#anyway maybe i woke up anxious and grumpy today What About It | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nejibaby · 4 years ago

Text

Paper Rings

Pairings: Neji x Y/N

Song reference/inspiration: Paper Rings by Taylor Swift

A/N: HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! I WROTE THIS ON A WHIM. AND NOW I AM GOING TO ASCEND BECAUSE OF THIS. Please let me know your thoughts~

The birds were chirping by the time you woke up. As you stretched your arms, a smile had found its way into your face.

Usually, you’d be so grumpy in the mornings because you truly weren’t a morning person, yet there are random days like today where you find yourself waking up with bursts of happiness.

Most days there were reasons why you were feeling such a way, like when you’d get a full eight hour sleep, when you’d have a great dream, when you know you’re going on a date with your boyfriend Neji, or when you’d get your payment for your missions. This time, however, you didn’t know the reason why you’re this happy first thing in the morning.

You quite literally woke up on the right side of the bed today, which has always been Neji’s side of the bed, but he was nowhere to be found. You would’ve preferred to have woken up in his arms like you normally did.

You raked your mind trying to remember Neji’s schedule for the day. It was his day off so he didn’t have to go on missions and he didn’t have to meet up with Team Guy. You wondered where he went at such an early hour but you didn’t put too much thought about his whereabouts.

He was probably called in for an emergency mission or maybe he had an unexpected meeting with the Hyuga clan. He was, after all, going to be the new head of the clan. After the Fourth Shinobi War, he was recognized by his clan for his contribution during the war and for representing the clan with dignity, honor, and strength — the traits that the Hyuga clan deemed necessary for the next leader to have.

Regardless of the reason why Neji wasn’t there by your side when you woke up, you knew you didn’t have to worry because you knew he’d be safe. He can handle himself and besides, it was a time of peace.

You didn’t have any plans for the day so you found yourself going out and about. You found it amazing how your good mood could drastically change your perspective. For example, on most days, you wouldn’t take your time looking around the village and the people in it, yet today you found yourself entranced with the village. The sun was shining bright yet somehow the village seemed to be brighter.

As you walked through the streets, you caught sight of a stall selling accessories. It was no secret that you were a fan of these things. Even the merchant knew you by name from the amount of times you bought from their stall.

More often than not, you’d buy earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and anklets from the merchant. You just generally like shiny things. But this time however, your eyes strayed towards a simple lavender hair clip. It reminded you of Neji’s eyes and you couldn’t help but reach out for it. Without even thinking twice, you bought it.

Neji wasn’t the type of boyfriend who would stop you from buying things you don’t need. He wasn’t controlling. However, he sure was blunt in telling you that you don’t need that much accessories. Who would need eight necklaces when you only have one neck anyway?

You almost giggled at the thought of him commenting on your recent purchase when you still have four unused gold hair clips at home. As a response, you could always tease him for buying a ton of books when he doesn’t have enough time to read them. Although you wouldn’t admit the fact that you’ve read all the books beside his bed.

The thought of Neji made you smile, making your day much, much better than how you felt waking up. Your good mood seemed to be infecting the others as well since there were a lot more people smiling at your direction.

At one point you came across Tenten too who beamed upon the sight of you. You had a whole conversation about how your day went and even got a compliment from her about your new hair clip. Was she chirpier than usual or was that just your imagination? Either way, her company was great.

“So have you seen Neji yet?” She asked.

“Ah, not yet. Do you happen to know where he is?”

It was a good thing you were both walking and you weren’t looking at her direction, rather, you were staring at a bird that flew by. Otherwise, you would’ve noticed the way her smile faltered for a second.

“Uh, I don’t t-think so.” There was a hint of nervousness in her answer.

Normally, you would’ve pried as to why she answered that way, but you were still happily watching the bird flying freely in the sky.

“Hmm? Oh, alright then. I’m sure I’ll find him somewhere,” you distractedly said.

“Ah, I’ll have to go! I forgot I have to meet with Lee today. Bye Y/N!” Tenten quickly said.

You finally tore your gaze from the bird and looked back at her to wave her goodbye. “Okay. Tell Lee I said hi,” you yelled with a smile while watching her figure walk away.

You continued your trek around the village, just contentedly watching the citizens do their own thing. It was after an hour and a half of Tenten leaving your side did you see Neji. He was looking rather anxious so you immediately went to his side.

For someone who had an amazing visual prowess such as the Byakugan, he still got startled when he saw you standing in front of him despite you being in plain sight. You wondered what was going on in his head. He must’ve been thinking hard about something for him not to notice you.

“Neji, baby, are you alright?” You worriedly asked.

“Ah, uh, yes.”

You weren’t satisfied with his answer so you pulled him to an alleyway, away from people’s prying eyes since you knew Neji was a private person. Whatever’s plaguing his mind was definitely something important for him to look that much anxious. Because if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t have trouble masking his emotion.

“Is there something troubling you?”

“Nothing.”

“Was this about your mission yesterday? Or were you assigned on another S-rank mission today? Are you worried about it?” You blurted out the questions one after the other.

He shook his head, “No it isn’t about a mission.”

“Is it about Naruto or Hinata? Or both?”

“No, not really.”

You frowned. “Well then, is it because of me? Did I do something wrong?”

His breath hitched at your question. Then he looked at you tenderly. His eyes found your newly purchased hair clip and his hand gently touched it. “This looks good on you,” he softly said.

“Yeah, it reminded me of you,” you automatically answered. Then you realized he didn’t truly answer your question. “So it’s me, right? I probably did something wrong. I’m sorry I’m not sure what I did but if I hurt your feelings in any way, I’m sorry I didn’t mean it,” you babbled on.

“No, you didn’t do anything. Don’t worry.”

“It’s the Hyuga clan, isn’t it?” You guessed again.

“No, the clan is doing fine. There isn’t any issue.”

If those weren’t the cause of his worries then there was only one more thing that would make him feel this distracted — thoughts about his father.

“Is it… is it about Hizashi?” You almost whispered.

A small smile had appeared on his face at the mention of his father’s name. “I do miss my father, but that’s not what I was worried about. Frankly, I’m not worried about anything at all.”

That was clearly a lie.

Neji used to have a habit of keeping things for himself back in the day but he changed. It seemed like today he reverted to his old ways.

However, you’ve already asked a ton of questions and you knew well enough when to stop prying. If Neji was ready, he would tell you at his own pace.

“Okay… You must’ve had a long day,” you said. Instinctively, you gave him a quick peck on the lips.

Neji certainly wasn’t expecting that. He blinked a few times before regaining his bearings. A blush crept into his cheeks. “What was that for?”

“Nothing,” you cheekily said.

Then another peck on his lips.

This time a genuine smile was etched on his face.

“It’s going to be alright,” you told him with a sweet smile.

“Thank you,” he looked at you lovingly.

“No problem, baby,” you chirped.

And then after a minute of looking into each other’s eyes, he paled, as if he was hit by a sudden realization. You only looked at him curiously after he reacted that way. He cleared his throat, “I remembered I had something to do with Lee.”

You furrowed your brows and tilted your head. Neji almost swooned at how cute you looked. Then you asked, “What are you guys up to?”

Neji could feel a sweat forming at your interrogation. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well, I caught up with Tenten a little while ago and then all of a sudden she dashed out saying she was supposed to meet with Lee,” you told him. “So what are you guys going to do?”

“We, uh… Lee… is, uhm…”

“You know what, you don’t have to tell me,” you cut him off. You knew well enough that Lee could talk Neji into doing ridiculous things. Tenten would be a little more apprehensive but if Neji would do it, she would give in eventually. And you knew Neji preferred not talking about whatever Lee had him do.

You could hear the sigh of relief Neji released when you answered that way. Without saying anything more, he quickly made his way to meet his friend.

You chuckled at your boyfriend. He looked absolutely endearing whenever he was flustered. You shook your head and got out of the alleyway, deciding that it was time for a quick snack.

You made your way to the bakery to buy your favorite cinnamon roll. It wasn’t surprising that you found Hinata there as well. Your friendship with Hinata was furthered by your common love for cinnamon rolls after all.

You chatted with her for the entirety of your time eating the delicacy. She always reminded you of Neji despite them having different personalities, so you were quite comfortable in her company. You continued your conversation with her even after you both finished eating. Even as you both left the bakery, you couldn’t be separated. It’s been a while since you last saw her and you had so many stories that you wanted to tell and hear from her as well.

Hinata seemed to be talking a lot more this time and she looked so excited as well. Why? She didn’t say, it felt weird to ask. Maybe she woke up in a good mood just like you? In any case, you were happy that she was happy.

The subject of your conversation shifted to the wedding preparations for her and Naruto’s wedding. You offered to help in any way you can but she told you everything was coming along just fine. Then she made a comment that if you needed help in some things, she’d be there to help too. It sounded like she was talking about something and you wondered what she meant but thanked her anyway despite not knowing what she was possibly implying.

You were rambling about your most recent mission at the Hidden Cloud Village where you bumped into the Eight-tails jinchuriki, Killer B. You were telling her about this rap he did. You were too deep in your story that you didn’t notice she was leading you to the riverside.

Hinata waited for you to finish your story, giggling in the right parts. As your story came to an end, she said, “I’m glad you had fun with your mission. I hope you had fun spending your time with me too,” she smiled, “but I’ll have to go now. I still have to talk to Iruka sensei about something.”

“Of course, I had fun with you! It’s been awhile since we last hung out together. Sorry if I took up too much of your time though. You should’ve told me earlier you had other plans.”

She giggled and told you it was fine. Then she walked backwards, waving goodbye.

When she was out of sight, it was only then that you noticed that the sun was setting and that you were right on time to witness it.

A few minutes later, you heard someone behind you clearing their throat. When you turned around, you saw Neji.

Instantly, you beamed and went to hug him. “Neji baby!” You greeted, voice muffled because you’ve buried your face into his chest.

Neji shook his head at your antics but with a smile on.

You pulled away and asked, “So how was your day with Lee?”

“Tiring. How was yours?”

“It was nice. But it became better now that I’m with you.”

A blush had formed on his cheeks at your statement. He avoided eye contact too. Then he suddenly grabbed your hand and led you away.

“Where are we going?”

He didn’t respond. You just went along. But it only took a few steps before he came to a stop. You peeked over his shoulder to see where he led you. It was your time to blush.

In front of you, just further down the riverside where Hinata left you, was a picnic mat that had been set up with a basket containing fruits. It was the perfect spot to watch the sunset.

“Was this what you’ve been up to?”

Neji nodded.

Your heart swelled. It wasn’t everyday that Neji did grand gestures like this.

“Oh, Neji!” You hugged him tightly. “You’re so sweet! Was this also what you were worried about?”

“Ye— I mean, I told you I wasn’t worried about anything.”

“I’m sure you weren’t,” you teased. “This is nice, come on let’s watch the sunset together!” You said as you tugged his hand and sat on the mat.

You both sat on the mat side by side, silently watching the sun and the soft golden glow it casted on the sky. Unbeknownst to you, Neji’s eyes were only on you.

All of a sudden, Neji spoke up, “I love you.”

You tore your eyes away from the sunset and focused on Neji. In this lighting, he looked mesmerizing. “I love you too, Neji.”

But once again, Neji looked unsettled. “But I have so many flaws and I’ve done so many wrong things when I was younger…”

“I still love you just the same, regardless. Besides, everyone makes mistakes and if it weren’t for those, we wouldn’t be who we are now. We probably wouldn’t be here together too.”

“...and my clan is just... They aren’t that great too…”

“It’s fine, Neji, that’s fine.”

He was going to say something more but the words got stuck on his throat when you said, “I love you. In your entirety. Even with your flaws, complications, and problems too.”

He then went to grab something in the basket. You curiously watched as he searched for something. Then when he retracted his arm, a small box was enclosed in his palm. As if on cue, you noticed fireflies flying around, making the moment look more magical.

When he opened the box, you gasped. Tears had started forming in your eyes.

“I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

In that moment, somehow the rest of your time together as a couple flashed before your eyes. You remembered the bickering between the two of you. You remembered how you got together. You remembered the days you spent training with each other. You remembered him moving into your place. You remembered the fights between the two of you and how you made up. You remembered how you almost lost each other during the war.

Neji panicked at your silence. You were close to tears and he didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

The first thing that came out of your mouth after the silence was, “I love you, Neji.”

And then you stopped talking again.

“It’s the ring, isn’t it? I know it’s simple, I should’ve just got the other one,” he nervously rambled.

“The ring is perfect,” you cut him off.

“But—”

“I like shiny things but I’d marry you with paper rings.”

Neji looked shocked. “Really?”

“That’s right. Darling, you’re the one I want.”

“So…?”

“Yes, I’ll marry you, Neji.”

#neji hyuga #neji #neji hyuuga #neji hyuga x reader #neji hyuuga x reader #neji x reader #neji x you #neji x y/n #neji hyuga x y/n #neji hyuga x you #neji fluff #neji fanfic #neji fanfiction #neji lives #naruto #naruto fanfic #naruto fanfiction #naruto fluff #naruto shippuden

248 notes · View notes

glitterandmoondustofficial · 4 years ago

Text

Side To Side

Chapter 201: Sleep Aid

Characters: Ruby, Law Rating: Teen Warnings: Language, Depression Notes: how is everyone? This one took a while to write.

~~~~~

Ruby stared up at the dark ceiling. She couldn’t sleep. She had a nightmare recently, and it’s been making her anxious. She already took a sleep aid but her anxiety was pushing past it. She sighed and turned on her side. She looked at Law, who had his eyes closed. He looked like he was actually sleeping, but for all she knew he was just closing his eyes to rest them.

Ruby closed her eyes in an attempt to do something. She wanted to sleep so badly. Her whole body was tired, her eyes could barely stay open, but she couldn’t fall asleep.

“Why can’t you sleep?” Law asked.

Ruby opened her eyes and stared at his face “Racing thoughts,” she said with a sigh.

“So, you’re anxious? Why?”

“Because I had a nightmare last night that Knotely was still alive.”

Law opened his eyes and looked at her. He reached over and scratched the top of her head. “He was pretty dead. I made sure of that.”

“He could be a zombie.”

Law scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Zombies aren’t real.”

“How do you know?”

“No.” Law grumbled. “It’s not possible.”

“You’re no fun.”

“It’s the insomnia.”

Ruby sighed and closed her eyes. She let herself breathe in the silence before opening her eyes and staring into his. “I wish this still didn’t get a reaction out of me.”

“You’ll grow out of it,” he told her. “You’ve moved on, it’s only a matter of time before you rarely ever think about it.”

“I wish that was today.”

“I know.”

They went silent. Ruby laid back on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She felt Law curl up to her and bury his face in her neck. She breathed in his recently showered scent. She closed her eyes and nuzzled the top of his head.

“You having a bad time, too?” She asked him quietly.

“Yeah.”

“Sorry.”

“Thanks.”

Ruby wrapped her arms around Law. They held onto each other silently, not saying another word to one another. She was glad she had him. Not only him, but her entire crew. Everyone was so willing to be someone to lean on.

Ruby was so happy she joined the Heart Pirates. She had a family to cry to when she needed to. She was glad her and Law became so close and loving. It granted her the chance to be as vulnerable as she was, and having that vulnerability rewarded.

And that was all well and good, but right now she was frustrated that she couldn’t sleep.

She just wanted to sleep!

She kissed the top of Law’s head and heard a soft snore. He fell asleep?! If it were any other time she’d be happy and flattered that he fell asleep because she was holding him. Now she was just jealous.

She wouldn’t dare wake him. He never slept and it worried her, but she didn’t know if she’d get any sleep that night. Perhaps she could convince Law to let her stay in bed all day. Show a little leg or something.

She sighed and tried to relax. She was in for a long night.

~~~~~

Law woke up, which was odd in and of itself. He rarely “woke up” because he rarely slept. He mostly just rested his eyes. Was it healthy? No, but it was his sad, sleepless life.

He was still curled up to Ruby, but she was no longer holding him. She was sleeping, which was good. She was drooling and snoring, her hair a mess. One of her legs was outside of the blanket while the other was curled around his.

Law felt himself smirk at her. She was so cute like this. Completely asleep and natural. The bruising under her eyes told him that she hadn’t been sleeping long. He wasn’t going to get her out of bed. He was an asshole, but he liked to think he was kind to her.

He relaxed against her. He was going to rest a little longer. He wanted them to have some quiet time together, just sleeping with one another. It was one of his favorite things of theirs; resting with each other. It was something so simple but it meant the world to him.

He closed his eyes, listening to her breathe deeply. She grunted in her sleep and her hands twitched. Law sighed. She was having another nightmare. He lifted up and brushed hair out of her face. He cupped her cheek and rubbed with his thumb.

Her eyebrows knit together and she opened her weary eyes. She processed him and sighed. She closed her eyes and frowned. Law leaned in and laid his forehead on hers.

“I’m sorry you’re having a rough time,” he told her.

“Thanks,” she croaked.

“Just take the day off,” he said. “You haven’t gotten any sleep and I don’t want you forcing yourself to stay awake just so you can do your greenhouse stuff.”

Ruby sighed through her nose. “Okay.” She opened her eyes. “I feel like a baby. You deal with this all the time and you keep going.”

“We’re two different people with different needs and coping skills. I can still function on little sleep, you can’t.”

“I used to be able to.”

“And now you can’t. Especially now that I have a say in it. I don’t want you working when you’re so obviously exhausted.”

She made a noise of acknowledgment. “Okay,” she sighed and curled into the blankets. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for taking care of you. I’m your doctor, I care about your health.”

Ruby snorted. “Never change, hon.”

Law stared at her for a moment before leaning in and kissing her forehead. “I guess I also love you.” Ruby grinned widely and cracked open her eyes. Law kissed her lips. “Get some sleep.”

“Mmkay.” She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

Law kissed her forehead one last time before getting out of bed and getting ready for the day. Quietly. He didn’t want to disturb Ruby. Mostly because he loved her, only partly because she gets grumpy when she’s tired.

He left the bedroom once he had gotten ready, starting his daily routine of the not-so-routine life on the Grand Line in the New World. He was sure the violent storms woke her, but when he checked on her she was still sleeping. And then he was sure the sea monster attack did, but she slept through that, too. What finally woke her was the whirlpools.

Whirlpool after whirlpool, his poor submarine was tossed and turned. Ruby stumbled out of the bedroom, holding onto the wall for support.

“Go back to bed,” Law told her.

“‘M fine,” she mumbled. “What’s happening?” She yawned.

“Whirlpools, Bepo is working on it.” They both were pushed forward into the wall. Ruby groaned. Law frowned. “You’re still exhausted?” She nodded. She had been sleeping all day, Law thought to himself. “I think you’re getting sick. Are you cold?” She nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably getting sick.” He reached over and squeezed her shoulder in support. “Come on, get back into bed and once we’re calm again I’ll take care of you.”

Ruby nodded solemnly. Law sighed, not feeling too great seeing how depressed his girlfriend was. Nightmares, being sick, what else? He’d bet her foot was acting up, too. Ruby turned, swaying as the ship tossed and turned. She quietly crept back to their room.

Law sighed. Poor Ruby. She had definitely been crying, no doubt in frustration. He knew he shouldn’t baby her, but he was going to retire early today and let her curl up to him.

When the sub was safely away from the whirlpools and on calmer waters, Law decided to go to the kitchen. He grabbed Ruby’s favorite mug and some tea. He quickly made her some soothing tea and brought it up to their room.

Ruby was sitting up in the bed, her knees against her chest and her head on her knees. He heard a sniff and frowned. He watched the dying sunlight reflect in her hair, making it shine like copper, even though she hadn’t brushed or washed it.

Law placed the mug of tea on the nightstand and sat on the bed. Ruby immediately leaned over until she laid down, still in fetal position. She wrapped her arms around his waist and curled up to his back, burying her face into the small of his back.

“I’m sorry, Ruby,” he said. She grunted. “I made you tea. It’s the lavender mint one you made recently.”

