#Come Experience The Joys. Idiot. and also maybe listen to your sister.

[genshin-projection]

i don't think i can be normal about Sunday guys

[razorblade180]

Interdimensional Moms: part 1

Intro <-

Yang:So how we doin this? Drawing straws or... well we actually don’t have straws here so-

Weiss:It’s obvious that you wanna go first.

Blake:Extremely obvious.

Ruby:All over your face.

Yang:Hey now, don’t call me out like that! We all have so much to sort out here. I don’t even know where to begin. Differences could start and stop anywhere for all we really know.

Blake:From what it seems, Beacon itself would have one or two minor changes, but the real changes start after the fall. At least, for you three that is.

Weiss:You saying you’re different?

Blake:Unless you three started going on dates with Jaune at Beacon, then yes, I’m different.

RWY:(They’ve been together that long!?)

Yang:Okay, starting from Beacon...nothing really stands out too much. Jaune and I were just friends. *cringes* Back then, a certain faunus caught my eye.

Blake:Ah...right. I guess that tracks in practically every universe.

RW:Oh yeah it does. You two are joined at the hip.

Yang:Haha, really? Glad to hear it. My Blake and I are best buds! Remnant has never seen such a dynamic duo! Can’t say it didn’t take a lot of time effort after a rough patch. We actually dated in my world.

Blake:Same.

Yang:What!? How long?

Blake:I don’t know, it was pretty on again off again.

Yang:Well for me it was after Haven. Both of us had gotten pretty serious. All the growing we’ve done together and apart had brought us closer. However, Adam unintentionally put a wedge between us. His attempt to change and the problems that came with it were-

Yang stopped midway and saw the confused faces of her otherworldly teammates. They were shocked, confused even. Especially Blake, who looked the most shocked of all.

Yang:Umm did I say something odd?

Blake:Adam, he...isn’t dead?

Yang:Oh, well I guess that’s the start of the major changes then. Blake and I fought Adam at Argus. Stabbed him through the chest and watched him fall down rocks into a river.

Ruby:That lines you with my world. Dude died that day. Like any normal person should.

Yang:Well Adam is anything but fucking normal. Man has the craziest luck. A young women, the winter maiden in fact, she saved his life. She’s not exactly normal either. The maiden, Jacquelyn, ended up sticking by him to see if she could change his ways. This naturally meant we’d run into them again. And that’s how things fell apart.

Blake:What do you mean?

Yang:You were fully committed to seeing if Adam could actually change. I wasn’t, so we constantly butted heads in any situation involving him. Then we would fight about things that had nothing to do with at all. Eventually, we broke it off. We remained on decent terms but I was pretty heartbroken about the disconnect. Enter our lovable blonde idiot. Jaune did everything in his power to cheer me up.

Weiss:Sounds like him. Always such a bleeding heart. That boy just can’t help himself. Let me guess, his kindness and concern made you feel all warm and fuzzy?

Yang:Hehe, guilty. It was more of his willingness to laugh at my puns. Jaune’s always been interesting to talk to. He tries to act cool and calm even though he’s terrible at it, then comes clean right after. Before I knew it I was telling him things I hadn’t talked about with people before. I could tell he looked at me like most guys do, but also genuinely wanted to listen to me. Talk about playing unfair; he got defenseless. Suddenly I was smiling again. Anytime with him was time well spent. Then one day, I kissed him.

Ruby:Happily ever after?

Yang:Not even close! Hahaha!

Weiss:Why do you sound proud?

Yang:It’s funny looking back at it to a certain degree. Gods, I was such a brat. More than a few fights are on me. Between Blake, Raven, and other experiences, my insecurities flared up in ugly ways over nothing. It even got us to break up too. I was officially done with dating. My Ruby was out in an uncomfortable position.

Ruby:I bet! I’d never want you two fighting. Especially in my world. Picking between the person I love and my sister!? I don’t know what will happen.

Yang:I kinda do. *sets up* You’d start dating Jaune because you’ve looked at him since Beacon. The two of you would confide in each other and share a special kind of love, but it would be bittersweet. All because your sister still pines for him and never met to make him leave, and Jaune never says it, but he hates how things fell apart. He’s faithful to you and would never do you wrong, a guy to truly cherish. So... you let him go. Watch him walk back to your sister like you asked, because my happiness was worth that much to you.

Ruby:....

Yang: In my world at least. Honestly it’s still the most amazing thing I’ve seen you do. We must’ve cried over that conversation for hours. I felt so guilty and you only smiled, hugging me tight. Jaune and I had a few more stumbles. Nothing serious though. Eventually we moved in together when the world was saved. You and Oscar got together officially which made me happy. Even made our weddings a competition of who’d make dad bawl his eyes out the most. You won by the way; Raven came back into our family and into dad’s arms. Last but not least I had a baby. Yujin Xiao Long, my fucking pride and joy from above.

Weiss:Wow, that’s a lot.

Blake:What am I doing? Did I marry Sun?

Yang:Yep. You and blondes Blake, I tell ya.

Weiss:Hold the phone! Who am I with!?

Yang:Pretty sure you’re technically single. Buuuut, Neo and your have gotten pretty friendly from what I managed to interrogate out of you.

Weiss:That’s, highly unexpected. For a number of reasons.

Yang:Better believe it. Besides Cinder, a few crazies, and Salem, a few people made something of themselves. Dying sucks after all.

Ruby:You have a dead Cinder?

WBY: You don’t?

Ruby:*crosses arms* Hmph, I’ll wait my turn. Yang, you said you’re the only mother from our team. If Blake and I have been married for quite some time then what, we don’t want kids?

The joyful sunshine from Yang slipped into grayer skies. Her smile faded and it increasingly got harder to look at this Ruby without thinking of her own.

Yang:Are you sure that’s something you wanna know? I’ll tell you, but I didn’t want to bring down the mood with the problems where I from.

Blake:Problems? How big of a problem.

Yang:The biggest we’ve faced. It’s...a lot.

Ruby:Well we’ve listened this far. *takes hand* Lay it on us.

Yang:Pfft, oh boy. So...umm...another secret war came up. One that caused us to leave our friends and family for over a decade.

Weiss:A decade!?

Blake:What gets worse after Salem!? Who tries anything after a grimm queen!?

Yang:So a majority of Remnant was still unaware of her, but a fight like that can only be kept under wraps so tightly. Plenty of people still learned fractions of the truth. A few of those people weren’t exactly nice guys. They idolized her efforts and became her followers that wanted to keep her will alive, starting with taking revenge on the people who defeated her. We were so unaware. So caught up in normalcy. They ambushed us, and I mean everyone. We...we didn’t come out unscathed. Ren was crippled badly. Weiss, you almost your brother. Jaune’s family got hit but thankfully lived. The real casualties were aimed to hurt Ruby.

Ruby:Oh, of course. S-So, either you’re about to say I had no time to start a family, or...

Yang:...

Yang:When I tell you the look you made when you learned what happened to Oscar, to Qrow... that’s the moment it felt like my little sister left forever. Till this day you don’t smile like you used to. Very recently, now that it’s finally over, you’ve started looking better, but those ten years were hell. We choose to go out and fight again, avoiding contact with family. I haven’t had a real opportunity to be in my daughters life.

Ruby:How old is she?

Yang:Sixteen soon. Left her when she was four so you know. *tearing up* I missed everything. Just about anyways. Ironically it was Raven and Adam that helped her through the years with Jaune and Dad. Eventually we came back and ooohh boy was Yujin not thrilled in the slightest. Hehehe. Her right hook is really strong. I only had about a week with her before things got complicated again. *wipes eyes* But it’s okay. We left on good term. Something I definitely don’t feel like I deserve.

Blake:I can’t believe a thing like that would be possible.

Yang:Cults are a huge problem in Remnant now. You’re definitely aware of that. You actually oversee a little group from the shadows to deal with them in secret. An idea you got from experience. Adam works for you and everything. Hate to admit, but he’s become the guy you wanted him to be. Even has a family. I’m grateful to him. He personally kept my girl safe.

Blake:To think I’d hear you say that. Now I know this isn’t my world.

Yang:Don’t get me wrong, I still will hit him if given the chance. My life hasn’t been charmed and sacrifices too great were happening way too many times but it finally has gotten to a point where everyone feels like we’re taking steps towards a better future.

Weiss:Moving forward?

Yang:Yes, I was trying to avoid the phrase but yes Weiss, we’re moving forward. Still... *looks at Ruby*....

Ruby:W-What?

Yang:It’s unreal seeing you like this. My Ruby has become so strong and endured but hasn’t really picked herself up completely. All her tragedy stemmed from the loss of Oscar and Qrow; her last talk with Oscar was fight about kids too. That’s the entire reason she went off alone in the first place. Looking at you I can’t help but question my own choices. If...I just let her stay with Jaune, then maybe-

Ruby:Nope.

Yang:Huh?

Ruby:Look, if I know anything about your world, then it’s gonna be me and I can tell you without a doubt your Ruby doesn’t blame or would consider her own happiness without you. She loved you enough to take the chance to find love again. You really think there’s anything you could’ve done differently at that point. That girl is as stubborn as they come! *smiles* So buck up cowgirl. You deserve it.

A sense of warmth came over Yang as she heard those words. This other Ruby smiled at her with the same love as her own; completely caring about Yang’s feeling before her own. Yang felt so...unburdened. She couldn’t help but cry a little, laughing softly as she did. Who would’ve thought love could transcend worlds? It was so vindicating, therapeutic even.

Yang:Ruby, you’re something else entirely, you know that?

Ruby:It’s my curse. All I ever wanted was normal knees but the world said “no, special eyes!”

Yang:Well I guess I should thank the world then?

Weiss:You said your Ruby is getting better? That’s good. Still, it must be pretty weird looking at Jaune. Can’t imagine how lonely it must feel losing a love twice.

Blake:It never numbs.

Yang:Geez you two, lighten up. We can’t all be depressed. Ruby also didn’t lose Jaune. Actually....there may or may not have been an interesting...arrangement for a brief period of time.

Ruby:Ehhh what?

Yang:Hehehe well, hahaha, ummmm a decade is a very long time without feeling any kind of pleasure in a bleak situation. And you know me, I have to share things with you all my life.

Ruby:OH MY GOD!!!

Blake:*grinning* Yooooo! You loaned out Jaune!?

Weiss:That’s....accurate; in a lot of ways.

Ruby:That’s so scandalous! How could you!?

Yang:I didn’t force it! I gave the option, you said no, then you changed your mind because things got real stressful. Like come on, a decade of death and loneliness.

Ruby:Sigh...yeah. I can see it. Still, it’s so filthy. He’s a married man. What, so I’d just look at you and say “Yang I’m gonna sleep with Jaune, don’t come in the room.”

Yang:....

Ruby:What?

Yang:....Nothing.

Ruby:Bullshit! What is it!?

Yang:*scratches head* Well, I was lonely too, and a week is only so long-

Weiss:Oh so it was a group thing!!?

Ruby:WHAT!?

Yang:Only sometimes!

Ruby:SOMETIMES!?

Blake:HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! THAT IS AMAZING!

Ruby:Why are you laughing!?

Blake:Because that’s just so extreme, and not, all at the same time. I could totally see that happening.

Weiss:Same. Dang, Jaune slept with sisters. That’s dangerously close to being like your dad.

Ruby:That’s different!

Blake:Is it though?

Yang:Eh, I don’t see the problem. We’re all grown and make choices. Plus I’m the one who guided you through awkward teenage changes. It not like we didn’t share a room for years.

Ruby:That doesn’t make it okay.

Yang:Eh debatable.

Ruby:*red* It isn’t though! How could I do something so bold!? So taboo!?

Weiss:It isn’t like you’re the one who did it. Just a version of you.

Ruby:Not better!

Yang:Awwww it’s okay Ruby. Let’s hug it out. Hehehe *opens arms*

Ruby:Don’t touch me!

Weiss and Blake laugh until their sides hurt as Ruby tries escaping the bear hug that terrorized her. Yang’s world found interesting for sure. Weiss finally decides to help Ruby out.

Weiss:Got a picture of Yujin?

Yang’s eyes lit up and pulled out her scroll. Her team huddled around her and collectively cooed like that parents they are at the sight of a blonde young girl with gorgeous blue eyes with a black combat school graduation cap and gown and a certificate proudly raised up high. If it wasn’t for those eyes and shoulders length hair, they might’ve mistaken her for Yang.

Yang:She’s going to Beacon early because she’s fucking awesome like her mom.

Ruby:I think you mean her aunt?

Yang:I know what I said.

Weiss:I bet she’s just as hardheaded.

Blake:What do you think your kid is up to right now?

Yang: Well...*smiles*

xxxx

The girl in question sat at a work bench with oil on her face and her hands busy tinkering with gauntlets. She looked over at blueprints in a journal. If they were right, then she was definitely doing something wrong. How her mother made something so complex was crazy!

Yujin:Come on Yujin. You can fix a car, making gauntlets into a sword that don’t break should be easy!

Footsteps came up from behind her and a plate stacked with sandwiches. She looked up and smiled at her dad that gave her a wink, then kissed her forehead.

Jaune:Haveing fun, you grease monkey.

Yujin:Jokes on you, I like monkeys. Just a few more attempts and I’ll have the coolest weapon in Remnant. That entrance exam is as good as aced.

Jaune:Not if you don’t have a landing strategy. Tomorrow we’re going on a trip.

Yujin:Does it happen to be near a cliff?

Jaune:Who can say? Rule one of being a huntsman, be prepared for everything.

He ruffled her hair and left, laughing evilly. Yujin could tell he’s been waiting for this day. She pulled out her scroll and searched through a collection of videos labeled “mom” and found a super early one. She hit play and watched her mother give a peace sign to the camera as trees increasingly got closer from below.

Yang:Beacon rules!!!! Wooohooo!

The camera flipped and focused on a familiar blonde flailing through the air like a doll in the distance.

Yang:Oof, hate to be that guy! Wait, that’s vomit boy! Hahah, hope he survives. He owes me shoes. Poor dude. I guess he needs more training in flirting and landing. Wait, eugh I think he barfed again! Hahaha!

Jaune:Stop watching that one!!!!

Yujin:Hahaha but it’s the best one. The ending is priceless.

Jaune: *walks back down*

Yang:Well if he survives this I guess I can off him at least I can offer him mints and company. Fake it to ya make Jaune. Between me and Ruby, at least you’ll look like a player. Heh, nah, I don’t think I can support a bunny onesie.

Yujin and Jaune:*grinning* And then she did! *high-fives* Arc charm, baby!

[bangtanreadingcorner]

rumor has it [1/2] • jung hoseok

plot — your best kept secret comes out and it becomes a hot topic around your university. it also brings you and hoseok closer.

words — 3.5K

You are going to lose it.

Seriously. The next person who asks you if the rumor is true, Lord help them, you are going to go bat-shit crazy on them.

You also swore off drinking indefinitely because if you hadn't been so inebriated, you would have taken another shot instead of telling the truth. Well, maybe not because it was because of drinking shots that you ended up in this mess in the first place.

So, yeah, drinking was out of the picture for the moment.

In all honesty, you weren't embarrassed about it. About still being a virgin. You made your choice a long time ago, and you choose to stick by it. You didn't want a perfect first time, or to wait until marriage, but you want to be comfortable with the person and you want it to feel right. You've never felt that with anyone before.

And if that made you a prude in the eyes of society, well then they can go fuck themselves for all you care. You'll wait until the time is right.

You looked up, to see where your feet had taken you and was it was in the Quad. It was just a large patch of grass with picnic tables place in it. For either eating or studying or just taking a break.

You sat down at a table, and barely twenty seconds after you sat down, three guys approached you. The one in the middle opened his mouth, "Hey! Y/N, is it true?"

You sincerely hoped it wasn't what you think it was, so you decided to give the idiot the benefit of the doubt. "Is what true?"

"That you're a virgin. I wanted to know if it's true, that's all." He said with a dirty smirk, making no secret of the fact that he was trying to check you out - the picnic table hid most of your body so it didn't work as well as he hoped.

"Yes, it's true." You snapped, voice harsh as the last of your patience swiftly ran out. "Rumor also has it you're an insensitive moron. So glad we could both confirm the running gossip. Now fuck off."

The guy scoffed, "Now wonder you're still a virgin. No one likes an uptight bitch."

"Now wonder you're still single. No one likes an stupid dick." You smirked up at him, watching in amusement as he stalked off with his two friends that looked a little embarrassed.

Ah, how you love using people's own words against them. Nothing makes a person angrier than that. It's really amusing too.

There was two more incidents - two girls that were curious, and one guy who offered his experience to you. Ugh.

Your stomach dropped when you saw the next person who approached you because you actually like this guy.

"Oh, not you, too, Hoseok." You groaned when you saw him, dropping your head down on your books.

"What?" Hoseok asked, bewildered, as he slid into the seat opposite you.

You peaked at him, cheek laying on your books, "Aren't you here to find out if the rumor is true and then mock me and judge me?"

"What rumor?" He asked, a little confused, as you sat upright. You just gave him a flat look and waited. You saw the dots connect in his mind. "Right. That rumor."

"Yeah." You gave him a humorless smile.

Hoseok shook his head, expression gentle as he looked at you. "Well, no. I'm not. One, it's none of my business. And two, it'd be hypocritical if I judged you."

"Why would it-" You cut yourself off as realisation set in, your eyes widened in disbelief as you inhaled sharply. "No way."

Hoseok laughed, his face lighting up and dimples on display, "It's true."

"I don't believe it." You laughed in disbelief. Hoseok had to be pulling your leg.

"Believe it." He nodded.

"You? Seriously?" You couldn't wrap your head around it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He frowned at you.

"I don't mean anything by it, it's just . . ." You paused for a moment, gathering your thoughts and then settled with your default setting: brutal honesty. "Well, to be perfectly honest, you're like a wet dream come to life and it's a little hard to believe."

Hoseok's cheeks flushed and a satisfied warmth stirred in your belly, "I, uh, I've never wanted to. I mean, I've had girlfriends before but never enough to want to take them to bed."

"Now that, I understand. I've had two boyfriends and both of them I dropped when they kept pressuring me for more and I didn't want too." You told Hoseok who nodded along with what you said.

"Yeah, I know right. I mean, one of my ex-girlfriends accused me of not loving her." Hoseok actually pouted a bit as he spoke. You giggled at the sight, endeared by him. "She was right thought, I didn't love her. I liked her a lot, but it wasn't love. I don't think I've ever been in love. Not really." He looked at you. "Have you ever been in love?"

"I don't know." You admitted. "I mean, how do you know when you love someone? It's not like you can measure it."

"That's a fair question. I mean, I guess it's something you just know. Like, when you listen to a song and you know you love it after listening to it once. Maybe it's like that." Hoseok said and then suddenly he looked down, seeming embarrassed. "Sorry, you probably think that's dumb."

"No, no, not at all. I think it kind of fits." You said hastily, not wanting him draw the wrong conclusions. "I actually understand what you said more than when someone tries to tells me about how sometimes love is fate or destiny or written in the stars." You pulled a face.

Hoseok laughs and it makes you laugh back.

"Did you want something?" You asked him, when you both calmed down, still smiling.

"Huh?" He asked, clearly a little confused. You thought he looks adorable.

"You came over here," You reminded him. "I assume it was to ask or tell me something."

"Oh yeah." Hoseok's cheeks flushed again as realisation lit in his eyes. "I just wanted you to know that Jae is adjusting nicely to the classes."

A smile automatically spread on your lips at the mention of your nine year old sister. She recently started hip-hop classes and that was actually how you met Hoseok, he's her teacher. One afternoon your mother asked you to pick her up after practice and you and Hoseok talked a bit, and you found out that you go to the same university but just different major's. His is dance and yours is business.

"I'm glad." You smiled wider at him. "You didn't have to come all the way over here to tell me that though."

Hoseok let out a nervous laugh, rubbing at the nape of his neck as he looked at you shyly. "I also wanted to know if I can buy you a coffee sometime, maybe? I wanted to ask you out the day we met, I didn't think it would be appropriate, 'cause I was at work and all."

Now it was your turn to blush, pleasantly surprised by his offer. You had found yourself liking your sister's dance teacher, too, but you didn't know if he would say yes. And he wasn't some random guy could ask out and just forget if he says no.

You smiled, cheeks on fire as you looked at him. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"How does Saturday sound?" Hoseok asked excitedly and your stomach dropped.

"I can't, sorry." You told him, watching as his face fell. "Not because I don't want too. It's just, I promised my mom I'd spend the whole Saturday with her and my sister because according to her she doesn't see me enough." You hurried to explain.

Hoseok smiled again and your heart lifted, "Okay, how about Sunday afternoon?"

You don't think you've ever nodded so fast in your life. "Yes, that's perfect."

***

That Saturday when you went home, your mom squinted at you as you hopped on the kitchen counter as she made breakfast. "What is going on with you?"

"Nothing." You smiled innocently at your mother. She's been giving you looks since you arrived.

"Am I suppose to believe that all this smiling and the happy sparkle in your eyes is from nothing?" She asked, raising a brow. You decided to tell her because you and your mom have always been close. And you've been wanting to tell someone who won't tease you about Hoseok. Your best friends Minji and Jamie does that enough. You also wanted to tell her before she finds out by herself. You would never live it down.

"I'll tell you, but I don't want you to make a big deal out of this, okay, mom?" You said, grinning excitedly.

Her curiousity effectively peaked, your mom nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, I won't. Promise."

"Okay, so, there's this guy I really, really like and we're going out tomorrow." You gushed, barely holding in a squeal as your cheeks hurt from smiling so wide.

Your mother gasped, a smile of joy spreading on his lips. "Oh, oh! This is wonderful news. Who is this young man that's managed to capture your attention? Is he nice? I hope he's not a troublemaker like your second boyfriend. Why, I heard the other day that he got arrested from breaking into someone's home. Can you believe that?"

You winced at the reminder of your second boyfriend. Not one of your proudest moments but you had a lot of fun with him. Right up until he wanted to get into your pants. The relationship went downhill pretty quick after you said no.

"I can't say I'm surprised." You admitted, because he always liked to skirt at the edge of the law, it was only a matter of time before he broke it. Luckily you got away before it went that far.

"Enough about him, though. Tell me about this boy of yours." Your mom pushed with glittering eyes.

You cheeks flushed, "Well, he's not mine yet, mom. And it's just a coffee date."

"Tell me his name then." She prodded hopefully.

You gave her a sheepish smile, "I can't, sorry."

"Why not?" She frowned.

"Because you know him." Now you smirked at her, knowing she'll drive herself crazy, trying to figure out who he is.

***

You couldn't remember the last time you were this nervous.

Oh, no, wait. You could. It was right before you went to get your final results for high school. You didn't sleep that night and you barely slept Saturday night. Falling asleep early Sunday morning and sleeping until finally your alarm woke you up at 11:00AM.

You immediately started getting ready. You took a shower, used a hairdyer for the first time this year (air-drying is much easier and more fun) before taking a hair straightner to your unruly mop of curls. You picked a nice outfit but decided to forego make-up. That would be too over the top for you.

Your phone buzzed with a text a little after 03:00PM.

You smiled widely when you saw who it was. You and Hoseok had exchanged numbers after he asked you out and kept in touch over the last week.

Hoseok

See you in a bit.

You

Can't wait!

You walked to the cafe you two agreed to meet at, nervous but also excited. You entered the cafe and heard your name being called by a familiar voice.

A smile automatically spread on your lips as you walked to the table where Hoseok was waving from. You couldn't even find it in yourself to care about the people staring at you. He stands up when you arrive at the table and goes to pull out your chair but you wave him off with a smile.

"Hey, I'm not late, right?" You asked with a nervous smile.

Hoseok shakes his head, beaming at you. "Nope, I'm early."

You looked at the time on your phone and smiled. 03:24PM. You're both early then. Sure, only six minutes, but it's a good sign, right?

"How've you been?" You ask as you pushed your phone into the back pocket of your jeans.

"Good. I actually caught up on some overdue work, yesterday. You?"

"I'm fine. It was nice spending time with my mom and my sister."

The waitress comes up to your table with a notebook. "Are you ready to order?"

Hoseok's sunny grin dims a bit. "I forgot to give her the menu."

"It's okay." You laughed brightly. "I come here often, so I know what I want." You assured him, then looked at the waitress. "I'd like a bubblegum milkshake and a big chocolate muffin."

"Okay," The waitress nods, repeating your order as she writes and you confirm it. She turns at Hoseok, "And for you?"

"I'd like a hazelnut latte and a waffle with peppermint and chocolate ice cream." He orders. You both wait until the waitress leaves before resuming your conversation.

"Interesting choice. The hot with the cold." You grin at him.

"Mmn, I didn't take you for having a sweet tooth."

You froze for a bit because normally you don't have a sweet tooth, not really, but it's not like you could tell him you're having pre-period cravings.

"Depends on my mood." You said instead, and it was the truth. You ate whatever you were in the mood for in general, not just when you are on your period. But you also like salty food more than sweet, but whenever you crave something sweet, it's usually because of your monthly gift from Eve.

Hoseok nods, accepting the answer. He tilts his head at you, "How's your mom and sister?"

"Well, my sister is an adorable little pain in the ass like always and my mom is starting a list of all the guys she knows, but overall they're good." You told him, laughing a bit as you spoke.

"Do I want to know?" He looked at you, equal parts curious and wary.

"I don't know, do you?" You asked teasingly, smiling at him, wiggling your eyes brows.

He thought for a moment, "Yeah, I do."

"It's nothing bad. I just told my mom about our date, and when she asked for your name, I told her that I can't tell her because she knows you."

Hoseok frowned ever so slightly, "Why didn't you want to tell her?"

"Because I don't want her to bombard you with personal questions until we figure out where we want this to go." You explained, gesturing between the two of you with your index finger.

Hoseok's eyes twinkled with mischief and laughter as he asked, "Ah, so she can ask me the personal questions after we start dating then?"

"Oh, yeah," You nodded, liking the idea of dating Hoseok all too much. "You'll have to prepare yourself to answer anything from what your first word was, to what brand and colour underwear you wear."

Hoseok burst out laughing and you smiled as you watch him. You like the way he laughs, unrestrained and so fully. It makes you feel warm inside.

You talk about this and that until your order arrives. Technically it was dessert, rather than food but eh, neither of you minded. And this was supposed to be a coffee date. It was already better than you two planned.

"Jung Hoseok." You called him seriously, after you finished eating your muffin, fiddling with the straw of your milkshake.

He sobered up, looking a little startled, "Yeah?"

"I adore you." You said, giving him a soft, slow smile.

His cheeks flushed and you realised you like making him blush.

Hoseok looked at you, eyes serious despite his red cheeks. "I really like you, Y/N."

Blood rushed to your cheeks and your heart picked up its pace. You looked down, sipping on your melting milkshake. When both of you were done eating and finished drinking, you ordered another milkshake and Hoseok ordered another latte.

Neither of you were ready to go home yet.

"So, why dance?" You asked him somewhere after your third milkshake, curious.

"I've always found it easier to express myself with my body rather than words." He shrugged, looking a little shy. "It's my greatest passion. When I'm dancing, I'm free."

"I'd like to watch you dance sometime. If you don't mind."

"Yeah, sure. I don't mind." Hoseok shook his head. "Why business?" He asked in return.

"Promise you won't laugh?" You asked first, looking at him seriously.

"I promise."

"And you can't tell anyone and I'll know if you have because I haven't told anyone. Not even my mom, but I think she suspects."

"I won't." Hoseok swore, sitting a little straighter.

"I want to start my own shoe store. Originally I wanted to study something in a fashion direction, I like designing shoes, but the industry is tough to get into. So, I figured I'll start smaller and work my way up." You looked down at the table, fiddling with a serviette.

"Wow. That's like . . .your whole future planned out." Hoseok said, looking at you with wide eyes.

You snorted, "Not really. It's just a dream. It's going to take hard work to make it into a reality."

"You can do it. I believe in you." He said, so sincere that you had no choice but to believe him.

When you finally went home, it was dark and Hoseok walked you back to your dorm room. Halfway there, he brushed his hand against yours and when he slid his palm against yours, you happily entwined you'd fingers.

