#And then there's the fact that he exists in the underground so no good-hearted sane person would ever find his way to him either... F

[serendipitousstudiosyt]

Chapter 10: scars

{When Pain Was My Everything}

How often, does your heart hurt? How often do you feel sympathy? Not at all? Not often enough? Or...perhaps far too often for your own heart to handle. To say you feel sympathy, is commit to the idea, that it is not just you that exists in this world. Can you readily say, that you don't think of yourself, before you think of someone else?

Anyone in the underground, could tell you. It's a fools errand to put thought to others, in any way at all. They couldn't tell you why, of course. After all, those who fought in the Great War, and those who lost people too it, all were hardened by the common hatred that took place during its day. And, as it is with many wars...there were many. Even the children, know that any fraction of kindness is taboo, in a place like this. Well. Most of them, anyways.

With all this in mind, and the facts practically burned into his skull, why does the smaller skeleton feel...sad? Sure, he's used to the hollow emptiness in his chest that he was practically born with. But this kind of hollow, is new. It's fresh. It's exhausting. No matter how hard he tries, he can't force it down, like everything else he's ever felt. He can't make it go away. Maybe that's why, he's pacing about his living room, arms crossed, and jacket strewn about. He was thinking very hard, about the events of this morning.

He had watched the person he had come to know, as gentle, and kind, completely lose their mind this morning...his brother, would find such a thing commendable, or even impressive. He, just found it sad.

His brother had made a point, to lock 'the beast' as he called them, up in their shed out back. Perhaps to find a way to deal with them, before they went feral again. Sans knew that he had a limited amount of time before that happened. Perhaps...perhaps he could find a way to...

"Why am I even thinkin' about- Augh...stupid humans. Stupid, stupid humans" he mumbled to himself, kicking the edge of the carpet slightly, with his scuffed up shoe. Though, saying it out loud, just made him long more...eventually, he released a long, almost painful sigh. He knew what he had to do, but...was he going to have the strength, or, perhaps more of the Balls to do it?

🔴 🔴 🔴

To say they felt afraid, was a lie. Despite everything that had happened. And the adrenaline that had long since worn out, they still didn't feel an ounce of fear in their small, frail, and unarguably depressing frame. They expected many things to come next. Most of which, they'd experienced before. They actually made a little game out of it, from the long days strapped in their tiny box on wheels. 'What kind of entertainment does he want today' they'd ask themselves. Actual speech would have only made it worse, so, they never actually spoke aloud.

In this game of theirs, they'd spin a little wheel in their head, with all the different ways in which he liked to make them bleed on it, none of which they actually knew the names of. After all, no one spoke to them, outside of...well...

Whichever the little pointer would land on, that would be the one they would try to mentally prepare themselves for. Though, that didn't much stop them from making the pointer shift to any other item on the wheel. In all honesty, it always depended on the kind of mood they found him in that day. They had become very good, at guessing what he would do. It kind of negated their whole game, but it kept them sane enough, so. They chose not to put any thought to it.

Their thoughts were interrupted, by the creaking of a door. They did not move. They knew what moving did, so they stayed as still as possible. They even slowed their breathing down, to what they had always known as 'acceptable'. It was silent. Very silent. Painfully so. If there was one thing they weren't used too, it was the silence. When He was around, there was always music, or sound, coming from somewhere else...people, or...children? They didn't know. They'd never seen them.

"Hey..." the voice was familiar. It was the smaller skeleton. He sounded very unsure. Painfully so. As if he didn't know why he was here. The skeleton stared, into the corner of the small shed. They exact same place papyrus had stuck them, chained by the throat, like a dog, to the wall. Even though there was quite the length of chain on the floor, he took notice of just how little they'd moved. Not at all, in fact. The more he looked, the more he realized...they could have gotten out, at any point, in the past five hours they had been trapped in here. But instead, they remained in the corner of the room, humiliatingly bound. Their position could not be any kind of comfortable, he thought. But still. They refused to move. This, he had to admit, confused him.

"Are...you okay?" He found himself asking. The question was stupid, of course. Who cared, right? Why would he even- his thoughts stopped, when he didn't get an answer, or even any noise at all. It finally dawned on him. He couldn't hear them breathing. That frightened him. He found himself slightly rushing forward, kneeling down to them. Just when he was thinking the worst- he heard it. Strained, small, and long drawn out breaths. Like they were barely even there. They still didn't move. At first, he thought they had been sleeping. But they genuinely sounded like they were forcing themselves not to breathe. Not to move...not to think.

He just...sat there. Completely dumbfounded. He had seen so many things in this world. He had seen- death, almost Daily. He was numb to death- to the loss of life. But he had never seen suffering like this.

------

Old undertale fanfic from literally half a decade ago. I wish I could still write like this lmao.

[fanmoose12]

Yo moose! Can I request this prompt? well I'm kinda stuck between two similar ideas so it's up to you to pick: Hanji surviving 132 and giving a speech to public about the shit she personally had to go through and it gets emotional, or things are canon (sadly) and Levi's the one to give a speech about what he went through with her. IN GENERAL I JUST WANT THE WORLD TO RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT HANJI'S THE ONE WHO SAVED THE FUCKING WORLD (or at least what was left of it oof lemme ignore extra pages)

@agoldenheartedsnkfan my beloved 💕 sorry for the delay!!! but i hope you enjoy this little thing! i missed writing your prompts <3

---

Levi wasn't going home, not quite.

Home is where the heart is, but his heart was long gone, sacrificed for the future of the humanity.

And despite being away from his motherland for almost a decade now, Levi hadn't missed the place. It was hard to miss familiar cafes and bars when the people he used to visit them with were already dead.

Still, something stirred inside him at the sight of the streets he walked through so often. Now, however, he wasn't able to walk like he had used to. Now he could only roll on his wheelchair, all the while cursing the genius who decided that a brick road was a good idea for the central street.

He certainly wasn't the same man he had been before. He wasn't a thief from the Underground, wasn't humanity's strongest soldier. Now he was an old man, broken by the years of fighting and bleeding.

Continuing to move forward, Levi passed a cafe he used to frequent, the one with the delicious pancakes and a table in the corner that could fit all members of his, Hange's and Mike's squads; a bar where they sang lewd songs and picked fights with the military police; gardens that Hangs loved visiting so much; a bookshop that Erwin loved to walk around, with Hange animatedly talking his ear off; a clothing store where Levi used to buy cravats for himself and shirts for Hange.

Each place had a special meaning for him, each one was connected with a dear memory. But without his friends, there was no reason to visit these places again. Walking through them all by himself would only make pain inside feel that much sharper.

Levi turned the corner and breath was promptly knocked out of his lungs. He didn't think he'd ever see this particular building ever again.

But there it was, Survey Corps Headquarters. It certainly changed.

The emblem was a little different and the amount of soldiers was that much bigger.

Figures there would be an influx of new recruits after everything that happened. Levi could only hope that these ones wouldn't turn out to be as bloodthirsty as the ones he and Hange had to deal with.

As Levi slowly rolled closer to the building that now seemed that much grander than before, he was noticed by a group of soldiers, who stood by the gates, sharing a cigarette.

Most of them didn't pay much attention to him, one soldier grimaced as he looked at his scared face, another scoffed and turned away. Only one of them, the one in the center, had realised who Levi truly was. His bright eyes widened swiftly and suddenly. Levi swallowed heavily. It seemed like he wouldn't be able to leave unnoticed.

"It's you!" the soldier ran up to him, already breathless. "It's you, right? Captain Levi? The hero of the Battle of Earth and Heaven?"

The hero part was a large overstatement.

"I've been here if that's what you're blabbering about. Now if you excuse me..."

"Levi Ackerman?" the rest of the soldiers joined their comrade, surrounding Levi. "One of Paradis' biggest traitors?"

Levi was going to leave. Logically, he knew that he had no other sane choice. But, goddamn it, he had enough of these fuckers back in his days. He was so not going to tolerate them and their shit.

"I am traitor?" he husked, his eye flashing. "None of you would be here if it wasn't for me and other traitors. So shut your stupid mouthes."

"You helped to kill Eren Yeager."

"And saved the rest of the world in the process."

"You killed a hero," one of the soldiers stubbornly repeated. "And saved our enemies."

"What else could you expect," the other soldier scoffed. "From the Captain who served under Commander Crazy."

Oh. Levi didn't feel that in a long time. That ugly, burning feeling that spread through his veins like a wave. He thought he had left it behind, alongside with his blades. But apparently there still existed idiots who managed to make him see red with just a couple of words.

Back in his days, Levi would have kicked the asshole in the stomach, knocking breath out of him. He'd punch him in the face, leaving him with the black eye. He'd twist his arm to make him scream and beg for mercy. He'd knock him down and step on his palm, waiting for the bastard to apologize.

Now, he wasn't as strong, wasn't as skilled. But he still had some tricks up his sleeve.

Before another stupid word left the fucker's mouth, Levi pushed his wheelchair forward, rolling on the soldier's foot. The soldier yelped and attempted to get away. Levi didn't allow him to.

"Now listen to me, you little shit," he pulled the man down by the collar of his shirt. "Commander Hange Zoe was the best person this shitty island had ever seen. She sacrificed everything for idiots like you. And if it weren't for her selflessness, if it weren't for her kindness and intellect, this island would have been fucked more times than you can count. Who do you think have designed that shiny uniform you wear? Or the weapons that all of you are so ready to wield?"

"Commander Zoe?" one of the soldiers whispered, his head lowered in shame.

"Learn some respect, you fuckers," Levi glowered, letting go of the poor idiot. "Or I'll knock it into you. You wouldn't want for others to know that you had your asses kicked by a disabled old man? If not, then get the fuck out of my sight. And if I hear the words crazy or traitor in the one sentence with the name Hange Zoe, you'll be sorry you've ever learnt to talk."

Luckily, the bastards didn't need much convincing after that. All of them scattered around, one of them visibly limping.

"What a bunch of losers," Levi sighed, willing his clenched fists to relax. The anger didn't leave him, but now another feeling appeared, the one that always visited him whenever he spoke or thought of Hange.

Fuck, a decade had passed, and that wound was still as fresh as ever. Would it ever stop hurting? Levi wasn't sure.

"Hope you've enjoyed that little spectacle," he muttered under his breath, his eyes aimed at the sky. "I bet you're ecstatic at all the compliments I just threw your way. Perhaps, I should have done it sooner," he said, his voice thick with feeling. "Repeated them more often."

But was the point of thinking about it now, when all he had left was his broken heart and a feeble hope that Hange was still watching him?

Although... all things considered, Levi hoped that Hange had missed this little trip of his. He certainly wished he wouldn't have come here.

Home is where the heart is. Levi could only hope that one day, it'd become true for him as well.

[drxwsyni]

Healing (pt.2/3)

Yandere Chisaki Kai/Overhaul x quirkless!f!Reader

Part 1︱Part 3

a/n: there’s probably only one more part to this series unless i get more ideas for it, idk where to go with it after that tbh.

warnings: violence, implied poor mental health & self harm, needles (i have a horrible fear of them so i thought the warning would be good for others like me)

3.9k words

_____

The things that an unchanging environment could do to the human psyche are infinite. Too long and you begin to over analyze everything down to the most minute detail, leaving you at odds with every decision you’ve ever made.

It had been five days since waking up, alone and confused, back in Chisaki’s compound.

Whatever form of schedule you had before was entirely altered to fit your newest predicament. No more walks, going outside―anything that would put strain on your injuries was eliminated.

It left you with the sole company of a few books, three meals a day, sleep, and the brief appearances of Kai himself every so often.

There was more than enough room to contemplate exactly what had developed between the two of you.

If you thought the first incident was enough to show a side of him that you thought never existed, then the encounter a few nights ago well overshined that. This new sense of isolation only left you all too partial to endless thoughts as to what he meant by his actions.

None of the recent developments were something you could’ve anticipated. If they were you’d likely never taken up Chisaki on his offer. But that didn’t matter now―everything came down to figuring out how to dig yourself out of this hole.

Naturally, this proved to be much harder than anticipated.

The rules to your new case of recovery were stricter than ever, leaving little space for manipulation. So for the time being, biding your time until an opportunity presented itself was your only option.

This also proved to be harder than expected.

The few days since that encounter were excruciatingly dull. There was only so much reading a person could do, and it left you staring at the wall or ceiling for hours; just thinking of how to make your time there easier.

Slowly, you couldn’t think about anything else than leaving the sterile, dreary examination room.

The idea came to mind that if you just had something to make the stay down there a little more comfortable, maybe you’d be able to keep yourself sane before the ordeal was over. You thought about what would be best for a while, and then settled on at least having normal clothes to wear. You were still being supplied with the strange dresses and sweaters to wear overtop of them since the most recent incident. Not that they weren’t comfortable, but it made you feel more like a test subject than a human with actual freedom.

You did what Kai had told you to and pressed the button on the side of your bed to alert whoever was outside your door. You’d done it a few times prior, and a subordinate usually entered immediately.

That’s what you were expecting now―but nobody ever showed up.

Pressing the button a couple more times, thinking maybe they just hadn’t noticed it the first time, it became evident that for some reason you were alone.

It was strange, seeing how strict the yakuza leader had been when it came to monitoring your condition.

Maybe they were just on break? Surely they would be back soon, he wouldn’t leave my room unguarded like that.

Thirty minutes went by as you waited for someone to come to your assistance. Frankly, this only made you more irritated with the reality of being stuck in this god-forsaken base for who knows how long.

Resolving that they were likely never going to come and help, you swung your legs over the bed and removed the heart monitoring clip.

The feeling of independence was invigorating as you approached the door. Unfortunately you had no shoes at the moment, leaving you in sock clad feet to implore on the short journey to your room and back.

The door was thankfully unlocked, and opening it proved your suspicions that there was in fact nobody stationed outside.

You thought back for a moment to the day you’d left the compound to do something similar―picking up belongings so you didn’t feel too out of place. But this was different. You weren’t leaving the base, and it would take no time compared to that day to get your things.

He wouldn’t even find out, stop stalling.

You stepped outside the room, quietly closing the door behind you. The pain from your injured ankle was quite present, but nothing you couldn’t handle for the time being.

Before the attack, you only came down to the underground expanse twice a week for checkups, and you were always accompanied by either Chisaki or one of his underlings while you made your way to the examination room.

Now you realized just how little you actually knew of the endless tunneling network.

You’d taken the constant escort for granted, now having found yourself fairly lost amongst the winding corridors, all looking nearly identical to each other. You pushed on, hoping that eventually you’d come across some form of exit.

It took a minute or two, but eventually you found a door to the stairwell. By now the throbbing in your ankle was becoming more prominent, so you opted to take your time maneuvering the staircase.

Finally atop the landing, you shoved the heavy metal door open. Thankfully, the area you were now in was recognizable, and you headed in the direction of your room.

Oddly, there was nobody to be seen amongst the hallways. Usually there was someone going back and forth for whatever reason.

Now however, it was oddly quiet, unsettlingly so.

You kept moving towards your destination, but your injury was worsening at an alarming rate. It had you grasping the wall for stabilization, ultimately slowing your pace even more.

It wasn’t much farther now, just around the corner and then roughly thirty feet away. But you had overestimated the amount of pressure in which your seethingly painful ankle could withstand. Coupled with the disturbance in balance as you rounded the corner, hands slipping from their support, you felt your body falling to the ground.

Yet, the impact never came.

You felt a pair of strong arms wrap around your waist, effectively stopping your body from colliding with the floor. Before you could even stand up straight, you heard whoever was conveniently assisting you at the moment speak.

