#and then worry about how to go about gluing them into frontiers

[antirepurp]

his animations are mine what atrocities will i have to do to them to put them into frontiers? whomst knows

[ladyblogger-margie]

Permit Pending  - Part 7

Pairing: Will Miller (Triple Frontier) x F!Reader

Summary: The day of Tom’s funeral brings the tension between You and Will to new heights. 

Word Count: 3563

Warnings: 18+ ONLY (Unprotected PinV sex, creampie) 

a/n: This is the second last chapter of the series! I haven’t been able to stop writing it and deeply want to thank everyone whose read and shared the series so far. 

Series Master List

Forgiveness

Tom’s funeral was a quiet affair, smaller than you had expected considering his military career. You were anxious through the entire graveside ceremony. You held Will’s hand when he reached for it, and you winced along with him during the 21 gun salute. 

You watched sadly as the officer placed the folded flag into Molly’s hands and when she caught you watching you blinked hard and looked up at Will’s stoic face. 

You two had barely spoken since he got back a few days ago. It hadn’t been easy to have a proper conversation since you had been hosting an unexpected guest. Pope had nowhere else to go he said and subsequently had been crashing in your guest room - a room you hadn’t even begun to unpack or set up properly yet. 

Pope was a good man, you knew that now that you had met him, but he and Will were keeping something from you and you didn’t like it, not one bit. 

At Molly’s house after the service, you tried to be helpful and keep the garbage and empty dishes tucked away neatly. You wanted to give Will his space to be with his family, to comfort his friend’s grieving ex wife and her children. Though whenever you looked up from scraping a plate or dumping an abandoned coffee, Will was always there at your elbow and you were overwhelmed with guilt. 

Things had been tense to say the least between you two since his return and you felt that he was sticking so close to you now as a direct result of that. You wondered if he felt like he owed you his attention and his time as penance for his disappearance. You wanted to tell him that it was okay, that you were okay if he took care of his friends, but you didn’t know how. 

Will kept a hand on your lower back as he watched you put a few empty paper plates into the recycling and wanted nothing more than to collapse completely into your arms. He didn’t want to be here, he didn’t know how to be here. He had been clinging to you like a life preserver all day; feeling you under his touch, seeing you, smelling you, was the only thing keeping him afloat through the day. 

Molly had been polite, but she didn’t want anything more from him or the guys, Pope had brought them all to her place straight from the airport so he could be the one to break the news, and explain the nature of the trust they all had left to her and her children in Tom’s name. Molly said she didn’t blame them, that she knew Tom, and knew something like this was going to take him if the bottle didn’t take him first. She had done what she could to absolve them of their guilt, but she also owed them nothing more than what she had already given, and Will knew that. Her focus now was on the girls. 

So Will had glued himself to your hip and used you to keep him grounded. Benny hadn’t stayed long, unable to keep the tears from his eyes but equally unable to stomach the idea of making a scene. When Benny left, Maria had pulled you away from Will so Will had followed Benny out to his truck. 

“You going to be okay getting home alone?” Will asked his red-eyed younger brother. 

“No problem, big brother,” Benny said with a forced smile, “I’ll be fine.”

Will hugged Benny, “I do need to come by sometime soon though, pick up that ring.”

Benny paused, “Are you sure this is the right time?”

“I should’ve done it before I left, and now I know for certain I can’t live without her,” Will said. 

“How are things with you guys though?” Benny posed, knowing the answer wasn’t good. 

“I love her,” Will said. 

“I know,” Benny said, “But you’ve got some work to do first.”

Will shook his head, “I thought you’d be happy for me, for us.”

“I’m just trying to look out for you,” Benny said and Will knew it was true. 

“I’ll pick it up later this week, doesn’t mean anything’s going to happen yet,” Will said, ending the disagreement in a compromise. 

Benny nodded and headed out. 

Maria hugged you after she pulled you away from Will. 

“How are you?” she asked. 

“I just don’t know what to do. I feel like everything I do just pulls us farther away from who we used to be,” you said with a sigh, “How’s Frankie?”

“He’s not sleeping,” she admitted, worry lines etched on her face. 

“And you?” you followed up. 

“I love him,” she said with a sad smile, “I’m just glad he’s home and this isn’t his funeral.”

You nodded and noticed Will return and hug Frankie who was in the front hall with Maria’s coat. 

“I’ll call you this week,” you promised her with a hug and she kissed your cheek as Will rejoined you. 

“Are you ready?” Will asked you, his hand back on your hip. 

“Yeah, we’ll just say goodbye to Molly and the girls,” you said, and you led the way. 

Already with Molly was Pope. You watched tears fall down his face as she hugged him and he said he was sorry and left. You were next. You shook Molly’s hand and offered her your condolences before moving out of the way for Will to step in. 

“He loved you very much,” Molly said to Will who shrunk under her touch. 

“If there’s anything at all you need,” Will said, “I’ll be here.”

She nodded and he considered himself dismissed. He led you from the room, his hand wrapped around yours, gripping you tightly, and he met Pope in the front room. Will patted Pope on the back and led him out of the house. 

You tried to pull your hand from Will’s to give him space for Pope, but he pulled you close to him with a sharp tug. You stumbled to keep up as he pulled you under his arm. He walked you to his truck and let you in and closed the door behind you. You watched as he talked to Pope out front. Pope nodded and stayed back as Will climbed in the driver’s side. 

Will was halfway home, his hand firmly on your knee, before you finally spoke, “Why didn’t Pope come with us?”

“He’s taking some time, he’ll bring home dinner,” Will said. 

You really felt that Will was keeping something from you, but didn’t think that moments after his best friend’s funeral was the right time to call him on it, so you sat there in silence instead. Something else had happened while he was away that he hasn’t told you. You didn’t know if it was something about you for sure but you did wonder if his experience had him rethinking your relationship and if he was currently planning an exit strategy. 

When you arrived home, you didn’t wait for him to open your door for you and just marched yourself inside to your bedroom. You were struggling with the zipper on your funeral dress when Will joined you. 

“Let me,” he said before he helped. 

You sighed and dropped your own hands from the zipper and let him drop your dress to the floor, leaving you in your bra and panties. He grazed his lips across your shoulder as he ran his hands up your now trembling arms. 

You turned to face him, your voice shaking, “What do you need?”

“You,” he breathed into your open mouth before he wrapped you tightly in his arms and kissed you hard and fast. 

You matched his pace, pushing your tongue hungry into his mouth as you gripped his strong arms tightly. He unclasped your bra swiftly and didn’t break your kiss to strip it off you before he kissed your neck and trailed down to your exposed breasts. 

He took your nipple in his mouth and slipped a hand down the waistband of your panties. He pushed one finger inside you, ramping up the pace, and he pulled your nipple between his teeth. 

You rocked your hips against his hand and palmed him through his uniform pants, very aware of his state of fully dressed versus your near nakedness. Before you could comment, he pulled his hand from you and spun you backwards. 

You dropped to your hands on the edge of the bed and he pushed your panties down your legs, helping you step one foot out of them leaving them around one ankle as he pushed your legs apart. He undid his belt and unsheathed himself from his uniform pants. He leaned into you and you could feel the fabric of his uniform starchy and rough against your sensitive skin. 

He reached one hand around to your face, “Spit,” he begged you and you did. 

He pumped himself with the spit covered hand and gripped your ass with the other. You braced yourself against the bed as he lined himself up at your entrance. With a gentle push, he entered you, long and thick and it took all your strength to remain sturdy as he fucked into you hard and rougher than usual. 

His hands gripped your hips to help keep you steady as he fucked into you, and you moaned when he hit that special spot inside. He dropped one hand to your clit and squeezed your hip tighter with the other. He rubbed your clit in time with his thrusts and your vision blurred as your orgasm built deep inside you. 

“I need you to cum for me, sweetheart, he said with a grunt. 

You pushed back against his thrusts, feeling him deep inside you with a hand on your clit and you came hard, clenching around him as you cried out his name. 

“That’s my girl,” he said and he came inside you. 

He caught his breath for just a moment before he pulled out of you and turned you around and up into his arms. You felt his cum and your juices leaking down your legs, but you didn’t care. You just needed him so you took him in your arms and kissed him. 

He held you there, your body trembling in his arms and he felt warm for the first time all day. He nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck and breathed you in deeply, committing every one of his senses to you. 

You pushed him away and looked up at him, and you saw that secret in his eyes that had been there since his return, an uncertainty that wasn’t there before he left. 

“What are you keeping from me?” you asked, sitting on the bed, not caring about the mess. 

He dropped to his knees in front of you, his uniform askew, and put his forehead to your knees. 

“I love you,” he said against your knee, and kissed your goosebump covered flesh. 

“Will,” you said with your finger under his chin and you forced him to look at you, “You’re keeping something from me, and I want to know what it is. I deserve to know if you’re getting ready to bolt.”

He stared at you completely frozen, “Bolt?” he asked. 

