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monaisme · 4 years ago

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One Week Later - Chapter Four

This is the sequel to my one-shot, “The Battle”

Going through a magical portal was definitely one way to distract from the nerves borne of having to step back into one’s life five years later and all the chaos that came with it.

The portal didn’t seem like a big deal after the fact, especially after spending the last days watching the successful use of them as those remaining in Wakanda were reunited with family and friends. It didn’t stop Peter’s brain from wondering for a quick second how Wong’s magic worked—if he was really just stepping through or if there was more to it?—Like the transporters in Star Trek. Maybe that ring he’d been wearing contained technology that manipulated the particulate in the atmosphere and—

His train of thought derailed as Mr. Stark finally came through the portal and the circle shrunk and fizzled away into nothing.

“Well,” he announced as he glanced back at the vanished means of entry, “That wasn’t my flashiest entrance, but it’ll do.”

Mrs. Stark rolled her eyes and stepped up to give him a kiss. “Yes, dear, whatever you say.” She teased as she caressed his cheek. “That exit, though...” She gave her husband a playful wink and then patted his face. “The Divine Miss M would be proud.”

Mr. Stark smirked, “Yeah, Wong will definitely pay for that later.” He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer then planted a soft kiss on her lips. He mumbled, “I’m so glad we’re home.”

Peter had watched as they did their flirting thing, but mention of home had him looking away pretty quick. He fought to tamp down his discomfort.

Five years ago, Mr. Stark had been freshly engaged and behaving exactly how Mr. Stark was expected to behave, all snark and sarcasm with the occasional emotional outburst.

And Mrs. Stark was, well—she was Pepper Potts, but not just Pepper Potts. She was Ms. Potts; CEO to Stark Industries, #1 on the Forbes list of “100 Most Powerful Women” in 2017, and MJ had just told him—he sighed as he mentally corrected himself, MJ had told him five years ago that she was creeping up on Oprah and Beyonce in terms of net worth. He’d met her a few times when she’d stop by the lab to make sure Mr. Stark was drinking more than just coffee and consuming actual food—not just the mystery smoothies Dum-E would make for him on occasion. She’d been intimidating, but always polite and kind and left the lab with a smile for Peter and a peck on the cheek for Mr. Stark.

And while he’d been stuck in that stone? Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts had gotten married, built a home... moved on, and here he was— Peter was getting tired again just thinking of it.

Five years later was weird.

Peter scuffed his toe against the floor, unintentionally drawing attention to himself.

Mr. Stark straightened the two of them up and turned to him immediately, making sure to grab his wife’s hand. “Yeah.” It was Mr. Stark’s turn to blush. “Sorry about that. I guess we’re all a little relieved to be back, right? We can finally get back to normal?”

Peter chuckled quietly and shrugged as he refused to look up at the pair. “I guess?” He replied, but in his head, he knew better.

“Well,” The pair moved closer to him and Mr. Stark put a supportive arm around his shoulder. “I’m not even going to ask what you want to do, kid.” Mr. Stark stated as he turned Peter around and started walking him through the living room of the penthouse, “but before we figure out when you can see May, I need to know if an in person visit is even in the cards for today. I’ll just pop down to the med bay and have a quick chat with the doctor and—“

Peter didn’t think before he stopped moving and the words fell out of his mouth, all desperate and pleading. “Can’t I just come with you?” Mr. Stark was opening his mouth to say no, Peter was sure of it, so he kept going, “I don’t even need to talk to her! I’ll stay back and out of the way and everything. Please? I just want to see her.”

Mr. Stark couldn’t hide the sadness in his eyes. “Pete, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

But Peter was determined. “But it’s May, Mr. Stark!” He begged. “And you can’t tell me she hasn’t missed me, I mean, it’s been five years for her and I know she’d want to see me—“

“Kid, that has nothing to do with it. I promise. You know what your aunt is like.” Mr. Stark seemed to hunt for his next words, “She’s a beast in the best possible way—but now? She’s not, and the last thing she’d want is for you to see her... less than one hundred percent because then she’ll get upset that you’re worrying about her and then you’ll end up getting upset and none of us want that either, do we?”

Peter tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. “No. I get it, that’s cool. Just...” He trailed off before he said something stupid. He understood. He’d heard the doctor only a couple of hours earlier and he knew he couldn’t just go running into the med bay to throw himself at Aunt May. Stuff was going on and he wasn’t going to get in the way of it.

“Let’s give her chance to put on her game face, okay?”

“Okay.” Peter couldn’t have sounded more glum if he’d tried. He hated this.

“Hey, kid,” Mr. Stark pulled him into an awkward side hug as they all started walking again. “I promise you, we’ll get this sorted, but here’s what we’re gonna do. First, we’re gonna get you set up in your room,” they turned down into a hallway beyond the living room, “so you can take a nice, long shower—wash off all of those teenager cooties you’ve been sporting.” Mr Stark ruffled Peter’s hair as he attempted to lighten the mood. “Then, by the time you’re done, I’ll be back with all the information we need so we can make a plan, alright?”

Peter nodded even though he wanted nothing more than to disagree with everything Mr. Stark was suggesting and make a break for the med bay. This wasn’t how things were supposed to be. Five years ago, he was supposed to help get the gauntlet and then come home and train with the Avengers after May grounded him forever... and now, even his freaking homecoming was wrong. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to deal with all of this.

Mr. Stark steered him through a doorway and stopped. “So, kid. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Peter blinked, confused. “Um, what—?“

“You’re room, buddy, what do you think?” Mr. Stark gestured into the room they were now standing in. “We tried to make it exactly like your old one... got FRIDAY to...”

Peter tuned Mr. Stark out as he stepped further into what was definitely a space meant for him. Now that he was paying attention, it took a second to know that he was in the exact same room Mr. Stark had put aside for his use before half of the universe disa—

It was like a needle scratching across a record in his brain. NO.

He needed to change the thoughts in his brain—wished it was as easy to do for himself as it was for the schematics laying about the lab... a swipe of the hand and BOOM, a fresh start—the lab he hadn’t been in for five years because he was trapped in a stone.

NO. He scolded himself again and clenched his fists tight; thrust them into the pockets of his sweatpants as he tried to reframe it. He needed to make it something else before Mr. Stark ended up looking at him that pitying way again.

Okay.

It was the same room Mr. Stark had put aside for his use on those nights when they’d goof around with Mr. Stark’s tech until stupid late and then the two of them would fight over whether 80s horror movies were the superior movie genre when anyone with real taste knew that Star Wars and all things sci-fi was where it was at.

Yeah, that was better. He could do this.

He tried to relax his shoulders as he took in some of the details.

Peter was grateful that the room itself smelled as fresh and clean as the last time he’d been in it. The laundry detergent used to wash his bedding was even the same. His posters were on the walls and his books were back on the tiny bookshelf by the desk set up next to the wide expanse of window. The pens, papers, books, and even an unfinished lego project he’d left upon it during his last weekend were sitting in a box, waiting to be unpacked.

It was almost exactly where it was all supposed to be.

Almost.

And then—

Peter remembered an April Fool’s Day when he and Ned had been little. It had fallen on a Saturday, which of course meant a sleepover for the two new friends and, while May and Ben slept on, the boys had decided to be as diabolical as six year olds could be. It had taken all of three minutes, for all of the giggles and impromptu pillow fight, but they’d switched all of the red throw cushions from the couch with the brown throw cushions from the two armchairs in the living room. The cutlery tray in the kitchen was given the same treatment before Peter and Ned were satisfied with their first ever attempt at foolery.

It was insanity, and May and Ben were absolutely baffled at how something so strange could have happened while they slept!

Peter smiled sadly at the memory as he realized this was that moment, except it wasn’t a goofy prank by two silly kids. It was like everything in the room was six inches to the left and Peter was supposed to be confused that something wasn’t quite right—

Nothing was right.

He wondered if this would be the thing that pushed him over the edge.

“Pete?” Mr. Stark asked again, softer this time and laced with an undertone of concern.

He closed his eyes for a moment then pasted a smile on his face. “It’s great, Mr. Stark.” He turned to face him, hoped he’d buy the ruse. “You wouldn’t know that anything was different except that my desk is finally tidy.”

Mr. Stark chuckled, “Look, kid, I know it’s not quite ri—“

“No! It’s absolutely fine!” Peter couldn’t allow him to acknowledge the imperfection of it or he’d lose it. “I hadn’t even thought about... this. It’s just like I left it,” he lied.

Mr. Stark wasn’t convinced. Peter could see it on his face. “Peter? Tell me what’s going on in your head. I can see that something is—“

“No.” Yup. He really needed to not be talking about it, “Everything’s great... this is great, Mr. Stark, thanks so much for doing this for me.” Peter then looked behind him to Mrs. Stark still standing in the hallway. “And you, too, Mrs. Stark. I’ll try really hard to not be irritating while I’m here.” He kept that same fake grin going, hoped for the best.

And then Peter put an arm around Mr. Stark and ushered him toward the door.

Mr. Stark pushed back a little, making his desire to stay obvious. “Pete? What are you doing?”

“Just what you asked, Mr. Stark. I’m gonna jump in a shower now and get ready for the day.” He’d gotten Mr. Stark one step into the hallway when the man pulled free of Peter’s unintentional restraint, turned around and braced himself in the door frame.

“Peter, stop.” He tried to catch Peter’s eye. “What’s going on?”

The question stopped Peter cold in his tracks. He was absolutely not prepared to answer the question. “What do you mean? I just said—“ He glanced over his shoulder back into the room. “Everything’s great.”

“Yeah, Pete, I hear you. You keep saying it. It’s great, but that’s not what I’m picking up here.” His voice held nothing but concern and he stepped closer to Peter. “Do you want to try again?”

And his plan had failed in all of one minute.

Dammit.

An unexpected anger flared, “No, I really don’t.” He hadn’t yelled, but he was a near thing. “Can I please just take a shower now?” He tugged at the sweatshirt that wasn’t his, stalked toward the dresser he’d yet to inspect and pulled open the drawer that thankfully held his t-shirts. He’d hoped it would be enough of a cue that Mr. Stark needed to leave, but that was apparently too much to ask.

“Peter, c’mon. I need to know what’s going on in that genius brain of yours. Do you want to talk? Do we need to change something about the room?”

“NO! It’s already changed enough!” Peter snapped. He grabbed his favourite shirt and slammed the drawer shut with enough force that the dresser hit the wall behind it with a crash.

Mrs. Stark gasped at the outburst, bringing Peter back to himself.

He froze where he stood, his ears flushed with embarrassment at the loss of control-- being caught out. “Shit. I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

Mr. Stark stood silent as he waited for Peter to settle down, Mrs. Stark coming to stand beside her husband as the tension hung thick in the air.

And never before had he wanted Mr. Stark to leave him alone so badly.

“I think I need... can I just have a minute, please?” He whispered and fidgeted with the shirt in his hands.

“Peter, I don’t think we should--” his words cut off.

Mrs. Stark put a hand on Mr. Stark’s arm, effectively stopping him in his tracks. “Tony, wait a minute.” She gave Mr. Stark a ��look,’ “It’s been a long week, and an especially difficult day for Peter. You go check in at the med bay while I check in with the others and give him a chance to catch his breath.” She addressed Peter next. “Does that sound like a good idea?”

Mr. Stark opened his mouth to protest, “But—”

Mrs. Stark didn’t bother to hide her glare. “I’m sorry. Did I pose that as a question?”

Even Peter knew from that tone that CEO Ms. Potts—um, Mrs. Stark was coming out to play, so he wasn’t surprised when Mr. Stark grumbled out a petulant ‘no.’

“Good.” She turned to Peter next, spoke kindly. “You take all the time you need, honey. I can’t imagine we’ll be longer than a half hour, but if you need more time than that, then you take it. We’ll meet up in the living room when we all finish. Does that sound good to you?”

Peter nodded a ‘yes,’ though he still refused to look at either of them.

She smiled, like the last minutes of Peter’s tantrum hadn’t happened, then continued. “Perfect. We’ll get out of your hair.”

She made to steer Mr. Stark out of the room, but he again stopped and turned to address his mentee. “Hey—“

But Peter refused to look at the man.

Mr. Stark tried again, “Hey, buddy. Listen to me. No one is mad. Okay?” He seemed to grapple with finding the right words for a second and then went on. “We all know this is messed up and no is going to blame you for not knowing how to react—but you have to talk to us okay?”

Peter couldn’t bring himself to respond.

Mr. Stark sighed, seemingly giving up on the moment. Peter glanced up, thinking he’d watch them walking out the door, but blinked in surprise at Mr. Stark waiting patiently for him to look up.

“If you need anything... if you need me, you let FRIDAY know and she’ll get me. Understood?”

Peter did nod at that, but kept quiet.

Mr. Stark sniffed and then cleared his throat. “Good. Go take your shower, sweetheart. We’ll see you in the living room when you’re done.” Peter thought he’d reach out to hug him, but he held himself back and Peter wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Instead, Mr. Stark grasped Mrs. Stark’s hand, gave Peter a wink and a nod, and the two of them left.

He waited a few seconds, listened for the concerned voices talking about giving him time to die away in the hall and then sighed in relief.

Finally.

Peter was alone for the first time since, well, he guessed five years ago.

He stopped the thoughts again. It was too much, and he had thirty minutes to pull himself together, so that’s what he was going to do.

* * * * * *

Peter took a couple of minutes to be still and hoped it would be enough to get through whatever came next.

It wasn’t.

He did the breathing exercises MJ had taught the decathlon team before that huge meet against Bronx School of Science.

Maybe that took the edge of a little?

Finally, Peter gave up, realizing that it wasn’t going to matter what he did, at least for now. He just needed to get up and move.

And so he did.

He grabbed the rest of his clothes from the dresser, consciously ignoring the drywall dust on the floor behind it, and stepped into the ensuite.

FRIDAY had already started the shower knowing that Peter’s preferences wouldn’t have changed, so he stripped and stepped under the hot spray. He closed his eyes and counted his breathing again, but now that he’d moved from the quiet of his room, the urgency to get done and get to the living room started pressing on him.

He could do this. Whatever the world had in store for him, he’d manage. He’d done the whole starting over thing before, after all and hiding from it wasn’t going to change anything.

He wiped the water away from his face and grabbed the bottle of shampoo from the shelf, smiling to himself as he recognized the brand and scent on the label. He wanted to be quick, but he sound of the water beating against the ceramic tile and the soothing fragranced steam relaxed him more than he’d anticipated.

Maybe he’d be alright?

After a few more minutes of luxuriating in the heat, Peter finished washing up and stepped out to dry himself off, not bothering to do anything special with his curls. He slipped on his boxers then his jeans, keeping the towel around his neck so his hair wouldn’t drip everywhere. He finished off with one last vigorous scrub and tossed the towel into the hamper behind the door. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, took a deep breath to center himself and caught a whiff of it...

He wondered how quickly Happy had been able to pull his stuff out of storage and how many times his clothing had been washed and washed and washed... all to try and get rid of that musty, unused smell that clings to old, discarded clothing. Except that the clothes hadn’t been outgrown or discarded—and below the layers of wash after wash he could still tell with his stupid enhanced senses that all that Peter was before was that stink of age and neglect.

An unnatural calm settled upon him as he pulled the shirt down from his face and left the bathroom.

He grabbed forgotten socks from another dresser drawer and sat himself on the bed to get them on.

He realized he’d get no reprieve from all of the reminders, and wondered why he wasn’t more upset.

It didn’t matter, though.

He looked at the clock on his bedside table. He’d already taken forty minutes and needed to get out to the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Stark were waiting—

And Peter figured that after five years, they’d waited long enough.

#fanfiction #Irondad and Spiderson #Avengers: Endgame #non-compliant #ao3fic #AO3 fanfic #OBlossom

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meowdymista · 4 years ago

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Van der Driscoll pt 4

idek how this is still going but here we are. I like to please people like our bae, I guess

Part 3 & Masterlist

Part 5

In this booth in some rundown town west of Lemoyne, you’re grateful to have Arthur’s thumb rubbing calm circles on the back of your hand. His eyes are azure in the sunlight pouring through the shutters, watching the road outside for the third day since you’ve arrived.

The sound of you pushing your plate away attracts his attention.

“You need to eat something,” he murmurs, squeezing your hand with a small frown. You shrug indifferently, although the voice at the back of your mind is nagging the same thing. Your stomach is a separate entity to you now - it will betray you at the drop of a hat by suddenly dropping through the floor and pushing bile up in its place. How are you supposed to eat when you aren’t hungry? When anything that does pass your lips tastes like dirt, and tastes worse when it passes them again?

He sighs heavily, kissing your knuckles before enveloping them beneath both of this own. It’s like you’re watching him jump forward and backwards in time. The lines etch deeper in moments like these, when you’re sat by the window waiting. They drove themselves in hoards when conversation pulled you into heated discussion about right and wrong.

“A baby shouldn’t be born on the run from the law.”

“What about the boy? Jack?”

“It was different then - there weren’t so many Pinkertons, and they weren’t so determined.”

“OK, so why is he still running with you?”

“It’s different - they’re safer with us than out there where they can be grabbed for ransom.”

“Who would hold a boy and his mother for ransom?”

A dark look reminds you of the ten dollar murder. “These guys are the law-”

“And the law hire bounty hunters, don’t they? And them bounty hunters are anyone that steps off the street.”

Despite some strong arguments that stir doubt in your already unsettled insides, you can’t help but see the twinkle in his eyes when the barman talks to you about his own newborn daughter, promising that the baby will be worth every second - although it could be the lack of sleep making him delirious.

You came to bed late last night to find him passed out on top of the blankets still fully dressed. Taking pity on him, you removed his boots, stirring him from his sleep enough to get underneath the quilt and hold it up for you to curl in next to him. You slipped in, gasping as his strong arms wrapped around your waist and pulled your back flush against his front, his nose buried in your hair.

“My lady and our baby,” he mumbled against the back of your neck as his palm flattened on your unchanged stomach.

“If you’ll have us,” you whispered in return, inhaling sharply as his grip tightened.

“I can’t be what I ain’t.” A kiss tingled your bare shoulder. “But I want you both more’n anything.”

“You promise?”

His warm breath chuckled over your back. “I ain’t lyin’ if that’s what you mean.” You turned your head, finding his heavy lids in the darkness of the room. “I’m sorry for how I acted - I loved being a father, and I’ve loved being with you. Best o’ both worlds but I know this world don’t work that way - for outlaws at least.”

“It’s worked for your brother.”

“Mm. That fool was always lucky.”

“We make our own luck in this world, Arthur. Have faith.”

He chuckled at that, burying his head deeper into his pillow. “A’ight. I’ll try.”

You push a piece of meat into your mouth and force yourself to chew. You’re sure this would taste amazing if you had found this place before you lost your appetite.

