#OR we could smile and wave it away and say it's all good he's optimistic now

[unofficialadamtaurus]

Adding onto that Qrow thing with that animatic they put out.. Why is it now that anytime he loses something he just decides to be more optimistic? Sense when was he ever like that? Ajdkskkflskdlskd

I'd say "take a shot for every time a character does the exact opposite of what their actual characterization suggests," but then we'd all be dead on the floor, much like Qrow if he saw where his "arc" was heading back in V4

[alisonsfics]

lovers to exes, to lovers? part two

pairing: ex!tyler owens x ex!reader

summary: who ever heard of exes being civil after a breakup? not you and tyler. which makes it interesting when you both end up in the same town.

word count: 4.1k

part 1

warnings: smut, unprotected sex, hand jobs, oral (f receiving), dirty talk, praise kink kinda, minors DNI (18+ only)

You had a horrible night, tossing and turning all night as you struggled to fall asleep. The image of Tyler with some mystery girl was torturing you.

You didn’t know why you felt jealous. Tyler’s wasn’t yours anymore. You both had your chance, and you both crashed and burned. You didn’t know why you felt like giving it a second chance.

So the next morning, you were understandably grouchy. You headed down to the diner to get some coffee.

You waited at the counter as the waitress poured you coffee and toasted a bagel for you.

You looked down the counter and saw Boone sitting a few feet away. He politely smiled and waved at you. “You excited for the storms today?” You asked him, walking over and taking the seat next to him.

“Totally. The conditions look great today.” He said, enthusiastically. You quickly thanked the waitress as she handed you your food.

“Hey, good morning, sweetheart,” you heard Tyler say behind you. You quickly spun around and froze when you saw Tyler smiling down at you.

“I have to go find Javi. It was nice talking to you, Boone.” You said, before spinning on your heel and leaving the diner. Tyler was left stunned as you refused to even acknowledge him.

He slowly sat down next to Boone, his eyes following you as you left. “I thought you said that you two patched things up a little?” Boone asked, equally confused by the way you ignored Tyler.

“I thought we did. Maybe I was wrong,” Tyler said, softly. He felt a pit in his gut. He had felt optimistic last night that you both could put aside your differences, but you weren’t done being mad at him yet.

He wasn’t immune to feeling the chemistry between you both. He felt stupid for hoping that you’d invite him into your room last night.

You spotted Javi and the team looking at a map by the trucks. You lightly jogged over and started helping them plan.

A storm to your east was starting to form. “I think that one’s the most promising.” You said, pointing that direction.

“I completely agree. Let’s roll out.” Javi said. That seemed to be the common opinion as most of the chasers started piling into their trucks. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Tyler and Boone walk out of the diner.

You helped Javi pack up the map and laptops, so you could leave. You almost couldn’t believe your eyes when you saw Tyler jogging over to you.

“Not now. We’re about to leave.” You dismissed him, refusing to even look at him.

“Yeah, us too.” He said, walking closer to you and grabbing your hand. A jolt of electricity ran through you as you felt the roughness of his hand. “Be safe out there, sweetheart, okay?” He said, softly kissing the back of your hand.

You tugged your hand away from him. “I will be.” You said shortly, before jumping into the passenger seat of the truck.

“So what’s up with you and Owens?” Javi asked as you raced towards the growing storm. You shrugged to yourself. “I don’t know. He was a dick last night, and he came to my room to apologize. It felt really heartfelt, and maybe like, I don’t know, like he was still into me?” You said, not knowing how to describe the feeling.

Javi let out a loud laugh. You spun around to face him. Seeing your confused expression, Javi explained, “I’ve seen him look at you. Come on, you’re a genius and you can’t see that he likes you?”

You shook your head. “He clearly doesn’t. Cause I went to his room afterwards, to try to…ummm” you struggled to find a way to describe it that wasn’t “fuck your ex-boyfriend.”

Javi wiggled his eyebrows at you. “Bow chicka bow wow,” he said in a sing-song voice, mocking you. You jokingly rolled your eyes at his juvenile nature. You could feel your cheeks start to heat up.

“Okay fine, guilty as charged, but I got to his room, and let’s just say, he was already occupied with another girl. I overheard them and obviously ran back to my room, so I don’t think he knows that I know.” You said, looking back out the window.

“Oh, man, I’m sorry.” Javi quickly apologized. He felt bad for you. It was clear that Tyler was special to you, even if he got on your nerves.

Just then, Tyler’s truck swerved right up next to you guys. You could see Boone cheering in the passenger seat. Tyler shot a wink towards you. You rolled your eyes and focused your attention straight ahead. Tyler furrowed his eyebrows as you ignored him before speeding off ahead of you.

“Oh, fuck him,” you muttered to yourself.

“I think you’ve already done that.” Javi joked, trying to change the mood in the car. Your jaw dropped as you looked at Javi, in shock. You struggled as you tried not to laugh at his joke. You playfully hit his arm.

The school of trucks closed in on the tornado that had just touched down. Tyler’s truck sped ahead of everyone else, as you expected.

You and Javi jumped out of the truck to turn on the sensors. You both struggled to turn the machine on. “Oh, come on, you piece of shit,” Javi swore, hitting the barrel.

You felt the air change. You turned around and saw a second tornado touch down behind you. “Javi, get in the car, now,” you yelled, knowing if you got boxed in, you were screwed.

In his rearview mirror, Tyler saw you both running back into the truck, and then he saw the second tornado. “Boone, hold on,” he yelled as he quickly spun the truck around and started racing towards you.

Javi started to drive away when you saw a tractor flying through the air. It was coming straight for you. You could feel the hair stand up on the back of your neck as you braced for it to hit.

The tractor slammed against the side of the truck. The loud screeching of metal stung your ears. You could feel the truck started to flip. You desperately reached for anything you could get your hands on.

Tyler felt his heart drop as he watched your truck flip upside down. He swore under his breath. The tornado was coming straight for you, and you couldn’t move.

Tyler drove up next to you and smacked the button to start drilling the truck into the ground. Him and Boone jumped out of the car. Tyler raced to your side.

He quickly kicked in your window. Tyler was a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, but he’d never felt his heart beat this fast.

He grabbed your arms and pulled you out the window, while Boone helped Javi out.

Tyler quickly swooped you up bridal style and ran towards his truck. Javi and Boone hopped into the driver and passenger seats. Tyler swung the back door open and climbed in with you in his arms.

As soon as the door closed, the tornado picked up Javi’s truck and sent it flying through the sky. Tyler only had time to get you buckled in the harness. He landed on top of you. He wrapped his arms your waist, holding on tightly.

You cupped the back of his head with your hand. His eyes were tightly closed as he buried his face in your neck.

You could feel how his whole body was shaking with fear. It wasn’t fear for himself. It was for you. He couldn’t stand the thought of you getting even a scratch.

Suddenly, the truck stopped shaking and the winds let up.

Tyler picked his head up to look at you. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” He whispered, pressing a kiss to your temple. You quickly nodded your head.

He rolled off of you and laid across the backseat. The car was silent except for all of you catching your breath. Tyler stared at the roof of the truck as his chest rapidly rose and fell.

He couldn’t bear to think about how close he came to losing you. You unbuckled the harness and jumped out of the car. “No, sweetheart wait,” Tyler said, weakly. He’d accepted that you wouldn’t listen.

You looked all around you at the damage. The grass was all torn up and debris had fallen everywhere. You saw Javi’s truck in the distance, it was completely smashed.

You heard Tyler jump out of the truck and walk over to you. He walked up behind you and set his hand comfortingly on your shoulder. “C’mon, sweetheart, we’ll give you a ride back.” He said, softly.

You shook your head and shrugged his hand off of you. “I’ll be fine. I’ll walk.” You argued, stubbornly. Tyler let out an exasperated sigh. He grabbed your hand tightly, not letting you pull away this time.

“I’m not letting you walk back. We’re at least five miles from the motel. You almost died, and you’re still being stubborn? Stop pushing me away and let me be here for you.” He snapped at you. Tyler was okay with giving you your space, but not when it put you in danger.

“I’m not the one pushing people away.” You remarked, pushing past him and getting in the back of the truck. Tyler sighed, defeated.

Boone and Javi gave you sympathetic smiles as Tyler got back in the truck and started driving to the motel.

As soon as he pulled into the parking lot, you jumped out of the car and headed towards your room. Tyler jumped out and was hot on your tail.

“Enough being stubborn,” he said, grabbing your arm and pulling you back towards his truck. Boone and Javi quickly hopped out and went to catch up with the rest of the teams.

Tyler kept a tight grip on your arm while he grabbed the first aid kit from the bed of the truck. He flung the tailgate open. In a swift motion, he picked you up and sat you on the tailgate before joining you.

“I know for some reason you’re pissed at me, which I still don’t understand cause you were fine last night. But you have a giant cut on your arm, and it needs to be cleaned, okay?” He said, setting your arm across his lap.

You felt bad for ignoring Tyler when he was being sweet, but then you’d remember that he spent all night with someone else wrapped around him, and your blood would start to boil.

He softly wiped your arm with a cleaning wipe. He gave your hand a quick squeeze when you winced at the sting. You gave in a little and rested your head on Tyler’s shoulder.

You didn’t see the way he smiled down at you. He was looking at you like you were his everything. He carefully bandaged your arm up.

You both sat in silence for a few minutes. He rested his hand on your back, softly rubbing his thumb back and forth. Tyler’s touch still comforted you more than you cared to admit.

“Watching your truck flip over really fucking scared me. I think my heart actually stopped beating for a second. I don’t know what I would have done if you got hurt.” He admitted.

His voice came out as a soft whisper in your ear. You were the only person he felt comfortable talking to about his feelings. Most of the time, those feelings were annoyance, but you were also the only girl Tyler had ever said “I love you” to.

“You’re the reason I didn’t get hurt. If you hadn’t helped, I would have died. I saw where the truck ended up. It was completely smashed up.” You said softly, a single tear rolling down your cheek.

He brushed your hair out of your face and kissed your temple. “I’m always gonna be there for you. You’re my everything. You make all of this make sense.” He told you.

You picked your head up off his shoulder to look at him in shock. Tyler had been acting nicer to you, but a love confession was not what you expected. Not after he spent the night with someone else.

“Oh, come on, Tyler,” you groaned, giving a deadpan look. He didn’t respond. He searched your eyes for some clue as to how you were feeling. This wasn’t the reaction he was expecting. He’d been expecting you to either kiss him or slap him across the face again.

“What? Is it so hard to believe?” He asked, resting his hand on your knee.

“I know that you don’t mean that because if you did, you wouldn’t have been with that girl last night.” You snapped at him. He froze. He genuinely thought he misheard you.

“What girl from last night?” He asked you, furrowing his eyebrows at you. His brain was running through everything from last night, and he had no idea what you were talking about. “I went to your room last night, and I heard you with a girl.” You told him, thinking he was just playing dumb.

His look of confusion turned into a subtle smirk. “You went to my room last night?” He asked, rubbing his thumb over your knee. You hadn’t realized that you’d handed him some of the power. He was giddy as he realized that if you had found him last night, you both would’ve had a one night stand.

“All you got from that was I went to your room? You’re ridiculous.” You said, rolling your eyes at him. That flirty smile never left his face. “Why’d you go to my room?” He asked, even though you both knew damn well why you went.

You put your head in your hands. You shouldn’t have been surprised that Tyler was still acting like a child after all these years. You lightly smacked his arm, trying to get rid of the cocky look on his face. “Would it shut you up if I told you I wanted to have sex with you last night?” You asked him.

His eyes ran down your frame. Something about hearing it from your lips made it ten times more satisfying.

“I’m really flattered, sweetheart. I guess you always know where to go for a good time.” He said, winking at you.

“It doesn’t matter anyway.” You said, crossing your arms and huffing at him. He chuckled to himself as he watched you pouting.

“It does matter cause I share a room with Boone. He was with a girl. I slept in my truck.” He told you with a giant smirk. You had been feeling jealous and angry, but your expression morphed into one of complete shock. Tyler chuckled at your clear surprise.

You flicked him in the forehead. “I’ve been mad at you all day because I thought you were just trying to sleep around with every girl here.” You told him, like you were reprimanding a child.

He shrugged and raised his eyebrows. “If you had just been honest with me, I would have told you that. But, you decided to pout all day.” He teased you.

“So, you’re telling me if I had just texted you last night…” you started to say. He quickly nodded his head. “Yep, I could have done whatever dirty little thing you had in mind.” He said, with a twinkle in his eye.

Your eyes went wide as you imagined what could have happened. “So, what do you think? Is it too late now?” You asked him, looking up at him through your eyelashes.

Tyler practically dragged you off the truck, and he kicked the tailgate closed with his foot. His rough hand quickly found yours and interlaced your fingers. He tugged you towards your room.

You both sprinted up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. You made it to the door first, leaning back against it. Tyler stopped for a second, admiring you and looking your whole body up and down.

You felt like a supermodel when Tyler looked at you. It was like he was always trying to commit every detail of you to memory.

You grabbed the collar of his flannel and tugged him towards you. His lips met yours in a heated rush. His rough calloused fingers slipped under your tshirt and ran over your stomach.

“I fuckin’ love you.” Tyler mumbled into the kiss as you raked your fingers through his hair. You both paused for a second, realizing the gravity of what he’d just confessed. It’d been years since he last told you he loved you.

“I love you too, Tyler Owens.” You said, softly. His lips crashed back into yours. He took your bottom lip between his teeth and playfully tugged at it. Your soft whimper was muffled as Tyler kissed you, but he heard it.

He let his hands slide down the curve of your back. They stopped at your ass, giving it a playful squeeze. You arched your back, pushing yourself into him. “Oh, fuck, sweetheart,” Tyler praised you.

You blindly reached for the door handle, managing to slip it open without breaking the kiss. You stumbled backwards into the room as Tyler guided you.

The door slammed as Tyler kicked it shut. He sloppily kissed you, wanting to memorize the taste of your lips. Your legs bumped into the edge of the bed. “Tyler, just need a second,” you mumbled against the kiss, struggling to pull away as he hungrily kissed you.

You kicked off your shoes and shimmied out of your jeans. Tyler took the hint and did the same with his boots and jeans. “I’ve got this, sweetheart,” he said, grabbing the hem of your damp tshirt and slowly peeling it off of you.

He carelessly let it drop to the floor as his eyes landed on your black lace bra. “Oh, fuck, beautiful. You’re gonna be the end of me.” He said as he stared at you speechless.

You crawled backwards onto the bed, propping yourself up on your elbows. “Then, come join me.” You encouraged him. His fingers eagerly fumbled with the buttons on his flannel before he flung it to the side.

He practically pounced on top of you. Your eyes were glued to his chest, admiring his toned abs. “You know what that look does to me.” He teased you. Nothing was better for his ego than watching you drool over him.

He grabbed the back of your neck and leaned in to kiss you. Feeling Tyler’s bare chest against you was enough to make you see stars. You gripped onto his muscular shoulders. Your stomach did flips every time you felt his muscles flex under your fingers.

“You’re so beautiful,” he complimented you, weaving his fingers through your hair.

Your finger trailed down his chest, stopping right before you got to his boxers. He pushed his hips against you, in anticipation. “Patience, cowboy,” you teased.

Your fingers slipped past the waistband of his boxers. You wrapped your fingers around his cock. His grip on your hair tightened, and he bit down on his lip. “Feels like heaven, sweetheart,” he let out a breathy moan.

You ran your hand up and down his length a few times. Each time, he jutted his hips into your hand. Your thumb ran over the tip, and a whole string of curse words came flowing out of Tyler’s mouth.

“That’s enough, sweetheart. I don’t wanna cum til I’m inside you. Let me get you warmed up though.” He instructed. You shuddered at his strict tone. He pulled your hand out of your boxers, and then pulled your panties down your legs. You quickly unfastened your bra and threw it to the side.

Tyler grabbed the back of your thighs and roughly pulled you towards him. Before you knew it, he’d hooked your legs over his shoulders. You whimpered as you felt his hot breath between your legs.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I remember exactly how you like it.” He teased, winking up at you. He laid his tongue flat against your folds and licked a thick stripe.

You bucked your hips up against his face, which only encouraged him more. He grabbed your thighs, making sure you couldn’t pull away.

He teased your entrance, watching as your back arched against the sheets. “Just desperate for me, aren’t you?” He asked, cockily. You furiously nodded your head as you bit down on your bottom lip.

He dove in, licking in the shape of small figure eights. You moaned his name, turning him on even more. Tyler loved to hear you whine and moan his name. It was his favorite sound.

Wanting to hear it again, he lightly sucked on your clit. “Oh, fuck, Tyler.” You mumbled, grabbing his hair and grinding down on his face. Tyler loved making you desperate enough that you took a little control. He licked circles around your clit, speeding up each time he heard a breathy moan.

