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sierraraeck · 4 years

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Sacrifice

BAU x OC Aundreya

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Summary: Aundreya does everything she can to save Spencer, which ultimately means sacrificing herself in the process. Story fifteen.

Category: Angst.

Warnings: Cussing. Mentions of drugs, prison, and homicide.

Word Count: 6.3k

A/N: Still fiction, still don’t know anything about prisons or their policies on handling inmates.

Nothing good in this world lasts for long, someone smart said at some point.

Not like things had exactly been going ‘good’ for us lately.

“Welcome home,” Sheriff Deborah sneered.

“Oh fuck you,” I hissed back.

“Wow, did you just say an expletive to an officer of the law?” she asked, feigning offense.

“Yeah I did. Last I checked, I’m protected by this cool thing called freedom of speech as a part of my rights.”

“You’re about to lose those,” an all too familiar voice piped up. Shit. This just got worse.

“Ah. Jane Doe, it’s nice of you to grace us with your ever-so-lovely presence,” I deadpanned.

“Nice to see you too,” she smirked. Sheriff Anderson and I went way back. She was the one who had initially caught wind that there was someone known as The Figure running around on the streets. I had been completely anonymous prior to that, and she was the one who brought all that unwanted attention on me. Since then, she apparently made a vow to catch me, and she really did try. Jane was the one that set up the first trap to try and lure me out and arrest me. She was also the one that encouraged calling in the FBI, who set another trap to try and get me to talk. I showed her my face that time and winked on the way out. Unfortunately, she had to be the one that finally arrested me when I got sent to the supermax. Needless to say, we were not friends.

“So what brings you to my cozy motel room this fine evening?” I asked. My bitchiness always elevated when Jane was around.

“Actually, I invited her,” Sheriff Madalina spoke up.

“Oh, did you now?” I asked incredulously.

“Sure did. I was thinking about the case, your case, and I realized that there was one name that just kept popping up. Luckily for me, Sheriff Anderson here was close by and very available.”

“I’m sure,” I rolled my eyes, “What’re you missing this time, Sheriff? A funeral, a graduation, another wedding..?”

“Will you ever put that to rest?” Jane asked.

“Will he?” I quipped. Once she started tracking me like a bloodhound, I figured I’d do some of my own digging. I found out that she’d skipped her plane ride out to Mexico so she could be there to simply watch the FBI deal with me. I found out later that after it was unsuccessful, she basically missed her own son’s wedding. I got quite the kick outta that and brought it up when I could, just to get under her skin.

“Aundreya,” it was Hotch this time. I had gotten so sucked into Jane’s guest appearance that I forgot the rest of the team was there, too. I guess that was probably what they were going for, bringing her here, to throw me off.

“It’s a valid question,” I remarked. “So what? You find a common problem and you all decide to tag team?”

“They’re here because they want to be, not because we asked them,” Sheriff Anderson stated.

“Oh, so you want to send us back to prison?” I glared at the team members. And to think I actually trusted them at some point.

“It’s not like that,” Morgan started.

“No, I think it’s exactly like that,” I cut him off.

“Careful Agent, I wouldn’t want you to end up the victim of aggravated assault. Again,” Jane smirked.

“Aggravated assault?” I questioned, my eyes getting a bit bigger, “I wouldn’t call it that.”

“Then what would you call it?”

“I’d consider it a workplace squabble,” I commented, suppressing a small smile.

Derek snorted and shook his head. Deborah was quick to step in, “You’d call attacking a special agent, then pulling a gun on your team a ‘workplace squabble?’”

“Absolutely,” I confirmed, “What would you call it?”

Deborah’s mouth hung slightly open before replying, “Aggravated assault of an agent.”

“Interesting, we should totally compare notes on definitions another time, but that’s not really why you’re here, is it?”

“No,” Jane shook her head, “We’re here because you broke out of prison. And brought company.” It was the first time anyone in the room had really acknowledged Spencer, who seemed cemented in place behind me. All eyes turned to him, and I could see the discomfort spread like wildfire across his features.

I drew the attention away from him by asking, “How’d you find me anyway?”

“An anonymous tip,” Anderson informed.

That’s when everything clicked.

Corbyn Young and the spying, Koda and dealing Spencer drugs, the sheer amount of drugs in Spencer’s apartment, the connection to Darrell Fairchild, how it was all slowly driving me crazy … and now? An anonymous tip accompanied by my least favorite cop?

Xena.

“Wait, an anonymous tip?” I confirmed, shaking my head. How did I not see this?

I got no response, not like I needed one, and immediately started looking around. I took small, slow steps, being sure to stay in my own little radius, evaluating every nook and cranny of the motel. “There are cameras in here, aren’t there?”

Again, no response, just a bunch of gaping mouths. I let out a venomous chuckle. “You little bitch. I should have known. God, I should have fucking known!” I shook my head. “Of course it was you. But I mean, this … this is a whole new low, even for you. Invading my personal space, spying on us, using the same goddamned sheriff…”

“Chambers, who are you talking to?” Prentiss piped up.

I didn’t even answer. I was fuming. “And typically, you don’t even bother to show up because you can’t handle real face to face conflict. You never could. You always felt the need to record your victories instead. I mean, how else were people supposed to believe you,” I jeered. I’d finished searching the room and finally found what I was looking for. A tiny, black circle in the middle of the clock on the wall, recording everything. I flipped it off, making sure to shove my finger right in the middle of the frame. “Alright fine,” I performed the most obnoxious curtsey I could to be sure she’d see me, “Well played. Round five goes to you. But don’t forget, I’m still up three to two and you better believe I’m coming for you in the next one.”

“What the hell is going on?” Derek sounded confused and irritated.

Again, I blew the question off and turned to the sheriffs. It really wasn’t worth explaining. “Whatever you’re here to do, just do it.”

I saw the slight shock on everyone’s face, and I had a pretty good idea why. For someone that hated being caged, practically couldn’t be caged, I was giving up fairly quickly. But I knew that if Xena was behind this, which she had to have been, I wasn’t going to get out of it by stalling. Might as well just get it over with.

It was Jane who recovered first. “We’re here to arrest both of you and return you to your rightful places behind bars. You’re going for assault and escaping, and he’s going back for the murder of Corbyn Young.”

Both women started to take steps towards us as Deen’s voice came ringing back into my head. You have to focus on getting the two of you safe. Make sure that it wasn’t for nothing and that you finish this out.

I instinctively stepped in front of Spencer and blurted, “It was me, you were right.”

Their movement towards us halted. Sheriff Madalina’s brow was furrowed, “What?”

“You were right, earlier I mean, when you thought it was me who framed Reid. I did it.”

I felt Spencer’s hot breath on my ear as he whispered, “Aundreya, what-”

“Hush,” I whispered back.

“What are you saying?” Hotch probed.

I took in as much oxygen as I could manage and turned my attitude to stone, fighting the urge to rub my palms together. “I’m saying that it was me the whole time. Corbyn was one of my guys, and I had him tracking the members of this team. I found out that he was getting paid to keep tabs on me as well, and when I approached him about it, I realized that not only had he betrayed me, but he had sensitive information I didn’t want getting out. So I killed him. I hadn’t thought it through, and couldn’t afford to get caught. So the first thing I thought to do was set Spencer up,” I started.

“Stop, what are you-” Spencer tried.

“The people at the front desk had seen me often enough to dismiss my presence, so I just snuck past them with the drugs,” I continued. “I stashed them in his place so that when people found Corbyn, Spencer would look like the prime suspect.”

“Why are you telling us this now?” Deborah asked.

“Because while you may believe I have no capacity for emotions, I do. When I saw how badly beaten up Reid was, I just couldn’t choke down the guilt anymore. If he died, that would be my fault, and while I could handle him taking the fall for me, I couldn’t handle him dying for me. I thought that I could break us both out and get away with it, but clearly I was wrong.”

“I don’t believe you,” Jane stated.

“You should,” I retorted.

“You wouldn’t have a problem letting him die for you. I just can’t understand why you’re trying to take credit for what he’s done?” she pondered.

“Oh, come on sheriff, look at the kid. Does he really look like he could overpower and then murder a man like Corbyn?” I inquired.

“I mean, the evidence-”

“Screw the evidence. How long have you been tracking me to know that it doesn’t really matter? What does matter, is that I’ve killed people before, and will certainly kill people again. My track record says so. His,” I gestured to Spencer, “is squeaky clean. Come on Janey, you have everything you need, and this is a one time offer. It will never be this easy again.” I glanced over at the recording device inside the clock. I will never let her catch me this off guard again.

“Alright, then. Aundreya Chambers, you are under arrest for the murder of-” Sheriff Anderson started.

“You don’t seriously believe that, do you?” Reid interrupted.

“Of course they do. And out of all the people in this room, you should be the most willing to believe it,” I hissed. He was not making this easy for me.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Emily asked.

“We broke out of the prison, and on the way we had a little encounter, didn’t we?” I addressed. I looked back at Spencer, who’s eyes were just about as wide as his socket would let them, “Come on. You know better than anyone what I’m capable of.”

He swallowed.

“Reid, what is she talking about?” Derek pushed.

“Uh,” he looked down at me, and I shot my eyebrows up, inviting him to proceed. “On our way out, we ran into some guys. They were, um, the ones that beat me up a week ago. As we were trying to get around them, she uh…”

“Yes, Reid,” I prompted. If this is what it takes to get him out and safe, so be it.

“She slit his throat,” he mumbled, and I wondered if anyone else heard him. All it took was one glance around the room to know that they had.

“You what?” Derek’s jaw had crashed to the floor.

I hadn’t exactly planned on it, but that opened up the perfect opportunity for me to clear his name for escaping as well. “Which is probably why he was scared enough to go along with me.”

“So you’re saying he didn’t escape of his own free will?” Deborah confirmed.

“Correct. It was my plan, my execution, and he was probably so scared of what I could do to him with my drugs, dagger, and gun, that he just went along with it,” I shrugged.

“That’s not true,” Spencer huffed. Is he trying to get sent back to jail?

I looked over at Hotch with pleading eyes. He had to know what was actually happening, and if not, he had to help me get Spencer out of this. Because whether or not he thought I was guilty didn’t matter, because he knew Spencer wasn’t.

“If she’s been manipulating him this whole time, he’s probably still under her influence,” Hotch casually pointed out. Thank god.

“What? No, that’s not-” Spencer persisted, but it wasn’t going to work, not now that Hotch had stepped in.

“It’s called Stockholm Syndrome,” Hotch continued, all eyes locked on him, “We see it all the time. It’s very common when a victim believes that their captor is also trying to help them. In this case, he’d think that she’s helping him by getting him out of prison.”

“And you’re sure?” both sheriffs confirmed.

“Yes,” Hotch assured.

“Alright then.” Deborah escorted a stunned Spencer to where the rest of the team was standing with his mouth hanging open, the betrayal in his eyes set on his boss.

“It looks like I’ll be the one who gets to take you in,” Jane grinned.

“Looks like it,” I coldly retorted.

“I guess I’ll be keeping my promise after all.”

“Oh, really? Is that what you think this is?” I asked, some heat returning to my voice.

“I promised you that the next time I cuffed you, and sent you behind bars, the chair would be waiting,” she snickered, taking a few cautious steps my way.

“Don’t forget what I promised you, old Janey,” I tsked, “That you will never truly catch me, and no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you work, I will always get out of it.”

She rolled her eyes and firmly shook her head. “Not this time.”

“Are you willing to find out which one of us will be breaking our promise?” I challenged.

“I’ll take my chances,” she accepted, taking a few more steps in my direction, these a bit more confident.

In response, I stuck my wrists out at her, “Have at it.”

She quickly took advantage of what I was offering, turning me around against the wall and swiftly clasping the cuffs around my wrists. She tightened them as much as possible.

“Ooh, I didn’t realize you liked your cuffs that tight, Janey-poo,” I mocked. “Got a little kink to ya after all.”

She yanked me back from the wall, and I felt the hot words on her breath as she whispered, “I’ve pulled some strings to get you in solitary, practically in your own wing, once you arrive. You’ll be right next to the room where it happens, waking up and falling asleep with the knowledge that soon, it’ll be your final words you’re hearing echo down that hall.”

I just chucked, only guessing at how crazed I must have looked. Sheriff Anderson hauled me out of the room, but I resisted, fighting to turn around and look at the team. Who knows how long it’ll be ‘till I see them again?

I stood there, only for a second or two, but it was enough to give them all a definite nod. Jane shoved my head through the door frame of the police car, the familiarity of it all rising to the top of my mind. I looked out the window and saw a shadow of a figure, hovering outside of the motel. I didn’t have to look twice to know exactly who it was. Xena was looking right at me, and I winked at her, flashing one of my most cruel smiles.

She only got half of a win. She might have gotten me, but she didn’t get to Spencer, or anyone else on the team. Because there is no way in hell I’m going to let her touch them, not like last time.

It was as satisfying of a thought as any in that moment, as the squad car sped off in the direction of my new hell hole.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

Eight days.

That’s how long it took the team to give up on me.

Eight.

Not only give up on me, but effectively replace me with Doctor Tara Lewis. It’s like they were waiting for something like this to happen and just jumped at the opportunity to get rid of me.

Did I confess to two murders, one I did commit and the other I didn’t commit? Yes. Did I have a pretty nasty track record? Definitely. Was I expecting to be left in prison for a long time? Absolutely.

But did I ever expect the BAU to just push me to the side like trash and forget about me? Absolutely not. And I would have never guessed that they would have actually believed me, believed that I did it. Not only that, but believed that I would have framed Spencer for it. Just when I thought I’d thought of everything.

The only person who ever visited me was Penelope, and she had to come in secret after the first week. She was the one who hinted at the fact that the rest of the team wasn’t exactly helping me anymore, and I dragged the rest out of her.

‘And the rest of them?’ I asked her.

‘They… they, uh…’

‘What Penelope? I can handle it.’

‘They don’t really know what to think,’ she reluctantly answered.

‘They think I did it, don’t they?’

‘Well… no, I think, um…’ I appreciated the effort, but I knew it wasn’t good.

‘Damn. So why are you here?’

Penelope’s sweet eyes couldn’t meet mine, and I knew that she was starting to be influenced by the rest of the team.

‘Everyone needs someone.’

‘Thank you, Garcia, but I know there is something more,’ I could see it in the way she tried to smile at me.

‘Did you really… kill that man?’

All I could do was sigh, ‘I’m sorry Penelope.’

I couldn’t stand to look at her anymore, so I got up and turned away, returning to my solitary cell, like Sheriff Anderson promised. She visited me one more time after that, and that was it. Whether that was on her own accord or because Derek or someone else found out and reprimanded her, I didn’t know, and I honestly didn’t care. I was back to being alone either way.

I kept to myself, not like I really had a choice, and tried to just ignore everything that was spinning out of control around me. At the end of the month, right after Penelope stopped visiting, I got granted ‘good behavior’ (plus they needed to free up some solitary space), so they moved me out and into a regular cell, where I could pretend to interact with people.

The day was going fine all the way up until some dumb bitch decided to announce to the cafeteria who I was.

“I cannot believe it,” the stalky, black braided hair chick said as she sauntered over. “It’s the great and powerful Alionth. Back at it again in prison, are we?”

I sort of recognized her as another initiate from the gang I rejected, but besides her face, nothing else came to mind. I kept my head down but rolled my eyes.

“Hello? I’m talking to you!” she squawked as two other girls came to back her up on either flank.

Jesus Christ. I sighed, voice dull, “I’m aware. Anything else I can help you with?”

“Oh, so you’ve got attitude. I know that you think you’re pretty hot stuff, but I run this place around here,” she spat.

I snorted, “You wish.”

She wadded up the collar of my jumpsuit and yanked me to standing. She held me up to the cylindrical pole near the center of the room, right behind my seat. Here we go.

“What did you just say to me?” Her heavy New Jersey accent was a crisp sound, pinging off the rows of metal tables and concrete walls.

“I said, ‘you wish.’ Sure, you’re high up in the rankings, but I know you don’t run this place. If I had to guess, you and your girls here are about third or fourth in command, but peaches over there,” I nodded my head toward the dark woman with a tapered afro, “is the real leader here.” That caught her attention, and I could see the curiosity in her eyes as she watched what continued to go down. “And blondie over there,” I gestured to another woman in the back, “is her second. That leaves three and four to be either you or my new bestie here,” I stated casually, directing my attention to the girl who sat a few seats over from me, “How’d I do?” I challenged.

Her grip on me loosened, and I could tell I had shocked her.

She quickly composed herself, though. “So I guess the rumors are true.”

“I bet they are,” I deadpanned, squinting me eyes.

“So, uh,” she licked her lips, “where’s your fed friends?”

I quickly grabbed her hand and forced her off of me. “Careful,” I warned through clenched teeth, tone cold.

“Why? You don’t want me talking about your pretty blonde friend or the rest of your so-called ‘family?’” she quoted the air, “I bet you’re thrilled you betrayed us to go work for the dirty swines that are leaving you in-”

Then I kicked her jaw in. I was not going to be taking shit from from some fourth-in-command, entitled bitch who knew nothing about me or my situation. I felt the top of my foot hit the side of her jaw as my toes dug into her neck. By the time she hit the floor, she was out cold.

At the sound of her body hitting the floor, the guards decided they wanted to pay attention. I saw them coming at me, so I quickly announced, “Any more questions?”

Right as I finished, lightning struck my body, sending shockwaves through my nerves. A guard had poked me in my shoulder blade with his taser, and I turned to grab the pole for support. I used every ounce of energy to keep myself on my feet, gasping for air. I felt a pair of hands going to grab my arm and escort me out but I shook them off.

“Anywhere you are taking me, I can get there myself,” I forced out through labored breaths. I pushed off of the pole, glared at anyone in my line of sight, and shook feeling back into my feet, just enough for me to walk. I took a couple of wobbly steps forward, and felt the hands return to my arms. “I said I got it. Back to solitary?”

I wasn’t expecting an answer, but a deep voice replied, “It’s almost like you’ve done this before.”

I chuckled. “You could say that.” I felt the eyes on me as I exited the cafeteria in a haste, having enough social interaction for one day.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

It had been about three months since Aundreya had been incarcerated, and Derek and Emily were on their way to see her. If they were being honest with themselves, they didn’t exactly know why. It could’ve been because she used to be their friend, it could’ve been to share whatever updates they had about her case, it could’ve been because they felt slightly guilty for not having visited her. Maybe they just wanted to see her face and look into her eyes when they asked her about what had happened, trying to gauge her reaction and get the best answers they could. Whatever the reason, they were there, and were walking down a strip of cells when a woman’s voice caught their attention.

“Don’t do that,” she warned, sandpaper coating her throat.

“And who are you?” Emily asked, sass evident in her undertone.

“Raven. I used to run this place until your bitch showed up,” she spat.

“And what does that have to do with us seeing her?” It was Derek’s turn to question.

“Are you really that stupid? No wonder you piss her off so much,” Raven smirked.

“What does that mean?” Derek snapped.

Raven’s smirk morphed into one that was condescending, “Aren’t you the people who supposedly cared about her, then gave up on her after like, a week?”

“That’s not-” Emily tried.

“Don’t try to deny it, we all know,” she interjected. “One of my girls was pressing all sorts of buttons before Alionth snapped, but the one that pushed her over the edge was the button with your names on it.”

“Alionth?” Emily arched an eyebrow.

Raven just huffed and shook her head in response, continuing with, “She barely even mentioned you guys and her ass was on the ground. Her whole face is practically broken.”

“Aundre- Alionth did that to a girl, because of us?” Derek sounded astonished.

“You and whatever the fuck you did to her,” Raven ignored his shock, “And as far as I know, she’s always been like that.”

“That’s not true,” Emily immediately defended, but anyone with ears could hear the wavering in conviction.

“Maybe you just brushed it off because she was ‘protecting a friend,’ or ‘saving an innocent.’ Maybe you just thought that the case got to her and that’s why she was particularly hateful toward the bad guy, and I mean, come on, it’s just a serial killer. Who cares if he gets a little bit roughed up or, honestly, if she shoots him if necessary? I could see how that would be deceiving. But that’s just her,” Raven casually stated, shrugging her shoulders, “She’s on-edge, ruthless, and violent. She’s ready to explode at any moment, taking any and everyone down with her. That’s how she’s always been. You didn’t really think she got all of that cleaned up because she joined the FBI, did you? You couldn’t have believed that she was magically fixed because she spent a few years with you?” She paused to eye the agents in front of her, but wasn’t really expecting an answer. She didn’t get one, “That’s not how it works. Twenty-four years versus three? I mean there’s really no comparison. You of all people should know that. And honestly, her being a stone cold bitch is working for us, and while I’m still sort of terrified, I guess I should be thanking you.”

“What for?” Derek demanded.

“I mean, I haven’t seen a prison run so smoothly, have you? Most of the girls in here, or at least the smart ones without a major attitude and ego trip, are getting upped for ‘good behavior’ because they know that if they do anything to piss her off, they will be in the infirmary in three seconds flat. Not to mention that she’s got basically every single guard under her thumb already. So for her sake, and for the good of all of the rest of us in here, leave her the fuck alone.” And with that, Raven sat back down in her cell, effectively shutting both agents up. Within the next couple of minutes, they both left without another glance behind them.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

The only other contact besides Penelope that I had with the team was a letter. A single letter, left on the bed of my solitary room when I returned there for the sixth time in four months.

It was an ongoing joke now, that whenever they let me out after my allotted time, it was always ‘see you in a couple days’ or ‘don’t stay away too long’ or something to that effect. Each time I left, it was like there was a new person in line, ready to take their turn at me. It was funny to me that there were still a few girls willing to fight me, already having previewed the outcome. But I guess the definition of insanity (which these girls definitely seemed insane to me) is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome, which in this case, was them heading to the infirmary for about the same amount of time I headed back to solitary. It was starting to form quite the nice routine, actually.

Except this one little piece of paper was not a part of the usual plan.

I picked up the envelope and scrunched up my nose at the guard who was about to shut the door in my face. “This for me?”

“Do you see anyone else in there?” he quipped. The squeak of the door as it was pushed shut and the clang of the lock vibrated throughout the small box they called a cell. I stared down at the stale envelope that matched the scenery around me, and sat on the skeletal mattress I frequented. I slipped my thumb under the flap, careful to avoid paper cuts, and slowly opened it, as if I were expecting a bomb to be triggered by my movements.

When I pulled out the letter, there was a single paragraph that bore into the delicate material.

I thought I knew who you were, but I don’t know what to believe anymore. I thought that you were helping out and there was no way that you would have let me take the fall for something you did, no way you would have even killed that man to begin with. But I also wouldn’t have thought you’d kill an inmate, no matter how awful, in cold blood right in front of me, that you’d changed and moved passed that. Now I’m supposed to defend you against separate murder charges, not to mention drug charges involving drugs I know you’ve taken, and I just don’t know how to anymore. All the evidence points toward you. But the one thing I can’t stop thinking about is what Hotch said the night we got caught: that you were manipulating me the whole time and I’d fallen into the trap of a professional criminal, even as a profiler. I don’t want to believe that, but maybe it’s true. Maybe you’re the one who’s been using me this whole time. I don’t have the answers, and I don’t think I ever will. Don’t keep tabs on me. I know you have the means to, in whatever capacity, but I don’t want you tracking my life. I no longer want you to be a part of it. And stay out of Maeve’s, in case you think that’s some twisted loophole you can use. This is no longer your family.

The room had never felt so silent before, so suffocating. All the air circulation in the room stopped at once, slowly making its way in my direction. It piled up on top of me like some sick game of tetris, stealing any oxygen I could get, collapsing my lungs in the process. The weight of that small cell, of that small letter, of those small words, pushed me under the smothering air, holding me there until I surrendered, allowing everything to go blank.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

“But do you think she’s back on drugs?” Derek persisted. It was something most of the team members had been arguing over for the past few weeks. Penelope had hacked the cameras inside the facility that was housing Aundreya, and observing her was a new pastime. Derek, Emily, JJ, Penelope, and Rossi would gather in the bat cave to see what was new with their recently-estranged team member.

“I don’t know. She seems unwavered by anything at this point. I just can’t tell if that’s just how she’s coping, or if that’s something more,” Emily joined.

“I don’t think she would.” It was JJ this time, “I mean, she worked pretty hard to get off of them the first time, and only got back on to help out your cousin. Plus, she didn’t relapse when she went in there for Spence.”

“True,” Derek acknowledged, “but she had a purpose going in there, and now she’s just sorta … in there.”

There was a moment of heavy silence before Penelope asked, “Do you think she knows?”

“Knows what?” It was the first time Rossi had entered the conversation this morning.

“You know, about … her case? Like how it’s going?”

“Who knows what she knows. She clearly just got some sort of information, but I’m not sure it’s about how badly her case is, otherwise I think she’d be looking a lot different,” Rossi pointed out.

Derek shivered, “It’s kinda freaking me out.”

“Which part?” Emily inquired.

“All of it. The way she’s nonchalantly getting into fights, not being affected at all by the taser, just sitting there in her cell completely unmoving with that creepy-ass smirk on her face…” Derek shook his head.

“Yeah, I see that, so I definitely don’t think she knows more about her situation. If she does, she’s not letting on,” Emily replied.

“I agree. I just want to know what she knows,” JJ expressed.

“And whatever is on that piece of paper. She brings it everywhere with her and just keeps looking over it,” Rossi added.

“What I really wanna know is: why hasn’t she gotten herself out yet?” The inquiry came from Derek’s mouth, but had been rattling around in everyone’s head. “What is she waiting for?”

“I mean, it takes a lot of effort to break out of a prison. Maybe she just hasn’t figured it out yet?” JJ offered.

“I don’t think so. When it came to breaking Reid out, she did it in under a week. She’s been in there … what? Six months?” Derek acknowledged.

“Seven months, one week, and two days,” Reid recited from the doorframe. It was the first time he’d even come near Garcia’s layer in the mornings since finding out the activities of the other agents. All heads whipped toward him. Before any other comments could be made, he stated, “We have a case.”

The rest of them shared a collective questioning look before trudging back to the bullpen.

Derek straggled, taking one last look at the girl he used to know, sitting inside a cement block on the screen, and mumbled to himself, “What are you planning?”

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

Prison is on a whole different planet. The time moves differently; not exactly slower, but definitely not faster either. It’s like each individual day takes eons to go by, but the next thing you know, you’ve already wasted over a year of your life in there, doing the same thing every day, over and over and over again.

There were only two things that kept time for me in the form of ‘pre’ and ‘post’: a single visit, and that letter.

That damn letter.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was obsessing over it. I read it at least 15 times a day, if not more, and everytime I read it, it was like the information was completely new to me. I kept trying to make sense of it, or at least push it past the thick layers of protection that were preventing me from understanding it, until I literally woke up reciting it. At that point, I forced myself to face the truth of the matter, and come up with a new pastime.

Which wasn’t much better.

I instead decided to obsess over a list of names I had scratched on the back of the letter. It was a simple list, but the weight of it was massive.

1. Troye Harding - 19, initiation

2. Sam Raxton - mid 20s, fight club

3. Em Taylor - 16?, me or her

4. Philip Dung - 34, self-defense

5. Lex Quinn - 18, traitor

6. Idina Perie - 28?, fight club

7. Brayden Price - upper teens, traitor

8. Ori B. - 44, ordered

9. Jay Nix - 21, self-defense

10. Chris W. - mid 30s, preventative necessary

11. Elle - mid 20s, pre-nes

12. Aiden Jaxton - 23, bad call

13. Jordan U. - 31, cross-fire

14. Andie Trinity - 39, pre-nes

15. Callie - 22?, bad call

16. J. Justin - 24, information

17. Victor Collins - 57, me or him

18. Sydney Racca- 20, me

19. Darrell Fairchild - 48, hurt Spence

The list contained those I’d personally killed, their age, and why. I thought it was important that at least someone remember them, and if they were gonna haunt anyone, who better than me? Plus, I liked the reminder of what had passed, and where I was now.

At some point I’d gotten so used to the violence and the hate that I just became immune to it all. At one point, I didn’t care who I hurt, or why. There was even a moment, one of the lowest in my life, where I didn’t need a reason anymore. I didn’t want a reason. All I wanted to do was just act out, but I forced myself to control it, releasing it in still unproductive ways, but not as unproductive. I turned back to drugs and fighting, which was ultimately my downfall. It’s what led to one of my best friends getting killed, something that I would never forgive myself for. It snapped me out of my daze, but not soon enough, because shortly thereafter I found myself behind bars, just like the ones surrounding me now.

Below the list, I had theee more names written out.

20. Xena Adaland

21. Jamar DeLeon

22. Aundreya Chambers

I wanted to stop, I wanted to be better. But I was in a situation that just didn’t seem to allow that. I told my father only months prior that there was always a way out without having to return to my old habits. I really wished that were true.

But here, in this cell, with the new information I had, I couldn’t see how it would be. They destroyed my life, and now, I had everything I needed. All I had to do was strike.

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seizethecarpe · 4 years

Text

Hunting Me, Hunting You || Dave and Rio

Timing: Current @3starsquinn @seizethecarpe Summary: Dave and Rio meet in the woods for some fun bonding activities Warnings: Some medical blood

Dave collapsed against a nearby tree, gasping with exhaustion. His legs and arms had a few nasty scratches on them, but considering the other guy… Dave wiped at his mouth, trying to clear some of the thick taste of blood from his lips. Instead, all he managed to do was smear it even further, and there was nothing to be done about the blood that had spilled right down his neck. It was his own goddamn fault, Dave thought, if he’d had his rifle with him, would have been a whole less of a problem. Seeing as this town seemed to draw the worst of all sorts of critters, he shoulda been more prepared. Rubbing at the scratch marks, he stared at the cockatrice he’d just torn the head off of with mild shock. Sure wasn’t what he’d had planned for tonight.

Orion had heard the skirmish, but almost stopped heading towards it when he smelled the blood. He froze, unsure how far away the fight had been, but sure that wherever he was going it could be dangerous. The smell made Rio dizzy, a sickening feeling settling into his stomach. But he had to shake off that fear. Someone could be hurt, or worse. He ducked around trees, smacking his arms off of branches as he tried to weave between the foliage and follow the smell of blood. He finally broke out into a clearing and spotted a man, on the ground against a tree with a familiar creature’s body lying beside it. The cockatrice was a relatively new species that Rio had learned about, but he certainly hadn’t expected to see one lying against the ground beheaded. “Hey uh… are you okay?” Rio approached the man with caution, making sure to hold his hands up so he knew he wasn’t a threat while also trying to maintain a good difference in case the man himself was a danger. Once he got a better look he realized that the blood pooling off of his face and neck had come from his mouth, more specifically the sharp, jagged teeth of a selkie. Woah. “Hey there. Are you okay?” Rio asked again, but this time signed as he spoke, “Do you need me to call someone?” He didn’t know for sure if the man would understand ASL like Skylar did, but he thought it was worth a try.

There was a piece of cockatrice skin stuck in his back teeth. Dave tongued at it until he could get it out, and spat it out right before he caught sight of the man approaching. For dangerous, haunted woods, there sure were a lot of people walking off the beaten path. Didn’t they know there were bears and screaming moose all over the place, according to the news? Dave stood back up rapidly even though the guy had his hands raised, but that didn’t seem to mean all that much in this town. He shut his mouth, hiding the teeth, but hadn’t caught the first thing Orion had said, so he had no idea what exactly was going on. Dave narrowed his eyes as Rio spoke again, this time following it with sign language. “Don’t call anyone,” he signed back without speaking. “How’d you know I was hard of hearing?”

Figures that the man wouldn’t want Orion to call an ambulance or anything. That seemed to be pretty common here in town, Rio himself included. There were plenty of injuries that Rio had sustained that he should have gone to the hospital for, but refused to. The longer Rio looked at the man, the more injuries he could pick out. The man had quite the battle it seemed, and Rio was worried that the man was in worse shape than he was willing to admit to a stranger. “Okay. I won’t call anyone. But can I come closer? To help?” Rio signed again, hands still raised in the air. How did he explain that he had a feeling the man would be hard at hearing and may know sign language? The easiest option would be to feign ignorance and pretend it was just a lucky guess. But something told him that the man was smarter than that. Instead, Rio decided for the truth. Or at least one facet of the truth. Rio pointed at his own mouth and opened wide to show off his teeth, “I know a couple of people. They are uh- they have teeth like yours.” Rio signed, hoping that told the man what he needed to know. “My name is Rio. Can I help you?”

So he had seen Dave’s teeth and really recognised them. Sometimes, people tended to gloss right on over them even if they did see it. Same with his shadow. It just was the kind of thing ignorant eyes tended to skate over. Guess the blood drew a whole lot more attention to it. And the dead cockatrice, couldn’t forget about that. Rio didn’t seem uneasy about that, either. He clearly knew more than the average Joe, so after a long moment, Dave nodded. “Not too bad,” he signed, gesturing at the scratches on his arms and legs. They matched the already intense scarring on his limbs all the same. “Dave,” he replied, first by giving his name sign, then spelling out his english one to boot. “It just jumped outta nowhere, all aggressive like. Not a clue why.”

It was a little scary, seeing how much damage those teeth could do. It wasn’t something that Orion had thought much about before. Ricky could fight if needed, but tended to be pretty easy going. And Skylar was one of the nicest, most docile people that Rio knew. Neither had made him consider just how dangerous a selkie could be. Though Rio hardly had room to judge considering his own genetics. “They look pretty painful though.” Along with the blood and wounds, Rio could pick out a myriad of scars and cuts along the man’s body. He had no idea where they came from, but he knew they seemed remarkably similar to the ones hidden beneath Rio’s hoodie and pants. Thinking about them made Rio scratch at his arms reflexively. “I’m familiar with those things.” Rio signed and pointed at the cockatrice. The smell of blood coming from it was intense, and Rio used the sleeve of his shirt to try to block the scent. It only barely worked since he also had to use that hand to sign. “I mean, I’ve never run into one. But I’ve read about them before.” Rio risked taking a few steps forward. The man could be dangerous. The beheaded creature lying next to him was proof enough. But despite this, Rio believed him that he had done it in self defense. So Rio wasn’t scared, even though he maybe should have been. As long as this man didn’t have a deep hatred for hunters and as long as Rio didn’t out himself, all should be good, right? Rio crept closer again, leaning down on the ground in front of the man and sliding the book bag off of his back. “I probably have some wipes in here that we can use to try to clean some of the blood and dirt off. Are you okay with that?”

“Skin like leather, it ain’t too bad,” Dave signed back with a dismissive wave of his hands. Stung like hell and salt water, but it was the sort of pain he was getting more and more often these days. Every hunt was beginning to end with injuries. More and more, ones he couldn’t so easily shrug off. It wasn’t too bad in the water, where he was faster than most of the things around, and smarter. He wasn’t that much faster than anyone on land, and that was where his joints were beginning to give out. “I’ve seen them once before. A big one, nearly as big as a cow. Had killed half the farmer’s family before they got a hunter out for it. Think I got lucky with that one, barely the size of a fox.” He shifted, rolling up his shorts and then his sleeves as permission for Rio to treat him, although he was still watching the guy closely. He just looked like a normal, lanky kid, but that didn’t mean much at all. Looks could be all sorts of deceiving. He had his own shit for cleaning things up in the car, but he wasn’t about to say no to help, nor a friendly face. “So how come you know about selkies and cockatrices?” He asked curiously.

