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[foreverdolly]

ೃ࿔ SAVAGE BONDS part I 『 feyd rautha x atreides!reader 』

summary: destined to one another since conception, your very life belongs to feyd rautha. as a token of good will you are sent to the strange planet of giedi prime a week before your wedding ceremony, only to learn that it is far more hostile than you imagined it would be. a failed assassination attempt has tempers flaring and sparks flying when it is decided to be safer to sleep alongside feyd. you hate to admit it, but he has played the part of a "protector" better than the guards who were tasked to watch over you. whilst you have been dreading this union all of your life, feyd has been anticipating it. meeting you as children had left him awe-struck. . . and a bit obsessed.

warnings: !SMUT HEAVY IN FUTURE PARTS!, feyd is super overprotective in this fic and kills multiple people in your honor, blood and gore, it's a dark romance folks, political marriage, forced proximity, temporary unrequited love, a lil dubious consent in some scenes, there's a lot of talk about breeding, enemies to lovers (in your mind, not his), there's a "who did this to you" scene, knife play, blood kink, breeding kink heavy, lots of scent marking/marking. (needs to be edited, so please excuse any temporary errors!)

word count: 5.3k

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The ancient walls of Castle Caladan were a fortress, the long winding halls a labyrinth to those unfamiliar with its layout. You had tried feigning sleep when you had been made aware of the surprise guest’s arrival, a one “reverend mother”- as your mother referred to her. The cool air from the hallway nipped at your exposed arm, which currently hung limply over the side of the bed. 

“She’s even smaller than your son, Jessica.” The voice sounded more like a wheeze- and it certainly didn’t belong to anyone you had ever met before. 

“As I’ve already said, the Atreides are slow to grow.” Your mother’s tone didn’t hold even a semblance of a bite to it, not like you expected. She was usually fiercely protective of you and your brother. 

Your finger twitched, causing the woman to stifle whatever disapproving comment she was about to make. Being caught eavesdropping like this certainly wasn’t ideal, but you found it impossible not to be curious. 

“She really is just like her brother,” More like he was more like you. You’d always been the rowdy one of the two. Paul must have been listening in as well, and you imagined that he was more insulted at the comments of his lack of height and muscle than you were. “The little rascals.” 

There was a beat of silence before the woman began to crone again. This time you opened your eyes just a sliver, staring into the dark abyss of your room so that you could make out the shapes of your mother and the stranger. 

“Rest now. Both you and your brother need to be prepared to meet my Gom Jabbar.” The reason couldn’t be pinpointed, but there was something about her tone that filled you with dread.

Your mother woke you up the next morning, bright and early. 

Not even the breathing exercises that your mother had taught you had been able to calm you down last night. The darkness had swallowed you whole, which resulted in a dreamless sleep that left you feeling just as unrested as you had felt the night before. Your mother noticed your hesitations, the skirts of her dress dragging against the stone floor as she moved in the direction of your closet. The dress that she picked out for you was one of your more official garments, the red hawk of the Atreides crest proudly sewn onto the right breast. 

“Did you sleep well?” She questioned as she laid the dress neatly onto the edge of the bed, urging you to stand once her hands were free. 

You blinked at her, nervously brushing your hands along the soft cotton of your nightdress. Your voice felt stuck in your throat, but you still managed to lie. 

“Yes, of course.” Your tone was flat, and for once she didn’t question you on the reasoning. She knew exactly what had you feeling so uncomfortable in your own home. 

Gom Jabbar. Gom Jabbar. Gom Jabbar. 

What exactly did the old woman want from your family? Lady Jessica was a Bene Gesserit, which could only mean that this woman was a higher up, sent to pay you and your brother a visit. You knew nothing about any “coming of age” rituals. 

Paul barged into the room, dressed in his finer clothes as well. He leaned against the wall of your room, lips pursed as if he was deep in thought. You tilted your head to the side, leveling him a worried glance. He simply shook his head, and you knew at once that he wasn’t trying to dismiss your worries. 

‘Not here. Later.’ His expression told you, and for once you obeyed. 

“The reverend mother is waiting on the both of you. Paul, get out of your sister’s room so she can get ready.” She commanded, her tone leaving no room for whining or disobedience. 

He groaned, pushing himself off of the wall so that he could head back out and into the hall. You shrugged out of your dress quickly at the hurried insistence of your mother, allowing her to do up the clasps of the dress for you. 

“Who is she?” You asked simply, brushing your hair to the side so that she could get a better grasp of the dress. 

“She was my teacher at the Bene Gesserit school and now she is the Emperor’s Truthsayer.” Your mother sighed out your name, turning you quickly so that you were facing her. “You need to do exactly as she says. There is no room to be prideful today, do you understand?” Her eyes were pleading, and you knew that she had your best interests in mind. 

You and your mother walked wordlessly out into the hall, catching up with your brother who was busy running his fingers along the uneven stone walls. You flashed a quick look at your mother before jogging to catch up with Paul, taking the hem of his sleeve into your hand. 

“What do you know?” You whispered, turning your head so that you could look at your mother. Much to your surprise she seemed to be in no hurry to separate the two of you. 

“I’ve had dreams about her before,” He whispered, and you had to pick up your pace to keep up with his strides. “And mother told me this morning that I have to tell her about my visions.” 

Your mouth went a bit dry at the realization that this woman truly was here just for you and your brother. What is the Gom Jabbar and what did it entail? There was no telling. 

“She’s in my morning room, you two.” She called out after you. 

Jessica caught up, leveling the both of you a disapproving motherly look that had the two of you slowing your strides to match hers. She seemed a bit hesitant, eyes flickering between you and your brother and the closed door. 

The “reverend mother” sat in one of the tapestried chairs, her arms perched on either side of the armrests as she watched the three of you come in. The view behind her was beautiful, the sprawling, green farmlands of the Atreides family holding on full display through the large windows behind her. You glanced at your brother, eyes widening when you realized that he was already looking at you. He bowed in her direction and you followed his lead. 

“They are a cautious bundle, aren’t they?” The witch-like woman croaked, looking between the two of you. 

“As they have been taught, your reverence.” 

In this room, here in front of this woman, Jessica was no longer the Duke’s concubine nor your mother. She was reduced to that of a pupil in the face of her teacher. You kept yourself from fidgeting, clasping your hands in front of you. You fought the urge to reach out and grab your brother’s hand, as the two of you so often did when faced with anxiety as children. Fear hadn’t regressed you to that of a blubbering child in years. 

Your mother also seemed to fear the woman before her. There was something in her tone that led you to believe that whatever she was here for, it surely wasn’t a pleasantry. Your brother was tense at your mother’s other side, jaw tense as he stared the reverend mother down. 

“Teaching is one thing, but there are some things that cannot simply be taught,” Paul’s eyebrows furrowed as she spoke, and as if she was dismissing a servant of the castle, she waved your mother off with a flick of her wrist. “You and your daughter leave us. It will be her turn soon.” 

For the first time that morning your mother hesitated, eyes softened as she looked upon her son.

“Your reverence, I-” She began, but was cut off before she could finish whatever it is she was going to say. Surely it was meant to be an objection. 

“Jessica, you know that this must be done.” Her voice held a tone of finality. There was no room for your mother to try and wiggle the both of you two out of this trap.

“Yes. . . of course.” Your mother straightened, turning towards both of you. 

“This test. . . It’s very important to me, you two.” She spoke in a hushed voice, eyes still fearful. 

“Test?” The two of you questioned at the same time, looking at one another in concern. You were confused, even more so than you were before. 

“Remember that you’re the duke’s son.” And with that your mother was grabbing your arm, pulling you in the direction of the door. 

“I suppose that it is my turn?” Your voice shook with anger as you practically tore the door off of its hinges, anxious to take your brother’s place. His cries and whimpers did not go unheard, even with the thick wood separating the two of you. 

Looking at him now, his right arm still shaking from the pain, was like being slapped across the face. 

“Right you are, girl. Jessica, please escort your son out of the room.” There was a silvery glint in her bright eyes- a challenge. She could sense it in you. 

Your mother didn’t interrupt this time, and without any words exchanged the door closed. Your brother was too shaken up by whatever had taken place in that room to fully comprehend that the same thing was going to happen to you. He tossed a terrified glance over his shoulder at you just before the heavy doors closed. The sound of it echoed around the room, pulsing in your chest as you tried to steady the adrenaline pumping through your veins. 

“Your future. . . do you know what is expected of you?” 

You eyed the black box that sat next to her as you began closing the distance between the two of you. The question she had asked. . . it was a touchy subject with you. Of course you knew. A day didn’t go by that you weren’t mortified by the prospect of your future. You only had three short years to live and enjoy before you would be forced to abandon your family to join hands with another one. 

“Of course I do. It is my duty to marry.” Your voice had a bite to it, your eyes unwavering as you stared her veiled face down. 

“It is your duty to marry a Harkonnen. It is an honor to be the only reason that these two great Houses are allies. Your heirs will be powerful beyond comprehension.” The way she spoke. . . she truly believed the shit she was spouting. 

It was impossible to consider marrying Feyd an honor. It was an ever-present looming threat. 

“Put your right hand in the box.” She commanded, nodding her head in it’s direction. 

It seemed harmless enough, nothing more than a metal box. You bent your head ever-so-slightly, trying to have a look inside. It appeared to be a pitch black, endless void. No beginning or end in sight. 

You did as you were told, biting the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from muttering anything too disrespectful under your breath. If Paul’s screams were anything to go off of then this was going to be painful. Still, you were shocked by how cold the box was. You wiggled your fingers a few times, feeling the metal encasing them. Slowly a tingling sensation began, almost as if they were falling asleep. 

“You’ve heard of animals chewing off a leg to escape a trap? There’s an animal kind of trick. A human would remain in the trap, endure the pain, feigning death that he might kill the trapper and remove a threat to his kind.” 

The tingling sensation somehow melded into. . . heat. No, not heat. Burning. It felt as though you had your hand held up to a bright flame. You flinched, but froze when you finally noticed that the reverend mother was holding something against your neck. Your eyes flickered the best that they could to her hand, not wanting to turn your head. 

“What I hold at your neck is the Gom Jabbar. The tip of the needle is dipped in poison. Remove your hand from the box and I will plunge it into your neck.” 

The palm of your free hand began to sweat, the gravity of the situation finally landing on your shoulders. You would be forced to endure the pain and there was nothing that anyone outside of the doors could do. No guards had come to protect your brother when it was his turn, and no matter how emotional your mother had gotten whilst hearing his screams she still hadn’t rushed in after him. You could truly die here in this room. 

“Why are you doing this?” You urged, wincing again as the burning continued to worsen. 

Now it felt as though you were almost touching a flame, fingers dancing dangerously close. It wasn’t just uncomfortable now but painful.  “To determine if you’re human. Now be silent.”

Meant for greatness, yet stifled before her prime. 

It was impossible for your clipped wings to take flight. The Bene Gesserit had instilled in you your purpose from a very young age, letting it be known that you were little more than cattle to be sold off to breed. The whole arrangement was dehumanizing, but this was the way of galactic high society. Every House had been developed by the close, watchful eye of the Bene Gesserit. Your mere existence was a result of a centuries long breeding program, so how could you ever expect for your own life to be any different? 

Every child, especially in their naive youth, dreams of greatness. There was a point in time where you had hoped to mean something. There were differences to be made, rules to be broken, wars to be raged- but you would never be at the helm of any of it. But Paul. . . Paul was different. 

“You know something that I don’t.” You weren’t asking Paul, rather telling him what you already knew. 

Where you were used to your brother pulling no punches, he had been overly cautious with his treatment of you during training today. For a second he just stared ahead blankly at the wall, and you wondered whether he would try to lie. The older you’ve gotten, the stranger other people’s treatment of you has become. Women were little more than something to be owned. It was a hard lesson to learn and was one you were still grappling with. 

Your femininity were the chains that bound you. And what of your ambition? It was currently acting as the flames licking at your boot heels. Soon you feared that it would fully engulf you; become your undoing. 

“Tell me.” Your lovely features crumpled, and as childish as it was you found yourself giving his arm a slap. 

He jumped at the sudden contact, eyes widening as he turned to face you after what felt like an eternity of prolonged silence between the two of you. The hard flooring felt cool beneath your legs as you stretched them out beneath you, and for a second you found it hard to keep yourself up in a sitting position. The world felt unsteady beneath you, both literally and figuratively. 

Paul didn’t have to say anything at all. You looked, you saw, you felt, you understood. Your shared connection had nothing to do with your genes, rather it had to do with your likeness. Two bodies, two minds, but one soul. Your twin’s features crumpled, mirroring that of your own as he pushed a few strands of dark hair away from his face. 

“So there is nothing I can do? My fate is sealed.” Your lips felt numb as you spoke. 

Your brother’s visions were more frequent than they had ever been before. “Horrors”, he’d described them.

“If there was something I could do. . .” He started, turning quickly to face you, tucking one leg beneath himself. “My hands are tied. Mother and father’s hands are as well.” 

Hiding you away or knowingly allowing you to escape your duties would be seen as an act of treason. You’d be putting your parents and their status in danger, and no matter how desperate you were to get out of any sort of marriage pact, it was far too late. Since the very moment you were conceived, this was what you were meant for. 

“When will the orders come down, you think?” You pulled your legs up to your chest, wrapping your arms around them tightly. 

You wished that you could stay like this forever, protected from the rest of the world. If only you hadn’t been born as twins at all. You wanted so badly to be like Paul. 

But the galaxy didn’t work like that. You were not fortunate enough to get what you wanted. 

“Soon.” 

You felt comforted by the hand that he placed on your shoulder, and even more so when he kept it there until you felt as though you were able to stand up. 

You were to marry into House Harkonnen. That was your purpose; to unite the feuding houses and birth powerful offspring. You had met Feyd once before, but only for a fleeting moment. It hadn’t been awkward- no, back then the two of you hadn’t cared enough to pay any mind to the looming threat that was your betrothal. You’d been too young back then to fully grasp the severity of the situation. 

You remembered being shocked by his size. He towered over Paul, appearing to be years older than he really was. His hair had been dark back then, thick and slightly curly. 

He had only just been taken under his uncle’s wing at the time. The environment of Giedi Prime had yet to fully sink into the young boy. The Harkonnen’s looks had always been startling to you, no matter how many times you’d been exposed to it. They were dark creatures, brooding, hairless with skin as pale as milk- not to mention violent. 

The desperate way that Paul had clung to you was not lost on you. You let him squeeze you as tightly as he needed, your arms locking around his back. This meeting would change everything. In a matter of moments your life as you knew it would be taking a drastic turn, and not for the better. 

You’d made that very same trek to the parlor room a million times. This was your ancestral home- had been in your family longer than you thought was conceivable, and yet this felt new to you. Wrong. The shadows from the windows were casting strange lights on the wall beside you, and your footsteps sounded muffled in your ears as your pounding heart nearly deafened you. Your father’s hand brushed against your palm a few times, his attempt at showing you physical comfort without causing any sort of scene. You knew that this was Feyd-Rautha’s right. 

You were Feyd-Rautha’s right. That simple fact alone was enough to send you reeling, that morning's breakfast churning in your stomach. 

“It will be fine.” Your mother���s fingers shaped the words at her side, a comforting and silent presence. 

Your parents had always protected you. They had taught you well in all aspects of life. She was right. You had to trust yourself just as much as you trusted them. This will be fine. You will survive. 

But god, you wanted to live. 

Your worst fear was being locked up like a caged animal, only taken out to be played with or paraded around. You didn’t want to be somebody's little wife; you were no homemaker or bed warmer. 

‘I am better than this.’ You thought to yourself, your hands balling into fists at your sides. 

As the double doors began creeping open, you felt the sudden urge to run the opposite direction, your parents be damned. The feud between House Atreides and House Harkonnen would surely become deadly if you were to turn your back on the promise now, and that was the only thing that steeled your feet. You stood, back straight and hands clasped tightly at your front. 

You looked to be a pillar of strength, but oh- you were so close to crumbling. Your father took a step past the threshold, eyes hard as he bowed his head respectfully in the Baron’s direction. There was still time to turn around. The door was right there, and you were sure that you could commandeer a ship. You’d piloted a few times before in your life, and while you weren’t the best, you were certain you could get yourself the hell off of Caladan. You shuffled your feet, eyes wide as you looked up and caught your mother’s gaze. Her lips were parted, and you could tell that she was trying to decipher your expression. 

“What are you doing?” Her hand moved quickly at her side, the flowy gauze-like material of her skirts hiding her frantic movements from the visitor’s view. 

Nothing. You were doing nothing. There were no options yet. If you fled then the insubordination would fall back on your parents. If you downright refused then the outcome would be the same. There was nothing you could do but keep your mouth shut and try not to show the Harkonnen even a semblance of vulnerability. 

Disdain rolled off of you in waves as you breezed into the parlor, eyes locked on the side of your father’s face as he conversed with the baron. Tensions were high, even now. No pleasantries were being exchanged, that you were sure of. The Harkonnen’s stark black attire was a startling contrast to their pale skin. There, in the middle of two other men, whom you were sure were present for reasons of protection, was Feyd. 

He looked the same as the rest of them. Hairless, blue eyes dripping with something that could only be described as malice. Gone was the curly haired child that you remembered. In his place stood someone unrecognizable to you. You wanted to question what the Baron had done to Feyd, but you already knew. Perfection was expected on Geidi Prime. 

He had shaped Feyd into the very likeness of perfection. The once dark haired boy was now a walking, talking machine; not even a dead leaf echo of the boy you met all those years ago. 

You tried to map out every single one of his microexpressions, searching desperately for any sign that he might disapprove of the predicament the both of you had found yourselves in. He tilted his head to the side, observing you with a horrifying level of concentration. The Baron began to speak, saying something that you didn’t care enough to listen to. You were too distracted by the terrifying man before you. 

“She will come back home to Geidi Prime with us. No objections, correct?” 

You were marrying him out of an obligation, this he was already privy to. He had seen the reluctance written plain across your face as you’d entered the room. You’d wanted to run. Away from him, away from your responsibilities- and he could not blame you for it. His understanding stopped there though, simply because this proposal wasn’t going against his own wishes. 

“The wedding isn’t taking place for another week.” The Duke didn’t seem to like the idea of his unwed daughter leaving his side. 

Feyd fought back a smile, having known that the Baron’s sudden request would have this effect on the Atreides family. He watched you squirm like a bug under a magnifying glass, your hand moving at your hip. For a second he thought that you might be tugging at the seam of your dress, writing it off as nothing but a nervous tick- but then he saw the way your mother’s eyes followed those movements. 

The two of you were communicating. 

“That may be so, however I think that it is only right that your daughter,” Baron Vladimir motioned in your direction. “Becomes better acquainted with Feyd. You don’t agree?” 

His uncle decided that it was best to test the boundaries of this alliance. He was pushing the Duke, seeing how far he could get. Leto’s lips twitched, his eyes flickering thoughtfully towards you. Feyd was finding it hard to pay attention to anyone else other than you in the room. He’d spent years imagining what you would look like as an adult- dreamt about it. He’d eagerly been awaiting this moment, counting the days that he could finally be reunited with you. 

It wasn’t just because he had been promised powerful heirs. It was the thought that someone was fated to marry him. Since before he was even conceived, you had always been promised to him. That idea had been put into his head since childhood. You were the constant topic in his mind, a person that was unavoidably meant to be in his life for the rest of his days. 

In a strange way he had loved you since he was but a child. 

Seeing you for that first time had been better than he had anticipated. You were a beautiful little girl, but now? The child that he had met all those years ago did not hold a candle to the grace and brilliance of the woman that stood before him. Nobody else could ever compare. You didn’t have to fall for him right now, he was content with that. Hell, you didn’t even have to tolerate him.  He would find pleasure in wearing you down. He was going to make you love him.

I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. 

The adrenaline had run its way out of your system, leaving you cold and alone on a planet that was so incredibly alien to you, you weren’t sure how you’d ever be expected to adjust. Even the oxygen felt different in your lungs- the sweet, acrid smell of chemicals tinging the air around you. It was nothing like your home on Caladan. Your home was a stone castle, but this? This was a cold, black fortress. 

You weren’t sure if it was meant to keep people out. . . or in. 

You thought back to that fateful day with the reverend mother. 

“You’ve heard of animals chewing off a leg to escape a trap? There’s an animal kind of trick. A human would remain in the trap, endure the pain, feigning death that he might kill the trapper and remove a threat to his kind.” 

You couldn’t chew your leg off to be free of this. No, you had to lay in wait. Only then could you strike if the situation called for it. 

“Striking” could wait until tomorrow though. For now you wanted to rid yourself of the anxiety. Sleep was the only cure you could think of. 

“Is the room to your liking?” That husky voice of his was already grating on your nerves. 

Feyd had only attempted to speak to you a few times and already you were sick and tired of his presence. He was a constant reminder that you would never know what it was like to be free. Then again, was anybody in the galaxy truly free? Feyd sure seemed to be carefree in his current position. 

His tone felt off, like he was toying with you. 

“I would be far more pleased about my new living quarters if you were to leave.” You said simply, pulling the slate gray blanket up and over your chin. 

You weren’t sure if it was due to his ill-breeding, but he didn’t seem to care that you were in nothing but your night dress. He walked into the room in long-legged strikes, letting the door shut behind him. Never before had the two of you been alone together, not since you were children at least. If you were back in your family home you would feel safer during a moment like this. 

You were in his territory now, meaning he had full reign over everything. Your father and family name couldn’t protect you on Geidi Prime. 

“You’re in quite the rush to be rid of me,” He didn’t falter for even a second as he moved to sit down on the edge of the bed, leaning back against the plush mattress with a small sigh. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think that you didn’t like me.” He didn’t seem upset at the notion of you disliking him. In fact, there was a glint in his eyes. That same sort of silvery glint you’d seen in the reverend mother’s eyes all those years ago: a challenge. 

This was nothing but a challenge to him. You were a conquest, and you detested that. Your stomach soured, your face becoming pinched as you glared at him. This was all too much too fast. You were in the comfort of your own home not even four hours ago, and now you were expected to make small talk with the source of your life-long discontent.  

“And what of your concubines? Could you not pester them tonight and give me a moment's peace?” 

“I dismissed them from their duties, permanently, weeks ago.” He said simply, his fingers running along the cotton of the comforter. 

“What?” You’d never heard of such a thing. 

“Spending time with them would be a waste.” His blue eyes flickered up to meet your eyes. “Acquiring concubines had just been a show of status.” 

It took you a few moments to process what he was saying, the burning hatred you had felt just moments ago flickering out into a dull flame. 

“Why would spending time with them be a waste? Am I expected to spend that much time with you?” A horror, truly. You had hoped that you’d be able to get away with spending a night or two a week with him, if only to achieve the Bene Gesserit’s goal of siring an heir. 

“A waste of time. A waste of seed,” He looked at you pointedly, his lip pulling up into a smile that revealed more of his black teeth. “And both of those things are important to me.” 

Your stomach hollowed out as you were once again reminded of what was expected of you. You had a week to prepare mentally for your wedding night, which you weren’t sure was enough. 

“And what happened to the concubines? Are they still being housed here?” 

“Why? Are you jealous?” He was smiling even wider than he was before. 

A shiver ran through you as you noticed how predatory his body language was- you felt like prey under his haughty gaze. It was hard to believe that Feyd had been administered the Gom Jabbar test and passed. 

This man was no human. He was an animal, that you were certain. 

“Wickedly.” Your tone was flat and noncommittal. Even now, you never saw Feyd as a potential lover. 

The man that was your so-called “destiny” was also your jailer. 

“Well then you’ll be happy to know that they no longer live here. . . or anywhere, for that matter.” He sat up, rolling his shoulders back to stretch his broad muscles.

The blood drained from your face as you stared up at him from your spot on the bed. He must have felt the weight of your gaze and turned his head, his eyes alight with. . . pleasure. Violence was as ingrained in him as breathing was. It was his life. Standing before you was the prince of death- pale, striking and terrifying. 

Animal, indeed. 

I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. 

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A/N: this chapter was plot heavy, I know, however it was crucial to give you guys some background information so that I can better build tension. the beautiful dividers were created by @ kitsunecafe!

[lagncx]

Tw: abuse by Cazador, Cazador, sad Astarion, sick Astarion, beatings, graphic detail.

Astarion looked at the cup of blood and then up at you. “Last meal before we get you out.” You frowned “Or we die trying.” Astarion had taken the cup and took a long sniff before finally drinking it.

The taste was thick like it was sitting for a while. You let out a groan “Please take your time.” You said sarcastically. He would’ve gone slowly just to anger you but he needed to get out, it was unbearable to be in here any longer.

Astarion had been through beatings almost every day, you’d come in and feed him and nurse his wounds. You looked at him “finished?” He nodded. You had grabbed him by the arm pulling him up and making him grunt from the force. You pushed against the wall sliding back and letting you both into the hall, you looked both ways before turning to him, giving him a cloak. “Stay close to me.”

Astarion put on the cloak staying as close as he could almost to the point where his nose was always against your back. He knew the layout of the place better than you, so he was ready to rip you to ribbons if you tried to fool him. So far things seemed right. “Just a bit more and we’ll get out-“ Suddenly the creak of a door was heard. “…what are you doing?” You froze immediately, biting your lip and keeping your head high as you turned to look at sweet Victoria. You smiled warmly

She looked at astarion then back at you “Where are you taking him?” She asked you pushed Astarion back “Where is your father Victoria? Where’s Leon?” Astarion looked between you both “Leon? Father? You're his girl?” He asked and Victoria scowled at him “Nobody is allowed to talk to you. So don’t try asking me questions like you belong.”

Astarion shook his head “Wow…Cazador has you all on hold well. He turned me, running away from his abuse against me?!” He let out a laugh “Why is that not surprising.” You sighed “Victoria go back to bed.” She stared at you “No. My father trusts you. I trust you, Cazador has chosen you as our protector, and now you're trying to take away my father's only opportunity for freedom?” She shook her head “No…no, I won’t let you.” She seemed like she was going to scream and in the corner of your eye, you saw Astarion pull a dagger from his waistband.

You blocked his view of her “Astarion, no.” You glared down at him and he glared up at you. “She’s going to cry wolf to an army of spawn! Do you want to risk that? It’ll be your head and not mine!” He was right, Cazador wouldn’t kill him. But he’d kill you. You looked over your shoulder then back at him “We just have to get out.” He shook his head “She’ll alert them and they’ll be on us in no time. Trust me…I don’t want to hurt her.” He looked down at the dagger. You sighed “I’ll do it.”

Victoria wasn’t a spawn she was still just a girl. You turned back to her “sorry” you had rushed up to her charging at her and sending her into the room onto the floor making her gasp trying to regain the air she lost you walked up to her holding her down and placed a hand over her mouth you started to whisper a chant hand giving a soft glow before she stopped struggling and her eyes closed pulling back you checked to see if she was okay, after seeing she was in a deep sleep you went back to the door Astarion standing next to the wall “Made a lot more sound than needed but…better alternative.”

You only grumbled your shoulder pushing him out of the way and walking towards the exit he was right behind you “Once we're out I take the lead we’re gonna find tav and the rest of them.” You stopped and shook your head “I can’t go to them, they'll crucify me in an instant.”

“No they won’t, I won’t let them. We’re together now. A team.” He said turning you around. You cringed at the thought of looking at the same guy that stabbed you in the back as a friend. “This is temporary, when I get my heart back…I don’t want to see you again.” You said turning back around and going to turn a corner before you bumped into Petras. “Shit!” He growled, dropping whatever he was holding. He let out a strangled laugh “You scared me..” Then, You saw the way he…froze his eyes wide and fearful as he looked back up at you shaking his head “no, come on…don’t tell me you're letting him go…” he whispered, pleading.

You gritted your teeth “Keep your mouth closed Petras. If you don’t tell him he won’t take it out on you, but all you do is squeal like a pig.” He shook his head “why are you letting this snake manipulate you??, again!?” You closed your eyes, almost like that same night your back stung the knife Astarion shoved into it, why? Was what you wanted to understand, when you could’ve vaporized Cazador in seconds, why did he stop you? You opened your eyes feeling that cold hand push up against your back. Turning to look at Astarion he seemed dizzy, weak. You fed him but over three days, he was suffering torture.

You’ll need to carry him soon, and there’s a long way ahead but you could make it to his camp by morning, he’ll just need to guide you. “Let’s just leave, forget Petras, he’s a coward.” Petras stayed silent and in the corner of your eye, you saw his lip tremble slightly. You secretly yearned for him to stand up for himself for once, he was such a pushover. You held a stern gaze with Petras before continuing down the hall his feet planted to the ground.

The fresh air outside was like a relief to know you weren't stuck in there with the threat of your heart roasted on a spit. You looked over at Astarion he was hunched against a wall holding his head “The hells is wrong with you?” you said and he only scrunched his eyes “Please, shut up..” he whispered, you scoffed “Excuse me? Shut up?” you said walking up to him and he only scowled “Yes, must I repeat everything are you paladins always so dense!”

you let your nose flair up, paladin…your family were paladins and monks you however…lost in time bloodline forever tainted with the missing daughter of the phoenix family were not a paladin…you wanted to be, you wanted to make your family proud. So, your emotions got the best of you and you snatched Astarion by his collar “Hey, little star you might wanna rethink your fucking attitude, or ill have you back chained up and break your legs myself.” You waited for a snarky remark but he only groaned “The…tadpole its, it feels like its feasting on my damn brain. Hells I need-..i need to get back to Tav” He pushed you away stumbling forward you could've sworn that when he shoved you you got hit with some kind of wave, what tadpole?

You wiped your hands on your clothes and looking up at him he was nearly falling to the floor. You scoffed “Dramatic, are we?” you pulled him back to you, and somehow even dead he was covered in sweat and his head was hot. He held onto you before casting some light that started to glide away, “Follow it. It'll take us to the camp” Then he was out, clear as day something was up, and it wasnt anything you could sense or smell. You sighed seems youll have to carry him there or you could leave him on the doorstep and let him get blamed for escaping, nope, too late to back out now.

You were following the light trail, how was it still going if he was in and out of it? . You huffed arms hooked under Astarions legs as he breathed on your ear, as long as he was alive and breathing, wouldn’t wanna walk to the camp with their dead friend. You looked at the light as it stopped, just around the way from the grove, they were on their way to the shadow cursed lands. “They move quickly.” Your nose twitched and you went to turn your head only to feel something Pierce right through your cheek. You dropped Astarion and you hunched over growling in pain.

“Grab him! I’ll give her what’s coming.” You rolled your eyes, Karlach…of course. You turned and stood up straight “Did you soot fhat?” You asked the feeling of the arrow laying on your tongue. She raised a brow “What?” She stepped forward putting up her arms

You broke the arrow in half with the force of your fangs spitting out the head and pulling out the remaining splint before throwing it to the ground “I said, did you shoot. That.” You repeated she staggered back slightly from your lack of response to being injured “Oh, careful. Don’t want you to fall on that bad leg.” You said raising your arms also “I don’t mind a fist fight.” But suddenly she was back on you.

—

Hits…you remember how it felt. The pain, the way you could feel your muscle being stretched and exposed bit by bit. You remembered how your cries turned to whimpers then groans then silence. But you’ll never forget the moment you broke.

Cazador had dismissed his little servant that had beat you for hours…felt like centuries to you. You had looked up at him, his smirk made your stomach drop. “Little bird…tell me, how are you feeling?” You were so tired your arms felt nonexistent as they were suspended up high you couldn’t move your legs they were like jello. You licked your chapped lips “Please…master. Release me from this, I’ll do whatever you want.” You pleaded you felt guilty about it.

You felt a sharp nail trace your temple then down to your chin “Hush now little bird, you will be released. But not now…I need you to be strong as stone, I need you to be a sword that will Not bend. I do not need you to break. I need you to keep your will, but you must submit to me, I am your master, your heart lies with me.” You let out a defeated sigh but stopped yourself. Crying won’t get you out of this, you bit your tongue. The sound of the beating came back but you couldn’t feel it, the only thing you could feel was anger towards the one who got you here.

Astarion.

—

Karlach was no soft hitter it was hard feeling her elbow land into your cheek but you bounced back, adrenaline pumping through you. You went to bite her, honestly you were blood thirsty. Before your teeth could sink into her the sound of something quick broke through the air and you heard Karlach let out a pained gasp and both of you confused turned to the sudden threat. But it wasn’t a threat when you saw the piercing, focused ruby red eyes “The hells was that Astarion!” Karlach yelled the area around you started to move like heat was radiating off of her, and it was.

You huffed “Looks like someone is back in good health all of a sudden.” You felt yourself being pushed back into the ground “Shut up!” Ah…the githyanki. You went to push yourself up but a foot pushed you back down. Heat had started to burn at your back, you felt yourself panicking the burn…the burn, her foot, the lashings, his red eyes, Cazadors eyes. You shook your head “Get off-..Get off of me!” You started breathing heavily. You saw a pair of feet rush over before pushing Karlach off the faint sound of arguing.

“You shoot at me?! I put my neck out for you Star and you shoot at me?!” Karlachs voice boomed

Astarion groaned trying to help you up “I did not! It grazed you! It was for both of you to stop!”

You stumbled to stand but when you did you felt yourself bound and unable to move “Karlach, maybe we should’ve thought before attacking her.” You looked at the girl with dark black hair, shadowheart

“Oh. Oh! So I’m the one who’s the bad guy?!” Karlach glared at you she was obviously a bit of a bomb

“There is no bad guy!” Astarion said trying to stay calm like he wasn’t just passing out a few minutes ago.

“Uhm yes! Yes there is and she’s right there!” You looked around and saw a man with long brown hair, gale. The wizard man you believed

Tav approached “Enough!” Even you felt compelled to stay quiet. “Stop fighting, Astarion, are you alright?” You looked at how Tav gently grabbed his hands and checked his arms, his face and he nodded “I’m fine Tav, the tadpole though it was acting up, I could barely stay awake it felt like I was going to pop.” Tav raised a brow “well I’m glad you're okay and your back safe. And quick too.” Astarion smiled and everyone asked their questions. Karlach, more calm, had approached “No tentacles?” She asked and he smiled “no tentacles.”

Tav sighed “so how you’d get here so quick?” Astarion turned to you, seeing you tied by magic as you avoided eye contact with him

“She brought me, carried me the whole way.”

Everyone blinked. “Knock her out, then we talk.” Tav said and you looked around “w-Wait a minute!” Suddenly you were out

——-

And just like that you were tied down to a tree. Fuck, again. You felt eyes on you as people passed. You struggled against your binds “Dammit!” You knew that taking sides with Astarion over Cazador would fuck you over. His friends didn’t trust you so now your tied spectacle of the damn camp.

You groaned, your head still ringing from karlachs boot, closing your eyes. You felt something cold press against your head. Cold meat you looked up at the snake tongue himself. Astarion. He looked down at you “Are you alright?” You only pulled away making him scoff “I’m trying to help you, I didn’t order them to attack you. But…this is the best option.” He said “Are you hungry?” He asked turning over to a silver cup filled with blood going to grab it you had kicked it before he could “Fuck You, I don’t want to eat your little catch, I want to lay down!” You felt the ropes burn against your skin

He let out a frustrated sigh laughing “I can’t help you if you keep denying any help!” He yelled before getting up and storming away, hands pushing through his head as he sat on his chair outside his tent, you watched tav walk over to him smiling and obviously talking about you. You put your head up looking at the stars peaking through the tree’s branches. Closing your eyes.

You had always have a heightened sense of awareness so the soft shaking of your binds made your eyes snap, turning your head you saw astarion cutting the ropes. “Whatre you doing?” You hissed “I don’t need your help.” Astarion tired of your shit pushed the dagger to your lip “we should’ve gagged you instead.” Slowly pulling away when you were silent “You’re filthy, so I’m letting you get cleaned.” You stayed quiet suddenly feeling the ropes fall and you sighed in relief. “Come on.” He said pulling you up and walking towards the river but further down from camp.

You could use a wash you started to undress but stopped. “You gonna watch me?” You asked, and he shrugged “I might want to wash up too, I am covered in blood and anguish from those three days.” You weren’t stupid, he was waiting to find something. But you continued, you turned your back towards him taking off your garments and feeling relief when your body was allowed to relax without tight clothing, you scratched your back feeling deep chunks of skin missing from all those lashings ago, and you heard a struggled sound, Astarion must’ve not expected this. You took off your trousers.

“Did he do that?” Astarion whispered he must’ve gotten closer. His whisper was loud. “Not Cazador…Godey though.” You said and he huffed

“So yes Cazador, when godey does it it’s just Cazadors way of keeping his hands clean so you can lean on him and deny that he had any part in it. Trust me I know.”

You sighed and went to step in. “Ah, wait.” You turned to Astarion and he didn’t seem to even care that you were exposed. He grabbed a band out of his pocket and started to tie your hair. “There.” You nodded and went in the water “Thanks.” You shrugged Astarion picked up your clothes “I’ll go wash these.” You nodded before sinking down under the water

Too late to turn back now.

[hand-picked-star]

The 13th Anniversary Arshi Fiesta

Moodboard : Historical AU

Whispers of the Heart | Chapter 10

I am not very good at writing ffs. I even read ffs very selectively. But it was an attempt of me to participate in the 13th-anniversary arshi fiesta.

I might be wrong about certain aspects of that age and era, but it's a fantasy, so why not? I don't own Arnav and Khushi and the story is purely fictional and has no relation to any living or dead. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Chapter 10

Arnav found himself on the floor at the foot of his bed with his back pressed against the bedpost. The room was silent except for the rhythmic thud of the ball hitting the wall and the soft shuffle of it returning to his hand. For hours, he had been doing it. His arm muscles ached with fatigue, but he couldn't stop. The repetitive motion had a strangely intoxicating effect, a temporary escape from the chaos in his mind.

His thoughts were a whirlwind, racing through every possible scenarios of the future. His brain doing continuous permutations and combination and the outcomes swirling in a relentless loop. As a meticulous planner, He had always drawn comfort from the predictability of his well-laid plans. But now, His carefully constructed world had spiralled into a giant mess. He felt like he was drowning. Despite his best efforts, he was adrift in a sea of uncertainty, struggling to find his way back to solid ground.

" Arnav bhaiya, khirkiyan khol du, subha ho chuki hain."

Hariprakash's voice brought him back to reality. Hariprakash had been by his side for the last two years, taking care of him and the bungalow he rented. He glanced at himself and awareness sank in. His body was reeking. He hadn't bathed in what felt like decades. He had been sitting in the dark. Food and sleep had escaped him. The ship had already sailed, without him. That was two days ago. And there was no ship that could carry him hence.

After reading those lines, he had scooped her up in his arms, careful not to wake her. He had laid her down on the bed gently and sat beside her with his right hand on her hair. His thumb had kept tracing gentle circles on the side of her forehead. He couldn't tell how long he had sat there. He just did, watching her without any sense of propriety. When the house had begun to wake up, he couldn't stay there any longer. But he hadn't forgotten to leave his love on her forehead.

Those two lines had halted his departure, turning his legs into lead. He sat on those lines for the past two days, letting them take root within him and anchor him in place. Probably because he always knew but never dared to accept that they were true for him as well.

For so long, the waves of the ocean had been tumultuous, crashing against his shore, relentlessly battering and bruising his delicate shore. Now, the ocean longed for his waves to calm down, to meet his shore with gentle caresses.

She had always been his shore.

He remembered when she was a little girl, her hand clutching his tightly the first time they had taken the walk. He remembered the day she finally, finally accepted that her parents were gone forever, how he had carried her, heaving and sobbing, holding her close against him. He remembered happier days when she had babbled as she had tried to keep up with his pace. All the conversations they had about everything and anything. And how he could talk to her, even when she had been so young, easier than he could talk to anyone else. He had been her friend, protector, and confidant. He had been the most important person in her world. And, then He had let her believe she had lost that relationship, lost him, because he couldn't act on the love he had for her. He had always loved her. The definition might have changed with different stages of their life, but love had always been there, breathing, changing, evolving. And he would always love her the only way he knew how, with his whole heart, with every fibre of his being, with everything inside him.

