#THIS MAN CALCULATED EVERYTHING AND THEN TOSSED HIS BACK-UP PLAN OUT OF THE WINDOW ME SAYS AND I CRY

[heytheredeann]

Lettin' people down is my thing, baby

[fauustic]

the fear of losing this

too many people in my inbox got a little too comfortable asking me for “a fight between reader” as well as “miguel angst please” so i am combining both as i struggle to get through this writer’s block ))

gender-nonconforming reader x miguel “spider-man 2099″ o’hara

angst. little comfort. your universe is falling apart, yet miguel doesn’t want to let you go.

warnings: pure angst. light cursing? i’m not too sure, just lots of tears.

word count: 2211

The night sky of Nueva York shined brightly with the bustle of commute, highly advanced cars whirring softly through the clouds. Your mask hung from your hands at your side, bunched up in the anger that fizzed and popped in your bloodstream– threatening to explode at any given moment as Miguel brushed off your conversation with a stoic chill.

“You don’t understand how important this is to me Miguel–” your voice raised as you paced the highest level of the building, padding against the overly complex structures that mimicked webs. You would have laughed at the irony of having a headquarters so invested in the theme of spiders that even the ground you walk on replicated the symmetry of webs if the both of you were in any other given situation– but that joking persona that came with the gig flew and crashed out the window the moment Miguel brushed off and rejected your plans to return back home. “I need to be there, helping my people. What is the point of me taking up a spot in this ‘fateful–’” You dragged out the words, venom dripping from your tongue as you partially made fun of the organization he spent so much time on. “Spider Society if my own boss doesn’t let me return back to the place I belong in?”

“No, no.” His tone was blunt as he stood as rigid as ever; surveying your every move in a way that you could never guess what he was thinking, with or without the mask. “You don’t understand.” Miguel repeated your own words back to you in a taunt as one of his clawed hands fidgeted with the device that decided whether or not you could walk around or stay in a little bubble for the next week just like all the other prisoners were down below. “You created a problem in your own universe, that’s the problem we’re having here. You cannot fix it.” He practically spat his words, anger emitting from every rhythmic clang whenever he tossed the technology into the air and caught it with calculation. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re from that Earth, you put that place you so valiantly ‘protect’ into a state of emergency. Is that not clear enough?”

“Oh, sure– but the hundreds of other spider-people that can’t go one word without making a joke of the situation can fix my mess? Am I just some inexperienced rookie to you, Miguel?” You countered, ripping your gaze from his own. His features were exposed to you as his mask was off as well, the sunken circles beneath his eyes growing prominent when a vibrant car passed by and shone a striking yellow light into the corridor the two of you stood within. His usual expression made of stone chipped away with the stress he was under as a deeper frown made its way onto his lips.

Miguel sighed dramatically before pinching the bridge of his nose, turning away from you to mumble a jumble of incoherency. “God,” He repeats your name like it's a curse, “That’s not what I’m saying at all. It’s just not safe.”

You scoffed, eyes growing wide at the audacity of this man you have to call your boss. “Of course it’s not safe Miguel, that’s our job.” You couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief, pulling at the roots of your hair in any attempt to calm yourself down. “I risked my life every single day in my universe before I even knew of your existence, yet now suddenly I can’t?”

“This is different. For some reason these– these anomalies are running rampant in your world and it’s taking everything to finally have the problem at hand contained.” Miguel held his breath as if he had something more to say, but left it unsaid the moment you stomped closer towards him in a new fit of anger.

You shoved your palm against his chest, baring your teeth as a groan erupted from the back of your throat in a concoction of frustration and despair. “Exactly! That’s exactly the problem, Miguel. My people out there are suffering and fighting for their lives, surrounded by these people that are like me but aren’t me.” Tears began to well up in the corners of your pained gaze, humiliation washing over your consciousness as you sniffled and stifled a sob. Fauxe confidence and quips were something you specialized in, annoying Miguel in a little dynamic the two of you found yourself in as months turned into an entire year of being called in for missions. Emotions were never a thing the both of you have ever discussed with one another because it wasn’t your position to pry and he was never the one to initiate such conversation.

“If you just let me go, I’m more than willing to show you how capable I am.” It came out as a whisper as you turned away from him and began padding down the structural webs. Miguel was on high alert, you could notice as every glance felt as if he was trying to convince himself that no other member of his society occupied this part of Headquarters. He followed you close behind, claws digging into the beams of construction to reach the same floor as you without a word. The brooding silence that usually met your company could be sensed from any person in their right mind, and as you spotted the hesitation in each thud of his footfalls– confusion clouded your anger. So in a flurry of adrenaline, you webbed his next step to the ground with a ball of the substance you artificially produced in the depths of your makeshift and cozy lab, hidden away at your home in the world you desperately needed to save. It would give you time to finally just talk to him.

“¿Eres estúpido o qué? Do that again and I’m putting you in the–”

It wasn’t to hold him down, you know you couldn’t match his strength. It was to make a statement. 

You interrupted him, a newfound determination holding onto the little hope you had. “You follow me for one more second, I’m going through that portal and never looking back.” Brutally honest and uncharacteristically serious, the attempt at ripping his limb free was cut cold at the promise looming in the air. His frown fell for just a moment’s notice, mouth agape in shocked horror before quickly recovering himself. Repeating yourself more clearly as his attention was occupied, your body shined away while shaky fingers struggled to input the coordinates of your universe. But eventually it clicked, the AI voice of Miguel’s beloved Lyla sounded throughout the tension in a glitchy mess– notifying Miguel of the portal to-be seconds before it truly distorted the fabrication of reality in front of you.

Miguel dropped to his knees, struggling to claw off the web that had his foot planted to the structure. His breath quickened concerningly, shoulders heaving as the plan of his crumbled in front of him in an instant; all because he was not observant enough. You played him like an instrument like you always had, a pained groan from the back of his throat sounded and echoed throughout the space of the vast headquarters. “No, no, no..” He repeated, mirroring the despair you had on your features moments ago at the idea of not being able to save your people. You could never once recollect a fraction of a second where he allowed himself to convey the pain plaguing his mind, and as he reached out to you in a frantic heap of limbs– the walls of protection he hazardously built around himself came crumbling down by each shape contorting and twisting into a gateway to your world. “I can’t, I can’t lose anybody else–”

You stood there, heart breaking as the man who has had villains three times your size on their knees, collapse into fragments of himself at the mere idea of you leaving the security of his universe. Bursts of color painted the dark hues blotching upon white, igniting his fresh-tear stained cheeks in splashes of reds and yellows and greens. The portal was completely open, awaiting your entrance to return back to your familiarity– yet your senses buzzed alarmingly at each step away from Miguel. It’s almost as if you could feel the hole in his chest, searing away his soul he finally allowed himself to offer like a god’s offering.

You fell to your knees to hold his face in your suited hands, the waves of sorrow and grief infesting your mind like a sickness almost had you doubling over in pain. You could hear the cries of hundreds around his, no– your own heavy breathing, a confused and fearful little girl’s pleas for help overlapping the muddled screams. You felt the weight of a child in your hands before it was ripped away like a paper airplane in the wind, and soon your trembling hands met the purchase of his nape. Your body moved automatically, holding his face in the comfort of your lap while you shielded his gaze from the portal. Despite his power, the capability to snap you in two, you held him like a fragile doll that would break within any mishap.

“All this time, you never told me.” You sobbed into his hair, dampening his combed back curls with your tears and he only held your waist like you were the anchor in this unforgiving ocean of anguish. You have become one, the memories of his own mixing into the blur of yours's.

“I didn’t know how to.” He murmured into the purchase of your thigh, wetness seeping into your suit. But you didn’t care as your hands wandered all over his figure: a soft massage to the shoulders before quickly scooping his neck into your arms before finally settling on petting his hair back. “I, I haven’t allowed you to go to your world because a part of my thoughts can imagine your arms fading into a technicolor mess, falling into the clutches of another failed universe.” He forced himself to take a deep breath, gulping up air as the portal behind the both of you fizzled and popped.

“I can’t lose you too. I’d be so–” He hesitated, breathing in deeply just to choke on a sob. “I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.” He poured out the burdens weighing on his conscience, confirming your long-forgotten wonder that he was just as emotional when he was faced with his grief head-on; the same intensity seen in his short-tempered anger.

You simply hushed him, cooing reassurance that he accepted with greed. “Nothing is going to happen to me.” The rational fear being expressed aloud made your shoulders shake and head buzz with anxiety, but you steeled yourself at the reminder of Miguel melting into your tearful embrace like putty. You needed to be strong for him when he wasn’t, just like how he pushed himself to the greatest extent his body can endure all the times before. 

“It’s just, I can’t lose where I come from.” You worked at ridding his foot from your webs as your serene tone accompanied his sniffles, his breathing settling out bit by bit as you continued to finally explain yourself. In regards to Miguel's quietness, you genuinely thought he was listening. “You can’t keep me away and shield me from my own mistakes, O’Hara. It’s just not possible, I need a home to thrive and protect. Without my people, I’m going to disappear as well.” A snap of your webs trapping his limbs finished your little speech, indicating that time was up and you had a job to do.

“I’m.. worried.” He mumbles aloud, like the sentence itself was foreign on his tongue. “These creatures from foreign worlds, they are drawn to your universe as if there’s a pulling force. I haven’t been able to figure it out. It’s so infuriating, it’s like I can’t do–”

You intercept his little tangent as you grab his chin and lift his gaze to meet yours’, an unsaid question hanging into the atmosphere like an old letter to a former self. Do you want this? Is this okay? I’m scared of messing this up.

The question is answered as Miguel’s grasp finds purchase in your flesh, claws digging into your thighs like if he let you go you’d fade along with everything else of his. In a messy, salty clash of teeth against fangs and tongue against lips, Miguel lapped up every inch of your mouth like he had to memorize every crevice of your entire being. It’s as if the two of you have synchronized, being able to suspect slight changes in each other’s mood as he grew more needy with the introduction of desire bubbling against the forefront of your mind.

“We can do this.” You murmured into his cheek, hands dancing over his suit in case this was the last time you’d ever be blessed with his presence again.

Miguel nodded, heaving for breath before he snatched one last kiss– sincere and genuine and full of unfiltered affection. “Yeah,” His nose met the crook of your neck, grazing each curve it stumbled upon.

“Together, mi alma.”

[nebulablakemurphy]

Miss American Pie

Chapter Two: The Perfect Partner Project

Warning!: This series features a romantic Yelena Belova x Fem!Reader pairing. Please keep scrolling if that’s not for you. 💜

Summary: After you’re freed from Dreykov’s control you team up with Yelena and Natasha to take down the red room.

Chapter One : Chemical Subjugation

“I thought you had a jet?” Yelena cocks her head to the side, as you approach the decrepit helicopter.

“I asked for one.” Natasha mutters, under her breath.

“This isn’t a jet.” You add, the closer you get, the worse it becomes.

“I realize that!” The man who’d been standing with his back to you whips around to defend himself. This must be Natasha’s friend. “But you know what you didn’t give me? Time. Or money. I’m not made of jets.”

“Aww, he’s sensitive.” Yelena coos, “I see why you keep him around.”

“I’m not sensitive.” He protests.

“Of course not,” you smirk.

“Listen you-“ he breaks off. “Who are you again?”

“Y/N Y/L/N,” Yelena introduces you, climbing aboard. “She’s my partner….” She shrugs, “you name it really.”

“Partner works.” You chuckle, joining her in the cockpit.

“If you say so,” Yelena waves a dismissive hand. Getting a feel for the controls.

“Wonderful,” the man acknowledges your title.

“Thanks for the ride, Dick.” You salute him through the front window.

“It’s Rick,” he calls back.

“I know.” You give him a thumbs up. Waiting until he turns back to his conversation with Natasha. Taking the opportunity to lean down, kissing the top of Yelena’s head.

She cranes her head back to see you.

You nuzzle your nose against hers, until an exaggeration throat clearing tears you apart.

“We don’t have time for this.” Natasha, of course.

Yelena scowls at her, “yeah, yeah.”

Breaking Alexei out of a maximum security prison using only an earpiece, stowed inside of an action figure is a terrible plan. Nearly as bad as using him for information on how to locate a facility that’s impossible to find, run by a man who’s too slippery to kill.

That doesn’t stop you though. Generally speaking it’s going well. Until one of Yelena’s shots triggers an avalanche.

“Woah.” She marvels at the scene before you, her masterpiece. “Now this would be a cool way to die.”

“Yeah,” you holler back, sarcastically, over the chaos.

“You were getting no where with your tiny guns.” Yelena points out.

“Slow and steady wins the race,” you remind her.

“Fast is better. Solves problems.”

“And clearly creates new ones.” You jerk your chin toward the mountain.

“Get us out of here!” Natasha’s voice blares through the headset.

“I’m on it.” Yelena assures her. Moving into a better position for extraction. “Watch the side window.”

At her request you shuffle to the main ship. The prison guards are still putting up a fight. Inmates running in every direction.

“Alright, Natasha’s with us.” You confirm, once she’s secured her place on the black hanging rope. “Circle between the walls on your left to grab Alexei.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Yelena snarks, steering the plane away from another explosion.

“You’re doing a great job.”

“Don’t lie to me!”

“Fine,” you huff. “The spot is tight and the angle is bad. I don’t know how you’re gonna pull this off.”

Yelena is silent, processing the information. “Lie to me a little.” She amends.

“You got this.” The blinding wall of white threatens to swallow Alexei whole. You’re holding your breath too as the rope moves past the metal bridge he’s standing on.

“Well?” She yelps, impatiently.

“I don’t know. I can’t see.” Once the snow and ice clears, you spot two figures carefully scaling the rope. “Yelena?”

“Hmm.” She hums, expecting the worst.

“I knew you had it.”

“Yes,” Yelena sighs, before falling into easy laughter. More invested in this than she will ever admit.

————————————————————-

Unfortunately, entertaining as Alexei may be, he has next to no information about Dreykov.

Instead he drawls on and on about how the man wronged him. Stuck him on that “boring mission” in Ohio. Then tossed him in jail and threw away the key because of…hair? A party?

You weren’t entirely sure. You excuse yourself to the vacant seat beside Yelena. Giving her thigh a reassuring squeeze.

Full lips twitch up into a grin.

“Tell us where the red room is.” Natasha grumbles.

“I have no idea!” He shouts, and then in Russian. “Why don’t you ask Melina?”

“Mom Melina?” Yelena whips her head around.

“We thought she was dead.”

“You cannot kill a fox that swift,” Alexei sucks in a breath.

You choke on your own saliva.

“Ew.” Natasha winces.

“What?” The man shrugs. “She was the master mind. His architect.”

“Are you telling me that Melina works for the red room present day?” Natasha leans closer.

“Yes,” he nods. “Remotely, outside Saint Petersburg.”

“I don’t think we have enough fuel for Saint Petersburg.” Yelena decides, after checking the needle on the gauge.

“We’ll make it.” Alexei waves away her concern.

“Ok,” Yelena mutters.

You look over at her.

“We’re not going to make it.” She mouths, with a shake of her head.

You smirk, closing your eyes and relaxing into the seat. It’ll be nice while it lasts.

Before long you’re falling into a controlled crash, at the Saint Petersburg city limit.

“So,” Yelena jumps out onto the dirt. “Are we there yet?”

“No, you will know when we are there.” Alexei begins snorting like a pig.

——————————————————————-

You take a seat in the chair opposite Yelena inside Melina’s humble abode. Her pigs can be heard carrying on out in the yard and Alexei’s early snorting makes perfect sense now.

Your eyes dart around the three women at the table uncomfortably as noises continue erupting from the bathroom. “Everything alright in there?” You bellow, loud enough for your voice to carry down the hallway.

Another groan is the only response.

“Let’s drink,” Melina’s voice breaks the tension. She fills each of your shot glasses in turn.

“Thanks,” you raise the clear liquid and toss it back. Feeling it burn it’s way down your throat before going back for another.

After a moment a clunking from the doorway calls your attention.

“It still fits.” Alexei announces, having stuffed himself into his old costume.

Melina whistles, with a slow clasp as he approaches the seat at the head of the table. “I never washed it once. Come eat.”

He hums a tune under his breath, reliving days gone by. “Look at us, family back together again.” If you didn’t know better you’d think it was sweet, he seems…happy.

“Well,” Melina swallows, dishing mashed potatoes onto his plate. “Seeing as our family construct was just a calculated ruse that only lasted three years, I’m not sure we can use this term anymore.”

“Agreed,” Natasha perks up. “So here’s what’s going to happen-“

“Reunion then.” Alexei offers instead. “I want to say something right off the bat.” He says to the woman who’d once been his wife. “You haven’t aged a day. Just as beautiful and supple as the day they staged our marriage.”

Melina moves closer, “you got fat, but still good.”

“I just got out of prison,” he confesses, “I have a lot of energy.”

“Ooohooo.” The older woman exhales.

You can’t help the bubble of laughter that forces its way from your chest. Covering your mouth with your hand as Yelena takes another shot.

“Please don’t do that.” Beside you Natasha looks physically ill as she protests. Swallowing down her disgust she begins again. “So listen. Here’s what’s going to happen.”

“Natasha don’t slouch. You’re going to get a back hunch.” Melina flicks her fork in Natasha’s direction.

“What? I’m not slouching? I don’t slouch.”

“Eh, listen to your mother. Up! Up!” Alexei joins in.

“I told you, I don’t want any food.” Yelena pushes her plate away.

“Eat a little something Yelena, for God’s sake.” Melina says, piling food onto her plate.

Yelena groans.

“Are you kidding me? Stop it all of you. This is ridiculous.” Natasha bites out.

“Me? I didn’t do anything. That’s not fair!” Yelena argues.

“It’s true, she’s just sitting there.” You shrug.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Natasha roars, effectively silencing the room. “You’re going to give us the location of the red room.”

Melina purses her lips, avoiding the topic. “It’s like when you told them they could stay up to catch Santa Claus.”

“That was fun!” Alexei recalls. “Look out girls, he comes down the chimney. And when the cookies are gone you know he is there.”

Melina clicks her tongue.

“What? I want them to follow their dreams, shoot for the stars girls.”

“No good.” Melina disagreed.

“Killing Dreykov isn’t a fantasy. It’s unfinished business.” Natasha looks between the two of them.

“You cannot defeat someone who commands the very will of others.” Melina says, softly. “You never got to see the culmination of what we started in America. After the perfect partner project was rejected, we took a different route.”

“The perfect partner project?” You repeat, racking your brain. You’ve heard that somewhere before.

“Why’d Dreykov scrap the project?” Natasha’s voice cracks like a whip.

“I don’t know.” Melina’s eyes dart down to her plate.

You can see that she’s lying.

“That’s when we turned our focus to chemical subjugation.” Melina continues, “the control is so profound that when the subject is instructed to stop breathing. They have no choice but to obey.”

Yelena shakes her head. Perfect lips turned into a frown. Hazel eyes glistening with tears as they meet your own.

“That’s enough.” You warn the older woman, seeing the expression. The last thing you want to do is cause her anymore pain.

“No.” The blonde insists. “Tell me more about the partner project.”

“Yelena, we don’t have to do this.” You shake your head.

“Yes, we do.” Yelena slams her fist against the table in frustration.

“The extraction was messy to start. A high profile missing children’s case in North America. But the bond was very strong. Enhanced through targeted conditioning and subliminal messages. Until something happened that Dreykov did not anticipate.”

“What happened?” Natasha wonders.

“The girls became…attached.” Melina’s mouth twitches, “so they were separated.”

“Do you know who they tested on?”

Melina’s guilty eyes land on you. “I am sorry.”

“No,” you suspected, maybe. Somewhere in the back of your mind. You spent the first six months in the red room under solitary confinement. Rapidly and rigorously conditioned in a matter of weeks instead of years. Preparing you…for her. The teenager girl you couldn’t stand, the woman you eventually came to love.

“You,” Yelena laughs, although it’s not particularly funny. “Us.”

“Yelena-“ you reach for her hand across the table.

“Don’t,” she snaps. “Don’t tell me that it will be ok. They stole your life because of me. I never asked them to do that. I never asked for you!”

“I know.” You assure her. None of this was ever her fault.

“That’s right, because you know everything. Don’t you, Y/N?” Yelena scoffs, her hands balling into fists on either side of her dinner plate. “You know what I think. You know what I feel. Look at you. Ready to come out of your own skin because I am unhappy. Prepared to move mountains, prepared to start wars.”

“Like you’re any better.” You challenge, she knows you like the back of her hand.

“That is my point!”

“I’m sorry that this happened.” Alexei interrupts. Surely gearing up for a ‘father of the year’ speech. “But we are here now. All together! Wasn’t that worth a few years of-“

“Shut up!” Natasha growls at him. “You are an idiot.”

No response.

She moves her attention to Melina, “and you’re a coward. You’re a coward. And our family was never real. So there’s nothing to hold on to. We’re moving on.”

“Never family, huh?” Alexei throws up his hands. “In my heart I am simple man. For a couple deep undercover Russian agents I think we did pretty great as parents.”

“Yes,” Melina nods her agreement. “We had our orders and we played our roles to perfection.”

“Who cares? That wasn’t real.”

“What?” Yelena’s voice breaks.

“That wasn’t real.” Natasha repeats for emphasis. “Who cares?”

“Don’t say that. Please don’t say that. It was real. It was real to me. You are my mother!” Yelena all but sobs. “You are my real mother, the closest thing I ever had to one. The best parts of my life were fake.” She pauses, drawing in a steadying breath. “And none of you told me.”

You swipe at the tear that escapes your eye. Traitorously running it’s way down your cheek. It was never fake. Perhaps arranged, but never fake. The way you want to wrap her up in your arms, protect her from her own sadness. The way your heart breaks in time with hers. That is real. It has to be.

She turns back to the woman who she considered a mother. “Those agents that you chemically subjugated around the globe…that was me too.”

Finally she addresses Natasha, “and you. You got out. It is impossible to escape. Are you going to say anything?” A pause. “No.”

She pushes her chair from the table, taking the bottle with her as she stands. Turning her back in the four of you.

“Yelena.” Natasha calls after her. Guilt eating away from the inside out.

“No.” Yelena dismisses her a second time. Moving into the next room and closing the glass doors behind her.

You look down at the plate of food in front of you, now lacking any appeal.

“I had no idea.” Melina whispers, wringing her hands.

“I’ll go to talk to her.” Alexei offers, rising to his feet.