Arthur moves to his feet suddenly, eyes fixed outside. “He’s here.”

You follow his gaze to see a curt old man dismounting a stormy coloured turkoman. You recognise him instantly.

She can’t go free. Not with the Pinkertons after us.

"Arthur!" Hosea calls to the man half running off the wooden porch to meet him, hitching Silver Dollar on the side of the road. "Everything alright?"

"Hosea - you got the letter! I-" He moves his hat on his head, raking his hands through the mane of hair before setting it back down. "I didn't know who else to ask."

"Guess it fell through, whatever you intended to do?" The brown eyes drift to the window where you shrink out of view.

"Somethin' like that," he admits, rubbing the back of his neck. "I… we need to talk. I was hopin' you might be able to… to help in some way or at least lend another mind to workin' out what we gotta do now..."

"Is she worth it?" Hosea holds his son’s gaze steadily, tilting his chin towards the saloon.

"Yes. She's-" He breathes out shakily, looking over his shoulder to your peeping eyes. "She's important to me, Hosea."

A hand clamps on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “Let’s get properly introduced then.”

You hold your breath as the two men walk up to where you’re sat shrinking into the wall. Arthur slides in beside you, squeezing your leg with a small (albeit worried) smile as the stranger settles himself opposite you, his brown eyes bland and unreadable.

"So what is it you need to be telling me?" he asks calmly to no one in particular as he waves for a drink. "What's brought you all this way east for christ's sake?"

"I was gonna get her outta the country," Arthur explains lowly, his knee jittering again. "There're boats - ships that are taking people out of America. Get her away from Colm and us for that matter."

"But…?" He takes the whisky and throws it back, tucking a dollar in the garçon's pocket as he asks for the same again.

"But she- she weren't well."

"I'm pregnant." Your voice breaks, eyes blinking back tears. "Arthur's. I'm carrying Arthur's child."

He blows out his hollow cheeks, looking between the two of you as though expecting a cry of "April Fool's!" in June. Arthur's shoulders sag at his guardian's response.

"An' we ain't even told you the best part. Her cousin was on the ferry in Blackwater. Heidi. She's the one Dutch… you know."

He drags his hands down his face. "Could you bring us the bottle?" he calls before the barman can return. "The bottle and- two? Three glasses?"

“We owe it to her, Hosea!”

“Are you-” He waves his hand, looking between you. “What are your plans?”

“She’s keeping it.”

You nod in agreement, holding onto him for dear life as the man pours you each a glass and toasts. You try to follow suit, but the smell knocks your stomach before you can drink it. You set it back down, pushing the glass away as Arthur rubs your back understandingly.

“Don’t start this again,” growls Arthur, surprising you with his tired hostility. “Please.”

The old man’s voice is hushed, eager. “Think about it - this is an opportunity to get outta this life!”

“I can’t do that, Hosea.”

“This could be whatever deity is up there giving you a second chance! You’ve said it yourself, Arthur. We’re thieves in a world that don’t want us no more.”

“I ain’t leavin’, Hosea. You know I can’t, ‘specially now.”

Regret saturates his sigh, the twinkle in his eye extinguished as he leans his head against the back of the bench. “I know, son. Can’t blame a feller for hopin’.” Silence stretches out between you before the older man speaks again. “So what is it you’re wanting to do? We both know you ain’t dumb enough to want to bring her into camp.”

“What else is there to do?” Urgency cracks his voice as he tries to speak quietly. “Dutch killed her ticket outta here - we owe it to her!”

“He’s paranoid enough without introducing someone with motive. Morale is as low as it’s ever been right now - if word gets out that the girl was related to the new O’Driscoll? People will panic, Arthur. We’ve already lost too many-”

“I just want to keep the baby,” you interrupt, your eyes begging for him to find your honesty. “I know what it looks like, but I didn’t know Arthur was runnin’ with anybody.”

“How did you get caught again? After kidnapping Bill, wasn’t it?”

“That wasn’t me!” you cry desperately.

“But you were there when he was tied to a post?”

“I only went down to see what- what Heidi did. I just wanted to put a face to the story- Please believe me! I ain’t about revenge, and I ain’t about to do anything to put Arthur or the baby in danger-”

“Promises aren’t enough to vouch for you.”

“I won’t leave her side,” intervenes Arthur, squeezing you tight enough to fuse your sides together. “And if I do, you can watch her. Make sure she stays outta trouble.”

“And if both of us are away?”

His exhale is harsh, his mouth searching for words that can’t be found. Hosea tuts, more to himself than anything.

“I know I shoulda realised who I was gettin’ involved with,” Arthur says slowly, blue eyes begging. “But it’s too late for that. If there’s any way of keeping them with me, I gotta try. Please, Hosea. Help us?”

The bony man shrugs tiredly, shaking his head in defeat. "It ain’t me you need to convince, it’s Dutch."

“Do you think he’ll take it?”

“I don’t know anymore. Maybe if he sees how important she is to you.” He sighs, eyes searching the ceiling as though the answer might be hidden in the flaking white paint. “Like I said, he isn’t going to execute a woman carrying a child, and handing her back to Colm would be just that. Can’t hand her to the authorities neither in case she feeds them information.” Lips pressed together they all but disappear, he pours himself and Arthur another glass. “I suppose, until she proves herself to still be a threat we’re at an impasse.”

Arthur taps the glass with his free hand in time with the bounce of his knee. "I- I just don't wanna be the one bringing this gang to its knees."

“You won’t, Arthur.” A ghost of a smile dimples his cheek. “You know what you mean to us. Everyone knew something was happening with you - couldn’t not, knowing you as well as we do - and at the end of the day, you wouldn’t be fighting like this unless you trusted her. So… it’s time we trust your judgement.”

He throws the amber liquid into his mouth, wiping his hands over his thighs. “But - I will say this to the both of you right now-” He fixes you with an unforgiving stare, his neat voice hushed. “-if anyone in camp comes to harm as a result of your actions, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in you. Baby or no baby.”

“Hosea-!”

“I mean it.” His gaze doesn’t flicker, holding you like a snake charmer. “We aren’t like Colm, we don’t pick people up to expand our numbers. The Van der Linde gang is family. What we have is thicker than blood. Don’t go shedding any. Understand?”

“Yes,” you croak.

“Good.” He drains your untouched glass and gets to his feet. “Arthur, you should go on ahead. Tell Dutch what’s happened, but leave out the family history. I don’t want to play that card unless we absolutely have to.”

“And Y/N?”

“We’ll be behind you in the cart. On Silver Dollar, you should get back in a day and a half at a push - if we aim for two and a bit, that should give him plenty of time to cool off and think rationally.” The older man squeezes his son's arm. “Don’t look at me like that, son. She’ll be safe with me.”

****

As promised, after two nights travelling with Hosea, you arrive back to the heartlands of New Hanover. He explains, whilst pulling out a book from his bag, that you’re waiting here until Arthur comes to fetch you both. No point walking into camp if the heat is still on.

“And if it doesn’t calm down?” you ask.

“Well, I imagine he’ll come get you and take you on to Valentine.”

You wait for a few hours - it’s only as the sun is beginning to dip lower towards the horizon that Arthur comes out from between the trees. He gives Hosea a look that can only be described as… terse. Understanding immediately, Hosea clambers down.

“Give me five minutes before coming in. No point in talking if nobody can hear what you have to say.”

The two men exchange a series of pats as they pass each other. The shadows under Arthur’s eyes are almost black as he climbs up beside you.

“How’d it go?”

Hesitating, he squeezes your knee, placing a deep kiss to your forehead before flicking the reins. “Well. Guess we’ll see if it was enough.”

He guides the wagon a little further down the dirt track parallel with the train tracks. You can see a glimmer of light through the trees for a brief moment, but it’s not until you turn down a narrow path you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise that you recognise quite how sheltered the camp is. You brace yourself for a sniper to take you out, but you make it through to the clearing without crossing anyone’s path.

Arthur parks the cart, releasing the horses before helping you down.

“How do we even know it’s his?” you hear Dutch cry from the all too familiar central tent.

"You saw how she came in, so she was telling the truth about that. Why would she bother with that get up if they knew?"

“It’s Colm! He’s been trying to take us out for years!”

“Arthur cares for her. We should give her a chance.” A hefty scoff sounds. "He isn't like you or John; they've been intimate. Of course he cares! And she’s pregnant - that baby could come out blacker than the night sky and he’d take it in as his own."

Arthur’s fingers weave through your hair, pulling your ear to his chest. His hammering heart alone almost blocks out the noise but a growl makes you lift your head.

“Herr Morgan!”

“Herr Strauss.”

“There’s a debt I need you to collect.” The man’s face is long and thin with small round glasses perched at the very end of his nose - perfect for looking down into the book he’s carrying. “A rather reluctant client by the name of Downes.”

You jump at the sinister snarl that curls from Arthur’s lips. “I’m busy.”

“You don’t need to go immediately, Mr Morgan, but the sooner the better. Fellow seems determined to die before paying his dues.”

“If it’s so important, get someone else to do it.”

“I’ve tried but Mr Bell was a little too heavy handed. We can’t collect debts from the dead.”

“Well it’ll have to wait. I got more pressing matters right now.”

His beady eyes gleam as he surveys you. “So I’ve heard. The O’Driscoll girl, isn’t it?”

“Git outta here!”

“Arthur! Y/N!” Hosea calls you both from the flaps of Dutch’s tent. With one last sneer at Strauss, Arthur leads you to the castle by the hand, his fingers interlaced with yours as he steps in front of you, entering first to take the brunt of the hostile atmosphere.

Dutch is stood, feet planted apart beside a gramophone, arms folded across his chest as his eyes burn into yours with a fierce intensity.

“What are you wantin’ from us, Miss? To kill us in our sleep perhaps?”

“Dutch-”

“Let her speak, son!”

You take a steadying breath. “Mr Van der Linde-”

“Miss O’Driscoll,” he returns sarcastically, lighting a fat cigar.

“Miss L/N, actually,” you sneer. “I’m not here to harm any one of you. We’re in a predicament, and we’d appreciate it-”

“We got a sayin’ here,” he interrupts brashly. “We save people as need savin’, shoot fellers as need shootin’ and feed those who need feedin’. Which is it you’re needin’, Miss?”

“Feedin’ if you can, Dutch,” Arthur growls, squeezing your hand as he throws you a look. “Savin’ us if you will.”

He scoffs, shaking his head in despair. “So it’s ‘us’ now?”

The apple in Arthur’s throat bobs, his chin still held high. “Yes. We’re in it together. Where she goes I go. You’re my family and I want to stay, but if you can’t accept her, I guess we’ll have to go somewhere else.”

“Come now, Arthur-!”

“She’s carrying my child, Dutch.”

“That didn’t stop John disappearin’.”

“I ain’t Marston. You know that.”

“I know you’re still holdin’ a grudge on him, that’s for sure.”

Arthur sighs harshly, pulling your body flush with his. “What’s it gonna be, Dutch? She needs to rest. Can she stay, or am I takin’ her to town?”

He takes a long drag of his cigar, casually blowing the smoke into your face. “What happened to you, Arthur? You got so sour in your old age.”

“I got tired of worryin’ about everybody else.”

“Worryin’ about everybody else? Son, you want us to take in another O’Driscoll! It’s suicide!”

His shoulders fall, his grip tightening. “Well then, I guess it’s time to thank you for all them years.”

He tuts. “You don’t mean that.”

“Dutch, I ain’t slept proper since I brought her here, an’ I’m gettin’ real tired of talkin’. I can’t risk losin’ her like I did Eliza and Isaac.” They stare at each other, both stubborn and unrelenting.

He takes another long slow drag of smoke and lets it cloud the air between them. “Fine. She can stay. But first sign of trouble and she’s out!”

“A chance is all I’m askin’ for.” Tugging you out of the tent, he keeps his body between you and Van der Linde. “Thank you, Dutch.”

“This is on you, Hosea,” you hear as Arthur leads you to a small cot a dozen feet away. “Soft, the both of you.”

#Arthur Morgan x Female Reader #Arthur Morgan x Reader #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 fic #red dead fanfic #Arthur Morgan x O'Driscoll #meowdymista

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lucysuniverse · 4 years ago

Text

Critical Beauty

Am I the only one who thinks Jo Jinho is perfect just the way he is? Probably not. :D

To be honest I incredibly miss this man so I just wanted to feel him a bit closer while I am writing this story and he is serving in the military.

Happy Birthday Jinho! We love you all.

Pairing: Jinho x OC/reader

Genre: comfort, romance, angst

Word count: 6081

______________________________

I messed up. Like totally. My dad and those idiot colleagues of mine totally washed my brain. But after all I was the one ruining our relationship completely. And I could not blame him for having the will to break up with me because If I was in his shoes I would have done the same.

-|-

I knew it wasn’t right this way. We lived together for almost a year by now, and I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell him that I was lying to him continuously in order to protect him from pain and save his self-esteem. Or at least this was my intention through-out the years.

We lived in a small flat. This is what we could afford. I just graduated from high-school and he was going to auditions. One after another. He was determined, and he was good. Insanely good. I couldn’t understand what is missing. What do you need more to become a singer? Didn’t he have outstanding vocals? He did. Didn’t he have a bit shy but loveable personality? He did. Didn’t he have sense of humor? HE DID. And on top of that he was handsome. WHAT WAS MISSING THEN???

As his girlfriend my heart was aching to watch all his efforts go to waste after so many years passed. We had a relatively big age gap between us. Well as long as you’re a teenager or young adult even two and a half years difference seem a lot. But later on, it doesn’t really matter. Especially not when you like someone. Because you like them for the person they are.

I loved him so incredibly. Because he was great. He was caring and cute but sometimes surprisingly masculine and very hot. I couldn’t wish for a better man. There was only one thing missing. Actually, not was but were. 5 more inches.

Because although we were quite far from each other in terms of age, we were all the more so close in terms of height. To be honest I guess I might have been smaller than him, but it never felt like that. And every time I thought about this I felt ashamed. Because that was the only thing which gave me hard times. I wouldn’t say I didn’t like his height. I liked everything about him. But sometimes I just wished he was a tiny bit taller, or I was even smaller (if that was possible).

Sometimes I found myself wondering about this: this couldn’t be the reason of him failing all those auditions, right? They can’t be so mean right? If you’ve ever heard a good singer than you would know that Jo Jinho was one of them.

This is why I always told my father to wait just a little. He was really opposing our relationship. I would have understood his concerns if he had real reasons, since I was his only daughter. But what he always said was ridiculous, narrow-minded and I just resent him for that.

“When will he finally stop this stupid joke of becoming a singer. Didn’t he have enough throughout these years?”

“I am fine dad. How about you?” I said as a reply. I was so fed up listening to his bullshit all the time. He heard Jinho singing. And even though he would have never admitted, he knew Jinho was born to be a singer. Anybody could tell. But sadly, in his eyes only those are real men who are lawyers or doctors. When they divorced with mom, he even found me a real man… My dad thought I should go on a blind date with the trainee of his divorce lawyer. He even complimented his ears! Like what the heck! My always logical and strict dad tells me to date the trainee of his divorce lawyer because he has nice ears.

Don’t get me wrong I’ve never thought about leaving Jinho, but my dad nagged me all the time so I checked the guy’s social media pages. Funfact: he was born on the freaking same day in April as Jinho. Am I freaking joke?

“Little woman… I am your dad no need to act like this. But think about your future kids. Will they be also minions?”

“Bye dad it was good to talk to you.” And I hung up. I didn’t want to ignore him. After all he was my dad. But we never had a good relationship. Well a relationship at all. But the irritating thing was that even if I tried to ignore all these comments he made me angry. I couldn’t stop myself. I should not marry Jinho but we are already expecting kids?! And minions? And these are my dad’s words when he himself isn’t a giant either. ARRGGGGHHH!

“Hi babe! Is everything okay?” Jinho asked. And as always, I put on a nice smile and said “yeah, all good.” And I hated myself for that.

-|-

“What is that?” He asked curiously. I didn’t know he was still at home. I wanted to put the box back under the bed as soon as possible but it was too late he saw it.

“Oh this? It is just something stupid. It is not important. Did you leave something here?”

“Yeah, I left my phone on the charger. But don’t change the topic. It must be something important if you were staring at it so dearly.”

“Oh no. You misunderstood.”

“Okay, enough of this. What’s that? Do you have something to hide from me?” And even though he didn’t say this in an offended way there was edge in his voice.

“It’s your birthday gift.”

“My birthday gift?”

“Yeah.” I knew this couldn’t work. But I couldn’t come up with a real acceptable reason.

“It was last month. And procrastination is your middle name so it can’t be for my next one, I am not buying this. So, what is that?”

“I will bring this back okay? I don’t know why I bought this. I must have lost my mind. I just …”

“Oh show me finally.” And before I could give him the box he took it out of my hands.

“You must be kidding me, right?” He asked after 3 minutes of torturing silence.

“Look I am sorry. I know we should be saving money and …. but I can ask for refund and also…”

“You created such a big scene just because of this?” And he was laughing. He was LAUGHING!

“What? Aren’t you mad?”

“Why would I be? Should I?”

“Oh… yeah. I mean no. No. I just thought… I just…”

“You thought I would be upset to found out that my girlfriend is secretly buying a pair of high-heels for herself to feel pretty? I am getting more upset now that I know you felt like you should hide this. Also, why did you think I didn’t want to see your pretty legs in this? I thought you knew me better. If that’s all I am off for work. Bye babe see you in the afternoon.” And he gave me a light kiss on my forehead. And I felt on my skin he was smiling. “And I hope next time I see you, you’ll be wearing these.” And he casually left the room.

I made a fool out of myself. I really thought he would be offended by this. I mean it wasn’t a big deal to give up on high-heels. They weren’t very comfortable anyway and we really had to save money. But I was young and for the first time in my life I felt getting more feminine. Maybe I was already but this time I started to realize.

I thought it was selfish of me having these secret desires to put on a bit tighter clothes and wore high-heels especially when he is not really taller than me, but after having this conversation I was even more encouraged. I knew he didn’t have problems with it and that was all that mattered. I was happily tiptoeing to the office. My colleagues even complimented me.

The girls were jealous for having those nice shaped legs, and the boys… let’s not talk about them. If you think they will become serious once they grow up… Well friend you are totally mistaken. Boys will be boys. But they didn’t cross the line, in their own way they complimented me as well. And I felt confident and happy. All thanks to my sweet boyfriend whom I could always rely on.

I was in a really good mood until the point I let some idiots ruin my day. I couldn’t say they ruined it. I was the one let them do it. I just wish I never overheard their conversation.

“I was wondering why she is never coming to the year-end parties but now I see. The company is not yet prepared for those legs.”

