympus. Off to the side, separate from the large room was your underground garage that opened up to your driveway. You owned a collection of many expensive classic vehicles, but the majority of them were classic muscle cars, which were always your favorites.

Bucky, Sam, and Zemo widened their eyes as they took everything in. Just when they thought they had seen everything, they had proved themselves wrong. Letting their feet guide them, they walked over to the paintings you had, staring at the large one in the center. Your father stood in the middle and above everyone else with Hera beside him and his lightning bolt clutched in his hand. On his side stood Poseidon with Amphitrite, and Hades with Persephone. Then there was you, wearing your mulberry purple chiton and deep blood/wine red chlamys with a breastplate over it. A diadem sat on your head and a dagger was strapped to your waist, while a sword and shield was held in your hands as you stood at Zeus’s feet with Athena and Artemis on either side of you. They men stared at the painting of you, you looked extremely regal yet powerful at the same time, an embodiment of a queen. The painting next to that one was of a beautiful looking women with stars in her eyes and hair, your mother. And on her lap sat you as a very young child, your eyes holding that same sparkle as your mother’s arms were wrapped gracefully around your body.

Sam glanced around the area once more before his eyes landed on a golden box that sat on a column pedestal. There was something intriguing about this certain thing and he seemed to be almost drawn to the box as he walked towards it. Bucky and Zemo noticed Sam’s slightly strange behavior, and as they looked to see what he was staring at, they too became transfixed, curious to know what the box was. As they got up close to it, they noticed there were these ghastly engravings of the macabre all over it, of tortured souls, demons, monsters, and evil spirits.

When you had walked back into the room with your bag of armor and weapons slung over your shoulder, your eyes widened at the sight of the men crowded around the gold box. Sam’s hand was reaching for it, about to open it until you screamed at them, rushing over to shove them away. “No! What the hell do you think you are doing?!”

“Wha-what?” Bucky stuttered, shaking his head as he was brought out of the daze and so were the others.

“When I said don’t touch anything, I specifically meant ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!”

“Wait, what the hell happened?” Sam asked, confusion written all over his face. Even Zemo had no idea what just occurred.

“That is Pandora’s box.”

“Pandora’s box?” Zemo tilted his head as he furrowed his brows.

“Yes Pandora’s box. Do you know what would have happened if you had succeeded in opening it?” You scolded them. “You would have unleashed all the evils into the world! There would have been complete chaos!”

“I’m sorry y/n, I didn’t know. We didn’t know.” Sam apologized, feeling guilty and terrified that he almost managed to open such a vile and dangerous little thing that had seemed so harmless at first.

“It’s fine.” You sighed. “I have what I need. Now let’s go before you guys try to touch another cursed artifact.”

Once you had your things and everything situated, you said farewell to Gudrun and Bjørn and the rest of the workers, giving them each a kiss on the cheek, their faces filled with disappointment in seeing you leave so soon. You said goodbye to Cerberus, Hecuba, Skiá, Thýella, and Kólasi as well, giving them each a hug. You sat there for a while, surrounded by your animals as they whimpered in sadness. With your final heartfelt goodbyes you left your home.

You walked over with the three trailing behind you to your 60s convertible black mustang with the white racing stripes that you had parked out front to drive to the nearest airport where Zemo’s jet would be waiting. After putting your bags and theirs in the trunk and closing it, you stared off at your home and the forest around it for one last time before your eyes caught the centaurs and satyrs that had neared the edge of the forest. You saw as they raised their hands to bid you farewell and luck on your journey, a warm smile formed on your face as you returned the gesture before hopping in the driver’s seat after the others. Making sure everyone had their seatbelts on, you turned your key in the ignition, the car rumbling to life from the sound of the engine that you always loved. Pressing your foot down on the accelerator, you drove off, watching the rear view mirror as your home got smaller and smaller the farther you drove away.

Tag List: @Little-baby-vixen @girl-obsessed-with-things @aerynchromie @sunshinepower17 @viviace @kakimakiloh @thebivirgin @gambitsqueen @spookycereal-s @lulu-yuming @mochminnie @gabitanaka47 @s00nhi @vanteguccir @tomhollandsslilslut @dracoxxyoflam @suchababie @uhhhcrypticbastard @on-my-way-to-erebor @thewinterrbucky

[moral-turpitudes]

New Beginnings:

Masterlist | Rules | Peaky Prompts

Trigger Warnings: Swearing, Angst, Fluff, Mentions of Adoption, Slight Descriptions of Drug/Alcohol Abuse.

Word Count: 4,122

Characters: Johnny Dogs x Female!Reader (Polly’s Eldest Daughter)

Requested by: Anon, you can find it here. This was a bit challenging but I hope you like it! :)

Summary: Y/N and Michael Gray get the surprise of a lifetime when their blinder cousin Thomas and his friend Johnny Dogs show up at their doorsteps, but little does Y/N know what’s in store for her regarding the company.

“Is she alive?” Polly asked the local medium who’d been known for telling fortunes and such. The medium’s eyes were dark beneath her jewel-toned veil as she answered the female blinder.

“Your eldest, Y/N, is in London. Go find her and your boy Michael. He’s living on a farm out in the country side.” She said flatly, her voice void of emotion.

“And what about my youngest daughter, Anna?” Polly asked, knowing in her heart that the truth wasn’t always the easiest thing to hear.

“She’s dead.” She said, tightening her grip on Polly’s hand as she shook with emotion, tears streaming down her face as she remembered the little baby girl placed in her arms years ago before her death. Knowing too that her son and eldest daughter were ripped from her arms at such a young age after their drunk of a father died lodged between a boat and a dock in the cut.

“Thank you.” Polly said shakily before leaving. Putting a few shillings down on the table as the woman nodded and watched her leave.

“What’d you expect aye? She tells you what you want to hear Pol’....”Thomas said, as she told him about her meeting with the medium earlier that morning.

“I just needed confirmation is all. God I can’t believe they’ve been out there all these years. You have to help me find them Tommy. Please.” She said, pulling her hands to her mouth nervously as she bit at her nails. Her eyes still tinged red from crying and her makeup smudged slightly.

“I’ll do what I can with the information we have. Until then I think you should take the day off unless you think you can work in the condition you’re in.” He said, looking over the papers from her son Michael’s entry into an orphanage and then glancing at the adoption papers where he’d been named Henry.

“Henry of all names...can you believe it? Disgraceful.” She said.

“Any word on Y/N? She has to be nearing 28 by now. The poor woman will probably faint when she finds out.” She said, feeling herself wanting to close herself off into her apartment as the thought of re-kindling a barely-there relationship loomed over her.

“I’ve found her adoption papers. They kept her name, but she’s in London as far as this goes. This address is where she’ll be.” He said sliding the document towards her and running his index finger over the crinkled paper.

“Alright.” She said, shakily lighting a cigarette.

