#And immediately decided to put his heart his safety his secrets his entire existence in her hands

[ninadove]

Oh don’t mind me I’m just out there crying about the fact that Kagami is literally wearing her heart on her sleeve

Bonus for the soul:

This is the face of a boy who has just seen the billion tiny shards of her heart all at once and is making it his mission, right then and there, to love every single one of them with such wild devotion for the rest of eternity and even after

[fckwritersblock]

Protection Forever - William Lennox

Lennox x Reader

Description: Running into an old flame at the worst possible time.

Warning: nah. Bad writing? Kinda. Unedited because I was excited. I’ll not when it’s been fixed. Somethings may not be fully aligned with the movie but I tried 😩

Word count: 2500+

Dedicated to @merakiaes hey fren!

All gifs from @meragifs too!

You were an EMT.

The two of you pulled up to meet with the other Autobots, you exiting the vehicle before he transformed. You were in awe as he and the rest of the cars all changed.

The biggest one, their leader, gave a rundown of everything that was happening once he confirmed Sam’s identity. This was just a recap for you as Ratchet had already explained. The teenage boy just stood there stuttering not really knowing how to process everything and you frowned again. That was when you really took notice of two teens just standing there. Having known what was expected of Sam Witwicky you frowned slightly.

“I don’t know about this Ratchet, he’s just kid.” You commented to the alien you had formed a quick bond with.

“And who might you be?” The one called Optimus inquired.

You gave him your name before the other yellow autobot, who you’d later learned was Bumble Bee, uttered something through his radio. It was hard for you to hear but the other robots seemed to be use to it as Ratchet responded immediately.

“The human. I like her.” Ratchet sounding irritated.

Bumblebee made another comment and right before Ratchet could respond one of the others chimed in.

“Wait why do they get humans?” Jazz asked incredulously. “I want one too!”

“Enough! Humans are not pets.” The one call Optimus Prime stated sternly, clearly tired of their bickering. You held your laugh, highly amused.

They were like siblings. A family.

“Exactly I’m just here to help and be a better tour guide than these kids can be.” You confirmed practically forcing your services on them. “Besides they need adult supervision. From the looks of it, you all do.” You grinned at everyone around you. Optimus gave a nod, agreeing.

“She stays. Let’s move.”

In that short amount of time things moved rather quickly. You watched the Autobots accidentally destroy Sam’s backyard when attempting to retrieve the glasses, you were all arrested, you escaped thanks to the Autobots, only to be arrested again.

Fail.

Finally you ended it some secret base. How get you weren’t alone. The government had apparently been on a roll with kidnapping civilians who “knew too much “.

Things weren’t going great but quickly went left when the Decepticons, the Autobot rivals, came to retrieve Megatron.

A war from another planet had officially made Earth its battleground.

You were nervous, trying to figure out how to calm everything down before things started to escalate. Nobody was going to get anywhere with all the bickering. That’s when you saw him.

It had been what? Two years?

Still, without even knowing it, without even knowing you were present, he was still able to make your heart be slow and fast at the same time. The army had aged him, but for the better making him all the more attractive but you couldn’t focus on that right now. Especially when you heard:

“The cryogenic system is failing! We're losing NBE One!”

All the soldiers begin to pack everything that they could to prepare in a fight the way they always did. It was an mirable the way Linux game orders in his men took them without a second thought. The trust there.

“That’s good. Get all the ammo you got.”

“Everything you can carry. Bring it.”

Tearing your eyes away from your former lover you grab Sam.

“Come on, we need Bee.” You reminded him, nodding in Simmons direction

“You got to take me to my car.” Sam said, then repeated when he was ignored. “You have to take me to my car. He’s gonna know what to do with the Cube.”

“Your car? It's confiscated.”

“Then unconfiscate it.” You stared blankly.

“We do not know what will happen if we let it near this thing! -“

“You don't know.”

“Maybe you know, but I don't know.”

You rolled your eyes at the insufferable mans rambling.

This was really was more about ego who was in control more than anything. The guy running the ship, clearly was on a power trip. Unfortunately for him he was facing off against soldiers . The Captain who’s eyes you could feel staring at the side of your face.

A Captain and his soldiers. Ones that really dont like to lose and take serving their country seriously.

The guy who arrested you earlier continue to argue with Sam about getting him back to bumblebee when Lennox finally pulled out his gun sick of the back-and-forth.

“Take him to his car!”

As soon as he did so all hell broke loose and everyone from both parties pulled out a weapon.

“Drop it!”

It wasn’t until One of the sector seven agents pointed a gun at the back of Will’s head that you disable to another agent and took his gun and pointed it directly and held it directly at the one pointing the gun at your ex.

“I really wouldn’t.” You warned.

You were no soldier, but Will have taught you plenty before you broke up. So did your brother, before he passed away. He actually served alongside Will but died in combat. Biking. That’s part of why you were so hurt when Will re-enlisted. When he got promoted to Captain and chose the army over you. You were terrified of losing him the way you lost your brother. The break up wasn’t that messy but you both said things you didn’t mean. In attempts to mask your own pain and hurt one another.

You know. Hurt people, hurt people.

It’s still came to no surprise that you put a bullet in someone to protect him. Together or not you’d never let anything happen to him.

“I'm ordering you under S-Seven executive jurisdiction-“ Simmons ranted.

“S-Seven don't exist.” You interjected, earning a quick appreciative glance from Will.

“Right. And we don’t take orders from people that don’t exist.”

“I’m gonna count to 5. Okay-“ Simmons attempted to threat yet again.

“Well, I’m gonna count to three.” Will deadpanned.

You knew that look. God did you know that look and it was so wrong that you were so turned on.

Finally the Secretary of defense interfered telling Simmons to do what was being asked of him. Everyone relaxed slight, weapons lowering.

“Y/n,”

“Captain.”

The Captain and couldn’t help but watch you how do you get up and prepare to go.

“So that’s her huh?” Epps commented as Will watched you run off with Sam.

“Yeah..” Will answered, mind racing.

While he knew he’d eventually see you again, he didn’t think it would be like this. You looked breath taking.

“Damn. Shorty had your back that entire time.”

“Gear up,”

“What I’m just saying I thought she was gonna put a cap in his.” Epps shouted after his Captain receiving no response.

Will knew you had his back, you always would, the same way he would always have yours. He thought of you often, the break up between two inescapable, never feeling like he did the right thing. You were always not too far from the front of his mind. Him wondering how you were doing. If you were happy. If you found somebody else. There was no doubt he regretted what had transpired between the two of you. It was his fault. He knew that. You knew that. He had ample opportunity to fight for you and he didn’t. When he was promoted Captain he felt he had to choose between you and the army. He didn’t choose you the way he should’ve. In reality he could’ve had both. However hr so caught up proven himself to his deadbeat dad that he possibly let the best thing that ever happened to him go.

Not to mention trying to atone for your brothers death. It wasn’t his fault, but he still couldn’t shake it. So without talking to you he reenlisted. Needless to say where that got him.

Now hear the both of you were in the middle of an alien war. Yeah. This is the last place he thought he’d see you.

You were numb. The battle on the highway enough to freak you out. For mommy, just a moment you thought this might be a dream but no. This is all very real. One minute you guys were just entering the city trying to lay low, next thing you know - BOOM! The explosion knocked all of you over, injuring some, killing a few. Bumblebee’s legs were partially blown off.

Getting up off the pavement you waited for the ringing in your ear to subside as you stood up, trying to study yourself when you felt a pair of arms hold you still.

You knew it was Will just by the way he touched you, you blinked hard trying not to go down memory lane.

“Are you okay?” The concern in his voice was enough to make your heart skip a bear.

“Yeah,” you nodded slowly. “Yeah I’m fine.”

Slowly you removed yourself from his grip and went to check on Sam and Mikaela. Ratchet on the other hand -

“Hmm. His pheromone levels are-“ you quickly turned on him and glared.

“Ratchet I’ll turn you into a can opener if you don’t shut the hell up.”

The robot nearly held his hands up in the surrendering position as he followed you. Will had arranged an aircraft to pick up Sam and the cube while everyone else defended themselves against the deceptive cons in a hurry to get the cube far far away before Megatron arrived. Sam was in a panic and so Michaela, you could see Will’s short fuse getting ready to exploded. It was then you decided to be an escort.

“Sam, you can’t do this alone.” Michaela fussed.

“He won’t be alone.” You commented, causing all parties involved to look at you.

“I’m going with you.” You declared.

“No.” Will didn’t even hesitated as he stepped closer to you.

“Captain Lennox-“

“No!” You grabbed him by the front of his beer and pushed him back.

“Do you see what going on out there?!” You continued to hold on to him and you yelled at him over there chose. “We’re at a war. One we are extremely ill prepared for. So get your shit together! Sam is my responsibility. I have to get this kid to safety.”

This time your hands slid up the side of his face forcing him to look at you.

“Y/n..” he breathed out leaning down toward you, and for the first time during all this madness you could visibly see he was afraid.

“I’ll be back, Will.” You assured him, briefly resting your forehead against his.

Gathering himself he pulled away, looking toward Sam then back at you.

“Go. Go!”

And then we were running.. With nothing but an M16 strapped to your back and the pistol in your hand, you ran faster than you ever have before.

The four of you were under attack once more, you and Sam doing what you had to, to avoid getting snatched up as a fight Ironhide and Ratchet defended you. Unfortunately you were too close to one of the cars that went up in flames and you were thrown into another car from the blast.

“Y/n!” You could feel the blood on your forehead as you slowly pushed yourself up. As you tried to stand you immediately stopped feeling the pain in your thigh. Looking down could see the damage that had been done. The blood surrounding the afflicted area.

“Wha- what, what do i do?!” Sam asked frantically once he took notice of your injury.

“You gotta keep going Sam. I’ll be fine.”

He stood fo his feet, unsure of what to do. When Ironhide told him the same thing.

“Go!” You screamed once more.

Sam left and continued to run without you as you, as quickly as possible, as you tore your focus away from him to pull the shard of glass in your leg out. Ripping a piece of your shirt off you tightly tied it around your thigh in order to stop the bleeding. There was no point in going forward now but the return back to everyone else and help them fight.

You just had to avoid getting killed in the process.

You seen a car steering wheel, a Mountain Dew vending machine and and Xbox all turn into one of those freaky ass robots right before your eyes. All of which you helped others fight off. It was so surreal. In fact, if it wasn’t for the constant ringing in your ear from all the explosions you definitely think you were dreaming. You almost made it back to Lennox and his men when another Decepticon stood between between you and your destinations. They were definitely taking a beating. You saw Epps shooting a green laser indicating the robot that doubled as a helicopter wasn’t a friendly and decided to do what you could to keep the Decepticon from getting any closer to them and hurting any more civilians. In an attempt to draw it away from everyone else, you begin to fire your weapon giving it everything you had.

Unfortunately, the side effective taking its attention off the others meant putting the attention on you.

You ran trying to duck and dodge a bullets now directed your way.

But Will. Will’s heart dropped. Seeing you there defending yourself alone. His pause was brief, the air forces plan already in motion, before he started the motorcycle and was speeding in your direction.

“William!” You screamed for him fearfully as he drove straight toward the robot.

The only thing you could hear was your heartbeat pounding in your ears. You almost couldn’t breathe, you don’t remember the last time you ever felt so scared in your life. But it wasn’t your life you feared for was it?

He rushed forward and slid under the robot continuing to firing the launcher. All you could do was watch as he drove toward you. Toward the danger your mind wondering if he did that on a regular basis. Was this the life of a soldier? What he went through day after day when he was deployed?

Standing up he only spared the parts of the dismembered robot a glance before shouting and turning looking for you. In a matter of seconds he was standing directly in front of you and pulling you into his arms.

Relief.

There was nothing like physically being about to touch someone, hold someone to really know they were okay.

“So…” you began, suddenly feeling nervous. “...That was hot-“

Before you were able to get another word in, he captured your lips with his kissing you roughly and bringing you closer, hands on the small of your back. You couldn’t help it kiss him back just as fiercely put in every emotion you had into that kiss.

Every ounce of passion he had in body, put into this kiss, your lips just as soft, kiss just as pure as he remembered. When you kissed, he knew he was a goner and could never let you go again.

It has been two years since the last time you guys have been this close. This intimate. Reconnected. The feeling it gave you, the indescribable feeling, was one neither one of you ever wanted to forgo again. Pulling back slowly, you both had smiles on your faces, Will pulling you closer to plant a kiss on your forehead.

“Excuse me,” Epps interrupted.

The both of you turning your attention on him.

“As cute as this shit is it’s highly inappropriate in the middle of the battle. I’m just saying we are trying to stay alive and shit.”

———————————————

Oh my fu- I don’t even know what this isssss

Couldn’t tell you what my original ideas was or nothing. I believed this was going to short-

I enjoyed writing it though! Shoutout again to @merakiaes for being on this lennox train with me lol

I’m just....I’m just gonna leave this mess here.

Bye

- Mo

—————————-

Tags: @merakiaes @lilythemadqueen

[beautifulterriblequeen]

B2:S - Chapter 3

Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.

Here be Lujanne, Callum, Rayla, Ezran, Bait, and Soren goodness!

Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.

Lujanne having excellent fitness for all her walking around the Moon Nexus, and she's so energetic that Callum has trouble keeping up with her! She seems like those active grandmas who almost never stop moving, who have a lifelong supply of endless stamina. It makes me wonder if Lujanne will need that level of fitness for some upcoming conflict.

Callum feeling really hungry over not eating grubs and then still deciding he'd rather be hungry. It makes me wonder all over again how Lujanne got to the point where she eats grubs, considering that other Moonshadow elves we know of back in the Silvergrove don't. I still love my hc that the giant leech ate all of Lujanne's moonberry bushes and she's taking her revenge. Whatever's going on there, Callum is definitely not at that point yet.

When Lujanne asks Callum how he knows she's real, he thinks to himself that he'd put up with just about anything from someone who was going to teach him magic. That's a great parallel and foreshadowing for Viren's student/master relationship with Aaravos! And it's telling that neither student gets exactly what they hoped to get. Lujanne doesn't actively teach Callum any spells, because she believes he can't learn Moon magic at all. Aaravos does offer Viren power, but it takes him to some very dark places - literally and figuratively - and the cost is terribly high.

Callum sees a moon shape among the ruins, and Lujanne explains that the Moonhenge layout is an intricate rune that uses the structures themselves as part of its symbols and power. That's apparently a thing even with ordinary Moonshadow villages like Hollow Wood in the east, which is the coolest idea I've seen in a while: city planning as magic runes!

Yes, that's the same shape as the pendants Ethari made for himself and Runaan. Protection? Home? Feelsiness? A sense of safety and belongnig for all cycles and seasons?

Wonder what this Moonhenge rune stands for, then, and how much of this landscape is included in that rune. I bet it's more than we think!

But it makes sense now, how toppling the stone pillars would disable the spell the druids would cast to connect with the Moon Nexus lake. Breaking the infrastructure of the Moonhenge breaks the rune.

There's a physical sensation involved with the visuals that Historia Viventem brings up! When that one ghostly druid walked through Callum, he felt icy cold. Like in ghost stories. I really wonder about what exactly Historia Viventem is doing when it activates. It shows truth, "what really happened here?", so it must have some kind of time-related element, maybe tied to how the moon always repeats the same cycles or something. But it also seems to draw on the spirits of any living people involved in the flashback, because Callum could physically feel that wispy shape passing through him. So very interesting!

Orrr... is that all wrong, and there's something else at work with this spell than time? Maybe the world beyond life and death can act as an imprint of the things that have happened in the living world, and the spell that Lujanne (and later Callum) casts taps into that place, with perfect recall. I'm looking really hard at the sentence that says "dozens of translucent elf ghosts" and "phantom Moonhenge" and "lost in their own world" here.

Lujanne says more here than in the show about the world beyond life and death, being her mysterious Moonshadow-mage self. She says that "beyond" and "between" might both apply to where this other plane of existence is, and she doesn't much care which. With all the relativity swirling around this place, and not much in the way of empiricism, it's sounding like perhaps multiple conflicting ideas might actually coexist in such a place, allowing more ideas to fit there than we might normally believe is possible. Which is a fascinating bit of worldbuilding. Basically, every headcanon anyone has ever had about the Moon Nexus could all be true at the same time, for all we know.

Oh oh oh, Callum coming in soft with a secret wish! He takes one look at the Moonhenge and immediately thinks of finding a way to see his mom again! Poor boy, my heart! I'd say that could be another interesting parallel with Viren, but then, who wouldn't hold that sentiment?

Oh my, is this another breath of life into Ye Olde Ley Lines headcanon? Lujanne mentioning the Nexuses again, so soon after talking about the runic design of the entire Moonhenge, makes me wonder if the six nexuses are in fact giant runes. On Earth, the places where ley lines cross are called nexuses, and there are those who believe those points got marked with ancient structures, like Stonehenge and many many others. If Xadia were crossed with magical lines which naturally formed nexus points where they met, and if powerful magical runes were built across those entire areas, well. That would be cool beans, fams. Can I smack a map of Xadia and release a spell like Luz Noceda does? Because ngl that is my first instinct here.

Lujanne has got to be missing some grandkids to spoil, right? The way she's always whipping out cake and ice cream for Callum, and she's so grandma-ish about it. Headcanon about her being Runaan's mom aside, she is canonically lonely and she's very sweet to Allen and Ellis and I think she's missing whatever family she once had in the past. She may never get to have that family back, so she's finding a new one among the humans who live nearby, and I think that's sweet. Found family isn't just for the young.

But Ellis is straight up gonna be her fave, I bet, because she didn't turn up her nose at Lujanne's illusion food!

Ezran and Bait have a lot more to their relationship than was visible in the show, and I'm so excited by it! Ez can tell by looking at Bait's colors that he's not truly jealous of Zym, even if he's really grumpy about the dragonling taking up his favorite human's time.

And Ez thinking a lot about his dad and the things he's taught him. They're soft leadership material, and I love that so much! "Pick your battles" and the importance of encouragement. Ahh, my heart. Ezran, you're going to be such a good king.

But wait a second: both times that Bait gets extra grumpy in Zym's first training session, Ezran has just mentioned something about flying. Guys, I think Bait wishes he could fly, really badly. And that's his biggest problem with Zym, and with Ezran teaching Zym to fly, instead of Bait who doesn't have wings so. Bait is so old that his secrets have secrets, and I'm really curious how flying fits into them now!

Rayla, Dramatic Assassin: "I need to patrol for dark forces." That's what Lujanne called the source of the purple wisps that found them. I wonder if that's an official term all Moonshadows know, or if Rayla is just taking her cue from a veteran Moon mage. And I wonder how far Rayla is falling into the apparent pattern of "one mage, one assassin", since she does spend a lot of her time patrolling without being asked.

When Callum tells Lujanne that he was bad at prince stuff, and she asks if he didn't give up and got good at those things anyway, it's an opportunity for Callum to embrace subverting his parents' expectations in favor of seeking his own path, which is a primary theme of the show. But Lujanne is a couple generations older than Callum, at the very least, and I have to wonder what her upbringing was like. Is her version of success the one she took? Was she bad at magic once too, but she persisted? She is very soft and doesn't want to kill anyone.

Maybe Lujanne had dreams of doing something else with her life, but she felt she had to pursue the destiny that others handed to her, so she studied magic as hard as she could, and she did get good at it, but using it to defend Xadia from humans is not what she wanted to do with her life. Whether there's a parallel between her and Ethari on that point, there's one between Callum and Ethari, I think. How much of your life are you willing to let others direct for you?

LISTEN I WAS DYING AT THE EAR BREAD SCENE OKAY

This is my new favorite Soren and Claudia moment ever. Soren loves him his bread, okay. Even as earplugs for Claudia's sleep ocarina tune. The fact that it's "super effective" makes me think of a Pokemon defense. The fact that he learned it at camp, where he also learned about Moonshadow Madness, is hilarious. Later on, Corvus doesn't know Soren by name, but I still love the idea of Corvus being a kind of Strider-esque camp instructor, filling the ears of his young charges with all kinds of useful tactics like ear bread for magic spell songs (which actually seemed to work as intended), and warnings about the enemy elves' blood-themed tactics (which may or may not come back around in BH)

I thought they were gonna go in a kind of deep direction when Soren still wanted his ear bread back, but then he just. Eats them. Just noms them. I love this kid. Give Soren all the bread!

[duhragonball]

Battle Tendency Liveblog JJBA Ch.48-52

This is the “Joseph vs. Straizo” arc, so I’ll just lead off with one of my favorite moments from the entire JoJo franchise, when Joseph furiously declares war on Straizo with tears in his eyes.   In the anime, voice actor Tomokazu Sugita delivered this with such intensity that it actually overshadowed the machine gun.

None of the dubs or translations can do it justice, including this panel from the JoJo’s Colored Adventure scanlation project.   This is a faithful translation of Joseph’s line, as far as I can tell, except they always leave off the last part: “宣戦布告だぜ!!”  In romanji, that’s: “Sensen fukokuda ze!!”    And it means  “This is war!!”  

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Last time, we saw the Joestars treating their new friend Smokey Brown, to dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant.   Some mafia jerk caused trouble, Joseph whooped his ass, and then a second mafia guy apologized and shared a rumor he recently heard: Robert Speedwagon was found dead in a Mexican riverbed, apparently killed by a Tibetan monk.  

From there, we see that Joseph immediately realizes that this must have been Straizo, and Erina suspects that it must have something to do with the Stone Masks and the battle with Dio fifty years ago.   Smokey warns Joseph to consider the source, but Joseph is pretty sure it’s credible information, since mafia guys are all about money.   I’m not sure what that has to do with whether he’s telling the truth, though.   Either way, Joseph slugs the guy for just blurting out such terrible news in front of Granny Erina.  

Now, at this point, Joseph and Erina are making all these Phantom Blood references, and Smokey has no idea what they’re talking about.   And I think seeing this panel helped me understand Smokey’s role as a viewpoint character.  When the Part began, it seemed like Smokey was sort of the narrator for the thing, which works because he’s a good viewpoint character, and he seemed to be settling in as a sidekick like Speedwagon and Poco in Part 1.   But shortly after this he just vanishes from Battle Tendency altogether, and then he shows up at the end like it’s no big deal.   I never quite understood that, and I think this is the sort of thing that fuels the “Araki forgot” memes, but it actually makes a lot of sense.  

See, Smokey’s primary function is to be the viewpoint character, specifically for the readers who missed out on Phantom Blood.    BT is a direct continuation of the previous part, in a way that none of the other JoJo parts are.   Most of the main BT cast was deeply affected by what happened in Part 1.   A few of them lived through it, and the ones that didn’t have personal connections to it.    So they constantly talk about Stone Masks and Dio without really stopping to explain any of it.   Well, if you don’t know what they’re talking about, you can take heart in the fact that Smokey doesn’t know either.   So as long as he can keep up with the story, so can the uninitiated readers.  For now, all that matters is that he’s impressed by the Joestars’ great kindness, and he’s intrigued and disturbed by these hints of a tragic past in their family.  

And eventually, Smokey learns just what happened to the Joestar Family, or at least everything that the reader needs to know to follow Part 2.   But that doesn’t happen until near the end, which is why he shows up to hear the secrets revealed.   But for most of the story, he steps aside, because that’s mostly about Joseph dealing with events in the here and now, so Joseph can act as his own viewpoint character.  

But is Speedwagon truly dead?   The story flashes back to the previous night, after Straizo killed his own disciples and clobbered Speedwagon.   They’re in this temple where Speedwagon discovered more Stone Masks, like the one Dio used, but Speedwagon also discovered an immortal man petrified in a stone column.    Straizo was enlisted to destroy this “Pillar Man” with his Hamon power, but instead he wants to use one of the Stone Masks to turn himself into a vampire.  

Before he does this, he reads Speedy’s translations of the writing on the walls of the temple.    The ancient Aztec cultists who built it said that the Pillar Man was immortal and had many powers, but he was vulnerable to the sun, just like the vampires from Part 1.   But the writings warn that the Pillar Man created the Stone Masks because of this weakness, and one day, “when he befriends the sun, the world will be his.”  That doesn’t seem to follow, since the only thing the Stone Masks seem to be able to do is make new vampires, who are just as vulnerable to sunlight as the Pillar Man.   

Anyway, Straizo doesn’t seem to care.   He just doesn’t want to die of old age, and he’s become disillusioned with the Hamon power he has, so he’s turning heel and going full goth on us.   To avoid Dio’s mistakes, he plans to eliminate any witnesses, including Joseph and Erina.  Then he’ll go into hiding and figure out a long term plan, with the rest of the world unaware of his existence. 

You know, now that I write that out, I’m amazed by how similar that plan is to what Dio ends up doing in Part 3.   In Part 1, he set about turning a whole town into zombies, and planning to unleash them on the world without any real agenda.    But in Part 3 he eventually holed up in a swank mansion in Cairo and took great pains to stay hidden while he acquired more power.   Parts 5 and 8 carry that same idea even further, with villains who go to great lengths to cover up their very existence.   

At any rate, we only see Speedwagon pass out in this scene, so it’s unclear whether he actually dies or not.   Really, using Speedwagon in this way is a pretty smart play.   He’s an old man, and he was never going to survive another 50-year time-skip into the next part, so it’s safe to assume that Part 2 is his swan song.   But how will he die, and when?   It could be at the very start, or maybe somewhere in the middle.  

Anyway, Straizo just walks up to a cafe in New York to confront Joseph, and Joseph whips out a machine gun and shoots his ass.   This whole time, Straizo had assumed that the untrained grandson of Jonathan Joestar would be easy pickings, but Joseph’s a lot more skilled with Hamon than he expected, and he’s tricky too. 