You looked down at him and admired the sight. There was nothing hotter than the image of Tyler with his face buried between your legs. In bed, Tyler never did anything half-assed.

You grabbed at the sheets, balling them up in your fists. Your knuckles turned white as you got closer. You repeated his name like you were a broken wind-up toy. It drove Tyler crazy.

You felt a tightening in your stomach as Tyler gave more attention to your clit. Your thighs squeezed around his head, only egging him on more. “Baby, yes yes,” you screamed, almost pornographically.

Before you could warn him, Tyler felt your legs start shaking as you hit your orgasm. You called out his name as you felt yourself clenching. “Such a good girl, you ready for another round?” He coaxed.

You were gasping for air, but you quickly nodded your head. Tyler chuckled at your eagerness. He kicked off his boxers and laid on top of you.

“You did so good, baby. Don’t worry, I’ll do all the work. You relax and cum for me again.” He said, wiping your hair off your sweaty forehead. You pecked his lips, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

He deepened the kiss and pushed his cock into you. You gasped as you adjusted to his size. “You seem impressed, like I haven’t fucked you a thousand times.” Tyler teased, planting kisses along your jawline.

“I forgot how fuckin’ big you are.” You moaned. You knew his ego needed boosting every now and then, and you weren’t lying.

“I love filling you up like this. You feel like heaven— so tight for me.” He moaned as he thrusted back into you.

Hearing his sweaty skin slap against yours only turned you on more. You thrusted your hips up to meet his. Tyler let out a low moan as your nails scratched down his back. He grabbed your thighs and wrapped your legs around his waist.

He pushed even deeper into you. Your breath got caught in your throat. “Come on, baby, just like that.” You encouraged him. He sped up his pace, pounding into you.

The bed frame thudded against the wall repeatedly. Neither of you cared about pissing off the neighbors. Your eyes rolled back as he hit your g-spot.

“I know you’re close, baby. I feel it.” He groaned. Every time you squeezed down on his cock, his hips bucked into yours.

His thumb found your clit and started rubbing tight circles. Your moans got higher pitched and louder as you felt your stomach begin to tighten.

“Baby, I’m gonna cum,” you warned him. His pushed his hips deeper into yours. Your legs were starting to shake. “Me too, honey. Cum with me.” He instructed. You pushed your hips up to meet each of his thrusts. You caught a glimpse of how his cock got buried inside of you with every thrust.

You both were starting to see stars. “O-ohh, fuck, baby. I’m gonna—” Tyler moaned as his hips jutted into yours. He pumped you full of his cum. It was enough to send you over the edge. Your orgasm hit you, and you sunk your nails into Tyler’s shoulders, leaving crescent-shaped indents.

He slowed his thrusts as you squeezed onto his cock. He rested his head on your shoulder, catching his breath. You raked your fingers through his hair, kissing his temple.

He rolled off of you and collapsed next to you. “That was fucking magic, sweetheart.” He said, pressing soft kisses to your shoulder. You interlaced your fingers with his, giving his hand a quick squeeze.

“Guess we need to stay together to keep each other sane.” You mumbled, catching your breath. Tyler chucked. “Oh, you’re never getting rid of me again.” He said, pecking your lips.

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[lcvclywon]

the waves and evening air

back to masterlist

synopsis .ᐟ When you and your best friend Jungwon get stranded on the beach, it might be a bigger blessing than you realise

warnings: mentions of food, denied feelings, fluff fluff fluff, not anything I can think of rn!

genre ⋅˚₊‧ ଳ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ; best friends to lovers

parings: best friend!Jungwon x best friend!female reader

wc ˖° around 1.2k ^^

thoughts frm yuya 💭 this was definitelyyyy based off that one scene from reply 1988 where taek and deoksun get stranded at the beach bc that's my comfort drama ^^ also thank you to my pookie @wonfilms for helping me conjure this up at 2 am, wrote this for u elle fr ><

“This is all your fault!” you cried out while slightly pushing Jungwon to the side (to which his stance sadly did not falter). To give some context, Jungwon had stupidly convinced you to stay just a little bit longer at the beach in hopes to find a few more seashells he could keep as souveniers. Which then resulted in you two missing the bus back home, meaning you would have to wait for next bus. Unfortunately said bus would only come at 8pm that night, meaning you had around 3 hours to kill. 

“Hey! It’s not that bad. At least we got cute seashells,” Jungwon defended as you two walked away from the bus stop defeatedly “, and I’d say three hours goes by quick if you have fun!” You turned to his face which had a grin plastered across to accompany his hopelessly optimistic attitude. 

“Yeah and how do you suppose we do that, we already did like 99% of the activities they have to do at this place.” you grumbled whilst kicking at small pebbles in your way as you walked 

“Uh well…” Jungwon said before scanning around the boardwalk to see if there were any shops that you’d haven’t been to yet. Suddenly catching something from the corner of his eye his head perked up before exclaiming “Hey shaved ice! We haven’t had that yet, and besides you need a refreshment.”

“I guess…” you grumbled under your breath before Jungwon started forcefully dragging your body to the shaved ice shop. Eyes glistening with hope and steps fueled with determination. 

“Hello! Uhm could we have two orders of shaved ice: one mango and one strawberry! Oh um both small sizes please, thank you.” you envied how no matter the situation, Jungwon’s voice always managed to come out calm and cheery. You also always caught onto how Jungwon knew your favourite flavours by heart, despite never telling him outwardly how much you loved mangos.

Shaved ice in hand you both made your way down near the sand to sit and watch the waves. Jungwon had mentioned earlier he hoped to catch the sunset with you before leaving, guess he got his wish you thought to yourself. You both sat in a comfortable silence while enjoying your desserts, letting the gentle sounds of the waves fill your ears. 

“Hey is yours any good?” Jungwon asked breaking the silence 

“Oh, yeah it’s good!” you said before scooping out a spoon of shaved ice for yourself. However before you could get to even enjoying the sweet treat Jungwon’s head dipped down and stole the bite you had crafted for himself, smirking before responding with a sly “Hm, it is good.” 

You nudged him slightly before whining out “Hey, that bite was for me!” 

In response Jungwon scooped out a spoonful of his shaved ice; moving the spoon closer to your mouth with a hand under to catch anything that might fall, uttering a small and simple “ahh” 

Despite the blush forming across your cheeks you moved your head forward to accept his offer, the sweet strawberry flavour melting on your mouth leaving you with a satisfied smile. You have to admit, shaved ice wasn’t a horrible idea. Leaning back into your chair you sighed out, eyes wandering to the oceans waves moving back and forth with the tide, a gentle smile forming across you face. One that Jungwon seemed to notice. 

“What’s on your mind hm?” he asked before spooning a mouthful of shaved ice into his mouth and tilting his head to face you. How did he always catch on to the small things? 

“Hm? Oh nothing, just you know-” you answered while poking at your somewhat melted dessert “this is, nice…”

“Told you so.” Jungwon joked with a smug grin, elbowing you playfully. 

“Nevermind, I take it all back, worst idea ever.” you deadpanned before turning away from him slightly. 

“Kidding kidding!” he said whilst wrapping his hand around you wrist to pull you closer. God he had to stop making your heart flutter.

Suddenly a huge gust of wind blew in your direction, the bitter cold causing shivers to run down your body. Immediately your hands reached to your sides to rub them and hopefully generate some warmth, which Jungwon once again seemed to notice. 

Without a word he unzipped his jacket and draped it over your shoulders. Looking up in startled, you cocked your head to the side with a confused look glazing your eyes. He simply flashed a small knowing smile in response, was his smile always this pretty? 

As the sun set darkness quickly engulfed the beach which led you two to heading into a small restaurant to enjoy a warm bowl of hot pot. You sat peacefully enjoying your warm bowl of soup whilst jungwon poured a bit more into your bowl. Glancing up you muttered out a small thank you in between bites. 

Shortly after the old woman who had been serving your table and running the restaurant came up to you two asking “Would you and your girlfriend like more soup?” 

You choked slightly on your fishcake before rushing to deny that you two were dating, however Jungwon seemed to be quicker. 

“No we’re just finishing up! Thank you though, must be hard running this place yourself” he replied politely 

“Oh it’s no trouble! What a gentleman you are, I’ll go and get your check then. You kids enjoy the meal” she cooed before heading off to the back. 

You stared at Jungwon with puzzled eyes and mouth slightly agape before uttering “Girlfriend?” 

“No point in correcting her right? Eat, eat…” he responded nonchalantly before spooning the remaining bits of fishcake into your bowl. What did he mean by that? You tried to brush it off and continued eating, but you couldn’t lie that it remained in the back of your mind even while riding the bus back home. 

“I mean there kinda was a point.” you said out of the blue, obviously throwing Jungwon off guard a bit. 

“Hm, what do you mean?” his face resembling confused kitten as he tilted his head to the side

“I mean, we aren’t dating. So there kinda was a point in correcting her” you reached for the hem of your skirt twiddling with it slightly.

“I mean we might as well be right?” Jungwon answered before lacing your hand with his. A bright blush formed across your face when you registered what he just said. What? 

“So does that mean…” you asked expectantly, trailing off as you were too embarrassed to finish your question.

“It means exactly what you think it means.” Jungwon replied before pressing a gentle kiss to the back of your hand “Why’d you think I made you stay and collect seashells? Obviously I don’t like seashells that much YN, I just wanted to keep hanging out with you.” 

“Well it worked, today was great” you giggled out before yawning 

“Are you sleepy?” Jungwon questioned attentively 

“Hm just a bit…” you commented, feeling your eyelids begin to become heavier. 

Before you could do anything Jungwon moved your head to rest on his shoulder before muttering a small “Sleep on me, I don’t mind” 

You happily accepted his request, before drifting off into a peaceful slumber. A smile painted across your face, a smile you trusted you could always have with Jungwon. 

Maybe missing the bus was worth it

[mdsbabygirl]

“DRUNK.. NO, HIGH INLUV”

Pairing: Final timeline!Sano Mikey Manjiro x f!reader

Sinopsis: Your overwhelming infatuation with Mikey consumed your every thought, leaving you desperate to capture his heart. In the heat of your passion, you'd go to the greatest of lengths, even resorting to using an intoxicating drug to ensure that he succumbs to your desires.

Wc: 2k

Cw: SMUT, drug use, reader is very obsessive, final timeline Mikey, racer Mikey, Mikey and reader r friends, use of pet names (baby, love..), cowgirl, nipple play, creampie, slight breeding kink, needy whiney Mikey, bottom Mikey, top reader...

"Soo.. are we still up for dorayaki later?" You nervously ask, biting the inside of your cheek as you look down at your feet. "Uhh.. sure yeah!" He shrugs, looking at you with a slight smile."hey, don't worry  y/n-chan~! We're still friends ok?" Mikey gently pats your shoulder, his tone a rather reassuring one.

"Yeah ik.. friends, just friends" you force a smile, trying your best to hold back your tears. "I guess we'll meet later then! Bye bye Mikey!" You wave at him before turning to go away, all your emotions hitting you all at once like a speeding train.

Damn.. getting rejected by him really hurts. You wiped a few tears, walking away as fast as you could. What were you thinking when you randomly decided to confess your feelings for your friend at one of his races? We're you outta your mind thinking that he'll reciprocate even when you knew damn well his feelings for you were platonic? I guess girls and boys can't really be friends.

You get out of the stadium, and start walking home. Even if you didn't get your shot with him right now, you'll definitely do next time.. you're a rather delusional.. no- an optimistic person, deciding to live in your sweet little dreams instead of facing the harsh truth. He doesn't love you–not in the way you'd like him to– and will never reciprocate your feelings, but hey taking matters into your own hands can't hurt right?

You sighed, shoving your hands into your pockets, taking out the small vial of aphrodisiac, looking at it in an unpleasant way.. I guess it's time for plan B, you think to yourself before heading back home. Your Mikey will love you-I mean...eat his dorayaki no matter what.

Later that evening, Mikey stopped by your house, apologizing for his latency. "So sorry for being late y/n-chan.. I got a bit busy!" He chuckled, looking at you with those dark eyes, those deep ocean eyes you'd stare into forever if you had the chance.

"Oh don't worry, I was busy too... I made you dorayaki!" You cheerfully said as you took his hand and led him to the living room, where a big plate of freshly made dorayaki was resting on top of your coffee table.

To say his eyes lit up the moment he saw the food was an understatement, he quickly rushed there and delved into it, devouring the little treats as if he was starving for a long time.

"They taste Sooooo good y/n-chan!" He said in a cutesy muffled way. You always loved it when he'd just dig in your food, complimenting your cooking skills–that you so hard worker for– wishing he'd devour your needy pussy the same way.

"I'm glad you're liking them! Eat as much as you want!" You replied meekly, sitting beside him on the sofa, looking at every little movement he makes.

"Aren't you gonna have any?" He asks, as he gulps down, his breaths growing slightly heavier. "Uhh, nope. I'm not hungry atm!" You said softly, resting your head on your hand.. he shrugs, turning to the plate, taking another piece and bringing it to his mouth.

Your eyes were glued to him, intently watching how his lips moved, those soft plushy lips you'd die to feel on your own, those lips you'd greedily kiss and suck until they'd bruise, those soft lips you so much crave.

Mikey's suave voice pulls you outta your trance, his hand tugging at your shirt as he asks you with a breathless tone, "yn.. haa- why .. why is it hot in here? I feel weird!" He mumbled, his cheeks flushed as he was struggling to breathe properly.

Your breath hitched, not expecting the drug to work so fast. You quickly grabbed your fan and started fanning it, trying to cool him down. "Ahh.. it's.. it's not gonna help it y/n. IG it's better if I go home" Mikey muttered, looking down between his legs, where he felt a strange tingly sensation.

"No! no you can't go home rn.. you.. you're too weak, you could get hurt!" You explained, your fingers coming to touch his black silky hair, combing through his dark locks. "But.. I don't wanna be a burden.. and plus it's-" "shhhh" you quickly shut him off, pressing your slender finger on his tender lips, "don't worry about anything rn Mikey!" You spoke in a calm sultry voice, your finger sensually sliding on his skin, before you pushed him onto the sofa, "you just lay there! I'll do everything from now on!" You breathed out, hoovering over his hot and quivering frame, looking at him with deranged awe as the potent aphrodisiac was setting in his system further and further. "You look so pretty!" You mumble, gently caressing his soft cheek.

"Y/n ... Don't..we-haa.. we've already talked about this." He breathed out, his hand coming to push you off of him, but his usually strong body, now weakened from the drug, failed miserably to do so.

"Mikey.." you caressed his face, your half lidded eyes staring intently at him, "don't worry, I'll make sure you'll enjoy this!" You affirmed in a husky voice, As you nestled your head into Mikey's inviting neck, relishing his intoxicating scent, his unique aroma, an intoxicating mixture of man and musk, enveloped your senses, leaving you intoxicated and wanting more.

With your face so close to his skin, you took full advantage of the proximity, tracing your lips along the contours of his neck and jaw, leaving a trail of soft, wet kisses that sent a shiver down his spine. Your tongue occasionally darted out to lap at his skin, tasting the salty essence that coated his flesh.

Your affectionate gestures, however, weren't entirely gentle. From time to time, you'd sink your teeth gently into his supple skin, eliciting a startled gasp and a moan of pleasure that only fueled your desire for more.

The tent in his pants got bigger by the second, as his cock hardened under the drug's effect.. he didn't wanna do this.. but damn he needed to get off.. a few breathy whimpers left his mouth as you lapped at the skin of his neck, trailing lower to his collarbones.

He covered his mouth, trying so hard to shush himself.. you quickly stopped, looking up at him in confusion, "Mikey? Why r u covering your mouth?" You reach to pull his hand away, your lips curving into a smile as you got closer to him, your foreheads touching. "Babe, I wanna hear you moan.. pls moan for me!" You begged, your soft whisper sending tingles of excitement to his already hard erection.

His cheeks reddened even more, and his eyes got watery as his hand reluctantly cupped your cheek, his quivering lips parting to say something "y/n.. please.. kiss me.. make this feeling go away.." he begged, his shaky murmur turning your mind into putty. "Ofc my love! Everything for you Manjiro!" You cooed, your eyes almost turning into hearts for him.

Your lips met Mikey's in a gentle touch, the connection electrifying and all-consuming. His initial reluctance at your presence dissolved, replaced by a raw, primal hunger as you both surrendered to the sensual kiss.

Slowly, you traced your tongue along the seam of his plush lips, and with a soft, inviting moan, he parted them, allowing you full access to his sweet mouth. You explored, tasting, and teasing each other with a slow, languid rhythm. Mikey's hands reached up to cradle the back of your head, holding you close, while his fingers threaded through your hair, pulling you even tighter.

