#after three staircases I'm dying

[mossyinkynebulous]

So like, this has been in my head the past few days and it's something that happened years ago, but like who the fuck has the audacity to tell an asthmatic person that they should just be better. I'm gonna leave stuff out bc it's bullshit but I really don't understand people that are like there's people with asthma in the military therefore you have the potential to do the same things they do. I tried explaining that, sure, there are elements that I can work to improve it, but there's certain things that my asthma literally won't adapt to.

Love y'all. Remember to drink water, eat, and take care of yourself. Including sleep. (I say as I have to get up in 3 hours)

[temis-de-leon]

MC injures their knee

Characters: gn!MC and Demon Brothers

Main Masterlist

Anon request: I'm very curious as to how the demon brothers would handle an MC / Y/N that accidentally injured their knee and can't move their leg for a while as a result. Like, everything was fine and dandy, the day was going well! But as they were walking from one area to the other, suddenly they turned too quickly, or perhaps they awkwardly shifted their weight in a moment of absentmindedness - and now their kneecap is out of the socket. Content one moment, distressed the next once they realize what happened. They scream so loudly from the pain that you can hear it outside the House of Lamentation, immediately making any noise go quiet. Even once they (very carefully) get it back in place and the pain starts to subside, they're shaking and in tears, completely unable to walk on that side. They're gonna be out of commission for a few days, may or may not have permanent damage in the area, but it slowly gets better over time. It's okay if you don't wanna do this one, btw! This is just based on something that happened to me earlier this week, gotta love Funky Joint Syndrome (hEDS) :')

A/N: I wrote this three different times, and on every occasion, I found myself unable to not write the little intro at the beginning. Even when you already put the context, anon. I hope you enjoy it and you're feeling better after all this time! Sorry for taking so long! <3

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I like to think this would happen one of those days when the House of Lamentation is half empty because the universe likes to be that awful most of the time.

You’re almost thankful that, for once, you can finally run around your home with no demons trailing behind you. Sure, you love the brothers, but their demand for your attention can get suffocating sometimes.

And this specific day, each one of them is doing their own thing in separate places. Lucifer is at the castle, Mammon at the casino, Asmo is at a party, and Beel is running laps around the house. With the rest of the brothers rotting away in their rooms, it is safe to say you have all the house to yourself.

You take advantage of the situation by admiring the architecture, the oil paintings, the details in the staircase windows and the statues. You feel dumb at the beginning, but how could you live in a mansion without even attempting to appreciate its… unique beauty?

Murder house aesthetic, right?

The problem comes when you accidentally trip while stepping on the curled corner of one of the carpets.

The movement awkwardly twists your leg and makes your patella sit on the side instead of the front, where it’s supposed to be. Your joint locks itself, unnaturally bulgy, and sends waves of pain through all your nervous system.

You aren’t sure what noise the brothers heard first, either your fall or your cries, but they are all there with you in mere seconds. And those who are out of the house are on their way the moment they receive the informative message.

Thankfully, Lucifer managed to stop Diavolo and Barbatos from coming with him.

And despite Beel being the closest, the first one to return is Mammon.

Asmo takes a little longer because the tears are blurring his vision.

But back to the incident.

Satan manages to pop your patella back into position with magic while Levi and Belphie comfort you, and in the back of your mind, the commotion makes you feel a tiny bit embarrassed.

It hurts like hell, yes, but you don’t want the whole house to think you’re dying. Last time that happened, you, at least, went with a fight, but this time, you just tripped. And they’re taking it like your leg’s going to be amputated.

On the other hand, though, despite being overbearing, they take incredible care of you.

Since Beel is already used to it thanks to Belphie, he offers to take you anywhere, even if it’s within walking distance. It doesn’t matter if it’s a piggyback ride or a princess carry; whatever makes you feel more comfortable and painless, he will do.

Lucifer lets you skip classes for the necessary recovery period, not even contemplating the idea of seeing you walk up so many stairs and then stay sit and still for hours on end. If you try to act tough for the sake of being a responsible student, he may order the older twin to keep guard outside your bedroom door. He’s making sure you rest.

Satan understands Lucifer’s approach and, surprise surprise, is on board with it; but rather than making sure you stay in the house, he guarantees you don’t feel the need to leave at all. He will offer his notes and tutor you on what you don’t understand, laying down beside you in bed with books and papers scattered around you.

Levi, on the other hand, is set on keeping you entertained, and understanding that it is better if you don’t move for a while, he brings his games and manga to your room. It’s almost too much and proves to be unnecessary because you end up spending the days marathoning The Tale of the Seven Lords yet again and talking about it nonstop afterwards.

Asmo is more of a self-care type of guy and wants you to know that. He understands how you could prefer rotting away in bed while sick or injured, but you should really take care of your body! Each morning, he marches straight to your room after finishing his own routine (because you have to see him at his best) and applies himself every ointment your beautiful face could need to stay the same. If you let him, and he’ll promise he’ll be careful, he’ll even massage some anti-inflammatory cream in the injured area.

Mammon becomes your favourite errand boy, leaving the house in search of every craving you may have, even if it’s stupid. Sure, he’ll complain, but that’s part of his charm. He wouldn’t be putting on his boots if it really bothered him, right? No matter the cost, he’ll pay for it; unless it’s expensive, in which case Lucifer may add an involuntary contribution (wink wink).

And while all of this is taking place, Belphie is peacefully sleeping right next to you, hidden under the blankets and blissfully unaware of all the noise. He offers cuddles, comfort, warmth and good dreams, and if your knee is feeling especially painful, he may even let you hold onto his tail like a plushie.

If there’s a bad part to any of this, it’s that now they won’t let you out of their sight for even a minute.

What did you expect?

You got hurt in the comfort of your own house!

While they were away!!

Clearly, they need to stay closer.

.

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Taglist: @ilovecandys2010 @ollieoven @kingofspadesdelusion @whimsybloom @mia4gotcookiez

[karespocketboyfriends]

𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍

Chapter Three

A Love and Deepspace Fanfiction (Sylus X OC)

Warnings -> Side character death, implications of addiction

<- Chapter Two

An original fan-fiction for Love and Deepspace. I appreciate reblogs but reposting to Tumblr or any other site is not okay with me.

When it rains, it pours.

And it's fucking pouring.

“Sorry!” I exclaim to the poor group of kids that are forced to jump apart in order to avoid being run over by me.

The sky, dark as it may be for the late morning hours, is clear, not a drop of rain in sight. The tragedy I witnessed last night kept me tossing and turning, had my nerves shot to a point of being unable to relax. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the man, Anthony, dying before me. Felt his blood coating my skin. Saw a pair of gemstone red eyes that exposed me right down to my soul.

At some point, I did manage to fall asleep. What I woke up to wasn’t my alarm, but my brothers making a mess of the kitchen. It didn’t take long for the realization that I had slept in to cut me like a dagger. The realization that I was late for work stabbed through me like an ancient sword.

I almost forgot to take my medication on my rush out the door, and forgetting that would have been the cherry on top of this disaster cupcake.

My calves are burning, lungs threatening to give out, but I push myself around the last corner and down another quarter block until I reach Tomes. It blends in with the rest of the modern day architecture, much so that it doesn’t even look like a bookstore, but it’s precious to me regardless. Tomes has been my first and only job, the place that’s filled with the material thing I love most and kind enough to help me keep my brothers and I housed and fed. Maybe not very well, but it’s saved us from being out on the street.

I almost fall on my ass in front of the glass door lined with bars to keep thieves out, partly because of how abruptly I halted, and partly because of the large ‘Permanently Closed’ sign hanging on the door.

“What?” I whisper through my fight for breath, the shock of the sign making it even more difficult to calm my racing heart.

No matter how many times I read it, the letters don't rearrange themselves. My mind doesn't spot a trick my eyes are playing on me.

Chest heaving, I stumble to the door and pull on the vertical handle. It's not locked, so I let myself in. Everything looks just as it did last night, no sign of books being stored away or shelves being moved out. The register hasn't even been opened yet, the till missing and likely still locked up in the safe. The store is dead quiet, and no matter how hard I strain my ears, I can't hear any movement on the first floor. Above me, however, I hear footsteps.

"Russell?" I call, slowly making my way towards the staircase at the back of the store. I've never been to the second floor, because old man Russell lives up there. He did share the space with his wife, Edith, but that was up until she passed away three years ago.

I listen as the footsteps move across the ceiling, hold my breath as they slowly make their way down the stairs. The person who appears isn't elderly, or a man at all.

"Evie?" The woman breathes, one hand resting on her largely round stomach, her eyes red and raw.

"Charlotte."

She's Russell's daughter, his pride and joy. He keeps a photo album behind the counter, and whenever there was free time, he would sit on a stool and flip through it. He's shared with me story after story of the photos, so even though Charlotte and I weren't very close in school before I dropped out, I feel as though I know her like a best friend.

"How are you? How's the baby?" I ask, trying to remain polite despite the questions racing through my mind.

Her laugh is strained as she draws a circle on her bump. "He's healthy. A big mover." She carefully makes her way down the rest of the stairs, and after reaching the bottom, leans against the banister. "I'm sorry, I didn't know how to contact you. I'm still going through dad's stuff."

I swallow the lump in my throat. "He... He's not...?"

Charlotte flashes a sad smile and nods, fresh tears brimming in her eyes. "Yeah. He didn't call me this morning, so I came to check on him. It'll take a while for the autopsy, but he didn't have any physical wounds."

Closing my eyes, I suck in a deep breath and struggle to keep my voice from cracking. It does anyway. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too." She looks down and rubs her belly again. "He was so excited to meet the little one. He never said it, but when he found out I was expecting, I think he was having regrets about waiting so late to have kids."

In, out. In, out. Mentally, I'm focused on my breathing. Whatever comes out of my mouth is pure instinct. "I can't say for sure, but I do know that he loves you. Russell would never regret that."

Charlotte laughs a little and looks up at me again. "You haven't changed. You're still a beam of sunshine, aren't you?" The lightness in her expression falls bleak once more. "Um, listen, about the shop-"

It's my turn to sport a sad smile. "I saw the sign."

"I'm sorry, Evie, but the money I'd get from selling this place is more beneficial to me than to keep it."

"You don't have to explain. You have a family to look after. I get it." I nod towards the counter. "Russell keeps a phone book under the counter, my number's in there. If you ever need a friend, feel free to reach out."

My mind feels like its in a daze as we say our goodbyes. I don't even remember how we said farewell or leaving the shop, but the crisp air zaps me back the second I'm standing outside.

Russell's dead, a man who did more for me than my own father has, a man who hired a desperate young girl even though he really didn't have the budget for it back then. The memories of my time here start coming back to me, the busy days were he, Edith and I rushed around to get the orders stocked on the shelves, the quiet days where he'd place a record in the record player and waltz around the store with his wife. Every holiday, including my birthday, he'd let me pick a book from the store to take home and keep, claiming that my preferred reading material was just collecting dust and deserved a home.

I think he kept ordering romance novels for my sake, given that most of our customers came in for non-fiction.

The size of the sob stuck in my chest feels like I just swallowed a boulder, and no longer trusting myself to stay put together, I lean against the wall of Tomes and slide to the ground. I brace my elbows against the stops of my knees and push the heels of my hands onto my eyes until I see white.

The man I loved like a grandfather is gone, and although I want to do nothing but grieve, another thought blasts through it.

I'm jobless.

It feels selfish to think about it, but it's reality. I'm the breadwinner of the family, Drew and Mateo's shenanigans too unreliable to keep us afloat. If I don't work, my family is screwed.

"Come on, Evie." I whisper to myself, dropping my hands from my eyes. "You're a hard worker. You can find something."

Naturally, I went ignored by everyone who passed by. I'm probably the only freak in the N109 Zone who would stop to check in on someone who looks distressed. Or so I think.

"Evie?"

Looking up, I catch sight of a regular customer of Tomes. He's looking down at me with his eyebrows furrowed, curly strawberry blond hair falling in front of his forehead.

"Hi, Landon." I greet him while pushing to my feet and dusting myself off. "Did you come to purchase more books for your boss? Sorry, but the shop's closed. Russell passed away."

Landon sucks in air through his teeth. "Shit. Another good man gone, huh?"

"A great man." I fold my arms over myself.

I'm not sure exactly how old Landon is, but he can't be too much older than me. He's only got a few inches on me, but his boisterous energy makes him feel bigger than he is. He drops by the store weekly to pick up special order books on his boss' behalf, more rather, his boss' wife. I don't pry into our customer's personal lives, but Landon is a bit of an over-sharer, so I know his boss is in the jewelry business and that his boss' wife craves knowledge on all things.

"How are you taking the news?" He asks, the concern in his pale blue eyes genuine.

I shrug one shoulder. "I'm not sure. I just found out. It feels real but doesn't at the same time, you know? It probably won't sink in fully until I go job hunting."

Landon nods. "I get that. Well, it'll suck not to see you every week. I'm a man of routine." He tilts his head as if thinking. "I'm sure a girl like you will find work easily, but there is a small gig that can hold you over until then."

That has my ears perking up. "What kind of gig?"

He lifts a hand and scratches the back of his neck, letting out a small sigh. "To tell you the truth, my boss' wife has been battling an illness lately. The doctor ordered her to stay in bed, so she can't attend an upcoming gemstone auction with the boss man. It'd be a hit to his social status to show up to a big event like that alone."

My heart sinks into my stomach. "So, you're asking me to...?"

"It'd be one night, and the boss pays well." Landon laughs a little. "To tell you another truth, the reason I came today was to ask if you'd be interested. Boss asked me to try and find him a plus one, and you're not violent, so I wanted to ask you first. You'd just be keeping him company at the auction, nothing more."

My teeth sink into the inside of my cheek. I'm not in a position to be turning down a paying job, and Landon's boss is doing more than well financially-

White hair, crimson eyes, and a stone cold expression flash in my mind. My heart leaps and starts hammering against my ribs.

My mouth suddenly feels dry, and I swallow just for the sake of moving my throat muscles. "I'm flattered that you thought of me, but I just got out something hectic. I don't think I'd be very comfortable taking this job."

Landon looks disappointed, but he nods anyway. "That's fair." Still, he reaches into his pocket and hands me a business card. "Take this anyway, just in case you change your mind. Or get desperate enough."

I almost turn him down again, but the words vanish from the tip of my tongue at ‘desperate.’ Even if it’s the last thing I want to do, refusing an opportunity to keep food in my brothers’ stomachs would be silly.

Forcing a small smile, I take the card and tuck it into the pocket of Simon’s old jacket. He grew out of it a few years ago, but luckily it fits me enough to use until I can afford to replace the one I lost. “Thank you.”

Landon grins. “Of course. All the best to you, Evie.”

He gives me a playful salute before turning around and walking down the street. The card weighs nothing yet feels like bricks in my pocket, a harsh reminder of the hole I’m falling into.

I just hope I can find something to grasp onto before I hit the bottom.

When we had to find a new place to live after Dad bailed and left his children with rent they couldn't afford, there weren't many conditions our new living space had to meet. As long as Drew, Mateo and I could cover it with our pathetic paychecks, it would do. It was pure luck that this shabby apartment building we chose happened to be relatively quiet.

That's not the case now. I could hear the raging voices the second I hit the fourth flight of stairs, could practically feel the walls shake with the noise by the time I reached the fifth. Naturally, this sets me on high alert, and I lighten my footsteps as to not make the floorboards squeak as I move down the hall to my unit.

The voices only get louder.

They're coming from my unit.

My foot freezes an inch above the floor, talons made of ice sink into my chest cavity and shred it, making way for my pounding heart to drum loudly in my ears. It only lasts a second before I'm sprinting the remainder of the short distance and throw open the front door. The knob crashes against the wall with a loud bang, startling the four men inside so badly they jump and whip towards me.

I scan the room. The kitchen looks undisturbed, with the exception of dishes in the sink one or more of my brothers neglected to take care of. The living room isn't trashed, but the poor coffee table has suffered a beating. It's been flipped over, one of the legs snapped at an angle that would be extremely painful if it were human. Standing on either side of the abused furniture is my brothers, older twins on one side and younger twins on the other.

"What the hell is going on?" I ask, eyes shifting from my older brothers to younger and back again.

The boys roughhouse on a regular occasion, but the looks on their faces don't look playful, nor does the way they're standing. Drew is almost chest to chest with Mateo as if using his body as a block, while Simon has his arms wrapped around Troy's waist as if trying to hold him back. The two more hot-headed of the pairs have resumed their glaring contest.

"Evie, you're home early." Drew says, pushing Mateo until he sits on the couch behind him.

"Yeah, I'll explain later." I glance back and forth between the lot of them again. "Someone fill me in, please."

Troy tilts his head and grins in a way that's on the edge of sadistic. "Tell her, guys. Tell her what you've been running around doing every night and spending the family's money on."

My adrenaline was just beginning to climb down, but it spikes right back up. "You know?"

"We just found out." Simon replies, letting his brother go. It seems Troy is no longer interested in physical fighting. "You two tell her right now, or we will."

It's Mateo's turn to smirk. "Ass kissers."

Troy makes to lunge, but Simon catches him again.

"Enough!" I hold a hand up towards Troy, and turn my attention to the older two. "Out with it."

Drew sighs and drops into the empty space next to his twin. He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees while running a hand over the top of his head. "We've been working at a club. Mateo's a bouncer and I bartend."

I give his confession a minute to sink in, and after that minute, I'm more confused than anything else. Bouncing and bartending aren't jobs to be ashamed of - they can pull in quite the extra cash in the form of tips, at least for bartending. It doesn't explain why they take more money from the account instead of adding to it more often than they do, but it answers one big question.

They haven't gotten involved in anything gang related, and knowing this now takes a massive weight off my shoulders.

I nod at them. "Thank you for telling me, but why did you feel the need to hide it in the first place? It's not something I'd judge you two for, you know that."

I can feel Simon and Troy growing impatient behind me, but I ignore them for now. I almost consider sending them out of the room, not wanting them to ruin things now that our older brothers have finally started to crack, but I don't. This is a family matter, and they're not children anymore. I don't want them to feel as though I still see them as little kids.

Mateo leans back, crosses his arms over his chest, and crosses his leg so ankle is resting on his knee. "Because we've been paying the dancers for private sessions."

I give his confession a minute to sink in, and after that minute, I'm... "I'm sorry, what?"

Drew sighs and starts to stand. "Evie-"

"You're paying dancers for attention? With the money you make every night plus the funds that are supposed to take care of us?" With every second that goes by, disbelief bleeds into anger. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?"

"If you're going to tell the truth, tell the whole truth." Troy snaps. He shakes out of Simon's hold and moves to stand next to me. "You know how we found out? They brought them here."

I'd rather be punched in the chest so hard I'm left winded than let that be true. "Don't tell me you're paying them for...?"

Drew, who decided to sit back down, hangs his head. Mateo has his face turned to the side, but even then, I can see him fighting to pretend that he doesn't care. Even as kids, the corners of his mouth would twitch when he tried to keep a careless expression.

I feel like I can't breathe, and yet, I can't stop words from coming out and using the precious air I'm struggling to keep in my lungs. "Are you two addicted? Because that's the only thing that would explain your lack of self control. For months I've been busting my ass to keep bills paid for, pulled my hair our trying to budget food and other necessities, trusting that whatever the two of you were up to would pay off in the end, and this is what you've been doing?"

Mateo snaps his head towards me and glares. "Not all of us are perfect little angels, Evie. Books aren't stress relief for everyone."

"Watch it." Simon hisses, appearing on my other side. "She's the reason we haven't starved and still have a roof over our head."

Mateo closes his mouth and turns away again.

I'm not done, not through with laying into them. "You know we're struggling to stay afloat, and not only are you blowing your entire paychecks on dancers, plus digging into the family funds to cover it, but you're also sneaking them in here? You're bringing strangers into our home? In the N109 Zone?"

For a long time, they say nothing. When they do, it's Drew who breaks the silence. "We're sorry, Evie."

Inhaling sharply, I ran my hands over my face. when I finally drop them, I clap my hands together and put on a sunny smile. "You two can start apologizing by getting your act together, because Russell's dead, which means I'm out of a job. I'm pulling the two of you off the account. Whatever we have left has to last until I find a new one."

I turn and storm towards my closet bedroom. The boys resume their bickering, but the migraine settling in my temples doesn't leave me much room to place peacekeeper. As soon as I lock myself inside, I make good on my word and change the password to the family's bank account. I'll slip the new password to Simon and Troy later, but until Drew and Mateo can be trusted, I can't risk them draining the measly three-hundred dollars left in the account.

The calendar app on my phone catches my eye as I close out of the online banking, and my heart sinks. Bills are due in a few days, and that is going to destroy the little savings we have.

"Fuck!" I screech, tossing my phone onto the mattress.

Pulling my knees up, I bury my head between them. The position pulls on my neck and makes my migraine worse, so I lay on my back instead. I didn't turn the light on, not wanting to aggravate my eyes further, but even in the darkness, I can see the outline of my dragon suncatcher hanging above me.

The corners of my eyes burn with tears, and in the shadows I whisper to it. "I don't know what to do."

Of course, it doesn't answer. I close my eyes and take in another deep breath, shove my hands into the pockets of Simon's jacket as I soak up the warmth it provides. I have every intention of taking a nap, numbing out the storm brewing inside of me, but my fingers brush against something that has my eyes snapping open again.

Pulling the small card out, I sit up and, despite the way it'll make my eyes sting, reach up to turn on the light.

"Take this anyway, just in case you change your mind. Or get desperate enough."

I don't want to. I really, really don't want to. Being an arm accessory to a complete stranger sounds like a nightmare, a great way to die and leave my brothers to fend for themselves.