“Pol’...I’m serious. You need to prepare for this if this all works out alright? Can’t have our best woman down. We still need you.” He said, looking into her glassy eyes. Tears threatening to spill once again.

“I will. I’ll go home right now. But please bring them to me once you get them.” She said. Thomas nodded as he watched her walk out the door quickly. Her nerves rattled as she sped off to her lavish apartment that had been vacant for far too long.

“Johnny?” Thomas said over the phone, the rowdy traveler making it to a payphone to report how their latest burial was going.

“Oi! How are ya Tommy? Just got done burnin’ the old bastard. What’s next?” He asked.

“You’re going to help me get Polly’s children back. She has a son named Michael in his late teens and an older daughter named Y/N who’s 28.” He said quickly, checking his pocket watch.

“Christ....alright.” He said, looking out at the burning pile in the distance.

“It’ll help her make peace Johnny. She needs this for more than just her. For the whole family really.” He said.

“I know I know. If only that poor bastard Gray didn’t die a drunk then none of ya would be in that mess aye?” He said, a long silence lingering over the phone.

“Perhaps.” Thomas said, his mind remembering all the hell their family went through as they grew up. The poverty, the fights, the nights sitting up in fear as their father yelled at their mother, their mother succumbing to her visions and bouts of depression, the feuds with the other families around them, the long nights in the trenches of France, and the whole family business being shoved onto their shoulders with no parental guidance besides their aunt Polly. She being the one saving grace of the whole family.

As Thomas and Johnny drove out to meet Michael, Polly sat at home pacing back and forth as she wondered how the next few hours or even days would go. Knowing once Thomas put his mind to something he always tried to finish it, especially if it involved family.

“I’m here for Henry. His mother wants him home.” Thomas said bluntly to the woman who’d practically raised him.

“My Henry? I have the papers...He’s mine.” She said.

“Aye, and I have the papers too. I’m his cousin. And I know his birth mother would love nothing more than to see him since he was ripped from her arms. Let the man go and meet her. Once he’s done that he can make his decision.” He said, eyeing the woman coldly.

With tears in her eyes, the woman called for Michael to come forward, the fawn-haired young man running over to him.

“Hello Henry. Your mother wants to see you.” He said. Michael’s face evolving into one of confusion.

“But she’s right here? Who are you anyway?” He asked, a sassy tone to his voice that reminded Thomas of Polly.

“I’m your cousin Thomas Shelby. Your birth mother is Polly Gray. Your real name is Michael Gray. Now you can stay here on this little farm or you can leave to meet the woman who’s fought to find you for so many years. Which one will it be?” He asked impatiently, lighting a cigarette.

Michael nervously looked around and pulled his little sister in for a hug, telling her to be good and then giving his adoptive mother a hug. Knowing she was fuming inside.

“I-I’ll ring you alright? I’ve been wondering why I never had pictures here of when I was younger...and...I’ve been wondering why you all look different than me. I-I think it’s time I go find out for myself mum.” He said, giving her one last hug before going off with his blinder cousin and his friend Johnny Dogs.

“Now on to your sister.” Thomas said, driving off towards the busy London area.

---

Your head pounded as you got up. The drinks from the night before doing your head in as a sharp knock sounded at your apartment door. You shrugged on your red laced robe and lit a cigarette as you hastily put your wild locks in a bun, your eyes burning from the sunlight streaming in through the window nearby.

One more sharp knock sounded as you neared the door, making your blood boil slightly.

“Bloody hell. Hold on a moment will ya?” You yelled out, tying your robe around your nude frame. The stranger in your room snoring loudly in the back room of your haphazard apartment.

“What’s all this then? It’s a little early to be soliciting people don’t ya think?” You asked, blowing out a cloud of smoke as you took in the men before you.

One had piercing blue eyes, who had one of the coldest looks you’d seen on a man in a long time. Knowing he’d probably seen more hurt than happiness in his past years of life.

The other two had darker eyes, one of them younger and oddly familiar as you thought about your own facial structure. You had the same eyes. Eyes that never matched your adoptive parents. Eyes that the kids in the orphanage always picked on for being too brown in color when theirs were reminiscent of the sea and the sky and all the green earth in between.

The seemingly oldest of them looked on from the distance. His cigar dangling from his lips as his dark eyes scanned you up and down. He had a rough look to him, like he’s seen more sun than anyone here. That he’d lived everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

“Who are you all and why are you hogging my doorstep?” You asked.

“We don’t have a lot of time, but long story short, I’m your cousin Thomas Shelby. And this young man here is your brother Michael Gray. We only just found him. Your mother...Polly Gray...has been looking for you all these years.” He said bluntly.

“What? I thought she was dead or something. God knows father was.” You said, remembering the drunken man vaguely as well as a beautiful dark haired woman you were sure to have gotten your good looks from.

“You remember them?” Michael asked, a bit envious that his newfound sister was able to remember such a thing.

“Mhmm. Well...when do we meet her aye? I have some business to take care of.” You said, fiddling with your hands as Johnny continued to stare.

“Go do what you need to. We’ll wait out here.” He said.

“Who’s the rough looking fellow? A bit quiet aye?” You asked, pointing to Johnny.

He cleared his throat and took his cap off. His bright smile catching your eye as you blew smoke out from your lips.

“Sorry. I’m Johnny. Johnny Dogs. Traveler and helper of the Shelby family and such. Nice to meet you Y/N. Heard lots of good things ‘bout ya.” He said.

“Oh really? Like what? That I’m a drunk like me father? That I’m a whore?” She asked with a smirk, her laugh sending Johnny’s heart over the edge.

“Gods no. That you’re beautiful actually. Polly said so herself. She remembers ya well.” He said with a small smile that was soon extinguished by a cold glance from Thomas.

“Right....well I’ll be out in a moment.” You said with a slight smile, walking back inside and throwing your best clothes on and hurriedly doing your makeup.

“Well hello there love, who are you getting ready for this morning?” The man lying on your bed half naked murmured as you put on the last of your makeup.

“Get out.” You said, pulling your coat over yourself as you grabbed your purse.

“What? After last night you want me to leave?” He asked.

“What is this? A bed and breakfast? I said get the fuck out of me house!” You yelled, not even bothering to remember the lads name as you followed him down the hall, his pants put on haphazardly as he ran shirtless out the door.

“You’ll pay for this!” He yelled, causing the three men to look on curiously.

“Actually you did sir, thanks for the tip love!” You yelled.

“Fucking asshole.” You added under your breath.

“Who was that?” Michael asked as you got in their car.

“Just a joyride love. Don’t worry about it.” You said, not bothering to filter yourself as Thomas smirked slightly. You we’re definitely Polly’s daughter. There was no doubt about it.

As you all neared Polly’s house you and Michael exchanged a nervous look with each other, knowing you might as well have forgotten her since it’s been so long. Your adoptive parents never mentioning her unless you started acting up. But the vague memories you did have always swirled around in your mind.