In that moment, with your bodies close and your lips locked in an intoxicating dance, it felt as if time itself ceased to exist. You both drowned in the bliss of the kiss, each breath, each touch fueling the fire that burned bright within.

"Take your clothes off! I want you to ride me!" He pulled away, a small string of spit connecting your lips. His breathing was heavy, his chest heaving up and down.. this surely surprised you, you didn't expect him to be this willing and needy, but hey, it's not like you were complaining.

Your clothes were quickly discarded leaving both your bodies naked in front of each other. Your eyes stared at him, his toned body and pretty hard cock made your mouth water..

"Mikey..." you moaned, your voice laced with a mix of longing and desire as you carefully enveloped his pulsating length within your hand. Your skilled fingers glided effortlessly along the veiny shaft, tracing the ridges and bumps that adorned it, imprinting the intricate details in your memory.

Soft moans left Manjiro's lips, his eyes closing shut as he was enjoying the blissful pleasure he was feeling.. that damn drug had at least an advantage, it made the pleasure skyrocket. He threw his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, with each of his gulps and breaths..

"I'm close.. I'm so fucking close y/n" hearing his words you stopped your movements, your hand trailing upwards to pinch his nipples, your fingers playing with the hard nub, which gained a gasp from the man beneath you.. "ahh, fuck y/n" he choked out a moan. "Shhh, I'm gonna make you feel so good Mikey! I just need you to be patient!" You whispered in his ear, licking his lobe.

With a predatory gleam in your eyes, you bent down to tease Mikey's sensitive nipples with your skilled tongue. Your hot, wet licks sent shivers down his spine, making him whimper needily. Sensing his arousal had peaked, you decided it was time to grant him the pleasure he craved.

You straddled Mikey, guiding his rigid, pulsating cock to your already glistening entrance. The slick fluid coating your folds eased his entrance, the tight warmth of your cunt sending shivers down his spine.

As you slowly lowered yourself onto him, both of you emitted guttural moans that reverberated through the room. Mikey's eyes fluttered shut, a blissful expression plastered across his face. "Fuck, you feel amazing," he panted, his hands gripping your hips, urging you to move. "Please move, I need you to move." He begged.

As you began to move, rocking your hips in slow, sensual circles, the friction of your snug, wet heat clenching and releasing around Mikey's length sent jolts of pleasure coursing through both of you. Your breath hitched with each thrust, and the sweet, carnal sounds of your impassioned lovemaking filled the room.

You leaned forward, your breasts brushing against Mikey's sweat-slick chest, as you began to increase the tempo of your movements. Sweat beaded on both of your brows, mingling with the intoxicating scent of your combined lust.

Your rhythm grew more urgent, faster, and more fervent, as the waves of ecstasy grew ever closer. Mikey's hands clenched your waist, his grip tight, and his thrusts mirrored your own increasing fervor.

In that frenzied moment, with the two of you entwined in raw, animalistic desire, it was clear that the line between the sensual and the sinful had been erased, leaving only the most exquisite bliss.

As you moved faster, the friction of your snug, wet heat clenching and releasing around Mikey's length sent jolts of pleasure coursing through both of you. Your breath hitched with each thrust, and the sweet, carnal sounds of your twisted lovemaking filled the room..

"fuck I'm so close!" Mikey whined out, his needy voice sending sparks of pleasure to your little clit, "me too love! Me too ahh.. fuck, cum inside me!" You moaned, begging the man you loved, for his seed, the seed you so much craved..

You both reached the peak of your arousal simultaneously, your cunt squeezing and clenching around his throbbing cock, driving him to his limits.

"I'm cumming!" Mikey cried out, his voice a rough, guttural growl. His body shuddered, and with a loud groan, he unleashed a torrent of hot, sticky cum deep inside you.

"Me too," you gasped, your own climax crashing down upon you like a tidal wave. You convulsed, your inner muscles milking every last drop of pleasure from Mikey's spent length.

Breathing heavily, you collapsed onto his chest, your arms wrapping around him. As the night progressed, the two of you, drenched in sweat and sated desires, found yourselves drifting into the comforting embrace of sleep.

However, as the first light of dawn began to pierce through the curtains, a sinister realization dawned on Mikey. A nagging feeling deep within his subconscious reminded him of his earlier rejection, and the strange sensation of his senses feeling hazy.

As he cautiously, and fearfully, roused himself from the afterglow, his mind began to piece together the missing fragments, and a slow, creeping horror crept into his soul. He had been drugged.

©2024ᴍᴅꜱʙᴀʙʏɢɪʀʟ, ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ᴏʀ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴍʏ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪꜱꜱɪᴏɴ

[youkissedareaderinthedark]

Dear Spa

Synopsis: The Belgian Grand Prix haunts the grid once again

young female mercedes driver reader x F1 2023 grid

(george is on williams with alex, logan is the reserve driver)

We can’t remember “before you”

“Hi!” You grinned into the microphone when an interviewer called you over, to stand beside your teammate, Lewis. “Hi Y/n” He pulled you into a side hug. “Y/n, Mercedes have been looking fast so far, what can we expect from you two today?”

“Well, we hope to get onto the podium, and if not that, then just into the top 5 would be nice”

“And Lewis, what are your expectations for the cars today?”

“I mean, as Y/n said, we’re looking for the car to be in the top 5 at least. We’ve all been working hard in the garage and at the factory and we can only hope it pays off”

“Okay, thank you two, good luck today” The interview said as you two walked away and into the paddock.

2023 was your first year driving for Mercedes, although your third year in Formula 1. Toto Wolff had recruited you from Alpine in the middle of 2022 and had signed you for four years to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton. Seeing as you were much younger than him, you had developed a mentor-mentee relationship with the British man, and he became one of your closest friends on the grid. He gives you advice whenever he can and defends you when the racing world becomes too critical of you.

Right as you were walking through the paddock, you feel two arms wrap around your shoulders. “Hola” “Bonjour” Two accented voices say. “Hey guys, you ready for the race?” You grin at Charles and Carlos as you throw your arms around their shoulders.

“Yes, I can’t wait to be ran off the track again” Charles teases.

Two weeks ago, you ran his Ferrari off the track without even realizing it when he was trying to overtake you. He’s not mad since he ended that race in P3, but he still doesn’t miss an opportunity to tease you about it.

“That was two weeks ago, Chuck. Forgive and forget” You reply

“Don’t worry Y/n, I’ll just wave when I pass you” The Spainard says.

“And are you going to impede me if you do?”

“If I feel like it” He smiles. You laugh “I’ll see you guys later, good luck” You call as they walk towards the Ferrari garage.

You see George, Alex, and Lando together next. “Hey guys” You smiled as you brought each of them into a side hug. “Y/n, so, you remember how we asked you to come golfing with us on Tuesday and you said no?” George asked.

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Yes?”

“Well, we asked Lily and Carmen to come along, so you won’t be bored when you join” He smiles as if he came up with the smartest idea possibly.

“Oh, seriously you guys?” You threw your head back as the trio smirked.

“Alright, I’ll come with you. I’m not golfing though”

“Aw thanks, Y/n, you always know how to make us feel loved” Lando said sarcastically.

“We’ll see you after the race, Y/n, good luck” Alex called over his shoulder as the three friends walked away.

“Good luck”

“Alright Y/n, you ready?” Lewis asked you as you stood across from each other in the Mercedes garage. You two were about to start your formation lap, but not without seeing the other off first.

“Of course. We’re going to do great, good luck” You smiled, then you remember you were wearing your helmets, so you hoped he could tell by your eyes that weren't yet covered by the visor. He removed the hands that were on your shoulders.

“Good luck”

There was during you...

You sat in your car as the thirty-second warning came on. Your car rested at the P6 position, Lewis in front of you and Checo Perez behind you. It was supposed to be a good race, the skies were clear, the stands were full, and all ten teams were optimistic.

“Alright everybody, as the red lights come one, everybody clears the track” The voice of David Crofty becomes audible.

You take a deep breath, tighten your grip on the wheel, and focus your gaze on the lights above you.

1...

2...

3..

4..

5..

“And its light’s out and away we go in Spa! Max Verstappen gets away with no trouble, Charles Leclerc following after him into Turn 1. Fernando Alonso isn’t as lucky, scrambling to get away from Carlos Sainz’ Ferrari behind him. Lewis Hamilton manages just fine, as does his teammate behind him, Y/n L/n, pulling away from Checo Perez easily”

There’s a lot you probably should be worried about, but you’re glad you're not. You navigate through the race pretty easily, both Mercedes staying in their respective places until Lap 17. Carlos overtook Fernando, and now your teammate is attempting to do the same.

“Alonso, about to lose two places as Lewis Hamilton closes in on him in Sector. 3 He’s going for it. Hamilton down the outside...can he pull it off? Yes he can! Lewis Hamilton P4 and the show isn’t over for Fernando here. Y/n L/n wants a bit of action too, she’s going for it, their nearing Turn 3...”

DRS is on and you’re not giving up. You go down the inside of the Aston Martin, you’re Parrell to him, you’re going wheel to wheel...

“They touch! Contact between Alonso and L/n! L/n gets turned around and- oh no! Sergio Perez hits into the side of her car! Oh my...that looked...” For the first time in a while, David Crofty is speechless.

Suddenly there is debris everywhere. It’s an immediate red flag and the reflexes of the drivers behind Perez are tested as they try to avoid the collision in the middle of the track. The crash caused Sergio’s car to slow down, but it also set your car forward again which allows his to accelerate again. The Red Bull pauses, waiting for the cars behind him to clear before moving forward and stopping his car at the limits of the track.

“What happened?”

“Who was that?”

“That..that looked bad. Who was it?”

“That was Y/n? Is she okay?”

It all happened too fast. As a Formula 1 driver, you needed to have the fastest reflexes possible, but this time, if you blinked, you’ve already missed half of it. You knew your car had been sprawled sideways across the track, you just didn’t know Checo Perez was a second and a half behind you.

It felt like the entire right side of your body had bowling balls thrown at it. You tried overtaking Fernando on a straight, so the Red Bull crashed into you with full power. Your hip felt the most force, but your legs were crushed under the dented medal of your car. You couldn’t even feel your right arm and it’s better that you didn’t. The crash knocked your head straight into the left side of your headrest and even with that bulky helmet, you were seconds away from unconsciousness.

For reasons you couldn’t figure out and didn’t have the time to, the words said in your last conversation swam in your head.

“Good luck”

“Good luck”

“Good luck”

If this is good luck, then what is bad luck?

You thought as your eyes closed. You didn’t have to find out, because the luck that was your life, runs out.

Eighteen cars are back in the pitlane, but Sergio Perez’s Red Bull remains out on the track. He turns off his car no problem, but his shaky hands cannot seem to unbuckle the harness that keeps him in his seat. He’s been in Formula 1 a long time, and he can’t thoroughly describe it, only as a terrible, terrible feeling, one you have all over your body. He’s only felt it once and he never wanted to feel it again. His body is in déjà vu, thinking of the terrible day in Japan, in denial of this day in Spa.

He pulls himself out of the car and sprints towards you. “Y/n!” He screams as loud as he possibly can. “Y/n!” He’s muttering curses and pleadings. “Y/n please” He lifts your visor to reveal your closed eyes. The Mexican swears again and looks around frantically for the medical team. He weaves his arms through the halo and starts shaking your shoulders. Segio doesn’t know what it’ll do but he doesn’t know what else he can do.

He unbuckles your harness as well before removing your helmet and balaclava whilst his brain is trying to remember the safety procedures he was taught. The man places two fingers underneath your chin where your pulse point is supposed to be. Except it isn’t, and Sergio Perez begins to panic. He tries to be still for a moment, watch your nose and your mouth and your chest for any signs of breathing, and places his hands over his own helmet covered face. His voice breaks. “Y/n”

Flashes of red lights dance across your reflective visor and the sound of sirens becomes audible. He keeps his head rested on the side of your car and his hands clasped together in a prayer, hoping that the crash could be undone. There are wheels squeaking against the track and footsteps rushing around and he feels a hand placed on his shoulder.

“Sergio, are you okay? Come over here, you need a checkup...” A marshal drones on but Checo’s mind is on you. That terrible feeling is drowning him, forcing him to remember how it felt when he learned Jules Bianchi died and how he promised to never let a friend die. Sergio Perez has been in Formula 1 a long time; he should know not to make promises you can’t keep.

But we never thought there’d be an “after” you

The Mercedes garage knows first. The message comes from a radio and Lewis thinks that no message that important should be given by a radio.

He’s angry first. The British man is not known for his rage, but it escapes him before he can control it. He’s been out of his car for almost 10 minutes by now, Toto telling him to come out when 20 minutes passed, and they hadn’t been given an update. Lewis was listening to the station the medical team uses, and he, like everyone else in the room, was still.

“We’ve completed the examination, there is no pulse. Y/n L/n is dead”

A calm, before the storm.

He grabs the radio before anyone can react and is shouting without even realizing it. “No you haven’t. You check and you check again and again until she walks back here, okay?” Lewis’s voice breaks and his heart knows it even though his brain is denying it.

“I’m sorry but she’s-”

“No, no, she isn’t anything. She is fine and you bring her back here right now. You tell her I need to talk to her, you tell her I need her right now” A sob slips from his mouth and he’s buried his head in his hands as if taking his eyes off the world would bring her back into it.

The normally stoic Toto Wolff has tears shining in his eyes and Susie is crying next to him. The engineers in the room don’t know what to do, only that they want to go home and miss you and try to convince themselves they’ll see you later, walking out of the hotel with a smile on your face, rushing to catch your flight.

The FIA knows your relationship with the rest of the drivers well enough that none of them will have the heart and mind to finish the race. They radio each of the team’s garage’s one at a time, breaking the news and informing them of their decision.

David Crofty and Martin Brundle know next, and they are graced with the gift of telling almost 400 thousand people that one of their drivers have died. David Crofty and Martin Brundle are well into their age and have seen a lot but seeing a young woman killed doing what she loved in a freak accident? No, that’s too much.

A heavy silence fills Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and the fans are stunned into the silence of reality.

The drivers are questioning themselves for the first time since 2019. Charles Leclerc breaks down into tears and he’s not sure how many more loved ones he can lose before he crumbles completely. Pierre Gasly sobs at the thought of having to lay another bouquet of flowers at this track and this time, without you by his side.

Esteban Ocon is spiraling into déjà vu and Yuki Tsunoda is torn between comforting himself, Daniel Ricciardo, or making the trip to Alpine to see his best friend. In that moment, the Australian is sure he will never smile again because you aren’t here it mirror it or cause it. Carlos Sainz hopes he never loses one of his sisters but if he does, he knows it will feel like this. The Spainard only wished to protect you and keep you happy and is left crying while his wishes fall away just like his tears.

Fernando Alonso knows this is something that will be engraved in his mind for every second of every day for the rest of his life. People assure him, it’s not your fault, it was a freak accident, but it doesn’t feel like it. He knows how to defend, especially without making contact, so how do you explain this? The man is advised not to let the grief consume him, but he welcomes it, lives with it until November, when he announces his retirement and knows that it’s permanent this time.

Lando Norris, George Russel, and Alex Albon are in states of disbelief.

We were talking, not even two hours ago... she was supposed to go with us...

You were supposed to go golfing with the three, yes, but you were also meant to go through Formula 1 with them. Be there for every podium, every win, every World Championship the four of you always dreamed of winning. Now they just dream of getting one more minute with you.

Dear Spa, stop killing our friends

[thewritetofreespeech]

Could I request Vanitas finding out his s/o was a former Paladin but got kicked out because she showed mercy to a vampire mother and her children? S/o's loyalty to the Chasseur was already wavering but being told to kill a mother and her children made her completely lose faith in them.

“Hold still.”

Despite the order, Vanitas flinches on instinct. Although he has a very high pain tolerance thanks to his past, his psychological pain threshold is very low. Aka: he hypes it up in his head too much. “It’s hurts!”

“I haven’t done anything yet!” [Y/N] snapped back at him.

They eventually sigh and let his arm go. “Just…stay here then. I’ll go look for some bandages and supplies. You work on getting over this so we can actually fix your arm.” They get up to leave and disappear into the shadows for their search. Leaving Vanitas alone.

He sat there for a while. Huffing and puffing about having to sit there like a child while he waited for them. Then, he suddenly heard the sound of his name, “Vanitas-san!”

The black-haired man tensed and grew pale as he turned, hoping he was just delusional from blood loss. But no. It was certainly Roland.

“What are you doing here?? Oh my goodness, you’re hurt!”

“Yeah. It’s nothing.” Vanitas coiled into himself on instinct. Though Roland was very nice, and an optimistic idiot, he still belonged to the organization that tortured him for years. “My uh…friend is getting me some bandages.”

“Awwww! That’s very nice of them!” Roland cheered. “It’s good to have a partner when you are fighting evil. This set back is just a minor hurdle, but proves to the fortitude of your cause!” Vanitas really wished he had some sunglasses to block out the blinding rays of Roland’s spirit.

