#and then I realize a 9-5 while hacking away at it on the side is the way to go. I can see myself burning out on art as a job

[sidhedust]

Aw, it's sad to see how much better I've gotten over the months but I can't exactly be the kind of person I need to be to make an art career work. I could TRY a shop/print shop, but I have no long-term ideas to keep a shop running.

Once I draw a few fairy tale pieces, I'll be out of ideas lol

[queen-haq]

Fic: A Woman Scorned - Part 9

Fic: A Woman Scorned - Part 9

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Rating: R for language.

Words: ~2000 words.

Summary: You’ve been sleeping with Billy Russo for a few months now. Knowing his aversion to emotional commitments, you’re satisfied with your clandestine arrangement until you catch him having dinner with Dinah Madani one night. Then it finally dawns on you. It’s not that he doesn’t want to commit, he just doesn’t want to commit to *you*.

Billy may think he knows you, but he has no idea what he’s just lost...

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5   Part 6   Part 7   Part 8

Part 9

The smile on your face was stiff and insincere as Marcus Boyd walked you back to your car. As much as you loathed the asshole, you needed him and that meant paying him a personal visit in his home in Connecticut. He was a very successful defense lawyer, on his way to becoming a managing partner in a prestigious New York law firm in a few years. Because of his career, he had access to many seedy characters which is what you were here to leverage. You needed an unregistered gun, and he had connections who could provide you one. If that meant putting up with him for an hour, you were willing to do it.

“Y/N,” he said with a slick smile, standing next to you as you unlocked your car door. “It was wonderful to see you again.”

“No, it wasn’t,” you replied. “It never is. But we do what we have to, right?”

His eyes narrowed, shifting to something menacing. “I forgot how tactless you can be.”

You gave him a mocking smile. “Here’s hoping you won’t have to see me again soon.”

“Next time you need something, don’t come to me,” he warned.

“Same goes for you.” You leveled him with a cold look. “When can I expect a call?”

“A few days.”

“Fine.” You got into your car and shut the door, feeling relieved at no longer being around the slimy bastard.

Marcus was someone you met at college in your first year. He was a rich entitled sophomore, about to flunk out. You were good at hacking into things, and had managed to get your hands on a few exams Marcus desperately needed to pass. That was the beginning of your partnership with him. You helped him graduate and he paid you a lot of money in return. Thanks to him and his friends, you were able to get your degree with minimal student loans. Although the two of you despised each other, the threat of mutual destruction meant you trusted him to keep your search for a registered gun to himself and he trusted you not to spill his secrets.

You started driving back into the city, your mind focused on the road ahead when your phone pinged. You glanced down. An unknown number was calling you. If it was like the other anonymous calls you received, they would call you a fucking bitch as soon as you picked up and hang up on you. You had no doubt that it was Adam calling, considering the calls started after he was released, which only proved how unhinged he was. A smarter man would have been on his best behaviour when out on bail but he was so filled with rage he didn’t even bother to temper his actions. You had already reached out to the prosecutor and informed them of the calls, but you doubted it would lead to anything. Most likely Adam was using disposable phones, which meant there was no direct proof he was the one making the calls. You were scared, of course you were, which was why you’d reached out to Marcus even though you didn’t like the prick. It’s not like you could rely on Trevor, the bodyguard Roger had assigned to keep you safe. He was lazy and not very bright, and even if he was good at what he did Valiant wouldn’t be paying for your protection indefinitely. All of that meant you had to take this matter into your own hands. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it was the only way for you to feel safe again.

Your thoughts turned to Billy, something you actively tried to avoid, but there wasn’t anything else to distract your mind away from him. It had been a week since you blocked him, and as much as you hated to admit it, you missed him. He’d been a part of your life for almost a year and you really enjoyed his company before things got messy between you two. If you hadn’t developed feelings for him and then caught him on a date with Dinah Madani, you guys would probably still be sleeping together – but you did, and seeing him with someone like her made it crystal clear his lack of feelings for you. The truth hurt like hell, but you’d get over it. You were a realist after all. You knew he was out of your league and there was nothing you could do to make Billy want you.

The speaker on your car piped up with a message notification. It was a text from Davina, reminding you of the girls night out planned for tomorrow night. It was a mutual friend’s birthday and the plan was for all of you to go to a new club that recently opened. You were looking forward to it, mostly as it would keep your mind off Adam but also because you were hoping to go out and meet someone new. No doubt Billy had already found someone else to fill your spot on his weekly rotation but you weren’t built like him and needed time to process your lingering feelings. You still weren’t over him, but you were ready to move on.

Now you just needed to get back home and come up with a reason as to how you lost your bodyguard in case Roger asked. Somehow, though, you doubted Trevor would willingly tell Roger about you disappearing for a few hours so you weren’t too worried. No one knew about your connection with Marcus and you intended to keep it that way.

***

The next evening you, Davina, and a few others were at Pravda, a new club downtown, to celebrate your friend Kiran’s birthday. You were wearing a low-cut black jumpsuit paired with silver stilettos, while your lips were painted maroon. Choosing to keep focus on the lips, you had ensured the rest of your make-up was light and dewy which went well with your straightened hair. It had taken a lot of double-sided tape to make sure your breasts were in check in your outfit but it was worth the effort. You felt like a proper goddess tonight, surrounded by your beautiful friends at a private table in the VIP lounge.

An hour later you were buzzed, giggling and laughing as you and a few others headed back to the private booth from the dance floor. After dancing up a storm, you guys were all parched and desperate for a drink. Davina was holding your hand as she led you through the crowds but you knew something was wrong when she stopped unexpectedly. You thought you heard her swear but you couldn’t be sure due to the loud music.

“What’s-” The words died in your mouth when you realized what Davina was staring at. Billy fucking Russo, sitting at your table, chatting it up with Kiran who was sitting next to him. The moment you saw them, you felt red-hot anger flood over you. While Kiran was a good friend, she wasn’t someone you confided in. She had no idea you’d been sleeping with Billy so you didn’t blame her for flirting with him. But Billy, god you hated him! There was no way his showing up at the same club as you was a co-incidence, which meant he was purposely here to flirt with your friends. To hurt you.

“Want to leave?” Davina asked, looking at you with concern.

“No, it’s fine,” you replied in a clipped tone.

“Are you sure?”

“He’s here because he wants to piss me off.”

“I thought you said he was cool about the break-up.”

You shrugged your shoulders. “Thought he was.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

You didn’t answer, instead taking the lead to walk past her. You returned to your seat across from where he and Kiran were sitting. Davina came to sit beside you. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach as his molten eyes trailed down to your breasts, lingering on you. Dressed in a simple grey t-shirt, designer no doubt, and a pair of black trousers and open leather jacket, he looked absolutely beautiful with his perfectly styled hair and trimmed beard.

“Hey guys, this is Billy,” Kiran greeted, eyeing him appreciatively. “He ordered us more champagne. Isn’t that so nice of him?”

On the table in front of you was an expensive bottle, chilling in ice. You quirked your eyebrow. Apparently Billy was in the mood to splurge on your friends. “That’s nice of him,” you remarked noncommittally.

“Billy, this is Davina and Y/N,” Kiran said.

His eyes were locked with yours, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Oh, I know Y/N very well.”

Kiran turned to look at you. “You do?”

You shrugged your shoulders. “Through work.”

Billy leaned forward, his smoldering gaze holding you hostage. “Y/N and I are very good friends.”

“Acquaintances,” you corrected.

As if sensing the tension in the air, Kiran pulled away from Billy. Meanwhile, he picked up the bottle of champagne and started pouring the liquid in the empty glasses in front of him. “You’re giving Kiran the wrong idea about us, Y/N. She might think you don’t like me very much.”

“She’d be right,” you snarked, ignoring the glass of champagne he held out for you.

“I’ll take that,” Davina replied, snatching the glass from his hands.

Your friends were suddenly talking all at once but all you could focus on was Billy’s heated gaze on you. With every second that passed his eyes on you seemed to grow more wanton and lustful, and desire coursed through your blood at how he looked at you. You wanted him so badly you cold feel yourself getting wet, and you realized you needed to get out of there right away.

“I’m going to get a drink,” you whispered in Davina’s ear, making sure Billy didn’t hear you.

“Want me to come with you?”

“No. I’ll be fine.” You stood up quickly and made your way out of there, keenly aware of Billy’s eyes boring into your back.

Few minutes later you were sitting at one of the corner bar downstairs. This floor had a different ambience than the club upstairs, which you appreciated. The music wasn’t as loud and you found yourself enjoying the lounge vibe. It wasn’t long before someone crept up next to you at the bar and you turned to find a familiar face smiling back at you.

His name was Avi and you’d run into him a few times at the conferences you’d gone to. Broad-shouldered and husky, you’d always found him attractive in an adorable way.

“You just look…” he gave you a shy smile. “Wow.”

Seeing his reaction to you, you smiled. “Thank you.”

“I’ve always wanted to approach you but I didn’t want to come across as a creep, you know?” he explained. “You can also be very intimidating.”

That made you laugh. “I doubt that.”

As Avi and you continued to talk, you couldn’t help but enjoy how he was gawking at you. You didn’t fit society’s mould for what was considered beautiful, so all of your past flings were a result of the guys getting to know you and finding you hot because of your personality. It was rare when a guy you were attracted to was also into you right away but that seemed to be the case with Avi. You didn’t have to charm or work for him to find you hot. Instead, he was genuinely enamored with how you looked which was refreshing.

His phone rang with a text notification. Scanning through the message, he flashed you an apologetic glance. “Shit. I have to go.”

Disappointed, you pouted your lips. “That’s too bad.”

“Would you want to go out sometime?” he asked shyly.

“I’d like that.” You reached for your phone and scrolled through to the contacts app to add his name before handing the phone to him. “Add your number.”

After you said your goodbyes, you ordered your third gin and tonic and were enjoying your drink at the bar when someone grazed up against you. Seated on a high bar stool, you were expecting Davina to have come looking for you. Instead, you found Billy sidling up to you. He looked pissed off and angrier than you’d ever seen him.  

“Give me your phone,” he barked.

“Go to hell.”

Unexpectedly he gripped your stool and pulled you closer, throwing you off so you were forced to hold on to him for regain your balance. He perched his foot up on the bottom ledge of the stool, closing you in fully. “Unblock me now.”

‘Go fuck yourself.”

His dark eyes seemed to suddenly grow even darker, more monster than human. “Who was that guy you were talking to?”

“My future boyfriend.”

Billy’s lips curved into a sneer. “Not if he knows what’s good for him.”

“Why don’t you go back to flirting with my friend and leave me the fuck alone?”

“She was flirting. I wasn’t.”

“I don’t care. Go sleep with whoever you want, and I’ll do the same.”

Billy simply stared at you for a beat, his jaw clenched. “You’re not fucking anyone else.”

Sitting up straight, you leveled him with a hostile look. “I just met someone who was nice, sweet, and really fucking cute. And he wasn’t an asshole like you. Trust me, I will fuck him. I might even suck him off here tonight if he plays his cards right. And there isn’t a single thing you can do to stop that.”

He dipped his head towards you, leaning in closer so you were the only one who could hear him. His voice may have been flat, but his words were laced with cold fury when he spoke next. “If he touches you, he’s dead. I’ll start with his hands. I’ll break his fingers one by one for daring to touch you. Next I’ll cut off his dick, his balls, other parts of him slowly, carefully, so he feels every inch of the excruciating pain I’ll put him through. I’ll fill him with adrenaline so he doesn’t pass out from the pain. I’ll gouge out his eyes last because he needs to see that I’m the one who turned him into a mutilated lump of flesh. And then maybe, if I’m feeling nice, I might slit his throat to end his suffering.” His eyes never leaving yours, he reached for your drink at the bar and chugged it.

“You’re a fucking psychopath,” you said, your throat suddenly parched. Your heart was beating rapidly, your stomach coiled into knots. Fear should have flooded over you -  it didn’t. Instead, you were aroused.

“No one takes what’s mine.”

“I’m not your fucking possession. You don’t own me.” You closed your eyes, taking deep breaths as your emotions – and the walls – started to all swirl together. Like always, just when you thought he might have cared enough to admit he was jealous, he showed his true colours. Billy’s anger had nothing to do with his feelings for you. Rather, it was about his ego. Shit. You felt dizzy, the drinks had started to hit you. “Why don’t you go bother Dinah and her new man? Didn’t you say she was seeing someone else? Go pull your psychopath routine on them.”

He tucked his finger under your chin, lifting your face up to meet his gaze again. The emotions in his eyes played havoc with your senses as he pressed in closer, so close you could feel his warm breath on your skin.

“I don’t care who Dinah dates or fucks.”

The air was thick with tension.  It felt as if there was no one else in the bar but you and Billy, his one hand under your chin, the other pressed against the small of your back. You felt heady and light-headed with anticipation and desire, but you were also angry. Angry that you still wanted him, that he wouldn’t give you space to get over him. “Why can’t you leave me alone?”

His fingers gripped the side of your face, and you exhaled a sharp breath when he grazed your forehead with his. Temples touching, his eyes held you transfixed in place.  “Because you’re mine.” The possessiveness in his voice was unsettling, but it was the way he was staring at you – as if he could see right through to your core – that made your stomach flip-flop. “Mine.” His thumb swiped along your bottom lip, as if marking you as his. “And I’m yours.”

Billy was a player, an asshole, and there was comfort in that because it meant you knew where you stood with him, but now he was defying expectations, crossing the boundaries you’d carefully set for yourself, and you weren’t ready for that. None of that mattered, however, because you were suddenly feeling really, really sick.  “I have to go,” you mumbled. The room was spinning as you tried to jump off the chair but your knees almost gave way. Billy was there to catch you in his arms, holding you up.

“Woah, you okay?”

You pushed him off and ran.

Part 10

A/N - As always, thank you for the support, the feedback, the likes/reblogs, and the asks. I’m stoked to keep writing this because of you guys. Please let me know your thoughts on the chapter!

If you’d like to be added/removed from the tag list, drop me a note.

Tag List.

@yourfavoritefruitybitch @voyevoda-thejoy @adreamemporium @queenmalhinewahine  @gubleryum @galaxyjane  @xceafh @maralisa124 @tomhollandisabae @daybleedsintonightfa11 @lil-baby-nor @all-art-is-quite-useless  @tanyaherondale  @nashibirne  @dour-trash  @thetallassgirl @athenamikaelson  @agent-jbarnes  @primadonnasdream  @aleksanderwh0r3  @elisemockingbird @nihilismworld @archisur @nemesis729  @lysawayne @kaqua @ladyblablabla @lemasonda @advictedtohim @24-martie   @tarkanelima-blog @shinebrightlikeafanbase  @krystal-clear1 @damalseer @dontjinx-it @darkishx   @wanderlusting-about-life @thatguppienamedbae @happypepperdog @bat-revival  @sassygirl25  @consulting--heroes  @the-celestial-kitsune  @mackaywhore  @ablxssm @competitive-dust @red-head011 @exo-1204 @sunsetenigma @millieb-3199 @chatnain @licensedcheek @tinkertailor1212 @vertesalope @safetyhtom @acourtofglassandroses @eliwinchester-barnes @finnismyoriginalsin @weallhaveadestiny   @beananacake @beauty-and-the-beast97 @smurfelle  @fire-treasure-iii  @charly-0  @kestrafagnor  @pigwidgeonxo  @damagelove  @allegra-writes @pensandthings  @jad3djay  @batshitbarnes  @kashimayuki  @secretsthathauntus @odetostep  @awesome-eccia    @mackaywhore  @stories-you-wont-hear  @vvsdiamond28 @supernaturalcat7 @arieltwvdtohamflash   @iknownoqueenbutthequeeninme  @devs-stufff  @ticosas  @moodacheeks @myakai13  @carlywhomever  @fvckthisbxtchup  @its-evita-here @papapapadumb  @talesfrommycell  @bat-luna-cat    @fific7   @elluvians @dailydoseofchoices  @bigcreatorwombatdreamer  

gif-credit: @the-darkling

[leamy-world]

Reaction to The Devil Judge (spoilers for ep. 9 & 10)

It’s been a while since i’ve last been on tumblr, but i got invested in this drama every week & the fandom’s analyses to not talk about it sometime! (Last time i was hooked, it was with Beyond Evil and i watched it by the time the finale already aired so i didn’t suffer from the weekly wait!)

So here i am, this is mainly self-indulgent with essay-long interpretations of some scenes in a totally random order, but i’d love to interact with whoever reads this if they want to react!

I’m sorry for the potential awkward phrasings, english is not my first language!

- The recap was nicely done and tied everything together, it made me realize so many things happened since the beginning! The repetition didn’t make me skip it, the narration was dynamic & fun.

- The ‘power display’ & threat Yohan showed to Soohyun (by lashing out at Juk Chang and strangling him, as proxy for Soohyun, in front of her while staring at her) were something …! She answered in the same fashion, passing by him saying she will ‘arrest Juk Chang’. I wonder how their next encounters will unfold.

- Many people already pointed this out, but Soohyun’s decision to leave Elijah, a minor, alone in her car (with its doors open, daring to tell her to stay there when she has no other choice anyway) + stop the gang alone and unannounced off duty was irresponsible. Anyways, i wonder if she will interact again with Elijah because they were adorable, i would miss it!

- The conversation between Soohyun & Gaon at his apartment (ep. 10) was interesting on both parts: 

It sounded casual, but Soohyun wanted to see where he stood in the Kang family and make sure he wasn’t in Yohan’s plans (i hope she didn’t seriously mean the ‘weird’ comment about Elijah, it’d be sad since Elijah enjoyed her company!).

Gaon was anxious professor Min told her about their last conversation (i think she’ll talk to him in the next eps). He also indirectly defended the Kangs by associating himself with them (« I’m pretty sure i’m just as weird ») and voiced his concern about Yohan, speaking more to himself than following the conversation at hand. 

When Soohyun changed the subject with the ‘i’m jealous’ bit, maybe it was to brighten the mood with a light-hearted comment, hoping Gaon would follow. And by the look of her pause right after, it seemed she was also expecting GO’s ‘positive’ reaction to her jealousy, giving in to the kind of teasing/flirt they have in their friendship. But deep down, it was also to voice her true unease about Gaon’s involvement with Yohan she had since the beginning and ep. 8. 

It’s obvious to us she meant she was jealous of Yohan. And GO could’ve understood it this way too, since she confessed to him multiple times and her feelings must be known to him (i think he takes it as a ‘joke’ given how many times she confessed and each time when he was crying, so maybe he thought, very reasonably, it was to cheer him up? I also guess he’s too absorbed by his current worries about the Kangs and her potential suspicion, to notice her attempts). 

But instead of that, he’s not in the same line of thoughts at all and picks up on the « rich », musing on what makes one’s existence rich, thinking Soohyun was envying Yohan’s position and life and proving her he’s indeed in a whole different world, empathizing with Yohan. 

She then looked like her face fell, until her eyes lit up again when he was about to admit she was precious to him along with his family.

By the way, this scene picks up right where we were left off in ep. 8, when Gaon tends to his plants:

« - Are you back for good? - Not really. They need some looking after. - You should come back, not drop by. This is where you live. - Someone there needs some taking care of too. - Take care of your own self, please. - What about me? I’m living a shamelessly comfortable life. Soohyun. - Yes? - What are you thinking about? - Nothing. By the way, Gaon … » (i wonder what she was going to say!)

Lost in thoughts, Gaon’s mixed emotions when he said Yohan was not rich (« he’s not rich. If you get to know him, Kang Yohan is really poor. ») were very well depicted by Jinyoung’s acting: the soft voice and the ghost of a smile that convey understanding and endearment, leaning on his counter in a relaxed stance, but also at the same time the stare lost in the space, maybe to all the memories tied to the Kangs and Yohan, and the tension in his left lip corner by the end of his sentence which betray his sadness and empathy with Yohan’s life. After this, when he became aware of Soohyun’s gaze, it’s like his bubble popped. He looked surprised with his eyes widening, and was fidgeting a little, then changed the subject to himself.

And « I have you, Soohyun » sounded truly grateful but also sad and conflicted, GO lets his worries show when she’s gone, maybe wondering if they would be bound to be against each other one day as he continues to side with Yohan, menacing to jeopardize their friendship to the point of no return. In these kinds of stories you expect these kinds of twists, but i grew fond of the cast send help

- I loved how Yohan’s confession to GO about his brother was filmed: the camera faced head-on his pain, slipping unbeknownst to him through the façade he always showed to protect himself. But this time, despite his (late) attempts to dismiss these feelings both for him and Gaon to regain composure (the hand gestures to hide his tears, pretending to be tough with the  « there’s no such things as innocent people », drinking away his sorrow with a bitter laugh that rings hollow), all this façade fades out in front of Gaon literally by being blurred out in the shot, as if he clearly sees his pain through (his silhouette appearing clear-cut between Yohan’s gestures). I know it’s a pretty classic shot but it fit well with this scene. He clenches his jaw in the next shot, moved by Yohan opening up. 

- The dinner scene was really moving …! Especially when you put the colder tones the kitchen had when we first saw Yohan have dinner by himself next to this scene, full of light in contrast! I wonder when the OST playing will be released, it was so beautiful and reminded me of My Mister’s OST (especially Rainbow!). I look forward to the lyrics, because most of the time the OST gives more layers & depth to the story and the characters! (please don’t let it be about Yohan’s budding feeling of a true ‘home’ ;;) I didn’t realize it upon my first watch, but Gaon really took the cutlery hostage, it cracked me up!

- The parallels in this show will be the end of me: Yohan went from the « i’m so sick of this place » (ep. 5) to asking K to drive him « home » with a delighted smile. 

- I liked the parallel of Yohan’s reaction to GO/Sun-Ah sitting in his office chair, impeding on his space (he reminds SA to stay out of it, the first time politely, the second time almost grimacing, his jaw clenched: « Just because you’re the head of the OSC doesn’t mean you can barge in like this (…) So please stop barging in like this. », while he says nothing to GO)

- At the beginning of ep. 10, we have Yohan saying he doesn’t like «  hanging out with people » & by the end of it, Soohyun saying « My childhood’s best friend is hanging out with a rich guy ».

- These two episodes gave more insight and nuance into Sun-Ah’s character, which was very nice ; and also Cha Kyung-Hee’s comeback (and her last confrontation with Sun-Ah!!!!)

- The people following Juk Chang also targeted sexual minorities according to the subs i had, i wonder if it will be addressed again sometime in the drama. 

- I loved Elijah’s « hacking » technique scene, i felt proud too! I always look forward to her scenes (and Kkomi’s too haha)! And her reaching out Gaon’s shoulder for the first time ;;

- The ‘humans lose their minds when they think they’ve lost what they have’ ……… repeated twice by YH ………… It will hit hard and all those lines will come right back at us viewers, but i’m not prepared haha! And also for the ‘if you want revenge, don’t hesitate’, i hope it doesn’t foreshadow a future revenge Gaon will execute without hesitation aaaaaa

Also, what lawyer Ko said about himself in ep. 8 may apply to Yohan’s case by the end, will he atone for what he did someday? (« I’m no longer a lawyer. I’m just a criminal. When all this comes to an end, I’ll pay for what i did. »)

- I really loved Yohan’s efforts to take into consideration both Elijah’s (he refrained himself from acting rashly like the last time she went out and listened to her) and Gaon’s feelings (stopping him from endangering himself recklessly, not forcing him onto the revenge path lest he’d regret it afterwards, and helping him to face the truth rationally). 

- « She’s hungry for affection. No matter how much you hate the world and the people in it, you can never live alone. You always need someone to rely on. As long as you’re a human being. » Many people commented on it, Gaon must speak from his own experience and empathizes with both Elijah and Yohan’s situation. These two episodes showed how Gaon cares for the Kangs more openly, and i live for it! 

- Give me that domestic scene where Gaon plays cards with YH, the nanny and Elijah! And also more K and lawyer Ko scenes!

- Jinjoo’s and Gaon’s intervention in the trial were gold! And Satie’s Gnossiennes rearrangement playing in the background during Juk Chang’s speech, it’s the cherry on the cake haha

- By the way, there was also an arrangement of Rachmaninoff’s piano concerto no. 2 during the first charity event Yohan went with Jinjoo in the earlier episodes, it was also beautiful!

- GO’s Awkward Smile. I have no words, it is now forever imprinted on my mind.

Have a nice week and take care!

[i-found-you-justine-time]

Varian’s Tangled Trials

A “Varian and the Seven Kingdoms” fan fiction.

Chapter 17. Need To Know. 9805 Words.

Varian learns more about his connections to the Dark Kingdom while Yong tries to keep Hugo from snooping.

Previous Chapters: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12 13. 14. 15. 16.

As promised, their journey through the mountains lasted nearly four weeks. They followed the river as it wound past rocky slopes and sharp cliffs, through pine-filled valleys and deep, shadowy chasms. Though water still flowed underneath they found the top of the river frozen over and this made it possible to pass through places that would otherwise have been dead ends. Some places involved crossing the ice, which they did carefully. The first time they tried, the thin ice started to crack under Prometheus’s hooves. Hugo, thinking fast, splashed down some of his freezing potion, strengthening the ice and allowing them to continue safely. 

When their path diverged into two or more directions Nuru used the stars to help guide the way, and when their path was blocked, Yong used his newfound confidence in his charges to clear the way. 

All the while, Varian worked tirelessly to decode the next section of the second journal, muttering under his breath and jotting notes into his own personal journal.

