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lontarkata · 6 months ago

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Crimson Moon

Based on JK Rowling Archives of Remus Lupin at Pottermore, merely fiction, Written by Tiri Tirtha.

December, 1970.

In a Little town, Scotland.

The Lupin’s House

Remus sat across the fire grate; the weather was all snowy white. The cold started to feel like tiny needles leading to his back. He stared at the gleaming red embers, focusing on how it sounds when the lumber gets burned and crackled.

The crackling sound was a very unpleasant sound to hear. It reminds him of his cracking bones, and he recalls the pain he must endure during the event. He finally decides to sit near the window, watching the snowflakes falling and touching the glass. His favorite brown blanket wrapped around his body, embracing him in a warmth he never truly had.

“I’ve tried my best, darling!” it was Lyall’s voice. Upstairs, his voice sounds crack in between frustration and anger. “I’ve tried everything I could! I sent letters to all my fellows who were best in alchemy, potion, and anything. I beg them in any possible way to find the cure!”

“Maybe you haven’t done enough!” Hope was nearly shouting; her voice sounded muffled. “Remus is getting bigger, Lyall. He’s becoming more dangerous than we could ever handle!”

“I know. I understand your point, Honey. “ Lyall sighed, the sound of sliding chair upstairs was audible.

The house is relatively tiny yet cozy for the three of them to live. The walls and floors are made of good quality wood. Bedrooms are all upstairs, left only the kitchen, dining room, and the fire grate where Remus was.

“Now, listen to me, Lyall..” she said firmly. “I love him. I love my son like every mother does, but Remus is magical. I don’t know whether I should blame myself for feeling afraid of him for the last five years, or I should be grateful for having him alive and suffering every month.” Hope breaks into tears.

“Oh, darling. My beautiful lady, I’m grateful to have you as my wife. I promise you, I promise we’ll get through this together, okay? I’ll give whatever it costs to find the cure.”

“Promises don’t keep us safe, Lyall. It’s just a matter of time before we die in our son’s hands! He lost his mind every time he turned into that monster!”

“He never was a monster, Hope! Bold of you assume him as a Monster!” Lyall hissed.

“That is a monster possessing my son’s body! That is a monster in the corner of that room, curled up in the darkness every full moon! It was Evil! Soulless!”

Lyall was stunned; it’s all called his memory back to when he said the exact words to Fenrir Greyback about their pack, as werewolves, ‘soulless, evil, deserving nothing but death.’ A deafening silence filled the air, but Hope's sobbing remained.

“It’s all my fault.. My Son is suffering every month for the rest of his life because of me. I’m a terrible father, Hope! I would rather give my life for my son if I could!” Lyall wept and tried his best to make it less audible.

Tears escaped from Remus’s eyes, he heard everything from the couch. His hearing ability is such a curse for him. Sometimes, he listened to her mother crying all night or his father begging on the phone to someone.

He watched the snowflake rain down on a cabin across the house, a small, dim cabin. Remus bit his lower lip and rubbed his eyes. He felt like a burden to this family, knowing and doing nothing for his household except being a disgrace. He wiped the tears from his freckles cheeks when he heard someone coming downstairs.

It was his father, “Beautiful, isn’t it?” he said with a slightly forced smile. Remus didn’t answer; he just turned around, stared at him, and frowned. “Winter?” Lyall once more asked.

The Sun no longer bathes their house with warm light; it’s all cloudy grey, “No. I don’t really like winter. It’s cold, bleak and lonely. “

Silence: It’s all silence after the word ‘Lonely.’ Lyall knew how desperate his son faced loneliness for a half-decade, so he had no words to say.

“Aight, boys! Ready to camp?” Hope came with a basket of food and three bottles of milk. “Remus, put your sweater on, or you’ll get cold.”

“Okay, we gotta get going now, boys!”

Remus can see his mother’s red and puffy eyes; he gives her a smile and walks towards her. “Let me help you, Mom. A Lady should never carry something too heavy.”

“Oh, that’s my boy!” exclaimed Lyall. “I taught him that, so that you know.” he whispered to Hope,

The woman can only give his husband a single glare and giggles. Tonight is a full moon; Hope and Lyall always make scenarios to make it seem alright. For the last two months, they pretended to be camping together.

Three of them will go to the cabin; Lyall used to tell some wizarding world and his wonderful times at Hogwarts. Hope will only listen and give him some interested reactions. Remus had already heard the story repeatedly and never complained when his father told the same story.

They walked into the small cabin across the house; it looked dim and nearly empty. Only a floor mattress and some blankets are left in the corner of the room. Scratches were almost in every wall, covered by rough paint polish, which Lyall always did after the full moon.

The walls were earthy brown, so if there were any blood splatter, it wouldn’t be visible enough. The cabin has a window next to the door where they came in. It was covered by iron bars. Remus hates this room; he hates the smell of paint, the wet wooden floor, and his blood, which failed to be thoroughly cleaned on the floor. He swallowed hard, trying to be grateful to survive death and have loving parents.

Hope rolled out a carpet and sat on it. She tapped his side, “Come here, boy. Let’s eat some snacks.”

Lyall followed her lead; he sat on the other side and started grabbing an apple. “So, what are we going to talk about tonight, Remus? Have you ever heard about the poltergeist?”

They both made so much effort to make it like regular camping when it was only two hours before he transformed. Remus held his bitter, clenched his hands, and sat in the middle of his parents. He looks pale under the moonlight.

“I wanna know about the banshee, Dad. Or your other Hogwarts life as a student.“ Remus always wants to go, to Hogwarts. He always craved friendship. At least, a friend. But he knew his condition was extraordinary, which is not possible for him to go to any school in the world.

Remus laid on, along with his parents, and Lyall began the story. Instead of listening, Remus’s mind was somewhere else. He can hear his mother's heartbeat getting faster, anxious, worried, and terrified. Meanwhile, his father sounded slower but still faster than usual.

Remus wondered, is there any universe where he is an ordinary boy? Can he have an incredible journey without feeling like a monster for everyone he loves? Is there anyone in the world who will love him more unconditionally and with no fear?

The guilt he felt every month was enough to tear him into pieces, and the pains he endured every time he transformed were never a good friend of his. No one on earth would be glad and grateful to have such a person like him; the thoughts kept hunting him in every sleep he could get.

Time passed; it was only five minutes before the full moon. Hope and Lyall rosed up to get ready. Hope gave Remus a long and deep look; she caressed his hair and kissed him on the forehead.

“Remus, no matter what happens, Mommy always love you. Okay? I love you, son.”

Remus heard her heartbeat getting faster and faster; he thought she was afraid of him.

Liar. Liar. Mom is a LIAR.

“Mhm,” he just nodded.

Lyall hugged him for a very long time; his eyes were always teary every time he did this. He caresses Remus’ cheeks, “You are the strongest little soldier, Remus. I’m so proud of you. We will be out here, waiting for you until everything is done.”

No. I never want to be a soldier.

I don’t want to be left alone. Dad, I’m afraid. Mom.

He saw his parents walk towards the door; he felt the room getting smaller and smaller. It made it hard to breathe. The air was freezing, the sky was dark blue, and the silver moon began to show itself. Arrogantly shimmering alone, letting the dark sky dazzle with the light.

The silver light slipped through the window and door when it still opened, reaching every corner of the room and showering Remus with fear. He shivered, frightened of the moon, scared of the living monstrous evil inside him.

“NO…MOMM… DADD. “ Remus screams, staring at his parents standing in the middle of the door, cautious and petrified.

He knees on the floor, feeling unbearable pain all over his body. Lyall swung his wand, casting a silencing spell with tears dripping down his cheeks. Hope behind him closed her mouth shut to hold her sadness's bitter sound.

“Dad… I’m afraid..”

“Mom.. I’m sorry..”

Nobody will hear him, not even a little bug in the corner of the room. He saw his parents close the door tightly; a magical spell locked it so no one could open it. Remus started losing his mind.

There was a terrible snarling noise. Remus’ head was lengthening, and so was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, curling into clawed paws. Blood dripped to the floor, cutting his human muscles into wolfish body form. He turned into a soulless, and wild creature. A painful howling was deafened, the world would never understand his language of agony, not even his parents, not even the mist that slipped into the room.

Remus has died a dozen times; he healed hundreds. But his soul left nothing but emptiness. Maybe his mother was right: he is soulless, he is evil, and he deserves nothing but death. The idea of life becoming such a lavish that he never should touched.

He banged himself to the wall, scratching it rough, getting frustrated because he was separated from humans to bite. So he bit and scratched himself instead. It left a long and deep wound on his body; the silver moon was illuminating the warm crimson liquid running down to the floor. He was bleeding to death, but the full moon was still there.

Howling, banging himself to the wall, scratching, it’s all on loop all night. His parents are waiting out of the cabin, full of anxiety and worry. They hugged each other in front of a little campfire to warm their bodies. Lyall was always on standby with his wand in hand, Hope with a bat and silver net. Just in case the cabin wasn’t strong enough to hold Remus’ in there.

The night goes by; the moon no longer emits its light. The sun begins to rise and paints the dark blue sky with its warm orange. Lyall rosed up abruptly after he awoke from his accidental sleep, followed by Hope, who startled and grabbed the bat beside her.

“Is it done? It’s done, isn’t it, Lyall?” Hope’s eyes were red; her face was tired.

“We slept, Hope! We shouldn’t left him too long in there! It’s dawn!” Lyall walked towards the door and swung his wand.

He opened the door, the darkness covered the room. A point of light was gleaming from his wand, his nostrils full of the smell of blood, it was pretty intense.

“Remus?” Lyall’s voice was gentle and a bit tremble.

Once again, he swung his wand, and this time, every cracked wall and broken lamp went back to their first place, repaired. The single light bulb was burning quite brightly. Letting a hideous scene of a thin boy covered in blood curled up and naked in the corner.

“Oh, Remus! My Boy!” Lyall rushed towards the boy, kneeling to grab his tiny body. “It’s over, Remus. That’s alright, Dad’s here.”

Hope followed with a shuddering look on her face; she looked around the room; it was all crimson red, the blood splattered everywhere. It’s been five years since the first time Remus transformed, but not even once she got used to the scene.

“Hope! Give me the potion! Quick!” the wand floating above Remus’ wound, Lyall worked on a spell that tried to cure the deep cut on Remus’ limb. But it doesn’t work, Remus’ wound keeps bleeding.

Hope was panicking. She was trembling when she handed the potion to Lyall. Remus grimaced in pain; his eyes closed, and he couldn’t even move his body. But he murmured something in a low voice.

Lyall furrowed his eyebrows and tried to catch any word Remus spit from his mouth. He leaned closer to Remus and heard,

“Die… “ Remus’ heavy breathing sliced through Lyall’s soul, “Let me die instead, father.”

Lyall bit his lower lip, holding the tears from escaping. “Stop saying nonsense, Remus!” he stroked his son’s hair, allowing Remus' small face to be seen clearly.

He dripped the potion essence onto Remus’ wound, making him grimace even louder. Remus’ wounds gradually recovered, stopped the bleeding, and left a long diagonal scar on his chest.

“You should let me die, Father. You shouldn’t save my life!” Remus cried, while clutching Lyall's bloodstained blue shirt. “The pain is enough to kill me inside! I hate the Full moon! I hate every inch of my body! I could’ve hurt you; I could’ve hurt anyone who loves me!”

Lyall couldn’t hold the tears any longer; he wrapped his arms around Remus and hugged him deeply. “I’m sorry, Remus. I’m so sorry, son. I’m sorry..” he repeatedly said the same word to Remus in his arms.

Remus whimpered, cried out loud, the silencing charm no longer muted him. Hope joined them, wrapping her hands on her husband and son. The little boy sobbed and let the world hear his anguish. The unbearable distress and soreness. The affection and love he got from his parents never was the purest fondness experience. Yet, it’s powerful. Enough to be a reason he could breathe a life.

#fiction #my writing #mauraders #remus lupin #sirius black #marauders era #dead gay wizards from the 70s #james potter #peter pettigrew #fanfic #wizarding world #remus john lupin #moony #padfoot #prongsie #moony wormtail padfoot and prongs #mischief managed #i solemnly swear that i am up to no good

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sequinsmile-x · 1 year ago

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Buy the Promises

It gets harder to keep the promise as time goes on, as Emily goes from his girlfriend to his fiancée to his wife. He wants nothing more than to put Elizabeth in her place, to stop her from hurting her daughter in a way that only she could.

AKA The three times Aaron doesn't tell Elizabeth off, and the one time he does

Chapter 1/4

-x-

Hi friends!

This was an idea that very quickly turned into a four chapter fic. I really hope you like this, and the normal mommy issues that come along with Elizabeth being involved.

I have the rest of the chapters planned out so they should all go up over the next week or so around my other fics/updates.

As always, please let me know what you think <3

-x-

Words: 2.8k

Warnings: Injury/hospitalisation

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Emily curses under her breath as she shifts in the bed, her hand pressed against her immobilised shoulder as she breathes through the pain.

“Shit,” she says, leaning back against the pillow behind her, gritting her teeth as the wave of pain starts to dissipate.

The takedown was supposed to have been simple enough, but they’d misjudged where the unsub was hiding in the abandoned warehouse they’d tracked him to. He’d pushed Emily into a wall with enough force that her shoulder had dislocated, forcing itself out of its joint as her head also connected with the wall, leaving her with a concussion.

There’s a quiet knock on her hospital room door and she looks up as it opens, smiling softly at her boyfriend as he walks in, concern painted across his features as he looks at her. He’d been so worried at the scene, immediately by her side as he instructed the rest of the team to chase down the man who’d hurt her. She was grateful that they were still in DC, that this hadn’t happened on the other side of the country, because she knew the flight home would have been rough on both of them. That any jolt would make pain shoot through her and Aaron would have to watch, wholly unable to help her in any way other than holding her hand.

“Hi honey,” she says as he walks over, offering out her good hand to him, linking her fingers with his as he sits on the edge of the bed, “What did the doctor say?”

He squeezes her hand and reaches out to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. He knew she wasn’t going to like what he was about to say.

“They said you have to stay tonight,” he says, pressing his lips together to stop himself from smiling when she reacts in the exact way he knew she would, a mix of disappointment and defiance spreading across her face as she scoffs. She opens her mouth to refuse it, to insist that she is fine to go home, but he cuts her off before she can, “I’ve spoken to Jess, Jack is already asleep so I’m going to stay here with you all night,” he says, smiling as she pouts, something he knew she would deny if he pointed it out, “Keep you company and out of trouble.”

She can’t fight her smile, too much pain medication in her system to allow her to, so she nods instead, “I guess thats an acceptable compromise,” she says, removing her hand from his to tug at the collar of his jacket, pulling him in for a gentle kiss. She smiles as she pulls back, “Love you.”

“Love you too sweetheart,” he replies, warmth spreading in his chest as he says the words, the ability to do so, to be so open in his affection for her still new enough that every time it was liable to take his breath away.

They’d been together for four months. It was a type of happiness he never thought he’d find again, a type of love he didn’t think existed. It felt like a dream sometimes that they’d found each other after everything they’d both been through, a chance at a happy ending neither one of them thought they’d have.

