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ravs6709 · 3 years ago

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Our Very Own Story- Queerplatonic Fedex

Alternate title: I project so much onto Fitz that he's probably ooc

Woo, I'm finally done! I've had this idea for so many months, but I never had the chance to actually finish it, but finally, it's here (in all its 7.3k words glory)

This story takes place in the same au as Our Very Own Melody, which is the (romantic) Kam side. OVOM isn't necessary to read to read this one, but it's still my fave work, so read it anyways

But here's a refresher. Soulmates au in high school. Soulmate bond is having a strong bond similar to telepathy and empathy combined, and can only be revealed once the soulmates are close with each other.

Ve/vem Dex and she/ae Biana because yes.

And also, Fitz, Keefe, Tam and Linh are in the same grade, and are all one year older than Sophie, Biana and Dex.

Warnings: censored swearing, and mentions of (a character from a play's) death

Hope you enjoy!

•~•~•~•~•~•

Fitz remembered the days that he played the piano. He still played it in the present, but not to the extent that he had in the past. He used to constantly play it, something that he was partially forced to do.

It wasn't like he didn't enjoy it, because he did. He'd started at a young age, and as he grew older, he found himself creating parts to songs. Just a few notes, maybe long enough for a verse, he didn't have the same passion to create music like Keefe would using his violin.

If anything, he preferred to write lyrics. He liked being able to tell stories with words. It was at the end of elementary school where he'd realized that it wasn't writing music that interested, but writing in general. He had so many ideas flowing inside of him, and a powerful imagination.

When middle school came, he started to explore some of the possibilities. He tried poetry, but while it was fun, it wasn't his thing. He particularly enjoyed writing short stories for English class. He didn't spend that much time focusing on writing though, he spent most of his free time hanging out with Keefe, Biana, Sophie, and rarely, Dex.

It was in eighth grade when Biana practically forced him to watch the school play with her and Sophie. (Keefe, for some reason, had been allowed to decline the invitation. That alone made Biana's intentions suspicious).

From start to finish, he was amazed by what he saw. The play was one that he'd heard of, but didn't know the plot to. Each movement of the actor was a sentence in his head, he could see the words written down on paper, ready to be acted out. He knew that script writing wasn't as simple as that, the formatting was different, but still he was curious.

After the play was over, the three of them started walking to take Sophie home. "So, did you like it?" Biana asked.

"It was good," Fitz replied. "The lighting was really great."

That was another thing that made script writing different compared to writing a short story. When writing something to be acted out, you had to be able to imagine the scene, know what kind of lighting would be needed and what special effects were needed in order to emphasize something, or in order to make something happen.

"It was great!" Sophie agreed. "Dex did a really good job behind the scenes!"

"Wait, Dex was involved with the play?" Fitz asked.

He'd met Dex back in elementary school, but they never actually spoke to each other until a few months ago, when Sophie befriended them. But even now, even though they'd hang out at his house, he hadn't really interacted with Dex that often. (It did explain why Dex wasn't with them either).

"You didn't know?" Biana asked. "I mean, ve hasn't talked about it much, but surely you should've known. Vis knowledge of technology is really good."

Fitz hadn't actually witnessed it for himself, but had heard about it. But the stories couldn't do it justice.

•~•~•~•~•~•

After Sophie had gone home, the two siblings started to walk to their home.

"So, what about playwriting?" Biana asked.

"I know you brought me to see it for a reason," he told her.

She crossed her arms. "Do I have to have a reason?"

"Knowing you, yeah."

Ae huffed. "Rude. What would I even have to gain from introducing you to a form of writing that you might enjoy?"

"Oh, I don't know, like asking for a favour such as doing half of a project?" He was still a little bit bitter for having to do that.

"That was one time!"

"One time too many!"

•~•~•~•~•~•

Fitz was glad that his high school had a talented drama club. Every year, his school participated in the city-wide festival. The thought alone was exciting, and he knew that unlike in middle school, it was the students who wrote the plays. He wanted to be part of it.

It also sounded a little stressful, because it was no longer just a school play, but a piece of art meant to represent the school. Actual professionals would be there to judge the play. And this was going to be his first time doing this. He knew though, that it was going to be fine. He wasn't alone, there was going to be a whole playwriting team to create the play.

Unfortunately, luck decided not to favour him. While there were multiple teachers in the drama department, it was the head who would deal with everything. Except the head of the drama department had gone on maternity leave, meaning that the school wasn't going to participate in the festival for that year. While it would be rude to be annoyed at the teacher, he was still a little upset, because he'd been looking forward to it.

The year itself wasn't bad, he enjoyed it a lot. He'd managed to get most of his classes with Keefe, the only differing one being their art course, where Keefe went with music, and he chose drama. His classes were entertaining. Sophie and Biana had started dating, and the hangouts at his house only grew more frequent.

There were also the Song twins. He wasn't necessarily friends with Linh, but they shared a few classes, and she was fun to be around. Sometimes they ate lunches together when Keefe wasn't around. Tam, on the other hand, he knew nearly nothing about, other than the fact that he usually kept to himself. Or at least, until Keefe had managed to start a rivalry with him, and then they started serenading each other with their violins. Their rivalry was a big source of entertainment, and he and Linh would often discuss the fact that they clearly liked each other.

All of those things definitely made his first year of high school a good one.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Even without the fact that the head of the drama teacher had returned from maternity leave, his second year of high school was eventful. Biana, Sophie and Dex had joined them, meaning that he got to see them more often.

He walked into the drama club room to get his form to join the drama club. He was surprised to see that Dex was also in the room.

"Hey Dex," he greeted. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"I normally do backstage stuff, did you forget, Wonderboy?" ve asked.

"Oh yeah, that's right."

He was reminded of when Sophie had told him that Dex was part of the backstage crew during middle school. He made a mental reminder to not forget, because while he hadn't intentionally been rude, he had been rude to vem in the past. He wanted to be a better friend than that.

"But actually," ve continued. "I wasn't actually going to be a part of backstage this year, I was thinking of being an actor."

"You like acting?"

Fitz was pretty sure that Dex had never mentioned being an actual actor before, but if he had to be honest, he wouldn't have been surprised if ve had. He'd already forgotten about vis involvement with the drama club.

But to his surprise, Dex flushed red, one of vis hands moving to scratch the back of vis neck. "It's not something I've brought up. I kinda have stage fright, so I'm trying to face that fear and do something that I want. Even if I get a minor role, I'll be happy."

"You should go for it!" Fitz told vem. "I'm sure you'll do good on the stage!"

Ve smiled sheepishly. "Thank you."

•~•~•~•~•~•

Along with him, there were four other people who signed up to be a playwright. He'd only recognized one of them, since they'd been in the same class the previous year, but he wasn't friends with any of them. They were nice people though, they were quite calm, compared to his friends. (Keefe, Biana and Sophie made a dangerous combination).

Playwriting was interesting, because it was different compared to what he was used to. He was aware that it wouldn't be the same, but he wasn't expecting how different they would feel. There was little focus on description, and there was no flowery prose at all. The descriptions that were there were short and simple, just enough for the actor and backstage crew to know what was going on.

It was a little hard getting used to the formatting, because he had to remember to capitalize the names, and there were a lot of small details that he needed to remember. But it was okay, because he had the other writers with him.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"So," Dex said. "How's the play going?"

"We're mostly done with the script, but we've been told the script is too short, so we're just adding on to it." This was one of the few times that ve had been the one to approach him, and he had a feeling that he'd be interacting with vem more often. "We've decided on a subversion of the classic high school story, you know what I'm talking about, right?"

Ve scrunched vis nose. "New girl goes to high school, befriends two popular guys- but sometimes one of them is a childhood friend- and gets into a love triangle with said guys? Plus, there's probably a mean girl? How could I not know? What changes have you made?"

"The mean one isn't actually that mean, and fae gets together with the main character."

"Ooh, do the two popular guys get together?" ve asked.

"One of them is enby, but yeah. The writers have been having so much fun making everything queer."

"Holy sh*t, that does sound like fun! Last year me would have killed to see something like that, when I was questioning myself."

Fitz had been starting to come to terms with the fact that he was aromantic, but he could definitely see where ve was coming from. Even if there weren't any confirmed characters on the aspec spectrum, he was always happy to have characters who were queer.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"Crapcrapcrap," Dex muttered under vis breath, pacing back and forth as ve waited for Fitz to get his lunch out of his locker.

Fitz took out his lunch, then closed the locker. He turned towards vem. "Try to breathe," he suggested. "If you get too panicked now, that's when the mistakes are going to happen. Do you want to take a minute to sit down and breathe?"

Ve glanced back and forth between him and the staircase they'd need to climb to head to the club room. Reluctantly, they sat down.

"It's not like they won't start without you there, right?" Ve asked.

"It's not like you'll be late. What do you normally do to calm yourself? Do you want me to hold your hand? I know Keefe likes that."

For a moment, he wondered if he was overstepping some kind of boundary- because they still weren't that close- but ve smiled sheepishly, and looked down at the floor. "Maybe… that would be nice. We can try that."

Ve gently held his hand, and Fitz noticed that his hand was warm, compared to his own cold one. They sat like that for a few moments, until vis shaky hand became more stable.

"Okay," ve said, but it came out as a breathy whisper. "I think we should get going."

Ve let go of his hand, the warmth slowly fading away. He liked the feeling of holding vis hand.

They went to the club room, where the auditions were being held. Dozens of students were trying out for the various roles, and he felt a little proud, knowing that people wanted to act for a play that he helped to write.

He watched the students try out, and they were all so impressive. He was glad that he wasn't actually part of the group that decided who was casted and who wasn't. He may have been a writer, but the writers weren't in charge of the auditions.

Soon it was Dex's turn- ve was auditioning for one of the teachers in the story. The teacher that ve was auditioning for was someone lenient, a good friend to the other students. The teacher would often jokingly tease the students in the class.

Seeing Dex on the stage, it was almost as ve had become a new person. He knew that obviously, being able to act in a variety of roles was what an actor was supposed to do, but it was like seeing a side to vem that he'd never seen before.

Everything, from the tone of vis voice, to the grin on vis face, to the very slight change in posture was better than he could have ever imagined.

Fitz was sure that if ve had gone for a lead role, ve would be able to steal the show.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"Dex, that was amazing!" He told vem, after ve had finished the audition.

"You… you think so?" Ve murmured, looking a little flustered. (Wait, flustered?)

"Yeah! You were great up there!" He replied, choosing to ignore what vem being flustered could mean.

"It- it was only the audition."

"You'll be getting more practice, it's like…" he paused, trying to find the words. "A preview. If the preview is good, the full thing will also be great."

"If you say so."

"I know you'll do great."

•~•~•~•~•~•

Dex had managed to be casted in the role, and both Fitz and Dex were happy. Dex had to practice vis lines, so Fitz offered to be there to listen. At first, ve seemed hesitant, out of the fear of looking bad, but eventually they accepted the offer.

At first, it was a little awkward. Dex seemed to have difficulties making eye contact with him, and when ve did, ve would seem to lose concentration on what ve was saying. It wasn't just a lesser version of stage fright, because it started to extend to their normal conversations too.

(He was starting to have suspicions, but he hoped it wasn't the case. He didn't want to have to think about that.)

But slowly, ve became more comfortable talking to him. The confidence that had been evident during the audition started to return. Once again, Fitz was in awe.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"These plays are so good," Dex murmured.

Fitz nodded in agreement. At the festival, various schools presented their plays. Each of them were different- one was fantasy, with kingdoms and people trying to survive, another depicted a local issue, and another about what it means to be a family. They were all about different topics, but each of them were spectacular.

"What if ours isn't as good?" Ve whispered.

"We've worked hard on it," he answered. "We'll make sure it's good."

He offered his hand to vem, something that he started doing often after the first time. Ve took it, and they sat on the seats holding hands until it was time for their school to set up everything.

"I have faith in you, okay?" Fitz whispered as ve stood up.

"Thank you." Ve smiled, then left with the other actors.

Fitz looked back towards the stage so he could enjoy the show. Since he wasn't an actor, he didn't have to get up. The play began, and even though he'd seen it multiple times, it still looked impressive. The jokes didn't fail to make him smile.

After it was all over, ve sat back down next to him.

"You did great up there," he told vem.

Ve smiled at him, vis face shining with joy. (Part of him wanted to just smile back, the other part wanted to back away, because of all of these feelings. Instead, he shoved the conflicting feelings away, he could think about them another day.)

•~•~•~•~•~•

It turned out that he didn't get the chance to think about his feelings another day. The two of them lived nearby, so after they were brought back to the school, they decided to walk together.

"Hey Fitz, can I tell you something?" Ve asked.

"Sure, go ahead."

Ve stopped walking, then turned to face him. "I have a crush on you. I've had one since last year."

Despite the fact that he suspected this, he was still shocked. "What?"

"I don't expect you to return my feelings, but I thought… after the play, I finally have the confidence to tell you."

"Since…" he murmured. "Since how long?"

"Since last year," ve replied. "In the beginning, I honestly hated you. I thought you were a spoiled jerk, but I learned that you aren't that, and then my crush happened."

"Oh," he breathed, feeling a little overwhelmed. "I'm sorry, I don't feel the same way."

"It's okay, I just wanted to get it out," ve said, but he could see vis disappointment. "Oh, my house is that way, bye. Good night."

Fitz watched as ve walked down a different path, and he knew that they didn't have to part ways until another few minutes. He felt something like dread build up within him, and he couldn't help but think that he messed up.

•~•~•~•~•~•

After the confession, Dex started to keep vis distance, and Fitz hated it. He liked hanging out with vem, it was nice and comforting. It was like how they were in the beginning of the year, before they finally interacted with each other.

Whenever they had their group hangouts, Sophie, Keefe, Biana and Linh would sit in between them. The distance between them wasn't that huge, but he felt like it was just going to grow more.

It also didn't help that he didn't know how he was feeling. He thought that he had it figured out, he didn't have any romantic feelings towards vem. But every once in a while, he caught himself staring. Dex had seen him do it more than one time, and ve would be the first to look away, looking a little upset.

It would hurt, wouldn't it. I rejected you, and now I'm staring at you. I wish I had an answer for you.

However, he didn't, so he kept quiet and continued to stare longingly.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"Okay, what's going on?" Biana asked, slamming his bedroom door open before slamming it shut again.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, hoping that ae wasn't referring to what he thought ae was about to say. "And careful with the door," he added, hoping to get aer off topic.

"Hah, nice try with that, but I'm referring to you and Dex," She replied.

He flinched. Damn it, she's too perceptive. And now she'll definitely know! Well, guess I've got no choice but to tell her.

"We haven't been dating," he explained. "I'm just… ve confessed to me and I'm so confused. I thought… I thought I was aromantic, but all of a sudden I just can't help but look at vem." He sighed, then ran a hand through his hair. "Ve's avoiding me because I rejected vem, except I don't know what my feelings for vem are anymore."

Ae sat down on the bed next to him. "Okay, first off, if you're aromantic, that's great. If you're not, then that's fine too. I can't tell you what you feel, but I can sympathize. Do you remember at the end of elementary and during the beginning of middle school, I kept clinging onto Keefe?"

He nodded.

"Well, I thought I had a crush on him."

"Wait, really?" That was something he didn't know.

"I know better now, I was just admiring someone who I thought was cool and was also pretty. That sounds like a crush to you, doesn't it?"

He nodded slowly.

"Well, it wasn't," she stated. "There's more to a crush than just thinking someone is pretty, otherwise, I'd be crushing on half the school. There's this… feeling inside of you, you feel warm and fuzzy. You find yourself wanting to be with them often, you want to go outside and explore the world with them. You might want to be closer with them than anyone else. That's how I've felt."

He considered that, then tried to compare it to what he'd been feeling.

"It's… similar, I think," he explained. "I like being with vem, and I regret choosing to ignore vem at first. I wish that we could've grown closer before." He closed his eyes, and pictured vem, sitting next to him, their hands linked.

He felt warmth, before it faded into confusion. Biana's explanation seemed right, but he felt like there was something that he was missing.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Since it was summer vacation, it meant that Fitz didn't have to go to school every day and see Dex. While they had hangouts often, Dex often had to babysit vis younger siblings, so he didn't see vem too often.

It was probably a good thing, it meant that he could try and figure out his feelings, without the source of said feelings being around to make everything complicated. (Though, it wasn't really working). At least though, he could figure out how to make things less awkward, because the others were starting to notice something was going on, and he didn't want to be the reason that the atmosphere wasn't pleasant.

He spent a lot of his free time playing the piano. He'd been doing less of it lately, but once he'd started playing not as an obligation, but because he wanted to, he found that playing it was a good stress reliever. He could immerse himself in the light sounds of the piano, distract himself from all the confusion he felt.

Sometimes though, when he played the piano, he thought of the songs that he often heard- whether from school or just Biana- and murmured the lyrics. He tried playing the songs that he knew were about romance, because maybe he could figure out how he felt about the experiences that other people had.

He was still conflicted though. Some songs it seemed like the person was oddly possessive over the one that they loved, the feeling of love so strong and intense and suffocating. Whatever he felt towards Dex was strong, but not like that. Other songs were a lot more casual, talking about how the warmth that came from being with the one you loved.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He really hoped he could find an answer, and soon.

•~•~•~•~•~•

While he had no answer, interactions with Dex did become easier. He wasn't sure if it was because he was getting used to what he was feeling, was coming closer to figuring it out, or he was just getting better at suppressing his feelings.

The next year of school had started, and it meant a new play for the drama club. Both him and Dex joined the club, just like the previous year.

Most of the other playwrights were people he was familiar with from the previous year, but there was a new face. This year, they agreed on something less realistic- superheroes. It was interesting to see how the story evolved, from a joke about the main character "Grey" being morally grey, to adding two antagonists with strong superpowers, which then ended up focusing less on the main character, but more between the relationship between two siblings. It was absolutely incredible to see what they were able to come up with.

Coming up with a plot was only the beginning though, but this time, he had more experience writing, so he was able to contribute even more to the story.

Writing the dialogue could be difficult sometimes, as some of the lines felt too dramatic, or not emotional enough. He tried saying them out loud, but he wasn't that good at voice acting, so he sounded too robotic for his liking.

"It sounds like you're writing something for the play," Dex said during one lunch. "Do you want me to say it out loud for you?"

Fitz was surprised by the offer. Whole they were talking more, it was usually in a group. So for Dex to be coming to him, it meant that their friendship could be better.

"That would be nice, thank you. I'm trying to write a monologue about the mayor, addressing the people about how his sister betrayed him and has been working for the rebels. But right before that, it's his reaction to the betrayal."

"Is he angry, or more sad?"

"Bit of both, and then when he makes his speech to the audience he reveals an invention that'd be used to stop the rebels, so while he's calm, he should also sound vaguely menacing."

"Is the mayor the villain?"

"It's complicated. The mayor's sibling has superpowers, while he doesn't. He fears that the powers are going to cause him to lose his status, so he creates laws that impact people with powers. Those people then rebel so they can have proper rights, sometimes violently, which to the mayor, proves that people with powers are a threat. The mayor also has been looking into an invention that can get rid of powers, because he wants to "cure" his sibling."

"He does awful things for the sake of love," Dex guessed.

"Exactly. Oh, here"--he turned his phone screen so ve could see the screen--"the script is here for you to read."

Ve started off murmuring, trying to get a feel for the scene. As ve re-read the scene over and over again, ve spoke louder, emotion seeping into vis tone.

"Thank you Dex," he said, after it was over. "That helped a lot.

"No problem. It was fun."

The bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period.

"I've got to head to class now, see you later!" Without thinking, Fitz leaned towards vem, before he realized what he was doing.

Was I about to kiss vem on the cheek?

He couldn't tell if it was just instinct- he always kissed his mom on the cheek if either of them had to go somewhere- or if he genuinely wanted to show affection like that.

He abruptly turned away and quickly left, not daring to look back and see if ve had noticed or not.

•~•~•~•~•~•

It turned out that Dex hadn't noticed the almost-cheek-kiss, and Fitz was relieved. But it did get him thinking. If he and Dex were to date, would he be comfortable with kissing vem on the lips? He knew that for the most part, kissing was common in romantic relationships. After a few moments of thinking, he decided that he didn't want that.

It wasn't like a switch had been flipped (he knew that kissing wasn't required in romantic relationships), he did finally begin to have his answer.

His hangouts with Dex slowly began to go back to normal, as they fell back into the dynamic from before the confession. Except this time, there was less blushing and being embarrassed, because this time, there wasn't a crush to hide.

Sometimes Dex acted out the scenes he helped write. They didn't do that too often though, since Dex was going to audition, and ve didn't want to have any sort of advantage.

It felt nice to be with Dex, it was comforting and fun. When he tried imagining Dex dating someone, he found that he didn't mind that too much, as long as they'd be able to hang out together (he was annoyed by the fact that he hadn't tried to imagine that earlier).

•~•~•~•~•~•

"Hey, Dex," Fitz called out. "About the confession…" Despite having his answer, he was a little nervous, because neither of them had actually ever discussed the confession or the aftermath.