But if I don't do this, we'll slowly die anyway.

Shoving every single emotion into the deepest parts of me where I can't feel them, I dial the number listed on the card. A male voice answers after the second ring.

"Landon? Hi, it's Evie." I look up at the red glass dragon and silently ask it to lend me its strength. "I've changed my mind."

Masterlist

Chapter Four ->

Tag List:

@xxfaithlynxx @angelafinstone

[danieyells]

I'm not sure why I feel so attracted to the idea of Jiro sedating the MC and touching them over their clothes but not daring to do much more, and later the MC waking up and thinking it was a kind of dream influenced by him taking care of their pre-op "well he was always handsome"

You're attracted to it because it's hot anon 👀 the vulnerability, the drugging, the lack of fulfillment when all he does is grope over your clothes, the uncertainty--i'm always a slut for dub/non-con and drugging oh lord 👀 tell me more anon

And man i sure hope this isn't total gibberish because i wrote it in parts over the course of the day and only finished like now and it's 4am. . . .

I feel a little disappointed in this one, i'll admit lolol and it's not exactly what you described but maybe you'll like it anyway?

Obvious non/dubcon and (consensual, medical) drugging cws. Additional warnings for that the pc is never named and is only referred to as 'they' for the most part, and I left their gender and genitals ambiguous, which makes for some sloppy writing on my part. . . .

They had been helping at Jabberwock a few days prior and they'd been bitten by an anomaly. It was a minor injury but Haru was worried about the side effects. After Towa nearly sent the poor creature to hell, they'd been sent to Mortkranken for examination, to be certain the beast's venom wouldn't have any lasting effects.

It was Yuri who inspected them the first time. Even after spending time helping the medical house, Yuri still made the inspector feel a little on edge. They worried the only thing that kept them from more than basic examination and preventative care was Professor Nicolas' presence.

"Their venom is slow acting." Yuri scoffed after they described the anomaly they'd been affected by. He walked with them after they were discharged, making his way to another patient in the building as he explained before they went their separate ways. "If you go a week without noticing any changes the medicine worked in full. Come back if you start experiencing any unintended muscle movements!"

With that sharp dismissal, they returned to the Cathedral, worrying over every twitch and itch and crawl under their skin.

And three days later they were once again in Mortkranken after a sudden movement of their leg nearly sent them careening down a staircase.

Kaito and Luca had been kind enough to rush them to the infirmary, where Professor Nicolas subsequently had them quickly transported to Mortkranken as the anomalous effects would be better treated there(much to Kaito's dismay.)

A general student saw them into a wheelchair and rolled them inside the office, helping them onto an examination table to make sure another spasm wouldn't cause them any injury. Even as they were brought inside they began to panic as the spasms increased in frequency and spread from their leg into other parts of their body. They shook and twitched against their own wishes, even as Jiro arrived in the exam room with the necessary materials.

"You're moving too much." Jiro sighed on sight, putting down the needle he'd filled without even saying hello. He moved to fetch a fresh one and a small jar of lavender colored fluid. "I'm going to sedate you. You should be okay to fall asleep, if you feel tired. You shouldn't die."

The human tried to find the honest statement and lack of alarm comforting. If they were dying then surely Yuri and Nicolas would have been contacted? Or perhaps their curse or the ring would have counteracted it?

The summer had seen them abandon their blazer in favor of wearing a short sleeve dress shirt, making access to their arm quite simple. Jiro moved to hold their upper arm when another spasm rocked it. After waiting for the jolts to cease, he gripped their arm tight enough to make them wince, disinfected their skin with precision, and jabbed the needle into their upper arm with a little pinch.

The effect was almost immediate as he pushed down the plunger. The moment the fluid entered them they felt fuzzy, their vision swimming as if with exhaustion. The warmth spread and their muscles relaxed, losing most of their strength. Where a convulsion was about to start they felt a much weaker muscle spasm, registering in their mind as barely a crawl of their skin. Once all of the fluid had entered them, the needle was pulled out and discarded in an anomalous container for sharps; the spot was immediately cleaned and bandaged.

The sedative must have had some additional effect, the inspector reasoned. Where Jiro must have had been pressing fingers against the plaster to stop any bleeding, they imagined a long press of his lips.

But that wouldn't make sense.

Or be sanitary wound care.

(Would he even have a concept of 'kissing wounds makes them better'? It didn't seem like he grew up in such a gentle environment.)

Once he was certain the spasms had been relaxed Jiro put on a new pair of gloves and fetched his original needle. "This should kill any of the remaining venom." He explained as he cleaned another patch of skin. "Aside from the initial pinch you shouldn't notice anything odd. Maybe a little burning.

"If you feel anything besides that. . . ." He looked into their eyes, glassy and hazy. Barely there, their mind and body were so numb. For a moment they were able to focus on him, and he seemed to smile in amusement--although, that would be strange for Jiro, so it must have just been the medicine. "Just lie there and drool, I suppose. I'll take care of it."

Any attempt at response failed, their body feeling so limp that even speaking was a task. It felt like a nightmare of helplessness, the kind they'd had many times since coming to Darkwick--unable to move their body and helpless at the mercy of some person or beast. But even through the needles' sharp penetration(barely noticed in the haze of their sedation) they felt surprisingly safe. Perhaps their sleeping mind heard Jiro's blunt explanations and took them as literal as Jiro meant them to be and felt no fear or discomfort. They were helpless and heavy, but not afraid despite it. Like a dream within a dream.

As Jiro had claimed, they feel nothing but a light burn tingling in their veins. A gentle buzz throughout their being. They could almost feel the anomalous medicine working, seeking out the toxicity in their muscles and killing it. Or perhaps the sensitivity was part of their sedative-induced dream.

"Done." Jiro announced. The needle left them, and they were cleaned and bandaged once again. Jiro kissed--or pressed against, more likely--the bandage until the bleeding stopped. They opened their bleary eyes to watch him as he cleaned up. "You'll need to be monitored for about ten minutes, to make sure there are no side effects." He looked back at them lying on the examination table, a limp doll of a human. Not that, compared to Jiro, they were much stronger than a doll to begin with. "Not that you can go anywhere. In your condition."

Was that a laugh, or a sigh? It was a little huff of a sound, something they might as well have had imagined. A lot of things seemed imagined here. Like that Jiro didn't leave to attend to another patient and leave a general student to look after them until they could move again. Yuri would have likely had them put in a chair and wheeled back home with one of their friends. . .or worse, used their helpless body in some sort of experiment.

Perhaps that thought is what made the Jiro in their mind come closer once everything was in order and examine them closely. Had it been ten minutes? Time really didn't seem to have a meaning right now. They tried moving, and found little change in when they were first injected.

"Did I give you too much?" Jiro asked, slipping strong hands under their arms and repositioning them. They managed a sound best(though still poorly) described as a weak squeak in acknowledgement. "It's a strong sedative. If I didn't give it to you the venom might have started coordinating your spasms until it controlled your body. You'll be able to move again eventually."

Once they'd been placed back onto the table in a good position, the head of the table slightly raised, Jiro watched them.

Then, he moved a hand to lightly rest on their sternum.

"You're not breathing very hard." He observed. His hand traveled over to the left, cupping their chest. His other hand went to their neck, resting over their pulse. The palm over their chest started stroking the area through their shirt, heavy and dragging as if absentminded. They tensed, trying to squirm but too weak to do so.

"Your RPM and heart rate are a little high." Jiro noted aloud, though not on any sort of chart. The hand on their neck traced their throat with a thumb. "And you're starting to warm up. An allergic reaction, maybe. . .? You weren't found to be allergic to any of the anomalous medicine we use during your health checks."

The hand on their chest gave the tissue a squeeze. First a soft massaging, then something rougher. The way he spoke was so clinical, they had to assume the contact was little more than a fever dream, the last of the spasms wracking their body in particularly sensitive places and their sleeping mind filling in the blanks with thoughts of their vulnerable body being toyed with by the handsome, stoic doctor.

Even the tweak to one of their nipples wasn't enough to wake them, only enough to elicit another squeak and make them shudder in lieu of squirming or arching their back. Even when the hand on their throat moved to their jaw and traced their lips, sinking into their unresistant mouth to stroke their tongue, they assumed they were dreaming, misinterpreting what was happening in the waking world. Jiro commented on their temperature, thumb teasing the back of their throat until they just barely gagged. He retracted his hand entirely to mind their pebbling nipples with both.

What started so purely as the medical attention they needed had, in some length of time that they couldn't measure through the fog, became a pair of strong and heavy hands tracing down their side and waist, sliding over to grope at their tummy. The muscles beneath weakly tensed at the ticklish feeling, and he gave a little hum in acknowledgement. "It looks like you're getting your strength back, at least."

When he relocated his hands to their hips, they confirmed this slight recovery with a little squirm. He squeezed down, presumably to keep them still. "Relax. You'll need your strength for when you leave."

Presumably, it was to keep them still, although they felt his hands slip beneath to their rear, kneading their ass and tracing their crack through their clothes. When he spread the cheeks, he once again received a whine and a squirm, which he responded to with a rough squeeze as if in punishment. Nonetheless, he moved down to their thighs, similarly admiring their shape and feel, before slipping his hands between and spreading them without a hint of effort on his part.

"Ji--!" Their slurred attempt at speech was disrupted by their choked gasp when Jiro's groping moved to squeeze their crotch. The sudden jolt of pleasure, after being worked up through what felt like hours of slowly being toyed with, was enough to almost push through the muscle relaxants in the sedative for just a moment, letting them arch into the contact. They were still too weak to grind into his hand, however, and he only pushed back enough to get their hips to drop painfully back onto the table.

"I told you to calm down." His fingers traced the shape of their genitals, stroking as if to learn the shape more than to titillate. Jiro was a doctor. He'd personally given them medical examinations where they were wearing much less. He already knew what was there, though not in such intimacy. He didn't like 'pointless' things. He wouldn't see a point in something like this. So it could only be a dream. He massaged them through the fabric of their uniform and underwear, fingers pressing and stroking where heat seeped through the most. They only hoped he couldn't feel the moisture gathering there as well. "Your temperature is going up again."

Watching Jiro's actions was difficult in their exhausted condition. While there was no way they could conceptualize that Jiro would actually do any of this, some part of them desperately wanted to know what Jiro--if only as a product of their imagination--was feeling as he brought them agonizingly slowly towards orgasm.

They blinked through the mist of tears they realized must have been forming along with the drool running down their still parted lips, until Jiro's face came into focus. He was much too close to their lap, so close his even, unhurried breaths could be felt warming them through their clothes. It only added to the stimulation. Jiro was an adult, even if he sometimes seemed quite juvenile, like when he laughed at stag beetles fighting or Yuri struggling not to sleep in class; it was surely impossible that he didn't know what he was doing.

On the other hand, he'd been in a coma for some time, and he had no real consideration for the privacy of others' bodies. . .the intent look of study combined with a tinge of pink on his cheeks as he breathed over their aroused genitals and felt the way the touch of his scarred hands made them change. . . .

It was as if he was using their body to sate some curiosity, rather than truly molest them. Even the way his other hand gripped their clothing, as if considering simply removing it, seemed too explorative to be malicious or manipulative.

Or perhaps they simply thought that way because their angle didn't afford them the sight of his lap, to see if he was, perhaps, getting as aroused as they were.

But Jiro paused in his ministrations, contact returning shortly to simply resting his hand on that sensitive and throbbing area, before he retracted his hands completely. Again, they whinged, squirming at being left alone as Jiro seemed to disappear from the examination table.

"Interesting." What was of interest wasn't quite clear. It occurred to them that their body's responses to their dream were real, and perhaps the real Jiro was made aware of their arousal. It was impossible to tell his reaction from his voice alone, and they writhed in humiliation at being caught in some sort of medically induced wet dream. "It seems like you'll need a little more time to recover."

They held their breath, but the contact never returned. They felt themself cooking down, but still sensitive, as if Jiro's touch was lingering. Occasionally they heard some noise in the examination room--a turning page or a keyboard or computer mouse or writing implements on paper. Occasionally a noise from a phone, or a distant echo from out in the hall. But for the most part, all they heard was a strangely loud and hazy silence.

At some point, the dream turned to void, as if they'd fallen asleep inside of it.

When they came to, the world had much less of a layer of fog over it. Their body still felt heavy, but not so much so that they couldn't move it. Sounds were a bit sharper, and yet they heard less as if their senses had been heightened in their sleep. Yuri was scolding Jiro, something about dawdling in here with the sleeping patient when there was work to be done.

"They had a reaction to the antivenom." Jiro explained, his voice coming closer. As usual his footfalls were shockingly quiet, and they would have never known he was coming near if he weren't speaking. They squinted into the strong lights, raising an arm to cover their face. "They're awake now, so I'll discharge them."

"Fine. But hurry up! You know what happens when you're late for your medicine, and I won't tolerate your complaints if you're the cause of your own delay!" Yuri stormed out, likely to prepare Jiro's medication, not even acknowledging them despite having had seen them out when they first checked in days prior.

Jiro, meanwhile, presented them with a light snack of crackers and a juice box. "I would recommend eating a meal and getting some rest once you get home. That sedative wasn't made for restful sleep."

They cleared their throat after taking a few sips of juice. "You said I had a reaction. . . ."

"Yes."

"What. . .happened. . .?"

"Increased temperature, heart rate, and respiration." Jiro explained, watching them eat.

"Did you do anything to stop them. . .?" They really wanted to ask if it was truly a product of the antivenom, but feared sounding accusatory over what was likely a dream.

"No. They weren't at a dangerous level. I just kept an eye on them so make sure they didn't get worse."

They nodded, sipping their juice again. "And the sedative can give you strange dreams? You said it isn't made for restful sleep. . . ."

"Your body is forced to sleep without your mind being put into a restful place first. It would be like falling asleep with something on your mind, making you more likely to dream about it. So, yes, that would likely be the case."

They heaved a somewhat disappointed sigh, tilting the last of their snack crackers into their mouth. "That's good, I think. . .I'm glad that's all that happened."

"If you say so."

That response felt off. Jiro took their trash and threw it away, fetching the wheelchair they were rolled in on to help them into it. He put a hand on their back, making them jump as they were gently pushed to the edge of the lowered bed to sit up.

"What do you mean? That's all that happened, isn't it?"

"It already happened." Jiro said dismissively, putting his hands under their arms to lift them up(again?) and sit them into the chair, not trusting their legs just yet. "I don't see a point in worrying what happened between your treatment and now."

The cursed inspector tried to formulate a response that could convince Jiro to share what he meant--even if all he said was that he had read a medical journal, or that he'd adjusted them in bed a few times--but knowing Jiro they couldn't think of a way to get him to talk. They squeezed their thighs together, feeling their genitals throb from the orgasm denial, the unfulfillment of their dream that might have been reality. But they were already back in the Mortkranken lobby, where Luca greeted them with a kind smile, approaching.

"Can you walk?" He asked as Jiro locked the chair. They set one leg on the floor and, though it felt heavy, they could definitely balance enough to get up and stumble over to Luca on wobbly legs before giving a weak nod. "I'm glad to hear it. It looks like you've recovered well. Are they clear to return home, Doctor Kirisaki?"

"Just Jiro is fine." Jiro looked them over once more. It was surely their imagination that his gaze lingered on their crotch--where they squeezed their thighs together tightly, remembering their dizzy dream and just how close his lips were before he pulled away--as opposed to their slightly wobbling legs. "They're a fall risk until they've had a meal and some rest. But they're safe for discharge."

A general Mortkranken student trotted up, offering the scholarship student their discharge paperwork and instructions, then collected the wheelchair for sensitization and storage once the papers were taken. They and Lucas thanked them kindly, and Jiro as well. He simply nodded in response, before they began to make their way out the door.

The cursed human took one final look back at Jiro, who simply tilted his head at them like so many of the cats around campus. Then he winced and turned away, stumbling towards the basement to receive his medication.

About two or three hours later, they received a WickChat message.

Jiro: You implied you experienced an odd dream as an effect of the sedative. This may also have been a yet unseen reaction between the sedative and the antivenom. Jiro: For the sake of proper documentation, would you be able to expound upon the dream at all? It's okay if you can't remember everything. Any details would be valuable to the understanding of anomalous medicine and its effects on humans and individuals afflicted by curses.

Their heart pounded. Telling Jiro what they dreamed of could be valuable information, but could they really bear the humiliation of it? Of explaining that they'd had a nearly wet dream about him, while he was in the room with them? Would Jiro even think anything of it, oblivious as he is to emotional matters?

Jiro: If it helps, a date for you to be sedated again could be arranged. You could be attached to a brain wave monitor, so your memory won't need to be relied upon. Jiro: Perhaps the dream will reoccur. I'll be sure to thoroughly extract something of value, so the experience isn't wasted.

Perhaps it was his use of 'thoroughly extracting value', but the thought crossed their mind that they hadn't been dreaming at all, and that Jiro mayhaps wanted to finish what he started. But it wouldn't make sense from the get go for it to have had been real. . . .

And yet they remembered Jiro's talk of prescribing death to others and dismissing ethics.

There was no point in discussing the ethics of something that had already been done, he said.

Perhaps some of the experience was real. He wouldn't have had been so cryptic about what had happened while they slept if nothing had occurred, would he?

Although, he was often cryptic about things, so perhaps that was merely coincidence and they were getting their hopes up--

Jiro: A prompt response would be appreciated. 'No' is an acceptable response, as well.

They scrambled to type a response, realizing they'd left him on read.

8636: I don't know how well I can recall. . . . 8636: I'm willing to be re-sedated, though! 8636: Before I agree to it, may I ask a potentially non-medical question? Jiro: I can't stop you from asking questions over WickChat. 8636: What happened while I was sedated today? After I was given the antivenom?

There was a pause, but no typing for a while. Then the general Mortkranken WickChat messaged them with appointment information.

8636: Jiro? Jiro: ? 8636: I didn't see a response, so I was just checking in. . . . Jiro: I didn't agree to answer the question.

A fair, if disappointing response.

Jiro: Just know I attempted to administer a holistic remedy to an unanticipated physiological response that arose during your treatment.

The response took a little longer to parse. As realization dawned on them, the next message came in.

Jiro: It didn't work as intended, as I'm not very experienced with such methods or concerns. Perhaps you noticed your continued affliction after discharge, and your discharge instructions. Jiro: Should the same issue arise, I've done more research.

They covered their face in embarrassment.  The discharge instruction "administer personal relief as needed" made much more sense now. They desperately hoped the Mortkranken student who handed them their discharge instructions hadn't read it first.

Accepting this explanation, they hastily sent an apology and threw themself down in bed, covering their face. Did they have to go to the appointment!? Jiro had only been trying to help them, albeit in an extremely questionable way. . .and somehow the thought that he had done more research to better serve the need in question. . .it was embarrassing, despite that they were the victim. They were able to excuse it, rationalizing that they were attracted to Jiro anyway and the idea alone felt exciting, but now walking into it as though it were any other medical procedure felt. . .insincere.

Resolving to perhaps cancel the appointment and try and get Jiro to have a talk with them about ethics, they dozed off, trying to ignore the returning heat and throbbing between their legs.

When they next awoke, it was to a small pinch, like the needles they'd recieved that day.

Just as had happened earlier, their strength was robbed from them nearly immediately, and they gasped as they felt a pair of lips on their chest, sucking at the nipple through their pajamas. A familiar large, heavy hand squeezed their other breast, twisting and tugging the nipple there.

"Not to worry." Jiro reassured through the gloom and the haze of sleep and strong sedatives. "Just like earlier, this is all a dream."

Limp in bed, a heavy doll for him to experiment on, what could they do but comply?

[alpha-trauma-novel-trans]

Chapter 95

Aside from Dohyun's, Wooyeon had never been to anyone's house before. Moreover, the space with the title of ‘single room’ was almost like an unknown world. To him, the idea of going to Garam's place was more exciting than the suggestion of going to an amusement park.

As soon as they finished eating, they hopped in a taxi and headed to Garam's. They could have gotten a hired car, but they didn't want to alert the house. Dohyun hailed a cab without a word and carefully dressed Wooyeon in a jacket.

“It's a little chilly out.”

After they got out of the cab, they walked side by side, sharing an umbrella. Dohyun had held the umbrella over them since they left the house, so Wooyeon had forgotten to grab an extra one. The umbrella was cramped for the two of them, and their shoulders stuck out if they weren't pressed closely together, but that wasn't bad.

“You aren't getting wet, right?”

“I'm fine, but... Hyung, aren't your shoulders getting wet?”

“I'm fine.”

One foot, then another. With each step, water droplets splashed. The light rain tapped the umbrella in time with each step. Wooyeon looked at Dohyun from the corner of his eye and grabbed his arm.

“I don't mind the rain.”

An umbrella held by someone other than Secretary Yoon. To share an umbrella with someone else. Even walking down the street on a rainy day like this.

Everything he did for the first time was okay because he was with Dohyun. Every time their shoulders brushed, his heart fluttered like it had when he had a crush on him. Dohyun smiled pleasantly and tilted the umbrella toward Wooyeon.

Garam's place was a newly built villa not far from the school. They had to enter a code at the entrance, and Garam came down as soon as Dohyun called. She was wearing a large boxy shirt and lime-colored shorts, making her presence felt even from beyond the door. 

“Oh, Wooyeon, you dyed your hair?”

She hurried downstairs with her shoes were matching. One was a pair of flip-flops and the other was a pair of sky blue slippers. They were all colorful and crazy.

“I haven't unpacked yet, so it's a bit of a mess, but just bear with it. Sungyu got here a while ago.”

Garam said in a low voice, leading the way up the stairs.