He clears his throat as he pulls back properly, his eyes fixed on her face as he tries to measure her reaction to the next part, well aware that it likely wasn’t going to go down very well.

“There’s something else,” he says carefully, his smile tight as he carries on, “Your mother is here.”

Her eyes go wide in a way he’s sure would be funny in other circumstances and her mouth falls open, making her stutter for a moment before she finds her voice, “What? How? Why? You’re my emergency contact.”

“I know, sweetheart,” he says, his hand landing on her thigh, the weight of his palm a comfort through the scratchy sheets, “The nurse said there was a mix-up with your file.”

She rolls her eyes and groans, the sound turning into a pained one as she leans back and her shoulder hits the mattress a little too hard. He shushes her comfortingly, a sound she’s sure he’d find irritating if it was anyone other than him, his comfort something she sought out not something she avoided, and he cups her jaw, letting his thumb move back and forth on her cheek.

“Any chance I can get away with not seeing her?” She asks, sighing when he raises an eyebrow at her, “Right, of course not. Because of everything about her,” she blows out a breath as she tilts her head to look at him properly, “Want to go hide somewhere?” she says, lifting her hand to reach up and run her fingers through his hair, “I wouldn’t blame you.”

Elizabeth didn’t know they were together. She was the last person they had to tell, and he didn’t take Emily’s reluctance to do so personally. He knew their relationship was beyond complicated, that there were many layers to it that he wasn’t even privy to yet. She wanted to protect their relationship, he knew that, and he would wait as long as she needed to.

He chuckles as he stamps a kiss against her forehead and then her lips before he pulls back, “I think I’d be a shitty boyfriend if I left you at the mercy of your mother.”

He stands up, suppressing a smile when she frowns at the loss of contact, and he walks over to the door, briefly popping his head out to let the nurse know to let Emily’s mother in. He walks back over and sits in the chair next to her bed, keeping a respectable distance so they wouldn’t get caught out. He feels himself itching to reach out for her hand, to link their fingers together so he could remind himself she was fine, that he still had her here with him. He knew he’d be hearing the scream of pain that had left her as her shoulder dislocated for days, the sound still echoing around his head.

The door opens and Emily immediately tenses, forcing her to blow out a steady breath as her mother steps into the room.

“Mother,” she says, smiling politely, “You didn’t have to come down here, I’m sorry they called you. I know you’re busy.”

“Nonsense, Emily,” Elizabeth says as she walks into the room, “I got a call that my daughter was in the hospital, of course, I’m going to…” she drifts off as she seemingly notices Aaron in the room, “Agent Hotchner, I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” she looks back and forth between Emily and Aaron and she clears her throat as she sits in the chair on the opposite side of Emily’s bed, “It’s nice to see you, despite the circumstances.”

He smiles politely at her, his eyes flicking to his girlfriend, her discomfort clear to him even if it wasn’t to Elizabeth, “You too, Ambassador Prentiss.”

Elizabeth hums as she looks back and forth between them, “So, do you always make a habit of sitting with your agents when they get injured at work?” She asks, clasping her hands together on her lap, “Although, I suppose it’s the right thing to do when they don’t have a spouse of their own or children, otherwise, they’d just be here by themselves.”

Emily doesn’t have to look at Aaron to sense the protectiveness flowing off of him like cologne, the need to shield her from any kind of harm, even something as simple as passive-aggressive comments from her mother, stronger than usual. She knew he was carrying some guilt from not being able to stop her from getting hurt today. It was something that lingered from when Ian had torn through their lives, something that made itself known every time she got hurt even a little bit. His reaction to things as simple as a papercut or a blister from new shoes more aligned with the injuries she’d suffered then, the love he now had a name for trapped inside his chest at the time with nowhere to go.

Later when he’d ask, she wouldn’t be able to explain what makes her reach out for his hand, why she links her fingers through his and makes a point of squeezing them in full view of her mother, but she does it. Love and affection, and no small amount of painkillers, making her braver than she’d felt in a long time.

“Actually, Mother,” she says, looking back at Elizabeth, “Aaron is here because he’s my…” she drifts off, the word boyfriend always seeming so juvenile when she thinks about what he means to her, “We’re together.”

Elizabeth’s only physical reaction is a slight raising of her eyebrows as she looks at Aaron and then at her daughter. She clicks her tongue and clears her throat, “I see,” she says, her lips pressed together, “You’ll have to accept my apologies, Agent Hotchner, Emily doesn’t tell me much about her life and I didn’t know that you two were…dating now.”

Emily stops herself from rolling her eyes at her mother’s obvious attempt to bait her, “Well,” she says, squeezing Aaron’s hand in what she hopes he takes as a silent request to stay quiet, “We don’t exactly see each other a lot, and I don’t remember the last time you called.”

She actually did remember the last time her mother called her. It was months ago, and it hadn’t been a social call but a request to go to an event she was hosting. It was shortly after Emily’s first date with Aaron, the giddiness from it all still lingering under her skin, his fingerprints still tattooed against her hips and thighs. She couldn’t help but wonder if she had a different relationship with her mother, if they’d been what each other had always wanted, she would have told her. If she would have sat on her couch and gushed over the new guy she was seeing to her mom and shared in her excitement for what she knew was the last relationship she’d ever be in, the feelings she’d had for Aaron for years confirmed by the first press of his lips to hers.

“The phone does work both ways, Emily,” Elizabeth says, and Emily feels Aaron’s hand tense around hers and she squeezes again, briefly looking at him and shaking her head every so slightly.

“Do you have any assignments coming up?” Emily asks, changing the conversation on purpose, wanting to move things along before Aaron marks his first meeting with her mother as more than just her boss by telling her off.

By the time her mother excuses herself to leave Emily is relieved that it will just be her and Aaron again, the tension Elizabeth always brought to a room something she could do without on her best days, let alone when her head was aching and her shoulder was immobilised. Aaron shows her out, ever the gentleman in a way Emily’s sure should annoy her, and for a moment she’s alone. She rests her head back against the pillow and blows out a steady breath. She pinches the bridge of her nose and groans, the pulsing in her head that had been made worse by her mother’s presence making her want to do nothing more than sleep.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?”

She opens her eyes, groaning as the bright hospital lighting makes her head hurt even more and she smiles softly at him as he sits on her bed.

“I’m okay,” she says, sighing, “I’m considering having Pen break into the hospital’s systems and fire the nurse who called my mom,” she says, her lips curling into a smile as he chuckles, “But I’m okay,” she looks at him and can see the stress that was still lingering in his jaw, the concern for her that was still in his eyes, and she smiles softly, “You know what I need though?”

He furrows his brow, ready to jump up and get whatever she wants, “What?”

“You to climb into this bed with me,” she says, her smile getting wider as he immediately tries to argue with her, something she cuts off as she wraps her hand around his, “Please? You know I sleep better when we snuggle.”

It’s a dirty trick and she knows it, the way he sighs as he leans forward and presses his forehead to hers a sign that he knows it too, “Em, baby, I don’t want to hurt you.”

She cups the back of his head and stamps her lips against his, “You never could,” she says softly. There’s a beat of silence before he nods and she smiles widely, kissing him again before he stands up.

He slips off his shoes and is careful as he climbs into the bed, both of them ignoring how she winces when she settles against him, the movement enough to jolt her shoulder. She sighs contentedly as he wraps his arms around her and she smiles when he kisses her temple.

“Better?” He asks, his lips still against her skin, and she nods, turning her head to press her forehead into his neck.

“Much better,” she replies, settling further into his embrace, into the comfort he always provided just by being there with her.

“She didn’t even ask how you are.”

She frowns, her brain not quite able to keep up, the pain and the medication catching up with her, exhaustion slowly taking over, “What?”

“Your mom,” he says, holding her slightly tighter but still managing to ensure he doesn’t hurt her, “She didn’t ask how you are.”

“Oh,” she says, chuckling mirthlessly, “Yeah,” she tilts her head to look at him, “She never does really. If she did we might get dangerously close to actually talking instead of just speaking.”

He clenches his jaw, irritation at the mother of the woman he loves burning him from the inside out, “I always knew things were difficult between you,” he says, running his fingers back and forth over her arm, trying to press comfort into her skin, “But she was rude to you, sweetheart. The dig she made about you not having a spouse, and the comment about the phone going both ways. She’s your mother, she should-”

She can feel him getting worked up, the need to look after her, to protect her, coursing through him so strongly she can almost feel it. His love for her passing from his chest into hers as he sits behind her, his arms around her as they provide the anchor she never knew she needed. She cuts him off, her hand on his cheek as she encourages him to look at her.

“Honey, my relationship with her has always been complicated. This…is as good as it’s ever going to get.”

He frowns again, “But you deserve better.”

“Maybe, but-”

“Definitely.”

She presses her lips together to stop her smile from spreading, her cheeks already aching with it, “Even if I do, it’s not going to happen. She’s never going to change and I had to accept that a long time ago in order to maintain some kind of a relationship with her.”

He sighs, “So you just accept the way she speaks to you?”

She hums as she nods, “And you’re going to have to too,” she says, and his frown deepens, outrage painted into the fine lines on his face, in the dark circles under his eyes that she can see in more detail when she’s this close. She cuts him off before he can say anything, “I don’t need you fighting my battles with her, Aaron. I’ve been doing it myself for as long as I can remember. What I do need is for you to be there afterwards,” she says, her hand cupping the back of his head, holding him in place as she looks deeply into his eyes, “Help me paint over any cracks she may have created.”

He hates it, hates that she’s asking him to just sit back as her mother of all people continually hurts her, but he knows he has to. He was never one to deny her anyway, his desire to be exactly what she needed him to be something that had been around long before their first kiss.

“Okay.”

She smiles up at him, “You promise?”

He nods, leaning in to kiss her quickly, his reply escaping even though he’s unsure if he’ll always be able to stick to it, “I promise.”

She smiles and kisses him before she settles against him again, “I think I need some sleep.”

He kisses her temple and runs his hand up and down her arm again, “You get some rest,” he says softly, “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“You promise?” She asks again, her words more slurred this time as she finally gives in to the pull of sleep.

“I promise,” he repeats, well aware that was one he was able to keep.

-x-

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#aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #aaron hotchner fanfiction #emily prentiss fanfiction #hotchniss fan fic #hotchniss fanfic #aaron x emily #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #hotchniss fanfiction #hotchniss

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elemit · 1 year ago

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A Gift, A Curse

A story in which we discover just how damned an ascended vampire can be, and just how far you will go to save the spawn you loved.

Read in full on AO3

dead dove/not beta read

fic warnings: Abuse, Angst, Biting, Blood and Gore, Blood Drinking, Bondage, Dom/sub, Dubious Consent, Food Restriction, Hate Sex, Horror, Mental Coercion, Mind Control, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rough Sex, Sexual Coercion, Torture, Total Power Exchange, Trauma, Vampire Bites

Chapter 17: Hope

You wake up to a clear head and reach automatically for the cup of blood that has been placed beside the bed. Astarion has already left for the day. Your sleep was deep and undisturbed, but as soon as you awake your mind drags you back to the last things you saw before bed.

That flash in his eyes. Perhaps it is only hope twisting yet another knife in your gut, but you think, pray, know that it was him, deep down, clawing briefly to the surface. The Astarion you once knew. The Astarion who loved you.

Your resolve is set, and you know you have to act fast, before your bravery can falter or your hunger can distract you. You have to appeal to that part of your husband that so recently made an appearance.

You dress yourself, giving the mirror a wistful glance before you leave on the hunt for the man that you love.

You find him in his study, sitting at the desk from which Cazador once ruled his coven. The words tumble out of your mouth as he turns to see who has entered his sanctuary; before his dark red gaze can wilt the courage that you have scraped together to face him.

“Please, Astarion, if there is any part of you still in there, just let me go. I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this. This isn’t how I thought our future would be.”

He laughs at your supplication. “Don’t be stupid, darling. You’re mine, remember? And that means your future is mine to decide. Your actions are mine to decide. I’ve told you time and again how lucky you are that I chose you as my consort.”

“I’m not your consort, I’m your spawn.”

“You are my wife. And we’ll be together forever, darling. I can promise you that.”

“How can you say I’m your wife when you make me— when you treat me like a whore to offer up in whatever business dealings you are undertaking!”

“Oh, please. You should be grateful that I can still see some use in you. It’s not like you have any magical ability to speak of anymore.”

You freeze.

“How... How do you know that?” you ask in a low voice. Even you didn’t know that; not really. You’ve seen the signs, of course, but you hadn’t wanted to believe them to be true. You wanted it to just be a temporary effect of the new hunger that plagues your every waking moment. He smiles at your reaction to his words.

“I had an inkling. It seems that in draining every drop of your blood when I transformed you, your powers were taken from you. You see, I realised that some of my newfound powers felt strangely… familiar. It seems that what was once yours is now mine. I always had some magic myself, of course, but never anything like yours. Not until now. I suppose what they say is true: sorcerers really do have magic in their very blood. You will still have some magical residue, I imagine, from the single drop of blood that I fed you?”

This is too much. Too far. There was so much of yourself that you were willing to give up for him; friends, principles, dignity, life. But your magic was what made you you. It felt like it was your very soul. And now he has taken that too. Astarion gives a sympathetic pout, but you see the twisted pleasure dancing behind his eyes.

“My little spell-less sorceress,” he croons. Then he murmurs words that you once knew and waves his delicate pale fingers in a pattern that is somehow now foreign to you, and you find yourself lifted from the floor, held aloft by the telekinesis spell that had once been your own.

“Just let me go,” you whisper. “You’ve taken everything from me.”

“Everything you are, everything you have, everything you ever will be is mine. Why by all the gods would I ever let you go?”

“Please,” you say, voice breaking.

“Don’t cry, darling. Come here,” he says, and he moves his hands, and you float over to him. He places you on the floor by his feet, guiding your head with his hands to rest upon his lap. He strokes your hair gently, and you think back to the last time you sat in this position, basking in the warmth of the drawing room fire on the night before you were wed. You had been so full of hope.

“There, there, little love,” he soothes. “You can sit with me again today. I haven’t been paying you enough attention, have I? That’s why you’re acting out like this. It’s ok. We’ll make it work.”

He pretends not to feel the hot tears soaking into the rich fabric of his trousers. You think to yourself that hope is a hellish thing.

#astarion smut #astarion x reader #bg3 fanfiction #astarion x you #astarion x tav #bg3 astarion #astarion #bg3 spoilers #astarion romance #a gift a curse #astarion fanfic

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fizzyxcustard · 6 months ago

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Okay, hear me out. I just finished the last chapter and I don’t even know where to begin.

1. I can’t even describe how much I feel for Amy. Like, I understand why her parents want to keep her with them and safe and why Lucas is supporting that, but that just adds to her feeling of being powerless. She needs to get that control back, especially after something as traumatic as kidnapping and being held hostage, she needs to feel that she is in control, that she makes the decisions and that those around her trust that she knows what’s good for her. I know her parents’ and Lucas’ decision comes from a place of love but still.