She pulled away from him and sat up. She rolled her neck and he heard it pop a couple times. Law picked up the mug and handed it over to her. She took it from him, cradling it in her hands. Tears formed in her eyes and she had a deep frown on her face.

Law wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in. He kissed her temple slowly. “You’ll be okay. I’m going to take care of you.”

Ruby nodded and sniffed. “You don’t gotta be so nice,” she chuckled through her tears. “I know I’m just being a baby.”

“...” he sighed. He kissed her temple again. Truth be told, he’s decided to be softer with her. Well, even more soft. Mostly because he knew he was going to end up missing the absolute hell out of her when he leaves. He didn’t want to be too hard on her and leave her with memories of him not taking care of her when she so obviously needed support. He knew there have been times that he was maybe a little too...cold to her when she wasn’t feeling her best. He did try. He tried so hard to be good to her, but change takes a lot of work, and he was definitely a work in progress.

“I can be nice to you,” he said after a moment. “Sometimes.” Ruby smiled. Law lifted his hand and pressed it to her forehead. A little warm. “Drink your tea then take a shower. I’m going to get some dinner, I’ll come back and check on you when I’m done and see if you want to eat.”

She nodded. She brought her mug to her lips and sipped the hot liquid. Law kissed her temple one last time before standing up. He sighed as his knees ached for a moment before walking towards the door.

“Love you.” He heard Ruby say quietly.

“I love you, too,” he said back to her. “I’ll be back in about an hour.”

