#angst gag

[dandorime]

Reginald and Phoenix sit across from one another at an ornate table, each facing an open briefcase. The air is thick with tension. Phoenix is on the brink of a breakdown, his mind racing through the chain of decisions that brought him here, desperately searching for a way out.

He finds none.

Across from him, Reginald looks grim, but somehow a sense of serenity graces his features.

It is the look of a man prepared to accept his fate.

Phoenix: I... I can't do it.

Reginald: You must, agent. It's your move.

Phoenix: Then I forfeit!

Reginald: We both know that won't work. The rules clearly state-...

Phoenix: TO HELL WITH THE RULES!

Phoenix bangs a fist on the table, his face at last cracking into a grimace that reveals the pain welling in his heart.

Phoenix: WHY? Why did it have to be this way?! Why does it have to be you?

The handler is silent. Pensive. Mulling over all the same little ironies as his agent, but far more experienced in the cruel turnabouts of a long life in the espionage field. To his agent, they are still a bitter pill. To the wizened handler, something closer akin to aged wine, but no less bitter.

Phoenix: When I joined up, we were a team. We did this together.

Reginald allows himself a little smile as the memories flit through his mind. Phoenix was naive at the start. Rough. Unseasoned. But he learned fast, by god.

Phoenix: I thought that we'd get through to the end... I thought we'd make it together.

The hurt in his agent's voice still stung him every bit as deeply as the moment he'd revealed his betrayal. It had been a matter of necessity, not a failing of moral conscience. For the greater good. For their only chance at survival. It was fate, not choice, that turned them against each other in the eleventh hour, and fate that now dictated the ultimate outcome.

Phoenix would understand that someday, Reginald told himself.

Someday.

Phoenix: I can't go forward alone, Reggie. Please.

Reginald: You can, Phoenix. You can, and you will. The truth is... you don't need me anymore.

Tears stream down agent Phoenix's face as Reginald takes careful note of the contents of his briefcase, then quietly closes it. He offers his agent -- his friend -- one last smile, hoping to soften the finality of his parting words:

Reginald: It has been the highest honor and pleasure of my life to train you and follow your progress, Agent Phoenix. Let me leave you now with no regrets.

Phoenix looks truly stricken. There is nothing more he can do, no plea he can make. They are being watched, after all.

Reginald: Push the button, agent.

Unable to bring himself to witness the end, Phoenix shuts his eyes tightly and reaches a trembling hand towards the mechanism in the briefcase on the table before him. There is a soft click, then an electrical tone.

"You sunk my battleship."

Cheers and applause erupt from the audience as the Agency Game Night Championship crowns its new king. He is the first in two decades to defeat longtime Battleship ace Reginald Crane, and the rejoicing is no small affair.

Only Phoenix himself is without joy. He hurls the tiny plastic briefcase off the desk and collapses, burying his head in his arms as he weeps.

"You beat him! You did it!"

"I knew he could do it. That's why we couldn't put him and Crane on the same team..."

"Phoenix, you've won!"

At what cost? Phoenix thinks, the words repeating over and over through his tortured mind in the voice of his handler, who swiftly disappears like a ghost into the celebrating crowd.

At what cost...?

[seagull-scribbles]

[nayrring]

Muzan got that high school girl attitude. Like what is wrong with him

[jordanstrophe]

CW: Kidnapped whumpee

Whumper whistled as they pulled into their garadge. They locked up behind them, then pulled a long chain across the door. The windows were covered with thick material and duck tape. It was dark, aside from one dim light bulb.

Banging suddenly came from the trunk of the car.

"Shhhh, patience. I'm almost done." Whumper hummed, tapping their fingers on the car trunk.

The response was frantic muffles and struggling.

Whumper sighed and popped it open to whumpee inside, bound and gagged with a bruise and single tear on their face. Whumper reached down and wiped their face before they could flinch away.

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?"

[smallidarityfan]

smallidarity highschool au

came up with this au like actually 2 years ago where it's mainly empires 2 smallidarity centric, with Jimmy as a student council member and Joel as an honours student who doesn't like the way Jimmy runs things around the school.