“What are you doing out of your room, miss (y/n)? Overhaul is looking for you.”

You recognized the voice immediately. Kurono.

One strange request, or rather requirement, that was laid out when you arrived at the compound was that you never referred to Chisaki as ‘Overhaul.’ It was strange, seeing as how his subordinates were always told to. At the time you brushed it off, but given recent events his instructions for you to use his real name started to make a little more sense.

You straightened up in his grasp, as he opted to now keep a hold on you by the shoulders.

“I was just getting someth―”

You heard a bang just down the hallway in which you came from, sounding like a door hitting the wall harshly. Not a moment later and Kai appeared from around the same corner.

“What’s she doing here?”

Not even bothering to address you, he stared intently at Kurono.

You didn’t let him answer. “I was getting some clothing from my room. There was nobody outside my door when I tried getting help. I’ll just grab it and then go back if that’s okay…”

He didn’t say anything. The part of his face that you could see was furious, burning holes through your head as he leered at you. You watched his eyes flicker to your now swollen ankle, seeing as you were propped up on your other foot to try and alleviate the pain. A deep sigh came from the man, and he shared a glance with Kurono, relaying some unspoken message.

At that moment you felt an arm snake around your waist, the other behind your knees, successfully lifting you up bridal-style.

Out of fear you wrapped an arm around the back of Kurono’s neck, desperately trying not to fall. The two began moving back in the direction you came.

“H-hey! What the hell, I just wanted something from my room!” You began squirming in his arms, trying to get him to put you down.

“Are you even listening? Let go, I can walk just fine!” His grip only tightened as you fruitlessly struggled, heart beating a million miles per minute.

“Miss (y/n), I’d advise you calm down before you injure yourself.”

Calm down? What are you supposed to do in a situation like this?

At this point something told you no matter what you did, you’d end up back in the exam room one way or another. Yet, that understanding did little to settle the worsening anxiety that was making you sick to your stomach. Frankly, part of you wasn’t surprised at the way Kai was acting, and you prayed that he wouldn’t take his anger any farther.

You’d reached the door to your room, Chisaki silent as ever as he swung open the door and held it open for Kurono.

You were set down on the bed, waiting for the next turn of events as the two men relayed information.

“Go and find the filth neglecting their duty. Make sure he doesn’t leave.”

“Yes, sir.” With that Kurono swiftly left the room, leaving you in a precarious situation with the still aggravated man.

You figured that for some reason he’d come to check up on you just as you’d left the room. It would be extremely inconvenient timing, but how else would he find out of your actions so quickly?

The yakuza leader opened one of the cabinets to your left, pulling out what looked to be a small box of bandages. He moved to the foot of the bed, still silent, and began to unwrap your injured ankle.

It seemed that somewhere along the way the dressing had come undone, as part of it was now hanging loosely around the appendage.

Surprisingly gently, Kai fixed the bandages, maneuvering them expertly to support the ankle once again in no time. You wanted to say something―anything. But the words couldn’t seem to form in your mind.

Maybe it was due to the still racing of your heartbeat, panicked over the unconsented handling. Or perhaps there was nothing you could say that would make this better, and it was just easier to wait it out.

Finishing up with his work, Chisaki put the unused bandages back into the box and returned them to the cabinet. He closed the glass doors, standing unmoving with his hands atop the counter. Likely, he was trying just as hard to calm down, judging by the deep breaths that were observable by his heaving chest.

A moment later and he started towards the heart monitor behind you. He pressed a few things here and there, you watching intently as he picked up the recently discarded clip.

You let him gently lift your left hand, attaching it back onto your index finger.

...The alarm.

You didn’t hear anything go off. There was nothing, you’d just carelessly taken it off before leaving.

How stupid could you be?

You stared at the device, unable to move for a moment as you comprehended exactly why Chisaki must have been so emotional. Looking up, you saw that he’d taken the clipboard, writing furiously on the paper.

Without even so much as turning in your direction, he spoke. “I’ll see to it that this doesn’t happen again.” Punctuating the end of his sentence with the click of his pen, he returned the clipboard to its wall-mount.

Without another word, he turned on his heels, exiting the room before you could even think to apologize.

The door slammed shut, noise echoing off the walls, and you could’ve sworn the sound of a lock falling into place followed.

_____

A week had ensued since the third incident. Generally speaking, things were normal.

Except for the visits that Chisaki was frequenting to your room more often than ever before.

He would never stay for long. Sometimes you’d hold a conversation for a few minutes: asking about his day, him about whatever book you’d been reading. And then he’d leave to resume the task he’d abandoned for the time being.

Now whenever you needed someone, there was always a subordinate waiting at the ready. You hadn’t seen the person who was responsible for leaving you unattended since that day, having known him after the few times he helped you. Knowing what Chisaki was capable of, you could only fear the worst while hoping for the best for the man’s condition.

On a less solemn note, it turns out that one week is more than enough time for some of your less serious injuries to heal. By now the cuts had mended nicely, and the bruises were less painful. As for your ankle, not walking on it was helping, and you figured that at least by now you’d be able to return to your old room.

That’s what you expected, but Kai had other ideas.

You brought the topic up during one of his impromptu visits, seeing as it was as good of a time as any other. The question was polite enough, done so in regards to his sensitivity to his rules. Your evaluation of the subject deemed it okay to move on from this monotonous room.

“It would be best if you continued to remain in this environment. I’m afraid doing otherwise would put your health at risk.”

That was all you two spoke of the matter, as he’d left quickly after, and you didn’t want to push him. So you settled for keeping yourself busy with the available pastimes, anticipating the day when you’d never have to look upon the bleak, colourless walls ever again.

_____

Another week, still no change to your current lifestyle. So, you revisited your concerns with Chisaki.

He’d been there for one of your regular twice a week check ups. You waited until he was finished, knowing that it’d be rare he was going to give you any feedback if you stayed silent.

“So...I was just thinking that there’s not much need anymore to stay down here. My ankle is feeling pretty good, and all my other injuries are just about cleared up.”

You were certain he heard you, but he didn’t give a response as he put his equipment away.

Now you had a reason to be pushy. “Ah...Kai? Do you think I can go back to my room now?”

He paused his movements, you could practically see the gears shifting in his head before he returned to cleaning up.

“I’ve given you an answer over the matter already.”

Yeah, he did...last week. A lot of things have changed since then.

“I don’t understand, my injuries aren’t even a problem anymore.”

He didn’t miss a beat. “They’re still very much a problem in fact. It’s more efficient to tend to these issues from here.”

“Listen, I get it might be easier from here bu―”

“You agreed to let me help you, correct? I gave you an answer, don’t bring it up again.”

You could tell he was trying to hold back something―irritation, anger, both. It left you deeply unsettled, frightened even.

Once again, there was little you could do to change the situation. It boiled down to being a repetitive process of biding your time until even Chisaki couldn’t ignore how you’d completely recovered.

It was agonizing, to say the least.

Gradually the reality became worse than the reasons you had subjected yourself to his care in the first place. There was nothing left to fix, or at least nothing that needed so much attention to detail. It was becoming damaging in ways that were fine before, while the other more physical parts of your body improved.

_____

Three weeks.

A whole twenty-one days since you last tried to convince the yakuza leader that there was no need to remain cooped up in the mind numbing examination room.

And mind numbing it was―taking every ounce of your being to not go crazy while you spent day after day there. Patience was your goal, the long con being more reasonable than fighting the man over your circumstances.

You thought the isolation would get to you much sooner, but somehow you waited it out this long. It was the most intense test of mental fortitude you’d ever gone through, but you couldn’t hold on any longer.

It was bound to happen sooner or later, as clearly Chisaki had no plans on changing the routine anytime soon. You only hoped he’d see things your way just this once.

Waiting for the next spontaneous visit by him, you reassured yourself of your end goal. As always, he showed up at some point throughout the day, and you jumped on the opportunity.

He was about to bring up a usual topic for conversation, but you started before he could.

“So...I think it’s safe to say that I’m more than ready to get out of here, right?”

Of course, he didn’t reply. Instead he offered you a cold gaze.

You continued. “I’m feeling much better, Kai. You’ve really helped me in the past couple of months, but I think I’m ready to head home…”

The silence was insufferable. Chisaki seemed to stiffen up at the proposal, eyes flickering to the door on the opposite end of the room. He was standing at the moment, leaning against the counter to your left, arms crossed over his chest.

“Um...if you could just turn off the monitor, please.”

His finger tapped lightly against his arm. “No.”

“...Excuse me?”

His tone was unwavering. “It’s in your best interest to remain here. I’m not done treating you.”

“My best―there’s nothing left to fix, I’m perfectly fine!” How he could’ve come to that conclusion was beyond you.

He cocked an eyebrow, “Are you, (y/n)?”

So that’s how he’s going to be.

Politeness be damned, if you said you were okay then he had no place to say otherwise. It was clear that physically you were healed―there was no other way that statement could be taken.

“You know what, I don’t need this.” You plucked the heart monitor clip from your finger, letting the silent alarm go off however it did, you were too fed up to find out. Swinging your legs off the bed, you began to stand up.

Seeing what you were attempting, Chisaki moved in front of you.

“What are you doing?”

You could almost laugh at his disbelief, as if this could go any other way. He was delusional, thinking you needed to stay any longer. Any sane person would’ve realized long ago that you were overdue for release.

“I’m getting my stuff, and then going home. We can talk about this later but I refuse to stay in this room for another minute.” Aggression wasn’t something you enjoyed showing, always being the considerate person when it came to other’s feelings. But you feared there was no way to get through to him without acting as such.

“It’s concerning that even you don’t realize how much treatment is still necessary.”

How could someone be so condescending over that matter was beyond you. If anything, it only proved how poorly this relationship had developed.

“Get out of my way Chisaki, I’m leaving.”

He didn’t move, rather he intently stared down at you, painfully drawing out the moment.

“Don’t do this to yourself, (y/n).” He’d uncrossed his arms at this point, his right hand now in his jacket pocket while the other hung by his side.

You could only shake your head in disbelief. Standing up, which forced him to step back in the process, you headed towards to exit.

Not so much as a hand could be placed on the doorknob when you felt a tight grip latch onto your upper arm, spinning you back to face Kai. You yelped in surprise, but it was quickly cut off as he moved to grip your throat in his left, shoving your body against the cold metal door.

The shock to your system almost made you miss it, but not a second after you felt a sharp prick in your neck. The way your head was angled didn’t allow you to see what he’d done, but it didn’t quite matter as it was over before you could even move to protest.

“What was―what did you do?!” His grip loosened slightly, your hands having unconsciously moved to his forearms trying to pry him off. You observed the empty look in his eyes, devoid of any emotion.

“I can’t let you put yourself at risk, it’s clear you don’t know what’s best for you at this point.”

You wanted to be seething, but the feeling of intense anxiety―a crippling fear―was much more powerful.

Whatever Chisaki had given you, it worked fast. Likely due to your accelerated heart rate causing your blood to pump faster than normal, the drug began to sink its teeth into your system. A lightheadedness began to cloud your mind, unable to focus on any one thing too intensely.

Vaguely, you felt him pull you into his chest, an arm wrapping around your waist to support your quickly weakening state.

“G-get off...let m-me…” Desperately, you attempted to form words to deter him, but your tongue felt too heavy to get a coherent thought out. Not even your arms were strong enough at this point, pushing against his frame having zero effect.

He noticed the shakiness in your legs before you did. The sensation of being lifted into his arms came in a hazy blur, your head lolling to hang in front of you.

Your eyes closed for what felt like a few seconds, and when they opened again you could vaguely register the feeling of blankets coming to weigh down on your chest. Summoning the last ounces of energy in your body, you dragged your eyes upwards to get a final look at Chisaki.

He was staring intently at your form, sitting too closely on the edge of your bed. You felt an ungloved hand tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear before moving to cup your cheek.

Words were no longer an option, instead your face contorted ever so slightly in worry, tears brimming in your eyes. A tear rolled down your cheek, and you gave a small whimper involuntarily as you felt him wipe it away with his thumb.

Unlike before, his amber eyes seemed to hold some form of warmth, a genuine care for seeing you so conflicted.

The heavy influence on your body from the drug was finally finding its end goal. Resisting was hopeless, feeling your eyes flutter closed for the last time.

Faintly, you could make out the distant feeling of a hand gently running over the top of your head. The action soothed you in your subdued state, and you let it accompany you into a deep slumber.

End of Part 2

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Graduation surprise; BoRhap cast x reader

*Author’s note*

Hey ya’ll well I promised this fic when I posted the Queen prom fic so here it is. Now I know it’s not as long as the last one is but I felt like this didn’t need to be super long. Also as another special little fact for ya’ll I was gonna make this a Queen fic as well but then I decided to change it to a BoRhap CAST fic since I hadn’t done one of just them in awhile. 

So to all seniors whether HS or college, the class of 2020 CONGRATULATIONS I know it’s not what you hoped it would be but still try to find celebration in this pandemic, you all achieved probably the greatest milestones in your life. So stay safe, stay healthy, stay sane, and be happy :) Lot’s of love from me my darlings!

Taglist:

@waddles03​

@psychosupernatural​

@plethora-of-things​

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels​

@ixchel-9275​

@simonedk​

@queensdivas​

@platawnic​

@queendeakyy​

@geek-and-proud​

@kairosfreddie​

_______________________________________________________________

Goddamn this year! Just when we think the new decade would be worth our wild, now we’ve got all this shit going on! First there was the threat of WW3, then the next month we’re dealing with wildfires in Australia, and finally to top it off why not add a global pandemic?!

The Coronavirus has literally been all over the news for months, and the fact that our government knew about it since late last year and didn’t warn us about it!? Then when they told us to be on lockdown, everyone starts hording toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and food that no one can buy said items for weeks on end.

But of course my main problem is the fact that I, along with so many other kids and adults around the world can’t participate in their own graduation ceremony.  As a college student, I was just longing to finally participate in my final graduation ceremony ever.  This was supposed to be my final chapter in school life and now because of this damn virus, that’s gone.

I mean yeah my diploma will be coming in the mail but I wanted my family to all be there to see me reach the end of my school life before I finally begin a new chapter.  Plus my cousin’s friends said that they would come and see me and I’ve missed seeing those guys, I hadn’t seen them all since the Bohemian Rhapsody premiere.

I sat there in my old room of my house (cause since the University closed down back in March, all students had to leave the college campus and go home so that way we could reduce the spread of the virus. So I ended up moving back in with my parents) just finishing up my final paper for class.

That’s when my Zoom video chat blew up with my cousin’s profile pic.  I grinned and clicked on the answer button and soon enough my cousin’s face took over my screen.

“Hey poppet.”

“Hey Gwil, how you holding up?” he let out a sigh.

“As best as I can. Though I should be asking you that, you are the one really dealing with this whole Coronavirus adjustment than I am. How’d you do on your classes?”

“For those that have said online classes are easier, they’re dirty rotten liars and completely incompetent.” He softly chuckled. “But thankfully I finished my last exam paper and submitted it just now.”

“Your dad look over it for you? Cause I know you’re a terrible editor.”

“Oi not all the time. Just when I’m lazy.” He hummed as he raised his brow at me. “But yes I did have dad review it for me. Cause before we got to submit the rough draft and my professor said I needed more analysis to my quotes on why I quoted that specific source. God I don’t know why I took that class to begin with?”

“Because you’re a criminology nut and you have been since you turned 16. God and I thought my horror movie tastes were bad.”

“Hey it’s good to be aware of shit like that!”

“Language missy!”

“Okay Cap.” I teased.  He gave me his stern look which made me laugh as I fell to my side on the bed. “Oh by the way I saw that little dating app video you did.”