You opened your door and turned to him, ready to say something but he beat you to it.

"I had a really great time today." He said with that ever present sunny smile that made your heart sing when he directed it at you.

"Me too. It was much better than I expected." You said, only realising after his smile dropped how that might have sounded to him. "Not that I expected it to be bad, just a little awkward because you make me nervous. Really nervous. But it wasn't awkward at all. I was comfortable from the beginning."

"Oh." Hoseok breathed softly, and you could heard the relief in that one syllable. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Maybe we could do it again, sometime?"

"Oh, we better." You told him seriously.

"Well, I should get going. We have class tomorrow." He took a step back from you, clearly intent on leaving. You looked at him with raised brows.

"You're really not going to try for a goodnight kiss?" You laughed.

Hoseok let out an indignant huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hey, don't laugh at me. I'm trying to be a gentleman here."

You positively melted from his words, heart speeding up. You gave him a look full of adoration. "Hoseok, you are always a gentleman and I appreciate it," Your gaze turned a bit mischievous. "But you should know that I've been wondering what it would be like to kiss you since the day we met."

His eyebrows rose, jaw going slack as he looked at you in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes, really." You nodded, amused. "So, whenever you're feeling like being ungentlemanly, just know I wouldn't be opposed to it."

"Okay." He nodded dumbly and you laughed.

"Good night, Hoseok." You told him fondly.

"Night." Hoseok echoed, taking another step back and then turning away from you. You waited until he reached the stair case before you closed your door, letting out a squeal of happiness.

You took of your shoes, haphazardly kicking them into the shoe rack, pulling off your baby pink sweater as you padded to your room, humming with a gigantic grin on your face.

It wasn't five minutes since you arrived home when a knock sounded on your door. You threw your sweater on the bed, heading to the door.

"Yeah, I'm coming." You called, and the incessant knocking ceased. Probably Minji or Jamie that wants to borrow a book or some paper to print a project. You opened the door, frowning slight when you saw who was on the other side, "Hoseok? Is everything okay?"

"I'm not feeling very gentlemanly right now." He declared before stepping closer, grabbing you by the neck and kissing you until you were breathless, your socked covered toes curling.

"Good night." He said when he pulled away, then added on, "For real this time."

You laughed a little, feeling so ridiculously happy. You wondered if you could combust from it.

"Text me when you get home." You blurted, still catching your breath.

"Promise." He nodded, licking his lips. You leaned forward to peck them one last time. For now.

You laughed again, practically vibrating with giddiness as you closed the door for a second and final time.

***

AUTHOR'S NOTE: !!this is not the end!! *pouts* Tumblr told me that I filled all of my 250 boxes, so I have to split it. It's like my fic duet all over again. *le sigh* Idek how people write 12K fics and still fit it in.

part two

[slytherinbarnes]

Sub Rosa [9]

ix. unity day

Pairing: Bellamy Blake x reader

Word Count: 3.1k

Warnings: Language, drinking, violence/fighting, implied character death, sad things. 

Summary: Unity Day welcomes an ironic twist, when a meeting with the Grounders results in everything except unity. 

a/n: happy show day bbs. let’s pretend everything is okay, and just watch this cute smiley gif of Bellamy that I made for this chapter bc he is baby and I love him! also, yes, the taglist for this series is OPEN! also  also, yes all of your sweet comments and reblogs DO make me scream with happiness, so thank you!

previous chapter // season masterlist // series masterlist

You drop down from your perch in your tree, where you spent the better half of the morning watching the Unity Day celebrations from above. As your feet hit the ground, you meander over to the crowd gathered to watch Jaha’s speech, catching the end. “To our sons and daughters on Earth listening to this message, we will see you soon. The first Exodus ship will launch in under sixty hours, carrying you the reinforcements that you need, so stay strong. Help is on the way.”

You roll your eyes as he finishes, before the Unity Day pageant begins. You watch in relative interest, as the crowd around you thins in favor of the Unity Juice that Jasper is passing around. You move closer to the screen as the story of the Ark is told, and you feel someone come up beside you. You know it’s Clarke before she even opens her mouth. “Unity Day right?”

You scoff, catching onto her tone. “We all know the history of the Ark. Refusing to acknowledge the violence doesn’t erase the fact that it happened.” You turn to look at her, shrugging. “Besides, I never got to enjoy it like you guys did. I was always locked up, forced to listen to the celebrations over the speakers.”

She says nothing, and instead turns to watch the pageant. As the story continues, there’s a strange sound before the comms cut out, leaving nothing behind but static. You and Clarke exchange confused glances, and you mutter, “Strange.”

“I’ll keep an eye on it, who knows what’s going on up there.” She takes a breath before turning fully to face you. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but mom will be down in two days.”

“You’re right, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’m not saying you need to forgive her. I’m just saying that you need to be ready to deal with this, to see her and maybe work with her, even if you don’t forgive her.” She squeezes your arm, “Just think about it.”

You watch as she walks off, before you shake your head and move to the perimeter, opting instead to spend a little time on security.

-

Night comes quickly, and with it, the sounds of partying only grow louder. As more Unity Juice makes its way around camp, you trade out on detail, and move to check on the comms. You aren’t surprised to find Clarke already there, tinkering with the static screen. “Still dead?”

She looks up, “Yeah, there’s nothing.” 

She stands up straight and looks around, and you watch her eyes catch on the partying. You smile a little, “You should join them.”

Her eyes flit to yours, surprised, and she immediately shakes her head. “Me? No. There’s still too much to do.”

“Nothing that can’t wait until morning.” You bump her shoulder with your own. “As our top medical professional and the unofficial leader of this camp, you deserve a night off.” 

“I’m not the only leader. You, me, and Bellamy share that title.” She turns to you, a smirk on your face. “Maybe you should go tell him to party. Let loose with him.”

You pull a face and shake your head, “I know what you’re thinking, and no. He’s an ass, and he’s not my type.”

She laughs, and you smile at the sound. “How would you know your type? You were-”

She cuts herself off, expression dropping, looking uncomfortable. You laugh and turn to her, “I was locked up. It’s okay Clarke, you can say it. It’s not like it isn’t the truth.”

When she stays quiet, you grab her hand. “C’mon, we’re gonna go get a drink together, AND just to appease you, I’ll bring one to Bellamy.”

Her grin splits her face, and she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. “Really? Ooooo.”

You roll your eyes and lead her to the fire in the middle of camp, picking up two cups of juice,  handing one to your twin. You turn to face each other, and your mouth lifts in a smile. “To the stars.”

Her smile matches yours, “To the moon.”

You both tap the cups together before swallowing the juice quickly, urging it past your tongue and down your throat before you can think about the taste. You scrunch your nose as you feel it trace a path through your body, and you smile when you find Clarke’s expression matching your own. You both laugh and you have to control the feeling spreading through your body, a mixture of pure joy and a nostalgia for something you’ve never gotten to experience before. Going to a party with your twin sister. 

She pulls you from your thoughts by lifting two cups to your face, a smirk hidden behind her neutral expression. “Appease me.”

You grab the cups with an eye roll and scan the camp for Bellamy, finding him quickly near the edge of the party, watching everything with a smile on his face. Your stomach flips, and you tell yourself it’s the Unity Juice. You head towards him, turning to glance at your sister, who is full blown laughing now. You shake your head and turn back, coming to a stop in front of Bellamy. He smiles, “Best Unity Day ever.”

He lifts the apple in his hand to take a bite, as you lift the drink to him. He takes it with his empty hand, and glances down at the other cup in your hand. “Didn’t know you were the type to let loose.”

A laugh blows past your lips, “Never really had the chance before this.”

His smile drops a fraction of an inch, and you regret being the reason why. His eyes find the Ark in the sky. “Your mother comes down in two days. You ready to face her?” His eyes drop and lock with yours, “You ready to forgive her?”

“I don’t want to talk about my mother.” You lift your glass and give him a one sided cheers, before draining it in a single gulp. When you lower the cup, you can see mischief glinting in his eyes. 

“Well I guess that’s that then.” And then he lifts his glass to do the same.

-

You don’t know how long it’s been when Clarke finds you and Bellamy, plopped beside each other, side by side, laughing. “Hey Clarke, are-”

You lift your eyes to greet her, cutting yourself off when you see her face, expression etched with that serious look she gets. “I need to talk to you.” Her eyes shift from yours to Bellamy. “Both of you.”

You stand, a little uneasy on your feet, and you feel Bellamy shift onto his feet beside you. “What’s wrong?”

“Finn's set up a meeting with the Grounders. I'm leaving to go talk to them.”

You rear back in shock, and Bellamy stills beside you, voice coming out in a quiet angry way that scares you a little. “Because you think that impaling people on spears is code for ‘let's be friends’? Have you lost your damn mind?”

“Bellamy is right, Clarke.”

She shrugs, “I think it might be worth a shot. I mean, we do have to live with these people.”

“They'll probably gut you, string you up as a warning.”

Her voice drops, “Well, that's why I'm here. I need you both to follow us, be our backup.”

You think about Finn, and all his anti violence rhetoric. “Does Finn know about this?”

She turns to you, “Finn doesn't need to know.” She grabs your hand, giving you a serious look. “And bring guns.”

You nod your head and squeeze her hand. “Be careful.”

She squeezes back and walks away, leaving you and Bellamy to make a beeline for the weapons tent. When you both step inside, Jasper and Raven are already there, lost in conversation. Bellamy starts talking as soon as he sees them. “Jasper, you're coming with me.”

“I am?”

You lift a gun and hand it to Bellamy, who passes it to Jasper. “You handled yourself well in the cave with the Grounder.”

“I mean, I hit him in the head.”

You step over to the bullets and start grabbing some, but Raven puts her hand on your arm to stop you. “If you're planning on shooting anything, you better think twice. I haven't checked those yet.”

You shrug her off, “Then give me some bullets that work.”

“What do you need them for?”

You say nothing, and turn to look at Bellamy, who just shrugs in response. You turn back to her and give her a glare. “Your boyfriend's being an idiot. And has now dragged my twin into his idiocy.”

You see her face drop, and regret mentioning Clarke, just a little. She hands you a few magazines full of bullets. “I'm coming with you.”

You shrug, “We can always use one more.”

You turn and hand some of the bullets to Bellamy before you both exit the tent, Raven and Jasper right behind you. Bellamy nudges your arm and then points, and you follow his finger and see Clarke and Finn ducking out of camp. You turn to Bellamy and nod, letting him take point before you follow, the other recruits hot on your heels. 

Most of the hike is spent in silence, trying to keep Finn from hearing the group following behind them. Night bleeds into day, and you feel yourself growing sober with every step you take. You never thought you’d miss Unity Juice, yet here you are. As the terrain slopes down, Finn and Clarke stay level as your group goes down below. Eventually the trees open up over a small creek and a bridge, and you can see Clarke and Finn standing side by side, with...Octavia. 

Your brows lift in surprise, and Jasper whispers, “What's Octavia doing here?”

You all watch as the Grounder from before runs across the bridge, catching Octavia in a hug as she flings himself into his arms. You nod, your earlier suspicions now proven correct, as Raven reaches the same one. “I guess we know how he got away.”

Beside you, Bellamy tenses, and you reach out to put a hand on his arm. He turns towards you and his eyes soften a bit, before you give him a small smile and a nod. He nods in return and you both turn back to the scene, watching as the Grounder angrily eyes Clarke, and she shifts back and forth, nervous. You feel your fingers tense around your gun, but before you can react, Finn reaches out and grabs Clarke’s hand. You turn and look at Raven, her face fallen, and realize how stupid you were for directing your anger at her on behalf of Clarke. Because Finn is clearly the problem. 

You turn back to the bridge, watching as three horses emerge from the shadows, and a woman slides off one of the horses and makes her way towards Clarke, who is now walking to the center of the bridge, alone. You watch through your scope, trying to make out what they’re saying, but unable to. All you can see is the anger on the Grounder woman’s face. Raven says as much. “Grounder Princess looks pissed.”

Behind you, Jasper mutters, “Oh, no. No. This is bad.”

Bellamy spins towards him, and you watch as Jasper lifts his scope to the sky. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“There’s Grounders in the trees.”

“What?”

“Where?”

“Are you sure?”

You all lift your guns and look around, scanning the trees nervously. You lower your gun when you don’t see anything, and turn to give Bellamy a concerned look. “I don't see anything.”

“They're gonna shoot!” And before any of you can stop him, he jumps from behind the treeline, screaming, “Clarke, run! Run!”

He lifts his gun and immediately starts firing, and you watch as a Grounder falls from a tree. You lift your gun and turn towards the Grounder woman, aiming as she pulls a knife from her sleeve. You pull the trigger and fire a single bullet, watching as it catches her in the shoulder. Clarke turns to look at you, scared, her eyes locked on yours. You nod once, and then turn back to the trees, firing as Raven yells behind you, “Go, go, go!”

You and Bellamy cover them as they run back into the woods, and you watch in relief as Clarke, Finn, and Octavia slip behind the trees, heading into safer territory. 

You and Bellamy turn and leave, covering each other, sprinting up the hill and meeting up with the others as you tear through the trees, ignoring the branches that tear and scratch you. You run until the sun drops from the sky and the walls of the camp come into view, and only then do you all stop, doubling over to catch your breath. 

You look around at the others, and your eyes land on Finn, who is leveling a glare at Clarke. If looks could kill. You step closer to him, brushing past Bellamy to glare right back. “You got something to say?”

Finn stands tall, still looking at Clarke, voice loud. “Yeah. I told you, no guns!”

She steps beside you, radiating anger. “I told you we couldn't trust the Grounders! I was right.”

Raven cuts in right after, exasperated. “Why didn't you tell me what you were up to?”

He spins towards her, “I tried, but you were too busy making bullets for your gun!”

Bellamy jumps to Raven’s defense, “You're lucky she brought that! They came there to kill you, Finn.”

“You don't know that! Jasper fired the first shot!”

Octavia glares at Jasper, “You ruined everything.”

“I saved you! You're welcome.”

Octavia storms off and Jasper follows, clearly upset. Finn turns back to Clarke, “Well, if we weren't at war already, we sure as hell are now. You didn't have to trust the Grounders. You just had to trust me.”

Finn storms off into the camp, with Raven right behind, calling his name. You, Clarke, and Bellamy exchange glances, thinking the same thing. He turns to you, shaking his head. “Like I said, best Unity Day ever.”

Behind you, a loud sound rips through the air, and you all turn to look at the sky, watching as a bright light races across it. Bellamy muses, “The Exodus ship? Your mom's early.”

Clarke lets out a laugh and you feel your skin pull tight with anxious energy. But as you all watch the ship, her smile fades. “Wait. Too fast. No parachute? Something's wrong.”

And as soon as she gets the words out, the ship disappears behind a range of mountains. Seconds later, a bright light flashes through the sky, followed by an explosion. You jolt back as if the explosion hit you, mouth dropping open in shock. Beside you, Clarke shifts, and then stumbles, dropping to her knees, a choked sob escaping her throat. You drop down beside her, wrapping your arms around her as she sobs, crying out for the only parent you both had left. 

You feel Bellamy lower down behind you, placing a strong hand on your shoulder and Clarke’s. Later you’ll wonder when things changed between you and him, when your mutual hatred started to ebb. Whether it was gradual, or all at once. Whether it was ever really hatred at all, or just misplaced anger. But for now, you hold your twin close, comforting her as she cries for your mother. 

-

It’s hours later before you pull yourself up into your tree, and allow yourself to think about her. And just as you start to get lost in thought, a voice drifts up from below. “Anyone home?”

“Yes.”

“Can I come up?”

You hesitate for a moment. “Yes.”

You wait and listen, the sound of boots scraping against bark and grunts as he pulls himself higher. And then, a dark head of hair pops into view, followed by a face full of freckles, cheeks pink from exertion. He pulls himself up beside you and leans heavily against the trunk, catching his breath. You hide a smile and let your gaze lift to the stars, watching as the Ark blinks across the sky. Bellamy lets out a breath, and then, “You couldn’t have picked a lower branch?”

You breathe out a laugh, and glance over at him, watching as his eyes scan your face. You blush and look back up. “Better view up here.”

“You’re fond of the sky.”

You smile, and turn to look at him. “Because of my dad. He used to teach me the constellations, tell me all the stories, answer every question I had. It was our thing. Everything else was Clarke’s thing. But this,” you glance at the sky again, “This was all mine.”

You sigh, look down and pick at your nails. You can still feel Bellamy’s gaze heavy on your face. “I spent my entire life eclipsed by her. Weird to think that now she’s all I have left.”

You feel tears start to well up in your eyes, and Bellamy shifts closer, putting his hand on your knee. “I thought I wanted her dead. But now that she is…” You glance at him, remembering his mom. “I know that’s selfish. Your mom was taken from you and I wished mine away. But I was so angry. Angry that she turned in my father, angry that she took the only person that really understood me. Because, despite being a twin, I knew they favored her more. Clarke was better behaved, so she was chosen to see the Ark, be in the open. Clarke got the best grades, top choice for an apprenticeship, the undying favor of our mother. And I got a mother that always seemed ashamed of her secret.”

You fall silent, letting the anger squish out the sadness, until none of it remains. Bellamy takes a breath and his voice is quiet when he says, “You’re allowed to feel conflicted, you know. She was your mom, who, despite everything, kept you a secret until you were born because she didn’t want to give you up. And she gave up your father, for whatever her reasons were, and you’re allowed to be angry about that too. But don’t let that anger poison you and your relationship with your sister.” His voice drops softer, “Trust me.”

You look over at him, and his hand squeezes your knee. “You are not Clarke, and that is a good thing. You always talk about how bright she shines, but the stars don’t light up the darkness like the moon can. The stars don’t control the tide. The stars are important, but the moon is our guiding light.”

You feel tears squeeze your throat for a different reason, but you swallow them back down, whispering a quiet, “Thank you.”

He nods and you both fall into silence, shifting your gaze from Bellamy, to the guiding light that sits high in the sky. 

-

next chapter

[thorne93]

Unforeseen Chasm (Part 64)

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.

Word Count:2655

Warnings: Language, dark moment for reader, 5 yrs after the snap, grief, anger, killing spree, new love, endgame plot, enter Uncle  Wade Wilson,hope, worry, Song for this part: Cruel Summer- Taylor swift Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my novels). It’s a collaboration with the amazing @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​​. It started as a funny “What if…?” and it evolved and got huge. This took two years to write. We are both proud and happy and we hope you enjoy it. It follows from Thor 1 to Endgame in the MCU. Some of the timelines may be off in order to fit certain people, and some characters may show up earlier or in different ways than they have in the movie. But for the most part, it follows the MCU. It also has a bit of crossover with some other Marvel characters throughout the story.

Masterlist for Unforeseen Chasm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Don’t kill me, I have family,” the man begged. 

“So did I.” 

You charged the knife and flung it at his head, stabbing him between the eyes instantly killing him. 

That was the last of one of the cartels in Brazil. He was a ruthless, horrible man that you’d been tracking for two months. Him and about ten others who worked for him. But you’d just single handedly killed all ten of them in their warehouse. 

About eight months ago, you ran into Clint Barton. Apparently, when the snap happened, he lost his entire family and went off the deep end like you did. He was filled with bitter rage. Wondering why monsters like this survived and his family was gone. You were both tracking the same people and when you found each other, you agreed to stay together. It made sense and both of you felt like it was nice to see a familiar face with a similar past and same vendetta.

Remy followed you everywhere. He stayed in horrible hotels and motels, just to follow you around. Sometimes he followed you on your missions, lingering in the shadows making sure you didn’t get hurt or need backup. You and Clint sometimes fought together, so he wasn’t too worried, but other times you two worked separate jobs or different jobs in the same area, and that’s when Remy would watch out for you.

You came back to the room you’d rented. Since the job was done, you’d pack, sleep, and move onto the next target you’d talked about with Clint. Remy stayed out of the way of you two, never saying or offering any judgment or criticism. He understood the path you two were on. He didn’t like it, and he didn’t think it was bringing you much joy, but this was what you wanted, and to be honest, the world was better without the people you were killing. 

By now it had been five years since the snap. Your first year was filled with global travel then settling down in New Orleans. The second year you tried to find domestic bliss with Remy, the two of you having steady jobs. Then the last 3 years were filled with hate, rage, murder, vendettas. 

What you did… what you were doing… it didn't bring you joy, but it made you feel better for a split second that horrible people weren't ruining good people's lives. 

Remy had been great since the day he showed up in Paris. He had been understanding of Loki and never pressured you to move on. Remy understood where he stood in your heart and he accepted it because this was all he had wanted for many years. He wished he didn't have to watch you suffer and grieve to get to this point, he somehow wished things were different in that he was your first choice and not Loki. But ultimately, he respected your heart's desires. 

Truthfully, you did love Remy. You had told Shannon what seemed like centuries ago that perhaps in another life where you didn't know Loki existed or had never met him, Remy would be your one and only. Now that Loki was gone though, it felt so wrong. It felt wrong to be happy, to even think of moving on, to even entertain the idea of loving another. 

Half of you couldn’t imagine moving on without Loki - he was your life, your life, your world. He’s the one you wanted to share your life with. The other half felt guilty to experience any happiness, because it was your fault the world was the way it was. Why should you get a happy ending when it was your fault everyone was in this living Hell?  

But your heart doesn’t listen to logic or reason. You didn’t mean to fall in love... 

This had been on your mind for quite some time. Perhaps right after he almost proposed was when you started to really take notice of him. But it wasn't until maybe three months ago, almost five years after the snap, that you felt like you could maybe allow yourself to love him back. 

You weren't ready to give up on Loki, or even consider moving on, but perhaps there was room enough for more than one love in your heart. 

Remy had been nothing but kind, sweet, understanding, and supportive. He let you grieve and deal with things the way you needed to. If you ever asked for space, or pulled away from a kiss, he didn't get upset or disappointed. He'd just assure you it was alright. He was with you, day in and day out, practically since the snap happened. Without him, you weren’t sure you would’ve survived this long.

After all that, and everything you went through as children together, how could you not love him? 

Simple: you did.

“How’d it go?” Remy asked once you got inside the hotel room. He was reading a magazine at a bar in the little kitchenette the place offered. 

“Job’s finished,” you answered simply. 

“So it’s Japan next?” 

“Yep.” 

You started to grab some quick food to make yourself some dinner. “I’m sorry to do this to you. To drag you all over the world for some… vendetta.” 

“It’s alright. I know why you have to do it,” he assured. 

Tears rolled down your cheeks as you smiled, pulling the food from the cabinet. Something in you told you he needed to know how you felt. That it was the right time, if there ever was a right time. 

It was time to face the harsh reality that Loki wasn’t coming back. None of them were. You couldn’t live every day in his memory, drowning in grief and depression. It was time to move forward, as hard as it was, you knew it was the right decision. And doing it with Remy wouldn’t be so bad, right? He was a wonderful man with a big heart.

"For whatever it's worth, I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?” you asked through tears as you turned around to face him, a bit of a laugh coming out of you. 

He looked up grinning like the devil. “I think that’s the best news I ever heard,” he countered, getting up to round the bar before he took you in a hug. “I know that was hard for you to say, cher, but I love you all the more for it,” he assured softly as he brushed his knuckles across your face.

You gently smiled before giving him a quick kiss. 

It looked like this was the start to the beginning of a new chapter for you.

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

You were in Japan now, taking care of one of the mafia that had been in power for decades here. You just decimated one of their safehouses, leaving a pile of bodies behind you. Clint was digging up more information at the moment and he would take the next hit on the mob. 

Just as you grabbed Remy to go find some dinner, you two were walking down the street, it was wet from a recent rainstorm when you suddenly heard someone say your name from behind you as they grabbed your hand. 

“Y/N Y/L/N?” Wade said. “Of course your Y/N who am I kidding”. He went to pull your hand.

The sudden action made you move reflexively. 

As you spun, you charged his hand and as he pulled away to gasp in pain, you mustered up your dark electrical purple energy in your left fist and slammed it into his chest, the heel of your palm colliding with his sternum. It sent him flying backwards into a cart on the sidewalk. You straightened up before glancing back to Remy, confusion on your face.

“You’re not exactly friendly, are you?” the man asked as you stared at him. He was getting up, wiping the debris off himself. He was clad in a red and black suit from head to toe. “Should have known better than to try that.” His tone had a sort of whimsy to it , almost as if he was telling a joke. 

“Who the hell are you?” you all but growled, your fist raised and still glowing.

Remy came up behind you though and gently lowered your arm. “Cher, I know this man.”

“You know him?” you accused, as if knowing this idiot was an inexcusable offense.

“Unfortunately, yes. This is Wade Wilson. He’s an X-Man,” Remy explained.

“Correction I am not an X-men,” he offers his hand. “Deadpool’s the name killing’s my game.” He pretended to curtsey.

Your eyes shot back to the man now known as Wade and you narrowed your gaze. “Why are you here? What do you want with me?”

“First of all, let me just say wow about that little trick of yours. Also to be fair, you overreacted,” he quipped.

“Overreacted? Some stranger just grabbed my hand. You're lucky I didn’t kill you. Now what the hell are you doing here?” 

“Listen here, buttercup, I’m here on a favor of Shannon Stark. Remember her?” 

Your mouth fell open slightly. “You know Shannon?” 

“Yeah, we go way back!” He waved his hand. “I babysit her kid time from time but the point is, she wanted me to find you, to bring you home. She’s worried about you or something. I wasn’t really listening. I just owe her a favor so I got the gist of the mission and then said, ‘You owe me one hundred chimichangas and not the cheap stuff because I know Stark can afford the nice ones so don’t even think about skimping on --” 

“Do you ever stop talking?” you interjected, glaring at him. “Wait, did you say Shannon’s kid?” This hit you like a wrecking ball. 

Shannon had a child? There was… she… a child? You couldn’t wrap your head around it. 

“No, he doesn’t,” Remy responded as he stared him down. “Wade, go on home now. Y/N and I don’t wanna go back. We’re happy and we are on our own.”

“Yeah see that wasn’t really part of the contract. I’m supposed to bring you back and --”

“Sorry to disappoint, but you can’t bring me back, I’m not going.” 

“You’re gonna break Shannon’s heart,” he said with fake sadness. 

“I already did, but nice try.” You turned and started to walk away.

“Well too bad because I don’t take no for an answer so gear up, we’re heading back now.” He went to pick you up. “And don’t try doing that little trick of yours again. Shannon said to bring you back but she didn't say in what condition.” Deadpool smirked. 

“I already told you, asshat, I’m not going anywhere with you,” you replied and jumped back flaring up your purple energy. “You can just tell her you haven't found me.”

“Well it looks like that won’t be necessary. See the thing is she already knows you’re here.” Wade sing-songs. “When you weren't looking, I sent coordinates and they had been on standby.” 

“You what?!” you all but shouted, terror snaking in your voice. “Remy, we have to go.” You started to turn and grab his sleeve. 

Unbeknownst to you, Shannon had already gotten there and was waiting for the moment to appear. 

“Are you really going to be a sack of unicorn shit and just break her heart like that?” Wade asked, cocking his head. “So much for being a good sister.” 

Feeling guilty you turned to him. “She’s survived without me for this long I’m sure she’s more than fine.” You shook her head. “And what's a little heartbreak when she’s fine?” 

Just then Shannon walked out of the alley she and Natasha had been waiting in. Both women went their separate ways. Shannon to you and Nat to Clint. 

“So you’re really okay with breaking my heart after everything we’ve been through?” Shannon called out loud enough for you to hear. “What happened to being family?”

The sound of her voice cut you like a knife. 

“You’ve got your own family now, it sounds like. I thought you’d be better off without me, and it appears I was right.” You let your hands span out beside you before falling, a sad smile on your face. 

“Y/N, you’ve been gone for 5 years! You have no idea what's happened in that time.” She shook her head. “We may have found a way to reverse what Thanos did, but we need you—I need you.” She stretched her hand out to you.

“Sorry to ruin the moment but I’ve done my part,” Wade interrupted the moment. “Now when do I get my chimichangas?” 