“That was a good one bro. But they say she is just staying home all the time with that hopeless guy. I feel sorry for her to have such a boyfriend.”

“What really? Why aren’t they coming together?”

“Another rumor says it the guy is a dwarf. So, she is rather staying home with him.”

“Wow. How do you know so many things?”

“Resources…”

“Which girl then?”

“The blondie in the red jeans.”

“Mmmmmh.”

“Stop it she is mine.”

“Until when?”

“Tonight. Then you can have her.”

“You are disgusting man. Well done.” And they laughed.

“Ah but that sweetie. I really feel sorry for her. Having that boyfriend can be very burdensome.”

“Oh yeah. If I was her boyfriend, I would make sure she feels good in every situation.”

“You mean every position.”

“Exactly.” And they laughed again. “You know me so well.”

I felt dirty. It’s not like they did anything specific to me. They were just fantasizing. But I felt fucking dirty in that moment. I wanted to erase this conversation from my head but instead I heard their words repeatedly in my head.

I heard my shoes making that irritating sound on the street while I was going home. With every step I felt smaller and smaller. I regretted wearing that stupid high-heel… So as soon as I arrived home I put them back in their box cleaned, ready to bring them back to the shop. I would want to throw them away instantly but then suddenly I thought about Jinho.

We need to spare money. He needs to buy some nice clothes for the next audition. And also, we barely manage to pay the bills since I just started studying in the med school and next to collage it is quite hard to work. Sometimes I thought maybe I should just quit dreaming about becoming a doctor but there was a senior doc, my supervisor who inspired me a lot. Last month he helped that well-known celebrity couple. He said the lady had some complications while she was giving birth to their little girl but the doctor helped them and finally the little Daisy was born healthy. Some of my fellow classmates said he even resembles Jinho…. I don’t know why.

Talking about Jinho, he was quite clueless when he found me eating the third bowl of ice cream and watching Lovely Complex.

“You are still watching this?”

“Anime is not only for kids. And well I’ve just become an adult anyway, meaning I am still a kid. Let me be. Oh and if you go to the kitchen can you bring me the last Ben & Jerry’s? I know I shouldn’t be buying these but I just felt like having a pajama party on my own. Thanks babe. ”

“Look.” And he sat down next to me and slowly took away the Ben and Jerry’s from my hands to put it on the table. “Can we talk about today morning?”

“Sure. But what is there to talk about?”

“I hate it when you act like this. And the funny thing is that you know I do.” He smiled bitterly. I was aware of it. None of us were stupid. Well… we both were very clever to be honest. When I acted silly it was either out of fun or I was trying to hide something. Just like now.

“Okay. Sorry.”

“I feel like you are kind of disappointed in me. And I just wanted to let you know and thank you for enduring all these days and months together with me. I know that even if you don’t tell me that it is hard to tell your parents that I still didn’t make it.”

“Jinho it’s not your fault.”

“That is showbiz, I know. The only thing that hurts me is that when I started this utterly long and unpredictable journey, it was me and only me. But since then we found each other, and me failing all the time is not only an individual concern. We are a team. And I am not a good team mate. You just graduated and want to become a doctor. And I should support you.”

“Jinho you’ve already done so much for me, you can’t even imagine. And you do every single day. Even today. So, don’t just please don’t say you don’t support me, when you support me the most.”

“But then what’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“Even after so many years I’ve never met your colleagues and I hardly ever meet your dad. I know you are working part-time and you are tired from doing college and your job at the same time but these parties could help you relieve stress a bit.”

“I don’t want you to meet those idiots.” And well, this was true. Not only because they would make a joke out of us, but after today I was kind of ashamed of working with those bastards.

“But I guess not all of them- oh what’s this? I am sorry babe but I need to pick this up, we will catch up on this okay?”

A producer called him. Or should I say the producer? The one who just became a dad. The one whose wife gave birth to the little Daisy in our hospital with the help of my professor. That producer. I was insanely happy. Finally, good news. I couldn’t bear anything bad any longer. But the worst was yet to come.

-|-

We were walking hand in hand on the streets. Finally, a promising audition. It was on Saturday so I could go with him to the company and show some support as I should. Once the audition was over Jinho shook hands with the producer. I could imagine them working together. I even found cute how they were both quite small.

Jinho said they would contact him later, but he had a good feeling about finally making it. I was so happy. I’ve never saw him so hopeful after an audition. When we were leaving the company there were six model like people nearing us. I was sure they just walked out of Vogue. The two most likely European girls alongside the four men suited each other very well. But not all the boys were Korean. One boy’s appearance shouted “Shanghai Prince” the other’s “Nagano Prince” but don’t ask me why. I just had this feeling.

I don’t know how Jinho felt but I was in awe. They looked stunning. Flawlessly chitchatting about a Flower Shop in the nearby. I always thought models have other topics to talk about. Well the owner of that shop must have done something very well then to become a hot topic.

“They were cool right?” He asked suddenly.

“Yeah.”

“Just wait a little longer. I will become one of them anytime soon.”

“I know.”

And I really knew that he would succeed. He was supposed to be a singer. I even imagined myself becoming his manager. I loved helping people. And I was determined about med school, but for him I could have given up on it. I knew with his music he may be curing more people in his life than me as a doctor. So after all our goal was the same.

As we were nearing home familiar faces were getting closer. The two guys that bullied me in high school. They always had something against me. If I had red nails I was a slut if I wore a turtleneck they called me a nun. They ate my lunch, stole my notebooks etc. Same old thing. Bullies are so uncreative.

“Oh hi dear. Long time no see.”

“Hi guys.” And I started to panic but wanted to grab Jinho’s hand and leave as soon as possible.

“Hey its Saturday, why such a hurry? Knowing you, you don’t have any plans or invitations, do you?”

“I am sorry boys, but we will be leaving.” Jinho said firmly.

“Oh, did you see someone? I heard a voice but I don’t know where it comes from.” One of them said.

“I don’t know man. Maybe our favorite girl can tell us.” And now they were both looking at me challengingly.

“You guys are still not tired of the same old shit, are you?” I asked with a bored face but deep inside I was startled. I hated seeing them again, I hated the fact that even after graduation they can do this to me and Jinho as well.

“Same old shit? Look at you. Are you talking about yourself?”

“It was enough. Get lost.” Jinho said again.

“It is strange I keep on hearing things but I don’t see anyone.” One said.

“Poor girl. You should have higher expectations. Are should I say taller?” The other added. And they laughed. I was about to cry. Why is this happening to us, when finally, things seemed to become better.

“Is he the best you could end up with? Oh god your still so low-class as you used to be… or is he not your boyfriend? Correct me if I misunderstood.”

And that was when I fucked up. I didn’t say anything. I hesitated. There were no good answers. I knew them so well, no matter what I was about to say, they would turn it against me. But even that should have been better than this.

“I am sorry guys, but if that’s the problem, I can tell you we are not together. Look at her. Is she someone to mess around someone like me? Definitely no. She is better than that. She has a taller, funnier and richer guy next to her. He has just entered that building at the end of the corner. I guess you both know which building I am referring to.”

“Is that true?” They asked at the same time.

It was our only chance to finally escape from this nightmare situation. They could stop us if they wanted any time. We were both too small to resist if they were up to something.

“Yeah, that’s right. He works there.”

And as if the curse was broken, they nodded with respect and were no longer blocking our way.

“If that’s the case, we are sorry about what we said. We knew you are going to make it. And who is that lucky guy? Yanan? Shinwon? Yuto? No waaaay. Oh my god are you dating Jung Wooseok?��

I had no clue what they were talking about, but I had this gut feeling that my dear ex-classmates became fanboys throughout the years. FANBOYS! It was ridiculous. I couldn’t help but smile out of embarrassment.

“I am sorry, but you also know that we should respect the artist’s privacy. I cannot say more.”

“Okay, so its Wooseok. Oh my god. He is a legend. Could you please get his autograph?”

“I am sorry but we should get going. Jinho has- wait… Jinho?”

“Oh the small guy? He left couple of minutes ago when it turned out you are dating Wooseok. Is he jealous by the way? He might have some feelings for you. But don’t mind him girl. You are dating the great Jung Wooseok. What else can a person ask for?”

For a forgiving boyfriend I guess. I left these two idiots there and I started to run after Jinho as fast as I could. Did he say he is leaving I just didn’t notice? Was he upset? Did he leave something at the audition? I called him several times but I couldn’t reach him. After going back to the company and checking the possible places where we were that day I decided to finally go home. I just hoped he would be there.

-|-

He was at home. And he didn’t seem upset. He told me to take a shower after this tiring day. It was his tiring day though. If only I had the audition today.

We spent the afternoon calmly he was practicing and I watched a movie. The male protagonist kinda resembled the divorce lawyer’s trainee. Yang Hongseok. And wait a second, he is at the same agency where Jinho had the audition. Nice. I was so happy and excited I really hoped they will call him back with good news.

Jinho was practicing for hours. He only did this when he was determined and wanted to prove himself before an upcoming audition or when he was hurt. I started to have a bad feeling. There isn’t any upcoming audition. Shit.

I prepared some nice food and I cautiously knocked on his door to tell him we can have dinner. He didn’t seem angry or anything he just casually nodded and we started to eat.

“About today… thank you for saving me. These two were always bullying me and if you weren’t next to me today I might have ended up crying and hurt again.”

“At least YOU are not hurt.” And the way he said ‘you’ was different.

After minutes of awkward silence he thanked for the food and was on his way to go back practicing.

“Wait Jinho.”

“Yeah?” He asked indifferently.

And I couldn’t ask what I wanted.

“There is dessert for you in the fridge.”

“For me? Aww. That’s nice. I thought it is for someone else. Maybe for Jung Wooseok.”

Bingo. I knew something was fishy…

“I don’t even know who that guy is. And you are well aware of this. Look, I know those two are disgusting and resentful but it was you who stopped them. It was thanks to your made up story that they finally stopped.”

“Oh right. You are so right. What if we just pretend not dating anymore? Maybe it will solve other worries too?!”

“What? Do you want to break up?”

And I saw that he kinda froze at this question. He didn’t mean it. But if he was mentioning break up he must have been hurt for real.

“No. Of course not. This is why I was kind of avoiding you. I wanted to talk about this when I have calmed down. But fine since it’s out it can’t be helped.”

I was getting nervous. The thought of losing him was more than painful. I didn’t want to live without him. I couldn’t live without him.

“I always thought we are a great team. Even if there are things we should work on we were always open about concerns and we solved the problems together. But I am worried this situation right now is not something we can change even if we work together.”

“We can solve everything together, okay? I want to solve it. Jinho please. I understand and realize that I must have hurt you with my words. And I am so sorry about that. I never wanted to hurt you. I should have told them the truth.”

“Do you know how much happier you looked when I said you are dating this illusionary taller, funnier and richer guy? Do you realize how relieved you were when they showed you respect for dating an idol? Do you get it finally? I love you so incredibly. But this is me. Only this much. I cannot give you more. I am working hard to get there. I might be there someday. But it won’t change facts. I am Jo Jinho, I am 5.6. I don't look like a model. I don’t have money. But I love you. That’s all I can give. But I am not sure it is enough. I am no longer sure I can give you the things you need. I am not sure what I can give you is the same as you want me to give you.”

“What?”

Is this really how I behaved? Is this really how I made him feel?

“I am not saying we should break up, but I am asking you to reconsider what you want from me and from this relationship. I want you to be honest. I promise you even if you say ‘I am sorry but I only date guys above 5.8’ it will hurt and I will be broken, but I will accept it. As long as I know you made the right choice in order to be with someone who can make you happy, I will accept your decision.”

“No Jinho. You totally misunderstood. I don’t want to date anybody else. Who cares about those stupid inches?”

“You. It was only you. Always. Did you ever hear me complaining about it? This might sound cruel but I learned to accept myself and love myself in this way. And it was a hard and long journey. I won’t pretend it is only about you. I don’t want to lose this confidence. I don’t want to become that insecure man I was before. But you make me feel like someone who needs to be protected, someone who should be hidden. I don’t want to feel like this.”

“I never wanted to hurt you.” I said while my tears were falling.

“I know you never did. It was unintentional. But you’ve hurt me. I just want you to realize a lot of things can be improved and changed, but my height is not something I can modify. Please just think about it. If you still want me this way, just let me know. I would be happy to stay together.”

And he left me there. I would want to hug somebody, and I needed his presence but, I was kind of glad he didn’t see my ugly crying face.

He was so damn right. And I could totally understand the way he felt. If you love someone you shouldn’t make them feel like trash. And it was always and only me who had those concerns. The rumors spread by the colleagues and my dad’s stupid words. I am not sure how I really felt. Maybe I was just influenced by them but I was worried I might have cared too much about his height.

Everything was up to me now. He was waiting for my answer. Even after I hurt him so bad, he didn’t want to break up. It was up to me to choose an average life with a divorce lawyer’s trainee type of guy, or choose a different type of life with him. A life with Jo Jinho.

-|-

We’ve slept separately. It was better this way. I was suffering alone but it just made me realize how much I needed his presence, how much I wanted to see his face when I woke up and how badly I wanted to feel his arms wrapped around me.

I prepared a nice breakfast. I wanted to clear things as soon as possible, but food is important too. Kids, don’t forget to eat breakfast!

“Hi! Good morning!”

“Good morning! Wow. So many nice dishes. Is this a compensation?”

“It’s an ‘I am sorry for being a bad girlfriend’.”

“Oh thank god it’s not an ‘I am sorry for breaking up with you’.” He said with a smile. But I couldn’t laugh at it. I know he was hurt. And him trying to make a joke out of it meant that he was hurt more than he showed.

“I am not gonna leave you Jinho.”

“I am sorry I didn’t mean it.”

“Look. I… I… messed up okay? I understand that even if I had good intentions I’ve hurt your feelings. But I think we can solve this too. I wanted to say thank you for finally saying what I should have heard. The thing is that you were right. I was the one obsessed with your height. And the saddest is that not specifically because of you. I thought if I am almost as tall as you I can not be a fragile, small woman. I wanted to be smaller, I wanted to be the one who needs to be protected. And I couldn’t accept myself in this way. I didn’t see me the way I wanted.”

“I wish you would see yourself with my eyes just to understand how beautiful you are.”

“I am sorry to make you feel bad when I was the one who couldn’t love myself. If you could help me to accept myself as you did back then, I think we would be able to stay together. And if you still love me I wouldn’t want anything more than this. I want nothing less and nothing more than you, Jo Jinho.”

-|-

Magic Bra. I was raising my eyebrows. Did she really make a successful business with such a company name? But when I checked on the internet the reviews were praising her insanely.

Lucy_1127 wrote: I was invisible before. But when my longtime best friend saw me in this red bra, he finally realized we were supposed to be together. I love this bra. It is indeed magical. My only regret is that it is more times on the floor than on me. (Moderators please don’t erase my comment *begs*)

Hoetaekie828 wrote: when the owner told me that this lingerie has magical power I was sceptic. I am 27 you know. I don’t believe in fairytales anymore. But when I saw her (my back then best friend now girlfriend)... Wow! She was indeed a beautiful princess from a fairytale. Since than I couldn’t thank the owner lady enough. We are regulars at the shop. I totally recommend it for couples, and for those friends who are shy to admit the truth.

Jinho didn’t tell me why I got this. He just told me this is a gift from him to me and also a part of our therapy. We didn’t apply for real therapy. But we agreed to rebuild our trust and change things. As a first step he told me to wear these. I was kind of surprised. Jinho wasn’t really a shy type but we were both so stressed recently, having a time dedicated to ourselves was so rare like a leap year.

When I put on the ‘magic bra’ I checked myself in the mirror. I wasn’t totally satisfied but I looked so different in these. I finally saw someone who is brave and confident. For the first time I thought if I work a bit harder, not only on my body and carrier but on my behavior and inner values, I might become someone who is worth of Jinho’s love. I really hoped so.

“Okay, so where is my lovely and concerned girlfriend who cannot see herself as a fragile, feminine woman? Because I only see a stunning, confident lady here. I am sorry miss, but even if it is so hard to send you off I will have to ask you to leave because I already have someone closed in my heart.” He said when he suddenly appeared behind my back. Our eyes met in the mirror.

“Oh is that so? That’s a shame then. Are you sure she wouldn’t allow this one? As long as you are happy I think she wouldn’t mind it.”

“Do you think so? Am I that kind of lucky guy? Well… let me see.” And he is seductive gaze was wandering all over my body. “No. I cannot do that to her I am sorry.”

“Why not? Is she so nice?”

“Yeah. She is a precious someone to me. And I promised something to myself. I wanted to show her how beautiful she is. I need to keep that promise. So even if your affair offer is very tempting I have to say no.”

“What a pity. I think she doesn’t even know how lucky she is… Is she more beautiful than me? That can’t be true. Mister you must be lying.”

“No, I am not. I love her and she is beautiful. What if I prove you?”

“Fine. If you prove me than I’ll be leaving and won’t seduce you. If you don’t prove me you’ll have to have an affair with me.”

“Okay.”

“So, how will you prove me?”

“Just look at yourself in the mirror.”

And even if I was confident pretending to be another lady for fun looking at myself in the mirror while he was watching me from behind was kind of embarrassing.

“You know my girlfriend is a bit insecure and even if I tell her she won’t trust me when I say she is beautiful. You have some similarities. You both are stubborn and don’t trust my words… bad girls…”

And I couldn’t help but laugh a bit. He was cute. I was grateful. And I loved him incredibly.

“So, for example if I would say I love how she puts her hair behind her ears she would be like: but it is nothing special.”

And as he said it he put my hair behind my ears and put a soft kiss on my neck. And then looked back at me in the mirror. And I started to get the taste of this whole thing. He was so freaking hot. He decided to show me how he loved each and every part of my body. He put soft kisses on my shoulders and wrapped his arms around my waist without taking his eyes off of me. And this excited me. For the first time I realized it was really not about being small or tall, fragile or not. He loved me and I loved him back. And we were perfect for each other just the way we were.

-|-

“Sorry but could you please go to the hall? Someone passed out. Oh god these fans these days…”

“Sure, I’ll be there in a sec.”

It wasn’t the first time in this week. Fans were crazy about him. And it was good to see that he finally received this much of love after working hard for his dream for the past years.

“I am here. How can I help? Where is the patient?”

“He is here.”

“You two?” I asked a bit shocked.

“Oh! Our favorite girl. Please save him!” Member 1 of the bully duo said. I am sorry but after what they’ve done to me throughout these years I don’t bother calling them on their names…

I just gave him first aid and after he woke up I made sure he is fine.

“You’ll be fine now.”

“Oh my goodness. Thank you. You saved him.”

“You saved me. Thank you. I have never thought one day you’ll be saving my life.”