“And what did you think?”

“I liked it. Kinda makes me wish an app like that did exist in real life.”

“You not just pulling my leg on this?”

“No. Honest and swear to god you had me moved by your performance. Well next to you being Brian May of course.” He grinned. “I swear I still can’t get over when I first saw you in the full hair and makeup, I literally almost had a freakin panic attack.”

“And the fact that Brian was also there to witness that.”

“Oh god don’t even go there!” I groaned as I hid my face in embarrassment.

“So—now that you’re all done with school, what’s next for you?”

“Well any plans I had are put on hold till this whole crisis goes away. And I really thought 2020 was gonna be my year. This sucks!”

“I know poppet, I know. But believe me that it’s not just you whose affected by this. Everyone in the whole world is suffering exactly the same way you are.” I sighed solemnly.

“I know. I mean I should be feeling for you and the guys right now, I mean all of you are out of work till further notice. And all the restaurants that I love going to. Did you know that the little ice cream parlor you and I used to go to when we were kids shut down?”

“No!”

“Yeah, the owner couldn’t keep up the payments because hardly anyone was ordering from them anymore, even with online delivery. So she closed it down.”

“Damn, that sucks. I really loved going to that place with you. That was always our special little time together without the grownups around.” I nodded remembering all the fun times we had together in that little shop.

It was then someone suddenly popped into our conversation.  The extra person now on my screen was none other than Joe Mazzello.

“Hey Gwil, mini-Lee!”

“Hello Joe.” Answered Gwil.

“Hey Joe been a long time.”

“How you two holding up?” he asked us.

“As best as we can, how about you? I’ve seen those Youtube videos you’ve been doing on your page.” Gwil said.

“You know those were jokes, especially that last one. I just wanted to get a laugh out of everyone, or have them hate me.”

“No one could hate you Joey.” I said with a smile.

“Aww thanks mini-Lee. How’s classes been?” I let out a groan as I once again flopped on my bed which made Joe laugh.

“I am just thankful that this is all over. At first I thought online classes would be easy but one of my professors was technology challenged. Another one would sometimes forget to do a lesson, and then of course blackboard could barely operate long enough for me to submit an assignment which caused some of them to be late.”

“Well like you said it’s over now.” Joe assured me.

“Oh hey I saw that Jurassic Park livestream you did.”

“Oh did you? How come I didn’t see you submit a question or just say hello? I’ve seen your Youtube page so I know your username by heart.”

“Cause I may or may not have also been working on a project. But chose the livestream over the project.”

“Nice going Joe, you’ve turned my cousin into a procrastinator.” Gwil complained.

“Hey at least she has Jurassic Park unlike you Gwilym Lee! Serious shame on you for not owning it! This is why mini-Lee is the coolest out of the two of you.” I snarked out a mock laugh as I stuck my tongue out.

“Ganging up against me okay I see how it is you two.”

“Oh come now cousin dear, we’re just messing around.”

“Messing around? If we’re messing with Gwil then I want a part of it.” Soon another picture came up and there lying on his side was Ben Hardy.

“Benjamin!” Joe screamed joyously.

“Hi Ben.” I sung out.

“Hey (y/n).” he waved at me with a wink. “Now going back to teasing Gwilym.”

“You guys are officially gonna be blocked right after this.” My cousin groaned.  We all laughed when I told him.

“Again cousin, we’re teasing you. So Ben, what brings you here?”

“What can’t I pop in and say hello?” I giggled.

“I see nothing wrong with it. Oh hey get this; I finally got around to watching 6 Underground.”

“And what did you think of it?”

“The first 10 minutes were insane! And truthfully I never really understood Michael Bay films, but this one—definitely my favorite. I loved it Ben, really.”

“Well thank you (n/n). Thank you.”

“Never did I think I needed to see both you and Ryan Reynolds on screen together….”

“Whoa okay easy there (n/n)!” Joe interrupted me.

“Oi you get your mind out of the gutters! And you say it’s the fans that make what you say to the extreme.” I scowled him.

“Trust me, I’ve known him for over 10 years and he still doesn’t grow up.” Another voice stated and soon two more familiar faces popped up on screen, stuck in quarantine together in LA were Rami and Lucy. And then a split second later another face came on the screen, it was none other than Alan Leech.

“Hey, Rami, Lu-lu, Alan!” I cheered.

“Hey (y/n)!” the three of them said as they waved.

“God I feel like I’m getting spoiled, got the entire BoRhap family together for the first time in like—forever.”

“It’s crazy.” Alan said.

“Definitely.” Agreed Rami.

“Maybe when this whole thing blows over we should all get together some time in New York.” Offered Joe.

“I’m down with it.” Ben said.

“Me too.” Lucy agreed with a nod.

“Yeah, (n/n), Ben and I could fly out together.” Said Gwil.

“I’m down with that. Now that I’m done with school, I can do what I want now.”

“So guys now that we’re all here shall we begin?” Lucy said.

“Begin what? Gwil what’s going on?” I asked.

“Well (n/n), when this whole quarantine shutdown and school cancellations started affecting the class of 2020 we all felt bad that you couldn’t graduate the way you hoped you would.” Gwil said before Joe continued.

“So Gwil called all of us up via the Whatsapp chat, as well as our daily zoom calls. To gather us all together on your ‘last day’ of college.”

“To celebrate your own Virtual college graduation party!” Rami cheered.  At that point everyone either threw confetti, blew on graduation blowers, or holding up signs that said CONGRATS 2020 GRADUATE!!!

I covered my mouth with my hands speechless and tried to hold back the tears.

“Ohh you guys.”

“Since you couldn’t have a college graduation party, we figure we’d bring the party to you. See not even this pandemic can stop us from celebrating our Mini-Lee’s ultimate milestone.” Ben said as he set down his congrats sign.

“And also expect some gifts within the next few weeks, depending on how the mailing services do with overseas gifts.” Alan said.

“Aww thanks you guys, you didn’t have to.”

“We know, but we wanted to. Let us spoil you even through this pandemic.” Said Joe.

“Thanks guys, this—really means a lot to me.” I wiped a hidden tear that strayed down the corner of my eye.  They all awed at me that’s when Gwil lifted up a small graduation cake.

“I know, I know this’ll be ridiculous but just humor me will yah?” I smiled and nodded.  He lit up the 2020 candles and held it just high enough for me to see the top part of the candles.

“CONGRATS (Y/N) LEE! CLASS OF 2020!!!” everyone proclaimed at once which made me smile and I blew out towards the screen.  Gwil then blew out the candles for me as everyone else cheered and clapped.

“Thanks so much you guys. Really, you have no idea how much this means to me.”

“We’re happy to do it (y/n). If it makes your day a little bit brighter in these dark times.” Rami said.

“It did Rami, it really did.”

“Well hope we can make this even better cause I’ve also got a part 2 to this little surprise. But in order for that to happen, everyone else has got to go otherwise you won’t really be able to see it as clearly.” Gwil said.

“Aww man.” I whined.

“No worries mini-Lee, your cousin added you to our BoRhap Whatsapp chat and I’ll send you a link to our zoom channel if you ever wanna chat with us again.” Joe said with a wink.

“Thanks Joe. And thanks everyone take care and stay safe.” They all waved and bid me goodbye with waves or blowing kisses at me and one by one they signed off till it was once again just Gwil and I.

All I could see across his bearded face was that cheeky grin he does whenever he’s trying to hide something.

“What are you grinning about?”

“Just the fact that I’ll be the best cousin once you see part 2 of your special surprise.”

“What did you do?”

“If I told you it won’t be a surprise now would it? Now let’s see, god I hope they get it.” He muttered the last part to himself. It took a few minutes till finally another screen popped up and standing there in his room was Adam Lambert.  I fangirled in my seat and covered my mouth trying to contain my squeals.

“Hey girlfriend!” he greeted with a wave.

“Adam oh my god!”

“How’s it going?”

“It’s been going. Finally submitted my last paper. So I’m officially done with school forever.”

“Yaas Queen!” he snapped. “So how’s it feel to be a college graduate?”

“Well it’d be better if we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic.”

“Understandable, but hey you’ve worked hard for this so be proud of yourself no matter what’s going on in the world right now.” I nodded with a shrug. “And to celebrate your graduation, your cousin whipped up another little surprise for you.”

“Oh my god Gwil you didn’t!” I gasped.  He merely raised a brow at me cheekily as he bit his lip back from a smile.

“Hey guys you there?!” Adam called out and soon enough two more screens came on and the picture revealed to be both Brian May and Roger Taylor.  Brian sitting on his couch while Roger looked to be in his basement with his drumkit.

At this point, I had lost my shit.  I was fangirling to the max at this rate but tried to calm down.

“Hi (y/n), congratulations of graduating.” Brian greeted me.

“Major achievement there love. Congrats.” Roger added.

“Oh my god…..Gwil this is—how……”

“I knew you’d love it (n/n). Plus I knew this would cheer you up after our last conversation we had last week. You really needed some cheering up.”

“So guys are we ready to do this?” asked Adam.

“I’m ready to go if you both are.” Said Brian as he took his Red Special and set it on his lap and Roger twirled his drumstick.

“(Y/n), this is for you love. Hopefully when this whole mess is over, you can finally go out there and reach your dream job. Till then we hope you enjoy this.” Roger said.

It was then both Roger and Brian began playing the tune for ‘we are the champions’ but as Adam began singing the song, it turns out that they were actually singing their new song, ‘You are the champions’ dedicated to the first responders worldwide.

But now they were playing it in my honor as a college graduate.  As they continued to play the song, I allowed the tears to flow down my face as I laced my hand over my heart.

God—never did I think that through this pandemic would I be happy.  From having to never see any of my friends I made in college again, to not having my whole family come to the house to celebrate, or going out to party with some of my friends.  But this—right here and now, my cousin made it all up to me all the way from London.

At this point, I knew that I was officially the luckiest person in the world.  All thanks to my favorite cousin, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

[kammieceleek]

Halfling:  Chapter 2, Nightmare

The sound of dripping water was all that was keeping him sane.

Callum counted it in eights, using it to keep his mind from wandering to his imprisoned wife and missing child. Granted, he was imprisoned, too, but Claudia wasn't torturing him—nowhere nearly as badly as the elves were treating Rayla. He gripped his chains in fury at the sound of her screaming in pain. Rayla's training as an assassin and her upbringing among the Moonshadow elves had taught her not to show pain. The last time he'd heard her scream like that had been when she was laboring to bring their precious Sarai into the world almost six years prior.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

Solitude made up most of his existence in this underground dungeon. Claudia was the only person he ever saw and she was less than welcome. His former friend brought him food, trying in vain to get him to abandon Rayla and join her and her father. There was no way he'd do that, though; dark magic was vile and twisted and evil. It had almost killed him the one time he'd done it. Even now he hated the fact that he'd been driven to that extreme in his efforts to protect the love of his life. And when she wasn't trying to turn him against his wife, she was attempting to get Sarai's location out of him.

"Please, Callum. If you tell me where she is, I'll bring her here and she can live in your cell while we figure things out."

"I'm not letting you touch my daughter."

"But…"

"Sarai is pure and good and shouldn't be forced to deal with the likes of you. And if I can do anything to keep her out of you and your father's hands, I'll do it. Even if it means I have to die."

"She's not natural, Callum! She's a halfling—a disgusting cross between a human and an elf!"

"Then why bother trying to find her?" Callum fixed Claudia with a murderous gaze he'd picked up from Rayla over the years. "Leave me alone."

Claudia bit her lip.

"Because… because she's important to you. And I care about you, Callum. Why do you think I didn't kill you and I'm not letting the elves near you?"

"The feeling isn't mutual. Go away, Claudia."

"Fine. But I'll be back."

Rayla's screams reached his ears again and he covered them, fighting back tears. He was powerless, really and truly powerless against Claudia and her little elven army. The shackles that bound him kept him from using magic, though they did give him more mobility than ones he'd seen back in Katolis when he was a child. Callum had no way to escape, no way to find Sarai even if he could use his power. Part of him hoped she'd gone to the Storm Spire, but something told the mage his daughter had run as far and as fast as she could. If she'd gone to Zym, the elves would've found her already. No, Sarai had left the area entirely and he hoped that she was safe and healthy, wherever she was.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

"Here."

He looked up as Claudia shoved a box through the door meant for his meals.

"You must be bored in here. And you draw when you're upset, right?"

Inside the box was his sketchbook and charcoal pencils. He fixed her with a look of suspicion.

"Prison is boring. And I have no intention of releasing you, so…" She smiled sheepishly. "No thank you's are necessary. Your drawings will be thanks enough."

Callum waited until she'd gone, then he grabbed the sketchbook. Furiously he began to draw, first Rayla and then his daughter as he last remembered them before all this happened—a mother and child holding hands as they returned home from the market. God, he wanted those days back, but it had been a month since he was imprisoned. His chances of seeing Sarai or even Rayla again were slim.

He snapped it shut and buried his face in his hands. The water still dripped, the staccato sound ringing through his cell in a consistent rhythm.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

**********

All things considered, Sarai was a different kind of five-year-old.

Despite her young age, she'd crossed the border alone, traveling through hostile territory for a month (based on the fact she'd said it had been a new moon when they were attacked) by herself and made it to Katolis. Soren was impressed with her and even more impressed that Callum had managed to make such an amazing daughter. Though, he supposed most of it was Rayla's influence over the step-prince's. Even now Sarai sat on Ezran's horse, excitedly telling her uncle stories about her life in Xadia. Eventually, she got tired and Corvus ended up having her ride in the supply cart they'd brought along.

"Is it bad that I love her so much already?" Ezran asked Soren jokingly.

"Nope. She's family."

"Well, the good news is that we're making better time than I did on my first journey into Xadia."

"To be fair, on your first journey, you were on foot. Carrying a heavy dragon egg. Hiding from me and Claudia and pretty much everyone else. And you were ten." Ezran bit his lip.

"I also had Callum and Rayla. And Bait. Sarai did it alone and she's half the age I was. She must've been so scared."

"Don't forget that the last time she saw her dad he was being captured by Claudia. That probably didn't help."

"Soren, you're not helping."

"Sorry."

By nightfall, they stopped to make camp. Sarai insisted on sleeping near Ezran, a request her uncle was more than happy to comply with. Keeping up with a five-year-old, however, was more difficult than Soren had anticipated. Corvus had gone to scout and left Sarai to be cared for by Soren while he was gone and Ezran was trying to get a sense of the situation at hand from some local wildlife. Their party was small—just the three men and little Sarai—since Ezran had already had word sent to Amaya and Janai to meet them at the Storm Spire with warriors. Aanya would be joining them shortly, across the border.

"Sarai, can you slow down for a second?" Soren panted.

"But I've never been to Katolis before! I wanna see how different it is from Xadia!"

"Didn't you pass all this on your way?"

"Yeah, but I was by myself and it was scary." She pouted and Soren melted at her expression. Dammit, if he was having this much trouble saying no to her, then Callum must've been completely wrapped around his daughter's finger.

"Fine. We need some fish for dinner, anyway."

"When Papa catches fish at the pond, he uses Sky magic. Mama always yells at him not to but he does it anyway. He said he'll teach me one day when I'm bigger."

"And we'll make sure that happens. For now, let me show you the way I catch fish." He grabbed the net and pole out of his supplies and took Sarai's hand as he led her down to the riverbank. There, he dug into the dirt until he found what he was looking for—bait for the fish. Sarai squeaked as he placed the bug on his hook and cast the line into the water. Her eyes traced the crystal-clear liquid, trying to see where the fish were so she could help Soren the way she helped her mother when it was Rayla's turn to catch their dinner.

