#THE GIRL JOINING IN AS THEY SWITCH TO THE PRESENT TENSE. WHEN AM I RETURNING. INSANE

[yououghtaknow]

another bpd banger from our pal bill.

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Bound Blood (Cassandra Dimitrescu/Reader, Soulmate AU) Pt. 2

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village

Rating: T+ for blood, language, nudity, and horny

Warnings: Implied pain/blood kink

Summary: Local vampire tries to give her human soulmate a bath, but the human is feral and loving it. Then it gets a lil horny, to both of their frustration.

Previous Chapters: 1: Sharing Is (Not) Caring

2: Bloodbath, Baby!

“I take it you changed your mind about the clothes? Or am I supposed to use these towels like a makeshift toga?” You asked, glancing around the bathroom, eying the ornate tub with mild interest. This certainly wasn’t where you had expected Cassandra to take you, especially not when she had somewhat promised you garments to wear. There were no pants or shirts (or even dresses) in sight, just a rack of the softest looking towels you had ever seen. It was admittedly difficult for you to resist the urge to use one to wipe the blood off of your shoulder. However, you figured that it would be best to save that for after you were given a good behavior prize. After all, it was much more fun to be a bastard if your “victim” (not that Cassandra really counted as that) knew how polite you were capable of being, and you were, under normal circumstances, very polite. Most of the time. Maybe.

“What did I say about talking?” Cassandra snapped at you, glaring at you from her perch on the counter. She was sitting on the edge, waiting for something, occasionally eying the room’s entrance.

“You told me to shut up for ‘five minutes’. It’s been eight, at the very least! I’ve been holding back, just for you, babe,” you replied, smirking as you did. For a moment your soulmate seems to consider chucking a bar of soap at your head. Eventually she thinks better of it, opting to roll her eyes at you instead. “For the record, I did count, just to be sure. Wouldn’t have wanted to make any assumptions about the passage of time, considering how fast time seems to fly when I’m with a loved one.” Unfortunately, this does not get a rise out of Cassandra, who has shifted to face away from you. Not yet willing to give up your buffoonery (and assuming that you would not, in fact, be getting a good behavior prize anytime soon), you released a loud, exaggerated sigh, before switching tactics.

Standing up with the blanket still curled around yourself, you maneuver over to the tub, eagerly climbing inside. With how large it was, laying down was fairly easy, though you weren’t entirely flat. Wanting to be as comfortable as possible, you adjust yourself and the blanket until it covers you, while letting one end go behind your head like a pillow. It’s nowhere near as nice as you had hoped. On the plus side, however, is the attention it gets from Cassandra. Before long she’s standing adjacent to the tub, staring down with an expression of exasperation.

“What the fuck are you doing?” She asked.

“Napping, obviously. Care to join me?” You answered, without hesitation. Then you gently pat the blanket, as if offering to let her sit on top of you. This only serves to make her angrier. Now she’s leaning over the basin, bracing one hand against it, her other hand reaching to grab your throat and pull you towards her. The two of you are so close that you can’t help but blush, and the feeling of her skin against yours is weirdly attractive. “I should have known you were the kinky type. Not that I mind,” you murmured, gaze wandering a little farther south than her lips. Before you know it she’s shoved you back down and let go of you. She shakes her hand a bit, like she’s just touched something gross, but you see the pink rising on her cheeks. As much as you want to tease her, the sound of approaching footsteps takes priority. Soon the door is opening, revealing a stressed servant, a pile of clothes in her arms. Suddenly you’re glad that Cassandra pushed you away, considering you don’t think she would have enjoyed having someone walk in on the two of you in that position.

“Lady Cassandra, I have what you requested. Would you like me to draw a bath for you? Or-” she pauses when she sees you, clearly unsure of what to make of your behavior. Hell, she almost drops what she’s carrying, and makes a soft ‘oh’ sound. Presumably dying inside, Cassandra quickly takes the bundle from her. Then she stands between the two of you, blocking line of sight, looking as tense as could be.

“Just get back to work, and don’t mention this to anyone,” she growled, gesturing towards the door. As soon as the maiden closes it behind her, Cassandra is turning back to you. “Get rid of that stupid fucking blanket or I’m forcing you to wear wet socks.” Understandably, you start giggling at her request, hardly able to believe that she had really just said those words out loud. “Would you prefer I cut up the soles of your feet? I’ll heal long before you do, asshole.” Now that makes you pause, trying to figure out whether or not her threat held up. Even though everyone had a basic understanding of how blood bonds worked (the less romantic, and more historic, way to refer to soulmates), the specifics were confusing for most people, including yourself. Would your aching wounds bother her? Or only the initial injury?... Somehow you had a feeling you’d figure out the answer within the next few days.

Until then, you decide to err on the side of caution, for once in your life. Still, you roll your eyes before you pull the blanket up and out of the tub. Again you spot a faint rosy tint on Cassandra’s face, and her gaze most definitely lingers on places other than your eyes. In the end you have to bite your lower lip to stop yourself from calling her out on it. Gotta get some clothes first, you think, then back to being a dick. Holding back only gets harder from there.

Wordlessly, Cassandra takes a seat by the front of the tub, where your feet are propped up on the edge. Giving you a judgemental look, she pushes them aside so she can reach the controls knobs easier. You give an exaggerated pout in response, only for her to ignore you completely, trying very hard to look anywhere but at you. It was in stark contrast to how she had looked at you a mere half an hour earlier. There were several interesting things to note about her behavior, and you found yourself almost excited to figure out the puzzle she presented. Did she care about you now? Simply because of your blood bond? Did she have a genuine soft spot for romance?... Those sorts of questions were all you could think about, even as Cassandra turned the handles, letting cold water splash into the tub.

“I’d say ‘fuck you’ but honestly, were I in your position I would likely do the same,” you said, shivering a little. Cassandra raises an eyebrow, staring at you like you were stupid, before turning the handle a bit more. Eventually you figure out what she meant by it. “What, you guys don’t have a quality water heater? This is Romania for fuck’s sake. I would have figured the water would be a hell of a lot hotter by now,” you added, only for her to splash some still very much cold water on your face. “Is this fun for you? Are you enjoying this? God, I hope you assholes have Legos somewhere in this maniac menagerie, so I can step on them while you sleep.”

“Do you always spit in the face of kindness?” Cassandra asked, moving towards the other end of the tub as she spoke. Once more you laugh, though this time it’s much more of a hollow sound, and your smile doesn’t reach your eyes. “My sister wanted to kill you, but I pulled your pathetic corpse out of the basement, now I’m letting you use my bath, and you’re mocking me. This is why I don’t bother with this shit,” she growled, even as she wets a washcloth and starts dabbing at your wounds. On one hand you understand her frustration… but on the other you couldn’t get the image of her past victims out of your head.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be clean than not,” you started to say, pausing to think for a moment. Then you reach out, putting your hand over Cassandra’s, making her freeze in place. It’s soft enough of a touch to surprise her. Which is why it’s so easy for you to snatch the towel from her hands. “You ‘don’t bother’ with this ‘shit’ because you’re a fucking sadist, who thinks all humans are beneath you, who acts like she has every right to bleed innocent people dry, who thinks she’s God’s gift to this goddamn hellhole we call Earth. Do you think this makes up for your sins? Do you-” her nails dig into your arm and she grits her teeth in pain- “think that I can forget listening to the screams of your victims? Whose graves is this castle built upon? Whose fucking bones am I standing on? Who died to keep you alive? How many other versions of me have you killed, in other timelines, in other lives, where the universe didn’t demand that we be together? I’ve seen your heart, girl, and it’s as raw as they come.”

There’s a brief second of intense, furious eye contact. Then a flash of movement, a rush of pain, tears filling the corner of your eyes. Blood pours from the new hole in your shoulder, but Cassandra is quick to lick it up. She’s groaning in between each run of her tongue across your skin, clearly feeling it every bit that you were, yet she shows no signs of stopping. If anything, her pain seems to spur her on harder. Even you can’t help but blush a little as you struggle beneath her grip. Why did vampires have to use their mouths? Why couldn’t they get blood transfusions, like the rest of society? This way, your pleasure mixes with your misery, leaving you confused, and the fact that you’re still naked is not at all helping.

“Oh fuck off, please,” you gasped, trying to push her off of you. To your surprise, she does as asked, pulling away after one last lick. When you turn to look at her, you see your blood covering her lips and dripping down her chin. “You’re a mess, Cassie. Hot water?” With that you return her favor from earlier, splashing some of the (finally above room temperature) water in her direction. Most of it misses her. A few drops, however, do manage to hit their mark. Then she’s wiping her face on her sleeve, scowling the whole time. There’s still plenty of blood on her face afterwards, but it’s nothing compared to what’s gathering on your shoulder. She eyes the wound, nostrils flaring briefly, a predator dying for one more bite. “If you bite me again, I swear to whoever that one lady y’all worship is, I will bite you. My teeth aren’t made for that shit, but I don’t care. We’ll both be miserable and that’s it, baby! That’s love! I’m threatening you with an unhealthy perception of affection, dipshit!”

This time you expect her to move away, or hit you, or do anything other than what she does. Calling your bluff, she moves around the ever-filling tub, pausing to turn the water off, before hiking the edges of her dress up and… oh. Oh. Somehow she’s in the tub with you now, legs on either side of your waist, presenting the side of her neck to you with a knowing smirk. But you are not known for your cleverness. Nor your ability to make good decisions, at that. Perhaps your blood loss was starting to affect your cognition. Whatever made you so feral, so beautifully unhinged, you embraced it with utter glee. Soon enough your teeth find themselves on Cassandra’s throat, digging in enough for you to feel your blood bond reacting. For a moment she stiffens in response. Then she relaxes, even takes in a rush of air that sounds oddly content, leaning into your touch. What the fuck? You think, almost shocked enough to let go. Almost.

“What’s the matter, pet? I thought you wanted me to know what it felt like on the other side of things?” Cassandra teased, voice quiet and low. Something about her tone sends a familiar, although unwanted, feeling to your core. Still, her words egg you on, and you find yourself biting harder, tugging at the skin a little. More tears gather in your eyes, but you fight through the pain as best as you can. You drag your teeth across her skin, wishing for sharper canines, before letting go to inspect your work. There’s a clear outline where your mouth had been, but not a single drop of blood. Frustrated, you go back in for seconds, choosing a different spot to target. Again you go through the motions, only for no crimson to stain your lips. This cycle repeats several more times, with you running your tongue along her neck in between bites, so focused that you don’t realize that she’s grinding against you until she stops.

“I need to file my teeth,” you mused, trying to forget about what you had just done. Now that it’s over, Cassandra seems to feel the same, and she quickly climbs back out of the tub. She’s refusing to meet your gaze, instead focusing on arranging the clothes the servant had brought earlier. By the time she’s facing you again her blush is almost entirely gone.

“Finish cleaning up, then bandage yourself and get dressed. I’ll have a maiden wait outside to bring you back to my room. Don’t even think about trying to run,” Cassandra said sternly. You’re too distracted by the thought of what happened to give her any snarky response. So she simply nods to herself, then leaves, slamming the door behind her. Though you had expected to be relieved by her absence, you find yourself groaning, holding your head in your hands. Why is she so attractive? This is probably illegal, you think, in at least several countries. Or it should be, at least. Now that she’s gone, there’s nothing to distract you from the price of her attention, with your shoulder and neck aching horribly. Cleaning up was going to hurt even worse. Still, you think, at least I’ll have some time to think of new insults. With that in mind, you begin to wash away the blood, thoughts entirely consumed by your newest ‘partner’.

[stevesharrlngtons]

32 with Roman

prompts are open 

an anon requested some roman angst a lil while back, and while this isn’t super angsty it kinda is? lol

also i changed the wording a bit i hope thats ok

Of course he was here, you really shouldn’t have been surprised. 

Roman had a tendency to worm his way back into your life, physically or mentally, one way or another. It’s like he knew when you were finally moving on, when you had finally pushed him from your consciousness, and decided that that was unacceptable. 