Dex blinked, then pursed vis lips. "What about it?"

"I know I did already reject you, but well, you know about the stuff after… I was confused. Because I like being with you, and I'll admit, you look beautiful, but I'd been unable to actually figure out if it was romantic attraction or not. It wasn't, so here's my official rejection. Hope it doesn't change anything between us again."

There was a pause, then ve snorted. "You do know that you already rejected me, right? I mean, I get what you're saying, but I've been working to get over you. Hasn't quite worked yet, but I'm not devastated or anything."

"That's good, I feel better about this."

"Your explanation also makes sense, I mean, it took me forever to realize that I don't like girls. Attraction is confusing."

Fitz laughed. "You can say that again. I'm aromantic, but I think part of the confusion is that I like the idea of romance."

"So when you have someone confess to you," ve continued. "You're wondering if you should have accepted the confession."

He nodded. "Exactly."

"And we'll continue to stay as friends, right?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan."

He could always figure out more of the details later.

•~•~•~•~•~•

With everything settled, Fitz and Dex grew closer. Auditions for the play drew near, and the actors were instructed to think about who they were going to be playing.

"I kinda want to play the mayor?" Dex said. "I mean, I've seen very small bits of the dialogue from other characters, but I did have fun doing that monologue the first time."

"You should do it then," Fitz told vem.

"Yeah but… it's a more major role, and I'm scared of messing it up. I haven't really had much experience in the main cast, let alone as an antagonist."

"I'm sure you could do it," Fitz said, putting his hands on vis shoulders. "Your acting helped me, and I'm proud of how far you've come. Worst case scenario, you don't get the role, but you know how nice our teacher is."

"She is nice," ve agreed.

"So you know she won't be harsh."

"I guess, yeah."

•~•~•~•~•~•

The scene that had been used for the audition wasn't one that Dex had read, which made Fitz feel a little bit better, because the last thing that he wanted was for vem to make it because of an unfair advantage. He knew that ve'd feel guilty about it.

The scene was when the mayor's sister left to secretly join one of the rebel meetings, and then he talked to himself about how much he hated the rebels and how he was going to make sure that his citizens would be protected from those who had superpowers.

The edge in Dex's tone was similar to how Fitz had imagined the mayor to sound like- sweet, but it was clear that the mayor was menacing. The reasoning was somewhat noble, to protect the citizens, but what wasn't considered was that people with superpowers were human too. The mayor was the one who ended up causing damage, while trying to stop the damage from happening.

He thought about the ending, and wondered how it would look like for Dex (or another actor) to perform during the end, when everything that the mayor had done led to the deaths of his sister and his friend (well technically, the friend actually lived, but at the time, he didn't know that). The mayor would go through a revelation that everything he was doing was wrong, and he needed to fix everything.

The actors who were auditioning all seemed capable of performing the role well, and Fitz wondered who would make it.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Dex managed to get the role of the mayor, and just like the previous year, Dex often practiced in front of him. Without the fear of crushes, it meant that ve was significantly more comfortable, and ve was able to do a better job.

There were points when ve got nervous, but Fitz was there to help encourage them. And despite the fact that he'd done this before, he watched vem practice in awe, because he still couldn't believe that he was able to watch this, watch someone put so much passion into acting out something he helped to write.

It felt like all of these emotions were contagious, because sometimes, it almost felt like he could feel Dex's own emotions. When ve did the monologue about being betrayed, he could feel that heartbreak and anger.

Or if Fitz was in a good mood, it spread to Dex, vis voice would sound just a little bit lighter, and during their group hangouts, ve'd talk a little bit more than usual.

The opposite applied too- sometimes Dex came to school, angry at vis siblings. While Fitz wouldn't feel irritated, necessarily, but he did find himself needing a little more quiet.

Fitz wondered if that was just them being in tune with each other, or if it was the work of something more. (In his first year, he'd joined the strings ensemble to play the piano part, and had witnessed Keefe and Tam's rivalry, but nobody could deny that when it was time to be serious, they played really well. While neither of them had found their soulmate, he wouldn't be surprised if they were.)

No matter what it was though, he knew that he was glad that he made the decision to befriend Dex.

•~•~•~•~•~•

During some of their free time, Fitz and Dex would hang out in his room and watch tv. Ever since all of this, he found himself focusing more on the writing when it came to the shows.

Sometimes what they watched was simple, others weren't. Some were cartoons, and some were play adaptations to some of the shows he'd watched before.

"Do you ever think about what you'll be doing in the future?" Fitz asked.

Dex nodded. "Yeah. It's hard to imagine it, though. Is there anything you want to do in the future?"

Fitz laid down against the bed they were sitting on. "I don't know, really. I mean, I think writing would be fun. If I got to write a play adaptation to a TV show I liked, I'd be really happy with that."

Ve hummed, laying down next to him. "You can try going for it. I think you'd do well. I know you didn't write the entirety of the plays, but they were fun to act out."

"Maybe. I guess we'll see. What about you?"

"I think voice acting would be fun. I could do stuff for animation, it seems less stressful than doing something live action. Then again, I don't really know yet."

"I think you'd do a good job," he said, before he linked their fingers together.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"I feel so weird," Dex said.

"Can you describe it?"

"I feel anxious, we're presenting the play in just a few hours, but part of me doesn't feel that scared, and that just makes me more worried."

"The dress rehearsal and the one we presented at school were great," he assured. "Don't you remember the applause?"

"That's different. I know we've done this before, but like, we only won one award last year when there were a crap ton of them. I don't want to be the reason why we don't advance in the competition this year either."

"We'll do our best, okay? You can do that much, right?" He asked, gently grabbing one of vis hands.

Ve nodded, determination flashing in vis eyes. "Okay, we'll do our best."

•~•~•~•~•~•

Their play began, and it was going incredibly well- it felt like everyone was performing even better than usual. While he really liked the comedic play from the previous year, the lighting, special effects, and the emotional speeches made the play feel better in terms of quality.

It neared the end- when the mayor was about to learn that his friend was alive. But as Dex spoke, Fitz noticed that something was off. Ve performed fine, but one of vis lines was slightly wrong. Ve must have noticed, because as ve crouched down, ve froze, vis eyes darting side to side. Ve picked up the hand of the "dead body", vis breaths visible.

From far away, it could have been interpreted as disbelief, that maybe the character was noticing something. But Fitz knew that wasn't the case, and even he began to feel nervous.

Ve had started to panic a lot less with all the practice, but that didn't mean that vis stage fright didn't disappear.

Dex, I know you can do it. I believe in you. Just get through this ending, and it'll be over. You can do it.

That nervous feeling that he'd felt disappeared in an instant. For a few moments, he felt nothing. Then there was shock, so overwhelming that for a moment, he couldn't breathe.

Dex spoke, vis lines delivered without any stutter, and there was so much happiness in vis tone, more than Fitz had heard in a while. There was that breathless sort of relief, which mainly came from receiving good news after a long time. There was no way that it could be faked so easily. Especially not when ve had been panicking just moments ago.

Fitz smiled at vem, those same emotions that Dex was feeling could be felt by him too. He had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, Fitz was glad that it had happened.

When ve walked off stage after the last few scenes were over, he heard a voice in his mind.

Wonderboy, did you know that we're soulmates?

It was Dex's voice, but ve was nowhere near hi-

He caught on to that last word. Soulmates. Soulmates. That word repeated in his brain.

Yeah, soulmates. It shocked me, but not so much the soulmates part but more the "your voice is in my brain" part. How do you feel about all of this?

Despite being a writer, he had no words to explain how he felt. He was elated, happy, but none of those words felt like it did justice.

Okay, I think I can tell. Just know that I'm happy you're my soulmate too. Also, you might wanna get up on stage to bow, we can talk later.

Fitz stood up quickly, not realizing that the others were getting up. Yeah, we'll do that.

The festival itself wasn't that long, and their school was one of the later schools to present, but still, it felt like such a long time away. He had to actively concentrate on the other plays, otherwise he was going to get lost in thought, or end up spending the entire time mentally communicating with Dex.

Finally though, it ended, and once they were dropped back at school, they started their walk home together.

"Are you shocked that we're soulmates?" Dex asked.

"Not really. You and I have gotten really close over these two years, I don't think I can imagine my soulmate being anyone else," he replied. "Though I do still think that part of me is processing."

Ve snorted. "That reveal literally snapped me out of my spiraling. If you think you had no time to process it, imagine being on stage and there's just a voice. I'm lucky I didn't jump in shock, and managed to get through the rest of that."

"Oh, yeah, that would be something that would scare me. But I think we should talk about what comes next."

"We already decided that we aren't gonna date," Dex told him.

He nodded. "And I've thought about this for a while, but I do want to stay close with you. With the knowledge that you're my soulmate, that makes me want it more. I don't know what exactly either of our stories will be like in the future, but I want you to be one of the main characters in my story."

Dex looked down, vis face flushing red. "You- you're such a dork, you know that? How do you say something so cheesy? But… I can agree too."

Fitz felt his own face heating up a little bit, and was glad that his skin was dark enough for it to not show. It did sound a little cheesy.

"At least we have that much settled. Our stories are still in progress, so we can always wait before adding more plot points."

Ve laughed. "You make it sound so dramatic."

"I'm a writer!"

•~•~•~•~•~•

"So you look happy," Biana remarked as he entered the living room that same night. "I think you somehow look happier than you did last year."

He could still feel the smile on his face. "Dex is my soulmate."

"Wait, really? That's so cool! What happened?"

Fitz recounted the events, then began to describe how it felt. He was sort of able to feel those emotions before he realized, but once the bond was truly established, he was conscious of Dex's emotions, and the other way around. Every once in a while, he could hear Dex's voice in his mind.

"That's amazing!" Ae squealed. "Do you think that either Sophie or Linh could end up as my soulmate? That would be so cool! Even if neither of them aren't, I could see if my soulmate would join the polycule. Even if they don't, I'd be fine with that."

"Both of them could be your soulmates," he said.

"They could," she agreed. "But you know that multiple soulmates are super rare. I'd be so happy if they were both my soulmates though."

"I guess you'd just have to wait and see," he said. "Just like I did."

•~•~•~•~•~•

"I hope our school advances this time!" Dex whispered to him, as they sat down to watch the award ceremony for the plays.

It turned out that the play didn't manage to make it past the district showcase, but it wasn't too saddening. They could definitely understand why some of the other schools had managed to make it.

But just because they didn't make it past the round didn't mean that there weren't awards to be given. The director of their play won an award- and Fitz agreed with that decision. They had done a really good job with everything, including the choreographing of the superpowers.

The other award that their school received was one that Fitz was not surprised about. The award was for an actor and their talents, and he was proud as Dex walked onto the stage to receive the certificate.

I can't believe this is happening! Dex said.

I can, he replied. You did such a good job.

For the rest of that evening, neither of them stopped smiling.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"Hey Dex, can you come act out this part?" Fitz called out.

When there was no reply, he called out for vem mentally. Dex, can you act out a part I'm writing please?

The door to the other bedroom opened, and ve walked into his room. "Sorry, was listening to music."

"That's fine."

"Which part do you want me to act out?"

He turned the laptop screen around so ve could read.

"Broken Harmony, right?" Ve asked.

He nodded. Then he watched as vis posture changed, vis face wearing a cocky grin that resembled Keefe's. When he'd first seen the look, he'd thought that it looked odd on vem, but over the years, he learned more and more about vem. Plus, ve had become a voice actor, and had taken on various roles.

Ve recited the dialogue, and from there, Fitz was able to continue the conversation.

"Thank you," he said out of habit, even though at this point, it was something ve would do everything ve was asked.

Ve smiled. "I'll be back in my room if you need me, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay. Love you."

"Love you too."

•~•~•~•~•~•

I don't leave many notes in the end but that scene where Fitz almost kisses vem on the cheek instinctively is actually something that's happened to me when I was questioning whether I was crushing on my friend or not (it was so embarrassing when I realized. I was in front of multiple people too, so I'm relieved that nobody noticed). Idk why I've decided to share this now, but as I said, I projected a lot onto Fitz this time

Kotlc taglist: @keefeinnit @impostertamsong @my-swan-song @subrosasteath

Want to be added/removed from the kotlc masterlist? Just let me know!

#fitz vacker #dex dizznee #biana vacker #queerplatonic fedex #fedex #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc fanfiction #ravi writes a thing

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castiel-kline · 4 years ago

Note

cas and balthazar meet again post finale

This one really got away from me, and it got really long. I promise it does answer the prompt but I also made it super plotty for some reason. I hope you don’t mind!

Being taken by the Empty didn’t feel like dying.

Of course, that’s what was happening to him, but it didn’t feel like that. It felt cold, and painful, and vengeful. Lonely and miserable and laced with glittering knives of regret.

It was his damnation. Not the traditional sense of the word, but true nonetheless.

But if facing it meant he’d save his family? Save Jack from being subject to the same fate? He’d damn himself to this a thousand times over, without a single shred of hesitation.

The Empty had him entirely covered in its goo, tendrils snaking under his skin and into his body from every angle. In through the eyes, the nose, snaking down his throat. Under the fingernails, into the ears, scraping through the tattered remnants of his grace and pressing down around his true form.

It was agony.

Eventually it subsided, and some of the inky tendrils retracted, leaving him gasping for air that neither existed in this realm nor was truly necessary. He collapsed in a heap, the Empty bubbling around him. He spared a glance up, wondering if the Shadow were nearby to gloat before sending them both into slumber. What he saw… well. Unexpected didn’t quite cover it.

“Jack?”

“Hmm. Guess again, Castiel.”

“No.” Don’t you dare look like him.

“Oh, yes. Because it hurts you to look at him, doesn’t it?” The Shadow leaned down, condescension clear as day in its every move. So wrong on Jack’s face that it twisted something deep within him. It stared him down, watching him squirm, mania-painted smirk stretching wider. “Good. I want you to suffer, so that’s what you’re going to do.”

“I thought you wanted your peace and quiet,” Cas managed, as more tendrils snaked out over his wrists and ankles. Dragging him a little bit further down, completely at the Empty’s mercy. Somehow he suspected that was the point.

The Shadow straightened, looking down Jack’s nose at him.

“Of course I do,” It said, emulating Jack’s earnestness. Liar. “But I can’t!”

“What?”

“Wonderboy-” the Shadow gesticulated wildly in the direction of its facsimile body “-woke everybody up when he exploded all over me. So I don’t get to sleep, no, and if I don’t get to sleep then you definitely don’t get to sleep. None at all.”

Quicker than a blink, the Shadow had fisted Castiel’s collar in its hands, bringing their faces inches apart.

“At least,” It whispered, eyes wild with an energy Jack had never, and would never, possess. “I get to make you suffer like you’ve made me suffer. So I want you to look at this face, Castiel. Look at it, and know that it’s contorted in tears right now because Papa Bear abandoned him.”

The Shadow threw him down, the goo swallowing him right back up. Submerged in the dark, he scarcely felt its weight. He was too busy drowning in a fresh cascade of guilt.

It yanked him back up, tendrils leaving him suspended in the middle of nothing. Some of them twisted at his feathers, pulling them just enough to be excruciating but not enough to rip them free. He screamed.

“Be quiet!” The Empty released him, and Cas fell back down, every fibre of his being crying out in pain.

The Shadow cackled, everything about it from the pitch to the cadence to the intention screaming wrong, wrong, wrong.

��You’re never going to regret this, are you?”

Cas glared at it, mustering up as much defiance as he could.

“No,” he croaked. “Because saving my family? That’s worth dying a thousand deaths.”

The Shadow doubled over laughing again. Then, quick as a blink, kicked him across the face, sending him reeling backwards.

“‘Die a thousand deaths’? Please. You’re pathetic, you know that?”

Castiel pushed himself back up, following the Shadow’s pacing with his eyes. It walked with one arm tucked behind its back, the other gesticulating as it spoke.

“Death isn’t going to be enough for you, hmm. Oh, you know what you’ve never been able to take?” It spun back around, grinning down at him. “You can’t stand seeing the pain you’ve caused. And since you can’t see what’s left of your precious little family- not that they even care that you died, by the way- how would you feel about seeing the angels again?”

No. He must have looked visibly afraid, because the Shadow only smiled wider.

“Not so pleasant a thought, hmm? Seeing as you killed most of them.” It laughed again, clapping its hands in an expression of glee that would have been endearing coming from Jack, but now simply served to be disturbing. “Oh, yes. It’ll be just like throwing a scrap of meat to a pack of starving dogs.”

Cas shook his head, but the Empty pressed on. It waved its hand, and Castiel was thrown some immeasurable distance away. He pushed himself to a sitting position, and watched in horror as the ground bubbled around him, and his brothers and sisters began to crawl their way out.

He recognized them, of course, because he’d taken care to never forget a single name. He saw Hael first, then Bartholomew, then Jonah and Efram and Ambriel and Samandriel. He saw Raphael, Uriel, Anna, Jophiel. He scrambled to his feet, unable to do anything but watch and wait for their wrath to undoubtedly descend upon him.

Someone grabbed him from behind and pulled, running and dragging Castiel with them. He didn’t fight it, figuring that whoever had him was going to inflict a world of pain and there wasn’t a thing to do but accept it. They’d gone a fair distance, if there was such a thing as distance in nothing, before they stopped and Cas turned to face who had taken him.

“Balthazar?” His voice came out strangled, as scarcely more than a whisper.

“Cas,” Balthazar said, staring at him with something unreadable in his eyes. “Your wings…”

“Balthazar,” Cas repeated, finding himself unable to say anything else, mind swirling in an inescapable vortex of grief and guilt and pain. “I’m sorry, my friend. I’m so sorry.”

“What, for killing me? You weren’t yourself.”

“I was. That’s the problem.”

Balthazar just shook his head. “It’s going to take more than a stab in the back to get rid of me. You do know that, right?”

“If we weren’t already dead I’d offer you my blade to kill me. I deserve nothing more.”

“Castiel.” Cas forced himself to meet Balthazar’s eyes directly. “I know you, and so I forgive you. As I’ve told you before- nothing’s changed.”

Cas smiled bitterly. “Except me.”

“What happened to you?” Balthazar’s fingers traced the air where Castiel’s wings lay mangled and twisted in another dimension. “You look like you’ve been clawed apart by feral house cats.”

“I destroyed everything, Balthazar. So many times.” And he felt like he was being crushed under the weight of all his mistakes. Perhaps this was the torture the Empty preferred for him- giving him back a lost friend, giving him forgiveness- and then ripping it away again. Surely even someone as loyal as Balthazar wouldn’t want to associate with him after learning of the things he’d done.

“You, Cassie? I’ve only ever known you to do what’s right.”

“How can you say that when you saw me make one of my biggest mistakes? When I killed you because of it?”

Balthazar scoffed. “Mistake? Cas, you were trying to stop our control freak of an older brother from letting the other ones out to destroy the world. What about that is a mistake? Sure, Crowley was a bit of a snake, but come on. It can’t have been so long that you’ve forgotten your good intentions.”

Cas didn’t say a word, and Balthazar narrowed his eyes. “How long has it been, Cas?”

Cas sighed. “Nine years.”

“Nine years.” Balthazar’s eyebrows had shot all the way up. “Wow. Not long at all. So what could… no. Tell me you weren’t.”

Castiel frowned. “Weren’t what?”

“Weren’t still kissing the Winchesters’ asses for the whole nine years.”

“They’re my friends, Balthazar.”

“Oh, really?” Balthazar crossed his arms. “If they’re your friends, why did they treat you like one of the guns they keep in the trunk of their wretched car?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Isn’t it, Cas?” Balthazar sighed, backing down a little. Nine years of death wouldn’t stop them from bickering, it seemed, though he did put a hand on Cas’ shoulder. An uncharacteristic attempt to show solidarity through the sarcasm.

“Look,” Balthazar continued. “What you do is your business, but… just tell me there was something good in those years. That it wasn’t just you running around trying to prove yourself to them.”

There was something, in fact, something he’d never expected. Something beautiful.

“I had a son,” he admitted. He’d often wondered what Jack would be like meeting angels that weren’t hell-bent on killing him. He’d imagined Jack meeting Balthazar, or Hannah, or Rachel or Samandriel, but it would never come to fruition. The best he would get was telling them about him, assuming he would be able to escape being choked and stretched and drowned by the depths of the Empty for all eternity.

“Why, Cassie, I’m impressed,” Balthazar said wryly. Oh no. Before Cas could interject and explain, Balthazar continued. “Looks like you really did get that stick out of your ass. And you put it right up-”

“Balthazar! He’s not mine, not like that. He chose me, and his mother was a friend. That’s all.”

Balthazar seemed to enjoy how flustered he was, but his tone was serious. “You adopted a human child?”

“No, he’s a nephilim.”

“Ah,” Balthazar said. “So they changed the rules regarding them in the past nine years, then?”

“No,” Cas said again, getting frustrated. He’d forgotten how much Balthazar loved to hear himself speak. Even if he had missed it, it was still mildly insufferable.

“Well, you rebel Cas, you. But, ah- who was the sire?”

Cas winced. “Lucifer.”

“Oh, my. That is unfortunate.”

