#Shira won’t stop getting ran through

[lynxbriight]

Was so tired you can’t convince me I didn’t do this while in a fever dream lol

[weeb-writor]

MHA boys on take your kid to work day

Hello! New post with 3 of my loves! Just them reacting to your kids visting them at work Bakugou and Aizawa are fluff and just a hint sad while Izuku’s is fluff and crack! Reader is neutral.

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 Bakugou Katsuki x Reader, Aizawa Shouta x Reader, Midoriya Izuku x Reader

They react to their kids coming to visit them on bring your kid to work day

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BAKUGOU KATSUKI

When little Kaori said she wanted to go with Bakugou to bring your kid to work day, who she called Papa, you were a little hurt but decided hey you could use this as an excuse to hang out with him as well. A sort of family day at Bakugou's agency. Bakugou on the other hand was less than thrilled he did not want his baby girl anywhere near the dangerous agency or on the field with him. He also couldn't say no so, here you were with your daughter all dressed in his official costume merch, bouncing on your hip with joy. 

“We at daddy work now?” She said as she glanced around.

“Little girl even if you ask every two minutes it won't make us get there faster.” You said with a smile.

“Otay!” She said with her cute slur. She didn't get the chance to ask the question again as you entered the building.

“Oh look who it is!” A voice boomed out to you both. You recognize it as Kirishima, Kaori's partner in crime. Next to him was Bakugou who was giving you a goofy smile.

“Uncle Eiji! Uncle Eiji!” The little girl roared as she ran to meet him, slipping from your arms. She dashed into his rams and giggled as he threw her into the air.

“Oi you little brat! What about papa, just forgot all about me? Im wounded.” Bakugou said in a playful tone. The little girl gasped and grabbed bakugou's leg when she was back on the ground.

“No papa don't be wounded! I didn't forgot you!” She said into his leg, bakugou picked her up with a chuckle and came to your side.

“Yeah don't worry she didn’t forget about her precious papa. You all she could talk about I didn’t think I would find someone who talks about you more than you do but then again she is your kid.” You said making yourself and Kirishima laugh.

“OUR kid! You talk about me just as much, i'm the best husband and dad and hero, of course she’s gonna brag about me to anyone with ears.” He said ruffling her hair as he placed her down next to him.

“Papa, c’mon we gotta do papa works!” The little girl said, bouncing around the lobby.

“Oh yeah! You wanna see papa and me kick some ass?! You gotta take all in so you can be a great hero too someday!” Kiri said, further riling the girl up.

“Yay! Gonna watch you and papa kick ass and take names!!” The girl said not watching how her parents' faces paled. Kirishima only laughed and told you he was gonna take Kaori on a tour of his office real quick.

“Stop being such a bad influence on my daughter shitty hair!” Your husband roared after the pair of giggling retreating figures.

“Him? Puppy eyed, soft, and cuddly Kirishima Eijirou, badly influencing Kaori? It's all you babe, the little girl is so in love with you she does everything you do, just a bit cuter.” You said as you pecked his check.

“She isn't like me, stop saying that.” He said seriously with a grunt.

“She is, you are her hero. She wants to be just like you, what's the problem with that? You’ve been pushing her away every since she said she wanted to come here.” You said glaring at him.’

“I have not.” He said looking away from you.

“Yes you have, Katsuki, just talk to me cause you're gonna break your daughters heart. Every night you used to tell her stories of your patrols. Buy her you and Eijirou’s hero merch, hell even deku’s. Kids arent dumb shes is going to notice you stopped doing those things.” You said grabbing his chin and making him meet your eyes.

“She shouldn't want to be like me, okay!! I never want her to be a Pro-hero! I never want her to have scars on every inch of her body’s and be insecure about how she looks! I never want her to have nightmares of screams or the people she couldn’t save. I don’t want to worry that one day she might not come home, okay. And all the shit I went through at UA!? No way.” He whisper shouted at you.

“You're getting way ahead of yourself baby. Kaori isn’t even in school yet and barely has bloomed into her quirk. She isn’t getting any battle scars just bumps and bruises. It’s easy to worry about the what if’s but it’s even easier to just focus on her laugh or her smile when she talks about you. Love your also forgetting you are more than a pro hero, your a good man who’s funny, brave, and little wild. That’s who Kaori wants to be like not Dynamight, she wants to be like her papa, Bakugou Katsuki.” You said caressing his cheeks. He considered your words with flushed cheeks, before he let out a sigh but before he could respond Kaori came crashing to him.

“Papa! Papa! Papa!” The girl said jumping up and down with her hands up. Bakugou laughed but picked her up nonetheless.

“C’mon papa! We gots to go do paperworks! Uncle kiri said we do that then we go kickass!” She said wigging with happiness in his arms, you laughed as he paled again.

“Sure baby girl but please don’t say that bad word, papa doesn’t like it.” He said as he walked towards his office.

“To bads! I wanna be just like you papa and you say it so I’m gonna say it too!” She said, pulling at his cheeks.

“You damn brat just listen to me! If you’re gonna try to be like me at least be a better version not a copy pasted person which means no cussing!” He yelled gently at her.

“Okay papa! Does this mean you’ll teach me how to be as great as papa! Wanna be just like you ‘member” she said with determination.

“Don’t say anymore no no words today and hell yeah I will! I’ll teach you how to be even better than Papa.” Bakugou said not looking at Kaori but looking at you. His look was saying what his mouth couldn’t, he was done thinking of what could happen years from now. Right now he just wanted to do whatever made his little girl smile whatever that means.

AIZAWA SHOUTA

“Tell me you did not.” Aizawa said to his blonde friend.

“I did, you can't be mad!” Hizashi said with a chuckle.

“I can be and I am. I told you I didn't want them here.” he said lowly.

“There are a bunch of pros here, security is super tight and they know not to call you or me by our government names or to say their full names and besides Y/n is gonna be here the whole time.” The blonde said, trying to calm down his friend.

“No matter how tight our security is, stuff seems to slip through the cracks and put the students in danger. I don't need any villains learning I have not one not two but three huge and very exploitable weaknesses.” He said as they neared his rooms where his students were waiting.

“They are wearing face masks and hoods. Any part of them that is distinguishable is being hidden, its gonna be fine. Don't act like you aren't excited to see them, its been 4 days i know you're itching to see them.” Hizashi said as his friend went into his classroom. He had only gotten about halfway through the class when the door opened and you were seen in the doorway.

“Dada!!” The little one year old said in your arms skirming for her dad. The whole class craned their necks to see you, your one year old, and your 4 year old.

“Hello Eraserhead!” You laughed as you went to sit at an open desk placing both of the kids on your lap. The class glanced from the kids to their teacher and back again.

“Sensei! You have kids! And you're married!” A blonde one yelled.

“Denki stop yelling you're gonna give me a headache. Yes I do, which I hope you can all keep them a secret.” He said with a sigh.

“You're such a grump I don't know how they tolerate you. Hello, I am Y/n, this little one is Kumiko, and this one is Shira.” You said as you waved at them, Kumiko copied you and gave the kids a lazy wave to which all the kids cooed at. Aizawa smiled and went back to explaining what the class would be doing for the rest of class period which was just some research on a few different kinds of hero agency.

“Hello my pretty girls.” Aizawa said taking the bouncing girl from you.

“Hi daddy! Can I help you with your work!” Shira said with a toothy smile, she had a sort of fascination with quirks.

“To be honest sweet thing they are learning big words right now, words too big for you but im sure they would love to talk to you and tell you about their quirks.” He said ruffling her hair. Then his quirk activated as he looked at his class.

“Say anything inappropriate, lose control of your quirk and hurt her and I'll expel you.” He said menacingly to which all the kids nodded in fear. That's all Shira needed to hear before she walked over to a group of students.

“She was so excited when I told her we were going to see you, I think she's going to be a teacher someday.” You said gazing up at Aizawa who was playing with Kumiko.

“Uh uh sweet talk like that isn't gonna work. I told you it is too dangerous for them to be here.” He said with a pout.

“I remember saying there isn't a safer place than with you!” You said with a small smile.

“Well have it your way as usual when Shira or Kumiko start acting like one of these brats you and Mic will be to blame.” He said with a sigh.

“Well Mr. Easerhead, I'll be prepared for punishment! I think i have nothing to fear though the smile on your face says everything you can't.” You said as he played with your daughter. The day went like this. You and Aizawa playing with Kumiko and Shira floating about the classroom, The day had almost went by without any event when Shira louds cries were heard. Aizawa handed Kumiko to you and was at her side in a second. She rushed into his torso and cried even more. The class all had their fingers pointed to 3 of the boys.

“What’s wrong sweetheart?” He spoke to her softly. Her little fist rubbed at her eyes.

“I told then that you were the best hero and then green one was like ‘thats All might’ and then the blonde one was like ‘yeah he really great person’ then the red and white one was like ‘yeah he is number 1’ they dumb assholes anyway cus he not 1 anymore dats ‘devor! You're the best hero, aren't you daddy?” The girl said as she looked at her dad with stars in her eyes. You were just laughing as quietly as you could.

“Im anything you want me to be sweetheart but don't say asshole it's a naughty word for adults.” He said, wiping the drying tears from her cheeks.

“But the blonde one said it alot.” She said with a pout.

“Did he now? Well in that case I forgot you have a 3 mile run today, and it's a test. Be back before class is over which is roughly 30 no 27 minutes or you'll be put on cleaning duty for the whole school including the dorms.” He said and the class was off just like that. Your small family watched from the window as the students ran with Shira sometimes yelling out the window.

“And don't stop until you finished you lazy wannabe heroes!” She shouted with a happy smile.

“Did I say it right daddy?” She said wiggling in his arms.

“Yes you did sweetheart.” He said with a proud smile.

MIDORIYA IZUKU

You and the twins had been at Izuku’s agency for a while and he was going insane. The boys were 3 and nothing like their father. They were wild, loud and adventurous. They didn't and wouldn't stay still. The office loved it but Izuku was about to have a heart attack, Tatsuo was missing. He was only 3 and couldn't really open the door or operate an elevator so you, Bakugou, and Uraraka were not all that worried but poor Izuku was.

“Deku calm the fuck down. He’s been gone for like 2 minutes maybe he couldn't have got far.” Bakugou said to his stressing friend who was putting Toshi back into his leash backpack thing.

“It only takes 1 second to get hurt or die, Kacchan. I’ve failed as a parent.” He said, sounding too serious. You couldn't stop your laughter now.

 “Honey, our kids are too predictable. Just get a bag of C-A-N-D-Y from their bag and shake, Tatsuo will come running.” You said with a small smile taking Toshi from him.

“Oh good thinking!” He said getting a bag and shaking like crazy. Soon little footsteps were heard and Tatsuo emerged from behind Izuku smiling like crazy.

“Daddy, can I have a candy, pretty please!” He said with his cute smile almost making his father forget he ran from then.

“Only if you promise to never wander off like that again!” Izuku said as sternly as he could, but it wasn't very stern at all. The boy nodded at him and stuck out his hand but when he did Izuku noticed blood all over his hand and fainted within seconds. You and Bakugou went to find bandages and a first aid-kit for Tatsou while Uraraka got water to wake up Izuku.

“Oh my gosh! Does he need stitches or something! We should take him to the hospital.” Izuku said as he shot awake. The people around all laughed at the green haired boy.

“No babe, he was just playing with a stapler and staple his hands…. A few times but he’s fine.” You said pointing to the two boys who were watching Bakugou make very small explosions. 

“Tatsuo! Toshi! Don't get too close you could get hurt! We should go home babe, hey Uravity take over for me I’m going home!!” He yelled shakily. You weren't sure what you were gonna do with your worrywart husband, especially when the boys do or don't get quirks. He couldn't handle them now without needing an inhaler. He damn sure couldn't if they got quirks, you could picture it now. A funeral caused by your rambunctious kids for your husband. ‘Here lies a lovely but overbearing and worrywart father.’

[thewhumpstuff]

You and I, Me and you [2]

@badthingshappenbingo​ [Original characters and content for - Voice breaking] [Teaser and Master List] [Archives of our Own] (You and I, Me and you: Chapter 3)

[<– Previous] ~ [Next –>]

Careful what you ask for

She did not lean into his touch, but it took some effort. Even after all this time. Was the struggle palpable, in the rigidity of her form, the air that she did not exhale? At least she did not recoil. A part of him expected her to, another expected that to hurt and yet another wished that she had. He was not a stranger to the contradictions of the subconscious, but she really had a way to accentuate them.