As payback for the regulations Jimmy put up that Joel thought was stupid, Joel does these elaborate 'The Office' style pranks on Jimmy (specifically) while Jimmy retaliates by trying his best to dig up dirt on Joel. This banter goes on for a while— however Joel ends up doing the pranks less as a statement, and instead more just to see how Jimmy would react... with his comical, cartoony villain yells, and... weirdly cute face....? (YAOI YAOI YAOI YAOI)

very very old au drawings below:

from July 2023

😭😭 joel does NOT look like a highschooler here 😭😭😭😭 (i also wanted to draw angst in the first two ig idk a year later it's pretty cringe [i am still cringe]) (also partially inspired by when I read "Go for it, Nakamura!" and the mc reminded me of joel for no actual reason. or maybe i was just thinking about that manga while drawing smallidarity. idk)

from November 2022:

I think these doodles were genuinely the first instance of me converting from being against mcyt shipping to for shipping LMAOO

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

Do you think if the trolls all came back, like everything in the main comic did happen and they were alive again. Do you think Feferi would actually forgive Eridan? Or want to even be his friend after everything? I don't personally like the erisol and fefertasprite interaction…felt rushed…..so I just wanted to know your opinion if things were different! :)

Yeah, I think they would be! Feferi is one of the trolls who takes dying the least badly (relentless optimism) and Eridan does genuinely feel bad, which means a lot when it's Eridan. I think she really is genuine when she says she wants them to be friends and also that she's really not the type of person to hold a grudge, and like... death is SUPER cheap in Homestuck, it's really not the horrific, irredeemable, irreperable damage that it is IRL - and if you're talking about (Feferi) and (Eridan), then they're both dead (and irrelevent) now, so the score is kind of even.

In general, the fandom - I mean, people in general, really - tend to have difficulty divorcing themselves from other people. We tend to assume that the people and characters they like will hold similar opinions to themselves. This is how people who like Karkat and don't like Eridan can mentally gloss over or even block out their clear, close friendship, or how people who dislike Cronus can end up overlooking that Meenah actually takes his opinion seriously and unironically defends his wizard thing. Feferi really isn't mad at Eridan or upset about dying the way we probably would be, because she's friends with the horrorterrors, relentlessly cheerful, comfortable with death in general, and death is also just not really that big of a deal in this setting. "I'm really sorry about that, that was shitty of me" is honestly probably all the apology she needs, especially if they came back to life anyway.

[rynli]

me: I should write the one-shot that lives in my head about Harry applying for a job

brain: you will write a whole casefic about Harry realizing being a cop already killed him once, acab applies even to Kim, and he needs to quit if he wants to get better

[truths33k3r4]

CHAPTER 5 - The Stain of Guilt

The quiet of the living room was abruptly interrupted by the sound of shifting on the couch.

Mikey’s eyes wrenched tightly shut as he twisted and shuddered into his oldest brother’s shoulder. Squeaked whimpers escaped his lips, as his hands twitched and gripped the air. His plastron rose and fell in between sharp, quiet gasps through his clenched teeth.

“Mghhh….n-no..”

He buried his face deeper under Leo’s chin.

“Ghhhh…don’t…”

His hands unconsciously wrapped around Leo’s waist, striving for safety and comfort. Leo’s still slumbering form slowly leaned further into his shaking embrace. 

“Hhh.. stop.. HhHHh.. Stop…”

Mikey’s heart beat rapidly, pounding from the inside of his plastron. His quiet gasps quickly worsened as he began to frantically choke on each cracking breath.

“...Mgghhh...No…No!...NO!!!!”

Mikey shot up from the cushions of the couch, reaching his arm out to grasp something that wasn’t there. His dazed pupils searched around the room as his hand clasped onto his heaving chest.

Leo’s oldest brother instincts prevailed against his need for sleep as he too leapt to his feet, patting his shell down in a sloppy search for his missing katanas. He nearly slammed into the nearby coffee table in his dazed state.

“-WHHaaaaAAAT?!?! Whaaaaasss wrong?!?!” The oldest brother slurred and shouted as he scrambled to find his bearings, grabbing his phone from the table and holding it as if it were an impromptu weapon over his head. 