“Trust me, this is not something I’ve expected either. But what are you two doing here?”

“We are fans!”

“I am sorry to let you down but Wooseok is not present today. This is Jinho’s solo concert…” I said a bit offended.

“Silly. We knooow. We came to support him.” They said.

“Oh, if that’s the case… I am glad. I think he would be happy to see your faces. But promise me you won’t faint in front of him okay?”

“Yes doctor!”

“Good.”

“Also… we are sorry… for everything.”

And I just nodded. I was happy that they apologized even if it happened after so many years later. But in a way I was happy that we met them on that day. I guess I needed to meet them to realize being critical about beauty is just so unnecessary. Beauty is so subjective, and is not only about visuals and heights. And when I looked back on Jinho talking happily with his fans signing the albums, I knew that in my eyes he was the most beautiful person, and nothing else mattered.

#jo jinho #pentagon angst #pentagon #petnagon jinho #happy jinho day #pentagon fanfic #pentagon fanfiction

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itshoneywhatever · 4 years ago

Note

Because of the April fools could you write something like Tommy” pranking” everyone? Like he’s pregnant or something

Tommy ‘pranking’ his family - April Fools inspired

It all started when Finn saw him talking with Alfie, their voices hushed and their hands caressing Tommy’s abdomen. From where his younger brother was standing, there was only one explanation for it.

“Are you pregnant again?” The younger Shelby asks, surprise and excitement coloring his voice.

Tommy didn’t intend to prank his family, especially not with a matter like this, but they made it too easy.

The day before his family had come to visit, Tommy had caught a stomach bug, making him feel nauseous throughout the day, visiting the bathroom more time that would like and even left him with an aversion to certain foods and smells. He’s been cranky for over a day now.

So when Finn asked him that, he didn’t think about the fact that almost no one in his family knew he had a hysterectomy done before sarcastically replaying, “sure, I am.”

But the sarcasm flew over his brother’s head as he excitedly congratulated them before leaving them alone.

“Please tell me you are not planning on ever making Finn the head of the company.” Alfie says.

“We’d lose the company in less than a day.”

“You feel better now?”

“I feel like a made a mistake somehow but better, still hurts a bit though.”

“I know, love. Let’s go say hi to everyone and do some damage control.”

In the end, damage control wasn’t needed because Finn didn’t tell anyone, so Tommy and Alfie decided to take it to the next level. Why not, right?

So whenever he was in the direct line of sight of his brother he would lightly caress his abdomen, he would turn down alcohol or foods that didn’t smell right to him at the moment, and it got to a point that even Arthur notice it.

“Why are you egging your brothers into believing you are expecting?” And of course so did Polly.

“It was a misunderstanding.”

“Finn?”

“Finn.”

“They don’t know about-” She doesn’t finishes her sentences as Tommy simply bolts out of the room and runs to the closest bathroom, the sudden wave of nausea taking him by surprise. Alfie pushes away from the kids, leaving them with Ada and goes after his mate.

“What happened?” Polly asks to the room in general.

“It’s probably the baby.” Finn says, and all eyes focus on him. He starts fidgeting “I didn’t want to say anything but Tommy’s expecting.”

“What? That’s not true.” Ada says from where she’s sitting.

“It is! Tommy told me himself.”

“I saw him, Ada, he’s been touching his stomach, looks a bit sick too.” Arthur comments, stepping next to his youngest brother.

“Arthur, that’s literally impossible. Tommy can’t have any more kids.”

“What?”

“I asked him, Ada, I asked him if he was pregnant and he said yes.”

“Are you sure he said yes, Finn?” Polly asks. She doesn’t want the boy to feel bad when he finds out the truth.

“He said ‘sure, I am’.”

“Was he being sarcastic?” Ada asks, already knowing the answer.

“He–”

“I was.” Tommy says, reentering the room. “For the record, I just caught Charlie’s stomach bug.”

“What does it mean that you can’t have more kids, Tom?” Arthur asks, concerned. “You alright?”

“I got my uterus removed when the twins were born. So I can’t get pregnant again.” Tommy hates the saddened look on his brother faces, “I’m sorry I led you to believe I was expecting.”

“But to be fair, Finn,” Alfie adds, “you should know that answer was dripping in sarcasm. That’s on you, buddy.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Finn says.

“Good thing is Ada still can pop a kid or two and Arthur is still handsome and dumb enough to knock someone over, so maybe you’ll get to be an uncle again, Finn.” That definitely bring a smile to his younger brother’s face and it helped to move the focus out of Tommy himself, especially when Ada starts bickering.

I’m pretty sure this is not what you asked for but is all i could come up with 🥺 Hope you like it! ❤

#anon #headcanon request #peaky blinders #tommy shelby #alfie solomons #tommy x alfie #polly grey #ada shelby #arthur shelby #finn shelby #deals series #my deals series #omegaverse

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bellemorte180 · 4 years ago

Text

Wanderlust Chapter Thirteen

It was a rough night and it wasn’t until the sun went down and the moon shined over the town that Caroline was calm enough to try and get some rest. They ordered pizza, even though none of them seemed to be hungry. Klaus and Bonnie all but had to force Caroline to eat something at all. She alternated between staring off into space and crying; waves of emotions crashing down on her at once. There were moments when she talked and both Bonnie and Klaus tried their hardest to bring a smile to her lips; being successful at times. It was rare for her to smile but there were moments.

“I’m sorry for this.” Caroline muttered during a moment in the night. They were sitting on Liz’s couch and Bonnie had left to go to the bathroom. Klaus, who had changed from his soaking wet clothes into sweats, turned to face her. Caroline’s knees where brought to her chest and she hugged them close to her. “You must think I’m so weak; being a crying mess like this.”

“Caroline.” Klaus gazed at her, he reached across and took her hand into his. Caroline’s eyes were red, and her voice cracked from the overuse. Her hair was damp from the shower she never finished, and she was dressed in a shirt that clearly once belonged Liz; the words “Mystic P.D” sprawled across. Irony that Klaus was not about to point out. “You are not weak. In fact, I think you might be the strongest person I know.”

It was Bonnie who eventually convinced Caroline to take a sleeping pill that Dr. Fell prescribed. Klaus curled up in bed with her; letting Caroline rest her head against his chest. He was wired and knew that sleep was not going to happen for him just yet; but Caroline did not want to be alone. If she wanted him to hold her until she fell asleep, Klaus was not about to deny her that. He laid with her as the sun went down and her eyes began to droop. He waited until he was certain that she was asleep before pulling himself from the bed.

He headed back downstairs to check on Bonnie, who was still curled up on the couch; staring at some late show on the TV but was not really seeing it. He went into the kitchen and grabbed two mugs; brewing two mugs of decaffeinated tea that Liz had laying out on the counter. Klaus may be a coffee man, but he understood the fact that there was a time and place for tea; not all of his English manners evaporated. Plus, tea helped him sleep. He poured the steaming hot liquid into two mugs and brought one to Bonnie. She gave him a small smile of gratitude.

“I hate seeing her like that. Caroline, she has always been the strongest one of us. Always so happy and bright. To see her so…broken. I’m just…” Tears started falling down Bonnie’s face. She reached up to wipe her tears away and shook her head. “Fucking Matt. I still can’t believe that he would do this. He always seemed so kind.”

“Can you tell me a little about him?”

“Still in agent mode I see.” Bonnie teased him but it lacked any sort of luster. The fearless Bonnie who had no problems threatening him earlier, seemed to be exhausted. “Matt was the golden boy in high school. Quarterback won the state championship our junior year. Blew his knee out during a game and lost a scholarship to Whitmore our senior year. His mom up and left shortly after that.”

“Where you friends?”

“Kind of. He dated Elena during our freshman year and into the beginning of sophomore year. She dumped him. Caroline and I obviously were friends with Elena and closer with her. Caroline stayed friends with him longer than I did but once we all went off to Whitmore, Matt kind of, just…”

“Stayed behind.” Klaus finished and Bonnie nodded. Slowly, the pieces of Matt’s life were beginning to connect in his head. Matt having lost a scholarship to college, his mother abandoning him and watching all the people he cared about slowly leave Mystic Falls. “How are you doing?”

“I’m just in shock.” Bonnie told him. She gripped the mug in her hands and looked into the liquid, the steam still rolling off of it. “This is Mystic Falls. Nothing bad happens here. When Andi went missing, we all thought it was a fluke and that it couldn’t have happened here. No one knew about Vicki or April. God. We were all so blind. A monster stared us in the face every day and not a single one of us saw it.”

“Men like Matt, they blend in and you don’t see it. It is why they are so dangerous. If Matt had not taken Caroline, there is a chance that he would have continued killing for years; until he devolved completely and did something far more drastic.” Bonnie had tears in her eyes and Klaus squeezed her shoulder. “Try and get some sleep. We all are going to need it.”

“Yeah. You too.” Bonnie replied but he knew that sleep was going to be hard for her, as it would be for him. Klaus stood, taking his mug back into the kitchen; placing it into the sink. On his way back, he heard Bonnie call his name. He turned to look at Bonnie, who was eyeing him with a small smile. “She really likes you. I think that her feelings for you are what is keeping her grounded right now. I know you are leaving but I hope that you come back, for her.” Bonnie gave a bitter laugh. “Or maybe you should just take her with you. Get her out of this god forsaken town.”

“Maybe.” Klaus said, unsure of how to respond. It was conversation that Caroline and himself would have; while Bonnie may be her best friend, Klaus did not feel comfortable discuss their future with anyone other than Caroline. “Good night Bonnie.”

Klaus tossed her one last look before climbing the stairs. When he entered the bedroom, Caroline was still asleep; the bruise on her face still black and blue. It was going to be awhile before that faded. Klaus crawled into the bed beside her, kissing the top of her head. He pulled her close, relishing in the fact that she was still alive. He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent and slowly he drifted off to sleep.

When the sun began to peak through the curtains, Klaus blinked his eyes open and it took a moment for him to remember where he was. This was not Caroline’s home, but it was her childhood bedroom. His arm was numb and when he looked over, Caroline was still asleep; her head resting on his arm. Klaus silently thanked Dr. Fell and the medication she gave Caroline; because of him expected to be up most of the night helping her through a nightmare. However, between the medication and the exhaustion she must have felt, Klaus was not surprised she slept soundly.

As quietly as he could, Klaus pulled himself from the bed. Caroline did not budge, and he creeped out of the bedroom. After a stop in the bathroom, Klaus heads downstairs in hopes of finding some coffee hidden away in Liz’s kitchen. She was a cop; there was a law that she would have to have some form of coffee available. Klaus passed the living room, where Bonnie was still sound asleep on the couch and went into the kitchen.

Liz was there, sitting on a bar stool with a mug in hand; the smell of coffee wafting over Klaus. Liz all but jumped when she heard the floorboards creak. Klaus held up his hands, showing her that it was just him and that he meant no harm. Liz gave him a rueful smile, pointing to the pot that was clearly filled with coffee.

“Did you sleep at all?” Klaus asked her in a hushed tone. Liz just shot him an annoyed looked, telling Klaus everything he needed to know. Liz was a formidable woman. He would not be surprised to learn that she sat in Matt’s hospital room glaring at him through the night. Klaus wondered what she said to him during his lucid moments; if she would have spoken at all. Part of him wondered if the silence would have been worse for Matt. “Take the day off, Liz. Spend it with Caroline. Get some sleep.”

“How is she?”

“It was rough. She cried a lot, but she needed that.” Klaus took a sip of his coffee and sat beside Liz; his mind amazed that a mere twenty-four hours previously, he was sitting in a similar position with Caroline in her kitchen. “But you raised a strong woman Liz. She will make it through this. It will leave scars, but Caroline will come out of this a stronger woman and that is all down to the way you raised her.”

“Thank you. I really needed to hear that.” Liz eyes watered. Klaus could tell that she was not a woman who cried easily. In the short time that he knew her, was probably the most she had cried during the entirety of her life. “When Caroline was born, I knew she was special and not just because I’m her mother; but…I’m exceptionally ordinary. I’m okay with that. Caroline is anything but. She was meant to be extraordinary.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Klaus tossed her a dimpled smile, hoping to get one in return. He took a drink of his coffee and after a moment, he got that smile from Liz. After a moment, Klaus sat his mug down and looked at Liz seriously. “I care for her. I suppose neither one of us have been subtle about it.” Liz gave him an exasperated look, telling him that she was no fool and a blind man could see his interest in Caroline. “I mean to say that I have a few things I need to do, and Caroline is going to have a tough road ahead of her, but I have no plans on leaving her life.”

“Good to know. I think Caroline needs someone like you in her life.” Liz took a sip again. “You know, I hated Damon. I didn’t even know that Caroline had been dating him until I got the call that she was in the hospital. To be honest, I still hate him.” Klaus nodded, understanding the feeling and where she was coming from. “I put up with Tyler for Caroline’s sake. He didn’t physically hurt her, but I could tell that he didn’t treat her the way she deserved. Although, he was helping Matt, so I suppose he was no better than Damon in the end.”

“Caroline deserves the world.” Klaus told Liz, refraining from commenting on the tapes Tyler had of Caroline. He was going to ensure that all those tapes were destroyed and that no one saw them. However, there were some things a mother did not need to know about her daughter and that would be one of them.

“See, that is why I like you.” Liz chuckled at the beaming expression that surfaced on Klaus’s face. “When Caroline and Tyler’s engagement ended, I actually told her that maybe she should go on a date with Matt. He seemed like such a good guy. Steady and understood the concept of hard work, something both Damon and Tyler lacked. Mother of the year, setting your daughter up with a serial killer.”

“Matt was already so deep into his mania by then.” Klaus whispered and Liz shook her head. “You can’t blame yourself for not knowing Liz. He hid it well. When I first met him, he seemed genuinely distraught over Vicki being one of the victims. I never considered him as a suspect. Not until Tyler confessed it to me.”

“I keep going over every conversation I’ve had with Matt over and over in my head.” Liz took a sip of her coffee and stared down at the liquid. She wanted the ripples in the coffee for a few moments until it still completely before speaking again. “He was there. The night when I went out to search for Caroline. He was there. He was one of the deputies that was out there searching.”

“I forgot about that.”

“Yeah. Wish I could.” Liz gave a humorless laugh that reminded him of Caroline; Klaus seeing more than one similarity between mother and daughter. “I keep thinking about how he would direct the search in one direction. I think he purposely was steering us away from Caroline; but the storm messed him up. If it wasn’t for the storm, we never would have discovered the bodies.”

“I think you’re right. Matt didn’t count on mother nature unearthing the bodies.” Klaus left the obvious hang in the air. If the violent storm that day did not unearth the bodies, there was a chance that Caroline would have been killed. Matt would not have been distracted by the FBI presence and Caroline wouldn’t have had that moment of clarity in order to break herself free. Caroline would have died in that little cell and Liz would have been left wondering what happened to her daughter. “He would have gotten caught eventually. Matt was on a fast pace to completely devolving. He would have lashed out and done something drastic.”

“That’s not exactly comforting.” Klaus just shook his head. It wasn’t meant to be comforting but Liz did not seem to be the type of woman who wanted reality to be sugarcoated. “When we found the bodies, did I ever tell you what Matt said to me?”

“No. I don’t think you did.”

“He said ‘It’s not her. Caroline is not here’” The bitterness in Liz’s tone took Klaus by surprise but he could not say it was not warranted. “The bastard knew. He told me Caroline was not there because he knew exactly where she was. I screamed her name until I was hoarse and that basted just listened. All the while knowing exactly where she was.”

“She heard you, Liz. She could hear you searching for her that night. She knew that you would always be looking. It gave her strength.” Klaus thought on a moment he shared with Caroline outside the woods of Mystic Falls. “Caroline saved herself. She pulled herself from a dark situation and it was because you taught her to care for herself. In a few years, when you think on this tragedy, remember that.”

“Thank you.” Klaus finished his coffee and walked over to the sink, washing both his mug from his coffee and the one from the night before. He turned to walk out of the kitchen, in order to get ready for the day before Liz stopped him. “Klaus, thank you again. For everything.” Klaus did not say anything. “You mother must be very proud of you.”

“I hope so.” Klaus gave a bittersweet smile, the memory of his mother flashing before his eyes. “She died when I was fifteen, but I’d like to think that if she was here; that she would be proud of me.”

With one last look, Klaus left the kitchen and headed back upstairs. He peeked in on Caroline, who was still sleeping, and as quietly as he could, he grabbed his go back before heading into the bathroom to shower. Much like the day before, Klaus thought about what the day held for him. He thought would staring down the man who not only killed four woman and kidnapped Caroline, but also murdered his best friend for no other reason than to send a message.

It was then that the dam broke inside Klaus. Memories of Marcel flashed through his mind. He thought on Caroline and how she looked that day in the police station when she first escaped. He thought on each of the bodies, now laying cold in the morgue; the last thing they saw was Matt’s rage as he strangled them, and Klaus rested his head against the tile. Tears flowed down his cheeks. He could not stop the grief from consuming him in that moment.

He cried for Marcel. He cried for Rebekah and the loss he knew she was feeling. He cried for his mother and the life she could have had. He cried for the women Matt killed and the grief their families were suffering with.

He cried for Caroline.

He cried out all the emotions that had been building inside him for years.

For the first time in a long time, Klaus let himself feel.

When he was done in the shower, and collected himself enough to face the day, Klaus dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a Henley before heading into the bedroom. The bed was empty and by the sounds going on downstairs, he could assume that she had gone down to the kitchen for breakfast. When Klaus made it downstairs, his go-bag in hand, he saw Caroline, Bonnie and Liz surrounding the kitchen table eating what looked like pancakes; Enzo sitting at their feet begging for food. Caroline’s face lit up when he walked through the door and her eyes searched him; as though she was looking for something to be amiss.

“Would you like something to eat?” Liz offered, pointed to the griddle that was on the counter.

“No thank you.” Klaus replied, the idea of eating before speaking to Matt seemed like an awful idea. His luck would be hearing something so disturbing that his breakfast would end up all over him. “Although, if you have a travel mug, I wouldn’t mind stealing some more coffee. I’ll return it later.”

“We are not worried about a mug.” Caroline told him, rolling his eyes as Liz got up from the table. She grabbed a blue generic-looking travel mug and filled it with coffee before handing it to Klaus; who replied in thanks. Caroline stood and walked over to him with a warm smile. “I’ll walk you out.”

Klaus said his goodbyes to Bonnie and Liz, while Caroline walked out the door with him. They paused in front of his SUV, Klaus opening it in order to set his bag on the front seat and to secure the mug into the cup holder by the driver’s side seat. He turned to see Caroline still looking at him with worry in her eyes.