As Joseph fires on Straizo, he recalls how worried Erina was about all this.   The story kind of glosses over it, but Joseph seems to have worked out Straizo’s entire plan.   I guess that’s not much of a stretch.   He and Speedwagon were together with a temple full of Stone Masks, and then Straizo turned on Speedwagon.    Why else would he do that, unless he used the Stone Mask to turn into a vampire like Dio did?   And once you arrive at that conclusion, it isn’t hard to figure out what Straizo’s next move would be.    And that’s how Joseph was so prepared for this.    After the shooting stops, Smokey freaks out about Joseph murdering a dude, but Joseph was expecting a vampire the whole time. 

I also like Joseph’s line in the flashback.   Erina isn’t worried for herself, but for Joseph, because it looks like he’s being pulled into this same tragic fate as the rest of the family.   But Joseph resolves to face this head on.    “If this is my fate, then I accept it.”  Pretty sure Will Zeppeli said the same thing when he discovered that he would die saving Jonathan.  

There’s similar “call-to-adventure” moments in the other parts.   Jonathan has his when he accepts Zeppeli’s offer to train him to battle Dio again.  Jotaro has his when he defeats and saves Kakyoin, then learns what’ll happen to his mother if he doesn’t go.   Josuke has his when Angelo shows up and he has to avenge his grandfather.   Giorno kind of always had a hankering to take on Passione, but I think things got serious once he had a choice between killing or sparing Bruno.  There could be no turning back from that point.  For Jolyne, it was the moment she had a clear path to escape the prison but decided to go back in because that was where her enemy was.    For Johnny, it was that one battle where he chose to crawl towards the danger to save Gyro instead of withdrawing to safety.   For Gappy... I’d have to study that a bit.   

But for Joseph Joestar, it’s this moment.  Erina never sent Joseph to learn the Ripple from the Hamon monastary, and she seems to have taken great pains to keep him out of trouble, but now trouble has come to them, and Joseph isn’t about to back down.   

So yeah, bullets don’t actually kill vampires, but Joseph was hoping to destroy his head with some of those shots, or at least slow Straizo down long enough to finish him off.   Instead Straizo reveals that he has the power to shoot high pressure fluid from his eyes, the same move Dio used to kill Jonathan at the end of Part 1.   He calls this “Space Ripper Stingy Eyes” which is either stupid or brilliant depending on your mood, I guess.   He used it to protect his head from the machine gun fire, and then he uses it again to shoot Joseph... except he hits Joseph’s reflection in a nearby mirror, and I guess he didn’t notice the real thing standing behind him.

What makes this fight so awesome is that these two are determined to kill each other, and they each have extremely simple moves to defeat one another, but they have all these tricks and schemes to protect themselves.   Joseph manages to hit Straizo with Hamon, but it does nothing... because Straizo was a Hamon master before turning into a vampire.   He can’t use the Ripple without destroying himself now, but he still knows how to defend against it.   For instance, he’s got this scarf woven from dead bugs, because it conducts Hamon energy far more effectively than his own body.    So it just absorbs Joseph’s attacks and disperses the energy harmlessly away.   

Does it really have to be made of dead bugs?   I feel like Tonpetti just told him that as a prank.   “No, really (snort!) the only thing that works is dead bugs.  (tee-hee!)   It smells awful but you have to wear it (ha!).”

But Joseph has his own tricks, like... putting a dozen grenades on his opponent’s back when he isn’t looking!  Seriously, there was zero opportunity for him to do this.    One moment he steps over Straizo’s body to see if he’s still alive, and the next moment he supposedly planted all these things on his scarf.   I get that he could pull a string connected to the pin without being noticed, but that’s the only part that makes sense about this.   It’s still awesome, though.   If Jonathan had access to explosives, Part 1 would have been a lot shorter.  

I really think this was the battle that set the tone for Stand Battles in later Parts.   Araki loves these off-panel tricks in combat, and they’re a lot easier to explain when all of your characters have magic super powers.   If Joseph had Hermit Purple in this fight, there’d be no problem at all.   He could just use Hermit Purple to snake through the ventilation shafts and hook up all the grenades.   In fact, it’s tempting to suggest that Joseph was unconsciously using Hermit Purple throughout Part 2, but I don’t want to get into that right now.

Anyway, explosions don’t stop vampires any more than machine gun fire.   Straizo’s body is in pieces, but the pieces just slither back together and regenerate.   Wait, wouldn’t his head have been vaporized in that blast?   Also, Straizo spends the rest of this battle in the nude, so we know that stupid scarf is out of the equation.   Why didn’t Joseph just go back in the cafe and finish Straizo off while he was still in pieces?

Again, it’s easy to say “lol Araki forgot”, but I think it’s a lot more sensible to suggest that Joseph forgot.   As clever as he is, he went in with the Ripple, a machine gun, and a dozen grenades, and Straizo had an answer to all three.   He doesn’t want to press the attack because he’s out of tricks.   All he’s got left is another Hamon attack, which means Straizo will see it coming.   Or he’s still worried about the scarf, and hasn’t realized that it’s gone now.    In any event, he’s running away, creating some distance before Straizo can make his next move.

Also, there’s a lot of bystanders gathering around, so it makes sense to take the fight elsewhere.   Some guy named “Bruty” tries to stop Joseph to impress his girlfriend, but that backfires spectacularly.  Was Bruty in the anime?  I feel like he wasn’t, but I don’t want to check. 

The one I do remember is this girl photographer.   Spider-Man hadn’t been invented yet, so in those days photographers just sort of wandered around with their camera, waiting for Spidey to debut.   This exploding vampire diner is the best she could do in 1938.  

I just really like this lady.   There’s a spark in her eye and I just assumed she would end up being Joseph’s love interest by the end of the story.    Well, we’ll get to that.  

Instead, she’s a hostage.  Joseph and Smokey run to the Brooklyn Bridge?   I guess?   It’s a bridge, I’m sure of that much.   Anyway, Straizo catches this lady and takes her with him to intercept them.   He threatens to kill her unless Joseph faces him again.   But Straizo offers to spare Joseph and never trouble him again if Joseph runs away.   This is because Straizo figures that if Joseph chickens out now, then he’ll never be a threat to Straizo in the future, no matter how powerful his Hamon abilities become. 

Joseph tries to call his bluff, but then Straizo rips out one of the girl’s teeth to prove he means business, and Joseph gets furious all over again.  I don’t think he was ever planning to abandon this fight, but he was probably hoping to get Straizo to give up his hostage at least.   Now he’s just pissed, and Straizo is impressed.  Joseph tries to act cool, but he just can’t hide his passionate feelings.    This is in stark contrast to Jotaro, who wagered his own soul in a poker game and bluffed his way to victory. 

So Straizo tries again with the Space Ripper Stingy Eyes, but this time Joseph blocks it with two shot glasses charged with Hamon power, and then he lands the decisive blow.   But before Straizo dies, Joseph demands to know why Straizo dumped Speedwagon and the others in the river.   Not only does Joseph want to give him a proper burial, but he doesn’t understand why Straizo would have dumped them in the river, since that was how Joseph knew to expect him.  

Wait, I thought Straizo wanted Joseph to know he was coming.   Oh well.

Anyway, Straizo explains that he had to do it, because the Pillar Man was absorbing the blood from his victims.   Straizo was worried that the Pillar Man might awaken, so he put them in the river instead to be safe.    Nevertheless, he suspects that the Pillar Man will reawaken eventually anyway, and Straizo now realizes that it will be Joseph’s destiny to face him some day.    Then Straizo just uses the Ripple one last time, and self-destructs. 

It always seemed strange to me that Straizo saw the danger of the Pillar Man and just left things the way they were.   Maybe he planned to deal with him later, or maybe he just didn’t know or care about it until Joseph defeated him, and he felt a moral obligation to warn someone. 

I guess he could have destroyed the Pillar Man like Speedwagon wanted him to do in the first place, but it seems like Straizo didn’t realize that blood would wake him up until after he was already a vampire, and unable to use the Ripple.  For that matter, it remains to be seen if Hamon will work on Pillar Men.   

Anyway, what else is going on?   Oh, yeah, Europe is getting closer and closer to World War II.   The official start of the war is usually considered to be September 1, 1939, but Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935, and Japan invaded China in 1937, and Germany annexed Austria and conquered Czechoslovakia in 1938, the year Battle Tendency is set.  So we’re in this weird time period where there’s Nazis in the story, and the British-American protagonist doesn’t care for them, but isn’t trying to kill them on sight.   I’ll be coming back to this topic later on. 

I think the main reason for including Nazi Germany in this story was to draw parallels between their goals and those of the fictional villains.    The Nazis believed themselves to be the “Master Race”, the most “evolved” people, and this made them worthy to rule the world.   Araki notes that they turned to all sorts of sci-fi/occult/fantasy stuff in their war.   Similarly, you have villains like Dio and Straizo turning to mysterious Stone Masks for spooky powers, and then you have the Pillar Man himself, who apparently sought the means to “befriend the sun” and rule over the world.    So the Nazis fit into this theme of trying to claim some sort of supremacy over other beings.  

But what’s their role in this story?   Well, the Germans have an “information base” in Mexico, run by a guy named Stroheim.   He makes pretty ladies shave him with a straight razor, and if he gets a nick he makes them lick the blood off, and then he threatens to cut off their tongues.   Also, he trained his dog to not eat treats until given permission. He’s a sick fuck, is my point. 

Wait, no, my point was that his staff discovered the bodies that Straizo dumped in the river, including Speedwagon, who’s still alive, somehow.      I guess Straizo was going to finish him off but he got in a hurry when he saw the Pillar Man absorbing the blood from the others.  Not sure how Speedwagon survived that ordeal, but Stroheim’s men have been taking care of him this whole time, and he was unconscious until recently, so it might have been touch-and-go for a while. 

            Back in New York, Joseph doesn’t know what this is all about, but he decides to go to Mexico himself to get to the bottom of it...

[rintarous]

try again — a. ryuunosuke

SYNOPSIS | realizing nothing has changed between you and your ex, you thought it would be better if you two would just try again.

GENRE | ex to lovers!au, fluff, angst??

A/N | first piece for bsd omfg im shaking fr,,, takes place around dead apple time lmfao hhhhhh kyoka doesnt exist in this sooo ur ability is demon snow???? fuck i hate this so much lmfao also p.p.s this is my gif teehee ++ ty mal for beta-reading this HAHAHHA i will now [rest] after posting this cs i am: shy good day

“hurry up and go!” you hissed at atsushi who was struggling to turn off the safety on his gun while you were trying to fend off demon snow. atsushi lets out a yelp as he fumbles with his gun. before atsushi could pull the trigger, demon snow was shoved away by no one other than your ex, akutagawa ryuunosuke. 

akutagawa stands up from the ground with a huff. “akutagawa!” atsushi exclaims, aiming his gun towards the boy. akutagawa clears his throat, making brief eye contact with you. you stared at him with an uneasy expression on your face. it has been awhile since you last saw the boy you once loved.

“what a pathetic weapon” akutagawa deadpans, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat. “no pea shooter is going to have an effect on her” he emphasizes the last word, her, motioning to rashomon who seemed to have a mind of its own just like demon snow. just as rashomon struts in, you felt demon snow’s presence behind you.

before anyone could attack, the weretiger has pounced on rashomon, sending it to the other side of the street. “how amusing.” akutagawa comments, “let’s see who comes out on top” an amused smile on his face watching his ability take on his proclaimed enemy’s ability. 

“now isn’t the time for that!” atsushi interjects. as the two was about to start bickering in the middle of an ability battle, demon snow takes this chance to make a move on you. you easily blocked her katana with your knife just in time. 

“there should be a secret passage nearby for the mafia brass!” you managed to let out. akutagawa scowls, knowing you were right. “tsk. let’s go, jinko” he calls out to atsushi as he runs towards the restaurant. atsushi looked like he was deep in thought. whether or not to follow akutagawa or help you with fighting your own ability. 

“hey-” “just go! i’ll be there, i promise!” you cut him off, knowing how long he decides to make a decision. you manage to shove demon snow far back but she was quick on her feet. “all right..” atsushi then follows akutagawa. 

you bought yourself some time after sending demon snow flying. you immediately run towards the restaurant that had a secret passage and swiftly maneuver around the bar, barely managing to get inside the elevator and just before demon snow could get you, the doors closed. 

“phew” you huff, catching your breath. “tsk, how weak” you hear akutagawa comment. the air was thick and stuffy. it’s almost like you couldn’t breathe. it was pitch black in the box too, making the situation far more worse for you and akutagawa. you wanted to avoid him as soon as possible but with the given situation, you can’t. 

“this emergency passage was built in case for a gifted attack. the fog won’t reach us here” akutagawa states. hearing his voice again sorta made your heart ache. you truly missed him being around you at all times. 

“what is that fog?” atsushi asked. “dragon’s breath” you hear akutagawa reply.  you focused your attention on the buttons in front of you, not wanting to hear anything. trying to clear your head and getting a hold of yourself. you’re not gonna let some stupid boy change that. your mission is how to get your ability back and that was it. 

“y/n,” akutagawa calls. you felt your breath hitch hearing your name slip off his tongue like that. it felt like home to you almost. “with neither of us having abilities, you could finally kill me just like what you said that night” he says. emphasizing on the word ‘that’; reminding you of that painful night you’re sure you’ll never forget.

the night you two broke things off. the night you never thought would come in a million years. 

you didn’t utter a word and continued to stare at the buttons in front of you. akutagawa tilts his head to the side “what’s wrong?” he taunts. “don’t you have a score to settle with me?” his words laced in venom but you knew better. he was testing you. he was testing if you had the guts to kill him. 

atsushi scoffs, “y/n-chan doesn’t think of you anymore!” he butts in. akutagawa felt his heart drop when atsushi mentioned that. ‘have you moved on from me?’ was a question that asks himself repeatedly. his feeling of hurt instantly changed into anger. how dare this nobody speak for you.

“want to end this while we don’t have our abilities?” akutagawa challenges him. “stop right there” you interrupt the two boys, standing in between the two of them so they don’t start lashing out. you sent a look at atsushi before turning to akutagawa. “cut to the chase. do you know how to get our abilities back?” 

akutagawa lets out a chuckle. ‘what was so funny?’ you thought to yourself. “that’s the first thing you say to me in months?” he then clears his throat once more, “but yeah. i know a way” 

“what is it?” atsushi exclaims once more. “defeat the ability, it would come back to the owner” akutagawa shrugs. he looks at you then to atsushi, “are you that uninformed?” he rolls his eyes. you stare at his face for a bit. your heart racing as it seems like all your memories with him are crashing down on you. did you miss him this much? 

“what is your plan?” atsushi’s question bringing you back to reality. “the same as ours” you respond knowing akutagawa well. akutagawa hums, “i’m going to shred shibusawa’s organs and end his life” akutagawa swears. “why? is there any other way to save yokohama?” he asks the question towards atsushi. 

“we won’t kill!” atsushi declares. “that’s not what the armed detective agency does” he continued. akutagawa lets out a sarcastic laugh. “how funny.” he laughs, “you really are something, jinko” 

“y/n understands what this job is all about” akutagawa suddenly looks at you. you two make eye contact and for a second there, you see his eyes soften at the sight of you. you quickly look away to hide the blush that was now forming on your cheeks. “she’s a former port mafia, after all” he sighs, remembering his golden days shared with you.

“i left the mafia to see the light of day, we talked about this already” you spoke, “i left the mafia to join the agency” you take a deep breath before looking at atsushi dead in the eye. “but the mafia killings are different from the agency’s. there’s a difference” you say.

akutagawa can’t help but smirk a little at your statement. knowing you were at his side rather than his enemy and your colleague. “y/n-chan…” atsushi stares at you in disbelief. “this wouldn’t have happened if dazai-san didn’t join the enemy side” akutagawa claims, “i’ll be the one to kill him.”

atsushi yanks out his gun and aims it at akutagawa. you don’t know what came over you but in one swift move, you jumped right in front of your ex boyfriend, shielding him from atsushi. akutagawa stares at you for a moment. ‘you still haven’t changed one bit’ he thinks to himself.

“i’m not letting you kill dazai-san!” atsushi yells. “and i’m not letting you kill him either” you snap back at atsushi. “y/n-chan.. why?” atsushi questions. from behind, akutagawa smiles and he was almost ready to hug you right there. “just.. don’t kill him. that’s my job” you dismissed. 

before atsushi could say anything the elevator doors opened. akutagawa moves around you, not missing the chance to at least touch you in any shape possible. his touches still have that lingering feel to it and leaves you behind with atsushi in the elevator. “we’re not going with you” atsushi claims. 

akutagawa doesn’t say anything and walks towards more into the darkness. the elevator dings, ready to close the doors when you put your hand over it and rush to akutagawa. “i’m going with him” you tell atsushi. “eh?!” 

in the end atsushi tags along with you. you walked beside akutagawa with atsushi trailing behind you. “y/n-chan, why are you following him..” you hear atsushi dread . “it’s simple. he has information” you look back at atsushi, “he’s a powerful asset and we both have the same goal” you say, turning your attention to akutagawa. 

akutagawa watches you from his peripheral vision before noticing the familiar cellphone dangling on your neck. “you still have that cellphone your mother gave to you?” he asked. you don’t say anything and walked faster. “mother?” you hear atsushi ask.

akutagawa stops in his tracks and faces atsushi, “you haven’t even been told about that?” rolling his eyes, akutagawa turns his attention back to you. “oy, wait for me” he calls to you, picking up his pace to walk next to you. atsushi can only stare at the two of you with a million thoughts running in his head. 

“what was the shortest route again?” you ask akutagawa beside you. “0505” he answers back. you hummed and continued to walk beside him. “i see you still haven’t changed” akutagawa starts, “i figured you would be an entirely different person by now” he shrugs. you bit your lip, not knowing how to respond. “you’re still the same y/n i know” you hear him utter under his breath. 

“that’s cause i still have unfinished business with you” you blurt out. unable to hide the truth anymore. you wanted him back more than ever and meeting him again just proves it. 

akutagawa shuffles closer to you and grabs your hand. “when this fiasco is over, how about we try again?” he proposes quietly. only loud enough for you to hear. you squeezed his hand, a tiny gesture that means a thousand words and makes his heart race over and over again. 

[star-whores-a-new-hoe]

Rescue Mission // Obi Wan X Reader Forever Series: Part Six

Summary: You attempt to rescue Anakin and Obi Wan from the evil clutches of the separatists, but hurtful secrets get reveled in the process.

Word count: 3K

Warnings: Angst, fighting, violence, pining, cussing, Typos probably.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” You whispered hurriedly under your breath as you made your way through the dark, ominous jungle. Clutching your blaster tightly, you stepped over vines and branches, your ears and eyes straining for any sign of movement. 

Your heart was beating rapidly but you did your best to suppress your nerves and focus on the task at hand. You were unable to shake the foreboding  feeling of being watched by something waiting in the looming darkness. 

‘I am literally the least qualified person in existence to be doing this!’ You thought to yourself. The immense metaphorical weight of this situation felt heavy on your shoulders.

 Your feet ached like you had been walking for an eternity and you could feel your shirt sticking to your sweaty back, but you didn’t let your guard down for even a second to adjust it. 

‘What’s gonna happen if I don’t find them?’ You thought. ‘Or worse, don’t find them?’ Shaking those thoughts from your head, you pushed onward. ‘Keep a clear head, like Obi Wan trained you to do.’

Finally, your ears were met with the sound of movement off in the distance and you swore you could make out a faint light off in that direction. Pausing, you held your breath, straining your ears so that you could listen to  the sound of robotic footsteps and metallic voices filling the eerily quiet jungle. 

Despite the immense heat, you felt a shiver of fear run down your spine. A sense of panic that began to course through your veins but you did your best to push aside your emotions. 

‘What do I do, oh fuck, what do I do?’ 

You stopped and took a deep breath, absorbing the warm jungle air.

‘What would Obi Wan do?’ 

You did your best to recall everything that Obi Wan had ever told you about his missions. How he handled hostage situations and tight spots.

Finally, you decided that the best scenario was to locate the two Jedi and get them out as quickly and quietly as possible, not in the process alerting anyone.

‘Besides, I kind of dout that there really is a senator, probably just a trap to get to Ani and Obi.’ You slowly moved towards the sounds of the enemy. Once you got closer, It was very apparent that you were immensely outnumbered. Hundreds of battle droids marched about in a bright, makeshift camp.

You crouched down behind the thick jungle brush and strategically scouted out where the Jedi were most likely to be, making mental note of where the enemy were most clustered together.

Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted what looked like the only other living thing there. A tall, wrinkled, green man in a headdress who was conversing with a battle droid.

In the hopes of overhearing the location of Obi Wan and Anakin, you moved closer to the two. 

“The Jedi are on the other side of the clearing Viceroy Gunray.” The droid said in a high pitched, metallic voice.

“Excellent, our trap worked perfectly! Soon we will be rid of two of the most troublesome Jedi in the order!” 

In the bushes, you placed your hand over your mouth, not wanting to take the risk of them hearing your heavy breathing. 

“Tell the droids to be ready to exterminate in thirty minutes.” The man (If you could even really call him that) continued.

“Roger roger!” The droid said before walking away.

‘Next step,’ You thought. ‘Spring the trap.’ 

                                                           ***

Obi Wan And Anakin sat back to back, wrists and ankles tied together, lightsabers just out of reach and four droids standing guard. Quite a familiar situation for the both of them.

“How did this happen, we’re smarter than this!” Obi Wan mused to himself. 

“Do you think Y/n is coming master?” Anakin asked, tossing his head back in a feeble attempt to get his curls out of his face.

“I suppose she is.” Obi Wan didn’t want to let on how terrified he was for your safety, how much of a failure he felt like for getting captured and leaving you to brave the dangers of jungle alone. 

“Look, I know you’re worried about Y/n but she can handle herself.” Anakin told him reassuringly. “She’s stronger than you think.” Obi Wan nodded in response, even though Ani couldn’t see it. “Besides, She’s had training. She knows how to handle that blaster.”

“Well if by some miracle she saves us, I don’t think we will ever hear the end of it.” 

Anakin smiled. “Her ass is on the line too, without us she has no one to fly her home.” 

“That’s definitely some motivation.” 

For a time they sat in silence. There wasn’t much need for them to panic as there was no immediate danger, But the thought of you trying to find and rescue them on your own had Obi Wan on edge. 

Suddenly, there was a soft rustling from the bushes  a few feet behind them. He and Anakin turned their heads just in time to see you stealthily crawl towards them out of the brush. You reached them and used a small knife that you had to cut their hands and ankles free. 

“Hi.” You said to Obi Wan, face beaming, your voice barely above a whisper so as not to alert the captors.

“Hello there.” He was beyond relieved to see you here unharmed and alive, but he knew you all still had a long way to go before you were truly safe. 

“Almost didn't recognize you with the black eye.” Anakin said before jumping up and using the force to grab both light sabers, handing one to Obi Wan as he stood up.

“Come on let's go.” You said motioning back the way you came, hoping to get away before the droids noticed that the Jedi were free. 

“Y/n,” Obi Wan said earnestly. “We must attempt to capture Viceroy Gunray, he is far too valuable an asset to let escape.”

 You pursed your lips, obviously not happy about trying to fight your way through a droid army. 

“If you feel more comfortable you can head back to the ship-“ 

“Fuck no!” You said indignantly, “I’m not leaving you guys” With all the gumption you had, you said,  “Let’s do this.” 

Anakin smiled at you before turning on his saber. “Good call.” 

***

You weren’t entirely sure how you got split up from the two Jedi but in the chaos of the fight it was pretty much bound to happen. So there you were, in an isolated clearing without any droids, a foot away from Viceroy Gunray, blaster pointed at his chest.

“They want you alive.” You said, demeanor unwavering. You were thankful that your voice sounded so tough, inside you were completely freaking out.

Viceroy Gunray scoffed at you as you stared into his cold, slimy eyes. 

“And you are going to bring me to the Jedi? Some little girl with a black eye-“ his sentence was suddenly cut off by your fist colliding with his face, throwing him to the ground with a harsh thud. 

“There, give your eye a few minutes and we’ll match.” He coughed as he propped himself up onto his elbows. “Don’t move.” You commanded, sanding over him, your blaster still aimed at him.

“It’s odd, too see a Jedi fighting without a light saber.” 

Your brows furrowed in confusion at his words. “I’m no Jedi.”

He gave you an ugly smile “Our spies say something different.” 

You stared at him, perplexed. “W-what…” 

At that moment, Obi Wan and Anakin broke through the brush, breathless, with light sabers still ignited in their fists. You kept your gaze on Gunray, waiting for an answer.

“Has Obi Wan not told you?” He chuckled. “It seems someone is force sensitive.” 

You whipped your head around to stare at Obi Wan incredulously.

“I'd stop talking if you know what's good for you viceroy.” Anakin said, coming forward to apprehend him with some holo cuffs. You slowly backed away and lowered your blaster in a dazed sort of way.

“The droids are all taken care of and-” Obi Wan began but he was interrupted by you.

“Obi, what was he talking about.” You watched him avert his Ocean blue eyes from you.

“Obi-” Your voice shook with confusion and anger. “Is he...I...You knew?” The sound of utter hurt in your tone wounded him more than a blaster bullet to the heart. 

He swallowed thickly before regaining his composure and putting away his saber. “Let us discuss this when we return to the ship.” 

                                                          ***

The walk to the ship was tense and quiet. You walked ahead of the two Jedi, Gunray in custody, your seething rage leaving a path behind you that even the most untrained of Jedi could sense.

As you stomped your way into the ship, Obi Wan and company in tow,  you felt your anger boiling up within you, ready to overflow at any minute. 