Yet he had failed to be close to anything he had claimed to be for her—not a friend, not a protector and clearly not a lover. And he would be damned if he wouldn't go to the ends of the world to rectify the situation.

"What day is it, Hariprakash?"

" It's Monday, vaiya"

Monday. That's mean the court would open. He had to go to the court area to assess the situation. He had to get himself accustomed with the environment before he planned anything.

"Prepare breakfast for me."

Throughout the day, he was preoccupied with meetings and discussions with fellow barristers and various law firms, delving into job opportunities, ongoing cases, and important legal matters. As evening approached, the exhaustion from two consecutive sleepless nights caught up with him. He thought he was hallucinating when he saw her. More surprising was that he didn't know how he found himself outside her college. But, she was there, not just a figment of his imagination. She wasn't looking at him though. Her gaze seemed distant, fixed on nothing. There was shadow under her eyes where once star had gleamed. She was there like a whisper of her former self. But what truly terrified him was the absence of the bindi between her eyebrows. It was as if the very essence of her identity had been stripped away, leaving behind an unsettling void. That small dot, once a symbol of her vibrant spirit was now conspicuously missing. It was a haunting reminder, a silent scream of everything that had gone wrong.

And with that realization, another truth hit him. What people said was true; love can reduce anyone to anything. Never in his wildest dreams did Arnav think that a small, round object could bring him to his knees.

As night approached, he was back at the Rajput haveli, sitting on a familiar bench in the garden where the entire story had begun.

The summer when he was 12, he had been fascinated with the game that the Britishers had introduced. Cricket, they called it. He begged his father, before he went abroad, to buy him a cricket bat and ball, and his father complied. That afternoon, he was playing cricket with Aman and Akash bhai. When he came home, hungry, he searched for his mother and found her lifeless hanging in her room. He cursed himself for going out to play that afternoon.

But right after he found her, an intense shiver took over his body. Why? He didn't know. He just vaguely remembered Roma Chachi wrapping him in a blanket and rocking him back and forth. He wished he could shrink himself to that size again so that Roma Chachi could wrap him in a blanket and hold him tighter once again.

"I love her," he whispered, looking straight ahead. "I can't measure it, but I do love her more than I have ever loved anything else in my life. Do you think my love will be enough?"

In the midst of all the chaos in his life, Roma Chachi had always been the one person who understood him without needing a word. She allowed him to be himself. She had been a mother to him without the title since his mother had passed away. So when he opened up to her Monoroma instantly knew who he was talking about and chastised herself for her oversight. They were her children in every way that mattered, even though she hadn't given birth to them. How had she not seen it sooner? She felt like she had failed as their mother.

She caressed the top of his head. "Ghar, paisa, jaydad sab humari khushiyan ke liye hote hain. Hawaali nahi hai toh ban jayegi, khoa hua naam bhi waapas a jayega, lekin khushi chali gayi toh tum use waapas kaise laoge?"

They sat there in the dark for some time, Arnav drawing comfort and strength from her presence. His determination was solidified by her wise words. Eventually, the mother in her became worried. " tumne din bhar kuch khaya?"

Chuckling, Arnav stood up,''You should go inside. it's late. Chachu must be worried,'' he said as he started to leave but then turned suddenly. 'Please, don't tell Chachu anything. I want to talk to him myself."

But three days had passed without any words from Arnav. Monoroma was worried. What was the boy up to? She couldn't get a hold of Arnav, so she focused on Khushi. Her little 'titli' had wilted like a delicate flower deprived of water and sunlight. Sighing heavily, Monoroma approached her. Khushi was sitting at her desk, pretending to read. Without a word, Monoroma gently took Khushi's hand. The unexpected touch broke through Khushi's reverie, and she allowed herself to be led to the bed. Monoroma sat face to face with Khushi. She squeezed Khushi's hand gently, offering silent comfort and support.

"I want to talk to you about something"

Khushi's face was devoid of any emotions. ''Amma, I am ready. I'll marry whoever you ask me to.''

Khushi's expression shattered Monoroma's heart. She gently cupped her daughter's face and coaxed her to meet her gaze. When their eyes locked, Khushi's resolve crumbled. She collapsed into her Amma's lap and started crying silently. Monoroma moved to comfort her when a knock at the door interrupted them. Aman stood hesitantly in the doorway. Khushi quickly composed herself. Sitting up straight she wiped away her tears.

"Someone's here to meet you khushi"

A astonished khushi asked "Who?"

"Tum khud hi dekh lo."

Arnav stood in the garden with his hands casually tucked into his pockets. Khushi noticed with astonishment that he had dressed up. A charcoal grey coat draped over a crisp white shirt complemented by a striking blue tie that made his eyes stand out even more.

"You didn't leave"

Khushi whispered as she moved closer to him. She never thought she would see him again. These past five days, were a literal hell for Khushi. She tried so hard to hate him. But she ended up hating herself for understanding his reasoning. It would be so much easier if she could just outright hate him. Then moving on would be simpler. But against all reasoning, she just wanted him to fight for them. May be it was a little bit naive of her. But the heart wanted what the heart wanted. And her heart wanted him.

Tentative, so cautious, Arnav reached out, hooking one finger around one of hers and tugged her gently.

"I found a house in the city, just a short walk from St. Stephen's College," Arnav started nervously, gazing into her eyes. "Hariprakash,he is my caretaker. He and his wife, Gauri, they will manage the household. "

Arnav swallowed thickly and continued, "Umm..I had applied for jobs at a few law firms here in Delhi, and they have made some offers." His tone grew more confident. "I've also informed my mentor in London that I can no longer continue the apprenticeship." He finished as he gazed at her intensely, taking her hands in his. His thumbs drew circles on the back of her hand while she processed everything he said.

"Marry me, khushi"

Some promises were indeed incredible and dreams did come true, offering beautiful surprises when least expected. Still, Khushi couldn't help but double-check his words.

"What made you change your mind?" she murmured.

Arnav chuckled, looking down at their joined hands," You stopped wearing bindi."

"What?"

Shaking his head, Arnav tried again, "I would rather fight with my conscience than let my decision hurt you anymore." The corners of his eyes crinkled as the spark returned in Khushi's eyes, "And why live in a haveli that others have built when you can design your own?"

Khushi hadn't taken her eyes off him since he started talking. She kept searching, searching, and searching and slowly the corners of her lips lifted up. Without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms, shocking Arnav and also the other seven pairs of eyes that were watching them from different parts of the house. They averted their gaze and retreated inside, leaving Khushi and Arnav alone.

"Is that a 'yes'?" Arnav whispered in her ear as he engulfed her in his arms.

"Do I have to spell it out?" her voice muffled against the curve of his neck, her tears soaking his skin, seeping into his pores.

"No," he murmured, burying his nose in her hair. As her scent enveloped him, he felt the tension of the past few days dissolve from his body, bone by bone.

"Have you talked to Babuji? What did he say?"

"He said it's all up to you," his lips stretched into a grin as she tightened her hold even more. "We are being watched, by the way," he whispered, aware of their audience.

"What? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Untangling herself from his embrace, she straightened up. She could already feel the warmth spreading across her cheeks.

"Would you have done that if I had told you?" He questioned her while cupping her face with both hands, gently wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"No," she was irritated yet a smile ghosted over her face.

"Then I'm glad I didn't tell you," he rumbled softly, words meant for her ears alone.

Khushi's cheeks flushed even more as she perceived the shifting dynamics between her and Arnav. With a happy yet accusing look, she dashed inside the house, leaving Arnav alone. Feeling the weight of someone's stare, Arnav looked up to find Mahindar Chachu watching him keenly. Awkwardness wash over him as he struggled to decide where to look under Chachu's penetrating scrutiny.

Mahindar was taken aback when Arnav asked to speak with him, accompanied by his two sons. Arnav seemed unusually nervous. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, " I want to marry Khushi. " His words hung in the air which left Mahindar speechless.

Arnav kept talking, "I understand that my current status and situation may not be ideal for someone like her. But I am determined to work hard till I make myself worthy."

"You all have always believed in me, and I ask you to do so one last time. Let me have her as my wife. I promise I will do my best to keep her happy." He finished speaking, looking up at Mahindar with eyes that were eerily similar to those of his best friend's.

Mahindar didn't know what to say to him, so he left everything to depend on Khushi. From her reaction, it was clear she wanted it too. This left Mahindar even more baffled than before. It wasn't that he didn't like Arnav. He loved that boy and knew he had great potential. But allowing Arnav and Khushi to marry was a risk. It was a decision he had to make carefully. Otherwise what would he answer to her father in the afterlife?

His Khushi had always been full of life, aptly nicknamed 'Titli' by his wife for how she had brought colours into everyone's life with her presence. She had danced like a sunflower in the spring breeze and had spread joy and happiness wherever she had gone, true to her name. But a few years ago, her light had dimmed a little. His little sunflower had somehow withered. Mahindar suspected the pressures of growing up had taken their toll. Then, a few months ago, he was pleasantly surprised to see a glimmer of her former self return. It was around the time Dhruv entered her life. Mahinda thought it was because of him.

And, then, suddenly, all colours had faded from his little sunflower again a few days ago. He couldn't fathom the reason. But seeing the colours return instantly at Arnav's mere words, had soothed his worries to a great extent. Mahindar knew he had to take this risk for her happiness.

For the next few days, he kept a close eye on them and marvelled at the fact that his Khushi was back. All the colours had returned to her wings. He noticed something intriguing as well. He observed how incredibly attuned to each other they were. Khushi's eyes seemed to trace his every move and in return, his gaze always sought her out. Like a sunflower instinctively turning towards the sun and following it across the sky, her face would seek his presence and instantly light up whenever he was near. Mahindar sighed, he could now put his worries to rest.

His little sunflower had found her sun.

Finally.

<previous> | <next>

@featheredclover @arshifiesta @phuljari @jalebi-weds-bluetooth @chutkiandchotte @msbhagirathi @titaliya @arshiradio

[angelispunk222]

hi this is my first fic like ever! have fun tell me if it sucks!!!!

joel miller/stripper!reader

“Angel lives a life she didn’t choose, She despised it actually. In a gritty world filled with danger and uncertainty, Y/N, a determined young woman working as a stripper to make ends meet, finds an unwavering protector in Joel Miller. Joel, a rugged man with a gentle heart, dedicates himself to ensuring Y/N’s safety, becoming her anchor amidst the chaos of her life.”

warning joel loves his gf!

𐙚 private dancer 𐙚

The dingy back room of the strip club was a stark contrast to the bright, garish lights and loud music that filled the main floor. Y/N sat in front of the small, cracked mirror, carefully wiping away her makeup. Her shift had just ended, and exhaustion weighed heavily on her shoulders.

Working at the “Pink Pony” club as one of the many dancers was something she had loved to do, the makeup, pink lights and the cowgirl persona was everything she thought she needed..until she met Joel.

One night she was dancing on stage, swaying her hips to the melody of “Super freak” maintaining eye contact with the crowd, but only having one interest on a head full of silver hair..



Joel Miller had been waiting outside, his broad frame leaning against the wall as he kept a watchful eye on the entrance. He’d been there every night, ensuring she got to and from work safely. He hated this place, hated seeing her in this environment, but he respected her choice and understood why she did it. She had dreams, aspirations, and this job was a means to an end.

When Y/N finally emerged, Joel straightened up, his gaze softening as it landed on her. “You ready to go, angel?” Stealing a peck on her lips full of love

Pecking back playfully she nodded, a tired smile playing on her lips. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Joel walked beside her, his presence a comforting shield against the dangers of the night. As he wraps his arm around her tightly they made their way to his truck, and he opened the door for her, waiting until she was settled before closing it and climbing into the driver’s seat.

The drive was quiet, the hum of the engine and the occasional street noise the only sounds. Joel glanced over at her, his concern evident. “You alright, darling?” Joel puts his hand on her thigh.

She sighed, leaning her head against the window. “Just tired, Joel. It’s been a long night.”

He nodded, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. “You know you don’t have to do this. I can help you out.”

“I know,” she replied softly, “but I want to do this on my own terms. It’s just… temporary.”

Joel respected her determination, even if it pained him to see her in such a harsh world. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise,” she said, reaching over to squeeze his hand. “Thank you, Joel. For everything.”

He gave her a small smile, his heart aching with the need to protect her. “Always, angel. Always.”

When they arrived at her small apartment, Joel insisted on walking her to her door. He waited as she unlocked it, his eyes scanning the hallway for any signs of trouble. Once inside, she turned to him, her expression grateful yet weary.

“Can you stay for a bit?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

“Of course,” he replied without hesitation, closing the door behind him.

Y/N headed to the bathroom to wash off the remnants of her night. Joel took the opportunity to make a pot of coffee, his mind wandering to all the ways he wished he could shield her from the world. When she returned, she looked more like the Y/N he knew—fresh-faced and vulnerable.

They sat on the worn-out couch, sipping coffee in comfortable silence. Joel’s arm was draped protectively over the back of the couch, his presence a solid, reassuring weight.

“How was your night?” she asked, breaking the silence.

“Same old,” he replied with a shrug. “Had some work to do, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Y/N nodded, her eyes reflecting a mix of admiration and concern. “You always seem to handle everything, Joel.”

He chuckled softly. “Not everything, darling. Just doin’ my best.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder, finding solace in his steadiness. “Your best is more than enough.”

As the night wore on, Joel helped her prepare for bed, ensuring she had everything she needed. He checked the locks on her doors and windows, his protective instincts kicking into high gear. “You need anything else?” he asked, standing in her bedroom doorway.

“No, I’m good,” she said, slipping under the covers. “Just… stay until I fall asleep?”

“Of course,” he said, pulling up a chair beside her bed.

She closed her eyes, the tension of the day melting away in his presence. Joel watched over her, his heart filled with a fierce determination to keep her safe. The world outside was harsh and unforgiving, but he would make sure she had a sanctuary, a place where she could find peace.

As she drifted off to sleep, Joel stayed vigilant, his gaze never leaving her. He knew he couldn’t protect her from everything, but as long as he was around, he would do everything in his power to shield her from harm. She was his light in a dark world, and he would guard that light with everything he had.

Y/N slept peacefully, the worries of her world fading into the background. And Joel, her steadfast guardian, kept watch, ready to face any threat that dared to come her way.

[alien-hybreed]

THE TANGLED WEB

Former Super Villain turned Hero, Sabre Wulf, desires power above all else. So when the rest of the Protectors leave to thwart Disastro's latest evil scheme, why shouldn't she help herself to their stockpile of inventions? The spider hero, The Recluse, has stayed behind to keep an eye on her. And maybe hit on her.

Both get more than they bargained for when Sabre Wulf accidentally releases a mutagens gas that exaggerates their animal DNA.

Cause and effect. Action. Reaction.

Every choice has consequences beyond the foreseeable future, Sabre Wulf and Recluse aren't the only ones whose fate hangs by a thread...

Sabre Wulf strode confidently into the centre of the lab, her trademark cavalry sabre drawn and pointed at the ready. The motors in her power armour quietly thrumming as they idled. Bright chrome shin and leg pads interlocked over her quilted undershot that showed between the armour's gaps and her exposed midriff. Her forearms, chest and shoulders sported similar chrome armour, lined with glowing blue lights that twinkled in the gloom. Both her shoulders and her helmet, were molded in the shape of wolf heads. A deliberate choice in homage to her beloved mythological beast, Cerberus. A long mane of ash-blonde hair jutted from the back of her helmet, swaying gently as she looked around.

Good. Nobody here. No sign of detection.

The one-time villain turned vigilante Anti Hero had only recently joined the ranks of the Heroes Society, but they'd been so quick to accept her as one of them. Fools. If she were a kinder soul, she'd almost feel bad for the betrayal she was committing. Alas, even before she first donned her costume, Samantha Worgren had always been an incredibly clinical, independent woman. Alliances were temporary and if you didn't have an advantage, you seized it or risked being left behind. That's why she was here, to seize an advantage.

Everyone knew it was one of Paladin's secret formulas that had given super powers to at least two members of the Heroes Society. Combining it with her own canine themed powers would surely make Sabre Wulf even faster and stronger. With that kind of power, she'd be a match for some of the team's heavy hitters and maybe then, they'd finally start respecting her. She could be the best of them all.

Taking off her helmet, she shook her head, letting her hair spring out from the helmet's confines. Her amber eyes glowed with an almost primal hunger as she smiled, exposing her exaggerated canines. One of these vials on the table had to be what she was looking for...

"What are we doing in here, Pup?" Came a voice from behind her. The Recluse. Her eyes went wide as she spun on the spot to face the spider themed hero. As she did her sword crashed through the vials on the table, sending the beakers crashing across the polished concrete floor.

"Taking what's mine." She snarled defensively "This power isn't yours to withhold, now stand aside!" Raising her sword to point squarely at him as he dropped from the ceiling, rappelling down on a silky rope like an aerial performer. "Yeah, that's not going to happen, Pup" he replied, matter of factly. His body visibly tensing beneath his black and orange spandex. Sabre Wulf growled as she stepped forward, her sharp teeth bared as a threat. Both of them, completely oblivious to the spilt chemicals amongst the broken glass beginning to sizzle and bubble as they mixed.

"And who are you to deny me?" She growled. Everyone knew Recluse's story. A happy accident gave him his powers and charisma made him an instant success. Sabre Wulf had spent her life resenting people like that - who had only ever been given their rewards, never truly working to earn them like she had. Fighting Recluse would almost be cathartic.

"No, I mean neither of us are leaving. I sealed the doors as I followed you in" retorted the Recluse. Bastard, she could see him smiling beneath his mask. Why? "I was hoping we could have a moment. Alone." He continued. He was being coy. Sabre Wolf was cold but she wasn't oblivious. He'd hoped to make a pass at her. Recluse's promiscuity was well known, especially with the stronger, emotionally distant members of the team... or it was a ruse to lower her defences.

"Well, uh, I-" she went to respond when a loud fizzing interrupted her. Turning to look, she saw one of the cracked tubes on the ground had begun to leak. Thick gouts of bright green gas gushing from the fracture while liquid gas dripped into the mixture on the ground, causing thick purple steam to rise from the chemical cocktail.

"Oh shit. No no no, we can't be in here with that!" Proclaimed Recluse as he moved to cover his mouth. Sabre Wulf's mind raced. As far as she knew, at least one other hero had inhaled gas like this before gaining their powers... further empowering Recluse was unintended, but it could work in her favour. She could use it as leverage, hell she could even indulge his advances and entrap him...

With a wry smile, Sabre Wulf took a backwards step into the gas cloud.

"Well then, Spider. What are you going to do about it?" She said with a chuckle as she took in a deep breath of the cloud. Almost instantly her face began to blush and a thin bead of sweat dripped from her forehead.

"Sabre... Sam... I don't think..." stammered the Recluse between several dry coughs as the cloud began to waft around him.

"That's it. Don't think. Maybe I wanted you here for this..." she purred, her voice dropping to a husky growl as she backed up to the table, sheathing her sword and bracing her gloved hands on the table's edge. Several more deep breaths of the gas and it felt like her lungs were on fire. Yet, she felt WIRED. A surge of adrenaline was coursing through her that almost made her dizzy. It was like being drunk and supercharged all at once.

"Don't... think..." mumbled The Recluse as he staggered forward, dropping to his knees in front of her. He pulled his mask off in one smooth motion. His short black hair messy and unkempt, his cool blue eyes eagerly staring up at her.

"Don't think I can... just wanna..." he moaned pitifully as his hand pawed at his thighs and the rapidly swelling bulge between them. Sabre Wulf blushed as her legs fidgeted. Luring the would-be whistle blower into a honeypot was all business. But seeing the scruffy cuteness the Recluse possessed beneath the mask... this could be more pleasure than business after all. She could already feel her eagerness as her thigh armour began to chafe.

"Oh you can, spider..." she moaned softly, tugging at the straps on her armour. "There's nowhere else to go... nothing else to do... just us..." Pulling seductively at the belt on her left thigh's armour until the plate fell to the ground with a clang. Biting her lip, she ran her forefinger across the zip on the crotch of her undersuit. Recluse stifled a groan as he reached for his bulge.

"Go on, Spider. Show me yours and I'll show you mine"

This is absurd, she thought to herself as she looked down at him. Pathetic. Groaning and panting as he ran a hand through his hair, clawing at his scalp. The other hand fumbling with his hardened cock as it strained against his suit. I'm living a goddam porn parody, yet this gas is making me feel so goddam alive. She mused. I'm going to be so fucking raunchy this man is never going to think of anyone else when he cums. She clutched her forehead and chuckled as the intrusive thoughts swirled in her. It had been too long since she'd enjoyed herself - since she had really, truly been satisfied. And she wanted nothing more right now than to take that from him.

With a loud grunt, Recluse seized her exposed thigh with his free hand as he began jacking at his bulge. Pressing his head against her crotch, he let out a prolonged groan. She could feel his lips grazing her undersuit and it made her shiver. The air around them was thick with purple and green gas that they were both eagerly huffing. Leaning back onto the table, she began unclipping her chest plate. It felt tight and she ached for freedom.

Looking down at her splayed legs, she saw him standing between them, clutching his bulge. His eyes seemed a little darker, lending them a glint that made her insides quiver as his other hand fidgeted with his crotch zipper.

"Don't be shy." She chuckled.

Recluse needed no further encouragement. Scrambling onto the table to straddle her, he unzipped his suit to let every inch of him spring forth. Sabre Wulf giggled and licked her lips as she cast her chest plate aside. Recluse couldn't wait for her. He was already furiously jacking at his engorged cock, throwing his head back and crying out as his hand rapidly slid up and down his shaft. Sabre Wulf began to pant like a dog, her tongue feeling long and heavy as it hung from her mouth.

Recluse looked down and moaned at the sight of her like this. So needy for him, it was driving him completely feral. Scrambling for the zip on the high neck of her under suit, he unzipped her down to just below the navel.

"Oh Spider, you've caught me, whatever will I do?" She pouted playfully, pressing her chest up to tease the swell of her exposed breasts. "You gonna web me up, huh?" She growled.

At that, a thick stream of cum spurted across her tits and collarbone. Recluse grunted and moaned as he stared down at her. She smiled up at him, tongue hanging out as she let out a long, soft mmmm of satisfaction.

"Hrrr... fucking..." he panted, chest rising and falling with each heavy breath, his eyes looking almost black from Sabre Wulf's angle as he seized a fistful of her hair, pulling her head towards his twitching, cum-streaked cock. "Come get it"

Sabre Wulf grinned as she moved her hands to his hips and gave the underside of his shaft a long, affectionate lick. Recluse's loud grunts of satisfaction was all the indication she needed to do it again. Her tongue lashed against the throbbing member again and again, her gloves squeaking as she tightened her grip on his thighs before taking his length into her mouth. She grunted as his hips bounced forwards, her gloves straining as her hands moved to the rump of his ass, squeezing tighter as they seemed to shrink around her hands. For a minute, she hungrily lapped at his cock, her head bobbing back and forth until she felt a cold chill across her nethers as her suit slipped all the way open. Looking down, she could see recluse had undone the final stretch of her undersuit. His gloved hand moving to gently rest over her mons, rubbing slowly as he bit his lip and stared intently at her cunt.

"Can this puppy beg?" He growled, sliding a finger between her folds. "Mmmmph... do it" she gasped between mouthfuls of his cock. "C'mon, spider, please"

Just like that, he was in her. She fought to keep her grip strong and his cock in her mouth but at several points she sputtered and coughed or gagged as his fingers rapidly swirled through her and around her clit. She cried out as she fell back onto the table, thick strands of saliva trailing between the cock and her mouth as her breath came in sharp bursts. Releasing her hold on him, she clawed at her face as the tips of her gloves began bursting open. Her fingernails had become long, black and hard as they clawed at her neck and jaw. She thrashed as the Recluse ruthlessly overstimulated her clit.

"Don't... waste... this time..." her voice trailing off into a canine whine as her ears twitched. So preoccupied were they, neither her or Recluse thought it was weird her ears had moved to the top of her head, becoming fluffy and triangular. Recluse moaned unintelligibly as he laid his cock in her mouth and jerked it until her lips and throat were splattered with his hot, white seed. At that, he collapsed onto his side next to her and rolled onto his back, his hand still firmly clasped around his cock as his erection refused to subside.

Sabre Wulf growled as she rolled to face him. It was no trick of the light. His eyes were pitch black. On top of that, several parts of his suit were tearing open to let clusters of coarse black hairs protrude. And his cock. Her eyes widened at the sight of that magnificent, unrelenting cock... By this point the fumes were so intoxicating that all logic and reason had been abandoned by either of them. Instead, Recluse's changes stirred a primal instinct in the canine sword fighter that need to be sated urgently.

"Stay down" she commanded, rolling onto him. Her lips roaming his neck and jaw with several sloppy kisses as she moved to mount the Recluse. With a toothy grin, she seized his wrists and pinned them behind his head as she straddled him. Her hips were already moving, his cock lightly grazing her slit as she quickly worked her way onto him. With a synchronised moan, she sat on his lap, burying his shaft in her sloppy, wet pussy.

"You wanted my cunt? Take it. Take it all!" She growled as she began pounding her hips to his. Her undersuit felt so tight as her body seemed to swell and strain. Even without discernible irises, she could see the adoration in his eyes as he stared up at her.

"Needed... this..." he moaned as he threw his head back, grunting as he found the strength to begin pushing his hips up against hers.

"Shut up" she barked, leaning down to bite and suck at his neck. As she did, she swiped at what glass canisters remained on the table. The gas made them feel good. Made them want more, she had to have more, drive him wilder, make him cum harder, everything had to be more.

The glass shattered on the floor and thick plumes of pink and blue gas swirled around them, mingling with the heavy green haze filling the lab. Recluse struggled against her grip as she aggressively licked and nipped at his throat. She instinctively needed to establish dominance and he wanted her to have it. For now.

"Good... fucking... pet..." she panted in his ear between licks, occasionally pausing to listen to the wet slapping sound of their hips colliding, his cock firmly wedged in her. With a canine growl she released his hand and began pulling her undersuit wide open. The tight material and the belts on her armour felt like it was digging into her skin. Almost reverently, Recluse laid his hands on her ass and pulled down hard. Sabre wulf yipped and howled as she felt him press deeper into her aching pussy, her undersuit tearing in her grasp. Her armoured boots were beginning to buckle and crack as her toes began to resemble her hands, long, black claws sprouting where her nails should be. She tensed her shoulders as the need to howl long and loud welled in her chest.

She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and rode hard. She could hear fabric ripping, heavy breathing, wet slopping and low growls coming from them both as she wrestled with the urge to surrender what little self control she had left. Then his cock hit her at just the right angle and she was gone. Collapsing onto Recluse with a long low howl, her arms and feet scrambling and scratching at the table as a mind numbing orgasm overcame her senses. She felt his thrusts become frantic, irregular. There was warmth on her, slopping from her. He had cum in her. She never let anyone do that, she couldn't let him do that. Yet instead, as he tried to pull out, she snarled and barked, grabbing his cock and holding it in place as it emptied into her.

"Mine..." she snarled, fangs bared as she looked down at him. Something seemed different, though she couldn't quite pick what. A testament to how heavily influenced by the gas she was, failing to notice that blotches of his skin was turning grey and hard. Or the squirming in the torso of his suit. She just laughed and pressed him in deeper.

Recluse wailed and clutched at his face as his lips and jaw began to bulge. His throat seemed to spasm as several loud cracks signalled the rearrangement of his jawbone. Clutching his face as his skin turned dark grey, his hair standing on end as it became thick bristles like what was sprouting from his suit.

"Mmmmine..." he snarled as he moved his hands to her waist. "Mine!"

Sabre Wulf gasped with excitement as he rolled her onto her back and seized her by the throat. She moaned happily as he loomed over her, his hips slamming into hers as he began thrusting again. She relaxed, stretching out beneath him as he pounded her against the table. Her hands and felt better as her gloves and boots gave way, letting her paws swell to twice their previous size. Had they always been paws? Was the gas doing this? It felt so good, so natural! Breathing in deeply, she welcomed her new form as eagerly as she welcomed her lover.

"Good dog..." growled Recluse as his suit began to stretch and fray. He was so much bigger and stronger than before, no wonder he overpowered her so effortlessly.

"You gonna beg for more? Huh? That good for you, Pup?" Rasped the Recluse as a series of fangs and appendages began sprouting from his mouth. "Tell me it's as fucking good for y-you as it is for m-meeee..." he hissed, fangs wiggling with each syllable.

"Mmm... woof woof" cooed Sabre Wulf as she folded her legs around his waist and squeezed. Recluse let out a bellowing roar as his cock erupted inside her. Sabre Wulf squeezed her legs tightly holding on for dear life. Her whole body shook as he gyrated against her, his suit ripping at the back as a pair of long spider legs began to sprout from it. He gasped as he moved one hand to steady himself, his claws screeching against the table as they dug into its surface. The other hand remained clamped around Sabre Wulf's throat as she huffed and panted her way through her own climax. She barely even noticed as Recluse pulled free of her grip, his cock taking longer to slide free thanks to the three extra inches it had grown while inside her. A thick spray of cum spurted from his cock across her chest and thighs as he did, neither of them second guessing the volume or velocity of it as it dripped from her body. She just smiled, panting as her body urged her to do it again.

Lying on her side, Sabre Wulf huffed and panted. A thin dribble of cum dripped from her slit as her hips trembled. Her nose grew cold and her face felt like it was growing tight as her mouth and nose began jutting forward. She wriggled and moaned as she felt her undersuit itching around her back, arms and legs. Without even asking him, Recluse knew what to do.

Stepping back off the table, he single-handedly grabbed her by the waist and rolled her onto her front, getting her ass to line up with his cock. He'd already begun stroking it again with his free hand, his two new spider limbs rubbing each other's tips out of instinct before raking across her back and legs. Sabre Wulf howled as she felt her undersuit ripping apart as the serrated edges of the spider legs roamed her. Sitting on all fours, she shook her body, shaking free the tattered remains of her suit to reveal the changes her body had undergone.

Thick, ash-blonde fur lined her back, forearms and thighs. Her muscles were growing more prominent, her limbs longer as the gas exaggerated her canine infused DNA into something new. She barked and yelped as Recluse seized her ass, growling softly as she felt his drool pattering across her ass cheeks, thick and gunky like his cum. She looked over her shoulder at him, her face almost completely turned into that of a wolf as she panted, winking encouragingly at the seven foot tall man-spider behind her. Recluse waggled his fangs as he pulled her ass towards him.

"Mmm mmmate" he clicked, squeezing her ass and spreading it to admire her cunt as the tip of his cock hovered close to it.

"Fill... Heat... Fuck." Barked Sabre Wulf, her amber eyes wide open and glazing over. She was going out of her mind and loving every second of it. This new body felt so powerful, her humanity was little more than a painful limitation by comparison. Recluse growled as he thrust into her once again, her body tensing as the large organ pressed deep into her slit. She growled happily as she felt him pulling her up from the table.

It took a moment for her to realise, but something was looping around her wrists and ankles as his spider legs rubbed against her. Webs. He was pulling her up towards the ceiling by binding her limbs in webs he'd begun spinning. She wanted to bite her lip but all she could manage was a low whimper as her snout hung agape, tongue lolling out the side as she drooled heavily. Something had begun swishing to and fro just above her ass, it tickled and seemed to make her lover growl and thrust harder as it moved. Looking over at a nearby window, she could see a tail had unfurled from the base of her spine and was happily wagging back and forth. She huffed with excitement, pressing her hips back up against her mate, squealing as she began to climax again. As she did, another tail unfurled from her backside, all while the surveillance camera adjusted to keep them both in focus.

* * *

Paladin paused mid flight as the red warning light blinked in the corner of his heads up display. The jet thrusters on his silver power armour screaming as he slowed to a hover.

"What in the... hell's teeth!" He exclaimed as he opened the notification, immediately assailing himself with a graphic live feed of what was going on in the secure lab back at HQ. There appeared to be a vaguely man-shaped, hairy spider hanging from the ceiling by a mass of webbing. Beneath him was a woman. Or what might have once been a woman. Her body was sprouting long, thick ash-blonde fur, her limbs elongating and twisting to look more canine like her face. Her legs were spread wide, thick streams of white semen oozing from where the spider's oddly human cock was stuffing her engorged pussy. Paladin felt sick to his stomach.

"Team... we uh. Need to divert, some... thing... is uh, up at HQ" he proclaimed over the comms. Already he good see the red hot trail of Captain Meteor streaking through the air towards him.

"What's the sitch, boss?" Crackled Turbo over the radio. Paladin looked on in horror as the wolf-woman screamed in ecstasy, a thick torrent of cum gushing from her as she sprouted another tail and looked over her shoulder to stare directly into the camera. Her amber eyes seeming to bore into Paladin's with a ferocious stare.

Captain Meteor rapidly closed the distance between herself and Paladin, stopping almost instantly with a sonic boom that rumbled through his armour. The tall, muscular woman flexed, her exposed biceps rippling as bright, orange energy crackled around her shiny black boots, gloves and equally shiny, black leotard. She was primed for a fight, Paladin had been too. His sudden pause clearly troubled her.

"What's up, Robocop?" She called out, her brow creasing beneath her domino mask as she tried to get a read on Paladin's body language.

"Cap... Hayley. Do you know where Sabre Wulf and Recluse were today?" Crackled Paladin's voice from the speakers in his helmet, low and solemn as if he already knew the answer.

"Uhh, HQ. Why? They not there?" Replied Captain Meteor, cocking her head to one side.

"I sure hope not" replied Paladin. On the live feed, the she-wolf was breaking free of her bonds, arching back up to sit in the spider's lap as it begun to reapply webbing to her arms. Already she was rolling her hips back and forth, making its cock grow fat and pulsing as she smiled at the camera.

* * *

"Uh, uh, uh, ah! ARGH! AH! AROOOOO!" howled Sabre Wulf as thick streams of cum rained down from her throbbing cunt, it's puffy lips squeezing the cock as it rocked back and forth. She had already sprouted a seventh tail, happily wiggling her ass in Recluse's lap as she felt him swell again.

"Whaaaat... happennnn... to usssss" he rasped in her ear, his fangs deftly grazing her neck as he nuzzled her gently. She growled softly, tugging at the webs around her arms and legs as she leaned back against his heaving chest.

"Mate... breed..." she huffed, staring down at her engorged vagina and the cock pulsing in it. Down her stomach she could see secondary and tertiary breasts beginning to swell from beneath her fur.

"Have to... breed..." she rasped, her eyes widening and pupils dilating as Recluse immediately began to thrust at the very mention. She barked as his cock lanced deep into her womb, her body shaking as she felt it writhing within her. She had changed so much already, mentally and physically, the idea of children was once unthinkable... but now? Now that she had her mate, she desired family, motherhood, she desired more of everything this was. Recluse's fangs lightly grazed her neck as he struggled to keep himself from biting down.

"Do it" she moaned.

Immediately, his hands gripped her thighs tighter than ever before as his fangs slid into her flesh. Sabre wulf howled as her pupils began to swell. It was like her veins were on fire. She could feel the venom coursing through her, but instead of fear, she felt relief. She felt satisfaction. Like she had satisfied some new instinct or primal urge. But for what?

* * *

"You head back with the rest of the team, I can handle Disastro" Proclaimed Captain Meteor "You know we have to find out what Sabre Wulf has done"

"I know, I know!" Replied Paladin looking over his shoulder before taking off in the direction of Protector HQ "But you keep in contact, got it?"

"Consider it done, Disastro won't know what hit him" chirped Captain Meteor with a smirk as she spun around and rocketed across the sky.

"It's not Disastro I'm worried about" muttered Paladin, recalling all too well the level of collateral damage Captain Meteor had wrought when she last fought The Mammoth in central city. Earth's mightiest protector had the spacial awareness and self-preservation of a wrecking ball.

"Who's on site at HQ, there's a possibility I can walk them through something" snapped Paladin over the radio.

"Uh, that would be me. What's this about freaky wolf spider sex? Isn't that supposed to be next Tuesday?" Replied the sarcastic feminine drawl of the team's archer.

"Settle down, Sureshot. Pay attention, do this right and maybe you can turn this around" replied Paladin matter of factly.

* * *

Recluse moaned as a second cock began sprouting from his swollen ball sack. Though it was more and more like the tail of a giant spider with each moment. Four large appendages sprouted from the base of his shafts and curled around Sabre Wulf's pelvis, dragging her onto the second cock which was every bit as thick, hard and ridged as his original penis. He hissed as he stroked her body, taking turns to knead each of her six breasts as his hands slowly became more like her paws. He felt his fur growing longer, softer and he let out a rapturous howl as he released her neck from his bite.

Sabre Wulf knew she wasn't done changing, but she hadn't anticipated this. She shrieked with glee as her folds began to lift, revealing a set of mandibles that clutched and grasped at Recluse's cock. Inside her vagina, she felt barbs forming that raked up and down her lover's shaft. The change in texture seemed to please him greatly as he thrusted with tremendous force. She huffed and grunted loudly as she heard her bones crunching and felt something long and hard poking from under both her shoulder blades. Flexing it, she saw spider legs waving in her peripherals. Her spider legs.

Yipping and howling happily, she leaned her head back to let Recluse move down and kiss her on the mouth. Sloppy mandible kisses that prised her lips apart and dared her tongue to lap at the moving parts inside of his maw.

Several of the gasses they were swathed in, acted as a sort of 'genetic adapter' that facilitated hybrid DNA. A sort of biological glue that let DNA co-exist and mingle where it otherwise couldn't or shouldn't. If either of them knew this, they may not have exchanged bodily fluids so readily. Or at least tried a little harder to resist the temptation. Either way, what followed was the inevitable result of what Paladin would have called 'Cross Contamination'.

Recluse began to let out a low, rumbling growl as his jaw began to snap apart. His mandibles and eventually his whole face flipping open as an enormous wolf head emerged from inside. It's lower jaw splitting in half to form a new set of mandibles, while his old ones formed a mane of bug like claws and limbs around his head. His thrusts became harder and faster as he began pushing Sabre Wulf up to the ceiling and pounding her against it. Sabre Wulf hissed and shrieked as the sides of her mouth also split open to release mandibles of her own, her tongue splitting into three, thinner tongues that writhed around her teeth and clicking chelicerae. Another pair of spider legs began to sprout from her back as her tails twisted and intertwined with one another.

They both howled as the ceiling began cracking around them, their bodies wildly gyrating as they both began shedding patches of fur to reveal shiny black carapace in its place. Sabre Wulf's tails throbbed and ached as they slowly melted together to form a giant spider abdomen that twitched impatiently as Recluse withdrew his cock.

Wasting no time, he rolled her onto her back as he came, spurting a thick torrent of green cum across her chitinous stomach and legs. Sabre Wulf mewed helplessly as his paws roamed her waist and flanks, rubbing the semen over her as he continued to ejaculate.

"Be...longssss in... youuu" he strained as his long spider legs gripped her ankles and slowly raised them up to her head. She knew the name for this position, she hoped it meant what she needed it to do to her. She tried to find the words to call it by its name.

"Maaaate..." she croaked as he plunged into her, his crotch mandibles interlocking with hers, pulling their hips together as one of his cocks impaled her, the other throbbing ominously as it rested against her stomach. She huffed and panted as he bucked, her forehead throbbing as six new eyes began to open across it. Her body ached as his cock pummelled her insides, it seemed even her newfound stamina was finding its limitations.

As she squirmed and flexed her hips, she could see thick strands of webbing oozing from each of his limbs, not just tightening around her ankles and wrists but weaving around both their bodies too.

"Hrrr, ha, uhhhh, ahhh" she groaned loudly as both his cocks began to cum again. She felt his weight pressing against her as he closed the distance between them. Were her spider legs weaving webs too? As he released his hold on her ankles, she slid out of the mating press to fold her legs around his waist. Thick streams of cum gushed between them as the webs grew tighter, their coverage rapidly increasing. She moaned softly as he huffed and panted, the pressure of the webbing leaving the cum nowhere to go as it filled the cavities and crevices between them.