“Yeah. Jack’s nothing like him, though. He’s… he’s very much like his mother. And I like to think he’s a little bit like me, too.”

Balthazar looked at him, somehow still reading him like a book after all this time.

“You spoil the poor child, don’t you?”

“I most certainly do not,” Cas huffed.

“Oh, yes you do. You’ve always been soft, but now you’re practically a down pillow.”

Cas’ smile was sadder, again. “I told you I’ve changed.”

“Maybe so. But we haven’t.”

“Thank you.”

Balthazar smiled. “I do have one question though, Cas.”

“Of course.”

“How did you die?”

Well. He supposed it would have had to be asked eventually. Unfortunately his hesitation gave Balthazar another opportunity to talk over him.

“Please don’t tell me it was for the Winchesters.”

“I love them.”

Balthazar rolled his eyes. “Of course you do. And unfortunately I love that about you. Well, go on. Tell me a story.”

Cas shrugged. “I made a deal with the Empty. My life for Jack’s, which- it wasn’t even a question. It said that when I was finally happy, it would take me.”

Balthazar frowned. “What did you in?”

“You know, I’m not really sure. But I managed to save Dean, and that’s all that matters.”

“Oh, Cas,” Balthazar muttered, sounding deeply sad. “Well, at least you were clearly a better father than our dear old absent God. That much is clear.”

Cas’ heart sank. He couldn’t not tell him, though he didn’t necessarily want to break the news.

“Balthazar.”

“What?”

“Um. A lot has happened since I’ve last seen you, and there’s a lot you need to know, but God- God was never on our side.”

--------

They walked aimlessly through the Empty, keeping aware for signs of their siblings or the Shadow, but oddly finding none.

“Well then,” Balthazar said, flippant as ever. Cas was nearly sure he was deflecting.

“That’s all you have to say? You’re not angry?”

“Nope.” Forced cheerfulness. “Never liked him anyway. Frankly, I’m surprised you even met the man.”

Cas paused and stopped moving, feeling something tugging at his grace.

“Cas, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” Balthazar had stopped too, hovering closer.

A pocket of the nothingness in front of them seemed to pull itself inward, caving in like a black hole and then cracking open just a bit. Was this what it looked like when someone died and came to the Empty?

Hopefully not, because the distortion cleared and Jack was standing there. And it was painfully, obviously Jack, clearly indicated by everything from his posture to the grace Cas could feel reaching for his own.

Balthazar stiffened, preparing for a fight, but the minute Jack caught sight of Castiel the angel found himself with an armful of nephilim. He held on tight, feeling Jack trembling slightly.

Having connected the dots, Balthazar caught his eye over Jack’s shoulder and mouthed “down pillow.” Cas shook his head slightly, but turned his attention back to his son.

“Jack? Are you-”

“I’m getting you out, Cas,” Jack said, pulling back. “We’re both getting out of here.”

Balthazar’s stricken expression tugged at Cas’ heart.

“Just me?” Cas asked.

Jack’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“The other angels are awake, Jack. Can you…”

“I… maybe. But, Cas, I don’t… I don’t know them. Why…”

“It’s alright if you can’t,” Cas assured. “But if we can help them somehow, be that bringing them back or putting them to sleep… I need to try to make things right.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll try to help.”

Cas smiled at him, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. “Thank you. And thank you for coming to get me.”

“Of course. I missed you,” Jack said, eyes wide. Cas felt something else inside him twisting.

Balthazar cleared his throat, and Cas gently turned Jack around to face the third member of their party.

“Jack, this is Balthazar. He’s a good friend.”

Jack and Balthazar looked at each other, Jack frowning and Balthazar smirking in a horribly misguided attempt to be friendly. The silence stretched on, utterly deafening. Jack broke it first.

“I… I met an alternate universe version of you that was not very nice.”

Balthazar didn’t miss a beat.

“Well, you know what they say. Don’t judge an angel by their alternate universe counterparts, right?”

That got a bit of a smile out of Jack, though he was still wary. Cas couldn’t blame him, so he kept in contact to keep him at ease.

“We need to find the Shadow. Make an arrangement so that we can take a few angels with us and the Empty goes back to peace and quiet,” Jack said. The self-assuredness was clearly a front, but somehow Cas felt as if he’d have time to help Jack through it.

“Okay,” he said, nodding at Jack. Jack nodded back, and the three of them started walking. Into what, they didn’t know.

But Castiel had the strangest feeling that it was all going to turn out alright.

#castiel #balthazar #spn #asks #prompts #napsterofficial #winchester critical #<bc of balthazar lmao #other prompts I am getting to y’all soon I promise!!#kitkat writes

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sunset-telepath · 4 years ago

Text

Why I hate Ro

So, I was asked to explain why I hate Ro. And I’ve been compilating several arguments that I’ve heard and written myself. And I’d like to put a disclaimer here - it’s not because she’s this “sokeefe idol.” It’ just... her character and what she does in support of sokeefe.

Disclaimer: I’m condensing several conversations that I, JaxTheShade, and [Redacted due to them not wanting to be credited] had on the wiki about a month ago. Around 40% of these ideas are mine, 40% are Jax’s, and 20% are [Redacted]’s.

Right off the bat, she’s a misandrist. She quite literally calls boys as stupid as amoeba in Legacy. You can say that that was a joke, but it’s not funny. It’s not okay to blatantly call anyone or generalize any group stupid. It’s not ok. It’s the exact same thing as saying that women belong in the kitchen or that blacks are criminals. It’s not ok. It’s disgusting, despicable, and repugnant behavior.

In the Flashback Short Story, she objectifies Sophie as a prize for Fitz and Keefe to fight over. What the actual f***. That is not acceptable behavior under any circumstances. It’s repugnant, disgusting, detestable, and f****** evil. Treating any person as a prize to fight over is textbook objectification and it is blatantly evil. It is not ok. And it’s disgusting that this narrative has leaked into some of the fanfics that I’ve read. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. IT IS NOT EXCUSABLE. IT IS EVIL.

She flat out bullies Fitz. She alludes to him being a nasty microbe in Legacy. She ridicules his desire to perfect himself. There is nothing wrong with being or trying to be perfect. Don’t push yourself too hard trying to be perfect, but if you should always strive to be better (and if you’re naturally talented like Fitz is, achieve your dreams. Fulfill your potential. Ignore the haters). She mocks and bullies him, calling him names and ridiculing his desire to be perfect. Newsflash: There’s nothing wrong with trying to be perfect. Who the hell is Ro to decide how perfect someone can be? Who the hell does Ro think she is? As a perfectionist myself, I despise Ro and her adversity to perfection. It’s not her place to decide how perfect a person can be. I admire Fitz simply shrugging her off and not letting her flat-out abuse get to him. It’s the proper way to deal with people like her.

Her entire character can be summed up as a chronic-complainer who ships Sokeefe. Shannon basically turned the Instagram Fandom into a character and made it Keefe’s Bodyguard. She never confesses to making mistakes and she’s never humbled or knocked down a peg. 30% of her dialogue can be attributed to complaining about sparkles or “elf-land,” 20% of it can be attributed to her flat-out bulling Fitz, and 50% of it can be attributed to her pushing Sophie and Keefe together. None of the characters like her. The other bodyguards detest her, Bo wants to kill her, Fitz thinks that she’s awful, Sophie is embarrassed by her, and Keefe wants her to shut her mouth.

She’s blunt, she’s rude, and she’s just awful. She interferes with a relationship that is none of her business. She has no regard for the emotional abuse that she inflicts. Ro and Keefe are very similar, and clash often. Ro always wins, however, either because she’s stronger than him or because she can emotionally manipulate him. (These sound like big claims now, but they’re backed up later)

Ro dismisses Sophie by saying that “blondie doesn’t know what she feels.” And it’s disgusting. She’s objectified by “blondie” - a term focused on Sophie’s appearance rather than by her personality. She’s Sophie Elizabeth Foster, not “blondie.” She dismisses Sophie as naïve and disregards her feelings by saying that Sophie’s doesn’t know what Sophie feels.

~The Following Section was directly quoted from JaxTheShade because he summarized it so well~

Well...no, Ro. She does have an idea of what she feels. In fact, she was ecstatic and perfectly fine with dating and eventually sorting out her issues with Fitz until you started "hinting" about Keefe. Sophie does understand her feelings - and those feelings led her to Fitz. And even if she does have some underlying issue about who she likes (which has admittedly been hinted at), it's up to her to figure it out. Not a brash ogre bodyguard who scoffs at the notion of the Elvin culture and thinks she has a right to intrude in a teenage relationship she isn't apart of.

And Fitz...well, I'm sure Ro doesn't hate him. But she's pretty close to--that's not hard to deduce. Because Ro has ever bothered to pay attention to and sympathize with Keefe ( and yet she still finds a way to neglect his feelings ), she hasn't the slightest inclination of who Fitz is. So, like most people, she decides to consider him "the opposing candidate" in the love triangle and never look past the surface of Fitz, just calling him "Captain Perfect" and thinking that he could never be right for Sophie because he's competing against Keefe.

Sometimes I wish someone, anyone, would call Ro out for amount of sheer insults she layers on Fitz, whether he's there or not. Although most of the time it's done behind his back--what a surprise.

I mean, look at this:

She slyly calls him a 'nasty microbe'. And while some have argued that she wasn't calling Fitz this, she was very clearly expressing her disdain for Sophie's favourite colour being teal--and, by proxy, calls teal things 'nasty'.

“[...] But I thought it was only right to save your imp from being sparkle-fied—and I was going to be nice and turn him your favorite color. But apparently your favorite color is teal—and yeah, yeah, we all know why. But, um, do you realize how many of the nastiest little microbes are that color?” She shuddered. “I couldn’t do that to you—or the little dude. [...]”

Ro also calls him "Captain Perfectpants" and openly admits that Fitz would have problems with all the time Sophie is spending with Keefe. Essentially admitted but disregarding how upset Fitz would be--because who cares about Fitz's feelings when Keefe is having emotional turmoil? And as a little bonus, she also pulls her classic, "I can't take this anymore! I simply have to intervene in this situation of which I'm not apart of!

"Ro snorted. “Of course he would! He’d be super, super jealous!”

“Don’t,” Keefe told her.

“No—I can’t take it anymore!” Ro stalked toward Sophie and tapped her on the nose with a calloused fingertip. “I repeat: Yes, your Captain Perfectpants would be jealous! He scraped together the courage to get all share-y about his feelings, and now you’re ignoring him, and being all mysterious about why, and telling everyone who asks that you’re not dating him. And I’m not saying that’s a bad call. Trust your instincts! Hopefully they’ll lead you out of the oblivion. But in the meantime, count on your teal-eyed Wonderboy feeling a little insecure, particularly if he finds out you’re spending lots of quality time with other dudes. And you know what? That’s good for him. We all know that boy could use a little help in the humility department. So make him sweat a little. And you”—she spun back toward Keefe—“need to stop being so afraid.”

And those are just two instances, of which I can search for plenty more.

Ro is not a good person. She's a rebellious princess who ultimately works for her own gain. She thinks she's got it all figured out with Keefe, and decides that, since he shared his story of liking Sophie, she'll take it upon herself to get them together no matter what.

And I mean 'no matter what'. She has put down Sophie for liking Fitz, interrupted conversations so she can drop hints about Keefe's feelings against his will, and made fun of Sophie for being oblivious--even going to the extent of getting fed up with and blaming Sophie for her oblivion "becoming less and less cute".

She's also tried to actively break up Sophitz and push together Sophie and Keefe. She's insulted Fitz and holds a very hostile disposition towards him simply because he's "perfect boy" who's against the Saint Also Known As Keefe. Ro tries to subtly force Sophie's feelings for Fitz out of her while dropping in some "isn't Hunkyhair so great?". I wouldn't for a second put it past her to succeed in shutting down as many Sophitz moments as possible all so she can continue to ignore the pleas to stop and the embarrassed faces surrounding her.

And her excuse?

"It's the only fun she gets to have here in Elf Land".

She isn't apart of this relationship. She isn't affected by this relationship. She's only seen one side of this relationship, and uses that to base her opinions of the other two. Which is a terrible idea considering that leads to opinions like "Okay, well that other boy is awful because he's the competitor, and that girl must like the boy because the boy likes her, and sometimes she acts shy around him, and that's totally how relationships work".

Ro has absolutely no excuse for the amount of hurt she's inflicted on all three of these teenagers.

And yet she's regarded as a saint amongst all, while people like...say, Alden ( who made mistakes, but ultimately went about it in a calmer, gentler, and more well meaning way--as well as having much more justification and reasoning behind his actions ) are seen as evil and deserving of death. So what's the difference? Is it just because Ro is all for Sokeefe and Alden is really pushing for Sophitz? Have we really sunk low enough to the point where we can adore one character and hate another--despite performing the same actions--simply because of shipping preferences?

Everyone has decided to hate Alden because he showed up to speak with Keefe, ended up getting sidetracked and talking about relationships ( because of Ro, go figure ), sympathized with Keefe and shared meaningful advice from personal identical experiences, and then making sure Keefe knew that he considered him apart of the family.

That was what Alden did. And we have absolutely no reason to believe that Alden was anything but genuine when he stated that he "long considered him part of the family".

And yet Ro is the one who starts ranting about how "he didn't mean it" ( and saying something like that to a teenage boy who never felt loved by his father means a lot--but Ro has to ruin it and say that Alden's words were "a stinking load of garbage" ). Ro is the one whose objectification of the triangle by saying that Keefe being there for his friends is "sabotage" is what sparks Keefe to tell her that Sophie's feelings do matter. Ro is the one who interrupts every conversation by either stating her obnoxious opinion that nobody asked for, or calling a time out so she can bash on Fitz again. Ro is the one who has spent every waking moment since she arrived in the series either making Keefe's desire to be happy for his friends feel invalid, insulting Sophie because she's her own person with her own feelings for someone else, and coming up with every insult under the sun to throw at Fitz. Ro is the one who has no justification for her actions, seeing as she a) is not apart of this triangle, and b) has minimal relationship experience considering both her boyfriends hate her, and one was an arranged marriage.

But...Ro is also the loved and appreciated one.” - JaxTheShade (I’ve been paraphrasing some of the things that he’s said all ready, but I’m directly quoting him for this. His statement is direct and gets to the point)

~End of direct Quote~

I'd like to make one thing clear though - the point of selfishness. There's a stigma to the word that I'd like to clear up, because there are two types of selfishness, rational self-interest, and sacrificing others for yourself.

Fitz is the first type - he has a rational self-interest, he's looking out for himself and his own long-term happiness first. There is nothing wrong with that, if you won't look out for yourself, who will? It's why I completely supported Fitz yelling and breaking up with Sophie - if a relationship is making you unhappy long-term, it is in your best interest to break up with them. It's why Fitz was so adamant about finding Sophie's biological parents, he wanted to avoid future stigma, gossiping, and heckling. Fitz knows how horrible these things are to experience, and so sought to avoid them in the future. This is why Fitz is my favorite character - the others are reactive, Fitz seems to be the only proactive one. (One of the few characters in any literature to be proactive, in fact). While Sophie and the others look at the now and the immediate future, Fitz is concerned with the long-term future, a trait I share with him and one that I rarely see in literature whatsoever, to my vast disappointment.

Ro isn't selfish at all. She's much, much worse - she doesn't meddle in other's affairs for her own happiness, she just does because she can. She has no respect for other's privacy, and throws out insults towards Fitz and Sophie because she just does. She has no motive, impetus, or drive, she just does, and it sickens me.

The second type of selfishness is similar to a bully bullying others because they're miserable and it makes them feel good about themselves. It's horrible and malicious, and I'm not condoning it in any way, but its far more innocent (if bullying can be called innocent) then what Ro does.

Ro is malevolent, she doesn't do it because it makes her feel good, she just does it, with no regard with the relationships and lives she destroys in the process. She's a toxic radioactive waste dump of a person. A toxic waste dump doesn't make people sick and die for their own gain - it just does. That's how Ro is as a person.

Another reason is that she has no regard for what she says or does. She constantly tears Fitz down just because she can (I want Alden to be there next time she tries that. I want Alden to step in and tell her that what she is doing is not okay, because no other character has recognized this so far). I want Alden to be there next time she calls his son a nasty little microbe. I'd like to finally see Ro get some comeuppance for her terrible behavior.

Let's be honest with ourselves - Ro hates Fitz. She hates and complains and whines about how perfect he is. Since when has perfection been a crime? Since when is it up to her to decide the maximum amount of talent a person can have? As a perfectionist myself, I strive for perfection just as Fitz does. There is nothing wrong with striving to perfect yourself - there is if you are actively hurting yourself, but if you're naturally gifted like Fitz is, and you want to be the best you can possibly be, go ahead! Make the most of your innate talent and use it to seek your happiest future. Build & write your own happy ending.

She isn't a part of this relationship. She isn't affected by this relationship. She's actively impeding their ability to seek their own happiness, and not even for her own happiness (which is still horrid), she just does because she's "bored". Her repugnant behavior sickens me.

Ro is a textbook abuser. Let's go over a list of things an abuser does, and see to which characters she applies them to:

Name-Calling: The abuser will blatantly call the abused derogatory adjectives, like stupid or oblivious

We know she does this to Sophie, calling her oblivious. She also twists being perfect into a derogatory adjective, throwing it at Fitz. She also called Fitz a horrible little microbe, along with calling him & Keefe as stupid as amoeba.

Character Assassination: The abuser will use the word "always". You're always oblivious, stupid, late, wrong, etc.

She does this to Sophie, and also somewhat Fitz.

Patronizing: The abuser will be patronizing towards the abused

She does this to Sophie, Fitz, and Keefe.

Belittling: The abuser will belittle the abused

I'm pretty sure she does this to Sophie, Fitz, and Keefe.

Pushing Buttons: Once the abuser finds out what annoys the abused, they will do it nonstop.

Oh boy, does she do this to Keefe and Sophie. (Fitz just gets out of his way to ignore her and avoid her. It's why she's irritated by him, he hasn't opened himself to her and doesn't show flaws allowing her to find ways to sink her nasty manipulating fingers into him)

These are only a few signs of someone being an abuser, and yet Ro manages to hit pretty much all of them.

She gaslights Keefe into believing that Alden is only looking out for himself and his children - something we know to be completely wrong. She's driving a wedge between Keefe and Alden, one of the few other people Keefe respects and thinks looks out for him. The only other parental individual in Keefe's life, in fact, giving Ro total access to Keefe's psyche and making herself the only "true" source of information Keefe can trust. She is a horrible, horrible abuser.

Ro doesn't have benign intentions at heart. She doesn't even have selfish intentions at heart. She just meddles just because she can.

Ro isn’t selfish. She’s just a bad person - for a lack of a better term that would describe her repulsive behavior.

She constantly complains about the elves. Yes, elven culture is a little weird, but you don’t have to complain about it constantly and in-front of the elves.

Ro is also clearly not afraid to gaslight. She forces Keefe to believe that her opinions are the only valid ones. How does she do this? She says that "Blondie doesn't know what she feels," making Keefe think that any emotions he picks up from her are wrong. She says that Fitz is just "Captain Perfect" who doesn't really care about Sophie - that Keefe "deserves" her. She says that Alden's advice is just made up, and that he doesn't really care about him. She’s established herself as the only source of information that Keefe can trust. She’s removed Alden (the one other parental figure Keefe had) and established herself as the only person Keefe can trust. And that is very dangerous and highly abusive.

She even invalidates Keefe's emotions. Every time Keefe stands up to her and says something like "I'm just being a good friend," Ro responds (like any of this is her business) with something snarky. Or, she tells him to "stop being so afraid." And that forces Keefe to believe that his desire to help his friends isn't valid enough. That he isn't valid enough. So he comes crawling back to Ro.

She’s a terrible bodyguard. She threatens to not protect Keefe in Legacy if Sophie doesn’t share her secret with her. THAT IS NOT OK UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. SOPHIE DID NOT TRUST KEEFE WITH HER SECRET OF BEING UNMATCHABLE. RO EXTORTED IT OUT OF HER, USING KEEFE AS A LIE DETECTOR. THAT IS NOT OK; IT IS EVIL.

If you re-read the portion in Legacy where she does this, it reveals some truly horrible behavior.

Here’s another direct quote from JaxTheShade explaining why this part is so disgusting:

“Essentially, Ro is blackmailing Sophie.

Sophie just found out that if Keefe goes anywhere near the Neverseen, he will probably die. ( Because at this point, they just thought the legacy thing would kill him ). So she's desperately trying to get Keefe to make a promise and stay away from Gisela. Keefe, in typical fashion, adamantly states that he's not going to be locked up.

This is where Ro steps in.

She says that she will be the one to protect him and make sure he doesn't run off. ( Since she is his bodyguard ). But instead of just...doing her job...she decides that she can exploit the situation. She can get something out of this.

She figured out that Sophie is hiding something. And from the way she hasn't told anyone yet, Ro can assume that she's trying to keep it a secret. But she also knows that Keefe's safety is important to all of them.