“I am never going to understand what you’ve just gone through, I know that now. And if you need someone who will, I get it,” you said, the words running through your lips faster than you could control them, “But you need to tell me so I’m not sitting here like an idiot in love with someone who doesn’t see a future with them. You don’t owe me anything but the truth.”

You felt the tears in your eyes and tried to wipe them before they fell, but Will grabbed both of your wrists in one of his large, powerful hands. He used his free hand to wipe the tears that fell ugly down your cheeks. 

“Sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere,” he promised. 

You closed your eyes, overwhelmed with relief. When you opened your eyes again, you saw the grimace on your face, and the relief vanished as quickly as it arrived. 

“I am keeping something from you,” he admitted and you stopped breathing, “But it’s not about us, though maybe after you hear what I’ve done, it’ll be you looking for the door.”

You opened your legs where you sat and pulled him between them, wrapping them around him. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” you promised. 

He buried his face in your stomach and you could feel his beard tickle your skin and you remembered all the times he had used it to tickle you into a tizzy, and when you’d use his beard to pull him in closer to you. You relished in the feeling of his beard on your skin as you let him compose himself. 

He pulled himself out of your embrace and looked up at you with his sad, blue eyes and told you the truth; “I gave Pope the coordinates for the money we left behind. He’s still got them and I don’t know what he’s going to do with the information.”

You blinked rapidly, trying to process the unexpected reveal, “You’d go back if he asked you,” you said, not as a question, but a statement of fact. 

“I’d have to,” Will said, his voice shaking. 

You bit your lip, completely unprepared for this scenario, “Okay.”

He looked up at you, “Okay?”

“Okay, we’ll deal with this together. He may not go, he may not ask you,” you explained, “We don’t know what’s going to happen, but I promise you we will face it together, if you’ll let me.”

He grabbed your face in his hands and kissed you, rising off his knees and pulling you to your feet where you wrapped your arms around his neck. 

You kept kissing him as you worked to undo the buttons of his uniform, but stumbled. He smiled into the kiss and replaced your hands with his own and made quick work of opening his jacket and shirt to expose his bare chest to your aching fingers. 

You slipped the jacket and shirt off his shoulders and kissed him along his now exposed collarbone. You winced at the sight of his still freshly healing bullet wound and gingerly traced your fingers around the developing scar. 

“I love you,” you said to him, “I’m so glad you’re home.” 

You helped him remove the rest of his clothes and he picked you up by your thighs and held you in his arms as you wrapped your legs around him.

He pushed your back up against the bedroom wall and you felt his erection press against you. You were dripping with your own arousal and the remnants of his semen and so when he guided himself to your desperate heat, he entered you with a satisfying squelch. 

You kept your legs around him tight as he thrust up into you slowly, leveraging you against the wall and pressing himself entirely up into and against you. You dropped your elbows to his shoulders and ran your fingers up the back of his head and through his hair. Your legs were tight around him and you saw him wince slightly when you squeezed. 

“You okay, baby?” you asked, your hand under his chin forcing him to look you in the eye. 

“I’m with you, sweetheart, I couldn’t be any better,” he said and he kissed you hard as he thrust up into you deep and smooth. 

He fucked you against the wall hard and slow until you came messy and loud, taking full advantage of your empty house. He fucked you through your orgasm and you kissed him hard and sloppy, pulling his lower lip between your teeth. 

He dropped his head into the crook of your neck and nipped at your throat before he came with a grunt against your flushed and sweaty skin. You pulled him into a tight grip as he held you against the wall panting. You giggled when his legs began to shake and you kissed him gently. 

“Come to bed with me,” you said and he carried you to the bed. He set you down tenderly and pulled out of you slowly leaving you empty and exhausted. He slipped into the bathroom for a damp washcloth and returned to clean you up, muttering praises and adorations in your ear as he did. 

He threw the used cloth into the sink and crawled into bed with you. He scooped you into his arms and snuggled into you close. You held each other in the afternoon sun and drifted off to sleep, finally whole, finally at peace. 

You woke with a start when you heard the front door open. Will tensed beside you on high alert so you put a hand on his arm, “It’s just Pope with dinner,” you reassured him. 

He nodded, but stayed tense as he dressed quickly in a sweatsuit and he told you to stay in bed as he went out to check. You heard the low murmurs of a conversation in the other room so you dressed yourself in Will’s clothes and returned his hat to your head and went out to join them. 

Pope had brought your favorite home for dinner and you had a sneaking suspicion that he had asked Will for the details, but you wouldn’t dare call him out on it because you did truly appreciate the gesture. You smiled at him and he looked better than when you left him behind at Molly’s. 

“Thanks for dinner,” said with a hand on Pope’s forearm. 

“You both have been such excellent hosts,” Pope shrugged. 

“You keep bringing dinner, and you’re welcome any time,” Will said, helping Pope serve out the meal. 

The three of you laughed and sat down to eat. A comfortable silence fell between you, as you settled into a proper meal as a family at the kitchen table. It made the whole house feel like the home you had been so excited to build with Will, and while it had been a long, hard, sad day, it truly felt like a new beginning also. 

When you’d finished eating, you sat together in comfortable silence. You put your feet up across Will’s lap and nursed the beer on your hand. Pope smiled at the two of you and cleared his throat.

“I’m leaving tomorrow,” he said, “I’m going to Australia.”

Will smiled knowingly at him, an inside joke you knew he’d explain to you later, “I’m happy for you.”

“So soon?” you asked. 

“Yeah, I think it’s time I settle down,” he said, finishing his beer, “You guys make it look, well, possible.”

Will smiled at you and it always made your heart flutter when he had that look of complete and utter adoration in his blue eyes, “I hope you find her,” Will said. 

You smiled at Pope, “If it’s your last night, let’s get the boys ‘round and give you a proper send off.”

Will nodded and Pope couldn’t hide a smile, “I don’t want to pull them away from anything.”

“We’re with you, for life,” Will explained to him as he sent the text to Benny and Frankie. You also texted Maria to ensure she and Hector came too; it needed to be a family affair. 

Everyone showed up not long later, Maria with some freezer burned ice cream and Benny with a couple cases of beer. Frankie put on the music and Pope spun Maria in a twirl after she thrust Hector into your arms. Frankie grabbed Benny into a dance and together they teased Pope for his smooth moves, leaving you all clutching your sides in laughter. The house really was a home now as you held Hector in your arms as you nestled neatly under Will’s arms. 

Will looked down at you with the baby in your arms and it took everything for him not to ask you to marry him right there at that moment. He had a plan and he was going to stick to it. You’d let him get away with a very simple first date, a very casual move-in request, he was going to do this proposal right and give you the gesture you deserved. Instead, he just took in the moment when his family was together and while losing Tom had been a blow, he knew that Tom would want this for all of them and the knowledge brought him peace. 

Benny bowed in front of you so you passed Hector to Will and the sight of him holding a baby pulled at something inside you that you’d deal with later. You took Benny’s outstretched hand and joined him on the makeshift dance floor in your living room and Pope and Maria danced literal circles around you. 

When the rest of them left late in the night - Pope asleep in your guest room - Will held you in his arms as you swayed slowly to your favorite love song. You wanted the night to last forever, and you told him so. 

“It can,” Will said, “I feel like this every day that I’m with you.”

Then he kissed you and you melted into him, the two of you becoming one. 

Part 8 

[amara-scott]

Unexpected Journey

Movie: Triple Frontier Characters: Tom "Redfly" Davis x Reader Categories: some Angst, yelling, a lil fluff (good ending?)

"Could you pass me the salt?" I ask, stirring the sauce while keeping my eyes on the recipe that is written in this old book my mom gave me last month. She said even her grandma used it for cooking. Definitely looks and smells like that. I sigh, glancing up and see Tom staring down at his phone. "Earth to Tom?" I swing the tea cloth over my shoulder and lower the heat of the stove, seeing as the sauce is done anyway.

I take a couple careful steps toward his figure, him leaning against the countertop a few feet away. He is chewing his lower lip, deep in thought. His fingers moving across the screen as he types away.

"Hey there." I say, tilting my head slightly, trying to take a better look at his face. He finally meets my eyes but only shortly, looking back down onto the screen.

"Hey." He replies. At least. I throw the towel onto the counter next to him and stroke his upper arms.

"What's up?" I ask, not trying to come off as too nosey. He sighs, locking his phone and placing it onto the counter beside him before fully paying attention to me. He sends me a small smile. A tight one that doesn't reach his eyes.

"Nothing, all good." I hum at his reply, raising a brow, not believing him. He wipes at his face, gulping and turns to the side, my hands falling off his forearms I kept stroking with my thumbs.

He walks over to the pot, stirring and tasting with a spoon, his eyes squinting. "Needs salt." He holds out his hand to me and I grin, shaking my head as I see his smirk growing.

___

"-And I told her, you can't just walk up to him and say that! He'll think you're insane!" I giggle as I tell him about last weekend where I went out to drink cocktails with my best friends from high school. It's been way too long since I've seen them, us all having lives but all kept living in the same town we grew up in together.

He chuckles along and takes another bite of his potatoes, dipping them in the sauce. He seemed distant all day. Especially after that text conversation earlier.