Fists clenched, You whirled on Obi Wan, Anakin awkwardly walked past you into the pilots seat with Gunray. 

“Explain.” You said. There was a commanding harshness to your tone. 

“The Jedi council has known that there was a possibility of you being force sensitive. They made the executive decision to not tell you for-“ 

“Don’t you dare fucking say for my own safety!” Your white gripped knuckles shook with anger. “Besides, telling me obviously didn’t do anything to prevent the enemy from knowing.” 

“I was simply doing what was best for you Y/n.” 

“No! You were doing what was best for the council! If you would let yourself feel a goddamn emotion instead of following everything they tell you too maybe you would have figured that out!” There was no stopping you now, everything you wanted to say to him was spilling out. “I trusted you! I’m literally in another dimension or world or whatever! I’m alone and I trusted you to be with me and to...to…” You stammered for the right words. “To not keep things like this from me!” I You could feel tears of emotion prickling up in your eyes. ‘Don’t let him see the pain!’ You reminded yourself.

Obi Wan was speechless.

You turned you back to him and crossed your arms in a fetal attempt to calm yourself. The presence of his eyes lingered on the back of your head.  those words stung, hitting him deep in his heart. You could hear his heavy footsteps walk to the front of the ship, leaving you by yourself. When you were satisfied you were alone, you let the tears and silent sobs of pent up emotion and confusion roll down your cheeks as you stared out at the stars from the ship’s window, The same stars you had admired with him on the way there.

***

When you landed back on Coruscant  you fully intended to head back to the apartment and sulk, ‘maybe I could catch a ride with Anakin after he takes care of Gunray. Lord knows I don't want to be near Obi Wan right now.’

As the doors to the ship opened and afternoon light flooded into the ship, you walked out onto the platform. To your surprise, Masters Yoda and Windu stood waiting. You headed towards them, you could sense that they were there for you.

“Y/n, We have much to discuss.” Windu said to you.

“Indeed we do.” You anger was apparent in your voice. 

Windu turned to Yoda. “Why don’t you oversee everything with Gunray?” He suggested. As Yoda walked away Obi Wan came to join the two of you. 

“What do you need to tell me?” 

“We’ve deciphered part of the book.” your face was illuminated with shock.

“And?”

“Why don’t we discuss this somewhere more private?” Windu suggested.

Crossing your arms in defiance you said. “No, I’ve waited six months dude and I’m not waiting a second more, spill.” 

Windu was slightly taken aback by your abruptness, yet none of that shone through his stone cold exterior. “The book is written in an old Jedi code, one that has not been used for quite awhile. It speaks of a person from another world coming to ours and what they must do to find out how to get back.” 

You held your breath, not daring to believe it. “Yes?”

“It tells of a planet and a ritual, we are working on tracking the plane now but we do expect it to take awhile.” 

You could hardly believe it, standing on the platform, the wind blowing in your face, you stared out at the space city you had learned to live in these past few months. All that could change soon.

“There is however, a grave warning.” Turning your gaze back onto Windu, you prompted him to go forward. “The ritual appears to be very dangerous, there is a high risk in death in attempting it. The council has decided it is up to you to choose to go through with it or not.”

“I’ll do it.” You told him without a moment's hesitation. You felt a warm hand on your shoulder and turned to look at Obi Wan, his concern obvious on his face.

“Y/n, You would be putting your life at risk.” 

You stared into his eyes, yours hard and devoid of emotion. Shrugging his hand off your shoulder you said to him. “There is nothing for me here.” You knew your words would hurt him. That's why you had said them. ‘Perhaps that was too much.’ Before you considered our actions too much you turned away from the two and stormed away.

***

It had been a week since you came back from the mission and you still hadn’t talked to Obi Wan, instead letting stubbornness take the wheel. In the meantime, you had taken up your training  sessions with Anakin. 

“You know,” Anakin said tentatively as you stretched out your sore muscles. “I think there’s someone who wants to have a little chat with you.”

You felt your jaw clench with annoyance as you sat on the floor, reaching for your toes. “I’d rather talk to that Gungan right.”

Anakin came over to sit down next to you. “Look, you can't pretend to be mad at Obi Wan forever so what’s the real reason you don’t want to talk to him? I Know what he did wasn’t the best but he feels really bad”

You scoffed and sat up as well. “How can you tell, he doesn’t really show any emotions.”

“Well neither do you.” His words connected something in your brain, like two puzzle pieces coming together. All the times you had pushed your emotions deep down flashed across your mind. Why? Because you were scared? 

‘Why don’t I let them see the pain?’

You contemplated his words for a moment. “W-What if I’ve burned all my bridges?”  bringing your hand up to your face, you gingerly touched the healing black eye, remembering how hard Obi Wan had tried to protect you during that incident. “I was really harsh, what if he doesn’t want to be... friends?”

Anakin bit back his frustration at neither of you being able to admit your obvious attraction for one another. “I know my master like he’s my own brother, and I know that he will never give up on someone he cares about.” 

You sat there in silence for a minute, letting feelings of regret wash over you. But in the middle of all that regret there was a glimmer Hope. 

Anakin put a reassuring hand on your shoulder. “I’ll let him know that you want to talk, Alright?”

You nodded. “Alright.”

                                                             ***

You stood near the edge of the balcony, elbows braced on the railing, letting the cool night air flood your lungs while you stared up at the stars. Stars that didn’t belong to you.

You could sense Obi Wan behind you before you noticed him physically. You could feel his presence behind you, leaning in the doorway that led back into the apartment. 

“Hi.” You said, not turning around. You were too ashamed to look him in the eyes at the moment.

His footsteps echoed against the ornate tile of the balcony as he made his way towards You. He rested himself next to you against the railing.

“Hello there.” you swallowed hard and looked down at your hands, anything to avoid eye contact. “I thought about what you said.” You let his words fill the tense air between the two of you. He took your silence as a sign to continue. “I’ve been trained by the Jedi for most of my life, I've been trained  to repress all emotions, to do anything to keep my feelings at bay. But your words made me realize that perhaps the jedi aren't right about everything, that repressing emotions can lead to more harm than good.”

You were honestly shocked at how open he was with you. “I suppose you must be rethinking a lot? That must be tough.” You said fidgeting with your fingers.

“Extremely.” He answered. After a short silence he asked “Do you still want to go through with the ritual the book talked of.?” 

Biting your lip you nodded. “I-I have to, I can’t just leave my world behind, my family” you paused. “I am sorry though, about saying there was nothing here for me. That was a lie, I really do care for you.” you could sense him smiling.

“You do understand how dangerous it is? You’ll be putting your life at risk.”

“Isn’t that what you do everyday, General Kenobi?” He let out a chuckle before the silence of the city swept over the two of you again.

 You used all the courage you had to look him in the eyes. “I want you to know that I’m here for you while you figure stuff out and that i'm sorry I was so harsh on you, you were only doing what you thought was right.” He looked back down at you with his ocean blue eyes, filled to the brim with kindness. “And you're not alone with repressing your emotions. I’m terrified of people… well, of you seeing how… hurt I get. I don't want to be a burden so I just act like nothing is wrong, or sometimes even lash out at people.” Obi Wan put his large calloused hand on top of yours. “I need to start showing people how I feel.”

“Seems that you and I are in the same boat,  how about we work on that together, Hmm?” You held your breath for a moment, as you looked up at him, relishing in the feeling of the soft breeze through your hair and Obi Wan’s hand on top of yours. Tentatively, you brought your free hand up to softly cup his cheek, your fingers softly stroking the hair of his beard. 

“Obi?”

“Yes?” 

You leaned forward slightly. “This is me showing you how I feel.” You leaned forward and pressed your soft lips into his, letting the emotions you had harbored for him for months break free. He brought his hands to your face and deepened the passionate kiss, letting all his feelings and emotions flow out. You could sense him in the force, letting go of everything that held him back, letting himself be freed. 

You reluctantly pulled away from him, breathless and panting. Your face glowed with a beautiful smile and you thought to yourself, ‘Finally.’ 

 Tag List: @fangirl-on-bitches @whovianayesha @scarlettsoldier​ @Million-dollar-legs @thetreandtessa 

[bellamyblakru]

“I have you, it’s okay.” + Merthur 💛 also omg I'm so glad you want to get into writing I can't wait to read it!

thank you so much🥺, you guys have been too kind😭😭 im so excited!! i really love writing, but i learned from that first one that it’s exhausting 😂 gah i love merthur, lets do this (also, the knights are all alive bc i love them//shade lancelot did happen but merlin brought him back for good good) ALSO, this drabble really ran for more than i was actually going for lmfao im sorry its so long

Merlin didn’t know how he wanted Arthur to find out about his magic. Most of Merlin’s recurring nightmares consist of the possibility that Arthur will react the wrong way. After all these years, Merlin dying on the pyre wouldn’t be the worst situation. What Merlin truly dreaded the most was the inevitable betrayal that he would see in Arthur’s eyes, the look he gets when someone he loves hurts him in the most personal way. The look where Arthur thinks he is the problem, not those betraying him. Agravaine, Morgana, Gwen, and even shade-Lancelot made Arthur vulnerable enough for him to love them just to be stabbed in the back one way or another because of it. Arthur blames himself when his people turn their backs on him, and Merlin refuses to get that look from Arthur.

 Killing Merlin, as horrible as it sounds, would probably be kinder. Merlin cares more for Arthur than words could describe. It wasn’t because of prophecy, or because Arthur was a good person and an even better King, it was because Merlin loves Arthur. It is as simple as that. Merlin loves the way Arthur smirks when bantering, the way he smiles when he is helping someone in need, the way he fights for his people, the way he never gives up hope no matter what happens or who they face, the way his eyes light up when sparring with his knights. Imagining Arthur shutting him out, away from his light, was a staggering enough thought that kept Merlin quiet.

At first, it was because of Uther. Merlin wouldn’t make Arthur pick between them, even if Merlin always thought that Arthur would always pick Uther. Then it was Morgana, then it was every little excuse that allowed Merlin to push back the truth further behind his happy facade. Arthur expressed his hatred of magic enough to let Merlin understand that he wouldn’t be accepted...even if Merlin was magic itself. 

There has never been a person more devoted to another human than Merlin to Arthur. Without one, there was no other. The castle knew this, as did the knights. Gwaine and Lancelot would tease him relentlessly about his love for Arthur, but even they did not know the half of his dedication to the Once and Future King. 

Merlin is the most powerful warlock to ever walk to earth, and he was terrified to tell his best friend his two deepest secrets. The warlock part, of course, and the part where Merlin’s entire existence was to serve, protect, and love Arthur to his dying breath. Merlin believes that Arthur might have an inkling that Merlin is truly in love with him, but Arthur never let too much show between them if he does know. Servant and King. The one born because of magic and the one born made of magic. Two sides, one coin (if the large reptile had a say in this). They were like the sun and the moon, destined to rotate but not touch. Arthur was Merlin’s sun, his light, his hopes, his destiny. 

Today was hunting day for Arthur, which meant Merlin pretended to grumble the whole morning about spending time with the knights and the king simply so he could see Arthur’s eyes light up with that playful glow. The Knights of the Roundtable were with them today, to Merlin’s delight. Gwaine and Lancelot were finally getting closer to each other through Merlin, and he couldn’t be more enthusiastic about it. They were the closest to brothers he ever had, and he was so grateful to have them in his life. Lancelot was welcomed back after the whole scandal since Morgana was outed, but Gwen decided to permanently end things with Arthur. Merlin was upset they weren’t together anymore, but Arthur did not seem too distraught about the news. Arthur probably sees the way Lancelot looks at Gwen and figured he couldn’t compete with that love, which made Merlin’s heart clench painfully.

Merlin was riding beside Arthur when the unimaginable happened. The forest was quiet in the way that made Merlin’s magic crawl, but no one seemed concerned with his fears. Merlin knew better. Right before the army ambushed, Merlin simply looked at Arthur. Arthur looked like he was bathing in sunlight, with a golden halo and his sparking sword hanging by his side, laughing at something Gwaine was talking about. Merlin’s life was Arthur’s well-being, and if it meant Arthur hated him for the rest of his life, then so be it.

The minute they entered the clearing, the laughter died. The knights reacted immediately with their King leading the way, swinging off their horses and preparing for battle. The army wasn’t too big, but it was Morgana’s—meaning magic users of different degrees everywhere. Her army did not look impressive, but the true power was in the hidden fact that each one of her soldiers wielded some magic. Merlin could feel it in the air. He could almost taste the potential power these people had, and he knew today was the day he has been dreading since he realized his love for Arthur.

Today was the day of Merlin’s betrayal—but it was the only choice. Arthur’s safety goes beyond what Merlin wanted..it always would, no matter how this ended.

Merlin didn’t waste any more time. He spelled the knights and his king to the ground with one look, saw the shocked expressions on different faces (he didn’t dare look at Arthur yet), but he did not let himself ponder them for too long. He thought up a shield then, putting those he loved in a bright, golden bubble of protection. Knowing they were safe allowed Merlin to relax for a second before turning his attention to the problem coming at him. He counted thirty sorcerers, with Morgana leading the charge. He took a second to truly look at Morgana. Her hair was matted, her clothing ripped, her eyes were darkened by the nightmares she is no doubt plagued with. He felt such pity and sorrow at that moment, a feeling so intense that time itself stopped around him. 

He walked up to Morgana, whose eyes were frozen gold with fury. He saw Aithusa in the back, and allowed time to continue for her alone. He spoke quietly to her, telling her how he is sorry for letting her stray so far and how he wasn’t there for her when she needed him the most. Aithusa, although weary, came closer to Merlin and let him pet her nose. Through the connection, she could see why Merlin wasn’t there for her, or more precisely, who Merlin had to protect above everyone and everything else. Aithusa, by command of Merlin, left then to Kilgharrah who would see to her recovery. Feeling better that his kin would be seen to after this, he focused his attention back to Morgana.

He then unfroze her. She, unexpectedly freed, fell to the ground. She was petrified, Merlin could tell. Her destiny, her doom. He was who she feared at night, who kept her awake after the nightmares, the one who poisoned her for the love of Camelot. Morgana was many things, but a coward is not one of them. She stood her ground, as regally as one can manage after falling, and looked Merlin in the eyes. What she wasn’t expecting was the pain she saw, for her. She started, not understanding his emotion. Quickly, too quickly for anyone to comprehend, Merlin grabbed both sides of her face and chanted with such sadness and despair. He pleaded to the earth’s magic to take her powers, and to use them for good, to help those in need. The earth responded kindly to his request, and it did what was asked of it. Morgana quickly fell asleep in Merlin’s arms, while Merlin was slowly crying over his lost, hurting friend. 

Time unfroze. The army halted, seeing Morgana’s magic flowing into the earth, and decided that a retreat would be more beneficial than attacking Emrys. Merlin could feel the magic leave Morgana, leaving behind a broken girl who’s heart has been hurt too many times to be fair. She deserves another chance, Merlin pleaded once more, and with that thought, the earth healed her enough to be able to live without her powers. She will live, the ground whispered to Merlin, and he tried to choke back a sob. Arthur could have another chance with his sister, and Gwen could finally have her best friend back—if Morgana wished, of course. Gwaine came behind Merlin and slowly peeled her away from him. Merlin staggered up, never using that much raw power before in his life, and started swaying. 

“I have you, it’s okay,” Merlin thought he heard Arthur quaver to him. Strong arms picked him up, and although Merlin was slowly fading, he swore he saw an angel lift him up, crying about how much Merlin meant to him. He passed out before he could make sense of it.

What isn’t said here is the simple fact that Arthur loves Merlin. Arthur loves the way Merlin smiles when he knows he is being sassy, the way his nose crinkles when he disagrees with something Arthur has said, the way Merlin’s eyes look when he says something abnormally wise to Arthur. Arthur is who he is because Merlin believes in him and magic isn’t going to throw it away. Arthur may not understand what just happened, but it wasn’t destructive, or cruel, or evil. It was pure, beautiful magic that only aimed to save the people around it—and wasn’t that who Merlin was at the end of the day? The magic felt like home, like love, so like Merlin that Arthur’s breath caught in his throat. 

He didn’t feel betrayed, surprisingly. He was hurt that Merlin couldn’t trust something so vital, so beautiful about himself because Arthur’s father was a tyrant and drilled something so wrong into Arthur’s mind. But never again will Arthur be swayed by his father’s ghost. Merlin saved him, probably more times than he could count as he continues looking back on their adventures. 

Arthur loves Merlin as much as Merlin loves Arthur, so he knows that no matter what happens after today, that fact will never change. 

[enrough]

[ RYAN DESTINY, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER ] shh ! CHLOE DAVIES, the TWENTY year old SECOND year BUSINESS major from LONDON, ENGLAND is known as a DIAMOND around here. SHE was invited to join because SHE IMPRESSED A MEMBER WITH HER PERFORMANCE IN CLASSES, and now, they’re here to stay. SHE reminds me of AN UNCUT DIAMOND, READY TO BE POLISHED, A PERFECTLY TAILORED BLAZER, and SMOOTHING YOUR SKIRT BEFORE YOU ENTER A ROOM.

hello everyone !! i am so incredibly excited to be here with you all. my name is anna and i have the great pleasure of bringing the opal society it’s diamond prodigy, miss chloe davies. under the cut is some more info about her. feel free to hit the heart and i’ll come hit you up about plotting out some fun dynamics !!  // @opalsmedia

FAMILY HISTORY

the davies family is nouveau riche by the standards of strathmore’s most wealthy and notable students. chloe’s grandfather, clarence, struck it big, starting his career as a simple clothing tailor, only to grow his humble business into a well respected empire. anyone who’s anyone has a custom tailored davies suit in their closet ( and anyone who really matters has a whole closet full of them ). the original shop still stands on saville row in london, known for carrying only the best of the best. it is chloe’s father, timothy, however, who put davies menswear on the map, taking the brand all across the globe. he began working in his father’s shop at the tender age of 16, no business experience himself, and managed to make their last name known worldwide for impeccable tailoring and quality. 

chloe’s mother, sophia, comes from london society, and it was a bit of a scandal when she took up with chloe’s father, for even though by then, the davies name was certainly well known, they were still in an industry of service, rather than having inherited their money from god knows where for generations upon generations. but sophia did not care. she admired timothy, his work ethic, and his determination to be something greater than the world ever planned for him to be. they were wed in a small ceremony, immediately settling down in the kensington neighborhood, in a beautiful home with wisteria climbing the exterior walls. it was picturesque, the sort of life that timothy had always imagined for himself but never thought he could achieve. sophia and timothy immediately wanted a family, but after many failed attempts to get pregnant, the couple grew frustrated. it didn’t seem to be in the cards for them. but when they stopped trying, they were blessed with a miracle. they were on their way to starting their family after all. nine months later, they were blessed with a beautiful daughter, naming her chloe. she was treated as if she was the sun, moon, and stars — and to her parents, she was. 

THE INDIVIDUAL

there were no limits placed on chloe in some respects. but in others, she could not have felt more shackled. despite their best efforts to appear on the up and up, it was no secret that the davies family was on the fringe of london’s high society, always a step away from being knocked down a peg by those whose wealth was generational. it was never explicitly explained to her by her parents, they were always good at putting up a front, but the way in which they and she were treated gave enough context clues to put two and two together. 

chloe knew she had to be the best in order to keep afloat in an ocean full of sharks. she inherited her father’s drive, but even moreso, she had a certain fire all her own, to not be treated like such an outsider, even though she grew up on the inside her whole life. chloe worked hard to be the best and the brightest, in any arena she stepped foot into. she is a perfectionist through and through and understands that in this world, appearances are everything. she’s spent so much time crafting hers, however, that she’s still not quite sure who she is underneath the mask. on the surface, she is sharp edges, gleaming and  polished to a tee, but underneath lies an uncut gem, flawed and ready to be molded at a moment’s notice. 

strathmore university was chloe’s one and only choice for uni ( she applied to some safeties, naturally, but her eye was always on the prize ). her years in secondary school were spent prepping for admissions, participating to her fullest capacity both with academics and extracurriculars, all in preparation for gaining admittance to one of the top research universities in all of the united kingdom ( and frankly, the entire world ). the davies name wouldn’t do her any good to get her in the door. her interviewer may be wearing a custom tailored davies suit, but not a building on campus bore the davies name — the level of influence was not the same. fortunately, all her hard work paid off and she was granted admission to her dream uni. 

stepping foot on to strathmore’s campus for her first year did nothing to change her go-getter personality. she still strived for greatness and showed no signs of slowing down. while she always had the option to go into the family business, to keep serving those in high society, she would much rather make a name for herself and earn a seat at the table, no matter what it takes. this drive is what led her to receive an invitation from the opal society. prior to mask-clad members turning up at her dorm room on what is now the most important night of her life, she hadn’t a clue about the opal society’s existence, besides some whispers around campus about a huge manor in the woods. despite growing up alongside london high society, despite so many davies clients being opal society members themselves, it was a secret well kept from her. she is the first davies to have the opportunity to join this exclusive circlet, and finally, she feels as if she’s on her way to achieving the greatness she so desperately craves.

HEADCANONS 

chloe is a talented violinist. she’s been playing since the age of eight and heavily considered pursuing it as a career option, but ultimately, she decided it did not fit what she wanted her brand to be. however, she still keeps up with playing. she finds it relaxing. it’s second nature to her. after a particularly rough day, don’t be surprised to hear some brahms or tchaikovsky coming from behind her closed door. 

she will not step outside without looking perfectly manicured. her mother always emphasized appearances, having grown up in london high society herself. she comes to classes dressed to the nines and won’t even go to the gym in athletic wear ( she changes in the locker room, always wears something sleek and black, and then showers, changes, and reapplies light makeup before she heads back home ). 

her favorite color is the lavender hue of the wisterias that grow up the side of her childhood home. she doesn’t wear it often, but she does decorate with it. she also almost always has a clipped wisteria branch in a small vase in her room. it’s not the prettiest to have in a vase, but it reminds her of home. 

THE SOCIETY

joining the opal society feels like a culmination of all of chloe's hard work, the sort of reward that she’s always been working towards. she had dreamed of being a true part of london’s upper crust for so long now, but this is somehow even better. this is a gilded invitation into the true elite — this is the sort of place she’s always known she’s belonged. however, she is still nervous. she feels like an imposter, and maybe she is one. she’s always been so close to being on the inside, but rather than being invited inside, she’s been staring with her face pressed to the glass, pounding and pounding against the window for someone to just open up. now, the door has been opened wide for her and she can’t help but to hesitate and wonder if this is too good to be true. she hasn’t heard more than just the rumors until now, so she doesn’t fully know what she’s getting herself in for, which ups her nerves even more so. but chloe is not one to back down, especially not when she’s being offered everything she’s always wanted.

WANTED DYNAMICS

on the dl hookup(s)? -- chloe is a very put her work and the society before everything kind of girl, but hey, a girl’s gotta have some fun sometimes, right? would be even spicier if she got involved with a third year opal, given that it’s forbidden, but honestly, she’d love to have someone to serve as a distraction, even if only for a little while.  frenemies -- chloe is, well, she’s definitely tough to get along with. she’s got a grating personality --- sharp edges, only dulled down enough to get through life in the way that she wants. i could see her having that someone she just doesn’t mesh with, but for the good of the circlet, she plays nice --- but rest assured, chloe’s got an eye on them at all times.  equal ambition -- someone who has the same amount of crazy drive that chloe has. i want her to find someone that she really respects, who she really looks up to, and who she can talk to about all this ambition she has. she’s gotta put it somewhere, right !  

[kaylathekittykat225]

Twisting and Pulling and Bobby Pins // Jason Todd X Reader

Warning/s: Jason being a little OOC, but that’s okay

Word Count: 1,388

Hello my peoples! Peoples of the internet and fandoms and obsessing over people who sadly do not exist on this Earth. Well, I said the next one would be Steve Harrington, and here we are with Jason Todd...my bad. But this thing keeps growing and won’t stop. I need to stop. But I can’t, because I love. Enjoy, readers!

Here’s my Masterlist.

-----

The relationship between your hair and you can be described as a love/hate relationship.

You just loved how long it was, when it's thick lion like mane would stay in the style you need for the day, whether informal, ponytail, or a formal occasion. But also hated when time was not on your side and the thick and course hair on your head was disagreeable, wanting to do whatever the hell it wants, like right now when you were supposed to be in the cave getting updated for a mission.

"Dammit, " You groaned, letting your hair fall back around your face, the little hairs not staying out of your face. "Why of all times, now doesn't work?!"

Tried a braid, a ponytail, a bun, even twisting it and hoping for the best. 

Nothing helped. "What if I just let you go free today?" You brushed through your hair with your fingers, trying to pull any of the knots that formed from your endless fiddling with it.

The squeaky floorboards near your bathroom door creak, someone chuckling from behind you. "Don't you think that would be a safety hazard, for you and whoever we're going after?" Jason leaned casually against the door frame, you could see a faint smile of amusement on his face through my mirror, the two of you locking eyes. "Need help?"

"Do you know how to hair?" You spun around and stared at the black hair man, the little white streak in his hair making him look like a skunk, thankfully without the stink. Most of the times.

"You could say it's a secret power that is non-disclosed to the public." Sceptical thoughts ran through your head, you may hate it when your hair doesn't work with you, but not enough hate to cut it off if Jason made your situation worse.

Slowly you nodded, and he entered your bathroom, his helmet and gloves on the dresser next to the door. He began running his hands through your hair, rubbing a few strands of it between his fingers as he pursed his lips; you could almost hear the gears in his head turning in how quiet the Manor was. Jason finally nodded to himself and grabbed a section of hair, gently pulling it into what he wanted it to do.