So she threatens Keefe's life--yes, threatens--unless Sophie spills her secret. The situation becomes, "I have all the power here, so unless you tell me a confidential secret, I'll let my charge run off into danger, which you can't have. So I know that I've put you into a corner. I know that I've won here."

If this doesn't scream "manipulative abuser", then I don't know what does.

It's disgusting, really. Ro's behaviour is despicable.

And while her blatant blackmail is clearly the worst offense, she also sprinkled in several other "I'm a bad person" actions.

1) She said that the reason Keefe gets away with things is because she "doesn't care enough to fight him" on them. Well, if you don't care, then why don't you just go back to Ravagog? Because Keefe is the second most threatened person their group, and he needs an actual bodyguard, not a manipulative princess who makes him feel even worse about himself. If Keefe gets hurt when he runs off, did he get hurt because you "didn't care enough to bother"?

2) Ro says that she doesn't care that much about him. Well, thanks, Ro. I'm sure that really makes Keefe sleep soundly at night, knowing that you don't really care about him.

3) And why does she not really care about him? Because she only bothers with Keefe as long as he doesn't make her "look bad". She says that the reason she's stopping him this time is because it'll damage her reputation if he dies. You know, instead of being worried about his life.

4) She says "I enjoy meddling". And that's her excuse for blackmailing Sophie into spilling a confidential secret. And yet she has the audacity to accuse Alden of "meddling" while here she sits, admitting it to everyone and acting like it's not a big deal.

5) Her very last line in the quote just further proves that she's just doing this to get Sokeefe to happen. Instead of feeling remorse for Sophie, who is trying not to look at them and clearly uncomfortable, she just brushes off the secret that she just forced out of her by saying that "it should do the trick". The trick being 'getting Fitz to break up with her'.

This is probably Ro's most egregious act yet.

And yet nobody ever seems to call her out for it or even think that...it's a little weird that she would do this.

But I guess it really isn't weird at all, seeing as we've have evidence in the past that proves she would stoop to this level.” - JaxTheShade

That part in Unlocked where Shannon said that (deeeeeeeeeeeep down) Ro cares about Keefe? Well, it’s ooc. Look what Ro says in Legacy: "I may not care that much about what happens to you, but if you get yourself killed on my watch, it makes me look bad—especially if I had advance notice. So, I can’t have that."

Re-read that portion in Legacy. Alarm bells should be going off in your head.

She reminds me of the villain Ellsworth Monkton Toohey from The Fountainhead. Do you know what he did? He turned people into slaves by establishing psychological power over them and making them miserable. By killing their wants, needs, desires, and happiness, he turned people into miserable slaves who would obey his every order. And the scary part? Ro uses the exact. same. tactics. that he does (not going to list them here, that would take far too long) on Fitz, Sophie, and Keefe. And Keefe almost perfectly resembles the characters who fall for his manipulations and tactics, while Sophie and Fitz resemble the characters who ignored him and went about their business. It’s really unnerving.

Everyone is entitled to seek their own happiness - as long as their actions don't impede others from seeking their own happiness.

Ro actively impedes Sophie, Fitz, and Keefe's pursuit of their own happiness, doing it for no other reason than the fact that she's bored. It sickens me.

And the fact that Fitz is basically demonized and hated by the fandom while praising Ro is what sickens me the most.

Ro manipulates, gaslights, and abuses Sophie, Keefe, and Fitz for her own fun. She doesn't have any long term goal, just destroying their psyche and impeding their ability to find their own happiness for short term amusement. She mocks Fitz for being trying to be perfect (since when has that been a crime?), she gaslights and Objectifies Sophie, mocks Keefe and openly abuses him, and interferes with their relationships because she finds it funny. She's also a misandrist. She calls Fitz a nasty little microbe (I want Alden and Della there next time she does that). She objectifies Sophie as a trophy for Fitz and Sophie to fight over. She constantly tears down Fitz and Sophie, and uses a number of tactics abusers use in real life on Fitz, Sophie, and Keefe. She is a radioactive toxic waste-dump of a person, ruining their lives and psyches not even for her own gain, but just for her own amusement. Her further abuse of Keefe is repugnant, her objectification of Sophie is disgusting, and her mocking and bullying of Fitz makes me want to puke. She's a terrible, terrible person.

And that is why I hate Ro.

#kotlc #kotlc ro #ugh I hate Ro #Ro Hate #kotlc discourse

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imamandaonline · 4 years ago

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Part One Of Look At You: Call My Name

(A/N: Rebloggable! I know basically nobody actually wanted this except for my girlfriend but the spam comments pushed me deeper into hole of love. So here! Let me know if you want to be on the tag list for Pt 2. Should I make this a fic? Tag your friends!)

Dex had a weird relationship with school in general. All classes-great. The people in them? Not so great. Like Metaphysics. The concepts for debate were always good, and the lectures fascinating, but the people debating? Absolute human dumpster fires.

That isn’t to say his classmates aren’t good debaters-they were just snobs. Especially when it came to more controversial topics. Like what defines the integrity of a bad match. There were many smirks headed Dex’s direction during the match.

Today though, today he would prove them wrong! It was already ironic he was the second-youngest regent in history, which gave him even more material to rub in their faces. The Foxfire Metaphysics Championship was structured much the same way as the splotching championship.

Starting inside their own levels, prodigies pair up as a prompt is distributed with great fanfare. Telekinesis slowly rolling out the scroll, flashing orbs, the whole shebang. The big difference between the Metaphysics and Splotching Championships was the duration. While the Splotching Championship normally only took up a day, the Metaphysics Championship took up the whole year.

Councillor Noland was coming to oversee the final matches. One for the Elite Levels, and one for the Basic Levels.

The Elite Match was between Wylie Sonden and Kylene Tarros. The Basic Match was between Dex and . . . you guessed it! The one and only Wonderboy, Metaphysics winner three years straight. Gah. There was the infuriating word again.

The real reason Dex was up for the match was an issue with the unicorns at Sterling Gables. Stina was called home for the month to help. Dex had been runner-up, which leads you to the reason he was aggressively jotting down points. Practice had to pay off sometime soon.

Holed up in the Archives, Dex was checking out Metaphysics scrolls, and a piece on the history of caches. Attaching his home crystal to the hanger, he watched as the strategically placed window sent a ray of light to his crystal, producing a pink aura.

Dex carefully slid his first scroll into the glow, imagining the stacking inside the cubby residing at his lab.

“Hi Dex,” an crisply accented voice rang out.

The boy in question jumped, scattering his check-outs. Fitz offered a smooth hand, swiftly leaning down.

Dex scrambled up by himself.

“What are you getting,” Fitz asked pleasantly, trying to make conversation. He rolled on the balls of his feet, boots stretching.

Dex searched desperately for an answer so he wouldn’t seem like a fool.

“Um, Team Valiant stuff.”

Fitz looked down at a partially open scroll, squinting at the words clearly reading Mind Over Matter - Extended Advanced Edition.

“Are you sure?”

Dex fidgeted, gathering up what he’d dropped.

“Yup, definitely.” Fitz shrugged, kneeling down to help. He hands Dex the scroll, noting the title-it was Caches, A History. Not that Dex cared what the Vacker thought about his honesty. He didn’t.

“So,” Fitz draws out, scratching the back of his neck. Dex glanced back at the boy, periwinkle eyes falling on the telepath’s lips. Damn that height difference. Quickly righting himself, the Dizznee toyed with his panic ring.

“Yeah,” Dex responded, pushing his sandy hair away.

“Do you wanna come to Everglen? For Metaphysics practice?” Fitz didn’t seem like he was sure of his words. “Wylie will be there too,” he stated, finding an escape. An escape from what, was the real question.

“Ok?” Dex's answer sounded more like a question, possibly scared.

“Alright.” Fitz’s shoulders sagged from relief for a few short seconds. His posture straightened as his sexuality would not. “Biana is going to be out with Mom all day to shop for the materials for some designs.” Dex knew this. He had helped the girl calculate proportions.

Nodding, the Technopath finished light leaping his nexus-bound scrolls.

Fitz held up his home crystal, chiseled to perfection, just like his jaw. A blush crept up Dex’s neck and ears as he berated himself for thinking such stupid things.

“Oh, you meant now,” Dex whispered. Fitz raised an eyebrow, dangling the crystal like mistletoe. Dex took the outstretched hand this time, surprised to find calluses on rough skin. A tingling feeling, the pins and needles sensation on steroids, spread up Dex’s body.

Or maybe that was just the light leap.

The lack of glaring gates was disturbing, a defining part of Everglen’s architecture gone. It shouldn’t have been there in the first place since it prevented direct light leaping, but Vackers could get away with anything. Or at least they used to.

Upon the discovery of the trollish hive hidden on Everglen grounds, the gates were decreed to be removed. It was a direct order from the council. Dex couldn’t help feeling sorry for the family, despite years harboring a grudge against them. The gate provided safety. Now they were out in the open.

It must have been a rude awakening.

Fitz led Dex around the gnomes, waving and greeting each by name. Zarnan, Dakath, Arwen, and Kidal were the first few, as well as the only ones Dex heard before tuning Fitz out.

Dex trailed along, hand still collapsed in Fitz’s. It was . . . odd, how he didn’t mind the touch.

Marble fountains spouted arcs of water in jeweled shades, scented with vanilla. The huge woven silver doors were wide open, displaying a rounded foyer making Dex feel trapped in a hatbox. Vacker portraits lined a hall branching forward, looking down on Dex imperiously.

Fitz didn’t seem to notice.

As the pair entered the library, which was really a large study, Fitz reluctantly let go of Dex’s hand. Wylie nodded at them, the silence slightly overwhelming.

Dex plopped down in a plush seat, regretting not stopping at Dawnheath before coming with Fitz. The technopath was normally good with his impulse control, though something about the Vacker boy just . . . threw him off.

“Do you wanna fire back and forth, or have our resident expert give us tips,” Dex asked nonchalantly, drumming his fingers on the ornate armrest.

“He can’t give us suggestions if he hasn’t seen us debate,” Fitz stated smoothly.

Wylie flushed with second-hand embarrassment.

“Yeah, um, right.” Fitz’s head tilted. He was probably wondering how Dex was debating against him in the first place. Dex’s hands tightened with a white-knuckled grip.

Fitz’s hand reached out, slender finger brushing the freckles of Dex’s cheeks. His teal eyes searched Dex’s face silently, roving around. Pulling away, Fitz turned over his palm, showing the Dizznee a fleck of glitter.

Oh.

Well, apparently Dex is terrible at reading people. Great.

It’s an odd feeling, how Dex couldn't wait for this day to be over, yet simultaneously had been deeply invested in how it played out.

#fedex #detz #fitz and dex #debate #metaphysics #mind over matter #self deprecation #gay panic

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random-imagines-blog · 5 years ago

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Holding On {Diana Prince x Reader Oneshot}

Wordcount: 2380 Requested by: Anonymous Summary: After Steve’s miraculous comeback, you start to worry about your own relationship with Diana.

And there he was. As handsome as his pictures had showed, Steve Trevor received quite a bit of attention from the females in the room, though only you and Diana knew who he truly was. “Steve,” Diana said, wrapping her arms around her lost love. You knew that you had lost. The time that you had spent with Diana was over, and she was going to go back to him. Standing still was hard when you were trembling from all of the conflicting emotions going through your brain. You were happy for Diana, because you knew that she had missed him for many years - nearly four decades had passed since she had fought Ares and lost him. You were confused at how he could be here, with a youthful glow, rather than the old veteran that he should be. And you were sinking into the pits of depression, feeling your heart break in two as the woman that you had grown to love looked at someone else with such affection, it was as if you didn’t exist. You didn’t blame her, of course. If someone that you loved came back from the dead, you’d be ecstatic too. But that didn’t help you very much at that moment.

“Excuse me,” You said, though you figured that no one was listening. You stooped only to put your glass of champagne onto a table, then turned on your heel and left the room silently, fighting back the tears that were attempting to spill. Once you were out of the main room, you went to stand against a wall, not yet wanting to go into the French air. Paris was a terrible place to be unless one was in love. Couples were everywhere, and romance covered the streets. The bridge of locks, the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, all echoing love stories that hurt one’s ears if they had nobody to listen to it with.

You stood there alone for a couple of minutes, gathering your thoughts. Yes, it would be best just to rip the bandaid off quickly, don’t you think? Steve and Diana - if he came back, then surely it was meant to be. There was some greater purpose at hand, and God was playing the puppeteer, breaking his own rules to bring back a man from the grave. How could you compete with a handsome pilot from the second world war?

You left the building, just barely missing Diana leaving the room and looking for you where you had been lingering. She could smell your perfume, but it trailed out of the building, just as you had, and she looked towards the door with a sadness you would not have wanted to see.

You had shared a home with Diana. A beautiful, old Parisian townhome, three stories in the historic quarter, not too far from the Louve so she could walk or bike to work, depending on her mood. You could walk around and examine the beautiful architecture anytime that you wanted, so you thought it was perfect, even if it wasn’t all too close to where you were working. You’d commute for hours if it meant that you could stay with the wonderful woman. The walk home now was actually quite calming, considering what you had just went through. The cool air dried the tears away before you made it to your front door. Once you were there, you took a deep breath, brought out your keys, and unlocked the door.

Should you pack your things now, so that Diana won’t feel awkward when she comes home? You didn’t have much time to think about it, but your mind could not comprehend the idea of leaving this house. This front door that you closed behind you, where you and Diana had a hell of a time trying to get the brand new, King sized mattress through. The couch in the living room in front of you that you had found a great deal for at a furniture store and Diana managed to haggle the price even lower. The lamp that you broke during a rather intense makeout session and attempted to fix but still leaned a little to the left.

There was a noise behind you as a key entered the lock of the door. You stepped away from it, a couple of tentative steps so that you wouldn’t get hit, and then the door slowly swung open to reveal Diana. You couldn’t read the expression on her face as she stepped inside, but she was definitely looking at you, peering through the dark. After a moment, she flicked the lightswitch, and the chandelier in the entryway shone right above you.

“You left without saying a thing,” She said, frowning. “What is wrong?”

“You should have stayed there with Steve longer. I didn’t want to interrupt anything.”

“It is the craziest thing,” Diana said, coming up beside you. And as if everything was normal, she leaned slightly against your shoulder to pull her shoes off. “Seeing him after all this time,” She sighed, letting her heels fall to the floor with a clack. “It makes me feel like there is a war to fight again - it is not a good feeling.”

“What are you doing home, Diana?” You asked, once her weight was off of you. “I thought you’d want to be, I don’t know, wherever he is.”

“I think I have the right to come to my own home,” She said, annoyance crossing her perfect features. “What is wrong with you? You leave without saying goodbye, you question why I am here. So tell me - I really want to know.”

“I should think it perfectly clear.” You said, crossing your arms in front of your body. You felt insecure, you felt angry that she was forcing you to say this all outloud. “Your old love is back. It’s ... it’s everything that you wanted. Your dream come true. And now I’m just standing in the way of it so I’m putting myself out of the equation.”

You stepped past her and went towards the stairs, making your way up with the intention of packing your bags. “Y/N-” Diana started to say in that no nonsense tone of hers, but you interrupted.

“I know you cared for me, I’m not doubting that, I’m just trying to make this easier for you. Your heart has always, always preferred Steve.” You wiped the tears off of your face as you walked into the bedroom. Diana was following you, not saying anything now. “Maybe I was born in the wrong time. Maybe in the next life, but knowing my luck, my current self will pop in there and ruin everything,” You laughed to yourself, though you didn’t find it funny. “I love you, Diana, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to make a choice, which is why I’ll go. You and Steve can be together and save the world again or whatever it is that you two do together.”

“You are being ridiculous,” Diana stepped forward. She stopped you from getting your suitcase out from the closet, and slid it back in with ease. “I do not feel like I have to choose. I want you to meet him.”

“He’s your first love, you’ve told me that,” You said, frowning at the suitcase. It was barely occurring to you that Diana was trying to stop you from leaving. You were so caught up in your own thoughts. “But you found love again and that gives me a bit of hope, you know? Not that I think I’ll be dating any time soon because honestly, you were too incredible to be real and it’s not as if I’ll find anyone else like you-”

Diana cut you off with a kiss to your lips. It was as if your mind was a bubble and it had burst from that quick action. “- Was that a goodbye kiss?” You questioned, not sure of yourself.

“I think you need to sit down and have some water.” She pressed her hand to your shoulder and guided you to the bed, forcing you to sit down. You did so, and remained there while she went into the bathroom and filled up the mouthrinse cup with cool water. “Listen to me. It was amazing to see Steve again. And he was my first love.”

“Is that supposed to help because it’s not,” You muttered, taking the cup from her and took a large drink.

“But you are my current love and the past cannot take that away from us.” Diana smiled as she watched you drink. Feeling a little embarrassed now, you kept on drinking the water, using the cup to hide your pink face. You finished it off then reluctantly set it down on the nightside table.

“So you’re not going to break up with me for Steve?” You questioned, your voice rather high-pitched. You coughed to try to cover it up. Maybe you had drunk a little too much champagne. You weren’t feeling your best self.

“Of course not,” Diana said, shaking her head. She sat down next to you and put her arm around your shoulders, pulling you in close. You could smell her perfume, which was more delicate than the woman herself. She was warm to the touch and you relished in it, cozying your head up against her shoulder.

“Let’s just blame this little meltdown on the alcohol then,” You sniffled, still stuck between crying and laughing. She agreed with you, and held you until you calmed down enough to undress and get ready for bed.

Now this was going to be damn tough. Meeting Steve Trevor, the wonderboy. Showing him around the museum that was yours and Diana’s, and shouldn’t be anyone else’s. But you told Diana that you would be as nice and as welcoming as it was possible to be, since they were intertwined. You didn’t have to like it, but you had to accept it.

And you actually found yourself growing to like the man. You by no means were going to fall for him but he was charming, you had to give him that much. And he at least attempted to learn about what was going on in the world. He had a good few decades to make up for.

“It’s all art,” Diana explained as we walked around in the sunshine. Dressed in a suit - not a man’s suit, because it was hers Diana had insisted, she still stood out from the rest of the crowd. It was hard to take your eyes off of her - but at the same time, watching Steve was so amusing. The way that he was looking at a trash can with his head slightly tilted. Amazing. You weren’t the only one who noticed, and Diana fell a step behind. “That’s just a trash can.”

“That’s just a trash can. Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Steve said as if he had known it from the start. You hid your snigger with a cough, though Diana caught it and gave you a stiff stare. You shrugged back in retaliation. Better to be laughing than arguing. “So you two are...” He started, looking at the both of you.

“Together,” You said, looking at Diana, knowing that in this circumstance it was a little harder for her say. “Perfectly matched, like your jacket and fanny pack.”

“I see,” Steve said, looking a tiny bit disappointed, but he hid it well. You did feel a little bad for him, though.

“Oh, actually, I think I see someone I know over there!” You pointed in a direction that was away from Diana and Steve. You didn’t, obviously, and your tone probably gave that away. But what you wanted was to give the two of them a little bit of privacy. They haven’t yet really had a chance to talk without you being nearby, not that you wanted to be. Diana had already made you feel more secure about your relationship, so leaving them alone didn’t really bug you. “I’m going to go say hi. Why don’t you come find me in a little bit, yeah?”

“Okay,” Diana said, skimming your forehead with her lips. You smiled at the two, ten made your way over to a bench and sat down. At least it was a beautiful day. You felt the sunshine on your skin, the slight breeze through your hair. There was a small group of people dancing not too far away, and they were enough to hold your attention for the next forty-five minutes while Steve and Diana seemed to speak. You avoided looking at them, letting them have their own private moment.

You didn’t notice Diana walking towards you until her shadow blocked the sunlight from landing on her arm. You put your hand over your eyes so you wouldn’t be looking straight into the sun when you peered up. “How’d it go?” You asked, seeing that Steve wasn’t with her.

“Fine,” She said, sinking down beside you, and crossed her legs elegantly. In a show of vulnerability that Diana was not well known for, she rested her head on your shoulder and her hand on your thigh.

“And us?” You felt more secure since she put herself in this position, but you still wanted to hear her say the words.

“Nothing has changed just because Steve is here,” She said, nuzzling her nose into the crook of your neck. You sighed contently, feeling her lips them on your shoulderbone.

“I hate to sound selfish but I’m definitely happy about that. I was freaked out over the idea of losing you.”

“I remember.” Diana pulled herself away and looked straight into your eyes. In hers, you saw that fire that had guided her here from her homeland, Themyscira. “You don’t ever have to fear that. I’ll protect you until the day that I die, y/n, and that includes your heart.”

#Wonder Woman #Wonder Woman x reader #Diana Prince #Diana Prince oneshot #Wonder Woman oneshot #dc #dc oneshots #oneshot #one shot #request #dianap #x reader

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creampuffqueen · 5 years ago

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Renegades Swap!