Mikey’s ears rang with the fading echoes of Don and Raph’s agonized screams. His heart pounded into his ribs, making him wince and press his trembling hand onto his chest. A pellet of fear fell down into the depths of his stomach, disintegrating the outer casing and unleashing a vile acid into his core. The hand squeezed to his chest shot up to clasp over his mouth as he felt noxious fumes expel a bitter taste into the back of his throat.

Oh crud. 

I cannot throw up in the middle of the living room- this is the ONE ROOM in the lair with a carpet- Dad will KILL ME.

Mikey recalled the time years ago when Klunk, his cat, had coughed up one heck of a hairball on that very carpet. Master Splinter banned her from that room for eternity, and would always chase the tortie out whenever she got close. 

His mind got ripped back from his loving memories of his cherished cat by the clawed grasp of the growing doom climbing its way up.

Swallow. 

J-JUST. SWALLOW!

With a shuddering but stubborn wince, he forced the acid back down his throat. Tears sprang to his eyes by the vile taste and lingering burn in his mouth.

Ughhhh that was so gross.

 I’ll just wash it down with some pizza later.

Both of Mikey’s hands hesitantly lowered from his mouth, planting themselves onto his thighs. His hunched shoulders relaxed, and he took a much-needed deep breath.

Chill. It was just a dream. It was all in your head. You’re fine. Leo’s fine. Don and Raph are-

alive and home.

To distract from the nausea, Mikey watched Leo as the leader blinked the sleep from his eyes and scanned the room for any intruders. His posture quickly tightened into a defensive stance as he gripped his phone with one hand and formed a slightly quaking fist with the other. Finding no enemies in the general vicinity, he began to search through the room, continuing to hold up his phone as if, in the scenario he did find someone, would beat them to death with it.

His search came to an abrupt halt when he turned around to see Mikey.

“W-whoa. Mike, you alright?” 

Leo’s tight fist opened as he reached out his hand to the youngest. Gentleness and concern masked over the tenseness in his eyes, as his voice quieted to a soothing chime in the settling winds of panic. A firm hand landed on Mikey’s knee as the eldest knelt down in front of him to be at the same eye level.

“Mikey. What’s wrong?”

DANG IT. Didn't think of his big brother senses going off...

“I-I’m fine. Everything’s goo-UGH- d.” 

Mikey’s hands shot right back up over his mouth at the feeling of acid creeping up his throat again. He didn’t mean to allow a gag to escape through his last word…When Mikey looked back up to see the eldest’s face, the concern flushed over Leo’s expression had multiplied tenfold.

“-Michelangelo! Are you sick? What’s going on? Do you feel warm? Chills?...” Leo reverted back to ‘Medic Mode’ faster than Mikey could scarf down a pizza, searching over his brother by taking his pulse, craning his neck to spot any injuries, and placing a cool palm on his forehead.

“Hmm no fever- Your color seems a bit greener than normal.. Pulse is a little elevated...” Leo mumbled to himself as he sandwiched the youngest’s face in between his hands. 

“Leo! I’m fiiiiine!” Mikey stated in an exasperated sigh. “I just… woke up weird.”

Leo’s icy irises constricted, peering into Mikey’s soul like they always did. The eldest’s mouth closed and slid into a thin line sitting slanted on his face. His firm palms squeezed into Mikey’s cheeks impelling an actually honest answer. Classic older-brother-speak for ‘You got two seconds to tell me the truth before I beat it out of you’.

Mikey sighed exaggeratedly as he gave in to the icy gaze that had made him crack under pressure for as long as he could remember. He’d never been that great at lying. Especially to his oldest brother who was capable of breaking any poor soul with his patented ‘disappointed mom’ look.

“Ok…fine. I…” Mikey raised his hand and began rubbing at the back of his neck, averting his eyesight from the piercing stare his oldest brother was shooting at him. “...It… it was just a n-nightmare.”

Leo’s laser-pointed gaze fizzled out instantly, leaving nothing but a fallen expression of understanding saturated in remorse. The cool palms surrounding Mikey’s face slowly released their grip, falling and landing onto the fabric of the cushions.

“Oh…I’m…I-I’m sorry.”

Mikey’s aqua eyes searched through the freezing tundra of his brother’s, looking past the dutiful worrying, and finding something far more unrelenting and destructive. The nausea quickly morphed into an unsettled pit of concern for his oldest brother.