2. I’m totally in love with Ros, she understands and knows. I’ve really really enjoyed her character throughout this series. I keep rooting for her and Amy to become good friends, I really like their dynamic, especially since it sometimes feel like Ros is the only one that’s on Amy’s side and supports her decisions. Love that!

3. I have questions about Lucas though. So he blames himself for what has happened to Amy twice now and is convinced that’s it all his fault etc. Does he think it’s his fault as in personally or his fault because of the MI-5? Now that a baby is in the picture, is he going to quit the MI-5? Because I don’t think we’ve seen him ( I might be wrong here) really questioning his job and giving it a serious consideration to quit. He’s quick to break things off with Amy in stead of quitting the job. Maybe he would be less inclined to constantly blame himself if he chose a different career, what do you think?

4. I also love the idea of Amy continuing to work there, only as an analyst. She’s proven that she has a keen eye and is very perceptive and sharp, and I think this role has further contributed to her growth and being more comfortable in her own skin and abilities. It seemed to me that she really enjoyed doing what she did, more so than at her previous job. I’m also eager to see how her relationship with Ros develops further.

Sorry if this is too long, you don’t have to respond to everything if you don’t want to. I was just left with lots of thoughts after reading everything 🌸

Honestly, love, don’t apologise at all for the length of this ask. I’m so grateful that you read Covert Eyes and have a lot to say about it. It’s amazing!

Lucas questioning his career choice is something that will be coming up in the future. It’s something I did think on, and may possibly bring up in a one shot that takes place after the main events of Covert Eyes. Lucas blames himself personally for things that happened to Amy due to his involvement with Sarah Caulfield.

I have the next chapter and some of the chapter after that drafted. I just didn’t post due to a lot of negative feelings around this fic. But Ros does become even more personally involved with Amy and the baby.

Ros was a character I disliked at first in the series, but grew to really like her. I’m actually quite a fan of Ruth from the series, but felt Ros’ character worked better in helping Amy develop her confidence.

Again, thank you so much for reading this fic and being such a supportive friend with it. ♥️♥️♥️♥️

#ask #mismaeve #covert eyes #spooks #lucas north

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thetranslucentwallaby · 2 months ago

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Go and see Last Breath.

It still has a vise-grip on me. I have Thoughts and Feelings and Words (they don’t all make sense) and they will spoil the movie, so read this synopsis/review/delusional ramble at your own discretion:

Ok first off, big Family Vibes from Duncan and Chris, Duncan’s got that avuncular, marshmallow interior with barely any attempt to conceal it energy. And I’m a sucker for found-family, okay?? And for Woody Harrelson but that’s irrelevant

Chris’s still-a-newbie status is repeatedly emphasized, but nothing is made of the difference between him (British) and the other two (Americans), stereotype- or accent-wise. We fully endorse a “blended” found family here (cough Vincent Nigel-Murray cough), haha.

Dave seems like that too-cool-for-you guy. No-nonsense, no-fun. No hello, bro’s working out before breakfast, “everything outside that door is a distraction.”

I was feeling a teensy bit claustrophobic while watching this movie the first time, not gonna lie 😅

You go into it knowing this is a rescue movie. You go into it knowing everything will go wrong. That doesn’t mean you’re prepared for that frantic cry of “Just make sure I’m oka—” snap!

Dead silence as Chris is jerked backward, his lifeline snapped like a thread. That collective gasp in the theater accompanying one of the best uses I’ve seen of complete silence in film, intensifying the sense of his being absolutely alone.

You go into it knowing everything will go wrong. I underestimated how MANY things are a part of “everything,” how MANY things could go wrong. Reinforces that technology is really good when it works but not being able to perform manual workarounds is dangerous. A reminder to me, to never get complacent with the automatic-braking cruise control in my car, or any of those kinds of systems, juuust in case.

Something about people who know they have moments left to live — for Chris it was, he said, kind of peaceful, but he felt bad for his fiancée, that she’d miss him. What was going through my cousin’s head as his plane fell out of the sky? Did he have time to think? Would it have been better, maybe, if he didn’t? Was he afraid?

Going to sleep, cut off from every living soul.

I thought about those Apollo 13 astronauts behind the moon, who lost communication with Earth.

But Earth is still there. A half dozen people you’re marginally familiar with are floundering adrift themselves, engineless, scrambling to get back to you, to get you back, exhausting unsafe, untried tricks and jury-rigging million-dollar systems with wire strippers and electrical tape, just to have a chance to come back for you, not even knowing if you’re there, or alive. Biting nails. Hoping.

Suspended in a tiny metal sphere midair mid ocean are the two best chances for his survival, and they know exactly how much hope is logical to have after his ten minutes of oxygen run out. But Duncan refuses to admit to it being just a body retrieval — refuses to return to land with nothing but a shoebox full of personal effects— “useless s***,” he says— to give the widow fiancée.

I was impressed, and maybe it just shows how little I know about current sea captain capabilities or whatever, with the captain and first official’s ability to take over for the autopilot computers that constantly calculate the best moves and such — manually guiding the ship in the middle of a huge storm! Especially given that the captain was new.

And once the wiring is fixed, they’re back online— they can go back — and Dave’s in the water again, resolute, with that warning, “I’m not losing two divers today.” (Liu is fantastic in this role. Just a side note.)

The chilling footage — which is real, originally from the real ship’s underwater robot and the real-life Dave’s rescue dive — of Chris on top of the manifold structure, fingers spasming, eyes closed, anchored to the grating in a last obedience to Dave’s “I can’t rescue you, if I can’t find you,” is the closest thing to horror that exists in this movie. Alive, yet not; moving, but not breathing; a human alone where no human alone should be. The grayness of Chris’s face lurches your stomach.

Then you see why Dave works out so much in the pod. Why he’s been lifting weights. He clips Chris to him, grabs his umbilical lines, and starts to pull himself them up, back to safety. “He’s heavy,” and the man who’s already climbed that line once is climbing it again, towing a body, but his hands are slipping. Falling, being towed in the water at the end of his rope, he’s trying again, he slips again. He climbs again. Timing it, working with the swells, using the storm that started it all to his advantage, until finally he’s hauling Chris onto the stage under the bell, radioing for the winch from inside.

I thought about the countless scenes where characters watch their loved ones disappear into an operating room, having entrusted a life in the balance to whatever measures will be taken beyond its doors.

And once Chris’s shoulders are inside it’s up to Duncan, every reassuring thing he’s saying falling on deaf ears but he sure won’t stop saying them, hands are landing on unfeeling skin but he sure won’t stop tapping, rubbing the near-icy face.

Expertly, gently, desperately, he’s clawing this charge of his back from the brink of death, closing Chris’s nose and tilting up his chin, shaking, giving a frigid body the breath of life.

Again.

Reminding lungs how to work.

Again.

Listening for life… and hearing it! A rough, scraping gasp of air, Chris is alive, alive and breathing! Lifting him into the bubble of precious heli-ox, begging, cajoling him to provide any sign of recognition.

Hearing none. Newly-open eyes are unseeing, unblinking. No sign his mind survived. The crew, hundreds of feet above, sag when they hear. “Thirty minutes without oxygen to the brain…” the first officer offers.

Dave enters the operating room and goes to Chris. With the same calm, firm voice that gave final instructions, he simply explains what happened. Asks for acknowledgement in return; an eye movement, a hand squeeze, anything. Nothing.

“No matter what, you brought him back.”

No matter what. Both were simultaneously right, and wrong; he was alive, but it will have ended up as a body recovery after all. A body is better to bring back than a shoebox, but the body is breathing still again. Breathing life into Chris’s body gave him back breath, but not life. Dave kneels in the portal hatch, Duncan’s hand on his shoulder; heads hang, tears fall.

“Dave? You all right?” the only British voice dangling three hundred feet under the sea asks.

Chris is alive. Truly alive. News travels fast and the ship’s bridge erupts in shock and awe and relief and a dozen other joys. Alive and confused… “We made out,” Duncan teases, “but I’ll fill you in on that later.” Reeled back up from the depths, the three are put back into the “tin can” for decompression.

Chris suffered no lasting physical or mental damage. Science still cannot definitively explain how or why.

All three men returned to the bottom of the North Sea three weeks later to complete the job they were originally given.

Disjointed symbolism and thematic thoughts going through my head include: • Something Jonah-ish, three days of ocean - only it was four ? -whatever • Not one crew member was less important in the rescue than another. • Very resurrection and salvation vibes as Easter approaches. And also • That was eight million percent a miracle. That man should be dead. And he’s perfectly fine. Who but the Creator of humans could keep one alive on the ocean floor without the very element He created our every cell to run on?

#spoilers #last breath #last breath spoilers #anyone want to come with me for my fourth watch of this movie?#I may reblog this with more Thoughts once I’ve had more than four consecutive hours of sleep #movie #movie review #ramblings

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heydorothea009 · 1 year ago

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Bread on Toast - A Future Man Fanfiction

Josh Futturman and his fellow coworker and best friend, Liv Branson, get roped into saving the world as time traveling saviors with, what were thought to be, video game characters, Wolf and Tiger. Not only are Liv and Josh completely incompetent, but they are also emotionally inept- will this cause the destruction of mankind? Only time will tell.

Warnings: strong language, alludes to sexual content, ⚠️emotional⚠️, cliffhanger ass ending

A/N: It is with great sadness that I announce that this is the last chapter. Of this season. YAY! Fear not, I am currently 3 chapters away from wrapping up the season 2 installment and will be back in about a month!! Thank you to the readers for sticking around, this fanfiction has meant the world to me and I’m grateful for all the support :) ENJOY!!!!! YEYAH 🗣️🗣️

Chapter 11: A Date With Destiny

Two people appeared in front of them. One of them, a woman, was yelling, “Bomb, bomb, bomb! Get it off me!”

Josh grabbed Liv and dragged her behind the kitchen wall. “Bomb, bomb, bomb!” He yelled. Wolf sprung into action, immediately jumping on the woman and trying to disable the bomb.

“Don’t move!” He commanded her.

“Just chop my arm off!” She wailed.

“Stop moving, if you breathe wrong this blows.” Wolf said urgently. Tiger followed Liv and Josh behind the kitchen wall, all bracing for an explosion that never came. “Clear!” Wolf called out.

“Fuckin’ skull cunts tagged me just as I jumped!” The woman shouted.

“Dingo, what happened? Where’s the rest of the team?” Tiger asked, emerging from behind the wall. Liv and Josh also walked out, eyeing someone with a hood over their face, struggling to get it off. They looked at each other with wide eyes to see if they were looking at the same thing.

“Dead. Just like you, I just watched you die.” The woman, Dingo, said, pointing at Tiger in disbelief.

“Guys, is anybody else noticing the hooded slave?” Josh asked.

Wolf gasped. “That’s no slave!” He rushed over to the person, removing the chain from around his neck and throwing the hood off. The man underneath gasped in the fresh air. “Owl!” Wolf cried excitedly.

“Wolf! Much obliged.” They pulled each other into a tight hug.

“Pre-myrmed Owl!” Liv mouthed to Josh excitedly, giving him a thumbs up.

Owl turned to Tiger, who looked like she might cry if she had the ability to. “Tiger!”

“Owl!” She gasped.

“My good friend.” They pulled each other into a tight hug.

“How are you alive?” Tiger asked, voice full of awe.

“Dingo saved me from a Biotic necro chamber, I’ve been tortured in and out of consciousness for about three weeks.” Owl said.

“So one of you must be Avoid-The-Tunnel.” Dingo looked at Liv and Josh.

Josh nodded and stepped forward to shake her hand. “Welcome to our time.”

Dingo looked him up and down. “The greatest warrior in history?”

“This wee boy?” Owl also studied Josh. “I’m going to ‘69 with him?”

“Oh Jesus.” Liv snorted from behind Josh, turning Owl and Dingo’s gazes to her.

“And who are you?”

“This is Avoid-The-Tunnel’s friend, Liv.” Tiger said.

“Well, we-“ Josh and Liv both started.

“Friend who is a girl who he gets gross with sometimes.” Tiger corrected herself as she pat Liv on the shoulder. Owl and Dingo seemed to accept this answer.

“Josh, you’ll have to explain to them…what happened.”

Wolf said. “You know, with that thing Liv said. Anomaly or something.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Josh said.

Josh found a whiteboard and had Wolf help him bring it down the stairs (Wolf carried it while Josh kept a hand on the side so he felt like he was “helping”).

Josh explained to Owl and Dingo everything that had happened up to that point, the dance battle in ‘69, James Cameron’s house in 2023, telling Kronish about his future in ‘85, and the new fucked up 2017. Owl and Dingo chowed down on Wolf’s hors d'oeuvres as they listened.

“So,” Owl held up a hand like he had a question. “In your timeline you didn’t take the bridge to steal the TTD?” He asked Tiger and Wolf.

“No.” Tiger shook her head. “No, we took the tunnel but it was a trap, DMC gas.” She said sadly. Liv took the marker from Josh’s hand and wrote above the timeline Josh had drawn “Timeline A: Dingo A - gassed in tunnel, Owl A - Brain eaten by myrm”. “They picked us off one by one until we dropped to our knees just choking on death.”

“Biotics have a mutated p36 immunosuppressant gene that renders them immune to all poisons.” Owl said to Josh and Liv.

“We know, Owl.” Josh said. “We used that same principle to get all of our coworkers to shit themselves in their formal wear.”

“So the bridge was also a trap?” Tiger asked, making a realization. “We were always doomed? This whole time I thought I’d made the wrong call but there was no right call to make.” She sounded slightly relieved. “Well, I…that makes me feel a lot better.” She smiled. “That is a load off.”

Owl grabbed the marker from Liv’s hand and erased Josh’s timeline. Tiger began to explain to him their plan to get into the Kronitorium. “So, we kill Kronish, blow up the building with all his research inside, no innocents die, future saved.” She said.

Owl began to write down a complicated equation on the board.

“I’m confused. And maybe it’s because I haven’t slept in 4,000 fingers, but why are we planning an infiltration op when there are only six of us? We have enough nukes to level this city.” Dingo snapped, walking up to look at what Owl was writing.

“No! No nukes! We’re doing this lean and clean from a moral standpoint .” Wolf interjected.

“Since when are you anti-blowing shit up?” Dingo narrowed her eyes at Wolf. Liv grabbed Josh’s arm, he could tell she was tense. He was too.

“Truth be told, I’m transitioning out of demolitions. I’m really more of a chef these days.” Wolf said happily.

“What the fuck’s a chef?” Dingo asked, coming off extremely rude.

“You see what we had to deal with?” Josh muttered to Wolf.

“Quick question!” Owl turned around from the board. “Since we are in possession of a TTD, why not go back to when Kronish was a newborn?” Tiger visibly tensed as he asked this. “Babies are supposedly soft and helpless. They’re quite killable, almost unfairly so.”

“Perfect! Easy skull smash.” Dingo said.

“No!” Tiger said, a little too quickly. “No baby killing.” She reached up and rubbed a gold locket that no one had even noticed she’d been wearing until that moment.