You let out a heavy sigh as you watched him enter the house party, a perky blonde slung comfortably under his arm. The mummers had started then, people whispering and peeking over at him and his date. Just because this party was outside Hemlock Grove city limits didn’t mean that Roman’s name didn’t have any lore or pull to it. You were sure everyone in the state, hell maybe the country, would stop what they were doing to follow him through a room. He had an incredibly commanding presence, something that you once loved, but now just resented. 

“Is that Roman Godfrey?” the guy you had been chatting up asked. 

He was good looking, this random man. Charming, always willing to refill your cup or dance when a song you liked came on. He laughed at your jokes and kept his eyes from wandering to any of the other girls that were in attendance, which was silly, but something you appreciated. You’d only met him a couple of hours ago, so any singular devotion he had to you was quite flattering. You were seriously considering taking his hand and asking him to join you in a room upstairs until Roman showed up and decided to steal his attention from you. This guy, this stupid guy who was the only guy in the party who you’d been attracted to even in the slightest, of course he would have a hard on for Roman and his family name. 

“Who?” you asked with resentment, drinking more of the swilly beer in your cup. 

“Who? Roman Godfrey? His family owns half the state! He’s like, a billionaire. How in the hell do you not know who he is?” he talks like an animated puppy about Roman, you can see as his eyes follow the taller man everywhere he goes in the room. 

You refused to look at Roman yourself, you just stared up at your date (if you could even call him that). You focused on the bumping music as he continued to gush about Godfrey Industries and Roman’s family money. God, you bet this guy talked about Elon Musk like this too… and suddenly you felt so repulsed by him that your skin crawled at the thought of him touching you. 

“You know what?” you cut him off from his rant, “I’m going to go out for a cigarette.” 

“Oh, OK. Want me to come?” He asked.

“No, not particularly.” And you were sure he was scowling after you and calling you a bitch, but you didn’t care. You needed to get away from him, his Roman complex, and all other Roman related things. 

You pushed your way through the throngs of people in the house to the back sliding door, where you exited to the pleasant gust of chilled air. It was a welcomed contrast on your skin after simmering inside with all it’s muggy body heat. 

The house that was throwing the party was really nice, nicer than any house you’d be able to afford. There was a large inground pool, complete with water features and a conjoined hot tub; an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and fully stocked fridge; and some of the most beautiful landscaping you’d ever seen. It made you wonder who actually lived here. One of your coworkers had invited you along, and you had only shown up to have something to do on a Friday night. You saw her for around five minutes when you arrived, then you’d both disappeared into the sea of people. 

You went over to the kitchen and took a seat on one of the built in benches. It was carved into the brick next to the pizza oven, and even though the oven was off, you could still feel some heat emanating from it. You pulled your knees to your chest and settled against the brick, temple to the oven as you enjoyed the silence the night had to offer. You took out your phone from your jeans and began to app surf, switching between social medias to keep your mind busy. 

“Now, what’s a pretty little thing like you doing out here, all by her lonesome?” you could see the smarmy grin on his face without even looking up. 

A part of you had futilely hoped that escaping outside would have thrown Roman off your scent. You’d up and completely left parties when he had arrived in the past, so you hoped he would have assumed that was the case tonight. But then again if he had, he wouldn’t be Roman. Because he seemed to have a tracking device on you, always aware of your whereabouts. It used to be helpful, but now it just pissed you off. 

“You’re such a little stalker, you know that right?” you sneer, refusing to look up from your phone. 

“Pretty sure you’re the stalker, (Y/L/N). Somehow wherever I go,” He trails off as he came to sit next to you, far too close for comfort, “There you are.” 

“Whatever, Roman.” you reply, eyes still glued to your phone as you huddled closer to the oven. 

“What? No snarky retort? No adamant denial? Man, someone’s gone soft,” he chuckles. 

“Or maybe I’m just sick of this little game you’ve roped me into,” you bit back, and you could see in your periphery that his smile grew. 

“You love it.” 

“No, you love it. It’s why you never fucking leave me alone.” 

He scoffs, but doesn’t say anything else. There is a long beat of silence where the two of you just listen to each other's breaths, of the sound of the others clothing scraping against the brick and the sound of your deft fingers against your screen. 

It reminded you of when you were together, of when you had been the perky girl under his arm and the one enthralled by his presence. It reminded you of the late nights he’d shatter your body with pleasure and put you back together again. It reminded you of the times that he'd lay on your chest and murmur secrets and confessions with tears streaking his alabaster cheeks. It reminded you of the ever present smile he brought out in you. 

It reminded you of Roman’s refusal to admit any true feelings for you. It reminded you of tense silence after fights. It reminded you of how he broke your heart. 

“That guy you were talking to? Tried to shake my hand,” Roman chuckles, “Fucking freak.” 

“Yeah, that’s why I ditched him. He probably liked you more than you like you.” 

Roman snorts, “He was practically humping my leg.” 

“Yeah, well he was practically humping mine before you showed up. So thanks for that.” you said bitterly, finally pocketing your phone and looking out over the groomed backyard. 

“He wouldn’t have known what to do with a woman like you.” 

“I would have liked to figure that out on my own upstairs, thank you very much.” you cross your arms over your folded knees. 

“C’mon, that guy? I could smell his drug store cologne from a mile away, and that fucking geled hair? You chose that guy?” you could easily detect the envy in his voice.

“C’mon, that girl? With fake tits up to her chin and boxed dyed roots?” you shot back fast, and then immediately cursed yourself. 

Because you had just played into his game, the one you had been trying for the past few months to eject yourself from. 

“She’s hot, isn’t she?” he drawls, leaning back against the bench. 

“If you’re into that 80’s fake Sports Illustrated look.” 

“She fucks like she’s straight out of Hustler.” 

“Thanks for oversharing, Roman. Though that information feels a little more suited for Peter than me.” you said sarcastically, hoping with every passing second that he would get the hint and leave you alone. 

But he never did. Not tonight, not last time and you were sure he never would. 

“You used to love when I overshared. You said it made you feel closer to me,” he nudged you with his shoulder and you felt sick. 

Because yes, you had said that. You had loved when he told you everything. When he didn’t hold back on his thoughts and feelings, and told you things that were sometimes so ugly he’d retch. 

“You’re such a dick,” you swore, and finally stood to escape him.

“Oh, don’t be like that! Sit back down.” Roman reached out to take a hold of your wrist, but you flinched away at his touch. 

“Leave me alone.” 

“Sit back down and maybe I’ll think about it,” he laughs while trying to grab you again. 

“How long are you going to do this to me, Roman? How much longer are you going to torment me!” you snap.

You look down at him for the first time all night. You had been avoiding direct eye contact since he followed you outside, afraid of what those sinful green eyes could get you to do. You’d backslid with Roman one to many times because of those fucking eyes. 

“Torment you? That seems a bit rash,” he scoffs. 

“I don’t think it is, I actually think it lets you off too easy.” 

“Yeah?” he replies, fully condescending and pompous. 

“Yeah,” you clench your jaw, “because it’s like you’re haunting me, it's like you’re this looming force that will never let me move on. And for the life of me Roman, I can’t fucking figure out why. Is it just to torture me for leaving? Are you that much of a spoiled brat? That once the toy you didn’t want gets thrown out you through a tantrum until it’s back?” 

“Fuck you.”

“No, fuck you! I’m so sick of this, Roman. I’m sick of being at a party or a restaurant or a coffee shop and then having you appear out of thin air to remind me of how much it all just hurts. Do you even care? Do you even care that everytime I see you it takes off a year of my life from pure grief?” 

Because it did. Everytime you spotted him in line behind you, at a table across the room or drinking at a bar you were sat at, you felt awful. You felt so disgusting and used and dirty, because you let Roman take and take from you and when you asked for something in return he refused to give. 

“Am I not allowed to see a friend all of a sudden?” he asks, his tone becoming defensive and worried. 

“We’re not friends. We aren’t. I loved you and you spat in my face. I could never be friends with you again, Roman.”

Roman purses his lips and looks up at you under his brow before pushing up from the bench to stand, “You don’t love me anymore?” 

“It shouldn’t matter.” 

“It does. It does to me.” he steps closer to you with every word and you finally feel the effects of the alcohol you’d had earlier. 

“Well it doesn’t to me, and it shouldn’t to you either. It didn’t then.” 

It didn’t matter to him when he screamed and laughed in your face after your confession. 

Roman doesn’t respond, even though you can tell he wants to. He towers above you now, but you don’t cower under his height. 

You watch Roman chew on the inside of his cheek for a few moments before you know the conversation is over.

“I’m gonna go.” 

You turned back toward the house and started your trek across the grass. 

“Wait!” Roman suddenly called behind you. 

You didn’t want to turn, and maybe if you were stronger you would have kept walking. But you did and you weren’t. 

“What?” you ask with a frustrated sigh. 

“I do, y’know,” he says, his posture hunched and uncomfortable, “I mean, as much as I can feel that way about anyone.” 

“Love me?” you shot back, saying the words he was too cowardly too.

Roman looks around like he’s embarrassed, like he’s looking for any witnesses that might find out he has a heart. Then he nods gently. 

“As much as a person like me can. I don’t even know if I’m capable of... that’ing. To anyone.” 

You knew this is an incredibly vulnerable moment for Roman. You knew from experience that this was as close as he had ever been to uttering those sacreded three words, as close as he had ever felt to feeling them. You knew that this should give you some solace, some closure in your ongoing battle of emotions with the tall boy. You should feel better. But you don’t. 

Because it didn’t change the past, and only gave you worthless hope for some kind of future with the only man you’d ever loved.

“Ok.” was all you said in reply. 

And Roman just nods again, though it’s clear that wasn’t the response he was looking for. You almost expected him to say something else, but he doesn’t. He just takes out a cigarette and lights it.

“I, uh, I’m still going to leave,” you say, rubbing your biceps awkwardly under Roman’s intense gaze, “I only really came here to get laid and that fell through, so…” 

“Well, I could fix that, y’know?” Roman smirks before taking a drag, and suddenly any semblance of a moment being had was.

“I’ll pass,” you say and bid him a silent goodbye. 

You walk across the grass, short and such a vibrant green, even in the winter. You wonder if Roman liked the landscaping and the pool and the kitchen like you did. You wondered if things were different, if you two would live in a house like this. You tried not to think too much about it, though.

When you were almost to the house, you heard Roman call out for you again. 

You simply looked over your shoulder to see him leaning against a brick pillar, cigarette between his plush pink lips.

“I’ll see you soon.” 

feedback is appreciated!! (:

[extremelyblackandwhite]

the unseen one - 20

Pairing: Hades!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: none

A/N: this chapter is called keep the mortals away from zeus specially if the mortal had gained the favour of the lord of the dead. 

Next Chapter >>

Bucky didn’t give much thought to her question, brushing it off as no one as explaining to her who he had been when he was a mortal. He wasn’t entirely sure how she would deal with it, she was much too pure to deal with who he was prior to all of this. James wasn’t even entirely sure if he had fully dealt with it. However, her disappointed yet embarrassed look was still present in his mind and it didn’t help that she left early in the morning to join the maidens. 

He knew she had to but it didn’t help all she did was leave a note wishing him a good day and nothing else. Maybe he was overthinking it, but once again she had been thrown into here due to his inability to identify an oracle. As for Y/N, she personally did not want to bother him or make Hecate mad so she was in the Elysium at precisely 5 AM based on the clock Bucky had on his desk, despite him saying there was no time in the underworld. 

As her bare feet touched the dewy grass of the morning she could see most of the Elysium deserving souls wake up the sun dawning on the horizon, pure smiles on their faces. She knew they were clueless to their prior lives and somehow, to her, that sounded like torture. Not remembering who they loved or what they were was a punishment in paradise.

She saw the maidens starting to assemble by Hecate who looked as if she never slept and yet still looked like a model on a high fashion catalogue. The goddess started to assign tasks, maiden by maiden leaving to tend to her task until it came to her. 