“Here we are. She said you could stay there with her if that’s something you both want. But I’ll let you both go on.” Thomas said, helping you both up to the apartment.

You knocked hard on the door, your hands shaking as you looked to the ground. You hoped for this day for years but you never thought it would happen so soon.

“Do ya want me to help em’ wit their bags Tom?” Johnny whispered from the car as he watched the woman standing nervously with her brother.

“No. Just stay in the car.” He said, bringing the rest of the bags up to them as Polly opened the door.

“My god...” she said, her hair a bit disheveled as she adjusted her dress and shawl around her shoulders.

“Mum? H-hi. Um....it’s me...Y/N...and Michael.” You said with a small smile on your face.

She didn’t say anything, instead just rushing forward and enveloping you both in a hug as Thomas stood by awkwardly.

“Thank you. Tommy my god thank you.” She said, giving him a short hug as well as you and Michael made your way inside the lavish apartment.

“Just make sure you’re all at the office early tomorrow alright? We’ll have a family meeting.” He said, a small smile on his face that hadn’t been there in ages.

“We will.” Polly said, waving him and Johnny off as she closed the door behind her.

“Now Michael...I know you don’t know me very well. But I want you to know I’m here for you always alright? You too Y/N. I can’t believe I have you back.” She said giving you each a tight hug as you wiped tears from your eyes.

As the night went on you all both gradually settled in, Polly agreeing to let you go to your apartment when you wanted since you were of age. But for now you accepted your place here, wanting to get to know the woman you’ve searched for all your life.

“Michael...it’s alright if I call you that right?” She asked hesitantly.

“Mhmm. I-I guess it’s growing on me. Never felt much like a Henry.” He said, unpacking his things.

“Right, well I’ll leave you two for the night. I’ll be expecting you both up early for Tommy’s meeting tomorrow. Welcome to the family.” She said, her mind racing as she left the room. Her heart slowly mending back together after being torn to pieces so many years ago.

---

At the shop the next morning, Michael and you both walked in a bit on edge, having gotten the rundown from Polly about what the business entailed on the way there. The workers around you eyeing you up as you lit a cigarette and walked past them in your heels and red overcoat. Michael looking around as well but with a smug smile on his face as he made acquaintances with the younger blinders rather quickly.

“Alright so the new members of the family as you lot can see are Y/N and Michael Gray. They’ve both confirmed they preferred their natural names so that’s what you’ll all call them. The papers and everything else are being sorted to give Polly any parental rights, and Michael...I have a proposition for you.” He said eyeing the young man who had a tough-yet laid back demeanor about him. The innocence of his past life slowly fading the longer he stayed in Birmingham.

“Alright. What is it Tommy?” He asked, smoking a cigarette carefully since he’d only done so once before at college.

“You’re going with us to the races. After we see what you’re made of, I’ll consider you for an accounting position.” He said.

“Sounds good to me.” He said swallowing hard and looking towards his mother.

“It doesn’t bloody sound good to me. I’ve just gotten my children back and you want to put them through some peaky initiation?” Polly snapped at her nephew. Ada, Arthur, John, and Finn looking at you and your brother with curious eyes during the awkward silence that ensued.

“It’s the only way Pol’ he’ll be fine.” Thomas said flatly, his voice still void of emotion.

“What will I be doing? I can’t stay cooped up here all day.” You said, blowing a cloud of smoke from your lips as you stared down your blue eyed devil of a cousin.

“Well, you could work here with the rest of us or you could work with the Lee’s and the rest down at their stop. Think of it as being a liaison for us.” He said.

You looked around at the dark and cramped place, your mothers familiar eyes knowing what you’d pick. You were an adult and had been on your own for many years, knowing full well how to handle yourself for the most part and besides, if you got to get out in the open air for a while it wouldn’t be half bad.

“I can do that. Just tell me how to get there and I’ll go.” You said. Thomas handing you a map as he grabbed his car keys.

“You can still stay at the house you know.” Polly said as you gathered your things.

“I know mum. I’ll be back, it’s just work. Don’t worry.” You said giving her a hug and Michael a fake punch on the shoulder as you waltzed out the door.

“It’s better if I go with you. You don’t know them.” Thomas said, opening the door for you.

“....alright. Do I need to do anything before we go?” You asked.

“Just please tell me you know how to shoot a gun.” He said, starting the car.

“Just point and shoot right? I remember one thing before dad died and that was going hunting with him in the woods. Just that once.” You said.

“That should be good enough. Take this.” He said, handing you a small handgun from his jacket.

“Do I have to kill anyone?” You asked, the thought making a shiver run down your spine slightly.

“Only if they come after ya or the family.” He said.

You nodded your head silently as you understood. You’d heard of the blinders while being in London, and from Polly’s rundown before getting to the shop, but you’d never thought you’d be related to them in such a way. But maybe this was the start you’d needed. At least now you weren’t making a living off cleaning houses and singing in taverns.

“Here we are.” He said after a long while of silence. Your eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight that spread across the vacant land where a slew of vardo’s were parked. Bonfires lit near them as they sat around the flames. Various animals roasting on a spit as music played in the distance.

“This is where I’ll be?” You asked, not seeing an actual brick and mortar house in sight. But remembering bits and pieces of the old vardo you had grew up briefly in with your mum. Her late teenaged self doing the best she could to care for the three of you young children.

“Mhm.” He mumbled as he led you through the tall grass to the people you’d be spending most of your working days around.

“There they are! What a sight! How are ya Tom?” Johnny asked rather loudly, a smile dancing across his face as he greeted you with a quick kiss to your hand.

“Good. Y/N here is going to be staying every few days or so. She’s the new liaison between the families here. Teach her what ya know and show her where she can call from. She’ll be reporting to me about anything going on that may need our attention. Think of it as security aye?” He said, eyeing Johnny as he stared slightly at the gorgeous woman.

“Will do, will do. Say let’s get you shown around, we have a place for ya all set up.” He said, taking your hand in his which made you smile. A flush of red hitting your cheeks as you looked on at your new place of work.

“Don’t do anything stupid Johnny.” Thomas said threateningly, knowing he could sense that Johnny had some feelings for his cousin.

“No worries Tom.” He said, tipping his cap to him as he led you to a vacant vardo.

“So what’s a woman as beautiful as you doin’ round these parts anyway? Did Polly drive ya off already?” He asked, setting your luggage down.

“No. I volunteered to come out here. Didn’t wanna be cooped up in that old dusty building.” You said, brushing a stray hair behind your ear.

“Well you’re in luck, darlin’. No dusty buildings here. Just a few snakes though.” He said as you jumped slightly, eyes making a mad-dash to the ground.

“I’m just messing with ya, doll.” He said, leaning up against the back steps.

“Is it hard being out here all the time? I know a few bars in London we could go to sometime. Get ya out for bit.” You said looking into his brown eyes that glowed almost golden in the bright afternoon sun.