“Ok. I have the bandages. Now if you can just hold still we can get…..” [Y/N] trailed off as they returned. Their eyes and Roland locking and an unfamiliar expression on the idiot’s face he hadn’t seen before. Surprise.

“[Y/N]….chan….”

“What are you doing here Roland?”

“Oh I was…on a mission…” He explained. “Hunting evil vampires.”

[Y/N] arched a brow. Probably at the comment of ‘evil vampires’. Vanitas was surprised too as he thought that the Chasseurthought all vampires were evil. “What are you…?”

“I’m here with….” Vanitas offered a little wave with his good hand to contribute to this awkward conversation. “Are you here alone? Or are you with….”

As if on cue, there is the distant call of Roland’s name. “It’s Olivier.” He told them. “Do you want to-“No. I can’t.” [Y/N] cut in quickly.

Roland nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll distract him and get him away from here while you get Mr. Vanitas out of here.”

“Roland. You can’t-“I won’t tell anyone.” His turn to interject.

[Y/N] put the bandages away and helped Vantias, who was still very confused, to his feet. The Chasseuralready making his way back to his comrade. “Roland!” He paused and turned back to look at [Y/N]. “If you need anything…”

The blonde just smiled. “Don’t worry about me! I’ll be fine!” Then he was gone.

Alone, Vanitas turned to [Y/N], “what was that about?” He was confused, and honestly a little jealous. There was clearly some history there. A history he knew nothing about between his partner and man who was once their enemy turned friend. “How do you know Roland? What was he talking about not telling?”

[Y/N] looked scared and dejected. Another expression he hadn’t seen before today. They swallow a lump in their throat before they tell him. “Roland and I used to be friends. When I was their Sapphire….”

Vanitas was shocked to the point that his whole heart felt like it stopped. They used to be Chasseur?? Sworn to the very people how tortured and nearly killed him!! “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“It was irrelevant. I’m not that person anymore.”

“Irrelevant?! Irrelevant?! You used to belong to the church and the people who….” He was too traumatized to even say out loud that they did to him. For the sake of ‘science’ and the holy order. “How could you not tell me?! How could you work for those people?!”

“I know exactly what kind of people they are Vanitas! It’s why I left!”

Vanitas stopped being angry for a moment and returned to shock again. To his knowledge, no one left the Chasseur. One, their life expectancy was short. If they weren’t killed by vampires, the treatments and drugs they were given drastically shortened their life (all for the cause). Two, it was forbidden for Chasseur to ever leave service. They were bound by their oath until death. They couldn’t just…leave.

“You’re lying.” He accused. So, [Y/N] sighed and told him the very sad story of why they left.

They had believed in the cause, at first. You don’t join the Church without believing. They were very good at their job and training, and eventually promoted to Sapphire. Second only to their Diamond. One day they were sent on a mission to irradicate a vampire village somewhere in the French foothills, but they were amazed to discover how civilized they were. No violence. No secret horrors. The people had been kind to them and in the end they couldn’t do it. Sending word that these people needed to be left alone in reciprocating peace that they showed. But the church didn’t take kindly to that.

They dispatched more Chasseur and with their force wiped the village from existence. [Y/N] was taken into custody for heresy. Clearly ‘manipulated by the vampires and their illusionary tactics’ and sent for ‘reeducation’. Sometime during the process, [Y/N] couldn’t remember how long they had been there for while they were tormented under the guise of salvation, they escaped.

“I’m not sure if they sent word that I was dead, or an excommunicated traitor, but they didn’t come after me. I still had to hide, but started a new life for myself away from the church. After that, I met you. That time and now are completely different places for me. You must understand that.”

Vanitas listened to their story and tried to process it. “I didn’t lie to you. Or…I didn’t mean to lie to you, if we consider omission a lie. If you don’t think you can trust me, or if this is too much for us, then let me know and I’ll fix your arm and go.”

Vanitas reached out with his good arm. Snatching theirs in his grasp. As if on instinct at the suggestion of them leaving him. “I don’t want you to go.” [Y/N] breathed a sigh of relief. “But…I will need sometime with this.”

[Y/N] nodded. They patched up his arm in silence and they left together in silence as well. They would be back to normal eventually. Or whatever version of normal their lives were. For now, this was just a lot to process. But if Vanitas could be unlikely friends with a Jasper, then perhaps he could make a relationship work with a Sapphire.

[kydrogendragon]

"Where'd you find this?" Hob asks, picking up the old, rather brittle leather case. He smiles, rubbing his thumb over the scratched and faded color.

"Up in the top of the closet." Jo sighs and sets down the tall stack of old boxes onto the kitchen table. She crosses her arms over it and rests her head against them, groaning as she stretches her back. "Christ, Hobsie, I don't even know how you fit so much in there. And I still haven't found that old bag you claimed to have in there."

He snorts, flicking open the snap button on the case and pulls out the now very outdated Kodiak camera from its case. He runs his hand across the metal shell, feeling warmth well in his eyes as memories flood through him. It's been ninety years now since he first got this thing. Nearly a century. He might not have any working film for it, but he's certain it would still work as good as the day he got it.

Hob clicks the button on the top, letting the front lens pop open. He trails a finger over the folded bellows. Maybe he's just nostalgic, but there's something charming about these folding cameras. Sure, modern-day ones can take spectacular images. Lots easier to use than film. And cheaper. But these feel more...alive. Maybe he likes these for the same reasons he still prefers vinyls over streaming music.

Or he's just old.

"That's neat," Jo says, pulling Hob out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," he says, tilting the viewfinder straight and peers down at it. Jo's face reflects back at him through the fingernails sized glass. He dials in the lens, sharpening the image. "It's my old camera. First one I ever got. Definitely used a village's worth of film in the first few years. Peggy got a kick out of it, though she did scold me after I kept taking her picture early in the morning. Said she wanted to be remembered not for her morning hair and bad breath but for her taste in clothes and skilled use of a curler.... Didn't touch it much after the blitz." He works his jaw, taking a breath as he does so. It's been a long time since he lost her, but the sting is still there. Still...raw. Especially holding items like this.

"Sorry, Da." He waves her concern away, sniffling back the sadness.

"Want it? I bet if you managed to track down some film, it'd work. Maybe Rachel would think it's charming," he says with a wink. Jo rolls her eyes, but takes the proffer camera from his hands.

"Well...it is pretty cool. Bet I could clean this case up. Got that leather kit for my docs. I bet they'd work on this too." He watched with a soft smile as she fiddles between the case and the camera and his heart squeezes in his chest. It's small thing like this, he realizes, that he missed with Robyn. Passing things along, having them gain new life in the next generation. Even if Jo's not his by blood, she's his daughter, even if she grumbles about it. Christ, he's gonna tear up again. He doubts she'd believe him if he blames it on the dust.

"Right!" He says, clapping his hands together. "Clearly that closet's been neglected for too long. Here, I'll help sort through some of thing. Maybe we can actually get it organized."

Jo laughs as she sets the camera, now secured back in its case, on the coffee table in the living room. "Very optimistic of you. That's a weekend long chore at the least."

Hob lifts the lid on the nearest box and groans internally at the mess of clutter and paper inside. Jo's probably right, but that doesn't mean he'll give her the satisfaction. "Well, we can get as far as we can then. Maybe we'll even find that old bag while we're at it."

A few weeks later, he gets a letter in the mail with a small stack of photos of Jo and Rachel taken on that very same Kodiak. Hob sticks them on the fridge with a smile next to the old photos they'd found all the way back from 1937 of him and Peggy.

[4xbfdi]

hello!!! ive created a little story based on my algebralien bunny au!

The sun was just beginning to rise over the rolling hills of the Equation Playground. Dew sparkled on the soft grass, and the air filled with birds chirping a gentle morning melody. In the middle of the meadow, near a cozy shared burrow, stood Four and X, who was eagerly waiting for a new arrival.

“I can’t believe Two’s finally moving into the Equation Playground!” X exclaimed, his ears twitching with excitement as he leaned against Four, their paws lightly touching. “It’s going to be so fun having them nearby! Aren’t you excited?”

Four groaned, his nose twitching. “Excited? That’s not really the word I’d use. Do they really have to move in next to us?”

“Fouurr… come on! Two will be a great neighbor! Besides, you two are already friends, right?”

Four narrowed his eyes. “If by ‘friends’ you mean ‘they constantly annoy me’ then sure, friends.” He huffed, folding his arms. “I don’t get what your deal is with Two. You always act like they’re the best.”

X giggled. “They’re nice! Maybe you just need to give them a chance. You two have a lot in common, you know.”

Before Four could continue his rant, they spotted a familiar figure hopping toward them over the hill. Two, ears bent slightly in an eager, nervous way, was using their magic to carry a box full of belongings. Their wide grin made X smile instantly.

“Hey Four! Hi X!” Two called, waving with one paw. “It’s so good to see you both! I’m so excited to be your neighbor!”

“Two!” X hopped forward. “You made it! Welcome to the Equation Playground, we’re going to help you get settled in!”

“Oh, thank you X!” Two said, then turned to Four with a bright smile. “And Four! My old friend, thanks for coming to help too!”

Four frowned, nose twitching. “Yeah… ‘friend.’ Let’s just get this over with.” He muttered under his breath.

Two either didn’t notice or pretended not to, their excitement undampened. “I’m glad we’ll be right next to each other! I’ll get to see you every day!” They beamed as if that was the best news in the world.

Four winced at the thought, but X leaned in with a grin, nudging him. “Isn’t that great, Four?”

“Yeah… great,” Four groaned, managing a tight smile.

The trio hopped over to Two’s new burrow, which was conveniently located next to Four and X’s shared one. X was already hopping around, excitedly pointing out the best spots for tunnels, while Two surveyed the space with plenty of ideas.

“So, what kind of burrow were you thinking of?” X asked, peering into the box Two had set down, inspecting all the little trinkets. “Something fun with curvy tunnels?”

Two’s eyes sparkled. “I was thinking of something balanced, you know? Like, some curvy tunnels like yours, X, but also symmetrical rooms. That way it’s fun but organized.”

X smiled. “That sounds perfect! Right, Four?”

Four thumped, clearly annoyed with X’s attention being shifted away from him. “It sounds fine, I guess… as long as they don’t mess up the neighborhood with too many weird tunnels.”

Two chuckled, hopping over. “Don’t worry, Four! I know you like things neat. I won’t make a mess. We’ve always worked well together!”

Four’s ears twitched, and he muttered, “If you say so.” He shot X a look that said, please get me out of this.

But X, ever the optimist, just smiled and began digging enthusiastically. “Come on, let’s get started!”

Four attempted to dig straight, clean tunnels for the foundation, but Two kept bouncing in with their own ideas, curving paths and suggesting tweaks that drove Four up the wall.

“Ugh, Two, can you not curve this tunnel?” Four groaned, staring at a bend Two had just made. “It’s supposed to connect to the room in a straight line.”

Two blinked and smiled. “But a little curve makes it more fun! Besides, X loves digging curves, right X?”

X looked up from happily digging side tunnels, grinning. “I do, but maybe we can balance it out?”

Four shot Two a glare, the kind that said, you’re only doing this because you know it bugs me.

Two grinned, unfazed. “Come on, Four, it’ll be fun!”

Four sighed but relented. “Fine. Just don’t add any surprise tunnels.”

With Four keeping things orderly and X adding creative touches, the burrow turned out surprisingly well. By the time the sun began to set, the entrance tunnel was neat and straight, just the way Four liked it.

Once the digging was done, Two opened their box full of decorations. “Now for the best part!” They pulled out a set of colorful math-themed décor.

Four raised an eyebrow. “What… are those?”

“Decorations!” Two said happily, hopping into the burrow and placing little items on the walls. Smiling at something in the box, they pulled out a green-framed picture of Four, X, and themselves, with Four being the only one not smiling. Two carefully placed it above their bed.

They continued unpacking—a decorative green tea set, framed posters, and more. “This one goes here… and this can hang right at the entrance,” they mumbled, lost in concentration as they arranged everything.

X peered in, his eyes lighting up when he saw the framed picture. “Wow, Two! It looks amazing! I remember when we took this!” He giggled.

Two stood back, admiring their burrow. “This is great! Thanks so much for the help, you two.”

Four, looking exhausted from the day’s work, gave a half-hearted nod. “Yeah, I guess it’s fine.”

Two nudged Four playfully. “See? I knew we could work together, like always!”

Four’s ears flattened, but he didn’t pull away. “Just don’t get used to me digging for you all the time.”

As evening settled in, the three bunnies sat outside the burrow, enjoying the cool night air. Two was thrilled to be in their newly decorated home, while Four and X curled up together, paws intertwined.

Even though Four grumbled about Two living next to them, there was a fondness behind the bickering, like siblings who could never admit they actually cared for each other.

For X, the day was a success. Two had a new home, and Four, though he wouldn’t say it, was happy to have helped.

As the stars twinkled overhead, Two looked up and smiled. “I think this is going to be a great new start. Thanks for everything, X. You too, Four. I can’t wait to start decorating more tomorrow, I’ve got even more ideas!”

Four’s ears twitched. “More? You brought enough decorations to last a lifetime.”

X chuckled softly. “You’ll like it, Four. I’m sure Two’s decorations will grow on you.”

“Don’t count on it.”

With that, the three bunnies settled in for the night, knowing that even with a little rivalry, they’d always have each other’s backs.

And as X drifted off, nestled against Four, Two watched from their newly decorated burrow, feeling like they truly belonged in this little corner of the playground.

Maybe, just maybe, Four was starting to feel the same way.

[mrsalwayswrite]

What Words Can't Say - Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome to my new series! When I watched MOTA I had no intentions to become obsessed but here we are.

Summary: When Abby joined the war effort, her only purpose was to support her cousin and fix up the B-17 Fortresses so they could continue their missions. She had no intentions of getting close to the men who piloted them. Yet when the 100th Bomb Group flew into Thorpe Abbotts, specifically a handsome blond Major, her carefully built walls began to crumble, one brick at a time.

Warnings: Brief mentions of blood and violence

Words: 1455

Series Masterlist // Next Chapter

May, 1943

The sound reminded her of a thunderstorm as she stood on the tarmac, watching one by one as the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses took off into the blue sky. There was beauty in the forts as they took off, these massive machines rising into the clouds and defying gravity as they dotted the sky above. A similar beauty as found in thunderstorms, in her opinion. There was a timeless awe in witnessing lightning racing across the sky. 

Yet she had lived through too many storms, the initial spark of wonder drowned out by knowing what those storms brought, the destruction that followed in their wake. 

As her hazel eyes followed the path of the forts, heading to their new target, she could not help but wonder how many men and planes would return. 

An arm wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her close. She willingly followed the action, leaning her head against the man's shoulder, even as they both kept their eyes on the sky. 

“It'll be better this time. I've got a feeling.”

She could not help the sad smile that her cousin's comment drew forth. “You're too much of an optimist for being in a war.”

“Yeah? Well, your pessimism is annoying.” He flicked her ear with a chuckle. 

“Ouch!”

He quickly stepped away before she could retaliate. “Alright, let's get some chow and rest!” He called out to the ground crew standing nearby. “We've got six hours until the forts are expected to return.”

She glanced up at the sky one more time as the last of the bombers disappeared in the distance. She hoped her cousin's feeling was right. Maybe they would get lucky this time. 

“Come on, Abby,” her cousin called to her from a few paces away. 

After a brief sigh, she turned on her heel and quickly caught up to where he stood waiting for her. “I'll do the task list, you go lay down. I know you barely slept last night.”

“It's alright, I can–”

She not-so-gently shoved him. “Go, I've got this. I'll sleep after.”

Ken Lemmons squinted at his older cousin before conceding defeat. “Fine. Have Dog-Face help you.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” She dismissively waved a hand. “Go on before I write your mother a letter about how you aren't taking care of yourself.”

“You wouldn't!”

“How quickly do you think she'd get on the next ship to England?”

Ken groaned. “I'm going! Christ. I thought we were a team!”

“We are.” She smiled innocently. “Teammates look out for each other.”

“Threatening to write my mother is not something a teammate would do.”

“Only for your own good.” She reached up to rub her hand over his curls, only to pull her hand back with a grimace. “Ugh, when was the last time you showered? Your hair is disgusting.”

Laughing, he pushed his head towards her face, made easier since she was shorter than him. “Smell me!” 

“You're gross!” She shoved him away, laughter bubbling up inside her. “Shower first, then sleep.”

He gave her a quick two finger salute before jogging to catch up to the other male ground crew, all hoping to get a couple hours of shut eye before dealing with the chaos that would arrive when the forts returned. 