“About what?” You hum, “how you handed her over to a life of pain and suffering at the age of six? How you experimented on her? How you didn’t come back for her? Yeah. I’m sure that’s just what she needs right now.”

With that you excuse yourself, back out to the front yard. Slowly circling the perimeter of Melina’s cottage. Not looking for anything in particular. Just killing time until someone produces information about how to get to Dreykov.

The blinding light that appears moments later catches you off guard. A team of men exit one of the three circling planes. Since you couldn’t find the red room, this is the next best thing.

—————————————————————

Waking up is disorienting, coming to from a tranquilizer always is. It’s bright, almost blindingly so. It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust. You attempt to use your hands to cover them, only you can’t move your hands.

Leaning up as much as your restraints will allow you discover that you’re strapped to an operating table. And you’re not alone.

“Yelena?”

“Miss American Pie,” she drawls from a similar position. Neither of which gives you much chance to escape whatever fate awaits.

“You’re not allowed to die mad at me,” you grumble.

“I’m not mad at you.” She blinks slowly, as the surgeon marks a clean line at the perimeter of her hairline. “I’m just mad.”

“Yeah,” you let out a laugh, turning back to the light above the gurney. “Me too.”

“You are my perfect partner.” She murmurs, while gloved hands busy themselves with preparations. “I don’t know if that makes it better or worse.”

There’s a beat of silence between you. Acceptance…peace. “I love you, you know.”

At this Yelena smiles. A genuine, happy, smile. “I know.”

Something to remember her by.

The syringe at your neck releases a sedative into your blood and you fall asleep. One last time.

—————————————————————

Dying is peaceful, gently rocking in the ocean. Then swaying more violently, giving you the urge to be seasick. Your body should move with the force of it. But something holds you steady, something warm.

“Yelena?” You croak.

“Not quite, but there is resemblance, huh?” A different voice greets you.

“Alexei?” You realize, pushing yourself into a sitting position.

“That’s a girl, up you go.” He says, clapping a hand against your back.

“What happened?” You ask, “where’s Yelena?”

“Still inside,” Melina confirms. “Brought you here so you’d be safe.”

“Natasha?”

“They’re coming.”

You sigh, ready to jump out the open door of the hovering chopper.

“What are you doing?” Alexei demands.

“Going to find them.”

“Wait! Y/N, wait.” He pleads. “There’s something I must tell you. I tried to tell Yelena but I don’t have earpiece.”

“What?” Your brows furrow.

“Never mind that.” He shakes his head. “The point, is you were right. What you said about Yelena. We complete our mission, we move on. But losing her, losing my girls is my biggest regret.”

“I’ll tell her, don’t worry.” You give his shoulder a squeeze.

“Please let me finish.” He stops you again. “She carried your unconscious body through burning building, through explosions. This is not easy, you are very heavy.”

“Oh, Alexei!” Melina scolds him.

“Not that.” He amends, “you know what I mean. It is dead weight.”

You nod, “sure.”

“I look at you together and I see true love and I am happy. You are family now, and this time…we are going to stay together. We’re not leaving without you.” The older man says, helping you onto the metal grate of the falling red room.

Not a second later an explosion rings through your ears, sending Melina, Alexei and your get away vehicle spiraling to the ground.

“It’s the thought that counts,” you’ll make a new plan.

You run toward the flames and gunfire. “Yelena!” You call out, searching the surrounding area.

“Y/N,” Natasha finds you. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t find Yelena.”

“I thought she was with you.” The woman frowns.

“Well she wasn’t!” You bite out, fear and frustration getting the best of you.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find her. You go-“ the red head pauses. Her eyes focused on something behind your head.

You turn to follow Natasha’s gaze. Finding her. Yelena. The wild, unpredictable, firecracker of a woman. On the wing of the jet with Dreykov inside.

“Yelena! Stop!” You rush over, realizing what she’s about to do. Her staff poised at the propeller.

She pauses at the sound of your voice.

“He’s not worth it.” No one is worth it. Not when she is the cost.

Yelena smiles, eyes alight with mischief, “I love you, you know.”

“I know.”

Natasha tries to reason with her. “Don’t do it!”

“This was fun.” Yelena tells her sister, jamming the propeller and effectively destroying Dreykov’s jet. The force of the explosions sends her backwards, hurtling towards the ground with the remaining pieces of the red room.

“Put your pack on and jump.” Natasha tells you. Rushing for the nearest parachute. “I’m going to save my sister.” She dives head first over the edge, without putting on her harness.

“Not if I get there first,” you challenge. This would be a cool way to die.

Chapter Three: Bye Bye

[janedrewfinally]

Pretty much everybody can agree that one of the amazing things about “Word of Honor” is the fact that Wen Kexing goes from 0 to 200 on the flirting scale in the space of about 2. 5 seconds. Like… Wen Kexing’s thirst is its own character by Episode Three (on the other hand, Episode Three also sees Zhou Zishu engage in entirely unnecessarily extensive hand-contact in order to snag a jug of wine in the most ridiculous way possible, so. You know. There’s that).

But what I also find really interesting is the 2.5 seconds before we get to that point, because it’s actually not immediate. Really, really, fast, but not instant.

And, considering how fast it happens, it’s fascinating to see how Wen Kexing gets there.

Because the thing is, when we first meet Wen Kexing (Great Philanthropist Edition), he’s enjoying a nice afternoon in a tavern, very elegantly drinking wine, thinking about his complicated revenge plots, possibly kind of bored but also, you know, Gu Xiang is getting this experience out in the human world on a nice day in a decent restaurant with opportunities to people-watch and learn things, and he’s happy to indulge her, and besides that the wine is pretty good as he is cheerfully waiting for the mayhem as soon as whichever one of the Ten Devils is going to make a move actually makes their move.

The Mirror Lake Sect is the smallest, and the weakest; he’s confident that he’s guessed right about where the chaos is going to start.

And he’s not really… it’s not that he’s not paying attention when Gu Xiang points out the not-a-beggar across the street drinking wine in the gutter, but he’s not the one who notices him first (hilariously, when he does see him and correctly identifies what he’s doing, it’s Zhou Zishu whose face sharpens into alarmed alertness; he did NOT sign on for this “mortifying ordeal of being perceived” nonsense and does not want it). But even then, Wen Kexing isn’t invested- it’s fun to cheerfully indulge A-Xiang, his precious girl who hasn’t had this kind of experience before, but it’s not important. Like… he’s got a lot on his mind. Finish the wine, feel smug that nobody knows who he is, pay some more groups of kids to run around reciting the second half of the nursery rhyme, remind A-Xiang that human girls do not (??) jump off second-floor balconies when they want to get someplace…

Until Zhou Zishu moves, and Wen Kexing, suddenly very much engaged, stands up and stares.

Afterwards, when he thinks about the mysteriously zippy hobo- and it’s worth noting that he has not figured out that Zhou Zishu is in disguise yet- what he thinks to himself is “this man might be the variable; I will see him.” When he is talking with Gu Xiang, he’s clearly speculating about this surprising new development while coolly wondering if she could even do anything against the Swiftly Moving Steps/Passing Cloud Steps, and his tone when he says “Four Seasons Manor” is still very cool. He’s calculating what this might mean within the context of his labyrinthine plans. When Gu Xiang asks him who that man was, he again calls Zhou Zishu a “variable.”

(remember, Wen Kexing doesn’t know what happened to Four Seasons Manor; he doesn’t know about the Window of Heaven; he hasn’t seen the Baiyi sword yet; he hasn’t spent enough time around scruffy drunk hobo dude to pick up on the fact that at least one-and-a-half of those things are fake)

Me: Variable for WHAT? If Zhou Zishu got onto the boat, what was the plan? Because “variable” sounds like Wen Kexing was assuming he could toss out the idea of the Glazed Armor and drop some hints about the World’s Armory and Zhou Zishu would act like every other greedy bastard in the jianghu, with a side of “making trouble for the Five Lakes Alliance.”

I mean, after the flirting fighting in the orchard, Wen Kexing is definitely getting more intrigued and more interested, and not just because the ongoing zippy fighting style has now confirmed SOME SORT of connection to Four Seasons Manor (and also because Zhou Zishu should clearly have found the offer of drinks and Wen Kexing's own company on a fancy boat irresistible, and Wen Kexing is basically one of those cats that heads directly for people who are allergic).

(side note: I would love to read the fic where Zhou Zishu gets on the boat and allows Wen Kexing to make his doubtless over-dramatic pitch about the Glazed Armor while Zhou Zishu seriously considers whether it's worth it to just jump overboard and swim for his original destination)

When everything is on fire, Wen Kexing is doing what he later does during the first Hero’s Conference- stand back (well, lean back picturesquely in an architectural feature while fanning himself and drinking and making meaningful eye contact without speaking) and watch the chaos, except with no emotional breakdown and very little emotional investment- aside from taking a moment to save his newly-discovered variable/possible connection to his past from a couple of ghosts.

But it really takes that night in the abandoned temple to cement his stalking interest and dial things all the way up to eleven, because it’s then that:

1) Scruffy drunk hobo dude, who he already saw save the life of an old man and a child who he just met, does it again, for no reward or reason.

2) Scruffy drunk hobo dude has the Baiyi sword? Scruffy drunk hobo dude … gives a name for himself that just might mean that this… is really….???

3) Scruffy drunk hobo dude just promised to take on the responsibility of protecting this random child he just met and making sure he gets to safety (and that has got to hit really, really hard, considering Wen Kexing’s past).

4) Scruffy drunk hobo really knows how to flirt spar in order to protect the random child and it’s very, very sexy.

5) Hang on, pretty sure scruffy drunk hobo dude must be secretly hot. And in an amazing disguise, which is like… an extra layer of absolute Wen Kexing catnip.

6) Secretly hot dude scoffed at the entire idea of the Glazed Armor and all the fabulous prizes to be won if you could get access to the World’s Armory. Secretly hot dude has the same view of this nonsense that Wen Kexing himself does? (Wen Kexing’s heart eyes about this can pretty much be seen from up on Changming Mountain).

AND to top it all off, secretly hot dude who might be… he might be…. Anyway, secretly hot dude once again refuses all boat-related offers even though they would make his life easier (Zhou Zishu: No, they definitely would not) and heads out, and at this point, he and his sexy, sexy shoulder blades stand no chance against the power of Wen Kexing’s thirst.

Which, frankly, Wen Kexing was not expecting when he woke up this morning and decided that spending the day in a tavern people-watching with A-Xiang would be harmless fun.

[mindofasupernova]

The Inventor Part 3

Kaz Brekker x reader

Description: A killer is on the loose, eliminating Kaz's informants. In a desperate attempt, Kaz meets a certain inventor that has his mind racing, trying to figure out the complex puzzle she is.

When the news of a murder in Von Raske's autumn ball reached Kaz's ears, his breath froze, an icy hand tightening his grip on his heart. Lord Von Raske was a close acquaintance of the Grand Duke Y/LN, fear invaded his mind, a single statement playing on repeat like a broken melody: Y/N had been there.

Dirtyhands had immediately sent Inej to check up on Y/N while he tried to distract himself by finishing paperwork. Two weeks had passed since their secret rendezvous, two weeks since Y/N had given him the list of components that created the poison and in those two weeks, he hadn't contacted her.

The next morning, he and his crows had spent the whole day making inquiries about possible buyers and indentured Grisha acquiring an excessive amount of alloys. No luck. No one knew anything. The only thing he had gotten were another two corpses with the same symptoms.

He had refused to call Y/N despite the little voice in the back of his mind telling him to bring the brilliant inventor, who would surely enjoy an excuse to abandon her royal life for a few hours. Even when there were no new bodies, these whispers urged him to arrange another meeting so he could just hear her chatter about dissections methods as if she were talking about the weather. Kaz shook his head, tossed his treacherous thoughts into a vault in the back of his mind while scolding himself for wanting the company of someone he barely knew.

Kaz thoughts kept drifting back to the inventor, too worried for her safety that he failed to notice Inej's presence in his office until she quietly spoke.

"She's alright, Kaz, but she believes these murders aren't just an act of vengeance against the Dregs. She wants to meet again to share her theories." Kaz glanced up, evaluating Inej words.

If it weren't for the tragedy at the ball, he would have kept thinking some other gang wanted to initiate a war against the Dregs, but now he was sure this was deeper than a petty quarrel.

Kaz nodded, analyzing the spy's face. Eyes dropping down to Inej's hands, she wore what looked liked to be a set of thin brass knuckles, two rings adjusting at her pinkies and index fingers that joined a smooth metal band facing her palm. Before Kaz could open his mouth, Inej answered his unspoken question.

"Y/N made them for me. She told me she'd noticed my chipped nails and slightly blistered hands from climbing flat buildings. She fabricated these, they work as some type of magnet, using the force of momentum and creating friction on plain surfaces." Inej's gentle voice explained, an endearing look as she stared at her knuckles.

"She gave me some truffles to bring back to the club, she thought Nina might like them."

He hadn't failed to notice Inej's troubled expression when he had ordered her to go to the Y/LN Manor. Whether he wanted it or not, the brilliant royal was worming her way into his Crows' hearts.

Kaz hummed in response, "We are meeting tomorrow at 9 in the morning, I'll tell Jesper to deliver a note."

"I'll do it right now. I want to try these." Inej gestured at the brass knuckles and without a word slipped out the window.

____________

Y/N

"Need a ride, doll?" Mr. Fahey called out, opening the hansom's door, inviting Y/N to hop inside.

Yesterday, Inej had silently returned to her room, bearing Kaz's news about the meeting. Y/N's heart thrummed excitedly in her chest, the notion of seeing the Crows again lighted up her day.

Y/N had told Ms. Ghafa she'd investigated around her social circle and that they needed to pay a visit to Mercher Dupont's valet, Dupont's most trusted employee.

"Greetings and thank you, Mr. Fahey" Y/N said politely as she stepped inside, taking a seat next to the Wraith.

"Why are you so sure the valet will have the answers we are looking for? Is he related to those theories you wanted to speak of?" interrupted Kaz, always so straightforward.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Brekker. And they aren't just theories. You see, after the very unfortunate incident at the ball, I took it upon myself to investigate Mercher Dupont's whereabouts in the past two weeks."

"Whereabouts? What does that have to do with his murder?" the raven-haired boy pondered.

"Everything. Someone knew he'd be returning from his secret trip today and that he would go directly to the ball. It's quite obvious actually." Y/N said, watching the streets distractedly through the window as the carriage started moving.

"It's not obvious to me." voiced Jesper.

Y/N turned to look at her confused companions. Kaz frowned deepened when the girl turned to him, waiting for him to show he understood. When she was met with silence, the corners of her mouth tugged upwards, clearly proud she had noticed something the infamous criminal mastermind had not. Kaz didn't share her enthusiasm.

"When Mercher Dupont arrived at the ball he was jumpier than usual, eager to avoid conversation with anyone. It was clear he had traveled outside the country: his skin was tanned, constantly scratching and pulling at his sleeves covering what were likely mosquito bites. His shoe soles were stained with grass and an orange stain, probably jurda, laces had been recently cleaned but messily tied as if he had been in a rush to arrive on time. Jurda, mosquitos, and scorching sun at this time of year, we can only find those three in Novyi Zem." Y/N beamed, words tumbling out of her lips as if her life depended on them.

"Besides, my mother talked with his wife this morning. The poor woman said that weeks prior he'd raced into his hansom, disappearing for two whole weeks and when he had finally returned, he and his valet refused to tell her a thing." the inventor finished, just as the carriage stopped moving.

"Wait, I thought we were heading to Dupont's residence." Y/N interrupted, as the trio jumped down the carriage, a few blocks away from a jewelry shop.

"Tell me, Y/LN, would you like to see what we do for a living?" Kaz asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I did not come here to witness a robbery. Much less to help with your wicked schemes." Y/N retorted, a defiant raise of her head, body betraying her when she stepped out of the carriage as well.

"I thought you'd enjoy participating in illegal affairs since you seem so eager to associate with a bunch of criminals. Where's your sense of adventure?" Kaz taunted with a smug look on his face.

"I left it on the carriage and would very much like to go back to get it." returned the girl, crossing her arms and straightening her posture. "If you believe my willingness to help you indicates I relish taking things from others then, you are awfully mistaken."

"How do you know you don't like it if you've never done it?" Jesper joined in.

"There's nothing like a heist early in the morning." the sharpshooter said, twirling his guns before hiding them in his coat.

Y/N let out an exasperated sigh but followed nonetheless. Kaz Brekker will be my downfall.

__________

Jesper took the driver's place, dismissing the coach, being their "escape driver" as Kaz had dubbed him.

Y/N entered the shop first, a veil covering her face, and pretended to be deeply interested in some ruby rings. She was only there to watch, Kaz had assured.

A few minutes later, Kaz walked in wearing a security guard uniform, where he had managed to obtain one, Y/N had no idea. He slowly prowled to the counter, adopting his role with such grace that it stunned Y/N. When he reached the vendor, he started conversing with him as if they had known each other for years.

Every step, every gesture, every word was calculated. In another life, Mr. Brekker would have made a fine actor. A very charming and talented actor. The thought crossed Y/N's mind before she could stop it. Kaz Brekker was a dangerous man, he'd heard the horrified whispers that preceded his name, a heartless monster that terrified the streets of Ketterdam.

But now that she knew him, Y/N wasn't sure if he was as despicable as the rumors stated. He could have taken her hostage when her identity was revealed, betrayed what she had been doing in Mr. Zhang's shop in hopes of earning money, but he didn't.

Most importantly he had never doubted her abilities when he discovered she was a woman, never belittled her as many high-class men had done. In fact, she could have sworn Kaz was pleasantly surprised when she'd earnestly started the autopsy. His lips barely tugging upwards, when she handed him the list.

Y/N had also noticed how he was always covered head to toe, not a sliver of skin showing apart from his head. She had perceived the way he always avoided touches, careful of not brushing against anyone, staying away from big crowds. It made Y/N wonder why skin contact repulsed him, she wanted to figure out his enigmatic persona and discover the reason for which his heart raced.

"Fire! Fire!" with a startled jump she came back to reality, eyes landing on the blazing curtains near a thin metal drawer that was slowly melting in revealing golden necklaces.

Y/N desperately hoped this wasn't Kaz's plan, by now everyone inside was aware of the fire, quickly pushing to get to the exit. Y/N squinted her eyes at the smoke, looking for Kaz, scared he had been injured during this little stunt. But before she could call out his name, she was being pushed outside.

Y/N hurried back to hansom where Jesper and Inej were already waiting, rapidly swirling around, she almost bumped into Kaz's chest.

"That's your idea of fun?" Y/N questioned, sending a murderous glare Kaz's way, a mask to hide her relief at finding him safe and unscathed.

"Says the person who finds joy in carving corpses open." Kaz retorted, his infamous smirk widening and stepping inside the hansom, closing the door after the two girls. "But it worked, didn't it?"

Y/N turned to look at him in confusion, Kaz's smirk widening when he pulled a pendant from his coat, but it wasn't any ordinary piece, it was THE Pink Star Necklace. This necklace was the source of the hottest gossip, created by a durast master as a gift for the upcoming arrival of a Shu dignitary's daughter.

"Incentive and distraction. I knew this necklace was kept in that shop, I just didn't know where." Kaz explained proudly "The obvious instinct was rescuing the most valuable piece inside."

"That being the necklace, delivered into your waiting hands." Y/N laughed, an incredulous grin at Kaz's ingenuity.

The rumors were true, he indeed had a wonderful mind. The crime of the century without even lifting a finger. She couldn't help her smile, wondering what other tricks Kaz had under his sleeve.

"Very clever, Mr. Brekker. I'm impressed."

Kaz's smug look never faltered but his eyes softened "You've just seen the beginning."

_________

The valet had been lounging outside when they arrived at Dupont's residence. The three crows and the inventor approached, Kaz skipped straight to the point without waiting for pleasantries. After several unanswered questions and the valet affirming he couldn't tell where his master had disappeared to for the last couple of weeks, Kaz looked ready to bash his skull with his cane.

However, before his blood painted the white roses red and Y/N had a new body to examine, she quickly intervened.

"Does Mercher Openheilmer know of your affair with his sister?" and just like that, the valet was desperately sputtering the whole story of his life out.

Apparently, Mercher Dupont had woken him up in haste, ordered him to fetch the carriage, and to drive to Fourth Harbor as if the Devil himself chased after his soul. When they had gotten there, his master had hired a schooner and Captain Wagner's small crew to Novyi Zem apart from that, he knew nothing more.

In a quick bumpy ride, they arrived at Fourth Harbor looking for a certain Captain and his crew.

"Blackmail. Who would have thought Marchioness Y/N performed such ghastly deeds." Kaz mocked, while they walked to Wagner's petit schooner.

"Oh hush, you're just mad I didn't let you beat the valet up."

Kaz raised a hand, gesturing for all of them to be quiet. Heavy grunts and shattering glass could be heard from inside the ship. Inej drew her knives and Jesper pulled out his pistols, each one went their own way while Y/N trailed quietly behind Kaz as they entered the dark rickety schooner.

The captain's quarters were a mess, papers scattered and drawers open, someone was in a hurry. Y/N saw a shiny pistol laying on a coffee-stained desk, it was loaded, she hesitantly grasped it, adjusting her grip like he had seen Jesper do. She had never held a gun before, but any form of protection was welcome.

Swirling back around, Kaz was nowhere in sight, with uncertain steps she stepped into the adjoining room, shakily raising the gun. A burly blond-haired man, Captain Wagner, shoved clothes desperately into a suitcase, he froze and stared wide-eyed at Y/N. The man was sweating, pudgy hands shaking, ragged breaths escaping his mouth, he was terrified.

"I mean no harm, I simply wish to talk about one of your clients, Mercher Dupont." Y/N raised her hands in surrender, daintily placing the gun on the floor not wanting to scare the man further.

The captain nodded, taking a step forward, but before Y/N could utter a word, he lunged at her knife glinting in the moonlight. A surprised gasp left Y/N's lips when the man shoved her to the floor. Captain Wagner pinned her down, knife raised in a direct line to her throat. When his hand dived to meet its target, Y/N desperately raised her hands catching his grip, a poor attempt at preventing the sharp metal from sealing her fate. Wagner pushed harder, merely seconds before her blood decorated the cabin's walls, a crow's head sunk into the plane of her attacker's shoulder, eliciting a broken scream from the man, and with a swift kick to the ribs, Kaz yanked the man off of Y/N. Drawing quivering breaths, Y/N sat up and watched as Kaz pressed the hill of his boot into Wagner's injured shoulder.