     - I guess you can return ... - the goddess turned to the dying white rose bush Y/N had been working on yesterday ready to send her back to the hopeless task until the appearence of the plant stunned her. The once completely dead bush was now flourishing like a new plant, various white roses springing from the green leaves. - I think you can return to wherever you’re staying. 

     - But I want to help. - she did. She felt uneasy in the underworld and after Minthe’s comment, she didn’t want to be constantly under Bucky’s shadow and cause him any issues. 

    - Sweetheart, listen to me, you’re not needed here so why don’t you return to being someone’s mistress instead of taking my maiden’s job. - Y/N took a step back in disbelief of what she had told her. She knew better not to be a fighter against a goddess but her pride took over and the step she had taken back was taken forward.

    - Why do you hate me so much? - she spoke up to the goddess who had already turned her back on her. Hecate stopped her walk, wondering if she had heard it correctly. - I understand your hatred towards mortals but I’ve never done anything but respect you ever since I came here. All you’ve done is treat me like I’m the worse nuisance in the world. You can hate me all you want but all you’re gonna be is a petty goddess who’s like every other. 

Y/N turned on her heel fast enough not to allow the goddess to continue the argument. She was not gonna be underestimated or treated like an inferior just because of one simple mistake. All she did was follow orders, she wasn’t expecting to end up in the Tartarus and her only mistake was falling in love with someone. 

She took on to return to the Asphodel Meadows, a heavy guilt pending on her as she boarded the ferry. The Charon observed the upset lady, her head tucked in the middle of her legs as he took off from the Elysium shores. He knew better than to bother her, if the young woman as anything like the Lord of the Dead himself she probably would rather be in her own head. It didn’t took long for to ferry to dock in the bleak, desolate place she would have to call home until Bucky found a way to return her to her little flat.

The girl pushed through the doors of the God of the Underworld’s home, if the souls didn’t know better, they would think she was the owner of the house. Her eyes scanned the entrance, looking for any signs of James. She knew he mostly did work from his office on the top floor so she guessed he was probably there. With a spring on her step, she climbed the stairs of his home, one hand holding the rail and the other holding a bunch of fabric from her robes so she wouldn’t trip and fall. 

Y/N reached his office and turned the knob of the door, slightly opening it and expecting to see her lover lost in paperwork but instead of that she saw him with someone else. At slight noise of the door creaking open, his eyes had immediately went to the source of it, locking eyes with her, an unrecognisable look of nervousness in his face as the man who he was speaking with turned to face her too. He was tall, not taller than James but still tall with golden hair pushed away from his face, wearing white robes with a thunder shaped pendant. Zeus. If they hadn’t been staring at her, she would’ve rolled her eyes.

    - Is that the mortal you speak of? - his eyes roamed all of what he could see of her figure. - Why don’t you enter, sweetheart?

    - Y/N, go wait in the bedroom please. - Bucky looked nervous, tense even yet his voice was stern, unwavering. 

    - Oh, c’mon, you can’t ask me for a favour and not show me the one who benefits from it. - she opened the door fully, walking into the office much to James’ dismay as he watched his supposed brother scan her from head to toe like a predator to a prey. His ring finger and thumb grabbed her chin harsly, nothing like the soft touch her lover used on her. Slightly yet with hurry, he moved her face to side to side, inspecting every aspect of her of skin. - You sure are a looker for a mortal.

   - That’s quite enough. - James pulled her away from the God of all gods, hand gripping her arm a bit tighter than he normally would. His aura seemed to turn pitch black, ocean blue eyes darkening to a navy blue hue and a slight trembling of the grounds. He was unknowingly staking his claim on her in front of his brother, a pathetic thing in Zeus’ eyes. No mortal woman, no matter how beautiful and how nice it felt to be in the middle of her legs was worth the show of power the Lord of the Dead was putting out. 

He snapped out of his possessive demeanour as he felt her fingers wrap across the hand which was gripping her arm, his heart clenching as he realised her was hurting her.  

    - Go to the bedroom, please. - he told her once more and she took no second thoughts in exiting the room, the sounds of her footsteps growing distant and distant. 

    - You know, brother, the pantheon normally asks me for ways to make the object of their infatuation stay with them forever not the contrary. 

    - She did not know what she was consuming and it was not given to her by me therefore it shouldn’t bound her to the Underworld.

    - You know the rules, she ate the fruit of the dead, she belongs to the dead. 

    - I am sure you could find a loop hole in those rules, open an exception. Maybe you’ll do this for me and I will bid your favour some other time. 

    - I shall surely consider it, maybe by the Spring Festival I shall know what to take from you. - with that he left which James couldn’t help but feel relieved by, however a part of him was screaming for him to watch out, that there was something strange in his request for time. He was about to return to his duties when he reminded that she was still in the bedroom waiting and probably hating him. 

He left his office to go try and apologise for his child-like behaviour and jealousy. His hand lightly grazed over the gold knob of his bedroom, softly twisting it yet to its surprise it was locked. James frowned, was she that angry at him to lock the door? He left his fist to knock against the door, sounds of light steps becoming more prominent. 

   - Sweetness, it’s me, open up. - he rested his forehead against the wood of the door. 

   - Is he gone? - he could hear quivering in her voice.

   - Yes, he’s gone. Open up. - she unlocked the door, pulling it slowly to see only him standing there. His eyes were immediately drawn to the red marks on her arm, his heart clenching even further. Thoughtlessly, he took her arm into his hand, fingers carefully caressing the red skin. - I’m so sorry, Y/N. It was no intention of mine to act so possessive, you know how Zeus can be around mortals. Specially pretty mortals.

   - It’s fine, did your sort anything for me to return home.

   - Not yet but I’m hopeful, you should be home in no time, you’ll see. 

   - Bucky ... - she placed her hands on his shoulder. - I know you don’t like it when I ask too many questions but I must ask you what is gonna happen once I’m back up above and you’re ... well, you’re here. 

   - You mustn’t worry about those. 

   - No James, I will worry about those. You’re the God of the Underworld, you’re undying, you’re never gonna die but I will die one day and how are we supposed to maintain a relationship if you can only visit me during night time. 

   - Y/N ...

   - No. - she interrupted him. - I know what they expect from you and they won’t take lightly to us keeping up what we’re doing.

   - What they expect from me is not what I’ll do. I rule the underworld, I’m the lord of the dead, I rule over dead and gods who frequent my grounds. I decide what I do, I can even decide to collect souls if I want. I am King. 

   - But I’m a mortal and one day you’ll have to order the collection of my soul. 

   - Is Hecate putting this in your mind? - his thought pattern switched to the only person he knew could’ve put those ideas onto her head. - Is this why you’re here earlier? 

   - No, Buck. - she sighed. - I don’t know what to do, I ... I love you.

   - We’ll figure it out, my love. - he wrapped his arms around her. - We’ll figure it out. 

   - What if we don’t?

   - We have to believe we’ll figure it out. - he placed his chin on top of her head, pulling her in so that her head laid on the crook of his neck. - I promise, my darling.

tag list: @philogrobizedvee​​​​​​  @keithseabrook27​​​​​ @inlovewith3​​​​19 ​

[varnienne]

Shattered Reality - Year 1, Part 1

A/N: Finally got around to finish editing this. I know I said I'd work on the Pokemon Crossover project (and I am, concept drawings and the outline are a WIP) but I think it's better I have at least a few different projects to focus on at a time.

That being said, I hope you guys enjoy my story.

TW: brief references to PTSD and grief, I think that's it?

Her eyes snapped open.

Heavy breaths echoed in the room as a scream died in her throat. Soft ticking penetrated the haze first. Moonlight glinted off of the four-star ball. Its familiar energy caressed her aura. Avoca focused on that feeling. Took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She absorbed the soothing blues of her bedroom walls as she kept breathing. Training clothes folded on the nightstand. A picture of her family hanging by the clock. Its glowing hands reading three fifty-seven.

She sighed. No point trying to sleep now. Tossed her covers off and swung her feet around. Avoca grabbed her training clothes as she stood. Started changing, completely dressed when her door opened. She glanced one way. Then the other. No one but her was up. Thankfully.

Trudged her way down the hall and out the front door, steps carefully soft. The deep violets of early morning kept her hidden as she walked across the field. She stopped in front of a rounded door.

“Open, please.” Air hissed out as it unlocked. Slowly, it fell open, turning into a ramp. She tapped the close button as she passed the frame. The second the door resealed, Avoca called out to the system. “Gravity on, level 275.”

She moved into stretches as the weight settled on her body. Deep breath in, an arm raised into an overhead block. Deep breath out, it was slowly switched with a punch from her other hand. She glided through every new movement, aura swirling around her like a gentle tide.

“Increase the gravity to level 290. Training bot level 3,” she called out to the room's control system.

[Commencing…]

Her body became heavier and she tensed all her muscles before relaxing again. One foot slid back and the other moved to the side. Her brother’s feet wavered as she stepped next to him. Set a shaky hand on his shoulder. Her arms rose into a loose block as small orbs floated in. Light swirled through their seams alerting her to their activation. Together they fell into a familiar stance. They could do this. They could end it. She formed a ball of red energy in her hand and smirked. Avoca sent her energy at the nearest bot.

“Give me what your daddy couldn’t.” His aura expanded as the blast grew. “Before I send you home to him.*”

She snarled at the creature. “You’re reign ends now.”

Her blast ricocheted from it onto the others, passing her every chance they could. She let her body take over and forced her mind to fall silent. Years of honed instinct kept her movements fluid as she danced around the blast. The snickering monster was distracted with a blast to his back. Avoca noticed. “Now, brother!” She added another ball to the fray. They gritted their teeth, planted their feet, and forced out everything they had. Another command to the system had the gravity strengthening to 310.

As she created a third energy ball, the door opened. “Avoca-nee?”

She jumped and released the ball as she turned, but the bots took advantage and aimed all three blasts at her. Growling, Avoca twirled, tail unwrapping from her waist to bat them into the walls. She commanded the system to shut off and whirled back to her brother.

“Gohan, you know better than to come in here when I’m in the middle of my routine!” The younger Saiyan chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. Avoca sighed. “Just be careful next time, okay?”

He glanced away and scratched his cheek. Her heart lurched. Gohan looked just like their father doing that. She sighed and asked him why he’d come to get her. “I wanted to make sure you'd have time to get ready for your first day.”

Shit. Had she gotten too caught up in training? It wouldn’t be the first time. “What time is it?”

[The current time is six, twenty-two…] echoed through the room.

“Oh, good. I have time to shower.” The Saiyan girl thanked her brother as she rushed down the hall. Maybe school could keep her memories away for a while.

~oOo~

A week earlier, on the other side of town, a team of teachers were chatting as they waited for the principal. He’d called an impromptu meeting so early some of them were still yawning. One person, in particular, was curious why Nedzu would call him in. He wasn’t even done with his teacher certification yet.

The tired heroes perked up as the being in question finally joined them. In his paws was a red USB that arrested everyone's attention. Its implications sobered them immediately.

Nedzu maneuvered into his seat at the head of the table and smiled. "Good morning everyone! I'm sorry to call a meeting like this on such short notice, but I've been informed that one of our new admittees is… quite powerful."

He paused to plug the drive into the table's display input. The places in front of the staff members lit up with the school logo before showed a fierce young brunette with determined amber eyes. There was a hardened light in her gaze that told of her experience in battle. Her hair was noticeably thick and spiky, much like the furry tail around her waist.

"This is Son Avoca, publicly registered as Midoriya Izumi." The lightness in Nedzu's tone vanished. A conflicted look took over his face. "She is one of the two children responsible for ending Perfect Cell."

Toshinori's heart dropped. She was so young and had already been exposed to such horrors. He'd known the two who'd stopped the creature were a bit young, but he wasn't expecting children. She was barely fourteen.

