#Nia take the wheel

[natalievoncatte]

Lena didn’t mean to overhear. She was at the bar to grab a drink, and was taking it when she noticed Kara and Alex conspiring intently together. It was a private moment, a sister moment, so she shouldn’t have listened, and yet she did anyway.

“I’m sorry, Alex. I don’t want to ruin your wedding.”

“You’re not, kiddo. This isn’t the wedding, this is just a little night out. I’ll be happy if we get through the ceremony without a bridge collapse or an alien invasion or whatever.”

Everyone was having a good time. Kelly was with James, who’d come in from out of town for the ceremony tomorrow. Nia leaned back to Brainy as she made a giggling attempt to hit the dart board. The other guests were milling about, mingling and chatting and getting tipsy.

Lena felt more than a little maudlin, because Kara was hanging with Alex and that left Lena alone in the crowd.

“I’m so happy for you,” Kara was saying, “I just hope I get it myself some day.”

“You’ll find someone, Kara. You’re a beautiful, amazing person- not Supergirl, you.”

Lena pretended not to notice them, nursing her scotch. (A double, neat)

“That’s just it,” Kara choked out. “There is someone, Alex. There already is. She just won’t ever want me like I want her.”

Lena looked up in absolute shock and at the absolutely, perfectly wrong time. Alex’s eyes met hers, her expression as shocked as Lena’s was.

Rushing away from the bar, Lena headed for the pinball machines, not looking back. She downed the rest of her scotch in a coal-hot rush and it only added to the churning in her belly. She swallowed hard and her throat was instantly dry, and she cursed the afterburn of the liquor.

“You heard her.”

Lena wheeled. Alex was standing behind her, a beer in either hand. She handed one to Lena.

“You know what they say about liquor after beer,” said Lena.

“Lena, we both have advanced degrees and we both know that’s bullshit.”

That was good, because Lena downed half the brew in one long pull.

“Jesus,” said Alex. “I was trying to get you to slow down.”

“Yeah, well,” said Lena. “I’m Irish.”

Alex snorted. “You’re deflecting. You heard what she said.”

“Maybe.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “I’ve been through five fucking years of this and I’ve had enough, Lena.”

“Enough of what?”

“Kara’s wrong about your feelings.”

Lena blinked, took another pull. “How do you know she means me?”

Alex looked at her flatly.

“How do I know it’s you? Because she always rescues you. She’s always defended you. She gave you chance after chance and never gave up even when you were at your worst. Kara would die for you. A fifth dimensional imp offered to grant her wish and she didn’t wish for her planet or her parents or to have our dad back. She wished for you. For a second chance.”

“Fifth dimensional what?”

“She reversed time for you, Lena.”

Lena gaped at her.

“What do you mean? She did what?”

“She made me swear never to tell. There was a time when she was too slow, when she was already in the middle of a disaster when you got shot. She’s the only one who remembers that timeline because she fixed it. She flew at superluminal speed and went backwards in time so she could be in two places at once. Apparently a Kryptonian can do that, but she swears it can only be done the one time.”

Lena’s beer was sloshing in the bottle from the shaking of her hands.

“For God’s sake, Lena. I know you’re in love with her. You two had a bad breakup without even dating first. You spent a billion dollars to hang out with her at work. You filled her office with flowers. You let her in, you let her bring you into our family, and you forgave her for doing something really fucked up and you forgave me for pushing her to do it.”

Alex clapped a hand on her shoulder.

“Lena, sack up and go get your girl. She’s at the bar crying into a Shirley Temple because I cut her off. She’s waiting for you.”

Lena stared at her.

“Alex, I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything. Go. Get. Her.”

Lena looked at her beer, downed the last of it, and gave Alex a curt nod, marching past her.

Kara was sitting at the bar. She was dressed in skinny jeans and a loose N’Sync t-shirt and leather sandals. She was among friends here and had removed her glasses, her hair in a sloppy ponytail. She looked like she’d rather sulk at home than party.

Lena hopped on the stool next to her.

“Hey.”

“Hi, Lee. Having fun?”

“Not really,” said Lena. She waved the bartender away as he approached to offer her another drink. “I’m kind of down honestly.”

“Weddings always depress me,” said Lena. “Watching other people get all the happiness I’ll never have, basking in their joy for a while. It’s like sitting by the fire in someone else’s house, but eventually you have to go home to your own and it’s empty.”

Kara’s eyes glittered with tears. “Yeah. It does feel like that, doesn’t it?”

Lena rested her hand on Kara’s wrist.

“May I have this dance?”

Kara looked up sharply.

“This isn’t really a dancing kind of place.”

Lena snorted. “I’m a billionaire. I can do what I want.”

She slipped off her stool and offered Kara a hand.

Kelly and Alex had reunited. They were talking animatedly, and Alex pointed at Lena. Suddenly she rushed over to the jukebox as Lena took Kara’s hand and led her to an open space.

The music changes to Wonderful Tonight. Eric Clapton.

Lena was going to kill Alex.

“Huh,” said Kara.

It seemed natural that Kara would lead, being taller and more graceful by far, but Lena put a hand on her hip and rested the other on her shoulder, wondering if Kara could feel her pounding pulse through her palms.

It started with them like middle schoolers, half a foot awkwardly apart, movements jerky, but it quickly changed. Lena didn’t know who bridged that gap first but soon they were pressed body to body, Kara tilted forward to rest her forehead against Lena’s.

Lena went from chastely pressing a guiding hand to Kara’s flank to an arm looped lazily around her hips, hand resting gently against her ass. Her other hand moved from Kara’s shoulder to her neck, thumb grazing Kara’s jawline.

Kara, hesitantly, reciprocated, less dancing with Lena and more swaying with her in a meandering hug. They were so close that Lena’s head swam.

“Do you remember when you first got back from the Phantom Zone?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget,” said Kara. “When I came back and I saw you standing there, I could barely take it. You looked like an angel.”

Lena nodded gently, nudging closer to Kara until she could feel the presence of the other woman’s lips without touching.

“You looked like you wanted to kiss me.”

Kara’s entire body went briefly rigid, then relaxed.

“You could have,” Lena whispered. “You could have and I’d have kissed you back. I swear I can think of a dozen times when you were about to kiss me and I wanted it right then, I wanted it so bad.”

Kara choked back a small sob. “I remember the first time I thought about it. It was when Morgan Edge was framing you and you were so upset, you were crying. You were so sad and beautiful and soft and I wanted to kiss you right then. I wanted to make you feel better any way I could.”

“That would have been a great time.”

Kara laughed. “That would have been a good time. Maybe the best time.”

“The second best time is now.”

Lena looked up. They were holding each other now and Lena knew there were eyes on them, that their friends were watching.

Kara didn’t seem to notice or care. There was a fresh sparkle in her eyes, wide and nervous, her lips trembling in a half smile. She didn’t seem to know what to make of what Lena said, perhaps questioning if she’d heard right.

Poor Kara, her Kara, would find any excuse to steal the happiness from her own hands, to martyr herself, to seek penance for a crime that she never committed. Lena knew her guilt, felt in sing in her own soul like a kind of magnetic resonance.

Lena Luthor did not believe in silly things like soulmates or fate or destined lovers.

But she believed in Kara Danvers, and Kara Danvers kissed her. Lena barely registered it at first, so gentle was the brushing of Kara’s soft lips against her own. She gave Kara no chance to retreat into embarrassment or confusion, kissing her back so intensely that there could be no mistaking the intent. When she did, it was like seeing the stars for the first time, and a pleasant warmth pooled low in the cradle of her hips.

Kissing Kara felt like coming home.

They were staring at each other. Lena drank the sight of Kara staring at her, shocked expression full of an elation, a pure excited joy that magnified her stunning beauty a thousandfold until Lena thought she might die of pure love for this woman that she held in her arms. She went in for another kiss and this time, neither hesitated.

Alex’s voice cut through it all. “Hey, you two. Get a room.”

She was by the jukebox, grinning ear to ear despite Kelly’s scowl. Before either of them could react, Alex dropped a coin in the jukebox and played… the fucking Macarena.

“I don’t know whether to murder her or send her a gift basket,” Lena snapped.

Kara curled a finger around Lena’s chin and their eyes locked.

“Maybe we should get a room,” Kara whispered.

Lena swallowed hard.

“What are we waiting for?”

Kara took her hand, and stuck out her tongue at her sister as they left the bar.

[acknowledge-reigns]

Wolf's Den | Zilla Fatu x Black Fem!Reader x Jacob Fatu SMUT (18+)

Requested by: @wrestlingbaby

Description: Jacob helps Zilla punish reader. Smut based on that one episode of Total Divas where Jim and Trin argue about her losing her ring, but with Zilla/Jacob x Reader.

Warnings: Arguing/light angst, Dom/sub dynamic, Punishment, degradation, BDSM club, Mentions of Roman + Jimmy/Naomi + Jey/Rhea + Tiffy/Nia + Drew/Punk + Zaria/Giulia/Stephanie in kink context (don't judge me!) flogger, impact play, multiple partners, double penetration, vaginal sex, oral (male receiving), swallowing, Daddy Dom and Primal Dom, Honorifics, rough sex, dirty talk, hair pulling, face fucking, Zilla cums in her, praise, petnames, general filth with a fluffy ending.

My masterlist can be found here

Again, MDNI!!! THIS IS AN 18+ FAN FICTION. As always my stories are based in kayfabe not based upon any real people.

Zilla sat in the driver's seat of the car, his jaw clenched in frustration. He couldn't believe that after all the time and effort he had put into planning their wedding, picking out the perfect ring etc, his new wife had lost her wedding ring.

"I told you to wear it all the time," he said through gritted teeth, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "But you never listen."

"I know, I know," she said, her voice laced with guilt. "I'm sorry, okay? I just... I keep forgetting to put it on."

Zilla let out a scoff. "You keep forgetting? It's not that hard to remember to wear a damn ring, Y/N."

He glances over at her, his eyes narrowing.

"Do you even care about our marriage at all?" he asks, his voice harsh. "Because it seems like you don't care about anything I do for you."

Her eyes widened at his accusation, hurt and anger flashing across her face.

"How dare you say that," she retorted, her own anger rising to match his. "I care about our marriage more than anything. I just... I'm sorry I lost the ring, okay? But it's not like I did it on purpose."

"Only me and you know the story of that ring—that's the sentimental value it has to me." Zilla said

She felt a pang of guilt at his words, realizing the significance of the ring. She knew how much it meant to him, and she hated herself for losing it.

"I know," she said softly, her voice laced with regret. "I'm so sorry, Zilla. I should have taken better care of it."

He was silent for a moment, his grip on the steering wheel still tight. The tension in the car was palpable, the air thick with anger and frustration.

"Sorry don't fix anything," he finally said, his voice cold. "but it's okay. I got something for yo' ass."

She looked at him, a mix of curiosity and apprehension on her face. She wasn't sure what he meant by that, she shouldn't be excited but she really was.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice small and submissive.

Zilla drove in silence, the only sound being the hum of the car's engine. After a few minutes, they pulled up in front of a nondescript building.

He got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door for her and gesturing for her to get out.

She got out of the car, her heart racing with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. She recognized the building as the Wolf's Den, the kink club that Zilla's cousin Jacob owned. The two of them frequent here often, the whole kinky ass bloodline does really. It's a safe space for wrestlers to get their dungeon fix without worrying about the press picking up on details of their sex lives.

Wolf's Den was known as one of the safest BDSM clubs in the country. People were heavily vetted, background checks were done, there were club rules and safe words and there was always more than one Dungeon Monitor on duty to ensure things stay safe, sane and consensual

After Zilla scanned his membership card for entry, Y/N followed him inside, her eyes darting around the dimly lit interior, taking in the various equipment and furnishings scattered throughout the room as couples spread about made use of them. In passing she saw Jimmy with Naomi on a spanking bench, Rhea with Jey on a leash, Tiffy kneeling at Nia's feet and Drew working Punk over with a flogger while he's tied to the St. Andrew's Cross in the corner of the room.

Zilla led her deeper into the familiar club, The air was thick with the scent of leather and sweat, and the sound of moans and whimpers filled the room.

They finally bumped into Jacob, who was talking to another patron. A newbie, Mistress Zaria and her pets Giulia and Stephanie.

"Aye, uce," Zilla said, nodding at his cousin. "We need a private room."

Jacob looked over at them, a sly smile spreading across his face.

"Of course," he said, his eyes flicking between the two of them. "Follow me, Uce."

He turned and led them through a door at the back of the room, opening it to reveal a hallway that had the four private rooms and led them straight to the open one.

Once they were in the private room, Zilla turned to Jacob.

"Can I ask a favor?" he said, his voice low.

Jacob raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in his expression.

"Sure, what is it?" he asked.

Zilla glanced at his wife, then back at Jacob.

"I need you to help me punish her," he said, nodding in her direction.

Jacob's smirk widened, his eyes roaming over her body.

"With pleasure," he said, his voice dripping with excitement.

"What's your color, babygirl?" Zilla asked y/n in regards to the traffic light safe word system. Green meaning good, Yellow meaning slow down and Red meaning stop.

"Green, Daddy!" Y/N eagerly confirmed.

Zilla stepped aside, giving Jacob full access to her.

"She lost something important," Zilla said, his eyes darkening. "And she needs to be taught a lesson."

Jacob moved closer to her, his gaze hungry as he looked her up and down.

"I can definitely help with that," he said, his voice low and seductive. "She looks like she needs a firm hand."

Jacob reached out and grabbed her chin, tilting her head up to look at him.

"You ready to be punished, sweetheart?" he asked, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip. She huffs but doesn't respond.

"Answer me," he said, his tone demanding.

She bit her lip, her eyes darting between him and Zilla.

"Y-yes," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jacob chuckled, clearly pleased with her response.

"Good girl," he purred, his grip on her chin tightening slightly. "You bout to learn your lesson tonight."

"Remember, baby, I'm your Daddy. Jacob is your Alpha. Just like before." Zilla said referring to the last time he and Jacob played with her together. Zilla was newer, less experienced at being a Dom, a brat tamer at that. And Jacob was always happy to lend a helping hand in keeping y/n in line. Roman had also done the job a time or two. The tribal chief was by far the strictest Dom of the bunch. Y/N enjoyed being shared, Zilla enjoyed sharing her but only with his cousins.

She shivered at Zilla's words, memories of their previous encounters with Jacob flooding her mind. She remembered the way he would tease and taunt her, how he would push her limits and make her submit to his every command.

Her heart raced with a mix of excitement and nervousness as she realized that tonight was going to be no different.

Zilla was a caring, yet firm Daddy Dom, always taking care of her and making sure she was comfortable and safe during their scenes and otherwise. He was the one who would comfort her after, praising her and making sure she knew how good she was.

Jacob, on the other hand, was a Primal Dom. He was rougher, more demanding, and didn't hold back when it came to pushing her limits. He liked to see her break, to make her beg and plead for his touch. Still caring and protective though.

Zilla always knew that his wife was in good hands with his cousin, and he trusted Jacob to give her the punishment she deserved.

Jacob circled her slowly, his eyes raking over her body as he took in every curve and dip. He stopped behind her, his hands coming to rest on her hips.

She felt his hands on her hips, his grip firm and possessive. He pulled her back against him, her body flush against his chest.

"Such a naughty girl.. Givin' Uce a hard time." he whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her skin.

She couldn't help but get aroused at the feeling of his body pressed against hers, his voice sending shivers down her spine. He took in the aroma of her cocoa butter lotion.

She knew that she was in for a rough night, but the thought only excited her more.

He chuckled at her reaction, his hands sliding up her sides, tracing the curve of her waist.

"You like this, don't you?" he murmured, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of her neck. "You like being at my mercy."

She tried to suppress a moan, but a small, needy sound escaped her lips anyway.

"Y-yes," she managed to whisper, her body already responding to his touch.

"Aht aht! Yes what?" Zilla corrected her on Jacob's behalf

"Yes, Alpha." She responded to Jacob as Zilla began pulling her clothes off.

"Good girl," Jacob said, a satisfied smirk on his face as she corrected herself.

He watched as Zilla began to undress her, his eyes hungrily taking in every inch of her exposed skin.

Her clothes fell to the floor, leaving her standing naked before them. She couldn't help but feel vulnerable, exposed under their gazes.

Jacob's hands moved back to her hips, his fingers digging into her skin as he pulled her closer to him.

"Get on your knees," Jacob commanded, his voice low and firm. "And suck him off. You need to make it up to him, for being such a forgetful slut."

She obeyed, dropping to her knees in front of Zilla. She looked up at him with wide eyes, tugging down his pants and boxers.

Zilla's hand reached out, his fingers carefully tangling in her hair as he guided her head towards his cock.

"Go on, baby girl," he said, his voice husky with desire. "Take it like a good girl."

She wrapped her lips around him, taking him into her mouth slowly. She swirled her tongue around the head, teasing the sensitive skin.

Zilla let out a low moan, his grip on her hair tightening as he watched her take him deeper.

Jacob stood behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders as he watched the scene unfold.

As she continued to suck on Zilla's cock, Jacob reached for a flogger that was nearby. He trailed the tresses over her back, teasing her skin with the soft touch.

He waited until she was completely distracted before bringing the flogger down on her skin, the impact sending a sharp sting through her body.

She moaned around Zilla's cock, the pain from the flogger mixing with pleasure.

Zilla groaned, his eyes fluttering closed as she took his cock deeper, her tongue working over him.

Jacob continued to alternate between the flogger and his hands, spanking her and caressing her skin. He knew just how to push her limits, how to keep her on edge and wanting more.

Zilla was close to losing control, his breathing growing ragged as he fought to hold back his release.

She could feel Zilla tensing, his cock throbbing in her mouth. She knew he was close, and she redoubled her efforts, sucking and licking with renewed fervor.

Jacob watched her intently, a smirk on his face as he continued to tease her with the flogger.

Zilla couldn't hold back any longer. With a loud moan, he came, spilling himself into her mouth.

She swallowed every drop, her tongue still working over him as he rode out his orgasm.

Zilla let out a shaky breath as he came down from his high, his grip on her hair loosening.

Jacob chuckled, setting the flogger aside for the moment. He knelt down behind her, his chest pressing against her back as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

With a nod from Jacob as if the two were silently communicating, Zilla helped her up and positioned her on her hands and knees.

She was now facing Jacob, who was sitting in front of her, his cock hard and waiting for her. She had no clue at what point he'd shed his clothes.

Behind her, Zilla positioned himself at her entrance, his hands gripping her hips as he slowly pushed into her.

She moaned as Zilla filled her.

Jacob reached out, gently guiding her head down towards his cock.

"Come on, baby. Open that pretty mouth for me," he coaxed.

She parted her lips, taking Jacob's cock into her mouth.

As she started to suck on him, Zilla began to move, his thrusts slow and deep at first.

She moaned around Jacob's cock, the vibrations sending shivers down his spine.

Zilla's grip on her hips tightened as he picked up the pace, his thrusts growing faster and harder.

She struggled to keep her focus on Jacob, her mind fogging with pleasure as Zilla pounded into her from behind.

Jacob's hand tangled in her hair, guiding her movements as he started to thrust into her mouth in time with Zilla's rhythm.

The room was filled with the sounds of skin slapping against skin, moans and grunts, and the wet sounds of her mouth around Jacob's cock and Zilla in her warm wet pussy.

Jacob's head fell back, his eyes closed in pleasure as he used her mouth to chase his own release.

Zilla's thrusts became more erratic, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he neared his second orgasm.

Jacob was close as well, his grip on her hair tightening as he held her head in place, his hips bucking up to meet her mouth.

"Fuck, I'm close," Jacob groaned, his voice strained.

Zilla grunted in response, his thrusts becoming even harder as he chased his own release.

Suddenly, Zilla gave a final, deep thrust, burying himself to the hilt as he came inside her.

Jacob let out a strangled cry as he followed suit, his release spilling into her mouth.

She was a mess of moans and whimpers, her body trembling between the two of them as she felt Zilla's release fill her.

It didn't take long for her own orgasm to hit, her body tensing and clenching around Zilla as she came undone.

Zilla and Jacob both stilled, both of them panting as they came down from their highs.

Zilla gently pulled out of her, leaving her feeling empty and used in the best way possible.

She collapsed onto her elbows, her body spent and exhausted.

Jacob reached out to brush a strand of hair out of her face, his expression tender despite the roughness of their previous actions.

Zilla knelt down beside her, his hands running soothingly over her back.

"You did so well, baby. So good for us," he murmured, his voice soft and affectionate.

She leaned into his touch, her body still trembling from the aftershocks of her orgasm.

Jacob chuckled, his hand moving to caress her cheek.

"You look absolutely wrecked," he said, his tone playful.

She could only manage a weak nod in response, too spent to form coherent words.

Zilla chuckled as well, his hands moving to her hips and gently turning her over so she was lying on her back.

Jacob smiled and stood up, understanding that Zilla wanted a moment alone with her.

"I'll go clean up," he said, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead before pulling his clothes on.

"See you later, Uce." he said to Zilla who gave him a nod.

Once Jacob was gone, Zilla turned his attention back to his wife.

He laid down beside her, pulling her into his arms and holding her close.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he murmured, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on her skin.

She snuggled closer to him, burying her face in his chest.

He held her tightly, his arms wrapped around her as if he never wanted to let go.

"You took us both so well," he whispered, his voice filled with a mixture of pride and affection.

She let out a soft sigh, her body still sensitive and sore from their earlier activities.

Zilla's hands continued to roam over her body, his touch gentle but possessive, as if he was claiming her all over again.

His hands eventually came to rest on her thighs, his thumbs rubbing small circles on her skin.

"You're mine," he murmured, his voice low and possessive. "My beautiful wife."

"I really am sorry about the ring" Y/N reiterated.

"I'ma buy you another one, baby. And a hundred more after that if I got to, as long as you're mine." Zilla responded.

"I love you, Z." She said

He pulled back slightly to look down at her, his eyes filled with affection and adoration.

"I love you too, babygirl," he replied, his voice filled with sincerity. "Forever".

"Forever" Y/N confirmed with a soft content sigh.

[rustingcat]

The moment Kara heard Sam was coming to town she knew there would be trouble.

Not that she had anything against the woman, quite the opposite, she absolutely adored Sam. But her visits tend to be a bit… chaotic.

It started not long after Ruby turned old enough to babysit Esme by herself. Sam would fly to National city for a weekend, leaving Ruby at the Danvers-Olsen house for a paid sleepover with Esme, and dragged the superfriends to the nearest Bar to get them all shitfaced drunk.

Kara would not easily forget waking up on the roof of a ferris wheel once, wearing a clown outfit and hugging a pogo stick. She did forget the events leading up to that point due to the large amount of alcohol she consumed the night before.

Kara briefly toyed with the idea to visit her parents on Argo for the duration of Sam's visit, or at the very least her first night. But she hasn't seen her in so long, and with Kara's very busy schedule she decided it's a good opportunity as any to take some time off and enjoy a night out with her friends. She just hoped there would be no stumbling drunkenly into any more theme parks.

That's why she was very surprised to learn that Sam's new adventurous plan was a simple game night at Kara’s apartment.

With alcohol, of course.

Kara kept her drinking at a minimum, just enough to get some nice buzz out of it, but a far cry from a complete black out. She wasn't the only one, most participants had seemingly decided to avoid a similar fate. Much to Sam's disappointment, Kara assumed, since she kept asking them to do shots.