Owl shrugged, but Dingo narrowed her eyes at Wolf and Tiger, frowning. “I don’t know who these two face pirates are, but you’re not the Tiger who took an anal rod to the gut and you’re not the Wolf who took a nosedive into a firebog.”

“We went through this, Dingo. The small alteration in the space-time continuum brought them to a new spectral plane. It’s not that complicated.” Owl said. Liv looked at Josh with her brows raised. Maybe he really was a genius like Tiger had raved about.

“No, not that, they’ve changed.” Dingo snapped.

“Hey, you watch your rat hole.” Tiger narrowed her eyes right back at her. “I have half a mind to come over there and wash it out with soap, young lady.”

Wolf looked over at Liv and Josh, brows knitted together in a confused way. Liv shrugged and Josh shook his head, they didn’t know either.

“Jokes on you, I don’t know what soap is.” Dingo spat.

Wolf was feeling tense too. “Owl, why did you eat my olive tapenade with your bare hands?” Josh stared up at the ceiling with his jaw clenched. “The serving spoon was right in the dish!”

“Hey man,” Owl said calmly and coolly. “I just learned what a fork is.”

“Okay! Alright, alright, look,” Josh butted in loudly, startling Liv. “I see what’s going on here, okay? Some of us are from Timeline A, others from Timeline B.” He put his hand out to Tiger and Wolf on his right and the other to Dingo and Owl on his left. “But you have to remember, we’re all here for the same reason. We can’t have these factions tearing us apart. What we need right now, more than anything, is to come together.” He knit his fingers together.

“Cum? Together?” Owl repeated.

“Come together.” Josh nodded.

“Charge in.” Dingo rubbed her hands together.

“Yes-“ Josh realized what she’d said, his face fell. “No!”

“Tensions do need to be released.” Tiger said. Wolf nodded, folding his arms seriously.

“Um! Like all together?” Liv asked in a high, awkward voice.

“What part of ‘cum together’ doesn’t make sense to you?” Dingo asked in a snobby voice. “Fuckin’ idiot.”

Liv squinted at her. “What if I don’t want to ‘cum together’.”

“It’s team building and tension releasing Avoid-The-Tunnel’s friend who’s a girl who he gets gross with sometimes.” Owl said.

“…it’s Liv.”

“You two,” Wolf said loudly, pointing at Liv and Josh. “Go upstairs and do your thing,” he ordered.

“Uh, Wolf-“ Josh started.

“We’ll take care of business down here.” He said.

“But the team building!” Owl complained.

“It’s fine!” Tiger raised her voice again.

“Go fuck upstairs before this turns into a whole thing.” Wolf said to Liv and Josh. Josh grabbed Liv’s hand and they slowly started to back up the stairs.

“Josh-“

“We’ll just hide in my room until they’re done.” Josh muttered. As soon as the door to Josh’s room closed he checked three times to make sure the door was actually locked. “We don’t have to actually.” Josh said, going and sprawling out on his bed.

“Have to what?”

“Have sex. We don’t have to, we can just be in here.” Josh said. Liv gave him a little smile.

“Josh, what about the tension release? What about team building?” She teased, mocking Dingo. “She’s kinda annoying isn’t she?” She cuddled up next to him. “And a bitch? Did you hear her down there? If she didn’t have the strength to tear my throat out, I’d have kicked her teeth in.”

“I didn’t want to say anything, but Dingo is already getting on my nerves. I think I hate her” Josh whispered as if she might hear from all the way downstairs. Liv gave him a fake surprised face.

“I’m gonna tell on you!” She giggled quietly, hitting his chest lightly with the back of her hand.

Josh chuckled. “No you won’t.” He placed a kiss on her cheek. They laid there in silence for a few seconds, hearing some scuffling from downstairs.

“What do you say to a quick charge in?” Liv asked, looking up at him from her spot laying on his chest. She felt Josh’s chest rise quickly.

“I would say yes.” Josh said excitedly, obvious that he’d been waiting for the go ahead. She sat up and Josh followed, a glimmer of arousal in his eyes.

Liv pulled him by his collar over to her again, kissing him deeply, cupping his cheeks in her hands. Josh’s tongue met hers, the heat of their tongues melding as they got more and more desperate for each other. His hands slid around her waist, holding her protectively. Her arms strung themselves around his neck as she moved into his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist. They broke apart for air looking longingly into each other’s eyes. Their lips softly collided again, Josh kissing Liv breathless. He held her like she was a precious glass vase, touched her so gently, kissed her like he needed air, whispered her name like it was the only one that he knew.

Liv knew that there, in that moment, she was utterly in love with him.

Liv trailed after Josh down the stairs, adjusting the robe Josh had given her, fluffy and white, like the one Wolf had on the day before. They were met with Tiger, Wolf, Owl, Dingo all sprawled out on the couch in matching ones. Owl had an arm around Destiny the sex doll (no one knew where she’d come from nor how Owl had found her).

“Fucking finally.” Dingo complained. Wolf gave them a sly smile, but didn’t say anything. They’d definitely heard everything from their spot on the couch.

“Alright, tensions released?” Tiger asked, standing up. Everyone nodded. “Wolf?”

“Check.”

“Dingo?”

“Check.”

“Owl?”

Owl was caressing Destiny, the sex doll’s plastic face. “What’re you doing after this mission?” He asked the doll.

“Gonna call that a check.” Tiger said, side eyeing him.

“Future Man?”

“Check?”

“Liv?”

“Check.”

Tiger nodded and strolled over to the white board where Owl had drawn up an elaborate map of their plan. “There’s gonna be a lot of security.” Tiger said as Liv took a seat next to Wolf. Josh sat next to her, putting an arm behind her on the couch.

“We’ve got a lot to catch up on,” Wolf whispered to Liv with a teasing smirk. Liv playfully shoved him.

“Hey!” Tiger snapped at them. Wolf and Liv sat straight up and stopped bugging each other.

“Ooh, you guys got in trouble.” Josh said in a quiet singsong voice. Tiger shot him a glare that shut him right up.

“We’re not getting anywhere without hand access. There’s biometric hand scanners throughout the building. Lucky for us, I got us a set of prints.” She held up what looked like a glove made out of glue.

“Who’s…hand is that a mold of?” Liv asked.

“Stu’s.” Tiger said. “He’s fine, don’t worry, I told him not to come into work today. Okay, Alpha team will clear civilians from the building, drawing out Biotic forces. The only problem is, it’s a suicide mission. Either one of us is going to have to sacrifice ourselves or Destiny has just found her destiny.” Everyone looked to Owl, who was trying to hold Destiny’s hand.

“Good riddance to Destiny!” Josh said.

“Team Alpha will consist of Dingo and I.” Tiger said. Dingo fist pumped the air. Tiger pointed to the lower part of the map. “Meanwhile Bravo and Charlie, they’re gonna enter from underground. Bravo is gonna set charges throughout the building,” Tiger pointed to different locations across the map. “Bravo will consist of Wolf, Josh-“

“And Liv!” Wolf interrupted.

“Yes, and Liv.” Tiger suppressed a small endearing grin as she looked over to Wolf slinging his arm around Liv’s shoulders excitedly and patting Josh on the shoulder. “Charlie, aka Owl, will go deep into the core using his genius to kill the power.” She tossed Owl the glue glove. “You’ll open the impenetrable security doors which will give us access to Kronish himself. Once we get the signal from Charlie that the doors are open, Alpha Team will blow up Destiny, killing all the Biotics in the lobby. That will give us a window of a few minutes before reinforcements jump in. We use it to rendezvous at Kronish’s lab, kill Kronish, set the final charges, and jump back to the future.”

“Um,” Josh raised his hand. “Where do we go at that point?” He asked, pointing between him and Liv.

“You guys are coming with us, aren’t you?” Tiger asked blankly.

“To the future?” Liv shook her head.

“No, we can’t- I mean, we have our whole lives here.” Josh said.

“What lives?” Wolf asked.

“Ooh, burn.” Dingo snickered. Owl chuckled.

“You don’t belong here, you said it yourselves.” Wolf said.

“No, I mean, I have to go and make things right with my parents and…Liv…well, your life didn’t really fall apart but…you know, we should probably stay here.” Josh rambled. Liv shrugged and nodded.

Tiger sighed and shrugged. “Then I guess you sneak out as civilians.”

“Or maybe as janitors.” Wolf said.

Liv and Josh looked at each other and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess that makes the most sense.” Liv mumbled.

“World’s greatest warrior posing as a lowly janitor.” Owl said to Josh. “Where does your brilliance end, Avoid-The-Tunnel?” He reached behind him into the couch cushions and pulled out an energy drink labeled “JOOSH”.

“I wouldn’t drink that.” Josh held out a hand to stop him. “It’s like 10,000 volts to your brain.”

Owl looked at the drink and back to Josh. “Oh. Okay.” He put the can in his robe pocket.

“Kronish labs opens at 7am.” Liv said. “What time is it?”

“6:45” Josh said.

“Great, Wolf, you get the C-4 from the sewer and we’ll strap it to the charge doll.” Tiger commanded. “This is it, this is our one and only chance.”

Tiger and Dingo waited outside the lab behind a pillar with binoculars. Tiger had pushed Destiny off in an electric wheelchair and she wheeled into the lobby, absolutely stuffed with bombs. Earlier, Liv had scrawled “Evacuate the building in 10 minutes or I’m gonna blow! :)” on a piece of lined paper and taped it to the doll. Dingo and Tiger watched as Destiny wheeled in an immediately caused panic amongst the people inside. Alarms began to blare as people started booking it towards all the exits. A mob of elementary schoolers ran out of the building, probably from a field trip.

Tiger squeezed her eyes shut and touched the locket around her neck, silently praying to a God she didn’t believe in that all those kids would make it out safely.

Meanwhile, entering from underground just like in Tiger’s plan, Liv, Josh, Wolf, and Owl walked quietly through the tunnels, stakes high. Josh looked around nervously, reaching for Liv’s hand and intertwining their fingers. Red lights were blinking throughout, signaling to them that Destiny had caused the disturbance they planned for.

“Should we set some charges somewhere down here?” Liv whispered.

“Not yet, I’ll tell you when…” Wolf said as he walked slightly ahead of everyone. He stopped and looked around, realizing they should probably start doing just that. “…wait actually, when.” He muttered, pressing a detonator against the wall and setting the timer. Josh rolled his eyes. Owl was in his own little world about 20 feet behind, studying a singular brick on the wall. “I see some doors, Owl, we need the hand.” Wolf said in a low voice, catching Owl’s attention. He held up one of Destiny’s hands high above his head, the glue glove wrapped over it. He sprinted past the other three and to the biometric scanner.

“He’s…quirky.” Liv said under her breath.

“I think he might’ve had the ‘JOOSH’ I told him not to drink.” Josh said. As the three of them sauntered through the doors, Owl held a hand out to Wolf.

“It’s been an orange, soldiers.” He said, and Wolf grabbed his arm and nodded in response.

“Wait…orange?” Josh raised an eyebrow as Owl held a hand out to Josh.

“Honor, it’s been an honor.” He said. “Isn’t that what I just said?” He shook Liv’s hand politely. “M’lady.” He mocked a curtsy to her.

“Um, thanks Owl.” Liv didn’t know how to respond to that. Owl saluted them with Destiny’s glue hand.

“I love you.” He said to the three of them and waddled away like he’d shit his pants. He looked even stupider in the leopard print jacket he wore that said “SAVAGE” across the back. Josh and Liv stared after him in disbelief.

“Is he alright?” Josh whispered.

“He’s a genius, that’s how they are.” Wolf whispered back, patting Josh on the chest and charging down the hall. Josh looked to Liv with a concerned look.

“I’m pretty damn sure he drank that energy drink.” He huffed as they took off after Wolf.

Back upstairs, Tiger was surveying the lobby with her binoculars.

“Alright, all the ‘innocent’ people who we ‘can’t let die’ are out. Can we blow this shit up now?” Dingo snapped impatiently.

Tiger slowly nodded, bringing a walkie talkie up to her mouth. “Alright, Alpha’s ready to bl-“ before she could finish, she spotted a little girl hiding behind a pillar inside. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, we are not clear.”

Dingo made a frustrated noise and snatched the binoculars from Tiger’s hand. “What the fuck?” She spotted the little girl. “One fucking youngling?!” She seethed, pulling the binoculars away from her eyes in one aggressive motion. “The fate of humanity’s in the balance here, what are you doing?” She hissed.

“No,” Tiger touched her locket. “I gotta get her outta there.” She started to march inside. Dingo chased after her.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Dingo grabbed Tiger’s shoulder roughly. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Tiger? You talk funny, you care about younglings, and you don’t smell like dirt anymore.” Dingo looked her up and down as Tiger protectively held her necklace. Dingo scoffed. “This time has turned you into a monster. And why do you keep touching that strangle chain?” Dingo’s hand shot out to grab the chain.

“No, no, no!” Tiger fought against her. “Dingo, do not take my baby!” She said through gritted teeth. The locket had been a gift from Estelle Kronish, something she promised to treasure forever. Dingo snapped the chain from Tiger’s neck, prying the locket open. Tiger stood there, stunned, unsure of how to explain what was inside, pictures of Estelle and Elias. Dingo slowly turned her gaze up to Tiger again, a sneer on her face.

“‘You’ll always be a member of the family’?” She looked between the locket and Tiger. “‘Love, Estelle and Elias Kronish?!”

Tiger bobbed her head from side to side. “You know what, when you read it out loud it doesn’t sound great.” Dingo narrowed her eyes on Tiger, inching closer to her, looking ready to attack.

“What do you think your future’s gonna be like?” Josh asked Wolf in a hushed tone.

“I dunno, it’d be just as strange for me as it would be for you guys.” Wolf said, glancing over his shoulder. “Nothing to do but adapt.”

“Easy for you to say, everywhere you go everyone loves you.”

Wolf smirked to himself. “That they do, but hey! Don’t sell yourself short.” He handed Josh a detonator as they approached a beam. As Josh set it up, Liv looked around protectively. She heard the clicking sound of Josh pressing it to the wall and setting the timer. Wolf slapped Josh on the shoulder proudly. “Way to find the weak axis of the I-beam. Adapting already, see?” He looked at Liv. “Good pick.”

Liv looked at Josh with a small grin knowing full well that the day before Wolf had been judging her. Josh gave her the same small grin before peering around the corner. His body tensed, signaling to Liv and Wolf that danger was coming. He turned back and smashed both of them behind the beam, holding his arms out of either side of them protectively, as if that would shield them from any harm. The Biotics who stomped past them were too busy staring straight ahead to even notice them. Josh felt Liv’s chest heave against his as she sighed with relief. Josh looked at Liv and pressed his forehead against hers as he gave a sigh of relief too. Wolf was pressed into the corner behind Liv.

“Listen, I love both of you, but this isn’t really a kissing opportunity.” Wolf whispered. “Although that might be kinda hot-“

Josh and Liv both turned their stares up to Wolf. “Seriously?” Josh pushed away from the wall.

“You’re both very attractive people who I don’t mind seeing kiss.” Wolf shrugged nonchalantly. Josh rolled his eyes as he moved into the next room and up the stairs and Liv chased after him. Wolf took a couple large steps and caught up with them.

