#I hope I'm right about the gloves I thought a saw a glimpse of them in the picture i saw

[star-stages]

Happy Birthday @0vergrowngraveyard ! I hope you have a great day today, I drew Atlas for you as a gift ✨💙🎂🍰

(His design is so adorable I hope I did justice to him)

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Thranduil and Josie Pt. 164- Blood Rage

Summary: Rosie stuns Josie. Legolas is stunned as well by Josie's changing behavior. She and Rahl come face to face and blade to blade after he pushes her last button. Another rune appears on Josie's body but who is drawing them for her? Another symbol could hold the answer. Rahl soon realizes what Josie is capable of. Legolas, where are you?

*Chapter Warnings* language, angst, mentions of rape, violence, sexual references

Chapter characters: Josie, Rosie, Legolas, Bash, Charles, Narcisse, Claude, Catherine, Rahl, Killer,

Chapter word count: 6,086

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist:

There was still no sign of Narcisse and you were getting ready to go find Bash when you smelled the very sweet, pungent aroma of roses like you had earlier when you saw the little girl who called herself Rosie.

Upon following the scent that led you to the foyer, there by the wall, sat the reddish haired child on a bench all alone and looking very melancholic.

"R...Rosie?"

"Hello." she softly greeted as her big round ocean like orbs met yours.

"Are you lost little one?" You asked as you pulled up a chair and sat down in front of her.

She shyly giggled. "I'm not little one, you are silly."

"What's that? you replied, somewhat befuddled.

She lowered her head and whimpered quiet cries as she nervously played with her fingers.

"Sweetheart, why do you cry?"

You reached out to comfort her and as your hand went to lay upon hers, it went right through it, just as Rahl's apparition had moved right through you.

Gasping, you yanked your hand back. "Are...are you even real?"

"Not yet." she sniffled. "I never will be if you don't find my daddy."

"Your daddy? Who is your daddy honey?"

"Josie? Who are you talking to?" Legolas asked as he came up behind you with a tilted head and furrowed brows.

You flung to your feet, holding your chest in fright.

"Jesus Legolas! I know you're an elf, but do you have to be of such stealth ALL the freaking time?"

The Prince's stance stiffened in surprise at your scolding.

"I..I'm sorry? I did not mean to startle you. Josie, are...are you alright?"

"I am fine. Why wouldn't I be??"

"Well...because you were speaking to...a wall?"

Your eyes widened and you spun back around to find the little girl gone, but her scent still lingered.

"Oh..umm. Yeah, I was just...talking to myself. Haven't you ever done that?"

"Actuallyyyy...no. Josie...I am worried about you. Lola...she informed me that you had cut your hand and that the healing waters did not mend the wound. It burned you? Is that why you are wearing gloves?"

"Stealthy and nosy as well. It's a cut, big deal and I don't have time for this nonsense. Have you seen Narcisse at all after you left your gossip session about me and god knows what else that took place in front of MY daughter with the ever so lustful Lola?"

Legolas could now see something was indeed wrong with you, for you had never spoken to him in such a manner, not even over his bickering with Haldir that always annoyed you or even about his unwanted opinions on Garrett. Slightly offended and hurt, the Elvenprince decided he would happily tell you what he had learned about Lord Narcisse in hopes that you would finally see what he had been trying to show you about the warlock all along.

"I did not. But Lola has. In a lip lock with Catherine's daughter Claude earlier tonight."

The reaction Legolas expected was certainly not what he received. He expected anger and disgust, which he did get a glimpse of in your gaping eyes, but mostly, they were filled with jealousy. Why, he wondered? For he did not know about your recent relations with Narcisse, but the perplexed Prince of Mirkwood did now as your broken shield allowed your thoughts of that night to run openly wild.

"And she told YOU this and not me?? Of course she did. Anything for you Legolas, right?"

"Why do you speak of her in this way, or myself for that matter? Has Narcisse done something more to you beyond sharing his bed, bath and body that you clearly accepted and indulged in??"

Your eyes slitted at him as your lips pursed tight.

"Legolas...Greenleaf. Now that you know how to invade my thoughts, it does not give you some elfy claim on my mind! If I had my powers right now, I would turn you upside down and use your luscious locks as a mop!!" you threatened, then huffed as you marched off, leaving Legolas with a dropped jaw.

Down the hall you stormed to the ballroom to pour another drink and as you rounded the corner, there stood Catherine looking as stunned as you were to see Claude sitting upon Narcisse's lap.

It was the only moment you could ever share the same feelings as that wretched old woman in wanting to castrate the warlock lord just as he had done to Ashir for taking advantage of Claude just as he himself was doing. Of course, you knew it wasn't him, but it pissed you off nonetheless. As far as Claude, you felt no ill towards her, for it was quite clear in the way she leered at a gawking Catherine, that she was only trying to stick it to her for pulling her into her mother's mess and also...you sympathized with Claude, because you knew what it was like to be used by your own mother and to be taken against your will by a man. It changed you and it seemed to be changing the young Princess too.

It seemed your keen senses still worked, quite well actually, if not better for some reason and you could hear Stephane's words to the red haired beauty as his animal eyes ogled her cleavage.

"Since it seems I am...unattached...would you gather my cape for me Princess and meet me in my chambers?"

Claude did as he asked and glanced back at Catherine in a victorious manner as she exited. Narcisse offered a matching demeanor as he raised his glass to to a fuming Catherine, then he caught your eyes.

With a grin and a wink, he knocked the drink back and also departed. Something told you by the devious gleam in Stephane's eyes, the eyes leading to the soul that Rahl held captive, that the evil alter was just getting started with his diabolical deeds and there would be much more to come.

As Catherine began to go after them, your raced past her, purposely and harshly grazing her arm with yours, enough to make her stumble to the side and leaving her gasping as she watched you dash around the doorway and disappear.

You quickly lost sight of Narcisse and Claude, but saw Bash and Charles from the distance, geared up and exiting the main entrance of the castle, heading out in search for Delphine in the city as Bash had promised you he would do.

"Bash!!" you shouted, out of breath as you ran down the hall and out the door only to see the two warlocks riding off on their horses.

"Oh god. Please be safe." you fearfully whispered as they disappeared into the darkness, for you did not know Bash was going to take Stephane's son with him.

They were doing this for you and if anything happened to them, you would never forgive yourself and Narcisse...well, you didn't even want to think about what he would do. He had already flipped out when his brother had been hurt by Harker and now his son would be put in danger. Charles had powers though that could help protect them and also, Aragorn, Bard and Gimli were in the city too, looking for Haldir, so you felt that it all could be a good thing, that maybe they would all find each other.

On your way to Stephane's chambers, without one ounce of fear in you at the possibility of facing down the fanged and ferocious feline, you passed a crying and very frightened Claude.

"Claude?? What has happened? Did he hurt you???"

"There is something very wrong with Lord Narcisse. You need to stay far far away from him." she sobbed and sniffled.

"Ok, ok. Try to relax and tell me what happened."

"He's lost his damn mind. That's what's happened. His rules are to use no black magic here, which as you know, is why my mother and I had been punished, yet the hypocritical cretin just used it upon me. I could feel it. The pull, to get me to give him my body."

"Narcisse...he is not quite...himself lately and you're right in a sense about him losing his mind. Long story. But..how..how did you manage to get away?"

"Something distracted him as he groped me. It was like...it was like he sensed something and stopped himself. Possibly you? I think he knew you were near."

"Or Stephane..." you mumbled.

You now thought that it may have been Stephane fighting back against Rahl and that's why he ceased his advances on Claude and if that were the case, then you might have a chance at bringing him back.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing...just go be with your baby and lock your doors for the night. And please, keep this to yourself. I will go speak with him."

"Are you mad?? What if he tries something on you too??"

"Oh, I can handle the man in that room. Trust me. Now go."

Strangely, Narcisse now had guards at his chamber door and as you approached, one opened the door for you without a word which confirmed to you that he knew you were coming and that he wanted to see you....but you were expecting to see Stephane because Claude did not mention his appearance. Surely she would have if he looked as you now saw him when Rahl himself, in the flesh, acknowledged your presence before you even spoke.

"Hello Josephine, or should I call you...Jo?"

The warlock lord of long chocolate locks stood with his back to you, then turned around with a succulent smile and sparkling sapphire eyes. He wore a collared and sleeveless red robe that accentuated his bare, muscular arms that had a sun kissed sheen from the firelight. Minus the provocative, uncovered skin, his attire reminded you of Thranduil's, as the upper half of the garment was form fitting and then blended into a loosely flowing skirt from the waist down to the floor. The neckline was of a typical flared collar and quite provocative as it openly descended in a gold trimmed V line to the waist, revealing his smooth chiseled chest and sculpted stomach. Apparently, Rahl was just as proud of his physical form as Stephane was, but clearly very much more.

"Only Stephane calls me that and YOU are not him."

"I will agree with you there. I am not my alter."

"He is not your alter. You are his!"

"Are you sure about that? I am very much aware that my meddling brother has revealed my identity to you and I know of his plans for this night and he will surely pay for that, but Sebastian knows not what he speaks of."

"Well I do. My mother created you with her black magic out of that damn book! You're not even real."

"Correction my fellow and quite lovely witch. I am very real. I existed long before Caroline used that lovely little spell to strengthen me."

"And I will find Ashmole to send you back to hell. I know all that you have done. Stephane is good. You are pure evil. A murderer. You exist because Stephane couldn't handle the things his father made him do and in that despair and desperation to protect himself, his mind, unknowingly to him, broke in two, creating someone who could please his father so he could be relieved of his mental suffering. You are merely a figment of his imagination, per se. My father ended you and you were only resurrected again because of Jareth."

"Ahhh, correction again my dear girl. I exist because I am the strong one. It is I, Darken Rahl, that stands before you, not my opposite, the pathetic and weak warlock you know and love, which is why it was so easy to reclaim my body, my soul, with of course, the aid from the goblin King. What you are right about though is MY father. Yes. Also a murderer...of my mother and I handled him. He got everything he deserved and now he can rot in the hell you threaten to send me to, which will never happen. If you kill me, you kill Stephane."

"I don't believe that at all. He didn't die before when you were banished. Do you even hear yourself? Stephane is the true and only identity. You will die, not him. And are you sure your father is where you believe him to be?? It would seem that Jareth has brought back all the evil ones to join his army of the dead. I would not be surprised if your daddy dearest was one of them."

Rahl folded his hands together over his stomach, fidgeting with his ring just as Narcisse would do, and then he approached you with a confident grin.

"If my father were to walk the earth again, I will just handle him once more. But with that said, Jareth merely opened the gates of hell. The dead do not have to return if they so choose. Being the coward my father is, I do not expect to see him. He has many enemies and many of his foes are the dead that have chosen to come back. You see, evil does not always play well with other evil. The living cannot kill them but the risen dead can indeed die by the hands of other dead. They won't all be a united army of allies. Some will kill each other and they can never return again. By the power of three times three, the twice born will see that twice dead is forever. Ashmole and those runes are not solely needed."

Your heart sank as you instantly thought of Thranduil. You knew he would never choose to be one of the dark ones, even if it meant being with you and his daughter. It was a feeling of relief but simultaneously the heaviest of heartaches. Your unanswered question to Legolas had been answered. You would not see your King again and the sadness of that vindication turned to anger.

"It will be needed for you and I will find it! I will bring Stephane back and he will help me rid of you and this curse upon him and myself. He's far from weak. His powers ignite mine and mine his."

Rahl chuckled in his amusement. "Yet you have no power. And he no more wants that book found than I do or he would have given it to you long ago."

You saw it in the wicked warlock's eyes. The real reason he chose to come back.

"Ahh, so that is why you are here. To probe Stephane's mind because he knows where Ashmole is and you don't."

"There are things we all do not know...Queen...Josephine." Rahl retorted with a smug grin, for he was now simply toying with you to distract you. "Tell me, how is that sweet child of mine, Lola?"

"What???"

"I thought that would get your undivided attention. Lady Lola, the meek one you have taken under your wing. She is my daughter. Her mother, Jocelyn, I believe you knew her quite well."

"You're...you're lying! You're just fucking with me because it gets you off to screw with people. Her mother can't be the Jocelyn I knew. How is that even possible??"

"Oh, it's very possible. There's so much you do not know but I'm not much up to explaining anymore to you, for your dirty words have made me feel a bit...aroused. I would most definitely love to fuck with you. It would easily get me off, yes. Maybe we could meet for a ...bath...later?" Rahl proposed in a slithering manner as he teased a lock of your hair between his fingers.

You realized you had stupidly set yourself up for that one and it now became clear to you that Rahl had all of Stephane's memories but Stephane did not have all of Rahl's from what Bash had explained. If it were even true, Stephane obviously didn't even know Lola was his daughter and you could see why Jocelyn wouldn't have told him. Did Rahl do to Jocelyn what he had just tried to do to Claude? And what about Sarah? How did she end up with Jocelyn and not Lola? Your mind was spinning like a top. And as far as the whereabouts of Ashmole, Stephane had it deeply hidden in his mind just as well as he had it hidden somewhere in his castle and you now understood as to why he didn't tell you where it was. Would it kill him too? Like Rahl said? Was Rahl really the sole proprietor of the body before you?

Forcing your thoughts away, you grabbed his wrist, the wrist that held the same butterfly birthmark as Stephane's.

"Don't you ever touch me without my permission. Just ask Stephane how that turned out for him once upon a time."

Chuckling again, Rahl ignored your warning and yanked you into his arms. "I don't have to ask him. I already know. You can abuse me. Trust me, I like being slapped."

The hot pepper of his breath and the voodoo in his dilated eyes, rendered you helpless in his firm grip. It was his poison inside of you. He was using it to his advantage and in that moment, you pleaded with Stephane.

"Stephane, I know you are in there. I know you can hear me. Help me, please. You are stronger than him. You are the real one, not him. You are the one that knows me and loves me. You fought him once when he attacked me in his beast form. You can do it again."

As your tearful eyes gazed into Rahl's cold ones, his pupils began to soften and his head dropped.

"Jo..my Jo? Is that you?" he whispered in struggled breaths.

"YES! Yes it is me Stephane. Fight him! You can do it!"

Rahl's head hung immobile for a few seconds and then it slowly rose with yellow eyes of the devil himself.

"You foolish witch!" Rahl reveled with a livid laugh. "Did you really think it was that simple? All I had to do was remind him of Haldir's lips on yours and it instantly shut him down. I am the one in control here and I want to taste once more what he had... and what I want, I get."

"You're the fool! Don't you mean what YOU had?? Since you're one and the same??? But you're NOT the same and he is proving it!"

Your rage was enough to push him off of you, but he grabbed you right back up, helpless once again and weaker, for his mental and poisonous power was draining you and Stephane knew it.

Suddenly, you were shoved with great force, onto your back as another ferocious cat appeared, but it wasn't the jet black panther, it was a snowy white tiger of illuminating beauty and gentle ice blue eyes that flickered in the firelight as they preyed upon yours with love.

You felt solace in that moment, even without ever knowing this side of Stephane, for you knew now and understood his symbolic ring he wore and his love of cats and you smiled at him courageously, knowing the giant black striped carnivore was no threat to you at all, but there to help you. Stephane's cowardly guards though, selfishly ran for their lives, slamming the door behind them. They must have faced the white tiger before.

You didn't know much about tigers, but what you did know was that they could not purr like a domestic cat, only roar. But this was different. This was magic. Stephane was magic. Soft, rumbling vibrations from the cat's throat echoed through the room as he approached you so humbly in a graceful, tender pace, trying not to frighten you.

When he reached you, Narcisse stood still, towering over your body as his peppermint breath tickled your nose and his blazing blue eyes slowly and softly blinked into yours, a cat's sign of trust. He then lifted his enormous furry forepaw and extended it towards your injured hand, gently grazing your fingertips with retracted claws and in that moment, light blue sparks flickered about as they always did when your hands would touch each other. The magic was still there and you knew what he was was trying to do. To heal you and bring yours back. He was the antidote to Rahl's venom, the light over the dark, the yang over the yin, but you soon would realize it was not the electricity you needed.

You removed your lace glove and bravely caressed his beastly chops and as you did so, your fingertips once again lightly sparked against him, bringing forth a sorrowful soft roar as he closed his eyes and nudged his head into your neck. You stretched your arms up and an embraced him tightly as you whispered into his sensitive ear.

" It's ok Stephane. This is not your fault. I knew you could hear me. I knew you could fight him, but for how long?? We will help each other. I will find a way. I won't let him hurt you. This is so crazy because you and he are the same being and I'm scared that if I hurt him, I will hurt you like he said would happen."

Narcisse stepped back, leaning one forearm inwards and bowed to you. You then understood that he was telling you to do whatever was necessary to defeat the dark lord. He then brought his wet snout to your hand and his tongue began to extend to lick your wound, making you realize it was his peppermint saliva that would counteract the venom....but it never happened.

Before his warm sandpaper papillae could reach your incision, a deathly looking man you had never seen before, with bold black hair like Rahl's, appeared out of nowhere and blew Silverbane into Narcisse's face.

You shook and cried as you helplessly watched Stephane paw at his eyes and roll around in pain, but it was short lived, for in a matter of seconds, an uninjured Darken Rahl stood before you once again....and that told you right there that he was not real, that he was not the one with the soul, but did that mean Stephane would not be harmed if Rahl were? None of it made sense because they shared the same skin, but...did magic ever make sense??

"So sorry to ruin your beautiful reunion." Rahl spoke with extreme sarcasm. "But the fun is over now. Stephane had his moment and let me assure you, it will never happen again. Let me introduce you to my faithful and loyal servant, Killer. A name quite deserving."

Rahl turned to the man you believed to be one of the resurrected and judging by his pale skin and the gray tint around his dark eyes, he had been dead for a very long time.

"A job well done as always, Killer....unlike Stephane's cowardly guards." Rahl commended with a snarl.

The man did not speak. He simply smiled and bowed his head.

"Now, where were we."

Rahl turned back to you, not expecting to see what he did.

"Never turn your back on a witch!" you exclaimed, holding the blade in an attack stance, that you had concealed under your dress, strapped to your leg.

A light breeze flowed over you from the open window above as the growing moon cast it's light over you, recharging you just as Stephane's touch did and illuminating a newly formed rune on your upper arm that meant courage in combat, although you did not know this yet or how it got there just like the one on your neck meaning strength and even though you knew this revitalization would be temporary, it could be enough time for you to show Rahl exactly who you were.

Rahl's smile was wide and his eyes thrilled. "A feisty one! I can see why Stephane was drawn to you. Desires you. A worthy opponent you are indeed. I too like games. A rare similarity he and I share. And I can see you and I share one as well. Clair de lune. (Moonlight).

He turned his back on you once more, to prove to you he did not fear you as he gazed up and the earth's neon night light, letting the rays shower over him through the crystalline prism in the window's center.

"Ahhhhh..." he softly and sensually moaned, rolling his eyes back as it struck him like a fortuitous wet dream while he too soaked the captivating energy into his body.

"The winter solstice will be upon us soon and last into the new year. Do you see the two constellations over the moon Josephine? The third will appear that night when the moon is full, a union of body, mind and spirit, forming a triangle of stability and power if the point is facing up, instability if down and reproduction if inverted, all symbolizing what Jareth has brought forth. A power like no other. Right now, all is unstable in the three week Sagittarius retrograde, causing all to rotate backwards, creating the negative energy I so love as it incites various wars of the world and mind."

The birthmark on your lower back was of identical triangular form and once again, it was burning. What was happening? Whatever it was, it was definitely inciting something in you. Something wicked.

"Well guess what Rahl? I'm a Sagittarius bitch!"

He turned back to you with a full grin of pearly whites.

"So, let us play, shall we. Winner gets choice of position. Personally, I like to take my prey from behind."

Rahl walked over to a table that a full length sword laid upon and as he ran his fingers over it, he noticed Killer glaring at you. He then raised his hand, shaking two fingers at him.

"Stay. I want to see what she's got."

Rahl fearlessly approached you with the blade in hand, lowered and hanging at his side and then he stopped about two arm lengths before you with a seductive smile as he leered into your angry eyes.

"To be fair, your short blade is no match for the one of my...length. Take this."

His sexual double standards were beginning to irritate you, enough so that it was even exciting you and that pissed you off even more. The only attraction you had to him was because he was Narcisse under that disguise.

"It is not the length that matters, it's how you use it." you riposted with a smug grin to match his innuendos.

"Ahhh clever one. That may be in the bedroom, but I assure you it is not for a game of fencing. Are you really that confident with your lack of experience? Afraid you can't handle a sword of such...size?"

You knew he was right. What experience did you have in a sword fight? You certainly lost to your King that day in the clearing with a short blade while training for the fight with the dark elves. Sure, Thranduil was the most skilled of elves with any weapon, so you never really had a chance to begin with and sure enough, with an invisible strike, he had knocked the blade clean out of your hand to prove it. With that thought, you then submitted to Rahl's offer.

You lifted your dress, revealing your bare leg to the eyes of a very attentive Rahl and placed your sword back into the strap, then, with pursed lips and a fixated stare, you swiped the sword from his hand.

"Come... with me my lady."

Rahl led you through an open back doorway of his chambers that led down a flight of stairs to a colossal cave like room filled with fire lit lanterns all over the stone walls and a dirt floor that appeared to be for fighting.

He then unsheathed his sword and smiled once, his eyes intrigued and possibly even intimidated as they remained locked in your intense gaze, then simultaneously, your blades loudly clanked as they united with two hard strikes, the jolt sending a painful numbing sensation through your hand and arm. This was nothing like your archery lesson with Stephane. Was Rahl trying to do the same? Teach you?