"So, what's going on, Tom?" I try again, gently.

"Nothing, why?" He looks up, sitting up straight and takes the napkin to wipe his mouth before taking a sip of his beer.

"Just- you seem distant and like something is bugging you or someone-"

"-(Y/N), everything is good. Don't worry, okay?" He tries again but I don't get that reassuring feeling whenever he says 'it's all good'. Quite the opposite actually. The more I hear it, the less I believe it.

I place down my fork and clear my throat, drinking my wine. I place the nearly empty glass back down on the table and sit back, crossing my arms. Eyes boring holes into the table cloth.

"It just doesn't seem that way, is what I'm saying-"

"Seriously, let's drop this, okay? Nothing is the matter, you're about to make a big fuss over nothing. Just- don't." I look up at him as he uses his stern voice, like he's scolding me. I frown at him, rubbing my thighs, the topic really itching me and he knows it.

"But if something was the matter, you know you can talk to me, right?"

He sighs, closing his eyes, jaw tight. He stands up then, taking our plates and walking into the kitchen. I look after him and regret saying anything. My eyes back on the table, the rain outside catching my attention next. Loud, whistling wind and hard droplets coming down on the windows.

What a great date night. I stand up with a heavy sigh and take our glasses, following him into the kitchen. He's loading the dish washer as I walk up next to him to empty our drinks and he steps aside, giving me room to add the glasses to the dish washer. I close it and when I turn around he is gone. Way to avoid me now. After grabbing two bottles of water for us I head up as well.

I enter the bedroom but he's not here, neither in the bathroom. So he's in the study. I roll my eyes and place the bottles onto our night stands, getting ready for bed. I thought we'd have a romantic dinner and maybe even have sex but- I guess not. I am mad at myself for ruining this. But also disappointed, he clearly keeps something from me that is bugging him. But I realise it's probably for the better to just give him space.

I pull my dress over my head and glance at myself in the mirror as I take one of his shirts from the drawer. My new lingerie set. I huff, pulling off the black lace bra and throw it into the corner, missing the chair but I don't care right now.

"Tom, you coming to bed?" I ask down the hall as I enter the bathroom.

"Yeah, in a few." So, no. He won't. He will wait until I'm asleep.

Once between our comfy sheets I lie there, staring at the ceiling and listening to the rain. Soon my eyes drop closed and I drift off.

Light kisses to my neck stir me half-awake but I don't move, nor do I open my eyes. I feel him cuddling up to me, arm around my waist as he pulls me a bit tighter against him, breathing down my neck. I shift my hand up, placing it above his' and lacing our fingers. His thumb running across my hand as he leaves a kiss on my shoulder.

"I love you." He whispers, his beard tickling my neck. He told me one day that he hates going to bed without telling me at least once. I smile into my pillow but don't answer. Hoping he believes I fell back asleep already.

___

The next couple days we don't talk as much. Silent smiles and quick kisses. That's all. But I want to give him space. I remind myself every day. I know I would want the same.

We sit at the table, eating breakfast in silence. I choose to make his favourite for him while I eat cereal. Not really in the mood for anything fancy. The radio is playing in the background softly. The window open, allowing fresh air to enter our kitchen and the morning sun warming my skin.

"Santiago wants to come over later." He says and keeps his eyes glued to the newspaper beside his plate. I take a sip of my orange juice and nod.

"Does he want to stay for dinner? I wanted to make fresh homemade pizza." He nods, sending me a small smile.

"Sounds good." Conversation over. I hold back a sigh and stand up, clearing the table off dirty dishes and grab a few bags from under the sink.

"I'll go get some groceries, I'll be back later." I kiss his cheek, leaning over his shoulder and he places his hand on mine that rests there. His lips brush against my knuckles.

"I love you." He says, glancing at me over his shoulder as he lets go of my hand. I smile and kiss his cheek again.

"Love you more." I walk into the hallway and put on my shoes, grabbing my keys and phone, throwing both into my bag.

"Do you need anything else, Tom?" I call out but he says no, so I walk out the door, taking the silver pick up to get shopping.

Once I'm done I make my way back, parking in the driveway, another car already there. Santiagos. I smile, finally someone else to maybe get Tom back to his usual self.

I step outside and open the backseat door, taking a glance at the five bags and deciding I only want to walk once. I got this. Once I have all of them in my hands and arms I turn to the side, kicking the door shut with my hip, but it didn't close fully. I roll my eyes, sighing. Can't change that now.

"Need any help?" I nearly drop a bag at Santiago's voice but turn carefully, smiling at him through the paper bags.

"Hey you! How are you?" I say but slowly feel my arms getting heavy. He jogs over and takes the bags easily.

"Gimme those- I'm good, what about you? You look good." I wave him off, smiling and close the truck again. Walking toward the front door with him.

"You charmer, I'm good- you're staying for dinner?" I ask and he nods, grinning.

"Wouldn't miss (y/n)'s famous homemade pizza for anything." I open the door for him and take my shoes off after closing the front door once he's inside.

"Oh, you're in for a treat mister." I joke and follow him into the kitchen.

"Yeah? I sure hope so."

I see Tom outside in the backyard, drinking a beer and tell Santiago to go back to his playdate. He pinches my side and I flinch, playfully glaring at him as he exits, taking a couple cool beers with him on the way.

I store everything away and prepare the dough already, prepping all toppings and making the sauce. Once I'm done the men both walk back inside, Tom walking up behind me and kissing my cheek.

"How was the store?" I sigh thinking back.

"Damn crowded. For whatever reason. It's a sunny Friday afternoon."

"I feel like grocery stores are always crowded. No matter the day or time." I agree with Santiago as I pop a strawberry into my mouth, I offer them some after washing them and they happily start munching.

"So, what's the occasion for your visit? Just stopping by?" I ask as I sit down with them at the table. Must be torching outside.

"Yeah, something like that." I nod, not pressing the subject.

"Actually-" He starts again, glancing at Tom who shakes his head at him. "-come on man, you have to tell her eventually." He sighs, rubbing at his face.

"What's going on?" I ask, folding my arms and looking between them both.

"Nothing, it's-"

'-no, Tom, I'm actually tired of hearing that."

He looks up at me, hard face. "Let's not do this right now."

"When? Later? Tomorrow? In a week? Tom, I've been waiting for at least two weeks now. Giving you space, not pressing the subject- but I'm drained. I'm constantly worrying, my head is full of scenarios and none of them are any good. You either tell me or I will squeeze this out of Santiago."

There's a moment of silence before Santiago stands up. "I'm gonna be outside guys, Tom should be the one telling you." He pats my shoulder on the way out and closes the door to the backyard once he's outside.

My eyes are glued to Tom but he is just staring at the table, running a hand through his already messy hair.

"It's a bit more complicated." He starts and I sigh, relieved. He's finally telling me. At least that's what it feels like.

"I don't care how long you need or if you have to start over and over again. I'm right here, right beside you." I take his hand from his head and hold it in mine on the table. I send him a small smile, hoping I could encourage him to tell me everything that's been resting on his big heart.

He gulps, nodding. "You know that Santiago and I used to work together. Back in my military days." He pauses, looking at me. I nod, remembering him telling me on one of our first dates because I mentioned that a man in a uniform is instantly more attractive. He wanted to brag. But I also admired him. His bravery. I still do.

"Him and a few others I served with are going on a mission again." He continues, eyes not meeting mine. I stop stroking his hand but don't pull it off. I gulp.

I also remember telling him no matter how hot a guy is in a uniform, I could probably never be with a soldier, the constant worry, the goodbye. Not knowing what might happen.

I slowly nod, glancing over to the backyard, watching Santiago talking on the phone. I look back at Tom who finally meets my eyes.

"And you're joining them?" I state, even though I wanted it to be a question. He sighs, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

"I'm not sure." I pull my hand away and rub my eyes, standing up and walking toward the sink, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. I gulp it all down, setting the glass back down on the counter, hanging my head a bit. I close my eyes, then feel him behind me, running his hands up and down my arms.

"That's why you've been ignoring me?" I ask, turning back around, his hands falling to his sides.

"I needed to think. I had to weigh my options."

"What conclusion did you come to?" I ask, trying not to sound disappointed or sad. But it's hard.

"That I have to do this-" I want to interrupt him but he holds up a hand. "-I have to. If I want to be able to give you what you deserve. Provide for you. Have a good future with you. I can't even fucking afford a new fucking truck right now. How am I supposed to offer you a good, happy, carefree life if I can't even do something as simple as that?" He stops, seeming frustrated with himself and shaking his head at himself. He's avoiding my eyes now. "I fucked up my first try at a family. I don't want to loose you too."

I wait for a moment. Watching and waiting. But when he doesn't add anything I step closer and hug him, pulling his head down to my neck. I stroke his scalp and his arms go around my middle, pulling me even tighter. I feel a warm and wet sensation on the shoulder where his head is laying on.

"It's okay, you're okay." I whisper and can't hold back my own tears anymore. Seeing him break down like this was never something I'd want to witness. But I'm glad he opened up to me. Finally. The shows me he trusts me enough to let me in.