“Okay, see you then, mo chuisle.”

~~~~~

Law was….not that great at making tea, Ruby thought to herself. Coffee? Flawless. Hot chocolate? Perfect. Tea? Eh.

But Ruby drank it anyway. It was what she needed, and she wouldn’t take Law taking care of her for granted. She sipped her tea from her favorite mug. Ruby felt her chest warm both from the hot liquid and from the fact that Law remembered the fact she liked this mug so much.

She laid back onto the headboard and sipped her tea, staring out the small window in the room, watching the sunset. She closed her eyes and breathed, rubbing her mug with her thumb. She quietly reclined against the headboard, sipping her tea, letting her mind go blank.

It wasn’t until she brought the mug to her lips did she realize she had drank all of her tea. She cracked open her eyes, processing the dark room. She must have dozed off a little. She sighed and placed the mug on the nightstand. She reached over to the wall and turned the dial for the lights, making sure they were bright enough to see but not too bright.

She stood up and banged her hip on the nightstand hard, causing the thing to be moved and things to be tossed around...including her favorite mug.

She heard it hit the floor and shatter. She blinked and stared down at the pieces of her powder blue mug with small roses painted on. She knelt down and touched the broken off handle. Her lip trembled and tears formed in her eyes as she cradled the broken piece in her hand.

She cried. It was sobs with a wet face and big tears. She sniffed and hiccuped over her mug.

She heard Law rush up the bedroom and fling open the door.

“Are you hurt?!” He walked up to her. He took her chin in his fingers and examined her face.

“M-my mug,” she cried. “I broke it!”

Law stared at her for a moment before letting her face go and looking down at her mug. “Ah.” Ruby sobbed and wiped her face. “Ruby…” he sighed.

“Ikkaku bought it for me for my birthday,” she continued. “It was the first gift that I…”

Law wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in. Ruby cried into his shirt. He shushed her, petting her tangled hair. This sucked. This sucked. She was tired, messy, feverish, and she just broke one of the most important gifts she had ever received.

She cried until she was lightheaded. It wasn’t one of those times where you cried and felt better. She felt worse. She had gotten a headache and felt nauseous. Her arms were wrapped around Law and her head in his chest. She hated herself at the moment. She just wanted everything to stop. This was all Knotely’s fault. That stupid motherfucker who made her so broken.

She felt herself starting to cry again when Law took her face in his hands. He kissed her cheeks gently followed by her forehand.

“Take a shower,” he told her. “It will help. I’ll bring you some soup.”

She didn’t want to eat. She didn’t want to take a shower. She just wanted to wallow in her depression. Ruby didn’t move, she just sat there with tears rolling down her face. Law sighed and stood up. He bent down and picked her up, cradling her. He didn’t feel like arguing with her so he just did it. Of course he would, he never lets her off easy when it comes to taking care of herself.

“I know that mug was important to you,” he spoke up as he walked into their bathroom with her in his arms, “but don’t get so upset that you hurt yourself.” Ruby wiped her eyes and frowned. He sat her down on the tub’s edge and walked to the shower to turn on the hot water.

“I feel like shit,” she complained.

“I know, that’s why I’m getting you into the shower so you can wash your hair and body. It will make you feel a little better.”

She grunted. Law walked over to her and pulled her up to stand. He started to undress her without saying anything. He practically shoved her into the shower and closed the door. Ruby’s nostrils flared annoyed as she glared at the foggy glass. Law walked out of the room without another word.

Ruby huffed as she stood under the shower. Water dripped down her exhausted body. She stood there silently. She closed her eyes and let the hot water spray on her face. Oh. She relaxed. This is nice.

She grabbed her shampoo and washed her hair, followed by her conditioner. She let it set in while she washed her body, the soap washing away her sweat and tears. She rinsed her hair, the conditioner washing out, and took a deep breath. She let the water spray on her head for a moment.

She opened her eyes when the bathroom door opened. Ruby turned off the shower and opened the door to see Law waiting for her with a clean towel. She walked to him and he handed her the towel.

She dried herself off. She felt Law start to dry her hair with another towel she assumed he got out of thin air. Ruby dropped the towel on the ground as Law finished drying her hair. Ruby looked up at him when he finished.

He raised his brow at her. “Feel better?” She nodded. “I knew you would.” Ruby wrapped her arms around him. He rubbed her back. “Alright, come on. I brought you soup and crackers, then you’re going to go to bed.” She nodded.

She followed Law into the bedroom and to her food. She ate quietly while Law braided her damp hair into a loose braid to sleep in. She started to tear up as she ate her soup. Law rubbed her shoulders and neck while she finished off her meal, not leaving any leftovers.

As she was laying in bed, Law took a quick shower. She stared at the pictures on the wall next to her. There were so many photos of the crew that she had put up.

“You haven’t taken any recently,” Law said from behind her. He climbed in bed next to her, pulling her back to his chest.

“I guess I haven’t,” she said. “I didn’t even realize it. When did you?”

“After the first week...so about three weeks ago.”

“Has it really been that long?”

“Yeah.” He kissed the back of her head. “I figured you were just taking a break.”

“I’m not sure why I stopped.”

“Did it stop making you happy? That can happen sometimes.”

“No, I just...stopped.” She sighed. “I think I’m depressed.”

“Ruby, you just had a full breakdown over a mug. You’re definitely depressed.”

Ruby frowned deeply. “It’s not just a mug,” she said quietly.

Law paused. “I know. It was important to you.” Ruby turned in his arms and hugged him. He stroked her back gently. “I’m sorry that you’re having such a rough time. I’m sorry that Knotely did everything he did to you. I’m sorry that everyone in your life, until now, has let you down.” He sighed. “But don’t let it get to you. You have a new life now, and an opportunity to move on.”

Ruby closed her eyes and relaxed against him. “With you.” Law went silent. Ruby opened her eyes and looked at his face.

“Yes,” he said after a moment staring into her eyes. “We all love you, remember that, even when you’re cranky and exhausted.” He kissed her forehead.

“You’re so good to me,” she murmured. “Thanks for letting me take it easy today. I’ll work tomorrow.”

“No you won’t. I told you that you’re getting sick. You’re staying in bed until I say you can leave it.”

Ruby’s first instinct was to argue but then she realized that it sounded nice to just lay in bed for a few days while Law took care of her and let her sleep. “Okay.” She closed her eyes again.

She curled into Law further, wrapping her legs around one of his. He was so comfy. So easy to cuddle up to. She breathed into his skin and felt his rough hands caress her back soothingly. She nuzzled his neck and sighed.

Her mind drifted to something else. She wasn’t sure what it was, as she had fallen asleep.

#op fanfic #one piece #trafalgar law #lawxoc #law x oc #op fanfiction #side to side #sela ruby #ruby sela

4 notes · View notes

mimiplaysgames · 5 years ago

Text

A Rush of Blood to the Head (5/6)

Pairing: Terra/Aqua Rating: T Word Count: 8,600

Read on AO3.

A/N: It’s been a long, long time and I’m relieved to be able to give this one to you. It was hard one, for sure. I indulged in just a teeny-weeny bit of Xemqua into it, even though that was never part of the original outline. Nomura just left me really thirsty for it though. XD

I’m Blind to It

“Aqua?”

She recognized the voice before she realized who it was - it sounded like an instinct, which told her to stand down and be safe, to sink into the bed sheets and shut her eyes, forget about the world.

It took a few seconds to register there were window curtains hovering above her. And they were hers, in perfect condition like a memory in a picture book and all she had to do was wake up and make breakfast like any other normal day.

Today was not normal though, with the heaviness in her muscles weighing her down and a pain - tremendous, searing pain - on her chest, right near her heart, which makes it hard to reply to him.

That soft voice. Deep blue eyes which were sunken and tired from many nights of poor sleep, loving and relieved but anxious. Disheveled hair that somehow looked perfect on him anyway.

“Terra,” she said out loud.

Next to her, crouched over on a lounge chair, he shuddered, heaving a dry sob before sitting up to steady himself. “You remember me,” like he’d been expecting, against hope, something different.

Of course she remembered him. Terra, her real, pure-blooded Terra with the right-colored eyes. She didn’t care how painful it was, how much it felt like her heart tore her flesh to shreds, she rolled over onto her hands and managed to crawl to the edge of the bed. To bridge the gap between them. The roar in her ears as her chest screamed was proof enough that this wasn’t a dream.

“Y- you don’t have to do that-” Here he was, with his hands in the air like he didn’t want to be blamed for how awful she felt but that was ridiculous - her pain was a temporary consequence. The breadth of his chest, the warmth of his neck, the smell of his hair - all of it was a worthy cost.

He didn’t hug her back exactly. Not the way she did it, gripped around his shoulders, trembling because she finally came home when she felt his arms around her.

No, he was more limp, a gentle brush of his palms on her upper back like he wasn’t sure how to welcome his best friend back.

How could she blame him, after what had happened…?

“Terra,” she whispered urgently. They needed to talk.

“It’s okay,” he answered, wanting none of the conversation she tried to start. And she saw something she never expected: a lie behind his smile.

To keep her from saying anything further, he searched his pockets and pulled out a brilliantly blue Wayfinder.

“I looked after it for you,” he shrugged, handing it over.

If she expected the feeling that all was right with the world would come the moment the Wayfinder found its home in her palm, she was wrong. What she realized instead was that despite all the heart she put into its creation, that this was hers, she hadn’t earned the right to have it back.

Surely he’d tell her that she was being too hard on herself, so she mentioned nothing.

Still, they needed to clear the air.

“Terra,” she tried again, and she knew (out of habit, even though they spent years apart and who knew if he was the same person) that he listened. Not knowing where to begin, she might as well head straight to the point. “I remember… what you said to me in Twilight Town.”

She must be a hypocrite, considering that she couldn’t even get herself to spell out what he said in Twilight Town, that he loved her -

- and what was she supposed to say or do with the truth after throwing it back into his face?

Would it come across as insincere if she decided now was the time to return his feelings?

The nervous twitch in his gaze and how terribly he was doing at hiding the purse of his lips at the mere mention of what he said in Twilight Town told her that yes, this was the worst time to apologize for her actions.

Part of her was desperate enough to say it, no matter how cheap it sounded in her mind: I love you, too.

And she nearly blurted it out when he kept his hands to his lap and said out loud, “I was desperate.”

Like he was the one apologizing. The face of embarrassment that seeped out of his eyes was so painstakingly obvious.

No you don’t understand, I love you too.

“I shouldn’t have said that, I’m sorry.” He stood up and shuffled his feet to lean against the backrest, the lounge chair a reliable barrier in between them.

But, I mean it. I swear I do.

“Um…” He cleared his throat, not giving her an opening to say anything, and she cursed herself for ruining it again. “Ven’s here.”

This jolted her. There was suddenly a light to break up such a disappointingly empty room.

“Ven?” Her voice shook.

Terra called out his name, his eyes scattering the floor while a hand raised to his chin, and whatever sinking, sickly feeling that sputtered in her stomach now thrashed in her bloodstream as she watched her open doorway.

There he appeared, hair like the sun, a smile brighter than the first day of spring.

“Aqua!”

She expected several things to come out of Ventus’ mouth, eyes judging with disappointment:

Ah well, didn’t take too long to wake me up just… what, THIRTEEN YEARS? Snoozed on the job? Forgot about me?

Everything’s changed, and I don’t know what to do.

… We had to fight you, and it sucked.

He gave her a hug instead, throwing himself onto the bed with such a force that Terra objected with a warning (“shoes on the bed, Ven”) but she lost herself in the crook of his neck, and couldn’t find the words to explain how sorry she was that it took her so long, and that waking him up was the biggest reason why she survived so long. Maybe that was too dark of a story to tell.

Either way, a hug and the feeling she was wanted was more than enough.

“Be careful with her,” Terra said, and made a face like he regretted saying it. Whether it was because he wanted to pretend he was distant, she didn’t know.

It hurt to hug, yes, but it was wanted. She extended her hand, gracing the bed with her fingers in an invitation so she didn’t seem too pleading in case Terra was uncomfortable. Make it a better pain , she nearly wanted to say. Hug me, please.

But Terra slithered away to the doorframe as Ventus yapped about how frightening she was under Xehanort’s influence, that she was mean, but it was cool, but it was creepy too, but he knew that everything was going to be alright. Terra crossed his arms and nodded to himself as if reassuring his mind that this was the right choice, rubbing his toes against the carpet and softly saying that he had “people to take care of.”

Ironic, since he had her to take care of too, but Aqua remembered that she was capable of looking out for herself and needing him was just a gut reaction to keep him close - something he clearly didn’t want to do.

… Didn’t he cradle her the moment before she fell asleep? Where was that Terra?

“What happened?” she asked when he left them.

Ventus grinded his teeth.

“We pulled Xehanort’s heart out of you…” was the gentle opening to what was going to be a harrowing story. “And Terra tried to crush it.”

“… He touched it?” It was enough of a crazy idea that she withdrew to a whisper, and no matter how taboo it was, it made sense to her nonetheless.

“Yeah, and he almost squeezed the life out of it.” He imitated the gesture, pressuring a fist until his fingers turned red. He let go, humbling himself. “It was disgusting… Remember how the Master used to talk about how we make connections through our hearts when we meet new people? I mean, I’d never wish anything good on Xehanort but… I nearly vomited. It was like suffocating because something smelled really bad except… there was no stench?

"Anyway… Terra couldn’t do it. He couldn’t pull it off, and let it go.”

Whatever lump that lodged itself in her throat fought a hard battle to stay there; part-guilty for putting Terra in such a position, part-proud that he stopped himself from such an extreme. One hundred percent devastated because she couldn’t imagine how furious and bereaved he must have been.

“Where did it go?”

“It floated up to,” Ventus waved his arm into the air, “Kingdom Hearts?”

If they went with what the Master taught them, then yes, Xehanort’s heart wandered to Kingdom Hearts, where all hearts go. But this was a man who cheated death, who wouldn’t have wanted his life’s goal fulfilled in such post-mortem.

“And Terra?”

“He’s grumpy all the time.” Ventus was solemn at first, before gearing himself up for excitement.

“The younger Xehanort was there and when he woke up, Terra just screamed and ran up to him and bam !” He threw his arm back and forth like a bludgeon to tell the rest of the story. “But he got away… The best part was seeing him so scared of Terra, you should have seen his face.” He gave her a stupefied stare and an exaggerated pout, shivering until he was pleased with himself.

Then he nodded toward the lounge chair by her bed, deep creases sunk into the seat from overuse. “He stayed in that chair all day and night. He even used your shower so he wouldn’t have to leave you. I babysat when he had to cook.”

She didn’t miss the sudden softness of his voice when he said that, like he’d been a useless witness to something he couldn’t take care of.

This was the first chance to really look at her room - if there was any indication that time passed by since the incident, there wasn’t much to find here: just a scuffle of clothing and plates, all Terra.

Her corset, in particular, lay neatly folded on her bedside table by an empty plate of abandoned rice.

“Sorry about that,” Ventus said. “We wanted you to be comfortable.”

She cupped his cheek with her hand to say that everything was fine, and seeing her skin on his surprised her - all the scales gone, finally human. But her sleeves, her shirt, her sashes, all ripped to shreds and dyed in a dark, musty ink and she could barely wait to rip off and burn. She had a sewing machine, and could easily make herself a new uniform.

Her legs, though, didn’t give her any confidence. Before there was that blue-purple skin which had nearly taken her over - her thighs now had these thick, disturbing veins that crept from under her stockings reaching out to her shorts, mostly numb and unresponsive.

Aqua had gotten so used to being unable to walk that she forgot this was news to a distraught Ventus. He meant well when he coddled her, and she took no offense when he asked her if she was alright four times in a row. But she went silent when he asked why .

And as young brotherly-figures go, his first thought was to tell Terra right away - he bolted out of her room before she could protest - no, please don’t tell Terra, he’s had enough of me . There was no other objection worth saying without lying to him, so instead she lied to herself.

She was fine. She could walk, even if it meant she had to lean on her table, her dresser, drag her feet just to get to her vanity table. She was fine, even when she collapsed onto her floor; she was plenty strong enough to pick herself up using her chair. She was fine, just look: her reflection in her mirror, where her eyes and hair were back to their natural blue color, just like her mother’s. Sure she was a bit paler, a bit thinner, but that could be fixed with a little bit of food.

She had the experience to know that mirrors didn’t lie, so she was perfectly alright.

The first time she woke up didn’t hurt. Hovering above her was a white ceiling, in a white room in a world that was always night, in a Castle That Never Was. This place wasn’t hers, just a strange twist of the imagination and all she had to do was come back to reality.

Next to her, relaxed and leaning back on lounge chair, he sat with a hand to his cheek. Her open eyes intrigued him, and he leaned forward, as if inspecting.

His voice was deep, eyes an invasive orange and long white hair that fell off his shoulders and it looked perfect on him, with a face she wished she could remember differently.

He slipped his hand out of his black glove, and stroked her forehead as she failed to register where she was and why he looked so familiar.

“The dream is over,” Xemnas had said to her then. And still, she did not understand.

She stood up without a problem. Right across from her was a mirror, a tall voyeur that watched her sleep, and she saw herself, bright golden eyes smirking at how far she had come and looked down on her at where she found herself.

Aqua shot a lightning bolt, shattering the glass into dust and pieces that she refused to clean up afterward.

She had the experience to know that mirrors didn’t lie, and she wanted it to remember as she stepped over its glass every day that she won.

Walking came and went as it pleased.

It came during hours when she felt confident, when Ventus treated her like nothing completely world-destroying had happened to either of them, like she was the same. It left her to be alone when she was frustrated, when he babysat her and fussed over her health.

With Terra gone all the time, the hours stacked on how much time she spent crawling.

He was hyper-focused on a long-neglected list of calls that have built up over the years since Eraqus’ death. Terra, the young hero running around world after world to save others who asked for help and she lost the courage to ask him to stay with her. Not that she would ever stop others from receiving his help, nor did she want to take away the space he obviously needed. When they crossed paths, he’d give her a slight nod and a false smile, and then hurried off. She missed his voice most of all.

If anyone had asked her what the most unnerving thing was, though, was the feeling that someone had lived in the castle while they were gone.

“You’re being paranoid,” Ventus said when she asked him if anyone had stayed in her room.

He was unfolding a yard of soft, willowy fabric that she was going add seams to for her new sleeves. She built enough strength to at least run her sewing machine.

“Then why did someone leave things here?” she asked, making sure he understood how serious the question was.

“What are you talking about?”

“There are dresses in the closet that aren’t mine.”

He cocked an eyebrow and wandered over to open her closet doors. He went through each dress to be absolutely sure she wasn’t crazy, and eventually pulled out a white dress with a blue ribbon sash.

“That one,” she picked. “It isn’t mine.”

“Are you nuts? You wore this to the Master’s party.”

“What party?”

“When you guys passed your preliminaries?” She gave him a blank stare and he finally got concerned. “You bought this dress months ahead of time for the perfect occasion and declared it was your favorite… None of that ringing a bell?”

A whole night and events before, just gone.

“I’m not crazy,” she whispered, turning back to her project and aligning the needle to the folds of fabric.

“I didn’t say you were.”

At this, she couldn’t focus anymore, rubbing her face because it was so damn scary to just not remember her life.

“I’ll never dance again,” she said, refusing to shed tears over it.

“What’s that now?” Most of the time, he was her dancing partner, and he’d never tolerate that.

“Please, I would only be able to roll around.”

“Then I’ll roll with you. We’ll call it a new move.”

A Ventus from another lifetime probably would have tried to brush it off, believing in some magical possibility that she’d get better in no time. This Ventus really grew up, and she didn’t know what she would do without him.

Terra cleared his throat, waiting by her open door - neither of them noticed he was there or for how long.

His hair was so drenched that his shirt was wet. This new Terra really showered too much.

“I’m going to make dinner,” he said, though he refused to look at her so much he might as well have said it to her door frame.

That didn’t matter, because Terra was here, and it was ridiculous how happy it made her and how much she needed their friendship to return to normal.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said, a smile brightening her cheeks.

He glanced and caught sight of it, his eyes so wide and fixated that it looked like it hurt him. It was certainly the oddest rejection she had ever felt when he didn’t return it, and he mumbled “okay” as he left to the kitchen.

Ventus snarled behind her and rolled his eyes. “I’ll lecture him later.”

He and Aqua dominated the conversation during dinner as Terra pretended to inspect his food. At least the boy liked to focus on the happier side of life - Ventus was simply the fresh air they needed to dispel the stuffiness.

Terra answered her questions with brief responses, and at most they spoke for fifteen minutes during dinner: mostly about what he’d been doing, how she was coping. She felt how the seconds ticked, seeing how closed up he became because he sucked at hiding it, and he always broke their one chance at a get-together with an announcement (and a false smile) that he had a big day tomorrow.

Aqua had no idea he was actually preparing something for her until she woke up one morning with two wooden, waxed crutches waiting right by her bedside. He left no note, but she didn’t need one: Terra had roughly carved and sandpapered her name onto each of them, and he made sure the shoulder rest was padded enough so her armpits wouldn’t hate her from too much use. He cared. She couldn’t ask for more.

Master Eraqus taught them that their connections and bonds to other hearts could be expressed through material things, and that was all they were good for - anything else was greedy.

The crutches gave her the gift of freedom, new friends made with the hands and sweat of someone she loved. It gave her enough to really survey the ruins of the castle, and she noted that Terra was home more often than she thought - he just avoided her.

Eventually, blocked hallways opened up and led into the trails behind the academy. Paintings that were toppled over found their way home, like he needed everything to go back as it was. Walls diseased with mold eventually were demolished, rebuilt, and repainted and floors that needed retiling were fixed. Terra worked hard, and that was all he did.

She put herself to work in Eraqus’ beloved gardens, all mudded with overgrown weeds that fought for the right to stay. Sitting on her knees, she ripped them out, the parasites. If ripping a heart out was this easy, she wouldn’t have been in this mess. Dirt was shuffled to breathe, seeds were planted to nuzzle, water was given to spark.

For someone who could not walk properly, this took days, and when the sun started to come down, she would watch Terra through the upper windows of the Master’s office, carrying stacks of books and dusting. He locked himself in that most of his time, everyday, like it was his personal safe haven.

She wished it was safe enough for her to go in there with him, too.

“You’re transforming because your heart is broken. You will find that with time, the exact… reflection… of that darkness will begin to manifest.”

Vexen’s results were conclusive, and strict: if she was ever going to walk again, she had no choice but to swallow her pride and accept what was coming to her. And she was stubborn (annoyingly so), bolting out of the lab as soon as she found out, pretending not to feel embarrassed when stumbled through his doorway.

At least she did not wince when she fell on the way out, holding her head high as always.