“Are you okay? I heard you in the shower and you seemed upset. I figured I’d leave you be but if you need to talk...” Klaus reached out and pulled Caroline into a hug; Caroline burring her fact into his chest. Klaus kissed the top of her head while Caroline gave him a slight squeeze around the middle. “This doesn’t answer my question.”

“I’m okay.” Klaus whispered. “I just needed a moment. Reality set in and it took me by surprise. That’s all.” Caroline did not look convinced and in truth, Klaus just did not want her to worry more than she already was. She had far too much on her plate to deal with already. “I promise but if I need someone to talk to, you’ll be the first person on my list.”

“Okay.” Caroline pulled away and took his hand. “Thank you, for last night. Maybe it sounds strange, but I feel better. I feel like that no matter what happens today or tomorrow, I can handle it.”

“You’re welcome.” Klaus brought her hand to his lips and gave it a small kiss. “Depending how today goes, I plan on heading down to New Orleans first thing in the morning. Do you think I can see you tonight before I leave?”

“As long as you promise to call me the moment you get there.”

“It’s a deal.” Klaus leaned down and kissed Caroline on the lips. It was a soft kiss but full of promise. They both knew they had much to discuss about where they stood and what their plans were. Klaus did not want to push her into something that neither were ready for. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Caroline kissed him one last time before Klaus walked around the SUV and drove off. Klaus looked into the rearview mirror; Caroline watching the car drive off until he turned a corner and it vanished from sight.

When Klaus arrived at the police station, he was greeted with nothing but pure chaos. Reports from all over were swarming the station, hoping to get a glance at the now infamous Matthew Donavan. Part of Klaus wished he would have watched the news that morning, just to prepare himself, because the sight only proved to him that this made national news.

Taking a deep breath, Klaus climbed out of the car and walked directly towards the police station; tuning out the reporters who tossed question after question his way; most focusing on Andi Star and her disappearance. He replied with a vague response that he would not be taking questions and walked directly into the police station; hoping that he would not have to deal with that again.

“Agent Mikaleson!” Klaus paused, turning to see Sean O’Connell advancing on him with wide eyes. He looked awful. His clothes were wrinkled and there were bags under his eyes; it looked as though he had been at the station for house. Klaus could not blame him; if it was Rebekah or anyone of his siblings, he would have done the same. “I heard that they made an arrest. Is it true? Was it really a cop?”

“Yeah. It’s true.” Klaus told him. He reached out and touched Sean’s shoulder, giving it a helpful squeeze. There was something in Sean’s eyes that held a certain type of desperation. He thought back on his conversation with Liz that morning and knew that Sean would be feeling similar emotions. “I can’t say much right now, but we have him. Okay? We have the man who killed Cami and we are going to question him. That is all I have right now. Once I know more, I’ll let you know.”

Sean nodded, but did not look appeased. Klaus could tell that the man was not going anywhere and would be sitting in the police station waiting room for a while. He watched as Sean sat down, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind. Klaus left Sean there and headed deeper into the station; searching for Vincent.

Vincent was in the kitchenette, leaning against the counter with a coffee that came from the one café in town in hand and appeared to be well rested. Klaus was sure that when Vincent got to the bed and breakfast the prior night, he probably passed out; a draining case will do that to an agent.

“Caroline’s?” Vincent asked, pointing to the travel mug in Klaus’s hand. The moment the question left his lips, Vincent held up his hand. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. Have you watched the news?” Klaus shook his head negatively. “It’s everywhere. The entire world is digging into Mr. Donovan’s life. Not only that, but they got ahold of the names of all the victims.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.” Vincent drained his mug while Klaus’s mind was on Caroline; wondering how she would fair to have her name out there as the only survivor. “He is in one of the interrogation rooms. We moved Mr. Gilbert to one of the holding cells. Mr. Lockwood’s mother posted his bail this morning. The judge told him that he couldn’t leave town. Ready for this?”

“Lead the way.” Klaus followed Vincent towards the interrogation rooms; down the long sterile hallway. Perched outside the door Klaus was assuming that held Matt, were two agents; charged with both protecting and guarding Matt. Vincent paused before opening the door to the room.

The first thing Klaus noticed was the video camera in the corner; the small light blinking green. The second thing was the man sitting behind the table, his on hand cuffed tightly to the table. His other arm was in a sling; wounded from Klaus’s bullet in his arm. He was dressed in a pair of scrub pants that someone had to of given him at the hospital; donning a ‘Mystic Falls P.D’ shirt similar to the one Caroline wore to bed the prior night. Klaus felt as though the fact that he was wearing such a shirt was a slap in the face to the entire town.

Klaus and Vincent took a seat across from him; Matt’s eyes never leaving Klaus’s. The hatred that was pouring out of those blue eyes didn’t even make Klaus blink. Perhaps it was because Klaus hated Matt with equal measure; perhaps it was the fact that there was nothing but darkness and pure evil lingering behind that youthful face.

“State your name for the record.” Vincent commanded, Matt didn’t even blink or take his eyes off of Klaus. Klaus stared back with equal disgust. Silence hung in the room; neither willing to move. Klaus could feel the evil tingle down his spine while being under Matt’s gaze; but he wasn’t going to give an inch. Klaus was not about to give this man one ounce of satisfaction. “Your name.”

“Matthew Gregory Donovan.” His voice was hollow and dark; the mask he had been wearing completely dropped and the monster fully revealed. Gone was the officer that Klaus had first met. Gone was the boy in the photo during Caroline’s sophomore homecoming dance; only the monster remained.

“Date of birth.”

“February 26, 1993.”

“Walk me through the death of Victoria Donovan.” Vincent commanded and Matt shifted his gaze from Klaus to Vincent. The smile that crossed Matt’s lips was unnerving and made the hairs on the back of Klaus’s neck stand on end. “What was your relationship with her?”

“Vicki was my sister. She had a drug problem and she liked to wander off for months at a time. A little over a year ago she went on a bender. I tried to calm her down, but she was adamant that she needed to leave. She went down to the Lockwood cellars go get high. I followed her there. She had been keeping her stash of drugs there. She even had a bed to lay on in order to get high.”

“Vicki put everything down there?”

“What? Did you think I did it?” Matt sneered at him. “She had been using that place for a while. I wouldn’t let her keep the drugs in the house. It upset April to see it. She wanted Vicki to get clean, but Vick wouldn’t listen. I told Vicki that if she wanted to ruin her life, she wouldn’t be doing it in my house.”

“Tell us how she died.” Klaus told him and the look Matt sent him told Klaus exactly what Matt was thinking. Matt deemed himself better than Klaus and was not going to dignify him with answers. Vincent noticed the shift as well and shot Klaus a look.

“Mr. Donovan, tell me how your sister died.”

“She wanted to leave town. She was just like our mother, always running off doing god know what with god knows who. She was sleeping with Damon Salvatore for the simple fact that he would toss her a few bucks for her to go and get high. We got into an argument. She stormed out of the house. I followed her to the cellars. She was going to gather up her drugs and leave town. I made her stay.” Klaus knew what he meant. He drugged Vicki with her own drugs and kept her down in the Lockwood cellars. “I tried to convince her to stay with me. I begged her not to leave like our mother did. The drugs worked quickly through her system and she got ahold of my phone. She called Jeremy and Tyler. By the time they got there, she was gone.”

“You mean she was dead?” Vincent asked and Matt just smirked, confirming exactly what occurred. He was angry that Vicki called for help and in a fit of rage, he killed her. He wrapped his hands around her neck and strangled her until she could no longer breathe. “And then?”

“Watching the life leave her eyes was exhilarating. I knew then that she would be with me always. I needed to be as close to her as possible.” Matt shifted to gaze at Klaus and leaned as the handcuffs and injured arm would allow. “Do you know what it is like, Klaus, to have a fresh body at your mercy? It was the ultimate connection; being inside her then. She couldn’t leave me, and, in that moment, I knew she would be mine forever. I would have had her longer if I didn’t hear Jeremey and Tyler coming down the tunnel.”

Klaus felt his stomach church, glad that he did not eat the pancakes that Liz had made that morning. If he had, Klaus was sure that he would have vomited just by the amount of nausea he was feeling in that moment. Klaus had been in that cellar were such unspeakable evil had occurred. He knew how long it took to get to the cell where he kept those innocent women. He would have had enough time to redress Vicki and himself.

“What about April Young?”

“She was my girlfriend. We had been together for a little while, but she didn’t want to advertise it in town. It was actually Vicki who got us together.” Matt sat back in his chair, appearing more at ease than he had been previously. “She lived in Richmond but was lonely. She didn’t really have friends and hated her job. When she got pregnant, I convinced her to move back to Mystic Falls. We were going to raise the baby together. We were thinking of naming the baby Kelly if it was a girl, after my mother.”

“I’m assuming that April changed her mind about moving back to Mystic Falls?” Vincent asked. Klaus, for a moment, thought it was a blessing that this man never got the chance to be a father. Klaus knew what it was like to be raised by a monster and he could not imagine what damage someone like Matt could do to a child.

“No. April wanted to keep our relationship quiet. Her father did not approve of pre-marital sex and didn’t want him knowing that she was seeing someone. When she changed her mind about moving back, all because her father did not approve of her having a baby, we fought. She tried to convince me to move to Richmond; but Richmond is not safe. I needed her to stay in Mystic Falls. She refused, but I made her stay anyway. I made sure she wouldn’t leave me.”

“How did you get her down into the cellars?”

“It was easy. I told her I would drive her back to Richmond but once we reached ‘Welcome’ sign; I slammed her head against the window. April was small and carrying her through the woods was easy. Once I had her down there, I used some of the drugs that Vicki had left. April was happy down there. It was easy. We watched our baby grow. Her stomach was just starting to show when I strangled her. I had time with April. I had her more than once. We were a family.”

“Thanks for that.” Klaus muttered with a disgusted look on his face. Vincent appeared unfazed; his professional demeanor unbreakable. However, there was something in his eye that made Klaus realize that his boss was just as disturbed as he was. “How did you know Andi Star? I was told recently that you dated her in high school?”

“Andi? Yes. Sophomore year, or my sophomore year. It was only a few months before she got accepted into a college in South Carolina. She abandoned me, just like the rest of them.”

“She was eighteen and planning for her future. That is not abandonment. That’s moving on.” Klaus told him in a stony voice. Matt flinched and Klaus knew that if he was not in an interrogation room, Matt would have lunged at him. “There was a gap between April’s death and Andi’s kidnapping.”

“I ran out of medication. I used Vicki’s last bit on April. Jeremy had helped me bury both Vicki and April, I figured that he would be able to get some for me. He came through after a bit of persuasion. Then at the Salvatore Christmas party, we all witnessed that argument between Andi and Damon. I could tell that Andi was going to leave him, just like she left me. She abandons people. She leaves Mystic Falls. Just like Vicki and April. Just like my mother.”

“So, you kidnapped her, held her captive and killed her.” Vincent told him and when Matt began to speak again, possibly to go into more detail about the vile things he did to Andi, Vincent held up his hand. “No need to comment more. Jeremey Gilbert help you bury that body too?” Matt agreed. “Tell me about Camille O’Connell.”

“Cami.” Matt smiled and tilted his head. “Sweet, sweet Cami. I met her by happenstance. It was at the Grill and she was passing through town. She wanted to take a tour of it. Found small towns charming and was thinking of moving to one. Like the good Mystic Falls citizen that I am, I sung our town praises. I thought I had her convinced to stay but she kept saying she was on her way to Boston. Wasn’t hard to convince her to come home with me and into my bed. I liked her.”

“Why?”

“Blonde hair. Blue eyes. She looked like my mother.” Klaus paused; it was then that something clicked inside his brain. Matt continued to allude towards his mother. From the little Klaus knew, Kelly Donovan abandoned her children while they were in high school, leaving Matt to take care of his wild sister. Something did not sit right with him in the pit of his stomach.

“And you repeated the process? Kidnapped her, held her, killed her and then mutilated her body before calling Jeremy to help dump the body at the Fall’s?” Klaus asked, knowing the answer. He thought on Sean O’Connell who was still sitting out in the police station waiting room; wondering about the man who murdered his twin sister. “Tell me about your mother.”

“What about her?”

“When did she leave you?”

“Who said she left?” Matt taunted and Klaus’s heart stopped. He wondered where exactly Kelly had wondered off to and if anyone had heard from her. If she was anything like Vicki, then there was a chance that everyone assumed she just vanished on a bender. Life moved on and when she never turned up again, no one thought twice about it. “You know who else bears a resemblance to my mother? Caroline.”

“Don’t talk about her.” Klaus said in a low tone. Vincent placed a hand on his shoulder in warning, but he did not notice. Matt smirked at him, knowing that he was getting under his skin. Klaus’s fist balled under the table. “Where is your mother?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to hear about Caroline? About how I stalked her outside her home? Drugged her? Chained her up in a small cell and had every intention of adding her to my collection?” Matt sneered. “No. No, what you want to hear is about how I fantasized what I would do to her cold body once I killed her? Do you want to know what it would be like? To be inside her when there was no life looking back at you from her cold, dead blue eyes.”

A haze of red flashed before Klaus’s eyes and before he could realize what he was doing; or the fact that there was a camera, he launched across the table, grabbing Matt’s injured shoulder, squeezing it has hard as he could. Matt cried out in pain, it only lasted for a second before Vincent grabbed ahold of Klaus and pulled him back.

“Klaus! Out! Now!” Vincent cried, completely flustered and angry. Klaus didn’t care. He continued to glare at Matt who was now laughing as though he was at a comedy show. This is what he wanted; to get under his skin. Klaus glared at Matt one last time before turning to head out the door.

“Agent Mikaelson.” Klaus froze at the door as Matt’s voice reached him; his tone almost caressing. “Ask Caroline who it was that visited her at the hospital after Damon beat her. Ask her who it was that sat with her at her dad’s grave when he died. Who was it that picked her up drunk at the Grill more times than anyone could count? Vicki was my sister. April and Andi were my girlfriends. Cami was a one-night stand. Caroline, well, you could say I was her only true friend.”

Klaus wanted to turn around and tell Matt that he was nothing to Caroline. That no matter what he had done in the past for her, meant nothing. Maybe once it had mattered but now, Matt was nothing more than the scum beneath Caroline’s shoe. However, knowing that he already let his temper control him once, Klaus walked out of the interrogation room.

Anger was still pumping through his veins at the mere thought that Matt had any claim over Caroline. While Klaus understood jealousy, having been cheated on by his college girlfriend, he never understood the concept of claiming ownership over another person. The mere thought that Matt wanted to own Caroline, and what he would do to her, made Klaus want to strangle him.

Logically, he knew that his emotions were clouding his judgment. He had stared down child molesters, rapists, terrorist and other serial killers, but never had any of them made Klaus as angry as Matthew Donovan. He knew it was because he had hurt Caroline and the plans he had for Caroline made his blood boil. He wanted to strike out and hit something; preferably Matt but he knew that he already crossed a line there.

Frankly, he crossed many lines during this investigation.

“Klaus.” Klaus turned around to see Caroline standing in the middle of the police station. He looked her over, searching for any sort of bodily injury; but she appeared well enough. She wore a pair of jeans and tank-top; not the ones from the previous day, telling Klaus that either she or Bonnie had gone back to the house to grab some clothes. Klaus assumed Bonnie. The bruise on Caroline’s face was still looked painful but he could see that some of the swelling went down. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t.” Klaus reached out and Caroline slipped her hand through his. Klaus looked over her shoulder to see Bonnie giving Elena the third degree; with Damon and Stefan standing in the background, ready to intervene if necessary. Klaus had forgotten about Elena and how she would most likely still be in a jail cell. Her seventy-two-hour hold would be coming to an end, so it was no surprise to Elena in the general area. “What are you doing here?”

“Mom wanted to lay down for a bit before coming back here. I have a feeling that she is not going to leave this station until Matt is gone.” Caroline told him and Klaus nodded, leaning forward to kiss her. It was gentle and comforting; the anger Klaus as feeling slowly began to evaporate. “Bonnie and I pulled in, saw the chaos outside and snuck in the back. Perk of being the sheriff’s daughter; knowing the secret entrances.”

“Right.” Klaus laughed lightly. She gave him a soft smile that did not reach her eyes. It was clear that she came to the station for a reason and that Klaus, although a bonus, was not the reason why she was there. “You want to see him, don’t you?”

“I have to Klaus.” Caroline whispered. Her eyes watered and Klaus felt his heart break; he hated seeing Caroline cry. Watching her completely break the night before was more than he felt he could handle; even though he knew he would stand by her if it happened again. “I feel like he is controlling my life right now and I need to see him in order to take it back. I can’t let him win. I just can’t.”

“Okay.” Klaus sighed. He pulled Caroline to him and she buried her face into his chest. He ran his hands down her back, hoping to bring some semblance of comfort. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see both Stefan and Damon eyeing him in curiosity. Clearly, they had not been made aware of the status of Caroline’s relationship with Klaus. “I can’t let you in to see him; and I might have gotten kicked out of his interrogation room.”

“Why?”

“He was taunting me, and I fell for it.”

“Did you hurt him?”

“Not enough.” Klaus sounded bitter, even to his own ears. Caroline pulled back from his embrace and he could almost see the ghost of a smile. “I can take you into the joining room. The one with the two-way mirror. Will that work?”

Caroline nodded and Klaus held out his hand. She linked their fingers together and Klaus guided her towards the interrogation rooms. This was part of the police station she had never seen before; despite the fact that she was well acquainted with the station, having spent the most of her child playing in it. Klaus nodded to some of the agents and officers who were lingering near the door; either stationed there as a guard or curiosity; hoping to get a glimpse at Matt.

Klaus lead her into the small room, and he watched as Caroline’s eyes flickered towards Matt immediately. Klaus had no desire to look at the man again and his concern now laid with Caroline. Caroline’s expression remained passive; betraying no hint of terror at the sight of Matt. Klaus reached out and placed his hand on her back, showing her comfort in the only way he could think of.

“Walk me through the murder of Special Agent Marcel Gerard.” Vincent’s voice sounded through the speakers of the interrogation room. Klaus’s body stilled at the mention of his old friend’s name. Caroline reached out to him, pulling him closer so she could lean against him. “Why kill him?”

“They were getting in the way. I needed Caroline back and they had her too closely guarded. I had thought killing one of them would send a message for the other to leave. Clearly, I was wrong.” Matt replied, his voice lost that taunting tone he held when speaking to Klaus. Now he just appeared as though he was bored. “I had been blackmailing Tyler Lockwood for a few days and contacted him for help.”

“He was blackmailing Tyler?” Caroline whispered and Klaus remembered that she had not known about that part of the story yet. He nodded but tilted his head towards the interrogation room; indicating that he would tell her later.