"Why did you attack her and why in such a hurry? Why was Dupont so eager to leave for Novyi Zem?!" Kaz growled, rage blazing in his midnight eyes.

"P-Please, I got nothin' to do with Dupont's business," Wagner whined, a sharp cried pierced the air when Dirtyhands shattered his shoulder blade with a quick jab. Y/N tore her gaze away, when she turned to reprimand Kaz about his ways, the animalistic glare he sent her way snapped her mouth shut.

"He hired my crew to get him to Novyi Zem, paid good money if we never told anyone about his trip and the many oil barrels he'd insisted on carrying there." he whimpered, trying to free himself from Kaz's visceral grip.

"If I had known the four members of my crew would end up dead for his secrets, I would have never done it. He said his life depended on the secrecy and when I saw your little friend there I thought she was here to kill me just like Dupont. "

"What did he do with the oil barrels?"

"I don't know, Saints! He brought back a Zemeni man, though. P-P-Please, I have done nothin' wrong."

-----------

No one spoke during their walk back to the carriage, a thick silence hung in the air accompanied by the coopery scent wafting from Kaz's blood-splattered clothes.

Y/N was the first to break the silence, "Where are we headed to?"

"We are going to gather information and you are going back home." Kaz harshly replied, voice dripping anger.

"But-"

"No Y/N, what the hell were you thinking?! How more stupid can you be, lowering your guard down?!" Kaz snapped, black charcoal eyes burning a hole through her head.

"The man was trembling, I didn't want to scare him. I-"

"Kindness gets you killed! What was I thinking bringing down a pampered foolish rich girl who wants to play detective!"

"Kaz, there's no need t-" Jesper started.

"No, Jesper! She's a liability! We could have lost Wagner because she refused to use a damn gun!" Kaz snarled, chest heaving.

It would have hurt less if Kaz had slapped her, his words gnawed at Y/N's heartstrings. And yet, she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing the broken look on her face. Y/N schooled her features into that false look of indignance and serious arrogance she had practiced all her life.

"Very well, Mr. Brekker. It's getting late after all" she stated. Inej's comforting hand fell upon her shoulder, she smiled even when tears threatened to fall and glanced at the bleary world outside.

_____________

Fine, if Mr. Brekker isn't willing to speak anymore, I'll take matters into my own hands. Three days and no sign of Kaz. It's okay Y/N reassured herself, she could navigate the streets of the Barrel just fine.

After they had talked with Wagner and discovered Dupont's unseemly affairs that caused the death of four sailors who were also Kaz's informants, Y/N had traveled to The Exchange and after probing for answers (more like blackmailing dealers with Zia Francesca's never-ending gossip) she had gotten the address to a small house where most of the chemicals in the list had been delivered.

Pulling out a gun she had stolen from her father's collection, Y/N knocked on the door. She had failed to use a gun once and it had cost her honest companionship, she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

The door swung wide open; a sickening smell floated in the air. A scent that made Y/N's eyes water, the scent of something rotten.

Taglist:

@getawayfrommewerewolf, @rika90, @princessleah129, @lady1505

[sebstanseabass]

Afterglow (A Bucky Barnes AU fan fiction) - Chapter 9

Afterglow chapters

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

CHAPTER NINE

For the first time in your life, you awoke in your own pool of sweat and with the fresh thoughts of Bucky as he managed to scoop you up with his strong lean arms and take you right then and there at the kitchen counter in your wild, vivid memory of dreams.

You blamed Nat for this. If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't even have inappropriate thoughts towards Bucky. Yes, you did notice his strong masculine exterior, jaw sharp as a killer's knife, body as strong as a boulder, and legs that could easily kill but did you have any thoughts on advancing towards him? No, absolutely not. He was Peter's stepbrother for crying out loud. But last night, something changed in the laws of physics. It was as if two resting bodies silently reacted to one another without a sudden force acting upon the two.

That morning, you didn't dare find out if Bucky was still in your apartment. You skipped your morning run and headed up towards the rooftop using the ladder right outside your window with a hot cup of coffee in your hand (which spilled a bit on the way up, by the way) and enjoyed the scent and sight of the dirtier part of New York City -- all its damp, cigarette covered pavements.

For the next few days, you saw no sign of Bucky. He hadn't been in the bar or in your apartment, as much as you wished he would stop by once in a while. But then, you would hear Peter talk to him on the phone every single night.

You never thought Bucky's lack of presence would start to bother you. It wasn't just the feelings of sudden desire you had for him but also the weird time you shared together -- as if you were just old friends catching up. You found it absolutely crazy how a lot of things just happened in the course of a day.

You wanted to ask Peter about Bucky's whereabouts, just a casual slip of "Hey, where's Bucky?" but you never dared to ask. So when Peter blabbed during a movie night that Bucky had been way too busy managing some business meetings, gatherings, and whatnots ever since he got back in the city, you were more than glad.

Nat had been coming to the bar every night ever since Tuesday, picking up extra shifts. She kept badgering you about Bucky this and Bucky that. She was one of the reasons why you couldn't keep Bucky out of your head. Her sudden long shifts at the bar wasn't only because she was so invested with your nonexistent dating life or, to her, a possibility of one with Bucky, but because she and Steve were secretly hooking up. Of course, she didn't tell you that. It's not like she needed to, anyway. It only took one sniff of Steve's strong scent on hers for you to find out.

Every passing day at the bar felt so slow and the same. The only thing that changed was Peter rejecting a drink on one Thursday night.

"Woah, what got your knickers on a twist?" You asked as soon as he approached the counter.

"I'm just not in the mood, y/n." He sighed. "Can I just have a glass of water, please?"

"Of course. Coming right up." You slid the glass of water on the counter towards him, your fingers drumming against the thick wood. "So, what's bothering you?"

He looked up at you with sulky eyes. "Oh god, you really are a bartender."

"And your best friend. So, what's up?"

He shook his head nothing, sipping the glass of water like a scotch.

His little act was unconvincing. Especially that he didn't try hard enough to conceal whatever he was feeling.

"Parker." You insisted. "Come on, what's up?"

"You see right through me, y/n."

"Don't flatter me too much," you rolled your eyes, "you're just easy to read."

But Peter was also stubborn as a bull. He wouldn't budge or give you any clue on what was bothering him. You thought that leaving him as you tended to other bargoers would eventually give him time to change his mind but you were proven wrong. It itched your brain that he wouldn't tell you whatever it was. You usually told each other everything. But then again, you haven't really been open with him with your growing desire for his stepbrother -- which, you hoped you never would, as you hoped all those feelings would eventually go away and keep it in a state of latency.

Peter stood by his ground, consuming no ounce of alcohol and keeping his mouth shut the rest of the night. You knew when to keep away from other people's business, even if it was your best friend's. You did try to make his evening lighter though, checking up on him and telling some old, classic bartender stories, seeing as he was clearly in an uncomfortable state but all he kept telling you was: "You're killing me, y/n. You're absolutely killing me."

You felt a heavy feeling on your chest with his surprisingly fierce tone. You urged him to go home after that, so he did.

"Dick." You mumbled after he left.

Nick walked towards the counter. "What's wrong with your roommate?"

"Wish I could tell you."

You and Nick have been getting along well despite you rejecting him. Nat kept telling you it was a way of manipulating you or some sort, to get you close to him but nothing has really happened ever since he asked you out. There wasn't a change in mood in the atmosphere, or even the way he treated you. Just some good colleagues working together.

The next night, Peter was more in the mood and even apologized to you for the way he behaved last night. "Now, for some great news."

"Does this mean you're having a drink?" You asked.

He nodded eagerly and patiently waited for his beer. Once he got his cold sip, he continued talking: "So, I've been really in a slump lately because I'm kind of lovesick. But then -- "

"Wait, what did you say?" You knitted your brows together, catching the last word he said. "Did you say lovesick? You son of a bitch, are you in love?"

"Language!" Out of nowhere, Steve yelled over the buzzing noises inside the bar. You snickered and he just gave you a look before he disappeared back into his office.

He is such a grandpa.

Peter chuckled. "To be honest, I have been for a very long time."

Your jaw dropped on the floor, ears all perked up, wanting to hear every detail of this. "And you never thought to tell me? Parker, I've been your best friend since forever. Why the hell wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because..." He trailed off, avoiding your stare. "It's not that big a deal."

"Okay, was this after that bitch Denise?"

"Actually, waaaay before that."

"Oh wow, that long, huh?" You replied. "Oh my god, is it someone we know from college? Shit, is it MJ?"

"No, it's not!" He replied. "And I'm not telling you who because I don't have actual plans on pursuing her." He sighed through his nose while taking a big sip of his beer. He brought down the bottle on the counter with a loud thud.

"So, it's a girl."

He grunted in reply.

You laughed. "So, why not pursue her?" You asked while multitasking. You handed a bowl of peanuts to the man beside Peter who was asking for it. "Is she taken? Does she have a boyfriend? A girlfriend?"

"No, she doesn't."

"So, why the hell not, Parker?"

You impatiently waited for an answer from Peter as it took him a couple of minutes to do so.

"Because I don't think it's a good idea. I don't think it will ever work." He answered, scratching the label on his beer bottle with much frustration. "I've thought about all the probabilities, but every single one of them ends the same."

"And what is that?"

"That it won't work out."

The thing about Peter was he never dive into things headfirst. Even though he was a dumbass, he was always a man of intellect who calculated everything in his head before committing to something.

"Why is it always statistics and probabilities and all that crap with you?" You let out an exasperated sigh. "What if for once in your life, follow your goddamn heart? You keep treating everything with a business mind. Go with what your gut tells you to do. Don't think too much about it because the heart wants what it wants, Parker."

Peter gazed at you for a few moments, perhaps finding the right words to say but he just shook his head and fought against his feelings. "I can't do it, y/n. I badly want to, like, it's already at the tip of my tongue. I badly want to tell her but I can't. I don't want to know what's gonna happen next. I'm just scared of what's gonna happen. I don't think I can take it."

As much as you wanted to convince him to go for the girl, you let it go. You've said what you had to say but it was always up to him whether he takes your advice or not. "So, what now?"

"Well now, I'm going to tell you the good news, the one you robbed me off when you batted in."

You rolled your eyes. "What's the good news, Parker?"

"Me and my colleagues will go on a corporate retreat for at least a week!"

You raised an eyebrow, writing a confused expression on your face. "How is this good news?"

"I'll be gone for a week, away from the city, away from my love problems and all that. I think it'll be good for me." Then, a smile started to form on his lips. "There, I'll leave all my worries behind."

"Parker, it's just a one-week corporate retreat, not a sabbatical." You grimaced, unimpressed with the whole thing. "You're not gonna get over this thing in just seven days."

"You don't know that." He scoffed. "I'll be a new man once I get back. You'll see."

"Sure." You replied, a hint of sarcasm laced in your tone.

"Oh, one more thing!"

"What, another corporate retreat?" You snickered, amused with all the clever remarks you were throwing at him. Peter, on the other hand, wasn't.

"No!" He gave you a look. "Bucky will look after you while I'm gone!"

Shock crossed your face. "Bucky?"

"Yes, me."

And on cue, a figure emerged behind Peter.

You were so bewildered with Peter's troubles that you hadn't noticed Bucky creeping up towards the counter. He was wearing what seemed like a navy blue tailored Hugo Boss suit, paired with a nice, sleek tie. His whole fit, illuminated by the iridescent lights made his blue eyes pop even more. Like last time, he opened up a button on his waist, tossed the end flaps in the air and sat down beside Peter on a high stool.

Watching him, you could feel the air around you tighten, paired with a clump of saliva caught in your throat. He placed his elbow on top of the counter and tucked his chin on his palm.

"B-bucky," you finally breathed, silently choking up on your own saliva, "hey, it's been quite some time."

"Hello, doll." The vowels on his words seemed to drop, accompanied by that rhythmic sound he usually does when he speaks. Oh god, one day with Bucky and I've already picked up on that, you thought. "Missed me?"

You felt some blood quickly rushing to your cheeks but you played it cool. "Don't flatter yourself, James." You pretended to get quite busy, wiping some clean glass off the counter then faced Peter. "So, what's this thing about Bucky looking after me?"

"Well, I'll be gone. You'll be alone. Bucky will look after you." Peter tried to "expound." "What's not adding up, y/n?"

You rolled your eyes at the two and scoffed, placing the glass on the counter. "No, thanks. It's just one week. I can take care of myself."

It was true. You once spent a two-week vacation all by yourself to California after high school and you came home in New Jersey without a scratch -- like a brand-new car. You walked around the place as if it was your turf, and blended in with the locals while basked in the glorious heat of the California sun.

"Bucky insisted." Peter chimed in defensively.

"Oh. Bucky insisted." You said, your gaze averting to Bucky's eyes. "Again, I appreciate the offer but I can handle myself. I'm not a baby."

Bucky, clearly amused with the whole situation, leaned back with careful eyes fixed on yours. "Come on, y/n, don't you want some company?"

"Aren't you busy with your company?" You retorted.

"Yes, I have been but not anymore." He replied. "Unless something comes up. A week without Peter must be somewhat lonely. Come on," he insisted once again, "it's also for me. It'll give me something to do for a week."

"Wait, what?"

"You guys could get to know each other better and get along!" Peter blurted. "And without me around, Bucky won't have someone to hangout with. Please, y/n? I'd feel so much better."

"Hang out? What are you guys, like sixteen?"

Your mind was still set on Bucky's last choice of words but you saved it for later.

"Pleaaaaseee?"

You sighed, knowing you could never refuse your best friend's pleas. "Fine."

"Great!"

"Just for the record," you said, holding up a finger, "I'm just agreeing because of Peter, not because I can't take care of myself."

Peter rolled his eyes while pulling out his phone from his pocket. "Yeah, yeah, you're an independent woman. Okay, I gotta take this call. I'll be right back."

And all then there were two: you and Bucky. While making two grasshoppers for a couple of girls who just entered, you could feel Bucky's intense stare towards you. Your mind, clouded with thoughts, wished it could tap into his and take a sly look at what was going on inside.

You locked eyes as soon as you handed the girls their drinks. Bucky wearing such a neat, tailored suit made you forget about all his child-like ways in Peter's countless stories. All you saw was a man favored by all the gods and at the same time sent by the devil to test you in so many ways imaginable. You wondered if he felt the same. Of course, you weren't like him or any other people carved perfectly by the gods, but his vehement stare said otherwise.

"Are you gonna order a drink?" You asked, breaking the silence, and also your train of thoughts.

"No." He replied. "I'm good."

"Okay."

Peter, where the hell are you?

"Hey, y/n?"

"Yes?"

"You look beautiful tonight."

A plain black tank top, paired with some old jeans, minimal makeup and this man just told you that you looked beautiful. "Well not just tonight. You've always been beautiful. I just hope you know that."

"Okay what has gotten into you? You're being... weird."

He shrugged. "I'm just stating facts."

You hummed, a look of confusion spread across your face. "Thank you, I guess. Y-you look good yourself. Very different from when I first met you." You chuckled.

"Well, I was naked the first time we met so yeah."

Peter got back from his phone call and for the whole night, you spent your time working your shift while Bucky and Peter moved on to play some billiards and darts as well. Nat kept shifting her eyes between you and Bucky and you just shrugged her off, flipping your middle finger on her in which she reciprocated.

The next day, Peter was all set for his corporate retreat, surprised he didn't need any help from me at all. You helped him with some of his bags towards the sidewalk ("Jesus, Parker, are you going out of the country?"). While you waited for his Uber to arrive.

"You better take care of yourself, Parker." You said, standing beside him on the side of the street. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Really? I'm gonna miss you too."

"Well, yeah, of course. You're like a little brother to me." You smiled, ruffling his brown locks even though he was taller than you.

He looked down on the pavement with a tight-lipped smile. "Right, right."

Smiling, you grabbed his hand and leaned your head on his surprisingly broad shoulders. "Come on, cheer up. You needed this, right?"

"Yes, I definitely do." He whispered. "More than you know."

A few seconds later, the Uber arrived. Before climbing in the black vehicle, you were pulled into Peter's embrace with a soft, fluttery kiss landing on your forehead. Taken aback, you just smiled at him and watched the car get tinier and tinier as it drove further.

You got back in the apartment and five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Behind it was a smiling Bucky wearing some casual clothes. "Good morning, doll. Missed me?"

You rolled your eyes letting him inside the apartment. Closing the door behind me, you replied: "You've already used that line last night. Pick another one."

"Aw, you haven't heard the rest of it."

You went to the kitchen, grabbed some water from the fridge, and took a drink. "Which is?"

"Miss me, miss me, now you gotta kiss me."

With unsteady hands, you choked on your water and felt the liquid on your skin as soon as those words left Bucky's mouth. Great now I spilled the drink on my chest.

You turned around only to be faced by Bucky. "Now I gotta what?"

His laughter echoed in the kitchen as he backed away from you. "I'm just messing with you. So, what's for breakfast?"

He left you there standing flabbergasted, with some water dripping down your top and shorts, down to the floor. You bore your eyes into the back of his head as he turned on the television.

Bucky tilted his head towards you, eyed you up and down and finished it with a swipe of his tongue on his lower lip.

Oh, this was going to be a long week.

A long, agonizing week.

[heavenseed76]

The Helmet

Rated: T for swearing

For Writer Wednesday

Non-descript. That was the only word he could give the place he left his heart. He thought his death would be painful, bleeding out on a battlefield, blood and glory. A warrior’s death. Not this. Not the empty, hollow feeling left when you carved his heart out of his chest and took it with you.

Every door was the same, except for the numbers, wooden and dust-covered, attached by a single nail. He moved down the corridor silent as ever, stopping where he knew you to be. He was a calculating man. He had stood on the street opposite this door for more than a day, watching. Waiting. Counting windows and measuring walls, to be sure he knew which door was yours. A glimpse of you closing your curtains had made him drop further into the shadows.

A glint of something in the alley as you closed your curtains for the night had given you pause, but you would be damned if you’d give your heart the satisfaction of looking twice. Fuck him and fuck his shiny armor. Squeezing your eyes closed you pushed back the coil of longing for your own reflection in the familiar lines and planes of his beskar chest plate, broken by the rhomboid kart’a. Where you’d place your ear to hear his heartbeat and -

Cutting yourself off from that train of thought you flopped on the bed and grabbed the data pad from the bedside table, the blue glow the only light in the room as you turned out the light. Several pages into your novel you heard it. Soft clicks against the entry pad to your apartment. The effervescent fizz of wiring being cut.

He had taught you too well for it to work. Sitting on the edge of the bed, you waited. How dare he underestimate you. How dare he underestimate your training.

The lock clicked.

Nothing happened.

His heavy sigh was audible through the door.

A dull thud sounded, shaking the durasteel core of the faux-wooden exterior.

Outside, he looked as though he were about to be bound, gloved hands splayed against the door in surrender, helmeted head pressed against it in defeat. You had used every defense he had taught you to keep even the best hunter - himself - out of your home. He could picture you just as you were, sitting on your bed, blaster in your hand, ready for him, should your defenses fail.

“Cyar’ika?” He asked finally. “Please? I just.. can we talk?”

You run your thumb over the clean lines of your blaster, oiled and tuned just like he trained you all those years ago. He sounds tired.

“No. Mando.” You keep your voice level. He can’t hear you break, not now.

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. Cyar’ika. I am nothing without you. I’m not a Mandalorian. I’m not even a man.” You can hear him slide down the door, the weight of him dropped against it on the floor outside. Hearing you call him Mando… it twists against something vital inside him and he bleeds. He’d given you his name and you refused to use it anymore.

The threadbare carpet… the muted pastels of the paint on the walls… the strangely breast-shaped lights in front of each doorway. It spoke of simplicity, familiarity, cozy domesticity. Everything he was not. It was kitschy. It was far removed from the utilitarian, sterile and impersonal interior of the Razor Crest. He could imagine your apartment was more of the same. This was not his world. You belonged here. And there was no place in this world for him. That something twists again… he bleeds more.

“Are you happy here? Tell me you’ll be okay and I’ll go. I… I won’t…. bother you again….” His voice is defeated.

He feels the air shift more than he hears you come closer to the door. The shadow of you is cast onto the carpet beside him as you press your forehead into the last barrier between you. You are inches and a million miles away from each other.

“You can’t toss a detonator into my life whenever you get jealous or you don’t like one of my friends or whatever, Mando. I’m not going to chase you across the galaxy. I can’t wait for you to decide what you want. I’ve waited years for you. And you break my heart every time. I pick up the pieces and tell myself it’s worth it… But you can’t love me enough to give up who you are for me. I’m done giving up who I am for you. I gave up everything, Mando. Every. Fucking. Thing.” The panic seeks to break you again. The loss of your family, your home, your life, all left behind for the man on the other side of the door. You swallow it down.“I need you to stop pretending. Stop. Just. Let me go. This is it, Mando. This is it.”

Minutes pass. Hours. The sun begins to draw pink streaks across the sky and you finally hear him stir on the other side of the door.

“I am nothing without you, cyar’ika. If you don’t want me, I’ll respect that. But I’m here if you need anything. You have the ship’s comm. I love you cyar’ika.” His voice breaks. You can hear him make him way down the hallway, no longer silent.

You leave the blaster next to the door and take your aching bones back to the bed. Something besides your heart nags you, though. Your resolve is solid. This was always the way it would end. You had planned this escape from this toxic relationship for months, and you finally felt free. This had been your final test, and you passed. So why did it feel as though there was something left dangling?

Rubbing your tired eyes you try to set it aside, but his voice replays in your mind. His voice. His unmodulated voice, telling you he loves you.

You rush to the door and unlock it with keypad, yanking it open. The hallway is empty, except for the Mandalorian’s helmet sitting in your doorway, hollow and alone.

[yes-ihavealwaysbeengreen]

Just a Dream - Outcome 3 (Bourne Legacy)

A/N: So @santiagogarcia asked about writing from Outcome-3 and I had no idea who that was. But the idea stayed in my head for weeks and today this is what came out of it. I hope you like it. Thank you for reading, reblogging, commenting, and liking. Name credit goes to @veuliee2​ ;)

Pairing: Outcome-3 x F! Reader

Warnings: Mentions of blood, death, gunshot wounds, guns, and interrogation. Angst but not all. 

Word Count: 1.3K 

My Masterlist 

You stood at the window, overlooking the view of the lake. It was a quiet life. Every single day the sun rose in the east and set in the west. The small cabin on the edge of the world was far enough away from the bustling town but not so far as to be isolating. 