“Not as hard when we have pretty women such as yourself here. Say...I’ll take ya up on that offer. How ‘bout later this week after we show ya the ropes?” He asked.

“Sounds good.” You said, smiling as you helped him carry things to the pond nearby. Children running around and skipping stones as you both made small talk while washing various clothes.

“How long do you all stay out here? It’s beautiful.” You said after a while of learning how to do various chores.

“Oh about a month or so. Never too long in one place in case the coppers come by bootin’ us out. We belong to ourselves, not to them. The sooner you learn that the better off you’ll be here aye?” He said, a hint of warning in his voice.

“Did someone tip you off one day? I’d never do that. I’m just working for Tommy and me mum.” You said, never wanting to come between anyone’s business.

“Yeah. Lost a few people a couple years back. Wasn’t good. But that’s all done now. New beginnings aye Y/N?” He said raising his flask to your glass of whiskey as you all sat near the pond.

“To new beginnings.” You said, staring off into the sky as you realized you’d be here more often than you’d thought.

---

The next few weeks seemed to fly by as you got used to living half there and half at Polly’s place. It was a hard decision but one you felt deep down needed to be made as you sold your apartment in London to be closer to your mum and Michael. Turns out he wasn’t as good and innocent as he’d claimed to be, gradually going on business with the boys and coming back high as a kite on cocaine. It was something even you hadn’t done in a long while, and something you swore one night to never do again after a bad spill landed you in the doctors. So it was safe to say your hard partying days were over, except for when it came to Johnny.

Over the course of the few weeks you’d been working together and updating Tommy on the business there, you grew closer and developed feelings for the rowdy traveler. Johnny’s smile and snarky remarks always bringing a wide grin to your face when you’d hear him with the lads or when you’d both go off drinking with people at the camp. But unfortunately, good things seemed to come to an end once the month was up, seeing as Tommy visited at a bad time one night and caught the two of you together. You’d been slightly embarrassed, but didn’t think he had it in him to ruin a good thing. But ruining things was Tommy’s specialty.

The night was abruptly ended when he dragged a naked Johnny away from you and threatened to terminate both of your positions with the company if things continued. But you were stubborn and strong willed just like your mother, and kept seeing him anyways even if it meant you were out of the company.

“I don’t see why I can’t love one man Pol’ Tommy’s gone and probably fucked every woman in town! He’ll he has enough children by various women to worry about already and here he is worrying about what I do with my life and my time?” You yelled as you packed your things away. You’d discussed moving out there with Johnny to spare the family drama. Thomas could tell you liked it out there and he had to admit, you gave him good information on people you’d come across, even if it was by letter or by pay phone more often than in person. And Polly knew you were like her, wanting to be free to do whatever you pleased and as much as it pained her to see you leave for a life on the road, she loved that you were the only one who kept that spirit alive. The only one who decided to throw away the silver spoon you’d been fed with half your life, to live for yourself and for a man that made you happy, even if he worked for the blue eyed devil himself.

Johnny Dogs Tag List:

@flysafepapi, @gaytommyshelby, @ta-ka-shi-ma

If you’d like to be added/removed just send me an ask/message! :)

[sonder-paradise]

CHUUYA FALLING OUT OF LOVE

HOW DARE YOU.

AND THEN LATER HE REALIZES THAT HE STILL LOVES YOU BUT IT IS TOO LATE CAUSE HE LET YOU GO </3

:)

Exactly~ Because he finally did it and he convinced himself that you were just another note in a passing tune. When in reality you were the whole symphony.

He wakes up unsure how to feel when you don't smile like you usually do at him anymore. Your smile is now directed towards someone else. And he watches from a distance when he realizes that just like everyone else. He thought that you were just another fish in the waves of a vast ocean. He didn't realize that you were the waves themselves.

Chuuya doesn't realize that he's forcing himself out of love when he sees you chatting with someone else about your day. You no longer need the lunches that he brings you. Your hands are comforted and held by someone else. He decides that you were just a random raindrop in the midst of a passing shower. He should have noticed that you were the sun pouring through the clouds after.

So he convinces himself that he's meant to be lonely. That love was unconquerable after all. He drinks. He smokes. He stops thinking about you because the more he thinks the more he wants to drive back to you. But he can't bring himself to push the gas pedal anyway.

So he avoids you. He pushes himself deeper into work and never resurfaces near you. He decides to move on because that's what he does best. Everyone leaves so you will too. He convinces himself that he's fine. That the feelings you sowed inside of him were nothing more than a fleeting, temporary way to fill the unease in his heart.

And just like that, he fades away. He really is another memory to you. He could have been someone important like he always wished he could. But he decided to force himself out of love.

When you smile, he feels nothing but the friendliness in your soul.

When you touch him, he rejects the lingering ideas in his mind.

And when you call his name, his heart no longer pounds like it used to.

But yours quickens. You wonder why he feels distant. You question why he decides to go drinking on his own now. Nights with him were always so exciting. And as you spend the days talking with that person you thought was special, it no longer feels the same when Chuuya sat down with you to listen.

And you wonder why you never realized that maybe Chuuya wasn't just another note in a passing tune. When in reality he was the whole symphony.

@kittydripuwu

[goldenlaquer]

Hey, can I ask for some headcanons, please? For Gin, Toshi, Sougo and Kamui. About how they were in a fight, separated from their so and something happened like an exposion or whatever, anyway the main point is that they thought that their so have died but later they see her alive and relatively unharmed. So the headcanons of them when they thought they lost their so and when they see that she is ok. Sorry, this is so specific and long, I'm just a slut for some angst and I love your writings

Thank you for the support and sorry for the wait! I don’t know if I’m that much good at conveying angst but let’s bring on the feels! 

Gintama Headcanons: 

Hijikata Toushirou: 

Hijikata stands on top of a pile of rubble, and surveys the destruction around him. 

His hands don’t shake. His feet are firm against the ground. His shoulders are straight and rigid against the fleeting wind. Smoke escapes him in steady stream, and when he inhales in, the dust and fire of the air sticks to the walls of his lungs like sludge. 

To the men who stop to look at their vice-commander with their ugly concerns plastered on their ugly mugs: He’s fine. 

To the Gorilla who can’t stop asking him the question every ten minutes and that, he really should take a break or else at this rate, he’ll collapse: He’s fine. 

To the brat who stubbornly stays by his side like spit-up gum on the sole of his shoe: He’s fine, damn it, so go do your job and leave him alone. 

For once, Sougo doesn’t have anything clever to quip back at him. He doesn’t need to-- the silence between them speaks better than words. And Hijikata hates what it says, so he turns back to the grey landscape, eyes darting and sifting through the mangled and charred parts to see something, anything that is you. 

Nothing. 