The low staircase was too narrow for two of them to climb together. Wooyeon followed her, glancing around without Garam's knowledge.

“Kwon Sungyu, the kids are here!”

“They're here.”

Sungyu sat down in the living room and greeted Dohyun and Wooyeon as if he were in his own home. So much had changed in just a week since they saw each other, but he looked exactly the same as he had on the last day of school.

“Nice place. Clean.”

Dohyun closed the front door and took a cursory look around. Wooyeon followed Dohyun and took the opportunity to look around. As soon as he took off his shoes, he was in the kitchen, and after three steps, he saw the door. He didn't realize how amazing it was to see the whole house at once.

“Have you ever been in a house this small before?”

Garam tapped Wooyeon on the shoulder and smiled warmly. Wooyeon, who was looking up at the ceiling, suddenly turned to look at Garam.

“Oh... I'm sorry.”

“I see you're not saying no.”

Fortunately, she didn't look offended. Laughing, Garam nudged the pile of stuff with her foot. 

"Just shove everything aside... But why are you two empty-handed when coming to a new house?"

"Wow, I didn't see either of you like that. I brought toilet paper."

Dohyun plopped down next to Sungyu, unperturbed by the outpouring of boos. Wooyeon also took notice and sat down cross-legged next to him. It was his first time going to someone else's house, so he hadn't thought of a housewarming gift.

“Order whatever you want to eat. I'll buy.”

“I was waiting for you to say that. Sungyu, open the app.”

The voices echoed from the lack of furniture. The house was disorganized, and you could hear the rain outside the window. Despite the unpleasant surroundings, Wooyeon felt excited.

“Shall we get some Chinese food?”

“We should eat something expensive for the guy who's paying for it.”

"When someone moves, they usually eat jajangmyeon."

“There's a bowl delivered here, do you want it?”

“No, I want something expensive.”

"Oh my."

If he hadn't come out, Wooyeon would have wasted another day. He would have stayed in the house with no one around and watched the rain fall, and as always, he would drift into depression until the rainy season ended.

"What do you want to eat? Chicken, okay?"

"Wooyeon can't eat chicken."

“Then pizza?”

“I ate pizza yesterday.”

“Kwon Sungyu can't leave it alone, really.”

"Hey, why are you only picking on me?"

Wooyeon swallowed a laugh as he listened to Garam and Sungyu chatter away. They never seemed to tire of each other, and whenever they were together, they never stopped talking, even if it was just small talk.

“What about sushi? Kim Dohyun loves sushi.”

Garam said and pointed at Dohyun. Wooyeon, who had just learned that 'Kim Dohyun likes sushi,' absentmindedly turned his gaze. Dohyun was staring at Wooyeon shyly, not paying attention to the conversation.

“...Do you like sushi?”

Dohyun's eyes were filled with a cute feeling, so he couldn't overcome his embarrassment and move his lips. Dohyun watched Wooyeon and closed his eyes gently.

“Yeah, I like sushi.”

His face felt flushed. It wasn’t the first or second time he had seen this smile, but how could it be so different every time? While Wooyeon was tugging his earlobe, Garam started choosing a menu at the sushi restaurant with the highest rating.

They chose sushi, pizza, and tteokbokki. They insisted on ordering the expensive stuff, but it wasn't much different from what they usually ate. Garam lamented the food she ordered, saying it was the food of someone who had eaten it before. 

“Speaking of which, we'll be getting our grades soon.”

“Oh my, that’s right. This is a big deal, I messed up my final exam.”

Luckily, the food all arrived around the same time, and since there was no dining table, Garam laid out the boxes roughly and unwrapped them on the floor. It was the first time he'd eaten something on the floor since the night he got drunk at M.T.

“Our study goal was 4.0, right?”

“Bullshit. I couldn't even study at the end. 4.0 is your dog's name.”

"Wooyeon, do you think you'll get good grades?"

Sungyu asked, and Wooyeon shook his head, not sure about it. He thought he did well, but since it was his first time getting a final grade, it was hard to guarantee. But since Dohyun helped him, he'd probably be in the top tier.

"Did you two go on a lot of dates? I didn't contact you on purpose to surprise you."

"I went to my parents' house, so we couldn't meet."

“Oh, well, if I'd known that, I would've called you instead of staying away.”

Wooyeon gave a vague answer to Garam, who must have been bored. When asked what he's been doing, he talked about movies, working out, and swimming, just like he did with Dohyun. Garam was interested in movies, and Seongyu's eyes widened at the mention of a pool.

“You can come over when you're free.”

“Where, your place?”

“Yeah. We can watch movies, use the pool...”

"Awesome. Ji Suhyang's house... no, it's my first time going to such a big house."

Since Suhyang is not at home most of the time, she won't mind if someone comes over. The employee is actually happier when he hears that a guest is coming. Last time, he prepared a fancy dinner when he heard that a friend was coming.

No champagne this time. Wooyeon thought to himself.

They rolled around the house long after they had eaten. They kept eating the leftover food until nightfall, and Garam bought them coffee and cake after.

All they did was eat, lie down, and chat, but before they knew it, it was close to midnight.

“Hmmmm.”

Ten minutes to midnight. Just as Wooyeon was starting to think it was time to head home, Garam coughed awkwardly. She nudged Dohyun with her foot and gestured to the front door.

“Hey, go out and get some ice cream with Wooyeon.”

It was almost like an order, but Dohyun obediently got up from his seat. When he held out his hand, Wooyeon also got up awkwardly.

“Shouldn't we be going now?”

"Let's play some more. We live alone anyway."

"That's right, that's right. Hyung, I like corn."

Wooyeon tilted his head while holding Dohyun's hand. It was hard to explain, but the atmosphere was strange. Even though the others didn’t notice, Sungyu’s expression was awkwardly frozen.

“Let's go, Yeon-ah.”

Well, it must be because of the mood. Wooyeon, who tried hard to shake off the awkwardness, put his feet into his shoes. Up until then, Wooyeon hadn’t seen Dohyun secretly exchanging glances with them.

next chapter

[aruanimess]

Round three, of me endlessly yapping on Reverse AU. I am still VERY new to this.. tumblr asking, notes and whatnot, so.. I apologise if I seem somewhat annoying and bothersome Anyway, less 'bout me, more on blondes! I'm going to try spitballing a few ideas there and there, because I don't have ONE big topic/arc to really focus on, so here we go!

1; Armin being captured after his identity is figured out. There are.. three way's of this going, in my opinion. >First, being that they managed to successfully take him down into the tunnels to capture him, possibly after some convincing by Annie, since he trusts her a lot? (Plus, if Armin sticks around to around S3 when they're all in that Cabin, hiding away from the Military Police and all. I think Annie and Armin would be.. somewhat awkward, between each other. Since, she cares for him, a lot and.. betrayed him.) >Second, same scene where his identity is discovered and remains at the top of the staircase, but more or less breaks down because he doesn't know what is right anymore, he cares for his new found friends, the thought of betraying them crushes his heart, so he gives up and surrenders peacefully. >Third, transforms and makes a run for the walls to dip, which could ALSO go multiple ways, but.. I don't really have much on that. 2; Warriors Reveal, though Armin is now in the midst of it. I cannot see Armin ever betraying Paradis Island and trying to capture Eren (a second time, mind you), now that Reiner decided to reveal their identites to the same bloke he tried capturing too - yikes. Armin could very well try making them surrender, in a subtle way so the situation doesn't escalate, nor turn his own comrades against him. So, he tricks them and everyone. Transforming along the other two to capture Eren, only to fight Reiner along with Eren but obviously ending in failure with Bert's Titan crushing them. On one hand, I think Bert would try getting Armin, though Reiner is too focused on the mission, he ditches Armin and makes a run for it.

3; Armin still gets captured by the Opaki, though he saves Annie from being the one to be captured by it. As fun and simple it would be if she was the one to be yoinked, so they couldn't use the power of the Colossal and rescue her, I decided to go differently with this. While Armin does end up getting captured, he isn't terrified that he can't protect his people, that they need him, without him he'll die. No, he's accepting his fate. They have Annie, they can still blow up the Doomsday Titan and they'll all be fine, he may die but will die at least doing something right for them, finally doing something useful after betraying his friends, and putting his life down on the line, as their Commander.

(I also agree he'd still be the next Commander that Hange would put the title upon, so.. it sorta means a lot, like he finally is one of them in some way? - I dunno, spitballing!) But, ahaa.. Yeah, that isn't happening. Annie is not letting that blonde go, despite they have a clear winning shot here, she is not about to let him die. Not now, there is still more to be said to him, with how she feels. So, the mission of saving Armin is once more! AND, to end it off, I like to think he'd still be suicidal and jump for the Parasite to hold it down along with Reiner, even if there's a chance of him dying from the Colossal's explosion.

I apologise having to read this entire shit-show of ideas in your inbox, I doubt I'll do more to not seem too big of a yapper, but we'll see! I hope everything is going well for you, have a wonderful day/night! Now, I depart. Toodles!

Hello, Rux!!

Please, never apologize for sending an ask! I absolutely love hearing your ideas and I’m very happy to know the reverse AU still resonates with people :D

Okay, now let’s see:

1. I do prefer the second scenario in the staircase scene. Armin at this point has nothing waiting for him back in Marley and as a character he generally prefers ending conflicts with talking rather than fighting so I believe he’d rather strike a deal and resolve this through diplomacy. 

2. Now for the Warriors reveal… we do have to consider that this scene occurs very soon after Armin’s own reveal. Like it’s all happening within three days tops. There’s always the possibility that he’s too busy getting interrogated within an inch of his life to even attend these events. 

Personally, I’m more curious as to whether Reiner and Bertolt would attempt to convince Zeke to launch an operation to “rescue” Armin at that point, or write him off as a lost cause. I think there’s potential for drama and bitterness in both cases. In the first scenario, you have a Reiner who fought to save Armin getting betrayed by someone he considered his friend, while in the second scenario, you have an Armin even more estranged by his peers in Marley, sad and disappointed they never even cared for him. 

3. Here you’re gonna have to forgive me, because I respectfully disagree.

While Armin and Annie would absolutely act the way you described in the event of Armin getting captured by the Okapi Titan, I don’t see why the Founder Ymir would bother to kidnap him. In canon, she only does so because he’s the Colossus and is the only one with the power to stop Eren. So I’m afraid that our girl Annie would have to be the one getting choked by that tongue… (well that was a sentence I’d never thought I’d write xD)

As for the Commander part… I don’t know. On one hand, I do see how meaningful such a gesture would be from Hange, accepting Armin as one of their own wholeheartedly. On the other hand, the idea of an outsider coming in to “save” the Paradisians from their plight and lead them to the truth makes me feel kind of uncomfortable. 

Personally, because I’m a useless bisexual with a one track mind, I’d love to see how Commander Annie could work. At the very least I’d like to consider the possibility of her assuming a leadership role. She’s not an out of the box thinker like Armin in canon, but she is very practical and very decisive when it comes to battle. In another world, raised alongside Eren and Mikasa and not as confined by her father and her circumstances, I can see her developing a keen eye for solutions, maybe not outrageous strategies, but clean simple yet effective and devastating in their consequences plans. She’s ruthless, she’s perceptive and she’s willing to give up her life to achieve her means.

Honestly? I’d love to see it explored.

[springfaaerie]

Silver Moon Chapter Three

"it's a date"

spring speaks: Seth finally makes an appearance! rejoice

pairing: Seth Clearwater x OC

masterlist

word count: 4.6k

warnings: quil(he's a bit much but I love him sm), very brief mention of su*icide.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Noa Swan had been in Forks for exactly two weeks. In that time, she had acquired a learners permit and Bella had been teaching her to drive, something she was quite awful at and refused most of the time. Charlie insisted that he and Bella help her practice, telling his niece she'd be much happier with a license and more access to Bella's car, which was only used for her to go to work and back. The idea didn't sound appealing to her at all, and the girl didn't bother hiding her relief when she finally pulled into the now-familiar driveway of the Swan home, noticing that an unfamiliar truck had been parked in front of the house. Bella noticed her confusion, "it's just the Clearwaters." Noa relaxed then, entering the house and greeting her uncle and Harry, pleased to know that it was only them and she didn't have to put up with her aunt Molly and her game of 'let's pinch your cheeks til they turn red'.

"How'd it go?" Charlie asked, lining up his fishing gear by the front door but pausing to spare his niece a worried glance. Harry chuckled to himself, his reddened cheeks pulled back taught as he joked, "hit any cars?" Charlie hid his laugh with a cough, nudging his old friend as his worry was swiped clean from his face, much to Noa's annoyance. 

Noa scoffed at the two, "you said you wouldn't tell anyone; and it only happened twice, I swear." The men shared disbelieving looks before the two were out of the house, loading up Harry's car with their supplies, while Noa took the open seat in the kitchen, returning to her book she was forced to pause in order to partake in her 'mandatory' driving lessons. Bella had retreated to her room which meant she wasn't to be disturbed, something Noa quickly caught onto. She didn't know the parameters of a typical cousin-relationship so she didn't question it, aware of her cousin's depressed state. 

Jacob called frequently, checking in on her whenever he could. With Bella unable to keep Noa the near constant company her uncle thought she needed, Charlie usually forced the two to hang out while he and Billy watched sports, though Noa didn't mind as Jacob was good company and he didn't seem bothered by her presence while he worked on his car. Charlie frowned upon reentry, sending a glance up the stairs to where Bella had ventured off to. The man sighed, leaning onto the staircase before peering over at his niece. "You sure you'll be good on your own here? I could drop you off over with Mitena and Tama if you want, or at the Clearwaters'...I'm sure Sue and the kids won't mind, right Harry?"

The man nodded, picking up the last of his things as he gave Noa a thin lipped smile. "Sue's been dying to see ya again but she doesn't want to push, and I'm sure Seth won't mind a girl round his age at the house," the man chuckled at that and Noa decided that she liked his without a care attitude; she smiled after the man as she watched him carry his belongings to his old truck. Charlie inquired further as the two were about ready to head out, "so, how bout it kid? You staying in or am I dropping you off somewhere?"

Noa thought about it for a moment, sliding her bookmark into place before closing Wuthering Heights and placing it onto the counter next to Charlie's half emptied coffee mug. "Tama's working, I called the number you have for her on the fridge, and I don't want to bother Sue or anybody really, I'll be fine."

"You know, you could always get a job to keep you busy," Charlie suggested, mentioning both Tama and Bella's respective jobs at the local art gallery and Newton's Olympic Outfitters. The man snapped his fingers suddenly and Noa jumped a bit from the sudden action and he quickly apologized. "Come to think of it, hey Harry, isn't Joy looking for help down at her store?" He smiled when Harry nodded in confirmation, his hands thrown up suggestively.

His niece seemed to ponder the idea, her eyebrows coming together in the middle. "I've never had a job before. Where does she work?" Noa asked, seeing Harry roll his eyes while she thought about the possibilities of a job. "She owns a little metaphysical store right near La Push on the main highway, not too far from here."

Harry mumbled on about how the store made a mockery of real natives due to the items being sold by the woman and scoffed, heading off toward his truck. Charlie shrugged, looking back to his niece who nodded after a while. "Yeah, why not? It'll be nice to get out of the house every once in a while, even if it does rain most days." She gathered her bag and book before joining Charlie out in front, a scowl on her face as she felt the first bit of rain drop onto the middle of her head, right where her ebony colored tresses parted.

Charlie nodded in agreement, happy with her enthusiasm instead of the mourning she had been in since her arrival and feeling accomplished that he was at least helping someone, something he had been doing his entire life. He noticed that she talked about Charlotte less and would catch her reading a different book than the one that was currently tucked between her elbow and ribs, one that brought frequent frowns to her face as she did so. He threw an arm over his niece's shoulder, something he did often that she had to get used to considered she wasn't too comfortable with most forms of physical contact yet. "Yeah, it'll let you save up a bit of money. Money, maybe for a car..."

Noa ignored her uncle, slipping into the backseat and attempting to make herself comfortable with the abundance of gear situated next to her. Harry apologized, though she waved him off as they headed towards La Push, an old rock song playing on the radio. The men joked and reminisced on the song, Noa catching word that they listened to it often in their youth which made her smile. They went on like this for a while until the car slowed and veered off the road a bit til it came to a stop, though the engine still idled. Charlie and Harry turned to look at the girl who shrunk a bit under their gazes, hoping they weren't sending her inside alone. "You just go on in there and say your Chief Swan's niece and you heard about the open position, okay?"

The girl didn't nod as she was still a bit afraid, her mind running wild with possibilities as her lips pulled downward to form a frightened frown. "What if the position's already been filled?" Noa asked, her stomach dropping at the possibility of the trip over being futile and being stuck with the woman she had yet to meet until Charlie was done fishing. Harry snorted from in front of the wheel, not bothering to hide his amusement as he chided, "doubt it."

Her uncle urged her again, gentler this time, as if he was convincing a child on their first day of school that everything would be alright. She nodded before thanking Harry for the ride, slipping out of the crowded back seat and onto the gravel where dust picked up on her black boots. She was still hesitant but didn't want to burden the two men with her presence any longer since she knew they were eager to go fishing. The teenager waved them off awkwardly as they drove off towards the marina, mumbling a low, "take me with you" she knew for certain they couldn't hear. Once the car was out of view, Noa sighed, hanging her head before dragging her feet in the direction of the small building only a couple hundred feet away. 

A bell announced her entry and she pulled her hood back to further inspect the place. It seemed Harry was right as the store was filled with stereotypical indigenous items, placed strategically throughout the small space. The rest of the store was filled with rows of books and tarot cards, the walls lined with storage that overflowed with incense, some burning and filling the space with the smell of myrrh. Footsteps caused her to alter her gaze and a woman appeared from behind a once-closed door, obviously surprised but elated at the presence of a possible customer. The woman she assumed to be Joy had a charming smile and was heavy set, clad in jewels of all different shades and sizes, tortoiseshell glasses adorning her beautiful, cheery face. 

Noa waved awkwardly, clutching her bag tighter in an attempt to comfort herself. "Um, hi. I'm Noa, Chief Swan's niece. He told me you were looking for some help around here and-"

"Oh-oh," the woman's shock turned into sadness, sympathy, as she frowned and held her hands out, not waiting for Noa to respond before she pulled her into a hug, her condolences flying out rather quickly and Noa stood wide eyed in her uncomfortable embrace, unsure of what to do or say. She let out a breath once she was finally released, adjusting her clothes and clearing her throat awkwardly. Joy didn't seem to notice her discomfort as she motioned for her to follow.

"Your uncle is right, I do need help. I have all my new shipments in and I want to get them organized since it's the holiday season which means more customers. It'll just be seasonal though so I'll only need you til the end of January and maybe at the start of tourist season late spring...oh and I'll have to pay you under the table. Is that okay?"

Joy clapped when Noa nodded almost robotically, the girl rather afraid to decline the position offered to her, and unable to voice the fact that she didn't know what 'under the table' meant.

The older woman showed her around the store and Noa noticed she walked with a limp, "I'd have my son, Quil do this usually with his friends but they're all too cool to help out during Christmas break." She scoffed, adding, "teenagers."

Joy pointed to a picture hanging near the front of the store where the register was. Noa peered closer and pointed at a familiar face, "Jacob."

She spotted the boy, a bit younger looking, with his arm around another boy's shoulder, both grinning widely. Joy nodded as she stared at the photo fondly, naming her son, Quil, as well as their other childhood friend, Embry Call. 

"Those boys, I'll tell you," Joy smiled as she picked up a box from the floor and placed it onto the counter. She laughed a bit, as if she was remembering something hilarious then. "Always into some trouble, I swear. They're all like my boys though, especially Jacob since he lost his mother so young."

Noa only nodded as she watched her open the box and begin to pull out its contents, books. Joy's smile was wiped from her face and Noa stood up a bit straighter in preparation for her next words. "Now, I need you to organize these alphabetically and put them up on the shelves, alright? Once you're done with that, we'll unload a few more boxes. Sound okay, sweetheart?"

Again, she simply nodded, the teenager still mute as Joy left her to her own devices. She felt like she could breathe easier once she was finally left alone and she took one anxiety reducing glance around the empty store before she turned her attention to her assigned task. Granted, she hadn't been expecting to be put to work this quickly but she figured she didn't have anything better to do, the girl pulling out her iPod and headphones before getting started. 

She had only been working for thirty minutes, not that she had been counting since she hadn't stopped to take a break or even deviate from her playlist she had made the day before -she'd overheard some teenagers in the grocery store talking about a new album from a band called Paramore and decided to give them a listen, and a listen turned to listening to said album on repeat whenever she turned on her iPod - before she was interrupted.

Noa was quite proud of her quick and diligent work and knew Joy would be proud, a smile beginning to form as she started to put up the last few books on their respective shelf. She shrieked suddenly when her shoulder was knocked quite harshly by an unknown force, sending her onto her knees and the last few books splattered onto the floor along with a multitude of others, piled amongst a still rolling soccer ball. 

The teen ripped her headphones out and whipped her head around to find the source of the ball, a quick flash rushing past her muttering apologies. She could hear Joy cursing as she exited her office, arguing with another voice that sounded as though it belonged to a boy. The figure in front of her made quick work at picking up the scattered books along with her, some slipping from his hands at his speed.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know-"

Their hands reached for the same book at the same time and they both retracted their hands just as quickly before they made eye contact and suddenly Noa forgot about the shooting pain in her shoulder that had been caused by the boy's soccer ball.

Noa had been around the world and her eyes often fell upon people she found attractive but the boy in front of her was so beautiful she felt as though her cheeks would singe from the intensity of her blush, quickly looking away from his stunned gaze as she tried to stack the last remaining books on the ground in front of them but found herself rightfully stuck.