Once through the mountains, they entered a dense, dark wood. They squeezed through the trees, Nuru guiding Prometheus, encouraging him with any vegetables they had remaining in their reserves. Hugo and Yong cleared the way ahead. Varian sat on the front seat of the wagon with Prometheus’s reins in his lap, supposedly to help steer the wagon, but as the journals laid on top of them it was clear driving was the furthest thing from Varian’s mind.

“You really sure this is the right way?” asked Hugo over his shoulder as he used his machete to hack away at a branch.

“The Dark Kingdom is still due north like it was an hour ago,” said Nuru. “And yes, we’re still heading north.”

“And no one out here’s ever heard of roads?” asked Hugo.

“Or signs?” added Yong.

“The Kingdom cut itself off from the world for years,” said Varian, nose still buried in his notes. “Any roads have probably been destroyed or overgrown.”

“True,” admitted Nuru. “Until now, I always thought The Dark Kingdom had been destroyed.”

“It’s what they wanted everyone to think,” said Varian. “But with the Moonstone gone, there’s no reason to hide.”

“The Moonstone?” asked Hugo with surprise. “You mean that old children’s story?”

“Oh, trust me,” said Varian with a shudder. “It was very, very real.”

“Maybe they haven’t gotten around to building new roads?” pondered Nuru.

“Maybe they’re just not that into tourists,” said Hugo. He turned back around just in time to see the charge Yong had set up on a tree. He jumped back as the blast went off.

“Oops, sorry,” said Yong.

“Hey, at least you’re helping,” said Hugo, dusting soot off himself, before looking side-eyed at the one currently sitting on the wagon.

Varian felt Hugo’s stare and looked up. He balked, realizing who Hugo was talking about. “I’m helping. I am the only one who can decode my mom’s writing and make sure we’re ready for our next trial.”

“It’s been weeks, Goggles,” said Hugo. “How are you not done?”

���Well… it’s odd. It seems that halfway through her notes in the Dark Kingdom, my mom decided to change all her encryptions. I’ve had to go right back to square one, figuring out what everything means.”

“Hm, very convenient, Goggles. You sure you’re not just writing in your secret little diary to get out of work?”

Varian sputtered with offense, cheeks coloring slightly. “My wh-, I-, that’s ridiculous. This journal is strictly for the pursuit of science. And I’m not getting out of work. You’ll be thanking me when what I learn here ends up saving our lives.”

Hugo laughed. “Can’t wait, Goggles.”

As Hugo teased Varian, they broke through the line of trees and reached a clearing. Yong started checking the opposite treeline for the most likely path when a low growl sounded from the bushes, loud enough to grab everyone’s attention.

“What was that?” asked Nuru.

Yong looked up to see a pair of red eyes staring back at him from the foliage and stumbled back. 

They all stood at the ready, and a moment later, a hulking creature with dark fur, sharp teeth and claws, and a spiked tail stalked into the clearing.

“A sneeze weasel?” gasped Varian.

“A what, now?” asked Hugo incredulously as they all backed away from the snarling creature.

Prometheus started to panic, braying with fright, even as Nuru tried to calm him. Ruddiger climbed up to perch on Varian’s head, hissing at the approaching beast. 

The ground beneath them suddenly shook. Something moved under the wagon, jostling it and Varian climbed up to the top to try to get away from whatever it was. Seconds later, another sneeze weasel burst from the ground, knocking the wagon over, and sending Varian and Ruddiger flying.

Hugo darted to the rescue, catching Varian in his arms. Varian, thinking quickly, reached up and caught Ruddiger by the tail. Ruddiger landed safely on Varian’s chest. They stayed like that for a beat longer than necessary before Varian awkwardly extracted himself, Hugo only then remembering to put him down. 

“Uh, thanks,” said Varian. 

“Whatever, Goggles,” said Hugo, pulling a brightly colored vial from his pocket. “Just focus on the sneezles.” 

“Sneeze weasels,” corrected Varian, also pulling a vial out. 

“Exactly. What I said,” said Hugo.

They both ducked as the second sneeze weasel leaped at them, only narrowly escaping its giant paws. They chucked their vials at it, stunning it with bursts of chemical acids and noxious gasses. The weasel inhaled some through its nose and let out a monstrous sneeze, knocking them to the ground. 

Across the clearing, Nuru and Yong were fending off the first weasel. Yong tossed rocket after rocket, battering and confusing the creature. It shook itself to gain back its wits and let out an angry roar. It charged blindly straight for Nuru, who looked around and noticed the handle of a hammer sticking out of Prometheus’s saddlebag. She waited until the weasel was upon her and swung the hammer underhanded up into its chin. The weasel was surprised by the impact but recovered quickly, roaring in Nuru’s face. Nuru ducked and rolled away before it could clobber her with its tail. She stood next to Yong and looked down to see that the hammer she’d used was now snapped in half.

“Okay, so normal weapons are out,” she said. “Yong?”

“Yeah, got it,” he said, tossing another rocket.

It went off as Hugo and Varian raced away from the other weasel. Varian hid behind a tree and tugged Hugo into safely just as the beast charged into it, nearly knocking the whole tree over in the process.

“Hey, Hairstripe,” said Hugo. “That pink goo stuff you use. Didn’t you once say it was meant for pests?”

“Well, yeah,” said Varian. “For raccoons actually, see they’d been-”

“Yeah, I remember the story. Think it’s strong enough to work on him?” 

They both ducked as the weasel’s tail smashed straight through the trunk.

“Worth a shot?” said Varian.

“Get ready,” said Hugo, with a nod. “I’ll slow it down first.” He jumped out from the treeline and led the weasel in the other direction. “Hey! Come and get me, ugly!”

As the weasel charged Hugo flipped out of the way and tossed a bright blue vial behind him. The contents exploded against it and it visibly slowed.

“Ha!” cried Hugo triumphantly, before tossing a second of the same color. This time, crystals started forming on the weasel's legs, making its movements strange and clunky. It stopped, its limbs splayed out as if it had forgotten how to use them. The crystals grew higher and the weasel snarled in fear. 

Hugo smiled over at Varian, but his smile dropped when he saw the other alchemist. His hand was up and ready to throw his vial of bright magenta liquid but it was like he’d become as frozen as well, his eyes unfocused and jaw clenched.

“Goggles!” yelled Hugo.

Varian shook his head. “Uh, oh yeah.” He tossed the vial. It smashed into the already slowed weasel and Varian’s trademarked goo easily pinned it to the ground.

Hugo put a hand on Varian’s shoulder but when Varian looked back he was smiling as if nothing strange had happened at all. “That’s, uh, one down. One to-”

A loud rustling came from the bushes. Hugo and Varian jumped in surprise and turned, ready for another attack. 

As fast as lighting, a white-haired woman, dressed in layers of grey armor, her face half-painted crimson, was flying towards them, long sword raised and ready to strike.

Hugo and Varian screamed and flinched back, but the woman sailed straight over them and landed behind the sneeze weasel still attacking Nuru and Yong. She swung as it turned to face her, snarling and clawing the ground. She stayed perfectly calm, sidestepping and parrying each swipe it made at her.

“Wha-,” said Varian, as the four of them watched in amazement. “Adira?”

[unmaskedagain]

Daddy’s Little Villain

So this prompt I think I got months ago. I meant to work on it for quite some time but I never got around to it. I got inspired yesterday so I decided to take a shot. I went completely off memory for this. Its been a while since I watched Young Justice or any of the DC animated shows; apart from the new Harley Quinn one. So sorry about what I got wrong.

A clown with a killer punchline.

A lantern of terror.

The king of Metropolis.

The master of shadows.

A destroyer of worlds.

Different faces, powers, histories but all categorized under one name.

Supervillain.

           Ruthless, intelligent, powerful, charismatic, tempting; villains reflect just how easily and quickly this planet, if not the universe could fall under their might. However, none of them started out evil. None of them were born evil. No one is born to be evil.

           Marinette, however, came very, very close.

           Her biological father was one of the first that came to mind when anyone thought of a Supervillian. He personally had killed thousands, and arranged the deaths of tens of thousands more. He conquered kingdoms, destroyed dynasties, annihilated empires, controlled governments, and used presidents, kings, any old politician as puppets on strings.

           And he was a good dad.

           He made sure Marinette had the best of everything. The best tutors, the best trainers, the best bodyguards (though Marinette had only ever seen them out of the corner of her eye; hiding in the shadows).

He was even okay with Tom Dupain being a father figure to his daughter. Tom had married Sabine when Marinette was four. However, the acceptance of this came after several failed assassination attempts after the first time Marinette called Tom Papa. Sabine hadn’t been happy that to have protect her new husband from assassins sent by her jealous baby daddy.

Marinette spend most of her days pretending to be a normal girl. The rest of the time she was being trained by near unstoppable assassins in every manner of fighting style her body could handle, learning how to speak various different languages ranging from Spanish to whatever the hell Atlantians’ spoke, hacking and computer skills from former spies, and being taught strategy from some of the greatest military minds that could be bought. (And this was one top of her duties as Ladybug because her dad was still a bit of an asshole.)

He just wanted what was best for her. And he made sure Marinette knew she was loved. He sent her presents every week, letters every day, and she woke to fresh roses in her room every morning.

           The presents ranged from diamond tiaras to ancient samurai swords; anything she so much as mildly expressed an interest in was always found at the foot of her bed the next day. The letters were always thoughtful and kind; always wanting to know about her day, and how she was doing. They would appear in her desk sometime during the day. Marinette would leave a reply via email because she was a sane person of the year 2020. She’d wake to red roses every morning to remind her she was special to him. Sometimes she handed them out at school. Other times she gave them away to any pedestrian who looked like they needed a pick me up.

           He was a good dad, even if he was never actually around. They talked on the phone and over video chat as much as they could.

           He was busy. She understood that.

           Trying to take over the world wasn’t easy. It certainly wasn’t the average 9 to 5 job. The Light needed him.

           She forgave him for that; just like she forgave him for all the things he did to… ensure the future he envisioned became a reality. They were distasteful, immoral, and most of the time she didn’t have the stomach to listen to 1/12 of all the things he did or orchestrated.

           Marinette was always fine with staying out of it. Unlike most Supervillian kids, she never had any interest in taking her place in the family business. Or doing the opposite and doing everything she could to take their villainous family down. No, she had better things to do.

           And her father was just fine with that. He could forgive Marinette for wanting a normal life. He just wanted her happy, safe, and well cared for. He kept the Light and Cadmus out of Paris as best as he could.

           He could even forgive his little girl when she adorned a mask and became the Hero Ladybug. Though it did prevent him from recruiting Hawkmoth into the fold; he wouldn’t have been more than cannon fodder but still. As long as Ladybug kept out battle between good and evil that encased the rest of the world, the city of Paris, France could be hers. Hell, he would even give it to his baby girl as a birthday present should her desire for it arise. It would be good preparation should he need someone trustworthy and loyal to rule the rest of Europe.

           Still he was quick to stop any admiration for the heroes of Justice League. Or at least make sure his daughter didn’t put them on a pedestal like the rest of the world did.

“But they’re the good guys,” She remembered her seven-year-old self protesting. At the time Marinette hadn’t really understood that her father was considered one of the ‘Bad Guys.’ “The heroes.”

“I believe the Justice League’s actions leaves humanity weak,” He told her. “However, even if I didn’t find fault in them, they are only people. They make mistakes. There is good and evil in them; few realize just how easily one side could win over the other.”

           Marinette frowned, “You mean go bad. They won’t go bad. They fight for justice and what’s right.”

“What’s right is subjective,” He warned her. “And justice is in the eye of the beholder.”

“But-but they’re superheroes!”

“You know what’s more dangerous that a villain?” He asked her. “Someone who refuses to acknowledge that anyone can become one.”

           He would say more on the subject later until he was sure Marinette understood.

           He loved his daughter with all of his heart. And Marinette returned the favor.

           So when rumors spread, not long after Hawkmoth’s permanent defeat, that the Light’s founder had fallen; was dead, killed in action, murdered by superheroes, Marinette’s heart broke. She always knew the risks of her father’s job, the dangers this world had in it; it was survival of the fittest after all, that was what he taught her.

           Nevertheless, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt; that it didn’t burn. And for the first time, the darkest part of her, the part of her that was all her father’s daughter, wanted to make the world feel her pain. However, Marinette was better than that. She wouldn’t blame the world for her sorrows.  She refuse to set fire to everyone and everything just because she wanted to vengeance.

           No, she was smarter than that. Her father, had he still lived, would expect better from her.

           Marinette blamed the Justice League; wonder woman, superman, the Green Lantern. She blamed. Artemis. She blamed Aqualad. She blamed Miss Martian. She blamed Superboy. She blamed Kid flash. She blamed all of Young Justice who set up the plan to bring down the light. (Apart from Batman and Robin who been in Gotham because Robin had all but on his death bed after a fight with DeathStroke.). And they would burn for taking her father from her.

           …The only problem was that Marinette wasn’t a killer. She didn’t want to be one unless she had no other choice. So she had to think of another way to get her revenge.

           The plan had started out very simple. Slowly the hero Ladybug would start being seen outside Paris; fighting random villains’ here and there; captain cold one day, the cheetah next. Never seen in the same place twice. Rumors spread that she was looking for someone; her partner, Chat Noir. It helped that Chat Noir had been seen in months.

           It was just a rumor, of course. Chat Noir had been officially retired. All kwami were taken back. Marinette wasn’t using Tikki to power herself up. No, she refused to use them like Hawkmoth had done. Instead, they were put away and were very well cared for; like well pampered, spoiled pets.

           Marinette used her money to buy a replica of her Ladybug suit; better armored though. She used her private plane to travel around wherever she needed to go. The more villains she fought, the more the rumor of the heartbroken Ladybug hunting down the Light to find her partner grew.

           The only downside was that Ladybug was rapidly gaining enemies left and right. It wasn’t long before The Light sent people after her. Ladybug was quick to send their minions back to them all but in a body bag.

           She had been approached multiple times be members of the Justice League; even teamed up with them multiple times to save the day. They never even feel the near microscopic camera she puts in them. It degrades three hours after but it’s plenty of time for Marinette to get the information she needs.

           It took two months for Marinette to learn the identities of nearly every member of the Justice League. She’s quick to destroy any secret identity evidence for anyone who didn’t wrong her. The batfamily was spared. The Green Arrow and his family was spared. (One day soon Oliver Queen would thank his lucky stars that Speedy went solo instead of joining Young Justice. And that Cheshire, who had a thing for the redhead, was an old friend of Marinette’s, whether the older girl remember the bluenette or not.)

           The family of Steal would burn though. As would fastest family alive. The king of ocean and his sidekicks. The “human” identities of the worlds’ favorite Martians. Woman Wonder and her sidekick. The Green Lanterns.

           The Justice League never saw her coming. All they saw was a pretty fourteen-year-old girl with tears in her big blue eyes as she swore it was her duty to right this wrong. She would fight the light on her own. A young hero, they thought, who did realize just how over her head she really was. Pity was always clear in their eyes. Every time Marinette refused their offer of help, said she could handle it herself.

           Marinette was just biding her time. She still needed the identities of Young Justice. When she got that, she would strike. Hard.

           It only took three months, and Cadmus capturing little Miss Martian.

           By the time, Young Justice arrived Ladybug had already been on the scene. Marinette had already freed an injured Miss Martian and they were trying to fight their way out. The bluenette was beaten, battered, and bleeding.  The two girls did their best to fight the bad guys that seemed to come in a never ending storm. It wasn’t long before they were surrounded.

“Go,” She whispered to the green girl. Marinette had always placed the cameras. She didn’t need to alien any longer. “You can fly. Go. I’ll hold them off, okay.”

“I won’t leave you,” Miss Martian shook her adamantly.

           Marinette frown, “You have to. You know what Cadmus. You know what these monster will do to you. You have go before it’s too late.”

“I will not!”

“Don’t be a hero!” Ladybug snapped.

“Why?!” A new voice called. Robin landed in front of them. The rest of the Young Justice was “It’s our job.”

           The fight was epic. And Marinette could admit that the members of Young Justice were skilled. But they had to be to take down her father, so it wasn’t surprising. Still, she managed to put a camera on each and every one of them.

           When it was over, and it was clear more of Cadmus’ henchman were arriving, Young Justice made moves to flee…

           Until they realized Ladybug had no intention of coming with them.

“He’s not in there,” Miss Martian told her gently.

“You don’t know that,” Ladybug murmured.

“I do,” Again the pity was clear in redhead’s eyes.

           Ladybug shook her head. “You don’t understand. I can’t give up. I won’t!”

           Robin put a hand on her shoulder, “Chat Noir isn’t in there.”

“Getting yourself killed will not help him,” Aqualad stated.

           Ladybug nodded, gave them a small smile, and then made a break for the Cadmus lab. Then Marinette felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, and everything went black.

           She woke up in the infirmary of what she guess was the Young Justice headquarters. With a huff, she got up and marched out of the room. It didn’t take her long to find the teen heroes lounging in their living room. “You guys are jerks!” She yelled at them.

           Kid Flash snorted, “We saved you from yourself.”

“Oh you self-righteous little-” Marinette groaned. “I can’t believe you! I can take care of myself” She crossed her arms and stomped her foot.

“Oh yeah because that proves it,” Artemis laughed.

“I’m a hero too, you know?”

           Robin nodded. “Everyone knows about Ladybug. But you’re like thirteen.”

“Fourteen! And a half!” Marinette corrected. “Which is basically fifteen.”

           The older heroes just looked at her, and then burst out laughing.

           Marinette forced herself to think of her most embarrassing memory so that her face would heat up and it would look like she turned red from embarrassment. As if she care what they thought.

           The bluenette grabbed a slice of pizza and asked politely for someone to send her back to Paris. She needed to regroup, she claimed.

           They tried to convince her to stay. Or let Young Justice or the Justice League help her but she refused. Marinette was back in Paris ten minutes later.

           She had the identities of every member of Young Justice an hour after that.

           It was time.

           Ladybug “tracking” down the Light had been an experience. Technically, she knew enough to figure out various locations they used. However, she also knew enough to know that Ladybug just showing up there would get her killed. It was a move of an amateur hero. And Marinette was done thinking like a hero.

           So she put down her mask, ditched her Ladybug gear, and got on a plane. Marinette arrived in Metropolis on a windy Tuesday morning.

           It took her until Friday to hack into Lex Luther’s secretary’s calendar to figure where the King of the Metropolis was scheduled to be and another week to decipher the Light’s next meeting. Hacking into pentagon was easier.

           Marinette waited watched from the shadows of the remote island she found herself on. She watched as villain after villain arrived. Until Lex Luther, surrounded by bodyguards and personal assistants, arrived in his private jet.

“Mr. Luther!” Marinette called as she stepped out of the shadows where she was hiding.

           Guns were immediately pulled on her. The secretary, Mercy, hand suddenly became weaponized. The surprise on their faces were clear. Particularly when they saw the small teen girl standing there.

           Marinette smiled.

“And you are?” Lex asked, only mildly intrigued. He wondered just who the child was that managed to be sneak up his men and possible the rest of the Light.

“My name is Marinette,” She answered. “But you and the Light know me as Ladybug. I mean you no harm.”

           Lex narrowed his eyes at her. He could see the resemblance. Ladybug and Marinette had the same stature, the same eye color, and looked to be the same age. Still, it could be a trick.

“Two months ago, I broke into one of your building.” Marinette said. “The break in was the news but LexCorp assured that nothing was taken. That wasn’t true. I took the Cuban cigars out of the safe behind the Rembrandt painting. Please. I merely wish to speak with the Light. Somewhere… not even gods among us can hear.”

           Well, that assured the villain that it wasn’t a trick.  However, for the first time in his life, Lex Luther found himself confused. On one day, Ladybug had been a slowly become a thorn in the Light’s side. On the other hand, the hero had just revealed her identity and now just wanted to talk. About what, Lex yearned to know.

           Lex nodded, “Mercy will check you for weapons. Then you will be escorted inside safely. Whether you leave alive will be up for debate.”

           Marinette sighed in relief and raised her hands. Mercy, who the bluenette tried to figure out whether she was a robot or a cyborg, was very thorough. She even scanned Marinette’s phone for any traces of explosives.

           When it was done Marinette found herself escorted inside, and then found herself a cliché Supervillian lair staring down the greatest supervillains in the world. Ra's al Ghul, Black Manta, Queen Bee, Klarion, Deathstroke, Ocean Master, and their operatives Hugo Strange, Bane, Sports Master, and Cheshire all sat at a large round table. There was four pieces of glass hanging from the ceiling in front of them; monitors, Marinette figured.

And it was clear from the anger on the faces that the bad guys had been informed of exactly who Marinette was.

           It was daunting, to say the least.

“You have our attention, Miss Marinette,” Lex said. “Do not waste it.”

           Marinette nodded, “I have information on the Justice League I thought the Light would be very interested in.”

“Why would a hero do such a thing?”  Ra's al Ghul asked. “Hoping to make a deal? Your information for the return of Chat Noir, perhaps?”

           The leader of the League of Shadows didn’t know why the rumor persevered that the Light kidnapped the Parisian hero. He had confirmed himself that it was highly inaccurate.  

           The bluenette giggled, “Chat Noir no longer exists. He was retired at the same time as Hawkmoth. The Light has never had him. Neither did Cadmus. It was just heavily implied.”

“Yet that didn’t stop you from destroying our labs,” Lex glared. “Ruining missions, capturing my associates. Months of research. Millions of dollars. Gone to hell.”

“You were a tool,” Marinette shrugged. “I used to you get to close to the Justice League. It was never personal.”

           Lex felt eye twitch. He should have Mercy shoot her on principle.

“You’re more annoying than Robin,” Deathstroke shook his head at the moxy of the girl.

“It was just business?” She offered. “I needed a way to make them pay.”

“Just… just business,” Lex pinched his nose. He was going to kill her. “What could you possible offer the Light that would stop us from destroying you and everyone you love?”

           Marinette smirked. She pulled out her phone and hacked into the monitors. Once she was done, and played a video. The villains watched on the screens with old mild interest on their faces. Slowly the interest faded as shock and astonished looks overtook it.

           Lex’s felt his entire body shake. The video had shown undeniable proof that Superman was secretly Clark Kent. It was what he dreams were made of. He could barely stop himself from snatching the phone out of Marinette’s hand and playing it the video over and over again.

           Lex forced himself to calm down. He looked at the bluenette hard. A part of him wanted offer to pay as much money as the girl could want for the video. Another part of him realized if Marinette had been a little older he would’ve proposed.

“Superman’s civilian name is Clark Kent.” Marinette smiled, “I have video proof of nearly every member of the Justice League’s secret identities; along with their sidekicks.”

           The statement was met with silence. Each villain contemplating the ramifications of what such information could mean; not just for them, but for the world.”

“I think that’s worth a little forgiveness,” Marinette slyly added. “What’s few million dollars in damages compared to bringing down the Justice League once and for all.”

           Klarion chuckled, “I suppose some things can be overlooked.”

“Why?” Black Manta asked. “That is what we should be asking. Why betray the heroes?”

“Justice,” Marinette shrugged. “Revenge. I blame them for the death of my father.”

“That’s a good a reason as any,” Cheshire said. Her mask still hid her face.

           Sportsmaster gave his daughter a side look, “You never tried to take down any heroes any of the times you thought I died,” He complained.

“Sorry,” Cheshire shrugged. “I was too busy eating ice cream and getting drunk off my ass; it’s how I usually celebrate.”

“Why come to us?” Ra's al Ghul asked still intrigued.

“Why wouldn’t she?” A new voice rang through the room. Marinette stumbled back in shock. She knew that voice. But that wasn’t possible. Right? “The Light is in her blood.”

           Door opened and in walked bane of nearly every hero in the world, the Founder of the light, Vandal Savage. “You’ve done well, daughter.”

           Her father looked exactly the same as she remember. He was tall, with broad shoulder and square jaw; three pale scars across his face. His hair was longer though, much longer, and was pulled back

           Marinette rushed over to him and threw herself into his arms. He hugged her tightly.

“I thought you were dead,” Marinette whispered. Tears stung her eyes. “Everyone said you were dead.”

           Vandal smiled gently at her, “And you decided to bring down the world’s heroes in my name. I’m truly touched,” He said. “I wasn’t dead but I was close. I got better.”

           The bluenette backed away from her father; realization slowly hit her.

“It’s been months,” Marinette ran a hand through her hair. “You have any idea what I’ve gone through, what I did! You suck! Ugh, I’m telling Mom!”

Sabine Cheng would show Vandal Savage a thing or two once she found out. She was the one who had to dry her daughter’s tears day after day once the news of Savage’s death broke. The Asian woman was possibly only one infamous Vandal Savage was afraid of.

           The others villains watched, entranced by the argument between father and daughter.

“You gallivanted around as hero,” Vandal reminded. “To get close the Justice League; leaving me to wonder if in my absence I had lost my daughter to the so-called forces of good. It turned out all my worrying was for naught.”

“You could’ve called!” Marinette complained. “Wrote. Something to tell me you were alive. Anything.”

“At the time it was best decision.”

           Marinette glared, “You seriously for even one second I’d team up with the Justice League? Really? Me?” She glared. “I’m NEVER talking to you again!”

“I’ll make it up to you, sweetheart,” Vandal assured the bluenette. “We can kill Superman together.”

“Actually,” Lex interrupted. “I have dips.”

           Vandal shot him a quick glare.