“You did fail that mission, didn’t you?” He asked a painful question and he cradled her face, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb, with mocking affection. A patronizing sympathy. She did snap away from his touch; in whatever little capacity she could manage. Her eyes narrowed viciously. Reminders of failure still stung. There was the recoil he had craved and dreaded. “We’ve always defined success differently, haven’t we?” Her attempts at skirting around the subject were as adorable as they were pathetic. He hummed thoughtfully and conceded. “Perhaps it wasn’t a failure, but even you couldn’t call it a success.”

She did not like his emphasis, he’d always found ways to twist her optimism into naivety. But he really was not being as cruel as he could. It hurt because he was right, and he did not rub that in too much. She was the one who had dubbed the mission a failure despite the fulfilled objective. He remembered the debriefing and everything that followed with skittish endearment.

~~~ He was still predisposed to choosing silence over words. It served him well in times like these. Gave him a chance to measure his thoughts and not make matters worse with unbridled accusations. He never understood why they could not afford more lights. Personally, he preferred the dark, but the lack of light was in sharp contrast with the sophistication of the building. The only sources of light were strips of guiding LEDs stuck to the junctions of the concrete ceiling and floor. The thin strips ran parallelly across the corridors. He knew others who had an aversion to the oppressive quality of the dimness and used the softly lit walls as anchors. He found himself walking in the tenebrous middle, usually with his hands stuck in his pockets. He was inconvenienced by this today.

He had heard the scuffle of footsteps approach but did not turn to acknowledge them. Until small hands shoved against him provocatively. He paused to take a deep breath. Patience. He whipped around and grabbed those dainty wrists. She was just so much tinier than he was… That realisation made him slower and measured. She struggled, with large gestures, like her fight was not with his grip at all… But something else, something within her. A biting frustration. It was now that he realised the lack of light could be annoying. He could not see her features well enough. Just the slightly reddened white of her eyes, that gleamed up at him with a manic craving. No, given everything that had happened, of course it was not the lusty sort.

“Say something, damn it!” Her voice reverberated with such force; he could feel it in his chest. He pushed her against the wall so they could see each other better. “Don’t let them hear you talk to me that way, I’m still-” “I. DON’T. CARE.” His hiss was in sharp contrast to her screechy protest this time. It looked like she was willing trouble upon herself. He transferred her wrists into a single palm and pulled her back against his chest. His arm coiled around her petite form and his free hand covered her mouth. “Don’t bite me again.” He warned, flatly. She did not. Her protests were feeble, incomprehensible and not directed at him. He directed her to his room. It was a familiar place, hopefully it would help her calm down. The door closed behind them. It was just them now.

He hauled her all the way to the bed, dropped her there like dead-weight and turned away. She sprung up and sat kneeling. “Look at me!” Tears clung to her lashes. He did not, he leaned against his worktable, resolutely facing away from her. “Did you tell them everything?” “Yes.” It was the first time she sounded even, and it was just a monosyllable. “And?” “Nothing. They said we retrieved what we were meant to get and that they would have someone double-check my work, from here on out… But. Nothing.” She could see the exasperation in the way he ran his hands through his hair. That was not enough for either of them. “Well… that’s reasonable right… Not so bad. Maybe-” “Maybe what, Jared?” She inched towards the edge of the bed, closer to him.

He didn’t respond, his grip on the table tightened till his knuckles whitened. He shut his eyes. Don’t say it. “I know it was my fault.” Her eyes were rivetted onto him as he turned. His eyes met hers. Finally, he was not looking at her and not through her. “What do you want me to say?” She lowered her eyes and shook her head wordlessly. “To do…?” he already had his answer within that question. The realisation was not easy to stomach. He knew this feeling all too well. It was easier to atone back then, there was always someone willing to hurt him. He hooked his finger under her chin, tilting it up. Wide, lost eyes looked back up at him. Shameful, guilty and disgusted. He finger-combed her dark tresses, in silence. She tilted forward, cradling her chin against his touch and letting her head lean against his chest.

“Shira, I can’t- It’s not right. Sometimes unexpected shit happens and its oka-” She stiffened, swatted his hand away and shoved against him viciously. “Don’t you say it’s okay! What the hell is wrong with you?” He raised his hands and stepped away, letting them fall onto his hips. His patience was wearing thin. Just give it to her, she is asking for it. That stupid voice again. His voice. “Stop, Shira.” “You were fine sticking a cigarette into my neck.” “Shira…” “You’re a fucking coward. A convenient coward at that.” She is not wrong. You are being weak. A tie was loosened, a buckle was undone. The silence that followed was immediate and so stark, that they could hear the belt slide and snap out of the loops. He folded it, doubling the leather over itself. He raised it over and across his shoulder to wind up for a back-handed flick. A light warning strike. “FINE.” He had given her enough time to block. So, she did. The belt wound and snapped against her forearm. She winced. So, did he. But it sounded worse than it felt. She pulled her hand away. He stood there, with the belt limply hanging against his thigh while he waited for her to decide what she wanted.

“You win. Happy?” She did not reply. She faced away from him, kneeling on the bed again and bared her back. When she stilled, he understood his cue. The lights were lacking, but at least the rooms were relatively soundproof. She did not interrupt the crack of the belt against skin at all, for the first dozen strikes. Then, he could make out her breath hitch. Soon she began holding her breath and exhaling in soft, staccato whimpers. The sounds grew longer and more frequent, but never much louder. Eventually, in a resigned state, she merely hissed, sucking in air through her teeth as the evidence of her penance grew apparent even in the dark room. The diffuse pink that warmed her back, soon began sporting darker lines of deeper red. The belt did not break skin, but it did coax welts, particularly across her shoulders and her shoulder blades. She keeled forward, burying her face into his pillow. She could smell him, she sought reassurance in that while she chose to continue suffering. But he paused… Or stopped. Hopefully the former.

Disjointed and memories flooded into his mind with abandon. None of them were pleasant. He played the perpetrator and the victim, graver wounds, deeper scars…

“Please…” her muffled appeal lured him out of his head. “Please stop?” “No… More.” She said, her voice slightly raspy. Her meaning was clear, but he didn’t want to believe it. He could see the stains of the silent tears on his pillowcase. “No more?” he asked hopefully. “More.” She corrected, still weakly, but with a mild annoyance.

‘Sometimes, you can only rebuild something that is broken.’ He hated that a dead man’s words, from a long time ago, could so easily slip into his mind. He grit his teeth and threw the belt beside her. “N-No.” He was not sure if he was replying to her, to himself or that voice in his head. His voice broke unexpectedly. He rubbed his temples and cleared his throat.

She was still for a moment, taken aback by the hurt she heard in his voice. But it did not last long, her own guilt came surging back. She grunted defiantly and began clawing at her shoulders, her nails quickly drew beads of blood from the welts. He really could not catch a break! Her hands were, he could not believe how viciously those tiny digits could work. “THEY HAVE HER. BECAUSE OF ME.” She growled. He flattened her under him, trying his best to avoid leaning on her raw back. He did not succeed entirely, but it worked in his favour, making it easier for him to subdue her. He wrestled her hands away from her back and pinned them down. He pulled off his tie and secured those deceptively fragile looking wrists. He made sure she was lying on her stomach. “Stop, for fucks sake Shira.”

He used the belt to secure her legs for good measure. He watched her squirm and protest indecipherably into his pillow. Till she exhausted herself into silence. Her breathing was loud and dissatisfied somehow. Jared flopped next to her on his back and looked up at the ceiling. “Yes, they have her, she’ll have to be rescued. They won’t kill her, but it won’t be pretty either. Yes, you failed and had to leave one of ours behind because of it.” He turned to his side to face her, resting his head against his propped elbow. He tugged the strands of her hair, not hard enough for it to hurt, but enough to get her attention. “And you’re going to be fucking careful next time. You understand?”

~~~

She felt his fingers kneading the muscles that stretched between her neck and shoulders. Occasionally, his strong, slender digits wriggled between the backrest and her body, to ease the tension in that spot in the middle of her shoulder-blades. She tried to focus on the fact that she was sore in all those spots because of the way he had tied her up.

“Miscalculation in the serum you made, right?” She nodded slowly. He clicked his tongue and needled her, “Almost cost Emlyn her life.” Irritation flashed in her eyes. “Well, you did hurt me fo-” “Uh-uh.” He interrupted, wagging his finger in the periphery of her vision as he continued to roll her muscles with the creepy tenderness of a knowing hand. “You made me give you what you wanted.”

She let him correct her in silence. She had agonised over so many things. The whole ordeal had led to some discoveries and conversations which took her a while to come to terms with. He whispered now and the cruelty he had spared her before, came slinking back. “You wanted me to go on because up until that point… It felt good didn’t it? And that was certainly not what you wanted.” He chuckled. “I’m not the only one we learned things about that night.” Her words killed the sound of his laugh abruptly.

[Category - 2/3]

[sarah-wants-to-write]

Searching My Dreams for a Lifetime; Chapter Three (Criminal Minds)

            “Strong people stand up for themselves, but stronger people stand up for others.”             -Suzy Kassem

◊

      Shira wanted to help, but she knew that there wasn’t much she could do. Her job was to focus on the ritualistic and occult aspects of the murders, not the missing persons search.

      Yet sitting there in a sling, watching the others do what they did best, she felt almost useless. She knew the key to it all was the sigil, the one mark that she couldn’t figure out. It was the key.

      Staying at the station with JJ, Shira was working on the sigil.

      “What’s so difficult about the symbol?” the blonde asked, watching Shira trace different shapes to try and figure out how it was put together.

      “This sigil is a personal one,” Shira explained, focused on her slow pencil movements “those are made up of symbols, letters, numbers, most anything that is personal to the magic user creating it. When I do work creating sigils, they’re usually from a word or phrase, and I use letters from them.”

      “So, whatever this is made of is personal to the Unsub,” JJ mused “and could help us find him.”

      “It’s his signature,” Shira declared, glancing up “just need to figure out how exactly.”

      The quiet that descended started playing on Shira’s nerves, and she started to twirl her pencil.

      “I wonder how their soul mates are doing…” she muttered, earning JJ’s attention. Seeing the curious look on the other woman’s face, Shira gave a small shrug.

      “I just remember something that happened to me,” she explained “and I worry about the soul mates of these women. The amount of pain the women feel…it would be excruciating to their fated one, especially if they haven’t met yet.”

      “You’ve felt your soul mate’s pain before?” JJ asked, sitting up in her seat a bit “if you haven’t met him yet…it must have been a lot that he went through.”

      “I can imagine,” Shira nodded, falling silent for a moment before her hand ghosted over her abdomen “I don’t normally want to think about what happened to mine…”

      “Do you want to talk about it?” JJ questioned, reaching and gently putting a hand on Shira’s shoulder.

      “It was almost a year and a half ago,” Shira started, quiet “Late at night. I was up late, working on my book. I suddenly felt a stabbing in my torso. I felt it eight more times before the pain stopped.”

      “Stabbed nine times?” now that sounded familiar to JJ “I’m sorry you had to feel that…”

      “Just makes me wonder what sort of person my soul mate is,” Shira replied, smiling sadly “I know they’re still alive, but…how?”

      “They’re strong,” JJ declared, smiling for Shira “that much is obvious. Would have to be, anyway, to be your match.”

      Shira nodded, smiling for JJ before looking down at and continuing her work. The other woman watched her, wondering if she was going to tell the rest of the team after the case was over.

      There was no doubt in her mind, that Shira and Hotch were meant to be.

~

      When the rest of the team returned, the serious look on Hotch’s face was one that JJ absolutely didn’t like. It wasn’t often he was that angry.

      “Doctor Amell,” Hotch started, entering the conference room “we need to talk.”

      Shira’s confusion was evident, considering what happened that morning, but she stood and faced him anyway.

      “Agent Hotchner?” she replied, watching him.

      “All six previous victims, and the newest one, they all have one thing in common,” he continued, aware the rest of the team was watching “they look like you. And this newest victim, Allison Kane, she has your books on her shelf. Attended multiple lectures of yours.”

      “So, they’re surrogates for me,” Shira continued, trying not to let her panic show “and you’re now convinced it’s someone I know.”