"You don't have to do any job for me, earn any money for me, dress a specific way for me- hell I don't even mind the truck. I love him. I call him Chuck the truck sometimes. You refused to name him, so- I had to get creative." He chuckles into my shoulder before lifting his head, shaking his head at me.

"I don't deserve you." He says, cupping the right side of my face and running his thumb across my cheek.

"Wrong. You deserve everything, Tom." He sighs, looking down between us before finding my eyes again.

"I don't." He argues but I can't respond before he kisses me, holding my face with both hands now. I melt against him and my fingers wrap around his wrists.

"I can come back another day-" We pull apart and look over at Santiago, holding up an empty beer bottle while grinning.

"No, you'll suffer for what you started."

With that Tom kisses me again, grinning against my lips as I giggle, hearing Santiago groaning and walking back out.

[twinfanfics]

The tale of the three head beast. The marching fishes (19/22)

WE ARE BACK!! And the ending is written, only four more chapters  to end. WUUU!!

Fandom: Digimon GoT au.

Charaters: All the choosen children from Adventure, 02, Tamer and sometimes Frontier.

Ships: Taiyama, Joumi, Daiken, Takary, TakatoxYuri, RikaxRyo …

Second part of the tale of the three head beast series, you can read the first part The chosen children Here and here, or look for the tag  3t3hb  on this blog.

Resume: Three years had pased since Taichi won the hand of princess Sora and both get crowned King and Queen of the living land, now they must faced the duty of the monarchs, but the King is must worried about cover his affair with the royal guard. The war started on the Honest Island, does the King Joe would manage it?. Mean while at the other side of the sea Takato and Ruki stronger their forces.

And you can read all past chapters of the marching fishes in the links below or in AO3

ACT 1. ESCENE 1: THE RAIN

ACT 1. ESCENE 2: THE WILL  

ACT 1. ESCENE 3: THE TRIP

ACT 1. ESCENE 4:THE SON

ACT 2. SCENE 1: THE ARRIVAL

ACT 2. SCENE 2: BROTHERHOOD

ACT 2. SCENE 3: MOTHER | **warning suicide attempt**

ACT 2. SCENE 4: THE BATTLE OF THE IKKAKU ISLAND

ACT 3. SCENE 1: THE INTERROGATION

ACT 3. ESCENE 2:  DELIVERY

ACT 3. ESCENE 3: RED DRESS

ACT 4. ESCENE 1:TRIAL

ACT 4. ESCENE 2: THE SAINT QUEEN

ACT 4. ESCENE 3:THE SPY

ACT 4. ESCENE 4: INTRUDERS

ACT 4: SCENE 5: THE BROKEN SWORD

ACT 5: SCENE 1: THE WIDOW

ACT 5: SCENE 2: WELCOME HOME

ACT 5 : SCENE 3: FAITH (chapter after the cut)

The bells of the Light church rang at the sunrise. Queen and King wake up on the big bed. The King rolled over it and tried to cover himself with the bed sheets. 

“it is going to be late”  It wasn’t and order, but everything that Sora said feels like a comand now. 

Taichi turned to his wife. She undressed herself unceremoniously and walked naked until the dresser. For years both had kept themselves to some shy decor but shy had died on her wife. 

“You are going to miss your audiences” She said when she come out full dress and Taichi was still sitting over the bed on his bet´s clothes. 

She looked gorgeous on that big dress, it was embroidered with the Light emblems and it left place for the sword that Sora carried everywhere. 

“Your audiences” She insisted. 

“Yes, yes, I know. They can wait for me, I’m the King” Taichi said as he stand up and walked at the dresser. 

“I am on my way then. I had a reunion with the sisters on the morning, but I’m going to take the audiences of the afternoon” 

When she opened the door Yamato wasn’t standing outside. Nobody cared their door anymore. No one follow the Queen anymore. Taichi waited until Sora’s steps were far away to change his clothes. When he opened the door Hikary was waiting outside. 

“Brother” the girl said smiling. “Let me accompany you at the ceremony”

Taichi take a deep breathe. The words “I want to be alone” die on his troat.  Hikary take his arm and they walked together at the throne room. 

The royal guard was waiting on the throne room. Most of them wearing the Light armor, Yamato Ishida, royal guard and leader of the soldiers, wasn’t. 

The King crossed his look with the handsome soldier. Restrained himself to touch him had never costed him this much. 

“Brother” Hikary called him “Your majesty” she corrected promptly “We are ready to star”

Taichi sat on the throne. HIkary welcome at the guests of the ceremony and recited a five minute prayed. 

“I can’t believed they made us attended this” Kouji whispered at Takuya on the back line of the army.

“And you don’t go at the daily mass, they are longer everyday” the fellow soldier replayed.

“What is she wearing?”

“It is a ceremonial sister thing”

“It would be easier pay attention to her if she hasn’t three layer of clothes on”

“The sisters of Light are illuminated, it is supposed that if they don’t cover to head to toe when they pray they would break the souls of the weakness with her sacred grace”

“What?” 

A sshh called the attention of the soldiers. 

Hikary finally retired of the spotlight and Taichi stand up of the throne. Davis Motomiya knelt down in front of him. 

“Outrageous” Kouji said on a quiet voice “the man betrayed the King that he swore to protect and received a title”

“Is he that good?” Takuya asked.

“What?”

“Is he as good to be the new protege of the King?” the knight asked with disdain. 

“The protégé of the King?”

Izzy Izumi standed behind the young men and they shut up immediately. 

Kouji looked at Takuya. His brown eyes were glued at Motomiya, the guy had returned from the war with the favor of King, he was now his new apprentice, not Takuya. Kouji had seen Motomiya in action on the battlefield, if he had the favor of the King he can easily ascend on the royal guard. Kouji could had been worried about his own position on the royal guard, but the subtle hate on the eyes of Yamato Ishida when he accepted Motomiya on the guard were even bigger than the envy on the eyes of Takuya. 

When the little ceremony ended the supreme alchemist come close at the King and whispered something at his ear. Sorrow plasted on the face of the monarch. His eyes went to Yamato. The royal guard was at some steps of The King. 

“That concludes the ceremony, thank to all of you for coming”Hikary said with the sweetest voice “That the true god of Light enlighten your days” She said as she looked at Yamato. 

Kouji knew that look. That was the look that the enlightened had for him and his brother. That people always talk about saving the souls, but their solutions always were torches and murders. 

The King left the throne room. His sister followed him. 

Yamato left the throne room, but he cannot follow the king any more. The royal guard assemble the guard, it was time for training. 

Kouji had to admit that this was the funniest training that they had ever had. Yamato wasn’t subtle about his hate for Davis Motomiya, his exercises were excessive, no soldiers talk to him, he felt and get hurt. Even Takuya mock him. Takuya whose first move always was befriend the new recruits. 

Prince Takeru knel to help him when Motomiya felt for the third time. 

“It’s enough!” The Prince claimed. 

Yamato actually listened to him and called out the soldiers. 

“Your training are really hard, I’m not surprise of the good reputation of your army” Motomiya said at the prince with some tenderness. 

“The Captain need time” Takeru said.

“What?”

“If you act right, this could get better” The prince handed some water at Davis. Kindness was so strange to him right now. The prince was gone for when Davis tried to said thank you. 

“this could get better” Davis repeated to himself. Hope was never his strength. He was optimistic on the battles, but it was Ken and Iory work to do the planning. Ken and Iory. He shouldn’t miss the brothers that he betrayed. He missed Ken’s warm and Iory’s clarity. What would be their brothers advice on this situation? Ken would kill at anyone who mock him, he would made some cruel revenge plan. Iory probably would take it as a challenge, maybe he would try to win at the superiors, his little brother was good for that. Ryo would resolve this problem for him. But his master was gone and Davis was alone. He cannot plan a evil revenge or charming his way out. He did the thing that he do when he can’t do anything else. 

The afternoon came at the palace. It was quite and warm and Davis was boring, the trained had let him wounded and sad. He walked by the gardens through the hallways, until the big doors of the wall around the castle. Takuya and Kouji were guarding the doors.

“Where are you going?” Takuya asked

“I'm going to the port, I would come back by the sunset” Davis answered

“I dont think so”

“ i dont had orders to complete or anything to do here”

“You can't leave without permission” Kouji interested 

“Do we need permission to leave the palace-” Davis asked. The two soldiers look at each other with smuggled smiles.

“I don't think you understand what is happening”

“ You are just being mean” Davis accused them.

“mean?” takuya laughed “it is a way to said it”

A whinny interrupted the conversation. When Davis turned it was Yamato Ishida infront of him riding a black horse.

“What is happening here?” The royal guard asked

“Motomiya wants to leave the Castle” Kouji said

“ Trying to escape already?” Yamato looked down at Davis since the horse. 

“I'm not quicking I just want to visit the port” Davis claimed. He isn't scaping anything, he was a free man.

“You can't leave the castle, Motomiya”

“What? Why?”