The teen girl crossed her arms, “Give me one reason I shouldn’t destroy everything I have on the Justice League?” She asked. “And before any of you threatened to kill me. I only brought the Superman video as insurance. I die; you will never get your hands of the rest of them. So again,” She hissed at her father. “Give me one reason I should hand over my Intel to the Light?”

“…Father’s day’s coming up?” Vandal offered.

“Dammit!”

           Marinette stumped over to an empty seat, next to Cheshire, and glared petulantly at the inhabitants of the room. She didn’t care that it made her look like a little kid.

           An awkward silence filled the room.

           Luther took the opportunity to finally start the meeting as it was the reason they were all there. It was long. It dragged on. Even with Marinette’s intelligence on the Justice League. Everything felt like a stuffy board meeting. Nowhere near as exciting as Marinette once imagined it would be.

           The meeting took a short break. Food was brought out. A small buffet. Marinette made herself a plate; she grabbed a fancy steak sandwich, some fruit and chips, and a rather large chocolate cupcake because she freaking deserved it. She thought she was done until her plate was grabbed by her father. He didn’t hesitate to put baked Brussel sprouts provided on her plate.

“Oh come on! No one likes Brussel sprouts,” Marinette complained. “Not even you’re that evil.”

“They’re good for you,” Vandal told his daughter. “And you will eat them.”

“You’re seeing this too, right?” Deathstroke, otherwise known as Slade, asked Bane. “It’s not just me.”

As they ate, the villains shared stories about what they’d been up to. Most just complained about the problems they were having with the Justice League; who fought who, who should they consider for Light membership, and anyone getting on their nerves.

“Some assholes decided to send the wannabe Villain current status moron after me,” Marinette cast a dark look around the room; making it clear she knew they sent the assassin. She didn’t get as much as a single sheepish look. “He kept trying to light me of fire. And then he was accidently pushed off the top of a building, twice.”

Ra's al Ghul nodded at the young girl, “I would like to mention that I have an heir not much younger than you. You would get along quite well, I believe.”

           Marinette narrowed her eyes at Leader of the League of shadows, “Are you seriously trying to get me to date your grandson right now?”

           Al Ghul didn’t answer her.

Marinette took the opportunity to excuse herself from having to come back, “I’m going to explore the island.” And then see if she could escape before her dad caught her.

“I always blew up your boat,” Vandal raised an eyebrow. “I’ll be taking you home myself.”

“You suck!”

“Love you too, sweetpea.”

           Marinette marched out of the room. She’d swim if she had too.

           It turned out she didn’t have to swim. Just hotwire Deathstroke’s ride.

           She got a video call fifteen minutes after taking off.

“Go for Marinette?” She answered cheerfully.

           Vandal Savage’s face appear on the screen, “You stole Slade’s helicopter.”

“Juuussst like you taught me.” Marinette smirked.

[meg-noel-art]

Summary so far of my She-Ra Lonnie: Lonnie x Adora AU

Because I can't stop thinking about it.

1.) The set up remains mostly the same. Lonnie, Adora, Kyle, Rogelio and Catra are in the same Horde squad. Lonnie and Adora are at the top of their squad--AND THEY'RE GIRLFRIENDS W O W! Adora gets promoted to Force Captain by Shadow Weaver, she remains Shadow Weaver's 'favorite'. Lonnie suggests they go on a joyride to celebrate, before her Force Captain duties tie her down. They skiff out to the Whispering Woods, but Lonnie is the one knocked off. She finds the Sword and sees the visions. Adora quickly finds her and they head back to the Fright Zone.

2.) Catra, the snitch and cadet no one likes because she's sour and mean, sees them return after hours and decides to keep an eye on them. Lonnie continues to have visions of the Sword and tries to sneak out to find it again. Adora catches her, but Lonnie doesn't want her to get caught and lose her promotion, so she stays behind.

Queue the events of the first episode!! Lonnie runs into Bow and Glimmer, they all get lost together, Lonnie transforms into She-Ra, they get to Thaymor, wow parties! WOW HORSES!

3.) Thaymor is attacked by the Horde. When Lonnie didn't return, Adora organized a force to come find her assuming she'd run into trouble in the woods. They find her and begin decimating the village. Changed by her new friends and new She-Ra form, she tells Adora what the Horde has been doing, that they have to go and offers for Adora to come with her.

Confused, but not ignorant to the destruction around her, Adora reaches for Lonnie's hand, hesitant but trusting her. That's when the rest of the Horde forces swarm in and jar them apart. Lonnie must fight them off as She-Ra and the retreating forces take Adora with them.

4.) Without a home now, and afraid for what might happen to Adora, Lonnie is consoled by Bow and Glimmer who give her a home in Bright Moon and help her learn how to become She-Ra. They begin working together to reconstruct the Princess Alliance, but from there the story changes. Adora is tasked to find Lonnie and bring her back to the Fright Zone. She is partnered with Force Captain Scorpia, and while Adora doesn't reveal that she was about to mutiny, she does bond with Scorpia. Trusting her with most other things.

5.) In Salineas, they track the BFS down and while her friends fight off the incoming Horde ship, Adora manages to corner Lonnie at the Sea Gate. Initially thinking Adora is trying to attack, Lonnie is surprised when Adora breaks down. As it turns out, she's been afraid for her life since returning to the Fright Zone. SW and Hordak are piling on responsibilities. She WANTED to go with Lonnie. She doesn't want to hurt people anymore. But it's too late, she's trapped. Before Lonnie can offer a solution, Adora and Scorpia’s ship is blown up and Adora retreats.

The BFS celebrates a Horde defeat AND a new member of the Alliance in Mermista. But Lonnie mourns the loss of her gf.

5.) Adora begins reconnaissance in the Fright Zone. Realizing she may be trapped for good, the only way she can think to help Lonnie is from the inside. So she begins to act as a double agent. Spying on Hordak and SW, sending secret code to Bow (who at first doesn't know who is hacking his commpad) to alert them of Horde attacks.

6.) Thanks to Adora’s intelligence, the Rebellion is able to gain significant ground against the Horde. This allows tensions to fall a bit and Lonnie bonds more with Bow and Glimmer. Glimmer in particular, Lonnie takes a shine to. The Princess is fierce and determined and brash--A good sparring partner and REALLY pretty. Lonnie sort of starts to crush on the Princess. She is torn, but considering the circumstsnces and the more time that passes between seeing Adora at Salineas, the more Lonnie thinks maybe she shouldn’t feel guilty about moving on.

7.) Queue Princess Prom. On the Horde side, Adora manipulates Scorpia into taking her as her plus one, knowing that Lonnie will be there and it will be an opportune time to tell her that she’s been the spy on the inside. Unfortunately, for Adora, Catra has been suspicious of her activity for a while and is planning on using the event to either catch her red handed, or cause mayhem and kidnap one or more of the Princesses for leverage so that SHE can gain some clout with Shadow Weaver.

Bow and Perfuma still go together leaving Glimmer to go with Lonnie, who experiences a significant amount of gay panic. While Glimmer mourns the potential loss of her only friend, Lonnie tries to comfort her--knowing the guilt of abandoning a loved one all too well. And that’s when said loved one appears. Adora and Scorpia are at the door. Glimmer immediately approaches Frosta to inform her that these are Horde Soldiers. But while Lonnie is a bit concerned about Scorpia, she knows she needs to get Adora alone.

Sending Glimmer to watch Scorpia, Lonnie follows Adora through the crowd into a hidden away hall. There they are not only able to reunite a bit passionately (👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩) but Adora reveals that she’s been the one sending information to Bow’s commpad. Once again, Lonnie asks Adora to come with her and leave the Horde, but this time Adora refuses; she assures Lonnie she can be more help from the inside. Lonnie tries to convince her that the danger of being caught outweighs whatever information she can sneak them, but Adora remains firm and stubborn.

Unfortunately, as both of them were distracted with one another, Catra and her secret group of Rogelio, Kyle and Scorpia attack. They escape with Bow and Glimmer and Adora is quickly forced to join them to maintain the charade. She spars with Lonnie and takes the sword, but reassures her she’ll watch out for her friends before escaping on Scorpia’s ship with the rest.

Defeated, and confused, Lonnie can only watch as everyone disappears.

8.) “No Princess Left Behind” rolls out much the same way on the Rebellion side. As for inside the Horde. Bow is imprisoned, and Glimmer is sent to the Black Garnet Chamber. Catra is given the credit for the capture but Adora insists on guarding the prisoner both to maintain her guise of loyalty to the Horde, and in order to fulfill her promise to watch out for Lonnie’s friends until she can rescue them.

Shadow Weaver agrees only after discussing the situation with Catra unbeknownst to Adora, this is the ultimate test. Shadow Weaver is suspicious of her loyalty and plans to take Adora out once and for all if she sees weakness. Adora ends up speaking with Glimmer, who is at first absolutely feral, attempting to escape her bonds and attack Adora. When she can’t and she weakens, Adora dares to ask her how Lonnie is doing in the Rebellion. Confused by the clear concern in the Horde Soldier’s voice, Glimmer answers truthfully and this is how she learns that not only was Adora previously Lonnie’s teammate and partner, but has been helping them all along. While Glimmer is trapped for days, Adora does what she can to sneak her food and water and they continue to talk. By the time the Princess Alliance comes to rescue Bow and Glimmer, the Princess knows they can’t leave Adora behind...

9.) Lonnie and the others run into trouble trying to free Glimmer. Alarms are blaring, Catra is leading an assault against the invaders. Shadow Weaver corners Adora, knowing she is now a traitor. She straps Adora down and begins to wipe her mind. She is still a valuable asset and as long as she forgets her loyalty to Lonnie, they can in fact USE her as a weapon against She-Ra. Glimmer, enraged, and desperate to help her new ‘friend’, breaks free of her bonds and decks Shadow Weaver. She frees Adora who is almost as shocked as Glimmer is at the rescue. They flee together, but not before Adora retrieves the sword.

10.) The two run into Lonnie and the others and Adora gives her the sword, allowing her to transform into She-Ra and clear the way out of the Fright Zone.

 In terms of plot, I’m a bit shaky from here on out at this point. Entrapta probably still gets left behind accidentally and Catra still leads the Battle of Bright Moon, Glimmer still must deal with glitches. The main difference is that Adora escapes with them and is unable to work as a spy. She is more than grateful to have joined her girlfriend on the right side of the war, but also lowkey crushed on Glimmer and surprise this is a Glimmadoralonnie ot3 AU, boom gotcha.

Anyway! :))) More later! 

[silvysartfulness]

Omg I saw that you used to write for the assassin’s creed fandom and honestly what a throwback 😭 are they on livejournal?

Aahhh, this is the part where I have to admit, I don't think I ever put any of those drabbles online! It was more a fun thing me and wife used to do, writing very very short 5 minute one-shots based on single word-prompts.

Oh, wait! Apparently I actually still have them, in an old folder of mine! Will post under a cut. These are AC 1-3-brotherhood, primarily focused on the latter.

La Volpe/Cesare post the fall of the Borgia was my main rarepair ship in that fandom, so that's the main (if occasionally only implied) focus for a lot of these. (CW some dubcon/non-con under the cut, so be warned.) 😊

1 Unwillingness

It goes against everything he is, a greater challenge than any battlefield taken on. Snarling, eyes blazing his defiance, Cesare submits for now.

2 Memento

”Something to remember me by,” murmurs Volpe softly against the sensitive skin of his neck, and it's all Cesare can do not to yelp as those vicious teeth leave a bleeding gash in his ear.

3 Baseline

He still doesn't trust Machiavelli, Volpe muses, and it's equally clear Machiavelli doesn't trust him. Perhaps their shared love of secrecy is the one dependent thing about their relationship.

4 Sniper

He has shot guards from rooftops, towers, horseback, beams and the treacherous crumbling tops of ancient stone pillars. So why was it, muses Ezio afterward, that he hadn't even thought of pulling crossbow or gun out as his sworn enemies held their short council in the courtyard a few measly yards below his feet?

5 Birthplace

It is in Masyaf the order of Assassins was born into what it is now. Searching for answers Ezio sets out on the longest journey of his life, back to the beginning of all.

6 Denunciation

It is hard to remember what it was like to have faith, Cesare thinks, but easy to remember when it was lost. What God could ever work through the instrument that was Alexander VI, his father?

7 Distaste

”Volpe, you didn't!” Ezio exclaims, his face a mask of distaste. Volpe smirks.

”Oh, it was not at all bad. Cesare is well trained.”

Ezio shudders. ”That is exactly what bothers me!”

8 Elimination

Constantly, frustratingly one step behind, it is little Cesare can do as his allies are meticulously taken out by the Assassins one by one. And yet it is not until the last of those on his side willingly turn their backs on him that he realizes this battle is lost.

9 Bluntness

”You can do as I say,” says the master thief matter-of-factly, turning the vial of antidote over in his spindly fingers, ”or you can spend the night dying slowly while vomiting your innards all over the floor. The choice is yours.”

Pale with fury Cesare chooses to live.

10 Turf

The Assassins had been myth, legend, bed-time stories to frighten a young boy already afraid of the dark. But as they dealt an all but deadly blow to his father inside the Vatican itself, Cesare grimly declares war. Roma is his city, and all who oppose his rule must be swiftly and mercilessly dealt with.

11 Assassination

He burns for the ideals, fights the fight with passion and utter devotion. But when Shaun's shaking hands lower the suddenly impossibly heavy gun he knows something he'dnever even thought about (Innocence? Compassion? Humanity?) has perished as surely as that very first body at his feet.

12 Apprentice

He remembers a gangly youth skidding across slippery roof tiles, trying so hard to keep up and even harder to hide his inability to do so. La Volpe silently studies Il Mentore and considers he's no longer sure who would lead the way across the rooftops.

13 Debris

Ezio swears as the ceiling collapses over the bed he shared with Caterina until moments ago – his armor and weapons are buried in the rubble and will be hard to replace. He does not yet know they will be the least of his losses this day.

14 Scolding

Altaïr has never been one to accept blame or criticism for his actions, but something about the way Malik's not-there left arm twitches as to shake a not-there fist in his face as the man speaks makes him look away in hidden shame.

15 Torrent

The rain pours down over the city, making roofs and cobblestones alike wet and slippery. Volpe tugs his collar tighter around his shoulders against the biting cold and idly contemplates if a trip to the Castello would be worth the trouble.

16 Anchor

He cheats and steals and tells honeyed lies with the ease of a snake. But his eyes can be oceans and his touch velvet – sometimes Ezio wonders if his always restless, inspiration-ridden friend keeps Salai around just to remember what it's like to be human.

17 Truce

”It would be nice,” says Machiavelli evenly, ”if you would not so readily name yourself judge, jury and executioner the next time you fall victim to unfounded suspicion.”

”Fine,” mutters Volpe, frowning. ”It would be niceif you were not so secretive. And stop trying to steal my spies. Get your own.”

”Fine,” Machiavelli replies with a minute smirk.

Fellowship is knowing just when your brother-in-arms is lying.

18 Nook

There are many unknown and unseen hiding places among the rooftops of Florence. On his back, hair plastered against his face and hot breath against his ear, Giovanni concludes it's very handy that La Volpe always knows to find one when you need it.

19 Orgy

These parties are more to his father's tastes than his his, Cesare firmly tells himself, perhaps letting his eyes linger thoughtfully on the multitude of courtesans a moment longer than intended. Then a familiar slender hand grazes his thigh and he is reminded that the only person even close to matching his own schemes, cunning and skill is the woman on the throne next to his.

20 Scoff

”I spend all my time in the Animus,” Desmond frowns, ”Lucy's keeping an eye on Abstergo and Rebecca... hacks and stuff. What do youdo, really? Anyone could use, what, Google and Wikipedia?”

Shaun grins or at least bares his teeth.

”You mean Templar Central One and Two? No, it's called obtaining knowledge, Desmond - sifted like little gold nuggets of fact from the vast sands of ignorance you're so fond of burying your head in. Google can't help you there, I'm afraid.”

21 Scolding

At the time, Ezio always figured Giovanni's constant nagging and pleading with him to stay out of trouble was only the worrying of an overprotective father. Only later was he taught discretion was part of the ancient Assassin's creed. He never got very good at it, even so.

22 Bonfire

No-one is entirely sure why Julius II has tempered justice with mercy for now and opted for his enemy's imprisonment rather than death sentence. As far as la Volpe is concerned, the way Cesare goes pale whenever the topic is brought up is at least good for entertainment.

23 Nakedness

Being exposed holds no particular shame for him, but the walls and floor are freezing to the touch, draining precious warmth from his aching body. Now would be a prudent time for an accursed thief to show up with a blanket to bargain for.

24 Arbiter

It was funny, Machiavelli drily noted in his notebook, how God and Divine Justice so often were on the side of the biggest army with the sharpest swords.

25 Purgatory

The land burns, smoke choking the sky and tinting the sun a sickly shade of blood. It is with a cold and unfamiliar sense of foreboding Cesare hurries through the flames toward the towering walls of the fortress to escape this hell on earth – one way or another.

26 Fingernail

Ezio has more than his fair share of scars adorning his hardened body, some remembered more fondly than others. He would never dream to ask Caterina to trim her nails, or use them just a touch more carefully.

27 Slavery

The Creed dictates freedom of thought, and in his reckless youth Altaïr would use it as justification for any rash impulse. But the older he grows, the more he comes to realize freedom and all its crushing responsibility can be the harshest master of all.

28 Carnivore

When confronted on his nasty habit of biting, Volpe only grins and quips something about foxes and their nature. Cesare is tempted to snap he's often seen dirty foxes prowling the back streets for garbage, but can see where Volpe would go with that, and so holds his tongue.

29 Bluntness

Ezio is too flustered after his mother's blunt request he find other outlets than vaginas to realize the enthusiastic young artist at his side seems more than eager to offer a few suggestions on the particular subject.

30 Vow

He will live, Cesare vows. He will live, he will regain his freedom, his power and his army. At any cost. And then they will. All. Pay.

31 Blending

It was simply not fair, thought Machiavelli, that no matter how solid your acting, no matter how meticulousyour disguise, Volpe would immediately spot you in a crowd and grin at you. Clearly spying on the sly old fox called for more cunning means, he conceded as he made his way to the Rosa to shamelessly bribe Claudia for information.

32 Misconduct

“Not that we are in any particular hurry to the Castello,” Orsini says, the knuckles of his war-gauntlet quite pleasantly buried in Cesare's face, “but things would just be easier all around if you would stop squirming and came quietly.”

33 Ultimatum

“If you don't stop hogging my mp3-player,” Rebecca whispers softly in Shaun's ear, “I'll tell Lucy exactly whatyou and Desmond used her yoghurts for last night.”

34 Takeover

“Stop!” Lucrezia commands as the soldiers feed the paintings to the fire – already the image of a swan is crackling and fading to black amongst the flames. Such a waste of beauty. She hasn't even realized Cesare is standing behind her, fierce and bloodied after the battle, until he speaks.

“You like them?”

She nods, and he touches her cheek with a smile, careful not to stain her hair.

“Then they are yours. A memento of the day the Assassini fell.”

35 Afterlife

“I blame you for this,” says Cesare flatly as the imps re-heat the lake of boiling tar. Again. “There is no God, you said. No heaven and no hell, you said. Stupid old bastard.”

Rodrigo mutters something about Hell being other people, but will have to concede that in this trifling matter, yes, he was mistaken.

36 Distaste

He would rather be hated than forgotten, Cesare sullenly thinks, rubbing his stiff hands for warmth. Bony, filthy, with the matted long hair of a hermit falling into his face, he has to settle for the guards' contempt. At least it's better than pity.

37 Slavery

He isn't really paid, Leonardo thinks, merely kept alive, yes. Not really compensated as such. And so the construction of the intricate war-machines is really on the consciences of his masters, not his. Sting of guilt quenched he returns to the blueprints with renewed fevered enthusiasm.

38 Probation

“What's the catch”, asks Cesare with deepest suspicion.

“No catch,” Volpe assures, looking innocent. “Just a reward for your recent good behaviour. Keep it up and there may a meal and a hot bath in it for you, too.”

Cesare does not for a moment believe they are just going out 'to stretch their legs', but a meal does sound inviting. He follows.

39 Adversity

Ezio strongly disapproved of the idea of his little sister taking over the Rosa in Fiore, and he frankly can't say whether he is more disappointed or proud when it flourishes under her care.

40 Bluntness

“You are a thief,” Machiavelli growls, piqued into a rare display of anger. “A liar and a cheat and an honourless thief!”

Volpe grins.

“All those things. And I'm still better than you.”

41 Scheming

Ezio gave the Apple to Mario, who had it stolen by Cesare, who gave it to Leonardo, who found it plucked out of his helpless hands by the Pope and his daughter. He ponders life was easier when he was just a painter. The Apple is a thing of awe, but the intrigues in its wake make his head hurt.

42 Favorite

It wasn't that Cesare particularly hated his older brother. It was just that while he no longer childishly sought his father's approval, the position as the Pope's favorite son came with several practical perks. Unfortunately for Juan, that meant he simply had to go.

43 Truce

When things are civilized, they can be bearable, almost even pleasant. The food is good, the wine plentiful, and Volpe's skilled fingers all but gentle. An unspoken truce, no matter how temporary. But neither man ever forgets the truth, which is war.

44 Scour

They answer to no-one, self-proclaimed executioners beyond all law. Too much blood on their hands now. Just before sunrise Cesare gives the command to attack. The cleansing of Monteriggioni has begun.

45 Extrovert

To hold his own council and play his cards close to his heart has always been his way, and he knowshe is a master at his game. And yet, Machiavelli can grudgingly admit to himself, it isn't until the boisterous chaos in human guise that is Ezio bursts in on the Roman scene that he begins to see how they will win this war.

46 Protagonist

“I will avenge the cowardly, treacherous plot against my father,” he thinks. “I will root out all those involved, every single one, and I will kill them and all they stand for.”

No-one ever sets out to be a hero, only to do what is right.

For Cesare, the path ahead is clear.

47 Willpower

It is never easy. Every time Altaïr visits his (his!) bureau in Jerusalem, Malik has to struggle with himself not to slay the man in his sleep. On many a moonlit night, only a lifetime of discipline stays the blade in his white-knuckled hand.

But strangely, it does get easier over time.

48 Esacalation

At first it had been mere proof of his ability to go anywhere in Roma as well he pleased, the taunting and impotent rage in response a given bonus. After some time, forced still-furious intimacy gained through blackmail had appeared a logical step. Then force turned out redundant. As Cesare clings to him, nails biting into his arms and teeth bared with need, Volpe admits to himself he would never have suspected the caged Borgia would so willingly use him to sate his desires – nor the other way around.

49 Torrent

Raw grief fades over time, a broken heart healed into a dull ache. The thing that keeps Claudia from sleeping at night is not all she has lost, but her screaming frustration at not being able to take her fate, and that of those responsible, into her own hands.

50 Danger

The peaceful life he had envisioned just the evening before will have to wait, Ezio grimly decides, pressing a hand to his wounded shoulder and focusing on not falling off his horse. And despite the shock, grief and pain, it somehow feels right. He has lived this life so long, he isn't sure he remembers how not to.

51 Splattering

Leonardo likes to buy birds at the market and set them free, watching with dreaming eyes as they take to the endless sky. Once, Ezio surprises his friend with twenty white doves. Much belatedly he wishes he'd remembered that stressed pigeons prefer to lighten their load before taking off.

52 Ramification

“It is time you take responsibility for your actions,” Rodrigo snarls, and Cesare struggles with the impulse to scream, childishly, “But father, younever did!”

53 Concession

“I'm not sure we should...”

Lover and Thief, silhouettes in the dark, alone. A light touch.

“Come now. It will be good, I promise.”

“But, what if...”

“Ssh. Are we not both Assassins? Everything is permitted.”

His honed thief's nerves tingling with foreboding warnings, La Volpe allows Claudia to persuade him in the end, knowing Ezio will probably kill him, and that it will no doubt be worth it.

54 Leer

You can't even seehis face in the shadows beneath the cowl. And yet, Volpe just standing there outside the bars, nonchalantly leaning one hand against the wall, makes Cesare want to scream. Or punch him hard. Preferably both.

55 Whisper

Ezio reflects that there are few other voices he would instantly recognize by just a short, urgent uttering of his name. His hesitation to turn around stems not from uncertainty, but the childish wish to postpone the trial of his oldest friend's rumored treason just a few moments longer.

56 Absurdity

At first Ezio had felt confused, then worried and finally terrified. But as they've fled Florence and the man introducing himself as uncle Mario tells him that his family belongs to an ancient clan of legendary assassins, relief washes over him. Finally is clear it has all been an insane dream. He can't wait to wake up.

57 Experimentation

Leonardo da Vinci is a true genius, his brilliant mind always seeing the world through a lens of wonder. Nothing escapes his never-sated curiosity – but that a small poseable wooden mannequin could be used like that? Cesare is a man not easily impressed, but will have to admit the artist rarely fails to amaze.

58 Farewell

It is with uncharacteristic kindness Volpe kisses him, between shared gasps for air after their final tryst. A last goodbye before the approaching dawn will see Cesare on his way to exile in Spain.

”Growing sentimental, old fox?” the younger man scoffs at him. ”No need. I shall return soon enough, and repaint the walls of Roma with Assassin blood.”

Volpe just smiles. He has already helped Ezio prepare his own journey and knows with certainty that Cesare will never again return to Rome.

59 Turf

”Maybe Giovanni could get away with doing paperwork all day over in Florence,” Mario says, and his tone clearly states what he thinks about his brother's choice. ”But arround here we train Assassins, not accountants or delivery boys.”