After a few tame games of Settlers of Catan and a round of pictionary, Sam decided to spice things up a bit. They started with a game of 'would you rather' that slowly evolved into an open question format where everyone answered the same questions.

"Favourite… type of apple?" It was Nia's turn to ask, she spent almost 5 minutes struggling to find a question before settling on one.

"Really? That's the best you got?" Sam asked disappointed.

"I was panicking! That's the only thing I could think of!" Nia said defensively, her arms raising in the air in surrender. "Do you have anything better?"

"You know it," Sam said with a sly smile.

"Go ahead then."

"Alright," Sam clapped her hands, moving her gaze from one person to the next slowly before she continued. "Not including your actual partner, who would you marry out of the people in this room?"

"And I can't choose Nia?" Brainy asked, his hands deep in Nia's hair, drunkenly caressing her hair between his fingers. He may have gotten slightly drunker than most by trying to be nice and accepting most of Sam's shots.

"That would be against the rules." Sam smiled and twisted the wine glass in her hand.

"That's preposterous!" He exclaimed. Nia's head recoiled with a small groan of pain as Brainy accidentally hit her head. "There is no possibility in the multiverse I would pick anyone but her!" He announced, Nia remembered to move her head in time to avoid the second hit.

"You're no fun," Sam rolled her eyes. "Nia?" She smirked.

"Only Brainy, of course." She proclaimed loudly. Brainy rewarded her with a kiss on the forehead while she mouthed 'Kelly' under her breath.

Sam winked to her in return, while the rest tried to hide their chuckle.

"Kelly, you're next for no particular reason," Sam turned to her with a smile.

"Nia," Kelly replied with a matching smile. "For no particular reason."

"Alex?" Sam changed the topic before Brainy could interject.

"You know, I think we could've worked out," she weaved her hand towards Sam's direction.

"Yeah, we could've had some fun," Sam smirked back at her. "Alright, Kara, what about you?" She turned to face her.

"Lena," Kara answered without much thinking.

"Well, she is rich, it makes sense," Sam said under the rim of her glass.

"Rich wife is very convenient," Alex nodded in agreement.

"I'm not choosing her because of her money." The idea of reducing Lena to her finance, a walking wallet if you will, infuriated her. She was so much more than that. Kara put down her empty glass and stood up a bit faster than she intended.

"Then why her?" Sam challenged with a raised eyebrow.

Kara blinked in surprise, was it not obvious? "Because she is amazing! She's brilliant, smart, kind and… pretty," she added with a small blush creeping up her neck. "Also a great listener and problem solver, which is important in a relationship. And-"

"Yeah okay, we got it," Alex cut her off.

Kara gave her a mocking look in response, eyebrows squinted and tongue sticking out as she walked up to the kitchen to refill her glass.

"Lena, who is your pick?" Sam continued with the game.

"Kara, of course." The way she said it, as if there were no other options, filled Kara with warmth she was not expecting. She also wasn't sure why it made her smile so much, but it did. Then again they were best friends, it would be awkward if they were not to pick each other, right?

"Hey Kara, can you get me a beer?" Alex called out.

Kara studied her for a second. "No, you were being annoying."

"Wha- Kara!" Alex whined.

"Get one yourself," Kara shrugged, and poured herself a glass of white wine.

"Kara, can you give me a glass of red, please?" Lena asked. Her voice was so soft, it sent shivers down her spine.

"Of course," Kara quickly pulled another wine glass from the upper cupboard and placed it on her kitchen island.

"Hey, I asked you first," Alex shouted in retaliation, as she finished filling the second glass. "So you're getting Lena's drink and not mine?"

"Yes," Kara answered with a smile, walking back to the living room while maintaining eye contact with her sister, knowing it would annoy her more.

"Why?" Alex challenged, squinting her eyes while maintaining the eye contact.

"Wife privileges," Kara shrugged and took her place next to Lena, shifting a bit closer to her this time before she placed her glass on the table.

Kara almost forgot about the whole thing, until a week later when Lena brought it up. They were sitting in Lena's new office, talking about her new conjoined plan for both her foundation and the newly reformed L-Corp for a new source of green energy. A top secret plan, but Lena was talking about it with so much enthusiasm that Kara couldn't help herself, asking more and more questions, eager to learn more about it. Soon after, Kara found herself in the halls of the foundation's labs, Lena excitedly telling her about the project in detail.

"This sounds amazing, Lena! But I thought this was top secret, not that I'm complaining. I love seeing you this enthusiastic, but how come I get to hear about it?" Kara asked eventually.

Lena was quiet for a moment, before she answered "wife privileges," with a shrug, her cheeks slightly pink.

Kara brought it up next, when she forced Lena to leave the office at a reasonable time. Claiming 'wife privileges' as the reason Lena has to follow her home and relax for a bit.

Lena later used it as an excuse to steal a fry off of Kara’s plate, even though she insisted she only wanted a salad. When she met Kara raised brow she simply shrugged and claimed “wife privileges.”

It quickly became an inside joke for them, a reason for them to do a nice thing for each other or an excuse to get away with stuff; like buying lunch, stealing clothes or bringing surprise pastries. Things they were already doing anyway, they just had a better excuse to do it more often.

"Hey, it's been a month since that game night," Kara said, raising her very fancy wine glass to her lips. Lena invited her to a fancy Italian place that opened recently. It was right after Kara mentioned a craving for pasta the day before.

"Are you suggesting it's our anniversary?" Lena smirked, leaning back on her chair. She didn't need to be specific, she knew Lena knew what she was talking about.

"Happy anniversary." Kara raised her wine glass and smiled. She loved how quick Lena could understand her.

"Happy anniversary." Lena raised her own glass to toss it with hers, smiling her wide smile with the dimples that made Kara all warm inside. She was so captivated by the smile that it took Kara a few moments to realise the waiter was standing right beside them.

The meal was, of course, amazing, not only because of the quality Italian cuisine, but her fantastic company. Kara always felt most like herself when she was with Lena, she wasn't sure why but she made her feel at peace.

They finished their meal, still deep in conversation, sipping the remaining of their wine when the waiter appeared. Presenting them with a complementary tiramisu with a candle and two spoons, wishing them a happy anniversary.

Kara was about to correct him when Lena thanked him with a nod and gestured for Kara to dig in. She couldn't help the goofy smile that spread on her face. Out of all the inside jokes so far, she had the feeling that that was their best one yet.

Read the rest in AO3

[fazedlight]

Dread (rewriting of Lena’s phantom ordeal in Fear Knot)

Coolant leak error?, Lena thought, reading the screen. “Let me see if the hardware needs repairing,” she said, unfastening her seatbelt and passing Nia to hop onto the elevator.

Her first hint that something was wrong was on the floor of the machine room. As she stepped over a puddle, her mind caught on something. The floor was wet - not with neon green coolant, but water, in a part of the ship where no water piping ran. 

She stepped towards one of the wheels on the wall, checking that the flow was open, that the gauge showed appropriate pressure. There’s no leak, Lena thought, confused. Then what’s causing the-

“Why did you let me drown, Lena?”

Lena spun around, eyes darting to the familiar voice, lost over decades. A pale dead figure, covered in water and kelp, stared back at her - with cold, soulless eyes that sunk back into her skull. “Mother?” Lena said, trembling.

“Why did you let me drown, Lena?”

“I-” Lena was struggling to breathe, as her mother stepped closer, a heavy sloshing of her dress running across the ground. “I- I don’t know why-”

“Why did you let me drown, Lena?”

“I’m sorry,” Lena said, a small part of her mind screaming this isn’t real, but dread flooded the thought out. “I didn’t want- I just couldn’t move-”

But to Lena’s horror, her mother shifted - a translucent creature emerging from a dead woman's body, made of water and shimmers of light. A creature, Lena thought, her eyes wide. An alien creature of some sort.

She ran.

She darted around the being as its rumbling snarl reverberated through the walls. Lena yanked the door open, bolting down the hall, trying to shake off the unexpected grief of seeing her mother again. A kelpie? A shapeshifter of some sort, her mind thought, racing towards the mainroom. “I need help,” Lena yelled into the comms, yanking a second door open, “I need-”

No, Lena’s mind screamed, coming across the surreal scene before her. Please, no…

Brainy. Alex. J’onn. Kelly. All lay dead before her.

Lena halted as horror flooded through her, turning to Nia’s body, which glimmered in silver. “Nia?” Lena whispered, watching as a million sparks seemed to dance along her skin, from her spot slumped over on the control panel. Lena’s eyes widened. Those aren’t-

A cloud of silver withdrew from Nia’s body, flowing to the center of the control room, buzzing and humming in a familiar pattern, as a voice emerged. “Why did you kill me, Lena?”

“Jack?” Lena gasped.

The bots began to take shape in front of her, a man’s familiar face forming, cast in metal rather than human flesh. “Why did you kill me?”

“Jack, I- I didn’t-” Lena said, overwhelming nausea climbing up her throat. “I didn’t want- there was no other choice-”

“Why did you kill me, Lena?”

The kelpie, Lena’s mind screamed. The shapeshifter. It’s not him. He’s not real-

“Come with me, Lena,” Jack said, as his body began to decompose again, the swarm beginning to float in her direction.

No! Lena’s mind screamed, as she turned again on her heel, fleeing towards the backrooms of the ship. Everyone’s dead, everyone’s dead-

Is this how it ends?, she thought as she ran, knowing she could never outrun the nanobots, or the kelpie, or whatever the fuck this creature was. We all die. Kara is lost forever. This can’t be happening-

She found herself ducking into the medbay, scouring the room for anything she could use as a weapon, anything she could use to kill the creature. Kelpies are a myth, she thought to herself, but that brought her little comfort. Shapeshifters were quite real, and this one was going through each member of the ship.

Lena closed her eyes, trying - and failing - to get composure. It’s my fault, she thought, her mind flashing memories of her mother in the lake, of Jack’s begging voice. Did they blame me? Were they angry? Were their last thoughts-

“Why did you let me get sent to the Phantom Zone, Lena?”

Chills ran down Lena’s spine, as the familiar blonde’s voice washed over her. Kara, she thought, feeling her heart hammering through her chest. I can’t save you, I can’t save you… “I’m so sorry,” Lena sobbed.

“You want me in the Phantom Zone.”

“I don’t!” Lena shouted, turning to the blonde before her. Pallid and soulless eyes stared back at her - somehow indifferent, yet menacing. Lena shook, holding back tears. But I’ll never be able to rescue you, not with everyone…

“You hate me,” said the super as she approached, black veins growing on her face. “You despise me.”

“I love you, Kara,” Lena whispered. The creature was going to kill her. She would never be able to say the words to the real Kara. But there was nothing left.

Kara stepped closer to her, again, and again. Lena held back her sobs as Kara’s eyes turned red. This is how it ends, she thought. I’m never going to see you again. Her worst nightmare had become her reality.

Nightmare…

Lena’s brow furrowed as Kara stepped closer. I didn’t kill my mother, she thought to herself, looking up at the kryptonian again. There wasn’t a way for me to save Jack, she thought to herself.

Kara finally reached Lena, standing toe to toe as her eyes continued to burn. You’re a phantom, Lena realized. Praying on my fears… What had J’onn said? One’s deepest dread.

Like fearing that your loved ones were lost.

And that it was your fault.

Kelly said to focus on what’s real, Lena thought to herself. Things I can see, touch, hear… Lena’s mind scraped at the motor oil scent around her, wandering to the Tower itself, to the cool air and martian steel that surrounded her as Kara sneered back.

But Lena shrugged it off as she continued to stare at the angry super, looking into the still-burning eyes. Lena knew what was most real. 

“I love you,” Lena said, raising her hand to doppelganger, caressing along her jawline. “I love you, and I’m going to get you back.”

Kara’s eyes dimmed, and the world flashed white.

-----------

Lena gasped as her eyes opened, finding herself back in the control room. Shifting in her seat, her eyes darted around the room, feeling a flood of relief as she saw the others do the same. “This is real,” J’onn shouted to the room. “You are free of the phantom's powers!” Lena wanted to cry in relief.

“Well that sucked,” Nia said, a shaky smile thrown in Lena’s direction. “What did you see?”

Lena turned back to her controls. It’s time to bring Kara home. “A kelpie,” she said quietly, her mind drifting to the final preparation needed for the sun bomb. “I’m afraid of drowning.”

[pippytmi]

If you are possibly still doing song promts, not sure if you're into country music however, "Unforgettable" by Thomas Rhett is a very cute, romantic song that I believe will suit Supercorp very well, thank you.

It is a warm, sticky summer night, and the stars have never been clearer.

Kara watches them, wistful and maybe a little buzzed, stretched out in the back of her pickup while Alex flicks bottle caps below at the guys. James and Winn don’t even notice; they’re still arguing over whether they should take whiskey shots or shotgun beers, both staunchly on opposite sides of this dilemma.

“Hey,” a thought occurs to Kara suddenly, “where did Sam go?”

“To find Lena, I think,” Alex says, squinting at her next target with halfhearted commitment as she leans over the side of the truck. When she throws the next cap, it misses Winn entirely. “Damn. Open another beer, Kara, I need another shot.”

“Who’s Lena?” The name is somewhat familiar, but Kara can’t place it immediately.

“The Luthor girl. Sam’s friend, you know her.” Alex leans back to root through their cooler, and comes up with two more beers. “She’s the one who flaked when Sam tried to set up that double-date, remember?”

“Right, and I had to third-wheel you guys all night.” Kara sits up in order to scan the crowd curiously, one question at the forefront of her mind: “Is she related to Lex Luthor?”

“Yes, that’s why I said the Luthor girl,” Alex says like one might say keep up. “She’s his half-sister or something, I don’t know.” She uses the bottle opener on her keys to pop open one of the beers, handing it over to Kara and immediately moving on to her own.

Kara takes a distracted swig as she continues to look out into the crowd. The lights strung through the trees offer very little in terms of visibility, and it’s hard to make out faces. “I didn't know he had a sister,” she says.

“It's not something he exactly advertises.” Alex takes a re-do of her earlier shot now that she has a fresh bottle cap, and this time it nails Winn right on the side of the head. “Hey, losers! Quit fighting and come get a drink!”

“Not unless you have some beer cans we can shotgun!” Winn shouts back.

“No, no, he means we need some Jack Daniel’s,” James interjects, and they’re off again, shoving playfully at each other’s shoulders as if they are going to push each other into the bonfire.

Alex rolls her eyes. “Boys,” she says derisively. “Let’s get Nia instead, she deserves a drink far more than they do.” She reaches over to bang at the truck’s backseat window. “Wake up, sleeping beauty!”

“Whoa, watch it!” Kara almost spills her drink in her haste to bat Alex’s hand away. “Take it easy. I just got her all fixed up.”

“Oh sure, when Siobhan takes a baseball bat to the glass it’s all fine and dandy, but I can’t even give it a tap?”

Kara crinkles her nose. “She thought it was her ex’s car in the dark, come on. You can’t blame her for that.”

“You are also her ex,” Alex says impatiently.

“But not the ex she was trying to get revenge on,” Kara points out. “She even apologized to Brittney. I think you should, too.”

Alex gives her a dirty look. “For the last time, I will not call your car that.”

“Don’t be a hater, Alex.”

“Don’t be a fucking weirdo, then—”

Before Kara can even enact her own revenge for that comment, she is briefly blinded by one of two flashlights aimed at her face. Beside her, Alex yelps and covers her eyes.

“There you guys are,” Sam exclaims. “I got lost trying to remember where we were. Why did you park so far away?”

“To keep our drinks from the masses, mostly,” Alex says, and she hops up over the side of the truck to pull Sam into her arms. “And for privacy.”

“Ew,” Kara says, and Alex glares at her over her shoulder.

“For Nia, who is sleeping.”

“Still?” Sam grins, momentarily distracted, when Alex presses a kiss to her cheek. “I wanted to introduce her to Lena.”

Just like her name, Lena Luthor has something about her face that strikes Kara as vaguely familiar. Something in the shine of her eyes in the moonlight, in the way she bites on her bottom lip, in the slope of her nose and the cut of her jaw and the hint of a dimple in her cheek. Kara has never laid eyes on Lena Luthor before, but she finds herself unable to look away.

The only reason Kara even realizes she's been staring at Lena too long is when she hears her name:

“And this is Kara, she's Alex’s sister. She drove us here.”

Now it's Kara's turn to be stared at—or more accurately, scrutinized. “While drunk?” Lena says.

Kara snaps back to reality. “I'm not drunk,” she hastily denies, lest that somehow affect her chances with impressing Lena (coincidentally, something she had not been concerned with until this very second). “I've only had two beers, I'm practically sober.”

But when anyone else might be skeptical, Lena merely tilts her head curiously. “Okay, if you say so,” she says in a manner that’s almost…amused. Kara counts it as a win, either way.

“So are beers all we have around here?” Sam asks. “Clearly, Lena and I need to catch up to everyone.”

“We also have whiskey,” James chimes in, while Winn makes a show of gagging.

“Yeah, just beer and whiskey,” Alex affirms. “Kara did the shopping, so….”

Kara bends down to lift up their cooler as if it’s a treasure chest. “We also have Mang-O-Ritas,” she says magnanimously, passing it down to James to pop open.

“Just a regular beer for me, then,” Sam says. “Lena will have the Mang-O-Rita.”

“I’ve never had one before,” Lena says, crossing her arms and leaning against the side of the truck as Sam procures her drink. “Are they any good?”

Kara jumps off the truck in order to fully join their circle (and, okay, closer to Lena. Maybe). “They’re awesome. Don’t listen to whatever Alex tells you, she will 100% drink three of these in one sitting.” 

“Only when there’s no other option,” Alex protests.

Lena cracks open her can and takes a cautious sip. “Hm,” she says. “That’s…vile.”

“Poor little rich girl,” Sam coos. “Always such a snob about your liquor.”

“Excuse me for preferring a glass of red over this,” Lena says, but she takes a longer drink immediately afterwards, and Kara falls a little bit in love.

It's always been like that, really—Kara falls in love like breathing air. Eliza used to call her a hopeful romantic because she never liked the term hopeless romantic. (“There is nothing hopeless about finding beauty in everything,” Eliza would promise as she kissed Kara's head. Alex would always be nearby gagging, of course).

Eventually, as the fire begins to die down, they break out the whiskey bottle for shots. Lena, Kara can't help but notice, grimaces at the taste in a way that shouldn't be as cute as it is.

“I need a palate cleanser,” Winn gasps afterwards, ever the drama queen. “Stat.”

“I’ve got one right here for you, it's called Bud Light,” Alex quips.

“Blegh.”

And while Alex and Winn playfully tussle, Kara’s gaze drifts past them and back to Lena. Lena, surprisingly, is looking right back.

“You have grass stains on your jeans,” Lena tells her, and quickly looks away.

Kara glances down. “Oh,” she says, “yeah, it’s the hazard of working on a farm.” She actually got the stains from kneeling down to pet a puppy on the way here, but the farm thing sounds better. “So what do you—” 

She never manages to get the question out, because two cars down, someone screams bloody murder and Kara reflexively whips out the pocket knife in her boot. Everyone else is equally alert, until:

“It’s just fucking Mike Matthews again, falling off that eyesore he calls a truck,” Alex scoffs. 

“Again? They need to impound that thing,” James says.

Kara is about to chime in with her own horror story about Mike’s truck when she feels a tap at her shoulder; Lena waits until Kara whirls around, befuddled, before she asks,

“Can you pour me another shot?”

Kara blinks. Then blinks again. “Yeah,” she says, even though Winn is the one holding the whiskey bottle. “Yeah, of course.”

Winn gladly relinquishes the bottle when Kara asks, and he and James walk down to Mike’s group to “see if they can help” (i.e. gossip). Sam and Alex take advantage of the chaos to sneak away together (probably to make out somewhere). And Kara is left, terrifyingly enough, alone with Lena Luthor.

Lena coughs after downing the second shot, frowning down at her cup like it’s wronged her. “That is still…not good.”

Kara tries to hide her smile as she looks down, nudges an empty beer bottle away. “Why drink it, then?”

“I don’t know.” Lena pauses to chase the taste away with her Mang-O-Rita before musing, “To get out of my comfort zone, maybe. But then again, pretty much everything here is out of my comfort zone.”

“Oh, I get it,” Kara says. “Rich girl pretending to be normal. It’s very Maid in Manhattan. Or…whatever the opposite of that is.”

“You are…definitely drunk,” Lena says with the tone of someone two seconds from laughter.

Kara vehemently shakes her head. “Nope, no, absolutely not.”

“Mm, you kind of seem like you are,” Lena says.

“I am not, and I can prove it to you.” Kara cradles the whiskey bottle to her chest and prepares herself: “I can do the running man.”

“And that proves you’re not drunk how?”

“Because it's going to be the most flawless dance you've ever seen,” Kara says, immediately kicking her leg out in a shaky attempt, and Lena’s laughter explodes until she is actually hunched over with the force of it.

“Oh, God, please do that again.”

“I'm not sure I like your reaction,” Kara sniffs, taking a mock-defensive step back. “I don't want to do it now.”

“No, come on, I loved it. Really,” Lena says. Her Mang-O-Rita has spilled into the grass, and she has to stoop down to pick up the can, ruefully shaking it when she notices it's empty. “Maybe I need to slow down. Is there somewhere we can sit?”

“Yeah,” Kara says, waving the whiskey bottle to beckon Lena to follow, and she guides her to the back of the pickup. She shrugs off her jacket, laying it out for Lena to sit, and Lena gives her a small smile when she does; it feels like they’re in their own world, kept company only by the stars and the occasional crackle of the dying bonfire.

“So you work on a farm?” Lena has to lean slightly against Kara to get comfortable, and Kara holds her breath to keep from jumping.

“Yup, my parents’ farm,” Kara barely remembers to answer. “Nothing glamorous like you and your brother, I'm sure.”

“I didn't know you knew about…that,” Lena says.

Kara shrugs, feels her shoulder directly move against Lena’s. “Kind of hard not to,” she says apologetically. “I mean, the Luthor name is on just about every business in town.” She twists the whiskey bottle between her hands, listens to it slosh. “If it helps…none of us care about that.”

“Really,” Lena says, disbelievingly but still light enough to invite a follow-up, which Kara wastes zero time in grasping.

“One hundred percent,” Kara promises. “We never judge a book by its cover. Not even,” she pauses to whisper this next part, “people who stand up their dates on a dreaded double-date with their sister.”

Lena gasps. “That was not you.”

“It was,” Kara laughs, just self-conscious enough to slick her hair out of her eyes. “Didn’t Sam tell you?”

“No—all she said was you were fun,” Lena says. “And she promised to try and set me up again, another time.” She shifts, now fully shoulder-to-shoulder against Kara. “Oh my God. Is that what tonight is?”

“Alex didn’t tell me anything,” Kara wonders, “but it would make sense…”

Lena scoffs. “This would be a horrible date,” she says, almost to herself. Then, hurriedly, “Not because of you, but because of everything else. The drinks, the place, the…lack of indoor plumbing…” 

“So you’re too good for whiskey, tailgate parties, and porta potties,” Kara lists off. “Hm. I don’t know, Lena. This date is off to a rough start.”

“Oh, shut up.” Lena reaches across their bodies for the whiskey bottle, and her fingers tangle with Kara’s as she takes it. Lena uncaps it and takes a swig, coughing as soon as she lowers the bottle, and Kara smiles even if Lena can’t see it.