      “Is it?” Hotch demanded “we both know the type of pain Allison is going to go through, so you need to think very carefully. Do you have any enemies?”

      “I’m a woman in a male dominated field,” she countered “purported to be the best in the field. Of course, I have enemies. I get multiple death threats a week, Agent.”

      “Death threats?” Rossi repeated “you’re a historian.”

      “And a woman,” Shira replied, looking to the other agent “do you know how many narcissistic misogynists exist in career fields like mine? I was seen as a threat the day my first paper was published. Death threats started before the ink was even fucking dry and haven’t stopped since. Only increased when I became a teacher.”

      “We need a list,” Hotch declared “everyone who sent you threats, especially the incredibly specific and violent ones.”

      “I can do you better,” she reached for her phone, dialing a number and putting the phone on speaker “a lot better.”

      “Doctor Amell!” came Garcia’s voice from the phone “what can I do for you, my fellow lady genius?”

      “I need you to go into my computer at the school, please,” Shira explained “there’s a database on there, of death threats I’ve received. Names, copies of letters and emails, pictures if I could find them. It’s organized by type.”

      “First of all, I’m so glad you’re so nice,” Garcia declared “second, I’m so sorry you have to have this because of how nice you are. I can have it quick as a flash! What am I running it against?”

      “Not sure,” Shira replied “I’ll leave that to your team to tell you. I just know it’s become apparent that the unsub wants to target me as his endgame.”

      “I’ll have the database ready to go for when the team has more to run!” Garcia reassured “best of luck, doctor.”

      “Thank you, Miss Garcia.” Shira smiled, hanging up the phone.

      “How many threats do you get?” Reid asked, tone clearly surprised.

      “Ten or so a week,” Shira explained “more right after exams, or when a new book or paper get published. I’m telling you, though, the key is this symbol here.”

      “Then we’ll need you to keep working on it,” Hotch told her “and you’ll be with an escort at all times. One of us, or a detective, am I clear?”

      “As crystal,” she replied, shoulders tense “I won’t stop working on this. I’ll figure out what it means, Hotch, I promise you.”

      “I know you will, Shira,” he nodded, tone softening “if you need anything, just say so.”

      The rest of the team was surprised when she called him by their nickname, even more so when he called her by her first name. Yet they had to find Allison. It was time to focus.

~

       It was late at night, the team still at the station. It had been nearly a week since they’d arrived, two days since Allison Kane was taken. Scared, frustrated, at the end of her rope, Shira was trying her hardest to figure out the sigil, but she was coming up short.

       “Might make my own sacrifice to Odin…” she grumbled, looking down at the symbol “if I could just figure this…”

       Shira paused, thinking it over. What if it wasn’t someone who’d threatened her? Sacrifices were meant to appease…what if it was someone who’d been an admirer of hers?

       Looking at the symbol with new eyes, she studied the brush strokes, and it all clicked immediately.

       “It’s a literal signature,” she muttered, earning JJ’s attention “a literal signature!”

       “What do you mean?” JJ asked, jolting Shira out of her half-asleep daze.

       “The sigil, it’s his initials!” Shira explained, showing the three letters “a combination of O B K. He’s literally putting his signature on the crime scene.”

       “How did you figure it out?” JJ took the paper, looking it over.

       “I realized we were looking at it wrong,” Shira elaborated, picking up her phone and punching in the familiar number “regardless of why he picked the method, these women are sacrifices. A sacrifice is meant to appease. It isn’t someone who wants me dead, not directly.”

       “It’s a fan of yours.” JJ concluded, listening on speaker phone as Garcia picked up on the other end.

       “What can I do ya for, good Doctor?” the technical analyst asked, peppy as always.

       “Miss Garcia,” Shira greeted, smiling as JJ chuckled slightly “On my school computer, I keep another database. It’s of fans whose letters came across as weird, creepy, or too intense. It’s formatted the same as the other one. I need you to access it, please, and look for entries with combinations of the initials O.B.K.”

       “Look for people who are from Minnesota, Garcia,” JJ added “this guy has been methodical in holding to his schedule. He won’t stray far from his home, at least not the state. Too much work to do.”

       “Ugh, creepy fans,” Garcia groaned “always the worst. I’ll run through it and get back to you guys with what I find.”

       “Thank you, Garcia.” JJ and Shira replied together, smiling as Shira hung up.

       “This is good,” JJ nodded “you did great, Doctor Amell. We really couldn’t have solved this so quickly without you.”

       “I hear a ‘thank you’ coming,” Shira laughed “and you can thank me when this is over and Allison Kane is back safe.”

       Standing and stretching, she gave a tired smile.

       “I’m gonna get some air,” she told the blonde “just be right out front.”

       “If this is a fan of yours, you shouldn’t be alone, like Hotch said,” JJ told her, standing up “who knows what this fan could do?”

       “I’ll just be out front, not even past the stairs,” Shira promised “I’ll be…oh god, I sound like the victim in a horror movie.”

       That pulled a surprised laugh from JJ, causing Shira to smile.

       “I’ll go with a detective,” Shira reassured her “I’ll be okay, I promise.”

       JJ nodded, watching as Shira walked over to a Detective heading out, talking to him before they walked out together.

       Fifteen minutes later, when the rest of the team came back, JJ’s phone rang, and seeing it was Garcia, she put it on speaker.

       “Is Doctor Amell with you?” Garcia asked as soon as they connected.

       “She stepped out for some air with a detective,” JJ replied “what did you find?”

       “I ran the initials through the creepy fan database that she’d put together, like she asked,” Garcia explained, earning the curiosity of the rest of the team “O.B.K. and residence in Minnesota. Got one name. Oscar Bennet Kolbeck. Another historian who’d been researching Viking rituals. He started writing to Doctor Amell after her Master’s dissertation on Norse blood rituals, but she never responded.”

       “Would have fueled his desire to make a connection,” Rossi mused “he wants her attention. How did Doctor Amell come to this conclusion?”

       “She made the connection that this M.O. turns the victims into sacrifices,” JJ explained “and sacrifices are meant to appease. Someone who wanted her to directly suffer wouldn’t want to appease her.”

       “Creepy fans,” Reid mused, wincing “I can relate.”

       “We need to talk to Shira,” Hotch declared “what sort of letters did Kolbeck send her, Garcia?”

       “He said she was a bright, rising star in their field,” Garcia replied “a beacon of wisdom that Odin would visit to learn from.”

       “Hence choosing an execution method that relates to Odin.” Morgan said, looking to the others.

       “Yet there’s all these references to his own work, and how her paper took attention away from it,” Garcia continued “yet it’s all very humble-brag, backhanded compliment in it’s phrasing. Very passive-aggressive.”

       “He sees her as competition,” Hotch sighed “fierce competition, and it’s only a matter of time before he tries to take her out.”

       “I tried calling her first, but her phone went straight to voicemail,” Garcia interjected “please tell me she’s okay, you guys.”

       As the others were talking, JJ turned and saw the detective that Shira had been with run back inside, blood trailing down his face.

       “She’s gone!” he called out “Doctor Amell. He took her!”

       “Oh God,” JJ muttered, turning to the rest of the team. The pale, shocked look on Hotch’s face was almost as terrifying “guys, if Kolbeck took her from in front of the station…”

       “We need to find her, and fast,” Rossi declared “Garcia, tell me you sent us the address.”

       “Already done,” Garcia replied “bring her home, you guys.”

◊

            “When a real battle starts, you'll always find that there is no bravest man.”             -Jackson Crawford, The Poetic Edda

∞

[cultureisdarkbeer]

An excerpt from pt.4 of my Rooted in Friendship series.

Thank you @ms31x129 for the beautiful cover and @monikafilefan and @kyouryokusenshi for all your support!

This chapter takes place post IWTB, but before The Revival. A little smut, angst, and fluff - in other words, TXF.

After failing miserably at their training, they were sent back with some homework...

Later that day in the backyard of the unremarkable house...

“Mulder, we’ve got too many things working against us, between leg length and stride, and domineering personalities…By the end of the day we may wind up in separate houses.”

Scully tripped and stumbled and Mulder bent to catch her before they both hit the ground. “I’m not giving up,” he replied.

Somehow she knew he was going to say that. They had been running around their backyard for what seemed like hours and it sure didn’t seem like they were getting anywhere.

When they concentrated it wasn’t so bad, but as soon as they went to their natural tendencies, they found themselves way off the mark.

“Maybe we should at least attempt to follow Shira’s instructions,” Mulder suggested.  Manipulating their bands, they sat facing one another remaining tied at the wrist and ankle. Mulder took her hands and she rested her palms against his. “Shira said we should start by telling each other something we don’t know about the other.  Something from childhood maybe?”

Scully studied his eyes and contemplated what she was about to say. “I’m considering a new position in the hospital.”

Mulder’s eyebrows raised in surprise. When was she going to tell him? “Doing..”

“Assisting surgeons. Giving kids what their biology neglected… using the limits of human only DNA.”

Mulder nodded. “Making the world’s children your own,” he added arrogantly.

Scully’s eyes turned to fire, angry that he would even make that connection. Whether he did it knowingly or not, he had just stirred a hurricane. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. If that’s what you need to do.”

It was a harsh loaded statement and Pandora’s box flew open causing Scully’s voice to rise above their sacred bond. Blood was about to be spilled. Like a cornered soldier, she threw out the grenades, “You think this is about William again. Not everything I do is about William just like not every decision you make is about Samantha..”

“I didn’t say a word.” 

“You didn’t have to..” Scully snapped. “because you resent me for giving up our son..” Her words slicing through the dry air. Mulder sat silent and stunned. “Untie me..” she demanded pulling against the bands, her face as crimson as her hair.

“No.” Mulder stood bitterly as his fury rose to a boil. Scully struggled against the ties that bound them as Mulder’s free hand covered her shoulder to hold her steady forcing her to look him in the eye. “You’re not walking away. Not this time.”

“I don’t walk away. That’s more your department. Sure you don’t want to lock yourself in the study for a couple weeks?” Scully looked indignantly into his eyes staring him down. Daring him to spar with her, but Mulder didn’t have it in him. There were so many other things they could be doing with this day.

“Is that what you think of me?” he asked. Hurt that she took any of his time alone as a personal affront. Scully didn’t answer the question. Instead they sat in silence and the longer the quiet grew the worse Mulder felt inside. If she blamed him for all of it, that he could bear, but her believing that he would ever think she did the wrong thing by putting William up for adoption...

“Scully.. not for one second did I ever question your decision.. Not ever…If I’ve ever made you feel otherwise… It’s not true.”

Scully’s eyes softened and he saw all the self-doubt she kept inside. “Mulder, what if it was the wrong decision?”

Mulder shook his head and brought his hand to her cheek. “It was the only decision, Scully.”

“Mulder, how do you know?”

“There was no defeating those super soldiers. At least by placing him in hiding he stood a fighting chance. Even if I was around, there was nothing either of us could have done. They would have gotten to him.”

“Then why are you trying so desperately to contact him that you’re risking your health?”

With his free hand, Mulder ran his hand through his hair and dropped his head. “I was doing it for you. You want to know that he is safe. That’s what I was trying to find out.”

Scully reached for the hand that was tied to hers and gave it a squeeze. Once again they sat in silence until Mulder saw the question rise from Scully’s chest. She bit her bottom lip right before letting the thought free. “Mulder, if the aliens are gone and smoking man is dead, why couldn’t we go look for him?”

Mulder let out a deep breath. “We don’t know for sure that the aliens are gone. We don’t know how successful the rebels or Jeffrey’s team was. We don’t know why the replacements left the FBI. What about the Tunisia funding Jeffrey was receiving? That’s enough evidence to question whether or not all the Syndicate members were turned into BBQ. I don’t believe they were all there that day.”

“So you don’t believe it’s safe yet.” Scully’s whole face dropped.

“We can throw out some feelers to see how dangerous it really is, but before then, do you want to take that chance?”

“No. No, you’re right.” She knew he was right, but that didn’t make the decision any easier. Her eyes welled.  “He’s eight Mulder. Eight years gone that we’ll never get back.”

“I know, but our sacrifice is so he can have a life.” He squeezed her hand to hold back his own tears.  

Scully let her hand drop and squeezed his knee desperate to lighten the mood. “So Mulder, it’s your turn, what is it that I don’t know about you?”