They set several more charges. “The pupils have become the masters.” Wolf patted them both proudly on the back.

“Who would’ve thought I had a knack for explosives?” Josh set the timer off on a detonator, winking at Liv.

“Not me,” Wolf started up another flight of stairs. “I never believed in you. I thought you were weak and had bad plans.” Josh sighed as Liv gasped.

“Wolf!” She hissed.

“I’ve heard that before.” He muttered. They came to a door, Wolf pressed his ear against it.

“But you’ve been more dedicated to this mission than anyone else, and Liv really liked you.”

“You met me before you met her.” Josh pointed out in a flat tone.

“Yeah, okay, but she liked you so I had to tolerate you. But now? I really like you.” He looked back at Josh. “I want you to know, if you did come to the future with us, I’d take care of you, like you took care of us.” Josh could recognize softness in his tone and his face, it was the way he spoke to Liv. He really meant it.

“Wow, Wolf,” Josh felt emotional.

“I know,” Wolf opened the door and stealthily walked through. Josh looked at Liv, who looked back at him with the same emotion filled eyes. Josh opened his mouth the day something, but decided against it, slipping his hand into hers and walking through the door and into a dark hallway.

“You know, all I can think about since I murdered myself is that I don’t belong in this time any more than you and Tiger do.” Josh said quietly as he and Liv tiptoed behind Wolf.

“Me too, I keep wondering what this time’s version of me is like.” Liv said quietly.

“I feel like a man out of time.”

“Exactly. But woman.”

“It’s a weird feeling, right?” Wolf lightly chuckled.

“Yeah.” Liv and Josh responded at the same time.

“It’s probably why I did all that coke.” Wolf said, turning a corner. They both nodded, muttering in agreement. “I’m just kidding, I did that because it was awesome.” He grinned over his shoulder at them, making them both laugh quietly. Josh looked at Liv, hand still clutching hers. He looked up at Wolf, who sauntered up to the big, impenetrable doors.

“Liv,” He whispered so Wolf couldn’t hear. “What if we went with them?”

“To their time?” Liv whispered back.

“We don’t belong here.” Josh looked at her with pleading eyes. “And they’ve said how it will be better in the future once we’ve stopped Kronish. I want to go with them, but only if you’re there.” He brought their intertwined hands up, putting his other hand on them.

Liv nodded quickly. “Okay! Okay, let’s do it.” She whispered, a wide grin spreading across her face. “I’ll follow you wherever you go.” Josh’s eyes filled with ecstasy and joy.

“Hey,” Wolf gruffed. “These are the doors.”

Josh and Liv caught up with him. “Wolf. We’re gonna do it.”

“We’re gonna go with you guys back to the future.” She gave Josh a little grin at her reference. Wolf’s eyes lit up. “We’re done being janitors.” She squeezed Josh’s hand.

Wolf looked at them with an enthusiastic glint in his eyes as he raised the walkie talkie to his mouth. “Bravo’s at the Kronish door. Charlie, what’s your ETA?”

They were met with screaming from Owl. “Physics! Inertia! Why have you forsaken me?”

All of their faces fell instantly. “Owl. Come in, Owl.” Wolf responded as calmly as he could. No response. Wolf hit the side of the walkie talkie with the heel of his palm. “Owl, do you copy?”

Owl answered in a high, girly voice. “Yes, how may I help you?” He dropped his voice to a low octave. “Yes, I believe I’m supposed to have an orgasm.” He answered in his girly voice. “Oh yes, right this way.”

Josh looked at Wolf with a concerned face, hoping this was normal, but judging from the way Wolf looked just as concerned, it couldn’t be good.

“Will this orgasm do?” Owl asked himself. He lowered to a low octave again. “Yes, it will!”

“Is…Owl…cumming?” Liv asked as Owl moaned loudly on the other end.

Wolf shook his head. “No, he’s been myrmed.” He sounded distraught.

“Again?!” Josh cried.

“Goddamn necro chamber!” Wolf growled. “Every freaking fucking timeline.” Owl was still wailing. Wolf paced away, halfway down the hall and turned back. “A myrm eats its way through your brain lobe by lobe.” Wolf explained as he paced back to Liv and Josh, who stood in shock, confusion, and terror. “If he’s having an orgasm this intense, it can only be because the myrm is chewing on his amygdala.” He saw the way Liv winced. He leaned down to her level, assuming she didn’t know what that meant. “That’s the brain’s clit.”

“Oh yeah, that makes sense.” She shivered with disgust.

“She’s squeamish.” Josh tightened his grip gently on her hand. Owl continued to moan through the walkie talkie.

“So you went back to the 40s to slit his throat as a baby, that part makes sense.” Dingo was slowly advancing on Tiger, rage burning in her eyes. “Then what?”

“Well, then…one thing led to another and you know how it goes, I kinda ended up raising him.” Tiger kept her distance.

“Was that before or after you sent him on the floaty box with his secret charging mate?” Dingo squinted her eyes.

“It’s called a boat and it was after.” Tiger snapped. “Or before, depending on how you view time.”

Dingo barred her teeth. “How many chances have you had to kill Kronish and not done it?”

Tiger stopped and thought for a moment. She started to count on her fingers. “Oh…yeah…”

Dingo aggressively slapped Tiger’s hand down. “The answer should be zero! You’ve gone fucking soft!” She barked. “You goddamn traitor, I’m not following your plans anymore,” she tried to grab the walkie talkie from Tiger’s belt. “I’m in charge now!” They fought against each other, Tiger tried to pull it from Dingo’s grasp, but snapped it in half. In retaliation, Dingo kicked Tiger through the window and into the lobby, landing her in a mess of shattered glass. Tiger’s head shot up to assess her situation. Remaining Biotics marched single file towards her. Tiger craned her neck to look at the scared little girl, who was still hiding.

“Sweetie, you gotta get out of here, the grown ups are playing.” She said as gently as she could, trying not to scare her further. “Go!” The little girl nodded with wide eyes, standing up and running through the exit. Tiger heaved a sigh of relief.

“Give me the detonator.” Dingo stepped through the broken window menacingly. Tiger grabbed Dingo’s arm as she tried to swing a punch, throwing her into the Biotics, making them topple to the ground like dominoes.

Tiger ran for cover, watching Dingo struggle to stand. She set off Destiny, throwing herself behind a wall as she blew up everything in the lobby. “Owl!” She panted into the walkie talkie. “Owl, open the goddamn doors, I had to blow Destiny early, Dingo turned on me.” She heard nothing. She let out a frustrated groan as she punched the wall, taking off in the direction she hoped led to the doors that Wolf, Josh, and Liv would be at.

“Fifteen brain bombs just blew downstairs, Biotic reinforcements are gonna be here any second!” The Bravo team heard as someone charged down the hall.

“Tiger?”

“Shit…” Wolf hissed, trying to throw his body weight against the doors. “These doors must be impenetrable, there’s no way we’re blowing through this.”

“Wait, you said that Kronish doesn’t let anybody into his lab, right?” Josh asked Tiger. She nodded. “You know what he does let in? Possums.” Everyone stared at Josh, brows pinching together. He pointed to a small chute next to the door. “Guys, the incinerator chute. That’s our way in!”

“No, as soon as they arrive they’ll make straight for Kronish, we’ll be overrun.” Tiger shook her head, face paling.

“Yeah, but not if you hold them off.” Josh said. “Look, all you gotta do is give me enough time to climb up the chute, set the final charge, and kill Kronish myself.”

“What about me?” Liv asked.

“Liv, you can’t come with me, you’ll be with Tiger and Wolf.”

“What? Why?” She asked loudly, voice verging on breaking.

“Liv, it’s dangerous.”

“And the Biotics aren’t?”

“I appreciate your offer, I really do,” Tiger said. “But you've got, like, what, one kill notch on your belt? And evil you did most of the work, let’s be honest.”

“No.” Josh shook his head. “If someone’s gonna kill Kronish, it should be me.”

“Josh!” Liv’s voice broke.

“With that door sealed your only exit is down into the fire.” Wolf said. Josh slowly processed his own plan.

“…it’s a suicide mission.” Tiger whispered. “No coming back, no do-over, no tomorrow…” Liv looked more and more distraught.

“Josh, no!” She grabbed his shoulders.

“You’re gonna die.” Tiger added.

“Yeah, okay, look, I’m realizing that.” Josh brushed Liv’s hands off of his shoulders and walked a couple paces away.

“Josh-“ her eyes were welling up with tears.

“When you guys invited me to come to your future, that meant everything to me, but I don’t think that’s what’s meant to happen. Destiny isn’t something that just arrives on your doorstep from Japan or wherever, it’s something that you seize in the moment, the moment where you realize you have to murder/suicide your former boss and mentor.” Wolf and Tiger looked at each other while Liv began to shake, tears spilling from her eyes.

“What about me, Josh?” She cried.

“Yeah, what about Liv?” Wolf asked in a hushed tone.

Josh closed his eyes and exhaled softly, trying not to cry. Liv meant everything to him, she always had. He couldn’t have her dying because of him. He didn’t know what would happen to her.

“We can take her with us.” Wolf said quietly, Tiger narrowed her eyes at him.

“No we can’t.” She hissed.

“Yes we can!” Wolf wrapped an arm around Liv’s shoulder protectively as they shook harder while she cried.

“I don’t want to go with you guys without Josh!” She pushed herself away from Wolf, running into Josh. “I want to be with you, let me go with you.” She buried her face in the crook of his neck. Josh wrapped his arms around her tightly. Wolf gave Tiger a look, signaling they should let them say their goodbyes. Tiger drew out a blaster and her and Wolf stalked down the hall to give them space.

“Liv,” Josh whispered gently, pulling her away so he could look at her. The heartbroken look on her face shattered him. “I don’t want you to die because of me.”

“But Josh, then we’ll die together.”

“We’re not Romeo and Juliet, okay? Look, I think you should go with them- I know what I just said, but, if it truly is a better future, that’s where I want you to go. I care too much about you Liv, I just…I don’t want you to have to die because of me.”

“Josh. I can’t.” Liv whispered, lip quivering. “I can’t without you.”

Josh nodded, tears falling from his eyes. “I know.” He exhaled shakily, trying to cover it up with a laugh. He shook his head as he looked at her. He loved her. “I don’t want to die.” He shook with sobs, pulling Liv tight against him. “Liv, I don’t want to die.” They held each other, crying and trembling, racked with sobs. Tiger and Wolf could hear them, breaking both their hearts into pieces.

“You don’t have to.” Liv whispered, inhaling shakily, pulling away and wiping her tears. “You don’t have to die again Josh, because I won’t allow you to. You’re going to kill Kronish and then you’re going to climb right back down that chute, I’ll make sure there’s no fire at the bottom, you can trust me. You’re going to sneak out as a civilian like Tiger said earlier, and I will too after helping Tiger and Wolf with the Biotic reinforcements and sending them back to the future, okay? We’ll live a normal life here in this timeline. This is our chance to start over, and you’re the only person who I want to do it with.” She held his face, wiping his tears. He wiped her tears away and nodded.

“Okay, okay, I can do that.” Josh pressed a kiss to her forehead. He reached into his pocket, pressing something round into her hand. “When that thing’s light turns green that means Kronish is dead, the final charge has been set, and I’m coming back down. You make sure that Tiger and Wolf get the fuck back to the future and that they don’t come back for us no matter what.”

Liv looked down at the red light staring up at her from the round object in her hand. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she’d seen Wolf give it to Josh. “Okay.” She whispered, wiping away a stray tear, looking into his eyes. She looked to the side to see Tiger and Wolf looking at them, eyes full of grief and pride.

“I’m proud of both of you.” Tiger said, taking a step towards them.

“We’ll get her out safely, Josh. One way or another, I promise.” Wolf nodded towards him.

“We’ll never forget what you did here.” Tiger made her way over to Josh, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not Future Man, you’re something much better. You’re Josh Futturman.” She pulled him into a tight embrace. Tiger never hugged anyone. Josh sank into the hug, holding back tears again. She pulled away and turned to Liv. “And you, you were the most pleasant surprise I’ve ever received,” She smiled at her, wrapping Liv into a tight hug. “Future Man’s friend.” She said fondly. “I’m glad you stuck around.”

Wolf gave Josh a small smile. “I know we’ll never get a chance to switch dicks back, but I’m cool with that. It was never about the dick, it’s about the warrior’s mane. And you’ve earned every last hair.” Before Josh had a chance to react, Wolf placed his hand on the back of Josh’s neck, pressing their foreheads together. Wolf repeated his last sentence in Na’vi before letting go and turning to Liv. “Liv Branson, I know we’re not saying goodbye just yet, but you are my best friend.” He enveloped her in the world’s tightest hug as she began to cry again.

“Wolf, I love you so much.” She cried into his chest.

“I see her in you. Sigorn-E.” Wolf said. That made Liv cry harder and hug him tighter. “I’ll never forget you Liv, never. I hope every time you and Josh fuck, you think of me when you see my penis on his body.” Liv pulled away.

“Wolf, I think you should be done.” She sniffled, wiping her tears away.

“Yeah Wolf, that’s kinda weird.” Josh said.

Wolf pat Liv’s head, looking down at her with a small, endearing smile. “Okay, okay. Go give him a kiss.” He gestured his head towards Josh. Liv threw her arms around Josh’s shoulders and pulled him in for what could be their final kiss. It was tender and gentle, Tiger didn’t even feel the need to throw up, she just looked at Wolf with softened eyes. Wolf was welling up with tears. Dingo was right, they had gone soft. But they didn’t give two fucks.

Josh pulled away slightly, tucking some of Liv’s hair behind her ear. “I l-“ The floor rumbled.

“Fuck!” Tiger yelled. “They’re here.”

Josh gave Liv a quick peck on the forehead. “I’ll tell you after.” He stroked her cheek one last time as she rubbed her hands up his arms. Wolf helped to boost Josh into the chute.

“I love you!” Josh heard Liv desperately call to him as he started his perilous journey up towards Kronish. The chute door slammed, leaving Josh alone.

As the chute door closed, Wolf put an arm on Liv’s left shoulder. Tiger’s hand landed on her right shoulder.

“Hey you three!” A voice behind them barked. Tiger pulled a blaster from her jacket, concealing it against her body, shooting Liv a side eye. Liv reached for the blade on her belt. “Don’t you know the building is being evacuated?” They turned slowly to see three Biotic scientists approaching them. Wolf reached behind him, grabbing something from his belt.

“Puck chuck!” He yelled, throwing a circular blade into a scientist's throat. Tiger leapt over them, stabbing the one grabbing his throat in the back.

“Gut knife!” She screamed. The other Biotics shot their blasters at them.

Liv stabbed one of them in the stomach. “Gut knife!” She yelled, copying Tiger. Tiger repeatedly stabbed the man.

“Gut knife, gut knife, fucking gut knife! Fuck you!” She screamed. Wolf kicked the third Biotic through a janitor’s closet door, grabbing an unattended mop and snapping it over his knee. The Biotic tried to advance on him but Wolf stabbed the jagged side of the wood straight through his stomach.

