#anyway if you saw it when it just said 'x' it's the same sitch as the last time the editing thing is weird

[when-will-they-interact]

Uhhh, maybe number 10?

10- “What the fuck did you do to all of my clothes?!”

 Saturday morning dawned on Virgil Storm like most other mornings, with bright beams of sunlight falling onto his face at ass o’clock in the morning. Wait. No. He had massive curtains that didn’t really let the sun through, and most mornings he woke to a dark room and the annoyance that was his alarm clock. Virgil groaned, pulling his covers over his face. Of course. That guy he’d brought home last night must have woken up earlier and opened the curtains like a normal person. He was just about to roll over and go back to sleep when a muttered “fuck” from the kitchen caught his attention. So the guy was still here. And judging by the smell, he was trying to make breakfast. Virgil sighed a little on the inside but gave in to fate and got up. He looked around for some clothes, and eventually just tugged on a pair of sweatpants, seeing as the rest of his clothes seemed to have disappeared.

So dressed, Virgil wandered out of his room to find a sight that was just a little too endearingly domestic. The guy- Logan, if Virgil recalled- was setting out two plates of jam-covered toast accompanied by eggs and a massive cup of coffee. His hair was still a tad wild, and he had managed to find Virgil’s favorite hoodie. Virgil’s hand knocked against the wall, causing Logan to look up.

 “Oh, hello. I made breakfast, I hope you don’t mind.”

 “Even I’m not grumpy enough to complain about a hot guy making me good food and caffeine.” Virgil quirked his lips up just a smidge.

 “Well, you might not be so happy when you see the behind the scenes.” Logan replied, shoving his glasses a little further up his nose.

 “…what, exactly, does that mean?” Virgil’s mind was already racing through the worst case scenarios.

 “Er, it’s easier to just show you.” With that, Logan turned and walked back into the kitchen. An apprehensive Virgil followed. A beat of silence ensued.

  “What the fuck did you do to all of my clothes?!” Virgil was lucky the walls were thick here. If not, the neighbors would likely have started banging on the roof with brooms to shut him up right about now.

 “It’s actually quite a funny story, you see, I woke up this morning and tripped on your laundry basket -which was overflowing, to be honest- on my way to the restroom, and so I thought maybe I could just toss my clothes along with yours in the wash, you know, a quid pro quo, so I grabbed the laundry basket and looked for your washing machine, and then I went hunting for the detergent, which I thought I found, because that’s what the thing said, but apparently you keep paint in a detergent container, which I discovered after I tried to use it, so I put everything back in the basket and brought it to the kitchen because I thought I’d try washing them in the sink, and while that was happening I thought if I made you breakfast you might be less mad, and because I was multitasking the washing and the cooking I wasn’t as quick to get to the pot and the bacon caught fire and I panicked and flipped it into the sink to get it underwater but I forgot about the clothes and so those caught fire too and when I finally put the fire out I realized maybe I should just avoid the laundry for a bit and made breakfast and, well, the rest is history.” He somehow managed to deliver the whole tale without drawing breath.

 Virgil stared at the guy, then at his smoldering pile of bright green clothes, then back at the guy, and promptly died of laughter. He was bent full at the waist, gasping for breath, unable to give a coherent response to Logan’s concerned inquiry as to whether or not he was all right.

 “Oh- my- fucking- God- I- oh- fuckin- that’s- you- “ he was completely at a loss for words,

 Still laughing his head off, he stumbled back towards his bedroom, fumbling for his phone to tell his friends the story. This was something even Remus couldn’t top.

  The story was typed with shaking hands and sent into the group chat, most of whom were actually still asleep. That done, Virgil sat down on the bed, still shaking from mild bouts of laughter. Logan was standing in the doorway looking bemused at the reaction.

 “I can buy you new clothes?” he offered tentatively. “And a proper paint container?”

 Virgil had been about to answer the first question when the second set him right off again. Logan finally started to smile as well, the humor catching up to him. In another two minutes both of them were laughing so hard their sides hurt, clutching each other to avoid falling over. Every time it got better, they’d catch the other’s eye and it’d all start over again. Finally, after a good fifteen minutes of this, they’d both calmed down enough to make their way to the table to eat that breakfast that had come from such wild origins. It was about now that Virgil finally realized something about the story.

 “Son of a-“ he reached for his phone again, dialing Remus’ number. “Pick up, pick up, pi- Remus!!!”

 “V? It’s way before time to wake up, what the fuck do you want?”

 “Paint?? In my detergent??? Really??”

 “You got me. One of my better ones, if I say so myself. I can hear you getting ready to yell at me on that end of the line, so I’m gonna hang up now. Ta!”

 Virgil lowered his phone from his ear, glaring at the screen. He looked up to see Logan, once again looking confused.

 “A friend of mine, they’re a prankster of sorts, thought it’d be funny to put paint in the detergent. I swear that typically I actually have detergent in there.” Virgil explained.

 “Ah. Still, my offer to buy you new ones stands.”

 “Nah. I can get more clothes. You could just buy me dinner.”

 Logan’s eyebrows raised.

 Virgil, overthinker that he is, immediately backtracked. “I mean, only if you want to. No pressure or anything- I’ll jus-“

 “I’d love to buy you dinner. When are you free?”

 That’s how it started. And the rest, as Roman said, reading his best man speech 3 years later, was history.  

[prose-for-hire]

Love, Hate, Love: Part three

Part One // Part Two

Pairing: Spike x fem!vamp!reader

Request: Spike and the reader disliked each other until they recall their shared past. They finally acknowledge it and their feelings begin to spill - but is it too late? This is the final part !!

Originally requested by: @therapieliteratur​

Warning: Alcohol consumption. Implied sex. Very dodgy/amateur-ish inserted poetry lol

A/N: I don’t have anything for Valentine’s this year, so this will have to do !! Happy Valentine’s Day loves 💖🖤

The evening swept around him, the wind hissing mocking taunts as he ran from the broken promise of your love.

As William sobbed, he stumbled into the field that harboured that oak tree. Once a solace, now a marker of his loss. A gravestone to your love.

His heart was shattered and he made a decision, one that would mean you would never see him again.

In that moment, you were facing your own battle. You still lived with your parents. They did not permit you to leave that afternoon. You panicked, explaining yourself and the reason you were so desperate to go. Which just made it worse.

“Father, please!” You screamed, tears streaming hot and salted, “Please understand, William is a good man. Of a good family”

“Other arrangements have been made, child” He warned, not explaining what these were. You weren’t expected to know or comprehend.

“I love him!” You shouted. The house stopped still. Nobody moved. You were supposed to be seen, not heard. Respect your mother and father’s will. Your mother cried and begged, trying to still you from leaving.

But you managed it, running all the way to the chapel, pleading solace with the vicar. Only to find that your lovers heart was shattered and broken on the floor.

It sounded like broken glass under your feet as your tear-stained wedding gown clung to you.

You had returned from the school a week ago and fitfully rested since. You had offered your hand to help Spike up. He hadn’t taken it, but he hesitated before he told you to go away. The bite in his voice had gone. Neither of you wished to use such harsh tones anymore.