You eyed Wade for a moment, irritated with him after only five minutes. Then your gaze shot to Shannon’s hand. 

“Really, Wade? Couldn’t this wait till after we got back?” Shannon asked, looking a little annoyed. “Plus they’re at the cabin, hidden because you got Morgan addicted to those!” she retorted.

Sheepish, he ducked his head. “It’s not my fault the kid hasn't tried all the good stuff.” Shrugging, he added, “It’s not like they’ll harm her anyways.” 

“Just get back to the quinjet.” Shannon turned her head facing you again as Wade retreated. “Sorry about that, he can be a lot to handle sometimes.”

“Clearly. Much like, was it, Morgan? A child? You have a child?” There was venom and betrayal in your voice. Although, to be fair, she had no way to reach out to you to give you any news. That was on you. 

“We can talk all about it, if you come back with me.” 

“Why do you need me?” you questioned. 

“It’s an all hands on deck sort of situation. You’re just about the only one who stands a chance against him.”

“But last time--”

“Last time was different. We know what we’re up against now. There may be a way to reverse it. To get everyone back.”

Tears pricked at your eyes. You hadn’t cried over Loki in some time. He was on your mind, every day, always, but the grief laden sobs had slowly died down over the last five years. 

“Don’t promise something you can’t deliver,” you warned, your fist balled up. You could tell Remy was getting worried at your side. “I can’t go through this again.”

She stepped even closer to you, taking your hand. “You won’t. We will win this time. I promise. You need to come home, Y/N. It’s time.” 

You looked back to Remy who gave you a look that told you this was your choice, your call. You knew he’d follow you anywhere, no matter what you chose. 

You heaved a sigh and turned back to Shannon, giving a firm nod to let her know you were in. This is what you’d been waiting for. Now it was finally here, and even if it meant possibly losing everything again, going through the same pain again, it was worth it to try and get everyone back. To get him back.

Once everyone was back on the quinnjet. Things got a bit quieter. You had fallen asleep, leaning on Remy. Shannon walked over to the two of you and covered you in a blanket. 

“Here, she’ll get cold soon, she always does when she’s on here.” She smiled sadly seeing just how tired and bruised you looked. “I’ll let Tony know you’ll be staying with us. Did you want to share the room with Y/N or your own?” she asked, unsure of the situation.

“We can share a room, that'll be fine. Thank you, Shannon. It’s good to see you again.”

“Okay. Is there anything you guys might need right away? It’s good to see you too.”

Remy shook his head. “Nah, we should be good. Thank you though.”

“Alright then but if anything comes to mind let me know okay?”

“Will do.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag List: @essie1876​ @magpiegirl80​ @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked​ @iamwarrenspeace​ @marvel-imagines-yes-please​ @superwholocked527 @missinstantgratification​ @thejemersoninferno​ @rda1989​ @munlis​ @thefridgeismybestie​​ @bubblyanarocks3​​ @igiveupicantthinkofausername​​ @kaliforniacoastalteens​ @feelmyroarrrr​​ @kaelingoat-blog​ @friendlyneighbourhoodweirdo​​ @damalseer​​ @heyitscam99​​ @yknott81​​ @sorryimacrapwriter​​ @glitterquadricorn​​ @xxqueenofisolationxx @little-dis-kaalista-pythonissama @bittersweetunicorm​​ @alyssaj23​​ @sea040561​​ @princess76179​​ @thisismysecrethappyplace​​ @sarahp879​​ @malfoysqueen14​​ @ellallheart​​ @breezy1415​​ @marvelmayo​​ @random-fluffy-pink-unicorn @cocosierra94 @hardcollectionworldtrash @capsmuscles​ @marvelloushamilton @paintballkid711​

Loki: @lostinspace33​​ @ultrarebelheart​​ @lenawiinchester​​ @esoltis280​​ @tngrayson​​ @wangdeasang​​ @harrymewmew @jayfantasyatyourservice​​

UC: @lokis-high-priestess​

[yutaya]

Discord was all, “what would Danny be like in an AU where he was CEO instead of the Iron Fist?” and then they were like “What would WARD be like if he was the Iron Fist instead of CEO?”, and I was like “wow interesting question and I kind of want to answer but also I have to go to work ttyl” - and then I didn’t reply for like, a week and a half, but - here we go.

So. A role reversal AU where Danny is the CEO of Rand Enterprises and Ward is the Iron Fist.

So maybe in this universe, it wasn’t Madame Gao who approached Harold with an offer to save him. Maybe it was Harold, desperately searching for any way to prolong his own life, who hears whispers about shadows who don’t die, that there’s an organization, and Harold doesn’t even hesitate to offer them a deal in exchange for immortality. It’s nothing to Harold to dip his company into criminal enterprises, after all. He even suggests a solution to the possibility of his straight-laced business partner hindering their business - a plane crash related solution.

But the Hand likes to believe they control everything, and in this universe, it was not their idea to approach Harold Meachum and acquire Rand as a resource. The audacity! This man thinks he can come and use them, an outsider, using their substance, and doesn’t even have the honor to offer a true sacrifice in return, only that which he wouldn’t mind giving up and which he may even be planning on doing with his company and his business partner anyway?

So the Hand says, interesting proposition, meet us in one of our upcoming base locations where we may be able to discuss terms and your supplying the building for our next facility there, and then just as Harold so eagerly suggested a plane crash for his business partner, he finds his own travel to Anzou cut short.

A plane crash may be too showy for the Hand’s usual tastes, but Madame Gao does appreciate the poetic-ism of it.

In another world, Wendall took Heather and Danny with him on his trip to investigate the Anzou facility. In this world, Harold took Ward, for another “lesson” on “being an effective business man”.

Did he bring Joy as well? Spin it as some family vacation time in China after daddy’s business meeting is through? Intend to have Ward watch her while he conducted the more unsavory parts of his business?

If Joy and Ward are both on the plane:

-A: Joy, like Heather, dies in the plane crash, leaving Ward as sole survivor. This would absolutely devastate Ward, and not really work, I think - maybe it would be convenient to create a whole “fueled solely by revenge and with nothing left to lose, Ward channels all his energy and stubbornness and drive into destroying the Hand who took his baby sister” plot line, but… that’s like, Darkest Timeline content, and it makes me sad to think about, and also Ward is at his core more of a “protector of those he loves” guy than a “dark and vengeful” guy, so.

-B: Both children survive the crash. Their father does not. Joy is devastated, and ten years old, and Ward’s first priority is to prevent his little sister from freezing to death on a snowy mountain top in the fucking Himalayas. So how does this go? Ward and Joy both grow up in K'un Lun. Joy wants to go home to Danny and Heather and Wendall and their company, so when the pass opens fifteen years later, she takes off, and Ward goes with her, because of course he does. 

Maybe in this world they’re closer, still brought together by living through their father’s death and by having to present a united front against the sharks in the water, even if those sharks are monks sneering at the foreigners this time instead of businessmen looking to tear down the children running a company, but without Ward isolating himself, going down a path of drug abuse and mysterious injuries. Without Joy going to college and law school and struggling to prove herself next to her “prodigy” big brother.

These Meachum siblings go back to New York and to a Danny Rand who lost both of his siblings and his uncle in one fell swoop, who was left alone but for his parents. Wendall and Heather, to their credit, are kind and loving parents who hug him and do their best to support their child through the entire family’s grief and talk to him about death and such, but they are still adults with jobs and responsibilities and a whole lot of workload dropped onto their plates in the fallout of the entire Meachum family’s tragic demises.

How does Danny fare, left all alone? He grieves. He’s lonely. He’s angry at the circumstances, at faulty planes, at the shoddy craftsmanship that must have gone into it because it’s easier to rail against that than the idea that sometimes these things just… happen. He’s even guiltily angry with the Meachums, for leaving him. But he’s also Danny Rand, who came out of tragedy and abuse a kung-fu master ball of hope and light.

So Danny makes the best of things. Maybe when he gets a little older, hits his teenager years, he starts going out. Gets really good at slipping away from his security guards - learns to be light on his feet. Goes to skate parks, marvels at some of the tricks the other kids can do, and starts learning a bit of parkour, just because it’s cool. Maybe he explores the city he only really saw before from penthouse balconies - makes friends with hole-in-the-wall restaurant owners and moving company workers and homeless dudes in the park. Maybe he visits Chinatown, Harlem, Hell’s Kitchen.

Maybe Danny ends up with connections all across the city, and in this universe, all those Rand Enterprises ads about being “for the family” and “there to support people” are a little more true than in another universe where the Hand was pulling Harold’s was pulling Ward’s strings. Wendall and Heather and business school teach Danny not to just give away all their products at cost when he takes over after Wendall either decides to retire early or just steps down into a lower position as part of a planned, gradual transition for the company, but maybe Danny helps set up programs to help get their product to disadvantaged groups without immediately inviting the board to oust him. 

Maybe Rand is heavily involved in philanthropy. Maybe a certain portion of those funds go to research on aircraft safety, and to families of plane crash victims. Maybe Danny still always separates out brown m&ms.

And then, one day, two adults show up claiming to be the long dead Joy and Ward Meachum, with a fantastical tale about surviving the plane crash and being raised in a monastery, and coming back now to reconnect with their old friend. They do not say that the monastery was part of a village that only connects to the rest of the world every fifteen years, or that the people there are all part of a cult dedicated to fighting a shadow organization of undead ninja criminals, or that, by the way, Ward punched a dragon in the heart and his fist glows now, because they are not idiots, but it still seems a little too good to be true. Danny wants to believe, but his parents caution him, and Danny’s fingerprint in an old ceramic gift won’t necessarily help ID Joy and Ward Meachum. Still, let’s say the Rands are a lot more willing to civilly work to gain proof one way or the other, and Joy and Ward don’t take offense to the need for verification, and somehow they figure it out and commence awkwardly trying to reconnect now that they’re all adults with different life experiences and nothing turned out how they’d expected it would as children.

And maybe the Meachum siblings get wind of the Hand in New York, or the Hand gets wind of the Iron Fist in New York, and they kind of try to keep Danny out of it but HA like that was ever going to work; they finish fending off a group of attackers in their new penthouse living room and once the ninjas disappear through the top-of-a-skyscraper-window they turn to find Danny standing in the doorway with an army’s worth of Chinese take-out in his arms and his mouth gaping.

They try to play it off. Danny points out that he literally just saw them fighting off fucking ninjas who left through the penthouse window and also Ward’s hand was GLOWING. They hesitantly explain, already formulating a backup plan to insist ‘no officer, Danny was super drunk last night, really,’ in case he calls the mental hospital on them. Danny, to their astonishment, listens seriously to their story, nods, and announces that there are some people he thinks they should meet.

CUE DEFENDERS. How does Danny know them in this AU? Probably through Claire, let’s be honest. He probably keeps bringing random bystanders he finds in trouble on the streets to the hospital and paying all their medical bills, managed to make friends with half the nurses in the city, and was super concerned when one of the hospitals was attacked by ninjas and one of his nurse friends died and another abruptly quit and all the officials were being very hush-hush about it, but Danny has connections with the part of the city that people like to ignore, and there were witnesses that night in the homeless and the street kids and the struggling immigrants working night shift across the street, and he tracks down nurse Claire in Harlem to make sure she’s alright (and to gush about her mother’s cooking, wow, Claire, I didn’t know your family owned a restaurant, that’s so cool!)

…and maybe a few days in to the whole “wow some people claiming to be my childhood friends back from the dead have appeared” business he goes to visit his girlfriend at her struggling dojo that she refuses to let him help with and finds! Claire! learning martial arts! Cool!!

And some other shenanigans, idk, how do timelines work, somehow Danny’s protagonist luck and sunshine power means he manages to meet all the other Defenders at least once somewhere in-between starting to sneak out when he’s fifteen and getting himself adopted by the entire city by the time he’s twenty-five, and then all this Meachum-vs-the-Hand stuff is happening and the city’s favorite billionaire is in the thick of it, and lol guess what Danny your girlfriend has secretly been a member of the Hand this entire time, yeah she didn’t have the “Danny hates the Hand” thing as a reason to hesitate on telling him this time but also their relationship was moving a lot slower when he wasn’t hiding in her dojo from hitmen, so forgive her if she hadn’t quite gotten to the family conversation yet -

- but that’s all part of a lovely universe where K'un Lun makes Ward and Joy more of a unit, and Danny was forced to make other friends with a whole city to choose from rather than just an abusive monastery cult and Davos. Let’s rewind.

Fifteen-year-old Ward is on the plane with Harold. Ten-year-old Joy is at home, staying with the Rands for the duration of Daddy’s boring business trip.

The plane goes down.

Ward finds the pilots with black creeping up their veins. He finds Dad, dead in the snow. He’s at a loss, and a little sad, but also, guiltily, relieved.

He’s free.

He’s also stranded on a snowy mountaintop and likely to freeze to death, cold and alone and without ever seeing Joy again.

Ward is stubborn beyond belief. He has an iron core of contrary asshole-ness that got him through 30 years of abuse. He never gives up without a fight. He never gives up, period.

He picks a direction, and starts walking.

There are monks. Maybe he didn’t find his own salvation. Maybe the monks saw the crash and came to investigate, and found a teenager trudging through the snow. But he wasn’t collapsed in the ice. He stubbornly insists that he might have made it on his own, that they didn’t rescue him. He’s not helpless. He’s not.

This one has fight, the monks murmur to each other. There is fire in his spirit.

They take him back to the village, where there is warmth, and food, and dry clothing, and a tree that smells like brown sugar. Ward wants a phone, so he can call the Rands. Explain what happened. Talk to Joy.

We don’t have phones here.

Fair enough, it is a monastery on top of a mountain in the Himalayas. Ward doesn’t know why anyone would want to live in a monastery on top of a mountain in the Himalayas, but he doesn’t really care. There must be a way they get down the mountain, for supplies and stuff. There must be a way people get up the mountain, to visit the monastery. Ward wants to go home.

The pass is closed. K'un Lun sits on another plane of existence. The pass only opens once every fifteen years, and then it is guarded by the Iron Fist, to protect us from the Hand. You can not leave.

Ward has managed to walk himself right into the clutches of a new enemy. These people intend to imprison him.

Ward has never been a planner, but he has tenacity in spades. Over the next month he makes 21 escape attempts.

“There’s no point,” says one of the bratty monk children that’s taken to following him around. Ward knows this one is the child of the head monk here. His father taught him to look out for political details like that. He doesn’t know the kid’s name, and he doesn’t care. David or something. (His father was always disappointed in Ward for failing those lessons too.)

Ward ignores him. He takes off into the snowy wind - walks and walks and nearly freezes in the cold and when he finally spots lights in the distance and makes his way to salvation, it’s just fucking K'un Lun again.

He doesn’t give up. He doesn’t. But. It might be smart to recuperate. Conserve his resources. Break into the monks’ plum wine barrels. Serves them right if their captives steal their stupid wine. Stupid monks.

Some asshole makes a remark about his foreigner status. Ward swings a punch at them. They take him down in two seconds, and laugh about it. They sneer at him, mock him.

He’ll show them.

Ward trains in their stupid kung-fu cult school. The teachers are harsher on him than all of their students, he can tell. They’re trying to break him. Jokes on them, Ward has survived Harold Meachum for fifteen years. In another life, he makes it for thirty, kills the bastard, and thrives. This is nothing.

The harder they try to break him, the stronger the steel in Ward’s spine holds him up. Fuck them, and their fucking pass, and their kung-fu cult, and their pretty little prison. Ward claws his way to the top on pure spite.

He becomes the Iron Fist.

The monks have grown complacent, after fifteen years. They send him outside, into the pass, alone and away from the village even as he’s expected to guard it. The Hand could travel between the outside world and K'un Lun. Anyone could.

Idiots.

A bird flies overhead, and Ward feels triumph.

He’s finally going back to New York.

In New York, at Rand Enterprises, there are Danny and Joy. After the tragic death of her remaining family, Joy is adopted by the Rands. She keeps her last name. She acknowledges Heather and Wendall as her parents, but still calls them by their first names. They all go to visit Harold’s and Ward’s graves every year, on the anniversary, and also on their birthdays, on Father’s Day, sometimes just when they’re passing by or having a bad day, or have life milestone news to share, like when Joy gets into law school, or when Danny is thinking he might want to let Joy and his parents handle the business and become a nurse. 

Both times Joy and Danny get older than Ward ever got to be, they hole up in one of their rooms together and go through 3 bottles of wine, and their parents don’t ground them in the morning. Danny visits Joy on campus, and she rolls her eyes but grins as she introduces him to her friends. Joy holds Danny’s hand while he comes out to his parents as bi. Danny and Joy put all the brown m&ms in a dish in front of an empty seat, for Ward, even though he was never a part of that game with them. When they play monopoly, no one ever uses “Ward’s piece”. In this universe, Joy and Danny are the close siblings - not codependent, like Joy and Ward were, but best friends, in a way that Joy and Ward weren’t.

Joy did not have to fight tooth and claw to prove to herself that she could live up to her father’s legacy or her brother’s reputation. She becomes a cutthroat business woman with a strategic mind, but she also knows how to put away the shark teeth in her personal life. Danny grows up on neither the hope of seeing the rest of his family again nor with the weight of having to start over and make new friends. He, Joy, and Ward were isolated kids, and he and Joy stay fairly isolated once Ward is gone, since they still have each other.

Danny has a sunshine nature, and he still learns the names and faces of all the Rand employees. He still chats cheerfully with all the delivery people and waiters and checkout clerks that cross his path. But - he’s not as lonely, here. He’s more content in his upper-class world, schmoozing at the charity galas even if he’d much rather be camped at the refreshment table, and he talks to the catering staff just as much as the bigwigs he’s supposed to be networking with. He puts on his tuxedo and accompanies Joy to orchestral concerts, and he is absolutely the big gun his family breaks out when they need to show a client someone earnest and hopeful and who truly believes in the good of their company.

When Ward comes back, he may lose his temper on the security team at Rand. Just a little. He’s come so far, and he’s waited so long, and he’s SO CLOSE to seeing his baby sister again, and these idiots think they can stop him?

So maybe he breaks past them. It’s not the smartest move, but. Dad always said Ward didn’t think things through. And Joy is right there, only a few floors away. He won’t be stopped now.

He busts into her office. Joy threatens to call security. Danny rushes in, and they stand side-by-side, a united front, examining this stranger claiming to be their dead brother.

Ward’s goal, all these years, has mostly been about getting back to Joy. But he can’t deny that when he thought about her, sometimes he’d think about Danny, too. It was unavoidable - they share so many memories, after all. It’s always been Joy-and-Danny, and big-brother-Ward, their whole lives. Joy-and-Danny-and-babysitter-Ward. Joy-and-Danny playing make believe and Ward, being an asshole.

So Ward stands frozen in the doorway, and just as he’d exclaimed “Joy!” when he burst in, he now breathes “Danny?”

And Danny and Joy have always been the more hopeful of the three siblings, the two who want to believe, who can look at a package of m&ms and think ’it’s a dream come true.’

They look at the way the stranger hasn’t made any move to hurt them, and the way he looks like Ward, and the way he can’t keep his eyes off of Joy, but not in a creepy way like so many businessmen they’ve had to deal with: in a way that seems so relieved and hopeful - and they run a DNA test. Joy is right there, after all, and there’s no question about her identity. They’re literally standing in their pharmaceutical company. They pop down to one of the labs and Danny asks Eva if she could do him a favor, pretty please with a cherry on top, and Eva laughs and says “you got it, Mr. Rand,” and Danny whines “Eva, I keep telling you, it’s Danny,” and Eva grins and says “whatever you say, Mr. Rand,” and basically Ward is Ward and they’re in for some complications what with all the telling Wendall and Heather they have to do and the reviving Ward legally they have to do, and the getting to know him again after fifteen years of thinking he was dead, and Joy definitely snaps at some point down the line and screams at Ward and cries and hits his chest going “you left, you left, you left,” and Danny had gotten used to telling Ward’s ghost all his woes and relying on an idealized version of him and is now suddenly remembering with trepidation what an asshole Ward actually was, and. it’s gonna be a rough time. It’s gonna be a rough time, but they’ll get through it, because they all refuse not to.

….And maybe we still have to deal with the part where Ward is the Iron Fist, and the Hand are in New York, and maybe Ward doesn’t actually give a flying fuck about stopping the Hand or anything that fucking monk cult kept going on about, but the Hand sure does care about manipulating the Iron Fist into doing its bidding. And Ward may not care about K'un Lun, but like HELL is he going to sit back and twiddle his thumbs when those assholes inevitably threaten his family.

“You will not touch them,” Ward seethes, and suddenly his fist is glowing and he’s beating the assailants up, and his fist is glowing and is that a tattoo, and Ward’s FIST IS GLOWING.

“What the fuck, Ward.”

“Right,” Ward says, pushing back his hair. “There’s something else I should tell you.”

[iamthegaysmurf]

Ok 3 and 28 is so soft and already so wayhaught but I think I am going to request 24, please.

03.  forehead kisses28.  forehead touches or nose nudging or any soft variation on the theme24.  ‘just really needed a hug’ sort of a hug13.  family

@darienplays6688, I wasn’t sure if you were asking for #24 instead of #3 and #28, or if you wanted that in addition to both of them.  So…  I went ahead and included a little bit of those for you, too.  Just in case.

———-

Okay, so…  Here’s the thing.  I know these were all supposed to be “Super Soft And Fluffy” prompts, but…  I think my brain overloaded on all of the fluff that wrote during the last three or four of these prompt fills.  If I didn’t let out some of this bottled up angst, I’m pretty sure I was going to explode.

So, like…  That’s not to say that this doesn’t have some really soft moments in it (and a happy ending, of course), but there’s definitely some angsty stuff along the way, and it’s not what I would call “fluffy” by any stretch of the imagination.

I’m really sorry, guys.  But I just couldn’t do it.  I hope you can still find a way to enjoy this fic that you’re getting instead.  : /

———-

Set just a day or two after the end of 3x07, but before it picks up with any of the events of 3x08.  

Also, the scenes are not in chronological order.  It starts in the present, and then alternates between flashbacks and then back to the present again.  Should hopefully be pretty easy to follow, but just wanted to give you a head’s up.

———-

“Hey, Babygirl.  I think you might need to come down here.”

“What’s wrong?  Is it Nicole?  Is she hurt?”

“No, she’s okay.  She’s just, uh…  really quiet and kind of spacing out.  If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was stoned.  But this is Nicole ‘I have a lawbook shoved up my ass’ Haught we’re talking about here, so…”

“Wynonna.”

“Yeah.  Anyway.  I think maybe the stuff from today just kind of got to her a little.”

“Oh, god.  The little girl.  Was she…?”

“No!  No.  The kid’s fine.  Haught was a goddamn superhero today.  But don’t you fucking dare ever tell her I said that.”

“Where are you guys?  I’m packing up now.”

“You can meet us at the Shelterlands Forest Trailhead.”

“That’s where you guys are?  Fudgenuggets.  No wonder Nicole is spooked.  I’ll be there in like thirty minutes.”

“Half an hour?!”

“I’m at the library, Wynonna.  Unless one of you has figured out how to teleport yet, then it will take me thirty minutes to get all the way out there.”

“What the fuck am I supposed to do with your ginger poptart until then?  I think she’s slightly burnt right now instead of lightly toasted.”

“I don’t know, Wynonna…  Maybe try talking to her?”

“Come on, Waves.  You know I’m fucked when it comes to all of that soft and gooey feelings bullshit.”

“That’s not entirely true.”

“Just… hurry.  You gotta fix your girlfriend before I end up breaking her even worse.”

//

“You sure you’re okay, Waves?”

“I’m fine, Wynonna,” Waverly answers, shoving notebooks and tomes into her bag.  “There’s nothing going on today.  I’m just gonna do a deep-dive into some of this research.  I’m tired of us always being two steps behind on everything.”

Wynonna understands the frustration.  They’ve been behind the 8-ball on this thing from the very beginning, dating all the way back to Wyatt himself.  

But she knows there’s more to Waverly’s mood, and it has everything to do with Mama skipping town again a couple of days ago.  At least she’d left a letter this time, but that had done little to quell Waverly’s heartbreak.  She doesn’t think Waverly had been completely caught off guard by the disappearance – it was less surprise, and more disappointed resignation – but that doesn’t mean she’s hurting any less.

Wynonna wishes there was more she could do to console Waverly, but to be completely honest, she still hasn’t quite recovered from the sting of it herself.  And that’s not counting the fact that she’d discovered Doc’s betrayal not five minutes after reading the warning Mama had left her.

Welcome to the shitshow, population: me.

“If you’re gonna do research all day, why are you packing everything up?” Wynonna eventually asks, worried about what Waverly might really be planning.  She’s not sure she has the energy, nor the mental capacity, to save her sister from some half-cocked mission she’s concocted to prove something to herself and everyone else in this godforsaken town.

“I’m just going to the library,” Waverly snaps, rolling her eyes.  “Didn’t realize I needed your permission.”

“Whoa, now,” Wynonna says, dropping her feet from the table they’ve been propped up on.  “Calm your tits there, girlie.  I was just wondering why you aren’t going to use the BBD office since everything is already here.”

“Sorry,” Waverly sighs heavily, her shoulders sagging as she drops into the nearest chair.  “It’s just…  Jeremy’s doing one of his experiments and he’s gonna be back any minute and I just don’t think I have it in me today to listen to him ramble all day.”  Shame causes her head to hang low, and she picks absentmindedly at one of the pockets on her bag.  “Nicole’s gonna be out on patrols all day to try and get her visibility up right before the election, so I can’t even use the desk in her office, and I just…  I just want to be alone with my books for a while.  My mind needs some peace and quiet,” she mumbles at the end with a half-hearted shrug.

Wynonna hesitates for a minute before finally biting the bullet and reaching out to place her hand over Waverly’s on the table between them.

“Whatever you need, Babygirl,” she says quietly, giving it a gentle squeeze.  “I’m here if you need anything.”

“I know,” Waverly says, eventually meeting Wynonna’s eye, but Wynonna can tell by the tremor in her voice that she doesn’t know.  That Mama’s selfishness has proven to be a crippling setback for Waverly, erasing the year and a half of progress that Wynonna and Nicole have been making toward helping Waverly believe they’ll never leave her.

Her baby sister may as well be at the bottom of the well that Bobo recently vacated, for all the good the past couple of months have done toward her abandonment issues.

Wynonna continues to hold Waverly’s gaze for a few more seconds, saddened by the doubt she finds there.  Squeezing her hand one last time, she finally leans over the table and kisses Waverly’s forehead.  She could kill Mama for what she’s done to Waverly again, and she could kill Doc for being complicit in her getaway.

She grits her teeth as she pulls back and stands from her chair.

That’s a problem for another day.

“So, you said Tater Haught’s gonna be on patrol all day?” Wynonna asks as casually as she can.

“Yes…”  Waverly looks Wynonna up and down.  “Why…?”

Wynonna shrugs, playing with the fringe on her leather jacket.

“Thought maybe she’d like some company.”

“You are volunteering to ride around on patrol with Nicole?”  Waverly hesitates,narrowing her eyes suspiciously.  “What are you really up to…?”

“Nothing,” Wynonna huffs.  “I’m just bored.  The Revs are quiet.  We have no new leads on Ball-Shart.  You’re off to find your Fortress of Solitude, and that leaves me with Opti-mug Prime over there.”

And Waverly may be looking for some peace and quiet, but the last thing Wynonna wants right now is to be alone with her thoughts.  There’s also that.

“You know what the Fortress of Solitude is?” Waverly asks and Wynonna immediately winces.  “Wow, you really have been spending too much time with Jeremy.”

Waverly giggles, and despite Wynonna’s mortification, she’s glad to see the small spark of joy in her sister’s eyes, no matter how fleeting.

“Right?” Wynonna gasps, feigning disgust.  “I’d much rather drive around with Haught Sauce and heckle the townsfolk than have to learn one more thing about a comic book character today.”  She spins Peacemaker around her finger ominously, surprising even herself when she doesn’t fuck it up this time like she usually does.