Your life had changed so drastically in the last eight months. What started as a one night stand with a handsome stranger became the most passionate and intense love you would ever feel in your life. He was like no one you had ever met. Cold and calculating when he needed to be but warm and soft under your touch. You loved him, and he was gone. 

That first night he made love to you beneath the crescent moon shining into your apartment through the sheer curtains. You begged for something to call the man who had you wrapped around his little finger in what felt like minutes. All you got was three—a number. What you later came to learn was that was all he was told. In the dead of night, after doing a thorough sweep of your apartment for bugs, he’d told you everything. There were no more secrets between you, not anymore. The undying love you poured into each other was all you both needed. 

They had come the next day. Somebody threw a bag over your head and shoved you inside the van as they took you to gods knew where. Locked in a room with a two-way mirror for four days as they interrogated and tried to find out everything you learned. But you lied. You could feel him on the other side, the heat of his gaze burning into you as they screamed at you over and over again. 

They had nothing to hold you on, so they released you, finally. Three taking you home a letting you rest before he pulled out the gun from the back of his jeans. He clicked the safety off, his eyes bore into yours, and you nodded. Mouthing that you loved him before he pointed the gun at you and shot. The bullet flew through the air almost in slow motion as he yelled for you in anguish. 

You closed your eyes, and when it hit you, fell backward, slamming into the ground. There was so much blood, and you lay there what felt like hours but couldn’t be more than a few minutes. His boots echoing on the ground as he stood above you, eyes streaming with tears, and moved to press the gun to your head. 

His other hand caressed your cheek and, to your surprise, placed an ear plug in it. He leaned down and kissed your cheek and whispered, “They are watching,” he slid the other earplug into your ear before standing tall above you, shooting the gun three times into the hardwoods beside your head. 

You’d always imagined your death to be a simple affair. Hopefully, in your sleep at an old age. But being covered in blood, some of it your own, but most from the local blood bank poured over you and zipped up into a black body bag was not how you pictured it. You felt him lift you and, under cover of darkness, throw you into the back of a van and drive off. 

Not only was he expected to kill the woman he loved, but clean the mess and dispose of her body. The lake was beautiful, much like the one you looked over now. He climbed into the back and unzipped the bag. Your shoulder, where the bullet went through, was cleaned and wrapped. Three put a bag, water-resistant next to you as he told you the plan. 

You had to die. To the people who trained him, that turned the man you love into a machine; you were dead. He would throw you into the lake and drive away; then, you would need to get out and go. Never come back. His hands cupped your cheeks, “Do you understand? You can never come back here. They will kill you. I’m so sorry.” You cried for the life you lost but even more so for the man. 

“Come with me,” you’d begged, but in your heart, you knew he never could. He kissed you hard, prolonging the inevitable parting before he pushed you back and zipped up the bag. You held your breath as he tossed you into the lake, and you counted to sixty. Ripping it open and swimming to the surface, and cresting to breathe. You didn’t dare go back to shore instead, swimming as hard as you could across the lake and into the woods. You found a cave to shelter in that night and lit a fire for warmth, teeth chattering as you opened the envelope. 

He had thought of everything. Trusted contacts to help you along the way that was far out of the system, money, a home, everything. It became very apparent when you’d finally reached your new home and found the documents for your new identity that this was not done in a few days. He’d been planning this for months. You had settled into the new life with relative ease. 

However, the first excursion into the small town was unsettling to your nerves. Each person who met your eyes striking fear into your heart. Were they part of the people who took him away? But no one came, and life settled. 

The wood from the porch creaks, and you freeze. Head-turning slightly to look behind you, your other hand reaching for the assault rifle under the window. Three had made sure the home was stocked with every sort of weapon imaginable. One of his ‘friends’ who smuggled you to safety had taught you how to clean and shoot, and you spent weeks during the first month here practicing. You lift the gun and take the safety off, moving slowly towards the front door—feet were shuffling every few seconds on the other side before a hesitant knock sounds. 

“Whose there?” you call, and no one answers. “I’ve got a gun trained on the door, and I’m not afraid to kill anyone who dares threaten me in my own home. Announce yourself,” you shout. 

“Do you know what to do with that thing?” You flick the safety and almost rip the door off the hinges to pry it open. You rub at your eyes repeatedly, and he just stands before you, almost waiting. 

“You’re not here,” you whisper, eyes flooding with tears, “This is another dream, and I’m going to wake up and be alone again.” You reach toward him and touch the dark beard on his face. “I wish you’d just killed me...that way I don’t have to keep losing you over and over again.” 

His large gun-calloused hands cup your cheeks and force your eyes up to his, “I’m here; this is isn’t a dream.” 

You let out a humorless chuckle, “that’s what you always say.” 

“I’m here,” he drags you closer and kisses you tenderly. The saltiness from your tears blending on your tongue as he opens your mouth to him. He’s large and warm beneath the layers, and his hands move to your waist to pull you flush against him. “Touch me,” he pulls away, breathless, “Feel my heartbeat, as it always has only for you. I’m real. You will never be alone, my love.” 

You’re full-on sobbing now, and you can barely see his blurry form through your tears as he pulls you both into the cabin and kicks the door closed with his boot. It’s impossible to tell where he ends, and you begin as he moves you back towards the bed—discarding layers until you feel the warmth of his skin beneath your palms. “Three? It is you,” you tremble and pull away to look at him, and he shakes his head no.

“No. Not anymore,” he kisses you softly and lays you down on the bed before falling in beside you and holding you close, whispering, “David. My name is David.” 

I’m already planning more...would you like to see it? 

Taglist: @oldstuffnewstuff @yespolkadotkitty @heythere-mel @justanotherblonde23 @artsymaddie @anetteaneta @lunarthoughts @aellynera @lucifer- @houseofthirst @phoenixhalliwell @chicken-ona-stick @agirllovespancakes @santiagogarcia 

Tagging some who might be interested: @veuliee2 @justrunamok @propertyofabelmorales​ @writefightandflightclub​ @iamthe-shadow-on-the-wall​ @itspdameronthings​ 

[a-pretty-nerd]

Tomura Shigaraki x AllMight!Daughter!Reader

Chapter 7

Premis:

When The League of Villians discovers that AllMight has a daughter, they are quick to snatch you up and hold you hostage. Shigaraki had a careful and thought out plan, but that was before you got there. Now you're in the mood for some not-so-healthy rebellion.

Word Count: 2,270

Warnings: Fighting, trauma, family issues, etc. 

A/N:

I'm really glad you guys seem to like this series, I'm having a lot of fun with it! Please don't be afraid to interact, like, comment, share, and I do requests too! Every little bit helps support me. I also post my original work on my Wattpad, and I have a Patreon if you wanna support me further! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

chapter 6  Chapter 8 

"How long has it been since you last took your medication?" Shigaraki asked from across the room, seated in a chair as he adjusted the quirk-neutralizing gloves over his hand.

"The day you took me." You told him, standing awkwardly waiting in the middle of the room. The old office space had furniture pressed against the walls to create an open space. A makeshift ring for fighting. Shigaraki had tried to get you to use your quirk to do so, but you found yourself unable to control it. He stood from his seat, dressed in a comfortable set of all black. As were you, something Toga had brought for you at Shigaraki's request.

"How long have you been working out for?" He asked. His eyes and face nearly emotionless. He was cold and calculating. Trying to put pieces of a puzzle together to form what he perceives as you.

"Since I can remember. Mom always had me in some kind of sport. She said it would help me keep my head straight."

"Today I'll be judging your physical skills outside of your quirk. Even if you had control, you can't always rely on your quirk alone."

"Don't have to tell me twice." You scoffed, holding your hands up to protect your face as Shigaraki shifted into a defensive stance.

"Don't hold anything back." He ordered. He moved closer, walking with you as your bodies traced a circle around the ring. You watched him, preparing yourself to fight. This wasn't your first taste of combat. In fact, you had the luxury of free self-defense classes when your mother married her first wife, Sandra. As a hero trainer, Sandra worked to train future heroes before they chose what course they wanted to take in their "hero" careers.

Sandra was a kind woman. She made you feel strong and safe in a way your mother never could. Sandra was more like a mother to you than she ever was. It broke your heart when they divorced. They had been together so long and everything seemed fine. But out of nowhere, Sandra's place in your life shrunk. She still called to talk and sent you birthday/holiday gifts, but she wasn't around anymore. You felt you had lost the only parent you'd ever truly had.

Distracted, a hit to your cheek shook you awake. You paused and turned. He hadn't really even hit you that hard, just pushed your head with his knuckles. You looked at Shigaraki, puzzled.

"You're distracted. Get a grip." He told you. You felt embarrassed. You adjusted your stance and dug your heels into the concrete floor. You looked into his eyes and furrowed your brow.

"Right. Sorry." You blurted. Suddenly he moved, quickly going in for a real hit. With your wrist, you blocked and went in for a hit. Only for him to dodge and aim for your stomach. He hit and hard. It was enough to shake you, but not enough to get you down. You raised your fists up and brought them down on his upper back, knocking him to his knees. That low, you lifted your shoe to kick him in the face. Only to have your ankle swiped out from until you. Hitting the floor, you let out a loud and upset grunt.

"Pay attention. You keep leaving yourself vulnerable." He scolded. Still on his knees, watching you as you pulled yourself away from him. Swinging your legs around to kick him in the gut, creating a distance and knocking him to the floor.

It hurt him, but not enough. He hardly even seemed hurt by it at all. All it did was create distance. Any normal man would be down for the count, but Shigaraki was no normal man. You'd have to be smarter than that.

"Is that all?" He mocked before charging you again. You held up your fists to block punch after steady punch. Bruising the back of your hands and forearms. His movements were quick and steady now. You found your opening and cut up into his ribs. He flexed before you could hit, doing little to no damage. You repeatedly hit his ribs when there was an opening, hoping to wear him down or build up in preparation to rush him. No such luck. He would flex and lean into the hit absorbing your impact so it did almost nothing but maybe hurt a bit.

You dodged and blocked as best you could, but eventually he landed a hard hit to your cheek, sending you back a bit.

"Years of athletics and this is it?" He asked with a grin.

"Piss off. It's been a little while since my last fight." You told him, lunging forward to rain a series of hits down on him. You even landed a few, the more you fought, the more you got used to his movements and his tactics. You knew winning or at least passing this fight wouldn't be about strength, it'd be about getting him to quit. You'd have to outsmart him, or at least distract him.

You backed him up to the center of the ring, hitting harder into his ribs so it forced him back. Regardless of how hard you hit, even if it was a good one, it always seemed more like a wild inconvenience than a painful hit to his body. He'd let out deep grunts here and there, maybe a comment or two, but otherwise he was quiet. He watched you as you moved around him. Watched the way you hit and dodged and danced around him. Swinging your leg up to bring your knee to his nose. Thats what got him.

He backed up, holding his face as he groaned. He looked down at his hand, no blood. You hadn't hit hard enough to draw blood, just enough to hurt. Its not like you were too weak to break his nose, your hits to his ribs and his back proved that. You were strong. You controlled your hit.

"I said don't hold back." He grumbled. You shrugged.

"I'm not. I just didn't want to damage that pretty face of yours." He scoffed at your joke. He charged you again, setting off another round. It would take an hour of fighting like this before he became satisfied. You swung your foot to his face again, only for him to grab ahold of your ankle to stop it. His eyes met yours as the two of you panted.

The way he looked at you. It wasn't cold or calculating, no gears were turning. It had stopped. His grip loosened, a few fingers raising away. The glove on his hand made a loud creaking sound as he moved away. His expression appeared satisfied, content, and almost pleased. It made your cheeks feel warm. You weren't joking when you said, 'pretty face' you really did find him strangely attractive.

"We're done for now. We'll work on your pacing later." He told you as he pushed your foot away so it fell back to the floor. You hopped back as you tried to stabilize yourself as you watched him walk back to his chair. He tossed a bottle of water at you. You fumbled with it before finally grasping it to take a drink.

"How'd I do, teach?" You jokingly called him. He raised his brow at the name as he drank from his water.

"You need work, your style and movements need to be refined. And you could be a bit stronger. But," he paused, looking away from you, "you're okay. Our real focus needs to be on your quirk. You need to gain more control."

"Control." You muttered to yourself as you looked out a window in thought. "My meds always kept me in control."

"No. Your meds kept you weak. You needed structure and help, not medication." He told you, approaching you as he removed his gloves.

"Why don't you keep those on?" You asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to-"

"I can't rely on them all the time. Like your meds, If I wore them all the time, I'd hardly know how to function without them. Then, when I'd need to use my quirk, I might make a mistake and not realize it till it's too late." He placed his palm on your shoulder, fingers splayed out in the air. "I'd lose the control I've worked for. That's why you need to learn how to control your own powers. So you don't need the meds at all." Fingers came down on your shoulder, all but his thumb which held out. He gave your shoulder a tight squeeze.

"But, not everyone on meds can just go off them and be okay. That's not how it works, medication is different than gloves-" He squeezed tighter, leaning in closer to face you and get your attention.

"You're not everyone, Y/N. You're stronger than you think." He growled before suddenly letting go and walking out of the room. You gripped the water bottle in your hands as your heart raced in your chest. Your lip began to quiver and your eyes started to water. You hadn't heard those words in a longer time. It was strange to hear such encouraging words from him. But the way he looked at you, he meant it. You nervously looked around the room as the tears started to fall.

They were gentle, sad tears. When was the last time someone had been so encouraging? So, patient and willing to work with you like this. You chuckled through the tears at the horrible revelation. This came from a villian, your captor no less, a man trying to use you for his own selfish gain. Even now, in helping you, he was probably trying to use you to help him somehow. Still though, what did that say about your own family?

Speak of the devil. Your mother starred out the apartment window, teeth gnawing on her nail. Her eyes peered down at the cars below and the people on the street. Her other hand dug into her side, supporting her other elbow.

"Hey..." Toshinori called to her. She paused and turned her head towards him. Her eyes still anxiously glued to the window. Your father sighed. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" She spat.

"For...For everything." His terrible posture consumed him as he shuffled forward to stand beside her. "This is all my fault."

"No. It's not. It was my idea to send her to Japan for the summer." She stated. She continued to gnaw on her nail, absently starring outside.

"Can I ask you something?" He mumbled, sharing her view.

"What?"

"Back then...when we first met. Well, do you ever regret-"

"Are you asking me if I regret my own daughter?" She barked. Toshinori let out a startled grunt.

"Uh! No! I just- You never- All these years-" your mother sighed.

"Sometimes." She said softly, almost a whisper it was so quiet. "I wouldn't give her up for the world. But sometimes, I wish things were different. I wish I had known the things I know now. I just wish things could have been different."

"She told me about school. How come you never came to me for the money?" Your mother scoffed at him.

"It was never a money issue. It was a work issue. After her tantrum, she needed a distraction. She needed to stay focused on her work so she didn't fall behind. She ran away, yknow."

"No. I...I didn't."

"Yeah well, she threw a fit over something stupid, classes I think. She stopped taking her meds and ran away to a friend's house for a while before her friend called me to come get her. Her fits had gotten so bad it nearly destroyed her apartment. Had to call the police. It was so bad. She spent time in a facility for a month before she finally came around."

"A facility? Why didn't I hear about this?" Your mother turned to him with a sad and tired gaze.

"Why would you care? Usually you're too busy with hero work to even send her a birthday card. You think you could have helped her? You hardly even know her." Your mother scoffed. Toshinori fell silent before taking in a deep breath and speaking again.

"I may not have been there for her then, but," he held his head up, balling his hand into a fist, "I won't let her down this time. I promise, from here on out I'm going to be the best father I can be. I won't let my little girl down ever again."

"Where's this coming from? You hardly ever expressed interest in her before. Is it because she's finally someone that needs saving?" She mocked.

"It's true that I always put my career above everything else. Y/N always frightened me, I never knew what to say or do. I just wanted her to be safe, I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving her alone and letting her live her life away from mine. But when I saw her at the airport, all grown up, I realized how long it'd been. How absent I was. And talking to her, I realized how smart and kind she is. I regret not being there for her. For you, when you needed me. But she needs a hero now more than ever and I won't let either of you down."

"Are you sure you can handle it? From what I hear, your last fight with All For One was your last."

"I'll do what I can."

Taglist <3: 

@craftybean13 @babayaga67 @imjustverable

@bat-eclecticwolfbouquet-love

@kamenoyaki @hentaiqween101 @skzero-99

[themonotonysyndrome]

Time of Realisation

Happy New Year, everyone! May 2021 be everything you ever wanted. Since I just finished writing for part 8 of this series, I wanted to post this one a bit earlier than the usual Fridays as a New Year’s Treat. So here we go! Part 7 of the ‘Successors of the Future’ is here. 

(My Premium Grammarly account disappeared all of the sudden so please excuse any stupid grammatical or spelling errors you might find. I’ve edited this chapter thrice now and it should be ok??) 

Before we start, we must do our ritual and give thanks to the ever amazing @tri3tri for letting us all expand on her Draconia Family series. Hope you’ll have a great year as well, Tri-senpai! 

-

“To be honest with you Ren, I don’t remember much about Sebek. Just his voice. I still remember how loud his shouts were.” 

“Eh, don’t sweat it too much. Take it as a blessing.” 

Renata and Sherrie are in her room. The underwater aesthetic of Octavinelle is so beautiful to take in from the inside. It almost makes Renata wish that she’s a mermaid. Or a killer whale type of mermaid. Now that is a badass merfolk. 

Just like Renata, Sherrie was given a room all to herself instead of sharing it with a dorm member due to her gender. 

And her little sister did not waste time transforming her room just like her old one back at their home. Already her gaming computer has been set up on her study table, cosmetic sets of well-known brands - Nyx, My Pretty Zombie, and Fenty Beauty - are organised neatly on her shelves beside the standard textbooks and stationeries. One of the open drawers beside her cupboard full of her school uniforms as well as her Pastel Goth clothes display tins of green teas and stacks of instant foods. 

Clearly, Sherrie has made herself right at home in Octavinelle. And less than a week too! 

Actually, how much luggage did Sherrie brought from their home? 

After the Entrance Ceremony, Renata waited two days for Sherrie to acclimate herself to Night Raven College, letting her talk to some of her dorm members, get a feel on the teachers before slipping into her bedroom to catch up. It was a mild surprise to see the state of her room after her little sister told her to plant her ass on the bed while she prepared a pot of hot green tea for them. 

While she’s busy with the kettle, Renata wasted no time to explain what Ace told her during Winter’s Break when she inquired about Sebek. It was good to know that due to the dense magic in the Country of Thorns, technology is almost non-existent in the land due to magical interference. It also helps that despite being in the First-Year Forever group chat, Sebek barely checks his phone at all. Over time, Ace and the rest of their group forgot that Sebek is even in the group chat! 

“Still, it’s good to know that Mama’s friends drifted away from Sebek over the years. That’ll help us a lot in the long run.” Sherrie commented after Renata wraps up her report. She handed a cup of tea to Renata and lean against her study table, facing the bed where her older sister is cooling her hot tea by channeling ice magic onto her fingertips. “What about the student body here? What are they like?” 

“Everyone walks around as if they got a twelve-inch dick.” Renata’s sarcasm is as thick as the kelp forest outside of Sherrie’s bedroom window. 

Sherrie couldn’t help but laugh at her deadpan tone; she had to put her cup of tea on the table before it spilled everywhere. “That bad, huh?” She giggles helplessly, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. 

Renata was about to roll her eyes but stop herself and ponders. Despite their flaws, Hoyle and Rex are good friends. Hell, even Bakari vibes with her. Not quite friendly, but he hasn’t yet turned her away when she scurries over to intrude herself in whatever he’s currently doing. That, and she secretly enjoys finding little treats and snacks in her backpack after hanging out with him. “Ok, some of them aren’t so bad once you can get past their ego. Remind me to introduce Hoyle and Rex to you soon.” 

Sherrie raises an eyebrow. “And what about that one guy who keeps giving you food?”  

“You’ll see him around.” 

“...Right.” Sherrie eyed her older sister with a knowing look when Renata nonchalantly shrugs. She’ll get back to that little topic later. “Have you prepare the little surprise for Mama?” 

“Yup.” Renata affirmed and took a sip of her tea. She lets out a happy, little sigh when warmth travels across her body. “We’ll do it this weekend. That’s the only time that they’re free.” 

The two talk a little more until Renata had to leave when curfew looms. The passing Octavinelle students gave her a side-eye for a few seconds but otherwise, no one batted an eye at seeing a Diasomnia student walking about their dorms. The whole school is aware that Renata and Sherrie are siblings by now. Renata wonders if her sister will receive the same cold politeness because of their horns. 

Meanwhile, as Renata made her way to her own dorm, Sherrie is scrutinising the lock on her door with a frown. The previous used cups and teapot are all washed up and the lights are dim slightly since she’s planning to hit the bed right after she figures out how to secure her room thoroughly. There are just too many sensitive and important information about their family and plans against their father kept here. She straightens her back and tosses a glance at the computer and tablet lying on the table beside it. Sherrie had made sure to cultivate a habit of not storing the complete set of important materials in a single device - one can never be too careful after all. Especially when there’s a dorm here dedicate to Technomages. Hmm... perhaps she should befriend one of the students of Ignihyde to help her with the security of her electronic devices? 

Though there’s still an issue with the simple lock of her door. Anyone can just force it open with a pick. Sherrie made a mental note to consult with her sister for some sort of spell that can solve this problem. 

And with that, she quickly changes into a simple loose shirt and a pair of shorts before slipping under the duvet and turns in for the night. 

Life as a halfling and an Octavinelle student quickly proves to be unlike anything Sherrie has ever experience. 

Renata offhandedly advises her to shrug it off when her dorm members stare at her horns a little too long; they’ll get used to her soon enough. Sherrie cursed under her breath when her sister left and wondered if she could attend her classes virtually instead, but when she brought that up to her Dorm Leader, the shark merman raised an eyebrow and simply asked her if she’s an Octavinelle student or Ignihyde’s. Needless to say, Sherrie set on digging any dirt she can find on her Dorm Leader ASAP. 

Other than the uncomfortable stares and shady Dorm Leader - Sherrie quite enjoys the scarf that comes with her uniform - as well as her dorm leader, tend to keep it to themselves. Underneath the polite offers of tutelage in classes and tours around Mostro Lounge, Sherrie can blatantly pick up the insinuation underneath those favours. 