You were back in your home again. Another monotonous fight finished. They all seemed the same. You sighed, shaking your bra to remove the dust from your cleavage.

It was a few days since you last shared your dreams and suddenly you began to crumble under the weight of your tears. Crying almost as much as you had that night as that memory kept flashing behind your eyes. It still felt so fresh. How he hadn’t been there. How you had been too late.

Your legs gave out from under you. Somehow, you were on your knees. Sobbing on the tile of your kitchen floor.

You didn’t realise, but he was out there. Watching. He had followed you home and seen that you lived in a house. A real one. He had scoffed at this and that you had paid over the odds for necro-tempered glass so that you could sit in some kind of sunlight without burning in your own home. He knew this, because he had found an invoice when he had been rooting in your trash.

He was smoking when he saw the kitchen light turn on. You were visible until you dropped to the floor. Eyes leaking with such emotion.

It physically hurt him to see you that way as he moved closer to the window. Tears started to prickle behind his eyes, a lump forming at the back of his throat. He wished to wrap his arms around you. Be allowed in your house, to offer comfort. For you to want his comfort.

He had always hated to see you cry.

In the following weeks, as Spike healed, your hearts began to break over and over. You avoided facing each other, it was too painful even to be in the same room.

Spike stayed outside your house more frequently and you found yourself napping a lot more than usual, just in case you caught the moment he would be sleeping too.

You longed for him in sleep just as he pined for you in reality. You began to want each other in all manner of consciousness. Defying the pain. The hatred you had once been so convinced of. All you wanted was the other and it infuriated you. Whilst somehow simultaneously being a solace.

You were a comfort blanket that the other held close. Wrapped around your hearts for protection. Soft like Sunday morning sheets dipped in the sun’s rays. The warmth of summer days meeting the whispering of cool winter nights.

The care you had weaved in and out of your hearts left a thread. A thread that entwined with theirs and tugged towards the other. The feeling was the last thing you could cling to.

But the pain, the loss. It was creeping up on you both. It always was. Becoming harder and harder to bear. The dreams and memories becoming more and more tainted. The worse, most painful parts taking up most of the dreams.

Despite all of this, you both settled in to sleep much earlier than you ever had before. You still wanted to touch the other, feel the other’s mind. Emotions through the dream. The truth of your love. The promise that it had been real for both of you. Even if it were for mere seconds.

You looked out of the window again, sighing, staring out into the night. Not realising Spike was staring back. You were too in your own head.

You saw it now, where you hadn’t been able to before. His softer side. The lover’s heart that was still firmly planted on his sleeve. How had you missed the attention he had given to Drusilla? How had you ignored the way he spoke about her. Protected her.

Why do you now envy her? Him? For the love story you were never allowed.

You remembered so much now. You both defied convention. You always had. Now you were starting to notice all of the similarities he had to that young man you agreed to marry. You craved him. His touch. His mind.

Through the next few days, the dreams became more frequent again. More scenes from the past. More feelings. Multiple times in the night. Both of you guiltily looking forward to them. The first part, anyway. It was worth the heartache, the hollow loss at the end. To be able to touch each other again, even briefly. Just like it had been.

You had both began to write again, feverish emotions and memories spinning. You had rediscovered your love for poetry as well as that guilty affection you held for the other.

You arrived in the school library one late afternoon. Spike had seen you crying that first time a while ago now and had been watching your house more often than he would like to admit. Your heart ached with every waking moment and you felt yourself walking through life as some kind of emotion-exhausted zombie might.

“Nice of you to join” Xander murmured with a smile. You had been late. You got caught up by the vampire that often tried to make you pay him to pass by ‘his’ turf in the underground tunnel system.

Oh, right, now the vampire that used to make you pay to pass him in the tunnels.

“Yeah, sorry. What’s the sitch?” You asked, a well-practiced smile now stitched on your face for them. You weren’t really expecting much of an update as you started to shake some dust out of your hair.

“It’s Spike. We can’t just let him walk anymore. I’m goin�� out tonight and putting an end to his reign of stupid”

“N-no” You said, unsure why your mouth had moved of your own accord. You had stopped what you were doing and now just staring vaguely at the middle of the room.

“What?”

“Y/n, you know as well as we do, if not more so, what may happen should we allow Spike to continue his ill-thought out tyranny at will”

“He’s not exactly enemy number one is all I meant” You shrugged slowly, still staring unblinkingly as more memories flashed behind your eyes. He was so human in your mind, you couldn’t let that go. Even despite everything you knew about him. The goodness, no matter how limited it appeared, was starting to shine through.

“How can you even begin to defend-”

“Isn’t there a major mayor-related-massacre threatening at any moment? Shouldn’t we care more about immediate threat than some vampire who would sell his remaining brain cell for some box-bleach?”

“Spike’s dangerous though, Y/n. With the threatening and the, uh, hostage-taking-of-me” Willow said softly. It made you feel so guilty. It tore you in half, her words. You berated yourself. For clinging to that rare happiness you felt in those dreams you shared at the expense of real lives.

Your feelings all ran at each other at once. A fated fight. To the death. Neither side was winning or losing, but the battle waged on fiercely.

“Okay. But let me do it” Your eyes almost pleading with them and after some consideration, they agreed. It was you and him, to the very end.

You waited for him at the bar. Simultaneously wishing him to arrive and hoping that he never did.

He arrived, walking towards you, the dim glow of the bar making his prominent cheekbones cast a shadow against his cheeks. Your eyes were transfixed on him, he moved in slow motion. Adjusting the shoulder of his leather duster as he walked.

As he came towards the bar, your eyes flashed between seeing him in reality stalking up to the bar and William walking, smiling towards you. The pictures cutting and splicing themselves together until it was one man.

Nostalgia sticking to your mind like glue, running into your eyes. Blurring the two. He was the same man. Your mind was becoming more and more sure of this.

Which was why this was going to be so hard.

Neither of you pretended the other wasn’t there today, you gestured for him to sit next to you on the spare seat. He stared for a moment, an eyebrow quirked in confusion before he just shrugged and threw himself down beside you.

“Lookie here, if it isn’t the runaway bride” He said, his voice bit deeper than he had expected. He remembered, then. You hadn’t been sure.

“Will- uh, Spike. I didn’t run” You corrected him, without elaboration.

“Yeah, well, suppose it’s not running if you didn’t bother to turn up in the first place”

“That is way not fair! I was totally-” He raised his eyebrows at your phrasing and tensed his jaw at your lie. You cut yourself off, trying to rephrase.

You explained. Exactly what had happened and how you had stayed there all night and through the next day despite the biting cold and rain. Your wedding gown soaked through, but you wouldn’t move.

You explained that you had hoped he would know you had run into trouble. That you would be there when you could.

And Spike believed you. Even when you were younger, he could always tell when you had been lying. This was probably the most honest you had been with him since you had met again.

Spike’s eyes were threatening to spill over again and he hid it by looking downwards, he was about to say something. Reply to your recount of that day, apologise for leaving so quickly, when you were interrupted.