He leaned over and placed his quivering hand onto Leo’s shoulder.

“It’s not your fault…I had the nightmare.”

“No…I guess it’s not…” Leo whispered to himself.

…not this time.”

Mikey barely caught the last wisps of Leo’s words.

“You can’t control when these things happen, bro.”

Leo averted his gaze to the floor as his muscles all tensed under Mikey’s palm.

No. Stop it.

Mikey tightened his grip on Leo’s shoulder.

“You didn’t know it would happen.”

“...Not being prepared made it happen.” Leo snarled to himself. His jaw was taut, and his eyes began to shine with moisture. Just as a tear was about to fall, Leo forcefully blinked it away as he shook his head and growled.

STOP IT.

“There was no way you could’ve prepared! Being ready doesn’t always keep things from happening!!” Mikey raised his voice with determination. “You didn’t know that would happen to them. You didn’t KNOW, Leo. You can’t be ready for something that you never expected would ever HAPPEN.”

Mikey grabbed Leo’s shoulders with both his hands, and yanked the oldest close, causing a quick yelp to escape Leo at the rough treatment.

“You are an amazing leader, bro. And you worked your shell off to make it so our brothers could come home. You searched for days! You barely ate.”

Leo’s eyes mimicked saucers as he remained pinned down by Mikey’s increasing grip. His breath hitched in weak gasps as his pupils continued to shrink. 

Mikey let out a steadying breath as he relaxed his grip on his brother’s battered shoulders.

“Why are you trying to redeem yourself when you’ve done nothing wrong?”

Leo’s crystal irises became tainted by the stain of guilt in his heart.

“THEY GOT CAPTURED ON MY WATCH, MIKEY.” Leo shouted, clamping his hands onto Mikey’s arms in a death-like grip. “I let them go to the junkyard! I FAILED TO KEEP THEM SAFE!!”

The sermon on Mikey’s tongue vanished as his breath was knocked out of him by his brother’s fury.

“I am their leader…” Leo’s own breath hitched as he let go of his grip on Mikey’s arms and placed his hand onto Mikey’s face. “...I am your leader. I…h-h-have to keep…you all…safe.” Leo’s voice shattered into millions of fragments as he rubbed his thumb over the tears flowing down Mikey’s eyes. 

“You…are my responsibility, little brother…” Leo whispered in choked attempts to keep from crying. “Sensei chose me to lead you. God chose me to protect you. All of you.

...And I failed.” 

“You didn’t. You didn’t fail, Leo.” Mikey brokenly whispered as he flung himself onto his brother, wrapping his arms around the eldest’s neck as they both fell to the floor with a *thud*.

“You didn’t fail.” Mikey tearfully whimpered as he clutched Leo tighter. “We’re all still here, bro. *hic* W-we’re all h-home.” 

Mikey felt the shudders of Leo’s breath and body as the eldest fought to stay together. Strong arms encompassed Mikey, trying to return the comfort. A weak breath filled Leo’s lungs, slowly being let out in an attempt at a calming sigh.

“..Thanks, little brother.” Leo whispered as he nuzzled his face deeper into the brother’s embrace.

But do you believe it?

“But…d-do you believe me?” Mikey asked in a shaky but hopeful voice.

Everything went silent.

“...No. 

M-maybe. 

I… I don’t know.”

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!

Before Mikey could pull himself together to deliver one HECK of a message to his stagnant brother, Leo spoke up one more time. His words were the most quiet they’ve ever been, and sounded like they were almost painful to speak.

“...P-please pray for me, Mikey…Please pray f-for me.”

Mikey’s eyes widened at his brother’s broken voice. It brought him back to the night Don and Raph were taken. 

The night he watched Leo fall apart right in front of him.

Mikey tried to calm his hiccups and sobs by clearing his throat and taking a quick breath.

God wasn’t the only One Who needed to hear this prayer.

“D-dear Lord.. Please h-help Leo. Um..please help him to n-not blame himse-elf. Help h-him to speak truth in his heart. Help him not to b-believe the lies in his head…

…H-help him to remember how much he is loved.” 

Mikey felt the cool sting of tears prickle the skin on his neck as Leo wept softly over his shoulder.