You watched him through the mirror you sat in front of, his green eyes focusing intently on what his fingers were doing. "You go one of those little elastics?" Handing the accessory to him, he tied off a section of your hair and pushed forward the small side braid he used to tie the front of your hair back.

It took him ten minutes, you were sure Bats will be pissed at you both, but Jason was so into what he was doing that you didn't have the heart to cut him off, before he stood back. "Pass me seven of those bobby pins."

Putting the pins in his mouth, he opened them and stuck them into various places on the back of my head, pinning my hair down. "Done!" He stepped back, grinning happily to himself for what he did. You happily stood up from your kneeling position you were in and looked in the mirror to see what he did.

A braid wrapping around the top of your head and twisted itself around the bun that you saw at the back of your head, where a bunch of smaller braids were joined together to form the tight bun at the crown of your head. Gently shaking your head, it shocked you how stable it felt without pulling at any one strand of hair, seemingly impossible for this to fall apart.

"Damn, Todd. I may need to hire you to do my hair whenever we have missions." You turned around smiling, not sure how to thank him since he didn't seem like much of the affectionate type. You grabbed his hand and started pulling him to the cave, where no doubt a short lecture awaited the two of you. "Come on, Todd, let's go kick some ass!"

<<<>>> 

The mission was a pretty good success, Joker was put in one corner of Arkham Asylum and Harley was in the other, both with gags in their mouths.

Standing in front of your mirror again, you were still amazed at how well your hair stood up to the mission with Jason's handiwork, fibbing to Babs that you just copied one of those crazy Pinterest posts.

Flopping onto you bed, you began scrolling through said app, looking for hairstyles you could possibly ask Jason to try out for you later, if he was willing to do this again for you.

Someone knocked on your door, drawing you out of your Pinterest scouring. "It's open!" You yelled back, looking around your phone at your door to see Jason standing in your doorway sheepishly, well, as sheep like as a six-foot wall of muscle marksman could look. "Hey Jay Jay." I smiled over at him, throwing my phone on my pillow behind me.

Immediately you were concerned with the sight before you. Jason looked tired and on the verge of what looked like an anxiety attack. His hair was a mess, the white streak from the stress of Lazarus Pit was messed up and spread all through his hair, making it look like he was running his hands through it. His iconic leather jacket was gone, leaving him in a black muscle shirt and his blood covered jeans.

"Hey, Y/N, can I-can you come sit with me?"

<<<>>> 

You entered the dark living room, the only thing illuminating the room was a small fire in the fireplace you were sure Alfred had prepared. Jason took a seat in the large couch and patted the cushion next to him.

Before you were even fully seated on the couch, his arm wrapped itself around your waist, pulling you to fall between his legs and lean into his chest. He pulled the bobby pins out of your hair, letting it fall onto your shoulders, being gentle to make sure he wasn't pulling any of it.

"Jase, you okay? Did something happen between you and Bruce again?"

He took a few well-planned breaths before he responded. "Nothing in specific, I'm just exhausted." Your hair was fully free, the bobby pins and elastic lying next to the two if you on the table. "It's just...when I was doing your hair today it was very calming, and it's all I've been wanting to do since we got back. Am I being a creep?" Jason confessed, sighing contently to himself as he ran his fingers through your now wavy hair.

"No, Jason, you're not being creepy." You chuckled softly, happy that nothing serous was going on with Jason. "If this helps you, you can mess with my hair all you want."

As soon as you opened your eyes, you knew you had fallen asleep, even if you didn't know for how long. The room had dimmed down, the fire from earlier now crackling embers. Looking down, you saw a blanket had been thrown over the two of you, even if you were mostly the blanket to Jason. Hearing the soft footsteps retreating away from the main room, you could only suppose it was Alfred who was up this late into the night.

Grabbing your phone out from under your thigh, you decided to text the old friend rather than get out of the comfy situation. 

"Thanks for the blanket, Alfie." 

"Anything for someone who can get Master Jason to sleep so soundly." You smiled at the text and gently laid your head back against Jason's chest, counting his slow and steady breaths to get you back to sleep. 

Your phone however decided to buzz one more time, stopping you from drifting off entirely. "I may have to request to know your shampoo, Miss Y/N, may have to use it as a knockout gas on Master Jason." And what followed would be your favorite picture of your best friend for years to come. 

You were just sleeping against Jason while your hair was covering the majority of his face, almost drowning himself in your thick hair.

"Oh gosh. Don't let his brothers see that." 

"Don't worry, just you and me, Miss Y/N. Good night."

"G'night Alfred."

[thefloralpeach]

Bird Set Free- a Reddie Superpower AU

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier | Minor or Background Relationship(s)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers | Angst | Shitty childhoods | Sonia Kaspbrak’s A+ Parenting | Enemies to Friends to Lovers | Secret Identity | background benverly | background hanbrough | background stanpat

Words:7454 | Chapters:1/?Hits:0

Summary:

Richie Tozier grew up to be a hero. Eddie Kaspbrak grew up without anyone there to save him. What do you get when you cross an angry vigilante with a hero who’s just trying his best?

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23335246/chapters/55900111

It started out as a conspiracy, and quickly turned into national controversy.

Nobody’s sure exactly who was the first case- abilities manifesting at a young age, anywhere between seven and seventeen. Videos surfaced of young kids doing extraordinary things, some of which people assumed was photoshop, but some of which occurred on live social media videos. The videos increased in frequency, the reports of strange happenings poured in every day, and eventually the government had to come out with a public statement.

Apparently, superpowers exist now.

It was the only thing anyone could talk about for a solid year. As a middle schooler, all you could do was wait to see if you were next.

The Losers often found themselves in conversation about what powers they hoped to have.

“I hope I get shapeshifting. I’d turn into the hottest motherfucker this world has ever seen and take over the world,” Richie would say.

Eddie never talked about it much, but he thought it might be nice to be immune to sickness. That way, maybe his mother would let him leave the house more… Or, maybe walking through walls would serve that purpose. He just wanted to be able to do what he wanted, and not be forced under her wing.

It was eighth grade when Eddie began to despise this hero stuff.

Instead of continuing his education with his friends, his mom decided to pull him out of school due to the fear that someone with powers would hurt him. She said that his ‘no good friends’ would end up accidentally hurting him, or some ignorant kid would get their power suddenly and Eddie would be a victim of it. Even when he reminded her that ability prevalence rates were pretty low, of course nothing could sway her.

So he said goodbye to seeing his friends in school, and hello to meeting up with them at every other possible moment; until his mother decided that was also too dangerous. So, he remained in his house like a prisoner.

His friends visited though, of course they did. Eddie had a window, and the Losers were pretty good at climbing. Besides, Eddie didn’t think anything could keep Richie from finding him and bothering him.

It’s a gross, rainy night when Richie makes a promise.

It starts with pebbles thrown at his window- Richie’s signature greeting. Eddie tries not to think about how cheesy and romantic it is, but the thought crosses his mind anyway.

He opens the window, and is promptly met with Richie shaking out his wet hair like a dog. Eddie makes a disgusted noise, which only draws laughter from the taller boy.

“You sure your ability isn’t being gross and annoying?” Eddie asks as Richie finishes climbing in, almost stumbling over his own feet. He clutches his hands to his chest, feigning hurt.

“I can not believe you would insinuate something so hurtful, Eddie my love!”

Of all the nicknames in Richie’s arsenal, that one is definitely the worst. Eddie can be annoyed by Eds or the ever-popular Spaghetti, but when he pulls out something so cliche that it could be in a romcom, Eddie’s heart always skips a beat. He hates it. And he also loves it.

Richie’s pulling stuff out from his backpack before he’s even sat on Eddie’s bed. It became a sort of tradition for Richie to bring Eddie some stuff that his mom wouldn’t let him have whenever he visited.

“What’s in the magic bag tonight?” Eddie asks, eyeing the bag of all-pink starbursts Richie already pulled out.

“Candy, of course,” Richie narrates, pulling out a bag of gummy worms and a jumbo snickers bar. “I also got you this cool magazine that talks about abilities and heroes, and this week’s newspaper.”

Richie would often bring Eddie stuff to read, stuff that clued him into what’s going on outside. Eddie’s mom allowed him a computer, but no internet, so Eddie relied on his friends for information about the world. It was a simple act that he cherished so much.

“Oh- I also made you this!” Richie announces, pulling out a CD from his bag. The cover is decorated with some crude doodles, and labelled ‘songs to help spaghetti forgetti his regretti’. He tosses it to Eddie, who immediately bursts into laughter.

“A CD? Isn’t that a bit old school?”

Richie puts his arms up in defense. “Well, you don’t have internet or a damn phone, so what was I supposed to do? Send you a Youtube playlist?”

Eddie shrugs. “Alright, fair enough.” He ignores the way his heart quickens at the thought of Richie compiling a playlist for him. “So, what’s on it?”

“Ah, you need to play it to find out, my deah!” He responds, slipping into a hilariously poorly-accented Voice. Eddie shakes his head, covering his mouth in a weak attempt to muffle his laughter. “I have something else for you, too.”

Eddie calms himself then, and quirks an eyebrow up. “Do I wanna know?” He asks cautiously. Richie was known for following words like that with a wet willy or a pinch to his cheeks. But, the jokester only smiles in response.

“Yes, you do! How would you like to sneak out of here with me some night?” Richie offers, and Eddie’s eyes light up. “We can head over to the clubhouse-”

“God, you guys still have that?”

“Yes! We can go hang out there, and all the others will be there too! And we can get a pizza since we know you’ve been force fed, what, gluten-dairy-nut-free bullshit?”

Eddie laughs, so giddy and over the moon with excitement that he ignores his health concerns. Richie doesn’t think his allergies are real anyway, and Eddie isn’t so sure he disagrees. Regardless, how could he even think to be concerned about such trivial things when he has the chance to escape, to spend some time outside for the first time in months?

Of course, Eddie agrees to go. They make plans for the weekend, when Sonia would be at bingo night. Richie and the others would sneak around and help him out the window, and Eddie could sit on the back of one of their bikes on the way- since his own bike had been given away once he was put on house arrest. Eddie gives Richie a list of his favorite bands so Richie can make a playlist for the night, and together they plan a list of snacks to have. They pick out some choice movies as well, since Ben had said he could rent a projector from the library for the night.

Eddie’s never been so excited for something in his entire life.

Friday comes after what seems like forever, and his mom leaves for bingo, and Eddie waits excitedly in his room. He reads a comic book to pass the time until 5 o’clock comes.

And then 6 o’clock comes.

Then 7 o’clock.

Something probably happened… maybe they couldn’t get away from their parents in time, so they just had to push things back.

8 o’clock.

9 o’clock.

And then Eddie’s mother pulls into the driveway, and he’s pissed. He’s angry, he’s furious, he’s…

Crushed.

Saturday comes and goes, but nobody visits him.

Sunday is the same.

Eddie’s mother asks why he’s spending so much time in his room, and asks if he’s sick- he struggles to invent a lie that she’ll believe. So he tells her the truth- that he’s sad, that he misses his friends. Not that she does anything to help (“Oh honey, you’re so much safer without them anyway”), but she does leave him alone to brood.

This is the first week in months that he didn’t get a word from any of his friends. He’d never gone more than two days without Richie visiting him, but in the coming years, this would become the new normal.

For the next few years, the only company Eddie has is his mother. His overbearing, absolutely psychotic mother, who put helicopter moms to shame.

It’s a month after Eddie’s abandoned that he’s able to catch a newscast while his mom naps in the middle of the day. It’s the 4 o’clock news, the headline reading ‘Superhero Madness: New Ability Registration Mandate to Pass, Increasing Regulation on Enhanced Abilities.’

He’s reading comic books, stories about real superheroes. The media outlets he’d seen were all over calling this new phenomenon the “Age of Heroes” and shit that Eddie finds absolutely ridiculous. So a kid can learn things really quickly or make magnets stick to them- Spiderman is still cooler. Spiderman just wants to save people, he wants to save anyone who needs it, even those overlooked by other heroes. Spiderman doesn’t care about being big and flashy. He’s a real hero- not like these wannabes.

Regardless of his opinions, he tunes his attention to the news for a moment. It’s not often he actually gets to see what’s going on outside of his prison cell of a home.

“… Required not only to register their abilities, but to train at government-approved facilities. Officials say this mandate will assure that these enhanced individuals learn to manage their abilities, thus ensuring their safety and the safety of others. Opposition has arisen as well…”

Eddie rolls his eyes. Government-approved facilities? Please. This is the least cool backstory he’s ever heard. Then he remembers, this isn’t a backstory. Because this isn’t some cool hero story. This is real life, and in real life, his friends left him, and no hero is coming to save him.

It’s two years later when he manifests a power of his own.

The newscasts he’d been able to watch intermittently had reported that abilities seem to appear between the ages of ten and sixteen, as if a part of puberty. It made enough sense, Eddie figured at the time. He assumed after his thirteenth and fourteenth years passed that he’d never manifest anything- but he’d been wrong.

It’s nothing special, of course. He’s watching something on TV, not even the news or anything special, just some reality show, when he notices a weird light. He looks around, thinking at first that a lamp was suddenly turned on, but he quickly realizes it’s emitting from the palms of his hands.

“Huh…” he mutters. Light hands. Some freaking power, huh?

They don’t appear to do anything besides glow every so often. He debates whether or not to tell his mother, but ultimately he decides to hide it. What good would telling her do, anyway? What did he expect, praise? Comfort? No, he knew he would get nothing less than an hour of rambling about how much she now had to worry about, how much it would drain his energy, how much they had to fear from a soft little glow.

So, he hides it.

As much as he hates his stupid glowy hands at first, it starts to become a rather welcome feature.

He no longer has to hide a flashlight in his room for when he wants to read in bed- his own hands suffice now! Well, when he can get them to turn on, which isn’t all the time. He starts to understand all the hype he’d been seeing on the news about controlling abilities- if this were something dangerous, Eddie would surely be in some deep shit.

Every now and then, Eddie gets the gaul to ask his mom about things that he knew he wasn’t supposed to- if he could go out with her when she grabbed something, if he could return to school now that abilities are more regulated, if he could just go for a bike ride like he used to. The answer is always no, of course.

The only time he’s allowed out of the house is for visits to the doctor, which have also become less often for some reason. Eddie wonders why his medications remain the same even though he’s being seen less.

Sometimes, his mom gets tired of his curiosity.

“Eddie, you know why you have to stay in here, you know it! I can’t risk losing you, Eddie-bear. Do you know how many people are being attacked every day by these new monsters?!”

“But mom-”

“I don’t let you watch the news because it’s so terrible, every day there’s more attacks and more people sick and dead , I just can’t bear it!”

Eddie wants to tell her that he sees the news when she doesn’t think he’s watching, that things are starting to stabilize, that crime rates haven’t actually gone up that much and that people aren’t actually being attacked- but of course she doesn’t let him get a word it. It’s part of her defense against Eddie trying to fight back.

“Mom, listen to me, please -”

“Do you want to do that to me? Eddie-bear, you know how hard it’s been after I-” she sniffles for effect, “After I lost your poor father. I can’t risk losing you too, honey, you know that-”

“Mom will you just listen to me?!” He raises his voice, earning a gasp from his mother. The look on her face is almost scandalized. He doesn’t realize why until he gestures in frustration with his hands, and he notices a familiar glow. “I just want-”

“EDDIE!”

She interrupts him, running over and fawning over him until his glow dims and eventually fades. He’s bombarded with questions about how this could have happened, how could she ever let him out now, how they had to make extra sure to be careful, blah blah blah. He promptly loses all hope of ever getting out of there.

She corrals him to the stairs and up to his room, her shrill voice running nonstop the entire time. Eddie tries to tune it out, but it’s hard- she’s persistent, and his hopes are crushed. He hears the lock on his door click as she leaves.

Eddie barely notices the glow of his hands as he punches his pillow. He spends ten, maybe twenty minutes just punching, screaming, doing what he can to get his frustration out. Once he slows down, giving his poor bedsheets a break, he realizes that the glow has spread to just above his elbows.

“Stupid fucking glowy hands…” he mutters, glaring at them as if that would get it to stop. Of course, it doesn’t.

With a sigh, Eddie drags himself over to his bookshelf, grabbing something that sounds mildly interesting so he could distract himself from his stupid emotions and his stupid situations and his stupid hands. As he glances over the other options, his eyes land on something he hadn’t looked at in years- Richie’s mix CD. ‘Songs to help spaghetti forgetti his regretti’. The glow in his hands fades as Eddie traces over the shitty doodles on the cover, and a ghost of a smile settles on his face.

He’s still pissed off that everyone abandoned him. He’s confused, he’s frustrated, he’s angry and he’s hurt- but most of all, he’s nostalgic. More than anything, he misses his friends, and he just wants it all back. He likes to think that there’s a good reason that they left him, and that they’ll be reunited one day and everything will be happily ever after- but he also knows that’s just a lot of wishful thinking.

Eddie breaks his thoughts by popping the CD into the player on his radio, pressing ‘play’, and flopping on his bed.

He closes his eyes, smiling to himself as the first notes of the song drift into the room. The CD plays on repeat until Eddie falls asleep for the night.

-

-

The next day, Eddie is horrified when his mother hires someone to install bars on his bedroom window. It’s for your safety, Eddie, she insists. The government is getting involved now, I can’t let them take you away.

But he knows they wouldn’t take him away. He knows he isn’t that lucky.

And he has the sneaking suspicion that his mother would have installed the bars whether or not the government was a concern.

Eddie’s hands don’t glow as bright anymore after that, though he isn’t sure why. Maybe he hated that stupid power so much that it’s in the process of disappearing- he hopes that’s the case. If he can prove he’s normal, then maybe one day he can leave.

In the next year, Eddie catches many newscasts about ability regulation. He managed to convince his mom to let him watch the news a little bit, because current events was something he had to be versed on in order for his home school requirements. She wasn’t happy about it, but ultimately he gets to watch the news more regularly now.

It’s something Eddie never quite cared about, news. When he was twelve and thirteen, the news was the most boring thing he could ever think of watching. But now, it’s a connection to the world he no longer gets to be a part of.

The last he’d heard, a few months back, was how the government had started allowing those with trained abilities to register as heroes. Their official title was something boring, of course- The National Force of Enhanced Individuals or something dumb like that. But everyone calls them heroes. Crime rates had been steadily decreasing since they passed the bill creating the force, and maybe, just maybe Eddie gets his hopes up when he hears that.

He hasn’t asked his mom about going outside in a while, but during this newscast, he thinks maybe he has a chance…

“So, that’s great, huh?” Eddie ventures from his spot on the couch, looking expectantly at his mother.

She’s sitting in her recliner, as she does most of the time, her attention on some magazine rather than the television. In response, she hums in question, not even bothering to look up.

“The- the Force of Enhanced Individuals…” he gestures to the screen. “Seems they’re lowering the crime rate. That’s great, right?” He cautiously explains, wary of the fact that this conversation could go to hell at any second.

She raises an eyebrow, glancing at Eddie for only a mere second.

“I suppose so, yes. It’s about time these streets got safer. You never know what could happen out there.”

Eddie pauses for a moment.

“So… it seems like things are more regulated now. More than they were a few years ago, I mean…”

She puts her magazine down then, switching her focus over to Eddie. “Eddie-Bear, I know you’re not trying to ask me to leave again, right? Because you know we’ve talked about this. You know why you have to stay here.”

And, there goes his plan.

His eyes are pleading, and he tries his best to sound reasonable, to make a point.

“I don’t- I don’t want to go far, just… I want to be outside more than just doctors visits, Mom! It’s not healthy for me to stay in here-”

“Don’t use your health on me! I know everything about your health, Eddie, and I know that you’re much better off in here, safe. ”

“I just want to go- go to the store with you maybe, or the library, or hang out in the backyard- I mean look, Mom, crime rates are down more than they’ve ever been! Heroes are protecting people!”

“Stop asking, Eddie.”

Her voice is so calm, so sure that Eddie feels like he wants to explode. He clenches his fists, and again, that familiar glow is back.

“No! I shouldn’t even have to ask, Ma!”

“Don’t you start this with me-”

“Most kids my age are outside all the time! They go to school, they go out with their friends, they do things! I don’t even know where my friends are!” He yells back, ignoring her retorts.

“Your friends don’t come here anymore, and it’s better for you that way! They were terrible influences, you don’t need them, Eddie-”

“I’d like to know where they went, why they left! I’d like to have the chance to look for them at least! Christ, Mom, this is a prison!” He gesticulates wildly in front of himself, pleading with his hands without noticing that they’re exactly why he won’t win this fight.

“Eddie, do not raise your voice with me. You’re scaring me, honey!” Eddie knew this tone well. “Why don’t you go upstairs and calm-”

“I DON’T WANT TO CALM DOWN, MA!”

As he yells, he swiftly throws his hands down to his sides, and something happens.

He can’t put words to it, but he feels a sort of tingling heat in his hands, and the next second he hears a crash- no, two crashes, one on each side of him.

Everything is silent for a moment, even his mother. Her mouth hangs open, though no words come out, and she’s looking at Eddie with something between shock and horror on her face. She turns her attention to Eddie’s left, and instinctively, he does the same.

There’s a visible dent in the wall there, as if somebody strong had punched it. Almost cautiously, Eddie turns his head to the other side, and notices an equal dent in the cabinet. Each dent is equal height, and Eddie knows what happened.

He’s still processing it, and he doesn’t want to be right, but he knows.

“Eddie…”

Her voice is so low, Eddie barely processes it. His eyes glance between the dents, then to the floor.

“Yeah… I’ll go to my room.”

-

-

After that, his visits to the doctor decrease exponentially so, only once every few months. But he’s given more medication than he’s ever had before. Given his little ‘condition’, he’s not surprised. It’s probably messing with his system somehow, and the medicine is helping with symptoms he hasn’t even noticed yet.

He feels tired all the damn time, even though he goes to bed early and wakes up a little on the later side. When he’s not doing his work or watching something completely idiotic that his mom insists he must join her for, he’s either napping or staring into space. It’s annoying- maybe that’s one of the things that the medicine is helping. Or maybe he’s just fucking depressed, who knows.

He’s also confined to his room most of the time, and his mom locks the door when she goes out. After his outburst, he assumes she doesn’t trust him, and he can’t be too mad this time, he knows. She’s just trying to keep him safe, of course.

He doesn’t have much schooling left. He still gets to watch the news for current events, but only when supervised by his mom. And, it’s better than nothing. He does okay on the work he’s given, although he knows it’s all minimum-effort curricula.

He has video games to keep him occupied, and a fair amount of books. His mom gets him things sometimes while she’s out, which is nice of her.

He’s also been trying to control his abilities.

Maybe it’s stupid. All he has are glowy hands… but he knows they’re capable of something else if they were able to mess up the walls that day. And if he knows anything about superpowers from the comics he reads, he knows that it’s much better for everyone if he controls this thing before he accidentally learns more about it.

It takes a lot of work to learn how to make them glow on command. It takes a lot of focus, and a solid month before he actually does it for the first time when he wants to, instead of it just appearing.

Awesome- now he can use his own personal flashlight whenever he needs it. Whenever his mom says “lights out” at 10pm and he still isn’t tired, or when he drops something and doesn’t have a phone flashlight to help him find it.

And it’s cool, it’s a great feeling actually, to be able to have a little bit of control over this shit. But it’s not enough.

Eddie’s mom is out grocery shopping, so naturally he’s locked in his room. He dreams one day of being able to blast the door open somehow, but he’s far from that. He dented the walls a little bit exactly one time, so he’s not exactly the pinnacle of power here.

But… maybe someday he could be.

A stool sits by Eddie’s window as a perch. He sits down as he opens his window, thankful that the weather is warming up, and for a moment he forgets his goal here. The open window is the closest he gets to being outside anymore, and every time he smells the natural air, he finds himself longing for the days he used to spend out in it. He misses biking around town, he misses the barrens, he misses the clubhouse in the forest. But a window is better than nothing.

He physically shakes his head to refocus himself.

Outside his window are several trees- his targets. It’s almost surreal, realizing exactly what he’s about to do, but he knows it’s important.

“Focus…” He whispers to himself, nestling his arm between two of the metal bars that lined his window now. He rests it lightly on the windowsill, spreading his palms as if trying to use the force.

Except, this isn’t the force. He’s not drawing anything to him, he’s trying to push it away .

His hands glow, which is no longer anything special to him. He figures they’ll glow brighter as he focuses more, as he prepares for… well, whatever he’s capable of, but at the moment, he doesn’t notice anything.

Thoughts keep crawling into his mind- how much he wishes to go back outside, to see his friends again, to have friends again.

As his mind wanders, the glow spreads up his arms, gradually becoming lighter. But, he’s not focusing. He’s reminiscing, he’s yearning for what he once had, and what he could have if he wasn’t in this stupid fucking house.

Wait, no.

Eddie shuts his eyes tight, willing the thoughts from his mind.

“I said focus, dammit.”

When he opens his eyes, he stares at the tree in front of his window, aiming his hand at it. He takes a deep breath, thinks of nothing but the tree, and-

And nothing happens.

Clenching his fist for a moment, he takes another breath and decides to try again. Hand through the window, eyes on the tree, focus on power. Mind clear, hand glowing, energy flowing, and…

Still nothing.

Eddie tries this for a solid half an hour before he gives up, slumping over his stool and resting his head against the bars. Maybe that weird blast thing was just a fluke, and there was no way to control it. Or, maybe it’s based on like, what he eats, or what he does during the day. Maybe he has a lot more investigating to do before he can actually make his powers do anything besides give him glowy hands.