"Love" they whispered in unison as the lest webs sealed them both in a cum-filled cocoon, their reproductive organs throbbing as Sabre Wulf felt Recluse impregnating her...

* * *

"It's always 'hey Sureshot, you wanna do something crazy stupid brave? You wanna solo a monster Sureshot? Hey idiot, you wanna do science to save the day? No pressure Sureshot, you're every bit as capable as the woman with the power of a sun in her veins!' Never 'wow gee Sureshot, thanks for holding down the fort, take a breather, the people with bullet proof skin have this one'. Yeesh" muttered Sureshot as she wiped a trickle of residue on her yellow motorcycle jacket. Paladin had been very specific about what to use and how to mix it. Too much and the mixture could explosively separate the hybrid and human DNA in Sabre Wulf and Recluse. Too little and it'd barely slow them down in the inevitable fight.

Sureshot may not be superpowered, but she knew her shit. Nobody said it, but she was on this team because archery skills aside, she was the most dependable member of the Protectors. Time was of the essence and she was the boots on the ground, this was where she excelled.

"Ok, now let's get you into something more befitting a party, yeah?" She whispered, admiring her handiwork frothing in its test tube. Laying out a dozen arrows with empty syringe tips, she began carefully pouring the mixture into them. With no-one else on site to prepare the counter-serum, Paladin was relying on her to have these ready in time for the rest of the team to get her in position and undo whatever happened to Sabre Wulf and Recluse.

Looking over at the video screen showing the CCTV feed, Sureshot glared at the giant pulsing web cocoon. They'd been in there for an hour now, nearly two. Changing into who knows what. If anything that was for the best. Paladin and the team were at least an hour away. Sureshot just needed her mutated team mates to stay where they were, just a little longer...

* * *

The webs prised apart with a wet rip. What started as a thin trickle of green slime, blew out into a tremendous gout splashing across the ground as the two figures fell to the floor with a wet smack.

Inside the cocoon, their minds were so lost in the ogasmic haze of breeding, becoming and pleasuring that they hadn't noticed or cared what was happening. Sabre Wulf's womb swelled with cum as thousands of eggs began forming in her. The pod pulsed and throbbed with their synchronised heartbeat. Inside, thei bodies floated in goo, intertwined, still fucking as her impregnation reaches it's inevitable climax. Flitting in and out of consciousness, all that mattered to them is what he had filled her with and that she will begin to lay them soon.

Once the cocoon cracked open, they could see what had become of their physical forms. Slowly pulling themselves to their feet, they admired one another's forms. They almost looked human except for a few massive differences. Both a good foot taller than they were, their bodies superhumanly fit. Their skin a deep, almost black shade of blue. Eight pitch black eyes on their brow and forehead. Huge spider mandibles folded up inside their otherwise human mouths. Their hair is long and platinum white to match the dozen or so, huge fluffy white tails they sport. Four spikes jut from their backs where their spider legs are neatly folded. Reborn as an entirely new breed of superhuman. A perfect incarnation of their mixed DNA.

Instinctively Sabre Wulf dropped to a squat, puffing as her swollen belly began to undulate. Recluse moved to support her, Chittering excitedly as she began laying the first clutch of her eggs.

* * *

"Ah shit, no way my luck is this bad" exclaimed Sureshot as she frantically screwed the cap on the very last counter-serum arrow.

"Paladin! Our guests are checking out early, you maybe wanna pick up the pace?" She shouted into the radio link.

"Oh I'm sorry it's taking a while to turn around and get back from half way across the Atlantic!" Snapped Paladin.

"Yeah well, uh, looks like we're expecting. God that is a whole lot of inspected..." murmured Sureshot as she watched the screen in horrified fascination as a stream of slime coated eggs surged from Sabre Wulf's vagina and across the floor of the laboratory.

"Paladin, I'm going in!" Declared Sureshot before cutting the radio link. While her mutated peers were preoccupied might be the only chance she'd get to put them both down on her own. Seizing the arrows and her compound bow, she sprinted for the lab, unaware that Sabre Wulf had already finished and immediately proceeded to mount Recluse once again. Meanwhile, the eggs rapidly swelled and twitched, as their contents gestated impossibly fast...

* * * "DISASTRO! YOUR ASS IS GRASS!" Shouted Captain Meteor as she smashed through the stained glass windows overlooking the snow covered mountains surrounding the villain's castle.

"Funny. I don't zink I recall hiring und Gardner mein fraulein" tutted the villain as he whirled to face her. His black cape whipping open to expose the red power armour beneath it. Holding up a hand to deftly catch Captain Meteor's fist with a deafening Thunder clap. With almost no delay, her other hand snatched his forearm, spun him into the air and flung him through a pair of ancient stone pillars.

"Gardner? I'm the wildfire baby" scoffed Captain Meteor as her energy flickered around her in a crackling haze of cosmic energy. Raising a hand she began charging an enormous yellow fire ball, ready to launch it at the evil mastermind as soon as he presented himself. Failing that, it couldn't hurt to loose it off at the wall of computers surrounding them in the main hall.

"Zen I am sorry to be dunking the water" chuckled Disastro as he stood up. Captain Meteor aimed and released, the fireball a searing white burst of heat as it launched from her outstretched palm. Her heart sank when it dissipated in a crackling, flashing implosion barely six feet from her.

"Wh-what. What!? Why didn't that work!?" She exclaimed, examining her arm as she tried to charge it again. Instead her energy fizzled out, growing dim before disappearing entirely. Her heels clacked on the cobblestones as she dropped from where she had been levitating.

"Uh. Well um, usually it's someone else saying this but uh, I swear this never happens haha... uh... call it a draw?" She laughed nervously. She felt weak... she felt... normal.

"Vy is it they always send der bluntness tool in shed, hmm?" Continued Disastro as he began to saunter over to her. "You zink you were not expected? You zink Disastro does not take und precaution, mm?"

Looking down at her feet to where Disastro's gaze fell, Captain Meteor could see a ring of symbols glowing red hot on the ground around her. Some sort of magic circle, ritual or... no, he couldn't have placed some sort of magical power drain... could he?

"As far as cheating, this is a new low for you, y'know that?" Captain Meteor feigned an angry pout, trying to mask her fear. She was alone with no back up and no powers against the most evil super genius alive. "So what? You gonna hit a defenceless girl...? Even you wouldn't stoop so low... right?"

Disastro laughed as he pulled up a pair of large polished timber chairs. He placed one opposite the circle and brandished the other one as though he were offering it. "I was hoping vee could have a little chat. About ze future. And vot it holds for us both, ja?" Whispered the evil mastermind, staring intently at the exposed skin of her thighs in a way that made the Captain's skin crawl...

* * *

"Ffffffuuuuuck" Rasped Sabre Wulf as Recluse's knot subsided, letting her pull free from his cock with a wet slurp. She giggled as she collapsed on her back. It was already starting again, the squirming amidst the warmth in her womb. She was pregnant again. She smiled and ran her hands up and down her waist as her belly began to to distend and swell already.

Recluse panted as he pulled himself up to crawl over to her, caressing her cheek as she closed her eyes and nuzzled his hand. This was everything. He was everything. Their brood was everything. Oh God, their brood. The first of her eggs had already begun to hatch, enormous fluffy white spiders with glistening black eyes pulling themselves free amidst sprays of green slime. They were gorgeous, Sabre Wulf had never seen something so beautiful. And she was about to lay more, just like she'd always wanted, she couldn't remember ever wanting or needing anything that wasn't this...

* * *

Sureshot sprinted down the corridor, arrow notched and at the ready. Once that door opened, she'd get one shot to put one down. One more for the other if she was quick enough. Lucky for her, the woman that never misses was more than just a brag or title. If anyone could do this, it was her.

Coming up on the main door to the laboratory, Sureshot took a deep breath and steeled herself for what might be on the other side. She'd clipped Recluse in sparring matches before and she'd bagged Sabre Wulf at least twice back in the old days when they were enemies, she could do this. Deep breaths. Focus. Believe.

She was at the door now, nudging the release for the door with her elbow, she stepped back and drew the arrow back. As the door opened, her heart sank, her stomach churned and Sureshot ran for her life.

* * *

"Wait, so if you have a magic future stone, thingy. And that's a big if. Why let us beat you twenty seven times a year, why not just... not do that?" Captain Meteor chided, her sneer making it perfectly clear she wasn't buying Disastro's story.

"Ugh. Time mein fraulein. It is not so malleable. It is robust, stubborn. Not unlike you und I." Continued Disastro as he brandished a black glass orb "Vot is meant to be, will be. Zis is cause und effect. Action, reaction."

"But if I just didn't come here today? Checkmate Dickwad. Who's got the big brain now?" Scoffed Captain Meteor, folding her arms and smiling broadly.

"Zen that choice creates der parallel. Ze universe where you did someting else. But that is not der universe we find ourselves in, you see?" Disastro explained, more than a little exasperated how much time he was losing to explaining multiverse theory to this gold-haired buffoon. Let alone how much explanation the next part may take.

"Alight, I get it. Everything I do is predetermined because when I was twelve I spilled a raspberry shake instead of waiting to cross the road. So what?" Replied Captain Meteor as she glared back at her captor.

"Mm. I don't zink you do, but close enough" chortled Disastro, idly tossing the glass ball from one hand to the other.

"Whatever. Your doo-hicky told you I'd be coming alone. So you set me up. Fine. You knew how it'd go and now you've got me. What's next? Brainwashing me into being your evil sidekick?" Captain Meteor looked nervous. That was definitely within Disastro's capabilities, it couldn't get any worse than that surely...

"No. At least not in zis life mm? No, my dear Captain we are, how you say... getting the fuck out of ze dodge?" Replied Disastro, completely straight-faced, almost nonchalant.

"What?" Captain Meteor dropped her arms to her sides as she loudly expressed her surprise. Disastro wasn't making sense. All this talk of time, the crushing weight of inevitability, the predetermined outcome of all things and his literal crystal ball. All so that they could 'get out'?

"Leaving. Zis place, zis timeline. You und I. And the sooner the better." Disastro was solemn, deliberate. He believed everything he was saying to Captain Meteor and they were way past her thinking this could be a ruse. Because she could hear Disastro's heart was pounding. He was terrified. More than he'd ever been fighting any or all of the Protectors.

"What, why??? What makes you think I'm going anywhere with you?" She replied cautiously, her arms tensing, fists clenching. More out of habit than the ability to actually do anything.

"Because of vot I have to show you dear. You see, I am trying to save you." Replied Disastro, holding the crystal ball aloft. The ball seemed to flicker with light as shapes began to materialise in the air around it. Captain Meteor's eyes began to widen and her mouth hung agape as Disastro showed her what the future held in store...

* * *

Sureshot gasped for air as her lungs burned. They were too fast, everything she did to try and slow them down did nothing. Six giant spiders with vaguely humanoid faces, canine paws on the tips of their legs and long white fur scuttled after her. Each was nearly the size of a large dog, chittering and keening as they closed in on her.

First she felt the webbing snare her ankles, then the ground came rushing up to meet her. Then pain. Her head spun as she flailed out of reflex. Webbing snapped around her wrists and forearms, pulling taut as something crawled across her chest. As her eyes began to focus, she could make out the spider perched on her, its abdomen bobbing ominously above her head as its fangs scraped at the crotch of her yellow, leather pants.

"Nooo! Ohh God, no no!" She cried as she felt the material give way, its fangs snagging and pulling at her briefs. From the creature's tail, a thick, humanoid cock with a giant knot at the base of its shaft was sliding out.

"Argh! No! Fuck! NOOO!" She cried as the creature turned to face her. It clicked happily, nuzzling at her face as its cock began to push into her, slow yet firm as it pressed past her entrance.

"Rrrrelax" purred Sabre Wulf as she sauntered up the hallway, her belly already distended with what must have been her third or fourth pregnancy going by the various egg clusters and hatchlings Sureshot had seen in the laboratory.

"Rrrrrelax. Is good. Breed with ussss." Purred Sabre Wulf, squatting beside Sureshot as a thick stream of eggs began gushing from her. Throwing her head from side to side, she barked and howled with ecstasy while Sureshot screamed.

* * *

"Well now this is just getting silly. It has to be a trick." Protested Captain Meteor.

"Trick? This is not der future. This is right now in your 'Protector Heaquarters'. This is where it starts, every time I consult the Stone, the vision for zis reality is the same. Now it is not just vision, it is so." Narrated Disastro. The strobing lights from the Crystal Ball projecting an image of two spider people fucking in the hallway outside the lab in Protector HQ. Beside them, Sureshot lay pinned to the ground by clusters of webbing while an enormous spider seemed to be kissing her on the mouth, a great human cock extending from its tail and into Sureshot as it bobbed up and down on the spot. The archer's yellow motorcycle leathers were tearing apart as her body seemed to change, swelling, sprouting clusters of fur the same colour as her bright red hair. Long, thin spider legs sprouting from her back to gently stroke the monster that was having its way with her.

Captain Meteor felt like she was going to be sick.

"Oh... oh God... but Sureshot... the Protectors!?" She cried, falling to her knees, burying her face in her gloved hands so that Disastro couldn't see her tears.

"Gone in ze next hour or so. Ja. Let me show you. See. See how they run? They fight? All for nuzzink." Continued Disastro, the ball flickering through an assortment of moments showing the Protetectors as one by one, they were overwhelmed by the spiders, bitten, fucked and changed. With each new vision, Protector HQ looked more and more like a giant spider nest.

"Zis world is doomed. There is no escape, no resisting, no curing. Within two weeks there is no more humans. No more heroes or villains. Only her brood, till ze end of ze timeline" concluded Disastro as the ball projected images of entire cities swathed in webs, whole populations of spider-people rutting and laying eggs in the streets

"That can't... surely not? We can still stop it, right?" Whimpered Captain Meteor through bloodshot eyes. This was too much to take in, too much to accept. Her mind still frantically grasped for some miraculous solution, even if it meant collaboration with Disastro. In that moment, she couldn't think what she wouldn't do to not become one of those things.

"If you remain here, you will share their fate, becoming just another monster, like you always do." Stated Disastro, dispassionately.

"Wh-what do you mean. Why did you say it like that? Like I always do?" At that subtle change in tone, Captain Meteor looked back to Disastro. He grimaced as the ball's projection changed once again. The room was so quiet, the squeak of Captain Meteor's shiny black gloves felt deafening as she moved to hold her cheeks, gasping in horror at what she saw next...

* * *

"Breeeeeed" moaned Sureshot as she gently bucked her hips up to take her lover's cock deeper. He nuzzled her neck and delicately licked ar her fangs, yet she never took her eyes off Sabre Wulf and Recluse. The two had begun fucking again right next to her. As soon as Sabre Wulf had laid her eggs, she leaned forward on hands and knees to let Recluse grab her ass and plough into her again.

Sureshot drooled at the sight of his cock pounding Sabre Wulf's cunt, thick streams of green cum dripping from it as he did. Sureshot hoped hers looked like that. She hoped her belly would swell and she'd lay eggs too. That was all she wanted. Her lover licked at her drool as it pulled her fangs around its own, its humanoid tongue exploring her mouth as she kissed. Sureshot couldn't remember why she'd been running, this was divine. Watching Sabre Wulf and Recluse, joining them, being impregnated with more of their brood... what had she been before? Did she even care? Of course she didn't. All that mattered was the dizzying orgasm wracking her mutated body as a delightful squirming sensation made her belly begin to squirm. She felt Sabre Wulf reach into the webbing around her hand, gripping it tightly as she smiled down at her.

"Friendsss... always share" she rasped.

"Breed?" Moaned the red spider formerly known as Sureshot.

"Yessss... especially breeding..." purred Sabre Wulf as she began to feel an orgasm of her own washing over her.

* * *

"Ah! Now we get to what we must really be talking about, fraulein!" Clapped Disastro with a manic glint in his eye. The lights projected by the crystal ball began to coalesce into forms once again.

What Captain Meteor saw was nothing short of maddening. She saw herself. Sometimes with short hair. Or red accents on her costume instead of gold. Dozens of slightly different versions of herself. All of them fucking a monster of some shape or form. The most horrifying were the ones that seemed to do so, willingly.

All of them bucking and gyrating. All of them changing. She wailed and cried as she watched herself grow scales, swelling into a giant lizard underneath some sort of dinosaur man. She wept as she watched herself howling under the full moon as a werewolf and wretched when she saw herself sucking off her slime covered nemesis, slowly turning into slime herself.

"Stop. Stop it. I've seen enough." She mumbled, lips quivering as she fought to regain her composure.

"You see, these other versions, other worlds. Very you wear red and not black, vere I have great big beard und eye patch, all this possibilities. Every life we could have lived instead... every one of you. Sooner or later, you become a monster, Captain. Through infection, corruption... seduction. It matters not how. You always get turned into a monster my dear." Disastro almost seemed mournful as he lowered the ball, the images disappearing almost as quickly as they formed.

"No! No! No! I.. I can't! I won't!" Pleaded Captain Meteor "Not here, not me! I'm not going to be like Sureshot or the others!" Despite the way her voice cracked and trembled, there was a fierce determination to it.

"Zen you may want to listen to my offer." Disastro made a wry smile.

"You see. Zis machine of my devising. With enough power, it can briefly pierce the veil between worlds. Zat is how we escape fate, how we escape zis dying world and der threat of becoming spider creatures for the rest of our days. Free of zis, reality... destiny will hold no sway over us. We can go anywhere, be whatever we want. Together. Vot say you, Captain?" Finished Disastro with a dramatic flourish, holding his hand outstretched. Gritting her teeth, Captain Meteor reached up and laid her gloved hand in his. Pulling her up, he kicked a notch in the magic circle, breaking it's barrier. Pulling her close, he gently kissed the nape of her neck.

"Then what do we do, my dear" she whispered softly, angrily glaring at the Machine behind him as Disastro whispered in her ear...

* * *

Roaring, howling, shrieking, bodies convulsing and shuddering. The nest was an erotic cacophony as several heroes and heroines succumbed to their arachnid captors. Their costumes cracking and tearing as thick tufts of fur sprouted from their increasingly inhuman bodies as they writhed and contorted. Puddles of slime and cum glimmering around them as either they began to swell their mates with eggs distend with a rapidly growing clutch of their own.

Recluse made Sabre Wulf scream and drool, her mouth opening to let her mandibles unfurl and scratch at the empty air as she try to pull free of his knot. His huge clawed hands squeezing her waist as he pulld her back onto it, holding her up in his lap so he can loom over her shoulder and watch her stomach bulging and bloating.

Hungrily purring and chittering in her ear, and nuzzling her neck as he pumps more of his cum into her. Letting out a low orgasmic groan as he slowly collapses on his back. His grip softening as his hands run down her sides to rest on her thighs. Slowly she pulls herself free of her barbed knots, her cunt still trying to squeeze and pull them as it drips with cum.

They can hear clanging and scattered bursts of energy discharges as their offspring finally drag Paladin to his knees, cracking his armour open to seize the man wailing inside. Sabre Wulf grinned viciously as she watched the red spider holding him down, her fangs clicking as she rasped "Rrrrrelax. Breeeeeeed." Her belly swaying with her second clutch of eggs as she clawed at Paladin's undersuit. Something in Sabre Wulf's altered brain sparked a faint memory of profoundly disliking that man. Which made watching him become something more pleasing made it all the more arousing for her.

She pulls herself up with her spider legs, they've been growing steadily larger, thicker, longer, allowing her to support herself as each clutch of eggs grows more numerous than the last. Her belly is already heavy as it swells with her newest batch. Climbing up into her webs, she looks down at her kingdom, her brood. She smiles at the thought of them spreading beyond this building, maybe some of them already have...

Her mate chambers up into the webs with her, nuzzling at her neck and chest as he begins stroking his cock. She chitters and clicks, gently pushing him up into the Web while lowering her mouth onto his cock. She may need time before he can impregnate her again, but that doesn't mean his seed could be wasted...

* * *

"So, this machine..." inquired Captain Meteor as she circled the tiered plinth in front of the archway, tracing her gloved fingers across the tubes feeding into it with a suggestive smile.

"Der Reality Gate, yes" replied Disastro, barely suppressing a triumphant grin. He would have made his escape with or without her. But he certainly preferred the opportunities her voluntary assistance could offer them both. She was after all, a truly remarkable specimen that he had desired carnally for some time.

"I'm the only thing that can power it. Like a living battery" she recited slowly, gesturing towards the archway.

"Simply put, yes. With the right focus, which is provided by my device, your energy could cut a whole in der fabric of reality" explained Disastro for the third time, reminding himself that it was while she was an idiot, she was at least a beautiful one. She was earth's mightiest protector, not its smartest. At least he need not fear deception, she had neither the intellect or subtlety.

"So if I'm powering it, how do I get through? Don't think I don't know what ghosting is when I see it, Disastro" she raised an eyebrow quizzically beneath her mask, almost seeming stern. Disastro knew she was fishing for assurance. Truth to salve her guilt, to justify what they were doing. Truth he offered with the utmost sincerity.

"Captain, you wound me! Nothing so crude my dear. Simply put, once charged, the tear will hold for approximately thirty seven seconds. Time enough to make our escape before the tear collapses, leaving it sealed behind us" he proclaimed, clapping his hands. "You see my dear, I've thought of everything."

I'll bet you have, you slimy weasel. Thought Captain Meteor as she mulled over this information. She could do a lot with thirty seven seconds.

* * *

The red spider kneeled on hands and knees at the gigantic foot of her queen, moaning and drooling as she looked up at her. The queen, the brood mother, the progenitor of her species. Sabre Wulf. The name was like a distant echo. She was magnificent, her beauty unrivalled by the red spider or any of her Kin. She just considered herself lucky to be here. Lucky to make her own contributions to the brood as she felt her eggs sliding out from her engorged pussy.

Behind her, her mate chirped, laying its body against her back and nuzzling her neck as she ushered more of its progeny into the world. Yet as always, her attention never diverted from Sabre Wulf.

Sabre Wulf's legs had grown enormous in order to support her weight. Her last several clutches of eggs had swelled her belly to a huge translucent sack that swayed in the air as she hung suspended above the ground by her long legs. There was virtually no pause between impregnation now. For a while, her mate would pull out and masturbate while her eggs gestated. He would screech and cum hard, splattering thick green semen over her body when he did. The red spider considered herself and several others lucky to be close enough that they caught several strands of it in their mouths or on their bodies as it dripped from the queen.

Now he just remained behind her, cock perpetually throbbing in her womb.

"You... belonnnnng" the queen would periodically rasp "All of yooou. Beneath me. To my brood. Our... brood" The red spider would reply with a loud orgasm, as did the others like her. A simple yet clear affirmation of their gratitude and willingness. It seemed there were more and more like them each time the red spider laid her eggs. Some wearing the tattered remains of police uniforms, medical scrubs or just various casual wear. The hive had spread beyond the building, with so many spiders rapidly breeding, it would surprise none to know the city was overrun in minutes...

* * *

"Final checks clear, vee are all systems go!" Shouted Disastro as the machine began to whirr and hum.

"Well that's good, are we expecting company?" Remarked Captain Meteor as she nodded towards one of the computer screens. Disastro followed her gaze as red warning lights began to flash. Incoming craft. Protector transport.

"Just saying Dee, I ain't big on reunions once I'm ready to move on" Sputtered Captain Meteor as she broke into a run to jump and hover to the plinth in front of the Reality Gate. She had a cold sweat as she remembered the horrifying visual of her friends becoming spider monsters. Of the various monstrous versions of herself. She couldn't allow that. Not here. Not to her.

"C'mon Dee. It's rude to keep a girl waiting!" Shouted Captain Meteor. They were only going to get one shot at this.

"My dear, I only have two arms and I'm trying to keep it that way!" Disastro Shouted back, fliipppping switches and adjusting dials. "Zis is most precise. I have found der perfect reality. No superheroes, no super villain's, I vas never born dere. It is a perfect clean slate for us both. The slightest mistake und vee end up in the wrong reality or even worse, nowhere at all."

"Ok. No pressure. Well... what does that world have?" Replied Captain Meteor with a half smile, they were so close. Maybe just this once she could outrun her so-called destiny.

"Bakeries. Vots and vots of bakeries." Stated a bemused Disastro as if he were simultaneously surprised and charmed.

"... huh. Not um. Not sure what I expected if I'm honest. Could be worse?" Offered Captain Meteor. She'd never been any good at baking, she had two left hands or so her mother used to say. She even once set a cake on fire while it was still in the mixing bowl. Maybe she was a rubbish baker because she'd been a superhero since she was a teenager. The idea of a world where that wasn't taking up all her time... maybe it would be nice to make bread and cakes all day...

An explosion rocked the castle as the Protector Transport crashed into it. Warning sirens blared as an automated voice began to chant "Intruder alarm!" in Disastro's native tongue.

"Go go! Achtung! CHARGE ZE GATE AT ONCE! JUST LIKE VEE SAID!" Shouted Disastro as he began fiddling with the controls for the castle's security. From here out, there was no room for error.

Captain Meteor gritted her teeth and dug deep. Just like Disastro had instructed. Give it everything, harder, stronger than ever before. She grunted as she recalled every time she ever felt small. Every time when she was just Hayley and she intervened against bullies in the school yard, every time she fought with her parents over doing the right thing when they told her to instead keep to herself. Yellow bolts of energy crackled in the air around her as the plinth began to glow.

Her voice rose to a growl as she thought of every time she battled Disastro, every time he threatened innocent lives and had to be beaten down. Of Ravage, Mammoth or the time Sabre Wulf had unleashed an ancient monster from it's tomb out of sheer greed. Her eyes began to glow as the bolts began to solidify into streams of energy arcing from her body to the plinth.

Captain Meteor began to hover above the plinth, the energy turning bright orange as her eyes glowed white hot. Her growl grew to continuous scream. She thought of the Protectors. Her friends, reduced to mindless monsters. She thought of her other selves and their terrible fates. Her chest felt like it was exploding as her energy turned bright red and white, crackling around her like the surface of the sun. Hayley, not Captain Meteor, roared her defiance as the door to the hall began to splinter and crack. As it collapsed under the teeming mass of spiders crashing against it, the reality Gate flickered into life. One moment, lighting bolts danced within the arch. The next moment, there was an ideally mountain side village on the other side of it. At the end of the street, there was a well-lit bakery so real that she could already smell the fresh pastry. Thirty six seconds.

Disastro ran for the portal.

"Quickly, Quickly mein Captain! Time to go!" He shouted as he sprinted as fast as he could. Twenty-nine seconds.

CLANG! Went Disastro's power armour as Captain Meteor flew into him, shoulder first, with bone breaking force and sending him skidding across the floor in a crumpled heap. Twenty-three seconds.

"You know the saying, not even if you were the last man on earth." Spat Captain Meteor as she stomped on his knee, shattering it and bending his leg in the opposite direction it was supposed to go. With no delay, she launched forwards, kicking him into the computers and machines beside the Reality Gate. Sparks flew and energy beams crackled sporadically as the image of the mountain village began to flicker like static on an old TV. Nine seconds.

"Captain! MEIN CAPTAIN! DON'T" Shrieked Disastro as the spiders scuttled towards them, crawling on the ground as tears streamed from his eyes. Four seconds. "Later, Nerd." Chirped Captain Meteor with a wink and a smile. Delivering her catchphrase one last time as she zoomed into the flickering portal with one second remaining before it winked out of existence with a low whine.

Disastro screamed as the spiders pinned him in place, howling as they cracked his armour open and stripped him of his clothing and eventually, his humanity.

If Captain Meteor had stayed, she maybe would have heard what Disastro tried to say as she left. She wouldn't have understood it as she only spoke English, but it wouldn't have mattered. If she stayed, Disastro's final warning would have been moot. But roughly translated, it conveyed something along the lines of: "I don't know where it goes anymore, you would have been safer here"

* * *

Hayley felt like her insides were pulled out of her chest. Her skin flayed from her body layer by layer as every fibre of her existence screamed in agony. She was freezing and boiling all at once, emptying out like every fluid poured from her, yet bloated like she had eaten enough to be sick. Her eyes stung and her bones writhed like jelly. Then, like a roller-coaster ride, it all stopped immediately. She was nowhere, could see nothing, could feel nothing. No village, no bakery, no smells of pastry or warm smile. Just profound emptiness. Am I dead? She wondered.

"Hello..?" She shouted, her voice barely a whisper. As she spoke, light seemed to flicker out from her mouth, briefly illuminating her face before dissipating. Where the fuck am I?

As if responding to her, a low, growling chuckle echoed around her. Before she could react, she was falling. Objects seemed to whizz past her, heavy as they whistled through the void. She could see bricks snapping together in mid air, glowing red hot where they joined. First a couple, then dozens, then hundreds. The laughter grew deafening then suddenly, she found herself sprawled on a tiled floor.

Her head pounded like she'd been concussed as her eyes struggled to focus. She could see her costume was completely intact, her bare skin on her biceps and thighs was unblemished. Not even a speck of dust or debris on her. Slowly looking around, she seemed to be in some sort of giant, gothic church.

"Wwwww... which Europe is this?" She slurred as she pulled herself up and staggered forwards. High heeled boots had never felt worse and for whatever reason, she couldn't bring herself to fly or even hover. It was as though she had invisible weights strapped to her feet, every step a struggle as she strained to make the movement necessary. The chuckle rolled through hall, reverberating through her bones.

The room seemed lit by candlelight, though there were no candles in sight. Looking closer at one of the stained glass windows lining the hall, it was impossible to see through. The outside was entirely bricked up. All of them. In this room and the next. And the one after that. She had no idea how long she searched. Was she looping through the same room or were they just all the same?

Defeated, she slumped to the ground crying. Curiously, the tiles weren't cold to the touch where her ass cheeks poked out from her leotard. Not warm either. A complete absence of texture or temperature that further confused her senses. Again came the chuckle, shaking the structure to its foundation. Then, it spoke.

"Survival. Such a pitiful exercise." It was like hearing a Roaring fire and nails on a chalkboard at the same time. As if a thousand horrible screeching, cracking sounds had been arranged into something that resembled words.

"Beats the alternative" murmured Captain Meteor as she looked up in search of the voice's source.

"Are you so sure?" The crackling, snarling voice retorted.

"Look, this place sucks, but at least I didn't become a monster. Not this time. Not me." At Captain Meteor's defiance, the voice scoffed and laughter until she couldn't hear herself anymore.

"Oh child. We all become things we never meant to. That's life." Scolded the voice, it's condescension causing Hayley to stiffen up. There were few things she despised more than being dictated to.

"And this is your idea of living? Huh?" She spat, rising to her feet, fists clenched.

"It's apparently yours" chortled the voice, as though it were amused by provoking her. "You know, you would have been happy among them. A proud mother, knowing only pleasure from one moment to the next. Just like your friends."

"Yet, here I am" she snarled defiantly.

"Yet, here you are" replied the voice with a chuckle. "Neither living any of your lives. Yet you do not die."

At that, Hayley noticed a mirror in the middle of the room barely a few feet from her. Had it always been there? And where were the doorways? Or the windows?

"So what does that make me?" Whispered Captain Meteor as she cautiously stepped towards the mirror. In it, she saw herself. Not as she was right now. She saw Hayley. Mid 20s, shoulder length blonde hair, fake glasses. Her brown aviator jacket over her Antarctic Primates band shirt. Her loose denim jeans and red sneakers.

"Not this anymore." She replied to herself, the mirror version copying her every movement.

"I mean, I haven't really been this for a long time" she continued "Not since the accident" "Not since me" Declared her voice despite her saying nothing herself. The mirror image was now the shiny black vinyl leotard, thigh high boot and glove wearing superhero, Captain Meteor, speaking to her.

Hayley stumbled back, she was in her civilian clothes. The jacket, band shirt, jeans, sneakers. As she stepped back, the Captain Meteor reflection thumped her fists against the surface of the mirror.

"And where did it get us Hayley? An infinite multiverse of monstrosities? No. No the real monster, the worst of us all is prancing around like she's still fucking human!" Shouted the reflection, eyes blazing with a fury Hayley knew all too well.

"I-I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." she stammered, holding a hand over her mouth as she stifled another burst of crying.

"Mean to what? Abandon your friends? Your family? Your whole fucking world? Does that sound human to you, Hayley?" Demanded the reflection. As she choked back her tears, Hayley blinked. She was back in her superhero costume. Just like her reflection. Except something was off about her mirror image. The hue of her lips, the way they twisted into a cruel smile. The piercing stare of her eyes. Her mirror image practically exuded menace.

"I did what I had to." They both stated firmly. "And I'd do it again"

"Hahaha well, no. You won't" chuckled the mirror image. It wasn't the heat haze of her energy discolouring her reflection, the longer Captain Meteor stared at her, it became obvious her skin was tinged with streaks of crimson. Each time she blinked, they seemed more prominent, brighter, spreading across her exposed flesh.

"Didn't you think it strange Disastro couldn't show you a future where you were one of those spider things?" The reflection growled, it's voice sounding more and more like the crackling, roaring pseudo-voice that spoke earlier.

"Did you really think you're the Hayley that gets to run from her destiny?" She shrieked, her voice squealing like a train braking too hard. As she did, her skin turned blood red, her nails elongating into long black claws. Her hair billowed in a non-existent wind before turning into a mane of roaring fire as a massive pair of black horns sprouted from her head. Captain Meteor fell backwards, with a terrified scream. Scrambling back from the mirror on her hands despite the fact she seemed to be moving closer to it. "I'M THE DESTINY YOU RAN TO. I AM THE FIRE BURNING IN THE DARKNESS. I AM YOUR SELFISHNESS HAYLEY. YOUR CRUELTY AND MALICE. YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME HAYLEY, YOU WERE ME THE WHOLE TIME. ALL OF YOU, SO VAIN AND CRUEL, ALWAYS." Bellowed the voice as Hayley clutched her head and screamed.

She tried to refuse. To say no. But it's screams were deafening as enormous bat like wings unfurled from her back. Her pleather uniform burning away to reveal a muscular red body glowing orange from within. The mirror seemed to Warp and bubble, melting as her reflection seemed to push her way out. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the mirror was gone.

"If surviving makes me a monster, then that must make me queen bitch of the multiverse" she rasped, fire flickering from her lips as she spoke. She stood before a gigantic oil painting of Captain Meteor standing proud and tall on the steps of Protector HQ. Her black lips twisting into a wicked smile as she admired how perfectly it captured the likeness of her old self.

"I can live with that" Hayley murmured as she stretched her wings to their fullest, two enormous red and black, leathery pinions with a wingspan of almost sixteen feet.

She laughed, turning to survey the room that would become her impossible gallery of improbable things. The two long walls were lined with smaller portraits of all manner of strange beasts, some bearing more of a resemblance to her than others. Throughout the room, stone pedestals and glass cabinets assembled themselves in readiness for the treasures they might one day hold.

Hayley bared her fangs as she grinned, her tails cracking behind her like a whip, their lengths lined with large spikes as if they were fleshy barbed wire. Stepping away from the portrait of Captain Meteor, her cloven hooves made no sound as they stepped along the tiled floor. With a blink of an eye, she willed a semblance of clothing into existence. A simple set of leather straps and garters around her thighs and a matching harness around her chest. She need not cover her beauty any more than that. She was the only one here in The In-between. Even if she wasn't, shame or embarrassment were beneath her. She was beyond that now. She'd wear and appear however she damn well pleased.

Stairs formed under her feet as she strode onwards. They climbed high into the roof of the gallery and beyond, stretching through the infinite emptiness of the in-between before leading to another room. As she ascended, Hayley mused to herself how peculiar her new reality was.

She had spent an eternity languishing in her guilt, being tortured by it. Feeling her bitterness and outrage fester and grow till it drowned her. Her confidence, her hubris, everything she loved and hated about herself, imploding and twisting her into something else. Yet it had taken mere moments. Physical changes that felt like lifetimes had taken place in seconds. She ripped the goodness from her heart and soul and embraced what she had become, reconciling with her deeds and letting her darkness consume and become her. In an instant, earth's mightiest protector died and was born anew as an immortal demon queen. From that point, she gave little, if any, thought to her former life as a hero beyond wondering why she'd resisted this. Evil suited her, she wore it well. In her new form it all felt terribly gratifying, really.

Reaching the end of the floating stairs after what felt like hours, or perhaps barely a minute, she found her bedroom. A lavish quarters with a roaring fire and enormous bed draped in luxurious silks. Exactly like she had envisioned it. That seemed to be the trick to this place. If she willed it, with clarity and certainty, The In-between provided. She didn't care to understand it any further that. This reality was hers to mold as she saw fit, that was enough for now.

Tomorrow she would craft a bathroom and a garden. Maybe even a banquet hall and throw herself a feast in her honour. But first, she desired rest. Reclining on the bed, she marvelled at its softness. Just the way she liked it. And all it had cost, was the goodness in her soul. She chuckled as she closed her eyes, fantasising about how she might begin testing the confines of The In-between. She had breached the walls between realities once, now she was growing even stronger. No reason she couldn't try again if she desired an adventure...

At that, the Demon Queen Hayley slept and dreamed vividly of the dark pleasures her new body craved. And as she did, for just one night, every Captain Meteor in every reality, every Hayley Drummond who ever existed, all dreamed the same thing. They dreamed of a gorgeous demoness with skin like fresh blood, writhing in purple and silver silks as she slept. Her wings stretching out and trembling as her eyes snapped open in the same instant that every Hayley woke with a start. All of them with no memory of the dream. Only a profoundly strong sense of terror and a pang of jealousy. For some of them, they would never see the demoness again.

Others? Well, those were stories for another time...

[crusty-chronicles]

The Moon and Sun (Big Sib Reader x Gon/Killua)

Ch 14: A Protector's Failure

Synopsis: You recall everything that's led you up to this point. The good and bad, while the boys try their best to cope with your temporary absence.

An: This is a skipable chapter because I know some people can't stand a backstory chapter. But it does give some insight on our insert's actions.

Key: 🌑☀️🌑☀️=pov change from Y/n to the boys. 🌘🌘🌘🌘=Transition between Y/n's memories/present

-----------------

Rushed footsteps could be heard throughout the forest. The little pitter-patter reverberating off the trees. A child no more than five being the source of the sound. Pushing her body the fastest it could go.

Unawares of the unforeseen threat giving chase. Slowly closing in from above. All at once the being descended down on her, tackling the child down to the floor. The both of them tousling on the ground from the force.

"Got you Kari!" The being announced.

Another kid. This one a bit older with a prominent gap between their teeth.

"You're getting better, but still not fast enough," they continued before helping the other one up.

"You were cheating, Y/n! You used your nen!" The younger one whined out.

"Duh. You should've been using your nen too. You would've been able to sense me coming."

The older one playfully bumped the other's shoulder. Giggling at the way she turned her head and huffed.

"C'mon, we've been away long enough. Let's head back to the village before they start to get suspicious." Taking the smaller one's hand and starting to lead her away. But there was a small tug pulling them back.

"Do we have to go back right away? Can't we stay here a little longer?" It sounded hopeful from the small girl.

"You know how Fathe-," the older one shook their head. "You know how Reik gets. We can't keep him waiting."

But a feeling of dread lingered in the air. Something foreboding in it.

Almost like a warning.

🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️

You quickly jolted up. Breathing heavily as you came to. Catching your disheveled reflection in the puddle in front of you. (Having chosen a small cave to fall asleep in last night.)

That dream.

Why that one?

Why now?

You didn't want to see it. You didn't want to see her. You were already pushed past your limit, and now this? It was so frustrating you let out a scream. Your poor vocal cords straining once again, not yet fully healed.

God damnit.

Goddamn everything.

You forced yourself to calm down, remembering where you were. The NGL. You'd been here for about a week now. Only three more to go until you saw your boys again.

You didn't want to leave the boys behind, and part of you still wished you hadn't. That you had just stayed instead. But it really was for their own good.

You were no longer capable of keeping them safe. The altercation with the cat chimera ant had shown you that. You weren't good enough to protect them anymore. So it was decided you needed a safe place to train without distractions.