“I doubt Nicole will let you get away with much heckling.”  She watches Wynonna fumble with Peacemaker for a minute and then drops her hands to her hips.  “Although…” she starts, her head cocking slightly.  “Maybe a little ‘quality time’ would do you some good.  Might even be better than the get-along-shirt I ought to make you two idiots wear after all of the trouble you caused the other day.”

Wynonna opens her mouth to launch some snarky retort, but Waverly holds a hand up to stop her and Wynonna’s mouth snaps shut on its own before she even realizes it.

“I’ve already heard every excuse under the sun from both of you.  I’m not in the mood for reruns.”  Wynonna grumbles and shoves Peacemaker back in her holster, but refrains from arguing.  “Good.  I’ll text Nicole to pick you up out front.”

With that, she finishes gathering up her things and breezes past Wynonna, pausing in the doorway only long enough to tell her to have a good time and to behave.

Wynonna stands alone in the BBD office, silently wondering when she became the child to Waverly’s mom friend instincts, but then she hears Jeremy’s cheerful chattering coming down the hall and she decides to hightail it before she gets cornered by another one of his science-fiction lectures.

Grabbing a donut from the box Waverly had left on the table earlier, she stuffs the entire thing in her mouth in one go and rushes out of the station.

Still brushing the litany of crumbs away from her shirt and jacket while standing on the front sidewalk, she doesn’t notice the cruiser pull up to the curb.  When Nicole chirps the siren right behind her, Wynonna trips over her own feet, nearly doing a header right off the sidewalk and into the street.

She can hear Nicole’s laughter, even through the rolled-up windows of her patrol car.  She flips Nicole off as she stumbles closer to the car, so Nicole proceeds to chirp the siren at her again.

“Fuck you, Haught!” Wynonna curses through her remaining mouthful of donut as she wrenches open the passenger door, drawing a smug sort of satisfaction from the appalled look on Nicole’s face when even more crumbs come flying out of her mouth to litter the front seat.

“Gross, Earp!” Nicole scolds, immediately scooping the crumbs into her hand and depositing them in the little trash compartment she keeps in her center console.

Wynonna completely ignores her, propping her feet up on the dash.

“Let’s roll, Haughtie.”

//

“Maybe try talking to her,” Wynonna mocks under her breath when Waverly ends the call.

Wynonna slips her phone back in her pocket and glances over at Nicole.  

She hasn’t moved a muscle in at least five minutes, just staring blankly into the open trunk of her patrol car while the climbing harness still hangs from her hips. Wynonna may not always be the most observant person, but she’s not as oblivious as she likes to let everyone think she is.  She can see the way Nicole’s entire body is trembling, the carabiners on her rigging jangling softly with the constant movement.

“Maybe try talking to her,” Wynonna mumbles again, kicking a rock and watching it skid off in the opposite direction.  “What the fuck do I know about this kind of trauma,” she grumbles as she finally takes a step in Nicole’s direction.

A lot more than you might think.

Wynonna rolls her eyes at herself as she approaches Nicole.  

Okay, that’s a fair point.

She hesitates briefly when Nicole doesn’t seem to notice her, then reaches out to lay a cautious hand on her shoulder.  Nicole jumps and spins to face her, hand immediately falling to her sidearm, ready to draw if necessary.  Wynonna stumbles back a step, eyes wide.  She knew Nicole was a little zoned out, butshe wasn’t expecting that.

“Jesus, Wynonna,” Nicole croaks, trying to catch her breath.  “I could have shot you.”

“You could have tried,” Wynonna returns, patting Peacemaker at her hip with a wink, opting for an off-color attempt at humor as she so often does in these situations.  It doesn’t land, of course, and Nicole just continues to stare at her blankly.  “Okay, okay.  Geez.  Sorry.  I didn’t mean to startle you like that.”

“Sorry,” Nicole says, her shoulders sagging a bit.  “I was just…  just…”  She looks back into the trunk of her cruiser, then down at the climbing gear still dangling from her waist, then back up at Wynonna with a frown.  “Fuck,” she sighs.  “I don’t even know what I was doing.  Sorry,” she mumbles again.

Wynonna wonders again how the person with the worst interpersonal skills ended up in this position.

Dolls.  Dolls was always good at calming me down when I was freaking the fuck out.  What would he do to help Nicole right now?

“Take a deep breath, Haughtstuff,” she tries, awkwardly patting her on the shoulder again.  “Let’s start by getting you out of that harness.”

Nicole looks down at it again, but makes no move to start unbuckling it, her hands still hanging uselessly at her sides.

“That’s what she said…  HA!”  Wynonna holds out her hand for a high five,proud of her joke, but still gets no reaction, even after high-fiving herself.

Fuck.  That was a terrible Dolls.  Focus, Earp.

“Snap out of it, Haught,” Wynonna says more firmly, reaching out to place her hands on both of Nicole’s shoulders this time, looking her square in the eye.  “You were a hero today.”  She immediately winces.  “Dammit…  You weren’t supposed to hear me say that part,” she mutters, but straightens her back and raises her chin anyway.  “A goddamn hero.”

Much better.  Very Dolls-like.

“Now I know I must be losing it,” Nicole finally says, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly as she shakes her head.

“Ha, ha.  Very funny,” Wynonna says dryly and punches Nicole in the arm, snorting when she grabs it and whines dramatically.  “Seriously, though,” she continues, gesturing back at Nicole’s gear.  “Finish taking that off so we can relax for a minute, Haughtpants.”

“Yeah…”  Nicole turns back toward the trunk, staring into it again for a few more seconds before finally starting to unbuckle the harness.  “Yeah, I should do that.”

Wynonna leans against the back bumper, watching Nicole step out of the harness and begin to pack away the rest of her climbing gear.  She nods to herself, and for the briefest of moments, she could swear she sees Dolls smiling at her from over Nicole’s shoulder.  But when she blinks, he’s gone again, and all that’s left is a strange whisper on the wind.

Proud of you, Earp.

//

“So this is what you do all day?  Just drive around town and jiggle a bunch ofdoor handles?”  

Nicole completely ignores Wynonna, not even taking her eyes off the road long enough to glance in her direction.

“Because I can think of some things that are a lot more fun to jiggle,” Wynonna says with a wicked smirk, leaning far enough over the console to nudge Nicole in the ribs.  “We could always go and visit Pussy Willows again, like we did that one time.  Maybe one of the girls could pull that rod out of your ass for you.”

Nicole’s hands tighten around the steering wheel, and Wynonna can see the muscles flexing in her jaw.  She immediately wishes she could kick herself.

“Fuck.  Sorry.  I didn’t mean to–”

“It’s fine,” Nicole cuts her off, voice tight.

The massacre.

The massacre that had brought the Cult of Bulshar to the forefront of their investigation.

The massacre that dredged up traumatic memories Nicole had locked away for twenty years.

The massacre that, according to Waverly, had conjured nightmares that haunted Nicole nearly every night since.

That massacre.

Wynonna doesn’t even think Pussy Willows has re-opened in the two and a half months since it happened.  But here she had gone and dragged it all up again, just for a cheap laugh.

God, I’m such a fuckhead sometimes.  Looks like Doc’s assholery is contagious.

Doc.  

There’s another subject she doesn’t want to touch with a ten-foot pole.  She’s batting a thousand today, it would seem.  Desperate for any change of subject she can come up with, Wynonna backtracks to the last relatively safe thing she said.

“So these door checks…” Wynonna mumbles, plucking nervously at a string that hangs from the frayed hole in the knee of her jeans.  “You have to do the same ones over and over again?”

“It’s important work, Wynonna,” Nicole says defensively.  

Wynonna recognizes the look on her face as the one she makes when she’s preparing herself to be made fun of.  A pang of guilt stabs at Wynonna’s gut when she realizes just how often she must badmouth Nicole and the way she does her job.  It’s not fair and she knows it, but sometimes she just can’t help herself.  It’s like a compulsion.  

“I know,” Wynonna agrees, still trying to smooth things over.

“You do?”  Nicole obviously wasn’t expecting that kind of response.  Wynonna glances up to find Nicole looking at her while they’re stopped at a stop sign, eyebrow raised as though she’s expecting there to be more to it than that.

“I mean…  I think I know,” Wynonna falters.  She frowns as she continues to pick at the string on her jeans.  “Okay, actually I don’t know,” she finally admits.  Nicole’s face falls, resigning herself to whatever jab is about to come next.  “Butyou could explain it to me,” Wynonna continues.  “Or whatever,” she adds at the end with a wave of her hand, still trying to play it cool like she always does.

Nicole is silent for a long moment, and Wynonna considers just climbing out of the car while it’s not moving and starting the long walk back to the station by herself.  Surely she can’t fuck that up as much as she’s fucking this up right now.

“You’re really asking?” Nicole finally ventures, and the skepticism is etched deeply on her face, but Wynonna thinks she catches a glimpse of something else in her eyes.

“Nevermind,” Wynonna sighs, deflating a little.  She’s not getting anything right today.  “You don’t have t–”

“No, it’s okay.”  Nicole reaches into the center console and withdraws a metalclipboard.  “I don’t mind,” she says, handing it over to Wynonna before pulling away from the stop sign and turning at the intersection.

Excitement.  That’s what Wynonna had seen rippling beneath Nicole’s skepticism.  And maybe even a little hope.

God, she really does love this job.

“What’s this?” Wynonna asks, looking over the pages of checklists on the clipboard.

“That’s our Daily Patrol Log,” Nicole explains as she continues driving to the next location on the list.  “I sat down with several of the local business owners last year when Nedley first started giving me more leeway and responsibilities.  We worked out a schedule of rotating patrols for their establishments to help with the new visibility directive I was writing, and also to encourage better preventativepolicing.”

“So you really do just…  drive around and jiggle their door handles every day?” Wynonna asks after staring at Nicole for a long moment with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s more than that, Wynonna.”  Nicole rolls her eyes, but continues explaining, her tone much gentler now.  “Increasing our visibility in these areas helps make both the owners and the customers feel safer.  We do a rotating schedule during the day shifts, which mostly just consists of driving by, or checking the locks on the back doors and storage areas – jiggling the handles, as you put it – so that we don’t interrupt their normal business.  People get used to seeing us around, even in the background, and that makes it less likely for a bunch of shitheads to show up and cause trouble.”

She glances over to see if Wynonna is actually paying attention or if she’s already being ignored.  To her surprise, Wynonna is still watching her intently.  

“And for the night shift, we check every business on every shift – so long as time allows; sometimes we’re too busy with active calls and have to just do spot checks when we can – but we still try to do them in different orders so that no one can pinpoint exactly when we’ll be there.”  They pull into the back parking lot of the Crown Surplus, and Nicole shifts in her seat to face Wynonna.  “The night checks are a little more involved.  We get out and walk the perimeter.  Check all of the doors and windows.  Make sure the alarms are engaged.  Clear out any jackholes that are drinking on the premises.  Things like that.”

“And this…”  Wynonna gestures first at the clipboard in her hand, and then out the window at the building they’re parked behind.  “It actually works?”

“Some.  It’s just…”  She tilts her head to the side and Wynonna watches as she searches for the right words.  “I mean, Purgatory is a dangerous place, evenwhen these people want to bury their heads in the sand about what’s going on.  And if I…  If I can get them to trust us, even just a little bit more than they used to, then at least they’re more likely to come to us – to me – if some weird shit starts happening.  You know?  Like if they have someone that they think might actually believe them instead of just telling them they’re crazy…”

Nicole sighs and turns to stare out the window, the sudden silence in the car covering them like a thick blanket until it��s almost smothering.

“I don’t know,” she finally says, still looking out the window.  “Maybe it’s stupid.  Just wishful thinking on my part.”

“It’s not,” Wynonna says immediately, reaching out to lay a hand on Nicole’s forearm.  She turns back to look at Wynonna, clearly surprised by the gesture.  “It’s not stupid.”

“It’s not?”  Nicole doesn’t sound convinced.

“No.  It’s important,” Wynonna says quietly, squeezing Nicole’s arm gently.  “What you’re doing for these people.  Whether they recognize it or not.”

It’s in that moment that Wynonna realizes she’s talking about herself, too, and clears her throat uncomfortably as she jerks her hand back away from Nicole’s arm.

“You came up with all of this on your own?” she asks, settling back into her seat and plucking at the string on her jeans again.  She smirks to herself when she sees Nicole’s face immediately begin to flush.

Some things never change.

“Yeah, I uh…” Nicole mumbles, rubbing at the back of her neck.  “I guess I did.  I ran it all by Nedley after I’d written it up, before I met with the business owners. But, umm…”  She gives a dismissive half-shrug.  “I guess I just wanted to help any way I could.”

Wynonna doesn’t say anything, but she does give a slight nod that causes Nicole to duck her head shyly.  They sit in an awkward silence for a long moment before Wynonna hands the clipboard back to Nicole.

“So I guess we gotta g–”

“Haught,” Ruthie’s voice interrupts as the radio crackles to life between them.  “Got Ranger Jett on the line for you.  Sounds urgent.”

“10-4, Ruthie,” Nicole answers after grabbing the console mic.  “Go ahead and patch him through.”

“10-4”

There’s a short beep followed by a series of clicks before a new voice comes through, slightly staticky from the relayed connection.

“Hello?  Sheriff Haught?”

“Hey, Robin.  Not officially the Sheriff yet,” Nicole says with a slight grin, “but what’s up?”

“It’s a little girl, Sheriff,” he continues, ignoring Nicole’s playful comment.  “She’smissing.”

//

“I can’t, Wynonna.  I’m still on shift.”

“Technically, your shift ended two hours ago.”  Nicole eyes her carefully, and Wynonna shrugs.  “Just sayin’.”  She gives the silver flask a jiggle where she’s still holding it out between them.

She had done her best to channel Dolls earlier when she’d needed to snap Nicole out of her stupor.  But recognizing the haunted look in her eyes now, Wynonna decides it’s time for some good old-fashioned Earp tactics.

Whiskey.

It’s never let her down before.

Okay, maybe it has…  but who’s counting?  That’s not important at the moment.  What’s important is that Nicole is warring with a darkness right now, and sometimes you just need a little fire in your belly to hold it at bay for a little whilelonger.

Or at least until Waverly can get here and fix things the right way.

She watches the gears turn in Nicole’s head, like she’s weighing a heavy decision, and is more than a little surprised when Nicole reaches out to take the flask from her.  She raises an eyebrow, but Nicole levels a look at her that practically dares her to say something about it when she raises the flask to her lips and downs several large gulps without so much as flinching.

“Well, alright then.”  Wynonna takes the flask when Nicole hands it back, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.  It’s more than half empty.  Wynonna gives Nicole an impressed look, raising the flask in a mock toast.  “Cheers, Haughtshot,” she says before downing the rest of it.

No way she’s gonna let an Earp be outdone when it comes to drinking.  Especially not by Five-O.  Though, to be completely fair, Wynonna has always been impressed with Nicole’s constitution.  It takes a lot to get her drunk, and even then, she still continues to hold her own.  She’s proven that over and over again.

Drinking whiskey that night at the station a year and a half ago, back when times were simpler.  Nicole had matched her swig for swig, but the minute they’d gotten sucked into an actual case down in the morgue, she’d sobered up instantly.  That’s not easy to do, and Wynonna knows it.

Just a handful of months later, covering for Wynonna while staking out Jonas by drinking for both of them just to keep the baby safe.  She’d definitely gotten drunker that time around, but no so much so that she couldn’t still shoot out a fuse box from across the room with a .380 Walther PPK she’d pulled out of her sock, and that’s saying something, given their long history of questionable accuracy.

And just a couple of days ago in that Revenant bar.  Nicole had been drunk off her ass by the end of that disaster, but even though she would never admit it out loud, Wynonna knows that Nicole is the one that technically won that drinking contest fair and square.  The Revenant had lost when he’d hurled everything back up.  And Wynonna…  Well, Wynonna had been cheating the entire time.  And that leaves Nicole.  Who matched Wynonna and the Rev drink for drink, kept all of it down, and then, even though she was unsteady on her feet, she still managed to help Wynonna kick some ass in the woods.

If there’s one thing Wynonna can respect, it’s the ability to hold your liquor.  And Nicole keeps proving over and over that she can match pace with an Earp.  So that’s pretty solid in Wynonna’s book.

She looks back at Nicole, whose cheeks are now flushed from the healthy dose of whiskey.  Tucking the empty flask back into the inside pocket of her leather jacket, she climbs up onto the trunk of Nicole’s cruiser.  Nicole starts to balk, but Wynonna ignores her, patting the space beside her.

“C’mon, Haught.  We got a little time before your unicorn gets here.  Take a load off.”

“Waverly’s coming?”  That’s the first sign of hope she’s seen in Nicole since they originally got the call from Robin.

“She’s already on her way.”

Nicole lets out a weary sigh, but climbs up next to Wynonna without protest, leaning back on her hands as her feet find purchase on the bumper.  She looks up at the moon, already visible in the dimming twilight, and Wynonna can see the deep worry lines etched across her brow and at her mouth.  For a fleeting moment, she looks far older than her twenty-seven years would suggest.

Wynonna knows a little bit about that.  She’s twenty-eight now, but sometimes she feels like she’s already been dragged through a hundred lifetimes full of griefand guilt and loss.

“Hey, it’s okay to relax for a minute.”  She reaches over and pats Nicole’s knee.  “Today was a win, Nicole.”  

She’s quiet for a long moment, before whispering something so softly that Wynonna can barely make it out over the rustling leaves in the nearby trees.

“Sometimes it’s hard to tell in this town.”

Ain’t that the goddamn truth.

//

“We’ve been out here for hours, Nicole.  Maybe we sho–”

“We’re not giving up, Wynonna!”

Nicole stomps off through the trees, and Wynonna lets her go.  

It’s suspicious that another kid has already gone missing in the woods again, especially so soon after what they went through with the missing kids on Christmas just barely a week ago.  She and Charlie had tracked them down andwiped out one of Bulshar’s evil beekeeper hives, rescuing Robin and severalothers in the process.  Surely he hasn’t already rebuilt and started over again…

No, something about this one feels different, she thinks as she watches Nicole search for tracks in the underbrush up ahead, weighed down by far more than just the pack full of gear slung over her shoulders.  Her phone buzzes in her pocket before she has time to think any more about that.

Angelpants:  Are you still with Nicole?  She’s not answering her phone.

Bacon Donut:  we’re on a call

Angelpants:  Everything okay?

Bacon Donut:  little girl missing in the woods

Angelpants:  Bulshar???

Bacon Donut:  nah peacemaker isn’t giving me any tingly feelings in my pants

Angelpants:  WYNONNA

Bacon Donut:  i think she just got lost

Bacon Donut:  mom lost track of her by the playground whilechasing after toddler

Angelpants:  Is Nicole okay?

Bacon Donut:  she’s in full sheriff mode right now

Angelpants:  You guys need anything?

Bacon Donut:  the whole cavalry is out here

Bacon Donut:  i think we’re good

Bacon Donut:  you just work on that research babygirl

Angelpants:  Okay…  But keep me posted?

Bacon Donut:  10-4

Angelpants:  You really have been spending a lot of time with Nicole lately.  lol

Bacon Donut:  shut it shortstack

Angelpants:  Be careful, okay?

Bacon Donut:  you got it boss

Wynonna slides her phone back in her pocket and does her best to catch up to Nicole again.  Nicole continues to ignore her, and Wynonna approaches cautiously.

“Hey…”  She hesitates when Nicole freezes in place, but doesn’t turn around.  “Charlie has the entire fire department out here, and Robin called in all of the other Park Rangers.  I wasn’t suggesting that everyone give up, Haught.  I was just wondering if we shouldn’t leave it to the Search & Rescue boys, since that’s what they do.”

“I’m Search & Rescue, Wynonna!” Nicole snaps as she finally spins to face Wynonna.  She points at one of the patches on the pack she’s carrying.  “I got certified in it at the Academy, because I never wanted another little girl to be stuck in the woods by herself with no one to come looking for her.”

Oh.

Oh.

Wynonna suddenly understands everything.

That explains a lot.

She opens her mouth to say something – anything – but it seems her brain has forgotten how to string two words together right now.

“It’s going to be dark soon, Wynonna,” Nicole continues, much quieter this time.  Her eyes are hollow and she’s white as a ghost.  Even paler than usual.  “It’s going to be dark, and she’ll be out here all alone, cold and scared, and…  and…” Nicole swallows hard around the lump that Wynonna can hear is stuck inher throat.  “What if it had been Waverly?” she pleads, desperate for Wynonna to stay out here with her.

“Okay,” Wynonna says, finally finding her words again.  She reaches out and catches the trembling hand that Nicole’s been waving around.  “Okay, Nicole.  We’ll keep looking for her.”

They hear the muffled calls of the other groups echoing through the forest as they continue their search.  Nicole was right: the sun is beginning to set, and the beautiful colors painted across the sky bring a sharper chill in the air with them.  They’re running out of time.

Wynonna suddenly feels an odd weightless sensation, and then her stomach is in her throat as she starts to tumble forward.  Before she connects with anything, though, she’s being yanked backward by her collar, until she’s lying on her back,staring up at the trees.

One red-headed tree in particular.

“You’ve gotta watch where you’re going, Earp,” Nicole says sternly, hands on her hips as she looks down at Wynonna.  “I don’t have time to be saving your ass,too.”

“Thanks, Haught,” Wynonna manages to croak.  “I didn’t even se–”

“Shhhhh…” Nicole whispers harshly.  “Did you hear that?”

Wynonna frowns, straining her ears in the eerie silence of the forest around them.  Just as she’s about to accuse Nicole of losing her mind, she hears it, too.  It’s faint, almost as though they’d imagined it, but it’s there.

“Hello…?  Is somebody there?”

Nicole trembles slightly as she pulls Wynonna up from the ground.

“This is the Sheriff’s Department!” she yells, loudly enough to make Wynonna wince.  “Call out if you can hear me!”

They both wait, staring at each other with wide eyes.

“HELP!  WE’RE DOWN HERE!  HELP, PLEASE!”

“We?” they mouth in unison, still frozen in place for half a second longer.

“Don’t move!  We’re on our way!” Nicole finally yells back as she turns and sprints in the direction of the voice, along the edge of the ridge that Wynonna had nearly tumbled over.  

Wynonna does her best to keep up with Nicole in the waning light, struggling to stay upright in the wake of the sure-footed Sheriff.  It’s painfully obvious that Nicole is far more comfortable in this terrain than Wynonna will ever be.

They finally begin to slow their approach when they start to hear barking mixed in with the small voice.  That must be the ‘we’ the little girl was referring to.

“We’re almost there, Ashley!” Nicole calls out again as she begins looking around the new area.  “Can you tell me where you are?”

“I fell,” the little girl cries in response.  “I can’t move my leg!”  Her answer is accompanied by another round of barks and frantic whines.  “And Hugo’sdown here, too,” she adds.

Nicole drops to her belly in the dirt and the leaves and creeps closer to the stony ledge.  Wynonna crouches and carefully peers over Nicole’s shoulder to find asheer rock face, wrought with stray branches and roots and moss-covered rockssticking out at odd angles.  Wynonna knows from experience now just how easy it would be to miss a step if you weren’t looking and suddenly find yourself twenty feet below with nowhere to go.

There, in a muddy patch of snow and leaves tucked away in the shadows below the ledge, they can see a puffy pink coat with a matching set of snow boots – one leg sticking out at an odd angle – and a large dog wrapped around a shivering body.

“Hi, Ashley.  I’m Officer Nicole.”

“Hi, Nicole,” Ashley answers weakly.

“Don’t move,” Nicole says again, gentler this time.  “I’m coming down to get you, okay?”

“Okay,” the little girl sniffles.  “Hurry.  I’m sca–  I mean, I think Hugo is scared.”

“Don’t be scared, Hugo,” Nicole says, nodding seriously at the dog.  “Everything’s gonna be okay now.”

Hugo barks once – a muted sort of woof – and Ashley clutches a little tighter at his fur.

“He says he’ll try to be brave.”

“That’s very good, Ashley.”  Nicole pushes up onto her hands and knees.  “You and Hugo just need to be brave a little longer while I get my rope ready, and then I’ll be down to get you, okay?”

“Okay…”

“You can talk to my friend Wynonna here while I’m working.”  Nicole nudges Wynonna a little closer to the edge, despite the what the fuck look she levels in Nicole’s direction.  “Just talk to her, Wynonna,” Nicole says so that only Wynonna can hear her.  “So she knows we’re still here and she’s not alone anymore.”

“Uh…  hi,” Wynonna says awkwardly, sticking her head over the ledge and waving.  She turns to see Nicole unpacking her gear, ratcheting one end of her rope to a nearby tree that looks sturdy enough to serve as an anchor.  “I’m Wynonna…”

“Duh,” Ashley says, giggling a little in spite of herself.  “Officer Nicole already said that.”

“Officer Nicole says a lot of things,” Wynonna grumbles loudly, sticking her tongue out dramatically at Nicole behind her back.  Ashley giggles again, and Hugo thumps his tail against the leaves.  “My little sister would love that pink coat of yours,” Wynonna adds after a moment, unsure of what else to say.

“You have a little sister?”

“Uh huh.  Her name is Waverly.”

“Walervy?”

“Eh… Close enough, kid,” Wynonna snorts.  “She loves pink stuff and rainbows and unicorns.”

“I have a unicorn!”  There’s less sniffling in Ashley’s voice now, replaced by excitement instead.

“So does my sister!” Wynonna laughs, especially when hearing Nicole groan behind her.

“His name is Sparkle!”

“His name…  is Sparkle…”  Wynonna can barely contain herself.  “That’s–”

“Wynonna,” Nicole hisses quietly.  “Be nice.”

“–a great name!” Wynonna finishes.

“What did your sister name her unicorn?” Ashley calls up again after a moment.

“Officer Nicole,” Wynonna giggles, and then yelps when Nicole kicks her right in the ass with her muddy boot.

“What?” Ashley asks, confused.

“Ummm...  I said Tootsie Roll!” Wynonna calls back a little louder this time, still trying to stifle a giggle.

“Like the candy?”

“Yep,” Wynonna answers, popping the p loudly.  “Just like that.”

“That’s kinda weird…” Ashley says, thinking about it for a moment.  “But I like it!”

“Yeah, that’s kind of what I thought, too,” Wynonna says, glancing back over her shoulder and catching the hint of a smile on Nicole’s face, just barely hidden behind the curtain of her hair.

“Okay, Ashley,” Nicole says, stepping back up to the ledge.  “I’m coming down to get you now.  All I need you to do is just stay still, okay?  Don’t try to move until Iget there.”

“Okay,” Ashley answers, sounding nervous again.

“You need to hang on to this for me,” Nicole tells Wynonna, handing her a portion of the rope after making sure it’s secured through her climbing harness.  “Getting down there shouldn’t be too difficult, but I’ll need your help when I’m climbing back up with her.”

“What?” Wynonna balks, trying to back away.  “I don’t know anything about this shit.  What if I fuck it up?”  She can’t handle this kind of responsibility right now.

“Wynonna, focus,” Nicole says sharply, grabbing her by the shoulder.  “Look.”  She points over to the tree.  “I’m rigged up to a pulley system.  All I need you to do is keep this part tight.  When I create slack from climbing, just keep pulling it tight, okay?  It will keep me from falling backward if I lose my footing with her inmy arms.”

Wynonna doesn’t understand how any of this climbing shit works, but she thinks she can manage at least that much.

“Okay,” she finally says, still a little unsure.  “Hey, wait…” she adds when Nicole starts to back up toward the ledge.  “Do you have our coordinates or whatever?  I was just gonna shoot of a quick text to Charlie with our location so he can send some of the EMS boys this way.”

Nicole pulls out her phone and frowns at the missed calls and texts from Waverly.

“It’s okay,” Wynonna says quickly when she sees Nicole’s face.  “I texted her a while ago to let her know we were on a call.”

“Thanks…” Nicole says softly.  “I didn’t mean to ignore her.  I just…”

“Had a lot on your mind?”