“What happened to slowing down?”

“That was before I realized this was a date,” Lena says without a lick of shame. “Sue me—I’m nervous.”

“You don’t have to be,” Kara says softly, and she shuts her eyes, inhales the smoke of the fire and the sweet, floral scent of Lena’s perfume. “We can just be friends, too. No pressure.”

“And you’d be okay with that?” Lena asks, her voice quiet but undoubtedly curious. “Am I not the kind of girl you want to date?”

Kara immediately straightens up. “Are you kidding? I would marry you, probably, if I could. In a good way,” she hastens to explain. “In a…general, you-seem-like-the-kind-of-nice-to-marry. Hypothetically.”

Lena exhales, and there’s a hint of a smile in her own voice when she says, “You’re coming on awful strong for a first date, Kara Danvers.”

“Sorry.” Kara slumps against the floor, sighing as the whiskey finally starts catching up to her, leaving her slightly dizzy and uncoordinated as she stares up at the night sky.

But then Lena is moving, twisting until she is half-hovering over Kara, beautifully framed by moonlight and the haze from the fire beside them. “I can’t promise marriage yet,” she says, “but I think I can do a second date.”

Kara blinks, slowly, and her grin forms before she can even try to hide it. “Really?”

“Only if I can choose the place,” Lena says. “And if you never make me drink that awful margarita again.”

“Deal,” Kara says, making room for Lena to squeeze in beside her, light-headed for a whole new reason as Lena rests her head on Kara’s arm. “But I really think you should give the Mang-O-Rita another try. Just, for the record.”

“Shhh, don’t ruin this,” Lena says, tapping Kara’s mouth with her finger, and Kara keeps on smiling.

(And later, when they’ve sobered up, Kara will kiss Lena goodnight; later still, Lena will deny that she tasted of that damned Mang-O-Rita, but only Kara will know the truth).

[momowoah]

Okay but I really think that the worst part is that this is season seven. Unless they're planning to turn 9-1-1 into the new Grey's Anatomy the chances of us being already in the final half of the show are huge. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be any drama, but the characters should've started to go forward, and yet nearly all of them feel stuck in the same place they have been for several seasons. Or should I say 2-3 seasons?

tldr: all/most S7 storylines were either useless in the long run or recycles. The only characters who had storylines on the good side of the scale (as in, they helped the characters develop and move to a new place in their lives) were Maddie and Chimney (and maybe Buck but he's on thin ice). All the characters are back to the same place they were in s4/s5. It's probably TM's fault. This shouldn't be happening in a 7th season.

(really long post under the cut but worth it imo)

Bobby and Athena had a whole seven episodes for their storylines and yet it didn't significantly change anything about them or their relationship. The doubts of how they are when they're at peace that were brought up in ep1 ended up not being addressed at all. We started the season with what was supposed to be this huge thing in their relationship and it was just never brought up again! Instead they put bathena through distress again just for the sake of being dramatic. And while I'm extremely glad we got Amir and think there were several high points in his storyline, what difference did it make in the long run? Yes, it brought up interesting things to Bobby's storyline, such as more insight into his childhood and the chance for him to explore another side of the fire he caused, but is it going to change anything? No! Bobby will be reinstated in S8 bc that's just how these things go, and I doubt they'll put any effort to continue the survivors storyline. I'd bet it'll just be ignored in the next seasons.

Hen and Karen have been trying for YEARS AND YEARS to adopt a child and they just can't let them! As a wlw, do you know how awful that is to watch? Seeing them fail time and time again and have their family broken up once again just because??? It was one thing with Nia, she got a happy ending, but that wasn't the case with Mara. The best thing for everyone involved would be for her to stay with Hen and Karen, but they blew it up. I know she's with Madney, but it's not the fucking same. Why do they have to go through this again? Why can't they finally get the family they've spent years fighting for? Why can't the drama be about anything else, why does it have to be about failed adoptions? I've seen this enough times before. Why not let them be able to adopt???? Why? I'm genuinely upset abt this btw, probably more than about anything else that went down.

Buck got to finally come out and it was great but instead of taking it as an opportunity to let him grow into himself they just threw him right back into the hamster wheel of dating people who are either not fully into him or who he's not fully into. (if you like bt probably skip the rest of this paragraph but I'd also be upset about how they're handling them if I liked the ship bc I liked the previous bt and they did something similar to them lol) Tommy's behavior could be explained away at first, but I feel like time and time again the show goes the extra mile to make him uninterested in Buck or just straight up an asshole to him? Instead of taking the small opportunities of portraying them as a healthy happy couple they just consistently screw up their relationship? They're not the couple I support but even then I wanted them to be good together bc I want Buck to be happy, and yet all we get is this?

I don't even have words about Eddie, especially considering what rg has said about him destroying his life and possibly reverting back to military no emotions mode next season. WHY CAN'T HE BE HAPPY? We already saw him break down, WE'VE ALREADY HAD A STORYLINE ABOUT HIM REBUILDING HIS LIFE, but happiness is boring so now he has to ruin his relationship with his son too right? It just pisses me off how they go about his character sometimes. I liked that they were bringing back the Shannon storyline because he was supposed to be able to finally move on, but this wasn't about that. No, it was about retraumatizing Eddie and Chris and splitting them up at a time when they should be leaning on each other and healing, because Chris has also been suffering with the Shannon stuff. We saw it in fucking ep 1. Don't even get me started on the Marisol stuff because idek why she was there at all. Literally don't get it. We had an off-screen breakup anyways. She wasn't relevant at all to anything that happened. Why was she even there? I'm genuinely asking. The only Eddie arc that has some positive potential for next season is him dealing with his relationship with religion (especially if they tie it to the military and the way he lives his life for others' expectations), but tbh I don't trust them not to fuck it up.

Finally, I don't have complaints about madney, except for why tf was Maddie so absent this season? The wedding episode was all about Chimney (who was also maybe kinda missing tbh), and although I love him and his backstory and the opportunity to see Kevin again, I really wanted it to be about their relationship, since it was their wedding, yk. Dispatch was also severely under utilized. We did get the 7x07 Maddie plotline and it might've been bc it was a shortened season but yeah, I'm still not that satisfied.

So, we have all the characters stuck in places they've been before. More specifically, in the place they were in season 4/5. Bathena relationship problems followed by a life threatening situation? Check. Henren struggling with adoption? Check. Buck getting into what was supposed to be a good relationship only for it to end up going really bad? Check. Eddie struggling with relationships and his mental health going to hell? Check. Madney in a good place with a new child and about to have an awful fucking time? Hopefully just check for the first part. And you know which question this makes me ask? It's whether Tim Minear is just reverting everyone to their s4 state out of spite for the seasons he was away. And even if it is a genuine attempt at getting the show back on the track he wanted out of good intentions, it still sucks, because it doesn't change the fact that it is just a repeat of old storylines. I actually complained at this before the show even aired, but (iirc) I ended up deleting my post because I thought that I was just overreacting. Guess what? I fucking wasn't, bc that's EXACTLY what they did.

Now, going back to the start of this post, the reason why all these storylines suck so much is not that they are bad. It's not even that they aren't original. No, it's the fact that we're doing storylines that belong in the fourth or fifth season of a show in its seventh season. Even the Gerrard plotline, which is new to 9-1-1, feels like it came too late, because the split up crew/villain captain storyline tends to happen much sooner in procedurals, and for a reason. Besides the fact that this was never really a big bad type of show and I don't get why they are making it one all of a sudden, and ignoring the fact that Gerrard being brought back as captain, especially to the 118 of all places, makes no fucking sense, that kind of plotline is one that it's obviously always temporary. No one believes he'll still be the captain by the end of 8A, much less by the end of the season. He'll hardly survive the first 3-5 episodes. That's ultimately a filler storyline. It helps the show go on for longer, it might even help in the development of a couple characters, but at the end of the day it doesn't change anything, which appears to be a recurring theme when it comes to 9-1-1 storylines.

The reason I have a problem with this is that we don't need a filler storyline, because no one knows whether the show has the luxury of taking its sweet time. Yeah, it has a huge audience and it is doing good numbers, but it is still a fucking money pit that was already cancelled once and it's unsustainable on the long run. It might not end that soon, but is it honestly going to reach season 14? Does anyone truly think that we've only seen half of it (or less) so far? Because I don't. Not many shows make it that far, and there's a reason for that. We have three huge names who are extremely important to the show. What happens if they get tired? What happens if someone gets a better offer? What happens if we're still revisiting old storylines when that happens? Do we get an incomplete story or a rushed one?

The show should be moving forward, even if there are no plans for it to end soon. We have the drama of the huge disasters 9-1-1 loves. We have the drama of the cases. We have a myriad of new possible dramatic storylines for the characters that show development without being too final. Athena could have so many different job related storylines (from moving up in her career to abandoning it), and her and Bobby's storyline from the beginning of the season about being boring together can be played in a good and dramatic line. Henren and Madney have a whole world of parenting issues that they could go through. Buck and Eddie both still need either an endgame love interest (whether it's each other or not) or to get to the point where they are fine not having one, and we have all of the relationship trouble that comes with that. This show can give us new things, storylines that are good for the characters, without losing the dramatic factor (which, if I'm being honest, would not be a deal breaker for me). Yet, it refuses to, and probably not for a good reason, because it comes down to either Tim wanting to rewrite history or just trying to drag this show for as long as possible (which apparently he only knows how to do by refusing to make the characters happy). And you know what? I'm fucking mad about it, and I think you should be too.

Btw, this is not to say the whole season sucked. We got Madney and Henren together multiple times which was great. We finally got Bi Buck. There were several amazing acting moments for both the main and recurring actors. As a standalone season, it was good. It just doesn't work when you look at the bigger picture.

[tmwcs]

Robin Hood - One Shot

One shot i started while i was on the family trip. Kind of thought of it during breakfast and liked the idea, so I drafted it and finally got around to finishing it. ;)

Warnings: MDNI 18+ Smut...lots of descriptive smut. Hostage intake, thief/robberies, held at knife point, cursing's, philandering, maltreatment, hints of domestic abuse.....i think that's it.

Smirking as he processes the article, Heeseung tosses the newspaper aside and sets his sights on the magazine that he picked up earlier. Eyes gliding over the cover, the working of his mind maps out the details and operation of his next target.

“Forbes 2023 Most Successful Business of the year, NIA Hotel”

…………………….

Dawning his attire, he laces his black combat boots and manages the fit of his all-black ensemble. Glancing off to the side, the handsome young man places on his black cap, the ‘tip of the spear’ that finishes his look, along with a black mask that covered his nose and mouth, leaving on his eyes to remain partially exposed.  Time to go to work.

NIA hotel had the largest revenue in the world, and how convenient that the main hotel building in this city, would contain high valued items on the top floor. It was the largest hotel building in the world with over fifty stories of rooms that carried only the prestigious guests or people with serious money. The owner of the hotel personally had lived in the fiftieth level, along with valuable assets hidden in a safe.

For weeks, Heeseung had calculated his moment to strike as he had spent his months portraying as a staff member of the hotel, sneaking in and stealing their attire and badges, gaining access to the very top floor as he scouted the details of his plan. Getting passed the guards was easy, finding the hidden safe was even easier.

Exiting his rather lavish suite, being the world’s top thief had it’s perks. Even when he disbursed his little ‘gifts’ to the desolate communities, the valued amount of his steal was more than enough for him to retire at such a young age, yet he found life to be more interesting while living in sin.

Living on the top floor himself, Heeseung couldn’t possibly blow his cover by taking the main entrance and exiting through the heavily guarded lobby. So, he opts to exit out of the window, all the way down from twenty stories up. With zip lining wire, wheeled in a small spindle-gun, he takes aim and shoots out at a street light. Once the puncturing arrow had pierced the post, releasing the quick dry cement foam that set the tip in place, he hooked a shoulder strap to the cable, securing his swift travel down and across from his penthouse. Reaching the post, he propels a soft stop by swinging his feet up just before meeting with the post. With the sharp and jagged cleats on the bottom of his footwear, and the handheld spikes at the hilt of his belt, he climbs down the post until he meets the ground safely, and just in time as Jake pulls up in a black van, carrying the additional passengers that all took part of tonights event.

“Pick up service!” Sunghoon chuckles out as he opens the door. Smirking, as evident by his slightly squinted eyes, Heeseung walks up and enters the van, with his deep chuckle heard faintly behind his mask, he takes Sunghoon's hand as the latter pulls Heeseung up and inside the vehicle before sliding the door shut.

“Hey bro, looking good.” Jay remarks as he types away on his laptop. All seven crew members had their part in ensuring that each night, one such as this, went smoothly as they reduced the chances of capture. Through the process of elimination, the group became operationally steady as each member took on their respective roles, making each gig, a success.

Jay was the expert subject matter on computer technology and came from a family of money, so naturally he was able to equip himself with the highest technology products in the industry that included 3D printing, code crypting, hacking, and information intelligence. Sunoo was in charge of the costumes and outfits, creating and organizing the lavish attire for each time they scouted their targets. Jungwon was their communications guru, able to manipulate, splice, and alter wires within any radio system. Niki covered everything in regards to security, and spent the weeks leading to tonight portraying as a member of the hotel’s security staff, gaining access to all the hot spots of the multiple camera angles and motion of direction. Along with Heeseung, he would be the only other member to remain inside the building as he staged himself inside the security post, manipulating the camera systems and quietly detaining the staff members to avoid interruptions.

Jake spent his earlier days racing cars as a hobby, knowing how to move a car effortlessly and memorizing the most discreet pathways of the city, he mapped out their routes and plotted the additional rendezvous points. Sunghoon was the only one among the group that had military experience, having served three years right after high school. The man was notorious in taking apart every piece of equipment and device used in military weaponry and combat stealth, leading him to borrow the ideas from the strategic design and replicating them with the aid of his fellow military connections. Heeseung was the one who would bring home the goods. Being nearly as tall and flexible as Niki, but having the stealth and charm to play his way through contacts, not to mention being gifted with the rare ability of determining pitch of sound, Heeseung could decode any safe just merely by the sound of their clicks. Together, all seven men had spent years effortlessly gaining millions in net worth, all in a single night.

As Jake steered the van through his mapped route, Jay instructs Heeseung as he issues him the pin code to the safe.

“I hacked into the manufactures system, the owner of the hotel uses a company called iSafe.”

Heeseung smirks as he configures his watch. “iSafe? Is that some sort of ripoff from the apple product?”

“Not a rip off, it IS Apple. Its not widely promoted by the company since they are exclusive and remain affordable through word of mouth only. The techs that run the Apple products designed the key pad. I hacked into their systems and found his code, it’s the numbers of his girlfriend’s initials.”

“Girlfriend huh? Wonder if the wife knows about that.”

“Worse, the wife not only knows about it, she has to accept it since there’s no prenup and her family is against divorce. If she decides to leave him, she’ll get nothing. Plus it doesn’t help that it was an arranged marriage set up by her own father.”

“Ouch.” Heeseung remarks. Merely issuing as he clicks in the coordinates on his watch while Niki texts it by phone.  

“Yeah, I dipped into this dude’s background. He’s honestly a scumbag, it looks like their whole marriage has been a complete shit show. Man also has a type and it’s definitely..….well….here.”

Displaying a stilled image, Jay reflects the face of an attractive yet heavily altered woman. It was clearly evident that she had plastic surgery, yet that didn’t necessarily turn Heeseung off….not until....

“I’d still tap it.” Heeseung chuckles out.

“Well watch this video first....then tell me how you really feel.” Hitting play, Jay plays out a recording of the pair during their sexual encounter, the woman’s face was filled with so much botox, she displayed absolutely no inflection in her expression, yet her mouth, remained just barely parted, admitted the most pitiful sounding moans the entire crew has ever heard. Laughing at her expense, each member issued a look of confusion as they all compared the sound to farm animals.

“What the fuck? Is that a cow?” Sunghoon inquires as he listens in on the video.

Smirking, Heeseung asks Jay how in the world he acquired the recording.

“He saves all the footage from his hidden cameras in his laptop, I saw that shit and had to see it myself.” Jay laughs out.

Getting a good laugh at the woman’s pathetic expression…or lack thereof, Jake chimes in as he issues out the estimated time of arrival.

“Heeseung, you got 10 minutes.”

Clicking in the last of the coordinates, Heeseung nodded as he shifts his gaze up, and gets into position near the door. Sunghoon grabs onto the handle as he pats on Heeseungs back.

“Be safe. You know where the alternative meet up point is should anything goes wrong?”

Nodding, Heeseung reassures the information as Sunghoon confirms.

“2 minutes.” Jake issues.

Counting down, Heeseung crouches as he braces for impact. With Sunghoon staging by the door, Jake counts off the remaining five seconds as he glides and maneuvers the vehicle towards the curbed edge of the unidentifiable spot.

“5…..4…..3…..2….1! Now!” Jake states as the wheels begin to slightly screech and he purposely planes the vehicle to its side in a rotated motion. Sunghoon pulls the door wide as Heeseung leaps out and softly lands on solid ground as the van never stops moving. Continuously making its way out of the scene and heading to the vantage point, the crew quickly drives away, leaving to swap out the vehicle and stage it nearby the hotel, within communication range.

Leaving no sound to trace or alert anyone of his landing, Heeseung swiftly rolled into the shadows and remained hidden as he maneuvered his way towards the back of the building. Narrowed in an alleyway, Heeseung used the first set of coordinates and located the massive HVAC unit by finding the large vent on the side of the building. Using one of the many toys Sunghoon had given him, he used a multi-tool to unscrew the vent, while Niki controlled the angle of the security camera by gliding the rollover mouse and deterring its line of sight away from Heeseung.

“Okay you’re out of sight. Do your thing Heeseung.” Niki calmly sounds off with a deep voice, all the while the real security staff remained knocked out from the chloroform gas bomb he set off just moments before entering in with a gas mask. Some more goodies that Sunghoon had acquired through his military connections.

Nodding to himself upon hearing Niki’s voice through the bud earpiece, Heeseung finishes up with detaching the vent. Gliding into the duct. It was large enough for him to crawl and move around as he made his way inside the HVAC room, located in the basement.

“I’m in.” Heeseung communicates as he detaches the second vent and enters the room.

Locating the main vent that led to the main air duct, providing majority of the building's airflow, Heeseung detached it from the wall as he did with the other two, and began crawling through the aluminum crevice as he reads the second set of coordinates. Gliding through, he reaches his second destination as he kicks out the vent from the inside.

“Niki am I good?” Heeseung radio’s in.

Locking the elevators internally by setting the magnetic locking feature, Niki leaves all but one elevator stagnant. Looking into the cameras, he ensures the elevator was not in use. Once confirmed, Niki clears Heeseung, to which the latter listens in as he waits for his que.

“Coming up in 3…..2……1…” Niki calmly counts down as Heeseung hears in for the rising of the elevator, which Niki controlled as he operated the feature from the security room. Heeseung waits for the perfect timing as the elevator box rises up. Taking out a small handle, staging it near the roof of the aluminum duct, he presses the button and the handle extends into a pull up bar, securing itself between the two walls with its suction tipped ends. Sliding underneath the bar, feet first, he hangs himself out from the opening as he grips firmly on the extended piece. Looking down, he waits until the roof of the elevator was within his sight, nearly ten feet away before he releases his grip and softly lands on top, riding the box all the up to the top floor.

Looking at the numbers assigned to each vent, reflecting the floor level, Heeseung iterated the numbers to Niki as he continued to control the elevator through the systems automatic feature.

“Coming up on the fiftieth floor.” Niki remarks. As the elevator box reached the top, Niki pauses the motorized mechanism by halting the elevator through its emergency stop feature, ultimately allowing Heeseung to detach the vent and crawl through the top floor within the main duct line.

“Thanks for the lift.” Heeseung chuckles out through the communication piece, a small speaker pin that he attached to his collar.

Crawling through, going off the third coordinates, Heeseung pauses as he reaches the location of a side vent.

“Just reached third coordinates……am I good?”

Carefully scanning through the hidden cameras of the large presidential suite, the entire fiftieth floor, Niki ensures that all was clear on his end.

“All is clear here. Jay?”

Chiming in, Jay radios in an affirmative as he manipulates a military drone that Sunghoon acquired, having firm access of the hotel owner and his girlfriend enjoying their night out as they grab dinner and prepare to take a flight out, while the wife had remained on vacation.

“You’re good Heeseung.”

Kicking out the vent, Heeseung slides out and scans the immediate area. Inside the dining area, the lights had all remained off as the occupants were out and away.

“Too easy….” Heeseung smirks as he quietly makes his way towards the master bedroom. The entire floor level was larger than most foundational houses, it had a cathedral type ceiling and an expanded open floor plan. Not to mention the furnishings and luxury antique paintings that all hung delicately on the French styled panels that decorated the walls.

“Which painting was it again Niki?” Heeseung radios in.

“It’s going to be the one of Mona Lisa.”

“THE Mona Lisa painting?” Heeseung issues as he was stunned by Niki’s response.

“Not the actual, but it is a genuine replica, and its much larger. It still costed him a pretty penny, I think Jay said he paid over 10 million for it. He hired a bunch of artists to trace and reflect every exact curve and brush stroke as the original.”

“The man has money…..good thing I’m about to take it, his girlfriend could use a break from all those surgeries…any more silicone and she might pop.” Heeseung jokes as he reaches the replica portrait.

“Hey lady, you here alone?” Heeseung quietly speaks as he admires the large portrait.

Tracing the edges of the frame, he feels for the specific feature behind the painting’s main creation. Upon feeling the nub, he presses in and hears in on the clicking sound of the frame detaching from the locking mechanism, gently swinging open as Heeseung reveals the hidden key pad that Jay had fore-mentioned, completely flushed with the wall.

Entering the code, the wall slides open within a framed compartment, revealing the top notch safe that contained an elaborate dial. Just as he was about to get to work, Niki chimes in on the radio.

“Heeseung, get out of sight, someones coming.”

“Shit….” Whispering as he curses himself, Heeseung quickly migrates over into the master closet, which alone, was larger than his own penthouse. Taking refuge within one of the mirrored hanging cabinets, he stands in quietly. Rushing out of the open area, the frame quietly swings open once more as he wasn't able to fully secure it in time.

“Who the fuck came up?” Jay radios in.

“Not sure, it looks like the owner had additional security members a few floor levels down…must be a new security feature because that wasn’t set before. But this guy had to have used the ladder well and gone directly up while I was tracking Heeseung’s movements and operating the stand-alone elevator.” Niki explains, calmly tracking the security guard as he conducts his hourly night rove, as prescribe by the head of security and checks the entire main floor level.

“Heeseung you good?” Jay inquires.

“Yeah I’m good…just hiding out.”

“Stay put, I’ll let you know when it’s clear.” Niki reassures as he uses the security cameras that covered the entire floor level, all but the master suite and bathrooms.

Watching as the security guard did his roves, Niki cursed himself the moment he watches the guard taking notice of the painting swung open.

“He saw the painting. Heeseung stay hidden.” Niki radios in.

“Fuck, we gotta go.” Jay issues. “Heeseung stay put, this place is about to be swarmed with cops, we’ll let you know when all is clear right before they come through. Niki, you need to get out of there man.”

“Already moving. Where are you guys staged?”

“A few blocks away, we’ll swoop by and pick you up at Main street, three buildings down from the hotel. Heeseung where are you right now?”