The story was a scary one, and an eye opener. The book that Orion had read that mentioned the beast hadn’t mentioned them getting that big. It made Rio’s eyes grow wide thinking about. A family taken out by something like that, when they had seemingly not done anything to provoke it. Another case that someone like Adam or Alain would have taken with no reservation. A creature that should have been stopped. There were more and more of those cases popping up in Rio’s life recently. Could Rio have taken the cockatrice’s life by himself, without the likes of Kaden or Alain there to watch over him? “It might sting” Rio signed, not bothering to speak this time. He had never really spent time on the other side of the battle wounds. He was always the one that someone was helping bandage, or trying to clean his own wounds. Being on the outside felt like a sort of out of body experience, like it should have been Rio in the place that Dave was in right now. He started by trying to focus on the bloodiest parts, wiping them clean so he could get a better look at the wound itself. Luckily, like Dave said, they didn’t seem too bad. All the blood must have mostly come from the cockatrice. Orion held his hands up to answer Dave’s question but hesitated for a long moment before actually signing. He hated this part. Trying to explain how he knew what he knew. Having to pick between his lies. Because admitting the truth was so much worse. But now, Rio had a new answer that he hadn’t gotten the chance to use much before. “I’m..” He started but waved his hands away after deciding to restart the sentence, “It’s hard to explain. Have you ever heard of the Scribes?”

Dave nodding, gritting his sharp teeth as Rio moved over. He usually did this shit himself, unless he’d been hunting with someone else and they had to clean up each other. Most people tended to think that his injuries were worse than they were, on account of how goddamn much he bled relative to the average human, how much more blood he had in him. He hissed as Orion wiped away the blood, cleaning him up bit by bit. What was worrying was the way he paused at Dave’s question. Like he was preparing to hide something or lie about something. Not that he didn’t get the need for secrecy, but jesus, he was bleeding and exposed in front of this kid, was it really that bad to ask for equivalent exchange. “Yeah, but they’re basically extinct nowadays. You’re a little young to have been one, considering they all but vanished fifty years ago.” He signed, and narrowed his eyes a little. “Might as well spit it out. Ain’t about to judge you.”

The man, Dave, yelped as Orion wiped at the blood and each time it made Rio practically jump out of his skin. “Sorry- Sorry. I’m not used to doing this. Especially to someone else.” He hoped this was helping more than it was causing pain, but the amount of blood was definitely concerning. “Right. Of course.” Dave was familiar with the scribes, which Rio couldn’t decide if that surprised him or not. It was hard to determine. On one hand, it had been mostly kept secret back in the day from people that were not knowledgeable of the supernatural. On the other hand, Rio wasn’t alive back then. He had no idea what the circumstances were like for those that did know about the supernatural. Had the Scribes had some lowkey way to advertise themselves? Maybe if Rio knew this man better he would ask. For now, Rio needed to decide how much of the truth he wanted to share. Having his throat torn out for being a hunter wasn’t at the top of his to do list today. “My uncle was one. Back in the day. Sort of.” Rio sighed before continuing to sign, “He tried to be at least. He joined more towards the end. He was always obsessed with the idea of bringing them back.” Obviously, that hadn’t worked out. Unless wherever he disappeared to was currently thriving from supernatural knowledge. For all Rio knew, he could have his own Scribrary now. “He showed me some stuff as a kid. So I try to learn what I can. Help out if possible.”

"I can do it myself just fine if you ain't comfortable, kid." Dave replied, although it was concerning the way he said he was more used to doing it for himself than others. Especially for a scribe. Maybe if you grew up in a town like this you just got used to being hurt. But hell, the kid was young, right? Surely he couldn't have that much experience unless he was real unlucky, or he was looking for trouble. Which, considering that he called himself a scribe, might have been the case. "But it hurts because I got attacked by a clawed little fucker, not because of you cleaning it." Dave shifted, the harsh crackled barrel of the tree pressing hard against his back, scratching at his skin. I'm the brown of the foliage he caught sight of something moving, a small millipede creeping over and under the dead leaves. It wasn't easy to see when all the colours looked so similar, but that was why Dave kept his eyes focused on it as Rio cleaned, until the kid raised his hands to speak again. "From what I remember, it was always considered a tight line for Scribes. Folks didn't want to share and the scribes had to be really careful about what they knew and told others too. It came apart for a reason. Why do you want to bring it back?"

“It’s okay. You’ve been through enough. Clearly.” Orion gestured at the various wounds. Even if Rio wasn’t comfortable doing this, he needed to be. This was what it meant to help people, right? He would have to do things that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. As far as that possibility went, Rio supposed that trying to clean and dress some wounds was along the more tame of those fears. Even if the smell of blood and the look of wounds were sometimes enough to make Rio dizzy and nauseous. “You’re right. From what I’ve read, at least. They seemed a bit narrow minded.” Rio didn’t know how to describe it any kinder than that. As far as he was concerned, the Scribes' refusal to move forward and think more progressively led to their downfall. But without having actually been there, Rio couldn’t say for sure if that was the nail in the coffin for them. “I want things to be different. I want to help people without being as outdated or… neutral. I don’t want to just keep the knowledge I want to actually use it to help.” Rio realized how idealistic it was even as he said it. “I guess it sounds crazy, huh? I’m just some kid. Restarting a fallen organization seems a bit far fetched.” Rio finished wiping the blood from the man and moved onto wounds themselves. He started to bandage what he could, careful to do it without hurting the man if possible. “Now that the blood has been cleaned up a bit, it doesn’t look as bad as I thought it might be. Can you walk, after this? If we can get to my car I can drive you anywhere you need to go.”

"Hmmm," Dave replied shortly. He’d never been the type to sidestep the difficult stuff, and this kid, no matter how well intentioned, wasn’t going to find his endeavour as easy as he probably thought. Never mind the lack of knowledge and wisdom thing, that just had to come with time. So he asked the difficult question, and weighed his expectations entirely against Rio’s answer. Hell, it wasn’t like he didn’t in theory have need for a Scribe. He needed to hunt down a fury, and he still couldn’t really understand what they hell they were. “But how do you choose the right person to help? How would you know who the right person to help is?” He shrugged off Rio’s concerns about his injuries. “Yeah, I can walk. My van is just a quarter of a mile away. It ain’t too bad, I just sat down because my stamina ain’t what it used to be. ‘Specially not on land.” He pressed his hand against the bark and hefted himself up into standing, some more blood spilling out of his scrapes, but he’d scab over soon enough. “C’mon, scribeling.”

It was a decent question. Orion liked to hope that in the moment, he would be able to judge that for himself. That he could determine whether or not someone was the right person or not. But it wasn’t entirely lost on him that he tended to be a bit over trusting when it came to anybody without the surname Quinn. It was a quality that he knew needed fixing, but he still clung desperately onto. At the end of the day, that desire to make friends with and understand new people were all Rio felt like he had to offer. If he lost his ability to trust, what did Rio even have left? Still, he wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt if he found out that he helped someone kill an innocent person. “I don’t know, honestly.” Rio finally answered, the silence that lingered between them as he thought, making him too restless, “I don’t want to give out the wrong information to the wrong person.” By that, Rio knew he meant hunters. He wondered how Dave felt about hunters. Was it a given that all supernatural creatures hated them? Rio would understand why. “Maybe I need to develop some vetting process. Make them answer a bunch of questions before I decide if I should help or not.” It wasn’t exactly altruistic, but Rio had no interest in help any random person that wandered by with a supernatural problem. His end goal was to help educate and find some sort of balance or safe zone. Helping a hunter trying to neutralize a werewolf or fae meant nothing to him. The man forced himself up, the movement causing the bleeding to start again. Or speed up at least, Rio wasn’t convinced it had stopped at all. “Scribeling. I like that.” Rio chuckled at the name. He bet Winston would like it too. “Well I’ll just help you get to your van then. Make sure there’s not another one of those things roaming around. I think you’ve lost enough blood for the night.”

“Alright.” Dave didn’t point out that the kid looked skinny and sorta on the short side, that if something else did jump out then it would be Dave doing the hard work, not the little human scribe who had experience bandaging himself up more than other folks. He took a step carefully, testing how stable he was on his legs before starting to walk in earnest, taking liberal advantage of being able lean on trees as he passed each one. “So, Rio, do you know- Hold up.” Dave said, shutting off his brief attempt at conversing as he gripped the bark of a tree. Ever so faintly, it rumbled, with each step through the ground. If it hadn’t rained so recently, it would have been harder to tell, but damn, he could feel it. “Something’s coming. Get back, kid.”

Orion watched carefully as Dave stumbled through the forest. He didn’t stay upright so much as he teetered between trees. Rio wanted to let the man cross the distance himself considering he seemed to be pretty independent, but he would be lying if he claimed he didn’t follow closely behind, ready at any moment to try to jump forward to catch the man from falling. As it was, Dave seemed to be managing fairly well on his own, all things considered. The man began asking Rio a question, but cut off mid sentence. Rio paused, hovering closely to the man. Did he need a minute to catch his breath? But of course things couldn’t be as simple as that. Somehow, Dave knew that danger was on its way. The sudden panic made Rio’s own senses perk up. “We should run, then.” Rio suggested, studying the man’s condition. “You’re already hurt enough, right?”

“You should run. I ain’t got a clue which way it’s comin’ from, but I think I got a better chance with this thing than a newfound Scribe. I’ll be safer too, if I ain’t looking to keep the both of us alive. Now.” Dave growled. If he took his hand from the tree, he wouldn’t feel the reverberations of it coming anymore, and it still wasn’t close enough for him to hear, although if it was as close as it felt maybe Rio would be able to hear it soon. He wouldn’t need the tree roots deep in the ground resonating with steps in the soil to tell them that now. Bipedal, possibly something like a tail or pray being dragged along behind it. Please, not another fucking cockamabob. “Now!”

“What? No way. You’re joking right??” Orion asked the man incredulously, staring at him as if he had gone completely insane. He had read about Selkies a lot since befriending Skylar and Ricky. He knew that the amount of blood wasn’t necessarily indicative of the seriousness of the wounds. Selkies just had more blood than humans did. But the extent of the injury didn’t matter. What did matter was that this man would be in serious trouble trying to fight something off on his own. “You’re already hurt. You could die!” Rio was glancing around trying to figure out where the creature was coming from, but his stupid senses weren’t helping right now. “You don’t have to worry about keeping me alive. Seriously.” Rio had no weapons on him. He hated carrying them in the first place. Although he was trying to assure the man that he could take care of himself, Rio had no interest in fighting or wounding anything. But right now he wasn’t sure how much of a choice he would have. He glanced around, hoping to find a big enough rock or something that he might be able to use as a weapon, but nothing immediately stuck out. Eventually, he decided he would have to settle for something a bit less conventional. He grabbed at a large branch towards the bottom of the tree and yanked, cracking in easily and ripping it from the tree. He broke off the extra twigs and leaves attached to it and tried to wield the thing like a club, glancing nervously over at Dave and lifting a hand to sign, “You sure we can’t just run?”

“Like hell I don’t,” Dave replied sharply. They were close now. Where the fuck were they? The bushy undergrowth was hiding whatever it was, and he couldn’t feel enough with the damp soil and complete absence of rain. He was trying to keep quiet, just in case they hadn’t been heard up until right then, but there was little hope in that. Less, when Rio snapped the branch, but Dave pulled out his hunting knife, better prepared this time. It would have been a real good fucking idea to have his net and trident, but tough shit. “I’m sure. This ain’t my first rodeo.” There wasn’t much more to say beyond that, and there wasn’t much time to say anything more at all. Dave grabbed Rio and yanked him to his side just as two more cockatrices leapt out from between the trees, as big as the one he’d just killed. Possibly from the samy brood as this one. Considering how beat up he was, and that he had some human kid at his side, Dave didn’t like his odds. Without waiting a second longer, he feinted hard left, looking to their attention.

Orion knew this wasn’t a good idea, he just wasn’t exactly sure why yet. Staying in general was a mistake, but Rio wasn’t sure whether he was going to be more of a burden in this fight. The thought of fighting back against the threat made him think of the troll. His arm began shaking while holding the branch and he felt glued to the spot he was in. But this was different, right? The creatures that were attacking were more like spawns. They knew only instincts. If it came to life or death, Rio knew who he needed to protect. Who to fight for. The cockatrices were fast, Rio’s hunter reflexes kicking in as he leapt away from the spot he had been in. Unfortunately, the reflexes didn’t do much for Rio’s balance. He had jumped away from the creature and right into a tree, crashing against it and stealing the breath from Rio’s lungs. He righted himself as quickly as he could, quickly looking around to find Dave. He definitely knew how to fight. Rio needed to make sure to not get in his way while also making sure to keep him safe. Both seemed easier said than done. “Decapitation,” Rio called out, hating the words as he said it, “that’s the easiest way to kill them!”

Great, he’d just get right on that then. Wasn’t exactly easy to decapitate anything fast with just teeth, as Dave’d learned on the first go around. Even as he feinted, he drew both their attentions, and one pounced before he’d even finished moving. Dave threw himself to the ground as it flew right over him, and scrambled back to his feet. Not nearly damn spry enough for this anymore. Didn’t make a difference that both of them were sized like rottweilers, because now there were two of them. He jumped on the one that had just leapt over him, crushing it to the ground as he tore his teeth through the wing closest to his mouth. The beast squawked, twisting and scraping him up as it wriggled out from under him, aiming a bite right at his throat. He threw leaves and forest debris in its face to avoid the deadly teeth, and got back on his feet just for the other to knock him down. “Get OUT of here!” He bellowed at Rio, although he wouldn’t lie, a hand, or even just a distraction wouldn’t be a bad thing right now.

It came down to a decision, as it usually did. Orion had options. Run away like Dave had told him to multiple times already. Try to distract the creatures and by Dave some time. Or try to attack them himself. None of the three were ideal. All three had risks. There was no clear answer, nothing that guaranteed success or a happy ending. So why did Rio have to make this decision when he was so freaking bad at making them? It was enough to make him feel nauseous, but only because it was obvious that Rio knew what the right choice was. He just didn’t want to do it. Not after how the troll had made him feel. Ignoring the sinking pit in his stomach that threatened to root him to the spot he was standing in, Rio pushed himself to move forward and raced up behind one of the cockatrice. He grabbed the thing by it’s tail while it was focused on going after Dave and yanked with as much strength as he could muster. The creature was pulled backwards, lifted off of the ground as Rio chucked it across the opening, its body slamming against a tree and collapsing against the ground. Not dead by anyways, but stunned enough for the moment to even the playing field. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to help.” Rio reassured Dave and stood his ground, just as Adam had been teaching him. The easy part was over. Now he had to figure out if he had what it took to kill the thing.

Dave didn’t question the second weight was lifted from his back and hurled away from him. He pushed himself back onto his feet, wishing they were near a water way. He glanced at Rio just long enough to orientate himself as to where his partner and his foes was. For a scribe, the kid packed a punch, and he stood in a trained stance, preparing himself. But Dave couldn’t shake fear he’d seen in Rio before. Problem with fighting without weapons was that he had to get damn close. Fortunately these things did too. When the first one, called Combsy, Dave decided, on behalf of its bright orange cockerel comb, lunged, this time he jerked right and stomped on its leg until the feather thin bones snapped. One wing down and one leg down, it was a fuck ton less of a threat. Dave hopped back as it lunged for his leg, before it squawked in pain, struggling to keep moving. “Can you deal with this one?” He asked Rio. Combsy wasn’t completely out for the count, but the other was shaking its serpentine neck and coming in for a second taste.

Could Orion deal with that one? It seemed like a simple enough question from Dave, but not one that Rio felt like he could answer convincingly. “Uh- sure” Rio answered, hoping that he was right. It would have been embarrassing if Dave had to save Rio from this thing after assuring him that he could handle it. It would be even more embarrassing if Rio died to the thing. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, the cockatrice had no problem distinguishing which one Rio was and was nice enough to circle around Rio, ready to pounce at any moment. Rio found himself spinning around, trying to follow its movements but doing little more than dizzying himself. This thing was fast. Rio had the reflexes of a hunter but wasn’t exactly reliable enough to have the coordination of one. Once the thing pounced, Rio wasn’t sure that he would be able to dodge it for long. His only chance was to incapacitate the thing before it did too much damage. He shrugged his denim jacket off, wrapping one of the sleeves around his wrist to fasten it and then spreading out his stance to keep himself stable. Then he waited, until the beast’s movements slowed and Rio realized that he was jumping. He shifted as quickly as he could, raising his arms up as a shield and crying out when the beast bit down into his arm. There was a crushing pressure, but Rio didn’t feel into digging into his skin. One stroke of luck, the thing didn’t seem to have sharp enough fangs to get through the hoodie and denim jacket. Rio worked as quickly as he could, looping the rest of the denim jacket around the creature’s head and pulling it tightly. He tied the sleeves together and double knotted them, only letting go once he was sure the creature could no longer open it’s mouth. It lunged away from him, jumping up and down and rearing its head back and forth as it tried to get the jacket off. Rio took the distraction as an opportunity and found the same stick he had grabbed before and used it to smack against the creature, hoping that he could hit it enough to force it into unconsciousness.

Unconvinced but satisfied with Rio’s answer, Dave turned his attention back to the cockatrice he’d been fighting, waiting for it to dart forward so he could lunge too, crushing it under his weight. Dave trapped the cockatrice under his body, one knee over each wing. Its broken hollow bones poked into his calf as it screeched worse than any human he’d ever heard. Damn thing wasn’t right, nor wrong, it didn’t deserve to die at all, let alone in pain. Its death was functional, so Dave twisted its neck fast until the crack of its bones echoed off the trees like a gunshot. That wasn’t enough to kill it, but it stopped squirming and screaming, and it made this last part easier. His teeth tore through scales and ligament and bone, until with a horrifying squelch it separated, spewing blood all over his face. The head dropped to the ground, and the body with it. “How you doing, kid?”

The monster hadn’t stopped moving, but it had definitely slowed. Orion was pretty sure he had managed to damage its wing. It was on the ground now, hopelessly pawing at the jean jacket wrapped around it’s head. The pointed edge of the large stick Rio had broken from the tree stabbed against the ground, and Rio was very aware how easy it would be to impale the creature and end everything. But everytime he went to lift the stick all he could think about was the troll and the way it had cried out when Rio had taken its life. The familiar loud buzzing noise started ringing in Rio’s ear. It was a familiar sound that took over whenever he became too stressed. The sound only cut out when Dave spoke from behind him. Rio jumped at the sudden words and spun around, glancing between the man and the creature with eyes all too close to bursting into tears. “I can’t do it.” Rio said solemnly, “I hurt him and I don’t- I don’t think I can do it.”

“Right, uh, turn away, kid.” Dave reached past Rio and yanked the branch out of the ground, looked down at the pointed end before nodding to himself that he was convinced it was shapr enough. His arm groaned in protest as he hefted the branch up and stepped down hard on the cockatrice’s wing, pinning it in place. It squawked and shrieked as it struggled against him, clawing up his ankle, but it dropped like a marionette with cut strings when Dave drove the branch through its heart. He watched its last, convulsing breaths, and then its shudder, and then it was over. Dave winced as he turned around, taking in the tear tracks on Rio’s face. “You’re alright, scribeling. It’s over now. I would have been mince meat out here if you hadn’t stepped in. Are you hurt?”

What an embarrassment. Orion was supposed to be the one saving Dave, not the other way around. He had come across an injured man in the woods and yet still somehow ended up being the one in peril. “I’m sorry.” Rio crossed his arms in defeat and stared at the ground as Dave grabbed the stick and moved towards the creature. When the creature started screaming, Rio tried to cover his ears. It didn’t stop him hearing, but it blocked out some of the noise. Dave was trying to comfort Rio, make him feel better. They were kind words, but not ones that Rio could accept at the moment. He wiped at his face with the sleeve of his hoodie and straightened back up. “I’m fine. Just a few scratches. I’m really sorry though. I wanted to get you out of here without any more damage. Guess I kinda failed on that mark.”

“Why’re you apologising?” Dave asked, rubbing his eyes. The cuts along his body stung in the cold air, but these sortsa things happened. He looked at the two dead cockatrices, wondering if they all had hatched from the same nest. Wondered if there was more of them coming. He put his hand against another tree, and didn’t feel anything else nearby, but without fog nor rain, it wasn’t that easy. “Hey, hey, c’mon now. You’re shaken up, I get it, but you didn’t control them things. You can’t blame yourself for us getting jumped. We’re alive, that isn’t failing. It’s the opposite.” He pat Orion gruffly on his back, and began walking haltingly them back out of the woods, holding his side where he’d been scratched up. “You’re alright, kid.” Strong as hell too, but Dave didn’t comment on that just yet.

“Sorry. It’s- I don’t know.” Orion rarely had a good reason to apologize. He seemed to be apologetic towards everything. Like being in his presence was inherently a burden. He knew that wasn’t true anymore. He had been around enough kindness and love now to know that he wasn’t uselessly taking up space. Still, the habit was hard to break. “I was supposed to help you. I ended up needing your help.” Rio tried to rationalize his mood, explain the thought process to Dave. Now didn’t seem like a great time. When Dave patted Rio on the back, a small grin began growing across the boy’s face. “Yeah. Sorry. You’re right.” Rio made a quick attempt to pull himself together, slowly walking over to the dead creature and unwrapping his denim jacket from its knotted position around the creature’s head. Probably a goner, but he didn’t want to just leave it tied around the poor creature. “Thank you. For helping. You’re pretty cool too.” Never one to know how to express his emotions normally, Rio opted for a thumbs up to distract from his blushing. “Are you good to walk. You can lean against me while we get you back out of the woods.”

“Ain’t nothing wrong in needing help. I just did.” Dave replied wrily, shaking his head. “Cool, huh?” Dave scoffed with a chuckle, even more tickled by the thumbs up. He took hold of Rio’s arm. “Let’s call this just in case,” he said with a wry smile, slowly walking them out of the woods. He wanted to know more about this strangely strong and strangely innocent Scribling, but covered in blood and in need of sleep was not the best time to ask. “We’re near my van. You good to get yourself home or do you need a ride?”

The walk to his van wasn’t far from where they had been. If things had only been slightly different, perhaps Dave and Orion could have made it without ever having run into those two extra creatures. But as it was, Rio couldn’t change the outcome for this anymore than he could for the troll that had been killed. Was he just supposed to accept this as the circle of life? It was supposed to be natural, but Rio still couldn’t think about it without a pit forming in his stomach. The extra pressure of Dave leaning against him didn’t had too much strain as they finished their journey out of the woods. Rio tried to be extra careful of twigs or roots to make sure he didn’t send them both stumbling, but he had no trouble supporting the man. The selkie was clearly trained to fight, and Rio had no doubt that he was smart enough to know what a hunter was. Rio had played those cards. Yet Dave hadn’t called him on it yet. “No, I’m not too far from here. I’ll be fine.” Rio signed, pulling his bag off of his back and digging through it. He eventually pulled out a notepad and scribbled his contact information on it before ripping the page free and holding it out to Dave. “Just in case you need anything, let me know okay? It was nice to meet you. Despite all the violence.”

#para #chatzy #rio #medical blood tw #s OFT

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russian-romanova · 5 years

Text

hurt

title: hurt

pairing: natasha romanoff x reader

word count: 2.5K

warnings: mentions of torture, language, mentions of drinking, crappy writing at parts

notes: hope this is what you were looking for! I kind of had to rush the ending to get this out before I go camping, but it turned out to be a little more lighthearted than it probably should have been but happy endings are good for the soul. :)

request: “May I request a Natasha Romanoff x reader fic where reader is tortured, brutally, I mean, brutally. And maybe NR has to go find her. But it’s been a while or something like that I don’t know. But thanks!”

summary: requested. for the past month, you’ve been tortured for information you don’t have. it may be up to a certain red-headed avenger you hadn’t seen in months to save your life.

+ + +

You had no idea how long you’d been in the dark room. Hell, you had hardly any idea as to why you were in said room, but you had long ago figured that your first priority was getting out. You had survival instincts, after all.

What felt like half a year ago, you had been perfectly fine. Saturday took forever to arrive that particular week, but that was nothing unusual. To the best of your knowledge, you had gotten up at your usual weekend time and gone grocery shopping as soon as you were ready to. You weren’t ever thrilled to have to shop, but that was the last commitment you had on weekends. You found it easier to get it done.

Your mind struggled at that point. You attributed it to whatever drugs they had been shooting you up with to knock you out whenever it pleases them. There were dots missing in the puzzle, but they were easy enough to write in yourself, at least roughly. You had been captured -- kidnapped, really -- by a group of people who seemed to think you had more information on the Avengers then you really did. That’s where you were most surprised and even slightly honored, really. The Avengers? They thought you knew literal superheroes?

They didn’t believe that, obviously. They hadn’t believed you for the past however long you had been here, and you didn’t think they ever would. No, you knew in the back of your mind that you’d wind up dead before they thought you didn’t actually know the heroes.

Only half a dozen or so of their people had come down here to “talk” to you, the most recurring being a woman with hair dark enough that it made the pitch black around you seem like simply dusk. She was the main one who had questioned you, although “questioned” wouldn’t have been your word of choice.

She was the main one who had tortured you.

You were bruised and bleeding so much you could hardly tell the source of so many of your wounds. In all honesty, it all just felt numb. Your face hurt the most, you had decided in one of your periods of sitting in the blackness. It hurt from being punched relentlessly, your hair being pulled forward and head slammed back when the answer you gave wasn’t the one she wanted. Your eyes were sore from crying, despite not having shed a tear in the past few days. You had given up, and that was the sad truth. You didn’t know what you were supposed to do from here.

If you lied and gave them false information, they’d either know you were lying or kill you. If you continued to give them your truth, they would continue to accept it as only lies and kill you then too. If you just stayed silent every time the woman came down here -- you didn’t even have to think of where that one went because you knew. You knew because all other situations here ended the same, and you had stopped even dreading it. Hell, you welcomed an end to your misery.

Your body tensed as you heard the door at the top of the stairs twist open.

Whoever was walking down the stairs was almost silent. You let your breathing slow to try and listen, but the pounding of your heart blocked out any lighter noises you could hear. Your breath hitched in your throat when you realized that more than one pair of feet were echoing towards you.

Three figures descended towards you, and an unfamiliar man spoke up, although not to you. “Is that her?”

You froze, watching the dark blurs of people all look at you.

“Yeah, idiot, of course, that’s her.” A second man spoke up. “Do you have a flashlight? I lost mine.”

“You lost-” The first man seemed flabbergasted. You would have laughed had you not been so confused. You thought they had come down here to either continue with the whole torturing deal -- or maybe just kill you. Instead, they seemed to come down to banter and talk about you as if you couldn’t hear them. “You lost your flashlight? Man.”

“Shut up, boys.” The new voice was feminine, and seemingly came from the one in charge as she walked towards you, the men hanging back and they searched for a flashlight. “We’re with S.H.I.E.L.D. We’re here to get you out.” This time she spoke to you. You habitually squinted to see her better -- as if that would have helped -- and found yourself reeling back when a small light flooded the area.

“Found it.” The second man -- who you now saw was blond -- looked up from the flashlight in his hands. For a moment you looked between the two men and realized that these seemed to be the people who were going to get you out of here, and if that was true you were screwed.

“Wait,” The realization came out weak and hoarse, and drew all the eyes in the room towards you. “Are you guys the Avengers?”

Your question went unanswered as banging and shouts came from the door above. “You guys deal with them,” The woman spoke. With her words, your gaze looked towards her, and you tilted your head. She was definitely familiar, although it took you a moment to place your finger on it. It was in the back of your mind, but the longer you stared at her profile the more it nagged at you, pushed you into remembering.

All at once it seemed to come to you. “Natalie?” She looked from the other two who were rushing to fend off any enemies to you. Behind her eyes, you could see her processing the connection, running over your name and face to find a connection.

“Y/N. From the O’Connells. The bar.” She noted confidently, seemingly unsurprised.

“You know each other?” The man dressed as what seemed to be a bird at the single glance you had gotten-- you quickly recognized him as the Falcon -- shouted down.

“Yeah, I guess so. We met at a bar.” You muttered, unsure if he could even hear you. You gazed at her costume. “You’re the Black Widow? How did I not make that connection?” “Staying in the shadows of the big guys works magic,” She spoke cooly from behind you.

Hawkeye -- you were pretty sure his name was Hawkeye, at least -- spoke next, shouting so Natalie could hear him from the bottom of the stairs. “How’re those restraints coming?” “Just about there,” She shouted back. As if on cue, you could feel the tension around your wrists release. “Here,” She slid a knife across the ground to you. “Your legs are just rope. Get them and Clint will get you out of here.”

Your hands felt foreign as you reached for the blade. “Clint?”

“Hawkeye. Blond guy with the bow and arrow.” She jumped to her feet before extending her hand for the knife. You had made quick work of the ropes around your ankles, passing her the handle of the blade. Your curiously dangerous childhood interests seemed to have paid off.

Natalie was less impressed, more focused on speed as she moved past Hawkeye to join Falcon. Hawkeye stopped firing his arrows and glanced back at you. “There’s a window over here and we’ve got a team outside. C’mon, we’re gonna get you out of here.” “Okay,” Your voice came out timid and childlike, but you were too relieved with the idea of a potential escape to care. For a split second, you considered disputing his notion that there was a window down here that you could escape through. You had known the dark downstairs for what felt like much longer than just a month and had never even heard talk of a window, much less seen one. You figured the Avengers knew best, however.

Luckily, Hawkeye was right. Behind the pillar you had been constantly attached to, back quite a few yards was a small basement window covered in thick black fabric to prevent light from coming in. Once he got his footing on the stone wall and his grip on the window sill, Hawkeye was able to grasp onto the cloth with his other hand, yanking it away from the window.

The light returned, flooding the small area along the wall as you squinted, your hand shooting to cover your watering eyes. “Shit, that’s really bright.”

He used the back of his hand to smash the glass. “You’ll adjust, sorry.” Hawkeye apologized as he hopped down. “First we gotta get you outta here. We’ve got a van waiting outside. I’m gonna get you to them and they’ll check you out and bring you somewhere safe to help to patch you up,” You nodded, stepping towards the wall. For a moment you thought he expected you to lift yourself up, and you almost pointed out how any arm strength you might have had before had disappeared this past month. However, he knelt down and put out his knee for you to step on. Cautiously, you did and he slowly stood up, grabbing onto your lower legs to lift you.

The sun was burning your eyes, and you kept trying to blink away the light. The further out you got, using the wall to push yourself up, the less you felt you could see. When you thought you were going to have to simply close your eyes and guess your way out, you were met by a brunette woman who helped pull you out.

It took you a while to realize that you were free. There were a million other thoughts rushing through your mind -- Natalie the most vivid -- but you were too happy to focus on anything but the sunlight -- no matter how painful.

+ +

Before your eyes even opened, you heard a steady beeping that seemed to bring you further out of your drowsy state. Your eyelids were heavy as you opened them, and everything was blurred for a moment before it cleared. The area around you was unfamiliar, in shades of brown and grey. A hospital room, you slowly realized.

“Hey,” You turned your head to the door, to see the only speck of color in the room. Natalie was leaning against the wall next to her door, her arms crossed as you watched you.

“Hi,” You attempted to speak, but the words hardly came out. “Hey.” You tried again.

The side of her mouth turned up. “How’re you doing?”

“I’m not sure yet. Better, I think.” “Better is good.” She nodded slowly, uncrossing her arms and she wandered towards a chair.

There was a pause as you found a spot in the wall particularly interesting, unsure of what to say next. “You’re seriously a superhero too? That’s crazy.” She let out a soft chuckle. “Is it?” “To me, I guess.” You wiggled your body upwards to get into a more comfortable position. “What were you doing in the bar?”

“I’m surprised you remember that.”

Of course, you remember the cute redhead that flirted with you for almost three hours. “San Francisco. Two and a half years ago. My girlfriend had just broken up with me. What was your excuse?” She paused, watching your face. Trying to analyze you. In an attempt to seem tougher than you felt in the face of the Black Widow, you furrowed your eyebrows a little. “I was working a case.” Her face didn’t change as she spoke. “The target was in the bar, two stools down from you. You seemed sad, and it was a way to blend into the crowd.”

“You know we were the last two people there, Natalie.” You quickly realized that she probably had just used Natalie as a cover name, and likely preferred Natasha.

“I had eyes on him,” She spoke coolly. “He was in the bathroom. Passed out. I had lots of time.”

“Oh. Well, thanks. You’re a nice person to talk to.” You smiled. “Well, from what I remember of our conversations. I got pretty drunk.”

“I remember.” Natasha looked almost past you, and you watched someone recollect a moment in time you couldn’t remember. “You were a silly drunk though. It was nice.” “Oh, me making a fool of myself was funny?” You joked, comfortable with Natasha all over again. “Glad someone was laughing. Because let me tell you - that hangover? Not worth it.” Natasha laughed the heartiest you had seen so far today. There had been no laughing in that basement, not from her nor you, but here it was okay. It was okay to laugh and be happy. You were safe now.

“You hungry?” Natasha asked as she stood up. “I can grab you something. I have to hit the bathroom first, but I’ll be back. If you want me.”

“Ew, wash your hands.” You joked, in a good enough mood that all of your pain felt behind you. It would come back, of course, but you liked the idea of enjoying a moment in time before it all hit you. Quickly, you added, “But I’d, of course, love you back. You and a sandwich”

Natasha smiled. “Sandwich it is. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” She turned to leave, her red hair falling in waterfall-like waves behind her.

“Thank you,” You spoke suddenly, and Natasha turned to look back at you. “For the whole rescue mission.”

“Yeah.” She smiled, her gaze lingering for a moment before she turned back around. “You got it.”

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #black widow #black widow x reader #avengers x reader #avengers #marvel x reader #marvel #mcu #nat #natalia romanova

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baenxietydad · 4 years

Text

father neptune || the baes

tl;dr: Nemo calls his father for the second timesince their separation began

Date: July 23rd, 2020

@justkeepdancing-nemo

NEMO: Nemo had scraped together barely enough money to pay for one dance class in August. One dance class only-- and it would have to be ballet.

He wanted to cry.

He’d ducked his head as he sat on the mattress in front of his not-good-enough stack of cash, sucked in a breath, and barely stopped the tears. He’d worked five days a week for two weeks and it wasn’t even close to what he needed. It was like running out of pixie dust mid-air. He was falling, the ground rushing toward him, and he couldn’t grab hold of anything. The branches he hit on the way only scraped and bruised. Of course, that wasn’t true-- Nemo knew he had options--

Like, he could reach out to Robbie. Robbie would give him the money.

But no way in hell would he do something like that. He’d not be a charity case and he’d not rely on Robbie for something like that. If he was going to dance, he’d have to find the way himself.

And so Nemo took his money and after his class on Thursday, went to the office to pay.

“Oh?” the administrator blinked at the stack of money Nemo thrust forward. “What’s this? We’ve not put out the orders for the recital costumes yet.”

“N-no, I--it’s. For August,” said Nemo. He swallowed, fingers clenching even tighter on the money, but he refused to look down. “I know it’s not enough but I’m just going to continue with Papov’s class, if that’s--if that’s okay. It should be enough--”

“Oh, you’re talking about August fees?” The woman looked even more confused. “Did your father not talk to you? He came in the other day and paid.”

Nemo stared. “What?”

“Yes, you’re--you’re good for August.” A smile. “Though if you’d like to put that on retainer, I can arrange for that.”

Nemo had no idea what retainer even was. He quickly drew his arm back, stuffing the wad into his bag. “Um! N-no, that’s--it’s okay, I’ll--thanks!” He twisted on his heel and slipped out the door as quickly as he could, feet pounding as he headed down the steps and out onto the Swynlake streets. But it was the woman’s words that echoed in his brain--

He came in the other day and paid.

Appa had paid.

His steps began to slow until he stood still on the sidewalk. It was dark out; he shouldn’t linger. He looked ahead of him and saw in his mind’s eye the path to Pixie’s and he imagined Appa there now, maybe just showing up for one of the so-called early-late shifts. Nemo hadn’t known Appa’s schedule for weeks now. Maybe he was back in the clinic or maybe he was at home. He could picture Appa perfectly in all those places, like he was the moon rising in the sky.