“Yeah,” Nicole answers sheepishly, and then clears her throat a couple of times.  “Here’s the coordinates,” she says, handing Wynonna her phone with the GPS app open.

“Okay, got it,” Wynonna says after typing a few things into a text message.  “Now go and save the day, Sheriff,” she says, warmly and with no hint of sarcasm, as she hands Nicole’s phone back to her.

Nicole rappels down the rock face with ease, and Wynonna watches as she pulls out the emergency med kit from her pack and places a cervical collar around Ashley’s neck to stabilize her c-spine.  It’s not ideal to be moving someone like this without a full backboard, but sometimes the circumstances of these search and rescue situations don’t always provide the best conditions.  At least she’d been sitting up the entire time she’d been talking to them.  That has to count for something.  Hopefully.

After placing a makeshift splint on Ashley’s leg, Nicole begins to prepare her for transport.  She carefully works another harness up over Ashley’s legs and hips, and then secures it to her own with another short section of rope and somecarabiners.  Then she slips Ashley’s hands through a set of loops that almost look like handcuffs made of rope, explaining that they will help her hold on to Nicole while she’s climbing back up.

Ducking her head to put it through Ashley’s arms so they’re around her neck, Nicole scoops her up and holds her close as she moves back to the rocks and slowly begins her ascent.  Wynonna is diligent in keeping the slack out of the rope, digging her heels into the soft earth to help her hold her ground.  It’s much slower going, and they’re nearly out of light now, but soon enough, Nicole’s head pops up over the ledge and Wynonna kneels down to take Ashley from her and get her back on solid ground.

“Can you tell us what happened, Ashley?”  Nicole asks as she takes off her jacket and drapes it around Ashley’s shoulders.  Wynonna is immediately reminded of the photo she’d recently seen of a young Nicole wearing Nedley’s coat on the morning he’d found her downstream from the massacre.  

“We were playing in the park with Mama and Matthew,” Ashley starts, sniffling again.  “Matthew kept tryin’a run away, and Mama had to chase after him.  But then Hugo saw a squirrel and tried to catch it and we just kept runnin’ and then we were in the woods and there were so many trees and we got lost and then I fell and… and…”  Anything else she wanted to say gets lost in the heaving sob that wracks her entire body.

“Shhh…  It’s okay,” Nicole soothes, wrapping her arms around the little girl.  She tucks her face securely into Nicole’s shoulder, and Nicole strokes her hair gently. “It’s okay.  You’re safe now.  You’re safe.”

“What about Hugo,” Ashley eventually hiccups, once she’s caught her breath again.  “You can’t just leave him down there!”

Wynonna and Nicole peer over the ledge, watching Hugo prance and pace along the edge of the rock face, whining and searching for his human.

“Okay,” Nicole says after a brief moment of deliberation.  “You stay here with Wynonna, and I’ll go and get Hugo.”

“How in the fu–  …the f–”  Wynonna’s eyes slide over toward Ashley.  “The eff are you gonna do that?”

“Ummm…”  Nicole thinks for a moment, looking at everything that’s spread out in front of her.  “I think I have an idea.”  She dumps everything out of her pack, until it’s completely empty, and holds it up.  She eyes it for a minute, and then shrugs at Wynonna.  “Hopefully this will work…”

“Oh, my god,” Wynonna groans, resting her head in her hand.  She knows exactly what Nicole is going to do.

Nicole slings the empty pack back over her shoulders and starts toward the ledge again, but pauses when Ashley reaches out and takes her face in her little hands.

“Officer Nicole,” she says very seriously.  “You have to be very careful with him.  Mama says he’s an old man now.”

“I’ll be very careful with him,” Nicole answers, her voice cracking a little.  “I promise.”

Wynonna definitely doesn’t have a lump in her throat.  Nope.  Absolutely not.

They begin the process all over again, and Nicole sits with Hugo for a few minutes at the bottom so that he’ll calm down and hopefully trust her enough for what needs to happen next.  After a bit of coaxing and a couple of false starts, she finally manages to get the aging German shepherd into her giant backpack, with just his head sticking out so that he can watch over her shoulder.  He doesn’t seem particularly pleased about this development, but he lets her secure the zipper and lock it in place so he can’t fall out on the way back up.  It will have to do.

She hoists the pack back up onto her shoulders and starts climbing the wall again, Wynonna dutifully working her end of the rope.  It doesn’t take quite as long as it did when Nicole was bringing Ashley up since she has the use of both arms, but Wynonna can tell she’s feeling pretty exhausted by the time she reaches the top.

Thankfully, Charlie and the boys have arrived by then, already tending to Ashley while Nicole frees Hugo from his port-a-puppy status.  He barks a few times and then runs in an impressive amount of circles before finally jumping up on the back of the ATV and settling in next to Ashley, refusing to leave her side again.

They all set out back toward the trailhead where Ashley’s family is waiting for them, leaving Wynonna and Nicole standing alone in the silence of the dusk-covered woods.

“That was some Haught shit back there, Officer Nicole,” Wynonna says after a few minutes.  She pats Nicole on the back when she gets no response.

Nicole says nothing, merely swaying on her feet until she has to reach out and lean against one of the nearby trees for support.  

Then she promptly doubles over and vomits all over her boots.

“Okay, even I didn’t see that coming…” Wynonna says, unsure of how to react.

Nicole still doesn’t say anything, heaving three more times before she’s apparently emptied her entire stomach out into the muddy snow.  When she finally stands back up, Wynonna takes her by the elbow and starts leading her back the way they came.

“Alright, Red.  Let’s get you back to the land of the living.”

//

“Maybe try talking to her.”

Waverly’s voice is still bouncing around in Wynonna’s head as she watches Nicole stare out into the darkness, shivering slightly despite having her jacket back after Charlie had replaced it with a proper blanket.  She reaches out and places a hand on Nicole’s knee.

“I shouldn’t have called you ‘Deputy Dipshit’ the other day.”  Nicole immediately stiffens beside Wynonna.  That definitely touched a nerve.  She curses herself and starts to change the subject, but she sees Waverly glaring at her with her arms crossed, telling her to talk to her about it, so instead, she pushes on.  “I was only fucking with you,” she hastens to justify, “but I still shouldn’t have gonethere.  It was a shitty thing to say, and you didn’t deserve it.”

“Maybe I did,” Nicole sighs, visibly deflating.  “Seems like everyone has that opinion these days.”

“I don’t,” Wynonna says immediately.  “Nedley doesn’t.”

“Right,” Nicole scoffs.  “You drag my ass about my job every chance you get.  And Bunny Loblaw…”  Nicole swallows had and looks away again.

“Bunny Nut Cheerios can choke on her pearls, for all I care,” Wynonna seethes.  “And me…” Wynonna starts, a little more sheepishly.  “Well, since when do you listen to a word I say, anyway?”

Nicole just raises an eyebrow at her.

“Okay, look.  You know I don’t have the best track record with cops.  Even Nedley, from before I came back.  But you’re…”  Wynonna waves her hand around awkwardly.  “…Different.”

“Different,” Nicole repeats in a deadpan voice.

“Yes.  Different, okay?”  Wynonna kicks her foot on the bumper of the cruiser while she tries to figure out what to say next.  “Like.  Even before you kneweverything, you still tried to look out for me and my sister.  And then you took a bullet for her.   And you believe me when I tell you something’s important, even if I can’t always explain it right then.  And…  and you didn’t just automatically assume I was crazy and needed to be locked up again.”  

That last part comes out much quieter than the rest of it.  Nicole turns to fully face Wynonna and opens her mouth to respond, but Wynonna holds up a hand to stop her.

“I’m not very good at this shit, but I’m trying to say something important here.  Let me get it out.”  Nicole just nods silently, and Wynonna continues.  “And then my sister fell for you, and that scared me.  Because I thought you were just going to take her away from me.  But you didn’t, and you stayed, and she stayed, and…  You tell me you love her, and then you told me you love me, too, and…  and…”  Wynonna sighs and buries her head in her hands.  “Look, I’m just sayin’,” she says, popping her head back up again.  “I know we made up and called a truce the other night back at the station, but I still shouldn’t have said that.  You didn’t deserve it, okay?”

“Okay…”  

There’s a lot to unpack there, but Nicole is apparently willing to just let it go for now.  Thankfully.

“What if I can’t do this, Wynonna?” Nicole asks instead after a few moments of silence.  “What if I’m not cut out to be the Sheriff?”

“No way,” Wynonna snorts.  “That’s not possible.”  Nicole shrugs a little helplessly at her.  “Listen, Haughtdog.  Nedley has been talking about you non-stop since you started working for him a year and a half ago.  That man believes in you more than he believes in Willie Nelson.  And I told him a month ago – before any of this other shit started happening – that you were ready to take his place whenever he was ready to let you.  That you had the kind of fight in you that this town needs right now.”

“You…  you did?”  Nicole seems genuinely surprised by this.

“I did,” Wynonna nods.  “And I know for a fact that you heard every word I said to ol’ Bun Bun after we finished saving her ass.  Naughty Haughty and your eavesdropping.”  Wynonna gives an approving waggle of her eyebrows and Nicole shoves her playfully in the shoulder.  “But the truth is, Nicole…  You’re the best goddamn cop this town has ever seen.  Nedley is a good man, and he’s done the best he can with trying to balance the protection and the cover-up for the past thirty years.  But you’re…  Well, like I said.  You’re different.  You’ve got your eyes wide open going into this, and you’re everything this godforsaken town needs right now.”

Nicole stares down at her hands, suddenly very interested in the stitching on her gloves.

“I mean, look at how much of a difference you’ve already made just with something as simple as your handle-jiggling thingy.  The people trust you.  They’re glad to see you coming, and that’s important in a town like this.”

“Maybe so…”  Nicole glances back up at Wynonna.  “Thanks, Earp.”

“For what?” Wynonna asks pointedly.  “If you ever tell a living soul I said any ofthat, I’ll deny it to my grave.”

Nicole snorts and shakes her head.

“Fair enough.”

“Now, uh…”  Wynonna wipes the palms of her hands nervously on her jeans.  Her head is screaming at her to just leave it at that, counting this conversation as a win.  But her heart remembers the way Nicole had looked in the woods, and how haunted she’d been when they’d gotten back to the parking lot of theTrailhead.  She feels Waverly coaxing her to continue.  “Do you, uh…  want to talk about what’s really bothering you?”

Nicole instantly shrinks back into herself, looking back up at the darkened sky.  Wynonna could kick herself for being such a bull in the china closet, but she’s really trying here.  That’s got to count for something.

“How much do you remember from that night?” she asks tentatively.

“Not a lot,” Nicole mumbles.  “Just flashes.  That asshole in black leather.  Screams.  Blood.  Floating in the canoe.  Freezing so badly I thought I was turning to ice.”

“That… sounds like a lot to me,” Wynonna says.  “And the little girl today?”

“I knew how scared she would be.  Alone.  In the dark.  In these woods…”  A tear trickles down Nicole’s cheek.  “It put me right back there again.”  She wipes discreetly at her face, and Wynonna chooses not to say anything about it.

“Waverly said you’ve been having nightmares about it?”

“She told you about that?”  Nicole tries to sound mad, but Wynonna recognizes the truth in her voice: embarrassment and shame.

“She tells me a lot of things,” Wynonna says gently.  “Do you… want to talk about them?”

“What would you know about it?” Nicole huffs angrily, instantly starting to throw up a wall between them.  Wynonna isn’t having any of it.  Not this time.

“About what, Nicole?” She cuts in firmly.  “About something so traumatic from your childhood that it still haunts you twenty years later?  About darkness and death that twists you up so badly you end up in the loony bin for it?  About closing your eyes and seeing every person that’s ever died because you failed them etched across your eyelids until you can’t tell what’s real in the moment and what’s only a memory in a dream?”

Nicole stares at Wynonna, wide-eyed and mouth gaping open.  Wynonna just sits patiently, waiting for Nicole to process everything she just said.

It takes a minute.

“S-sorry…” Nicole eventually stutters.  “I wasn’t thinking.  I didn’t…  I…  S-sorry…”

“You don’t need to apologize, Nicole.”  Wynonna reaches out and takes one of Nicole’s hands.  “I was just trying to point out that maybe I get it a little more than you might think.  If you ever…  you know…”  She lets go of Nicole’s hand and waves it awkwardly in the air.  “…Needed someone.  To talk to, I mean.”

“Waverly’s so good.  She’s always there for me through the nightmares.”  Nicole sighs, looking back down at her hands.  “But sometimes I feel like I’mdrowning in it.  Like I’m going to drown both of us, and I can’t even see what it is that’s dragging me under.”  She wipes at her face again, more openly this time.

“Yeah, I get that,” Wynonna admits.  “Why do you think I left for so long?”

“I’m not going to leave her, Wynonna!” Nicole says sharply, sitting up straight again with her brow furrowed.

“I know,” Wynonna defends, throwing her hands up between them.  “I know.  That’s not what I meant.  It’s…  I just…  You’re a lot stronger than me, Haught.  I was too weak.  I had to leave because I couldn’t handle it.  I couldn’t handle it myself, and I sure as fuck couldn’t hand dragging Waverly down with me.”

“Am I?” Nicole asks quietly.

“Are you what?”  Wynonna frowns, confused.

“Dragging her down?  Would she be better off without my baggage?”  Wynonna doesn’t think she’s ever seen Nicole look so broken before.

“No,” she says firmly.  “God, no.  You’re the one that’s given that girl wings,Nicole.” 

“I don’t know about that,” Nicole sniffles, smiling slightly despite herself.  “Seems like this Julian dude probably had more to do with that than me.”

Wynonna can’t help but snort.

“Can’t believe Mama bagged herself a fucking angel.”  She barks out a laugh, but then her tone turns darker.  “You deserve your angel far more than she ever did.”

This time it’s Nicole that reaches out and takes Wynonna’s hand.

“Hey.”  She squeezes gently until Wynonna meets her eye.  “We’ll figure this out together, okay?  All of us.”

Wynonna searches Nicole’s eyes and finds nothing but genuine compassion there.  She wants to say something – feels like she should – but she can’t seem to find the right words, so she just nods her acknowledgement.  

Then, as if someone else is controlling her body, she reaches out and wraps her arms around Nicole, pulling her in close.  Nicole feels stiff at first, like she’s notsure what’s happening, but then she relaxes into the embrace, reaching aroundto close her own arms around Wynonna’s shoulders.

They stay like that for several long moments, losing track of the number of heartbeats, before Wynonna pulls back again, looking a little flustered with herself.

“What, uh…  What was that for?” Nicole asks through a lopsided smile.

Wynonna shrugs as casually as she can manage.

“You just looked like you really needed a hug.”

Just then, a pair of headlights comes sweeping into the parking lot, eventually coming to rest on the trunk of Nicole’s squad car, lighting both of them up in the sudden brightness.  The engine cuts out and they’re left with visions of a red jeep swimming behind the sunspots now floating in their eyes.

“Speak of the devil…” Wynonna says, wiping the salty tracks from her own face now.  “Or angel, I suppose,” she adds, nudging Nicole in her ribs with her elbow.  

They both share a laugh as they hop down from the trunk, wiping their hands on their pants and feeling all of the joints in their body crack as they stretch out their weary limbs.  Waverly approaches them slowly, eyebrow raised.

“Am I interrupting something?” she asks, her tone suspicious.

“Nope,” Wynonna hurries to say.  “Not a thing, Babygirl.  We’ve just been waiting on you.”

Waverly eyes Nicole, who just nods along innocently.  

“Riiiight…”

Before she can say anymore, Nicole has closed the distance between them, sweeping Waverly into her arms.  She kisses her deeply, far more than just a quick peck on the lips, before finally pulling back to nuzzle their noses together and eventually letting her forehead rest against Waverly’s.

Wynonna would normally clear her throat or make gagging noises or harass them in some other way, but instead, this time she quietly watches.  Really watches.

Watches the way Nicole seems to draw strength from the simple fact that Waverly is near.  Watches the way Waverly clutches at Nicole’s jacket, keeping her close and present in the moment and steady.  Watches them whisper softly to each other and the way Nicole’s body instinctively relaxes at Waverly’s touch.  Watches the way they both seem to be trying to protect each other at the same time.

She’d meant it before when she admitted to Nicole that she was scared when Waverly fell in love with her.  Scared that Nicole would take her away.  That Waverly would leave her.  But as she watches them now, she doesn’t feel scared anymore.  They were made for each other.  They deserve each other.  And there’s no way she can be jealous of that.  She couldn’t ask for anyone betterto be taking care of her baby sister, and for all of the blustery sarcasm shethrows Nicole’s way, she’s also glad that she has someone like Waverly to takecare of her, too.

There’s been a lot of reevaluating lately.  About what family truly means.  Is it just about blood?  Are they destined to be bound to those who are related to them simply because they share some common DNA?  All Wynonna’s blood brings is a curse of failure and leaving and death.  Generations of Earps had fallen to forces outside their control.  Daddy and Willa had betrayed their family.  Mama had bailed…  twice.  Is that really what Wynonna wants her family to be?

And what about the family you choose for yourself?  She’s not doing much better in that department, either.  She had to kill Shorty with her own two hands.  Dollsleft her to all of this alone, even though it wasn’t the same way Mama had left.  And Doc…  Doc had chosen to betray her, to become the very thing they hunted, all because he couldn’t deal with a little manpain.  

She has Alice, and will always love her.  But god knows when the next time she’ll get to see her will be.  If she ever gets to see her again at all.  Just another piece of family that’s been ripped away from her.

Maybe some things just aren’t in the cards for the heir to a curse that she never asked for.

But then she looks over at Waverly and Nicole again.  Remembers Waverly telling her that she loves her.  Remembers Nicole telling her that she kind of loves her, too.  Remembers Nicole telling her ‘I got you, Earp,’ and actually meaning it.  Remembers Waverly telling her ‘I’m here for you, now and forever,’ and staying with her even though she could have run so many times.

Something clenches in Wynonna’s chest, and she nearly forgets how to breathe.  She does have a family.  And it’s right here in front of her.  Just the three of them against the world.  Her sister, and…  her sister’s girlfriend?  Her…  Nicole?  Her…  best friend.  The words feel foreign in her mind.  She’s never had a best friend before.  Not really.  But she looks back over everything she and Nicole have been through, and she thinks maybe…  maybe this is what that is supposed to feel like.  

Besides.  Something tells her that at some point, she’ll eventually have to start calling Nicole her sister, too.

She doesn’t think that would be such a bad thing.

“You okay?” she hears Waverly asking, and she realizes that both Waverly and Nicole staring at her with raised eyebrows.

Fuck.  Get your shit together, Earp.

“Uh, yeah…”  She clears her throat a couple of times and gives her patented thumbs up.  “All good.  You guys ready to get out of here?” she asks, hoping to distract them.

“Please,” Nicole answers wearily.

“Grab your bag and toss me your keys, Babygirl.  I’ll drive your Jeep home so you can ride with Haughtstuff.”

“You sure?” Waverly asks, her eyes lighting up.

“Of course.  Go take care of your girl,” she says, walking over to kiss the side of Waverly’s head as she takes the keys out of her hand.

“Nicole said she’s starving.  We were gonna stop by Mama Lou’s.”  Waverly’s voice is muffled as she digs through the cab of the Jeep for her bag and her purse.  “You wanna join us before you head home?” she asks when her head pops back out again.

Wynonna glances over at Nicole, not wanting to intrude on their time together, but Nicole nods at her with a warm smile.

“Sounds good,” she admits.  “I could murder a stack of pancakes.”

“We’ll follow you there,” Nicole says as she watches Waverly settle into the passenger seat of her squad car.

Wynonna nods and turns to climb into the Jeep, but stops when she feels a hand on her arm.

“Wynonna…”  Nicole’s mouth opens and closes a couple of times like a fish out of water as she tries to find the words to say.  “Thanks,” she finally settles on.  “I, uh…  I don’t think I could have made it through today without you.”

Wynonna smiles genuinely, no trace of sarcasm or teasing.  Then she shrugs like it’s the easiest thing in the world to say.

“You’re family, Nicole.”

[mrs-dragneel-stark-solo]

Unforseen Chasm (Part 64)

Part 64 of Unforseen Chasm

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together. Word Count: 2655 Warnings: Language, dark moment for reader, 5 yrs after the snap, grief, anger, killing spree, new love, endgame plot, enter Uncle  Wade Wilson,hope, worry, 

Song for this part: Cruel Summer- Taylor Swift Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my other fic series). first major Collab with my best friend @thorne93​ what was first a simple “what if” moment turned into a two year writing session and I’ve never been more prouder of myself than when i started my first series. goes through most of the MCU plots there are some changes to accommodate for what we wanted and there is a bit of a crossover between the MCU and other characters. I hope you guys enjoy reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it.

“Don’t kill me, I have family,” the man begged.

“So did I.”

You charged the knife and flung it at his head, stabbing him between the eyes instantly killing him.

That was the last of one of the cartels in Brazil. He was a ruthless, horrible man that you’d been tracking for two months. Him and about ten others who worked for him. But you’d just single handedly killed all ten of them in their warehouse.

About eight months ago, you ran into Clint Barton. Apparently, when the snap happened, he lost his entire family and went off the deep end like you did. He was filled with bitter rage. Wondering why monsters like this survived and his family was gone. You were both tracking the same people and when you found each other, you agreed to stay together. It made sense and both of you felt like it was nice to see a familiar face with a similar past and same vendetta.

Remy followed you everywhere. He stayed in horrible hotels and motels, just to follow you around. Sometimes he followed you on your missions, lingering in the shadows making sure you didn’t get hurt or need backup. You and Clint sometimes fought together, so he wasn’t too worried, but other times you two worked separate jobs or different jobs in the same area, and that’s when Remy would watch out for you.

You came back to the room you’d rented. Since the job was done, you’d pack, sleep, and move onto the next target you’d talked about with Clint. Remy stayed out of the way of you two, never saying or offering any judgment or criticism. He understood the path you two were on. He didn’t like it, and he didn’t think it was bringing you much joy, but this was what you wanted, and to be honest, the world was better without the people you were killing.

By now it had been five years since the snap. Your first year was filled with global travel then settling down in New Orleans. The second year you tried to find domestic bliss with Remy, the two of you having steady jobs. Then the last 3 years were filled with hate, rage, murder, vendettas.

What you did… what you were doing… it didn't bring you joy, but it made you feel better for a split second that horrible people weren't ruining good people's lives.

Remy had been great since the day he showed up in Paris. He had been understanding of Loki and never pressured you to move on. Remy understood where he stood in your heart and he accepted it because this was all he had wanted for many years. He wished he didn't have to watch you suffer and grieve to get to this point, he somehow wished things were different in that he was your first choice and not Loki. But ultimately, he respected your heart's desires.

Truthfully, you did love Remy. You had told Shannon what seemed like centuries ago that perhaps in another life where you didn't know Loki existed or had never met him, Remy would be your one and only. Now that Loki was gone though, it felt so wrong. It felt wrong to be happy, to even think of moving on, to even entertain the idea of loving another.

Half of you couldn’t imagine moving on without Loki - he was your life, your life, your world. He’s the one you wanted to share your life with. The other half felt guilty to experience any happiness, because it was your fault the world was the way it was. Why should you get a happy ending when it was your fault everyone was in this living Hell?  

But your heart doesn’t listen to logic or reason. You didn’t mean to fall in love...

This had been on your mind for quite some time. Perhaps right after he almost proposed was when you started to really take notice of him. But it wasn't until maybe three months ago, almost five years after the snap, that you felt like you could maybe allow yourself to love him back.

You weren't ready to give up on Loki, or even consider moving on, but perhaps there was room enough for more than one love in your heart.

Remy had been nothing but kind, sweet, understanding, and supportive. He let you grieve and deal with things the way you needed to. If you ever asked for space, or pulled away from a kiss, he didn't get upset or disappointed. He'd just assure you it was alright. He was with you, day in and day out, practically since the snap happened. Without him, you weren’t sure you would’ve survived this long.

After all that, and everything you went through as children together, how could you not love him?

Simple: you did.

“How’d it go?” Remy asked once you got inside the hotel room. He was reading a magazine at a bar in the little kitchenette the place offered.

“Job’s finished,” you answered simply.

“So it’s Japan next?”

“Yep.”

You started to grab some quick food to make yourself some dinner. “I’m sorry to do this to you. To drag you all over the world for some… vendetta.”

“It’s alright. I know why you have to do it,” he assured.

Tears rolled down your cheeks as you smiled, pulling the food from the cabinet. Something in you told you he needed to know how you felt. That it was the right time, if there ever was a right time.

It was time to face the harsh reality that Loki wasn’t coming back. None of them were. You couldn’t live every day in his memory, drowning in grief and depression. It was time to move forward, as hard as it was, you knew it was the right decision. And doing it with Remy wouldn’t be so bad, right? He was a wonderful man with a big heart.

"For whatever it's worth, I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?” you asked through tears as you turned around to face him, a bit of a laugh coming out of you.

He looked up grinning like the devil. “I think that’s the best news I ever heard,” he countered, getting up to round the bar before he took you in a hug. “I know that was hard for you to say, cher, but I love you all the more for it,” he assured softly as he brushed his knuckles across your face.

You gently smiled before giving him a quick kiss.

It looked like this was the start to the beginning of a new chapter for you.

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

You were in Japan now, taking care of one of the mafia that had been in power for decades here. You just decimated one of their safehouses, leaving a pile of bodies behind you. Clint was digging up more information at the moment and he would take the next hit on the mob.

Just as you grabbed Remy to go find some dinner, you two were walking down the street, it was wet from a recent rainstorm when you suddenly heard someone say your name from behind you as they grabbed your hand.

“Y/N Y/L/N?” Wade said. “Of course your Y/N who am I kidding”. He went to pull your hand.

The sudden action made you move reflexively.

As you spun, you charged his hand and as he pulled away to gasp in pain, you mustered up your dark electrical purple energy in your left fist and slammed it into his chest, the heel of your palm colliding with his sternum. It sent him flying backwards into a cart on the sidewalk. You straightened up before glancing back to Remy, confusion on your face.

“You’re not exactly friendly, are you?” the man asked as you stared at him. He was getting up, wiping the debris off himself. He was clad in a red and black suit from head to toe. “Should have known better than to try that.” His tone had a sort of whimsy to it , almost as if he was telling a joke.

“Who the hell are you?” you all but growled, your fist raised and still glowing.

Remy came up behind you though and gently lowered your arm. “Cher, I know this man.”

“You know him?” you accused, as if knowing this idiot was an inexcusable offense.

“Unfortunately, yes. This is Wade Wilson. He’s an X-Man,” Remy explained.

“Correction I am not an X-men,” he offers his hand. “Deadpool’s the name killing’s my game.” He pretended to curtsey.

Your eyes shot back to the man now known as Wade and you narrowed your gaze. “Why are you here? What do you want with me?”

“First of all, let me just say wow about that little trick of yours. Also to be fair, you overreacted,” he quipped.

“Overreacted? Some stranger just grabbed my hand. You're lucky I didn’t kill you. Now what the hell are you doing here?”

“Listen here, buttercup, I’m here on a favor of Shannon Stark. Remember her?”

Your mouth fell open slightly. “You know Shannon?”

“Yeah, we go way back!” He waved his hand. “I babysit her kid time from time but the point is, she wanted me to find you, to bring you home. She’s worried about you or something. I wasn’t really listening. I just owe her a favor so I got the gist of the mission and then said, ‘You owe me one hundred chimichangas and not the cheap stuff because I know Stark can afford the nice ones so don’t even think about skimping on --”

“Do you ever stop talking?” you interjected, glaring at him. “Wait, did you say Shannon’s kid?” This hit you like a wrecking ball.

Shannon had a child? There was… she… a child? You couldn’t wrap your head around it.

“No, he doesn’t,” Remy responded as he stared him down. “Wade, go on home now. Y/N and I don’t wanna go back. We’re happy and we are on our own.”

“Yeah see that wasn’t really part of the contract. I’m supposed to bring you back and --”

“Sorry to disappoint, but you can’t bring me back, I’m not going.”

“You’re gonna break Shannon’s heart,” he said with fake sadness.