"How long does this take?" she asked.

"It can take a while. Thankfully, we don't need a lot for four people. You don't eat much, I bet."

"Nope. Mama says that's good and bad. Good because it will make traveling easier and bad because I have a lot of growing to do."

"That sounds like her." She was quiet, watching the water with emerald-green eyes.

Then the line went taut and Soren began to pull in his catch. Sarai grabbed the net, allowing him to deposit the trout into it. They caught two more before Soren decided it was time to head back.

"Soren?"

"Yes?"

"…you knew Mama and Papa, right?"

"Oh, yeah, I did. Your mom almost killed me a couple times and your dad… well, the only thing he really has over me is magic."

"Papa said Mama tried to kill him when they first met and that she was the worst assassin he'd ever met. Then Mama threw a pillow at him and said he had to sleep downstairs instead of in their room."

"Why'd he say that?"

"Because he was joking. He told me when he was tucking me in that Mama was a better thief than an assassin 'cause she stole his heart. Then he brought her a bunch of moon lilies the next day and she forgave him."

Smooth, step-prince. Seriously smooth.

"Your dad was right. I met Rayla when I was trying to find him and Ezran to bring them home."

"Did you become friends?!" Sarai looked excited and Soren sighed.

"Not at first. At first… I tried to kill her because I thought she'd kidnapped your dad and your uncle. But we became friends after we helped save Zym from… from a dark mage."

"Viren." He raised his eyebrows. "Mama told me."

"And what exactly did she tell you?"

"That he was a bad bad person and he tried to hurt her and Zym. And Papa said he almost lost her because of him."

"Yeah. He's a bad person. I know that better than anyone."

"How?"

"Um… he was around when I was growing up."

(Not a total lie. Lying to children was cowardly.)

"Oh. Did you know that Claudia lady, too?'

"Would you look at that? We're back and so's your uncle! Go say hi while I clean these fish!"

Ezran looked up in confusion but shrugged as Sarai ran over and started babbling away to him about how fishing had gone. Soren was grateful to Ezran's far more patient nature, which would undoubtedly help them quite a bit in the long journey to come. Corvus returned from his scouting to report that all was well and they should reach the Moon Nexus within another day or so of travel. After dinner and telling a few stories of his journey to return Zym to his mother, Ezran found himself tucking his niece into her sleeping bag.

"You ever think about how weird it is that Callum and Rayla had a kid?" Soren asked as the king came back out and sat by the fire.

"It's a little bit of a bizarre feeling, but it was bound to happen eventually."

"Well, I don't think anybody's going to let things go back to normal after this is over. Especially not you."

"Right." Ezran nodded. "We can worry about that later. For now, we have to find Callum and Rayla. Sarai needs them."

"Actually, this feels… familiar. Like we've been here before."

Ezran rolled his eyes and laughed.

**********

"Whatcha drawing, Papa?"

Callum smiled as his daughter peeked over his shoulder. She looked down to see a sketch of her mother wielding her blades, clearly in the middle of a battle. Sarai's eyes shone with pride and excitement.

"You draw Mama a lot."

"Well, I love her a lot." Sarai clambered into his lap and he set the sketchbook aside.

"Did you miss us when we were at the market?"

"Of course I did, Moonbug. I miss you whenever you're gone. And now that you're back…" He smirked in a way that told Sarai one thing.

"Papa, no!" Callum didn't listen and started to tickle her sides. Sarai shrieked with laughter and he swept her into a hug.

"Where's your mother, anyway?"

"She said she's 'checking the pe-ri-meter', whatever that is."

"Let's go find her then, shall we?"

Callum set Sarai down and they headed out of the house. Rayla was standing in a clearing not far away, her eyes scanning the trees nearby for something.

"Rayla?"

"Hush," she hissed. "Someone's here. Get back to the house."

On instinct, Callum picked up Sarai and turned to run home, but his exit was blocked by elves—elves of varying race who were furiously glaring. From behind the family came more elves… and a human woman Rayla and Callum recognized all too well.

"Callum, take Sarai and  go !" the former assassin begged as she took a swing at one of their foes. The elves concentrated on Rayla as Callum ran, carrying his precious daughter.

"What about Mama?!" she wailed.

"Mama wants us to be safe!" he choked out. "And that means we need to go!"

Callum tripped over a tree root, flipping himself as he fell so he didn't crush Sarai. He got to his feet, only to find that he and Sarai were bound together with some kind of spell. Claudia came out of the shadows.

But that was where things became different.

Suddenly, he couldn't use his magic. Sarai was struggling to get free and crying and he wanted to hold her, to comfort her like he always did. He was knocked sideways by something that turned out to be one of Claudia's gang of elves.

"Aw, how precious," Claudia sneered. "The halfling can be useful to us."

The bonds loosened around Sarai and the elf grabbed her. She let out a terrified scream that sent Callum into a panic. Before he could get up, Claudia firmly placed her boot on his chest as Rayla was dragged into the area. His beloved wife was bruised and bloody and beaten, but he could see her chest rising and falling as she struggled to breath through the pain.

"I need more magic to get back. You wouldn't mind if I took care of the brat, would you?" Claudia asked one of the elves.

"She's an abhorrent creation. Rid us of her."

"NO!"

Callum sat upright, panting heavily as he tried to slow his heartbeat.

It was just a nightmare.

He needed to see his daughter. Even if it was just a picture of her, it would be something. In her five (almost six, as she was fond of reminding him) years of life, the longest he'd been apart from her was two days when he got stuck in a snowstorm and the fact that it had been a month (he could see the moon through the grate on his cell) was tearing his heart apart. His hands finally landed on his sketchbook and he opened it.

Immediately, his eyes landed on an image, the first done in this particular sketchbook.

He'd done it the day his daughter was born, shortly after Rayla had recovered from giving birth. His beautiful wife was holding their baby girl and smiling at him through the page.

We'll get through this.

Rayla's words on that day, when he'd shown genuine worry over being a father, echoed in his head.

But I can't if you're not here…

**********

"Had enough yet, traitor?"

Rayla spat blood at the feet of the elf who'd asked her, glaring at him with murder in her eyes. She might not have been an assassin anymore, but she could still kill if it came down to it. And this one had been trying her patience since the day she was imprisoned.

"I'm not tellin' ya daft bastards anything!" she growled.

"Then we'll just continue with what we're doing tomorrow. Give you another night to think it over."

Rayla sighed as she was finally allowed into her looser shackles—the ones that chained her to the wall but still let her move around and use her hands. The elves left her alone.

She wondered how Callum was doing.

Her husband had always had a big heart, a heart that had plenty of room for her and their daughter, and that was both his strength and his weakness. It was a weakness the elves were exploiting with the help of a rogue Moon mage who used illusions—ones almost as convincing up close as Lujanne's—to create a near-perfect copy of Rayla. This one they tortured viciously and violently to make her scream. Rayla had been confused until Claudia showed up to kindly inform her that Callum was disturbed and panicked by the screams.

They beat me because they want information.

They torture the illusion to hurt Callum.

Only once had the screams of pain come from her in their time down here, and that had been early in her imprisonment. An illusion of Sarai had been beaten to death in front of her and she'd screamed for them to stop, to let her innocent daughter go, to get away from Sarai. That had been before she found out that Callum—her wonderful, loving husband—had freed their daughter from Claudia's grasp and sent her to get help. Her heart ached to know where Sarai was, what help was coming, but she didn't dare think for a moment that the help she'd once relied on was coming.

"Rayla."

Her head snapped up at the voice. She looked up at the small grate that allowed her a bit of light and saw a face there. It was a face she knew, a face she trusted. Someone who could help her and Callum escape.

Runaan.

[youngerdaniel]

Youngo’s 2019 at the Movies (with Baby Yoda)

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN, FOLKS...

Wherein this blog crawls out of the woodwork with fresh aspirations for a more consistent content strategy in the year to come. Like a Baby Yoda emerging from his floating iron egg to great the sun. So let’s dust off some cobwebs and talk about the great movies that came out in 2019.

BRIEF UPDATES FROM THE WAFFLER This year marked a turning point. No, not that fucking decade that everybody’s making a big deal about. Not even that I hit 30 but thankfully have most of my (still not totally gray) hair... Nope, I went into business for myself. I leapt off the stable lily pad of 9-5 etc. and went freelance! Life’s been full of stories since then -- both the kind I write, and the kind I get to look under the hood on. I’m happy to report I’ve written more than ever before... Just not blogs, and mostly stuff I’m not at liberty to discuss.

*Clears throat. Pulls up the collar on his trench coat.* And I may have had more hair turn gray. Turns out, running your own ship is quite a bit of work, especially when you’re teaching yourself how the hell you do it. Nevertheless, I loved the shit out of every minute of it, and I still use phrases like nevertheless. It could easily be a blog (or several) for a different time, but the short and easy explanation of the absence is I was busy, it was fun, get over it. 

Besides, we don’t actually care about whatever lame excuse I have for why I haven’t been posting. We’re here because it’s 2020 and time for a listicle, dammit! This one is neither definitive nor ranked. But dang if 2019′s fodder didn’t come sauntering into theaters like the big chuckling cherub of Christmas Present, with a cornucopia of awesomeness. 

THINGS I LOVED, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

UNDER THE SILVER LAKE David Robert Mitchell’s neo noir takes a fittingly existential approach to detective fiction. An enigmatic case, hidden clues and coded pop culture, Andrew Garfield’s charmingly hapless sleuth... There’s a lot to love in this weird soup of a movie. At times nightmarish, often trippy, and an excellent performance from a parrot. Late night fodder.

CLIMAX Gaspar Noe does not make sane movies. With Climax, there’s a hypnotic quality that sucks you in and drags you along on its nightmarish journey as a group of dancers drink from a punchbowl laced with drugs. The result is absolute bedlam, and everything from the lighting to the camerawork pulls its weight to put you into the action. This is the kind of thing you watch and marvel that, “Wow, they went there.” to varying degrees of satisfaction. Like a freight train barreling toward the side of a mountain, it’s hard to look away even though you know you probably should. 

JOJO RABBIT And then there’s a different kind of madness. The movie that billed itself as “The movie that shouldn’t work.” Jojo Rabbit is so full of heart. This is Taika Waititi in full force, and hilarity meets real pathos. Love is better than Nazis. It’s a simple message, and I think it doesn’t need to be much more. The relevance of such a narrative in our time is pretty disappointing, but the truth seems to be that we need ones like this to come along and remind the collective. The mashup of humor with genuine drama is balanced in a way that will feel familiar to fans of THE HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE or BOY. The performances are superb, and it’s a beautiful looking film. If you missed it last year, start the new one off right and amend this problem.

US The thing I dug the most about US was how unique it felt. Original premises in horror are on the rise, and there’s no denying the man leading the wave is Jordan Peele. The social commentary elements of this followup to GET OUT play with a little more subtlety, and in some ways it almost felt like a stronger move... But I refuse to compare the two of them. US stands out in its own right, and carries some of the most memorable performances of the year. A twisting narrative that crackles with tension, and a concept that haunts the imagination. What if your every action had an equal an opposite effect on a mirrored version of yourself? A study on the impact of the class system, and a nightmarish what-if to explain the real life series of underground tunnels that span the United States. Also, that costume design! That Alexa gag! The way this one opens up at the midpoint was such a delight in the theater. I’d apologize for spoilers, but let’s be real... You’ve seen this movie.

AD ASTRA Best summed up as “Daddy Issues in Space,” AD ASTRA feels like the kind of sci-fi mysteries that were made in the late 70s and 80s. A spellbinding journey to the far edges of the galaxy to save the world, and maybe prove that aliens exist. Oh, and to stop your possibly insane father from destroying the human race on the way. Brad Pitt is on fire, and everything about this potent emotional journey remains focused on his character’s dilemma of deciding whether or not his father was a good man, what it means to him and his own isolated existence, and whether he can overcome that shit and live a life instead of taking risks. From its opening scene to its closing one, this one blends gripping life-or-death set-pieces exploring the dangers of space travel and the cyclical nature of humanity’s progress with small moments. The journey, the heart-wrenching climax, and the harrowing trip home is well worth the rental fee. Check it out.

THE GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR

Some horror movies exist to make you think, some exist to cover their protagonists in black goo, subject them to grueling physical and psychological lament, and chuck ‘em through a woodchipper for good measure. The Girl on the Third Floor takes your average premise of “Stubborn and troubled guy picks a fixer-upper house to flip, only to discover horrors beyond his imagining” and leans hard into the gross-outs and festering boils of body horror. Reminiscent of Evil Dead, Amityville, and Dead Alive, there’s so much insanity to love, and the movie makes some big turns -- some surprising, some daring, some a little out there. It is by no means perfect, but it’s got a charm about its rough edges. You will never look at a marble the same way again.

I LOST MY BODY

I know. “A life-affirming work” left me a little skeptical too. But from its very first frame, I LOST MY BODY is arresting. Its hypnotic narrative follows the story of a severed hand in search of its owner, and has great fun carrying you along with its troubled protagonist’s journey from a crush to obsession. The sheer amount of visual storytelling and striking imagery is worth the runtime, but for any arthouse lovers feeling a little too chilled to hop down to the nearest indie theatre can open a new tab and have at it. Didn’t expect to be as moved by this one as I was, and for that I must recommend it.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME The fact that a movie like this can even exist is pretty amazing, and I have to say, as the culmination to the Avengers saga as we know it, ENDGAME delivered something with way more heart and character than I expected. Funny, sad, bittersweet, and massively satisfying. This is the Thanksgiving Turkey dinner of movies. It’s got everything. But the best part for me was how little fighting the big superhero finale of the decade had to it. Firmly rooted in character, taking ambitious and surprising turns in their trajectories, and balancing the fanwanks with a genuinely exciting story. I mean, c’mon. Time heist? A Greatest Hits play that also recontextualizes a few of the lesser films of the sweeping franchise? The third act battle felt a little tacked-on, but the conclusion felt like exactly what we needed. 

READY OR NOT I love this movie. Love it like an adorable, scrappy friend who always manages to make their social commentary entertaining. Hide and Seek turns deadly for a bride to be when she meets her future in-laws, the proprietors of a board game company that takes their product very seriously. A darkly funny survive-the-gauntlet-till-morning ride. Great characters. Awesome kills. A few really unexpected and delightfully devilish turns. Oh, and it takes a stab at privilege and how far some people are willing to go to preserve theirs. It’s got teeth, a mean bite, and it’s fun to walk around the neighborhood. If you liked YOU’RE NEXT, you will probably love this movie. I still can’t get its final few moments out of my head. And I mean that in the best way.

PARASITE Speaking of social criticism and privilege, there’s no denying the brute fucking force of PARASITE. Following a struggling family who imbed themselves into a rich family by posing as the help, this madcap game of suspense takes so many surprising turns that even describing the full plot spoils the fun. Go into this one having read as little as possible. It will take you for a spin. Part con movie, part social critique, part comedy and part tragedy, it’s a lot to digest, but it’s a damned tasty treat. 

KNIVES OUT In a word, it’s fun. Rian Johnson’s locked room murder mystery packs some wonderful barbs in the side of affluence, armchair activism, and the corruptive nature of wealth. A wealthy novelist is found dead, and all of his family members have motive... But don’t let the familiar set-up fool you, KNIVES OUT plays fair with its audience, but it is a fast runner. The story jumps ahead of you almost every time you think you’ve got it figured out. Daniel Craig’s genius sleuth is full of likable energy, protagonist Marta is full of layers, and the family are all such a pleasure to watch. Several times along the trip, I had no idea where the story would turn next, or how much further the envelope could be pushed, but by the end, I came out marveling at its construction. The production design is unreal. The direction and vibe are so unique, and by the closing image, it’s nearly impossible not to enjoy the shift in values. There’s also a speech involving donuts that I will be reciting at parties for the foreseeable future.