Nemo reached for his phone.

He’d dialed Appa’s number without knowing exactly what he was feeling or why he was still just standing here under the lamplight of Swynlake or what he really wanted to say. The phone pressed against his ear, and he listened as it rang, and rang, and rang.

MARLIN:

Mu-yeol had just finished talking to Tod, actually. He’d congratulated him on his Korean pronunciation and suggested he start watching dramas on Netflix if he was serious about wanting to learn, and then Tod went out back to take a ten before opening and it was game on. He’d considered stepping out himself but better triple check the bar’s set up than give himself time to think about his son, ha! Ha ha!

His son had other plans because now he was...he was calling? Did he need more from home? Er, former-home, he supposed. His house and only his house. He wondered how long it would be before Queen Clarion asked him to just move in with other single fairies to conserve space. No need for his own home without Nam-min living there of course.

(He still cleaned his son’s room. Dusted all surfaces, opened the window to air it out, as if he would be coming home from a sleepover any minute now, when he knew perfectly well he wasn’t coming home.)

“What is it?” He asked when he answered Nemo’s call. “I can bring it tomorrow. I’ll drop it off, whatever, um, whatever it is.”

NEMO:

What was worse? The guilt that lumped in his throat or the missing that stung fresh tears in his eyes?

Nemo felt both, hearing Appa’s voice. He drew in a tiny breath, head ducked, his other hand shoved into the pocket of Robbie’s hoodie (the one he’d kept and hidden from Appa, but now he could wear whenever he wanted). His emotions squirmed and tangled inside him. The last time he’d talked to Appa had been the clinic a couple of days ago, and that had been like pouring gasoline on the fire, making all his anger and hurt hot and fresh at the time. He’d gone back to scout practice and tried to take it out on the float with the hammer. Didn’t work much. He ended up in the studio alone, trying to choreo something and running into mental wall after mental wall. Appa’s fault, he’d thought furiously as he threw his shoes at the wall.

He still held that frustration among the guilt and the missing. All of it at once. Appa’s words from the clinic came back to him. You can miss someone and not want them around.

But that wasn’t what-- why did he even call? He should hang up.

Appa said his name again, probably thinking Nemo made another mistake. (Maybe this was a mistake).

“You paid for my dance classes,” he blurted before Appa could hang up on him.

MARLIN:

He bit back a groan.

See, he was sure Nemo was about to ream him for doing so. Stay out of my life, you’re not my Appa anymore, I don’t need you or your money. You never had enough money for everything I needed anyway. I’ll figure it out without you.

“You’re my son.” He said quietly, digging his nails into the heel of his hand. “Of course I did.”

NEMO:

Nemo hadn’t realized how stressed out he’d been until right this moment. But Appa called him son and the first of the tears slid down his cheek. He was weak-kneed and exhausted, one gust away from getting blown over onto the concrete and begging Appa to come pick him up and take him home.

He couldn’t do that--

It was just. It was so hard. For two weeks, he worked almost 30 hours, went to dance class, went to the Hollow, struggled to sleep. He didn’t know how hard it was gonna be. Now he understood why Appa dragged his feet at the end of a shift, his wings drooping, too tired to fly no matter how much pixie dust he grabbed. His classes on Tuesday had been embarrassingly bad. He’d gotten yelled at twice, Papov telling him to focus, what was wrong with him, why was he always a count behind? Had he gone stupid? Couldn’t he fucking count?

And at the end of all that, Nemo still hadn’t had enough money.

He sniffled on the sidewalk, then bit his tongue hard, until the pain smarted enough to snap him out of it. The guilt had already mutated into shame though. He was so embarrassed. Could Appa tell?

“Th-thank you,” Nemo uttered. He sucked in another breath, closing his eyes. “I--I should have enough in September though. ‘M just starting to work and everything, so I just-- need a little more time to save stuff.”

MARLIN:

“What? Nonsense, Nam-minnie. You’re my baby, I’m going to take care of you. Paying for dance is nothing, it’s easy I don’t really have to work that much.” A blatant lie and Nemo knew it.

A beat. Two. Four.

“Rent is more important.

I raised you better than to not give the boys rent money if you’re working.” Oh, it broke his heart that his son was working. More time around clumsies, oh, how terrible! “And school! You can’t afford rent, dance, and groceries working around school hours! There aren’t enough hours in the year. Appa will handle dance, don’t worry.”

NEMO:

Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry.

Nemo thought this with most of his brain, making it difficult to grasp Appa’s words. He got enough of the gist and was nodding along anyway. Of course he couldn’t let Sindri keep paying for him the way he was. That had been part of all this awful, crushing stress. He’d felt so guilty, even though Sindri refused to take Nemo’s first pay cut and told him to use it for his dance class. Going back to Sindri with the money would feel like failing his first real test of adult life. But he was failing all over the place, wasn’t he? He was one big failure.

And the biggest example was this conversation, Nemo too much of a coward, too spoiled and too greedy, to turn Appa’s offer down and do what was right.

“I should quit,” the words fell outta his mouth. Nemo squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn’t cry. “I--I shoulda quit a lot of them before, I-I know, so if I just do ballet--that’ll help.”

MARLIN:

“I won’t let you.” Mu-yeol said.

Granted, it wasn’t as if he was properly Nemo’s Appa anymore anyway, but he still relied on his money for dance. If he wanted to pay for all of the classes then he’d do that. He would have made Nemo quit a long time ago if he really didn’t want to pay for dance. But he didn’t! Because his son loved dance more than anything and he’d never take that away from him.

Dance was his safe haven. Why kind of father would he be if he took that away just because he hated having to earn money for it?

“You’re happiest when you’re dancing. I’m not making you give any of that up. I’d pay for another class if you wanted to add one on, too. Gladly.”

NEMO:

There were a thousand reasons why what Appa said didn’t matter. He wasn’t a kid anymore. It didn’t matter if he was happy; he needed to be grown-up. In Nemo’s brain those two concepts were opposites. After all, he knew that a time would come where he would spend almost all his time in the Hollow, fulfilling his duties, whatever they were-- maybe scouting, maybe performance, maybe carrying messages throughout the Hollow. He didn’t have another choice. He didn’t want another choice (right…?)

Clinging to dance was so childish. He couldn’t be useful to the Hollow dancing human dances in human spaces.

In two years, he’d outgrow Swynlake’s programme and that would for sure be the end. Cutting back now might make it easier.

But Nemo still wanted to be selfish and childish and cling to dance, to Appa’s words, to Appa…

“I don’t, that’s--I didn’t call cuz of that, I just-- I dunno.” His words got all jumbled, just like his feelings. He should hang up before he said something stupid, like I miss you. “I--I’m just working now. So I should take care of myself-- too.”

I miss you. This is so hard. I didn’t know it was gonna be so hard. These things bubbled up, Nemo barely holding them back.

MARLIN;

His stubborn, stubborn son. Ya, how was he going to afford rent and dance while going to school? He’d have to drop out. And if he dropped out he’d develop a cocaine habit because nobody else is free to hangout when he is except teenagers who do cocaine and it will be all his fault that his son does cocaine!

All his fault!

“Pay rent to Sindri and contribute to grocery costs. I’ll handle dance. You’re my son whether you hate me or not, eo? So let me do...the one thing I’ve always been mostly good at doing for you.” He swallowed, his eyes pricking with tears. “I’m sorry I couldn’t always afford new dance shoes. I should have worked harder and gotten a second human job.”

“Besides, school will start back eventually. And you can’t work as much once you have school. I’ve got dance.”

NEMO:

“Appa--”

I don’t hate you.

Nemo held the words on his tongue.

It’s not about the shoes, why are you even talking about those shoes?

No, not that either.

I don’t even want you to get a second job, what are you…

What was the end of that sentence? Nemo swallowed and rubbed at one of his eyes, before finally doing something he realized he should have been doing from the start: walking. He forced his feet into movement. Immediately, the forward motion helped clear out some of his frustration and the urge to snap or start crying (equally possible) got smaller. He stuck his other hand in his pocket.

“Fine. I mean--thank you,” Nemo said. “I um. I should go.”

MARLIN:

“Nemo, wait— I. I love you. I love you. And you’re right to feel however you feel. But please know I love you, okay?” Mu-yeol said, wiping at his eyes. Aiya, how embarrassing! At work!

His sweet boy deserved the world and his shameful Appa couldn’t even give him a handful of soil.

“No need to thank me, but….thank you. It’s just what good Appas do. Or wannabe good Appas.” Because Nemo himself told him he’d been a terrible Appa, so he wasn’t about to call himself a good one. “Don’t worry about dance one bit. It’s business as usual. I love you, you know that, right?

NEMO:

Nemo kept walking. Even as the sidewalk blurred and he couldn’t see in front of him, he kept walking, because if he didn’t, he’d have to kneel right here on the sidewalk, the weight of his sadness too too much. He’d weep and he’d call for his Appa. And Appa would come without hesitation.

But Nemo couldn’t go home--yet.

The word snuck into his brain and wedged itself there, a possibility that wasn’t there before. He should pluck it out, he shouldn’t hope. But he let it plant itself. And the word echoed again: yet.

First, he needed to work through Eomma’s journals. Then, maybe. Maybe he and Appa could...talk. Maybe.

“I know,” he said in his wobbly voice, Appa probably definitely hearing it now-- here, Nemo’s weakness. It clawed up his throat and he panicked. “Gottagobye.”

With a click, he hung up frantically, shoving his phone in his pocket and breaking into a half-jog, like he could run away from himself, too.

#the baes go through some shit #nemo

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takerfoxx · 5 years

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IM Swiftly Descending Dark, Chapter 6

Even before the spellcard had left Kohta’s fingers, Rumia was already turning to run. When the darkness of the night was swallowed up by a flash of light so bright that it banished the shadows and turned the black sky overhead blue, she had already started to accelerate into a run.

And then a wave of force and heat hit her from behind, nearly knocking her off her feet. Rumia stumbled, somehow managed to keep her balance, and used the momentum to give herself an extra push into a headlong sprint.

The white light cooled, to be replaced with a pulsing red. The forest behind them was on fire. As for the spiders, she could hear them shrieking. Rumia didn’t even have the wherewithal to take satisfaction in that and hope that all four were burning like torches. She just prayed that it would delay them long enough for her and her friends to get away.

Running through the webbed-up part of the woods was nearly impossible, and more than once her legs got snagged or something unseen slipped beneath her. At once point her shin hit a low sheet of webbing that was stretched across like a net. It swiped her legs right out from under her and she found herself pitching forward.

Before taking what undoubtedly would have been a fatal landing, a pair of arms grabbed her and hauled her back up. Gasping, Rumia jerked her head around to see Haruko holding onto to her.

The two girls stared at each other for half a second, and then a shrill howl of rage echoed through the forest.

“Run,” Haruko said. Rumia nodded and did just that.

Soon they had left the webs of the spiders’ domain and were fleeing through the rotting leaves of the forest proper. Rumia didn’t know if any of the other kids were even with her anymore. She could hear some of the others panting as they ran alongside her, but she couldn’t spare the time to see if they had all made it out.

No.

They didn’t.

You’re short one. You’ll always be short one.

Rumia gasped and increased her speed. As horrific as the image of Eiko’s butchered body was, it did make for a great motivator.

And then she heard the voice.

“Where yah goin’, me ‘ickle dumplings?” called a nauseatingly phlegmy voice. It was coming from somewhere behind them. “Yah can’t get away from Minty!”

The spiders were coming.

“Run,” Rumia muttered under her breath. “Run. Run. Run. Run.”

The word fell in time with the rhythm of her soles pounding the ground, and soon she forgot that she was even saying it. All that mattered was movement and speed. All that mattered was escape.

Something whizzed past her. Rumia started for a moment, certain that she had been caught, but it turned out to be Keine. The tiny girl was speeding ahead with Kana’s still unconscious body draped onto her back.

If she had the breath for it, Rumia would have laughed. Oh, of course Keine would be the fastest, despite having been knocked out by spider venom and having to bear the weight of another girl on her own! Sure, that was totally fair!

Keine was pulling further and further ahead, sometimes even leaping fully over especially deep piles of leaves while Rumia was forced to skirt around them. As odd as it sounded, Rumia was starting to wish she had been the one to be knocked out by spider venom, then she would be the one carried out and away.

Rumia skirted around yet another tree, and then another, and another. She tried to keep her focus on Keine’s back (or Kana’s, to be more accurate), but her friend was pulling further and further ahead, and Rumia was torn between rooting for her to run completely out of sight or screaming for her to wait for them. She wanted Keine to escape with Kana, yes, but she also didn’t want to be left behind!

She sidestepped yet another tree only to take a bad step and have her legs slip out from under her. She pitched forward and landed in a mess of rotting leaves.

Gasping, she tried to stand up, but as it turned out the leaves were

The monstrous youkai woman slowly looked from one terrified face to the next, her neck gliding back and forth like a snake. “Awww, did’ja tink yah could geddaway dat easy?” she said. “So sorry tah dassipoint, but yah is gonna be-”

Then something red and glowing zipped past Rumia’s vision to splash against the spider’s gaunt cheek, like a flying ember from a fire.

The spider paused in surprise. She touched her cheek, found no damage, and then turned her attention to the culprit.

Haruko was still sprawled onto her back, but her arm was outstretched and pointed right at the spider’s face, trembling as it was.

“Really?” the spider said, her multifaceted eyes narrowing. “Danmaku again? Fookin’ really?” She then made a small, almost casual gesture.

A spray of sickly green diamonds spewed out of her fingers to hail all over the children. Rumia covered herself with her arms, but they still stung her flesh where they hit.

Rumia had never actually been hit with danmaku before. It was supposed to be nonlethal and incapable of causing serious injury, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. She had always been kind of curious though, but none of the grown-ups had ever agreed hit her with even the smallest bullet.

Now she knew why.

It felt like getting assaulted by a swarm of enraged wasps. It felt like falling into a pit of needles. Dozens of tiny pinpricks of pain erupted all the backs of her hands and where they managed to cut through her clothes. She drew herself up to her full height, which was far, far, far too tall. “Jus’ fer dat, girlie, we gonna save yah fer last. But we ain’t gonna let you ‘ang in peace, oh no. Every time we eats one of yer friends, they’ll have one of yer fingers stuck in deir eyes as a garnish! And when we does gets to yah, we’ll be sure to split yah open nice an’ slow.” She started to advance on Haruko, who was now shaking all over. “Remember what we dids to yer ‘ickle friend? Oh, we’s gonna do so much worse to yah.”

Haruko tried to get up and run, but one of the spider’s arms came down right next to her. She went the other way, only for the other arm to cut her off.

The spider knocked her back to the ground with one casual swipe. She leaned in close, bringing her face in close so that Haruko had to stare her in the eyes. “‘Ell, mebbe I’ll ‘ave Andy ‘ave some fun wit’ yah. Make a proppa lady outta yah before we slice yah open.” Her black lips parted in a hellish grin, revealing her rows and rows of quivering teeth. “Or bedda yet, mebbe right afta we does the splittin’. Give ‘im more ‘oles tah-”

Haruko thrust her hand forward again and shot her right in her hideous eye.

“ARGH!” the spider stumbled back, both her hands clutching her face. “Me eye! Me fookin’ eye!”

“GO!” Keine screamed.

She didn’t need to say it twice. As the spider pitched this way and that, the children scrambled to their feet and ran.

The forest was already dark, and with her vision now blurred by tears, Rumia could barely see anything in front of her. But she kept running and running and running, because to slow even the smallest bit meant death.

She wasn’t nearly fast enough.

Something snared her leg and yanked her back. Screaming, Rumia clawed at the ground and came up with nothing but handfuls of cold, hard clay. She looked down and saw her right leg encased in a formless white mass, which was connected to a long, sticky rope. To either side of her, her friend were finding themselves in the same predicament.

The spider hadn’t chased them. She didn’t need to. She had merely snagged all of them with her webs and was now reeling them in like the hooked fish that they were.

“Niiiiiiiiiiice try,” she sneered, her wounded eye still shut tight. “But if yah tink fer one minute dat I’m gonna-”

Then she stopped in mid-sentence. And she looked around.

Rumia wiped her eyes with the back of her hand to get a better look. The spider had stopped reeling them in and was now frantically looking this way and that at her surroundings. What was more, she seemed quite alarmed.

“Oh, fook dis!” the spider cried as she hurled her weblines away. From there she took off on all fours, skittering like ancestors as fast as she could go, leaving her terrified and befuddled prey behind.

…

Putting out the fires caused by the little Human brat’s spellcard had ended up taking several minutes, and by the time that the Youkai Forest spider clan had managed to snuff the worst of it out, most of their home had been destroyed and their dinner had fled.

“Figgers,” Andy groused between vomiting great globs of webbing onto any burning patches. “Jus’ figgers, now don’ it? Too good tah be true!”

“I tol’ yah,” Muffet snapped at him. She spat a gooey white wad at what little remained of her chair, choking out the rest of the embers. “I tol’ yah all it be a dumb idea! Only lead tah trubble, I said.” She turned her head toward Edna, who had been the primary organizer behind the plan. “But did yah listen? Fookin’ nooooooooooooo!”

“Shut yer gob!” Edna sneered.

“Oi, mates, let’s jus’ do what dah creepy Hummin sez an’ waltz right intah a buncho Hummins in Hummin land an’ take off wit some o’ dey spawn! Idda be eazy, yah said!”

“I said shuttit!”

“Dere’s no way dey find us, yah said! We gets paid an’ we gets eazy food!”

“Shut! Yer! Damn! Web hole!”

“Now likkit dis place!” Edna shouted at her sister. “We gets unly one good meal, an’ den dah whole place, jus’ goes up in flames!”

Andy sighed. When those two started to get into it, they could go on and on for hours.

As they argued, he looked bleakly around at the remains of their home. The trees had taken only minimal damage, but the furniture was mostly gone, as was the intricate network of webbing they had set up around the place. Moving around was going to be a pain until it was replaced, and they were back to square one when it came to their possessions.

Damn it. Damn it all. Back to poverty.

“Well, at leezt I don’ ‘ave a big fat ‘ead like you!” Muffet screeched.

“Dah fook you goin’ on aboot? We’re twins, yah daft twat! Our ‘eads look dah fookin’ same!”

Then Andy heard something. “‘ey,” he called at them. “Quiet!”

“No wunnda evahthin’s dah shits den, if I gotta share me life wit’ you!”

“I said quiet!” Andy roared.

That did the trick. “What is it?”

Andy held up his claws in front of his lips. Then he pointed to the treetops.

Sure enough, it was Minty. She was scrambling toward them and looked quite disgruntled while doing it too. She also didn’t have any of the brats like she was supposed to.

“Well?” Andy demanded. “Dah fook are dey?”

“Likkle bloodbags gon’ run right inta dah bone grove,” Minty hissed. “Ain’t no way I’m gon’ in dere!”

Andy slapped a hand across his face. “An’ you jus’ let ‘em?”

“Hell nah am I gon’ anywhere near dat fookin’ nightmare! Let ‘em find dah black circle for deyselves!”

“Whaddya tink’ll happen tah dem?” Muffet said.

Before Andy could respond, a new voice, one that was cold as the heart of winter and sharp as Dragon’s teeth, spoke from the dark. “Yes, tell me. What do you think happened to them? I’m interested!”

Before Andy could even begin to register that something was wrong, everything got so much worst.

Something came whistling through the air to strike Andy’s temple so hard that his brain was rattled in his skull, and he went down.

Muffet screeched and bounded toward the intruder, or at least that had probably been her intention. In truth, she didn’t get much further than the bounding stage before a flash of red and white appeared at her side to seize her by the arm and the hair. Her momentum was redirected, and she was driven facefirst into the ground. She tried to rise up, but two hands grabbed her by the head and gave it a swift twist. Before she could even scream, each one of her limbs was seized up in turn and wrenched this way and that, their joint yanked from their sockets with audible pops. A second later a boot slammed into her back, breaking her spine with a sickening crunch.

Edna tried to scamper up the side of a tree, but then something that looked like a bright red firefly whizzed through the air and flew right in her mouth. She gasped in surprise, swallowing it instinctively. Edna tried to spit it out, but then she choked, she coughed, and she began to scream. Smoke poured out of her mouth, ears, and eyes, and then red flames erupted from beneath her skin. With a piercing shriek she fell to the ground and started writhing as her whole body burned.

Minty was already in full retreat. Given that she was high in the treetops she had the best chance of it, or so she thought.

Unfortunately, a blazing fireball shot from seemingly nowhere like a comet to his her right in the stomach, knocking her from the branches. Before she even hit the ground the blur of red and white slammed into her. There was a confusing moment where the two bodies pitched back and forth in midair, but then a pair of powerful hands seized Minty’s forehead and chin from behind. A sharp twist, and she found herself no longer able to move.

Those hands remained where they were, holding Minty’s moaning head in place. Then Minty’s whole body jerked, and she began to twitch and convulse. Steam rose up from the palms on her cheeks as the veins beneath her skin started to turn red, brightening the pale skin around them to a horrid pink. Minty whimpered and cried and choked as steaming red tears dripped from her reddening eyes.

Andy tried to right himself. His vision was still swimming and his ears still ringing and his limbs felt unwilling to respond to his frantic insistence that they hurry up and get him the hell out of there. As he struggled to push himself up, he saw something come his way, the red and white blur striding across the ground purposefully in his direction, dragging Minty’s writhing form by the hair.

“No, by all means, go on,” said the cold, hard voice. A hand seized Andy by the throat, and he was lifted right off the ground and had his back slammed into the trunk of a nearby tree. And as he gasped and writhed, he found himself facing a pair of burning red eyes, ones filled with a strange, yet terrifying, mix of cold rage and hot fire. “Tell me what the bone grove is.”

…

Though the spider had wrapped all of their legs up pretty good, they still had the anti-youkai knives that Kohta and Rumia had brought along, and they still worked just as well at cutting the sticky strands away.

Kohta slashed away at the mess encasing his legs until he had gotten enough of it off to separate his legs and stand up. Clumps of dirt were now glued to his lower legs and feet, but at least he could walk. Then he went to work on his friends.

“What happened?” Haruko squeaked. “Why’d she leave?”

“You rather she didn’t?” Rumia said.

“Shut up, Rumia!” Haruko was trying to hold still to let Kohta work, but she was unable to keep her body from trembling. “Did you hear the things she was threatening to do to me? I saw what they did to Eiko! I saw the whole thing!”

At this, Hayate abruptly sat upright. “What?” she said in a small voice. “Is…Is that why we left her behind? Did they…did…”

“They made me watch!” Haruko screamed. “I woke up first, and when they saw that I was awake they laughed at me! They laughed and told me to enjoy the show! They already had her on the table, and they did something to wake her up too. They waited until she was awake, they waited until she could see what they were doing, and then they…they…” The rest of her words were swallowed up by a strangled sob. Haruko buried her face in her hands as she cried.

“Dead?” Hayate said after a beat. “Eiko’s dead?”

“Yeah,” Kohta said. “Sorry.”

Hayate slowly laid back and stared up at the black sky. Soon they could all hear her weeping as well.

Rumia had nothing at all to say. It was not often that she felt the slightest bit sorry for Haruko or her friends, but she couldn’t imagine having to watch something like that happen to Keine or Kohta.

She waited until Kohta had freed them all. Her legs were a little wobbly, but fortunately she was unhurt. All the stickiness on her legs were a problem though. She grabbed up handfuls of dirt and slathered them on. Hopefully that would provide her with some friction.

“Come on,” Kohta said as he sheathed the knives. “I don’t know why she ran off, but we need to get moving.”

“What for?” Haruko said bitterly. “If they don’t get us then something else will. We’re all going to die here.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that!” Keine said. “We made it this far. That’s, like, at least three-fourths of the way back! The worst is over, so we just-”

“Don’t say that!” Haruko cried.

“Huh?”

“Don’t say that the worst is over! That’ll just make things get even more bad!”

She had a point, Rumia had to admit. After all, this was supposedly one of the places where superstitions went to grow larger and more powerful.

In the meantime, she was starting to wonder about exactly where they had ended up. For one, she had noted a distinct lack of leaves on the ground for the first time since they had gone into this godsforsaken forest. It was just plain dirt and tree roots. There weren’t even any fallen twigs or pieces of bark.

Well, whatever. That was one mystery she was content to remain a mystery. Let the forest keep its secrets; she just wanted to get out.

“Speaking of which, why did she run off like that?” Kohta said. “I mean, anything that would scare her has to be a problem, right?”

“Who cares?” Rumia said. “Let’s just go already.”

“He has a point,” Keine said. “I mean, that was pretty weird.”

“Well, I don’t care!” Rumia snapped as she continued stomping forward. “All I know is that we’re still stuck in this stupid forest, with hungry youkai coming to-” She turned around to find a hideously deformed skull leering at her. “-gah!”

Rumia leapt back away from the ugly thing. Fortunately, it didn’t pursue her, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying.

The skull was jet-black and looked like it had been partially melted. Parts of it were just drooping down in big drips of solid bone to dangle off of its twisted lower jaw like stalactites.

The skull was partially embedded in the trunk of an equally black, equally twisted, and equally dead tree. In fact, the rest of the skeleton was. It was like whoever it used to be had been standing too close to the tree when a massive wave of heat and force just melted them together.

“Wh-wh-wha-” was all Rumia could think of to say.

Then Keine cleared her throat. “Er, Rumia?”

Rumia looked at her. It was then that she realized that in her panic, she had leapt fully into Keine’s arms and thrown her arms around her smaller friend’s neck. While Keine didn’t seem to have any trouble holding her up, it was clear that the whole thing was getting pretty awkward.

“Sorry!” Rumia hastily dropped to her feet. She brushed herself off, paused, and straightened Keine’s collar. “I was just, you know, startled.”

Haruko brow twisted up. “Just how strong are you, exactly?” she demanded.

Keine shot her a look. “Stronger than you,” she said. Then she went over to investigate the fusion of bone and wood.

“Don’t touch it!” Kohta snapped, but it was too late. Keine had already reached up to brush her fingers across both the tree’s trunk and the side of the skull. She withdrew her hand and rubbed her fingers together.

“Huh,” she said.

“What is it?” Rumia asked.

“It’s…they’re made of stone.”

Haruko frowned. “So…wait. They’re, like, a statue?”

“I don’t think so,” Keine said. “I think they’re petrified.”

“They what?”

“Uh, you know how when really old bones get buried for a long time, and they fossilize and turn to stone? The same thing happens to wood. It’s called petrification.”

“Wait, that can happen? How do you know that?”

Keine looked at Haruko like she was completely dense. “Don’t you ever pay attention in class?”

“No?”

Shaking her head, Keine returned her attention to the petrified tree. “Well, I don’t know what happened here. Just that something fused this poor guy to this tree, and now they’re both kind of like a rock.”

“Wait a second,” Kohta said. “Look! Here’s another one!”

Next to him was another dead and blackened tree, and imprinted in it was the skeleton of a deer and several birds, ones that were just as malformed as the human bones that had scared Rumia.

Rumia felt her gut turn sour. She slowly looked around them.

All around them were black, gnarled trees, with twisting leafless branches and bark the color of midnight. And in those trunks were fused the bones of the dead, all of them malformed. They were standing in a grove of death.

“Um, guys?” Hayate said. “Where are we?”

Rumia didn’t have the slightest idea. None of the stories she had heard of the Old Pine Wood had ever so much as mentioned a place like this.

“Hey, I think I see something,” Keine said, peering off past the macabre grove.

“Where?” Rumia said.

“There! In the clearing!”

She was right. There was a break in the trees, and past it was an area completely clear of the forest entirely. It wasn’t like the clearings they had already seen though. Those at least had things like grass and fungus and other foliage. This was a large circle that looked like it had been completely scoured of any sign of life, leaving nothing but what looked like fine, black sand.

That didn’t mean it was empty though.

Surrounding the whole clearing was a ring of rocks, ones that were about waist-high to Rumia and had flattened tops. And sitting on the rocks were bones. Each one had three arm-bones laid out across each other in the shape of a six-pointed star, and in each of the star’s center a human jawbone was laid.

“What in the hell?” Kohta said. “Who did this?”

“Well, I don’t know and I don’t care,” Haruko said. “Clearly they don’t want anymore messing with it, and you know what? I’m perfectly fine with that! So, let’s get out of here right…huh.”

“What?” Hayate said.

“I thought…I thought I heard…”

Haruko fell silent.

Rumia.

The voice seemed to drift on the wind, not even a whisper and yet Rumia was sure she had heard her name. It was like the Moon itself was calling to her, and she was hearing the call in the depths of her soul.

“Did you hear that?” Kohta said.

“Yeah, I did,” Keine said. “I think it came from…”

Rumia.

Keine started walking. She went past the morbid markers standing guard over the clearing and right into the expanse of black earth. The others followed her.

Upon looking back, Rumia couldn’t honestly say what made her set foot onto that clearing when all of her good sense had to have been screaming at her to stay away. It was more than simple curiosity. It had been like she was being pulled in, drawn by something small, quiet, but deadly insistent.

Whatever it was, it drew them deeper and deeper into the clearing. As they did, Rumia started to notice…changes. For one, everything felt like it was growing colder, from the bite of the night air to the ground beneath her feet. Even though her shoes and socks she could feel the chill of the earth.

For another, things were growing darker. Though the Moon and stars were still shining overhead, it felt like a cloud had passed in front of them, even though the sky was completely clear. The light was now becoming weak and strained.

And finally, Rumia was starting to hear things.

At first she thought it was just the rustling of the wind in the leaves, but there were no leaves around to be rustled. And the further she got toward the clearing’s center, the louder it got. Voices, dozens of them, all of them speaking in quick and furious whispers. She couldn’t understand anything they were saying, she wasn’t even sure if they were speaking the same language as her.

The gibbering increased the further she went, and again she heard her name drift through the night.

Rumia.

The children reached the center of the black circle and stopped. As they did, so did the voices. The night was silent.

They all looked at each other and frowned. Haruko scratched her head. Hayate sneezed.

“Um,” Keine said. “Why exactly did we come out here?”

No one had an answer for her.

“Okay. Then maybe we should…uh…”

The ground had started to move. As everyone stared, a depression began to form between them. It started off small, just a small dip in the ground.

But it grew.

And it grew.

Soon it was clear that the space beneath them was hollow and the sand was pouring in.

“Run!” Kohta shouted.

Run. Okay, that sounded like a fantastic idea. The only problem was that the clearing was swiftly turning into a sinkhole and doing so faster than they could even turn. Rumia tried to bolt, but by then the depression had reached her ankles.

Of them all, only Keine managed to actually start the process of fleeing before she was caught. The ground turned vertical, all of it flowing toward the growing hole in the center. Rumia tried to climb but slipped. She tried to swim, but that was nothing more than an act of desperation.

Fly, she begged herself. Take to the air! Go up, go up go…

The tilt increased, and she was sliding. The hole rushed up to meet them, and then they were all swallowed up.

…

When Mokou had suddenly bolted off into the dark, Joshua wasn’t sure if he would be able to catch up with her. She was just so much more athletic than he, and with much longer legs. He huffed and puffed along the best he could, finally got impatient, and took flight.

Flying through a forest such as the Old Pine Wood was not recommended, especially at night. Go too fast and you risked breaking your neck on an unseen tree trunk or low-hanging branch. Too high, and your hair would get snagged in the tightly woven canopy. Plus, you never knew what was skittering around in those upper branches. But Joshua didn’t have time to worry about safety. He went as fast as he dared, but had to come to a sudden stop on more than one occasion to keep from running facefirst into a surprise tree.

“This is…this is insane…” he whispered under his breath. “Oh Lord Jesus, please be with us. Right now. That would be-”

Then he heard a piercing, feminine scream of agony.

Joshua froze in midair. He swallowed and shot off, a little faster this time.

Another scream followed, followed by the distinct sound of snapping limbs. There was a third scream, this one accompanied by sharp hissing sound, like a flame consuming a lit fuse.

There were lights up ahead, ones that cast thrashing shadows on the nearby trees. Though Joshua knew not what he could do to save Mokou when he reached her, he kept on anyway, praying that he was not too late, praying that there was still enough left of her to save.

What he actually saw when he got there was quite different from what he had been expecting, but still horrifying.

There were three twitching humanoid lumps on the ground. They seemed to be female and had on dresses, though their necks and limbs were far too long, as were their faces. It took Joshua a moment, but he then recognized three of the four spider youkai that had attacked the Children’s Home.

However, they had been in considerably better shape then.

One was a smoking, blackened wreck, her roasted skin flaking away while rivulets of fire still ran over her in places. She was still alive though, twitching and moaning in agony as any wounded spider would.

Another hadn’t been set on fire, but it looked like her back had been broken, her neck snapped, and all four limbs dislocated at the joints and not set back in place. She lay in a heap, croaking out piteous moans through her mangled throat.

The third’s skin had turned beet red and was cracked all over, with glowing orange light pulsing through the cracks that flared up with every tortured breath. She was lying flat on her back, arms and limbs splayed out around her as she continuously tried and failed to scream.

And standing with her back to the trio with her hand grasping the throat of the fourth spider youkai as she pressed his back against a tree was the Aoki Yume Children’s Home’s cook.

Despite all of Joshua’s fears, Mokou looked completely unharmed, thank God. But Joshua wasn’t sure he liked seeing her like this. The spider youkai in her grasp was frankly terrified, and was garbling nonsense at Mokou. No doubt he would have been screaming had Mokou not cut off his air. Mokou was holding him up with her left hand, and in her right…

It was on fire. Her hand was enveloped by a ball of flame, and yet she wasn’t burning. She clearly didn’t even feel the heat. What was more, he was pretty sure that she was glowing. There seemed to be a thin red aura covering her.

Joshua swallowed. Mokou was a strong woman, one that he knew had a dark past. But this…but this…

“Mokou,” he said, his voice cracking.

Mokou sighed. “Joshua,” she said without turning toward him.

“What are…” Joshua glanced at the mangled wretches on the ground. “What did you do?”

“Well, for the blackened one I set all the fat in her body on fire,” Mokou said, her voice terrifying calm. “That was an old favorite of mine, always got a good scream. The croaking one is pretty self-explanatory, just twisted this and popped that, leaving her kind of broken. The glowing one had all the blood in her veins boiled. And as for this guy…” The hand clutching at the spider youkai’s throat tightened. “He’s going to have all three done to him if he doesn’t tell me where the children are, and not necessarily in that order. I already gave him a small taste.”

It was then that Joshua noticed that the male youkai’s hands and feet were twitching and scorched ruins, no doubt to prevent him from clawing at her. Joshua clutched at his head. “You…you tortured them!”

“I did.”

“You didn’t have to do that!”

Mokou breathed in slowly through her nose and then released it out of her mouth in a long sigh. “Josh, buddy. You’re a sweet guy, and I know you can be tough when you need to be. I like you a lot. So I’m giving you this warning right now: don’t go into that clearing over there. Just take my word for it.”

Joshua paused. He then looked over to the clearing in question, which was a ring of tree surrounding what looked like the remains of a scavenged home. He saw the burnt wrecks of several pieces of furniture, including a table.

“Trust me on this,” Mokou said.

“What happened?” he said hoarsely.

“What do you think happened?” Mokou growled, her tone suddenly shot through with venom. Her fingertips started to glow red where they dug into the youkai’s neck, and his strangled gibberish took on a whole new note of urgency. “Why do you think this scum took our kids?”

Joshua fell silent. Then he turned toward the clearing.

“I’m warning you, what you see you won’t be able to unsee.”

Joshua knew that Mokou meant well; he knew that she was just protecting him. However, she was not the only one who had seen and done things that he wished he could take back. And there was plenty that he already wished he could unsee.

Taking a deep breath of the ash-tinged air, Joshua started walking toward the clearing.

“Your choice,” Mokou said.