“He bothering you, Y/n?” The bartender asked, gesturing with his head at Spike. Every time he saw you and Spike together there was a fight and you looked more miserable than usual.

“No, uh, we’re on a date. This is, like, my happy face” You assured him with a blank expression that made him laugh, “I’ll have my usual and whatever William usually drinks.”

The bartender looked at Spike, trying to hide his obvious laughter at his real name. No wonder he had chosen Spike. Spike glared, first at you and then at the bar tender. Who surrendered and moved away to make your drinks.

You did shoot Spike an apologetic look. It had slipped out again.

When you received your round you drank in silence for a while. Your thoughts marinating in your brains. Sitting beside each other, sharing a drink – it was alien. But neither of you could help enjoying it.

He knew now that he still loved you. It hurt and he was confused with himself for it, but he couldn’t deny it. Not any longer. You had been all he ever wanted and even now he just wanted to hold you against him the way he had fantasised about in his human years.

He found himself wanting to understand you. Wanting to be allowed beneath your scarred surface. He wished to comfort you when you cried. He wished to relearn the patterns of your mind. He knew your sweet poetry wasn’t lost, just like it wasn’t in his own mind.

You knew you would have never been able to do it. As soon as he walked in, you just couldn’t bring yourself to do it. The stake in your sleeve was splintering uncomfortably and you let it. Your penance for what you were about to say.

“I came here to kill you” You admitted, “Slayer wants you dead”

“And you and your soul’s okay with that one? Pretty little off switch your morality got, isn’t it?” He laughed humourlessly swigging from his drink, “My life’s not worth anything when there’s nothin’ in it for you and yours”

“You could run” You let the suggestion hang in the air.

“And the Slayer would let that happen? Me toddlin’ off until the next time our paths cross and then it’s dust in the wind. For the both of us” He accused. Telling you what you had always known. Your fates were entwined. You had lived and loved together. Been sired at similar times, managed to grasp onto your unlives despite the constant threat. Your soul ached for him, his missing but still showing even if it was just in your own eyes.

You took it in turns to buy the other their drink of choice. It really was like the date you had never been on. You sat in silence, each considering what had been said. Until it had gotten too much for you.

You couldn’t hide, nor run anymore. The shift was too great. Tectonic.

He caught your eye, as you watched him closely. Were you going to say this?

“I look at you and I see that oak tree, those freckles. That smile you used to give me that was ours. Like a secret that only we knew” You spoke, voice wavering and glass crunching under your hand as you held your cup too tight, “I hear the poetry, feel the breeze on my face. I can even feel the bodice that used to dig into me as we sat on the grass…” Your voice caught as his face started to soften at your confession, “I know this is selfish and… wrong. But y-you’re him. The only love ever allowed in my heart. The only one that ever will be. You’ve not changed in the way you think you have, my love” You finished, your accent switching in and out from the one you used to have and the one you used now.

He was reeling from your words. He had never, in all the time he had known you while you were undead, seen you be so honest. So vulnerable. You spoke from the heart, the way you had always used to.

Her love. Your love. He replayed those words over and over. Unable to hate or cast out any affection anymore. It was you.

You usually hid behind your guilt. Thick insulation, stopping you from moving forwards. Kept you constantly recounting past sins. It held your tongue, bound your actions to those that Angel helped construct. Acting only in a way that would allow for you to atone. No happiness, no light.

But now you were bearing yourself to him. Daring to be vulnerable - to hope that he felt it too. Despite it all. Despite who he had been to you in recent memory. The hatred, the dislike felt more distant a memory than the love your shared now.

“Cognate souls sing in early morning. My heart, begotten” The words spilled from his mouth, tears running down his cheeks now.

“There lies she, a woman. The type one may tie a knot in” You whispered, almost choking on the words and how happy they had made you. How he had asked you to be his. To marry.

You locked eyes. Both still shining. Before he closed his eyes for an extended period of time. Savouring those words. That moment.

You were holding back more tears. These feelings long since hidden, but never lost. Your dead hearts began to flutter.

You leaned in and his lips caught yours. Lips moving slowly to begin with but even the slightest movement of your lips spurred him to kiss deeper. You responded desperately, hands reaching for him.

Needing this. Needing him. You wished to make up for being so late. In this kiss.

You could taste salt and… him. The way he tasted hadn’t changed. His lips were almost warm against yours. His tongue entering your mouth hot and urgent. You kissed as if the threat of being torn from the other was imminent.

Your hands slid up his back, gripping the material of his shirt. Wishing you could take it from him right here. Press your naked skin against his. His hand slid up the curve of your neck. The other grasping at the strands of your hair.

You fumbled, pulling each other desperately closer. Bar stools fallen in your wake. You were lost in the kiss, both of you were. Moving on instinct, lips hungry and desperate to recreate the feelings you had all that time ago.

You somehow had entered his crypt. His bed was covered, completely littered with papers. Scrawled with such feeling. Some aged, that had been guiltily kept and some on fresh lined paper. He shoved them from the bed haphazardly. You missed his slight embarrassment as you attached your lips to his neck instead. Tugging on his waistband, desperate and pleading.

You needed this. You had ached for his touch for too long. This was so much more real than the dream. So badly you wanted him. Quick and now.

Your lips pressed against any skin hungrily and you were working desperately to remove all of his clothes as fast as you could.

But he stilled your hands.

Guiding your head back so you would face him. Your pupils dilated and dazed already by your desire for him. For this act that had been held in reverence. The meeting of your bodies in the way you had been told to save for your true love in your youth.

That time had passed but there was something about it being him. About it being you. You had always wanted to feel his naked flesh against your own.

“Wait, Sweet- let me?” he mumbled against your lips, kissing softly now. Like he used to. You almost wept. His mouth grazed yours, not as cautious as he once was. He had learned since, but the way his lips caressed yours. The feeling, that heart, it was still there. His lips insisted that he was still promised to you.

He wanted nothing more than to take you, rough with desire and throbbing with passion. But there was something he had to do. Something William would never forgive him for if he didn’t take this opportunity. Something he would never forgive himself for.

You nod, you were his. You always had been. You couldn’t turn back now despite him allowing you to think on it for that brief moment.

He took you, laid you back on his bed. His guiding grip strong but surprisingly tender. His hands ran down your body in a silent adoration.

He took his time to remove items of your clothing that were left. The fabric felt binding until his hand rested there. With his touch, a sigh of relief. You both felt yourselves releasing a long-held breath. One you had held inside for centuries.

Your eyes shone. It was emotional for the both of you. To have so much right here in front of them. To have everything you had truly ever dreamed.

In this moment, you felt his love in every stroke. Every murmur, every gentle encouragement. Movement. He enjoyed the way you touched his body with such reverence. Adored every sigh of pleasure.

He was firm in his love, in his touch. Your hands sliding up his back, weaving and clasping at his short, bleached hair. You moved so easily with him. Your bodies in perfect harmony. As if they were truly made for each other.

He kissed every part of you. His lips discovering places he had only ever dared dream about before. Sometimes he pressed his lips a little teasingly but others because he wanted to worship your form. He couldn’t rush this. His lips skimming every curve of your body. William was already writing sonnets in his mind. Pressing them into your skin.