He reaches for a cigarette, pulls it out of his pocket like second nature. The lighter is the trickier to work. The blasted thing refuses to flicker on. Oh, the cigarette falls down. Hijikata bends to pick it up. He tries again. The cigarette falls down. He stares at it. His shoe crushes it. He’s stomping down hard. Sougo is still silent, watching. Hijikata doesn’t care. 

The facade of normalcy is gone. Here he is: Taking his frustrations out on a sad little cig, like it’s the cause of all his fucking problems, like it’s going to bring you back. Harsh pants come out of his mouth, and in another series, they’d sound like something akin to sobs, but his face is dry.

“Hijikata.” He ignores Sougo. The cigarette is reduced to paper and dry leaves scuffed against concrete. “Hijikata.” He doesn’t answer.

Okita, with an eye-roll, kicks Hijikata square in the back and knocks him off the pile. 

Sougo, what the fuck? He. Is. Mourning. Hijikata has always known Sougo to be insensitive, but this is blatantly crossing several lines and he clearly doesn’t have the emotional capacity to deal with. 

But if it’s a fight that bastard wants, Hijikata will give it to him. He leaps up from the ground, ready to hand Sougo an express ticket to hell, misty eyes narrowing in anger as he looks up

and the breath is knocked out of him in a way that years of chain-smoking had miraculously failed to do 

Standing before him, white particles clinging to your clothes, hair, and eyebrows, is the damn most beautiful sight he’s ever seen. The feet move faster than he can process, and by the time his arms are around you and he’s breathing in the scent he thought he’d lost forever

“Fuck.” Because that’s the only appropriate response he can say without his voice cracking. “Don’t do that again.”

Kamui:

Loss is not a new thing. It was in the labored rise and fall of his mother’s chest, the pallidness of her white skin. The feel of his sister’s small hands, fisting in his clothes and pleadingly tugging back, her blue eyes wide and wet. It was in the looming shape of his father’s retreating back.

But there were other, worthier things to focus on. The pain in his knuckles slamming against bone and muscle. The taut stretch of his lips as he licks his wounds, tasting metal and victory. The title of ‘Universe’s Strongest’ nearly within his grasp. He didn’t have time for the weak. Didn’t have time to be weak.

Loss is not new, and yet there is something about this loss. Now, Loss is a sentient being, latching to his throat and squeezing as he grapples through the mud.

Abuto’s face is too blank and too careful. His voice is low and calm and reasoning, and he is saying things, but Kamui doesn’t listen. The words ‘she’ and ‘gone’ don’t mix, they don’t make any sense, so why should he listen? He digs and digs and digs, not hearing, he can’t, his ears and eyes are filled with the same muddy brown that must also be filling yours. Kamui works even faster, his nails splintering against the rocks embedded in the wet ground.

Hair released from its braid, trussed and caked in dirt. Pupils dilated, black swallowing blue. His face abnormally slack as he claws in frenzy, in desperation at the ground like a wild animal.

There are few things in this world Kamui can’t fight. No matter his strength, one cannot simply beat Mother Nature into submission. But there is no excuse. If he cannot save one woman from something as stupid as dirt, then what is the point? What use is his strength? He didn’t leave that tiny, rainy planet, ignoring all the things left behind with it, to become this weakling who couldn’t even manage to keep you by his side like he promised.

He’s a young brat again, helplessness coloring every pore. A damsel in distress. Someone who can’t save, but needs saving. He is no different than the baldy. Unable to keep promises. Unable to protect. Unable to do anything. Was he always this fragile? Pathetic.

Pathetic. Pathetic. Pathetic. The word is a punishing mantra in his mind.

Something crashes into him. It’s not near enough to make him pause in his digging, but the something is tugging on his clothes. Incoherent, muffled shouting in his ears. He doesn’t pay it any mind because mud keeps slipping back in place despite all his useless strength and you’re still trapped, waiting for him--

“KAMUI!”

He blinks in surprise, snapping from the heavy cloud covering his mind. He’s flat on the ground, staring up at you. How he got there, he doesn’t know, but you are here in front of him, covered head-to-toe in mud and crying.

He is silent, watching as you blubber concerns and curses. A curious hand reaches out to your face in wonder, carefully tracing the path that a salty tear had made down your cheek. The familiarity of your soft skin warms his numb body and a small smile emerges from his lips.

As you sit on top of him, crying not because you are scared but because he’s such a stupid idiot, he realizes that that he isn’t all alone just yet, that there’s one thing that refuses to leave him. 

Okita Sougo: 

It’s happening again. And it honestly makes him want to laugh. 

He doesn’t believe in it, karma, but when you think that you’ve gotten used to the pain of losing someone you love, his rotten, black heart has to go and get ripped out for the second time as if he forgot, as if he needed reminding that there’s no way someone like him deserves something as good as happiness. There’s no other explanation to this shit luck other than that, for the accumulation of every filthy deed he’s done with his filthy hands and every fucking sin he has committed once and twice and will most definitely commit thrice, someone has to pay for it. 

And because Karma is two bitches and a half, that someone wasn’t him. 

There it is. The laughter finally comes out as he looks at the torn fabric in his clenched fist. It comes out harsh and hollow and, if you listened hard enough, choked, but who’s checking? Not him. Not Mitsuba. And certainly not you. 

He reported it to the vice-commander himself, voice robotic, telling how he was walking front of you when it happened, how the enemy somehow managed to predict your movements and ambushed the both of you on a bridge, how he had been unable to react in time to stop the silver flash of a knife and how the world tilted, too fast and too slow, and that there was a piece of hanging rope that he managed to snag on to with one hand and when he blindly flashed out the other to grasp at you, reaching through free air and snatching at cloth, it ripped from his fingers, and you fell to the chasm below.  Deep enough, Okita said as he looked straight into Hijikata’s eyes, that death would be quick and painless.

If nothing else could go right for him, then at least for this, he hoped, even fucking prayed, that it was painless.

Hijikata doesn’t react to the report with anything unnecessary, just a stiff upper lip and an “okay” before he walks off to stand somewhere far enough, yet close enough. For all their differences, Hijikata knows. He understands losing youthful love, and that the pity that comes with it is nothing more than steaming trash. In this way and other ways that he’d sooner eat shit than to admit aloud, Okita is grateful for him.  

He stops mid mirthless chuckle to shove the hand holding what’s left of  you up to his eyes, slanting his head downwards so his bangs cover what he doesn’t want the world to know what he’s somehow still capable of. Hijikata is tactfully looking away. Over the distance, Kondo is bellowing orders to his men who keep a wide berth from the spot where their 1st Division Captain stands. This is the only opportunity he can afford to be an eighteen year old again. Sougo swallows thickly, feeling the roughness of fabric dampen against his eyelids. 