But it was hard having to act like she was strong at all hours of the day. When she was truly herself, a girl named Aqua doing her best at keeping Xehanort’s influence suppressed, she honestly needed someone to care when she lost all feeling in her legs and slid down a wall, her hands throbbing. Crawling on her arms was humiliating and undignified, so she sat, alone in a white castle that was as empty as the inhabitants claimed to be.

It was there that Xemnas found her, and she didn’t need to ask him to carry her to a nearby couch, where she could at least sulk in comfort.

If she craned her neck as far back as it could against the backrest, she could see that the very top of the tallest towers had skylights, where one star begged for her attention through the rain clouds.

“He said the harder I refuse Xehanort’s influence, the more I lose the ability to walk,” she spat.

With enough time, she learned that there were certain glints that came to Xemnas’ fiery cold eyes. He was still such a hard case to read, and in this moment, she couldn’t tell if he was pleased or… somber.

Xemnas took a seat next to her after thoughtful consideration, his hands leaning over his knees. “Of course, you will continue to fight.”

His rich voice betrayed him - he was not only stating the obvious with her, but he nearly commanded her as well. This was comforting.

“What’s going to happen to me?” she asked, even though Vexen told her already and the younger Xehanort loved to remind her.

“You would be cast into a remarkable place of oblivion,” he said with a small smile, and she wondered what image came to his mind. “Come to send us deliverance from all the powers that bind you to this state in the first place.”

She scoffed, sharp enough to call out the ridiculousness of his words. “You make me sound like a savior.”

“Hm,” he shook his head. “Something more elegant than that.”

There was nothing about the ache in her hands and how scaly her skin was turning that made her feel sophisticated or beautiful. What a strange man he was not to mind what she was becoming.

“An angel,” she quipped. It was a foolish and pathetic wish, but at least she was honest.

Xemnas’ smiles were never fully pleasant and warm - they spoke of leverage, like he had secret aspirations and whims. “With black wings.”

She pursed her lips. He was absolutely horrible at being endearing, but the image of her gaining freedom in the skies with a pair of black wings was welcome. Maybe she can force Xehanort to grow them for her and she wouldn’t need legs anymore. And then no one, not even him, would dare try to control her again.

It was sickening - she loved and hated how powerful she felt when she was less herself. When she was too tired to care about anyone around her, she felt how much more of a kick her magic received, how strong the pace of her legs were, how confident she was staring down at the things that scared her most (like Terra); it was empowering to let go.

Then the fear settled on the mornings she would wake up and realize that she barely recognized herself, and all over again she struggled to stay standing, and her arms would hurt, and she became meeker as she wondered if she was going crazy. And the cycle started again.

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” she started in a whisper, expecting him to tell her to give in, let Xehanort take over so she could rest. But he didn’t. “There wasn’t a point to any of it… having a Keyblade, fighting darkness or fighting for the light and losing one battle but winning another - it goes in circles and it never stops.”

Aqua knew she sounded a lot like Xehanort, but this was straight from her heart, and Xemnas nodded in agreement.

“I don’t want to be a Keyblade wielder,” she continued, “and I don’t care to be a seeker of darkness. I want nothing to do with either of them, I just want to live my life peacefully as…”

She paused, her voice getting caught in her throat as she searched for the right word.

Xemnas gave her the gift of the softest smile she had ever seen on his face (a smile for a cost, that gift was never for free), and his was twisted too much to look like Terra’s even though they were so close. But of course he was different. He was a somebody that understood.

“A Nobody,” he answered for her.

“A nobody,” she agreed.

Aqua, truly herself, rolled over onto her hands, black leather gloves squeaking against white, and she crawled over to his lap, resting her head against his thigh, breathing in his cologne - strong, like himself, smelling of patchouli. If he was made of nothing, at least he was warm.

She saw the smirk he undoubtedly wore in her mind, his head resting against his hand looking down on her like he was celebrating a conquest. She let him think he won a game; why bother denying that they both needed a connection to balance out the numbness. One of these days, Kingdom Hearts was going to swallow them both, and she didn’t want to be alone when that happened.

He slipped a glove off, and his fingers ran through her hair, brushing against her scalp. It was soothing, and she figured some part of it was for him, too.

Her knees begged her for mercy but she knew them better, and she took it one step at a time. The crutches were strapped to her back just in case, and her fingers braced against the wall to keep her up. Aqua never recalled a time where her own body felt this heavy, but this, this was good progress.

What tugged her along was the smell of mixed spices. By this time, Terra would have already taken his second shower of the day, and Ventus would be nagging at him to hurry up. How amazed would her boys be once they see her walking through the kitchen door.

She leaned too hard against the doorway for her taste, but damn it all, she was proud of herself too for keeping straight.

“You’re walking,” Ventus exclaimed when he saw her. He was already sitting at the table, his plate and fork prepared.

Terra forgot he was holding a ladle, so freshly showered that his hair was still soaking. He scrambled to pull out her chair for her, anticipating her movements until she sat down.

“Thank you,” she said, relying on the table as a guide so she could bend her knees and sit down without collapsing.

“Mhmm,” he muttered as he scurried back to the stove without looking her in the eye.

Dinner went as always, with Ventus conducting the conversations and working (so hard) on keeping everyone’s spirits up. With how much she had improved, she was really feeling these warmer vibes, and conversations about their memories, even about the Master, didn’t hurt this evening. Healing demanded to take its own pace, but it was the best of friends she could ask for.

They had even caught Terra smirking to himself as he listened to their stories.

“Now that everything’s better,” she said to him, as if walking was still too difficult a word to utter, “maybe we could take a camping trip, like we used to have.”

The look on Ventus’ face said he already started planning what they would do. “I really miss fishing. You would make the best dinner out of that.”

“Yeah! That’s not too hard on the body,” she agreed.

It was a good feeling to look forward to a new day again.

Terra’s smile faltered before picking itself back up again. “Are you sure you’re okay to do that?” he asked her but he really addressed his stew.

“I think so.” She stared hard at his features. His skin was really red from scrubbing, and his eyes scattered so frequently to the point that he was surely talking himself into how to behave. “I think it’s worth it. We deserve to have our lives back to the way they were.”

He drew a sharp inhale and she thought that she hurt him somehow. But he finally, finally looked at her, his eyes searching for a reason to say something. He didn’t have the strength to keep going, shifting between swirling his food and taking glances her way.

“We’ll see.” He stood up and carried his unfinished bowl. “I have to check how many worlds I still need to visit.”

“That’s not annoying,” Ventus said with a tone that clearly told the opposite.

Terra ignored him and scraped his leftovers.

“You can’t keep doing this,” Ventus snapped. “She’s trying to-”

“That’s enough, Ven,” Terra interrupted. That softness in his voice still existed, but it was so much more quiet, exactly the way he would speak when he signaled a warning.

And exactly the way he spoke on that horrid day in Radiant Garden all those years ago. Terra summoned that mythical wall of his to keep the both of them at a distance, and he walked away, his footsteps heavy.

“It’s fine,” she said and it broke the silence.

“No it isn’t.” Ventus stabbed at his food, one hand rubbing a headache off his forehead. “He’s such a knucklehead.”

“Not really…”

“Pssh, he’s worse than you.”

That was mostly untrue, and they both knew it. The smiles they threw at each other were weak but at least they weren’t feeling them alone.

But pleasantries didn’t last, and the isolation Ventus’ smirk cast away would sink back into her bones again as she thought of watching Terra’s shoulders from behind, distancing further and further away from her.

She thought of that late afternoon in San Fransokyo when she asked Xemnas to join her atop a roof where they watched Sora struggle to save civilian collateral. He had said something to the effect that it would all be over soon and she finally decided that she couldn’t go down that route, so she watched his tall, relaxed shoulders for several moments as a silent good-bye before she struck him from behind.

There were a lot of sacrifices she had made in the name of friendship, and now she lost them both.

On her way back to her bedroom, her knees finally gave in. She used her crutches to pick herself up, not letting Ventus provide any help - loss of pride wasn’t something she was willing to deal with right now.

Aqua found herself taking inventory as she sat on her bed, carefully inspecting the furniture and decorations around her, what she did and did not remember.

It was quiet but it was noisy, the wind howling as it rattled the glass on her window and she didn’t want to see how vacant and dark it was outside so she leaned back to close the curtains. It didn’t muffle the sound.

“Come on,” she commanded as she massaged and rubbed her thighs, shaking them to wake the muscles up. Going from a rough grip to a gentle rub, moving from her pelvis all the way down to the knee, flexing her feet so that her calves responded.

There was no tension in her tendons or anywhere that she could feel. She just needed her heart to remember that this body was hers.

She repeated the phrase in between sobs, and after the third time leaned forward to rest her hand on her bedside table. Aqua shifted her weight to her feet, Aqua shook vehemently, and Aqua, the girl with a Keyblade who became a Master and no one was going to steal that memory away from her, stood up.

She was leaning on her fingers against the surface of the table, but still, success.

A knock on her door. It was well past midnight by this point, and Ventus should be putting himself to bed instead of worrying about her.

“Come in, Ven.”

It was Terra, and her heart nearly burst out of her throat. He had a well-lit lantern close to his chest, which couldn’t shine in comparison to how bright her room was but against the darkness of the hallway, it was brilliant.

“Um…” Every word he thought of to say, he rejected, and he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. He looked utterly defeated, his heart terribly broken and she didn’t know what to do with the pieces. Terra was always the bravest, and with how terrified he was standing right in front of her, she realized she had been watching him try to glue his heart back together by himself.

“I noticed your light was still on,” was what he settled with.

“Yeah,” she said, breathlessly, and as much as she wanted to keep it comfortable for him, she couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear.

“You um, having trouble sleeping?”

“Ah, not always.”

“I heard you crying,” he said softly.

If she wasn’t standing too straight before, Aqua made sure to look like she was now.

“Come on,” he said, gesturing his head down the hallway. “I’ll take your blankets.”

This was certainly familiar - they used to sneak out of the castle some nights to find a spot under the stars. In stormy days, they camped indoors in whatever room they fancied.

Aqua shook her head, the thought of being a burden rising in her mind. “You don’t have to do that-”

“Please,” he stressed, like he didn’t want to hear it.

With that, she agreed, her heart taking somersaults and she swallowed too many times to suppress her smiles. He gave her the lantern to hold for herself in the dark, and he brushed past her to bundle up sheets and pillows - he was even close enough for her to smell his shampoo. She remembered exactly what it was made of: sandalwood and sunflower. Though very pleasant, she wished she could breathe his natural skin.

The lantern created a halo around the two of them as she followed him through the quiet hallways; only a light this bright would be given to her by him. Terra took his time walking, holding her blankets in both of his arms as he allowed her to keep up with him.

She never asked where he was taking her to, basking in the glory of trusting him to lead her well, just like the old days. At least she recognized the doors he opened for her.

“Oh, Terra, it looks great,” she said with a sigh as they stepped into their old Master’s office.

The desk was neat and orderly - too neat for Terra but it was clear that he wasn’t doing this for himself. All of the books were arranged in their shelves. The wardrobe was repainted and rewaxed, its scruffs filled in. The couch by the warm fire was clean and welcoming, decorations repaired and placed back, exactly where they belong.

Terra fixed time in this room, as if the Master had never left, save for the new memorial - the Master’s Defender, hanging sophisticatedly above the fire as if watching over them.

“You did such a good job,” she reiterated, tears almost to her cheeks.

A stack of Terra’s blankets waited for them already (he had really planned to bring her along, she really needed a hug from him now). He threw them into piles to makeshift a mattress on the rug, letting her take the couch for herself. The trees outside rustled violently against the wind, overpowering the cackle of the fire and filling the space between them.

Aqua was finally welcomed into Terra’s safe haven, and it made sense why he chose this room.

It was a room only the Master occupied and there was no way that would change. A framed photo of Eraqus, with a bright smile behind his bushy mustache, watched them from atop a desk right next to her, so they wouldn’t be able to do anything inappropriate, much less talk about romantic and otherwise mixed, hurt, complicated, heavy feelings.

Terra cleared his throat, lifting his blankets up to his lap. “You comfortable?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. He looked far more comfy to snuggle with than the couch she sat on, honestly.

He reached for something dark - a white leather-bound journal, actually, wrapped in a black tarp. “I thought this might help you… you know, remember things.”

A reasonable gesture, except -

“What is this?”

Terra blinked several times as if to stop what he was thinking. “We used to write in it.” He cleared his throat again. “We kept it hidden from Ven, actually.”

The first page donned two dark red fingerprints, smeared a little, with two children’s scrawls; one done in her handwriting, the other Terra’s. They both read ’ Best Friends Forever .’

Here was proof she wrote this, but nothing came to mind.

Something on her face gave that away, because Terra volunteered. “We used to make blood pacts.”

“Why did we stop?”

“They hurt too much.” If anyone could chuckle without smiling, it was Terra.

The next page was a mix-match of scrawls, some words scratched out and replaced, like the authors were in disagreement.

“What’s this?” she asked more to herself, and read out loud:

“ If I ever doubt her again, I will rub mud into my armpits…”

Terra groaned. “I lost a bet and you made me write that.”

Aqua couldn’t help herself except to melt into laughter, and each time she tried to stop, she failed. The greatest blessing was that it was contagious, and he actually cracked a small pull of his lips, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he watched her struggle to contain herself.

“Which bet did I win?” she managed to ask in between breaths.

“I… don’t really remember.”

“Fair enough.” It was a dead end. Hopefully the other entries would not be fossilized like this one.

She randomly flipped through more pages, coming across a photo of the three of them, wearing formal clothes at a party. There she was, wearing a beautiful white dress with lace, and a blue ribbon sash. It dawned on her - she gave up a memory to wake Ventus up, and it must have had something to do with this journal.

It was excessive though, how these memories were tied to each other like a web and everything related to this journal was now infected. When Vexen said that she would be losing memories connected to whatever she gave up, he wasn’t kidding.

Instead of wallowing in the self-pity that ensued as she thought about it, she decided to go back and see what else their childhood selves came up with.

“What the-?”

Terra actually scoffed, heartily even, his smile showing the faintest of teeth, and it was a beautiful sound.

“A lot of those pages are going to be recipes. We made some up.” It was the way he said it that told her there was much more hiding.

“Terra, these are disgusting ,” she said and her cheeks hurt, reading the lists carefully. These recipes lacked imagination and for that, they must have suffered for trying them. “Most of them are in your handwriting.”

“I like to think I was creative.”

“Or insane.”

He cleared his throat and his face stiffened, calming his smile down, and she hated herself for ruining it. She didn’t mean to - honestly, she was the crazy one between the two of them.

“I hope you’re finding it helpful.” He nodded to the journal.

“… You mean, be more normal.”

“No-”

“I know,” she reassured him. How she hated the feeling of her smile falling. “Thank you, Terra. I’m glad you gave this to me.”

He took too long of a silent moment. “It will be okay,” he said, and maybe it was partly to himself. “Like you said, things will eventually go back to the way they were.”

That wasn’t what she meant. It was impossible, and she was sure he knew it. But kids could dream, right? They found themselves staring up at the Master Defender, watching under the faint glow of the fire beneath it, and the movement of the flames made it look like it lived.

“Is it… off?” she asked. “Dormant?”

He shrugged with one shoulder. “From time to time, but it will help us when we need it. You know, you could take it if you want to.”

“Terra-” she scoffed.

“You’ve been with it for a long time-”

“I can’t even walk properly. How am I supposed to fight?”

“Well, when you get better,” he said, not realizing that she shifted uncomfortably at the suggestion.

Getting better was a guarantee, but what was not was being able to do anything else he assumed: training, traveling the worlds, being a proper Keyblade Master. As much as she wanted this night to be pleasant – to be this close to him again was a gift she shouldn’t take for granted – she reminded herself that telling him was just going to be a few minutes of tension. Hopefully, that would all be what it took before things got better between them.

“I don’t have my Keyblade anymore,” she said flatly, since there was no point in hiding it from him.

He stared first. “What?”

“I-”

“You never told me.”

She had enough of seeing him so upset, and wished she never said anything. “I don’t know where it is. I gave it up… to save you.”

His eyes flickered as hard as the fireplace in front of them, and he didn’t have the will to relax his jaw.

“I’ll find it,” he finally said after a silence that squirmed in between them.

“Terra-”

“I’ll find it,” he snapped and he wanted the final say in this. Any hope she had of laughing with him tonight quickly burned away.

He was softer than that, though, and realized what he had done.

“I’ll find it,” he repeated once again, in a soft whisper like he made a reassuring promise to her.

Promises were normally innocent and full of faith - how unnerving it was to see them lose these qualities, to see him give one to her exhausted, like he had nothing else to lose. The last thing she could do now was take this away from him, too.

“As long as you stay safe,” she whispered, the pain hitting her chest of letting him go like this.

This, she could see, he appreciated. The first genuine smile he gave her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

In this safe space, she pulled the sheets to her chin and watched him sleep, losing the tension in his forehead as he dreamed of a fantasy that kept him safe from the shadows that flickered in the room and danced all over his body. If this was the closest she would ever get to him, she decided she would be okay with that.

Still, she made wishes under her breath.

It was nearly time for Terra to come home and the butterflies in her stomach lurched at not only the thought, but at the nasty smell that came out of her oven. It was simply putrid .

And this made her giggle. Fish were foul when they weren’t seasoned with anything, and the more she anticipated Terra’s arrival, the longer she was able to stand and walk and bake all by herself. Her crutches rested right next to the stovetop, just in case. It was cloudy outside, which kept the summer temperature cool.

The cupcakes were done, fish heads sticking out of the domes with empty eye-sockets - there wasn’t a need to be watched by them. Besides, the recipe specifically called for it.

She had a stack of clean, gutted fish lying on a tray on the counter, where she had also gathered lemon peels, garlic, and basil for a delicious home-cooked meal that she would cook later at a more appropriate time.

When she heard footsteps coming closer, she took a moment to calm herself.

“Aqua, it reeks,” Terra said as he stormed into the kitchen, his hair soaking and smelling so wonderfully shampooed that she realized she would need to wash the fish oils off of her hair soon.

“It does,” she said matter-of-factly.

He blinked several times as he wandered from the grotesque desserts to the open secret journal where his ten-year-old’s scrawls were visibly readable.

“What did you do?”

“I made fish cupcakes - your favorite.”

He rubbed his face. “They look disgusting.”

“You were a pretty gross kid,” she giggled, and relied on the counter to give herself balance. “Just some flour, eggs… that’s it. No sugar, even.”

He leaned on the counter with his elbows, to meet her face to face. “So what do we do with them?”

“We eat them. I added salt to make it easier.”

He lurched back. “You’re not serious.”

“I am.” It sounded sadder than she wanted it to. “I don’t remember us playing with any of this and I thought… why not relive it?”

He studied his palm against the marble of the counter, his fingers splayed out and he took his time to think of his response. When he looked her in the eye, Aqua felt safe enough to smile.

“If you really wanted to know, you could’ve just asked,” he said. “They were nasty.”

“We have to chew and swallow,” she commanded. This was more normal, turning something like this into a competitive game.

He bit his lip and scoffed, pulling a cupcake from its tray. “Good luck.”

She took her cupcake and they stood in silence, waiting to see who would be the first to do it (Aqua, he followed immediately after she started moving). The fish was out of its element, in a crumbly, dry cake that fell apart the moment it hit moisture. It was acidic at best, that odor invading her sinuses and Terra leaned over his knees gagging, all the while keeping his mouth shut and forcing himself to chew. She was more refined, in perfect posture while she used both hands as a barrier to her mouth and let the tears fall proudly.

Terra groaned out loud, gasping for air when he was finished, sticking his tongue out to show his triumph. “I won.”

“Mm-mm.” She jerked her head and chewed the last bits, saying a prayer before that large swallow and the worst was over. She relaxed her jaw as proof. “I swallowed, too.”

“I finished first.”

“That wasn’t part of the game-”

“Bullshit.”

“We only said ’ chew and swallow ,’ not to ’ do it first ’.”

“You’re such a sore loser.”

“What of it?”

He moaned, whining about what was going to happen next as he searched his pockets to free whatever was poking him so he could at least sit comfortably. Out of them were a bag of munny, vials of healing potions, a small hunting knife, and his Wayfinder -

Badly damaged, with cracks in one of the wings and its metal border bent outward in a sharp angle.

“What happened to it?” She cursed herself for asking about a sensitive subject, when they were having so much fun.

Terra stared at it. “Xehanort didn’t take good care of it,” he said flatly, and this was the first time either of them had uttered that name since she woke up.

If anything they were too tired, letting a moment of silence follow that name, because there was nothing either of them could say that would have mended what had happened. They were in agreement anyway: he was a monster, a thief, a demon. He ruined their lives. He used them and left them for dead.

Why bother even venturing into that territory?

She placed her palm over his Wayfinder, its orange glow noticeably less vibrant. And she waited - to see if he would insist on taking it back. She dragged it along the counter, and all he did was rest his chin on his palm, carefully eyeing it as it crawled away from him.

Any moment, he would snatch it back, and she stalked for the opportunity to wrestle it for herself.

But he didn’t, a little smile shyly creeping out of his mouth.

“I’m going to fix it,” she said as she brought it to her chest. “And you can’t stop me.”

“I wasn’t going to.” There, there was a softness she hadn’t seen in years from him and for a second she forgot what day of the year it was.

“Good.” She returned his smile, and the sun shone brighter through the windows. Aqua pulled out two more cupcakes. “Onward then. First one to swallow it wins this time.”

Terra and Aqua were always good sports, whether the game was to win boasting rights or it was designed to make each other miserable. The fish tasted just as badly, but it was actually harder to swallow it this second go-round, their taste buds punishing them for doing it again. They found themselves encouraging each other not to give up.

The castle finally heard its first share of laughter in years, and she felt like she won no matter the results.

#terraqua #terra #aqua #aquanort #xemnas #kh fanfic #kingdom hearts fanfiction #ventus #ahhhhh it's finally here #i've been so busy #with moving #with a new job #with TWO zines #i still have to talk about those too haha #my fic

40 notes · View notes

heyyyharry · 6 years ago

Text

Open Book

(from the Flatmate!Harry Series)

…in which Y/N meets a stranger in the library, and Harry’s got new problems to face.

Warning: mostly fluff and a bit of naughty texting, also this is the longest chapter so far I think so probably there’s a bunch of mistakes in here because I was too frustrated to edit. 😂