He had wanted to do this since the day he had discovered what love making was. To meet your flesh with his. To consummate his adoration. To prove his devotion to your body, not just the mind he already adored. He had wanted to have you this way. To show you how true this feeling was.

His rhythm peaked and slowed. His touch sensual and yet wholly sensitive to you. Kisses littering your skin. He couldn’t believe you were here. That you were in his bed. He had longed, ached. Imagined exploring the beauty encapsulated in your form. His mind was intoxicated with you. Your touch, even your scent.

His eyes never leaving yours. Your eyes shone, threatening to spill again. You caught his lips when he kissed a trail along your collarbone towards your lips. You whispered such loving assurances against his pale skin. Into his ear as he ran a hand along your thigh. You cradled his body to you, wrapping yourself around him. Ensuring he was ever closer.

You hoped that he knew you were right there with him. That you were his, like you had been all those years ago.

You laced your fingers with his. Locking like your eyes. Every part of you had to be connected. You craved each other and it was only satisfied when you were together completely. In mind and body.

No mere dream.

He woke up the next evening, expecting you to be gone. He screwed his eyes up, not willing himself to look less the desperate pang of disappointment swallow him whole.

But when he dared to open his eyes you were there. On your side facing away from him. Sleeping. You had never slept so well, not since you had got your soul back.

You looked so peaceful when you slept. Much more so than when you were awake. He rolled over to press himself against your body. His hand tracing the curvature of your body. He had been deprived of your touch for so long.

He didn’t want this moment to end. This is what he had been missing all these years. It was you. It had only ever been you.

He cautiously ran a hand along your bare skin and enjoyed as you sighed softly through sleep. Your shoulders were exposed and he pressed his lips to your skin. Slow, gentle kisses. Pressed with such meaning. It was as soft as he remembered, despite the years. The fights.

He closed his eyes at the contact, hearing your contentment. You moved back slowly, needy for his body to further embrace yours.

This was all he had ever dreamed of. All he had written about. This was a century in the making.

Your eyes began to open, in your sleepy state you turned to him. You smiled.

William.

The smile lit up the room, better than the sun he remembered whenever you were around. You leaned in, settling a sleepy kiss against his lips.

Written poetry was scattered around the bed you shared for the day. Surrounding you both. Spike’s passion rekindled as yours was. For love and for poetry.

It was in that state between sleep and wake where reality hadn’t quite caught up. Your guilt hadn’t hit you. Your duty, anxieties. None of it was more important than the scene before you.

Everything just felt right. All you knew was this early evening adoration. You felt comfortable. Safe.

The world had stopped on its axis in this moment. The first shoots of love re-growing from your hearts.

[legion1993]

I Did This To Protect You!

A/n: this is for @thisismysecrethappyplace​ for her challenge!

pairing: Oliver Queen x Female!reader

reader's personal sitch: reader abused as a child

male main is: best friend & wanting more

sitch between mains: secret admirer

dialogue (quote): “we need to talk about what happened last night.”

summery: its a surprise...

Masterlist

Oliver Queen the billionaire playboy but also your rock and stability. as a child you were abused by your father, which led you to how you became closer than ever with Oliver. 

the lifestyle you lead is one which holds great hardship... infact you were the one person that Oliver trusted after he came back from the island, but when the vigilante appeared, it was when you started getting those notes. 

yes every night since you would go onto your balcony to find a hand written note. each night said something different there had to be some sort of mystery behind it. 

alot of times you assumed it was a prank. but tonight you got one that said something very unexpected:

“Meet me on the roof of the Queen Consolidated building i would like to speak with you, face to face. I hope you come, tomorrow night @ 9pm when everyone else has gone home... i hope you can see me for who i am, not for who i’ve been. xoxo Arrow”

that note, your only thoughts at that moment lay with the meeting of the following day. that of course is when the sound of someone opening your door brought you out of your own thoughts.

Oliver: “Y/N you here?”

you hadnt realized what time it was, you were still in your sports bra & shorts breathing after your workout.

Y/N: “in here Ollie!”

Oliver: “is it safe?”

Y/N: “why? are you afraid of seeing me in my workout clothes?”

oliver at that moment entered your room, lingering close to the doorway watching you read what he presumed to be the latest letter.

Oliver: “whats that?”

you smile tucking the letter in a small box, tucking that box back under your bed. turning your attention then to Oliver.

Y/N: “those are just letters from a secret admirer. now, what can i do for my boss/best friend?”

Oliver watched as you stood up & smiled stepping in closer...

Oliver: “well you have been doing such a fantastic job at Queen’s Consolidated, that i figured i’d come by hang out with you, without the hassle of the office staff...”

Y/N: “ollie thats so sweet. what did you have in mind?”

Oliver could only smile as he set down his backpack that you just noticed he had with him. 

Oliver: “pjama chillax night...”

you smiled & over all loved that idea.

Y/N: “that sounds wonderful Ollie. let me guess you had a hard time when you got home?”

Oliver nodded sitting beside you on the bed after he shed his sweater & shoes.

Oliver: “fought & argued with everyone... so i packed a bag & came here...”

Oliver loved his famile, well at least he had that luxery... but tonight you figured you would finally tell Oliver about the dark cloud of your past.

Y/N: “how bout we get settled into out pj’s, build us a fort and wait for dinner to arrive.”

Oliver: “that sounds lovely & are we using that air mattress again?”

you pointed to the hall closet, Oliver being the caring gentleman got up, went over & opened the closet pulling out the mattress & its air pump.

Oliver: “get into your pj’s... we’ll reconveine in the living room.”

you smile greatly as there is a hold up in the small recesses of your mind. ever since you started working as Oliver’s secretary, you had been filled with wonder... 

the man who stood before you was not the same man who left on that boat with his father... but Oliver was still Oliver, just now the face of Queen’s consolidated you were still his best friend.

Y/N: “So Ollie i’ve been thinking and i don’t want to pressure you into this... but when your ready, if you ever need/want someone to talk to about what happened on the island, i’m here for you... you know that right.?.”

however you could not hear anything but silence coming from the next room. you finished putting on your pj’s grabbing some blankets, you stand on your bed near the edge & begin un-hooking your canopy from the ceiling.

you had a slight misjudgement of the distance you needed to reach the next hook and instead of being able to stabelize yourself, you started to loose your balance something that rarely happened.

before you could even let out a squeal of terror, Oliver slid across the floor just in time to catch you in his arms just as the canopy fell..

Oliver: “you okay?”

Y/N: “i am thanks to your sharp reflexes...”

Oliver: “at least the canopy came down with you!”

Y/N: “at least i’m not living with my horrible ass of a father anymore...”

Oliver: “you father was just an over protective ass...”

instantly your mind went back to the very same day you got your 11th grade mid term  report card... when you hit 11th grade you hadnt reached 18 yet... the perks of being a summer babe.. anyway your father saw you still as his innocent exploitable child.

you hadnt told anyone of the true horrors you had experienced with your father, the real reason why you started basically living more with Oliver and his family instead of your own... 

the only thing that you had done right was cutting your entire family out of your life. you were now completely ready to tell Oliver about the day that made you decide fully to cut your entire family out of your life.