A favour for a favour - that’s how life in Octavinelle works. Information is worth more than Madols and dealings under the table is practically the norm. 

Sherrie adapts in Night Raven College faster than Renata ever could. 

Speaking of Madols, Sherrie needed to do something about their financial situations in Twisted Wonderland. Currency exchange is not a thing here so their dollars are practically worthless. Fortunately, Octavinelle expects its dorm members to pull their weights in Mostro Lounge. By the second week she’s in Night Raven College, her Dorm Leader already distributed the First Year’s schedule of their shifts around the café. The pay might not be much but it’s a good start. 

There’s got to be a Twisted Wonderland equivalent of Youtube. She made mad revenue as a Youtuber and game streamer back home. 

Today, Sherrie is working at Mostro Lounge with several other First Year students from other dorms. Customers flooded in during lunchtime and kept her busy manning behind the bar, preparing drinks and desserts. 

“Presentation my ass...” Sherrie mumbled under her breath as she struggles to beautify the ice-cream sundae. She had to redo the whole thing when one of the staff - her Third Year senior - saw how plain her work was and taught her to make an art out of the dessert. 

She was in the midst of deciding how many cherries would be enough to make the sundae look prettier when a rich, baritone voice broke her concentration. “Has the ice-cream offend you in some way, MC/S-san?” 

Sherrie moves her face away from the towering glass to see a fellow dorm member smiling at her. How curious, his eyes are like hot, molten gold. 

“No. I was just adding some finishing touches.” Sherrie reply, her voice remained neutral. She hasn’t seen this one around before. 

Her dorm member continues to smile. It comes across as calculative instead of genuine. Renata would’ve spat fire at him already. “My, it looks wonderful. I’ll be sure to inform the customer that his sundae is prepared by your meticulous hand. I’m sure he’ll forgive you for the time he had to wait.” 

Sherrie promptly turns around to store back the cherries into the fridge to hide her smirk. This nobody came forward trying to pick a fight with her? This could be fun. “I’m more than happy to receive our customer if he has any complaint with his sundae.” 

“I’ll be sure to inform him.” He nods once and place the sundae on a tray and left the bar. Sherrie made sure to keep an eye on him after that. 

He’s tall, taller than her, and play the perfect part of a waiter with ease. As if he grew up in this sort of environment. The way how he balances two heavy laden trays of food and drinks on his palms while weaving in between tables, greeting the customers with an impeccable smile is telling. This guy mastered the art of customer service for sure. 

“Who’s the hotshot?” Sherrie asked her partner as she carefully wipes the clean glasses. Her shift partner - a Second Year manta ray merman, who was kind enough to introduce herself to her without any subtle jeer - glances at Sherrie’s line of sight, and his mouth made a small ‘o’. 

“That’s Amber Leech. He’s one of the promising First Year students we got, according to the Vice Dorm Leader. You’re more of a wild card, though. Dorm Leader still doesn’t know what to think of you.” 

Sherrie ignores that titbit about herself; she just hums. Didn’t Mama mention that she knows a Leech? “He’s good at handling the customers, I’ll give him that.” Sherrie admits, stacking the last dry glass onto the rack before her attention is capture by a server with a list of orders. Sherrie was too preoccupied with her job to scrutinised Amber any further after that.  

Later when a Scarabia student relieved her of her shift with a quick exchange of pleasantries, instead of leaving, Sherrie decided to stick around and enjoy some free food in the kitchen. As long as she stayed out of the way, no one really minded her presence. 

“Good job today, Leech-san. You can join MC/S-san in the kitchen if you’re hungry.” 

“Thank you very much. I’ll be taking up on your kind offer then.”

Sherrie paused, tilting her head up from her small tub of ice-cream to see none other but Amber Leech step into the kitchen. Their eyes met and his calculative smile greeted her. 

“Is this seat taken?” He politely asks her, gesturing to the vacant chair opposite her. The round table at the back of the kitchen is a bit small, barely enough to fit more than three people but it was far enough away from the kitchen staff so that they won’t be a bother. 

“Knock yourself out.” 

“Very well then.” 

By the time he took out a red bento from the fridge, heat it up and takes a seat near the table, Sherrie has already polished the tub of ice-cream. When Amber noticed the empty tub, he frowns. It was so sudden that Sherrie couldn’t help but defensively blurted out, “What?” 

“Is that all you having for lunch?” There’s a disapproving tone in his voice and Sherrie doesn’t know what to make of it. 

“That? It was a snack. I had my lunch before my shift.” 

For some reason, her dorm mate nodded, strangely pleased at her answer before he tucks into his lunch. By the looks of it, his bento is artfully made with a variety of colourful foods. 

The two said nothing, simply enjoying the clatter of cooking utensils, sizzling fire on the stoves and the cooks hum under their breath. Here in the back of the kitchen, the chatter of customers outside is almost muted. 

It was peaceful. So peaceful in fact, Amber Leech feels like it’s his sworn duty to shatter it. 

“I suggest consulting either Aeacus Shroud or the other students in Ignihyde’s Basic Magical Technology group as your solution. Shroud-san is the only First Year student in that group but I heard he’s the most approachable of the lot.” 

Sherrie’s heart froze. “What?”

Amber took his time to put away his now empty bento, dab the corner of his lip with a folded napkin that was on the table before replying, “For security of course.” 

His answer is vague. Purposely so as he levels a stare at Sherrie. 

“...How do you know that?” Sherrie all but demanded under her faux, indifferent voice. 

Amber dared to smile and point his eyes, no word escape his lips. 

A Unique Magic then. It has to be. Are his similar to Renata’s? 

Sherrie’s mind races, for once, trying to decipher this strange student beside her. 

And suddenly, Sherrie realises who this boy really is. The eyes were a give away.  

“Amber Leech. Jade Leech’s son, I presume?” 

-

“Mama, I’m home!”

“Welcome back, sweetie. How was cheer practice today?”

“It went really well, Mama. We nailed down the new routine without anyone falling off.” Lucien shuts the door close with his feet. He’s sweaty and still in his cheerleading uniform with a duffel bag sling over his shoulder. Seeing that his Mama is nowhere in the living room, Lucien padded into the kitchen. 

The house is, unfortunately, a lot quieter now that his sisters are off at Night Raven College. Before Sherrie left, she and he talk about how their Mama would feel lonely now. Even more so when it’s his turn. 

Lucien assured her that he’ll keep an eye on their Mama closely. 

His friends would playfully tease him that he’s such a Mama’s boy; constantly texting her of his whereabouts, what she and his sisters want from the convenience stores and Mama always make his favourite desserts more often compare to Renata’s apple pies and Sherrie’s matcha cupcakes. 

And Lucien has no shame in being spoiled by their Mama. 

However, when he steps into the kitchen to witness their Mama re-arranging the dishes in the cupboard for the second time this week, it’s time for Mama to be spoiled in return. 

Lucien can’t wait to see her reaction when they spring the surprise tonight. 

“Mama? Do you need some help with the plates?” Lucien asked instead of pointing out the fact that Mama has been restless lately. Without waiting for a reply, Lucien has already dropped his duffel bag to walk around the island counter towards her. 

“It’s alright, Lucy. I’m nearly done here anyway.” MC wave Lucien’s waiting hands away as she pushes the last stack of plates into the lower cabinet and got up. She shot him a smile but it’s wobbly. “Are you hungry, sweetheart? We still have some leftover dinner from last night that I can heat up real quick. Hang on, just give Mama a second to take it out - ”

“Mama, it’s alright. I know. It doesn’t feel the same without Ren and Cherry.” 

MC froze before she got up and smile sadly. The sight made Lucien’s heart clench painfully. “The three of you have always been close to me ever since you were born. Your Father was... many things,” MC grimace but she soldiers on. “But he would never separate your sisters away from me. I’m not sure what to do with myself now that Ren and Cherry are away...” 

Sherrie’s voice suddenly pops in Lucien’s head like how Renata enjoys busting through his door without knocking: “Mama needs a distraction. ASAP! Go, go, go!” 

Renata interjects after her: “Psst! Try something calming yet engaging. That’ll do.” 

Distraction. Right. Lucien can do that for Mama. At least until the surprise tonight. 

“Would Mama help me with my origami? I could use some help with filling up my new empty glass jar.” Lucien suggests. 

MC blink; didn’t expect Lucien to suddenly ask for an extra pair of hands with his hobby, but she took it in stride. “Uh, sure thing, honey.” 

Lucien beams like a blooming sunflower. “I’ll go shower first then. Be right back, Mama!” 

“Don’t run in the house, Lucy!” MC reminded him but lets him went upstairs with a small smile. She needs to get out of this funk. While Lucien is freshening up, might as well finish up her chores for the day. 

By the time Lucien came back down carrying an empty glass jar and a stack of colourful scented papers and they didn’t waste time to clear the dining table of the bowl of fruits and their cups so they could get to it. 

Lucien is remarkably patient. More so than MC or his older sisters - he made sure to slowly show how to fold the paper into stars to his Mama and when she’s confused, he would show her some videos online to help her. As the mother and son gradually fill up the glass jar, Lucien talks about anything and everything under the sun. How everyone in his team at school is helping him ease to the role as the captain of the cheerleading squad, how he’s getting a hang on the new subject material taught in Math class and who’s dating who in his circle of friends. 

MC hums and would give an appropriate reply in-between Lucien’s story. Typical teenage shenanigans, albeit, a lot tamer than what she went through but she’ll never get tired of listening to her children’s school life. Yes, even when Renata and Sherrie tried their best to hide whatever blunder they did at times. 

It was when Lucien threw a purple star origami into the jar that he suddenly changes the subject. “Oh yeah! By the way Mama, Ren and Cherry said that she has a surprise for you tonight!” 

“Oooh, a surprise? I wonder what your sisters are planning.” MC murmurs a bit absentmindedly, too focus on folding the papers. Her eyebrows scrunch in concentration and she would beam proudly when one star came out perfect before tossing it into the jar with a happy hum. 

Lucien is relieved. Looks like the distraction works. 

They had a simple dinner once the glass jar is filled and once the dishes are done, Lucien hurriedly ushers his Mama into the living room. On the sofa, MC watches Lucien draws the rune on the mirror, bemused at the grin on his face. 

When the rune vanishes, MC opens her mouth to greet her daughters. Her open mouth gapes and she could feel the corner of her eyes are suddenly wet when she saw the people on the other side of the mirror. 

“Ow! Deuce, you idiot! I told you not to shove me with your elbow!”��

“Who are you calling an idiot!? And quit hogging the mirror already!”

“I’m not hogging the mirror! You’re the one who keeps pushing me!” 

MC couldn’t help it. She laughs, tears now freely running down her cheeks. Lucien quietly excuses himself to fetch a box of tissue for her. 

Her laugh shuts both Ace and Deuce up. “Oh geez, what are you crying for, hah? It’s just us.” Ace said, supporting a bittersweet smile. At that moment, seeing his best friend releases the tension festering inside of him all these years. 

“We miss you, Prefect!” Deuce shouted with a sniffle, his eyes are teary as well. He hurries to wipe off the tears with his knuckle. “Miss you so, so much! I’m so glad you’re OK!” 

“Are you really though?” Ace interject, he doesn’t even bother to conceal his blatant check on MC’s body. Looking for any sign of injuries or illness. 

MC guessed that one of her daughters have told them what happened to her... 

But she refused to let thoughts regarding Malleus damper her happy mood. Not when she could finally see her best friends again. 

“I’m ok now. We’re... we’re ok.” MC honestly reply with a lightened heart. 

The three of them have grown; each of them has their own children now, at this moment, it feels as if they have been transported back to their teenage years all those years ago. 

MC realises that she’s truly no longer alone now. 

-

And we’ve reached the end of this chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it!! MC finally meet Adeuce once more, even if it’s just through a mirror. With the three of them together again, there’s nothing they can’t do. 

Here are some titbits about Amber Leech’s background:

1. His Unique Magic is called ‘Witness of the Past’

2. His Mum is a beautiful mer Sea Lamprey (if you don’t know what a Sea Lamprey looks like, uh, prepare yourself before you google search them.) 

Speaking of Unique Magic, I’ve compiled a list of all the kids with their UMs already. Haven’t decided yet when I’ll post it, but I’m thinking of posting the names as a sort of teaser? Meh, we’ll see how that goes. 

[peachyteez]

second chances ≫ DAY THREE, COMFORT.

as a feral wolf hybrid that was violent with all of the employees assigned to him, seonghwa was subjected to be put down. however, jiyu being the softhearted feral hybrid nurse she was, she decided to save seonghwa no matter what.

PART OF THE HEAVEN SERIES.

✧ taglist: @defsoul15, @choisaniskillingme, @t-tbinnie, @multi-bookmarkscripts, @hello-its-ya-boi

feel free to let me know if you would like to be added to the list! :)

✧ notes: a little sneak peek of jiyu’s home life. it’ll be explained more in depth in later parts of the series.

back。| next。

hearing the horrific sound of her alarm, jiyu groaned and tossed over towards her nightstand to silence her phone. sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she got out of bed and opened the curtains, hissing at the piercing sunlight pouring in. she watched the sun slowly rise above the city—it was a peaceful scene for her.

however, the peace was disrupted when her phone rang.

her blood ran cold when she saw the caller id. dad.

she hesitantly answered the phone. “h–hello?”

“it’s been a while, jiyu,” her father spoke. “i’m assuming you’re still working at that ridiculous hybrid center.”

jiyu’s grip on her phone tightened. “so what if i am?”

“watch your tone, young lady. or i can bring you back before our agreed deadline.”

jiyu grit her teeth as she stared straight ahead out her bedroom window. “why did you call?”

“as someone who’s about to take over the family company soon, you should start thinking about your future. you can start by thinking about your future marriage.

jiyu felt her world go numb at her father’s words. future marriage?

“i’ve sent you a file of canidates to your email. they’re all sons of other big corporations that i’ve chosen. combining our shares will be beneficial to both parties,” her father continued. “look through the list and send me at least five of your picks.”

“are you serious?” jiyu quietly seethed. “dad, you’re practically handing me off to someone i don’t even know or love! why can’t you leave me alone? it’s my life!”

her father sighed. “i’m doing this for your own good, jiyu. it’s better than devoting your life to hybrids—”

“if mom were still here, would you still be doing this?” she asked, feeling a spurt of bravery. “would you still say the same thing—”

“enough, jiyu!” her father shouted. the two were silent after his outburst. “i’m doing this because i love you. give me your picks by the end of the day.”

he hung up. jiyu dropped the phone from her ear as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. “love, my ass.”

she wiped her tears away and turned away from the window to get ready for the day. however, the phone call left her in a gloomy mood, something yeonjun picked up on the moment she sat at her desk.

“bad morning?” he asked.

“my dad called.”

yeonjun rolled his eyes at the mention of her dad. jiyu’s told him her past and yeonjun absolutely hated the man. he treated jiyu more like an asset to the company than his own flesh and blood.

“what happened this time?”

jiyu turned her monitor on and continued typing up yesterday’s report on seonghwa and soobin. “he wants me to get married to strengthen the company shares. i have a list of candidates and i’m suppose to choose.”

yeonjun almost spat his water out. “and you’re letting him do that?!”

jiyu paused her typing and sighed. “i have to. otherwise he’s taking me back before our agreed deadline.”

“but he can’t just—”

“i’ll be fine, yeonjun,” she reassured with a small smile. “can we please just drop the topic?” she asked when more people started filing in to the office.

while greeting their coworkers, yeonjun quietly sighed. “alright.”

throughout the day, jiyu tried to forget about the phone call. easier said than done. i’m doing this because i love you. it was a line that her father always repsonded with whenever she asked why he was doing all of this.

jiyu always scoffed at the idea. it wasn’t out of love. her father never once stopped to ask what she wanted to do in life. instead, he planned out her life for her. everything in her life was already pre–determined and calculated for the business. except for the last five years.

shaking her head to get rid of her thoughts, she realized that hours had already passed, and it was time for the daily checks on the hybrids.

“time for the daily checks,” she nudged yeonjun next to her.

as they both walked down the hall towards their hybrids’ rooms, yeonjun gently ruffled her hair. “i’m always here for you, okay?”

stopping outside seonghwa’s room, jiyu smiled. “thank you.”

watching her best friend turn the corner, jiyu entered the code in for seonghwa’s room and the door opened. seonghwa, who was once again sitting on the floor with his knees tucked to his chest and staring out the window, turned around and looked at jiyu.

jiyu plastered a smile on her face and closed the door. “hey, buddy. looking out the window again?” she asked as she took a seat on the floor by him.

seonghwa slightly furrowed his eyebrows. something about jiyu was off. her smile seemed...forced. and he didn’t sense her usual bright vibe that she usually had.

“did you sleep good last night?” she asked as she looked out the window. seonghwa’s room window faced the field, so she saw various hybrids out and about with their caretakers or with some nurses.

out of her peripheral vision, she saw seonghwa give a small nod, making her surprised, yet happy. he might not have spoken, but the silent form of response was nonetheless, an improvement. “that’s good.”

hearing her response with a forced happy tone made seonghwa frown. “you’re not happy.”

jiyu thought she was hearing things. looking around the room, she didn’t see anyone else. it was just her and seonghwa in the room. staring at him with widened eyes, she realized it was him that talked. “d–did you j–just—”

“for the record, i was verbal the whole time. i just preferred not talking,” he explained.

jiyu could only nod. this certainly came as a shock to her. then she remembered what he said. “what do you mean i’m not happy?” she quietly asked.

seonghwa glanced at her out of corner of his eyes. “you’re not how you usually are when you come visit. you seem down.”

jiyu looked down at her hands in her lap. “is it that obvious?” to be honest, she was also shocked at how seonghwa managed to pick up on her mood. she’s only known him for two days, yet he knew her well enough to know that she was indeed, not happy.

“to an observant eye, yes,” he responded.

jiyu sighed. “i’m sorry. i know how hybrids can be affected by negative moods—”

“stop apologizing, it’s fine,” seonghwa interrupted with a sigh of his own. “you can’t always be happy, you know.”

“...yeah.” suddenly, the conversation she had with her father replayed in her memory and tears started forming again.

looking over at the female next to him, seonghwa noticed how tears were gathering in her eyes and how she desperately tried to not let them fall. before he could process what he was doing, he reached a hand out and gently pat her head.

jiyu tensed and regret immediately filled seonghwa. he immediately retracted his hand. “s–sorry,” he mumbled.

“no, no. i didn’t hate it,” jiyu frantically explained. “it just caught me off guard, that’s all.”

an awkward silence surrounded the two. for seonghwa, he didn’t know to comfort the female next to him. they’ve only known each other for two days, making him wonder how to comfort her without making things awkward for the two of them.

“um, is everything okay?” he carefully asked before internally facepalming himself. of course not, you idiot. that’s why she’s sad.

“more or less,” she vaguely responded. “it’s just some personal issues at home.”

seonghwa nodded, falling back into the same awkward silence. suddenly, jiyu scrambled up from the ground. “ohmygod, i’m suppose to be here for your daily check up, not cry a river!” she squeaked as she ran for the clipboard on the table.

bewildered by her sudden mood switch, seonghwa couldn’t help but secretly smile as he watched the female hastily write. she was an interesting person, he wasn’t going to lie. and different from his previous caretakers.

going through the morning checklist, jiyu mumbled to herself as she checked off the boxes. “temperature’s okay...no, not sick...condition’s stable...”

“jiyu,” seonghwa suddenly called out to her.

jiyu whipped around in surprise at the sound of her name coming from seonghwa. her eyes widened even more when she turned around and he was standing directly behind her. looking up, she cocked her head in confusion. “y–yes? what’s the matter?”

seonghwa took a deep breath for what he was about to do. gently cradling her head, he nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek.

jiyu was shocked speechless. what is he doing, what is he doing—

seonghwa pulled back and sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. he couldn’t lift his head up. “i–it’s how wolves comfort each other and...well...it looks like you needed some...so...”

her silence only made him afraid. had he made a mistake? was she going to punish him?

“i–i’m sorry if you didn’t like that. i–i won’t do it again—”

snapping out of her shock, jiyu didn’t know how to react. but one thing was definitely clear. she was ecstatic at this huge leap of improvement for seonghwa in the span of three days. not to mention how it looked like he was slowly warming up to her. a warm smile slowly spread across her face. “stop apologizing, you didn’t do anything wrong,” she reassured.

seonghwa snapped his head up in surprise, eyes slightly widened from the unexpected reaction he received. she wasn’t mad? his former owners would’ve definitely punished him if he attempted something like that with them.

“thank you for the comfort,” jiyu added.

frankly, seonghwa was shocked at how different jiyu was compared to his former owners. “y–you’re not mad?” he meekly asked.

jiyu furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “of course not. there’s no reason to be angry.”

his question was like a window for jiyu. a tiny window into his past. if he asked a question like that, she figured that he must’ve had a history with abusive owners.

“i may not know the details of where you were before coming here,” she softly said, catching seonghwa’s attention, “but you’re safe here. no one’s going to hurt you, i promise. try giving us a chance to help you recover, yeah?”

seonghwa thought about it before slowly nodding his head. a grin spread across jiyu’s face at his response. “if you want, i can start taking you outside tomorrow,” she suggested. “you probably haven’t been out in a while, right? ever since coming into...this ward.”

“...right.”

giving him another smile, jiyu walked towards the door to continue with her morning rounds. “then i’ll take you out tomorrow.”

she turned over her shoulder to give him one last look. “and really. thank you for earlier.”

and with that, she left seonghwa’s room.

the tiniest smile spread across seonghwa’s face. maybe, just maybe, the universe gave him a second chance.

[shadow--writer]

Drive

HELLO JULIAN STANS I HAVE BROUGHT FOOD 

Julian x mc -- Gender neutral-- Modern au Dock Talk

Word count: 2.9k

TW: none

Tags: fluff, angst

~~

The rain wouldn’t stop. 

That’s the first thing I noticed. It just kept coming down and wouldn’t stop. The theatre was starting to let out, people getting in their cars with one another, laughing about the new addition to the play and how well acted and hilarious it was. 

How...how good Julian was in the play. 

I put a hand in my back pocket, rocking back and forth on my heels waiting for him. He hadn’t texted me anyways, and after he dropped by in the play...I knew he wouldn’t have the time to. 

So I just needed to wait a bit.

I hoped the rain would let up by the time he got outside. The walk to his car was a bit of a trek, and we’d be soaked by the time we’d get there. 