(I wanted to update my other series In Another Life before this but I accidentally deleted half of the third chapter of that series so yeah I’m just gonna update this first. This chapter is really long, I hope it’s not too confusing because it’s hard to write when the main characters are in two different locations and timezones. This motivates me to bring Harry home sooner (or maybe bring Y/N to Harry?). Anyway, enjoy and drag me if you must, my inbox is open!)

Y/N is one of the few people left in the library tonight. There’s an exam coming up so she plans to stay here until closing hour. Despite trying to focus on her text book, Y/N can’t help but notice the guy sitting two tables away has been staring at her ever since she sat down. He looks away whenever their eyes meet, it’s very obvious, but Y/N doesn’t care. She just wants to finish this chapter then comes home to call Harry.

It’s 8PM now, the library is closed so Y/N has to leave. She makes her way to the bus stop on her own, subconsciously thinking about Harry like she always does, until her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of someone else’s footsteps.

She’s not alone.

There’s this middle-aged man walking behind her. She speeds up, he speeds up, she slows down, he slows down. Y/N’s first thought is maybe she should call Harry, but then she remembers he’s living on the other side of the world now, he cannot be here to save her.

“Y/N!”

Y/N spins around immediately. Her eyes flicker with a light of hope when she sees the boy in the library walking towards her. The middle-aged man notices as well, then ends up quickly walking away. He cannot do anything to her now that a tall and strong young man suddenly appears.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t know who you are and how you know my name but thank you for saving my life,” she says quickly in one breath, which makes the guy laugh in response.

“You left your notebook behind, your name was on it,” he tells her with a gentle smile and returns the notebook to its rightful owner. “That man was such a creep. Why are you walking home alone at night?”

“It’s okay, I do it all the time,” she assures him, but he shakes his head to disagree.

“You shouldn’t. To be honest I used the notebook as an excuse to talk to you but I’m glad I’d showed up before anything bad happened.“

Y/N is rooted to her spot for a brief moment, eyes wide, mouth agape, astounded. She’s not sure what to say after hearing that, being flirted with by a stranger is never her speciality.

“I—um…I’ve got a boyfriend,” she blurts out. The look on his face after that makes her cheeks turn red. “God, I’m sorry, I can’t believe I just assumed you were flirting I—”

“I was.”

“Sorry?”

“I was,” he repeats with a slight chuckle at her cute reaction. “But don’t worry, I respect that. I can’t say I’m not disappointed but it’s fine if you’re taken.”

“Thanks.” Thanks? Y/N’s inner self rolls her eyes, wondering why the hell would she even say something so dumb. “I should get going now.”

“Where do you live? I’ll drive you home.”

Y/N gives the boy a funny look as she reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t offer a stranger a ride! I could be a psychopath!”

“Well.” He shrugs. “What are the chances that we’re both psychopaths?”

“You expect me to get in the same car with you after that?” She squints her eyes at him, smiling a little bit.

As if just waiting for that, the guy takes out his ID from his wallet then hands it to her, trying not to laugh when he sees how surprised she is.

“You can take a photo of my ID and send it to any of your friends, maybe your boyfriend, so if something happens to you I’ll take full responsibility.”

“Wow, okay, I believe you, Ethan.” She reads the information on the card before putting it into the pocket of her jacket. “But…I’m keeping this until I get home safe.”

“Alright miss.” Ethan’s radiant smile is soon to reappear. “Shall we go?”

...

Harry’s whole face lights up when his girlfriend appears on the laptop screen.

“Hi baby!” he says while rubbing the sleep from his eyes and asks her where she’s been.

“I told you I was studying at the library.” Y/N knows it’s wrong to tell your boyfriend only half of the story when she’s promised to never hide anything from him. But things are different now that he’s not here anymore, she can’t just tell him she was in danger when the guy who had been checking her out in the library came to save her and drove her home! He would freak out then spend the whole day worrying for sure!

“I forgot. Ugh, I’m so forgetful these days.” Harry furrows his eyebrows in frustration and it's upsetting for her to see how stressed he is.

“I know you’ve been working hard but don’t push your limits, H.”

Harry gives her an assuring smile. “I’m fine, baby. No need to worry about me.”

Harry actually loves his job and the fact that he’s learnt a lot in the past week working in the new environment. Everything is just great, well — almost everything.

“Let’s not talk about my job for now. Let’s talk about you.”

“About me?”

“Layla told me you wouldn’t come to her birthday party this weekend. She was so disappointed.” Harry scrunches up his face. “That’s Layla we’re talking about! I’ve been gone for only a week but I feel like I’ve missed a whole lot.”

Y/N giggles. “We’ve spent a lot of time together. She even called me her ‘friend’ by accident the other day! Isn’t it crazy?!”

“So why aren’t you going to her birthday party?”

“You know I get anxious around strangers.”

“But Layla’s gonna be there with you and Niall as well. Maybe you’ll have fun.”

“I just think that—“ Before Y/N can finish her sentence, the laptop shuts down immediately, along with all the electricity devices in Harry’s flat. This is the third time this week his power is cut off, and Harry can’t take it anymore. He decides to come banging on the door of the flat in front of his.

It takes a little while until his neighbor Hana shows up at the door, wearing only her dark blue bathrobe and nothing else underneath, probably just got out of bed. Her black hair is tied up in a bun and she’s got no make-up on but her skin is glowing. She looks radiant for someone who just woke up, in the meantime he probably looks like a walking dead.

“Harry!”

Hana’s face lights up and Harry’s expression hardens when he snaps back to reality. Then he decides to just go straight to the point. “Why is there a power-cut in my flat?”

“Why are you asking me?"

“Because your family owns this building or is it another one of your lies?”

“Here we go again...” Hana rolls her eyes, leaning her shoulder against the doorframe as she studies the stern look on his face. “I guess you’re still mad at me.”

“I only get mad at those I care about.”

“Ouch.” She furrows her eyebrows, resting one hand on her hip and watches his face contort. “Not telling the whole truth isn’t the same as lying, Harry.”

“Oh really?” Harry exhales a heavy laugh, which is not at all for humor. “Then why did you tell me you were still in university?”

“I told you I moved back here for university, I never said I was still in university. You just assumed that because I looked younger!”

Harry purses his lips, maybe this one is really his fault, not hers. Still who would’ve thought someone with a face like that could be five years older than him? ‘Asian beauty secrets keep me young,’ he remembers her saying that.

“Okay so you might not have lied about your age!” Harry shrugs, but this isn’t over yet. “However, you did kiss me without my consent, even when you knew you're not only the executive assistant for the firm I’m working for but also my assigned instructor!”

Hana facepalms herself. He had been ignoring her since he found out who she was. She tried to talk to him yet he refused unless it was work-related. So when Harry showed up at her door today, Hana thought it could be a good sign for their relationship, but apparently she was wrong.

“Alright, for the hundredth time,” Hana heaves a sigh as she clasps both hands together in front of her chest. “I apologize. When we kissed I didn’t realize you were that intern from London. Never would’ve done it had I known.”

Hana takes Harry’s silence as a sign to continue.

“And I’m sorry you’re stuck with me. The boss asked me to find you a place to stay, and my family just happened to have an empty flat available.”

“You expect me to say thank you or something?”

“No, I just want us to put this behind and be good neighbors.” She curves her lips into a smile and offers her hand as a friendly gesture.

Though Harry’s still a bit irritated, he’s now less angry than before. So he decides to give her a chance and shakes her hand to get this over with.

"Now could you just have someone turn the power back on for me?” Harry pleads, but Hana gives him a shrug.

“Sorry it’s been like that for months now. You’re just gonna have to wait an hour or so.”

“Fuck!”

“You’re being grumpy, Harry. You could use that city tour I offered.” She puts a hand on his shoulder but he shrugs it right off.

“No thank you,” he repeats the exact same thing he told her the last time. “I would like to keep our relationship strictly business.”

“Is your girlfriend back home jealous or something?”

“Don’t bring my girlfriend into this.”

“So you do have a girlfriend.” Hana slightly chuckles, but Harry keeps a straight face still. “Don’t worry, I’m not flirting with you. Well—“ she suddenly pauses and tilts her head slightly to one side “—from now on.”

Harry wants to ask her what that’s supposed to mean, but before he’s got a chance, Hana shuts the door right in front of his face.

…

“Y/N!” Layla shouts from the library entrance the moment she spots her friend. She ignores the grumpy librarian telling her to shush and just hurries toward the desk where Y/N’s sitting next to her new friend Ethan.

“Emergency!” She slams her hand down on the table in front of the startled pair, immediately gaining attention from everyone nearby and a warning dead glare from the librarian. Layla mumbles an apology then lowers her voice. “Niall’s coming to my fucking birthday party! So you’re going as well, no matter you like it or not!”

“Layla, I told you, pool parties just aren’t my thing.” Well, any kind of parties...

“I bet you said the same thing about Harry but now you’re fucking him.”

Y/N’s cheeks turn red as she looks down and Ethan just awkwardly rubs the back of his head. That’s when Layla finally notice his presence.

“Who’s your new friend?”

“This is Ethan, the one I told you about. Ethan, this is Layla.”

“Oh the guy who saved you the other night!” Layla exclaims but Y/N gives her a look as a warning not to go too far with her jokes.

“Sweet Ethan, would you like to come to my party?” Layla bends over the table and rests her elbows on it, her chin on her knuckles, blinking her eyes teasingly at the confused guy. “Maybe Y/N would come if you do.”

Y/N opens her mouth to speak but Layla shuts her up right away. “You told me you didn’t want to be lonely there, so I got you someone, now you have to go.”

“You’re being manipulative, Layla.”

“Thanks.” Layla smirks before turning her attention back to the new boy. “I’ll leave you to think about it, but I’m counting on ya to convince her.”

“Layla—” Y/N sighs but her girl friend ignores that and just walks away from the desk without looking back. After Layla’s out of the library, Y/N turns back to Ethan and gives him an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about that, she can be a bit...overwhelming sometimes.”

“It’s okay.” Ethan chuckles. “If you want to go, I can go with you.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“I—” Y/N leaves her mouth open for two seconds as she tries to think of a better reason to avoid another social event. “I don’t think I’ll fit in. I...I tend to get anxious when I’m surrounded by many people I don’t know.”

“What about Layla?” Ethan raises an eyebrow at the girl whose eyes are on the text book in front of her. “Because she was practically begging for you to show up.”

“Layla—Well...I don’t know...I think she’s only hanging out with me because I help her with something, maybe she doesn’t actually like me.”

“So you’re afraid she’s only using you?”

“No...Uhm...Maybe? I honestly don’t know who to trust anymore, you won’t get it.”

Ethan lets out a slight laugh, then closes the novel in his hand and taps on the cover to get her attention.

“This is you,” he says, making her smile in confusion.

“A book?”

“A closed book!” Ethan raises a finger as he corrects her and Y/N immediately asks what he actually means by saying so.

“You want people to know your story but you refuse to let them read you, because what if they don’t like you, right? What if they wrinkle the pages and tear the covers? So you stay on the shelf instead, watching other books get borrowed and become best sellers while wishing you were them.”

Y/N just stares at him with widened eyes. She’s not saying anything, not because she thinks he’s talking nonsense, but because the comparison is so spot on that it shocks her more than just a bit.

Ethan presses his lips to form a gentle smile as he continues, “Y/N, you want to make new friends, hang out with people like Layla, at the same time you hold yourself back because you think you’re too boring for anyone to like, which is wrong by the way. You’ve got to believe in yourself, love. How do you know you’re gonna fail if you don’t try?”

For that one second, Y/N swears she sees Harry in Ethan.

“Y/N,” he calls her name and she blinks a couple of times to snap back to reality.

“Yes Ha—uh Ethan?”

“I’ll go with you if you change your mind.” Ethan smiles at her, and she smiles back, before turning her eyes to the book under his palm.

...

It’s 10PM and Harry’s still at the office, trying to finish proofreading these contracts and planning the executive’s meeting schedules for tomorrow. He’s not sure if it’s anything he said to Hana the last time he was at her door but she’s been a bit harsh on him ever since. She gave him extra tasks and didn’t try to talk to him like she normally would. It’s hard to admit but Harry kind of misses her constantly annoying him.

Ding. The notification on Harry’s phone gets his attention immediately. His girlfriend just sent him a new photo so he doesn’t hesitate to open the text. Harry almost chokes on air when he sees the photo of Y/N wearing a tight spaghetti-strap dress, which is so unlike her, and he doesn’t mean that in a bad way because she’s looking smoking hot. The message that goes with the photo is: Gonna be wearing this to Layla’s birthday :) x

Harry drops everything he’s doing to pick up the phone with both hands and types down a reply immediately:

Is that a new dress???

No it’s Layla’s, she wanted me to wear it to her party. What do you think?

You look so sexy baby but I demand a photo with the dress off!

I’m on the bus!

I don’t mind getting you off in public ;)

I hate you!

But I love you and I miss you and I’m horny and I need to touch you aaaaaah! I would fuck you while you’re in that dress, then again when you’re out of it.

A smirk displays on Harry’s face as he rubs his bottom lip with his forefinger, thinking about how red her face must be as she’s typing down a reply then deleting it because she’s embarrassed. She always gets so flushed and shy when he says stuff like that and that’s what turns him on.

It takes a moment, but finally, her text arrives:

I wish you were here.

Just by reading that one simple sentence, Harry almost wants to book a plane ticket and fly home with her instantly. He knew what he signed up for when he accepted the internship offer, he just didn’t think a long distance relationship would be this hard.

Harry came to this foreign country on his own, not knowing anyone nor the language, then got an annoying neighbor who’s also his superior and probably hates him now. His first week in Japan has been wild. Nevertheless, none of those problems come close to the fact that she’s not here. The person he used to be would always manage to have fun no matter where he was or who he was with. The person he is now just can’t stop thinking about this one girl who’s got his whole heart in the palm of her hand.

I’m getting off the bus now, text you later?

Have a great day baby :) I love you

I love you more :)

Harry reads her last text then tosses his head back and blows air through his mouth in frustration. Fuck. Now he hates everything, well, everything except for her.

It’s getting late so Harry packs up to leave, the thought of Y/N has never left his mind. He turns the lights off then walks out of the office, assuming he’s the only one here, but apparently not. The lights in the meeting room are still on.

He stops at the door to find Hana sitting alone by the desk, crying. She looks at him with her eyes all smudged then hastily wipes her tears away.

“What happened? Are you alright?” Harry asks in concern as he enters the room then stands in front of Hana on the other side of the desk.

“I’m fine. Don’t mind me,” replies the older girl while she’s staring at her lap. It seems like she expects him to walk away right after she told him so, which is why Hana is surprised to see him still standing there.

“You know...” he begins. The corners of his mouth turn up when she finally holds his eye-contact. “I think it’s not too late for that city tour.”

...

Y/N arrives at Layla’s birthday party, with Ethan as her companion. At first she was having doubts about the dress. She thought it was too much and would get people to pay attention to her, which was the opposite of what she wanted. Even so she couldn’t wear something else because she had given Layla her word.

“Don’t worry, you look great,” Ethan whispers into her ear when they spot Layla and her group drinking by the pool. The birthday girl is more than excited to see Y/N.

“You're here!” To Y/N’s surprise, Layla runs towards her and violently attacks her with a tight hug.

“Layla, you’re drunk already!”

“A bit, yeah. I need alcohol to do this.” She nods quickly then turns to Ethan. “I can’t thank you enough for dragging her ass to my party!”

“You’re welcome,” he replies with a small smile then tells the girls he’ll go get drinks for Y/N and himself.

“Bye sweetie!” Layla drunkenly waves at Ethan as he walks away, then quickly turns back to Y/N, holding both of her arms, looking utterly frantic.

“I saw Niall but I can’t do it!”

“Yes, you can!” Y/N holds Layla’s face between her palms then looks straight into her green eyes. “You’re going to get your shit together, go find him, then tell him how you feel, just like we’ve discussed!”

“Okay, what if he says no?”

“How do you know you’re gonna fail if you don’t try?” Y/N repeats the same words Ethan said the other day. Layla quickly nods her head then pulls Y/N into another hug, this one lasts longer than the previous one.

“Thank you,” she mumbles before pulling away, holding Y/N’s shoulders firmly. “I’ll be right back, hopefully with good news!”

“Yes! You go girl!” Y/N flashes her a smile then watches the birthday girl flee away.

...

Everything has been going well for Y/N. She’s been laughing and dancing and chatting with Ethan and the others, and for the first time since Harry left she’s actually having a good time. She’s proud of herself, and she’s happy, but it’s been an hour already and Layla hasn’t come back with her good news. Y/N tries to not think too much about it, until she runs into Niall...and his date.

“Hey, Niall!” Y/N smiles at him but her eyebrows are furrowed as she’s confused by the other girl’s presence.

“Oh hey Y/N!” Niall replies cheerfully then grabs the brunette behind him by the hand, slightly pulling her to the front. “This is Harry’s girlfriend Y/N. Y/N, this is my girlfriend—”

Niall tells Y/N the girl’s name but Y/N can’t make out anything else after that word. Her eyes almost pop out of her head when she repeats it one more time in tone of a question.

“Girlfriend?!”

“Yeah, we just made it official yesterday.”

“Oh God...”

“What is it?”

“No nothing.” YN shakes her head in response to a puzzled Niall then asks him, “does Layla know?”

“Yeah, we ran into Layla, Liam, and Louis a moment ago.”

Y/N groans into the palms of her hands then turns to Ethan, telling him to give her a minute before excusing herself to leave quickly. As she pushes her way through the crowd, Y/N hears Niall calling after her asking what’s going on but she ignores him completely and steals two bottles of wine on her way.

If I was a birthday girl with a broken heart, where would I go? Y/N asks herself, though she’s already got the answer. That’s how she ends up here, in the toilets and finds Layla sobbing in one of the stalls.

“Layla?” Y/N slightly knocks on the door and receives a soft hum as a reply. “Hey, it’s Y/N, let me—”

The door swings open and Layla walks out before Y/N can even finish that sentence.

“Are you okay?” Y/N’s question comes out almost as a whisper. This is the first time she’s ever seen Layla cry.

“I haven’t told him. He brought her here, they’re dating,” the poor girl breaks the news to Y/N, whose face scrunches up immediately. She can relate to how Layla’s feeling right now in a way, because before her Harry’s been with plenty of other girls. However she guesses this is different, Harry was just fooling around with those girls whereas Niall’s actually in a relationship now.

Y/N sighs then raises the two wine bottles in the air, making Layla turn away from the mirror to look at her with a broken smile. “I don’t normally drink but if you want to get wasted, let’s do it.”

“Harry’s taught you well,” Layla jokes as she accepts one bottle from the girl without hesitation. She’s never said no to alcohol, and right now, she thinks she needs it more than ever.

...

The night ends with Layla dragging Y/N’s body from the lift, all the way to the flat she shares with Harry then to her bed.

“Be carefully!” Layla shouts, but it’s already too late.

Y/N knocks over the lamp on her nightstand as both of them fall down onto her bed. Layla groans in pain while Y/N is just laughing hysterically for no reason. Layla leaves Y/N lying on her back and sits up on the edge, staring down at her tipsy friend.

“Next time don’t drink more than you can, you idiot,” Layla speaks under her breath but she can’t hide the smile on her face.

The silence in the room is torn down by Y/N’s ringtone. While Y/N’s groaning and giggling like a madwoman, Layla reaches for the phone and finds the screen light up with Harry’s name on it.

“Your boyfriend’s calling.”

“My boyfriend?!”

Y/N immediately gets up on her knees on the bed and yanks the phone away from Layla’s hand to answer it herself. Just before she can say hello, Harry’s already the first to speak.

“Y/N, are you home yet? I tried to call you but you had your phone turned off!”

“Baby! Baby! I just drank a lot of wine! A whole lot! Now I’m feeling great!!!” she happily tells him, sitting down with her legs crossed and her free hand holding one foot.

“Jesus you sound hella drunk. Are you home yet?”

“Yessssssss! Ethan drove me home!”

“Who’s Ethan?”

Layla almost chokes on air and she immediately grabs the phone away from Y/N before the drunk girl says something stupid that’d make Harry explode.

“It’s fine, I came home with her,” she assures Harry, receiving a pout from Y/N whose conversation with her boyfriend was rudely interrupted.

“Layla? You two are at our flat right?”

“Yes, we’re safe, calm your tits Styles.” Layla giggles, yet Harry doesn’t sound like he’s more at ease.

“Who the fuck is Ethan?”

“Oh he’s just Y/N’s new friend.”

“Why hasn’t anyone told me about this new friend?”

“Give me back my Harry!” Y/N attempts to take the phone, so Layla pushes her back down on the bed and stands up to continue the conversation.

“Don’t worry, he’s just a friend. He actually saved your girl a few nights ago.”

“Again, what the fuck?!”

“She was walking home alone and some guy followed her but Ethan showed up just in time. He took her home.” Layla grins. The truth is she finds jealous Harry quite entertaining. If Y/N wasn’t drunk she would’ve stopped her from doing this. However, since Y/N is drunk, Layla cannot pass this opportunity.

“Okay, so my girlfriend was in danger and nobody wanted to tell me?”

“If we’d told you, you would’ve bought a fucking plane ticket and showed up here the next morning. Relax, he’s a nice guy.” Layla almost mentions him flirting with Y/N but then she thinks again and decides not to. Harry would probably fly all the way back just to murder that poor guy.

“I trust Y/N but I don’t trust him. Do you know how easy it is for people to like Y/N once they’ve got to know her?”

“I’m starting to,” says Layla as she gives Y/N a smile and receives one back in return though Y/N has no idea what’s going on.

“Did you get my happy birthday text though?”

“Yes, it’s nice. Thank you.”

There’s a long pause on Harry’s side before he asks Layla another question, “Is there anything you want to tell me?”

“Like, why I’m being nice to Y/N?”

“No. I mean...sure, I want to know the reason for that, but I feel like what you actually want to tell me has nothing to do with Y/N.”

“Nope. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Layla sticks out her bottom lip and shrugs as she denies to tell the truth. However, for a second there, she did consider.

“I hope you’re okay.”

Layla stays quiet. She doesn’t want to ask what he means by saying that, at the same time, Harry doesn’t push her to give him a confirmation.

“Could you put me back on the phone with Y/N?” he asks, and Layla does as she’s told, telling Y/N she’ll be right back then leaves the room.

“Baby, ya there?”

“I’m here!”

Harry sighs happily when he hears his girlfriend’s voice again.

“Harry come home, I miss you.”

“If I could right now, you know I would. How are you love?”

“Uhm...a bit dizzy...I threw up on the way back. Ethan and Layla helped me from falling down the stairs!”

Ugh fucking Ethan, Harry thinks to himself, but he keeps his calm while speaking to her.

“Baby, does Ethan know about me?”

“Yes, he was flirting with me and—”

“He was what now?”

“Don’t you worry, I told him I’d got a boyfriend!” Y/N giggles and Harry feels a bit relieved.

“I didn’t tell him you weren’t in London though, he figured it out by himself! He said if I had a boyfriend and still had to walk home alone, my boyfriend were either and asshole or not living near me, and he didn’t think I would’ve dated an asshole so he assumed it was the later!”

Harry sighs, clearly not okay with the thought of another guy looking after his girlfriend because he could not. Moreover, he’s angry, not at Y/N, not at Ethan (well maybe yes at Ethan, for flirting with his girl), but (mostly) at himself for not being there for her.

“Y/N, are you still there?”

“I’m hereeee!”

“Baby, next time you can’t walk home alone at night, okay? It’s not safe. If you have to, just call Niall or any of my friends to come with you.” Definitely not Ethan for sure. “Just don’t put yourself in danger, I’ll be very worried.”

“Yes sir!”

“Good girl, now I’m going to hang up so you can sleep, yeah?”

“Okaaaaaay...do you love me though?”

“I do,” he answers without pause. “More than anything.”

“I love you this much!” She swings her arms open wide to illustrate the amount of love she has for him. He can imagine her doing so from the other side of the world, and it makes him truly happy.

“I can’t see you but I guess it means you love me a lot?”