"Still want to continue, little one?"

"Don't you ever call me that!" you raged, thinking of Garrett, and swung at him again.

"Good girl Josephine...use that venom I gave you!"

Around in circles you both went, your feet scuffling through the dirt and your hits keeping up with his until one swift swing of his sword knocked yours to the ground and you found yourself pinned against a pillar with a blade to your throat.

"Why Josephine, I just don't think you're angry enough." Rahl snared through his teeth.

"Don't you know anger blinds you??"

Those were words of wisdom Thranduil had planted into your mind multiple times and you knew it to be so very true. Although, if used rationally, a skill quite hard to grasp in a bout of adrenalized rage, it could be an advantage.

An impromptu sock to his cock and another to his throat, freed you instantly and as Rahl huddled over gasping, you reclaimed your sword. As you swung it, his revival was perfectly punctual and round and round you both dueled again.

"Cheap trick Josephine. I love wicked witches. I like it rough. You would make me a splendid Queen in more ways than one." he huffed through the strikes as he began to physically sweat.

You had hit him where it hurt physically and now you would target his manhood mentally.

"I will never be your Queen, for your cock will never measure up to my King Thranduil's! Now that was a prize penis, you egotistical fuck."

The look on the warlock's pride scorned face was priceless to you and it gave you the opening you planned for.

With a screaming swift swipe, you knocked HIS sword to the ground this time.

As you pointed the piercing edge at his throat, his eyes widened and his pupils gaped of darkness like that of the panther you expected to soon encounter once again.

Instead...Rahl's angered lips formed into a grin and then...he was gone.

Behind you he appeared, stalking you like a cat ready to pounce. You spun around only to have your sword ripped from your hand as if he were a man sized magnet and then you were gripped firmly by the throat.

The electricity was still there between yours and Stephane's body and Rahl's hand lit up with blue bolts of audible energy, sending his own charged up packing punch right through you and then you could feel your feet leaving the ground as you were lifted by his stupendous strength.

"Chea..ter." you choked and gasped as you helplessly smacked and tugged at his magnetized fingers. "What happ..ened...to..f...fair? I...have no..m..m..magic."

"Oh, in my games, it is no holds barred. Let's see you get yourself out of this one...wise...witch! Better think fast before your lights go out." he viciously teased as held up your emerald pendant by it's severed chain with his other hand and chucked it across the room.

Think...it was something you now struggled with as the air was being snuffed out of you and your body pulverized by electricity. You had no lifeline now, nothing. Nothing but the unexpected and relentless rage that sparked in your very soul.

In that moment, your eyes filled with blood just as Garrett's had when you saw his true vampire form take over and attack Narcisse's guards. Was this coming from him?? Because you shared his vampire blood? Did Rahl's venom or electricity ignite it? Whatever it was, you could not control it.

Rahl lowered and released you, then he backed away in shock as you stood almost trance like with a death glare upon him and his servant.

Killer's black eyes and mouth gaped wide as did Rahl's. "It's the blood rage. She...she's a weaver! She can kill us both. Run my lord!"

Both warlocks raced up the stairs while you picked up your sword and pendant, then followed them at a casual, slow pace, as if you were under some spell, or maybe your mind just plain snapped like Stephane's once had? Your thoughts were clear but your ability to control your actions were gone. It was like something out of the movie Carrie....like you were possessed.

As you appeared in the doorway of Narcisse's chambers, Killer was gone and Rahl was standing in the middle of a pentagram painted in red on the floor, chanting some kind of spell. He whipped around when he sensed you and then blue flames suddenly erupted around him. It was then that you realized the cowardly warlock was dipping.

"AHHHHH!!!" you screamed and charged at him with your sword raised, proving your advice about irrational anger, for you weren't even thinking of how you could hurt Stephane if you hurt Rahl, but just as you swiped the blade at his face, Rahl threw his head back and disappeared.

Rahl made his way to a private corridor and stood befuddled as his fingers lightly traced the superficial slash on his cheek. He tried to regroup with his thoughts, for now they were all in a state of disarray at what he just witnessed. The wide warlock had no inkling whatsoever that you were a weaver and it became clear to him that you did not know either.

Moments after, two of his guards entered the room.

"My lord. Has something happened?"

"The witch Queen is a weaver." he muttered as he gazed at his reflection in the mirror.

"You mean...like a...spider??"

Rahl's head turned to him ever so slowly with a dumfounded look in his sullen eyes.

"No you oaf! But if she were...she would be a deadly one. A weaver is a witch with the only power to kill the dead, besides the dead themselves, either physically or by magic, without Ashmole and the runes, although she would still need it for the vast majority of them. She has the power to create any spell she chooses as well, but she is unaware of it. Now that I know what she is, I will be prepared to handle her as is, but she must never regain her powers. Especially with the blood rage gene inside of her. If only I had known about it before inducing it with my venom."

"If she can end your existence my lord, then why do you not just end hers? Besides, would she really hurt you and risk killing Stephane?"

"Look at my face you imbecile!! If I hadn't moved back in time, I would be headless!! It was the blood rage. If not for that, she would have been able to control her emotions. They make her strong but so very dangerous. She would never risk Stephane's life otherwise. I want her alive. She will be of great use to me. Keep a close eye on her while I am out. I need to go handle another situation in the city."

"Yes my lord."

The guards bowed and departed and soon, so did Rahl to hunt down his brother.

You were long gone from Narcisse's chambers, lost and wandering about the empty halls, dazed, confused and trembling as you came down from the adrenaline high.

You called out, pleading to Legolas in your mind as your feet shuffled along the floor, hoping he would hear you. He was all you had now in the entire world and you felt you may have lost him too after how you had treated him earlier. You didn't even know how it happened. It just...happened.

"Josie?? Where are you???" was the last thing you heard before you hit the ground.

@redeemer46

[eternally-yours-24]

Chapter 1

Henry Creel x OC

1959

"Christine, come downstairs and meet our new neighbors."

I sighed, placing my pen atop the open notebook in front of me. I'd been attempting to ignore the social commotion downstairs, to shrink into the background, hoping to be forgotten. To my dismay, it had only worked for a few minutes. My mother had obviously sensed my absence and called for me.

Only yesterday, I'd seen the shiny blue car pull into the driveway of the house next door, a moving van puffing along behind its trail. I never expected anyone to move into the house with the stained glass rose on the door. It had been standing since the turn of the century, and rumored to be haunted. I'd wanted to catch a glimpse of these individuals at the time, but my shyness had overcome me, and caused me to scurry back inside my own house, cutting my impromptu walk short. Now, curiosity resurfaced, but the idea of social interaction weighed heavily on my shoulders. I dragged my feet as I stood up from my desk, left my room, and ventured cautiously out into the hallway. I lingered at the top of the carpeted stairs, crouching down to peer through the elegant bars of the banister, as if fearing the bite of a predator.

Through the little cage, I saw four people standing in our sunlit foyer. A family. They seemed nice, and normal, but perhaps a bit too perfect. Like a painted portrait of a family, instead of actual people.

My mother quickly honed in on me, causing me to abruptly stand up.

"Come downstairs, now," she said patiently, with a faux sunny smile. I knew that look. She was irritated, but she didn't want to snap at me in front of our guests. At this point, it was better to simply obey her. Her composure could shatter like glass if tested.

I nervously smoothed my frilly lace skirt, my palms slightly sweaty. I lightly jogged down the stairs. One step, two steps, a third. When I finally reached the bottom, I was relieved to find that the attention wasn't solely on me. I hated that—it always felt like my own personal spotlight, when all eyes were on me. A light I'd desperately want to switch off.

My mother seemed happy, though. "Ah, there you are!" She chirped. She touched my forearm and encouraged me closer, which I allowed, reluctantly. She guided me front and center, her hands wandering to my shoulders, showing me off as if I were a pretty little doll. Yet it only reminded me of my frumpy appearance. My black hair, long and stringy, stopped at my shoulders. My face was pale, and freckled, and a bit too round. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses were perched on my nose, and the eyes behind them were mismatched. The right green, the left brown. A feature I always wished I could change about myself.

"This is my daughter, Christine." My mother's sunny smile turned up a few impossible watts. "Christine, this is the Creel family."

The adults were Victor and Virginia, and they had two children, Alice and Henry. Victor seemed pleasant enough, but Virginia made me…uneasy. She smiled, rosy-cheeked, blonde hair perfectly curled��but her demeanor had a plastic feel, fake. Her ironed dress and manicured nails screamed perfectionism, and control. She greeted me kindly, but her smile grew forced, as if she were judging my every flaw.

Alice bounced right up to me, blonde ponytail swinging. Sweet, bubbly, and outgoing, she seemed delighted to be in the presence of another girl her own age. Well, anything to be free of Virginia's scrutiny.

"Hi, I'm Alice!" She giggled. She held out a hand, clad in a white silk glove. "I just know we're going to be best friends!"

I briefly stared at her outstretched hand, until my mother's grip subtly tightened on my shoulders. Uneasy, I reached out and took her hand. Instantly, my mind thought of the millions of unclean things that could be lurking on her skin. Anxiety flared briefly in my chest, but I forced myself to hold on. She gave my hand a quick, friendly shake, and then let go, to my immense relief. Even as she pulled away, a kind of grimy imprint of her touch lingered on my palm. My thoughts spun, and I hugged myself nervously.

Guilt had joined in with the chorus of unpleasant emotion. I hated to act like everyone had leprosy, but I couldn't help it.

Alice didn't appear to notice, however. She began rambling about Barbies, and make up, and glittery nail polish…things I'd never had much of an interest in. It was quite easy to tune her out, and for something else to catch my eye. Someone else.

The "perfect family" illusion was broken; a black sheep, a crack in the facade. Standing away from the others, almost in the corner, was a boy, with slicked back hair and stunning blue eyes. He was dressed rather formally, his flannel shirt tucked in. This was…Henry, I assumed. He was the only one who hadn't said hello. He hadn't said a single word, in fact. He wasn't even looking at us, his gaze turned towards another room in the house.

He was like a ghost; small, quiet, and easily forgotten. I felt a sudden chill, a shiver that crawled down my spine. One glance at his demeanor, and I knew him. I knew that posture. I knew that sad, distant expression on his face. I'd seen it myself sometimes, when I glanced in the mirror.

He must've sensed me staring at him, for his blue eyes suddenly met my discolored ones. In that moment, in that brief second, I felt a strong pull towards him; my loneliness acknowledged his own with a silent, intimate nod of understanding.

"Oh, don't mind my brother," Alice cut in, rolling her eyes. "He's not very friendly."

"He seems okay," I replied, quietly. Defending him? He was still watching me, but his expression was impossible to read. His walls were impenetrable, much like my own. It fascinated me. Even the buzzing, staticky discomfort of that handshake had faded into the background.

"I think we should be heading out," Victor said. "It was delightful to meet you both."

"Likewise," my mother responded, effortlessly. She gave me a quick shake, prompting me to respond.

"Nice to meet you," I recited.

Goodbyes were exchanged, and our new neighbors headed out the door, in single file. Virgnia had reached out and tugged on Henry's arm, encouraging him out with them. A gesture I was quite familiar with. He went along willingly enough, but remained silent. Oddly enough, Virginia had never pestered him to speak, as my mother would have.

Even as the door closed behind them, I recalled that moment with Henry. How we related to each other, without saying a word. I knew, right then, that he was going to be quite the mystery to solve.

[khuzena]

A glimpse of us

Cypher x f!reader

Tw: extreme angst, no happy ending, implied death, tiny fluff

Summary: cypher loves you but he's still not over nora, you're just a replacement for who she was and will never see you for who you are.

[Part 1(this)][Part 2]

Ever since the death of his family, he had been mourning for them forever. There was no more true love, no more hope that he'll ever grasp on. As he knew that light of hope will flicker for a minute then vanish in a second. He promised to himself, 'that he'll never love anyone ever again'. But fate proved him wrong. After countless loveless nights with multiple women as a stress reliever, he met you. Sage had recruited you from some coffee shop after they had confirmed you could control your radiant and be an important asset to the team. To his dismay, he could see they were just any ordinary person that needed much more practice at combat; he initially thought he could use your prowess for his own deeds but he lost interest in you. Though it became for you to always stay by his side, the other agents could see how you were curious about the Moroccan spy, even teasing you when you got close to him. He ignored all the signs, he was too hurt to ever love again. But you made him feel love again. You'd praise him and be proud of anything he does, whether it was doing well in a mission or even doing the bare minimum. He could see that you were smitten for him yet, he stood by. Until, he slowly and steadily developed feelings for you. Cypher was well too aware of this feeling, the feeling of love. He was too scared yet the way you expressed your love for him made him fall harder.

After a few months, you confessed to him about everything you felt, he already knew you did but for your sake he acted 'surprised' and reciprocated your affection. The few months of the relationship was steady and healthy; it was new, a breath of fresh air but every moment you did he could see a glimpse of her, nora.

One time, you both went out in public, his attire had his skin still covered in every inch but he wore a sweater and draped a coat on his shoulders. The bustling city of Rabat and the sound of chatting from the crowd, he thought he lost you because you suddenly unheld his hand and wandered off somewhere. He was nervous as shit because he thought someone kidnapped you for fuck sake but he saw you waving from a boutique just right around the corner. "Don't go off randomly just like that, I thought one of my enemies found out about you and did harm on you." He murmured onto your neck as he sighed in relief that you were safe, he expected you to frown because he accidentally said something like that but you just gave him a soft smile, "No, I'm sorry, I'll try to not do it again though," you say as you picked up a tiny hair clip to try in the shop, he watched you as you clipped the cute floral accessory at the left side of your hair, "How do I look?" Your eyes lit up when you looked in the mirror and saw how pretty the clip looked on you. However, when he stared into your eyes, he saw a memory, glimpse of him before with Nora, she used to love floral clips and would often buy hair accessories like you did. The way you flicked your hair when you felt confident about your appearance in this moment, it was too identical to which Nora did before.

Cypher was snapped back to reality when you tapped his shoulder, "Hello? Earth to cypher!" He grunts and made some excuse, "Sorry I'm pretty tired and I didn't get sleep last night, forgive me my rose,"

That memory was an old one as time passed by, 8 years of not letting go of the memory of his late-wife Nora and a year or two of dating you. He's pretty thankful that you came into his life, he sees your beauty which was like hers. You'd catch him tracing his gloved fingers on your cheeks as he admired your figure. You thought he had admired your imperfections to which he knows he does. But when he examines every part of you, all he sees is her, a glimpse of her precious face, not yours but to the girl he'll always hold on to. He'll pass by time in your arms as he cherishes every memory with you and every memory he sees of him and Nora in your eyes.

Lol pain go brrr. Dont worry theres a part 2 of this, probably gon post it this week, hope y'all enjoyed this one

[nonalie]

Hello again! Here's another piece of my Cahir fanfic. They will all probably be posted out of order since I'm only writing certain parts when I find the inspiration to write. I hope you enjoy!

Masterlist

AO3

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

The sun was always shining in Nilfgaard, but the shadows always found a way to creep in when she thought of her future in the kingdom. Knowing very well that the only thing waiting for her at the end of her time in the capital would be an arranged marriage to some Duke or Lord.

It was her duty as the firstborn daughter to “continue the bloodline,” as her mother liked to call it. But she was never interested in the boring chatter of old men and politics, all she wanted was for those giant double doors to open so she could run out and never come back. But her handlers, as she liked to refer to them, would catch on very quickly that she's gone and probably send a search party out after her.

Although she had other plans, and so at every banquet or celebration that was held at the court, instead of searching for a potential match, she kept her eye on a certain knight who was only recently given the title of Count. She wasn't sure if her mother would find that agreeable or not, but after months of being pampered, flaunted, and presented, she was starting not to care.

Her time at court would be significantly more exciting if the Black Knight actually paid attention to any of the women around him; or rather, anything around him apart from the White Flame. And that's even if he happened to show up to these events. Sometimes, she would sit around the gardens all day just hoping to catch a glimpse of him; maybe plotting to faint into his arms so he catches her and falls in love immediately.

She laughed at the thought of the renowned Black Knight catching some silly girl and realizing that there's more to life than just serving an Emperor.

“Might I ask, what is it that you find so funny, my Lady?” The decorated man in front of her asked.

She immediately snapped out of her daydream and back into the situation she was in: post dinner party, with a middle aged man dressed in all black sitting right in front of her. His very full eyebrows seemed to be twitching, or was it just the flickering of the candle, which of course made her almost start laughing again.

Trying to desperately mask the smile returning to her face, she covered her mouth with her hand, faking a cough. “Nothing, My Lord, I was just truly enjoying your tale, sometimes I cannot contain my emotions.”

The Lord nodded and slowly took a sip of his ale. “Well, I cannot imagine why the death of my dear cousin would please you so.”

Her mouth fell open and stayed that way until she closed it again to try to explain herself. “I only meant that…” She stammered but couldn't find the right words to make her current predicament sound any better.

He stood up suddenly, causing the bench to push backwards slightly. “I believed the reason why you ladies are always sent here was to finally learn some manners and respect, clearly that's something that the women from Beauclaire lack.”

He leaned over her threateningly and just as she was about to stand up to give him a piece of her mind, a gloved hand slid in front of the man to push him a few steps back.

“My Lord should be careful or he will fall over.” The man reached over to seize the mug of ale from his hand before adding, “I think that's enough ale for this evening, sire.” The calm voice said and she slowly rose up from the bench to stand her ground.

The Lord seemed to want to exchange a few words with the person who pushed him, but walked away when he saw who it was. And she wasn't surprised at the reaction, if she wasn't completely stunned, she would have probably ran the other way too. The Black Knight was now turning towards her with the half empty mug of ale in his other hand, which made her completely forget what she had planned to do when she saw him.

He bowed his head to her and was probably expecting her to do the same, but against her better judgment she blurted out, “I assure you I can fight my own battles.”

She heard him audibly sigh as he lifted his head back up. “Then I apologize for interfering, my Lady. I will leave you to your own accord next time.” With that he began to turn and walk away.

“Sir, wait!” She called out after realizing that maybe she should indeed learn some manners, especially towards the one person she actually wants to talk to more than once in her life.

He stopped and turned to look at her. “Yes?”

“Thank you for saving me from the boring drunk man.” She said, and she could have sworn that she saw the corners of his mouth turn up momentarily, but it could have been a trick of the candlelight.

[lazarettta]

Misthios

Characters (Reader x Mother Miranda...?) 👀

Rating (T)

Word Count (2.8k)

Warnings (none, first half is has no dialogue, writing while high,)

Once her little warrior, always her little warrior.

I'm sorry if it's hot 🗑💀

The fire was finally the way you wanted it and you could finally fucking rest. You'd been hiking all goddamn day through the rain and snow, and you just wanted a minute to rest and to eat. The sun was starting to set and you still needed to set up your tent, but for the moment you were content to just sit on the log and get warm.

“Who'd ever think a Spartan would be in Rome looking for answers, hm?” it was ironic, how you would've been accused of being a traitor or something like that back then. Ha...back then?

Truthfully you weren't sure anymore where your life really started it's been so long, centuries really if you were being honest. Sometimes even your own secrets were too overwhelming for you to admit, and as the years continued to pass you by it was getting harder and harder for you to hold onto the same principles you once believed in. The wars you've participated in, two of them by choice...and as a favor for the third.

It shouldn't have been possible but it was for you, it was both a blessing and a curse because you were nothing special...you grew up with Spartan blood running through your veins, pushed at a young age to hunt and to protect, it was a common tradition for families then, especially for the oldest or only children. Your didn't ever recall your father, he died in battle before you were born but your mother was there, always. Even if her face was blurry after all of the time that has passed you by—you still remember her teachings and her technique. Your mother was the best hunter in Sparta, proudly.

But after...after her passing, the streets taught you how to be a mercenary at a young age...and then an assassin, not by choice but by necessity because you weren't a good person then, not really, and you still weren't now...but you still had the will do what was right, and so you did.

And maybe that is why the Gods did not let you die in the battlefield when you'd been caught off guard, for what is no longer relevant as it is now long gone, but the scar left through your heart would forever stain you inside and out by some random Greek bastard. You don't remember much of the dying part as much as you remembered how badly it hurt and how livid you were watching him stand over you with his bloody sword raised to the heavens. But just like your pain, that emotion was ebbed away as you laid there dying.

And die you did. And your body laid there for who knows how long but when you woke up, oh you sprung up ready to fight but there wasn't a fight left to be had...the war was over...but you didn't know that until you woke up the second time. Not realizing that your body was next to be burned in the ditch as the battlefield was being cleared of all the corpses from both sides. A gruesome chore performed by the prisoners taken by Sparta.

You had no idea why the Gods healed you and brought you back from the dead, you didn't deserve a second chance (at the time you didn't realize that it was a power). You were blessed by the Gods and that's all that it was, people looked at you with both awe and envy. Some gave all of their iron and dearest family possessions as a gift to the Gods in hopes that their wishes were granted. They hated you and you did not care. You were unstoppable, everyone wanted your attention and your skills—it made you arrogant and stupid for years. And when you caught a pretty nasty gash across your back from a werewolf that ambushed you and your horse, your leathers had been torn and bloody by the time you speared your way through four of those beasts. But while there was blood, there was no wound...the only evidence were the scars it left behind.

Snap!

You turned your head slightly, a few strands of your hair falling in front of your ever sharp (y/e/c) eyes. You stayed perfectly still, eyes scanning the forest surrounding you but there was nothing after several moments. Just as well...with a loud sigh, you finally got up to put up your tent for the night and probably for the next few nights too. You slipped your hunting knife back into your boot but kept it unhooked just in case.