Without risking either one of them getting hurt.

And while that was your main reason for leaving so abruptly, it wasn't the only one. The blue hat tucked away in your pocket was another.

Kite.

You searched everywhere for him when you first got here. Tracking the faint trail of his aura all the way back to the place where you were attacked. Making sure to lower your heart rate in case that same ant detected you.

But all you found when you got there was blood. Caked and dried in splatters on the dirt. Too much for any living person to lose. You couldn't help but throw up at the sight.

Disgust and grief mixing together as you heaved up everything you had. There was no way he could've survived that. Even if he did manage to defeat that thing, he would've lost too much blood to just walk away.

And judging by the malicious aura barley in reach of your en, it was still out there.

You'd run away like a coward.

Like you always did.

And Kite paid the price for your selfishness.

You clutched his hat tightly as you recalled the sight. The little specs of blood on the brim were yours, but it may as well have been his from the way guilt seemed to consume you the longer you stared at it.

Another person you cared about dead because you wanted to protect your own life.

Maybe that was why you dreamt about her. A reminder that this wasn't the first time you'd run away so callously. Or maybe it was because of that stupid old man. Calling you by a name you'd long discarded, forcing you to remember the atrocities attached to it.

You didn't like remembering, but it was getting harder and harder to avoid doing so. You deserved to suffer, and maybe your mind decided torturing you with the past was the way to do it.

You shook your head to rid the thought. Now wasn't the time to feel sorry for yourself. You still had a long way to go before you were combat ready. Before you could stomach the sight of blood.

Although, you couldn't help but wonder how Gon and Killua were taking it.

You sincerely hoped they were doing fine without you.

🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️

The sound of glass shattering echoed throughout the small home, startling Gon awake. There was a splintering sound of something bigger hitting the floor. Followed by a few curses.

That definitely wasn't right.

He quickly got up and rushed towards the living room. Eyes widening as he identified the cause for all the commotion.

Killua.

And he looked very upset.

Raising up something else to break before Gon stopped him.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

The small assassin didn't answer, fearing that if he did, he would once again break down.

"Where's Y/n?" Gon tried again. Knowing that there was no way you wouldn't have gotten up to comfort Killua.

But despite his good intent, it seemed that wasn't the right thing to ask right now. Killua walked over to the table and sat down with his head in his hands. Letting out a shaky breath as he eyed the crumpled up note he found earlier.

The boy in green following his line of sight and picking up the note to read.

Dear my little moon and sun,

By the time you're reading this I'll have returned to the NGL. I truly am sorry to have left without saying a word, but I have my reasons. I need to work on my own skills and strength so that what happened with the cat chimera ant never happens again. It's something I need to do by myself, no matter how much it pains worries me to leave you two by yourselves. I know you two of you are dead set on proving yourselves through Netero's game, but I could care less for that old geezer's instructions. Nevertheless, I know you'll both succeed in taking those two other game pieces. That you'll both improve your skills drastically. I have complete faith in you, so when the month's over, I better see your faces cross the border! I'll be waiting until then.

Apologies, Y/n.

Oh.

He understood now.

Though he wasn't angry with you like Killua. Just disappointed that you'd once again chosen to do this by yourself. A hunch that you still didn't trust them. Seems his instincts had been right after all. He looked over towards his best friend, frowning at the defeated look he had.

"Why...Are we not enough for them to stay?" Killua's voice was quiet, a drastic change from his previous frustration.

Then his despair returned to anger. Hands clenching and body lightly shaking.

"Do they just hate us!?! Were we really that terrible that they decided to leave again!?! Damnit Y/n, why do you keep doing this!?!? Why do you keep running away!?!?" Frustrated tears now running down his face.

"Was yesterday just a cover up!?! All of it, just pretending like they weren't going to leave us!!!"

Because you'd been smiling so much yesterday.

Joking around, tucking them into bed, giving them a goodnight kiss. Was all of it just so they wouldn't have suspected anything?

'Your friends will leave you.'

No, not you. You were supposed to stay. You were supposed to be here right now. You were supposed to be his big sibling.

A hand on his shoulder stopped his frantic thoughts.

"They weren't faking. They probably didn't know how to tell us." Gon tried to explain. It was what he figured anyways.

Because you didn't have to comfort him last night. You didn't have to put him back to bed. And the way you hesitated when he caught you sneaking out.... Conflicted like you didn't really wanna leave.

How could any of that have been faked?

But Killua wasn't fully convinced yet.

"That's just the thing, they don't trust us enough to tell us anything! How do we know that this time they're telling the truth!?!"

It hurt.

Not being able to trust the one person that was supposed to keep him safe.

Did you really go back there to get stronger, or did you leave to find Kite?

Because clearly you seemed to prefer his company over theirs.

"Think about it," Gon started.

"Y/n said they're going back there to get stronger. Do you know what that means? It means they're gonna fight. And do you what that means?"

If you planned on fighting then...

"They're going to break their promise...to keep us safe." But was that really why?

Killua didn't know anymore.

"If they really did leave for good, then why would they leave a note? Y/n is waiting for us. They're counting on us to get stronger. I understand why you're upset, I wish they would've told us too. But if there's one thing Y/n isn't, it's someone who doesn't honor their word."

And for whatever reason, those words started to ease the doubts eating away at him.

"How are you so sure this time?"

"Killua, they almost died just to make sure we were okay first. How can you not be so sure?" It was stated as a matter of fact.

And now that he said it, Killua felt like an idiot.

Yesterday was just you trying to have one last good day before you left. You probably thought you wouldn't get another chance. That you might die in the NGL by yourself.

It was real.

And so was everything else before that.

"You're right.... But I still haven't forgiven them. They can't just keep leaving like this. It's-"

"Worrying. I know." Gon agreed.

"How do you think they're holding up?"

🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️

It was raining again.

Pouring down in endless buckets. And the first good rain of the year usually meant...

Today was officially your birthday.

You must've been 20 by now. Maybe 21. You don't really remember anymore. Not the official date anyways. But the one thing you did remember was that it always poured heavily, and you hated it.

You hated it for ruining your fun when you were a child, and you hated it now for stalling your training. Once again stuck in some small cave to avoid getting wet. Left with nothing but your thoughts to entertain you. How unfortunate that they kept drifting back to the one thing you didn't want to think about.

The Mizaki Clan.

Your 'family.'

You blamed Netero for bringing them up. You blamed yourself for continuously screwing up. You blamed the clan for putting you in this situation in the first place.

A part of you was grateful for what they gave you, at least during the early years. Another part of you respected them for the opportunities they've given so many. But the biggest part of you hated everything they stood for. The part of you that would never forgive them.

Fuck it.

You were tired of fighting the thoughts away.

Tired of repressing memories that would just come back twice as strong.

It didn't matter anymore. No one was here to see you break anyways. You could be weak if it was with yourself. Relying on your own comfort like you always had.

The Mizaki Clan, a clan of skilled hunters. The duties of each respective member being divided into three categories: Trapper, Tracker, and Trader.

Most were orphans who'd been found and taken in. Few had been outsiders married in. Even fewer were born into the clan. For all the shit they put you through, they were anything but discriminate when it came to accepting new members.

You were an orphan. The story goes, you were found in the backyard of an abandoned residence. The man who found you, Reik, was the current clan head. But at that time he'd barely taken over the reigns.

To you, Reik had been your father. And the truth was the same for others around your age. You'd believed he was a compassionate yet stern leader. Someone to be respected and loved at the same time.

Oh how wrong you were. A naive and foolish child.

Turns out the story of your upbringing had been a lie. You'd found out the truth because you witnessed it happen to someone else firsthand.

It was at the age of seven you found out. The age where everything started falling apart. When the illusion of blind devotion started to fade away.

You'd been assigned a mission with a few others. Reik had been among them. The targets had easily been disposed of. Of course they were, they were ordinary people who happened to cross the wrong person.

When your group went to leave, a wailing sound filled the air. It was only a matter of seconds before the source of the crying was found. Father had discovered a small child hidden away inside a closet.

Who, upon finding the baby, met your eyes and told you, "It's our job to make sure we finish off our targets. No matter what, for the good of the clan. But it's also our responsibility to handle loose ends.

Our client only specified a man and a woman. Therefore this child is our burden. A baby is pure. Born without the sin of their parents. Do you understand, little one? None of this is personal."

The phrase became one you hated. "It's nothing personal." It was very personal.

Looking back on it now, he didn't have to take that baby in. He didn't have to take any of them in, yet he did. It had you thinking that maybe, somewhere deep down, that man actually felt guilt and remorse for what he did.

Then again, he always justified his actions with them being for the good of the clan.

A small part of you couldn't let go of the man you'd perceived him to be. Didn't want to believe his actions had never been out of kindness, but necessity.

You wanted to hate him, and you should have.

But you were just sad if anything. Frustrated that he was up on a pedestal that couldn't be questioned. Because if it was, they'd end up like you.

Like Kari.

Your Kari. Your little sister that had been taken far too soon from this world. Eyes such a light brown they were almost golden. Hair a fluffy mess of curls.

It was your fault she was gone.

🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘

At the age of seven you were what most would call an absolute demon. Always getting into fights. Always biting people and using the gap between your teeth as leverage to sink them in deeper. Always showing off.

Today had been one of those days.

You'd just come back from retrieving a special object. Your goal was to turn it in to either Reik or a fellow trader. You'd decided on the later, strolling through the dirt roads of the village.

What was the name of the person you were supposed to see? Winnie? Winfred? Wonka? Eh, didn't matter anyways.

You were gonna make a pitstop first and pay a visit to your favorite old codger. Kari was sick after all. Perhaps some sweets would make her feel better. And he was the only one with a working oven.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a harsh shove to your shoulder. A few other kids shoving past you. Laughing as they raced away.

You turned your head towards where they came from, watching as an old man tried to give chase. However, he was out of breath after only a few steps.

"Old Mr. Beuru?" You mumbled.

"DAMN BRATS! YOU'RE LUCKY I AIN'T AS YOUNG AS I USED TO BE!"

Your mood immediately dampened. You gave a sigh before focusing your eyes in the distance. Three mischievous auras on your radar. You summoned your nen towards your legs and took off towards them.

It was only a matter of seconds before you caught up. You gave a jump to land in front of them and glared.

Three teenage boys. Who would've guessed?

The ringleader glared right back, popping what you assumed to be candy into his mouth.

"If it isn't one of Father's favorites. Whaddya want? We don't have time to chattering around with a diaper baby."

His two buddies snickered at his remark.

You took the first one as a compliment. Being one of Reik's favorites meant you had a good shot of becoming the clan head one day. That you were a prodigy.

The second one you wouldn't let slide. You'd already outranked these fools in both physical and nen combat. But sure, you were the baby.

"Hand over what you took." Your voice was ice and your aura was authoritative. But it did little to deter them.

"Tch, like we're gonna give you any. You know how hard it was to con that old man?"

That was all the information you needed. You were hot headed by nature. Someone who strikes first, asked questions later.

At least, that was how you used to be.

In the blink of an eye, you'd used your Caster's Net to hog tie the boy's lackies. Your anger being palpable as you tackled the third. Pushing his face in the dirt and using your nen to pin him.

"GET OFF ME!" He screeched.

"THEN GIVE BACK WHAT YOU STOLE!"

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" He then tried to throw you off. Using his own nen to find some leeway. But as you observed, you were indeed stronger than him.

"BULL! WE'RE MEMBERS OF THE SAME COMMUNITY! IT IS MY BUSINESS WHEN YOU DECIDE TO GO AND PICK ON ONE! NOW GIVE IT BACK!"

"HE HAD IT COMING, NOW GET THE HELL OFF!!!"

"GIVE IT OR I'LL-"

The threat died on your tongue as you were hoisted up. Your nen dissipating from the shock.

It was how you found yourself being interrogated by Father. The altercation causing quite the stir in the village. He questioned the three boys first.

"What was the reason this fight started? You know fighting within the clan is looked down upon. Even more so to be feuding with a member below your age group."

The trio wasted no time coming up with a lie.

"They just jumped us. We were minding our business when they came out of nowhere." The ringleader answered.

Unawares of the eyes focused in on his aura.

"You swear that's all that happened?" Father asked.

"Uh huh. If you ask me, they need to be kept in check."

If looks could kill, you would've ended his life ten times over.

"I see. Now, Y/n what do you recall happening?"

"I was just coming back from my mission and I saw the three of them running away. Mr. Beuru was chasing them so I assumed they did something. And I was right. They stole from him. They even admitted it."

If there was one thing you despised most, it was liars and thieves. Unbeknownst to you, in about a decade that would change to hunters.

Reik looked at you thoughtfully.

"So when they wouldn't hand over what they stole, you decided to get it by force?"

"Yup."

"Fath-Reik, they're lying!"

But he'd already found out the truth. Your aura had been convicting, untainted by deceit unlike the three boys before him.

"You boys should know by now that you can't get anything past me. Please return what you've taken. I promise your punishment will be more lax if you do."

The decision shocked the three boys. But even so, they wouldn't go down without a fight.

"It's no fair! You always side with them!"

"Y/n told the truth. You did not. Am I to side with a thief and a deceiver? You three will spend two days in isolation. Do I make myself clear?"

The trio's pockets were emptied out. Small bags of hard candy found in them. You watched as they were hauled off to the Room. Sticking out your tongue as they passed you by.

You figured isolation was an appropriate punishment. Two days without light, food, and water. Served them right.

You made your way back towards the main village, carrying the bags of sweets. Turns out the person they were stolen from was the one you had been on your way to see.

You knocked twice on the door before entering. The old man looked up at you surprised.

"Guess who just got three jerks in trouble?" You jazzed your hands, causing Beuru to let out a disappointed sigh.

"What was Reik's punishment?"

"Two days of isolation. They were really annoying too. Anyways, here." You held out the bags towards him.

At that, he smiled.

"Glad my day wasn't ruined after all. You know something, Y/n?"

You gave a hum.

"You might be the only kid I can stand. You've still got sticky fingers though. Now, you know what you hafta do if you want one of my deserts."

Because Old Mr. Beuru had to beg Reik for an oven. The only one in the entire village, just so he could bake to impress the old lady he liked. And she'd been the only one he baked for until you came along. His conditions had ranged from various trivia during the time he was growing up.

With that being said, you started humming up an old tune. Then danced in a way that was completely old-fashioned.

"I already had Shura play the Charleston several times, so I'd say I'm a pro now." You bragged, promptly falling flat on your butt afterwards.

The old man laughed, bagging you up something that looked chocolate. His expression turned serious as he handed it off to you.

"Speaking of Shura, don't tell her about what happened here. Okay?"

"Why not, she worries about you, you know?"

"That's exactly why. She's all grown up now. She doesn't need to worry about me when she's got her own life going on."

It was something you didn't understand at the time. Not wanting your child to worry about you. But you sure as hell understood it in the present.

"Now get back home. Isn't your sick sister waiting?" Beuru jested.

"Yeah, yeah. See you around, fossil," you threw over your shoulder as you left.

"Die in a hole, gremlin."

When you'd returned to your home, you had to dodge several of your peers to make it to your room. Most of them wondering what happened with you this time.

You never liked how quickly word would get out.

It didn't matter anyways. Their opinion on you didn't matter. The only one whose you really cared out was...

"Hey, Kari. How's the cold coming along?"

Said girl peaked her head out of a pile of blankets before ducking back down.

"I'm dying. This is the end for me. Remember the Alamo."

You walked over to her bed snickering. Harshly pulling the covers down as she shrieked.

"The Alamo, huh? You've been spending too much time with Deshin."

She pouted up at you. Fighting in a tug of war to cover herself again.

"You've been spending too much time with Deshin. I heard you got in a fight today."

"Yeah cuz' they made me mad. Don't you wanna know why?"

"No." She replied.

You pinched her cheek in retaliation, grinning at her noise of protest.

"Fine. Be that way. It's not like I went out of my way to bring you something special. Me? Never."

Kari quickly shot up at your words. Honey colored eyes beaming as you dropped the bag into her lap.

"You do love me!"

"No duh. You better share!"

Now Kari hadn't been a prodigy like you. In fact, she was the exact opposite. She was way behind the rest of her age group. Not even capable of reading the auras of those around her.

Tracker was off the list of what she would become.

She had a basic understanding of nen and was an enhancer from what you gathered. But she had trouble fighting. Severely lacking when it came to speed.

That scratched Trapper too.

You figured she would've been a trader. Then again, she wasn't very good with people. Most of the one's she interacted with treated her less than because of her weak nen.

She just didn't really fall into any role of the clan. And that made her a target for the older age groups. It's why you met in the first place.

If there was one good thing that clan taught you, it was that your family didn't have to be blood related.

You stood up for her, and ever since then, she'd been one of your own. Your little sister by choice. You'd done your best to coach her. Slowly helping her make improvements in her strength.

And while she was improving, it wasn't fast enough.

That night, the two of stayed up watching the stars. Intertwining hands and making signs while you ate whatever sweet Beuru had made.

It wasn't too long after that things started falling apart.

Your clan hadn't been made up of just any hunters. They were all Blacklist Hunters. Doing unsavory work in the shadows to keep the clan mostly isolated.

Children, like you and her, were trained from the age of three and up to perfect their nen. Prepared by the age of twelve to take the Hunter Exam in order to properly provide for the clan.

Always for the good of the clan.

But in the meantime, most kids with advanced nen would shadow the adults on their mission. You were one of three who had that privilege. The others being your 'best friend' and a girl a year older than you.

It was one of these missions you'd just been selected for. However, you had a condition if you were gonna help out.

Kari had to come with you.

It was more of you wanting her to get experience than it was because you wanted to spend time with her.

Nevertheless, she was allowed to come with you. Your task was to locate an undercover crime boss from his picture. Hers was to be there to catch him when he got scared out.

Finding the man was easy. Based on his stature and preferred traveling habits, you were able to find him in a week. Following the cruel and murky aura all the way to his hideout.

The easy part was done. The hard part would soon begin.

"If you see anything, act. Don't be scared, okay?" You ordered the small girl.

She nodded in return.

With that, you took off with the others in your group. You'd immediately been shot at as you entered. Dodging from side to side and trying to find some cover. Luckily, one of the people you were with had a reflecting ability. Nearly cutting the size of goons in half.

The rest worked on fishing out the leader. Two of the potential targets started running towards the exit. You were only fast enough to catch one. Cracking their skull on the pavement with a kick as the other escaped.

From Kari's perspective, she saw a man fleeing. And remembering your words, used a weak strand of nen to hold him down.

"Please stay still mister. It'll only be worse if you don't." Truthfully, she didn't want to kill anybody. She was counting on you to take care of it, like you always did.

The captive struggled against the bind before begging.

"Please! What is it you people want!?! Money??? I've got plenty! I can send thousands if you let me go! Little girl you don't want to be doing this!"

Kari closed her eyes and raised up her foot. Preparing to end his life. For you. She was gonna do this for you and nobody else. Only here because you stuck your neck out for her. She didn't want to tarnish your reputation.

Then the man said something. Something that completely stopped her in her tracks.

"I HAVE A FAMILY, PLEASE!!!"

She opened her eyes shocked. It was never really something she thought about before. These targets they'd been pursuing had still been people. People with lives and loved ones.

Was it really justified ending their lives?

Was a clan built on blood really something to be proud of?

Who were they to determine if someone should live or die?

It made her feel icky the more she thought about it. Someone paid for this man to die. Or rather, they paid for him to suffer. The rule: No witnesses, no survivors had been a Mizaki invention. He didn't have to die.

So then why were they doing it?

And with her newfound revelation, she released her nen from the man. He hardly spared a glance back at her as he ran. She barley felt your confused aura from behind her.

"Why did you hesitate?"

She jumped at the sound of your voice. Figuring you'd be angry she let him get away.

"It didn't feel right." She justified.

You could only scrunch your face in confusion.

"Why not? He was the guy we were looking for. If you didn't want to kill him, you should've just held him down for me or one of the others."

"It's not that...I didn't think it was right for him to die."

It was an odd thing for you to hear. Of course it was right. It was for the good of the clan. But Kari was younger than you. She wasn't used to this. It made sense that she wouldn't understand. You knew she would in time.

"Then I won't bring you in on any more 'people' missions. Okay? But right now we have to find that man before the others find out. Messing up means a punishment from father."

But it was too late. A thud sounded ahead of you. One of the others had already caught up to your target. And they didn't look too happy about it.

"YOU ALMOST LET HIM GET AWAY! I WANNA KNOW WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!" An older woman lectured.

Before Kari could take the blame, you stepped forward.

"It was me. I miscalculated and he slipped away. I'm sorry."

You always did this. Always vouched, always protected, always accepted the responsibility. And Kari hated it.

It wasn't fair to you.

Yet she said nothing. A fear that if she spoke, she'd be banished from the clan or worse.

She looked on regretfully as you were seated in front of Reik for questioning. She could do nothing except hope you'd be back soon.

Meanwhile, you were sweating buckets. You didn't like lying to Father. He could see through anyone with his eyes.

"Back here in less than a month? It's not like you, little one. From what I gather, you let the target go. Is that correct?"

The air felt tense...But you wouldn't give your sister up that easily.

"Yes, Father. It was my fault we almost lost him."

You were kneeled down before him with your head bowed. Trying to make yourself appear smaller.

"Really? Someone with as much precision as you let the target get away? This hasn't happened to you before. Were you distracted? I'm aware that Kari was with you."

You tensed up, already knowing you'd been found out. But you were stubborn, no matter the odds.

"She was. But I was alone when he got away. She had nothing to do with it."

Your aura was heavy with deceit.

"Y/n, tell me the truth. Kari was the one who let him get away, wasn't she?"

"...No, it was me. It was my fault."

You flinched as you saw him raise a hand in your peripheral. You were surprised when it cupped your cheek, guiding you to meet his eye.

"You should know I'm very proud of you. Not many would stick up for those they cared about when facing punishment. You have a loyalty that runs deep. A quality that makes for a strong hunter."

But as quickly as the warmth came, it was taken. The hand cupping your cheek moved back and slapped you. Your head turning from the force.

"But you out of everyone knows you can't keep things from me. I accept nothing less than the truth. This isn't a matter of stolen goods, this concerns our clan as a whole. I'm disappointed that you would jeopardize that."

The left side of your face was numb. A dark handprint already forming on your skin.

"I'm truly sorry." You quickly placed your head on the floor and put a hand over your heart.

"I didn't mean anything by it. I swear I didn't. Please find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Of course I forgive you, just as I have forgiven those boys. But you still have to face your punishment. The one meant for Kari."

"Yes, Father."

"A week in isolation with the bare necessities. But before you go, I want you to think about something. You risk everything for that girl. You suffer for her. Lie for her. But what has she ever done for you besides get you in trouble? Your loyalty is everlasting and patient, but how much more will she put you through without anything in return? That is all. I hope the week will fly by for you."

You didn't know what to feel at the moment. You'd been praised for protecting Kari, then questioned on if it was the right thing to do.

You loved her, and she loved you.

Right?

She was always there for you when you got back. She always stayed up with you to watch the stars. Always engaged in silent conversations with you.

But then again, Kari never went on any missions you didn't. She never got tired like you and would stay up way past when you fell asleep. She only learned sign language because you found the book on it. She never really got you anything like you had through bartering.

You always covered up for her.

But you did it because you wanted to, not because she asked.

Everything you did for her, you never expected anything in return. Nothing except her support.

Was she supposed to be returning all these favors?

Were you going about this all wrong?

Father seemed to think so.

And maybe it did make you bitter that you were alone in the dark. Maybe you were upset that she didn't finish the target off simply because she didn't want to. Maybe you were upset that she kept blowing the chances you gave her.

Maybe you were tired of doing so much for so little in return.

But it wasn't as black and white as you were lead to believe. As soon as you'd been sentenced, Kari made her way to Reik.

"Is Y/n gonna be okay?" She asked.

"Y/n is facing a week of isolation in your place. They were very adamant on doing so. You should feel so fortunate to have someone who cares that much about you." It was said lightly.

But Kari couldn't help but feel like something malicious was hidden underneath.

"Why so harsh a punishment? It really wasn't all that bad."

She froze as she was met with small glare.

"It could've put our clan in danger. No witnesses, no survivors. If Y/n gets it in their head that it's okay to let our targets go, then they'll do it more frequently. They'll start to lag behind their age group. Right now they have a good chance of taking over the reigns when they're older.

I understand you two are close, but I fear your influence might make them soft. Make them weak. Perhaps it's for the best you two are less involved. It's for the well being of the clan that they don't fall behind. You understand that, right little one?"

And Kari's heart just about broke.

She had never viewed Reik as a father figure. He'd never been as kind to her as he was with you. And now that he verbalized he felt she was dragging you down, she could only dislike him more.

He didn't love you. He didn't love any of you. He just viewed you as a tool to get ahead.

🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️

To say Gon and Killua were shocked would be an understatement. They knew that Palm was 'weird', having met her only once. But this was just absurd.

Apparently her nen ability allowed her to find and contact Bisky, of all people. Saying she did a little research. Whatever that meant. They were too weirded out to ask.

But it might've been for the best. Bisky had helped them out before. She'd been the one to help refine their nen attacks. Surely she could make them strong enough to defeat Morel's students.

Her first reaction upon seeing the boys again was anger. Hitting the both of them over the head for even thinking about completing their training in just a week.

Her next response was confusion. Noticing a very familiar presence was missing. 

Yours.

"Hey boys, where's Y/n?" She questioned. 

She was sure you left with them. Maybe something happened. And judging by the sulking expressions they wore, something did. Both of them deflating at the mention of your name.

"They didn't die, did they?"

Gon's head quickly shot up. Shocked and in disbelief that Bisky thought you'd die so easily.

"No! Y/n would never! They're just gone for the time being." 

"So dead."

This time it was Killua who spoke up, not wanting any further confusion.

"They're back at the NGL with our other friend. Y/n's training and probably looking for him. We…We got ambushed back there. Which is why we need to get as strong as possible quickly."

Bisky nodded, getting a grasp on the situation. She knew you were a bit flaky from your reaction on Greed Island, but maybe that could work in her favor.

Give these boys a little more incentive to push themselves.

"That's even more of a reason you should take training seriously. What do you think is gonna happen when the month's over and you don't show up? They'll be disappointed is what."

"Is it really gonna take a month?" Gon asked.

"Kite's back there, too. The sooner we get both of them out, the better." He justified.

There was something determined in his eye.

But it took more than determination to win battles. Especially up against hunters that had plenty of experience. It was best to take things slow and use up all of the available time.

It'd help them out in the long run.

"A month for sure. Now let's get started! We're going all the way back to the basics!" Bisky announced, causing grumbles from both boys.

You were strong enough to hold out for a month, right?

🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️

It was a murky day when you were released. Humid and cloudy. You hated it. Your footsteps lagged towards your home. You didn't think you wanted to see her right now. You'd spent so much time thinking about what Reik said.

So much time wondering if it was all true.

You hesitantly opened the door to your shared room. The creaking of the door signaling your arrival.

You were surprised to be engulfed in a hug. Why were you surprised? A mess of curls tickling your nose. You hesitated to wrap your arms around her.

"I missed you big sib. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you were in the Room for so long."

You just couldn't find it in yourself to be mad at her. No, she hadn't intentionally left you in the trenches. And you truly were a sucker for anything she did. A crumb of her affection and Father's words faded just like that.

"I missed you, too. Anything big happen while I was gone?" You already knew the answer.

"No. I've been completely bared from shadowing. That's about it...Oh! Shura said she'd play your favorite song when you got out. The one about fall."

She beamed up at you. You couldn't help but smile back.

"Really? How about we go see her right now? I'm sure she's still outside since it hasn't rained yet." A nice melody on the piano was just what you needed right now.

"And if she's not, can we just walk around instead?"

"Sure...But first I have to see Father. I need to get my next assignment before I get rusty."

You grabbed her hand and prepared to pull, but she didn't budge. You looked back at her in confusion.

"Something wrong, Kar?"

"That man isn't my father, and he's not yours either." Her tone was angry. Eyes glaring down at the floorboards.

It shocked you. She was never mad at anything. You didn't even register her words fully.

"What? Are-Are you okay? I know he's not really my dad, but-"

"You know what he really thinks of you? Of us? He thinks I'm a burden to you. He thinks of you as a tool for the clan. It's not right."

Her same words from that night.

But it only made your two loyalties clash. Your respect for Reik and your love for Kari.

"I don't know where all this is coming from, but please stop. You know you're not a burden to me. I love you. And I already know what I am. My purpose is to do what's best for the clan. To get stronger for my people."

She gaped at you for a moment. Then frustration radiated off of her.

"AND YOU'RE OKAY WITH THAT!?! YOU MEAN NOTHING TO HIM AS A PERSON, AND YOU DON'T CARE!?!"

You could feel your own frustration start to increase.

"I didn't say that. I said it's my duty to get stronger for my people. Father sees my potential as a way to do it. That doesn't mean he doesn't care about me!"

She gave a cruel laugh.

"You're in denial! He doesn't love you! Why can't you see that!?! You're so brainwashed you can't even see what he has you doing! He's making you kill people!!! Normal kids don't do that!!!!"

"Well we're not normal! We're Mizaki! The best of the best! Sometimes that means getting our hands dirty! It's how it is! Why can't you see that!?!?"

"BECAUSE IT'S NOT RIGHT! THESE PEOPLE HAVE FAMILIES! THEY HAVE OTHERS WHO CARE ABOUT THEM! WE AREN'T IN THE RIGHT TO SAY WHO LIVES OR DIES! THINK ABOUT IT! WE DON'T HAVE TO KILL ALL OF THEM! IT'S DEAD OR ALIVE, NOT DEAD! WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME WE SPARED SOMEONE WHO WASN'T A BABY!"

"WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY! IT'S NOTHING PERSONAL, SO WHY ARE YOU TREATING IT LIKE IT IS! GOD WHY CAN'T YOU BE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE!!!"

Your eyes widened when you realized what you said. It was too late to take it back. You could tell by the tears now streaming by her face.

"Kar, you know I didn't-"

"I hate you."

Your blood ran cold. You didn't know how to handle this. She'd never said that to you before. And sure you had your fights, but never like this.

"You don't mean that." Your voice was pleading.

"I hate you. Just go away. Run away to Reik like you always do. You love him more than me anyways."

She pushed past you and out the door.

You could only stand in the center of the room. Mulling over everything that was said. Crying softly as you realized she meant every word.

She really did hate you, didn't she?

You should've kept your mouth shut. You just had to go and ruin everything.

🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘

You threw up for the fifth time today. Already two weeks in and you still couldn't do it. You still couldn't stand the feeling of blood. 

You managed to desensitize yourself some when it came to seeing it. The blue blood, at least. You didn't think you could handle red blood.

The feeling of it splattering against your skin or landing on your clothes was enough for you to panic. Collecting the rain and using it to rub your skin clean. To wash away the sticky liquid from your face.

Scrubbing away until your skin was raw. And even then, you still felt filthy.

Your ears picked up a whirring sound. Something was flying towards you. You had a good feeling you knew what it was.

You could feel the bloodlust before you saw the ant. It looked at you with a hungry expression. You were so damn tired of killing these things.

Trying to take out your frustrations on them, only to feel even worse after. It didn't help that you felt two more incredibly malicious auras awaken during the week.

Two more royal guards.

And you couldn't do a damn thing about it unless you wanted to die.

For now, you kept yourself busy with the weaker ones that approached you. Thinking you were easy prey.

"See that line," you said as you pointed to a straight line in the dirt.

"As long as you don't cross that, I'll let you live. I don't care what else you do." Your voice was tired, but healed.

It didn't sting anymore when you spoke.

"You think you can scare me? I'll eat your flesh from your bones!" 

The ant lunged towards you. With a snap of your finger, it's body was left hanging in front of you. Dead in a matter of seconds.

You released your nen and watched it fall. The blue spittle from its mouth landing on your shoe. Your stomach immediately churning in disgust.

Make that six times.

🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️

The days seemed to fly by with Bisky's rigorous training. Gon and Killua were already two weeks in. Two weeks of forcing themselves to keep ren as long as possible. Two weeks of fighting Knuckle immediately after.

Two weeks of worrying about you.

It was the middle of the afternoon and they were still struggling to maintain their Ren. Going on the second hour when small thuds sounded at the window.

It was raining, and heavily by the sound of it.

Both boys immediately lost all the fight in them. Giving up on maintaining their aura and looking dejectedly outside.

The rain.

You always smelled like fresh rain.

Something that had been odd, yet comforting.

It was like they just couldn't escape your presence. Unable to focus on training anymore now that they had been reminded of you. Missing you even more now that they couldn't avoid a scent so reminiscent of yours.

"Hey! What's the matter with you two!?! Training isn't over yet!" Bisky scolded.

But neither of them paid her any mind. Instead, watching as it continued pouring outside. Wondering how you were doing out there.

Did you have some shelter from the rain?

Were you warm?

Had you been able to find something to eat?

Things they were sure would have been laughable to you. 

"Can we take a break? Just until the rain stops." Gon asked, earning a confused look from Bisky.

"Why? You know we don't have time to be wasting. We only have two weeks left." 

She couldn't, for the life of her, understand why now of all times they would want to take a break .It wasn't like they were training outside in the rain. And even then, she'd still make them work.

"You wouldn't understand. Either way, we don't feel like training right now. Not while it's still raining. We won't be able to focus," Killua explained. 

It's not that he didn't trust Bisky, but the reason was just too embarrassing to tell her. Especially with Palm eyeing them from the kitchen.

"Fine. But don't expect any breaks for two days, got it?" 

The duo nodded, relieved they'd been allowed a small moment of peace.

Killua quickly went to crack open a window. Allowing the sound of rain to be more prominent throughout the small home.

Gon went into the room that had been yours. Eyeing the messy sheets with a bittersweet feeling. 

They'd spent about a week taking care of you here. Making sure you wouldn't die of blood loss. That you'd make a full recovery. And then you'd let in a hurry.

He grabbed the comforter you wrapped around the two of you that night. Dragging it out to the spot Killua had chosen.

The both of them sat down, tossing one side of the comforter over to the other. Basking in the warmth it brought along with your scent.

Almost like you were here, giving them a hug.

🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️

It was only five days after your fight that you'd been assigned to shadow another mission. You didn't get a chance to apologize. She'd avoided you too well for you to even make the effort.

But you thought hard about what she said.

You didn't have a problem if Reik didn't really care about you. At the end of the day, he was a mentor. Made to make you stronger. And if that was the extent of your relationship, then so be it.

You only cared about if Kari loved you, and the longer it took to make amends, the less likely it would be.

The thing you really took to heart was her accusations towards the way the clan was ran. She was right about them not having to always kill a target.

She was right about many of them having families. You'd heard so many pleas that you eventually became desensitized. Maybe you could prove a point. Maybe you did have a choice and the clan just went with the easiest one.

It was just your luck that Deshin was shadowing with you. A boy your age with a mixture of black and white hair. Thus the nickname you gave him: cookies'n cream.

He was your rival in a sense. Always competing and pushing to out do each other. It became a friendship built on mutual respect. You argued and teased each other, but that's what kept things interesting.

Your assignment today was to stop anyone inside the building from escaping. A mundane job but considering you took the blame for the last guy escaping, it was only fair.

You scanned inside the building with your eyes as the others went in. It was a decently sized house. You couldn't help but pity whoever was inside.

You'd never done that before.

You watched the relaxed auras inside become overrun with fear. The little blimps of life disappearing one by one. A few screams here and there.

Then you saw one approaching the exit. It was a woman who appeared injured. Blood trailing down her head as she ran.

You quickly intercepted her. Her frantic aura calmed a bit upon seeing you.

"Oh, sweetie. You have to get out of here now. There are bad people inside. We have to run while we can, c'mon!"

You hesitated as she extended a hand out to you.

There was so much sympathy radiating off of her. Motherly, was the feeling. A stranger that was warning you about your own people.

It was dumbfounding.

Father never had this much softness in his aura when he addressed you.

The screams from the building started to quiet down. The woman only further urged you to come with her. Was that guilt you were starting to feel.

A job was a job.

But maybe, things could go differently this time.

"I'm really sorry, ma'am. But there's a bounty on someone who lives here. We have to take in everyone by association no matter what. Please don't take this personally."

She looked at you like she hadn't heard right. Then her panic was full force once again.

She let out a yelp as you summoned your nen to restrain her.

"Please! Please don't do this! My son, he's inside! Please, if you have any humanity at least let him live!"

You couldn't handle her pleas anymore. Using your aura to knock her out. This....This all felt wrong.

You knew if her son was an infant, he'd be fine. Maybe, she would be fine too.

You startled as you felt someone from the group approach. Another older woman. She looked between you and your still breathing captive.

"Why is she still alive. You have your orders."

You glanced down at the lady. Remembering Kari's words.

Dead or alive. Not just dead.

"Why...Why can't we let them live? Why can't we just leave?"

Your superior looked at you like you just grew two heads. Her surprise was replaced by a scowl.

"Because Reik said so. You know better than anyone else we can't hesitate. We have to finish the job we were given."

She moved towards your captive, pressing her shoe against her face.

"No don't-!"

'SMASH!'

A harsh stomp combined with a booming crunch as blood poured from what once was that woman's head.

"You've become soft, Y/n."

But all you could focus on was the blood pooling under that woman. She didn't deserve this. You could have saved her. You could have let her go.

The crimson liquid eventually reached you. Grazing the boots you were wearing before you stepped back. A feeling of disgust and something scared guided your actions.

Your eyes never leaving the body. Then all at once you felt vile start to rise in your throat. You quickly turned away and started heaving over a bush.

Shaking with tears brimming at the corners of your eyes. An innocent person's blood on your shoe. Dirtied and tainted.

You were tainted.

The woman watching you only scoffed. You were acting like a toddler in the middle of a mission.

You felt a hand reach out for you and shrugged it off.

"Don't touch me!"

You backed away and were met with a very concerned gaze.

"Woah, gap-tooth. Are you okay?"

It might've been the only time Deshin showed actual concern for you. But that was because you've never acted like this before. You weren't fazed by the sight of blood. Or at least you hadn't been.

You were supposed to be one of the greats, just like him. But right now, you were weak.

"I-I need to go. Right now."

You made a move to leave, but were stopped by a firm grip on your wrist.

"Is this about the fight with Kari? She told me you two got upset with each other. Maybe you just need a break. You're probably just stressed."

This was not stress.

This was a horrific revelation.

"Please, not right now." You were about five seconds away from crying. And then your reputation would be ruined. If it wasn't already.

You'd already been disgraced in front of your peers.

"Then let me walk you back. You're not in your right mind to go by yourself." Deshin could be just as persistent as you.

And this time, you appreciated it.

You gave a nod before scampering away. Going as fast as you could through the trees. Deshin was hot on your trail. Helping you when you would mistep.

You made it back to your home by daybreak. This time, jumping up to your window instead of going through the inside.

You didn't want to deal with anyone else right now.

You fell into your room, collapsing on the floor. Finally in the comfort of solitude, you broke down. Skittering towards a wall and throwing off your boots.

They were tainted.

"Dirty. I'm dirty. I'm gross! I'm gross I'm gross!"

You were sobbing openly now as you hugged your knees to your chest.

"Dirty Dirty Dirty!"

You were unaware of your surroundings at the moment. Not noticing worried honey colored eyes watching your breakdown.

She may have been mad at you, but she'd never seen you cry before. She'd never seen you this broken before.

What did they do to you?

What did they say?

She took small steps towards you. Inching closer and closer until she could reach out and touch you.

You let out a scream feeling arms wrap around you.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T!"

But the hug was tight. A head rested on top of yours despite the struggling.

"Shhh. It's okay. I'm here, Y/n. You're here with me." Kari tried to soothe.

You froze up at the sound of her voice. The feeling of her folding your fingers over and over again to sign out 'safe', helped calm you.

You sniffled as she continued to hold you.