Walking over to the over-glorified shed where they stored their tools and extra parts for the B-17s, she mentally started going down the checklist, making sure everything was back in its place and no idiots - dammit Simon - lost another wrench. The actions were second nature by this point, and why Ken (who was the ground crew chief and lead mechanic) trusted her to do it. 

Once completed, she headed towards the Red Cross nurses’ hut to catch up on her own sleep. Since she was the only female mechanic at Thorpe Abbotts, they had billited her with the nurses. Most of the nurses were friendly enough with her, although it took time for some of them to mentally adjust to her being in a ‘men's’ role and not a nurse, secretary or radio operator like the other women on the base. Overall, it was not a terrible arrangement, but with the amount of women coming and going from the hut due to their various shifts, it was hard to get a deep, restful sleep. 

Before stepping into the hut, she glanced up at the sky one more time and sent a silent prayer to a God that vanished with the onset of the War, praying that more men and forts would return this time. 

Please, let this mission not end in disaster…

*****

Fire, screams and sirens filled the air as what was left of the bombers returned to the airfield. 

Her eyes scanned over the few planes that returned, assessing the level of damage and repairs needed. Not enough. Not enough forts and men returned. Again. Even though she had been doing this for months now, it never got easier. Seeing the destruction of the forts, the decimation of the men and the knowledge of who and what were lost…it sapped strength from the soul. 

But she had a job to do, and she would not stop until they told her too. 

“Is it always like that?” 

Abby heard the question asked to the left of where she stood. The quiet question was at odds with the chaos around them, a juxtaposition in which she could not help but take notice, even as she continued surveying the damaged planes. She always waited until the injured were removed from the tarmac and the rest of the men were driven off to interrogation before getting close. She had learned the hard way that with her smaller stature, it was easy to get trampled. 

“You wondering what to tell your guys? My advice - don't. They'll find out once they're up there.” The veteran pilot walked away, hoisting his pack further up on his shoulder. 

The new major stared up at the plane he suffered hell through with a mix of horror and resignation. His fellow pilot's words were obviously being replayed over and over along with the horrors he witnessed in his mind. So caught up in his own memories, she doubted he even noticed her move closer. 

Abby heard about the new major and his 100th Bomb Group that were to arrive in the next two weeks. Most of the information she gleaned from the man before her was from the nurses she bunked with. Apparently, Major John Egan had quite the reputation. The nurses gossiped about his handsome features- those dark eyes, the mustache that tickled when he kissed them, and that cheeky smirk that broke hearts as easily as a bullet shattering glass. Abby witnessed firsthand how the man seemed like the sun and everyone around was unable to help the gravity pulling them towards him. He was charismatic, funny and kind, and did not mind making a fool of himself. The ladies loved flirting with him, offering dance after dance in the Officer's Club. While those that snuck away into dark corners with him gossiped about how attentive and talented he was, with more than just his mouth. 

Yet at this moment, none of those characteristics were apparent. Instead he looked like a lost, little boy that had been dared to jump off the bridge and did it; but now at the bottom, he realized the danger he survived and wondered if his friends would too. 

“Major?” She hesitantly said, trying not to startle him. 

Her voice seemed to jolt him from wherever his mind had traveled too. Those dark eyes -haunted now by what he saw- darted to her and he almost seemed to breathe a sigh of relief from being released from those memories. 

“Sir, you've got blood on your hands. You should wash it off and then get to interrogation. The Brass here are particular about that.”

“Uh…thanks.” He tried to smile but it was a faint thing. He glanced up at the forts once more then turned on his heel, heading to a nearby jeep waiting for him. 

She watched him walk away and wondered if he would tell his Bomb Group the truth or like what was suggested, let them experience it for themselves. She could never truly know what those pilots experienced, but for how often she had to patch up their forts and witnessed the dead and wounded men removed from the planes beforehand…she could take a guess. 

And there was nothing that could prepare a soldier for that level of hell. 

Straightening the red handkerchief that covered her brunette hair, she sighed before jumping into the fray. Hopefully, they had a couple days to work on the forts before another mission happened.

Hopefully. 

Tag List: @beebeechaos

[giulolosblackmail]

cozytober2024: 7. The Smell of Fresh Baked Goods

"You do understand you're paying us a kings ransom to what amounts to burnt cookies," Shatina asked Magda, still skeptical.

"They might not all be burnt," Carlos, wearing what was clearly one of the maid's flouncy white aprons, says like a damned optimist. Carlos wasn't an optimist, being around Magda just made him stupid.

Magda gently took another sharp utensil from Gocheau and patted him on the arm. "Back when we first had the mercenary tea party, I just thought it would be fun to spend some time together like this, just doing something fun without the weight of expectation," she smiled, and damn if that smile didn't do things to Shatina. No wonder she made Carlos stupid. "And now that things have changed, I have the means to treat you all for once, so yes, a king's ransom. Because I earned it." Various mercs laughed from around the kitchen, even Mona, who'd been clinging to Magda's arm ever since they'd been introduced, managed a smile. Bethala had been the only one to get banned from the kitchen outright. She simply couldn't help but stick everything edible she touched into her mouth. One of the harried house staff could be heard from the dinning room, trying to placate her with tea and sandwiches. Those poor fools.

"I, for one, am honored to be invited," Carlos piped up. Shatina tried to glare him down, but he was too busy making eyes at Magda to notice. She signaled Mona, who burst into tears in a moment, pulling all of Magda's attention away from Carlos. Ha!

Shatina slapped the back of Gocheau's head when she started getting thoughts about chopping fingers bleeding into her head. "Would you stop trying to cut things," she snapped. Shatina grabbed the kitchen knife from Gocheau and switched places so he was getting gross goo under his fingernails, mixing dough. Shatina went at the apples with a vengeance.

Magda looked over her shoulder. "Ah, slime might be too fine a consistency for a pie." They both looked at the sludge the fruits had turned into. "Maybe that means we don't have to cook them, since they're already gooey?"

"That's not how that works!" called Bethala from the dinning room. She was the only one of this lot that knew how to cook. Too bad she was too much of a bottomless pit to be a chef.

Michelia let out an unholy screetch as she tripped trying to squeeze past Magda and Mona, dropping a bag of flour almost heavier than she was. Like a massive explosion it spread through the kitchen in a thick white wave.

Magda's head chef finally kicked them all out, since, apparently, flour is flammable and they'd rather the kitchen not turn into a smoking crater. The mercenaries were all shuffled outside to several blankets that had been laid in the garden under the autumn leaves. Harried looking house staff tossed them some greens to mix into a salad, that being the only thing they couldn't possibly ruin, and ran off to save dinner.

Carlos was no longer wearing the apron. It had been, admittedly, one of his better ideas since he was only mostly covered in flour, as opposed to everyone else's completely covered in flour.

They could smell pies, cookies and cakes being fixed in the kitchen. Shatina leaned over to ask Magda, "Are we still getting paid?" Magda laughed and agreed so Shatina yelled, "Job well done!" The rest of her group cheered in response, and even Magda joined in.

[knowltonsrangers]

theoretically pt.7

Benjamin Tallmadge x F!reader

first , prev

Caleb never asked if you got seasick, expertly drawing the boat to the shoreline and jumping inside. The man hummed a tune you didn't know as he offered you his hand, swaying gently as the waves bobbed to the coast unanimously.

“Thanks,”

Your hand finds his, his unused hand grabbing your opposite elbow to steady your balance.

"You seem like you’re good friends with the Major,"

Small talk is awkward, but if it meant to carry on a conversation longer than a question and an answer, you would entertain the notion.

"I would sure hope so. Been friends since we were kids,"

“That’s sweet,”

You mean it wholeheartedly, something you hope translates with a small smile on your lips.

Then, your own feet betray you, unceremoniously tripping onboard the small boat as Caleb lunges to catch you.

"I said I'd take care of ya, y/n, can't do that with you in the drink,"

Swallowing thickly, you nod, regaining your footing before sitting down, gasping slightly at how unstable and unsafe all of this felt.

“Speaking of,”

You catch his attention as he looks over to you curiously, seated across from you as he halts his digging through his bag.

"I think Benjamin’s just about had it with me,"

You sigh as he pulls the rope free, the boat officially leaving the shore in one swift motion.

"What makes ya say that?"

"Well, for one, he's incredibly insistent that I leave here. And he doesn't seem to like my jokes."

You only mean the second half as a poor attempt at a jest, yet Caleb begins to seriously mull the two reasonings over, gathering the oars in his hands as he begins to row.

"Nah, don't think of it that way, y/n. He's sendin' you away to protect ya, and I think in my entire life I've seen Ben genuinely laugh six times."

He pauses.

"Maybe seven."

"I can't help it that humor is my defense mechanism. Or coping mechanism.”

You hesitate, then include:

“Or both."

"If I could see it your way, y/n, I'm positive I'd understand."

"Yeah, I can empathize with that."

There's a pause, and you find yourself frowning slightly, every time your mind wanders to the fact you are scarce out of ideas to find your way home from here.

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

You whisper, hands coming to your upper arms as if to instinctively hold yourself. Caleb laughs, then takes a good look at the expression on your face and realizes you aren't kidding.

"No, no! Not ta me, at least. Interestin’, that’s a way I'd call the situation."

“Thanks.”

The warble in your tone is enough to make you physically cringe.

“That means a lot,”

There’s a beat of silence before the brunette presses onwards.

"May I ask you somethin', y/n?"

You swallow thickly, shaking the feeling of dread away for a moment, gently bobbing your head up and down to usher him onwards.

“Why didn’t you listen in yer history class?”

Your eyebrows raise, and then your mind reels. That would be an excellent question that you don't have the heart to tell the man, so you opt for an ambiguous answer instead.

“I…I don’t know. I guess before now, I didn’t have a good reason to.”

“Well, makes me think that if there’s a class to teach, means we’re doin’ somethin’ right.”

“You’re an optimist. That’s a good way to look at it.”

“Not that I’m known for my great ideas or nothin’.”

The trip across the sound was full of mindless chatter, and one thing you appreciated was that Caleb never tried to pry any more information out of you. It was quite nice to just have a simple conversation like it was meeting a new friend, and happy to not be stuck in that tent, nor the endless hours of interrogation.

Once you arrive at the opposite shoreline, it becomes hours of the waiting game. Your chin finds your hand as you sit on the sand, knees drawn to your chest as your clothes bunch and gather uncomfortably.

"I'm due back to get Ben soon. Think you'd be okay for a bit?"

Your head swivels, noting how dark the wooded area had become since you both had arrived upon it.

"He's coming here?"

"Well, yeah. He's gotta tell me what to do with ya, miss."

Caleb snorts, hands on his hips as you sniffle quietly.

"Am I safe? I mean, it seems desolate, but you would know the area better than me,"

The man does a full three-sixty shuffle, eyes scanning the tree line and listening patiently for any movement.

"I'd say so. If someone comes too close, or somethin' rattles in the distance, just keep movin' along the shoreline. S'all connected, I'd find ya."

Your hands run down your pockets, a bit of worry twisting in your stomach at the notion of having nothing on your person.

"Got any spare knives?"

Another joke, but Caleb seemingly contentedly agrees. Shuffling around in his bag, he pulls out a small pocket knife, no bigger than the palm of your hand.

"S'not much, but it's enough to protect yerself."

He hands it to you, and you take it graciously, holding it close to your chest.

"Thank you!"

To you, you have no choice but to happily oblige to any of Caleb's ideas. He was easygoing and downright hilarious, but you can tell just how much he respects Benjamin.

"I promise, even if you come 'cross some lobsterbacks, they wouldn't harm a lady. Just say ya got lost, and ask for the Captain or Major. They'd be able to help you."

His index finger comes to his lips, as if he's about to disclose a secret.

"Jus' don't mention anything about the camp, alright? Yer a patriot now, y/n, don't go switchin' sides."

You stand, wiping the sand from your pants as you go over to Caleb, offering him your pinky. You weren't quite sure if he'd understand what you meant, but almost instantly he locked with yours and shook your interlocked hands once, firmly.

"I promise." "'Atta girl."

And just as quickly as he was in front of you, he was in that boat again, and then in the water, and then...far enough into the fog that you could no longer see him.

"Well, shit."

You kick a rock, praying for the daylight just to hold a little longer. The night hours would be much scarier alone, and you wouldn't find much solace not being able to see your enemy.

"Just another fine predicament, nothing I can't handle." Your fingers run over the pocket knife tucked neatly in your hand, jumping slightly as the crunch of leaves echo within earshot.

"Yeah, right-"

[the-bar-sinister]

In Justice We Trust (162836 words) thesavagesabretooth Chapters: 41/41

With Simon Blackquill and Athena Cykes assigned as their psychologists, the Phantom and Fulbright must grapple with their identity, their deeds, their future, and their love for the twisted samurai whom they betrayed.

All the while, Edgeworth and Wright find their relationship tested as they walk the narrow path between pursuing real justice, and the dark age of the law.

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December 26, 8:15 am

Athena had a pleasant, almost strangely normal breakfast with Simon and Halblicht in the hotel restaurant– both of them in quite cheerful spirits. Soon afterward, Halblicht was spirited away by Agent Ash for another round of work on the information they were getting, and Simon and Athena had to report to Chief Prosecutor Edegworth for a meeting of their own. She couldn’t help but feel…truly optimistic, for the first time in days. Not just happy, but warm with the feeling of hope and excitement for all the things that could be getting better little by little. The Organization was on its way to being dismantled. The memories of her mother no longer ended on the worst day of her life. They had rescued another person from the organization’s hands– a chance at hope burning within them– and she was firming her bonds with not only Simon, but Robert and Bobby as well. She even had hope for Apollo and Clay. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she cheerfully led the way down the hall and towards the Chief Prosecutor’s meeting room. Her smile widened even more when she found that Edgeworth had fresh coffee and donuts waiting in the conference room. Sure she'd just had breakfast, but–

"Good morning, Miss Cykes. Prosecutor Blackquill," Miles greeted as he fixed himself a cup of coffee. "Help yourselves, please, before we get down to business."

"Mff mmff mfff!" The muffled additional greeting came from her boss, Mr, Wright, who was sitting at one end of the table with his face full of donut, and waving at her. Athena waved her hand at them with a broad grin. 

“Aw yeah! Let’s get some more coffee, Simon!” She cheered “...annnnd maybe a few donuts, you know. For energy.” 

Simon laughed. "For energy. You'll be more energy than you are lawyer soon, Athena. And more donut than energy, besides."

The jab didn;'t stop him from going to get a donut– but he did feed half of it to Taka immediately. Athena took two donuts for herself, sticking her tongue out at Simon before snatching her coffee. “Better than being more grump than lawyer, Mr. Blackquill!” 

Wright laughed and set down his coffee. "She's got you there, Blackquill."

"She most certainly does not." Simon smirked and sat down too, still feeding bites to Taka.

There was a pleasant mood in the room. One of the lightest that Athena had been in in days. It was especially noticeable that the heavy tension that had seemed to lay over both her boss and Mr. Edgeworth had dissipated almost entirely.

"I can say from experience, grumpy prosecutors go places," Edgeworth said, sitting down as well. He took a sip of his coffee and started arranging papers. Athena plopped down in her chair with a quiet huff. “Yeah, like Cauli on a big crazy mission.” 

"Like that," Wright agreed with amusement. "Honestly, Athena, I think you're probably the only one in the room no one would accuse of being grumpy."

"And she has her moments," Simon drawled. Athena flushed, and fluffed her hair with one hand. “I most certainly do! Though I dunno if I’d call it grumpy exactly. More… I dunno…” 

Simon leaned on his hand and grinned. "More like?" “Charmingly terse. Dignified and imperious.” Athena sipped her coffee. 

"Sounds more like you're describing me, doesn't it, Taka?" Simon smirked, conferring with the bird.

Edgeworth looked over his glasses at the two of them with a dry, stern expression. Athena could sense his amusement anyway.

"If you two are quite done?" “Never, sir. You should probably get started while there’s a lull though.” 

Edgeworth chuckled. "I suppose I may as well. Alright. The latest report from interpol this morning is that they're closing in on one of the targets. Mr. Gaius Lovelace, also known as 'Specs'. There's a sting operation being planned to get underway today." Athena couldn’t help but smile a little wider “AH! GOOD, so he didn’t slip away while we were investigating yesterday? The intel from our friend in lockup helped?” 

"Magnificently," he nodded. "She was able to give us information on where she dropped him off in Kelso's car. From there Interpol were able to follow him via ids in security footage and traffic cameras all the way out to a smaller airport in a city across the border. They're going to meet him when he touches down in Denmark this afternoon."

Athena punched her hand against her palm.

“And this time, he doesn’t have someone to push down to take the fall for him, does he? Just him, and our friendly neighborhood Interpol squad.” 

Phoenix raised his glass from down the table. "Just him, interpol, and as far as I heard something like two dozen local PD they're mobilizing. Bastard doesn't stand a chance.:

"Wonderful," Simon purred, lacing his fingers together. "A late Christmas present for all of us."