Acutely, he hears the sound of footsteps. It is slow and steady and he thinks that they belong Kondo at first but the weight of them is too light for a gorilla. Before he can process this information further, the steps halt for several long seconds before starting again, this time faster and more urgent, lurching in his direction. Hijikata mutters an astounded “shit” but  for whatever reason doesn’t move to intercept. Okita really isn’t in the mood to deal with dumbasses but the sword by his side is already unsheathed and he’s aiming his red eyes to glare at whoever the fuck--

Arms wrap around his waist. A face burrows into his chest. His knees almost give out, but his name is Okita Sougo and he has already maxed out his whiny bitch points for the next decade. Instead, he drops his sword to cup the back of your very-much-alive head, caressing the wet silk of it before threading his trembling fingers through the strands to

sharply tug you from his chest and grasp your cheeks with one hand, squeezing your expression to that of a startled fish. 

“Now,” Okita murmers, the smirk on his lips at odds with how fucking great it feels to see you again. “What should I do with you?”

Sakata Gintoki:

Before they say anything, he knows. 

He has seen that type of expression too many times to ever forget the set jaw, the horrible attempt at stilling a trembling bottom lip, the unshed tears of eyes that can’t seem to stop roving, unable to face the recipient of bad news for more than half a second, and the pallidness of knuckles straining against skin, holding onto their clothes like a lifeline. 

He knows this expression so well he can gaze down at Shinpachi and Kagura with well-placed apathy, perfectly appearing as if his lungs aren’t threatening to collapse on itself when he notices who is not there with them, and tell them in his same old way to stop sucking on their teeth and finish what they can’t seem to get out because he has an appointment at the pachinko parlor at four and if they don’t finish up this job by three-thirty he is going to dock their nonexistent pay by 80%. It hides the rising nausea and stone weight of the stomach well. 

This time, however, his casual rudeness doesn’t make them react the way he wants them to, it only makes them fold into themselves even further. 

The thing is, no matter how many times you see it and know better than to entertain it, there’s always this one glimmer of hope, so ridiculously strong that you’d gladly pray to anyone and everyone, even if you don’t really believe, because if anything is possible then it better be possible that this isn’t bad news, or that even if it is bad news then the worst of the pinched expression is just a by-product of eating food gone bad or the pain of an ingrown toenail, that it isn’t about someone dying or dead. 

But life rarely goes like that, and Gintoki lives in an extra-shittier life compared to most people. 

When you stumble across them, hair singed and smelling of gunpowder and smoke, there is something so thick and so wrong with the air, something that makes you stop from crying out in elation at seeing the people you love most. Shinpachi is fastidiously rubbing his eyes and Kagura has her face buried against Sadaharu’s fur and Gintoki

Gintoki looks alone. And you don’t think you have ever seen him look like that, so withdrawn into himself that even if he is surrounded by people, there’s nothing that can come close to him, nothing that can ease the dull bleakness of his eyes and the defeated hunch of his shoulders. He looks like a single thread worn too thin, on the verge of snapping. He looks like nothing matters anymore. Nothing. 

You dislike it. You hate it. You hate it so much, to see this man turn into something so unfamiliar and terrifying and gut out. You don’t know this Gintoki. You want the other one back, the one who wouldn’t hesitate to smear dog shit and boogers on the back of your jacket and the one who doesn’t really mind it when you take a sip of his spoiled strawberry milk. 

So when you shout out loudly, so loud that vibrates the space, that you’re here and alive and that you didn’t, couldn’t die because how could such a measly explosion off you when there were idiots waiting back home for you, to see Kagura and Shinpachi fly to you, screaming and whooping as they open their arms wide for your hug, snot running down their noses, and Gintoki snap his head up, disbelieving at first, yet searching your form with a speck of hope that brings life back to his dead eyes, and when he finds whatever he was searching for, he goes to you on steady feet, folding his arms around the group, gaze still drinking your form up as he leans across Shinpachi’s and Kagura’s heads to bump his forehead against yours, his breath sighing out something like relief-- it almost makes you cry, or maybe it does because you can feel something wet trailing down your face.

Gintoki is silent for the most part, because Kagura and Shinpachi are doing most of the talking for him, but when he does speak, it is to say: 

“Damn, there goes the life insurance money.” 

[loruleanheart]

Desired Fate, Chapter 18

Read on AO3 

Read on FF.net

I wanted to post this tomorrow, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Here it is! Warning, this chapter is coming at you with razor blades and lemon juice. You were warned.

Revali drew back the string of the Great Eagle Bow, preparing to deliver the killing strike to Windblight Ganon as it had grown more and more languid in its movement, and while it was still distracted by Sooga.

“This is it!” Revali called victoriously, letting the bomb arrows fly.

Sooga dodged the incoming explosives and they collided with Windblight in a grand explosion. The creature’s resounding bestial shriek was like a reward for a battle well fought.

Lowering his bow, Revali watched, savoring the moment as the blight hemorrhaged malice. He had faced the most grueling battle he’d ever experienced, and he would live to regale his fellow Rito of his triumph. 

He turned his attention to the Yiga, still at a loss for their motivations. What had possessed them to turn against Calamity Ganon?

Well, whatever…  Revali thought. At least it wasn’t the vexingly silent knight wielding the sacred blade who came to save the day. He’d never live it down if it had been him…

Revali alighted before the two, holding back any outward sign of exhaustion or weakness. He regarded the Yiga with a hard look of suspicion.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I must thank you for coming to my aid. But just as a warning, if you do anything to make me question this...alliance, I won’t hesitate to -”

“Your threats won’t be necessary,” Sooga said simply, resheathing his dual blades.

Sooga’s words were clear despite the mask he wore, yet Revali paused, contemplating his words, not fully believing the situation. Revali braced himself for a surprise attack that never came as the moments passed.

He stared into the inverted crimson eye painted on Sooga’s horned mask and the long crack that ran across it, slightly unnerved that he could not see the man’s eyes or facial expressions. He’d have to rely on the man’s body language and tone of voice for assurance that he was not a threat. 

Kohga approached, having remained a safe distance away during the fight. “Well done, Sooga! That was quite the display of Yiga bravado.”

Revali opened his beak to say something more, but before he could form the words, their attentions were drawn to the thunderous and deliberate footsteps of a Divine Beast.

He lifted off the surface of Vah Medoh to see which of the other Champions had come to his aid. Kohga and Sooga likewise rushed across the mossy stone that stretched the wingspan of Vah Medoh to look out into the distance.

“This should be interesting…” Revali remarked as he watched Vah Naboris approach.

“Urbosa’s coming….?! ...That’s our cue to leave!” Kohga blurted before retreating into a cloud of smoke and falling talismans.

Sooga turned to Revali and shook his head. “Master Kohga can be a bit of a coward when it comes to the Gerudo Chief. “Uh… Don’t tell him I told you that!” And with that Sooga followed after Kohga, leaving Revali alone.

----------------

The was a sterile, stillness that belied the Champion’s victory over the blights as Hyrule Field was cast in a dreary grey. There would be no breathtaking sunset to behold, nor the comfort the moon’s brilliant glow could bring, only the world darkening as night crept in.