“..I l-love you, bro. Never forget that. N-never forget it.” Mikey whispered.

“You didn’t fail. You n-need to forgive yourself, bro. You need to-”

“- I can’t.” 

“Yes you can.”

“I can’t!...”

“You c-can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you, right?”

“I…”

“You can!”

“I… I-”

“You need to believe that, L-leo. You need to remember you’re already forgiven. What gives you the r-right to refuse? Who are you to not forgive yourself when Jesus has forgiven you for e-everything??”

Mikey held down a pained yelp as Leo’s embrace squeezed even tighter around his arms and plastron. Drips of the eldest’s long-restrained tears unleashed into thin, remorseful threads flowing down Mikey’s neck.

“God can see everything, right?... S-so.. He saw that you couldn’t have stopped Don and Raph’s capture from happening. He knows it wasn’t your fault.”

Mikey wasn’t positive, but Leo’s grip felt as though it would soon draw blood.

“You n-need to trust Him with that.

 You need to t-trust Him with us.”

Mikey looked up from where he laid, wrapped tightly in his brother’s grasp. His tearful gaze rose to the wooden picture frame hanging on the wall. 

Thank You for pulling us all through. Thank You for bringing us home.

Thank You for giving us all a second chance.

“...T-trust Him, Leo.”

That's it for this chapter! :) This was both a treat and a pain to write- mostly because of how I wanted Leo to react to Mikey's words.

Something you should know about each of the characters in my story- all of the turtle's main weaknesses are mine as well: Leo's pressuring himself, Raph's guilt and anger, Don's responsibility and need to be useful, Lotus' weariness to trust, and Mikey's fear and worry for his family. These are all things that I'm sure a lot of other people deal with as well. And these kinds of weaknesses can dig DEEP. They can be so very harmful.

That's why I wanted this chapter to bring to light how we combat our guilt, anger, worry, and fear. We bring it to the foot of the cross. We bring it to God, and give it to Him. We study His Word, and meditate on the truths to combat the lies of our heart. We need to trust Him. We need to trust Him with all of us. Our good, our bad, our past, present, and future. Nothing is out of reach of His forgiveness.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make straight your paths." ~Proverbs 3:5-6

I pray this chapter touches hearts. I pray it leads others to the light of the cross. I pray it lets them see that they're not alone.

To God be the glory.

~ Melissa

MASTERPOST <- PRIOR CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER ->

[54625]

people can keep coming up with angsty headcanons about why qPac passes out (crashes) so much- like he's got low blood pressure from not eating properly or he's exhausted from not sleeping properly- and I accept that

but to me he's just that one character in a kids movie that keeps getting injured as a gag. like he's just constantly tripping over roots and whacking his head off the ground, birds just constantly seem to drop rocks specifically on his head, people just keep inexplicably slamming doors into his face without realising it. qPac is just such a cartoon character to me I'm sorry

[moonlit-escape]

Aphmau: puppy want a treat?

Aaron: puppy want a fucking break from it all

[oceanwithouthermoon]

tbh i hate when people are like "idk how anyone makes angst or gets serious topics out of saiki k when its literally just a gag manga🤓" when the akechi arc, the cattank arc, the volcano arc, and literally every episode where he feels guilty about hiding his powers all exist????

[jordanstrophe]

Whumpee wakes up, immediately realizing they can't move. They're gagged and blindfolded, their wrist and feet are tightly bound with duct tape.

Whumpee panics, muffling a series of scared noises. No one tells them to be quiet or to stop, so they keep getting more and more frantic-

Finally, a voice speaks in front of them "Don't make me regret not putting you in the trunk.