“I already did, but nice try.” You turned and started to walk away.

“Well too bad because I don’t take no for an answer so gear up, we’re heading back now.” He went to pick you up. “And don’t try doing that little trick of yours again. Shannon said to bring you back but she didn't say in what condition.” Deadpool smirked.

“I already told you, asshat, I’m not going anywhere with you,” you replied and jumped back flaring up your purple energy. “You can just tell her you haven't found me.”

“Well it looks like that won’t be necessary. See the thing is she already knows you’re here.” Wade sing-songs. “When you weren't looking, I sent coordinates and they had been on standby.”

“You what?!” you all but shouted, terror snaking in your voice. “Remy, we have to go.” You started to turn and grab his sleeve.

Unbeknownst to you, Shannon had already gotten there and was waiting for the moment to appear.

“Are you really going to be a sack of unicorn shit and just break her heart like that?” Wade asked, cocking his head. “So much for being a good sister.”

Feeling guilty you turned to him. “She’s survived without me for this long I’m sure she’s more than fine.” You shook her head. “And what's a little heartbreak when she’s fine?”

Just then Shannon walked out of the alley she and Natasha had been waiting in. Both women went their separate ways. Shannon to you and Nat to Clint.

“So you’re really okay with breaking my heart after everything we’ve been through?” Shannon called out loud enough for you to hear. “What happened to being family?”

The sound of her voice cut you like a knife.

“You’ve got your own family now, it sounds like. I thought you’d be better off without me, and it appears I was right.” You let your hands span out beside you before falling, a sad smile on your face.

“Y/N, you’ve been gone for 5 years! You have no idea what's happened in that time.” She shook her head. “We may have found a way to reverse what Thanos did, but we need you—I need you.” She stretched her hand out to you.

“Sorry to ruin the moment but I’ve done my part,” Wade interrupted the moment. “Now when do I get my chimichangas?”

You eyed Wade for a moment, irritated with him after only five minutes. Then your gaze shot to Shannon’s hand.

“Really, Wade? Couldn’t this wait till after we got back?” Shannon asked, looking a little annoyed. “Plus they’re at the cabin, hidden because you got Morgan addicted to those!” she retorted.

Sheepish, he ducked his head. “It’s not my fault the kid hasn't tried all the good stuff.” Shrugging, he added, “It’s not like they’ll harm her anyways.”

“Just get back to the quinjet.” Shannon turned her head facing you again as Wade retreated. “Sorry about that, he can be a lot to handle sometimes.”

“Clearly. Much like, was it, Morgan? A child? You have a child?” There was venom and betrayal in your voice. Although, to be fair, she had no way to reach out to you to give you any news. That was on you.

“We can talk all about it, if you come back with me.”

“Why do you need me?” you questioned.

“It’s an all hands on deck sort of situation. You’re just about the only one who stands a chance against him.”

“But last time--”

“Last time was different. We know what we’re up against now. There may be a way to reverse it. To get everyone back.”

Tears pricked at your eyes. You hadn’t cried over Loki in some time. He was on your mind, every day, always, but the grief laden sobs had slowly died down over the last five years.

“Don’t promise something you can’t deliver,” you warned, your fist balled up. You could tell Remy was getting worried at your side. “I can’t go through this again.”

She stepped even closer to you, taking your hand. “You won’t. We will win this time. I promise. You need to come home, Y/N. It’s time.”

You looked back to Remy who gave you a look that told you this was your choice, your call. You knew he’d follow you anywhere, no matter what you chose.

You heaved a sigh and turned back to Shannon, giving a firm nod to let her know you were in. This is what you’d been waiting for. Now it was finally here, and even if it meant possibly losing everything again, going through the same pain again, it was worth it to try and get everyone back. To get him back.

Once everyone was back on the quinjet. Things got a bit quieter. You had fallen asleep, leaning on Remy. Shannon walked over to the two of you and covered you in a blanket.

“Here, she’ll get cold soon, she always does when she’s on here.” She smiled sadly seeing just how tired and bruised you looked. “I’ll let Tony know you’ll be staying with us. Did you want to share the room with Y/N or your own?” she asked, unsure of the situation.

“We can share a room, that'll be fine. Thank you, Shannon. It’s good to see you again.”

“Okay. Is there anything you guys might need right away? It’s good to see you too.”

Remy shook his head. “Nah, we should be good. Thank you though.”

“Alright then but if anything comes to mind let me know okay?”

“Will do.”

Unforseen Chasm Tag list- @reigningqueenofwords​ @oldfreakything​ @adefectivedetective​ @dontbetooobvious​

Tag list- @cas-you-assbutt-dean-needs-you​ @winchester-writes​ @winchesterenthusiast​ @deansdirtylittlesecretsblog   @sammysbuttcheek @misz-adrii @sandlee44 @womanxofletters @natsuccs @childishhoebinoo @expecteddifferent @girl-next-door-writes @fanaticfanfiction @dakotapaigelove @sassy-spn-knight-of-hell @reigningqueenofwordsmain @oldfreakything

Marvel: @reigningqueenofwords @flowerbunbunny @zelda2248 @misz-adrii

[brazil-also-loves-rwby]

To move on 4 - RWBY FANFIC

Hello everyone. This is my fanfic Para Seguir Em Frente. I translated it because I received many visits from countries with English language. MY ENGLISH IS BAD AND YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Please comment. Originaly posted here https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13256016/1/To-move-on

The group began to fragment gradually the next day. With the lack of hunters to protect the population, Ruby, Blake, Yang and even Nora and Ren set off to different corners of Remnant to provide help. Weiss and Jaune were the only ones who stayed in Vale together with Oscar. Weiss remained to attend Oscar's magic classes. Jaune, on the other hand, heeded his mother's request to stay in town a little longer. Even so, he was often subjugating little grimms or escorting people from nearby villages.

So, as Ruby had suggested as a joke, he asked them both to take part in the informational video. The producer, who was responsible for analyzing the material before being distributed, became static not to work with one but three war heroes. It took them a few days to record, and the next Monday it was being published in the morning as he prepared for his first day of school.

- They showed your video today on the news. - Aunt May commented, stepping out of the kitchen as he entered. - I thought you said you'd cut off the part that Jaune burned his own shirt.

- I asked them to cut it. - Oscar replied, confused.

Serving coffee, he pulled out his scroll and searched for the latest news. His face and his friends were stamped in various matters, still referring to the feast of previous days. He ignored the gossip and found what he was looking for. For something published within hours, the number of views was high and continued to rise. He opened the video and started watching.

Welcome, citizens of Remnant. My name is Oscar Pine and I am here to teach you about magic.

With the return of the gods, the united conciel of all kingdoms determined our entrance into a new era. Today, we are in year 1 of this new age of magic.

The magic initially was a gift from the Dark God to mankind. And make no mistake: he is the Lord of Destruction, but he is as capable of creation as his older brother. Therefore, we can use magic to create or destroy at our will.

Like dust, magic has basic elements that can be combined to new elements and effects. These elements are fire, earth, air, water, light and darkness.

In immemorial times, magic was used by everyone, whether for household chores or to keep the dreaded grimms away. An ordinary person could keep a fire burning all winter, fed by his aura, day after day. In the same way an experienced person could consume a grimm, burning it at command.

Together, we will make those old days into today, for now I will teach you the basics of how to feel the magic within you, how to contain it and awaken it only when necessary.

You should take a deep breath and close your eyes. For someone accustomed to feeling their own aura, it is the same process. You could feel it, pulsing with your heart and moving in the rhythm of your breathing. It can be easily invoked by strong feelings. To contain it, you must contain yourself.

The magic wakes up early. The first signs of magic appear in children 8 to 10 years old, small but present. Parents should watch out for their children, help them understand it and contain it. Thanks to the awakening of magic, your aura is also unlocked without the need for outside help. As a natural protection, this prevents children from immediately being hurt by their own magic.

Now, to demonstrate the basic use of these elements, I invited two longtime friends of mine to assist me.

At first, it was all as suggested, but it was still kind of weird seeing and listening to himself. Weiss exhibited simple uses of water, air, and darkness. Simple things, such as conjuring up a small rain, pushing objects with a breath of air, or covering herself with a blanket of shadows in the bright light.

Jaune, on the other hand, was filled with times when he had asked to be cut. However, Oscar immediately understood why the publisher chose to keep them. Jaune fumbled with the magic, trying to conjure fire, earth and light. But instead of making himself a fool, Jaune laughed at his own faults, trying again until he got the expected result.

Even to the extent that he reduced his shirt to ashes.

- Uh, Oscar, I think I did something wrong. - He said shyly, a hand on the back of his neck and a dull smile.

They edited the scene, certainly, showing only a simple moment, but the exposed chest of Jaune was subject in good part of the evaluations of the video. And Oscar could not fault them! Jaune had become a male body ideal, with broad shoulders, defined and strong muscles. Even the scars he wore seemed strategically placed to decorate him like war medals.

At that moment his scholl ringed, switching the video over for a call from Jaune himself. Oscar answered.

- OSCAR! WHAT THEY DID WITH OUR RECORDINGS ?! I LOOK RIDICULOUS! YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIS OF THE AIR!

- Um, Jaune ...

- I WOKE UP WITH MY SISTERS CALLING ME TO TALK ABOUT THAT! THEY WILL USE THAT AGAINST ME FOR YEARS!

- Ahh, Jaune ... Jaune. Jaune! - Oscar finally managed to cut off the blonde's whine. - Did you get to see the comments? No one thought you were an idiot.

- What?! How could they not find it ?! - Oscar heard rumblings, maybe Jaune fumbled with his own scroll in an attempt to see what Oscar was referring to. - Oh here! The first comment is already about me! Listen! "Gods forgive me, but as Jaune Arc is soo ho-" I'M WHAT?! "He's so strong! And he did not need magic to defeat hordes of grimms..." Well, there was a horde all at once ... "I wanted him to..." Okay, that should be censored!

- Like I said, - Oscar said, stifling a laugh with a sip of coffee. - I think our short course was a success greater than expected thanks to you.

- Well...

- I'm sorry, but I can not stay much. I must leave for the University. Classes started soon.

- Um, right, I... Well, I'll talk to the editor later. Good luck on your first day Oscar.

- Thank you Jaune. Have a nice day you, too. And try not to be kidnapped by a fan club or anything.

- Wait, what?

Oscar laughed and hung up anyway. Finishing his coffee, he simply walk to the University, a few blocks away. Unlike days before, when he had gone to visit the place to repair his classes and record the video, people would stop in the street to watch him go by. He was known, of course, but day after day the reaction of the citizens became increasingly obvious. Eyes widened and mouths fell, whispering loudly to his companions about him.

Oscar had never experienced such a situation, but the feeling was familiar. Memories of times when Ozma was king came to him. Days when he was held on a pedestal, commanding thousands of lives and yet solitary.

He lost himself so deeply in his thoughts that he just woke up to feel a small tug on his coat. Surprised, he lowered his eyes to a blond girl, eight or nine years old, looking at him with a determined expression. Oscar could see who his mother should be, meters behind, terrified of her actions.

- Excuse me sir. - She said in a high childish voice. She said the words carefully, trying to put into practice the good manners she learned. - Are you Master Oscar?"

- Yes I am. - He bent down so that his eyes were as tall as the girl. - What can I do for you, miss?

- Viper said I can not do magic and I'm crazy for thinking I can. - She said, pointing back. This time he noticed another child, clinging and half hidden behind the adult's skirts.

- We can all do magic now, little one. It was a gift from the dark god, as I said, to each one of us. Even for you, and for Viper too.

- But I could not do it in the morning. - She said, her determination failing.

- Using magic is difficult, but I know you will soon, as long as you do not give up. - He said affectionately. Oscar saw many children on their travels, and it was comforting to see joy and not fear, now that the greatest evil was gone. - So even if you fail, day after day, try again. It's ok?

- Yes sir! I'll try my best! - She smiled widely.

- Great. Now you should go, your mother seems worried.

- Oh, Mrs. Poppins is not my mother. I do not have one. - She said simply. - But you're right. See you later Master Oscar.

She said good-bye and ran back to the woman who was waiting for her. For some reason, Oscar imagined she was serious about saying 'See you later.' Maybe it was not the last time he saw the little blond girl.

The small meeting distracted his mind and left him with a faint smile on his lips until he had himself with his students. It was almost comical to call them students, all of them teachers and hunters older than himself. There were five of them for each kingdom, and Kali Belladonna herself had come from Menagerie, with two others. He stood in the center of the room, in front of the great projector, and resorted to Ozma's years of experience.

- Good morning friends and thanks again for joining me in such a short time. We have an important mission ahead of us.

With them, Oscar spent the day teaching magic and planning how this knowledge would be passed on to the people. They outlined how to add it as a new subject to the common school curriculum and hunter academies. Even during lunch, or after class, everyone continued to talk, animated by the world of possibilities open to Remnant.

Weiss was one of the most amazed at these possibilities. Oscar saw in her the desire to discover all the nuances of magic. She had dinner at his house that, just to argue a bit more, so Oscar went to bed late that night. Just as he was about to fall asleep he saw Ruby's message. Ignoring the butterflies spinning in his stomach, he heard the message.

- Hey Oscar! I saw your video today! You were awesome! The people are calling you Master Oscar on the streets! And you really took off Jaune's shirt! I do not believe that! - She speaks fast and lively. His joy warmed Oscar's chest. Stifled voices in the cast interrupted her for a moment. - Well, I need to go now. There is still much to be done here. Well ... See you, Oscar!

That was enough for Oscar to have sweet dreams all night.

[radiant-flutterbun]

A Little Lost and Lonely

The Murder Trio Part 4

Previously

        Nullity was the first to leave. Without bothering to communicate with her siblings she sought out Inkdrop and asked her to take her back home to her girlfriend's house. Nos left not too long after that. They went back to their mother's house.

       Only Nepenthe remained in Sornieth. She wanted to track Naperone's trail. But Sepulchral stopped her.

        “Guerra is already on his trail,” He pointed out “I think he wants to kill him himself.”

         “But I was supposed to!” Nepenthe growled “I was supposed too…”

         “Maybe you were wrong.”

          Nepenthe glared at Sepulchral “I'm the Goddess of Revenge! What better destiny than to take revenge on my father by taking his life? He's ruined plenty. It only makes sense to take his to make up for everything that he's done.”

           “Listen Nep, I'm not trying to defend Naperone. I know he's a bad guy and I hate everything he's done too but… I don't know it's just worrying that this is all you care about.”

            Nep’s feathers rose along her neck as she growled once more “I thought you of all people would understand why this is so important to me! I guess I was wrong. About you, and my siblings.” She sulked away from Sepulchral and slumped in a lonely corner of the clan’s lobby.

           A black nocturne with hot pink spikes, and a nose ring approached her.

           “Hey,” he said and held out a paw “Name’s Eumoirous, I'm the God of Shared Interests and I don't believe we've properly met before.”

           Nep stared at his outstretched paw for a moment and did nothing “You're Sepulchral's friend.” She said.

           Eumoirous put his paw back down “Yeah. Why?”

           “He told you to come talk to me, didn't he?”

           “No. I came over because you looked like you needed some company. But if you don't want any that's fine. I'll leave.” He began to turn around when Nep looked up at him.

           “Wait! Please… please stay.”

         “Alright,” Eumoirous sat down next to her and they were both silent for a moment “Hey, you wanna come over to my place? I live in the Land of Love. You ever been there?”

          “No and it sounds awful.”

         “Oh it is. My sister has decorated it with pastel colors and flowers. It's absolutely appalling.”

         “Why do you want to invite me?”

         “Because I think you need a friend other than Sepulchral.”

         Nepenthe puffed up again “I have friends! There's… there's… I guess Nullity was my friend,” she frowned “Whatever. I don't need any other friends. I lived most of my life alone. I can live the rest of it alone too.”

         Eumoirous shrugged “Alright. You wanna live an eternity alone. That's cool. You do you.” he began to get up again when Nepenthe grabbed his arm and yanked him back much harder than she intended.

       “Wait! Fine. I'll go. But only to see how stupid those flowers look.”

       Eumoirous smiled “Alright. Let's find Inkdrop.”

       ***

      Inkdrop dropped the two gods off next to the palace gates.

The Land of Love was exactly as Eumoirous described it. Full of pastel colors and fields of flowers. Hummingbirds and butterflies darted from flower to flower, and all of the buildings resembled dollhouses. The palace was no different. It was pastel pink and built like some sort of giant Barbie doll mansion.

Now away from Sornieth both Nepenthe and Eumoirous were in their true humaniod forms. Nepenthe stood taller than Eumoirous with freckled dark ochre skin and long black curly hair. She had the same dark red eyes as her dragon form, and thick muscular arms. Her feline ears were tufted with black fur and at the end of her long tail with a neon green pitch fork symbol.

Eumoirous was not only shorter than Nepenthe, but was skinnier with no muscle and he had pale white skin. He had neck length black hair that fell over his face, covering one of his purple eyes. Nepenthe could tell his hair was dyed because his natural brown roots were starting to show. Like Nep, Eumoirous’s ears were also tufted. Unlike Nep his face and ears were covered in piercings included his classic nose ring and snake bites. He was dressed in all black and on the tip of his tail was a pink heart.

“Well you weren't lying,” Nepenthe said “This place is horrid.”

Eumoirous snorted “Tell me about it! But hey, at least it makes my sister happy. C’mon, I’ll show you around.”

Eumoirous led Nepenthe inside the pastel pink mansion. The inside wasn’t much different. It was pink with lacey furniture and more flowers. Eumoirous took Nepenthe onto the second floor, where a black door stood out among the pink. Signs were plastered onto the door that included a skull and crossbones, a ‘do not enter’ sign, and a Green Day American Idiot album poster.

“Is that your room?” Nep guessed.

“That it is,” Eumoirous confirmed and opened it, revealing black painted walls that were mostly covered with posters of various things. From a quick glance Nepenthe spotted Undertale, The Walking Dead, and Panic At the Disco Posters. Snugly fitted in the corner of his room was a single bed with messy skull print covers. In the front of his room was a desk that held up a holographic computer with a monitor that was two feet across. The room had several windows but it was dark from the heavy blinds that blocked out the sunlight. From large speakers in the room My Chemical Romance played.

“As much as I love MCR, I’m going to turn it off just this once,” Eumoirous said “Because I brought you here for a reason. You’re lost, Nep.”

Nepenthe frowned “You brought me here cause you pity me?”

“No. That’s not what I said. Look, Sepulchral is your only friend isn’t he?”

“... So what?”

“I’m not trying to make fun. It’s just, as great as Sepulchral is he’s not always around when you want him to be. He’s been my best friend since we were kids, and i’ve learned that even though he wants to always be there for me, he just can’t. And that’s ok. But you can’t rely on him for everything.”

“I don’t. Because I don’t rely on anyone.”

“Yeah and that’s not good either. There’s no shame in wanting to be close to people. What I’m saying is… I don’t really have any friends other than Sepulchral either. And I’m not the best with people but… I don’t know. I just thought maybe i’d be able to help you with something I have trouble with myself.”

“So… You brought me here because you wanted to be friends?”

“I guess? If… If you want to be?”

“I don’t know you.”

Eumoirous’s ears flattened “So… that’s a no?”

“No it’s just… I don’t know what to think of you yet. But… yeah. Sure. I’ll try to get to know you. Why not? It’s not like anyone else wants to talk to me.”

Eumoirous perked up “Cool! Cool… um so. Let’s get to know each other better I guess? What sort of things do you like to do?”

“What do I like to do?”

“Yeah. Like any hobbies? Interests?”

“... I’m good at hunting. I can track and kill animals and cook them and skin them.”

“I know you had to do that stuff while living on your own but like… Do you actually like to do that?”

Nepenthe blinked “Like… Do I enjoy killing things so that I don’t suffer myself?”

“Yeah. I mean that’s cool if you enjoy hunting. Lots of mortals do. There’s a few moral and ethical concerns that could be debated about the practise when it’s just done for sport but that’s a whole ‘nother conversation.”

“I would never kill an innocent creature for sport. Only out of necessity.”

“I see… So. You don’t really enjoy hunting, do you?”

Nepenthe bit her lip “No… No I guess not.”

“So what else to you like? Like… any goals you’re aiming to accomplish?”

“I wanted to kill my father.”

“But that can’t be all that you wanted to do with your life.”

“I… I can worry about that after I kill him. Him being eliminated from existence is the only thing that matters now.”

“So, you literally don’t care about anything else?”

“Naperone is a monster. Of course killing him is everything that matters.”

“I already know he’s a monster. He took my mother away from me and tortured her.”

“... That’s right. You are Oxytocin’s son.”

“Yeah. So I already know just how much of a monster Naperone is,” Eumoirous sniffled “Knowing how much Oxytocin was suffering because of him, and knowing there was nothing we could do for her… It hurt. It fucking hurt so much. But you know what I did? What my sister did? What Reflection did? We lived. We continued to live and do the things that made us happy, because that’s what Oxy would have wanted. Sure maybe they were just distractions from the horrible situation Naperone put our family in, but it was something. What I’m saying is, I think you need to find some distractions too.”

“But don’t you want Naperone dead for what he did? Don’t you think he deserves it?”

“Of course I do. If it were up to me, I’d make him experience everything he made my mother feel. But you know what? It’s not up to me. Naperone is somewhere on the dragon planet. I wouldn’t know how to find him or capture him. So I just have to accept that and move on. My mother is safe now. She’s damaged, but repairable, and as long as she’s safe she will heal. So rather than focus on some impossible revenge, I’d rather support my loved ones. I’d rather just continue to live my life, and not let Naperone taint it anymore.”

“So I should just… let it go? Let Naperone go?”

“Yeah.”

“But I can’t do that.”

“And why not?”

“... Because… Because I don’t know what else to do.”

“Then, why don’t I help you? I’m the God of Shared Interests after all. It’s literally my job to track the interests of mortals and how they use these interests to connect with each other. It’s how the mortals find purpose to their limited lives. It’s how they distract themselves from demon influences. It’s how they live,” Eumoirous gestured to the posters plastered on his walls “It’s worked for me. These are some of my favorite things that mortals have created. Playing horror games, reading fanfiction, listening to punk rock, they’ve all worked as excellent distractions from the awful reality that is the world. They helped me be me. They helped me find happiness even when the Goddess of Joy herself was miserable.”

“So… You want to help me find another interest other than wanting to kill my father?”

“Yeah. I think it’ll be good for you.”

“But what’s in it for you?”

“Uh… Friendship?” Eumoirous smiled awkwardly.

“I still don’t understand why you’d want to be friends with me.”

Eumoirous shrugged “Why not? You don’t seem like a bad person. Maybe a little lost, but that’s ok. I mean if you don’t want to be friends that’s cool too but… I don’t know. I’ve never been very good making friends. I’m lucky enough to be friends with Sepulchral, but he’s a busy guy and he can’t always be there when you want him to. It’s not his fault. And i’m ok with that but. It’s lonely.”

“Well… I guess that’s one thing we have in common then,” Nepenthe said “And friends are supposed to have some things in common, right? So, I guess we’re on the right track then.”

Eumoirous smiled “Yeah! Yeah, I guess we are. So uh. You wanna figure out what sort of things you like? You don’t seem like the type who’d like video games, or My Chemical Romance very much. Or maybe you do, but I think I know something you will definitely like. So you don’t like hunting because that involves killing something, but what about target practise? You’ll be using what you already know from hunting, but without killing anything! We have some targets out back. Believe it or not, i’ve got a pretty good aim at a crossbow. So why don’t we go outside and do that with our favorite weapons?”

Nepenthe shrugged “Sure. Why not?” She summoned her spear.

“Ok great!” Eumoirous summoned his crossbow and led Nepenthe outside where the targets were. There were already a few arrows lodged into some of them.

Nepenthe aimed her spear, and she threw it. It just nearly missed the middle.

“Wow! Good shot!” Eumoirous said, clearly impressed.

“Feels weird to aim at something that’s not alive.”

“Yeah. I think i’d feel weird to hit something that’s alive,” Eumoirous said “I’m lucky. I’ve never had to use my crossbow on anything, or anyone.” He aimed and shot. His arrow didn’t hit to middle, but it wasn’t too far off.

“You certainly know how to use that though,” Nepenthe commented.

“Yeah. I like to practise with it. But I think I’d be too scared to actually try to hurt anyone with it. Even if they’re a monster.”

“So you wouldn’t even hit Naperone with it?”

“I would if I have to. But I wouldn’t be happy about it. Don’t get me wrong. I want Naperone to be in pain. I’m just a coward.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Nepenthe said as she retrieved her spear and threw it again, this time it hit the target dead in the center.

“Holy shit. Good job!” Eumoirous cheered “But what do you mean?”

“You’re not a coward. You’re gentle.”

Eumoirous was in the middle of shooting his crossbow again, but Nepenthe’s words made him jerk back and the arrow missed the target completely “Sorry, what?”

“You’re gentle.”

“What? No I’m not!”

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean it to be an insult.”

“I’m not gentle. I’m tough. I’ll admit I’m a coward. But I’m a cool tough coward! I’m not sweet or gentle! Not like… Not like Niossa.”

“Of course you’re not sweet and gentle like Niossa. You’re sweet and gentle like Eumoirous. And that’s not a bad thing.”

Eumoirous’s ear flicked “But I… I don’t know. Sorry. I just don’t want to be seen that way. That’s the way my sister is supposed to be. That’s how I was expected to be. Because gentleness… That’s typically a pretty feminine coded thing, you know? It’s not that men can’t be gentle or that women have to be gentle… But… I’m… I’m a trans guy. And I don’t want to be associated with typically feminine things if I can help it. I know it’s stupid. Maybe it’s wrong. But I just don’t like it, ok?”

“Ok. I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to offend you. But if you don’t like it, I won’t call you that. But gentleness really isn’t something to be ashamed of, and it doesn’t invalidate your gender.”

“I know. You’re right, but. I’d really rather not talk about this.”

“Fine. Subject dropped then.”

The two continued their target practise, neither saying anything.

Finally, Eumoirous spoke “So uh. You having fun? Or you wanna go do something different?”

“Yeah. This is pretty nice. It’s relaxing too. But I’d like to try something new. I want to listen to this My Chemical Romance you keep talking about.”

Eumoirous’s eyes widened “Uh… I don’t know… It's just this edgy angsty music mortal teens listen too…”

“But you seem to like it.”

“Yeah, But I like a lot of dumb stuff so…”

“Hey you’re my friend. So I’d like to try out some of the things you’re interested in.”

Eumoirous grinned “I’m your friend?”

Nepenthe smiled back “Yeah. Yeah you are.”

“Then yeah! C’mon I’ll go find my favorite song and we can listen to it together! And… And if you want we can play some horror games. Only if you want to though!”

“I think I’d like that.”

Eumoirous smiled “Awesome!” He took a step forward.

“Oh and Eu?” Nepenthe stopped him.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. I think… I’m a little less lost now. And a little less lonely.”

“No prob. I’m glad to help. I really am.”

“Now lead the way! I want to hear your favorite song! And then I want to play your favorite games. Even if I don’t like them, I’ll still be happy to learn more about the things you like.”

“Yeah! And if you do like them, then that’ll be really cool!”

The two gods entered the dollhouse looking palace yet again and made their way to the second floor with Eumoirous’s bedroom. Once inside Eumoirous turned his music back on, and Nepenthe found herself excited to hear it. She was excited to share the moment listening to her new friend’s favorite songs. Maybe the music wasn’t exactly her taste, but it was clearly important to Eumoirous, and that fact made it enjoyable to listen to.

Nepenthe and Eumoirous spent the night playing horror games and listening to various albums of My Chemical Romance, Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy. And not for a single moment did Nepenthe think about her father. She was too busy having fun.

[chocolatemillkk]

Kid Brother VI

A/N: It's here! It's finally here! The last chapter. That took ages but I'm done. Read the rest here :)

I sit on the floor of the living room crossed-legged in the small space between the sofa and the coffee table; I tended to do my best work when I was on the ground. I type on the laptop resting on the coffee table as a mute Harry Potter movie plays in the back.