“Orders of the King”

“Liar” 

Yamato get down of the horse.

“How do you call me?”

“You heard it”

Davis saw the fit of his superior officer and got ready to take the hit, but the hand of princes Takeru hold the elbow of the royal guard. 

“Yamato!” the princes called “what are you doing?” 

The older man shake it off his anger.

“I was going to teach a lesson to this vermin”

“I had a name” Davis said challenging Yamato, the blond turned to him with hate on his eyes. “I need to go at the port to pray, when did you go?”

“Excuse me?”

“You are too a son of the ocean as me”

“I’m nothing like you” Yamato claimed as get closer to the soldier.

“Every soldier of the King is a soldier of the Light” Takuya said firmly. Kouji grown smaller and Takeru and Yamato evaded his look. 

“I had seen the big walrus on your neck” Davis said at Yamato “You are a son of the ocean”

“SIlence!” Yamato scream and moved his hand with force “You don’t have the right to call the old names of the ocean, how you dare, you… dirty traitor”

The words of Yamato hang on the air, Davis listened it but need a few seconds to understand the meaning of the words. 

“I betrayed your enemies, I joined your army, I won your war, your men and your King are only alive because…”

“You betrayed YOUR KING! YOU KILL HIM!”

Yamato’s hand was over his sword and the hand of Takeru was holding his

“No”  Davis said “You are the one who killed Joe KIdo”

Takeru looked at Davis with surprise and slowly released Yamato. Finally he turned over himself to don’t watch the ugly show. 

The fist of Yamato finally hit Davis face. The young soldier tried to evade the second one, but Kouji hold him by the back and kept him in place. Yamato broke his lips and hit his stomach. Davis couldn’t breathe,he was only bleeding. Finally he hit the ground. Someone, probably Takeru, let him at the infirmary. 

 Davis wake up on a cold room, alone. The wall of the palace were probably the last wall that he had ever seen. He had been wrong, he wasn’t the protege of the KIng or a soldier of the royal guard, he was a prisoner and he was so far away of the ocean than no god would heard him. 

The old god had abandoned him. His master had leave him behind. His new King had lied to him. There was no more place to go. Davis entered at The Light church. There were angels and figures of old criatures singing and howling, there tails were long and there arms short. Davis walked for the corridors and stopped in the garden. 

The young boy stand next to the fountain and with a hand in the water and the eyes on the sky, he pray.  

A suddenly noise alerted him. He turned the head and saw her standing next to fountain, beautiful as a new day, an angel.  

“What hails you, brother?” The angel asked, but Davis has no words to share with so gracefull presence. He broke over her and cried all his laments. 

"Holy mother in heaven, shelter of the poor and support of the weaks" Hikary pray "show the way at this lost sheep". 

Since they balcony of the church Izumi watch the encounter with an impy smile.

[platonicone]

Devotion -  Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 5 - A lost friend (ephelis)

Do you care for someone because of who they are? Or because of who you are? I wonder...

He turned around and noticed that both Umbra and Pryna were gone too.

“Guess it’s just you and me now,” he said, to sleeping Lunafreya.

He moved closer to her bedside and leaned on to get a closer look at the sleeping girl. “So, you are the legendary Oracle, huh? Did you hear what Gentiana said? Apparently, both Umbra and Pryna were in my world too.”

After pondering, he continued, “Gentiana didn’t say anything about you. I wonder if you were in my world as well. Did we know each other? You know, I am usually not good with people, but I am surprisingly comfortable with you. It’s as if we have known each other for a very long time. It’s either that or the medicine Dr. K gave me is making me high,” he said, allowing himself a small chuckle.

Talking to a girl in coma felt like a déjà vu. After a few quiet moments by her bedside, he sat down on the visitor’s chair. “I guess I’ll be sleeping in the chair tonight.”

He was not sleepy yet and there was nothing to do. To avoid boredom, he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. He started flipping through some channels absentmindedly. He finally settled on a news channel. There was a one-hour special on the fall of Insomnia. The show covered a variety of topics such as the history of the Kingdom of Lucis, the Empire of Niflheim, Tenebrae, Accordo, the royal family and refugees.

Insomnia hosts Lucis's seat of power, the Citadel, that contains a large Crystal within its walls. The Crown City is a bustling metropolis stacked with skyscrapers. It is separated from the mainland by a bridge and is surrounded by water and tall ramparts. Insomnia is protected by a magical Wall projected from the Citadel by the monarch, and this is where the royal family lives. Citizens go about their daily lives under the protection of this impenetrable magical shield.

‘A magical barrier protecting its city from the rest of the world. Hmm, I am sure there was a city like that in my world.’ he wondered, as he continued watching the show.

Niflheim is technologically superior and more advanced than most nations of the world due to their knowledge of magitek. It has developed an army that doesn't need human soldiers, the magitek infantry, and is developing weapons to neutralize the magic of Lucian royalty. Niflheim deploys two types of soldiers (commonly from magitek engines): ones with glowing eyes, and others with their faces entirely covered. The glowing eyes type is the magitek infantry, humanoid machines powered by magitek cores. The imperial infantry appears to be human cyborgs. The terms "magitek infantry" and "imperial soldiers" are often used interchangeably, but the magitek types greatly outnumber the soldier types, having largely replaced them. Another type of magitek weapon the empire deploys is the magitek armor, usually large bipedal robots, but recently the empire has developed new forms, such as the monstrous Diamond Weapon to the wormlike Immortalis. The Empire has gained many territories under the watchful eyes of the Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt. Emperor Aldercapt is an ambitious leader who has practically conquered the entire Eos with his military might. Insomnia is the last frontier for the Emperor.

“An ambitious ruler obsessed with power. A militaristic nation which conquers everything in its path. This too, sounds familiar. Perhaps another memory from my old world?” he wondered aloud. His eyes were glued to the TV as he learned more details about this fascinating world.

War is such a terrible thing. So many lives lost, so many families separated, so much destruction, for what? To gain a new piece of land? For the right to be called most powerful? As the Oracle once said, ‘The only war worth fighting is the war within against your own greed, lust for power and ego. If only, we did that, this world would be a better place.’ Thank you for tuning in for this special program, this is your reporter Avery Ware.

“There are no victors in war, only survivors. Everyone loses something in the war,” he said before turning off the TV.

“As a soldier when you are deployed on a mission, you don’t know if you or your fellow soldiers will ever come back. That’s why I try not to get attached to people. It hurts so much when you lose them,” he said to his sleeping friend at a distance.

He stood up and walked up to her bed to check she was comfortable. He slightly lifted her head and adjusted her pillow. He pulled over her blanket and tucked it around her gently.

He took his medicine before retreating to his chair. He reclined his seat back and drifted to sleep.

Next morning

He noticed light footsteps in the room and immediately bolted upright in his seat.

“It’s only me, calm down,” said Dr. K., “I came to check on Stella.”

Still half asleep, he blurted out without thinking, “Who is Stella?”

“What?” said Dr. K in complete shock.

‘You stupid.’ If his mind had a face, it would have facepalmed itself.

“I said how is Stella?” He tried to cover up his slip.

‘Smooth recovery.’ His mind said.

“Oh, for a second I thought you said, who is Stella and I kind of freaked out,” she said laughing.

“How is she doing?” He asked, getting up from the chair.

“Her vitals are stable. Her blood work returned this morning, nothing out of the ordinary there as well. We still know why she is not waking up, though.”

“Dr. K, we have an emergency,” said a nurse from the door, interrupting their conversation.

“Coming,” she said before rushing off.

“So, nothing is wrong, but you still refuse to wake up. Did I ever tell you that you can be very stubborn sometimes?” he chided sleeping Lunafreya playfully.

After finishing his morning rituals, he got ready to take on another day.

‘Day one, we almost got killed. Day two was spent in the hospital. Day three, let’s see how this pans out.’

After arguing with the front desk staff for a good half an hour, he finally stepped out of the clinic, still furious.

‘Just because I am injured does not mean I cannot get the job done. Yesterday Dr. K said that I could help with their chores to repay my hospital bills, but today she was like, ‘oh no, you can’t take on quests, what if you get hurt more?’ Just shut up old lady and give me the damn quest and let me worry about myself. I know you are trying to protect me, but let me just help. Why is everyone in this world so damn stubborn? I can’t believe I wasted half an hour on that. Next time—' He was walking around fuming when someone ran into him with full speed halting the progression of his thoughts.

“Oh my god! I am so sorry. Are you okay?” asked a feminine voice of the person who literally ran into him.

“Watch where you are going,” he said, trying to get back up on his feet. She had run into his injured arm, sending a jolt of pain through his shoulder.

He got back up and looked at the culprit.

She was about 5’3” with short dark brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a black and red short-sleeved hoodie, and a black and red tartan-pattern miniskirt. She wore black heeled boots with red soles. She had a leather choker and a necklace with a round black pendant. She had two belts with a chain hanging from one attached to her skirt. She had a red cord wrapped around her left wrist and a leather bracer on her other wrist.

She said in a sweet voice full of concern, “Umm, are you okay?”