“I’m inside one of the clothing cabinets inside the main closet.”

Instructing Heeseung, Jay continues to elaborate the alternative plan.

“Alright, stay there. Once we get Niki, you’ll have about 10 minutes before the cops show up and reach the top floor, also the owner has been informed, so we’ll have to swoop by and get you fast before he comes back. Can you get down in five?

“Yeah.”

“Okay, meet us at the same spot. We gonna have to kill all comms in order for the radio waves and frequency to be left untraceable. Don’t discard the pieces, just crush it and bring all the components back with you.”

“Got it.”

Ending the communication, Heeseung takes both, the ear piece and the speaker pin, drops it on the floor and stomps it with his boots, before stuffing the evidence in his cargo pocket. Exiting out of the master closet, ensuring that the security guard that blew their cover had already left, Heeseung began making his way out and back to the vent, where he would start migrating to the ladder well and quickly make his way out before the entire building goes on lock down. With just four minutes left, he rushes out and makes his way through the narrow corridor and takes a sharp turn around the corner, where he bumped into you.

Gasping as you felt the rush of hard muscle bashing into you, all the while a pair of strong hands simultaneously reaches up and pins your arms to your sides, Heeseung was just as shocked as you were the moment he felt himself bumping into your body. With the lights remaining off, he quickly reacts without investigating on who exactly he ran into. Turning you around, he pulls you back into his chest as he raises a sharp blade up to your neck and pulls you away and back into the master suite.

“Not one fucking sound. Nod at me.” With his other hand covering your mouth, his deep tone was fierce and forceful, yet calm…too calm, considering he was trapped on the top floor. But, the man was a professional, so it was only natural for him be composed. Nodding as he bids you to do, he continued to drag you back over toward the master bedroom and locks the door.

Your phone began ringing the moment you both entered the master suite, reflecting your husband’s number, which came in as an unfamiliar contact since you never bothered saving it. Initially, you were fond and very much in love with your husband, finding him to be both handsome and kind. But the moment the ceremony of the wedding had ended, he revealed his act and exposed his displeasing nature as a man with absolutely no value or respect for anyone other than himself. He was narcissistic, materialistic, and a philanderer. You grew to despise everything about him, so much, that you had refused to save any part of him in your life, to include his own cell number.

“Whose that?” Heeseung asks, still unable to see your face as all the lights remained off.

“M…my husband….”

“Husband?”

“Yes…..he’s the owner of this hotel….” You softly spoke out.

“You’re….his wife?.....I thought you were on vacation?”

Somewhat shocked at knowing about your whereabouts, you calmly elaborated as you admitted to secretly arriving back home sooner than expected.

“I…I was…..but I had to come back to….to pick up my divorce papers….” You calmly stated, saddened as the emotions of losing connections with your family was produced from this divorce. It was the only reason why you were hesitant, but you couldn’t take it anymore. As much as you wanted to remain connected with them, you only had one life to live, and you couldn’t possibly see yourself living in a lonely state with a husband that you hated, much less hating you back.

Meanwhile, Heeseung cursed himself as he continued to pin the blade to your skin.

“Answer it. Do anything stupid and I’ll slit your throat, so be a smart girl.” Heeseung instructs. You nod as you answered the call.

“Hello?.....”

“Why did you turn the security members away?”

“I…..just got in....i'm too tired and want to get some sleep……so I told them to come back tomorrow.”

“You dumb bitch, someone just broke in. Are you seriously not going to let the security members investigate the house? just wait till i get there, i'll slap you smart.”

Pausing, you quietly and calmly continued to reassure your husband that all was well…..which turned out favorably for Heeseung.

“There’s….no one here. I already checked and nobody took anything……”

“The team said someone tried to break into the safe.”

“yes but…..they had left before they could open it……i'm going to be here....i'll stay awake for a while and keep an eye on it…….but I’m too tired to deal with your security team……they can come back tomorrow.”

“so you’re sleeping there tonight? That’s a change.”

“Well……I figured since your secretary said you were going to be taking a flight to the Caribbean tonight, the house was going to be empty….for once.”

“Huh..sneaky. Well, since you’re there, I guess I don’t have to head back. We’re turning around and going back to the airport but if you see anyone, call security and text me.”

Gulping out of irritation, you calmly reassured him. “Yeah…..i got it.”

“Good little watch doggie. Be good and watch the house while we’re out oh, and Denise says hi.”

In the background, your husbands girlfriend could be heard as she teases a long “Hiiiiiiiii y/n.” as he places the phone on speaker. Heeseung furrowed his brows in annoyance at the total scummy attitude that the man displayed towards you. Despite whatever problems you both had in the marriage, there wasn’t any real reason he could see that would justify the man’s treatment towards you.

“Please polish all my jewelry while we’re gone, I would appreciate it!” Denise states. Both her and your husband continue to taunt you as it became evident that Denise had been living in your house, with your husband, as you had taken up on living in one of the other rooms in the hotel to create some diversion from the ugly pair. If it wasn’t one of the rooms within the forty-nine remaining floors, it was elsewhere in the city or lodging on whatever part of the world you could get away to. So long as you didn’t have to remain beside them.

“by the way, I heard you picked up divorce papers. You really going through with it?” your husband mocks out curiously.

“Yes…”

“Does daddy disapprove? Did he disown you yet? Does he even know?”

You stayed silent as you tried to alter the conversation to its end.

“Just sign it once you get back and I’ll have my things moved out in the meantime.”

“Good riddance, Denise needs more closet space, she says she’s tired of sharing everything with you. Anyhow, you sure nobody got into my safe?”

“yeah…..”

“Take a photo and send it to me. We’re pulling up at the airport right now, so send it within the next ten minutes before we take off, I don’t intend to keep my phone on while we’re up in the air.”

“Okay…..”

Hanging up and ending the call, your husband seemed to be reassured that all was well at the house, more so now that you were home.

“give me your phone.” Heeseung calmly instructs. Doing so, he takes it and drags you towards the safe. Handing it back to you, he tells you to take the photo and send it immediately. You did as he instructed, before handing it back to him as he extends his hand to look over the text.

“Why the fuck did you marry him? Dude is an asshole.”

“……I didn’t really have a choice…..”

Remaining calm and stoic, reflecting your deepest state of unhappiness, you continued to converse with the young man in the dark, not at all knowing what you both looked like. Suddenly, helicopters from afar could be heard making their way over towards the hotel.

“Shit, come here.” Taking you by the arm, he drags you back into the master bedroom, where all the lights remained off and the curtains closed. Taking you into the corner, he pins you back to his chest with his blade remaining close to your neck, all the while he peaked in through a tiny gap between the curtains and looked over the entire area. Taking your phone, he dials in and contacts Jay.

Answering, Jay figured that it was Heeseung as the number came in unrecognizable, yet he recalled seeing it when he hacked and viewed your, and your husband’s profiles. Piecing everything together, Jay figured Heeseung must have made contact with you upon seeing your number.

“Bro, where are you?”

“I’m still on the top floor…..wife came back early.”

“Yeah I figured…I sort of recognized the number. Are you good?”

“Yeah I am, but cops are everywhere and so are the helo’s….”

“Yeah we see them. You’re going to have to stay put. Did she call security?”

“Nah, and it ooks like they wont be coming up. Husband also is….appeased….knowing that his money is safe.”

“Yeah, I was tracing him through the drone, looks like he ended up going to the airport after all. But you’ll have a solid two hours before you can come out. They’re going to do a thorough rendezvous search around the perimeter of the building, and then slowly expand out throughout the city. We’re heading out but we’ll come back to get you, in the meantime, stay there and don’t come out until we call. You gonna have her phone on you?”

“yeah, I’ll be here.”

“Okay, hang tight, we got some time so chill out for a bit.”

“Yeah sure….” Heeseung mocked out as he slightly rolled his eyes while Jay chuckled.

“You’ll be fine man, trust me. Just don’t leave until I call.”

At that, both ended the phone conversation while Heeseung remained vigilant in scouting the area outside as he held you hostage. With the lights peering into the bedroom windows, he could vaguely make out your hair and the tip of your nose from you side profile as your locks framed your face delicately. He was too focused on what was going on outside, he didn’t take any notice of your dress, which was styled as a wrap, similar to that of a robe with a belted sash that held it in place. It began to come loose and slip off. The tie from the satin material was far too delicate for it to remain in place with how you were being pulled, moved, and pushed around as Heeseung shifted positions, dragging you along as he continued to study the movements and routes of each helicopter, plus the cop cars that all remained staged around the entire hotel.

You wanted to say something but feared of speaking as the grip of his hand tightened over your mouth. Slowly as the seconds went by, and each time Heeseung shifted and moved from one window to another, your dress came undone, slipping off your shoulders and collecting at the bend of your elbows while the sleeves coiled up and the entire body of it draped over your derriere, exposing your body. With only a pair of panties on, you slightly whimpered as you felt yourself become completely exposed.  

Hearing your voice, he takes a glance down, initially confused as to why he felt your back shiver, when he noticed your dress removed. With your hands pinned on your sides, he made out the fabric thorough the harsh lighting that peeked in from the windows, and noticed the slinkiness of the material, causing him to piece together on just how you ended up becoming nearly naked in front of him.

With the intent on letting you fix yourself, he was just a split second away from instructing you to dress yourself, when you shifted your head inward, facing in his direction as you felt it hard to breathe since his large hand was not only covering your mouth, but his fingers were blocking the airway of your nostrils as well. Taking in your movement, he caught sight of your face and was essentially stunned….so much that he hadn’t immediately realized that you were barely getting any oxygen, which had caused you to admit another whimper as you furrowed your brows together, squinting your eyes shut and shifting your face upwards, where Heeseung gained a better view of it in the lighting, all the while you lifted a hand and placed it on top of his. Finally realizing that you were struggling for air, his eyes widened as he noted his hand blocked our nostrils and mouth. Quickly removing it, you harshly gasped as you shifted your face back to center and your chest raised up high as you took in a deep breath once you felt air traveling back through to your lungs.

Watching as you regained your breath, Heeseung had quickly wrapped his arm around your waist, supporting your body as you felt lightheaded and went limp from the rush of air hitting you. Slightly bent at the hip, your body shakes as your hair drapes over while your head hangs low, leaving your entire back exposed and your rear pressed up against his groin. You were far too beautiful to be treated in such a manner as he witnessed earlier, how could anyone treat someone like you like trash? You were so lovely in the face, and built with such gorgeous feminine attributes, you were the most breathtaking thing he’s ever seen.

“Why in the fuck is he hitting up that blow up doll when he’s got her….?”

Perplexed at how any man could be married to someone as other worldly as you, and yet choose someone who was highly altered with a synthetic face, Heeseung couldn’t believe how foolish your husband was.

“Is he fucking blind?......Does he not like real women?.....”

Continuing on with his pensive thought, you finally gained composure as you stood upright, brushing your hair back as you steadied yourself.

Grabbing on to you, his black leathered, fingerless gloves was all you could feel against your bare waist, with your hair draped over your shoulder and dangling against your breasts, you remained perfectly still as he held you tightly against his body. Your back felt as if it was melting against his chest, and while his grip was strong, his breathing was calm and soft.

His nose touches your cheek as you felt his lips tap against your helix when he spoke in a low growling tone.

“Look at me…”

Hesitant….you remained still as you felt a wave of fear hit you. But the moment he tugged on your waist harshly, he reiterates his demand. “I said……look at me….”

Doing as he bids, you shut your eyes gently as you slowly turned your face to look over to him. Slowly opening, you make eye contact and for the first time tonight, you saw his face. He had a slightly sharp nose with high cheekbones, along with wide eyes and cupid bowed lips; his facial features were somewhat defined and matured, yet reflected a certain softness and youth to their expression. Gazing into your eyes, he lost himself as he whispered out….

“Fuck……”

Resting his chin on top of your shoulder, his body relaxes and alleviates the pressure of the blade from your neck, allowing you to breathe a little easier. Yet it was too soon for you to take in any comfort from his demeanor since  he began to scrape the smooth edge of the blade against your skin, moving it up and down along the center of your throat.  Calmly, he speaks as the tip of his nose brushes against your cheek, with his chin remained resting on the nook of your shoulder.

“……look at me some more.”

You shifted your eyes and locked your vision with his black iris, despite being hidden under the bill of his black cap, you could tell that his eyes were so black, that it lacked any natural luster as they were voided of any shine and remained matte in its bold and dark color, resembling coal. Yet you were surprised, he was quite handsome, and his deep voice had paired his features nicely.

Collapsing the pocket-knife and shoving it inside his cargo pocket, he remained staring as he fully embraced you by the waist, and pulled you in.

“you can relax. I’m not going to hurt you….wasn’t ever going to.”

Breathing steadily, you gave a slight nod as you tried to create just a tad bit of distance between your pressed bodies, yet the moment you took a tiny half step forward, you felt his grasp pull you closer than ever. Whimpering out a soft moan, you shuttered as he rubbed his nose and took in a large, inhaled scent of your perfume.

Groaning upon feeling your body pressed up to his groin, even he couldn’t make sense out of his actions, he was just acting out of what felt right………and you felt more than right. You felt perfect.

Whimpering once more, you shifted slightly as you tried to cover your chest once you had felt one of his hands trailing up to your breasts. Turning your face away, he didn’t stop moving even upon seeing you shy away and trying to cover yourself, instead, he merely shushed you by pressing his lips against your ear.

“Shhhh…..its okay baby…….”

Hearing his soft voice melted you, and you felt your body sink into his while your chest heaved deeply as you started to lose control of your breathing.

“…..how long has it been…..since hubs touched you?” he asks, as he cupped your breast and admitted a slight squeeze while his nose dragged upward near the tip of your ear, resting right above the helix. With a small peck, his lips tap against your ear, causing you to become more unsteady as you felt the knot forming in your gut….something you hadn’t felt for far too long.

“I……mm……it was only once…..after our wedding ….” You mumbled out softly, your tone sounded angelic to him. It was similar to that of a wind chime, with gentle tones of high pitch.

Squeezing both of your breasts, his tongue traces the lining of your ear. The sensation was so good, you hadn’t entirely meant to moan and tilt your head off to the side, giving him more access, yet you couldn’t help it. Reaching behind, you planted your palms on his thighs and tried once more to push yourself way to create some distance, yet this time it was just out of teasing spite as you yearned for more of his tenacity. To be craved by a man was something you were missing out on in life….to be craved by Robin Hood himself, was a big bonus.

Sensing your mannerism and the playful vibe you admitted while softly feeling his legs as you pushed, he pulled….slowly….playing right back. “Ooooh…..trying to get away from me?” He smirks against your hair. You slightly shook your head as you arched your back and pressed the back of your head gently against his lips as your derriere dug deeper against his pelvis. That nearly did him in, gripping you harshly by cupping your breasts, he pulled you and smacked your back against his chest as he burrowed his face into your ear. Whispering in a deep and sensual tone, he says to you, “tell me what you want…..tell me and I’ll give it to you….I’ll give you…..e-v-e-r-y-thing…..”

Raising his hand, he sides eye you with desire written all over his face as he sticks out his tongue, and licks the tip of his middle finger. Traveling downward, he slips it into your panties, and uses the same finger to rub the small nub of your clitoris. Gasping for air, with the punch of pleasure banging your gut and chest, you whimpered aloud as you begged him with a whining tone, “ugh!....i….i want. It……..i want it…..”

“say it louder….” Sliding his finger up and down along your slit, he uses the moisture admitted from the crevice of your womanhood and slowly inserts it inside you. “I want it! I want it!.....” you nearly screamed out as you felt him lift your frame by the inserting grasp he had. With his finger inside, and his palm cupping the base of your soft spot, he raised you to your tip toes as he would slowly thrust it in and out. “ugh! P-please……”

“Please what?” he antagonizes out, yearning to hear more of your begging tones, getting more aroused each time you spoke out to him….yearning for him just as much he was yearning for you.

“Come on baby…..tell it to me like you really want it……tell it to me….like how you really want it…..”

Adding more ferocity to his thrust, his finger re-enters inside your hole as the squelching sound of the lubricant becomes louder and screams inside the bedroom. Feeling yourself gushing out, you finally caved in as you nearly collapsed, had it not been your grasp on his fitted cargo pants along with his wrap around your waist. “….p….please…….fuck me…..”

Turning you around so suddenly, he plasters his arms around your frame as he pulls you into an intense and feasting kiss. Never once breaking, you both nearly ran out of breath until he finally admitted a small gasp of air before proceeding. Bending at the knees, his hands reach down and around your back thighs as he swiftly lifts and cradles your legs around his waistline, carrying you over to the king size bed. Laying you down gently, he hovers above our frame as you both scooted towards the center, remaining in contact through the touch of your lips.

Once in position, he props himself on his knees as his military styled clothing continued to show off his lithe frame. Opening your legs wider, he softly rubs his fingertips against your thighs as he hooks them under your panties, and slides them off. Pulling your legs up and together, he slides the fabric off and tosses them to the side while keeping your ankles pinned together, resting atop his shoulder. Caressing and cuffing them together with one hand, he reaches down and unzips his pants slowly while biting down on his bottom lip, staring directly into our eyes. With the lights from the city peering into through the windows and curtains, a dimmed hue of a glow set the atmosphere right as he admired how beautiful you looked under him.

Slowly taking out his shaft, it pokes against the back of your legs as your ankles continued to rest over his shoulder, covering his length from your vision. You could tell that he was long and thick, based off how it felt against your skin as he rubbed it up and down, and tapped it against your thighs.  With the bulging tip, he slides it up and down in between the folds of your slit, coating it with that glistening shine that coated his finger. Entering, the tight pressure of your cavity caused his breath to growl as he tilts his head far back, exposing his protruding Adams Apple.

“Fuck you’re tight….”

Whimpering, you shift your face away as you winced in pain. Reaching up, your hands grab hold of his shirt as you dug your fingers into the material and his abdominal muscles. “Ugh!......i…it hurts!”

Remained facing with the ceiling, as he gasped out a breath of his own, he nodded faintly as he spoke “I know…..but I’m going to take care of that for you in a second……I’m going to take care….of you….” slowly bucking his hips in, he inserts, inch by inch until he finally was all inside you.

Enjoying the warmth of softness of your moist tissue, he flickers his cock as it rests inside, tapping against your walls while the pre-cum seeped out and puddled inside you. Looking back down at you, he finally caught his breath after taking a moment to appreciate the feeling of your body. Like the finest silk, you felt far too good for him to not begin thrusting.

With slowly pumps, he started off with a gentle pace as he asked you, “are you ready?”

Nodding, you felt the stinging pain pulsating as he stretched you out, going in and out…in…and out……

Once your response was received, his momentum became unforgiving as he picked up the pace and thrusted deeper, faster, and fiercely. Groaning out deep tones, Heeseung was overwhelmed by the amount of pleasure he felt. It was so good, he had to go harder….he had to make you scream.

Looping his arm around your legs, with your ankles remaining on his shoulder bone, he slightly lifts your derriere off the bed as he continued to thrust and pump his dick into you. Supporting your frame by the lock on your legs, you found yourself lost in the sea of euphoria as you were getting fucked relentlessly by the infamous thief. Not knowing his real identity, you merely moaned out in long exasperating whines and whimpers as you felt more pleasure coming in, and the stinging tinge of pain was disappearing fast. Numbed and yet still able to feel every single inch of his cock thrusting in and out, you gasped out as you whined “p-please….please….ugh…don’t stop…….don’t stop fucking me.”

 Turning you over, he places a trail of kisses on the arch of your back as he grabs onto your rear, squeezing your cheeks together as he grabs your waist from behind. Propping yourself on hands and knees, you moaned out upon feeling his wet length trailing patterns on your skin, tapping against your cheeks as he prepares to enter. Steadying your body with a tight grasp, he squeezes your waistline as he re-enters, sliding all the way in. It was becoming easier to enter inside as he was stretching your walls open from thrusting in his large muscle repeatedly.

He never once thought he would ever take a married woman to bed, but for you, he’d do anything. He’d do everything.

Feeling the base of his groin as it presses against your rear cheeks, you gasped out as he starts back up on thrusting, slamming against your rear with sharp and pungent thrusts. The sound of your skin slapping against the skin of his base, along with his trousers as he remained fully dressed, he started off slowly and deep before going in at a rapid rate.

“Ugh! Ugh….my God…I’m……you’re breaking me….”

“Oh fuck yeah I am.”

Finding himself tenacious in ruining you, Heeseung took great delight in toying with your words as he slaps himself against you each time he thrusted in, pulling you by your waist simultaneously as he re-coats his dick with that precious liquid that emerged from you. The consistency started to thicken and turned white from the constant friction and rubbing from the thrusting. Watching it formulate before his very eyes, he watches as a thick, white ring of cream outlines his girth, growing and expanding along the inches the more he kept fucking into you.

“Ugh! ….fuck! I’m going to cum!” you whimpered out. He responded by increasing the pace yet again, spanking his groin against your round bottom as he powers in all the energy and masculinity into your womanhood, claiming you as he tells you to  cum.

“Cum baby……cum with me…”

Thrusting in with high tenacity, you both fell into the hands of your release as you reached your orgasms. Nearly screaming, you felt the tears of pleasure stream down your face as you felt his groin gyrate and vibrate against your rear as he filled you up, pulling you in towards him by his grip on your waist. Turning you over, he lays you down and re-inserts his length once more. Leaning in between your legs and plastering his chest against yours, he locks his lips with your own as he begins to thrust once more, initiating round two.

Grabbing onto your neck, he breaks away just slightly as his nose and lips remained touching yours. His thrusts caused your body to shift upwards as he watched you bolt up and down from his impact, loving the way your placid expression from earlier, was broken as he fucked you.

“let me give you a pearl necklace to wear around that beautiful neck or yours baby….”

Bumping up and down as he continued to thrust, you admitted a nod as you furrowed your brows in pain from the overwhelming pleasure hitting you once more. “ugh! D….d…too deep! You’re too deep!”

“Yeah?......lets go deeper baby……”

Gasping for air, he succeeded, though you couldn’t imagine how he accomplished the task as he was already going in all the way in. By lifting one of your legs and leaning it against your chest, he was able to reach depths that you had no idea existed until he pointed it out…literally.

“Oh my God! Ugh!...p…please….”

“I know baby….i fucking know……come on, keep taking it. You’re doing so well……you’re doing soooooooo good……come on baby, keep fucking it……fuck it….fuck it baby.”

“ugh!” you gasped out repeatedly, to which he responded by issuing teasing words as he breathed into your mouth. “Right there baby? Is that the spot?”

“Uuuuuugh!”

“Yeah? Want me to keep hitting it? Just like that?....come on baby, let me beat it up for you.”

Tapping against a spot deep inside your gut, you reached up and gripped his chest as he breathed deeply into your wide-open mouth. He refrained from kissing you, taking the moment to enjoying swallowing in each of your moans as he fucked you harder, faster, and stronger.

“oh fuck baby, come here.”

Feeling himself reaching ecstasy he quickly pulls out just in time as he kneels himself up and reaches for the back of your head. Pulling you in gently, he strokes his throbbing member as he ejaculates along your neckline, coating you with the pearl necklace that he enjoyed seeing you wearing……because it was his.