You lived in a time where guns existed but you were always better with a blade. You may not be an active misthios now (mercenary in today's world) but old habits were hard to kick. You were too old and too wise now, even if you didn't look a day over twenty-eight.

The next morning...

You woke with a start your grip around your obsidian hunting knife so tight your knuckles your skin strained against bone. You didn't have a dream but something woke you up, and it wasn't those damn birds chirping literally above your tint. With the help of the morning sun you could even see the spot where one of them pooped. Great. You laid there for a few more minutes, finally relaxed enough to move. You checked your surroundings again, walking around your camp but that feeling of unease didn't go away but it wasn't as strong.

Today was clearer than it was the day before though you still had to deal with the snow and the cold, not that either really bothered you too much. Leaving your camp behind, marking the trees so that you had a way to find your way back through these unfamiliar woods, you set off to find breakfast. You came to an edge, a cliff's peak and you went to stand on the edge of it—to maybe see the rest of the mountain you were exploring but something caught your immediate attention.

When was the last time you ever saw a castle? Not...not those tourist marks they have all over Europe but a castle. The place was eerie but most castles always felt that way to you...but this was different? It was as if the castle was looking right back at you, mocking you. From your vantage point you could make out the edges of a lake through the thick trees, you couldn't see it very well but you could tell it wasn't small nor was it man-made.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover this as you assumed that your trip would mostly be you exploring this cold ass mountain without a proper guide but you didn't need anyone to know why you were really up here, your reasons concerned no one but yourself. That and you knew you'd end up leading your guide. You were better off alone. Or at least that's what you kept telling yourself that but those words stopped being comforting a very long time ago. Not like fate was giving you much of a fucking choice though.

Your stomach growled, reminding you of your hunt...you glanced down at the village below the castle curiously before turning away from the ledge, the heavy aura of the castle still on your back.

~~

Fat and full, that's exactly how you'd describe yourself at the moment. There were more predators in the area than there were prey it seemed but the rabbit you caught seemed plentiful enough. With winter kicking in, the most worrisome predator in the woods would be hibernating leaving nothing but the wolves and maybe a mountain lion for you to deal with if you're lucky. You hefted your smaller backpack onto your back and left your camp, deciding to check out the village to see if you could learn more about the castle.

You were both excited and curious, you'd spent a majority of your modern life exploring the wonders of the Earth and using the currency you've collected throughout your lifetimes to fund whatever myth caught your eye. In other words, you were bored but the thought of war and fighting no longer made your blood sing or your heart race. You've done so much of that already, and lost so much because of it.

“Get back! Get back! Agh—GET THE FUCK BACK!”

Your legs stopped moving immediately and your gloved hand was already wrapped around the hilt of your hunting knife, ears trained. You heard growling and barking not too far from where you stood, maybe two or three hundred feet to your right just through those bushes and that fallen tree. It sounded as if someone was having a bit of trouble with a pack of wolves. Which struck you as odd, you were still pretty high up on the mountains and you hadn't seen anyone else up here in a week, so it couldn't have been a local...could it?

The growling grew more intense and there were sounds of a scuffle and grunts but the man still sounded alive.

And it wasn't your problem. Your days of coming to the rescue were over. You allowed your hand to fall from your knife. You got maybe seven steps away before the man spotted you, he caught a glimpse of your fur lined hood and started screaming for you to help him just as one of the wolves snapped the branch he was holding in half, forcing his back against a tree. His time was counting down now.

He was yelling so loud, you were sure even the villagers could hear him now. There was no way you could walk away now.

“Fucking hell.” with a heavy sigh, you dropped your backpack and stalked in the direction of the soon to be crime scene. You didn't feel the need to mask your presence, you wanted the wolves to know that you were there and that ultimately saved that man's life. The wolves were honed in on you the moment you stepped through the bush but three shots echoed through the small clearing before any of them could pounce in your direction. The echoes faded away quickly, and you sighed again watching the white snow stain red beneath the furry corpses.

The only other sound heard was the man's heavy breathing as he leaned against a tree. You looked down at your gun before putting it back in it's holster on your lower back, you may prefer blades but it was always better to have something and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

“Thank...thank you,”

You looked at the man with furrowed brows...just by looking at him, you knew that he wasn't a native but the moment he opened his mouth only confirmed it. He was American...you spotted all of his gear nearby, torn to shreds and you scoffed.

“I don't think camping is for you.”

“I don't think so either,” He tried for a smile but it was only a grimace, the blonde man pushed himself from the tree and approached you, carefully stepping around the wolves bodies, “I'm uh a bit lost, I guess.”

“And I'm leaving.”

“Wait!” he rushed around you, stopping you and you could've gone through the man if you wanted to...you were taller than him by an inch or two, and you definitely had more mass than he probably knew what to do with, “Listen, I'm obviously not from here, but I'm trying to find my daughter okay, she's—”

“I'm not from around here,” you held your hand to make him stop while simultaneously telling yourself that you're not about to get involved in someone else's mess and derail your own mission, “I'm sorry about your kid, but I can't help you.”

He frowned at you obviously not happy with your answer but he was quickly reaching into his pocket and any normal person, especially someone who is armed, would've taken a step back but you weren't some ordinary person. You simply raised an eyebrow, because you knew that he wasn't going to attack you even though he was probably fully capable of doing so. You assumed that he was about to dig out a baby picture or something but it was just a sheet of paper with writing on it. You took it before he could shove the damn thing in your face and you looked down at it carefully, keeping your face neutral.

“I can't read whatever language that is.”

You glared up at him from beneath your lashes, “And you think that I can?”

“Can you?” he shot back, and you rolled your eyes...your attention back to the paper before shoving it back in his hands, “Well?”

You nearly scowled at his impatience, “It's a mix of Romanian, Serbian and Tatar. Whoever sent that clearly doesn't want anyone else to know what's on it.”

“So you can read it then?”

“Bits and pieces,” You said with a shrug, “I'm not expert but someone named Beneviento is demanding a shorter route for wine delivery from that giant castle.”

He stared at you then down to the paper, which was full from top to bottom, then back to you, “What...that's all? Are you sure?? No, that can't be all...there has to be something about my daughter here! Here, please, just try again slower—”

“That's all I could read.” you shouldered past him, throwing your hood back up and ignoring his calls after you. Your backpack was exactly where you dropped it, you shook off the snow and threw it back on your back not caring about the cool wetness on your back now—you just wanted to get away from this area as quickly as possible. You should've used your knife as those gunshots gave away your position.

“Amateur hour everyone,” you grumbled under your breath...you veered off the path slightly, just in case he tried to follow you (wouldn't be the first time someone tried to force you to help them).

You'd maybe walked for a mile or two down the mountain before you noticed the hairs on the back of your neck standing, you chanced a casual glance over your shoulder but there was no one there, no man nor animal. Licking your dry lips you turned back around but as you were doing so, you caught something in your peripheral. A dark figure, twenty feet away and that's when you noticed how fucking quiet everything was around you...you forced yourself to keep walking even as a feeling of dread began crawling up your back, like two sharp fingers walking along the ridges of your spine.

Pushing the hood from your head, you whirled around with your knife drawn at your side gripping it with the intentions to kill but there was nothing there except two large obsidian feathers fluttering gently down onto the snow at your boots. Feathers?

Cool breath touched the base of your neck when you heard soft chuckling directly behind you. You turned around sharply, easily flipping your knife around but the mass of darkness in front of you disoriented you for a split second and that was all this creature needed. Before you could plunge your knife into it's feathery belly, a pale hand shot out and caught your wrist in a bruising grip as another hand curled itself around your throat, sharp nails oh so slightly pricking your skin.

You were about to kick away when the creature leaned forward, and it's face came from beneath the hood...only it wasn't an it, it was a she, though her entire face was hidden by the gold headgear you could see her lips and...and her eyes.

A pair of eyes you'd never forget in any of your lifetimes. It felt like a millennia ago when those eyes alone had you on your knees covered in fresh warm blood and exhausted from tearing through small armies.

Despite yourself, you were trembling in her ironclad grip, your hand that wasn't still trapped fruitlessly came up to wrap around her wrist as if that was going to help you. You both knew that it wouldn't. She brought you closer until your feet were no longer on the ground and you could feel the tip of your blade pressing against something...no, her...and your nose was nearly touching her helmet.

“ο μικρός μου πολεμιστής...” (my little warrior...) her cool breath washed over your face, her eyes still boring down into yours so intensely you swore you felt the heat, even as her hand tightened around your throat making you choke, but you were fighting against her... “επιτέλους ήρθες σπίτι μου...” her chuckle fell on deaf ears. (you've finally come home to me...)

~~

You were supposed to run into Alcina first 😭, but Miranda works too...(save the best for last obvi) I don't know I am playing Odyssey while waiting for this game to drop and I went The Old Guard route too so then I just ended up writing some shit, and I wanted to try something that's not so maiden-esque lol so I hope it's enjoyable at least...I honestly might make this a WIP...

[birdsaesthetic]

My Guardian Angel

Summary: In the dead of the night, Jane’s stitches start bleeding…. 5x05 tag. On fanfiction.

Note: THANKS to @lurkingwhump for sending me the prompt: "Jane being ill or injured and Kurt giving her some TLC, or Jane's suffering from night terrors/nightmares and Kurt comforts her."

Kurt kissed Jane good-night, made sure she was comfortable in bed, and asked her if she needed, or even wanted, anything at all, his own heart included. But she shook her head with the tiniest of smiles, whispered her love to him, and that she was good, as long as he was beside her, within hand reach.

There was the dull pain, still, throughout her entire body after the surgery she had earlier, but she said nothing about it, and insisted to sleep it off. And she did, almost immediately, only to be woken up yet again by another nightmare in the dead of the night, her breathing rapid, her mouth dry, and her stomach stinging in pain she wished she were still having the same awful nightmare instead.

She cried quietly, even soundlessly, as she saw flashes of the nightmare in her vision, and endured the pain all alone. She shed a great amount of unbidden, salty tears, like she'd never done before, and they easily slid from her eyes to her cheeks, down her neck, before dampening the pillow. It was too much. The nightmares; the reality; the misery; the pain; the could have happeneds.

A full minute passed, two, three, then she had the slightest courage to place a shaking, cold hand on her wound beneath the sweater, and found out that the bandage was soggy, sloppy. There must be blood, lots of it, it must be bleeding again, she thought. Goddamnit.

When she pressed on it in an attempt to stop it, helpless yet brave, she was rewarded with such sharp, fast pain—as fast as the speed of light. Someone else might've screamed their heart out at that, but she didn't. She swallowed it, as her breathing got heavier, her heart skipped a beat, and her eyes squeezed tight in pain that seemed to transport her to another state, one in which everything, even the past she'd been working so hard to forget, seemed to fade into a gray watercolor wash.

"Kurt," she whispered, or tried to, withdrawing her hand from beneath the sweater. But when he didn't seem to respond, she whispered his name again and again and again, like a prayer, her voice needy, cracking, and scared. "Kurt…Kurt…Kurt."

It took Kurt some time to come to consciousness, and realize that his name was being repeated in the present, softly, and that the voice was Jane's, his Jane, not from the nightmare where he was being restricted to a chair by the enemy, unable to move, helpless by all means. But then he turned over like the world was coming to an end and propped himself up on his elbows, his mind fuzzy for the first seconds before it became alert. Wasting no more second, he stumbled on his way down to Jane on bed. "You okay?" he blurted.

"No… My wound…" Despite all the sweat she had exuded by now, she was shivering when he laid a hand on her, and in the semidarkness, she took a glimpse of his eyes and saw warmth, life, hope. He, from his point of view, saw tears shimmering in her eyes. Saw the pain, too. His heart sank, and quickly yet carefully, with feather-like hands he reveled on her wound, and by now it looked haphazardly covered in red-soaked bandages. Every alarm in his body sat off at the sight, and he clenched his jaw, forced himself to calm down and assess the damage, see his options. He could go and get Patterson and Rich and Tasha right here so he could use the help. But he wouldn't leave her alone while bleeding. He wouldn't. He would have to do this on his own, here and now and quickly.

"Kurt…is it that bad?" Jane asked between gritted teeth. She couldn't bring herself to have a look herself, and now she watched her husband stare down at her with intense concentration while frowning his brows.

"It's bleeding, but I'll clean it, okay?" he told her, before rushing straight to turn on the lights, wash his hands, grip the first aid kit, and return to her in bed. He looked at her face tight in pain and, with shaking hands, he put on a pair of gloves. "It'll be okay, Janie," he reassured her, "It'll sting a little, maybe, but it won't hurt much."

She only managed to nod, deep down knew exactly how much it'd hurt, and it'd be more than just a little. "I'm ready", she confirmed, biting her lip to hold a whimper in so Kurt wouldn't feel bad.

He began with exposing her abdomen to the fullest then, holding his breath, he discarded the bandage, to which she let out a hiss, and her hands flinched, almost pushed his away. But instead she took fistfuls of the blanket beside her, and steeled herself for what was yet to come. After Kurt threw the bloody bandage, and was about to do the cleaning, he looked her in the eye. "You have to tell me when it's painful, Janie," he said, as he breathed and sweated and prayed for her in his head.

"I trust you… It won't be painful," she whispered, eyes only half open, lips pale, forehead creased in a plea for him to get her out of her misery. If he could, he'd have stopped the time, taken away all the pain in a heartbeat. She didn't deserve this. His wife. Jane. Kind. Strong. Lovely. Resilient. Ass-kicker. Beautiful. Unstoppable. Talented. So damn stubborn. But all he could do right now was this, cleaning her wound quickly yet gently before it'd get any worse.

"Stay with me. Keep breathing. It'll be quick," he told her, as he got one of the gauzes wet with saline solution. "You're gonna hate me right now, but try to—"

"I'll never hate you," she rushed to say, shaking her head. "Never."

"You sure?" He began cleaning, gently wiping all the oxidized blood away. Jane winced once that gauze came into contact with the fresh stitches on her abdomen. The skin around the wound was so fragile, so delicate, and it stung like a fire. "Deadly sure."

After stealing one look at her determined face, committing it to memory, Kurt continued, frowning at the way the gauze was already staining with Jane's blood. But he continued, replacing the gauze and wetting it and wiping as needed. She… She was painting by now, her body jolting, and so Kurt wanted to talk her down. "You said…that you are deadly sure you won't hate me? Huh? Even if I might be hurting you now?"

"You're healing me…" she corrected. "I'm…in the safest hands I could ever—" She gasped, aloud and hoarsely, as her head lifted from the pillow. "Fuck—it's painful, Kurt."

"Scale of one to ten?"

"Seven. Eight."

"I'm sorry," Kurt replied. "I'm almost done, I promise. Two more minutes, okay?"

Jane's head fell back to the pillow, and she didn't nod, nor showed any indication that she'd heard him. But she did count to something close to hundred, making herself go slowly. Slowly. Slowly. Slowly. Until she lost count, before losing full consciousness…

It would be the most pleasant way to go, to die in his arms. Her husband. Kurt. Brave. One of a kind. Loving. Caring. Owns the sexiest of smiles. Deadly when needed be. Overprotective. Loyal to the marrow. But it wouldn't be fair to leave him behind, alone, just because things didn't go their way. They were supposed to spend their lives together, share happiness and sadness together, get older together, against all odds. It was true and unfortunate that they may not have everything they used to have: freedom, family, safety, good reputation, property, some kind of control. But truly, they did have everything they needed: each other, and friends for life.

There were fingers brushing against her cheek with surprising gentleness when she fluttered her eyes open, and she hummed—not in pain any more but in contentment. And then, there he was, her guardian angel, wearing a smile that she'd trade the world for it. He inched closer to her in bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, just when he reached for her hand and dotted it with kisses.

"Better." Last time she saw the same hand he was kissing now, it was covered with blood. Her own blood. But right now it was clean and warm and being kissed by him.

"How long have I been out?"

"Six hours." He smiled sadly. "Was it that painful?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah?"

"It was more painful than being shot…and as painful as the surgery. But—"

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, doesn't matter. I'll be okay." She touched his cheek to comfort the two of them. "Really, though, what I would do without you, Kurt?"

"Let's not think about that."

They shared a smile, a kiss, and a moment of comforting silence.

[mimi-cee-hq]

Sendai's Pageant of Starlight - Iwaizumi x Reader

This one-shot is for @cafemiya​. I hope you like it. I get a little nervous writing for other talented writers. :)

Summary: Because of a pair of misplaced skates, you and Iwaizumi end up walking down Jozenji-dori Avenue together almost as if... Wait, is this a date?

Genre and Tropes: Fluff, Getting Together, Friends to Lovers

Words: 1,057

Author's Notes: I did some research on Sendai, but don't expect it to be completely accurate. I did what I could with online articles, photos and Google Maps. lol.

*****

Iwaizumi grabbed his hair as Oikawa asked him for the hundredth time, "Pleeeease. Just for half an hour at least?"

"Ugh," Iwaizumi threw his skates at him, knocking Oikawa over. You sighed at Oikawa's behaviour, but it wasn't like you were any better. Because you had forgotten about your plans in downtown Sendai, you rushed out of your house, leaving not only your skates but also your scarf and mittens.

You bounced your knees as you sat on the stone steps across Kotodai Park, watching the guys tie up their skates. You wanted to go someplace warmer, but that would defeat the purpose of coming here. So you grit your teeth and bore with the wind that bit your cheeks.

"Hey Y/n. Want to walk down Jozenji-dori Avenue?" asked Iwaizumi. "We could pass by a Seven-Eleven or check out some stuff in those heated tents."

Oh. That was right. You had forgotten that all the lights were up for Sendai's Pageant of Starlight. You had a passing thought about how he probably noticed how cold you were, but excitedly, you replied with a grin, "Sure! Let's go!"

As the two of you rounded the corner, you were met with the thousands of lights lining the usually green walkway that parted Jozenji-dori Avenue. Bare trees were now traced with lights. Some were yellow, others were blue and pink but, where you stood, most were laced with crystal white.

And suddenly, all the lights turned off.

"Uhh... what just happened?" asked Iwaizumi.

You giggled at him just as the lights turned back on a second later. "I guess it's 7 o'clock," you told him. "That's when the lights wink at you."

But with your next step, you slipped.

There wasn't much snow left on the ground since this morning's temperatures were above freezing. But it had gotten colder after the sun had set in the late afternoon, producing the patch of black ice that made you tumble.

"Y/n, are you alright?" asked Iwaizumi.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Except now your hands were numb from touching the frigid ice when you broke your fall. 'This is so embarrassing,' you thought, your cheeks suddenly feeling warmer.

A gloved hand offered to help you back to your feet. "Here, put on my gloves," Iwaizumi told you. He must have noticed your bare hands.

"No, it's okay!" you insisted, shoving your hands into your jacket pockets. "Don't worry about it!"

Removing his gloves, he grabbed your hands. "Y/n," he said sternly, "your hands are freezing." When you continued to deny his help, he sighed and placed his glove over your left hand. "We'll just share them then, alright?"

Just as you were about to ask how that would even work, he wrapped his fingers around your right hand and placed both of your hands into his left pocket. You blinked a few times, opening your mouth to say something, but you were speechless.

The warmth from Iwaizumi's hand comforted your cold, stiff fingers. After a while, you were able to move them again – not that you dared to. The rest of your body started to heat up as well and you were sure it was because your crush was holding your hand.

You often studied with Iwaizumi over the nine months of your third year of high school. You simply realized you worked well together after being in the same group for a project. (With a smirk, you also watched him scold the other third years to do their work.) It was all platonic and comfortable for you until you started realizing how attractive he was when you saw a glimpse of his skills as the ace of his team. Or maybe that was just the moment you knew those feelings were there all along.

On the other hand, Iwaizumi never showed any romantic interest in you – at least, not until now. And with his sudden boldness to take your hand so casually, your brain was trying to make sense of everything while your heart wanted you to squeal with joy and release all of your giddy feelings. But with all of this going on in your inner being, you were silent on the outside.

"Uh...," Iwaizumi rubbed the back of his neck, "do you want to grab some hot chocolate for a drink? It might warm you up some more."

"Oh! Umm...," you said shyly. "No thank you." You didn't need it. You were pretty sure the blush on your cheeks – and probably the rest of your body – provided more than enough heat.

You mentally scolded yourself to act like normal, to be comfortable around him like usual. But you gradually stopped being self-conscious, not because you told yourself to, but because Iwaizumi walked you down the avenue, chatting with you like always. You walked under a tunnel of lights together, watching some kids running down from one side and speeding back. You also took a selfie together in front of the star and lights that were fashioned like a Christmas tree.

Then you saw a wall with lights in the shape of a heart. You thought to avoid it, considering the two of you weren't actually on a date. Wait, was this a date?

"Could you take a picture of us?" Iwaizumi asked a passerby, handing his phone for a photo in front of the heart. If his hand still wasn't wrapped around yours, you would have buried your face in your palms.

Standing close by your side, with both his and your hands still in his pocket, he smiled at the camera. When you realized you were staring at him for too long, you finally turned towards the camera as well.

"These turned out nice," Iwaizumi said, smiling at the pictures.

"Um... Iwaizumi..." you started. Your reason had finally won over your feelings. You had to make sure what was going on wasn't just a dream. But before you could ask, he interrupted you.

"Would you consider dating me?" he said in a rush of words. And then you saw it. Under the night sky with the thousands of LED stars, you saw his face turn red, worried about your response.

"A-are you serious?"

"If you don't want to, that's okay too-"

"Yes!!! A thousand times yes!!" you hugged him in delight.