“I had stopped at the police station that night after spending a few hours at the Grill talking with Cami’s brother, I had told a co-worker that I needed to grab something from my desk. I saw Agent Gerard leave and Agent Mikaelson stay behind.” Matt paused and Klaus turned to look at Matt in time to see a smirk cross his lips. “I called Tyler and told him that he needed to do me a favor. We met at his house and I told him that he was to wear a ski mask and deliver a message.”

“You’re referring to the note that was tied to a rock and tossed through Ms. Forbes’s window?” Vincent asked and Caroline froze. Her eyes were wide, and tears streamed down her face. Klaus knew that she was feeling a whole new sense of betrayal was crashing over her. Tyler had broken her heart when he cheated on her, but this was something completely different. Klaus knew that he was going to have to tell her the rest.

“Yes. If he didn’t, I was going to make his life difficult.”

“You mean by releasing the tape he made of himself and Ms. Marshall.”

“Yes.”

“And then what?”

“I had been listening to Caroline’s conversations. I knew that her mother was staying the night with her. I listened as she called Agent Mikaelson in a panic and I watched as he raced towards Caroline’s house. While he was doing that, I went to the motel that where he and Agent Gerard had been staying, after making a pit stop at one of my storage units to pick up some red paint. Remind me to tell you what I have stashed in there. I’m sure you find it most…riveting.” Matt gave a chuckle. “Breaking in was easy. You’d think for federal agents they would have at least used the chain on the door.”

“Are you okay?” Caroline whispered and Klaus looked down at her. He did not realize he had been squeezing her hand tightly and a wave of guilt passed through him. This was not about his grief over Marcel’s murder; it was about Caroline facing her monster. “It’s okay Klaus. This can’t be any easier on you than it is me.”

“I’m okay.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head and they turned back to listen to Matt speak. “I promise.”

“The agent didn’t even budge. He was dead asleep, pun intended.” Klaus saw Vincent’s hand flex in anger, but he kept his composure. There was a reason why Vincent held such a high position in the FBI; he did not allow his temper to get in the way. “I raised my gun and fired a bullet straight into his head. I thought about strangling him; I prefer that method, but I couldn’t spend too much time there.”

“I’m assuming that the fact that Agent Gerard was not a weakened woman factored into that decision. If you attempted to strangle him, he would have woken up and possible overpowered you, leading you getting captured.” Matt said nothing; only confirming Vincent’s theory. “Then you used the red paint to write a message on the wall.” Vincent flipped through the file in front of him and recited what he read. “Get the fuck out of Mystic Falls.”

“Pity Agent Mikaelson didn’t listen. I gave him a chance.”

“What did you do with the gun?” Vincent asked, ignoring Matt’s comment. “When you were holding Ms. Forbes hostage in her home yesterday; you did not bring your gun. What happened to it?”

“I tossed it in the Falls after I killed the agent. And I never intended to hold her hostage. I just needed her back. I needed her to come with me. I brought some of the Dilaudid with me, intending to use in on Caroline. I was not expecting the agents to be with her when she arrived home. I had to use the last bit of the Dilaudid on the agent, so I improvised.” Matt paused, shifting in his chair. “I have to use the bathroom. I’m still allowed bathroom breaks, right?” “Very well.” Vincent stood and walked towards the door, never taking his eyes off of Matt. He wrapped his knuckles a few times on the door and two agents that Klaus did not know the names of came into the room. “Take him to the bathroom. Do not let him out of your sight.”

Matt chuckled as the agents slowly uncuffed the arm that was chained to the table. The agents pulled Matt from the chair and started to guide him to the door. Vincent sat back down on the chair and began massaging his forehead as though he was slowly trying to ease a migraine. Klaus held out his arms, pulling Caroline into them as they listened to Matt’s feet scuffle past the door they were in; the chains holding his feet together dragged against the ground.

A silence hung over them as Caroline pressed her eat against Klaus’s chest. Klaus kissed the top of her head, just holding her. He knew that she was going to have questions. There were so many things she did not know. Caroline did not know about the tapes that had her in it. Part of him wanted to tell her, he wanted no secrets from her; but the more rational part of him knew that she could not handle that after everything she had been through.

Klaus would tell her; just not now. He would get the tapes from Tyler first. He knew that his mother posted his bail, but it would not be hard to track him down. The tape he made with Hayley Marshall would be considered evidence, since it was the one Matt used to blackmail him with it; but the ones that Caroline were in were fair game and Klaus would ensure that they were destroyed.

Then there was the one that Klaus and Caroline unknowingly made.

“What are you thinking about?” Caroline whispered into his chest and Klaus could not help but chuckle in a humorless tone. Caroline pulled away and looked up at him in confusion. “What?”

“Just thinking about something I have to tell you that you are not going to like.” Klaus pursed his lips. “I learned of it yesterday but by the time, Matt had already….” Caroline looked down, understanding what he meant. “Then you had a rough night and…I promise that I will make it better.”

“Just tell me. Whatever it is, it cannot be worse than what I’ve already experienced.” Klaus looked at her and he was taken aback at how strong she was. She was standing before him, ready to stare down the man who he knew was going to haunt her nightmares for a very long time. He had seen grown men break under the terror she went through and yet she was standing on her own two feet. “Please.”

“Matt knew we had sex.” Klaus told her and Caroline nodded; the note Tyler through her window confirmed that. “He was blackmailing Tyler with a sex tape he made with Hayley. I believe she was the woman you caught him in bed with?” Caroline nodded and there was a slight scowl on her face. “Tyler had installed a camera into the television in your bedroom. Matt had him reactivate it in order to spy on you.”

“You’re telling that my ex-fiancé had a camera installed in my bedroom?” The pure look of disgust on Caroline’s face only confirmed what Klaus already knew; Caroline had no idea about the camera. “That means that Matt actually watched us have sex. No. I refuse to let him take that from us. That night meant-“Her eyes went wide and she looked at Klaus in completely terror and disbelief. “Wait. Does that mean Tyler has sex tapes of me!? He lived with me! He slept in that bed. We had…. oh my god. I’m going to be sick.”

“Caroline.” Klaus leaned took her face in his hands, being gentle of the bruise on her face, and looked at her. “I promise you; I will get those tapes from him. I will ensure you that you have them and you can what you want with them. Keep them. Destroy them. The decision will be yours to make.”

“What about the one with us? Who is going to see that?” Klaus knew how she felt. He did not want anyone else intruding upon that moment. It was something shared between them and he wanted to keep it that way. Even with the series of events that were triggered by them having sex that night, Klaus found that he could not regret it. The words were on his lips but then suddenly, they were gone; pulled in another direction but the sound that echoed through the police station.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The sound of a gunshot tore Klaus’s eyes from Caroline towards the door. His heart began beating wildly. Screams could be heard from out in the lobby and a thousand thoughts rang through his head. He kissed Caroline on the top of her head.

“Stay here.” Caroline nodded and Klaus bolted for the door, meeting Vincent in the hallway; who reacted in the same manner he had. They exchanged a quickly look, both pulling their guns from their holsters on their hips and headed into the general area of the police station. People, cops, agents and personal that worked within the police station, were running towards the exits. However, they could hear shouting coming from one end of the police station.

Towards the bathroom.

Klaus and Vincent took off as fast as their legs would carry them and dodged the people running in the opposite direction. The scene they came upon in the bathroom was something neither one expected to see. A few agents were standing with stiff postures, guns raised and pointing towards a man in the middle of the bathroom.

Sean O’Connell had a gun raised and was pointing into a bathroom stall; appearing unfazed by the fact that several guns were pointing at him. Klaus holstered his gun and waved for the other agents to lower their weapon. Klaus slowly stepped up close to Sean who was still completely unaware of their presence. Klaus turned to look into the bathroom stall and was unsurprised at the sight; having expected it the moment he saw Sean holding the gun.

Matthew Donovan was dead in a bathroom stall, pants around his ankles and several bullets in his chest.

Klaus reached up slowly and placed his hand on Sean’s hand, slowly taking the gun from his hand. Sean finally realized that Klaus was there and handed the gun over easily. There was a flicker of understanding in Sean’s eyes and Klaus knew that he was going to come quietly; accepting any fate that was handed to him with open arms.

“I told you not to take your eyes off of him!” Vincent yelled at the agents angerly. Klaus knew that this entire investigation had gone sideways, and part other was his fault. “How the hell does someone walk into a police station with a gun and no one notice!?”

“Sean.” Klaus whispered as he pulled out his handcuffs. He moved Sean’s hands behind his back easily and put them on his wrists; Vincent still yelling in the background with such anger in his voice. “Why? Why do this? You just ruined your own life.”

“He killed Cami.” Sean told him, almost as though it was the easiest sentence to say in the world. There was a broken look in his eye that Klaus knew he would never recover from. “You told me once that you’d do it. You told me that if it was your sister, that you’d kill the bastard.”

#klaroline #Wanderlust #wanderlust wednesday

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putschki1969 · 5 years ago

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2019/06/29 Blog post by Wakana 『VOICEツアーラスト！！～日本特殊陶業市民会館ビレッジホール編～』

『VOICE Tour Final！！～ Nagoya Civil Hall Edition ～』

The other day, I had dumplings. First I had gyoza, they were huge! Then I had some xiaolongbao. The soup inside was hot, juicy and thick. Hot, juicy and thick ... (о´∀`о) When they are almost bursting with soup it’s the best thing ever ... (о´∀`о) Ah ~ I want to have some today as well! Hello, this is Wakana (0￣▽￣0)／

Recently I have been slacking when it comes to my gyoza activities. I have just started again. I am in the stretching phase right now. By the way, my「Wakana LIVE TOUR 2019～VOICE～」 which started on April 4 was finished successfully in Nagoya on May 15. (Let’s go back in time a little, please join me.)

The venue Nagoya Civil Hall has tatami mats in the waiting room ... I forgot to take a picture (TдT) How do I describe it? It looks like the entrance of an old-fashioned restaurant or inn. There is a wooden entrance and a place to put your shoes. Once you cross the genkan step you are in the tatami-styled room. I hope you can somehow imagine what it looked like... Anyway, it was a wonderful room and any moment I expected someone to serve hot tea and onsen manju.

What we did end up having in the room were bananas. These are very important and I can’t do a live without them ♪(´ε｀ ) The hall looked like this. This angle from behind the stage is rather unfamiliar isn’t it (^_^*) And this is how things look like on the stage. These pictures were taken by my drummer Tsuruya-san! I will use the opportunity to introduce the band members who have supported me during all seven performances of my tour.

I would like to start with my drummer Tomoo Tsuruya-san since I just mentioned him. From the first day of rehearsal Tsuruya-san has been a mood maker, he always makes sure the atmosphere is relaxed and he has been very gentle and kind with me which was a huge help since I was very nervous. The rainstick I am using during one of the songs actually belongs to him. In those seven performances I got to borrow two different kinds of rainsticks〜 . And then there is the shaker I used during the live. He gave that to me as a present at one of our studio rehearsals. I had been practising a lot at home and in the car with a borrowed one so when I saw the present it felt surreal to me *laughs* Next up we have the bassist Takashi Adachi-san! (btw, all the following pictures were taken by Tsuruya-san as well) Adachi-san and I have actually appeared on stage together several times in the past and we have also done various recordings but it was our first time to talk properly and to go on tour together. When I met him during the studio rehearsal, he came across as quite silent and modest but on stage he is completely different. He is super carefree and happy, he plays the bass with so much joy! Then at our first live after party we really hit it off, he is so funny! Sneaky, you really fooled me! *laughs* That’s what I thought ^ ^ Then we have the guitarist Koji Ueda-san! Ueda-san, just like Adachi-san, is completely different on stage. I thought he was pretty reserved and quiet but I was totally wrong. He is a real rockstar and he makes the coolest faces while playing his guitar (I have been watching the live footage over and over again so all the unique performances by the band members are still fresh in my mind.) Being on stage is really a weird experience (^-^) Anyways, I think that generally, Ueda-san is a very laid-back person. The last one to introduce is Kuraaki Hori-san, my pianist (↑ isn’t that the best expression ever!) Hori-san’s piano playing is very impressive. During all the lives, we would often change up a few of the piano and singing parts, we would improvise a little. He is the kind of person that is very much aware of all the feelings being born out of the moment, he does his best to cherish every second of it in order to elevate those feelings. Our final encore which I performed alone together with Hori-san is probably the song that changed most throughout our seven performances. Soon all of you will be able to watch it too so I hope you will enjoy it. *Bonus pic 1 * A picture of Shigeta-san who is responsible for the sound. Not quite sure what kind of pose this is suposed to be. Shigeta-san is a wonderful man, he is super playful and kind. * Bonus pic 2 * Yours truly. I don't even know when it was taken, some time during the rehearsal. After dress rehearsal probably when I checked out the curtains. I would usually wear my stage dress for that. Looking back at the tour, I remember all kinds of things and my eyes start watering. I remember all the laughter, the embarrassment, it really was an emotional turmoil. And then let’s not forget about the huge mishap during my final performance in Nagoya ~ Singing the first encore song TWICE ~. *laughs* I literally sang it twice *laughs*. I couldn’t sing it the first time .... My manager and staff members later told me, "for the first time in a long time we felt the need to send a prayer to heaven when we saw this!” Haha, indeed, there is not much you can do in a situation like that except pray. *laughs* I am so sorry, please forgive me ( ；∀；)

[A friend of mine provided a thorough report of this particular incident during the Nagoya live. Thank you so much for sharing that moment with me! It seems like Wakana started tearing up towards the middle of “Hikari Furu”, her voice kept breaking and while she tried to continue singing, her tears just wouldn’t stop and at one point she had to give up and lowered her mic. The band continued playing and the audience cheered and clapped so Wakana wouldn’t feel bad about the little hiccup. She eventually started singing again but she wasn’t really able to compose herself throughout the rest of the song. She had two more hiccups where she just lost it and couldn’t sing a few lines. Once the song was finished the entire audience stood up and gave her a huge round of applause. She apologised and turned around to go to her little table and dab her face, you could also see her talking with the band members deciding what to do next. She eventually turned back to the audience, apologised once more and asked if it was okay if she tried singing the song again. The second time she nailed it, it was a flawless performance.]

I was able to collect lots of precious memories during my VOICE Tour which lasted about 1 1/2 months. I am motivated to continue onwards. Everyone who came to the lives, everyone who supported me on my blog and social media, I am truly grateful. From now on I will tackle the challenge to create new music. Please look forward to it! The next thing coming up is my fan club live on September 14! Please come and have fun with me ♪ I will be waiting for you ♪ 「Wakana Botanical Land "Music Party Vol.1"」 ■ September 14, 2019 (Sat) Daytime performance Opening 14:30 Start 15:00 Evening performance Opening 17:30 Start 18:00 Venue: Hamagin Hall Viamare Minami-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken Minatomirai 3-1-1, Yokohama Bank Main Store Building 1F http://www.yokohama-viamare.or.jp/access.html ※ Please refrain from direct inquiries to the venue

Last but not least, here is a picture I took of the hitsumabushi I had on the shinkansen on my way back home. It was super delicious! Well then, until next time 〜☆(*'▽’*)/ *** Wakana ***

#kalafina #wakana #wakana blog #voice tour #nagoya #I really wish I had been there in nagoya

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purplepatton · 6 years ago

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farewell, sweet music

description: roman brings his guitar into school. things don’t end well

word count: 1,640

warnings: crying (i think that’s it?? if you need anything else tagged pls let me know!)

notes: so uh what happened in this fic actually happened to a kid at my school today and i felt so bad for him, he was so upset :(( and then i got to thinking about how i would have reacted and then this fic was born!! because i always love some good roman angst lol,,, hope you like it!

On one unimportant Thursday morning, Roman brought his guitar into school.

It was for a science project; he was tasked with creating a song about a certain environmental issue alongside a speech and slideshow presentation. Roman had, of course, volunteered to handle the creative side of the project while his partner - a nice girl in his class who he’d never really talked to regularly - took care of the rest. It didn’t take them too long to complete, thank god, and today was their turn to present it; Roman was glad to finally be done with the project.

He slipped into the classroom just as a bell rang, guitar in hand. He looked around, wondering where exactly he should store his guitar before he has to use it. There was no room by his desk; they were all so close together, it nearly impossible to navigate around them without knocking into someone else.

Roman finally decided to lean it up against the edge of his teacher’s desk. It would be out of the way there, not likely to trip anyone up. He caught his teacher’s eye and pointed at his guitar with a questioning look, asking for permission to leave it there. His teacher nodded before turning back to his computer. Roman gently placed his guitar down, patted it lightly and walked over to his desk.

He waved at Patton, who sat closer to the back, before sitting down in his seat near the front. He fished a battered copy of his project’s speech from his bookbag and placed it in front of him on his desk. He really should invest in some folders, but it was almost the end of the school year and he was already so accustomed to just shoving papers in his bag that he brushed away that thought quickly, instead focusing his attention on the paper in front of him.

He was so focused, in fact, that he didn’t notice his teacher get up from his computer and sit down at their desk. But he did hear the sickening clanging as his teacher knocked his guitar over and sent it flying to the floor.

Roman’s head shot up. The rest of the class paused in their conversations, all staring at their teacher, who was staring down at the guitar on the floor.

At first, Roman wasn’t too concerned. He’s knocked his guitar into several things before and nothing bad had ever happened. All he would have to do was retune it, and that wasn’t too much of an issue - an annoyance, sure, but Roman was more than capable of tuning his guitar.

All he expected is for his teacher to prop it back up and begin the class. But instead, his teacher continued to stare, mouth open wide. And then he turned and looked at Roman.

Roman didn’t like the expression on his teacher’s face.

“Roman,” his teacher said. “I’m so sorry, but - I just broke your guitar.”

And at first, Roman let out a short laugh. This teacher was known for his jokes, known for messing around with his students. There was no way he had actually broken his guitar. This was just a late April Fools Day joke, and that was all there was to it.

But his teacher’s expression doesn’t change, and then he picks up the guitar by the neck and Roman can see the way the headstock of the guitar has snapped off and was hanging by the strings. The only thing holding the strings in place is the cappo he had put on a few moments before he left for school.

The laugh dies in Roman’s throat.

“Roman, I am so sorry.” His teacher said. He looked so guilty, so terrible about breaking Roman’s guitar that any anger Roman might have felt faded away. Roman just stared at his guitar. His hands were shaking.

“I’ll buy you a new guitar.” His teacher continued, looking at the sad wreck of wood and strings in his hands. “It was an accident, I wasn’t paying attention.”

Roman pushed himself out of his chair, and it scraped along the ground with a shriek, echoing around the empty classroom. The whole class watched as Roman walked up to the teacher’s desk. He silently took the guitar with numb hands, cradling it like it was a child.

“It’s okay.” Roman said numbly. There’s a faint ringing in his ears. The rest of the class is silent, watching this exchange happen. Someone murmured something in the back. Roman couldn’t hear what they’re saying.