“Science wand!” Wolf yelled, pushing the dying Biotic to the ground. He tossed the mop end to Liv. “Liv! Heads up!”

Liv caught it, driving the splintered wood into her dying Biotic’s stomach. “Not just a janitor now, bitch.”

“More for the gobulator.” Wolf growled, helping Liv to her feet. Liv saw the blood on her hands and shuddered.

“Let’s not kid ourselves.” Tiger said, handing Liv a blaster from her belt. “I didn’t think you had it in you, kid.”

“Guys, we need to make sure we get the fire at the bottom of the incinerator to turn off.” Liv begged. “I promised Josh, he doesn’t have to die-“

“We heard, we’ll help you.” Tiger said. “Don’t worry, Liv.”

Blaster shots whizzed past their heads as they ducked. “So much for stealth mode.” Wolf threw a mine at the reinforcements making their way down the hall. Wolf grabbed Liv and the three took off down the opposite end of the hall.

“We’ve gotta draw them away from the door!” Tiger yelled as they turned the corner, just as the explosion happened.

In the chute, Josh was awkwardly shimmying his way up to Kronish’s office, taking longer than he expected it to. “I thought this would be easier.” He panted, gritting his teeth. He grabbed onto a vent, trying to help hoist himself up, but his knee slipped, making Josh’s heart stop. He only slid down a tiny bit before he was able to stop himself, but that was enough to scare him. His heart was pounding in his ears as he took in shaky deep breaths. “I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay,” he repeated to himself over and over. He looked down into the fire way down before him. “God, it’s hot.” He leaned his head back against the metal, chest heaving. “Why didn’t I just play Madden?”

Having escaped the first wave of Biotics, Tiger, Wolf, and Liv crept through a door that led through another maze of halls, this one split three ways. The lights weren’t as dark in this one, making it feel less ominous. Their blasters were drawn, heads on a swivel. They heard the hum of blasters behind them and saw the laser points on the walls.

“Fuck!” Wolf shouted. The doors in front of them opened, swarms of Biotics on the other side.

“Go!” Tiger screamed, grabbing both Liv and Wolf and running straight down the hall, away from the Biotics closing in on them from the other halls. As they ran, the Biotics fired at them.

Wolf shielded Liv with his body as he turned around to shoot back, but he was struck in the collar bone. “I’m hit!” He cried. Liv fired her blaster around him, taking down a single Biotic. They fired at her, hitting her in the arm. She cried out, Tiger grabbed her other arm but was immediately hit in the leg and stomach. She began to keel over.

“No!” Liv screamed, wrapping her good arm around Tiger. Wolf yelled as he was hit in the back. Liv grabbed him with her bad arm, wailing in pain. Tiger, Liv, and Wolf stumbled their way to a closet with a heavy iron door. Liv heard the beep of a bomb timer being set and watched as Wolf dropped a mine to the ground. Tiger shot several blasts behind them as they made their way to the closet for cover. Blasts flew past them, knicking their shoulders and sides. As soon as they passed through the threshold, Wolf fell to the ground. Liv and Tiger worked together to shut the heavy door, Liv pulling the latch shut and holding it. The door buckled as the explosion went off, Liv and Tiger holding the latch closed together. Liv sank to her knees panting and holding her arm.

“Fuck…” Wolf breathed out, rolling to his side.

“We have to make sure the fire gets turned off.” Liv heaved.

Tiger handed her her walkie talkie. “Owl.” Was all she managed to say.

“He’s myrmed.” Wolf winced in pain as he tried to sit up.

Tiger’s eyes darted between Wolf and Liv. She slammed her fist against the door. “Son of a perf cock!”

Josh spilled out from the chute into Kronish’s giant office. He scrambled to his feet, readying his blaster. The office had cement walls, neutral colors, it felt cold and like a prison, or like a very uninviting IKEA show room.

“Mr. Futturman,” Kronish said politely. “I’ve been expecting you. Where’s Ms. Branson? I thought she’d at least be with you.”

Josh’s heart sank. “Oh my God, you’re evil now.” His blaster hummed as it warmed up, pointing it straight at Kronish. “Damn it, why couldn’t you have just been happy eating your conch fritters?”

“But I was, Josh, I was!” There was a tinge of sadness in his voice. “As happy as a conch, which is like a clam, only much more delicious.” Kronish smiled, but there was no usual Kronish joy behind it. Josh adjusted his hand around his blaster, gulping. “Leslie and I were living our dream far, far away from here until one windless, fateful day just north of the Isle of Lamu.” Kronish’s face fell slightly. “My dearest Leslie brushed past a rusty nail and contracted a staph infection, simple, treatable, but we were a five day sail away from the nearest hospital.” Josh held his blaster steady, shaking his head, eyes full of despair. “In Somalia.” Kronish added.

“Oh God,” Josh whispered, heart sinking further.

“By the time we reached dry land, the love of my life expired right in front of me and there was nothing I could do about it.”

“Please,” Josh begged. “You have to make this easier for me.” He lowered his weapon

“But there was something I could do about it,” Kronish continued, a glint of power in his eye. “You told me! The power to eradicate pain and disease forever lay within me. I could make it so that no one ever had to watch a loved one be taken away from them ever again. How could I not pursue such a noble path?”

“Owl, come in Owl.” Liv said for the eighth time. Nothing. “Owl! Team Charlie! Somebody!” She cried.

“Liv, there’s no use.” Tiger muttered, slumping next to Wolf, who was holding the wound on his collar bone. Tiger reached over and pressed her hand to his wound, trying to staunch some bleeding. Wolf winced and groaned.

“You know, I don’t remember Dingo being such an asshole.” Wolf said in a low voice.

“Yeah,” Tiger chuckled. “She was right though, we have changed.” She looked up at Liv, who was standing over them. “For the better. I like who we’ve become…which is why it sucks we’re about to die.”

Liv violently shook her head, screaming into the walkie talkie. “Owl!”

Wolf rested his head against Tiger’s, holding his hand to hers, closing his eyes. He opened them and they landed right on his gobulator. He sat up straight and immediately winced and moaned in pain. “We don’t have to.” He gruffed. “Tiger, it’s time for Beaver’s Razor.” He said, looking over at her.

“What- what’s that?” Liv asked. Tiger looked at him, eyes lighting up.

“Wolf, you’re a genius.”

Josh had his blaster raised towards Kronish again. “Look, I’m sorry about Leslie, I know that you loved him so much, and you guys used to really get after it sometimes. But the truth is, every time and every timeline your work leads to the creation of the Biotics who destroy all of mankind.” Josh slowly walked closer to Kronish as he spoke.

“No!” Kronish pointed a finger at him. “I kept the research, all my research right here under this roof, I shared it with no one!” He pointed to a case full of his research and vials. “I will never do that, I am dedicated to good, to ending pain.”

“I know that you are,” Josh said, lowering the blaster slightly. “But this is already happening. I’ve tried really, really, really hard not to kill you. Okay. It’s been my number one goal. I’ve tried to change you, I’ve tried to control events, but it doesn’t work.” Josh rambled, getting closer to Kronish as he backed away. “This is where we end up.”

“You’re wrong, Josh, I’ve been careful.”

“It doesn’t matter how careful you’ve been, okay?” He caught sight of Kronish’s monitors of the security footage. All he could see were Biotics charging into the building. “Look! Don’t pretend you don’t see what’s happening down there. This is the army that your cure created.” Kronish looked at the monitors, watching Biotics breaking down doors. Kronish shook his head, eyes growing horrified.

“…I wanted to heal the world.”

“I know you did.” Josh said gently. “And in another life you were another kind of great man where you were strong and caring and warm and supportive.” Josh’s voice broke. “And that’s what makes this so much harder.” He raised his blaster again.

Liv and Tiger held the door shut as Biotics began to pound in the door, the bolts on the latch starting to loosen.

“It’s now or never, Wolfie.” Tiger said in a strained voice.

“Okay!” Wolf readied the gobulator, spilling the small bombs through the gap in between the floor and the door. Tiger pulled Liv away from the door, watching the bombs go spilling out and into the hall. “Say hello to your little friends!” Wolf shouted, pressing a button in the small box, and diving to shield Tiger and Liv. A massive explosion shattered the door and the walls around.

“You’re not a killer, are you son?” Kronish asked calmly.

Josh had his blaster pointed straight at Kronish’s head. “Today I am.” He said sadly. “And you have to die.”

Kronish didn’t say anything, he just looked down at his desk. “Tomorrow, to demonstrate my breakthrough to the world,” he opened a chest on his desk. Josh’s grip tightened on his weapon and he shifted on his feet anxiously as he saw the chest holding a gun and a small box inside. “I was going to inject myself with a needle filled with microdoses of 100 of the world’s deadliest diseases.” He opened the smaller box, inside sat two syringes filled with fluids. He held up one of them for Josh to see. “And then, dramatically, save myself with my cure.” He held up the other syringe. “It would have been fantastic theater.” He said with a glum smile. “Tonight’s performance will have a different ending.” Without warning he stuck the needle full of the microdoses into his neck, shocking Josh, who watched in horror as Kronish grunted and yanked the needle out.

Kronish motioned for Josh to step aside, to which he did, watching and realizing as Kronish made his way over to the chute, that he had just killed himself for Josh. He slowly followed behind Kronish, lowering the blaster.

Kronish let out a huff as he dropped his cure down the chute and into the fire. “That stings.” He said, trying to keep an air of positivity in his voice.

“Okay, we broke the Beaver’s dam.” Tiger panted as she wrapped an arm around Wolf.

“Biotic flood comes next.” Wolf said through gritted teeth, hobbling out of the closet.

“Owl, come in Owl. Owl, come on, you’ve got to shut off the fire to the incinerator.” Liv begged into the walkie talkie. “Please Owl, please answer me.” Silence.

“Skibidibop.” Owl said.

Tiger and Wolf both gasped, they were both fully convinced Owl had died. Liv let out a strangled mix between a sob and a laugh. “Owl, Owl, are you there?”

Owl answered, singing some sort of garbled gibberish. “Owl, are you at the control panel? Shut down the power to the possum chute!”

“Skibidibibidibop.” Owl answered.

“…was that a yes?” Liv looked at Tiger and Wolf, who just shrugged. Wolf’s eyes widened as they heard something small clank against the floor and start rolling towards them.

“DMC!” Tiger gasped, the air filled with fog.

“Oh shit,” Wolf started to hack. “I really thought this was going to work.” Liv waved her hand around, trying to clear the fog, starting to cough too. It felt like her lungs were closing in and she couldn’t breathe.

“No!” She managed to yell through her hacking. “No!” Tiger looked around them with wide eyes, completely unaffected by the poisonous gas. She touched her face in disbelief, and looked down at her hands, waiting to see them crack and start to bleed, but they didn’t. She was fine.

“Help…” Wolf’s voice came out strangled. The round object that Josh had given Liv rolled out of her pocket as she fell to her knees, fighting for air. It flashed from red to green. Tiger knew what she had to do to save not only Wolf but Liv too. They couldn’t leave her to die. She pulled out the TTD from Owl and Dingo.

“I’m sorry, Josh.” Tiger whispered, firing it up. Liv struggled for air as she weakly turned her head to Tiger, hearing what she’d said. Tiger grabbed Liv’s shoulder and Wolf’s arm. Biotics rounded the corner as the TTD began making its signature buzzing and whirring sounds. Sounds that Liv knew all too well.

“No!” She managed to scream out. “No, Tiger, no!” Light flashed around them, and she felt the familiar sensation of her limbs feeling like they were getting torn from her body.

Watching Kronish die was one of the hardest things Josh had ever had to see. The life draining from his eyes was haunting. Josh had sat with him underneath the possum chute, trying to keep the conversation light hearted, telling Kronish of the Kronish Ball, and the famous chocolate balls.

“How…whimsical…” Were Kronish’s last words before he exhaled his last breath. Josh bowed his head in mourning, a single tear falling down his cheek. Kronish never deserved to go through the things he did. Josh stood and set the final charge, heading towards the incinerator chute. He was met with the heat from the flames down at the bottom.

“Oh God, Liv,” Josh let the door slam as he nervously paced away, raking his hands through his hair. Had she died? What happened? She promised to shut the flames off.

“Joosh!” The voice screaming from walkie talkie scared him half to death. Owl. He hadn’t died yet.

“Owl, Owl are you there?” Josh responded.

“Thirst hyped! Brain plunged!” Owl yelled back. So he had had the energy drink. “Skibidibopbopboo!”

“Owl, do you copy?” Josh shouted. Owl sang in response. “Owl, listen to me, okay? You need to cut the power right now to the possum incinerator chute! Shut it down right now! Right now! Or I’m gonna burn alive! Do you understand- do you copy?”

Nothing. “Skibidibop.”

Josh nodded. “Good enough.” He climbed into the chute, glancing back at the detonator counting down to the explosion. He had 15 seconds. He started to reverse crawl down the chute, praying the fire would shut off any second. When the detonator exploded, it shook the chute, making Josh lose his balance and start to plummet down, down into the flames that hadn’t shut off yet.

“I don’t want to die!” Josh screamed as he manically grasped the metal walls for anything, anything that could stop his fall. Just as he felt the heat get stronger, the flames shut off and he tumbled down into the coals and singed possum bones. He gasped for air, the wind having been knocked out of him. “I’m not dead! I’m not dead!” He cheered, rolling off of the hot coals and kicking the metal door to the incinerator open. Owl lay in front of him, very much dead. A hammer was stuck in the control panel, the lights around it flickering. “Thanks Owl,” he panted, giving him a quick salute before taking off down the hall. He could hear the charges set earlier start to go off. As he ran for his life, he prayed that Liv was okay and would be waiting for him outside.

It was just like in Biotic Wars, and Josh had never run so fast in his whole life. The charges caught up to him quickly, he could feel the debris from the explosions gaining on him, hitting his back. He retraced his, Liv’s, and Wolf’s steps from earlier, running out the way they came in. He sprinted outside, greeted by the coolness of the outside air which contrasted with the heat from the explosions. Windows shattered, spraying glass everywhere as the building collapsed. Josh turned around to watch the tower crumble with one last final boom.

“I did it!” He gasped, falling to his knees and throwing both hands into the air. “I did it!” He looked around, waiting to see a certain girl come running to hug him. But he saw no girl. He saw no one. “Liv?” He called. “Liv?!” He called louder, spinning around. He turned back to the crumbled and burning building. “No. No, no, no, no, Liv! Fuck!” He scrambled to his feet, starting to run towards the rubble and damage, ready to go rake through it with his bare hands to find her. “LIV!” His lungs stopped working as a vicious lump formed in his throat, he was in utter shock and the immense feeling of grief washed over him as he realized something had happened to her. He couldn’t formulate words.

Someone grabbed the back of his shirt roughly, slapping a handcuff around his wrist. “I heard you ‘did it’, huh?” Skarsgaard. He forced Josh to his knees. “Mind if I quote you on that?” Josh let out a defeated sound, feeling a single tear roll down his cheek. “I’m assuming you’re calling for Liv ‘Pastman’ Branson, huh? We can’t find her. Shame I never got to meet her.” Skarsgaard said as Josh’s head hung in sorrow. “Sorry for your loss, but you’re going away for a long time, Futturman.”