Stepping between two trees with blackened trunks, Joshua entered the clearing. Sure enough, it was filled with trash and pieces of furniture, most of it burned.

And in its center was a dinner table of all things.

And on that table…

Joshua took a good, long look. Then he slowly bowed his head and closed his eyes. His hand gripped the crucifix around his neck.

Things hadn’t changed at all when he stepped out from the clearing. The three females were still mewling in pain while Mokou held the fourth member of their party aloft. “Told you,” she said.

Joshua nodded. “Who was that?” he said hoarsely.

“Eiko,” Mokou said. “I could tell because of that birthmark on her hand.”

“I…see,” Joshua said. “And the others?”

“Well, as it so happens, this guys was about to tell me all about that when you showed up,” Mokou said. She tilted her head and gave her captive a small shake. “So, how about it, tough guy? I ease up on your throat, and you can tell me all about this Black Circle. And maybe I won’t slow cook you on a spit. Sound good to you?”

The male youkai stopped groaning long enough to shoot her a sallow glower, his yellow, multi-pupiled eyes conveying pure hate.

Then he spat a white gob right in her face.

Joshua started, but Mokou hadn’t so much as twitched. The gob turned out to be webbing, and it had completely encased her face like a mummy’s mask. However, smoke started rise from her face, and the web’s gooey strands began to crinkle and collapse inward. Then it began to turn black.

And then it began to turn red.

“Now that,” Mokou tsked as the burning web fell away from her face in embers, “was big mistake.”

Then she spun around and hurled the spider at a nearby tree. He struck it hard with a pained gasp and fell to the ground.

Mokou began to advance on him, both of her hands now encased in flame. Realizing her intentions, Joshua ran over and put himself between her and the spider. “Wait!” he cried, sticking up his hands.

“Get out of my way, Josh,” Mokou said, her glowing red eyes fixated on the spider.

“This isn’t right!” Joshua pleaded. “You must know that this isn’t right!”

Then Mokou finally looked at him. “Isn’t…this isn’t…”

Suddenly she extinguished the flames in her hands and seized Joshua by the lapels. She swung him around, holding him up with both hands as easily as if he weighed as little as the children they looked after.

“Right?” she snarled. “You wanna talk to me about what’s right? Those monsters came to our home and took our children! They slaughtered Eiko and probably ate her alive! A thirteen year old girl, and they ate her alive!”

“Yes, but torturing…” Joshua’s voice trailed off. Over Mokou’s shoulder he could see the male spider starting to rise. He was hacking and wheezing in pain, but one of his mangled hands was fumbling toward his jacket pocket.

“They deserve no less,” Mokou said. “This is not the time for mercy, so I would appreciate it if you would go off to the side, say a nice little prayer…”

The spider youkai pulled his hand out of his pocket. Though his fingers were still burnt, they hand managed to clutch around something small and glinting.

“Mokou,” Joshua said.

But Mokou wasn’t listening. “…and stay the fuck of my-”

Joshua seized Mokou with his own hands and tried to yank her out of the way. “Mokou, look out!”

It was too late. The spider youkai hurled the tiny knife. Despite the damage to his hands his aim was supernaturally true. The blade hit Mokou at the back of her head and buried itself in up to the hilt.

Mokou dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Joshua fell as well, his eyes wide and mouth agape. Mokou was lying lifeless, the knife still sticking out of the back of her head, the roots of her pale violet hair turning red.

The spider youkai threw his head back and let out a piercing shriek. Then he charged at Joshua on all fours, his gait clumsy from his burns but still horribly fast.

Joshua scampered back away from him. “Wait!” he said. “Stop!”

The spider opened his mouth wide. Inside was a horror of rows upon rows of quivering teeth surrounding a long and pale tongue. He threw himself at Joshua, blackened fingers extended and black spittle running down his pointed chin.

Though he knew that it wouldn’t save him, Joshua threw his arms in front of his face and closed his eyes, bracing himself for the end.

It didn’t come. Instead, there was just a low thump.

Though he didn’t want to at all, Joshua cracked his eyes open. The spider had fallen to the ground, his outstretched arms falling just a few centimeters short of Joshua’s body, his face contorted in surprise and bewilderment.

And wrapped around one of his ankles was Mokou’s hand.

“Ugh,” the dead woman groaned as she pushed herself up on her elbows. She groped around with her free hand until she found the handle of the knife. A quick yank and it was out, its blade still crimson with her blood and brains.

Shaking her head as if she had merely taken a light slap to the face, Mokou rose up. She blinked a couple of times and shook her head again.

Then she looked down at the shocked creature still in her grasp and her eyes narrowed.

“Now that,” she said, “was also a mistake.”

Then her hand twisted in a peculiar way, and suddenly the spider had two shins where he previously only had one.

“Mokou?” Joshua whispered.

“Joshua,” Mokou said as she began to drag the screaming spider off. “Go back into the clearing. I saw some unburnt bags in there. Empty one out and put what’s left of Eiko inside. Then wait for me.”

Joshua blinked. “What?”

“I know it’s not ideal, but we’re short of options, and I don’t want anything spoiling her further.”

“But-”

“I have work to do, and you’re getting in the way. So get to work.”

“Did…you were dead. How did you-”

Mokou’s face snapped toward him, her eyes a blazing fury. “I said move!”

Joshua’s head jerked back in surprise. He opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it without saying anything.

Then he got up to do as he was told.

…

The fall had been dark, terrifying, but at least mercifully swift. The landing hadn’t been that bad, as there was at least a pile of soft sand to land in.

Unfortunately, the sand also turned out to be ice-cold, and it got everywhere! It was worse than having snow go down one’s back, because that at least would melt away.

“Ah! Cold, cold, cold!”

Rumia tried to flee from the pile only to get her feet tangled up, causing her to fall.

“You okay?” Kohta said as he looked down at her in concern. Of course he had managed to get out of the sand and onto his feet.

“No,” Rumia said crankily. “I am very much not okay. But I’m not dead yet, so that counts for something.”

Kohta extended his hand, and Rumia took it. With a slight grunt he pulled her too her feet.

“What is this stuff?” Rumia complained as she shook the freezing sand from her hair, arms, and outfit. “Why is it so cold?”

“Because it’s evil,” Hayate said in a hollow voice. “Don’t you feel it? It’s evil. This is a place where evil dwells. It’ll eat us up, just like they ate Eiko!”

Normally Rumia might have been tempted to mock her for her fear and superstition, but all things considered she was having a hard time coming up with an argument.

“Speaking of which, what is this place anyway?” Keine wondered.

“I don’t know,” Kohta said. “Maybe it’s some kind of…oh, wait. Hang on.”

Everyone froze. “What?” Haruko whispered. “What is it?”

Kohta reached into the pile of cold sand and pulled something out a box of matches.

The cold had made his fingers clumsy, so it took a few strikes to finally light a match. But at last a tiny flame sputtered to life, and he held up the match to give them a better look.

Rumia quite frankly preferred the darkness.

They were in a huge circular space, one even larger than the orphanage. It was empty save for themselves and the tall pile of black sand in the middle, which was still bathed in the circle of moonlight that came from the hole in the center of the roof.

But the walls were an unending tribute to Death.

It was the same as the stone trees. Skeletons of once-living things were embedded into the walls in twisted positions, many of which would not have been possible when they had meat and skin. Most looked like they had been partially melted as well and splattered right against the wall. Only instead of a few, there were hundreds of them: humans, deer, cows, birds, fish, snakes, squirrels, horses, lizards, bats, and several things that she could only guess at.

If there was one thing they all had in common other than being dead and stuck in a wall, it was that they looked like they had been trying to flee from…something, something in the center of the room, something that had pulverized them all with a single blast of power.

“What the hell,” Haruko said flatly.

“We…we got to get out of here,” Hayate said. “This is a bad place. We shouldn’t be here. We shouldn’t be here. We need to escape.”

“I’m…open to suggestions,” Kohta said.

Rumia opened her mouth to respond, but then low, raspy moan echoed through the chamber, like a mummified corpse awakened from the dead and filling its dusty lungs for the first time in an era. The match in Kohta’s hand slipped from his fingers, and the light went out.

“What was that?” Hayate whispered in the dark.

Then the moan sounded again, and louder this time. Kohta hastily felt around for another match and lit it, and he held it up so that they could see.

They needn’t have worried.

It was Kana, who was finally starting to stir. She had been lying on the ground next to Kohta, but now she was awake and struggling to rise.

“Oh, hey!” Kohta said as he knelt down next to her. “Are you okay?”

“Uhhhh…” Kana groaned. “Feel…airy…”

“So…pretty much the same as always?” Rumia said. Keine shot her a sharp look, which made her feel a little ashamed. “Sorry.”

Kohta helped Kana sit up. She coughed weakly. “Wha…where are we?”

“Underground,” Kohta said. “I think.”

“Ugh.” Kana blinked blearily at her surroundings. “Huh. I…I thought I was flying up. But now I’m down. How’d I get down?”

“You got captured by spider youkai,” Kohta helpfully supplied. “And you got stung with their venom. That’s why you feel so weird.”

“Oh. Isn’t that…nice…” She smiled up at him and giggled. “You got sandy hair.”

Kohta involuntarily touched his spiky hair.

Then Rumia got an idea. “Hey, Kana?”

“Oh, is Rumia here too? That’s also nice. Hi!”

“Uh, hello. Listen, do you remember when you were flying earlier?”

“Uh-huh. It was fun. Until it wasn’t.”

“Right. Do you think you could do it again?”

“Uh…dunno.” Kana’s head slumped forward, digging her chin into her chest. “I’m tired.”

“No, no, stay awake!” Rumia leaned over to slap Kana lightly in the cheeks. “Kana, I need you to try to pay attention. We’re stuck in a hole in the ground-”

“Oh, that sounds fun.”

“No, it’s not! We’re trapped, so we need you to fly out and go find help!”

“Can’t she lift us out?” Haruko asked.

“What, are you crazy?” Rumia snapped at her. “Look at her! It’ll be a miracle if she can get herself out!”

Suddenly the ground started rumbling. Hayate yelped and hid herself behind Haruko, who looked like she wished she had someone to hide behind. Keine threw herself to the ground and covered her head. Rumia and Kohta quickly retreated from the center of the room, dragging the still-loopy Kana with them.

The pile of sand that lay directly beneath the hole had started to rise. It lifted upward like an hourglass in reverse, pouring up into the hole.

“What the hell?” Haruko shouted. “How is it doing that? That’s impossible!”

Despite the frightening situation they had found themselves in, the sheer stupidity of that statement meant that Rumia and Keine both had to stare at her in disbelief.

“What?”

The sand finally all lifted out of the room, plugging up the hole completely and choking out the moonlight. The only light was that of Kohta’s match, which was running low.

A few seconds later, the tiny flame sputtered and died.

For a brief, dark moment, nothing happened.

Then every single dead creature that had fused with the wall opened its eyes.

Everyone screamed as hundreds of brightly glowing red lights appeared in the empty eye sockets all across the walls. Hayate broke off from Haruko and ran toward the center of the room.

“Let me out!” she sobbed. “Let me out! I don’t want to stay here, I don’t want to-”

Then the ground started shaking again.

Something was rising up from beneath, filling the space left behind by the pile of black sand. In the scarlet glow, it was hard to make out, but it appeared to be a multi-sided cylinder about the size of a fully-grown man. It was also completely black, so that any features were nearly impossible to make out.

Hayate screamed and ran back, only to be reminded of the dead things staring at her with red eyes all along the walls. She tried going back the other way, but the cylinder was there, so she just fell to her knees and clutched at her head as she cried. “Please, make it stop, make it stop!”

Under normal circumstances, Rumia might have been tempted to mock her for her cowardice. But in all honestly, if Hayate wasn’t doing that, then Rumia probably would be.

“Oh, it’s a box,” Kana said calmly, as if she were remarking on a particularly interesting cloud. “I wonder what’s inside.”

“A box?” Kohta said. “That thing is…”

His voice trailed off. Even Hayate’s crying had quieted.

Rumia didn’t need to ask why. She heard it too.

Rumia.

The voices were back, the gibbering ones that she couldn’t understand and the one that was clearly calling her name. Only now they weren’t whispering out of the thin air. Now they had a definite source.

It was the box. The box was speaking to her. The box was calling to her.

Rumia started walking toward the box. Without a word the others did so as well. Kohta, Keine, and Haruko all slowly made their way across the room. Hayate stopped sniveling and stood up to follow. Even Kana had managed to totter to her feet and limp her way over.

Rumia.

Each of the six children came to a stop around the box and turned toward one of its many sides. Rumia stared entranced by the smooth, black edge, so flawless and beautiful. It was like it had been carved out of solid night, a perfect piece of darkness.

Rumia.

The gibbering grew louder. Rumia raised up her right hand. Unprompted, the others did the same. As one they all laid their hands against the sides of the box.

Its surface was colder than steel that had been left out all night in the snow. Rumia’s skin instantly froze to it.

Interesting.

Then something sharp bit into her palm. She could feel the hot blood leaking out, warming her palm.

Rumia.

Rumia wrenched her hand away, ripping off an entire layer of skin in the process. It was left on the side of the box, a white handprint set against the black, with a tiny bead of ruby blood hovering in its center.

As Rumia watched in fascination, the bead started to shake. Then it began to grow, sending rivulets of red across the handprint, dying the white skin bright scarlet.

Soon the box had six crimson hands on six of its sides, one for each child.

And then it began to open.

…

To anyone who’s read IM: three guesses at what’s in the box, and the first two don’t count.

Until next time, everyone.

#touhou project #touhou #fanfic #imperfect metamorphosis #fujiwara no mokou #mokou #rumia

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kilyra · 5 years

Text

You Idiots

Special Agent Ben Poindexter/Bullseye (Daredevil) One-Shot

A/N: I received an Anon request where the reader is pregnant and Dex is protective of her. I’m sure this isn’t quite what Anon was hoping for, and I’m sorry! There are some really great Dex writers on this site who might be able to do a “Dex in a relationship with a child on the way” type story but I just can’t get my brain into that scenario. However, with that prompt, this popped up!

Agent Poindexter just happens to be taking a meeting with Detective Sergeant Brett Mahoney when a hectic day at the precinct turns scary.

Warning: Threat of violence.

If you want to be on a taglist (all or a specific character) just let me know.

Working at the precinct was never dull, but that day, it was especially crazy. The holding cell was fuller than usual and each detective seemed to have a witness at their desk giving statements. On top of that, two FBI agents, Poindexter and Nadeem, were having a meeting in Detective Sergeant Brett Mahoney's office. And judging by the pacing and arm waving, it wasn't exactly pleasant.

Trying to tune out the chaos, you quietly took a sip of your tea and kept working on your reports. Absently, your hand dropped, and you gently patted your noticeable baby bump. Some people in your life had been trying to convince you to take a transfer to a less busy role, and it was days like today where you could see their point.

And that's when it happened.

There was a loud crash behind you followed by yelling. Spinning in your chair, you saw a crazed-looking man charging across the room, racing up up the aisle towards you. Adrenaline burst into your system and you sprang to your feet to get out of the way.

Or rather, you tried. Your chair was just low enough to make getting up awkward, and it added too many seconds to your getaway. The man was on you.

Spinning you in front of him, you let out a loud gasp and everyone froze. Something cold was held against your throat. It all happened so fast but you knew you had a pair of scissors on your desk so maybe...

“Don't move! Nobody come any closer and this will all be cool. Now I'm walking outta here and no one's gotta get hurt.”

Your heart was in your throat and you desperately wished you had taken some defensive training. It wasn't mandatory for admin staff but it had been offered...

From the corner of your eye, you saw movement in Mahoney's office. Taking slow sidesteps your direction, Mahoney spread his hands out, palms facing you. Before he started talking, you noticed Poindexter slink in the opposite direction.

“Hey man, you don't have to do this. You're in a police precinct, what do you think is going to happen here?” Mahoney asked in a firm tone.

The man tightened his grip on you, pressing harder against your neck. “I'm going to walk out of here is what I think.”

“Fine. But Y/n needs to stay here. I'll go with you. Everyone will listen to me and give you some breathing room. But I can't let you walk off with her. Look at her man. I can't.” Mahoney kept the man's focus, and you realized you couldn't see Agent Poindexter anymore.

Your pulse was racing so fast, you were light-headed. Every worst-case scenario ran through your mind and as you stared into Mahoney's dark eyes, it got worse. His palms were still out as he inched closer, but as in control as his voice sounded, his eyebrows were deeply creased. He was worried.

“I'm not an idiot. That's exactly why she's coming.”

Mahoney flinched, his eyes widening slightly at the man's words. The idea of your pregnancy being a bargaining chip made your stomach roll.

Applying pressure to your shoulder, he forced you to walk back. A new rush of terror ran through you. He was actually doing this.

Suddenly, you heard a grunt. You jerked forward when his grip loosened, but froze as the metal pushed against your skin.

There was a distinct smack and he grunted again, dropping whatever was pressed to your throat. After another smack, he collapsed, pulling you with him. As he crumpled to the ground, you fought falling, landing on your hip and propped up by your hands.

Glancing on the floor you saw a pen holder, a heavy stapler and a hole punch all splayed near the man's head. Through your fog of fear, you couldn’t comprehend what you were seeing. Where did those come from?

Cocking your head in confusion, you were suddenly distracted by a strong set of hands sliding under your arms and lifting you to your feet. Immediately, you stumbled, and the hands firmly held your arms.

Turning, you looked up into the intense, hazel eyes of Agent Poindexter. “Ma'am. Are you alright?”

Your knees felt weak, but you steadied yourself and nodded. Jerking your chin, you looked back at the all the office supplies. “Was that you?”

Still holding your arms, he lead you away from the sudden rush of officers closing in to handcuff the man. “I couldn't see a safer way to take him down and I didn't want to put you at risk.”

Safe. Immediately, your hands dropped protectively over your stomach. “I-I don't know how to thank you, Agent Poindexter. I don't know what I would have done if...”

The corner of his mouth turned upward in a mild half smile. “Dex. And there's no need to thank me. It's what any decent person would have done...right?”

It was only a slight hesitation, but you realized he might actually be asking you that. His expression was stony and hard to read, but his eyes flickered down to your stomach before he looked away.

“Yes...but still. Thank you.”

His eyebrows drew together lightly as though he were giving your confirmation some thought before he offered a sharp nod. Not looking back at you, Dex loudly snapped his fingers towards the officers who were leading the newly handcuffed man. They both stopped. “Was that your perp?”

Shooting each other a nervous glance, one of them finally nodded.

“Well, I suggest one of you idiots grab...Y/n, was it? Grab Y/n some water. After the shit show you just caused, it's the least you can do.”

Clearing his throat, Mahoney's gaze darted between his officers and the agent. Finally, he frowned. “Look, I'm thankful you stepped in, but you can't talk to my guys like that.”

Narrowing his eyes, Dex arched his eyebrow. “No? Then maybe you should. She could have gotten seriously hurt. There's no excuse for what just happened here.”

As he spoke, he guided you back into your chair, not giving you a choice about getting off your feet. There was a gentleness to his touch that you didn't see reflected on his features. The muscles in his cheek popped from how hard he clenched his teeth as he stared Mahoney down.

Stepping between the pair, Agent Nadeem smoothly broke in. “Listen, we're done here anyhow, so we'll be on our way. We'll be back if we need anything else alright?”

Sighing through his nose, Mahoney pushed his jacket back to set his hands on his hips and nodded.

Before he followed Agent Nadeem, Dex squeezed your shoulder and lightly pat your back as he shot you a quick side glance.

“Thank you,” you said again, getting a nod from the agent as the pair walked to the stairwell.

The entire precinct seemed frozen in place as everyone stared at Mahoney. Finally, he glared at the pair of officers.

“Well...one of you idiots, get Y/n a glass of water!”

Taglist: @foreverfaeries @flower-two @getlostinyourparadise @selfishkiddo @angelicshinigami @natsukitakama @legion-18 @fiction-is-the-new-reality

#benjamin poindexter x reader #dex x reader #bullseye x reader #brett mahoney x reader #daredevil

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manawhaat · 5 years

Text

Waimea pt. 5

Title: Waimea Pt.5

Characters: Reader x Dean, John, Cas, Sam, Meg, Jo, Gadreel.

Summary: The North Shore of Oahu was where you found him, Waimea and the Winchesters offering you a new kind of home.

Warnings: Fluff, beach vibes, pregnant!reader. Kinda John centric? (idk if that’s a warning but there it is)

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: This series has definitely gotten away from me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Picks up where part 4 left off. This whole AU is for my baby @sebbytrash. Thank you @mrswhozeewhatsis for the beta. Thank you for reading, and if you like it please let me know :) Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

John’s welcome was warm and nothing but love and happiness radiated between the two of you as he held you in his arms. When he finally pulled away, you had tears on your cheeks, and the other three men chuckled as you wiped them away with a roll of your eyes. “It’s not nice to make pregnant women cry, John,” you scolded with a smile.

“Well, I ain’t all nice,” he grumbled. Ducking his head and cupping your chin to make sure your tears were all gone. John hummed when you gleamed up at him. “There’s that smile!” He hooked his arm around your shoulder and pressed a kiss to your temple before pulling Dean into his other side to do the same. “Let’s go home.”

Your hand remained in Dean’s the entire way home, and the guys unloaded your bags and helped you into the house before the three of them jumped back into John’s truck and left you and Dean to get settled.

When they’d gone, Dean pulled you into his arms and asked, “You wanna take a nap? Get a little rest?”

You sighed and relaxed into his hold. “I’m tired, but not sleepy.” The few boxes of stuff you’d sent over were piled in the corner of the cozy living room, and you pulled yourself from his arms to examine them.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Dean scolded with a smile. “No unpacking. Just relaxing… I’m not supposed to say anything, but everyone’s got a special welcome home dinner planned later, so we’ve got, eh, a little over three hours to kill, and I’ll be damned if you’re gonna spend any of it unpacking.”

“A welcome home dinner?”

The look of pure joy and delight on your face had Dean stifling a chuckle. “All for you...so no unpacking. What else do you wanna do?”

A grin curled your lips as you tugged him closer by the hem of his shirt. “Well…,” you drawled, “there are a couple of things I can think of to kill some time.” Your hands crawled up his chest, one stopping at his broad shoulder, the other pushing into his hair.

“Oh, yeah?” He smiled, letting you pull him in to lay a teasing kiss to his lips. “What kind of things?”

Dean’s arms wrapped around you, resting on your ass, squeezing just light enough to have you pushing yourself against him. “You know… things....” You smirked, licking at his smiling lips.

The kiss Dean pressed to your lips instantly made you dizzy and drunk, his low purr making you break from his lips to literally swoon out loud. He laughed and trailed kisses along your jaw, down your neck, and over your chest before nosing into your hair and just holding you.

“C’mon,” he urged after a moment of being still.

Dean took your hand and led you out to the front porch, across the street and down the beach right to the water’s edge. He stopped and plopped his ass in the sand, watching as you dropped his hand and walked until the water lapped at your toes.

The ocean tickled your feet, the glittering surface dazzling you all over again. It was where this life had started, and you pressed an earnest kiss to your fingertips before bending over with the deepest love and appreciation in your heart to let the gentle waves take the gratitude from your skin.

Dean watched in awe. He’d only ever seen such grace and humbleness in his father’s relationship with the ocean. These waters were John’s saving grace, and he’d never thought on it long enough to even consider that they were yours, too.

The two of you sat together on the beach, breathing in the salt air with Dean’s lips in your hair and hands linked with yours atop your belly. It was all so surreal. You couldn't believe you were here… couldn’t believe how much this paradise just fit.

When the sun finally started to sink, you retreated to the house, showering and getting ready for the night to come.

You and Dean drove in the Impala, much to his delight after being parted from her for so long. Her purr and Dean’s warm hand placed on your thigh kept you safe and relaxed as you drove through the moody island twilight. The restaurant was nestled down a lonely strip of road guarded against busy tourists by tall palms and shrubs that Dean told you were actually pineapple bushes. Twinkling lights dangling from the trees glistened against the sky fogged with the ocean’s salty breath.

When Dean put the car in park beside Cas’ truck, the blue-eyed man hopped off the tailgate and came to open your door for you. He greeted you with a hand to help you out of the car and that all too charming smile.

After shutting the door behind you, he pressed a kiss to your cheek. “You look gorgeous, Y/n.” His eyes told no lie, and he quickly turned to the cab of his truck, reaching into the passenger’s side window to retrieve a beautiful hibiscus flower.

“Here, this is for you,” he said, placing it behind your ear. When he pulled back to examine you, he smiled with such admiration that you shot forward and threw your arms around his neck.

“Thank you, Castiel. For everything.”

He smiled into your neck and hugged you tighter.

“Ahem,” Dean cleared his throat, a smug grin on his lips as you and his best friend broke apart. “And where’s my flower?”

“Oh, it’s around here, somewhere….”

Cas falsely searched for one before pulling his hand from his back pocket to flip Dean off. The three of you broke into laughter and he hooked his arm around Dean’s shoulder, then grabbed your hand to lead you toward the entrance.

True to Dean’s word, everyone was there.

Meg, Jo, and Gadreel all shouted and rushed to your side as soon as their eyes had landed on your swollen belly. The three of them nearly tackled you, and you laughed with them as they fawned over your baby bump and congratulated you on the baby and engagement.

When they’d given you enough space to breathe, Sam’s long arms surrounded you, and you smiled at Dean over his shoulder. Even at 23, Sammy would always be the little brother you never had.

John greeted you with a hug and gently held you back as everyone started following the hostess.

“I see you’ve already got one, but this is for you.”

When he drew back, your eyes went to the lei he held in his hands. Gorgeous red, white, pink, and purple flowers were strung together, the petals soft beneath your fingertips as you let out a breath.

“John….” The sentence you started went forgotten when he grinned down at you, shooting you a wink that had you both chuckling as you ducked your head and let him place the flowers around your neck.

“Perfect,” he said with a smile, leading you to the table and the rest of your group.

The place was right on the beach and they’d requested the best table with a breathtaking view of the water. Everyone was all eyes and smiles and congratulations and embarrassingly loud speeches announced to the rest of the establishment as your new family welcomed you home.

When everyone had full bellies, the lot of you set off down the shoreline, walking slow and happy under the night sky. It was a perfect glimpse at what life would be like here on the island, and you stopped, Dean’s hand tugging almost out of yours before he stopped, too.

The group kept going and you took a deep breath, closing your eyes and letting your toes squish between the wet sand, cool water lapping at your ankles. Dean’s body pressed gently against yours, and without needing to open your eyes, your lips found his in a soft kiss.

“I love you, Y/n Y/l.”

You sighed, completely content, and only blinked your eyes open to see the stars in his gleaming eyes. “I love you, too.”

“Hey, lovebirds,” John called, approaching from the pack. “The girls are all headin’ home but the guys are talkin’ about takin’ you down to The Family Business for some drinks, Dean.”

Dean looked between his father and you, shaking his head. “Uhh, nah. I think I’m good.”

“No, Dean. Go,” you urged. “Go hang out with your guys. Have a drink or two for me.”

“It’s not like she’s going anywhere. She’ll still be here when you get home.” John winked, and the three of you smiled, knowing that you were finally there to stay. “C’mon, kid. I’ll take her from here and make sure she gets home safe. Get outta here.”

You smiled up at Dean when he looked back down at you, pushing your fingers through the hair at the base of his skull. He grinned, broad and wide, all teeth and crow’s feet. “I’ll be home later. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Dean gave you a quick kiss and you playfully slapped his ass as he started walking away, John’s deep chuckle in your ear as you walked to his side.

“The Family Business is this brewery at a locals-only spot. Run by a nice couple, Jensen and Danneel, and her brother, Gino. The guys come around the shop and hang out with Sam and Dean from time to time. Jo and Danni are pretty close- she introduced Jo to Gad a couple of years back. The guys started brewing in their garage and it just kinda grew from there. Home brewed beer, a place for the kids to hang out during the weekdays, live music on the weekends, food trucks across the street. It’s a nice spot. I’m sure once your kid’s old enough, you’ll be there all the time.”

“I don’t know. It all sounds really nice, but I don’t wanna think too far ahead. I just wanna focus on this, for now.” You smiled, hands falling to your belly as you walked with John.

“That’s good, sweetheart.” His arm fell over and around your shoulders, your bodies moving together as he dropped a kiss to your crown. “It goes by too fast. Just breathe it all in while you can.”

“I know. I’m trying. It’s just… a lot happening really fast.”

“You having second thoughts about any of it?” Your synced steps stopped as John continued, stopping and turning back to look at you. “You know, even if you are, you can talk to me, honey. I don’t want you feeling like you can’t.”

“No.” You shook your head. “No, it’s not that. I don’t regret it… I just, I’m having a little trouble finding my footing, ya know?”

John walked closer and hooked his arm over your shoulder, holding you to his side and leading the two of you until your pace matched his again. “You belong here, Y/n,” John said, not an ounce of doubt in his voice.

“How are you so sure?” John side-eyed you at your question. “I mean, of course, I belong here. I know that, now, but how are you so sure? You say it like it’s the truest thing you know, John.”

“Because it is,” he answered. “I saw you on the beach the day we met. I saw you before you got in the water, and I just knew that you were someone special... You were drawn to me, right?”

You nodded in slight surprise. “Yeah, I was. I watched you on those waves and just- I wanted to be as free as you looked out there. Watching you on the water drew me out there. Then when I saw Dean….”

“He saw you, too, sweetheart,” John smiled proudly, “told me that he couldn’t take his eyes off you when he spotted you on the water. I knew when I saw you that you were special, and then you and Dean met, and then the next day at the competition and the bonfire... I just knew. Aloha aku no, aloha mai no.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means, ‘I give my love to you, and you give your love to me.’ When Dean told me about the flower, that was the first thing that came to mind.”

“What flower?”

“The flower you had in your hair at the bonfire. The one that Sam told you to wear.…” As your brain caught up, John’s smile grew.

“The white hibiscus is a flower that symbolizes love and joy here on the island. Women used to wear them to tell if they were taken or single. It’s a tradition for women to wear them on special occasions, and that was kind of your first date with Dean, right?”

You smiled as he continued. “I knew how Dean felt about you already, so I told Sam to tell you to wear it. You know that phrase, ‘if you love something, let it go’-” you nodded- “well, aloha aku no, aloha mai no is one of the first local phrases I started using when we got here. My boys needed to know that I loved them, and that was my way of saying it. But it’s similar, that phrase- it’s like a call and answer.”

As you stood there, John reached to your hair, gently plucking the flower Cas had given you from behind your ear.

“This one is a symbol of rare beauty. Of purity and love and friendship,” he explained, and all you could do was smile at the thought of Castiel’s warm gesture.

Taking a step toward the water, John continued. “When Dean took the flower from your hair and gave it to the ocean, he was telling you he loved you- he was letting you go, setting you free.” He placed the flower atop the surface, retreating to your side as you both watched the gentle waves pull the hibiscus out to sea. “But when the ocean gave it back later that night, the water was telling him that you loved him, too.”

As you took in John’s words and replayed every event, your mouth opened and shut. “But- I.…” Whatever words you could have mustered fell short as you stared at John, then out at the ocean under the stars and moon. That ocean, the same one you fell in love with, the one that brought you here, it was your home just as much as Dean was.

John smiled and gently knocked his shoulder into yours. “And that is how I know that you belong here, Y/n.”

#surfer!dean #dean winchester #dean x reader #dean fanfic #spn #supernatural #spn fanfic #supernatural fanfiction #spn fanfiction #supernatural fanfic #dean fic #spn fic #supernatural fic

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anarchist-puppet-on-strings · 5 years

Text

Long Distance Calls

SUMMARY: Marvin is on a tour and Jackie misses his datemate.

Jackie bounced his leg up and down impatiently as the white dots on screen grew and shrunk. He’s excited: he hasn’t seen Marvin in a few days and that was via laptop. He wished he could see him in person but he was in New York currently.

The dots continued to appear and disappear, only increasing his anticipation. It always took the other a bit to answer, so he wasn’t too worried.

Then the call connected and he was met with Marv’s face. The first thing he noticed was the other wasn’t wearing his signature mask. The second being he’s frowning gently though that wasn’t too uncommon.

Jackie couldn’t help but grin at the sight of him. He misses him so much. “Hey!”

His frown melted away, the tired look in his eyes turning into something gentler. “Hi, Jay!”

“How’re ya doing?”

“Same old, same old. I’m a bit tired from the latest show, but otherwise fine.”

“How’d the show go?” The hero asked. Hearing the other talk about his shows was always something Jackie enjoyed. Marvin just lit up.

“Great! I was a bit worried feeling in the neutral zone for a show again but I think the braid and glitter threw people off!” He They said, sounding genuinely excited, digging through their bag and pulling out a pack of wet wipes.

He couldn’t help but smile softly at them. Silence took over their conversation.

"So... how's New York?" Jackie asked, fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve.

Marvin hummed distractedly, wiping the makeup off their face. Their scars were visible now. "Okay, I guess. It's certainly a lot bigger than home. It's quite pretty at night I suppose. There's just... a lot more people than I'm used to."

Instead of pointing out how they called Kalifall their home, Jackie scrunched his brows together. "Oh, well... did ya like performing there?"

The magician shrugged, the dirty wipe in their hand going up in cyan flames. "Sort of. People are quite rude but there was a much larger audience than I thought, so that was nice."

The hero hummed, burrowing further into his dragon onesie. He normally only wore it when Marv is gone. It’s red and has black horns and wings and a cute face on the hood. He had jokingly bought it when Marv picked out a sparkly unicorn onesie. He never expected to seriously wear it but here he was.

“Has anything happened while I’ve been gone?” They asked, undoing their black tuxedo.

The sight of the sheer amount of glitter dusting it made Jackie cringe at the thought of getting it cleaned. On the other hand, their brown, green, and silver hair is still full of pink glitter. He thinks it's cute. He had to shake his head and actively focus on the question.

“Nah, not much really. The Puppets vandalized some stuff and ended up stabbing someone, but otherwise nothing else has happened.”

“That's good. Well, not the stabbing but-”

Jackie chuckled, chin propped up on his hand. “I know what ya mean, Mar, don't getcha panties inna twist.”

Marvin huffed, pulling their dress shirt over their head and tugging their pants off. They pulled on a mint spaghetti strap tank top and some neon orange shorts on.

“You doing alright?” Marvin asked suddenly, startling Jackie.

He knew what they meant. They both were aware of the fact that he didn't do very well alone. It made him more reckless and less upbeat.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “I jus’ miss you is all.”

“Well-” Marvin said, pulling their ponytail out and running their fingers through their hair, shaking some glitter out-”I’m heading back home tomorrow.”

Jackie couldn't help but perk up at the reminder. Marvin had been gone over five weeks, and the apartment is much emptier without them—now that Jackie actually knew what it’s like having someone else besides him living in the apartment.

“Thank christ, takin care of your lil hellspawns is exhausting,” Jackie laughed.

“They're angels!” They argued, settling back down into the hotel bed.

Jackie narrowed his eyes. “One of them fucking bit me!’

“You were handling them wrong then!”

“I beg to differ.”

Their eyes were cold. “Then beg.”

They dissolved into a fit of chuckles and giggles before they tapered off into a comfortable silence.

“Hey, what time is it for you?” Marvin asked.

Jackie debated about lying but the other could just look it up anyway. “Around 3 am.”

“Seriously, Jay? Don't you have patrol?”

He grinned. “I went out a lil earlier so I could talk with you!” The way the other's face softened made his cheeks warm.

“Okay, well, it's still 3 am. And you should be sleeping. Even firecrackers need a break.”

He yawned, feeling too tired to point out that firecrackers kept going until they died once the fuse was lit. “Okay, okay,” he relented, leaning back against the wall while shifting the laptop in his lap. He raised an eyebrow seeing Marvin settle further back onto the bed.