“What?” His teacher looked confused. “No, it’s not. I broke it. I need to replace it for you. I should have been more careful.”

Roman bit his lip. It took all of his self control to fight back against the tears that are threatening to overflow, to spill out and betray how heartbroken he is. He just shook his head. “I know you didn’t mean to.” He said, and it’s a miracle his voice doesn’t crack in half. “I should have chosen a better spot to put it.”

The teacher shook his head. “We’ll talk later, and make arrangements for me to replace the guitar.”

“Okay,” Roman said quietly, so quiet that his voice could barely be heard. He put the guitar back on the ground, slowly, gently, like it could feel every single scratch it got. And then he returned his seat, dragging his feet on the ground as he went.

“Are you okay?” Someone next to him whispered. Roman just nodded, not trusting himself to speak, knowing that as soon as he opened his mouth he would burst into tears.

His teacher stood up from the desk, awkwardly brushed his hands on his pants and, after sending one more apologetic look in Roman’s direction, began the class. He let another group present their project after giving his standard class lecture, stating that he wanted Roman and his partner to have a chance to present their full project.

Roman didn’t even hear him. He spent the rest of the period staring down at his desk, not hearing a word anyone said.

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the period, Roman shot out of his seat and fled to the door. He didn’t wait for Patton to follow him like he normally did. He wasn’t in the mood to talk, didn’t want to hear the apologies that was sure to come his way. He just scooped up his guitar gently and fled the classroom, ignoring Patton as he called out to him.

Roman’s next class was a free, and then there was lunch, which meant he was perfectly free to leave school for the next couple hours before returning to his other classes during the second half of the school day. He pushed past people, cradling his guitar into his chest, and walked as fast as he could out of the school and to his car.

After carefully placing the guitar in the seat next to him, Roman started the car up and drove out of the parking lot as fast as he could without getting pulled over by a school administrator or the cop that hung out around the school.

He sat in silence as he drove home, not bothering to turn on the radio or sing whatever song was stuck in his head like he normally did. It was just him, the silence and the broken guitar that lay pitifully in the passenger seat.

It only took him a few minutes to get to his house. There were no other cars in his driveway; no one else was home. Roman collected his guitar into his arms and walked inside. He didn’t stop walking until he reached his room, closed the door behind him - and broke.

Roman collapsed to the floor, hugging his guitar closely to his chest and burst into tears. Sobs shook his body and he curled in on himself, trying to control his breathing and ultimately failing.

He was being ridiculous. He knows he was being ridiculous. It was just a guitar, a lifeless piece of wood and he shouldn’t be getting so worked up about it. He could just as easily buy a new one with ease. But -

But Roman’s had this guitar for a long time now; nearly four years. It was a gif given to him by his parents, his first ever instrument and quite possibly the best present Roman had ever received. He played it everyday, brought it everywhere with him. The guitar was there for him though all the highs and the lows, through the worst and best days of his life. And now?

Now it was just a broken husk of itself. And nothing could ever replace it.

Roman continued to cry, mourning the guitar until his tears slowed and his breathing evened. He scrubbed a hand over his face roughly, knowing full well that his eyes would be bright red and tear tracks would be standing out clearly on his face. His grief had faded, leaving only numb acceptance. A glance at the clock showed that nearly forty-five minutes had passed. He had to get back to school.

Roman let out a heavy sigh, voice still thick with tears, and placed his guitar into the place of honor in the middle of his room. He stood up and looked down at it, broken and pathetic. It was hard to tear his gaze away, to fix himself back up into some semblance of normalcy to face the rest of the day, but he had to. He couldn’t afford to skip any more days.

He spared one last look at the guitar before leaving his room, closing the door quietly behind him as if not to disturb it, and headed back down the stairs, back to his car, and back to school.

taglist (let me know if you want to be added or taken off): @basilstorm@artistfromthestars@storytellerofuntoldlegends@romananalogicality@verymuchanidiot @istolelittleredshoodie @dont-cry-croft @speechless-angel@thefamouszombiebouquet @wolfwalker100 @datonerougecookeh@virgilient @virgil-is-verge@impatentpending@zaisling@trixie85592 @sillysandersides @hamster-corn @adventurousplatypus @unring-this-bell@mymiddlenameisunderscore @evilmuffin

#roman sanders #thomas sanders fanfiction #sanders sides fanfiction #roman sanders angst #sanders sides angst #katwrites #this actually happened to a kid in my class #and i just wanted to hug him so bad #he was so upset #also yeah if this happened to me i would just straight up burst into tears lol

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originaldanganronpascenarios · 6 years ago

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s/o born on April 1st who doesn’t like their birthday because no one remembers it with gundam Nagito souda and taka

Ah this one is quite sad... Its related to April fools anyhow so it was prioritized. Also idk if you wanted boys to not know about it so I made few cases when they do and few when they don't.

Gundham Nagito Kazuichi and Kiyotaka with S/O whose birthday is allways forgotten (on April 1st)

Gundham Tanaka

You never told him about problems with your birthday. You were together for about 2 weeks and he didn't even knew today was your birthday. You decided not to tell him simply because he whould forget like everyone anyways...

When your best friend told him about it he was feeling guilty. Gundham wanted to make it up to you. As he went through halls looking for you with lots of laughs and screams over pranks he went towards you.

You weren't surprised but he said something unexpected "My love why didn't you say that today is the celebration of the day you were born?". As you tried to look down he stopped you pulling you closer to him and forcing you to look at him.

You told him the reason that everyone is so happy about April fools that they simply forget about it. It was going on for so long that you kinda got used to it...

He couldn't belive what you said but tried to cheer you up saying "Those fools rather celebrate the day filled with some pathetic jokes than the day a god/goddess was born!?". It did make you feel better just a bit. But you didn't thought he whould make a big deal about it.

And so he took you on an amazing date.

Nagito Komaeda

He knew that your birthday was today and he prepared a gift for you. Yet you acted weird that day.

When he finally asked you what was the reason behind your behavior you told him that everyone allways forgot about your birthday.

Nagito didn't expect that answer. It seemed like he had to miss something but now that he thinks about it he indeed was the first one to wish you happy birthday.

As you signed he quickly disappeared. He went to the rest of the class and told them about it. Mission: S/Os birthday party was in motion.

Everyone took care of everything as he just had to distract you. You thought he was acting a bit suspicious but after he led you towards cafeteria you were surprised to see your whole class there (for Nagito it took them quite short time but they are ultimates after all!).

They all shouted 'Happy birthday' as you couldn't hold back tears of joy. They held small party for you and you enjoyed your time.

Kazuichi Souda

He never understood why you avoided topic of your birthday. Since Kazuichi didn't wanted to end up as bad boyfriend he wanted to make you a surprise for your birthday!

The thing was you wouldn't tell him he didn't knew why he really needed to know! Did he had even time to prepare his gift!?

As he didn't knew your birthday was actually today... He found out since you looked a little bit down all day and he managed to finally find it.

Kazuichi freaked out since his gift wasn't ready (aka scooter he was making).

What he did was spending that day with you and he wanted to make it special. His attempts were quite adorable. You knew how much you ment for him and he was trying his best to make you happy and feel special.

Luckily he was done fast with his gift so after about a week you got it. You didn't expect him to make this for you. It had a lot of cute details that matched your personality. There was no words to describe how surprised you were. The time you spent with him was enough for you but you couldn't say no to something he spend so much time making!

Kiyotaka Ishimaru

He made triple sure to not forget your birthday as he knew that mostly everyone was too focused on April fools to remember it.

Kiyotaka was very disappointed in everyone. Your birthday was 1000 times more important!

This year it had to be special since he knew how you felt about it. He was busy though trying to make things in order so there won't be any bigger pranks.

He tried to be focused on both things but you saw how he had trouble trying to do his job while paying attention to you. Your decision was to from now on celebrate your birthday day after.

Kiyotaka felt bad like it was his fault but thinking now it will be easier for you since even if someone remembers there won't be any prank-presents.

Right after April fools he had his full attention on you and you two could spend time together!

This is last April fools request! By the way sorry if Kiyotakas was a bit shitty-

~Mod Chiaki

#gundham tanaka #nagito komaeda #kazuichi souda #kiyotaka ishimaru

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medea10 · 6 years ago

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My Review of Zombieland Saga

#anime review #zombieland saga #kotaro tatsumi #sakura minamoto #lily hoshikawa #saki nikaido #junko konno #tae yamada #yugiri #ai mizuno

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thatishogwash · 6 years ago

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To the Edge of the Universe

Written for Bokuroo Week 2019

Day One: April 2nd - Galaxies/Universe

AO3

“Name.” The doctor, Shirofuku, requests as a red light scans over his body.

“Kuroo Tetsurou.” Kuroo stretches his fingers, hopes that the aches and pains of his joints and muscles is just another side effect like the short term amnesia and spotty vision. “Designation Alpha-Alpha-Five-Two-Eight-Victor. Thirty-five years old, Coordination Specialist for JAXA or Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency. Assigned to Space Station Journey.” Kuroo rattled off more information. He had woken half blind and in a state of confusion and panic. He had been made aware that Suspended Status had never been used to that extent before, that there might be unforeseen problems but so far everything seemed to be slowly coming back to him.

“You’re showing signs of dehydration,” Shirofuku reported, reading lines of information on her tablet that were being fed to her from the various devices Kuroo was hooked up to. “Are you experiencing any other symptoms besides the mild aches you reported before?” Kuroo stretched his fingers once more, considered keeping somethings to himself before thinking better.

“I think the amnesia might be more long term than initially reported.” Kuroo’s thumb rubbed absently over his ring finger. Shirofuku nodded, making a note on her tablet.

“Tell me what you do remember and I will see if your file reveals any missing information.” Shirofuku tucked a strand of her dark red hair behind her ear as she gave Kuroo her full attention.

The Earth had quickly filled to capacity. Humans had expanded out as much as they could so they started to build up and when that became too full they created long term Space Stations that orbited around Earth. Yet even that became too much far too soon. Kuroo had grown up on one of those Space Stations, he was made an early orphan. There had been a sickness that rampaged the station, decimating the population. Kuroo had survived but it had been months until anyone attempted a rescue, too concerned with contamination. Kuroo had lost what little he had, when JAXA came calling he answered because he wasn’t sure what else to do with his life.

Kuroo remembered the years of harsh training, long nights spent studying and crawling his way to the top. A mission, to take a newly built state of the art station out into the wide expanse of the universe. There would be twelve separate crews of twelve people, all widely experienced and highly trained. Kuroo would be put into stasis for almost two hundred years, or until the three specialist before him died. He was apart of the fourth crew.

“You seem to be remembering your own history quite well.” Shirofuku reported, checking Kuroo’s memories with his file. “A sense of deja vu or forgetting something is expected.” Kuroo rubbed at his tired eyes.

The Station was equipped with lighting that was supposed to replicate the changing of days to give the crew a concept of time. Kuroo had grown up on a failing station that had always seemed to be in a state of dark so his sense of time had always seemed off. But from the logs he was made to keep and the meals he ate he estimated it was nearly a month before he was finally allowed out of the small medical room he had woken up in. He knew it was only procedure, to make sure his entire body was up to handling interaction with any other people.

Kuroo pulled at the hem of his overly starched uniform, feeling a bit silly for the formality when it was just the twelve of them for the foreseeable future. He still felt as if he was missing something, had realized while he remembered in great detail his history and training, he remembered none of the people who would have made up his life. Shirofuku had seemed interested but not too concerned.

Everyone was gathering to meet for the first time, Kuroo felt a shiver of anticipation run down his spine as the rest of the crew entered the observation deck one by one. Introductions all around from the engineer to the captain to the doctor.

The Captain, a serious-looking man by the name of Sawamura Daichi who had shook Kuroo’s hand in an almost crushing grip and was more cunning than his country accent portrayed him as, opened the metal walls to reveal floor to ceiling windows that looked out into the vast nothingness that was space. They all stepped forward, looking to the left as a group to see a swirling purple, pink, and blue galaxy. It was terrifying and beautiful in a way only the universe could be.

Kuroo felt eyes on him, had felt eyes on him since he had stepped onto the observation deck. It wasn’t concerning at first, they had all been sizing each other up. They had been paired as a crew after taking over a dozen very detailed tests that analyzed them as the ones who would work best together. But they hadn’t known each other before.

At least that was the impression Kuroo had gotten. He turned his head, saw the swirling galaxy in light brown eyes that almost appeared golden in the artificial light that was supposed to represent early morning. Those eyes were heavy lidded but a wide grin spread across the chief tacitians face. He had a golden band around his ring finger, Kuroo knew this as an old Earth tradition symbolizing marriage. He hadn’t known anyone still did that, especially someone who spoke with diction that portrayed one of the wealthier space stations.

“I know this might seem like an odd first order, especially since we are all highly trained in our own particular areas but I am assigning pairings. It’s important that there is more than just one person who knows how to fix something that gets broken.” Sawamura spoke up, deep voice easily cutting across the soft chatter. He broke everyone up into groups of two, not stumbling over any of the names. Kuroo asked if he had practiced that speech in the mirror, felt a swell of ridiculous pride when his assigned partner, Bokuto Koutarou, laughed behind him.

“Are you sure about that?” Shirofuku asked, small amused smile curling up her wide mouth. Sawamura looked between Kuroo and Bokuto before letting out a long suffering sigh.

“Why fight the inevitable.” Sawamura said, as if he knew them them both inside and out.

Their titles were mostly a nod to the far distant past. It was true they were on an overgrown ship but it needed a captain as badly as it needed a pilot, and considering it was self automated that meant not at all. A more apt title would probably be peace keeper, or daycare worker. Sawamura’s job was to know the ins and out of the crew, to settle any disagreements before they could become a problem. He was everyone's therapist, their psychologist, their bestfriend and father-figure. He was also in command of them, every decision or discovery was to be run through him first. It was not a job Kuroo envied.

“So you’re the coordination specialist?” Bokuto popped up into Kuroo’s eyesight as everyone broke off into their respected pairs. Kuroo felt his mouth twitch up in a grin though he wasn’t really positive why. “You’re the science guy right?”

“C’mon, I’ll show you my lab.” Kuroo motioned for Bokuto to follow, which the other did. The light bounced off the small piece of jewelry and Kuroo found himself speaking before he had really considered it. “Did you know it’s an old Earth tradition for lovers to exchange rings during a marriage ceremony?” Bokuto’s grin was impossibly wide as he looked at Kuroo. Kuroo thought he might be a little taller than the tactician but it could be his hair giving him added height. He had mostly kept it closely shaven, water was rare on his old station but they had plenty here and he had let it grow out.

“I know, that’s why my husband gave it to me.” Bokuto admitted easily, throwing Kuroo off momentarily. “His knuckles swell so he can’t wear the one I got him, so I’ve been holding onto it for him.” Kuroo resisted the urge to stretch his fingers, his own knuckles were swollen and still ached but he believed it was from the prolonged stasis they had been in. A side effect like his missing memories.

“I’m sorry.” Kuroo apologized, feeling like a fool for bringing it up.

“For what?” Bokuto asked. “Oh you think I left him behind? No he’s here. He uh- I guess you could say he’s kind of still asleep.”

“But you can’t see him.” Kuroo couldn’t understand how someone could be so chipper about being away from someone they cared enough about to enter into a union with. Bokuto looked at him with those golden brown eyes before a gentle smile light up his face.

“Maybe one day he’ll wake up and remember me, but until then I have you.” Bokuto nudged Kuroo, there was a familiarity in the action that Kuroo did not mind. “We’re partners after all, right? Captain’s orders. Someone once told me that sea captains could marry people, practically makes us a couple.” Kuroo snorted as the door to his lab swooshed open.

“I’m not quite sure that’s what Sawamura meant when he paired people off.” Kuroo said, not quite denying Bokuto though he wasn’t sure why. He just knew that he found Bokuto’s presence soothing to nerves he hadn’t even realized were frayed. It felt like he could finally take a nice, deep breath and let go of tension he hadn’t realized he had been holding onto since waking. Perhaps even before he was put into stasis.

Bokuto listened to Kuroo’s lengthy and detailed explanation of his role unboard the station. Kuroo found his own job interesting but knew few others did. Bokuto only interrupted with more questions, allowing Kuroo to go on long tangents about the probes they sent out to bring data back for him to analyze.

It wasn’t until later when Kuroo was dodging Bokuto’s expressive arm waving as he enthusiastically explained his own position amongst the crew of twelve that Kuroo began to get an inkling of something. It tickled the back of his mind, an acknowledgement to the growing warmth inside him that spoke of more than just an easy friendship born of common circumstances and a friendly personality.

“Why did you decide to accept this mission?” Kuroo asked as they walked down the long corridor together, meeting back up with the others for an evening meal. The infinite universe spread out before them, separated by a seemingly insignificant amount of glass, reflected in golden brown eyes as they squinted in a happy smile.

“Because I’d follow my husband to the end of the universe if that’s what it meant to be with him.” Bokuto’s fingers grazed Kuroo’s. It could have been an accident, Bokuto struck Kuroo as the type of person to always push into others space, the one who needed physical comfort. But it felt like something more and Kuroo felt that sense of something just beyond his reach, a feeling that was coming familiar to him.

“Lucky guy.” Kuroo said honestly, earning a wide spread grin from Bokuto.

“He is, isn’t he? I’m amazing!” Bokuto yelled, voice echoing down the hall and earning an exasperated look from Sawamura who was walking ahead of them.

Kuroo was not sure if he would ever regain his full memory. He wasn’t even sure if what he was feeling was just wishful thinking or the edge of the truth. But they had an infinite universe spread out before them to figure it out and Bokuto didn’t seem as if he was planning to go anywhere anytime soon.

#bokuroo week #bokuroo week 2019 #my writing #haikyuu!!#haikyuu

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exforma · 6 years ago

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🤡

“This isn’t funny, Rosine.”

“You know what wasn’t funny? You coming back just to humiliate me, as if you hadn’t done enough the first time.”

Dirk is on his feet behind his desk, watching you, backing up when you take a step forward. Your smile is plain, your hands empty of weapons, yet he seems to, correctly, distrust both facts as indicating anything close to diplomacy.

“...You--”

“No. You don’t get to talk right now. It’s my turn.”

He swallows.

“You fed off my desperation, like a parasite, and treat me like the villain for my hesitation to want this again? To trust this? To trust you? How dare you.”

Another step forward from you, another step back from him.

“I’d lost everything. I discovered I was a pawn, a mere pitiful punchline in the joke of my own universe, robbed of my childhood, my state of mind broken down from the moment I was born on purpose ‘for the good of the many.’ I had to watch as my stepbrother, my soulmate, abandoned me, and what did you do?”