The world outside the window catches his attention again, and he spends some time just watching it. It’s a nice day out; he can hear kids playing down the street, birds chirping, he can see squirrels and chipmunks scampering around, and there’s barely a cloud in the sky. Four years ago, he’d have been all over a day like this- riding his bike, relaxing in the barrens or by the quarry with his friends…

It’s not fair. It’s not fair that his front door is locked from the outside, that his own bedroom door is locked to keep him in, and that he’s a prisoner in his own home. It’s not fair that the only thing he wants to do is get out, to run, but he can’t. He’d trigger his asthma anyway.

It’s not fucking fair that he can’t even escape out of a window because there are fucking bars on it, it’s not fucking fair that everyone he knew, everyone who was ever kind to him had just up and left him why would they do that? Why did they do that?

(Eddie’s hands glow brighter, but he doesn’t notice.)

Was he really so forgettable that his friends could move on so easily? Or was that his mom’s plan all along? Had she told them to fuck off one day, and they all just listened? The school district still has to check on him regularly to make sure his mother is following the law- had they really noticed nothing? Or had he just never been worth the second thought?

(His hands are shaking, still resting on the windowsill.)

Richie made him a damn mixtape, for christ’s sake! A mixtape! You don’t do that for people you don’t care about, you don’t do that and then abandon them, forget about them, leave them to their warden of a mother and a lifetime of no real fucking human interaction.

(There’s a faint vibration in Eddie’s palms.)

Eddie clenches his jaw, runs his hands through his hair before placing them back between the bars, and shuts his eyes.

Fuck heroes. Fuck superpowers. Fuck this whole organization, the one that spiked fear into everyone and feeds off of it. Eddie’s mom is scared, now Eddie has to suffer for it, and there’s nobody coming to save him. These people have the balls to call themselves heroes, but who the hell are they saving?

“Fuck…”

(His palms brighten.)

“FUCK!”

Eddie slams his hands down against the windowsill and feels it before he sees it. Energy. Pure energy. And it came right from his hands, he knows it did.

The glow of his hands dimmed to a dull shimmer, and there’s an obvious dent in the tree that had been perfect just a minute before.

Like last time, everything is still for a moment, oddly quiet. Eddie can only stare ahead of him at the injured trunk. He flicks his gaze to his hands, still tingling, still glowing.

So. That’s how his power is going to work, then.

-

-

After a few months of “good behavior”, Eddie’s mom stops locking him in his room when she goes out. It’s a start, he figures.

He “graduates” that spring, but there’s no ceremony, no speeches, no cap and gown. He gets a cupcake though, which is nice.

The news is still filled with stories about heroes, about thrilling stories of rescue, about new agencies funding research and training and about crime rates plummeting. It’s all good news in theory, but Eddie can’t help the pings of jealousy he feels for all the happy people he sees rescued.

Rescued.

Nobody’s come to rescue him. Nobody even looks for a situation like his- it’s not a flashy villain he needs to be rescued from. He’s in no mortal danger, not even any physical danger in all honesty. But does that make him any less miserable?

No.

And how many other kids are in similar situations? How many other people need saving, but are ignored for all this flashy hero and villain fantasy shit? Eddie thinks about these things a lot. But it’s not like he can do anything about it.

Something good, he guesses, is that he’s gotten better at damaging that poor tree outside his window. The trunk and some of the wider branches have visible scars, though they still aren’t much. Maybe he’s confined to small blasts or something, but it’s still kind of cool.

So his powers are tied to emotions? Good. He’s got a lot of those. And he thinks about them when he wants to channel his energy- that must be what his power is, technically. Energy.

It makes sense that he’s exhausted after he practices, in that case. He tries not to show it, though- he doesn’t want his mom to have any more reason to worry about him or keep him confined.

It’s a Tuesday afternoon in July when she runs to the store, and Eddie gets a few hours to himself for what he’s been calling target practice in his head. He doesn’t know what he plans to do with his tiny blasts of energy, but he figures it’s better to be able to have some sort of handle on them than to just have the ability to do it and no idea how.

Like always, he’s tired after he fires off a few blasts- both physically and emotionally. He thinks about those news stories, the smug faces of all those self-proclaimed heroes. He thinks about his situation, how he longs to leave, how he may as well be in an actual prison. It’s good stuff to keep in his mind when he wants to practice, but it’s hard to come down from, and it always just reminds him of how fucked his life is.

Sighing, Eddie pushes himself off his stool, taking a moment to stretch his arms over his head. A snack and a nap sound absolutely perfect right about now, so he decides to do just that.

He pads out of his room and downstairs, a little tempted to turn on the TV, but he was sure his mom would have some way of figuring out that he’d done it- she probably had cameras or something installed, or motion sensors, or a battery monitor on the remote. Something weird and over controlling, of course. It’s expected by now.

While Eddie rummages through the pantry, he understands why his mother had to go out. They were low on snacks of pretty much every kind, and he was gonna have to make something if he actually wanted food. Maybe pasta, that was an easy choice.

Spaghetti.

The voice of an old friend echoes in Eddie’s head, and he finds himself smiling softly before he closes the pantry door.

If he’s gonna make something, he may as well check to make sure they have cooking spray, and maybe some spices. Not that Eddie’s the best cook ever, since he’s not often allowed in the kitchen, but if he has to make something he’d rather it be edible and not something bland that sticks to the pot.

Okay, so he has no idea how to use spices besides like, salt and garlic, but he can still experiment.

Step one- learn where the spices are.

Eddie isn’t allowed to cook, really. Anything he’d done, he’d done while his mom was out. And it’s not like she’s the lord of good cooking, so Eddie’s also pretty amateur.

Finally, he opens a cabinet and finds some usable stuff next to the nonperishables. Garlic powder, some extra salt and pepper, oregano, basil, some extra baking soda and baking powder… and some old pill bottles? He takes the containers to inspect them, curious.

One of the bottles is labelled Phenobarbital, and the others Lorazepam.

That’s Nembutal and Ativan.

Sedatives.

His first thought is, obviously, that they’re just more medications lying around the house. It wouldn’t be surprising, since his mother seemed to always be going to another doctor, and she used to take him nearly once a week.

His second thought is that they had a set medicine cabinet, one that was organized by need. Why would she move them to a food cabinet instead?

And his third thought is one that scares him to death. Suddenly, he’s wondering if it’s not his powers that are making him feel drained.

Because, what had his mother ever needed sedatives for? Sure, one doubles as an anxiety medication, but there’s no way in hell Eddie is lucky enough for his mom to actually seek help for her paranoia.

Tentatively, Eddie opens one of the bottles, and he recognizes the pills as ones he’s given… often.

His breaths quicken, and he wants his inhaler but it’s upstairs- and is it even an inhaler? Or is there something else in there that his mom didn’t tell him about?

Suddenly the bottle is shaking in his hand, his fist clenched around it as the pills rattle around inside. And suddenly, it’s much brighter in the room than it was before. He feels a familiar vibration in the palm of his hands.

“Eddie-bear!”

He hadn’t even heard the door open. But he heard that voice. Her voice. That grating, shrill, helicopter voice. It only gets worse once she finds him in the kitchen, her footsteps quickening as she rushes over to him.

“Eddie-bear, what are you doing? What’s going on honey, put that down, you need to take your pills and go to your room-”

Eddie’s eyes are glued to the bottle.

Sedatives. Fucking sedatives .

He knew she didn’t trust him, but he didn’t think it would have come to this. He never thought she’d flat out lie to him like this.

His jaw is clenched, and he swallows down a lump in his throat as his mother keeps babbling.

“What the fuck is this, ma?”

She gasps as if scandalized. As if she has the right to be shocked, or to be upset at anything Eddie does after pulling this shit.

“Eddie- honey, you know that’s just your medicine. You’re sick -”

“These are sedatives, don’t lie to me.” He snaps his head up, glaring into his mother’s eyes. She takes a step back, looking at him like he’s some dangerous monster. And, hell, maybe he is.

“Eddie you- you needed them-” her tone is pleading, and it just pisses Eddie off more. “You- you needed something to help you, oh God-”

The fear is evident on her face, and the only thing Eddie feels is rage.

“Help me? You think that was helping me?” He drops the pill bottle then, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “You-”

“Eddie, your eyes-”

“You drugged me!”

“God, have mercy-”

“YOU FUCKING DRUGGED ME!”

Eddie gestures in front of him, and watches with not-so-much horror as his mom stumbles backwards with an audible shriek.

There’s a moment where he wants to panic. But the anger takes over again, and he doesn’t care what happens to her. He doesn’t care what he did. He doesn’t care.

He needs to get away, he needs to go be alone. He takes off towards his room, but pauses as he catches a glimpse of his reflection in one of his kitchen’s glass cabinets.

His eyes… his eyes are glowing, just like his hands.

No pupils, no hazel iris, no whites. Just a glow, like a flashlight.

Before he has to listen to more shrieking, Eddie all but runs upstairs, slamming his door with more force than he thought he had in him. If he didn’t know better, he’d think he felt the house shake with the action.

He rushes to the window then, his body shaking with how fucking angry he is, and throws it open. Reaching both hands out in front of him, he aims, and it doesn’t take a second thought to fire a blast.

It’s easy when he thinks about everything, and when he feels like there’s so much… so much energy pent up inside him that he could burst.

The dent he makes in the tree is much more noticeable this time.

He grits his teeth, and fires another.

Fuck her. Fuck everybody.

A branch falls.

He fires another blast.

Fuck “heroes”. Fuck this society. Fuck this whole fucking world.

He hears his mom getting up from downstairs. And he’s not fucking sorry. Not one bit.

Eddie doesn’t speak to his mom after that.

He avoids going downstairs, and eventually she starts bringing meals up to him, pills in a neat little pile on the side.

They taunt him, the little white tablets. At first, he’s not sure which ones are the sedatives, and which ones he actually needs. But he’s not sure how much he cares anymore.

He stops taking all of them.

And, surprise surprise, nothing happens.

He doesn’t say anything, though. He takes the medication and hides it in a small box under his bed, covered by comics so his mom doesn’t find it if she ever decides to snoop around. And, after all this shit, he wouldn’t put it past her.

He’s 18 now. Most kids his age are going to college, going to work, moving out, doing something .

And Eddie? He’s making a plan.

He notices his mom trying to slip him more medication. And he’s wary of anything that she might be able to sneak a powder into.

He must be successful in avoiding her attempts to drug him, because he feels more alive, more energetic than he had at any time in the past two years.

The stool near his window becomes Eddie’s new best friend. Now that his energy is back, he’s better than ever at controlling his blasts.

He knows his emotions help it along, and he learns that the brighter the glow of his hands, the stronger the blast he can emit; and he learns that his blasts can be strong. It’s during a particularly intense storm that Eddie tests the waters a little more, and ends up knocking over one of the trees outside his window.

If he can knock over a tree, then surely he can knock out a wall, right?

He bides his time, but it takes everything in him to pretend like things are normal. He waits for winter to pass, paying moderate attention to the news when his mom goes out and storing up some essentials. Nothing too conspicuous- a jar of peanut butter here, a box of crackers there, and a few twenties from the stash in her room.

He doesn’t know exactly what he’s gonna do or where he’ll end up, so he does his best to prepare for anything.

He keeps a bag under his bed, right next to the box of discarded pills. His mom hasn’t been too nosy about his room- why would she have any reason to be, since he rarely leaves it anyway. By February, the bag consists of a few comics, the supplies he’d stolen from the kitchen, and the money. By March, he adds more money, two changes of clothes, a bottle of water, and a blanket. He wants to be prepared in case he has to leave early.

By May, the weather has evened out, the days sunny and long.

Eddie barely interacts with his mom, and something tells him she doesn’t much mind. She’ll insist on an “I love you” every now and then, but Eddie obliges in order to keep her at bay. He’s learned to play the part of the perfect, quiet, sedated little boy.

It’s a Saturday late in the month when Eddie decides it’s time.

His mother is downstairs, watching some mind-numbingly stupid reality show. He does one last check on his bag, making sure he had everything. He’d been able to steal about $250 without his mother noticing, which he figured was enough to get him, well, somewhere . Everything else is in place- even his inhaler, for good measure.

He slips on his best sneakers, which didn’t have much wear in them, since he’d been outside maybe ten times in the past two or three years. His clothes are comfortable, with a hoodie tied around his waist and a watch around his wrist for good measure.

He takes a step back, standing in the middle of his room with his bag slung over his shoulder. Soon… soon he’d be out. Taking a deep breath, Eddie raises his hands to the same height as the window, and he focuses his energy-

Until something catches his eye.

Something he spent a lot of nights listening to. Something he wants so badly to hate, but he can’t. It gives him too much nostalgic joy.

‘Songs to help spaghetti forgetti his regretti’

Eddie swallows a lump in his throat as he stands perfectly still, eyes glued to the little CD, sitting besides his portable player.

Part of him wants to leave it, to forget everything about this part of his life and start over, brand new. But, as much as he wants to forget everyone, to forget the Losers club, to forget Richie , he can’t. He can’t bring himself to do that.

With a huff, he grabs the CD, placing it safely in Richie’s stupid little case. He shoves them in his bag, then returns to the middle of the room, facing his window.

He can almost hear his mom’s voice in his ear, urging him to stop, telling him he’s too weak, that he won’t survive out there, that he should just stay safe here with her.

“Fuck you,” he responds to no one.

Again, Eddie raises his hands, angling them towards the window.

“This one’s for you, Ma.”

Boom.

[lblb-actuallywrites]

Mistletoe Confessions

I wrote this for the Edens Zero Secret Santa Exchange on Discord. Here’s some EZ Crew Christmas Shenanigans!

“I know! We can do Secret Santa!” Rebecca suggested. “It’ll be fun!”

“Woahhh,” Shiki muttered, eyes growing wide. “Rebecca, what’s a Secret Santa?”

She gasped dramatically. Weisz rolled his eyes at her antics.

Shiki, Rebecca, Homura, Pino, and Happy were sitting on the couch in Edens Zero’s game room, with Weisz leaning against the arm, debating what to do for the upcoming holiday.

“I am also curious, but I won’t say that out loud.”

“Secret Santa is where everyone picks one person and gets that person a gift.”

“Ooh, I pick Rebecca!” Shiki shouted with his trademark enthusiasm.

“It’s supposed to be secret, idiot,” Weisz said. “And why do you not know, Homura?”

“We did not celebrate this ‘Christmas’ on Odeo.”

“So each person gets one gift?” Pino asked, her antennae wiggling in budding excitement.

“Yeah. Instead of everyone getting a bunch of presents, we each get one present that’s more personal,” Happy explained.

“How exciting!”

“Sounds like a shitty deal if you ask me.”

“Oh come on, Weisz, don’t be such a Grinch,” Rebecca teased.

“I am not a Grinch.”

“You’re totally a Grinch,” Shiki said.

“You don’t even know what that is!”

“It is decided,” Homura said, nodding solemnly. “Weisz is a Grinch.”

“Neither do you! Ugh, you guys suck.”

“What is a Grinch?”

‘Of course only Pino would have the decency to ask first,’ Weisz thought.

“A Grinch is a grump with a shriveled up heart who hates Christmas, gift giving, and cheer,” Rebecca explained, almost like she was giving a lecture to a group of kindergartners.

“Hm,” Pino said as she processed the new information. “The definition does seem to fit Mr. Weisz rather well.”

“What are we shitting on Weisz for this time?” Ivry asked as she, Hermit, and Witch entered into the madness.

“Weisz is being a total Grinch about doing Secret Santa,” Rebecca said.

“Oh, yeah, makes sense.”

“Why is everyone ganging up on me?” Weisz grumbled.

“Oh, are we celebrating Christmas, Lord Shiki?”

“Yeah! Rebecca just told me about it. It sounds like fun! She also told me about Santa and his spaceship that can travel across the entire cosmos in a day!”

“Santa’s not even-”

Before Weisz could finish his sentence, he was staring down the barrel of Rebecca’s spare pistol.

“Don’t even think of spoiling this for Shiki and Pino,” she threatened quietly.

Weisz held up his hands in surrender. Rebecca slowly lowered her gun, eyes narrowed in a threatening glare.

“If it is secret, then how are the recipients chosen?” Homura asked.

“Everyone writes their name on a piece of paper, and then we each take turns picking one out of a hat,” Hermit said, not looking up from her handheld game. “And then you keep who you’re buying a present for a secret until you give them their gift.”

Homura put her hand over her mouth at Hermit’s pointed comment, but said nothing.

“Couldn’t you just write a program or something that pairs us up randomly?” Weisz asked.

“I could, very easily. But I won’t.”

“Why not?” He was nearly whining.

“I’m keeping in the spirit of Christmas. Also, to piss you off, specifically.”

“Why does everyone want to bother me today?” Weisz grumbled under his breath.

“Cause you’re an easy target as long as you keep bitchin’,” Ivry said, punctuated by flicking Weisz’s ear as she strode past.

“Why do you not like Christmas, Mr. Weisz?” Pino asked.

Weisz shrugged. “It’s not like I hate Christmas, I just don’t care one way or the other about it. And it never made sense to me why so many people act like it’s such a big deal. It’s just another day.”

“It’s a holiday. That’s like saying your birthday is just another day!” Rebecca said.

“It is.”

Rebecca gasped again.

“Can you stop being so dramatic?”

“I have paper and pencils for everyone,” Witch called as she walked back into the game room.

Weisz blinked, not having realized that Witch left the room to begin with, but still taking the paper and pencil when she handed it to him.

The room fell mostly silent, with only the scratching of pencil on paper as everyone scribbled their names down.

“What about the hat?” Shiki asked.

Ivry snatched the sorceress hat off of Witch’s head and handed it to him, putting her slip of paper in. “Here ya go, Shiki. There’s your hat.”

“Awesome!” he said as he enthusiastically shoved his own paper in it.

The hat was passed around the room and everyone put their names in, though Weisz did it with extreme reluctance.

“Alright! I wanna pick first!”

Shiki nearly punched the hat out of his own grip with his zealousness as he reached in to pick his Secret Santa recipient.

“Remember, you’re not supposed to say who you got. It’s supposed to be a surprise to the person you’re giving the gift to,” Rebecca said.

Shiki handed the hat off to her as he read the name on the paper he picked. To Weisz’s surprise, he managed to keep quiet about who he drew.

As the hat made its way around the room, Weisz vaguely wondered who he’d get.

‘If I had to choose, I guess it wouldn’t be too hard to get a gift for Shiki. That idiot would be excited by actual coal,’ he thought, chuckling quietly to himself.

When the hat finally made it to him, there was only one piece of paper left inside.

Homura Kougetsu

‘Damn.’

He left the game room, wondering what in the cosmos Homura would want for Christmas.

‘Even if I asked, she probably wouldn’t know herself, since she’s never celebrated Christmas before.’

He groaned, dreading the task ahead.

~~~~~~~~

“Okay, we’re off! We’ll be back soon!” Rebecca called out to Witch as everyone piled into the Aqua Wing to venture down to Blue Garden to shop for their gifts.

“I apologize for not being able to go with you. Unfortunately, as you know, I cannot leave the ship.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Witch!” Pino said. “Miss Rebecca and I will help you get your present!”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. We’ll be in constant contact, it’ll be just like you’re there with us.”

Witch smiled, but Weisz could see that she was a little disappointed.

“In the meantime, I will plan out the decorations.”

Weisz put his new earbuds in to shut out his crewmates’ yammering. He’d taken to listening to music a bit more recently, even if the only songs he listened to were considered “old” by everyone else’s standards.

Though he’d never admit it, sometimes he did miss Norma. Even if it was only a longing for the simplicity of his time compared to the future he hadn’t quite gotten the hang of yet.

‘I still have no idea what Homura could possibly want as a present. I can’t remember her ever wanting anything since I met her, except..’

Weisz cracked his neck, shaking away the thought. ‘That’s not gonna help.’

~~~~~~~~

As soon as Rebecca led them to what had to be the biggest outdoor mall Weisz had ever seen in his life, everyone ran in different directions. Or in Shiki’s case, floated.

Weisz walked slowly, looking at all the shops around him. This part of the mall was mostly clothing stores, which would be useless, as he could make any kind of clothes he wanted in the Dress Factory on the ship.

One shop in particular caught his eye, however.

‘Heh. Christmas-themed lingerie? That’s worth buying.’

He was halfway across the court when he remembered that they’d be giving their presents in front of everyone else. And that Homura probably wasn’t one for lingerie in the first place.

‘I might be shameless, but even I’m not that shameless.’

He grumbled, but kept walking.

He passed by clothing stores, jewelry stores, and sports stores, all of which he doubted would carry anything that Homura could be remotely interested in owning. With each store he passed, his annoyance grew.

’What kind of gift do you give a swordswoman who says everything, but doesn’t seem to want anything material?’

His friends had long since ditched him, but even if he asked everyone on their crew, he doubted any of them could come up with a concrete answer as to what Homura would actually like. Though she said everything that came to her mind, she’d somehow never mentioned her interests, besides…

As Weisz rounded the corner, he finally saw a shop that he could work with.

‘What do you get a swordswoman? A decorative blade,’ he thought. ‘Even though her Ether Gear means she’s literally never without one, and I doubt she’d have a use for a blade that’s not meant to be, well, used, it’s as good a place as any to start.’

A bell rang as he walked into the shop, and almost immediately after stepping through the doorway, the noise from outside seemed impossibly distant. Weisz’s ears started to ring faintly in the sudden silence, one that even the dust seemed afraid to break.

The broad-shouldered clerk at the counter looked up, but didn’t say anything as Weisz began to wander around the shop. The sheer number of pointy-death-sticks hanging on the walls made him a little uneasy.

Guns have a safety function, after all, and knives and swords do not.

‘Zweihänder, Broadsword, Rapier, Dao, Katana, how many fucking ways can you make steel sharp enough to kill someone?’ he thought.

The man at the counter seemed to be the only employee in the shop, and he watched as Weisz navigated all the complicated classifications that he never even knew existed.

‘Well, a big sword is out of the question,’ he thought. ‘I don’t know if I can even lift it, let alone…’

He blanched as he noticed the price on a nearby Claymore.

‘..Afford it. A smaller knife will be fine. I think.’

The employee never spoke, but Weisz could feel his stare as he moved through the shop.

‘I know I’m a thief, but he can’t possibly know that, and I sure as hell can’t steal anything from here if I can’t even carry it.’

The silence was nearly unbearable, and as he came around to the back of the shop, Weisz was seriously tempted to just leave and get a generic Christmas gift that no one could dislike.

‘It’s not like someone who’s never celebrated Christmas before would know the difference, right?’

He shook his head. Homura couldn’t lie, and he- and everyone else- was sure to hear how much or how little she liked his gift. And he refused to be the only one unsuccessful in their Secret Santa charades.

Out of the corner of his eye, he just barely caught part of the description of a small dagger.

Valkyrie.

He nearly gave himself whiplash with his double-take.

Valkyrie Wingblade Dagger.

Even Weisz could admit that it was a beautiful work of art. The blade itself was somewhere around six to eight inches and two-pronged, but that wasn’t the most impressive thing about it.

Spreading out from the handle was a set of wings. Each individual feather had been meticulously crafted, and the wings formed a hand-guard of sorts. The handle itself was simple, yet elegant, and there were two little things jutting out from the bottom of it.

‘Maybe that’s for hanging it?’

“Find something that interests you?”

Weisz jumped as the employee’s deep voice boomed in the silent shop. He could hear his accelerated heartbeat in his ears.

“Uh.. yeah, maybe.”

“The Valkyrie dagger, huh? It’s a fine choice. Who’s it for?”

“A friend. She.. likes swords, and her teacher’s name was Valkyrie.”

“...Interestin’.  I heard stories about some warrior single-handedly changing the tide of the war on Odeo about ten years ago now. Some of ‘em put ‘er name as ‘Valkyrie,’ but I thought that was just hearsay. It is an ancient name, after all. Didn’t think anyone besides historians and sword experts knew about it.. Wonder if it’s the same person.”

Weisz blinked at the history lesson. “Valkyrie Yuna. That’s her name. And she’s definitely the same person as my friend’s teacher.”

“Yer friend must be one hell of a fighter, then.”

“Yeah..”

“You gonna get that one, or keep lookin’?”

Weisz glanced down at the dagger’s price tag, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief to find that it was reasonable.

“Sure, I’ll get this one.”

The clerk reached into the display case to grab it. “If you want, you can get it engraved. It’ll cost a little extra, and take a bit of time, but it’s a common option this time of year.”