Mulder thought for a while. Gave the appearance as if he had something to say, but each time he simply shook his head. After a few minutes, Scully’s face soured. “Well, you’re obviously holding back something… or several things.. Is it that hard of a choice? I didn’t realize you were such a mystery man.”

Mulder peeled his eyes, his brows slanting upward towards the vertical line appearing between them. “Why don’t you have a ring on your finger?”

Scully shook her head. “Mulder, what are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. We’re back out in the world, nothing holding us back, yet we are both lacking some considerable bling.”

Scully frowned. “The idea of this exercise is for you to reveal something about yourself.”

“Maybe my big reveal is that I think it’s time to move forward. We’ve finally stopped running. And we’re both working, we have a home.. Scully, it’s time to stop holding on to what might be, what could be, that other road, other track, running parallel to this one that every now and then you consider jumping onto… The one that comes with the worry that you could be wasting your life right now…Scully, we’re going to wake up one day and be old, with our whole life behind us, and you’ll still be wondering about that other track.”

The fire returned to her eyes and Scully broke their contact. “Mulder, you’re being ridiculous. You are not the one who gets to accuse people of wasting their life. Your crusade for Samantha was your whole life for too many years. You can’t say there was room for me.”

Mulder’s voice grew as soft as his eyes, “I always had room for you Scully, but I, I understand.”

“Mulder, you need so badly to chase after the truth, you will forego your life for it.”

The crease returned to Mulder’s forehead. He thought what she was implying was quite rich. His words coming out louder than he intended. He rose from his chair. “You’re blaming me? I’ve spent more time waiting for you to come around… to be comfortable with a situation…”

“Mulder, how many times could something have happened between us and you failed to make a move?”

“That’s not what we’re talking about Scully, but if there’s a lack of commitment, it’s not because of me...maybe if you look inside you’ll see that you want more...something else..you think there is some brass ring called the normal life...well, who has the normal life Scully?” Scully rose to meet his gaze and Mulder started walking. Scully followed unknowingly, the bands forgotten. They were walking in a synchronized gait. “What it all comes down to is I’m not good enough for you.” Mulder stopped. “Maybe a life with me isn’t good enough for you. Maybe I agree, but I can’t cut myself, my pride, my personality, into any more pieces.”

Scully swung around to face him, steam rising from every pore. She stepped forward as he moved back. ”You think you’ve let go, you’re chopped up in pieces? Is this letting it go? Is this change?” She asked lifting up their bands. “You gave up your career? I gave up my life.. my career, my family..for what? A man clipping newspapers and scanning the internet looking for signs of the apocalypse..”

It didn’t matter how much she railed against him. Nothing was going to change his mind. He changed the tempo of her tango and now she was the one taking the steps backwards as he walked towards her. All the while they didn’t stumble, didn’t trip. “And you won’t commit…I can’t change who I am Scully..” He wanted to scoop her up into his arms, to rekindle their connection, but he needed her to make a move.

“And who am I Mulder?” Scully asked stopping their dance.

“Who are you Scully? Who are you? Are you a doctor or a FBI agent? A religious person who puts her faith in God or one of only logic and science? Do you believe in apparitions or are they figments of our imagination? There is a constant battle within your personality and you know why? Because maybe you really do believe there is only one true path. Maybe now you doubt all your decisions and you don’t know what the truth is for yourself, so you keep holding on to the notion that you can still jump into another life. Scully, if this is the wrong path, if I’m the wrong path, you’re running out of time… and if I am the right one, you’re still running out of time….”

He paused to catch his breath and then looked back into her eyes. “I’ve been in love with you my whole life Scully.”  

Scully sighed back. “You haven’t known me your whole life Mulder.”

“My entire life, I had an image of the perfect woman. A person I could trust, that was the smartest person I know, someone that believed in me. Someone to walk to the ends of the earth with and find the truths that lay beyond. In the back of my mind I had this picture of what I thought was the perfect one for me and I didn’t even come close.. you are all of that and more. Anyone that has ever gotten close to me, I wanted from them what I have in you.”

Scully ran her tongue along her top lip and nodded. “That’s just like you Mulder. As soon as you think you might lose me.. That I might stray too far..Suddenly your emotions come pouring out.”

Mulder felt his last bit of self control snap. He exploded in unrestrained fury.  “If we waited for your emotions to pour out we’d both be dead.”

They stared each other down. It was not fun to fight with someone that knew you better than anyone in the world. Someone whose thoughts and opinions you held dearer to you than your own heart. Mulder forced himself to calm down and swallow his hurt. His voice dropped to barely a whisper, “Scully, I’m here. Say something.”

Scully spoke in the same reverent tones, “Untie me.”

He bent down to untie her ankles and then rose to free her wrists. She looked deep into his eyes and then walked back into the house. When he made his way inside, he heard the engine of her rental and peered through the drapes to watch her disappear down the drive. She was gone and there was nothing he could do but wait for her return.

Mulder was in the study when he heard Scully come home. It was nearly 10:30 at night. Weighing his options he headed for the couch and the television rather than face her in the bedroom. Sometime in the early morning Mulder finally fell asleep and was awakened a couple hours later by the sound of the front door closing and the car pulling away as Scully left for work. With the house now to himself, he crept upstairs to take his own shower. At the sink he found a small familiar box sitting next to the soap dish.

When Scully arrived home that evening she found Mulder sitting on the porch. “I cleaned the house.” he bragged as she walked up the steps. “Scrubbed until the place shined like the top of the Chrysler building.”

Scully nodded and leaned against the railing in front of him, the band on her left hand glittering gold in the sun. He held out his left hand to her and she threaded her hand in his, using her middle finger to toggle the ring on his own finger. They walked hand in hand, following no clear direction. Mulder began his ramble, “There’s nothing new in the news. The stock market is in the toilet, the housing market burst its bubble…Even with all that, it’s like a calm before the storm.”

“You think so..”

“Yeah,”

“Mulder?” Scully asked as they turned towards the backyard, a small smile playing on her lips.

“Now who did all that?” Mulder asked.

A table was set-up outside filled with what looked to be a four course meal, but it was what sat behind the table that caught her eye. “Mulder, whose car is that?”

Mulder put his arm around her, rubbing her shoulder, and pressed his lips just above her temple. “That would be ours.”

“Mulder, you can’t afford..”

“Yeah, actually I can. I got a good deal on it and I thought you would look better behind the wheel of an SUV rather than another beat up old sedan.”

Scully looked up at him. “Mulder, I..”

He shook his head and smiled. “Consider it a late Valentine’s Day gift and an early birthday present. I’m not bringing it back, so you’re stuck with it.” Walking over to the car, he opened the door, opened the windows and turned on the radio. He offered his hand out bowing his head. Scully took his hand without a word and they danced together in their own backyard out under the setting sun and swaying trees, rocking back and forth. She smiled into his eyes, his soulful glow filling her heart. He sent her out for a spin and she twirled back into his arms as he dipped her. They laughed and she laid a hand on his chest. He lowered his hands to her back and they slowed their sway. Their lips gently coming together. Mulder pulled back and smiled, “I hope you’re hungry because I cooked a feast.”   

*************

Scully’s phone buzzed in her pocket as she sat behind her office computer. It was about time for her to take a break anyway. She looked at it and answered. “Mulder, I was wondering when I would get to hear from you today.”

“Unfortunately this isn’t a ‘hey honey how you doing’ call. I was wondering if you had time to head on over to the medical examiner’s office in town. I’ve got a body over here you’re going to want to check out.”

“Mulder, what did we agree on?”

“I know, you’re a doctor and a surgeon’s assistant. Got it, but this man has died from a virus of unknown origin. Just come over here and tell me if I’m crazy.”

“You’re crazy.  See, no need to hike across town for that.” Scully looked at her watch. “I should be finished within the hour. I’ll meet you there.”

“That’ll work.  Oh and Scully?”

“Yes Mulder.”

“Love you.”

Scully blushed. “Love you too.” she said as she rubbed the ring resting on her finger with her thumb. She shook her head as she ended the call and smiled to herself.

*****Medical Examiner’s Office 6:05PM*****

“So, what’s your medical opinion?”

“It was definitely the virus that was the cause of death.” Scully concluded as she studied the slides through the microscope with Mulder literally breathing down her neck causing the tiny hairs there to stand on end. “Have you had any luck identifying it?” Scully asked addressing her question to the pathologist.

“It’s possibly a new strain of tuberculosis. What’s puzzling is this man has not been out of the country and there’s evidence that this virus has been lying dormant in his system for some time. Like it was woven into him waiting for a catalyst to set it off,” the pathologist explained. He excused himself to check on some other specimens.

As soon as he left the room, Scully addressed Mulder. “Strange,” Scully stated, “But not paranormal.”

“No,” Mulder agreed, “But this is.” He set down a tube with an oblong metal object inside.

“Did you have it analyzed?”

Mulder nodded, “Manufactured by our good ol’ buddies in Japan.  I should also mention that he castrated himself.”

Scully frowned. “That’s odd. I don’t remember anything in the files about any alien abductees castrating themselves, cult or otherwise.”

“No, and it is possible this was unrelated and his abductions could have occurred long ago, he may have been some of the few experiments that were never destroyed. Or..”

“Or this may be evidence of a rise of a new syndicate.” Scully finished.

“Either way, I’m going to stay on the case, but I think this is enough investigating for now. Tonight I have other plans.” Mulder concluded. “Meet you at home in about two hours?”

Scully nodded. “I’ve got to stop at the store, then I’m headed back.”

************************  

Mulder, as promised, was home a little after eight with flowers and a shy smile. After dinner he rolled out his plan across the coffee table. “This is the map I made of the house. Shira suggested we go through every possible attack from each entryway. She said the only way to get this down to a science is to role play at least once a month. We can try each scenario and decide on who will do what, where, and when.”

“You believe they're going to come for that object.”

Mulder nodded. “Tomorrow I'll work on securing firearms.”

Scully patted his inner thigh. “I’m going to bed. Don’t stay up too late.”

Mulder stopped her at the third step on the stairs so they were at equal height, his breath heavy at her ear, “We didn’t discuss your day. Save any lives today Dr. Scully?”

She leaned back into him and he wrapped his arms around her kissing her ear, “I’ll be assisting my first surgery in two days on a young girl. I’m prepared, but you always feel a little nervous as things can go wrong.”

He nuzzled her ear and kissed it again. “I know you, and you’ll do great. You’re still the strongest person I’ve ever met.” She proceeded up the stairs and Mulder again met her at the bathroom doorway, this time wearing nothing more than his boxers, watching her as she washed her face. His head leaned against the molding as he played with the door frame. “What’s wrong Mulder?” she asked staring into the mirror.

“I was noticing how beautiful you are..”

Scully cast him a doubting look and continued flossing. Rather than try to convince her he was being sincere, Mulder changed the subject. “You should be really proud of yourself and everything you’re accomplishing at work, but know, I miss my partner. I think about you all day. It’s like even though you’re not there, you’re still speaking to me in my head.”

Scully grabbed her toothbrush and applied some toothpaste, “Voices in your head, huh? Sounds like some early warning signs Mulder.”

With one last gargle she finished off with some mouthwash and turned to face him. “It’s not always easy for me either. I question myself sometimes and you’re not there to push me out of my comfort zone.”

“You’re not there to tell me when I’m doing something wrong and to tend to my wounds when I do,” Mulder concurred.

“I have to stop myself from reaching out to you from time to time,” Scully admitted her heart feeling the conversation taking a turn.

“All day I walk around like something’s missing.” His eyes and his voice slowed and dropped half an octave, “I need you Scully.”

Their eyes locked and they stared at each other. Scully felt his heart reaching for hers. Mulder gulped and his lips parted, breathing from his mouth. That was when she realized that she was doing the same, their chests rising and falling at the same pace, their eyes dilated as they read the others thoughts, She took a half step towards him and he lunged for her. Their lips crashed together and he tore at her clothes lifting them off of her as she braced against the tile wall, his mouth dipped to her abdomen, sucking the skin at her ribs, her chest, finding her lips again. She felt her knees go weak and as she slid, he followed her, both of them tumbling to the floor. The cold hard floor tile of the bathroom scorched her bare back as his warm skin covered her, his hands in her hair, on her breasts, down her back, grabbing her ass, lifting her up towards him. She was grabbing at whatever part of him her hands could reach, his chest, his biceps, She wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his neck pulling up, lifting herself completely off the floor and he drug them out of the bathroom as they ravaged the others mouth, landing them on the hardwood of the bedroom. They rolled together, Mulder clearing a path pushing things out of the way with his arms and legs. Books, tapes, towers of papers came crashing down. Scully’s blood felt like liquid fire, that she might be burnt to a crisp before they hit the bed. She gasped as he drew her earlobe in his mouth, his tongue dancing along the flesh beneath it. “Mulder, Oh God... Mulder, why are we on the floor?”