The four that had seized the bokoblin camp for a moment of rest could sense the encroaching storm from the dark clouds above, but none spoke of it aloud.

Robbie cleared his throat. There was no longer a levity in his voice. “Where are you headed next?”

Astor didn’t meet Robbie’s eyes as he smoothed Zelda’s long golden hair with his gloved hand. It took a moment for him to respond, too focused on her downcast gaze. 

“Fort Hateno... That’s where she is fated to awaken her inner power.”

“Then I wish you both luck.” Robbie offered, humbly.

Zelda hung her head and Astor squeezed her hand in comfort. The bleak refrain of Zelda’s court came to mind. 

Heir to a throne of nothing…

She said nothing in response, and he wondered if she was thinking the same. She seemed to have retreated inward, having cried herself out.

Purah leaned forward to address Zelda. “Princess, I have faith in you, I do. You are not alone and we’re not going to give up trying to turn back the Calamity. I think we could all benefit if we set up camp here and call it a day. And if any monsters come by, we’ll beat them with our flails.”

“No… I must go to Fort Hateno right away.” Zelda replied shakily.

“I hate to be blunt, Princess, but you aren’t in any condition to operate the Master Cycle.” 

“I’ll be fine, Purah.”

She didn’t sound fine. 

Zelda quivered in his arms, and Astor’s chest tightened with unfamiliar apprehension. 

Purah’s earlier antics would have made Kohga proud. Just like Kohga, she was perceptive, yet Astor was relieved to see a more serious side to her - as the situation demanded. He just hoped Zelda would heed Purah’s warning.

“A rest wouldn’t disturb fate, Zelda. And you do need the rest,” said Astor.

Purah and Robbie observed the couple pensively, and Astor felt like an oddity under their analytical gaze - as if they were trying to ascertain what Zelda had done to tame the Prophet of Doom himself - something Astor was in awe of as well.

“I won’t rest until I awaken my inner power,” Zelda said with as much determination as she could muster looking up at him with reddened, weary eyes.  “We don’t have a moment to waste. Let us be on our way.”

Astor followed Zelda. Despite his fatigue, despite his trepidation about getting back on the Master Cycle, he couldn’t fathom not going with her.

“Astor!” Robbie called after him.

“Hm?”

“Take care of her.”

-----------

Their journey to Fort Hateno proved to be miserable and treacherous as it had begun to rain not long after they departed. As they neared the West Necluda region, the moisture laden clouds above spilled their cold tears on the Goddess’s descendant and her elect. The rain slicked the grass and turned the packed earth roads to mud. The Master Cycle was at times buffeted by strong winds that made it difficult to maneuver. Visibility was low. Bridges became slippery.

Astor’s grip on Zelda’s waist tightened. Dread and guilt crept in as she began to second-guess her decision.

Why are we doing this? All my previous attempts to awaken my power have failed. What is it about Fort Hateno that will suddenly change everything? Ugh, I can’t allow myself to think like this.

The Master Cycle traversed through Dueling Peaks, and Zelda felt as though those towering cliffs were pressing in on them. The cliffs gave way to a vast plain, and the mountains in the distance were barely an outline in the night sky.

Zelda took care as they crossed the Big Twin Bridge, breathing out in relief when she had made it to the other side.

Almost there…

Even as Blatchery Plain stretched out before them, Zelda felt no closer to awakening the power within herself, and she didn’t know what recourse she had if this too did not work. These thoughts lingered as she pressed onward.

Blatchery Plain lay in ruin, desolate, and devoid of life - or so it seemed. A figure appeared in the immediate dim horizon, and Zelda’s heart froze as she swerved to avoid colliding with it. The Master cycle dipped a little too far for comfort to one side. Her heart thumped rapidly as she struggled to keep it upright. The tires squelched through the mud as they veered off the path and then returned.

“It keeps finding us…” Zelda said worriedly.

“Ganon always knows where we are…” Astor replied, trying not to let fear enter his voice.

Zelda looked back over her shoulder, a pit opening in her stomach when she realized the Harbinger wasn’t as far back as she expected. No, it was following them at a speed unlike other Guardians.

“Astor, whatever you do, hold on tight…” her voice was nearly muffled by the rumble of the engine.

A chill ran down Astor’s spine as he perceived the words of Calamity Ganon. It was a voice he knew all too well from prophetic dreams, the one that had urged him so fervently to kill the princess.

You are nothing, my wayward prophet without a prayer.

“Leave me alone!” Astor screamed, tearing his circlet that bore the eye of malice from his forehead. He turned and pitched it at the charging Harbinger. The red and yellow stone was crushed under its rampaging claw the next moment.

Do you think you can rid yourself of me that easily? That was merely an outward symbol of your devotion to me. Nothing more. You’ll never be able to wash the taint of malice away. Everyone is going to know who you are and what you did. You belong to me!

With the Harbinger closing in on them, Zelda pushed the Master Cycle to its limit. The engine chugged. Her stomach soured as the cycle struggled to gain speed.

There was a dreamlike sensation of slow-motion despite her rapid heartbeat, beating in time with Astor’s against her back. She felt as though -

The Harbinger’s laser is trained on them and after what feels like a silent eternity it fires. The high-powered beam of ancient energy tears through his back and exits her chest. They are enveloped in a blinding blue light as that final scream of failure is ripped from her.

She snapped herself out of that grim vision, still awash in panic. It had been easy to outrun the Harbinger in the Lost Woods, but there was nothing to slow its chase out in the open plain.

Her panic-fueled delirium reached a fever pitch. She didn’t dare look again, but she could hear the gurgle of malice and the mechanical whirring of the automaton itself.

Goddess Hylia... It’s right on us...How is it so fast? It’s somehow running at full tilt on three mechanical legs just to get at us. The effort alone should cause it to break down. It wasn’t designed to go at that speed.

Zelda despaired, thinking of how something her mother made so long ago with loving care had been corrupted by Calamity Ganon.

This was her final thought as the Harbinger swung its distended bladed arm, colliding with the vehicle’s back tire. The Master Cycle wavered pathetically from the force of the automaton’s slap, and then went down, skidding through the mud.

The sky and ground spun as she felt herself hit the ground, narrowly missing becoming pinned under the fallen Master Cycle. 

The falling rain on her skin brought Zelda back to a vague awareness. Groaning, she opened her eyes. She barely registered that they were lying in a crumpled heap, but when she did, she reached for Astor as he stirred slightly. Her hands moved over him as she fought to regain her bearings.

“Astor… Please say something...” She could only mumble as her fingers stroked the braids that draped the side of his face.

Astor sucked in a breath, wincing. “I... think I’m still in one piece…”

There was mud all over her dress and numerous scrapes on her exposed shoulders and arms. The rain stung her open wounds, but that was only the beginning of her pain.