She saw him wave to her from the corner of her eye, "hi."

She finally looked back at him to see a flustered smile replacing a partially opened mouth and she found comfort in the fact that his cheeks were red as well. So comfortable, she sent him a short wave of her own as well as a shy smile, unable to look at him for long but offering a, "hi," in return, widening his smile.

Hearing footsteps, they both turned to see Sue standing at the end of the aisle with a displeased look on her face, the boy's smile quickly dropping. 

"Seth what did Joy tell you and Quil about playing with that ball in here? Look what you did, you almost knocked the poor girl out and half the store too," the older woman chastised her son, quickly going over to help Noa up, inspecting her shoulder before shooting Seth a glare he flinched under, the boy apologizing to both his mother and Joy, who was still chewing out Quil. "Are you alright dear?"

Noa nodded, remembering that she did in fact get hit with a soccer ball while she rubbed the still-sore area, finally able to focus on something other than Seth. She'd heard stories about him, Sue and Harry talked highly of their youngest child and only son but now that she had a face to put to all the stories, she wished she'd paid more attention to them.

They looked at the mess on the floor and Sue waved it off with a comforting smile, one that mirrored her son. "Don't worry about the mess, Seth and Quil will clean it up, won't you?" she reassured her, another boy, Quil, appearing from around the corner with an equally flustered look as he apologized to the girl. Both boys nodded, Sue smiling triumphantly before reassuring the girl next to her that she'd give her a salve for her shoulder to soothe the pain. 

Joy called out for her friend, leaving the three teens alone amidst a pile of books. Quil was the boldest of the two, Noa noticed quickly, as he leaned up against one of the bookshelves in an attempt to appear casual, his eyes on Noa who watched in confusion.

"So..." the boy began, dragging the word out unnecessarily. Before he could say anything further, Joy suddenly appeared next to him, giving her son a bit of a shock as she said, "watch it, she's your cousin."

Quil gagged as she made her departure into her office with Sue in tow, smacking his lips. "Every single time! I hate living on the Rez..." the boy muttered childishly, crossing his arms over his chest as he continued to lean on the bookshelf next to him.

He flinched as Seth threw a book his way, the younger boy urging him on, "come on man, help me. You're the one that kicked the ball." Quil looked from his friend to Noa again, offering her an apologetic smile before going over to help Seth. 

Noa bent down to their level, helping them so they finished quicker, pretending as though she couldn't see Seth staring at her every few seconds while doing the same. He looked at her for a bit longer, studying her face and she wish she was bold enough to do the same. "You're Helena, right? Charlie's niece?"

His voice was so endearing, Noa couldn't bring herself to correct him like she usually did on instinct. Instead, she simply nodded like a fool unable to form words. Seth didn't seem to mind though as he smiled at her, unaware that she had been repeating him saying her name over and over in her head.

Quil kissed his teeth, sparing her a glance, "sorry your mom killed herself. Must've been sick traveling so much though." 

Another book hit him square in the chest and he groaned, clutching the area before flipping off Seth. Noa watched them bicker silently, her eyes bouncing back and forth as though she were watching a tennis match. Friendly banter, she assumed.

"Sorry about Quil, he's an idiot," Seth said honestly, narrowing his eyes at the slightly older boy who didn't seem to know why his words were offensive. "Sorry about your mom, too." 

"It's okay," Noa lied, though she thanked the boy in front of her for his condolences. He didn't seem to believe her but had enough sense not to push the subject further, only nodding in response.

Joy and Sue appeared then, the latter snapping her phone shut as she made her way towards them. "Your uncle wanted me to bring you over to our house for dinner. They should be home before sundown, they just made it back to the marina." 

Quil's face lit up, disregarding the books he had piled in front of him. "Uncle Harry's frying fish? Can I come too?" He begged. Noa couldn't blame him, during her short time back in Forks, she also found herself enticed by the older man's cooking skills and counting down to her uncle and Harry's arrival.

Seth meekly offered his hand to help her to her feet and she hesitantly took it with a smile he was ever so happy to return, their hands still entangled despite her being up and steady at his side. 

Joy scoffed as she scanned over the mess that still sprawled across her store floor and Quil's hopeful smile dropped immediately, Noa hearing Seth stifle a laugh from behind her. "You've got a lot of nerve worrying about fish when you've turned my store into this...this!" She exclaimed breathlessly, the woman rightfully upset at the fact that all their work had been undone within a few seconds of her son's arrival. She turned to Noa, "I'll see you here on Monday, alright? That's when the new shipment comes in and you can help me stock up, sound good?"

Noa nodded, noticing Joy's eyes began to trail downward to where her hand was still brushed up against Seth's and she quickly moved it behind her back, though she admittedly missed the warmth he provided that seemed to spread throughout her cheeks when she caught sight of his smile he tried to suppress.

"Thank you, Joy, for the job, I mean. It was nice meeting you," she said politely, hoping she wouldn't be engulfed into another hug by the older woman. Joy only waved her off, Noa coming to realize she didn't like being thanked or having much attention on herself, walking the trio out the front door while Quil stayed behind to clean. 

"So Noa," Sue began after they had driven onto the main highway and away from the small shop Noa now worked at. The girl in the back was quite frazzled, sitting so close to Seth in the crammed backseat of Sue's old sedan, barely catching what she said. "It's nice, isn't it?"

Noa cleared her throat, looking away from the boy she had been secretly admiring whenever he wasn't doing the same to her. Sue noticed but didn't comment, choosing only to reiterate her initial question. "Washington? It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Her eyes followed the coast once it came into view and she admired it for a few moments, the waves crashing in the distance and the crisp, sea salt air that filled her lungs with every breath. The scenery reminded her of the Irish coast and she nodded after a while. "I'm still getting used to the rain as it's been a while since I was anywhere this...wet but, I like it here so far." 

Seth chimed in, happy to have an in to their conversation as he was trying to come up with something to say to her since he opened the car door for her. "Have you been to the beach yet?" he asked, both of them staring down at the tar black beach that held a few people huddled around each other, appearing smaller from their point of view. He continued on when she shook her head, no, "I could take you sometime...if you want! We could go swimming, or surfing, or-"

Noa looked embarrassed to admit it but said, "I'm a bit afraid of the water, I haven't been in it since I was eight." Seth frowned and Noa waited for him, like everyone else, to ask what had caused someone to be afraid of something so revered as the ocean or any large body of water despite it being a common and quite rational fear.

He shrugged after a while, seemingly unbothered as he responded, "there's whale watching too, unless being on a boat sounds too scary, then we can just play soccer on the sand." Noa smiled apologetically, admitting her less than average athletic skills, to which Seth only smiled brightly in response, "that just means I get to teach you." 

He seemed so happy and full of joy that Noa found herself unable to slip into the usual melancholy that followed her around like a vexatious insect flying aimlessly around her person. It was comforting, albeit new and foreign; being around someone so cheerful, it made her chest feel full and warm, like she was sitting in the sun on the first day of spring.

She smiled at him.

They talked throughout the entire car ride, Sue not seeming to mind as she only spoke up when they arrived at the house, Noa catching sight of Harry's truck and Leah's secondhand Honda in the gravel driveway. 

Noa had been to their house before on a few occasions, as Charlie and Harry were quite close and often enjoyed meals and games at their respective houses but, she had yet to meet the youngest Clearwater, until today of course. She recognized Leah immediately upon entry to the house, the girl's long black hair being tossed carelessly over her shoulder as she twirled the phone cord in her hand, both engrossed and annoyed with whatever was being said to her on the other line. The older girl only gave a brief look her way when she made her way into the kitchen with the few groceries they'd picked up on their way, which she preferred, before she went back to her phone call.

Charlie smiled upon seeing his niece, wiping his flour-dusted hands on a nearby hand towel before greeting her with a wave, "bout time you guys got here, I was this close to eating your fish." 

Sue smacked his shoulder playfully before greeting her husband with a kiss, Leah muttering a low, "gross" under her breath that she was chastised for, Noa watching as she rolled her eyes before her attention went back to the phone.

She wondered who was on the other line since, according to Sue, she hadn't had many friends left; the situation was complicated, or so she was told. Her attention was brought elsewhere when Seth nudged her, "you wanna watch tv?"

Noa made a face, shaking her head, "I don't really like tv, my mom always said it rots your brain so I never watched. I usually just read...or write." Sue nodded as she came around the corner, "and she was right, maybe you can teach Seth a thing or two, he's failing English. How? I have no idea, it's literally the only language you speak."

Seth's cheeks came to have a red glow then, the boy glaring at the back of his mother's head as he scoffed. "Mom, please," he practically begged, not wanting to be embarrassed again as he knew she wasn't finished with him just yet. Noa piped up to save him from further embarrassment, "I don't mind, helping you I mean. I'm not well versed on the American school system but, I can help, however I can."

He seemed to think about it, the embarrassment of his mother's mention of his failing class quickly washing over him once he realized he'd get to be alone with Noa, and fairly often if he kept at it long enough. Seth was quick to nod, smiling widely at her while Leah rolled her eyes, having been rushed off the phone by her mother who was busy setting the table.

"Can you come over tomorrow?" He asked before realizing how desperate he sounded, quickly adding on, "it's just cause it's a really important grade and I don't wanna fail or-"

"No, no, it's fine," Noa reassured him, the girl just as excited as he was, though she was fairly nervous about being around a boy for extended periods of time as her mother never allowed it, and most of the teasing she received in passing happened to be from boys. But, Seth had yet to tease her or so much as even look at her with any traces of contempt; in fact, he seemed to do the opposite. She felt odd being met with such kind looks and warm smiles from someone close to her age and she, no matter how foreign it felt, enjoyed it. She liked him. "I'll be here tomorrow, bright and early!"

Her answer seemed to please him as his entire face lit up, causing hers to do the same as his emotions were just too infectious. The boy tried to keep a calm, laid back demeanor, which he failed as he said casually, "cool, it's a date."

He paused, clearing his throat before correcting himself, "well, it's a study date but, not an actual 'date' date. Not that I wouldn't want to go out on a date with you because I would but this is strictly for studying, maybe-"

"It's a date."

[intothedraft]

Chapter 4: The Flag Bearer Parade

A loud shrieking filled the room, and the lava started splashing and frothing. The book lit up and started disintegrating as light filled the room. There was a shrieking laughter, the bird knew she had won, but she soon flew out. Clemant heard footsteps, loud footsteps coming down the rusty staircase, and a blinding light came out of the book, well, what was left of the disintegrating book. She now remembered everything, the book, the temple, Jezirah, the bird, but why had the bird wanted her to open the book? A small piece of paper from the page landed in front of her fading eyes, ‘You have one week to prepare for battle!’ it said on it, as Clemant forgot everything again, and collapsed, holding the small scrap of paper in her hand.

Gotta hand it to the Dying Screams, giving the Gevirians a week to prepare for battle is a classy move.

Clemant wakes up in G-slur's house, which is underwater and I guess has glass walls. She panics, thinking she is about to drown, before realising she can breathe.

Phew.

G-slur is predictably furious at Jezirah for allowing this situation to happen. Frankly, who can blame her. Letting the child you are meant to be looking after open a book that unleashes an ancient army isn't something you can come back from easily.

But that's not important. We need to prepare for battle! G-slur says that everyone over 18 is being drafted, including the 'ovrages', children who have been magically aged up (like Jezirah).

Shit's fucked here.

“The main fighter in this though, is probably Ora, he is amazing.” “Why?” “Well, in the last battle, his mother was cursed, so she could not have children, but it didn’t work completely, so she had two very odd children. Ora and Lollie are very odd. Lollie’s arms have three million eight hundred thousand and fifty six joints in them, so she is very flexible, but prone to dropping things, as she has no fingers and her arm just carries on to a point.” “And Ora?” “He has eighteen arms and legs over two meters tall. He is also skilled with swords, he is amazing.” “Wow.”

No comment.

Wait, who was that war with? Do Gevirians just periodically open the book and then have to trap the Dying Screams inside it again after the ensuing battle? There's no evidence to the contrary, so I've decided that's canon.

Also, the Gevirian Princesses have insane elemental powers... but the eighteen-armed-man is the best fighter? Right.

Clemant is understandably sad. Not only is there a war on, but also she doesn't get to be friends with Jezzie, an adult woman who she met maybe two days ago, anymore. Also, I have no idea where Layane is during all this.

G-slur tries to cheer Clemant up:

“I know! Why don’t I take you to Lillie and her group of flag bearers?” “Group of what?” “Flag bearers. Carry flags into battle, before the battle that is.”

Apparently this is a really cool thing. All the kids want to carry flags into battle. Which I'm going to take as more evidence that my theory about this country repeatedly having to do battle every time someone opens a book is correct.

“Oh my god!” cried one child running towards G-slur. “G-slur, why are you here?” “I know you’re like the best, like, of all the ladies…” On the ‘upper world’ this would have looked like group of children seeing a famous actor or singer on the street.

Clemant chats with the kids for a while. They are obsessed with the Princesses (or 'ladies' as they are called here) and are really excited to carry flags into war. The Gevirians have five armies, each associated with one of the Princesses, who leads them into battle. The flag-bearers carry flags in each Princess' colour alongside her.

Yeah... I think I accidentally made Hiville a military dictatorship with child soldiers.

They all start joking about Shafina, who appears as a shadow and hasn't been seen in many years.

“I think she only goes around as a shadow because she’s really ugly!” shouted Lillie, suddenly feeling someone grasping her shoulder hard. “Ya sa enajen ma? Non ena ma!” snapped a voice, Shafina had spoken for the first time in nearly three hundred years, and then she showed herself. She had pitch black hair which was covering her left eye, and her eyes were not blue or brown, they were black. Her wings were quivering like crazy as they had to support her body all the time, she had no legs. Her dress was ripped at the bottom, as if something had bitten her legs of.

Good to know that the ancient Princess of Shadows, who hasn't been seen in many years, is apparently just chilling where some kids are getting ready for war, and the thing that makes her speak for the first time in centuries is a child calling her ugly.

Clemant uses her emerald to tell G-slur about this.

“Lillie made Shafina talk,” Clemant told her. “ “Oh,” said the image of Gypsy, “We only need Jezirah to start talking again now.” Then the image disappeared.

I'm not sure what the point of all this was. Also, I didn't delete any dialogue, that floating speech mark was just there.

Anyway, Clemant joins the flag-bearers and finds out she is carrying Jezirah's flag.

So although Jezirah arguably caused this and no one trusts her... she is leading an army into battle.

“I’ve heard about you,” said Quenemy to Clemant. “You opened the book because that pesky bird hypnotised you. My mum and dad are dissecting it today.”

That's... nice. Also the kids' names are all like this.

“I think we should all go to bed, battle tomorrow! Oh, and Clemant, you’ve been asleep for six days so the war is tomorrow and I’m not stupid.” They trudged to the next room. Clemant had to stand next to Jezzie in battle; she hardly got any sleep at all that night.

How exciting for them. And I have no idea why I gave them a week to prepare if the protagonist was going to sleep through most of it.

The next day, Clemant goes to battle. She continues to be very chilled out about everything the narrative throws at her.

The children picked up the flags. They slowly trudged out of the room and onto the field, where there were thousands of fighters standing still with one of the ladies at the front of them. The flag bearers walked slowly into position as they were watched by the five thousand soldiers, men and women, and the Gevirian Ladies in their splendid armour.

The Princesses are now called Ladies. When I first started reading this draft, I did wonder when I made that change, as I remembered them being called Ladies rather than Princesses.

I guess I made that decision two thirds of the way through this draft.

So, the battle begins. Although until now it was implied the flag-bearers wouldn't be involved in fighting, and although there are people in this world that can use magic, Clemant has to fight the Dying Screams with a sword. Maybe that's fair. She is the one who opened the book.

She could see Flairishia throwing fireballs at the dragon with a million heads, and G-slur turning the Dying Screams to ice, and she could see Jezzie, looking at her wrist. “OH MY GOD!” she yelled suddenly, stopping looking at her wrist and started fighting. “THE BANGLE HAS GONE!”

Is replacing her off the table?

The monster that blindly shoots arrows out of its eyes comes lumbering towards Clemant, and she very ineffectually fights it. Jezirah tries to redeem herself:

Jezirah jumped at the monster and landed on his horny back.

Well.

She successfully distracts the monster for long enough for Clemant to stab it to death. As it dies, Jezirah is thrown off its back, and it fires an arrow.

[Clemant] ran over to Jezirah, who was lying in the ground panting. “He got me!” she cried out weekly.

I don't know girl, I'd cry out a bit more regularly than that if you need assistance.

[sugolara]

All together

ft. Katsuki Bakugo x Shoto Todoroki x Izuku Midoriya x fem! reader

Synopsis: After a deadly virus leaks all over the world, every country is forced to close down it's borders and airports to prevent anyone from coming in and out. Though, it's to late for some people. The dead has rose and is looking for revenge. Cw: gore, quirkless! au, apocalypse! au, zombie! au, weapons, death, angst, lots and lots of blood, cannibalism, suicidal thoughts, slow burn

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he walls being pounded into and the sounds of terrified cries. If they had time, they'd let them all out, but their safety wasn't their priority as Izuku and F/n could be dying any second.

They passed by the guards using the plants that began to harvest fruits. Their large bushes hid their figure and the thunder definitely helped as the guards had left when their radio signaled for backup. Faints of snarls could be heard, so it was no doubt that rotters had found their camp.

They hadn't even seen any rotters up until now and with the hills hiding the camp, it was no wonder why anyone hadn't even heard of this place.

When they made it to the building where they last saw F/n being dragged into, they used a staircase that led up to the window of the warehouse, most likely a tower for snipers. Quietly, Shoto climbed up, his shoes kicking against the metal made a clinking sound, but with the sky rumbling it overpowered the noise.

While Shoto went up, Katsukis stayed down next to the stairs, using his rifle that he had stolen from the males that he held captive earlier. He stayed in one of the corners, ears listening on anything that could be identified as footsteps. He'd peek around, spotting a few men walking by with their cigarettes lit. When they left, he reached into his bag to pull out firecrackers, waiting for Shoto's signal.

Squinting, the scar male peeked down and finally did he see her with Izuku as well. At their sight, he gave a signal and Katsuki lit up the firework before throwing it to building B. The comotion had caused for the men around to go look and while the butchers inside the warehouse confusingly gave each other a look, Shoto took it upon himself to fire his sniper, successfully hitting the one with a machete.

As thunder came back, the door to the warehouse was opened and at the sight of Katsuki, Izuku felt relieved. The other innocent people were scared, especially when the next butcher was shot, falling directly in front of one of them.

"How the hell did you get caught up in this shit, Deku?" The blonde mumbled as he removed ties. The cloth around his mouth was next and Izuku let out a sigh of relief, "Oh, I'm so glad to see you, Kacchan."

The blonde scoffed before moving to F/n. Another set of firecrackers were heard just as Shoto entered the building. He closed it behind him as he looked at the three with an eager look, "Hurry up. That won't distract them for long."

"Wait!" Izuku grabbed a gun from Shoto as he looked at the others, "What about them?"

"What about them?" Katsuki mumbled as he dragged F/n, who refused to get her senses back.

"We can't just leave them here!" Izuku yelled as he went to one of them before untying them, "They're a victim in this too. Get F/n to wake up, I think they hurt her badly!"

Shoto and Katsuki shared a look, before the scar male quickly went to help Izuku. While he did so, Katsuki shook the girl, hoping it would wake her up, but she'd just let out incoherent mumbling with eyes twitching, "Wake the fuck up!"

Hearing men arguing outside and gunshots firing, Katuski impatiently looked at her, his eyes looking at her face, then to her lips that would twitch ever so often, daring to pull into a smile. At the sound of the doors banging, Katsuki raised his hand, before slapping her awake and while his heart sped, so did the girl as finally woke up, hands touching her cheek as she mumbled out a groan.

"Seriously?" Shoto said, giving him a look.

"Whatever." Katsuki let her go as she was able to get up.

She held onto her cheek as she looked around, "How long was I out?"

"Long enough." Shoto shoved her a gun, pointing at the other terrified people, "They're on their own, just like we are. We need to get out before things worsen."

"...Agreed." Izuku did not want to leave them, but he had no choice as gunshots were being fired. If luck was on their side, they'd live.

Finding a backdoor, they all headed for it and while Shoto gave the occasional glare when someone would cry, Katsuki took a peek out and to his surprise, rotters had infiltrated the place. Strangely enough, they used it to their advantage as he quickly gave them a signal when to run, then did they run.

They didn't worry about the rest as the main three followed after Katsuki. They came to a stop where they took down rotters and when the first male of the camp came, F/n did not hesitate to shoot, "You guys know what's going on with this place?"

"I think it's pretty obvious, F/n." Izuku pointed out, "They kill people."

"Yeah, and among other things." Shoto eyed her, ignoring her confused look.

"Hurry up." Katsuki said as they headed for one of the buildings that stored guns. Thankfully, the rotters were their distraction as they entered the building. It was quiet, different from the chaos outside. The people that were behind them had gotten lost, but it's not like the group was their ticket out.

"How long has this been going on?" Izuku asked as he reached for one of the tables, picking up a dirty teddy bear. Next to it was a frame of a family. When he saw his stuff, he wasted no time in taking it back.

"Since the beginning." Shoto said as he wasted no time in grabbing the weapons. F/n also helped him out, despite the fact that she wasn't allowed to hold more than two guns, but she knew that they didn't have time to argue.

Just like the two, Katsuki filled his bag with ammo, however, at the sight of a grenade as well as smoke grenade, a grin pulled to his lips. Picking it up like a feather, Katsuki turned to them, "I just found a way out."