[specialgrades]

BRO,,,,, THE TRAILER FOR SHIBUYA ARC I,,,,, NANAMI'S BIG, VEINY HANDS,,,,,, I NEED HIM TO CHOKE ME OUT

HIS HANDS LOOK BIG ENOUGH THAT HE COULD LIKE GRAB ME AND PICK ME UP BY MY FACE WITH A SINGLE HAND OH MY GOD I NEED HIS FINGERS IN MY HOLES OH MY GOD

so nice of mappa to give us such pretty necklaces right??? cause got DAMN man puts thoughts in my head...

hate fuck with nanami. he finds you so annoying and so fucking pretty, it scrambles his brain every time he sees you. worst part? feeling's mutual. you fuck with him constantly, and half the time you're flirting with him which he acts like it annoys him. it doesn't. it riles him up and he has to bite back with a slight hitch in his voice.

it's one particular argument that it all boils over with. neither of you remember what it was about, now when nanami has you pinned to a wall by your throat. to anyone passing by he looks pissed, but they can't see the way his pupils are blown and how they can't stop flicking to your lips.

those big hands gripping yours behind your back while he absolutely ruins you from behind, calling you the most obscene names and calling you his. "my little slut, yeah? no comeback, hm? did i fuck the words right out of your filthy mouth?"

[adashulaz]

“No!” The scream ripped through his throat. The scene before him was from his worst nightmare. Corvus had an arrow sticking out of his forehead. Soren rushed over to the other, catching him before Corvus could hit the ground roughly. “Nononono.” The word came out of his mouth clumsily, they sounded connected.

Sorens hand shook a few inches away from Corvus’ cheek. Blood was steadily falling from the wound in his head. “I thought you were a Crownguard, aren't you supposed to protect people?” Soren looked up at the sound of Corvus speaking. Corvus stood a few feet away from him, a frown on his face. Soren looked down at the body in his arms. It turned to mist and surrounded him.

The mist slowly crawled up to his nose and mouth. “You said you loved me, that you would protect me. Why would you let me die?” Soren couldn't help the tears that started to build up in his eyes. Corvus stared at him with a coldness that was foreign. “Why would you let me die?” Soren shook his head, moving to reach for Corvus.

“Nonono-” The mist took the opportunity to enter his mouth, choking him. Soren immediately grabbed at his throat as he started to cough. As he tried to breathe, the mist only moved deeper into him. “How could you?” Soren stared at Corvus, silently begging for help. Corvus slowly turned into mist before joining the rest in choking him.

.

.

When Soren could finally breathe again, he was in a new room. He only stood on shaking legs as he took in his surroundings. It looked like the place where Viren first used the Hearts of Cinder spell. Soren saw Claudia standing a few feet away from him. “Claudia.” His voice was hoarse from coughing. Claudia turned to face him, Dark Magic corrupted her features. “Clauds, you're ok.” He tried to walk towards her, reaching for his baby sister.

Something grabbed at him, pulling him down to the ground. Soren let out a small noise of pain as small rocks dug into his knees. “Don't call me that, only my brother can call me ‘Clauds’ and you aren't my brother.” Claudia turned to face him completely. Her arms were crossed and her shoulders were pulled up to her ears as she turned her face away from him. Soren only tried to reach for her but he couldn't move his arms. He looked at what was holding him in place, golden chains with dark magic pulsing through them came out of the ground and held him in place. “You aren't my brother. You're not my Sor-bear.” Soren felt as his tears finally escaped him, a choked sob escaping him.

“I am your brother, I am your Sor-bear. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for making you choose between me and him.” He couldn't stop the apologies but Claudia didn't seem to care. She only shook her head before stomping her foot like she used too when they were younger. “Just shut up! Do you ever know how to stop talking?” Claudia finally looked him in the eye. Soren felt all of the apologies die on his tongue.

“You aren't my brother! So stop trying to act like you are! My brother wouldn't be so weak!” With Claudia's words, the chains pulled him into the ground. Soren couldn't scream as the air in his lungs was taken from him.

.

.

.

.

Sorens screams echoed throughout Zubeias nest. Corvus only used his thumb to rub Sorens cheekbone as he held his face gently. “Please wake up.” Corvus used his other hand to push Sorens hair from his face. The others stood around, Zubeia was curled around them a bit. Offering silent comfort as Soren seemed to fight off nightmares.

“Sor-bear please, please wake up. I'll be a good sister, I won't do Dark Magic anymore. You won't have to worry about me anymore, I'll be the best sister you could ever ask for.” Corvus looked at Claudia. She was on the other side of Soren, she held onto Sorens forearm and hand. Her forehead rested against Sorens side, her hair covered her face. “I'll be good, I promise. Just wake up, please wake up.” Corvus only moved his eyes to Sorens face. He couldn't stand the sight of seeing Sorens little sister begging for him to wake up. It broke something deep within him and he knew that it also affected everyone else nearby.