“Not gonna wash the glitter outta your hair?”

They huffed tiredly, rolling their eyes. “Nah, too tired to deal with that. Don’t think the drain would like so much glitter being forced down its throat.”

Jackie chuckled before yawning again, humming contentedly when his jaw cracked. “Well, I don’t think housekeeping is gonna be happy with ya.”

Marvin laughed and the sound made Jackie’s heart melt. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“You don’t think about a lot of things.”

“Hey, fuck off!”

He smiled, eyes drooping as he yawned yet again.

“Seriously: sleep, you dork.”

He whined, “I dun wanna! That means we have to hang up!”

Marvin shot him a sideways look as they yanked a charger out of their suitcase and hooked it up to their laptop. They smiled impishly. “Who said anything like that?” Setting the device on the nightstand, they rolled over and rested their head on their arm. They stared at Jackie with half lidded dark blue eyes hidden behind long lashes. “Now sleep.”

He groaned, shoving several things off his nightstand and onto the floor to make room for his computer. Marvin raised an eyebrow and gave him a deadpan stare.

“Oops?” He tried sheepishly.

They sighed, letting their eyes fall shut. “Goodnight, Jay,” they mumbled.

“Night...” he whispered back, scooching under the covers and rolling to face the camera.

While Marvin fell asleep rather quickly, getting comfortable is easier said than done. Jackie’s heart hurt at the separation and the bed felt unnaturally empty and cold. The only thing that made it hurt a little less was watching his partner sleep. The deep breaths the other drew in and the slow exhales helped him loosen up.

Although Jackie stayed up later than Marvin, he ended up falling asleep a while later, his soul longing for his partner on another continent.

(A/N) I’ve held on this story for so long because I kept making edits and it still never felt right??? Still doesn’t but I’m posting anyways!!! It’s been in my docs for weeks!!!

Tag list: @assbutt-of-the-readers, @stuck-in-a-l-o-o-p, @bloodsoakedheretic

#anarchist tries to write #let me help pick up the pieces #egoshipping #marvelsepticeye #jackieboy man #firecracker #marvin the magnificent #sparky #long distance relationship #(kinda)#swearing #fluff #romance

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multi-fxndom446 · 6 years

Text

My Happiness (Undrafted Dells)

Tyler Hoechlin!Jonathan Dellamonica x reader

Warnings: cursing

“What’s going on over there?”

You and a couple of your friends had been hanging out for a few hours just walking around and having fun when you came across a baseball field.

There was a team on the field and it only looked like they were practicing for a game but still it intrigued you.

“Just dumb baseball stuff lets go” one of your friends said grabbing your hand to drag you away but stopped when you didn’t move.

“Let’s go watch” you said looking at them and rolling your eyes when they just scoffed at the idea “Come on we have nothing to do, plus those guys are pretty hot”

“To you! Besides y/n they aren’t even playing against anyone they’re just practicing” your other friend said before she looked at you waiting for you to give up and leave but sighed when you shook your head

“You guys go ahead. I’m gonna go watch” you didn’t even wait for a response just started walking over to a set of bleachers that you hoped would be close enough to see yet far enough to where they couldn’t tell a random person was just watching them practice.

You watched with a smile as the guys yelled and cussed at each other while throwing a baseball back and forth before they moved to practice on there usual position and your eyes followed the pitcher as he threw a few to get ready to throw some serious tosses.

“Hey!” You looked over at the voice and saw a few of the players looking at you before they started walking over to the fence close to where you sat. “You know there’s no game today?”

“Yeah I know, just wanted to watch” you shrugged and they smiled before they introduced themselves.

“I’m Vinnie this is Mike” Vinnie introduced and you got up from your seat to shake there hands.

“I’m y/n” you smiled and before you could say anything else someone had called out to the two of them.

“What are you guys doing let’s go! This is a practice not social gathering!” The guys yelled from across the field making everyone on the team look towards the three of you.

“That’s Ty, our coach so we should probably get outta here” Mike said and Vinnie nodded in agreement.

“It was nice meeting you, hopefully we see you around more often” Vinnie called over his shoulder and you laughed as your eyes scanned the guys again before your eyes drew to the pitcher again but this time he was also looking at you.

You smiled at him as your cheeks turned a slight shade of pink and you turned back to walk to the bleachers again, where you sat and watched the rest of the practice.

It had been like that for a few months, you just coming to watch them practice sometimes you’d catch them when they were actually playing a game.

You had learned everyone’s name by now and had gotten pretty close to them. They all just expected to see you everyday when they practiced so when one day you weren’t there Dells wanted to know why.

“Dells I don’t keep tabs on her why would I know where she is?” Vinnie asked looking to his friend who shrugged

“Because she became closer to you then any of us” Dells said trying to hide the slight edge to his tone but Vinnie caught on and started smirking.

“Aw does our little pitcher have a crush on little Y/N? Adorable really but I actually don’t know. Although she seemed kind of sick the other day so” Vinnie tried and Dells sighed but nodded and walked away.

That’s the day Dells started accepting his feelings for you. He had always been nervous to talk to you so you guys weren’t that close but he always threw his best pitches when you were there. Which is why everyone started calling you Dells’ lucky charm. They noticed how he pitched worse when you weren’t around and eventually the whole team caught on to his crush.

When you finally came back to practices again everyone was relieved because they could finally get a good practice in.

“Yo y/n you don’t have a choice now. You have to show up to every practice and game” Zapata told you one day when the practice was over.

“What do you mean?” You asked and he only chuckled at you.

“I mean you’re our pitchers lucky charm. He’s at his best when you’re around” Zap explained and your face went red as you looked over to said pitcher who was talking to Garvey, their catcher. “So you’re gonna come to the big game right? Our last game if we lose. It’s in two days we have another practice tomorrow too.”

“Yeah of course I’ll come to the game. And the practice” you laughed before you grabbed the mini cooler you had brought and walked around the fence, tossing Zapata one before making your way into the dug out.

“You guys looked good out there” You commented as you passed out the water, a few of them mumbling out a thanks.

“I always look good” Baron said making you roll your eyes at him before you turned to give Dells a water bottle. He smiled at you before grabbing the bottle and he went to say something to you when he stopped making you sigh before you turned around.

“Well I should head out, I’ll see you guys tomorrow” all the guys knew that you didn’t have a car so you walked everywhere unless you got a ride, today was no exception.

Dells wanted to offer you a ride and everyone could see it on his face that he was trying to make himself ask you but he just couldn’t. Ty shook his head at his brother before he stopped you.

“I can give you a ride, I’m taking Vinnie home anyway” he said and you smiled up at him gratefully before you started to follow after him.

When the three were gone everyone looked towards Dells with disapproving looks

“What?” He finally snapped

“Dude you’ve got it bad. You know she liked you too right?” Palacco said and Dells shook his head, disbelieving. “Alright well don’t be to disappointed when you lose your chance with her”

The next day you had arrived to the field a little earlier then intended and the only other person there was Dells.

“Hey Dells” you called and his head snapped up at your voice before he gave you a smile and watched you walk to your usual seat.

He sighed, annoyed with himself that he couldn’t talk to you like a normal person. He looked around at the empty field before he grabbed his glove and baseball and walked over to you.

“You wanna throw a bit? I don’t know when everyone else will get here” what he said threw you off you weren’t expecting him to talk but you smiled and nodded nevertheless and walked up to him.

“You know how to pitch?” He asked and you shook your head.

“I never was a pitcher I always played (any position besides pitcher)” you told him and he nodded while he tossed you the ball and stood right behind you.

“Alright show me your best throw” he said and you looked at him nervously and he gave you a reassuring smile. You turned back and gave your best throw, the ball hitting the fence “not bad not bad”

The next twenty minutes went by like that, with Dells teaching you his pitches and even though he wouldn’t admit it he was trying his best to show off since you were so close to him, watching his every move. The two of you joked around and had laughs not noticing the other boys standing on the outskirts of the field right where the trees cut off and the field began

“Good thing we were late huh?” Fotch said looking over to Ty who was smiling at the scene in front of him. He hadn’t seen his brother smile like that in a long time it was like you were his happiness.

The team watched from the sidelines, telling each new arrival to be quiet so they could watch on and then Garvey came. He came running down the hill calling out to his team

“Shh Garvey!” Ty said but it didn’t stop him as Garvey got up to them but kept walking, looking back at them confused.

“What’re you guys doing come on!” He yelled causing you and Dells to take a step away from each other.

“Hey lucky charm, we’re gonna start practicing” Garvey called to you and both yours and Dells faces flushed at the name.

“I’ll go sit down then” you said smiling at Dells before walking to your seat. As you watched them practice you noticed the smile that never left Dells face.

The next day you showed up to the game early so you could get a good spot near the fence to watch the boys. You knew it was a rough day for them because the draft had just ended and Maz, another good friend of yours, didn’t make the draft.

You looked over to see Vinnie struggling with two trays of ice cream. You also knew this was a tradition of there’s before every game. When he was about to drop a tray you quickly swooped in a grabbed hold of it.

“Thank you, that would’ve been a waste of money” Vinnie joked and you laughed while you walked behind him to the dug out.

“Ice cream ice cream get it while it’s hot” Vinnie called as the boys crowded around you and him.

You passed the other tray to Ty and smiled at the boys. “Good luck guys, I’ll be the one cheering the loudest”

“Y/n wait!” You hadn’t even gotten on the other side of the fence when Dells caught up to you. “Ah I just wanted to say thanks for coming”

You smiled up at him before leaning up and kissing him on the cheek. “Good luck”

Dells walked back to the dugout with a huge smile on his face as he put his focus on one hundred percent.

Throughout the game it started to get worriesome. You knew the boys were struggling with Maz not getting drafted but you didn’t think it would be as bad as it was. Pat had been losing his mind every time he struck out and the other team was throwing insult after insult especially at Dells.

“Don’t listen to them Dells you got this!” You shouted to him at one point and he tried his best to ignore them.

Ty started throwing dirt at Baron in the middle of the game. Then Pat struck out again and completely lost it. He broke his bat against a fence then threw a ball into a board and then tried to kill Zapata which erupted into a big fight between the team. Then Dells got tired and you could see it. You tried your best to cheer him on as did everyone else but it ended with the bulldogs getting 2 points but on the last player he tackled Garvey to the ground causing a huge fight to erupt.

“Garv!” You yelled quickly running onto the field to pull the catcher away from the fight “Maz help me!”

Maz came over and helped you drag Garvey away from the chaos as you both started taking off his padding.

“It’s okay just breath” Maz said as Garvey shook.

Next thing you knew Garvey was being taken to a hospital and Ty and Vinnie were being arrested, setting something off in Dells as he went into a completely different mood, this one being trying to beat the Bulldogs at any cost, which seemed to be working.

The huge crowd around you cheered him on as he got player after player out before they switched and it was the D-backs turn to bat. He looked around at the crowd on trying to look for you to calm himself down and when his eyes landed on you his whole demeanor changed and he took a deep breath. You gave him a nod as if asking if he was okay and he nodded back at you.

The rest of the game went by after that Zap was first and got out then Fotch who walked then Murray who finally got a hit and made it to first base

“Yes! Yes Murray!” You screamed, cheering with him as he screamed at Palacco to murder the other team.

Palacco made it too then David went up and struck out then the last to go was Maz after a few pitches he finally hit a home run and Fotch, Murray and Palacco all ran to home base giving them the points to win.

“YES!” You screamed in joy as you shoved your way through people to get to the opening of the gate smiling as the team embraced in a group huge group hug. “YOU GUYS DID IT!”

All of them started grabbing you into hugs as well as you all cheered with big smiles on your faces. You eventually stepped out of the overwhelming circle and watched with a loving smile.

Dells eventually pulled from the group to look for you and when he saw you on the side he smiled and before he could lose his confidence he walked over to you. You went to tell him how proud you were of him but you were cut off by him swiftly throwing off his hat and grabbing your face in his hand before his lips came crashing down onto yours.

You felt your entire body buzz in happiness as you kissed back and held onto his waist to steady you from falling over.

“Well if that’s what happens every time you win you guys should win more often” you whispered when you pulled away.

“Well I’m hoping to do that more then just the few times we win” Dells said and you smiled brightly.

“I’d love that” you said before the boys erupted into more cheering and wolf whistles. You both laughed and looked over to them as the all gave you thumbs up.

“I think there happy” you said looking up at him and he smiled

“I’m happier. You’re my happiness” he said quietly before he pulled you into another breathtaking kiss

A kiss you would be getting a lot from him

#undrafted #tyler hoechlin #joe mazzello #dells x reader

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marshmallowgoop · 6 years

Text

Okay, so I keep seeing all this stuff about how the 2018 film Venom is just a live-action Kill la Kill, but most of the time, this content winds up being another usage of the “In this essay I will” meme.

And, like, yes, I admit, I haven’t even seen Venom and really ain’t too familiar with Venom lore, but I WILL FINISH THE ESSAY ANYWAY.

First, lemme get the basics outta the way. Venom, just like Kill la Kill, involves a protagonist (Eddie, Ryuko) bonding with a space alien outfit (Venom, Senketsu). While the alien is viewed as a dangerous parasite, the protagonist becomes much stronger from the partnership, and together, the two are able to battle the various threats around them.

But while, say, the Spider-Man 3 adaptation of the Venom story didn’t really go much further than that sorta basic outline, it seems that the 2018 film takes the concept of a human/alien connection to a whole ‘nother level. Just as in numerous comics, movie!Venom is not depicted as little more than a monstrous power-up with zero personality besides “evilz”; they, like Senketsu in Kill la Kill, are a sentient, sapient, and emotional character in their own right. And, as @agendervenom argues in this fantastic post (which is also where I am getting all of these Venom comics images from, thank you!), Eddie and Venom “consider their entire story in the comics to be a love story.”

Which is also super the vibe I’m getting from this latest flick.

I mean, like. Most everything I see about the film is that it’s a love story between Eddie and Venom and a goofy rom-com and Venom is the Best Monster Boyfriend and... yeah. If the Venom comics are a love story more than anything else, it seems like there’s a hecka lotta consensus that the recent movie is the same way.

It’s not as easy to make a similar case for Kill la Kill. Everyone kinda has a different idea of what the show is all about, and these ideas can be anything from a warning about wearable technology to some giant metaphor about puberty.

But. Look. Kill la Kill has been described by its head scriptwriter, Kazuki Nakashima, to be his attempt to “make a form of intimacy that transcends love and species.”

And IN THIS ESSAY I WILL ACTUALLY contend that Ryuko and Senketsu’s relationship—just like Eddie and Venom’s in Venom—forms the heart of the whole narrative.

So, yes, this post is going exactly where you think it’s going. Controversial titty anime Kill la Kill is literally a love story between a teenage girl and her alien shirt, and if you don’t believe me, consider the following:

✄ The cover art for the final volume of the series (pictured at the top of this post)—or, you know, the number-one thing that the show wants you to take away from it—is an illustration of Ryuko and Senketsu wrapped in a tender embrace, presumably just about to Synchronize and become one. To further bring my point home, this image is constantly featured on the homepage for the official Kill la Kill website.

✄ (Plus, an earlier draft that character designer Sushio drew (pictured just above) is maybe even more intimate and adorable.)

✄ In Nakashima’s comments for the final episode in The Complete Script Book, he notes that he felt the story had to end with Ryuko saying goodbye to Senketsu because it began with the two saying hello.

✄ Which, I mean, is a pretty blatant acknowledgment that Kill la Kill is ultimately all about Ryuko and Senketsu’s bond.

✄ And while voice actors are generally largely uninvolved in the writing of a TV series and can’t exactly state any “canon” information, Ami Koshimizu, Ryuko’s VA, has argued for the significance of Ryuko and Senketsu’s partnership herself, saying, “Senketsu and Ryuko are like family, like friends, like lovers, are in a very comfortable/close-fitting relationship. Had they both been human, it would not have been possible for them to have this relationship. I think that is what this wonderful work depicted.” (Emphasis added.)

In short? Maybe Ryuko and Senketsu don’t get a cute fairytale ending with a little heart like Eddie and Venom do in one of the comics, but it’s kinda undeniable that their love for each other is just as crucial to Kill la Kill as Eddie and Venom’s love for each other is to Venom comics and the new film. In both cases, that human/alien connection is legitimately the bread and butter of the story.

And the similarities don’t end there. Oh, no. The human/alien connections here also resemble each other greatly.

Eddie/Venom: We are two-in-one, Hawk.

Ryuko: No. Senketsu and I are two in one.

Again, I haven’t seen the movie, so I’m gonna rely on comics caps from here on out, but given that Venom appears to follow the main comics story of the alien symbiote much more closely than, say, that aforementioned Spider-Man 3, I figure that the film can’t be too far off.

And in the comics? Eddie and Venom say the exact same thing about their relationship as Ryuko says about hers with Senketsu: they’re two in one.

And I am just scratching the surface.

Venom: Where we bonded, Eddie. Just like marriage.

Senketsu: This is literally Life Fiber Synchronization!

Venom and Eddie’s relationship gets compared to marriage in the comics, and while it’s hard to capture in just a single image from Kill la Kill, there is some pretty in-your-face wedding and marriage symbolism regarding Ryuko and Senketsu’s relationship, too. Their act of coming together is termed Jin-I-Ittai, and though this was officially translated as��“Life Fiber Synchronization,” it can be more literally translated as “Human-Clothing Unity.” Given the connotations that “union” has with marriage, and that a similar alien to Senketsu is quite literally described as a “wedding dress,” which Ryuko also quite literally tears off of her body and consequently drenches herself in her own blood so that she can reunite with Senketsu... yeah.

Just like Eddie and Venom, what Ryuko and Senketsu have is akin to marriage, but it’s also way, way more than that.

Eddie/Venom: —married in a way no human can ever under—whoa!

Ryuko: I’d rather be dead! I have to take this [wedding dress] off even if I die! Because if I don’t... I won’t be able to wear Senketsu again!

And I can keep going.

Eddie: I used to hate going to the movies alone. That was before the other and I found each other. Now, I’m never alone. Life doesn’t give you many happy endings like that.

Ryuko: We’re not the same. I’m not alone. Senketsu and I fight together!

Both Eddie and Ryuko emphasize how they’re never alone and always have their alien by their side; even the short trailer for the upcoming Kill la Kill video game stresses this point, which is perhaps especially noteworthy because the game’s story is actually focused on another character altogether.

And while Ryuko and Senketsu may not go on lovey-dovey dates together in-series, there is an official card where they hold hands just like Venom and Eddie do at the movies in the comics, happily frolicking around together in what’s legitimately, seriously titled “Senketsu’s Date with Ryuko.”

(Plus, there was even a whole figure made outta this date image. So. You know.)

And I can go on some more.

Eddie: Yeah... Ohhhh, yeah. That’s it, baby. Wrap those tentacles around me.

Senketsu: We’ve never been so in sync before! Right now, you and I are one! This is literally Life Fiber Synchronization!

Ryuko: You can say that again! Doesn’t this feel awesome?!

Both Eddie/Venom and Ryuko/Senketsu have fusion sequences that ain’t at all shy about playing up the innuendo that comes along with, well, two characters “becoming one.” In one scene, Eddie loves the feel of Venom’s tentacles around him. In another, Ryuko cherishes her connection with Senketsu and starts glowing after expressing how good the sensation of being Synced with him is.

But, you know, it’s sweet! These aren’t just dirty jokes. They are expressions of these characters loving each other and loving being together.

And, like. I could really go on and on here, folks.

I could talk about how Venom declares that no one will break the bond they have with Eddie, just like how Senketsu raps in his duet with Ryuko (which is also the main theme of the show, btw) that they should “let no one break the bond that is [theirs]”:

Venom: Important place, Eddie. Bonded forever. No one will break that bond.

Senketsu: Let’s let no one break the bond that is ours

I could talk about how Eddie refers to Venom as his symbiote just like Ryuko refers to Senketsu as her Senketsu in the official English subtitles and dub:

Eddie: So, it’s true. The symbiote is here. My symbiote.

Ryuko: That’s my Senketsu! You can do anything if you try!

I could talk about how both Eddie/Venom and Ryuko/Senketsu want to be together forever:

Venom: We want to be together, Eddie. Forever.

Eddie: Yes, love.

Senketsu: I want to be worn by you.

Ryuko: I’m never taking Senketsu off.

But, y’know. I think this post is probably long enough by now, and I’ve hopefully made my point.

tl;dr? Venom is basically a live-action Kill la Kill because, if it’s anything like the comics (and I take it that it is), its entire main focus is, just like Kill la Kill’s, the similarly loving relationship between a human and alien clothes.

And if Venom can be recognized for telling a story all about an impossible love that’s really not impossible at all, Kill la Kill deserves some dang recognition for doing the same thing, even if its “monster” isn’t maybe as unconventionally attractive as Venom is.

And if I can write a ginormous essay on this subject without even seeing the film and knowing basically nothing about Venom lore, just imagine what’s possible with that knowledge.

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hysterialevi · 6 years

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When the Devil Cries pt. 4

Author’s note: I know I’ve said this already, but thank you so much for reading this story. I wasn’t really sure how this fanfic would go at first, but you guys have been very supportive since part one, and I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoy this part as well :)

From Arthur’s POV

OUTSIDE LEMOYNE NATIONAL BANK

Pacing to the other end of town, Dutch and I slithered our way through the groups of lawmen patrolling around Saint Denis as we hurried to find Hosea at the bank, keeping a low profile and eager to get back to camp.

At this point, the city was entirely awake, and all around us, we could see both men and women calling out to passersby as they advertised their merchandise, campaigns, charities, and more. It was quite the sight. Sure weren’t like anythin’ I’d ever seen.

We had already come across some rich fool by the side of the road who was hollerin’ at people to buy his book that would apparently lead folks to instant success, as well as some waste of space claimin’ that the white race was the only “correct” one, and that the blacks and Indians were nothing but animals. It was science, he said.

Well, last time I checked, “science” was the same thing trying to turn cannons and bicycles with balloons into forms of transportation. So that didn’t exactly count for much in my book.

On a more pleasant note though, I did also see a woman standing outside City Hall advocating for women’s right to vote. It wasn’t something I could see happening anytime soon, and her ideas of a female president within the next ten years seemed a bit far off, but there weren’t no shame in searching for a better world. I only hoped she had some sort of protection out there in the open. Not everyone was taking her proposals kindly.

As for Dutch -- well, ever since the man found me about an hour ago, he had been chewing my ear off about his plan to pick Saint Denis clean of its money before packin’ our bags and heading off to Tahiti or some place.

I wasn’t quite sure how that would work exactly, and if I was being perfectly honest, the west sounded like a much better area to lie low, but...I wasn’t really thinkin’ about any of that anyway.

The only thing on my mind at the moment...was Edward.

I couldn’t get that melody he played out of my head, and the man himself wasn’t easy to forget either.

I didn’t know why, but somethin’ about that boy just stuck with me. His words, his personality, his music...it preoccupied me completely. It almost felt like I was still sittin’ there by his piano.

Despite my pleasant thoughts about him though, I couldn’t deny I was a bit concerned about Dutch’s plans to rob the theater. I mean, I knew there was probably hundreds of dollars sittin’ in there and Edward and I were barely acquaintances, but it still seemed...I dunno, wrong to go behind his back like that. Especially right after doing a favor for him.

But I supposed that was the life of an outlaw. I could never truly befriend honest folk, or get along with them. I could only lie to ‘em.

“Hosea, old man!” Dutch called out suddenly, bringing my attention back to reality.

Hosea was sitting on a bench not too far away from the bank with a newspaper in his hands -- more as a mask than actual reading material -- and waved at us as we approached him, keeping our voices low.

“Ah, Dutch, Arthur,” he greeted, folding the newspaper. “There you are. How did you fellas get along?”

Dutch leaned against a nearby street lamp and crossed his arms. “Arthur here thinks he might be onto somethin’ about an upcoming gala. Heard some woman in the Bastille rambling on about it...and I’ve got a few ideas of my own on that theater as well. What about you? How’s the bank looking?”

Hosea rose to his feet. “Pretty much what you’d expect. Lots of money, and even more security to protect it. It also happens to be in the middle of the city. So if we’re gonna hit it, Dutch, we’ll need every gun we have. But if we can pull it off right, I guarantee it’ll be worth it. The vault’s got thousands of bucks just waitin’ in it. Enough to get us out of here.”

The other man nodded in contemplation. “Alright, then. Well, let’s head back to camp...and I’ll tell you all about this theater once we get there. I really think this could be quite the opportunity for us, but we don’t have too long to plan for it, so we need to move fast. C’mon.”

SHADY BELLE

DUTCH’S OFFICE

“Okay, gentlemen,” Dutch said eagerly, gathering us outside his room. “I have a plan. And this is a good one.”

Hosea and I exchanged looks, feeling both a little nervous and excited at the same time as we took a seat on the ornate couch.

“Well, what’ve you got in mind?” Hosea asked.

Dutch grinned, holding a finger up. “I did some investigating, and apparently there’s gonna be a show at the Râleur in two days. Lots of tourists are gonna come pilin’ in, and all the money will be sitting right at the front door while everyone else inside is distracted by the show. It’s the perfect time for us to slip in and swipe the cash. Which means the best way for us to do this is by makin’ as little noise as possible...”

He glanced at me. “...Arthur.”

I sighed in annoyance. “...Jesus, I get it.”

Dutch let out a hearty laugh. “That is the last time I’ll mention it. I promise. Anyway, I’m thinkin’ we bring in a small group. Go in quick and quiet. We don’t wanna barge into the theater, armed to the teeth. Remember, the goal here is to cause as little alarm as we can. We’ll probably disguise some of you as employees, too -- that way, you can keep watch while the others focus on the robbing.”

Hosea nodded. “And who’s doing what?”

“Hmm. Well, we don’t want anyone too tough looking to dress as the employees,” Dutch explained. “I think I’ll get Kieran to be one of them. You too, Hosea.”

“What ‘bout me?” I questioned.

“You...are gonna be doing the robbing. My plan is for you and Mary-Beth to enter the theater together. Pretend you’re a couple out to see a show. But don’t walk up to the ticket booth until it’s empty. That way, no one will be around to see what you’re really doing.”

I raised a brow. “Me and Mary-Beth?”

Hosea chuckled. “That poor girl has her eyes on you, Arthur. Everyone in camp can see that. Least it’ll make this job easier for her.”

I shrugged. “So, what, we just walk up to the ticket booth and take the money while everyone’s watchin’ the show?”

“That’s the idea for now,” Dutch confirmed. “But I’m still working out the details. In the meantime: Hosea, you keep focusing on that bank. And Arthur, see what else you can learn about the gala -- where it’s located, how we get in...things like that.”

“On it.”

The man smirked. “Good. Saint Denis will be our ticket outta this country, boys. I can feel it. We just need one, last score...and we’re gone for good. But it won’t help anything if you lose your faith. So stay with me. Both of you. The gang may be strong, but we’re nothing if we don’t work together.”

Hosea and I gave Dutch a firm, honest look.

“We ain’t goin’ nowhere, Dutch,” I said. “We got your back.”

Dutch began making his way out of the room, glancing at us over his shoulder before he headed out the door.

“I know.”

A FEW HOURS LATER

THAT NIGHT

Sitting on my bed, I mindlessly doodled in my journal while the rest of the gang chatted at the campfire outside, sketching the night away as I waited for another long day of work tomorrow.

Normally I drew things like horses, plants, landscapes...just stuff I came across while wandering around. But today, I found myself scratching down wobbly images of pianos, random music notes, and of course...Edward.

By now, it was honestly frustratin’ me that I couldn’t tear my mind away from him. Why the hell was I so captivated by that man? I mean, I had met much more prominent people in the past.

I had seen people who were retired gunslingers, civil war veterans, slave catchers, dinosaur bone hunters -- hell, I’d even come across a couple who were brother and sister.

Why was one pianist so interesting to me? Ain’t like he was the first musician I’d ever met.

I guessed...I guessed it was because he was so different from everyone else.

Most people I talked to always hid behind some kind of pretense. Acted polite and well-mannered on the outside, and danced around saying what they was really thinking...but Edward, he already seemed to know me better than I even knew myself. Within just a few minutes of talking with the boy, he had already come to the conclusion that I was a better man than I thought.

And based on what? Ramming into him? Makin’ a mess of his notes? Covering his clothes in mud?

Mister Ryan definitely had a unique idea of “good,” that was certain. I just hoped I could live up to it.

“Um, Arthur?”

Flicking my eyes upward at the sudden intrusion, I paused mid-action when I realized Mary-Beth was standing just outside the doorway, her head poking inside with a puzzled expression as she stared at me. I put my journal down.

“Oh, Mary-Beth. Did you...need something?”

The woman walked into the room. “No. I was just...walkin’ by when I overheard you singing. I was curious, is all. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

I froze in confusion. “Singing? What you mean?”

She giggled. “You were humming, Arthur. You didn’t notice? I guess that’s good. When you hum, it means you’re in a good mood.”

I bashfully looked away from the young woman instantly, admittedly a tad embarrassed.

When did I even start humming? Who else had heard me, if anyone? Christ, I hoped Uncle wasn’t sleepin’ on the floor downstairs again. Otherwise I’d never hear the end of this. That, and his goddamned lumbago.

“I, ah...” my voice faltered sheepishly, “...I didn’t notice. Sorry to disturb you.”

Mary-Beth waved a dismissive hand. “You weren’t disturbin’ me, you silly man. It was a pretty tune. Where’d you hear it?”

I pretended it was nothing. “Ah, just some song I must’ve heard somewhere or the other.”

She smiled in a way that said she knew I was lying, but dropped the subject anyway.

“Well, I’m just glad you’re feelin’ alright. This gang needs you to stay strong, Arthur. Dutch needs you. More than you may think.”

I stood up from the bed, placing my journal on the nightstand.

“Oh, I’m sure Dutch would manage just fine without me, but...that’s kind of you, Mary-Beth.”

She began to take her leave. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. Stay safe out there, Arthur. Things is gettin’ pretty crazy -- both inside and outside of camp -- so be careful, okay?”

I escorted Mary-Beth out into the corridor, saying a quick goodbye to her.

“Yes, ma’am.”

The woman slid a hand along the staircase’s railing, looking up at me before stepping down.

“Good. I know our situation’s been tough recently, and I can’t deny that I’m scared too...but I know you and Dutch will pull us through. You always do.”

I nodded confidently. “And we will again.”

Mary-Beth descended the stairs, leaving me alone in the hallway.

“Of that, I have no doubt,” she was quiet for a second. “Good night, Arthur. These moments of peace that bore us now, are what we’re gonna be wishin’ for in a bit. Take care of yourself. We ain’t losin’ anybody else.”

I waved her goodbye.

“...No. We ain’t.”

THE NEXT MORNING

Waking up to the sound of Karen and Grimshaw yelling -- again -- I fluttered my eyes open to a slit, only to be blinded by a strong beam of sunlight that was seeping through the broken window.

I was facedown in my pillow, and judging by the brazen snoring I heard comin’ from downstairs, I weren’t the only one still dreaming. Despite wanting to sleep more though, I decided to head out for Saint Denis now, while the streets were still quiet.

The sun had barely warmed up the sky yet, but all this arguing and fretting at camp right now was makin’ me want to be just about anywhere else. I understood that folks were afraid, and I woulda been lyin’ if I said I wasn’t -- but there was only so much worrying one man could take.

Retrieving my hat, I strapped my belt on and threw my satchel over my shoulder, making sure everything was in place and stretching a bit before striding out of the room.

Fortunately, there weren’t really anyone awake yet to distract me or hold me back from leaving, and the weather seemed clear enough today.

The clouds were thin and the morning sun was just beginning to float above the purple horizon, painting the world around us with a nice, red tint.

It was the perfect time to ride out.

SAINT DENIS

Urging my horse to slow down, I began trotting into the city ahead of me as I was forced to adjust to civilized life, keeping a mental note that it actually mattered what the hell you was wearin’ out here.

Usually, I just wore a simple, loose shirt and a roughed-up pair of pants, but for the sake of blending in, I had stuffed myself into some itchy vest this morning along with a nicer set of trousers I didn’t even remember purchasing.

For a minute I felt like a walking joke on display for everyone to laugh at, but then I remembered the people around me looked even weirder. Women with gowns wider than the streets, and men with hats that made them an entire foot taller...big cities were definitely not the place for me. I didn’t mind the money, though.

Steadily trotting through the roads, I glanced to my side when I noticed the Râleur coming up on the left, the brightly-lit building immediately catching my attention.

It was indeed quite a view, just like Edward said. Through the tall, glass doors, I could see a luxurious chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, giving the lobby an intense, golden glow as its light reflected off the decorated walls and waxed floors. And browsing through the posters plastered outside the theater, it looked like he weren’t kidding about those fire-breathing people.

Apparently, they had some lady from Bavaria who was stronger than a bull, a duo consisting of a tiny magician and child giant, a man called Benjamin Lazarus who could escape death, and a group of dancers from France who...oh, my.

Well, I didn’t know if it was really my kind of entertainment, but I was definitely considering seeing that show with Edward in it. If the song he performed for me was anythin’ to go by, then his show would be something to remember. I just wished I had the time to stop by.

“Well, hello there, Mister ‘Not a Cowboy!”

Whipping around towards the sound of the voice, I felt a smile sneak its way onto my face when I saw none other than the pianist himself strolling up to me as if on queue...alongside another man whom I hadn’t met yet. I hopped off my mount.

“I see my terrible sarcasm rubs off on people fast,” I greeted Edward with a chuckle, closing the distance between us. “How you doing, Mister Ryan?”

The musician scoffed. “I’m from England, mate. If anything, it was my sarcasm that rubbed off on you. But...I’m doing as well as one can in this city. And what about you, Mister Morgan? I hope Saint Denis is treating you okay.”

I shrugged. “I’m about the same as the last time you saw me.”

Edward seemed pleased. “That’s good to hear.” He turned to the man beside him.

“Err, Mister Middleton, this is the man I told you about earlier. He’s a traveler I ran into yesterday. Quite literally, actually. He’s the one who helped me out with my new composition.”

I brought my focus to Middleton, admittedly feeling somewhat out of place compared to their suits and ties.

“Arthur Morgan.” I introduced casually. The man gave me a stern glare.

I couldn’t quite pinpoint it just yet, considering I’d only met him, but something about Edward’s companion just...put me off.

Not only did he have a permanently sour expression hiding behind his groomed mustache, there was also a certain...glint in his dead, gray eyes that reminded me of Strauss. And everyone knew how I felt about that creep. Only difference was, this man actually looked like he was capable of giving out a beating himself.

The man held out a stiff hand.

“...Thatcher Middleton,” he replied bluntly. He had the same accent as Edward. “Pleasure to meet you.”

I reluctantly grabbed his hand, gesturing to the hardened frown on his face. “Try not to smile too hard there, partner. You, uh...another pianist?”

He shook his head, completely ignoring my remark. “No. I have nothing to do with that business. I’m merely a...” there was an odd pause, “...friend of Mister Ryan’s.”

I glanced side to side, not quite sure what to make of that.

“...I see.”

Picking up on the tension between us, Edward quickly jumped in, changing the subject.

“I noticed you were checking out the theater, Mister Morgan. Are you thinking about watching one of the shows?”

I gladly took my attention off Middleton, shifting my feet awkwardly. “I am, actually. I was considerin’ that show you mentioned to me. The one tomorrow?”

The pianist’s face radiated with excitement. “Oh, yes. Well, like I said, I’d love to see you there. I won’t be the only act tomorrow night, but it will be the first time I’m performing on my own. I confess I’m a tad nervous.”

I chuckled. “I ain’t heard much of your work, but if that song you showed me is anythin’ like your others...you’ll be fine.”

Edward didn’t appear any less anxious, but hid it nonetheless. “Thank you. You’re too kind, Mister Morgan.”