“How much more?” Weisz asked hesitantly. “And how long will it take?”

~~~~~~~~

Edens Kitchen looked nearly unrecognizable. Witch had gone far beyond what Weisz had expected in turning it into a winter wonderland; Color-changing lights and garland criss-crossed the room, and fake snowflakes that he suspected Witch had cut out herself all hung from the ceiling. Christmas tree and gingerbread man cutouts decorated the bottom two feet of the walls, red and green ribbons were wrapped artfully around each of the tables and chairs, and fake snow covered the floor. There was even a real Christmas tree in the corner that was so picturesque, he vaguely wondered what movie it was stolen from.

Not to mention the mistletoe that was hanging in just about every doorway in and around the kitchen, which he took careful measures to avoid meeting anyone under.

Pino had frozen in excitement for a solid twenty seconds when she saw the decorations, to the point that Weisz was nearly concerned Hermit would have to reboot her. Shiki was equally excited, temporarily losing control over his Ether Gear in the process. Witch and Rebecca had to weigh him down so he wouldn’t ruin the decorations on the ceiling.

Weisz was impressed. Witch’s decorations almost put him in a festive mood, which was more than he could say for any other Christmas celebration he’d been to in his life. Even the food was festive, with holiday staples like mashed potatoes, turkey, and stuffing all decked out in red and green embellishments wherever possible. Even the eggnog and hot chocolate had red and green shavings in them, which Witch had assured all of them were just pieces of chocolate and sprinkles.

What she missed in Secret Santa shopping, she more than made up for with the decor.

“It’s beautiful, Miss Witch!” Pino’s antennae were nearly invisible with how fast they were wagging.

“Yeah, you really went all out! It looks amazing!” Rebecca said, trying to pull Shiki away from getting tangled in the lights.

“I must agree,” Homura said from behind her hand. “I feel as if I am in that Christmas-themed village from that movie Rebecca spoke of.”

“Thank you. I wanted to make our first Christmas together truly special,” Witch said, blushing. She’d replaced her sorceress hat with a Santa one, and her staff with a giant candy cane. “I even made everyone a Santa hat to really get in the spirit!”

“Everyone meaning everyone,” Ivry said, with a pointed look at Weisz. “And you gotta wear it. Ship rules.”

Weisz grumbled, but Witch looked so happy with herself and her efforts that he didn’t want to ruin it.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll wear the damn hat.”

‘I guess it won’t kill me, it’ll just do significant psychological damage.’

After an hour of partying, eating, drinking eggnog, and watching Pino try to meet everyone, including him, under the mistletoe- which he reluctantly agreed to, letting her give him a cold kiss on the cheek, both because he feared he might be staring down Rebecca’s pistol again if he didn’t, and she was just too adorable for words while asking(though he’d never admit it)- it was time for Secret Santa.

“It’s time for presents!” Rebecca sang.

Everyone scrambled to the pile of presents under the tree, rushing to give theirs first.

“Here,” a dry voice spoke beside him.

He turned to find Hermit presenting him with a small box.

“Thanks,” he said, opening it slowly. He wouldn’t put it past the little troll of a Shining Star to give him a gag gift that would blow up in his face.

He was pleasantly surprised to find a real present in the box, but also a bit confused by it. “Is this just the Arsenal Suit?”

“More specifically, Arsenal Suit Mark One-Point-Five. I spent two days slaving over the formulas to make it more cost effective. Plus a couple of other special features. We can test it out tomorrow.”

He nodded. “Thanks, Hermit.”

“Of course,” she said coolly.

As he looked around, he saw Pino giving Witch a box that was bigger than the little bot was- or, more accurately, Pino was sitting on top of the box, and Rebecca was handing it over- Ivry standing behind them, a gift he assumed was for Rebecca in hand, and Shiki giving Happy a candy cane colored bag.

He found Homura standing in the doorway under the mistletoe. As Weisz walked over, he made sure not to step under it.

“Here,” he said, suddenly embarrassed as he handed the long box over to her.

“Thank you, Weisz.”

As she moved to open it, Weisz was struck with sudden anxiety.

‘If she doesn’t like it, no one will let me live it down for who knows how long,’ he thought. ‘And I actually tried with this. She has to like it.’

He briefly wondered why he was so concerned about her reaction now, when he hadn’t been before.

‘Is it really only because this is the first time I’m giving a gift to someone who’s opinion really matters to me? Or is it because this is the first swordmaster I’ve tried to give a gift to?’

She stared into the box silently. And somehow, her silence was worse than her outright saying that it was horrible. He’d never seen Homura speechless before.

Slowly, she reached in and pulled out the blade, examining it carefully.

“Valkyrie wings…” she said quietly.

“Yeah,” he said, unsure of what else he could say.

He watched as her eyes roamed over the dagger, taking in every detail. Her eyes widened when she noticed the engraving.

“So, what did you want the engraving to say?” the clerk asked.

“Valkyrie Homura.”

Finally, Homura looked up at him, her mouth slightly open and eyes widened a bit in shock. Then, she pressed her lips together as tears welled up in her eyes.

‘Son of a-’

“Thank you.” She interrupted his train of thought, a smile spreading across her face.

“Y- you like it?”

She nodded. “Yes.” She took a deep breath. “Immensely so.”

Putting the dagger back in the box and closing it, she looked back up at him and smiled again. A genuine smile, one that Weisz had never seen on her face before.

‘She looks really pretty smiling like that.’

His shoulders scrunched up in embarrassment as he realized what he was thinking, and he looked away in an attempt to hide the blush he was sure was spreading across his face, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Good.” He cleared his throat. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I would not have expected something so thoughtful from you,” she said, immediately covering her mouth as she realized what she said. “Oh, I hadn’t meant to say that aloud. My apologies.”

“No, I’m with you on this one. I wasn’t expecting it, either.”

She giggled behind her hand.

“So, why are you standing over here?”

“I was hoping to meet Shiki under the mistletoe.”

“I- a- .. oh. Really?” he asked, ten kinds of confused all at once.

“Yes, I was hoping to challenge him to a duel.”

“A- uh, what?”

“Ivry explained mistletoe to me. If two are caught under it, they must duel. She called it ‘mistlefoe.’ She said it was a time-honored tradition.”

Weisz burst out laughing so hard that he had to lean against the doorway so he didn’t fall over completely.

“What is so funny?” she asked, her hand coming back up to cover her mouth again, this time out of embarrassment.

“That’s not what mistletoe is for,” he said after he managed to calm down enough to be understood.

“Then what is it for?”

Now completely calm, he stood up straight. “The point of mistletoe is that you’re supposed to kiss whoever you meet under it.”

They both froze as they realized that Weisz had stepped underneath said mistletoe without realizing it. Matching blushes sprung up on their faces as they struggled to speak.

“W-well, I suppose I would not mind it so much,” Homura said, slapping both hands over her mouth with a high-pitched squeak.

His shoulders scrunched up even further at her confession.

“Y-... you wouldn’t?”

“I-... I, umm..” her voice was almost a full octave higher than normal. “Sister Ivry!”

“Oh, shit,” the wicked nun cackled, hiding behind Witch as Homura stormed over to her.

Weisz stayed frozen, staring at the now empty space in front of him, his heart racing.

~~~~~~~~

A few hours later, everyone was passed out in the game room. Rebecca demanded they have a “Christmas Movie Marathon” after their Secret Santa shenanigans, and of course Shiki agreed.

Now, both of them were asleep on top of each other, drunk off their asses from Ivry’s spiked eggnog. The nun in question was also drunk, sprawled out on the floor.

‘I didn’t know Ivry could get drunk, seeing as she drinks all the time. And she’s an android.’

Hermit was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch, with Pino and Happy curled up in her lap, all of them asleep.

‘Apparently, androids sleep, too.’

Weisz shook his head, stretching his neck out and looking at the other side of the couch where Homura had been sitting. She left an hour ago, citing wanting to go to bed as the reason, but she left with both hands forcefully covering her mouth, and he had a sinking feeling it was because of him.

When they came in for the movie marathon, they sat on opposite sides of the couch and didn’t look at each other the entire time. Their earlier conversation crept, unbidden, into his mind again.

‘I wouldn’t mind kissing Homura, either, I guess. She’s beautiful, strong, kind-’

He considered it nothing short of a Christmas miracle that his stomach growled at that moment, interrupting his train of thought.

On his walk to the kitchen, he tried overthinking about what to eat, so as to keep thoughts of Homura and kissing out of his mind. It was easier to just brush off that conversation as the holiday spirit affecting her in an odd way than to think about wanting to kiss her and the ramifications of doing so.

‘For one, she can’t keep a secret to save her life, so everyone else would know within twenty-four hours,’ he thought. ‘She’s probably never even- Why am I still thinking about this?!’

He almost forgot about the decoration explosion in the kitchen. Walking into it was a decent enough distraction as he forced himself to change the subject in his mind.

The leftover food from their party hadn’t been put away yet; The bowl of mashed potatoes was nearly empty, both of the pies and the cheesecake were completely gone- most likely courtesy of Rebecca’s bottomless pit of a stomach- and the turkey was split down the middle almost perfectly, with one half picked at and the other untouched.

Weisz tore off a small piece of turkey and tossed it into his mouth. None of the party food really interested him, so he pulled up the holographic menu to skim through. But it didn’t do as much as he’d hoped in terms of distracting him. After five minutes of mindless scrolling where his mind wasn’t really on the food, he gave up and ordered a glass of water.

‘Do I really want to kiss Homura, or did that damn Santa hat do more damage than I thought it would?’

The kitchen slid his glass of water over to him, and he sipped on it slowly.

‘Is this what it’s like to doubt yourself? Have I really never doubted myself in my entire life? I probably should’ve.’

“Wow, I’m a selfish prick,” he muttered.

No longer hungry, he finished off his water, deciding to just go to bed.

‘Hopefully I’ll wake up and be able to convince myself that all of the “Kissing Homura” business was just a dream.’

As the kitchen door slid open, he ran into someone coming in. That someone being Homura.

‘Either the universe hates me, or it just likes laughing at me.’

“Weisz,” she said quietly.

“Homura,” he said, his mouth suddenly dry.

“I was just going to get some water.”

He nodded, unsure of what else to do.

They stared at each other for a few moments until Homura nodded and moved to walk past him. He was content to just let her pass him by- at least, he thought he was. But somehow, his mind and his arm weren’t on the same page, because he found himself reaching out to stop her walking away.

“Hey.”

She turned to face him, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. “Yes?”

‘Fuck it.’

“Did… did you mean it? What you said earlier?” he forced out.

“A-about.. kissing?” her voice was unnaturally high again.

He sighed heavily, suddenly very aware of his racing heartbeat. “Y- yeah.”

“I… yes,” she whispered, her cheeks a fiery red.

His shoulders scrunched up far enough that he felt like a turtle trying to retreat into its shell. His pulse pounded in his ears, and suddenly it seemed as though his entire torso was burning in embarrassment.

Of course it was only then that both of them looked up and noticed that they were right back where they were before: under the mistletoe.

Homura took a deep breath, straightening up. Her confident posture only lasted a couple of seconds before she spoke. “What about you?”

His eyes widened in shock. “Do I… wanna kiss you?”

She nodded, refusing to look at him.

“I, um… Well… You’re not drunk, are you?”

“W- what?” she asked, shocked. “No. In truth, I do not like alcohol. Not its taste, nor its effects.”

“...Okay.”

“Why?”

“It’s a weird day,” he said, shaking his head.

“Are you?”

“Stone cold sober,” he said. ‘Though this conversation is making me feel like I’m drunk,’ he thought. ‘Either that, or I’m in a fever dream.’

Homura paused, eyes darting back and forth. “You never answered my question.”

Weisz breathed in, then out slowly. “... Yeah,” he said, surprising both of them with his answer. “Yeah, I- I.. want to kiss you.”

Both of them were silent for a moment, uncertain of what to do.

“I have… never actually kissed anyone before. Is it like a battle?”

The noise he made was somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle. “No, it’s not that complicated. It’s pretty easy, actually. Haven’t you ever seen a movie or read a book with a kiss in it?”

“Well, yes, but how can I know how much of that is fiction, and how much is accurate to reality?”

Weisz tilted his head to the side. “Fair point. But it’s basically the same, for the most part. It’s, well.. I mean, it’s just something you learn by doing.”

“Then let me learn. Or teach me, rather.”

“O-okay.” For the first time ever, Weisz hesitated to kiss her. Not even his first kiss was this drawn out.

He rolled his shoulders, projecting a calm he didn’t feel, and brought his hand up to her cheek. Without giving himself time to overthink, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

The first couple of seconds were awkward. Homura stood still, not quite grasping how to respond. But she proved herself a quick learner when she started kissing back.

Weisz brought his other hand to her waist, pulling her closer. Homura covered his hand on her cheek with her own, resting the other on his arm.

He ended their kiss sooner than he would have liked, but he didn’t want to overstep with a too-intense one. Resting his forehead on hers, Weisz still kept close to her lips, torn between wanting another kiss and wondering if Homura did.

At this distance, it was hard to not look at each other, but they both tried.

“That… was nice.”

He nodded slightly. “Mhm.”

“Weisz,” she whispered, finally looking him in the eyes.

“Yeah?”

She gulped. “...Teach me again?”

The corner of his lips turned up in a small smile. “Okay,” he said, leaning in again.

“Wait.”

He stopped. “Hm?”

Homura moved the hand that was resting on his arm to instead lay on his cheek. Then, she leaned forward and reconnected their lips.

Weisz’s hand on her waist slid around to the small of her back, pulling her even closer than before. His hand resting on her cheek slid down to join the other. He allowed himself to kiss her a little harder, nearly losing himself in the moment.

When they pulled apart again, they were breathless.

“Well… You’re definitely a fast learner,” he said, clearing his throat.

“Thank you, I pride myself on it.”

Weisz chuckled, which set Homura off giggling before taking a step back. Neither of them took their hands off the other.

“Thank you… for teaching me.. about mistletoe. It was…-”

“Yeah, it was good for me, too.”

Homura nodded, a small smile growing on her face. She looked away from him.

“Well, it has certainly been… an interesting first Christmas,” she said, stepping away slowly. “Goodnight, Weisz.”

“Night.”

She turned her head away, hiding her smile as she walked past him.

Weisz touched his lips lightly. “Yeah,” he said to himself. “Maybe Christmas isn’t so bad.”

[its-r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s]

Call Me A Freak- Chapter 3: Auradon Prep

Words: 2,263

Warnings: mentions of death, anxiety, mentions of violence, swearing

Ch 2 | Ch 4

~ ~ ~

As we got deeper into Auradon, my heart rate increased. I knew nothing about this place. I could name every street, building, and person on the Isle, but here? I was lost. And I felt utterly alone.

I had known Evie, Jay, and Carlos for so long, practically my whole life, and I had never entrusted anything in them. All my secrets were my secrets.

It was all because of my mother. I knew her plans (not that I had believed she would ever complete her dream of getting off the island) and they didn’t include Jafar, Cruella, or the Evil Queen. No… they were all expendable. And so were their kids.

If I got close, I would just end up losing them, I was sure. And tears over spilled blood would simply make me look more expendable to her, too.

It was once we approached the school that I realized how awful going to Auradon Prep was going to be. The kids all cheered outside as our limo approached. Some had banners or flags, others simply waved to us as we drove by. At the front of the school, the band played a quick celebratory piece, in full uniform.

We were the center of attention. The main attraction. They’d probably be watching our every move while here. How could we pull this off?

The driver pulled open the door for us. There were a few hesitant looks. No one wanted to get out.

Jay grumbled something, before pushing past Carlos and getting out of the car. I was quick to follow, with Evie and Carlos behind me.

As soon as I stepped out I had to cover my eyes with the back of my hand. It was so bright outside. Evie was also shading her face, while the boys squinted and locked their eyes to the floor.

As the band stopped playing, they parted and out walked an older woman in a light blue outfit and two kids our own age.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to dull the aching in my head as I adapted to the strange new surroundings.

“Welcome to Auradon Prep!” this new woman announced in a modulated voice. The entire group in front of us had on wide smiles. “Are the four of you alright?” she added, when she noticed how very uncomfortable we were.

“It’s never this… sunny on the Isle,” I muttered through gritted teeth. My hands found their way to my hips as I tried to act powerful. My mother was indeed quite the legend and even if I didn’t want them to think I was a bad guy, I wanted their respect.

From the corner of my eye, I could make out Jay looking the girl to the right up and down.

The woman in the middle must have noticed too, because she cleared her throat before saying, “I am Fairy Godmother, headmistress.”

My eyes narrowed. It couldn’t be that easy, right? The others also shifted uncomfortably, looking between them.

The boy on the left stepped forward, politely. “It’s so good to finally meet you all. I’m Ben.”

“Prince Benjamin,” said his female counterpart, who stepped forward with him. “Soon to be king!”

He looked down, the smile on his face becoming a bit tighter as she spoke. My eyes drifted between them, noticing some sort of tension there.

Evie leapt forward slightly at the mention of prince. “Oh! My mom’s a queen as well, which makes me a princess,” she flirted.

The girl’s face scrunched up almost immediately. “The Evil Queen has no royal status here,” she informed. “And neither do you.”

Evie’s face dropped. She backed up beside me as Ben chuckled nervously.

“This is Audrey,” he introduced.

“Princess Audrey,” she butted in once more. “His girlfriend.”

I bit down on the inside of my cheek. She was his girlfriend. That might explain her sense of superiority. But not his tension as she grabbed his hand and swung it around.

“Ben and Audrey are going to show you all around,” Fairy Godmother smiled. “And I will see you tomorrow.”

She reached down, putting her hands over Ben and Audrey’s. It could have been a comforting gesture if she didn’t push them apart a second later.

“The doors of wisdom are never shut!” she announced. “But the library hours are from 8-11 and as you may have heard I have a little thing about curfews.”

We all nodded, unsure what else there was to say.

She scampered away, followed by the band.

Once we were the only ones left outside, Ben clapped his hands together, a smile gracing his face once more.

He walked around to shake all of our hands, approaching Jay first. “It is so, so, so good to finally meet-” his voice cracked a minute as Jay punched his shoulder rather than shake his hand. “-you all.”

I shook his hand quickly, not interested in making friends with the boy for any reason, but he paused once he reached me, his eyes lingering for a moment too long, almost as if he recognized me.

“This is a momentous occasion,” he continued, moving onto Carlos. “And one that I hope will go down in history as the day our two peoples began to heal,” he finished, shaking Evie’s hand and backing away.

“Or the day you showed four people where the bathrooms are,” I replied, snarkily.

He chuckled, looking at me. “A little bit over the top?”

“A little more than a little bit.”

His face was soft. Much more kind than anyone I’d ever encountered before. Part of me was on edge, knowing that sweet talkers often had ulterior motives and yet, a part of me was comfortable around him.

“Well, so much for my first impression,” he laughed and you found yourself joining in slightly.

“Hey!” Audrey interrupted. “You’re Maleficent’s daughter, aren’t you? Yeah, you know what? I totally do not blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff.”

I almost choked on my own saliva, my eyes widening immensely.

Ben was also obviously very unhappy that Audrey had decided to bring this up and his eyes dropped down to his shoes once more.

“My mom’s Aurora,” she boasted. “Sleeping Beauty.”

I had to keep myself from leaning away from her… or punching her in the face. Both of them were tempting.

“Yeah,” I responded. “I’ve heard the name.”

That’s all that I could manage to say without my anger getting the best of me. But I did notice Jay and Carlos closing in around me. Perhaps a warning or getting prepared to hold me back if needed. Whatever the matter, I was glad to have them there.

Ben clapped his hands together once more. “Okay! So, how about a tour? Yeah?” He turned on his heel, gesturing to the school in front of us. “Auradon Prep! Originally built over 300 years ago and converted into a high school by my father, when he became king.”

Audrey quickly latched herself onto her boyfriend’s arm and followed him around campus. The four of us shared a look of unease, before moving on. We didn’t exactly expect to meet the spawn of our parents’ sworn enemies so soon.

But I did my best to reassure them that I would be fine around her and proceeded to follow Ben through the front garden.

~ ~ ~

“So,” I started, trying not to look impressed by the detailed architecture of the dorm rooms. “You guys can use magic here, huh?”

Behind me, Jay was making mental notes of everything valuable and Evie was just about to puke from elation.

“Yeah, it exists.” Ben stopped to face us. “But it’s pretty much retired. Most of us here are just ordinary mortals.”

I couldn’t help the grimace that graced my face. He was trying to be humble, but a king isn’t on even ground with the poor, no matter how much he tries to convince them that he is. “Who happen to be kings and queens,” I grumbled.

“That’s true!” Audrey claimed. “Our royal blood goes back hundreds of years.”

I was starting to regret reassuring the gang that I wouldn’t happily throw her to the ground. I could really use someone holding my arms back right now.

“Doug!” Ben exclaimed, dropping his arm from Audrey so that he could meet up with the band member who was distractedly walking down the steps to meet us. “Doug, come down.”

The boy met Ben at the bottom of the steps, turning to face us. He had a kind face, similar to Ben’s, however I found myself appreciating Doug’s a bit more. Doug just seemed like the kind of person who would care if you were an asshole, whereas Ben wouldn’t be able to find a bad bone in someone’s body. So, when Doug smiled at us, I saw someone who genuinely thought we were good people. At least… for now he did.

“This is Doug. He’s going to help you with your class schedules and show you the rest of the dorms.” He walked back to Audrey’s side and said, “I’ll see you later, okay? And if there’s anything you need feel free to-”

“Ask Doug,” Audrey interrupted.

I would have socked her right there and then, if it weren’t for the fact that I realized something. I was the one who was setting her off. I thought she just had the worst personality in the world, and she might, but this wasn’t just… Audrey. No, this was Audrey when she’s upset or uncomfortable. Angry, even. And suddenly, I liked being around Audrey. Because it meant I was doing something evil while I was stuck in this hell place.

She smiled and dragged Ben off without another word.

“Hi guys. I’m Dopey’s son. As in Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy…” Doug trailed off and I turned to find his eyes locked on Evie. “Hi ho,” he mumbled.

“Evie,” she smirked, glad to find someone impressed with her charms on this island. “Evil Queen’s daughter.”

It was almost poetic. We just couldn’t escape our parents’ pasts. But at least Evie got some geek who didn’t seem to care for where she came from. My goody-two-shoes counterpart wasn’t exactly jumping to be my friend.

Doug looked down at his clipboard, trying to distract himself from the girl now poised in front of him, eyes wide. “So, about your classes. I, uh, put in the requirements already: History of Woodsmen and Pirates, Safety Rules for the Internet, and, uh, Remedial Goodness 101.”

I scoffed. “Let me guess. New class?”

He nodded, glancing between us and stopping once more on Evie, who was now twirling her hair between her fingers.

He cleared his throat, looking away once more. “Here. I’ll show you to your dorms.”

~ ~ ~

After we had set our stuff in our own rooms, Evie and I made our way over to the boys’ new room. They had already made themselves at home, Carlos playing some sort of game on the tv and Jay sorting through all he had collected on the way over.

“Jay,” I called, making my way over to the bed he had everything laid out on. “What are you doing?”

“Stealing,” he admitted, pulling out a laptop and flipping it open.

“Okay. So, you could do that or you could leave all of this here and pick it up when we take over the world,” I said slyly.

Evie, who sat on the edge of Carlos’s bed, gasped. “You sound just like your mom.”

I muttered a quick, “Thank you,” in response, knowing I should be proud, but I couldn’t care less at the moment.

“You do it your way and I’ll do it mine,” Jay responded, but I shook my head.

“Uh, uh. You don’t get to jeopardize the rest of us for your dad’s dumb store, alright? People are going to notice their missing stuff pretty fast and who are they going to blame?”

Jay threw the laptop on the bed, sighing. “We’re bad guys. They must have expected this.”

“Seriously Jay, we can’t give them any reason to send us back. Think about what our parents will do to us if we don’t break that barrier.”

Carlos jumped down from in front of the tv and laughed. “More like what your mother will do to you.”

I sent him a glare and he shut up immediately. I knew none of their necks were on the line like mine was, but they still were being pressured. Their parents also wanted to escape the Isle.

“Evie, mirror me.”

We sat at the table and Evie pulled out the small hand mirror her mother had given her.

“Mirror, mirror on th- In my hand,” she corrected. “Where is Fairy Godmother’s magic wand… stand?”

The mirror shifted, focusing in on a plaque located outside a building. The sign read, “The Museum of Cultural History”.

“Can the mirror tell us where that is?” I asked, but Carlos was already on it. He pulled out the new laptop Jay had scored and looked it up.

“2.3 miles from here.” He showed us the map between the school and the museum, all laid out neatly.

I looked over the screen, shaking my head. “This place is surrounded by forests and hills. There’s no way we could walk it.”

“So, we find a ride?” Jay suggested.

Evie was quick to agree. “Tomorrow we can ask around and see if there’s an easier way to get there.”

“Great,” I groaned. “Now we have to go to school tomorrow.”

[mobius-prime]

116. Knuckles the Echidna #21

The Forbidden Zone (Part Three of Three): The Many Facets of the Truth

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Manny Galan Colors: Barry Grossman

Cold opening, go!

As Heavy and Bomb are being swept away in the current, Locke's aircraft arrives and catches everyone in some kind of antigravity beam, pulling them up into the craft's interior. At one point before they're caught by the beam, just before they go over a waterfall, Heavy complains that they're in "deep doo-doo," and Bomb acts like this is some crazy newfangled term he's never heard of before, prompting Heavy to explain that he hears Valdez say it all the time when he's called on by Geoffrey. I just love the idea that "doo-doo" is some secret swear word or something in this universe. I mean, can you imagine some grizzled freaking Secret Service member being irritated by something his commander tells him to do and muttering "Oh, doo-doo" under his breath? Because that's exactly what Valdez apparently does. Canon.

Meanwhile, back in Haven, the various members of the Brotherhood start chattering to each other immediately about how much of a disaster this is for Knuckles to have found his way into Haven, while Tobor-itori Rex sulks in the background realizing his plans have just fallen to pieces right before his eyes. Archimedes poofs in to try to reassure Knuckles that "things aren't what they seem," but Knuckles isn't having it and brushes him off (which, to be fair, I know that Archimedes is probably just as indoctrinated into this regime as everyone else, but Knuckles still has a point that he could have told him more about everything before and actively didn't). Finally the Brotherhood decide to start introducing themselves and let fate decide what happens next.

Oof. Knuckles, having no real choice, follows Moritori to the medbay, and is surprised to see Hawking in one of the beds. Moritori explains how he fell into a coma when he restored Echidnaopolis to its proper place on the Floating Island, and quietly fills a syringe behind Knuckles back. Frankly, if I were Knuckles I wouldn't have turned my back on him even for a moment knowing what I know, but eh, we already know he doesn't always make the smartest decisions.

Meanwhile on Locke's craft, Geoffrey asks for more information regarding Elias' survival on the island all these years. He recounts how after the crash, he and the rest of the Brotherhood searched the craft and discovered everyone dead except for baby Elias and Queen Alicia.