The freckled male widened his eyes in fear for his friend as any mistake they could all blow up, "Kacchan, you don't know how to use that."

"Should be easy, right?" A thunder was hit, making F/n grit her teeth as she stared at the blonde. "If this was a movie, it'd be easy."

"Don't blow yourself up." Shot pulled his bag over his shoulders, reaching for another one. Though before the blonde could bite back, yelling could be heard on the other side. It sounded to many, but F/n couldn't tell as it had begun to pour down.

"Kacchan." Izuku uncertainty said, "If you're going to use it, be careful. We'll give you a signal."

Although even holding the grenade had him feeling nervous, he nodded as the others placed themself away from him, dumping tables of items as their cover. Looking back at Izuku who gave gum a thumbs up, the blonde quickly removed its pin before throwing it at the main doors and running to his friends.

With the ground rumbling, he threw the smoke grenade, causing the yells to get louder. Using the smoke, they cleared their way out, following Katuski once again. It had gotten pretty close that Izuku had gotten shot, but thankfully F/n had shoved him before another wound could impale him.

Finally did the fence of where the blonde had cut came into a view. Annoyingly, with the rain coming down it had caused for the hills to be muddy, having Katsuki trip multiple times. When they reached the top, they looked down to see the camp and while Izuku did feel bad about leaving the innocents to die, he had to tell himself that not everything in life was fair. And he knew all that too well.

"Over here." Shoto called out to them as he got into the vehicle that they had stolen from the men. Speaking of them, it seemed they managed to get away as their bodies were gone. It did not worry Shoto as they soon left, leaving the camp to drown in its revenge.

"Damn it." F/n let out a frustrated sigh as she pulled to the side of the road, before the car came to a stop. It's been a while, a long while, since they had escaped and the gloomy sky had turned dark.

Nexto to her, Izuku worriedly eyed her. Her jacket that was supposed to be on her, but instead she placed it on him to keep warm, "No more gas?"

"Yeah." She looked ahead, the dark road displaying nothing but acres of trees, "Now what?"

The freckle male glanced at the backseat where Shoto and Katsuki slept. He then glanced outside though it was too dark for his eyes to see, "Maybe we should sleep it off here."

"That's a stupid idea." She mumbled, but realizing what she let out she shook her head to herself, "I didn't mean tha-"

"I get it." He offered her a smile, almost like he was reading her. She was tired and so was he. Any plans of being out in the open was a ridiculous one and he knew that, but he wanted to make the best out of a situation. Besides, they escaped what could have been a painful death, "We need to be somewhere safe instead of being stranded and with the rain still coming down hard, we'll be drenched before we even reach a place."

She stared at his smile before looking away. How he could smile in a situation like this will always be a thing she admired of him, "Actually, it's starting to sprinkle."

He hummed, "Oh, yeah."

She was thankful that the thunder died out hours ago, "Did you reopen it?"

"Huh?" He looked at her and she pointed to her shoulder. He pulled the neck part of his short down, looking at the bandage, "it's just a little dirty. Doesn't look too bad. And your nose?"

"Nothing new." She nodded at that, her fingers tapping on the steering wheel as silence washed over them. Surprisingly, it was a comfortable silence, but enough with wasting time. She opened the door, confusing Izuku, "Wake them up."

He quickly followed after her with her jacket in hand, looking at her with a frantic look, "Y-you're not really going to look by yourself, are you? You'll get sick!"

She looked at him like he grew two heads, "You kidding? Even I know I'm not that dumb enough to go out. I'd probably die."

His heart eased a little, "But, still, if we go out now, we don't know what we could be heading for. We could be getting far from...Sorston."

"Izuku." She narrowed her eyes, and he'd be lying if his heart did not speed up at her tone, "It's better than being left out here. Besides, I have a map and I've been following it since we left that shithole."

"You could have mentioned that first." He mumbled, but her words still did not relief him. The door to the backseat opened, startling Izuku as Shoto came out, glancing at them both, not missing his friend holding her jacket, "What's going on?"

"Car ran out of gas." She opened the trunk, grabbing the bags.

"Is Kacchan awake?" Izuku asked after he handed the girl her jacket back. He had forgotten he was holding onto it until he saw Shoto's eyes flicker towards it.

"No." He shook his head, "He's drooling."

"Oh." he mumbled out, before leaving to wake up his childhood friend.

"Where are we walking to?" Shoto helped her, leaving the bag of guns to her. Their trust was slightly getting there.

"To a town not too far from here." She looked at him, "It's the best plan I got."

"Best plan?" He raised a brow at her, expecting she had come up with something else.

"Well, it's either that or we sit here and wait for a horde to come up and kill us all before we get to live our happily ever after that leaves us driving off to the sunset." She shrugged "Quite frankly, I'm not ready to die, yet."

He gave her a deadpan look before staring at an angry blonde. "If you had let me drive I would have got us there quicker."

"Without a map?" Shoto crossed his arms when the blonde rolled his eyes at him and pointed at Fn. "That she fucking stole from me."

He then yanked her bag of guns, "Which way are we going?"

"Up your ass is where we're going." She glared at him, grabbing her guns back.

"Please, I'm tired." Izuku croaked out as he looked at Shoto, hoping he would deescalate the situation, but he instead looked with an amused face.

The blonde threateningly pointed at her as she walked off, the rest shortly following. They stayed close as anything could come out from the shadows.

Hugging himself, Izuku shivered as a chill crawled up his spine, "Maybe we can find a clothing store. It's starting to get cold."

"Winter's coming." Shoto hummed out.

"I don't feel jack." Katstuki said with his eyes staring ahead.

"That's 'cause you're wearing a thick ass jacket." F/n replied.

"You are getting on my last fucking nerves." The blonde angrily muttered as sleep was getting to him. 

[istayniche]

Red Dead But It's...

Vampires: Kingdom of the Night

Tags: ArthurxOFC, JohnxOFC, vampire!Arthur, vampire!Dutch, horror, slow burn, death, grief

Chapter Summary: John, Odette, and Arthur attempt to rescue Cécile.

MASTERPOST

Chapter 24

Words: 1,973

John's hands gripped his shotgun with the same urgency he would a runaway horse. The swamps hissed and moaned around them as they tracked through mud that sucked at their boots with each step. Three days of hunting, following whispers and trails of blood. Three days since Cécile had been taken.

"They're close," Arthur murmured, his head tilted he caught a scent. "Guards posted at the perimeter."

Odette nodded, her own senses alert. "Blood. Fresh. They've fed recently."

John didn't need vampire senses to know they were approaching something unholy. The old plantation house loomed ahead, its white columns stained yellow by unnatural lantern light. Windows flickered. Shadows twisted in ways that made his stomach clench.

"I don't give a damn how many there are," John checked his silver bullets one last time. "I'm getting her out."

John hadn't planned on caring for anyone after Abigail and Jack. Hadn't wanted to. Especially not someone as irritating as Cécile. But the woman had wormed her way past his defenses with her smart mouth.

She'd appeared in his life like a storm. Unwanted, uncontrollable, leaving destruction in her wake. Yet somewhere between her broken English insults and the way she moved like liquid silver in a fight, he'd found himself watching for her, waiting for her caustic remarks that somehow made the hollow ache inside him feel less painful.

It terrified him more than any vampire could. Caring meant losing. A lesson written in the blood of his wife and son.

Odette moved ahead, silent as shadow herself. "There's a side entrance through the servant's quarters. Less guards."

They slipped through the overgrown gardens, past statues with hollow eyes that seemed to follow their movements. John's palms were sweaty against his gun, unnerved by the looming stone figures. Memories of Abigail's smile flickered like a dying lantern in his mind with each step.

Music drifted from within, a warped version of a wedding march played on an out-of-tune piano, each discordant note scraping against his already frayed nerves like nails on slate.

"What the hell is going on?" John whispered.

Arthur shrugged, "Dutch always did love to put on a good show."

The side door opened to a narrow hallway. Two guards stood with their backs to them, necks marked with fresh vampire bites. Thralls, not fully turned. Sweating through their clothes like the devil himself was breathing down their necks. John watched as Odette closed her eyes in deep concentration, hands reaching out, and the men crumpled silently to the floor, blood vessels in their brains bursting.

They moved deeper into the house, following the music. John's heart hammered against his ribs. The hallway opened to a grand staircase, and below, a ballroom filled with vampires and human thralls alike. The crowd parted just enough for John to see the altar.

Cécile stood there in a white dress that glowed ghostly in the lamplight. Her hair was dyed a deep red that still stained the back of her neck. Her face was wet with hateful tears. Javier and Micah stood in suits as Dutch's esteemed groomsmen. Beside her, Dutch grinned like a shark, dressed in a black suit, sliding a ring toward her finger.

John didn't think. Didn't plan. He just moved.

"Now!" he shouted, vaulting over the railing. Arthur and Odette followed, guns drawn as they landed amid screams and hisses.

"Cécile!" John called out, shooting a vampire that lunged for him. The silver bullet found its mark, and the creature crumbled to a pile of blood and guts.

For a moment, her eyes cleared. Recognition flashed across her face as she looked at John. "John?" A smile rose up her face like the morning sun. She took a step toward him, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. John reached for her, his heart in his throat.

"Get back here!" Dutch commanded with an otherworldly authority.

John watched in horror as Cécile's eyes clouded over. Her body stiffened, then turned and walked mechanically back toward Dutch.

Dutch smiled, placing an arm around her shoulders as she returned to his side. He looked exactly as John remembered him, except for the eyes. They shimmered with an unholy light when he moved a certain way. The charisma that had once drawn men to follow him now felt like cold fingers pressing into John's mind.

"John Marston, Arthur," Dutch greeted them, as casual as if they'd met for drinks at a saloon. "I'm glad you could make it to my wedding day."

John raised his gun, aiming directly at Dutch's head. "You let her go."

Dutch laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally through the ballroom. "Or what, son? You'll shoot me? Go ahead. Show your lady love what kind of man you really are. If I'm gone, she'll still be standin' there, stuck like that forever."

Arthur fixed his own gun on Dutch. "This ain't you, Dutch. This is the Count. He's messin' with your mind."

"The Count gave me clarity, Arthur. Something you never understood." Dutch's fingers stroked Cécile's dyed hair possessively. The sight of it, him touching her and her standing there with those dead eyes and the wrong color hair, it made John all kinds of sick with an outrage he couldn't quite grasp the magnitude of.

"I offered her a choice, you know. Be my queen or watch you all burn. Do you wanna know what she chose?"

Cécile stood unnaturally still, tears still falling from vacant eyes like raindrops down a window. Her spirit, the fire that had drawn John to her, seemed extinguished, leaving behind only this hollow, empty shell. John's trigger finger itch with a violence he hadn't felt since the night he'd found out about Abigail and Jack. He'd failed to protect them; he wouldn't fail her too.

"She ain't choosing nothing with you," John spat.

Dutch's smile widened. "Don't be so sure of that, boy. Maybe she finally saw what I could offer her. Power. Purpose. A kingdom." He gestured around the room. "Look around you. This is just the beginning."

Arthur's world funneled to a single point. Dutch standing before them, possessed hands gripping Cécile's arm while she stared ahead with marbled eyes. The plantation house's grand hall, once a symbol of Southern opulence built by the wearied hands of slaves, now served as the stage for Dutch's twisted ceremony.

"Let her go," Arthur aimed his gun directly at Dutch's head.

Dutch's lips curled into that familiar smile. The one that had once meant safety and belonging to Arthur. Now, he just looked crazed, like a wild coyote with his back against a tree.

"You ain't gonna kill me, boy." Dutch carried that presumptuous tone, like they were just two old friends catching up. "We both know that."

Dutch locked eyes with Arthur, flashing that hypnotic stare, and he felt something trying to push at the front door of his mind.

Arthur's finger trembled on the trigger. Images flashed behind his eyes. Dutch teaching him to read by firelight, Dutch's hand on his shoulder after his first successful robbery, Dutch's laughter ringing through camp. The memories peeled apart from him, layer by layer. Twenty years of loyalty and love, twisted into something he couldn't recognize anymore.

His hesitation lasted only seconds, but it felt like years. Their history had caved in a hole in him so grand, he wasn't sure exactly how much of him would remain after all was said and done. The man before him wore Dutch's face, spoke with Dutch's voice, but something essential had rotted away inside him, leaving only this empty vessel with a monster's appetite.

John, however, didn't share his sentimentality. The crack of his revolver split between them as he fired.

But Dutch was fast. With inhuman speed, he moved quick enough to avoid the bullet's path. He cranked his head toward John, scowling.

"You always were impatient, John."

The room erupted into chaos. Arthur lurched as Dutch's followers poured in from the adjoining rooms. He crashed into Dutch with the force of a freight train, sending them both colliding through an ornate table. Dutch's laughter bubbled up as they rolled across the floor, grappling for control.

"I made you what you are!" Dutch snarled, his face inches from Arthur's. "Everything you know, I taught you!"

Arthur headbutted him, feeling Dutch's nose crunch under the impact.

Dutch's eyes flashed gold, that permanent ring of bloodlust that came from an exclusive diet of human blood. He hurled Arthur across the room. Arthur crashed through a bookshelf, splinters and leather-bound volumes raining down around him. The impact would have killed a human, but Arthur was on his feet in seconds, wiping blood from his mouth.

Through the melee, he caught glimpses of the others. Odette moving like water between Javier and Micah, her hands commanding their blood to betray them. John had reached Cécile, was shaking her by the shoulders, his voice raw as he tried to break through Dutch's charm.

"Cécile! Look at me, goddammit!"

Her eyes remained glassy, unfocused. Dutch's command was an iron chain to her will.

The smell hit Arthur's nostrils before he saw it. Smoke. In the chaos, an overturned lantern had caught the heavy velvet curtains. Fire reached up the walls, spreading with a carnivorous speed. No one seemed to notice or care as the battle raged on.

Dutch came at him again, quick and precise. Arthur blocked a punch that would have shattered his chest, countering with a strike of his own. His fist met Dutch's jaw, sending the older vampire staggering back.

"The gang, our family! You killed them! I know it was you!" Arthur advanced on Dutch, landing blows as he spoke. "Hosea! Abigail! Jack! They trusted you!"

Dutch's eyes emptied. "They were weak. We ain't weak, Arthur. We're gods among insects."

The flames roared higher, consuming the room's eastern wall. The heat pressed against Arthur's skin, a reminder of one of their few remaining weaknesses.

"We need to go!" Odette's voice cut through the din. Javier had gotten the idea quicker and ran, dragging a nearly unconscious Micah who was bleeding from a wound in his side. "The whole place is going up!"

Arthur nodded. "John! Get Cécile outta here!"

John had given up on breaking Dutch's spell and instead had his arm around Cécile's waist, heaving her over his shoulder and doing his best to keep his balance as he made his way toward the door. Her arms dangled flatly behind his back.

Arthur turned back to Dutch, only to find empty space where he'd stood. Through the smoke and flames, he caught a glimpse of Dutch's coat disappearing through a side door.

"Arthur!" Odette snapped him back. "We have to go. Now!"

The ceiling beams groaned ominously above them. Arthur cast one last look at where Dutch had vanished, then turned and ran for the exit. They burst through the front doors just as the roof collapsed behind them, sending a plume of embers and smoke into the night sky.

They didn't stop running until they reached the tree line, where they turned to watch the plantation house burn. The grand structure that had once housed so much human suffering was now being cleansed by fire. There was a certain justice to it. A near beautiful thing, Arthur thought.

Cécile still stared blankly ahead, trapped in Dutch's command. John hadn't set her down from her spot atop his shoulder.

Odette stood beside him, her face illuminated by the distant flames. "He'll be back. The ritual isn't complete."

Arthur knew a change had dug it's roots into his mind. A crystallization of fundamental truth inside him.

The Dutch he'd known, the man who'd raised him, was truly gone. What remained was a devil wearing his face.

"Next time," Arthur said, watching the flames consume the site of Dutch's dark wedding, "I won't hesitate."

Chapter 25

[eleni-cherie]

a thief's end ✨ || bts • myg - chapter 1.3

"so eager to be in a headlock again?"

"only if it's by you."

he thought he was done with the criminal life and ready for some peace and quiet. but his plans collapsed in the form of a strange girl who was in trouble.

© 2023 | eleni_cherie

»»»

masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, sexual tensiON, slowburn, mutual pining, strangers to lovers s2l

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

»»»

It was way after midnight, when a knock on the door made the three women perk up from their seats around the room of the hide-out, waiting for any signs of the guys.

"Valentine, we know you're in there! Open the door!" a strong male voice suddenly rang from the other side, making Soyeon and Cassandra tense with fear of having been caught when Arabella simply waved them off with a knowing look. Walking to the door and crossing her arms. She coughed then.

"H-hello, who is it?" she said in a cranky weak voice. Mimicking an old woman. She peaked through the spyhole, giggling when seeing Jimin's dumbfounded expression. He wasn't the only one who could mess around with the other.

"Bella, open the door," he whined then, getting impatient, "I know it's you!"

She pursed her lips, unlocking the door and assuming a look of innocence again. "Suits you right for always trying messing with me," she huffed when opening it. Making him laugh lightly.

"That's the least I can do since you keep ignoring my concerns of you getting in danger," he shrugged then. "You know I don't want you to act on your own."

"I wasn't on my own. I got some friends helping me."

Her boyfriend gave her a look of pity, stifling a chuckle. "You don't have any friends, my love."

"Hey! What am I then?" A voice that sounded highly offended, was heard from further down the apartment. And he recognised it. His forehead ceased as he stepped inside. Only now spotting the other two girls there. Cassandra giving him a scowl while Soyeon was awkwardly waving at him. And his eyes widened, taken-aback as those two were the last people he'd expected to meet there. "Oh!"

His eyes then went back to his girlfriend, giving her a puzzled look when steps were heard on the staircase. "Ya, Jimin!" Taehyung whisper-shouted then when finally reaching the top of the stairs, "Why are you standing there?" Behind his broad shoulders, Yoongi peeked his head from the side. Both wondering why Jimin was standing there at the entrance hall and not getting inside.

"Did your little prank not work?" the older guy teased as both walked up to him. Their chuckles soon dying down when reaching him and seeing the reason themselves. And the door slowly closed behind them.

"Cassandra, what the hell are you doing here?"

Taehyung was the first one to speak up, clicking his tongue as he frowned at his wife. Causing her to pout.

"Didn't I tell you to never get involved again after the last time in Thailand?"

He sighed then when seeing he wasn't getting any answer, turning to Arabella. "Why did you let her come here?"

"Hey, this was not my idea!" the dyed-brunette defended herself. "She blackmailed me!"

"Leave Bella alone," Cassandra interfered then and got up, "I'm an adult and make decisions myself. Bella warned me but it was me who insisted on tagging along."

"Uhm, same for me," Soyeon said then, glancing at the copper-haired girl for a second before also standing up to back her up. "She tried holding us back but we wouldn't."

"That's actually quite cute," Jimin mumbled then with a smile before noticing Taehyung side-eyeing him evily. And he folded his lips, quickly adding, "B-but also very reckless of you."

Yoongi remained quiet all this time. His expression collected contrary to Taehyung's furious one, brown irises on the black-haired girl who was avoiding his glance.

"I assume that fire alarm in the evening that left us all drenched was your doing then." The three nodded. 

"It was the distraction to slide the weapons to you through the door."

"So.." He motioned with his chin to Cassandra and Soyeon. "..does that mean you two helped Arabella in returning our weapons?"

"Actually.." the two older girls exchanged a look, before looking at Soyeon. "I only did the technical part, you know, security cameras, giving directions, creating fake IDs, setting off the alarm for distraction.." Arabella grinned at Jimin then. "So I kept my promise of staying out of danger."

Rolling his eyes, Jimin huffed out a dry laugh. "It's something I guess." He lightly poked her bump then. "But next time stay completely out of it. Okay?" He gave her a pleading smile to which she pouted, mumbling a small 'okay'.

"And I only went to the evidence storage and got the weapons out by putting them into the vent.." Cassandra mumbled then, scratching her arm. She knew that saying it quietly and downplaying it probably wouldn't be enough to distract from how risky her part indeed was and yet, she tried it. Only to obviously fail as Taehyung let out a loud snort. Getting more upset at the thought of her doing all that.

"Seriously? That's one of the most difficult parts and you're unexperienced!"

"Bella couldn't do it because of all the new security measures," Cassandra protested, getting sulkier as she knew he was right but didn't want to admit it, "So yeah, I wanted to help. You got a problem?"

Her challenging look made Taehyung purse his lips. Their intense staring battle making everyone grow quiet, looking at them expectedly. Eventually, he dragged a sigh and gave in, knowing his girl's stubborness too well. "Fine." He walked up to her then, flicking his finger on her forehead then with a grin. She flinched, rubbing the spot while looking at him puzzled. "But this was the second and last time you do something like this. Got it?"

The red-head puffed her cheeks. "Don't tell me what to do.. try not to get arrested again instead," she mumbled then, causing him to roll his eyes annoyed. 

"New security measures?" Yoongi wondered out loud then in hopes of shifting the subject as that statement had sparkled his own curiosity, "There were more than just the different detention area?"

"Yeah," Arabella slowly nodded then, "Everyone entering a new area was getting checked for any disguises and had to enter codes."

"What would you've done if those two didn't tag along though?"

"I'd have obviously found another way in, like I always do!" she scoffed, folding her arms offended by him implying she'd need help to break in anywhere. Because she didn't and she had originally planned to do it on her own anyway.

"But wait," Taehyung's brows furrowed and he faced Soyeon, "And what did you do?"