Lifting her head weakly, she saw that the Master Cycle was a complete loss - and the Harbinger loomed over them, its corrupted red display ebbing outward hypnotically as it regarded them.

“Zelda, run....” Astor urged her, helplessly.

She took in the glowing blue of the Harbinger’s many blades. It was toying with them, taking its time as a predator with prey.

“I can’t outrun it any more than you can. I won’t leave you.” Zelda gripped his hand, her voice resigned and weak.

The Harbinger began to emit a discordant tune. 

To Zelda, it sounded so familiar in her mental haze but deeply wrong. However, Astor knew it all too well.

There were times when the Harbinger used to play a strange song. Even Kohga and Sooga had heard it ‘sing’ at odd intervals. They didn’t know what to think at first. Then, Astor learned the origins of the Harbinger and he realized its significance. The tune was little more than a malfunction - simply the machinery morbidly regurgitating a lullaby meant for the princess out of key. Kohga and Sooga’s howls of laughter carried through the Yiga Hideout on the day they came to the same realization, much to Astor’s annoyance. The toy Zelda had once cherished was now possessed by the most malignant spirit in the realm and Astor was hanging on its every instruction.

“I’m sorry this happened to you, Terrako…” Zelda said numbly.

And then Astor heard her make a seizing sound. The alarm and pain in her voice turned his stomach to rot. 

Zelda stared at her feet in horror. They were as black as a decomposing corpse. She held them out as if paralyzed with pain. The same concerning blackness had appeared on her cheek, and others were appearing elsewhere, spreading.

“No, not her!” Astor screamed, taking hold of her in his arms.

Malice licked and traveled her body like a flame. It had started at her feet, blackening her skin and sandals, and traveled up. The malice infected her body, consuming her dress, her hair, and finally blooming in the whites of her eyes.

He cradled her in his arms, her darkened eyes staring back at him in wide open agony, and he wished the malice would consume him as well. She opened her mouth to say something, but the only sound that came forth was a terrible gasping sound.

“No… No…”

He pressed his face into the exposed skin of her shoulder, feeling the blighted flesh against his own. Her body gave no warmth, just a husk of her former beauty.

The anguish crashing down on him was unbearable as his raging thoughts took over - Hylia’s words turning over and over again in his mind, and all the things he wished he’d told Zelda. 

I was supposed to die that way. Not her… I can’t let her die believing she’s a failure.

Hyrule’s future lay in ruin along with his own. What was fate if even the prophecy of the Goddess could be undone?

The Harbinger watched the prophet grieve, viewing the scene in the red tones of its censor. Certain the princess who bore the goddess’s blood would soon pass away, it turned to retreat.

Astor raised his head, hearing himself utter words he never thought possible.

“I love her… Know this, Calamity Ganon...I love her!” His voice shuddered in horrible defeat and desolation. “And I always will...”

Zelda grit her teeth as she shakily held her wasted right hand high.

The Harbinger had stopped in its tracks. It had ignored its former prophet’s confession, but now sensed a holy power brewing within the nearly lifeless girl.

A golden light had manifested in the palm of her hand, and in the next instant intensified into a brilliant and blinding dome that eclipsed the field.

Astor lifted his arm to shield his eyes, still embracing her with the other.

The dome of light faded out. Astor opened and closed his eyes, his vision coming back into focus.

“That light… It's…”

She held her arm out still, rigidly. Astor could only stare in awe at the unmistakable triangular mark on the back of her hand, and when her extended arm began to falter, he clasped her hand before it could fall limply to her side.

Zelda serenely closed her eyes. Astor thought he heard her exhale softly as she sank back into his arms, going limp. The black malice receded slowly, beginning at the sacred mark on her hand. The skin beneath had an otherworldly immaculate quality to it. And though the malice departed from her body and hair, it was plain to see that her clothing and jewelry would remain corroded and black.

The Harbinger was gone. Astor could only imagine it had retreated. There was nothing but the calming sound of rain falling as it began to taper off, and the dark clouds began to break, leaving nothing but the starry night sky and the moon. Astor’s gaze rested on the soft rise and fall of her chest.

There was the clanging of armor and Astor turned his head to see two Hyrulian soldiers approach.

“What was that light?” The soldier let his gaze fall on the girl in Astor’s arms and then the wrecked vehicle, going silent.

“Who are you? What did you do to the princess!?” the other barked.

“I... I’m her seer. I helped her awaken her sacred power.” Astor gave them a tired, elated smile, too thankful to Hylia that Zelda was alive to demand respect from these two lowly Hyrulean Soldiers.

The soldiers glanced at one another skeptically, not sure whether to take the strange, suspicious man at his word, but there was no denying the light shining dully from Zelda’s hand.

“Should we believe him? I know of no royal seer in attendance to the princess. Where is her appointed knight?”

“He certainly doesn’t look the least bit royal to me… Anyways, we need to get Her Highness to safety. Alright, Sir, you’re going to carry Her Highness to Fort Hateno, and you’re going to mind your hands while you do.”

Astor bit back a scathing insult and gathered the princess in his arms, following the soldiers in the direction of their destination. It wasn’t long before his arms ached terribly, and he didn’t think he would be able to carry her any longer, especially in his condition.

“Just a little further,” the first soldier said, not unkindly.

Astor adjusted his aching arms, Zelda still not stirring, and he pressed on.

They passed by countless broken-down Guardians.

“That light… It seems to have disabled the Guardians in the vicinity.” The soft-spoken soldier remarked.

They passed through the raised iron gate and the stone-faced soldier directed Astor to a tent.

“She can rest here. You rest over there,” the soldier ordered testily, pointing to another tent some distance away.

“You must be joking... We haven’t been apart during the entirety of the Calamity.”  Astor felt the words leave his mouth helplessly. 

“I care not! And I’m going to be keeping an eye on these tents to make sure nothing untoward happens until she can be reunited with her rightful appointed knight or advisor.”

Astor’s chest tightened, furious and in disbelief at the soldier’s callousness. “Just what are you accusing me of? We were attacked! Listen to me, you presumptive scab, there’s a very dangerous Guardian still out there and it's not done with us. I can’t leave her side. She’s incapacitated and defenseless.”

The soldier drew his sword. “Which is exactly why I won’t let you stay by her side,” he spat. “I’m not going to let you take advantage of the Calamity and sully her reputation, whoever you are. You expect me to believe your tall tales? I’ve yet to see a Guardian I couldn’t handle. Now, do as I say. I’m already granting you far more accommodation than you deserve!”

Astor shut his eyes in surrender and hugged the girl in his arms, knowing he could not afford to escalate the situation any further. He laid her in the tent and then turned to tiredly lurch toward the other, grumbling under his breath about how he was going to be sleeping with one eye open.

In his dreams, they stand under the Blood Moon hand in hand. The sky and land are awash in a scarlet glow. As her right hand clasps his left, he can sense her power resonating. Zelda stares up at the beast circling her home, undaunted, and smiles.