Word Count: 1488

So, here is my entry for the Renegades Swap! This was hosted by @narcissacronin and @ruby-assassin. This prompt was “Nova and Callum’s friendship”, requested by @someonewilldietoday. This is set somewhere in Archenemies, but as I don’t have the book there’s probably some details or something missing. It’s kinda about the turning point in their relationship, when they become actual friends instead of Nova just tolerating Callum. I really hope you enjoy!

~~~~

“Hey Nova,” Callum said, smiling broadly as Nova entered the artifacts floor. “How are you today?”

“Fine, thanks.” Nova responded brusquely, brushing past Callum as she made her way to her desk. She was in a foul mood, and Callum’s overly eager happiness was making her want to punch something.

“Was your weekend good?” He continued, clearly not taking the hint.

“It was good.” She didn’t give away any information, because how could she properly phrase it- My crazy roommates nearly set the house on fire again and I nearly got pushed out a window by a cloud of darkness.

So Nova just nodded along to whatever he was saying and zoned the rest of it out. Weekends with the Anarchists were becoming unbearable, as all of them were going stir crazy. Even Phobia seemed more agitated than usual, the swirling cloud of black lashing out more often.

She sat down and opened up the computer, looking through what had been updated while she’d been gone. She had meant to come in on Saturday, but Honey had kept her away, angry that she was spending so much time with the Renegades. Nova didn’t even try to tell her why she was working with the artifacts. Honey wouldn’t listen, anyway.

“Nova, do you want to go pick up coffee later?” Her head snapped up, and she felt her power start surging with her nerves.

“What?” She asked dumbly.

“Coffee.” Callum repeated, that grin of his still not fading.

“Like… a date? I hate to break it to you, but you’re not my type, man.” Callum laughed at that, and Nova had to reign in her glare.

“No, not a date. Aren’t you with Adrian Everhart, anyway?” Before Nova could say anything, Callum continued.

“I just wanted to go with a friend, for once. Nobody is usually up late enough to get coffee with me after work.” That was true, Nova and Callum were often kept at the artifacts stores well into the night, sorting and cleaning up various items.

“A friend?” Her voice sounded even stupider. Did Callum think of her as a friend? Were they friends?

“Yeah.” He said earnestly. “I mean, only if you want to.”

Nova thought about it for a moment. It seemed like every time she tried to keep herself away from the Renegades, they just kept pulling her in.

“Okay.” She agreed at last. But only to stay away from the Anarchists for longer.

“Great!” It was hard to not feel at least a tiny bit of excitement, with the way Callum was beaming. He could make anyone feel good, even Nova. And Nova wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

~~~~

Nova entered in the last file for the day, then shut off the computer with a satisfying click. She spun around in her chair, sighing with relief.

From the storeroom, Callum popped his head out. “You done?”

“Yep. All done for the day. Err… night.” She gestured to the window, where the sun was completely gone, and had been for several hours. All that remained were the twinkling city lights, illuminating the shadowed streets below.

“Do you still want to get coffee?” Callum asked brightly, shutting the storeroom door and locking it. Nova peered at him as he entered the code, making sure it was still the same one she had memorized.

“Yeah.” It wasn’t like she had anything better to do. She didn’t sleep, and she didn’t feel like getting yelled at by Honey again for keeping her up all night with her pacing around the house.

Callum smiled his easy smile, dusting off the pants of his Renegades uniform. Nova stood from her chair and followed him, hoping she wasn’t acting too awkward.

“There’s this really nice 24-hour cafe that I like. They’ve got all sorts of good drinks, so you don’t have to get coffee if you don’t like it.” Callum prattled on as they waited for the elevator, talking endlessly about the desserts, and the sandwiches, and the coffee.

The way Callum talked, so easy and light, helped Nova to relax as they walked out of HQ. Her muscles were less tense, and she found herself listening more to Callum and not to the street noises.

The cafe wasn’t very far, and the bell jingled happily as Callum pushed it open. The place was mostly empty, only two other tables being taken up by patrons.

Callum led her to a booth next to a large window, and he talked on about the beautiful night and the quaint restaurant.

“Hello, Callum. What can I get for you tonight?” A waitress walked up, smiling.

“I’ll have the usual, but could you get my friend here a menu? Thanks.” Callum’s smile could put the damn sun to shame, and Nova wasn’t sure whether to find it endearing or annoying.

The waitress returned, and Callum thanked her again, saying her name this time. Rylee. Nova filed it away for later, along with the locations of the other late-night patrons and how far away the door was. Even Callum’s soft voice couldn’t take away her instincts.

“Nova, calm down.” Like he could see right through her, he put a comforting hand on her own, and Nova fought to not flinch away at the touch.

“I’m perfectly calm.” She said, hoping that if she said it enough times, it would be true. “I’m the epitome of calm.”

He looked at her skeptically, but removed his hand to let her look at the menu.

When the waitress, Rylee, came back, Nova ordered a black coffee and a croissant, though she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to eat it. Everything about this screamed wrong to her, and she couldn’t understand why.

The food arrived, and Nova drank half the cup of coffee in one gulp, despite the fact it was steaming hot and burned her throat all the way down.

“Nova, what’s wrong?” Callum asked, sipping at his own drink. “You’re on edge.”

“I’m fine.” She said, taking a bite from the croissant. It was flaky and melted in her mouth. “The food here is good.”

Callum said nothing, just watched her curiously, breaking off a piece of his bagel to chew it.

“Well, this was nice.” Nova said, forcing a smile onto her face. She couldn’t stand to sit in the awkwardness for another minute. She started to stand, draining the rest of her cup and picking up the pasty.

“Nova, wait.” Callum begged. “I’m sorry, did I make you uncomfortable? I just got the feeling you didn’t like me talking and-”

“No, it’s fine. I just have to go.” Callum’s face looked like it was crumpling, and suddenly Nova found she didn’t have the heart to leave when he was looking like that.

“C’mon, Wonderboy. Don’t give me that look.” Callum snickered at that, causing Nova to break into unintentional laughter alongside him.

“Alright, you can go.” He said.

“You know what? I’ll stay.” Nova decided. Callum perked up, looking just a bit like an excited puppy at her words.

“Sorry I’ve been so rude.” She apologized, sitting back down in the worn leather booth. “I’ve just… got a lot going on.”

“I know.” Callum said. “And it’s fine. Thanks for coming with me tonight.”

Nova felt the beginnings of a smile on her face. “It was fun. I’d like to do it again sometime.”

“Does this mean you’ll be my proper friend, and not just lie about it to make me feel better?” Callum chuckled. Nova pretended to look affronted, but just laughed instead.

“It does.”

“Say the words.” Callum prompted.

Nova snorted. “What words?”

“Some friendship words.” Nova rolled her eyes.

“Alright. Fine. I, Nova McLain, accept you, Callum Treadwell, as my friend. I promise I will listen to you blabber on about the beauty of the earth for as long as you want, and will get coffee with you when I feel like it. As long as you listen to me talk about science.”

This time Callum laughed, properly, throwing his head back and nearly howling. Nova joined in a moment later, and kept laughing, even as they were shushed by the waitress and ushered out of the cafe.

As Nova walked Callum back to his house, she listened intently to his talk this time, even joining in occasionally. It felt like they arrived back at his apartment far too soon.

“Thanks for coming with me, Nova.” Callum said, suddenly turning serious. “Are you sure you can get home fine on your own?”

“Don’t worry about me.” Nova assured him. “I know the city.”

Callum opened up his front door, stepping over the threshold. “So we’re friends now? For real?”

“Did you not hear my very profound words of friendship?” Nova grinned. “We are. Friends.”

“Friends.” Callum responded. “Good night, Nova.”

Nova strode away, the taste of good coffee still lingering in her mouth. “Good night, Callum. See you tomorrow.”

#renegadesswap #renegades #archenemies #supernova #nova artino #callum treadwell #marissa meyer

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argylepiratewd · 3 years ago

Note

For the writer meme: 3, 8, 12

I think this is the right meme? It's been a while. Sorry. 😅

3. Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?

My brain is a contrary asshole. I fear that the minute I name one, I will doom myself. 😔

12. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

"Are you truly so willing to die for this man, Lionel Fusco?"

Lionel can't help himself—he laughs again. "You think you're the first big and sinister dirtbag who's told me I'm gonna die? You ain't even the first one this week. Shit, you ain't even the first one today.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm willing to die for him—him and Wonderboy. I put my ass on the line every day for worse scumbags than Glasses. And I'd wager that makes me a much braver guy than you'll ever be, you shadowy piece of garbage. Look at you—hiding out here in the woods, not even showing your face. You're gonna kill me, and I don't even know what you look like, you pathetic little fuck."

The air drops ten, twenty degrees, the thing's wrath getting colder and colder. Lionel's just gets hotter.

"You know something?" he says. "I figured out a long time ago who to respect and who not to. And you know who I don't respect? I got no respect for the guys who tell me they're gonna kill me and won't look me in the eyes when they do it. So you can either get your ass out of my body and show yourself and look me in the eyes when you take me out, or you can fuck off and leave us alone, 'cause we're way past sick of your crap."

"We do not like to be seen," the thing says.

"Yeah? And I don't like near-death-experiences, so I guess we're pretty even, huh."

From Seeing Things, a fic where Fusco, Finch, and Reese are in some spooky woods. Fusco has had it with the spooky monster's crap. And, IDK, maybe I got Fusco right (though there might be a little too much profanity idk)? But him confronting a LORGE spoopy entity that's much bigger than him and much more powerful than him to save his two weird buddies and himself is just fun, and I had a lot of fun writing that.

12. Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

Return 0. I don't like it. I've only managed to watch it once. But I keep writing fix-it after fix-it after fix-it, so...

#wd answers #(finally)

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skylarmoon71 · 4 years ago

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Nick Amaro x Reader- Chapter 8

“Look who’s back.” Nick grinned as soon as he saw you enter the precinct. You returned it with a weak smile. All the other members of your team looked on, wearing awkward stares. You could understand why. When you got to your desk you placed your stuff down.

“I think we should talk.” Fin nodded, and you moved towards Olivia’s office. You knocked and she answered. When she opened she looked quite surprised. “(Y/N)!” she stepped to the side. “Come in.” she urged. It wasn’t long before Nick, Amanda, Carisi and Fin were inside. Along with you and Olivia.

No one spoke for what seemed like eternity. Nick was standing next to you, and everyone else was on the other side of the room. Olivia leaned against her desk, crossing her ankles.

“Maybe we should close the blinds, this looks a bit suspicious. “ Amanda offered. She moved to do just that, but you beat her to it. They slipped shut, as if on their own. She jumped back and you just gave a smile.

“I got it.”

A smile broke out on her face. “Alright, I’m just gonna say it. That is way too awesome!” you giggled at her enthusiasm.

“I’m really glad you think so. I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything before. I just didn’t know how you would take it, if you would even believe and I just...I didn’t want you guys to be afraid of me.” Fin sighed, walking over and placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Come on, we would never do that. I ain’t gonna lie, that’s some weird shit you got there.” You laughed. “But you’re still (Y/N). “ you placed a hand over his on your shoulder.

“I’m so glad you think so. Y-You have no idea how hard it’s been hiding this.”

“I think I have an idea. I have to ask but, the blinking lights, has that always been you?” Olivia questioned.

“Oh, y-yeah sorry about that. When I lose touch with my emotions that happens. I’m getting a better handle on it though so don’t worry.”

“What about that red suited guy, do you know him?” you tilted your head at Carisi’s question.

“Red suited guy...Oh! You mean the Flash! Yeah I know him, he’s worked with my previous department on a lot of cases. He’s awesome.“ You were careful not to accidentally reveal Barry’s identity. Carisi looked pleased with himself. “Told you guys, looks like I’m the best detective in this department.” he boasted.

“So you figured it out?” you spoked wistfully. He nodded, folding his arms.

“To be fair Jesse and Noah knew before you Carisi.” Amanda stated. Crap! You’d completely forgotten that you told the two kids. You didn’t think their parents would have actually believed though.

“Liv, Amanda I swear I’d never do anything to hurt either-”

“We know (Y/N), you don’t have to defend yourself.” They both had understanding smiles.

“Believe it or not, it makes sense that you would confide in them. Kids are a lot more open minded than adults. “ You were relieved. Your eyes moved in Nick's direction, you couldn’t express to him how grateful you were for a partner like him. When he caught your stare he just smiled.

“So what exactly can you do?” Carisi was generally the curious type. You couldn’t stop the small laugh that left you and his eager eyes. He looked like a kid on Christmas.

“I have telekinesis. I can move objects if I focus hard enough. There are also other things I’m capable of, unfortunately I haven’t uncovered my entire arsenal yet. There are things I’m still discovering myself. “

“Ever used it to prank anyone?” he asked. You should have expected this from Carisi. Nick rolled his eyes. “Come on, she wouldn’t do that.” Nick butted in. You rubbed your arm awkwardly. “Actually...I’ve sort of been messing with Barba since I got here. “ you admitted sheepishly.

“No!” Amanda said with a grin. You nod. “I-I just get bored sometimes you know. “ Nick bumped your shoulder. “You little troublemaker.” you flushed, looking away and Olivia fought a smile.

“Well please don’t get caught, it would be difficult to explain to him why his items are moving on their own. “ Was she giving you permission to continue messing with him? You didn’t question it.

“Yes boss!”

Now that they knew, you felt incredibly lighter. “So.. how about a little preview.”

“Carisi.” Amanda warned. He shrugged. “Come on, you can’t tell me you guys aren’t just a little bit interested. “ All eyes turned on you. “Uhhh...what do you want me to do?”

“Lift me into the air!” Carisi shouted excited. A little too excited. Fin scoffed.

“White people.” he mumbled. You grinned. “It’s fine, I don’t mind. “ You asked them to give you a bit of space. Everyone moved to one side of the wall and Carisi and you were now standing at the center. They could see the both of you clearly from the side. You closed your eyes to take a breath, when they reopened they were glowing. “Wow..” you hadn’t even done anything yet, but Carisi looked amazed. You scanned his body, and pretty soon his was slowly but surely, levitating slightly off the ground. Everyone present was watching in awe.

Carisi had the goofiest look on his face. Like he was ready for it, but still couldn’t believe it. “This is awesome!” he yelled. Amanda and Fin were laughing at his excitement.

“Liv why are your blinds clo-” you hadn’t predicted anyone just barging in. Barba stepped in the office and you lost focus. In seconds Carisi tumbled to the floor. The detective groaned on the ground, and Barba was looking at everyone in confusion. Nick and Amanda were trying their hardest not to laugh.

“How’s it feel, wonderboy.” Fin teased. Carisi stood, holding his back.

“So worth it.” he grunted.

You winced. “I’m so sorry Barba startled me.” Carisi shook it off with a smile.

“I’m not sure what’s going on but if you guys want to stay in business we better get on this case.” Barba’s comment made everyone start filing out of the room. When it was just Olivia and Barba he raised a brow.

“Something I need to know about?” She waved him off.

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I tried.” Olivia took her seat, falling into conversation with the district attorney.

#Nick Amaro #reader #amandarollins #oliviabenson #carisi #rafaelbarba #flash #Barry Allen #metahumanreader #crime #Law and Order: Special Victims Unit #fin tutuola #love #telekinesis #telepathy

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enbies-and-felonies · 4 years ago

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Love Me Like We Aren’t Broken Boys -Keefitz

@clearlykeefitz @lemontarto @impostertamsong @everyonehasthoughts @ruewen-and-rising @fabulous-fan-fables @linhamon-roll @queersofthelostcities @vibing-in-the-void @diamond-dreamerr I feel like there’s one I’m missing and its stressing me out

tw: swearing, homophobia

Keefe let himself go numb as he sketched. Normally drawing helped him focus his emotions, understand them, and then release them, but today... Today he wanted to never feel again.

A stroke of light pink, a stroke of dark. A shade of blue, a shade of brown. Underlying red, underlying yellow. Highlight and shade. Erase, repeat.

Keefe finally let himself look at his drawing and his jaw tightened.

Fitz.

His throat grew thick and his eyes burned. He might never get to see his best friend again, and it was all his fault.

“Keefe, what do you need?” Alden’s voice was calm, and Keefe was glad that his father-figure was always so... unconcerned.

“I... I wanted to ask if I could stay at your place for awhile.”

“Why, of course Keefe. You are always welcome here. Why this change and the concern? I’m sure there’s no reason to worry.” The Vackers had offered to house him more than once in the past, but Keefe had always turned them down.

“I’m... I’m going to come out to my father. I don’t exp-”

“Come out?” Alden’s voice seemed chillier, somehow.

“Yeah. About that...Alden, I’m gay.”

There was no denying the way Alden’s emotions twisted into a hard knot of anger and disgust.

“Get out.”

“What?! Alden please!” Keefe didn’t know exactly what to say, but the idea that his father-figure wouldn’t accept him had never crossed his mind. He had thought Alden was safe, he had planned on him being the first because he thought that he would support him and now-

“GET OUT!! I forgive you being sent as a spy against my son, I forgive you joining the Neverseen, I treat you as my own child!! And THIS is how you repay me?! You willingly choose a lifestyle that not only degrades the worth of your genetics, but you sully my family’s reputation by having been once considered a son. LEAVE. MY. SIGHT. You aren’t welcome here.”

Keefe stumbled back, stunned. Then he turned, eyes burning and chest so tight he felt he might be dying. His hand hesitated on the door knob.

“Alden, I-”

“You are indeed the disappointment your father always knew you to be.”

Keefe’s knees buckled and he barely made it out of the door before the first boiling tears fell.

“Keefe? What are you-” Keefe stumbled past Fitz and out the door, breaking into a run. Fitz chased after him, but even though he was athletic, Keefe had always been the faster one. He made it out past the gate, and tears blurred his vision as he fumbled for a crystal.

“Keefe! Wait! What’s going on?!”

Keefe leapt away.

“Keefe.” Fitz’s voice startled Keefe, and he scrambled to hide the drawing against his chest, and compose himself.

“Yeah Fitzy?”

“Don’t hide from me Keefe. What’s going on? I saw you run-”

“Nothing’s going on, Wonderboy. I just had to scoot because I didn’t want Ro to get a chance to prank me before I got back.”

“Keefe.” Fitz swallowed and Keefe found himself focusing on his Adam’s apple, the soft skin of his neck, his chest heaving.

“Keefe, please don’t lie to me. Please...” Keefe could barely tear his eyes away from the wrinkled material at Fitz’s neck.

He tried to say it jauntily, but it came out strangled when he finally managed, “Now, why would I do that Fitzy?”

Fitz stumbled slightly, like it hurt that Keefe wouldn’t tell him, like maybe he actually meant it when he had finally said he was sorry for not trusting him, like he actually meant it that time when they were playing tackle bramble and they had tumbled to the ground and Fitz was laughing and he rolled over and he had said “You know Keefe, you’re still my best friend. You know that, right?”, like Keefe was even capable of being loved, of being friends, let alone best friends, with someone. Like Fitz still wanted to be his friend.

But Keefe knew better. So why in the name of the councilors did Fitz even try?

“Shut up.” Fitz whispered, “Shut up Keefe. You don’t need to tell me, but never lie to me. Never do that Keefe, please.” His voice was so broken that Keefe wondered if he just might mean it...

“Okay Fitz, I won’t. I promise.” He purposefully ignored his heart beat. He didn’t want to know if it skipped three times.

They stood there for a moment, Keefe with the sketch pressed against his chest, Fitz with chest heaving and a broken look in his teal eyes. Then Fitz took two quick steps and gathered Keefe in his arms.

“C’mere Keefe. I might not know what’s wrong, but I know something is, and I’m still your best friend, whether you like it or not.”

As Fitz buried his nose into his neck, Keefe had to force himself not to cry at the barrage of fondness, melancholy, and trust hurled at him. There was something beneath all of that too, something akin to fear, but Keefe didn’t press to understand.

He let Fitz hold him.

“Keefe?” Fitz ventured.

“Yeah Fitzroy?” Keefe lifted his head from where it rested on Fitz’s shoulder. They were sitting on a bench, Fitz’s arm around his shoulder, in a garden Keefe had made with the help of a few gnomes when he was ten. Cassius got a second mansion, Keefe got a mud place. Whatever, at least it was his and his alone.

Or, his and Fitz’s now. Keefe didn’t know how to feel about that, but it wasn’t quite unpleasant.

“I was just wondering... would you... are you.... Are you safe, Keefe? You could- You could stay with me if you need to- ?”

Keefe snorted bitterly and the vitriolic words escaped him before he had time to think, “No I couldn’t.” He said with a snarl. He recoiled at the guilt and hurt Fitz felt at those words, but he didn’t take them back.

Fitz had said not to lie, and the words were true, no matter how he had said them.

He tried again. “Alden has... made it clear you guys don’t have the space to waste on me.”

Fitz’s eyes grew stormy.

“What do you mean?” He growled, dangerously calm. Keefe tried to backpedal but it was too late.

“What do you mean, Keefe.” His teal eyes were steely and Keefe swallowed.

“Please Fitz, its not a problem, seriously.”

“DAMMIT KEEFE, FUCKING TELL ME WHAT MY ASSHOLE OF A FATHER DID!!” Fitz was breathing hard, and Keefe curled into himself at his shouting.

“He just... It’s... It’s FINE Fitzy boy, just let it go. It’s not a big deal, it’s just me.” How could Keefe tell him? Fitz was his father’s son, through and through. Keefe had thought Alden was safe, and now...