"From what I understand, young Gohan will also be attending UA in a couple of years." The screen changed to show an even younger boy with black hair just as spiky as his sister's. Though his expression was a bit softer, the same determination reflected in his eyes. "He'll be going to a nearby middle school until then."

Toshinori frowned. If these kids were so powerful… "How come we hadn't heard of them before the Cell Games?" The abilities they displayed both with and without the aid of their quirks was unbelievable. Most kids their age had nowhere near the amount of training they surely must've had.

"They were living out in the mountains in the southern district. But they have been mentioned in the news before." At this, Nedzu's nose twitched. "Had Miss Son- Miss Midoriya - not mentioned it herself, I doubt even I would've noticed the connection."

The principal pulled up an infamous headline from eight years ago.

Throat dry, Toshinori glanced around at the other teachers and found them just as pale as he felt. He returned his focus to the files. The more he read, the more questions he had, a pit growing in his stomach with each one. The hows and whys swirled in his mind until Nezu spoke again.

“I know you all have questions. I do too.” His smile returned. “I've organized an interview so we may learn more about Miss Midoriya and perhaps find some answers.”

“Wait.” Present Mic frowned and leaned back in his chair. “I don't recognize her. Did she not take the entrance exam?”

Nezu's smile became strained. “The Hero Commission was quite insistent about her attending our school.”

Oh. That explained a lot. It also brought more questions Toshinori wasn’t sure he wanted answers to.

~oOo~

Looking at her reflection, Avoca turned. The skirt was a little short on her with how curvy she was starting to get. At least they were allowed to wear leggings underneath it. The blazer was a nice neutral grey to compliment the greens of the skirt and lapel stripes.

Her gaze caught the papers sitting on her desk and the brunette frowned. All the important papers she needed to verify her "new identity." Any reference to their father or their role in the Cell Games was conveniently left out. But they'd made note that Principal Nezu and her teachers would be aware of who she was.

Ugh, the regulation and hidden identity were like some twisted witness protection program. More like monitoring persons of interest. She shook her head to force those thoughts from her mind.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see her brother in the doorway. His pink checks and twitching tail made her smile reassuringly at him.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh, couldn't tuck it in comfortably…"

Avoca giggled. "I had the same problem when we were younger. Here," pulled the band of skirt down. Lifted and resettled her tail. "Wrap it just under the waistband and don't wear a belt." Watched her brother do as told. Gave him a small smile when he didn't look back up. Patted his shoulder. "It'll be fine, brother. We just have to play by their rules a bit." Gohan merely sighed.

He was dressed in his own uniform. The black slacks and blazer looked good on him. She ruffled his hair and laughed at his protest. He'll make friends easily.

Which reminded her… "You remember the names we've been registered under, right?"

The boy nodded. He didn't like having to hide their identities. She didn't either. They were children of Earth's former protector. Maybe they wouldn't shout it from the rooftops, but it's not like anyone would think to look into their father’s past. It wasn't out of shame, but it felt like they were hiding their father.

"Well, let's get going." Avoca sighed and grabbed her backpack. "We don't wanna be late on our first day."

"Yeah."

She nudged his shoulder. He nudged her back. They joked and played as they walked out. She laughed.

Avoca had hope that whatever adventure lay before them, it would be one full of memories.

~oOo~

*TeamFourStar reference. I believe this is from Episode 60 Part 3?

Buy the writer a Coffee

[nevergiveupneverrun]

Bodyguard - Chapter Sixty “What I want...”

Hello , how are you? Here is chapter Sixty of my Story Bodyguard, yay!! I hope you will like this chapter. Sorry for not posting last week…

I’m sorry in advance for the mistakes… English isn’t my first language and I do my best. Here is the link to the previous chapter: Click Here.

I hope you will enjoy this chapter :) 💛

            –––––––––––––––––––––––

- Are you never afraid? She whispers weakly.

——

I let her question resonate inside me.

I take the time to take it seriously, observing the young woman sitting by my side.

A weak voice tries to pierce the void that dominates my mind… to contradict what I want to assert… to reveal my weakness right now… the anguish that has eaten away at me since we’ve been here in Los Angeles.

I look down, unable to answer her question… without exposing myself… completely vulnerable… weak and at her mercy…

I notice that one of her hands draws small circles in the sand, as an automatic gesture to release the tension of the moment.

- I would almost want to tell you to leave… to go to work for Jo, she continues before my silence. To avoid you an endless and dangerous day tomorrow… and yet… I have this blind and so strong confidence in you, which makes me think that you will be able to stop this guy… and that you will be able to do it without putting your life in danger… I’m wrong to listen to this little voice, do you think?

I find Amelia’s gaze, touched by the fragility expressed through her words and her voice, and this interior dilemma which seemed to gnaw at her.

- Never doubt that little voice, I whispered, stopping her gestures in the sand, my hand finding hers. And don’t worry about me, I continue, placing her hand against her knee and loosening my fingers from hers.

A silence of a few seconds breaks between us, pierced only by the melody of the waves before a teasing mine gradually covers Amelia’s face.

- I’m a little special then, for the great Owen Hunt… I have the record for the client you have supported the longest…

- Obviously, yes…

- Just for that, I already deserve an award, right? She asks, sparkling eyes.

I smile at her question, while fully realizing that this woman has been shaping my life for 6 months… without me realizing it…

- But you also deserve an award for supporting me… me and my crazy ideas sometimes… like now… she whispers in a mysterious tone.

She nods towards the sea while keeping my gaze.

- You’re kidding, I hope, I whisper, smile on my lips.

- Come on, there is nobody, she continues while sliding her right-hand against my arm, her face lit up by a magnificent smile.

I can’t contain myself and I laugh at her capricious little girl face.

Her face radiates life and mischief.

- Go ahead, I’m looking at you from here, someone has to keep things, right? I propose, entering in her game.

- Really? Owen Hunt, the most famous bodyguard… a former member of the special forces… is intimidated by a small breaststroke in the Pacific? Amelia bids, her hand tightening slightly my biceps and her head leaning against me.

I just smile, distinguishing reflections dancing within her pupils.

She waits by my side, the smile still widely present on her face, while her second hand comes to find the first by crossing against my arm.

- Don’t challenge me, Amelia, you know what I’m capable of…

- What are you capable of? I don’t know, no, she maintains, laughing eyes.

Her spread is the signal I was waiting for and in a few seconds I get up, carrying her with me and carrying her on a shoulder, like a prisoner that I would have kidnapped.

The flowing fabric of her twirling dress around us.

My right-hand keeps her legs in front of me, against the softness of the bluish silk, to prevent her from falling and the other holds her shoes.

- Owen! I hear behind my back, in a shocked tone.

I keep moving forward, the sound of the waves getting louder and almost threatening, before stopping a few centimeters from the edge of the sea.

- Put me back… I was kidding… she exclaims, hitting my back, amused by my reaction.

- Are you sure? I think that this dear Pacific lacks a few mermaids this evening… 

- I changed my mind, my hotel room tempts me a lot more right away, she yields, the perceptible smile in her voice.

I laugh at her confession.

I shift to the side and move along the sea.

After a few steps, I slide Amelia’s left slightly to place my hands under her thighs and now carry her firmly and properly in my arms, her shoes still held in my left hand.

The singer’s hands naturally find my neck and I discern from the corner of my eye, her knowing smile.

- Very interesting… I never thought you could serve me as a porter… 

- The option is available only after midnight and on the edge of the beach, I said, finding in a few steps the sidewalks of the avenue that we had abandoned earlier.

I place Amelia on a nearby bench, handing her sandals. 

- Thank you, she whispers, taking her shoes back, our hands brushing against each other for a few moments in this action.

She watches me intensely, without putting her shoes, a thoughtful and serious air suddenly dressing her features.

- I’m very lucky, she ends up saying weakly. I am very lucky to have you by my side to protect me… and to have met you…

My heart suddenly racing following her words and a disturbing and oppressive impression is associated with these more lively and faster pulsations.

Growing pressure, tense tension.

A feeling that appeals to me more than any other…

Fear…

Fear of disappointing her…

Fear of not being up to it, of not having the right reaction, of not being there at the right time…

Fear that she will regret her words… If I fail tomorrow…

——

I turn the key in the lock and open the door with a brief movement of the hand.

My eyes quickly review the different corners of the room and after not finding any suspicious activity, I flip the switch to illuminate the room.

- Ok, you can go in, I said to Amelia, who stayed behind me.

She advances in the suite and takes off her shoes quickly, leaving her sandals at the foot of the large dining table in the room.

I close the door behind me and immediately reach the alcove.

I sit for a few moments on the sofa and take off my shoes imitating Amelia. I also take off my socks, prefer to walk barefoot. I get up and walk again towards the center of the room.

I take off my jacket, then my holster, taking care to put my gun on the table in front of me.

I feel intense attention focused on me and looking up, I discover Amelia sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at me, and the least of my gestures.

I am about to question her about her observation when a vibration rises in the room.

It takes me a few seconds to realize that it comes from my cell phone, hidden in the inside pocket of my jacket.

My fingers slide in the piece of fabric: they come into contact with a cardboard object first.

I thus place on the table, the card that Jo had put me, a little with force in the pocket, before taking my phone.

A notification informs me that I have received a message, which I open immediately.

From: Nathan Riggs.

Message:

Owen, we were able to make the thing you needed. It will reach you tomorrow morning, by courier directly to your hotel. I hope everything is okay. Be careful. N.R.

I smile slightly, reassured, and satisfied to read this good news. And as always amazed by the efficiency and support of my former mission team members.

I quickly see a silhouette by my side: Amelia stood up and touched Jo’s business card with her fingertips.

- Good news? She asks, her gaze fixed on the cardboard rectangle. 

- Yes, I was waiting for this information… 

She nods like absent, then swipes the card over me.

I put my phone on the table and look in turns at this business card and Amelia…

- Has she already returned? You can go… I will lock the door and not open it to anyone under any circumstances.

I look at her more intensely, destabilized by this remark that I do not quite understand.

- Don’t be surprised… I’ll be pretty selfish tomorrow, knowing that you risk putting your life on the line for me… so tonight, I want to let you free…

She approaches slowly, placing herself right in front of me.

Her hands grab my tie and pull on the fabric, gently undoing the knot.

The two sides finally come off and she collects them in her hand, before placing them on the table next to us while continuing to look at me.

Her proximity, this innocent gesture but carried out with her usual grace have an involuntary effect on my breathing which begins to accelerate…

- Here, now… listen to her advice… for a few hours… forget the bodyguard…

She moves away from me, after this remark, advancing towards the bay window which embraces the whole coast.

- What are you waiting for? She asks with a touch of impatience, turning to me.

- Amelia… if you could be clearer that would help me…

She sighs weakly, before speaking again, her body now completely turned in my direction.

- I heard Jo’s remark earlier… and she’s right… if something happens to you tomorrow… better that you enjoy your evening as a “free“ man… I can stay alone in the room here, I am safe… you should do that than to babysit one more night… especially tonight…

- I don’t babysit, I watch over your safety…

- Forger me a few hours… think of you… she repeats, almost begging.

She redirects her attention to the landscape in front of her, bathed in the light of the stars, offering me her back as the only visual point of reference.

I remain silent, stunned by what she is expressing, and unable to imagine an appropriate response or reaction.

- Didn’t she remind you of it in her text?

- What are you talking about? I ask, lost in front of her questions and allusions.

- Luckily for you, I have the memory of the numbers… room 325… one floor above…

Room 325, Four Seasons hotel… Jo’s room… the one that Amelia so strongly advises me to join… to forger the bodyguard and the unpredictable eventualities of the next day.

- I have no desire to change floors… I announced firmly.

She immediately turns around with a sneering smile on her lips.

- Really? Spend a night with a beautiful woman like Jo, don’t you tempt you? What man would say no?

- You have to believe that I too can be a little special, I replied, taking up her words spoken earlier in the evening.

- You don’t have to play saint with me tonight. You have nothing to prove to me, she confirms weakly.

- No actually… but it is not conceivable for you, that this proposition of your friend does not interest me in the least?