“I don’t know” He moaned back. His voice rough and breathless, “Just.. don’t… Oh, don’t stop touching me..”

And Scully didn’t. Their were back rolling again, at each other’s mouths, plunging their tongues into the others. Scully rolled on top of him and her hips pushed against his sliding along his length and she held onto his shoulders for dear life as a streak of pleasure shot through her so fast it made her entire body go rigid. Want and need went coursing through her as they rolled and he once again pinned her to the floor. She couldn’t comprehend how any one man could look that attractive or recall when she had realized he had gotten that way. His body, near perfect, his face, his eyes, his cheeks, she couldn’t get enough, never wanted to get enough. Mulder’s hands were on her chest tracing the line down her abs, his fingers slid inside her and her hips tilted forward, all finesse went out the window as soon as he had attacked her against the tile wall. They hadn’t been this desperate for each other since before he had been taken. Mulder lifted them up into a seated position and she reached for his lips and his cock, wrapping her fingers around it, moaning from the intensity of the thought of the pleasure it was about to bring her. Mulder pressed his forehead to hers, his chest was heaving as he panted. He smiled and shook his head slowly against hers in disbelief of how great it was to be with her even now.

He lifted her up and she landed on the bed, he hovered over her and she turned her body around so she could put her mouth on him and he rolled her onto her back, his hands running down her body as she sucked on him, finding her hips and he lifted her up off the bed to his mouth. He was standing, she was suspended, her body against his, upside down, her hands grasping his hips, while his tongue danced inside her folds. He flexed his abs and she licked and sucked every last muscle. She couldn’t help it. Her mouth found his cock again and she groaned her approval. He lifted her into his own mouth and she moaned uncontrollably. He slid her body down his so she could take him into her mouth again, then seconds later lifted her back into his mouth to reclaim what he missed only to slide her back again. Fuck, Scully didn’t even know if she was breathing or if the laws of physics still applied. Her body was screaming to her to be filled, while he devoured her, her muscles demanding their own release as her knees rested near his ears and her hands retained the firm grip at his hips while his own hands supported her weight. Mulder’s cock was so hard, his head incredibly swollen, the length, pulsing, and she knew what that meant. It was going to be a long night. He released her enough for her to crawl back on the bed, and just as he had her on all fours, he held her hips again. She waited as he teased her. She closed her eyes and bit her lip, what was taking him so long? She could feel the throbbing between her legs in her ears. This man had too much will power.

“Do you want me Scully?” he asked and she could feel him at her entrance, tracing it with the head of his cock. Her entire body contracted. She had lost her mind and her patience, “Mulder, I want you more than I want to breathe.”

He was inside her so fast it lunged her forward when his hips smacked against her ass. He was savage and merciless and within a couple minutes she was coming, but she was far from satisfied. She rotated her body around, flipping her legs around him so she could face him. He climbed onto the bed and they were at it again, his mouth covering her lips, deprived from being without, their bodies moving matching the same pace. His hands were buried in her hair, cradling her head, her hands through his hair, her hips twisting upward into his motion, lifting off the bed, riding him from underneath.  He lifted himself up and fell back on his heels still inside her, pulling her up with him. How did he pull off that move so well? He pulled them back, so he could brace his feet on the floor. He knew that position would put added pressure on her clit and did it ever. Her hands fisted in his hair and their tongues rolled around the others. He started thrusting up, stabbing into her, pushing her hips down hard as he thrusted. Hard, deep, wet, and she threw her head back and moaned louder, the severe lightning bolts of pleasure shooting up through the already intense pulsing. Their moans were now loud screams, Mulder pulled her back into him roughly, throwing them back into a kiss and at the touch of his lips she was contracting all around his cock, her legs sliding wet against his thighs, her arms around his neck, her body stiff, her insides clenching him with all her might. Mulder let out a deep cry against her mouth, with his eyes shut tight, holding her securely against him, engulfed in her pleasure.

Mulder let her slowly slide down his body onto the mattress. He knelt back on the bed and she could see his cock was drenched from her body and a need deep inside her resurfaced. She needed to make him come. She needed to give him everything he gave her. She wanted to drive him insane with pleasure. He entered inside her again and Scully lifted her hips grinding hard into him feeling his entire length inside her, her legs still trembling from a moment ago. She reached for him and smoothed her palms over his chest and down his abs. Her eyes were filled with wonder as they followed her hands’ path. His eyes were following his own fingers as they skimmed across her collarbone, down between her breasts, and over that valley he loved before coming to rest at her waist. Her insides clenched around him. He smiled and bent down to lean his body into hers and kissed her, she moaned into the kiss long and deep, she had no self-control left, her entire body was trembling. Now their movements were slow, their bodies moving to the motion of their kiss, their hearts adoring each other, but soon they got caught up in the sensations, picking up speed, reaching a tumultuous pace and Mulder froze, letting out a high pitched wail into Scully's neck and pumped into her with a furiousness that instantly brought her to another peak, her body jolting and arching up into him as they held one another riding out their feelings.

Mulder rested on her chest while she caressed his head. They were both drained and exhausted. After some minutes he finally stirred and got off the bed holding out his hand. “Come, we need a shower and to change the sheets.”

“Mulder, I’ve got nothing left,” Scully confided. She wasn’t even sure she could walk.

He laughed. “No, honestly, just a shower.”

Once out of the shower Mulder watched from the bed in his charcoal boxers as Scully dried her hair. She went to put one of her silk night shirts on and Mulder stopped her, “Please don’t. I want to sleep with you the way you are right now.”

They got into bed and she wrapped herself up in his arms.  “Scully you are so beyond beautiful,” he whispered to her. As he said it, he laced the fingers of their left hands so their rings clinked together. It made him happy. He was very proud of those rings.

He raised her chin so he could look into her eyes to say what he had always failed to in the past, “Thank you Scully.” He saw the question in the movement of her eyebrows and expounded, “For everything you’ve ever done. For trusting in me and honoring the trust I have in you. For our son. For our incredible friendship. I know I hardly say it, maybe never, but I feel it. I feel it every minute of every day.”

Scully touched his face and kissed him. After a few minutes, she left his lips and turned around. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her right up against himself. Mulder pressed his lips to her shoulder and settled his face in her hair. And even though Mulder didn’t think he was tired, that was just how they stayed until they both fell asleep.

[the-jade-cross]

Flame of the Heart - Chapter 8

Zuko groaned when he woke, he next morning. He didn’t realize it, but he had slept in, the shutters having kept the light out, so it seemed like it was still early. Sighing he got up and retied his hair before grabbing his pants and pulling them on over his boxers. He grabbed his shirt and was about to pull it on when he heard a loud grunt from above. Bursting through the door and up onto the deck, Zuko crouched, ready to pounce but slacked when he saw what was going on.

The men were standing on the sidelines of the ship, watching as Raven went at it full force against Uncle Iroh! Zuko watched with slacked jaw as his uncle shot a ball of fire at the girl but Raven brought her foot up and kicked it away, shooting a series of ice spears at his uncle which the old man dodged.

Iroh shore five consecutive balls of fire and there was no way that Raven could dodge each of them. The girl smirked before she took two summersaults back, putting some distance between her and the oncoming fire. Crouching down low to the ground like a panther, she brought both hands behind her before sweeping them forward. Zuko felt his heart literally stop when ice formed out of thin air and leapt toward the fire before forming a huge wall in front of the girl. Raven rushed forward when the first fire ball hit the ice, partially melting it. Pressing her hands against the ice, she kept it frozen as the other balls struck.

When the last ball struck, she began to move her hands in a circular motion around her head and everyone watched as the ice wall began to float in clumps of ice around her head before she suddenly drove her two fists together and they seemed to burst…. until Zuko saw what had happened.

While everyone had been distracted by her swirling show, the girl had secretly created a casing of ice crystals around uncle Iroh and when she slammed her fists together, she frozen them around him, holding him down.

“Impressive,” Iroh said, his voice definitely showing admiration. “But what if I melted the ice?” Raven smiled before jabbing her thumb at the handle of her sword which still hung at her belt, “I’d knock you out.” Iroh chuckled before he melted the ice, brushing the shards off his clothes, “Excellent! Good strategy. I think that’s enough for one morning though. I’m off for some tea.” Raven nodded before removing her scabbards and placing them against the side of the ship, near a bucket of water and a towel. Grabbing the towel, she dried the sweat from her arms and neck before dampening it with water. She began to wipe her face and her neck, sighing at the coolness when Zuko approached.

“You’re not bad at fighting,” he pointed out. “Though I would like to see you fight with swords.” Raven smiled, draping the towel around her neck, “That sounds nice……”

Zuko noticed her face heat up but it wasn’t from the exercise. That was when he realized he still didn’t have his shirt on, and he quickly pulled it on. When he pulled it over his head, Raven had turned around to hide her blushing face and was wringing out the towel.

Zuko was about to speak when his eyes fell on the sliver of skin that the top of her pants and bottom of her shirt did not conceal. The first thing he noticed other than the tanned color of her skin was the wide scar that ran from the left corner of her hip bone diagonally across her back, disappearing under her shirt.

“Where did you get that scar?” he breathed.

Raven’s hand shot to her lower back to conceal it before she spun around, ducking her head, “it was before I was sent to Ducranah.”

Zuko was about to ask further when uncle Iroh poked his head back above deck, “Raven! Would you like some tea?” Raven quickly grabbed her swords before nodding, “I would love to.” A little too hastily, the girl hurried to Uncle Iroh before disappearing down. Zuko didn’t fail to notice how quickly she tried to get out of his presence. Did he tread too far into a sensitive area? But where did she get a scar that big? He was wide and from the color of it, it had been very deep.

Uncle Iroh followed his nephew’s curious gaze and his keen eyes fell on the scar that was just visible beneath Raven’s shirt… before she pulled on her jacket and hid it. The old man frowned, wondering why such a sweet girl would get such a wound like that. The last time he thought that was with……. SHIRA!

Uncle Iroh felt the world freeze around him. Same height…. Same eyes…. Different hair but she could have died it…. same gentle voice…. And that scar could very well be part of the same wound that was planted on Shira’s back before she was banished….

The man shook his head. He couldn’t get his hopes up, or Zuko’s. He mustn’t tell his nephew till he was absolutely sure.

********************

Zuko groaned as he climbed up the ladder back onto his ship. It was dark out and he was glad that the crew was asleep and unaware of the blue masked figure sneaking back onto the ship. Flinging himself onto the ship, Zuko removed his mask just in case and slipped it under his tunic so no one would see it.

“Out for a stroll?” a voice asked from behind him.

Zuko spun around, both hands going to his sword that hung on his back, but he froze when he saw who it was. Seated on the rail of the ship with one leg dangling over the side and one on the rail, her arm draped over her knee sat Raven. She was lit up by the pale blue light of the moon, her hair completely down and not wearing her belt but just her pants and her white shirt. She looked like she had come from either getting ready for bed or she had been relaxing.

“How long have you been there?” he asked, relaxing slightly but remaining wary.

Raven smiled, turning to sit with both her legs hanging over the side, facing him, “Long enough to think we were being ambushed by a one-man army in a mask.” Zuko tensed, his hand clenching. Raven smiled at his discomfort and turned around so her back was facing him, “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.” Zuko relaxed at that announcement until Raven spoke again, “Why are you so set on capturing the Avatar?” she asked. “I would think you would want to help him since he is out to finish your father.” The boy paused before slowly walking over to where the girl was seated, leaning his elbows on the railing to stare out at the water, “Why would you think I have something against my father?” The girl chuckled, causing Zuko to look at her to find the girl smiling softly at the moon, “The relationship you carry with your uncle is like that of a father and son… and from the looks of it, it is mostly because you both lost something and were able to find it again in each other. Your uncle lost his son and found that in a way he still had a son in you. In a similar way, your father let you down so you turned to your uncle who had shown you more love as a father figure than your own father did.” Zuko frowned, “How did you know this?” “Your uncle spoke of your banishment,” Raven replied in a soft voice. “Something that should never have happened to a young boy. Is that why you are hunting the Avatar?”