Ezio's body has never ached as much in his life as it does after his first day of training with his uncle.

60 Smoothness

When she smiles her deep red lips are like tantalizing rose petals, framed by sun-ray golden hair. She is smooth, flawless, perfect. But every rose has its thorns, and Lucrezia's are laden with poison.

61 Kneeling

Every fiber of Ezio's body strains desperately to regain control as he jerks like a puppet on golden strings of light.

”You are lucky,” breathes Rodrigo in a low, husky growls, leaning hard on the staff after the battle, ”So verylucky, little Assassin, that I am in a hurry.”

As the dagger sinks into his guts, Ezio briefly thinks that indeed, it could have been so much worse.

62 Purgatory

The imps don't know whether to feel amused or put out that the screaming, flailing argument between father and son has by now escalated to the point they don't even seem to register the lake of boiling tar anymore. A bit of respect for good solid workmanship, is that too much to ask?

63 Lick

It has to be said in favour of Machiavelli's assassin reflexes that the unexpected lick at his ear out of the dark earns Volpe neither a jump or a shriek but a rapid fist to the nose.

Only half an hour later, safely home in his bedroom, does Niccolo allow himself to contemplate what might have otherwise transpired.

64 Bonfire

It is a sad thing, reflects Ezio in hindsight, older, wiser, that compared to all the priceless art and knowledge fed to fire during Savonarola's mad reign of Florence, the mere loss of a human life that ended it is remembered with little sense of loss or revulsion.

65 Last

After Mario's death, Ezio has felt the weight of being the last Auditore Assassin ever heavier on his shoulders. But as he watches Claudia fearlessly take her leap of faith, he wonders how he could ever have been blind enough to think himself alone.

66 Well

The guards in hot pursuit yell and stab at wells, haystacks and dark alleyways. From his perch on a rooftop Ezio smiles. He always did prefer to take to the sky.

67 Wrongdoer

As his support falters and the opposition grows ever bolder, Cesare becomes increasingly frustrated with their attacks and accusations. He would prefer to answer only for his own sins, not those of his dead father.

68 Deliberate

It really is getting unnerving, decides Machiavelli, the way Volpe has taken up the habit of commenting on his every observation with a frosty ”Indeed” or ”Yes, quitethe coincidence”. He wishes he could believe the man isn't doing it on purpose.

69 Counter

When he first arrives in Jerusalem, Altaïr can't quite shake the feeling that the only thing between him and certain death is a rather narrow, map-strewn desk.

70 Bribe

Cesare has always been good at striking a profitable bargain. Unfortunately Borgia as a currency is bitterly deflated, and these days he often have to sell himself too cheap for comfort. Even though it isa warm, snug blanket.

71 Chess

Cesare knows he is a brilliant strategist – not so much because of the expected praise from his subordinates as from the satisfactory number of pins currently adorning his map of Italy. He would like to believe himself modest in this, careful not allow hubris to cheat him of a victory. And yet he never knows whether to frown or laugh helplessly as the absent-minded artist all but appologetically check-mates his king time and time and time again.

72 Feel

Leonardo never knows how to feel when Cesare enters the room. At first he is apprehensive, but as weeks turn into months and he realizes he's not only allowed but encouraged to dream up grander designs than ever before he is thrilled.

In the end, seeing the Assassins' plans put into motion long before Cesare even knows the final battle has begun, he can only avert his eyes in regret.

73 Mister

”Outside the kingdom of God is the realm of men,” Salai says, leaning just an inch too close. ”You worship there, Messere?”

Only years of training his clueless look on Leonardo helps Ezio keep a straight face as he blankly waves for the boy to follow him.

74 Fine

There are simply too many guards around for a discreet kill, so Ezio grudlingly counts the florins and hands them over. How was heto know he wasn't allowed to park his horse there? Time to liberate another stable from its Borgia-tower shadow, he decides. Burning them all down is easier than keeping track of territories anyway.

75 Dog

If La Volpe is the fox and Ezio the bird of prey, Pantasilea ponders, then Bartolomeo reminds her of a large, lumbering dog. Faithful and loyal unto death, but with a booming bark and a vicious bite for those who threaten those dear to him.

76 Forgotten

When Volpe appears he is the first person Cesare has seen in days. He greets the thief with his usual brazen curses, careful not to let any trace of relief shine through. Of all things he is most afraid to be left alone to die; not slain out of hatred or need, but simply ignored and forgotten.

77 Changed

Had Ezio been the kind of man to think upon such things, he might have noticed the Cesare facing him atop the towering walls is not the self-assured young general he met a handful years previous in Roma. Tired-looking and hunched over he looks defeated even before the battle has begun. But Ezio is here for one single purpose alone, and has never been the kind of man to think of such things anyway.

78 Gondola

Antonio assures Leonardo that only from an extensive tour with his private gondola will the artist truly get to know his new home town. As it happens, a rocky two-hour boat ride later, Leonardo still hasn't really seen much of the city. But that's quite alright, as he happily agrees to repeat the endeavour soon again.

79 Casino

It never hurts to try to win Fortuna's favour when gambling is one of your favorite pastimes, Salai knows, but in this particular case divine intervention is quite a bit closer at hand. As long as you have La Volpe's favor, the dice at the Sleeping Fox will never let you down.

80 Soup

The first bowl of watery gruel ends up thrown in the guard's face with enough force to break his nose. The next morning the second splinters against the wall. Nearly a week passes before he forces himself to eat the fifth, to preserve his strength.

Cesare closes his eyes as he quickly raises the bowl to his face to wolf down the hundredth, before the reflection in the dull surface can show him what he has become.

81 Carrot

”Tell you what,” murmurs Volpe in the starving prisoner's ear, dangling the vegetable in front of his face, ”If you give me a good enough show I'll even let you keep it for supper when you're done.”

82 Madame

Volpe has to admit himself impressed – Claudia is shrewd, ruthless and horrifyingly practical, and stillmanages to be praised a good businesswoman rather than cursed a thief.

83 Kilt

Yes, Ezio decides as he flexes his body inside the unfamiliar weight of Romulus' armour, there is definitely a draft around his nether regions. Whatever the old Romans may have thought, a skirt of leather belts does notconstitute proper clothing.

After some swearing and creative arranging of his spare cloak he considers it may well look even moreof a skirt, but at least this cut preserves his manly dignity when he jumps.

84 Theft

He has stolen valuables, information, people and lives. La Volpe draws in a deep breath as he surveys Roma in the first light of morning, then exhales in satisfaction. She is the greatest city in the world, and she is all his for the taking.

[racetrackhigg]

Hunger Games AU

kinda

thank you so much to @bitchiaintanonymous for helping me with this!!! she wrote all the descriptions of the districts and she helped me figuring out stuff for the characters!

also i wasn’t supposed to make morris’ moodboard, but i didn’t realize until too late- so whoops

please don’t let it flop ive been working on this literally all day akdhsksbw

!!! TW: DEATH (kinda graphic? i mean i say how they died but that’s it), ABUSE, CHILD ABANDONMENT, MENTIONS OF STARVATION !!!

please don’t continue reading if any of those things trigger you

District 1: luxury

They produce jewelry and the people take pride in living there because of it. Most of the people from there are named after expensive material like “Cashmere” and “Glimmer” and as you know, they train and volunteer for the games so they have a higher chance of winning.

Oscar Delancey

Morris Delancey (died)

Morris lived with his uncle and his brother

He had a fairly privileged life, living in the richer side of the district.

However, his uncle was an abusive drunk and he usually took the hits from him to stop his brother from getting hurt

He trained for the games his entire life and eagerly volunteered to be a part of them when he was 17, hoping that if he won it would mean him and his brother could get away from their uncle and have a better life

Sadly, he died during the games by being stabbed in the back by the one and only Jack Kelly

He made 2nd place

District 2: Masonry and Defense.

These people work on weapons for peacekeepers and even have a training center for the peacekeepers, and they also volunteer for the games. It’s illegal for them, but because they’re so buddy buddy with the Capitol, they’re let off. They usually have Ancient Roman and Greek names.

Romeo (victor)

Romeo grew up having a somewhat decent life

Hs mother died when he was young, so he lived with his father and younger sister (who’s only 5 when he goes to the games) (he’s 15)

He trained for the games since he was young, and at first. he wanted to volunteer

However, as the reaping came near, he was starting to regret his decision, especially after overhearing some of his friends talk about the true horrors of the games

His dad threatened to kill him himself if he didn’t volunteer, claiming he would rather have no son at all than one who was a coward

So Romeo was forced to volunteer

Jojo (his mentor) becomes like an older brother or even father figure to him

Jojo de la Guerra (former victor, died)

Jojo lived in the poorer side of the district

He used to work a lot in weaponry to provide for his family Jojo was 17 when he participated in the games, and won

He was 22 when he mentored Romeo

And 23 when he died

He “trained” for the games for years, but unlike Romeo, he never volunteered

By “training” i mean that he was just a sparring partner for people who wanted to volunteer for the games

Because of this, he just picked up different fighting techniques over time

Unlike most people in that district, he hated the games and was not eager at all to be a part of them

He was assigned as Romeo’s mentor

At first, Jojo thought he was just another cocky kid who was overconfident he’d win

But then he actually met him. and realised Romeo didn’t want this

He made it his goal to make sure Romeo would get out of the games alive. After all, he was just a kid.

He was killed by peacekeepers after trying to protect Romeo. Pulitzer wanted to prostitute Jojo, and he refused, so as a warning they went to kill Romeo, but Jojo managed to stop them the cost of his own life

District 3: Technology.

They produce technology and electronics for the Capitol and usually use their knowledge of that in the games. They’re really smart and in the 10th Hunger Games, it’s said that a district 3 tribute hack into a drone that delivered supplies to use for themselves (doesn’t work that great cause they get killed though) but they’re still really smart.

Antonio “Racetrack” Higgins (victor)

Race never met his mother, She died a few days after he was born

So he was raised by his father

When he turned 6, his father started drinking

When he turned 7, he started hiring him

He met a girl named Sarah after trying to steal from her, and instead of reporting him to a peacekeeper, they actually became friends over time (even though Race was 2 years younger than her)

He often went to hide at the Jacobs’ house when things got too bad at home

Just a year after David volunteered, on the next reaping, Sarah’s name was called

So Race volunteered. (he was 16)

The jacobs’ had already done so much for him, and Sarah didn’t deserve to go through that, chances were she wouldn’t come back alive.

Race knew he probably wouldn’t either, but he had nothing to lose. He wouldn’t be leaving any family behind, because the man that called himself his father was not his family.

David was his mentor.

Much like David had before him, Race used parts of traps to make his weapons better, though he mainly used a bow and arrow.

For most of the game, he made a truce with a guy named Albert from district 4, and they became /very/ close.

He was killed by a guy from district 6, Finch, who was also the last person remaining apart from him.

Race killed him by shooting an arrow directly in his heart. It’s the only kill he doesn’t regret so much.

David Jacobs (victor)

David lived with his parents, twin sister and younger brother.

He was especially close to his sister.

His father got sick and died a few years later, when he was 15, so he had to work extra hard to help support his family

When he turned 17, his worst nightmare came true and his younger brother, Les was selected for the games

He volunteered to save his brother, and was determined to make it back alive, wanting his family to have a better life.

He trained a lot in physical combat, since he knew that without at least a somewhat proper training, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

Once in the games, he spent most of his time trying to avoid other people, not wanting to kill anyone else and not wanting to risk his own life.

However, he ended up having to kill a boy from district 10, Mike, to save his own life using a makeshift explosive he made out of parts from a trap he disarmed (or however it’s said).

He wins by tricking the last person left, Itey, into eating poison berries.

He never forgave himself for the lives he took, and it’s something that would always haunt him.

Just a year after that, he became Race’s mentor.

District 4: fishing.

First off, people say that this district had the most “decent-looking” people. As you may have guessed, these people specialize in “aquaculture” It sounds useless, but a character named “Mags” actually won her games because she was the only one able to swim the longest when the arena was flooded. They also use tridents and things like that and volunteer as “Careers” too.

Albert Dasilva (died)

Albert came from the more poor side of the district

He lives with his father, who fell ill a few weeks before Albert was selected for the games.

He’s only 16

He never really trained for the games, unlike many people. He didn’t have the time or money for that.

One of his friends, Sniper, promised to take care of his father while he was gone.

Albert knew he probably wouldn’t be coming back.

Early in the games, he befriended Race, and they survive throughout almost the entire games together.

He knew one of them was going to have to die, but Albert decided to ignore that. He was going to find a way around it.

However, while Race went out hunting, the only other tribute left strangled him to death and stole all their supplies.

He never made it back home to his father.

Sniper (victor)

Sniper was an orphan

Her family abandoned her when she was 5, and she lived in the streets for a short while until a kind man took her in

It was Albert’s father

When she got older, she started working to make her own living

Albert became her best friend, despite being 4 years apart. He became almost like an older brother to her.

Her best friend, almost brother, got sent away for the games and never returned.

Sniper moved back in with Mr. Dasilva to take care of him as he fell ill, and his son was no longer there to take care of him.

He got better, eventually, and was horrified and heartbroken at the news of his son’s death.

A year after his best friend was sent away to die, she got chosen for the games.

She vowed to make it back alive, no matter what.

She learned everything there was to know about the plants of the arena. She was already good at combat.

She won by poisoning the last other tribute.

Much like David, Sniper was never able to forgive herself for the lives she took.

District 5: power.

They specialize in providing power for the Capitol with electricity (they power homes and stuff so not technology like in district 3). They’re pretty smart and they use the coal district 12 mines to generate the power.

Specs

Itey (died)

Itey lived with their parents

They were an only child

Their life was pretty good- at least their family life

They were pretty poor, but still better off than a few other people, so they were grateful for what they had.

They were chosen for the games when they were 15

Their parents prayed Itey would make it back alive, but they knew it was unlikely, since he had no training whatsoever

They were right

Itey almost won, but they were starving, and didn’t know that the berries were poisonous

They came 2nd

District 6: transportation

The tributes shown from here are actually pretty nice and cool. During the 75th Hunger Games the tributes were nicknamed “morphlings” because of their addiction to the drug. The male tribute didn’t do much, but the female tribute sacrificed herself for Peeta and jumped in front of an animal that was trying to kill him.

Finch Cortez (died)

Finch lived with his younger brother

His parents died when he was relatively young (12 years old- his brother was 9) but they managed to scrape by

He started working pretty young to make sure his brother could have a roof over his head and not starve.

He was 17 when he was selected for the games, his brother was only 14

He was terrified, but determined to come back home to his only family

He made it to 2nd place

He was killed by an arrow straight through his heart.

Tbh if Race would’ve known Finch had a family to go home to, he would’ve eaten poisonous berries and let him win

Skittery

District 7: lumber.

They specialize in forestry and wood and paper and all that. They are strong-willed and hard headed, and don’t have many qualms about killing people. but more or less are loyal depending on the situation.

Sean “Spot” Conlon (victor)

Spot was an orphan

Well, kind of

He lived with his parents up until he was 10, when he ran away

They were both abusive and manipulative, and he knew if they kept this up, he’d end up dead

After he ran away, he made friends with a guy his age named Hotshot.

Hotshot had the perfect family. Loving parents and a younger sister.

Honestly, Spot was jealous

But they became quick friends, and Hotshot’s parents let him move in

Hotshot nicknamed him Spot because of the cigarette burns across his arms and back

He was 17 when he was selected for the games

Surprisingly enough, he didn’t think he’d come back

Because as strong and as much of a skilled fighter as he was, there were people out there that had been training for this their whole lives.

However, he managed to win. Had a pretty big kill count too- not because he wanted to, but because a surprising amount of people went after him. He had many good supplies and they wanted them.

The last person left apart from him was Buttons.

He won by bashing his head against a rock and then pushing him off a cliff for good measure.

In his defence, Buttons had tried to push him off a cliff first. Spot just took his chance.

Hotshot

District 8: textiles

Clothing. They fight for what’s right, and we’re actually among the first to rebel against the Capitol and follow Katniss, which, sadly, also made them the second most targeted district (the first being district 12 which was outright destroyed) A leader from district 8 actually became president after Katniss killed this woman named “Alma Coin” (the president of district 13)

Buttons (died)

Buttons lived with her younger brother, Elmer, and their parents

She was only 14 when she was selected for the games

She knew she wasn’t making it back

However, she let her hopes up w hen she was one of the only two left, and was a bit more careless with her actions

This is what led to her the death

Elmer

District 9: grain.

They specialize in grain, and salts. It’s the least mentioned of the districts, there is no known character mentioned from here, and all that is known is that both tributes died in the initial bloodbath

Henry

Smalls

District 10: live stock.

Believe it or not, no one except a crippled boy is mentioned from here. This is the second least mentioned one, it’s only known that a refugee from here told Katniss about district 13 so we can assume they know their rights and wrongs.

Mike (died)

Mike lived with his twin brother and parents

He was 15 when he was selected for the games, and he knew there was no chance he’d make it back alive

He was right, since he was killed by David, after trying to kill him and steal his supplies.

Ike

District 11: agriculture.

Common traits of this district are “dark skin and brown eyes” They are heavily abused by the Peacekeepers and are the most brutal treated ones. Their electric fences are activated 24/7, they have extreme knowledge of herbs and foods. Again, security here is greatly unforced and there are a lot of harsh measures like summary execution. (an execution where someone is accused of something and is immediately killed without a fair trial) It was one of the first districts to rebel, it was their response for what happened to Rue (a former 12-year old tribute who was Katniss’ ally and was killed during the games).

Graves

Rafaela

District 12: coal mining.

This district is divided into housing areas. The Seam is where people who work in coal mines live, and the others are centered around “The Square''. People from The Seam generally have dark hair, grey eyes, and olive skin, and the others have blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Katniss and Gale are from The Seam whereas Peeta is a bakers son in the town. District 12 is the poorest out of the districts, and starvation is a big issue, and because of this, the Capitol usually bends the rules a little by turning off the electric fence surrounding them so people can go hunt for food for their families or sell their catches to the black market for money. District 12 is known for having only 2 victors in the history of the games before the 74th. A female named Lucy Gray Baird who died before the events of The Hunger Games happened, and Haymitch Abernathy. This is why the district is usually a laughingstock and volunteering for the Games is seen as suicide.

Jack Francis Kelly (victor)

Jack’s parents gave him up at a very young age, when he was only 2 years old

They sent him to live with an old family friend, William Snyder

Snyder was horrible to him.

He constantly abused and starved and neglected him, treated him more like a slave than anything else.

Jack had to balance doing whatever Snyder said and also making his own food and money by working so he could eat

When he was 14, his parents came to visit. He didn’t recognize them, and he didn’t know who they were until the end of the visit- when they were leaving

He was both hurt and furious

Although he was miserable and his life sucked, he did manage to make a friend

Crutchie

He was 3 years younger than Jac k, and his leg was injured beyond repair in a mining accident

When he heard Crutchie’s name at the Reaping, he immediately volunteered

Unlike him, Crutchie had a family. People who loved him.

Jack had nothing to lose

He didn’t expect to come back alive, he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

Multiple people tried to kill him throughout the game, thinking it as a fun game since he was of the “worse” district

Jack won by killing Morris

He didn’t know he had a brother, if he did, he wouldn’t have done it. Jack didn’t have anything to come back to, Morris did

He found out about this and his situation a day after his victory.

He was horrified, knowing he killed a man that was just trying to help his family.

Jack didn’t have a family. He just took a poor kids only family away.

So he made sure Oscar was away from his uncle and safe

It was the least he could do.

He was never able to forgive himself.

Charlie “Crutchie” Morris

District 13: nuclear weaponry.

Before they were “extinct” they made and built nuclear weapons for the Capitol, but after they tried to rebel, they were bombed and became “extinct”. In reality they lived underground and struck up a deal with the Capitol, that they’d be able to live in hiding, and in return, they would not rain war on the Capitol. Every food ration is cherished in this district and everything is very orderly as to not rouse suspicion. The lifestyle is very strict because of the circumstances. District 13 is the center for the rebellion in the books, and is where Katniss and everyone planned out the war between the districts and the Capitol.

Mush Meyers and Kid Blink

Blink came from district 12

He was an orphan, and his only family, his younger sister, died from starvation when he was 17, soon turning 18

She was only 10

Not even a year later, Blink snuck out of his district, except instead of just going hunting, he ran away.

He narrowly escaped a peacekeeper finding him

After a few days of being completely alone, he ran into Mush Meyers, who (slightly reluctantly) took him into his distract (he got into a shit ton of trouble for that)

However, Blink was allowed to stay.

Eventually, they got together (because we all need some Blush in our lives)

Capitol

Katherine Plumber

[flurrys-creativity]

Say my name 9

Pairing: Kim Hongjoong (Ateez) x Fem!Reader; Genre: Gangster AU, Angst, Romance; Rating: sfw, NC-17; Warnings: curse words and other profanities, pain, grief, hurt, threats, weapons, blood, gun shots, near death experience; Wordcount: 4.609

Summary: Normally as a journalist you only see everything from the sidelines, you are never involved in cases or situations. That changes the moment you stumble over a crime scene and decide not to mention the guys you saw during your police questioning. Now kidnapped by those guys you realize they are trying to find the real culprit and you are intrigued to help them.

Disclaimer: This is a piece of fiction and does in no way portray Junyoung in reality.

Chapter:  [1]  [2]  [3]  [4]  [5]  [6]  [7]  [8]  [9]  Epilogue

“Absolutely not!” Came the immediate protest from the members, their heads shaking violently in disagreement. “This is out of the question.”

You sighed. Of course they would be against such a plan. “Guys, please. You need to stay objective now.”

“Having your life at risk and disagreeing with such a plan is being objective enough,” Wooyoung interrupted you and slammed a fist down on the table.

“Yeosang?”

“She’s actually right. That is not being objective, Wooyoung.”

“Don’t agree with her!”

“I am not”, Yeosang defended himself, “I am just stating the facts. It is not objective but I am fine with not being it right now, because I don’t want to risk anyone’s life.”

“If we’re going according to the plan my life will be safe the whole time.”

“What if something is not going according to plan?”

“The risk is too great, Y/N.”

You turned to Hongjoong, who had been awfully quiet throughout the whole discussion. He sat in his chair, arms folded over his chest and eyes closed.

“I trust you guys. But I understand your concerns.” You sighed and stepped away from the table. “How about we think about this for a little longer. Maybe one of you gets another idea. Let's meet up after we all had some time to think.”

The guys solemnly shared looks with each other before they turned their attention towards Hongjoong, waiting for him to decide.

He slowly nodded and opened one eye. “It’s been a lot and I am sure everyone of us needs the time to gather their thoughts and process what has been said.”

With that you turned around and left the room, hearing faint whispers behind you while you retreated to your room.

You closed the door and successfully shutted the whispers. A sigh escaped your lips and with it, all your energy left your body as well. You dragged yourself towards your bed and basically dropped down on it. You sighed once more. “It’s harder to convince them than I thought.”

You turned your head and stared at the pieces of your phone. You knew your idea was risky but you couldn’t think of any other way.

Like Yeosang said, Junyoung was unpredictable now and none of you had any idea where he was hiding. Additionally none of the guys had any form of contact with him, making it even harder finding him.

You on the other hand had a feeling, no, you were sure Junyoung had hacked your phone, which meant you could lure him out from hiding. With the guys on your side you wouldn’t even be afraid of getting hurt or fear of being in danger.

Your thoughts got interrupted by the opening of the door. You looked back and saw Hongjoong sneaking inside the room.

“Y/N?” He whispered and tiptoed towards your bed. “Are you still awake?”

“Hmm.”

“Is that a yes?”

You couldn’t help yourself but snicker once you heard his hesitation. “It is. What’s up? Did the others decide to rest as well?”

Hongjoong sat down on the edge of your bed and nodded. “Yeah, we still talked about your idea for a bit before we decided to drop it.”

“I assume you came to the same conclusion. Your first reactions were pretty strong after all.” You turned and laid on your side so you didn’t have to crane your neck all the time while talking to Hongjoong.

He sighed and closed his eyes, nodding slowly before his whole composure dropped. “I am scared”, he admitted in a whisper and started picking on the skin next to his nails, “I don’t want to imagine anything happening to you.”

“Why are all of you assuming the worst outcome? You’re so pessimistic. Does that come with the job?”

Hongjoong snapped around to you and stared at you with wide eyes and an open mouth. “What? No? Or maybe? I don’t know. Yes? I mean, we can’t just go and turn a blind eye to possible mishaps.”

“Choosing my plan is not turning a blind eye on anything,” you argued and sat up, sliding over to him. “I know there are risks but we can counterattack.”

“I don’t know.”

You placed a hand on his shoulders and squeezed it slightly. “We can talk about this tomorrow. Make a decent plan with every possibility considered. Maybe one of you will come up with another functioning plan. I really don’t want to pressure you to make a decision.”

He smiled sadly and placed one of his hands on yours. “I know it’s the right choice but I really can’t shake off the fear of something bad happening. What if I’m not able to protect you?”

“You’re not alone in this. The others will help and I promise I will try my best to stay safe.” You grinned teasingly and shoved him slightly, hoping to lift his mood.

Though Hongjoong just turned fully towards you and pulled you into a hug. He hid his face in the crook of your neck and just stayed like this.

A little overwhelmed, you hugged him back and leaned into his embrace. For a second fear crawled up your spine and clawed at your heart, letting you know this might be the last time you could hold him like that. You bit down on your lower lip, trying to prevent the small whimper that got stuck in your throat.