I don’t expect anyone to understand what I’ve done. Please believe me when I tell you, I’m not the person they’re saying I am, or the person that you think I am. I’m someone else entirely. I know that sounds confusing and I wish that I could explain it. But what I know to be true is a burden I have to carry alone. Maybe not for that long or maybe for the rest of my life. All I can do, in my own way, is try to make things right. Sometimes I feel like I’ve spent my whole life pretending to be a hero, so when the time came to be one in real life, I went for it. I really did. Which is why I have to go. I love you, Mom and Dad. I’m sorry.

Gabe held the letter in shock. A check with Joosh’s entire net worth and keys to their house were also in the envelope. Gabe called out for Diane.

“Cupcake! Cupcake, we’re going home!”

One Year Later…

Alamore Asylum wasn’t so bad. Skarsgaard actually ended up being one of the sweetest men Josh had ever met, paying Josh constant visits and chess matches every week. In this timeline, Skarsgaard wasn’t a detective, he had been a parking officer, but after he traced Tiger’s steps from Stu Camillo’s house to Kronish Labs, he’d gotten a generous promotion.

The part that was torture was the fact that he was alone with his own thoughts. His imagination would run rampant with thoughts of what happened to Tiger, Wolf, and most importantly, Liv.

Josh thought about Liv every single day, he even dreamed of her every night. He dreamed of memories with her. Most times they were simply sitting back in the janitor’s closet that was their designated hang out spot back in their Kronish Labs days. It shattered his heart to wake up to find she wasn’t there. He couldn’t shake the thought of Tiger and Wolf too, wondering what became of them. It gnawed at him everyday, wondering what happened to the three of them, wondering if they all perished in the “terrorist attack” that Josh had caused.

That’s what the media called it, a “terrorist attack”, even going as far as to nickname him “Little Boy Blew”.

Skarsgaard moved his chess piece. “Check. Mate.” He smirked at Josh cockily. Josh sat on the other side of the chess board in his cell.

“Uh, I don’t think that piece moves like that.” Josh said.

Skaarsgard tilted his head and studied the board. “Oh, right. That’s the horsey.”

“No…that’s the pawn.” Josh chuckled.

Skarsgaard chuckled along with him, leaning back in his chair. “Speaking of pawns, I take it no word from your time traveling pals?” Skarsgaard had figured out about Tiger and Wolf’s dicking around in time back in the 90s when Tiger gave him a matching three slices down his other cheek to match the ones she’d given him back in ‘69.

“Oh, hey, look, I blew up that building completely on my own.” Josh lied nonchalantly. “You sat through the whole trial.” His heart ached as he lied for the millionth time, thinking of Tiger, Wolf, and Liv.

“Some friends.” Skarsgaard scoffed. “They leave you locked up while they’re free to robo-surf and hunt sport gators in a beautiful unknown future.”

Josh’s face fell slightly. “No, this is what I signed up for.” He said solemnly. He hoped that that’s what they were doing. He just hoped they were alive, but he’d never know.

“Hm.” Skarsgaard nodded, thinking over what Josh had said. “Well, I better get going. The widow Santiago’s coming over for dinner. Pretty soon her belly’s gonna be swollen with meatloaf.” He smiled.

“Vince,” Josh smirked at him. “Are you…are you sweet on her?”

“Time heals all wounds, Futturman.” Skarsgaard smiled wider. “Oh, by the way, I clipped this article for you.” He reached into the pocket of his suit coat. “Looks like your folks are putting good use to your Euros.” He handed Josh a newspaper article.

“Joosh Community Center Opens Fourteenth South American Location”.

Josh smiled, looking down at the picture of his parents surrounded by children holding toys and sports equipment. As Josh read, Skarsgaard stood up, stopping before he walked away.

“Does it ever bother you that everyone thinks you’re batshit crazy?” He asked.

“I know the truth. That’s all that matters.” Josh said.

“Reminds me of someone I used to know.” He nodded.

“Santiago?”

“Vincent Skarsgaard.” He smiled fondly at Josh. He knocked a knuckle against the glass separating them. “Next week, Future Man.” He winked and walked away.

Josh gave a small, grim smile and nodded, moving the chair he sat in back to the corner of his cell. He walked to his small bulletin board and stuck the article on it. He was proud of his parents, he wished he would have known that the last time he would have seen would’ve been in front of the police station. He never texted them that he was going to be late that night. He missed them dearly.

He sighed as he walked to his bed, laying down on it, resting his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. No Biotics, no weight of the world on his shoulders. Just Josh Futturman, doomed to be alone in his asylum cell. He let his eyes close.

Behind his eyelids he saw flashing lights and heard buzzing, the same way the TTD would. Josh’s eyes shot open, unable to see a single thing through the bright, flashing lights. It was the last thing that he remembered before blacking out.

End of Book 1.

Picture the song “Don’t Look Back” by Boston playing epically

#josh futturman #future man #josh hutcherson #tiger future man #wolf future man #derek wilson #eliza coupe #maia mitchell #bread on toast #hachi machi #Josh Futturman x OC #jhutch #future man fanfiction

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oceansprompts · 1 year ago

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marvel's midnight suns | misc quotes 3

Tell me, do you have any tried and true ways to avoid being triggered?

How has your, uh, [abilities/job] affected your loved ones?

On the Stark scale of recklessness yet daring heroics I give it a solid six out of ten. Don’t worry, you’ll get there. With a little help.

Stopped here before, while you were out- wanted to surprise you with a nice little housewarming present. Was all set to write you a lovely welcome note but I’m fairly certain that wasn’t red ink in your “quill”.

Certainly got that new suit of yours done a lot faster than I expected. Speaking of… what’s the verdict, boss?

The roar of the ocean, winds moaning through the rafters…

So, you tell me: what’s not to be troubled about?

Hydra may be on the rise, but they will never rise above the Tower.

Go ahead! What are you waiting for?! Say it! Tell me I screwed up!

How did I let him play me like that?!

Half the night I’m shaking hands and managing expectations…

Are you really going to chase the birthday girl through a hellish dimension?

It’s not gonna be easy to get that sample…

I mean call me crazy…

Give me a couple hours and a decent lunch…

Gives us our biggest ace in the hole! I know, the irony isn’t lost on me.

I’m serious, what kind of hero are you…

If you can deliver, great. Otherwise, he should get out of the way, you know?

So in a way, it’s kind of poetic. I’m gonna use dad’s shady tech…

My appreciation of magic is evolving quite a bit…

I think he’s afraid I’m gonna turn around and become an even greater sorcerer than he is.

Every problem has a solution, my friend…

I don’t like to say that I do my best work under pressure, but I think this time, I even amazed myself.

Or maybe you’re smart and you know I can get us across the finish line?

How would you, ah, handle something like that?

If that fails, we shoot him off into outer space…

I know I said I was completely comfortable with that thing before, but I may have lied…

And now here we are, two friends, enjoying a moment…

Yeah. I don’t want to know card tricks or anything like that…

If you don’t mind, can we keep these lessons between you and me?

Is it crazy that I’m actually kind of enjoying this?

Yes! Blazing trumpets, fiery pits, Thor’s backyard–where did you end up?

Acceptable answers are “genius design,” “work of a genius”–really, anything involving the word “genius”.

Money isn’t everything, but it’s a lot of things…

No, the whole situation. Chasing magic pages from an evil book…

Well, I am in the middle of something. Come back later.

I cannot let such a fate happen to her.

And when all you knew was darkness and despair growing up…

What I eat is none of your business.

I do not think I will ever sleep again: not until we find her.

Don’t you also hear it calling out to you in your dreams sometimes, whispering secret things, dark think?

Like I said earlier, we’re all mutants. Not to freak you out or anything.

Wait, if you found your way to this place… What did you hear?

This day is an anniversary of my weakness… Nothing more.

I should stay here, this evening. I can endure the stares and the whispers… But not tonight.

You can, but I should not. Don’t worry, I will return in the morning.

She should trust us… We should be trusted.

I do. I just think wearing a hellhound’s skin to bypass a demonic barrier…

I don’t know if I’ve recovered from my traumas…

I did not say you. This…is a place I like to take all my…colleagues.

The others would not understand. But I know you do, as we both… Have so much in common.

And more importantly, you’re proving to be quite a good… friend.

It never felt right for a bad person like me to fight with the good guys… Until you showed me how.

Am I a monster for being grateful it happened as it did?

I will never apologize for being comfortable with my darkness…

When this battle is over, you should come back with me, join the X-Men.

There is always strangeness in the background. Like hippie aliens…

Made from octopus, marbled with ginger shavings…

Hunter, what I most appreciate is that you always know when to say nothing.

No. Something you can do by yourself during the bleak moments.

It must be worse for you. All the faces are new.

It comes so easy to you. Even when you are a butt, you are a likable butt.

This was the only music I had for so long…

Replacing you was too much to ask of her.

Not to me. You are incapable of replacing her.

#roleplay memes #rp sentence meme #sentence meme #sentence starters #roleplay

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goldenavenger02 · 2 years ago

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from sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes

"so you should go get some rest because you look exhausted."

"I'm fine, Suki," Zuko shrugged her off, which she had expected from the stubborn fire bender, "but I need to finish my work for the day before I rest."

"Whatever you say, boss,". Takes place a month after the finale.

'Political affairs are no place for a child.'

Those words his uncle had spoken while struck deeply with grief rang throughout Zuko's mind as he found himself at the head of the table in a far too big robe that hadn't been tailored to his size and a small crown that held a heavy weight attached nestled in his hair tie.

He had never been the obvious leader despite the name of the Firelord being his birthright; that had always been Azula with her ability to act just as she was supposed to in any situation where she was being looked upon in any sort of regard. She had always been ready and prepared to handle being on the throne.

Even though he was older than her, he didn't feel wiser or stronger than his sister. Instead, he felt like a small child rummaging through their parent's closet and trying on their clothes. He felt like a mockery, a fake ruler like this was not his place.

His little sister, despite everything that had been planted in her mind by his father, deserved to win the Agni Kai title.

But by the look that King Kuei and Chief Arnook were giving him now, waiting for him to speak, he knew that they regarded him as the Firelord, even if he didn't feel that way himself.

So he swallowed down his nerves, forced his hands into the pockets of the robe to hide their shaking, and managed to force his voice to leave his lips.

"Thank you both for meeting me here so quickly. I know that the two of you are busy with the rebuilding efforts in both the Earth Kingdom and the North Pole, as am I with the Fire Nation, so your presence and urgency are both greatly appreciated."

"Of course, Fire Lord," Zuko swallowed down the weight that the title held over his head as King Kuei spoke, "I'm sure that we are discussing the issue of bringing all of these countries together. However, I hope your plan includes removing the fire nation from our land."

Zuko agreed, "I've been in contact with the Avatar despite his infrequency in the Fire Nation, and we're working on putting together a plan on how to do it. The other regions are welcome and encouraged to participate as well, which is why I have called you both here."

"Well, why don't we get started then?" Chief Arnook's suggestion had been one that Zuko was grateful for as he got up to lay out the map of what he and Aang had in mind for the regions across the table.

…

Suki couldn't stop herself from slouching against the wall as the meeting behind the doors continued quietly. If it had gotten heated, then she would at least be allowed to enter to ensure Zuko's safety, but instead, she was stuck with waiting outside until it concluded.

When Sokka had pitched the idea to her of being the head of security for the fire lord during the transitional period, she would be lying if she said that she hadn't jumped at the chance. Zuko's coronation had been met with all different types of controversies from loyalists to his father as well as citizens who were concerned about letting a newly sixteen-year-old run a nation, which led to her desire of being on the frontlines to make sure that the power shift went smoothly.

But she would also be lying if she said that the private meetings that she was forced to stand outside of weren't extremely boring.

When she heard footsteps approach, however, she did stand up straight just in time for both King Kuei and Chief Arnook to exit and had no idea she hadn't been at attention for the entire four-hour-long meeting.

"The Earth Kingdom will be in touch." King Kuei confirmed with a nod toward the open door that Suki assumed was in Zuko's direction before the two men walked off down the exit.

That gave her the chance to take two steps from her post to face the fire lord, who at best was clearly overwhelmed and exhausted and at worst, still had residual pain radiating through his body as a result of the Agni Kai he had been in just a few weeks earlier.

"Okay," Suki sighed as she stepped forward so she could shut the doors behind her, waiting until Zuko looked into her eyes, "What else do you have to do today?"

"I still have to meet with Chief Hakoda-"

"Who is Sokka and Katara's father and will understand the rescheduling." Suki cut him off, watching as his face turned up in annoyance despite continuing.

"And I have to relay the information from Chief Arnook and King Kuei to Aang when he gets here."

"Which could be in twenty minutes or two days because he's in and out of every nation right now," Suki supplied with crossed arms, waiting until she received a nod from Zuko before continuing, "so you should go get some rest because you look exhausted."

"I'm fine, Suki," Zuko shrugged her off, which she had expected from the stubborn fire bender, "but I need to finish my work for the day before I rest."

"Whatever you say, boss," she stood up straighter so she could escort him to where they would be meeting up with Hakoda at the entrance, "but I will be telling Katara about the residual pain you're experiencing when she returns from the South Pole."

She could hear his scowl behind her as they walked, but given that it didn't have the same bite that she had grown used to, she knew that she was in the right about his current deteriorating condition.

Suki just wished that she could have been wrong about it.

…

The first of many bombs went off in the dead of night.

Zuko knew fully well that it had to be from his people who were angry about his ascension to the throne and who were shocked that someone who had been exiled from his kingdom just three years earlier was now in charge of all of them.

He couldn't blame them for their feelings either, especially when he couldn't even take his title seriously and knew that he may very well be unworthy of the throne.

Despite his internal feelings, however, he knew that when Suki woke him from his slumber that night that he still had to follow the procedure for the emergency that had been drilled into him as a small child of getting into the deepest level of the palace and waiting for instructions from the head of security.

"Stay here," Suki insisted as she passed the ring of keys to Zuko, pressing them tightly into his palm, "I'll give you a signal when this passes. Three knocks."

And with a nod of Zuko's head, she was going back up the stairs and locked the door behind her, leaving him in the dimly lit room with his uncle and the steadily pulsing pain in his abdomen that radiated throughout him.

"You're worried." Iroh finally spoke after a few minutes and it clicked that the entire time they had been in silence, Zuko had been aimlessly pacing.

"About the innocent civilians. The ones who aren't loyal to my father who just wanted to get some rest for the night." Zuko insisted while still refusing to sit down as his lightning scar continued to pulsate shocks of pain throughout his body.

'Azula wouldn't sit quietly. She would be out there, fighting against the opposing side.'

Zuko knew that his sister was extremely misguided, a pawn in Ozai's game since she had been a toddler and even though she mainly used intimidation and fear to her advantage, she did have good leadership skills in a crisis and was able to think clearly despite the chaos.

Even if many would call her evil, he knew that she wasn't entirely gone and that she genuinely wanted good for the fire nation.