The lights suddenly turned off again signaling that it had been an hour since the first ‘wink’. Iwaizumi gave you a quick kiss during that split second when the lights weren't watching.

*****

"Uhh... Oikawa. Your skates are right here," commented Makki.

"Shhh... Don't tell anyone."

*****

I hope you liked it. Here's my masterlist if you want to check out my other stories and here's my taglist form (Google forms) if you want to be added or removed from my taglist. Info about what is a taglist is on the form as well.

Also, here are the other stories in the Winter Wonderland collab. :)

Taglist: @whootwhoot​ @charmingchikara​ @megumiisee @babythotshq​

[catzula]

Smile For Me

AN: thank you to the anon who requested Artist Shinsou, it was a really cute idea! I'm sorry for writing the requests really late too but here's a 5.6k fic lol I'm sorry, it's not edited btw cause I'm at holiday and dont know how to write fics on mobile I literally can't :(

Warnings: nope

Genre: fluff

Pairing: shinsou hitoshi x reader

It was a cold day.

You had a sweatshirt on, nothing too thick. The wind was blowing like it was trying to wipe you out the earth. You hugged your body tighter, trying to find some warmth.

The school had let you off early this day since a heavy rain was expected. The logical thing was to go home and do your preparations, but you didn't want to go home just yet, so you had decided to meet one of your friends. You decided you could wait at a park that was near where you were, hoping to find a small Cafe to at least drink something hot, but to your disappointment, nothing similar to what you had in mind was to be seen.

You sighed as you sat on a free bench. You texted your friend to tell her you were sitting at the park, groaning when she told you she was probably going to be late. You leaned forward to take your book out of your bag, trying to forget the cold wind that was sending chills down your body. You wrapped your scarf tighter to your neck, hugging your body with your arms.

You weren't aware of the boy sitting a few meters away from you, a notepad and a pencil in his hands, watching everyone.

***

Shinsou was in a bad mood. He needed to draw something for his art class, but he just couldn't find anything that piqued his interest. He could always draw the baby that was crying in the sand pool, or his mother that was blowing cool air from her mouth to soothe the small wound that was caused from the sand, but none of them looked interesting enough for him to go through and finish a whole piece of art. Maybe the flower standing there could be a reference but-

He sighed. He hadn't slept last night, looking for something to draw. He usually slept very late, but not sleeping at all was a whole new level. His pencil moved over his notepad, though he wasn't drawing anything specific. Shinsou looked at the girl that was sitting on the bench, probably about to freeze to death. People were wearing gloves and winter coats while you only had a sweatshirt and a deep red scarf on. Your eyes fixed on the book you held, your face relaxed, a cute smile now on your lips.

As his eyes wandered over you, he didn't notice his hand starting to outline your figure.

You were lost in your book. You didn't even notice the cold anymore, only when the wind blew your pages did you curse under your breath. When you finished the chapter you were reading, you felt your back hurting and you opened your arms, stretching your body.

Only then did your eyes catch a glimpse of the unruly hair, purple locks defying the gravity in an odd way. He didn't notice you staring at him, he was too concentrated on what was in front of him. He looked like he was drawing something, his eyes, which were the same color as his hair, were fixed on the paper, brows furrowed.

You looked away because if you didn't, he probably would have thought you were a creep, though you could feel your eyes gazing his way every once in a while. You snapped out of your thoughts and just when you were about to keep reading your book, you felt something jump on your lap, making you shriek in surprise.

It was a black cat on your lap, nuzzling its face to you, it sat right on your book as if it was trying to get you to stop reading. You giggled as you pet it, a big smile on your face. You always felt special when cats did this, it felt like you were chosen by some greater good.

You didn't notice the boy across you was watching you as you spoke and giggled to the cat. One of his brows quirked up as he smirked slightly, a girl talking to a cat-like so wasn't something he saw every day.

But maybe it was just what he needed to see.

You were smiling brightly as you talked to the cat, one of the prettiest smiles Shinsou had ever seen. Without taking his eyes off of you, he tried to copy this scene in front of him to the paper.

He was so focused on what he was doing, he didn't even realize you were shivering. He felt like he had seen you before, though he didn't want to waste his time trying to figure out where he had seen you, instead, he was trying to draw that smile of yours, though he just couldn't draw it the way he wanted to.

He just had to see your smile one more time.

But when he lifted his gaze from your sketch to look at you and the cat, you were nowhere to be seen. He stood up without thinking, looking around frantically. He started to run when he saw a glimpse of your deep-red scarf, not even thinking about what to say when he reached you.

When he caught up -he was heaving and his cheeks were red from running- he touched your arm, not sure of what to say. " 'Scuse me."

A deep voice called out, touching your arm slightly. You jumped with surprise but smiled sweetly when you saw it was the guy from the park, the one who was drawing.

"Oh, um, hi." You told him, your smile making his heart beat faster, even though he literally ran with all his might just now. "Did you need something?" You asked, watching him as his hand scratched the back of his neck, moving in his place uncomfortably.

"I- uh, I do need something." He too you as he held his pencil so right, his knuckles turned white. He was never an extroverted person, and what he was doing now was a big blow on his social anxiety.

"Do you have time? I would like to ask you something."

Was this boy asking you out or something? And why did he look so familiar? You could swear you'd seen him quite a lot before, though not really knowing where from. "I'm waiting for my friend, actually. So I have time till she shoves up."

Shinsou was not expecting a positive answer. How was he even supposed to ask you to model for him? Would that be too creepy?

You walked in silence, back to the bench you were sitting at. You were starting to get anxious as he eyed you every once in a while, not saying a word. "I- I'm an art major." He finally started, pulling when you didn't say anything. "I have my finals coming up and I have to draw someone... I saw you talking to the cat just now and I-"

"You saw that?!" You exclaimed, cheeks getting heated as you looked at him wide-eyed. "I- uh, I did. But you see, I think it was really nice and I kinda- actually, let me show you."

Wow, this was going bad, wasn't it?

He held his breath as he opened the notepad in his hands, opening the unfinished sketch he just drew- of you. You gasped as you saw the beautiful drawing, not even acknowledging for a moment that it was you who was smiling and petting a cat, so detailed and so pretty.

"Did you do this now?" You asked him, touching the paper so softly, as it would crumble under your touch with the smallest amount of pressure.

"I did. But I kinda need you to stay a little longer to finish it, I know this is a weird request, but I really need to finish it... So, what do you say? Could you stay a bit longer, not much, just till I finish it?" Your eyes followed his hand as he ran his finger through those purple, soft-looking locks, making you wonder how it would feel like under your hands.

"Wait, you actually want me to model for you?" You asked him, brows borrowing with confusion and disbelief. "Is that weird?" He asked you, a hopeful look in his tired-looking eyes.

"No, I- I mean yes!" Oh, damn, you were awkward. "What I'm trying to say is-" you started, a little calmer, trying to answer with a full sentence this time, "It is very unusual, but probably not as weird as me talking to a cat."

He chuckled at that, a rich sound making your heartbeat a little faster. "Yeah, probably not."

"So does that mean, yes? Will you model for me?" You shrugged as you giggled. "Sure, why not."

He smiled, relief washing over him. "Thank you so much, I can't even tell you how much this helps." He was taking his notepad out but stopped as he saw you trembling like a leaf. "Oh, here." He shook his jacket off his shoulders, handing it to you.

"I can't take this." You told him, wishing you could, "It's yours and it's really cold." Plus, it was your fault you didn't bring a jacket with you and he shouldn't be cold because of your irresponsibleness. "Just take it." He said gruffly, "I'm making you stay here so it's only fair if you took this."

Now that was a solid argument. You accepted the jacket he offered -why did it smell so good? Like soap and a bit like lavender?- and smiled gratefully. "Thank you for that." He shrugged to say it was nothing.

***

Hanging out with Shinsou was better than you had expected. He was such a chill guy, so calm and smart, he didn't talk much but when he did his quick, smart remarks making you admire him a lot.

Even though he had told you it wouldn't take long, the sun was already setting when he was giving the drawing it's last details, though both if you didn't mind it at all. It was supposed to be a quick sketch, all he had to do was to draw the outlines and then he could go on without you, but he just couldn't tell that to you, afraid you'll leave.

He was having fun, too much fun, to let you go. He never thought having a chat with some stranger -who talked to cats, too- would turn out to be so fun. And you were nice. So nice that he felt like he could tell you anything, and you wouldn't judge him, which was a feeling foreign to him.

As he scribbled the last pieces of shadings -he knew he was just adding useless details now- he felt a weird weight in his chest. He didn't want you to go, wanted you to stay with him, and talk even more. He was a quiet guy, in contrast to you -you talked a lot of he was going, to be honest, but he thought of it as adorable and even though it was mostly you talking and him listening, it was obvious both of you liked the presence of each other.

At some time, your friend had canceled, telling you she couldn't make it and she was really sorry, but it hadn't bothered you the least. In reality, you were glad you got to spend more time with him.

You gave him your scarf at one point, and he looked so cute, his face wrapped with a deep red scarf, the color matching his cheeks.

"It's really pretty." You told him, caressing the paper with your finger. "It's you who makes it pretty." He answered, causing your cheeks to heat up.

"I don't know how to answer that." You finally told him after a long silence. Your blunt answer made him giggle, once again scratching his neck, making your heart flutter.

"It was really nice to meet you." You let out, sad that you have to go, and that you'll probably never see him again. "It was really nice to meet you too, and you have no idea how much this helped." He answered though he looked like he wanted to say something else.

"Maybe I'll see you around, you know if you ever come here again." He mumbled, eyes looking at yours awaiting. "Sure." You smiled brightly, happy that you weren't the only one that wanted to meet again. You looked at the sweatshirt you were wearing, the one that belonged to him and was too big for you. "I should give this back."

But instead of taking it, he shook his head. "It's still very cold. You can give it to me the next time we see each other." You smiled, the idea of having some kind of excuse to see him again making your heart hammer your chest. "Then you should keep my scarf too, and I'll have it back when I give you your sweatshirt back."

He smiled too, touching the scarf like it was made of gold. You stood up, your legs sore from sitting for so long. "I should go now, it's getting pretty late." You told him as you looked at the drawing he did one last time. It really was pretty.

"Yeah, I guess." He really shouldn't have felt this bad. "See you around?"

"Yeah, promise you'll have your sweatshirt back." You giggled and turned your back, making your way back to your home, an odd feeling finding it's way to your heart.

Shinsou watched you leave, the same feeling you were experiencing, sending shivers down his spine.

***

It had been a week since you saw Shinsou. And oddly enough you missed him.

You could visit the park only once since that day, disappointed that he wasn't there. You weren't really sure if he had ever visited the park too, wondering if he had thought of you as often as you thought of him.

He probably didn't, and you were making a fool of yourself, but you just couldn't stop, couldn't make the thought of him just go away, though his smell from his sweatshirt was already going away.

You sighed, not being able to focus on your lesson. When the bell finally rang, you stood up, stretching your body as you saw your friend coming next to you. "Hey, what's up-"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" She screamed- asked, earning glares from other people in the class. "How could you hide this from me?" Her hands were on your shoulders, shaking you with every word that left her lips.

"What are you talking about?" You asked, confused.

"Oh, come on, don't play dumb now." She told you, though still not saying anything that has the slightest bit of explanation.

"I literally have no idea what you're referring to." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she eyed you suspiciously. "Wait, " her eyes widened when she realized you meant what you said. "You really don't know?"

"Nope." You answered.

"Oh my God." She started giggling, making you a little scared of what was happening. "Are you going to tell me now?"

"No way." She answered between her giggles. "I'll show it to you instead." Now, if that wasn't the most suspicious thing you've heard, you didn't know what was. "I'd really rather you tell me." You told her, though you knew she wouldn't tell you even if you begged on your knees. "Oh come on." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "You know I would never tell you. Just wait for a little and see for yourself."

You sighed but didn't say anything, knowing it wouldn't be anything other than wasting your breath. "Okay, whatever. Show it to me." You sighed.

She grinned as she tugged at your wrists, pulling you in a direction. You let her lead you for at least 15 minutes, you had left the campus, entering the main campus, and then the art gallery.

You knew the art majors were exhibiting their finals projects in here, though you never really had the time to come and look at them. "What are we doing here?" You asked her, but she ignored your question, leading your way in the halls of the maze-like halls of the gallery.

And then she suddenly stopped, making you lose your balance by doing so. "Why did we-" you choked on your words as you lifted your gaze up, looking at the piece of art on the wall.

It was a charcoal drawing, a big one at that. Black and white had so many tones between them, shading was so professional, so detailed and so beautiful, it was like the art was alive, you could swear you might see it moving if you looked closely. But it wasn't the beauty of the art that had you in shock, it was what was on it.

You.

You were in the painting. Talking to a cat.

You knew this drawing, you knew it very well, that was because you had spent every second of the last week, thinking about the artist who drew it.

You turned to your friend, who was watching you with a knowing smirk. "You have to be kidding me." You mumbled. He was at your school? How was that even... Was that why he looked so familiar?

"How is this... Wh- Who did this?" You asked, finally able to say a whole sentence. Her nose scrunched in confusion. "You mean you don't know?"

You shook your head.

"It's Shinsou Hitoshi from 2-A." She answered. "I thought you knew him."

"I do know him." You told her. "But I didn't know- I didn't know we were in the same school, or that he was a grade older than me. I didn't even know he was..." You gulped. "I need to go." You told her, leaving her with many questions to be answered.

"Wait, where are you going?!" She screamed after you.

***

You were running, though you hadn't even stopped to think for a second. What were you even going to tell him when you found him?

Hey, it's me, the girl you drew as an art project? The girl talking to a cat? We met a week ago, I still have your sweatshirt, might be nice to have my scarf back too. You remember me, right?

Yeah, probably wouldn't work out, would it? You decided it was the best to go with the flow -it really isn't- and didn't stop to even think for a second.

You entered the art building, feeling the eyes of the students on you, though you weren't sure if it was because you looked like you were running for your dear life, or maybe it was because you were the girl on the art that obviously everyone saw.

You didn't care about the looks they were sending at you and ran until you stood in front of the door you were looking for.

2/A.

Now that you were finally able to stop and breathe, and actually think about what you were doing, you thought maybe this wasn't a really good idea. You had no idea what to say, you weren't sure if it would actually go with the flow either, and you just didn't know how he would react.

But most of all, you were a little disappointed that you haven't seen him that one the time you visited the park. Did he even ever visit? Yes, maybe you only visited once, but he wasn't there, was he? And maybe it was just dumb to expect anything from-

"Oh, hi!" You heard a girl's voice from behind you. It was a brunette girl who was looking at you with a wide smile, her brown eyes the biggest pair of eyes you had ever seen and she had the sweetest face. "Hi, I was looking for-" You mumbled back, feeling shy, but couldn't even finish your sentence.

"Oh my God, 'Chako isn't that the girl?!" Another girl came running towards you, a big smile and wide eyes on her face as she shouted at the girl talking to you. She had a pink-tinted face, like she was blushing constantly, but it looked cute nevertheless. The brunette nodded like they were sharing some big secret, though the secret was more than necessary at this point.

"You're looking for Hitoshi, right?" The pinkish faced girl asked, her hands holding yours as she jumped in her place.

"Well, I- uhh, I was looking for Shinsou." You told her and she giggled when you couldn't call him by his first name. "Oh my God, you're too cute! I'm Mina, by the way, " she informed you as she tugged you from your wrists to the class. "Come on, he's in here."

When you entered the class, more like pushed from the back by Mina, you lost your balance slightly, recovering quickly. You cod feel everyone looking at you, wondering who you were or why you were here. Though a few of them looked like they knew what was going on, watching you with big interest. You scanned the room for one specific pair of indigo eyes. And you found him, your heart beat picking up almost instantly.

He was there. Sitting in his desk, he had his earbuds in and was looking at his phone with tired eyes, his purple hair hidden under his hoodie. As you saw him just sitting there, you thought maybe this was a bad idea. What if he simply didn't want to see you? Both of you didn't know you were in the same school, and what if he thought you were creepy or clingy or...

His gaze lifted from his phone only for a glance to see why his friends were suddenly so quiet, only to see you standing in front of the door, cheeks tinted red and looking very uncomfortable. Shinsou's eyes widened as he put his phone on his desk and stood up. Looking like he couldn't believe you were there, standing just a few meters away from him, he slowly got closer to you.

When he stopped in front of you, he still looked like he couldn't believe his eyes. "H-hey." You told him, smiling anxiously. Everyone in the class was watching you both, and neither of you felt the slightest bit comfortable there. "You wanna go somewhere more... Private?" He finally asked, ignoring his friend's giggles and 'ooohhhh"'s.

"Oh, yeah, that would be amazing." You answered, letting him lead you out of the class. After a short walk, you found a quiet place, looking at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"I didn't know you were in this school."

"I saw the drawing."

Both of you talked at the same time, making you giggle. "How did you find me?" He asked, his words setting a horrible feeling down your chest. Did he?...

"Y-you didn't want me to find you?" His eyes widened when he realized how his words sounded like. "No! I- I'm actually really happy you did, I was pretty sad when you didn't show up at the park." He mumbled, he seemed so sincere about his words, it caused you to blush. "You went back to the park?" The words tumbled out of your mouth with a much more hopeful tone than you would like.

He scratched the back of his neck anxiously. "I- I did. But you weren't there, so I thought you didn't - uhh, didn't want to see me." His cheeks slightly tinted pink, indigo eyes looking at everywhere but you, you couldn't help but think how adorable he looked.

"I visited the park too." You answered, noticing how close he was, all of a sudden. You could feel his soapy lavender smell, making your heart beat faster and faster with every second.

"I found you because of the drawing." You finally answered his question. "I was there with my friend, and she told me you were the artist." That wasn't exactly true, but you weren't lying either, right? Though he didn't seem to be listening either, his gaze fixed on your lips, smirking.

"I probably should thank your friend, then." He answered, making you chuckle. "Maybe you should."

***

Epilogue

"I really can't believe you're going on a date with Shinsou Hitoshi." Your friend repeated for the 100th time as she applied some highlighter to your cheeks.

"I can't either." You answered, feeling all giddy inside. It didn't take long for Shinsou to ask you out after you both found each other, and almost everyone knew about how you met now. Your friends eyes wandered over you.

"I understand everything but that sweatshirt, " she told you, face scrunched with disapproval, "you really can't wear that to a first date, you know." She told you, looking at the sweatshirt on you like it was the ugliest thing in the world but you ignored it. It might not be the prettiest thing you had, but it had history and you secretly liked wearing it, the lavender smell calming your nerves.

"I'm gonna be late." You told her, standing up when she finished the make up. As you arrived to the Cafe Shinsou and you decided to meet at you felt anxiety and excitement washing over you.

It wasn't far from your campus, making it easier for both of you. As you entered the Cafe, a smell of ground coffee filled your senses. Your eyes wandered around, looking for one particular head of purple hair.

You smiled when you saw him, all wrapped up in your red scarf you had given him, the biggest smile on his face when he saw you wearing his sweatshirt.

He thought you looked like a piece of art.

[babylooneytoonz]

Warnings: Well, I just want to apologize in advance for what you're all about to read. Your truth is revealed, not to Bucky. You are not who you think you were.

Coffee Stains Masterlist here.

"Hey, look at me, you're alright, okay? Nothing's gonna happen," Bucky's warm flesh palm felt over your bump, and instinctively, you winced when his fingers brushed against something just underneath the base of your bump, towards the left. That's when he felt something sticky and warm in his palm.

He was pulled into the grip of silent panic, his eyes wild and his pupils dilated as he looked at the blood coating his fingers; it was only then that he realized what had happened. You had been shot. His heart had begun to race, and his temples throbbing in an incoming headache, like a bomb that had exploded in his brain.

"Buck.. I don't feel so good."

"It's just a graze, love. It's nothing, trust me, yeah?" Bucky's metal arm slid underneath your thighs and in one sweep, he pulled you into his arms, and reflexively, your eyes now droopy, you let your head rest against his chest, feeling the symphony of his breaths, that seemed to be relaxing you.

Bucky used his other hand to slide his phone out of his pocket and the first person he dialed was Steve.

"Y/N has been shot. I'm taking her to the hospital," he looked down at you to see that your eyes were almost closed now, but you were breathing, although shallow, "it's not looking good, Steve. I need you here. I need you right now. Please." 

You let out a cough, which was more of a laugh, but it sounded like a cough as air was lodged to your throat, mumbling barely incoherent words, "Winter... Soldier, you really need Captain...America..to save your ass don't you?" He just smiled, pulling you tighter against his chest, as though you were slipping away, "Fuck Winter Soldier, you know I'm nothing without you now." You were trying ... fighting to stay awake, even more so upon hearing his words, as you clung on to your boyfriend, your hand locked around his neck. You somehow managed to open your eyes, and your eyes caught the sight of a hospital.

"Bucky?"

He looked down at you, and a weak smile draped over his lips when he saw that you're awake. What you said to him, however, broke his heart into two and he wished that this hadn't happened to you.

"Will you promise me something?"

"What?" He asked.

"If something does happen to me, make sure you don't raise this one alone, you should raise them with Natasha."

He blinked, struggling to mask the tears that had now surfaced in his eyes as he bit down on his tongue, and shook his head. The two of you fought like cats and dogs, but he couldn't think of you not being here, even for a second.

"I would never promise you such a thing, because there's no one else I want to raise our kid with. And I mean, you."

You parted your lips, and all that came out was a weak sounding exhale, so you just succumbed against his chest, humming slightly so he knew that you had heard him, but just didn't have the strength to reply.