Soyeon's eyes widened. She knew her part was probably the most risky one and the thought of Yoongi's reaction to hearing it, terrified her in a way. Her eyes unintentionally peeking at him, catching him staring at her with a questioning look as well.

He might get terribly angry at her. Even if not as much as Taehyung about his wife partaking in this since her and Yoongi weren't nearly as close. It still concerned her. Because depending on how he took the information, he might not want to have anything to do with her anymore.

"I.. I was the one sneaking into the basement area with the fake ID and giving you your weapons.."

Yoongi's breath hinched at this, his eyes falling to the ground. Jaw clenching.

He didn't say anything, growing silent while everyone else was talking across each other then. Not noticing her worrying over the guy who was quietly standing there, avoiding her gaze.

Was he disappointed in her? She couldn't tell.

Honestly, she might've preferred him yelling at her instead.

"Anyway," Jimin spoke up then, clapping his hands and catching everyone's attention. Pointing with his thumb towards the door, "We should get going soon before they notice our absence." He glanced at his watch then. 2:01am. "We got four hours before their patrol time."

"You actually managed escaping without them noticing?" Soyeon asked surprised, to which Taehyung and Jimin laughed, grinning proudly.

"Of course, we ain't thieves for nothing." And with their guns and Yoongi's sword it really wasn't hard. "But that means we don't have much time left." 

They began disgussing possible escape plans to flee the country when Soyeon felt a hand wrap around her wrist, tugging her to another room.

The door closed softly and behind her stood Yoongi. A stoic look on his face.

"So what's your excuse?"

Swallowing, her mind went blank in the attempt to shape any cohesive sentences to defend herself. "My excuse?" she eventually said confused to buy herself some time.

"Yeah, your excuse for doing something irrational as this."

Neither his voice nor his eyes gave off the impression of him being genuinely mad at her. No, they were calm and if she hadn't noticed him pressing his jaw together, she'd have thought he was unaffected by it all. "If it's because I helped you back in Italy - I didn't do it expecting a favour from you. Especially not this kind of favour."

"I know."

She knew he'd never expect anything in return. The girls had told her about the numerous times he'd helped his friends without any questions or favours asked. And she knew he never expected anything back when risking his retirement and life for her either.

And perhaps this was why she felt obligated to do it. Because he deserved others risking it all for him as well.

She watched his brows furrow at her answer. Showing a sign of distress after all. "Then why did you?"

"I could ask you the same," she countered. Feeling quite accomplished when noticing he wasn't going to use his go-to reply. His lips only parted, as if he wanted to say something after all but couldn't bring himself to. Looking away instead.

"I.. I asked first," he mumbled eventually. A gentle smile curving on her lips at his childish act of avoiding answering.

Soyeon wasn't certain where her sudden burst of confidence came from. Maybe it was the late hour. Maybe the adrenaline still rushing through her veins. Maybe the fact she was alone with him again for the first time in almost a week. She breathed then, holding his steady eyes with care. "I guess.. we do irrational things for the person we care about. And I care about you. Because.. because you mean something to me. Something I can’t really put into words yet."

A short huff left his lips as they tried their best not to curl into a smile. She wouldn't get away with it so easily, he wouldn't just let it slide. Or let it get into his head, the fact she had just admitted to having feelings for him.

"That's a pretty dumb reason, still."

"It's good enough for me though."

His irises met her feline eyes. It felt as if someone slapped him across his face, feeling a sudden rush spreading inside his chest. And he stepped forward to close the gap between them. Cupping her cheeks and lightly squeazing them between his warm palms. Making a little pout appear on her cherry-lips. Her heart racing faster against her chest as she held his gaze. Getting lost in it.

His eyes flickered over her face then, over the healing wound that would hopefully not turn into a scar, her sparkly eyes, her rosy cheeks, her plush lips. Lingering on the latter a bit longer.

"Maybe I did it for the same reason," he breathed then. Seeing her eyes widening, blood rushing through her veins. "Did you?"

He bit back a smile, caressing her cheek with a thumb. "I did."

He leaned down, far enough that the dark ends of his hair brushed feather-light against her face, caught in her lashes. Everything around them falling apart when his lips met hers. 

They had kissed before, but this time felt different. It felt deep and desperate. Determined and fierce. Soft and gentle. Everything all at once. Pulling the air from her lungs. And she gave into it,  her body reacted instinctively as it remembered the touch of his lips. Pulling him closer and returning the kiss with equal passion.

Feeling her small hands gripping on the fabric around his waist brought him back to his senses as he'd got lost in the taste of her for a moment.

He retreated for a fraction of an inch, still close enough so she could feel his warm breath on her lips. He was breathing heavily. She carefully blinked her eyes open, seeing him already looking at her. Voice filled with sorrow at his following words.

"I'm gonna miss you."

And Soyeon's heart burst inside her ribcage. Reality crushing down like a sudden downpour. No, like a wave hitting the shore.

This had been a goodbye kiss.

He was returning to Taiwan, while she had to stay back in Seoul.

And tears formed in her eyes at the realisation of the situation.

"Silly girl, why are you crying?" he whispered. Not able hiding his own sadness in his eyes.

"I'm gonna miss you, too."

He nodded quietly, wiping the tears from her flushed cheek. "It's better like this, trust me."

"I highly doubt it," she smiled in agony.

He dragged a sigh. "You are better off without someone like me. You deserve a normal life, Soyeon. A happy life. Not a chaotic one."

"I can make my own decisions," she quietly said, repeating Cassandra's words from earlier, "I could just come with you if I wanted.."

"You don't want that." He shook his head lightly, disapproval in his expression. "If you disappeared now, they'd know you were involved in this."

Truthfully, she hadn't thought of that possibility. However, did she even care at this point?

"S-so what?"

"Don't - don't do something you might regret later just for me."

Her lips pressed into a thin line when another silent tear rolled down her flushed cheek.

"It's okay," he said then. His smile not meeting his eyes. "You got your life here. Your job, your family, your friends. You'll get over it."

"I don't -" she choked out, more tears threatening to escape, "I don't wanna get over you."

And he looked at her with equal anguish in his eyes because truth was, he didn't want to get over her either. But he knew he eventually had to, it was better this way. Even when his chest was burning with ache.

And in a swift move he pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her. Crandling her body against his as tightly as he could. A lump forming in his throat, hindering him from saying anything that was on his mind. And he felt her sobs against his chest while her own arms embraced him, clutching onto him. Making everything hurt only more.

"Yoongi? Where are you guys? We need to head to Incheon, there's a ship leaving in two hours for Keelung!"

He swallowed when hearing his friend's voice calling for him from the other side of the door and he stepped back. Placing a gentle kiss on the wound on her forehead. Yoongi didn't want to kiss her goodbye, he wanted to kiss her goonight - there was a huge difference. But he couldn't allow himself to.

And she breathed in his scent for the last time, trying memorising it along with the warmth of his body for the many sleepless nights that she was sure would follow. 

"Goodbye, Yoongi."

"Goodbye, angel."

»»»

The cold sea wind brushed over Yoongi's tired face which was resting on his folded arms on the railing, tousling his long strands. Absentmindedly, he was staring at the infinite black and blue. The early morning hours added a gloomy colour to the cloudy sky and his soul. 

They'd need over a day to reach Taiwan by ship, but considering they had stolen someone else's reservation on that cruise ship, misleading them into thinking te trip was canceled and security measures weren't as strict as at airports - with far less cameras around as well - interpol most likely wouldn't find out they had chosen that rather old-school and slow method to get back. At least they hoped they wouldn't do so in time.

With a sigh, he pushed himself off the cold metal bars. About to go back inside and escape the numbing chilliness of the open sea, when he spotted Taehyung approaching him. Hands shoved in his pockets as he came to a halt beside him. Eyes staring out into the sea.

"Couldn't sleep either?" the younger man asked then. To which Yoongi only dragged a sigh.

"Not really, no."

Taehyung hummed, inspecting him carefully before his gaze returned to the sea. "You know, I understand why you did it."

"Did what?"

"Broke things off with her before it developed to something more." It wasn't hard to tell why Yoongi was so restless. Taehyung might not have been as great in analysing people and seeing right through them as Jimin, but it hadn't been hard for him to tell something was off when Yoongi and Soyeon had come out of that room. It'd been written all over their faces, their red eyes giving it away.

Taehyung's gaze then fell on the waves underneath them, created by the ship as the older guy remained silent. "Remember I did the same with Cas back then. Or at least tried to.. Although you have a benefit I didn't have at that time."

Yoongi's brow perked up at this, glancing at him curiously. "Which is?"

His lips pulled into a wide lopsided smirk. "You aren't an active criminal anymore, living a peaceful life in a country interpol can't catch you. I didn't have that back then."

His friend shrugged, not really seeing the benefit in that. "My life might not be as dangerous as it used to anymore. And the danger this time came from her side, not mine. But still.. you can't predict what might happen. With people like us.. do we ever truly retire?" He glanced at him and Taehyung caught the glimpse of a tear in his eyes. "And I couldn't ask her to just throw away her life back there, just to come with me and see where things might go. Because it might not go anywhere in the end and what then?" He let out a dry laugh. "Then she'd have thrown her life away for nothing."

"You ain't 'nothing' though," Taehyung replied with a stern tone, patting his shoulder, "And I don't think she'd have risked getting involved in this if there was nothing."

Licking over his cold lips, Yoongi let out a sarcastic hum. He knew Soyeon's reason. She had told him after all, but he didn't plan to simply share it with everyone. It'd feel like boasting and he didn't want that. Because it didn't change his mind. He didn't want her to endanger herself like this for him, no matter her feelings.

"Whatever her reason was," he carefully spoke up then, "It was still reckless."

"Oh, definitely!" Taehyung exclaimed, chuckling, "I'm still hella mad at Cas about it. But what happened, happened. I only hope I'll never get nicked like this again. Knowing her she might do it again now that she tasted blood."

"Guess that's the minus of having a wife who's so enthusiastic about that profession."

Taehyung laughed under his breath. "Hm, her reason was quite childish actually," he said amused, "Arabella told her Soyeon persisted in helping. So Cas got a lil' jealous and wanted to join as well. You'd think a grown-ass medical doctor wouldn't behave like a child.. anyway." He shook his head with a half-hearted laugh, still mad whenever he reminded himself about it. And yet, he couldn't deny how much he admired his girl's braveness. And it also flattered him how Cassandra had risked getting caught to save him, just like he'd do for her.

Yoongi remained silent. His gaze wandering to the raising sun somewhere behind the horizon. Tinting the clouds in specks of orange.

All this time he'd assumed Soyeon had only agreed on this because of the other two women. He never thought she'd actually been the one initiating it, even persuading Cassandra to it. Proving to be a far better and selfless person than he already knew she was. And still, it didn't change anything. Her life was in Seoul, his was in Tainan.

Maybe in another life, a different universe, where he was a music producer also living a normal life in Seoul, they could be together. And that thought somewhat comforted him when he returned to his cabin. Falling asleep to the thought of her.

»»»

next chapter: 1.4 here

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[someonexsomeone]

James

Title: James

Author: SomeonexSomeone

Word Count: 3.5k

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Reader

Summary: It's hard being a teenager, especially when it comes to love as a werewolf.

Authors Note: i am actually doing it holy shit. Day 2 of Laufey fest and I'm so excited to keep going. Did this take me longer than I wished? Yes. Did I review it? Absolutely not. Good luck readers, I think this one is a hot mess lmaoo

Of all the secrets that infested Hogwarts, from hidden passageways and secret alcoves meant for ‘private’ moments between lovers to the hidden chamber beneath their very feet that contained a monster no one could ever imagine, there was only one that seemed to constantly be at the forefront of everyone’s minds: where would the Marauders strike next. To be fair, though they were troublemakers through and through, there were very few people outside of Slytherin that would warrant a direct attack from the band of troublemakers. A direct attack, by most standards, was more karmic punishment than anything else. Besides, who would want to purposely get on the bad side of the infamous Marauders? 

Alas, there was nothing to do about the random victims that found themselves at the end of a prank meant to simply disrupt the student body, or, merlin forgive, meant for someone else. After a few trouble incidents, the Marauders knew when something would be too much, too dangerous, to play on anyone but each other (or those who really deserved it). Things like color-changing robes or gravity-defying hair did little to hurt the actual human, and, although embarrassing, no one would complain they were genuinely injured by being followed by a group of singing paper frogs. Dung bombs were a common occurrence, though mainly in abandoned classrooms just to cause a little ruckus, and sticking charms worked wonderfully when getting an entire house to topple over their Great Hall bench. Even McGonagall couldn’t help her lips from twitching when the main staircase turned into a waterslide, students finding themselves wet but full of laughter once they safely reached the bottom. Taking away their wands did little to stop them when shortly after that incident, a mob of first years came wailing into her office about a were-rabbit that ate first years who didn’t jumps in a circle three times before leaving the dorms.

Harmless, but fun, seemed to be the motto for them, but for most of the students, it was always a safe bet to be amicable but keep a fair distance. Once a Marauder set their eyes on you, who knows what the outcome could be?

Naturally, that outcome was worth the risk for several students who were just dying to get the chance to be with a Marauder, no matter the risk of jinxes.

Sirius Black, the most infamous of the lot, took to the attention with a blinding smile. That smile was enough to charm a hippogryph into bowing first, and did he know it. Not only was it nigh impossible to get him to confess to any prank he didn’t want to take credit for, but the Slytherin in him somehow managed to get the conversation to completely flip in his favor without breaking a sweat. He took pride in his executions of plans and used his influence to openly flirt with anyone he deemed fit (to be fair, anyone he deemed fit ranged from people he actually fancied, random students he hardly knew, and enemies he just couldn’t help flustering in the worst way). Students flocked to him without much prodding.

Peter Pettigrew, on the other hand, found it impossible to conjure a powerful enough hex to noticeably make a difference in a fight, let alone speak to a woman without getting tongue-tied. That didn’t stop his own little group of admirers, though most liked him because of his connection to the other three.

James Potter was as handsome as he was brash, as loyal as he was loud. His smile was blinding, his jokes quickwitted, and magically powerful to boot. It was no secret he was the unnamed leader of his friends, at least to those outside his inner circle, and his bravado certainly did nothing to stop the rumors about his position. Despite his undying love for one Lily Evans, he was constantly swarmed with students wanting to be close to him, in either admiration or lust. It didn’t help that he was Quidditch Captain as well, soaring through the air with his untamable hair whipping around behind him. 

And then there was Remus Lupin, an enigma to those outside his social circle, but a treasure within. Most found it hard to understand how a kind, gentle-mannered student came to be friends with the likes of the other three, but a single moment alone with the four of them was enough to see how his eye lit up with mischief, how he was the first to enter a suspicious hallway, how he really was the brains of the operation. His mile-high stack of books was just a cover for the smaller notebooks hidden within, detailing pranks and planning for the best moment to attack. Though he didn't have many friends outside the Marauders, and those that were close to the other three, only a fool couldn’t see the line of people just waiting for him to open his barriers just a little to let them in. 

So, when sixth year approached and the usual quiet Gryffindor was seen chatting enthusiastically with someone in the library, the ruckus it caused amongst the student body was nearly enough of a distraction from the paint-exploding bubbles that had shown up in the Potions hallway the day before.

“Look what you’ve done now, Moony,” Sirius remarked, faining disappointment, “and after knowing how hard James and I worked to get those up before breakfast.” Remus furrowed his brow.

“What are you talking about?” Sirius sniggered.

“Don’t play daft, you silly wolf. We know all about your secret randevu in the library.” When Remus continued to look at him quizzically, Sirius’ smirk dropped. “Wait, you really don’t know?”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, Remus, don’t play dumb. Norman said Wilkins said Lawson said Grant saw you snogging someone in the library near the restricted section!” Remus immediately blushed bright red, whipping his head around before pulling Sirius into an alcove. Sirius’ smirk returned.

“Where in the hell did you hear that? How-when…no, it doesn’t matter. How many people heard that?”

“Come off it, Mooneykins.” Sirius patted his arm condescendingly. “You don’t have to keep a secret anymore. I do have to say I’m a bit disappointed I had to learn from bloody Norman that you’ve got yourself a secret shag, but if it was going to be anyone it would be her. Can’t keep a thing to herself can she-” He paused abruptly when Remus grabbed his shoulders.

“I’m serious”

“Actually, I’m Sirius.” When Remus didn’t even give him a goodnatured huff, Sirius frowned. “What’s going on? I understand if you want to keep it a secret-”

“That’s not it!” Sirius jumped at the urgency in his voice. “Oh, no, no, no. This is just awful.”

“Remus, mate, what’s going on?”

“I didn’t kiss anyone, I promise.” Sirius’ shoulders deflated a bit. As happy as he was for his friend to have found someone, he did admit a small portion of himself was upset Remus hadn’t told any of them. “The library…I’ve become study partners with someone from my arithmancy class. It was Professor Grant’s idea to have designated study partners for the class since there are so few of us this year.” Remus finally let Sirius go, rubbing his upper arm absentmindedly. Sirius eyed the action; the full moon was fast approaching. “I-uh. I’ve enjoyed it so far.”

“Oh? What’s this? My devious little Moon Pie has a crush on someone?” Remus flushed, and this time Sirius could tell this time it was out of embarrassment. “Oh, just wait until James finds out. You will have a partner by the end of this term, Moony, just you wait.”

“No!” Remus yelped, stopping Sirius from leaving their hiding spot. Sirius raised his brow. “You-you can’t tell James.”

“Why the hell not?” Remus looked down, looking ever the kicked puppy. Sirius pursed his lips, looking him up and down once before understanding flashed behind his eyes. “Oh. You’ve got yourself in quite the pickle here.”

“Tell me about it,” Remus huffed. “But, it’s not what you think. You know how James is, ever the unobservant one when a prank is getting set up. It was an accident, but he managed to stop it just in time and save the day.” Sirius had never heard the bitter tone come from his friend the way it had as he spoke the last few words. “Besides, who would ever want to date a monster like-.” Sirius raised his brow.

“How bad are we talking?” Remus looked at him strangely, though he was used to his friends cutting him off when he got too self-deprecating. “I need to know if this person is just using you to get to James, Remus, before I decide to hex them into oblivion.”

“No! Nothing like that!” Remus shook his head, though his smile had a little bit of gratitude in it. “It-It’s just studying. James has never really been brought up, except by me.”

“So they’re one of the good ones, then?” Remus nodded. “That’s good to hear.”

“Wait…wait, wait, what is that look? I don’t like that look.” Sirius’ face was curling so much Remus worried it would curl into itself. “Pads, please, don’t do anything foolish.”

“Me?” Sirius did not have the right to look so offended. “Come off it, Moony. When have I ever been foolish?” 

Remus grumbled under his breath, but did nothing to stop his friend from throwing an arm around his shoulder, pulling him along to the Great Hall. Their late arrival caused James and Peter to raise a brow at them, but thankfully, Sirius kept his mouth shut (though he hadn’t wiped away that smug and devious smile). Remus would only have to keep his partner - study partner, he reminded himself - away from his friends until they grew bored and found something else to entertain them.

And he was right, for the most part. Almost exactly a month had passed since Sirius and Remus’ conversation in the hall, and there didn’t seem to be any moves to embarrass him in front of the first person he decided to open himself up to. They continued to meet at their regular time, bumping up their biweekly meetings to three times a week much to his glee, and besides catching James and Sirius snickering while looking at him, or the much-unappreciated stopovers at his table during said study time, they hadn’t done anything to raise alarm. That didn’t mean Remus was any less tense during meetups, just in case one of those idiots decided to let things slip.

“Are you okay, Remus?” The question startled him, his eyes raising from the paper he was practically glaring into. You were looking at him with pinched brows, your lips upticked in a gentle smile. He could tell the expectant way you were looking at him meant you had said something he didn’t hear.

“What?” You gestured gently to his hand, which was curled so tightly around his quill it was nearly bent. “Oh! Sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. But, are you? Okay, I mean.”

“Yeah. Yes,” he said, waving his hand gently to placate you. Although your smile didn’t change, you returned to your work, letting him think in peace. His face flushed lightly. How dare he sit here and think the things he was when you were so innocently sitting across from him, not a clue in the world? He felt dirty. Yes, he was on edge because he hadn’t seen James or Sirius since this morning, not since they parted ways after a breakfast where they insisted on whispering secretly to one another. The full moon was far too close for Remus to get involved in something mischievous, using most of his brain power to tame the beast within him. There were moments though, moments where his wolf's thoughts and his were so close he couldn’t stop them from overlapping in his mind. Even now, as you so innocently leaned closer to look over the book in front of him, his mind was overrun with thoughts of pressing his face into your neck and finally, finally, getting a whiff of your scent uninterrupted by the other teenage hormones around them that he had to suffer through all day. He indulged himself in just the smallest of imaginations, thinking what he could do if you weren’t in the library full of other students-

“Are you sure you’re okay, Remus?” He shivered at the way you said his name. “Because I wouldn’t mind taking a little break.” His smile turned soft at your kindness.

“That’s probably a good idea,” he whispered, setting his pen down despite not having used it for the last ten or so minutes. “I’m…uh-just a little distracted today.”

“I get days like that too. And it’s no help when focusing is on arithmancy, of all things.” His heart fluttered, his inner wolf growling. “What would you like to talk about instead?”

“How has your day been?” You laughed lightly. Remus never seemed to want to talk about himself, always nudging you to talk instead or simply talking about what his other friends were up to. Baby steps, you thought to yourself, one day you’ll get there with him.