DANIEL ISN’T REAL

I closed off the year with this wildly inventive take on the possession trope. This. Movie. Is. Nuts. Which, considering it was produced by the same folks who did MANDY, shouldn’t come as a surprise. A mind-bending tale that riffs on Jekyll and Hyde, with a great modernization tackling the concept from a mental health perspective... It’s not the first time it’s been done, but the execution is just excellent. We follow a disturbed young man whose imaginary friend hatched from a childhood trauma makes a devilish return to play hell with his adult life. It’s a psychological horror that’s FIGHT CLUB meets THE DOUBLE. Great look. Excellent creature design and visuals for a cosmic horror that makes great use of low budget devices. If you’re looking for the answer to the age old question of “Should my third act involve my protagonist battling his inner demons literally with a rooftop sword fight?” You’ve found your contender.

I’ll tell you this, reader friend. The hardest part about 2019′s slate at the box office was deciding what to see. There were so many interesting movies that came out, brimming with big ideas and social commentary. Sad as the state of the world is, there’s no denying times of unrest have a knack for yielding great art. The Trump era has made its stamp on Hollywood for better or for worse. But the rising tide of voices pushing back give me a bit of hope, and a lot of salve for the whole existential dread thing. I think that, however small it is, is good.

For what it’s worth, none of these films are reinventing the wheel or burning flags... But they are asking questions. Okay, CLIMAX, really isn’t asking anything, but it is fun as hell. There’s just as much merit in the salve as there is in the flame that caused the burn.  So may your 2020 be full of entertainment. I’ll try to get some useful content up here at least every couple of months in smaller digestible forms. Now go forth and brunch, you hungover, resolution-breaking slob.

[redfoxwritesstuff]

Clover and Lace, Chapter 14

As always, a massive thank you to @winterisakiller who cheered this story into existence far faster than is sane. The masterlist can be found on my page but if you can’t, search Kit’s Masterlist. 

-------------------------------------------------

Julian sat in the comfortable leather seat of his too expensive car and he felt like vomiting. After a few deep breaths, pulled his phone out and scanned both his iris and fingerprint. There was time for that later. Now was the time to take action and find Rosemary before she got hurt. Or worse.

“Engage Black Rabbit override.” He spoke calmly.

“Good day, Lord Ramsey.” A small black rabbit came onto the screen.

“Not a good day.” He mumbled.

“What can I do to help?”

“Two tasks- Tend the web for the Lady’s location.”

“And the second?”

“How do you feel about playing with Stark’s Jarvis? I need the AI occupied and security systems overridden.”

“Consider it done. I look forward to meeting Jarvis.”

“Find me the location of Steve Rogers once you’re in.” Julian plugged what anyone would assume was a blue tooth headset into his ear. After connecting the systems, he stepped out of the car.

By the time he stepped onto the grounds of the Tower, Rabbit had engaged and hijacked Jarvis. The she blocked his control while filtering his responses. Black Rabbit was designed in part with the rumored Stark AI in mind from early on. It was finally time to test her against it.

When he stepped through the doors, Rabbit directed him to take the elevator to the left. He had to walk passed two security guards and the information desk. As he approached, the door opened for him.

“Sir?” A receptionist called out but was ignored. She picked up the phone intending to inform security that someone was on the Avengers private elevator without authorization or checking in at the desk. When she picked up the phone she found that the line was filled with a high pitched voice singing ‘black rabbits playing in the sun’ over and over again. That left her no option but to wave down the floor security who wouldn’t make it in time to stop him.

“When we stop, you’ll walk out and into their meeting room rather unannounced. A dramatic entry complete with the setting sun, just like you like it.”

“Thank you.” The doors opened and the show was on.

------------------------------------------

Tony was pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat at the large conference table. On either side of him were Steve and Nick getting into the closest thing to a screaming match he had ever seen. Steve wanted answers and Nick seemed to dodge every question. The team sat divided. Looking up at the sound of the automatic doors opening, Tony saw something he never expected.

“Mark? How the hell did you get here? Why are you here? Jarvis, did we forget security?”

“Sir, I’m not feeling so well.”

“Black Rabbit, let him go however remain present in his systems.” The voice that came from Mark was different than Tony had ever heard before and was now carrying a heavy accent.

“Yes Lord Ramsey.” A voice Tony did not program into the system spoke from the in house sound system. Steve’s head shot up as soon as the unknown AI spoke the name.

“Who are you?” Tony asked as Steve stood, drawing some of the others to their feet as well.

“Where is she?” Julian asked instead of answering.

“How did you get in here?” Tony shot back.

“Our Black Rabbit system unlocked your doors. Perhaps you shouldn’t be so cocky, Stark. Even you can be hacked.” Tony had to admit he was impressed. “Now, tell me what you did with her you bloody cock!” Julian’s voice grew louder with each word and no one was wholly sure who he was screaming at exactly.

That was, no one except Steve. “You’re her brother?”

“Yes, now return her to me. Save me some time and I won’t sell every shield secret.”

“What are you talking about?” Steve asked as the room erupted into a mess of questions. “I left-”

“You left the bloody flowers behind. Where did you take her?!”

“She’s gone? What flowers?”

“Oh you have some nerve acting so fucking surprised, like a clueless cock.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Bucky snapped, trying to draw Steve’s attention before turning to the stranger. “Who the hell are you? Who’s missing?”

“My bloody sister. You lot fucking weaseled your way into her life- into her heart. Fucking golden boy sweet talked his way into her pants just to capture her and use her for what? Information?”

“Lord Ramsey?” The unknown voice of Black Rabbit called out only to be ignored.

“Now that you’ve betrayed her, you’ll not get to dip your cock in her again. She won’t even make the web sing for you. You think she’s weak?”

“Lord Ramsey!” The voice of the AI came louder.

“What?!” He finally snapped.

“I’m not able to find trace of Lady Ramsey within Stark databases nor Shield’s.”

“Excuse me but mind getting out of my computers?” Tony snapped at the AI.

“I’m sorry Mr. Stark, I’ve a job to do. I’m sure Jarvis can understand my concern with my Lady being missing. He is being most accommodating.”

“I’ve not had much choice in the matter.” Jarvis added, seemingly annoyed.

“No trace? So, he doesn’t trust Jarvis as much as we do you.” Julian tried to ignore how unlikely it was that Stark would keep a secret from his AI.

“No trace.” Rabbit confirmed.

“She’s missing?” Steve again asked, taking a few steps closer to the stranger that looked in some ways so much like the woman he loved.

“Sir, I am finding records of every medication Mr. Stark has taken over the last three years. Every diet he has been on. Ever lab result. Every doctor’s report. Every STD test. Every panic attack. I feel safe in the assumption that he is in no way involved in the abduction of Lady Ramsey.”

“You took her.” Julian seemed to ignore the information that the AI had provided.

“We didn’t take her.” Steve looked back toward Fury, the one person he couldn’t be sure of.

“I had no part in her disappearance. Shield wished to source her for information in exchange for protection- Assuming she is indeed who we believe her to be.” Fury offered.

“And who do you think Steve’s girlfriend is exactly?” Bucky asked critically.

“We had reason to suspect that the woman claiming to be Sara Wilson was in fact young Miss Ramsey- who’s first name we’ve not been able to verify or obtain.”

“Rosemary.” Steve offered. “The detective called her Rosemary.”

“I am aware. And yet- we’ve not been able to find a single piece of paperwork to verify the name. What we were able to verify in the birth records was the fact that she had a twin brother who’s name we also couldn’t verify. So, I’ll ask you Mr. Ramsey, what is your name?”

“Ramsey.” He said simply, crossing his arms. “Why should I trust you?”

“Frankly, you probably shouldn’t.” Steve answered. “Shield has an agenda- they always do.”

“What an honest way to speak in front of the Director himself.” Black Rabbit commented. “Perhaps one that would speak of his own Director and organization might be worth trusting?  

“Who asked you? Shut up, Rabbit.” Julian snapped at the AI earning a snicker from Tony.

“Good to know I’m not the only one who’s AI forgets their place.”

“Sir, I’m always aware of my place. I simply choose to step out of it.”

“You can trust me.” Steve offered. “I told her I would protect her and I meant it.”

“And look how bloody well that worked out, trusting someone else?” Ramsey had a point. Steve had said he would protect her and now she was gone and he hadn’t even known. He still didn’t even know what had happened.

“So…” Sam leaned back. “What are your actual names then? And who would want to take her? That pretty little detective didn’t seem to be one for kidnapping.”

“No- I’ve had eyes on her since she landed. Whatever her issue is with Miss Ramsey, it’s personal but she isn’t aware of the depth of Mrs. Ramsey’s ties to the underworld.” Fury added.

“Just call me Ramsey.”

“So if you’re Ramsey and she’s Ramsey…?” Sam pressed.

“You can call her whatever he was calling her. I don’t really care- once she’s safe I’ll make sure you never find her again.”

“Or we can arrange something that gets you and the little Lady Spider both protection, papers and even the opportunity to live something of a normal life.”

“Lady Spider?” Natasha asked only to have Steve parrot the question.

“She is the woman known underground as ‘Lady Spider’, is she not?” Fury asked.

“Is she the ‘Lady Spider’?” Steve asked, while Ramsey debated if he wanted to answer truthfully. “If she is we need to know!”

“Why?” Julian didn’t care for being yelled at but there was something about the way Steve’s demeanor changed. “Why’s that so important?”

Bucky pulled out and unfolded the note that had saved their lives. It had been their intention to look into who the “Lady Spider” was and to possibly even find a way to thank her. They had their questions for her as well. After all, she had somehow been able to find information about the mission and their location. They needed to know how she knew.

Before the contents of the paper could be disclosed to Julian however, Rabbit spoke up. “Sir, I’ve been able to obtain footage of Lady Ramsey that appears to show her not in Shield custody.”

“Why do you say that?” Julian asked.

“Shield doesn’t utilize powder blue Ford’s in their official operations.” Julian had to admit that the damn AI had a point. A powder blue Ford wouldn’t be standard issue. That raised the question of who she was with. “Shall I display it?”

“Fine.”

For the first time since Steve walked into that conference room to demand answers from Fury the room was silent. Steve and Ramsey both intently watched when a crystal clear screen lifted up through the center of the table. Ramsey moved to stand regretfully close to Steve in order to see better.

They all watched as a black brown Subaru first pulled in front of what had once been a Blockbusters seemingly a lifetime ago. The building now sat empty in what clearly was a dilapidated and less than savory neighborhood. The location details scrolled across the bottom of the screen but Steve and Ramsey both paid the information no mind as they watched the scene unfold.

The doors to the Subaru opened and a large man stepped out of the driver side while a powder blue Ford pulled up from the other direction. More men stepped out of the Ford. As they spoke the back door of the Subaru opened and a woman was pushed out onto the ground by yet another large man. The auburn hair that was so uniquely hers was the first thing that Steve saw.  

“J, can you zoom this?” Tony asked out of habit. In reality he wasn’t sure if Jarvis even had enough control over the systems with the Rabbit AI present.

“Will do, Sir.” Jarvis answered and appeared to be functioning normally.

With the feed zoomed in they could see the small rip in the knee of her jeans and the dark patch that could very well have been blood. Still, both Steve and Ramsey give anything to know it was mud. They couldn’t be so lucky.

They watched as Rosemary crawled away only to have the man who had shoved her out of the car reached down and grabbed a handful of the hair Steve so loved. She was violently yanked up by him but swiftly turned and landed a kick between his legs. Pride swelled in both the men watching on as the man buckled over.

“Is that her?” Clint asked only to be ignored by both Steve and Ramsey.

“That is indeed Lady Ramsey.” Rabbit answered as the team watched.

The man grabbed her ankle before she could get more than a foot or so away however. She was pulled back toward him and as she turned to kick at the man again they could see the blood on her palms. The man had no trouble swatting the blow away and grabbed her by the wrist. She was hauled to her feet and her arm was twisted behind her. Steve was thankful for the lack of audio as she appeared to cry out in pain. He wasn’t sure what hearing that would have brought to life within him.

Ramsey was watching him closely, not wanting to continue to watch as his beloved sister was harshly yanked around. He could watch the footage again and gain just as much from it. What he had now was the only opportunity to observe and analyze Steve’s reactions to what he was seeing.

A silent rage was brewing within Steve as he was observed. Ramsey had spent much of his life learning to read people. At first only to know who’s pockets he could pick and get away with it, who wouldn’t notice their wallet missing for an hour or so but later in life to read businessmen and women both in legal scenarios and in the underground.

Steve’s jaw twitched and clenched as he stood stock still, frozen in place. The man held Rose on the screen with one hand in her hair again and the other keeping her arm hiked up high behind her back, keeping her securely in place. His eyes trained on one man in particular that he recognized.

“Give me a look at the man in black.” He ordered and the AI opened a side window with a zoomed shot of the man in question’s face. It wasn’t clear but Steve had no doubt that he recognized the man. He was one of the few high profile faces contained in the mission folder for their most recent mission.

Steve’s attention was drawn back to the larger video. The men appeared to speak for a minute before money was exchanged. They watched as the men nodded and shook hands before a few words were spoken before Rose was violently shoved forward. She landed against the chest of another large man who wasted no time in grabbing her arms and shoving them behind her back and securing them.

Their touches were harsh and violent leaving Steve with no doubts that she would have bruises from them. Harshly, she was shoved in the back of the vehicle and out of sight. The men spoke for another moment and in the window Steve could see where the sole of her boot repeatedly made contact with the window, trying to break it out. The men entered their respective vehicles and drove away.

“Run the plates.” Ramsey ordered.

“Lord Ramsey, they are forgeries. The DMV has no records of these plates.” Rabbit answered.

“I have access to traffic cameras.” Jarvis supplied. “I’ll begin tracing their path as best I can.” Ramsey had to admit that it was nice not to have to waste even more valuable time hacking into the systems.

“Why did you want to know about Lady Spider?” Ramsey was calmer now that he’d had a moment to observe and think. Bucky held out the paper again to Steve who handed it to Ramsey. “What’s the story with this?”

“We were on mission and the letter came to the safe house delivered by a villager. He ran off before we could get more information.” Clint offered.

“He wouldn’t have told you anything anyway.” Ramsey tossed the paper onto the table. “Rabbit- What was Rosemary’s last transactions?”

“Lady Ramsey purchased information regarding the location of the safe house in question.”

“How?” Sam asked.

“It was offered on the open information market. Shield should show more appreciation toward their lower level agents.” Rabbit answered. “She blocked Marques from purchasing the information.”

“shit.” Bucky sat back. “We could have been ambushed that night.”

“Indeed. Lady Ramsey did not wish for your team to be endangered. Additionally, she called in a favor from one of Marques’ high ranking confidants in order to arrange the movement of a large supply of bio weapons. Subsequently, she had the weapons transferred locations seven times. As of this morning she was negotiating the disposal of the weapons.”

“Steve, I think your girlfriend saved our lives.” Tony pointed out, leaning back in his chair.

“That was Lady Ramsey’s intention.” Rabbit added.

“And put a bloody target on her own back.” Ramsey grumbled. If only she let them all die and listened to him. “You better have been worth it.”