"I've seen you single-handedly take out five men, and that too, pregnant. You kicked some ass that day," he chuckled, finally letting that thick, warm tear roll down against his cheek, "And if you're telling me, it's one fucking bullet that's gonna be the end of you and end of us, you're just crazy."

He tried to make talk with you, hoping the back of the mind that you will find this urge to stay awake and to fight this for him as the hospital came into view. He muttered something under his breath; pulled out his cellphone again and saw that it was Nick Fury calling him. He received it, and was instantly greeted by a bark on the other end. The call didn’t last long, but Bucky informed him of the hospital that he had taken you into and he told him that he was bringing Y/N's doctor along, as he knew all your stats and vitals.

The instant Bucky stepped into the hallway of the hospital, a glimpse of his metal arm was enough for them to know that he was the Winter Soldier. He laid you on a gurney, and looked at the nurse who was looking down at you questioningly, “Yeah, well, my girlfriend's been shot. She’s seven months pregnant.”

“Sergeant Barnes, you’ll have to wait here, we’ll have to take her in –“

Before either Bucky could reply, or the nurse could even complete her sentence, Fury and a short heighted man dashed into the hospital, and headed straight towards where Bucky was, Fury instantly bending over the gurney so he could look at you.

“I’m her doctor,” you were wheeled into the trauma room and Fury and Bucky fixed themselves on either sides of the hallway, Bucky glancing down at his hands that were coated in your dried up blood. This was all his fault, if only he had been honest with you, honest enough that what happened today could have been avoided.

“I told her that she was making a wrong choice.”

Bucky’s strained, blood shot eyes lifted themselves and he fixed them on the man with the eyepatch who was leaning by the wall on the other end, as he continued speaking, “but she didn’t want to listen to me. She kept telling me that you were the best thing that had happened to her. Look where it’s gotten her now, Barnes.”

“Fury –“ Both Bucky and Fury turned towards the source of the voice, as Steve, Natasha and Sam rushed to where the two men were, Steve leading the way. “leave him alone. Y/N is a grown woman, who can make her own decisions. Besides, how is any of this Buck’s fault?”

“T’s alright, Punk, he’s right though –“

“Excuse me, Sergeant? Mr. Fury?” Y/N's doctor stepped out, his white gloves having turned bright red.

“Doctor, is she okay? Are they okay?” Bucky mumbled as all the Avengers crowded around him.

“Well, although things don’t look bad, the bullet did rupture the amniotic sac, which is why, we’ll have to do an emergency C  - section. Sergeant, looks like you are going to meet your child sooner than you anticipated. You can go and meet her before we wheel her in.”

“Holy shit.” Bucky took a step away, his jaw almost hanging, and his eyes wide; this felt surreal. He felt unprepared suddenly and scared. “Bucky?” Steve’s hand on his back pulled him back from his thoughts and his head snapped towards his bestfriend, Steve noticing the fearful look on his friend's face, “Want to talk about it?”

He swallowed, looking down at his feet and then back up again, almost shaking his head, “Do you think I am ready for this Stevie? I just, I am freaking out.”

Steve gave him a soft smile, reaching out and placing a steadying hand at the back of his friend’s neck, “You’re ready Buck. You’re just scared, but trust me, when you’ll have that little Barnes right there in your arms, you won’t feel so scared anymore. Now go and talk to her, I’m sure she needs you right now daddy.”

“Yeah, punk. Do not say that again.” Steve just chuckled, and Bucky kept smirking as he walked towards the operation room where you were being prepped for that emergency c section.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

You were laying down on the operation table, your fingers delicately kneading over the fabric of your hospital gown. The bullet wound had already been taken care of, but you could feel the sting from it, along with a throbbing pain radiating from inside your belly. Bucky stepped in, his eyes falling on you, and his heart almost snapped into two when he saw the state you were in.

“I’m so fucking sorry, I’m such an idiot,” he muttered in a low voice as he made his way to you.

“Five minutes, Sergeant.” The nurse whispered, as she stepped out, leaving you and Bucky alone inside.

He pulled the stool, lowering himself on it and placed his palm on your forehead, stroking over your warm, sweaty head. You smiled, blinking at him, your eyes coated with your tears; you weakly lifted your hand and placed it on your boyfriend’s metal hand, that was resting on your stomach.

“How are you holding up, daddy?” You grinned, in a weak voice and he just snorted, leaning close to your face.

“Shit scared, I am freaking out, I’ll be honest, I thought I had two months to mentally prepare myself.”

You nodded, clasping your fingers against his metal ones. “Cold feet yeah? Listen, it’s going to be okay. Whatever happens, I know, that you’ll be there for our kid.”

“Hey, you’re not gonna go anywhere. Don’t say that.”

“Mhm, we don’t even have a name yet. Jesus, we are so unprepared. Are we bad parents, Buck? What are we going to call this one when they're here? Little Buchanan Barnes?” You drawled, squirming slightly so you could get a little comfortable.

“Its time Y/N,” your doctor stepped in, and this was Bucky’s cue to leave, so he stood up, placing a chaste kiss against your sweaty forehead, whispering, "Don't worry , this doesn't make us bad parents, we didn't know that little Buchanan Barnes will want to join us early. Now I'll be outside, waiting for you to give me a healthy little mini you." He smiled down at you, before walking out of the operation theater.

Once he had left, the doctor walked up to you, and gave you weak smile, almost shaking his head, “He deserved to know, Y/N.”

“He would have shattered, doctor. I can’t do this to him. Besides, it is my call right? I’m asking you to save my baby by doing this.”

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

“Something isn’t right, what the hell's going on in there? It’s been two hours.” Bucky ’s pacing didn’t stop, no matter how much Steve or Natasha tried to get him to calm down, and to sit and relax. Something kept bothering him at the back of his mind, something didn’t seem right. Y/N's conversation kept ringing at the back of his mind, on repeat, whatever happens, I know, that you will be there for our kid.

However, the first cry of his little child, from inside the operation room made him forget all his fears. Steve pulled his bestfriend to his chest, clasping his back in a congratulatory way, even Nick Fury was smiling for a change.

The door finally opened, and the doctor stepped out, holding a tiny, wailing bundle in his arms. Bucky swallowed the lump in his throat, his breathing hitched and he gasped, taking a step closer. The baby was so tiny, so fragile, his heart strummed inside his chest just at one look at that baby, “Is it–”

“Its a girl, a healthy little girl.”

Who could have known that the Winter Soldier would finally break at the sight of his own daughter? Tears freely fell down his eyes, and he could feel his lips quiver as the doctor placed his little girl into his arms. He was so scared, he didn’t let his metal arm near her. It was as though she was made of glass, delicate and breakable. That morning he held his new daughter, this was the most perfect feeling he had ever known as it swept through him. He knew he would do anything in the world for her. He would be her hero, her keeper, the one who gave her cuddles and kept her safe. He would be this little girl’s Winter Soldier.

“She is beautiful,” Natasha cooed, staring at the little girl, in awe. Although she wasn't her mother, and she could never be one, the sight of a newborn baby always made her heart swell. She placed her palm softly over the baby's fuzzy little hair, stroking over her matted black hair, “I’m sure you didn’t think of names?”

“I - Y/N would want to name her I think,” Bucky whispered , looking down at her, and suddenly, he looked up at the doctor. “How is she? When is she going to wake up?”

“I, uh..”

Bucky raised his eyebrows in suspicion when the doctor didn’t answer him and instead, averted his eyes.

“How is she?”

After almost a minute of silence, the doctor looked down at his feet, and then back up again, mumbling in a low voice, “We, uh, we couldn’t save her. She couldn’t make it.”

What was once whole suddenly shattered and the baby that wailed in his arms, the happiness of watching her didn’t feel as warm as before. Where there was once was peace , suddenly it was just emptiness, and now her words made sense. She knew this was going to happen, but she chose not to tell him.

“Take her, Steve.”

“Buck, it’s –“

“Not now.” He growled, his eyes raging red, as he slid his baby girl into Steve’s arms; and walked out of the hospital. He didn’t know where he was going or what he was going to do, but he felt betrayed, and suddenly, left alone.

He lost her.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Five weeks later,

“Oh, you’re one happy baby aren’t you?” Natasha looked down at the baby. She sat in the recreation room, the little one month old girl they now called Sasha Y/M/N Barnes, as she rocked her on her knees side by side, playing with the girl.

“He still won’t step out of his room?” She asked, when she saw Steve dejectedly step into the recreation room and he just shook his head.

“Let him be, he will be here when he feels he is ready.”

“I’m here now.” A voice called out, from behind Steve, and all heads turned towards Bucky. He stepped in, his hair a mess, his eyes swollen and puffy like he hadn’t slept well in ages but he walked up straight to where Sasha was and threw out his hands towards her. Natasha stood up, gently handing him his daughter whom he immediately brought close to his chest, rocking her slightly.

 Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, in an old HYDRA base in Hungary, you stood in a room, in a center, with almost a hundred men in HYDRA uniforms surrounding you.

“Джоанна, ты позор для ГИДРЫ.” (Johanna, you’re a disgrace to HYDRA.)

You bit your lip hard, running your hand through your short cropped hair, as you mumbled something under your breath, “ Если бы ты не продолжал посылать своих людей выслеживать нас, моя дочь была бы жива.” (If you didn’t keep sending your men to hunt us down, my daughter would be alive.)

“Твоя работа заключалась в том, чтобы заполучить Зимнего Солдата, ни тебе это не удалось, ни ты не мог дать нам ребенка.” (Your job was to get the Winter Soldier, neither did you succeed in that, nor could you get us the baby.)

You threw your hands in the air, exasperated, as you growled in frustration, “ Опять же, мой ребенок не умер бы, если бы один из йойренов не выстрелил в меня.” (Again, my baby wouldn’t have died if one of your men hadn't shot me.)

“Просто забери ее. И приготовь ее стереть все воспоминания.” (Just take her away. And get her ready to get all the memories wiped off.)

You took a deep breath, but didn’t argue or protest when you felt arms grab you by your arms and started dragging you towards the lab. But your mind kept thinking of the things that you had witnessed, before they wiped it all off.

Your name was Y/N, but HYDRA knew you as Johanna. You were a HYDRA infiltrator, working undercover at SHIELD. James Buchanan Barnes had been your mission. You were expected to get close to him, and bring him back, but little did you know, that he will get through to you, and you will end up falling in love with him. You had exploited him, exploited his past, used the torture and the pain that he went through, and fabricated everything. There was no Danny, and no Wallis. Well, there was Wallis, but he wasn’t your real husband, just a decoy that the two of you used when on HYDRA missions. You knew you had to eliminate him, to make sure no one doubted you and that your story looked believable to all the Avengers, and so far, it worked. However, when she came into your life, your little girl, you wanted nothing more than to protect her life; and the love you felt for James Buchanan Barnes grew even stronger, making you run away in the end. But somehow , Bucky ended up finding you and bringing you back, and your plan failed. You had thought that maybe you will pull yourself out from the mess you had landed yourself into and make a home here with Bucky, and your baby, but HYDRA just kept coming back, again and again, trying to get you.

You had to do something, so you could end this once and for all. And it was only one of the two options. You could tell him the truth, of who you were and risk him throwing you out, along with your baby. Or, you could leave your baby with Bucky, and leave him so he could be with the woman who made him feel human once, long time back, Natasha Romanoff.

As for HYDRA, your super serum baby was dead, atleast that's what you told everybody. You doubted now that they would find out about her for a while now, for she was safely at the Avengers Towers, with people who could protect her. You knew that she was safe, safe with Bucky, who would love her more than any other thing in the world. And you were dead, at least for the records. At least for James Buchanan Barnes.

It was a weird night, when thousands of miles away, in the city of Manhattan, Bucky and Natasha stepped into the penthouse suite that belonged to Tony Stark, Natasha holding your daughter against her chest as she cooed to her in Russian, stroking over her little head. Bucky had remembered the promise he never made to you, and perhaps, he owed you this much in death, so he decided to request Natasha to help him raise his little girl with him. At the same time,  somewhere far away from them in an icy cold base in Hungary, you were ready to be put into that memory wiping machine, and be made ready to go for your next mission, whatever it was going to be, but deep down you were at peace, knowing that the man you loved, and your beautiful little girl, were safe and together.

"Till we meet again, my soldier," You smiled, and let the doctor place a metal helmet over your head, and stuff the rubber in your mouth to bite down on.

(Well, bam. I know you guys exploded. Really sorry about that. Well she's HYDRA, and he's just .. always ready to kick HYDRA's ass. Now wouldn't it be a scandal when he finds out that you're not dead? And you're actually one of them? Keep tuned, book 2 will be following this one, and it will be a much darker theme, as compared to this one. Thank you to all of you for reading this one, and for all the love! ❤️)

Permanent Bucky Barnes Taglist :

@really-dont-forget-it @thepeakygurl @all-art-is-quite-useless @baumarvel @janajjj @chipilerendi @nyotamalfoy @skittychat @allidoiswritewritewrite @jessyballet @x0xchristine @evansgirl7 @supraveng

Want to be added to the taglist? Please fill the form on this link.

[jazminetoad]

In My Reality | Chapter 1: Dreams & Wishes

Yo, I finally finished the actual first chapter of this new series! I originally wanted to get this out within a week of the prologue’s release but this turned out to be longer than I imagined. All of my TLC went into this for the past three weeks, I haven’t felt this passionate for a project in a long time. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do! ^-^

(This is a Tatsumi brothers x Reader)

(To read the first part, click -> Prologue)

(To read the next part, click → Chapter 2)

(Click “Keep reading” to read the story)

"Geez [n/n], you look so tired," Kamida pointed out. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Yeah, I did," I told them before a yawn escaped my mouth. "Just not as much as I wanted."

The three of us were standing at one of the local bus stops that took us downtown. It was our usual meeting spot since it crossed paths with the sidewalks that led us to our houses. We were heading to the arcade, our pockets filled with coins and our phones. The two artists were awake and ready but I on the other hand wished I stayed in bed.

"Oh?" Kamida quirked a brow.

"Did you go to sleep when we ended the call?" Meri-chan questioned, narrowing her eyes at me. 'Course in my sleepy state, I wasn't bothered by her laser stare.

"No-"

"[Name]!"

"Look, I wasn't ready to fall asleep at the time. Can you blame me?" I asked only to receive a sigh for an answer. "I didn't stay up too late anyway-"

"When?"

"When what?"

"When do you go to sleep?" Meri-chan inquired, placing her hands on her hips.

'Playing the mom friend, are we now?' I thought to myself. 'At least I don't have to deal with the teasing wingman.'

"Around 2 in the morning," I mumbled.

"[Name]!"

"What did you even do during that time?" Kamida asked, saving me from Meri-chan's lecture.

"I just watched the twins' episodes from Juuni Taisen." I noticed Meri-chan was about to go on again so I added, "Hey, at least I didn't watch the entire series."

"That's not the point," Meri-chan stated. I just shrugged in response.

"You really love those two, don't you," Kamida asked me.

"Yup."

I lost track of how many times I rewatched their episodes long ago. While rewatching the entire Anime is great, I didn't have the patience to go through six other episodes before seeing my favourite twins. I then just kept replaying the twins' episodes, eventually losing track of how many times I did. It's just that every time I watch the two episodes, the more I felt I could understand them. It made them seem as if they were real, but the reality is that they're not and I have to remember that. That doesn't stop my dreams though, speaking of my dreams...

"You know, I had an unusual dream last night," I told my friends. "It wasn't like the rest of my dreams that were strange and went all over the place. This dream it... it was of the Tatsumi Brothers but- but it was alternate ending with them." I left out the description of what happened because it'd spoil the Anime for Kamida, and I didn't want to do that.

"What do you mean by 'alternate ending'?" Meri-chan inquired, raising a brow.

"Like it was the ending of Juuni Taisen but different," I answered. "It just- it looked so real! It felt like I was actually watching the Anime until I woke up. You get what I'm saying?"

"Ummm, no," Meri-chan responded, sounding puzzled.

"Really?" I deadpanned.

"I get what you're saying," Kamida piped, pushing his glasses up for the Anime effect. My brow raised in question as to what his next words would be. "You're saying you're obsessed with the two to the point you dream of them!" He stated, pointing an index finger at me.

"Ack-! No!"

"Relax [n/n]," Kamida laughed. "I'm just messing with ya."

"Ha ha..." I let out before another yawn escapes.

"Man, you really are tired."

"I think the dream took my energy," I theorized, rubbing my eyes to stay open. Just as the words left my mouth, we all caught a glimpse of the approaching city bus. I don't know if it was just me but the thing seemed to be taking its sweet time to get to the bus stop.

"It's okay, [Name]. You can take a nap on the bus," Meri-chan told me as the bus came to a stop. "We'll wake you up when we're at the stop near the arcade."

"Alright."

Following my friends, I stepped onto the bus. It wasn't crowded, which made sense considering most people were still working at 2 in the afternoon. Kamida found a set of seats for all of us and sat down, Meri-chan sat next to him, then I plopped down in the seat next to her. Adjusting my position to try and get comfortable enough to fall asleep, I tilted my head to the side and let my eyes fall shut. Soon enough, I had drifted into sleep.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Is that thing any good?" Nagayuki asked his younger brother, watching him eat the deceased, cooked lizard.

"Yeah, it's awesome!" Takeyasu's sarcasm dripped with venom as his teeth tried to tear the scaled arm. "What do you think?"

The elder twin just blankly stared at his brother. Silence filled the air around them, but the sound of the younger twin eating his dead pet prevented the silence from taking over the scene. That was until the echo of a knock on their door emitted into their ears.

In sync, they both turned their attention to the door wondering who'd come to the door at this hour aside from a delivery man, but it wouldn't make sense for it to be a delivery man. Neither of them had ordered anything. The two gave each other a glance of uncertainty before Nagayuki let out a sigh, pinching the tip of his nose.

"I'll answer it," he stated as he approached the front door.

"Alright." Takeyasu reached over and grabbed his weapon, pulling it close for easy access, just in case.

The feeling around them pulled the twins towards the edge as eerie vines grew in the room. Masking his expression, Nagayuki slowly twisted the knob and partially opened the door. He briefly eyes the person standing on the other side.

It was a man with a top hat, grey hair tied back into a ponytail, facial hair, and the structure of his face made him seem elderly. He wore a black long coat with a grey scarf and white gloves. By this alone, the elder Tatsumi brother was able to tell this man dressed to blend into the shadows and meant business. Something else emitted from the man, it seemed to be supernatural. If it had been a normal person answering the door, they would've brushed the feeling off as if it was nothing because they don't believe in it, but Nagayuki knew the supernatural existed because he was living proof. That said, he grew cautious, thinking carefully of his next actions.

"Can I help you?" Nagayuki asked the man with a stoic face.

"I do believe this is the household of the Tatsumi brothers, Nagayuki and Takeyasu, if my sources are correct," the man spoke with an unreadable smile.

"So what if it is?"

"My name is Duodecuple," the man introduced himself. "I am from the Juuni Taisen organization."

Nagayuki raised a brow, suspicious of this mysterious person. When the head of the dragon and snake household explained how the Juuni Taisen contacted you the instructions of how to get to the location, they sent a letter in a red envelope with gold wax as its seal, and it was delivered through the mail. Why was this man here?

"Are you?" Nagayuki questioned. "Do you have any proof to back up that claim of yours?"

"I figured you would say something like that," Duodecuple said, his gloved-hand reached into his coat and pulled out a red envelope with a golden seal, handing it to Nagayuki.

Taking it from the man, the elder Tsumita twin opened the letter and thoroughly read the message written. Sure enough, this was legit. Glancing back at the man, still with a hint of suspicion, Nagayuki folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope before handing it back to him.

"Alright, so why are you here exactly? Last time I checked, you don't escort the warriors to the Juuni Taisen."

"While that is indeed true, I am here on the behave of a wish someone made. A wish that you and your brother wouldn't partake in the Juuni Taisen."

Takeyasu, who was listening to the conversation nearby, swung the door open and fired his weapon at the man. In his mind, that statement is something said before another person is killed. Not necessarily a threat, but even so it wasn't something to take lightly. He wasn't taking the risk of his brother being killed.

Nagayuki hardly had any time to react before his brother started burning the person in front of them. Part of him wanted to scold his brother for acting impulsively, but gratitude is the feeling that stirred inside him. He became unsettled after what the man said, and if it wasn't for Takeyasu, there was a chance the walls would've been stained with blood. However, he should stop his brother before they burn down the apartment building, he doesn't want to have to move again.

"Alright, that's enough, Takeyasu," Nagayuki told his twin, putting a hand on the younger one's shoulder. As the final remains of ember faded away after Takeyasu had stopped, both twins saw that no evidence was left behind of the man. "You really got him good..." Nagayuki stated, almost in disbelief.

"I do believe it is considered rude to try to kill someone before they finish what they are saying." Duodecuple's voice lurked behind them. The two flinched and spun around to discover the man standing there with no trail of smoke or ash on him as if he never had made contact with the fire. "But since you are warriors, I suppose that is an exception."

"I'd like to see you try and avoid this!"

"Wait-" Nagayuki tried to stop his brother from making any haste moves but his brother slithered quickly and tried to attack the old man with physical combat.

From the way the man never flinched and stood his ground, Nagayuki knew something was up. Sure enough, when Takeyasu struck he phased right through. Surprised by this, Takeyasu barely had time to recover and stumbled to catch himself. Once he steadied himself, he looked back to the elder man with narrowed eyes, growling.