"Oh I forgot to mention," Joe says from where he lay on the sofa behind me. "I found a really funny picture my mum took of the three of us when we were young."

Joe was the only one left staying up late with me-kind of like old times. Zoe and Alfie had left for bed and Mike went home an hour ago.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready to see it," I groan. "I already know your mum's kept all the embarassing photos because she was always taking her camera out."

But I abondon my laptop and perch myself up on the coffee table since Joe hogged the sofa entirely. The screen shows a zoomed in picture of my face next to Joe's on the grass. I'm sticking my tongue out awkwardly and Joe puffs his upper lip like a monkey. As far as embarassing photos went-the pink streak in my hair and sticky pink lip gloss rated pretty high.

"Burn that picture!" I toss the phone onto Joe's chest. "I hated that stupid pink streak I convinced my mum to let me get!"

Joe gets up, laughing. He sits facing me and holds up his phone. "You haven't even seen the best part. Look at Zo!"

He zooms out and Zoe has her eyes crossed and her tongue poking out the side of her mouth. The unexpected addition to our photo forces a giggle from my mouth which leads to a full blown laugh when Joe recreates her funny face. But somehow, Joe still looked good looking doing it. The bags under his eyes were starting to form and his eyes looked tired-I tried to convince him to go to bed-I was used to staying up, but he insisted he wasn't sleepy. Joe Sugg was as stubborn as the day I met him.

"Shhh," I giggle. "Zalfie's sleeping!"

But we crack up anyway, wiping the tears from our eyes and settling back into the quiet night. I drag my laptop up to where I sit and go back to working. Joe stays seated across from me so our knees touch-serving as a good table for my laptop. The clicking of the keys becomes the only sound as I work. I glance at the time: 1:40.

"You can go to bed," I remind Joe.

"I know I can," Joe smiles sleepily at me. "I want to stay up with you. For old time's sake."

"If this was like old times we would have ice cream or crisps and laying on our bellies whispering to not wake your parents."

Joe laughs. "I reckon we can still recreate that. Sometimes I feel like Zalfie are my parents when I come down here."

That makes me laugh. "Don't let them hear you say that!"

I go back to my laptop but I sense Joe is still looking at me. I pause and make eye contact.

"Yeah?" I ask under his curious gaze.

He shakes his head. "How are you still this pretty at 2 in the morning?"

Time feels like it slows to a stop and the only sound I'm aware of is my heartbeat.

"Don't butter me up for a favour," I try to make light of the situation. "If you want me to record another video just ask."

I nudge his knee but the expression doesn't leave his face.

"I know I'm just Zo's brother but I-"

"Please don't do this," I cut Joe off quickly-the realisation already setting in. If Joe was going to confess he had feelings for me I would be over the moon! But that also meant I would have to confess my feelings, and saying them out loud just made it more real...especially saying it to the person involved.

"Just let me. Please. I've carried this around for a long time and if you don't feel the same way that's fine. I just need to get this off my chest so if you don't, I can move on."

I stare at Joe, shocked at the words coming out of him. How long had he felt this way?

"Y/N," he starts, picking up the laptop between us to rest it beside me. "I like you a lot. Honestly, I don't know if I ever saw you as Zoe's friend because the moment you came into our lives I thought you were the prettiest girl I'd ever seen. Every girl I liked at school I would just compare them to you-maybe that's why I don't have a girlfriend," Joe chuckles to himself. "Anyway, you were always around. Especiall when your parents were going through their divorce and we got close. You opened up to me and-and I fell hard for you. I wanted to help you fight all your battles back then-I still do."

Joe leans in towards me and I feel the urge to lean away but he moves his hand up to my knee.

"I used to fight with you all the time because I was an idiot. But also cuz I really liked you and it made me angry seeing you date all those dickheads who treated you like shite."

"So you took me to our dance," I whisper.

"I did," Joe's hand is pure heat against my legs and I feel it spreading to the rest of me. His words were a confirmation of what everyone always told me but now I had to believe it. "And of course I had to let you go when you went off for uni in London and you made new friends. I didn't want to ask you out back then and just be your boyfriend from back home. The timing just didn't feel right."

Joe licks his lips and I watch him weigh his words.

"I want you to be mine. And I want to be yours too. I don't know if you just see me as Zoe's kid brother-I really hope you don't or this would be really fricken embarassing-but give us a chance? And-and listen I know you don't date younger-"

"Joe," I stop him from rambling because his nerves were obviously kicking in. "Your timing is fine now. Perfect actually...I would want to be-love to be...I guess...I didn't face the reality until recently," I sigh, bracing myself to finally put these feelings into words. Joe watches me intently. "I really do like you and who you've become these past few years."

The smile spreads slowly on Joe's face-one part relief and nine parts pure joy. I feel the relief too, of not hiding my feelings anymore and admitting the truth out loud. It felt liberating.

"That's good," Joe laughs in relief as he falls against the sofa. "That's good." He repeats.

"It is," I repeat back. It was like we were in a trance now that we confessed for each other our feelings.

"That's really good," Joe remains against the sofa but our knees still burn where they touch.

"Yeah," I can't stop the smile on my face. Joe reaches his hand out to me and sits up straighter.

"Come here," he says. I look at him, almost having an out-of-body experience with everything that'd just happened in the last few minutes. But when I take his hand he tugs me to his lap and it jostles me back into myself. Who cares if Joe was younger than me or any of that? We'd held flames for one another for long enough. We owed it to give it a try.

Joe snakes his hands around my waist and I put an arm around the back of him with another on his chest. We look down at each other-the mood growing very somber. This felt like primary school when your first crush admitted to liking you too and now you were going to sneak a kiss behind the football field. It was like the anticipation of the drop before a roller coaster, the build-up making your heart race and your mind scream to stop but your body ready to hurtle down at full speed. It was also a strange calm, like being at the beach with a storm on the horizon-everything standing absolutely still for a moment; the world stretching out for a small infinity.

Our foreheads come to rest on each other's and there's a lightness in Joe's eyes like a shared joke between us. My hand reaches up to cradle his cheek, brushing the short strands of his hair. His own hand mirrors mine and slowly-so subtly-he brings his lips to mine, and then, we're kissing.

It's a gentle kiss that only two people who hold this much tenderness for one another could have. It's a kiss like one I'd never experienced before and when we break apart we take one look at each other and can't stop laughing. Relief-the kiss confirmed what we'd felt. This was real. This was happening.

Joe's expression grows serious once more as he takes my face in his hands and studies it. He places a gentle kiss on my closed eyes, and then the other, and I allow myself the sensation of being kissed by him, the only one I've ever wanted to kiss. When I open my eyes, Joe gives me a cheeky smile before pulling me in to a passionate kiss.

It's an intense kiss that only two people who have ever wanted each other this bad could have. And we wanted each other, very much.

"Joe," I whisper as he lays me down on the sofa. His hands roam down the sides of my body and his lips take over my neck-sure to leave a mark.

"Hm?" He hums. The sound makes me forget what I was going to say but when his hands slip under my shirt the cold of his hands shocks me into remembering.

"Joe!" I whisper more urgently. "This isn't a good place."

"So come back to my room," he mumbles against my skin and I wanted to do it. Ever cell in my body was screaming in unison yes, do it!

"Not like this," I manage to get out. Joe pauses and looks up at me. He seems to understand what I'm saying because he rolls over to lay beside me.

"Okay," he says after a while. "You're right. I should take you out first. Not shag you on my sister's couch."

I burn bright, "When you put it that way..."

"No, no!" Joe sits up chuckling. "Sorry that's not what I meant. I was just getting carried away but you deserve better-we deserve better. This has been a long time coming. We should ease into it."

I sit up and smush Joe's face against mine in a kiss. He looks confused when I let go.

"We've known each other for years, we don't need to ease into anything! I just meant there'll be a better opportunity for this."

"So you'll come back to my room then?" Joe asks hopefully.

I laugh, "No but I'll spend the remainder of the weekend at yours once we get back to London?"

"I'd love that," he kisses my forehead and we get ourselves to our feet.

"Guess I should put my laptop." I laugh.

"I've been saying that all night," Joe says.

I respond to his I-told-you-so tone by flicking him on the arm. He looks up in shock and tries to get me but I jump back. When he advances, I run as silently as I could to my room so Joe couldn't get me back. I lock the door behind me just to hear footsteps on the staircase. I sense him standing outside my door and then my phone vibrates.

Joe: This isn't the end of that Y/N Watch your back ☠️

I stifle my giggle and respond something equally threatening.

Just because we were now two adults in a relationship wouldn't mean we were going to be adults all the time. It wouldn't be "Joe and Y/N" without a little bit of childishness after all. It was hard to believe there was a "Joe and Y/N" to begin with. But it definitley felt right. And it was about damn time.

[juun-the-aira-mun]

600 Follower Giveaway and Follower Forever!

Listen up, everyone!

It has been three long, long years since I started my journey on tumblr and I have gone an incredible way from the beginning. When I started I didn’t expect to even get a doozen followers and now look at where the blog has come to (even though it is still as deserted as back then most of the time).

SO now I want to say “Thank you, everyone.” Some people have helped me outside of this blog, in a certain sense in reallife, others have given me a lot of fun with the roleplays I have. There are a lot of followers I really owe a lot to in one way or another. And while I can’t say thank you to everyone, I can still direct certain people further below.

To that I am going to make a Giveaway that is directed at OCs in the community moreover than the people who play canon characters. While this sounds harsh on said people, I want to give OCs a bit of love or try to at least. I know how hard the community can be on them and how little some of them get no matter what so I think this gievaway will be justified. More about this will be posted relatively soon, hopefully during this very week even.

So, now to the specific thanks that I will direct at people around. Some might be a bit surprising as the people might never have interacted with me, others will very well be no surprise at all. I just will tag everyone I think I should make a note on! And while I usually see these things swamped with tags at all followers, I think I will pass on that for now!

@thecatofdarkness Hey sis :3 I mean, really, my shipping partner, my sister in soul or mind or whatever you want to call it, the one I often have to say “Donchu dare” to in all sorts of variations. If I were to not put you here first, I think I should be leaving this blog right now. I am allways happy with whatever you do for our muses, for me and whatever you message me with to tell me. I adore Ren and our conversations and am more than happy that a thread of a cheeky teasing cat evolved in a more than complicated and incredible detailed relationship. You listen to me rambling and groaning and are there when I need someone to talk to. Really, I can’t thank you enough. So thank you. Just thank you for being there.

@shukuchiisms Tales of Ice, flametales, do you remember these names? And how luna was a Skyrim muse way back? Or a fluffball that you would cuddle before the blog reset that turned her into a bloodsoaked monster that now has to deal with a Shadowlady that annoys the heck out of her and at the same time makes her melt? Holy hell, we never really got to any roleplays. All of our msues history is entirely set up in IM alone and yet it all makes sense. I love your character, I love talking to you and I allways grumble that we barely talk with each other anymore. I really, REALLY hope you come back to your bloga s an active member of the community and as the goofey idiot you sometimes are that gets bitten by his muse who definitly did not try to kill you with that. Thank you for sticking around with me.

You two were the ones who kept me in the blog. If you hadn’t been there, I would probably have abandoned the blog for real 2 years ago. Thank you. A round of applaus.

@crystals-angel Hello owo Remember me .3.? Yes, we barely talk. Yes, we had both our differences and our nice conversations. And yes, we basically talk apart from each other a good 40% of the time. But you are still a person I am happy to not have missed back when I found your blog. It is already so clouded as to how that happened that I am almost sure that it was just a random blog recommondation that caught my eye but what came of it is still incredible valuable for me. I was sad when you ahd deleted your blog back then and I was happy when I found you on skype and you reopened your blog. Your muses are diverse, Fawniss is a total goof that can sometimes just be described as adorable and at other times is just badass. I am happy for our interactions. And I really hope that we can talk more and interact more in the future.

@thecelestialchibi1 Muhahaha, I bet you weren’t even expecting me to tag you here :3c Or maybe you were. Knowing you, you weren’t and since you don’t roleplay anymore or use tumblr it wouldn’t really surprise me xD But you are still here. You are one of these people who I could just take and shake for half a minute while giving you a lecture about why you are awesome and you shouldn’t hate yourself or dislike yourself or ... whatever there is else you could think about yourself that is negative. You are an awesome person and I hope to see you again around in the future. For now there will be more patting and pouting in Discord though!

@castdeath Well, this one is actually surprising. I feel like we parted in a more negative way than I would like, but I am convinced that we can work through that ... somehow. I hope we can set these differences aside. We only did one single play so far but that one was very much important to me. I don’t get to play Aira in her AU that much. And I only that oen time got the chance to actually play her out the way she is. I hope we can return to being friends. I really do. (I also hope you are fine by now. Fucking storm sucking out all joy of the stuff we had going just from the time it forced you away).

@properbalance Boop :3 While the origin between us will remain a mystery, I have come to like you and come to like talking to you a lot. You are very hard to get a hold of though, one day ypou will be there, the next you will be gone for half a year to never be seen again. Just to pop up out of nowhere. I hope we will find the ways to do things in the future. But for now I will gladly focus on the idioticiy that we are doing anyways and will look forward to whatever idioticy we can brew up from thing air from now on xD

@staardusts You are probably the one who just jumped onto this list the most recent. You are the only Soraka-mun who ever had taken the time to show interest in my muse, the only one who bothered enough to actually think would could go on. And to add to that you are so incredibly nice as a person that I simply love talking to you in private. I hope things brighten up for you and I hope that we can continue and build up something special!

@littledesertsparrow I mean ... you and your muse are both adorable in their own ways. So far I had nothing but fun talking with you. Well, disregarding the one thing with my clinginess. Sorry for that once more, I am trying my best to change it currently. Your Taliyah is very unique and I think you play her in a one time way that noone else would be able to achieve. Even though I still don’t know how you managed to start shipping Darius and Taliyah. Then again, I managed shipping Elise and Quinn >.> Don’t ask how. I really, really hope we can make some things happen in the future between our muses and maybe between each other as a person as so far I just had a blast talking to you and sending things in for you to answer. And yes, I know this wording is weird. I am not good at social interactions :3

@rinidinger We abrely ever talked BUT you are one of the reasons I even started this entire blog xD I still have the old things I tried to make for an Ingame Model for Rin somewhere on my PC. Even though we did indeed never interact and there were only a handful of conevrsation, it is very easy for me tos ay thank you for your character and what you did for the community. You and two other blogs alone inspired me to start roleplaying here. And I made lots of friends due to that!

@asknasus-thecuratorofthesands Youuuu are probably dead. I think. I am not sure. But your blog is dead for sure. Thank you for the memories and the time our muses shared. They have helped develop my muse a lot and I am more than grateful for you to accept me just jumping in your inbox as if our muses knew each other and just going with it unlike other people who I did it back then with long before IM were even a thing and plotting was new to me. You helped my character to develop and it pulled it through the earliest stages of the blogs development. Thank you, kind sir. You helped me a lot.

@lillium-the-scout I ... think I should put you in this list as well. I have no clue what happened back then. I don’t know what the entire drama was that you were involved witha nd I honestly care little for it. I am not even sure that the mun I am tagging here is the same mun who played with Aira back in the early months’ of the blog. But for the chance that it was, disregarding every rumour and every bad reputation: Thank you for back then. You were one of the first roleplay partners I had. Even though in hindsight the entire starting ship was a terrible idea. I stilll want to thank you for the experience.

@askspiderqueen  I have to thank you for the single interaction we had with our muses. It might not make a lot of sense but it showed me a lot of things about hwo I paly my character and what she does. I really, REALLY want to interact and talk to you more, but I fear our muses just won’t work out. Elise being pissed and Aira having no real reason to ever visit the Spiderqueen. maybe I will find a way in the future. For now I thank you.A nd silently hope you might eba ctive again. Because your character is a lot of fun to read.

@noxian-rose We literally never roleplayed and we barely talked because I am shy as hell and SCARED like hell to approach you. But your character is amazing in the way you play her. I have been watchng your rolepalys in the past with excitement and am allways happy to see you on my dash. It pulled me back into roleplaying a while back. Thank you for that. Maybe things will come by in the future.

@shorthammertime And at last the mun I literally allways feel like I upset them when they suddenly stop to reply. I think of all the people on this list, you made me laugh most. Your muses are incredible, your love for them is noticeable and you yourself are just a fun person to talk with. I still hope that we might roleplay someday with each other. When I can’t tell. But I can at least hope.

Honorable mentions: These are a few people that I wanted to mention because they give me life in their roleplays or because I roleplayed or roleplay with them. Because I enjoyed our conversations or anything otherwise similar. Thank all of you for what you have given me. I will cherish it. Promise.

@ladyem-s-grimoire @verum-exsolutus @lustful-heavens @sexydeceiver @the-demacian-pariah @grabthelantern @maiden-soraka @the-everchild @ask-xayah-therebel @seliniakocharitos @sacredtempest

Thank all of you so much. Let’s hope that the future stays bright.

[edogawatranslations]

999: Alterna (1) - Part 3, Chapters 8-9

Table of Contents | Previous: Part 3, Chapters 6-7

Chapter 8

I doubted my ears.

“No way.” Despair assaulted me from within. The theory I had so confidently crafted crumbled beneath me.

“But Junpei, your reasoning isn’t wrong,” Lotus added.

Unable to understand what she meant, I tilted my head. “...What do you mean?”

“My daughter was a Stage 3 patient of the disease.” Lotus stared emptily into space. She had a somber expression on her face. “She caught it nine years ago, just like June and that incompetent imp over there. ...If she’s alive, she would be about your age.”

“...Did she die?”

Lotus nodded, her gaze still empty. “Probably...”

“Probably?”

“She vanished. Right after she recovered from the disease.”

“Huh?”

What did this mean? I thought that her daughter had died from Angel Fever, but I realized now that that wasn’t the case.

“Do you remember the string of child disappearances in the city nine years ago?”

After Lotus mentioned it, the memories of the case popped into my head. “Sixteen boys and girls suddenly went missing one night, right?”

All of them unexpectedly returned two days later, so the case didn’t make a large splash in the media. But since the kids who disappeared were around my age, it left quite an impression on me.

I continued, “When questioned, every single one of them claimed that they were captured by aliens or something.”

Because all of the kids came back unharmed, the police investigation ended without reaching a proper conclusion. It’s likely that the truth is still shrouded in darkness to this day.

“All of them were unharmed? No, that’s a blatant lie.” Lotus pursed her lips, and a look of anguish spread across her face. “My daughter disappeared that same day. But she never returned home.”

Lotus choked up before she could finish her last sentence.

“Did you speak with the police?”

“Of course! But they wouldn’t listen to me at all. I suspect it was because I worked in the nighttime entertainment business, and was a divorced single mother living with her only daughter. They kept telling me without mincing words, ‘Aren’t you the reason she disappeared?’”

Her eyes overflowed with tears, which soon began streaming down her face.

“She wouldn’t disappear of her own volition. She was a good girl. There’s no way she would run away and abandon me. I decided I couldn’t rely on the police, so I hired a detective to thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of my daughter, and to look into the other 16 kids who had disappeared the same day. I thought there would definitely be some kind of connection.”

“Did you figure anything out?”

“The other kids had all been patients at the same hospital at some point. My daughter wasn’t any different. She was hospitalized there when she caught Angel Fever.”

“What?!”

“After looking into it even further, I discovered all of the kids had Angel Fever. Not just that, but they all reached Stage 3.”

I couldn’t help but feel astonished. “None of that was reported in the news. Did nobody realize?”

“It didn’t take much effort to find out. I don’t think the media was ignorant of the fact. I think there was a gag order in effect. There must have been some powerful forces at play. I wonder if that’s also why the police investigation was cut short.” Lotus continued her confession, letting out the sediment that had collected in her heart over all these years. “After she disappeared... I lost my will to live.”

After saying those words, Lotus started rubbing her right wrist. I hadn’t noticed before due to her many accessories, but she had an array of scars left behind from cutting her wrist.

“...I just wanted to feel at peace. But every time, I failed. When I would get carried to the hospital, the doctor would always say ‘You again?’ with a sigh. I’m clumsy with everything, so I wouldn’t end up dying no matter how many times I tried... Then I met a girl at the hospital. She looked like my daughter... She was quite a strange girl.”

Lotus said that she couldn’t fall asleep, so she snuck out of her hospital room and went to go take a walk in the garden. That was when she saw the girl. The girl was around high school age, and she was crouching under a large ginkgo tree, weeping.

“What’s wrong?” Lotus walked up next to the girl and asked.

The girl looked away and repeatedly said, “I don’t want to die. I don’t want to disappear from this world.”

“Since the hospital housed many patients with terminal cancer, I thought she was one of them. She was the complete opposite of me. I only thought about how much I wanted to die and disappear, but she seemed completely devoted to the idea of surviving to the bitter end. If it were possible, I would have traded my life for hers. She taught me about the feeling of joy that comes from waking up every morning and realizing you’re still alive. About how she only then realized how happy it was to have a healthy body. That moment was a truly enlightening experience. It was then that I made up my mind. I knew my daughter probably didn’t exist in this world anymore. But I couldn’t keep crying over it. I had to continue living, living the life that my daughter couldn’t.”

Lotus wiped the tears off her cheek with the back of her hand, and after catching her breath, she started smiling bashfully. “I’m sorry. I’m such an idiot for going off on a rant about myself in a place like this. All of this was just one of Auntie’s crazy made-up stories. Please forget everything I said.”

Following a hearty sniffle, she said, “Now, let’s get back to looking for that key.” Her voice was tinged with a forced sense of joy.

“What happened to the girl you met under the ginkgo tree?” I asked.

Lotus shook her head. “She gave me the will to live. I couldn’t bear to leave without thanking her, so I asked at the hospital reception desk about her, but they couldn’t find any patient who matched her description. Since she looked just like my Nona, I used a photo and went around asking, but I didn’t have any luck.”

“...Nona?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Nona’s the name of my daughter. I love the song ‘Sukiyaki’ - have you heard of it?”

“That Japanese hit by Kyu Sakamoto?”

“Yes. Since Kyu Sakamoto’s name in Japanese contains the character for ‘nine,’ I decided to name my daughter Nona.”

I tilted my head in confusion. I didn’t get it.

She continued, “It’s Latin. The prefix for nine.”

Lotus dived into a thorough explanation. The prefix for one in Latin is “uni,” as in unicorn. Two is “bi,” as in binary numbers. Three is “tri,” like for trio or triple or triangle. Afterwards, there’s “quadri,” “quinque,” “sex,” “sept,” and “octo” is for eight, like in octopus. And lastly, “nona” is for nine.

“Oh, is that why it’s called the Nonary Game?” I asked.

Lotus nodded. According to her, “nonary” meant “of nine things” or “relating to the base-9 number system.”

There were nine of us. Our time limit was nine hours. In order to ultimately escape from this ship, we needed to form a digital root of [9] and open the [9] door. Everything involved the number 9.

“I find it vexing that this game shares a name with my daughter,” Lotus said while peeking inside a nearby cupboard. “I’m going to live and escape this ship. I swore back then that I would live a long life for my daughter.” She continued with a smile. “Maybe the girl I met back then was Nona’s ghost... I wonder about that nowadays.”

“That’s enough with the ghost stories,” I replied with a laugh. Before I realized, the gloom in the air had lifted.

“I think there’s probably an afterlife,” Lotus said. “Even now, I sometimes sense my daughter staring at me. It feels very warm. I’m sure she’s looking over me... and always encouraging me, ‘Keep going, Mom!’ That’s why I can’t let her down.”

“We’ll survive and escape from here. For sure.”

Just as how Lotus was encouraged by that curious girl - Nona’s ghost? - I felt empowered after hearing Lotus’s story. It was too early to give up. For Lotus, for her vanished daughter, for Akane, for the others in this game, for my dad, for my mom, for my teachers, for my friends - for everyone I’m connected to, and for myself, I had to survive no matter what.

“...I found it.”

I heard Santa mumble from afar. I turned around and saw a green key flying at me in mid-air.

“Nice find, Santa.” I caught the key and stood up.

“Not like I was tryin’ to help. I got hungry and was lookin’ for somethin’ to eat,” he said.

As usual, he had a sour expression on his face and spoke brashly. But this time, I didn’t feel irritated. He was standing in front of the dishwasher. There couldn’t possibly have been any food there.

“Your sister must have it tough, having a rebellious big brother like you,” Lotus laughed.

“I don’t have one. A sister.”

“What? But earlier-”

“She died of Angel Fever,” Santa added brusquely.

He had on his usual poker face, but this time, I noticed it. I had thought him to be a completely cold-hearted person, but for a moment, I caught a glimpse of the deep sorrow in his eyes. That was most likely the real Santa. He probably was only pretending to be tough.

“Let’s go.”

I stood in front of the green door and inserted the key I received from Santa into the keyhole. The screen changed to display the question text.

~Question! What is the scaaaary disease that connects the nine of you together?~

Without hesitation, I typed in “Angel Fever.” My bracelet started flashing red, but I wasn’t concerned. After all, I had complete confidence in the answer.

After I hit the enter key, the door unlocked somewhat anticlimactically. Lotus whistled.

“Let’s move,” I said.

Right as I brought my hand to the doorknob, I heard the sound of a door opening from somewhere behind me. I turned around, but the entrance to the kitchen was closed.

Footsteps echoed.

The three of us exchanged glances. Someone else was here. Whoever it was walked slowly down the hallway before the kitchen.

“...Could it be Zero?”

Lotus braced herself for what was to come. Santa expressed an unusual look of concern.

The footsteps stopped right in front of the entrance to the kitchen. The three of us focused our gazes there. Before long, the doorknob turned-

“Jumpy?” Akane peeked her head through the open door.

“Ka-, no, June...?”

My mind couldn’t process the situation fast enough. I stood there paralyzed, staring back at her in shock.

“Jumpy! I’m so relieved-” Akane cut across the kitchen and flew over to me, on the verge of tears.

“H-Hey... June...”

While weeping like a child, she started patting my chest. From what I could tell, her fever had gone down.

“Leaving me behind like that... that’s terrible! I felt completely helpless.”

“Where have you been all this time?”

“What are you saying? I’ve been sleeping in bed. In Room 92.”

“What? But...”

“I dozed off for a bit... And when I woke up, everyone was gone. I was shocked.”

I still couldn’t fathom what had happened. At the very least, I could tell that Akane wasn’t lying.

“I’m glad. Now we can forge ahead without worry,” Lotus said.

As I stood there still in shock, Lotus put her own hand on the doorknob and opened the door.

“Let’s go, June,” I said.

Thinking everything through could wait. Right now, we had to focus on safely clearing this game. That should be the only thing on our minds as we moved forward.

“Yes!”

Akane’s reply was brimming with energy.

Chapter 9

...Nine years ago?

After listening to their conversations, I finally understood everything.

I can’t believe it.

Who is responsible for this mischief?

...God.

That was the only answer that entered my mind.

Next: Part 4, Chapters 1-2

[mithrilwren]

Paragon

I finally got around to writing something for Voltron, woo! You can also read on Ao3 here.

Coran chooses the numbers – count them off.

One, Allura. She’s got the experience and the head for battle, a proven leader. Good choice.

Two, Pidge. She’s bright, crafty, strategic. She knows how to win a fight without taking a hit. Good choice.

Three, Hunk. He’s steadfast, and he’s strong like Shiro. He looks out for his team. Good choice.

Four, Keith. He’s a pain, but he’s what Shiro would have wanted. Good choice.

Five. Lance. He’s…

He just wants it so bad.

One by one, Lance watches the other pilots walk up the ramp through the lion’s maw. Each time, he clenches his fists a little more, heart yearning towards the silent black beast, calling out with everything in him. Choose me. Pick me, let me be first. I can do it. Choose me.

Allura, face as ashen as her hair, returns first. She was his first choice, if it couldn’t be him. He’s accustomed to her orders, the ringing of her tinny voice in his ear. As their leader it would have been clearer, stronger. That’s what he wanted, right? A bit more closeness. One less degree of separation.

It doesn’t matter. It’s not her.