"You were right. We don't have a choice. I tried. I really did, but they just killed her. Ari made me watch. I-I-I felt the blood under my shoe. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She didn't like the way you cried harder. She didn't like how she was right. She hoped deep down that she was wrong. That maybe she was just jealous about the attention you gave Reik.

She wished that was the case.

If it were, then she wouldn't have to watch her big sibling break right in front of her.

"I'm sorry, for saying that I hated you. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to get mad at you. Maybe if I hadn't, you'd be okay."

You shook your head against her.

"Not your fault."

Then your next words came as a shock to her.

"We have to get out of here. I don't want to be apart of this anymore. That lady, she wanted to help me, and I got her killed. I don't wanna do it anymore. I don't want to hurt people anymore."

You wanted to leave.

And so did she.

But it was practically unheard of to leave the clan unless it was for business. Could the two of you really do it?

"Hey, Y/n?"

You clutched her tighter in response.

"Promise me. You have to promise me you won't listen to them anymore. Not to any of the superiors and not to Reik. Okay?"

Her pinkie intertwined with yours.

"I promise." You whispered.

"Now can we do one more? A real promise this time."

She summoned her faint nen into her palm. You couldn't do anything but follow suit. Still in a daze from what happened.

"Let's promise that neither of us will ever fight or kill another human being again."

You nodded. Pulling back to look her in the eye. Taking a breath before starting the chant.

"On this day I do declare, it's on my nen that I swear."

A burning sensation tingled on your wrist. By the uncomfy look on Kari's face, she felt it as well.

You two would find a way out of here.

Without hurting anyone else.

🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️

Week three, and Gon was already on his way to fight Knuckle. Killua had stayed behind to have a talk with Bisky. 

Lucky, she was probably gonna give him some secret pointers.

Nevertheless, he approached the usual spot. A small huddle of dogs surrounded the Beast Hunter. You would have definitely liked Knuckle. You probably would have argued with him first, but you would've come around.

Just like with Kite.

He hoped the both of you were still okay. 

"You ready, kid?" Knuckle taunted as he stood up. The dogs around him whining at his lack of attention.

"You bet! Today for sure, I just know it!" Gon did in fact not know it. But he was hopeful he was getting better.

Then the thundering started.

And the rain once again followed suit.

It'd been doing that a lot lately. Maybe it was the universe playing a cruel trick. Whatever the reason for the murky weather, it didn't matter.

He lost all his fire anyway. Shoulders dropping and expression glum. 

"Geez, you look like somebody just died. Are you sure you're good to fight? Not that I care or anything, punk!" Knuckle tried and failed to hide his concern.

It didn't hurt to give him an honest answer.

"I'm sorry Mr. Knuckle, but it looks like our fight's canceled." 

"You scared of the rain or something?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just…the rain reminds me of my big sibling. You see, right now they're waiting in the NGL for me and Killua. They left to train, same as us. And neither of us can focus now when it rains. We just start thinking about them and if they're okay. If they've found our other friend there. 

We just miss them. I really miss them. So I hope you don't mind that I can't fight you now. I really don't mean you any disrespect." Gon looked at Knuckle expecting to see him angry.

Instead, he was sniffling and wiping his eyes. When he noticed Gon's staring, he gave a halfhearted glare.

"I'm not crying, so don't you go telling people I am! I just have something in my eye! Now go on home and get a good night's rest! I better not see you out here when it rains ever again! You'll *sniff* catch a cold!"

Gon held back a laugh as he walked away.

"Okay! I won't! Thank you Mr. Knuckle!"

🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️

You couldn't find any information on people who'd left the clan. Not even an old excerpt. Like the thought never occurred to anyone. As if it never happened.

Soooo, you resorted to just asking around. Your first attempt was old Mr. Beuru.

"Hey, dinosaur. I've got a question for you."

He swatted at you with an old dusty news paper.

"Yeah, well spit it out, demon. I open in ten minutes."

"What happens to people who leave the clan?"

He froze. All the color draining from his face. For a brief moment, you thought he was having a heart attack. You could feel uncertainty start to rise within his aura. You couldn't help but notice the worry there as well.

"Get out of my store." It sounded cold, but his being was regretful. Like he didn't want to be doing this.

"It's just a question. It's not like-"

"Get out and stay out. Don't ever come back here. I mean it, Y/n."

He'd never used your name before. Not unless he was serious.

It stung.

"Geez, fine. Not like an old man like you would know anyways." You left disheartened.

He wasn't joking. He didn't want you to come back.

And as he watched you leave, he sunk into himself.

"I really wish I could help ya, kid. But it's best if we both forget you asked that. I'm already at risk by not reporting that in, and who knows how many you've already asked. I have to look after my own.

May Reik have mercy on your soul."

The next few people you asked had similar reactions. All going deadly silent before turning you away. It must've been a taboo subject.

You decided there was one more person you'd question: Shura. One of the nicest people you've ever met. You knew she'd help for sure.

You followed the sound of light piano strokes. A feathery voice accompanying it.

"He’d take a very nice lady and talk her down small, till she fits in the palm of his hand.

Keeps his love on the shelf, only thinks about himself.

And that’s a cold-hearted man~"

You wasted no time shoving yourself to the front. Elbowing anyone who got in your way.

She stopped playing just in time to see you.

"Ms. Shura! I've got something to ask you! But in private tho because people keep acting weird!"

She laughed at your remark. Giving a playful roll of her eyes before addressing you.

"Only you, Y/n. Please make it quick. You know how restless everyone gets. You included." She got up and followed you a little ways away from the small crowd.

"Now, tell me what's on your mind."

"I already asked your dad if he knew, but he was just a grouch about it. And so are a lot of the people I've asked. I know you won't be though. Okay here goes.

What happens if someone leaves the clan?"

And like clockwork, she paled. Looking at you with panic.

"I can't-I'm not sure-" she stuttered for a response.

"Oh honey, just what have you gotten yourself into to. How many people have you asked?"

"Dunno. Like ten."

She took a shakey sigh. Grief radiating off of her.

"... Those who leave the clan are thought of as traitors. And because they hold our secrets, they have to be...."

There was so much sadness in her eyes. All of it directed towards you.

"They're dealt with the way we deal with targets. And talks about leaving are treated like treason. The punishment is the same.....I-oh, Y/n. You can't stop by here anymore."

You were once again being pushed away. And this time you wanted to know why.

"Why? Is there some penalty for talking to me now?"

"Sweety, I've already said too much. You have to go home right now. Please, it's for your own good."

That caught your attention. Were you putting her at risk by talking about it? What did she mean by for your own good? You didn't get the chance to ask as she quickly backed away.

Leaving you standing confused.

You reported it all back to Kari, who had just about as much luck as you. With no other conclusion other than the both of you would die if you were caught, it was time to devise a plan.

You waited two weeks. Learning the paths each individual would take during both the day and night. Who would come and go.

With the recent change and in weather, you decided a rainy night would be the best chance. Nobody would be out. And if they were, you'd be able to handle them.

"Hey, Y/n. When we get out, you promise we'll stay together?"

You gave a wide smile at her question.

"Forever and beyond. But we gotta have some basic goals, don't you think? Let's have a big house!"

"And a dog! I want a puppy." She added.

You nodded excitedly.

"Ooh! I've got a great one! Let's go to one of those amusement parks! I wanna ride the big circle! I heard you can see everything from the top."

"I think they call that one a Ferris wheel. But yeah! Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of. But I have a feeling we'll come up with more."

It was one of the last interactions you ever had with her. One last bit of peace before everything went wrong.

You waited for the thundering sound of rain. Cracking open your window when it was in full force. You jumped down, bracing your legs against the force.

'Now you.'

You made exaggerated signs so she'd be able to see.

Kari gave a brief nod and jumped. You caught her with ease. Setting her down and making sure to have a firm grip on her hand.

"We walk. They might suspect something if we run." You whispered before leading her forwards.

You two moved in silence. The rain masking any potential audible steps. So far so good. You were about halfway through the village.

You were really gonna do it.

You were really gonna leave.

You could feel your heart beating in your chest. Both out of nerves and excitement.

"It's about time. We were starting to wonder when you'd try to leave."

The both of you froze. Angry and disappointed auras surrounded the two of you.

You shouldn't have asked around.

You shouldn't have tried to get information.

You really should have took Beuru's reaction as a sign.

Maybe then you wouldn't be here so afraid. So terrified of dying.

But you had a responsibility. You had something to protect right now. As long as she got out safe, you'd accept whatever happened to you.

You could feel her fear. See her shaking.

"Well, what'll it be children? A swift death or will you run?" A man questioned.

You tensed up and prepared to make your move.

'Guard up.' You quickly signed.

You felt Kari engulf her body in her aura, then released your own. Pouring all your ill intentions to make it stronger.

The feeling of it caught the people in front of you off guard. Some falling down from the force.

You took that as your opportunity to run. Using all your nen into your legs and pushing them the fastest they would go.

You could sense others falling in pursuit. Barley dodging any projectiles sent your way. You prided yourself on your speed.

It was good to know that all your training had paid off. You'd urged Kari in front of you. Making sure she was ahead of everyone.

A bullet whizzed by your check.

Not good.

"Keep running! Look at me! Look at me!" You ordered. Her frantic eyes meeting yours.

"Don't stop! Not even for a second because if you do, we're dead! I'll be right behind you, Kari!"

With that you turned on the heel of your shoe. Coming face to face with a very familiar person.

"I knew something was up with you, but I never would of guessed this." Deshin sighed out.

"Maybe if you tell Father what happened, he'll spare you. Both of you. I don't want to fight you"

You took a step back from him.

Was this what you sounded like to Kari?

Oblivious to anything not under Reik's eye?

Taking his word as absolute.

"Then don't fight me. Just back off and let us go." 

He flashed you a hurt look before you lunged forward. You just couldn't risk it. Not when the two of you were this close.

Your first made contact with his stomach. The attack surprising him. Not ready to block it off with his nen. 

You raced after Kari as he crumpled to the floor.

"I'm sorry."

You practically leapt over the gate, following after the faint trail of Kari's aura. Your hopeful look replaced by sheer terror when you reached her.

Reik had his hand around her neck, dangling her off the floor. He met your terrified look with one of disappointment.

"Naughty children, dealing with the consequences of their actions. Look at you? Are you frightened?"

You started trembling at the intensity from his aura. So malicious and cruel. So cold and unforgiving. You wouldn't feel another one like it until 13 years later. 

Your eyes unable to look away from the sight. Kari watched with panic as you took a step backwards. Then three.

"Y/N!!! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!! YOU PROMISED!!!!" She struggled against the tight grip around her neck. Hopelessly kicking her legs in an attempt to get free.

Reik observed your cowardly actions with disapproval.

"Fine then, be a coward. Flee if you're so desperate to 'live.' Run if you're going to run. Use those eyes of yours to forever watch over your shoulder. But no matter how fast you are or how far you go, we will always be able to find you. Whether it be a whisper of your name or a spark of your aura, your fate is sealed."

A sickening 'snap' reverberated throughout the forest.

You didn't even get the chance to see her body hit the floor. Already fleeing as fast as you could. Pushing your legs the fastest they would go and then some.

You didn't stop for a whole day. Collapsing on the ground when you felt like you were far enough. You stayed on the floor unmoving.

Most likely you were going into shock.

You made no move to get up, even as you were shivering from the cold. Your clothes completely soaked through.

You laid there cold and now hungry.

But you didn't move, not an inch….

Because you deserved to suffer for her death.

You knew you were in the alleyway of some city, but that was all. You knew nothing aside from that. Your mind unable to process everything that just happened.

The first few days ended up with you reaching for Kari, only to find out she wasn't there.

It took you about a month to come to terms with your current situation. And when you did, you cried. You sobbed until your eyes and throat hurt. She was gone. She was gone and you couldn't even have a proper burial for her.

You were free, but at what costs?

🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘

The first year you tried to make an honest living. Asking around if anybody had food or water to spare.

You learned very quick the world wasn't too kind to street rats.

If you weren't ignored, you were yelled at for bothering them.

It got to the point where you were so hungry, you stole an old loaf of bread from a dumpster. The owner of the establishment catching you in the act.

He chased you down, along with some other men. And due to your malnourishment, you didn't have to strength to outrun them.

Instead, curling into a ball as you tripped. Clinging onto to only food you would have in days. 

Pain.

Excruciating pain.

Your first response when they started kicking you was to get up and fight back. But as you sat up and caught one of their legs, your wrist started burning.

Your promise to Kari.

You wouldn't have minded breaking it. You had no use for nen now that you'd been exiled from your clan.

But it was the only thing you had left of her.

So you endured it.

You let them beat you down until they got tired and left. Your bread smashed flat. 

You weren't even hungry anymore.

🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘

By your fifth year running from city to city, you gave up on trying to survive honestly. What was the point of being a good person anymore? You already had blood on your hands.

You used your speed to your advantage, stealing the money from wallets and purses in order to feed yourself. Using whatever was left over to buy yourself cheap clothes.

Occasionally you'd steal those too.

You weren't living anymore.

You were surviving.

You had nothing except your life and the promise attached to it.

🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘

About ten years in, you stole something that would become your golden goose. An old game cartridge with a ring. The name of it: Greed Island.

You remembered hearing about this. Some hunter dude made it. And from what you recalled, it was a very rare game. Going for billions at auction houses.

But you stopped caring about money years ago. No, what you were interested in was what the game did. 

It teleported people inside.

Away from the real world.

You'd finally be able to stop looking over your shoulders. You wouldn't have to worry about maintaining your zetsu.

So you went to one of those bidder places and promised you'd beat the game. Choosing whatever three cards they wanted if you were able to play.

The idiot, of course agreed.

And you'd spent two years there. Isolated because it was better that way. Card raiders showing up every now and then. But you showed them why it would be wise to stay away from you.

Terrifying them to the point they avoided your little territory. And you were content to live that way. Content to spend the rest of your days there.

Until the boys showed up.

And now you were here.

🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘

You just couldn't do it. You couldn't kill these things without triggering your hemophobia. And if you couldn't work past that, then all the time spent here was a waste. You were useless if you couldn't even stand the feeling of a drop of blood on you.

You knew there would be much more when it came time to face the queen and her guards.

Damnit.

If only there was a way for you to fight from a sizeable distance. One that wouldn't risk anything touching you. One that wouldn't exactly count as you fighting.

A weapon was out of the question. Not unless you could use a bow and arrow. And even then, you had precise calculations, aim not so much.

You weren't exactly a manipulator and trying this late in the game would be futile. 

Maybe you could conjure something?

You were good at visualization. You were sure of that, even if you were a little rusty. So what then?

What would you conjure?

"Hey, Y/n! Guess what I found for us!" Kari shouted. You'd closed your ears from the noise, but were more than happy to go along.

"What'd you find?"

She lifted up the floorboard and revealed two small marionettes. A rusty clown puppet and a burnt ballerina.

"Get that out of the room right now. There's a 95% chance they're possessed." You lectured, not even bothering to touch them.

"They only look like that because I found them in a burt down farmhouse. It gives them personality. Please, can we keep them? We've never been allowed to have real toys. Please?"

And as always you were a sucker for her.

"Fine. Which one's mine and which one's yours?"

"You can have the ballerina: Shika. And I'll keep Henry."

"You give out the most horrendous names, I swear. But thank you for finding these for us."

Yeah.

Henry and Shika.

Puppets with strings.

They could be operated at a distance. And you had seen them plenty that conjuring would be a breeze. The only catch though…

Could you make them physical before time ran out?

You didn't get a chance to try it out before you were surrounded by ants. Probably a squadron if you had to guess.

"The line. Don't cross it." You warned once again.

But did they listen?

They never did.

You got up to one again use your Caster's Net. However, things just wouldn't go your way today. A fog rolled in. No, not a fog.

Smoke.

So thick you couldn't see through it. And neither could the ants judging by their confused sounds. You quickly focused your eyes to find their auras, not wanting to be ambushed.

Yet the second you did, a portal opened up under you. You fell to the ground of a small room along with the ants. 

The light in there was blinding. Like a hospital room. Then you heard a voice. A familiar voice you hadn't heard in years.

"Alright, let's see if any of you prove to be a good warm up."

That old geezer.

Of course the association sent him in.

Why wouldn't they?

You didn't have anytime to control your aura before it erupted. An anger so thick, it was suffocating. The ants near you collapsing on the ground as you made your way to the front.

Netero's eyes went wide when he realized that aura was coming from you.

"So you made it after all. I thought for sure you would have stayed with those boys."

"Cut the shit. Let me out of whatever this is and I'll have the pleasure of never seeing you again." You knew you were probably being too mean. But damnit, he sanctioned and allowed the things Reik did.

Were you not supposed to be upset with that?!?

"Still rude, I see."

Your aura only intensified at the remark. You took a deep breath before calming down. You were being an idiot. Overreacting after finally letting your memories resurface.

Holding a grudge against Netero but not against the man who killed your sister?

Pathetic.

You needed to ne smart about this. Not become overwhelmed by your grief and frustration.

"Just get me out of here. I don't have the time to be upset right now. I have to be training." 

At this, the old man quirked a brow.

"Training? These ants must be tougher than I thought."

"It's not the regular ants I'm worried about. It's that damn furry." You mumbled. You'd get that cat bitch back if it was one of the last things you did.

"Hey, old man? Let me ask you something. Why do you continue to associate with that man? You know what he's done. What he's still doing. Why are you still friends with him?" You wanted to know. To have bit of closure on that chapter of your life.

You figured if they hadn't come for you now, then you truly were free to live. That didn't mean you wouldn't be careful still.

"It is not my decision to associate with your-with Reik." He corrected before continuing.

"It's the Hunter's Association. I have no control over what they rule in favor of. But I suppose no one ever told you that. Not at your young age."

"I was seven. And now I don't care enough about hunters to ask around. I just wanted a straight answer, and now that I have it, get me out of here." You sounded drained.

By the dark circles under your eyes, you looked drained too.

"Very well then. I wish you luck out there."

"Suck an egg old geezer."

You remembered meeting the old man when you were younger. Reik introduced you as a prodigy, like he always did. Based on that, Netero challenged you to a game.

One he would have later challenged your two boys.

If you could take the ball from him, he would make you an honorary hunter. And back then that'd been your purpose. Your one goal.

So you played along. Almost swiping away the ball several times before giving up. You'd liked him back then. 

But your perspective of all hunters had been soured since then. You didn't want anything to do with them. 

And it would have stayed that way had you not met Gon and Killua. They'd shown you once again that hunters weren't all that bad.

That it was just some people who could be terrible. It didn't matter what they were. You'd changed a lot since you were a kid.

But now, you were starting to become the person you were.

The one who loved to be around their peers. 

The one who loved to joke around and laugh with their loved ones.

The one who loved living instead of being forced to survive.

---------------------------

Fun Fact #15: Y/n isn't a fan of sour foods. 'Why is it spicy' reaction

MASTERLIST

Tags: @fandomhoe101 @justxiao @bekataylorgriggs

-------------------------

An: Sorry it took so long! We should be getting the alternate chapter for decisions in a few days. Maybe two??? Also for chapter fifteen, I present you with a choice 😏

[echoedcrosshairs]

Those Who Fight Together - part 10

Summary: Undescribed Jedi female nicknamed Reaper in 3rd person makes up with the Batch and gets a little more then she asked for, men bonding through fighting and some saucey fun 🖤Smut with a Plot🖤

Warning: NSFW, Crude Language, PiV, creampies, emotional burst, implied breeding kink, momentarily soft Crosshair, over stimulated Hunter, blow jobs, battle wounds, violence, drinking, tattoos

Word Count: 8.2k

Part 9 Part 11

Master list

"Dangerous is our middle name," Hunter smiled joining your side.

"So is hers," Echo said flanking your other side once you got off the ship unto the surface.

You saw Echo's hand reach for yours but pull back, a wave of guilt hit you because you didn't take it the first time. You reached out and grabbed his hand and pull him closer to you, "Not making that mistake twice," you whispered. You found Cody and Obi standing at out stand of the entry waiting.

"I've always been interested in seeing the library," Obi said looking at the artwork on the door, the archaic depictions of wars and of the depiction balance, of Mortis, the father, the son and the daughter. He tried to keep his features neutral but he looked at his former padawan wondering if she knew but the look in her eye at him told him she did.

"Okay before we head it, there is one of my sisters I should warn you about, she's a little... unhinged."

"More then you?" Crosshair muttered.

"The pantoren with black eyes, Timera... her specialty is the study of the.. very darker side."

"Sounds like a lovely woman," Obi said his sarcasm slipping out trying to break his entrance of the artwork.

You squeezed Echo hand and let go temporary to stand infront of the door, you put your hands up letting your hands twist letting the force push open the door. The door roared open, their tops and bottoms dragging against the ceiling and floor. That's one way to know you have visitors coming. You repicked up Echos hand with a small squeeze while everyone else followed you down the twisting maze of corridors towards the grand atrium. Everyone took note of the couple dozen guards lining the walls in various positions. Why all of the new security? Upon entering you found your order and Master Indel were waiting. Everyone was standing around the edges of the room while the Master sat in her usual large throne like chair. Wrecker cut through placing the trunk before her stepping back.

"We meet last, I've seen so heard so many rumors about you, glad to know your not tarnishing the Tome's appearance" Timera sneered walking forward like a snake waiting to strike, "The dutiful protector" she said dragging her finger across the tattoo side of Hunters face, "The self sacrificing one," her fingers trailed to the band of Techs googles, "The loyal soldier" mild disgust read across her face as she looked at Echo, "The childish heart" patting Wrecker on shoulder, "and the regretful betrayer," she said matching Crosshairs icy expression and then she turned to Cody, "the honorable Brother," barely giving him the once over and then stopped to look at Obi, "the one who will lose everything," she laughed walking up to you grabbing your chin staring at you reading glimpses of the future "and who you are is still changing." Timera turned her attention to the trunk, waved her hand and the trunk opened and the saber came out, her black mist suspending it in the air. She walked over and grabbed it before handed it back to its rightful owner, "I believe this belongs to you Indel."

"Sister is there something pressing on your mind? Maybe something you'd seen that you wish to share with rest of us Timera?" You growled at her dropping Echos hand and taking a step forward defensively, "As you know you can not talk like that in-front of outsiders"

"It's just cute you brought your meaningless play things is all," she said rolling her eyes, "Enjoy what little time you have with them before darkness falls," she whispered patting your cheek and going back to her place against the wall.

"Collector " the elderly Tome spoke, you went over and knelt before her, "Do you want to introduce me to your associates?"

"Of course," you said standing up, "I present Clone Force 99, Hunter, Tech, Echo, Wrecker and Crosshair. This is Cody and Jedi Knight, Obi Wan Kenobi."

"Step forward."

They all awkwardly joined standing behind you. She looked at each them, giving them each an up and down but her eyes lingered on Obi before shooing them to step backward. Her expression was void but all seeing. 

"Where is your loyalty?" She asked, blinking.

"My duty has and will always be to the Tome."

"That wasn't what I meant, you spend two months with Count Dooku leaving carnage in your wake leaving countless dead, cities demolished, planets in chaos, overblown portioned genocide but a Jedi is dead. You've been touched by the dark side outside of the watchful training of the Tome," she paused waiting for the answer, "You are aware you are the soul survivor of balance and protecting the scales until it's time."

"I did what needed to be done to protect the galaxy from dangerous knowledge, I saved more lives than I took. I am not Jedi nor am I a Sith. I am the balance of knowledge," the reply automatic and true. She nodded at your reply.

Timera sneered stepping, "How about we give her a test? How are we to trust her" she said looking you up and down, "especially bringing her toys with her."

"What is the problem with them?" You hissed.

"They are soldiers of the republic, Jedi puppets in their war," she said stepping forward.

"Archivist, what are you suggesting?" The elderly tome asked.

"This," she smiled sending her ancient black mist suspending the squad in the air, "What are you going to do, Reaper?" She taunted, squeezing them, "Where is your loyalty."

"This is not necessary-" Obi said stepping forward.

"You can not interfere Jedi, nor can I," The elder lady said interlacing her fingers together, "history whether in the past or future should not be changed, this has and must always happen."

"Let them go," you hissed getting in her face.

"How about I kill the one you love the most, see if your still in balance then," she smiled tightening her grip on them.

You watched them beginning to struggle, "How about I kill the one you love the most?" you lifted your hand her brother was being pulled towards you on his knees strangling again the force he knew he could not stop. You ignited the yellow saber and pointed it at his heart, "I know how precious this is to you," you putting the saber an inch away, "Let them go, I won't ask again." Your eyes were embers beginning to ignite.

"That is not the-" Obi started but Cody stopped him, "You have to trust her."

"He is correct Master Jedi, this has and must always happen. She doesn't do this out of darkness but out of loyalty and duty to both you and I."

"You wouldn't drag an innocent into this, you care to much about protecting people," she hissed, her eye froze for a on her brother before her black depths return to her gaze, "Are their microscopic primitive lives worth more then one of ours?" Timera was studying you, how different you were from when you left.

"You really want to find out?" You suggested pressing closer to him, daring her to make a move hoping she would back down.

Her grip on them tightened taking your behavior as a bluff, "I'll pick them off one by one until you decide," you refused to look at any of them in fear of who she'd start with. She tighten them again waiting to see if you'd snap and look at the one you love most. You heard them verbally struggling, "but who first." It one motion you disconnected the ends of your saber, making two individual like the waring of good and evil in you. Fluidly you sliced and her brother slumped to the floor.  Using your non dominant hand you speared her to the wall with a solid toss, her grip on them releasing and they fell to the floor.

You stepped over his body and rushed over to them. Almost everyone was still conscious until you got to Wrecker, who was barely breathing. You tried to reach out to his force but there was barely a sliver. You dropped your saber and tugged your sabers from Dooku off of Tech's belt, igniting them the yellow and red for all to see pointing the red at her, "This just became personal." Timera pulled the saber out of her shoulder and tossed it on the floor, subsequently rolling towards the man who didn't sit up, "So it has. Your precious balance is ending, I'll kill you now remnant," she said pulling out her sabers the yellow flashed to the brightest shade of red, her true loyalty finally showing,

"Except I saw one thing you didn't in my future," you smiled sinisterly at her, "today is not the day I die," you said rushing her, "but this is the day I restore order. Don't think I haven't been aware of what you been playing at? I was always the smartest one."

"But I was always better with my blades."

The sabers clashed together in archs of sparks of fury, every collision hissing. Tears started falling when you saw Wrecker still hadn't gotten up.

"I see the rage and darkness in you," Timera called over the sound of her Saber grazing your mask off letting it fall to the ground, "It's the day a part of you dies."

"You need to take him and fall back to the ship," Obi said.

"We don't leave our own behind, take Commander Cody and go," Hunter replied.

"That is an order Sergeant." 

"One we are electing to disobey," Tech said managing to get to his feet, his throat on fire, "you might be A General but she is THE General," he said grabbing both of his blasters.

"Our," Crosshair corrected.

"Let's show her why 99 has never failed a mission," Hunter said flipping his knife.

"Sir, Yes, Sir," Crosshair said tossing his mirrors around the now cleared room except for them.

"There's no point in arguing with them," Cody said grabbing Kenobi's arm, "For your safety we have to move. Will you boys be alright?"

"We'll see you later at 79's, Cody," Echo smiled, "Save us a table."

"Will do. Let's go," Cody said dragging General Kenobi out of the room.

"So it is that future, hmm" Indel said looking at Obi, "Have the preparations been made?" She asked the guard.

"The rest have already tracked down and eliminated and Aslepios has been summoned to tend to their wounds when it is over."

"What do you mean this future?"

"You and your former padawan destroyed the balance of the force. Reaper must contain this threat to what balance is left," Indel said, "We need to get out Aslepios's way."

Obi looked up to see a person robes in orange and gold, the hood covering the face and sleeves covering the hands and assumed that was Aslepios and stepped out of their way.

Echo and Hunter stayed near Wrecker covering him. Crosshair lined up and fired several shots, moving out of the way of the resend. Tech rapidly fired and kept moving not allowing the shots to be reflected back at him. Each of them studying and looking for the opening to make for her.

"To those who fight together," Hunter said noticing it, watching her saber block over head leaving both of their sides opens.

"May they fight to become one," Crosshair smirked shooting near the opening to show it off.

"As they are stronger together," Echo smiled putting his blaster away.

"As one may they move together," Tech said dropping four blast in Timera's side.

"To victory and to glory," you finished watching in slow motion as Timera screamed as her saber  punctured your stomach but you took the red saber and rammed it through the opening and through her heart, "May balance find you in the afterlive, traitor," you gritted out, switching off the saber staring at the perfect whole through you.

You felt familiar hands on you, Aslepios's red Rodian's hands contrasted against the gold, "Him first, that's an order," You let out using her to gently guide both of you to Wrecker.

"As you wish, Master," she took her hands off and put them on Wreckers throat.

"I don't know if you are aware, but you have a... perforation," Tech said shakily staring it.

"Oh this?" You said laughing sticking your hand through it, "Not the first time," you watched Crosshair raise his riffle at her 'her face twitched'. You pried yourself up of Wrecker, Crosshair immediately grabbed you and carried you over. Taking out the yellow saber and you brought it across her face all the way through, "she can't twitch now," you mumbled before he guided you back to your place next to Wrecker, treating you like fractured glass. Trembling taking over.

"That hurt," Wrecker mumbled looking up at the  stranger leaning over him, "Reaper!," his eyes flashed to the hole.

"Master, laid down," Aslepios said pushing you down.

"I'll be fine boys, if any of you dare put me in a tank after this," you threaten before you felt one of Tech's darts in your neck.

"She'll be fine right?" Wrecker said horrified.

"Yes," Aslepios said sticking her hand into the hole, slowly rebuilding everything layer by layer.

"Fascinating," Tech said observing his hand had the lightest shake while pulling out the dart, "Why do you call her Master instead of Collector as I'm assuming, Master, Indel did?" he said noticing the puzzle piece that wasn't clicking with the rest and it distracted his mind.

"Indel is the binding and she is the pages."

"I- never mind. I do not have ample brainpower needed in this moment."

"She's the real Tome, idiot," Crosshair said taking a seat on the floor taking off his helmet to chew on a toothpick while they wait.

"You're different," Aslepios said looking at him, "Don't forget what home means Crosshair," she added smiling, which caused him to stare because no one had said his name.

Obi and Cody headed back the ship once the firing stopped, "Do you trust them?" Obi asked.

"Those are the finest men I have ever fought beside. They'll be fine."

"Do they disobey orders normally?" Obi chuckled when Cody nodded aggressively, "She finally found the squad she belongs with."

"Indeed she has, Sir."

"Trouble makers," Obi said giving the signal to take off.

"Another successful mission," Wrecker said scooping her up when the lady was done.

"I'm not sure I classify call this as a success mission," Tech said motioning to the prized possessions in this arms, "however I would not classify it as a failure either," he pondered the dilemma.

"Delivered the item, saved the galaxy and took out a major threat... I think qualifies as success," Echo said also staring at her.

"She wanted sleep after the mission," Crosshair snarked, "Didn't specify how."

Tech rolled his eyes but climbed onto the ship preparing for take off, climbing his seat he found a small book with the note 'Dutch Death' on it wondering who snuck it on board. He opened the book to find the slice mark on the first page, So her mess is catching up, I'll inform her later. He took the book and walked it over to her room where he found all of his brothers already at. She was asleep in Wreckers lap, snoring gently and he found Hunter and Echo leaning up against each other in Echos made shift bed and of course Crosshair was against the opposite silently watching. Tech smiled at the scene and fidgeted with his googles before putting the book on the chest.

"She's even cute when she's asleep" Wrecker loudly whispered.

"Most gorgeous women I've ever seen" Hunter admitted.

"And the scariest," Crosshair added.

Hunter elbows Echo, "Only woman I could ever want," he said flickering his eyes open.

"Only woman who could want you," Crosshair snickered playing with his toothpick.

Echo scowled at him but looked at Tech for his comment, "She is..." Tech started but the thought trailed off not finding the right words.

"Impressive," Crosshair said twirling the toothpick to the other side of his mouth, "Vocabulary."

"She is simply the most exhilarating.. intoxicating stupefying woman whom deserves to worshipped with adoration and devotion. She leaves also tends to leave me with an insatiable appetite..."

"Shut up," Hunter and Echo said together watching the rambling and how quick Tech adjusted his goggles and left.

Crosshair chuckled, "He hit the bantha on the head."

"A little more in-depth then it needed to be," Echo yawned closing his eyes again.

"Rest of us were thinking it," Wrecker said.

Everyone gawked for a second before dismissing it, "Luckiest men to exists."

"Yes, Wolffepack One?" Tech said opening the communication against his better judgement.

"Heard things got dicey... Everyone okay?" Tech caught the double meaning.

"Yes, there was no substantial injuries. The report should be available momentarily," Tech quickly finished typing everything that he was aware he could put in and added it tag for 'In need of review pending possible sensitive information' with a sign that information was missing, "Report sent."

Wolffe gleamed it over annoyed that it was missing information but didn't see any injuries listed, "Thank you. See you soon."

Tech cut out off the communication with a groan. He set the ship to go annoyed that was going to go ruin the moment, "Wolffe is apparently going attempt to rendezvous with us on Coruscant."

"Why don't we just park it somewhere else?" Wrecker asked.

"Because of the ship's signature, he'll know where we land regardless."

"Him and I have a score to settle," Crosshair said standing up tossing his toothpick in her mini garbage can, "He won't be a problem," he said putting his hand on his hip staring down at her.

"Is that what she would want?" Hunter asked.

Crosshair walked over and carefully opened the robe smirking as he trailed his fingers on the hickey but the smirk faltered, "Us first. I'll deal with it," Crosshair gridded out heading to out to make a private communication.

"That's ominous."

Hunter let out a sigh, "It is."

Tech raised an eyebrow, "and?"

"Crosshair diplomacy."

Tech scowled and put his hand in his head, "He's actually trying diplomacy," he heard Hunter say, "What?" Tech stormed off to hear what was going on.

"You're warm," you mumbled still half asleep, rolling over slightly in what felt like Wreckers big lap, "Mmm" you mumbled moving your hand his thigh before passing back out.

"Excuse you, what are you being diplomatic about without us?" Tech said pointy pissed sticking his finger at Crosshair.

"Calm down, goggles," Wolffe said.

"My name is Tech, T-e-c-h. Would you prefer if I call you scar face? I thought not. Crosshair?" He snapped.

He felt Echos hand pull him back, "Easy... Tech. You know he's just as territorial."

Crosshair flicked his toothpick into his googles, "Get your libidinous urges under control, it's not like I'm offering him usage of her uter-." 

"I get the picture," Wolffe said hot faced.

"That's yours and Hunter's job-" Crosshair said grabbing his goggle band and making it snap against his head, "Although if you keep acting like this she'll let Hunter-"

"We'll talk more about it when you boys all get here," Wolffe said face and ear burning. Wolffe shut off the com with more questions then answers and he didn't know if that annoyed him more about Clone Force 99.

Crosshair said shoving his finger into Tech's chest armor, "We don't get traditional shore leave like the regs, I offered him the traditional time IF she wants to spend it with him. She is ours. Simple."

"Fine. I will make the final jump to Coruscant."

"Did you really have to bring that subject up?" Echo asked.

"It shut both of them up," he smiled putting another tooth pick in his mouth and slugged off for his alone time in his bunk.

Can I catch a break? Echo thought to himself finding Hunter leaving the room following after Tech's angry foot steps. He popped his head into the room to find both of them asleep, Echo half fluffed his pillow and decided this was as good as any time to sleep.

Wolffe stood at the end of the ramp awkwardly for you to change and come out a meet him, you watched him blink several times at the red backless and side slit dress that you adorned for the occasion. Another successful mission and a looming threat terminated.

"Maker is a woman," Wolffe hooted extending his arm waiting for you to take it.

"I mean you're not wrong," you smiled taking it, "Where's-?" You asked not noticing the squad.

"Their already there with a surprise of their own, but I think I won this one," he said viciously undressing you with his eyes.

You playfully smacked his shoulder, holding a little tighter to his arm. All you found upon waking up was a note attached to a dress that one of them had hung up with 'We'll see you soon.' Wolffe kept eyeing you, not entirely sure if he trusted Tech's report.

You noticed his darting eyes over you, "Looking for something?"

"Tech's report said no injuries but I'm just checking."

"Oh I had a saber go through me but that's classified."

"What?!" He said angrily stopping and pulling you into his chest, "I think that is something I need to know."

"It's all healed," you said leaning up and kissing his cheek.

He let a low growl, "Fine it was right here," you said pointing to where the whole was, he leaned down and kissed it, "How hard was that?"

You rolled your eyes, "Something on your mind?"

"You're always on it," he smirked pulling us back into a walking pace.

"What has you in such a good mood?"

"The boys might be going through some excruciating pain right now to prove they love you," he cackled.

You sat on the same speeder as him, wrapping your arms around his waist even under the armor you didn't doubt his strength or durability. It was a calming sensation they were built to be durable but not heartless. You leaned your head on his armor, wondering what the boys were up to letting him near you. Wolffe's mind was busier and more clouded than normal. You didn't want to pry because you knew you were going to find out anyway. Walking into the 79's the mild sent of way to much alcohol had already returned, the music was louder then normal and several girls trying to pick up troopers. It was easily what you would have choose to be your second home. 

Wolffe nodded to the back room, "I'll get drinks, go see," he said kissing the side of your head, letting his eyes trail down you.

The jester got a couple small snickers along with a few disappointed looks from ladies eyeing him. Good luck, Ladies. You peaked through the small window and laughed, you quietly opened the door not trying to disrupting the 'men bonding time' going on that consisted of throwing punches. You saw your boys striped down to their blacks and the pack fully suited with the exceptions of there helmets, you bit your lip to keep from whistling at their muscular out lines and it looked like it was just starting.

"Vine?" Wolffe whispered offering the candy, "Before you say this is barbaric they suggested it."

"I was going to say this might be one of the hottest things I've ever seen," you whispered excitedly before chewing on the candy.

"You should have seen Crosshair and I then, shirtless," he emphasized.

"I would have paid to watch that," you purred, "after scolding both you."

"Want us to give you a... reenactment," he breathed suggestively.

Hunter heard two heart rates spike, he flickered his eyes to the two people leaning against the wall. He rolled his eyes, Tech's going to kill him. Hunter side stepped the Trooper with ease pulling his arm guiding his fist into another Trooper. He smiled hearing one heart rate spike further.

"As discussed, no touching for the next forty eight hours," Tech threatened catching them off guard, "I hope you are liking the entertainment-" he watched Hunter drop two more.

"Why?" You asked innocently.

"Biological reasons," Wolffe said staring at the ceiling wishing Hunter was knocking him out just so he didn't have to be apart of this conversation.

"I'm assuming that was a non negotiable?"

"You assume correctly, no one but Echo for obvious reasons. While there is a less then a point zero three chance, however it is a chance none the less so it's presumingly just a self satisfying precaution to ease my mind."

"Maybe you should go hop in the ring and get some of that testosterone out," you laughed.

"I have actually- Twice to see if six would actually be a sufficient challenge, perhaps I should have selectived more however I will again because you may be correct."

"You and me, goggles," Wolffe said poking at him knowing the button he was pushing, "for the next forty eight instead of credits."

Your hand reach out on Tech's face undoing the button, "Not fair," Wolffe grumbled.

"You are aware?" Tech asked recognizing he was aware of what you were doing.

"There probably isn't a thing I don't know?"

"Do you know every time she heals she on purposely fractures a specific spot in her leg?" He said adjusting his goggles.

"You what-"

"The more you know, Scarface," he smiled walking off to join his brothers.

"Excuse me," Wolffe said staring, "Do you realize you basically live in a Bacta tank?"

"It doesn't hurt."

"Bantha crap."

You wrapped your hands around him watching Hunter exchanging blows, "You've always said I'm built like a clone."

"When when we heal, we heal."

You watch Hunter walk off a blow to the jaw, "It's never impeded me in a fight or in the bedroom."