“It’s been alright. I got an E on that potions paper you helped me with, thank you again by the way, and my roommates and I were thinking a Honeydukes run is in order for our next Hogsmeade trip. Are you sure there isn’t anything I can get you while we’re there?” You wanted to invite Remus to go with you and your friends, but he declined with a frown, stating he wasn’t going able to leave the castle the coming weekend to due plans. With whom, you didn’t know, but Remus missing a Hogsmeade trip usually meant the Marauders were up to no good, and a trip to the Hospital Wing was already penciled into your plans come Sunday.

“That’s great news on the paper! I knew you could do it, you just needed a little push in confidence. You’re very talented, even Slughorn knows it.” You blushed at his praise. “Thank you again for the offer, but I can’t let you do that for you. I always have next trip.”

“If you’re sure…” Your voice trailed off, before you jumped a little in your seat. “By the way, did you say anything to James about…us?” All at once, his heart fell then leaped.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“He came up to me this morning and introduced himself.” Remus shared your bewildered look. “I was equally as confused. I know he’s never said anything directly to me when he comes to talk to you, but at least he would mention me vaguely being there. So, I was just wondering if there was something he was playing at.” Remus couldn’t help the fond smile twitch the corner of his mouth.

“James is always up to something.” Then, he frowned. “But why would he introduce himself to you? Why now?”

“That’s what I was wondering.” Your cheeks blushed slightly. “I was worried that he was going to bring up how I used to feel, so I ran away quickly after that.” Before he could even think about, let alone form words to ask what you meant by ‘used to’, a hand clapped him on the shoulder, then another right after. You both jumped.

“Ah, there he is! The pride and joy of Gryffindor house, our lovely genius, Remus.” Sirius’ smirk could be heard without him even turning around. On his other side, James leaned down so they were face to face.

“You don’t mind if I borrow your…absolutely lovely study partner, do you, Moony?” Remus’ brow raised. “I just have something I want to ask.”

“Ask?” Both you and Remus spoke at the same time.

“Come on, Moonykins, let’s give the lovebirds some space.” Sirius’ remark made Remus whip his head back and forth, looking between the three people surrounding him.

“Love birds?” James smirked lightly.

“Well, cats out of the bag, I supposed. What do you say, darling? I’ve seen the way you are around our Moony and I have to say I’m a bit jealous. Won’t you ease my breaking heart and join me for some time alone at Hogsmeade?”

“James…” Remus’ voice was low, dangerous, more so than you had ever heard it. You made eye contact with Sirius, who looked just as alarmed. James, on the other hand, just smiled brightly, meeting Remus’ glare head-on.

“You haven’t staked your claim on this one yet, right?” Remus jumped up at that, hands reaching for his wand that was on the table beside him. Sirius, just as quickly, wrapped his arm around his wolfy friend, trying to pull him back. James’ face was suddenly a lot more serious. “Moony?”

“Don’t talk like that!” You nearly jumped out of your seat, ready to round the table and approach…whatever was happening in front of you. Your kind, gentle Remus was so unlike himself, your heart throbbed painfully in your chest at what could possibly be causing that. James reached out to stop you, and the small contact was enough for Remus’ eyes to flash gold. You gasped.

“Moony. You need to calm down.” People were looking now, and Madam Price was headed over, eyes glaring daggers at the commotion in her library. Sirius managed to haul Remus away, nearly dragging him down the isles towards the exit.

James sighed, running a hand down his face, before abruptly remembering you were there. He spun on his heel, practically mowing you over, before peering so close to your face you could smell his hair potion. His eyes were narrowed, as if that would help him figure out what you knew. After a moment, you stepped back, clearing your throat.

“I’m flattered, Ja-Potter, really,” you said, your eyes darting between him and the pair that walked through the door, “but I-”

“Oh!” James huffed, laughing. “I’m sorry, for dragging you into this. I’m sure you’re an amazing person, what with Moony acting the way he did for you, but I’m head over heels for a certain Redhead with no other space in my heart.”

“Then why…?”

“Why? Because Moony is…” James stopped himself suddenly, looking you over once more. You could have sworn you heard him say ‘having his time of the month’ but he moved on before you could dwell on it. “He’s bad at expressing how he really feels. Always holding himself back, that kind of thing. Pads and I thought it would be a good idea to get him to realize he was being a bit of an idiot by…pushing things along.” You raised a brow.

“And you thought angering him was a good way to do that?”

“He isn’t usually like that, but every once in a while, it works to get the outcome we want.” James looked at you again. “You’re…okay, right? Moony didn’t scare you or anything, did he? I didn’t expect him to react like that.”

“Neither did I.” You sighed. “But no, not scared. He was acting a bit strange since before, but I hope he’s going to be okay.” James’ eyes softened.

“Don’t worry,” he said, gently placing a hand on your shoulder, “our Moony always bounces back after a bit. Things are a little…complicated, but I have no doubt he’ll tell you everything one day.” You nodded once, satisfied. “Now, was I in the middle of being rejected?”

“Oh, shut up,” you laughed, punching his shoulder, “you idiot. You knew I was going to say no, weren’t you?”

“Have to be a bit more of an idiot than you think not to notice the way you and Moony ogle at each other.” You blushed, opening your mouth to retort. “Plus you haven’t been as shy when speaking to me recently.” At that, you didn’t have a response. “Moony is a bit…out of it, and is really hard on himself. I’m sorry to tell you, but if you want anything to happen with him, you’ll be the one to make that first step.”

“But, how do I know if he even feels that way about me?” James looked at you incredulously.“ You’re serious? He was one second away from casting a very real hex in my direction when I so much as insinuated you were a plaything. Moony doesn’t do that to just anyone.” At your shy look, James sighed. “Look, by Sunday Moony will be back to his disgustingly adorable self and you can return to the way you were, or you could make my best friend the happiest I’ve ever seen him. It’s completely up to you.” James swiped Remus’ things from the table, shoving them into his bag. “If I were you though, I wouldn’t wait too long. Looked like our dear Moony has a bit more animal in him than I thought.” He laughed evilly, only spurred on by your gob smacked face. Just you wait Moony, he thought, you’ll thank me by Monday.

______________________________________________________________

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[jocu-reads]

DIE Issue #5 Reread (Gillen & Hans)

Issue Six of DIE, "The Grind," features a lot — Sol acts like a catty advisor which is my favorite form of his character, Angela has to reckon with how she's let Die control her life both in and out of the game, we learn a bit more about her past, and we see how Kieron Gillen's work as a games journalist shines through with a discussion of The Crunch.

There's a very potent metaphor here between the characters in this comic are dominated by the systems of the game and those who are pushed to work tirelessly for The AAA Game, which I would call a descendant of the tabletop game in many ways.

We're entering the part of the text where my knowledge drops off some. Back when DIE was releasing, I must have read the first arc three or four times? It was all there was for roughly the first year, and I had many rereads before I ran the RPG beta, which launched sometime after Issue Five. Maybe we'll talk about those sessions I ran sometime soon.

Anyway, that's to say that these sections are very exciting as my memory is more foggy, so there's a lot of juicy stuff in here I didn't even recall. Let's get into it.

The Art

I'm always happy to see more of the dieselpunk robot designs Stephanie Hans has for the Eternal Prussians. Here's the cover of the issue, which is one of my favorites:

We also see that purple & pink used again for flashback panels. I do really enjoy how Hans's watercolor style is amplified here, it seems so dreamy. I'm still struggling a bit to see if we're to read the emotion wheel colors onto these scenes. I'd expect them to be more yellow and green if that were the case, though that may not make for a very pleasant visual look.

Oranges in this issue are so haunting. The glow of the giant machines, the dying embers around Glass Town, and of course that final sunrise over Case. Brilliant stuff.

Descend

Hey I just noticed, is Angela going down the same stairs Ash and Matt did to get to the core last issue? Maybe... Hans uses very dream-like architecture, something that invokes the nondescript mix of GM narration and battlemap abstraction in RPGs, so it's a bit hard to be certain, but it is a spiral staircase going down down down.

I bring this up because... well it's a dungeon isn't it! There's going to be a whole arc about dungeons at the end of this, but I suppose that doesn't mean the characters can't do some delving now.

I'm noticing a theme with downward motion and character monologue. Angela does it here. We get some from Ash both when she enters the Glass Town core but again when she enters the trench in Issue Three. Huh. That physical/mental descent link will become really potent by Arc Four. Let's keep an eye out on that as we keep reading.

Angela Runs Away

A fair amount of this comic deals with the characters refusing (or being unable) to change from who they were as teenagers and how that continues to fuck up their lives both in and out of the game. Angela, as Ash describes her, has always been trying to avoid something by moving onto what's shiny and new. As we know, this how she ends up playing the game in the first place—Ash takes her so she'll stop being upset about the family dog dying.

This is what has pretty quickly happened upon entering Die again too. One of the first things she does when she has spare gold is boot up Case again. I've commented on this habit as being kind of wasteful in the past. I think that comes off harsher than I intend though. I don't think she's dumb to keep feeding him gold, but I do think she's being a bit selfish. In this issue, when the Ash party is hunkered down and barely scraping by, that "bit" becomes "kind of a lot actually."

Ash calls her out on this and she runs away from the confrontation, one she knows will inevitably worsen.

Keen readers may pick up on this, but I think Ash may be a bad sister.

We also learn she did this around her later life too. Working in the AAA game space and leaving projects. Escaping a strained marriage with someone new. Packing up and leaving when her husband found out. Trying to apologize after her new partner felt things got too heavy. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say her spending time with Case is running away from the matters at hand as well. Angela also realizes this by the end of the issue and this time puts a stop to her actions.

And yet. She's still running away from confrontations here too. Matt offers to take her emotional pain at Case's death away, something he can do as a Grief Knight (we'll talk about that in a sec) and she accepts the offer. Sure is lucky to have someone around that can eat all your sadness. Surely that isn't a poor coping mechanism or anything.

Another big problem Angela has is how often she jumps into terrible consequences without thinking too much. Like, okay, playing a game with your freak older "brother" and getting sucked into a nightmare world is kind of a freebie—I certainly can't blame her for that one. But the robot arm? I think it's clearer how that could backfire on you in the Genie Logic world they were in.

The other notable Campaign One mistake Angela made was dating Chuck, which seems like an obvious bad idea. But hey, she was just a kid right?

Problem is, Angela keeps following a self-destructive instinct as an adult. She gets involved in a workplace romance and her husband finds out. Terrible, but what did she expect to happen? She brings back her dog, knowing full well he will have to die again. It is a really unfortunate chain of behavior, one that is a clear consequence of her inability to sit still in bad situations and look for a good solution rather than a quick escape. Honestly, this probably made Angela and Chuck the second worst couple in the party.

I still feel like I'm being harsher towards Angela than I should, but there's a reason for that. All these problems spill over into her role as a mom too. This is something she is going to have to reckon with later. It's going to be really bad for everyone involved.

But let me cut her a break at least. This issue has given me a stronger appreciation for Angela, which I think happened when I read it back in 2019 too. This woman has been through a lot, maybe more than anyone else but Sol in the party. Despite that, she's still standing Were I in her position, I don't know that I could do much better.

The Neo

This is a weird class, since it is playing on a less defined archetype. Classically, the rogue exists to open up chests and disarm traps... and that's about it. There's certainly the sneak attacking and stealthiness of later editions and systems, but if we're looking at the B/X thief, my understanding is that it exists for one very specific use.

Angela is obviously doing more than just that though. I believe Gillen is drawing a lot on video game RPGs with the Neo, both due to it's connection to cyberpunk RPGs and therefore Deus Ex, but also with the name itself—the Neo is quite literally the new RPG.

The class also has one of the more "game-y" mechanics, a term I think is stupid but sometimes useful (what is a "game" after all? I guess "video game-y" is more apt.) Her abilities are on recharge, she needs power-ups to use them, she makes very concrete choices as to what to use and when. It is not unlike, say, a level up tree in Skyrim (or perhaps System Shock would be the more apt comparison of the games I've played.) It's also very telling that her class seems to convert money to playtime, a la arcade cabinets.

Your character's upgrades in System Shock 2

This puts what the classes are there for into better perspective for me. They are catering both to the traditional D&D classes, but also to types of players and types of games. We've talked about the Dictator and Master as storytelling classes, those who get deep into the roleplay and intrigue. Godbinder is another of those, but perhaps with more of a court and faction game focus. The Fool exists both as the so called "beer & pretzels" game but also fantasy pop literature to an extent, in all its forms (pulps, blockbuster trash, series that seem to never end.) The Emotion Knight fits a bit less cleanly here, but the Neo slots right into the CRPG niche. It helps that several of the characters have careers based around their class.

I think it makes a lot of sense then, that the video game class is built around stealth and the mercenary. I would consider the immersive sim as the closest video game genre to classic TTRPGs, drawing heavily on roleplay, character building, and exploitations of the world to overcome challenges rather than surpassing a scripted event. Of course, the cyberpunk flavor is a nod to Deus Ex, but the stealth comes more from Thief (which gets a direct reference in this issue too!)

I think this is also where the Neo's very wide range of powers comes from too. That's a very common move in ISs (consider System Shock, the Dishonored games, Prey. And... ugh... yes even Bioshock.) What starts as a way to build your character in a unique way often snowballs until you have everything unlocked by the end of a game... and Angela has been playing the Neo a very long time.

I should also mention the way Fair Gold plays into what Gillen sometimes refers to as an addiction for the class. I've never totally got this metaphor and frankly I think it's a little troubling. I'm just not sure what is gained by linking Angela (and the Neo) with addiction, something she does not appear to struggle with. I think it's apt to point out that she has some very poor and self-destructive patterns of behavior, but that's about where the metaphor ends. I don't have much more to say about the Fair Gold mechanic other than that for now, but maybe that'll change later.

That's enough about the class, let's talk about the other cyberpunk in the room.

The Fair (or, DIE drops another incredible concept out of nowhere)

In a shocking turn of events, this is actually the second time Gillen has made Daft Punk's Tron Legacy appearance into god-like beings. Maybe I need to rewatch that film to find the secret key to unlock his work.

As for how they're handled in DIE, the story just drops them here and says "Hey, this is the source of all of Angela's problems, a pair of painfully 'fair' and calculating cold beings that seem to delight in watching her squirm," and leaves you at that. And honestly? I really respect that. Usually Ash would delve into a monologue about all the times they encountered the Fair and how they are sooooo fucked up. Not that I don't eat that up every time, but it's nice to mix it up once in a while.

Part of me wants to crack open the RPG book and see if there's more to read about the Fair, but I don't think I will just yet. Sticking with the text in the books is probably best for now.

Anyway, I really really love these guys. Gillen will compare them to elves in one of his end of issue essays later, specifically their detached and timeless nature. I certainly agree with that.

I see these guys as a computer brain running parts of Die. I also see them as the developers designing that computer. It's a little blurry, like a lot of things in this comic.

They offer players who meet them a choice. It's a binary one, in this case the arm or the dog. They make their own decisions (to help or to forsake - to interfere or to observe) by a binary as well, literally flipping a coin. Comics love to have guys flip coins don't they.

Depending on the result of the flip, they answer "This is among the things that happen" or "This is not among the things that happen." It's a very concrete decision, as though it was always the case but needed to be known, rather than decided. There's something there with quantum observation, but I think this plays on how dice rolls and probability in general work.

When a character reaches a challenge, they either overcome it or they don't. Games have many resolution mechanics for this, but most RPGs use some amount of randomization. So will they succeed? Or will they not? The Fair side step the dice type, the difficulty class, the bonus, etc, and just give a coin: One or Zero. Why make the decision if it is already among (or not among) "the things that happen" though? Again, here we're playing with storytelling in RPGs. In the moment it seems unclear, but this stops being the case as soon as the face of a die is chosen. In fact, maybe it was determined the moment the die was cast, by which I mean cast in acrylic. If we follow what seems to be the Fair's philosophy (or Angela's understanding of it) the choices don't matter at all. The path is already determined.

I think that ties very well into the CRPG logic. There are only so many inputs and outputs a program can have. Notice how the Fair offered Angela only two options to give up. Her agency in how to garner a boon is given up from the start. Consider how this would differ from a TTRPG with a human GM, able to react to more player input. Consider how it may not differ.

For what it's worth though, Angela still follows through with the choice. Even without the Fair, she understands she has to let Case go. He dies. They get out. That is among the things that happen.

Other Thoughts

The Clockwork Prussians not knowing what to do with Glass Town (or seeming not to. Like much of this comic there's more going on) is really great. Another good nod to the GM scrambling to react after their players go way off script. "Occupying, I guess," is so great.

I talked a little about Campaign One here as well. I was on a long car ride with some friends, discussing what happens in arcs 2 and 3 of DIE the other week and while talking about how interesting (and maybe self defeating) a prequel series could be, I realized I don't actually know that much about how the party's first 2 years went. I suspect there are hints we could dig at around that though.

A big one is how Matt factors into it all. We learn here about the Grief Knight's emotion sucking abilities. Is this something he may have exercised often as a teenager? Perhaps to keep people sane and moving forward? That would be a pretty damning read, but let's tuck it away for now. I think we'll have A Lot to say about Campaign One by the end of this arc.

We close on the introduction of a favorite character of mine. We'll talk more about Augustus later.

[stobinesque]

phryctoria | chapter 6: four by one (delta)

Sometimes your gay awakening is just having someone to show you it’s possible. Steve realizes there's a whole gay world out there, waiting for them.

Now Complete!

[1][2][3][4][5] | [Read on AO3]

"Robbie, honey, is that you?" Mrs. Buckley calls out as the front door swings shut behind them.

"Yeah, mom!" Robin shouts back as she toes off her shoes.

"Is Steve with you?" Robin claims her mother has some sort of sixth sense for Steve's presence in the house. Steve thinks it’s just a safe bet to assume he’s there, seeing as that's the case more often than not.

"I am!" Steve affirms, as Robin grabs his hand to drag him up to her room. The staircase has a direct line of sight to the living room, where Robin's parents are curled together on their squashy couch, watching something Steve can't make out on the tiny television set.

"There are leftovers in the fridge." Mr. Buckley says as they pass by.

"Thank you, sir." Robin tugs at Steve’s wrist impatiently. "Uh…we’ll grab some later," he says, tripping up the stairs after Robin.

"Ugh, you're such a suck-up!" she declares as she flops back onto her bed.

"I have to stay on their good side! They’re both half-convinced I'm one step away from stealing your virginity."

"Eugh, please don't say that." Robin pulls open her bag and starts dumping the contents onto her mattress. "Besides, they wouldn't have any room to talk. I was conceived in the back of my dad’s Volkswagen."

Steve hops up onto the bed, stretching his legs out in front of him. He picks up his pamphlet from the books and 'zines strewn across Robin's bed, and rolls it up to point at her. "Now, how—and why, exactly—do you know that?"

"Remember what I said about my parents and boundaries?"

“Okay, sure, that tracks.” Steve flips open the booklet with a little flourish. “So, wanna learn about how to fuck without dying?”

Robin arches a brow at him. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“No? What would I—?”

Steve flinches as something hits his chest and he looks down to see the reading glasses he’d bought earlier. “Really?”

“Yes, really! Put them on!”

Steve rolls his eyes, but puts them on. “Happy?”

“I am,” she sniffs with haughty self-satisfaction.

Steve pulls a face and mouths a mocking “I am!” as he picks the pamphlet back up and flicks it open. He skims his way down the table of contents—there’s a foreword, a preface, and an introduction for some reason—and his eyebrows start creeping up his forehead as he goes. Sucking, Fucking, Sadism & Masochism (S&M), Fist Fucking…mixed in with things Steve doesn’t even recognize (what the hell do “water sports” have to  do with sex?)

It's all a little daunting—like he should have started with a basic field guide to Sex With Men before jumping into figuring out how to do it safely.

But he’s here now, so he takes a deep breath, flips to the next page, and begins.

Barely three paragraphs in and he's right back to feeling in over his head. Is he supposed to have opinions on the causes of AIDS? He can count the number of times he’s heard or read about it in a context that wasn’t riddled with disgust and condemnation. All he really knows is that a diagnosis is as good as a death sentence.

He shakes his head, frustrated. "Hey, do you have a highlighter or something?"

Robin doesn’t say anything, but when Steve looks up to ask her again, something smacks him on the head—Robin having chosen to answer by way of lobbing a highlighter directly at his face. He's grudgingly impressed by her aim.

"Stop throwing things at me!"

Robin ignores him. "Careful, Stevie, you might turn into a nerd if you're not careful."

"...shut up." He uncaps the marker with a bitchy flourish to highlight the sentence “Sex doesn't make you sick—diseases do. Gay sex doesn't make you sick—gay men who are sick do.” It settles something in him that's been strung tight since Monday. Even if some part of him knew that he wasn't sick just by existing, he couldn't shake the memory of kids asking anyone they thought might be gay if they knew what it stood for, before shouting “Got AIDS Yet?” down the hall after them.

Steve grimaces at the memory, and carries on reading until he’s reached the end of the introduction, highlighting a sentence at the end there

Our challenge is to figure out how we can have gay, life-affirming sex, satisfy our emotional needs, and stay alive!

He's never really thought of sex as anything more than a kind of fraught balancing act between performance and pleasure—let alone “life-affirming.”

Except...that is kind of what it was between him and Nancy right? It's why they'd drifted back together after everything. They'd both only had each other—well, Nancy had Jonathan, too, kind of. But Steve had lost his two closest friends, and even if he hadn't, it’s not like he could have shared anything that'd happened to him without putting them in harm’s way.

(There had been a few times early on when Steve had considered reaching out to Tommy or Carol. But even without the worry that he might revert back to a version of himself that he was all too eager to leave in the rearview, he also didn't know what the point of trying to maintain a relationship with them was, when his entire understanding of the world had turned on its head.)