Soren had purple veins leading into his nose and mouth, they pulsed with each breath Soren took. Even more veins seemed to lead to the nape of Sorens neck, digging into the spot that paralyzed him from the neck down. The grooves from the Hearts of Cinder spell leaked out molten lava that traveled all over Sorens body. The worst part about the sight before him was how Sorens breathing was frantic, like he struggled to breathe. The purple veins leading into his nose and mouth only pulsed more. “Breathe Soren, keep breathing.” Corvus’ voice was quiet, barely audible over Claudia's begging.

Sweat was starting to gather at Sorens brow, the strands of hair that were resting on his face were slowly starting to stick to Sorens face. Corvus only pushed the strands away from Sorens face, Soren hated when his hair stuck to his face while it was wet. “When will he wake up?” Corvus could feel anger bubble up at the sound of Aaravos’ voice. Corvus looked at the elf, he could see as Claudia only lifted her head up to look at Aaravos a bit. “He is only in this situation because of you.” Corvus didn't recognize his own voice. It was also clear that Aaravos wasn't expecting him to sound so hostile.

“Soren chose to use it.” Aaravos spoke like he knew everything. It annoyed Corvus to no end. Corvus didn't have a chance to respond when Soren suddenly let out a choked sob. Corvus immediately gave Soren his full attention. “Nononononono.” Sorens sobbing cut through Zubeias nest like a sharp knife. Corvus let out a gentle shushing sound.

“It's ok, it's ok.” Corvus immediately started to rub Sorens cheekbone with his thumb. He messed with Sorens hair, Soren liked it whenever he played with his hair. Soren always said it was calming, always said it made him feel safe. “I'm here Soren, I'm right here.” Corvus pressed their foreheads together.

“I'm right here, you're ok, you're ok.” Corvus kept repeating those words like a mantra. It was the only thing keeping him sane, the only thing keeping him from attacking Aaravos. But nothing could prepare him to hear Soren let out a bloodcurdling scream. Corvus pulled away a bit as it happened. Soren dug his elbows into the ground as his back lifted up a bit. His screaming echoing around them. “Soren? Soren. Soren please.” Claudia's voice was hoarse from her sobbing.

Corvus couldn't bring himself to speak as he felt tears build up in his eyes. Sorens screaming came to a sudden halt, Soren suddenly fell back onto his back. That's when Soren let out pained cries. Corvus only watched as Soren cried, whimpering as he was forced to go through whatever it was he was seeing. “What's happening?” Corvus looked up to stare at Aaravos. Corvus could see the guilt on the elf's face.

“This is what happens when someone is not compatible with Dark Magic. Soren does not have the spark required for Dark Magic like Viren and Claudia used too.” Aaravos took a small step towards them. Corvus took note of the solemn look Aaravos was now wearing on his face, the guilt was now gone. “Soren already has Dark Magic running through his veins so I am unsure how he will handle this. But based on how things are going, I am assuming that he may not wake up and die within those nightmares.” Corvus felt his heart stop at the words.

Soren might die?

“Liar!” Corvus looked at Claudia, tears were streaming down her face. Claudia looked like a mess, her hair was sticking to her face a bit and the parts that weren't, seemed to go in all sorts of directions. “You're lying! Soren won't die! He can't die!” Claudia sounded hysterical as she yelled at Aaravos. Corvus looked at Aaravos, Aaravos looked like he hated himself.

Corvus turned his eyes back to Soren. His tears falling onto Sorens neck and face. Corvus couldn't stop the sob that escaped him, his forehead was pressed against Sorens chest. “He can't die! That's impossible!” Claudia's voice was shrill as she yelled at Aaravos for daring to claim that Soren was going to die. But Corvus couldn't stop the feeling that Aaravos might be right. Soren could die, this is the first time he's ever done Dark Magic himself and it's turning the magic inside him seemingly against him.

“Please Soren, you can't die. You can't, I can't lose you.” Corvus moved his hand from Sorens cheek to his hand. Corvus could hear as Claudia wailed, begging for Soren to wake up in between her wails. “Wake up! I'll be good, I'll behave! I won't cause you anymore trouble! Please! You have to wake up! You can't leave me! I won't give you another reason too! I promise!” Corvus only tightened his grip on Sorens hand. His tears wetting Sorens shirt.