The Overlanders came demanding to inspect the craft, but the Brotherhood was able to use their existing precedent as a neutral party in the war to deny them access, lying that they found everyone aboard dead. They decided not to return Elias to the king, fearing the Overlanders would think they took sides in the war, and instead raised him within Haven until he was ten years old, whereupon they released him to wander the island as he saw fit. They also put the queen into a stasis chamber, as she was in a coma and they didn't have the necessary medical knowledge to be able to revive her. However, they'd actually missed one survivor of the crash - the Colonel, who had been thrown clear of the wreckage when the craft broke up, landing somewhere further away. When he awoke, he wandered and was eventually found by the king's search party, but in grief he refused to go back with them and exiled himself to the royal compound on the island where he remained ever since.

While Locke is telling this story, the craft has been approaching the entrance to Haven, concealed by the holographic projection of the wall of flame. As they enter, with Geoffrey expressing his wish to speak directly to Tobor since he was particularly instrumental in helping clean up the site of the crash, we get to see what Fake Tobor is up to in the medbay. As you might expect, it's no good!

Well now, I hardly think Knuckles is the self-centered one here, Moritori. After all, you're the one who replaced a man's entire life with your own, sabotaging every relationship he's ever had and forcing him into a shameful exile just to get an edge for your own selfish goals. They fight some more, and Moritori reveals that his eyepiece can actually shoot lasers, because sure man, lasers! As they continue to duke it out, Locke lands his craft in their docking bay just as alarms start to go off. He decides to simply drop everyone off except for Lara-Le, giving Elias the task to take everyone to Sabre and privately telling him to tell Knuckles "I'm sorry." Wow, maybe Lara-Le has actually gotten through to him somewhat after all. As Elias' entourage makes its way through the hallways they narrowly miss being sliced in half by Moritori's lasers like they’re in a Resident Evil movie, and Knuckles starts tackling him again. Suddenly some heavy-duty doors start closing off the part of the hallway, and Archimedes poofs in to encourage him to jump to safety, trapping Moritori inside.

Just so we're aware, I don't think it's been mentioned so far, but Spectre is Tobor's son, meaning that for all he knows, right now he just saw his own father turn traitor. Of course, they'll all find out there's more to what's going on soon enough. Knuckles and Elias' gang meet up in the hallways, and Knuckles mentions something about hating having to fight the Dark Legion. At that moment the rest of the Brotherhood (sans Locke) turn up, shocked to hear an accusation that Tobor might have been affiliated with them, and Spectre opens the blast doors only to find that Moritori is gone.

According to Spectre, "Shinginta" is an old word in an ancient echidna language meaning "you will make friends with death." I'm not sure if we're meant to assume Moritori just randomly had pen and paper on him, or if he carved it into the wall with his eye lasers, but I'm going with the second option because it's way more metal. Back in Locke's craft, he's finally allowing Lara-Le to try to discuss Knuckles with him, but gets defensive almost as soon as she begins to speak, asking her sarcastically if she wants him to explain the birds and the bees, because he already has. Kind of a hilarious thing to include considering we're literally talking about Locke sitting baby Knuckles down and teaching him the ins and outs of echidna sex, and maybe not a comment necessary to include in a kids' comic, but hey, at least we know Locke is a good enough parent to give his son a decent sex education instead of leaving him in the dark like a lot of modern parents do, eh? Although, on the other hand, there's the ever-looming fact that Guardians are expected to enter into little heterosexual marriages and produce heirs for the family line, so maybe not so great of him after all. He then finds Remington, his pilot, Julie-Su and Wynmacher still stuck in their downed craft outside of Haven, because remember, all this time they've just been stuck in there while Knuckles randomly disappeared into the wall of fire.

Boi, you better get over your old feelings for her quick. Wynmacher is honestly a very likable character compared to him; look how polite he is to someone he knows broke his fiancée's heart, how kind he's been to Knuckles all this time treating him like his own son, and how well he looks after Lara-Le's feelings. He's a way better partner to Lara-Le than Locke ever was, and she deserves him after all Locke put her through. But anyway, meanwhile back in Haven, we finally reach the third day of Geoffrey's time on the island, and Elias brings him and the rest of the Secret Service to the chamber where his mother is in stasis.

Geoffrey plans to take the queen's stasis pod back to Mobotropolis straightaway, and Elias decides he will come with, as he wishes to see his father now that he knows he's alive and well. Knuckles, however, plans to stay in Haven and get the answers he's always wished for, and frankly has earned the right to know.

[raendown]

Commission for @crystallizedshadowfire, thank you!

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Rated: E Word count: 4493 Summary: The Chief of Police and the boss of the local mob, an unlikely pairing for sure. Keeping their relationship a secret is hard, coming up with excuses for why they haven't taken each other down yet is harder, but of course Madara always finds a way to complicate things that don't need complicating.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Criminal Malpractice 

Madara scowled and flinched at the sound of a bullet impacting the concrete wall he and his subordinates were hiding behind. He was getting too old for this shit.

Okay so he wasn’t actually all that old yet, barely creeping up on his mid-thirties, but his poor ears had suffered through more than their fair share of this bullshit. He would find a new line of work if he hadn’t already entrenched himself so deeply in to this lifestyle that the mob might very well fall apart without him. Maybe he should start thinking about training a replacement soon so that he could retire. Obito was showing a lot of promise as he grew in to his later adolescence, he would make a good successor. He was also just crazy enough to enjoy this lifestyle and all the insanity that came with it. Kids these days were wild.

A chunk of something that may have been concrete but also may have been a fragment of skull bone went rocketing passed his face. At the same time one of his men jerked backwards and collapsed to the ground, falling utterly still in a way Madara recognized all too well. His nose wrinkled. Yet another widow to console, another life lost to cover up while he tried to keep his own mourning quiet to help the lower ranks keep up morale. Lately he was running out of ways to make bodies disappear in a manner that wouldn’t lead suspicion back to him or anyone that worked for him and his family. Just because it was common knowledge that the Uchiha family were connected with the mob didn’t mean they should make it easy for the law enforcement to pin them with any actual evidence.

Mistakes like today notwithstanding. If he hadn’t already taken out the cameras in this area it would be very hard to talk his way out of being accused of something here.

Speaking of law enforcement, Madara dared to peek around their cover and count the heads popping up from behind the barricade of police cruisers. He forced his eyes to skip past the head of shining white hair they wanted to catch on and focus instead on the actual bane of his existence. In another world Shimura Danzo would definitely have followed a similar nefarious path as Madara had – although probably with less than half the morals. Madara’s life was filled with illegal acts but he had a code of conduct, okay? He took care of his own and really he was just trying to make this city better. Just because his methods were shady didn’t mean he didn’t care, he simply cared in all the ways that people who followed the law couldn’t.  

Unfortunately for the City of Konoha the illustrious Shimura Danzo had instead decided to dedicate his life to being a police officer. At some point he must have had high hopes for what he surely thought would be a shining career. It clearly rankled that he hadn’t made it even to Captain, stuck forever at the rank of Sergeant and taking out the frustration that gave him on the men he led. Serving under a much younger Chief of Police – the youngest their city had ever seen yet also the most competent – had turned him even more bitter. Several times now the man had tried to reach out to the underbelly of the city, determined to turn dirty cop. Madara, however, owned the underbelly of this city and he had a standing order forbidding his people from dealing with the man.

The chaos of a shootout seemed like the perfect opportunity to remove a problem he was more than tired of working around. Across the way he could see Izuna pausing at the sight of his satisfied grin, though his brother only narrowed his eyes in suspicion. It cut to the quick to be so mistrusted by his own kin. Really it did!

“What are you planning?”

“To get rid of a nuisance,” Madara said. In one smooth motion he stood, aimed, and fired then immediately dropped back down hoping no one caught enough of a look at him for a positive identification. Then he looked over to where Izuna was using a small mirror to keep track of the action. “Did I get him?”

“Yup. You definitely shot the Chief of Police.”

“WHAT!?”

Completely disregarding his own safety, Madara jerked around and popped his head out in to the open. Shimura was still standing. A foot or so to his left side Senju Tobirama, the man who had skyrocketed up the ranks since the day he joined the force, was being dragged away to safety while he very calmly attempted to staunch his own bleeding and sent a thunderous scowl toward the mob forces. Their eyes met across the mayhem for a brief moment and Madara swallowed thickly.

“I’m never going to hear the end of this.”

 -

 The hours he waited in the empty house that night were some of the longest he had ever spent. Owning the city always felt like less of an accomplishment during the times when he was faced with how little rights he had to his own life partner. Falling in love with a police officer was a terrible idea, he’d known that right from the moment he realized where his heart was headed, but staying with the man and supporting him all the way up to being named Chief of Police was such a spectacularly bad idea he still wondered how neither of their associates had caught wind of it yet.

Having only a select few people who knew where he called home helped with that, as well as his partner’s infamous reclusive tendencies. It did not make the waiting any easier when he knew that Tobirama was spending those hours in a hospital undergoing surgery where Madara was quite unwelcome to go visit. A known mob boss visiting an officer of the law? Yeah, not obvious at all.

Adrenaline rushed through him at the click of the lock on their front door and Madara hurried over to peek down the hall just as the tumbler slid back in to place. Tobirama’s movements were stiff but he was blessedly alone as he slid off his shoes and toed them in to the neat little spot where he always kept them, eyeing the coat hooks then sighing and trudging down the hall without removing the fur trimmed civilian jacket buttoned over what remained of his uniform. When he spotted Madara skulking around the corner he stiffened even further and turned in to the kitchen without a word.

Madara slinked after him like a dog with his tail tucked between his legs. Silence stretched between them as Tobirama went through the motions of drawing a mug of tea one handed and the guilt rose higher and higher in Madara’s throat until he couldn’t take it and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“So how was your day at work?”

Obviously he realized how stupid that was the moment he said it. He really didn’t need Tobirama to slam his cup down hard enough to slosh precious Darjeeling in every direction.

“You fucking shot me, that was my day at work!” Shaking out his now scalded fingers, he turned around to return fire with the daggers in his eyes. “I’m out of commission for at least a week, if not several, and what do I have to show for it? Another ‘failed’ attempt to take down the man living in my own home. You are very fucking welcome for covering that abysmal escape, by the way, because I had to cover your ass from a god damned ambulance!”

“I’m sorry, okay!? I was aiming for that Shimura dick head!”

“Well your aim fucking sucks, go ask Kagami for a few lessons on marksmanship before you take my head off next time!”

Madara shuddered. His nephew was a walking ball of sunshine terror, too happy to be natural and too gifted with long range weaponry to be entirely human. No way was he putting himself through another round of cheerful hours on the gun range just to come out even more thankful that he’d somehow managed to keep the kid happy in the role of budding assassin. Unhappy assassins usually came after their boss and he certainly wasn’t looking to have both eyes taken out from three streets away with no evidence.

Tobirama cruelly allowed him to stew in those thoughts while he turned away again and ran cold water to soothe the fingers he had spilled tea all over. Watching him, Madara cringed as he realized he had effectively taken both the poor man’s hands out of commission. He really wasn’t doing so hot today. Some big bad boss he made when he couldn’t even care for his own partner properly.

“Let me,” he offered quietly. Tobirama subsided with a grumble, throwing himself down – gently – at the kitchen table to watch every movement with an eagle eye. It was a little nerve wracking but Madara bore up well enough until the tea was cleaned up and remade, delivered with a shamefully bowed head. While his lover drank the offering Madara tried several times to open his mouth and make his apologies but every time he thought he had the words straight in his head he would look up at Tobirama and everything in his brain would scatter all over again in favor of the heavy guilt weighing him down.

He shot his own lover. He put a bullet in to his own partner’s flesh. What words could possibly make up for that? How could Tobirama ever forgive him when he was quite sure he would never forgive himself?

“Nothing vital got hit, at least.” He jerked in surprise when Tobirama broke the silence first.

“Oh. Good. That’s…I’m sorry.” If any of his subordinates could hear how small his voice was in that moment he had no doubt that they would laugh themselves silly and lose all respect for him. No one would ever fear his retribution again if they knew how far gone he was for the man across the table.

“I’m going to bed.”

“But-!”

“Madara, I am tired. I spent nearly thirteen hours in the hospital because they allowed a first year resident to operate and he was so incompetent they had to open me up again and go back in as soon as he stitched me closed. They wanted me to stay overnight but I assured them that I had a ‘guest’ staying with me who could help and now speculations about my personal life have tripled. My own partner shot me, my officers are chomping at the bit to have you behind bars for it, and I am in so much pain I can hardly think straight.” Pushing his empty mug away, he struggled to his feet with his jaw tightening when the motion tugged on some sensitive areas. “I want nothing more than to let this fucking day end.”

He was tottering out of the kitchen a moment later, leaving Madara glaring at the floor in personal offense that it had not yet opened up and swallowed him whole. If he were as brilliant a man as his beloved then maybe he could turn to evil science, create a time machine, go back to this morning and crack himself around the head for ever pointing a weapon anywhere close to his most precious person.

Since he wasn’t a mad genius he hauled himself out of his own chair and shuffled down towards the bedroom after the other man. He found Tobirama hovering by the end of the bed plucking at the buttons of his jacket and scowling deeply, unable to move one arm and unwilling to fiddle too much now that his other hand was covered in mild burns. Madara inched in to the room until he was spotted and told himself that it was perfectly normal for a grown man to feel so small when faced with such a sharp gaze.

“Want some help?” he offered. Tobirama snorted, dropping his hand and turning his head away moodily.

Having two working hands, Madara made quick work of the buttons and helped to slide the jacket off as gently as possible. With soft-spoken requests for a movement here or a shift there he got Tobirama down to nothing but his skin, at which point he hurried over to fetch a pair of pajama pants from one of the dressers against the eastern wall of their bedroom, scurrying back to kneel down and keep Tobirama steady while the man slid one foot in to each leg. It was hard to resist letting his touches linger like they usually would with so much skin on display and his face right there where it would be only too easy to turn his head and take the man’s length in to his mouth. Fortunately he wasn’t stupid enough to do something like that without warning when the mood in the room was so clearly not headed for such activities.

Although…perhaps he could fix that. They both knew that apologies weren’t his strong suit, his words better suited to barking orders than expressing the feelings trapped in his chest. And they both also knew that he was prone to finding more physical ways to making his feelings known, whether that be doing more than his fair share of the household chores or offering certain bedroom services without asking for reciprocation.

Of course what he had done this time was hardly something he could erase with a hand job or two but there was nothing wrong with trying and doing one thing for his partner didn’t mean he was going to call it a day and forget the whole issue. He was an asshole but he wasn’t completely heartless.

Well, not when it came to Tobirama, at least.

The possibility stayed on his mind all through helping Tobirama brush his teeth and wash his face then pulling the sheets down to tuck the man underneath them and go do all those things for himself as well. By the time he was turning off the lights and sliding under the blankets he was half hard in his pajamas and almost ashamed of how much the idea appealed to him. Not because he was ashamed of his own desires, that ship had sailed more than a decade ago and he certainly had no regrets about where his appetites had taken him, but rather because he was sure it wasn’t an appropriate apology for this sort of situation.

But really, was there ever going to be a proper way to say sorry for shooting his own partner in the chest? Or shoulder. He hadn’t had a chance to take a good look at the wound yet, covered as it was by several layers of gauze. At least that particular wave of guilt could be left until tomorrow when he would of course insist on helping to change the bandages.

Madara squirmed and fretted in the dark bedroom until he nearly leapt out of his own skin when Tobirama was once again the first of them to break the silence.

“Do you know how much paperwork I would have had to do if you did manage to shoot that asshole?”

“You…” All the tension in his body was violently expelled with a hard snort of laughter. “Is that what has you so fucking grumpy?” With a grin of relief he rolled over and fitted himself again the other man’s uninjured side. Tobirama sighed moodily.

“No, I’m grumpy because you shot me. With a bullet. It hurts. And I don’t know what painkillers they gave me but I am so high but I still fucking hurt.”

Madara sniggered. “You don’t seem high to me, if that helps.”

“It doesn’t. The room is spinning. Make it stop.”

“Actually, I had a thought. I was thinking of making it spin even faster – in a different way.” He pressed a kiss to Tobirama’s shoulder but got only a huff for his troubles. Stubborn man, refusing to be seduced even when Madara was clearly being obvious about what he wanted to do.

Lolling his head to one side, Tobirama grumbled, “Faster would not help.”

“Stop being stupid and let me give you an apology blow.”

“Ah. I’m quite sure that’s not a great idea at the moment but I am also not going to stop you so long as you understand that I can’t do much in return.” His lover turned to blink hazily at him and Madara could finally see what he meant about the pain killers. That was not the same sharp gaze he had seen in the kitchen. Something must have finally kicked in. With a laugh he pressed forward to kiss those pouting lips.

“That is entirely the point love. You’re going to be angry at me again in the morning anyway so you might as well enjoy tonight, yes?” Madara waited for the other man to nod in concession of his excellent point before shuffling around and sliding further down the mattress. “Good, then just lay back and let me take care of you.”

He gleefully chuckled over the agreeable hum from his partner. Usually it was a lot easier to fluster Tobirama with blunt sex talk but apparently the influence of whatever drugs they had him on mellowed out certain inhibitions. It was a shame his job kept him strait-laced and prevented them from recreating this again another day because Madara would have loved to see what kind of filthy things he could talk his way in to like this.

A quick blowjob to see if high-Tobirama was any louder than sober-Tobirama was a good start, though. Madara licked his lips as he gently wriggled his way in between the other man’s legs, being careful not to jostle him too much, then reached for the ties of the pajama pants he had picked out just a few minutes before. If anyone happened to ask he might be convinced to admit that he had chosen these ones because this shade of red looked lovely with Tobirama’s skin and the stretchy cotton made his ass look fantastic. Luckily no one was ever likely to ask.

Briefly mourning that he wouldn’t get to see that ass bent over for him – probably for a long while – Madara bent his neck to draw his tongue along the crease where thigh met groin, smooth skin devoid of hair because his lover liked to keep himself neat in all respects. Steady breathing increased gradually the further his licks and kisses moved inwards until finally Tobirama let out a soft gasp when Madara pressed his tongue flat against the underside of the cock now stiff and full as it waited for his attention and slid all the way up to take the head in his mouth. Then he himself was tempted to moan at the feeling of having his mouth filled.

“Shit,” Tobirama whimpered above him – honest to god whimpered. Legal or not, Madara was definitely getting his hands on something to get this man high again.

In reward for such a pretty sound he slid further down to take as much in as he could. One of his hands pressed down on the hips that were beginning to squirm, hoping Tobirama didn’t hurt himself moving around too much, while his other explored whatever heated skin he could reach. His head bobbed in a slow rhythm in time with the hand that skimmed trembling thighs and traced the grooves of a clenched abdomen. It had always been Tobirama’s body that spoke his pleasure the loudest; hearing him swear so easily and so honestly went straight to Madara’s own cock.

He’d already been sporting a semi. Just that one word combined with the soft groan that followed in the wake of his hands was enough to have him rock hard inside his own pajamas.

Were he not hyper aware of the fact that this was all meant as the start of his – likely to be months long – apology he might have tried to suggest something that would be a little more mutually satisfying. Or if he also weren’t aware that doing so would probably end with Tobirama tearing out his stitches in the heat of the moment. Madara rolled his hips down and moaned around the hard flesh in his mouth, tempted by the idea of grinding himself against the mattress until another thought wriggled its way in.

Tobirama’s protest when he pulled away was garbled and indistinct in a way it never would have been were he entirely sober. It was just enough encouragement for Madara to shuffle around until he was up on his knees where he could go back to work with one hand still holding the weakly bucking hip underneath him in place. With his other he took a moment to skim down and cup his partner’s sacs, rolling them and sliding his fingers lower to trace the places he couldn’t explore until Tobirama was healed enough that the writhing he was prone to wouldn’t hurt him. Then another soft curse met his ears and Madara began to frantically pull at his own drawstrings until they were loose enough to shove the material down and take himself in hand.

His moan vibrated around the shaft he was pleasuring, earning himself yet another intoxicating sound from his partner and encouraging both his mouth and his hand to move faster. Madara was sure if he weren’t already busy concentrating on other things he would be panting as quickly as he could hear the other was. If they continued on just like that he wouldn’t have lasted all that long anyway but then the most amazing thing happened.

For probably the first time in his life Tobirama began to babble.

“Shit, feels good. Don’t…don’t stop. Just- ah. Warm. And wet. Fuck, your mouth is wet. Feels amazing. Do that – with your tongue? That-? Yes, fuck yes, that. Ma-hah! Madara…”

Every word that spilled from him wound the man between his legs higher and higher until Madara was working himself as desperately as he was bobbing his head, praying he could hold off until his partner found satisfaction yet unable to stop his hand from chasing the incredible end he could feel coming on fast. He’d never heard anything like this from Tobirama. Since the day they first gave in to the helpless attraction between them their intimate activities had been filled with a chorus of noises from his own mouth and little more than the occasional grunt from his stubbornly reticent partner.

He had almost forgotten how hot it was to hear someone else enjoying themselves as much as he was.

It wasn’t hard to pinpoint the moment Tobirama finally noticed that he was pleasuring himself at the same time. The apparently unexpected discovery was accompanied with a long drawn out sound that could only be described as lewd and an enthusiastic bucking of the hips. Madara had just enough time to brace himself before his tongue was coated with seed, the entire world fuzzing out around him a few seconds later as the tension inside him burst at last and he spilled over his own hand as well.

Gasping with a cock still filling his mouth was a little hard but Tobirama seemed to appreciate the sensation of his continuous moans until finally they were both completely spent and Madara swallowed the bitter come with only a light grimace. As much as he enjoying sucking cock he’d never really appreciated the taste of the end results. He did very much appreciate the blissed out expression that was waiting for him when he lifted his head, half-lidded eyes staring back at him, satiated and full of warmth. Madara shivered with renewed interest that he regretfully set aside for another time.

“Was a v’ry good apologize. Apology. S’a good blowjob.” Tobirama’s lips curled up in a dopey smile and Madara paused to appreciate the rare sight.

“Should I help you get back in to your pants?” He offered, not trusting himself to say anything else just yet. If he did then it would either be some mangled form of dirty talk or he would spill his whole heart out on the floor in the form of terrible poetry mixed in with a hundred more apologies. And not even sexy ones.

“Mmm. Probably should, yes.”

“Right.” Nodding to himself Madara set about righting both of their clothes and found something to wipe his hand on, snagging a bottle of water from inside the nightstand to rinse out his mouth as well.

Then he crawled up the mattress to lay himself carefully at Tobirama’s side and pulled the blankets up over both of them. He made sure they were all perfectly even and straight, just how his partner liked them, then pressed a kiss against the man’s good shoulder and curled up against him as much as he could without having to worry about jostling the injuries he had caused.

“I’ll cook you breakfast in bed tomorrow,” he promised in a whisper. “And I’ll fetch anything you want around the house. And I’ll even do my best to hold my temper when you inevitably get irritated that you can’t do anything for yourself; we both know you will, don’t deny it.” Despite his words he paused, waiting for the expected denial because Tobirama had a very selective memory when it came to his own temper, but it never came. Curious, Madara lifted his head and peek around to see what was holding his tongue.

Fast asleep. Whatever drugs they had given him were finally doing their job, pulling him down in to dreamland where the pain couldn’t touch him. As much as Madara loved having his partner’s attention he was glad that he would spend the night comfortably and find good rest.

Tomorrow he would spend the day waiting on his partner’s every beck and call. And the next day he was calling Izuna to schedule a council of the Family. Some things in this city had needed changing for a long time and while he was certainly the right man for the job he was not willing to risk the only person who had ever loved him as completely as Tobirama did. Which meant that they would need to change some things about how they themselves operated as well. First he would help his beloved feel better. Then he could go out and make the world better as he’d always intended.

By force if necessary. A smirk tilted the corners of his lips and he looked over at his sleeping partner. He always had preferred to act first and apologize later; at least with some things he rather enjoyed the apology.

[a-fools-jester]

Hello there! I really love your writing! You capture the characters personalities and interactions very well and I always enjoy your stories. You said you wanted irondad prompts, so maybe something like Peter finds an abandoned kitten one day before going to work ((let’s be honest: just hang)) with Tony and doesn’t know how to tell him/worries he’ll be annoyed so he just tries to hide the cat while he’s with Tony, but Tony notices him fidgeting etc. and is just like “kid wtf?” Until Peter caves

In Peter’s defense, the kitten was alone and obviously abandoned, left in a box next to the garbage bin he used to keep his backpack webbed to while he was out being Spider-Man. The little fella had orange fur and pretty green eyes. “Hey, I’m Peter,” he whispered to the kitten, rubbing him behind the ears. “What’s your name, hmm?” He checked the back of the box for a phone number or a name, but alas, he found nothing but the words FREE TO A GOOD HOME.Problem: he was running late for his Stark Internship. He and Mr. Stark had always met at 4:30 on Tuesdays and Saturdays, an unspoken agreement between the two of them that Peter would come in for “work” that day. Problem number 2: he was most definitely not going to leave the kitten in a box next to some dumpster but he had no time to take it anywhere else. MJ was too far, he wasn’t close enough to home, and Ned was allergic to cats. 