Ramsey found himself regretfully falling into a tentative truce with the people he never in his life expected to be working with. He didn’t like them. He didn’t want to work with them. It was their fault that she was taken. He still held that animosity in his heart. Yet he knew without a doubt that by working with them, Rosemary could potentially be saved sooner.

That didn’t mean he had to like it. Still the longer he spent with them, he could see why Rosemary was drawn to Steve. She had always had a goodness to her that seemed to survive no matter what she had been thought. Shield was offering her a way out.

His company was profitable enough to support him in a legal life if he wanted. They’ve come so far that if they wanted to, if they had protection there was no reason why they couldn’t turn back and live an honest life.

Would that be what Rosemary wanted? He hadn’t even given it any thought but what if Rosemary wanted out? What happened when they got older and wanted families? What if she was ready to settle down? What if didn’t want to say goodbye to Steve? What if he was forcing what he thought was best on her? What if he hadn’t been giving Rosemary a change to live even as he worked to keep her alive?

What if?

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[kaimiiru-creations]

Pâro

Fandom: Undertale

Premise: After the True Pacifist Ending, Asriel/Flowey meet a strange yet familiar face that wants to offer him something. Asriel-centric, Frisk-centric, OC and Chara also deeply involved.

Warnings: Nothing so far, but the definition of pâro might give you an idea of what’s in store in the future...

Ch1: Laughter

Ch2: (Not done yet)

The silence was deafening.

I was reminded of those times where I killed almost everyone. There wasn’t any screaming after battles, no movement either, just eerie and utter silence. And it wasn’t like the Underground was all that windy, either.

No, the monsters didn’t send anyone after me when I went on a killing spree. They just ran. Because they were weak. Because they were kind. Because they were afraid.

Luckily, Sans was there to stop me. I’m grateful that he stopped me… and that I had the power to reset taken away from me forever.

A part of me hated to be in this abandoned Snowdin. A part of me felt righteous pleasure that everyone had left me behind. But even those feelings were ephemeral. The power everyone had left me was fading fast, but I grit my teeth and never wandered past where the barrier used to be.

“The world doesn’t need me… the world doesn’t need me anymore…” A tiresome chant was growled through my teeth, distorted terribly.

And that was when I felt a vibration in my roots. Heard crunching of snow. Looked up and saw a familiar form in the distance that took my breath away.

“Chara?” I called hopelessly, and the human lifted their head, “Chara, is that you?”

Chara was unsteady on their feet, and taller than what I remember. On their chest, swung a heart-shaped locket as their red eyes flashed and met mine.

/Don’t go to them! You don’t deserve it! You don’t want the suffering to happen all over, don’t you! Run!/ The Asriel within me cried.

/Chara! My best friend finally came! I want to meet them, talk to them-!/ Flowey called out soon after. I was stuck. Chara made their way over to me, their clothes covered in snow, as if they had been lying in it.

“You’re not Chara.” I said, shaking my head, “You’re not Chara!”

“You’re right.” Chara’s voice spoke, and I looked up to see their face smiling at me, tears in their eyes.

“D-don’t joke around with me, meanie!” I said, so emotional now that Asriel’s voice was coming out, my face surely forming into a goat’s by now.

“I’m not Chara.” Chara repeated, reaching out and wiping the tears so gently from my eyes, as if they were afraid of hurting me. I shut my eyes for a moment, and got a hold of myself.

“Then who are you?! Don’t play tricks on me, Chara!” I yelled, making Chara fall back as I grew in size and glared down at them, roots cracking the ice around us, twining around Chara’s wrists so they couldn’t leave- no, not /again/. I was much bigger now- probably large enough to swallow them whole-

“I am the final threat.” Chara spoke clearly, their red eyes unwavering and overly gentle in an expression that I /knew/ Chara’s never had, “Who do you think was left with the power to RESET after Frisk was gone?”

“You……” I felt cold certainty go through me. There had been someone /puppeteering/ Frisk throughout their adventures. It was obvious. What sane creature would willingly reload their save files just to relive the same thing over and over again? Frisk had gone back /five/ times just to talk to me again before leaving forever. I didn’t count in this equation, by the way. I knew my sanity was thin as it is. My voice distorted, my vines tightened painfully around Chara’s arms, “WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE THIS NOW?!”

“To tease you?” Not-Chara smirked and grit their teeth and raised their head as my vines wrapped around their neck, “Yeah. Kill me, Flowey.”

I stopped. What was… I doing??? I was about to kill someone! I quickly calmed my magic, shrunk in size, and loosened my grip.

“Because you can just load your last save point.” I said tiredly, “Are you done? Is your sick pleasure satisfied? Who even are you? How are you doing this?”

Not-Chara rubbed their neck.

“I can’t tell you my name because Chara’s name will just change to that name.” They moved their arms, and I tightened my grip somewhat until I realized they were just sitting back up, cross-legged, “So call me Chara. I don’t want their name to be lost, too.”

“Call you Chara? I don’t get it...” I grumbled irritably. This person was the one who made Frisk beat me over and over until I had to force myself not to say anything new, just so this person-this /demon/- wouldn’t get bored!

“As for how I did this… Well, it’s simple, really. This is an alternate universe. I copied the original world and inserted myself in… but it’s easier to use already-existing assets in this game, and in the end Chara was the most compatible with my soul.” Not-Chara replied, waving their hands about to illustrate their words- circling their hands, touching their chest, bringing a shining red soul out. I quickly CHECKED their soul.

/CHARA. LV 1. ATK 0, DEF 10. A combination of a time-traveling empty body and a strange mixed soul./

“So your name really is Chara…” I muttered, not sure about the ‘mixed soul’ part, “So, I don’t really get the world-copying thing, but what do you want?”

“I want you to take my soul.” Chara replied simply, “And live on your own on the surface.”

And with that, my suspension of disbelief was shattered. This person HAD to be Chara! Maybe with different memories, but-

“ARGH! Chara is DEAD!” I screeched, didn’t Frisk fight beyond any limits a human could go to show me that very fact?! “YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!” My voice was distorting again, I felt the world get smaller.

“Yeah. So kill me and take my soul.” Chara said calmly, lifting up their arms to their sides as they knelt, completely defenseless. They grit their teeth, “Quickly, I can feel pain-”

“NO! I promised I wouldn’t hurt ANYONE /EVER/ AGAIN!” I shouted angrily. Chara frowned, contemplative, and lowered their arms. Slowly, slowly, they lowered their eyes, then their head, slightly. What were they planning now?

“Then let’s go together.” Chara said, and everything seemed to still into silence again as I stared at them, “Come on. I came here fully intending for it to be a one-way trip. I can’t go back to my world… I want to stay with you. I can show you everything. We don’t have to see Frisk and the others… it’s a really big world out there.” They extended their wrapped hands towards me, flashing a big, pained grin, “Whaddya say, Asriel? Let’s go on an adventure. I could use your company.”

My willpower snapped. I let go of their arms and shrunk in size.

“Let me… think about it.” I grumbled.

“Coolio.” Chara said, and laid on the snow. They started laughing for some reason…

“... Weirdo.” I muttered. I didn’t feel like joining them.

“Says the talking flower.”

“Hypocrite, monsters come in all shapes and sizes.”

“Soulless flower.” Chara corrected themselves through their laughter, and sighed, “Man, I thought you were really gonna kill me. That was scary.”

“But you wanted to die…?”

“Doesn’t make it any less scary!”

“Ugh…” I grumbled, putting a leaf to my forehead, “I’m going somewhere else. It’s a headache to talk to you.”

“When you decide… I’ll be waiting in the bone brothers’ kitchen.” Chara spoke with that scary gentle-serious tone from earlier.

“Whatever…” I ducked underground to go somewhere to collect my thoughts.

------------

Frisk woke up with an odd ache and emptiness in their chest. However, they didn’t think much of it- going through puberty meant odd aches and pains everywhere, after all. Not to mention the mood swings...

They got out of bed and set out their clothes for school. A meaty smell drifted through the house-Toriel had finished cooking breakfast. Frisk went downstairs.

“Good morning Frisk!” Toriel greeted warmly.

“Good... morning, mom.” Frisk said, as a faint twinge of pain sparked through their chest again. They touched the center of their chest gently.

Toriel, with her mother intuition, quickly noticed.

“Are you feeling alright? Do you have a cold?” Toriel fussed over them, coming closer to put a hand on their forehead. A wave of healing magic eased the pain somewhat, before it ebbed back again.

“No… just… growing pains.” Frisk replied, and ducked under Toriel’s hand to eat breakfast. Sans, a regular guest, was sitting at the table, looking half-asleep and tapping away at a cell phone.

“Mornin’ Frisk.” Sans said without looking up. His eyes were smiling at the phone- no doubt he sent someone a bad joke- and he was slumped in his chair in a relaxed manner.

“Mornin’ Sans.” Frisk echoed, before shoveling the spinach-egg-bacon breakfast pie on their plate down their throat.

“Whoah there! I doubt you can /quiche/ all that down if you swallow it in one bite!” Toriel said slyly, and Frisk coughed and pounded on their chest and coughed. Toriel looked at them, a bit worried, but Frisk cleared their throat and gave her a thumbs up.

“Don’t /pie/ on us, kiddo!” Sans retorted, and pressed a button on his phone.

“HELLO? SANS? ARE YOU AT GOAT MOTHER’S HOUSE!” Papyrus’s voice came through Sans’s phone on speakerphone.

“No puns... while I eat!’ Frisk protested as the two chuckling monsters flashed each other a conspiring grin, “I... /crusted/ you to not let me choke on my breakfast!”

Toriel roared with laughter while Sans chuckled.

“UGH! IT’S TOO EARLY FOR PUNS!” Papyrus groaned, “FRISK? WILL YOU DO THE HONOR OF ASSISTING ME IN OUR AMBASSADOR DUTIES AFTER SCHOOL TODAY?”

“Of course.” Frisk replied seriously.

“ALRIGHT! IT’S NO BIGGIE! ALSO, I’VE GOT SO MANY FRIENDS IN MY HOUSE TODAY! WOWEE! THEY’RE HUMANS WEARING FANCY BLACK SUITS AND TELLING ME TO STAY IN MY HOUSE OR THEY’LL TAKE ME AWAY? I WOULDN’T REALLY MIND VISITING THEIR HOMES TOO, BUT I HAVE WORK TO DO- ”

There was silence in the kitchen.

“That… well, I’ll head over, Paps.” Sans said.

“Coming with.” Frisk said in a tone that left no room for argument, standing up.

“Cool. I know a shortcut.”

“THE MORE FRIENDS THE MERRIER.”

“Do you require my assistance as well?” Toriel asked.

“No. I can handle it on my own. Sans is just the bus.” Frisk said, making Sans narrow his eyes at them.

“Well, do be safe, you two.” Toriel said, worried, “Do you want me to pack you a lunch?”

“Nah. Sans will treat me.” Frisk said confidently.

“Hey, pal…” Sans said in a mock warning tone, “Well, come over here then. We’ll go to Grillby’s after.”

“Try to be back in time for school, Frisk! You stay safe too, Sans!” Toriel called as Frisk followed Sans. Frisk waved to her with a fearless smile as both they and Sans disappeared from sight.

[marythegizka]

One now and one to save

Christine drew a sharp breath, holding her lantern high as she reached the last step to the fifth cellar. The note had been quite brief – no time, no place, no name, only that spidery, almost childish handwriting that left no possible doubt as to the identity of the sender: “I should be honored if you would join me for coffee”.

Perhaps she was mad. She had to be. Perhaps the sane thing to do was run and disappear, forget about his very existence. Oh, but she couldn’t do that. How was she to forget the sheer terror that had struck her, the repugnance she’d felt when she had unmasked him? How was she to forget his roars, his delirious distress, the tears that had rolled down his almost hollow cheeks? How was she to forget his care, how was she to forget his voice, those deep, mellifluous tones, wrapping themselves around her like a warm velvet shawl? It was a true wonder, an unthinkable one, that the most enchanting voice in the world could belong to this poor skeleton of a man, this creature of darkness who feared the eyes of men. For this was what he was. Not the Angel she had prayed for, nor the specter they had all feared… simply Erik. Poor, unhappy Erik. Her chest heaved at the thought, but despite his deception, despite the horror of his face, she couldn’t find it in her to hate him.

The sound of dripping water drew her out of her thoughts. Christine’s steps had led her to the banks of the underground lake, and her eyes soon landed on the tall, spindly figure that paced the shore like a lost soul.

Erik froze on the spot and gaped like a dead fish, his heart hammering against his ribs.

“You came!” he managed. Christine gave a faint smile. He blinked. Once. Twice. It was no dream! Oh, if Angels existed, he was looking at one! How he wished he could hold her, without making her flinch, without turning that smile into a grimace of disgust. But that wouldn’t happen, and the mere fact that she had come was a small miracle in its own right.

Erik had no idea how long he’d stood gawking at her, though the unease in her voice made it clear it had been too long.

“Erik? Are you all right?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, quite all right.” He gestured towards the boat. “Shall we?”

She nodded. They reached the house quickly, for Erik rowed with enthusiasm. She had come here, to meet with him, and that thought alone gave him wings. He extended a hand to help her off the boat, expecting her to refuse, and was shocked and delighted to feel her small hand land in his, light as a feather even as he pulled her up. Her hand, holding his! He led her to the drawing room, where a biscuit tin, two mismatched cups and a coffee pot had been set on the dinner table, and drew one of the chairs from under the table.

“Mademoiselle Daaé… please make yourself at home.”

“Thank you Erik. This is lovely of you.”

This time it was he who caught himself smiling. If she liked it she would visit again, wouldn’t she? Giddy with hope, Erik didn’t realize he was staring again. Oh, but Christine noticed. Again.

“Erik? Is something wrong?”

“No, I…”

I would kill for a smile of yours, your presence here soothes me and drives me mad all at once, and I would sell my soul if I had one, if there was but a chance that it would make you love me.

“You’re beautiful today.”

Erik instantly cursed himself. ‘Today?!’ He was an idiot, an absolute idiot. Thankfully, Christine didn’t seem to take offense, and simply eyed him with amusement as he resisted the urge to shrink back in his chair.

“Am I?”

She gestured at her dress, as if that were the explanation.

“It’s an old birthday present from Mamma Valerius.”

Erik nodded in understanding.

“Ah yes, I too got one once.”

Christine gave him a questioning look.

“A birthday gift,” he clarified, reaching for the nearby bookshelf.

“There,” he said, pulling a book from the shelf. It was an antique edition of Le Ventriloque ou l’Engastrimythe, and Erik was quite sure poor Mademoiselle Perrault had found it in Rouen, for as far as he knew there were no booksellers in the village.

“Just one? Just once?”

“Well, I did ask for a second but my mother…” An image flashed through his mind, and for a brief second he was back in Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville, his hideous reflection flinging itself at him through the upstairs mirror. “It was more than she could manage.”

“What was it?”

Erik swallowed, staring at the floor.

“Two kisses. One then, and one to save.”

Her hand clutched at her chest.

“Erik …”

“It’s all right.” It was not. He handed her the biscuit tin and started pouring coffee. “Would you like some sugar with it?”

“Yes, thank you.” She grabbed a biscuit from the box and began stirring her drink. “So, tell me more about that book.”

Erik gave her a wry smile, taking care not to move his lips as he spoke.

“My dear, I’m afraid there isn’t more to it than the title entails.”

Christine almost spat her coffee. Oh, of course there was more. It was his only birthday gift, the only reminder that someone had once seen fit to celebrate his birth. But an open expression of self-pity would assuredly ruin that lovely afternoon.