You’ve reached his desk now, and your arms throw themselves forward, to shove half its contents to the floor. “You said you loved me, and then you fought me! Every step of the way! Pushed me away and isolated me all at once as though one on its own wouldn’t be cruel enough? You wanted me to love one person, you, no one else, and not so much as breathe near anybody else. And God forbid I made the mistake of doing so. It was never enough for you, no amount of my finite attention, no cornucopia of my sacrifices could ever satisfy your stupid trophy shelf. Like the fact that I tolerated your pathetic Frankenstein complex with that monster of an AI you built wasn’t proof enough of my love for you! None of it was enough!”

You round the corner of his desk, so nothing stands between the two of you. His back hits the wall.

“And you have the audacity... to come back, come back into my life, only to embarrass me in person, and then embarrass me on that platform, and then leave? Do you know how many times you promised me to stay by my side no matter our dynamic when I never even asked you to? You said it then, you said it again this round, and you used the fact that every single person in my life broke down my psyche on purpose, against me.”

“Rosine, you’re completely overreacting. That’s not what happened. I was scared, for fuck’s sake, and I was trying. Trying, apparently, not hard enough for you--”

“You’re damn right you weren’t trying hard enough, you piece of shit.”

That shuts him up.

“What?” A laugh comes from dark parted lips, dripping with bitterness. “You think I’m sorry, for expecting more from you, after what you put me through? You think I have any sympathy left in my body for you, any drop of mercy for your fear left in my bones? Am I supposed to apologize?”

You’re close to him now. Too close. Close enough that part of your heart wants to kiss him, feel his arms around you again, feel how he can draw you in and hold you close and feel safe from the crumbling world around you. But you know better now. You know it’s a false sense of safety; you know it’s a trap.

You start to lower to the ground. He watches your hand slip down your boot, your eyes fixed right back on him the whole time, as you stand up again with your switchblade. He flinches when the blade clips out.

“What the fuck are you doing.”

“You shouldn’t’ve made me beg, Dirk.”

“What?”

Your body is against his. “That night, when you demanded reassurance I was yours, in spite of the fact that I hadn’t done a godforsaken thing. You told me to get on my knees, and plead for you to stay.”

“...Rosine...”

“And I did it. I did it for you, because I loved you, and I will never, ever, forgive you for it.”

“I told you I was fucking sorry.”

“You shouldn’t have made me beg,” you repeat.

His features are paler than you’ve seen them in a long time. He doesn’t seem capable of bringing himself to hurt you. You know he can’t. You know, in his own, broken way, he meant it when he said he loved you. He does love you, to the extent he can love anything.

“Don’t come near me again.”

He nods.

“Understand?”

He nods again.

“And if your demon robot amalgam even sets foot in my universe again, I’ll consider you its keeper. If I survive whatever it tries to do to me, in order to get you, you will be the one pay the price. Understand that?”

He nods yet again.

“I’m done fucking around with men that want me brought to heel like a dog. That means you. Breathe near me again, Dirk Strider, and I’ll slice your throat open.”

Another nod. Another nervous swallow.

The harshness in your features fades. You step back, he blinks.

You’re smiling as you put the weapon away, sliding it back into your boot, fixing your hair as you look back up at him. It’s hard to tell if your smile is genuine, or completely empty, but there’s no in between.

“I got you good with that one, didn’t I?”

He stares at you for a few moments of silence. “What?” he finally forces out.

“It’s April Fools’ Day. You should see the look on your face.”

He chokes out a laugh of confusion, still tainted with nerves. “Oh?”

“Yes. Seems I gave you quite the fright.”

“Y-yeah.” He doesn’t know how to respond. “Yes, you did do that.”

And then your smile is gone again. You can see how his body tenses.

You don’t say another thing. You walk to the transportalizer in the corner of his office, enter coordinates back home, and send yourself back out of the room without another word. He’ll spend the rest of his night, rest of his week, wondering if you were serious, robbed of the closure that you just gave yourself in confronting him. Because you know the answer. You know whether you were serious or not. And you could have made your threats in a more direct way, untainted by the possibility of a psychotic joke like this one, but you chose not to. You chose not to because you’ve decided it’s high time Dirk be left as confused and distressed as he forced you to be, for years. You want him torturing over those moments, wondering what on Earth you were thinking, what could possibly have possessed you to do that the way you did, whatever your intentions.

You’re finished trying to make sense to Dirk Strider when it’s clear he never understood you to begin with, and never will.

Your steps are light as you make your way back to your bathroom, tugging the sleeves of your sweater back down to your wrists, and picking up your lipstick to fix it once you’re in front of a mirror. You see the tears in your eyes even though you don’t feel them, not until, that is, a few fall and drip down your cheeks. They hit the porcelain below in silence, the last (the beginning?) of your heartbreak over him demanding to be felt.

But you ignore them anyway. Demand and command and direct as they will, you’ll continue to refuse to give that heartbreak the satisfaction or time of day. Because even if he’ll never know it, even if he’ll never see it, you refuse to give Dirk the satisfaction of crying over him.

He’s broken you badly enough. He doesn’t get to make you cry over him anymore.

You stand up straight, tease your hair once more as you brush the tear trails from your cheeks, cap your lipstick, and make your way to John’s for the night, just like nothing happened.

#; plot #??#( her relationship w dirk has been so influential and tumultuous that it needed a conclusion )#( written w permission of the other mun ofc ! )#( ask to tag )

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modestmuses-a · 6 years ago

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5, 6, 11, 18, 21, 23, 26, 30, 34, 35, 43, 50 - ekko

//CAS I ALREADY DON’T SHUT UP ABOUT THIS BOY AS IT IS. WHY WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE ME AND SUBJECT MY FOLLOWERS TO THIS?? i’m gonna have to fuckin readmore this for length because Christ…

Unusual Headcanons | accepting

5. How many blankets / pillows do they like to have on their bed?

One of each. When it’s exceptionally warm out, you can nix the blanket. Although, “blanket” is kind of a strong word for it. It’s really more of a threadbare rag at this point. When it gets cold out, he does think, “Hm, I better replace this,” but then he immediately forgets about it upon waking up and getting on with his day.

6. What do they normally dream about? Nightmares or nonsense?

Thanks to time travel fucking with his circadian rhythm, it’s very rare for Ekko to get any more than three or four hours of sleep at a time. More on that here.

But his terrible non-existent sleeping patterns, coupled with a whole host of repressed negative emotions that he hasn’t properly worked through because he doesn’t want to burden anyone with his problems, mean his nightmares are frequent and severe. Usually of the ridiculously gory variety. His nightmares typically end with him dying in some over-the-top, Final-Destination-esque way.

(Speaking of, my favorite death from those movies is from the third one, where the girl stumbles backwards into a nail gun and takes several nails through the back of her skull right out the front of her face.)

If you were to watch them, like, as a horror movie, some of them might be laughable. (If you’re into that sort of thing.) And indeed, he does try to laugh some of them off, although whether it’s genuine laughter or him trying to put on a brave face and again refusing to acknowledge that he’s got Issues is up for debate.

11. Bar soap or liquid? Do they like loofahs?

Bar soap. No loofahs.

18. Do they prefer cats or dogs? Or neither?

Ekko doesn’t really have a preference! He’ll drop scraps down to stray animals when he has the scraps to spare, and he’s made a number of furry friends of both species this way. Sometimes, you’ll just see random animals tailing him as he walks through the city, ‘cause they’re hoping to get more food out of him. He feels guilty when he doesn’t have anything to give them.

21. Did they have any fears growing up that they’ve since conquered?

Ekko used to be afraid of trees when he was younger and would always hold his breath when he walked by the cultivair. This is because he heard a story about a man who accidentally inhaled a tree seed and ended up growing a tree in his lung. He now knows that it’s ridiculous to be afraid of trees for that reason since the odds of it happening to him are infinitesimally small, but he’ll still tell people the story of Ol’ Tree Lung whenever they pass the cultivair, regardless of how many times his present company has heard it before. Most of his friends are sick to death of Ol’ Tree Lung by now.

23. How do they show fear? Sweating, shaking, blankness, anger, etc?

Ekko shakes something fierce when he gets scared. He also starts stammering and messing up sentences on account of his brain working much faster than his mouth. He’ll start a sentence and not finish it. Tries to restart the sentence slightly different this time and doesn’t finish that one either. Starts a sentence, cuts it off, starts a different sentence about a completely different thought, loses track of that one, too.

desperately tries not to cry

26. What are they most passionate about? What could they debate about for hours?

Ekko is passionate about… eating the rich. When are we bringing back the guillotine again?? kfhdgkdf

No, but seriously, Ekko is pretty adamant about “Capitalism sucks” and believes that the best use of wealth is providing for those less fortunate than you. He doesn’t have a lot, but he’s always using what he does have to help the Lost Children and his parents first and himself second. He sees people living these lives of luxury, and it makes him sick ‘cause he’s just like… *gestures @ starving orphans* “Y’all wanna like… maybe do something about this sometime?”

He believes that no one should have that much money for any reason because they should be putting it towards making society a better place instead of just… sitting on it. There is a reason I associate Billy Talent with him (and why “Man Alive!” is his main verse tag) and it’s because they have a lot of songs that just absolutely shit all over capitalism. I made a playlist for Ekko, and the first four songs on it are Billy Talent criticizing capitalism for the flawed, soul-sucking system that it is. (Three of the four are from the Dead Silence album.)

Anyway, Billy Talent tangent aside since I can’t control myself…

On April Fool’s, there were a couple IC posts of rich characters saying, “Rich people don’t have rights!” but then claiming to be exceptions to the rule. Like, one of them said, “I have rights ‘cause I didn’t choose to be rich. I was just born into a rich family.”

And let me tell you, I had to physically restrain Ekko ‘cause he was p i s s e d. He was in time-out that day, haha! “Oh, I’m so sorry, it must be so hard for you to have been born into a life of privilege,” he fumes to himself in the little corner I’ve trapped him in. “NONE OF YOU ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE! NONE OF YOU HAVE RIGHTS! AND WHEN THE REVOLUTION COMES, YOU’RE GOING TO THE GUILLOTINE WITH THE REST OF ‘EM!”

Me, desperately trying to calm him down like, “No, no, shh, look at the date! It’s probably just a joke!”

He’s like, “IT FUCKING BETTER BE.”

Tl;dr: Nothing gets Ekko riled quite like rich people being shitty and annoying.

I was also going to mention that Ekko’s passionate about maintaining hope and will argue the importance of not giving up and not letting bad situations turn you into a bad person, but this answer is already hella long, so here’s a brief passing mention of it lmao

30. Is there something about their personality they want to change?

Ekko is… angry deep down. Or maybe not even so deep down. Maybe right there, just under his skin. And he wishes he wasn’t.

He often questions his own goodness, wondering if he’s not just Fake Nice to conceal the wretched thing he actually is. If you skim the top layer of sweetness off of him, you’re left with this horrid, bitter, hateful little beast. Or that’s what he thinks sometimes, anyway.

Whether it’s justified or it isn’t, anger is such an ugly emotion, and he’s worried it’s going to cause him to hurt someone he cares about someday.

I often worry about my portrayal of Ekko and how damn inconsistent it is sometimes ‘cause in one thread, he’s this sweet helpful angel who wants to do his best, and in another thread, he’s more bitter than the blackest coffee, but like. This be why. He’s a good person. Just deep down, he’s angry about A Lot, but even deeper down, he’s an even better person. He feels like his anger is the thing standing between him and being the best person he can be, and he wishes he could get rid of it, but alas, it seems to be stuck to him.

I mean, maybe it wouldn’t be if he ever bothered to resolve any of his Issues, but y’know. Helping others comes first, so :’) He’ll worry about helping himself when he’s dead.

34. Are they the jealous type? What are they most likely to be jealous of?

Hmm, I wouldn’t say Ekko is much of the jealous type, no. Like, his anger towards rich folks isn’t because he’s jealous of their lifestyle or wants what they have. It’s because he wants them to be decent fucking people for once. It doesn’t make sense to a lot of people, but he’s content stomping around in the gutters. He does wish things were easier on his parents, but he can’t complain about the life of freedom he’s been allowed to lead up to this point.

He doesn’t really get jealous of other people’s relationships either. Like, I mentioned in a reply to Draven that in the Academy verse, Ekko has a crush on Ahri. (But only in the Academy verse.) But like, he doesn’t really get jealous when she dates other guys. In fact, he expects it. He hasn’t said anything about his crush on Ahri (although it’s probably a bit obvious), and he’s never going to because he doesn’t expect anything to come of it. He lowkey doesn’t want anything to come of it because he feels like it’ll just make the dynamics in their friend group weird. So, really, he’s got no problem with her dating whoever she wants.

35. Are they possessive over their things? Or over other people? Both?

The only thing Ekko is especially possessive of is the Zero Drive, for obvious reasons. It’d be just… the worst to have that fall into the wrong hands. Time travel is a huge responsibility, Ekko says as he abuses the shit out of it to skip class and get infinite Halloween candy. Can you imagine what would happen if any of the shadier characters in LoL had the ability to time travel??

He isn’t particularly possessive over the rest of his things, though, and he’ll frequently give stuff up to people he feels could use it more.

As for people… I wouldn’t call him possessive, so much as protective. He might seem a bit possessive of his friends at times, but it’s only because he’s trying to keep them out of trouble. Whenever he tells people, “I don’t want you hanging out with so-and-so,” it’s not because he’s being possessive, it’s because so-and-so has Bad Vibes written all over them.

In the modern/K/DA verse, he’s friends with Akali before she gets famous. She ran away from the dojo and lived on the streets for a while, and it was there that she met Ekko, and honestly, he probably did a lot more than he realizes to keep her out of trouble. Who knows what kind of bullshit her dumb ass would have gotten into if she hadn’t been trying to set as good of an example for Ekko as she could?

Anyway, modern verse Ekko despises modern verse Shen. Akali gets back in touch with Shen, and Ekko is extremely vocal about how terrible he finds this whole idea.

And it’s not that he’s possessive of Akali. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. When she needed to leave him to join K/DA, he let her go ‘cause he understood that was her big dream and it wouldn’t have been fair to keep her there. She was destined for better things, and he wanted to see her get off the streets.

But it’s just that… he’s heard stories about the way she was treated at the dojo, so when she tells him she got back in touch with Shen, he gets pissed and tells her that she can’t expect him to support her ripping open old wounds. He’s just scared that Shen’s going to hurt her again, so when she tries to introduce the two of them to each other, Ekko’s cold towards Shen at best and openly hostile towards him at worst. He might be inclined to strangle the guy if Akali didn’t have herself situated between them in a somewhat fruitless effort to ease the tension.

43. Do they like living alone or with another person / other people?

Ahaha, Ekko is a huge people-person, actually! I think he’d just die if he had to live alone. A big reason he spends so much time away from home and out on the streets is because his parents are never home, and the house feels too empty without them. He’ll roll back home in the evening, when his parents are getting off work, to enjoy their company for a bit before they both pass out, but unless somebody else is there, he doesn’t want to be either.

If he had to live alone, there wouldn’t be any point in him having a house or anything ‘cause he’d literally never stay there. He’d always be out chasing adventure and other people’s company.

50. Where do they see themselves in 2 / 5 / 10 years?

God, this is hard because the thing is that Ekko is terrible at making plans for the future, especially long-term plans. Thinking about the future causes him major stress, especially when he thinks of possibilities that might involve him relinquishing some of his freedom, which is a lot. Like, he has no desire to go to school or join the workforce - at least not in any sort of traditional way - or any of that, and the fact that he’s not going to be 16 forever is just something that he prefers not to think about!

Anyway, let’s take a crack at it, nonetheless…

In two years, Ekko hopes to have worked up the courage to tell his parents he doesn’t want to go to the academy in Piltover. Listen… he’s working on it. But like, he thinks at least part of the reason they work so hard is because they’re trying to put money back to send him to school, and… he’s really torn about it. He’d feel guilty if they kept working to send him to school without knowing he doesn’t want to go, but he’d also feel guilty if he told them he doesn’t want to go and crushed all their hopes and dreams. So, really, it is a lose-lose.

But hey, two years is plenty of time to work up the courage, right?

In five years, Ekko’s unsure of whether he’ll still be living with his parents or not. He knows that he wants to get them into a nicer house, and as such, he’ll likely have to find some way to make money other than thievery. So, he might consider commercializing an invention or two.

He knows his parents are fond of Piltover for whatever reason, and he would reluctantly let them go there, if they wanted. That’s why he isn’t sure if he’ll still be living with them or not because if they do choose to go to Piltover, he’s absolutely staying behind in Zaun. He wants them to be happy, but he’s not going to abandon Zaun like that. Plus, he can still come visit sometimes, so it’s like… whatever.

He would also like to make a little more progress on the Z-Drive by this point, maybe getting it to the point where he can go back days instead of only minutes. Just in case. You never know when that thing you did three days ago is gonna come back around to bite you in the ass.

In ten years, he’ll be 26 and probably (sadly) a bit old to be running around doing dumb teenager things. Still, he can’t see himself abandoning the Lost Children. They’ll still need someone, you know? A large part of his mission with the Lost Children has become keeping them out of trouble, more or less. The bad kind of trouble, anyway. Keeping them away from chem-punks and out of the factories and away from drugs and potentially dangerous augmentations, so on and so forth.

He’d like to keep doing that, keep helping kids stay out of bad situations. Maybe start some sort of home for them, where they can come get a bed and a warm meal. Or something like a school, but where they’re allowed to study what they want and hone the skills they think will be most useful to them, instead of some arbitrary curriculum they’re not even interested in. Maybe a bit ambitious for only ten years, but… he hopes to at least be on his way to that sort of thing by then.

He wants to see Zaun be a better place, and children are the future, and he doesn’t want to see any of them fall through the cracks. If there’s any hope for Zaun to get better - and he believes there is - it starts with its children being happy and safe.

So, his plans are currently:

Tell his parents he doesn’t want to go to the academy.

Get his parents somewhere nicer ‘cause they deserve it.

Improve time travel maybe.

Find a way to get as many children out of harm’s way as humanly possible.

And that’s basically it.

#hc: ekko #hc: akali #shensheng aoman #building nothing out of something [answered]#//i'd apologize for this taking so long but like #//you asked for it #//also i have to tag this as an akali headcanon too #//it's difficult for me to talk about modern verse ekko WITHOUT mentioning his friendship with akali #//bc it's very important to me!!#//anyway enjoy your essay #//*casually writes an 8-page thesis about ekko*#//seriously if you format this like a school essay #//with 1-inch margins 12-point times new roman double-spaced #//it's 8 pages long #gore tw #//i guess i should also include that tag #//for my inability to resist mentioning the nail gun scene from final destination 3

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