Growling out the last of his moans, he leaned back in and kissed you repeatedly as he caressed your face. Noting the lack of energy and your eyes fluttering shut, you became weak after succumbing to his performance. With one last kiss on your forehead, he gently pulled the covers over your body and fetches a few of your husband’s belongings from the master closet.  

Snagging your phone, he quickly calls in once more.

“Yo.” Jay answers.

“Be around the block in ten, right next to that Lebanese food cart, I’ll meet you there. Don’t worry about the cops, I scouted a loop hole route. Trust me. See you soon.” Hanging up, he left no chance for Jay to respond as he erases the call history, not at all concerned as the number he dialed in was that of a disposable phone. Leaving the crew untraceable.

Placing your phone down at your nightstand, he takes one more glance over and admires your sleeping state before leaving you to rest. Decoding the safe, Heeseung worked quickly as he clears his throat, still catching his breath from the heightened pleasure he felt from fucking your brains out.

Swinging the safe door wide open, there, the entire life’s value of your husband’s assets was free for the taking. Gold bars, velvet bags of diamonds, shareholder certificates, and large stacks of cash, a wide variety of investments that Heeseung stuffed into your husband’s gym bag. Shedding off his combat styled attire, he stuffs it all inside the bag while adorning the gym clothes he snagged from the master closet. With his cap remaining, Heeseung left his face partially hidden as he dressed himself in sneakers, basketball shorts, a fitted tee shirt with a sports jacket. Sliding back inside the vent, realizing that the guard never noticed it being detached from the wall, Heeseung slid and crawled through, configuring his way through while dragging the bag along through the spacious air duct.

Reaching another vent, he kicks it open and emerges out, into an empty guest suite located two floors below the top level. Figuring that the guard had already discovered the detained guards and reset all the controls in the security room, Heeseung peeked out through the small peep hole on the door, and there it was, off to the corner of his vision, he could see the security camera that covered the hall of the forty-eighth level. Containing the view of the door, Heeseung exits the room, casually, portraying himself to be a guest at the hotel as he remained inconspicuous. Tucking his hands inside the jacket pockets, he walks out and heads over to the elevators, walking past a few other guests and even a couple of roaming security guards. Watching as Heeseung stood calmly, waiting for the next elevator, one of the security guards noted Heeseung’s attire and tapped his shoulder.  

“Excuse me sir. The hotel’s gym is currently closed for the night.”

“Damn….well that sucks.” Heeseung hisses out.

“I know, we apologize for the inconvenience. However, there is an exclusive gym down the road that is open to all guests of the hotel. Its nearby, just a few buildings down, past Main street. Don’t mind the police, there is an elaborate search of the hotel since there was an intruder alert.”

Feigning a slight gasp with a surprised look, Heeseung calmly converses as he built a false rapport with the guard. “No shit…..huh….is it safe to leave the hotel?”

“Oh yes, nothing to worry about Sir. Everything is under control. We’ll have the man arrested in no time, we had cleared the top three floors and figured he made his way through the ladder well. The police are in a high state of alert, so please don’t be alarmed if they ask to check your bags as you exit the hotel.”

“Of course, man, thanks so much uh…” extending his hand, Heeseung hinted for the man’s name.

“Oh, Robert.” Shaking hands with the guard, Heeseung nods as he continues. “Robert. Nice to meet you man, Ethan.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. Thanks for the tip, I’ll see you around man.” Heeseung enter’s the elevator with two other guests, listening into on the guard, he overhears as Robert radios in and commits to standard protocol.

“Three guests making their way to the first floor, two males and one female. Both cleared.”

As the elevator doors shut and started to move, Heeseung side glances at the couple, taking note of their distracted presence as they both displayed their loving affection towards one another. Pressing on the third floor button, Heeseung remained cool as the elevator reached the level. Walking out, he notes the security camera covering the entire hallway, leaving no door and room out of its line of sight……except for the vent that was on the dead-end wall, underneath the camera, out of the vantage point.

 “Too easy.”

Casually walking up, Heeseung takes out a key card, one that he had taken over a week ago when he scouted the entire top floor portraying as one of the lobby staff. Coding it with the hotel’s computer system, he copied the hotel manager’s master copy. Opening the door closest to the opposite corner of the camera, the angle only captured the top corner of the door, gaining enough sight to witness it opening and closing. Entering the master key into the slot, the guards in the security room watched and noted the door opening with Heeseung entering the room. Mistaken as a guest of the third floor, the guards shifted their focus back to one of the middle floor levels once the door to the room had shut.

The moment he entered the room, he swiftly ducked and leaped out, right from under the camera’s lens. With the door only partially covered, there was no sight of what went on underneath the center of the panel, leaving Heeseung free to feign an entry. Taking out the vent, he re-enters inside the duct, and crawls through, recalling the coordinates from earlier and developing his own alternative set, he reached the very start of his journey for the night, and found himself back in the HVAC room at the hotel’s basement. With only minutes, possibly seconds left before someone would notice the vent’s manipulated and displaying evidence of security breach. Heeseung quickly reaches up and undid the vent that led outside, held in place with an instant drywall gum that he applied on the corners of the vent, setting it back in place as a precautionary measure in case the guards conducted their roves along the perimeter of the hotel’s exterior. With no way to screw it back on from the inside, Heeseung got crafty and experimented with multiple home products to develop this concoction.

Pressing it outward, he grips on the grooves of the vent with his fingers so as to not let it fall and hit the ground, causing noise to alert the police stationed out on the front and back, occasionally roaming around. With the helicopters hovering over the neighboring buildings about five miles out, he would have just seven minutes before they would migrate back over the hotel. Quickly exiting out of the duct, he props the vent back over the opening, before climbing in between the neatly trimmed trees that outlined the hotel, providing a luxurious lining of landscaping beauty. Remaining in the shadows close to the trees, he travels on the opposite end of the foliage, making his way the in the direction of Main Street, passing by the back side of the fine establishments that neighbored the hotel. One he reached the fourth building down, he walked through the narrow alley way and emerged from the side, with the sight of police officers and the massive hotel building all at a solid distance. Right on time, a white SUV pulls up.

Rolling down the window, Jake peeks his head out as he looks behind and takes notice of the hotel and the line of police cars that covered the entire entrance.

“Need a lift?” Jake chuckles out.

Smirking, Heeseung walks over to the passenger side and gets in. Driving off, they head out to meet up with the rest of the crew, splitting the earnings as per usual.

Media outlets along with social media platforms blasted the news of the robbery. For days, nothing but talk of the hotel owner’s entire life investments, was all stolen. Desperate to seek information, the police released a massive million-dollar reward for any leads.

………………….

“This is Belift news. It would so appear that there is still no signs of the infamous thief, who is socially identified as Robin Hood. Once again, the thief has emerged victorious in stealing over 400 billion dollars’ worth of assets that included shareholder stock certs to major corporations and companies around the world. What is even more strange, is that Robin Hood, who was always known for his generosity in leaving a fraction of his prize to the most impoverished areas of the city, had skipped out and took everything for himself, as no one has come out with claims of receiving a gift at the doorstep. Of course, it has been three days since the incident, police express that Robin Hood may be more cautious and is remaining under cover and may possibly leave his gift after things calm down.”

Turning the TV off, you sipped on your coffee as you relaxed on the balcony, taking in the beautiful sight of the city in a separate hotel. What with the safe breached and your husband’s life’s savings all taken, you didn’t bother to remain at the NIA hotel any second longer once you notified him. Knowing that he would fly back immediately, you left him with a simple text….

Sending out the half-hearted message, you immediately blocked out his contact, not at all wanting to entertain whatever response he would text back. With the divorce papers unsigned, you didn’t even care as you realized that lacking his signature, would only mean that the divorce is contested on his part, yet you also knew that he wouldn’t show up at court to provide a defense, meaning the judge would automatically rule in your favor, making the divorce as binding and legal. Either way, you won. He lost.

Hearing the bell ringing, you got up and checked the peephole to see the hotel’s concierge staff member on the opposite end with a delivery man next to him. Opening the door, you greeted the two men as the staff member nodded and respectfully spoke.

“Ms. Y/n, there is a delivery for you that requires your signature of acceptance.”

“Oh, a delivery? ….That’s fine, where do I sign?” a bit confused, you signed the electronic pad, reflecting your acceptance as the delivery man handed you a box made of leather. Thanking the two men and gently shutting the door, you walked over to the table where you set the box down. Opening the golden latch at the front, inside was a smaller box made of velvet, with a small envelop wrapped with a red ribbon. The wax melt that sealed the envelope contained the letters “RH”.

“It….it couldn’t be….”

Opening it, you read the small letter that was handwritten with such delicate calligraphy.

“Tis the night where thy heart yearns for thee, I pray thy Maid Marian, remains happily free. Just as the swallows that fly above ye pretty head, I sit and stare, painting the canvas of ye blossoming face from thy bed. For I seek the comfort of her warmth and touch, Come out wearing this above ye bosom, the one whose heart I miss much. Wait for me, as I come to ye, Become thy Maid Marian, forever with me.” Love, Robin Hood

Opening the smaller box, laid delicately in place, was the most beautiful piece you ever did see. A necklace….made entirely out of white pearls.

.....................

"let me give you a pearl necklace to wear around that beautiful neck or yours baby…" - Robin Hood

-Fin

Enjoyed this piece? Show love and treat your girl to a cup of coffee. ♥️ 

☕ Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/reinbow

[teshadraws]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 49]

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-

Nia speaks with Giratina.

-

Nia stares up at Giratina, her breath trapped in her lungs and her heart beating hard inside her chest. Giratina moves forward, bending closer, looming over her like an eclipse. Close enough for her to realize the extent of the danger she's in if she was wrong, if he really does want her dead—

Nia stumbles back, flinging a messy burst of aura from her hand. It sails at Giratina and—with a flicker of transparency—straight through him. If Nia didn’t know better, she would almost say he looks annoyed.

Right. Ghost type. Normal type energy won’t do a thing.

She’s doomed.

Nia turns and sprints for cover, only to nearly run right off the floating chunk of land she’s on. She barely scrambles back in time, sending rock crumbling down into space. Although there is another platform just a ways away. Could she jump?

“Would you be still?” A deep voice rumbles, rolling like thunder through Nia’s body.

Nia glances over her shoulder, only to see Giratina’s creepy tendril things move to grab her. Decision made, she takes a few short steps and leaps off the platform, arms wheeling. She stumbles on the landing but keeps moving.

She hears the faint sound of movement behind her, and then she’s being scooped up by cold, powerful tendrils. They wrap around her and pin her arms at her sides no matter how she struggles, turning her to look directly into Giratina’s angry expression.

“Cease this foolish chase!” He growls. “You summoned me!”

For a moment, Nia is strangely thrown off by Giratina deciding to...talk to her. Instead of just killing her on the spot. But she did come here to learn more about him, and she didn’t think he was totally evil after saving them in the tunnels, so—

So maybe she needs to try to calm down.

Nia swallows, heart still pounding. “E-Edme forced me to.”

Giratina’s blood-red eyes narrow.

“I-I mean, we wanted answers, and I agreed to try talking to you but she didn’t say I’d have to go into the distortion world and she used psychic or something to make me a-and…” Nia trails off.

Giratina continues to stare at her. She has no idea what he’s thinking, until he rumbles, “Edme?”

Nia blinks. “…The Guardian?”

Giratina hisses a distasteful sound, pulling back. “I should have known she was behind this. Bothersome insect.”

Nia stares, bewildered. “I-Is she not, like…your servant or something?”

“Self-appointed. I should have ceased communication with her years ago.”

“Oh.”

There’s an awkward beat of silence. Giratina seems to be stewing in his dislike. Nia, meanwhile, is starting to feel the chill of the cold appendages cocooning her. Like dense mist.

“U-Um. Could you put me down? Please.”

Giratina gives her an exasperated look, long tail flicking. “Are you going to run again?”

“…Are you going to hurt me?”

Giratina scoffs, lowering Nia closer to the ground before releasing her. She still lands on her butt a little roughly, and winces as she stands.

“So the shell tricked you into coming here,” Giratina says, lowering himself just enough so that Nia can see his face when she cranes her head way back. Sharp golden mandibles and all. “But you were willing to talk, before. I assume you are still willing?”

Nia glances around at the distortion world. In every direction, she sees nothing but the same dark blue-black space, with chunks of land floating through it like a great stew. Here and there amidst the darkness, tiny pieces of colorful light hang like stars, but she isn’t sure what those are yet. Regardless, it doesn’t look like she has a way out even if she tried to escape. So…

“W-Well…” Nia rubs her arm, surprised by just how awkward this encounter feels, after the initial terror. “I did have some questions?”

Giratina rumbles, and Nia has to assume it’s a sound of agreement even as the fur on her neck stands on end.

“J-Just…first, was Edme telling the truth?”

“Regarding my banishment?”

Nia nods.

Giratina’s wings tuck closer to himself, long body coiling around in a loose loop. Like he’s settling in. “Yes. Her ilk are bothersome, but I suppose I should be grateful to them for attempting to preserve the truth. Cresselia was infuriating on the best of days, but I meant her no harm.”

Nia probably shouldn’t believe him just like that, but…well. He sounds honest. And something about his cold, steely gaze feels factual, rather than emotional. Like he isn’t trying to appeal to her and butter her up.

“S-So…” Nia scuffs at the rock beneath her, trying to think of how to phrase this. She’s trying to keep Tobias’ caution in the back of her mind; she has to get some answers first before assuming Giratina has honest intentions. She looks up, up, up to meet Giratina’s eyes. “Why have you been following me?”

Giratina looks down at her with something like annoyance. “To attempt contact.”

Nia squints. “By…trying to drag me through reflections against my will?”

Nia almost thinks—too late—that she should probably be a bit more respectful to the giant who could crush her with a flick of his tail. She’s surprised to see Giratina look away, mandibles clicking irritably.

“I…have already been advised that that may have not been the best course of action.”

Was that a poor excuse for an apology, or just an excuse? Is he…embarrassed? Wait—

“Advised?” Nia echoes. “By..?”

“I have not been working entirely alone.”

“Oh. Do you mean Edme?”

Giratina falls silent, and for a moment Nia thinks he isn’t going to answer her. Then, he sighs. “No. Mew. The Mother.”

Nia tilts her head. Mew is a protector of all Pokemon, right? Most Pokemon seem to think really highly of her. If Giratina’s telling the truth, and the two are working together in some way, that alone would make Giratina much more trustworthy.

“Okay, so…assuming you’re telling the truth—"

Giratina glares at her, and she flinches back, hands raised as if she can actually do anything to fight him if he decides to attack.

When he does nothing, she warily continues. “I-If you’re telling the truth, then you just wanted to…talk to me. Right? Why?”

Giratina’s glare dies off, fading to something more…tired. It’s in the way his whole body seems to sink, wings falling lower.

“You will hear me out without fleeing?”

After a beat of hesitation, Nia nods.

Giratina glances off into the distance, though Nia can’t see anything when she follows his gaze. Just more blue-black swirling void.

“I have been attempting to make contact with you humans,” Giratina starts, “Because Mew believed you could be of assistance.”

“Assistance?” Nia asks, frowning. “Assistance with what?”

Right on cue, a rumble sounds off in the distance, and Nia feels the ground beneath her shake. Giratina looks in the direction of the sound with sharp eyes. Once the rumbling fades, he relaxes.

“Assistance with that.”

“What was that?” Nia asks. Surely floating chunks of earth in an abyss can’t have earthquakes?

“That is a symptom of the greater problem.” Giratina says. He rises higher again, moving to slowly circle the chunk of land she’s standing on. As if pacing. “The dimensional border between worlds is weakening.”

Well that certainly doesn’t sound good.

“What…exactly does that mean?” Nia asks.

Giratina grumbles something under his breath, as if put upon to explain such a basic concept. Nia bites back the insane urge to stick her tongue out at him. Instead, she cautiously pads closer to the edge of the rock to follow Giratina’s movements.

“The world you were just in is the Pokemon world. Its entire dimension is…encased, in a way, by this realm. The distortion world. Think of it as…the hard shell surrounding the soft innards of a fruit.”

“Okay…” Nia says, mostly following. “So if this place is the shell and the Pokemon world is the fruit, then…the purpose of the dimensional rift is to protect the Pokemon world?”

“Correct.” Giratina gestures vaguely with a toss of his head. “The distortion world, my domain, acts as a protective barrier around the Pokemon world. It contains it. Keeps other dimensions and worlds safely separate.”

“Other worlds?” Nia asks, eyes wide. “Like…the human world?”

Giratina slows to a stop to look at Nia, expression unreadable. Then, he rumbles, “Yes. Another fruit along the vine, hanging close to our own.”

For a moment, Nia is excited by that news. The human world being so close to this one is fantastic! And if the border is weakening in some way, wouldn’t that just make it easier for her to get through it and go back? But—

“W-Wait. You said that the dimensional border is weakening. So in the fruit metaphor, the shell is…thinning?”

“More accurately, it is beginning to preemptively crack,” Giratina says.

Nia bites her lip, not entirely sure what that means, but knowing it can’t be good. “Okay, so the dimensional border is getting messed up…but what does that mean for us? For the Pokemon world? I’m guessing it’s…bad?”

Giratina laughs, sudden and deep like a crack of thunder. Nia startles, then wilts. She doesn’t know if a laugh has ever made her feel quite so small before.

“So it’s…really bad,” Nia guesses.

Giratina twists away from his circling path, up above the rock. He looks out again at the distortion realm. “Consider it the worst possible event that could happen.”

Nia feels her ears pin flat. “Really?”

Giratina hums. “Tell me, Riolu. You’ve heard of the dormancy of the gods, correct? How they’ve all mysteriously fallen to sleep, abandoning the Pokemon who need them?”

“Y-Yes?”

“What of evolution breaking down? Making it impossible for Pokemon to grow strong and reach their full potential? Stunting their growth?”

Nia…doesn’t like where this is going.

“Or perhaps the mystery dungeons appearing out of nowhere, wreaking havoc and reverting Pokemon into mindless, aggressive beasts? Causing death and loss?”

Nia stares up at him, heart sinking.

“The weather phenomena. The natural disasters. Due in part to the absence of the legends, but exacerbated by the border’s weakness. Slowly destroying the planet and those who inhabit it.”

Nia doesn’t know what to say, horror falling slowly over her like a suffocating weight.

“All of that,” Giratina says, anger spilling into his words. “Is due to the dimensional border weakening. The shell of this world is going to split, and the fruit inside has already begun to rot.”

Nia steps back, only to trip and fall on her tail. The silence trapping them is heavy. She stares at Giratina, scrambling to think. She knew, distantly, that things weren’t normal in the Pokemon world. Everyone said as much. But she had no idea that it was as dire as this is starting to sound.

She isn’t sure the Pokemon world is aware of how serious it is, either.

“B-But…” She stammers. “It can’t be that bad. The Pokemon are still doing all right despite all of that! They’re surviving just fine! There are Seekers to help, a-and—“

Giratina laughs, though this one is bitter. He lowers his head until he is nearly eye-to-eye with Nia, the sharp angles of his head taking up the entirety of her vision. “The greatest Seekers in the world will not be able to help this dimension once the split actually occurs. What you have faced so far is but a fraction of what is to come.”

Nia feels her throat tighten as an unfamiliar feeling of despair washes over her. Tears spring to her eyes. She desperately scrubs them away. “N-No, that can’t…”

“It is.”

Nia falls silent, fighting against the feelings threatening to overtake her. She blinks hard, mind scrambling. She takes a deep, shaky breath, trying to stay logical.

“O-Okay. Okay. So what can we do to fix it?”

Giratina stares at her, and Nia can’t decipher the look on his face.

“This is your domain, right?” She presses. “So surely we can do something to fix it, right?”

Giratina rises again, once more looming over her. “You think I have not tried? You fail to understand that this has never happened. Not since the dawn of this world.”

“Then…how do you know for sure that the border thinning or cracking o-or whatever is what’s actually happening?”

“Because,” Giratina says, wings flaring as if to gesture to the entirety of their environment. “I am one with this dimension. It has been my prison for a hundred years and a refuge for a thousand more. I know it as well as my own blood. I can sense the border weakening, disrupting the balance of everything within like the pressure of a growing tumor. While the fatal moment has yet to come, I can sense its approach.”

“Yet to come..?”

“My domain is that of antimatter. The distortion world. The space that balances out all that is. I am the counterpart to my siblings, Dialga and Palkia.”

“Gods of…time and space,” Nia murmurs.

“Correct. As such, my realm is not bound to the same flow of time and space as the Pokemon world is. While I can sense the damage caused to the rift, it has not yet occurred. Instead, we are merely feeling the ripples of its influence through time and space. As we approach the epicenter of this damaging impact, its effects on the Pokemon world will only worsen.”

Nia’s breath catches, for two separate reasons. Hope and fear war in her chest. “S-So all of the things going wrong in the Pokemon world right now…will only escalate and get worse the closer we get to the point in time when this damage will actually be done.”

“Yes.”

As terrifying as that is, Nia can’t help latching onto the other portion of Giratina’s words. “But…that means this damage hasn’t technically happened yet, right? S-So we just need to stop whatever causes this before it happens. Problem solved!”

Giratina shakes his head. “In theory, yes. But considering we are feeling the effects of the break even now, that suggests its path is final. Your optimism is ill-placed.”

Nia’s barely hanging onto her composure right now as is.  Her hands are shaking, so she balls them into fists and takes a note from Tobias.

She growls up at Giratina, “Y-You’re the one who asked for help, right? You can’t be feeling completely hopeless if you’re still trying to fix this!”

“What else is there to do?” Giratina rumbles. “I am not the type to roll over and die.”

“Good. Because neither am I.”

Nia would love to feel some solidarity with Giratina right now, if only to help her feel less terrified, but Giratina looks unimpressed at her assertion.

“I see why Mew insisted on bringing you humans over,” he says quietly. “Foolish creatures, just like her.”

Nia opens her mouth to respond, but her determined facade drops as Giratina’s words register. “Wait—what—what do you mean Mew brought the humans here? You brought us to the Pokemon world?”

“It was not my decision, I assure you. Once the first of you lot wandered in, Mew had the brilliant idea to transform any lost soul she could get her paws on.”

Nia doesn’t think Giratina understands the gravity of what he’s saying. Nia has been trying to figure out why and how she was brought to the Pokemon world since the moment she woke up here, months ago. And now Giratina is casually saying that he and Mew apparently just grabbed any human soul that ‘wandered in?’

“What—wandered in? How does a soul just…wander?! What do you mean?”

Giratina looks at her for a long moment, cold red eyes lidded and almost bored. “The preemptive damage to the rift has weakened the border. Opened it to realms outside of our own. Thus, human souls have begun to slip from the human world into ours.”

“You mean Mew just—yanked us into the Pokemon world and changed our bodies without even thinking to ask us if that’s what we wanted?”

“What was your proposed alternative?” Giratina asks, tone dry.

Okay, that makes Nia mad. Just the…lackadaisical way he’s talking about their situation!

Angry tears fill her eyes, and she hates the way her voice shakes when she yells, “We have families, you know! Lives we need to get back to!” A new thought occurs to Nia, and an unfamiliar outrage pours into her veins like magma. She points up at Giratina accusingly. “Are you the reason we lost our memories?!”

Giratina has the audacity to sneer at her outburst. “Contain yourself. We didn’t take you from your world. You would have turned into a yamask in the Pokemon world without Mew’s intervention. All she did was take advantage of the situation to give you a form better suited to your soul. Your memories were temporarily sealed away to help you acclimate properly to your new body.”