Oliver: “Y/N, you okay?”

you snapped out of the memory before it went any further... 

Y/n: “sorry bout that i fell deep into a distant memory...”

Oliver: “is this something you want to talk about? Y/N you know you can tell me anything?”

you had to breathe a moment, to stiffle whatever sobs were trying to break through... but as you spoke the cracking in your voice was clear to be heard.

Y/N: “do you remember when i got my 11th grade mid term report card... that day i got home and my father sprang a father/daughter camping trip on me.. he said it was in celebration of my excellent grades and stuff... however i never thought that my own father would have had any bad intentions at all...”

Oliver now very curious as to why your body now trembled, why this memory was powerful enough to make you loose your balance...  but the more your body trembled, the more your sobs grew... Oliver’s gentle embrace was the only thing keeping you from fully coming apart...

Oliver: “i figured there was more to this story of what happened when i picked u up on the side of the road.”

Y/n: “the day we left, i got in the car and there was this darkness surrounding him... something that made me want to jump out of the car as quickly as i got into it and run far far away... as he drove his free hand wandered down my thigh... this wasnt the first time he had done that, but it also didnt stop him... it was like he didnt have a morale compass of right and wrong... my father abused his parental authority... he crossed a dangerous line... he wanted to check if i was still a virgin...”

Oliver upon hearing this brought you closer to him, now fully sitting you in his lap, he allowed you to finish the story before he would speak again....

Y/N: “obviously i was still 17 at the time... when he forced me to strip off my clothing and he stuck his finger inside me... when he realized i was still tight, that there was still hope, he pulled out a syringe of his semen... when i saw it, i wrapped myself in a blanket and kicked him away from me, running out of the tent... thats when i called you in tears...”

Oliver pulled your tear struck face to look at him, for he now was completely sure of his feelings for you being real... 

Oliver: “i’m gonna kill him for this... no one especially not you should ever have to live through something like that...”

Oliver brought his lips to your forehead, pressing them to it gently...   Oliver continued to embrace your quivering form as both of you got up, carrying the canopy walking into the living room. 

you sat immediately on the couch watching Oliver set up the canopy while you stood there dazed... thats when the door bell rang...

Y/N: “i’ll get it, its probably our food...”

Making your way to the door, you tripped on the front carpet... a few seconds later you heard a loud voice.

Voice 1: “BREAK IT DOWN!!!”

the worst was rising, before you could react your door was broken in... this turned into a bad evening. you Screamed scrambling to get up off the floor... but before Oliver could get you off the ground, one of the 3 goons grabbed you dragging you away.

tears streaming down your face, your screams making oliver fight alot harder against the remaining 2 goons to get you back... the 2 remaining goons threw oliver into the back end of your couch and ran away... 

Oliver pulled his phone off the couch and called felicity.

Oliver: “Felicity, Y/N has been taken. we need to find her as well as repair her apartment door on the company card. have Dig bring my gear to the office... i’m on my way...”

Oliver left his helmet and his shoes he was so angry that he stormed out of the apartment, got on his bike and drove to the Queen’s Consolidated Parking Garage. Oliver got off his bike and walked over to Dig.

Diggle: “Can you please tell me why you’re in your Pjama’s??”

Oliver: “Y/N & i were having a slumber party... those goons that took her, i think i know who has her... i have to save her Dig, i have to save her so i can finally tell her...”

Oliver changed while Diggle pondered the decision that Oliver was about to make.

Diggle: “Oliver if you tell her, you know things will change...”

Oliver turned to face John now fully suited up, but Oliver also turned his eye to the company name..

Oliver: “i’ve been thinking about telling her anyway... John i’m in love with her...”

John: “how can you be so sure that she feels the same about you?”

Oliver: “cause “arrow” left her a note on her balcony before showing up at her apartment, i was gonna tell her later anyway Dig i need you to clear out the rooftops of Y/N’s Fathers company... i’ll go in, save the girl & have a chat with her father... have felicity send blueprints with heat signatures & tell her to track Y/N’s watch. she doesn’t have her phone but she was wearing her watch...”

John watched his friend put up his hood, get on his bike & drive away... John relayed Olivers instructions to Felicity then drove to your father’s company... John just beat Oliver but did as he was told... 

Oliver (over coms): “dig, i know your thoughts on my telling Y/N but i have to do this... i know she’s the one i want to spend the rest of my life with...”

Dig (over coms): “are you serious right now? Oliver rescue her first, then you can marry her...”

Dig got rid of all the roof guys, making sure that oliver didn’t get struck down as he climbed into the rooftop doorway. 

Oliver (over coms): “i’m in be ready for extraction.”

Oliver now on High alert wandered through your fathers building... Oliver’s main priority at that moment was getting you out of there alive, he was also hoping you were alive, it was gonna make things alot easier if you were still alive so he could finally tell you that he was the Arrow and that he was in love with you.

at that moment of his thoughts being interrupted he ducked into some nearby shadows, he didn’t need to be caught so early into the rescue mission.

Oliver (over coms): “felicity, how far am i from Y/N’s ping?”

Felicity (over coms): “about 3 floors above her but Oliver your only option for getting into that room undetected would be to zipline across into the room. trust me, the entire building between you & YN is filled to the brim with security goons. Please be careful & bring her home before you do something stupid...”

Oliver heard what Felicity said but could only concentrate on the guards first then everything else second. 

Oliver (over coms): “felicity find me the nearest window...”

felicity searches through the blueprints & leads oliver to the correct window. 

Oliver (over coms): “turn off the power in the entire building... including the emergency power... i’m gonna zipline now!”

Oliver set up his zipline to the building cross the street  & launched himself into the zipline! immediately he crossed the zipline turning round back towards 3 floors below!

as far as Oliver was concerned, bowling for goons was the funest part of  this rescue mission! the power in the entire building was cut... the emergency power was cut as well, the lower window shattered and goons fell unconcious with the kick that Oliver ziplining forcefully brought. 

it was several guards later when Oliver released the zipline... then he connected to felicity over coms to chat about the next move...

Oliver (over coms): “Felicity how many guys are left?”

Felicity (over coms): “2 but oliver they are juggernauts... they are heavily armored & like really big guys... then in the room with YN are another 7 guys maybe more... but to get in there go through the vent system... again please be careful and bring her home!”

coms cut, Oliver peaked around the corner shooting 3 knock out arrows that land on the walls surrounding the juggernauts.

those juggernauts didn’t seem affected so Oliver sent out 2 shock arrows, those goons shook and fell unconcious. this was long enough that oliver pulled down the gate to the vents and went inside.

crawling through he could still only hope that you were alive, unharmed not scared or worse.

Oliver knew he had to do something, he had to save you, he had to tell you the truth! 

you now had been sitting tied up on the floor for a few hours... you felt as though you had nothing to hope for, except the possibility that someone would come and save you, one person who believed you were worth saving...

at that moment of self-calming, your father’s goons stepped aside to clear a path for your father... you hadn’t seen your father in years, on that note neither had Oliver who was now watching from the vent, waited like you to see what would happen next...