Zuko nodded softly before turning his eyes back on the water. Raven let out a soft sigh.

“Are you hunting him just so that your father will respect you and let you return… and get the right to the throne back or is there something else?” the girl asked.

There was a long pause during which Zuko didn’t answer and Raven thought that perhaps she wouldn’t get an answer until he whispered. “My honor.” Raven turned to him, a smile on her face, “You do have honor Prince Zuko.”

Zuko shook his head, “No I don’t. And I have the scar to prove it.”

When the girl didn’t speak, Zuko turned to look at her, only to see that she had climbed off the railing and was facing him with an earnest look in her eyes.

“Were you ever happy in your family without your uncle?” she asked in a soft voice.

Zuko stared at her in bewilderment until he slowly looked back at the water, “After my mother left… no.” “Then why are you trying so hard to get back?” Raven inquired. “If it is just the honor you are worried about, why do you think your uncle follows you?” Zuko snapped his head in her direction to find the girl smiling up at him and the boy found it hard to breathe. The moonlight was reflecting in her crystal blue eyes, the smile lighting up her face and with her hair down and blowing in her face occasionally, she looked beautiful…. Like how compared to the pure white stallion, the black horse is not as beautiful but when you get the black horse alone, you think that you have never seen anything so beautiful.

“The reason your father banished you was because you did the right thing. You’re nothing like your father Zuko. You’re kind and thoughtful and you just wanted to do the right thing. You were banished because you were in your father’s way. He knew that people would grow to love you more and that was what he feared. He feared what you could become.”

Zuko just stared at the girl, too shocked by her words to even move. Raven smiled before glancing back at the water, “I have never had honor. I have been on the run for as long as I can remember. I don’t care if people do not want or like me for who I am. I would rather be who I am than try to be someone I am not just to pacify people’s selfish perspectives on how people should be.”

Turning back to the boy, Raven gripped his arms tightly and turned him to face her fully, “You have to be true to yourself Zuko. The only ones who hate you for being true are those who are living a lie.”

The girl smiled up at him before slowly reaching out toward his face. Zuko snapped out of his daze and caught her wrist just before her fingers touched his scarred face. Raven’s smile seemed to fade at his rejection of her action but one thing Zuko hadn’t quite learnt was that Raven never settled for a ‘no’.

Coming to stand on tiptoes, Raven realized that Zuko was a good head taller than her, meaning that her standing on tiptoes did little in evening their difference in height. Placing her free hand on his shoulder, she leant over and before Zuko could stop her, she had placed a kiss on his scarred cheek.

Zuko felt a shiver run down his spine as the girl fell back on her heels softly, keeping her eyes averted.

“Scars are not a sign of shame, but a sign of bravery. It shows that you went through something but if you allow the scar to reach your soul, then it will never heal.” The girl finally lifted her eyes and smiled softly at the boy before patting his shoulder and heading back below deck. Zuko remained frozen to the spot, glad that the pale moonlight had prevented the girl from seeing his face heat up. He shook his head, trying to snap himself out of it but as he climbed down the ladder and through the door into his room… as he laid to sleep that night, he still couldn’t forget his interaction with Raven.

Those who are mad at you for speaking the truth are the ones who are living a lie ~ Unknown Author

[fiveknivesdates]

Starting fires wherever we go

Camilla

The rest of the floors pass in a blur. Shira showed me the training rooms and the cinema, the gardens and the hangars. She even showed me an entire floor that is just a maze. She told me that the Maze can be changed into different settings, like a cave system or city plan.

“Are we done now?” I ask as we enter the elevator again. We had just been inside the hangars, which Shira had told me were the last floor. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on my stuff again, and then go to sleep.

“Not quite,” Shira said with that usual cheer in her voice that reminded me of a more chaotic Erika. “We would be bad hosts if we just let you go to bed without dinner, n’at”

It was the first time I really noticed that Shira had an accent with the slur of words and that. I couldn’t place the origin of her accent. I am only really familiar with the English my mom used when I was younger. I realized that I must also have an accent when speaking English, and it was highly likely that I had inherited my mother’s Italian accent. It made me close my mouth, afraid that Shira or one of the others might suspect that I had deeper roots than just being Danish. Italy was my secret, it was my plan B if everything else failed. I couldn't give that away to any of them, and especially not through something so stupid as an accent.

Shira didn't notice my silence but continued. “I am sure that some of the others will show up, so it’ll be a chance for you to get to know the others”

She looks at me, waiting for something. A reply, a nod of my head, anything to acknowledge what she said. I continue staring ahead, waiting for the doors to open. As soon as they do, I step out into the Kitchen and Common Room. Erika, Zeph, and Aiden are all sitting by a dining table, talking quietly together. A girl that I hadn’t seen before is standing by the kitchen, possibly making the food. Her back is turned to me, but still, I can see something elegant about her, it's in the way she holds herself as if her feet aren't touching the ground. Her hair is such a light shade of blonde that it looks white. She is wearing a white dress with a silver belt, and her shoes look like porcelain. She moves around the kitchen with grace, her pale hands poking around in the cabins

Shira sits down by the table, so I follow her reluctantly.

“What do you think of the Pyramid?” Erika asked. She was sitting in front of me, with her hands folded neatly on the table.

“I like it” I lie. The only thing going through my mind is how much I want to leave and go back to my room.

“That’s good to hear,” She smiles genuinely. “You must be hungry then. Morrigan, won't you tell Camilla what’s for dinner?”

The girl with the white hair, Morrigan, looks over at me with gray eyes, up and down as she judges my worth.

“Pie with roasted chicken on the side,” She said with a smile that showed of her perfect teeth, her face radiating fake all over.

“Dips on the chicken,” Zeph says quickly, eyeing the oven.

“You are disgusting,” Lynn says simply from behind me. I had not noticed him joining us. I looked back and forth at Zeph and Lynn, but none of them said anything further. Morrigan sat the food down on the table and everyone began taking a piece of the pie, except Zeph who only took the chicken.

“Don’t mind Zeph,” Erika said to me, clearly noticing that I was still staring. “The only kind of meat that Zeph eats is chicken.”

“Is it a diet thing?” I ask, mostly to make small talk.

“No,” Zeph cuts in, mouth full of chicken. “It's cause it's fucking delicious”

“You are literally going to die of poisoning,” Lynn said

I looked at Erika for an explanation, but she only shrugged.

The conversation never died at the table. Shira and Aiden talked the most, and they talked loud, laughing and almost choking on their drinks multiple times. Zeph and Erika talked with Shira and Aiden from time to time, but they seemed more interested in asking me questions, all of which I avoided or ignored. Sometimes someone would ask Morrigan a question, and she’d answer politely, still with that edge in her voice. It was clear that Morrigan felt somewhat distant towards the others.

Lynn was situated between Morrigan and Zeph, and he kept glancing over at Zeph and his roasted chicken.

“So Camilla,” Erika started. I tensed, waiting for her question. “How come you are so good at English? Not to be invasive or anything, but you did drop out of school early”

I shrugged, making something up in my mind. “It just came naturally. Maybe it's a power or whatever. How come some of you have accents? Where are you all from?” I narrowly changed the subject and gave myself a mental pad on the shoulder.

Erika simply smiled at me, which didn’t make me feel good. I was beginning to suspect that she wasn't taking me seriously. “Both me and Shira are from America.”

“I’m Canadian,” Aiden said, not hiding the fact that he must have been listening to our conversation. “We are kinda like the American Trinity.”

“I voted for ‘American Gods’,” Shira said. “You know, like the book, but apparently it's an unsaid rule that we should not compare ourselves to gods.”

“But your accent?” I asked Shira, who then began laughing. Zeph and Aiden both joined her, with Erika smiling along and the two others just staring at them.

“Americans have accents. Erika has an accent too, she just hides it” Shira shrieked, trying to stop laughing.

“As if Erika has an accent,” Aiden yelled, “You were fucking unintelligible when we first met you. All yinz and n’that. That! That was an accent like I’ve ever heard one”

“And you don't think you talk a tad bit funny, eh?” Shira teased right back. They continued going back and forth until I realized that I was no longer a part of the conversation I had originally started. I looked down at my food.

“Shira is from Pittsburgh,” Erika told me with her gentle voice. “They tend to talk rather funny there”

“What about the others,” I asked, trying to ignore Shira and Aiden’s loud and friendly bickering. “Where are they from?”

“Morrigan is from Sweden, so don't try to curse at her or anything in Danish. Lynn is from Australia, though I think he might also be Irish, I don't know, he never really talks about it. Adi is German.”

“And what about Zeph,” I asked, glancing over at the guy who was slowly chewing his chicken while smirking at a fuming Lynn.

Erika just shrugged. “Dunno. Somewhere in Europe?”

“Oh,”

“He used to be a Drifter,” Erika said, then explained when she saw my look of confusion. “A Tethered person who isn’t part of the Organization. There are quite a lot of them, actually. They usually operate on their own in territories. Both North Africa, Alaska and parts of India are controlled by other Tethered, which makes it extremely dangerous for us to enter those zones since Drifters tend to be quite territorial.”

“But Zeph was a drifter?” I asked, “For how long?”

“I don't know, like thirty years or something.” Erika wondered. “He teamed up with Javier in like the forties and they both joined the Organization in 1977.”

Everybody by the table went quiet at the mention of Javier’s name, and a few even turned to look over at Zeph.

“Who’s Javier?” I asked, maybe a bit too oblivious about the situation in front of me.

“Javier was the best thing that ever happened to this place,” Zeph said quietly, then laughed and ran a hand through his thick, dark brown hair. “Sorry, I just. I don't know. He died four years ago. Killed.” Zeph said with force. “He was killed four years ago”

I honestly didn’t know what to say. I knew I should properly offer comfort, but I barely knew Zeph nor this Javier.

“I am sorry,” I tried, but even I could hear that I wasn’t, that I didn't really care.

“It's okay, I am fine now,” Zeph said. “I just wish we had found out who killed him and Miriam.”

“It’s not like it could just be anyone,” Aiden said, glancing over at the other side of the table where Morrigan and Lynn were sitting.

“Only Tethered people can kill Tethered people,” Erika told me, trying to put the conversation back on track. “We are immortal unless someone takes our immortality, which takes a lot of power to do”

She clearly failed in keeping the others civil, because Morrigan shot Aiden back with a. “Why are you so quick to make up assumptions?”

“Because you never liked Javier and were clearly jealous of Miriam,” Aiden accused

“You don't know anything,” Morrigan yelled, getting up from her chair. Her silver-gray eyes were blazing with fury. “How dare you accuse me of murder. How dare you say to my face, in front of everyone, that I was jealous of Miriam. Miriam! She was my friend, Aiden, but clearly you don't know what those are, seeing as you always just third wheel on everyone else” Everyone was quiet for way too long. I was about to open my mouth to say something, but then Aiden got up too and said with a calm I knew he was faking. “Thanks for dinner, Morrigan. It’s always a pleasure to hear your opinion”

Everyone followed him with their eyes as he left, his footsteps ringing loudly through the room.

“Morrigan,” Erika said disappointingly. “That was not very nice”

“He had it coming,” Morrigan answered airily. “He should know not to throw accusations around at dinner. Better wait till after dessert with wreaking havoc in the family”

Nobody said anything again. We all continued to eat or dinner and soon we moved onto dessert which was a soft chocolate cake that Morrigan had also made. Her cooking wasn’t anything extraordinary, but still it felt like the best meal I had ever had.

It wasn't until we were halfway through dinner before Shira said “I really hope we have it wrong. That it's not one of us, but someone or something else.”

I fell down onto my bed as soon as we were done. My brain was still buzzing from being around so many new people, and my vision was blurring slightly at the edges. Still, I couldn't sleep. The conversation between the others kept replaying in my mind. If I had understood correctly, two people had been murdered, which meant a murder was on the loose. It seemed kind of unsafe for my well being to stay in a place where there had been two unsolved murders. I knew how hard it was to end someone else’s life and I didn’t trust anyone who could do that to another human being.

I knew I had to leave before it was I who was dead.