Wolffe let a small growl but conceded, happy woman happy life or this one will hand your thrusters in the middle of the night. He petted your hair being quiet so both of you watch the fighting. After receiving another good slug to the jaw Hunter finally dropped the last guy standing. He watched him walk over and chug a whole canteen of water in one go watching Wrecker step up.

"They don't stand a chance" you whispered committing the sight and muscle to memory, the flex in his thighs when he moved or how big is biceps looked when stretching and you were very aware of the intense physical reaction.

"What's his deal?" Wolffe said watching Hunter put his helmet on and sit in the corner.

"Tech on steroids."

"I don't want to know or hear a single detail," he admitted.

"I can promise I won't say anything, can't promise on there behalf."

"There isn't a thing I don't know," he groaned not wanting to remember any of it shaking his head, "If I ever here the words thoroughest report, I may stun myself."

You watch Wrecker grab a the trooper by the wrist and drop the other 5 spinning him, set him down and slugged him in the chest. That was hot. He crossed his arms putting them on full display and walked off the mat watching you stare at him. That's why she calls me Big Boy because I'm a Big Tank. Tech stepped up to the mat again waiting for them to pick themselves up, "Again?" they grumbled noticing him. They managed to get quiet a few hits in but he didn't go down, pain was a temporary sensation. You watched as one trooper tagged him in the mouth and his lip split, Wolffe grabbed you tighter and covered your mouth to keep you from going over there, "Quiet, Vencuy. He's taken an punch from me before he'll be fine." Wolffe waited until your breathing settled to remove the hand from your mouth, Crosshair glaring at him for it. Crosshair

understood why he did it, he just didn't like not being the one who was doing it. "See, Vencuy. He's strong," Wolffe pointed out as Tech rammed the one who split his lip in the cheek bone knocking him out of bounds and grabbed another by armor and knocked him into another, "I don't understand what you find attractive in a bunch of defects, but they are definitely one person armies," it was a back handed compliment.

"I'm a sucker for people who don't fit in pretty little boxes."

"Nor little packages," he added.

"Thank Jango for his massive co-," you abruptly saw two troopers nearly tackle Tech who was a little wobbly, Wolffe grabbed you again.

"She should pick Hunter," Crosshair snickered enjoying the show, "taken down by a reg. Pathetic."

Tech swung him self around the trooper and brought his foot down on his back pinning him flat, "You were saying?"

"Are they always like this?" Wolffe whispered.

"Usually worse."

"How do you deal with it?"

You stared up at him with that twinkle in your eye and he shut up, "I didn't need to know," he said moving you in front of him putting his hands on your hips, "cause I know how much I enjoy that look," he whispered gently rubbing you into him, "a little to much."

"If you two need a minute," Sinker laughed putting a towel around his neck, "took you both long enough to patch stuff up."

"You have sworn both of you would have snuck off an eloped, not like any of us would have tattled " Comet added pat drying his sweaty face off, "Confused the hell out of all of us when he said it was over."

Wolffe's smiled flattered because he knew they were right and that was another regret he needed to find peace with. He held you a little rougher, trying to show he was playful but the boys saw the look in his face that they accidentally hit a nerve. When you touched his face he also knew that you could feel it, "Don't," he whispered.

"Well still have one arm and old man wanna be," Sinker said mentioning to Echo and Crosshair waiting, "maybe for them it should be three on one for them."

"You need at least three more for Crosshair," you told him smugly.

Wolffe pulled away knowing exactly what he neeeded, "How about a show," he said taking off the armor and his shirt heading towards Crosshair who flicked away the toothpick, "I've been waiting," taking his off and heading towards the ring.

Can I be stuck between them? Please? You watched them stand in the middle exchanging punches to the face and chest, nothing fancy just standing and taking it.

"This is going to take a while," Echo said handing you another drink, "Enjoying it?"

"You have no idea."

"The Helmet gives me the idea," running his finger up the front of your thigh up to your hip.

"You two really...?" Comet gawked his finger pointed lowly.

"Need a demonstration?" You said to finish making him uncomfortable.

Sinker covered his eyes, "No, Sir."

"Actually-"

"Don't finish that sentence," Echo said already feel your hand go to his head, "I need to focus for the fight."

"Killjoy."

"You know you don't actually have too right?" Comet added, "It was optional."

"It would look weird if I didn't," Echo added his two credits, "Plus I know she'll like it."

"Maybe just one," you pleaded letting your fingers go his connection, "Since it's going to take them awhile."

"We'll give you too a minute," Sinker said grabbing Comet by the arm, "Awe I wanted to know."

Echo dragged you back to the wall, "Watching us really got you going," he said watching Crosshair take a direct to the face and barely flinching.

"I would be taking each of you right now if it wasn't for Tech's rule."

"Lucky me," he purred in your ear.

Crosshair face was starting to burn, "Fun?" he added taking his turn.

"A bonding experience," Wolffe joked rubbing his jaw, "She's enjoying it," he said noticing her hands dancing all over Echo while watching the fight, the quick raise and drop of her chest while breathing.

"Such a good girl," Crosshair praised pointy staring back at her while colliding with Wolffe's scared eyebrow.

"Do you boys get off watching each other or something," Wolffe said then noticing the serene look on Echo's face and quickly looking away, "That's a little public."

"I'll show you public."

"Forty eight remember," Wolffe reminded him.

Crosshair smirked, "There's loopholes."

"Forget I said anything."

"Reaper," Echo moaned sticking his face in your neck to try to quiet himself.

You gently swiped yourself across him, your own heart racing just as fast, "Echo."

"Stop watching," Sinker said smacking Comet's arm.

"It's hot," they heard Wrecker say randomly behind them also watching, "I wondered how it worked with out his cyber-"

"I get the picture" Sinker said shaking his head.

"Lucky man who can get it on anywhere," Comet said impressed.

"Yeah doesn't have to worry about cleaning up," Wrecker added not realizing it might have been to much information.

"Any reason you're holding back?" you teased.

"Everyone's watching," the words jumbled out, but he pressed himself more into you.

"Wishing they could be you," Echo huffed but knew you probably were right, he let his hand trail back down your side letting himself fully enjoy the static sensation of pleasure traveling down his connections.

Crosshair and Wolffe were both starting to get sluggish with there exchanges, black eyes starting to form and knuckles starting to crack. I could do this all day for the look on her face, Crosshair smiled. Why am I doing this again? Wolffe wondered. Crosshair looked over to her helping a panting Echo to the floor, scarlet flushing both of their faces. My little harlot, Crosshair flexed his fingers, "Giving in yet?"

"Nope," Wolffe said noticing the erotic scene, "Power throws only," he said adjusting his stance.

You noticed Wrecker walking over with water, handing it to Echo, "That answered a lot of people's questions," watching Echo's face get redder, "Mer," Wrecker said pulling you down on the floor on his lap, "Front row seat."

"Thank you, Wrecker," you cooed, accidently wiggling a little to get comfy.

"U-h," he huffed out.

"Sorry, it was... poking me."

"It's fine," his breath hitched, he put his hands behind his head to prove that he wasn't doing anything indecent, "Think their almost done?"

"Soon they're swinging like cadets," Echo said in one breath.

Tech sat against the wall Hunter putting Bacta on the wounds. Tech sighed realizing he was more like his brothers then he wanted to believe. Hunter was smiling while watching the room, the pack being exhausted and the fun his squad mates were having. It's a nice change of pace just to spar and drink. Hunter laughed watching Crosshair and Wolffe dropped to their knees still punching. We'll at least they don't do anything half assed to proved a point. Sinker and Comet came and sat next to them watching offering drinks. Hunter tipped his helmet back and chugged it before putting back on.

"The things you do for love, eh?" Sinker said watching.

"Crosshair has never exhibited this kind of behavior before at least not that I have ever observed, it is most fascinating. He is what most would call cold hearted."

"He's more focused on her more then actual fight," Comet said noticing where his eyes were.

"That is a byproduct of his conditioning, he has always been severe and unyielding. He was natural quiet severe in how he ended things and holds it against himself. This is his way of offering her his atonement knowing if she makes him yield due to injury therefore forfeiting thus making Wolffe the winner, he knows it will be held over his head and bruise his large ego," Tech rambled putting the pieces together blinking rapidly trying to process the information, "Fascinating," he said standing up examining the wounds on there faces.

"Going to in yet?" Wolffe asked slugging him in the nose with an audible crack.

"Augh," he let out, "Crosshair-" he heard her get up, "I'm fine" looking at her "Good one," he growled at Wolffe before doing the same thing not pulling the punch, "Let's just finish this."

"Couldn't have said it better."

"Hasn't this gone on long enough?" You said stepping up to the mat before you felt Tech hand on you, whispering what he said earlier and letting you make the decision, "Fine," you gritted out, your stomach twisting, "I need a tall tall drink," you said exiting the room to wait at the end of the bar.

"Getting out of hand?" The bartender said grabbing one of the bigger glasses.

"Yeah."

"Want me to break it up?" He asked in all seriousness sliding it to you.

"No, it's something they feel like they have to do," you said taking a drink.

You turned around to find Comet looking for you, motioning for you hurry up. Both of them were even more banged up and bruised then you left. Neither one of them were pulling their punches anymore and it was getting ugly. You pulled the drink away from your lips your stomach threatening to come up. Both of there eyes flickered to you before they stopped.

"I yield, Don't make me regret this," Wolffe said stepping off the mat then grabbing bacta and smearing it all over his face and jaw. He walked over and down half of what was left of the drink with a wince of pain motioning for you to go talk to him.

Crosshair picked the empty corner and sat down, "Leave me alone," he told his brothers when they walked over. A small section of his jaw felt fractured but he still put a toothpick his mouth leaning his head against the wall and shutting his eyes, "Leave me alone," he said to who ever was walking up.

You forcibly spread his legs and sat between them, "Excuse-," he said opening his eyes the anger softening.

"Cross-"

"I'm fine."

"Let me put the Bacta on," you said reaching for the tube but he stopped you, "Not yet." You scowled at him but looked at the bruising and obvious pain, "please."

"Please," he gridded out, his grip tightening before letting go his knuckles and hands on hurting.

"Crosshair," you said once he leaned his head against the wall, "you didn't need to go through that for me."

"Yes I did."

"Sith's Karking Hell, Crosshair," you said loudly getting his attention and everyone else's, "PLEASE."

He reluctant and sat up, "I-" he cut himself off because the words felt so wrong even though they were correct, "I know," you tried easing but it made him more upset, "Tech told me why you did this," you whispered.

"What does he know," he scoffed wincing when you coated his hands.

"He knows you better then anyone else,"

Crosshair leaned forward and rested his forehead on yours, "Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum" he whispered, the mandalorian rolling off his tongue perfectly.

"I love you too, Crosshair," he took the toothpick out of his mouth momentarily to kiss you briefly pulling back at the state of his mouth was in, "This is gonna hurt," you said pulling back with a smile and covering his face in Bacta, "I love you, Crosshair," you winces has you fixed his nose and put the bacta on it, "As hot as it was watching you fight please don't go that far again. Just try to talk to me... okay?"

"I— love you too. I'll spar any time you want if you'll look at me like that again."

"One of these days we can spar" You said distracting him while you slapped another coat on his jaw, "I promise you'll like it."

"I did not take you for a masochist," Tech said looking down examining Crosshair's face.

"I'm not."

"Your face says otherwise. Anyway as I was going to say Wolffe said Echo fight is... postponed so they're going to go drink. The tattooist is late," Tech said coughing and then adjusting his goggles, "Crosshair, I am... proud of you."

"Thank you."

"That's surely never happened before," Tech said blinking before recomposing himself, "We're going to head out to the bar, when his face is more acceptable to look at come join us," turning.

You put your face in Crosshair's chest, "Why didn't you stop when I walked over?" 

"You didn't order me too."

You leaned up kissing up and down his neck knowing his face was still to banged up. You sat there for a minute and smelled the sweat off of him and laughed slightly before kissing his throat again not caring. He gently put his arms around you cautious of his hands, amused with attention.  Crosshair saw the threat and understanding across Tech's face when he left and rolled his eyes at Wrecker's thumbs up, "Crosshair," his attention flicked back to you studying his face, "Yes?" playing with toothpick.

"Did Wolffe also break your dick?" you asked playfully finally noticing it shifting.

"He wishes," he said carefully pulling back his hands, "however," he growled, "I do have to obey Tech's stupid rule."

"What do you get out of it?" You murmured running your hand over the outline on his blacks.

"First after every fight," he attempted to smirk, "No interruptions. Next person who removes my mark without my permission, losing bedroom privileges for a week."

"What if I had too or I'm injured and get tanked?"

"If you have too is one thing but if you get tanked, I also get first after that."

"You took all of the fun ones didn't you?"

"I'm very demanding."

You pulled down the blacks, "Not as demanding as I am," you said biting the side of his throat and letting you hand gently stroke him til you felt the beads of precum form. The moment you put your mouth down on him a noise you never heard him make in the bedroom slip out and his cock twitched getting a little more firm. Crosshair stared down thanking the maker for your existence, "I've wanted this since the first time you walked out of the shower," he said carefully yet painfully running his thumb over your lips.

Your grip at this tip tighten and pushed down along with your mouth. Not caring about the pain he grabbed your hair and pushed you down a little, "I'm going to stand up, I want to watch," Crosshair could feel the pounding of this need his groin. He carefully stood up and watched your face lit up as he stared at your lips around him, "kark," he mumbled bringing the other hand to your face. It was hard for him not to cum right there looking at you, feeling how warm and deep in your mouth he was, how gently were you trying to be to keep him from accidentally hurting his hands and the look you had into your eyes. He felt some of himself seep out and he groaned but it turned into a moan when he felt your tongue push against the opening coaxing more out, "So beautiful," he whispered.

You turned up the heat knowing you needed to out and have some fun with your boys. You grabbed his hips and held him still much to his annoyance. You went to town on him trying to milk him with your mouth if it was your last meal. "Kriff," "Kair'ta," "Crinking Hell," and "Good girl." The last one broke you, every time he called you that you could feel your excitement pooling between your legs. You sucked him harder letting your tongue push against him dragging. One hand removed it's self, putting it at the base of his cock and pumped him with every bob. You could hear that it hurt him be he curled his fingers into your hair the sensation wilding him up, "Are you actually-  going to do it- until I- rghhhh." You drinking him down, was answer enough. You could visually see his thighs quivering and for once his cock actually started softening quickly, drained. You wiped the drool on around your mouth and smirked at him, but he wasn't there his eyes were semi glazed over still staring down. His finally looked at you, his breathing still incredibly ragged, "Bet no one has sucked you speechless before," you joked.

"Never actually," he breathed out, mildy feeling sick the sensation; his organs and balls trying to find their places again after how violently they shook realizing, "never actually- had a- woman-"

You put your face next to his ear so the heat would hit him, "I'll keep leting you finish in my mouth, if you keep tasting like that," you kissed the side of his face which was finely not a dark purple shade, almost back to his normal hue, before dancing away leaving him staring at your hips and the jiggle of your ass sway away. You tried to make a show of adjust your clothes... until you felt how soaked your underwear were, you quickly darted over the private bathroom and dried it and yourself up as much as possible before heading out. You giggled as Crosshair was still staring at you while putting on his armor sloppily.

"I thought he was gonna take all day," you looked up to see Wrecker leaning against the wall waiting, "I totally thought he was gonna lose," he admitted grabbing your hand, "the ink guy showed up so I figured I'd let you squish my hands again instead of the chair. Seems more comfortable."

You saw the rest of the boys standing around the chair waiting awkwardly, "Just so I heard you right, you want the invisible tattoo not invisible? You know that is going to hurt a lot... Right?"

"I do have a sedative-" Tech said pulling out an extra tranq.

"No Tech, you guys did that to prove to Wolffe and the boys. This is my turn, I should have done it right the first time. I want all of theirs and Wolffe's inked."

"That is going to a lot, more you should take his offer."

"Just do it."

Wrecker was on his knees watching you in admiration, "See not that-"

You're hands clamped down on his hands with a small crack, not broken but you definitely popped  something and holding your jaw tight enough you though your teeth were going to shatter.

"Hey hey hey" Wrecker tried to say in a soothing voice, "once it's done you could say it was an explosion," he smiled trying to make a joke to the disbelief look of his brothers, "You can squeeze harder."

"I'll break on my own hand" you gritted out feeling the fourth helmet color in.

Wrecker got close and put his face next to your shoulder, peaking over you too at the helmets which were color wise pretty close, "WOW. It's worth it," he said excited for you to see and mildly squishing your hands. He pull back a little still close, "Sorry if you wanted someone else to do this, I was here the first time so it just felt right.."

"It's perfect Wrecker, but if I ever get an invisible tattoo again... just push me off the ship before we land."

"I think not," Tech said shocked.

"I'll hold him out of the way," Hunter said looking at Tech jokingly.

"How about I watch how many poppers you deflected if you do?" Wolffe said moving in and looking over Wrecker, "I don't envy that," he said stepping backward.

"POPPER BALL?" It came out as a welp as the next one filled in.

"We haven't played that in forever," Comet laughed joining.

"What's popper ball?" Echo asked raising an eyebrow.

"You wack an Electro Magnetic Pulse Grenade with the launcher, duh," Wrecker said, "It's a lot of fun."

"Wolfffeeee, you me and Wrecker vs Sinker, Comet and Boost... Wait- OW- Where is he?" you asked.

"Picking out something," he chuckled.

Wolffe watched everyone's eyes fall on him besides Wrecker who was to busy watching her and the tattoo develop. He rolled his eyes, "Haven't you ever got a lady something?" looking at them, "Well technically you are not getting is Boost is," Tech replied, "It's something I got her a long ago that I on purposely had him lose somewhere." Wolffe saw the confused look on your face before you winced again the last helmet getting filled in. He shook his head trying to say this wasn't the time or place to talk about it, you gave him a brief nod returning your attention to Wrecker.

"If it is what I think it is" Crosshair hissed finally joining them, "We'll be stepping back into the other room."

"Did he hear-"  Comet started.

"Shut up-" Sinker said elbowing him.

"Boys, you all are pretty. shut up," you mildly snapped the pain attempting to fade out your vision as the pack symbol colored in their beautiful grey shade.

"Me too?!" Wrecker asked trying to take the edge of.

"Of course you too," you said feeling bad about the lack of time together but these moments were small and beautiful, "you're very handsome, Wrecker."

"It might be" Wolffe smiled.

[faoighiche]

PARTNERS : @wonder-in-wings | @mortemoppetere | @eldritchaccident TIMING : Early December. LOCATION : A shed in the Pines. SUMMARY : Burrow and Parker go to a secret shed to discuss their plans. Emilio and Teddy interrupt. Payback is a bitch. WARNINGS : Drug manipulation (mention), domestic abuse (mention), eye trauma (mention), alcoholism, unsanitary

The steam rising from the cup felt pleasant on Burrow’s nose. Well, the thing that was her “nose,” molded by the glamour encasing her. She took a sip of her tea: black with a squirt of lemon and a spoonful of honey. It was not as good as the honey from Nectarfell; an unfortunate nostalgia she could not remove. She could barely remember the taste now, just left with the knowledge that the honey from the human store was lacking somehow. It lingered on her tongue longer than necessary before she swallowed. It filled her with warmth, which was much needed as the air grew colder. She hated the winter months. It killed her parasites and made her tendrils slow to help. But she would continue to push through, for their sake. It was the reason why she found herself there, in the woods with a killer of her kind. Necessary uneases to be the proper protector she was made to be. 

Burrow was familiar with winter’s slow embrace of death, but the ways of ironmongers were not as clear. Of course, she had heard the nightmares they bring, as all fae children did. But it was always through the eyes of others, not her own. She watched the man curiously. The binds on him were strong and firm; she could feel how they writhed around his neck. But still, she wondered, what would he do without them? Where would he strike first? Would it be quick? Would he watch her bleed out? What would be done of her body? She would see it, eventually, done to another. Her morbid curiosity sated through another necessary unease. She would have it readily, the same as the mediocre honey. She took another sip. 

“There it is.” Burrow pointed to the dilapidated shed. It was easily missed, appearing as another collection of shrubs and moss amongst the wild floor. It had been claimed by nature, but since she was a being of pure nature, she knew it would not mind her use. Not that she would let it stop her. It would serve her just as any. “We can discuss more... sensitive matters in there.” A vagueness she knew he would understand. 

—

The writhing mass of insects taking a temporary human shape wasn’t the only being that walked along in the forest that day that would rather have not been out there. Parker also disliked cold weather, even as it was being staved off periodically by each sip of the hot drink in his hands - white Earl Grey with… he wasn’t sure. Bergamot oil. Something citrus-y, he wasn’t really thinking about it. No, instead he was thinking about the way his blood churned in his veins as he walked alongside Burrow. The way his joints stiffened with each brush of brisk wind on his exposed skin. The way he could feel her eyes on him as she was likely studying him. He still couldn’t figure out why; was it the scars that lined his body like cracks on ceramics? Was it how much they had in common despite being on entirely opposite sides of the scale? He felt his teeth grit under pursed lips, the phantom sensation of feeling the deals pressing into his skin though he were tugging against a chain. ‘No matter how much they might seem to be, fae are not and will never be human. Never forget that, boy.’

He just knew that he couldn’t look at her for very long, not unless he wanted to add the feeling of his mind starting to race to his list of sensations. It had been a while now since that Fateful encounter in the forest, when she had bound him to several different deals, each one engraved on the inside of his skull and wrapped around his neck. And yet, despite all of this, Parker still longed to observe her, to take her apart, see how she operated. Add her to his collection. Just a piece. ‘It’s a shame you can’t; I’d love to see that happen.’ It was. He felt himself tightly coiled like the eternal spring he was but his mind was in disharmony regarding acting on that tension - what would he have been able to do if she attacked him? He wasn’t able to think about that at the time he was unfavorably restrained. Which part of it ended with regards serving her goal? She said she wouldn’t kill him, but the Warden knew as well as anyone how much someone could live without.

But then he thought, there wasn’t anything he could’ve done. It was pointless to think about, in that case. Not thinking about it was easier said than done and he tried to turn his mind into being more aware of their surroundings - how many steps it took to get to where they were going, how her tempo was, the sounds she made. The time of day, feeling each time his blood washed over itself in microcosmic waves in his veins.

If there was something fortunate about Burrow, it was that she was similar to Metzli when she didn’t expect small talk. Their journey was one in relative silence, going from Steeper’s Stop to pick up their drinks to the Greenhorn, the trail she had specified to him until the duo arrived at the abandoned structure. Parker’s blue-eyed stare danced over the details of the shed, immediately recalling the similarities it shared to his workshop; how intricately it hid among the foliage, the underbrush and patchy fuzz. How unassuming the exterior felt. How long it had been there, unappreciated until it was found by two individuals that were likely equally as unappreciated. “Very well.” He finally stole a glance sideways at her, uncharacteristically brief before pulling his gaze away once more and motioning for her to lead the way inside the discarded structure. 

—

For the most part, Emilio tended to prefer hunting alone. Other hunters were difficult to trust these days, especially after the various… altercations he’d had with a few of the ones in town. Hunting with nonhunters stressed him out for an entirely different reason, each moment of action tinged with an undercurrent of stress that something might happen, that they might end up dead, that it would be his fault. Hunting alone was a much simpler ordeal, even if it tended to leave him in worse shape than he might have found himself with backup involved. 

But hunting alone had also become a tad more difficult as of late. Sharing a house with Teddy meant that they were aware of his comings and goings, and it was difficult to hide where he was going when he headed out on a hunt. Teddy was smart enough to notice when he went out with more weaponry on him than usual, and they cared enough to prefer it when he didn’t go out alone on those days. Sometimes, Emilio could talk them out of it. Some days, they managed to out-stubborn him. Today happened to be one of the latter.

He trudged along beside them through what remained of the fall leaves on the forest floor, tense and uneasy as he always was when someone joined him on a hunt. The familiar paranoia crawled under his skin, eyes darting to the treeline as Teddy rambled on in a rant likely only designed to keep Emilio from growing too anxious in the silence. At least the adrenaline that came with the paranoid anxiety eased some of the pain in his knee. It had been worse since the ordeal with Parker, but it wasn’t bothering him as much in this moment. It was a small silver lining, but it was there all the same.

It was because of his paranoid scanning of the treeline that he spotted them first. A hand shot out to stop Teddy, a glance telling them to stop talking. Subtly, Emilio guided them behind a nearby tree. His heart was pounding in his chest, anxiety reaching a fever pitch. “Someone’s up ahead,” he said lowly. “I think — Christ, Teds, I think it’s that asshole. Had a kid with him. Shit.” His mind was reeling, hand already going for a knife. “How much do I have to pay you to get you to make a break for it and let me handle this?”

—

A wave doesn’t know that it’s a wave until it crashes. Until the swell rises far above its apogee and clear water gives way to frothy foam. Breaking against rocks, the wave wonders where the ocean went, where the shore began. Why its journey was cut short, why its water became separated. The wave loses its identity in the tidepools until the rest of the ocean comes to greet it. In, out. Teddy didn’t know how they’d react upon seeing the monster who’d mutilated them. More than just cut, Parker Wright disrupted all sense of safety the demon had. Took away agency along with a tail. 

If you’d have asked them, it’s just as likely that they would have assumed fear to be their all consuming response. That they might flee, might put as much distance between the predator and themself as humanly possible. Or that they’d freeze up, petrified heart, stone still body. What they wouldn’t have expected, wouldn’t have guessed in a million years, was the anger. 

Maybe it was a protective thing, seeing the person beside the beast. Sipping at a warm drink, having a stroll. Had he lured them out there? Was he planning on drugging them too? Or was it another exercise in repaying a gregarious kindness with senseless violence? Teddy didn’t know. Teddy didn’t stop to think. Teddy didn’t reply to Emilio, but they didn’t rush ahead either. 

Instead, they shared a look. Determination lacing the righteous rage that seeped through every pore. In a weird way, Teddy wasn’t quite so fragile now. Whatever harm they received they could return in kind. Give the monster a taste of its own medicine, so to speak. A hungry growl peppered the back of Teddy’s throat. Something far more animalistic, far more suited for their old demonic form. Sure, they took the beast out of their body but the instincts still remained. 

“Let’s get a whole hand this time. Think it’ll go nice over the fireplace.” 

—

Though Burrow appeared to slip through the door, appearances were often deceiving. Just as her face was false to the truth of her nature, her body was as well. Her presence far outreached the limits of that physical form. She was everywhere because they were everywhere. She was the mistletoe that swayed in the crisp air. She was the cordyceps that descended to the ground with its ant. She was the worms feeding in the tree’s phloem. She was also the ones who were trampled upon. There was a presence that pressed into her dodders. It could be anything in those woods. True seclusion was never a guarantee. Luckily, she was also her precious vines. A whisper that turned to a steady drum as she had trekked through the woods. Still, her vines were not as close as the others. A distance she had ensured herself. They were far from the human nest and all the fires and poisons that sought to hurt them. But they watched, patiently, in preparation for if anything were to hurt her. It was why she chose this location. If the ironmonger caused trouble (sneaking through the weaves of her deals) or if an outsider did the same (sneaking through the trees of the forest) then her vines would heed her call. 

Burrow entered the shed. She was greeted by a waterfall of light, dripping through the holes in the ceiling. It fell onto the leaves, ones who had been misplaced since her last visit. Another had been in there. She felt no warmth in the air, heard no sounds in the shadows, or tasted no presence on the wood. Whatever it was had left. Presumably. She spared another moment to search the interior of those forgotten walls, only remembered by those who were not of human society. Nothing else caused her concern. Despite the leaves, it was just as she had left it last. 

Burrow turned to the ironmonger without a care for prelude. She had been musing for too long to delay this any further. “I will use myself as bait, in a sense.” Her voice was low. Not a whisper, but a tone the wood easily claimed for itself. Absorbing her voice before the outside could listen. “I will talk to the fae. I will determine what they know. If what they know is favorable, I will lure them to a different location.” Different in many ways. The fae will congregate wherever they could cause trouble, and this human nest seemed supple for the thing. She had been keeping her eyes on areas like the shed. Things that had lost their purpose. She would bless them with usefulness. “You will be waiting at that location… or you may follow us. Whichever is better for your… methods.” That morbid curiosity returned in a flash of her eyes and a catch in her breath. Her fingers tingled as if she could snatch that knowledge off his tongue. “What are your methods? What are your thoughts on the plan?” 

—

Had his mind been more reminiscent of a child, ever having been full of wonder and whimsy, the aspect of stepping trepidatiously into an obscured, abandoned shed that had long since been enveloped in the mystery of the wood would’ve been excitable to him. Someplace new, someplace to explore, to imagine, to let it hold onto his secrets. As it was now, though, as Parker followed the nymph into the shed with its particles dancing in the rays of light, he only felt a modicum of relief; while he didn’t like being restrained at all, he did find a semblance of solace in enclosed spaces. His house was similar in its perceived protection for him, as was his workshop. 

But this wasn’t a place that he found himself. No, Burrow had found it and Parker reliably placed his hands on his utility belt in a self-soothing gesture as he glanced around the interior of the structure mildly. He wasn’t familiar with the place, but she was, putting him at yet another disadvantage. A studious gaze fell to the floor, as though anticipating stepping into another trap - ever since that day, he had been considerably more careful about where he placed his body, his steel-toed boots, extremities. He was nothing if not a learning creature. That same gaze snapped back to her in her glamored form, knowing better what lay under the shimmery veil of misdirection but taking himself to task to look at her as she spoke.

Blunt, to the point. He didn’t… hate it. In fact, he almost hated that she was speaking so quietly he was having trouble hearing her more and his head turned subconsciously. “The plan is satisfactory.” He replied first after a pause as his mind ran through the ever-present list of possible contingencies, setbacks, shortcomings. It was essentially the same as any other fae and fortunately, his extended time with Rhett had since made him more aware of effective interrogation techniques. Keeping his good ear facing her, Parker began to slowly walk around the area, a subtle form of his pacing when he was more stressed. “My methods are… quiet.” His right hand that rested on his belt thumbed gently over the four, fluid-filled, needle-like daggers that were lined neatly on it. Ever since his encounter with Emilio, he had done a little bit of experimentation to find a stronger formula, something that worked on things like balam and other hunters. Two of them held that new formula; he wanted to see if it worked. “I expect something.” He looked over at the nymph. “And when it’s not given to me, I take it by force.” After a measure of deliberation, Parker’s other hand reached into one of the many pouches on the same belt and he pulled out a vial no bigger than the length of one of his medial phalanges, the glass thin and a clear liquid that glinted in the light that made it into the structure sitting tightly inside. “I subdue.” He explained, slowly, carefully extending his hand, three fingers and a thumb caging the vial as he offered it out for Burrow to take. “If you can’t get the information out of them, I’ll sedate and take something of theirs.” He suggested. “As I mentioned before, sometimes they’re more likely to talk if they’re threatened with loss.”

—

Of course Teddy wouldn’t walk away. Emilio hadn’t expected them to, even if he’d hoped for it. Teddy, he’d learned, had a passion about them that wasn’t dissimilar to Emilio’s own. Even if there was some shot that the hunter might have been able to convince them to leave if it were just the two of them and Parker in the woods, the presence of the third figure, the one who was likely well on her way to being the sadistic warden’s next victim, erased any shot of it. Teddy was too kind to leave even a stranger to the same nauseating fate they’d faced for themself. That kindness was a terrifying thing; Emilio couldn’t help but worry about where it would leave them in the end.

Scowling, he glared ahead at the pair. What had Parker said to the kid to convince her to come out in the woods with him? There was no telling. He glanced over to Teddy as they spoke, grunting in agreement. “Rather take his fucking head off.” Last time, Parker’s drugs had allowed him to get a drop on Emilio. The slayer hadn’t been expecting it, hadn’t been ready for it. He knew better this time. This time, he was walking away on top. He’d make sure of it.

He tilted his chin upwards as Parker and the figure with him disappeared into the shed, glancing back towards Teddy. “Can’t stop you from coming,” he acknowledged. “But if shit goes sideways, take the kid and get out. He’ll kill you. He’ll kill her. I don’t think he’ll kill me.” It was a guess at best. Parker had every reason to kill Emilio, and might very well have been planning on it regardless of whether or not they picked this fight now. Given the finger hanging in a shadowbox on the wall back at Teddy’s house, he had plenty of reason to. But it wasn’t a bad guess, either. Hunters hesitating to kill other hunters was the reason Emilio hadn’t gone after Parker sooner, and the fact that Parker was evidently friendly with Rhett might offer Emilio a reprieve that neither Teddy nor the kid in the shed would be promised. “I need you not to fight me on this one, Teds. Okay? Shit goes sideways, you get her out. That’s what’s important.”

—

“You aren’t the one who can regrow bones by snapping his.” Teddy leveled a hardened stare at Emilio. Always wanting to play the sacrifice game, wasn’t he? Here, back in the snow and the concrete room that preceded it. Glimpses of it poked through in every scrap the pair had wormed their way into. Emilio would always try and take the hit, even if he couldn’t actually take it. Even if the slayer had an inkling that the warden wasn’t going to kill him outright, it wasn’t a bet Ted was willing to make. 

Still, an ache persisted in their chest. The same fear he held for them, they reflected back. Neither willing to let the other make the compromise at their expense. Teddy reached out, hand taking the detective’s for a brief moment. Their stare softened, their hand squeezed. “All three of us are getting out of this. Only one getting left behind is a shitheel named Parker Wright.” 

Teddy turned back. Facing the small shack, scanning every inch of it for anything that might give them the upper hand. Small, not quite sturdy enough for them to attempt to come from above, not without giving away any surprise they had. From what they knew, Parker was an ambush predator. Somehow getting unsuspecting victims into a state of vulnerability, despite the severe nature he possessed, only to then subdue them into a malleable piece of meat for him to butcher.

If the time they lost to his methods before was any indication, the man was slow. Methodical. A fucking sociopath rivaling Patrick goddamn Bateman. They had a few moments before the scalpel at worst. Though Teddy preferred to stop the surgery before the sedatives. Before the snake’s venom ever had a chance of taking its toll. Before the kid had to feel like their world was torn, flipped, and changed irrevocably. Not everyone was lucky enough to get a whole new body after such an altercation. 

—

Burrow looked down to the needles before she knew their true purpose. It was clear from the way his fingers curled that it was important to his hunt. She wondered how much it would hurt if that thin metal pierced her skin. It likely would not have caused even a gasp of acknowledgement, the bite as small as her parasites. Of course. Too much pain was not quiet, nor did it invoke charity. She thought of what he had told her online. His interactions with the fae; his fight with the balam. At first believed to be his way of questioning; his way of self defense. No. The two were connected. This is how he hunted. How wonderfully curious. The ironmongers were the same as her: takers. Something of a smile pulled at her lips. “I see.” Her mouth returned to a line. “So, that is how the Ironmongers hunt? They ‘take’ until the fae dies?” It would explain why they were so feared. As a child, she had merely taken a piece of the fae’s domain. To take such a thing was owed to her by her purpose and nature. Even that simple thing had caused so much fear and hatred. “You may take what you want from the fae. I want to take their knowledge.” She paused. “If the fae does not die, I will bind them to prevent them from warning others of the plan. You will threaten to take more if the fae does not accept the bind.” She may give them some of her parasites for their troubles… depending on their injuries. She would not place her parasites in crumbled homes, much like the building the two were in.

Burrow took the vial. It could have been mistaken for empty, containing a liquid of no color or fizz, except for the faint line at the top that shifted with her movement. She studied it in a way that she could still see Parker through its clarity, not fully taking her eyes off him. Still, her concentration did wonder at the implications of his statements. Her heart shuddered. The thing nestled peacefully in her palm had almost led to her demise. Without that knowledge, it was easily overlooked. How fitting, that a thing so small and unassuming would serve the parasites. It may be far more useful than the ironmonger would know. She was not impulsive: her vines had been making progress to her ultimate plan. Still, she was not opposed to adding other strategies in securing her hold on the fae. She would likely use multiple methods due to the multiplicity of the fae and their nature. She was eager to see the sedative’s capabilities. “How much of the sedative is needed to sedate one fae? Is the amount of the sedative that is needed different between types of fae? Are there consequences to the body if the fae is sedated for a prolonged time?”

—

“Not quite.” Parker replied in regards to her first inquiry. ‘Why are you so broken?’ His brother shouted at him from a memory that flitted through his thoughts, a specter that walked so effortlessly through the walls of his mind on occasion. ‘Why can’t you just fix your shit?’ He recalled the memory with such clarity, even if Walker had apologized months later after they hadn’t spoken throughout the duration of those months. “Generally, Wardens are slower to jump mindlessly into an altercation but they’re still killers.” He explained, recalling Rhett, recalling Walker and the rest of his family. “I’m… an outlier.” He admitted after a pause. “...Very well. Make sure you tell me if they will have your parasites on them before I proceed.”

The entomid took the vial, and a small, involuntary pulse, as though he’d been pricked, coursed through his fingers as Parker could feel his blood recoiling from her brief touch. It wanted to retaliate, press itself against his skin to protect him from her. The Warden didn’t display this sensation, however, and instead collected his drink from wherever he’d subconsciously put it down, taking another warming sip, feeling the steam entering his cold nose. While part of him felt as though it’d be appropriate to communicate just how he was a stranger even to other Wardens, he didn’t; she had moved on, and he was content to, as well. ‘Just don’t show any weakness, boy.’ His father warned. ‘People think you’re a killer. Fae won’t be scared of you if they know you just take pieces of ‘em.’ 

But that was where his father was wrong, surely?

Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to add more introspection to his mind that already had too many gears turning, even more than his usual number. ‘Do you ever stop thinking?’ The answer to that question was obvious. “Generally, the amount that you hold in your hand is sufficient for most fae that I’ve encountered.” He explained, gesturing to it. “It has to enter the bloodstream to be efficient. I’m not sure if it works on leshy and it’s less effective on lampades.” Parker took another sip, his other hand still resting on his belt. “I’m proficient enough in my duty that one dose usually works.” A pause. ‘Don’t tell her. If she finds out you aren’t a murderer, she won’t think you’re worth anything.’ The pause made way for a small inhale and a twinge of his brow. “Prolonged sedation leads to sluggish neurological activity, numbness in the limbs and appendages and on one occasion, an accidental overdose led to respiratory arrest.

“...I’m not sure if it would work on you, either.” He added, blue eyes darting to her face once more, his expression shifting slightly to be more absorbing. His imagination replaced her glamor with what he’d seen in the forest, a slide from a projector being replaced over his visual perception of the world. His breath caught in his throat and Parker shook his head to bring himself back to wherever reality was. “I’ve never… encountered someone with your unique form before.”

—

Frustration boiled in his chest, the irritation clear in the scowl twisting his lips. “You can’t just say things will be fine,” he argued. “You wanted me to make a plan, I’m making a plan. He won’t kill another hunter. If he were going to, he would have done it in the woods when he put me under.” It was the first time he’d admitted to Teddy that Parker had sedated him. In all honesty, it wasn’t something Emilio liked thinking about. Control was something important to him. When he felt he’d lost it, he tended to lash out. And with those drugs, Parker had taken away his ability to do even that. But even the idea of a repeat performance of the ordeal was better than the idea of Teddy or the kid losing their lives to this madman. “I’m going to get us all out. Okay? I’m going to make sure everyone makes it out of this still breathing. I’m just asking for your help doing it. If things go wrong, get the kid out. I’ll get me out. She’s important.” More important, but he wouldn’t say it. They didn’t have time for an argument.

Which was why Emilio didn’t wait around for Teddy to agree with him. He trusted them. He trusted that, when it came down to it, they’d trust him back. All three of them were going to be just fine. And Parker Wright — Emilio made note of the last name, just in case — was going to die alone and bloody in the floor of this shed. With any luck, he’d be left there to rot and Emilio wouldn’t have to come up with a lie to tell Rhett or Jade. Either way, he’d be fine.