“Can we talk about your plan one more time before we go to sleep?”

You nodded shortly, not trusting your voice to function.

Hongjoong stayed in the same position, holding you tight when he started speaking again. “You want to use your phone to lure him to the old warehouse. You need to explain to me how you’re going to do that. Then you want us to hide around the area so we can make sure nothing suspicious is happening. And then what?”

“I use my phone and will call someone. If it’s really hacked it should notify him of my whereabouts once it’s in use again.”

“Makes sense.”

“Jongho, Yeosang and Mingi should scout the area. We don’t know if he is connected to someone else and we can’t risk being suddenly jumped by another gang. Though I doubt it, we should do this just to make sure. Unfortunately all of you have to leave your phones here or take out the battery.”

“Why? That’s too risky! How are we supposed to communicate then?”

You sighed and thought for a moment. “We have to agree on a signal if one of us thinks the plan is not working. I don’t know what kind of signal yet but something loud would be ideal.”

“But why can’t we take our phones?”

“If he’s really that good with electrical stuff he will know you guys are with me when he receives the locations of your phones. This could lead to the problem of him not showing up. Which we don’t want to happen.”

“Alright, understood.”

“Seonghwa and Woo should be in sniper positions. Should he attack me before I can do anything, it's their job to save me.”

“Good call,” Hongjoong agreed with a slight nod. “What about me and Yunho?”

“Yunho needs to stand by in case anyone gets injured.”

Hongjoong hummed in agreement, waiting for you to continue.

“And you need to stay back.”

He immediately sat up at your words and wanted to protest when you placed a finger over his lips and shutted them again.

“I mean I want you to stay in one of the back rooms. We don’t know how Junyoung might react when he sees you. But it is possible that he demands to see you too. In that case you can step out,” you explained calmly while your eyes were fixed on his.

“What if he doesn’t ask for me?”

“Then you’ll stay back.”

“What are you planning to do when he appears at the warehouse?”

“Talk.”

“Talk?” Hongjoong raised an eyebrow in question and cocked his head to one side slightly. “Didn’t we determine that he is unstable and unpredictable now?”

You sighed. “I know.”

Before you could continue and explain your choice, Hongjoong interrupted you. “Then we need to trap him. Sneak up on him and make him unconscious or something. We need to deliver him to the police. We need..”

“We need him to admit his crimes. I will wire myself and talk with him. Make him admit the murders and the plan to frame you all. Make him admit he played with the investigators and gave them false clues. Without the evidence there might be the possibility the police will let him go.”

Hongjoong got silent, thinking about your words. You could see in his eyes the internal battle he fought. He didn’t want you to talk with him because he feared this could go awfully wrong but he knew to protect the guys and himself he needed the confession.

“Maybe I can persuade him to turn himself in.”

“What if you can’t?”

“Then we need to overwhelm him. By the time I got the evidence and hopefully a clear confession the scouting team should have checked everything. Once they finish their rounds they’ll come to the warehouse and prepare the trap in front of the entrance. They basically just have to knock him out once he steps outside. After that we tie him up, call the police and leave the recorder with him before we drive back home.”

“It’s the only real option we have, isn’t it?” He looked at you hopelessly, breaking your heart.

You nodded solemnly. “If we want to prevent any other murders or casualties.”

Hongjoong hid his face in his hands and groaned in exhaustion. “I know it is the right choice. I know that. But I still don’t want to do it.”

You sat there silently. This was a decision he had to make on his own and you really didn’t want to influence it too much. And especially not in a way that he would disagree with your plan.

He looked back up at you, pain and despair evident in his eyes. “I don’t want to lose you”, he whispered and the first tears brimmed at the corner of his eyes.

Without hesitation you leaped forward and slung your arms around him, holding him close to you and rocking him slightly from side to side. “Do you remember what I told you when we first met?”

“You said a lot that day,” he sniffed slightly and pulled you closer to him. “But I do remember everything from that day.”

“So you remember how I said that I’m not scared of death and how I thought I won’t live for much longer.”

He nodded shortly.

“I changed my mind.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t want to die so soon. I want to stay a little longer. Stay here. With you.”

Hongjoong let out a shaky breath and his grip tightened around your back. “I’d like that.”

Both of you stayed in that position, neither of you wanting to be the first to break the embrace.

“I still need to think about your plan before I make a final decision. I hope that’s okay with you,” Hongjoong admitted silently, snuggling his face closer into the crook of your neck.

“It’s a hard decision. It’s fine.”

“Good.” He paused for a moment. “Would you say my name now?”

“And jinx the whole mission?” You snorted. “Definitely not!”

“You wouldn’t jinx the mission!”

“But my death, yeah no. I’ll just stay with boss or sir.”

“Oh, come on”, Hongjoong whined and tugged slightly at the back of your shirt. “What if this is the last chance for you to say it?”

“Are you implying my certain death on this mission?” You gasped in mock terror.

“What? No! I didn’t mean it like that. I just.. I just really want to hear you say my name.”

You chuckled lowly. “I will say your name once everything is over. I promise.”

He sighed in defeat. “Fine. I guess, I can wait another day.”

“Sounds like you’re already agreeing with my plan,” you teased him and poked a finger into his side, making him laugh slightly. 

“I don’t really have much of an option here. But let’s go to sleep now. We have a lot to prepare tomorrow.”

With that you slowly let go of him, nodding in earnest once you locked eyes with him again. He sent a crooked smile to you and went over to his bed, wishing you a good night before he settled down.

The next morning continued with protests of the other guys, though they weren’t as strong as the first reaction.

Hongjoong had told them his decision and Mingi, Seonghwa and Yeosang nodded along, agreeing silently to the plan. They had used the night thinking over every possible option and came to the same conclusion as Hongjoong. Your plan was the best shot they got.

“We can’t use Y/N as bait,” Wooyoung cried out, running around the table and hugging you tightly. “What if she gets hurt?”

“That’s why you’re there with me. I trust you.”

He whined a little more but stopped arguing against the plan.

Yeosang left the room for a minute and came back with construction plans of the warehouse as well as a map of that part of the town. He spread the papers out on the table and everyone leaned over them.

Hongjoong pointed to three points on the map, telling Mingi, Yeosang and Jongho to start their observation from those points.

Mingi marked the locations with a red pen and circled a bigger area around them, jotting down this had to be checked before they made their way back to the warehouse.

The focus then shifted to the plan of the warehouse. Seonghwa pointed out spots for Wooyoung and himself, explaining why those were the best places.

“Alright. Yunho needs to stay at this side entrance. You need to walk freely and rush to any injured person as fast as possible,” Hongjoong told him, with a short glance towards his members. “And I will stay in this room. I want all of you armed, except for Y/N. But make sure to only use them if absolutely necessary.”

You pouted slightly for being excluded but you had a more important mission in the first place.

“How are we going to communicate without phones?” Jongho questioned, pointing out the worst part of the plan.

“Don’t we have fireworks in the storage room?” Mingi brought up, tapping his chin in thought. “We could use those. They are loud and pretty much visible as well.”

“That’s a great idea!” You nodded.

“But we can only use them in case of something bad happening.”

“That’s fine. We do have this plan and only need to communicate when something is off. When the scouting team shoots one, we will evacuate the scene immediately. The other two scouts will rush to help and retreat as fast as possible as well. Should one of us shoot a firework the scouting team will come to rescue us and we leave. We will assemble at the side entrance, using this path as our escape route.”

You followed Hongjoong’s finger while he pointed out the steps of plan B.

“Let’s just hope we won’t need that.”

The others agreed and quickly after a few more instructions from Hongjoong dispersed, getting ready for the most dangerous mission they had to attend.

“Are you nervous?” Seonghwa asked you once you arrived at the warehouse.

“A little.”

“It’s okay to be nervous but try to be calm,” Yeosang told you while he fixed the recorder and the microphone and taped it to your body.

“We’re always at your side, okay? You might not see us but we’re here with you.”

You smiled and squeezed Yunho’s hand. “Thanks.”

“Is everything set?” Hongjoong called from the other side of the warehouse, his eyes jumping frantically around.

“Yes, we can start now,” Yeosang told him and stepped away from you. “Press this button to start the recording. Good luck, Y/N.”

You nodded in understanding and watched all of the guys leaving your side and going to their positions. You had to wait ten more minutes before you would put your phone back together, giving the scouting team the chance to arrive at their spots before everything would start.

Hongjoong stepped beside you. “I’ll stay here until your phone is back in action. You don’t need to be alone for this excruciating long period of time.”

“It’s just ten minutes,” you chuckled and swatted his upper arm lightly. “I could survive that.”

“Maybe. But I can’t.”

“How did you get the leader again?”

“Don’t test me.”

You bickered a little more, laughing and giggling in between and before you knew it the ten minutes had passed. You were thankful for Hongjoong staying with you and easing your nerves.

He looked you in the eyes once more before he nodded and walked to the room in the back, leaving you in the middle of the warehouse.

You took a deep breath and pulled the pieces of your phone out of the pockets of your pants, piecing them together with trembling fingers.

Right after you turned it on, your phone started vibrating violently with a flood of messages. Confused, you looked up, hesitating for just a second before you opened them. 

Every message came from an unknown number. “I got over a dozen strange messages”, you said loudly, “I think they are from Junyoung. Let me read some of them. You. I will find you. Hiding won’t work. You can’t escape. You’re going to regret interfering. Just die!” 

You exhaled shakily, trying to hold back the fear washing over your body. You weren’t so sure anymore that you could talk calmly to him. 

Before you could worry about this your phone started buzzing again from an incoming call.

“Junyoung is calling me. I’ll put the call on speaker.” You announced and pressed the button of the recorder before you accepted the call. “Hello?”

“You foolish woman.”

“Junyoung?”

“So you know my name, huh?”

“Yes.”

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. “That won’t help you at all. So tell me, did you really think I’d fall into the trap you’re setting up for me?”

“This is not a trap.”

“Oho? It isn’t? What do you call it then? Your phone signal suddenly appears again in an abandoned warehouse? That’s not a trap?”

“It’s not. I want to talk and I knew you tracked my phone.”

“If you wanted a chat with me why aren’t we meeting at a café? How about the one we briefly met last time?” He chuckled darkly. “The one where you killed San.”

“I didn’t kill him,” you whispered, blinking heavily to prevent yourself from crying.

“You did! And you’re going to pay for that!”

You took a deep breath, quickly glancing towards the back room and seeing Hongjoong standing in the door. His face was red from anger and even from this distance you could see him shaking. You shortly shook your head, telling him silently to stay back.

Despite the bitter taste in your mouth and every cell in your body telling you to hang up and just leave, you knew you had to take control of the phone call.

You heard a low humming in the background, recognising the sound of a car engine. You swallowed, dread spreading through your body. Now you were sure you would meet him eye to eye soon.

You quickly shook your head again, trying to regain your composure. “Fine. You want me to pay? Alright. But what about you?”

“Me? What about me?”

“Don’t play innocent with me now. Will you pay for all the deaths you caused?”

He scoffed: “Those were sacrifices that had to be made.”

“Sacrifices?”

“Did I stutter? Yes, sacrifices! Now Ateez is the leading gang in the whole town. Nobody dares to mess with them.”

“Them? You’re saying this like you’re not a part of the gang.”

“Because I am not!” He shouted into the phone. “They kicked me out, thinking I wasn’t cut out for this job. But look at me now! I grew more balls than all of them together! I made the step they were afraid to take!”

“What step?”

“Are you dumb or something? Killing the enemies and everyone who stood against Ateez of course. Gosh, why am I even talking to you?”

You sighed in relief, happy you got his confession this easily but the positive feelings got dimmed immediately when you heard the screeching of tires. 

In front of the warehouse and through the speaker of your phone.

You froze, staring with wide eyes to the entrance of the hall. Every hair on your body stood up and shivers ran down your spine. You swallowed harshly, not being able to tear your eyes away from the entrance.

A figure stepped into your sight, slowly walking towards you in the centre of the warehouse. “My, my. Who do we have here? You foolish woman. Did you think you would have more time before I arrived?” He laughed dryly, starting to walk circles around you.

Not able to say anything, your head just snapped around, following his every move with wide eyes.

“Oh, look at that pretty face of yours. Twisted in fear. Was that the face you made after you saw San was dead?”

Tears brimmed in your eyes and once again you swallowed harshly, this time trying to get rid of the knot in your throat.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” He laughed again, throwing his head back and squeezing his eyes shut. “You’re so expressive! I can’t wait to see the face you’re going to make once I make you pay.” His head immediately snapped back to you and he stared straight into your eyes, a sickening grin spreading on his face.

“You really think I killed him?”

“Of course you did! If it weren’t for you, San would still be alive!” He screamed right into your face, making you wince.

“I didn’t kill him,” you whispered, collecting your strength to stare back at him. “You decided to pull the trigger. Your shot killed San.”

“The bullet was meant for you, bitch!”

“You wanted to kill me because I was close to discovering who you were.”

“Bravo. So smart. You ruined everything! Everything!” He ran his hands through his hair violently, turning around in distress before he froze.

You followed his gaze for a second, noticing he stared towards the back room. Though you couldn’t see Hongjoong, a feeling made itself known inside your mind that Junyoung might have noticed him.

Junyoung stepped away from you, moving closer to the entrance. He kept his back away from you and the back room and never took his eyes from you. “Not a trap, huh?”

You quickly shook your head.

“Oh, don’t lie to me, bitch,” he sneered, grabbing a gun from behind his back and pointing it towards you. “I really wanted to take my time with you. What a shame you ruined it again. Are you good for anything else?”

“Junyoung!” Hongjoong’s voice boomed through the hall. “Don’t do it! We don’t need more blood spilled.”

You turned your head and looked towards Hongjoong, seeing him slowly walking towards you with his own gun raised and pointed towards Junyoung.

“I can’t believe you stopped thinking with your head, Hongjoong,” he laughed sarcastically. “Never thought a random bitch could get to you.”

“Stop calling her that,” Hongjoong growled, eyes darkening from anger.

“Don’t you see what she is doing to you? She is ruining everything!”

You stared back at Junyoung, feeling a pang in your heart when you heard the pain in his voice. “Junyoung,” you said as calmly as possible, pressing your shaking hands against your stomach, “please lower your weapon and let’s talk. Maybe we can find a solution for this together.”

“A solution?” He scoffed loudly, followed by a maniacal laugh. “I have a solution!” Without warning he pulled the trigger.

The loud pang echoed from the walls, though it nearly got drowned by Hongjoong’s scream of horror.

You heard another pang, a loud thud and screams. So many screams. Confused, you looked around and noticed you weren’t even standing anymore.

“Y/N! Look at me! Y/N!” Hongjoong pulled your body close to his and grabbed your chin, forcing you to face him.

“We made it”, you smiled once you locked eyes with him, “I have his confession recorded.”

“That’s not important right now!”

You tilted your head in confusion, furrowing your brows in thought. What could be more important than that?

A loud whistle went off, followed by a crackling sound and another pang. Fireworks, you realised in your hazy state of mind. Why would fireworks be fired? Did something happen?

“Is the scouting team okay?”

Hongjoong stared at you bewildered. “What? Yeah, yeah, they are fine!”

“Then did something happen to Yunho, Seonghwa or Woo? I heard the fireworks. We have to evacuate.”

“No, they are all fine. Y/N, you got shot!”

You took a closer look at Hongjoong’s face, seeing tears streaming down his cheeks. You wanted to raise your hand and cup his face, telling him everything was fine but the minute you moved your arm, excruciating pain shot through your whole body.

You groaned loudly, the burn suddenly overly prominent in your mind. With a blurry vision you tried to look down at your body. Red. You didn’t recall wearing something red. Then you saw and more obviously felt Hongjoong pressing down on your chest. His hands were evenly as red as your clothes.

“I’ve been shot?”

“Yes, but Yunho is already coming and the others too. You just need to stay with me, okay? We’ll bring you to the hospital.”

“What about Junyoung?” You still couldn’t wrap your mind around the fact that you’ve been shot and focused instead on other things.

“He’s dead.”

You nodded slowly, fidgeting with the recorder and microphone. You successfully pulled them off of your body and held them in front of you. “We need to call the police and place this next to Junyoung.”

“That can wait! Shit, you’re losing too much blood,” Hongjoong cried out, looking terrified and pressing even harder on your wound.

You groaned in pain. The burn focused on your chest area, while everything else started to feel numb and got cold. A shiver ran through your body. This couldn’t be a good sign. You turned your attention back to Hongjoong.

“Please tell me once more,” you suddenly got interrupted by a cough and blood dripping down your mouth, “everyone’s alright? Nobody else got hurt?”

“I can’t believe how you’re worrying about everyone else. Yes, Seonghwa, Yeosang, Yunho, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho are all fine! They didn’t get hurt! Nothing happened to them!”

You smiled tiredly, noticing your vision slowly fading. “What about you? Are you hurt, Hongjoong?”

“I’m fine too.”

“That’s good.” You sighed and closed your eyes. “Hongjoong?”

“Yes? What is it?”

“I said your name.” You giggled silently, regretting the decision immediately when you once again coughed and more blood dripped out of your mouth. Still, you decided to talk more. “I like your name. Maybe I should have said it earlier.

Hongjoong stared at you, crying uncontrollably. “You did, yes. Don’t let it be the last time you said it, alright? Promise me!”

You hummed lowly, drifting further into the darkness. The last thing you heard were hectic steps and someone screaming your name in despair.

Chapter 8 < | > Epilogue

© all rights reserved

[smalltowndetective]

Love Like You-Part 19

Hope you guys enjoy! 

Links to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18

Ao3 Link for all of them together

Title: Love Like You: Part 19

Pairing: Adam and Thea

Words: 3.7k

Series Summary:  Adam was used to pushing her away, but Thea had stuck by his side anyway. This time he may have finally done it, and now is in the danger of losing her forever

Part Summary: Adam arrives at the scene, his worse fears seeming to come true Tags: @sosolenoo @lilyoffandoms @ihavethemindofamaster @anotherbeingsworld @zizzlekwum

The entire drive over could have been considered a form of torture.

               The building that Thea, Felix, and Mason went to was a few hours out of the way, and Adam could feel himself getting more and more nervous.

               What if we are too late?

               Adam looked over to Nate, who looked about just as lost as he felt, his hands were out of his pockets, but he was wringing them together like he had never seen him do before.

               Part of him wanted to ask him if it was indeed too late, in order to try and get his normal reassuring answer and allow it to comfort him, but he was not sure if Nate could even convince himself at the moment, much less him as well.

               His grip tightened on the steering wheel as he continued to drive in an attempt to stop his hands from shaking, but it did nothing for the pit of worry that had not left his stomach.

               Where could Thea be?

               He gave a long shaky breath at the thought of her, the image of her heartbroken blue eyes overwhelming him, but he pushed it away.

               She’s going to be alright.

               She has to be.

               The three of them should have never been on that mission in the first place, and now there was a chance he could lose them all.

               I can’t let that happen, I can’t.

               “I think we need to call the Agency”, Nate suddenly spoke.

               “What?”, he asked at the sudden statement, “Why?”

               “We still don’t know what we are walking into”, he explained, “I understand not wanting to wait for backup, but we might need it. At least this way, there may be some help coming”

               “Okay”, he nodded, too distracted to fight him on it, not that he disagreed with it either.

               He got out his phone, and fiddled with it for a few minutes before he finally made the call, and Adam was barely paying attention to what he was saying, letting it all wash over him.

               It’s all going to turn out fine. It has to.

               “Alright, thank you”, he heard Nate say as he hung up the phone, and he turned back to him, “There should be a good few people coming”

               “Sounds good”, he said simply.

               “They aren’t very happy about us leaving without telling anyone”, he continued.

               “We’ll worry about that later”, Adam countered, with a harsher tone then he intended, “The circumstances demanded it”

               “I’m not trying to argue with you on this”, he replied, “I’m just letting you know”

               He gave a weak nod, and Nate looked like he wanted to say something else, but he heard him sigh, and he slouched back in the passenger seat.

               “Do you think everything will turn out okay?”, he finally got the nerve to ask, and his chest tightened at the way that he gave a weak shrug at that.

               “I really don’t know”, he muttered, “And I really wish I did”

               Adam tried to ignore the way that it made him even more anxious, and he tried to strengthen his resolve, squaring his shoulders as he did so.

               There has to be some hope.

               They were about a mile away from their destination when he started to smell smoke.

               Smoke?

               “Any idea where that could be from?”, Nate asked, having noticed it as well.

               “Not near us, no”, he said, his voice trailing off as he had a moment of realization.

               It can’t possibly be…

               You don’t know for sure yet, don’t think about this now.

               But it was not long before the sight of flames could be seen, towering over the surroundings, and Adam could feel his heart pound.

               No, please no.

               The place where they had been directed to, to which the person who told them about it said it was a tall red brick building, was completely engulfed in flames, part of the roof already having caved in, and there was no sign of it stopping.

               He slammed on the brakes and turned off the car in a hurry, and almost sprinting out of the car, Nate hot on his heels.

               The air around seemed to be radiate heat, and being closer to the smoke just made it harder and harder to breathe.

               But it was hardly what he was worried about.

               We’re too late.

               “They’re gone”, he managed to choke out, trying to hide back the wave of emotion in his voice, “He said they would be gone when we got here and- “

               “If they are still alive, we’ll find them”, Nate said, but from the shaky tone in his voice, he was unsure of the outlook himself.

               Still alive.

               Adam got the sudden urge to fall to the ground, and he just managed to keep himself standing, trying to breathe a deep breath to keep his composure.

               Not here. I can’t fall apart here.

               “I’m sure all three of them are alive”, Nate quickly added, as if he just realized what he had said.

               “You don’t know that”, he felt himself whisper, and it took a little to realize that he had spoken it aloud.

               I can’t lose her, I can’t.

               Not like this. I don’t think I can take it.

               “Maybe there is something around here that could give us an idea where they went?”, Nate asked, but he was not sure whether he had just said it to try and make him feel better.

               “The fire has probably taken anything that was left”, he said, even as much as he wanted to deny it and agree with him, “And I doubt the trappers left anything important behind”.

               He gave a shaky sigh, a sense of urgency filling his voice, “There is not much for us to do while we wait for the Agency. If there is anything, we need to find it”

               Adam could not argue with that, even with the sinking feeling that the both of them would not find anything.

               Thea’s last memory of you is going to be the words you should have, for once, taken back.

               “This was a mistake”

               He shook his head in an attempt to get that out of his head.

               It’s not going to be. I’m not going to accept that.

               The two of them started to make their way closer to the front of the building, and a sudden yell made them both turn around

               “Περίμενε!”

               The voice was in a language that he recognized being Greek, but he knew next to nothing about it, and he saw a dryad, her dark green hair falling in messy clumps around her face, the leaves in her hair a sickly yellow. Her white dress was tattered, and her almost green-tinted skin was covered in dirt.

               Adam looked to Nate, as if asking him what to do, and he stepped forward, saying something back to her in Greek.

               The two of them talked for a bit, and he could feel his stomach tighten as he watched his face fall as she continued to talk, and it was starting to put him on edge.

               “What did she say?”, he finally asked, not able to hold it back any longer.

               “She said that three people helped her get out”, he answered, an audible shake in his voice, “And the trappers left them behind after the fire”

               Please, no.

               Before Nate could try and talk him out of it, he ran off, frantically searching for any sign of any of them.

               Did they get trapped inside?

               He knew that Felix and Mason would probably turn out okay if they did, providing how much they were weakened before, but Thea.

               She can’t be dead, she can’t.

               Adam tried to swallow down the sob in his throat, his eyes starting to sting, but he was not sure if that was from the smoke from the still raging fire or the tears that were threatening to spill, but as he made his way around the building, his steps quickening and hardly thinking straight, he saw a figure on the ground.

               And he could feel his heart fall to his feet as he realized who it was.

               Thea

               He was full on sprinting now, and even with the roaring sound in his ears, he found the sound of her heartbeat, weak, but still there.

               Oh, thank God.

               The relief did not last long as he realized that he was not conscious, and her breathing came out weak and ragged.

               Adam dropped down to his knees next to her, and before he even knew what was he was doing, he picked her up, letting her head rest against her arm, almost cradling her, and he finally got a good look at her.

               It was not till then that he realized just how tiny Thea was. She was almost a full foot shorter than him, but she never had seemed so small until this moment, being almost dwarfed by his broad arms, her right ankle bent in an unnatural position. Her yellow sweater and blue jeans were covered in soot and dirt, scratches and cuts covering about every visible inch of her skin. Her dark chocolate brown hair fell in uneven clumps, full of tangles, and her face, while also covered in dirt, had clear line of tears that ran down her checks, and he could feel his chest tighten at the sight of it.

               He knew he should have left to try and find Nate, but he stayed put, almost marveling at the fact that she was here at all, and he moved his hand to brush her hair out of her face, and even with it covered in soot, it was still surprisingly soft.

               “Thea”, he whispered, not sure if she could even hear him, but not caring in the slightest about that. He left out a shaky breath, and he then pleaded, “Please wake up. Please”

               I’m not strong enough to lose you.

               I don’t think I could take it.

               “I have so much I need to say to you”, he continued, his voice getting more and more unsteady at the minute, “I need you Thea. I don’t think I could go on without you”

               I love you.

               Before Adam could even realize what, he was doing, he moved his head down to rest his forehead on his, it feeling almost feverish from how warm it was, and he tried to concentrate on her heartbeat.