“What am I going to do with you, little guy?” he asked the kitten who did nothing but cling to his shirt with his little paws. Well, that was that then. There was literally no other choice. “Alright, alright. Stay in my backpack for a little while, okay? I’ll leave it open for you so you can breathe but you can’t jump out, okay?”Once little Jam was secure and content, Peter put the backpack on his chest, wrapping his arms around his little secret and running as fast as he could towards the compound. He made it in record time (thank god for being fast) and skipped security, going straight to the elevator. “Alright, it’s 4:37. Not bad, Jam. Not bad at all,” he cooed before he paused. “You’re gonna have to stay in my bag, alright? I’m not sure if Mr. Stark would… well, I’m not sure how he’d feel about having a cat around.”The moment he said it, anxiety filled his stomach with lead. Did Mr. Stark have a cat allergy?Would he be annoyed with Peter for being late and having nothing to show for it except for a small stray kitten?Was this Mr. Stark’s line of everything he was willing to accept? Peter shuffled from foot to foot, putting the backpack behind him. Mr Stark had accepted that he was a teenager with only a little bit of teasing, had accepted the fact that he was a mess and didn’t obey orders while taking down the Vulture with exasperation and mild frustration, but what if he thought this only proved how immature and unready Peter was to be an Avenger? What if he decided Peter wasn’t a good fit to be Spider-Man?Okay, perhaps this wasn’t one of his better ideas.He clutched the straps of his backpack with white-knuckled fists, keeping his head bowed when the elevator opened. The lab was as it always was, and Mr. Stark was hunched over one of the worktables, examining the robot he was working on building. Mr. Stark looked up, meeting his eyes with a nod before he turned back to the robot and gestured for Friday to turn on some of his ‘Brain Stimulating Music’- which, in Peter’s book, meant Old Man Rock.Thankful for Mr. Stark’s distraction Peter took a seat and placed Jam on his lap, opening the zipper a bit to make sure that the little guy didn’t have any trouble breathing. “I need to work on this bot for Pepper, so you go ahead and do your thing for now. I’ll call you when I need you.”Peter nodded, taking out his math book and breathing a small sigh of relief.It can’t be that hard to hide a kitten for a couple hours. Right?The minutes ticked by slowly as Peter did his homework, working on his Pythagorean theorem worksheet for Ms. Benny and studying the scatter plots for Ms. Ann. Some days, he really wished his school didn’t make all the students take math and “advanced math” at the same time, which really didn’t make very much sense. Why didn’t they just teach everything in one class instead of separating things into two subjects?Because now Peter was mentally questioning his existence in two classes instead of one. Smart as he was, he just really didn’t like math. Science was his favorite subject, but math? Torture. Ned would often roll his eyes when Peter let his opinion on the subject be known because even if it was torture, he usually got good marks. But still…Whoever invented math must have been a sadist.As Peter struggled and stared at his textbook with the blank expression of a student going through finals, Tony observed the kid arachnid. He was being weird. Less bubbly and talkative than usual, fidgety, not meeting Tony’s eyes, didn’t ask about what Tony was building. Something was off about him. Tony didn’t like it. It made him feel on edge.Was the kid hurt?  Going through something? Upset?They’ve been in the lab for almost an hour now and the kid hadn’t done anything except sit at one of the worktables and do his homework silently which was so unlike him that it made Tony immediately suspicious. The lack of stories about his day and questions about whatever and quips only made Tony even more suspicious. And the fidgeting…“Alright, out with it,” Tony said after waiting another fifteen minutes for Peter to offer an explanation, eyes narrowing when Peter jumped and met his stern gaze with wide eyes. “What’s going on with you?”“Me?” Peter asked, frowning, trying to not panic as Jam crawled out of the backpack on Peter’s lap. “There’s absolutely nothing- nghhh! Um, nothing wrong with me. Sir.” Peter shifted, wincing in discomfort when little Jam decided on using his shirt as a scratching post. The shirt he was currently wearing. The thin shirt which did not protect the soft flesh underneath it in the slightest. Luckily, the work table was high enough that it kept his lap and lower body hidden from Mr. Stark across the room. Not so luckily, Jam kept on scratching his stomach and it hurt.Tony’s eyes narrowed further, looking almost like he was trying to use X-ray vision on Peter. “You’re being really quiet, you came in late, you’re being all-” he gestured vaguely over Peter as he shifted to try and inconspicuously get Jam to stop. “-this. Tell me what’s wrong. Is it May? Her new boyfriend? Some boy at school bother you?”“What? No!” Peter responded immediately, frowning sourly at the mention of May’s new boyfriend. Jake the Joke was what the name Peter put him down under in his contacts list. Ugh. “It’s got nothing to do with Aunt May or Jake or school. There’s nothing wrong, Mr. Stark!”His wincing was not helping his case.Tony walked forward, putting down the screwdriver and scratching his beard. He had a look on his face that Ned and MJ had once called the Dad Face when they came over and Tony saw the nasty bruise on Peter’s jaw. “Listen, Peter…” Tony began, crossing his arms that he suddenly had no idea what to do with. “I’m not usually a heart-to-heart type of guy, alright? Emotions give me acid reflux. They’re not my forte. But if you need someone to talk to, I am here and I will listen and probably give you advice. I’m not sure how reliable said advice will be but it will be given. You’re my mentee and I take my responsibilities seriously- or, well, seriously for my standards. So why don’t you tell me what’s wrong so we can figure out-”Tony stopped, blinking in bafflement, and Peter’s mind supplied him with a vine he saw that was relevant to his situation- the one with Jessie J going n-n-n-n-n-no no no no NO NO NONO.“Is that a kitten on your lap right now, Peter?” Tony asked, voice torn between being angry and laughing. “What the fuck, kid?”“Mr. Stark, I can explain-”Tony gestured to the cat. “Explain nothing! You’ve been here for an hour being all weird and I thought you had some type of problem and it’s- A cat! You brought a cat to the lab! Jesus. Anxiety issues, remember? I honest-to-god thought there was something wrong.”Peter nodded, shifting and placing Jam on the table now that it was out in the open. “I know, sir, and I’m sorry but Jam was alone and he was next to a garbage can and I was already- I was already running late so I just took him and ran here. I wasn’t sure if you’d let me take a cat in here or get mad so I just… didn’t tell you.”“Jam?” Tony repeated, bending over to look at the little ball of fur closer. “You named it?”“Yes?” Peter responded, looking sheepish, eyes soft in that horrible way that Tony firmly believed should be illegal. That was unfair. Peter using his puppy-dog eyes meant that Tony’s chances of being angry were greatly reduced by 40-50 percent.Jam took Tony’s lack of attention to move forward and nuzzle closer to him and he sighed. Goddammit. He really wanted to be upset about this entire thing but it seemed the universe wasn’t going to allow it. “Alright, maybe he’s not too bad for a little mouser. Are you going to take him home?” He looked up, catching Peter’s shifty eyes with a frown. “Well, actually…”“Oh no! No no no no, sir! Under no conditions is this creature going to stay here with me!” With his record, the thing would be dead within a week. Most things he came into contact with often suffered from that fate. Or maybe the kitten would make Tony fall into a false sense of safety and contentment and then run off with a team of strays, leaving Tony all alone again. Cat-tain Apurrica. “Mr. Stark, please? I’ve always wanted a pet and Aunt May always said no because our apartment complex doesn’t allow them-”“Then move. Easy peasy. I’ll pay for the entire goddamn transition if needed, but this-” “-and- and it would only be for a little while until I can either convince Aunt May or Ned or maybe MJ-”“-cat is not going to stay with me!”“-to let Jam stay with them. Please, Mr. Stark! I promise I’ll be super duper good on missions and I’ll do anything you want. Please.” There was a beat of silence. Tony met Peter’s eyes, which were cranked up to 11 on the puppy-dog scale. Again, unfair, but Tony was also doing his best stern glare so it might be a little bit more acceptable. Tony spent the silence telling himself every reason why he should not let the cat stay in the compound with him.He wasn’t fond of cats. (Not completely true, his mother had one.)He was too busy. (Not busy enough to keep his mind clear.)He was irresponsible. He wasn’t good at taking care of things. (True.)He couldn’t even take care of himself very well. (Also true.)He didn’t care about some stupid cat Peter brought in and wasn’t going to be the sole caretaker of it simply because Peter asked. (Well…)They stood there in a silent staring contest, a battle of wills going on between them. “Please?” Peter said after a few moments of silence, eyes pleading. “Anything?” Tony asked, putting his hands in his front pockets, his expression thoughtful. “Anything.”With a defeated sigh, Tony nodded. “Alright. You’re going to go with Pepper to the upcoming gala. You need some experience being at social events like that anyway, and I definitely do not want to go.”“Isn’t that the one that's… dedicated to you?” Peter responded, perplexed. “You're… not going to attend the party that’s specifically meant to show you how much you mean to the world?”  Tony nodded jerkily. “Having hundreds of thousands of people confess their love to me got tiring after a few years. You’ll be fine.”Peter considered his options. He really, really didn’t like parties that were big and grand, but… “If I go you’ll let Jam stay here?”“You have my word.”Peter bit his lip, nodding. “I’ll go.”Tony flashed him a thumbs up, grabbing a screwdriver and tossing it Peter’s way. Peter caught it easily, not needing to break eye contact with Tony. “Come here, show me what you can do with this bot. Work your magic.” With a grin, Peter walked forward, carrying Jam and taking him to the other worktable so he could be nearby while Peter worked. Tony watched him with an intense look, but it wasn’t awkward like it would be if it was anyone else because it was Mr. Stark. Mr. Stark kept watching him as he attached the two servo ports to the serializer, only humming from time to time in approval or surprise at his choices with the robot. The hours passed quicker after that and when day turned into night, Mr. Stark suggested he stay and give May a text to let her know. They put on a movie and ordered a pizza, sitting in the lounge with Jam laying down between them. Mr. Stark got Happy to buy some cat supplies and the bemused man did so with only a few quips, bringing Jam some food, a bed, toys and a purple collar with a heart nametag that said ‘If lost, return to Spider-Man or Iron Man’. Peter remembered how the compound had been like when he’d first visited, how empty and gray, like the very walls were hungry for light. It felt like a lonely place to stay, let alone live in. There were too many empty spaces, empty rooms, empty silences with nothing but music and one person’s breath to fill it.Peter watched as Jam nuzzled up to Mr. Stark and Mr. Stark had rolled his eyes at that, but Peter saw the way he was smiling at Jam with a fond look in his eyes.Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Sorry this took a while to get done! I hope this is okay because fluff is sorta not my forte hahaha 😅

[drarrymylove]

Under the Stars, Over the Moon

@kitkatzoe101 said: For the Prompt Thing: I have a lil notebook for prompts and these are some of my favorites. Hope this helps. Secret Santa, fireside cuddles, summer picnic, stargazing, watching the sunrise/sunset, coffee shop AU, adopting pets together, dorks being dorks, “I love you, but you don’t even know I exist anymore”  anonymous said:  could you write something involving a hiking/camping trip in the forbidden forest?

Combined as many as I could…here we go.

“You want to take me back to Hogwarts for a romantic weekend getaway?” Draco asked.  He felt completely scandalized. “Are you high?”

“I’m not taking you to Hogwarts, I’m meeting you on the grounds,” Harry said. “We’re going somewhere else.”  

Draco pushed himself up so he could look down at Harry. Draco’s movement pulled the sheet off Harry’s chest, but Draco refused to let himself get distracted.

 "You’re not trying to surprise me with a Hogsmeade trip are you?“

"Not unless that’s some secret dream of yours that you’re trying to drop hints on, no.”

Draco laughed, though he still wasn’t completely excited about a mysterious trip that started on the Hogwarts grounds.  "I guess I trust you a bit.“

Harry pulled Draco back onto the pillows, "Trust me enough to fall asleep in my arms?”

“Obviously.”

“Good.  I don’t imagine we’re going to be getting a lot of sleep tomorrow night,” Harry said.

Draco traced a finger down Harry’s chest, “You aren’t letting me get much sleep tonight either.”

“Different circumstances, love.”

“I don’t know whether to be disappointed or intrigued.”

“Don’t be either of those things.  Be asleep.  Haven’t I worn you out yet?”

Draco smiled, but said nothing.  He would do any number of stupid things so long as Harry did them, too.  Tomorrow could not possibly be too horrible.

“This is a horrible idea.  This is the worst idea you’ve had. Ever.  Including the time you flew a dragon out of Gringotts.  This is worse than, I don’t know, pick literally any terrible decision you’ve ever made.  This is worse.”

Harry laughed. 

“I’m glad you find this funny.  I’m not going on a walk in the Forbidden Forest.  I like my limbs where they are and have no intention of becoming something’s dinner,” Draco said.  He tried to hide it with humor and indignation, but he really was scared.  He hated the Forest.  "And it will be dark in a few hours.  You can’t believe I’ll be in there at nightfall.“

"That’s actually the idea,” Harry said, taking Draco’s hand in his own.

“I really dislike you.  Especially right now,” Draco said, but when Harry let go of his hand and started into the Forest, Draco followed.

Harry did his best to keep Draco’s mind on anything but the Forest around them.  Conversation was strained, but Draco tried to keep his disappointment to a minimum.  This was not the way he would have liked to spend their weekend, but the more time passed since the end of their eighth year at Hogwarts, the more Draco began to worry.  He did not really know what he and Harry had, if they were officially a couple or if they were just taking comfort in each other while it was convenient, but Draco was becoming increasingly anxious about it.  Draco did not want it to end.  He just never found the right time to bring up the conversation.  Draco worried that mentioning it might bring it to an end.

“Where are we going?” Draco asked.

“Finally,” Harry said.

“What?”

“I wondered when you’d break.”

“I didn’t break.  I’d simply like to have an idea of where I’ll be when the residents of the Forest decide to eat me.”

“You’ll be fine. We’re almost there. It’s about another fifteen minutes or so ahead.”

“Let me guess.  It’s going to continue to be uphill the entire way?”

“It will be worth it.”

Draco rolled his eyes, despite the fact Harry could not see it.  Harry was several paces ahead leading the way.  They stopped at a clearing at the top of a hill. They were higher than some of the surrounding treetops and Draco could see the Hogwarts castle far behind them.  It took him a moment to notice the tent.  It looked tiny, but he hoped Harry had the good sense to use a wizard tent and not a muggle one.  

“Are you kidding me?” Draco said.

Harry looked hurt for the briefest moment, “What?”

“We couldn’t have flown?”

“Er, no.  That was one of the conditions of the invitation.”

“What invitation?”

“Firenze said it would encourage clouds.”

“Harry, have you ever been to Scotland with your eyes open?  There are always clouds.”

Harry smiled brightly, “Are there?”

Draco looked up and saw not a single cloud in sight.  “Why are you being so cryptic? What are we doing here?”

“Immediately? Eating.  I’ve brought a picnic,” Harry said. 

Is he blushing?  That’s adorable.  “Okay, then,” Draco said.

Harry led the way to the tent but told Draco to wait outside.  Moments later, he returned with two folding chairs and small table.  “I can’t imagine you sitting on the ground eating dinner, even if there happened to be a blanket available.” 

“You imagined correctly,” Draco laughed.  He started to relax for the first time since they entered the forest.

Harry took off his backpack and started taking out food containers, “It’s probably not as pretty as it could be, but they’ve got a stasis charm on them, so at least it will taste okay.” When Draco gave him an incredulous look, Harry pretended not to notice. “We’ve got a quiche.  Bacon, feta, and spinach. And soup.  In the jars is Eton mess.  I’ve also got that muggle soda you like for now and later, once it starts getting colder after dark, I have tea and cocoa.”

“Not too bad, Potter. Who made it?”

“I did.”

“You don’t cook.”

“No, but I can.  I don’t usually enjoy it.”

But you cooked for me? Draco thought.  It was little moments like this that made Draco ache.  Harry never hinted that he wanted anything official with Draco until he did little things like this.  Draco looked at Harry’s face, desperately searching for any hint of deeper feelings.  Coming up empty, Draco turned to the meal in front of him.

“You’re right.  It could be prettier,” Draco said.

“Shut up and eat it.”

“I believe you’ve said that to me before.”

“If I remember correctly, you didn’t talk back last time.”

Their meal passed in relative silence.  The food was good even if the quiche and soup was an odd combination.  Draco caught himself more than once wanting to ask what they were doing in the Forbidden Forest on a Saturday evening.  Surely there were any number of places they could have gone instead.  

As the sun began to set, Harry disappeared back into the tent, taking the chairs and table back with him. “Stay here,” he said again.

Draco felt a bit more exposed this time.  The coming night and sounds from the treeline didn’t let him relax.  A snapping twig had him drawing his wand, his heart in his throat.  Harry returned from the tent as a group of centaurs walked onto the far side of the clearing.  He recognized one as a former professor, Firenze.

“He said we could come if we stayed over here and kept noise and distractions to a minimum,” Harry said.  He had pulled a giant bean bag and blanket out of the tent. “Let’s get comfy.  We’ll be here a while.” 

“A centaur invited you to watch a sunset?”

Harry smiled, “Something like that.”

Draco and Harry settled into the bean bag.  It was large enough that it was more of a sofa than a seat.  Draco was surprised at how warm it was, the blanket draped over their legs, bodies pressed together as they sat side by side looking to the sky.  The sky was stained with colors of the coming night.  Oranges and pinks faded slowly to violet and blue while Harry talked softly of nothing in particular.  Draco stole glances of Harry’s face as often as he could without the risk of being caught staring.  The dying light made Harry’s brown skin glow with a warmth Draco fought not to reach out and touch.

“- soon, I guess I won’t be seeing you very much.” Harry said.

Draco felt the words like a weight on his chest.  What was he talking about? he wondered, silently cursing himself for letting his thoughts wander.  Was this it? Was he confirming their relationship while breaking it off? 

“But you’re excited though, right?” Harry continued.

“What?” 

“Healer training. You’re starting soon but you have hardly brought it up.”

“Yeah,” Draco said, relieved. “I guess I am.”

“You seem distracted.”

“I’m watching the sunset you brought me here for.”

Harry laughed, “As grand as that is, it’s not the main event.”

“I’d be more intrigued if there weren’t a dozen or so centaurs sharing this lovely hilltop.”

“I’m starting to think you only like me for my body.  There are more ways to entertain in the middle of the night, you know.”

Tell him you love him…no. Don’t do that.  Draco turned his eyes to the sky again. The sun dropped below the horizon but there would still be time before full dark.  Draco noticed the moon.

“I want to go,” Draco said abruptly.

“Why?” Harry asked.

Draco pointed to the moon.

“We’re safe,” Harry said.

“We are in the middle of the Forbidden Forest during a full moon.”

“Draco,” Harry said, taking Draco’s hands in his own, “If you really want to leave, I won’t make you stay.  I very much want you to stay, though.  We are safe.  We’re in the company of centaurs, we have wands for immediate Apparation if that isn’t enough, and if for some reason we can’t Apparate, the tent is charmed. Once we’re both in it, it uh…locks down, for lack of a better explanation.  We are safe.”

Draco was not a courageous man unless it was in an extreme circumstance for which he did not have time to consider the outcome.  This did not qualify.  But there was no lie in Harry’s face.  Harry was reckless and irresponsible with his own safety.  He would never willingly put anyone else in danger, and he certainly would not lie to them about it.  Draco would let Harry be brave enough for both of them.  

“I’ll stay,” Draco finally answered, though it was a while more before the rigid set of his shoulders relaxed.

A couple hours passed under the light of that full moon.  Harry and Draco carried a whispered conversation, the sounds of their voices sounding louder in the dark.  Draco even dozed a bit before Harry woke him with soft kisses to his hair and cheek. 

“Thought you might want to see the stars,” Harry said.

“-’s too bright,” Draco mumbled.

“Not anymore.  Look.”

Draco blinked the sleep from his eyes.  “The eclipse!?  I forgot.”  The moon’s shape had changed while he slept.  With the light becoming blocked, the stars twinkled to view.  

“I hoped you would.”

Draco stared wide eyed at each slowly appearing cluster and constellation.  “I used to love astronomy.”

“I know.”

“I never could go back to the tower,” Draco started, “and every other astronomy tower or observatory I tried to visit all took me back to the astronomy tower in Hogwarts.  They were all right there, but I couldn’t even see them.” 

“What’s your favorite?” Harry asked.

“My favorite constellation?”

“Yeah.”

Draco must have taken longer to answer than he intended.

“Oh, no. It’s Draco isn’t it?” Harry said, with an exaggerated eye-roll and a teasing tone.

“Of course not.  It’s Cassiopeia,” Draco said, deciding on the truth.

“Huh.  I can never seem to find that one.  Hermione said that if you draw that out, it looks exactly like the thickest line of my scar,” Harry said pointing to his forehead.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Draco said, this time not so truthfully.  “It’s right there.” 

“You know as well as I do that pointing isn’t going to help.  Focal point is all wrong.”

Draco scoffed. “Fine.  Can you find Orion?” When Harry nodded, Draco continued. “And Draco?”

“I can always find you.”

“Gross, stop.  Can you find it?”

“Yes.” 

“One last one, Ursa Major?”

“Yes.”

“Good.  Now you’re looking for a kite,” Draco drew a kite shape with his finger pointing toward the stars. “From where we are, Draco and Orion are the top and bottom of the kite.  Ursa Major’s nose is the left point and you will fine Cassiopeia where the right point of the kite would be.” Draco realized he was sitting forward, gesturing widely at each cluster of stars as he spoke of them. “Do you see Cassiopeia now?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you really? or are you just saying that?”

“I really do.  From here, it’s a ‘W’ instead of the ‘M’ Hermione pointed out from the south window of the astronomy tower.”

Draco let himself ramble on about his family’s history of astronomy influenced names, his affinity for astronomy, how excited he was to discover he was named for the Dragon in the sky.  Harry commented occasionally, but at this point, it was more encouragement to continue than anything else.  Soon Draco found himself not hearing Harry at all.  With the lunar eclipse wrapping the sky in further darkness, a flicker near Perseus caught his attention.

“Harry!” Draco remembered the centaurs after he heard a few scoffs and a disapproving hoof beat or two. “Harry,” Draco said more quietly, “you brought me to the Perseids meteor shower.”  Draco shoved at the beanbag, struggling to stand.  He heard Harry grumble something about “damned bony elbow” but Draco’s thoughts were all on the sky.

“Could you imagine? At one point, people thought the actual stars were falling. It must been terrifying, seeing something so bright and beautiful night after night, only to believe it fell.”

“It would break my heart,” Harry said.

Assuming he was just taking the piss, Draco pretended he had not heard Harry’s remark.

“You could sit back down.  You won’t miss anything if your eyes are a meter further from the sky,” Harry said.

Draco again ignored him, instead talking about how long it has been since he saw a shooting star and how lunar eclipses are great for brewing temperamental potions. He heard Harry walk up behind him but couldn’t take his eyes away from the falling stars. Draco didn’t want to miss a single one.  With the eclipse reaching totality, every tiny dot of light burned so much brighter.  Draco stood with his head tipped back, mouth slightly open, knowing how silly he must look.  He missed enjoying all the wonders the heavens could offer.  “I can’t believe I was brought out here for this,” Draco said, only vaguely aware that he’d said it aloud.

“Not just for this,” Harry whispered, “I brought you out here to tell you I love you, but you don’t know I exist anymore.  I supposed I’ll have to wait until sunrise before you’ll listen.”

Draco spun to face Harry.  Not realizing how close Harry was standing, he nearly knocked Harry over.  Even in the darkness, Draco knew every line and curve of Harry’s face.  He searched Harry’s features for any proof of what was said the moment before.

“Say it again.”

Harry took Draco’s face in his hands and pressed a firm kiss to Draco’s lips, “I suppose I’ll have to wait until sunrise before you’ll listen.” Harry’s smile was slow and beautiful, but Draco’s heart ached to hear those words, to know it was real.

“Please.”

Harry kissed Draco’s cheek, his nose, then his other cheek.  “I’ve waited so long to say it. You can wait until sunrise to hear it.  I would hate to take your attention from so many wishes.”

“Wishes?”

“Must be a muggle thing.  When you see a falling star, you’re supposed to make a wish,” Harry said. “Must not work.  I’ve wished you’d sit back down with me at least half a dozen times now.”

Draco practically fell onto the beanbag and pulled Harry down with him.  

“Spoke too soon,” Harry said.

Or not soon enough, Draco wanted to say.

They watched the sky together.  Draco seemed to have a wish for each and every falling star and given the time, could wish on every remaining star in the sky.  The moon made its way out from beneath the earth’s shadow, covering many of the dimmer stars with it’s bright return.  

Harry made tea and spoke of everything but the one thing Draco was desperate to hear.  

“Thank you,” Draco said.  He meant a dozen things with those words.  Thank you for bringing me here, for listening, for allowing me this, for understanding, and for being you. 

Harry only smiled. 

The clouds were returning, now golden bellied from the approaching sunrise.  Birds and other creatures were bringing the forest around them to life with their chatter.  The sky faded from violet to lavender and slowly to blue.  As the sun passed over the horizon, Harry took Draco’s chin in his hand and turned Draco to face him. 

“I love you.”

“Those muggles are onto something with those wishing stars.”

Harry did not respond, did not move.  

“I love you, too.”

Harry sighed in obvious relief.  

How could Harry think for a moment I didn’t love him back?

Harry took Draco’s hands, “I know you’re going to be insanely busy with St. Mungo’s and Merlin knows I won’t have exactly a nine to five job.  I think everything is a bit less intimidating if-” 

Draco waited. Somewhat impatiently but he waited all the same.

“I think I could do anything if I knew I would always be coming home to you. It doesn’t have to be immediately; it would take a while to find a flat or a house anyway.”

“Harry Potter,” Draco said, “I’d stay in that bloody tent right there if it meant I never had to wake up away from you again.”

Harry laughed.  “As grand as that sounds, I do have a perfectly good bed at home where I’d love to sleep a good portion of the day away with you.”

Draco nodded, watched as Harry shrank and gathered their things.  Harry offered his arm for a side-along.  Draco could not remember ever being so happy; he was practically over the moon.