He moved towards the shed, figuring Teddy would follow along behind him. He tried to keep the noise low, though it was far from his top concern. He’d noted during their fight that Parker didn’t always track sound with proficiency. Hearing didn’t seem to be the warden’s strongest sense. Stopping at the door to the shed, Emilio strained his own ears, momentarily envious of rangers and their advanced hearing. He could make out the low murmur of voices inside, though he couldn’t hear what they were saying. There were definitely two, though. Parker hadn’t drugged the kid yet. That meant they weren’t too late.

Turning back to Teddy, Emilio did his best to communicate this without speaking. He nodded towards the door to the shed, then gestured to himself. Gesturing to Teddy, he held up his index finger. I’ll go in first. You wait a minute. Better to let Parker think Emilio was alone to begin with. Being underestimated allowed the wielding of a powerful weapon.

—

There was little to do about making an actual plan with the short time they had between themselves and the shack. This was probably the best opportunity they had to get at the man, even if they didn’t have a kid in there to save. Hunters could be elusive if they wanted to. Even if they were arrogant pricks who thought themself the apex collector of all things not his. Teddy bristled, but nodded. Positioning themself the best way they could. Out of sight, a hell of a surprise. 

Watching the man leap into action (despite the knot in their stomach, despite the pounding in their chest, despite their wishes that he would do anything else) was a thing of wonder. Emilio was always on guard. Always ready for the next rattlesnake. But this? This was drive, precision. His muscles tensed in a way Teddy had only seen once or twice before. Readied and poised. He was the snake this time. A viper of vengeance and protection. 

Teddy wouldn’t repeat the thoughts it inspired out loud.  

They waited for the signal. Waited for the right moment to step in. Careful. Observant. They could do that, they could be that for him. But goddamn they really wish they had a better set of weapons than the three wooden stakes, two daggers and a set of not-exactly-brass knuckles that they had thrown in the fanny pack as a joke. If they had known the target was going to be him tonight, well. There’d be a whole different set. A scalpel, for one, seemed prudent. 

—

“Oh.” Burrow’s voice chirped in a single note of disappointment. “Well. The others are wasteful, then.” When they die, all the body’s offerings die with them. Though, even in life, there were those whose offerings were pitiful. “Yes. I will not have my parasites in a damaged host. You will avoid excessive damage the few times… I want the fae to live.” A want that almost had its hand in those binds that connected all fae. Hers were tattered and faded from neglect, but still, she felt it. An annoying persistence of her youth. No. The want was for who truly mattered. She looked to her arm — passed the false skin wrapped around her. “The fae will serve us fully if we can claim both information and food from them.” Serve them just as well as the thing that laid in her hand. Her gaze traveled up to look upon it again.

One vial, one fae. A thing smaller than a finger could have brought down the entirety of her. It had come from a pouch which was joined by others; others Burrow was certain held more of the same. Many pouches, many fae. Well, for however long the effects lasted. “How long is the fae sedated from one dose?” She could devise a system. Jab a dose into the skin upon certain time intervals. The consequences of that were not dire. The fae did not need to be physically or mentally capable, they simply needed to be alive. Alive to keep the barrier up; alive to lure in their domain. Their death would lead to the death of her own, as all parasites did when their hosts died. She would ensure their survival, if only barely. 

As if the gaze would pierce in lieu of his needles, the ironmonger stared. Burrow returned it, piercing the same. Looking for something. She had become adept at observing the humans, for all their survival relied on it. But this man was a curious thing. A blank. An ironmonger indeed. “And you will never know if it does, because-” 

Her parasites called out to Burrow. Something, something, something. They did not know what they sensed, for they were things of no thought or care. But still, they sensed something. A something that was approaching. Her gaze on Parker sharpened. Had he invited others to this meeting? If he thought that would be rid of her, he would soon see the consequences of breaking a deal. A likely outcome that had yet to be proven, so she pressed her finger to her lips. A silent shush; a command for silence. Then her hand moved to an inner pocket of her jacket, where her swiss knife lay. She grabbed it, slipping the vial in the pocket as exchange. Her thumb pressed on the blade, ready to swipe it out at a moment’s notice. 

A moment that came with the bang on the door. Feeble from decay, it relented to the intruder’s wish and clattered to the floor.

—

The numbers that ran through Parker’s head could’ve been visible for a flash as he glanced up in thought. How long did it keep one fae under? Again, it relied on physiology, the type of fae, and sometimes even the location of the point of entry. Instead of replying in a timely manner, he instead gave the impression that he was still thinking about the specifics when he noticed that their eyes had locked. It was inherently comfortable, but not because of their contrasting species, their similar behaviors, the two sides of the same coin or the damned reflection that the Warden hated looking at. He always hated eye contact, which Walker was sure to mention on occasion was ‘odd’ considering Parker’s proclivity to stare. He didn’t waver, though, and instead her affirmation that he wouldn’t be able to test whatever theory might’ve formulated in his brain was another small, but notable reminder that they were tethered together by the deals he was coerced into. One of his blue eyes twitched faintly, as though irritated at her rejection but he remained silent, not content with her refusal but begrudgingly accepting it as he was aware of the words wrapped around his throat. The Warden was expecting the rest of a sentence that had been cut short and where it had faltered, her stare on him hardened. He reciprocated with a semblance of a frown, not sure what had happened over the course of a few seconds to warrant both the abandonment of a statement and the glare of the nymph. He was nothing if not able to quickly study body language though, and Parker felt himself instinctively tensing even more than his usual preparation as Burrow herself indicated for him to be silent, reaching for what he assumed was a weapon. Did she bring back-up? Was this actually the setup that Parker had anticipated but in a moment of weakness, he hadn’t allowed himself to be prepared enough? Abruptly, he dropped his cup, splashing the soft wood with steaming liquid as the heat interacted with the frigid temperatures outside the confines of the vessel and he barely had time to turn to face the door when something - or someone - had caved it in. One arm flying up instinctively to protect his eyes from dust particles, plant matter and wood splinters, his other hand quickly reached for the broad dagger from the holster on his thigh. 

—

The knife he gripped in his hand was longing to taste Parker’s blood. He wanted to take the warden apart slowly, wanted to take his remaining nine fingers one by one before starting on his toes, wanted to bleed him dry little by little, bit by bit. But that couldn’t be the priority now, he knew. Parker had a kid in there with him. A kid who was likely about to meet a fate similar to the one Teddy had suffered, or Teagan, or the nymph he’d caught Parker taking to shreds the last time he’d confronted him. Parker deserved everything Emilio wanted to give him, but the kid didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire. He’d meant what he said to Teddy before — she was the priority here. Getting her out, keeping her safe, that was what mattered.

So he’d make it quick.

The muffled voices inside the cabin died suddenly. It was hard to determine if it was the result of fronts being dropped and drugs being administered or if he’d been detected. Safer, he knew, to assume the latter. The element of surprise was a powerful weapon but, like most deadly things, it could be turned on the person wielding it fairly easily. To assume you weren’t in control when you were was a pleasant surprise. To assume you were in control when you weren’t was a fatal mistake. So Emilio settled on the former, assumed his advantage had been lost. He hoped that Teddy remained an undetected trump card, glanced over to them with a scowl, hoping to warn them against any drive to act too quickly. It was the last look he’d spare them for a while. Parker knew of him as someone who acted alone. Let him keep thinking it. Let the warden’s superiority complex be his downfall.

Squaring his shoulders, Emilio opened the door, eyes darting over the scene. The kid was still conscious. She was holding something that looked like the weapon Parker had used to drug him in the woods before. Was this the warden’s way of playing with his meal before striking? Emilio wouldn’t put it past him. “You should go,” he said quietly, ignoring Parker in favor of addressing the kid. “This isn’t the kind of man you want to be around.”

—

The knife under Burrow’s sleeve stayed firm in her grasp, its blade not yet fully revealed from its sheath. It was not her moment to strike. A parasite rarely attacked, it simply waited for an opportunity. So, she waited the same, gauging this intruder. He was similar to her associate, baring skin that told a life of violence with eyes that sought more blood. A confirmation for her initial suspicions — except — it was not her blood the stranger sought. No, that bloodlust was directed at Parker. She was only given a warning, as if she was not a danger herself. As if she was some poor victim. It was the stranger who was the fool. While she would not weep upon Parker’s demise, she did not want him dead. He was useful, and she was certainly not finished with him yet. 

Though her face stayed facing the intruder, her eyes flicked over to Parker. Burrow waited for reciprocity, their eyes meeting, before calling to her parasites. A cauliflower fungus feasted on the dead wood of that long forgotten shed. Its cluster of mushrooms was advantageous: a nook just by the opening of the door. Her influence wrapped around those mushrooms and directed their aim. A swirling cloud of white spores erupted in the air, right into the intruder’s face. In the same moment, she mouthed to Parker: There is another one outside. Her tick could see them, those human shoes lurking beyond the walls. It could not decipher much else, for its view was small and its mind much smaller. 

Burrow seemed to follow the advice of the known intruder. She threw aside a hanging blanket, revealing a broken window. Its glass had long ago lost its dangerous edge, so she slipped through it with ease. Out into the world, she looked to where her tick had seen the human. There they were, somehow standing both stiff and unsteady. She kept her gaze on them, watching and waiting. But she did react, though not noticeably. Her influence reached out further, invisible tendrils branching from her body the same as the mycelium below. They coiled around her vines who were eager to finally hear her call. But she did not call to them all. Her call was focused on the ones who had already satisfied their urges. Those who had claimed — those who could run. A few began to run to her.

—

He didn’t afford himself much time to shield his eyes from getting anything in them - each moment was one that compromised him for an incoming attack. The dagger removed from its holster rose in a defensive position as he forced his eyes open. As he did, a familiar voice managed its way into his good ear.

Emilio. 

Parker’s nostrils flared as an involuntary surge of anger tore its way through his tense body. He wondered how the hell Emilio managed to find him out here, in the middle of seemingly nowhere. He wondered if it was stupid luck or some semblance of actual skill, though that wonder was quickly discarded - he refused to acknowledge that Emilio might’ve been good at anything. ‘Oh c’mon, surely other hunters can be skilled at things.’ Walker suggested, nudging him in the shoulder with an elbow once over ten years ago. The Warden’s gaze narrowed, not daring to remove his icy glare from the slayer. Last time, he got several knives thrown at him. The space they were in now was much smaller; surely that wouldn’t have worked. 

Last time, he got caught off-guard, as well. And last time, the fae he was with was unconscious. So while he was expecting some empty dialogue to be shared again, Parker wasn’t expecting the slayer to address Burrow first. A recommendation for her to leave. An assumption that the parasite nymph was one of his targets, which was both correct and incorrect. How Parker longed to dismantle Burrow, find out what was under her squirming, writhing visage. He wanted to study her, an intense fascination that dug into his brain sometimes. ‘It’s funny because it’s like a parasite.’ 

And he couldn’t. 

Just like he told Rhett he wasn’t going to kill Emilio. 

Those unspoken promises, one of which he felt around his neck whenever he was near Burrow and the other souring his saliva as he stared down the slayer, threatened to leave his mind as he resisted the rage that wanted to overwhelm him. The hand that his finger had been cut from thudded with a phantom pain that had quickly since been ignored and forgotten until this moment in time. Instead of indulging in that urge, however,, he managed to tear his eyes off the slayer and he looked at Burrow for a moment, as though to communicate that this wasn’t his idea. Whether that communication was effective, there was no way for Parker to know but as steely blue met dark brown, she had summoned something from the ground, something that plumed and blossomed like a ghostly explosion of decompositional flora and something, presumably spores, were sprayed into the air, directed at Emilio. Subconsciously, Parker started to hold his breath and he took a step back. Burrow had mouthed something to him, but though  he was adept at reading lips, he wasn’t sure if he understood clearly. There was someone else outside? Well, he supposed there was now as Burrow took the opportunity of distraction to escape from the decrepit building, leaving the two hunters inside as the Warden turned his gaze back to Emilio. He still wouldn’t strike first, even as he held the advantage. It was unbecoming so instead he backed up until he hit the far wall, silently, the dagger still held in front of him to block whatever would come his way first.

—

He’d been expecting an attack from Parker. A lunge, a throwing knife, maybe some attempt to hit him with those fucking sedatives. He’d been prepared for any and all forms of hunter attacks, body tensing in anticipation even as he addressed the nymph first. He hadn’t been expecting the nymph to come at him. A cloud of some kind of dust exploded all around him, invading his lungs and eyes. He shut the latter as quickly as he could, an instinctive attempt to prevent damage, but he couldn’t stop some of the shit from getting in them. Emilio grunted, taking a step back and bringing a hand up to rub the intrusion away.

Being blinded, even momentarily, wasn’t ideal. His heart thudded at the very concept, paranoia settling deep into his veins. He tilted his head, listening for Parker’s movements and gripping the hilt of his knife so tightly his knuckles went white around it. Why had the kid attacked him? Some terrified inability to tell friend from foe? Or… Was she working with Parker? The very thought seemed laughable. Parker didn’t strike him as the type to work with a fae, and he couldn’t imagine anyone who knew half of what he’d done teaming up with him, either. (Except for another hunter, of course; that was a different matter entirely.)

Questions swirled in his mind as he finally forced his eyes open. His vision was still blurry, but blurry was better than blind. The kid was gone. He could only assume she’d vanished in his blindness, and regardless of the reason behind her attack, that was probably a good thing. If she was working with Parker, it meant one less foe to worry about. He didn’t love the idea that she might stumble across Teddy, but Teddy had their healing and he’d much rather they go against the kid than Parker. If she wasn’t working with Parker, it was good that she’d gotten away. 

His eyes locked with Parker’s, anger burning through them. The warden hadn’t attacked while he was blinded; Emilio was almost insulted. But only almost. In a fight, letting your pride cost you an advantage would only ever cause you to lose, and Emilio had no intention of doing that. If Parker wasn’t smart enough to take the advantage, Emilio would ensure he lost it. He was a scrappy fighter, used to fighting opponents more powerful than him. That was the nature of a hunter; while genetics granted them some useful perks, the things they were hunting were always going to have the upper hand. And right now, for Emilio, Parker was one of those things.

He shot forward, adrenaline granting him speed in spite of his useless leg. Whoever’s side the nymph may have been on, there was no way to know how long she’d remain out of the fight. Unlike his opponent, Emilio wouldn’t let any advantage slide from his hands. He feigned an attack on the left before ducking, attempting to plunge his knife into the right side of Parker’s chest instead. Finish it quickly, get out, get Teddy. That was the plan now.

—

The sudden flurry of activity wasn’t exactly what Teddy expected, but then again they barely knew what to expect at all. Emilio dove headfirst into the fray, but someone else jumped out almost just as quickly. Took the ex-demon more than a second to realize it was the kid. The one they were trying to protect. In succinct succession their expression shifted. From a hardened worry, all close knit brows and clenched jaws, to a relieved surprise. A smile ghosted their parted lips as their eyes widened. Almost blowing their cover by shouting something over to her. 

Instead, Teddy mimed an ‘are you okay?’ over to the kid. Shortly followed by a ‘get out of here, get to safety’. Though that was probably a bit harder to read. Lots of reassuring palms and frantic gestures to the wayside. Deep into the woods where a fae would be safe, right? The ex-demon knew a lot, but they were no expert. That being said, nature was kind to most of its guardians. 

With the kid out of the way, all that was left was the monster. Even before Teddy’s hand hit the handle on the door their heartbeat was the only thing they could hear. Any sounds of the scrape between the two hunters was drowned out and muted as everything began to sound as if it was underwater. No, that would’ve been comforting. This sounded more like they were being suffocated. Somehow, they knew it wouldn’t relent until they entered. Until they joined the fight. Until they won. Guess it was time to give the bastard a bit of his own medicine. 

The ex-demon burst through the door, following the path the hunter took. Hopefully putting themself between whatever Parker had planned and the man who assumed it was his job to take it. The adrenaline was pumping, their vision was blurred around the edges, but he was vivid at its center. 

“Remember me, asshole? My turn to take something.” 

—

Burrow returned the human’s silence for more of her own. A silence void of any meaning or offering. Unlike the human, who offered her a warning, the same as she had warned Parker of their presence. The two intruders were very concerned for her, despite never bothering to ask her wants. She did not want to leave — she wanted them to leave. Still, she continued on her walk as if she accepted this warning as well. It was Parker who hunted, who held a knife the moment he was born. Burrow did not run into a fight, but she would watch one. Hidden behind the skeleton of a bush, peering through its bare branches.

Though steps away, Burrow followed the human with her senses. My turn to take something. Curious. The person was clearly not a fae, but it seemed they were no human either. She doubted Parker would take from his own kin. Could this stranger be the balam he had once mentioned? Her eyes immediately dropped down to the stranger’s ass, but saw no signs of a dent. Nothing to indicate the missing of a tail, sealed behind that human skin. It did not rule out her suspicions, but it did not solve them either. She would have to wait if she wanted to learn the stranger’s nature. A curiosity she would forfeit, for revealing their nature could cause the death of Parker. Parker was her host, she would not let them kill him before his use was done. 

Burrow would not ask more from her fungi. It needed to save the rest of its spores for the proper time. Through the air, the tendrils of her energy searched for another. More diversions to stumble the strangers before her hounds arrived. Her tachinid flies heeded her call, weaving about her expansive presence. She swarmed them with her love, before urging them to swarm. Go to the cabin. The air around the shed’s door became littered in small dots. Unassuming and easily missed. Until she dug her essence into their wings, turning their silent flapping into a wail. A shriek that dug the same as her, writhing into the intruder’s ears. 

—

The movement was swift, as it tended to be, even with a disabled leg but it still wasn’t quick enough for Parker’s mental arsenal of contingencies. The fake-out was expected and tolerated in place of the Warden moving to block the incoming dagger to his chest as the clash of metal scraped through the cold air. He used the momentum (and the offset weight of the slayer favoring his good leg) to push Emilio away from him, creating some distance between the two when suddenly the third party that Burrow had warned him about made themselves present in the room, glaring at him. A short pause in thought to the question before the Warden raised a brow. “The show-off Bisexual.” He replied bluntly, straightening up for just a second before returning to his defensive position, stepping lightly as he was determined not to expose his back to either of them. He wasn’t accustomed to fighting two at once, but he was even less accustomed to retreating from a fight, especially one that seemed to churn in his mind on occasion. Parker was frustrated with how often he thought about the first fight with Emilio, how much time was wasted wondering what would happen if they encountered each other again. There was no respect, no begrudging acceptance that it was a fair fight and that Emilio had held his own despite his lack of skill, thought or cleverness. And the thought that Emilio didn’t tell anyone that he had lost that fight did more than irritate Parker; it infuriated him. The slayer had taken a finger but he lost. And yet no one had perceived it that way. Parker received no praise from Rhett for not killing his “brother”, Jade treated it like it was a joke and she was still friends with Emilio despite the latter’s poor decision. He was sure if he told Owen, that slayer would’ve made a sardonic comment about it. This was why he didn’t have any friends; they weren’t friends with him, they were acquaintances, people to use him until they got bored, until he did something that was bad enough to warrant them deciding not to be “friends” with him. Parker wasn’t a failure, despite that being all that he heard from his father’s echoing voice in his head ever since that day, chastising him for not striking the killing blow. He wasn’t a failure, despite finding himself in a ramshackle cabin with two people who wanted him dead with the fae that he had made deals to nowhere in sight. He wasn’t a failure. He couldn’t have been. He wasn’t a failure, as the three started to engage in a desperate struggle before a loud screeching could be heard outside. It only reached half of him but the other half spontaneously wanted to shut down. Instead, he took the opportunity to slash out at one of Teddy’s arms while his other hand was busy preparing itself for another attempted stab from Emilio.

—

Parker dodged the attack — expected, but frustrating all the same. Emilio would have liked to have ended the whole ordeal before Teddy came onto the scene at all, because he knew that was only a matter of time. Teddy disliked the idea of letting Emilio take a fight on his own, even if fighting was what Emilio was for, what he was good at. They’d come to help, because they cared about him. He remembered the way they’d looked just speaking about Parker on the floor of their kitchen, how small they’d seemed. He’d wanted to make a corpse of the warden so that when Teddy came barging in, they’d find themself avenged, protected. He wanted to show Teddy the same… warmth that they’d always offered to him, and he’d only ever known how to do that through violence. But Parker dodged the attack, and he was still breathing when Teddy barged in the door. It wasn’t ideal.

Neither was the way Emilio stumbled backwards as Parker shoved him. His leg had been worse since his last encounter with the warden; carrying even less weight than it used to, aching more than it had before. It was a weakness he knew the other hunter would capitalize on if he spotted it, and it was a weakness that was hard to miss in the way he stepped backwards now. “Don’t talk to them,” he snapped as Parker turned to Teddy, anger burning in his chest. 

He took another step forward, ready to go in for the kill, ready to turn the damn floor red. And then — the screech. Loud, unexpected. Two things that Emilio wasn’t much good with anymore, two things that tended to have an ill-effect on an addled mind. It disoriented him, made his ears hurt, made his eyes dart wildly from side to side as he searched for the source. Something’s wrong, his mind whispered, something’s here. It’s going to kill you, it’s going to kill them, don’t you get it? It’ll tear the world apart all over again. 

His eyes settled back on Parker just as the warden slashed out at Teddy, and any limited strategy the slayer possessed vanished with the glint of the warden’s blade. He was a rabid dog as he launched himself forward, eyes wild and settling nowhere for long. He was a flurry of movement — slashes, stabs, fists, teeth. Emilio was raised in a way that found him fighting for every ounce of life he had; moments like this saw that heritage shining through. The movements were without strategy, but unpredictable as a result. With that disorienting sound triggering the parts of his mind that never left Mexico, he was a hard thing to pin down.

—

Where the fuck did that noise come from? The ex-demon was reeling long before the screeching ended. Staggered as if it had been a physical blow. Maybe not as hard as the hunters would have hit, but a strike all the same. And it wasn’t the only one. The momentary disorientation was all Parker needed to slash out and strike skin. Blood, bright red and human seeped from Teddy’s wound. Jagged and deeper on one side than the other, an imperfect strike. Good. Hurt worse in the moment, but that seemed to be the kind of thing that pissed Parker off. Ted didn’t know much but they knew a perfectionist when they saw one. 

Was it the surprise of a second guest, they wondered, or the noise? Probably the former, Parker didn’t react quite as badly as Emilio did. Had the warden somehow caused that, was it part of the trap for the fae girl? Some supernatural creatures had extremely sensitive hearing, it was only logical to think some fae might as well. That it might be another of the coward’s tools like the drugs he’d hit Ted with before. The thought of which made their head spin, and their eyes snap towards the strange daggers on the man’s belt. 

The slash on their arm was not enough to stop Teddy, wasn’t enough for them to show their hand and give it back either. Too early to show what would happen. In a way, the stinging gash along their arm was a driving force. Painful, and weakening that arm quite a bit, but igniting a fire inside their chest all the same. Unfortunately, they weren’t the only bonfire lit by the action. Ted’s attention whipped around just in time to see Emilio lunge at the other hunter. Fuck. Right within range of the scorpion’s tail. 

So Teddy rushed at a different angle. Reaching out for a slash of their own, going for the belt that held those dangerous daggers. Metal met leather with a gnawing resistance, but Parker was far too tangled up in Emilio’s teeth (goddamn, now that was a mental image to savor) to stop the ex-demon from snapping the strip, then slinging it out of the belt loops. Quickly, they tossed the thing as if it was a live grenade. Far enough away from the fray that it might as well have been in a different state. This turn, however, served another purpose. Bait. Parker had wriggled one arm free, still had a blade of some kind in his hand. And Teddy had just presented him with a wide open target. Too enticing to ignore. 

—

Snapping orders on what and what not to do. An observation that no amount of bravado could hide the knowledge that Emilio’s leg wasn’t any better than last time; if his quick observation was correct, Parker wasn’t the only one who lost something in their last fight. It should’ve given him a flash of satisfaction, but he wasn’t allowed any time between frenzied attacks from Emilio, especially after he could feel his dagger striking flesh. Uneven, unsatisfying, but there just the same. The Warden didn’t even have time to examine the damage he’d done (or see the black blood that surely spilled from the wound as it did last time) when something seemed to ignite in Emilio, the latter growing even more erratic and careless, but also utilizing his enhanced speed in ways that made it impossible for Parker to block them all and soon enough, he had placed his focus once more on the other hunter. The two became almost intertwined with each other; arms banging against one another, legs crossed as they pushed against the ground while trying to stay standing, themselves. There were different attacks coming from every angle he could perceive and then some but he reacted as best as he could to each of them, opting to block the knife in favor of whatever else the slayer had at his disposal– ‘Wait did he just bite you??’ Walker asked incredulously as the Warden sucked in a breath of surprise when he felt teeth being buried in his arm. Somehow, he was expecting that less than any stab wound and the hand that wasn’t holding the knife grappled for Emilio’s curly brown hair in an attempt to pry him off. Parker was so focused on being caught off-guard like that that he wasn’t aware of Teddy coming in from one of his blind spots and he realized with a sensation far, far stronger than the surprise that painted his face upon being bitten that his utility belt had been removed. Abruptly abandoning any endeavor to attack Emilio, his gaze snapped down where it found nothing, then his head jerked up just in time to see Teddy throw the belt with enough arm strength that it disappeared from his view. His breath caught in his throat and wild blue eyes with their tiny pupils darted to Teddy, who seemed to leave themselves open for him. Time slowed, or perhaps it was just his own enhanced senses but in any case, he was being confronted with options: In a deft maneuver, Parker had swapped hands that held the knife and for a split second, he was ready to stab Emilio just for the trouble - the two were obviously close and he himself was starting to lose the fight, especially as he struggled to keep himself from hyperventilating as he the weightlessness of his belt being torn from him and placed so out of reach threatened to send him into a meltdown. Teddy obviously wanted him to go for them, which was why it made more sense to remove Emilio, then he could take Teddy apart limb from limb. He inhaled…

…But any thoughts that were racing through his head were promptly lost as oozing crimson caught his eye. The belt was all but forgotten. Emilio’s teeth, his blade, his fists, anything against Parker was dulled. The sounds of struggle became muted as though they were plunged underwater and the pupils that were pinpricks just seconds ago swelled in size, almost like a cat suddenly fascinated with a moving object. Air was expelled from his nostrils and he wrenched his arm from Emilio, spraying his own blood everywhere as he wordlessly attempted to use the slayer as a springboard. The four inches of advantage he had over the slayer was utilized as well as still having two working legs and he rushed for Teddy– no, he rushed for Teddy’s arm, knife in one hand and approximately zero critical thoughts going through his head as everything was drowned in red. The pulsing, fevered spot on his back, obscured under both his shirt and jacket, sent signals to his mind. Consume. It wasn’t black. It didn’t matter. Parker was on them in a flash, all but dropping the dagger as he used his bare fingers to pull open the wound so he could sink his teeth into it and feed on their blood.

—

His teeth found purchase, and Emilio held on tight. The full force of his jaw was locked around Parker’s arm, even as his hands continued striking out with blades gripped in the fists. The warden’s hand was in his hair, trying to yank him back, but Emilio held fast. The pain was a long-forgotten thing. The sound was still assaulting from every angle, and Emilio’s mind was a frazzled thing. He smelled blood; he thought it might have been Teddy’s. The thought only served to further enrage him, and he tried for another stab in the center of Parker’s abdomen. Even in this state, he knew the best bet when fighting a skilled opponent was to aim for center mass, where you had a good shot at hitting something even if they dodged.

In spite of the stench of blood in the air, Teddy seemed to be holding their own. Out of the corner of his eye, Emilio saw Parker’s drug kit fall away. It was a smart move; he hadn’t thought of it himself, but he should have. The drugs had been what Parker used to take him out last time. If the warden got a chance to do the same thing again, Emilio wasn’t certain he’d wake up with all of himself still attached. But the slayer wasn’t the only one who noticed the kit falling away — it caught Parker’s attention, too.

And it wasn’t the only thing.

It was funny; Emilio recognized the behavior. It was a half-realized thing, in the state he was in, but bloodlust was the sort of thing he’d been trained to pinpoint since the time he was a child. The look in a vampire’s eyes when it zeroed in on its meal, the single mindedness of a hungry beast. The warden jumped at Teddy, grabbed for their bloody arm, sunk his own teeth in, and Emilio took a moment to focus on that hollow of his gut that usually tugged when there was something undead around. But the feeling wasn’t there now. Parker, despite his behavior, hadn’t been turned into a vampire since the last time Emilio had seen him. He was just… trying to eat Teddy’s arm. Huh.

The warden’s quest for Teddy’s blood had sent Emilio stumbling back a few feet, a chunk of Parker’s arm still clenched between his teeth. He spat it out in quiet disgust, shaking his head to try to center himself in spite of the sound. Being used as a springboard hadn’t done any favors for his bad leg, but he was miraculously still on his feet. And Parker was attacking Teddy, and even knowing that everything he was doing was being dolled back in his direction piece by piece wasn’t enough to quell the rage that came with that. Maybe Teddy’s new party trick would serve as a decent distraction. Emilio was about to find out. 

Launching forward once again, he readied his knife and hoped that this time, it would be his blade that came away bloodied.

—

If the sensations from the battle up in the bunker in the mountains were strange, this was something else. Bizarre. Vile. One part excruciating, one part invigorating. Fingernails found purchase between the layers of skin. Peeling and prying at the weeping wound to get a better angle for his hungry mouth. Teddy felt panicked, a whole new flavor of freaked out. Their heartbeat quickened, blood pressure spiked, the body’s defense of sending all its blood to their extremities started becoming a real fucking concerning issue. 

The sanguine fluid dribbled out and all over Teddy’s arm as Parker cracked into it like a greedy toddler trying to get at the candy in the center of a pinata. The ex-demon flailed, trying to put their whole strength into a move that would have thrown the man across the room with as much ease as they had clipped the belt but– but Teddy was human now. Human and broken enough that their strength was nothing impressive, certainly not something that could rival a hunter’s. Instead their shoulder popped with a sickening sllu–lruck! Drooping lazily for a moment behind them as they struggled to get away like a fox caught in a bear trap. 

Even so, the Leviathan’s final gift was weaving its magic. 

In Parker’s frenzy, maybe he didn’t notice right away. Teddy had no idea what had gotten into the man who they were pretty sure was a warden and not a vampire or something. Teddy hadn’t ever been jumped by vampires before. Demon blood apparently wasn’t too tasty. And since the ritual, well, Emilio had been sticking close enough around to act like mosquito repellent. As the ex-abomination watched and struggled against the shifting tides of skin and blood, they saw the way the skin tried to knit itself closed around the teeth still stuck deep within their flesh. Saw how it molded around, like the knots of a tree bending to the whims of iron fences, only to overtake with time and effort. 

By the time their shoulder had popped back into place, Teddy was feeling woozy. The magic was struggling to keep up in a realistic way. It may have been pumping that much damage into the feral warden, may have been trying desperately to close the wounds his gnawing teeth and gnashing hands sought to re-open. That, or it was the sheer amount of magic that had to flow through in such quick succession. Either way, the edges of their vision started going dark and Ted had one hell of a fall. 

—

The taste of copper on his tongue wasn’t a welcome one, Parker had acknowledged that immediately. But it was necessary, through a powerful urge that he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt so strongly aside from when he found something he needed to add to his collection. The word ‘obsession’, said in disgust by his father when he would overhear the hushed conversations the man and his mother would have behind closed doors, found its way into his head once more. ‘He’s impossible sometimes, Eris.’ He said as the Warden clumsily, carelessly sucked at the open wound to siphon blood from Teddy’s freshly-dislocated arm. 

‘He gets these… ideas in his head and it’s like he doesn’t realize where he is.’ A fresh, unnatural spike of pain came from his other arm now as his chin was coated in crimson. ‘He shuts down and gets unresponsive.’ The wound Parker’s jaw was clenched around was… closing, skin trying to push his teeth out from it. Every ounce of blood the Warden consumed seemed to fire another neuron in his brain, a machine fuelled by life itself with no grace, no capacity for recognizing when it should be grateful or understanding when it needed to stop. He jerked his head to the side as he felt the flesh attempting to stitch itself up, a human can opener with teeth not suited for what they were trying to do, a throat that wanted to gag as blood seeped down his esophagus but an insatiable hunger that overwhelmed him despite everything else he felt. 

‘He doesn’t understand pain.’ Accompanied with the sensation of his own arm being pulled open by teeth not suited for what they were trying to do, miraculously forming as though he were being bitten by an invisible specter was the decidedly sharper pain of a knife in his side. More blood unlocked more of his capacity to think; Emilio was still there, Parker had turned his back on him and in that moment, the slayer had taken advantage. Every ounce of him that grappled to take control back told him that what he was doing wasn’t worth it. He would bite, the wound would close and he’d feel something akin to, well, teeth sawing into his arm. An arm that felt like it’d been tethered to a car that wrenched it from its socket.

‘You wanted a hunter.’ His mother replied curtly, with that tone Parker only heard on occasion, and mostly when he was listening in to their conversations. ‘He hunts. And I’d have expected you of all people to know what obsession feels like; he got it from you.’ He wasn’t sure if the knife was still in his side or if it had been pulled out, opening a hole for him, his own iron-rich blood pouring from it. He wanted– he needed to inspect it, to refocus his attention on Emilio, especially if the damage he was doing to Teddy wasn’t amounting to anything. His vision still swimming, blurred over and almost not recognizing anything but what was colored red, the Warden’s bones cracked as he pulled himself from the human just as the latter fell to the ground. 

He straightened up despite both arms pulsing with bite wounds (and one of which swinging loosely), the inflamed sore on his back demanding he pay more in blood and the knife wound in his side and Parker, dripping, gasping for breath and still yet almost completely silent, cast his steely stare to Emilio. His own dagger had since been dropped. His blue eyes searched for an opening on Emilio, any place where the red stood out. He found nothing. He’d find something; Emilio bled just as well as he or Teddy or anyone else did. Staggering slightly, Parker attempted to kick Emilio’s bad leg once more. He’d fall, and his eyes would be at the perfect height for Parker to gouge them out with his thumbs. He’d drink from those sockets. ‘He doesn’t understand pain because you made sure he doesn’t understand pain.’ As he kicked, he brought one of his arms up and twisted it until his mouth was caressing his own skin, pulling blood from his own veins now in an attempt to quell the seemingly-unquenchable thirst. 

‘How am I supposed to punish a boy who doesn’t feel anything?’

‘Maybe think about how that’s punishment enough.’

—

The vines bursted through the hole once known as a window. Wiggling and twisting like water from a spout. As if they had no limitations to the shapes they bore, except for the muffled clicking from their core. Clicks of those long dead bones below the surface. The vines were things of death, but they could be persuaded otherwise from the right mouth. The vines’ mouth was a spiral into darkness: a meager mimicry of the thing that rotted inside them. It latched onto Parker, the spiraled vines curling around both his arms. They slithered through the window, man and hound, and into the crisp air. But that hedgehound’s assistance was over, for it was the retriever. Parker was flung onto another: one mighty and swift. A thing worthy to be a steed, as its vines secured Parker onto its back. 

Most things came in threes, and the hounds were no exception. The third loomed by the cabin, matching the second in girth. The only thing taller was Burrow, who clung onto its mighty back. With only a twitch of her will, the hound eagerly followed her command. Twisted masses that mimicked hind legs kicked the corner of the shed. It too was eager to bend to her will — it bent into total submission. With only a tremble of protest, the shed began to crumble to the ground. Nature had fully claimed it at last.

Burrow did not care to see it to fruition. She would not let the intruders harm her parasites or her host any longer. Back to the trees she urged her precious hounds, and back to the trees they ran. The steeds ran in tandem: side by side. The retriever trailed behind. Its legs twisted into their opposing directions, sending the hound into a backwards gait. Keeping its eyes steady upon what once was the shed and those inside.

It freed Burrow’s own eyes to look at Parker. She saw a composed man look closer to a bloody beast. “You are a full mess. Remember, you cannot harm me.” What had happened? The man ruminated when his emotions simply overstayed their welcome. Surely he would not worry about such little things if this chaos was common. A madness that had him biting whoever dared cross his maw, even his own flesh. Her retriever hound had told her of such. She could see its evidence: how the mess of gore concentrated on his lips. Even all the marks on his shoulder did not produce as much blood that dripped off his lips. Drippings he desperately licked upon. Almost as if he was… hungry. How interesting. “You will explain to me why you bit the intruder and yourself… after you calm down and deal with your wounds. Your amount of blood loss is wasteful and unhealthy.” She urged her vines to press onto the gash on his side, holding what blood they could into his body. “I will put the moss on your wounds. Then, you will tell me why you were biting.”

—

Teddy fell. Parker attacked them and they fell, and it was too loud, and his leg hurt, and he could smell blood in the air and taste it on his tongue and he didn’t think he’d be able to breathe again until the taste went away completely or he ripped the warden’s throat out with his teeth to add to it. The walls of the room were starting to shift and blur, and Emilio was as angry as he always was, as terrified as he always pretended not to be. A shed in the woods, a living room in Mexico, it was all the same. There was a monster in front of him with blood in its teeth, and he knew how to kill something like that, so he would. This was what he was good for, after all, this was the point of him.

The slayer readjusted the knife in his hand, readied himself to strike. Kill the monster, serve your purpose. It was simple. 

But everything was only ever simple until it wasn’t. 

There were vines; it took a moment for Emilio to realize that they weren’t just in his head. They crawled through the windows, they scooped Parker up. There were creatures — hedgehounds, he knew those were hedgehounds — and they were riding in like stallions, were carrying the warden away. The fae was back, was helping him, and it didn’t make any sense. Hunters could work together with the things they were supposed to hunt sometimes, but the idea of Parker doing so seemed so utterly ridiculous that Emilio couldn’t wrap his mind around it. But the hedgehounds were whisking the warden away, and the nymph seemed to be controlling them. It didn’t take a detective to put two and two together. 

Nor did it take one to recognize the way the building began to tremble.

He could have gone after them. He knew that. Even with his bad leg, there was a chance he could have caught up. But the building was shaking and Teddy was on the ground, and Emilio couldn’t bare the thought of leaving them so he didn’t. Instead, he rushed over. He draped himself over them, let his skin brush against theirs. (Were there any injuries left, any more evidence of Parker’s assault? He’d take it all, if he could. He wanted to.) The ceiling fell, too old and decrepit to do any real damage even as it collapsed around him. He was a better shield than he was a person, he thought. He liked himself better when he was serving a purpose.

By the time it was all done, there was no sign of the hedgehounds. No sign of the warden or the fae, no sign of anything but Teddy and Emilio in the wreckage. Emilio glared in the direction they’d taken off in, furious that the warden had escaped with his life again, furious with himself for his failure. He’d spend the rest of the night drinking it away, he thought; chasing the feeling of inadequacy with a bottle of whiskey, burying the aches and pains of the fight with bitter amber. But… There were more important things to take care of first.

He stood, brushed himself off. One arm went under Teddy’s head, another under their knees. He scooped them up gently, cradling them carefully against his chest as he stood. His leg ached in protest at the added weight, already unhappy at the results of the fight, but he pushed the pain to the back of his mind. It was a message; it could be ignored. Straightening, he took an unsteady step forward, and then another. It’d be slow going, but he’d get them home eventually. 

And then, with a bottle in his hand, he’d figure out just what he was going to do next. He still had a warden to kill, after all.

[missywritesfor7]

🌙Moon’s Light | JJK🌙

Synopsis: Luna is a young paralegal trying to maintain her new found independence and enjoy life. Too bad her job sucks and her boss is the worst. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she encounters a vampire named Jungkook who changes her life in more ways than one.

Jungkook is a shield and protector of the vampire kingdom of Korealis. He’s trained his entire life to block out any and all distractions and focus solely on becoming the strongest. While investigating a potential threat to the kingdom, he encounters Luna who turns out to be more than he could have ever imagined. It becomes his job to protect her, but he can’t tell if what he’s feeling is his devotion to the job or perhaps something deeper.

Secrets are uncovered. Lives are on the line. Hearts are tested.