I laughed at that. “If you say so.”

Flattening this friendly moment with his grumpy tone, Middleton spoke up once more as he threw an almost threatening gaze in Edward’s direction, his eyes piercing through the shadow cast by his bowler hat.

“Well, I can see you’re busy, Edward. We’ll discuss this more later. In the meantime, I’ll be returning to my house if you need me. I have many matters to attend to.” Middleton barely looked at me, briefly bowing his head as a goodbye. “...Mister Morgan.”

I returned the dull farewell. “Middleton.”

Skulking off into the busy city, the man vanished like a phantom in the thick crowds as Edward and I watched him leave, both of us feeling somewhat unnerved after that chat.

“Charmin’ feller, ain’t he?” I muttered.

Edward crossed his arms. “He wouldn’t know charm if it died in his bed. Though, I suppose it already has.”

I smirked at the pianist. “I take it you weren’t waltzin’ around with him by choice?”

He sighed. “Oh, definitely not. You’ve no idea how grateful I am that I found you. In fact, I’d much rather waltz with you, Mister Morgan.” Edward stuttered after that, as if realizing what he just said. “Erm, i-if that’s alright, of course. Want to grab a drink? We did meet at a saloon, after all.”

I shrugged in a “why not” manner.

“Sure,” I agreed. “Oh, and call me Arthur, would you?”

Edward appeared much more relieved now. “And you can call me Edward. Or Eddie, if you prefer. People call me both.”

I beamed at him, the two of us strolling side-by-side as we diverted our path to the Bastille.

“Eddie it is,” I replied. “Y’know, I think you’re the most sensible Englishman I’ve met so far.”

“You’ve met others, have you?”

I adjusted my hat. “Well, aside from you and Middleton, I’ve only met one out here. And his name was Margaret.”

A brief laugh escaped Eddie. “You sound like you’ve had your fair share of adventures. Perhaps it’s your turn to entertain me with story today.”

We hugged a corner, turning onto a new street.

“Ah, I dunno ‘bout that. I ain’t...I ain’t so good with words.”

Eddie persisted. “You don’t need words to tell a story, Arthur. Words...are overrated. In the end, your actions are what speak for you.”

I grinned at him, the two of us stopping at the edge of a sidewalk as we waited to cross.

“You, sir, possess a wisdom that I have yet to find.”

Eddie remained unconvinced that I was as dumb as I made myself out to be and simply rolled his eyes, beckoning me as we spoke with each other like a pair of old friends.

For some reason, whenever I was around Eddie, I felt like I didn’t have to hide nothing. The boy seemed to be drawn to me no matter how much I talked down about myself, and every time we crossed paths, he acted as if we’d known each other for a lifetime already.

I...enjoyed the time I spent with him.

I was only worried that this upcoming robbery would ruin our friendship. I mean, it was obvious how much this meant to Eddie, and lord knew how long he’d been preparing for this, but it was something I just had to go through with.

Then again, I guessed I always had the option to expose the plan, but...I could never do that. Not with the gang counting on me. Or Dutch. The old man was already paranoid we had a rat within the camp. The last thing I needed was to make him think it was me.

Well, I supposed all I could do was enjoy this relationship while it lasted. Eddie was too good of a man to be with me anyway. It was probably for the best if he kept his distant from an outlaw such as myself.

...Probably.

#red dead redemption #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #arthur morgan #eddie ryan #oc #fanfic #story

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minijenn · 6 years

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Water Pines: Dead in the Water (Part 1)

AHAHAHAH OH FUCK THE ANGST TRAIN IS HERE And yeah lemme just warn ya’ll that this one? Is fucking ANGSTY and SAD as fuck. So... if ya aint into that you probably won’t like this one cause there’s like, no fluff to be found here whatsoever. But yeah anyway, for those of you who don’t remember what Water Pines AU is all about cause we never talk about it around here anymore, its basically the AU where Dipper makes an ill-informed deal with Bill that results in him literally switching places with Lapis, so he gets turned into a gem and stuck with Jasper while Lapis is freed and turned into a human. Imo if you need more info on it (and wanna see some art I drew up for it way back when) feel free to check this out. And finally, I should inform you that this is a two parter and idk when I’ll actually get around to writing part 2 but I got burnt out trying to make it one part so yah, basically what ya see is what ya get until I eventually write the second part. And so with that stupidly long explaination outta the way, let’s get onto the PAIN!

Dead in the Water (Part 1)

“Ya know, Pine Tree,” Bill casually continued his appeal, an appeal that Dipper had no intentions of taking seriously, though out of morbid curiosity, he halfheartedly listened nonetheless as he watched the laptop continue to steadily tick down. “What happened to Water Wings is just plain tragic, it really is. I mean, just think about it: she’s locked down there at the bottom of that grimy lake, having just a grand old time duking it out with Stripes and spending every waking moment in an endless sea of misery and torment and its all—your—fault!”

“Don’t remind me…” Dipper muttered despondently, guiltily glancing over at the pile of photos of him and Lapis. Reminders of peaceful, happy times that only existed in the distant past now, times that certainly would never come to be ever again. Unless…

“But as ‘sad’ as it all is, kid, I could fix it all up for you, nice and easy!” Bill quipped, his tone as bright and deceptively cheery as ever. “And luckily for you, I’m willing to let you off by only asking for something small in return; in fact, you won’t even notice the difference!”

“You still haven’t bothered to tell me what that ‘something’ is, by the way,” Dipper remarked, sending the dream demon a distrustful glare.

“Huh, guess you do have a point there,” Bill shrugged. “Alrighty then, what I want from you, Pine Tree, is something sooooo easy that I’m sure you won’t even have time to think twice about it once the deal is sealed! And that something is… drumroll please!” At this, the demon snapped his fingers, materializing a self-rolling snare drum out of thin air before making his supposedly daunting proclamation, which ended up being not so apparently daunting at all. “I want you to stay out of my way!”

“Wait… what?” Dipper asked, largely caught off guard by this confusing request.

“You heard me, kid!” Bill said succinctly. “All your ‘mystery hunting’ this summer has gotten you way to close to some answers that you shouldn’t be finding, cause if you did, it’d just about ruin everything I’ve been planning for centuries now. But instead of coming up with some sort of cockamamie scheme to, oh, I don’t know, hijack your body and use it to destroy that journal of yours before flinging your empty skin off the water tower or some hypothetical screwball plan like that, I decided I’d save a whole lot of time and effort by cutting this problem off at the source! So all I’m really asking here is for you to put the breaks on all your little investigations and let me have my fun. See? I told you it was something simple!”

“Hold it so… you… just want me to stop looking into the mysteries of Gravity Falls?” Dipper frowned, still bewildered by how straightforward this all seemed. “And that’s… it?”

“Well, that’s mostly it,” Bill shrugged nonchalantly. “There’s… another small little tidbit in this contract too, something that’ll make sure you keep up your end of the bargain.”

“And… that something is…?”

“Aw, come on, Pine Tree, you don’t want me ruining all my surprises, do you?” Bill asked coyly. “Let’s just say you can expect a bit of a… change, but I’m sure you’ll get used to it eventually! Plus… at this point its just about your only sure-fire way to dredge poor Water Wings up out of both that fusion and that lake. After all, you don’t even know if that dusty old laptop over there could even help anything at all, so why not go with the safer route? I’m sure if she were in your place, Water Wings would do the same thing for you—oh wait! She basically already did by trapping herself down there with Stripes. Don’t you think its about time you returned the favor, kid?”

It was, it really was, and this was something Dipper had felt from the very moment he realized that Lapis would be trapped in that lake possibly forever if nothing was done to rescue her. And up until now, that was an effort he hadn’t found too much hope in, his spirits dropping every time he so much as thought of the blue Gem, struggling and suffering all because of her clear, devoted dedication to him. Dedication that Dipper largely felt undeserving of, for he knew he hadn’t really demonstrated it towards her in return. And yet… now he could, in such a simple, easy way too. True, he loved investigating the boundless, incredible wonders to be found in Gravity Falls, and he knew with every one he uncovered, he drew closer to unraveling the entire mystery that was the town and its baffling strangeness. But at the same time, Lapis had become one of the best and closest friends he had ever come to know in the short time that they had together. Her sacrifice for him alone was proof enough of that. And it was a sacrifice that Dipper felt more than ready to honor by making one of his own, if only it meant that they could finally be together in safety, happiness, and freedom once more.

And so, that’s exactly what he did.

Dipper saw no point in exchanging any more deliberation on the matter as he watched Bill extend a hand out in offering, unnatural blue flames sparking around it. He hesitated, only briefly, upon remembering the dream demon’s warning that there was another element to this purposed deal, but from how he had made it sound, it didn’t seem like it was anything too drastic or important. And even if it was, then certainly liberating Lapis from her longtime prison would make whatever that unknown addendum was worth it.

Right?

“So, Pine Tree? Do we have a deal?” Bill asked almost goadingly, calm in the assurance that he had his young, unwitting pawn right where he wanted him.

Keeping his manner steady and resolved, Dipper only nodded, taking in a deep breath before he carefully met the demon’s hand and shook it, solidifying their bargain once and for all. “Alright, fine,” Dipper said sternly as he looked to Bill rather coldly. “No more mystery hunting. Now fulfill your end of the deal and save Lapis.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Pine Tree, I already got that one covered!” Bill exclaimed with a mischievous chuckle as the flame encompassing both their hands suddenly grew brighter. “But in the meantime, there’s still the matter of the other half of your end of things…”

“M-my… wha-” Dipper barely had any time to get anything out before his voice caught in a startled gasp, his eyes growing wide and his body still and rigid as he felt a sharp pain course through it. In fact, so great was this pain that it ended up completely incapacitating him, to the point that he couldn’t even cry out for help or for a release from it. In a way, it almost felt like all of his cells were violently tearing apart, or better yet, that they were burning, glowing even, but in the worst way possible. Amidst this torrent of unstoppable agony, he hadn’t even registered the dream demon’s incredibly amused and sadistic laughter ringing in his deafening ears, nor did he notice the pale white light ripping away at every part of him, effectively disintegrating him until there was nothing left at all. His consciousness was the last thing to fade away, but before it did, the last thing he heard was the triumphant teasing of the demon who had so easily tricked him with a promise that had ended up resulting in what must have been his own complete and utter destruction.

“See ya, Pine Tree! Hope you enjoy your new digs! Oh, and be sure to send Stripes my best! I’m sure she’s just gonna love to see you!”

The very first thing Lapis felt before awakening was a stark, sudden beating inside her own chest. In fact, the sensation was so strange and alarming that it only seemed to quicken, to the point that it ultimately ended up tearing her right back into consciousness. She let out a gasp, her eyes opening wide as she felt the air fill in another part of her chest, the beating continuing rapidly as she found herself in need of even more air, which she took in heavily as she tried to make sense of what was happening to her.

Despite her effective hyperventilating, Lapis was able to focus enough to notice that whatever surface she was lying on wasn’t anything remotely similar to the darkened, drenched, despair of Malachite’s mindscape that she had grown so accustomed to over the past several weeks. Instead, the surface below her was hard yet warm, crisp, red light pouring in from an unseen source and illuminating a wooden ceiling above her. Disconcerted, Lapis slowly began to pick herself up to get a better look around, though she stopped short upon catching a glance of her arm. Her pale, fleshy, not blue arm.

“Augh!” Lapis cried, grasping her wrist as she glanced over the rest of her form. The usual blue coloration of her dress was apparently no more, replaced by a mix of navy, orange, and grey, and upon pulling a lock forward, she found that her hair had somehow turned a shade of chestnut brown. “W-what… what is this?” she muttered to herself, her brow furrowing as her breathing and the beating in her chest gradually slowed to a normal, natural tempo.

She didn’t have too much of a chance to wonder what had happened or where she was, however, before she noticed something lying on the ground right beside her: a blue and white hat with a tell-tale print of a pine tree on it. An article Lapis immediately recognized, to the point that even picking it up and holding it close made her ache with both regret and with a curious sense of hope as she took another look around.

“D-Dipper?” she ventured, her voice small at first, especially as she failed to find the boy anywhere in the immediate vicinity. “Dipper, a-are you here?” she asked again, feebly rising to stand only to find herself strangely unsteady. All the same, she clung onto the hat, a spark of terror and dread filling her as she realized this place, whatever it was, was surprisingly bereft of Jasper. Regardless to the bizarre alteration of her form, certainly she had to still be part of Malachite, which meant that her orange adversary couldn’t be too far, right?

Lapis shook her head, steadying herself as her expression filled with resolve. If she was indeed still Malachite, and if Dipper, of all people, had managed to find his way into their incredibly toxic mindscape, then she knew her mission, above all else, had to be to protect him from Jasper’s wrath and bring him back to safety. Which meant that her starting step in doing so had to be finding him first.

And so Lapis picked herself up off the ground, her footing initially unsteady as she had to get used to being solely in control of her own form once more. Even so, she wasted no time in checking just about every single nook and cranny the room had to offer for any further sign of Dipper’s presence there, only to find none at all. As a result, an even deeper sense of worry filled her, one that was more than enough to prompt her to set out beyond the boundaries of the room to check elsewhere in the hopes of finally reuniting with him if nothing else. However, as she tentatively opened the door, she ended up reuniting with someone else entirely.

“S-Steven?!” Lapis gasped, her eyes wide as she caught sight of the young Gem standing right outside the door.

Startled, Steven gaped back up at her, his hand held up ready to knock on the now-opened door as he tried to make sense of exactly who was standing before him. “Uh… do I know you?”

“Of course you do!” Lapis exclaimed as though it was obvious, despite her new appearance. “It’s me: Lapis!”

“L-Lapis?!” Steven’s jaw practically hit the floor as everything connected for him, but sure enough, it did make sense. Save for her oddly familiar but markedly different coloration, the woman before him looked exactly like the blue Gem who had trapped herself at the bottom of the lake several weeks ago. “Wha—I don’t understand; how did you even get here?! When did you and Jasper unfuse? And… and why do you look so different?”

“Wait, wait, hold on, what?” Lapis shook her head, her eyes wide with surprise. “I… I’m not fused with Jasper anymore? But… but I thought…”

“Well… I’m pretty sure you’re not since you’re here,” Steven pointed out. “But what I wanna know is why you look like that. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were a human!”

“A human?” Lapis scoffed, crossing her arms. “Don’t be silly, Steven. I may not know how I got separated from Jasper or why I look like this, but if there’s one thing I do know, its that I’m still a Gem. See?”

At this, she turned around to show the young Gem the stone on her back, only for Steven to let out a stunned gasp at what he actually saw there. “L-Lapis…” he muttered, clearly shocked. “Your Gem… it… it’s gone!”

“What?!” Lapis frantically reached both of her hands to her back, feeling around desperately for her familiar teardrop-shaped gemstone, only to feel nothing but smooth, warm skin where it should have been. “H-how… what happened to it?! Where did it go, I-” She stopped short with a gasp, her eyes widening even more in a dawning, almost sickening form of realization. “N-no way…” she whispered, absolutely shaken by this revelation as she pressed her hand against her chest, only to feel what could only be a heart hammering away underneath it. “I-it can’t be… I… S-Steven… I think I really am a human…”

“B-but… how did you just turn into a human like this?!” Steven asked, just as frantic as Lapis was over this alarming news.

“I don’t know!” she exclaimed, running a hand through her now brown hair. “One minute, I was keeping Malachite chained to the bottom of the lake, and then the next I woke up here and found-” Lapis interupted herself once more, remembering that she had much more important things to worry about aside from her shift in species as she glanced down at the hat still tightly trapped in her grip. “Dipper…” she whispered before hastily placing a firm hand on the young Gem’s shoulder. “Steven, where’s Dipper?”

“Wait, you mean he’s not in there?” Steven frowned, glancing past Lapis and into the otherwise empty attic. “That’s weird… Mabel sent me up here to find him, so… maybe he’s in another part of the shack? He’s been working really hard lately to try and find a way to save you, so I’m sure he’ll be really happy to see you!”

“H-he’s been trying to…” Lapis trailed off, letting out a sad sigh as she held the hat close to her chest. “Oh, Dipper…”

“H-hey, I’m sure once we find him, he’ll be able to help us figure out exactly what happened to you,” Steven reassured upon noticing Lapis’ obvious melancholy.

“R-right…” Lapis nodded in absent agreement, following after the young Gem as he led her through the rest of the shack. The two searched diligently for Dipper, with Steven claiming that it only made sense that he’d be somewhere in the building since that was the last place he had been seen heading to. And yet, despite their best efforts, neither of them managed to find him inside the shack whatsoever, leaving Lapis in a rather distraught state as she was filled with both dread over her new form as well as over Dipper’s whereabouts, which by all accounts, seemed to be completely unknown.

With their search of the shack completely exhausted, Steven and Lapis agreed to check outside for Dipper, just in case he had ended up slipping out of the house without anyone noticing somehow. And yet, instead of finding him, they managed to run smack dab into his twin instead as she was heading into the house carry a high-piled basket of sock puppet supplies, which was easily knocked out of her hands the moment her and Lapis accidentally collided.

“Hey!” Mabel huffed, disgruntled as sock and craft supplies spilled all over the floor. “Steven! What’s the big… idea…?” She trailed off, her jaw dropping as she watched the familiar figure beside the young Gem start to pick herself up off the ground to stand once more. At first, Mabel thought she was seeing things, because certainly there was no logical way she could be here like this; but sure enough, it seemed to be true, as completely unbelievable as it seemed.

“No way…” she muttered in amazement as she stared at the former Gem, her mouth gaped in awe. “Lapis?!”

“H-hey, Mabel,” Lapis greeted, offering the girl as much of a smile as she could, though it was clear her primary concern was still with finding Dipper. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It sure as heck has!” Mabel exclaimed, still completely awestruck. “How are you even here? And how are you all humany? And most importantly, does Dipper know? Cause if when he sees you he’s gonna freak out. I’m not even kidding, he’s been driving himself crazy looking for a way to save you and-”

“I-I know,” Lapis interjected, glancing down somewhat remorsefully upon hearing this. “Steven already filled me in. But we are looking for Dipper, if you’ve seen him anywhere.”

“Not since we-” Mabel quickly cut herself off, a worried look crossing her expressions as she looked down to the scattered sock puppets on the ground below and remembered the rather harsh words her and her brother had just exchanged only just a few moments prior. Words that, in light of Lapis’ sudden, unexpected, but still miraculous reappearance, seemed incredibly petty now, especially on her end of things. “Uh… never mind,” she said quickly, pushing several of the sock puppets away with her foot as she dropped her basket. “W-why don’t I help you guys look for him? Three heads are always better than two after all.”

“Are you sure, Mabel?” Steven asked with a frown. “I mean, your puppet show’s coming up really soon and you still have a lot to do to get ready for-”

“Eh, the show can wait for a sec,” Mabel interupted with a somewhat forced wave of her hand. “After all, I… I…” she trailed off, not particularly wanting to bring her bitter argument with Dipper up in front of Lapis, especially since said argument had largely centered around the former Gem in the first place. “I really wanna see the look on Dipper’s face when he sees you again, Lapis!” she intercepted, being both truthful and dodgy all at the same time. “Now come on, let’s go find him!”

“Right,” Lapis nodded firmly, crouching down a bit, almost as if she was anticipating something. Steven and Mabel looked to her in confusion when nothing did end up happening, something that confused the former Gem even more, until she stole a glance behind her and let out a startled gasp. “M-my wings!” she cried, distraught as she stood properly. “W-why can’t I summon my wings!?”

“Uh… probably because you don’t have a Gem anymore,” Steven informed gently. “Humans can’t fly, Lapis. Well, at least not using water, that is.”

Lapis shook her head in disbelief at this, grief filling her expression over the loss of something she had always treasured so much. Her wings provided her with freedom, with a chance to escape to safety in an instant if the need arose. But now, they were gone and she was tethered to the ground, anchored almost just as much as she had been with Jasper at the bottom of the lake. The only difference now was that she was at the very least, no longer trapped within a prison of her own design with a cellmate she would have just as rather shattered than let survive. All the same, her lack of wings only added onto the several disconcerting discoveries she had made since awakening in her new human body. A worrisome change that she hoped could at the very least be eased upon finding the one she had given almost everything up for until now.

Since searching by air was out of the question, the trio split up, investigating the immediate woods around the shack on foot. Though Lapis was unfamiliar with the area, Steven and Mabel made an effort to venture out a bit further, their own respective concern for Dipper starting to rise upon catching not a single sign of him anywhere. From there, they decided to check in up at the temple, Lapis keeping her distance outside as the kids asked if any of the Gems had seen Dipper around, only for all three of them to offer sympathetic no’s. It was only after they decided to join in on the search themselves that they discovered Lapis and her now human condition, something that aptly shocked all three of them, though the former Gem had no interest in garnishing any help from them, except for when it came to looking for Dipper. As minutes turned into hours, Mabel decided to make a tough call and postpone her puppet show, knowing that, for the first time all week Gabe Bensen could wait; her brother was, by all accounts, apparently missing. And after putting him on hold all week for her own selfish pursuits, she wasn’t about to rest until she made things right, found him, and apologized for the lack of support she should have been providing him with all along.

As the sun began to sink across the forest, the Gems insisted that the kids finally check in with Stan, all of them hoping that he at the very least had some sort of clue as to where Dipper had run off to. The conman however, was simply quite surprised to hear that his nephew was missing alone, making it quite obvious that he was just as clueless as everyone else. After calling up Soos and Wendy, a rather sizable search party had been formed, one that forged on late into the night and stretched as far as the town boarders itself. And yet, despite their collective, valiant efforts, Dipper never seemed to show up anywhere, much to everyone’s immensely growing concern. It truth, it seemed as though he had disappeared completely out of nowhere, leaving only his hat behind, which Lapis hadn’t let go of since the moment she found it in the shack’s attic. Speaking of the former Gem, what struck most of the others as odd was that her sudden appearance seemed to perfectly coincide with Dipper’s abrupt disappearance. There was no question the two events were connected, but as to how and why, no one had the slightest clue. Even Garnet, with her future vision and all, was unable to foresee them locating the missing boy anytime soon. Still, that didn’t mean they were going to give up hope so easily; Lapis and Mabel in particular were both insistent on continuing the search until Dipper was found and brought home, safe and sound.

And yet in the midst of foraging through the darkened forest in the very late hours of the night, Lapis soon discovered another aspect of humanity that she had previously never experienced before: exhaustion. With each passing moment, it seemed as though her pace grew slower, her eyes grew heavier and her focus drifted away altogether, to the point that at one point she almost tripped over Steven, who was every bit as tired as she was. Upon realizing this and detecting the same sort of fatigue from Stan, Mabel, Soos, and Wendy, the Gems concluded that they would continue looking for Dipper while all of the humans headed home to bed so that they could be better rested up to help in the search tomorrow. Of course, there were protests all around concerning this as all of them did indeed want to find Dipper as soon as possible, but once Garnet put her foot down on the matter, there was no arguing with her about it.

And so everyone save for the Gems headed home for the night, their hearts equally heavy with worry and dread. After a healthy round of convincing and bribing Stan on Mabel’s part, Lapis was allotted to stay at the shack, with Steven sleeping over as well since the Gems would be out for the rest of the night. Together, the pair fashioned a makeshift air mattress bed for the former Gem to sleep on, though all the same she still really wasn’t quite familiar with the process of “sleeping” to begin with. Being a human was, at least from her perspective, a rather odd experience as a whole. Only just a few hours ago did she “eat” for the first time, with her first meal consisting of something Steven called “the bits” that he got from Gravity Fries downtown while they were searching around there. To Lapis’ surprise, she actually enjoyed the snack quite a bit, though she was somewhat anxious when Steven and Mabel informed her that eating was something she’d have to do regularly now that she was a human.

In fact, the reality that she was no longer a Gem but rather a human on its own was enough to keep her lying awake in bed even after Steven and Mabel had already fallen asleep. In the full moonlight streaming into the attic room, Lapis stared at her hand—her now flesh-covered, pale, human hand—as she let her thoughts wander. How did something like this even happen? How had she been torn away from Jasper and put here, of all places? How long was she going to stay like this? Was it ever possible for her to return to her original form? And most importantly, the question that had been largely plaguing her all day, even about her own concerns about herself: where could Dipper have gone to? The former Gem couldn’t deny that her now human heart ached whenever she thought of the mysteriously missing boy, the boy who, even during her own self imposed imprisonment in the lake, she had missed so very much each and every day. Lapis couldn’t deny that she wanted to see him, probably even more than she wanted to be a Gem once again. As far as she was concerned, thoughts of anything else other than finding him and bringing him home could wait. To know that he was safe and sound and where he belonged would be more than enough to set her worried mind at ease. Which was why, as she slowly drifted off into her first fitful, fretful slumber, the last thing on the former Gem’s mind was the warm reassurance Steven had offered both her and Mabel just a few hours prior. A reassurance she hoped more than anything would come true:

“Don’t worry! I’m sure we’ll end up finding Dipper tomorrow!”

Except they didn’t. They didn’t find him then, or the next day, or even anytime in the days or weeks after that.

And when they finally did find him, he was in the last place any of them had ever thought to look.

Earlier…

A flash of blinding light sparked from the depths of Lake Gravity Falls, completely filling its empty surface, though no one was around to see it. Likewise, no one was around to see the tiny, squarish blue stone drop into its murky waters from seemingly out of nowhere, sinking lower and lower, down towards the bottom of the deep lake on its own accord. For a moment or two, fish occasionally flocked to it, investigating the odd, dully shimmering gem until, out of nowhere, light began to explode from it, scaring the sealife away as a small humanoid shape began to form around it. The light took on a bright blue pigment as it began to define its previously amorphous form, with clothes and features taking shape as the gemstone found its place upon its forehead. And, with another flash of solidifying light, the radiant glow disappeared, once again sending the lake depths in obscuring darkness and leaving a small, singular figure floating in its place.

Upon regaining some sense of cognizance and feeling, the very first thing Dipper did was abruptly open his eyes, taking in a sharp gasp the moment he did, only to inhale a large mouthful of water instead of air. As panicked and disoriented as he already was, his first instinct was to panic at the thought of drowning, flailing about as he floated just above the lakebed, neither rising towards the top nor sinking to the bottom all the while. It was only as he unintentionally ended up taking in more water that he noticed something both relieving and alarming; he wasn’t drowning. In fact, it seemed as though he was somehow able to breathe within the water just as easily as he could breathe air.

“W-what the…?” Dipper trailed off, whispering to himself as he began to curiously touch his throat only to stop short upon stealing a glance at his hand. For a brief moment, he thought it was simply a trick of the incredibly low light surrounding him on all sides, but upon a second glance, he realized that his hand was indeed somehow strangely blue as opposed to its normal pale pigmentation. He was quick to discover that everything else about him was some varying shade of deep blue too: from his skin, to his clothes, to his shoes, to even his hair as it covered what he found to be the most disconcerting of all: his birthmark. While it was usually mostly unnoticeable considering he kept it concealed so well, Dipper couldn’t hold back a soft gasp of surprise as he realized he could actually feel the copy of the constellation on his forehead, smooth and solid and almost… stone-like to the touch.

For a moment, Dipper took pause, his hand floating away from his birthmark as he tried to make sense of exactly where he was and what was going on. Surrounding him all around seemed to be a vast aquatic void, with only the occasional deepwater fish, plant, or sunken canoe to be spotted anywhere nearby. With nothing visual to go off of, the most Dipper could do was think back to how he might have ended up in a place like this when, as far as he knew, he had just been in the shack’s attic just a few minutes prior. The last thing he remembered was his own exhaustion amidst his endless attempts at trying to decode the laptop’s password, but that was it. He couldn’t recall falling sleep, which meant that there really wasn’t any chance of this being some sort of dream. Even so, he couldn’t help but feel as though he was missing an important piece here, a piece that, if he ended up actually remembering it somehow, could quite possibly explain both his unknown location and his bewildering condition at the same exact time.

However, instead of finding that missing piece, he soon found something, or rather someone else entirely. Or rather, they found him.

“YOU!” The outraged shout boomed across the lakebed, scaring off any fish that was even remotely in the vicinity. Dipper, on the other hand, froze up completely, his eyes going wide as the massive shadow of a Gem he had hoped to never encounter again fell upon him. Yet before he could fearfully spin around to face the vicious warrior, she did the job for him, unexpectedly grabbing him by the arm and wrenching him around roughly. Dipper had only a moment to register the thought that such a maneuver could have easy broken his arm entirely as he glanced up and shuddered with unconcealed alarm at the fact that he was now somehow face to face with none other than Jasper herself. “I know you,” the orange Gem growled, scowling fiercely at him all the while. “You’re her favorite little human pet, the one she wouldn’t stop thinking about while she kept me chained down here! So why are you here? And where is she?!”

“W-who?” Dipper dared to venture, his voice much smaller and more frightened than he had hoped it to be. “Lapis?”

“Who else?!” Jasper snapped hotly, her already inescapable grip on his wrist tightening. “Up until a few minutes ago the two of us were fused, just like we’ve been for weeks now. And then all of the sudden you show up and she disappears! What’s going on here?!”

“I-I don’t know!” Dipper answered truthfully, confused just as much as he was terrified. In fact he was so disoriented that he barely even registered an essential part of what Jasper had just said, namely that her and Lapis had been fused. Which meant that, even though it was really beyond all sense of logic, they weren’t fused anymore. “I was just-”

“Quiet!” the orange Gem barked harshly, giving the unfortunate boy in her grip a violent shake. “I don’t know where she thinks she gets off, just running off after everything she did and leaving you behind to-” Jasper cut herself off, her confusion with the unfolding situation seeming to grow as she noticed something that only seemed to anger and disgust her even more. “What is that?”

“W-what?” Dipper tried to glance up at whatever it was Jasper was pointing at, only to find that she was oddly referring to him. Or rather, to his forehead.

For a moment, Jasper didn’t answer, opting to finally relinquish her tight hold on Dipper’s arm only to suddenly grasp his chin instead, still effectively holding him in place as she swept a bit of his hair up to find something that made her gasp in clear shock as she finally let go of him altogether. “You’re not a human!” she exclaimed, obviously baffled as she continued sending him the same bitter glare as before. “You’re a Gem!”

“Wha—no, I’m not!” Dipper countered, though he still lifted a curious hand up to his now tangible birthmark, wondering if Jasper might have somehow confused that for a gemstone somehow. But then again, his now oddly blue coloration, his strange, newfound ability to breathe underwater… both of these things seemed to speak to the contrary. Which in and of itself was an alarming possibility he didn’t even have time to think about as Jasper continued, apparently growing even more incensed by the second.

“I get it now…” the orange Gem growled coldly. “The little game you and her have been playing… the reason why she wanted to protect you so badly that she decided to trap me… You’re a Lapis Lazuli, just like her!”

“N-no!” Dipper tried to protest, knowing that such a claim was completely preposterous. “I’m-”

“Let me guess…” Jasper continued, her feet firmly planted on the lakebed as she marched closer towards him. While Dipper had the wits about him to wisely float backwards out of her immediate range, he was still largely too engulfed by fear to make a real escape attempt. “You two came out of the same Kindergarten, didn’t you? I know you Lazulis like to travel in flocks. So when she got stuck on this backwards planet, you were the only one of her kind still left around to take care of that mirror she was trapped in. Then, when she flew back here to warn you that we were coming, you tried to hide yourself by shapeshifting into that weak, pathetic form you’re in now, just like Rose did! But it didn’t work, because I’ve got it all figured out now...”

“No, y-you really don’t, trust me,” Dipper tried to clarify, though of course, in her ongoing anger and thirst for vengeance, she was hardly listening to him.

“And… since she took so much from me… and now that I know just how much you really mean to her…” A sly, almost sinister smile crossed the orange Gem’s face as she stood essentially towering over him menacingly. “I think its only fair that I return the favor and take something from her…”

Dipper didn’t even have a chance to ask what she could have meant by this before she suddenly latched onto his arm yet again, wrenching him upward before, surprisingly, spinning him around with almost a flare of what could have been mistaken for grace. She relinquished her hold on him for just the slightest second and in that second, he did all he could to try to swim away, only for her to pull him back down by his ankle before he could really make any progress at all. Once she had him back down, she began swiftly spinning them both around in something that almost seemed like a dance. And it was as Dipper realized this, that he realized with a burst of apt panic exactly what Jasper was trying to do.

“W-wait!” he cried as Jasper’s smug smirk only deepened at his obvious fear. “Don’t-”

“Go ahead and beg all you want, Lazuli,” the orange Gem hissed with a hateful sneer as she suddenly dipped him low, just as she had done with Lapis on the lake shore weeks ago. “I begged too, for weeks on end, in a futile attempt to escape her,” Jasper’s grin only deepened as the gemstone that was in the place of her nose began to take on a bright white glow. “But it never worked; if she had her way, she was going to keep me trapped down here forever. All because of you!” Dipper gasped in growing alarm as the same sort of glow began to pour from his birthmark, or, as he now realized with a sense of sickening shock, his gem. “Well now its your turn to see what that’s like. I hope you enjoy it, because just like she said, I’m never letting you go!”

With this final, fierce proclamation, she roughly pulled him towards her, a blinding light enveloping them both. While Dipper’s past experience with fusion was extremely limited, he knew that both times he had formed Stepper with Steven had felt absolutely nothing like this. With Steven, the act of fusion had felt warm, calming, even welcoming, even if the initial aftermath had been largely tremulous and uneasy. But with Jasper, fusion was anything but those things. It was like she was throwing him into a tight cage and throwing away the key. It was like she was anchoring him, weighing him down to the bottom of an ocean that, even with the ability to breathe underwater, he would surely drown in. It was like—no, it wasn’t like, it was her trapping him, locking him into something he wanted no parts of and desperately wanted to escape.

Which was why, even as the eventual fusion gained its form, it was screaming, half of it crying out for release while the other half simply laughed vindictively. As a result, their sharp-toothed maw split cleanly down the middle as their form solidified, resulting in two mouths, two sets of eyes, and six sets of arms, two of which acted as legs. Most everything about this fusion was monstrous, yet familiar, their coloration a mix of mangled, sickly greens and their build bulky, awkward, and uneven. Their white hair was a wild, untamed mess, their skin markings garish and garbled, and their newly-shared mind a complete and utter disaster as they both were forcibly plunged into its darkened depths.

As for the fusion themselves, they hardly faired much better as they were still caught in a chaotic flux of sadistic satisfaction and horrified anguish over the realization of the awful monster they had become. “Augh! L-let me go!” they screamed through one of their two mouths, their voices mangled together and uneven yet nightmarishly unified all the same. “Not a chance! Not until you see just how much she made me suffer because of you!”

At this unhinged declaration, the fusion, out of sheer desperation alone, reached up to the far off surface of the water far above them, hoping they could somehow breach it and alert someone, anyone to their horrific plight. Unfortunately, before they could even get anywhere close, a sudden chain, composed entirely of water, rushed up from the lakebed, latching onto both of their wrists and keeping them anchored heavily down to the ground itself.

“N-no! Stop! Please!” they begged, not even bothering to hide how outright terrified they were by this seemingly possible, absolutely miserable turn of events. “I-I already told you! I’m not a Gem! Hmph! You really are stupid if you think you can fool me again!” they sneered, yanking the chains back to force them down even more. “If you’re ‘not a Gem’ then how did we just fuse? I-I don’t know! I don’t even know what’s going on! P-please, I just want to—Ha! You really think I care about what you want?! The only thing I care about is making both you and her pay for what you both did to me! B-but I didn’t—QUIET!”