“If you’re telling the truth,” Nia points out.

Giratina’s gaze hardens. “Be grateful that I am telling you this at all, small one. We did nothing to bring you here—only changed your form to improve both your situation and our own.”

Nia grits her teeth. The anger in her body simmers lower. Not gone, but quickly petering out. “That still doesn’t answer why. Why do that at all? It sure doesn’t seem like you care about us humans enough to do it for our benefit.”

Giratina huffs. “I do not. Mew, however, is an annoyingly compassionate creature. Though she was weakening, she insisted on using her own power to transform any lost souls she could find. I tried to dissuade her.”

“Why would it be so bad for us to turn into yamask anyways?” Nia asks. Will is a yamask, and he seems perfectly fine. He’s even leading the Humans Movement to find a way home!

Giratina looks away. “The yamask are not a natural fit for their bodies. They struggle to find a place in the Pokemon world. Mew is doing you a service in giving you an inconspicuous form and a better chance to make connections.”

“It would’ve been nice to have a choice in the matter,” Nia growls, even as her fury dies down against her will. She’s never been able to hold onto her anger for long.

“You were not conscious enough to make a choice."

“Fine,” Nia says, crossing her arms. “Either way, we’re here now. Does that mean you can help us humans get back?”

“Attempting anything of the sort when the border is so unstable would be suicide. The lost souls float in of their own accord so we can neither stop them nor send them back.”

Nia's heart sinks.

“B-But what if…what if we save the rift? The Pokemon world? Surely then we can find a way back, right?”

“I am here to stop Pokemon from attempting such idiotic ideas as dimension hopping, Riolu.”

“Well I’m not a Pokemon, Giratina!” Nia bites back. “I’m a human. I don’t belong here.”

“You may not have a choice in the matter."

For some reason, that simple sentence strikes Nia hard, knocking the breath from her lungs. Tears flood her eyes. Giratina doesn’t even have the decency to look sympathetic.

Getting back to the human world and her old life has been Nia’s main goal since waking up in the Pokemon world. The thought that even if the Pokemon world is saved, she won’t be able to go back? Would never see Mom and Toni and Clay again? That she wouldn’t get to go to school and have a family?

It’s unthinkable.

Fine. Fine, then. Giratina doesn’t want to help? It doesn’t matter. Will is finding them a way home. Giratina may be right about the damage to the rift, but that doesn’t mean he’s right about this. It’s not like he cares enough about humans to have attempted it before anyways.

No matter what, it sounds like they need to fix the rift before anything else. Otherwise, the Pokemon world will be destroyed, and Nia couldn’t live with that. Not after meeting all the wonderful people who call it home.

“Either way, we still need to save the distortion world, right?” Nia sniffs, wiping her eyes free of tears. “And you’re going to humans for help. So what’s so special about us humans that makes you think we can do something that Pokemon can’t? In case you didn’t notice while you were stalking me, I can’t even use moves properly.”

Giratina rumbles a displeased sound. “I am well aware. Rest assured it isn’t your battle prowess we were looking for.”

“So?”

“We were hoping to recruit humans for two reasons. One being that since you have no predisposition to distrusting me—“

Nia raises a brow.

“—that you would hopefully be more open to communication.”

Nia almost laughs, almost snaps that Will warned the entirety of the human crowd in Ghatha not to trust Giratina or talk to him, but bites her tongue in time. She doesn’t want to put a target on her friend’s back, even if she’s kind of vindictively glad that Will disrupted Giratina’s plans and made his life a bit more difficult.

“So you couldn’t have, I dunno, tried to get my attention sooner? Sent Mew to talk to me?”

Giratina glares down at her. “You were picked up almost immediately by the charmander and meganium. I waited and scouted to see if you would even be someone worth pursuing, but by time we decided you were, Mew had already—“

Giratina cuts himself off, and Nia almost thinks she sees an emotion aside from anger cross his face.

“Mew…had already grown weak,” Giratina finishes. “She has not fallen to sleep yet, but she is starting to show signs. I try to make her rest when possible.”

Is that…actual concern for another living being he’s showing? Nia wasn’t sure he had it in him.

Nia sighs, feeling most of the residual anger leave her body. “But is that really the only reason you started seeking out humans? Just so we might be more willing to talk to you?”

Giratina sounds no happier about the situation than she is. “We don’t know what will cause the damage to the distortion world, so we don’t know how to stop it. Mew thought that a human perspective could discover an answer we may have missed.”

“So you’re desperate,” Nia summarizes.

Giratina growls, and Nia feels the sound in her bones. For once, she’s still too angry to feel all that afraid.

“Am I the only one you’ve managed to talk to?” Nia asks.

“After observation, we have not deemed many of your kind worth contacting. You are one of the few, and the only one inquisitive enough to actually reach me.”

“So that’s a yes.”

Giratina makes an unhappy sound, but doesn’t refute her assumption.

Silence descends over the rift. Nia takes breaths through her nose to calm down. Even if she’s still upset, she needs to have a civil conversation with Giratina. The fate of the Pokemon world depends on it.

“What can even rip through a ‘dimensional border?’” Nia asks, finger quotes and all. “It sounds very…metaphysical.”

“It is not something a normal Pokemon should be able to accomplish,” Giratina admits. “Most beings cannot even touch it. The dimensional border is, in its own way, a living thing. It is a tapestry of life energy from Arceus, as well as something greater. The only element able to protect and contain entire dimensions.”

“Life energy,” Nia murmurs, frowning. “Like…aura?”

Giratina hums a thoughtful sound. “More or less, yes.”

Nia looks out again at the void. “If it’s aura, couldn’t you just get some lucario and riolu to like…patch it up or something where it’s weaker? Reinforce it?”

“There is no physical landmark where the border is weaker,” Giratina says. “While I can sense its eventual destruction, I do not know the damage’s origin point. The border is not so…logical as that.”

“Great,” Nia mutters.

“And even if it were, I have severe doubts we could convince the lucario tribes to assist with such a thing. They are…not particularly open to outsiders. Additionally, even if they were to offer their help, they alone would not have enough aura to mend a tear this immense.”

“Okay. Great,” Nia sighs. “So you don’t even have an idea of what could cause that much damage?”

Giratina looks away. Nia is grateful he has such an obvious tell. A century of solitude must’ve made him more of an open book, less used to hiding his emotions.

“What?”

“The damage would almost certainly have to be the doing of a legendary, but that would be impossible considering most are dormant.”

Nia groans. “So you’re telling me I’m supposed to find a way to fix a god-sized problem!? That sounds like something a god needs to fix! Not—“ Nia gestures vaguely at herself. “Not me!”

“I agree,” Giratina snaps, turning on Nia and looming over her large as a building. “But considering that there are very few gods still awake to even be aware of the issue, our options are limited.”

Nia quiets. “…How many of them are dormant?”

“Nearly all, at this point,” Giratina growls, circling the stone platform restlessly. “Which means we are likely nearing the tipping point. A year, at most.”

Nia’s mouth drops open. A year?! They have to figure out how to stop this within a year?

Giratina must see the disbelief on her face, the despair creeping over her skin, because he turns his focus back onto her. “Do you know why Arceus’ children are falling asleep as the border weakens?”

Nia weakly shakes her head.

“They are being forced to conserve energy. Saving their power for when it will be needed to birth a new world.”

“A new world?” Nia echoes. “After…”

“After this one is destroyed,” Giratina confirms. “Arceus is so deeply tied to this universe that the weakening of the border harmed them, forcing them into sleep. One by one, their children have followed.”

Nia stares at him. “Then…why haven’t you?”

“Because I am the opposite of life energy, of the positive essence of the world. I am antimatter. I am least affected by its destruction, so I shall be the last to fall. And until that moment, I will do my duty and try to save this dying world. I am only asking that you do the same. For your own sake, if nothing else.”

Giratina says all of this not bravely or compassionately, but with a tired, steady loyalty. And just like that, Nia understands why he was chosen for such an important role, chosen as the guardian of the dimensional border. As insufferable as he is.

“Okay,” Nia mumbles, rubbing at her face and trying to keep her cool. At least for now. “Okay. So we just…need to save the world before it breaks. You said most of the legendaries were already asleep—which ones aren’t? Could we ask them for help?”

“Very few have escaped the slumber. However, Xerneas and Yveltal may be of use to us. They are technically asleep, but the two of them naturally rest in cycles. They lapsed into their usual 1,000-year stasis before Arceus fell dormant, so it is possible they would be able to wake prematurely.”

“Xerneas and Yveltal. Yveltal is the god of…war, right?”

“Destruction,” Giratina corrects. “Death. Xerneas is the god of new life. Creation. In theory, Xerneas may be able to help reinforce the life energy of the border if we can wake her early, but she is asleep in the physical world where I cannot reach her.”

“Wait—the physical world? Like the regular Pokemon world?”

Giratina gives her a rude look that suggests she is, in fact, quite stupid. “Yes. Unfortunately, I do not know her actual location. Wherever it is, it is hidden from my reflections.”

“Helpful,” Nia mumbles, apparently picking up Tobias’ snark since he isn’t here to snap at Giratina himself.

Oh man, Tobias is surely flipping his lid back at Edme’s. She has to get back soon and let him know she’s all right. And also prevent him from murdering the bug. Nia is like 90% sure Edme won’t harm Tobias while she’s gone since she achieved her goal, but she can’t say the same for her partner if he gets free.

“Okay,” Nia says. “So what’s our plan right now? Try to find Xerneas and wake her up to help us?”

“Considering it is currently our only semblance of a plan, I suppose so.”

“Or,” Nia adds. “We could try to find the source of the damage to the border and stop it before it occurs. Right?”

“A fool’s errand,” Giratina dismisses. “I told you the damaging event is likely already set in stone." Something in Nia's expression must speak to how little faith she puts in that certainty, because he sighs and continues, "But I cannot stop you from pursuing such a path. Just do not let it distract you from seeking out Xerneas.”

Jeez, thanks for the permission, Nia thinks drily.

She takes a deep breath, shaking out her arms. “All right. No big. That gives us two avenues to explore. Don’t suppose you have any more leads than you’ve given me so far?”

Giratina scoffs. “I would have already explored them myself if I had. No. That is what I need you for. Investigate the physical world to find Xerneas’ resting place.”

“And keep an eye out for anyone who might have plans to harm the distortion world’s borders.”

Giratina nods.

Nia nods back, nervous but determined. “And will you be hanging around in reflections still, or..?”

“I shall keep close by to assist when possible, and inform you of any leads I find. I will be listening to different entry points to the world and trying to find information myself.” Here he gestures to one of the pools of light a bit a ways away. If Nia squints, she thinks she can see out of it, like a window. Oh. It must be the other side of a reflection.

That’s…helpful. If incredibly creepy.

“Got it. I’ll keep an eye out for you and clue Tobias in, too. I…actually might have an idea of who to ask for help in finding Xerneas.”

Giratina gives her a doubtful look, but doesn’t press. Instead, he circles down to wrap around the stone platform she’s on. Nia gives him a questioning look.

“You want to return to your partner before he murders the bug, yes? I’ve given you all the info I have.”

“Oh! Y-Yes. Should I just..?”

Nia tentatively climbs atop Giratina’s back, relieved to find his body solid enough to stand on. Can he make himself incorporeal at will? Can all ghost types? Nia pads carefully up Giratina’s neck, tentatively holding onto the golden bands wrapping around his frame. They feel cool and solid, almost like metal.

Without a word, Giratina slips into motion, serpentine body slithering through the air and curling up in spirals. Nia takes a moment to look around the environment again now that she's not running for her life. It’s just the same dark nothingness, no matter where she looks. Even the air feels too still as they cut through it.

As they approach a small, circular viewpoint—which Nia realizes after a moment must be the view of Edme’s roof from the basin on the floor—she thinks idly that she might go crazy if she were trapped here like Giratina. With only the smallest, taunting snatches of the outside world to view as a spectator.

As they near the portal, Nia can distantly hear the muffled yelling of Tobias. She bites her lip, wanting to get back as soon as possible to calm him down, but hesitates atop Giratina’s back once the titan stops at the gate.

“Giratina?”

“What?”

“Just…one more question.”

“Make it quick, before your foolish partner kills my foolish liaison.”

Nia grips hard at the golden structures set into Giratina’s back, watching her hands—her paws, really—flex with the motion.

“If…If we find a way to fix this and save this dimension, would you at least try to return me to the human world? Return all the humans? O-Or maybe even create a bridge or something between the two worlds, so we don’t have to leave the Pokemon world behind?”

Nia is expecting Giratina to laugh or snarl or at least outright reject the bridge idea. Instead, he is silent. Nia can’t even hear him breathe.

Then, he says, “Worry first about the current issue. If we don’t fix this, there will be neither a Pokemon world nor a human world to return to.”

Nia jolts, a fresh wave of alarm coursing through her. It’s one thing for the Pokemon world to be destroyed, which is terrible enough, but the human world, too?

Giratina answers her unspoken question. “The human world is too close in proximity to our own. If this dimension becomes unstable, it will rip itself apart, and the human world will likely be dragged into the implosion as well.”

Nia feels faint. For a minute, she has to press her forehead to Giratina’s cool, misty back. Horror churns her stomach.

If…If they don’t find a way to fix this, so many people will die. Pokemon and human alike. They will all die, with only the gods left to rebuild a new universe. The gravity of the situation is starting to really sink in.

She isn’t a hero. How is she supposed to fix all of this?

Nia takes a few deep, shaking breaths. Tries to use the same techniques Will taught her in Ghatha when Tobias was having a panic attack. What can she see through her tears? What can she hear through her pounding pulse? What can she feel through numb fingertips?

It takes longer than Nia expects for her to calm down. Longer than she expects Giratina to wait. Eventually, though, she slows her spiral to a crawl. She can break down entirely later, when she’s with Tobias.

“O-Okay. I’m ready now. Thank you for…for waiting.”

Giratina doesn’t answer. He simply lifts himself higher, until Nia can start to hear Tobias’ yelling more clearly and can touch the image of Edme’s dimly lit wooden ceiling.

Nia hesitates one more time. She still doesn’t know if she trusts Giratina entirely, but she can’t ignore all that she heard here. And she can’t not help, just in case he’s right.

“We’ll save them, somehow,” Nia says, voice shaky. She doesn’t know if she’s trying to convince Giratina or herself. “Everyone. Everything. Both worlds.”

And then she lifts her hand and touches the portal, feeling it suck her into its gravity.

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

Nia is sent up through the portal, landing on her feet in the shallow basin with a quiet splash.

Tobias, mouth stretched into a snarl, snaps his head from Edme to Nia, eyes wide and surprised. Edme doesn’t even look like she was paying the fuming charmander any mind, turned entirely towards the pool.

When Nia reappears, the bug Pokemon lifts, voice excited. “Riolu! You’ve returned. How was Giratina? Did you speak with him?”

Nia frowns at her, glancing at Tobias. “Put him down.”

“Of course.”

Edme’s purple energy vanishes, and Tobias falls clumsily to the ground. Immediately, he runs to Nia.

“Nia!” He puts his hands on her arms and looks her up and down, as if to make sure she’s really back in one piece. “Are you all right?”

Nia smiles weakly at him, endeared despite the heavy weight on her heart. “I’m fine. A little shaken up. But not hurt.”

Tobias relaxes, head drooping to lightly touch her shoulder. Then he looks up with a furrowed brow, worried blue eyes meeting her own. “What happened?”

“Oh, please do share!” Edme pipes up, nearly shaking with excitement. She floats closer, a pen and notebook levitating in front of her.

Tobias snaps his teeth at the bug Pokemon, embers escaping his mouth, and Nia is thrown for a moment by how…animalistic the gesture is. He must really be angry. His tail is lashing, flame burning bright. It’s only when he flexes his claws that Giratina’s words come back to Nia.

Okay, yeah, he might actually hurt her.

“Tobias!” She quickly steps in front of him, warding him back with open palms. “W-Wait. You can’t just attack her—“

“Who says I can’t?!”

“U-Um. The whole town, mostly. But please, don’t. I…I need to talk to you about what Giratina said anyways. Please.”

Tobias settles, just slightly, though he doesn’t look happy about it.

“You must share here, Riolu!” Edme cuts in, apparently lacking a survival instinct. “I need to transcribe Giratina’s words for the records.”

“Then ask him yourself!” Nia says sharply, keeping Tobias behind her. She grabs his wrist and tugs him towards the door, praying Edme won’t grab them again. “Ever think desperately forcing people into things might be why he isn’t talking to you anymore?”

Nia doesn’t know if that’s true. If anything, Giratina just seemed annoyed by the bug. Still, Edme jerks back, as if struck.

Nia will feel bad about her harsh words later, but right now she’s upset. She hurriedly pulls Tobias out of the house behind her. The darkness outside is a welcome reprieve, like hiding under a blanket from all the scary things on Nia’s mind. Still, her heart races, like she’s being hunted. She keeps moving with hurried steps, power-walking across the nearest bridge and ignoring the dangerous way it sways.

Tobias staggers behind her. “Wait—Nia, hold up!”

She doesn’t, because if she has to stop moving she’ll have to think about the crushing weight of the mission Giratina just dropped onto her shoulders and she isn’t entirely sure she can handle it right now.

“Nia!” Tobias rounds in front of her on the next island, hands out. “Stop. Are…Are you sure you’re all right?”

Oh no. He looks so concerned. When did he get so open with his care? She can’t pinpoint an exact moment. Right now, though, with her on the edge of an emotional breakdown, the quiet words feel like the final stone knocked loose from an overflowing dam.

Nia's lip wobbles as tears gather in her eyes.

Tobias' face darkens. “What happened? What did he do?”

Nia sobs. She wipes at her eyes, only for more tears to follow. “H-He didn’t hurt me. Really. He’s kind of a jerk? But I-I’m just upset about what he told me.”

“What did he tell you?”

Nia sniffs. “He had a lot of answers. About…everything. Why the legendaries have gone dormant. Why the natural disasters and mystery dungeons are increasing. Why evolution stopped. Why the humans are even here.”

Tobias’ breath catches. “…I’m guessing it’s not good news?”

Nia shakes her head, more tears falling. She crosses her arms and hunches her head, trying to hold herself together. Not quite leaning on Tobias, but close. After a moment, Tobias hesitantly shuffles forward the final inch to wrap a warm arm around her back, pulling her into an awkward hug. That gets her. She buries her face in his scarf and cries.

She just…needs a moment. To pull herself together.

Should she even tell Tobias everything she learned? She doesn’t want to upset him or drag him into this mess. What if he doesn’t believe her? But she can’t do this alone. And she has a feeling he wouldn’t let her, anyways.

After a few minutes, Nia picks up her head, wiping at her eyes. Tobias is watching her, waiting for her to make the next move.

“Let’s find somewhere to talk,” she whispers, looking around. Luckily, none of the Shivergleam residents wanted to get anywhere near her little crying fit, so they’re more or less alone.

Tobias glances over his shoulder. “The inn?”

Nia nods. They’ll need somewhere to stay for the night and catch up on sleep afterwards. It’s late. “And then tomorrow I think…I think we need to head north. Back home.”

Home. That shouldn’t be what the Lexym Guild is to her.

Tobias doesn’t question her. He nods and takes her hand, tugging her towards the nearest bridge. Nia follows without complaint, allowing him to lead them through the village from island to island, ignoring the wary looks from citizens.

Eventually he slows to a stop, and Nia looks up. The building in front of her is larger than the others, taking up one of the platforms all on its own, with warmly lit windows and a large sign designating it as the Hollowberry Inn.

Tobias leads them inside. The bottom floor is a cozy lobby, with a small cafe-like area off to the side. To Nia’s surprise, Beck is at one of the tables, laughing with what must be the employee from the front desk: a tall tree-like creature, with sinister, sharp branches and a single red eye.

When the floatzel catches their eye, he grins and waves, only for the gesture to fade as he takes in their expressions. He quietly excuses himself from his companion and walks over to them.

“Hey. You two all right?”

Tobias glances at Nia. “Not…exactly. Change of plans. We need to head back north, towards the Lexym Guild. Any idea when you’ll be heading that way?”

“Normally we’d travel south first, but we’re actually going north for a passenger we picked up earlier tonight,” Beck says. Nia can feel his eyes on her, the quiet worry in his voice. “You two are more than welcome to join us again. I’ll even give you the family discount.”

Tobias rasps a quiet thanks in Nia’s stead.

“Do you two need a room to stay in?” Beck asks.

“We can pay for one.”

“S’ppose you probably don’t want to bunk with the whole crew anyways,” Beck says. “Nori sleeptalks.”

Nia blinks. “Really?”

“There she is!” Beck says, smiling as she finally checks into the conversation. “Yup. I always say it’s because she’s so quiet during the day. All those words gotta go somewhere.”

Nia smiles back, even if it feels shaky.

“Oy, Gladys,” Beck says, looking over his shoulder. “Got a couple of customers here for you.”

The tree Pokemon looks up from her drink and a…crossword? Do Pokemon have crossword puzzles that she was unaware of?

“Come on over to the front desk, sprouts,” The Pokemon says, getting up with a creak that seems to come more from her than the chair. She moves slowly across the room on a circle of roots.

Gladys quickly checks them into a small room, handing them a little metal key and directing them to go upstairs and to the right. Beck tells them to come get him if they need anything tonight. Otherwise, they’re to meet up with the boat at dawn to get a ride back north.

Nia feels herself calming down throughout the conversation, and waves thankfully to Beck when they head upstairs. Tobias finds their room right down the hall where Gladys said it would be, and opens it up to reveal a small, cozy room.

It’s fairly basic, but it has two small moss beds for them and a chest for their belongings. A ghostly purple flame—a will-o-wisp—sits on the window ledge, burning out of nothing.

Tobias slings their bag down by the chest, then flops into the nearest nest. He doesn’t even make a sarcastic comment, apparently too exhausted to snark. It is late. The moon is starting to sink down towards the horizon, meaning it’s past midnight.

Nia shamelessly nudges her own nest flush against Tobias’ before sitting down. Tobias turns his head to peer up at her, expectant.

“I can tell you everything tomorrow if you want to sleep..?”

Tobias sits back up. “Nope. No way I’m sleeping until you give me the full story.”

Nia thinks that he might not be able to sleep after the full story. The only reason she thinks she’ll be able to is because she’s so drained. Still, she knows how stubborn her partner can be. So she rubs at her face and nods.

And she talks.

Tobias, to his credit, clearly tries not to interrupt. He looks at her seriously as she recounts everything Giratina told her in his realm. His face dips into skepticism as she repeats Giratina’s claim that Edme’s story is the truth, but he also snorts when she says that Giratina doesn’t seem to like the bug all that much.

Tobias looks suspicious when she mentions Giratina working with Mew, especially after she mentions not actually seeing the little pink Pokemon, but when she says Mew is apparently the one responsible for turning the humans into Pokemon, his eyes narrow thoughtfully.

“That…would make more sense than Giratina being able to do it,” Tobias admits. “She’s the Mother of All Pokemon. All species came from her. If anyone would be able to use her power to give someone a new form, it would be Mew. But I still don’t trust that they’re actually on the same side.”

From there, Nia braces herself to tell Tobias about the biggest bombshell of the conversation: the weakening dimensional border. How it’s the cause of the slowly increasing natural disasters and mystery dungeons. The reason for the gods going dormant, and evolution stopping. How if the future damage sending ripples back through time isn’t prevented or fixed, both the Pokemon world and the human world are doomed.