I looked back over my shoulder, the guests were starting to wane thin. 

So where was he? 

I fiddled with my scarf, pulling it over my head to hide my hair. I’ll give him a few more minutes. Then I’m walking to his car. If he remembered to lock the doors I’ll just break one of the windows.

A smile flirted across my face. It was a joke, I wouldn’t really break his car window unless I had to. He’d be pissed about it. And then he’d probably laugh, joking about how I was impatient.

I’d shoot back stories about him breaking the windows in my and Asra’s shop. Gods I hoped the curtains would cover the empty window frames. I didn’t know how I was going to explain to Asra why we were missing a window. 

Another minute passed. My bag was starting to get heavy, and the rain started coming down harder. Ooh Julian was gonna get an earful if he didn’t come outside soon. 

Once my feet started to hurt the tall slippery man himself made his appearance. He ducked out of the theatre, all laughter and grins. 

Then he spotted me, cold and barely out of the rain. His grin slipped, apologizes falling off his lips. He had abandoned the mask, his clothes knocked askew from our...activities. 

“You said you wanted to talk. You’ve been saying that all day. And here you are keeping me waiting,” I said with a smile, mirth sneaking into my tone. 

I was mad about waiting so long. But I knew it was probably a struggle to get away. Besides, with a face as cute as his it was hard to stay mad.

And...and I had that vague sinking feeling what he wanted to talk to me about wasn’t going to be good.

He hid the distress in his eyes with a smile. A confirmation that I wasn’t going to like what he was going to talk to me about. “Well well darling! I apologize for keeping such a lovely person such as yourself waiting.” He swept himself into a dramatic bow, making me giggle. 

His jacket swished with the movement, the sleeves starting to get damp. He was a little too broad for the small shelter I found myself in. 

His eye crinkled with affection. It stung a little bit. I had a bad feeling about this all. 

I turned away from him before I could let the seed of doubt flower. “It’s raining pretty hard. We’re gonna need to make a break for it.”

He looked me up and down, a flush spreading across my cheeks. “With those stubby legs of yours? I’d be better off carrying you.”

I huffed, turning my nose up at him. “Carry me at your own risk Devorak. I will not hesitate to break that pretty nose of yours.”

“Ouch, angry tonight are we?”

“You left me out in the rain.”

“Fair, I’m deeply sorry about that sweetheart.”

I sighed, allowing myself to smile. “Race you to the car,” I said before taking off. 

He let out a whine and cried out to me, “No fair! You’re just as bad as Portia you cheater!” 

I giggled, enjoying the spray of the cool rainwater against my skin. It was a nice change from the stuffy theatre. 

I could hear Julian start to catch up with me. Damn those long legs. 

A sly grin worked its way across my face as I thought up a plan. Eyepatch. Little depth perception. Puddles. A slick road. 

Julian. He was very clumsy. 

There was a corner coming up, my chest and stomach were starting to burn from the effort it was taking to keep ahead of Julian. His car was just around that corner and parked up in the Rowdy Raven parking lot. 

I skidded to a stop, taking that sharp turn. 

Dr. Long Legs was not as lucky. 

He, apparently, didn’t have breaks on those legs of his. 

And they took off right from under him.

Making him fall flat on his ass in a puddle forming on the ground. 

He let out a squeak, then a squawk, then a yell. I turned around to see him sprawled out on the pavement like he was making snow angels. I let out a small snort, stopping. My breath had been run short anyways.

“You okay there?” I yelled, smiling. 

He shot me a small glare, before rolling his eyes. “Well I fell on my arse and got absolutely soaked in roadwater. I don’t know what your definition of okay is, but this isn’t it.”

I laughed. “I’ll take you home and make you something warm if you’d like. A change of clothes. I think Asra might have something, no promises on them fitting.”

His eyes widened a tad. “A-Ah! Darling I’m okay! Le-let’s just get to my car and we’ll go from there.”

I looked up at the storm clouds, my hair sticking to my face with the rainwater. I was drenched too. “Okay. Call the race off because of technical difficulties?”

He rubbed his backside, barking out a laugh. “You wound me.”

I smiled, walking back over to him to help him up. My scarf had fallen during my run. “I confess, I might’ve lost if someone hadn’t lost control of his gangly limbs,” I said, holding out my hand to help him up. 

He glanced at it, the beanie in his hair sliding down his head. He was gonna lose that hat if we didn’t get him out of the rain. 

He grabbed my hand after a moment’s thought. His hands were slick and bitter cold. I hauled him up, not wanting to let go once he was back on his feet again.

So I didn’t.

“My dear, are you admitting that you might’ve lost to me if I hadn’t had my accident?” I ran my thumb over his knuckles, making his breath hitch. With a tug I let my hand drop to my side. 

The severing of contact left a small ache in my chest. I forced a smile. “We’ll talk about this when we get out of the rain. You’ll catch a cold.”

He chuckled, the movement made his eye crinkle. He linked his arm with mine, and we carried on. “I’m the doctor here, I should be the one worrying about you.”

I rolled my eyes with a pursed lipped smile. “We all know how easy it is for you to catch a cold.”

“Touché dear. Touché.” 

We walked back to his car in silence. Thunder shook the earth with each crackle. Julian kept jumping at the sounds. 

I reached out to take his hand. He tugged his hand away, jogging up ahead to unlock the car.

It stung. The severing of contact. It stung a lot. Like he was trying to distance himself from me.

Like he didn’t want me anymore.

I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering a bit. The wind was starting to pick up, making my clothes stick even more to my rain slicked skin. 

Asra would have a fit if I got sick.

Julian let out a small cheer as the car unlocked. I allowed myself a small smile as he held the passenger door open for me.

The car was cold when I got in. I untied my scarf, tossing it into the back seat. My hair was going to be a tangled mess when it dried.

Julian got in soon after, starting up the car. We waited in the parking lot, allowing ourselves to get warmed up.

Then he spoke. “My dear...we need to talk.”

The tone of his voice was sad. Thick with it. I could hear the regrets and guilt in his tone.

My blood ran cold.

“Well we’re talking right now Julian,” I said, trying to keep my tone light. I tried not to sound scared or hurt.

He stripped of his jacket, tossing it back with my scarf. Then his hat was off. Also in the back. Everything landed with a soft thump. The radio was playing something softly, filling the silence between us.

Then he spoke.

“Darling…” he seemed conflicted with the nickname. My chest tightened. “It’s...it’s a different talk.”

“Well g-go on then.” I couldn’t hide my stutter and fear this time.

For all his jokes and flirtatious personality, he truly seemed sad and guilty. His mask chipped away with every breath of silence.

“We really...really do need to talk.” He was stalling. Why was he stalling? He sucked in a small breath. “We’ve needed to talk all day but I guess I...couldn’t.” He ran a hand through his hair, little droplets of water spraying everywhere. 

He winced, dropping his hand. I twisted my hair around my hand, the water leaking down my palm.

“W-What’s wrong?” I whispered, keeping my voice low as if not to startle him.

A small smile flickered across his face. His eyes were still singing of hurt. “Too many to count. Give me a number and I’ll tell you it’s too low.” He paused, letting the music fill the space between us for a moment. “I’ve...done the calculations. Looked at every scenario! But I can’t...for the life of me, find another way for this to play out.”

I swallowed, my heart thudding in my chest much quicker than before. 

“There’s only one way I see this playing out. And it...doesn’t have a happy ending.” He looked back at me. “So it’s...I mean...isn’t it best to end things on a high note? Cut things off now. Spare you the tragic ending and tears?”

My lower lip trembled a bit. I looked away, anger snapping up at my stomach. I scrubbed the forming tears away. No matter what he did, it would always end in tears. The way he was…

I looked back at him for a moment. He wouldn’t look me in the eyes. It was like he wanted to run away. 

I thought back to earlier that morning, waking up without him after our night of adventure. 

I didn’t want to feel that again. 

“N-No matter how you p-put it, it’s g-gonna end in t-tears and t-tragedy Julian,” I whispered, trying not to cry. I couldn’t let him see me cry. Couldn’t let him make me cry. 

Hearing the tremble in my voice his head snapped back, tears welling up in his visible eye. “Oh no no sweetheart this isn’t- I didn’t-” he reached out to cup my face, thumb rubbing the runaway tears away. “Please don’t cry darling. I can’t...I can’t stand to see you and tears.”

“You...you weren’t going to stay for breakfast, were you?”

He flinched back, hand recoiling. I wanted it back. I wanted him to touch me. I wanted to touch him. “I- I erm...uhh no. I wasn’t.” He let out a deep sigh. “I may have...panicked. A tad.” 

Uh huh. This was Julian Devorak. He panicked a lot.

“But I wouldn’t have just left you. Even if I wanted to.” Another beat of silence. “...I...don’t want to leave you, but there’s no other way this could go.”

I reached up to cup his face, brushing my fingers over the strong outline of his cheekbones. He melted into the touch, like he craved it.

“I don’t want to drag this out,” he whispered. “It has to end. Before it’s...too late for you.”

Later I would chuckle at the dramatics. It was so...him. 

I forced a wolfish grin, snapping my teeth. “I’m not afraid of pain.”

There was a flicker in his eye. A small smile. He pressed a light kiss to my fingertips. “And that’s what I’m afraid of, my dear. Because I will hurt you. Absolutely. It’s what I do. It’s what I’ve done. I lose myself. I hurt people. Myself. And I don’t want you to be a part of that. It’s who I am and what I will be. A failure.”

Nothing of what he spoke was reason enough to end our relationship. None had anything to do with it even. 

They were just excuses. Stuff to scare me away.

I’ve heard them before. The ‘I’m dangerous’ ‘I’ll hurt you’ ‘You deserve better’. 

None are how he feels about me. None are reason to end anything.

Sure it hadn’t been long. But…

“Don’t...don’t you want me?” I whispered, leaning closer. The armrest and controls stopped me before I could get too close. He’d have to close the distance himself.

He started, his cheeks going red. “I-I’m sorry I must’ve...I must’ve misheard you. Did you…”

I blinked, a few stray tears clinging to my lashes spilled down my cheeks. “I asked if you wanted me.”

If his face could go any redder, it did. “Ooooooh so I didn’t mishear you then.” The tips of his ears were red. I was sure he was blushing right down to his toes.

“T-That’s a strange question to ask me as I’m breaking up with you. N-Not that it’s really a break up. We were never...together.”

Ouch doctor. That stung.

He swallowed, his body tense and tight. Like he’d jump at any moment. “You didn’t answer my question.”

His eye darted back to meet mine. “Well...asking if I want you. Tough question.” He swallowed again, clicking his teeth. “I want to keep you out of my mess. I want...well...it doesn’t really matter what I want.”

“Yes...it does.” My voice was soft. I wondered if he heard me. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

He sighed again, leaning back in his chair. The car had warmed up, but we were still damp. Definitely gonna catch a cold.  

“Stubborn aren’t you? It’s what I like about you. One of your charms.”

“Julian.”

He let out another breath. “It’s what drew me to you. How stubborn and strong you are. If I was a stronger man...not so weak.”

I kept his gaze, my lashes brushing my cheek as I blinked. I watched him follow the motion, a fresh blush running rampant. 

His next words were soft. Ever so soft. He bit his lower lip, looking both defeated and like...like he was really seeing me. My damp clothes, my hair a mess. My eyes. My nose. And my lips. 

“I want you.” 

He looked away. “But there’s no future with us...with me, that doesn’t end in pain.”

My nose stung with fresh tears. I leaned closer, tilting my head. “Then...just for tonight…can we...forget about the future? It’s just you...and me. Under the same rainy sky, in the same car, listening to the same song, in the same warmth.”

“Can...can I be that selfish?” he asked, looking away from me. I allowed myself to touch him. Fingertips against his cheek, cold hands against flushed skin.

I bit my lower lip, my teeth catching on it as I spoke. “Do you want to be?”

He watched my movements, tugging himself out of my touch. My hand fell with my hopes. 

He chewed his lower lip, hands twitching as if he wanted to do...something. 

I wanted him to touch me. 

I wanted selfish. 

I wanted him.

“...yes.”

He closed the small distance, hand under my chin to gently tug me closer to him. Our lips brushed once. It was soft and fleeting. 

Then again. 

He shifted his hands around my shoulders, crushing me into him. His hand tangled itself in my shirt. His other hand brushed the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

“One more,” he whispered. 

We kissed again, soft and slow. He let out a small groan against me. His mouth parted as a shiver ran through him.

“One more.”

Another press. Another groan. A hand tangled in my hair. A feverish sense of no tomorrows. 

One more was whispered again and again. Each time promising pain and heartbreak.

Each time he leaned in again. More desperate each time. Touches needier and more daring. I tugged on his hair softly, making him let out a small moan. 

He turned away, hands dropping to my hips. 

He looked...sad. Desperately so. 

“You know...being here with you, being with you was the first thing I’ve wanted for myself for a long time.”

“Then why don’t you stay?”

He turned away, swallowing. “I’ll...drive you home.”

I blinked, hurt tearing through my skin. I looked away from him, trying not to cry. He was really doing this. 

So then...why did it hurt so much?

“...okay.”

[hazbinextgeneration]

Into The Casino Ch14

(Disclaimer: The two songs Hey Pachuco and Sway and the lyrics sung are in NO way mine or my property. They all belong to their rightful owners: One being from the soundtrack from the movie The Mask, and the other performed by Pablo Beltrán Ruiz BUT for this I used the glee version of Sway performed by the glee cast. I used them just for the characters to dance and sing to, the dances performed also have no name and I just made them up but some were inspired by movies. I own NOTHING!! Thanks for reading. If you wanna get a good idea for the first swing dance, watch the dancing part from The Mask at the Cocobongo.) True to Disease's words, he kept a much closer eye on the sulking unicorn for the rest of their stay there. Which wasn't too long. He ate and talked a little more with this Dolly person, but he still snapped his head to her every five to ten minutes and she still sat there. Looking disappointed and bored, but he seemed happy with that. You wouldn't imagine her relief when he finally decided it would be the best time to leave and they were finally able to go home. Lou was..very delighted to see them back home, smile wide and gave an expected look to Disease once Cyber lead the sad looking gal away.