“I do love you a lot.” Y/N lays her head down on the pillow, shutting her eyes but the beam stays on her face when her thumb starts rubbing his promise ring. Even though she’s not in her clear mind, she’s still sane when it comes to him.

“Let’s get married someday,” she suggests out of the blue. It doesn’t matter to him if she really means it or it’s just the alcohol talking, just hearing her say that sends him over the fucking moon.

“Of course love, whenever you’d like,” he speaks in a heavy whispery tone which calms her and sends her closer to sleep. “Good night, angel.”

“Good night, baby,” she mumbles before ending the call.

When Layla returns with a glass of water and some clothes for Y/N to change, she finds her friend already asleep in bed, the phone’s still in her hand.

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Harry opens his text messages and sends a quick one to his best friend Niall after ending the call with Y/N.

Layla’s safe. She’s with Y/N.

It doesn’t take longer than one second for Niall to reply: Thanks mate x.

Harry sighs after reading that, then tosses his phone aside on the sofa.

His girl is safe and sound now, but he's burning with anxiety, and it’d be a lie to say this has nothing to do with this new friend of hers named Ethan. Harry's aware that he’s jealous too often but he always has a good reason for it. His guts feelings are never wrong because he knows Y/N’s effects on people. It’s hard to not fall for someone like her if one gets to know her enough. Now it troubles him more knowing they stay friends after Ethan tried flirting with Y/N.

From Harry’s experience, if he approached a hot girl and she told him she was taken he would stay as far away as possible. You can’t just stop being physically attracted to someone just right after you find out they’re not single. One way or another, sooner or later, Ethan is going to make a move. What Harry’s afraid of isn’t Y/N cheating on him, but her leaving him to be with someone she believes can treat her better. These thoughts (or the lack of sleep) make his head hurt.

“Harry?”

Harry turns his head to his bedroom door and sees Hana standing there in his t-shirt which is too big for her delicate frame so it looks like a dress.

“Sleep well?” he asks, yet she ignores his concern.

“Did we—”

“No!” Harry shakes his head quickly. “You showed me around the city then we went to this pub and you got super drunk so I took you back. We couldn’t find your key that’s why I let you stay here.”

“Did you change my clothes?”

“No. I gave you my shirt and then left so you could do it yourself, don’t worry.”

“Okay…” Hana sighs while putting one hand on the top of her head. “And did I overshare anything when I was drunk?”

“Nope, or you did spill all of your secrets but since you were shouting at me in Japanese, I didn’t understand.”

What he said makes Hana giggle and he ends up laughing as well.

“But do you want to talk about why you were crying?”

“No,” Hana answers quickly then turns away to leave. Harry doesn’t try to stop her and beg for the truth because he respects her not wanting to share it with him. However, something makes the girl come back to the door.

“Oh Harry?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for not leaving me alone last night.”

“Oh…” His mouth forms a circle and he’s frozen for a second or two when she sends him a soft smile. “Okay…No problem.”

...

Y/N wakes up the next morning with a terrible headache. Her memory after finishing half a bottle last night is now very blurry. However, she still remembers getting into Ethan’s car with Layla then Layla helping her into bed and part of her phone call with Harry. If her brain isn’t wrong she might have told him about Ethan, she thinks. It’s just she cannot remember his reaction.

It takes Y/N a couple seconds later to realize she’s not alone in bed. Layla’s still asleep next to her. Just like Y/N, the poor girl is still in her party dress from last night, apparently too exhausted to even get changed before dozing off.

Y/N grabs her phone to check the time and happens to see a new message from Harry.

Good morning love! Call me when you wake up! Drink lots of water and don’t skip breakfast! I love you :)

She smiles and hurriedly types down a reply.

Got it :) Love you, hope you’ve had a great day! Can’t wait to tell you about my crazy night with Layla!

She means to put her phone away after pressing ‘send’, but then comes another text, it’s just not from Harry. This time it’s Ethan’s.

Good morning! Does it feel nice to finally get off the shelf? ;)

The message makes Y/N snort. She turns to look at Layla, who’s mumbling in her sleep something that makes no sense at all. Well, Y/N thinks while grinning to herself. Maybe someone does like her story after all.

#flatmate!harry #boyfriend!harry #bestfriend!harry #harry styles series #harry styles writing #harry styles blurb #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfics #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine

689 notes · View notes

tenspontaneite · 6 years ago

Text

Peace Is A Journey (Chapter 5/?)

In which Rayla and the Princes both learn some unfortunate truths.

(Chapter length: 11k. Link to Ao3 version)

They spent the rest of the evening in relative ease, the tension around the issue of Rayla’s hand ebbing from the boys in the face of cooked food and a cheerful campfire. The fish itself was variably tasty – the river trout were delicious, and a few of the others, but a couple types tasted so unbearably fishy it was hard for Rayla to stomach them. Still, she did her best to eat as much as she could, urging the others to do the same – they could carry some of the leftovers with them, but they wouldn’t stay fresh for long.

She ushered everyone to bed when the sun had barely set. “We need to set out as early as possible tomorrow.” She informed them, in no uncertain terms. “We lost time today, and there’s probably people tracking us. We need to get as far from the lake as we can, as fast as we can.”

Thus, their little party settled down for their second night in the pilfered tent.

Callum was no less active in his sleep this night than the first, and judging by the ambient rustling, Ezran was just as bad. Rayla stubbornly faced away from them and did her best to ignore it. The presence of the two humans in the tent was, at least, less jarringly foreign and unsettling now, and she got a bit more sleep that night than the previous. She woke up at dawn and shook both princes awake at the same time, slipping on her boots and hurrying outside to get a start on packing up the camp while they were still blinking groggily at the tent roof.

After a breakfast of cold fish, Rayla led them off on their journey while they were still half-asleep and yawning every other second. Neither of them woke up enough to hold conversations for a good half hour of walking, which suited Rayla just fine. She was used to silent travel.

As they receded from the lakeside, they travelled into a forest that was composed mainly of birch, beech, and elm – a fairly young-looking forest with rotting stumps that indicated a cull within at least the past human generation. Evidently, it was close enough to human habitation to be used for logging every decade or so. It made Rayla a little wary of potentially running into woodcutters, but none of the stumps seemed even vaguely recent, and there weren’t any suspicious branches or wood chips laying around to indicate recent activity, so it was probably fine.

Still. They’d be crossing the road at some point today, which held a considerably higher risk of humans. She’d stay alert, and maybe ask Callum for a time estimate once he was awake enough to make a comprehensible reply.

Eventually, one of the boys did summon the presence of mind to talk.

“Do we have to get up this early every day?” Ezran asked plaintively, when he finally gathered his wits enough to attempt coherent speech.

“Better for us if we do.” Rayla answered, watching as Callum lifted his head to listen, still with that bleary half-asleep look in his eyes. “Starting our walk at this time of day means we can stop in mid-afternoon to make camp, and still get a good seven or eight hours of walking done.”

Both princes groaned in concert at that. “Eight hours.” Callum bemoaned, voice groggy but somehow still expressive enough to evoke dismay. “My poor legs.”

Her lips quirked at their woebegone expressions. She remembered the early days of her journey to Katolis. She’d had the advantage of a near decade of training and excellent physical fitness, but her legs had still objected vehemently to the amount of travel. “Yeah, your legs will probably hate you for a while.” She said, only a little sympathetically. There was a certain satisfaction in being able to speak from the position of experience. There was also satisfaction in the knowledge that her legs, by now very well-accustomed to travel, probably wouldn’t pain her at all until they got to the mountains.

“What do you even do when you walk for that long?” Ez wondered, raising a hand to rub at his eyes. Bait hopped along beside him, looking as grumpy as ever. “‘I spy’ would get really boring after that long. Or word-association. Or – any game.”

“Mostly you just walk. And daydream.” Rayla said honestly, thinking back on her long weeks of travel. Certainly the assassin squad had conversed among themselves while they travelled, but always quietly, to ward off the risk of becoming unwary and opening themselves to attack or ambush. All things considered, her last few days of travel had been much louder than she was used to.

“I guess I’m pretty good at daydreaming.” Ezran allowed, after a moment. “I bet it still gets boring after weeks though. You were travelling for months. Didn’t you get bored?”

Rayla had generally done her very best to avoid looking even vaguely bored or inattentive during the course of the journey, because Runaan had a near-supernatural sense for that sort of thing. The second he suspected her attention might be lapsing, he tended to materialise behind her to make her recite some aspect of her book-learning. Poison-making processes, sometimes, or the most common edible plants in the eastern Pentarchy, or how to make a decent wound-cleaning poultice in the absence of actual good medicine. The other assassins had found it very amusing up until he started doing the same to them.

It had been a very well-educated squad of assassins that finally arrived at Katolis, after two months of that.

“…Well, you find ways to pass the time.” Rayla said eventually, after a conspicuously-long pause.

“We’ll manage just fine, Ez.” Callum said, apparently unconcerned, from the lofty position of someone who could draw while walking.

She eyed him. He looked vaguely more alert now. She waited until he noticed her staring and then promptly engaged him in a discussion about their map and the likely distance to the road.

(In conclusion: Callum said he would be able to judge their distances and walking speed much better after they actually reached the road, but until then he really didn’t know.)

The day fell into a rhythm that Rayla was very familiar with; periods of wordless travel broken by nothing but the sound of their footfalls in the forest, and occasional interludes of idle conversation. The reality of the long journey ahead of them was starting to sink in for the boys, it seemed, because a lot of their talking seemed centred around the things they’d miss while they were gone, and how many lessons they’d have to catch up on once they were home again, and how worried certain family members must be, and how maybe they should send a letter, and how exactly they were supposed to send a letter from the middle of a forest with no trained crows.

Rayla stayed very carefully out of those conversations. Guilt prickled nearly as unpleasantly as the ache and the burn in her bound hand.

The princes seemed at least vaguely accustomed to physical activity, because the relatively-brisk walking pace on flat land didn’t leave them out-of-breath or panting. They started complaining of stiff legs alarmingly early, though.

“I already miss the boat.” Ezran declared, around three hours into their walk. Rayla snorted loudly at that, attracting looks from both boys.

“You have to admit, the boat saved us a lot of walking.” Callum said to her, one eyebrow raised as if to dare her to deny it.

She ignored it. “Maybe so. Doesn’t mean I miss the boat, though. I’m much happier to be walking.”

There were a few seconds of quiet, uninterrupted walking before Ezran spoke up. “Rayla, can I ask something?” She looked at him, finding curious eyes staring back at her. She slowed a little, to allow him to fall into pace with her.

“What is it?” She inquired, a little wary of his caution. Neither he nor his brother had asked about her hand again, but she was aware of their attention flickering to it from time-to-time; now didn’t appear to be one of those times, but…she was still anxious about it.

She’d need to tell them about the binding, and soon. She was uncomfortably aware of it.

He hesitated, and bent to pick up Bait, who had croaked up at him in a plaintive sort of way. “…Were you always scared of water?” he asked, and she stilled for a moment, skin prickling with an entirely different sort of discomfort. “Or did something happen?” he hefted Bait in his arms, settling the weight of the glow toad against his chest. Callum looked over at the question, plainly curious about her answer, even if he’d not been the one to ask the question.

It was on the tip of Rayla's tongue to deny every hint of fear, even given what they'd talked about the day before, even given they knew. Admitting to fear was just – not done. Shameful. But these were humans. It's not like they understood that. It was...probably fine. "…Nah. Nothing happened. I've just always been scared of water. Even when I was a wee thing."

“Huh.” He considered that, mulling over whatever implications that had for him, and after a moment concluded aloud “so that means you were already scared of water when you learned how to swim?”

“Well, yeah.” She admitted, thinking back on it with a shiver. “Mind, didn’t get around to it until I was a bit older. But yeah.”

“But you did it anyway.” Callum pointed out, the hint of a smile at the edge of his lips. She watched him warily, just a little tense, braced despite everything for accusations of cowardice. “That’s more bravery for you.”

She blinked, befuddled, her posture loosening. “…Oh. Er…”

“You were scared of water but you learned anyway.” Ezran agreed, in what felt like a solemn repetition of their post-lake-monster discussion. “That’s super brave.”

Back home, she’d be getting side-eyed, maybe muttered about. There was a low-level, unspoken acknowledgement that people were scared of things, that fear existed – but showing any sign of it? Allowing it to affect your actions? There were more effective ways to damage your reputation, but not many. And here they were calling her brave for it. “…If you say so?” She offered, uncertainly.

“Well, yeah. You could have just…refused to learn to swim, right?” Ez said, and then looked momentarily flummoxed. “Or would people have made you?”

She huffed. “No one would have made me learn.” She said, tempted to laugh a little at the mere concept. Runaan would have garrotted anyone who tried. Even if he was silently disapproving of her cowardice himself all the while.

“So, you were brave.” The littlest prince affirmed, with all the assured confidence of a child who knew how things were. “You learned, even though you were afraid.”

“Well, yeah.” She snorted, and narrowed her eyes a little balefully at the thought that provoked. "Not learning to swim is like askin' for water to kill you."

Callum laughed at that, sounding surprised. “Well, that’s one way to put it.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “And how would you put it?”

He considered it for a second, and said “’Going near water before you know how to swim is dangerous’, maybe. At least, that’s what dad used to tell Ezran when he was a tiny thing, back when we visited the Great Bay.”

Ezran’s face scrunched up, and thankfully Callum’s attention seemed more on that than the way Rayla couldn’t help but tense whenever the King was mentioned. “I don’t remember that.” He complained.

Callum reached over to ruffle his brother’s huge hair. “Well, you wouldn’t. You were like, shorter than dad’s knees. But you liked the water – kept trying to play in it, even though it was dangerous.”

He snickered. “Like Bait!” The glow-toad made a grumpy noise at that, eyes rolling to the side.

“Pff. Yeah, like Bait.”

“…How old were you when you learned to swim, Ezran?” Rayla asked after a moment, curious despite herself. She’d learned late, once she’d managed to find the courage for it. When did humans usually learn? Did they all usually learn, or was it just a high-class-human thing?

The boy’s face screwed up again. “Uh….”

“You were six.” Callum said, patiently, and smiled as he looked ahead, eyes half-lidded as he recalled the memory to mind. “You learned in a little pool-thing full of seawater. It had mosaics of whales around it. Don’t you remember?” Rayla huffed a soft laugh at that. Callum would remember the poolside artwork, wouldn’t he?

Ezran squinted. “….Was one of the whales purple?”

“…There was not a purple whale, no.”

“Then nope, I don’t remember a thing.” He declared, entirely unconcerned, and put Bait on top of his backpack so he could adjust his straps. “I do remember that time you freaked out about us drowning, though.”

Callum laughed sheepishly, as if embarrassed, while Rayla just – stopped short for a second, creating a noticeable pause in her stride, which didn’t go unnoticed. “Sorry, did you say drowning?” She asked, incredulous, absolutely certain that there couldn’t have been anything that dire in their pasts, if they mentioned it so casually, and went swimming so casually.

“I didn’t do even a little bit of drowning.” Ezran attested, eyes bright, as if relishing an oncoming opportunity to mildly embarrass his sibling. “But Callum-“

“Ez.“ Callum groaned, raising a hand to his face. “It’s not – look, it was perfectly reasonable!”

Rayla tilted her head, curious, and fell into step with Callum as they walked, sensing a story. “…What happened?”

“It was a few years ago, maybe?” Callum hedged, looking uncomfortable. “There’d been a storm a few days before we got to the Great Bay – and, well, some of the sailors…They were telling all these horror stories, about how it was lucky no one drowned, and about times when people had drowned, and – I think I was very sensibly concerned!”

“He made a huge scene at the harbour.” Ezran explained to Rayla, smiling almost fondly. “Wouldn’t let anyone get in any boats. He got really worried about me, the big doof.”

She squinted at him, uncertain. “…That makes sense?” She tried, glancing at Callum as if to gain some insight as to why Ezran seemed to find humour in the situation. “I’d have been worried too?” Granted, she was a little biased on the matter, as she took it as a given that water would attempt to kill anyone who ventured near it, but…

“Thank you, Rayla.” Callum said, with a pointed glance at his brother. The brother in question answered him with a sunny smile.

“Well, yeah. But like, he didn’t just leave it there.” Ezran beamed up at his brother, who looked away, conspicuously uncomfortable. “Callum’s a worrier. So he got Aunt Amaya to teach him some field-healing, just in case I got hurt.” Field-healing? Rayla eyed him, intrigued.

The elder prince folded his arms, defensive. “Look, it was a useful thing to learn! Plenty of people learn field-healing!”

“Yeah, but you learned it because you cared about me.” Ezran said, still beaming like a miniature sun.

Callum did not deny it, but did look a bit grumpier. “So?”

“So, stop being embarrassed about it.” Ezran told him. “I think it’s nice.”

Rayla looked back and forth between them as this proceeded, eyebrows raised. Apparently, accusing Callum of being a concerned and caring person was an easy way to embarrass him. She silently committed that information to memory, considering ‘field-healing’ with interest. He shifted a little, shoulders hunching slightly under her assessing eyes. “Field-healing?” She quoted, keen to chase up that mention of a potentially useful skill. “What does that mean for you?” With luck, it was what she thought, and there were more practical skills in these humans than she’d previously known.

“Er.” Callum hesitantly met her curious gaze, and shrugged a little, sheepish. “Well, sort of basics to do if someone gets hurt? How to wrap bandages and stuff, or what to do if someone chokes, or stops breathing.”

“Oh, we have that too.” Rayla recognised, pleased, with a vaguely victorious-feeling thrill at the confirmation of her guess. Maybe someone in this group other than her knew something useful, after all! “Except we call it ‘first aid’.”

He looked interested now, too. “Makes more sense as a name than ‘field-healing’, I guess. I mean, I know it’s mostly soldiers who learn it, but still.” He straightened, earlier embarrassment evaporating in the face of his fascination. “I wonder if elves and humans teach the same things?”

“Well, one way to find out.” Rayla said, and shot a half-grin at him. He tentatively smiled back at her.

Ezran looked between the two of them, and sighed. “This is going to turn into two hours of listening to you guys talk about field-healing, isn’t it.”

“…Honestly, I could probably use the refresher.” Callum admitted. “It’s been a couple of years.”

“I’ll just be glad if there turns out to be more than one of us who knows what to do with a bandage.” She said, and then, true to Ezran’s prediction, the next good hour was nothing but discussion of the differences and similarities between elf and human first aid. Runaan would have been proud of such productive use of travel time.

Rayla learned some interesting things: for example, humans had almost no antibiotics whatsoever, and therefore did a lot of dying of infection when they got seriously injured. They used distilled alcohol to disinfect – a small bottle of which she’d purloined from the Lodge – but if infection set in there was little they could do to stop it. They used some tinctures known to help fight infection, but had no refined medicines for it like elves did. They could mostly only soothe the symptoms.

It made her wish, sincerely, that she hadn’t had to leave all of her things behind. The assassins’ first aid kit had been very comprehensive. She resolved to keep an eye out for any potentially useful medicinal plants along the way.

For the most part, though, it seemed that you cared for injured humans much the same way as you cared for injured elves. They apparently had the same general heart rates, suffocated just as quickly if their airways were blocked, and the thing to do with someone who’d choked or drowned and wasn’t breathing was pretty much the same.

It was half-way through discussing resuscitation of non-breathing people that Rayla realised that, surely, there had to be a difference here.

“Wait.” She said, abruptly enough that everyone stopped walking, Callum falling silent in the middle of what had been a description of how humans did chest compressions. “How do humans restart someone’s heart if you don’t have mages?” They didn’t use dark magic, did they? …But how else would they do it?

Callum stared at her blankly. She wasn’t sure if that was just confusion at being interrupted or a sign that something was very different here. “…Restart someone’s heart.” He repeated, brow furrowing, and glanced bemusedly at Ezran, who shrugged helplessly. “Like…uh, what do you mean?”

“When you’ve got someone whose heart isn’t working right.” She elaborated, a tad impatiently, but also with a distinct sinking sensation in her gut. “How do you get it going again without a sky mage handy?”

There was a brief period of silence. Then: “You’re saying elves can restart hearts?” Callum exclaimed, eyes wide, and…that was a pretty clear sign that her hunch had been on-point. That was…unfortunate. “How?”

Rayla stared back, similarly wide-eyed. “….There’s a spell?” She explained, scrambling for the words. Everything had been so similar up to this point that it was abruptly difficult to try to think of explaining something so obvious to members of a species who had no way to restart hearts. So…did their version of resuscitation ever actually work on anyone whose heart had stopped? How ridiculously low must the survival rate be? “A sky magic spell. It uses lightning to start the heart again?”

Both boys looked utterly flummoxed by this knowledge. It was not a promising sign.

“…Lightning can restart hearts?” Callum offered, weakly, after several moments of mutual astonishment.

“Does this mean Callum can learn how to restart hearts?” Ezran added, after a moment, and the mage in question looked like he might fall over with shock and glee at the mere words.

“Er…maybe if he spent a month training under a master sky mage. Or master healer.” Rayla hedged, and watched Callum’s face fall, a little regretful at having to disappoint him. “I don’t know the spell’s words, let alone the rune, and even then – I’m pretty sure you need training to use it right.” Still, her mind automatically tried to think of what sort of thing you’d call a heart-starting spell. Had she not heard it mentioned in her classes? Surely it had a name. She was sure she remembered something like that. Something that reminded her of the word ‘impulsive’, maybe?

“…I suppose it would be pretty weird for you to know a super specific heart-starting lightning spell when you don’t know the normal lightning spell.” Callum said, ruefully, and after a moment kept walking. “I still can’t believe elves can restart hearts.”

“I still can’t believe that humans can’t.” Rayla retorted, and followed after, the three of them falling back into step as they walked onwards. “What do you do if you get someone who’s not breathing and has no heartbeat, then? Just leave them for dead?”

“Well, you can try to do life-breaths and compressions for a while, and see if their heart starts on its own, but…” he looked almost apologetic as he trailed off.

So, in essence, human resuscitation only really worked on people whose hearts were still beating, and they had no goal of ‘keep going until the nearest sky-healer arrives’ to work towards, because they had no sky mages. That was…incredibly unfortunate.

“I mean, I don’t know how it is for elves, but for us having no heartbeat means you’re dead.” Ezran informed her, looking up with a light frown. “Even I know that, and I’m only ten.”

Rayla considered that, and then pointed at both of them sternly. “Neither of you are allowed to go near water until we get to Xadia. Or heart-stopping poisons. Or lightning.”

“What if it’s my lightning?” Callum asked, reasonably, and she rolled her eyes.

“Well, if it’s your lightning spell, it’s just the people around you that need to worry.” She informed him, and then stopped. Her mind, still half-stuck on trying to remember the name of the heart-starter spell, clicked over on the world impulsive, and her mouth opened into a silent ‘o’. “Inpulsis,” She announced, after a second, sure that that was right, a flutter of triumph rising in her chest at having remembered it.

Callum and Ezran both blinked at her, perplexed. “Impulsive what-now?” Callum inquired.