She pauses to stare at me intensely as if to detect the slightest sign of hesitation or lying in my face.

- I have great difficulty in conceiving it, indeed…

- Stop assuming things… know that if these are my last hours I’m exactly where I need to be…

- In a hotel room in Los Angeles, is that on your “I’d like to do before I die“? She continues laughing slightly.

- I was not talking about the place…

A silence of several seconds settles, during which we observe each other with our eyes… like a visual struggle that neither of us wants to give up.

- You know… it could give you another perspective to forget me for a few hours… it might make you see things differently… and their importance differently…

- Like what?

- Like… maybe… that you will realize that this job is insane… that risking your life for a little singer, harassed by a crazy, it’s…

- What I’m going to get up for tomorrow, I finish for her by cutting her off. You can stop standing up to me on this… it’s not my first mission, Amelia… not the first time I’m going to face dangerous situations.

- Maybe, but it’s the first time I realize that…. She starts without ending. I… I don’t want you to be hurt because of me… that you die because of me.

- Well, I’ll try to avoid the balls and banana peels tomorrow, I answer with a smile, casually.

- Seriously, Owen… you can’t forget your savior reflexes and think about yourself… forget the bodyguard…

- Sorry, it’s second nature to me, I say with a hint of a smile in my voice.

I was trying to use humor to fight her almost irrational angst.

She was disturbed since our arrival on the outcome of our stay and in particular on my fate. I was touched by her concern but it shouldn’t have worked her so much… it was useless… it would avoid nothing…

The priority was her safety. Her life. And not mine.

- Don’t worry about me… you know, it’s not usual for the people I work for to worry about my fate…

- I have a bad feeling… it’s stronger than me…

Her confession touches me and anguishes me at the same time.

- Don’t be afraid… there is no reason…

Amelia watches me for a long time as if destabilized by my conviction and my tenacity.

Also surprised by my reaction to this freedom proposition that she wanted to offer me.

I notice that she is biting her lower lip, her fingers tightening mechanically along with her dress… like a tension expressing itself from deep inside her…

- But… if ever… if ever it didn’t go well tomorrow…

- No negative thoughts, I answer quickly.

- You cannot consider that this is not a possibility… there is surely a 99% chance that everything will end well and maybe even that I will have these awards, she continues ironically. But there is still this 1% probability… that it will be your last night… and maybe mine…

- You…

- Let me finish… Amelia whispers firmly, slowly approaching me. If we were to die tomorrow… you must follow Jo’s advice… forgot the bodyguard… forget the singer… just be the man… for a few hours…

She is not two steps from me, her eyes darker and more vibrant than a few seconds ago… with always on the lips, this famous invitation from Jo… and her stubbornness makes me loose my patience.

- Stop with this story… I already told you what I thought… you shouldn’t make assumptions about what I want, without knowing…

- Because spending a few hours with her, hasn’t it crossed your mind? Well, tell me… she resumes more strongly.

- Tell what? I repeat, exasperation rising in my voice.

- Tell me what you want, Amelia specifies. What do you want Owen?

She remains in front of me, without moving, without touching me, but keeping my gaze.

Her blue pupils have taken on a darker and more mysterious shade… a shade that I have observed in the past… a specific memory comes to my mind and destabilizes me a little more.

My gaze leaves her eyes and focuses on her lips that blow me weakly this question.

A simple question and yet so complex for me.

It resounds in my mind like a litany… long seconds…

To the rhythm of my heart racing.

To the rhythm of my breathing, slightly jerky.

To the rhythm of this familiar tension that takes hold of my being.

No words to answer her.

I don’t have any.

I don’t find them.

What I find, on the other hand, it’s her hand a few centimeters from mine… fingers that I grab and suddenly pull towards me, her body running aground against mine.

Our eyes stared at each other for a few seconds.

A few seconds to hesitate.

A few seconds to contemplate.

A few seconds to decide, make what I want.

And an electrical contact from my mouth which slowly and shyly fits closely hers to seal my answer.

               –––––––––––––––––––––––

Thank you for reading. Stay safe and have a great week 💛

[rainbowwritesthings]

Love Like You

Qrow tensed at the sudden realness of the situation before he relaxed and gave Clover a smile. “Yeah, should probably start on that. Think any of the kids have some baby names?” AO3

It was a rare treat for the group to find a town so soon after they had left the previous one, only having to sleep in the desert for two nights in between the towns.

Qrow knew the larger settlements of Vacuo well, the ones that could take an occasional Grimm beating thus allowing them to stay in the same place for years at a time.

Smaller ones like they one they were at now, the ones that could be packed up and moved within a few days when needed, tended to slip under Qrow’s map.

Not that Qrow or any of the others were complaining about the stroke of good luck, the sentiment had Qrow rolling his eyes.

Vacuo was hard to navigate, and you couldn’t let your guard down while out in the open day or night.

Add to that the crucialness of rationing supplies and constantly repairing weapons and it was no wonder Nora shouts for joy whenever they come into view of a new settlement.

While Qrow was long accustomed to nomadic traveling in hostile areas, he couldn’t deny the breath of relief he let out every time he had an actual bed to sleep on.

Though he had a feeling that relief was fueled primarily by his “condition”.

Red eyes glanced down to his protruding stomach and as if on cue he could feel one of them start to move. Knowing that with one of them moving around the other would join in, Qrow figured he had rested long enough.

With a small grunt he pushed himself up and immediately his hand was resting on the bump, Qrow knew that simple actions like that would be harder as time grew on.

Even though he hadn’t even hit the sixth month mark most everyone could tell he was pregnant with a quick glance.

He had become a liability to the whole group once more, but now he couldn’t even blame it on drinking to much. At least when he was drunk, he could still fight.

The lamp closest to him flickered once before the bulb exploded and Qrow scrubbed his face.

Going through with the pregnancy while the fate of humanity was in question might truly be the stupidest thing he has ever done.

 Stupid.

Raven may prove to be right in her judgment, if it was just him that was one thing but those kids where reckless enough to stick by him. Clover was worse, at this point the alpha had made it clear that he was with Qrow until the end.

  Selfish.

Qrow swung his legs over the side of the bed and froze when he heard movement from outside the room, the others must have come back and he had slept through the noise.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t sleep like a log through the night, gone were his honed instincts that he had spent years training.

One headache now had him passed out for over an hour, in a deep enough sleep to miss a gaggle of teenagers coming back from hunting Grimm. Frustration boiled over as the thoughts swirled.

 You’ve always been soft.

Going with the theme of being unobservant he almost missed the door clicking open, of course he and Clover got the best room, and a freshly washed Clover walked in.

Forcing the darker thoughts down he swiped at his face and turned to face his alpha. A quick glance showed that the mission had gone well, and Clovers relaxed demeanor promised that the kids were all alright.

Despite himself the omega couldn’t help but return the smile given to him. Clover strode over and practically beamed as he fixed a flyaway black lock, leaning down Qrow wasted no time in meeting him for a needed kiss.

When they parted Clover was gazing at him with hooded eyes, which only went to show that the alpha’s mind was clouded when it came to Qrow.

“How are you feeling?”

Penny must have told him that Qrow had retreated to bed, new frustration sprung forth at the thought.

Penny had more important things to think about, it wasn’t fair that she had to play babysitter on top that.

The pause had Clover looking at him with concern and Qrow had to switch gears.

“Brats were kicking up a storm.”

Clover chuckled and placed a hand over Qrow’s stomach, after a moment a firm nudge met his palm.

Without a word Qrow guided the alpha’s other hand to a different spot and Clover blinked when a firm jab met his palm there as well.

Teal eyes met red ones and Qrow raised his eyebrows pointedly.

“Told you so.”

Despite the words there was only warmth in the tone and Clover captured his lips once again, when they withdrew the alpha crouched down.

“You two need to settle down in there, your papa was trying to rest and it’s rude to wake him up.”

It should be illegal how soft his voice got and Qrow gently brushed through brown hair.

Clover looked up from where he was kneeling, his hand still splayed out over the omega’s stomach.

His grin grew when he saw the faintest blush gracing Qrow’s cheeks, light enough for the omega to use the heat as an excuse.

The blush grew just a shade deeper with the gaze, “Brothers, you’re hopeless.”

Clover hummed contently and gave a soft kiss to the protruding bump, an act that had Qrow rolling his eyes. In these kinds of moments Qrow could ignore the doubts and fear, he could focus on the hope for the future that Clover seemed to have.

Clovers face was suddenly much closer than it had been a moment ago, Qrow hadn’t even noticed the other man getting back up.

“What’s wrong?”

A calloused hand cupped Qrow’s cheek and the gentleness still had the omega’s heart pounding, he was hardly some love struck teen but this casual intimacy was still something that had the huntsman’s pulse quicken.

When Clover’s smile faded more, Qrow realized that he had spaced out again.

“Just thinking about some things. It’s nothing bad.”

Green eyes searched his face for a moment band as per usual Qrow felt completely exposed under those eyes.

“Well, I’ve been thinking as well. I think we should start talking about names, nothing concrete but maybe get some ideas.”

Qrow tensed at the sudden realness of the situation before he relaxed and gave Clover a smile.

“Yeah, should probably start on that. Think any of the kids have some names?”

“Well I know Nora probably has at least five locked and loaded, Weiss as well. Yang and Ruby might have some good ones.”

Qrow had expected Ruby and Nora, they were the loudest about their excitement anything twin related.

Yang joined in at times, mostly to further tease her uncle, but to hear Clover mention Weiss so casually caught Qrow off guard.

The young alpha had certainly warmed up to him over time, but the huntsman doubted that Weiss spent her free time thinking of baby names for a washed-up old crow like him.

Clover, as per usual, seemed to be able to know exactly what Qrow was thinking and raised an eyebrow.

“You mean a lot to them, all of them and they’re all excited about the babies. Of course, some of them are louder sharing that excitement than others.”

Qrow should be used to those casual remarks about what he meant to others, especially when they came from Clover, but it still squeezed his heart and made him shift in spot.

He hummed noncommittally and let Clover help him up before leading the way to the quaint dining room/kitchen.

A few of the kids were lounging about, tired from both the heat and the Grimm hunting, a movie was playing on the small television but only Oscar seemed to be interested in what was playing.

Penny noticed them first and gave the pair a bright smile before bounding over, “I��m glad to see you are feeling better, Qrow.”

It had been an uphill battle trying to convince Penny to call him by his first name and he could still see the girl catch herself every so often.

The omega smiled reassuringly and ruffled her hair, “I am, thanks carrot top.”

Qrow didn’t deserve the beaming smile he received before she turned and went back to the small table to repair a broken sword.

The other kids glanced up at him, as if checking to make sure he wouldn’t keel over from the brief walk over.

Blake smiled at him softly and moved just a smidge closer to Yang, creating a clear opening for Qrow on the couch next to her.

The older omega smiled back at the cat faunas and slowly sank down next to her on the couch, he tried to write off the way she relaxed just slightly into him as just fellow omega tendencies.

Clover perched on the arm rest and Qrow decidedly did not glance at the alpha, he could already guess the smirk the other wore.

Weiss strode towards him, presenting a glass of a water that he took with a smile.

One that she returned in a much smaller manner before taking a sip from her own glass.

Clover made a soft noise before straightening up, “Qrow and I were talking about baby names. Do any of you have some ideas?”

Yang leaned forward at the question and the devious smirk she wore had the hairs of Qrow’s neck raise, he had seen that same look enough times to know things were about to get hectic.

Yang leaned away from her girlfriend and twisted around to face the rest of the rooms, “Ruby or Nora, grab the book!”

To the alpha’s credit, she was hardly yelling, but her order did cause a new ruckus.

Qrow could hear the tell tale stomping of feet and a brief yell from what sounded like Nora before a flurry of petals landed next to Weiss.

Ruby had obviously just woken up from a nap if her mused up hair was any indication, but she looked wide awake and was clutching a journal proudly to her chest.