               “I’m so sorry”, he choked out, closing his eyes as he said it to keep himself from crying, “I’m sorry I’m not what you deserve”

               He let out another shaky breath, and he heard a hacking cough that was not his own, and he moved his head back as he slowly watched Thea’s Atlantic blue eyes flutter open.

               “Adam?”, she weakly said, her eyes seeming to be fighting to stay open, “Is it- really you?”

               “It’s me”, he replied, relief filling his whole being with a rush, and he was unable to keep a smile off his face.

               Her eyebrows then furrowed in worry, “Do you know where Felix and Mason are?”

               “I don’t”, he admitted, almost forgetting all about them, “But I’m sure there fine. They would be able to get out of there”

               She weakly nodded, and he saw her eyes threatening to close again.

               “Hey”, he said gently, “Eyes on me, okay?”

               I need to see your eyes. I have to.

               Thea gave a weak laugh, “I’m trying. It’s just getting harder”

               “I’m not leaving”, he said resolutely, “You are going to get out of this, alright?”

               You have to.

               “I’m going to be by your side until the end”, he said, and he felt his heart pound at the thought that this might be the end, “I promise”

               “Adam”, she softly whispered, and he continued,

               “Once we all get back, maybe I’ll take you to see the fireworks again”

               And maybe, I’ll actually kiss you this time like I should have done.

               She gave a weak smile, “I’d really like that. But Adam?”

               “Yes?”

               “I’m so sorry”, Thea said, giving a cough as she said it, and he tightened his grip on her in response.

               “You have nothing to apologize for”, he assured her, “I should be telling saying that to you”

               “I should have- “, she began, but he gently shushed her.

               “None of what happened is your fault, do you understand me?”

               He paused before continuing, saying the words that he should have said a long time ago, “You are more than I could ever deserve”

               Adam watched her eyes grow wide, and she opened her mouth to say something, before biting her lip in order to stop it from spilling out and he got the nerve to move his hand back through her hair, which he felt her exhale from the touch.

               “I mean that”, he affirmed, “I’m not lying to you”

               Her breath caught, and he swore he could see the start of new tears at the edge of her eyes, but she gave him another small smile, but as she did so, her eyelids were starting to grow heavy again.

               “Please hold on”, he pleaded, “Please”

               I still need you.

               “I’m- really glad you’re here”, she whispered.

               “I wouldn’t be anywhere else”, he reassured her.

               Thea weakly moved her hand to rest on top of his, her hand somehow still freezing, and it sent goosebumps over his skin.

               But her eyes closed, and this time, she was not fighting to open them up again, and her head rolled over to lean on his chest.

               “Thea”, Adam said quietly, but it was not long before his voice came to almost pleading yell, “Thea! Please come back!”

               Please don’t leave me.

               Her eyes did not open again, and her ragged breathing and weak heartbeat rang loud in his ears.

               He could feel his eyes start to sting with unshed tears, and he gripped Thea tighter, bringing her closer to him.

               “I can’t take losing you”, he whispered, finally saying what he had only said in his head, “I know I can’t”

               Adam moved his head closer to hers, and he finally said the three little words that he had only said in his head for so long.

               “I love you Thea. I love you”

               He looked back at her, almost as if saying it would make her wake up again, but she did not stir again.

               “I said it”, he breathed out, “I said it. Please wake back up. Please”

               Without knowing what else he could do, feeling like he was trapped in a nightmare, knowing that he should try and find Nate, but he felt frozen to his spot.

               He moved his head back forward, and he gave her a gentle kiss at the top of her forehead, and even though it tasted of ash, he hardly cared.

               “Adam!”

               A familiar voice made him turn, and it was only then that he realized that the fire had died off, and while there will still remnants of it there, most of the building that could be burned had already been completely destroyed.

               He saw Felix and Mason, looking a little worse for wear but otherwise alright, running up to him, two people behind him he did not recognize, but guessed they were some of the trapper’s prisoners.

               “It’s so good to see you”, Felix laughed out, but he could hear true relief in his voice, but as his face fell to Thea, he could see his amber eyes fill in worry.

               “Get Nate”, was all that he could choke out.

               Mason gave a nod, and he went off, the two prisoners behind him, and Felix came over to kneel down next to them.

               “Is she okay?”, he asked, moving his gaze to Adam.

               I don’t know.

               He could not bring himself to answer that, becoming more and more fearful that this would be his last moment with her.

               “Thea’s tough”, Felix said, but as he went on, it was more of like he was trying to convince himself, “She’ll make it through just fine”

               Will she?

               She has to.

               He put his arm on his shoulder when he did not say anything, and even though he tensed at the touch, he did not try to pull away.

               “She saved us, you know”, Felix continued, “It was her that got out first, and then she got us out. We told her to go ahead of us in order to get one prisoner out while Mason and I got the other two, but we should not have separated”

               His voice faltered, “It’s our fault. Thea was against us splitting up. We should have listened to her”.

               “It’s not”, Adam quietly said, speaking for the first time since he came over here.

               You guys should have never been on this mission in the first place.

               And you never would have been if that kiss never happened.

               He looked back at Thea, trying to keep himself together as he looked at her, praying that she would pull through.

               Please don’t take away the only light I have.

               Felix looked a bit awed that he had even said anything in the first place, and he continued, “You’ll figure it out, Adam. Everything regarding this, and everything afterwards”

               He then took a breath before continuing, “I wish I knew how to help you more”

               You’ve helped me more then you could ever know.

               “You do help”, he said simply, never taking his eyes off Thea, watching closely the gentle rise and fall of her chest, hoping that he would not have to see it stop.

               Before he could say anything else, he saw Nate running up to the both of them.

               “Mason told me what happened”, he said breathlessly, and then he looked down at Thea, and back at Adam, “Are you okay?”

               “Why wouldn’t I be?”, he almost scoffed out, seeming like a ridiculous question to him given Thea the way the she was.

               “We need to get her to the Agency”, he said, ignoring the harshness of his original statement, “You need to move”

               And even though walking felt like he was walking through cement, he got up anyway, taking Thea up with him, her almost seeming to weigh nothing at all, and he gently tried to keep her head leaning against his chest and not flopping to the other side away from him.

               Nate gave him a nod, and he started making his way back, his steps quickening as he did so, and he quickened his own in response, Felix close behind the both of them.

               It did take the group of them long to catch up with Mason, who was standing next to the trapper’s prisoners, and he saw the dryad that had originally came up to him and Nate perk up as they did so, asking a question to him in Greek.

               He answered back, but from the worry lines on his face, she had asked about Thea, and he could feel his chest tighten at the thought, grasping her firmer than he already was.

               “The Agency should be here soon”, Nate said in English, “You won’t have to wait long”

               I really hope we don’t.

               Mason came walking up to him, his grey eyes filled with the rare look of obvious worry.

               “Did she wake up at all?”, he asked him.

               “She did”, Adam muttered, never taking his eyes off of her, “We talked for a little bit before she passed out again”.

               “That’s a good sign, you know”, Mason said, “She’ll pull through”

               God, I hope so.

               But as he thought that, as if some true twist of fate, he heard her heartbeat get even slower, and from the look in Mason’s eyes, he had heard it to.

               Please don’t leave me behind Thea.

               He knelt back to the ground, and it was like he was unable to stay still, rocking them both, and he realized exactly what he must do.

               I made a promise to stay with her. I’m not going to breaking the last promise I could ever give her.

               I’ve already hurt her enough.

               The next few minutes were a blur for Adam, and he was not sure just how long it was. It could have been hours for all that he knew. Everyone else was watching the road for any sign of the Agency, but it was hardly what he was worried about.

               “You mean everything to me”, he choked out, and at that moment, he did not care who heard.

               You are everything.

               Everything that I’ll never be, and everything that I don’t deserve.

               “Commanding Agent”, said a voice suddenly that he did not recognize, “You need to let her go”

               “No”, he growled, almost against his will.

               I’m not leaving her.

               And if this was indeed her last moments, he was not going to let her go alone.

               I’m staying by her until the end.

               She deserves that much, for all that I’ve failed to give her.

               “Adam, you need to”, Nate’s gentle voice broke in, and he sighed, “They’ll be able to help her”

               “I’m not letting her go”, he said, barely aware of what he was even saying.

               Nate looked to the Agency paramedic, “Is there any possibly he can stay with her?”

               They shrugged, “He can”

               He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he finally relented, gently laying her down on the ground as if she was the precious thing in the world.

               Adam grabbed her limp hand, and he entwinned their fingers together, his hand almost completely covering her small one.

               “Commanding Agent”, he heard someone say again.

               He looked up, to see one of the paramedics, Thea’s locket in his hands. The locket that for as long as he had known her, was always around her neck. Adam did not know the significance of it, but he did know it was incredibly important to her

               “I think you should hang onto this”, they said, moving to place it in his free hand, and he could find no reason to argue against it.

               Adam ran his hands over it, as he had seen Thea do a million times, the metal smooth and warm to the touch. It was a piece of her, and it was almost strange to not see it where it usually was.

               It was not something that he felt like he deserved to hold on to, but he closed his hand around it anyway as the paramedic moved away.

               Please hold on for a little bit longer, Thea

               I still need you.

Tell me if you want to be tagged in the next part! :)

[demonprosecutor]

WELL YOUR ASSESSMENT WAS COMPLETELY WRONG...

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | part 12

there’s something striking in his loneliness. after centuries of being alone, of being made to fend for himself, having the groundskeep, having mother, having life around in such an enduring swath was like being doused in cold water. myroclus was not pleased with the idea of leaving his favourite moral behind, but carried onwards with the dogged stubbornness of someone complying, but with the weariness of the begrudgingly listening.

he had only had rudimentary training, the scant few times where he had ridden myroclus clumsily under the watchful eye of his mother’s help. while he did catch onto things quickly, but comparing you and him was laughable. his thighs chafed and if he wasn’t careful, the hanging branches sliced at his cheeks, caught in his hair. perhaps a petty revenge for myroclus in honour of the one he had left behind cruelly. 

after the umpteenth branch that smacked his face, his cheeks throbbing, zagreus yanked on the reins to pull the horse into a halt. with no end to the trail, forward and backward, he figures that he could afford a bit of time to rest. well, allow the horse to eat the sparse foliage that still lingered in spite of demeter’s winter. myroclus should be given some time to cool off before the horse does something drastic like buck the prince off a cliff.

( looking at those beady, little eyes... it’s a possibility... )

zagreus does feel a bit bad on leaving the mortal behind, but it was to protect them! he knew that they did not have a mean bone in their body and the greater likelihood was them dying, and there’s only so much he could do once they were dead. besides, as mean as it was to say, they would be too much of a liability in the search for Mother. myroclus yanks on his hair, snuffling - the pain was sharp and almost-debilitating, and it’s a miracle that clumps didn’t rip out. but he dances away from the creature, clutching his head. “I said I was sorry already!”

he pulls out the map that Hermes had given him, drawn the the preciseness of an expert cartographer, lines dark and crisp, and parchment lively under his hands. As though it lived, but Hermes was a strange sort, imbuing the piece of paper with his brand of magic - the lines writhing and moving, the drawn birds flapping across the page. zagreus has to duck his head, just to avoid another snap from myroclus who snuffled before returning to gnaw on some branches, a paltry substitute for greenery. he makes a note in the back of his mind to see if he could buy some feed for the horse. 

once myroclus had calmed down enough for zagreus to be able to pat down his flank and mount him, he sets off to the path that the map had listed out that he had to go to. this desolation, born of his grandmother’s fury of mortalkind, was strange - itched under his skin. And now that hermes and thanatos had first mentioned it, he was far more aware of the wrongness of the state of the world.

(teeth gnashing in animalistic fury, a deep-rooted discomfort that did not seem to go away. shrieking - WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG)

but the prince is startled from his musings from the sudden stop, lurching forward fast enough that air is knocked from his lungs. annoyance saturates his tone as, “alright, mate, i’ve been patient with you----” however, the words halt in his mouth, barricaded behind his teeth as jaw clicks close. this was the next town yet..... yet ?

it was empty.

the wind howled through the buildings, snow piled fresh on the ground, unbothered. zagreus kicks his heels into myroclus’ sides, yet no matter how hard he tried, the beast did not move forward - shuffling before the town gate uneasily. his ears pricked back, stamping the ground in his nervousness. even if horses, in general, were skittish creatures, myroclus was bolder than most and that was enough for caution to skyrocket.

he slides down, patting the horse’s flank, “ok, i got this. just stay here.” myroclus nickers, something that zagreus takes as assent.

every step he took was enough for the snow to melt, leaving behind wet grass and dirt that sizzled for a brief moment, as he passed through the town entrance - two pillars stacked high with iconography of hermes dashing on top.

zagreus kept his gaze sharp, the boundless energy of his cousin sparking in his veins, breath held just so that he could not mistake the wind for an enemy combatant. yet the moment he reaches town square, he lowers stygius, standing in front of the frozen fountain. “hello?” the prince’s voice echoes, and no one responds.

perhaps this was a ghost town? ones that had been abandoned because of plague or war. but that couldn’t be true because if that was the case, then the neighbouring town would either have been affected as well or at least made the necessary preparations to save themselves. he passed through the residential area, still on high-alert, but calmed by the fact that he was alone.

a cough in an open house makes him pause, mis-matched eyes flickering towards a house near the corner. zagreus approaches it, notes the gouges in the doorframe and the way the door swung open and close in eerie creaks. inside, he sees someone curled on the ground, their body heaving weakly with breath. he drops his blade, propping it on the wall before kneeling next to them, flighty hands fluttering over their form. 

“oh gods, are you ok? are you---” zagreus turns them on their back, only to recoil in disgust, eyes wide as he stumbles back. the mortal, the human, if it could be called that, looked wrong. their skin was like a corpse’s, heading on its way to decay (jaw almost falling, flesh peeling off, black blood dropping down their dirties chiton), and most of all, a malefic magick permeated from them - an ungodly sort of craft that could terrify even the gods, send them to the pits of tartarus.

the creature groans, the undead still made flesh, the result of when souls were not permitted to be harvested by its Reaper. an abomination.

he knows better than to allow it to continue on, so with a quick jab of stygius through the middle, the creature is impaled. yet... yet... it does not die with a shriek, the light fading from its eyes. it groans like Charon, clawing forward with gnarled hands. it cannot die, zagreus remembers, it cannot be killed.

with a powerful kick that slides the creature off his blade and into the opposing wall, he turns to leave the house. but as soon as he is in the streets, he realizes that the town is roused, that the unspeakable magic called for the dead, the abominations to rise forth.

mind-rending creatures shambled forward, slithered, crawled, clawed their way to him - salivating mouths gnashing for god-flesh. zagreus does not fear, but he is starting to see that he was in deep trouble. he slices and hacks of limbs, lobs off heads, blood sluicing his form and permeating the air in rot-stink. but none die, none are killed.

the only thing he could do is run and avoid or die and return to the underworld once again.

------

the wind stings your cheeks. you are a distance away from zagreus, and you’re not entirely sure how you could find him, even with the ring that pointed you forward. tch, what a zagreus thing to do! leaving me behind!

but before you could complain anymore, lord thanatos appears at your side, easily keeping pace with amydros who, to the horse’s credit, did not startle at the sight of the god. you blink at death incarnate, “lord death?!” you yell, above the shriek of the wind and the stamp of hooves.

he looks distant, golden eyes glazed slightly, before snapping to yours. “zagreus is in trouble.” he says, almost troubled. before you can ask for clarification, death grabs the back of your cloak, and teleports you off your horse, ignoring your shriek.

amydros whinnies in alarm at the lack of weight on his back before slowing to a stop, looking around, and turning back to return to his original owner.

-----

zagreus was pinned. no matter how much he cut, he sliced, he lobbed - they continued to come. intent on consuming his godhood, intent on destroying life itself. but the air rings with the toll of thanatos’ bell, and relief whooshes from his lungs as the sky quiets and death itself hovers in front of him in all of his glory.

.... alongside with the groundskeep who death incarnate had promptly dropped onto the ground with a soft ‘oof’.

“need some help, zagreus?”

“than--!” zagreus breathes out, stunned and delighted. even if the creatures were intending on killing him, they still stared stunned at the sight of the end of all things. with an entirely theatrical twirl of his scythe, the ground glowed with death’s circle - darkness and starlight gleaming before with a sweep, the creatures are sliced in half.

but... instead of the souls bleeding from their forms, nothing came out. black blood seeping into the snow, tainting it. still, the creatures growled and spat. and for the first time in a long while, zagreus could see thanatos’ eyes widen in shock. “they have... no souls...?”

they crawled closer and closer, and if death himself could not end them -- then what could? with a speed that rivalled hermes’, thanatos carries the mortal under his arm like a sack before drawing zagreus close and teleporting them out with another great toll of his bell.

the trio are found on a distant hill, the journey brief, but jarring. the groundskeep is dropped to the ground once more and allowed a few seconds of dry heaving to settle their stomach. “you... how did you get here?!” zagreus turns to the groundskeep, surprise and anger in one. 

they stand up on unsteady feet before turning to zagreus and slapping him on the face hard enough that his head turns. thanatos breathes in sharply, features darkening and moving closer but stopping at zagreus’ headshake. “you left me behind, you ass! i told you i was coming and i meant it!”

“i was trying to keep you safe, and than, you brought them here!”

thanatos frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “they were.... persuasive. and even if i didn’t do anything, they would’ve gone ahead. besides, they have a way with dryads.” he nods his head at the groundskeep’s hand, the ring pointing directly at zagreus.

zagreus frowned at them both, “i was going to handle it---”

the mortal rolled their eyes, “oh yes, you were handling it perfectly fine. being cornered by those monsters really counted as fine. if lord thanatos didn’t sense that you needed help, you would’ve been dead by now.”

the prince looked ready to argue some more, but was halted by the way thanatos turned his body to look at the town in the distance. “enough of your squabbling. the bigger concern is what is going on. those creatures...”

“they couldn’t die.” zagreus mumbled, wiping the black blood with the edge of his cloak. “i tried killing them, but it didn’t work.”

“and i couldn’t kill them.” the enormity of that statement was not lost on those there. if death, the personification of it, could not kill these creatures, then no one can. 

“you mentioned them not having souls, that makes no sense, how could something have no soul?” the groundskeep asked, arms wrapped around themselves to preserved warmth.

thanatos does not speak for a few long seconds, “i would say witchcraft. but... this is a level, a skill, that is beyond the means of mortals. even minor immortals as well.” he looked troubled, the frown severe on his features. “that must mean that there is a great evil that is rising or attempting to rise and challenge the rule of the gods, and they are attempting to slight me. for who can win, who can lose, if armies cannot die. spitting in the face of the fates is what is happening.”

zagreus shakes his head, lifting up a hand. “wait, wait. i don’t get what’s happening. what are you saying?”

“what i’m saying is that something apocalyptic is going to happen, your mother is somehow connected, and if balance is to be restored, we must go stop whatever is happening.” thanatos thumbs the hilt of his sword, a self-soothing gesture that isn’t lost on the groundskeep and zagreus.

this was turning into... an entire thing. zagreus just wanted to be reunited with his mother, not be embroiled in this whole clusterfuck of trying to save the balance of the world. he runs a hand through his hair. “great. great. just what we all needed. what do we do first? Actually no, I can answer that. We take the groundskeep to somewhere safe and then we deal some death together.”

the joke fell flat, not even eliciting a smile from thanatos who looked at the mortal with a calculating look in his eyes. “no.”

zagreus’ eyebrows fly upwards. “n-... what do you mean by no?” the groundskeep looks just as surprised, luminous eyes wide.

“no as in the fates had weaved their destiny into what is happening now. they are meant to be a part of this and you nor I could stop history from playing out.”

the groundskeep was stunned, apparent in the way they took a step back, hands gripping the straps of their bag tightly. “wait-- i... i’m meant to be here? but i don’t have any combat experience or... anything else that could be considered aid!” they cry out.

thanatos shrugs, but his face is kind. “the fates weave the thread of your destiny and whatever happens, it is entwined with mine and zag’s.” his voice gentles, “... do not worry, groundskeep. you will be kept safe.”

that seems to calm them enough to nod hesitantly, offering a slight smile. zagreus sighs, “alright. as much as i hate it, i know not to mess with your sisters. i’ll ask again. what do we do first?”

“you could---- remember when lord hermes blessed you?” the groundskeep whispers softly, “you could look for more blessings from the other gods.”

thanatos hums, “that sounds like a plan. make yourself more powerful because the fates know that this journey, this war, will not be easy. and perhaps, you could coax your relatives into giving the groundskeep some boons as well.”

zagreus nods his head, shoulders squaring. “alright. we find the temples, get the blessings, find my mother and stop whatever the hell is happening.”

both thanatos and the groundskeep laugh. “that’s one way of putting it.” thanatos says in amusement. “does the map have the temples on it?”

the prince opens the map, unfolding it, staring. he’s about to answer no, but it starts to waver before his eyes, instead of the map just being the path he’s supposed to take, new lines start being added and the various signs of the gods appear in strategic places. the temples, he presumes. zagreus points to the nearest one, the temple of artemis - a distance into a dark forest, braved by only those desperate enough to seek her aid. “there. we go to lady artemis. but than, couldn’t you just teleport us there?”

thanatos raises a brow, “and risk insulting the gods? please, zagreus, i’d rather not. they like seeing people struggle for their blessing. it proves persistence.” he says it with a bit of disdain, there is no love lost between thanatos and the olympians.

“right. that would’ve been too easy.” he mumbles, turning in a circle before the groundskeep takes the map.

they look at it, mumbling to themselves, looking up and back to the map before pointing northeast. “there. we start there.” the ring flickers bright enough to catch their attention, shifting away from zagreus and towards where they pointed. “well... at least we have some added assurance in direction. we won’t get lost.” they try to sound cheerful, but it’s forced. “let’s move before darkness falls. gods knows what creatures lurk in the shadows.” 

the sun is at its zenith, when they step down the hill and towards the forest in the distance. they all move steadily, quiet before zagreus speaks up, “i could sing us some travel songs, orpheus taught me som----”

“no.”

[crackedoutgiraffe]

To the Moon and Back

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14

A/N: Chapter 15

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

“There is a robbery in progress, they have hostages,” you heard sirens along with his voice.

“I’ll be there in 20.” You hung up the phone and raced to your bedroom to change. You closed the door and put on a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt. You put your hair up and put on some basic makeup. You grabbed your keys, badge, and gun. Luckily, traffic was light and you got to the bank in ten minutes. When you got there Reid was already there, along with Rossi, Morgan, and Hotch. He handed you a bulletproof vest and you put it on quickly. 

When JJ and Prentiss arrived, Hotch started to explain what was happening, “The media's calling them the Face Cards. 7 bank robberies in 7 months. They've killed one person at each robbery.”

Everyone followed HOtch as he walked toward the mobile command center, “M. O.?” Rossi asked.

“Single gunshot wound. Each of the victims has bled out,” Hotch continued. 

“Serial killers with a 30-day cooling-off period and we're only just hearing about this now?” you asked. 

“Well, headquarters has always characterized them robbers first and killers second,” Hotch was the team’s connection to the top of the food chain.

“No one kills 7 people without serious psychopathic tendencies,” JJ added.

“I disagreed with the original assessment. I was overruled,” Hotch explained.

“So why are we here now?” you asked

“Because crisis negotiation is overseas,” Hotch opened the door for the mobile command center and went inside.

Everyone followed into the MCC, “What more do we know about them?” Reid asked 

“They're organized, they're efficient. Each strike lasts about 2 minutes,” Hotch explained.

“They gotta be scouting the banks in advance. Why haven't we been able to I. D. Them off of surveillance footage?” Morgan asked.

“They hack the security feed and turn off the cameras, both during the initial canvass and during the robbery, until the masks come back on, and then we're allowed to watch,” Garcia, who was sitting at the computer in the MCC, explained.

“They're using the hostages as human shields,” Rossi pointed at the screens. 

“This is the first time they've been interrupted. What went wrong?” JJ asked.

“It's a big bank. It's possible they weren't about to round everybody up before someone triggered an alarm,” Prentiss noted.

“Why haven't they cut the feed now that they've been cornered? Letting us see inside gives up a tactical advantage. They gotta know that,” you pointed out. 

“They don't seem to care,” Hotch sighed.

 “They're overconfident. Arrogant, even,” JJ leaned into the video monitors.

“The face card masks add to their narcissism. Their personas are the royalty of poker,” Reid pointed out. 

“JJ, Reid, and Prentiss, look at past robberies. That's gonna be our victimology. Pull another analyst if you need to,” Reid gave your hand a squeeze before leaving with JJ and Prentiss. “Dave and Y/N, I want you to handle negotiations. And, Morgan, strategize tactical options with MPD,” Hotch ordered the team around. When he was done you saw an older blonde woman walk in. “Chief Strauss,” Hotch greeted her. 

“The Director ordered me to supervise your operation,” she said. 

“Puts you right in the spotlight,” Rossi scoffed.

“Well, you've got gunmen with hostages in the Capital. The Hill's concerned,” she explained. 

“We're about to open lines of communication,” Hotch looked at her.

“What about a tactical assault?” she asked.

 “I don't think it's a good idea. There are hostages in front of the doors and windows,” Rossi explained.

 “What's your negotiation strategy?” she questioned. 

“The Jack's bleeding out. They'll ask for medical attention,” Rossi explained.

 “The female unsub might have something to say about that,” Hotch noted.

“Look at her body language,” Rossi pointed at the screens.

“Mm. She is cold and detached. The King seems genuinely concerned about his partner's welfare. But she couldn't give a damn,” you added.  