The fusion gasped as an entirely new set of watery manacles suddenly latched around both sets of their feet, pulling them down until they were basically tethered to the lakebed itself with no hope of escape whatsoever. “I’m done listening to what you have to say!” they barked harshly, so caught up in their lust for revenge that they didn’t even place any second thoughts or concerns with the other, absolutely panicking half of their ruinously shared mind as they essentially drowned him in the darkness of their fusion’s hatred altogether. “She might have tried to protect you, but she failed. You both failed! Because from here on out, you’re not a Lapis Lazuli or a human in disguise or anything else anymore.” At this, one of the fusion’s mouths leered into a sickening smirk while the other one quivered in pained whimpers, heartbroken tears starting to well up in two out of their four eyes as they began to sink, quite literally, into their unimaginable fate. “The only thing we are now is Malachite. So get used to it; because as long as I’m around to keep us together, that’s something that’s never going to change.”

The first few days and nights were, simply put, completely unbearable. True to her word, Jasper kept Dipper, and by extension, the newly-recreated Malachite tightly chained to both bottom of the lakebed as well as to the murky, inescapable depths of their now forcibly shared mind. And from the very moment his unexpected, nightmarish imprisonment began, Dipper wanted nothing more than some form of release from it. A release that seemed like it would never end up coming.

In fact, if there was any one word Dipper knew he could use to sum up his still relatively newfound existence as Malachite, then that word would be drowning. Largely because a majority of his time seemed to be spent doing exactly that in just about every sense of the word. He seemed to always in a state of constant drowning; drowning literally in the toxic waters of Malachite’s dark and desolate mindscape, drowning in the mire of hatred of the Gem who had cruelly trapped him in the name of her own vengeance, and drowning most of all in his own crippling, crushing fear that he’d never be able to escape, a fear that only steadily grew the longer it went on for.

In fact, the only times Dipper didn’t feel like he was drowning were the rare occasions when Jasper, for whatever reason, decided to dredge him up to the surface level of their forcibly shared mindscape. The orange Gem only ever did this for the sake of antagonizing her unfortunate hostage, by giving him a glimpse of the sparse rays of light that shined through the surface of the lake far above them, light that offered the elusive promise of hope and freedom. Promises that, Jasper would all to quickly remind him, he would never achieve again as she always ended up dragging him back down to their cripplingly cold subconscious, never even allotting him a single moment or inkling of any sort of control over their twistedly fused form whatsoever. In fact, he was lucky if she ever even let him have a word in edgewise against him, always callously brushing off all of his fierce, sometimes downright desperate attempts to fight back or resist against her. And yet, for as much as Jasper’s vengeful cruelty was starting to wear him down more and more, the worst part for Dipper by far, was that he essentially had no idea how he had even ended up in this seemingly unending waking nightmare to begin with.

In the agonizingly long stints of lonely drowning he had to endure, the question of why he was there at all was really the one Dipper was really able to grapple with. As chained as his hands were, he wasn’t really able to reach up to his forehead, but as far as he knew, there was a gemstone there, a gemstone that, by all accounts, apparently made him a Gem. The fact that he had been able to fuse with Jasper at all was proof enough of that, as disconcerting and alarming as the very thought. And yet how exactly he had somehow changed from human to Gem and wound up in the lake in Lapis’ place was a complete and utter mystery to him, one that, he believed if he could figure out the answer to, then perhaps he could begin to puzzle out how free himself from his current, miserable plight. The only problem was, he had no idea where to even start.

That is, until the day the normally lonely, dark corner of Malachite’s mindscape he now called home received the very last visitor he could have ever expected.

And what a surprise it certainly was for Dipper when, amidst floating miserably and silently in the dreary, empty darkness, a sudden sadistic, familiar cackle echoed through the water, sending heavy ripples throughout both it and the newly-turned Gem trapped within it. Ripples that turned into outright shock as a certain triangular demon suddenly materialized quite out of nowhere before him.

“Well, well, well, look at you, Pine Tree!” Bill exclaimed in bright greeting, startling Dipper quite a bit by his abrupt appearance. “Turns out you don’t make that shabby of a space rock after all, if I do say so myself. You’re still pretty shabby overall though; guess some things never change, even if your species does!”

It took Dipper a brief moment to break out of his relative alarm, but when he did, he was still rather baffled by his new, rather unwelcome ‘guest’ all the same. “B-Bill?! What… what are you doing here?”

“Aw, come on, kid, isn’t it obvious?” Bill asked, only for Dipper to shake his head in continued confusion. “Seriously? You don’t remember?” the demon pressed, almost surprised by this fact before letting out an exasperated groan. “Hmph. Guess I should’ve figured that suddenly having your entire human DNA rewritten into nothing a bunch of solid light molecules would scramble your brain up a little bit. Well, it would if you still technically HAD a brain anymore! But if you’re still in the dark (which you definitely seem to be right now) then let me refresh your memory for ya, Pine Tree!”

Surprisingly, true to his word, Bill did just that with a simple snap of his fingers, one that sparked a brief, bright glow in Dipper’s gemstone and instantly filled him in with flashes of everything he needed to know. He saw himself, human and free from the fused oppression he now knew; he saw Bill, cheerfully rattling on about some kind of ‘deal’ that would help free Lapis from her own dire straits; and finally, he saw himself accepting that deal, desperate to finally rescue the blue Gem who had done so much to rescue him, he saw himself shaking the demon’s flaming hand, he saw himself disintegrating into nothing but pure, formless light, he saw Bill somehow compress that light into a deep blue stone, one in the very same shape as his own birthmark. And finally, he saw the demon carelessly drop that stone into Lake Gravity Falls, into the very spot where it would be easy, almost inevitable for Jasper to find him and force him to fuse with her.

And just like that, he finally had it all figured out.

“Y-you!” Dipper gasped, pulling back away from Bill as much as he could with his arms and legs still changed as they were. “You did this! You’re the reason why I-I’m… I’m a Gem, and why I’m here, and trapped with her and-”

“Yeah, yeah, kid, no need to waste any of our time reiterating what we both already know,” Bill remarked, clearly not taking the new Gem’s apt anger seriously.

“Why?” Dipper interjected before the demon could get any of his callous remarks out, largely since he was seething with so much raw fury over how Bill had effectively turned his entire life upside down altogether. “Why would you even do something like this?!”

“Because its hilarious, Pine Tree!” Bill laughed unapologetically. “Or wait, guess I can’t really call you that anymore, seeing as how you’re the new Water Wings and all! See what I mean?” With another snap of the demon’s fingers, Dipper’s gem glistened briefly once again, though this time, a wide pair of rather elegant aquatic wings, almost identical to Lapis’, unfurled from its spot on his forehead, catching him off guard quite a bit, though the somewhat embarrassing sight only elicited even more twisted amusement from the sadistic demon. “Ha! And just when I thought this couldn’t get any more priceless! I don’t know why you look so cross, ‘Water Wings’! After all, I’m sure you’ll catch some great headwinds with those beauties, huh?!”

Dipper only offered the demon a hateful glare before glancing fretfully up at his new wings, ones that he tried to force back into his gem, though despite all of his mental straining, he had no such luck, much to his ever growing frustration with his situation as a whole. “T-this wasn’t our deal, Bill!” he shouted furiously, a part of him realizing he probably looked quite ridiculous with his watery wings coming out of his forehead, though he hardly cared.

“Oh, see, that’s where you’re wrong, kid,” Bill said. “See, I seem to remember you promising to stay outta my way in exchange for freeing your friend. But that means that somebody had to take her place, and since you wanted to save her sooooo badly, I figured you’d be the perfect fit!”

“But you never mentioned anything about turning me into a Gem or about Jasper forcing me to fuse with her!” Dipper countered hotly. “In fact, you hardly mentioned anything at all! I didn’t know anything about what I was getting myself into because you lied about it all! This isn’t fair which is why I’m calling our deal off. Change me back and get me out of here, Bill, now!”

“Aw, sure, I’d be more than happy to do that for ya, ‘Water Wings’,” Bill remarked, though his tone darkened somewhat as he pressed a bit closer to the new Gem. “Giving you back your boring old human meatskin would be a piece of cake! Of course… you do know that means that everything will go back to the way it was before. Which means… Water Wings—or I guess I should call her Pine Tree now—has to come back here to Stripes too, right?”

“W-what…?” Dipper took pause at this, his eyes widening at the alarming implication. “What… what do you mean? Where is Lapis anyway? What did you to do her?!”

“Well, I put her in your place, duh!” the demon quipped, pointing down to his flat form as it depicted an image of Lapis herself, surprisingly completely human, sitting sandwiched in between Steven and Mabel. While there were hints of worry in all three of their expressions, they still smiled to one another, their happiness only growing as the former Gem hugged both of the kids close to her, clearly relieved to be free and with them instead of trapped and alone. The very sight of finally seeing a genuine smile on Lapis’ face after so long stirred something warm up inside of Dipper, and even despite his own horrific circumstances and the fact that he couldn’t be happy there with her, he still couldn’t deny just how glad he was to finally see her released from the nightmarish prison he now found himself trapped within.

“Y-you… you turned her into a… a human…” he mused, his voice almost a whisper as he continued staring at the depiction of Lapis with a ghost of a smile on his face.

“Ya got that right, kid,” Bill remarked evenly. “I gotta say, the shift from Gem to human was probably a bit of a downgrade for her, but hey, at least she’s finally outta this unending hellhole of pain and misery, huh? Then again, I guess she won’t be for too much longer since you’re so deadest on getting outta here yourself and forcing her back in, right, Water Wings?”

Dipper practically froze as Bill once again extended his hand out to him, blue fire licking at it as he offered him the promise of freedom, safety, and normality yet again. A promise that, by all accounts, as much as he wanted it, he knew he couldn’t take. Not when Lapis had already suffered languishing imprisonment for so long. Not when she had sacrificed almost everything she had just to protect him. Not when she was finally free and happy and living a life she never really got to enjoy before. True, Dipper did miss his own freedom; he missed Mabel and Steven and Stan and the Gems and being a human and even Lapis herself. But as much as he wanted all of that back, as much as he wanted his very life back, he knew that taking it back while taking it all away from Lapis would be nothing more than selfish, especially in light of how much she had given up for him before. And though the thought of being locked away in agonizing solitude with no one but the carelessly cruel Jasper to keep him company was nigh unbearable to him, Dipper knew that he had no choice but to endure it. After all, if Lapis was willing to go that far for him, then it was only fair that he return the favor and do the same for her.

“N-no…” he finally sighed, looking away sadly as he thought of all he was giving up. His family, his friends, his future… all of them would now only be a distant dream he’d never be able to have anymore. And even despite his righteous resolve, that alone was more than enough to bring a tear to his eye. “I… I can’t… As long as she’s safe and happy out there, then… then I’ll stay down here, like this…”

“Forever?” Bill pressed with almost twisted curiosity, clearly reveling in getting his way in the matter.

“F-forever…” Dipper muttered in defeat as that tear finally fell, knowing that, just like that, he had sealed his now hopeless fate, once and for all.

“Well, if you say so, kid!” the demon quickly pulled his hand back, taking Dipper’s seemingly only chance for freedom along with it. “But just so ya know, from here on out, there are no more take-backsies! Which means you’re pretty much stuck in here with Stripes for the long run!”

“Yeah, I… I know…” Dipper acknowledged quietly, looked down at the chains that would now keep him bound and trapped for the rest of his existence, however long that might be.

“Then I guess that’s that!” Bill concluded brightly. “Ya know, it really is a shame, Water Wings, that Pine Tree will never get to know just how much you’re giving up for her here. But oh well, with that new short human lifespan of hers, its not like she’ll have way too much longer to feel guilty about it. Unlike you, kid; you get to spend the next several millennia hanging out down here with Stripes. Who knows? Maybe by the time she decides to let you out, some of the people you love and care about will still be around… Nah, I’m just kidding, they’ll all be long dead and gone by then! Ha! This can’t get any better, can it!? But, I guess if you don’t have any further need for my ‘services’, then I’ll just be taking off here. See ya, Water Wings! Oh, and have fun spending the next few thousand years as a lonely little prisoner inside of a grotesque, hulking monster of a Gem fusion! Like always, I’ll be watching you!”

And, without sparing another word to the hapless new Gem he had so cruelly deceived, Bill disappeared, leaving Dipper alone in the dark depths of Malachite’s mindset once again, a prison that only seemed even more suffocating as he realized he had just condemned himself to being confined to it forever. And as that realization sunk in more and more, his aquatic wings finally dissipated in his growing despair, his eyes welling up with more and more tears that he was powerless to contain as they came out in heartbroken sobs.

Though Bill had told him he’d exist practically forever, Dipper felt as though his life might has well have ended right then and there. Because now, as a result of his own haste and foolishness alone, he’d never again get to experience anything but the empty darkness currently surrounding him, he’d never know anything but Jasper’s senseless burning hatred and cruel punishments and torture. He’d never again get to feel the warmth of the sun or breathe in the fresh morning air or even exist as his own being, his own person outside of the monstrous fusion he now was. He’d never get to hang out with Steven or Connie or Stan or even any of the Gems again, never tell any of them just how much they all meant to him. He’d never get to see Mabel again, to make amends for their final argument or take back the heated words he regretted so much now more than ever. And perhaps worst of all, he’d never get to thank Lapis for her sacrifice, for taking on the immeasurable burden he had now accepted in her stead. He’d never get to keep up his end of the promise he had made to her, that they would be safe and happy and together once again. He’d never get to do any of that, and he only had himself to blame for selling it all away in a moment of pain and desperation, two things that would now only accompany him forevermore.

Because now, he was just as Jasper herself had said; nothing more than a prisoner, a piece of the monstrous Malachite and all that they entailed.

And, from then on out, that’s all he ever would be, for the rest of time itself.

Or at least, that’s what he thought.

It took almost a month for any of them to finally discover where Dipper had been for so long. And when they did, it was in the least expected, and most alarming way possible.

Because when, after another long night of combing the surrounding area near Gravity Falls for any hopes of finding him, Dipper began to suddenly and inexplicably appear in Steven’s dreams, Lapis, Mabel, and the Gems all pressed him to keep going, to look further for the longtime missing boy who had seemingly vanished without a trace. And it was only as Steven found himself dropped into a vast, shadowy teal ocean, one that’s bitter cold water seemed to carry a feeling of mournful agony and hopeless suffering to it, that he finally, finally found Dipper. Though the state in which he found him was anything but relieving.

He floated amidst the seemingly fathomless ocean only a few feet away, his head hung and his eyes closed in an expression of complete and utter beaten exhaustion. Though what concerned Steven the most upon a first glance wasn’t just the fact that his entire coloration was now inexplicable shades of dark, deep blue; rather it was the thick, watery chains locked tightly around his wrists, ankles, and even his neck, all keeping him secured tightly in place, for whatever reason. Something that wasn’t going to continue for too much longer if Steven had anything to do about it.

“D-Dipper!” the young Gem cried, launching himself forward amidst the water he could somehow breathe in. This call was surprisingly enough to rouse Dipper from whatever stupor he was in as he weakly glanced up at Steven, letting out a gasp of shock to see anyone other than Jasper for the first time in what felt like years.

“S-Steven?” he asked, immediately perking up with both surprise and with oncoming fear as he glanced up anxiously. After all, in light of his self-imposed isolation here, he could have never expected Steven of all people to show up, though seeing such a friendly face hardly relieved him now. “W-what are you doing here? No, wait, how did you even get in here in the first place?! D-don’t tell me she-”

“W-wait, hold on, where is here, Dipper?” Steven asked, not hesitating to get the most important details first. “Is this where you’ve been for the past month? If it is, then you have to tell me where we are so we can finally come find you!”

“…I-it… its been a month?” Dipper asked, eyes wide with disbelief upon hearing this disconcerting news, one that almost brought tears to his eyes as he realized just how long he had been a prisoner for. “I-I’ve really been trapped here all that time?”

“Trapped where?!” the young Gem insisted almost desperately, placing his hands on Dipper’s shoulders in an attempt to shake him out of his rattled revere. “Dipper, please, you-”

“S-Steven!” he suddenly interrupted, fear filling his expression even more as he looked back up to his friend. “I don’t know how you got here, but you have to leave, now, before she realizes you’re here! Please, you can’t be-”

“Before who realizes I’m here?” Steven asked, confused. “Dipper, you’re not making any sense. I-I just want to help you, which means you have to tell me what’s going on. A-are you hurt? Who’s trapping you here? Why do you seem so scared?”

Dipper hesitated, flinching away out of genuine anxiety as he stole yet another glance upward, as if he was expecting something to emerge from above. Yet all the same, he forced his very apparent dread aside to finally try and offer some concrete information as he met Steven’s fretful gaze once again. “S-Steven, I’ve been-”

Before he even had a chance to finish, however, Dipper was suddenly lurched upward by the chains binding him, and despite a brief bout of resistance against this force, he was ultimately powerless to keep himself from being pulled up sharply by whatever was above him. “D-Dipper!” Steven cried, acting on instinct as he lunged forward to grab onto his friend’s ankle and keep him weighed down, though that hardly did anything except pull him upwards as well.

“S-Steven, what are you doing?!” Dipper exclaimed in immense panic as the young Gem continued to hold on. “You need to let go! If she sees you, then she’ll-”

“N-no! I’m not letting go!” Steven insisted, tears starting to well up in his eyes that were reserved solely for the friend he had been morosely missing for so long now. “I have to save you!”

“Ugh, you don’t understand!” Dipper shot back, somewhat frustrated with his persistence. “You can’t save me! I’m not-”

Once again, he was cut off as they both finally surfaced above the water, essentially landing on top of each other as they collapsed together upon its somewhat solid, dark surface. As breathless and worn as both of them were, however, neither of them had much of a chance to recover as they were joined by a new figure altogether.

“Alright, what’s with all the noise down there?” Jasper growled to her unfortunate captive as she marched over to him, her expression set in an unsavory scowl as she practically towered over both Dipper and Steven. “I thought I told you to…” The orange Gem suddenly trailed off, her eyes widening with shock as she noticed the young Gem in particular as he slowly began to pick himself up off the ground. “It can’t be… Rose?!”

“J-Jasper!” Steven sucked in a sharp, frightened gasp as he quickly stood, unquestionably afraid of the fierce Gem warrior who had nearly killed him in their first encounter. However, before Jasper could take another step closer to him, her approach was suddenly halted as none other than her own young hostage who had rushed to stand in between her and Steven.

“Leave him alone!” Dipper shouted defiantly, refusing to let Steven endure anything remotely close to the same kind of abuse and torment he had been going through for the past month. Unfortunately though, despite his selfless resolve to protect the young Gem, Jasper was, as always, much stronger and much more in control than he could ever hope to be. A fact that she easily proved as, with just a simple nod of her head, another burst of water shot up from the ground, one that formed something of an aquatic gag meant to silence Dipper as it latched onto him and covered his mouth. At the same time his other chains all tightened oppressively, keeping him essentially locked in place and helpless to do anything but watch in horror as Jasper sulked ever closer to the aptly frightened Steven.

“You stay out of this, Lazuli!” the orange Gem shouted back at him quite threateningly as the young Gem backed away from her apprehensively, especially as she turned to him with a triumphant grin. “And as for you, Rose… I don’t know how you got in here, but am I ever glad you’re here to see this. You thought you could take my Diamond away from me all those years ago? Well, look! I’ve taken one of your ‘Crystal Gems’ away from you!” Her twisted smile deepened as she motioned to Dipper, who was still trying his best to pull against his restraining chains, though of course, it was to no avail at all.

“Y-your… what?” Steven asked, completely confused amidst his ongoing fear. “I-I don’t understand! What are you doing to him?!”

“I’ll tell you what I’m doing,” Jasper sneered haughtily. “I’m getting even with both you and with her,” she nodded back to Dipper once more, who was only able to shake his head in worried warning to Steven, trying to beg him to get away while he still could. Something that, unfortunately, the young Gem didn’t understand as the orange Gem continued. “When Lapis disappeared and this one showed up in her place, I figured it was only fair that I make her suffer every ounce of suffering she put me through because of her! So I figured the best way to do that was to give her a taste of Malachite first hand…”

Steven couldn’t help but gasp in disbelief, his eyes wide with worry as he looked back to Dipper once more, who only looked away from him in shame out of the deal he had made, one that he wasn’t even able to properly explain for himself thanks to Jasper. “Y-you… you fused with him?” the young Gem asked with dawning horror. “But… but how? He’s not even a Gem! You can’t-”

“Ha! You really think I’m gonna fall for that tired old trick again?” Jasper scoffed, stepping over to Dipper and wrenching his chains even tighter as he pulled him towards her. “If she’s not a Gem, then what’s this?” Once again, the orange Gem roughly brushed her captive’s hair aside to reveal the stone fixated to his forehead, a sight that left Steven completely floored from the very moment he saw it.

“D-Dipper…” Steven said, his voice soft and sad as he looked to the new Gem, finally piecing everything about his ongoing mysterious absence together; and the picture he got once he had, was anything but comforting. “Y-you and Lapis… you guys… you’ve been-”

“Enough talking,” Jasper huffed impatiently as she roughly shoved Dipper aside to focus her attention back on Steven. “You know, Rose, I wanted to finish you off in front of what’s left of your pathetic army. But since you’re already here, I might as well make the most of a perfect opportunity. At least you’ll have one member of a captive audience around to see you in your shattering moments…”

It was clear that Jasper was taking quite a bit of sadistic pleasure in the obvious fear as was causing Steven, especially as she towered over him, her heavy helmet summoned and ready to land a brutal blow upon the defenseless young Gem before her. And yet… before she could throw her helmet down, something completely unexpected happened instead.

In an instant almost too quick to notice, a sudden burst of water lashed out at the orange Gem, latching itself around her neck in a thick, bulky chained manacle. Jasper lurched back, startled as more chains began to wrap around her wrists and even her legs until they managed to pull her down to the watery ground altogether. “W-what?!” she gasped, shocked as both her and Steven glanced back to none other than Dipper. His own chains and even the gag were completely gone, replaced by orbs of water that seemed to control Jasper’s chains entirely as they surrounded his tightly clenched hands. But what was by far the most surprising was his expression: fierce, outraged, and absolutely hostile as he struggled to pull the orange Gem back away from Steven and towards himself instead.

“I-I said… leave him alone!” he shouted as he threw his hands down, brutally shoving Jasper back down into the depths that were usually his prison. It was easily the first time he had ever had any semblance of actual control of Malachite’s mindscape, which was why he was left in slight shock as the orange Gem disappeared, leaving him and Steven alone and relatively safe, if only for a moment.

“D-Dipper…” Steven began rather breathlessly as he slowly began to approach the new Gem. “T-that… that was… are… are you really a Gem now?”

The most Dipper could do as the young Gem posed such a question was let out a small sigh, averting his concerned gaze once again as he instead looked to the water now surrounding his hands. “Steven, I-I-” Suddenly, he was cut off as his hands were pulled sharply downward, clearly by Jasper trying to work her way back up to the surface once more. Which of course, meant that there wasn’t much time before Dipper knew he’d be pulled back down in her place, with not a single soul to relay what could very well be the last message he might ever be able to get out. And so, he wasted not a single moment in telling the young Gem everything he could in what little time he had left. “S-Steven, listen to me!” he said, his tone serious and intent even as Jasper continued trying to pull him back under and herself back up. “I made a huge mistake b-but there’s no way to undo that now. Right now, I need you to get out of here a-and tell both Mabel and Lapis that I’m so sorry for all of this! I didn’t know things would turn out this way, but like I said, I can’t change that anymore, so… so I’m just going to have to stay here… l-like this…”

“What? No!” Steven cried, horrified by the very thought of Dipper keeping himself trapped in such an awful state. “Dipper, you don’t have to stay here! We can—no, we will help you! T-the Gems, I’m sure they can figure out a way to split you and Jasper up and then we can-”

“No, Steven!” Dipper insisted somewhat harshly. “I can’t leave. Because if I do, t-then Lapis has to come back here and be trapped with her all over again a-and I can’t do that to her, Steven, I can’t! She’s already been trapped enough!”

“But what about you, Dipper?!” the young Gem pressed almost desperately. “You don’t deserve to be trapped like this either! Lapis wouldn’t want this; I know she doesn’t! She wants you to safe and at home and with her! T-that’s why you have to let us help you. We just want you back already; everyone misses you, Lapis misses you, I miss you! S-so just tell me where you—or I guess where Malachite’s at and we can come and-”

“Just stop already, Steven!” Dipper shouted fiercely, clearly struggling to focus on keeping Jasper anchored down at this point. “Like I said, you don’t get it! I made this mess, which means I have to deal with it, alone! I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me!”

“But-”

“Just let me do this for you, Lapis!” Dipper suddenly snapped, yanking Jasper’s chains tightly in anger before he realized how he had misspoke. His eyes were wide and pained and filling up with oncoming tears as he looked to Steven once more, reaching the agonizing realization that this was perhaps the last time he’d ever get to see him. A fact that barely seemed to barely matter and matter more than anything at all, all at the same exact time. “I-I mean… I didn’t…”

“Dipper…” Steven said sadly, reaching a shaking hand out to his suffering friend. A hand that he made no attempts to take as he pulled away in both grief and shame.

Dipper still wasn’t exactly sure how his new water wings worked, but even so, he somehow managed to summon them from his gem, awkwardly maneuvering them around himself to block himself off from Steven more than anything else, despite the young Gem’s persistent attempts to reach out to him. “I’m sorry, Steven, but… I’m not Dipper anymore…” he said coldly, his tears lost amidst the water he was trapping himself within as he felt Jasper inch ever closer to the surface, ready to overtake him at seemingly any moment. Even so, he did let out a sigh of both sadness and relief as he saw Steven begin to inexplicably vanish from their mindscape altogether just as Jasper brutally emerged back into it. Surprisingly enough, however, she didn’t immediately shove him back down as she realized exactly what his intent was. An intent that she only smiled cruelly over as she stood behind him, a hand gripped tightly on his shoulder as they proclaimed her vicious triumph, his broken defeat, and their twisted fusion, all at the same exact time in perfect, empty unison:

“We’re Malachite now…”

To be continued…

#universe falls #jen writes #water pines au #uf 3 year anniversary extravaganza #oneshot #angst #dipper #steven #lapis #jasper #bill cipher #gravity falls #steven universe #crossover #au #au week

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jess-the-vampire · 6 years

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Sky And The Forces Of The Multiverse, Chapter 9

Previous / Next The next morning sky found herself woken up by someone shaking her body, which meant she either slept through her alarm, or her alarm hadn't gone off yet. Her eyes were droopy and she wanted to go back to sleep, but instead felt a sense of deja vu when her blue eyes met familiar green ones. She screamed, taking in the sight of galexia as she remembered she was supposed to be waiting for her to get back last night. She passed out didn't she? Galexia looked fine though, in fact she looked more then awake and before sky could even ask what happened galexia was already filling in her words, "You feel asleep when i got here so i went to bed and then got up and dressed before you awoke! You should have seen dinner with the lucitors! It was FUN!". Sky gave her a look before rubbing her eyes, "I've eaten with them before, anyways is luna up yet?". The girl happily nodded, "Oh, she left to train hours ago! You should have seen her!". Sky shot up and off the bed, "Wait? She left where?"