So Nancy and Steve had become NancyandSteve—not so much in deed as in perception. After Barb, after…everything…they'd both been hesitant to have sex again for a while. Steve didn't want to push Nancy into doing anything that would make her uncomfortable (and if Steve benefited from not having to perform quite so much, all the better). And Nancy always seemed like it was something she felt guilty for even wanting.

And then one night Steve had just kind of snapped and asked her outright “Do you want to have sex?”

It was like a dam bursting. As if all Nancy had needed was for someone to ask her what she actually wanted, instead of thinking herself in circles around what she should want.

"Penny for your thoughts, Fen?"

Steve doesn’t look up from where his eyes have lost on the words swimming in front of him. "Just…thinking about Nancy."

"Oh?" Robin’s voice is cautiously curious.

"Yeah, just like. I don't know. We didn't have sex all that often when we were together, but when we did, it was like…" Steve trails off, struggling to find the words.

"Like what?”

"Like…I don't know. Like us?” He says, finally looking up at Robin and gesturing between the two of them. “Like when we sleep together?”

Robin doesn't wrinkle her nose like he expects her to. Instead she tilts her head and gives him a considering look. "Like…comforting?"

Steve snaps his fingers and points at her. "Yeah! And it was fun, too, I guess. But it was mostly just…it was the one time where I felt like I could actually give her what she needed, you know?”

Robin shakes her head with a little frown. "I don't. That sounds…really sad, actually."

Steve huffs and drags a hand through his hair. "I'm not explaining this right."

"No, I think you are!" Robin reaches out to take one of his hands into hers. "Look, you don't really talk about Nancy, and I'm not asking you to do it now anymore than you already have or want to. But, the silence kind of speaks for itself, you know? I don't know what happened with the two of you, but I…I don't know, I'd see you together, sometimes, after Barb, and you both always seemed so sad. But you never really seemed like you were sad together, you know? You didn't even look like you were causing each other's sadness, you just…you looked like you were on these parallel tracks of grief. So…so maybe, when you were having sex it was like the one time where you both actually were on the same track? And that's…"

"Fucked up, because I'm gay, and her best friend died while she was losing her virginity? To me? A gay man?"

"Well, I wasn't gonna put it like that."

"Sure."

Silence falls between them, and Steve stares at the Ripley poster hanging on Robin’s wall. Thinking about Nancy has left him unsettled in a way he wouldn’t have expected it to. Not that realizing he’s gay should suddenly erase all of the heartbreak he’d felt at the end of things. But he thought he’d moved on. Come to terms with everything. But now, recontextualizing their relationship, and realizing how much it had really just been a means of survival than anything else for both of them…it leaves him feeling a little sick.

Robin cuts into his thoughts. "Okay, enough wallowing about shitty exes—"

"Nancy wasn't—”

"Shhhh,” Robin says, waving a hand in his face to get him to stop talking. “Let me be dramatically overprotective of you about this."

"Fine,” he says, even though something about it doesn’t sit right with him.

"Back to my point: stop wallowing, and get back to reading about how you can have hot gay sex safely, so I can live vicariously through you!"

Some of the tension bleeds out of him. "Okay, first of all, I don't think you want to be having the same kind of hot gay sex as me, and second of all, you’re coming with me! You can find a hot girl to bang!"

"I thought we’d already established that I don't want to have sex for the first time with a stranger!"

"Oh.” Steve falls back. Even having just talked about it earlier that evening he’d kind of…forgotten that other people might prefer to know the person they lose their virginity to. He hadn’t really had a choice. “Right."

"I think I'd be okay with kissing a girl that I don't know yet. But, like, how do you even tell if someone's interested in you?” She tangles her fingers in her hair and starts tugging at the roots. “And how do you flirt?"

"Okay, okay, one thing at a time.” Steve reaches forward to pull her hands from her hair, holding them to his chest. “You don't have to rush anything, you know—”

"Steve! It's not rushing things if I've…if I've known this about myself for years and I'm still just a clueless virgin!"

"Okay, well, I don't think me not being a virgin means I have any more of a clue about things than you do. It's just…” Steve gestures in the space between them. "It's just bodies! And, like, hearts and guts and brains, or whatever—but that's still just bodies! And if we're going to a gay club you'll have to exert a lot less effort into trying to figure out if someone likes you. You can just ask!”

"'You can just ask' he says.” Robin scoffs. “Have you ever 'just asked' a girl if she likes you?"

"Well, no, but that's because they're supposed to act like they don't."

"What?" Robin yanks her hands out of Steve’s grip with a violent jerk backwards.

"Yeah! Girls are supposed to act like they're all bashful or whatever about a guy liking them. So you have to come at it sideways, give them a little opening to sneak through." He holds his hands a couple inches apart and makes a little snaking motion in demonstration.

Robin gapes at him. "Straight people are fucking weird."

"Yeah, it's exhausting." There was something of a thrill to a successful seduction, though. It was a game Steve had been good at playing, once upon a time. It had just lost its appeal somewhere along the way. Maybe in a new context he'd find a way to make it fun again. "But there aren't any guys in the equation for you, so you don't have to do any of that."

"Okay, yeah, but what if everyone does still act like that, but because there's no men to do the asking everyone is just like! Awkwardly hovering around each other!”

"I literally just told you to do the asking."

"Yeah, well, what if your advice is bad! I've seen you try to flirt, Steve!"

"Yeah, you've seen me try to flirt with girls who I am not attracted to,” he argues back, gesticulating wildly. He slumps back and bites his lip, considering. "Okay, how about this,” he starts, leaning forward again. “I bet you that if you ask, you can get a girl to kiss you."

Robin narrows her eyes, "What's the winner get?”

Steve thinks for a second. "Full control of the stereo on the ride back."

"Deal." Robin spits into her palm and extends it to him. "Shake on it, Harrington."

Steve grimaces, but spits into his own palm, before grasping her hand in his. "Deal"

Steve returns to reading, but a few minutes later tosses it aside again with a frustrated huff, pressing the tips of his fingers into his eyes, as though that will chase away the budding headache.

“…you good over there?”

Steve drops his hands and blinks rapidly. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

Robin snorts. “Liar. What’s up? Why do you look like you just got your head shoved in a toilet?”

“Nothing, I just—it’s dumb.”

“Yeah, and?”

“And—I don’t want to bore you with stupid questions.”

“I’m pretty sure the no-stupid-questions rule is still in effect.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t a gay question or whatever—I just don’t know how to fucking read.”

Robin frowns, leaning forward to look at him more closely. “Okaaaaay, but clearly you do—you’ve been highlighting up a storm over there.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I understand anything!” Steve snaps his mouth shut and looks away. “Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

Robin plays with her hands, expression nervous. “Why does it matter if you don’t understand it?”

“What’s the point in reading any of this if I don’t know what it means?”

“No, no, I get that, I just mean—why are you acting like not understanding something will matter to me?”

Steve shrugs. “I mean, it has before.”

Robin stares at him, mouth agape. “What are you—are you talking about what I said about Click’s class?”

Steve doesn’t say anything.

“Okay, well, if it is, then you are an idiot, if you think literally any of 15-year-old me’s thoughts about you still apply now.” Robin shakes her head sadly. “Steve, you could ask me what color the fucking sky is—and I’d probably lie first, just to fuck with you a bit—but I definitely wouldn’t judge you for asking. I literally don’t care whether you’re a genius, or-or if you don’t know what two plus two is! The stupid little thoughts of a jealous teenager are entirely irrelevant to what we have here,” she says, gesturing between the two of them.

Steve is quiet, assessing her for even a bare hint of insincerity. There’s none to be found. Maybe he can hazard a chance at trusting someone again. As though he hasn’t been doing that this whole time. He sighs and hands the pamphlet over. “It’s not even that I don’t know what it’s saying, I just…every time I get to the end of the page it’s like everything I’ve just read falls out of my head.”

“Okay, well, maybe between the two of us we can get it to stick.” Robin holds her hand out and makes a grabby motion until Steve drops the highlighter into it. She skims through the whole section, humming occasionally as she underscores something.

A couple minutes later she looks back at him with a smile. “Okay, well, first off: this was also kind of dense for me. There’s, like, a lot of information here and it’s all presented very argumentatively and kind of assumes the person reading it knows more about the debatable causes of AIDS than I think either of us do. But basically it’s arguing that instead of AIDS being caused by one virus, it’s instead caused by a build-up of CMV, which is a totally different virus.”

Steve nods along. He does follow that. The foreword, preface, and introduction had all alluded to it, but once the authors got further into the details they’d started to lose him.

“Second of all, I don’t know if it really matters. I mean, obviously it matters that, like, scientists and doctors and whoever know the exact cause. But from what I can tell, it seems like regardless of the exact cause, we still have a reasonably good understanding of how it spreads—namely, sperm and blood. So I think as long as you understand everything else in here about how to prevent spreading or catching things, you’re probably good not to understand all of the science behind it.”

Steve nods and takes the pamphlet back from her. “Okay,” he says. “Uh, thanks.”

Robin nods. “Anytime, Steph.”

Steve blushes and smiles at her.

Reading the rest of the pamphlet gets much easier from there. He skims over the sections specifically covering CMV, figuring that he can return to them later if needed, but that they probably aren’t strictly relevant to him just yet.

About halfway through reading, he realizes that despite the heavy subject matter, he’s actually kind of enjoying reading it, in a way that’s unfamiliar to him. He’s always enjoyed having sex, but he’d never considered that he might also like learning about it. It’s a similar sort of satisfaction that he found in learning first aid for his lifeguard certification. But most of that was a hands-on kind of learning. Steve can’t remember a time he’s been anything other than frustrated while reading.

The writers talk about sex with an unrelenting frankness that is completely foreign to him. And they don’t limit themselves to the mere mechanics of the act. They dive into ethics and philosophy, and by the time Steve has made it to the last section, he finds himself highlighting whole paragraphs.

Gay men are socialized as men first; our gay socialization comes later. From the day we are born we are trained as men to compete with other men. The challenge facing gay men in America is to figure out how to love someone you’ve been trained to “destroy”

It knocks Steve off his feet. Like someone has held a mirror up to his life.

He remembers the adrenaline flooding him when he pinned Jonathan to the ground in that alley—and again, when Jonathan took him by the wrist and pulled him to safety hours later.

He remembers the jealousy and fear of losing to a boy he felt the need to prove himself better than.

But what if there had been love there all along? Buried deep beneath the pain and self-loathing.

The goal of gay male liberation must be to find ways in which love becomes possible despite continuing and often overwhelming pressure to compete and adopt adversary relationships with other men.

Steve traces over the lines of those sentences like they’re precious. Robin is the only other gay person he knows, and she knows only fractionally more about this world than he does.

And it is a world. There’s a whole history here. Beyond the scientific analysis of disease and recommendations for safer sex, that is what he’s found here. A community. A lineage. There’s a culture there lying in wait of discovery for the both of them. There are men who have walked the same gauntlet that Steve is just beginning to—and who have emerged on the other side. And maybe they’re all in peril together. But at least it is together.

If you love the person you are fucking with—even for one night—you will not want to make them sick.

Steve doesn’t know what he and Robin will find when they go to Indy. The world is larger and more complex than anything he’s going to find in a 40-page pamphlet.

But who knows, maybe he will find love there.

Maybe affection is our best protection.

Bonus! Chapter 7: Erratum & Appendices

Annotations to the text “How to Have Sex in an Epidemic” by Michael Callen and Richard Berkowitz, intro by Dr. Joseph Sonnabend - Spring 1985

[A/N: full text can be accessed here]

ANNOTATION, pg 9, following the section “WHAT CAUSES AIDS?”

While the multifactorial theory behind AIDS was already unpopular in the medical community at the time of this pamphlet’s initial publication, a greater preponderance of medical and community health experts now agree that the recently discovered virus HTLV III is the virus responsible for the development of AIDS. However, there is still much we do not know about the virus’ transmission. That said: the guidelines for safer sex outlined by Callen and Berkowitz, and supported by Dr. Sonnabend, are still likely to greatly mitigate the risk of transmitting or acquiring the HTLV III virus and, subsequently, AIDS.

While most professionals agree that CMV is not the cause of AIDS, CMV remains a disease that MSM should be careful to minimize their risk of transmitting. The risks and effects of CMV as highlighted by the authors in this pamphlet—excepting its connection to AIDS—remain sound; as do their recommendations for mitigating transmission.

For individuals interested in getting tested for the HTLV III virus, an Alternate Test Site has recently opened opened at the Indiana University Medical Center. This testing site, unlike others in the area, guarantees anonymity and privacy for those who wish to get tested. A positive test for HTLV III does not mean you have AIDS, an AIDS related condition, nor does it mean you will develop AIDS in the future.

For further information about the HTLV III test, call the Indianapolis Gay & Lesbian Switchboard at (317) 543-6200. They have a 24 hour answering service, and make calls back between 7 and 11PM.

ANNOTATION, pg 24, following “KISSING”

While HTLV III has been detected in saliva, there have been no reported cases of AIDS transmitted via kissing, or shared foods or utensils. Community health experts are in near unanimous agreement that kissing bears no risk of transmission of HTLV III/AIDS.

ANNOTATION, p. 20, following “FUCKING”

Studies are inconclusive as to the effectiveness of natural condoms for VD prevention. But as the authors state, natural condoms have a lower risk of breakage to their latex counterparts.

ANNOTATION, p. 21, within the section “GETTING FUCKED”

The importance of lubrication during anal sex cannot be overstated. Lubrication decreases the chances of condoms breaking, and of microtears of the rectal lining.

ANNOTATION, p. 22, following “GETTING FUCKED”

Always be sure to carefully follow the instructions of use for any prophylactic. Condom wrappers should always be opened carefully, with ones hands.

Appendix: STEVE (and Robin's) GUIDE TO SAFELY FUCKING

CLEAR HEAD TO GET HEAD! If you’re planning to fuck, you can’t be drunk!

TALK IT OUT! Always be sure to talk to your partner about limits and safety before getting it on

KEEP IT CLEAN! It’s important to wash up before and after sex to limit the spread of bacteria and germs

WRAP IT UP! If you’re going to fuck someone, or have someone suck you off, make sure you’re wearing a condom

Always open condom wrappers CAREFULLY with your HANDS—ripping wrappers open with your teeth stops being sexy the moment the condom tears

If you’re not going to wear a condom, make sure you don’t come anywhere inside your partner (especially their ass!!!)

KISSING: ✔️✔️✔️

GET CREATIVE There are lots of things to do that pose no risk at all!

GET HANDY: mutual masturbation is a completely safe way for two (or more) to get it on. Throw in some dirty talk to add a little extra HEAT!

IT’S ABOUT LOVE, even if only for a night

***

Authors Note: please keep in mind that everything in this chapter reflects what was known of HIV/AIDS c. 1985! Please do not take safe sex advice from a fanfic!

[sinsiriuslyemo]

I have to ask ... Sirius Black and the Daughter of the Mountain King?

What? How? What? Who?

Thanks so much for asking!

So, Sirius Black and the Daughter of the Mountain King actually started as an idea for a one shot. I was thinking 3-4k words max. But as I started to write, there was more story emerging in my head, and long story longer, I'm currently finishing the last few chapters of the first draft, the whole thing is fast approaching 250k words and there will be a part 2, possibly a part 3.

I'm calling the series The Legacy of the Noble House of Black, part one is titled Sirius Black and the Daughter of the Mountain King. It's Sirius-centric (obviously) and starts just after PoA and ends when he falls through the veil in OotP.

Synopsis:

The secrets of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black run deep. On the run from the Ministry of Magic, Sirius and Buckbeak fly to the Ocean's Edge, where Sirius' younger sister was hidden over two decades before. Upon returning to England, and locked in their childhood home, Sirius and Callisto begin to uncover the mystery that their parents set into motion decades earlier, while the Order of the Phoenix prepares for the Second Wizarding War.

And because I'm dying to start posting this but have made a rule for myself not to until a first draft is finished, here's a snippet from the prologue (which is from Dumbledore's perspective):

Now that Sirius had been spared from the Dementor's Kiss, and the hippogriff from the executioner's blade, Dumbledore just had to hope that Sirius wouldn't wait too long to read the note Hermione gave him, directing him to a cave near Hogsmeade.

As he strode into his office, Albus went up the curved staircase to the right of his mahogany desk, and went to the bookshelf closest to the large, circular window. He pulled a navy, tattered book that had served as a hiding place for twenty-three years, blowing away the years of dust from the front and opening it to chapter eight. Pulling out his wand, he touched it to the seventh sentence from the bottom and dragged his wand toward the edges, sliding the words off the page, leaving them to float in the air before him:

"Without memory, there is no healing. Without forgiveness, there is no future."

"Animatus sententia."

The sentence began to glow before his eyes, a soft yet bright orange that grew brighter and warmer until the letters shimmered and burst like silent fireworks. The pieces reassembled into a zinc and gold music box with crystal trim, which had been sealed for nearly three decades.

[j-exclamationmark-l]

My mother is dying.

She was the light of my life, introduced me to so many wonderful things. She and I have our own "normal" I have never found anywhere else. Sometimes I'm asked why I'm the way I am. And I think, if you knew my mother, you'd understand. I don't think I pull off her warm darkness as well as she does, or else people would understand.

I would do anything to bring her back.

I was overcome with the feeling, as loud and clear as if someone screamed it in my ear, if I killed that man, my mother would be okay.

I searched the area for speakers, even though I knew in my heart it wasn't a tangible sound. It wasn't even words, just the strong feeling one life for another would appease the gods.

Gods? What gods?

It just made sense. Better to act now while I knew.

-

He told me his name was Ewi. He was white, blonde, with glasses and plain but nice clothing. Unassuming enough, pleasant enough, not suspicious at all when I invited him over for dinner.

I began to feel my first pangs of doubt. This was just a man. Why him? Why death? How was I even supposed to do it, did the gods care?

I knew I had to act now, while I knew it was the right thing to do. Before I got cold feet.

-

I was cooking when he arrived. My little brother was excited to have a guest over. My mother was upstairs, unconscious as ever.

I served pasta. I sprinkled Ewi's with chloroform. When he passed out, my brother just happily assumed our guest was tired.

I told my brother he'd better go to bed as well.

After the room had been cleared of people and dishes, I carefully tied Ewi with electric cords I had prepared and laid him down on the dining table.

He didn't even stir.

I carefully slit his throat. Blood spurted out, but otherwise, Ewi made no sound. The warmth of it surprised me. I didn't really expect it to be so warm, but I supposed it made sense. His crisp, white button up shirt soaked it in.

I waited. He was dead, right? Now what?

My hands seemed to act of their own accord then, quickly stabbing his chest repeatedly, like I was angry at him. Why? Why was I so angry?

I heard my brother approaching from the staircase. I called out, told him not to come in. He told me he was hungry. I told him to go back to bed.

I stabbed Ewi over and over. He was already dead, it wasn't as though it was worse for him, it wasn't as though it hurt. I let my hands move by themselves, cutting and slashing and stabbing.

When the dizzy haze passed from before my eyes, I finally set the knife down. Ewi was unrecognizable as a human. I supposed I should feel disgusted, but he looked so far from human at the moment that it didn't even register to me I should feel anything different than when I watch a gory movie.

Then I remembered.

I almost slipped on the slick floor in my hurry to run up the stairs to check on my mother.

She was asleep in her bed. I gently nudged her, but she still didn't react. I called out to her.

No response.

I tried. Maybe the sacrifice took time. But how long? Two to three business days? Was there lots of paperwork to sort? Did the gods have to count every stab wound? Every ounce of flesh and blood and viscera lost?

Or worse.

What if I was wrong?

I became aware of the sound of sirens fading into earshot. My blood ran cold. It couldn't be for what I'd done, could it? How could I possibly explain? No, they'd have to fade out again...

But they didn't. The roared closer, illuminating the dark room with their flashing lights.

I was caught.

I slowly left the room. I was very aware of the blood dripping from my clothing and face and hair, the handprints and footprints I left. There was no point in even trying to hide it.

How undignified.

I slowly descendent the staircase. I had no idea how to explain what I had done.

My brother was wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, a police officer trying to calm him. Of course he'd called the police.

Another officer rushed past me. Something about that struck me as odd.

I turned and walked slowly into the kitchen.

Four people, one officer and three paramedics, were gathered around a bloody form sitting upright at the table. The three were trying to apply medical aid. The officer was holding a clipboard and asking questions.

Ewi locked eyes with me as I entered the kitchen. He had a new plate of pasta before him, which he was eagerly in the process of eating, seeming to pay no mind to the people surrounding him.

His red and dripping face split open horizontally, revealing teeth.

It took a moment for me to register he was smiling.

He asked me quite pleasantly how my mother was doing. I was at a loss for words. He told the officer with the clipboard I had run up to check on her. A paramedic asked him if he could stand. Ewi smiled and said it looked a lot worse than it felt. He said he was sorry my brother troubled them by calling them in, he was quite alright.

The officers exchanged some looks of disbelief, but ultimately packed up and left.

It wasn't until we were alone I realized I did not want to be left alone with him.

Ewi confirmed as he consumed food as clotted and red as his blood, if I had succeeded in killing him, my mother could be restored to the way she was. But it wasn't that simple for him, he'd been alive for centuries and didn't suspect someone like me would be his downfall. Quite the opposite, if he came out and told the officers what a monster I was, my life would be over. I told him he couldn't blackmail me like this.

Why? he asked. What will you tell them? I'm a demon? You'll be locked away in an insane asylum. And even then, I'll still visit. You know who can't visit? Your mother.

My life now belonged to him.

Nightmares! Nonstop nightmares!