Still, I knew I wouldn’t. I didn’t trust a single person here, I knew it was dangerous, knew that I could just leave right now and find someplace in the world, and then live peacefully for hundreds of years, but I was just beginning to learn about this new side of myself that I had never known existed. I wanted so badly to learn how to use my powers, I wanted that rush of power I felt when I was running or when I was swimming. I wanted to feel alive and to feel well, and I suspected this was the only place I might learn how to feel those things.

That’s why I came up with my plan. It is a compromise that will let me stay, while also making sure that I wouldn’t be in danger for longer than necessary.

The plan: Find the murderer. It sounded unrealistic in my own ears, but still, I needed to try. It was the only way my own paranoia would let me stay in this place.

It was the only way I could live with myself.

I closed my eyes. Determined to do this and do it well. I needed all my walls in place, I needed to be able to be objective, to never get too close to the suspects, and they were all suspects. I needed to think quickly, but if there was anything that I was, it was fast. Faster than everyone else.

With my eyes closed, the only thing I could hear was my own heartbeat, fast but steady, never slowing down, never giving up. I heard as much as I felt two screams from far away, and just as the third was about to be unleashed, I woke to the quiet of my new room.

On my bedside table is the book that Shira had given me. A page for each member of this place, a page for the two people who are dead, and quite possibly also a page for the one who killed them. Now I just had to figure you who could have done it <- Previous chapter // Next chapter ->

Chapter index

[thewhumpstuff]

You and I, Me and You [37]

[CW: Vague references to human trafficking]

[Teaser and Master List] [Archives of our Own] (Lost and Found: Chapter 12)

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Akira spoke loudly enough for the walls and the doors between them, and the others to not matter. “Look, I get Nova… I get where she is coming from. But she can’t actually make promises like that.” 

“Shira.” Jared spoke very quietly, but by no means was his tone demure. “What?” Her voice dropped to a whisper too. He had made his point, they had to maintain some discretion. “Zizi doesn’t need that right now. She doesn’t need to imagine being in situations-” “How the hell do you know what she does and doesn’t need? I’m the one stuck-” Jared’s look betrayed a sort of judgement. The exact kind that Akira feared. Like he would think she was some sort of an insensitive, shrewd… Bitch. “I mean stuck here, in the suite. Not stuck with her.” She tried to justify herself. He wanted his expression to soften. But it did not soften enough.

Silence. His silence always rang louder than words. And it was always the kind that she felt compelled to break. “Look, I get that you guys think I’m somehow not good enough…” “I never said that.” This time Jared did speak because he did not want Akira entertaining that thought. It simply was not true. 

“Yeah, but you act like it, like I’m some kind of a failure.” Because you are… She tried to push the intrusive thought away again. Since the card game, the thoughts were omnipresent and pushing them away was a habit now. Jared’s sigh struggled to fight with the voice in her head. She needed more. “You’re not a failure, Shira.” He offered more and sat down on the bed.

She forgot to keep her voice down. And he forgot to ask her to. “Yet you keep meddling and acting like I’ll somehow break Zizi. I’m the one with the broken nose damnit. Either trust me with her, or don’t.”

“I do! I trust you. It’s just that Nova and I think Zizi needs some time...” Jared’s voice rose too. “And how exactly do you and Nova always know more than me about what Zizi needs somehow?” “Because... Because we have gone through things, Shira!” Her first instinct was to snap at Jared. “Things you won’t talk to me about.”

He folded his hands, his jaw tightened in a manner that let her know that today too was not the night for that conversation.

Akira clammed up for a second as she recognized that same lilting sense of selfishness. Like she deserved that judgement that she saw flash in Jared’s eyes before. She went on trying her best to be more accommodating, “I know… I mean, at least Nova told me, and I get her. But it is not… not like I have not… gone through things.” Somewhere, she sought acknowledgement that she didn’t know how to ask for. And Jared could not, in this moment, see what she needed. He had a lot on his plate, it certainly was wearing him down.  “Shira, this is about Zizi.” He sighed the words and looked at the floor, with his hands on his knees. He stretched his aching neck. Correct. This is not about me- (Don’t think it. Don’t think… it.)-Nothing ever is. She swallowed and folded her hands. She looked at the floor too. “Right. Why don’t you just give me a rulebook…?” He rubbed the back of his shoulders. Maybe I should have, maybe she was not ready after all. He answered her rhetoric with some sincerity, consciously softer again. “Just… avoid going into her past. If not for me, or her… at least for Nova’s sake… okay?” “Not into yours. Not into hers…” Akira whispered; she did not really confirm that she would follow through on his request though.  She did notice how tired Jared looked. The way he winced slightly as his fingers worked the knots in his tense muscles. She clicked her tongue softly. Her hands closed over his. He let his slip out from underneath hers when her grip tightened and then slackened reassuringly. He gave the access she needed to knead his flesh, with tender attention. As he loosened under her administrations, for the briefest of moments she felt wanted. Truly wanted. And he felt a safety he did not know he needed. 

“Please… Just let me in Jared…” He instantly tensed again and held her shoulders. There was a certain desperation in his grip. His head rested against her almost pleadingly. “I… I am okay now Shira… Who I was… and everything else… It really doesn’t matter any more. Trust me.” He wanted to believe what he was saying and he could not, how could he expect her to? She pulled away. His hands hung in the wake of her movement, briefly, like she had torn a part of him with herself and he was trying to hold on. “No… You don’t trust me...” She sounded sharper than she meant to and threw up her hands in a surrender. And then threw open the door behind her as she muttered, “Whatever…” - Tariq had never really witnessed this side of Akira. In fact, this was the second glimpse he had of Jared and Akira in a normal setting. By normal, he meant one that did not test them to the point of breaking, one where neither of them were on the verge of succumbing to injuries. Their attachment and love flourished better in the latter than the former thought. Better with guns and whips, than wine and dine? That’s a little fucked up. Everybody could still see that the two cared about each other deeply though. He was not too surprised either, Akira was always very headstrong and today had not been a good day for her. Jared seemed quieter but he certainly was not one to budge either, when it came down to it.

From the way that Nova reacted with a certain resignation, it seemed like this was not a rare occurrence between them. He lingered with Nova, having witnessed yet another side that he had not seen before. Hers. Tariq tried to offer some comfort. She leaned into his touch but seemed inconsolable. Still reeling from the way she had acted... Nova had enough practice actively trying to not eavesdrop on Akira’s and Jared’s arguments. Today, she did the opposite for a chance, especially when she heard her name. She lurked, leaning into to the door. Till it opened. Nova peeled herself away from the door that flung open, just in time. She flattened herself against the wall opposite to it. She looked sheepish and guilt. Akira fiddled with the zip of her jacket, intentionally avoiding the medic as she returned to the living room. She decided to see Tariq out. They lingered in the corridor outside the room, just out of earshot. “We all want what is best for Zizi? It makes sense to indulge her wishes I guess…” Even though sparring with Zizi irked Akira in some inexplicable way and left her with a broken nose, she was defensive of their choice by compulsion. “If it makes her happy right? I mean, you don’t have to, if you don’t want to…”  Tariq added. “A broken nose hasn’t stopped me before… I’ll keep myself reigned though.” They nodded in a silent promise. It felt agreed upon that they were going to continue training with Zizi if she was still up for it. An awkward apology flashed in his amber eyes. Sorry, I guess that comes between you and Jared? She could practically hear his thoughts. She was acutely aware that things had gotten slightly weird.  But it was something a quick conversation in the future would have to diffuse. After all, she too, still needed answers regarding his pointed chirpiness the other day after his alleged date with Osi… But now was just not the time.

Akira went back in and ran into Jared as he bid goodnight to Nova. Jared threw his arm around her like it was second nature. “Do… do you want to come spend the night with me? Nova was just saying that she a-” “No… I am fine here. Good night.” After days and days of wanting to sneak a sleep-in with Jared, Akira pointedly denied the offer and retired to her bedroom. - Nova apologized to Akira for the outburst before leaving the next morning. Akira returned a hollow one. They rarely disagreed and apologies could not bandage those moments. A consensus felt impossible. Akira considered offering an apology to Jared. And didn’t for the same reason. On some level, she was keenly expecting one from him instead, though she couldn’t place a finger on what for exactly. Somewhere in the BioHacker trainee section, Jared echoed the sentiments of his lover. And no apologies were exchanged between them. Or anything else.

Akira took a long shower before ambling into the living room. This apology was one well directed and deserved. The night should not have become what it did.  “I… kinda put a damper on dinner last night huh? I’m sorry…” She noticed Zizi scrawling something meticulously with pen and paper. That was a rare sight, everybody just used the CommCubes for everything. She slowly sidled closer to Zizi. “I did that when I broke your nose, I think.” Zizi spoke, but did not look up from her work. “We both know it was an accident…” A part of Akira was fuelled by the desire to be better, to meet some arbitrary expectations. Some standards that the others had unknowingly set with regards to her role in Zizi’s recovery. But she... Also wanted to be right. Zizi is a person. She is not a survivor and she is not a victim. She is a person! Akira did not wish to see that, while Zizi was indeed a person, being a victim and a survivor were certainly a part of her too. Parts she should not be undermining, any more than the others who were unintentionally undermining the person under the breakable exterior. “I feel like eating left-overs for breakfast… What about you?”  “Sounds good…” Zizi had expected Akira to grow even more distant after last night, so she was a little dismissive of her. Her eyes remained slightly glassy as she continued transcribe from her SmartEye feed to the paper, something with a fixated focus.

Akira reheated the dinner. “Collating information again?” She asked as she took the plate Zizi, they sat on the rug by the fireplace. “Something like that…” With a small smile, Zizi put away the CommCube and her notepad and picked up the cutlery. “You said you worked as a journalist…” Akira was actively breaking the rules Jared and Novara asked her to follow. She felt liberated in her rebellion but fought the guilty instinct that compelled her to pull the plug on this while she still could. “T.S.T” “So you used to work for The Supremacy then?” Akira tried not to sound judgemental. After all, she too had enrolled with them for her BioHacker license. “Not exactly… I did what they asked of me, but I… ran my own little edition of the paper. Anonymously, of course. Circulated among most rebels. Information, intel… gossip. Local… mostly, so if you weren’t from Sector 0, you probably won’t know” Akira’s eyes widened with a child-like admiration. “That’s so cool…” She said, with a sincerity that surprised Zizi. She settled down onto the carpet more comfortably.

Zizi had been pining to share her story and ask Akira for hers. Her old journalistic instincts floated to the surface. Something about their co-habitation so far, had felt too tenuous for her to risk it. It was surprising to Zizi that Akira chose this morning to take down that wall. She did not read too much into it and assumed that the conflict yesterday gave the younger girl some kind of catharsis… which allowed her to open out more. “Technically, one could say it gets cooler. But I doubt you will believe me even if I told you.” There was an eager glint in Zizi’s eyes as she deliberately created anticipation. It was reflected in Akira’s. She had not walked into this conversation with the noblest of intentions. She wanted to prove Jared and Nova wrong… she wanted to be right, she wanted to know. But, whatever her reasons, Akira was already hooked. “Try me!” “Only if I get to ask questions too.” Zizi challenged after taking a sip of water. “Done. And… You- we don’t really have to share something we don’t want to.” Akira did not want this venture to fail. She did not want to become the reason that something went wrong and that Zizi truly ended up suffering on account of her nosey curiosity. “Oh honey! First rule of journalism… Make sure they always want to answer your question.” Zizi teased, confidently.

Akira grinned. This suddenly felt so easy. “So, what is it I won’t believe?” “I started this spoken word section, basically a vent for how shitty everything was-” Akira already looked at Zizi like she was a fan. “-And upon request, I performed it on record. I changed my hairdo and wore a mask, undisclosed location, encrypted software and secure platform… the whole shebang. All cloaks-and-daggers. I am not going to lie, I didn’t want to lose my day job. It provided the money I needed to run this stuff…”  Akira raised her eyebrows and held up her hands. “Wait… did you dye your hair teal?” Zizi nodded, glad that Akira had already caught on... “And was your mas- Oh damn! You wer-are Ritonix! The original… Like really? You aren’t making this up?” Akira wasn’t somebody who fawned over people for their stardom or popularity, which is what allowed her to get close to Jared, all those years ago. But Ritonix was more than just another artist, she was a symbol… a movement and a concept. And Akira was rather fond of her work. Everybody knew that Ritonix was eventually more than one person and for a few years… Everybody wanted to be Ritonix. “Told you, you won’t believe me! But yeah, in the flesh…”

Her work had permeated Akira’s Sector after it had already taken The Mainland and Sector 0 by storm. But she and Tariq were hooked, especially because it was around the time that The Supremacy had taken over. They had to breach some serious security protocols on The Network to gain access, but they had. Just humming along to those words in the oppressive hallways of The System, had given Akira the strength to make it through. “I guess that’s why I caught Nova muttering those lyrics sometimes…”

Zizi’s smile vanished and she fiddled with the metallic fingers of her prosthetics. Her dark skin accentuated the brightness of the metal. “I… yes. I relied on Ritonix as anyone else through… dark moments I guess.” Zizi sounded ashamed. Akira could not help but picture the woman in Ezekiel’s room, rapping her way through the torments of the Serum. She too had used words of songs to anchor herself, several times… Through the stint when Jared tried interrogating her, on the metallic table in the east-facing cells after the whipping.  “I, I get it. I’ve done something like that too…” She trailed off.