Fitz took a shuddery breath, obviously trying hard to keep his temper under better control.

“It’s NOT fucking fine Keefe. It’s hurting you, and that means it’s hurting me. I’m not gonna let my father ruin your life. You already have someone doing that. Just- just tell me quick and it’ll be over. It’ll be okay once it’s out.”

Keefe highly doubted that, but he took a breath anyway and blurted, “I told your father I’m gay and now he hates me and I deserve it.”

Oh. There was no going back now.

Sometime during their brief argument, Keefe had pulled away from Fitz, but now he wished for nothing other than to be touching him in some way. To understand even an inkling of what Fitz was thinking behind his expressionless face. He looked down and pulled his knees up to his chest. He should have known better.

His breath caught when he felt Fitz grab his chin gently and tip it up, so he had no choice but to make eye contact. There was no disgust, there was no fear, no anger. There was... Hope? And affection?? And then Keefe found himself pulled into a bear hug. A hug that only Fitz could give: full of love and strength and gentle at the same time.

“You have never deserved any of the hate you have received. You are amazing, and you are not a failure, and you have never been a disappointment. Okay?” Fitz pulled away slightly in order to verify that Keefe accepted his words, and Keefe nodded, not trusting his voice past a watery ‘okay’.

Fitz softened, “Good.” Then he flushed and pulled away from Keefe, but not before the blond boy could feel a swirl of anxiety.

“I’m uh... I’m not straight either. But I don’t- I don’t know what I am and my dad... If he reacted so badly to you...” His nose flared as his heart began racing, and Keefe could feel his fear though the air between them.

Keefe stubbornly ignored the thrill in his heart at Fitz admission, and tried to think.

“So... do you think if Alden knew, he would-”

“Don’t.” Fitz interrupted, “I don’t want to think about that. He’s a dickwad apparently and his opinion doesn’t matter anyway.” He looked so small and worried. His shoulders caved forward like his body was trying to protect itself from the world, and Keefe ached for him.

Gently, he took Fitz’s hand in his, and this time he was the one to wrap his arms around the other. He used his free hand to brush Fitz’s hair away from his forehead and placed a delicate kiss on the top of his head.

“It will be okay Fitz. I promise,” He whispered into the silence.

“I promise.”

Keefe hated making promises, but Fitz had managed to extract two from him in a single day. He marveled at that, and his heart swelled with hope. Maybe he did have a chance with his best friend.

Then again, maybe Keefe was just really stressed out about his asshole of a father. Fitz hadn’t been the best friend to Keefe recently, and it was extremely unlikely Keefe would ever like him back. Especially since Fitz couldn’t even figure out what the hell his sexuality was.

Who could ever want to be with a fuck-up like him?

“I don’t know what you’re thinking Fitzroy, but you need to stop it right now. I’m not having any of that self-hatred on my watch.”

“But I-”

“You are called Wonderboy for a reason, and that reason is because you are wonderful and thoughtful and you love making presents for people and you are my best friend. No ‘but’s.”

Fitz growled and pulled his head up from Keefe’s shoulder.

“I’m a fuck-up Keefe. I can never live up to people’s expectations and I disappoint everyone I meet. There’s no logical reason you should even consider me a friend, let alone your best friend! I literally-”

“Fucking shut up Fitzroy Vacker.”

And then Keefe was kissing him and somehow Fitz found himself being pushed against the back of the bench as Keefe rotated and flung a leg over his lap, successfully pinning him as he straddled his lap. Fitz’s mind went blank as his ears blushed and his heart raced, but he managed to kiss back and was even conscious enough to place one hand on Keefe’s hip, and the other at the base of Keefe’s neck, tangling with his hair.

Keefe pulled away first, eyes wide and face flushed down to the roots of his tousled blond hair. Breathing heavy, he gave a crooked grin.

“I guess kissing does shut you up.”

“You asshole.” Fitz tugged him closer again, pausing just before their lips connected, “May I kiss you, Keefe Sencen?”

“Fucking please,” Keefe said, nodding, breathless and smiling wonderingly.

Keefe’s slender artist hands cradled Fitz’s face as he leant in and kissed him. It was softer this time, but just as sweet, and it left Fitz with butterflies in his chest.

Keefe mumbled something against Fitz’s swollen lips, and he had to pull away.

“I’m sorry, come again?”

Keefe rested their foreheads together, “I said ‘maybe I shouldn’t consider you my friend, because I’d like to consider you my boyfriend’.”

Fitz tried to process Keefe’s words, but his brain was foggy from the kissing.

“You’d want... me... You want me to be... your boyfriend? Even though I’m broken??” He glanced hopefully into Keefe’s gentle blue eyes.

“Fitz, I’d love nothing more in the whole wide world. As long as you love me like we aren’t both broken boys.” Fitz didn’t believe for a second that Keefe was broken, but he nodded and swallowed hard.

“I’d love to be your boyfriend Keefe,” He managed a hesitant smirk, “As long as I keep getting to kiss you like that.”

Keefe’s eyes glittered as he laughed, and he didn’t wait for a reply before grabbing Keefe’s hips and making him rest completely on Fitz’s lap.