“Ya, I am fine,” he replied curtly.

“I am sorry for running into you,” she apologized sweetly.

“It’s okay,” he said with a nod.

“By the way, my name is Iris,” she said, offering a handshake.

He usually does not like to shake hands, but thought he should play along this time.

“Squall,” he said, as he shook his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Squall,” she said, in a cheery tone.

‘If sugar manifested into a human form, it would be her.’ he thought.

“I have not seen you around before. Are you new here?” She asked.

‘Just shut up and let me be on my way.’

“Ya,” he replied, short and sweet.

“Oh, I know,” she said, getting all excited and clapping her hands. “How about I give you a tour of Lestalleum? Since I ran into you that’s the least I could do to make up for it.”

“No, it's okay,” he said, trying to step aside and be on his way.

She sidestepped blocking his way. “No, it’s not okay. I have to make it up to you. Come on, it would be fun.”

“No, I have to--” before he could finish his sentence, she interjected. “Pretty please?” She said joining her hands and giving him puppy eyes.

He sighed and agreed, “Fine.”

“Whoo-hoo,” she exclaimed in joy.

A sudden jolt of headache came as he clutched his head in pain. A distant memory resurfaced. He vaguely remembered a girl who ran into him on her first day of school. She had eyes like a puppy. She had a very cheerful attitude, which can make even the cemetery come alive. He recalled giving her a tour of their academy on her first day and being her friend since then.

He suddenly jolted out of his trance when she placed her hand on his right should, “Are you really okay? Should we go to the clinic?”

“I am fine. I just have some headache,” he said, trying to brush it off.

“If you say so,” she said in a concerned voice.

Within the next few moments, she was back to her cheery self, “Shall we begin our tour, Squall?”

‘Even if I say no, it's not going to make a difference.’ He thought with his hand instinctively reaching his forehead. ‘Besides, it might not be a bad idea to do some reconnaissance.’ He concluded.

“Come on, this way. For our first stop, we’ll check out the marketplace,” she said, walking ahead of him.

Along the way she asked, “Squall, where are you from?”

“Tenebrae,” he said, recalling the name from watching that TV show last night.

“Wow, that’s a long way from here. I’ve heard from Noct that it is a very beautiful place with lots of waterfalls surrounding the palace.”

“It is,” he played along.

“I am from the crown city, Insomnia,” she said proudly.

“So, you are a refugee here?” He took an educated guess. He was glad he watched TV last night.

“Yes.” She paused in her steps, losing all color from her face.

“I am sorry.” He knew enough about the recent event to understand her circumstances.

“It’s okay. We’ll bounce back and kick Empire’s ass. We’ll make them pay for everything they have taken from us,” she said with determination.

Squall nodded in approval.

They reached their set destination. “This is the Partellum Market. You can get almost anything here. Isn’t it great?” She said cheerfully as ever.

“Ya, it is,” he said unenthusiastically as ever.

“I’d buy out the whole place if I could,” she said dreamily.

‘Speaking of buying, I need to get new clothes.’ He said looking at his tattered clothes.

He followed Iris through the crowded street. She stopped at practically every shop window shopping.

While following Iris around the marketplace she came to a sudden stop when she saw something, “Wow! Look at all this neat stuff! I’m gonna take a look, gimme just a sec.”

Even before Squall could say anything she ran off.

Squall explored on his own for a while. He stopped by at the Tostwell Grill to check out hunt quests. He learned more about being a hunter from the shop owner. Eventually, Iris caught up with him.

“Having fun yet? Come on, next we’re gonna see the power plant,” she announced, marching ahead.

Once they climbed the stairs and came out of the alleyway, he saw a huge power plant.

“That’s the power plant, the driving force behind Lestallum’s prosperity. But get this: only women are allowed to work there. As a matter of fact, women do most of the work in this town.”

“Interesting.” He was surprised that he hadn’t noticed it sooner.

"Alright! Next, we’re going to the outlook! Follow me, right this way,” she said with a little extra joy in her voice.

“I’m a city girl, but I love the charm of this town,” she said even without asking.

As they pass a restaurant near the main thoroughfare she said, “You should try the food here. It is really good.”

Squall made a mental note of her recommendations along the way.

As they crossed the road, they could see palm trees lining the main street. Tropical weather of this town made it an ideal tourist destination. All they were missing was a beach, else it would be a complete package.

“You know, I love giving this tour,” she said with a grin looking back at him.

Upon seeing one of the antique-style cars parked in the area, she chirped, “Imagine riding that.”

“Would be nice I bet,” he agreed.

Soon they arrived at the outlook. The scene in front of his eyes was breathtaking, to say the least.

"This is Pegglar Outlook. Amazing view, right? Look! There’s the Meteor!” She said, pointing it out.

“It looks beautiful,” he confessed.

“It’s even more beautiful out here at night. The perfect place to bring your date,” Iris said with a mischief in her voice. “I plan to bring my dream date here someday too,” she said with a smile.

The two stands silently for a moment, looking at the Meteor.

“It sucks to be a refugee, doesn't it? You live in a place where you don’t even belong,” she said, after a long silence, with a sudden shift in her tone.

“Ya, it does,” he agreed, still looking at the glow of fallen meteor.

“I lost everything in that attack at Insomnia. My home, my friends, and my father. My old life, all gone,” she said with sadness evident in her voice.

Comforting a girl who had lost her home felt like a déjà vu. He ignored those thoughts and paid attention to the girl in front of him.

“The damn empire took it all away from me,” she continued in a somber tone still looking towards the meteor.

“Then get strong enough to protect what you love,” he said.

“Huh?” she said, taken a bit by surprise, not really expecting Squall to chime in.

“Reality isn’t so kind. Everything doesn't work out the way you want it to. But at every juncture, you get a choice, either to be a victim and surrender to the circumstances or be a warrior and fight for what’s rightfully yours. If you were one of those lucky ones to survive the destruction at Insomnia, the least you can do now is to fight. Fight for your right to dream and live.”

“You are right. I am not going to give up and surrender. Even if there is nothing but darkness all around me, I will still keep fighting till I find the light,” she said with a firm determination in her eyes. He nodded in affirmation. “You are very brave.”

“No, I am not,” she said with a laugh. “Thanks for motivating me and cheering me up.”

“I did nothing,” he said being modest.

“Have we met before, Squall? You kinda seem familiar,” she said with a confused look on her face.

“I don’t think so,” he denied.

“Ya, you are probably right,” she agreed.

As if an imaginary light bulb had lit over her head, suddenly her expression changed. “Oh, do you remember how I ran off in the marketplace?”

“Yes.”

“I went to get this. Here, take it. It’s a gift,” she said, pulling something out from her pocket.

“No, I can’t take it,” he said politely pushing her hand away.

“Pretty please? I ran into you like a maniac, so I have to make up for it. This gift is a form of my apology,” she said, joining her hands and giving him puppy eyes. His will melts in front of her puppy eyes.

“Fine. What is it?” he said, succumbing to her ultra-powerful puppy eyes.

“It’s a good luck charm; it’s called phoenix pinion. It might come in handy in battle when the odds are against you,” she said cheerfully.

“Thank you,” he said, taking the item as he slightly bowed his head in appreciation.

“You are most welcome,” she said with a wink and her usual mischievous grin.

Suddenly a Chocobo theme song started playing. He wondered where the sound was coming from.

She pulled out her phone as she said, “Sorry, gotta take this.”

She looked at the caller ID and picked up the phone. “Hey Dustin, what’s up? Uh ha. Okay, I’ll be there ASAP.” She hung up the phone and looked at Squall. “I would love to hang out more with you, but Dustin needs some help. One room just opened up at hotel Leville so we will be moving there now,” she said sounding happy.

She reached in the depths of her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and quickly wrote something on it. “Here is my number. Feel free to reach out to me if you need anything. Or if you need another tour,” she said with a smile.

“Let’s hang out again. It was fun. Gotta go for now, bye,” she waved enthusiastically before dashing off.

‘What a strange girl.’

He stood there silently admiring the scenic view in front of him. As he was about to leave, someone approached from behind.

“At first, I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but here you are in the flesh, Squall Leonhart,” said a stranger addressing him.

Squall noticed a middle-aged man with red-violet hair, amber eyes, and strong facial features, walking towards him. He was dressed in a black trench coat and pinstripe trousers. He wore a red scarf and a hooded, gray and white flower-print mantle. He had a black fedora and a black winglike accessory on his left arm.

“I am delighted to see you again, my dear friend.” He said removing his hat and bowing down slightly.

[renwritesstuff]

Samantha Traynor Appreciation Day 1

Day 1- Colonist Upbringing:  I chose the Skyllian Blitz as a focus on Samantha Traynor’s colonist upbringing. With a 26-year-old Sam, the Blitz would have occurred when she was around 16. I imagine the Skyllian Blitz as a September 11-type of event, especially for other human colonies: something to watch unfold while hugging your family tight.

Shouting, Samantha Traynor burst through the front door. “Mum! Dad! Are you watching?!”