"The training room? She says she's a knight now....is that her cover? What's my cover?". Sky struggled to reach her closet, picking out something random before searching for a hat to match. Galexia's eyes wondered over her many hats, but kept her focus on the cover she'd been talking about. Sky glared at her as she leaned over her shoulder and put her new clothes down her bed, wanting the girl to leave so she could actually get dressed, "Um look, I-I don't have a cover for you yet...uh....what do you want to be?". Galexia blinked, unsure quite yet as sky sighed, "You...don't think this is still a dream right?". "When did i think this was a dream?" "Nevermind, here, you can be...a foreign exchange student from earth. Mom won't mind, well...she shouldn't mind at least....", Galexia seemed content with that, and that was enough for sky, "Ok so, can you please leave my room?". The girl complied and sky groaned, another day, another babysitting job. She changed before joining her sister, who smiled at her outfit as sky dragged her alongside her. At least she could get some breakfast before facing whatever doom she had to deal with today, and at least galexia was still wearing her make-up for her cheekmarks, though more then likely luna made sure of that. Guess sky was going to have to order more of that. "I like your hats..looks scary.", lexi said casually, and sky shrugged, "Um thanks....i make them sometimes....". She looked over galexia to find something to compliment about her when she saw her earrings, "hey wait are those....bottlecaps?". The brunette smiled wider, as if she'd been waiting to be asked that all day. "Oh yeah, i made them last night, they were just so PRETTY!". Sky was gaping at them but she went on, "Mom and me made cute jewelry out of stuff all the TIME, she's gonna love all this cuteness". The girl was clearly about juda's age based on her features, but sky could'nt help but be baffled she was going to be a queen. Was this another Dirhhennia case? Did she have another sibling to overpass her? Because sky knew she was nothing special, but the girl next to her had been so off since they first met she couldn't help but wonder what in the heck was going on in whatever world she was from. Though how likely she was to get anything from her didn't really seem possible. Galexia suddenly pulled out something from inside a jacket she was wearing, a nice green notebook with some stickers on it. Pulling out a marker from inside her jacket, she immediately started scribbling as they walked, and sky proceeded to stop questioning it to go back to her previous thought process. Servants passed by, paying no mind to her but plenty to the gal who kept bumping into them as she scribbled into her notebook, not even phased as she bumped into them. Sky watched her put the book back into her jacket and made the choice to gab onto her arm and move her along faster to the kitchens. Grabbing some mini pancakes on the way out with some milk, as lexi picked out a fruit bowl, they made their way out of the kitchens. Sky reluctantly picked up some health snack for luna as well, just in case, though it's likely she has already eaten by this point. Sky wasn't one for training, everyone and anyone knew that, but she was more then familiar with the training grounds for their knights. In fact why her mom didn't consider training her here was something to think about. Then again it would've been more awkward being watched by a bunch of knights who were eager to train themselves, and forcing them not to train as probably worse then the kids. All around sky could spot monsters and mewmans of all shapes and sizes lifting weights, clashing swords, and chatting. If Melanie was here she'd probably compare it to some of the weird stuff she saw in teen "high school" movies. Luna was easy enough to spot, no one could mistake that blonde hair, even if it was now tied up in a bun as the girl was doing push-ups on one of the mats off in the corner. All alone, counting how many she'd done, and doing them with ease. With one hand. Making sure to avoid all the guards, who were on the best behavoir in the presence of the princess, as she made her way over. Luna didn't take notice of them, continuing to count to herself, even as galexia took a seat next to her and munched on her fruit. Sky waved her hand out in front of her to get her attention but luna was more interested in finishing what she started then be interrupted by these girls. Her pace not even wavering as she continued to kept count. "61...62....63....64...65....". Sweat was dripping off her body and sky turned her head to the side as she made her was to 70 and finished her workout. Was it too late to accuse her of actually being a shapeshifter? Sky reluctantly held out the granola she picked up and watched luna chug down a bottle of water she probably had picked up earlier, down. Catching her breath before grabbing it with a nod as her way of saying thanks before eating, "Good to see you up.....sorry, this tends to be part of my normal routine back home...". She sighed and took another sip of water, "Hope you don't mind of course, but since i'm apparently a knight in training now, no reason I can't be here...". "No it's fine I guess, might as well make yourself at home..". Her tone of voice was still less then enthusiastic and luna pressed her knees to her chest, "We're going to have to make a schedule to figure out when we can talk and what we're going to do each day, we need time to talk, and do what we need to do everyday.....i don't know how busy you were before, but considering you have lessons with our mom.....we need to work our way around all this mess. Have you called on your demon frie- judas? Yet?" "No, i haven't, i'll call him later...or text him...he's bound to be busy and yesterday was so chaotic I wanna wait just a bit....", Luna finished her snack and tossed it into the nearest trashcan from where she sat with ease, before turning back to the girls. "I've been around our knights back home, never used their training area since i had my own, but this place is quite....well...more active then I expected?". She reached up to tighten her hair's bun, eyes looking around the room, "If my mom is...y'know....the leader? and she's out, i'd think more of these guys would do their own things or be in charge of roles in her absence...". "Aww no no...her second in command is in charge for now...", sky's causal tone made the girl raise an eyebrow, "What? You don't think she'd have a second in command? Of course she has to! Mom sure won't do it and other mom..? Yeah no....". This made luna take another look at the crowd, "Ok, then whose the second in command? Most of the people in here look too young and no one in here seems to be wearing anything that shows any command...". Then galexia suddenly pulled out her notebook and showed off a picture of.... "Here she is!!!". Luna looked utterly perplexed at the scribbled drawing of a woman with green hair in a ponytail coming from her shiny helmet, her blue-green shades, and her dark skin. "Kelly?", Luna blinked before turning to sky, who gave her an odd face back, "Uh yeah? That's her alright...guess lexi met her earlier or something.....what's your problem?". "Oh no no, it's nothing I just....nevermind...anyways, as far as today goes, you two can go off and do...whatever you need to do....I'll stick around here, we can meet up at lunchtime. Talking about anything we found out or...something, you fine with that?". Sky shrugged, "Fine, whatever....i'll just text jude and stuff, i dunno how he's gonna hold up with his guests but hopefully he's in a mood to talk....you just do...whatever you were doing...". "You mean blending in?" "Yeah that." "I'll be fine....though....", she turned to galexia, a look of both bewilderment and confusion lined on her pretty face, "I suggest you keep an eye on her...". Sky gave her a puzzled look, yeah the other girl was strange but her drawing portraits of people wasn't THAT strange was it? Nonetheless, they probably outta split groups before they drew any suspicion. She stood up, urging galexia to follow her as luna went back to work, happy they talked for once without any arguments between them. This time. - Judas's end was a lot less boring. Ever since this morning he'd been active, getting his normal chores and work done, next to constant sessions to keep an eye on the girls and his brothers. Mason was assumed to still be in his garden and landon...was more then likely off brooding somewhere then anything by this point since yesterday was full of nothing but torture for him. Then again, it was also probably very possible thanks to Judas, Landon could be more or less hiding from mason with the girls, who now suddenly wouldn't leave him alone as part of his new "Wing man" status. The thought both amused judas, and made him feel a little bad, though most of his focus were shifted to the girls. He had definitely taken a liking to sunny despite the incident, she was rather likable and in the end she was still just a kid. Celeste on the other hand was a lot harder, she did nothing without showing some reluctance to doing it, and it seemed she had no actual idea how to smile. In fact the grumpy look in her face was probably her resting face by this point. Judas almost wanted to question Landon if they even did make up but then again, maybe this was normal for Celeste. He knew his mom staking guards on them was going to be an issues, both if the girls got discovered for having marks, for having wands, or for lying about where they came from and who they are. He didn't have much of a choice though, even as the prince his mother was still way more above him and those guards were not easy to move or convince to leave. At least mason was too occupied in trying to come up with idea for landon to get too involved in the girls though, which was a plus for judas, but less so for his brother. He felt very guilty for sicking their younger brother on him, but then again, landon was so painfully unsocial that some good MIGHT come from the whole thing. at least, Judas sure hoped it did. He was exhausted last night, his brain felt like dough and by the time he flopped on his bed he was out. He almost slept through his alarm this morning, the screeching noises it made eventually forcing him up and back to his routine. Though granted his routine was going to be shifted a little with the official addition of their guests. For one, he had breakfast with them, choosing to stay by them as much as he could as to try and speak to them, though he had to be careful with the guards around. Afterwards, it was landon's turn. Landon was less busy then he was and though he was reluctant about helping, anything that allowed him the chance to stay far away from mason for now was more then fine with him, though i would'nt surprise judas if the boy kept his distance from them thanks to Celeste's teasing. He still looked partially upset about the phone call and whatever mason had walked in on, but he seemed to feel better the less people brought it up. Sunny seemed to think he was alright and her smile never waved despite him and Celeste's moody attitude, trying to socialize with them and smiling alongside them. At least one of them should keep some kind of eye on them as much as possible just to be safe, while in the meantime they did what they needed to do. Judas kept his compact in his pocket, pulling it out every time it buzzed, he needed to hear from sky. If they were going to get anywhere, they needed a plan, and for now they didn't have one aside from keeping the girls secret and just keeping an eye on everyone. Which was probably not going to get them far in the long run unless the culprit practically blurted out their plans to them. Though so far, this was already off to a better start then yesterday. Judas was still nervous about everything but his head was a bit clearer. He found himself for the moment in the library of the underworld, taking some time to look into anything of interest. Hew'd already skimmed through a few different spellbooks and frankly he didn't know why he thought he'd find much here to begin with, the high commission would never let anyone have any kind of spell that allowed anyone to do what sky's wand did, for obvious reasons. Though so far, the fabric of time and the multiverse didn't seem to be collapsing, so that was a good sign at least that the presence of the girls wasn't going to cause impending doom to rain down upon the world. Though he could almost be certain the commission would notice something was off soon enough. He tossed the book he was reading into the pile and sighed, perhaps he should start somewhere else instead. He thought about asking his father considering his mother would be immediately suspicious if he was up to anything with sky again, but even then his father would probably blab to his mom anyway. Family in the lucitor family was odd, though his grandparents on both sides were great, they were some of the few relatives he could actually talk to, the rest being either dead or barely around. Even his uncle wasn't an option because he was taking a job in another state and he knew next to nothing about magic. Not to mention those that were distant were distant because they didn't want to be associated with the family. and sky thought her family was a wreck. he found himself pacing, trying to think of his next course of action when finally, his compact buzzed in her pocket. The part demon felt relieved to hear from sky as a text message appeared, he quickly read her response before texting her back. Sky: So, we have no plans....I think for now, we're just gonna keep in contact and work along as we go i guess.. Judas: That it? Sky: Guess so.....i mean, unless you have a plan? Judas: Well no, but we need to figure out how this happened....if you think it's the commission, we need to get that kinda info out of them...somehow. Sky: Well, they're suspicious of me apparently, so, don't think I'm gonna be any help Judas: What? Sky: They're suspicious that i destroyed the archives, we heard the recording jude, i'm their prime suspect.... The boy bit his lips, fangs picking the soft flesh as he took a moment to think about the situation before texting her back. He would call her, but he'd get in big trouble since he was in the library and hades knows he doesn't need to lose his phone again. Judas: Well then, maybe let us take the reigns for a bit, keep yourself out of trouble... He could already imagine sky's face on her end, a look that said: "Keeping me out of trouble? Ha ha, very funny.". So when there was a bit of a silence, as sky hadn't texted him back, he immediately tried to make up for his last text message. Judas: Look, for now, just work on your studies, help your mom, and just be careful...we can take care of it... Sky bit her lip, thoughts of what luna said last night to her re-emerging and she grumpily texted back her friend. Sky: No, let me help, let me do something at least... To be honest, judas was right, if she was under suspect she was probably better off not making herself more suspicious. But at the same time, what use would she be doing nothing this whole time? This was her wand that supposibly caused this after all. Also luna surely would be utterly annoyed if she did completely nothing instead of trying to help get her back to whatever utopia she came from, especically after telling her to "Take charge" or whatever else she'd been telling her. Judas: Well, then...perhaps you can figure our why you're wand's all fritzy.....wouldn't be weird or suspicious of you to do something like that right? Sky: Ok, i can try. Judas shoved the thing back into his pocket, only to jump up at the sight of someone standing directly in front of him. Making him fall back onto the floor and yelp in pain. When he was able to get a proper look at the situation, he met the eyes of his grandfather, who immediately helped him back onto his feet. "I'm sorry judas, didn't mean to scare you...i've been looking for you this morning for a word and i didn't want to bother you until you were done speaking to your friends.." "Oh uh.....ok...", his grandfather placed his hands into his pockets, looking down to the floor, " Sorry judas, and sorry about dinner as well...I probably should have waited till after to talk about it, I know your folks are sensitive to people wanting to cure you...". Judas's ears flickered as he put his hands out, "No no no, it's fine, I know you're all just...trying to help and....well i'm not king yet anyway, they need to know..". Fans dug into his lip as his eyes darted around the library, "I mean, a shocker is.....decent...compared to other stuff...". Sky tazing angel was still fresh in his mind despite everything and though that was the wrong call then, here.....well....if could really knock angel down, then there was a chance it could help him. At least, it could take him down if his arm did end up going nuts at least. It's interesting, 17 years of his condition with no serious consequences and you'd think him and his folks would assume it was harmless. It randomly appeared and it was a nusence, but it also seemed to show up when he was in danger or in certain emotional acts. 17 years, and despite it being annoying, it had never harmed anyone innocent. and yet, it was scary, it scared his parents, it scared everyone around him. Judas was like a walking horror to everyone. "It's not exactly a cure, but....I know you and your family just want to be prepared, and I think, we need a proper plan.", the old king started pacing, "Your family doesn't want to hurt you and I don't either, hades forbid someone lays a finger on you. But your folks need to have more of a plan if something DOES happen, we can't do nothing. You know if worst comes to worst, they have to hurt you to stop you.... and if we don't do something....those people out there will...", He stopped moving, his back to his grandson. "those idiots out there, who think you can't be king because of that curse? all they see is that lousy curse....you're a smart young man whose more then capable to handle this place and all they think of is you'll destroy us all because you can't help it....", he turned around, facing judas with a ferocity, "Then again, that's what they always have thought of every lucitor heir before you......look, you're going to be king soon judas, we can't keep waiting anymore for a solution because your folks don't want you hurt, if you're going to run this place we need to make sure that thing is under control and if it comes down to it, we need to stop it." The older man continued to ramble, it might of gotten tiring considering how often he did it, but this was normal to judas. After all his father's anger issues came from somewhere and Dave sure showed it when he wanted to. You could always tell how passionate he was during times like these, and his family tended to always be one of the biggest things he was protective and passionate about. If you crossed his family, he wouldn't hesitate to play dirty, and he was not one to hide how he felt about anything. Judas could remember countless times his grandfather would complain bout this and that, in fact this was unlikely the first time he talked about this subject in particular. But Judas just let him ramble on a bit more before speaking himself. "I know...I know....trust me, you don't have to remind me....I-I'm scared of myself enough as is..", rubbing his arm, he managed to look his grandfather right in the eyes, "When i'm king, I'll show them I can do it, just like you did....curse or no curse....i'll try at least...". he rolled up the sleeve of his cursed arm, holding it in front of him, "My parents have considered options, you know my mom and safety, but i'm still open to other suggestions....well, as long as they don't put me to death..." His shoulders sinked, trying to make the old man feel better, "It does means a lot, you're still trying to come up with solutions, it's much better then the tranquil darts and the chains suggestion at least". He watched his grandfather's face shift to one of guilt, ashamed of himself, " I was desperate at that time, I guess to them it made you sound more like an animal we had to lock up and I never wanted to make it sound that way...". He felt judas put a hand on his shoulder, "I kinda assumed after that, you were gonna stop...but here you are...". "I just...I don't want another member of my family to go through that, thomas being the first half monster to take a throne was hard enough on him. And I just don't...and your parents just....sigh....", judas pulled him into a small hug, "Well, we can't cure me or help me if we give up right?". He smiled a little, "Right...". They detached and Dave crossed his arms, "I'm sorry for laying this all out on you, again, but your parents aren't trying anymore and....sweet lucifer i hope this next one works, we don't need to worry about a cure right now, we just need to make sure we can stop it, if this stops it....then you'll be no threat...a cure can come afterwards.". Judas watched his grandfather's expression and sighed, he had an idea and spoke up, "You heard about the guy who insulted me at the ball didn't you? That's what brought this up all of a sudden....". Dave shrugged, not a shocked look on his face as if he had expected this eventually, he'd been caught., he shoulders slumped, "Don't tell your parents, but i always make sure someone is keeping an eye on you....partially for safety purposes but I never feel your father tells quite everything that happens...get the feeling he's worried i'll freak out...though...guess he's not wrong.". "Miss going to balls?" "A little...". "A little?" "Ok, a LOT...". Judas gave him a knowing smile as the man huffed, " Look, he was insulting my grandson and if i had been there i'd have given him a piece of my mind, but since i'm out of luck. Next best thing is to show him how wrong he is...". The boy smiled, it was an easy take to tell which side of the family provided landon's current issues, though he couldn't help but find his grandfather's over-protectiveness just a little charming. "I'm sorry, your poor old grandpa here is rambling and whining and wasting your time....", he leaned on a table nearby, "I'm not the king anymore, so my priorities lie elsewhere...I was so angry when I found out." "You know retirement should also be a big priority right?", Judas piled up the books he was done with in his arms and handed them over to a demonic librarian, who used their wings and flew off to put the books back in their proper places. "Pft, why deal with retirement when you can help your grandson show up some racist bullies?", His teal eyes watched his grandson as he leaned next to him, "I'll let you know when we get the device from our friends, if it doesn't work, well, we can't say we didn't try....". "Well, worst it could do is shock me and nothing happens....which is..painful....but then again considering i'm the host....If i have a harder time moving so does it..", he felt his grandfather run fingers through his hair, "thanks for taking my offer, I know your folks are just protective of you....i just.....you're an adult now...they can't baby you anymore...this curse is yours, and you need to be allowed to make your own decisions. Especially when it's something as dangerous as what your curse could do...". "They're just looking out for me....but they seemed to have eased off knowing it was something that wouldn't servery hurt me......you would have done the same for my dad...", he snorted and agreed, "Yeah, guess I would've...". They sat in silence for a bit when his grandfather looked at his watch, "I better get moving, sorry for getting so upset....I didn't mean to come here and ramble so much, you were probably busy weren't you? Before I showed up?". "Oh, no no, it's perfectly fine...we.....we needed to have this talk sometime soon, before I'm crowned...", he watched his grandfather start to head out, "Right, and uh....please don't tell your parents about the "spying " thing, they're upset at me enough for even suggesting a new cure method..." "Don't worry, i'll keep it a secret, as long as you actually take at least a little more of a break and enjoy retirement for once.", his grandfather rolled his eyes and laughed, "Never". As he was about to head out though, judas called out for him and the elder turned around, "Yes?". "Hey, before you head out? I want to ask you.....what do you think about....alternate dimensions?", his grandfather gave him a strange look and shrugged, "Why would you care to know? Thinking about other realities were you weren't cursed?". Judas nodded quickly and he continued, "I don't think they're honestly something anyone should be trying to get involved with, it's a complex system and tampering with stuff like that can change thousands of other realities, honestly it's no wonder that stuff is taboo, you could ruin billions of lives by just leaving a footprint on another world". He gave him a strnage look and judas stood his ground, "You're not thinking of-.". The boy shook his head, "Heck no, but it would be cool to think...somewhere out there....we didn't have to worry about well...hurting me at all...right?". The man nodded, suspicion dropping, "Yeah...it would be...". After he left, judas fixed his sleeve and grabbed his stuff, it was lunch time and he had to meet up with the girls. Making sure he left nothing behind as he headed out the door to find the dining hall, holding his wrist the entire way. - Luna was starting to blend in rather well among the other knights in training, and by blend in she meant keep to herself and draw no attention to herself whatsoever. Quietly listening to the gossip spread among the young adults, there was little of interest. Most of it was "Teen drama this" and "Teen drama that", talking about whose dating who and whatnot. As though that kinda stuff mattered when you're training to be one of the queen's knights. She'd rather listen to the sharpening of swords. No wonder back home she only got involved in situations like this if it were a part of her training, it all seemed so dull, so pointless. There were so many other important things at hand and this was the kinda stuff teens wanted to talk about, as if these would matter much once they became knights. Was this normal for Sky? For now she found herself in their locker room, luna planning to head out as training seemed to be over and the rest of her mates were on break for lunch. She might as well go find where lexi and sky went, or perhaps use her new position to do a little digging herself. Grabbing her things, she prepare to make an exit when she heard a whistle which froze her and everyone else in their tracks, "CADETS! IN LINE!", Luna watched the locker room but their way to head against a long way to form a line against it and she immediately followed suit. This seemed to be normal for most of the knights judging by their reactions and at first she wondered if there was an emergency when something quickly told her otherwise. The door swung open and the blonde felt herself tense at the sight of a tall woman will long green hair in a ponytail, shades, a rather large golden sword, and blue and black spiked armor. Kelly was a sight for sore eyes and she must have been very excited based on her smile. Luna stared at her, still in shock at the sight of her. She's heard of kelly before, many times, but seeing her was a whole other thing. Nonetheless she brushes it off in favor of not looking ridiculous. "Didn't mean to scare all of you, but I heard we got a few new recruits just recently and there was no way I was gonna skip them!", the trainees talked among themselves as she pulled out a list, "don't worry it's only three, then you all can go to lunch...". She read down her list, "Joey!", a large monster lady stepping forward, and luna watched as kelyl shook her hand, admired her grip and welcomed her aboard before having her stand next to her as she called out the nest name on her small list. "Sirius?! ", a shorter mewman with dark hair and darker skin stepped forward, rise and repeat, though his size didn't seem to matter much to kelly. She early welcomed him and he stood next to joey as kelly took out her list one last time, "Luna?". Luna stepped forward and hoped her marks were still properly covered up as the woman shook her hand, "Nice grip, I can tell you've worked with swords before....". Luna simply nodded, "I also love your eyes, full of determination, i can tell, welcome, i hope you're ready for knighthood.". She dismissed everyone else to turns to the three cadets, " You're new so you wouldn't know it, but i always greet new recruits that way. You'll get used to it, now that jackie is finally coming back soon, more and more are signing up to be trained, but until then, you're all stuck with me.....you know your schedules right?" They all nodded. "Good, because until jackie gets back, you'll have to attend my training sessions to set you all up and i don't suggest missing those. Now you three go get some lunch i'm going to be looking forward to working with you all, hope you all don't disappoint me...". The other two recruits left and luna followed behind, looking back as kelly nodded to her and she walked out of the locker room, lost in thought. She shook her head, she needed to focus on the task at hand, thinking about home didn't matter right now. Finding Sky was easy enough, as she was snacking in her bedroom, galexia hanging off the side of the bed, drawing. The girl digging through her mother's book of spells for anything of use as she chomped down on a bag of chips. Luna had already picked up a sandwich on the way here as she was technically an employee now and therefore treated to her own food. She took a seat on the bed herself, glancing to sky who hadn't really acknowledged her as she skimmed through the book. "Mom still has her spellbook in this universe?", She looked it over then went back to focusing on her food, unwrapping it to eat. Sky nodded, shoving more food into her mouth, "I guess i'm trying to figure out if mom wrote down any secret spells or something...I dunno, i'm stumped where I even go with this....you sure we shouldn't have my mom look it over or something?". Luna's look said that she wasn't sure, but she spoke otherwise, "I don't want to be tricked by the high commission again...the wand stays...". "Fine fine fine, so....what did you do then? I don't know a ton about what the knights do most of the time...", luna wrapped up her uneaten sandwich, slightly annoyed as she spoke, "It's not much to worry about, I just finished warm ups, spend time around the folk listening out for info, talked to the second in command for a bit. Nothing remarkable....". Sky didn't say anything in return, going back to her book, the tension in the room cut be cut with a knife and galexia's sudden words startled the other girls. "We could talk about other cool stuff! We don't have to talk about stuff you guys are bored by!", Luna simply crossed her arms, turning away her head, "It's not boring to talk about plans and our current mission to get back home, it's important!!". But galexia shook her head, "But you guys don't talk about anything else, it's just a lotta BLAH and BLEH!! Then you guys sit in silence and do nothing for a long time till your brains go all goopy and globby!." She rolled off the bed and jumped to her feet, waving her arms around, "We could talk about other cool things!! Like all the stains on the ceiling that look like animals! Or that the underworld shampoo smells like cherry blossoms! Or we could talk about the cool shocky bracelet your demon bro got!". Sky shook her head, "What? What exactly did you get into in the underworld?", the girl's eyes lit up as if she'd been waiting to be asked that all day. "Oh that's easy, Celeste almost died because of this big ole plant! And then we got sent to our rooms but i squirted shampoo all over the floor before jumping into a pile of ripped clothes! And then we ate giant bugs and vegetables and then the purple kid was offered a bracelet an-" Luna held out her hands, "Wait, slow down, you almost died to a plant? And what now?". Then she felt the blunette next to her grab her hand, "Then she made a mess, got some new clothes, and i guess went to dinner and judas got a....bracelet...?". Galexia nodded. "Ok, thanks for telling us i guess..". "You're welcome!!!". Sky tried to go back to reading, but galexia just stood there, staring, "what about you guys?". They exchanged looks but the blonde shook her head, "Lexi, no offence, but some of us aren't as eager to give out our life stories, we barely know each other. And besides, it's hard enough to tell if you're paying attention or not...you just kinda seem to be doing your own thing most of the time and we just....It's actually kinda hard to explain...". The green-eyed girl simply blinked, "But isn't it better for us to get to know each other more? My mom and dad like meeting new people, they do it all the time!". "Yes well, it's not the same for all of us, if you want to talk about yourself...it's fine, but....I want to focus on other things.". She went back to her food, opening it back up, making a napkin spread on her lap to catch the crumbs, and began eating much to lexi's misery. "Aww, that suuuuckkssss...". She flopped onto the floor, "Finneeee...". Now that sky was thinking about it, out of all the girls, lexi reminded her most of how her mom used to act as a kid. She was bubbly, active, and always trying to do things simply because she'd rather have fun then do any actual work. Except this wasn't some 14 year old girl, this was now all encased inside a 17 year old with green eyes and wearing trash for jewelry. Sky watched her mope and put the book down, making her way over to her and sitting on the floor next to the sad girl, "You know, I know how you feel....I've never really been into all the boring stuff about being queen and all that....you kinda just rather....have fun and be a normal kid...". She pulled out her wand, looking it over, "You turn fourteen, then you gotta do this, then you gotta do that...and everything then is about being queen and whatnot..". Luna finished her chewing, "You act as though that's a bad thing, being born into he royal family is not exactly common among anyone. You both should be excited! You're given an amazing opportunity and since you are, you should be happy to prove your worth to it. Not just anyone can be queen after all, it's an honor and all you have to do is get prepared for it.". Her tone seemed oddly happy, as though she was looking back on her training with a certain fondness the other girls didn't share. "And your somehow don't find the preparation to be remotely boring or exhausting?" "Not if you actually make an effort, like it or not all of us were born to be the next queen. The most you can do is make sure you're the best queen you can be instead of lying around and complaining about it, that's sure not how our mother got on the throne in all of our homes...". She finished eating and collected her trash, "Just because something is boring doesn't mean it's not important or not worth listening to, usually the most boring stuff tends to be the stuff you need to listen to most." She threw her trash into the bin with perfect accuracy, "Granted, when i'm back home what you do is your problem, but I happen to have been training to be an excellent queen since I was little . So forgive me If i don't see the problem here with training. You're going to be queens soon after all, if you don't take it seriously you're just asking for more issues.". Sky grumbled but Luna chose to ignore it, "Sorry, but that's the gist of it, we don't have time for fun and games, there are more important matters at hand.". "You're kind've a buzzkill, you know that?". "Well, considering back home i'd always carry first aid kits, maps, and lock picks every time kids my age asked to hang out with me, i think I've been made more then aware that i don't seem to have ever been the "Fun" kinda of person.", She summoned her own wand, "It's fine though, I've gone this long without that kinda stuff and I turned out perfectly fine. ". She suddenly used her wand to change her outfit expertly, going from her workout outfit to something nicer much to sky's added displeasure. "And yet you made me give you a new outfit last night...". Luna simply smirked. "I just wanted to get under your skin a little, am I fun yet?" Sky didn't bother to answer as the girl changed the subject, "Anyways your lesson is soon so i suppose me and galexia are going to be working together in the meantime...I know you still don't trust us but at this point I doubt you think we have plans to go anywhere....". Sky gave the two of them a once over, "Fair enough....but what the heck are you even going to do? We literally have no plans here besides just kinda sorta trying to get more info?". "Well, perhaps that's a good place to start, working our way up, gain their trust...get more info...", the way she said it almost sent chills down's sky's spine, she just said it so naturally, as if she had done stuff like this before. Though considering how she spoke earlier about wanting to be the best queen she can be, she probably shouldn't be remotely surprised if this girl got into some crazy stuff. She could almost imagine her kissing up to a higher up to get what she needed. "The point is, we can talk to the people here, we blend in now....just head to your classes, and let us talk around, get to know everyone....", She nodded to galexia, "I can keep an eye on her on my own, you focus on what you need to do and we do the same..". Sky twiddled her wand in her hands, don't you think that'll look kinda suspicious? You running around and asking people private questions they unlikely know about?". Luna's look was mischievous, her wand turned back into a ring, "Not if you know what you're doing..". - "You know, the last time it was just the three of us together eating, didn't quite end well...", judas carefully eyed the door of the private dining room , where the guards were still perched, hoping they couldn't listen in but speaking carefully just to make sure. Celeste shrugged, "Well as long as your creepy arm doesn't come back, i'm sure we'll be fine..". Judas frowned but Sunny gave him a reassuring smile as she took another bite out of her bug sandwich, " I think you'll be fine, I'll make sure not to run off again...". Landon had basically dumped the girls on judas for lunch without a word, probably glad to be rid of them and away from judas considering how frustrated he was. Well, dumping might've been too much for what he did, as he indeed, had kept his distance and basically walked off somewhere else when judas took his "Shift". The girl's hadne't said anything about their time thugh whether it was because there was something they didn't want to say or there was nothing to say at all judas was unsure about. "I took my grandfather's offer, on the bracelet, he'll let me know when i get it....", his fork played with the noodles on his plate and sunny's smile shifted, "daddy looked really worried about you, does this really happen a lot? With...you know?". He simply nodded, "They're my parents...they worry about me, i'm sure you guys have gone through similar things...". Sunny nodded but Celeste said nothing, simply eating and keeping to herself as judas kept on eating. "I'll be fine....don't worry about me, I've been dealing with this my entire life, you guys need to worry about yourselves..", he gave a smile but sunny could sense the pain behind it, she quietly went back to eating, trying to change the subject. "So what do you guys like to do for fun around here? Well I mean, i know fun things to in the underworld but what do you guys do?", Celeste groaned but Judas seemed to appreciate sunny's attempt to lighten the mood a little more. "Ah, well, I guess when we're not doing prince things we're normally just spending time with lucy, hanging with our parents or sky, we also i guess...play in our game room. Ping pong with our folks is honestly really fun, though since there is five of us we usually let mason ref the game a little since his big wings had knocked over the table multiple times....i don't think he minds it though. Plus me and my dad make a great team, I think at first we were worried since landon's no master at magic but mom is pretty powerful as well, so it's even to us....". "Isn't using magic kinda...cheating?", the two demons turned towards the grumpy gal, "Like who in the heck would let you use magic to play in sports? What is supposed to be fair about that? You guys are basically just trying to out-cheat each other..". "Well, it's not about competition much, it's usually for fun....we...well we like to mess with each other a lot...", he smirked, "At this point it's less that we actually play ping pong and more of us trying our best to frustrate the other as much as possible, when you have siblings, you know.". Sunny giggled, "Well, me and my brother are a little different, we don't mess with each other...or fight really.", she watched the boy nod along with her as she talked. "My baby brother has always been kinda scared of stuff and prefers comfort and stuff.....we're less like you and your bros and more...protective and comforting..", the boy's face turned back to his food, "Eh, you'd be surprised how protective we can be for each other, but honestly I wish we were more like that....at least I wish we got along as well as you seem to. Me and landon can kinda get on each other's nerves sometimes, i'm sure you've already noticed..". "I'm sure he loves you though....", Sunny's words seemed to make the boy feel a little better as he continued to eat, wrapping the noodles around his fork and slurping them down, "Yeah, i'm sure he does too.....so...speaking of ping pong, you guys up for a game? With landon leaving the way he did last night, our folks just went to bed....but perhaps, you both might be interesting in playing with us, well i guess for now..er..me? You both have played before I hope?". "Of course! We'd play sometimes back home too! But Justin gets nervous about balls flying at him so we don't really use magic or anything, so i'm not exactly used to doing the style you guys usually do.", Celeste shrugged, "Whatever, break from all the other nonsense i guess....your parents joining?". The demon shook his head, "Nah, not right now, no doubt they have things to take care of, but they may join us later, they're usually BEGGING to take a break when they're supposed to be doing other things". He leaned against one of his hands as he sat his elbow up on the table, "But if we don't have them, we're going to need to invite someone to make the teams even....landon i doubt wants to play considering last night, i'm keeping mason as far away from you as possible, and my grandparents aren't exactly an option at the moment as my grandma can never hold the paddles and my grandpa has other stuff on his mind and i'd rather he didn't get a good look at you two either..". He bit his lip, "Sky is probably at her lessons as well and luna and galexia are probably busy over there and i don't want to get too into whatever they may be up to...". Celeste grumbled, "You guys don't have any other friends you could invite? Like, at all?". The prince only twiddled his thumbs, all three red eyes looking off in the opposite direction, "Well, it's not to say we don't have any friends, we're just not exactly hugely popular with the public a lot of the time....". "What about that girl you were texting?", Sunny asked innocently, making judas's heart sink. "Girl?". "During dinner, you were texting a girl weren't you? Maybe she can come? I'm sure she'll think less of us then your relatives..". Judas put both arms on the table now, still looking off to the side, " You mean nora? I uh...sorry, i don't think she can come either, not that i think she'll be suspicious of you it's more just as....she's not very social? and her parents have never been sure of me...the arm, you know...". Celeste looked him over, scanning him over with one eyebrow raised, "She your girlfriend or something dude?". Judas's brows furrowed, "No, she's not thank you, she's just somewhat of a distant friend. Not that it matters, I doubt I can convince her to show up, so maybe we should do something else then..". The small demon girl took a sip of her juice and looked between the brunettes before thinking, "C'mon, i bet someone out there would hang out with you! Who else do you know?". "Don't you dare suggest angel..." "Landon's crush?" "Landon might have his number, but i sure don't, plus landon is already upset enough...". "Well do you know any other people...?". "I shouldn't have brought it up, i'm sorry. I was hoping to maybe do something fun and i forgot we don't have a ton of people to choose from to be our fourth... maybe after my folks are off we could do something like that but for now...I guess...we can do something else.", his tone became awkward and embarrassed, though whether it was because he forgot there was three of them or because of how little of people he seemed to know wasn't obvious. Probably a mix of both to be honest. Sunny frowned, so much for helping him feel better, if anything she seemed to just make him feel a ton worse. She looked off the celeste who wasn't paying much attention, her eyes off to the side and playing with her food as the silence grew. "Well, we could still play with just the three of us! How about this? You and me can play and cele here can ref! Just like how your little brother does it! That way none of us are left out! We could even play in shifts!". Judas looked up and nodded, "Yeah, sure, that could be fun........yeah, i mean, if you both still want to go have some fun together of course! I hope I didn't well, upset you both or anything.". Sunny shook her head, "It's ok, i have trouble with friends back home too, it's nothing to be sad about. I mean, we're friends now aren't we?". Celeste grumbled but the boy seemed to appreciate her words, nodding, "Yeah, I guess we kinda are by this point, i uh....let's finish eating and i'll show you where to go ok?". Honestly he probably should go back to the mission or find some other prince stuff to do, but he finished his normal stuff, his chores, and his most important prince stuff. And yesterday had been such a fiasco in terms of working that playing a simple game sounded so much more refreshing right now. Time to just have pure fun, get to know these girls, and take some time to think on other things. He could feel the weight of everything else hammer down on him so much that he was practically begging for something like this. Entering the game room made him smile, with his soon to be crowning in the near future, he had less and less time to think about stuff like this. But seeing it again made him feel like a kid again, as it always did when he and his family played together in here. They had a ping pong table of course but there was a basketball hoop, some arcade games, Foosball, and a number of other things. His father told him some of these used to be in his room when he was a lot younger. Sunny looked impressed when she stepped in and as the body guards positioned themselves in front of the game room door, Judas figured she probably lived in the butterfly castle and hadn't been to the underworld castle nearly as much. He suddenly found himself wondering what exactly his dad would do if he had become king of mewni. He was trained to handle the underworld but what would have happened if he ran mewni, a monster on mewni's throne, sounded rather interesting. The citizens of mewni here were already rough enough about monsters and mewmans getting married, half-monster kids, and heck they were still rough about sky being next in line since she seemed weaker then other mewmans. How the heck did sunny's world work? Was it a utopia where everyone gets along? Sunny would probably tell him if he asked but that was probably not a good idea with the guards nearby though judas kept the mental note in his mind. Sunny had already run over to the paddle shelf to pick out a paddle, taking a pink one out as just simply used his powers to grab a purple one. Celeste, simply took a seat nearby to do...whatever she was exactly supposed to be doing. She watched the two demons giggled as judas served, surprised at sunny's ferocity as she hit the ball back, "You were totally taught by our dad right? Though i could see ms star having some hand in this with you jumping so much." "Hey, i'm short! Plus jumping makes it more fun!", They seemed almost about matched based on how little the ball got passed either of them, laughing and bonding quite well. Celeste was questioning when she even showed up to be honest, she barely had to even do anything at she watched them, bored. Then again, why did she want to hang out with them anyway? She barely knew them, she didn't like them. For what reason did she even have to care if they were having fun without her? "C'mon, you gotta do better then that!", judas challenged the girl, whose three red eyes dimmed as much as his own. "Don't make me use my tail jude, that thing can pack a punch and you know it!",They kept playing for a little more when they found themselves tied and decided to end it there to let Celeste play. Celeste thought about turning it down at first, but took the paddle from judas's hands to play herself, well less took and more "Snatched", but still. She wouldn't admit to being a bit happy to play. Judas found himself looking to his compact in the meantime, no doubt sky was at her lessons already with her mother and there was no telling what nora was up to. He found his mind wandering a bit, sky had yet to properly tell him what angel used his compact for, just that it wasn't anything that mattered and they needed to focus elsewhere. Though he still wasn't pleased angel got his hands on the compact in the first place, he practically used his bit of kindness in letting him speak to the queen and he stole his stuff. Granted, Star brushed him off but it still sucked. He was going to have to keep a closer eye of it from now on, clearly his pockets did nothing to keep a spider prince's grubby hands off it. Was angel always this much of a pickpoketer now that he thought about it? He didn't see him often every since he got banned from all royal events for the trouble he caused so there was only so much he knew about the guy aside from his kingdom and how he viewed the treatment of monsters and his people. He found himself wondering if they could've been friends years ago if things were different. They didn't exactly hate each other after all and the boy did seem to have some form of respect and care for judas oddly enough despite everything. Sigh, no point in thinking about that kinda stuff now though, clearly they both had their own things to worry about. He had his mother and judas had a plethora of problems that beat at his mind every day of his life. If only things were simpler, like when they were all still too young to ever deal with matters like these. He wouldn't have to be so pressured to fix his "Problem", Sky wouldn't be so pressured to be better then her mom, Nora might've had an easier chance getting to make friends, and angel could stop trying to handle matters he probably wasn't ready to handle. His thoughts were stopped, however, as a ping pong ball directly hit his face. Right on his third eye, catching him off guard and instinctively grab onto the spot in pain. That's what he got for not paying attention like he was supposed to. Sunny gasped, running over to him, Celeste following her. Judas grumbled, knowing full well based on where he sat which side of the table had to have hit that ball, and he resisted the urge to shoot the brunette a look. "Sorry sorry sorry....", Sunny looked him over, "I missed the ball! Are you ok? I've had my eye hit a few times too and i know it's painful...". Judas brushed it off, "N-no no...it's fine it's...ah...", he briefly caught a lash of light as sunny handed him an ice pack, something she probably conjured from her wand, he mumbled a thank you and put it over his eyes, enjoying the relief it brought. "Man i'm gonna have to stop hanging out with just the two of you, seems i get injured for it a lot.", he let out a weak laugh and though it was meant to be funny, sunny still seemed upset. "Is your eye going to be ok?", The demon nodded, "I've gotten worse then this....not the first time my eye has been hurt either....". Celeste mumbled an apology under her breath and stared off to the side as sunny acted like the protective sister she was, showing she indeed probably had a brother back home she comforted and cared for. He could easily see her doing this for him, though since judas was still a stranger to her she held back just a little, not entirely sure of her limitations. "Hey, no need to fret over me so much, just give my eye a moment and we can play again, i'll get cele here back with some....proper ping pong butt kicking." He shot the girl a challenging look, "You guys play pretty well, I haven't played proper ping pong in so long i almost forgot what it looks like.". He removed the ice pack, eye feeling a bit better as it opened, "Ah, That's better, thanks sunny, does my eye look ok to you guys? Just to be safe?" Both girls nodded. "Good, c'mon, time for some payback!", He got his hands on sunny's paddle and happily took his spot on the other side of the table as Celeste made her way over to hers. She was making a face, not wanting to feel intimidated by him. He was right though, she didn't stand a chance against him. Though part of her blamed his probable half demon strength for how easily he was able to score points against her more then anything. She felt so tempted to cheat, use magic, how did sky put up with this smug looking dude anyway? As another ball zipped past her, she found herself thinking of something. Maybe she could distract him somehow? Though would he even fall for that to begin with? She put on her best face as she picked up the ball from her side. "So, your brother......i'm gonna assume by the sappy love song he was playing he has a crush on someone?". She served but Judas kept his focus on the ball more then what she was saying, waiting until he scored another point before answering her question. "What's it to you?" Celeste picked the ball up and tossed it to him to serve, "Just asking, is that a problem?". She found his eyes staring her down, skeptic of what she was doing, "I think Landon wants to be left alone right now, yesterday got him really upset...". He had to assume mason was probably still bugging him with dating advice on top of everything else, and at this rate his brother wouldn't date till his was 80. Sunny's ears twitched, looking at him with innocent eyes, "How come, did something happen?". "My brother's just not well...a very social person, i mean granted, i'm not always the most social either but between the three of us he's always had a harder time talking to people and making friends...crushes are no exception.". He put down the paddle and ball, "He and sky are the same age you know, and he's just dealing with things. Then again, we're all dealing with things....I guess it's just harder for him in some ways...". He look a better look at Celeste, making her cross her arms, "You seem about their age too now that I think about it? Sorry, i don't think I've asked either of you that." He was met with silence, making him change the subject. "Are we gonna play or not?", the mewman grumbled, fiddling with her paddle. The boy raised his eyebrow again, "Are you sure you still want to play, it's not any offense to you it's just you haven't scored a single point yet and game should be almost over soon, we could just stop and come back later if you want?". The girl simply shot him a dirty look, "Don't tell me we're done, we're done when we're done. Serve lucitor, i'll kick your butt and then you'll be sorry..". She was feisty, did she get that from his mom, or star? It didn't quite feel like either of them. At least, he hoped not. The girl looked like them, but she didn't feel like them. Bright clothes or not her eyes seemed fiery instead of the bright ones the boy was familiar with in terms of his mother. Guess in retrospect she was not exactly in a place she could be super happy but at the same time he wondered how she could store up so much anger in that little body. But then, before he could think about it, he could hear yelling from the other side of the door, followed but grunting and yelling. He felt a sudden dose of urgency, and he almost attempted to try and shield the girts in case it was an attack. But then the noise stopped, and there was discussion heard outside of it. Was something else going on out there? Then the door opened, almost casually, and judas was almost prepared for a dozen of different people to enter. Sky, his parents, his grandparents, perhaps his brothers, heck he even could've expected angel to pop in for some odd reason. What he didn't expect was the sight of a familiar green flying ponyhead trapped in the arms of two demon guards. His heart dropped. "Loki?"

#star vs the forces of evil #svstfoe #svtfoe #sky and the forces of the multiverse #tomco bby #starkie bby #janstar bby #ostar bby #starco bby #spiderslime #tomstar bby #fanfic #fanfiction #my art #King Lucitor #Dave lucitor

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