Pidge is next. She isn’t taking it seriously, Lance can see that in her eyes. The bounce in her step is too light, her gait too steady, the corners of her mouth too relaxed. She looks small as she disappears into the mouth. He’s not sure what command would do to her – would she stand a little taller? He doubts it. He sees her curled behind a computer, legs tucked beneath her, headphones filled with radio chatter instead of music, Shiro’s haunted look playing in the circles below her eyes.

She’s only fifteen. He hadn’t left home at fifteen. He couldn’t even convince his little sister to wear proper shoes to the playground, much less command a military squad. She’s too young to look that old, even in his imagination.

She looks no smaller coming out, no worse for wear, and Lance’s quickened breath evens. Not her.

Hunk barely lasts a minute before he’s out again: whistling, cheerful. It’s almost convincing, the nonchalance in his explanation. It would probably be to someone who wasn’t there for the late night cram sessions, the anxious exam weeks, the tough messages from home. There’s an intense relief that’s written in the looseness of Hunk’s hands and the uncreasing of his brow, and Lance would pat him on the back in subtle congratulation, if his own hands weren’t held so tight to his sides.

Hunk would have made a great leader, he’s sure of it, but he’s glad for his friend’s sake that the lion didn’t choose an unwilling pilot.

He glances at Keith through the corner of his eye, so he won’t see him looking. It’s a baseless worry – Keith is staring at the ground. Keith, who always does one better than Lance. First in their class, ace pilot, Shiro’s right hand man. He looks so far off now, like he doesn’t hear what’s going on around him.

Shiro’s disappearance hit him hard, harder than the rest of them. Lance tries to remember that every time the anger becomes too much, every time Keith presses another button, withdraws a little more. Lance doesn’t know how he could take orders from this guy. He thinks he might self-combust, the fuse of frustration running too deep into his veins. With Keith, he’s always one spark away from explosion.

They’re ok because at least here, at least now, at least on paper, they’re equals. He doesn’t know what they’ll be if that balance shifts.

Not him. For once, for once, let it be me.

Coran opens his mouth, ready to announce the next candidate, and the inside of Keith’s chest seems to cave before Lance’s startled eyes. It’s enough to shock his hands to motion, to reach out to steady the body that’s collapsing into itself. What was-

“Lance, you’re up.”

He freezes, and Keith turns away, paces towards the wall, as far from Lance as he can get. Right. This isn’t Hunk. This is Keith – of course he doesn’t want Lance’s help. He drops his hand.

“Lance?”

His turn. A chance to prove his worth.

He’s never walked this pathway before. The ramp into the lion’s jaw feels wider than it should, a gape meant for someone bigger than him. The panels that brace the passage to the cockpit soak in the light where Blue would have reflected it, turning his own image back on himself. It only takes a few steps to lose the light entirely.

The viewscreen is as dark as the panelling, and he can’t tell if the silence is a respectful reverie from those watching or some manufactured quiet reserved for the sake of leaderly concentration, but either way he aches for noise. He likes to hear the gears work, the engine purr beneath him: anything to shake the feeling he’s inside something dead. He’d fill the void with his own voice, if only there was someone to talk to.

He sits in the chair and reaches for the controls, tells himself his hands aren’t shaking. With eyes closed he remembers the diving drill from their first days, the strain and the joy of seeing through another being’s eyes. He encircles that feeling and treasures it in the space between his ribs. He just has to concentrate, just try a little harder, convince Black that he’s got what it takes. What it takes, he doesn’t know, but he has to try.

The fantasy of clear skies breaking with a triumphant whoop shatters, and he feels the warmth in his chest slipping away.

What it takes, Keith has.

He’s the last one left. Nothing’s happening, and Keith will go next, and win, and Lance will be one step behind again. Of course, it had to be Keith. He always knew that, didn’t he?

Keith. There’s something wrong with Keith. Blue skies are replaced with the curve of Keith’s back, bowed under some unseen weight. Before Lance’s name was called, he looked like he’d taken a bullet to the gut. Lance has never seen him this distressed.

There’s something really wrong.

Lance takes a shuddering breath, and wills his hands to release the controls. He’s going to walk out with his pride, and congratulate Keith when the lion makes its inevitable choice, and he’s going to figure out what’s going on in his teammate’s head. He doesn’t love the guy, but he can’t stand by and watch someone fall apart. Not on his watch. That’s not how he rolls.

Right. Let go, hold your head high, release.

The viewscreen blazes to life.

The growl that follows rattles Lance’s teeth, rumbling through him from throat to toes. It’s all he can do to hold onto the controls as the lion lurches forward. The power rests beneath his fingertips, but his panicked nudges do nothing to deter the machine’s course as it rises to full height, and Lance is afraid that if they rear any further they’ll break straight through the walls of the hanger.

It should be exhilarating, to hear the lion roar, to know it’s his destiny to command all this might. It’s all he’s ever wanted.

It’s terrifying.

Slowly, so slowly, he eases back on the handles, till he’s leaned back so far into the chair he’s afraid he’ll topple backwards into the dark recesses of the cabin. The lurch of falling in his chest is back, and this feels like the diving drill again but this time his eyes are screwed shut. There’s a heaviness hanging in the space his connection with Blue used to rest that’s too deep to penetrate, something older and wiser and more fearsome than he knows how to speak to.

Please.

For a heart-stopping moment, he’s sure they’re about to leap, but the lion’s front paws hesitate, and slowly, they lower back to the ground.

He takes white-knuckled hands off the controls when he’s sure it’s stopped. The light fades, plunging him back in darkness.

The same quiet is back, save the pounding of his heart.

If they had leapt, he couldn’t have done anything to stop it. If Black had charged, taken Hunk in its teeth and crushed Allura beneath its paw, he couldn’t have stopped it. This isn’t like Blue’s artful dodging, unruly but always open, always listening.

The walk back down the corridor feels longer than it did when he entered, but he wants it to last forever. He wants to stay in the quiet a little longer, because out there…

Count them off – Allura, Coran, Pidge, Hunk, Keith. They’re all standing in a row, watching him descend in varying shades of disbelief. “I knew you could do it,” Hunk breathes.

He wants to hold his head high, to joke and rub it in Keith’s face, hah, I win, but all he can focus on is the way Allura’s eyes have darkened, a respect there he’s never seen directed at him.

“Welcome, Black Paladin.”

The title hangs poorly on his narrow shoulders. He feels it now, what he should have understood, what Keith, his teachers, everyone has been trying to tell him. The realization hits him straight in the throat.

He can’t do this.

The team can’t see it yet, but he knows. He’s got no control over the lion, no smarts to compensate, no strategies to offer, no power to lead.

He’s going to fail.

He can’t even look at Keith now. How can he, when Keith lost Shiro, and what he’s got back in return is Lance, who can’t measure up, can’t even look Allura in the eye and receive the respect that he swears he wanted in the first place.

He needs to say something, but his mouth is glued shut. They’re waiting for him to crack a joke, pat himself on the back, prance around like an idiot or maybe, just maybe, act like the leader he needs to be. That he can’t be. He can’t do anything. He’s stuck in place.

“Lance.”

He can’t feel the fingers on his shoulder though the casing of his suit, but he senses their pressure, so brief he can’t be sure he didn’t imagine it.

“Good luck.”

Keith is gone before Lance can catch his face, to see if flat words were marked by an expression of anger, or disappointment, or resignation.

“Thanks,” he whispers to Keith’s retreating back. It’s too late to reach a hand out and return the touch.

…It wasn’t him who needed comfort, only minutes ago. He takes a deep breath.

“Hey, wait up!” Lance catches Keith just outside the doorway. It slides shut, closing until Hunk disappears, then Pidge, Coran, Allura. A few more inches, and the black lion disappears as well.

“Can we talk?” Keith’s not looking at him, but he’s not running away either. Finally, he jerks his head and sighs. That’s a yes, in Keith-speak.

He can’t be the leader that this team needs, but this, at least, he can do.

It’ll have to be enough.

[rebeccaheyman]

reading + listening 9.29.20

It was another week of soaring highs and middling mediocrity, but fortunately no DNFs. Notably, I’ve been dragging my heels on PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke, which has been sitting on my desk in gorgeous hard cover since release day. You ever want to love a book so much that you’re afraid to actually read it? No, no, me neither. Here’s hoping I get brave this week. In the meantime...

It’s Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake (Claire Christian), eBook ARC (US pub date February 2021). I loved this book so much that I’m already looking forward to owning the aBook once it’s available, just so I can relive the magic in a new way. Here’s my five-star NetGalley review: 

I have discovered the antidote to the unmitigated disaster that is the year 2020, and it is IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE, NONI BLAKE. I inhaled this book in under 24 hours and feel soul-satisfied in a way I forgot existed. NONI BLAKE is a rom-com that's so much more than a rom-com; it's as much a character study as LESS and as much a travelogue as WILD, with the sweetness of Mhairi MacFarlane, the delicious heat of Sally Thorne, and the humor of every best friend you've ever gotten drunk with. It is, in a word, perfect.

When I say this book has it all, I am not kidding. In it, you will find: - an average-bodied woman finding sexual empowerment and body positivity - a Scottish book boyfriend for whom you do not need to travel through time - healthy adult friendships - A+ Bechdel Test score - adventurous, consensual sex that is at times hilarious and at other times really, really hot - situational comedy that will legitimately make you laugh out loud - adults who talk openly about their feelings in an authentic, mature way - portrayals of grief that range in severity from mourning the loss of an unborn child to coming to terms with years of self-criticism and negativity - rich, descriptive prose that does not drag down pacing - excellent plotting, perfectly balanced with the protagonist's complex internal journey

...the list goes on. This book is joy exemplified. I can't wait to give it to every woman I know. My only complaint is that the world needs this book immediately to inoculate us against the tidal wave of awfulness bombarding the globe, and yet it won't be released until 2021.

Notably, Australian readers have access to NONI BLAKE as of... today (!), so if you happen to be reading this in Australia, please do yourself a favor and buy this book immediately. And if there’s someone you especially like elsewhere in the world, maybe box up a copy and spread the love.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown (Talia Hibbert), eBook ARC (pub date March 2021). I know, I know -- how many contemporary romcoms with the exact same title structure can I read in a single week? Real answer: 2. But based on how fabulous both these titles were, I’m open to more. Here’s my four-star NetGalley review:

I've decided it's entirely impossible to read the Brown Sisters series without feeling amazing. Hibbert's writing is so smart, funny, and full of A+ banter -- not to mention scorching-hot heat -- that it almost feels like we don't deserve her books' nuances, diverse representations, and patriarchy-shaking feminism.

But we do deserve it, actually, and it's all there in ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN.

If at first Eve seems flighty and difficult to connect with, don't discount the intentionality of her characterization. In a tidy narrative trick, Hibbert gives us the very experience that defines many of Eve's friendships: while the youngest Brown sister may have made a great first impression in Chloe and Dani's books, her flightiness feels off-putting once she takes center stage. But sticking with Eve -- instead of pushing her to the margins of our two-person social circle -- has a massive pay-off, as she soon reveals herself to be intensely focused on helping others, spreading joy, and baking delicious cake. It's a side of Eve too many of her "friends" never get to see -- but Reader, we do. And it turns out, Eve is a wonder.

Many of Eve's quirks align with behaviors on the autism spectrum; while Jacob's autistic presentation is perhaps more conventional, Eve's traits are equally validated by Hibbert's sensitive, nuanced treatment of the disorder. Romance + autism usually means antisocial behaviors, rigidity, and/or Asperger's-like presentation (The Kiss Quotient/Bride Test, The Girl He Used to Know, The Rosie Project... the list goes on). But ACT YOUR AGE explores the all important "spectrum" side of "autism spectrum disorder," and urges us to resist believing we understand what these labels mean just because we understand one small aspect of a very large picture.

All of this happens while a truly compelling, heart-melting romance unfolds. Eve and Jacob are incredibly fun to watch, and Hibbert keeps things moving at a lovely clip. I especially appreciated her resistance to the "h/h have to spend totally unnecessary time apart after an argument/misunderstanding" trope in Act III, which is a convention I would happily see go the way of the dinosaur.

Fair warning to your TBR pile: If you don't reread Chloe and Dani's books prior to picking up ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN, you're going to want to afterward. There's simply no other way to maintain the rosy glow of post-Hibbert reading.

Finally, I'm predicting here and now that Mont, Alex and Tess are the next sibling trio to get the Hibbert treatment. (Please? Like...PLEASE please?)

Set My Heart to Five (Simon Stephenson), aBook (narr. Christopher Ragland, Rachael Louise Miller, Lance C. Fuller). If you combined the signature humor/love combo of David Nicholls, the deeply felt nostalgia of Ready Player One, and the bots-with-feelings hypothesis of Spielburg’s AI, you might come close to understanding what makes SET MY HEART TO FIVE so good. In the year 2054, the world has taken some unexpected turns: humans have accidentally locked themselves out of the internet, Elon Musk blew up the moon (also accidentally), and humanoid bots have been integrated into society as second-class pseudo-citizens. We meet Jared -- bot, dentist, cat-owner -- who has begun to experience curious malfunctions. With a friend’s help, and a heaping dose of old movies, Jared realizes he can feel real emotions. He resolves to journey west to Hollywood, where he’ll write a movie that changes the way humans view bots and paves the way for his bot brothers and sisters to enjoy the full range of human experience. 

Jared’s explanations of human behavior provide a satirical commentary on our curious, often contradictory behaviors (”Humans. I cannot!”). Since films from the pre-bot age figure so prominently in Jared’s emotional awakening, that same satirical analysis is applied to movie synopses, which are rendered with necessary frequency but occasionally feel like overkill. The book relies heavily on a lovely trick of narrative reciprocity; Jared is on an archetypal hero’s journey, even as he strives to write a formulaic screenplay according to the “golden rules” of the fictitious script expert, R.P. McWilliams. But SET MY HEART TO FIVE never feels hackneyed, and in more than one way proves the rule that great stories are all in the telling.

With the innocence and clarity that can only come from being something of a stranger in a strange land, Jared embraces his existence with infectious enthusiasm and charm. It’s virtually impossible not to cheer for his success, even as we’re warned again and again that a great story will “eff us in the heart” at its conclusion. Audio is brilliantly narrated by Christopher Ragland, who manages to imbue the bot cadence we expect with believable nuance and big style. 

Well Played (Jen DeLuca), aBook (narr. Brittany Pressley). I’ve got bad news for fans of WELL MET: If you wondered whether your enjoyment of Deluca’s ren-faire romcom debut of 2019 was due in large part to the book’s setting -- and more specifically, the way h/h’s interactions at the faire advanced the storyline -- the answer is yes. And why is that bad news, you ask? Well, because WELL PLAYED has none of the crackling Emily/Simon tension that carried the first book through its narrative stumbles. In book 2, the glacially slow Act I relies heavily on Stacy’s recitation of what makes her life humdrum, and a long series of email exchanges we *know* are coming from the conspicuously introduced Daniel -- even though Stacy, apparently suffering a traumatic brain injury, convinces herself it’s idiot playboy (and Daniel’s cousin) Dex. Sorry not sorry for the “spoiler,” which is impossible not to see coming from many miles away. Once this pseudo-conflict is resolved, the book boils down to situational fluff: a wedding, a squeaky mattress, the literal number of pumpkin spice lattes Stacy drinks over the course of a month. If it sounds like this is not a plot, that’s because it isn’t. The romance is low-stakes, the “uncrossable divide” that eventually separates h/h is the width and depth of a puddle, and the last third of the book is pretty much solely devoted to setting up a Mitch/April romance in book 3.

Notably, I found references to Stacy’s body-consciousness extremely strange. If we want to normalize average-sized women in romance, maybe we do that by not including, apropos of literally nothing, how “unflattering” woman-on-top sexual positions are?! Stacy is not characterized by self-consciousness, so the moments when her interiority veers toward self-criticism don’t feel necessary. I’m not saying these aren’t authentic thoughts and feelings plenty of women have, but an editor should have pushed DeLuca to answer the question to what end? Why include body hyperawareness in the precise moments when it appears? Like too much of the prose in WELL PLAYED, these inclusions felt like word-count boosting instead of dynamic character development or plot production. Sad as I am to say it, this book was a missed opportunity that shows the danger of rushing book 2 to market. 

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Olivia Waite), aBook (narr. Morag Sims). This book has been on my radar since its publication last summer. Gorgeous cover aside, I’m always here for diverse historical romance. Sadly, for me, the external stakes here were simply too low, and relied overmuch on the baffling revelation that men -- especially in this historical moment --  underestimate and undermine women. I never felt discernible chemistry between Lucy and Catherine. This could be due, in part, to Morag Sims’ narration, which pitches Catherine’s voice in a low, husky range that accentuated the women’s age difference. From the outset, we learn that Catherine is the widow of one of Lucy’s father’s colleagues; while Lucy is the more sexually forward woman in this partnership, there’s something a little An Education about the whole arrangement. 

On my radar this week:

Piranesi (Susanna Clarke) 

A Deadly Education aBook (Naomi Novik)

We Can Only Save Ourselves ARC (Alison Wisdom)

Angel in a Devil’s Arms (Julie Anne Long)

The Project ARC (Courtney Summers)

The Love Square ARC (Laura Jane Williams)

[darkdarkmydesire]

I really hope it wasn't (just an experiment)

Chapter 8:

It was the second time today, Alec found himself entangled with Magnus in an uncomfortable chair, this time however he was certain of what he wanted and certain he had obtained it. Somehow, in the midst of all that kissing, Magnus had ended up in Alec's lap, arms draped around his neck and forehead touching. They were an interwoven creature, he and I. Alec wanted nothing more than to feel the press of Magnus's skin, his breath on his face, as he closed his eyes and smiled a soft, content thing. As if he was truly happy just to be sitting in a wooden chair in Alec's shabby apartment. Alec was filled with a furious joy, it was present in the brush of Magnus's lashes on his own, the soft fingers tracing patterns in his hair, it was in the warmth of Magnus between his fingers. This was the joy people waged wars for, decimated worlds for, renounced heritages for. It was a quiet, ferocious feeling that hummed under Alec's skin. It was an entity all on it's own. Alec eyes slid over Magnus's shoulder, towards the window as the crimson hue of the setting sun filled the room. They had been kissing for hours. Sweetly, carefully, taking their time. They hadn't spoken once and that was fine. They did not have words for this feeling. Alec watched as the night chased the last embers of light, the stars pricking the velvet sky, it was a bruised purple expanse, not quiet night, not quiet day. It was the split second, the pregnant moment when it could have been dawn, or dusk. The moment in which all possibilities existed, all improbabilities existed. It was a moment of the impossible rendered more. Alec had not felt so young in a long while.

"I want to stay in this moment forever.", he whispered wistfully.

Magnus pulled himself away, "But if we did, I'd never get a chance to show you off.", faux frowned Magnus. Alec breathed a laugh.

"How awful that I won't have to put up with your territorial bull shit. Simply preposterous."

"Preposterous, Alexander? Is this a word we use in spontaneous conversation?", Magnus eyebrow raised itself to an extraordinary height. "And don't even. I wasn't the one gorging myself on my 'moth bitten sweater' body, was I now?" Ignoring the colour staining his cheeks, Alec stared intently at his fingers on Magnus's waist - Magnus's 'moth bitten sweater' covered waist. Thought of his earlier excursion were gracing his mind.

"Don't know what you mean.", he mumbled, seemingly preoccupied.

Alec felt Magnus open his mouth, "We should eat.", he blurted out. This conversation could only lead to one outcome: Alec's further mortification, so Alec aptly diverted the ship to knew horizons. "It is after all, something my boyfriend made.".

"Boyfriend?", Magnus reiterated.

Suddenly nervous, Alec cursed his foolishness. How could he be so stupid? Just because Magnus felt the same way, didn't mean he wanted to jump into a relationship? Stupid, imbecilic, idiotic, stupid, imbecilic, idiotic, stupid - .

"Alec.", Magnus cupped his face with both hands, shifting Alec's gaze from the chip in the sink to Magnus's eyes. The were alight. "I like the sound of that.", he whispered, thumbs grazing Alec's cheekbones. They were branding on Alec's already warm skin. He leaned in pecking Alec's lips twice, short and giddy. Alec blinked at the firmness of those kisses, he could have this, he would, he did. They realisation came unbidden, a pleasant surprise. -------------------------------+

Effervescent. That was the only word Magnus could think to describe what he feeling at this moment. Like the bubbles in a dozen champagne flutes had coalesced and floated into his being. Like his being was dozens of champagne flutes. Magnus held his fork in his mouth and watched as Alec shovelled the cold, damp omlete down his throat, as if it was the last meal he was going to eat, as if it was a warm five star banquet and not just two eggs fried in a pan. Alec was something he had wished for and now it had come true. Magnus was thanking every star in the galaxy for this, never mind that he hadn't wished on one since his early childhood. He didn't care. He really didn't. Alec was his. His. His. Goddamn him, if he didn't write sonnets of this moment. Okay, maybe not sonnets, poetry had never been his strong suite, but design a whole line inspirerd by this moment. He would someday, he would. -------------------------------+

"So you think you can ignore my calls? Both of you are childish and irresponsible, do you know how worried I was? Calyx won't answer my calls, Luke calls my number, asking of your whereabouts, because you never called in sick and you have never done that Alec. Not once. I am just so -", this steady stream of proclamations was eloquently summarised with a short, high pitched shriek of frustration.

"Izzy, I'm sorry. Time got away from me.", Alec also too eloquently summarised previous events. This was definite 180 on that front.

Isabel looked ready to burst, "Time got away? Time?", she spluttered, chest heaving.

"Have you forgotten where I found you last time you didn't pick up? How I found you?", these words were carefully constructed, a blade meant to pierce Alec with guilt. They found their mark.

He looked at Isabel, truly looked. She had come in thundering through his apartment, a whirlwind in her own right and started demanding explanations. Alec had merely stood, taking the brunt of her fury, but as he looked his younger sister over, he realised. His own hazel eyes were reflected at him a mirror image. Albeit right now, they were wide, strained at the corners, marring Isabel's pale face with lines. Her hair was disheveled as if she had woken up and left in a hurry too profound to warrant her usual vanity. Her clothes were the same ones she had on last night and tennis shoes adorned her feet. Alec kept staring at their incongruous presence. They spoke volumes, told him what she herself could not. Isabel would not have in such a stupor if nothing had warranted it. Isabel who had listened to the news of their grandmother's death and serenely gone to change before getting in the car, while the Lighthood household rung with despair. Because even twelve year old Isabel had known what an armor her clothes provided, what presence and appearance, even when her heart did not reflect it, her appearance did. Unwavering and fierce.

So Alec knew what others didn't, Isabel would never have overlooked such an error, would have never shown this chink in her armor, never looked anything, but in control. She had been afraid. For him.

Striding forward Alec took Isabel's cheeks into his palms, caloused skin against smooth ivory.

"That will never happen again Izzy. Never. I wouldn't disappear like that. I promised.", the words were cool water on a parched throat.

Alec saw the exact moment she believed he was safe, it shouldn't have been possible for the panic to linger, when the root of it stood before you. She should have known he was safe, because there he was, but that is the way of these things. It does not seem to matter that the thing which unnerves you has been professed insubstantial, the memory of the blind panic it brings lingered. Like sediments in a slow paced river, it sinks and merges with the bed, only a faster current, a physical presence can extricate it. Alec pressed his hand harder onto her cheeks, gaze steady, as he felt rather than saw the tension leave her body. She suddenly reached for Alec's head, as if to pull him into a hug, eyes exhausted, Alec relaxed. Only to be smacked at the back of his head with considerable vehemence.

The resounding clap was intertwined with a snicker that sounded suspiciously like Jace's.

"That is for making me worry.", Isabel admonished, flicking a curl over her shoulder with disdain. Her glittering eyes promised harsh retribution should the offence repeat itself.

"I suppose I deserved that.", Alec grumbled, relieved as the ever present smirk graced her face once again.

"You did, so are you to finally together?", Isabel tossed the statement over her shoulder, as she sauntered towards the kitchen, casting a significant glance at Magnus and Alec's proximity.

Stepping forward, Magnus grabbed Alec's palm. The exchange between the sibling had confused him, he realised how much of Alec he didn't know. They had had different lives, but he was determined to bridge the gap. Alec's palm was warm and dry.

"We are, much to the disappointment of the masses. Alas, Alec could not resist my charm." -------------------------------+

Magnus was more than a little perturbed by the turn of recent events, the melodramatic clash between the Lightwood siblings was out of character. The diectic remarks to an incident that had clearly caused great harm, if the devastation in Alec's eyes was any indication. And he had never known Isabel to lose her composure so thoroughly, it had left even Magnus unstable. Nonetheless, he would question Alec later. Right now he had his own battles to fight. Battles which came in the shape of a blond haired, monochromatic eyed best friend of his current boyfriend. Jace had not shooting suspicious glances at Magnus since he arrived. Still Magnus's joy could not be tamed. Boyfriend, the word was honey on his lips, thick and sweet. He leaned over and ran his fingers down Alec's forearms, before twining their fingers together. How he longed to do this indefinitely.

All four members occupied various seats in Alec's living room. Jace arriving shortly after Isabel's outburst, as she called him while leaning against Alec's sink and chewing toast. The chewing, as one can imagine lead to great confusion on Jace's part and great exasperation on Isabel's. They were however able to come to a sensible course of action: to carry on the conversation when Jace arrived. It suited them both, so now here they were, much to Magnus's amusement, having an unconventional lunch preceding a not so conventional afternoon. The lunch consisted of pizza and Chinese - Alec and Magnus and Isabel had wanted Chinese, Jace had ordered pizza in defiance.

Magnus's action was not unnoticed and Alec sighed in exasperation at their keen vigil. It wasn't as if Magnus would maul him, Alec often grew weary of the constant protection.

"What?", he intoned running a hand through his hair.

"Oh, nothing, nothing, just getting nauseated by the disgusting display. Though it is better than the acrid sexual tension.". Jace shuddered exaggeratedly, "That was just scarring."

He only just dodged the cushion Alec threw in response. Alec turned his face into Magnus's neck. The gesture both intimate and comforting. Magnus subtly inhaled, Alec smelled of crisp autumn air and wood smoke. The touch felt exhilarating, domestic. They could do this now. Sit close enough so Magnus felt the warmth seep through Alec, so his skin sung at each point of contact. Thigh to thigh, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand. They couldn't not touch.

"He does have a point"

"Magnus", Alec groaned, jerking back abruptly, he gave a warning glare. Have did not need to be addled on.

"I'm just saying darling, it was quiet thick and heavy.", Magnus fluttered his eye lashes coyly. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Wincing, Alec flushed a vivid shade of crimson, how Magnus enjoyed the delicious sight.

"Magnus!"

Magnus threw his head back cackling. -------------------------------+

Alec could only stare mesmerised. He had been a fool, a fool when he had told Calyx his eyes were mesmerising. It wasn't until now that he truly realised what the word meant. Magnus's neck was thrown back, throat smooth and bare, his dark lashes fluttered in unrestrained flurry, as his chest quaked through a stream of laughter. Ebony locks fell in his face, obscuring crinkled eyes, eyes that gleamed with happiness. Alec was mes!erised, hypnotised, left adrift on a surging tide with no way back. He couldn't bring himself to care. Nothing felt more right, more true than this. How could his father scorn this? How could he have once doubted this? Those doubts had been poison and Alec knew not all poisons had an antidote, but he had found his.

"Come meet Max tomorrow.", Alec said, it was a statement seemingly out of the blue, but both occuoants that were not Alec and Magnus stilled.

A statement because he knew Magnus would not refuse and because he wanted to make it clear to Isabel and Jace how serious he was. Alec would only let those he truly cared for meet Max, it was a declaration of his intentions. Even if Magnus did not know, Alec had just confirmed the depth of his emotions.

"Of course darling.", Magnus smiled ever so softly. He did not know the reason, but he had picked up on the importance of this moment. Still, he had not said yes to gain approval, or to prove himself. He had agreed, because that sweet, almost shy curve of Alec's mouth was worth it's weight in gold and although, Magnus possessed very little gold. There was seldom he could deny Alec Lightwood.