“Inpulsis. That’s the Draconic word for ‘shock’. I’m pretty sure it’s part of the heart-starting spell – and that doesn’t help you, since we don’t have the rune, but-“

Excitement dawned on his face as he caught her meaning. “-but it might work for the lightning rune I know?” he finished, eyes lighting up. He was reaching for the primal stone before she could get a word in edgewise.

“Wait just a minute,” She chided him, grabbing him by both wrists to stop him from doing anything, well, impulsive. “If you’re going to test out that spell, you’re going to do it somewhere more open than this. In a clearing. With the two of us a safe distance away from you. Alright?” Her left hand felt tight and sore in its grip around his wrist; she let that one go first, and then the other, bringing her good hand over to rub uneasily at the bad one.

Callum, for his part, looked mildly startled at having been stopped in his tracks like that, but registered the sense in her words after a few moments. “…Yeah, that may be a good idea.” He agreed, somewhat chagrined, and turned the primal stone in his hands a few times before he reached to put it away. “Maybe we can stop somewhere for lunch soon and try it?”

“In an hour or so, maybe.” Rayla decided, rolling her bad hand carefully. It felt strange – and stranger by the hour. Oddly numb, yet still painful. It prickled with electric tingles of pain and a nearly cold-feeling sensation every time she moved it…but if she didn’t move it, it started aching awfully.

Callum’s eyes didn’t miss the motion. They tracked her hand for a few seconds, narrowing slightly, and then returned ahead. He offered a smile. “Well, let’s get moving then. And then later we can find out if Inpulsis is the right word for the lightning spell.”

Inpulsis was not the right word for the lightning spell.

“It felt – weird.” Callum tried to explain after the fact, apparently having difficulty putting the experience into words. He tried to flatten down his hair for the fifth time, with no more success than before. His fingers crackled with static. “Like the rune was fighting the word. It felt like – I forced the magic through a shape it didn’t fit into? It was close enough to do something, but – the rune didn’t fit the word. The magic – well.”

“The magic didn’t like it.” Rayla summarised, dryly, trying to pat the static from her own hair. Ezran wasn’t even trying to sort out his, abandoning it as a lost cause.

“It really didn’t.” he admitted, eyes all disappointed and mournful at the primal stone in his lap.

The spell, when forced through the mismatching word, had crackled outwards in a shapeless mess, causing an outwards surge of weak, unfocused electricity that gave all of them a mildly unpleasant shock. Ezran had checked on the egg and reported it delighted with the situation, but the rest of them had certainly not enjoyed it.

“Cheer up, maybe there’s another rune that’ll work with that word.” She said, a little guilty at having provided the wrong word in the first place. Really, what had she been thinking? The lightning spell probably wanted a more strongly lightning-y word than ‘shock’. Like whatever ‘lightning’ was.

…Wait.

Rayla stared straight ahead for several seconds and then buried her face in her hands, uttering a despairing groan. ‘She might have called me a fool’, he’d said. Lightning. It was so obvious. If anyone was a fool, it was obviously her; how could she have not remembered it?

“…Rayla?” Callum questioned, sounding vaguely alarmed.

“Did you get zapped too hard?” Ezran added a second later, similarly anxious.

“Fulminis.” Rayla said, and then sighed gustily, thoroughly abashed at not having remembered that to begin with. “That’s the draconic word for lightning. You said what’s-her-name – Claudia? – called you a fool. I bet she was actually saying fulminis.”

There was a brief, somewhat stunned silence.

“…That would make sense, but also I’m not in the mood to get shocked again if it’s wrong.” Callum admitted after a moment, eyeing the primal stone warily.

Ez passed the egg, currently situated in his lap, over to his brother. “Hold the egg? I think it pulls in lightning. Maybe it’ll help if it goes wrong again.”

Callum paused, put down the stone, and carefully accepted the egg. He pulled it into his lap with a strange expression, and Rayla wondered if he, too, was realising that this was the first time Ezran had passed the egg to anyone since they left Katolis. He observed its gentle glow for a few moments, and then took a careful breath. He reached for the primal stone, settling the egg more solidly in his lap with the other hand, and then raised it with his finger poised to Draw. “Time for you guys to stand back again.” He said, and both of them scrambled for the treeline.

Rayla watched from the shadow of a conifer as he drew the crackling line of the rune in the air, heart racing a little from the apprehension of it. Would it be right this time? Were they all about to get shocked again? She really hoped she wasn’t wrong again.

“Fulminis,” he said, in a clear voice that rang the length of the clearing, and in a sudden sharp motion, pointed the hand that had drawn the rune at the ground in front of him.

Lightning cracked, with a sharp flash and hiss, and disappeared into the ground within a second. It was somewhat anticlimactic, actually. At least for a moment.

A heartbeat passed, then another, and then “it worked!” Callum cheered, delighted, throwing his hands up. He nearly dislodged the egg, and lowered his arms hastily around it to stop it from falling. Cautiously, Rayla approached, Ezran beside her, as Callum stood with a brilliant smile. She wondered if he was about to shout about magic again, like he had the first time he’d realised he was a mage.

Instead, he passed the egg over to Ez and in the next second threw his arms around her shoulders. She startled, hands jerking up in surprise, and wavered uncertainly for a few seconds before she warily returned the embrace. “Well, I’m glad it worked this time?” She offered, startled at the sudden hugging. Apparently, the new spell had made him a very happy mage indeed.

He pulled back a second later, still beaming, though he looked vaguely more self-conscious about it now. He brought up a hand to make another try at flattening his hair, sheepish. “Yeah, me too. Thanks, Rayla. Now I’ve got two working spells.”

Ezran inspected the two of them for a few seconds, head tilted, as if considering something. He shook it off and raised the egg. “I think the egg’s sad you didn’t hit it.” He commented. “It really likes sky magic.”

Callum shot him a strange look. “Well, I mean, I could always intentionally shoot lightning at it, now I know the spell?” He suggested, brow furrowing. “I don’t know if that would be safe, though. Fulminis seems like a strong spell.”

The two of them looked at Rayla then, as if she were any more of a dragon egg expert than them. She raised her hands to forestall the notion, the left one sending complaints of pain up her arm as she moved it. “Don’t look at me, I don’t know how dragon eggs work.”

“Better safe than sorry.” Callum decided, after a second. “No shooting lightning at the egg of the Dragon Prince.”

“Sounds sensible.” Rayla agreed, and after a moment, held out a hand in the direction of his sketchbook, slung securely-closed over his shoulder. “Have you got any spare paper? Maybe I’ll try to see if I remember any more Draconic while we walk.”

By the time the forest started thinning out, becoming little more than groves of saplings around groves of coppiced stumps, Rayla hadn’t had much success in remembering anything definitively sky-related, but she’d managed some things. Mainly she was just writing down every word she could remember, idle phrases and idioms and names of calendar months included. It was probably mostly useless, but she reckoned Callum would probably get a kick out of it anyway.

She closed the paper and handed it back to him, interrupting what had been a quiet background conversation between the brothers on the topic of the relative scariness of various waterfowl. “I’ll try to remember more later, but for now, shh. I think we’re close to the road.”

“…How can you tell?” Ez asked, obeying her by at least keeping it to a whisper.

She waved around them. “Younger trees. Lots of woodcutting.” She explained briefly, and watched them stare around them as if noticing the state of the forest for the first time, eyes wide and dawning with recognition. For a second, she was briefly disorientated to watch them looking about like that, their knowledge and experience so immensely distinct from her own that something as obvious as the artificially-thinned forest was a surprise to them.

Moon and Sun help them when they got to Xadia, was all she could think. Hopefully by then she’d have squashed some useful knowledge into their skulls.

Rayla pressed a finger to her lips again, to reinforce the command for quiet, and led their suddenly much-stealthier party through the young trees. Predictably, before long they reached the road. It was broad and loosely paved, covered in rows of carefully-placed wide stones that had been beaten flat and smooth by the impact of many, many feet and hooves. Mosses and weeds grew out from between them, disturbed in places by recent traffic.

There weren’t any humans in sight, or within the range of her hearing. Silently, she gestured them across the road and into the treeline on the opposite side, and kept them moving. About ten minutes of brisk walking later, she said “well, that was anti-climactic.”

Taking that as permission to speak again, Callum shrugged. “Would have been pretty unlucky if people were passing through at the exact time we crossed.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Rayla agreed, a little grimly.

Ez tilted his head at her. “Did you think we’d run into people anyway?”

She patted him on the shoulder and paused for a moment to answer. “Let me share an elven proverb with you: when you’re travelling in a human kingdom with humans after you, don’t rely on luck to keep you alive.” It was almost even an actual proverb. If you counted phrases frequently-uttered around a campfire of assassins to be proverb. Of course, if she were being accurate to the source material, she’d have finished it with ‘because luck is a fickle ballsack and should not be trusted with anything important’.

The little prince considered that. “Good advice, I guess.” He assessed, and kept walking.

“How long do you think we were walking, to get to that road?” Callum asked her a second later, reading for his sketchbook-map with that increasingly familiar thinking-about-things look on his face.

Rayla took a second to gauge her constant awareness of the position and movements of the moon, accounted for the half-hour or so they’d spent having a break, and said “’bout five-and-a-half hours.”

“Nice.” Callum pronounced, and spent the next hour filling in an absurd amount of detail on his map, and periodically tripping over tree roots in the process.

The walk to the road and its accompanying time-stamp allowed Callum to make a pretty decent estimate of not only the scale of his map, but also their walking speed. With that in mind, he started drawing in as many towns, minor rivers, mountains, and roads as he could think of, thinking on every map of Katolis he’d ever been shown. It was actually pretty absorbing work, so he didn’t notice Rayla scoping out their surroundings for a good place to camp until she caught him by the shoulder to stop him walking on without her.

“We’ll stop here for the day.” She announced, setting down her bag and the tent pack with a decisive thunk. Callum was reminded, abruptly, of how much more weight she was carrying than the rest of them. He felt briefly guilty, but reassured himself with the knowledge that he was at least learning useful camp-things, like fish-cleaning and tent-pitching.

“Thank goodness.” Ezran sighed, parking himself and his bag and also Bait on a patch of grass. He, apparently, had been paying attention, and was not surprised by the sudden end to the day of walking. “My legs feel weird.”

“Weird how?” Callum inquired, whose legs felt sore and stiffer than usual, but mainly around his joints. He’d sort of expected the actual muscle-parts of his legs to hurt, but they were alright for now.

“Like my knees and hips are going stiff.”

“That’ll be worse in the morning, and also you’ll probably feel it in your calves and thighs too.” Rayla informed them, sitting herself down next to the bags. “It’ll be much worse once we start taking on the mountains.”

“Joy.” Callum deadpanned, and after a moment, sat down with the rest of them, shrugging off his bag and putting down the sketchbook-map. Rayla watched him interestedly for a second, then nodded towards his book.

“Can I look at that?”

He passed it over. “Sure.” She opened it carefully at the map and ran analytic eyes over it, humming approvingly and nodding at parts. He assumed she was considering routes, so left her to it, shuffling over next to Ez. He stretched out his legs, shaking them a little to try to exorcise some of the growing stiffness of them. “So, what do you think of our first full day of walking?” He asked, settling comfortably next to his brother.

His brother considered it. “Less boring than I thought.” He said, optimistically. “There’s lots of stuff to look at. I used to walk around the woods a lot back home, but these are all new.”

“The views get pretty great up in the mountains.” Rayla commented absently, still looking over the map. “Even if it is cold as-“ She broke off her sentence abruptly, not even seeming to realise she was doing it. He wondered for a second if she’d been distracted by something in the book, but, nope. He shrugged a little, and returned his attention to the map, and the mountain range they were approaching.

“Whereabouts did you cross over the Belt?” He asked, after a moment, and shuffled over to her instead. She looked up, blinked, and then smirked, indicating a point on the map near a point of interest he’d marked out.

“Round here, ish.” She said, in a suspiciously nonchalant voice. He eyed her a little sceptically, and looked back at the page.

“Wouldn’t have thought you’d risk crossing the mountains that close to a fort.” He commented, eyes lingering on where he’d drawn a sort of square for the best – and most heavily guarded – crossing through the mountains.

Her smirk widened again, and he found it very suspect indeed. “It was the best option for us.” She said, delicately. “Wasn’t exactly risk-free, but then – it’s not like there are any easy or risk-free routes, through this mountain range of yours.”

Even though she was acting downright shifty, he could still agree with the sentiment. One thing that decidedly obstructed travel in Katolis was their longest mountain range, creatively dubbed the Belt of Katolis. A mountain range that, shortly, they would have to contend with.

It ran in a sort of loose curve of peaks from the northern land-mass of the kingdom to the south-east, coming around to enclose a portion of the southern kingdom in a hook of mountains, and stretching along the Great Bay. The tallest mountain in Katolis, mount Kalik, was near the southern-most edge of that hook, and Castle Katolis itself lay within the lowland cradle of the Belt. There was pretty much no way to travel to Xadia by land without having to get past the Belt…and there was only one somewhat-easy way through.

“The Pass of Viatori is pretty easy, but that doesn’t really help us much.” He said, watching her reaction with narrow eyes, as he poked at the square representing the fort that, allegedly, her team of assassins had passed quite close to.

She blinked at him innocently. Too innocently. “Isn’t there a fort there?” She asked, as if they’d not just mentioned the fort less than a minute ago.

“Yes. Yes there is.” He fixed her with a suspicious stare, which she blatantly ignored.

“I vote we don’t try to cross the Belt at a guarded fortress full of human soldiers.” She said, cheerfully.

“…Yeah, let’s not do that.” He stared at her for a few long seconds, in which she did not offer any explanation for all the smirking and suspicious reactions, or remove the unusually self-satisfied expression from her face. Finally, he raised his hands up, and said “Okay! What is it? What’s – what is it about Fort Viatori that you’re smirking at?”

She eyed him for a few seconds, plainly amused, then finally conceded. “…We didn’t cross near the Pass.” She admitted, looking somewhat smug about it. “We went through it.”

He stared. Ezran, who’d been listening in, looked impressed. “How, exactly, did six elves get through one of the most heavily-defended places in the Pentarchy?” Callum asked, at last, honestly baffled.

She leaned over and patted him on the shoulder. “The answer to that, my human friend, would be ‘Moonshadow elf powers’.” She informed him, with some cheer. “We used our first full moon in Katolis to cross it. No one saw a thing.”

For a second, Callum stilled, remembering the shadowy half-visible forms of the assassins at King Harrow’s door. Remembered watching them flow like living darkness around the guards trying to save his father’s life. He shivered, then pushed the recollection away as violently as he could. Pushed the thoughts of home and family away just as insistently.“…That’s pretty cool.” He managed, not entirely naturally. Rayla’s good humour dimmed a little as she looked at him, a hint of concern passing over her face. He hoped she wouldn’t ask.

If she’d been planning on it, Ezran neatly derailed it with his curiosity. “So you get special powers at full moons?” he inquired, eyes wide with interest, and Rayla leaned back from Callum to blink at him.

“…Yeah.” She said, after a moment. “I forgot you didn’t see it. I was in my Moonshadow form when I came to find you, but I think Bait’s light counts as sunlight. Turned me right back.” She shrugged, eyes wandering to Callum again.

Fascinated despite himself, he perked up a bit. “Huh. That’s interesting.” He commented, looking across at the glow toad held in his brother’s arms, then back at Rayla. He hesitated. “I…actually saw some of the other assassins, when I went up to the tower.” He admitted, voice a little low, and she looked at him sharply. A second later, her features softened with understanding. “I didn’t get a great look at them, though. They were all sort of…shadowy. Kind of almost invisible.” He shrugged. “I’m guessing that’s how you got past the Fort Viatori guards?”

After a few moments, she nodded. “They weren’t expecting us, so it was pretty easy. Just had to pass through when no one was looking, one by one.”

Ezran observed them, eyes a little solemn as he picked up on the mood. Then, determinedly, he looked at the map, and pushed to conversation elsewhere. “So which way are we gonna go?”

A second passed where Callum and Rayla looked at each other and silently, somewhat gratefully, agreed to let the uncomfortable topic drop. Rayla shrugged, leaned over to indicate their current route of travel, tapping the map with a slender finger. “We’ve just got to get past a couple of towns and then we’ll be near the foot of…whatever this mountain is called.”

He glanced at it. His handwriting, admittedly, had been very squashed in that region. There were a lot of mountains to name. “Dorel.”

“Yeah, that one. Callum, are all these mountain-squiggles to scale?”

He checked. “You mean, did I draw bigger lines for the bigger mountains?” She nodded at him, and he tilted a hand each way, uncertainly. “Sort of. I drew the really big ones bigger, but the rest…I can’t remember how big those are meant to be.”

She huffed, sounding more thoughtful than annoyed. “Well, whatever. We should try to cross over…Dorel, and past…” She squinted at the map. “I...as…solek?”

“Iasolek.” He confirmed.

“Past that. And then onto this….I’m not even going to try to read that. Then maybe if we’re lucky we can follow this river valley here instead of having to go over this…other mountain, too.” Ezran snickered a little, apparently amused by the illegibility of his mountain-names. Callum rolled his eyes and declined to try to fill in their knowledge.

“We’ll definitely be able to follow that river. It’s one of the two biggest in Katolis, completely cuts off the Belt from the northern mountains. Has a huge valley with its own, like, farms and villages and stuff.” He informed them. It was called the Rhodane, but he doubted either of them cared about that.

“Well, yay.” Rayla said, unenthusiastically. “Then we can follow that river to – actually, Callum, what do you think the chances are of us finding some sort of boat here?” She moved her finger over to where the Rhodane cut eastward towards the sea, coming out near the narrowest part of the Great Bay.

He inspected it. There were a lot of big towns along the edge of the Great Bay, some of which he and Ez were very familiar with from their yearly visits. The joining of the Rhodane to the Bay in particular was home to one of the largest cities of the kingdom. “I mean, there’s a lot of towns there. If we couldn’t find something, I’d be surprised. Worst-case, we might have to stow away on something.”

“That’s not what I’d call worst-case.” She said, in tones of dark humour. He was briefly curious about what she did consider ‘worst-case’, but she moved on too quickly for him to ask. “But okay. So, we travel to here and try to get a boat across the bay. Save ourselves a week or three of walking.”

“Maybe if we’re lucky we can find a boat to go along that river, too.” Ezran suggested, drawing a disgruntled look from Rayla.

“….Maybe.” She agreed sourly, and sighed, leaning back to stand up. “Well, that’s our route for the next couple of weeks planned, at least. I’m going to go fill up our waterskins. Can you two get started on the tent?”

“We can get the poles done, easy.” Ez declared after a moment, leaning over to roll her tent pack towards him.

“Good. Callum, if anything attacks you while I’m gone, hit it with lightning.” She instructed, and he felt himself break into a silly grin at the reminder of his second functional spell.

“Got it.” He agreed happily, and she rooted for their now-empty waterskins and disappeared into the trees within the minute. He watched her go for a second, then shuffled over to help Ez pull everything from the tent pack.

By the time Rayla returned, they’d got all but one of the poles assembled and set into the outer-tent, and were half-way through pushing the last one through. She dropped a waterskin between them with an idle warning of “the stream was pretty leafy, so there might be some pine needles in there.” She settled beside them, inspecting their work on the poles and apparently deeming it perfectly satisfactory as they both took a drink.

It seemed, really, that they were starting to get the hang of this camp thing. That they were starting to fall into a routine, their various roles becoming more practiced and starting to slot properly together. It left Callum feeling even more cheerful than the day’s success with magic had, and when he braced his end of a tent pole against the ground, waiting for Rayla to push the tent into shape-

Everything had been going so well. He wasn’t expecting it to suddenly go wrong.

He didn’t see what happened, but out of nowhere, Rayla let out a strangled scream, dropping the tent and clutching her hand to her chest, face twisting with pain. He was scrambling haphazardly over the still-flat tent towards her before he could fully process what had happened, Ez shooting to his feet from where he’d been sitting a couple of metres away. “What is it? What happened?” he demanded as he reached her, heart suddenly in his throat and pulse thrumming with alarm.

“Are you okay?” Ezran echoed, anxiously, arriving just a second later, staring up at her with worry. She was exhaling in a slow, measured breath, and didn’t look at either of them for a few seconds. When she did, her eyes flickered uncertainly between them, the look on her face settling into something considerably more worried than pained.

“…It’s fine.” She said, softly, after a few seconds. She was still holding her hand to her chest, its dark fingers cradled beneath the pale skin of the other. “I just – slipped. Hit my hand.” She looked away.

He’d noticed the darkening colour of her hand, of course he had. He’d noticed the way she carefully avoided using it for anything too intensive, too, avoiding supporting much weight on it or moving it too quickly. He hadn’t asked, because it was pretty obvious from the previous evening that she didn’t want them to. But…

“…Look, I know you don’t want to talk about it, but – your hand,” He gestured at it, a little lost for words. It very clearly was not alright, and now, was very clearly hurting her.

She said nothing, averting her face from their eyes. Her shoulders had hunched upwards, and it ought to have looked defensive. With her expression, though, and the way her body closed in as if to shield her hand, she just looked…scared. It was a bit frightening to see.

“Rayla.” He said again, helplessly, and held his hands out. “Just…let me see?” She hesitated, face turning ever-so-slightly their way, and he added “Please?”

She sighed, very quietly, and slowly uncurled the hand from her chest, extending it warily towards him. Ezran watched wide-eyed from his side, fingers clutching at his own sleeves as if he could draw support from their fabric. He leaned against Callum’s side in a way that told him better than anything how worried his brother was.

He hesitated, and moved his hands out to reach hers, his fingers settling on the bruised-looking skin as gently as he could. He watched her carefully, but if it hurt she didn’t show any sign of it, so he turned her hand over, looking in dismay at the state of it. Surreptitious glances hadn’t been quite sufficient to reveal how badly-off it seemed. It looked swollen, engorged and angry with dark blood, and up along the wrist…

She watched him, silent, as he trailed his fingers up to feel at the silvery ribbon-thing. It was punishingly tight, squeezing the wrist so tightly that the dark swelling even extended a little way up the arm. She hissed a little when he poked around it, and he drew back from it instantly, his hands settling around her cool skin. Was it supposed to be that cold?

He looked up at her face, and she still wasn’t saying anything. “Rayla.” His voice felt almost like he was pleading, at this point. He wished she would just – say something. Even if it was ‘mind your own business’. He exhaled, heavily, and in the face of her ongoing silence, spoke again. “At least – tell us if there’s anything we can do to help? This looks-“ He stopped, and swallowed back the word. It looked bad, is what it looked.

She exhaled, softly enough that he could barely hear it, and finally spoke. “…Thanks. But there’s not a lot to do about this.” She hesitated, and then drew her hand back from his, fingers of her right hand settling over the ribbon on her wrist. Her shoulders slumped, as if in defeat, and eventually she said “This is an assassin’s binding. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to tell you, but – I have to.” Her eyes closed tightly shut for a moment. He’d never seen her look so afraid. Not even in front of the river. “I have to.” She repeated, quieter.

Ez shifted, anxious and uncertain against Callum’s side. “…What does it do?” He asked, voice uncommonly small.