Your father: “good your awake, i was afraid you were gonna miss all the fun!”

Y/N: “stay away from me, i have very powerful friends!”

your father: “now now child, you will have to be more polite than that for this next part... goons 2 at a time... teach my child some manners.”

that was when Oliver reached for some lowkey arrows... ones he knew wouldnt affect you but would affect anyone surrounding you... but waited a bit to see what was gonna happen before he would shoot them...

2 goons approached you, but oliver noticed you didn’t look very scared, he almost wondered if you knew he was there... but he watched as those goons took off their coats an one came behind you holding you still while the other repeatedly hit you in the stomach... 

Oliver waited a bit more before he would step in not to watch you get hurt but for the satisfaction that his gear was catching this on video footage that would be going straight to the scpd... 

Oliver removed the grate listening to the sounds of the goons coming in contact with your stomach... the screams coming from you... it made Oliver cringe and thats when he shot the zipline coming out of the grate and bowling over a bunch of guys landing behind the one that was punching you...

Oliver grabbed his hand before he could punch you again...

Oliver: “its not nice to hit a lady...”

Oliver took that guy and whacked him with his bow.. then used an arrow to free you from your binds & helped you up off the ground... 

Oliver: “are you alright?”

Y/N: “yes i am thank you for saving me...”

Oliver: “oh we aren’t out of the clear yet...”

as Oliver said that you both noticed you were being surrounded again... this time there seemed to be alot more guys... 

Oliver: “can you fight?”

YN: “i can whats the plan?”

Oliver: “survive till my team sends extraction...”

you both were instantly attacked... it was hard but you managed, with a few small bumps in the road... 

YN: “i guess at some point i’ll have to thank you for this...”

you say as you swing around and knock out another goon... but your father now charged at you... 

your father: “child you defy me time and time again... when you dont realize that i only stayed with your mother and kept her alive so she could have you and the more you grew, the more i realized that i loved you as more than a daughter... as a potential vessal for more of my spawn...” 

you were now being pinned to the ground, Oliver knocked out his guy just in time to see this sight... he pulled out an arrow and set it up within his bow... 

Arrow: “step away from her... now...”

your father slowly got off of you keeping his hands in the air, he turned to face the Arrow, your rescuer, and un-be-known to you your best friend & secret admirer...  

Arrow: “i want you to look into my eyes mr Y/L/N, look into my eyes and remember them as the eyes of the man who’s putting you away for a long long time...”

your father looked into the eyes of the arrow, and before long looked very afraid...

Your father: “no no its not possible... how can this be... ii’ll have your...”

before he could finish that sentance, the arrow shot a tranq dart at your father who then fell unconcious... you then hear the arrow whoever he was talking to someone before he went silent and approached you to help you up...

upon helping you up he gives you what you percieve to be a smile of sorts before shooting a zipline arrow out the window and attaching it to a different building... 

Arrow: “do you trust me?”

You smile, staring at him for a few moments before accepting his hand which you just happened to notice was extended to you...

Y/N: “you stole that line from Aladdin didnt you?”

Arrow: “do you trust me?”

YN: “yes!”

Arrow: “latch your arms tight around my neck and hold on... i promise i will never let you fall...”

YN: “i trust you...”

Arrow (Oliver) holds your waist with one firm arm and the zipline with the other hand as he took a running start glass everywhere in your shoulder length layered dark brown hair. as soon as you guys were ziplining the cool breeze brought a familiar scent to your attention... 

you couldnt place it at the time... but a few moments later you guys landed on a roof top... the arrow landed and set you back on your feet... 

YN: “can i ask you a few questions?” 

Arrow: “of course you may...”

YN: “are you for sure the one whose been leaving me those notes on my balcony?”

Arrow: “yes thats me...”

You breathed lightly, standing here with the arrow you realized you could ask him a few heavily weighing questions...

YN; “why did my father quiver with fear like he had seen a ghost when you told him to look in your eyes?”

Arrow: “cause ive done many things that im not proud of and well i have my fair share of demons so he saw a few of the demons i carry with me daily...”

you knew that he was still hiding something but you werent going to push him to answer the questions you knew he wouldn’t...

YN: “is there anything you want to try right now?”

Arrow moves closer to you, but you werent scared, you were a little un-nerved, but something inside you kept you from stiffening up like a board...

Arrow: “can i kiss you?”

you slowly nod, Arrow leans in and kisses you softly... making your heart race, beating faster and faster... standing on that rooftop, you felt a certain familiarity while kissing the Arrow, almost like you had once up a time kissed these same lips once before.

Arrow broke the kiss and this time it was bliss, you felt as though the world couldnt stop you... 

Arrow: “im gonna take you to the SCPD from there ill hand over the serveillance footage of your father, his goons and what they did to you... then ill check in with you later...”

YN: “thank you again for rescuing me... i don’t know what i would have done if you hadnt shown up when you did...”

Arrow: “thank the heavens we never have to find out... now hold on tight... we are ziplining all the way to the SCPD...”

YN: “you realize that we are like several blocks away from there right...”

Arrow: “you realize that im an excellent shot... i can get us to the SCPD... how else do you think i got here...”

you felt Arrow once more press his lips to yours before taking another zipline arrow and shooting it... you held on tight again as once more you were whisked into a ziplining frenzy.. straight down, both you and the Arrow landing on the outside of the SCPD where Captain Lance happened to be exiting. 

Captain Lance: “you really know how to make an entrance... and of course you have a girl... what happened?”

Arrow: “this is YN, her father is the owner of YLN industries...”

Arrow then hands captain lance the flash drive with the footage and audio of the evening’s events... 

Captain Lance: “whats on this drive?”

Arrow: “everything explaining the dirty deeds of her father, what his real intentions were towards YN and i would appreciate it if you could also contact oliver queen, he is a close personal friend of mine and i’m sure the CEO of Queen’s Consolidated would want to bring home his very hard working secretary... now Captain i leave her in your capable hands...”

like that he was gone... you shivered but followed Captain Lance inside the SCPD, where he gave you a blanket, and then picked up the phone and dialed Oliver’s number...

Captain Lance: “Hey Oliver, its Captain Lance. i have your secretary here, a mutual friend of ours brought her here... i think it would be best if you came to get her... she seems a little shaken up...”

Oliver (over the phone): “ill be right there... keep her calm till i get there...”

Captain Lance hung up the phone and went over to the coffee maker and poured a small cup, Lance then brings it over to you...

Lance: “i promise you that our mutual friend has probably given me something valuable, something that can help me to expose whatever dirty evil thing your father has been doing... also Oliver will be here as soon as he can...”

you sat there holding the cup of coffee in between your palms... it wasnt long after that till your ears caught wind of a familiar panicked voice calling your name...

Oliver: “YN...”

your body immediately turned towards the voice... you got up from the chair and ran straight into his arms... the familiarity, the way it made you feel was more of a comfort than any cup of coffee... 

Oliver: “are you okay?”

YN: “i am now...”