"Indeed," Miles nodded. "As with yesterday's suspect, Lang has agreed to a trial in LA, under Interpol oversight." Athena twisted her fingers together. “And me and Apollo are going to be representing him, I presume?” 

"That depends on a number of factors," Miles said. "Athena, I feel that your expertise will be extremely welcome in this trial, However, your boss, Mr. Wright has volunteered to take the position of primary attorney. I will ask Apollo Justice his feelings on the matter, but unless he volunteers to defend, he won't be involved. And likewise, I won't pressure you to participate." Athena held up her hand. 

“I’ll participate.” She took a deep breath, before smiling brightly. “My expertise and experiences over the last few days will be vital to the case. If it brings us to the truth, and further up that organization’s ladder to push ‘em off it, then I’m happy to help.” 

"Your help is very much appreciated, Miss Cykes," Miles nodded. "Thank you again for everything you've done for us thus far. And on that note, Prosecutor Blackquill– the case is yours to prosecute, if you so choose."

Simon stroked Taka's feathers and smiled a rather nasty smile. "I very much so choose, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth. It will be my pleasure to send this abomination to hell for his sins. While dear Athena works tirelessly to save whatever might be left of his soul." Athena nibbled on her donut with a nod. “And with the two of us working together from both directions…to damn and to save, we’ll find the middle ground of the truth, and the proper …the just conclusion to this whole affair.” 

December 26, 9:15 am

Simon was humming happily to himself as he and Athena left the meeting with their bosses. Everything was falling into place. To think, only days before, he'd thought his world shattered almost beyond repair. Now there was gold in the cracks.

"We'll have our work cut out for us when we get back to LA, Cykes-dono, and no mistake of that." “We absolutely do, Simon.” Athena chuckled softly as she brushed her fingers through her hair. “...two cases to prepare for– all under Interpol’s gaze. You think we can manage it?” 

"I'd say we're swiftly proving our record, between the pair of us. I know the chief prosecutor wouldn't put it in our hands if he wasn't pleased with our work."

That much was–unfortunately– evident with Edgeworth declining to invite Apollo Justice to the affair. “That’s true…” Athena must have thought of that too, from the sad flicker of emotion that crossed her face before she smiled again. “So we’ll just have to keep impressing him. I’m…kind of hoping we can get Miss Kelso and her new co-host a decent deal from the judge, admittedly.” 

"I'd wager that we'll be able to. Her cooperation will stand well for her. That trial will be more of a formality and a bargaining than anything else." Athena looked up at him with a nod. "Which means the real battle’ll be the one with Lovelace at the stand. Are you feeling ready to go up against me again, Simon?” 

He laughed and tapped his temple. "The real question is are you ready to go up against me again, Cykes-dono. I have no intention of losing." Athena leaned in with a broad grin on her face. She turned and pointed fully at him with a flustered pride in her eyes.

“And neither do I, twisted samurai. Because I’m confident I can find the truth I…” She took a deep breath as she finally said what was on her mind. “I’m going to wear one of mom’s kimonos to the courtroom, and stand proudly at the bench and prove my client’s truth to you, no matter what!” 

Simon smiled widely, and grabbed her shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze.

"I very much look forward to that, Athena. Very much." He felt a swell of affection rise up. Seeing Metis– it must have been even more powerful for her than it had been for him. And besides that– it was amazing to see how far that she'd come, since facing him for the first time in the courtroom. "Athena…." Athena tucked her hair over her ear, she was flustered from the declaration..that much was clear, but he could see the genuine confidence in her eyes. “Yeah Simon?” 

He squeezed her again. "I know I've said it before, but. Thank you. Thank you again, for everything you've done for me." Athena hugged him then, pulling him close suddenly. After his surprise, he wrapped his arms around her.

“You’re welcome, Simon. I’d do it all again, every part of it ... and I’ll always wanna be there to do everything I can, okay?” She squeezed him back, and her voice was genuine and warm. “Always, just like I knew you were always there for me.” 

"And here we are. Here for each other. What funny tricks fate's had for both of us." He smiled, and brushed his fingers through her hair for just a moment– then stepped backward. "I never guessed a week ago that this was where we'd be." “Me neither, Simon.” Athena put her hand on her hip with a smile. “...I knew I was going to save you by any means necessary, of course…but uh…gotta admit the specifics kinda threw me for a loop.” 

"The specifics have been frankly insane," he chuckled, fluffing back his hair."But they certainly haven't been boring. And it's all worked out… much better than I thought it could. Maybe that makes me a little insane too."

Athena laughed. “...I mean, I’m of the opinion we’re all kinda insane, Simon. It makes sense, yeah? Where would we be without our unique psychologies and quirks? Or ghosts? Or who knows what…? Not here– where things are slowly swinging better than ever.” 

"Not here, without all those things." Simon closed his eyes for a moment. "You're quite right about that, Athena. And I'm very glad to be here."

December 26, 10:20 am

Athena was at the desk in her hotel room, working on the paperwork Edgeworth had given her to fill out for interpol in terms of representing 'asset 24' in court back in LA when there was a knock at the door. Paperwork, the necessary evil, was never her forte– so the moment there was a knock she wasted no time in hopping up and opening the door with a smile . Anything was a welcome distraction from the rapidly blurring text. 

Detective Halblicht was standing there with a large grin on his face, absolutely radiating positivity and warmth.

He saluted her immediately. "I hope I'm not unjustly interrupting you, Ms. Athena!" Athena’s smile bloomed across her face with the answering glow of warm positivity pinging around her internal emotions “Detective Halblicht!!! Of course not! I’m just …ugh, stuck in the mire of Interpol paperwork.” 

"And here I just got out of the same thing. May I come in? I actually have something else from interpol for you." Athena stepped out of the way to let him in with a laugh. “alright, but if it’s more paperwork I might actually scream!” 

"No danger of that at least!" he said, still grinning as he stepped into the room. As the door closed he reached into a bag that was dangling at his arm, and pulled out– a large ziplock bag full of Christmas cookies. "Tada!"

“Oh!!!” Athena’s eyes widened as a hand went to her cheek. “Those look delicious!!” She swayed back and forth happily for a moment. “did…did someone in Interpol make them themselves??” 

"Detective Badd, apparently!" Bobby nodded, pressing the bag into her hands. "He said that he wanted you to have some for all the good work you've been doing. He gave me a bag for Simon as well." “Wow…the big guy’s a real sweetheart, isn’t he?” Athena grinned as she took the bag and hugged it to her chest. “mind if I try one now?? I’m kinda excited!” 

"Be my guest! I already ate half the bag that he gave me while I was working down at the station." He chuckled and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Sounds like you could use the sugar boost." “Honestly, even if Simon would make fun of me for it, yeah.” Athena opened the bag and took a bite of one of the cookies with a hum. “How was workin’ at the station?” she asked…after she swallowed. 

"It was a little tense," he admitted. "Everybody down there is getting wound up because there's going to be a big sting operation later this afternoon. Especially 'cause they can't be there for it, and it'll be headed up by another branch."

Bobby's shoulders sagged a little, and Athena could easily guess that it wasn't just interpol who was tense about that. She reached out and patted his shoulder as she swallowed another bite of cookie. They were thickly frosted, somewhat crumbly, and quite sweet. It was obvious they were hand baked with love.

“...I mean, I can’t blame them,” she began with a sympathetic smile. “They all wanna be there, to make sure it goes down alright…yeah?’ 

"Absolutely." He nodded, and sighed, but he returned her little smile. "But that's not the way it worked out, so we all just have to trust that everyone will do their jobs and justice will be upheld."

He was being positive for Robert's sake– that was obvious. Athena could feel the little, almost nothing, ping of anxiety that fluttered next to Bobby's emotions. Robert was worried that their target was going to slip away.

“I wish we could be there too, you know.” Athena tucked her hair over her ear. “but he’s not going to get away. I heard about the operation some…he barely got away this time, it’s only because he put the Miss…Miss Kelso in an unwinnable situation as a distraction that we didn’t catch him here. But he has nobody else with him, and LOTS of people waiting for him when he lands.” 

Bobby's smile softened into Robert's small, trained expression. "I hope you're right, Ms. Athena. I'm doing my best to trust that. With your help. And Bobby's." She nodded firmly at him with the more subtle smile she’d allowed herself to show in his presence. 

“Good. Hold onto hope, Robert…we’re all going to end this together, remember? You, Bobby, me, Simon…everyone.” Looking up, she met his eyes. “you’re not alone anymore.” 

He met her gaze, blue eyes unwavering behind amber lenses. "Thank you, Ms. Athena. I'm just starting to understand and appreciate that." December 26, ??? PM

"Agent Ash!" Bobby greeted with a sharp salute. "I didn't expect to see you this afternoon!" Sheila Ash was wearing something different than the last day or so when Bobby found her leaning on his doorframe with her sharp-toothed grin. A long red coat, buttoned over a pair of dress pants and black silk blouse.

 “I promised you a shopping trip if we had time in Cauli, didn’t I?” She leaned in towards him “Detective Prime Time, we’ve got the time now. Time to celebrate even, with a little trip around the city’s finest shops.” 

His eyes widened, and an unfamiliar series of emotions washed through them. "We have time? Then you're telling me…?" “That’s right.” Sheila said with a clap of her hands. “We've got the bastard locked up tight, cloistered up in the most secure lockup in Denmark. Lovelace isn’t going anywhere until we drag him to LA to be tried.” 

Lovelace. It was still so strange to think about him having a name. A life.

Things that could be taken away from him.

Bobby smiled widely. "That's amazing! Alright– let me go see if Prosecutor Blackquill will let me borrow his wallet!"

December 26, ??? PM

Pearl peeked out the hotel room door to find interpol waiting for her.

"Oh! Good afternoon, Miss Agent Ash!" Sheila Ash gave Pearl a little salute as the door opened. 

“Good afternoon Little Miss Pearl.” she seemed to have a barely restrained smile on her face, and something tucked against her palm that was just visible enough as she saluted. “I wanted to stop by and thank you again for all your help yesterday.” 

Pearl's smile brightened and she did a little bow. It was obvious she was already recovered from the day before.

"It was my pleasure! I'm always glad to help with that kind of thing." She rocked on her heels,eying Ash's palm eagerly. Ash’s smile twitched a little wider as she nodded. 

“And I hope you’ll help again soon…which is partially why I want to give you this.” She reached down to take Pearl’s hand, and placed a slightly heavy piece of folded leather in her hand…it looked a bit like a wallet. 

A look of wonder came over Pearl's face and she grinned widely as she slowly opened it to look inside. Inside, sewn into the leather, was a metal badge shaped like the planet Earth with a sword stabbed down through its center. Above, it read ‘Interpol’, and below…freshly etched, it read ‘Honorary Agent Small-Medium At-Large’. Sheila’s lips twitched again, and she finally burst into a laughing fit, rocking back and forth. “Consider it a ‘bribe’ to consider joining up when you graduate, kid!” 

Pearl squealed with joy like air escaping a balloon, and threw herself against the agent in a sudden hug. "I'm gonna show this to everybody!"

December 26, ??? PM

Badd sat shoulder to shoulder with Gumshoe at the bar, in front of a pair of steaming hot bowls of noodles. He slapped Gumshoe's back.

"Hell of a case, huh, Dick?" Gumshoe laughed, rocking just a bit…Badd was one of the few guys out there strong enough to actually send him rocking with a slap. Always had been that way. “Hell of a case, Tyrell, pal. Not gonna lie, it got real hairy for a while.” 

"Sure did. Ghosts. I'm telling ya I hope that doesn't start to be the norm in our line of work." “What, ghosts sir? I dunno, I mean…how many ghosts can there possibly be, right?” He rubbed his neck as he slurped some noodles. “...I …I guess there’s one for every person on Earth actually. Huh. Scary shit, pal.” 

"Could even be one for every person who's ever been on earth too," Badd nodded. "Scary shit. And terrible for convincing you to join interpol." Gumshoe laughed. 

“You’re still tryin’ huh sir?" He nudged Badd with his elbow “promise…when Mr. Edgeworth settles down and thinks about joinin’ too…I’ll be happy to sign on too. Hell, I know Maggey would be over the goddamn moon too!” 

"I'll keep waiting, then," Badd laughed with him. 

December 26, ??? PM

In the police station in LA, Maggey Byrde got off the telephone, and shouldered a large stack of papers as she came back to the front desk area.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" she chirped. "I just got off the phone with Dick!" “From Mr. Detective Gumshoe?” came her answer. She’d left the front desk in the care of one of the precinct’s rookie detectives while she’d taken the call, and she found him sitting with his face down on the desk. Detective Ray Hoshino looked up from under the fluffy bangs of his blue-black hair and smiled. “W-was it good news?” 

"It was! Interpol captured the target, and they're all going to be on a plane back here tomorrow morning!" Ray’s eyes widened, practically sparkling as he lit up with joy. The young man slapped his hands on the table as he stood with his hand clasped to his chest, and a smile turned towards the stars 

“I knew he could do it! As long as we, the agents of Justitia’s warmth, rise to fight another day…there’s nothing we can’t do!” He started to sniffle, his shoulders shaking. “in..In…In Justice W-we …Trust.” He’d been like this since the trial only a few days before. 

Maggey sighed, and patted the young rookie on his shoulder placatingly. It was tough to watch, when the kid had lost his mentor. Really… they'd all lost someone they liked having at the precinct.

But what could you do, but keep going.

"There, there, Hoshino."

December 26, ??? PM

"Unlike our arrival, I think it's fine if we all go home on the same plane, Kay," Miles said, looking up from his admittedly intimidating stack of paperwork, fresh off the printer. “Oh thank hell.” Kay Faraday grinned at him from where she leaned, tossing a…guitar pick of all things… up and down in her hand. “Booking the two separate flights without a fight breaking out between parties was a nightmare. I’ll just book us half a plane and get us on our way, Mr. Miles.” 

He chuckled. "Perfect, perfect. No fox, chicken, corn scenario this time. Thank Justitia. I hesitate to say it but things might actually be looking up." Kay caught the guitar pick with a wink. 

“Don’t say that, sir. You’re tempting fate to cause like…an all out brawl in the plane. Or for me to book outta Ifly Airlines’ special package for you again. The one with the free suitcase.” 

He slammed his hands down on the table in front of him and half stood at the mere mention of the airline.

"Don't you dare!"

December 26, ??? PM

"So, are you and Pearls okay coming back with us to LA tomorrow, or do I need to book you two an extra day of Cauli vacation with Mr. Gavin, Trucy?" Phoenix teasingly squashed the hat down on his daughter's head.

Trucy squeaked as her hat tipped down over her eyes “Wah!! DADDY! Come on!” She stuck out her tongue “Mr. Gavin was a lot of fun to hang out with yesterday, but after the whole mess that went on while we were there he’s gonna be booked solid with reshoots and stuff for days.” 

"I can't believe you guys spent the whole day yesterday tracking down his stolen guitar." Phoenix shook his head. "At least there wasn't a murder." “Detective Pearl and her trusty assistant Trucy were on the case, so obviously there wasn’t a murder! We probably stopped it before it began with our cunning ways.” Trucy put her hands on her hips with a giggle “...but that left us kinda tuckered out, and since he’s gonna be busy anyway….”

"So what I'm hearing is you don't mind heading back home and putting your feet up."

“Yep!” Trucy laughed “besides…” She tapped the edge of her nose “Your darling daughter did some networking yesterday!” 

"Oh no, don't tell me…"

Trucy grinned widely 

“I met someone from a TV Studio who wants to cut a deal for a HUGE MAGIC SPECTACULAR for my big debut! I’m thinking of basing it on one of my favorite novels…whatta you think of…” She spread her hands in a dramatic gesture, “Trucy In Gramaryeland!” 

December 26, ??? PM

Phoenix cradled the phone on his shoulder and smiled. "Hey, Maya, it's been a few days. Training hard, or hardly training?" “Oh, you know Nick,” The reception was terrible…her voice came through a crackling line of intermittent static…but it was about as good as it’d been since she’d been gone. “Just freezing my butt off under a waterfall. Eating grass. How about you?” 

"Oh you know. Just on the trail of international criminals in a foreign country. Pearl had to do two separate summonings for interpol." He smiled a little, sad that he'd missed Mia, but well… it hadn't been the time. “Wait, hold the phone…you’re holding it, right? You’re working with Interpol now??”  Her voice squeaked through the line “and Pearls is channeling ghosts for them? And I missed it?? Aw man…” He heard her sigh “I wish there was a murder here so you could come and visit with your new interpol pals, Nick.” 