“I didn’t know you could do that!” she exclaimed. “Have you ever thought of performing?”

Erik recalled his days of traveling with fairs, each detail as vivid as if it were still the day after. The clamor of the crowd. The coins raining down for him. That dreadful moment in which he would take off the mask. The humiliation of being exposed. Men and women paling. That time he’d washed vomit from the floor of his tent. No. He would not perform again. There was no need for that now. Not with the directors graciously handing him his salary on a silver platter.

“I’d rather not,” he said bitterly.

Christine bit her lip and hung her head. Well, he certainly had a talent for ruining the mood.

“Oh, did I upset you? Don’t be upset. There is nothing to be upset about.” He paused for a moment, and headed for the piano. “There, I’ll play for you. Do you like Chopin? Verdi? Yes? Would you like me to play?”

Christine nodded.

For an hour he played. Christine sang. He was happy. But all good things must come to an end.

“This was beautiful, Erik. But I have to leave. We will be rehearsing soon, and Carlotta has the flu.”

“Does she now?”

Erik smirked, still bent over the keyboard. It would seem the lead ‘soprano’ had received his letter.

“Before I go…”

Light steps echoed behind him. Erik stiffened as a hand landed onto his back, and he turned around to see Christine standing mere inches from him. Surely this was some trick of his desperate mind, her hands were so gentle, her perfect face so close, it couldn’t be real. His eyes suddenly shut tight; if he was dreaming he did not want to wake up. Before he knew it warm lips brushed against his, softly, gently, in a brief, shy caress. How? Despite his firmly shut eyelids, a single tear rolled down his cheek. Her hand dropped off his masked face, but the warmth of her breath remained as she whispered in his ear:

“One now, and one to save.”

[randomnessunicorn-imagine]

2# Prize [ Third Part ]

Prompt by  @lunaticshrimphere

{ I’m happy you liked the two last prizes, I hope you will like this, too. Even this time, I chose to write a drabbles insert because it’s easier. They are more introspective drabbles kind, without any special plot.  I couldn’t resist and I wrote also some drabbles about their children version because I find them cute when they were kids, you can take those drabbles like a bonus, it’s one the house~

This was your last prize, I hope you enjoyed the event and these drabbles, thanks for your collaboration and participation ~

Then, this couple made me think about this song  }

+ + + CHARA X ASRIEL + + +

Toxic love [  360 words ] :

Nobody would consider the relationship between Chara and Asriel romantic because it was anything but sane. But they could not live without the other. They were the side of the same coin. They were the day and the night of each other even if they would have never admitted it and the reality was still too absurd to accept. Their reality as a couple seemed absurd. Fights were so usual between these two and it seemed an eternal cat and mouse game. Asriel was the one who suffered the most and the one who loved the most and someone said that love was like a battle and the one who loved the most was the one who would have lost. A relationship between the victim and the torturer. It was not love, because it was something awful and unfair. It was like a drug that flowed through their veins and it was so good and so bad at the same time. Nobody else could understand this feeling made of desperation and blissfulness. Chara had no space in their heart for something called love and Asriel kept deceiving himself with these lies, pretending everything was fine but these kind of stories had the old and same ending and it was not the happy one. He was ruining himself and he should have escaped from this trap before it could be too late but his mind was still damaged and there was no way out. Another mad day in this mad life. Chara looked at him with two irises full of rage and passion. A passion that was difficult to define and it could be the passion of the violence that pulsed in their heart or the passion of their pure hate or, paradoxically, the passion of love. That love that Asriel hoped to be existent in their soul. He had nothing to say and the silence said more than anything else did. Ice in Chara’s eyes and ice in Asriel’s heart. Poison in their veins that made them alive, it was the reason of their relationship. It was venomous and painful. For them, it was the right way. The only way.

.

KIDS! VERSION ~

Bouquet [ 400 words ] :

The yellow flowers, Asriel loved them so much. He was a young boy with a big passion of gardening and sometimes he helped his father and Asgore was the one who taught to Asriel everything he knew. It was something special for the little goat and he wanted to donate his knowledge to one of his most important friend; a person that he learnt to know and understand, a person so different but for some mysterious reasons so similar to him. It was as if he had found his soul mate but the little goat has never confessed this feeling to Chara because they did not share the same sentiment and he was sure about this fact. It was as clear as the sun that their relationship was not meant to be. With a bouquet of yellow flowers in his hands, Asriel was searching for Chara because he wanted to donate it to them. The little goat was trembling, not for the cold but because he doubted that Chara would accept his gift and this last period they were colder than their usual and Asriel hoped that maybe some flowers could warm their glacial heart. Chara was in their room, alone and silent, and nobody could say what was crossing their chaotic mind. The boy knocked the door, saying, «Knock knock…», waiting for Chara’s answer. «Who’s there? », said Chara with their inexpressive tone of voice. «Goat…», and Asriel was truly opening that it could be the right moment and the right time to win their heart. «Goat who? », Chara’s tone did not change so much and they seemed so absent. «Goat to the door to see who’s knocking! », and Asriel was blushing like crazy observing the door with an intensity that could burn it.   «This joke sucks… You can do better than this. », pointed Chara and they did not move to open the door yet. «Yes, I know… My mother told me it, I found it funny in that moment but now that I think about it, it really sucks--», Chara stopped him, saying, «Get to the point! ». Asriel started stuttering, «Ehm… I have something to show you…», no answer from the other side of the door. «Maybe you are busy, I understand it… », Asriel left the bouquet in front of their door and nothing changed. Asriel’s soul withered just like his flowers…

Guilty [ 250 words ] :

Chara was seen by the monsters with suspicious eyes because they were human and monsters hated humans. Asriel and his family were the only ones who accepted Chara without any form of discrimination and the times where Asriel found himself to defend Chara’s reputation were not so rare. The little goat was completely sure about Chara’s innocence and he wanted so hard beliving in them that he forgot whom he was and his role in this society. He was still the prince of the Underground and, since he declared to be Chara’s best friend, everyone started ignoring and bullying him. They hated Chara because Chara were an outsider, something so different from monsters. They were the enemy. One day, Asriel found Chara surrounded by a group of monsters and, by their unfriendly looks, he understood their intention was not pacific. Asriel intervened to save Chara even if he has never received any form of gratitude from the human and the only words that came out from their mouth were “you should think about yourself…». It was more a recommendation than a threat and the next day some knives disappeared from the kitchen and Asriel knew where those tools were but he has never confessed to his mother the truth. From that day, no other bullies tried to disturb Chara. Asriel has never imagined that Chara could go so far and he noticed a little particular of their hands that made his soul shiver. Dust. Chara’s hands were covered of dust.

[trulyhumblenarcissist]

Tokyo ghoul:re chapter 131, about Touka and Kaneki

Well… Jokes aside, this chapter was really depressing. I knew from the very start of my experience with Tg that kaneki was probably going to die, but having it pretty much confirmed is disheartening anyways. The general mood is incredibly gloomy, kaneki’s health is so deteriorated that he looks like a ghost (he probably is one, in a sense). I’d really like to spend a few words for Touka. The poor girl is getting so much hatred that’s unfair. First people called her abusive, then accused her of forcing kaneki to have sex because she wanted to trap him or something, last chapter she was a monster for keeping her pregnancy secret, now she’s literally the devil because she chose to put her child’s future before everyone (even Yoriko omg!!). I’m going to write my two cents about all this drama, because I’m bored and insomnia is a bitch. Touka is a woman, but let me put this straight, she’s still very young. She grew up in a world that hated her even before she was born. Touka had a loving family and her heart was filled with kindness and affection, she knew that specific type of warmth, she played with her brother and a little bird. In a blink of an eye she lost everything, even hope. Left behind, betrayed by all that kindness that was her father’s condemn. So Touka put herself together alone, struggling to survive, no one around to guide her, to support and promote her emotional growth. She cried silently, shamefully, hating her innate tenderness. She didn’t want to end up like Arata. Loneliness and rage, power and distance altogether, but… She met Yoriko and her eyes were gentle, too gentle to be ignored. She met kaneki and he was an idiot, a useless, indecisive weakling; his eyes were full of sorrow and Touka let them sink into her own pain. Touka fell in love with someone, a stranger to be honest, and love itself is a difficult matter. She was lookin for an image, a memory, fond and terrible at the same time. Fear of losing as a twisted form of complacency… She doesn’t know how to be completely sane, she’s still craving love without understanding its multiple faces. SHE WAS ALONE, missing that precious piece of herself, always longing, waiting… She doesn’t want to feel isolated anymore. Kaneki… He is not a perfect lover, he has troubles, he aches constantly, but he is… Somehow… Sweet. Touka doesn’t know him, not so much, not as good as she should. Their relationship is tainted by their own warped concept of love. But is this really so terrible? Is this really so incomprehensible for a girl desiring more closeness, more understanding, more REALITY? She wishes for kaneki to become a real person for once, to complete the puzzle of his shattered identity. Someone she can be with, someone she can care for without any fear. I know a lot of readers will not like this statement, but the harsh truth is that, for many people, sex represents a way of bonding. A direct, imperfect, exclusive one, of course. Emotions are not easily manageable, especially when you have spent most of your life fighting to be “just invisible”. Touka wanted her answers, wanted to put a name to her swirling feelings, so she made her move. Kaneki was more than willing to embrace their moment together. Kaneki… He’s a young man. He was hurt a lot by the people he loved the most. He was told to shut up, to be a maggot (small, insignificant), to not upset anyone with his existence. His mother gave him the message he was a nuisance for the world and unfortunately he belived her. Kaneki doesn’t really want to live, to get attached, to feel. He’s good with his books, foreign worlds, inoffensive artificial emotions. Touka is the first ghoul he met after Rize. She is a blazing flame, she lives her personal hell with proudness and a bit of recklessness. She is beautiful and she shakes him from the inside. He fell for her twice, even when he didn’t know who he really was. Kaneki needs to be shaken, he really does. Kaneki enjoyed having sex with her and at the end, he quietly slept on her knees, SMILING. No one of them really thought about the consequences, they just AGREED to freed themselves from every intrusive thought, chasing after that precious thing so mysterious and always far away. Kaneki and Touka are two young adults overwhelmed by a crazy world that has never really protected them (actually they are still learning how to protect themselves). However this crazy world is also unforgiving. They are BOTH responsible of their actions, they had sex TOGHETER and sure as hell none of them wished to become a parent, especially not Touka. Yes, she has been carless, but Kaneki too. How can anyone ignore the torment she’s living? She found herself pregnant and nothing can change the past. So now, even tho she didn’t planned anything, she’s enduring terrible physical pain, even not knowing if her efforts are somehow useful, because she cannot let the creature inside of her die. And at first her greatest concern was still to PROTECT kaneki, sparing him from the responsibility of being a father. Kaneki has already the entire world on his shoulders, so she didn’t want to make him even more anxious. She was ready to live this hell alone, for Kaneki’s sake. I usually don’t like when other people try to impose their decisions on others, but I was still impressed by Touka’s abnegation. I’m happy she chose to tell kaneki everything in this chapter. The baby is also kaneki’s and he has has the right AND the duty to take full responsibility. Now please spare me the comments about Touka mentioning another girl or the childish argument “THEY DON’T SEEM HAPPY! THEY ARE SO FAKE!!”. First of all, Touka is a sarcastic person. We know this from the very beginning of Tg. Touka uses irony every time she feels uncomfortable, embarrassed or scared. Even when she confessed a few chapters ago she tried to appear casual about the matter, even if her thoughts were complex and also tinged with sadness (remember her referring to kaneki’s suicidal tendencies?). Please don’t be ridiculous by giving meaning to Touka’s silly ice breakers. If you want to criticize use more convincing arguments. As for the “ they don’t seem happy! ” thing, well… OF COURSE they are not happy! Kaneki is literally dying, he doesn’t even know if he’ll be lucky enough to see this child’s face, the pregnancy itself has an high risk of failure, Touka and kaneki know this for a fact and it’s frightening. The world is burning, ghouls and humans are at each others’ throats more violently than ever and at the moment ghoulkind is definitely losing. They are starving and are forced to live underground. So… Tell me: what exactly should kaneki and Touka be celebrating? At least kaneki tried to connect more this time. Touka gave him a ring, now he tells her in his typically childish way that he truly cares for her and that he wants them to be together like a real family.

As for Yoriko, I’m sorry for her, but I can totally understand Touka’s decision. Touka wants to protect her family, her child and the father of her child. You can’t help anyone if you don’t choose. It is painful indeed, but there is no other way. I guess Kaneki was really impressed by Touka’s will. His mother didn’t fight for him, so his son is already luckier in my opinion.

Disclaimer: I want to make this crystal clear, I’m not a shipping fangirl, or at least, I don’t have any favourite pairing at all in Tokyo Ghoul. I think none of these freaks should be allowed to experience romance and reproduce (lol). Seriously tho, I really don’t have any particular love for Touka or Touken in general. This post is just my honest feelings spilling together because I can’t sleep at night.

[celestialgoddesslucy]

You Never Walk Alone (BTS Reincarnation!au)

So I decided to give another go to the BTS fics and I got inspired by the lovely @ask-jungshook ’s Begin!au and @ask-seokjinnie’s memory:awake comic and I came up with this idea. It’s kind of angsty because I like it too much now. I make a quick reference to the drama Goblin with the whole four lives idea!

This is basically my interpretation of the MV's as well and the whole idea behind the album concepts

Name: You Never Walk Alone

This is sort of a reincarnation!au and the boys recall their past lives and write down all the memories they dream about their other self. Whenever it’s in first person, this is the current self talking, in third person, that’s the self from their other life.

Begin

Have you ever thought about a past life before? The thought that you were someone else before and had just an entirely different existence? Different dreams, different aspirations, a different outlook on life? I don’t really know what to think of this, to be quite frank. I myself never wondered such things. The thought seemed kind of poetic in a sense and certainly not my thing . But as of late, I’ve been having these strange dreams. Sometimes pleasant and others…really frighteningly sad. The times that I’ve woken up crying, I’ve already lost count of.

The dreams are far too vivid. Realistic. I have the same name and the faces in my dream are recognizable, but yet different. And I wake up with my body tingling and exhausted as though I had been doing so much although I had just woken up, my skin cold. Sometimes, I’d wake up in tears not remembering what I had dreamed of, but someone was always on my mind when I woke up. I wanted to know what these dreams meant. Figure out what had caused such sadness to pervade me.

I began to feel uncertain because every time I was always with the same people, the same six familiar faces. Maybe, I dared to think, these weren’t just dreams. Maybe this had really happened before. Because although the places I was in, I had never been to, I still found them familiar and they left me wth a sense of nostalgia. An undeniable sadness filled me every time I saw one of them gone as the dreams progressed. Felt my heart ache and fill with sorrow. And I knew these people, but I didn’t.

Before I didn’t believe in this, but now it may not be wrong, maybe it is true. They say people have four lives. Four chances of trying to correct you mistakes or continue making them and learning from them. Each life you are given is different. A different path, but with more maturity, as though you become wiser every lifetime. They say that once you’ve reached your final life, you are gifted the memories of the life where you’ve suffered the most. So that by seeing them you can become wiser and kinder and appreciate what you have been given.

And yes I think it might just be true. These memories… tell me of the saddest story I’ve ever heard.Yet for some odd reason, I think it was also the happiest for the me back then. I decided to document these memories here so that I may never forget. So that I may never lose my path. So that I can make things right. Not just for me, but for my hyungs. My precious family.

A new beginning.