The rest of the horde began filling into the common room after that, led by a slightly dripping Nora who was scowling at Ruby. “You play dirty, Rose.”

Jaune was rubbing his eyes lightly and Ren’s hair was completely loose, whatever was in the book had enough power to call everyone to arms and the T.V. was turned off.

Weiss retrieved the journal from Ruby and for a moment her proud posture faltered just a bit, Qrow knew the alpha well enough to know that whatever was going on was her idea and she was nervous about the reaction.

“Watcha got there, princess?”

The hesitation disappeared and Weiss held out the worn brown journal expectantly. Qrow snuck a glance around to find that all the kids were watching with rapt attention, though some more so than others, and Clover looked just as confused about this as he was.

The journal itself was uninteresting, no lavish embroidery or bright colors. The moment he opened it that changed and bright colors flooded his vision.

Upon inspection he saw what was written, names.

There were names in different colors in rows, from the handwriting alone he could guess who wrote what, but the colors were a nice touch.

As he thrummed through the pages Qrow was stunned to see that all the kids had put down multiple names.

Clover shifted above him to get a better look and was the first to speak of the pair.

“That’s a pretty impressive list. Or lists, I should say.”

Now that it was brought up Qrow could see were one list ended and another began.

Weiss had gone suspiciously silent and Oscar spoke up, “oh yeah, we um, put them in categories. The one you’re on is names to do with luck, or fortune.”

Qrow couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped as he read through the first few, they were creative to say the least.

Clover gently turned the page and this category was more apparent.

“Names based off plants, might have to cross some off though. I knew some people with some of these names before.”

Spurred on Weiss found her voice again, “this is still the second draft, we’re going to revise the list again soon.”

The fact that this was the second draft had warmth blooming through Qrow, Nora leaned in and turned a few pages before unsubtly pointing to a name written in pink.

“This list is bird names, it’s shorter than the rest but has real gems.”

And quite a few names written in the same shade of pink, when Qrow looked up at her with a raised eyebrow the young alpha winked.

Surprisingly Blake was the next one to flip the pages, “these names are color related, or just colors for some of them. It’s the longest and honestly, has some of the weirdest ones.”

Coming from her that was saying a lot and Qrow was becoming more curious about what had been cut from the first list.

Penny had at some point stood behind him and leaned over the man to rifle through, “this is miscellaneous. They couldn’t be made to fit into any of the other lists, but they are to nice to just disregard.”

She withdrew her hand but made no other move to lean away from above him.

Looking down at the names Qrow felt a rush of affection for the teens that had written them with so much thought behind it.

Clover was right, they were excited for the twins because their odd pack to gain two tiny members.

Qrow could blame hormones for the sudden tightness in his throat and he looked at the kids, “you guys did good, Branwen’s aren’t really known for their naming skills. Thanks.”

It should be criminal how pleased each of them looked, they didn’t have nearly enough opportunities to just be teens.

Clover rested his hand on Qrows shoulder, something in him relented and he would talk with Clover about his fears later.

Ruby caved first and rushed in for a hug, she was soon joined by the usual hug suspects before the others caved in as well.

Qrow tried to encompass as many as he could, he may not feel like he deserved it, but this was his flock.

[calliecat93]

Callie Reviews: TMNT 2012 Season 2 (Part Two)

Continuing from Part One

The Shift (Episodes 15-18)

After a silly filler episodes that you LARP-ers will probably enjoy, the plot continues in I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman. Finally fed up with Stockman’s incompetence, Shredder triggers the mutagen collar and Stockman is turned into a fly mutant. But he gets the idea to mutate himself with... I really don’t fully understand the plan. To put it simply, he plans to kidnap April due to her unique DNA and have them mutated together to restore his humanity. Such a sound and totally not insane plan!

So part of the season has had Donnie trying to develop a retro-mutagen, a mutagen antidote that will revert the person back into a human. He finally succeeds and has two batches, one for April’s dad and the other or Splinter. The gang goes to get April’s dad, leading to Stockman finding them and kidnapping April. Although April tries to escape, even whacking Stockman with her tessen, she ultimately tied over the mutagen. One of the vials got broken, so Splinter tells Donnie to use the one that’s left to cure Kirby. As Leo, Donnie, and Casey go to save April, Raph and Mikey are sent to find and capture Kirby.

While April does get dunked into the mutagen, as it turns out due to her DNA she is immune to the effects. So since that plan failed, and really? Did we expect Stockman’s B-rated horror movie plan to work? But yeah, Stockman tries to steal the retro-mutagen with Rhazar soon joining the party! They all escape and meet up with Raph and Mikey, April calming down her father. But Stockman manages to steal the mutagen, forcing a huge aerial chase to get it. Which let me just say that April is awesome this episode. When the vial gets stolen, she rounds up her dad and Casey and goes after it. The vial ends up broken, but like Hell April is going to give up the chance of saving her dad after all the shit form before. She manages to get her dad below it as it drips and he reverts back to normal. Also once she gets freed after being mutagen dunked, she kicks Stockman’s ass hard. Seriously, this episode did a MUCH better job at presenting April as a badass who deserves to fight alongside the Turtles ten times better than The Kraang Conspiracy did.

So yeah, Kirby is unmutated, yay! But Donnie’s now fresh out of retromutagen. He feels guilty as now he can’t restore Splinter’s humanity, but Splinter makes it clear that he has come to terms with his mutant status and is happy as long as he has his sons. Stockman is brought before Shredder, who has decided to give him one last chance. There is a certain mutant that he wants, and tasks Stockman with creating it for him.

Speaking of the Foot, we return to the Karai story in The Wrath of Tiger Claw where the kunoichi is having doubts about everything. We also have Tiger Claw return... so what was the point of having the worm swallow him? Anyways, Shredder has him and Karai make a move against the Turtles. After beating intel out of their friend Murakami, Tiger Claw attacks Casey while Karai confronts April. She claims that she doesn’t want to fight, even thinking of turning on Shredder. When Leo and Donnie show up, Leo decides to do what is by no means a bad decision: take Karai to the Lair without questioning if this could be a trap at all! Our fearless leader everyone! Yeah, this is all a ploy by Karai to find the location and she has a tracker so that Tiger Claw will follow suit.

However with Karai there, Splinter brings her into the dojo and shows her a photo of himself and Tang-Shen. A photo that Karai herself has. When she sees the family portrait, it hammers the revelation in further. She cant believe it, which confuses Leo, so she reveals that it was a trap. But yeah, now Karai has physical evidence, so she now knows the truth. She and the Turtles get out of the sewers and to a butcher shop to lead Tiger Claw away and proceed to fight. Mikey end sup pretty badly beaten up as Karai cements her turn of alligence. Agreed, Tiger Claw knocks her out and takes her back to face Shredder. With Mikey’s injuries, the Turtles can't follow and Raph makes it clear that despite all of this, he still doesn’t trust Karai. Leo is angered by all of this, but ultimately there’s nothing that he can do.

Karai is brought before Shredder, Tiger Claw revealing her aiding the Turtles. Angered, Karai asks Shredder to tell ehr the truth. So Shredder does just that, revealing that yes, Splinter is her real father. This murders the last bit of lingering doubt in Karai’s mind. So what does Shredder do now that all of his lies are out on the table? He has Tiger Claw throw his so-called ‘daughter’ in the dungeon below! Father of the Year everyone! Oh, but you think all of this is bad! HA! Oh just wait. JUST WAIT.

The Revelations (Episodes 19-24)

We get three filler episodes after that. The first one is stupid and not worth mentioning other than that I hate it. One involving an arms dealer named Ivan Steranko (who we saw last season in Enemy of My Enemy) and a Tron-esque thief named Anton Zeck. They try to steal Shredder’s helmet, the Turtles get invovled, and Leo tries to use this to bargain for Karai. It fails. Remember those guys names though, it’ll be important next season. The other one is a Kraang plot where Raph gets his mind switched with a Kraang. A fun episode, especially since we get to hear Sean Astin have to talk Kraang-like and it is hilarious. But the episode ends with Raph revealing that the Kraang are about to start another invasion and Donnie revealing a plan for something he’s making to fight back: a mecha!

We return to the Karai plot with her trying to escape, but she sadly gets re-captured. Shredder, in both this and the previously menitoned episode abotu his helmet, has tried to tell Karai thing slike he was trying to do what was best for her or that how she’s acting is hurting him. You know... like an abuser would talk to someone. The Turtles have mad ea plan, but Splinter has forbidden it as he refuses to lose any of his other kids. Leo goes through with it anyways and it does work. They’re able to break Karai out, fight through the Foot, and get back to the Lair safely. Shredder... takes this surprisingly well. Why? Because he knwos that Karai is going to come back of her own volition to get payback. Of course you would you sick fuck, you raised her to be that way. God I hate Shredder...

Anyways, Splinter reveals to Karai the full story of what actually happened, including his relationship with Shredder. As it turns out, the Hamato Clan had wiped out the Oroku Clan, but Splinter’s father took pity on young Saki and adopted him into the clan. So Splinter and Shredder were raised as brothers, but things got tense when Splinter got together with Tang-Shen, who Shredder has been with previously, and when Shredder discovered his true heritage. Angered and fulled by vengeance, he and Splinter fought, but Tang-Shen sacrificed herself and took a lethal blow to save her lover. Shredder came out of it disfigured and during the chaos, stole the baby away, lying to her the ame way that the Hamato’s did.

Learning this on top of everything else, Karai decides to go back and personally finish Shredder. Leo finds out... and asks to go with her, also wanting to put an end to it. Wow Leo, so responsible there... Karai responds by knocking him out. She goes back and she and Shredder have one heck of a brawl, but ultimately Karai gets pinned and Shredder has her taken to Stockman’s lab. Why? Well remember that mutant that he asked Stockman to make Well it involves using Snake DNA in Stockman’s large vat to lure the Turtles in and mutate them into snakes. What do snakes like to eat? Why rats of course! Yeah, Shredder plans to mutate Splinter’s sons and have them devour him. Wow... wow. Does this man have ANY limit to how sick he can be?! Of course not because he ties Karai over it to serve as bait! There is NO WAY that THAT could go wrong in ANY WAY possible!

The Turtles and Splinter arrive and all but Leo get caught. He reaches Karai... but Shredder attacks him and severs the link. Karai is sent into the vat, turning into a snake mutant. Oh and on top of all of that, a fire gets ignited! So Shredder had kidnapped, lied to, and emotionally abused a young girl, threatened her with violence if she didn’t obey, locked her up when the truth came out, tried to paint himself as the victim when she was understandably pissed off, he used her as bait, and because of his own blind arrogance he got her mutated. SO who’s to blame for this? Why Splinter of course! OF COURSE! Shredder swears to avenge his daughter and I just want to break things. Splinter is able to break through to Karai and she flees. As Stockman’s building burns down, Leo apologizes to Splinter... but all Splinter says is that they should go.

One small note I have to make. When Stockman was preparing the DNA, he split something and it got mixed in. Thus creating a rather unique mutation. One that allows Karai to shift back into her human form, huh...

The penultimate episode, Into Dimension X, has the Turtles receive a message from someone we haven't heard from in over 20 episodes. My friends, Leatherhead is back! He tries to contact the Turtles via communication orb to warn them of the Kraang’s plans... but Mikey gets upset and breaks the orb. They also get a working portal for Dimension X and desperate to save his friend, Mikey stupidly goes in alone. It forces the other three to go in to find him, and kudos to the animation team. Dimension X both looks and feels totally alien. Most of the environment is crystallized and there are these strange little alien creatures. Add in the pink sky and it feels like a place the Kraang would come from.

So as it turns out, Mikey had become... very adapt to how Dimension X works due to his bizarre train of logic. TO out it simply, he understands Kraang logic mroe than regular logic. The Turtles get into the Kraang’s base, rescue Leatherhead, and discover that the Kraang, after nearly two seasons of trying, have perfected the mutagen. Thy can now use it to turn the Earth into a second Dimension X. While the guys cause some damage before getting back home, it is more clear than ever that the invasion is near. But it’s okay! Our boys are ready to face whatever comes at them! They can handle this, right?