He kissed Keefe’s smiling mouth, and let himself hope about the future.

~~~~~~~

AHHHHHHHH, IT’S DONE!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m so sorry it took literally for-fucking-ever, but I really appreciate y’all’s patience, and I hope you guys liked it!!! I got so many feels while writing this, and I hope the kissing scene made sense. I don’t really know how it works lmao

Feel free to give me prompts to write about!!!!!! (and let me know if you want to be tagged in future Keefitz writing posts!!)

I love you guys!!!!! <33

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actuallyrandomperson · 5 years ago

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My thoughts on the Sanders Sides Spotify playlists- Roman Edition!

Note: this is Purely me saying whether or not I like the songs, not theorising about any deeper meanings. I’ve done them all, so just click on the names to see my reactions to the others: Virgil, Patton, Logan, Janus

Impressions from looking through the playlist: so This One I can confidently say I know more of the songs from. At least, from the titles I do. It helps that I probably have the most personal overlap of music taste with Roman, judging by the titles I recognise sjdksk

1: ‘A Gay Disney Prince’, by Thomas Sanders, Jon Cozart. I have never heard of this song ever before, and don’t have any clue who the singers are. This song totally wasn’t on my ten hour playlist up until the moment I was playing said playlist in the kitchen while baking with my mother and it came up and I felt awkward by the innuendos at the start. And I absolutely hated it, can’t believe it was in this playlist at all. I do not know it word for word at all, and me mentioning in my schools lgbt+ club when it was released definitely didn’t result in a large majority of us bonding over our shared love of Thomas Sanders.

2: ‘Wonderboy’, by Tenacious D. I have mixed feelings on this song? Some part of me really liked it, but another really didn’t. I don’t know. I still added it to the 32 hour playlist though, as I figure I can remove it at some point in the future if that opinion eventually wins out. It was entertaining, at least!

3: ‘Disney Princess’, by Lewberger. Despite my enduring love for Keith and the rest of The Try Guys, I haven’t actually listened to that much Lewberger. This is obviously a fault that I will be remedying as soon as possible, as this song was hysterical. Obviously made it onto the 32 hour playlist, and also theres a tiny part of me getting excited over some of my faves interacting in a vague way even though I know that it’s not that unusual dhxkkdks

4: ‘Broadway, Here I Come!’, by the SMASH cast. I’ve never seen SMASH, but I liked this song! I like showtunes and songs from musicals a lot of the time, but I also only tend to listen to them when I’ve actually seen whatever they’re from, and I’m a poor 17 year old who can’t sing or act and can only slightly dance, so there’s not as many as there otherwise would be in my 32 hour playlist. This is on there now though!

5: ‘Hallelujah’, by Oh Wonder. I liked this! I expect I’ll be saying that a lot in this playlist ndjfjskdkd. I actually added it to my ten hour playlist!! Which will mean nothing to you if you haven’t read my other reactions so I recommend u go do that!! At least Patton’s/Virgil’s as they’re the ones completed at the time of writing this! Lmao

6: ‘Holding Out for a Hero’, by Bonnie Tyler. Have to say, as a gen z who grew up more with Shrek than Footloose, hearing the original version of this song was wild. I’ve heard it before, obviously, but I just. Hear this song in the fairy godmothers voice when I imagine it. This was added to the 32 hour playlist though!!

7: ‘If I Dare’, by Sara Bareilles. I’ve never seen Battle of the Sexes (unsurprisingly; I don’t watch many movies jdjdkkskw) but this song was cool! I wouldn’t purposefully seek it out in the future, but I liked it enough to put it on the 32 hour playlist so it’ll come around every now and again.

8: ‘Go the Distance’, by Roger Bart. This song highlighted the big, gaping hole in my 32 hour playlist which is the lack of music from Hercules. It’s literally my favourite Disney Renaissance film, why the fuck was the soundtrack not already in the 32 hour playlist??? It is now, don’t worry. Also, at the end of these I’m gonna be rechecking the length of both the 32 hour playlist and the 11 hour one and giving an updated total as I’ve only added 1 song so far to the 32 hour long on that wasn’t prompted by one of the songs in these playlists, and I doubt I’ll add any more, and adding all of the Hercules soundtrack + bonus tracks added another whole hour in of itself. There’s a r e a s o n this playlist has gotten so long shfjdjskxm

9: ‘Flamboyant’, by Dorian Electra. This is the first song of this playlist that I haven’t really liked, even including wonderboy. It didn’t make it onto either playlist, but I probably wouldn’t skip it if it comes up on a playlist in the future.

10: ‘Jumpstarted’, by Jukebox the Ghost. This was a bop! I often seem to like songs that jump all over the place a lil bit (see: my love of Tiny Love by MIKA and my newfound love of Be Calm by Fun.), and this one did just that! It made it to the 32 hour playlist 😄

11: ‘Brave New Girl’, Britney Spears. I mean. It’s Britney Spears. Do I need to say anything more? It’s been added to the 32 hour playlist.

12: ‘Every Boy’, by Miss Benny. If I tell y’all that ‘Boys will be Boys’ and ‘Little Game’ were the first two songs I ever added to the 32 hour playlist, I think you’ll know my feelings on this song. It’s the second first one that was already on said 32 hour playlist out of all the songs so far, and the only reason it’s not on the 10 hour one is I didn’t deem it ‘normal people music’ enough (which is the main criteria for said playlist as I play it around my fam)

13: ‘Primadonna’, by MARINA. This was a bop! I added it to the 32 hour playlist, but I don’t expect myself to specifically seek it out in the future. I did bop around to it a lil bit while lying down tho!!

14: ‘King’, by Years and Years. I didn’t recognise this song at first, but it hit the singing and I was like ‘oh!!’. It got added to the 32 hour playlist!! It’s a Bop!!!

15: ‘Cheap Queen’, by King Princess. The title and artist combination gave me a chuckle, and although I wasn’t foully sold on the song when it first started, I liked it enough by the end to add it to the 32 hour playlist. I feel like it’ll grow on me more as I hear it again in the future.

16: ‘Humility (feat. George Benson)’, by Gorillaz. My best friend was obsessed with Gorillaz when we first met, so I’ve heard a lot of their music (although this song wasn’t out back then). I liked it, and added it to the 32 hour playlist, but I probably wouldn’t seek it out specifically as I only slightly vibe with Gorillaz music

17: ‘Ain’t Got It Like That’, by Earl St Claire, PJ. I liked this, but not enough to add it to the 32 hour playlist. It was good, and I wouldn’t skip it in the future if it came up in a playlist, it just wasn’t my jam.

18: ‘Dreamer’, by LaPeer. I liked this as soon as it started, and that initial instinct proved correct! I added it to b o t h the 32 hour playlist and the ten hour one!!! I know!! It made me feel kinda soft and also the message in it is Important

19: ‘Paving the Runway (You’re Gonna Fly)’, by JJ Heller. This is another one I sensed myself liking as soon as it started, and I once again had good instincts! This one was even softer, but I liked it slightly less so it’s only on the 32 hour playlist.

20: ‘GO.’, by Keith Tutt II. This song immediately intrigued me, partially because I wasn’t initially even fully sure if it had started or if I was hearing things. I liked it, but wouldn’t specifically seek it out. It did make it into the 32 hour playlist though!!

Final Thoughts: What a shock, I liked the playlist filled with musicals and pop the most (so far)!! It’s a miracle!! It’s almost like I tend to like musicals and pop!! But yeah, I wasn’t surprised that most of this playlist fit into my music tastes. My favourite new song would probably be Dreamer, followed by Hallelujah. 18/20 got added (technically 16/20 as two were already there but u get me) to the 32 hour playlist and 2 to the 10 hour one.

@thatsthat24

#idk why i keep tagging thomas #i think im like ‘he’ll probably enjoy seeing reactions to the playlists’#even tho he probs wont actually see these #roman #roman sanders #sanders sides playlist #sanders sides #thomas sanders #sanders sides spotify #romans playlist #roman’s playlist #romans playlist reaction #roman’s playlist reaction #spotify #romans spotify #roman’s spotify

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dragonindigo245 · 5 years ago

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I’ve accidentally made a Hercules AU with Sanders Sides.

While trying to sleep... I’ve made something... and I couldn’t get it out of my head... why me...

So let’s start off with the most obvious one.

Hades is Deceit

Their both tactical.

Hades likes to make deals, you can’t convince me Deceit wouldn’t.

Let’s be honest here, their both villains.

If we make Deceit be Hades we get this beautiful scene...

He’s HONEST and he’s sweet? Kinda seems like a small blow to Deceit for no reason and I would live for that.

Ik that’s not actually what Meg is talking about but it is now.

They can both be comedic at times but are very intimidating when they want to be.

Hades is very sneaky and is adept at trickery. Sounds like a certain snake.

Pain and Panic are Remus and Virgil

Who else could honestly fill these slots?

I mean pain is Remus’ specialty, Panic is Virgil’s.

Pain tends to come up with all the plans but doesn’t think things through.

Panic follows Panics plans but is more cautious and tries to keep them out of trouble.

So yeah... this duo... 👌

Hercules is Roman

Honestly a lot of these are self explanatory.

He literally goes on a quest to become a true hero. If we put aside the whole rejoining the gods thing, you can’t tell me that’s not Roman.

Adding the rejoining the gods thing back in, to become a true hero he has to prove to be selfless. We have seen Roman can act pretty selfish at times. I mean his opposite was believed to be Pride at one point. Course we got Trash Goblin instead but we’re not focusing on that.

Despite that he can put his own wellbeing aside to save those he loves.

Dang I wish there was enough characters so we could have a Phil

Their both complete dorks. Okay moving on now...

Megara (Meg) is Logan

No I didn’t just want Meg for the logince.

Meg sold her soul to Hades for a man she fell in love with, who nearly instantly dumped her for another girl. Because of this she’s very isolated from everyone and is reluctant for love, burying her emotions from everyone else. Sound like a certain “emotionless” nerd?

She’s very good at acting which takes wit. She also makes snarky nicknames for Hercules like “Wonderboy”. More good old wit.

She’s independent, unlike most Disney Princesses. She doesn’t sit idly and do nothing, she’s good at taking care of herself.

So yeah, seems to fit Logan enough.

Pegasus is Patton

Not much of a surprise to anyone.

He’s incredibly energetic. Patton literally chokes when he gets to excited.

Their both loyal to their friends.

I mean do I even need to go on? No. The answer is no.

So yeah here’s this.

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minijenn · 6 years ago

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Keys to the Kingdom Chapter 4

AN-K so since its not 3 in the fucking morning, I figured I might as well post this on here now so people will actually see it. Gotta say, this one was fun, especially the closer it gets towards the end for... reasons. Enjoy!

Previous: http://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/183194476569/keys-to-the-kingdom-chapter-3

Chapter 4: Hero to Zero

He was a no one (A zero, zero) Now he's a honcho (He's a hero!) Here was a kid with his act down pat! From zero to hero in no time flat! Zero to hero just like that!

In all their past expeditions to Olympus, Sora, Donald, and Goofy usually spent most of their time at the world’s iconic coliseum. The arena’s tall and stately structure was a favorite haunt for the trio, as was the world it was contained in as a whole, for all the grand adventures and heroic exploits they’d shared there. Training to measure up as true heroes under Phil, rushing to protect Meg from the perils of the treacherous Underworld, fighting alongside Hercules to foil Hades’ sinister schemes. All were fond memories for the trio, memories that they thought would come rushing right back to them in full force upon arriving at the familiar coliseum.

Or at least they would have if they had actually arrived at the coliseum.

For upon embarking from the Gummi Ship, Sora, Donald, and Goofy found themselves not before the arena’s statue-guarded entrance, but rather on a lush outcropping halfway up a mountain so tall its distant peak seemed to pierce the sky itself. Needless to say that the trio was certain they had landed in Olympus, they were still aptly confused by the unfamiliar scenery, with nary a coliseum or Underworld for that matter in sight.

“What? No fanfare?” Sore spoke up first, pretending to blow a trumpet to emphasize his point. Donald sent him something of a caustic look before shaking his head while Goofy stepped forward to try to get a better look at their newfound surroundings.

“Nope,” the captain confirmed. “Looks like we missed the coliseum.”

“Sora, you’re the one who opened the gate!” Donald scolded the Keybearer impatiently. “I thought you knew where we were going this time!”

“I was… a little off again,” Sora grinned apologetically. “Sorry! We’ll find him, but we need to go!”

“Up the mountain?” Donald asked as Sora already began heading in that direction.

“Yeah,” the Keybearer glanced back over his shoulder briefly. “‘Up’ is the usual direction.”

“Well, it never hurts to have your head in the clouds!” Goofy quipped optimistically.

“That’s the spirit!” Sora exclaimed brightly, running on ahead. Goofy couldn’t help but let out an amused chuckle as he went to follow him, though Donald sighed, already somewhat exasperated by the levity his companions often shared when they were supposed to be taking thing seriously. Still, the magician was quick to hurry after the pair, trudging the worn and craggy path ahead towards wherever it might lead.

“Whoa…” Sora mused, amazed as they passed into a wide-open, mosaic-adorned area. “I can’t believe Herc’s world is so huge!”

“Well, the past few times we’ve been here we were pretty busy,” Goofy pointed out. “Guess we didn’t get much of a chance to go explorin’.”

“That’s a good thing!” Donald asserted firmly. “The less exploring we do, the less of a chance we have to mess up the world order by mistake!”

“Seriously, Donald?” Sora asked with a wry smirk. “Are you ever gonna let go of that whole ‘world order’ thing?”

“No, I won’t!” the magician fussed, sending the Keybearer a disapproving glare. “You should know by now that it’s important!”

“Hey, I do know,” Sora protested, casually perching his hands behind his head. “You don’t ever see me going around messing with the order of things, do you?”

Upon hearing this, Donald and Goofy exchanged a knowing glance, both of them well aware of Sora’s regular tendency to get himself (and by extension both of them) involved in the affairs of other worlds when they really should have just left things well enough alone. Even so, neither of them could really fault him for it; despite the fact that such behavior could indeed be considered “meddling”, there was no question that Sora’s heart was always in the right place. Whenever they did involve themselves in the problems of a given world, it was usually for the sake of helping those within that world as a whole or at the very least whatever new acquaintances they happened to make along the way. It was through that enthusiastic altruism, typically spearheaded by Sora, that the trio made some of their most invaluable friends and allies, including the very legendary hero they had come to this world to see.

It didn’t take very long for the trio to emerge onto another elevated range, one that gave them a clear, full picture of the sprawling valley far below. Yet as awe-inspiring as the view admittedly was, it still wasn’t really giving any of them too much to go off of when it came to determining their exact location.

“Ya know, fellas,” Goofy spoke up with a frown. “I think we might be goin’ in circles…”

“Sora…” Donald huffed as he looked to the Keybearer who had been leading the way.

“Did I make a turn at the wrong rock or something?” Sora muttered, also quite bewildered. All the same, since a cursory inspection of the area wasn’t really giving them any results, he decided to step forward with a more direct way of tracking the legendary hero down. “Hey, Hercules!” he shouted into the valley in the hopes that the hero might hear him. “Where are youuu?”

While Hercules himself was still nowhere to be found to offer a response to this call, someone else had heard it in his stead, and that someone was sure to make his displeasure with it quite clear the moment he touched down behind the trio in a heavy cloud of dark smoke. “All right. I know I dotted my I’s, crossed my T’s, zeroed the hero. So what gives? Who could possibly be trying to give me a migraine by yodeling that yutz’s name!?”

Though most would have likely cowered in fear in the presence of the lord of the dead himself, Sora, Donald, and Goofy merely let out a shared disappointed sigh upon being met with this reoccurring foe yet again. “Really? Hades?” Sora asked with a disappointed scowl.

“Oh, its just you,” Hades huffed, just as disgruntled to see the trio as they were to see him. “Oy vey…”

“Just us?” Sora repeated, hands on his hips. “Even for you that’s cold.”

“Yeah, well don’t forget!” Hades snapped harshly. “I can always turn up the heat!”

“Wait a sec…” Goofy interjected, glancing around curiously. “If Hades is here, then where’s Herc?”

“What is everyone’s infatuation with that DOLT!?” Hades growled, his blue flames spiking red with rage at the mere mention of the legendary hero. All the same, the lord of the dead was quick to calm himself down, especially when he considered his already-rapidly unfolding plans. “You know what? Never mind, never mind. I’m cool, I’m good. Because… Wonderboy will be outta my hair soon enough…”

“So you’re up to no good again!” Sora assumed, already readily summoning his Keyblade.

“Of course he is,” Goofy agreed as him and Donald also pulled out their respective weapons.

“You bet!” the magician added, holding his staff warningly as they all glared the lord of the dead down.

“Whoa, easy,” Hades remarked, glancing back at the battle-ready trio. “What is this, Sparta? Kind of on a schedule here. Don’t have time to toss around the ol’ fire and brimstone. The whole cosmos is basically waiting for me to, y’know, conquer it! So I better not leave it hanging.”

“Poor Hades,” Sora remarked with little sympathy as the lord of the dead began to head off. “He really thinks he can actually pull it off this time.”

“He’s gotta know that the three of us and Hercules are gonna stop him again,” Donald added just as confidently.

“Not this time, you’re not!” Hades shot back as he turned his gaze up towards the towering mountain itself. “Where are my Titans?!” he called commandingly. “Show me your power!”

Despite their previous doubts, Sora, Donald, and Goofy all jolted in surprise as the stony ground beneath their feet began to tremble violently at this demand. Likewise, the gentle blue skies ahead turned dark and stormy, heralding the arrival of not one, but four massive, unimaginable terrors. Nature itself seemed to go completely haywire at their arrival, the ongoing earthquake still rattling the mountain as deadly molten lava spilled down from its peak. A frigid, icy chill, carried by a brutal, blustery gust tore through the air and in the center of all this chaos stood Hades, absolutely reveling in the sheer destructive potential his Titans were showing. “Ah! Love the breeze!” the lord of the dead sighed with a wide, sinister grin as he looked behind him again. “Don’t you, fellas?”

Neither Sora, Donald, nor Goofy had much of a chance to respond amidst the practically deafening winds, which they were all having quite a hard time standing against. The force of the supernatural gale was relentless, and despite the trio’s best efforts, it soon proved to be too much for them. In one fell swoop, they were all thrown clear off the mountain, the winds catapulting them upward and out from the outcropping towards what would likely be a painful landing in the distant valley miles below.

And then, just as quickly as the elemental tumult had begun, it came to an end on Hades’ succinct command. The lord of the dead’s smug grin was still apparent as he looked off to where the trio had been blown away, satisfied that they wouldn’t impede his plans this time. “Ah, that sent em’ sailing,” Hades mused, though his smile quickly fell as he took a moment to realize exactly where the trio was likely headed. “Sailing right to where I left… Eh, no biggie.” The lord of the dead shrugged, unconcerned as he turned back to the quartet of monsters hanging around the mountain high above him. “Nice work, boys! So, back to the whole cosmic coup thing?”

As always, the Titans heeded their lords’ command, trudging their way back up to the home of the gods on the mountain’s peak so they could take it as their own. Hades gladly saw them off, though his formerly aggravated manner returned in full force as he sensed a dark corridor open up not too far behind him. “Ugh… really?” he asked with a begrudging sigh. “Are you kidding? Geez louise, when it rains it pours. Ok, who’s the new pest?”

“Hey, now! That ain’t no way to say hello, ‘specially to your old friends.”

“Oh perfect…” Hades scowled as he turned around to face the pair stepping out of the dark portal. “Now I gotta put up with you two.”

“You needn’t worry,” Maleficent assured, her expression as dour as ever. “We’ve no intentions of wasting your no-doubt… valuable time.”

“Yeah, we just dropped by to ask ya somethin’ real quick,” Pete added with a brazen smirk.

“Oh yeah?” Hades raised an eyebrow. “Funny, I don’t remember either of you two doing me any memorable favors. So you can keep your Heartless this time, and your cockamamie questions to yourselves. I’m going back to my original plan. All right? So… toodle-oo! Exit’s thataway! Hey, it was great seein’ ya. Happy traaaaails!”

“We’re not here to aid in your small-minded schemes,” the dark fairy countered calmly. “I have my own business to attend to. All I need to know is if there is a distinctive… black box… somewhere in this world.”

“Black box, huh?” Hades repeated rather boredly. “Hm… black box, black box, black box… Wait. Don’t tell me… you’re after the one Zeus hid on Earth?”

“…Possibly,” Maleficent said vaguely. “If I were, where might it be?”

“I dunno,” Hades shrugged apathetically. “Somewhere down in Thebes, I guess. Not sure what a power-hungry broad like you would want with some dumb ol’ trinket of a box like that though.”

“Huh? Are you sayin’ that this box is tiny or somethin’?” Pete asked, dismayed as he turned to Maleficent for confirmation. “I thought you said what we’re lookin’ for is supposed to be this big sorta treasure-chest type thing!”

“Quiet, you fool,” the dark fairy hissed, not wanting to tip the lord of the dead, or anyone else for that matter, off to what she was really searching for. “Its size and appearance matters not. After all…” she kept her voice lowered down at a whisper as she smirked darkly. “The most unassuming vessels can often hold the most… unpredictable power within them…”

“Hey, not that this isn’t an absolute blast or anything,” Hades interjected somewhat impatiently. “But I kinda have things to do, enemies to thrash, the whole nine yards, you know how it is. So… are we done here?”

“Yes…” Maleficent nodded as she summoned another dark corridor to take her leave. “I believe we are.”

“Great, see ya around,” the lord of the dead deadpanned with a halfhearted wave as he finally left, though not without ranting to himself the entire time. “Geez, not even a thank-you for the tip about the stupid box? Getting outta her payroll was one of the best things you ever did for yourself, Hades, that’s for sure…”

“So…” Pete spoke up once Hades was out of earshot. “Ya really think that box he was talkin’ about was the one we’re after?”

“We shall see for ourselves…” Maleficent said simply as she walked into the dark portal, her henchman hurrying right along after her. “Come along, Pete. I believe our search has only just begun…”

The city of Thebes was a vast, sprawling Grecian metropolis, sitting in the safety of the shadow of Mount Olympus itself. However, that safety seemed to be doing nothing for it now as the town was currently in a complete and utter upheaval. Hades had launched a devastating attack upon it, sending fire raining down from the sky and monsters out to scour the streets. The city had already seen substantial damage in the past several hours alone, with plenty of structures having fallen victim to the ongoing chaos. Thebes’ citizens themselves were in just as much of a panic, scrambling to find any save haven they could to shelter themselves from the torrential destruction ravaging their home. And yet, amidst this grave devastation, the people still found they had one hope to rely on to rescue them from it all and restore peace once again: Hercules.

The legendary hero was in the midst of doing just that too as he had only just finished saving a group of civilians from a dangerous street fire. Hercules stood, perched atop a nearby building to take the briefest of breathers before throwing himself back into the frantic fray, fully aware that a hero’s work was never done. However, just before the hero could return to his regularly-scheduled rescuing, his attention was diverted by the emerging noise of three very distinct, very familiar cries of fearful alarm. And upon turning towards the source of these screams for himself, Hercules didn’t hesitate to leap into action to save his three peril-ridden friends.

In one swift, deft leap, Hercules caught both Sora and Goofy, halting their freefall and making a safe and stable landing with the pair in tow. “See? Told ya we’d find him!” Sora proclaimed only mere seconds after their landing.

“Yeah, guess this counts!” Goofy agreed just as heartily.

The legendary hero offered the pair a brief nod of greeting, though before he really had much of a chance to say hello, his attention was garnished by the only member of the trio he hadn’t successfully caught. “Hey! Get me down!” Donald squawked, struggling to free himself from the maw of the massive lion statue he had managed to land on.

“Just a second!” Hercules called, promptly setting Sora and Goofy down to retrieve the frustrated magician. And as soon as everyone was safe and settled on the ground, a proper reunion between the trio and the legendary hero took off almost immediately.

“Sora, Donald, Goofy! You guys are here!” Hercules exclaimed with a surprised, though excited grin. “You three literally dropped in. Gotta say, I’m impressed.”

“Thanks!” Donald retorted brightly.

“Liked the catch,” Goofy said just as enthusiastically.

“Yeah, thanks, Herc,” Sora nodded in apt agreement for the timely save. “But… what’s going on?” he asked, noting the destruction-ravaged streets around them, smoldering piles of rubble still burning bright in seemingly every direction.

“Take a guess,” the legendary hero sighed in clear exasperation. “Starts with an H…”

“Ah,” Sora crossed his arms, already knowing well who Hercules was referring to. “I get the picture. Actually, we bumped into the H-ster on the way here.”

“He said somethin’ about conquerin’ the whole cosmos,” Goofy added a touch more seriously.

“All of it, huh?” Hercules asked sardonically, hardly phased by Hades’ latest grandiose scheme. “Nice of him to show a little self-restraint. Well, whatever he’s planning, I’ll send him running back across the Styx!”

“That’s our Herc!” Sora grinned, mimicking Hercules’ heroic pose.

The legendary hero couldn’t help but let out a small, amused chuckle at the Keybearer’s admirable zeal as he beckoned for the trio to help him investigate the nearby town center for any straggling civilians in danger. “So, Sora, is there a reason you guys are visiting?” Hercules asked, curious. “I’m guessing its not just for the cheese and olives.”

“Oh yeah!” Sora exclaimed in realization.

“Looks like somebody forgot,” Goofy teased lightly.

“That’s Sora for you,” Donald chided just as playfully.

“Hey, I didn’t forget!” Sora protested. “I just… took my time remembering. Besides, we were sort of busy dealing with Hades and being blown off a mountain and everything, so can you really blame me for getting distracted?”

“Yes,” Donald retorted, absolutely deadpan.

“Anyway…” Sora said, sending the magician a pointed glare before he turned to Hercules and the matter at hand. “Herc, I came here because I wanted to ask you something.”

“Ask me?” the hero repeated, genuinely surprised.

“Yeah,” the Keybearer nodded resolutely. “Do you remember the last time we were together? You were feeling down and out. How’d you get your strength back when you jumped in and saved Meg?”

“Hm… that’s tough…” Hercules mused thoughtfully. “All I know is… that she was in trouble. Suddenly, I wanted to save her with all my heart, but… it’s not like I could really tell you how I did it exactly…”

“Oh man…” Sora sighed in clear disappointment. After all, they had come all this way seeking Hercules’ advice born from first-hand experience. But if even the hero didn’t know how to explain the rise from his own fall, then how was Sora supposed to follow in his footsteps and do the same for himself.

“What’s wrong?” Hercules asked, concerned upon noticing the Keybearer’s obvious dejection.

Sora glanced down, his usual upbeat manner solemn and remorseful as he filled the hero in. “A-all my strength left me too…” he admitted, almost ashamed to say it out loud. “That’s why I wanted to find you—I was hoping you might have a solution or some advice or… something.”

“Oh…” Hercules frowned sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Sora. But… for what its worth, I’m sure you’ll find a way to regain that lost strength of yours somehow. After all, I’ve seen you pull off crazier things than that.”

Though it was really a rather small sentiment, Sora couldn’t help but perk up somewhat upon receiving the hero’s vote of confidence. However, before he had a chance to thank Hercules for it, the conversation was sharply interupted from a stark warning from Donald.

“Heartless!” the captain cried, pointing to the stormy skies above. Sure enough, raining down like meteors from the heavens was a horde of flaming Heartless, each of which crashed into the square before the trio and the hero with heavy force. One such impact struck the side of the town’s centerpiece, a large, finely-sculpted statue of Hercules himself, built to honor the hero and his labors. Despite its sturdy structure, it easily toppled over from the blow, slamming to the ground and adding even more destruction onto what the already rampaging group of Heartless were bringing about as they blasted their brimstone around the square wildly.

“We’ll talk later!” Hercules exclaimed, already taking up a fighting stance against the creatures as the trio prepped their respective weapons for the melee ahead.

“Right,” Sora agreed, tightening his grip on his Keyblade. “Once we’ve dealt with these guys.”

And with that, the fight was on. Upon noticing the group taking opposition against them, the Heartless quickly swarmed, a number of them rushing forward with their forms flaming and ready to attack. But for as threatening as the creatures of darkness attempted to be, they were met with a group that was more than used to squaring off against them by now. Since he was already filled with adrenaline from his ongoing efforts of protecting the town, Hercules leapt into the fray first, his sheer physical strength serving him well as he tossed the Heartless around as though they were little more than dead weight. Though it had admittedly been awhile since either of them had actively engaged in combat, Donald and Goofy were also quick to get back into the swing of things as the captain plowed his shield into the creatures while the magician blasted off a barrage of spells to take them down.

Likewise, Sora rushed into battle just as confidently, Keyblade at the ready, though almost immediately, he noticed that his swings were nowhere near as he knew they could be. He wasn’t pulling any punches in his attacks (he rarely ever did), but all the same the Keybearer still felt slower, weaker even, and he had a strong suspicion as to why. The flaming Heartless they were facing was certainly a weaker subset of them, one that could be easily taken out by merely a well-timed water spell; but even after casting several such spells, Sora found that very few of the creatures skittering around him were actually going down, much to his growing frustration. And as distracted as the Keybearer was by the group of Heartless directly in front of him, he didn’t even notice the creature bounding up behind him until it launched a fiery burst directly at him, one that he knew, in the brief second he glanced over his shoulder to see it, he’d have no time to deflect.

Fortunately, Sora didn’t have to as Goofy ended up doing the job for him. The dangerous flames struck the captain’s shield squarely, and in retaliation, he launched his weapon straight at the offending Heartless, defeating it easily. “Look alive, Sora!” Goofy reminded good-naturedly as he hurried off to help Donald square off against another group.