"Now, now, I don't mean to bring any harm," Duodecuple reassured the two, holding up one of his gloved hands to gesture he meant no harm. "I am just here to fulfill a wish..." he paused for a brief moment to lower his hand. "Three wishes actually."

"Huh?" Both Tatsumi brothers spoke in sync, confused. Why would there be three wishes that involved them?

"By your tone, I am sure you are confused. I do not blame you however, even if you remembered your own wish you still would not know where the third one came from."

The twins' eyes glanced at each other before going back to the man. If they had made their wish and Duodecuple was here to grant it then that means they were already in the Juuni Taisen and won. What didn't make sense was how did they both win? Did something change where they could both win? If that was the case, why was Duodecuple here before the Juuni Taisen even started? Then there was still the third wish that didn't fit in the picture.

"Since it is not possible for the two of you to avoid the Juuni Taisen while in this plane of existence, our organizers thought it would be best to move you to another. And since the organizers are generous, they thought to grant another wish that would benefit both you and the wisher."

Once again, the Tatsumi brothers shared a look. Both unsure if there was a catch, and both having a lot of questions running through their minds. This entire situation seemed to be too good to be true then again, it was the Juuni Taisen. From what the twins heard, they made anything possible, the power they have is unimaginable.  Still, better to find out now.

"Is there anything else we should know about?" Nagayuki inquired.

"You will be living with the wisher," Duodecuple informed them. "As I said, it is a win-win situation. You will be informed of the new plane and you will have a new place to stay, it makes things more convenient."

"Alright, so we get our wish granted and a new roommate." Takeyasu turned his gaze to his brother, a smirk on his face. "It doesn't seem all that bad."

"I am glad to hear that. That being said, you have seven hours to pack everything you need before you are escorted to your new home," Duodecuple told them, taking off his hat and bowing. His form began to pixelate away until the air was the only thing that remained where the mysterious hologram once stood.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"[Name], wake up," Meri-chan whispered, nudging me awake. "We're here."

"Huh? Oh, right," I mumbled before a yawn escaped my mouth as I rose to my feet.

Once the three of us had walked off the bus, I stretched my stiff limbs. Satisfaction filled me as the musical sound of my bones cracking played through my ears. I was on that bus for too long, but if that meant I got more sleep, I didn't mind. However, I still wished I had been sleeping, for one I still felt like I needed more rest, and two, I wanted to continue the dream I had. It felt real like the one I dreamt the night before, just as if I was watching Juuni Taisen. I found it rather strange that twice in a row I had a dream like that.

"Feeling more awake now, [n/n]?" Kamida asked me.

"Kinda," I answered honestly before I drew a smirk on my face. "Awake enough to be able to beat you at Street Fighter!" I told him, poking his arm then picked up my feet and dashed towards the building.

"Oh no, you don't!" Kamida shouted, sprinting after me.

"Hey, no fair! You guys got a head start!" Meri-chan complained, following behind, trying to keep up.

'Course, it didn't take long before Kamida was running ahead of me, he had the height advance. Kamida is taller than both me and Meri-chan, and I am taller than Meri-chan which leaves her as the shortest out of our trio. That said, it was the order in which we all arrived at the arcade's main doors. Laughter emerged from us as we stumble at the front entrance.

"You guys are so slow," Kamida jeered.

"Yeah, yeah." I waved it off with a hand before strolling over and opening the door. "After you."

"As the wingman, I insist you go first," he stated holding the door open.

"Fine." I stepped into the world of entertainment and scanned the dark place where black and neon lights hung from. Only a few kids were here today, which means more gameplay for us! "Alright!" I thought out loud.

"Hey [n/n]-chan," Meri-chan addressed me, catching my attention. "Let's play a round of air hockey."

"Yeah- we can do our match later Kamida," I told him, still wanting to do that duel.

"Cool, I'll just be playing Space Invaders over here," he said before walking away.

"Alright, Meri-chan." My hand fished out a dollar from my pocket and inserted it in the coin slot, activating the machine. Taking the puck from the goal and placing it on the table, I put on my game face. "First to ten wins."

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

"Aw man," I groaned, seeing my Pac-man die for 4th time playing this multiplayer game.

"You're off your game today," Kamida commented as his eyes focus on the screen, trying not to get eaten by Meri-chan's red Pac-man.

"Gee, I wonder what makes you think that." I playfully rolled my eyes, chuckling as I saw Kamida's blue Pac-man get eaten.

"Dang it!"

"Haha!" Meri-chan cheered in victory, throwing her hands in the air.

I felt a smile form on my face seeing my friends act the way they did, but my mind couldn't help but focus on the dreams I had earlier. They were stuck bouncing around my loop of thoughts, perhaps that's why I was off my game. Who can blame me though? It's not like I get these dreams every day so the fact they happen was a puzzle itself, maybe if they happened more often I wouldn't be so distracted.

"Well darn, it's 5:10." Meri-chan's statement caused me to get off my train of thought.

"Shoot, I'm supposed to be home by 6," I told them.

"And I'm supposed to be cooking dinner tonight for me and my little brother," Kamida grumbled as he dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Should we leave now and catch the next bus?" Meri-chan asked, her eyes looking at us after her phone was put back in her pocket.

"Yeah, the next bus arrives in 15 minutes," Kamida informed us, checking the bus schedule.

"Let's get going then," I said leading the way out of the arcade. Stepping outside after being inside that dim-lit building burned my eyes. My hands shot up to block the setting sun as I let out a snake-like hiss, taking a few steps back.

"Hhhhh, why couldn't it be night when we left?" Meri-chan complained, getting the same effect.

"I don't know, I don't control time," Kamida replied to her squinting his eyes to try and adjust back to the normal lighting. "Come on guys, we don't have much time before the bus gets to the stop."

"Right," I nodded, setting my hands in my jacket pockets after my eyes were used to the lighting, following the others.

"You guys wanna do this again tomorrow?" Meri-chan asked, starting conversation as we strolled to the bus stop.

"I already have stuff going on tomorrow," I lied. It's not that I didn't want to spend time with them, I just didn't want to go outside until I have to go back to school.

"And I'm going to be at my grandparents for the next three days. That's why I said we should hang out today," Kamida explained.

"Oh, that's alright. We can always voice chat at night," Meri-chan optimized.

"Yeah." A yawn escaped from my mouth once again. 'Man, I really do need sleep.'

"[n/n], you should take a nap when you get home."

"I will, I will," I grumbled. 'After I take a shower.'

I probably won't remember to take a nap when I get home, cause with showering and then dinner practically ready when I'm finished, the thought will be lost in my head. Not to mention my dreams are what have been occupying my mind. Usually, they don't, but I believe I'm still grasping onto them since I don't want them to slip away.

'What do the dreams mean?' It appeared too real to be just a normal dream but to call it a vision would absurd. Visions are stuff that happened, will happen, or a sort of warning, at least that's how it is in movies. The closest thing I ever get to a vision is the random flashes of deja vu I receive. Perhaps I'm overthinking this, maybe I'm just having proper dreams for once. Yeah, that's probably it, I-

"Whoa there, [n/n]!" Kamida grasped my hood to prevent me from walking any further.

"Huh?" I voiced, confused by his actions, I turned my head to him and gave him a "Why did you do that?" expression.

"We're at the bus stop, dummy," Meri-chan informed me.

"Oh, oops." I sweatdropped as I stood beside them.

"We're just in time too," Kamida pointed out as he watched the bus drive towards the stop.

One by one, we stepped onto the bus. I noticed the number of people taking this transportation has grown since it's at an hour where most people get off work, luckily there was still a three-seat row open for us. My legs took haste to snatch the spot before it could be in someone's possession, then I plopped down onto the window seat. By the time I had shifted into a comfortable yet civil sitting position, my friends had joined me. Kamida next to me and Meri-chan sitting on his other side.

Vines of silence grew around us so we didn't disturb anyone lurking in our surroundings. I wasn't phased by the lack of conversation, taking the opportunity to gaze at the modern buildings the bus drove by and dive further into the waters of my mind. Going through the catalogue of my memory, I searched for the recent dream I had and play it once I had found it. Something felt out of place in that dream, and it wasn't just because the scenario differed from the canon result of the flashback in episode 8 of Juuni Taisen. The fact Duodecuple stated he came to fulfill three wishes and not two didn't make sense.

If I connected the dots correctly, the first two wishes were Nagayuki and Takeyasu's wish to not partake in the Juuni Taisen, but then where did the third wish come from? Why would there be a third wish? Did I miss something in my first dream? Is it possible that if I slept a bit longer this morning I would've found out who made the third wish?

Multiple questions danced in my mind but they couldn't find any answers for them to waltz around with. After all, they were left in the mystic unknown, the only way they could return to the known land and find answers is if I returned to the dream realm, but there's no guarantee that it'll give me what I'm looking for. I highly doubt I'd be able to get another dream of the Tatsumi brothers again, my dreams have been generous enough to grant me two normal dreams in a row, I don't think they're going to give me a third. Still, it would be nice-

"[n/n], we're at our stop," Kamida informed me while waving a hand in front of my face.

"Uh-right... right," I responded and arose to my feet, following them out of the bus. Once outside, I brushed myself off, watching the bus drive out of view. Turning my attention to my friends, my hands set themselves in my jacket pockets. "So I guess I'll see you guys at school."

"{Yup|Yeah}," they answered at the same time.

"Alright, see ya then guys." I waved, beginning to stroll backwards in the direction of my house.

"Bye!"  Meri-chan exclaimed, waving.

"See ya." Kamida gave a small wave before turning and heading home.

I faced forward once we had disappeared in our path home, eyeing the slim light that emerged from the sun that is ready to be engulfed by the black night. My hand dug into my pocket and pulled out my phone, I needed to text my mom I was almost home. Turning on the device, I noticed I had two text messages, one from my mom and the other from my brother. I tapped on the notification and bypassed the lock screen to read the message my bro sent me.

"Hey, I'm going to a hangout at my friend's house.

Won't be back till morning"

"Looks like he made plans of his own," I thought out loud. "Guess that means no Code Geass tonight, but that also means I can rewatch Juuni Taisen." Drawing a smirk on my face, I chuckled before sending a response to my brother.

"Aight, cya tomorrow bro"

I waited for the message to load and confirm it was sent before tapping onto the text my mom sent.

"Just wanted to let you know your brother

is going over to his friend's place."

"Good to know."

"I'm almost home"

I turned off my phone once I had replied to her message, storing the device in my pocket. Mom always made sure to inform us whenever something came up, which I am grateful for. It helped me remember and keep track of things, they say "two heads are better than one" for a reason.

"Two heads..." I chuckled to myself when the Tsumita twins popped into my head once more. "Two heads that's been stuck in my mind all day."

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

I sat down in my office chair once I had finished drying my hair, dressed in a simple t-shirt and cargo pants. Opening my laptop I hopped onto docs and clicked the option open a new document. It had been a while since I had written anything, my search for inspiration had been harder than trying to find water in a desert, but with the two dreams I had, I thought I could use it for the idea of a plot. Fidgeting with my bracelet, I tried to construct a starter for the story in my mind, but I found myself unable to find my way around writer's block.

Glancing down at the accessory hugging my wrist as if I asked for ideas, I didn't have any other options since no one was here beside me. I would call or text Meri-chan or Kamida but I knew I'd be heading down soon for dinner. I found no point in inquiring if they could talk if I had to disappear. Funny enough, the bracelet only reminded me of the Tatsumi brothers. I laughed to myself, wondering what the twins would say if they were here, I found the idea amusing. I became tempted to tear the material on my wrist to make my greatest wish a reality, to see if they could become real once I did, but common sense popped my fantasy bubble. This wasn't some Anime where a game master could grant my wish, such fictional desires weren't possible for me to achieve, but I wish it was.

Something in my gut kicked me, flying my head out of that sad mindset I didn't know I fell into. My eyes went back to the blank doc I had open on my laptop. I felt a spark begin to flicker, attempting to get the fire of creativity going. My hands hovered over the keys, words on the tip of my fingers-

"[Name], dinner is ready," mom told me on the other side of my closed door she knocked on.

"Dah!" Frustrated, my arms flew up and mimicked the action of flipping a table before they slammed down on the edge of my desk. "Just when I had something..." I groaned and hung my head back. My mood shifted quickly, realizing some brain food would be good. "Coming mom."

As I arose from my chair, my bracelet seemed off, but when I checked it, everything appeared to be fine. I shrugged off my instinct, believing I was imagining things.

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

A yawn escaped my mouth after I heard the door to mom's room close, she went to bed since she had to work early. I was just chilling on the couch, my feet reclined up and any plans of writing had gone out the window once I had become one with the couch. I had the house somewhat to myself, considering my mom was now upstairs sleeping I couldn't do much.

I don't do things too exciting anyway, most times I just continued writing, or watch something on the tv which is what I'm doing now. Other times if my friends are available, I'd call them up and we'd discuss the fictional world. Then there was the rare occasion where I'd put on music and dance or vibe. It's relaxing me time.

Currently, Juuni Taisen played on the widescreen tv, already on the 11th episode. I don't know why, but it felt strange to watch it. I've seen these courses of events multiple times, each time understanding it more, why now do I receive this feeling? Perhaps the reason had to do with the dreams I had previously, with them appearing so real I guess coming back to what actually happened felt off to me. At least that was my thought process as I let out another yawn.

The 11th episode now halfway through and my eyes had begun to droop, feeling drowsy like Nezumi. The tv slowly turned into background noise when my tired mind began to pull me into the dream realm, my arms going limp to my sides as my eyes closed. The last audible thing I heard was Nezumi mentioning his 100 paths.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Too bad my lizard died, I think he would've liked meeting a new face," Takeyasu remarked gazing at the empty reptile tank sitting on his shelf, taking a break from packing his duffle bags.

This all seemed surreal for Takeyasu, for months he was on edge and trying to distance himself from his brother so when they were in the Taisen it wouldn't be as painful to see him die, at least that was his thought process. It probably wouldn't have worked anyway, not when Nagayuki started to take the big brother role more seriously ever since they both found out one of them was going to die in the Juuni Taisen if the other were to win. Then this wish thing came along and now they're packing for their new life, it was a miracle this was happening. Part of Takeyasu imagined this is some cruel dream that he's in and reality is about to wake him up to see those red letters for him and his brother. He sure wished it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him.

"Hey, are you done packing?" Nagayuki questioned checking in, changed into his signature blue outfit.

"Almost, just gotta stash the rest of the money in there," the younger Tatsumi brother answered, going back to his task. "Do you think we can bring Hitokage and Yuki-onna?"

"I don't think that's the best idea, we don't know who our new roommate is going to be and what exactly they'll be okay with," Nagayuki stated, his hand grasping his chin as he began thinking out loud. "Normal people would probably freak out upon seeing two guys with a flamethrower and an icethrower. Still, if we have something to do with the third wish they must know who we are."

"Heh, I was just going to bring Hitokage anyway, regardless of your answer. You never know if we may need them."

Nagayuki rolled his eyes, knowing his brother would do something like that. His little bro had a point, however. They might need their weapons in this new place they're going, it'd probably give more use than the currency they were bringing with them. Both were unaware of where they were heading. Walking over, he looked inside one of Takeyasu's bags, small red rectangle boxes caught his eye and he picked one up.

"Really? You're taking your poker cards?"

"You say that like it's a question."

"Do you really need all of them?"

"Yeah, they're collector." Takeyasu stated his reason like it was obvious. The snake then cracked a smile. "At least I can reuse them unlike the bags of snacks you packed."

"Shut up." A faint blush appeared on Nagayuki's albino cheeks. "The flavours might not be available where we go, it's not like I'm going to eat them all in one go."

The little brother playfully snickered until the brief moment died down. A gentle silence sat between them, the only thing heard was Takeyasu stuffing items into the duffle bag. The elder Tatsumi brother glanced outside the room, considering if he should go check to see he had everything he needed and wasn't forgetting anything, but his bro caught his attention before he could decide.

"Hey..." Takeyasu started with a monotone, the mood in the room becoming heavy. That was a rare thing to happen among them, so he had his elder twin's full attention. "Did you ever think this would happen; Us not having to be apart of the Juuni Taisen?"

"I'm going to be honest with you, Takeyasu."

That was a phrase the younger Tsumita twin hadn't heard in a long time.

"I thought the Juuni Taisen was what our whole lives were leading up to, but I also thought the day would never come," Nagayuki spoke truthfully, his eyes gazed down at the floor. "I... just can't believe that it's not actually going to come, and how it never will..."

It grew quiet, the reality of what was happening finally settling in their minds. The reality neither of them was going to die. The reality neither of them had to kill the other. It was gone, the dark road was gone. They were free.

A laugh broke the silence, Nagayuki glance at his brother who had made the joyful sound.

"We don't have to play those bastards' game!" Takeyasu exclaimed, tackling his bro into a hug.

"Oof-" Nagayuki stumbled, not expecting the sudden embrace, but when he steadied himself he wrapped his arms around his baby brother. The burden of death has been lifted from their shoulders and they never felt more relieved. Tears of joy threatened to fall as the two hugged, knowing they wouldn't lose the other.

Before either could cry, an outsider cleared their throat. The moment now passed, the twins pulled away from the sibling hug to see Duodecuple there holding his hands behind his back.

"Are you both ready?" the man asked.

"Yeah, let me just get my bags," Nagayuki responded, moving past the elder man to get to his room.

Entering, the dragon went straight to retrieve the two duffle bags he packed. However, he ceased in his tracks when he turned to exit, spying the icethrower from the corner of his eye. He had originally planned to leave it, thinking it wasn't needed in his new life and unsure how their new roommate would feel about it, but since his little bro was taking his flamethrower what could it hurt to bring his weapon along?

"Besides, I don't I could get something like you out there, Yuki-onna," Nagayuki said, a smirk plastered on his face as he picked up the icethrower and put it on his back. He then grabbed his bags and left his now old room. Joining his brother's side in the main room, both face the mysterious man, holding their belongings.

"I hope you both are aware you are not heading to any warzones," Duodecuple told them, seeing how both Tatsumi brothers were carrying their weapons with them.

"Yeah, we know," Nagayuki stated blankly.

"But there's no way we're leaving these," Takeyasu added with a smug expression.

"I see." Duodecuple nodded, grabbing the rim of his top hat.

"So where are heading?" the elder Tatsumi brother asked.

"And how are we getting-"

Before the younger Tsumita twin could finish his question, Duodecuple had taken off his hat to bow, while doing so the brothers faded out of their reality.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"No!" I cried, reaching out to the two, only to face the actual screen in front of me. "Oh... it was just another dream," I muttered to myself, grasping my forehead with my right hand.

I'm surprised I actually was granted a third dream of the Tatsumi brothers. I expected my brain not to be so generous, not that I'm complaining, I'm grateful for it. I wished I knew what happened to them though, maybe I'll find out in the next dream. I could get used to having them on my mind as I sleep.

Returning to the reality before me, I saw the episode had finished a while ago. My hand went to pick up the phone that laid on the couch beside me to check the time, but when I did I noticed my bracelet had broken beyond repair. I quickly sat up, picking up the remains of the lime bracelet and the few beads that were once on it.

"Shit, how'd it break?" I questioned, examing the pieces. "It was fine an hour ago, wasn't it?" Shaking my head, I knew it had to throw it in the trash, it was useless now.

I reclined my spot on the couch back down and stuffed my phone in my pocket. Holding the bits of my broken bracelet, I strolled over to the trashcan in the kitchen and dropped them in there. I felt disappointed, I actually enjoyed wearing that bracelet. Not only was it a gift from one of my best friends but it was something that reminded me of the Tatsumi brothers.

"Oh well, objects can't last forever," I mumbled to myself, recalling the day our Wii console stopped reading discs, on New Year's Day too no less.

Catching a glimpse of the time set on the oven, I figured I should head upstairs to my room. If I stayed downstairs for too long and went up late in the night, I'd give mom broken sleep. Probably best I'd head there now anyway if I wanted to get any writing done.

Going up the steps silently so I wouldn't disturb mom, headed to the next floor. My mind was in a whirlwind of different thoughts, but they were put to a pause when I heard voices. At first, I concluded it was just mom talking in her sleep again, however, I crossed it off since they sounded male. My next assumption was my brother but that wouldn't make sense since he wasn't home. Before the scary sensation of the situation settled into my mindset, I had reached the floor and the semi-audio voices sounded familiar to me. With that in mind, I crept down the hallway towards the sound and I realized it was coming from my room.

'Why would it be my room of all places?' I questioned in my head. 'I don't have anything worth stealing!' I turned around to go and find something to use to defend myself but I never took another step because that's when their sentences became audible.

"Too bad we didn't have more time to pack, I would've liked to bring my desktop set up with me."

'No way...' I thought to myself, slowly twisting my head towards my door with wide eyes.

"Don't sweat it, bro. You got the USB, that's all that matters."

'No fucking way!'

I didn't even realize I moved down the hall until my hand felt the cool metal of the doorknob that opened the door to my room. My brain hardly processing my actions, I twisted the handle and pushed open the door. The sight before me I could barely believe.

There standing in my room, in their full warrior gear, were the Tatsumi brothers.

In the moment of me just staring at their backs, I forgot how to fucking breathe. Then Takeyasu was the first to turn to me.

"Hey bro, I think our roommate is here," he told his brother, his signature smirk on his face.

"Huh?" Nagayuki turning attention to me, his icy gaze settling on my skin. "I think you're right."

The expression of the younger twin changed to a semi-worried one. "Hey, are you okay?-"

I wasn't able to hear the rest of his words because all the weight that once was in my head disappeared. I saw my surroundings grow taller and tilt horizontally, but then I felt something solid collide with my back and my vision dissolved to black. I realized that I fainted from disbelief.