Her voice becomes softer and softer as she speaks, fearful and trembling. Tobias’ expression grows more and more anxious, until he looks genuinely afraid. He tries to hide it, but Nia can see it in his pale face and tense body. In his wide eyes and flickering tail flame.

“And Giratina wants…you to fix this?” Tobias rasps.

Nia shrugs, listless. “Not really. He’s just desperate and hoping a human doing the investigating might help somehow.”

There’s nothing special about her. That’s never really upset her until now, when she wished she was anything but the weak, helpless girl she is. How is she supposed to do anything?

“All right,” Tobias says. He takes an audible breath. “So what do we do next?”

Nia blinks at him. “…What?”

“You said we’re supposed to be looking for Xerneas or what might cause this damage, right? Any idea of where to start?”

Nia stares. She doesn’t know why she expected Tobias to wallow with her, or not believe her, or…

“W-Well…I did have one idea. But you aren’t going to like it.”

Tobias gestures for her to go ahead.

“I think we should talk to Will.”

Sure enough, Tobias scoffs. “Why? Last time we saw him he had no answers.”

“But he was looking,” Nia stresses. “And he already has a community of Pokemon with him. Researchers. If we can get him on board with helping us, we’ll have twenty times as many eyes and ears on the lookout for helpful info.”

Tobias still doesn’t look convinced. Nia doesn’t know why he dislikes the yamask so much, but there are more important things at stake here.

“This isn’t the time for petty grudges, Tobias.”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “It’s not a ‘petty grudge.’ I just don’t like the guy. He feels…fake. But you’re right that he has connections with a lot of Pokemon.”

Nia nods. “And if we head back to the guild, surely the letter he sent out after Ghatha has made it there by now. We can find out where he’s staying and go talk to him.”

Tobias looks mildly appeased at the thought of returning to the guild first. “I guess.”

“Do you think we should tell anyone else there?” Nia asks. “Like Maggie or August? Or Val? Avery and Alistair might know something about Xerneas.”

Tobias’ mouth flattens as he leans back against the wooden root wall. “Maggie would believe us, but I don’t know what telling her would accomplish other than making her worry.”

“We could still ask her about Xerneas?”

Tobias nods.

“I think Val and August would believe us, for what it’s worth,” Nia adds. “And Avery and Alistair definitely would. Would there be any harm in telling them and asking for help?”

“Not that I can think of.“

“Okay.” Nia takes a breath, consciously trying to relax her shoulders. “Okay. At least we have a plan.”

“Sometimes that’s the best you can hope for."

After that, they both fall quiet, lost in thought. Nia alternates between staring at the ghostly little flame on the windowsill and Tobias’ familiar tail flame, letting her tired mind go blank as much as she can.

Eventually, Tobias yawns. “You gonna be all right if I go to sleep? I don’t wanna miss the boat in the morning.”

Nia quirks a small smile. “Excited to get back on the water?”

Tobias flops down with a groan, pulling a chunk of moss from his bedding and tossing it at her face. "Shut up."

She laughs. “I’ll be all right. I’m tired too.”

Tobias grunts, clearly halfway to sleep already. It’s impressive. Nia curls up beside him, shimmying close enough to feel the usual warmth pouring off his skin. Even if she can't fall asleep for a while yet, she feels better knowing she at least has her partner at her back.

As she tries to rest, terrible scenarios run circles in her mind. She imagines them failing. Imagines the Pokemon world being destroyed, and the human world following. Only one determined thought grants her hope rather than fear:

They're going to save the world. They have to.

[thefluffyrailway-official]

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

During the year 1915. One night, in the city of Norwich (East Anglia/England), Lawrence Billinton, an elderly man, dark complexion, graying hair and olive green eyes, was reading a novel (Around the World in 80 Days) to a tiny baby animal similar to a steam engine.

The little one listened attentively as his adoptive father read each paragraph of the book. He was leaning on the living room carpet with his 6 small fuchsia wheels, motionless, staring at the older boy with a certain sparkle in his big blue eyes.

-An hour after leaving Bombay, the train, avoiding the viaducts, had crossed Salcette Island and was running on the mainland, - recited Lawrence with a theatrical air.

-Have you ever been there, dad? - the little train asked curiously as he slowly moved towards the older boy.

Lawrence stopped reading for a moment and smiled.

-I'm afraid not, son.- he said, shaking his head. To which the blue-eyed man responded by lowering his gaze, disappointed.

-Although, when I worked on the railway with my old tram engine, Ram, we were sometimes sent to work temporarily in Germany, France and even Uruguay, - the older was quick to say.

-Really?? Ram never told me about that!-

Lawrence put the book on the table next to the chair and placed the little engine-like pup on his lap.

-Yes, it's true. And maybe when you grow up and work on a real railway, you will travel and see other countries too- He laughed.

The pup's eyes lit up.

-Yes! YES!! I will! I will travel the world!! And I will make new friends! And I will take you and Nico with me!!- The little blue-eyed steam engine squeaked while shaking in excitement.

-Hehe. I'm sure it will be.- The man got up from his chair, with his son in his arms, and walked to the living room window. A window that looked out onto the beautiful port of Norwich.

The pup leaned on his father's chest as he looked out at the crystal-clear waters of the port in the distance, which seemed endless the further he looked.

-Someday, we'll get on one of those boats, Dad. And we'll travel around the world.- He smiled.

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

Now, a century later, that little train had grown and matured. His fur was now a shiny sky blue with red stripes and the number 1 on the sides.

Just as his father told him, he now worked on a railway on the island of Sodor; a small island south of the Isle of Man.

Thomas was glancing out the small window of his shed door in the town of Tidmouth. He'd woken up just before everyone else. And because of that memory with his foster father, he'd become quite emotional looking at the row of photos of him and his father in the door in front of him.

-You were right, dad. I managed to travel the world and meet new people. But without you and Nico accompanying me on the trip, it's not the same...- He whispered in a sigh.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a deep cough two places to his right.

-Do you mind? Some engines need to rest. If you knew what it was like to get up early, you wouldn't chatter that much. - Protested a very prideful big blue engine.

-I'm sorry Gordon. I was just thinking... - Thomas apologized.

-Well, it seems that now we all read minds because you can be heared even in Vicarstown!- Gordon growled, causing the others to wake up as well.

-Huh? What's going on?- Nia yawned, still sleepy.

-Come on guys. It's still early to start fighting.- Emily complained from a corner.

-Emily is right. You are ruining my beauty dream!- added James, who unfortunately found himself between the two.

-Which isn't work so well i can see...- Percy chuckled in answer.

-In that case Thomas should shut his mouth a bit so we can all go back to sleep!- Gordon snorted.

Suddenly, the sound of keys opening the door of one of the sheds made everyone pretend to be asleep.

-Good morning, sleepyhead- a tall, dark-skinned man with light eyes greeted as he opened the door for Gordon.

-No good morning or anything! We heard you arguing. Come on! get moving Gordon! Someone here fell asleep and we're already late for the express! - Liam, another man with amber eyes, dark hair, a bit of grey and a prominent beard, growled, while pointing angrily at his colleague.

-Thanks for ruining my last 5 minutes of sleep!- the big blue-eyed engine claimed.

-Now, come on and bring me my coaches, so that "waking up early" game of yours will be useful for something...- He ordered.

-Fiiiine... - Thomas huffed as he walked out of his shed.

And so, another tiring morning of work began on the bustling island of Sodor.

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

(𝐀𝐔 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐬: @steam-beasts <𝟑)

[master-of-the-railway]

Thought abt putting Sonny in my AEG au, he'd also be one of the kiddos, and I realized that if I gave him the backstory he has in my cgi au then he would be such an emotionally shaken little guy. Anyways I'm giving him the same backstory. (Slight TW for mentions of child abuse? Sonny's a steam engine but in this AU he is one of the child locomotives so it's the same principal. just wanted to give a warning just incase.)

In this AU it's more like: he ended up at the site of an old mining business as a newborn. The owner of the company took him in and raised him, and he worked shunting coal trucks for a good while until the buisness unfortunately shut down and his owner had to give him up for sale. Two men bought him and offered to treat him as part of their family, which he was happy to hear...until he found out they were using him as a getaway vehicle. He's hard to fit in for two adult humans, sure, but he's young and fast and he's really good at hiding both off and on railroad tracks. Sonny objected to this a lot at the start, the elder engines and the owner of the coal company had brought him up with good morals, and he wasn't going to become a dirty stealer! But his new owners, specifically the sterner and seemingly smarter one, found ways to shut him up pretty quickly. They never hurt him severely, but he got a lot of dents and bumps, and he was yelled at quite a lot. Eventually, Sonny stopped protesting. He put on a brave face and tried to enjoy being a thief.

Then he came to Sodor. His "caretakers" were planning a pretty big heist, and he was instructed to make friendly with the trains on the island so no suspicions were raised. He ended up encountering Thomas, who helped him with deliveries and ended up being a pretty good friend. Sonny tried to be snappy and mean, but it just isn't him, and Thomas is too nice for him to be mean to. So he spends time with the other kids, and he starts to really enjoy being surrounded by other young engines his age. Until it comes time for the heist. He disappears suddenly in the night, and as he's getting loaded up to take away the cargo- Gordon and Thomas catch him and his caretakers in the act. Gordon looks furious, Thomas looks betrayed, and Sonny is terrified. He's trying to get his wheels to move and he can hear one of the men shouting but he's too stricken with fear to move it. Gordon's loud whistle is blocking everything out and Sonny is panicking and shutting his eyes as he's forcing his wobbling wheels to carry him forward as fast as he can go. But he's stopped. Big engines surround him. James and Henry come screeching to a stop as Gordon appears behind him. Thomas is at his side, Percy and Nia right there alongside him. Sonny's eyes shut again and he prepares for whatever's about to be done to him...

And then his caretakers are arrested. He's sitting there, tears in his eyes, as he feels a huge buffer beam gently bump his little one. "You're alright." Gordon whispers softly, "Sonny, you can open your eyes. We're not angry with you." And so Sonny opens his eyes, Gordon's kind face looking back at him, reassuring him that everything is going to be okay. All of the big engines and those in charge of the railway perfectly understand that Sonny isn't to be blamed at all, he's simply an engine and a child engine at that. He was just doing as he was told, and as Sonny would later testify, he was being threatened in the process.

They take him in. He's put under Sir Topham Hatt's leadership, in which he's assigned to do most of his work on a quiet branch line not very far from where Edward is stationed. They share a shed infact. It turns out that Sonny's treatment from those who "adopted" him caused him to severely distrust humans, he panics in the presence of them and sometimes reacts with more than just panic if he's afraid he'll be in trouble for doing something. He has genuine trauma that's being slowly worked on, but for now the poor kid is being given his space and Edward is always close by to keep an eye on him and take care of him. He is still friends with Thomas, and he's become pretty close pals with Diesel, who tries to come visit at least once a week.

[darkfictionjude]

I just want to say that I'm in love with your work. You write like this... with a soul! All these details, anxiety, history, characters (a reference to Nine Inch Nails, with this you pierced my heart through and through) 💓✨ A question about the reaction? How would Ro and the brothers react if they noticed that mc was imperceptibly drawing them?

This is very sweet 💜💜💜

Yeah I knew I wanted the first episode to have a very recognizable lyric that still fit the tone I was going for.

By drawing you mean actually drawing right? Or like mentally drawing? I’ll go with the former. It’s a big long tbh.

Imre: he’d been rattling off about palaeolithic stone tools for a good while before he noticed that all your answers were “wow.” He had broken off momentarily to see what was preoccupying your mind and saw a very poor attempt to conceal a sketchbook, your arm trying to hid away what you were doing while your hand was gently moving along. In that moment you looked up and he looked away. “As I was saying…” he continued. He wouldn’t disturb you. Of course he kept rolling his lips together to prevent a smile threatening to break out.

Nia: fires had always made her feel sleepy. You two had moved the couch around to face it as you’d done when you children. She was laying on her side, her head laying on the armrest, she would sigh contently but she didn’t want to seem trite. She knew what you were doing. The tip of the pencil sliding, the way your finger would rub against the paper, was a sound as familiar to her as her own voice. She knew how you felt about being called out during this and so she merely tried to keep her lowering eyes opened and her face angled for you to get her best side.

Lorcan: he had you do this with other things before, the trees, the lake, a character you’d imagined from a book you’ve read. He didn’t really about it much and merely watched the rain coming down from the porch while you scribbled away. His shoulders were slumped and his mind felt light. He had thought you were drawing the rain but as he bent down to tie his show laces he had seen something that looked alarmingly similar to him. He straightened back up and hoped the night would conceal the pink blooming on his cheeks. But he knew it wouldn’t.

Sally: he hadn’t thought about this as thoroughly as he should’ve. He didn’t want to leave you home alone but he didn’t think of the lack of fun it would be for you to take you to the office. He had tried to make conversation with you but your one word answers didn’t give much for stimulating conversation. You had asked for a pencil and a sheet of paper a while back and he thought ‘what’s the harm?’ He wouldn’t ask further questions but as he looked down and kept writing, he could feel your gaze on him and knew he didn’t have to guess what you were drawing. He found he liked that.

Percy: the things he does for a buck. Since Arthur was indisposed and Sally had to go to work, he had been charged with talking the kid to school. He erratically turned the wheel from left to right, pressed his foot hard down on the pedal and flipped off anyone who honked at just to get there faster and not have to deal with this persistent silence he always found there between you two when he wasn’t bothering you. You left without as much as glance back and he was about to reverse when a notebook left on the seat caught his eye. He took it up, flipped through it until he noticed himself just as he was at this moment. His fingers gently caressed this version of himself. Hmm. They made him look good.

[greatwesternway]

Top 3 Smartest Guys on the NWR - #2 Will Surprise You!

a) Was the surprising one supposed to be Toad?

b) If not, then who?

c) Drop the list!

A) No, I think Toad is the clear winner for smartest guy on the railway.

B) #2 is James. Yes, really. While he is and probably always will be hobbled by his vanity and ego, he's the only engine I can recall observing someone doing something and trying to apply what he observed later, outside of a teaching context.

In "Toad's Adventure", as he's stammering an apology/excuse for going too fast and coming uncoupled from his cars to Sir Topham Hatt, Toad (who had warned James he was going too fast) interjects to say that there was a branch on the line and that the uncoupling was an accident. And while Hatt isn't entirely convinced, Dowager Hatt intervenes to praise Toad and all is forgiven.

In the next episode, "Duck in the Water", James is again in too much of a hurry for safety and hauls Rocky off without letting him secure his crane arm. It swings around as they go and he knocks over a signal, which later causes a three-engine pile-up on top of Duck being stuck in a puddle. And when Hatt asks how this happened, James tries to say it was an accident. He ends up admitting that it was his fault as he follows the trail of circumstances leading up to this "accident", but he did apparently learn that accidents are more quickly to be forgiven than just being your jackass self.

James is also the only engine I can think of who seems to have recognized the pattern of Sodor Karma. It doesn't stop him from invoking as much of it as any other engine, obvs, but he knows it's there, which is more than you can say for anyone else.

Gordon snorted, but didn't answer. Even James laughed when he saw him. "Take care," hissed Gordon, "you might stick too."

"No fear," chuckled James, "I'm not so fat as you."

"I mustn't stick," thought James anxiously, as he ran to the turntable later.

And Sodor Karma kissed him gently on his smokebox and said, "Don't worry, Dear. You won't."

C) #3 is Nia. She's quite clever too (it's actually one of her defined character traits), but Toad beat her out simply because we've as of yet seen her come up with a brilliant idea with resources not in her immediate presence. Toad thinking to take the whale to Brendham Docks and use Cranky to lower it back in the water when they're all the way the hell out in Bluff's Cove is a little more impressive than thinking to use the Ferris wheel to guide Harold home when you just learned about lighthouses that same day, but the logic that a Ferris wheel could be used to the same purpose as a lighthouse is nothing to sniff at.

[ladychandraofthemoone]

What is Nia's backstory in your headcanon? Has she had some interesting incidents like for example, crashing into the stationmaster's house or accidentally leaving the guard behind?

Hi! Well for starters, Nia is actually narrow gauge in my au (a NGR Class N 4-6-2T 1906/South African NG 4-6-2T 1906)

Nia was built by and for the Natal Government Railways in 1906, she worked around the KwaZulu-Natal province mainly the Weenen-Estcourt line where she worked for mixed traffic either delivering produce (after all the line was known as the Cabbage Express) then after being sold off to the Moçâmedes Railway in 1915 she ends up globetrotting about in South Africa and neighboring regions like the Cairo to Cape Town line (she was also a participate in ww1 delivering supplies to the locals she had entirely mixed emotions which is why she secretly leaves but ends up in Western Front where she meet Freddie and Stanley)

The trio ended up bouncing around together thanks to Stanley's "jinx" though both familial figures never held any grudge against him and defended him especially during their old railway (not the msr) where they were all mistreated badly, especially Stanley thanks to his "bad luck" the manager who also hailed from South Africa (the Western and Eastern Cape) often used Stanley being mistreated by the other engines as leverage where she and very fierce arguments with until he got rid of her (his uppercommence doesn't come until years later

She came to the Mid-Sodor in the late 1920s where she worked in the mines with Millie, Luke, Bertram and Atlas so when Stanley finally was reunited with her and Freddie in 1938, they're quickly took him under their nonexistent buffers to show them the ropes, when the railway started in decline after ww2, Nia was along soem of the engines who willingly themselves herself to be sold off to keep the railway afloat, wanting Stanley to having a regular working service.

She, Luke, Mighty Mac and Freddie were actually brought together to work at the aluminum works and electric power station companies. Now she tends to work on the either the skarloey's northern end of the line doing shunting at the quarries, being part of the Gleigh Fell Quarry Company, she now works with Luke Freddie and mighty Mac the most occasionally she takes up maintenance alongside atlas rusty and Fred even the weed killer train which she doesn’t mind often taking advantage of being alone with her thoughts and observing her new surroundings

Like She sometimes also helps taking passengers on the narrow gauge express that runs alongside with duke from ulfstead to crovans gate, even to the estate railway and even revisiting the cronk and harwick scenic heritage railway where’s shes reunited with kwaku after discovering he wasn’t scrapped and helps with her recovery of survivors guilt

Fun fact she was the maintenance engine for the skarloey railway until atlas comes in who in turn he and Nia take rusty under their nonexistent buffers, she’s tends to sees all of them (Falcon they bond over their fear of heights, Stuart cause he's cheeky she keeps Andreas on his wheels when he gets too big-headed), as brothers/siblings/familial, Luke and Stanley are her kids. She's a polygot and is one of the engines who helped Ivo Hugh learn to "speak" with whistles/morse code though she does have to tendency to put her work first before her own needs and health like if she's working with someone who's is giving her a difficult time or a mechanical issue she tries to complete the job first (having participated in a war totally doesn't help at all)

Nia often sings when she works to help her concentrate. She’s pretty popular with the coaches and passengers because of it. Unlike Duke's relationships, she and Stanley tease each other and push each others buttons, but it’s all in good fun. And when push comes to shove, they’ll always have each other’s backs. The other engines assume that Stanley or Freddie is Nia’s best friend, and while she does think he’s a good friend, he’s not her best friend. That honor goes to Millie, having also been part of a war but they got along swell the moment they met at the mines on the MSR, Nia offers to take passengers or anything to visit Millie at the Ulfstead Castle and keeps her updated on everything, from gossiping to a quick chat.

When they first met Duncan and Nia 100% teach each other swears. Why, imagine the thin controller’s (sir Handel Hans brown) surprise when he overheard Nia calling a particularly rude passenger a… well I don't think it’s best to know. And to be fair it was well deserved after the passenger called Luke and Stanley names and drove Luke to tears (bonus: Stanley joins in) She also expressed disappointment and tried to help both sides with strict tough yet understanding love over the remaining MSR engines treatment of Duncan when Andreas scarified himself and ended up in a coma

Some interesting incidents included her nearly falling off the tracks which was off the cliff during her wartime years, hence her fear of heights (she and Falcon bond over that), searching in the crystal caverns alongside some of the narrow and standard gauge engines Nia also has a flower garden and greenhouse I’m still figuring out where I’m thinking at Cros-by-curin by or inside the apple orchard but somewhere alongside the skarloey railway and she loves completing puzzles during game nights (she's up to a 1000 pieces right now) her and Stanley info dumping about creepy animals (she wants to see Duke squirm as she’ll clap back without hesitation for her loved ones or she and Stuart quiz each other with numbers equations or stargazing with kwaku and her friends

[choicesficwriterscreations]

May MC of the Month: Daenarya of Riverbend

Please welcome our fourth MC of the month! Each month, we will highlight one MC or OC that is currently on our Meet My MC / OC List. The MC / OC is selected randomly on the Wheel of Names, and eligibility requirements can be found here. We accept MC / OC profiles on an ongoing basis. Please feel free to send yours in!

This month's MC of the month is...

@storyofmychoices 's Daenarya of Riverbend!

Learn more about Daenarya and her creator, Dani, below.

In your words, tell us what you like most about your MC.  Daenarya is fun. She is crazy and exciting and silly and just amazing. Daenarya speaks her mind and goes after what she wants. She doesn’t let the troubles of her past hinder her future. She never forgets what happened, but she still is able to live in the moment and find enjoyment in all she does.

Do you feel your MC is like you at all? How are you alike or different? I have so much fun writing Daenarya because she is not like me at all. Daenarya goes after what she wants and takes it. I would need to make a pros and cons list, imagine every possible scenario, do some research, make another list, and then maybe, just maybe, I could make a decision to go after something. Daenarya takes risks without a second thought. She lives in the moment. She isn’t hindered by anxiety or other mental health issues. She just is who she is, and she is confident in herself. She embraces her good, bad, and ugly. She has no shame in being who she is, and I greatly admire that. 

What is most important to your MC? What is their motivation in life? Daenarya never wants to let a day pass without making the most of it. Her parents died young, and they never got to do a lot of the things that they talked about. She doesn’t want that to be her life. She is willing to take risks if there is a chance for a reward. I think that is her biggest motivation. Just to live. Carpe Diem.  Later, her biggest motivation is protecting her family. They are the most important thing to her. She will do anything to make sure they are safe. She is a fierce mama bear. You wouldn’t want to mess with her. 

What are their biggest pet peeves/dislikes?  Daenarya’s biggest pet peeve is probably when Mal wins. With these two, everything is a game, and Daenarya is always playing to win. She also gets frustrated when Threep eats the last of the sweets. Also, people who chew loudly and/or with their mouths open

If your MC could change one thing - anything - what would it be?  Daenarya thinks about this a lot. She wonders if she ever had this choice of what she would do. She would want to change the death of her parents. She loved them more than anything, and they had a beautiful life together. However, had her parents never died, she might never have met (and grown up with) Kade and then later Nia, Mal, Tyril, and Imtura. Had she not met them, they might not have saved the realm. Had she not met them, she wouldn’t have her two boys (Lydo and Rayden) and her unborn daughter. (In my writing, that’s as far as she is, but she has two more kids coming in the future). All that to say, Daenarya wouldn’t change a thing. All of the pain from her youth brought her a life of love and joy, and she wouldn’t risk that for anything.