.

.

.

.

Soren stared at the dark sky, he couldn't move his body but he could feel everything. He could feel the water under him wetting his back. He could feel something swimming under him. Soren closed his eyes and Corvus and Claudia's words echoed around him.

“You aren't my brother. You aren't my Sor-bear.”

“Aren't you a Crownguard? Aren't you supposed to protect people? Why would you let me die?”

Soren could hear as something came in and out of the water. He opened his eyes again. Soren couldn't help but smile as the clouds parted to reveal the stars and moon. “I'm sorry.” Soren was truly was. He didn’t want to ruin his relationship with Claudia. He didn't want to make Corvus think he would let him die. Soren could hear as something rushed towards him, getting ready to attack him. “Please know, I'm sorry.” Soren stared at the moon and stars, willing them to take his love of Corvus and Claudia and give it to them. They don't even have to accept it, he just wants them to know.

That's when the sound of the oncoming threat seemed to slow down. Soren only closed his eyes. This must be how death is, it makes time feel slower. Soren doesn't think it's to make you feel more pain, he thinks it's just how Death shows mercy. Making you feel like you get a little longer with your loved ones, it was a mercy that many don't know of which causes many to view Death as cruel. Soren is glad to have this mercy, the moon and stars reminded him of Corvus and Claudia.

“Please Sor-bear, you have to wake up.”

“Soren please, I can't lose you.”

“I'll be good! I'll be the best little sister you could ever ask for!”

“Don't stop breathing, please don't stop breathing.”

“You can't leave me! Wake up and I promise I won't make you want to leave again!”

“Please Soren.”

Those words caused the water to ripple and cut through the silence around him. Soren only closed his eyes, it was all in his head. Whatever was going to end him was getting closer. He just hoped it'd be quick.

“Nononono Sor-bear please! I can't lose you! Help him! You have to help him! I can't lose my brother!”

“Soren? Soren, Soren please, I can't lose you. That's not fair, you promised you'd come back to me. You can't break that, I can't lose you. Please Soren, just wake up. You can't go after you saved me, that's not fair.”

Soren opened his eyes at those words. Tears formed in his eyes as the movement of the creature below him got faster. Soren could hear as Corvus and Claudia begged for him to just wake up. He could hear as they begged for someone to help him, to find a way to wake him up. Soren only listened as the creature got closer and closer before he made up his mind.

.

.

.

.

Corvus couldn't help the panic that crept its way up his throat. Sorens heartbeat was slowing down, close to stopping. But suddenly Soren sat up, his breath ragged. Corvus reached out for Soren, hesitating a bit as Soren grabbed at his throat. “Soren?” Soren immediately looked at him. Corvus pulled Soren into a hug. Soren melted into it slightly before pushing away. “Soren?” Soren only tried standing, before failing.

“Claudia, I need to find Claudia.” Sorens voice was hoarse, more hoarse than Claudia's voice. Claudia only pushed on his shoulder harshly before pulling him into a hug. Soren wrapped his arms around her before breaking out into sobs. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.” The words came out of Sorens mouth clumsily. Corvus only pulled Soren close, Soren melted into his touch.

Corvus pressed his lips against the top of Sorens head as he held him close. Soren held Claudia close as he leaned into Corvus. “Don't apologize, please don't apologize.” Corvus’ voice was quiet. His fingers tangled in Sorens hair. Soren only gripped Claudia tighter in response. “Don't do that again.” Claudia's voice was quiet as she spoke. Corvus only glanced at the others for a moment before giving Soren his full attention once more.

Soren was alive. Aaravos was wrong.

[dailykugisaki]

Day 310 | id in alt

Give a girl a break, Maki.

(right to left)

[dec0ra-grl]

“Arthur Morgan had his taste of fatherhood - and that was all he needed. All he wanted. Losing Issac was enough for him. But with the chaos of Colter and an unexpected saving of a 12 year old Nubian ibex goat enthusiast Fariha he's starting to rethink that...” - Nubian Ibex story desc

┍━━━━━━━━╝✹╚━━━━━━━━┑