Ha... haha... HAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

I’LL LET THAT SPEAK FOR ITSELF.

But yeah, we now enter the Season Two finale. This is actually both my favorite episode of the season and my favorite in the entire series. It’s one of the best-written, but... also the most depressing. Like this episode left me numb by the end. Why? Well let us go into...

The Invasion (Episodes 25-26)

Desperate to get Karai back, Shredder once more makes a deal with the Kraang. They help him get what he wants, and he helps them get what they want. So once again, Shredder decides to leave humanity to suffer all for his own needs. You see why I hate this monster?!

April and Irma get attacked by Foot Bots and unable to evade them, April is forced to take Irma to the sewers with her. Raph and Casey are on the lookout for Karai, but that gets cut short when the cops show up and try to arrest Casey. As it turns out, these are Kraang posing as humans. Worst? Raph sees Kraang portals opening and the Kraang dishing out everything that they have. UFO’s, robotic fleets, giant walker-things straight out of Star Wars. Casey is able to get free and overwhelmed, he and Raph are forced to try and find cover.

Down in the sewers, Donnie and Leo are arguing over the best course of action to take. Donnie wants to put his faith in the Turtle Mech, confident that it’ll dot he job despite still having kinks to work out. Leo however is concerned about if things could go wrong and wants to establish a second base outside New York. April arrives with Irma, who is taken back... before her body changes and reveals that she is a robot... UMM... so yeah, Irma was actually Kraang Sub-Prime, who was trying to work form within to weasel out the location of the Lair. Now that he has it, the Kraang open portals and attack. The gang gets quickly over-whelmed so Splinter orders the Turtles and April to flee. They head into the tunnels with Leo choosing to stay behind and fend off the Kraang droids chasing them while Donnie, Mikey, and April escape back to the surface.

Everything has devolved into chaos quickly. Raph and Casey are trying to evade the Kraang’s forces. Donnie, Mikey, and April flee to the O’Neil’s apartment where they watch the chaos unfold and poor Kirby has essentially a panic attack. Poor April feels guilty for it all due to bringing Irma to the Lair, even offering to go out and bring the boys to safety herself. Leo gets to the surface, but the Foot have spotted him and Shredder sends all of his forces after him. Splinter is able to defeat SUb-Prime, but the Lair is in utter ruins. But he has little time to grieve as he still has his sons to find. To make things worst, Kraang Prime emerges and launches mutagen all over the city, mutating everything and everyone hit with it. So yeah... things are NOT looking good.

Leo eventually ends up at a construction site where Shredder is waiting. Leo tries to make him fight him, but Shredder refuses as Leo is ‘beneath him’. Instead, he sends more Foot Bots and poor Leo is just getting pushed to his limits here. He’s under a lot of stress and pressure at this moment, and the constant attacks are not helping. He bests the Foot Bots in a... pretty brutal fashion that makes you really glad that he’s dicing and stabbing Foot Bots and not actual soldiers. Shredder has Rhazar, Fishface, and Tiger Claw attack him, provoking Leo to devolve to blind fury and kick their asses. But at this point, the leader in blue is exhausted, worn down, and not thinking clearly which leaves him vulnerable to Shredder, who casts the final, and most lethal, blow.

Shredder has his men take Leo away as he finds Splinter, who is NOT happy with the evidence that something happened to his son. Shredder responds by saying that he took Leo just like he took Karai all those years ago. This pisses Splinter off for VERY understandable reasons and they fight. Meanwhile, Raph and Casey finally make it to the apartment, but the relief is short-lived. Leo gets tossed through the window, knocked out and brutally beaten up. The Foot attack, forcing the group to escape. Kirby leads them to his old van they they try to escape in, but Kirby get shit with mutagen before he can tag along. Kraang Prime totally did that just to spite April. Asshole. The group flees in the van. Splinter and Shredder continue to brawl, but Splinter eventually gets trapped under some graters. Fortunately he earlier met up with Leatherhead, who jumps into the fray to save him. Unfortunately, while t works, Shredder gets the upper hand and knocks him into the icy waters. Splinter gets so pissed that he, by sheer force of will, knocks the grates away and tackles Shredder back into the sewers. All while trying to essentially bite his face off. DAMN.

Donnie, Raph, Mikey, and April go back to the Lair to find Splinter as they leave Leo with Casey, who goes to find his family. Spoiler alert: he sadly fails. The Lair is an utter wreck and realizing that they can't stay, Donnie has the guys round up supplies and anything significant before going to find Splinter and get out of the city. It’s a... really somber scene. The Lair is where we have spent the past two years. It wasn't just the Turtles home, it was ours in a way too. I Bremen seeing it trashed for the first time and I was just... crying. Mind you they make the bad choice of having them fix it u next season, which I think was dumb because it negates the emotional significance played up in this moment and potential growth for the cast. But for this moment? It was... hard. Really hard.

April soon senses that Splinter is in trouble and the four venture into the tunnels, discovering that Splinter is still fighting Shredder. The tunnel is caged off however, so they can’t reach him. Splinter gives it his all, even using the same airbending-like maneuver that he used in I. Monster on Shredder. But unfortunately, it fails. Shredder get sup, knocks Splinter out form behind, and literally flushes Splinter away. All while three of his sons and his surrogate daughter are forced to watch helplessly. Raph is enraged, angrily pulling and bating at the bars as Shredder walks away. Mikey eventually hugs Raph to calm him down, assuring him that somehow Splinter will be okay. April, enraged, tells Donnie that they can't run. They need to stay and end this here and now.

Their decision made, the four get the Turtle Mech and fight through the Kraang to reach the Foot. But they never get the chance to face Shredder again as Kraang Prime takes them on. They give it their best, even using the city’s power to use a powerful electrical attack n Prime that knocks out the city power grid. But even that proves futile and even fries the systems as Kraang Prime simply exits his robot suit and attacks personally. The only thing that saves them is April using her powers and Casey arriving to ram Prime back. They all flee formt he city, Donnie apologizing to the still comatose Leo for not listening. April hs a place where they can go, a farmhouse in North Hampton, but it does little to raise anyone’s spirits. The Turtles, for the first time, have completely and utterly lost.

As for Splinter, he is left in the city. But fortunately he is saved form drowning by, of all people, Karai. She doesn't stick around, but Thank God that we have something good happen cause Dear God did we need it! YEAH THIS EPISODE STILL HURTS EVEN FOUR YEARS LATER! 

TBC in Part Three...

[freespierit]

I finally bothered to finish the fanfic I was writing for Merel from The Belgariad so HERE IT IS in all its unedited glory because I am LAZY. 

Dub-con warnings because canon. 

A black capped chickadee warbled on a frost dusted branch outside the window, it’s cheerful wintry song a stark contrast to the mournful expression of the blonde woman occupying the bedroom.

“It isn’t as bad as all that, Merel,” Her dark-haired companion gently placed one pale hand on the blonde’s shoulder, green eyes brimming with sympathy that belied her optimistic words.

“Isn’t it?” Merel lifted one hand to touch her friend’s fingers briefly, then dropped it into her lap, where it joined its partner in wringing slim fingers with unconcealed distress. “He asks daily, Liana! Daily! I tire of turning him away!”

Liana glanced uncomfortably towards the window. “He’s the cousin of King Anheg…” She suggested carefully, and Merel scowled.

“Do you think me unaware? If he were the king himself still I would tell him no.”

Liana twitched her skirts with her free hand, furrowing her brows doubtfully. “Perhaps if he had land…”

“I would rather be landless than saddled with a husband I care nothing about,” Merel proclaimed, twisting her slender neck so that she could glare up at Liana. “You’ve known me from girlhood and this is what you think of me!”

Liana shrugged, removing her hand and scrutinizing the emerald ring glimmering on one finger. “Marrying nobility has advantages.”

“And my father would hardly be thrilled with a low-born match,” Merel agreed, shoulders sagging in a sigh. “But Barak is hardly low-born. He simply lacks any title or land. And he also lacks my love,” She concluded firmly, “And that’s what’s most important.”

Merel adjusted the furs on her shoulder as she swept through the narrow streets of Val Alorn. Fur-lined boots sank into the snow, and the hem of her dress was wet from the piles of snow that clogged the streets. Even the burly Cherek snow-sweepers could hardly keep up with the snowfall of a winter that lasted more than its fair share of months.

A group of little girls darted past, pelting one another with snowballs. One of the snowballs smacked against her arm, losing form as it fell into the snow along the road. The youngest of the girls began to cry, then, and Merel gave the group a gentle smile.

“There, there. No harm done, is there? It’s only a bit of snow.”

One of the older girls grabbed the younger by the arm, tugging her along. “We’re sorry, Mistress!” She apologized, bobbing her head quickly.

Merel waved away the apology. “Oh, off with you! Snow’s for snowball fights, everyone in Val Alorn knows that.”

Several of the girls giggled nervously, but after Merel had passed them by she could hear the sounds of furious snowballing.

She smiled and exchanged greetings with a few of the snow-sweepers, and with any resident not too involved in their own affairs to acknowledge her. When she saw a woman struggling to open her door, burdened as she was with baskets from the market, an infant, and two small boys, Merel strode over to offer help. The woman gave her a tired smile and a sincere, weary thanks.

After she had left the woman and children behind she smiled to herself, glancing up at the snow clouds hovering above the high stone towers of Val Alorn. Although snow halted industry and agriculture to some extent, it was such a natural part of home that she couldn’t help but love it. She began to hum an old Cherek tune to herself, resisting the urge to skip down the streets; snow may have been an integral part of Cherek, but it also made for treacherous streets if one wasn’t careful.

A bulky shadow passed over her, and she jerked her head back towards the street so that she could greet her fellow citizen. But the smile froze on her lips as she recognized the man she had the misfortune of sharing a street with.

“Ah, Merel!” A giant, red-bearded man beamed at her.

“Barak,” She returned his greeting stiffly.

“This is fortuitous! Do you perhaps have a moment to spare?”

Merel shook her head mutely, unable to come up with a suitable lie on the spot. She’d been so enjoying this walk home, but now all those pleasant feelings fled only to be replaced by heavy dread.

Barak’s face fell. “Not even a little moment?” He wheedled. “It won’t take long at all!”

Finally Merel found her voice. “I...I really must return home, Barak. You know how my father gets when I’m late.”

“I could walk you home and explain.”

Merel wondered how he managed not to notice the pained expression she wore whenever he forced his company upon her. Or perhaps, she reflected darkly, he simply didn’t care. “I really couldn’t ask such a thing,” She said firmly, and purposefully strode forward. As she passed her muscles tensed, half afraid he would physically restrain her.

Instead he chose to follow her.

“It’s just a small matter, Merel. I thought perhaps you could accompany me to the dedicating of Grinneg’s ship next week.”

“Oh, no, I can’t!” She answered quickly, increasing her pace despite the dangers the ice possessed. “Perhaps you could ask Alladora! She’d never say no!”

“Ah, but it could only be you, Merel,” Barak argued, picking up his own stride in order to keep pace with her.

“Then I’m afraid you’ll have to go alone.”

Barak continued to follow her, undeterred. “Lady Liana said you were free that day.”

Merel curled her fingers into the palms of her hands in frustrating. “Liana hasn’t any idea what my schedule is like!” She snapped. “I told you no, and that’s my final answer!”

He begged and pleaded the whole way to her home, so that she was forced to slam the door in his face. Once she was safely in her own room she flung herself onto her bed. A long furred tabby cat uncurled itself and rubbed against her face.

“Oh, Stripes. I wish he’d just leave me alone!” She complained, burying her face in the soft fur. Stripes purred sympathetically, which helped drain the tension from Merel’s shoulders. She sighed, then eventually discarded her snow covered garments in favor of a nightgown. “Perhaps he’ll be busy tomorrow and I won’t have to see him.”

But she knew that was never true.