I mean, this couldn't have been real right? I was sleeping only moments ago and I woke up to this? No, no, this couldn't be real. I'm probably just dreaming, right? Yeah, that's what I'm doing, dreaming. I'm just dreaming. I'll wake up on the couch and see that it was only a dream.

[kongpeople]

full moon | part four

full moon part 4

chapter 1 - chapter 2 - chapter 3 - chapter 4 - chapter 5 (not out yet)

pairing: richie x reader

age of the main characters: 17-18

word count: 3,134 (wow!)

warnings: smoking, cursing, sexual harassment, irresponsible driving

tense: 1st person

abbreviations: y/n : your name

prompts: 97: “ Don’t touch me. ”

music recommendations: goodbye (karaoke) by don’t hug me i’m scared, sweet dreams (are made of this) by emily browning, midnight in the garden by atli örvarsson

a/n: so many words wow hope you enjoy this long ass chapter! (i could’ve split it into at least two parts but it’s all for you 💜)

(goodbye (karaoke) by don’t hug me i’m scared LOOP ON)

I got through the already broken fence and stepped into the woods with ease. I could see the bloody balloon very well, surrounded by the fields of various trees and bushes, it was almost screaming to get my attention. I heard a subtle crack behind me, but couldn’t dare to get my focus off the flying object. Right away I noticed a big tree that no longer had the feeling of an unkept jungle. Inside the tree was a huge hole, pitch black inside, where probably five grown men could fit. The balloon suddenly stopped and levitated in place. Before I could proceed to overthink anything, a white gloved hand appeared from the tree hole. I watched as it clutched on the dirt, crawling out. When a red pompommed wrist showed, my nerves went loose and made me scream for my life.

I closed my mouth when the light caressing my closed eyes disappeared, and darkness surrounded me. I opened my eyes and just then felt the overwhelmingly intense cologne irritating my nostrils. Sound not hitting me yet, I tilted my head back and looked around. No longer was there a big tree nor the tree hole. Not even the bloody red balloon, but a bushy and disgustingly moist forest again. Looking up, I saw the face of Lucifer himself, Richard Tozier, gazing down at me, saying something in my direction. My hands were on his chest, while his on my shoulders, shaking me subtly. Just then, when all senses hit me, I heard his voice.

“(y/n), (y/n), jesus, do you hear me?” His tone was annoyed but also a bit worried, I guessed. I opened my mouth, trying to spit something out as well as going through everything that had happened. His hands were still clutched on my thin sleeves.

“I, uh, the tree, balloon...” I muttered. Richard’s brows furrowed, as he penetrated my eyes with his gaze, seeking an explanation. “Wait, you followed me here?”

He scoffed. “I found you screaming in the woods, talking about balloons, and you’re asking me about following you?” He’s avoiding the question. His hands finally left my shoulders and I took mine off his chest as well, missing the feel of a leather jacket on my fingertips left behind. I stumbled back and reflected on what had happened again.

“Let’s go back.” He pushed me in the right direction extremely cautiously and began to walk behind me, leading and watching my step.

A minute has passed, and I couldn’t gather my thoughts. The fact that Richard Tozier followed me to the woods hasn’t hit me yet, as the bushy forest disappeared and I was once again at the school backyard.

“Try not to die when I’m gone, okay?” And with that, Richard has passed me from behind, hands in his pockets, with no intention of going back to biology class. His head down and back arched, somehow with grace, he disappeared, once again, leaving me trembling.

(goodbye (karaoke) by don’t hug me i’m scared OFF)

***

“Anyway, we’re going to the shopping center in Augusta, you should come with us, (y/n).” Jane awakes my consciousness once again.

“Huh? Sorry, what for?” Her stare deepens as she raises her eyebrows at me.

“To try on prom gowns.” Jane repeats slowly, visibly not concealing her annoyance with me. “(y/n), you didn’t forget, did you? Prom is in three weeks.” She scoffed. I did forget.

“No, of course not.” I tried laughing it off, but my acting skills weren’t top notch. “Yeah, sure, I’ll go with you. I have something to get in Augusta anyway.”

“Great, so it’s settled.” Emma speaks up. “Wednesday after school, we’ll go by a bus.”

***

It’ll be good to take my thoughts off Richard for a while. Or so I thought, but didn’t realize how far away it would be from Derry. By the time we got there, I was already exhausted. Augusta, being the capital of Maine, population 18,594 as of 2017, has still been nothing compared to Phoenix. I glanced at the flashy, yellow sticky note once again, memorizing the address written down on it. Jane and Emma found themselves trying on the fifth dress since they got in the mall.

“Does it make my boobs look bigger? I think it does.” Jane fixed the corset. “(y/n), what do you think?”

I looked up from the note and murmured. “It’s nice.”

“That’s what you said about the other three.” She sighed.

“It looks very good on you.” Emma helped me out, clearly satisfying Jane with that. I glanced at the hung up clock and cautiously stood up from my spot by the window.

“Hey guys, I’m gonna go grab something from the library real quick. I’ll see you at the restaurant.” Jane let out a silent “oh, okay” and I left.

Leaving the mall, it was no surprise to notice raindrops falling down onto the uneven pavement. Asking around, I got to the destination on my sticky note. The library was extremely cozy. All woody and traditional. It reminded me of my favorite Hollister store in Phoenix.

“Are you looking for something?” An old lady sitting behind the desk uttered in a raspy voice.

“Yes, um, I’m looking for ‘The History of Derry’. Is there a chance I could get it?” I smiled lightly and found myself caressing my unpainted fingernails.

“Just a minute.” She stood up and walked to the nearest wooden shelf. After fixing her glasses and running her finger through the book spines, she grabbed one by it’s headband and handed it over to me. The book was a square covered in brown leather, with black painted words on top. I payed for it and left.

(sweet dreams (are made of this) by emily browning ON)

“Have a good night.” I exclaimed as I walked out, and concluded with surprise that it was already dark outside. The air was humid and the street lights were dimmed. I hid the book inside my messenger bag, and trying to recall the directions to the mall, I entered the dark maze of grey buildings and narrow alleys. The claustrophobic street opened as I found myself in a dimmed and moist crossroad between abandoned buildings, looking scarier than I recalled. A band of men standing next to their rusting cars, noticed an intruder, being me.

“Hey, where ya goin’, sweet cheeks?” One of them exclaimed as I fastened my pace. They laughed and walked towards me. A four pack of beer flew from behind me, landing in the men’s in front of me hands. I acknowledged that I’m being circled.

“What are you up to so late at night, huh?” He caressed my chin as I turned my head in the other direction, almost tripping over. My brain was frozen in place like a wheel that could no longer turn. I was paralyzed by my own fear. I knew exactly what was about to happen but I could do nothing to stop it. Soon, I would be nothing more than a news story of a young, innocent girl found dead on the streets of Augusta. There was no one here to save me.

“Don’t touch me.” I muttered through clenched teeth. They continued to laugh and circle me tighter, from time to time whispering something to me. Trying to get a glimpse of my predators, I felt dizziness hitting me. They were close enough now that I could see the sick, twisted grins of the two men in front of me. I spun on my heel, only to see that the others had expressions that matched. They would enjoy this. I could see it on their faces.

"I want her first this time Jared," the man closest to me said to one of his companions.

"No fair! You got the last one first!" he replied, outraged.

"Boys, since you can't seem to stop fighting, I'm going to get her all to myself." The oldest looking one said. Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision.

"Aw, come on!" the other man said. He came over to me and wrapped around the middle of my body. That one griped me so tightly he was going to leave bruises, not that it would really matter in the long run. "Such a pretty thing," he continued, stroking my face with his fingertips.

"Mmm..." his breathing began to speed up. Quick gusts of hot air were being blown onto my exposed skin. "Now where shall we begin?"

As I was about to shout for help, a violent tyre squeal made everyone jump away from the sound. As the men rushed back, I turned face to face with the familiar, matte black Toyota MR2. As I stared into the blinding lights of the car, the driver doors opened rapidly and a black figure walked out. In the dimmed light, his skin looked paler than ever, his eyes darker than in the sunlight.

“Get in the car.” He spit out as he pushed me towards the vehicle. I followed his command numb headed. Inside the car, I felt a gust of cologne hitting my nostrils. The upholstery was nice in touch and warm. I thrilled to the sensation as I observed a peculiar scene. Richard appeared to be having a staring contest with my predators. As they backed out, he slowly spun on his heel and got inside the car. Trembling, he did an irresponsible maneuver, almost hitting the men, then spun the car around and drove off violently. Holding onto the cup holder as much as I could, I heard a small ‘what the fuck’ coming out of his mouth. I glanced at his tense face.

“You followed me. Again.” I spoke numbly. Richard inhaled sharply.

“I was driving by.” I gaped unimpressed and observed his maneuver.

“You should put your seatbelt on.” He laughed at my nervousness, revealing his teeth.

“You put your seatbelt on.” He scoffed, fixing his grip on the steering wheel. I pushed my back against the passenger seat and stared at the road with no expression, as Richard drove dangerously, earning honks from the cars he has passed.

(sweet dreams (are made of this) by emily browning OFF)

***

“Where in the world have you been?” Jane exclaimed as I got out of the black matte car in front of the restaurant we were supposed to meet at. “We’ve waited for you over 3 hours! What the hell, (y/n)?” As I was about to apologize to Jane and Emma, a voice interrupted me.

“Sorry, it’s my fault.” Richard came out of his matte black car and smiled lightly at the girls, pushing his hair back, and making them gape uncontrollably. “We ran into each other and started talking. I lost the track of time.” He sure knew how to charm anyone. Jane tucked her hair behind her ear and exchanged the smile. “I thought (y/n) would be hungry, so I offered her a meal before a ride home, since it’s already dark outside.”

Jane and Emma looked at each other knowingly and grinned widely.

“No, I mean, of course. We were already leaving anyway, right, Jane?” Emma spit out, to which Jane nodded energetically.

“Yeah, so have a safe ride home, (y/n). See you at school.” She gave me a smile and passed me, giggling with Emma. I glanced at Richard, he seemed to be staring at me this whole time.

“A meal? Really?”

“What? If you’d rather stay with your best guy friends back there, you should’ve said so.” He spit out. “They sure seemed nice to me.” I rolled my eyes in annoyance as I followed him inside the restaurant. We sat down by the empty table with two seats. He handed me the menu. I glanced briefly at it, feeling his gaze on me.

“You know, I’m not that hungry.”

“Still, you should eat.” He didn’t move his stare off me.

“Why would you care?” I put the menu down. He thrilled to the sentence for a while. Before he could answer, a waitress with a punk hairstyle and heavy makeup approached our table.

“Hi there, how could I help you?” She says, swaying her hips and checking out Richard, as if I didn’t exist. He took a look at the menu for the first time and turned to the waitress.

“Cheese ravioli for this lady.” I looked away as he used his most seductive voice. She wrote something down.

“And something for you?”

“A glass of water would be great.” He smiled stunningly, making her blush.

“It’s on me.” The waitress winked at him and left, swaying her hips once again. He concentrated on me at last.

“What if I was lactose intolerant?” Richard laughed at my seriousness.

“Then I’d be in trouble.” He flashed his pearly white teeth at me and I looked away once more. I bit my lip awkwardly. I had so many questions buzzing in my head, none of them escaping my mouth. The feeling of confusion made me scream for a rest. I shouldn’t be afraid of him, definitely shouldn’t show him that. Who is he to me? No one, right. He’s no one.

“Why did you follow me?” A question rolled out of my mouth. His face was expressionless, making it even harder for me to read him.

“I already told you. I was driving by.” Does he take me for a dumbass? His eyes showed no emotions, yet lips formed into a thin line.

“Yeah, sure. Just like that time in the woods, right? You were just...” I crossed my arms. “Passing by.” Whatever he was doing, was not working on me. All of his lies and explanations. Richard smirked, looking down at his hands.

“I guess you could say so.” I scoffed in disbelieve. At this moment, the waitress trespassed our bubble of awkwardness and placed a glass of water in front of him. I gave her a death stare as she left. “You know...” He brought my attention back to him. “You’re so stubborn, why can’t you just thank me and forget all of this ever happened?”

“Listen.” I raised my voice, stern as ever. “I don’t know what it is that you’re doing, but I want you to tell me about Neibolt.” Richard stiffened. “I saw the way you reacted at the party when I said it’s name. I know you can tell me what it is.” His stare was no longer relaxed, brows furrowed and lips still formed into a thin line. “Please.”

He looked away for the first time. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I scoffed at his response.

“You’re kidding me, right? Of course you know what I’m talking about.” I exclaimed, but quickly hushed myself. “I want to know. I want to know what the Neibolt house is and why I’m having these god awful nightmares. I know it sounds crazy... but there’s something that pulls me towards it.” He sighed, as his gaze softened.

(midnight in the garden by atli örvarsson LOOP ON)

“See? Why are you like this?” My eyes widened, brows furrowed. “I tried avoiding you, keeping my cool, but you pulled me inside your world and now, it’s too late.” His tone was soft and vulnerable. Richard looked around as if someone was overhearing. “I want to know you. You seem like someone worth knowing. Every day, I feel like I’m surrounded by people with hard edges and sour faces, but I get the sense that you’re different. Too often people seem to think that they have the answers to everything. Their faces are trapped in permascowls and they can’t be bothered with anything besides their own narcissism. You aren’t like that. You still ask questions. You’re still looking for the answers...” The waitress cut him off, as she placed a plate before me. She smiled once again at Richard, but he didn’t exchange it, still tense. He sighed as she left.

“Weren’t you the one who told me to stay away from you?” I huffed, clenching my fists.

“I meant it would be better if we weren’t friends, not that I didn’t want to.”

I tried gathering my thoughts. Frustrated at not being able to answer him, I looked down at my plate and began to eat the already cold pasta. Did he just open up to me? I couldn’t believe he was the same Richard from school, cold and calm. I heard a chair squeak against the wooden floor as Richard stood up from his seat, hands in pockets.

“I need to go for a smoke.” He murmured and left. I noticed he left money to pay.

After a few minutes I couldn’t stand the tension and left a half full plate. As I walked out, I saw him leaned against his car, a cigarette in his mouth. He threw it out and crushed with his heel. We got in the car and he started the engine. His quietness was intimidating.

“Richard..” I broke the silence. “Please, I need you to tell me about Neibolt.” He fixed his grip on the steering wheel. I noticed he does that when he’s nervous. After a moment of silence, he spoke.

“Back there, in the woods, did you see a clown?” I wasn’t ready for such a question.

“I, uh, I guess. Yes? I think I did. I don’t remember much. I just know I saw a balloon, and when I followed it, it lead me to an old tree with a tree hole in it... Then something started coming out of it.” Richard fixed his grip again.

“Are you doing something tomorrow after school?” His voice was serious.

“No, I don’t think so.” Richard nodded to himself.

“Alright, I’ll show you something tomorrow.” As he said that, the car stopped. He got out the car and walked over to the passenger door, opening them. He leaned over to take my seatbelt off.

“I can do it myself.” I murmured coldly. I pressed my back against the seat, watching as he freezes before me. His side profile was right before my eyes, and I could smell his perfume very well. His jaw clenched as he took a deep breath. Richard backed out, almost embarrassed, and I got out of the car. We were outside my house. He closed the car doors behind me and once again glared at me. I exchanged the look, admiring his beauty. He truly is charming.

“Thanks.” I spit out looking down. I threw him an awkward half smile and proceeded to head home. I turned around at the doorstep and saw him leaning against his car, watching me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I spoke up once again, seeing his dark as night eyes and a hand raised goodbye last time, before closing front doors behind me.

(midnight in the garden by atli örvarsson OFF)

[shewolfofficial]

I have a very tiny request. Imagine Levi's gf (I don't care if she is part of the scouts or not) having a very hard time when she thought that her beloved was dead. I mean, she were at the hospital or something like that when they came back with him and when she saw that he weren't saying or doing anything, she feared that she will never hear his voice again... (please, I beg for a happy ending) (I'm begging that he is alive in the manga too)

I’ve put the reader ( you ) as apart of a small nurse group that helps the scouts and other soldiers, but since the whole Jaeger shit going down you’ll only be in a small team of medical staff in a little cottage/building

Warning: Mentions of Blood

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

Humming you continue to scribble away at a spare piece of paper, rain pelting against the thin window that sat next to you as you slumped over behind your desk in boredom. It has been a few days since your team of medical staff had been needed, the last people that came in were two farmers that had an accident on their farm which you patched them up easily and quickly with the help of your co-workers. You were the head of the medical ward, or well, most people would say you’re the captain but you brushed off their formalities with a shy smile.

You would leave the titles of Captain and Miss for the real soldiers who constantly fought the titans nearly every month. Countless of times you have had to correct people and suggest to them that you would rather be called F/N or just ‘doc’.

Ah.. but one man always seemed to get under your skin when it came to that.

Your oh so wonderful boyfriend

Levi Ackerman.

Speak of the devil, you haven’t seen him in a few weeks since he’s most likely busy or else it’s the other way around. Being head of the medics was tough work but it all paid off in the end.

Slam!

Eyes snapping upwards you quirked a brow seeing one of your more timid and shy nurses hold open the door to your office with a horrified expression, completely breathless. ‘’Sarah? What is it? If it’s Wanda trying to inject you with a needle again just-’’ you started doing a subtle hand motion as you straightened yourself up behind your desk. ‘’No ma’am! It’s more serious! We have a critical patient that has just arrived! We can’t stop the bleeding!’’ Sarah screeched as you shot up instantly rushing past her, striding down the corridor after her you both arrived at the medical wing.

Sending both flap doors to open you slipped in and saw a figure laying on the bed completely surrounded by the staff, a familiar face at the sidelines watching the medics work. The person turned to you and their jaw dropped slightly upon seeing you by the door. 

‘‘Hanji?’‘

‘‘Oh my lord! Captain! We need you over here!’‘

Switching your orbs to the group huddled around the person laying on the bed you made your way through the crowd and arrived at the bedside, eyes widening you felt your heart drop at the sight. Levi lay motionless and unresponsive, blade shards dug in his face along with a large gash down his face through his right eye. Grumbling under your breath you ignored your quickened heart rate and barked for everyone to leave except Hanji and Sarah.

After managing to carefully stop the bleeding from all over his body you rested two fingers to his pulse noticing a slow heartbeat that was, unfortunately, wasn’t getting any better.  Nipping your lower lip you clasped your hands together and began to press down on his chest, hoping to get his heart to co-operate and pump more to a comforting stable level. Levi’s blood-caked your gloves and was slowly drying up. 

You continued to attempt to get his heart beating on a stable rate for a little while, tears slipping down your cheeks as you ignored them, Sarah stood next to Hanji patiently waiting for your next order.

‘‘Wake up..’‘

‘‘You’re not going anywhere Levi’‘

‘‘Come on.. Fight’‘

Dropping your head back down to his chest you carefully listened for his heartbeat again, the room went terribly silent as you worked and patched him up.

His breathing seemed to be fine, so was his heart rate, he would live most likely. Sighing in relief you turned back to the pair who stood back with glossy eyes. Sniffing you took a glimpse back to the ebony locked man who lay there as if he were in a sleeping wonderland.

‘‘He’ll live..He’ll be alright..’‘

Hanji’s expression softened as she took you in a hug, subtly thanking you before telling you to go get some rest and change.

// Time Skip \\

Laying back in your chair behind your desk you rested your hands on your chest looking up towards the pristine white ceiling above you. Silently sitting there you heard quiet muffled chatter from outside your office, one person seemed to be really scared of the other since the amount of stuttering you’d often hear from behind the oak door.

Next moment your door opened, in came in Sarah with a ruby red face and a frightened expression helping Levi on crutches inside. You swore you almost felt your eyes bulge out of their sockets at the sight of Sarah holding the door open for the stubborn man who limped in. Twisting her gaze to you Sarah smiled awkwardly ‘’ah-h-heh ma’am! Captain Levi wanted to see you, I tried to s-stop him but he wouldn’t have it any other way’’ the petite girl explained squeaking a little from the side look Levi shot her. Sighing you pinched your nose as Levi casually plot himself down in front of you. ‘’It’s fine, thanks for at least trying Sarah, you’re dismissed’’ you told the girl who nodded and left shutting the door behind her.

Drifting your eyes to the male who wore a patch over his right eye you cocked an eyebrow before sighing and sitting back in your seat. ‘’You’re gonna frighten the poor girl to death Levi, what made you want to come and see me, you could’ve just asked one of the team to fetch me’’ you say as Levi grumbles a bit dropping the crutches to the wooden floor underneath him. ‘’I hope you’re not expecting me to stay in bed, every day until I get better L/N’’ the male shot back as you tiredly rolled your eyes.

‘‘Men these days..’’

‘‘Tsk women..’‘

You giggled lightly at him resulting in Levi smiling a little after earning a quiet laugh from you. Scooting your chair in towards the desk you propped your elbows up on the solid wood, intertwining your fingers you rested your chin on them looking at Levi who glanced around the room.

‘‘I know that face... You’re thinking about something aren’t you’‘

‘‘Maybe I am, maybe I’m not... You’ll never know’‘

‘‘You’re either criticizing my cleaning skills or thinking about god-knows-what’‘ you chuckle as Levi snaps his head towards you with a blank expression before nodding subtly. A smile crept onto your lips whilst Levi watched you before you suddenly leapt across the desk and pressing a cheeky kiss to his lips catching him completely off guard. 