"Well? You didn't let any 'mishaps' happen did you?" Those red eyes narrowed. Disease just waved a hand. "Psh. You kidding me? She didn't find out anything she wanted. Asssk her yourself if ya don't believe me." And he did, but in a casual way not wanting to seem suspicious. Asking questions like: So how was your trip? Was Disease acting in a rude manner? Did anyone touch her?...Did she get to speak with Rita and was the conversation to her liking? She just answered no to most. Always keeping ears back and avoiding eye contact, which he was pretty suspicious of. But he didn't push it too hard. She wasn't acting too different from when they left and she still aloud him near and gave him the same treatment as before, but he still couldn't be too sure. So he asked the question, would you want to go back? And her answer was exactly what he wanted to hear. "...No. It's too loud and reeks of bad choices. I'd rather not get anymore headaches." His smile couldn't have been any bigger and happier. Almost all suspicions thrown out the window...almost. But he could deal with them later. He had more important things to think about, like if he wanted his future garden to have one section of red roses and another for mixed colored roses, or if she should just mix all the different rose bushes together into one multicolored section. My, my the choices were plentiful. But thanks to her little plan, he was on higher alert, he unfortunately couldn't spare Cyber very often, so it was up to Disease to keep an eye on her, and fortunately he didn't object...But it was starting to become obviously suspicious to her when she found him peeping into her doorknobs keyhole, and the next day he had found a wad of gum shoved into it....Dammit Disease! But it was obvious she was al least behaving. But time flies fast when you were doing the same boring routine was it not? So she couldn't really have been surprised one day when Lou of course delivered the same list of usual things to do but asked the question, "By chance, do you know ballroom dancing?" Her purple eyes blinked up at him in surprise as she slowly took the list from him. "Um..Y-Yes? I-It was one of the things my tutor insisted I learn, b-but I haven't done it in years." The taller demon hummed, bringing a hand to his chin. Well this wouldn't do. Not at all, which was exactly why he told her to drop by his main office first thing next morning, he'd have a surprise for her. She only rose a brow in confusion when the plant demon happily walked away from her and down the hallway. Most likely to greet more guests or whatever he did when she wasn't looking-...Unknownst to her, he was meeting Cyber in the back. Meeting with the slug from a few days ago. The back alleys were perfect for this sort of thing. Narrow enough so no one could ambush them, but just the perfect size to dispose of him if things went sour. The man was there alright. With an armful of something wrapped in an old dirty cloth, looked quite old. Once those red eyes hit him the man simply...Dumped them. Literally. The man threw the things to his and Cyber's feet without a care in the world and crossed his arms. ..Lou's smile wavering. He's had some rude dealers before but this man was as patient as a hellhound starving for nearly a month, he almost didn't make a deal with him because of how rude and ungrateful he was. It took everything he had to NOT feed him to his plants or have Cyber cut him down into little pieces, because at the time he was already feeling anxious and annoyed at the situation his little pet decided to put him through, but he held it up pretty well- A small clanging noise brought him back when Cyber nudged the wrapped up things with her foot. It felt hard and with the same foot, she caught the edge of the tarp on it and kicked it off. What was inside...was not what they were expecting. Angelic spears absolutely. But these ones...They looked rather old and worn. Rust creeping up on some of them. Lou rose a brow and gave the man a look. "...Really?" He shrugged. "I never said they were in completely perfect condition. I only said they've worked for as long as I've used them, which was quite a lot. Now do you want them or not?" Lou almost gave a growl but instead calmly looked to Cyber who by then was kneeling down and giving the things a calculating look....One of her hands reached down slowly to poke one of the blade tips. A small burning sound was instant when her fingertip touched one of the dull blades and as a result she instantly pulled back and peered up at him. A wide smile spreading over his features. Perfect. Well almost perfect, but he was sure Midnight could polish these things back to normal. A small price to pay for any angelic weapons he could get his hands on..and speaking of pay. The man was standing there obviously expecting something in return. So with a chuckle Lou reached behind his back and pulled out what he wanted, a small jar full of small round orbs. Lou tossed it to the demon who snatched it and grin that disgusting grin at him. "Pleaser doing business with ya." "Yes, yes. Please leave the premise immediately." Lou narrowed his eyes just as the man turned and began leaving..snapping his fingers, a small green vine came out of the back doorway he was standing in and wrapped itself around the weapons in question, bringing them inside before Lou turned to Cyber. "..Recollect those souls will you? I'm needed back on the floor before someone suspects something." He nodded and began off after the man in the same direction. "And do be quick about it. I wouldn't anyone 'specific' noticing." ****************************************************************************************************** Soon enough the day had come to a close and the familiar jar of souls was sitting on top of his desk as he hummed and happily signed away at a few papers, except maybe a new soul had been added to the collection. Cyber did an excellent job as always, but he couldn't care less about the souls for the moment. Right now he had someone on their way and he was dying to get started on the practice he wanted to do, all he needed was the lucky young lady. A few knocks at the door and a nervous shuffling had gotten his attention. The jar of orbs was easily hidden back into a desk drawer and papers were neatly shuffled in his hands. "Come in, Dear." The door slowly opened and much to his delight, purple eyes blinked back to him in confusion. He geatured to the chair in front of him and she slowly walked in. The door closing with a click behind her. Once her body sat down in the chair he chuckled. "Now. You're probably wondering why you're hear, yes?" She nodded yes. She really was. She didn't think she did anything wrong. The list of chores was always done, the paperwork always organized, and other than yelling at Disease when her eye caught him staring at her, she hadn't done anything wrong or acted in any rude manner. So another thought reached her mind, had he or Disease found out about her meeting with Charles?! Was she in trouble!? Was he gonna throw her out!? ..Or worse?! The guilt knotted up and twisted in her stomach and kept her from saying or doing anything else for the rest of yesterday and didn't let her get a good night's sleep. It took all the nerves she had to not stay under her covers, and maybe because Cyber forced her out, and to never knock let alone come in. But he didn't look mad at all, if anything he looked genuinely happy as he stood up. "As I am aware you're not exactly up to speed with dancing yes?" She nodded as he walked around to her seat with a smile. "Well, we can't have you rusty, as I do intend to have a grand time there, and as a man who appreciates the fine arts, I couldn't just stand by and watch you flail around like Disease on alcohol? No, no." He smile leaned down and his hand quickly went to grab hers. "Which is why you and me are going to practice dancing of course." She didn't know whether to be suddenly more releived or suddenly more horrified. Her? Him? Dancing?! Together?! Her mouth dropping slightly opened and he chuckled, only snapping back to it when he pulled her to her feet. "I-I-...You-..Me-..W-WHAT?!" "You heard me, and I won't take no as an answer." Her stunned body was pulled along as he walked her to the door. Big smile on his face. The nervous feeling in her stomach came back ten times as hard as the sudden seriousness of the situation hit her. He was serious about her dancing, and she hadn't even danced in....What? fifty, sixty years?! But he didn't seem to notice her rising fears as he opened the door and walked her out. She was lead down the hall and up to the another larger part of the building she hadn't been down before, not that she wouldn't have explored if Disease was always on her tail. But she blinked when the doors they passed became slightly bigger and the hallway widened slightly, they were too big to have bedrooms or normal bedrooms. Perhaps one of these was Midnight's lab? Sensing her curiousity he chuckled. "These are places I usually host gatherings or are for my personal entertainment. You'll see soon. Now let's see." He hummed eyeing the doors to the left of the hallway, his free hand reaching up hovering in the air as they passed, and his brow raising. Until he finally stopped her. "Ah! Here we are!" "H-Here where?" He chuckled and let go of her. Not answering as he grabbed both doors and pushed them open. Bright lights overhead lit up and what they shown was an absolute marvel. Polished wooden floors different from the rest of the casino shined up at their owner as he walked along them, almost showing his reflection in the pale tan wood. The walls were just as pretty as the floor she noticed when she leaned her head in, beautiful wall paper showed a painted on scenes of a walk in garden. For all she new perhaps they were famous gardens on the living world long forgotten. A large crystal chandelier was connected to the ceiling but this one was much smaller and styled differently than the giant ones in the casino and lobby. She blinked and looked around. To the far left side was ..Well she guessed it must've been what Cyber told her was a jukebox, it didn't look old though. In fact this jukebox looked as if someone tuned it up to look more advanced, and next to it was something she definitely something she recognized. A record player! It's tuba like horn attatched to it's table body and crack lever were undyeable and so was the giant shelf of records next to them. They must've been for the jukebox and record players. She tilted her head and only looked back to Lou when she heard his footsteps walking somewhere. She blinked and watched curiously as he started towards the two music making machines she was staring at. Tail swishing behind him as his eyes immediately scanned some of the selections all the while humming. Red talons glazing across the thin black disks before stopping and pulling one plain looking record out from one of the middle shelves. "Well? Come in and we shall get started," he motioned for her to come in with one hand as he made his way to the record player. She..reluctantly did as he carefully placed the round disk onto the machine and using his other arm, carefully reached over and began cranking the lever to wind the music box she blinked as the small needle was placed onto the record that had started spinning and a weird tuba noise came out of the giant horn before the small beginnings of violins and a flute made their debut out of it. And she blinked...This just wasn't ballroom music. It was a waltz. And Lou gave a content sigh as he took off his hat, throwing it ontop of the shelf before turning to her. "Now. Why don't we begin with a few simple steps?" Her eyes widened. "W-Wait. N-Now!? B-But I haven't-" "Shush. I told you Im not taking a no to this. If it helps, Just think of this as a small assignment to help ME instead of you practicing. It might help if you pretend you're not." He made a grab for her waist- Which resulted in her flinching and jumping a few feet away. Both pausing and staring at each other for a few moments before he sighed. Reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "....Look. I completely understand your ...unease with me physically connecting with you, but it would mean a great deal to me if you would participate. ....After all. You DID say you would make it up to me for allowing you visitation to Rita's. And I never forget a promise." Her ears went back in guilt. Oh...Right. She did say that didn't she? So this time when he approached her again she didn't move. Slowly he reached a hand out and she allowed one hand on her hip and one to hold her hand in the typical dancing position, but he felt her tense under his grip for sure...Shakily lifting her hand up..moving it to his shoulder- She flinched slightly when he moved his shoulder closer to make contact with her hand...Ok. She could do this. It was just the two of them, in a close position that she hasn't been in in years and those red eyes and smile was just a couple inches away from her now...She gulped down the lump in her throat- "Who taught you how to dance in the first place?" She flinched and blinked up at him. She just calmly stared and his smile...wasn't like the wide smiles he always gave, instead it was smaller. Still there but it looked genuine. And he looked completely serious and interested in that question. "..U-Uh...M-My old t-tutor and her son did. T-They were very kind to me." He hummed. "Were you nervous then as well?" "Y-Yes. But they always made it fun." "Then why don't you pretend that moment's happening all over again." Her eyes blinked up at him. "Remember the beautiful times. Let it all come back. Can you do that?" She hesitated..But with a big inhale she slowly nodded. "Good." He tilted his head behind him as the music sounded like it would be coming to a close. And he shifted his hold on her, she lightly flinched again but he rolled his eyes. "Oh, relax. Im not going to bite, just follow my lead and you'll be swinging across the floor my dear.~...Just relax." She took in a big intake of air before letting it out, just as the final few violin and drum notes faded from the air. A couple more seconds wnt by before the record playing began repeating the music from the still spinning disk. True to his word. Lou gently began to push her and she also froze up then and there not used to having someone so close direct her body's movements but luckily she didn't trip on herself and forced her hooves to move along with him. Stiffly at first, but her mind forced herself to relax in his hold. Remember her. Remember giggling as a child. Remember the fun you had without your father scolding you for unlady like behavior...Remember the fun. To Lou's slight surprise and the easeness of his own body, she slowly began to relax within his hold. Making it easier for him to guide her and ease her steps. And soon the two of them were stepping in graceful circles across the floor, with her occasionally looking at their feet. It was when he started to lean and dip and little more in their swings when she lightly tensed up again but soon forcefully relaxed herself again. Until he attempted to spin her around, she reacted by giving a yelp and falling onto her knees on the first spin. She froze for a few seconds as the music still played and gave a sigh, giving a small jump when he placed a hand onto her shoulder and gave a smile. "I must say. For someone who hasn't danced for quite a while you did better than I expected." He grabbed her arm gently and lifted her back to her feet. Before repositioning themselves back into the same dancing stance. "Now. Once more from the top. And keep in mind that spins and swings are a part of waltzing, Darling. As are dips, but we'll work on just swaying and spinning for now. Your footwork while clumsy is more graceful than you give credit for." She blinked. Was he- Did he just compliment her or criticize her? Either way it didn't stop them from repeating the same steps as before when the music again restarted. "Remember. Relax. Trust in yourself." She kinda lost track of the amount of times they restarted after the third time, but he seemed genuinely happy to be swinging and reteaching her through the steps almost long forgotten. By the time of their fifteen( yes. HE had been keeping count of exactly how many times she messed up, he couldn't help it. It was in his nature to calculate his partner's moves. Especially after that small surprise she pulled.) restart. It seemed some of those memories were starting to come back as her steps started to become easier and she started to not tense up as much as say two hours ago, but she looked tired. So after he dipped her one last time, with her clutching onto his shoulders before he pulled her back up, he let go of her. She blinked as he reached out to straighten himself giving a snap of his red talons. "You dance devine my dear. But for now we're done." A green vine came out of nowhere wrapped around his top hat, which he graciously took before planting it back on top his head. "But you still need much more practice. I'll let you have the rest of the day off, but prepare yourself for tomorrow. We have less than three weeks, and I intend of making the most of that time." True to his word. Lou kept that promise. The very next day it was right back to it after she got something in her stomach. And again the same results. She still tensed under his hold and still messed up a few steps, once or twice stepping on his foot or god forbid his tail. He barely flinched when this happened but his brow did raise whenever it happened. Which did no good to her because all it did was make her very nervous and thus mess up more. By the fourth day of this he took her aside and tired something different, just swaying in graceful circles without spins or dips, which was much more better but he still felt her body tense and sometimes slightly shaking under him, which he was starting to find unpleasant but not annoying-....Yet. He prided himself on his skills and despite his doubts the two had gained a few steps but not much...Until he talked to Cyber about it all. But all she could offer was a shrug as she watched him shift through papers and stuff on his desk. 'I'll try talkin' to her about it later' was her response and if anyone could figure it out it was Cyber. So he left it in her hands. In the meantime between regular business and 'trying' to get the pony on her feet, he made regular trips to Midnight's lab to see if he could get progress on her fixing up those weapons....It was...Hard for her to do. She had to wear some kind of makeshift mask and gloves to keep any part of the sacred blades from burning or cutting her, and was trying to use any kind of polish and whatever she came up with to restore them to their once perfect state. Slow progress but they were getting there. ...Couldn't say the same for the dancing. Still as stiff and unprogressive as ever. To his dismay. And it was slowly until he noticed a whole week of nothing but barely any progress had passed and he pestered Cyber again for some kind of answer. She looked at him for a couple seconds before shrugging. "Well, whaddya expect? She doesn't like anyone touching her, you make her feel pressured, and she probably suppressed those memories after being chained who knows where for who knows how long. Instead of trying to force her to relax, why not find something about the subject that appeals to her?" It was like a lightbulb had went off in his head. And he smiled. OF COURSE!! Why hadn't he thought of that sooner?! Cyber was definitely a genius at times, and a smile reappeared on his face. So the very next day when she showed up for probably the eighth day, he was grinning ear to ear with a grin of his face compared to her sad and tired look. "Amalfia, my dear. Tell me, what music and dance do you really enjoy?" He asked once he started leading her off again and she blinked surprised at his strange question. Before shaking her head. "It's stupid, and really unlady like-" "Oh hush." He waved his hand. "I don't care if it's square dancing like drunken hill billys. If you enjoy it I want to know what you like. I want to get to know you better." Her eyes blinked surprised up to his face..but she again shook her head. "It's stupid like I said....But I r-really like s-swing?" He blinked back..and laughed, her head tilted curiously at him before his grin became more excited. "My dear little flower.~ You are speaking to someone who has basically mastered that art.~" To his delight. Her eyes lit up. "You..Y-You like swing?" He nodded and a small smile came to her. "And jazz?" He chuckled and nodded again. Delighted to get her attention and a smile on that little face of hers. Those purple eyes lit up like a darn holiday tree. "D-Do you..do you dance to it?" He stopped. Giving her an even bigger smile at the meer question. "My dear." His hand came to settle himself on the door. "I just said I mastered that art. But knowing you also enjoy it..heh. Well we know what we're doing today!" With a push both doors opened and he lead her over to the shelf, when he still tugged onto her arm and she blinked in surprise when he happily gestured to the swing labeled section."You may pick any you like?" "R-Really?," she gaped excitedly. "Yes, but in return. I expect to be able to dance with you to it. No buts. I enjoy a good dance with my dear lady. Deal?" She hesitated. Her father forbad her to even touch another record after he learnt about her tutor teaching her this 'new aged degenerate crap' as he put it and she only ever danced to it with her now most likely deceased friend. ....But your dad's not here a voice whispered. That smile appeared back to her face a bit. She..still had to let him hold her hand but..with swing..most of the moves required barely any contact beyond that. That thought accompanied by the feeling of the swinging jazz bands just a finger tip away...She happily turned to him and nodded yes to his request. In turn he smiled and gestured a hand to the shelf. She didn't hesitate to start looking at the records he presented to her. He patiently waited as she pulled one or two out, glanced over the titles of the songs written on them, before placing them back into place....Eventually she pulled one out near the end if the shelf, flipping it over in her hands, and turned back to look at him. His raised a brow. "Find something you like?" She gave it a nervous look over before handing it to him. He took it and read over the title: Hey Pachuco. With a smile he looked back to her in question. "Are you quite sure? This is fast paced and with your footwork being a bit...out of touch, I wouldn't want you hurting yourself." ...With a slow inhale and exhale, she nodded. "I-I..want to try again. And this time..I wanna do it for myself." He hummed and looked back to it for just a moment. "...Alright just get onto the floor, and don't be surprised by what we're about to do." She nodded and made her way to about the middle of the floor, just as he put the said recording in and began winding the lever up again, he seemed almost excited as he carefully put the needle on and tossed his hat away. Wouldn't be needing that with what he was about to do. The thing coughed a bit of static as he made a few steps before pausing a little ways away from her. She tilted her head when he didn't come any closer but paused when the sound of drums came a beating out and her ears immediately perked at the familiar sound. Lou however was already tapping his feet to the beat of those drums, when they started getting faster he finally bounced a few steps towards her before suddenly sliding and grabbing onto her. Dipping her just as trumpets blasted out of the drum beats. Which caught her completely off guard and making it easy for him to perform the next moves as the song sung out of the thing. When he suddenly brought her back up, one arm around her and one grabbing her arm, and in a tango like motion rocked them from side to side. Her brain still hadn't quite caught up yet and so it was easy for him to just suddenly push her away from him next time all the trumpets sounded at once, before pulling her and ducking under her arm so she was pushed away from him again- Only to have her unsuspecting self be pulled back into his embrace, and be given a small spin. She blinked, brain finally catching up a little but only enough to notice his actual...genuine happy smile- Only for him to expertly pull her back to him with a spin so her back was facing him, and she was made to do an actually cartwheel- Fear spiked in her as she was about to crash into the floor on her side, but that was swiftly dashed when she was again grabbed and half dragged half spun against the floor twice in a circle before being pulled up fast and spun out to where she managed to stay on her legs and finally give a look to him. His body still bouncing to the beat of the drums and trumpets as he gave her a half lidded look..Clearly saying: 'Well? Are you going to pick up the slack?' ..And she was quick to respond with a ...smug smile of her own. Oh! That made something in him feel only slightly challenged. So it was no surprise when the singer of the band finally started playing when he made another slide grab for her- Only for her to completely duck under him and grab his shoulder, turning him around just as the first 'HEY!' from the chorus shouted, he didn't seemed fazed at all as he grabbed her hand and the two came to a tap dance of sorts. Her almost perfectly mimicking him and him raising a brow at her attempts to catch up. The game was on! He brought her into a few more spins and she unexpectedly dodged some of his grabs at her and did some twirls of her own. Until he finally managed to grab her and to her surprise lift her almost onto his shoulder, making her spin in mid air before catching her and pushing her arm's length away again. This time when she was pulled back and made to do another cartwheel however- He caught her mid flip back into her feet and with strength she didn't know he had, he actually hoisted above him in the air. And spun around a few times as he pivoted on his heel, only for her to then be twisted around his body and pulled back up into a standing position. Spun out from him and shakily spin back onto her feet as a drum solo started up. As they beat, she took the moment to push her blonde and white hair from her face and look towards the still slightly bouncing and smiling demon. "...Well? Is that the best you can do?" He held out a hand to her. Fangs flashing. "Impress me!!" She smirked back. A look he hadn't seen on her but was quite interested to see! As her body suddenly began to bounce on it's own from his. And she did. When the trumpets came back, she slide right toward her and she ducked- But this time immediately popped back up and grabbed him. He was slightly surpised when HER of all people spun him back around and grabbed his hand and pulled. He spun out a little bit but immediately regained composure, quickly turning and grabbing her when she slid towards him. Lifting her up and then next to him. As if having the same thoughts, the mirrored the same in place movements with their arms and legs before both spinning, Lou's hand suddenly grabbing her's and taking her for multiple spins around himself. Before stopping and dipping her- Only to suddenly be thrown in the air twirling who knows how many time before falling back into his arms. Twisted around before making a final stop when he was- Oh gosh. Holding her bridal style and dipping her enough to where their faces were inches apart. Making her freeze. Just as the last few notes finally blasted out. Silence rang out as the two of them stared at each other. Her heart was hammering in her ears and her lungs taking quick breaths from her lungs..But him. he just grinned that half lidded studying grin at her...before slowly sitting himself back up and gently placing her back down. Her hooves met the ground with a small tapping sound and she felt wobbly. Smiling plastered on her face and her hand coming to clutch her chest. Lou was also breathing a bit faster from the rush, but was more calm and straightened himself out. until he heard a snort. He rose a brow to her and to his surprise another snort escaped her, and she covered her mouth...Before her eyes closed and a roar of happy laughter escaped her lungs. He stood there for a long moment...Before smiling back triumphantly at her once she finally got ahold of herself enough to look at her. Her face was twisted in a joyous shade of light pink and her eyes twinkled in a way he hadn't seen her do before now. "...Y-Y-You weren't kidding when you said you were a m-m-master at it." Her lungs heaved ad her arms clutched her stomach. " T-That was the most f-fun I've ever had down here!!" With that he gave a chuckle and gave a glance to his red talons. "But of course.~ I wouldn't lie about my skills.~ And if you enjoyed my dancing you should hear me sing-" "You-....You sing?" Her head was tilted at him curiously like a puppy before another smile graced her face. "M-May I see?" He stared at her a moment before humming, hand coming up to tap his chin. "Hm. I suppose so, but if I'm gonna work, then I expect another dance out of you. It's only fair." She happily nodded in agreement to his deal and he hummed in delight. After all, if he was going to sing for her then it was only fair she danced for him. The upbeat swing music was already starting to replay itself on the still spinning machine and the upbeat drums from before began drumming out, until Lou walked over to the record player and pulled the needle back up, effectively stopping the music with a record stopping sound. The machine seemed to stop moving as soon as the plant demon removed the needle. Before, with record delicately in hands, turned back to the shelf humming to himself and carefully slid the large black disk into it's proper place. Amalfia watched curiously as his eyes scanned the piles of records, until shifting back to the swing section.....His red finger pulled one record out near the front, and he curiously peered at the name written on it. It read: Sway. And he made a small 'mm-hm', before turning and placing it onto the machine. The lever cranked just as usually before he turned and with a few long strides made it to her. But unlike the few times before he rose a brow curiously..before giving a bow. She blinked a little caught off guard before catching up and giving a slight curtsy back- Before he pulled her into his form and into the same ballroom style stance as before. She still flinched under his touch, but too his utter delight, her body didn't tense up and she still had that goofball smile on her face. He chuckled as the music finally started up and it was a cha-cha like music with trumpets and at least one violin and cowbell. And he started by leading her across the floor and slightly rocking back and forth, before giving her a spin or two that she DIDN'T fall from this time and was pulled back against him as the music paused for one brief moment- "When marimba rythms start to play dance with me, make me sway.~" When he said 'sway' he really did sway her, but with a half dip so her body came back up and back into standing position and he moved her across the floor in graceful circles again. "Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore.~ Hold me close. Sway me more.~" Again the same half dip sway as he pulled her out arm's length- "Like a flower bending in the breeze, bend with me.~" He quickly pulled her back in with a full dip before pushing her back up with the next sentence. "Sway with ease.~" She. Was....Surprised. Yes. She heard quite a few big names and random men sing, and their voices were just lovely. But Lou's- Maybe it was just the way the walls were echoing his voice or the music accompanying it. Or maybe it was just not hearing anyone sing in the longest time...But coming from a demon with red eyes- His voice was absolutely heavenly, velvety smooth, and it was CLEAR this wasn't his first time singing like this. It had only been a few sentences but he acted like this was everyday living, his posture calm, and not showing the slightest ounce of unease. "When we dance, you have a way with me, stay with me.~'' He brought her back up and ran his red claws gently under her chin making her immediately turn pink as a result, before suddenly pushing her out and leading her in a circle at arm's length. "Sway with me.~ Other dancers may be on the floor. ~ Dear-" She was suddenly brought back in with a spin that put her back against him and he gave her a giant sly smirk before saying the next line. "-But my eyes will see only you.~" She was spun around again to face him with a another graceful circle. "Only you have that magic technique!~ When we sway I go weak!~" She was spun a few times as the trumpets and drums made three hard notes followed by another half second pause which ended her back facing him again. "I can hear the sounds of violins long before it begins.~" He moved from their stilled position by slowly rocking their bodies and slowly rotating them as if in a slow dance. "Make me thrill as you know how.~ Sway me smooth.~ Sway me now.~" Again that same half lidded genuine smile and her heart actually...Jumped? What? Her excitement and fun from the earlier dance, but he couldn't help but internally smirk at her clearly bedazzled eyes and pink cheeks. Oh his sweet little naïve weapon. If only you could see how cute you looked falling into your place on the puzzle. But he was true to his word, as he never turned down a good deal yet. And this one was a great deal. There was a brief pause in his singing with just the upbeat swing playing. During that time he made sure to sway her a few more times, giving the occasional spin, all with a smile on his face. But it was when he finally pulled her back in from a spin and held her against him did her face go from pink to red. "Other dancers may be on the floor.~ Dear.~ But my eyes will see only you.~" He took her for another spin on the word 'you', and kept her spinning as he sang out. "Only you got that magic technique.~ When we sway I go weak!~" The same three hard notes played out and on the last one he brought her back in yet another dip and she felt dizzy. But she wasn't sure if it was from the spinning or the way her head felt like the burning sun. "I can hear the sounds of violins-" He brought her back up into that slow dance swaying and rotating in a small circle. And they stayed like that for a while. "-long before it begins.~ Make me thrill as you know how.~ Sway me smooth.~ Sway me now.~ When marimba rythims start to play, dance with me. Make me sway.~ Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore, hold me close.~ Sway me more.~" The music completely stopped for a second and so did they. She just heard the beating of her own heart, and his smile and those red eyes stared right at her. "...Like a flower bending in the breeze!~" The trumpets came back on full blast and he pulled her away from him at arm's length. His voice now much louder than before but still not rough. If anything he was putting more passion into this as she was pulled back into him into a dip. "Bend with me!~ Sway with ease!~" At 'sway' he once again swung her around in a half circle before more spinning began. "When we dance, you have a way with me!~ Stay with me!~ Sway with ease!~" At the second 'sway' she was stopped and faced him again. "WHEN THE RYTHM STARTS TO PLAAAAY!!~ HOLD ME CLOSE!!~ MAKE ME SWAAAY!!~" At 'play' he did something different when he suddenly grabbed her leg and pulled it up, making her squeak. But when he sand 'hold me close' he pressed her against him gently, before dipping her at 'sway' again. "LIKE AN OCEAN HUGS THE SHOOORE!!~ HOLD ME CLOSE!!" He brought her up still holding her against him before actually lightly picking her up and twirling her around at the next 'sway'. "SWAY ME MOOORE!! LIKE A FLOWER BENDING IN THE BREEZE!!" She was suddenly again dipped at 'bend'. "BEND WITH MEEE!~ SWAY WITH EASE!!~" At 'sway' her leg was let loose as he simaltaniously swung her back up and his now free hand grabbed onto one of hers. And he pushed her out from him again. "WHEN WE DANCE YOU GOT A WAY WITH MEEE!!~ STAY WITH ME!!~" She was pulled back and spun around. "SWAY WITH MEEEEEEE!!~" She was stopped completely and suddenly pulled back against him just as the very last note was played out. And she was left staring into those red eyes for a few silent few seconds....before he chuckled and slowly let go of her. WIthout him supporting her against him, she wobbled back onto jelly feeling legs and brought her hands up. One pushing the hair from her eyes while the other coming to cup her still warm and red cheek. He however chuckled. ....It was STILL like he hadn't even broken a sweat and simply went to straighten himself up. Humming as he straightened his bow and walked back towards the record player just as the music once again started to replay on loop. The needle was plucked from the record and then said record was removed from the spinning platform, making the machine give the same record stopping sound and completely stop working. Humming as he moved to place it back onto the shelf. Still feeling the happiness of the woman behind him. Before chuckling again. Oh how he loved it when his plans went so smoothly! Midnight doubting his plan all along, but joke's on her now. He snapped his fingers and a random vine brought down his hat as he placed it back onto his head- He froze....Something had just wrapped around him. It was just maybe for two seconds before she flinched back away but it was enough to make all thoughts and body movements stop for a complete few seconds. ...His red eyes blinked and he slowly turned around to be faced with the red faced unicorn. She gave a nervous smile before looking away. "S-S-Sorry. I-I just wanted to t-thank you for t-t-the great time. Y-You s-s-sing beautifully." He still blinked before shaking it off and smiling at the compliment. "It's quite alright my dear. No harm done." His hand came to give a few pats to her shoulder. "And Im so delighted to hear you enjoyed our little session, as did I. After all we've been trying to do that little step for a while." Her face blinked back confused and he chuckled. "Oh my dear. Did you not realize? The same dance we had just done, was the very same waltz you've been tripping over for almost a week now." ......She blinked. That was- They were- THEY SAME WALTZ!? How did she not notice that?!..She must've been too distracted to notice but again slightly jumped when he put his hat on and slung an arm around her. Still chuckling at her pink cheeks. "You did wonderful progress, just as I said you would. And I never lie. But you still need plenty of practice before the big day, but for now. Let us get back to regular work. Shall we?~"

All characters besides Amalfia belongs to @palettepainter

[remnantoforario]

Unmerry Men AKA The Problem With Robyn Hill

I’ve been sitting on this rant for a while. I’m sure there are people who have talked this topic to death since Volume 7 ended, and did a much better job than I am about to, but I still feel the need to throw my hat in the ring (or shoot my arrow at the target given the subject matter) and say definitively and without question: that Robyn Hill is a terrible character. 