Phoenix laughed. "Come on, don't say that, Maya. Hey, your training's getting close to done– right? I'm gonna fly out there when it's almost up and you can show me around. How's that sound?" “Almost, Nick. Just a little longer and I really will be the master of Kurain Village…crazy huh?” He heard her chuckle, and murmur something to someone he couldn’t hea.r “When I’m done…I’m begging you to come visit, alright? I’ll give you the grand tour, and it’s only gonna cost you a month's worth of ramen and burgers once we’re back in LA, alright? Maybe two months.” 

"That's highway robbery, Maya. But for you– I'll pay it."

December 27, 8:15 am

There was quite the crowd in the waiting area of the airport that morning, all circling the wagons of their luggage, chatting, and waiting for the plane. The whole LA party was there– only the interpol agents were traveling separately.

Despite the press of the emotions of the crowd that usually overwhelmed Athena, today, like the day before, there was a general positive mood in the air. It was still a lot–big crowds and emotions always were– but it was a lot in a way that brought a smile to her face as she hefted her bag up into her hands. Somehow, impossibly, the trip to Cauli that had been so distressing and overwhelming had turned into something…genuinely wonderful. Understandings were reached, relationships repaired, criminals captured and discord quieted in hears she once worried may be consumed by them. Even her own. She couldn’t help the smile as she looked up at the ticking departure sign. LA was waiting, and with it, new challenges and plenty of hard work to come…but it was going to be worth it.

Apollo Justice was the last to arrive at the spot where they were waiting. His emotions were still raw, but much less turbulent than they had been before.

As she watched, she saw Halblicht– who had been chatting with Ema Skye– disengage, and turn, walking up to Apollo. 

Apollo paused, and they looked at one another. Athena’s breath caught in her throat, and she watched them carefully and curiously…it didn’t feel like another fight.

She felt a sting of anxiety, and realized it wasn't her own. Simon was about to rush forward and put himself between them. As he began to move past her she reached out and stopped him with her arm. She shook her head and mouthed ‘I think it’s okay’ 

Simon frowned, but stopped beside her as she grabbed him, and didn't protest. He craned his head to hear what was being said, but Athena didn't need to.

"There's nothing I can say that will undo it," Robert said, "and no apology I could give that would be meaningful enough."

"No. There isn't." Apollo held out his hand.

Halblicht took it.

The four of them shook two hands. Athena sighed with relief– and felt Simon's beside her– a small and fragile smile crossing her face as she listened in. Things really were looking a little brighter. 

December 27, 9:15 am

Far below Athena Cykes, the seemingly infinite blue ocean flew past and mingled with the white swirls of the clouds. Cauli was already far behind her and getting further every second, leaving her with only the memories and the small bag of souvenir trinkets to give to Juniper and her crew at Themis Academy, and to hang up on her wall besides the old travel mementos she’d amassed in Europe. She watched the swirl of blue and white pass with her genuine and quiet smile, as those very memories played through her mind. The difficulty of facing her mother’s killer turned into sympathy and genuine care for the men…the Phantom pinned on the other end of her knife became Robert, whose soul had been wounded by cruelty…and she’d found understanding within. A strange bond formed against all odds. The tragedy of the UR-1 Incident had shifted to become the reunion with her mother’s ghost and the answer to all the questions that burned inside her heart and the embrace of her mother’s arms soothing unhealed wounds in her heart– and it became her bonding with Simon all over again. Holding his hands and telling him that she’d always be there for him, and he for her, eased the pain of her desperate and unheard sobs in the courtroom as he walked off to die on her behalf. The whole world seemed to twist towards the brighter– even Apollo, sharing a body with his boyfriend, saw the romance of a life spent eternally with someone you love in the silver lining of his unique situation. Cauli changed everything for Athena Cykes. The worst few days of her life turned into something she knew meant more than she could have imagined. They’d even saved the life of one of Robert’s fellow assets, enough to give her a second chance.

What was this, if not a new chance at life for all of them? Simon could let go of his grief and see the care coming from all around him, Robert was free to choose a life of his own with Bobby’s help…could choose love, even., and she was free from the chains of her past, the lingering ghosts of the UR-1 Incident clawing at her battered and unique heart. She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she took a deep and shaky breath. “Beautiful.” She found herself murmuring out loud. 

"It is beautiful, isn't it, Ms. Athena?" Hablicht said, leaning over her seat from where he was standing in the aisle, a number of soft drinks and bags of chips cradled in his arms.

It wasn't immediately obvious which of the two of them it was– perhaps a mingling, judging by the small, and persistent smile. Athena snapped out of her musings with a bright grin. 

“Hey Halblicht!” She leaned back, looking up at him as she spoke. “It’s absolutely gorgeous…”

Simon appeared too– leaning in past the bulk of the duo detective. "It seems we're interrupting her after all, half wit," he bullied fondly. "The detective thought you might be hungry already."

"And bored!" Bobby grinned, offering her some of his armload. "We played all those travel games on the way over– I thought we could do some more."

"Justitia help me, why have I put myself in this situation?" Simon murmured with a smirk.

Athena winked at him with a cheerful laugh. “Because you wanna be in it, Simon. Your emotions don’t lie.” She rubbed her neck, and took the offered snacks. “Admittedly I am kinda peckish, and I’m absolutely a little bored!. You’re really excited for the travel games again? Because I love them.” 

"Absolutely," Bobby grinned widely. "And between you and me, I think Robert might be warming up to them too."

"Wonderful," Simon drawled. "I'm thoroughly outnumbered."

December 27, 3:15 pm (Cauli time)

They weren't quite halfway through the flight yet, and Dick Gumshoe was thinking of home. It’d been a hell of an adventure, as it always was with Mr. Edgeworth, and it’d been a real mass reunion with Interpol, too. But nothing quite beat your home beat, and the coziness of your broken-down, shitty apartment. There was the case to build for Mr. Edgeworth, bringing everything they’d worked towards out here in Cauli back home for them to finally take the guy down, and his superiors with him. There was Maggey, who he couldn’t wait to tell every detail to the point she felt like she’d been there…and there wa—

"Detective Gumshoe?" Halblicht's voice cut through Dick's thoughts as the man leaned over Ema's currently empty seat. "We haven't had a chance to catch up. Mind if I take this seat while Investigator Skye is busy with her airline cocktails?" “Well I’ll be damned! Halblicht!” Gumshoe whistled. “Yeah…been a bit, I know you’ve been a busy guy.” He patted the seat next to him “Pop a squat. Investigator Skye’s gonna be busy a while. When I went to check on her, she was five rum and cokes in and started orderin’ them ‘without the coke’."

Halblicht whistled and dropped himself into the empty chair. "I'm always impressed with the way she can put them away like that. Not that I'm much of a drinker myself."

In point of fact, in all the time he'd been at the precinct, Dick had never seen him touch alcohol. “Yeah, she’s uh..” Gumshoe rubbed his neck, “she’s a real fish in water with that stuff Kinda worries me sometimes, Bobby. Robert. But hey, at least most of the time she sticks to snack food nowadays instead.” He looked over at Halblicht curiously, he’d heard everything that’d come out during the case…been there for some of it. According to little Pearl…Halblicht and the mask everyone thought he was wearing really were two guys. Two guys he and the rest of the precinct had gotten close to over the course of the year. “How you feelin’, pal?” 

"A lot, admittedly." He chuckled rather self-effacingly and glanced at him. "Have you heard the, ah, news? The official diagnosis for lack of a better word?" “Sure have, pal. Sure have.” Gumshoe chuckled “You're two detectives in one trenchcoat, yeah? Or uh, one detective and one…ya know.” 

He thought about miming a knife…but he’d been friends with the guy…still was, maybe. Seemed in bad taste. “Other guy.” 

Halblicht laughed and rubbed his neck, grinning the kind of embarrassed grin that Dick was long used to seeing from him. "Yeah, that, exactly. Turns out you've really had a ghost in the office for a year. Funny how that works out, I guess?" Gumshoe laughed with him. 

“Yeah, honestly, I shouldn’t have been surprised. LAPD’s used to weird shit by now, but I gotta admit…took me for a loop, pal.” He leaned over and punched his shoulder “...kinda glad, honestly.” 

Halblicht grinned wider. 

"I'm glad. It's been a pleasure working with your department, and you know, well…" fidgeted with his hands uncomfortably for a moment as he trailed off. "Anyway! That was actually what I wanted to talk to you about, primarily. Working with the department!" Gumshoe tilted his head to the side. 

“Ya weren’t already?” He rubbed the scruff of his chin “I mean…I assumed ‘cause you were already here, pal. You know. On an investigation with us an’ all. Did Mr. Edgeworth say whether or not you were on the payroll?” 

"Well, uh, yes! I talked it over with Mr. Edgeworth, and the pay thing is being smoothed over. I even have an official badge again. But… that's the thing." The embarrassed grin reappeared. "When Mr. Edgeworth, uh, re-hired me, I think the idea in his head was that uh. People wouldn't be able to tell it was me. But as you can see that's not exactly the case?" “....” Gumshoe hissed through his teeth. “Oough.” 

Halblicht rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. Uh. Should we…. come up with a plan for that? Should we ask Mr. Edgeworth?" “I got a plan, Hal.” 

He sat up straighter. "I'm listening." Gumshoe held up a finger “Bobby Fulbright’s secret, morally dubious twin brother.” 

Hablicht opened his mouth. He held up his hand.

And then he straightened his tie, and in a very serious voice said, "Dick, I think that plan needs a little work."

December 27, 4:15 pm (Cauli time)

Simon looked up from his magazine with a smile as Halblicht came and dropped himself back into the empty seat next to him.

"Did Gumshoe have any insight?" Simon asked with amusement.

"Not really," Bobby pouted. He glanced around, and then leaned over and put his arm around Simon. "He said we should pretend to be my twin brother."

Simon laughed out loud. "I thought as much. Perhaps we should ask someone a little more logical. Like Skye-dono, for instance. When she isn't sauced as hell."

Bobby laughed. "I guess. It's just a pickle, you know? We didn't expect to end up in this situation."

"And yet here we are," he drawled. "Well, it's like I said last night. We'll figure the future out together."

"True enough…" he nodded, and glanced around. "You also said something else last night."

"Oh did I?" Simon raised his eyebrows.

"Yes." Halblicht's voice dropped low. "And we're running out of time to do it."

"What are you–" Simon followed the detective's gaze across the plane to the bathroom, and he flushed deeply. He'd told him. He'd told him last night about his fantasy on the plane on the way to Cauli. "I–"

"Did you want to?" There was a smooth smirk on his face and Simon knew it was Robert suggesting it.

"Well I'm not going to say no, but we don't exactly have the excuse that we're chained up any more!" he hissed quietly, face burning.

"And I thought you didn't have any shame." Robert looked at him coolly from behind his shame.

Simon pushed him hard toward the aisle, and hissed– "Well then get up, half wit!!"

December 27, 4:15 pm (Cauli time)

Miles watched from the other aisle as Detective 'Halblicht' brazenly put his arm around Simon Blackquill's shoulders.

It seemed that this was one thing Edgeworth had not miscalculated on, at least. And the investigation had been good for their relationship. No surprise there. A little excitement and mystery did wonders for getting closer to someone– even when you had good reason to be angry at them.

He glanced at Phoenix, in the seat beside him, who was leafing through a sky mall magazine, and he sighed.

There was more work to do. So damned much more work to do. He wished that he could just retire, and spend his whole life solving mysteries, and falling in love over and over again, and not have to worry about politics, and scandals, and espionage.

But that wasn't the way the world worked. That wasn't the beat his life marched to. He had to finish the job. He had to keep chasing this espionage ring until the bitter end. He had to reforge the justice system. Simon Blackquill, the twisted samurai, who had spent seven years in jail, was free to do as he pleased, brazenly and without a care.

But Miles Edgeworth had to change the world. If he didn't, who would?

it stung.

He glanced over at Phoenix again, and he scooted a little closer to him in his seat. Hesitantly, slowly– he slipped his arms around Wright's shoulders.

Phoenix flinched, and blushed looking up at him. "Edgeworth, what are you doing?"

"I'd think that would be obvious," he grumbled, feeling flushed himself.

"But– we're in public," Wright whispered– though he didn't push him away.

"Are we? Look around. Kay bought out this whole section of the plane. Can you really say there's anyone here who doesn't know about us already?"

Phoenix bit his lip. "Well, no, but, the flight attendant…."

Miles watched as Halblicht and Blackquill headed down the aisle toward the bathroom.

"Phoenix, I think the flight attendant is going to have enough on her hands, without worrying about us. Maybe we can relax a little, for once."

Phoenix smiled, and leaned into him. "Yeah, I guess."

Miles lay his cheek on the top of Phoenix Wright's overly hair-gelled head.

"You know, Wright. You and I are spending a lot of time talking about changing the world. Maybe once we've fixed the court system we can do something about… this mess."

"Our relationship?"

Miles sputtered in surprise. "I meant society, Phoenix! And its prejudices. But I suppose our own relationship should come first, yes."

"Only you would try to change the whole world before you changed yourself, Miles," Phoenix murmured. "It's almost charming."

"Almost, hmm?"

"Okay," Phoenix smiled. "It's a little charming. And sure, if you want to change the world. I'll help. You know I always have your back."

"I know," Miles said, pulling him close. "Even when it takes you a little while to come around."

[mishibashimori]

Two Of Us || Cecil Stedman x Reader || Chapter 6

Synopsis: You are an alien who crash landed onto Earth. You have no name, and no more home to go back to. The Guardians of the Globe have rescued you and brought you to get intensive care under the great Cecil Stedman. In helping out your new home, Earth, will you develop a relationship with the coldest man you know?

General Info: AFAB Gender Neutral Reader, Cecil is Younger in the Beginning and it Will Lead to Current Events, Reader is a Bubbly Optimist and a Sweetheart, Reader Description is Intentionally Vague so You can Imagine the Alien Species They Are However You’d Like

TW: Verbal and Physical Past Abuse, Failed Pregnancy Mentions, Depression, Self Depreciation, Eventual Sexual Content

—————————

Hanging back, you decided that it would be better for the Guardians to warm up amongst themselves first. They started with what seemed to be a basic training of various different drills. The speed and grace with which they moved was amazing to watch. A true team that worked to their individual strengths in harmony. Needless to say, you were impressed, and pretty excited to see how you could fit into this system.

Finally, after watching them for a while, Holly broke away to approach you. “Alright, rookie. Are you ready?” You gave an eager nod. “First we’ll see what you can do.” Turning, Holly gestured to Immortal as he came floating down to greet you. He planted his feet on the ground and took a solid stance.

“Hit me.” Immortal ordered, pointing at his chest.

“What?” You exclaim, immediately taking an unthreatening disposition.

He gave a hearty chuckle, “I’ll be fine, trust me. Just give a solid go at it.” You shot a nervous look up at Cecil in the room above. He gave you a nod. Turning your attention back to Immortal, you took a deep breath. You’d never really hit anyone intentionally before, this was a first.

Readying yourself, you balled your fist, took a fighting stance, and swung. A thunderous crack reverberated through the room as you hit Immortal straight in his chest. He went flying, whistling through the air and smacking into the far wall before flopping rather hard onto the ground.

All you could do was gawk for a moment, like everyone in the room around you. You had never had this amount of strength on your own planet. What had changed? Giving a yelp, you sprinted towards him, guilt searing your body. Crouching next to him, you couldn’t see any obvious damage. The only sign of you hitting him at all was a pretty large dent now evident in the wall he crashed into.

Immortal sat up with a groan, clearly dazed. Upon seeing you, he gave a roar of laughter. “That was fantastic!” He gave you a solid pat on the shoulder, his smile beaming, but you were still wildly concerned.

“Are you okay?” You asked, helping him up.

“I assure you, I’m fine. It definitely hurt, don’t get me wrong,” he rubbed his chest, wincing, “but no harm done.”

“I knew I could take a pretty good beating but…I’ve never been able to do that before,” you admitted, looking at your hand in wonder, “I don’t know what happened.”

A crackling came over the intercom, and Cecil’s voice rang out. “We do.” He stepped aside to let another agent onto the microphone. You recognized it to be Donald.

“This room reads your biological make-up constantly, so we can monitor your powers and understand them better.” Donald looked nervous, but he pushed on. “In basic terms, what’s happened is your cells have amazing regenerative properties. That amount of work for your cells requires a lot of power. When that power isn’t being used on- um, what?” Donald was interrupted as Cecil leaned in, whispered something to him, and stepped away. The Guardians looked around at each other, confused, but you knew what Cecil had said. A wave of gratitude swept through you: he still meant to keep your secret.

After a few heartbeats, Donald continued. “When it isn’t being used on… other things, that power can be charged into physical motion.” He stepped away from the intercom awkwardly, slinking back behind Cecil. You shuffled your feet, equally as uncomfortable with the attention.

“Alright, let’s get back to work. Rookie, we can talk later.” Cecil ordered, and to your relief training resumed.