“That’s funny, I thought I was…” Sora huffed, somewhat disgruntled even if he was still grateful for the timely save.

With their numbers already steadily going down, the rest of the Heartless were relatively easier work for the group to thin out. However, just when it seemed as though their work was about over while they were collaborating on clearing out the last few straggling creatures, an all new cause for alarm came to their attention from, of all places, above.

“Hercules!” the familiar cry prompted the entire group to turn around to see none other than Pegasus, toting both Meg and Phil, soaring in towards the square. However, Meg’s fearful shout was soon understood when the group on the ground spotted the swarm of winged Heartless hovering around them.

“Augh! Will ya annoying little schmucks get outta here already?!” Phil yelled as he made as much of an attempt to swat the attacking creatures away.

“How about a little help up here, huh?!” Meg called to the group below as she did her best to steer Pegasus to safety.

“Meg! Phil!” Hercules exclaimed, immensely concerned for the pair and the peril they were in. Without hesitation, the hero leapt high as Pegasus flew in low, allowing him to clock several of the Heartless clean out of the air, though plenty more still remained.

“Come on, Sora!” Donald urged as him and Goofy began running on ahead to do whatever they could to assist the hero. “We gotta help them!”

Upon receiving no immediate response from the Keybearer, the pair was quick to take pause, knowing that he was usually the first to run headlong to the rescue of just about anyone in danger. And yet, when they glanced back to check on Sora, they were both quite surprised and worried to see that he seemed to be absolutely winded from their recently-ended scuffle; the tip of his Keyblade was digging into the cobblestone ground as he leaned against it for support, his clothes, skin, and hair all lightly singed thanks to the formerly flaming Heartless as he struggled to catch his breath and recover from the relatively short skirmish.

“Sora?” Goofy asked as both him and Donald turned to face the exhausted Keybearer fully, letting Hercules handle the rest of the Heartless above. “Are you ok?”

As soon as he noticed the fretful glances his companions were sending his way, Sora was quick to snap upright, forcing a reassuring smile even if he was still quite breathless from all the exertion. “Y-yeah! I’m… I’m fine!”

“Are ya sure?” the captain pressed. “You seem kinda tired…”

“W-who, me?” Sora scoffed as steadily as he could. “No way! I… I’m just a little… a little out of p-practice is all! But I-I’ll get over it! Now, c’mon, we… we gotta help Herc save Meg a-and-”

“Actually,” the hero interjected as he landed back down before the trio, motioning to Pegasus safely doing the same behind him. “I think I got just about all of them. I appreciate the enthusiasm though.”

“Aw man…” Sora muttered to himself, disappointed largely with his limits, which were, by all accounts, much lower than he would have liked them to be.

“Hercules!” Meg exclaimed, immensely relieved as she hopped off the winged horse to rush to the hero and engulf him in a tight embrace. “You’re ok!”

“I’m ok?” Hercules laughed as he returned her hug. “I should be saying that about you since you guys were the ones who nearly just got knocked out of the sky just now.”

“Eh, we would’ve been just fine with just me smackin’ them freaks around,” Phil remarked as sardonically as ever. “Not that I can’t give ya any points for the flashy rescue, kid,” the satyr joked, elbowing his former pupil’s leg playfully.

“Yeesh…” Meg remarked, glancing around the decimated square as she parted away from the hero. “Whatever happened here doesn’t look so fun…”

“No, not with the Heartless involved,” Hercules shook his head before he glanced over at the trio with a grin. “We’re just lucky our friends showed up to help out.”

“Well, whaddaya know?” Meg said as she offered the trio a wry smirk of greeting. “Sora, Donald, Goofy, I guess we owe you a big thank you.”

“Hey, anytime!” Sora assured brightly, having mostly recovered from the preceding fight.

“Oy, kid, you ain’t lookin’ so hot,” Phil noted, commenting on the Keybearer’s still rather battle-worn appearance. “You sure you’ve been keepin’ up with your hero training like I told ya to the last time you were here?”

“O-of course I have!” Sora protested defensively. “In fact, that’s why we came here in the first place: to get stronger.”

“Like Hercules!” Donald added.

“Aw, c’mon, you guys…” Hercules rebuffed with a humble chuckle.

“Yeah, well luckily for you, I trained the best of the best,” Phil concluded, looking to the hero with a proud smirk. “Who knows? Maybe someday you three will end up at least getting’ somewhere close to catching up do ‘im.”

“Hey!” the trio exclaimed in faux offended unison.

“Alright, alright, the last thing we need is another fight breaking out around here, you four,” Hercules interjected, his laughter dying down as he turned back to Meg with renewed seriousness. “Meg, you need to stay someplace safe. We’ll search the city and make sure everyone manages to stay clear of the fire.”

Meg nodded in agreement with this plan, though even still, her expression alone conveyed her worry easily. “Be careful, Wonderboy,” she urged fretfully.

“I will,” the hero assured, leaning in to give her a brief kiss on the forehead before turning back to the trio. “So, you guys in?”

“Of course, we’re in!” Sora exclaimed readily, as his companions nodded in solid agreement.

“We’re heroes!” Donald proclaimed proudly.

“Mm-hm!” Goofy agreed just as enthusiastically.

“Eh, I still think you three are a little wet behind the ears,” Phil remarked, eying the trio critically. “But you’re gettin’ there.”

“Break a leg then, ‘heroes’,” Meg said, sending the group a playful salute as she began making her way back over to Pegasus.

“Phil, you should go with Meg,” Hercules said to his former trainer who nodded dutifully to the task.

“Don’t worry, kid,” the satyr grinned bravely. “I’ll keep an eye on her. And if any more of those pesky puntzes attack us, I’ll put ‘em in their place!”

“Then we better hope none of them show up or else we’ll all be in for trouble,” Meg deadpanned, eliciting an annoyed glare from Phil as he climbed onto Pegasus behind her.

Hercules briefly joined them to give his loyal steed a steadying pat, confident that he’d do well in keeping protecting them from the danger still besetting Thebes. “You gotta keep her safe,” he said sternly, to which Pegasus nodded with clear assurance that he would.

And with that, the horse opened his wings wide, leaping high and taking flight with the intent of carrying Meg and Phil to safety, just as Hercules had said. Despite the distance between them, the hero couldn’t help but smile as he saw them off, relieved to know that the person he cared for most would be out of harm’s way. However, the group barely even had a chance to rest easy in that fact before yet another fearful plea rang out across the otherwise empty square.

“Heeeelp! Is anyone theeeere?”

“Hey! I hear a voice!” Goofy alerted, pointing towards the source of the cry. The others looked over in that direction only to find quite an alarming sight: a young girl, likely no older than ten, had somehow ended up stranded upon a tall pile of rubble overlooking the city center. She pressed up close to the stony wall behind her, clearly terrified of the perilous situation she was in, especially with the flames scorching that part of the town starting to press in just below her.

“Oh no! There’s a little girl caught in the fire!” Hercules warned the others urgently.

“Then let’s go!” Sora exclaimed, already hurrying on ahead, eager to do whatever he could to both help and build his lost strength up again.

“Wait! Running’s too slow!” Hercules cut in succinctly.

“Then what’s the other choice?” the Keybearer asked incredulously as he slid to a stop.

The legendary hero took pause, glancing around the smoldering square for a possible solution before finding one lying only just a few feet away. “Get on that,” Hercules grinned to the trio as he pointed to his own fallen statue. Sora, Donald, and Goofy exchanged a brief, confused glance, but none of them pressed the hero any further on what his plan could be, all three of them trusting that whatever it was, it would hopefully be bound to work.

And so the trio quickly scaled the statue, perching themselves upon its stone cape as they waited to see whatever it was Hercules intended on doing next. “Is this safe?” Donald asked somewhat apprehensively, glancing down from their spot on the statue.

“Hope so,” Goofy shrugged, ready for anything, as usual.

“You ready down there?” Sora asked, calling down to Hercules below.

“Sure am!” the hero assured as he got a good and steady grip on the bottom of the state. “Now, hold on tight!”

The trio did so, still not sure of what the hero’s plan was until they felt the statue suddenly move beneath them, much to their shared alarm. “W-whoa!” Sora exclaimed, aptly startled as he held onto the statue tighter. “Herc, m-maybe we should-”

Before the Keybearer had a chance to finish, Hercules had already hoisted the entire statue, which was at least several times his size, above his head, barely even breaking a sweat from the immense weight of it, much to the fearful bafflement of the trio clinging onto its upper side. Yet despite their shaken cries, the hero kept up his steady stance, carefully taking aim and, with a single mighty throw, he launched the entire statue hard and high into the air, sending it and the three passengers riding atop it, soaring towards the other side of the city. It was yet another perilous flight for the trio to be sure, though surprisingly their landing wasn’t so harrowing as the statue skidded to a safe stop upon one of Thebes’ higher levels. The hero had indeed aimed true as it put them quite close to where the endangered girl was still awaiting rescue, and rescuing her was exactly what they did. Upon retrieving her from her elevated spot, the trio made sure to deposit her a good distance away from the fire, something she was certainly grateful for as she thanked the group before running off to find proper shelter, giving Sora, Donald, and Goofy a much-needed moment to relax.

“Well, that could’ve gone a lot worse than it did,” Donald remarked, glancing back to the landed statue several feet away.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Goofy asked curiously, glancing around the largely empty area.

“I guess we might as well go check and see if anyone else needs us,” Sora suggested with a shrug. “Maybe see if we can catch up with Herc again along the way?”

Donald and Goofy both nodded in agreement to such a solid plan of action, however, before any of them could so much as make a move to enact it, they were distracted by a rather unexpected, rather alarming arrival instead. “Well, well… if it isn’t Sora and the king’s pawns…”

The trio shared a startled gasp as they all spun around, immediately on the defensive as they watched the pair of old foes emerge from a dark corridor. “Maleficent! Pete!” Sora exclaimed, instantly summoning his Keyblade as Donald and Goofy did the same with their own weapons against the dastardly duo. “Let me guess: you two are the reason the Heartless are here, aren’t you?!”

“Certainly not,” Maleficent denied evenly. “We’ve come to this world on much more important business than merely spreading mindless chaos.”

“Oh yeah?” Sora asked suspiciously, still maintaining his offensive stance alongside his companions. “Like what?”

“That is absolutely no concern to you,” the dark fairy rebuffed with a haughty scowl.

“Say, Maleficent…” Pete interjected with a smug, almost goading grin as he looked over to the trio. “I dunno about his sidekicks, but Kid Keyblader here looks way punier than the last time we saw him. I say we finish him off while we still can. It’d be a piece of cake for sure!”

Upon hearing such callous, almost cruel remarks, Sora said nothing, even though a large part of him did want to fiercely argue against them. But instead, he simply tightened his grip on his Keyblade and glared at the wicked duo firmly, trying his best not to come across as weak, even though he knew that’s what they saw him as. He wondered how it was so apparently obvious to just about everyone, including even Maleficent and Pete, that his strength had been sapped to such an extensive degree. He could feel it, of course, in just how much of a struggle taking out what should have been even minor foes seemed to be for him now, just how much even the tiniest battles seemed to tire him out, just how much he was seeming to fall behind when he should have stood strong. So how then, was literally everyone else able to see that he wasn’t even half the Keyblade wielder he knew he could be anymore?

“Waste no time with the boy,” Maleficent said dismissively just before Donald or Goofy could say anything to Sora’s defense. “He’s inconsequential, as are his companions. We have a far more pressing matter to attend to.”

For a moment, Pete was admittedly confused by this, until he happened to remember why they had journeyed to this world in the first place. “Oh yeah! We gots to find that black box!”

“How many times do I have to tell you to be silent, you fool!” Maleficent snapped harshly before her henchman could get another word out. Her anger was still just as apparent as she turned back towards the trio, her longstanding disdain for them apparent through her expression alone. “As for you three: we shall meet again… when I have time for such trifles…”

And with that, the dark fairy turned to leave through the darkness from whence she came, though Pete did linger behind for just a moment more to taunt the Keybearer one more time. “Yeah, and you better get your act together before then! Later, twerps!”

“Wait!” Sora shouted, hurrying after the pair with the intent of putting a stop to whatever their unknown schemes were. Though of course, before he could reach them, their shadowy portal disappeared, leaving the trio alone and in the dark about whatever it is they could be up to.

With Pete and Maleficent both finally gone, Sora finally let out the disgruntled sigh he had been holding in for quite some time now. Neither Donald nor Goofy had to ask where they young companion’s sudden bout of melancholy was coming from, but it still certainly concerned them both all the same.

“Sora?” Donald spoke up first, his tone fretful, especially as he overheard Sora sigh once more. Even so, the Keybearer was quick to turn to the pair with a small, halfhearted smile, one that neither of them really bought.

“I-it’s fine,” he said, though he didn’t make eye contact with either of them as he did. “I can take it.”

“Garwsh, it sure don’t sound like it,” Goofy said knowingly. “Did Pete sayin’ those mean things bother ya?”

“N-no!” Sora protested, crossing his arms and glaring away. “Like I said, I’m fine! I can take it!”

“Don’t worry!” Donald reassured as encouragingly as he could. “You’re gonna get stronger!”

“Yeah! We know you!” Goofy added just as heartily. “You can take it!”

“That’s what I said!” Sora snapped, suddenly quite frustrated with the pair. After all, it was bad enough that their foes were going around calling him out for his newfound weakness, but for his own companions to be effectively talking down to him like this? It was more than a bit embarrassing and a bit annoying to say the least, even despite their kind intentions. “Ugh, can we just… stop talking about this already?” he sighed once more as he averted the duo’s surprised looks over his outburst. “We still have people we need to help, remember?”

Donald and Goofy couldn’t help but share a worried glance as Sora pressed his way past them, his expression bitter and his hands clenched into tight fists as he continued on ahead. Neither of them could really blame him for being so upset, but they were rather perplexed by the fact that their open encouragement had done basically nothing to help him this time when it usually did the trick. Of course, they both wanted to do whatever they could to support their young companion, just as they always had. But this was an issue that neither the captain nor the magician knew how to solve, a problem that was plaguing the two of them almost as much as it was plaguing Sora himself. And for as much as Donald and Goofy both wanted to help, they both fretfully realized that all they could really do, at least for now, was to stand by their young companion’s side, no matter what might come their way.

The rest of the trio’s trip through Thebes was, unsurprisingly, a perilous one. Sure enough, they managed to find and save several still-straggling townsfolk and escort them out of harm’s way. The Heartless and the town’s own crumbling infrastructure provided plenty of obstacles all their own, of course, as the trio dodged fire, falling pillars, and the shadowy monsters alike. While they did their best to try to avoid the Heartless altogether to save precious time, the few occasions in which they were forced to engage in combat against them were far from smooth encounters.

The creatures were fierce and plentiful, and with the trio already somewhat out of sync with each other as they were, fighting them only seemed to bring them more harm than good. For as many Heartless as they seemed to take down, the more hits they seemed to take, particularly for Sora, who was still clearly lagging behind despite his best efforts to get ahead. What made matters worse, however, was that he more or less outright refused any direct assistance from either Donald or Goofy whenever they offered it, save for the occasional bout of healing here and there to keep things going. For all intents and purposes, it seemed clear that the Keybearer was determined to prove to both of them and perhaps even to himself that his strength wasn’t completely gone after all. A mission that didn’t seem to working out that well as Sora only seemed to be running himself more and more ragged with each and every battle, though whenever either Donald or Goofy urged him to slow down, he either ignored them or stubbornly rebuffed them with clear, continued anger. But even so, despite his mounting frustration and his obvious exhaustion, the Keybearer pressed on ahead relentlessly, all in the hopes that his hard work would somehow get him past the weakness that he had no idea how to overcome otherwise.

Still, eventually, the trio managed to make it through most of Thebes’ rubble-laden, burning streets to end up in a space relatively close to the square where they had started. They were more than prepared to head back there in the hopes of meeting up with Hercules again, though it quickly became apparent that their attention was needed elsewhere as a rather large building—a temple to be exact—trembled violently right as they were passing by it. The trio only needed to exchange a brief nod of confirmation before they rushed into the lofty temple, only to not only find the hero they were looking for, but plenty of trouble surrounding him as well.

The temple had already fallen apart significantly, with flames and rubble filling its once pristine, sacred space. A few civilians had made an attempt to take up refuge there, but it was all for naught as the entire building seemed to be on the verge of collapse altogether. In fact, the only thing keeping it all from falling apart, as close as it was to that point, was none other than Hercules himself as he stood, strong yet struggling to hold the temple’s final, integral support beam from falling on them all.

“Herc!” Sora exclaimed, instantly alarmed to see the hero in sigh a plight.

“S-Sora!” Hercules called back as much as he was able to, even as the temple shook once again. It was clear that neither the hero nor the building would be able to hold out for too much longer, which was why the trio didn’t hesitate to hurry forward to help in any way they could. “H-hurry! We have to save these people!” Hercules ordered, his voice strained as he pushed back hard against the weight of the pillar he was holding up.

“Right!” Sora nodded as Donald and Goofy hurried ahead to pull the townsfolk out of immediate danger so they could begin escorting them out of the temple. “We’ll be right back to help-” The Keybearer cut himself off as matters suddenly went from bad to much, much worse. The temple shuddered once again, only this time, the quake came as the direct result of the horde of Heartless that happened to materialize directly in between the hero and the trio with the intent of causing even more destruction.

“Ok, seriously?!” Sora exclaimed, exasperated as he summoned his Keyblade for the oncoming fray. “I swear, Heartless have the worst timing!”

“C’mon, Sora!” Donald urged as him and Goofy did their best to keep the terrified townsfolk calm while still inching their way past the Heartless and towards the door. “We gotta get these people out of here!”

“Then go ahead and get them out already!” Sora retorted rather sharply as he turned back towards the struggling hero. “Herc, can you hold the building?”

“N-no problem!” Hercules assured with the most genuine grin he could muster, even despite the circumstances.

“Good,” Sora smiled back as he took up a determined, offensive stance against the encroaching creatures. “Then I’ll handle the Heartless!”

“What?!” Donald and Goofy both gasped upon hearing such a risky plan, both of them completely adamant against it from the start.

“Sora, you can’t take on that many all by yourself!” Goofy exclaimed worriedly as he shielded the group civilians from a fiery attack.

“Let us help you!” Donald added a bit harsher, making his disapproval for the Keybearer’s recklessness clear.

“You guys are busy!” Sora called back as he landed a steady hit on one of the Heartless. “Just get those people to safety, ok? I’ll be fine on my own!”

“But Sora-” Goofy tried one more attempt at dissuading their young companion, only to be swiftly cut off.

“I said, I’ll be fine!” Sora practically shouted, clearly set off by their doubts as he rammed his Keyblade into yet another Heartless out of sheer anger alone. Donald and Goofy were clearly startled by his severe manner, and as a result of it, they knew: there’d be no arguing with him, not on something like this.

And so, as much as they didn’t like the idea of leaving the Keybearer alone at a time like this, the duo did as he said anyway, taking advantage of the distraction he was providing them with to skirt around the Heartless with the endangered civilians following right behind them. All the while, Sora forced himself to remain steady and alert, running on adrenaline more than anything else as he took the marauding creatures head-on. For the most part, he seemed to be holding his own, landing plenty of impact hits on the Heartless in relatively fast succession. Of course, the Keybearer really couldn’t accredit his current success to grit alone, for throughout the entire battle, he had been quietly reassuring himself, knowing that it was the most he could do to keep himself from faltering anymore than he already had.

“I can do this…” Sora whispered to himself as he slashed through one of the Heartless, miraculously defeating it altogether. Of course, several more appeared to take its place, but the Keybearer refused to let that phase him as he kept on fighting, occasionally sparing the briefest glance over at Hercules, who was certainly doing his part to hold everything else together on his end. “I can do this,” Sora told himself, a bit louder this time as he narrowly blocked a ball of fire with the broad side of his Keyblade. He retaliated swiftly by lashing out at the Heartless that had sent it, tearing through its shadowy form with a single deft swing. It was enough to give the Keybearer some much-needed confidence as he kept himself going, not even noticing as Donald and Goofy successfully finished escorting the civilians out and away from the temple as he kept up his kinetic pace. Though Sora knew he still had a ways to go before he returned to anywhere close to where he had been before the Mark of Mastery, he couldn’t help but hope that fighting fearlessly and passionately like this would eventually be what would get him back to where he knew he needed to be.

That is, until everything inevitably fell apart.

It began when he positioned his Keyblade to cast water to douse the flaming Heartless surrounding him. He called upon the spell and, though somewhat dulled from the strength it should have had, it still did the trick in stunning several of the creatures close by. Sora resumed his usual position as he prepared to tackle the vulnerable group, running forward as he decided to repeat his ongoing mantra, knowing that it was serving him well thus far. “I can do-”

The Keybearer never had a chance to finish. For right as he was about to complete his confident statement, the waterlogged Heartless he was rushing into attack sparked back to fiery life completely out of nowhere. Sora didn’t have any time to react outside of a startled gasp as the creature rammed into him, purposefully and violently, with enough force behind the heavy impact to send him flying towards the other side of the temple. He hit the far wall hard, and landed on the ground even harder, to the point that he was in something of a daze for what seemed like ages. Somewhere in the distance, he thought he heard Hercules (or maybe someone else?) call out for him, apparently alarmed, though he made no attempts to answer back. The crumbling temple around him and even the Heartless still gearing up for attack once more all seemed to fade out thanks to his swimming senses as he lay on the floor, half out of it entirely. But, if there was any one thing he was fully aware of, it was heat; a vast, deep, pinching kind of heat that only seemed to worsen with each passing second as it sparked along parts of his torso and his upper arms, the very same places the Heartless had hit him at. And as the acrid stench of ashy smoke began to mingle with that heat, Sora, ironically enough, froze up completely as he realized exactly where they both were coming from.

A fire. But not just the fire plaguing the temple in general. No, it was him. He was on fire.

As shocked and mindlessly horrified as Sora was by this stark realization, his body refused to cooperate with him as he tried to will it to move to douse the painful flames, especially as the intense burning spiked across his right arm in particular. So instead, he simply let out a small, strangled cry, not even caring that the noise would no doubt attract the Heartless, just as long as the pain, the heat, the smoke, everything just stopped somehow.

And miraculously enough, stop is exactly what it did.

“Water!” Donald’s rather fierce shout rang out across the crumbling temple, angry and protective as he cast his magic quickly. And yet, the spell wasn’t for the Heartless, but rather for Sora, as a cool, refreshing torrent rained down upon him, soaking him to the bone but thankfully, finally putting out the fire. It did little to heal the rather significant burns left behind, but Sora was immensely grateful for it all the same as Donald helped prop him up against the wall while Goofy kept up the defensive against the Heartless.

“See!? We told you that you couldn’t take them on all by yourself!” the magician fussed hotly. “And now look what happened! Why do you always have to be so… so reckless!?”

Sora flinched, both from the pain and from the severity of Donald’s rant, knowing that though magician was quite prone to anger, he only ever got this angry on the worst of occasions. “I-I… I was just-”

“Save it!” Donald huffed, cutting him off sharply as he offered to help him stand. “There’s no time! We gotta get you outta here so I can heal you the right way!” the magician urged, knowing that such a potent spell needed enough time to cast and that, with hasty, dangerous conditions such as these, that sort of time wasn’t something they had at their disposal.

“W-wha… n-no!” Sora protested, weakly rising to stand on his own as he leaned against the wall for support. “We… we can’t go! W-we gotta…” he paused to let out a small groan of agony as he pressed his free hand against his scorched shoulder. “W-we have to stay and help Herc!”

“N-no, you don’t!” Hercules shouted from his spot on the other side of the temple. Despite the immense burden he was struggling to maintain, his expression was stern as he looked to the trio, even as his knees began to buckle under the weight pressed against him. “D-Donald, Goofy! Get Sora out of here and fix him up! I-I can handle this!”

“You heard him!” Goofy agreed as he rushed to help Donald support Sora so they could escort him out, since it was clear the Keybearer was in no condition to walk out on his own as injured as he was. “Its time for us to go!”

“B-but we can help!” Sora protested as he tried pulling away from his companions to stand on his own. It was a short-lived effort, however, as the Keybearer was quick to collapse to his knees as unsteady and lightheaded as he currently was. Pain sparked across the burn on his shoulder once more as he used his arms to catch himself, but even still, he stifled a cry of anguish so he could plead with the heavily-labored hero once more. “I—we… we want to help! P-please, Herc, you gotta let me, I-I mean us-”

“I-I said no, Sora!” Hercules chastised, though even still he spared the injured Keybearer a sympathetic glance before he let out another strained groan. “Y-you just gotta trust me on this… ok?”

“B-but…” Sora began quietly, desperately even. “But I-”

“That’s enough!” Donald shouted furiously as he grabbed the Keybearer by his injured arm.

“We gotta amscray before this whole place falls apart!” Goofy urged as he went to Sora’s other side, his manner filled with concern to balance out the magician’s fury.

“We can’t!” the Keybearer groaned, trying his hardest to pull away from the pair as they began essentially dragging him towards the door.

“Sora, stop fighting us on this!” Donald snapped fiercely. “We’re trying to save you!”

“I-I don’t need to be saved!” Sora argued as he resorted to thrashing to try and get out of his companion’s steady hold, though even so, it didn’t work.

“W-well, right now, ya kinda do,” Goofy countered rationally, though even so, the Keybearer wasn’t having it, especially as they neared the threshold of the temple. “Just sayin’…”

“Why?” Sora shot back, glaring fiercely over his shoulder at the pair. If either of them had stopped to return the glance, then they might have spotted a certain glint, the slightest discoloration in his eyes that would have likely made them stop dead in their tracks. But for as much of a rush as they were in to escape the crumbling temple as they were, that flash of warning yellow went unnoticed. For now at least. “Because I’m not ‘strong enough’ to save myself!? Because I’m too weak?!”

“S-Sora…” Goofy began, exchanging a rather uneasy glance with Donald as they finally slipped past the temple doors and into the yard in front of it. Out of the frying pan, and yet apparently still not out of the fire, even as they let their injured, angry young companion go.

“T-that’s just what everybody thinks anymore, isn’t it?!” Sora asked harshly, his pent-up frustrations all starting to pour out of him, the floodgates pried opened by both pain and doubt. “It… its not even my fault that all my strength is gone, but everyone just loves to act like it is!”

“S-Sora!” Donald cautioned as the Keybearer slowly began to pick himself up off the ground, even despite his still very-pressing burns.

Sora largely ignored both of his companions as he stood, his legs shaking along with the rest of his body really, from both ongoing agony and incensed rage. “B-but what nobody wants to see is that I’m trying!” he shouted, more to himself than anyone else as he turned to face the quaking temple again with renewed resolve. “I’m trying to get stronger! But no matter what I try to do, its just… never good enough!”

“Sora-” Goofy reached towards their young companion in an attempt at comforting him, only to be completely denied as the Keybearer took an unsteady step forward, relentlessly staring down the horde of Heartless still swarming about in the violently trembling temple just a few feet away.

“But I don’t care…” he said, his tone absolutely rigid as he somehow managed to summon his Keyblade, even despite his unattended wounds. “Because I’m gonna do it anyway. I’m going to get stronger, so that nobody—not you guys, not Riku, not Axel or the king or anyone else will ever have to save me ever again!”

“Sora!” both Donald and Goofy shouted in alarm as they noticed something that their companion, in all his intense frustration, didn’t. Before Sora could so much as even take another step, the pair grabbed him once again, jerking him back hard and pulling him out of the way just in the nick of time.

For almost exactly as they did, something within the temple finally snapped: the support beam, the thinning thread keeping the practically decimated building together slammed down into the structure’s interior. And, the moment it did, everything else fell apart along with it. Goofy rushed to cover his companions with his shield as they all fell to the ground from the resounding quake, thick dust flying up from every direction as the building before them began to crumble to pieces. It began slowly, a few pillars toppling over, bricks and mortar coming undone, but all too quickly the destruction unfolded in a devastating torrent.

And, in what seemed like seconds, the entire temple collapsed completely… with Hercules still trapped inside.

#kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 3 #keys to the kingdom #jen writes #kh fanfic #olympus #hercules #disney #sora #donald #goofy #hades #maleficent #pete #megara #phil #pegasus #and auuuuhhhh yeah i think that covers it lol

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