Zizi and Akira both sat in silence. Neither of them pushed for sombre details now, but they shared a moment. An unspoken acknowledgement of suffering. Akira smiled weakly.

“Tariq and I were such big fans…” “Were? I heard Ritonix is still alive and kicking…” Zizi pestered playfully, trying to help Akira in drawing the conversation away from something that felt too uncomfortable to approach yet. “So-” “Uh-huh, my turn. On the topic of Tariq… You two seem pretty close, more than just colleagues for sure...” Akira’s smile grew brighter as Zizi cut her off to ask about Tariq. “Oh! We grew up together, same neighbourhood and school. Both Football captains… Both wingers too… Till my knee injury any ways. T and I kinda spent more time competing than being friends, but we spent a lot of time together.” Her story was not as flamboyant as Journalist-turned-rebel-rapper. But Zizi listened with such keenness, that Akira felt like it was. “We truly got close surviving The System after The Supremacy took over my Sector and we were in there together for a couple of years, I think I was fifteen... He...” Akira wasn’t sure if this was her tale to tell any more, so she paused. Zizi tried to prompt her.  “And then…?” Akira decided to avoid the topic of Tariq’s loss. “Life took us our separate ways. And… After the Supremacy fell, I ended up aligned with SpecSyn briefly and he’s always been here with Q.B. So strangely enough we ended up on opposite side of things…”

Akira took her time to explain how she and Tariq reconnected and just as she finished, he arrived for their standard training session.

Tariq did not ask how or why Akira and Zizi were on better terms. He was simply glad that they were. They did not spar against one another today. Each of them worked on perfecting some techniques individually. Zizi could never let go of a bone once she got a whiff.  "Akira told me how you too got close... Sweet..." "Well... In some ways she was all I had left, I'd lost my mom already, The Supremacy took care of my brother and father." Akira heard the clarity and the usual feigned nonchalance in Tariq's voice as he spoke of his family and how they were killed. She continued to shadow box in silence. Zizi responded to Tariq in kind and on instinct, which surprised Akira. "My parents never made it past The Screening... And The Supremacy took a lot from me too. First my arm, then my siblings... I never even found out what exactly happened. The bar Kojo and Daya owned, was razed to the ground, with them in it..."  Akira turned to look at the two of them exchange a look of empathy. It chilled her and warmed her at the same time. She had been there for Tariq, but Zizi understood him in a way Akira never could. Zizi went on, now assuming a note of poignant nostalgia. "Daya used to work in pharmaceuticals and Kojo was a head chef, they both saved up to get that dingy shack of theirs... It’s my fault. I think they did some demonstration after I was forced to seek refuge outside of Sector 0. If I had never created Ritonix, none of this would have happened..." "Do you regret it, then?" Akira asked, softly, her curiosity getting the better of her. "I... I don't know."

Akira still wanted to know so much more, but some truths were a lot easier to like than others, as Akira would come to realise over the next few days.

[Tags: @lettuceknighted, @quirkykayleetam]

[the-jade-cross]

Flame of the Heart - Chapter 5

“SLAVE!” Azula yelled the moment she entered her room.

Shira looked up from where she was sitting on the floor at the end of the bed. It had been almost two years since she had been enslaved into Azula’s services and since then, some things had changed. She and Zuko still met whenever they could but since that night that Shira gave Zuko the diary, nothing had passed between them other than the things of two close friends. After some persuasion on Ursa’s part, Azula was instructed to not tie Shira up unless Shira was in trouble. However, now Shira had to sleep on the floor but that was better than being tied up. Also, whenever Azula wasn’t in the room, she had to sit cross-legged at the end of Azula’s bed until needed.

“Get my hair all dolled up! There is going to be an Agni Kai today!”

Shira flinched at the mention of the gruesome dual, but she obeyed, getting up and situating the hair materials as she began to brush Azula’s hair.

“Aren’t you the least bit interested?” Azula snapped, “Not even going to ask me what it is about?”

Shira bowed her head in apology, “Forgive me your highness. What started this dual?”

Azula smirked evilly into the mirror, “My brother.” Shira knew that if she stiffened or froze that Azula would suspect something, so she didn’t, but she clenched her toes inside her sandals. Zuko! What happened?

“He was in the war council room and spoke up against one of the general’s ideas.”

Shira bit her lip, glad that Azula was too busy looking at her nails to notice. Of course, Zuko would do something like that. She expected no less of him.

“Who do you think will win the Agni Kai your highness?” Shira inquired.

“Probably not my brother. What do you think?”

Shira shrugged, “I do not know the strength of your brother, nor of the man he must fight against… I wouldn’t know.” Azula nodded, “Rightly so. You wouldn’t know.”

Shira bowed her head and just managed to remove her hands from Azula’s hair before the girl tried to singe Shira’s hands by catching her hair on fire.

After Azula had doused her hair, Shira continued. When she finished, Azula changed into a clean outfit before heading out of the room. She paused in the doorway to give Shira an evil smirk.

“He’s fighting against my father. Don’t be surprised if you are called to help bury him!” With that, the princess left, leaving Shira shaking violently in fear…. The king! Zuko was going to get killed!

On the other side of the door, Azula smirked before looking up into a pair of golden eyes who smiled evilly down at her. Azula smiled, “It’s done. She knows.”  

******

Zuko sighed as he knelt in the ring, waiting for his opponent. He wished it would just be over with so he could go visit Shira that night. They had agreed to meet on the roof, one of their favorite meeting spots. Suddenly, he heard the faint footsteps of his opponent behind him and turned to face him, the towel falling off his shoulders…. But he froze.

The man standing at the other end of the ring was not the general…. But…. His father?

“Father?” Zuko asked, shocked.

Meanwhile, Shira had managed to escape Azula’s room and was rushing as quickly as she could towards where she knew the Agni Kai was being held.

She only hoped that she got there in time to warn Zuko… before he faced his father. She knew Zuko wouldn’t go up against his father but she also knew that Lord Ozai was not a forgiving man, therefore she knew he would no doubt not pardon Zuko even if the boy begged forgiveness.

When she finally came upon the ring, there was a crowd of people surrounding it, so she was unable to even see the ring itself. Finally, deciding that she had no other choice, Shira ran over towards the archway where Ozai had entered through, she began to slowly scale the wall, cringing whenever her hands scraped the slippery stone but she didn’t give up. Meanwhile, down in the ring….

“Please father, I only had the fire nation’s best interest at heart. I’m sorry I spoke out of turn!” Zuko cried, falling onto his hands and knees, pleading with his father.

“You will fight for your honor,” Ozai replied with no feeling in his voice.

Zuko felt tears spring to his eyes. Why did he have to be so stupid? “I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son!”

Ozai laughed, obviously either not taking what Zuko said seriously or because he didn’t feel that Zuko was right in that area, “Rise and fight prince Zuko.”

“I won’t fight you,” Zuko replied, keeping his head down.

Ozai snorted, “And what if I told you that I would kill your pathetic little water bender friend?” Zuko frowned. He didn’t know any water benders…. Wait…. Didn’t his father mistake Shira for a water bender!?!?!?!

Zuko’s head snapped up at this, his amber eyes wide in shock. How did his father…. But then he saw it… the look in his father’s eyes. It was pure hatred…. No sympathy or mercy.

“You think I wouldn’t notice my son going missing every evening?” Ozai hissed, “I am going to make sure that girl doesn’t get away with it.” “SHIRA DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG!” Zuko cried, forcing the tears off his face with the back of his hand. “She is the best friend I have!” “And that is a position that someone of her status shouldn’t have,” Ozai replied simply. “You will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher.”

With that, Ozai raised his flaming hand and struck his son on his left eye. Zuko let out a blood curdling scream that stopped Shira who had made it halfway up the arch.

Looking over her shoulder, all she could see was Ozai’s back…. But then she saw Zuko crumble to the ground…. clutching his hands to his face. Oh no….

“That was for disrespecting me,” Ozai replied simply, “And this…. Is for your little friend.” With that, Ozai lifted his other hand up, letting it burst into flames. Grabbing his son but the wrist, he dragged Zuko to his feet, but the boy was too weak to even stand so he was just hanging from his father’s grip. Ozai lifted his hand and prepared to strike the other side of Zuko’s face when suddenly, a bright light flashed into his eyes and he brought both hands up to shield his eyes.

The light was blinding but it disappeared in a second…. But then it appeared again but from a different angle. Ozai frowned when he saw that light was reflecting off of metal helmets that were hanging on the walls. Turning around to see where the source of light was, he stared in surprise.

Practically hanging on the stone arch was Shira. She had one hand at the top of the arch, keeping her up while her foot was pressed against the arch, giving her some leverage and helping to not put too much weight on her arm. Her other leg was hanging there and from her hand, was glowing a bright light… the source of the light.

“Whaaaaat?” everyone present cried looking at the girl.

Shira had an infuriated, horrified look on her face but she hid her fear well beneath her scowl. She looked like she had just come out of hell, breathing heavily, her hair all over the place and sweat pouring down her face but despite that, she looked more beautiful than before.

“Do not touch him!” she yelled.

With that, she leapt off the arch and landed lightly on her feet, barely making a noise as she faced Ozai. The man smirked and let go of his grip on Zuko, dropping the boy to the floor. This movement seemed to wake Zuko a bit and he opened his eyes groggily. All he saw was Shira…. And his father…. Wait…. Was Shira there? What was she doing there!?

“And why should I do that?” Ozai replied, “You’re nothing.” Shira smirked, “Even if the past is in the past, there are parts of you that will never die. I might not be anything now…. But I was once like you…”

With that, the girl spun around on her feet, dragging her fingers along the dusty ground and as she did, something seemed to emerge from the ground. When she stopped spinning, she rose to her feet, clenching her hands at her side.

Rising on either side of her were two long vines! Massive and thick, they were probably as thick as Shira’s body and as long as five of her!

“What is going on!?” Someone cried form the stands.

Shira smirked and lashed out at Ozai with her hands. The vines followed her hands and one of them whipped at the king. Ozai dodged it and tried to burn it. He managed to burn one to a crisp but the other kept coming at him. Finally, he pinned it down and was about to burn it as well when he was blinded again. This time, when the light subsided, he saw where the real source was coming from…. Shira was bending light?

The girl had held out her two hands on either side of her, perpendicular to her body. Light had shone down onto her palms and had reflected off of them like they were made of glass, shining right into Ozai’s face!

Shira smirked, “I was once a princess,” she replied simply, “And you know what I was known for?”

Without waiting for Ozai to guess, she lashed out her hands again but instead of vines appearing, two long light whips appeared and lashed at Ozai. The man managed to dodge the first but the second one grazed his arm, causing him to cry out for it was ten times hotter than fire!

“For being the last of my kind,” the girl whispered.

“A light and plant bender,” Ozai whispered before smirking evilly, “Good to know.”

With that, he lifted his hands and Shira suddenly felt her arms pinned behind her. Shucks! She was always bad at knowing when someone was behind her or not!

“I will spare Prince Zuko the shame of having another burn on the other side of his face, but he must be banished from the fire nation until the day when he brings the avatar to me alive,” Ozai announced.

Shira frowned. The avatar had been missing for a hundred years! How was Zuko going to find him!?

“And you,” Ozai said, turning to Shira, “You will receive a just punishment for mixing with people above you and for striking the Fire Lord. Take her away!” “SHIRA!” Zuko cried but his voice was drowned out in Shira’s screams as she fought against the men holding her.

What was going to happen now?