Oliver: “do we need to sign anything captain before i can take her home?”

Captain Lance: “nope if we have any questions ill call personally... you guys are free to go...”

Oliver and You walk out of the police station... Oliver hands you a helmet and gets on his bike... 

Oliver: “tomorrow people are gonna be at your apartment to repair the damage... dont worry the company is paying for it... but tonight we are gonna continue our slumber party at the nicest hotel near the office... so tomorrow we can go into work and pretend like nothing bad went wrong...”

YN: “that sounds amazing! i assume you already moved over a bag of stuff for us?”

Oliver nods as you put on the helmet and get on the bike behind Oliver holding on tight... you knew you would have to tell him sometime about what happened to you, but that time wasnt right then... 

but again that same sense of familiarity swept over you, it was the same feeling you got when you had been ziplining with the Arrow but a few short minutes before... 

you dismissed those thoughts... your brain was over worked, and quite frankly not thinking straight... within a few moments of leaving the SCPD you and Oliver had made it to the hotel district near Queens Consolidated...

Oliver pulled into the premium parkade and that made you wonder if this was one of those special cases where you were gonna learn new secrets about him that you didnt really know before... 

Oliver got off first and then helped you take off your helmet, then extending his hand to you helping you off the bike... you shivered at the cold ground beneath your feet... it was very clear to you that your body wasnt taking kindly to the cold weather...

Oliver: “your trembling... would you like me to carry you?”

YN: “i wouldnt object...”

it was then that your mind once more began to piece together the various events... the way Olivers arms and grip felt very similar to that of the Arrow.. it was clear that your mind was trying to tell you something... but you didnt know what... 

Oliver: “just hold on to my neck and we will be out of public view very soon...”

security: “welcome back MR. Queen, is there anything you need?”

Olliver: “yes can you have room service send up a bottle of your finest champagne, and a small platter of your finest danties...  and a medical muscle rub... please and thank you!”

Security: “of course sir... that will be brought up immediately!”

Oliver continues to walk while holding you, the elevator door staying open as Oliver carries you inside... kissing your forehead... as the elevator took you guys to the penthouse suite... of course this was typical Oliver... 

Oliver set you down on the nearest soft surface, he knelt down in front of you and smiled... 

Oliver: “what would you like to do first?”

YN: “i want to figure out how my father found me after all this time... why now? i mean it... ow...”

you winced as you tried to stretch out.... your stomach still tender where the goons struck you...

Oliver: “dont worry once the medical muscle rub gets here along with the champagne and danities you will be feeling alot better trust me... ill take care of you...”

the words TRUST ME... those words, the way Oliver said them... it was very similar to how the Arrow had said that earlier... nah it couldnt be, could it...

Oliver: “why dont you go and put on that robe but keep your shorts and sleeping bra on but make sure that there is nothing covering those bruises... ill rub it down when it arrives....”

you took one of those robes and went into the bathroom, while in there you took the time to try and sort through the mess your brain was putting together... or at least attempting to... 

You didnt notice any other sore spots, or at least nothing that really stood out at that moment.  you gave yourself a once over and then put on the robe, which again painful... but thankfully it was nice and soft, it felt good against your body...

you exited the bathroom to see oliver bringing in a tray full of what he had asked for from room service...

Oliver: “you feel a bit better..”

YN: “maybe a bit but not a whole ton... Ollie, i was wondering are you okay?”

Oliver: “you mean when i got tossed against the back of your couch... lets say ive had worse than that... now come on lay on your back on the bed, and let me tend to your wounds as you once tended to mine!”

you did exactly what Oliver said knowing he was right, he had every right to tend to you just like you tended to him when he first came back from the island...  Oliver’s touch was soft, gentle, delicate. but his hands were rough, like he hadnt moisturized in days... 

Oliver: “i promise that you will be just fine once the rub starts working now hold still, ill gently start rubbing now...”

you felt Oliver pour the rub on your abdomen, it was a cooling feeling, one unlike anything you had ever felt before... something about having Oliver rub this gel on your wound, made your body feel strange, in ways it has never felt before...

you winced slightly as Oliver started to press slightly harder on your wound...

YN: “Ollie, i have noticed that since we started working together we have become much closer, and i want to thank you for helping me get back on my feet after what my father did... i hate how he has been planning this, i hope the footage the Arrow gave the cops is enough to put him away...”

you winced once more, you made it priority this time to grab Oliver’s arm. his muscle tensing beneath your touch. Oliver’s muscle tensed the same way that the Arrow’s did... 

it was then that you looked at Oliver who wasn’t startled by the sudden touch of your hand, Oliver’s eyes piercing your very soul, all the trouble, the days events, everything that had happened seemed to disappear...  

YN: “Ollie..”

Oliver had moved much closer it seemed for you could feel his breath against your own skin.  Oliver was no longer trying to fight anything, instead he gave into the urge and did something he had been meaning to do for years...

Oliver: “YN!”

that was the last of the talking that happened for the soothing feeling of the muscle rub and now making out with Oliver, we are talking like Oliver was shirtless and gently holding you against him, to you this was bliss, but something about kissing Oliver was so much like kissing OMG... if your brain was right then you were gonna have a serious talk with him when you both wake up later...

the making out took away all your fears, but left you with looming questions, and feelings being brought out of the shadows... you had to do what you wanted to do from the moment Oliver said your name at the SCPD, you had to confront him about what happened...

there was daylight shining through the window of your hotel room when you next took notice of time, you were still aware of your injuries so carefully you stretched and then winced slightly as your abdomen was still tender. 

thats when footsteps from the other room brought you to attention...

Oliver: “good morning beautiful!”

YN: “good morning handsome! come here for a moment, i would like to ask you a questions!”

Oliver came over to sit with you on the bed, staring at you with anticipation of what kinds of questions you may be wanting to ask him. 

YN: “we need to talk about what happened last night.”

Oliver: “ask me anything im an open book..”

YN: “ever since you picked me up at the police station my mind has been putting me through hell, my mind has also been wondering i guess... Are You The Arrow?"

Oliver went over to the wall by the closet and pushed in one of the panels revealing his greatest secret before sitting back on the bed.  the hood, the mask, everything sitting right there, everything that he wore but several hours ago. 

Oliver: “i gather by your silence that your trying to process this... but yes, as the Arrow i had written you all those letters, i felt like if i did that as myself you might not have taken me seriously... but YN everything i did in rescuing you, comforting you on your bad days, everything in between and then last night when i kiss you as me and not as the arrow, i felt what i have already confirmed. how long have you been in love with me?”

YN: “not long, the feelings started to manifest themselves when i started to work as your secretary. i know it sounds very unprofessional but its true. i fell in love, i fell hard, but Ollie i must know why did you save me as the Arrow and not yourself?”

Oliver: “cause if i hadnt come as the arrow, both of us might have been dead or worse, your father could have gotten away with his evil maniacal plan. and i wasnt gonna let that bastard do that to the woman i love, I Love You YN!”

the bliss flowed through you instantly but you wanted to be dramatic.. 

YN: “say it again...”

Oliver confused by this said what he said again assuming he knew what you were refering too...