Get some snacks. This is going to be a long one. 

Let me preface this rant by saying I don’t hate Robyn HIll...in CONCEPT. That last word is very important. 

The idea behind her character is a sound one: Atlas is characterized as a country with a VERY clear disparity between the rich (Atlas)

and the poor (Mantle)

So it makes perfect sense that there would be a Robin Hood (see what I did there) type character that would bridge this gap between the two and seek to make things equal, or at least a little less lopsided. As an idea this is great, but the problem (as with most everything in RWBY) is in the execution. 

Outside of Forrest extolling her praises in the back of a cop car in Chapter 2, the first time we see Robyn is when she stops Clover, Ruby, Qrow, and Penny from reaching the Amity tower site. 

During this introduction, she tries to coerce Clover into disclosing classified government information via her Semblance, and Penny has to expose her ambush tactics. Not the best first impression.

Now in a vacuum, this scene isn’t really that bad. Thanks to (clunky) exposition, we are already aware that there is friction between the military and the Happy Huntresses. As such it makes sense that we the audience first meet Robyn as an antagonistic force against RWBY and their allies.

The thing with this though is that all four of the writers of this volume forgot to lift the perception of Robyn being an antagonist until around the final third of the volume. Objectively, there is no reason anyone outside of her own group to want to trust or follow her. 

The M,K,K, & E are trying to position Ironwood and Robyn in the roles of the Sherriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood respectively. The main problem with this is that they fail to establish Ironwood as a tyrannical threat on par with the Sherriff. 

Does he make questionable decisions? Certainly. Are his choices morally wrong? In some cases, yes. But they are more often than not written in a way where the choices he makes are OBJECTIVELY best for everyone (even if they try to frame it otherwise). 

Closing the borders, hiding the Amity plan, diverting resources to FINISH said plan, and his other tactics (while at times misguided) were done in order to protect as many people as he could from Salem and her forces. They were all calculated risks that clearly took a mental and emotional toll on him. He’s a severely broken man trying to keep whatever he has left from falling apart, but everyone is working against him (including his own allies but that’s another story). 

This brings me back to Robyn. She is hailed as the “Hometown Hero of Mantle”, but all we ever do is see her take shots at Ironwood and Jacques and talk about how much the former ISN’T helping Mantle. My question to her, her hardcore cans, and CRWBY is “What has Robyn done to help Mantle?”. RWBYJNR and various talking heads mention how Robyn is helping the people of Mantle, but because the volume (seemed) so rushed to get to Salem’s arrival, we never see her doing anything that’s not directly tied to the plot. 

She’s not working on Mantle’s wall, she’s not in the streets talking to people, handing out medical supplies, giving away food, or anything that actively helps Mantle. We don’t even see her fight Grimm in the streets until the FINAL episodes of the volume. All she and her group do is actively antagonize the military and steal (which we never see them give to the poor). For someone hailed as the town’s hero, she doesn’t seem to really be doing anything to earn that title.   

After the election night massacre, she openly declares war on Ironwood essentially and begins stealing resources needed for the Amity project, until she is ultimately stopped by Blake and Yang. 

Now in theory I have no problem with Yang and Blake telling her about the Amity plan; my main hang up about it is that Robyn has done nothing to earn this trust. 

Until this point Robyn has been getting in their way as they try to reestablish global communications, but now they suddenly feel comfortable telling this sensitive information to a complete stranger and risking a leak even when they KNOW Tyrian is in the city? Instead of telling her that, why not tell her about Tyrian instead? I’m sure she would want justice for the people he killed. 

Then she is later invited to the Council meeting (despite not being a member) and made aware of classified information that she shouldn’t know of, as well as make a complete ass of herself and show why she probably shouldn’t have won in the first place. 

This leads to her finally believing Ironwood, but eventually that gets tossed out the window at the end of the volume where her actions almost directly lead to Clover’s death.  

As she, Qrow, and Clover are transporting Tyrian back to Atlas, Ironwood’s order to arrest RWBYJNRQO is issued. Now there are three things that are very important to keep in mind here after this order is issued: 

1. Clover is clearly conflicted about following this order. 

2. Qrow is calmly trying to talk things out. 

3. Robyn is NOT under arrest. 

Let me repeat that. ROBYN IS NOT UNDER ARREST.

So as Qrow is level headedly suggesting they all talk it out, Robyn (who again is NOT under arrest) starts a fight that results in Tyrian escaping his restraints, the plane going down (after Tyrian kills the pilot and co-pilot), Robyn herself being unconscious, and Clover being ultimately being murdered. 

Now tell me after all the information is presented, why we are supposed to care for this character? What have the writers done to position her as someone we should invest in? 

A lot of her accomplishments are told to us rather than shown, and whenever we do see her onscreen she’s mostly a nuisance that makes pretty much any situation she’s in worse. Yes, I know this is just one volume and she will obviously be a central character in V8 and possibly 9, but the damage has been done. Any attempt to salvage her will just be cleaning up the fall out from V7. 

Now since I’m not one of those people that likes to complain for the sake of it, I’ll voice my opinion on how Robyn could have been written better. 

The first thing we do is distance her from the Happy Huntresses. She will still be the leader, but that information won’t be revealed until AFTER the election. It’s not really a good look for a vigilante to try and run for a public office if they are still breaking the law. That’s like Bruce Wayne running for mayor of Gotham AS Batman (though the people would likely still vote for him). 

So as far as the public (including Ironwood and RWBYJNRQO) are concerned, Robyn is a normal Mantle city official and Joanna Greenleaf is the leader of the Huntresses. For those of you who don’t remember who she is (and I don’t blame you), this is Joanna Greenleaf: 

The second thing I’m going to do is give her a more established connection to Ironwood. My idea? Former military. Robyn was once a part of the Atlas military’s intelligence and recon division because of her lie detecting semblance. When she discovers corruption within the system (lets say something having to do with Faunus, the mines, Mantle, or the SDC) she exposes it but quickly becomes disillusioned with military life and is discharged. She then begins living in Mantle and becomes their representative. We can say this happened maybe five to ten years before the series itself starts. 

She served under Ironwood and has a deep respect for him, but does not agree with his decisions as defacto head of the Council. This is what leads to the friction between them. 

Next, we change up how she and the Huntresses are introduced in V7. When RWBYJNRQO arrive in Mantle the election race has only barely begun (we’re pushing it back). We see posters for Robyn and maybe hear snippets of an interview she is giving to a news station on one of the TVs. 

When the Grimm attack, instead of RWBYJNRQO running out to help immediately, they are cut off by the Happy Huntresses who quickly get rid of the monsters. Ruby and the others wonder who they are before the Huntresses scatter when Penny and the Ace-Ops arrive. The heroes are still arrested for stealing an airship and violating Atlas airspace (as they should have), but now there is some intrigue about who that group of women were. 

Forrest still gives his exposition, but leaves out Robyn because no one knows she’s their leader. 

When the gang arrive at the school they meet with Ironwood and Winter, but hear Ironwood complaining about “that woman” after having just finished a call on his scroll. 

Fast forward to the mine mission. Instead of Jacques showing up, this is where we gets their first full appearance from Robyn. She is brought via airship to the mine (along with an exasperated Winter and Penny) and begins to badger Ironwood about ducking their meeting, stating that Mantle still hasn’t received the supplies he promised days ago. You could also have her briefly greet the kids and Qrow before going back to argue with Ironwood. 

Things proceed as normal, but inbetween some of the bigger story events we see news reports of Robyn helping people around Mantle. Feeding the poor, cheering up the miners, handing out supplies, giving speeches, and other things to show that she really is the hero of the people. Not everything has to be directly tied to the plot, you can use extra devices like tv news and the like to expand on characters. They tried this in V7 but they didn’t go far enough with in my opinion. This would inform us more on Robyn’s character without her being the direct focus as well as give the audience an actual reason to get behind the things she says. 

The main aspect of Robyn’s character that I would focus on would be her relationship with Ironwood. Nothing romantic, just how their ideologies align (or don’t) and how they view each other. They respect one another. Robyn knows Ironwood is a good man, but she doesn’t fully understand why he’s doing the things that he is doing. She doesn’t know why he’s being so secretive. She wants to give him a chance, but he keeps denying her. 

On Ironwood’s part he knows that morally Robyn is in the right and genuinely wants to help everyone in both cities, but his paranoia will not allow him to simply tell her what is really going on. Salem’s reach is far and if she was able to turn Lionheart (one of Ozpin’s closest confidants) then she can get to anyone and that is frightening. 

This is why Robyn utilizes the Happy Huntresses. They are able to move outside the law and do the things she can’t (similar to Jim Gordon and Batman). She doesn’t want to condemn Ironwood because of all the good he’s done, but people are suffering and something needs to change.

Neither are wrong, but they can’t find common ground.  

I’d position Robyn more as a fringe type of character. She doesn’t directly intervene in the plot, but you know she’s always there bidding her time until she can be more prominent.

I have more ideas for her, but this post is long enough as it is so let’s just end it here. 

TLDR; Robyn Hill is a good character concept with horrible execution. Hopefully she will be somewhat better utilized in future volumes, or kill her off at the start of V8. At this point I’m good with either. 

[idreamofplaid]

A Longing for Home

Summary: The reader has made a home for herself, but it isn’t complete without Sam.

Characters: Sam x Reader; Dean

Word Count: 1641

A/N: It’s another fic from along the way on my journey as a writer. It’s Part 1 of a two parter.

Raindrops hit the window pane gently soothing your worn and bruised heart. You opened your sketchbook and took your favorite drawing pencil in your hand. The sound of the graphite scratching across the page was the only noise in the room. With each line, an image of Sam began to materialize. This was your own kind of art therapy. 

When you were done, the result was a good likeness. Anyone would recognize it as Sam, but you hadn’t been able to capture the warmth in his eyes the way you wanted. Who he had been was still perfectly clear in your mind. You still heard his voice whispering to you in the dark of a motel room in Nebraska, Indiana, or Tennessee. It had never mattered to you where you were as long as you were with him. That was when Sam had a soul.

He had no feelings for you anymore, you or anyone else. You’d reached your breaking point and told Dean you needed to get away. It was too hard for you to be around the man who looked so much like Sam but clearly wasn’t him. Your Sam would have never flirted with other women right in front of your face, not that you could even call it flirting. It was too calculated. What Sam did, he did with purpose. And that purpose was to...

You slammed the sketchbook closed and tossed it on the bed next to you. Rain was still hitting the roof in a steady rhythm that should have been calming. You closed your eyes and hugged yourself. The flannel of the shirt you were wearing was soft and warm to your touch. There was a time you had worn Sam’s shirts, and he’d smiled every time he saw you in one of them. Sometimes you’d worn them just to see his dimples, but this wasn’t one of Sam’s shirts.

You shook your head to clear away the memory and dropped your hands to your sides. You scooted across the bed and stood up taking a minute to stretch before heading to the small kitchen. This cabin had always been your refuge. Your aunt had brought you and your cousin, Brianne, here when you were little girls. It was your aunt who had raised you and taught you to draw. She’d also taught you how important it was to take care of yourself. Self care was her legacy to you, and you needed it now more than you ever had.

You wished Aunt Laura was here now to offer her advice or give you a shoulder to cry on. It had been nine years since the heart defect she’d been born with had taken her from you, eleven since Bri had gone to France to be a pastry chef. When her mother had passed on, Bri told you the cabin was all yours. You were, after all, the sentimental one.

It was that part of you that longed for a home. So, you’d made this cabin as cozy as you could and let it serve as the representation of that dream for you. You filled it with your favorite things. There were bookshelves overflowing with every kind of title to suit any of your moods and a big overstuffed chair where you could sit and read by the window. There was a soft wine colored throw draped over that chair that you could wrap around you when you felt the need to be held. The kitchen was stocked with every flavor of coffee and tea you liked best. In the cupboard, there was a supply of your favorite shortbread cookies to have with your warm beverage of choice.

Today, you decided some peppermint mocha coffee was what you needed. You poured some water into the coffee maker and put a filter in the chamber. You opened the bag of coffee and inhaled the rich scent, one of your favorite smells in the world. You emptied some out of the bag onto the filter without measuring. You never measured. The sound of the coffee brewing filled the tiny cabin. 

Steaming mug of coffee in hand, you positioned the pillows on the sofa just the way you wanted them and snuggled in with your throw over your lap. The first taste of chocolatey richness was warm and comforting. You picked up a favorite book from the end table with the hope of losing yourself in another world for awhile to take the edge off the pain you were feeling in your own. It wasn’t long before your eyes began to droop, and you lay your head down allowing memories of a better time to invade your dreams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeing Sam smile gave you the same feeling you had on the night before Christmas when you were a little girl. It felt like being on the verge of something wonderful and not knowing exactly what it was, but having him here in the cabin, in this place that was so special to you gave you a very good idea of what that something wonderful was for you. It was Sam, being with him, having him as a part of your life. 

More and more, you were certain that you wanted him in your life forever. That’s why you’d brought him here. You wanted to let him into your past by opening up this part of you. You’d never brought anyone here. It was your refuge, and you were letting Sam in hoping he would want it to be his too. It was a new feeling for you, wanting to share yourself like this. 

You handed Sam a mug of the hot chocolate you’d made and sat down next to him on the sofa tucking your leg beneath you. Sam took a sip then gave a little shake of his head and almost smiled. “I don’t remember the last time I had hot chocolate.” 

“If you don’t like it, I can make coffee.” You pulled your leg from beneath you and started to sit up.

Sam reached out and put his hand on your thigh stopping you. “No, I do. It’s perfect.” 

He took another sip as if to prove his point. When he finished, this time his smile was big. For right now at least, Sam didn’t look like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. His dimples softened his face taking away the hard edge that was there too often from carrying the burden of knowing too much.

Sam took your cup from you and put both mugs down then cupped your cheek in his hand. He brushed his lips softly over yours, barely touching them before he kissed you with such an intense and tender passion you saw your life flash before your eyes, not as it was but as it could be. You saw the way it could be with Sam in it and how you could show him a little of the normal he had never known. You could feel Sam’s hand resting just below your waist on your hip. It was warm, solid, and strong. 

He stopped kissing you to look in your eyes slipping his fingers up into your hair. When he kissed you again, it was even slower and more deliberate. Sam’s tongue pushed against your lips seeking entrance, and you let him in. He held you and kissed away every doubt you’d ever had that you could be happy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of your cell phone ringing pulled you from your dream. You rubbed a finger over your lower lip, the feel of Sam’s mouth on yours still so real. The phone kept ringing pulling you back to now. You pulled it from your pocket. It was Dean. You dragged your finger across the screen to answer it. 

Dean got right to the point. “I think I know how to get Sam’s soul back.” 

“Sam’s soul is in hell, Dean. In...Lucifer’s cage.” Your voice broke on the words. “It’s not like we can just walk in there and get it.”

“We can’t, but Death can.” Dean outlined his plan. He was going to have someone stop his heart so he could see Death and make a deal. It was a long shot, but it was the only one you had. “I want you to meet me at Bobby’s, Y/N.”

When you ended the call, you sat staring at the phone for several seconds before you moved. Hope stirred in your heart, fueled by the vision of Sam sitting next to you on that sofa with that same hope lighting his eyes. You could hear him saying, “Thank you for bringing me here.” It has eased his pain if only for a little while, helping him forget the apocalypse loomed. 

Your hand reached out to the empty place next to you remembering how he’d looked with the firelight reflected in his golden hazel eyes. You whispered the words you wished you’d said to him. “I love you, Sam.” You could feel the prickling of determined tears behind your eyes, and you spoke again to the emptiness. “I’m going to tell you. You’re going to know.” 

You walked back to the bed and picked up your sketchbook. You picked it up and looked at the likeness of Sam you had drawn. “You are going to know. This is going to be okay somehow, and I’m going to bring you back here. You will know something besides struggle and pain. I swear it.” 

You tore the picture from the pad, folded it, and put it in your pocket. Your rain jacket was hanging on a hook by the door. You put it on and pulled the hood over your head. Then you walked out into the storm. You were going to bring Sam back, bring him home to you.

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[ot5ismyhome]

8. It’s okay to reach out

To read from beginning click here.

*****

After dinner, Steve and Wanda hired a cab to Huangpu river. Steve booked them a private boat tour for the two. They sailed the extravagant boat enjoying the scenery. Steve told Wanda about his childhood. To Wanda’s surprise there was barely a story without Bucky in it. She knew about their past but she didn’t think they were childhood friends. By the way Steve talked about Bucky, Wanda knew a part of him still like the ex-rebel. As she teased Steve about Bucky, he got flustered and started stammering.

“Awww, you turn into a 16-year-old kid at the mention of his name” she laughed. “Tell me more.” A smile was playing on her lips as she was curious to learn about Steve’s past.

“Well, there was one time when we were thrown off the theatres ‘cause I picked up a fight with a guy. He was catcalling a lady and I tried to punch him. I wasn't much of a fighter back then. I ended up getting beaten before Bucky saved me” he smiled fondly looking back at the memory. “The manager threw us out and made sure we would never come inside. We went back to my place where-”

“You guys kissed?” Wanda prompted. Heat spread across Steve’s face and blush crept across his cheeks.

Steve cleared his throat trying to regain his composure. “Well, he patched me up and yeah we kissed.” His face reddened more recalling the incident.

“You’re blushing” she laughed.

“Shut up” he shouted, pushing her away playfully.

…..

After a good night’s rest in the luxury aircraft, the duo arrived at Townville, Australia. By dawn, they set out to the Great Barrier Reef. They got into their scuba gear and delved into the sea. The night sea was completely different from what one sees in the day. Wanda had always wanted to scuba dive but had never got a chance before. They looked as the reef bore countless eyes; gleaming in the darkness. The crustaceans crawled around as the night intensified. The Giant Trevally and the Moray eels swum around them unbothered. The reef sharks who try to avoid encounters with the land beings at any cost, scurried away. Everything around them posed a soothing scenery.

Steve gently nudged Wanda as he pointed a bit further. At first Wanda wasn’t able to recognise the unmoving creature on the seafloor, near the corals. Then she realised it was a turtle taking its nap. They swam slowly near it but stopped at a distance. After clicking a few shots, they were about to swim away but Wanda felt a small nudge from behind. She turned around to see a reef shark of about five feet bumping against her. She let out a small scream and the mouthpiece slipped away. She replaced it as she approached the new companion gingerly. It was curious as it was circling and bumping gently against them but soon lost interest and swam away. But they managed to take a few clicks with the curious creature.

The duo got in the boat after enjoying the beauty of the nocturnal creatures. Wanda got out of the scuba gear and sat in the bow overlooking the vast sea in front of her. Steve threw her a towel as he settled down next to her. They sat together admiring the dark sky littered with stars being reflected in the serene water below. As the yacht anchored in the pier, Steve and Wanda walked to the nearby beach.

They spread a picnic blanket and settled down facing the sea. The cool breeze had dried off their hair and clothes. Wanda laid down on the blanket.

“I wish I could take a sunbath here.”

Steve laughed, “I will pass.”

“Do you miss your human life?” Wanda asked, turning to face him.

“Who wouldn’t? Immortality has its perks but it comes with a price.”

“Don’t give me the ancient vampire shit.”

“What can I say? When you’re wise and old you gotta share it.”

Wanda laughed at his response. He laid on her back staring at the stars. The cool breeze cradled her tired and aching body and she slowly felt herself drifting into sleep. Later at night she was woken up by Steve. Sleepily they made their way to the airport where Steve’s personal pilot was waiting with the private jet.

When Wanda woke up next, they were flying 40,000 feet above land. She groggily rubbed her eyes and stretched in her seat. She noticed that Steve was sleeping in the seat opposite to her. She slowly got up and went to the kitchen cabinet. She snatched a couple of chips packets and returned to her seat. As she settled down, Steve woke up hearing the rustling.

“Hey sleepyhead.”

“Hey” he smiled.

“Where to next?”

“I had another place in mind but we can’t right now. We will go some other time” he offered.

“Sure. What was the place?”

“Antarctica”

“You gotta be fucking kidding me” she exclaimed.

“Am not” he replied leaning forward as he snatched a chips packet and settled back in his chair.

“I have never seen you this laid back and” she paused. “Spontaneous” she added after a moment. “The Steve Rogers I know is insanely calculated and prudent.”

“I am taking that as a compliment” he said, smirking. “Anyway, what do you say about the trip?”

“You are fun but you chose to be boring.”

“What?” he whined. “That’s your take away? I’m never taking you anywhere after this!” he declared dramatically. Wanda laughed, shaking her head. She stared out of the window at the night sky. Comfortable silence settled between them as they admired the stars trailing the dark canvas.

“Steve” Wanda called looking at the man in front of her. “I will go to therapy.”

Steve didn’t reply anything as he smiled warmly. He crossed over to her side and pulled her into a sideways hug resting his chin on her head. Wanda smiled as she held him back.

…..

New York

“We need to bring in The Council of Five. They are out of control. They killed our man and appointed another one in his place” said Giyera.

“We can’t go butting heads with them. We need to make ATCU semi-public. And we need a diplomatic public face” replied the old man sitting in the chair behind the desk, his lit cigarette lying forgotten in the ashtray. Gideon Malick was a well-known name among the business community and politicians. He had influence over almost every act of the government and he liked the power. His father had left the business to him and his brother. After eliminating his brother, Gideon became the sole heir of the empire. And his daughter will take over one day.

The events of the past few months had completely hindered Malick’s weapon deal with the Legion. He didn’t just lose two of his best men, four months back. He lost an eye inside The Council and The Stark Industries. Trying to infiltrate their units is a tedious task which will take time he doesn’t have. So, he came up with another plan. If everything goes as planned, he can open the weapon smuggling in no time.

“Sir, do you have someone in mind?” asked Giyera, breaking Malick out of his thoughts.

“Her” he replied, tossing a file across the table to the man. Giyera opened it to reveal the file of a woman.

“Rosalind Pierce is right for the job” Malick said more to himself than to Giyera.

*****

Chapter 9