~~xXXx~~

“Hey! You little rat! Get back here!” A voice yelled in the darkness of the night. Loud footsteps were heard as three burly men followed in pursuit of a hooded male who clutched a bag against his chest as he ran. It was particularly chilly night and the breathe of the young male running away came out raggedly in puffs of white smoke, his calves aching from the run.

He looked back, brown doe eyes frantically looking around, to spot the men chasing him in between the crowds of people in the bustling downtown. They kept pushing everyone aside. They were gaining on him, his sweaty bangs of his dark hair stuck to his forehead, as he cursed silently under his breath. He needed to either one, run faster, or two take a shortcut.

He looked around, but they would surely see him hide at the close proximity they were in. He was beginning to panic even more, but was suddenly pulled into an alley, a hand covering his mouth, as his eyes widened in fear. He would surely be given another beating like he’d grown accustomed a few times in the past few days. He shut his eyes tightly waiting for the upcoming blow, but nothing came.

His eyes fluttered open slightly before he relaxed, sighing in relief, when he saw a familiar and slightly older handsome face looking out the alley cautiously, slightly mused brown hair and broad shoulders, before looking back at him a slight glare. He removed his hand from the younge male who gave him a sheepish smile. On second thought, he couldn’t relax just yet because that glare was enough to know he was in trouble.

“Jeon Jungkook, what did you do?” The male hissed in attempt at not being heard by the men if they were to be near. Jungkook lowered his gaze nervously hiding the bag he was holding behind his back. Damn him and his dumb reflexes for ratting him out.

“I don’t know what you mean, Seokjin hyung”, he lied with ease knowing well Seokjin knew exactly what he had done just by the guilt on his face. The elder extended his hand demanding and daring him to disobey.

“Alright, give it up, Kook-ah” he warned. Jungkook sighed with a childish pout so unlike a male of 15 as he handed the elder the plastic bag. Seokjin scanned through the bag and sighed heavily.

“Kook-ah, did you seriously get in trouble for stealing some lamb skewers and beer?! You aren’t allowed to drink this stuff” Seokjin groaned.”Kookie, it’s bad enough that you stole this when you have a home and parents to feed you. You’re better than this. These activities aren’t made for you, they’re made for people like me. I don’t want you going down the same path”

Jungkook lowered his gaze at that making Seokjin pause as he eyed him carefully. “Kookie, look at me”, he muttered, concern beginning to fill his voice. Jungkook slowly raised his gaze, his eyes glossed over with unshed tears. “Why did you steal this? Why aren’t you home?”

His gaze was so intense, Jungkook couldn’t bring himself to lie. Seokjin had always been there when he ran away from home and would force him to go back every time. The elder kept him sane, made him feel he wasn’t worthless, but now he felt the most useless. Tears finally fell down his face and before he had time to process, Seokjin had pulled him in for a tight hug.

“My parents threw me out for good because I told them I wanted to be an artist. I don’t have a home and I’ve been sleeping where I can and stealing a few things to get by. I wanted to get Yoongi hyung the beer so we could eat lamb skewers together”, he confessed as he felt the grip tighten.

“Oh, Kookie,why didn’t you say anything? You always tell me.” Jungkook could feel Seokjin trembling.

“Because I didn’t want to disappoint you”, he muttered feeling utterly devastated.

“You are not. You could never.You never will” Seokjin whispered and it Jungkook felt so cared for. He gave him the love he had always wanted. Someone to make him feel needed. “Let’s go. You’ll be living with me!”

Jungkook grinned as he nodded following behind the older male who offered him a smile full of adoration. That was when Jungkook had finally found a true family and began to live with Seokjin and his other hyungs.

~~xXXx~~ 4 years later

“Kookie, you finally got here!” A brown head with green highlights chirped, sporting a boxy and bright smile. Kim Taehyung, 21, your resident troublemaker, but behind that smile was a troubled soul. His mother died when him and his sister were young and were let with an abusive father. Jungkook wondered how he managed to always be so happy despite that.

It was mid afternoon, and Jungkook walked down the gravel path of the trail ways to catch up to one of the three males waiting for him by a train car. He kicked a stone as he finally reached them, hands stuffed in his pockets

“Sorry, Tae I got caught up with finding my shoe”, he chuckled.

Taehyung rolled his eyes as the orange haired male next to him snickered. “Why am I not surprised that the talented Jeon Jungkookie is actually forgetful and always late?” That was Park Jimin, 21, a cute shorty, spent his days doing small jobs in thievery.He was small, quick, and lithe, making the job much easier. He taught Jungkook a few tricks before and the elder seems to have a soft spot for him, constantly doting and hugging the younger whenever they are in close proximity.

“Yah Jungkook-ah! Did you get me food since you took a long time?” The last of the males asked. This was Jung Hoseok part time underground rapper and dancer, part time sunshine. The true meaning of what it means to become the sun. His father threw him out of his home for wanting to pursue a music career. His mother still supports him on the sidelines, but he doesn’t see her often.

“Yah! I’m here now and that’s what matters!” Jungkook groaned hating the fact that he was teased by his hyungs. The three males laughed pulling the younger in a group hug, while Jimin used his knuckle to scratch at his skull, Taehyung held him in place, and Hoseok pulled at his cheeks. “Ouch! Let go weirdos!”

“Hey! You four stop it!” Seokjin’s voice rose warningly from above them. They froze in place, that tone always a warning that their dinner would be at stake. They straightened up and looked up at the male who was standing with a smug face on top of one of the train cars.

“That’s more like it. Now get your asses up here, I got us some good stuff”,he grinned as the four males screamed an howled in excitement and eagerly climbed the train car. They always played a little game. The fastest one to get to their hideout would get dibs on picking whatever Seokjin had managed to get his hands on. Jungkook managed to trip Taehyung once he started his sprint and Jimin was short, so although he was quick, his legs were far shorter than Jungkook’s.

“You fucking cheater!” Taehyung protested, but seemed quite the opposite of mad as he was cackling behind him.

“You brat! Let hyung get some advantage”, Jimin yelled after them beginning to pick up his speed.

No one really dared to trip Hoseok, because although he was older than them, he was afraid of anything. One of them being heights, and so the male chose to walk calmly along Seokjin while the three younger members playfully competed.

By the time the three had finally reached the end of one of the trains. The result was the same as always. Jungkook would end up cheering as he always won while Taehyung and Jimin were sporting pouts. They climbed down the train carefully moving a it back to reach a blue train car as they waited for the two older males to get to them. Seokjin jumped off carefully and knocked three times on the doors before they were opened by two males.

“Wow, took you guys long enough?” The one with pastel pink hair chuckled.

“Aish, who’s fault do you think it was Namjoon-ah?” Seokjin asked with a grin as the pink haired male immediately looked to Jungkook. Kim Namjoon, 22, was a renown underground rapper and worked at a small gas station part time. He had dreams that one day he’d make it big, but with how his economic situation was, he didn’t know how long it would take.

“Bingo”, the other male piped in getting the male in question to flip him the bird. “Hey, don’t think I won’t beat the shit out of you, kid”.

“Pftt, with that height, Yoongi hyung”, Jungkook snickered as the others tried to hold back their laughs.

“Oh, come here you little shit”, the mint haired male jumped at the younger managing to hold him a headlock. They both began a playful quarreling, but once it started getting intense the eldest stepped in.

“Yoongi”, Seokjin warned.

“Sorry, mom”, Yoongi laughed as he let the younger go. Seokjin seemed offended by the statement as the mint haired male patted him in the back as his apology. Min Yoongi, 23, worked alongside Namjoon and Hoseok, his father was a rich business man, but the man disowned him once he and his wife found out their son’s dream was to become a rapper and threw him in the streets.

“Anyways, I stole some pretty good stuff from this thrift store nearby, and decided that tonight we party till we pass out”, Seokjin grinned as he waved a hand excitedly at Namjoon so the male could step out of the way to show the boys a few of the items he’d stolen, from strange glasses to hats, and a few other silly items. They’d been informed that Namjoon had smuggled the beer from the gas station as they saw pack after pack sitting next to the thrift store items.

“Yes! This is gonna be good!” Jimin cheered.

"Please hold back a little though. You get awfully clingy with the youngest when you’re drunk”, Yoongi snickered. The carrot top pouted and rolled his eyes before Hoseok giggled.

“I mean, he doesn’t need the beer to be a Jungkook lover”, the male inquired wiggling his eyebrows.

“Yah. Stop teasing, Jimin! Alright, you lazy brats. Get to carrying everything to the truck so we can go home”, Jin announced as everyone ran to get it done.

~~xXXx~~

It was probably midnight by the time their night had begun. They always did have the craziest parties. Everything was always a blur, a fit of giggle and cackles, and loud music and clumsy dancing. No one knew what fun meant like they did. They were currently on Seokjin’s truck trunk and blocking a road inside of a tunnel. “Alright, let’s fuck shit up!”, Taehyung cheered as he clumsily tried holding on to a red cup with beer. The others were getting close to hammered as they nodded in approval.

One synched scream of war later, and six of them ran down throwing drinks at cars, spray painting their windows, and simply scaring the day lights out of many of the people honking. This was probably the dumbest idea, but they could care less as they were having the most fun only they knew how to have.

"Kook-ah, throw me another can!” Yoongi called out as the younger threw a spraying can towards the elder after running to Seokjin. The eldest gave him a small smile as he gulped at his drink and urged him to call the others so they could leave. He didn’t even have to try to gather them as he looked confused when they ran past the truck and down the empty side of the road as Jungkook reacted and ran with them.

Seokjin shook his head as he started the truck and followed them as they jumped on and left with cries of victory and satisfaction. “You guys are something else. How do I put up with you?” the eldest called out from the window as they all blew him kisses.

“You know you love us!” Hoseok yelled happily as he flailed his arms around.

“Can’t argue with that can you?” Taehyung piped in with a smirk.

"Yeah, whatever”, Seokjin simply sighed as he drove a bit faster. Even as they drove by empty streets,the boys were still screaming and howling as they all cuddled in the back. At some point Namjoon, Hoseok, and Yoongi had climbed into the front to keep Seokjin company while the youngest members of the group stayed in the back talking animatedly.

Jungkook had leaned into the side hearing his hyungs talking a they drove. “Who knew that we’d have such a big family. Six years and still going strong”, he’d heard Namjoon say.

“Yeah, the kiddos were cuter back then. I mean we met when we were young, but they were still teenagers. Now those three in the back are a bunch of troublemakers”, Yoongi motioned lazily and slightly slurred.

At that the four older males began to laugh, a laugh that was filled with both nostalgia and happiness. It made Jungkook feel giddy and he could feel that happiness feeling him as well. He loved is hyungs more than anyone else in the world. They were the only people he had.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve been this happy in my life until all seven of us got officially settled in together”, Seokjin confessed. He heard the snorts from the other three.

“Ah, fuck you guys. I’m being serious”, the eldest chuckled.

“We know, hyung. It’s just amazing to think about it”, Hoseok murmured.

~~xXXx~~

Once they’d arrive at their home they all stumbled into the living room with the beer as Hoseok ran to turn up the music. Jimin being a good dancer joined Hoseok in busting out a few moves although in their intoxicated state, it looked more ridiculous than anything.

They went one activity to another and soon they didn’t even know why or what they were even playing. Jimin and Namjoon were at one point having a dance battle as Seokjin ran around the room with a video camera and recorded the whole time they were playing around. He had reached Jungkook who took a large swig of his beer as the eldest pointed the camera towards him.

“A few words, Mr. Jeon?” The brown haired male piped trying to feign a reporter’s voice. The younger made a comical expression before straightening out as though he were a businessman.

“I want to give a toast for, Seokin hyung! And for my other hyungs too for being the best family I could ever ask for!” He yelled raising his cup as everyone joined him with cheers for his toast.

“Cutieeee!” Jimin yelled in the background as he tackled Jungkook onto the wooden floor and nuzzled against him lovingly.

“Jiminnie hyunggg, get off”, the male giggled, a bit too out of it to fight against the older male’s clinginess. He didn’t even hear the snap of a camera as Seokjin giggled when a picture printed from his Polaroid. He had a hobby for pictures and usually documented moments like these.

Jungkook was probably past oblivion after another hours as he giggled uncontrollably, noticing Seokjin struggle to build a pyramid with some cards only for Taehyung to completely destroy it.

"Yah! You suck!” The elder pouted.

"Whoops, my bad hyung”, Taehyung snickered and they all knew well he was in no way sorry about what he did. Then something peculiar happened.

And for some reason, Jungkook felt he had sobered up for just an instant. While everyone else burst into a fit of giggles, Seokjin seemed to lose the pout and seemed to look dazed as he saw the cards fall. He stared at them longingly as though something was wrong. He looked lost in the moment simply staring at them as though the card would be gone if he looked away. The younger neared him curiously. “Y-You alright hyung?” he slurred out his words trying as best as possible to communicate with the elder.

Seokjin was startled by the question as he looked up from his chair towards the younger. After a few seconds the eldest grinned. “Of course I am. We’re partying here, Kook-ah. You know you’re so cute when you can’t even talk”,he chuckled, but Jungkook wasn’t so convinced when he noticed the elder giving one more glance at the cards. Something was off, but he felt that if his hyung didn’t know, he wouldn’t be able to figure it out either.

But when he did realize it was too late. Jungkook should have seen the signs. But he hadn’t thought about it. Hadn’t ever considered that his moments of bliss would come to a shattering end until everything that had been built between them disappeared slowly and then there would nothing left for him.

Two weeks later, everything went to hell. Jungkook should have known better. Should have stopped his hyung from leaving that night by himself. It should have clicked that Hoseok was afraid of the dark and being by himself, but on that particular night he hadn’t questioned it.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you, hyung?” Jungkook had asked him lazily from where he was on the couch his head on top of Jimin’s lap who was passing his hand through his hair.

“Yeah, Hobi hyung. We’ll go with you”, Jimin offered as well, but Hoseok simply smiled brightly and as though everything were perfectly normal.

“Naw, I’m just gonna get us some food our fridge is looking really sad”, he had said simply and they didn’t bother arguing any further before he was out that door.

A few hours of video games with Taehyung and Jimin, Jungkook had begun to feel worried. “He’s taking long don’t you think?”

“He probably got sidetracked with buying you snacks. I don’t know why we all spoil you ass”, Namjoon answered coming out of the kitchen with a bowl of noodles.

“I am not spoiled!” The younger retorted.

“Yeah, right! It’s just because you look like a defenseless bunny although we all know you’re a little shit” Yoongi yelled from upstairs.

“Fuck yo! No one is talking to you!” Jungkook called out.

“Language! That goes for both of you! I don’t appreciate my son using that language”, Seokjin snickered from his spot on the floor.

“Wow, you guys suck”, he began to say as the phone began to ring loudly. The younger stood making sure to give a kick to Seokjin’s side who whined in protest as Jungkook ran towards the phone.

"Hello?” The silence in Jungkook was enough to alert the others to sit up in alert. “W-Wait, miss are you sure? Y-You must be m-mistaken”, the younger’s voice began to tremble.

“Kookie, what’s wrong?” Jimin asked in concern especially when the male had burst into tears.

The male dropped the phone with a deafening clack as a broken sobbed escaped his lips. Yoongi had run down the steps after hearing him and looked at him expectantly.

“Kookie, what did they tell you? Who was it?” Seokjin asked.

“Hobi hyung’s in the hospital. They said he tried committing suicide”

Well that was the first chapter of this story. I hope you like it. I’m not a fantastic writer, but I gave it a try with this idea. As the chapters go on, the point of view will slowly change to the other members.

CHAPTER 2: MAMA

As for pairings I still don’t know if I should or shouldn’t have some, but I take suggestions.