“The men probably know each other. Garcia?” Hotch asked.  

“Yes. Shuffling my technofabulous deck of databases, sir,” she started to type on her computer.

Rossi turned to leave and you followed him. He walked over to a tent set up in the street and started to dial a number. You grabbed the headset from next to the phone.

“Who the hell's this?” you heard an irritated voice say over the phone. 

“My name is David Rossi. I'm with the FBI. To whom am I speaking?” Rossi explained to the man. You realized that he was speaking with one of the robber’s.

“All right, I want a doctor sent in, and then I want out of here,” the man demanded.

“Well, we certainly can discuss that. Let the hostages go and we'll give you all the medical help you need,” Rossi tried to reason with the man.

“I can't do that. I need the leverage,” the man laughed.

 “How about a sign of good faith? Send out the women and children and I'll see what I can do,” Rossi kept his voice calm. 

“He's trying to negotiate,” the man wasn’t talking to Rossi anymore.

“Negotiate?” a woman said from the other side. “We're not playing games,” she was louder this time. 

“No, no, no, please! Daddy!” A little girl screamed from the other side. 

“Either we get what we want or everyone in this room dies,” the man demanded.

“Do that and you get nothing,” Rossi was more stern this time. 

“Take me instead. Please. Take me. It's ok, baby,” you flinched at the sound of a gunshot.

“Oh! Aah! Daddy!” the little girl screamed.

“You better send in some help or more people are gonna die,” the robber hung up. You took off your headset and looked at Rossi. 

Strauss walked over, “We're sending in a medic.” 

“That's just gonna give them another hostage,” Hotch walked over at the same time, along with Garcia.

“If they stop shooting people, it's worth it,” she explained.

“If we give in to one demand, we'll have to give in to them all,” Hotch argued.

“The Director disagrees,” she tried to reason with the three of you. 

“At least make it an Agent with medical training. That way he can take advantage of an opportunity if it comes,” Rossi negotiated. 

“Fine,” Strauss sighed and walked away 

“The brass thinks they'll act rationally, but there's no evidence of that,” Hotch whispered to Rossi.

“This is personal for the men. The King could have run after the initial gunfight, but he didn't. Instead, he pulled the partner inside out of harm's way. And stayed with him, while the woman searched the bank, presumably for a way out. He's more worried about the partner than he is about her running away,” you tried to make sense of everything they were doing.

“Garcia, narrow your search. I think the male unsubs might even be related,” Hotch turned to the blonde.

“Roger that,” she walked away quickly.

“What do we do now?” you turned to Rossi. 

“We wait,” He turned to look at the bank.

You and Rossi watched the area and all of the chaos. You could see Morgan talking to a medic. When the medic went toward the bank, Morgan walked over to you, Rossi, and Hotch. 

“We’re sending in the medic now, Chris,” Rossi talked with the man on the other line. “Tell Oliver help is on the way,” He hung up. The four of you watched the medic on a monitor set up by the phone, “This is not good, Hotch,” Rossi warned.

“Morgan, tell Green to make a move,” Hotch commanded.

Morgan leant into his walkie-talkie, “Green, you gotta go man. You gotta make a move.”

You watched the medic on the screen reach for his bag and try to pull his gun. Unfortunately the unsub caught on and shot Green twice in the chest before shooting him square in the head. Watching the agent get shot put all of you on edge. Strauss walked back to your tent.

“The director has ordered a full tactical assault,” she sighed.

“His last orders cost us an Agent,” Morgan retorted.

“SWAT's getting itchy fingers,” a detective said. 

“You remind SWAT that bank robberies are federal jurisdiction. No one fires until they're ordered to,” Hotch commanded. 

“Right,” the detective walked away.

“All right, when the crossfire starts, what's gonna happen to the hostages caught in the middle?” Rossi asked. 

“That's the wrong call, Erin, and you know it,” Hotch turned to her. 

“It's not my call,” she tried to shift the blame from herself.

“You're here and you're in charge,” Hotch reasoned. 

“So you want me to disobey the Director?” Strauss seemed offended.

“Yes,” Morgan pleaded.

“No,” Hotch corrected. “I just want you to buy us a little time. Don't be quite so efficient.” Strauss walked away.

“Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast,” Rossi whispered to Hotch. 

“All right. Reasoning with them is still our best option,” Hotch was stressed, you could see it in his body language.

“That'll be difficult. Chris just lost his brother and murdered someone in retaliation,” Rossi explained.

“We're dealing with two killers now,” you added.

“We have problems, sirs,” Garcia rushed to the four of you. “Outside nefarious sources have hacked into the surveillance feeds. I'm trying to I. D. them now. At least a couple of them are media outlets.”

“Can you block them?” Hotch asked. 

“No, not without blocking ourselves, too, sir,” she explained. She walked away.

“Call JJ and them,” Hotch told Rossi.

The detective and Morgan came back over by the time JJ answered the phone.

“What if the smaller banks were training runs from the Stratton brothers?” Hotch asked.

“Well, it could be. She took two relatively amateur thugs and turned them into an elite team of efficient bank robbers,” Morgan added.

“But why? To turn them into patsies? 

“All right, ok, so let's look at it. Up until now they've been highly organized, striking only on deposit days, when the most amount of cash is on hand,” Prentiss noted. 

“But today's different. It's their first Saturday hit, where families are present, more foot traffic throughout the day,” Reid explained. 

“It's a riskier attack,” you added.

“We should consider the media attention, too,” JJ reminded. 

“It's the first time they've had an audience,” Rossi related.

“That might be why the female unsub is so vain. She wants to look good for the cameras,” Prentiss explained. 

“She searches the bank but doesn't actually look for a means of escape. She appears to be almost enjoying the situation,” Rossi noted. 

“We know the brothers are in it for the money. What's she in it for?” Hotch asked. JJ hangup and everyone got back to work.

Rossi picked up the phone and dialed into the bank, you grabbed the headset to listen in on the call, “How do you want to end this, Chris?”

“I want out of here,” he was frantic. 

“How do you propose to do that?” Rossi asked. 

“I want an armored truck and a plane with a clear flight path to Switzerland,” he demanded.

“No, no, no. Chad,” the queen interrupted. “We want to go to Chad.” 

“Yeah. No agents with guns this time. We'll fly ourselves,” the call ended.

“That was weird,” you looked at Rossi who also noticed the odd nature of the call.

“I’ll call Prentiss and them,” Rossi walked away, leaving you by yourself.

You figured he went to talk to Hotch when you saw an armored call roll in front of the bank. Rossi, Morgan, Hotch, and the detective walked over to you a few minutes later. 

“Hi, I’m Y/N Y/L/N,” you held your hand out to the detective. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“William LaMontange Jr.” He returned your handshake.

“Enough pleasantries,” Hotch snapped. “These guys were too good to get caught, so why did they?”

 “911 received a call alerting them to a robbery in progress,” Will added.

 “Actually, it was a text. D. C. add 911 messaging after the Virginia Tech students texts went unanswered during the massacre,” Garcia’s voice came through the phone Hotch set down earlier.

 “Can you trace it, Garcia?” Hotch asked.

“Yeah. The message was sent from a cell phone that is currently inside the bank and was registered to a Larry Phillips Jr.” she finished tracing the phone incredibly fast.

“Why does that name sound familiar?” Strauss said from Garcia’s side of the call.

 “That's the name of one of the gunmen from the '97 North Hollywood bank shootout in California,” Rossi explained.

“So is this an homage?” you asked.

“Guys, that text was sent 30 seconds before they blacked out the security feeds for entry,” Garcia noted. 

“How is that possible?” Morgan was pacing.

“It didn't come from a hostage. It came from one of the robbers,” Rossi added. 

“She wanted us here,” you added.

“Garcia, get JJ and Prentiss down here,” Hotch ordered. “We’re going in.”

“What about Reid?” Garcia asked.

“Have him keep working from Quantico,” Hotch walked away.

After twenty minutes you hadn’t heard anything from the unsubs, but the queen was still walking around the bank. Eventually you saw JJ and Prentiss walk into the scene. They walked over to Morgan and Will, who were looking at maps on the hood of a police car. Rossi and Hotch were in the MCC with Garcia and Strauss. You saw Rossi leave the MCC and walk toward you. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. You grabbed the headset from the monitor and put them on.

“You know my favorite card in poker, Chris?” Rossi asked.

“What's that?” The unsub sounded cold.

“The wild card,” Rossi answered.

“I don't believe in wild cards. They dumb down the game,” Chris retorted.

“Well, I couldn't agree with you more, but, uh, in this case, you're the one that's dumb,” Rossi sending Chris insults surprised you.

“This your new negotiation tactic, insulting me?” He sounded offended.

“Oh, it's not a tactic. It's a fact. Didn't you wonder why you got caught, what went wrong when you did everything right? We got a message from someone in the bank before you started shooting,” Rossi explained.

“Impossible,” Chris sounded shocked.

“Now, I know it wasn't you, and I'm hoping it wasn't your brother. So, who does that leave?” Rossi pushed. Prentiss walked over to join you two. 

“You're lying,” he scoffed.

“Ask her,” Rossi persuaded him 

“Did you call the police?” He started to talk to the queen. 

“Is that what they're telling you?” She laughed.

“That's not an answer,” pointed out.

“Of course not. What do you think? They're trying to turn us against one another,” she was right about that. 

“Why would you even do that? Olly's dead 'cause of that,” his voice dropped. 

“I wouldn't. I'm trapped here, too,” she sounded offended that Chris would even think that she would turn against him. 

“Are you lying to me?” You saw Chris put a gun to the girl’s head. 

“We've come too far for you to start doubting me now. Lost too much. Hey. Hey... Don't let them tear us apart right as we're about to win. If you do that, Olly's death won't mean anything,” she was caressing his face.

“Enough. I'm done talking to you. I want to talk to someone who won't jerk me around face to face,” Chris became very hostile toward Rossi.

“No more Feds,” she cooed into the phone.

“I want to talk to the cop who shot my brother,” Chris demanded and hung up. Rossi looked at you before walking toward Hotch, who had joined Will and Morgan. You followed behind along with Prentiss who was just as shocked as you were.

“Chris wants us to send Will in,” Rossi explained when he reached the group.

“No. No, forget it,” JJ was quick to decide.

“JJ, if it means we can end this…” Will pleaded.

“What makes you think he won't shoot you the minute you walk inside?” JJ added.

“Look, he wants out of there just as much as we want him out,” Will protested.

“It's not happening. Forget it,” JJ continued. 

“There's no guarantee he won't retaliate for the death of his brother,” Hotch chimed in.

“I know you'd do it if you were me,” Will argued.

“Will, I get what you're feeling, but you are too close to this case to make that call,” Morgan noted.

“You're damn right I'm close. 4 people are dead because I shot his brother. And no one else needs to die 'cause of what I did,” Will was very heated at this point.

“This isn't about you,”  Morgan was quick to point out. 

“Risking your life won't bring them back,” JJ calmed him down quickly. 

“Sorry, Will,” Hotch sounded genuinely sorry. “Get him back on the phone,” Hotch turned to you and Rossi. The two of you were quick to scurry away back to the phone. Rossi picked it up and called the bank.

“Where's that cop, huh? I ain't got all day,” Chris shouted into the phone.

“What you're asking is difficult,” Rossi explained. 

“Well, I'll make it easy. Send in the cop, I'll let a couple hostages go. A sign of good faith. Isn't that what you said?” Chris was finally willing to negotiate.

“Releasing the hostages is a great first step in resolving this conflict, but we can't send someone else in to be killed,” Rossi explained.

“This ain't a friggin' debate,” You heard the phone hang up, but Rossi didn’t move it from his ear yet. That’s when the call picked up again. 

“It's... It's Shawn Harper,” a new person spoke. Within seconds there was a gunshot and screaming from the other hostages

“Ucch. You just killed Shawn Harper. Not me, you. I'm gonna shoot another hostage every 60 seconds until you send in the cop.” You heard the phone hang up.

The phone picked up again, “Annie. It's Annie,” you heard a woman sobbing over the phone.

“You hang in there, Annie. Help is on the way,” Rossi tried to calm her down. 

“You got about 30 seconds, Annie. I hope Agent Rossi doesn't make me shoot you, too,” the phone hung up.

“Y/N!” You heard Hotch shouting from the police car where JJ, Prentiss, Morgan, and Will were. You quickly ran over to meet him. “Have you noticed anything weird about this?” He explained. While he was talking to you Will walked away. You thought he was going to check in with SWAT, but when he started to walk toward the building you knew what was happening.

“What is he doing?” JJ asked. “No, no, no!” She shouted. Morgan had to hold her by her waist to stop her from approaching the bank. “Morgan, let me go!” She was kicking and screaming. Eventually she stopped fighting. You saw a woman and two children leaving the bank. There were two shots fired from inside the bank. JJ started to cry. Hotch had all of you move into the MCC. 

“Did you see where he was shot?” JJ asked. “Is he alive or dead Garcia?”

“I don’t know,” Garcia looked just as torn up as JJ.

“He was wearing a vest. He might be ok,” Prentiss tried to give her some comfort

“Might be,” JJ scoffed.

“They're not answering,” Rossi said as he came to join you guys. 

“All right, we need to get inside,” JJ stood up. 

“JJ, it's too risky. We don't have eyes in there anymore,” Morgan explained.

“Aaron…” JJ pleaded. No one ever called him Aaron. 

“Let's go in,” Hotch agreed, “but you’re staying out here.” He told JJ. “We can send Morgan, Prentiss, and Y/N in.” Everyone rushed out of the small room. Hotch quickly got the SWAT team together. 

You and Morgan took the front, Prentiss was going around to the side. Right before you were about to breach, all of the hostages came out of the building. 

Morgan leaned into his com, “Going in,” he told Hotch. 

You grabbed onto the back of your SWAT member and started to make your way to the building, but before you could get inside, you had all the wind knocked out of you as you were pushed to the ground by an explosion.

[itsthebeckyzone]

He Wanted More

Destiel fanfiction

Rating: idk fluff n stuff not getting will let ya know if it changes

Chapter 1: kind of a honeymoon

“Cas and I, we can’t do this.” Dean responded to Sam, hesitation in his voice. “Why not? you’re already best buds!” Sam replied, “Plus, it would work out much better if you pretended to be fake dating Cas. because,”

“Because i love him? No that makes it even worst!” Dean protested, he barley could keep his hands to himself with his brother around, but alone? with Cas?

“Dean, You know how much i need this weekend with Eileen. How much i need it to be good. you know how much i love her!” Sam said, “I need this proposal to be perfect. So please Dean, Let me have this.”

“Fine.” Dean mutters, “Great! I’ll go and fill up Cas!”

The two of them were on the way for the case, Cas’s mix-tape of Led Zeppelin was on.

“Apparently, What ever this is, it’s homophobic,” Dean opened, “That’s why our cover is as a gay couple, bait-wise.” Cas answered the non-asked question.

“Yea, yea, about that,” Dean said but stopped, Cas gave him a questioning look.

“You know, for the cover, we might have to, you know,” Dean stopped again, light red on his cheeks, “Kiss and stuff like that, I thought we could mark some ground rules, so no one gets uncomfortable and stuff...”

“i don’t mind. we do what’s necessary, it’s just for cover after all.” Cas replied, “Yea, just for cover.” Dean sighed under his breath. ‘It's going to be tough, Dean thought as he turned into the town’s main road.

as they got into the hotel reception shack they had to start with their act. the monster could be anyone so they needed to fool everyone. Cas took Dean hand in his, moving slightly closer to him while they were heading for the reception.

“May we have a place for two?” Cas asked the receptionist, “One kings?” the  receptionist asked. Dean almost asked for two Queens, but then remembered the case, and then he understood that means ONE bed, for the TWO of them.

“Of course,” He replied with a smile, tugging Cas closer to him. He is so going to kill Sam afterwards. “renting per month.” the receptionist took the fake credit card Charlie hacked for them.

As soon as they entered the small cottage he let go of his best-friend. “Sorry about that,” Dean said, “For what?” Cas asked, “I forgot that covering up as a couple mean taking one bed. i can sleep on the couch, you take the bed.”

“are you serious? This bed is quite big enough for the both of us. And i believe we’re close enough to share a bed without having trouble.” Cas argued. Dean just nodes in agreement and set on the bed. They had a long drive from the bunker, and Dean needed his four hours, even if his not so sure he’ll even get them. (BTW Cas sleeps, not a lot, but he does.) There was a half awkward half nice silence between them. “Well, i’m gonna go take a shower.” Dean got up from the bed and went into the bathroom. by the time he finished Cas was already asleep on one side of the bed. he fished a sleeping shirt from his duffel bag and put it on. He didn't want to sleep next to Cas only in his boxers. he got into the bed himself, carefully, trying not to wake the angel next to him.

Dean got to his edge of the bed as much as he could without falling of it.

Dean suddenly woke up, the clock showed it was 3 am. he tried to get up and wash his face. but a pair of arms around him stopped him from doing so.

Dean smiled a little before lying down again, wrapping his arms around the angel as well, not thinking about any of the possible consequences.

Dean woke up again, this time from his alarm. Cas was no longer in his arms.

“You’re awake? great. dress up, we need to catch the breakfast.” Cas said while sliding a shirt over his head. Dean looked away kinda blushing.

“Well, this is kind of a honeymoon and couples vacations town. they all live there for two or three months a year, renting or buying a shack...”

Dean recalled Sam’s words. they gotta be friendly and look for clues within the other residents.

They started walking down the street to the dining hall, Cas took his hand again. This time, he combined their fingers. Dean blushed a little, he looked at Cas but Cas looked to his side so Dean couldn't see his face.

The two sat down at one of the empty tables, but then someone set in front of them. "Hi! I'm Haley, and this is Rob, my husband. We've been here for the last two months! haven’t seen you yet, you’re new, right?” The blond girl, Haley, said.

Dean blinked in confusion. Cas took over and took Dean’s hand in his again, “Yes we are. I’m Castiel and this is Dean, my Boyfriend.” he kissed Dean’s cheek and Dean just blushed harder. “I’m sorry for my wife’s behavior, she’s just really likes meeting new people, we’ve been coming here for what, 5 years honey?” Rob asked his wife, “Yeas babe. since our first honeymoon!” Haley said happily, “So you know everyone in here?” Dean asked, getting into business. “Yes, Well, We sure try to.”

“yup, in fact, would you like to join us with the rest at the big table? They’re as eager as us to know you!” Rob suggested, “Yes, sure, thanks for the invite.” Cas accepted the invite and got up, just to be pulled back to Dean behind him.

“We need to be careful, I know we came as a bait cover but we don’t want too much attention before we figure out what is this and how to kill it.”

Cas put his arm around Dean’s waist and whispered to his ear, “I see, but we also don’t want to look suspicious, and non-suspicious couples don’t look at their significant other like his about to get them killed. relax Dean.” Dean blushed even harder (if it was possible) as Cas’s lips almost touched his ear.

They sat at the table with the rest of Haley and Rob’s friends.

“Hey everyone! These are Cas and Dean,” Haley said, “these are Eddie and Barb, Micah and Shontal, And Ellen and Page.” the 2 males and 4 females all smiled at them. They smiled back while being swallowed into the conversation.

“You know, Dean and I were getting worried about coming here, because of the mysterious murders.” Cas said, “Yea, Same here. it seemed like the victims were all homosexuals.” Ellen said, “we don’t know that! not that i’m saying anymore murders should occur but, Let's not rush into conclusions.” Page said.

“I can’t believe something like that could happen here.” Barb blurted out. Her husband put his hand on her back for emotional support. Cas looked at a gesture, absorbing it to himself.

”Well that got depressing real fast. Let’s change the subject!” Haley said, getting everyone’s attention.

“Yes! everyone! come this evening to our cottage! Micah’s brother works here and got us some of the finest wind in the area! We can get some room service and have a little gathering!” Shontal said in an excited ton, “Cas and Dean you two are more them welcome to tag along, If you want.” 

“Of course! We’ll be there!” Dean said with the most fake smile we could make.

“Oh that’s great! Right Micah?” Shontal addressed her husband, “Yes! one gay couple in a party is never enough.” Micah said, smiling. Micah’s words would have been offensive if he wasn’t smiling like that. Dean thought to himself, but the furious stare he got from Micah made him rethink about the offense level of what he said. 

By the time everyone finished eating Shontal already passed them her cottage number and told Cas that if he wasn’t gay he would have been her type.

Cas and Dean got into their cottage tried to come up with strategies.

“Haley seems to know this place well. She might be able to tell us some vital information,” Cas muttered, the edge of the pen he held landed on his lower lip. it hypnotized Dean.

“That Micah guy gave me the chills.” Dean blurted out loud while falling back onto the bed. “Yes, he seemed rather ‘Homophobic’, i suppose.” Cas replied, he looked at Dean, Who’s eyes were closed right now, the t-shirt he wore came up a bit at his belly, exposing a piece of skin.

Cas bit his lip’ holding back the need to touch that exposed skin. to touch Dean at all.

It was okay while they were out pretending, but as much as he’d like too he can’t touch him right now.

"Yea so I think we should put an eye on him." Dean said, "Shontal said something about his brother working here. Being an employee while killing gay people could be a great alibi."

"It's actually the killing method that disturbs me. The victims were butchered. But they're hearts and livers were missing." Cas said. he sat next to Dean. "Maybe it's a really hungry And homophobic werewolf?" Dean joked, opening one eye. "very funny Dean. I'm serious." Cas made it sound serious but Dean saw the curl of his lips to his joke. "Well

"Well, I say we go to Shontal's cottage and sniff around to see if we can find anything suspicious." Cas nodded in agreement.

"Cas! dean! Come in!" The blonde woman named Shontal welcomed them inside.

Dean already hangs his arm around Cas's waist to make it more 'real'. They set down on the couch with Barb, page, and Ellen, while the others were at the kitchen.

"So! How did you two love birds meet?" Barb asked. They already went through there back story one too many times. "Well, he actually saved me." Not so far from the truth, Cas thought. "I was failing my classes at college, that's where we met. It was like hell." (Pun intended) Dean explained, "and then there was Cas who suggested to help me with my English essays, and then on my legal course, and then on my love life." Dean said with a loving voice and buried his face in Cas's neck. Causing a surprised gasp from the angel.

"I'm gonna go get some food, " Dean said and got up from the couch. Cas nodded. "So! How long have you been together?" Ellen asked. "9 years." Cas said without a thought. "Woah! You think the bells gonna ring soon?" Ellen asked cynically. Cas gave her a confused look. "You think he's going to propose to you soon?" Page said. "I hope so..." Cas replied, not realizing how desperate he sounds.

(Chapter 2 here!) (Chapter 3 here)

[helihi]

Thoughts on RWBY Vol. 7

Quarantine day 20: I finally force myself to re watch volume 7 instead of doing my French homework.

Spoilers ahead for RWBY and How I Met Your Mother (yes).

Volume 7: The Story of a Broken Narrative Kingdom

The day has come where I finally sit down and watch the whole season again. Some of you wondered why I didn’t simply do a The Good, The Bad, and The Dirty review on the last episode of the volume like I did with the previous ones. The answer is the same reason why Ozpin’s speech at the end of the volume encapsulates the volume’s theme as a whole: finales affect the way you look at shows, comics, movies, and books. It provides a framing.

Did any of you watch How I Met Your Mother? For those of you who didn’t, it was a often called the show “which could replace Friends”. Something that you may not know is that fans of the show renamed it something among the lines of “How I should date your Aunt Robin” after the last episode aired. You see, the ending of the show changed the way most viewers see the show in the present.

The show had main character Ted Mosby narrate to his children how he met their mother. However, the story doesn’t begin during the day that encountered happen; no, it starts years before, when Ted declares he wants to settle down and find the love of his life. In that very same episode, he meets Robin Scherbatsky. In the end it’s revealed that the mother (the character we spent years speculating about) is dead (which I expected), and Ted asks his children if they give him the blessing to date their Aunt Robin. Originally, the fans could excuse episode 1 centering around Robin because it was the instance where Ted decided he wanted to settle down, but after the veil was lifted; there were no excuses, this whole story was a Ted’s way of convincing their children he should marry Robin, the main woman in his life during the whole show (even if we spend the last season on her wedding with one of Ted’s best friends).

Perhaps the ending of Volume 7 didn’t destroy the character development of 3 main characters, but it drastically changed the way I felt about the volume.

“The Kingdom of Atlas will remain safe, that’s my promise”- James Ironwood, Volume 7, Episode 1.

If you go back in my blog and read my reviews for most of the volume, you will find glowing ratings and stars. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love a good politics game in the shows/stories I read, so I was really excited when the writing team started developing that during the first half of the season.

Our gang (RWBY+JNOR+Q+M) reach Atlas after finding out that Oz is a fraud, that Salem cannot be beat (by Oz), and that Cinder almost took another maiden’s power. They quickly realize that Atlas is in a state of chaos and Ironwood is consumed by fear taking authoritarian measures, which keep the kingdom divided.

The stage is set:

 Ironwood, Winter, and the Ace Ops.

Robyn, the Happy Huntresses, and Mantle.

 Watts, Jacques, and Tyrian.

I thought the way everything was set was fantastic, I loved the political drama, and I thought the writers were taking their time properly. Even now I give huge kudos to the Schnee storyline, which is my favorite. The volume showed us how flawed Winter’s coping mechanism is, how Weiss is still susceptible to her father’s gaslighting and manipulation, and how the household isn’t just broken by Jacques (Willow apologists, pls read this).