A 16-year-old Sam was clad in a burnt orange school uniform, a shield embroidered on the front left pocket. The black slacks were dusty around the ankle cuffs from her abrupt exit out her friend Nicole’s skycar at the end of the cul-de-sac. Her short—normally neat—bob of black hair was tousled from the impromptu run.

Running was highly out of the ordinary for Sam (and not just because she was an asthmatic). As was Sam home at noon on a school day (she wasn’t known to bunk off school. Ever.)

Sam’s schoolbag was already half-slung over her shoulder before she abandoned it by the coat rack. Black (dusty) shoes were kicked off next to the door as the girl tore down the hallway of the prefab.

“No running in the house!” Priya Suresh-Traynor barked back, more strain in her voice than usual.

Then again, it also wasn’t usual for Sam’s mother to be home this early in the day.

Nothing about today was usual.

Geoffrey Traynor called over from the wide living room at the end of the hall. “In here, sprog!”

Sam came skidding to a halt, already breathless from running up the stairs of the unit of prefabs. Wheezing in ragged breaths, she fumbled around in her pockets for her inhaler. A few deep puffs soothed the burn in her chest as she fell into the open spot on the sofa next to her dad.

On the screen covering the wall, a news program was already in progress. The Alliance News Network reporter on the screen was an older gentleman in a crisp black suit. His handsome face was lined with seriousness as he continued his broadcast.

[“—ports are still scattered at the moment, but the Human Systems Alliance has confirmed an attack was repelled from Elysium early this morning, around 05:21 GST. Again: the human colony in the Skyllian Verge, Elysium, has been under communications blackout for the past seven hours after a large-scale attack. Estimates of the dead are upwards of 10,000 and may be as high as a tenth of the colony, humanity’s oldest in the system.”]

“Oh shit fucking hell. It’s true.” Sam sighed as she tucked her knees up under her chin. She coughed slightly as the burning in her chest cleared.

I was hoping—hoping—the other kids had just gotten it wrong. Some fake news chaining its way around the colonies like some sick, shitty joke.

And knocking off school early? Was the entire school, or all of Horizon, in on it?

Just—uhhh—shut up. Let me have my denial.

An arm wrapped around her shoulder gently shook Sam as Geoffrey admonished, “Don’t swear. Especially like that. …Good lord, what are they teaching you in that high school?”

“All the essentials, clearly,” Sam quipped back, her eyes still trained on the screen.

A small crawl feed trailed in the corner of the screen. [“Targeted bombings reported at key locations around Illyria. Wall breaches in five sectors. Coordinated attack leaves colony in chaos and stock futures for Baria Frontiers and ExoGeni Corporation remain in freefall.”]

Thousands of people are dead, probably by pirates, and these arseholes are worried about their bloody stocks? Samantha scowled into her knees. God, I hate arseholes. I hope I never become one.

Gotta get rich first. Then become an arsehole.

Priya’s voice was faint in the other room, clearly on a call with the hospital. “—re we taking in any of the survivors? …then what about volunteers? …when we will know when it’s clear to offer assistance? …Look, Mark, I know we’re all overworked as it is… But this could have been us… I disagree, who are we to know if they’d ‘do the same for us?’ …This isn’t about what-if, this is about—“

A feeling of pride swelled in Samantha’s chest as she listened to the ferocity in her mum’s voice.

“I see the uni got dismissed before the high school,” Sam observed to her father out of the corner of her mouth, eyes still glued to the screen.

“I was still in office hours before the announcement went out. Didn’t even make it to my first class,” Geoffrey returned with a sip of his tea before placing it back on the side table.

“That’s such bollocks.” Sam scowled. “Everyone knew by first period and they didn’t dismiss finally til third. …what’s the time differential?”

A smile curled under Geoffrey’s beard. “Don’t be lazy. You know the time dilation formula. Three relay jumps. Galactic standard time adjustment. Horizon operates on a 37-hour day, Elysium on a 27-hour day. What is the time differential? Tell me my tax dollars haven’t been an utter waste.” The professor’s eyes sparkled in challenge.

Closing her eyes, a series of math formulas popped into Sam’s head. Her fingers drummed on her shin as she worked through the equation. “Ugh, this is such bollocks. Time is utterly absurd on a galactic scale… Because technically they’re like seven months in the future. But—carry the four—the attack occurred around like… lunchtime? Noonish?”

Geoffrey checked his Omni-tool. “Correct.” A hand stroked his chin in pride while his other arm squeezed Sam’s shoulders. “Batarians are already taking credit for it.”

An irrational stab of hatred flashed in Sam’s eyes, her nostrils flaring. “What do those nasty four-eyed buggers have against us?? Bloody slavers who wouldn’t—“

That arm rocked Sam’s shoulders again. “You forget we weren’t here first, Sam. And you forget your human history. Israel and Palestine ring any bells? Land promised to one civilization then given to another? Years of conflict as a result?”

Ughhhh…

This is what happens when your dad is a professor. Everything is a bloody learning experience.

…Can’t I just be upset?

“…can’t I just be upset, dad? This could have been us.”

“You’re right. It could have been. And this was symbolic and they knew it.” There was a hardness to her father’s words, an edge he was trying to keep dulled.

The reporter on the news chimed back in after a few stock videos of past Alliance skirmishes.

[“The Alliance has just confirmed one initial rumor: the communication blackout was broken by a team of heroic off-duty soldiers led by an N7 marine. This team stormed a bunker and managed to activate the emergency beacon system. The SSV Agincourt war frigate is already credited with an unconfirmed 42 ships brought down around Illyria of pirate bands attempting to hold the colony. That number is still climbing as other Alliance Navy ships have arrived.”]

“This is like a movie. I didn’t think this happened in real life,” Samantha remarked. Since she’d heard the news this morning, there had been this heaviness in her chest. A sense of smallness and disbelief.

It seemed so absurd. An entire colony going dark? All communications offline?

Communication is all we bloody have out here. Without it, we’re not the Human Systems Alliance. We’re just Another Backwoods Colony Trying to Make It On Our Own.

And lambs to the slaughter, apparently.

The rumor mill at school had been unstoppable for hours. A few upset parents had swooped in to pick up their kids before any formal announcement had been made. Sam had been hunkered down in the hallway with a pair of friends, Omni-tools out and combing through reports. A few clever custom filters had screened out some of the more ludicrous claims (“Third Contact War with turians nigh (Citadel Council does nothing)!” or “Geth returned from quarian space to conquer galaxy!” or, Sam’s personal favorite, “Civil War breaks out in Elysium over Illyria’s loss in the bioti-ball play-offs!”) all seemed to agree on one thing: a human colony had been attacked.

Nicole had chewed her lip, a number of relatives from (or stationed on) Illyria.

Victoria next to Nicole had tried to be reassuring. The brunette had put a hand on her girlfriend’s wrist. “It’s probably some training exercise gone awry.”

Nodding, Sam tried to feel optimistic. “Or they’re blowing it out of proportion. You know how those gits love their ratings.” She’d snapped her mouth shut at Victoria’s withering glare.

Only when Ms. Steinhold had released them from Applied Statistics had the news started to feel real to Samantha. But the epiphany wasn’t immediate. It was deadened by numb disbelief even as she hitched a ride home from Nicole and Victoria. Even as the car radio repeated the claims back. Even as Sam gasped for breath across the brown dirt of her street and saw other families home, their own wall screens tuned to the news in rapt attention.

Everyone on Horizon—maybe even every human on every colony—had gone home to hold their breath.

It was some analyst who came on later who coined it the “Skyllian Blitz.”

A blitzkrieg. “Lightning war.”

Geoffrey Traynor had nodded at the aptness of the phrasing. “Not a movie, sprog. History repeating itself.”

“I don’t see turians or asari dealing with this sort of ‘history,’” Sam retorted, indignant. It was all she could to keep the smallness at bay, the hopeless misery of feeling hated by the entire galaxy.

Are they really that much more advanced than the lowly humans? No one picks on them? No one tries to wipe out their colonies?

“Maybe it will bring the galactic community closer together,” Geoffrey suggested, his tone neutral.

It took all of Sam’s energy not to scoff. She was filled with childish indignation at this point, an impotent rage that mirrored the latest fire-and-brimstone retired Admiral calling for swift and immediate action against the batarian hegemony. Definitely a better feeling than despair, but without any outlet: what could Sam do?

Mum is organizing off-world volunteers to take care of the wounded. Dad will probably counsel his students and fellow faculty.

And I’m 16 and all I do is go to school and play chess. I can’t enlist for two years, and even then I’d be too bloody terrified to pick up a weapon. Does the galaxy really need someone like me on the front lines?

God, I hope not. Because humanity is fucked.

A fresh face interrupted the latest speculation, much to Sam’s relief. She felt herself getting wound up by all the aimless rage. Some calm heads and facts would be a welcome respite.

[“This is Artermis Kingston, reporting live from Arcturus Station. We have acquired ground footage from Elysium in this firsthand report from a survivor in Illyria. This footage made be disturbing to some viewers due to its violent subject matter. Discretion is advised.”]