Sitting back down in your chair with a proud smirk you saw the flustered blush n Levi’s cheeks as he scowled. Crossing his legs he rested his arms on the armrests either side of him not taking his orbs off your figure in front of him. 

‘‘Cheeky little brat.’‘

[sachertortes]

(I asked this once already, but I think the app ate it--it makes me want to throw my phone! Grr! If it didn't get eaten, I'm sorry for the double post.) WinterShock, awkward first meeting themed, #4 please?

@heavyartillery you got it! (ps: pretty sure the tumblr app did eat it, grr.) hope you like it

Prompt: Awkward first meetings, #4, Trapped in a bank during a robbery

Pairing: Bucky x Darcy

Rating: T, for language

“Don’t panic,” came a voice from beside her.

She startled anyway, jumping as much as one could when one was crouched beneath a check writing table at the bank.

The bank that was currently in the process of being robbed.

Robbed badly, as it were.

The tall, skinny burglar with a perpetually reddened face choose this day, the day Darcy was at the bank, to hold up the wrong bank teller.

Rhonda, as her nametag said, had her finger on the police call button almost as soon as Robber Guy shiftily stepped up to her station with an empty duffel bag and a gun.

What looked like the entire precinct soon rolled up to the parking lot, red and blue lights flashing, causing Robber Guy to immediately lock the place down and take them all hostage.

Of all the days to run her damn errands, she thought to herself. She knew she should have switched to paperless.

With a narrowed stare, she took in the man now crowding in beside her in her hiding place.

“Sergeant Barnes?”

She knew Barnes was at the facility, but she’d only ever glimpsed him in passing. She did attend one intensely uncomfortable ‘briefing’ by Captain America in which he’d basically said that no one was to bother his bestie and that he was laying low for the time being. Which, after the fiasco with the UN, seemed to be a logical idea.

Barnes’ lips quirked up a little at her using his rank, giving her a glimpse of annoyingly cute dimples.

“At your service, ma’am,” he replied in dry voice that told that he and Steve must have practiced the troll-y tone together in the olden days. “And you can call me ‘Bucky’.”

“Are you here to bust this guy? ‘Cause y’know,” she gestured to Robber Guy over by the front doors, waving his gun around, cowing all of the other hostages. He was sweating through his jacket and his eyes were crazed. “He’s over there.”

“Actually, I was here to tail you.”

“Tail me? Oh, for - !” She rolled her eyes.

You get kidnapped a time or three and they send you out with a babysitter.

Which would be fine except her ‘babysitter’ is apparently the Winter Solder aka Bucky Barnes. And she’s never had thoughts of the making out variety about her babysitters before.

“You’re my babysitter?”

“I am not a babysitter. I was sent to keep an eye on you so you wouldn’t get taken. Again.” He gave her a sideways glance. “You sure do go to Starbucks a lot.”

“It’s Peppermint Mocha season,” she huffed, trying to keep her voice low. “Don’t judge me.”

“BE QUIET OR YOU’LL BE FUCKIN’ SORRY,” Robber Guy bellowed in their direction.

This time, Darcy flinched, and unbidden, hot tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes.

“Hey. Hey, doll, it’ll be alright,” Bucky said and clasped her forearm, the movement cautious and jerky.

It was a comfort all the same.

“I know. I hate this. I was just here to do dumb bank errands.”

“Guess you weren’t expecting this sort of excitement, huh? Trapped with a bank robber and a known murderer.”

“Is that ‘known murderer’ supposed to be you? Because I definitely seem to remember watching the Winter Solder beat the shit outta HYDRA agents right alongside Thor, and Cap, and Iron Man.”

“Sorry you had to see that,” mumbled Bucky.

“What? No, you don’t get it. Once on TV, I saw you rappel down the side of building, land in front of a HYDRA van, pull the door from its hinges, then do some fancy knife work on the guys inside. Dude, there were cold showers taken that night, lemme tell you. …Oh my god, am I still talking?” she asked, weakly giving a self-conscious smile. “Fear makes me overshare, don’t mind me. I’ll just be over here. Under this table, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole.”

Darcy tucked her legs up to her and hugged them to her chest.

When she glanced over at him, Bucky Barnes - the Winter Soldier, sniper, and ex-assassin – was blushing to the tip of his nose.

“Darcy – ”

“I HAVE A LIST OF DEMANDS!” shouted Robber Guy into his cell phone.

Darcy winced and rested her forehead on her knees, making herself smaller.

“Fuck this,” Bucky snarled, and moved to crawl out of their hiding space.

“Get back here, Barnes!” she hissed and pulled on his jacket sleeve before he could sneak out from under the table. “Whatever happened to laying low? No one’s even supposed to know you’re at the facility! The police have it under control.”

Bucky gave an unconvinced grunt.

“I WANT $500 MILLION IN MY BANK ACCOUNT IN THIRTY MINUTES,” came Robber’s panicked screeching. “OR I START SHOOTING HOSTAGES,” he added, and hung up.

Bucky turned to her, eyes hard and flinty under his baseball cap.

“You like Italian?” he growled at her. He was taking off his gloves and flexing his hands.

“What?”

“Italian food, do you like it?”

“I – Yes?”

“Enzo’s tonight at 7? I’ll come pick you up.”

“Oh-kay. Bucky!” But it was too late. He was out like a shot from under their table, and immediately launched himself at robber who actually screamed. It was a flurry of hands and (metallic) fists as Bucky subdued him.

It was over in seconds.

The robber was on the floor, face smushed against the ground, and Bucky was on top of him, his knee jammed up against the guy’s lower back.

“Darcy?” he called out over his shoulder.

She awkwardly slid out from under the table on her hands and knees. “Yes?”

“Call Steve, wouldja, sweetheart?”

So she did and in about ten minutes, everyone in the bank was freed and the police had their suspect in cuffs and stewing in the back of the police cruiser.

She and Bucky made their way through the crowd and press.

Then Cap headed towards them, tall and broad and noble, lines of concern etched around his eyes.

“Buck, what happened – “

“Not right now, punk,” Bucky grinned at his friend, even as Cap sputtered and balked. He held out his arm to her and she smiled placing her hand in the crook of his elbow. “Gotta escort this young lady home.”

“Bye, Cap!” Darcy called out, as they sidestepped the gathered crowd. “I’ll have your pal home before midnight!” She looked up at Bucky, who had an impish gleam in his eyes and a wicked smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

“Maybe!” she amended.

[justwritingscibbles]

I'm sorry. Please come back.

(Okay so that ‘sleeping beauty’ ask forced me to do this I’m sorry)

It was cold, so Natemare brought you an extra blanket. Tucking you in and telling you to 'say ow if you’re uncomfortable’ in a last ditch attempt at humour. Marvin glimpsed mare who didn’t, can’t, look at him, only able to look at you when no one else was there. “Oh, I-I can come back later…if-” “No. Just…set up, I need to get them some water anyway.” Natemare jogged down the stairs, your old glass in his hands, leaving to get a new glass of water for you. Marvin knew he got a clean glass at least a few times a day, so if-when- you wake up you wouldn’t be thirsty. He felt sorry for the both of you. Natemare came back pretty quickly, not liking to leave you alone with another, he wasn’t there for you before ; he would be now… …It shattered right next to his feet. The violet, viscous liquid oozing out onto the floorboards and trying to ween itself Into Marvin’s shoes. “You’re doing something wrong!” He tried not to flinch from the spit raining upon him. Natemare retreated from his face, clearing up the glass in your room carelessly. “Are you even trying?” “Of course I am!” Marvin said, appalled he could think he’d given up after just a week. “Everything? Any new tests?!” His voice broke, and not sure if it was because of his friend or his friends power Marvin wanted to kneel down and console him. Luckily he thought better. “Well!?” Marvin blinked to bring him back to Mare’s question. “Is y/n’s only hope a stupid, and deaf, street act?!” Natemare shoved all the glass into his gloved hands and proceeded to shove him out the room, slamming the door behind him. He lay down next to you, leaning on his elbow, but it was now a week today since you’d fallen under. And 7 days ago he had tried shaking you, tickling, even falling for that 'true loves kiss’ crap. But now, he couldn’t bear to touch you. He thought he’d always want to be close to you, holding you, have you hold him, but every time he brought his fingers to trail down your cheeks, his toes to lightly kick you, his mouth to show how much he cared, he felt nothing ; and that was worse than feeling any sort of sickness to your touch. He also couldn’t find any words. It was like you were a stranger, he was scared, and he didn’t know what to do, not without your guidance… Looking down at your bed he exquisitely described what state it was in for you. True, it wasn’t as messy as it would have been had you both been awake and doing more than sleeping there, but he hoped that talking to you, especially about the surroundings you could feel around for, could stir you to safety and back to motion. Hell. His voice was supposed to give him power over people, make them do things he willed, so why couldn’t he use it, just this once, on you? His hand carefully pulled the blankets off of you, placing one kiss to your oily hair, he’d have big up and wash you sooner or later, and hooked his arms under your arms and legs, picking you up and feeling your weight against him. It was just like the time you fell asleep on the sofa and he had to carry you to your bed, with your head nestled into his shoulder, only now he wasn’t smirking at the at peace look on your face. He was begging for any other expression. “You shouldn’t be having that coffee if you’re going to be so on edge all the time, Chase.” Jackaboy warned, nodding to Chase’s bouncing leg. “It helps keep him sane, so shut up BTECman.” Said Anti, swigging his own pure black coffee down. Angel rolled his eyes at the name calling, but understood emotions were high right now, he turned to pay attention to the magician. “So, how were they?” “Terrible.” Marvin answered “I don’t understand why nothing’s worked, I even asked Schneeple for-” “I meant, how’s Natemare doing?” Angel smiled sadly, patting a hand on Marvin’s own. The creak from their houseguest-… guests… made all living things in the house fall silent. The only noise the sound of the entity moving with a weight in his arms. Rob spotting you bridal style, being moved by Natemare, and his intrigue heightened. All looked up at the balcony, seeing you again, even though none of them could bare it, especially when their once hyperactive, lovey-dovey friends, now had such an absence of life about them. Natemare placed you on the green bed of the spare room, different to the black sheets he’d selfishly insisted on having, since you two stayed over so much you had your own room in the septic house, as he promised you “I’ll be back soon baby.”, crossing your arms so they wouldn’t cramp when you woke, leaving back across the balcony. He stopped off at the laundry room to collect the fresh sheets he’d pre washed and dried, folding them up and taking them back to his room. He bundled the old ones up, shaking the fresh, hopefully stimulatingly nice smelling ones, out to straighten them, struggling with keeping the corners down as one person but managing eventually. None of the egos usually paid much attention to what Rob got up to in the house these days, they had other things on their mind, which Rob found good since he didn’t need to be babysat all the time. He hadn’t seen you in so long and he didn’t realise you were at home… until he saw where your best friend took you. Anti said he didn’t 'understand’ things well, but he understood that you wouldn’t have said that to him, you would have told him he’s understanding well considering his condition, you understood that about him, you were nice. So was Natemare, but he’d seen him recently, and he’d become mean, you had never been mean to him, the same went for most of the others sure, but he was fed up with them, and was confused to why you hadn’t seen him for so long… …The crash and cries from upstairs made all in the house run up very quickly, especially when they identified the cries or shouts coming from the two most emotional people currently in the home. Jackaboy man rushed past Natemare, not even looking to your bed, and made a zip line for the cowering zombie hiding himself in the spider-web filled corner of the room. Rob had kept to silent whimpers as the outraged entity delivered half-assed blow after blow. But his cries came out as voices rose. He hated being shouted at. And he was also sure that the loud voice had unnaturally made him even more scared, but that didn’t change how he felt, nor how hard it was to pull him out of the shadows, even with chase, angel and Jackaboy enticing him out. “He was lying right next to them!” Natemare continued yelling. Being shoved back by Anti and Chase every time he took a step closer to Rob, who was now crying. “You could have screwed, everything up!” “Calm down. You’re over-reacting.” Natemare grunted, shoving his shoulder hard against Anti as he argued, who shoved him back even harder. “Calm down.” “Oh, thanks Chase.” Natemare laughed unenthusiasticly “I feel so much calmer now, even though my partner is in eternal sleep!” Natemare shoved out of their grasp, the two allowing it now Rob had been escorted out to get his stitches fixed. “Don’t say that, we’re going to find a way.” Natemare grabbed Marvin’s shoulders to 'help’ him out the room after he said this, leaving Natemare be. After slamming another door that day he rushed over to you. Smoothing down your hair and checking to see if Rob had at all harmed you for the few minutes you’d been left alone with him (and optimistically if the ruckus had caused any sign it had woken you up). Natemare couldn’t handle it any more. His emotions were already all over the place after the fight, and the shock of seeing the zombie carefree around you being so defenceless, he cried. He let his tears flow, not caring enough to wipe them away no matter how much they tickled, he put your head in his hands, lowering his own to your forehead and whispered “I’m sorry. Please come back.”

[dailymikayuureminders]

Hey, i saw you give fic recommendations to that one person. I didn't know you did that (Maybe I'm just an idiot??) Do you know any good Non-AU MikaYuu works? As much as I love MikaYuu fanfics, it's like finding a needle in a haystack sometimes tbh (I mean one time I ran into a fanfiction that was Mika x His child self. I was actually concerned for the author's mental state. Mind you it was rated explicit...)

Haha you’re definitely not. Feel free to ask me for fic recs.

Hmm by non-au you mean like… in the universe of ons?Can they be ummm very canon-divergent? 

After Dawn

by seijuurou

In which Mika escapes with Yuu to the outside world.

(The description says it all. Smol mikayuu fluff)

To Be A Family

by lemishie

Glimpses of the daily lives in the Hyakuya family after the apocalypse and taken captive by the vampires.

(The Hyakuya family living in Sanguinem + lots of mikayuu)

displays of affection

by braexm

To vampires, a kiss on the neck was a gesture of trust.

Hold on to this lullaby

by strikedawn

“Remember when we were kids?” Yuu’s question interrupts Mika’s own. His voice is soft, but Mika can hear a sad smile on it. Yuu leans further back into Mika’s body. “You always used to cling to my back like a monkey.”

“You hated it.” Mika remembers with a smile of his own. “You always complained and would bemoan about me being too heavy.”

“You were.” Yuu’s sad smile is teasing now, and something warm fills his heart. “Both your head and your ass were so big, I always thought I had an elephant over my back instead of a boy.”

(This one would be placed after chapter 41, its about that one official art of Yuu resting between Mika’s legs)

Hindsight

by oxeh

Due to a spell mishap, 12 year old Yuu and Mika find themselves ten years into the future.

It’s only natural that their older selves end up taking care of them while they’re there.

(Mika and Yuu live together. Yuu might be 22 but he still fucks up all the time)

Echoes of Me 

by blushinglily

Since becoming a vampire, Mika has always thought of his immortal body as an accursed affliction, the flow of time eternally frozen, wherefrom the very concept of it continuously mocks his very being with the speed at which life went on without him.

So when Yuuichirou’s latest experiment goes awry, and their past selves are brought to the present, he does not know whether it is a cruel joke from the gods…or his chance at redemption.

OnS Remix Fanfic Submission 2017

(Hindsight remix)

The world is cruel

by sutera

Mika doesn’t escape the inevitability of his immortality, and history decides to repeat itself.

(^ satan itself)

Entangle

by OccasionalArtist

Winters can be brutally cold in the vampire city, but they provide certain… opportunities.

A story of how Mika and Yuu become accustomed to sleeping side by side, and how Mika becomes involved with Ferid.

(Smol mikayuu in sanguinem)

Every Night

by Ponchyo

The war is settling down, or so it seems. Now that the chaos has died down Mika and Yuu will have to sort out what exactly it is they mean to each other.

(Afterwar)

Afire love

by strikedawn

After Nagoya’s failed mission, an unsteady truce is formed between Shinoa’s squad and Mikaela Hyakuya, making Yuu feel conflicted inside. On one hand, he’s got Mika back, his friends are alive, and they seem to be trying to be civil with each other, even if it’s just for his sake. On the other hand, Guren is being held captive by the vampires, Shinya has just given them a mission Yuu doesn’t like, and Mika… Yuu doesn’t really know what Mika is feeling.Maybe not even Mikaela knows what he’s truly feeling, after all.

(^ actual masterpiece. It’s finished. Diverges from chapter 34)

And We Will Run, We Will

by cloudwatch

In exchange for resources that are desperately needed for rebuilding now that the war is over, JIDA agrees to send over teams of two across the seas to help other countries in exterminating any remaining vampire cells. Yuu and Mikaela are teamed up and shipped off to America, and with Yuu’s recent realization that he would very much like to make out with his best friend, being alone in a foreign country is the least of his problems.

(Mika is with Yuu, on the JIDA’s side. Kind of like in the game)

Dear God

by Roriette

He begged, “You can take everything – everything, so please. Please don’t take Yuu.”

-500 years; 6,000 months; 182,500 days; 4,380,000 hours.What a terribly quiet world it is.A world without Yuu.

(Reincarnation au. Rather, Yuu is the one who does)

Keep You Warm At Night

by cloudwatch

“Sometimes I watch you sleep, and in a totally not creepy way!” Yuu blurts out.

Mika and Yuu snuggle on the couch together and talk.

(After war)

Memento Mori

by  Nayru Elric

What other people don’t know about Mikaela is that behind the façade of tranquility he wears on the outside, there’s a weakness he never lets the others see, not even Yuichiro. Even before vampires took over the world, Mikaela didn’t allow his dark past in his everyday life. When Mika comes back from Ferid’s more exhausted than usual, Yuu demands to know what’s going on.

(Retelling)

Hidden Palace

by Nayru Elric

Escaping from the battle and leaving all the others behind was Mikaela’s plan, but now that he finally has Yuichiro all to himself, why is it that something still feels incomplete?

Find You

by Yamiga

For months following the events of the war, Mika has been living in the human city with Yuu. However, living with Yuu doesn’t mean automatic happiness as both discover this soon enough. Things take a terrible turn one night when Mika voices his negative concerns about Yuu’s “family” . Words are exchanged which later result in Mika feeling as if he has no place in Yuu’s life. In turn, he attempts to make things easier for Yuu by running away.OrYuu and Mika get in a fight that results in Mika leaving. Yuu of course, must fix his stupid mistake and get Mika back. Again.

Almost Home

by Anonymous_Dreamer

After the war is over, Mika is allowed to live with Yuu. However, can one even call it a living, hiding from everyone? Yuu and his friends get worried about him, and they suggest Yuu convince Mika to go see a psychologist.

(after war)

Kiss those arms better 

by SimTinaAndr

Yuuichirou forced himself to pry his gaze away from the perfect face in front of him and towards Mikaela’s arm. He raised it with both his hands towards his face, and sweetly kissed Mikaela’s bicep. The blond held his breath as Yuuichirou started kissing a path across his arm, slowly going down and towards his wrist before taking a moment to remove Mikaela’s glove and keep kissing his bare hand; first the back, and finally his slim fingers, one by one.

(Related to chapter 52)

if home is where the heart is

by atrophy

Like this, Yuu can almost make himself believe that it’s just the two of them – like they’re the only people left in the world.

(Diverges around halfway through vol 4)

Carving Happiness

by KittieAupa

After several years of research, Mika finally has a chance to become human again. Yuuichirou helps him through the process.

(After war)

Warmth

by awaywards

Trapped together in a snowstorm, Yuu and Mika need to find a way to make each other warm.

(Smut)

Saving you

by seredemia

The war’s over and the world looks forward to a brighter future ahead of them. Mika and Yuu have survived the worst, but soon find that they still have one more challenge left to overcome.

Living together.

(Has some smut)

Sanguine Luxuriae 

by blushinglily

Krul had asked him once, “When the act itself of drinking blood is both a sin and a necessity for our kind, must it also follow that the pleasure we get from it be considered a crime as well?”

As Yuuichirou gradually becomes fixated on the rapture of being bitten by his best friend, for the life of him, Mikaela still struggled to find the answer to the vampire queen’s question.

Somewhat disturbing themes, slightly masochistic!Yuuichirou, takes place directly after the anime’s ending. // Canon!Divergence (?)

Unseen 

by blushinglily

After Yuuichirou returns to his human self, the Hiiragi Shinoa squad decides to set their plan into motion of rescuing Guren and Mirai. Just before they do that though, some things need to be taken care of first…namely, Mika’s thirst for blood and their need for some new clothes.

Spoilers for Chapter 41 and the final episode of the anime. / One-shot. / Canon!verse/AU. / Mikayuu

Follow Your Instincts

by ruthlesslistener

Mikaela Hyakuya has never been able to stomach the scents of anyone other than his family. For an unmarked, unmated omega, this is practically unheard of- lack of heat cycles from starvation be damned. Available omegas were supposed to crave the scents of viable mates, not be repulsed by them.When he was alone and under Krul’s thumb, this wasn’t that much of a problem. But now that he’s back by Yuu’s side, healthy and re-exposed to the alpha’s adult pheromones, his heats have come back with a vengeance. And it’s taking everything he has in him to keep himself from claiming what his body is screaming is rightfully his.He won’t let his instincts ruin his relationship with Yuu, no matter how agonizing or stressful it gets.(A.k.a Mika is as angsty and self-sacrificial as always, Yoichi tries his best to help but rarely gets the right results, Yuu can’t take a hint from himself or others, and Shinoa is not to be trusted with a sex shop.)

(It’s kind of a retelling + canon divergent but with ABO dynamics. Truthfully one of (if not the) best ABO fics ever. Seriously I’m not much of an ABO person but this one is… JUST READ IT, OKAY?)

I hope that helps!

And yeah, I saw that fic too lol

You actually read it? I’m impressed