Oliver: “i wasnt gonna let the Bastard do that to you...”

YN: “no no the part where you told me you loved me!”

Oliver now understood what you meant, so before repeating that line, he decided that he couldnt wait any more, he went over to his suit and pulled something small out of the pocket...

Oliver: “I Love You YN, so much and i never want to be anything without you. will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Oliver opened his closed fist to reveal a 24k silver band with an emerald in the center. your eyes went wide with wonder, but you held your left hand out feeling the metal touch your skin you nod your head.

YN: “yes!”

that was that it was now official, your best friend set to become your husband which was something that was gonna take some getting used to... but hey whatever at least the rest of that very day was mostly spent rolling round in the sheets... you lost your virginity that day and gained a brighter future as well.

[zenosanalytic]

HoXPoX Liveblog: House of X #3

Ok here’s HoX 3 and Here’s The Link

Not a lot going on in this one symbolwise, but it feels... Deceptive *looks around shiftily*

Time to continue the HoXPoX readthrough with House of X #3! This is a second printing so the cover’s the same deal as the last; a duochrome variant of the 1st cover the x-men in yellows/golds down the right side&a menacing sentinel-head as the background.

before getting into it though, I’m wondering abt the implications of the PoX3? Like: X2 was the 9th TL, but what about X3? Given Cylobel and the archive the obvs assumption would be X3’s a continuation of X2, but there’s no guarantee similar events dont happen in dif tls.

The thing is: if it was just the future of 9 PAST learning Nimrod’s inception date, then why would we keep following it? If all following X2 did was show us how TL10 got nimrod’s birthday, then why would we need to even KNOW abt X3? I feel like there’s something more going on

Also: why would X in 10 need to steal this information if they already had it from Moira? Also Also: some STRONG circumstantial simultaneity vibes from these repeated heists, which also also also contribs to me feeling like this story’s being a bit deceptive abt what’s going on.

Anyway: open’s on an Xavier quote: “you make me so *proud*” *indicating italics cuz twitter has no font options >:|

X1 Krakoa. Cyclops framed by an unactivated portal, center-frame, backlit/haloed by a light-blue sky. He’s telling X and M he’s put together a team which accepts the mission’s a suicide run. X and M are colored in whites, full-figure but dwarfed by Cyclops’s bust-closeup.

X promises he wont allow him of his team to die. M that the only true death is to be forgotten which “the righteous” will never be. Their narration calls him “the founder of a nation”. M is oft melodramatic & here he’s decidedly biblical: “righteous” “mighty works”

Of course the assumption is that we already know how this turns out. He and the rest will die and be “resurrected” by the RootTree as we saw at the beginning of HoX#1 Like I said tho, I get the feeling there’s some deception &the depictions of X&M here reinforces that; Impish.

Anyway: the two closeups of Scott here are really well done. The major difficult with him is conveying emotional state when his eyes are always covered of course, but the shading above his visor&turn of his mouth manages to convey his worry and doubt excellently.

Cyclops explains the sitch to his team in a really flippant way. He’s established as someone preemptively managing the emotions of those he leads, so considering them, and ironically acknowledging the dangers/absurdities to make them seem smaller than they are.

His team looks like: Wolverine, Dazzler, Angel, someone I dont recognize(Braddock/Psylocke? dont rec the costume)?, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, and Mystique.

The team immediately begins debating the plan(Scott encourages debate and the XMen aim for collegiality; well characterized) The one I dont rec isnt Braddock but Monet; not a character I’m too familiar with.

Cyc asks Mystique if she’s listening; she’s wonderfully and appropriately dismissive. Jean and Scott talk about minimizing casualties; there will be “innocent” civilians. Wolvie points out “innocents” dont build genocide-machines. Jean says “they’re just scared of their future”

Jean’s last line is actl super-ominous; it’s the last frame on the page, and the last two frames are bathed in that neo red-purple which up to now is usually associated with endings and death. I think, ironically, Jean might end up killing lots of these people.

Another cool bit; in the forth frame, where Mystique is mouthing off to Scott for his condescension, the sun is placed just behind&above Mystique’s head, placing it btw her and Jean, shadowed frame left, & making it’s glare imply Jean using her telepathy…

… it could be that Scott’s comment isn’t as unnecessary and condescending as it seems; it could be Jean’s been listening to Mystique’s thoughts, saw her intent to go off-mission,& informed Scott so he could head that off now. Maybe why she brings up question of casualties?

They’re launching from the Summers Moon Mansion. As they do Wolverine comments: “Just scientists huh? How exactly do you think humans went from sticks to bombs?” Obvsl he sees the whole installation as a threat.

An infopage on Sentinel progression. Starts with the well-known giant combat bot Alpha model, then mastermold(Alpha factory), Mothermold(mastermold factory capable of designing nanosentinel tech), then Omegas(nanosent infected humans), then Nimrod(pure nanosentinel construct)

Followed by a timeline of the plot from L9 to L10. Bscl confirms this is X1. States that Moira&Apoc have id’d that, while emergent AI is unavoidable specifcally antimutant ones, Nimrods, arent. Mentions the files Apoc acquired are incomplete, but imply preventable tech thresholds

mentioned in passing but may become relevant later: Moira&X had technopath mutants create a system that could detect Nimrod tech thresholds called Sleeping Giant.

Cut to Sabertooth being tried at Project Achilles, a “supervillain supermax”. The proceedings are about as farcically unconcerned with justice as you’d expect(treating the defense attorney as a joke is pretty Ick, as well).

Sabertooth's not having any of it, drawn center-page, towering over everyone else(though I wouldnt say security's drawn as frightened of him; more alert). Seems like a breakout attempt is imminent as he notices the smell of jasmine(?) and tells his attorney he's fired

:D It's Frost & two of the Cuckoos :D :D Emma's halo'd by a sun-like light on her entry. Judge IMMEDIATELY draws a guns XD Frost reminds them all Krakoans have diplomatic immunity(doesnt work this way but whatevs), judge calls him a Thing, Bravado Bravado...

In the end they walk out with only mutual chest-thumping. An important point; Frost says mutants wont be judged by human courts any more, so apprntl the treaties include jurisdictional concessions.

an infopage on the Omega Process; how a human is transformed into a sentinel by nanosent tech. The focus this is getting suggests this'll be plot-relevant(wonder if a mutant is infected?) Seems like a year's long process which inevitably ends in a anti-mutant exterminator.

cut to the Mother Mold; Karima/Omega and Doctor Gregor are arguing abt Orchis's plan(Karima against). Of course it's a bad idea; any being you make caged is going to resent you, and if you give it the ability to make things it designs it will design itself free of you.

(of course the reality of AI is that basic common sense, let alone originality, is way more difficult to code that humans think, and meat way better at information processing)

the X men Attack! And it's immediately thwarted, seemingly, by an improvised explosive. In hindsight all the red-purple images of the Blackbird's cockpit were Not Promising :T Oh! There's a Krakoan alphabet at the back ^u^

Well that was anti-climactic, but surprising, but also I think something else is going on still, so we'll see what's up in future issues.