However, the cracks started showing during the first episodes and I noted that on my reviews. We have characters used for exposition dump: from the Robyn supporter, that explains what we could’ve learned by the normal progression of the story, who gets killed as soon as he returns home, and other characters like Maria talking about Pietro while he’s standing right there.

In contrast to that, we get wonderful montages which show the passage of time. The kids interact with one another and the Ace Ops, they train, they help with Ironwood’s plan. It seems weird to have 2 different tools one after the other.

Also, it it weird for anyone that Qrow and Winter only interact 1 time during episode 2 when in Volume 3 a clear rivalry was established? Winter’s storyline was supposed to follow Penny’s, while Qrow was supposed to grow attached to Clover. Because these 2 characters had to reach a certain point in the story, they are not allowed to deviate from the interactions needed for the plot to advance.

Another thing occurred to me while re-watching the season again... Why is Ironwood so fixated in protecting Atlas when it’s floating in the air away from Grimm? Yes, we know that some Grimm can fly, but by the many times we see Mantle in chaos, you would think Ironwood would repair Mantle’s wall to keep it safe?

That’s the theme, guys, girls and nonbinary folks: a kingdom divided.

Just like the Atlas kingdom falls apart, the narrative of Volume 7 has a specific breaking point that marks the decline in quality (you can see that in my reviews). The moment everything went downhill starts in Episode 8, with the dinner at the Schnee Manor.

We spend much time developing the political tensions of the volume for Jacques to be promptly arrested and taken away from the scene in a second.

While Ironwood, Winter, Penny, and Clover are shown doing plot relevant stuff, team JNOR does that ridiculous gag to get Whitley out of Weiss’s hair.  The rest of the team do jackshit, and we don’t hear anything from them until everything is over. Again, the writers reached the plot point and forgot about everything else.

Also, Ruby looks sadly at Weiss when Whitley mentions that Klein was “let go”, yet Weiss has never talked about him to Ruby on screen. Claiming Weiss could’ve done that off screen strips away the possibilities of Weiss bonding with Ruby the same way she did with Yang when talking about their pain during Volume 5.

Such a large table, and only 4 council members, isn’t that kind of stupid? I mean, if Ironwood had 2 seats, numbers wise it makes sense, but who are those other 2 supposed to represent? Why haven’t we seen them before?

Robyn is told by Yang and Blake that Ironwood doesn't know who to trust. She proceeds to pressure him in front of people he clearly doesn’t trust. This is the first instance of OOC Robyn.

The walls crumbled, and everything became obvious as a viewer. Some other notable flaws:

Tension jojoing. The people in mantle will revolt! Except they aren’t. This happens in Episode 5, 6, and 9. The only real uprising is the last one. The other two were silly cliff hangers that make no sense when you watch the show again. (they didn’t make sense before either  and I complained).

Hey there, Watts! You may have an interesting backstory, except it’s only implied you are pissed off Penny got chosen as a major project instead of whatever yours was. Also, Paladin incident? What? If he is the main villain of the Volume, why not expand on him? I shouldn’t be surprised, Hazel and Tyrian are not that complex. And Cinder? It’s been 5 volumes and we barely know anything about her haha.

Robin! I love how civilized and smart you are when the volume started, choosing to observe and talk instead of acting against the main characters. How awful is it that you forget to keep your calm when a Serial killer is on the loose. It would be a shame if someone were to... die.

I already gave my 2 cents over Clover’s death, and I’m not going to repeat myself. I am sorry to all the Fair Game fans, I’m afraid bury your gays is till alive and well.

The nail on the coffin is the final episode: after making a speech about how Salem wants to divide people and how the only way to go is to remain united, James does the exact opposite thing the moment something doesn’t go according to plan. Don’t get me wrong, his PTSD regarding the queen chess piece was foreshadowed, but the moment team RWBY offer an explanation and identify the person behind it, he’s to far gone. Then, Salem shows up, and goes for Team RWBY when Ruby gets under her skin. This shows that Salem has a weakness and that Team RWBY can be trusted when it comes to defeating her, yet that is promptly ignored.

Also, Ironwood might be hurt about Yang and Blake talking to Robyn, but after everything, they were proven right: Robyn is to be trusted, Ironwood was making a mistake.

The whole setting up a trap to attract Tyrian wasn’t Ironwood going “mad with power” or something. Robyn knew he has lying and allowed Ironwood to catch someone who could hack everything. Not only that, but the camera zoomed in on Ironwood, so nobody could see Robyn’s handy Semblance going red. Or... maybe I’m looking too much into it and the writers expected you to forget.

Sorry, I guess James Ironwood had to take a bunch of stupid pills.

“I wish it didn’t have to end this way.” - Clover Ebi.

“It doesn’t have to, but the writers need that Branwen angst.” - Qrow Branwen.

Volume 7: Part 1 of the Atlas Arc

Have you ever heard of Checov’s gun? It is a dramatic principle that states that every element in a story must be necessary, and irrelevant elements should be removed. Elements should not appear to make "false promises" by never coming into play. Let’s play a game called the false promises of the volume that may carry over to volume 8?

Renora: Nora sides with Robin, Ren sides with Ironwood. They do not communicate with one another and the tension builds throughout the volume. They kiss, nothing gets resolved. Ren cries when Neo turns into Nora.

Training: Ren is shown to throw himself into the enemy as a flaw, he repeats the same mistake when fighting with Neo. Oscar’s Semblance is questioned, nothing comes out of it. Ruby’s Semblance is questioned, nothing comes out of it.

Cinder got beef with Atlas? For some reason, Cinder talks about Atlas hoarding power when speaking with Winter. Bitch, where the fuck do you come from? Who are you? Do I know you? Sorry, the writers forgot to write a growth arc for you. My bad.

Nora, daughter of Atlas? Can someone explain to me why she became a SWJ (/s) during this season? We never get a backstory of her previous to Kuroyuri and for some reason Nora is super attached to the people of Mantle. The daughter of Atlas title was thrown around, why?

It’s so nice to see tea FNKI back! Too bad they are there for 5 minutes and never show up again, not even when Mantle is supposed to be defended by all huntsmen. I guess this was fan service.

What’s the purpose of the Happy Huntresses? Isn’t it funny how the only one who got wounded by Tyrian is the only character who could see in the dark, but didn’t tell Robin that Penny wasn’t guilty? Hi Fiona, I don’t know why you exist.

Marrow: the butt of the joke. Since the first episodes, Marrow is shown as the outsider inside the Ace Ops: his teammates don’t take him seriously, Ironwood doesn’t think Marrow is up to the challenge of some missions, and he’s the only Faunus, the only one that seemed to sympathize with Robyn at the end. Too bad he wasn’t allowed to break his mold.

The World Building looks pretty, but it doesn't play the part.

I have to praise the art direction of this season. I was blown away by the aesthetics of Mantle clashing with Atlas, the details in the backgrounds, the world building by back messaging, screens, and posters. My favorite scene of the volume is the penguins in the tundra.

However, you have to walk the walk, and the writing team failed to deliver.

Racism: hey, I know you guys kinda messed up the White Fang’s internal struggles and opportunity to expand on Adam’s power grab and Sienna’s leadership, but maybe don’t skip the racist elements of Atlas? All we get are Faunus mine workers looking angry, that drunk dude who yelled at Blake and Marrow making a simplistic comment about politics. What...? What’s the point of acknowledging u are bad at writing racism and then do nothing about it? Did none of the new writers know how to tackle this?

In-World Continuity: Hey, wasn't the Vytal festival broadcasted to the entire world? When I saw that camera focusing on Yang on episode 1, I thought there would be a call back to what everyone saw her do during the finals, but nope. Let’s not bring that up again. ever. The only important thing about the Vytal Festival is the tower, move on.

Weapons upgrade: We were told that weapons were an extension of each huntsmen; too bad none of our gang actually work on them. Pietro makes all the modifications and repairs. I remember the bumblebee fans eager for a scene of Blake repairing Gambol Shroud, don’t tell me you’re not disappointed.

Atlas ball: not found. Hey! We have Jacques Schnee celebrating his fake victory on the elections! It would be a perfect moment to showcase the disconnect between what’s happening in Mantle and what the people in atlas thing. Too bad we didn’t wanna make extra character models.

--

Closing thoughts

I wanted to re watch the whole season again to see if the bitterness left on my lips after watching that chaotic finale went away, but it only grew. There are so many character choices that made no sense, so many scenes where characters stood around in the background doing nothing.

WHY THE FUCK DID OZPIN ONLY APPEAR AT THE END?

Oh, I’ll tell you why: he needed to give a speech about themes to justify the stupidity that happened during the last episodes to get to that cliff hanger.

I am disappointed in volume that seemed to be doing so good at the begging, but hey... at this point we shouldn’t be surprised, should we? Interestingly enough, the people who dreamed about the ball and the scenes of Blake fixing Gambol Shroud grew quiet after the episodes aired... 

Almost as if criticism wasn’t allowed on the RWBY tag.

AN: The titty window isn’t justified Salem, your ex is now a child that’s PEDO—

[tangent101]

Pricefield Dabbles

I found this list of “send me a ship idea” from @writsgrimmyblog and realized I could answer most of these for Pricefield! So... here we go! =^-^=

1. Who makes the first move and how? 

Max Caulfield after being dared by Chloe to kiss her now.

2. Who is the most insecure and what makes them feel better? 

It would be easy to claim Max, but to be honest both are equally insecure. Chloe is just better at hiding it except when things really start to pile up. What used to make Max feel more secure was taking photographs, at least before someone went and fucked that all up for Max. Now? Chloe helps Max feel better. As for Chloe... sappy as it sounds, Max helps her feel better. When you play LiS you see her slowly calm down and heal over the five days you see them together. Max is very much the catalyst for Chloe’s growth and healing.

3. Who is the most romantic? 

That depends on how you define “romantic.” But the person most likely to indulge on a whim to show the other how she feels is Chloe. Max is more likely to show her affection through physical actions - little kisses, spontaneous hugs, and the like... but Chloe loves the more sweeping gestures. Dragging Max out to a club to go dancing, making her dinner, or even bringing her to an art museum because Max commented on some artist who’s being exhibited there.

4. Who can’t keep their hands to themselves? 

It’s about equal. Chloe has no sense of personal space and is very bouncy. If she gets excited and enthusiastic she’s all over Max. But it’s Max who is more spontaneous and physically romantic with hugs and eventually kisses. Seriously, in LiS it’s Max who initiates the kisses we see, and I suspect that never truly changes for these two.

5. Who says ‘I love you’ first? 

Chloe. But it’s casual. The first person to say it in a tone that gets the other to blush and bite her lip is Max.

6. Who would they ask if they ever had a threesome? 

Steph. Max never met her as far as we know, but she was likely in college when the events of LiS happened. (Damn it, now I have another idea for a fanfic! Not a threesome, but for where Max and Chloe end up soon after the end of LiS....) Steph is very much a geek and Chloe likes and even trusts her. I could easily see Max becoming good friends with her as well.

While there are a lot of folk who’s want to see Rachel with them... well, even if Rachel were available, Max would feel entirely too self-conscious and feel that Chloe would be better off with Rachel. It wouldn’t work out without something to initially draw Max and Rachel together and then the two of them reaching out to Chloe. So with an existing Pricefield dynamic? Amberpricefield isn’t happening.

7. What do they get up to on a night out? 

They probably relax and enjoy each other’s company, helping each other in the kitchen cooking after a hard day working crappy jobs while trying to get Max’s pictures out there.

8. What do they like in bed? 

Cuddling. Sex is great and all that but just being together, touching each other gently, looking in each other’s eyes... realizing they’re together on a grand adventure called life and yeah it sucks at times and they miss those they left behind but... they’re together. That’s what’s important.

9. What's the most embarrassing thing they've done in front of each other?

Deliberately or accidentally?

Max would say the time she tried to do a striptease in front of Chloe and ended up falling on her ass because she had trouble getting out of the tummy-control nylons she picked up rather than stockings which you can take off one leg at a time. 

Chloe would claim she has no sense of shame but she probably feels rather wretched about some of the times Max ended up holding Chloe’s hair out of her face when she got shitfaced drunk and was worshiping the porcelain throne (and that’s one reason why she used to cut her hair short, damn it!)

As for accidentally? Walking in on each other when someone was... scratching an itch in the shower, shall we say? Though there was also a certain thrill to that so it might have become a game at times....

10. What two songs, two books and two luxury items do they take to a desert island? 

For Songs? Syd Matters "Obstacles" (Max absolutely loves this song), and oddly enough “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” by Meatloaf (for Chloe at least, Max hates the ending of that song).

For Books? Chloe loves the Lord of the Rings. Max is amusingly enough into Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice.

And luxury items? A solar-powered laptop with a huge screen and hundreds of movies downloaded into it, and a solar-powered fridge stuffed full of food and booze (Chloe said the second part. Actually she mentioned the laptop as well and even added “solar-powered” seeing she’s a bit of a geek under her at-times punk exterior).  

11. What do they hide from one another? 

Chloe hides the fact that at times she wishes Max could have saved Rachel, somehow. But she’s never going to ask as she doesn’t want Max to get hurt. As for Max? She hides that she still hears that bastard’s comment of “always take the shot” when she takes a picture and that at times it fucks up an otherwise perfectly fine photograph even though that bastard is rotting in jail.

12. What first changes when it starts getting serious? 

Max loses her nervousness. Seriously, when things get tough she suddenly hardens and becomes “SuperMax” and pushes up her sleeves. Chloe is very impressed with her and loves her to pieces, but also doesn’t want to see Max go through something like that again as afterward Max does fall to pieces and Chloe doesn’t like seeing her hurt. As for Chloe? She actually takes a backseat and does whatever Max tells her to. She trusts Max. 

13. When do they realize they should get together? 

They realized it when swimming in Blackwell’s swimming pool after the school was shut down for the night. But neither thought the other felt the same way. When Chloe watched Max strip down to jump into the pool she had to look away as she realized she was enjoying watching Max undress and Max... Max was talking in the pool and just... realized. She wants Chloe to remain by her side. Always. The kiss the next day in Chloe’s bedroom just was icing on the cake, even if it took them a couple more days to become “official” in each other’s eyes.

14. When one has a cold, what does the other do? 

Chloe makes a homemade soup for Max. She’s actually gotten fairly decent with her soups and experiments with various recipes. She then babies Max even as Max is all surly and insisting she doesn’t need to do this.

When Chloe inevitably gets ill afterward, Max repays the favor with the rest of the soup (Chloe’s realized that she usually gets sick afterward and has taken to making enough for a week at that point) while hiding her own symptoms as she’s still suffering a bit from her cold. But she’s not going to let Chloe know that because otherwise Chloe will push herself too hard!

15. When they watch a film what do they choose and why?  Who gets the final vote?

Bladerunner (the director’s cut). It’s their favorite. And it’s always unanimous. Though sometimes they indulge themselves with lighter fare like Princess Bride or Labyrinth. Or even Lord of the Rings because Chloe is a secret Tolkien fangirl

16. When the zombie apocalypse comes, how do they cope together? 

Max warns Chloe a couple days ahead of time and they get as much canned goods and the like as they can and then “go camping” - they end up far outside of the cities and someplace defensible until the military or cold weather ends up taking care of the zombies. 

17. When they find a time machine, where do they go? 

Yeah... no. No playing with time. Not anymore. Well, unless they met the Doctor at which point they go wherever the Doctor suggests because it’s the freaking Doctor, of course they’re going to go with her!

18. When they fight, how do they make up? 

Max shrinks in on herself and looks all hurt and Chloe just... she gets flustered and starts apologizing and then they start apologizing to each other and finally start laughing as the silliness of apologizing for “making” the other apologize just gets to them.

19. Where do they go on their first date? 

That depends on what you consider a “date” - I mean, that Blackwell swimming pool could have been a “date” after all. But their first real date after leaving Arcadia Bay? Chloe saw a little restaurant on the side of the road and then smiled, looked at Max, said “hey, how’d you like to go out for dinner? Just the two of us, and our stolen Blackwell money...” and Max blushed and said “we really shouldn’t spend it unless we have to” and Chloe just sweet-talked her into it and the food was only halfway decent but it was being together that just made it work for each other.

20. Where do they go on holiday? 

They’re kind of working retail and the like in hopes of getting Max’s photographs to various galleries. So there’s no actual holidays per say. But they have plans for Paris, one day. And they visited Chloe’s step-dad in Arizona and that went surprisingly well, David stopped being a step-douche and has kind of become a second dad for Chloe, and loves both Chloe and Max. Oh, it wasn’t all roses and the like, but it was David who reached out to them, and Max helped talk Chloe into visiting and giving David a chance. It worked out.

21. Where do they get nervous about going with one another? 

Chloe always gets nervous about going to a gallery with Max. She tried bleaching the blue out of her hair but... well, that just turned it into a mottled pale blue-green that she’s now just growing out and she’d have hacked it off by now but Max actually likes her hair longer so Chloe’s been putting it off. She still feels nervous going into art galleries and the like, she’s blacked out her sleeve tattoo with a black sharpy and is dressing less punk these days while trying to fit in with Max. But she still feels like an outsider at times.

As for Max? She’s nervous whenever they go into a club or go dancing. She thinks she can’t dance and that there are lots of girls better than her but... Chloe loves her. So she goes outside her comfort zone for Chloe. And enjoys herself. 

22. Where does their first kiss happen? 

Chloe and Max were in Chloe’s old bedroom and Chloe double-dog-dared Max to kiss her. Max did so. Chloe was very shocked and pulled away (useless lesbian that she is). Their next kiss (multiple kisses) was a couple days after they left Arcadia Bay.

23. Where is their favourite place to be together? 

To be honest? The place doesn’t matter. What matters is just... being together. 

24. Where do they first have sex? 

In Chloe’s truck a couple weeks after having left Arcadia Bay, and then finding a motel room because a truck isn’t exactly the most comfortable of places to have sex in, especially an older truck like Chloe’s was.

25. Why do they fight? 

Chloe thinks Max is pushing herself too hard and refuses to accept that she is talented. Max gets annoyed because Chloe just stacks dirty dishes in the sink rather than on the counter because if they’re all in the sink then you can’t wash them you have to take them out and Chloe just stacks more dishes on the counter next and... yeah.

26. Why do they need to have a serious chat? 

It was about Chloe’s step-dad. Chloe wanted nothing to do with him after they left Arcadia Bay. It didn’t matter that David helped in dealing with the Dark Room situation, Chloe had too many memories of David hitting her, and blaming herself for instigating David at times though that doesn’t forgive David’s actions damn it! But... Max insisted. She talked to Chloe about David, and about how Chloe’s mom allowed this to happen and blamed Chloe instead... and even about how she should forgive David and move on. 

In the end? Chloe feels a lot better about listening to Max. David will never replace William. But he’s kind of stopped being her step-dad and is more her real dad now. Enough at least that Chloe’s the one who calls David.

27. Why do their friends get annoyed with them? 

Chloe will blow off plans to get together because she doesn’t want to. Sometimes it’s because Chloe is exhausted after working retail and they are trying to make ends meet but... yeah. And Max? Oh Max, we love you dearly but will you start actually believing in yourself more? You’re a talented photographer and when Victoria or Steph tell you you’re good, just accept it rather than try to insist they’re wrong. *shakes head*

28. Why do they get jealous? 

Max remains jealous of Rachel to this day. And she does get a bit miffed when Chloe compares Max to Rachel because Rachel was so much more awesome than Max is and is Chloe wanting Rachel by her side instead of Max? 

As for Chloe? She’s scared that Max regrets her choices and will leave. She is so scared of being abandoned. Max left for five years... yeah, it wasn’t Max’s choice, her parents moved away when she was only 13, but part of her feels that Max could have made more of an effort to remain in touch even as she realizes she in turn could have. And she’s scared Max will find someone else.  

29. Why do they fall a little bit more in love? 

Chloe sees Max doing something, be it suddenly geeking out over a perfect photography opportunity or a bit of art or even just a computer game, and her heart just... contracts. At times she has to restrain herself from spontaneously hugging Max, especially if Max was geeking out while taking photographs as she doesn’t want to ruin a perfect shot. 

As for Max? Waking up and seeing Chloe sleeping next to her... she falls in love deeper and deeper every day.

30. Why does it work (or not work) between them?

Because they’re Max and Chloe. And they’ll always be together. Always.

[shining-red-diamond]

Ch. 17: Side Effect

Cast of Characters//Ch. 1//Ch. 2//Ch. 3//Ch. 4//Ch. 5//Ch. 6//Ch. 7//Ch. 8//Ch. 9//Ch. 10//Ch. 11//Ch. 12//Ch. 13//Ch. 14//Ch. 15//Ch. 16//Ch. 17//Ch. 18//Ch. 19//Ch. 20//Ch. 21//Ch. 22//Ch. 23//Ch. 24//Ch. 25//Ch. 26//Ch. 27//Ch. 28 (coming soon)

Words: 869

Pairing: OT8 x OCs (Yeosang x Phoebe in first half)

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: mentions of blood, medical procedures, and injuries

Phoebe busied herself with hacking the Taj Mahal’s security system while Yeosang washed up and changed clothes in the bathroom. The late afternoon sun was high in the sky with the flying ship as the bright rays warmed up the room. Phoebe her little space fan turned on to keep herself cool. Freshly cleansed and feeling better, Yeosang stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a change of clothes, leaving the air vent on to soak up steam from the shower. The first thing he saw when he stepped into the room was Phoebe’s golden locks. The sun’s rays were always the perfect lighting to let her hair shine, and he always loved how it always stood out.

When she sensed his presence in the room, Phoebe looked up and smirked.

“Hey, handsome,” she greeted.

He immediately blushed as he sat down on his bed. Opening the drawer in his nightstand, he pulled out a small brown book and began flipping through the pages.

“What’s up, Yeo?” Phoebe asked, almost snickering at her own pun.

“After Dahae identified the poison as snake venom,” Yeosang explained, “and knowing how deadly it was, I began the process to make a medicine for San’s wound after the venom was removed.”

“So, what’d you reach your book for?” Phoebe’s brow arched.

“The medicine is an anti-biotic to help keep San from getting an infection.” Yeosang turned to the page he was looking for, but frowned.

“What?”

The medic tsked. “It’ll help, but one of the side effects is fatigue.”

“So, he’s either gonna be sleepy or cranky,” Phoebe chuckled.

“Let’s hope it’s sleepy. We don’t need our navigator irritated if he tries mapping out our next course.”

“Is that why you frowned?”

“Other than the captain, he’s our human compass.” Yeosang stood up and kissed his girlfriend. “He’s going to have to sit out on our next stop in order for his wound to heal properly. I’ll be back.”

Phoebe smiled. “I should be finished before then.”

Yeosang had just reached the door when Phoebe stopped him. “Yes?”

“You were brave back there.”

It took him a few seconds before he realized what she was talking about. He shyly smiled. “Well, with the adrenaline rushing through me mixed with knowledge that we were about to become human toast, I think it gave me super strength.”

“That can happen,” Phoebe shrugged. “Regardless, you still acted courageously.”

-

“I don’t think the bombs or the arrow in San’s back were an accident,” Jongho said. “The only things triggered by the rocks were the arrows.”

After landing in an isolated area in India, the crew held a meeting to discuss recent events and sort out their next plan of action. However, due to San’s injury, they had to meet in the Chois’ bedchambers. San was propped up on a few pillows, and his wife sat up by him, her baby bump protruding a bit more. Some of the crew sat on either the floor by the numerous baby supplies, the edge of the bed, or they just stood while Mingi straddled the desk chair.

“What makes you think so?” Hongjoong asked.

“As you were leaving the catacombs, the first bomb dropped without you knowing where it came from. When the second one fell, it came from the slit in the ceiling. Bombs like that don’t just fall on accident. They have to be triggered, and, from what you’ve described to me, these bombs have a pin that needs to be pulled in order to go off.”

“What about the arrow?” Grace-Anne asked, Seonghwa’s hands resting on her shoulders. “That couldn’t have been launched from the cave. We were at least a mile and half away and above ground.”

“The arrowhead was coated with snake venom,” Dahae pointed out. “Had it even made it into San’s bloodstream more than it did he’d be dead within five minutes of him being hit.”

“And with the makeshift wedge somehow removed from the lid,” Phoebe chimed in. “Someone clearly doesn’t want us finding the diamond pieces.”

“Agreed,” Hongjoong nodded. “However, we still need to stay on guard at all times. We’ll be landing in India soon, so I want everyone to rest and prepare.”

As the crew left the room, Yeosang approached San with a small orange, capsule in his hand. Inside it was what looked like a light-colored powder.

“It’s an anti-biotic to prevent any infections on your wound,” he explained. “Just pour about a teaspoon in a glass of water and let it dissolve. A half a glass each night should do it.”

“Why at night?” San asked as he took it and examined it. “I don’t mind taking it with my breakfast.”

“Fatigue is a side effect of the medication.”

San just nodded. “Well, at least I’ll sleep good.” He put the capsule on his nightstand and tried to get up.

“And also,” Yeosang added, “I would like for you to sit out on this trip.”

San tried to object, but Celestia stopped him. “You’re back needs to heal, sweetheart.”

“Are you gonna take care of me?” her husband asked as he relaxed back on the pillows.

“Given the fact that I’m days from giving birth, I am.”

-

@actuallythatwaspromise​ @barsformars​ @hyyunjins​ @a-tiny-8iny​ @s1ardusk​ @sweetheart--sannie​ @floraisann​