A jerky Omni-tool video proceeded to play. It followed a heavily breathing camera operant, a young Black man with terrified eyes. His uniform bore the logo of the monorail corporation of Illyria.

The view swung dizzily back below him, his frantic breathing a constant background sound. A smoldering train could be seen down the line as the man crawled around the raised platform. Occasionally, his frantic breathing formed words of prayer under his breath.

Popping gunfire could be heard in the distance along with the crackle of fires. The noonday sun was oddly cheery in the background as dozens of smoke lines drifted lazily to the sky.

Just below the man, an explosion drew his attention and the camera jerked. The sound decayed to static from just sheer overwhelming noise. It died down though the crackling persisted. The camera ducked for cover for a moment before peeking back up to look.

The central ring of the inner wall of Illyria had just caved in as a swarm of pirates fired into the colony. A dozen Alliance soldiers crouched behind blockade walls below the camera and attempted to repel the invaders. One by one they were picked off.

It sickened Samantha to see their bodies fall limp. She leaned into her father’s side, occasionally burying her face into his sleeve when the camera lurched forward for a close-up of a soldier’s lifeless face.

Zooming back out, one lone soldier with a red stripe on the arm shouted for backup. But when they realized the man next to them was dead, the person clenched their fists in anguish. Pinned down by at least 15 pirates, the last soldier standing should have been dead.

Sam felt fear catch in her throat. This wasn’t a movie. This was really happening. She was watching people die.

Oh God, please be okay. Why would the ANN show this??

…I can’t watch.

Suddenly there was a flash of blue and the soldier wasn’t there anymore. The camera was just as confused as Sam was, the screen panning around trying to find the subject again. Another flash of blue as the camera found and zoomed in on the fray of pirates being torn to shreds by a flashing Omni-blade and surging biotics.

What should have been a massacre was quickly turned against the advancing pirates. They were torn to pieces by a lone combatant who was faster, fiercer and better trained than them. Every moment of hesitation from a pirate or a missed shot was an open opportunity for the soldier to strike and move on.

Sam squinted at the footage.

Is that… red hair? Is that… a woman?

A total badass woman, that’s for bloody sure.

The camera/man sighed with relief as the soldier rummaged through the bodies and found whatever they were looking forward. A moment later, charges were set and a large billboard jutting up next to the hole collapsed into the space, blocking at further incursion.

The video paused as the soldier stood overlooking the rubble, a shotgun primed over one shoulder. Just like at the end of a movie.

Except real life. This woman, this soldier: she was real.

[“The Alliance confirmed the hero in this footage was off-duty N7 marine Lieutenant Annelise Shepard, 22. The Alliance has also confirmed the team that activated the emergency beacon system was also led by Lieutenant Shepard.”]

22… 22??

I’ll be 22 if—when I graduate university… and she—she fought off an army of pirates??

Bloody hell.

How—what could I ever do that would even come close to that? Win the Kepesh-Yakshi Grand Tourney on Illium?

Ms. Kingston winked at the camera before quickly regaining her serious composure. [“The ANN will have an exclusive interview with Lieutenant Shepard—and the other heroes of the Skyllian Blitz—as this story unfolds.”]

The male newscaster returned to the screen with a sober smile. [“Thank you, Artemis. The Citadel Council has condemned this horrific attack on human soil and has dispatched goodwill ambassadors—along with aid ships—to the Skyllian Verge to assist in the recovery effort. The Human Systems Alliance has opened up comm lines for charity and volunteer organizations as well. There is a—“]

Geoffrey patted his daughter’s head, ruffling her hair affectionately, before joining his wife in the kitchen. The Traynor parents quietly discussed the Elysium attack.

Sam feigned interest in the news while also attempting to eavesdrop. Her father was muted with worry, fearing for Horizon in the wake of the attack. Priya was more fiery in her resentment. They’d been through hell to move out to this colony and no one was going to take their home from them.

Something nagged at Samantha that started her down a rabbit hole of extranet articles. It kindled something within Sam that was different from outrage or despair.

It was curiosity.

How could a coordinated attack bring down an entire colony’s communications network?

What sort of comms don’t need a buoy network to function? A buoy network that can be assaulted and brought down so easily?

Sam came across a stub of an article in the research section of the Alliance R&D tab.

“Quantum Entanglement Communication: Practical Applications.”

And started to read.

[familyvisionis2020]

Day 3 - Athens (1 of 2)

We left knoxville after eating cheesy eggs onions and corn tortillas, went to the co-op to restock on peanut butter pillows and then got our van’s front alignment done in Alcoa. I dozed on the road from Knoxville to Athens, a windy high-grade mountain road that Kabir negotiated with finesse. The covid 19 outbreak and national emergency has started to weigh heavier on us and two shows have cancelled so far. The part of me worried about a long tour being destabilizing and upsetting is happy, but also I’m bummed for the other guys in the band who I think would be happy with a maximally long tour. 

We play in Athens at a cafe called Buvez that gives the band guys free coffees teas or beers if they want them. I get iced tea, this is day 3 of no coffee for me and it’s helping some with anxiety I think. It’s kind of a joy to wake up over the course of an hour rather than to jerkily get jump started into action with a cup of coffed ~3 minutes after waking up the way i do at home. There’s a part of me that wants to quit every substance that affects me, but i know that isnt necessary or obligatory, but with a break from work it’s good to know I can function without coffee.

The person who booked the show in Athens is nice, the space is just a big open room and not many people have come for the show, just mostly bystanders who happened to be at the cafe anyways, nobody is doing door. Surface to Air Missive opens, actually it’s called Polly’s Gone for tonight, it’s friday the 13th, the frontman i recognize from when we played together in Durham a few months ago, he has shaved his moustache, and this time he is playing a 12-string rather than a 6-string guitar. Their songs are complex and offbeat and to me when I hear them I just think this is absolutely indie rock. I like watching the front man because his lips stay glued to the mic but his neck and body seem to want to sway and move with the music but they can’t and they’re stifled. They play soft, the drummer has brushes, at different points during the set the lead singer complains about how loud the cicadas are outside and then how loud the train is that passes by. They finish, mild applause, our tourmates Tired Fronteir play, better defined and crisper vocals and keys tonight with the more pro PA setup. I still put in earplugs, i let myself dance and sway to the music. 

I see someone from my past who I was unkind to during the last time we met, and my mind races, not sure how to engage. I am preoccupied during Tired Fronteir’s set and have a hard time focusing. Their set eventually ends, I catch the person, I explain that I was selfish, inconsiderate, unkind, and that they didn’t deserve to be treated the way I treated them. They were surprised, they said they weren’t mad at all and had no hard feelings, that it was more awkward than anything, didn’t need an explanation or apology, it’s all good. It all happened very quick. I trusted what they said, said a prayer after, and then Family Vision went on. Later on that night John would remark how impossible it would be to match the Knoxville house show energy from the night before under the best of circumstances, which I agree with. We play well, the energy is up but not hype, the crowd seems polite but disinterested, golf claps between songs, it’s fine, we rock, I don’t play with my whole body, I don’t headbang as much, it’s fine. We finish, get an envelope with a hundred dollar bill in it, the show booker is super grateful and kind to us and since we had our next day’s show cancelled due to the virus, they invite all 3 bands to play again the next night, which we all eventually accede to in a beleagured way, “why the fuck not.” Me and John go for a walk around the block and it’s super warm and breezy and chill and we kind of talk about Covid but I have nothing meaningful to add and tell him I feel super ignorant and passive about the situation. We discuss how whether we like to admit it or are cynical or not, we are probably contributing to the problem just by travelling during this time, and it seems like tides are turning so severely in society in general that the tour is seeming like a worse and worse idea. But we don’t go too heavy and mostly just enjoy the walk, pass by a woman walking a bulldog unleashed, do a loop, it feels great to stretch the legs and lope along after the long van ride and the tense sitting of playing drums. 

We go back to the venue, aimless converaations for an hour or so, the place starts bringing their furniture inside, we take note and break down our gear and load up the van, make a plan to go to a pizza place downtown in Athens. We arrive, Royal and Paul from Tired Frontier find a weird parking meter metal thing and start kicking it, we go to the pizza spot, I decide to get a salad and a bag of chips rather than slices which makes me feel ancient but when i get the salad and give jeremy the peperonis the salad feels good and substantial, lots of mushrooms and black olives and iceberg lettuce and good southern ranch and i feast, and Jeremy and Royal have these gigantic fluffy slices that are no joke 4” thick and like puffed through with air, maybe yeast? who knows. Jeremy says ‘I asked for the most fucked up slice.” We take some photos with the other band, they get a pitcher of beer, they’re silly and cute and not annoying like I worried they might be, everythings fine. We leave, almost go to a bar, and then don’t, which makes me super happy, we go to this giant purple house with a huge wrap around porch and Noah, Kabir and Jeremy’s friend, puts all 7 of us in the two bands in this big mostly empty room where we putdown mattresses and sleeping bags and sleeping pads and I plug in and take beta blockers and put my hat over my head and sleep super well.