What is your MC’s favorite quote or song?  Some quotes that represent Daenarya: "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for the newer and richer experience." - Eleanor Roosevelt "As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen." - A.A. Milne "Home is not where you are from, it is where you belong. Some of us travel the whole world to find it. Others find it in a person." Beau Taplin

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your MC: I love Daenarya because we are so different. I get to live vicariously through some of her adventures. But I also love the life I’ve created for her. I have a really soft spot for children, especially those who are overlooked, forgotten, or mistreated. Yes, there are many people who want to adopt, but there are so many kids on their own, in and out of foster care, and/or in bad situations. I often wish I had enough money to open an orphanage. I know it’s not as good as a family, but it is better than some of the conditions children face. I want to do more to help children, and I love that Mal and Daenarya can do that at their orphanage. I admire her and Mal for all they do and how big their hearts are. I never expected Choices to make Mal’s orphanage canon when I started writing it and pitching it early in the book, but I love it. I think it is the most perfect path for Mal. He will be such an incredible mentor to those children, and I’m glad Daenarya, and I get to help him in that adventure. Mal’s Orphanage Series is my favorite of my Blades stories, and I am very grateful to everyone who has ever supported it! Thank you! 

Visit Daenarya's full profile to learn more!

[mob3tta01-blog]

HIS BETTER HALF

Part 1

#cheating #marriage #love #affair

Guilt

Eric Clapton pulled up infront of the Bentley Medical Center to pick his wife up from work. He lightly tapped his hands on the steering wheel of his black 2019 7-series BMW as his favorite J. Cole song blasted from his factory speakers. He checked the time on the touch screen radio. It was a quarter to 12am. His wife was late. She would usually be walking out the front entrance around 11:30.

"Where the hell is this woman? I gotta work the graveyard shift on this case tonight!" He said aloud to himself.

He slouched down into the plush leather seat and closed his blue eyes. He was dead tired from working all week on the Wyatt case. Joseph Wyatt was a young spoiled over privileged kid who got caught up in a murder case. Things would've been a breeze if he had been convicted without a trial due to sufficient evidence or him simply pleading guilty but it was very little to charge him on. Not to mention his dad was the mayor of the city. The case was all over the news. The 20 year old Joseph claimed he was innocent and just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Eric knew he would be the first attorney up for grabs. He was one of the most top ranked African American lawyers in the metropolitan area. He had the most successful court cases and the highest rate of wins. Even when all odds seemed to be against him and his clients he was able to find a loop hole in the case and somehow got them to walk out the courtroom a free man. Everyone in the city knew he could get the young man off scott free.

Nia Clapton sat alone in the nurses lounge staring out at the city through the 12 th floor window of the hospital.

She knew her husband was waiting for her but she couldnt face him after what she had done. Eventually she would have to go home and deal with the regret and guilt of her infidelity. Nia didn't know how she would ever be able to look him in the eye and lie to his face.

Dr. Wells poked his head into the lounge. "Nia you ok?"

She jumped from her deep thoughts and cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah. I'm good!"

The handsome biracial doctor smiled. " Oh I didnt mean to scare you!"

"Its ok, I was just about to leave" She climbed from the window seal and brushed past the doctor. He startled her when he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Dr. Wells what are you doing?"

He searched her eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She swollowed the lump in her throat. "There is nothing to talk about" She pulled away from him and walked towards the elevators.

Eric sat up when he saw his wife walking towards the car. He instantly could tell that something was bothering her. She climbed into the car and gave him a dry hello.

"Hey babe!" He leaned in over to kiss her but she turned away and looked out the window. He frowned. His wife had never done that to him out of all the 12 years they were together. "Uh, what the hell was that all about?"

"Nothing!" She snapped. "Can you just take me home? I'm tired!"

The entire ride home neither of them spoke. Eric kept sneaking glances over at his wife but she only kept her attention focused out the passenger side window. He knew she was upset about something. He had known the woman since college and learned her behavior very well over the years.

He let out a heavy sigh and turned the radio up. He just took it as she had a bad day at work and would talk about it when she was ready.

Nia closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the cool glass. She was happy he turned on some music. The last thing she wanted to do was talk. She had a million things running through her mind and her emotions were all over the place. In one hand she was falling out of love with her husband and in the other she was starting to seek that void in another man.

She hadn't been happy in her marriage for months. Ever since her husband's career started to take off their relationship seemed to go down hill. The man was always busy with his work and barely had time for things around the house. They hadn't spent time together like they used to and weeks had gone by since they had been intimate. Arguments had even plagued their everyday interactions. Nia could see the foundation of their marriage crumbling but Eric was just too busy to pay it any attention. In his world their lives were perfect but things were very far from that.

When they made it home Nia didn't say a word, she just climbed from the car and walked into the house.

Eric was about to say something but the door slammed close behind her. His face scrunched up in confusion. He was completely clueless to what was going on with her.

She didn't even give him a goodbye kiss before he pulled off and headed back to work. Eric had noticed her behavior had started to take a turn for the worst a few weeks back but he never spoke on it. He knew her job was causing her a lot of stress because she had applied for the position of medical director and was still waiting for a response from the medical board. He knew his wife had worked her ass off as a doctor to move up to where she was. It would be a very devastating blow if all of her hard work had been in vain.

Now that Eric had thought about the entire situation he wasn't so sure if it was just her job that was bothering her. She had never rejected him before. Something else was wrong with his wife and he didn't like it at all.

He decided to call her but to his surprise she didn't answer. Nia had never not answered a call from him. He looked down at his phone with a puzzled look on his face. He sent her a quick text before he headed up to his office.

HEY HONEY I HOPE YOU'RE OK. GIVE ME A CALL! I'LL BE WORKING ON THIS CASE PRETTY LATE SO IT WOULD BE NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU. I LOVE YOU BABY! I HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER. . . .

He sat in his car and waited about five minutes but she didn't text back. He grew frustrated, grabbed up his briefcase and climbed from his car. He made his way into the tall building that was made of glass and steel and took the elevators up to his floor. By the time he reached his office Nia had finally texted him back. He pulled out his phone expecting to see a nice message back from her but he was disappointed. He frowned down at his phone when he read what she sent.

GOODNIGHT ERIC!. . . .

That was it. No "I love you", no reassurance that she was going to be ok. She even called him by his name like they were formal acquaintances and not husband and wife. No honey, baby or even her favorite name for him which was calling him her "beau". The message felt cold and dry like he was bothering her or something. He didn't even bother to respond anymore. He had other things to focus on at that moment. He would just deal with his wife later.

Eric was at a lost about her sudden change of attitude. Something was definitely off about her. He didn't know what was going on with his wife but he was damn sure going to find out............

Back at the hospital Dr. Wells was preparing to head home. For some particular reason he was dreading it more than usual. He didn't want to hear his wife's complaining about how he had been ignoring her calls all day.

He walked out in climbed into one of the various luxury vehicles that he owned. He drove one of the best looking cars in the entire hospital's parking lot. He couldn't help it, he was a man of extravagant taste. He remote started the car and climbed in. By the time he was pulling out of the parking lot his wife was calling again.

"What do you want woman?" He answered her call with a slight annoyance in his voice.

"Now you can answer the damn phone?" She shouted in his ear.

Dr. Wells let out a heavy sigh. "I'm a fucking heart surgeon! What do you think I just have time to sit around all day and talk on the damn phone?"

"You could have at least returned my calls or sent a damn text or something!"

"Look, I don't have time to go back and forth with you over this. What do you want? I will be home within the hour!"

"You really want to know what I want? I want my damn husband to start acting like he has a wife!" She shot back.

"Look woman, I don't want to argue with you! I said I will be there within the hour, now get the fuck off my phone!" He shook his head and hung up on her.

The woman really knew how to get under his skin. That's why it was so easy for him to sleep around on her. He had to seek refuge in other women just to be happy because he wasn't happy in his own home.

Speaking of other women, a smile crossed his face. He decided to send a quick text to the new woman in his life. The woman kept a smile on his face and his loins hot. His dick was getting a rise at that very moment just by thinking about her.

HEY SWEETIE, I MISS YOUR SEXY ASS ALREADY! I CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU AT WORK TOMORROW. SLEEP TIGHT! LOVE YOU!. . . .

A few moments later she texted back.

I MISS YOU TOO! BUT PLEASE DONT TEXT ME AT THIS HOUR. YOU KNOW I HAVE A HUSBAND. WE DON'T NEED HIM FINDING OUT ABOUT US. . . .

He read the message and sucked his teeth. "Man fuck that nigga!" He laughed to himself and left the conversation.

Dr. Wells didn't give a fuck about his wife or her husband. All he wanted was Nia all to himself. The woman was gorgeous and was everything he ever fantasized about. The two of them had become close when they moved her office up on his floor. They had been innocently flirting back and forth for weeks. It had been so much sexual tension building up between them that when they finally crossed that line they couldn't contain themselves. It was no way he was going to let all that go so easily.

He drove the rest of the way home day dreaming about how he had fucked the woman in the supply closet and then again in the nurse's lounge. He would fuck Nia anywhere. The woman had become his new addiction.

Nia laid on the plush suede couch in her living room staring blankly at the screen of her phone. She waited for any response from her lover but the man never sent back a text. She tossed her phone on to the coffee table and stared up at the ceiling. She felt really bad about what she had done. The woman had only been with one man her entire life but that all ended after she let Dr. Wells into her heart. The man was fine, charming and intelligent. He was one of the top cardiologist in the country. The doctor was very amazing with his hands in more ways than one.

She closed her eyes as she fought back her tears. The last thing Nia wanted to do was hurt her husband and jeopardize their marriage. She felt so much guilt that she was starting to push Eric away. Nia still loved him but she was starting to fall hard for Dr. Wells. The woman was breaking every promise she had made to her husband when she became his wife.

As Nia laid there in deep thought she now knew what she had to do. It wasn't going to be an easy task but what choice did she have?

Her eyes suddenly grew heavy. She was exhausted from her long day at work. Before Nia slowly drifted off to sleep she decided she was going to cut off her affair with the doctor. . .

TO BE CONTINUED.....

[chaotic-super]

Joining The Superfriends - 8

The tiny little robot bug sits stationary on the skin of Kara’s wrist, all movement gone out of it now that it has claimed not one but two new victims. She slaps her free hand over it, grasping it between two fingers and haphazardly shoving it into the jar that a wide eyed Alex is still holding loosely in her hands.

A lid is shoved onto the jar and with the bug sealed firmly inside, Kara meets Lena’s eyes, finding the same kind of panic in Lena’s eyes that is in her own. “Fuck.”

They both turn to Alex, looking for instructions on what they should do now and hoping that the bossiest one of them all might have some answers for them but she’s just standing there frozen, eyes darting between them and the jar several times before she frowns, looking down at Lena’s bare thigh.

“You can pull your pants up now.”

Lena looks down, even more panicked to see that she’s been standing there in front of Kara and Alex with her pants piled up around her ankles. She snatches them up, blushing furiously, and zips them back up.

“Alex.” Kara says, not sure what else she can say, fear creeping into her voice.

Sensing how scared Kara is now that she’s been injected with whatever substance it is that makes people act aggressively, Alex kicks into action, not willing to have another red kryptonite situation on her hands, something that Kara is completely on board with. That’s not an event that should ever be repeated.

Clearing her throat roughly, Alex starts planning right away. “Alright. We’ll set you guys and Nia up in containment with the power dampener. I know that J’onn already has K-protocol ready to go at a moment’s notice so that won’t be an issue.”

Kara is on board with that plan. “Ok, let’s get down to containment then, I want to be down there when this thing hits us.”

Kara grabs the power dampener off the floor, handing it over to Lena, who balances her laptop on top of it, intent on taking it with her so that she can work until the aggression kicks in.

She’s terrified of what she might do but it does make her feel better knowing that she’ll be locked away when it happens, unable to hurt anyone else while she goes on a rampage.

Alex and Kara take a side on Nia’s bed each, wheeling her out of the med bay and to the elevator so they can get to the lower level where containment is.

Lena leans over to press the button, hand halting in place. “Wait, what floor is it on and why does there seem to be more buttons every time I get into this damn death box?”

Kara peeks over her shoulder. “Second floor. J’onn has really been into remodelling lately so he’s been adding floors. It’s actually kind of scary how The Tower keeps getting taller but nobody around us notices. Actually, that might be J’onn’s doing now that I think about it. Alex, does J’onn have the power to do that?”

“Probably.” Alex shrugs.

“Right, ok, so I work in a place that just adds a new floor every now and then, brilliant.” Lena mutters, mostly to herself but since they are trapped together in a tight space, both Danvers sisters hear her, smirking as they try not to laugh. It’s easy to forget how weird this stuff is when you’re still new to it, after years they have become desensitized to the oddness of it all.

Lena hadn’t actually been down to containment yet so walking into the room full of small glass cells, metal bars running through the glass in places so in the off chance it were to break, the detainee wouldn’t be able to escape.

“Why bother with the glass if you have bars?” Lena questions.

“It’s special glass that Brainy designed, it’s super strong…or something.” Kara replies, opening up one of the cells and helping Alex lift Nia up. Together they carefully manoeuvre her into the cell, sitting her down on the floor with her back up against one side. She slides to the left when they set her down, her face coming to rest against the side, her cheek smushing against the glass.

Lena copies what Kara did to get the cell open, doing the same to another one and stepping inside herself, looking down at the hard floor and frowning, aware of how uncomfortable this is going to be. “Can I get a cushion or something for in here? The floor is going to be really hard on my butt.”

“Sure. Let’s get you guys locked in and then if you’re still you by the time I get back from grabbing you a cushion, I will take the risk and unlock the door long enough to pass it to you.” Alex answers, locking the door of Nia’s cell and then pushing Kara into another one, the one between Lena and Nia, and locking the door to that one too.

Lena leans her laptop up against the side of her cell, smiling awkwardly at Alex when it’s her turn to get locked in, “and here I thought that by leaving my family I might avoid being locked up like a criminal.”

“Think of it more as a temporary psych hold.” Alex smiles back.

“I’m not sure if that’s better or worse.”

Alex rethinks her statement. “Honestly, I’m not sure either.” She shrugs, giving the handle one last tug to make sure it’s locked. “Either way you have to suck it up, sorry.”

She wanders off, leaving them there to wait it out. Lena notices that she’s taking the power dampener with her just as she’s leaving the room.

“Kara, why is she taking the power dampener with her?”

Kara takes a seat on the cold hard floor, leaning into the glass side that’s closest to Lena. “Don’t worry, each cell has its own, they kick in when the door locks, we just brought it down for the journey but it’s not needed now, Nia and I have our own personal ones, and I guess you do too so I’m sorry if you have any powers you’re hiding from us but they are off limits until whatever we got hit with is out of our systems.”

“I don’t but it would be cool.” Lena takes a seat too, following Kara’s lead. “I used to wish that I had the power to be able to teleport anywhere I wanted. I suppose that’s just the symptom of being raised with the family I have though.”

Kara nods, trying to laugh along with Lena but barley managing to force a smile, heart aching for Lena and the childhood she was stripped of.

Lena can tell that she made it awkward by bringing up her family but they have been on her mind a lot for the past couple of weeks and she’s spending all of her time trying to banish them from her brain.

It’s even worse because she actually misses them, as much as she wishes that she didn’t, she does because they’re her family, a constant in her life since she was four years old, when she was adopted into the Luthors.

She doesn’t miss the way they acted or the awful things they did. She doesn’t miss the way they talked down to her or dismissed anything she said. She doesn’t miss the way they always tried to buy her love when they needed something from her.

She supposes that really, what she misses is their constant presence, however small. They were always there, through the good and bad, mostly bad, they were always there so having them totally banished from her life leaves a little empty spot in her conscious, a spare room in the mansion of mind that she doesn’t know how to fill.

“Kara, do you miss your family?”

Kara looks up at her again, a strange look overtaking her before she regulates herself again. “Of course I do, it’s only natural for someone to miss their family but I have been without them for that long now that sometimes, I can barely remember them, I wish I did though.”

Lena frowns. “How long has it been?”

“I was twelve when I left Krypton, then I was trapped in the Phantom Zone for twenty four years, a place where time doesn’t pass, before my pod got free and I landed here. That was fifteen years ago now.

The door slides open again, Alex stumbling in with her arms full of cushions and blankets. “Hey, have you guys hulked out yet or is it safe to hand these over?”

“If you don’t hand them over I might hulk out.” Is Kara’s response as she makes grabby hands at the pile in Alex’s arms.

Alex splits them into three, tossing some in with Nia for her to do what she wants with when she wakes up, whether that be curl up and sleep more or tear them to shreds in a fit of anger, then she relocks the door.

Lena gets hers next and she starts working on building herself a little nest before Alex has even shut the door, something that Alex starts teasing her about right after she’s finished distributing everything. “Look at you, Lena! You like your tiny apartment that much that you’re moving into an even tinier one.”

Lena crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. “You might think that’s funny but I actually have come to love my tiny apartment and would happily keep living in places of a similar size. I find it quite cosy and the size is perfect for one person to live comfortably.”

“Leave her alone, Alex. You don’t want to make her angry when she’s about to have this stuff affecting her. I can’t imagine that it will be much longer now.”

“Good point, have fun guys!” Alex calls, turning on her heel and heading for the door.

“Bye, Alex.” Lena calls back.

Lena curls up on her little pile of cushions, covering herself with a blanket. “One day she’ll have a conversation with me without teasing me, just you wait and see.”

Kara snorts out a laugh. “That’s how Alex shows her love so you might be waiting a long time.”

Lena hums out a whiny sound of discontentment. “That sucks.”

“Yeah but she’s good really, beneath the prickly exterior that is. She doesn’t like being vulnerable.”

“I know the feeling.” Lena whispers.

Kara rests her head on her knees, facing to the side so she’s still facing Lena. “I wish I could have a break from it.”

A confused frown finds its place on Lena’s face, her brows furrowing. “What do you mean?”

Kara puffs out a shaky breath, unsure of whether or not she should admit this to anyone. “It doesn’t matter.”

Lena tilts her head, deciding if pushing Kara is a good idea or not. “It does, I can see it eating you up.”

“I have to be vulnerable to some extent and I have had to be since I arrived here on Earth, even when I didn’t want to be.”

Lena feels like she hasn’t been anything other than confused since she left Metropolis and it’s especially true when she’s with Kara. The woman is just revelation after revelation and she just makes Lena question and process parts of herself that she hadn’t paid attention to before.

It does bring her a hint of selfish comfort that she has, at least to some extent, the same effect on Kara. “Why?”

“Because it scares people if I’m not. I have all these powers and it unnerves people when they don’t know what I’m thinking. If my heart isn’t on my sleeve people will start to wonder if it’s turned to ice and start questioning my motives. It doesn’t matter how much good I do, people will always think about what I can do if I ever decide to use my powers for anything other than helping people. I’m a threat.”

“A ticking time bomb.”

“Exactly.”

“I can’t say that I know exactly what you’re going through, but I do know what it’s like to have people expecting me to be something I’m not.”

Kara doesn’t break her eye contact with Lena, taking comfort in her soft features and gentle smile. “And I also know what it’s like to have a family that’s done terrible things and what it’s like to try and set yourself apart from them. It’s not easy.”

Lena’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Do you have every kind of trauma there is?”

“I’m sort of just figuring that if I get enough to fill a punch card then I might just get a free coffee or something.”

“I think I might have a couple of punch cards to cash in myself.”

“We can go out for brunch sometime then.”

If only. Lena would love to go out for brunch with Kara but she would much prefer to go out for dinner. It could still happen but Kara hasn’t brought up the kiss they shared yet and she isn’t sure that a conversation like this is the right one to sneak in a chat about how much Lena is crushing on her. “Sounds good.”

“Hey, can you check to see how bad the spread has gotten outside?” Kara breaks her focus, gesturing to her laptop.

Snapping it open and taking a look. it isn’t good. Everything is getting worse out there and without being able to get to her lab to check out the bug, she can’t reverse the effects or start working on shutting them down.

Kara surveys Lena’s face, the little crinkles by her eyes from her furrowed brow and the corners of her mouth are tucked down. That paired with her slumped shoulders tell her exactly what she’d feared. The bugs are still spreading aggression, the city needs them but they can’t help because they’re stuck in here.

It goes without saying too that because there won’t be any Supergirl sightings, she’ll get slammed by the press for not being there for the citizens of the city. People really hate it when she doesn’t show her face. People must really think that she doesn’t have a life of her own, or rather, that she spends her entire day just sitting twiddling her thumbs waiting for someone to save.

It makes her absolutely furious, it’s despicable how she is slandered and treated like a second class citizen after everything she’s done for this city, after everything she’s lost and sacrificed. The people out there being ungrateful douche canoes are the ones that think that they are entitled to her help, that she’s a bad person one day and switch to kissing her ass the next whenever it suits them because they want something.

The rage pools deep in her stomach, sitting uncomfortably against her organs, making her stand and pace the tiny cell she’s trapped in, an animal prowling in its cage.

“Kara, what are you doing?”

She can hear Lena asking her the question but it’s getting drowned out by the ringing in her ears and the uncomfortable stiffness in her jaw from clenching it so hard.

“Kara?”

She needs to get out of here and show those good for nothing people who Supergirl really is, then they’ll see.

Kara slams her hands into the glass as hard as she can, utterly underwhelmed when it doesn’t have so much as a tiny crack, it just holds strong, unbothered by the hit it just took. It does nothing to put out the fire burning inside of Supergirl.

Her fist rears back, her full bodyweight being put behind the incoming strike, her hand hitting the glass with an almighty crack. It’s not the glass that cracks though, it’s Kara’s fingers.

Lena unconsciously pushes herself back up against the wall furthest away from Kara, eyes wide and pitying. She definitely just broke her fingers and yet she just moved right onto slamming her shoulder into the door, trying to force it open.

Kara isn’t reacting to her voice at all so she doesn’t bother to call out again and really hopes that she doesn’t try to force her way out of her cell when it kicks in for her too, the cracking of Kara’s bones will haunt her for a while and the sound made her have to fight back a wave of nausea.

She does her best to just ignore Kara, pinning her eyes on her laptop screen and trying to map out which spots in the city are getting overrun with aggression to see if there’s a way to stop the spread but it seems like the only way they can do that is by finding a way to wipe them out and letting the toxin or whatever it is being injected into people, make its way out of their bodies on its own.

With that in mind Lena videocalls Alex from her laptop to request as many photos of the bugs they have as she can get so she can try and visualize how they are functioning, giving her some insight into how to stop them.

Lena just hopes she can get far enough along with it that maybe Brainy could continue on from where she is forced to stop. For now she feels alright, but that doesn’t mean a lot. Kara went from feeling fine to pounding on the door within just a minute or two so there isn’t going to be much of a warning for her either.

It is a bit strange though that it has affected Kara first though because the bug came from Lena’s leg and then it got Kara after. Lena is dying to dissect that stupid little robotic bug but gets why she can’t, she has to stay here just in case.

Even if she hadn’t gotten infected herself, someone should be down here with Kara and Nia. Kara having now finally settled after twenty minutes of violence against the unfazed glass and is now sitting down glaring at it instead.

Lena smiles giddily when the pictures come through to her laptop, grateful for something to do but apprehensive too, praying that she’ll have enough time to fix this.

If she can, then at least she’ll know that she has earned her place here. She’s so close to feeling like she really belongs here and this could be it.

Read Joining The Superfriends on Ao3 here!

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