“Your mother and I have already agreed to the arrangement.”

Merel pressed her lips together, staring at her father in stony silence.

“It is a good match, Merel,” He peered down an impressive nose at his daughter. “He has land, power, connections to the king.”

Merel tilted her head upward a fraction of an inch.

“And he’s desperate to marry you,” Her father continued. “These opportunities don’t present themselves often. Your mother and I had expected the reverse of this situation.”

Merel drew her brows together. “I do not love him and do not wish to marry him,” she announced quietly. She had never been shy about her lack of interest, and yet everyone around her seemed to have entirely missed this.

“And who would you marry in his stead?” Her father raised an eyebrow at her in challenge.

“There is nobody,” She admitted.

Her father nodded once. “Then it is settled. You shall marry Earl Barak.”

“Is it not exciting?” Liana tittered as she pinned Merel’s hair into an elaborate pile of braids. “Marrying an Earl!”

She sighed wistfully, allowing several strands of golden locks to fall across Merel’s shoulders as she stared into the distance. “Do you suppose an Earl would marry me?”

“You could switch places with me,” Merel responded mirthlessly.

“Oh, but it is you he loves!” Liana reminded her, carefully brushing the stray hairs back into place. “And it’s so romantic, that he asked and asked until you said yes.”

Merel grimaced; Liana failed to notice.

“You look lovely!” The dark-haired woman continued, touching her friend’s shoulders lightly in order to turn her about in admiration. “Barak won’t be able to resist.”

“Wonderful,” Merel muttered under her breath.

A knock sounded against the heavy wooden door, announcing that it was time for the wedding party to take their places. Liana swiftly pressed a kiss against Merel’s cheek, whispering, “Lucky!” before disappearing out the door.

Merel made her way towards the aisle with a sense of utter numbness. The trepidation she had felt in the weeks leading up the wedding had slowly worn down all her emotions until there was nothingness.

She wished the rest of her could wear down into nothingness as well.

Instead she found herself marching between rows upon rows of spectators, people gathered together to celebrate her doom. She stopped beside Barak, standing stiffly. Somehow she was able to repeat the expected vows with no crack in her voice, and when Barak went in to kiss her she stood still without crying.

The celebration, such as it was, largely involved the guests and her groom becoming extremely drunk. Nobody seemed to notice that she didn’t smile at all.

“Congratulations! Isn’t love young so wonderful?” Grey-haired matrons sighed in her direction.

She cast her eyes towards the ground in response. “Perhaps it is.”

She was eventually able to extricate herself from the celebrations in order to sob desperately in the washroom. But there was no hiding from her future; her now husband insisted on the bedroom as soon as the guests had all departed.

Slowly Barak realized that she didn’t love him.

She wondered sourly how it had taken him such a long time. Dutiful she would be, but loving never. How could she love a man who had forced her into marriage with him?

The aches and pains of pregnancy did nothing to sweeten her towards him, and she was glad enough that during labor at least everyone fully expected her to berate him for her pregnancy. She was even more glad that caring for Gundred gave her an excuse to remain away from him for much of the time, using exhaustion from the baby as a convenient excuse.

Gundred was followed by Terzie, another daughter born of Barak’s insistence and Merel’s strict adherence to marital duties. Barak complained that she was frigid in love making; she pointed out that the fulfillment of her duties did not include enthusiasm.

“Surely my husband would not wish me to lie?” She asked pointedly.

He began to spend more and more time away from his estate, choosing to very nearly live at King Anheg’s courts.

She was relieved.

More than half the court blamed her for the state of their marriage; Barak was charming and well-liked, particularly among the men. But so long as he stayed out of her hair and allowed her the raising of their daughters and the running of their household she didn’t care.

At times he would return home,and then he would rail at her.

“You’re being unfair! What have I done to deserve your cold treatment?” He asked. And then he would sigh, “Even if you do not love me, it is heartless of you to keep our daughters from me.”

“You are welcome to remain home whenever you wish, my Lord,” Merel responded coolly. “I do not decide where you choose to spend your time.”

The changes began imperceptibly. Hair grown a bit shaggier, temper grown a bit more aggressive. They already sparred so much that it was difficult to pinpoint exactly where the changes began, but slowly they built up.

Barak tried to keep the changes secret, but eventually a maid informed her in terror that she had heard it prophesied that the Earl of Trellheim would become a monster.

“Is  it true, my Lord?” She asked one evening after the girls had gone to bed. He had requested her presence in their bedroom, and she found this the perfect opportunity to turn the tables on him.

His face matched his beard and he stammered out an incoherent response.

“I simply feel that your wife should know such things. How am I expected to carry out my duties of caring for my husband if you keep secrets from me?”

“It is true,” He mumbled at his hands, and she felt a twinge of satisfaction.

Her husband was truly becoming on the outside the monster he was on the inside, and eventually everyone else would see it.

“I am so glad you told me,” She smirked, smoothing her golden hair against her shoulder.

Finally, life was beginning to look up.

[imagine-that-haikyuu]

scenario where kuroo and his gf, who's nekoma's manager, have been dating for a long time and broke up a few weeks before the training camp arc, but they promise to stay close friends. they still banter and whatnot, and it's not awkward, but in reality they're both still heartbroken and they get back together in the end? (bonus if the third gym crew get caught witnessing them getting back together)

i am a gosh dang sucker for these kinds of scenarios

“So, I found out something very interesting from the Karasuno managers the other night.”

Kuroo cocked an eyebrow and turned his attention towardsyou. Your eyes were cast upward squinting in thought, a slight pout on yourlips.  It hadn’t been all that long sincethe last time the two of walked alone at night like you did now, save for a fewdifferences. Them mainly being that you weren’t heading home from an outing togetherand were instead at a volleyball training camp at Shinzen High, walking backafter dinner to your respective accommodations for the evening.

Also, that you were no longer a couple.

Kuroo was not going to kiss your pout away like he used to, even though he’d always loved doing that, and wanted to do so right now. Youalso loved when he did that, even if you tried (and often failed) not to showit, and also wanted him to do so right now. Instead, he flashed a sly smirkyour way.

“It has to be something good then, if you’re making thatface,” he commented

You huffed and then rolled your eyes. “Apparently, a certainsecond-year on our team made it seem as if Nekoma lacked a manager—specificallya female manager—when you guys went to that practice match against Karasuno duringGolden Week. You know the one that I, thefemale manager from Nekoma, was supposed to go with you to, but got sick atthe last minute?”

Yamamoto did have a bad habit of “not seeing you as a girl”because you had been off-limits for as long as he knew you, and also probablybecause he didn’t want to get on his senpai and captain’s bad side. But eventhat was taking it kind of far.

“Yup. That’s something he did.”

At Kuroo’s less than apologetic affirmation, you droppedyour shoulders.

“And no one didanything to stop him? Kai? Yaku?”

“Nope.”

Now, you stopped walking, Kuroo only coming to a halt a few stepslater. You crossed your arms over your chest and narrowed your eyes again, thistime at him.

“And you didn’t doanything to stop him.”

He smiled almost sickeningly sweet. “Right again, ___.”

“What the hell is wrong with you people?”

That explained why Shimizu and Yachi were confused about yourexistence at the training camp a few weekends ago. Given that Shimizu wassomewhat shy in talking to you at first and that Yachi only joined on as amanager sometime after that reunion match, it was no wonder that it had taken you untilnow to find out from them.

You let out a short groan before continuing on your wayback. After a moment, you managed a wry laugh and shook your head.

“I don’t know, Kuroo. That could have been your chance toshow off to your new friends that you had a beautiful girlfriend who alsohappened to be the team manager.”

This was the part that made it hardest from him: he’d gottentoo used to you calling him by his first name. You switching back to his lastname threw him for a loop, and he’d be damned if he didn’t admit that he missedhearing his first name coming from you. Pairing it up with the fact that he couldn’t agreewith you calling yourself beautiful because it might have made things weird ifhe had was not helping.

Kuroo shrugged, hoping a bit of nonchalance would help himsettle the ache in his chest. “Well, it wouldn’t have made a difference nowanyway. It would have only been that way for a little while after.”

“Yeah,” you sighed. You still weren’t sure why you botheredto bring it up exactly. Anticipating that he would agree with a “Yeah, you’vealways been beautiful” before you both turn to each other in tense silence andfinally admit that breaking up was a terrible idea and that you should get backtogether?

That was exactly what you wanted. Who were you trying tokid?

There was so much to consider at the time it happened. Theteam’s loss at Inter-Highs were still fresh wounds for everyone when the ideaof all the third-years retiring from the team was applied like a block of saltto it. Studying for college entrance exams was something the four of you had toconsider suddenly. Even though you all chose to continue with club activities,the thought of preparing for college made things uneasy.

You had a lot of questions, mostly: were you and Kurooconsidering the same school? Could you even get into the same school? If not,would you be going places close to one another? Either way, would there even beenough time to see each other? And even so, could this relationship last thatlong or would you grow out of each other?

The two of you talked it over one day after practice, andafter reasoning that if a split was inevitable later, it would be best to call itoff while you still could and start moving on.

Sure, it would take a while to get over each otherconsidering how long you’d been together, and you hoped that ache would go awaysoon enough. But you couldn’t even think about him without a heavy longing to tryagain settling itself inside of you.

The problem lied in wanting to remain good friends: youalways made sure that you could say that your boyfriend was also one of yourbest friends. That made this hardest. Sure, your witty banter was still as funas ever, but you couldn’t follow it up with a kiss to distract him when youfelt like Kuroo was besting you. Nor could he hug you from behind afterpractice when everyone else headed out to the club room to change and no onewas around to see, and you’d tease him about being all gross and sweaty. Now itwas just regular conversation while you parted ways outside the gym.

Pretty much anything you thought you could do together asnormal friends had turned into something intimate. Now these actions felt inherentlyempty, and it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

The conversation carried on either way as if all was normal.The hallways of the school were virtually empty and already dark, the only lightscoming from inside the classrooms the teams were sleeping in.

“This is my floor,” Kuroo said. You stopped on the landingalongside him to say goodbye, despite you still having another flight to climb.

“Alright, good night then, captain. I will see you brightand early at breakfast.” You turned to continue up the stairs, but stoppedyourself short. “Oh! Before I forget. You might want to give everyone a warningthat I’m going to give them all a tongue-lashing tomorrow for their Golden Weekbehavior and I’m not going to show any mercy. Except for Lev because he was notpresent then and is exempt… this time.”

“Oh man, how long has been since ___ last scolded us? Twodays? We missed a whole day, so this is a treat,” Kuroo teased.

You smiled and laughed along with him, not even realizingthat the gap between the two of you was closing as the laughter subsided. 

Itwas like muscle memory the way he placed his hand on the small of your back topull you closer and how you placed your hands on his shoulders, and how yourlips seem to know exactly when to part for him.

“God, I miss you,” he whispered after regrettably pullingaway.

You nodded, expression somewhere between relief and wistfulness.“Me too.”

“Called it!”

You let out a low groan while slowly turning your head; youknew the voice all too well, but a part of you wanted to validate your risingtemper by seeking its source.

Sure enough, Lev stood some distance away from Kuroo andyou, just outside of the bathroom door with his fists raised in the air. He turned,calling down the hallway as he practically jogged back to the classroom whereNekoma was staying in, “Yamamoto! Inouka! You both owe me Haagen-Dazs now!”

“I knew they had somebet going on but I didn’t think it had anything to do with us,” Kuroo sighed.His tone was flat, probably from not being at all surprised by thiskind of behavior from his younger teammates.

Your wide eyes remained fixed on the first-year as he disappearedback into the classroom, jaw clenched but jutting out slightly.

“I take back what I said,” you mumbled while returning yourattention to the boy in front of you. “Lev’s no longer exempt.”

Kuroo only chuckled, taking your chin in between two fingersand tilting it upwards to kiss you again. It wouldn’t have felt right anyway foryou to not reprimand the entire team as per usual, especially now thateverything was back to the way it should have always been.