"But I will say," Zuko added after a few moments, finally making eye contact with his uncle again, "I wish I was allowed to help ward off these extremists."

Iroh nodded as he rested his head against the wall before responding, "But you know why you can't."

"Because I'd be proving their point by being on the frontlines attacking them. It also makes me a much easier target despite having the Kyoshi warriors on all sides."

But to Zuko's shock, Iroh shook his head in response before giving him the answer.

"Most nations agree that their leader joining the fight is a good thing, it means they care about their people. But you, my nephew, are still injured from the Agni Kai. Going out there injured would guarantee your defeat and maybe even your demise."

Zuko nodded and finally took that as a cue to sit down to try and dissipate the pain that had been radiating through him all day, resting the back of his head against the cold stone wall and letting it sink into his body.

"Is it getting worse?" His uncle wasn't able to mask the concern in his voice, but Zuko knew that he wouldn't hide it either regardless of the circumstances.

"No, I don't think so," Zuko responded, watching Iroh's shoulders loosen with the lack of tension that had only been brought on by his worry, "the problem is that it's not getting better either. But Suki is already planning on speaking to Katara when she returns, so there's no need to worry about me."

Iroh nodded as he stood up to walk over and sit next to his nephew, putting his hand on his shoulder before speaking, "You finally found people to call your family."

Zuko knew he should have been comforted by that statement, that Iroh could see that he was finally freeing himself from the chains that constrained him to Ozai's grip and authority, but he wasn't for one sole reason.

'He feels like Azula is just as awful as my father.'

However, he was unable to ask his uncle about his sister because his exhaustion and pain made his strength from the adrenaline start to dissipate, resulting in being unable to keep his eyes open long enough to see the end of the attack on his people.

…

Zuko didn't know how much time had passed when he awoke again; all he knew was that he was in his bed now and no longer hiding underground which only meant one thing.

'The attack is over and we won.'

Despite the victory that he had drawn his conclusion for, however, he couldn't stop the pit in his stomach from growing due to the anguish that came from not knowing who had emerged without any major injuries and who hadn't.

'Was the prison breached allowing for my father's escape? Was the mental hospital breached? Is Azula injured, or worse?'

But before he could ponder on his worries much longer, his thoughts were interrupted by the head of the Kyoshi Warriors making her way into the room; despite the scratches that marked his face, the victory in her eyes shone brightly even though her face was otherwise emotionless as she approached.

"How are you feeling?" She questioned while gently pressing her still armored hand to his face, "You started running a fever in the bunker last night."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah. But Iroh explained that you can tend to make yourself sick with stress and there aren't any other signs of infection, so there isn't much reason to be worried," Zuko let out a sigh of relief at that statement, "but, he said he'll handle any immediate aftermath of the bombing until Katara gets here in a few hours and can give us the okay for you to resume your royal activities."

"But-"

"Fire Sage order," Suki cut him off which immediately shut him up because he had fought with them many times before, he refused to fight against their judgment now, "I'm not gonna fight with them."

"Can you just answer one question for me?" Zuko pleaded, waiting until she nodded before he asked, "Did the bombs breach the prison or the mental hospital?"

He watched as Suki stiffened, and he braced himself for the news he didn't want to hear but what she said was both comforting and worrying for him only based on the way that she reacted.

"Azula and Ozai are both alive and uninjured," and with that, she started to leave, only to turn back to him with what felt like a fake tender smile, "I'll be watching for Katara if you need me."

And with that, he was left alone in his empty room yet again, watching as the light breeze from the cracked windows brushed past his curtains and against his warm skin; under any other circumstance, this would be soothing to his mind but in this particular moment, all he could feel was dread and confusion.

'After everything, I know that I shouldn't be concerned with Azula's safety…but why is Suki angry that I am?'

…

Suki knew that biting her fingernails out of worry was not only a bad habit but also unprofessional. She was currently representing the injured fire lord, after all. She knew that she could stand at attention until Katara arrived.

But, she hadn't slept since the night before and still was unable to appoint another member of either the royal guard or the Kyoshi warriors due to them either aiding in the clean-up or protecting Iroh as he tried to get to the bottom of who had hidden the bombs.

Which meant that she was alone in the massive palace with Zuko, her swirling thoughts and a desperate hope that Katara would arrive soon.

And if she hoped that Sokka was with his sister so she could demand to know why he had thought she was equipped to handle the stubborn, newly crowned Firelord, that'd be nice as well.

It wasn't like she didn't want to help Zuko with the transition into power when he had been considered more useless than dirt by the entire world less than two years ago. She would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to the challenge.

However, she couldn't understand his thought process; his city had been attacked by people who would relish seeing him dead for his father to be reinstated, nearly killing so many innocent citizens and his royal guard.

But his first question was if his father and sister, who had been the main cause of torment and abuse throughout his entire life, were not only alive but uninjured. Suki didn't know why the question had made her so snappy and standoffish toward him, but it did.

Before she could continue to let her thoughts be so angry that she chewed off all of her fingernails, however, she heard the door open which forced her to stand at attention for the incoming force heading toward her and more importantly, the one she swore to protect.

Her stiff stance only relaxed when the person came into view and she could see that it was Katara, whose face was drawn up in concern and seriousness. Suki would have been shocked if her face wasn't carrying the same expression but she still accepted the warm hug that came from her friend's embrace.

"Oh, your face," Katara's voice was soft as her thumb gently traced over one of the still sore gashes that covered her face from the night before, "did anyone else get hurt in the attacks?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Suki expressed, giving the water bender a chance to remove her hand from her injured cheek, "I've got it the worst as far as I know. But I can handle it."

"You're almost as bad as Zuko," Katara clicked her tongue while bringing her hand back to her side, but the comment made her remember what she was going to discuss with her boyfriend if he had been at his little sister's side.

But he was nowhere to be seen, most likely helping Toph in the Earth Kingdom with some idea she had rambled about involving a metal bending academy.

"Are you sure you're okay, Suki?"

And it was the genuine concern in Katara's voice that finally brought her internal struggle to the surface along with a steady stream of tears that broke free from her gray eyes onto the red rug that sat beneath their shoes.

The hug that she was given was less of a greeting and much more of a desperate attempt to comfort based on how tight she was being held onto, but all she could focus on at the moment was her concern spilling out of her mouth as fast as the tears fell from her eyes.

"I want to help Zuko and the fire nation, that's the whole reason I let Sokka talk me into this in the first place, but I just can't understand how after everything that happened, the first thing he asked me this morning was if the prison or the hospital had been breached. If his father and sister were uninjured, I don't know why he continues to let himself get hurt by them. How they still control his life behind bars."

It took Katara a few minutes to respond to Suki's cries; in fact, the entire hall was dead silent except for the sound of Suki's sobs.

When her anger, concern, and sadness finally started to move away from her soul, however, that was when the water bender who was wise beyond her years, finally spoke up.

"Because no matter how we accept him as one of our own, they are still his family by blood. Given the positive relationship he has with his uncle, I think that he is desperately hoping that Ozai and Azula, especially Azula, may still have some good in them behind the layers of evil."

"But he doesn't need his father who physically scarred him," Suki protested, still fighting her tears, "and he doesn't need his evil pawn of a sister either."

"You're right, he doesn't need them," Katara agreed with her statement, "however, that doesn't mean he can just leave them behind, no matter how much they hate each other. It's going to take him a long time to accept that even if he wants them in his life, they don't want him. That's where we'll come in."

"So, do we just let him be delusional about Azula switching sides then?" Suki was aware of how bitter her voice was, but after her first-hand experience with the fire princess in the Boiling Rock, she couldn't care less.

"We don't have a choice with how stubborn he is. I was shocked that he joined our side in the first place."

And with that, Suki finally accepted defeat; even if half of what Katara was saying was true, and she believed every word that she said, then there would be no changing Zuko's mind.

'He'll just have to learn the hard truth himself.'

Suki didn't realize that her gaze had fallen onto the red rug that covered gold tile as her tears finally slowed to a stop until she felt a soft hand graze her shoulder, which forced her to look back up at Katara's face, feeling her fingers gently push back her hair to make sure she looked presentable before she gestured to the door with a tilt of her head.

"Let's go see what trouble Zuko has landed himself in this time."

She wasn't sure if she could hold back her feelings unless she stayed perfectly still and quiet, but it was her duty to ensure his safety and even though it was just Katara, she had made a promise to Sokka, to Zuko and most importantly, to herself.

'And I will not break that promise, especially not out of frustration.'

So with the poise and grace of a true Kyoshi warrior that she always tried her hardest to exhibit, Suki followed Katara inside Zuko's quarters and straight to the fire lord himself, who was slightly dozing off when they approached.

"Zuko," Katara's voice was just barely above a whisper as she gently touched his left shoulder, effectively getting him to open his eyes and turn to look at her which allowed her to raise her voice to its normal volume, "how much trouble are you causing already?"

"Depends on who's asking," Zuko's tired and pained face was turned up in a small smirk which elicited a small laugh from Katara, but just as quick as the smile appeared, it faded back into his forever cold face, "it's just a stress fever. This time last year, I was considered a traitor, so I'm not exactly used to this level of power."

"Yeah, I remember," Katara affirmed while slowly pushing back the red and gold comforter that adorned the bed of the fire lord, "that doesn't mean we shouldn't be sure."

Suki watched as Zuko resigned any efforts to conceal the pain and let his hands fall to his tunic, undoing the loose tie around his lower waist with a grimace before letting it fall off his shoulders and laying back down onto the pillows.

The sight of the small but centered star-shaped mark in the middle of his abdomen that made streaks up to his right shoulder and knowing that the sister he so badly wanted to be on his side had caused it nearly made Suki speak her mind right then and there.

'Azula has hurt him in the same way Ozai has. Treated him like dirt on the bottom of her shoe and then physically scarred him with her bending.'

The only glimpse of a silver lining was that Aang had taken Ozai's bending from him, making it impossible for him to hurt anyone, including Zuko, ever again.

'But if Azula manipulates Zuko into believing she's changed…'

She was brought out of both her thoughts and stoic stature by the sound of a soft grunt of pain and looked to see Katara deep in focus as she bent water over and around the large wound. If she had been as close to Zuko as the others, she may have offered her hand to hold as a source to take the pain out.

But she was his security guard first, and he was being taken care of and even healed, so she stayed at the end of his bedside and forced herself to look away from both the lightning wound and the scar that covered most of the left side of his face, choosing the intricately carved bed frame to focus on.

"It's not getting infected, thankfully," Katara finally spoke, which was met by a sigh of relief from Zuko, "but the inflammation is high and you could use a few more healing sessions. Between that and the stress fever, I think you know what my recommendation is going to be for the next few days."

"Let my uncle act as fire lord and try to rest?"

"Get some rest, but yes," Katara nodded as she bent the water back into the small bowl at his bedside, allowing him to retie the sash that kept his tunic secure to his body, but Suki focused on the fact that Katara's blue eyes were now looking into her's, "I'll be here until Aang arrives, but you're in charge of making sure he follows my directions."

"I don't need to be babysat, Katara." Zuko protested as he sat up with a wince, leading Katara to roll her eyes at him before looking back at Suki.

"You can see that he proved my point," she huffed before turning back to the fire lord, "lay back down and think of it as her protecting the best interest of the fire nation or whatever will get you to sleep that isn't your body giving up from pure exhaustion."

Suki could have sworn that she watched the fire lord himself stick his tongue out at his healer before laying back down, but it was one of those "blink and you'll miss it" moments and frankly, she had bigger things to worry about.

"I'm going to find someone who can get some food for him, but I'll be back," Katara explained before walking out of the two large doors, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the injured fire bender.

"What?" Zuko asked as soon as the doors fully shut, forcing Suki to whip her head toward him and question him right back.

"What are you talking about?"

"What is going on with you? Yesterday morning, you were your usual self and now you won't even speak to me," He explained which made her curse her readability internally, "did I do something wrong? Is it something I can fix?"

"You can't fix everything, Zuko." Suki couldn't keep her angered but teary breath to herself, "And it's not your fault either."

"What are you talking about, Suki?"

And with that genuine question with zero signs of anything but earnest concern in it, she finally cracked and told him exactly what had been bothering her all day, "I'm talking about Azula."

"What does Azula have to do with any of this?" Zuko's voice remained steady as he spoke, but instead of concern for her well-being, he now sounded defensive about the enemy.

"Your city, your people were attacked. Thousands of people could have been killed last night and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is about the prison and the hospital."

"Do you know how detrimental it would be to the throne and the world if my sister or even my father escaped? You and I, along with Katara, Sokka, and Toph would be on a hit list with Aang at the very top," Zuko's anger with her was obvious now and the way he spoke made it sound like she had overreacted with her assumption about his sister, "I was making sure that those extremists hadn't succeeded with their plan to free my family."

"But that's the problem, Zuko!" Suki snapped, sending the fire lord into a stunned silence at her tone, "You're still calling them your family! You don't owe them anything, not after what they've done to you! Not after you were banished, scarred, and nearly killed by both of them!"

Suki finally took a breath to try and get herself to calm down, and when she looked back up at Zuko, who was tracing two fingers over the scar that adorned the left side of his face before letting his hand drop, she nearly let the dam blocking the tears in her eyes burst.

"There is still part of me that hopes Azula will see the light and the errors of her ways, but she's my little sister. Letting go of what my father did to me is going to come easier for me because he hasn't loved me in a very long time, but Azula…she was cruel, yes, but until the Agni Kai," he stopped to let his hand touch the lightning wound, wincing as soon as contact was made, "I never guessed that she would act in the same way our father did towards me."

"I..," Suki trailed off, forcing a deep breath into her lungs before starting again, "I wasn't trying to hurt you more, I just wanted to make sure-"

"That I wouldn't fall for any of her manipulations?" Zuko filled in the blank, which she could only nod in response to, "That's understandable, I would do the same," he agreed before taking a deep breath with a wince, "is there a reason though?"

"What do you mean?" Suki questioned, using her armored sleeve to wipe her tears away.

"That you're so worried about how I think of my sister?"

"Because you have been through so much at both of their hands. You never deserved to be treated like that and now that you have a chance to be free from it, it feels like you aren't taking it," Suki explained quietly, fiddling with her armor as she spoke, "and even though we haven't known each other for very long, it's hard for me not to care about you."

Zuko nodded before moving slightly so that his head was on the pillow rather than his upper back, obviously growing tired; Suki knew that was her cue to go stand outside, but she couldn't stop herself from approaching him and gently squeezing his left shoulder.

"I'm gonna go keep watch, okay?" She asked, expecting just a tired nod from him as he started to let his eyes flutter shut, but she had not been prepared for what he told her in response.

"Thank you for agreeing to look out for me. I greatly appreciate it."

She couldn't stop herself from smiling, knowing that he wasn't harboring any of his anger toward her, and responded with a wink as she spoke.

"Whatever you say, boss."

#Avatar The Last Airbender #atla #Zuko #suki #katara #iroh #other characters mentioned #post sozin's comet #hurt/comfort #angst #friendship #found family #past child abuse

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