Pairing: Vampire!Jungkook x Fem!OC

Status: Ongoing

Warnings: Violence, character death, eventual smut, tragedy, some angst, strong language, MINORS DNI

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|| Ch. 45: Safe Zone ||

As soon as Jungkook returned to their now indefinite temporary home he immediately changed into his bunny form and ran straight under the bed. Trying to hold his emotions in the entire ride back had been excruciatingly difficult for him. Luna has no idea what happened, but seeing him instantly run and hide lets her know things probably could have gone better.

“Jungkookie?” She softly whispers peeking under the bed. “What happened?”

He shakes his head and curls himself into a tight ball. If he comes out of it he may completely lose his composure.

“Jungkookie,” she repeats. “Can you at least show me if you’re not going to talk about it?” She reaches her hand out hoping he accepts.

He thinks a moment still not wanting to come out of his safety ball, but ultimately decides showing her would at least allow him to stay as is. He crawls to her hand and she pulls him out and cradles him in her lap. While still curled in his ball he shows her everything.

Now that she sees what happened she can’t help but feel terrible for him. His entire life has been centered around being a shield and being the best one. He takes great pride in being shield and would never do anything to harm his image as such. Not because of ego or fame, but because the job is that important to him. He’s nothing if he’s not a shield and right now that daunting reality is staring him in the face. He hasn’t been fired but he may as well have been in his mind.

“Babe,” Luna whispers petting him gently. She can feel his small body trembling and it’s breaking her down. “It’s just until the investigation is complete,” she says trying to maintain some optimism.

He’s still shaking and having more and more trouble breathing. The overwhelming anxiety is rapidly progressing to full panic and his little bunny body can’t handle such high levels of stress.

He pulls himself out of his ball and transforms back. Without a word he wraps his arms tightly around Luna and buries his face in her neck. He begins heaving as his tears are no longer staying contained. All he can do is cry. His frustration, anger, sadness, disappointment, anxiety, depression, and sense of failure are all manifesting in the form of sobs that are coming out of him more than they ever have before.

Luna chokes back her own tears and tries to comfort him the best she can. She isn’t really sure how she can make him feel better right now. She can hardly make herself feel better. He’s inconsolable and she’s close to breaking herself.

Not close, she is breaking. Tears are streaming down her face and she’s clutching on to him just as tightly as he’s clutching her. She can’t stand seeing him like this. The Superman who tells her over and over again that nothing hurts him is on the floor hurting more than any pain he’s ever experienced.

“What do I do?” Jungkook cries into her neck. “What am I if I’m not a shield?” He pulls back from Luna and she can see the fire forming within his tears. “I never did anything! Why did that fucking asshole set me up? My WHOLE LIFE! He’s been setting me up and now I’m on fucking leave from my duties INDEFINITELY!” His breathing is becoming more and more unstable as he cycles through varying emotions. “I start to feel like I’ve accomplished something. My whole life I’ve trained, for what?! To be better than that mother fucker only for him to come in and ruin my life anyway!”

Luna tries to keep a hand on him. Not to restrain him, which would only make him fight more, but to make sure in the midst of his feelings he knows that she’s still there.

“All I wanted,” he huffs out of breath. “Was to serve my kingdom the best I can and be left alone. That’s it! He made me think he fucking changed! He took the one thing I ever asked his useless ass for and he just used it to try to manipulate me! What the fuck did I do to deserve this?” He whimpers knowing there’s no answer.

“I’m sorry, babe,” she says through the heartbreaking knot in her throat. “I know it’s hard.”

“I worked so fucking hard to be better.” He hangs his head. “In the end I became just as much of a failure as he is.”

“Jungkook-“ Luna chokes on a sob. Seeing him like this is hard enough, but hearing him talk down to himself like that is absolutely crushing. She knows that those are Minseok’s words, not Jungkook’s, and she hates to hear them come from him.

Luna’s tone went from concern to pain and it’s that small change that brings Jungkook out of his head and back to what’s in front of him. Only Luna being in any type of pain can do that and now he’s finally getting a good look at the tears racing down her cheeks. It’s like a switch flipped in him and he immediately moved to comfort her. His only concern right now is her.

He wipes her tears and holds her against his chest. He’s trying to bring himself back under control, but she can still feel his pounding chest and unevenness of his breaths. She looks up at him and tries to speak again.

“I hate when you say shit like that about yourself,” she cries. “You’re so much more than that and you know it.” She cradles his face and nearly collapses from the sight of his big sad eyes looking back at her. “I know you’re hurting, baby, but we don’t know what will happen. You did nothing wrong and in time the truth will come out.”

Jungkook nods with tears still raining down his chin. He can’t say anything else at this point. His voice is gone so nodding and pulling Luna as close as possible is all he can do.

Amidst the sadness and disappointment, is anger. So much anger. If he weren’t clear across the kingdom trying to find comfort with the only person that can bring him any, he would likely be on the hunt for his father. If he’s ever going to lose control to the point of causing trouble for himself then he’d rather do it with his father on the receiving end.

They move to the couch to continue comforting each other and thinking of what to do with themselves. Jungkook isn’t much in the mood to do anything other than sulk. Luna is simply trying her best because frankly she’s dying inside seeing him like this. Her attention is focused on him until she gets a few texts.

Yoongi messaged her to let her know that he heard what happened and she won’t need to worry about work. He volunteered to fill in for her for the remainder of her contract but she’ll still get paid for it.

“That’s good I guess,” Jungkook sighs without emotion.

“Maybe we should get something to eat,” Luna says hoping to boost his spirit somehow. At the very least get him out of his funk enough that he stops sulking for a few minutes.

But he doesn’t.

He sulks.

And sulks.

And sulks.

By the end of the week Luna feels he’s already aged a thousand years. The light in his dark red eyes have burned out and his bright bunny smile hasn’t livened up Luna’s life in far too long now. She wants her bouncing demon bunny Jungkookie back.

Nothing she says has been able to pull him out of his depression. Not even a fresh serving of his favorite pork belly with a cold beer. So instead she sits next to him in the bed scrolling her phone. What’s become her new routine here. But what she happens across is far from routine.

Between her own feelings of anxiety and Jungkook’s cycle of emotions that periodically threaten to send waves across the kingdom, she hasn’t had much time to check the message boards the past week. That means she hasn’t had a chance to see if there was any mention of what happened at the mall.

She scrolls back as far as she can to catch up on everything and of course there was talk about what happened at the mall. Not only that but a video posted of the ordeal. She had no idea someone was recording at the time and she knows Jungkook definitely has no idea. The response to the video are positive but maybe a bit too positive.

The praises towards Jungkook for the way he handled the lost Saakhan who suddenly appeared is one thing. However the growing push from the “King Jeon” crowd is concerning. Especially considering their current situation. Sure enough, the account they believe to be Minseok is all over the conversation. Praising the crowd for their chant and claiming Jungkook is one step closer to taking the King’s place.

As if that’s not bad enough, that account posted a few days later mentioning Jungkook’s punishment. There are no details, but they claim Jungkook hasn’t been seen since the mall incident and they believe it’s because he’s being punished. Anyone outside of the palace would have no way of knowing that.

On top of that, because of the nature and severity of the investigation they haven’t been allowed to speak directly to anyone in the royal family. That means all communication with Jin, Namjoon, and Taehyung have been cut for the time being. That also means no one should have even the slightest bit of information about what’s happening and that just further proves that this account is from Minseok, or at least someone on the inside.

Luna reads on trying to keep Jungkook from seeing what’s on her phone. The comments keep going and while there’s a mix of opinions, there’s still too many that aren’t making things any better for them.

Jungkook feels like he’s been suffocating all week and just waiting to die. It’s excruciating. Hoseok, Yoongi, and Jimin have tried checking in on him. He hasn’t answered any of them but they assured him that things will work out fine. They also have very little information as the investigation is being done with great secrecy, but they know Jungkook’s innocence and believe that it will all come out soon. Jungkook is having a hard time believing that, especially when he secretly notices the shit show of comments Luna is reading through on her phone. He caught a glimpse of a comment saying they can’t wait until he’s king, and that caused something to start burning inside of him.

He doesn’t say a word but continues secretly peeking over Luna’s shoulder to read more comments. He didn’t want to but once he saw the first one he was sucked in. It’s all a mess but one comment suddenly catches his eye.

How we can help Jungkook ascend

It goes on mentioning ways the citizens can help him fight for and ascend to the throne. At the end of this long winded comment the poster mentions four possible places Jungkook could be right now. Running with the rumor that he’s being punished, they claimed to know of four places that the King sends people to when they’re awaiting a major punishment.

It’s not that this person had a guess at where those locations are, it’s that this person was absolutely correct. The places they listed are all locations the King uses to send those in the middle of pending investigations. No one outside of the palace would ever know these locations, the only saving grace is that they clearly don’t know about the location where Jungkook and Luna actually are. That could be because they were originally sent here for safety while Luna’s portal was being shut down, not because they were being punished. Something clicks in Jungkook’s mind and he quickly snatches the phone from Luna.

“Wha-” She says startled. She hadn’t realized he was looking at her phone.

“Shhh,” he shushes her placing a finger to his lips.

He scrolls on checking the responses to the comment. Then he checks the other posts that account has made. That’s when it occurs to him that this is the same account that’s been spearheading this entire revolution. The account that he has no doubt is his father.

There’s a new sense of determination that’s overcome Jungkook. If his father is foolish enough to post information only royal personnel know, then he’s sure he’s bound to give more of himself away. Jungkook figures if he can get more information from this person he could forward everything to the King and save himself from this agonizing leave of absence.

“Do you ever post on here?” He asks not moving his eyes from the screen.

“Sometimes,” Luna shrugs trying to figure out what he’s about to get into.

“What if you messaged Minseok and got him to tell you more?” He asks.

It’s been a long week, but one thing Jungkook has accomplished in the time is no longer referring to his father as anything but ‘Minseok’ as if he were just a mere stranger. He didn’t have much respect for Minseok to begin with, but now any hint of respect for him is far gone.

“How am I supposed to do that?” Luna asks. “What do I say to him?”

“Anything. Say whatever you need to make him think you’re on his side. Then we can use that as more proof to send the King.”

“How are you going to give the information to the King though? You’re not allowed to speak to anyone in the family right now.”

Jungkook thinks a moment. He knows he could face even more trouble if he were to contact Jin so he’s definitely not going to do that. The same rule applies to Luna, so having her as a part of this doesn’t make much of a difference.

“I got it!” He says with a snap a minute later. “Hyung will do it for me!”

The hyung he’s counting on for this is Yoongi. Jungkook sends him a string of messages explaining what he’s thinking and asking Yoongi if he’d be willing to participate. Not just participate, but essentially do everything since Jungkook can’t really do anything from his (mostly mental) prison.

Yoongi gives Jungkook shit for not responding to any of his previous messages he sent during the week, but agrees to help. To Jungkook’s surprise, Yoongi already has an account on the message boards. He claims he rarely logs into it and he’s never posted, but would use it to keep an eye on any talk regarding his family’s many ventures. He gave Jungkook a bit more shit for asking this of him when he’s already working in Luna’s place while they’re gone. Then he promised to keep Jungkook posted, and as always he requires nothing in return for his help.

Jungkook breathes a small sigh of relief. He feels like there’s a chance that his suffering won’t have to last long if this works out. It’s not great relief, but it’s the most he’s felt all week.

Luna can also feel the relief. He’s a bit more relaxed as each day passes. Yoongi sends regular screenshots and updates to keep Jungkook from losing his mind. That’s in part due to Luna asking Yoongi to give updates since after two days Jungkook was on the roof mumbling to himself. She thought he was just clearing his mind but then she realized he was obsessing over every ‘what if’ scenario he could come up with. She told Yoongi about his spiral into insanity and Yoongi knew just how to help. Both of them are beyond grateful for Yoongi.

It’s dinner time and the staff working in the palace kitchen are preparing the royal family’s meal as usual. Tonight, the Kim family will have a guest joining them. The King invited Minseok over for dinner, which isn’t unusual. They’ve been best friends for centuries so of course the King has invited him for dinner many times. Tonight the King invited Minseok because he knows they haven’t had much time together since Minseok’s punishment was lifted. The King told Minseok he wanted him to know that it wasn’t personal and he didn’t want that to come between their friendship.

Minseok graciously accepted the King’s invitation and now sits at the dinner table next to him. This night it’s just the two of them and the Queen. Jin and his brother took a trip to another kingdom to see his (definitely not) girlfriend who he still continues to play online games with regularly. Since Jungkook is currently on leave, that meant his brother Junghyun had to accompany Jin. Because he’s Hojin V’s shield, Hojin decided to tag along too, much to Jin’s chagrin.

The King and Minseok have a friendly chat as they normally would. It’s as if there truly are no hard feelings between them. However, as the King expected, it was only a matter of time before Minseok brought up Jungkook and his whereabouts.

“I haven’t heard from him,” Minseok says. “I know the rules regarding the secure locations, but I at least would like to know if my son is ok.”

“I can assure you he’s fine, Luna too. It’s only until the operation into the Saakhan headquarters is complete and her portal is closed. But,” the King pauses and leans in. “You haven’t heard from him at all?”

“Nothing,” Minseok says. “I’ve sent him texts but I’ve gotten no responses.”

“Hm,” the King ponders. “I haven’t taken away their means of communication at all. Do you know if Sunyoung has heard from him?”

“Come on,” Minseok huffs. “You know I don’t speak to her. How would I know?”

“Just wondering,” the King shrugs. “Since you haven’t heard from him I thought you may have reached out to her. Still, I can assure you he’s fine.”

“How can you be sure? Have you spoken to him since you sent him away?” Minseok seems offended, especially if Jungkook had spoken to the King and not him at such a crucial time.

“Take it easy. I didn’t send him away as punishment. He and Luna are at a special location that I had set up just for them and this operation. They have everything they need and more. I made sure of it.”

“But have you spoken to him?” Minseok asks suspiciously.

“Not directly, but the guards on duty have been providing updates.”

“Guards on duty? Why does my son need guards?”

“Minseok, please,” the King says trying to calm him down. “You know all royal properties are always under guard watch. This one is no different.”

“Then where is it? Where are you keeping him?” Minseok demands.

“You speak as if I’m punishing him. I told you he’s not being punished. Unless there’s another reason why you’re so upset?”

“It’s just,” Minseok pauses. “I haven’t heard from him so I’m a little worried. Not knowing where he is doesn’t help.”

“I understand that but you know I can’t tell you where he is for safety reasons.”

“I’m his father!”

“You’re also the one who provoked his power and endangered the kingdom due to this grudge you have against his girlfriend, who is also with him at that location.” The King’s words are sharp enough to remind Minseok who’s in charge and that he should watch his tone when speaking.

“Ok,” Minseok says backing down. “I understand.”

“Good,” the King says. “His not responding to you is something you should address with him. Not me.”

“Right,” Minseok says through his teeth. “Can you at least send a message to him to give me a call.”

“Of course. I’ll have the guards let him know. Is everything ok though?” The King raises a brow. “I’m asking as a friend, not the King. I know you’re worried about him and his well-being, but you never get like this when it comes to him.”

“No,” Minseok lies. “It’s fine. I just thought I would have heard from him by now.”

“I get it.” The King switches to a lighter tone. “So you two have been getting along well lately?”

“Seems so,” Minseok says. “He’s always been rebellious, but he finally seems to be coming around and listening to me for once.”

“And Luna? I know he’s very protective of her.”

“We…” Minseok pauses and clinches his jaw. “Came to an understanding.”

“Really?” The King asks seeming surprised. “After all you did to try getting rid of her you two finally came to an understanding?”

“Something like that,” Minseok huffs. “She’s not my focus right now so as long as she doesn’t interfere with things it will be ok.”

“Interfere with things?”

“Training. Jungkook’s training.”

“I see,” the King says leaning back in his chair. “I hope it works out, especially since another Jeon-quake could really cause issue with the citizens.”

“Of course,” Minseok smirks. “None of us want that to happen again.”

Jungkook’s reason for not responding to any of Minseok’s messages needs no explanation. However, he doesn’t have much of an explanation for not having told his mom anything yet. Nothing about the mall, or Minseok’s attempt to push Jungkook to take over the throne. He knows she wouldn’t be too happy about him not letting her know what’s going on, but he does it all the time. He never wants to worry his mom so he figured he just won’t tell her anything at all. It usually works.

Until a few days later when Luna and Jungkook are in the lobby of their temporary residence. Each day at 8 am they must stay in the area where the workers first entered Luna’s portal for two hours. It’s the designated time for workers to come or go if they need to. Having a set time and location makes it easier for Luna and Jungkook to maintain their privacy so they won’t have to worry about someone appearing at random times.

Today Luna makes herself comfortable on the couch provided with a coffee in one hand and Jungkook attached to the other. She made the mistake of mentioning a dull pain in her stomach when she woke up and Jungkook has been extra attentive ever since. Given the current circumstances they’re in, he’s much more worried about any and everything she feels and he’s willing to fly through her portal himself and order everyone out if the operation causes her any bit of pain.

They fuss at one another a little with Luna telling him he doesn’t have to worry so much and Jungkook dramatically telling her to stop trying to deny his love. She tries fighting him, but as usual she eventually gives in and giggles along with him.

They’re all smiles until the front door of the building flies open. Jungkook looks up and immediately makes eye contact with Sunyoung who looks worried and confused.

“Mom?” Jungkook says jumping up and rushing over to her.

“Tokki are you ok?” She asks giving him a tight hug. “What’s going on?”

“What are you doing here?” He asks. “No one is supposed to know about this location.”

“The King sent me here.” She gives him a good look from head to toe to make sure he’s unharmed.

“The King?” He asks trying to calm the erratic pounding of his heart. “Why?”

“He said I needed to stay here for my safety, but didn’t say why.”

“Your safety?!”

[protectprotect21]

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[hrodvitnon]

Now here's a couple things I'm gonna change for the second fight.

-One, Heisei Godzilla will be impeded at several points by Titans who are helping MV!Godzilla in his purging of most of humanity & those protector Titans who are saving humans and fighting against the pro-Genocide Titans.

-He either slips up & gets confronted by the angry protector Titans (individually), or deliberately stops a rampaging Titan & challenges them to a fight. This allows Heisei Godzilla to learn how the native Kaiju of this world fight, and gain some insight on how they operate as well.

-Heisei Godzilla will end up facing off against Rodan at one point, and he'll remark at how much easier he is compared to Heisei Rodan who genuinely was challenging to fight. This obviously sets Rodan off, but Heisei takes advantage of that to wipe the floor with him until he decides to end it by crushing his windpipe a bit, and ends up rendering Rodan mute via this. The beatdown and verbal lashing he gives Rodan afterwards makes Rodan sullen & quiet, essentially abandoning his rampaging to hide away on Mt. Fuji.

-This is a sign of how much of an Outside Context-Problem Heisei Godzilla is to the Titans. He's a nuclear mutant who's had to constantly adapt & power himself up on the fly against equal or stronger opponents while they've generally never been properly challenged because Godzilla kept them in check as Alpha. His vast array of powers and outright Ghidorah-like level of healing would also catch them off-guard in many ways, leading to him having a vast advantage over them in that department.

-Two, when the fight finally happens, MV!Godzilla won't be fighting alone. Mid-way into the fight, the Abraxas Family arrives, and quickly attempt to subdue both combatants to stop the fight and finally halt Godzilla's genocide. However, by this point Heisei is now fully in fighting mode, and he beam sweeps them all in a challenge. Mothra is reluctant, but Monster X & Shin accept his challenge as he attacked them first, and they have a silent temporary truce with MV!Godzilla to take down Heisei. Of course, given he's never exactly faced off against multiple opponents before & won, Heisei struggles...

-But, accidental help comes along when a revenge-driven human general fires a powerful nuclear warhead at the area where the fight is at, and Mothra warns everyone to flee for cover, Heisei & MV Godzilla still fighting when the warhead hits.

-Both Gojirans absorb the immense radiation from the explosion...

-The result is Heisei and MV Godzilla achieving their respective Burning forms (I know Mothra is needed for MV's but let's just handwave that for this), the Abraxas Family actually needing to keep their distance as the 3rd & final round begins.

"Flee for cover," wouldn't the MV Titans just get stronger from the radiation, or do they actually think the blast force will harm them? Are Gojirans suddenly the only ones who benefit from that?

Also, putting Rodan on mute is a good way to piss off Monster X. "NOW WHO THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO HAVE BELLIGERENT SNARK BATTLES WITH!? HE CAN'T LEARN SIGN LANGUAGE!!"

[floorinsite]

Avoiding Floor Damage During Property Renovations

The UK is a nation filled with people keen to improve their properties, if research is anything to go by.

Data from Confused.com home insurance found that 32% of homeowners across the UK had planned to invest in major property renovation projects during 2024, for example.

According to the 2024 UK Houzz and Home Renovation Trends Study, those interested in subjecting their property to some renovation work don’t mind spending a little extra on the improvements either. The report claims that median renovation spend has risen by 13% between 2020 and 2023.

However, Confused.com home insurance’s home and lifestyle expert Matthew Harwood points out: “The risk of property damage or other issues spikes during major renovation or construction works. But the right precautions and coverage can prevent these.”

Flooring is one area of a property that can often get damaged when renovation work is being carried out. Fortunately, builder’s merchants Travis Perkins is on hand to advise how to avoid this being the case:

How a floor can get damaged during renovation work Before going into detail about the steps building professionals can take to keep a floor looking immaculate during renovation work, here’s a look at three common ways flooring can be damaged:

·      Scratches & scuffs Hardwood and laminate flooring are prone to receive scratches and scuffs when renovation work is being carried out in a property.

Not only is the flooring subjected to heavy foot traffic when construction projects are taking place, but large items and bulky materials can often be dragged from one area and dropped into another location.

·      Surface & structural damage We’ve already mentioned how heavy foot traffic can cause scratches and scuffs to appear on flooring but having numerous people walking through a property – especially in and out of a construction area where renovations are taking place – can also leave a mess.

 Dirt and debris which aren’t swiftly cleared away can cause surface damage to flooring. If this mess is left untreated on vinyl floors, it can also result in any adhesive weakening.

·      Water damage A lot of property renovations will see plumbing work being carried out at some stage. If any excess water that gets onto a floor isn’t cleared promptly, the result could be that the entire flooring has its look and structure altered.

Water damage to floors can include mould forming, discolouration of panels being identified and a warping effect taking place.

5 steps to avoid a floor getting damaged With thorough preparation and plenty of care when undertaking the actual renovation project, building professionals have various ways to keep flooring looking its best when work is being done

1.      Cover floors with protective materials Before starting any renovation work, tradespeople should put down temporary floor protectors in and around the areas that they will be working in and walking through.

Having these in place will help to reduce the risk of flooring getting scratched or scuffed, while providing a layer of protection against spillages. This protection is also convenient, as it can be lifted up and removed once a renovation is completed to make cleaning a very quick process.

There’s a wide variety of products available too. As well as heavy-duty temporary floor protection materials for flat surfaces, building professionals can use pre-creased stair tread guards to protect flooring when working across multiple floors of a property, and low-tack PVC tape to join protection materials which are being applied to sensitive surfaces (as the tape doesn’t leave a residue).

2.      Set out walking routes Well-defined walking routes should be planned out in a property ahead of a renovation project getting underway. They allow for a smooth construction process and also preserve the appearance of flooring where high foot traffic is guaranteed during work.

A walking route should be clear of all furniture and obstacles, as unobstructed pathways make it less likely for accidental damage to occur.

More of the temporary floor protectors mentioned in the last step should be applied too, as well as adhesive dirt trapper mats placed at entry points to walking routes to capture debris in one place.  

On a side note about debris, tradespeople should wear shoe covers when entering a property for renovation work to protect interior flooring from stubborn dirt.

3.      Lift materials instead of sliding or dragging them across a floor It can be tempting to drag or slide materials around when doing renovation work, especially when it’s a big project that involves many large and heavy pieces.

This should be avoided though, as it increases the risk of flooring getting marked or stained. Always lift materials and place them down carefully, even if it means bulkier items being carried by more than one person.

4.      Have proper ventilation in place during renovation work Adequate ventilation should be seen as vital during a renovation project.

A box fan in a window of a work area helps to capture dust and a pressure barrier works to block debris from moving around other parts of a property. Both means dirt will be less likely to settle onto flooring and potentially cause damage.

Keep a window open when renovation work involves the use of harsh chemicals and fumes too.

5.      Regularly clean around work areas As well as focusing on the renovation job itself, tradespeople should also establish a daily clean-up routine when planning out a project.

This routine should involve any spillages being addressed quickly so that moisture does not have the chance to get too deep into flooring, while work areas should be vacuumed or mopped regularly depending on the type of floor being worked on.

Finish each workday by removing larger pieces of debris that’s formed from the renovation work too, disposing them either in a skip or outside bin instead of letting them pile up inside a property.

Bonus tip: Leave the floor installation to the end, where applicable Will you be undertaking a renovation project that will involve installing new flooring?

If so, it’s wise to put down the new flooring towards the end of the job if possible. That way, the rest of the work can be done without worrying that scratches, paint or anything else will get onto pristine surfaces.

Adding the new floor will then be the perfect finishing touch.

https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/product/decorating-and-interiors/cleaning-and-preparation/carpet-and-floor-protection/c/1500543/

[firstseasonlisazemo]

Steaming Flower Tea

Summary: Keith accidentally saw something he should not have, and now he cannot control himself any more. He goes after what he wants, with the help of a certain concoction.

Rating: R - Content features heavy themes. Not suitable for most audiences. Consult warnings before proceeding.

Depictions of non-consensual sexual activities. Reader discretion is highly advised.

Words: 1300

Notes: Heheh pervert Keith is fun Keith.

Keith clutches the damn vial of poison that will make his darling sister dripping wet, ready to be filled by the only person available to her.

He hates the idea. It is not poison, and any unpleasant effects the substance can cause are merely temporary and can be rapidly eased with proper treatment. Nevertheless, it is crass and beneath him to violate Catarina in such way, and if anyone figures out what he did, they certainly will partake of the same opinion.

He hates that he needs to resort to such dirty tricks, but his cock has been continuously and very much painfully hard for days. If he does not get to bury it in at least her hot, ragged breath, he might have to resort to more violent methods to get the frustration out of his system for the lack of a better way to calm himself.

It would be only natural, maybe, to spiral out of control. Keith knows the Royal Prisons were emptier than ever due to one of the prince’s running through them like paper dolls, and that a Wind magic user donned in black has been rounding up petty criminals up and down the capital with appalling brutality. Beautifully dangerous plants surround the Hunt family estate these days, thunderous and rageful symphonies and snuff books on obsessive lovers seem to be all the rage at the finest salons and they have even figured out some offensive uses to the Light alignment at the department recently. Maybe that is just what standing by someone so frustratingly loveable does to one’s sanity and sense of human dignity. Maybe it is only a matter of time before he tramples over the common folk with his clay golems and this is only a respite before the imminent and the inevitable, but, in comparison, he feels he stands in an anthill of a moral high ground, and it helps to assuage his guilt.

All of it, all this heinous plot, over a simple mistake. An unfortunate coincidence. Anne happened to forget the soap for her lady’s bath once in her long career and excused herself to get it, leaving the door just open enough for one to sneak a look inside without being noticed. Just when Keith was passing by the hallway, headed between his bedroom and his father’s study, in a lonely and ill-travelled part of the house.

There is no hope for him. Cold baths have not done anything for him ever since he began imagining Catarina alongside him. Bathing seems to be one of his most wholesome fantasies these days. It has to be done, there is no other option.

What he intends to feed her is not actual poison, indeed, but he knows it will cloud the mind and heat up the body to the point of pain. To the point where his sister will be writhing on the floor, desperate and sobbing in need. He could never get her on her knees, begging him to fuck her, he could never get her to understand, without a little extra help, and the thought of her hazy eyes alone is nearly sending him over the edge. No amount of hitting his head against a wall will banish the thought of tears brimming her eyes as she asks him to help her, to make the burning go away. To be the protector he swore to be. Nor will violence make the idea of her becoming a sloppy mess, moaning and screaming his name and no-one else’s, any less orgasm-inducing.

Anne is out for the night, sent away to fetch a precious and expensive confectionary that caught her lady’s eye on a village just half a day’s away from the capital. Just far enough to make it an overnight trip. The maid assigned to her place was young and inexperienced, she was not yet made aware how unadvisable it is to be infatuated with her masters.

It was much too easy to tamper with the food and drink going in and out of the lady’s room, almost concernedly so. He would have to look into it soon, but, for now, it played to his advantage.

There is already a wet stain on his pants when Keith enters her room, but he holds back until Catarina has a sip of her late-night tea before pouncing. He would have preferred a more natural approach to getting her the pleasure she deserves. Still, the least he can do is wipe the excess aphrodisiac from her lips and lick it off before crashing his mouth to hers. 

It is not even just for his pleasure. His dearest sister, well-fucked and satiated, will probably help let off some much-needed steam for both of them. She can scratch, bite, and punch him as much as she wants, but nothing takes away the stress like a good mingling of bodies and a proper pounding. The young master shall not rest until enough orgasms leave her that she is barely alive in his arms, only to push her into another one for good measure.

There is nothing more erotic than her limb body, drool dripping from her mouth with the incoherent gargles, and the knowledge that he did that to her. That it was Keith that sent her to the afterlife and brought her back with just his efforts and his cock.

And, well, good old aphrodisiac.

Yes, he will make an addict of her, make her fixated on him as he is fixated on her, and he has enough drug and stamina to make this vision come through. After all of this is through, he will make it so that their parents find out, accidentally, of course, what they had been doing behind their backs. He will corner the duke into changing the nature of his adoption and scandalize the king into dissolving her engagement. He will make it so that she has no other option than himself.

She will be well taken care of. It will all be worth it when Catarina still remembers the feeling of his cock filling her days later, the man not touching her and keeping his visits short. When in the weak, lonely moments, his adoring gaze fills her mind, making her body throb with the desire to do it again. To have him on top of her, sweating, smiling sweetly, telling her how much he loves her and how perfect she is while he absolutely wrecks her body with his desire. The way his cock filled her completely, hitting all the good spots and making her cum continuously, fluids dripping from her as if she were loose, even though she was just filled to the brim, even though no man has even touched her before himself.

She will even get turned on from remembering the room smelling like two pigs in heat got it on for hours after hours filled with confessions and orgasms. It is all so shameful to admit, and her naïve maidenhood will despise the hold these memories have on her brain, but she will not be able to avoid touching herself as she imagines her own brother consuming her entirely once more, her hands never enough.

She raises the cup of tea, a smile and a greeting on her lips as she looks over to him by her door. The maid has already retired, leaving them alone. He will have to reward her, but that is for another night. It is time to bring forward his vision.

Catarina might suffer, she might be too ashamed to ask for his help, and that is regrettable, but Keith already has a second vial in his desk drawer waiting for her, just in case she does not have the courage to be honest with herself without his help.

*_*_*_*_*

My Next Life as a Villainess Masterlist

[establishedmovingstorage]

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[homeimprovementway]

Can You Safely Install Cabinets on Vinyl Plank Flooring? Find Out Now!

Yes, you can safely place cabinets on top of vinyl plank flooring. Vinyl plank flooring is a durable and resilient option for your home, and it can handle the weight and pressure exerted by cabinets. When installing cabinets on vinyl plank flooring, it is important to ensure the flooring is properly installed and stable. Additionally, using adhesive or temporary flooring protectors can help prevent any damage or scratches from the cabinets. With proper installation and precautions, you can confidently place cabinets on top of vinyl plank flooring without any issues.

The Compatibility Of Cabinets And Vinyl Plank Flooring

Vinyl plank flooring is compatible with cabinets, making it possible to place cabinets on top without any issues. The sturdy and durable nature of vinyl plank flooring ensures that it can handle the weight and pressure of cabinets without causing damage or compromising its quality. When it comes to home renovations and interior design, it is essential to ensure the compatibility of different materials and elements. One common question homeowners often ask is, "Can you put cabinets on top of vinyl plank flooring?" Vinyl plank flooring has gained immense popularity due to its durability, affordability, and easy installation. However, when it comes to installing cabinets on vinyl plank flooring, there are a few considerations to keep in mind to avoid any potential issues. Let's explore them in detail. Understanding The Basics Of Vinyl Plank Flooring Before we delve into the compatibility of cabinets and vinyl plank flooring, it's crucial to understand the basics of vinyl plank flooring. Vinyl plank flooring is a synthetic flooring material designed to mimic the appearance of hardwood floors. It is composed of multiple layers, including a wear layer, a printed design layer, a core layer, and a backing layer. This construction makes vinyl plank flooring resistant to moisture, scratches, and stains, making it ideal for high-traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms. Considerations For Installing Cabinets On Vinyl Plank Flooring When planning to install or move cabinets onto your vinyl plank flooring, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind to ensure the compatibility of both elements: - Weight Distribution: Vinyl plank flooring is designed to handle heavy loads, but it's crucial to distribute the weight of the cabinets evenly. Placing excessive weight on one area of the floor can lead to indentations or even damage the planks over time. To prevent this, use support structures like leveling shims or another type of floor protection. - Avoid Direct Contact: While vinyl plank flooring is durable, it's best to avoid direct contact between the cabinets and the flooring. This can prevent any potential scratching or scuffing that might occur while moving or adjusting the cabinets. Placing felt pads or floor protectors under the cabinet feet can help create a buffer zone between the two surfaces. - Proper Installation: Ensuring that the vinyl plank flooring is correctly installed is crucial before considering placing cabinets on top. Any loose or poorly secured planks can lead to movement and potential damage when the cabinets are installed. It's always recommended to follow the manufacturer's guidelines and consult a professional if necessary. By considering these key factors, you can ensure the compatibility of cabinets and vinyl plank flooring without compromising the integrity and aesthetics of your home interior. Taking the necessary precautions will help you enjoy both the beauty of the vinyl plank flooring and the functionality of your cabinets for years to come.

Preparation And Installation Techniques

When it comes to installing cabinets on top of vinyl plank flooring, proper preparation and installation techniques are crucial. This ensures a stable and durable foundation for your cabinets while preventing any damage to the flooring. In this section, we will discuss the key steps involved in preparing your vinyl plank flooring and choosing the right type of cabinets for installation. Preparing The Vinyl Plank Flooring For Cabinet Installation Before installing cabinets on top of your vinyl plank flooring, it is imperative to take certain precautions to protect the flooring from potential damage. Here are some steps to follow: - Start by thoroughly cleaning the vinyl plank flooring using a vacuum cleaner or broom to remove any dust, dirt, or debris that may have accumulated. This will create a clean surface for the installation. - Inspect the flooring for any loose or damaged planks. If you notice any, it is important to secure or replace them before proceeding with the cabinet installation. - Measure the cabinets' dimensions and mark their exact positions on the vinyl plank flooring. This will help you visualize the layout and determine any adjustments needed before installation. - Create a barrier between the vinyl plank flooring and the cabinets. You can use a protective sheet or felt pads to prevent direct contact between the two, reducing the likelihood of scratches or indentations. - Secure the vinyl plank flooring by gluing or click-locking the planks together according to the manufacturer's instructions. This will ensure stability and prevent future shifting or movement. Choosing The Right Type Of Cabinets Once you have prepared the vinyl plank flooring, it is essential to select the appropriate cabinets for installation. Consider the following factors when choosing the right type of cabinets: - Ensure that the cabinets are suitable for the weight and load they will bear. Vinyl plank flooring, although durable, has its limitations and may not withstand excessively heavy cabinets. - Opt for cabinets with protective bases or feet to distribute the weight evenly and reduce the risk of damage to the vinyl plank flooring. - Take into account the style and design of your kitchen or any other room where the cabinets will be installed. Ensure that the cabinets complement the overall aesthetic and contribute to the desired atmosphere. - Consider the installation method. Cabinets can be wall-mounted or floor-mounted. Evaluate which option works best for your space and aligns with the installation techniques recommended for vinyl plank flooring. Ensuring Proper Support And Stability Proper support and stability are crucial when installing cabinets on top of vinyl plank flooring. Here are some essential steps to ensure a sturdy and durable installation: - Locate the wall studs or other supportive structures in the installation area. Secure the cabinets directly into these sturdy surfaces to provide reliable support. - Use appropriate mounting hardware, such as screws or brackets, to fasten the cabinets securely to the wall or floor. This additional reinforcement enhances stability and minimizes the risk of movement or shifting over time. - Double-check the alignment of the cabinets to ensure they are level and evenly spaced. This not only enhances the overall appearance but also contributes to the cabinets' stability. - If necessary, consult with a professional installer or contractor to verify that the cabinet installation adheres to recommended practices and meets all safety standards.

Ensuring Long-term Durability And Maintenance

When it comes to installing cabinets on top of vinyl plank flooring, it’s important to take precautions and follow proper maintenance practices to ensure long-term durability and keep your flooring looking its best. This blog post will guide you through the steps to prevent damage during cabinet installation and provide valuable maintenance tips for vinyl plank flooring. Taking Precautions To Prevent Damage During Cabinet Installation Installing cabinets on top of vinyl plank flooring requires careful consideration to avoid causing damage. Here are some important precautions to take: - Measure and Plan: Before installing your cabinets, carefully measure the space to ensure proper fit. Consider the weight of the cabinets, especially if you plan to place heavy items inside. - Protect the Flooring: Place protective mats or cardboard sheets on the vinyl plank flooring to prevent scratches and dents during the installation process. - Use Proper Tools: Make sure to use appropriate tools and techniques to avoid accidentally damaging the flooring. Use a level and shims to ensure a straight and stable installation. - No Nailing or Gluing: Avoid nailing or gluing the cabinets directly onto the vinyl plank flooring, as this can cause damage and compromise the integrity of the flooring. Cabinet Maintenance Tips For Vinyl Plank Flooring To maintain the beauty and longevity of your vinyl plank flooring when cabinets are installed, follow these maintenance tips: - Regular Cleaning: Sweep or vacuum the floor regularly to remove dirt and debris that can cause scratches. Use a damp mop with a mild detergent to clean any spills or stains. - Avoid Water Damage: Vinyl plank flooring is water-resistant, but excessive moisture can still cause damage. Wipe up spills immediately and avoid using excessive water during cleaning. - Protect from Scratches: Place protective pads or felt under the legs of your cabinets to prevent scratches when opening or closing doors. Avoid dragging heavy objects across the floor. - Control Sun Exposure: Excessive sunlight can cause fading and discoloration of vinyl plank flooring. Use blinds or curtains to protect the floor from direct sunlight during peak hours. - Avoid Harsh Chemicals: Use only manufacturer-recommended cleaning products on your vinyl plank flooring. Harsh chemicals can damage the finish and affect the durability of the floor. By following these precautions during cabinet installation and implementing proper maintenance practices, you can ensure that your vinyl plank flooring remains durable and beautiful for years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions On Can You Put Cabinets On Top Of Vinyl Plank Flooring

Can Vinyl Flooring Go Under Kitchen Cabinets? Yes, vinyl flooring can go under kitchen cabinets. Can You Put A Refrigerator On Top Of Vinyl Plank Flooring? Yes, you can safely place a refrigerator on top of vinyl plank flooring. The sturdy and durable nature of vinyl plank flooring can support the weight of a refrigerator without causing damage. Make sure to distribute the weight evenly and use furniture pads to protect the flooring. How Much Weight Can You Put On Vinyl Plank Flooring? Vinyl plank flooring can typically hold a weight of up to 50 pounds per square foot, making it suitable for most residential use. Keep in mind, that heavy furniture or equipment may require extra support or protection to prevent indentations or damage to the flooring. Do Kitchen Cabinets Sit On Top Of Flooring? Kitchen cabinets are typically installed on top of the flooring.

Conclusion

To sum up, cabinets can be safely installed on top of vinyl plank flooring if certain precautions are taken. Ensure that the cabinets are properly supported to distribute the weight evenly and avoid any damage to the flooring. Additionally, consider using protective pads or mats to prevent scratches or dents. Overall, with the right installation and maintenance, vinyl plank flooring can provide a durable and versatile foundation for your cabinets. Read the full article