The Guardians incorporated you into it, showing you different moves of combat. It was a lot to take in, but you felt happy. Working not only with a team, but your friends, was a lovely feeling. By the time you all were done the weariness of everything caught up to you. As you headed out of the training grounds your legs were wobbly, your muscles tight and sore already. You slid down a wall and sat, chugging a bottle of water Immortal had offered to you.

“Well done.” You jumped as Cecil seemingly appeared next to you, the bottle of water sloshing onto your lap. His eyes lit up with amusement at the sight but he said nothing.

“Thanks.” You smiled, warmed by his praise. He seemed different than he was this morning. The normal hard knot in his brow was lax, and his shoulders were too. Glancing around, you noticed you two were alone. The Guardians had dispersed and no agents were floating around the halls. You looked back at him. “Cecil, there’s something I want to say. And it’s important.”

“Oh,” he looked surprised, “okay then. Go on.”

You stood, walking right up to him and meeting his eye. “I don’t want to disregard your feelings, or your job. You’re important to a lot of people, and it feels selfish to try and take your attention, but I’d never live with myself if I didn’t say anything.” Cecil grew ridgid but didn’t interrupt. “I care for you quite a bit. I didn’t realize how much until the prospect of us not having a friendship anymore was in jeopardy. You’ve made me feel safe, feel heard. I feel like I'm my own person again, and I don’t know if I could’ve done that without you.”

Cecil’s mouth opened as if he were going to speak, but nothing came. His eyes were flicking over your face feverently.

“You don’t have to say anything now, but I’d just like you to think about it. If you ultimately decide to end our relationship I’ll respect it, but I want you in my life Cecil.” You blinked back tears. “I want our friendship to have the chance to grow more than it has. It doesn’t have to turn into anything else, if you don’t want it to but— but you’re important to me.”

“I-I don’t…” he stumbled over his words, looking frustrated with himself. Finally, after taking a deep breath and straightening himself up, he held your gaze steadily. “I’ll think about it. I promise.” You both stared at each other for a long moment, more unspoken emotions passing between you silently. Then, giving a curt nod, Cecil started to walk down the hall. He paused for a moment after a few feet and looked back at you. “Thank you for the donuts, by the way. You remembered I loved sweets.”

“Of course I did.” You responded.

He smiled softly. “Keep being sweet. Don’t let anyone change that. Something I’ve always liked about you.” With that he continued down the hall, his hands in his pockets.

—————

Disclaimer:

I try to be as accurate as possible to the source material for this fan fiction, but at times I’ll get it wrong. The timelines for the Guardians of the Globe as well as Cecil are not as accurate as they should be but for the sake of wanting to have all the characters in here I fudged it. Just know that I understand not everything is accurate but let’s just try to have a good time regardless!

[honeybeewhereartthee]

Crystal Hearts

Previous || Chapter Fifteen || Next

»»————-　*gasp. The audacity! I'm the candy!! >:( *picks up bugs spray, shakes it furiously.　————-««

"UWAHHH! How cool! Tatsu-senpai of this world! Your a huge fire breathing dragon...! The vast multiverse is a very cool place indeed!"

Hiiro looks amaze at the sight of Tatsumi huge form. He was the huge flying reptile that come saving him and aira after all.

Tatsumi slowly surrounded with a magic circle and before long be appear before them with his semi human form as the tail and horns still there.

A few scale here and there is like a beauty mark.

"Ahaha~ hiiro- Kun your so optimistic even from another alternative universe of yours." Tatsumi smile as he welcome his new friends.

Through the two of them keep hearing something being smack to bits.

Splat.

Splat

Splat

" Ah. Aira are you playing a game?" Hiiro realize the sound coming from the phone on his breast pocket and take it out to see aira stabbing bees that's trying to approach a flower in a game.

(( It's called bee smasher. I downloaded it to have a stress relief you see~ I CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT IN REAL LIFE~))

"ooh.. I see! Then carry on then. " Hiiro smile as he put the phone back to his pocket and look at tatsumi who giving him a stare.

"You two have come here for me?" He seems knowledge enough to understand what they wanted.

"Hiiro-kun. I don't wish to destroy the so called chaos butterfly. After all. He is still Mayoi Ayase. Our dear friend and companion." He quickly says his side.

"We should talk about this with him. I once talk to him before you two arrive. He ask me such odd question about the mc of this world."

(( Ye... Talk sense to a delulu. That's a good plan.(・∀・) ))

"Oh! Aira did you agree with tatsumi? If so. We could do that but I will still destroy him! Ahaha. I promise my brother and Mayo-senpai that after all." Hiiro can't seems to understand the sarcasm lacing aira voice.

((Btw which ship is this world.))

"Ah. You ask the same or exact question Mayoi have ask me." Tatsumi seems to be surprised at Aira question. "It's HiMERU." He added.

(( Which one? The ore ikemen or the cry baby.))

"Aira-kun. Pls refrain from calling kaname-kun a cry baby. His just too emotional child." Tatsumi quickly tells aira off from his rude words toward his friend HiMERU.

" it's HiMERU." He once again says.

(( Oh it's 3P. Damn the world sure is hilarious~ the love triangle I know previously have very sharp edges that outs for each other neck when certain virus isn't around. AhahaHAHAHA.))

"??????" Tatsumi and Hiiro look at Aira worriedly as the screen have lagged for a moment and a notification appear that says

[ Warning! pls click here to Feed magi to the wild child ]

"Ah... It says I should click here...hmm. ok..." The younger Amagi follows the instructions and press the notification.

(( Damn mc ... You really know me too well... Wish you know what I want too >:())

Aira commented as a candy pop out beside him and caught it. He give a hopeless smile before he nom on it. The pixel butterfly slowly disappear from edges of the screen.

Aira emerald green eyes that once dull for the long while since he become stuck in that phone. Finally brighten up.

(( We should hurry... Chaos is out for HiMERU.))

Aira tells them what he learn from data of the world. His eyes golden ring glow brightly.

"Ah... But today is..."tatsumi seems surprised by what Aira says but his words cut of sort when the huge blast of chaos energy blasted through the sky;

BBBBOOOOMMMMMM

((30% life force parish... 25% slowly draining out of energy... Chaos 85% out of hundred taken control of this world...))

As he read the data showing in the screen. Tatsumi transform back to his dragon form and breath out dragon flame in the incoming wave of chaos, deflecting it's effect to try area he could protect but their surrounding slowly drained out of life.

(( ... HiMERU - Ore-ikemen-san life force is slowly fading away. Kaname Toujou-san is wounded. Mermaid Mayoi Ayase-san have fully been absorbed by chaos. This world destruction will commence in exactly 3.15. minutes. ))

Aira who acted like an A.I and reported each details with nonchalant and monotone as Tatsumi grab hold of hiiro and fly toward the direction of destruction. Hoping to save his friend.

"HiMERU!!!" tatsumi yelled out in worry as he saw from afar his fallen friends, he could hear the sound of crying of Kaname from afar and saw a bloody scene.

(( The world of deep blue sea... MC. As well this world shall end in a minute ))

Aira proceed to show a timer and counting the end of the world as they arrive in the place.

"...oh~? Aira-chan~ we meet again~"

(( 45... 44... 43...))

Aira ignore the call of chaos through he did show an image of him holding a bug spray:

[ L.O.V.E bug spray: Repel all love rivals. Repel them from life too.]

As he continue to count down.

"Hiiro-kun~ and tatsu-san~ oh my aren't we complete here~ would you three come with me."

"Sorry not Mayoi-senpai. But I will have a 'chat' with you before I destroy you!" Hiiro point out as he look at the chaos in the other side of the world in its end.

Tatsumi went to check up on HiMERU seeing their wounded and dare state.

He quickly held them and they both disappear to his space where he put the other surviving living form from his universe for safety.

"Tatsumi Kazehaya... " The older Toujou who's holding his younger brother arms through almost at the end of his life force.

As Kaname cried hopelessly as he saw he cares about fades away yet all he could do is watch. It felt so drainful.

Aira press something in the screen, a magic circle appear beside Tatsumi, red-pink magi candy appear and Tatsumi gives a thanks as he feeds some to the two brothers.

Kaname slowly fallen asleep and HiMERU time pause in the moment before the last fragments of his life fade away.

"HiMERU... Kaname... Please rest for a while..." He mumble as he give a sign of a cross as thanks for his able to make it on time to save them.

He went to what left of mermayoi, a pink pearl containing a fragments of his soul and a bit of mc of this world. And put it to the space.

Once everything returns to normal he would fix the world and everyone would able to go home. That's his job after all as a guardian and a watcher of this au.

(( 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...))

"Amen..." He smiled as he watch the world once again turn black of the distortion world. He seems fine with it as he manage to salvage living beings of this universe when he have a hint it will happen since a year ago.

He manage to salvage at least 80% of people of this au. He still sad as his not able to save the 20% but it's already as far as he can do as a single man doing such task.

The au might have come to distortion but the people of this world now lives inside his domain till it's safe.

"Anyway what was that Chaos butterfly-san...? Sorry I was just finishing my task." He turn to look at the other sentient alkaloid from different au.

(( ......this alternative universe have fully fallen to distortion... All data now gone... Gottdamn...))

Aira finally snap out of his trance of being a force AI for the group. He hates his job.

"Ah... Tatsumi-san is really one of kind." The chaos complimented.

"Why thank you. But I really would like to ask. Not to go rocking havoc in any plain of time and space, chaos butterfly-san. Well at least give me more time to prepare." The dragon kin tatsumi laugh at the compliment. He isnt mad or anything. After all, mer mayoi have told him a year ago about something bad would happened.

"It be like Noah arc all over again after all." (Tatsumi)

(( You mean like endgame since chaos is damn purple man. He already snap out the existence of haft of the billion multiverse...

))

"Aira. Are you ok...? But theres no notification saying your being too feral. So I guess your fine!" Hiiro look at the phone, in search for the same notification like earlier. But find none.

((... Hiiro-kun~ you see if I'm being feral. ( ꈍᴗꈍ)

I would try going out of this barrier mc made for me or more like for you all because I'm very very dangerous (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧

and become the second chaos because why not~? (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

After all you keep calling me feral since earlier. ( ´◡‿ゝ◡`)

I'll show you feral. (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)

I'll show you all fucking feral when I'm out of this phone.(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)

For example...I will fucking kill all bugs in sight.(・∀・)

Like a bee and spider....◉‿◉ ))

Tears start to fall from his eyes as frustration and annoyance of everything come rushing in. The three look at one another. Even chaos wonder what's up with this kid.

"... Are you ok???" Hiiro ask him after a long pause.

((Huhuhu hiiro, tatsun, even the damn you chaos... ITS YOU FAULT. IM SUPPOSED TO BE BACK TO MY PLACE!! NOW IM FORCE TO WATCH ANIMAL PLANET BUGS LIFE DOCUMENTARY. SO HATEFUL!!!))

"..." What???( tatsumi, Hiiro, Chaos (mayoi))

»»————-　note　————-««

(1) sentient stigma of diamond: tatsumi Kazehaya (dragon kin) || Level SS magic or stat.

(2) AI - AI || sub-pun Ai for artificial intelligence as his stuck in a phone as avatar and since he can gather information about idol in the canon enstar story. That's why his job is to help with the information about the new au. He can assist the 'live stream's of each au he knows including the distorted one as well ESPECIALLY his own au. While doing his job.

(3) if you know, you know. But if you don't then don't.

(if want to be tagged pls comment or Send mail) Tag List : @valeriele3 @yinenovica

[piecesofacrow]

" Israel!" the blonde shouted as he raced over to them, but not before alerting the two with him that he'd found him " I remembered it was your birthday today! So, Happy Birthday Israel!" Armin shouted before holding out a box to him " This is something we all got together for you, I hope it can be of use to you."

" Hey , Happy Birthday Israel! Hopefully our gift isn't to lame for you but Armin thought you could-" before he could say anymore Mikasa was quick to cover his mouth with her hand.

" You're not supposed to tell him what the gift is before he opens it Eren...anyways...Happy Birthday Israel." she smiled a little, in the box was a new journal with a custom made quill that had Israels name engraved on it, along with some homemade pastries. Armin thought it was a good enough gift...the engraving was the part that was a bit costly but at least it was something.

" We'll let you go. I'm sure you were busy but we hope your day goes will." with that the three gave a wave before leaving Israel to relax....for now.

And just as he turned around from those three, another three came around from another corner. He paused as Armin ran up to him. That same optimistic look in his eyes as he was presented with a gift. Of course Armin would remember it was his birthday. If Armin said it, Israel would believe that he remembered what it was like being in the womb.

"Uh, thanks." He said, looking over to Mikasa as she made Eren shut up. He opened the present and saw what they had left inside, a gentle smile pulling on his lips. He really wasn't used to this attention, but it was honestly somewhat warming to know that people wanted to go out of their way to be kind to him, even if some considered that basic decency.

"I appreciate it. Thank you guys for thinking of me." He told them, waving as they walked away.

[hoewkeye]

talk to me, mav.

Pairing: Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x Reader

Summary: You comfort your best friend, Maverick, after he gets suspended for a month.

Tags: friends to lovers, yearning

Word Count: 783

Notes: I’M BACK! I know I’ve disappeared but I’m back with Mav content and I’m dying to write for Tom Cruise characters <3 so if you have any requests, send them in! Not readproof.

———

“Talk to me, Mav.”

Many adjectives were used to refer to Pete; reckless, impulsive, unpredictable, and even dangerous. Most times he didn’t care what others would say or think, a cocky smile planted on his lips and a sharp answer to every provocation directed towards him.

But when the provocations stopped being only words and affected his actual life, impending him from flying, that got on his nerves. That was one thing that truly messed Pete Mitchell's head up; being unable to fly.

The thing he loved the most — taken away from him.

“Talk to me, Mav,” you repeated yourself, slowly pulling his hand away from his face. He had it buried in them for the past ten minutes, trying to control his breath. “It’s going to be fine, it’s not definitive.”

“You don’t know what it feels like,” he hissed under his breath. “To feel so… incompetent, and lost. Because I don’t know what to do when I’m not flying. So I am lost.”

You took a deep breath, his eyes finally locking on your face, and you grabbed his with both of your hands. It always made you shiver, having Pete so close, in a way you could see every detail of his face and his amazingly crystal eyes. You could feel his breath on your face, his nose dangerously close to yours, and you needed to close your eyes to speak.

“It’s only a month, Pete,” if you had opened your eyes, you would've seen the way he smiled when his real name left your lips. “I know it’s torture for you, but… you’ll get through this. Besides…”, you opened your eyes, licking your lips. “You have me. We can always find something to do, to get your mind off this.”

Maverick analyzed your face, unable to think straight when you were that close. He still couldn't believe his license got suspended for a month over something so silly, and he was undoubtedly still mad. But when you put it like that, it didn't seem so bad; your perspective was always better. You were optimistic, a ray of sunshine.

He had you, after all.

And a month with you didn't seem so bad.

“And you won’t push me away for being unpredictable and dangerous?”, he teased, using the words the admiral used when dismissing him.

“Oh, no!”, you smiled brightly. “I love me some danger.”

Pete raised an eyebrow, hoping to God he wasn't getting mixed signals and that you were, indeed, flirting with him. He leaned a bit closer, “Are you flir—?”

“Take me to bed or lose me forever,” you giggled, quoting Carole.

He knew damn well what you were doing. You knew Maverick well enough to know he couldn't keep it in his pants, and you found the best way to distract him from his distress. He just wished it wasn't just a distraction to you, because he wanted you so bad since the first moment the both of you met.

“Don’t play with me,” he asked, eyes glued on yours.

You frankly were trying to distract him by flirting with him, but you honestly had feelings for Mav. He was one of your greatest friends and everything was easy and good with him, and his good looks only made everything worse.

“Mav…”, you whispered, and he whispered your name back. “Just promise me you'll be okay.”

He sighed, pulling away from your touch. “I promise,” and waved to the barman to bring him another drink. You could tell he was annoyed, but you were completely clueless about the reason why.

“Mav?”, you called again. “Is everything okay?”

He turned his head to look at you, his glance burning your skin and making your cheeks warm. It was like he could see your soul with his deep green eyes, and he finally spoke, “Just take me to bed… or lose me forever.”

That was it.

He wanted you back.

“Kiss me, Mav.”

The words left your mouth without a warning, but you didn't regret it for a minute. Pete looked at you with yearning shining in his eyes, not thinking twice before grabbing your chin and pulling your lips together. His large hand found its way to the nape of your neck and held you in place as he deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing the contour of your lips before finally interlacing with yours, trying to taste as much of you as he could.

“I'm not playing with you,” was the first thing you said when your lips parted. “I want you so bad. I've wanted you for a long time.”

“Good,” he smiled, lips red. “Because I want you too. Let's get out of here.”