Her jaw clenched for a moment. “It’s-“ She started, then stopped, helpless. “The night-“ She tried again, apparently unable to find the words. She shook her head violently and, almost angrily, forced the words out. “We all bound ourselves. All six of us. It’s – it’s a Moonshadow elf ritual. We bind ourselves to take a life – and if we don’t-“ She hesitated again, fingers cradling the viciously-tight band at her wrist.

Understanding dawned on him, horribly, a second behind a bigger realisation. “It’s getting tighter.” He said, the other part of the knowledge just-there, his mind just a second away from making the connection-

She met his eyes, and said “this binds me to the death of Prince Ezran. It’ll never come off while he’s alive. It’ll just get tighter and tighter until I lose my hand.”

Ezran’s fingers clenched in Callum’s jacket, tightly. He stared at Rayla, wide-eyed, apparently tongue-tied. Callum wasn’t doing any better, unable to manage any words himself for a good few moments.

He didn’t for a second consider distrusting her, he realised. He wasn’t sure when, but…at some point in the last few days, he’d got to know her enough that the idea she might kill Ezran to undo this binding – he couldn’t even fathom it. He didn’t trust as quickly or easily as Ez did, but…he knew she wouldn’t. “Oh, Rayla.” He spoke quietly, understanding, and hating the understanding.

She shifted, nervously, as if concerned about the direction of his thoughts. “I’m going to pay that price,” She said, quickly, insistently. “I won’t – I’m not going to hurt Ez.”

Ez sniffed, and finally left Callum’s side, stumbling forwards to hug his would-be assassin around the middle. “I know you’re not going to hurt me, Rayla.” His words were muffled, but utterly crestfallen. “You’d never. It’s just –“ he broke off, sniffling, and Rayla’s arms slowly lowered to settle around his shoulders. The look on her face was a bit heartbreaking. Relieved, but horribly conflicted.

“It really sucks.” Callum finished, for his brother, unable to look away from her face. She seemed to find the eye contact uncomfortable, and dropped her gaze to Ezran’s hair, but – no wonder she’d had a hard time saying this.

“Yeah.” Agreed Ez, miserably, still pressing himself tightly into the embrace. “That.”

“…I guess so.” Rayla offered, quietly, after a moment. She stiffened suddenly, looking alarmed. “Ez?” Callum followed her eyes and saw that Ezran’s shoulders were shaking – he was crying. Not hard, maybe, but… “Ez – it’s-“

“It’s not alright.” He cut her off, pulling back to stare at her fiercely, his eyes brightly, coldly blue. They were all the more vibrant for the tears at their edges. “It’s not fair. You shouldn’t have to lose your hand because – because-“ His face screwed up and he pulled an arm back to wipe at his eyes.

Rayla looked incredibly bewildered by the sudden manifestation of crying-Ezran. Callum might have found her expression funny if not for the circumstances. “Ez – okay, it’s not fine, but there’s worse things than losing a hand. I’ll be alright.” She rested her good hand on his shoulder, hesitant, plainly uncertain of what to do.

He refused to be soothed, upset transmuting fast to an almost indignant affront with the situation at hand. “Isn’t there anything we can do?” he demanded, stepping back to ball his hands tightly at his sides, still seeking comfort even though he’d stepped away. “Can’t we cut it off? Or – or find some kind of spell to get it off?”

Her head lowered, eyes averting to the side. “…Believe me, I’ve tried.” She said, regretfully, and slowly flexed the dark fingers. “If there’s anything that can break this stupid binding – it’ll be in Xadia. There’s no way my hand will last that long.” She exhaled, heavily, and Ezran’s bubble of protective fury burst like a balloon. “It’s okay.” She tried to assure him, not sounding especially certain of the words herself.

Callum stepped forward then, jaw tight, and settled a hand on Ezran’s shoulder. “It’s not okay, Rayla.” He insisted, firmly, his brother’s agitation rousing his own. “Come on – there’s got to be something. Some weird counter-ritual, or weird spell, or weird amulet that can break magic – I don’t know, a weird something. Just think. Maybe there’s something you haven’t thought of!“

Her eyes snapped up to his, now looking vaguely annoyed. “No. There’s nothing. Like I said, if there’s anything that could help, it’s in Xadia.” Her words were shorter, now. Clipped. She folded her arms around herself and turned away, as if to close the subject. “It’s not nice, but – I’m going to lose this hand. I’ve accepted that, okay? You need to accept it, too.”

He tugged Ezran back to his side, straightening unhappily. “Maybe you’ve accepted it too fast, Rayla. Look – maybe you can’t think of anything now to take that binding off, but what if we at least…saw a healer, or something?”

She cast a look at him that was almost scathing, bristling like a frightened cat defending her space. “What do you think a healer could do about a magic wrist binding?” her voice was cutting.

“…Maybe there’s magic healers.” He suggested, half-heartedly.

“In the Pentarchy? If there are, they’re dark mages.” She glared at him, looking offended at the very thought. “I’d rather lose both my hands than get treatment from that.”

Her voice was so poisonous on those words he didn’t even think of trying to suggest otherwise. He threw up his hands, frustrated. “Then just a regular healer! Who knows, maybe they’ve got some medicines to – slow it down, maybe?”

Rayla cast a sharp, abrasive glance his way, then looked stubbornly to the side, folding her arms. “Leave it. There’s nothing anyone can do. That’s it.” There was a warning edge to her voice, unpleasantly reminiscent of yesterday, just before she’d snapped at Ezran.

“But if we can get you more time-“ He started, initially stubborn, but cutting off quickly when she suddenly whirled around, fast as a striking snake.

“There’s no point, Callum!” She hissed, thrusting her hand out as if in demonstration. He winced at the sight of it, the entire thing dark as a bruise. “Look! The binding’s tightening and nothing’s going to take it off! I should just-“ Her other hand twitched in the direction of one of her swords. “I should just – cut it off now, so I can start healing from it sooner.” Her fingers brushed the folded form of the blade.

Ezran’s eyes went wide with alarm, and Callum was sure his weren’t much better. He shot his hand out to grab hers away from the blade. “-Don’t!” He said hastily, grip tightening a little on her fingers. She narrowed her eyes at him but didn’t move. “It’s – look, Rayla, I get what you’re saying, but – what if we do find something? Some sort of – magic thing, I don’t know, or something that can cut your….assassin ribbony-thing. If you cut your hand off now – if we find something? It’ll be too late.”

She stared at him, jaw clenched, and said nothing. Tentatively, Ezran shuffled over, and looked up at her, eyes pleading. “Callum’s right, Rayla. If we see a healer, maybe there’s something we can do to…help you, or slow it down, or…make it hurt less, even. And then we’ll have more time to find something to help you.”

Still she said nothing. “Do you want to lose your hand?” Callum demanded suddenly, unable to withstand her silence. “Don’t you want to try to find a way to keep it?”

Finally she spoke, ostensibly at Callum, but seeming to have a hard time meeting his eyes. “Of course I don’t want – of course I – I mean, no, I don’t want to lose my hand, but-“ She waved the hand in question at Ezran. “Look, I bound myself. And since I’m not going to kill Ezran, my hand’s the price. That’s how it is. And that’s fine! I’ll happily lose this damned thing if it means I don’t have to kill him.” She forced a conflicted, drawn-in smile for Ez. “You’re a good person, Ez. Worth losing my hand for, easy.”

Callum’s expression and grip both tightened, unhappy. Ez exhaled, deeply, and reached out to carefully take her ailing hand, like a mirror of Callum. “I…I appreciate that, Rayla. You’re a good person too. But you shouldn’t have to lose your hand for me. You should never have been meant to kill me at all. It was because of the Dragon Prince, right? Because everyone thought he was dead – there had to be revenge? But he’s not dead. And you shouldn’t have to lose your hand just because people didn’t know what really happened.” His expression went firm with resolve, eyes staring at her with unshakeable will. “This binding isn’t right, Rayla. It isn’t justice. If we just let it take your hand off without doing anything to try to stop it – that isn’t right either, don’t you see? You’ve got to let us try.”

Sometimes, when things were serious, and he stopped goofing around…Callum could see the future king in his brother. Could see their dad in Ezran. This was undeniably one of those times. He inhaled, breath shaky, and felt so proud of Ez that it hurt. He looked up and met Rayla’s eyes as he spoke, his fingers still clutched around her own. “Maybe we can’t save your hand. And…like you said, there’s worse things than losing a hand, if that’s what happens. But Ez is right – you shouldn’t have to lose it. Please, Rayla. Let us at least try.”

She stared at them, plainly conflicted, eyes flicking between him and Ez, and then down at her hands, held in their own. She produced a tiny, nearly inaudible sigh, noticeable mainly by the slight dip of her shoulders as she exhaled. “….Fine.” She said, quiet, tired. “We can try. I don’t think it’ll do any good, but-“

She was cut off, abruptly, as Ez barrelled forwards to throw his arms around her again, sending her stumbling backwards a few steps, hand falling from Callum’s. “I’m so glad.” Ezran mumbled into her armour, and after a second of hesitation, Callum stepped forwards to join in, one arm around her and one around Ezran. She was tense, but, well, that made sense.

“…You dumb humans.” She sighed after a moment, voice exasperated and fond, and tentatively returned the embrace. She allowed it to hold for a few seconds before stepping back, expression settling into something firm. “We’ll maybe go into some towns and – talk to healers, or whatever it is you think will help. But we’re not going out of our way to do it, okay? No wasting days just because you want to detour to – Human River Town, or Human Mountain Town, or wherever. And no putting our whole mission at risk!” She folded her arms and stared at them expectantly. “I’m an elf. You’ll be more likely to find an angry mob than a healer that’ll treat me.”

“We’ll figure something out.” Ezran said contentedly, beaming brilliantly at her, entirely satisfied with her agreement to let them try. She looked away after a second, and he understood why – Ez could be hard to withstand, when he was that…bright.

“…Don’t get your hopes up.” Rayla harrumphed, not meeting their eyes, sounding rather like she was trying not to get her hopes up. Callum eyed her, worried and sympathetic and not sure how to help, settling eventually on distracting her. He put a hand on her shoulder to get her to look at him, and then nodded in the direction of the flat and shapeless form of the tent.

“If it’s hard for your hand, maybe try to show me whatever it is you do to get the tent up, and you can do what I normally do.” He suggested.

Her eyes fixed solidly on his for several long moments, half-guarded and half-grateful. He felt it when her shoulder slumped, some of the tension easing from her body. “…Alright. Let’s give it a go.” She sighed, and smiled tiredly at him. After all the stress of this whole conversation, he was happier to see that smile than he could quite put into words.

His own posture loosened, as if his tension had been tied to hers, and he offered his own grateful smile in turn. “Come on, then. Camp isn’t going to make itself.”

Something about the way she looked at him seemed softer, then. Warmer, maybe. She reached out to tug him over to the tent, and he followed, wondering at the changes a difficult conversation could bring.

End chapter.

Timeline: This chapter takes place very slightly on 15.05, but mostly on 16.05, day 6 since start of canon, day 4 since start of travel. (In canon, this is the day Azymondias is born.)

On geography: if it’s not obvious by this point, I’m taking some pretty large liberties with the geography of Katolis, though its general shape remains the same. Some names of things are taken from heavily modified Latin words, some from heavily modified real European place names, and the Rhodane in particular is named after the Rhône, one of the major European rivers. Some locations in canon, like Mount Kalik and the Moon Nexus, have been shuffled around a bit, or a lot, to suit both plot and my own geographical additions.

On Rayla’s history: If canon declares that some childhood event prompted Rayla’s fear of water, I’ll edit this chapter. Otherwise, I’ll go with the explanation in this chapter, because I’m somewhat tired of characters’ fears always having a conclusive instigating event.

On worldbuilding: This section is pretty egregiously full of infodump, apologies in advance. I can’t not worldbuild.

In the piaj world, medical science is relatively advanced, due to the advances in knowledge and practice that magical understanding of the world allows, as well as magical tools. Elves are considerably more advanced than humans in this respect, but various avenues of espionage usually ensure that the human kingdoms still vaguely profit from advances in Xadian medicine. The human kingdoms have recently started pioneering hollow syringes, and have these available for administering medications in the largest, wealthiest cities. They are trying very hard to figure out how Xadians make their refined antibiotics and other medicines, but they are unlikely to accomplish this easily, as the processes involve magic.

Elves call first aid first aid. Humans call it field-healing, as it exists primarily among the military for use in the field. It is becoming more common for civilian humans to learn, especially among the household staff of the nobility. Most small villages will have someone with basic field-healing, and most towns will have several, as well as a proper healer.

The defibrillation spell is inpulsis vita. ‘Life shock’. When the rune is drawn and the words spoken, electric charge builds in the mage’s arms and will release through the palms of the hands, which are positioned on the patient as defibrillator pads would be. This spell acts as a biphasic defibrillator. Like real-life defibs, it only generally works on hearts that are in a ‘shockable’ rhythm – someone whose heart isn’t moving at all would get no benefit from it.

While casting the spell is relatively simple, actually using it properly is extremely difficult, because: 1 – the mage needs to be able to determine when the heart should be shocked, which needs either incredibly finely-tuned magical senses or otherwise a magical device to track the heart, 2 – the mage needs to be precisely aware of how long the charge takes to build before it releases, and match that delay to when the heart needs to be shocked. There is a leeway of several seconds where the charge will rest in the hands, and very skilled mages can prolong this, but after this it will release whether the patient is ready or not. Sky-healers generally need a lot of training to be able to use inpulsis vita successfully.

The spell was developed with the help of Sky dragons, some of whom were able to feel the electrical impulses in living bodies, and who advised elf Sky mages on what was happening (electrically speaking) with certain cardiac rhythms.

Afterword: this chapter took a while partially because I wanted to get chapter 6 finished before posting it and partially because, well, this is an important chapter with some emotionally charged parts and I wanted to be sure it was right. Good news, chapter 6 is finished! Also it’s 15k, which kind of explains why it took me so long. I started ch7 today and churned out a whole 2.8k scene, so that was nice. Probably don’t expect an update for another week, maybe. It’s going to start slowing down now.

Thank you so much for all the comments and support, I really really do appreciate it. If this chapter hit you in the feels, be sure to let me know. This is where I start making Rayla suffer, basically. Even just next chapter we have several thousand words of condensed Rayla suffering. (there’s also lots of fluff though!)

#tdp #rayllum #tdp fanfic #tdp rayla #tdp callum #tdp ezran #piaj #piaj chapters

26 notes · View notes

nethwan · 6 years ago

Text

Changes

Chapter 3: Feelings

Summay: Mei has always felt as if she lived in a cage, so she takes a decision that will change her life and the way she sees the world.

Note: I really hope you enjoy this story, if you see a mistake, let me know it. This fic could have a better name, but at the moment I was listening certain song and I thought that was perfect.

Also here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15136724/chapters/35440767

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12988099/3/Changes

Lars told her his story: the owner of the flower shop was his grandfather Vincent; he used to help him because he liked flowers and he was interested on gardening. Unfortunately, his grandfather died a few months ago; so Lars had to be on charge, but he had never been good with people, and he was still sad about his loss.

“If he saw me now, he would be very disappointed” Lars said.

“Don’t say that, he would be proud of you, I’m sure. Just don’t give up”

Somehow, Lars felt he could trust her and since that moment, things got better between them. He was more patient and taught her how to make bouquets. She learnt quickly, those lessons were very enjoyable. It wasn’t as hard as she thought at the beginning, she just needed practice.

Certain day, while Mei swept, she could hear Lars reciting a few verses she recognized, and she couldn’t help recite the second part of the poem.

“Do you know it?” he asked.

“Yes, I do! I studied literature at college” she said.

He looked at her impressed. Maybe that’s why she looked at him inquisitive when he was reading or writing. Now that he thought about it that was the first thing she said about herself. However, it wasn’t as if he was interested on knowing about her.

She was nosy, in his opinion, and talkative, she couldn’t be quiet for a second, and she made questions for everything. And she wore too much pink. But also the ambiance of the store felt more cheerful, and he kind of enjoyed her presence, when he realized it, he rolled his eyes and grumbled. Mei looked at him for a while and smiled. She was already used to hearing him mumble; probably he was reading that awful part of the book.

When he finished a book, he asked her what she had thought about it. Mei was surprised for his question. And since then, both started talking more and more, first about the books they liked, then about their hobbies, and later about mindless topics. They became into a sort of friends and they worked together in harmony.

Definitely, Lars wasn’t as bad as he seemed to be, he was still grumpy, but maybe some things would never change. Mei thought he was smart and hardworking, also, he was awkward, but she liked him. Lars considered Mei was funny and easygoing, the way she interpreted some poems was interesting to him. And also, he let her read his writing to know her opinion.

“Here” he said, one day after work.

“Why are you giving me this?” she asked, looking at the present.

“I thought maybe this could help you” he said.

It was a book about flowers, the different types, their meaning and how to take care of them. Mei looked at it very impressed and excited because it was a fascinating book. Lars seemed a little bit embarrassed and she tried to not giggle. Mei never imagined that he could give her such a marvelous present.

“Thank you” she said, smiling.

---

Two days later, Yao visited her at work; she was surprised to see him there. He explained her that Lien told him where she was. However, he said he was busy and just stayed there for some minutes and asked her to take care. She was relieved that he didn’t tell her some awful news or criticized her job. To the contrary, he seemed happy to see her working.

She thought about her family, her parents called her quite often and her grandmother always sent her greetings. However since the first day she was there, Feliciano never called her, she thought he would be busy at work, and somehow she felt bad for not caring too much about it. She wondered what kind of marriage they would have.

Things at home were calm, sometimes Mei and Ling had tea with Lien, and other times they went out to walk and know the city. Both decided to learn to cook, and also how to use the washing machine, because once their sheets and other white garments turned pink thanks to Ling’s red cap. They never imagined that living alone would be so difficult; they realized they were living in a bubble all this time.

---

One Friday afternoon, when Lars and Mei were checking the book he gave her, three men and a woman got into the store. They seemed happy to see him. Mei thought they were his friends.

“Hey, Lars, do you want to go with us to drink something?” the tallest one said.

“We are about to close, anyways” Lars said hesitantly.

“Hey, do you want to accompany us?” his friends asked her.

Mei just smiled, not knowing what to say.

“Oh excuse us for our manners, I’m Matthew, this pretty lady is my girlfriend Katya. This is Mathias and his boyfriend Lukas. We are Lars’ friends” a man with glasses said.

“Nice to meet you, I am Mei, I work for Lars” she said shyly.

“Great! Then are you coming with us?” Mathias asked her. “Katya will have more fun if there is another girl with us”

Katya smiled at her, maybe she was glad to see another girl in their group. Mei didn’t want to be a bother, and they were his friends not hers, so she thought about an excuse to reject their invitation. But she was anxious to know people and have friends.

“You can come with us if you want, maybe we can show you some places” Lars said suddenly while he looked down, pretending indifference, but waiting for her answer.

“Alright, I’d like to go” she said happily.

Lars gave a hint of a smile. The other seemed glad. Mei followed Lukas and Katya. Then she noticed that Lars was talking with the other men and they laughed while he blushed and crossed his arms.

Mei told her cousin that she’d hang out with some friends, Ling seemed surprised, and then she said laughing:

“Have fun with your grumpy boss”

Mei rolled her eyes and said goodbye.

That night was one of the most amusing of Mei’s life. Lars’ friends were kind and treated her as if she was part of the group. They went to some places to drink and everyone had to sing at the karaoke. When it was Lars’ turn, he didn’t want to do it; he didn’t care if he had to pay for everything. Mei told him she’d sing with him, and that convinced him.

Lars sang hesitantly, but Mei’s voice was pretty sweet so no one payed him attention. He felt relieved because he thought that was embarrassing, but at least he didn’t have to pay their drinks. He secretly enjoyed that night, because it was different and special.

Then, the two couples said goodbye, and they asked her to hang out again. Mei saw that Matthew and Mathias gave Lars a sign, also Lukas smiled and Katya giggled, and Lars blushed again. He ignored them and said goodbye. Lars accompanied her to her apartment. It was very late, and he wanted her to be safe.

“I had fun today, thank you for invite me” Mei said.

“Me too” he said quietly.

They remained silent for a moment. They looked at each other in the eyes; she liked his green eyes, so captivating in spite of his annoyed gaze. He approached, but then, she opened the door. He seemed to wake up.

“It’s late, I had to go home” he said.

“Alright, thank you again, good night” she told him.

“Good night”

When Mei got in bed, she felt confused, she perfectly knew what was about to happen, but she couldn’t permit it. She was engaged, her fiancé was waiting for her, and he hadn’t called her yet, by the way. She hugged her pillow; she still felt the butterflies in her stomach and remembered those eyes.

She was getting worried, what if she was falling in love with Lars? She dreamt of him and her together as a couple. She woke up ruffled, what kind of cheesy dream she just had. At least that was her day off, but the rest of the day, she was lost in thought, thinking about him.

Other thing that worried Mei was the obvious crush Emma’s younger brother had on Ling, and she was certain that Ling felt the same. Mei didn’t want to sound like Yao, but what if Ling fell in love with that guy and he found out their secret? She tried to not meddle; Ling was an adult who knew what she was doing.

“I have a date” Ling told her when they were having breakfast.

“Who’s your date? No, wait, I know who he is” Mei said serious.

“Don’t get mad. He asked me out and I really like him. Tell me, there is something wrong with it?” her cousin replied.

“No, I didn’t say anything” Mei said annoyed.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a date. Besides, I am single” she said, emphasizing the last part.

Mei didn’t know what to say, she just remained silent.

“I didn’t mean… well, I am sorry” Ling said.

Mei didn’t say anything. She felt really guilty. Of course her cousin could go out with whoever she wanted. When Mei was alone, she took the phone, she needed to talk with Feliciano, at least to know how he was, but he never answered.

Things at work were strange, she avoided being close to Lars. His behavior towards her was different; he seemed shy and even happier. She needed to let him know they could be just friends. But when she was about to tell him the truth, something happened: a customer, the phone, or just his smile that made her forget everything.

Mei was so concerned that she forgot her own birthday. That day, they closed early, he asked her to accompany him to his apartment because he wasn’t feeling well. She did it. It wasn’t so far away from there. When he opened the door, the lights turned on and his friends, Ling and Emma said ‘Happy birthday!’.

She looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

“Ling told Emma and she told me” he said simply.

“Thank you” she said touched.

She wasn’t expecting that, and less since the dramatic call of her mother. She received some presents and the cake was delicious. She met more people there, like Antonio, Emma’s boyfriend.

Later, when the guests were more interested on their conversations, he asked her to follow him to the roof. There, they admired the night and the city lights, the air was cold and he gave her his jacket. They sat next to each other.

“This is my favorite place, I come here to think and write” he told her.

“It’s a calm place, I like it. Thank you for bringing me here and for the party” she said softly.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked it”

It seemed as if he wanted to tell her something else, but he couldn’t. He got closer. They looked at each other in the eyes and then without thinking, they kissed. She felt that she could melt, that was the sweetest kiss she had ever received.

That kiss was so different to Feliciano’s, they had kissed once, but she never felt anything. With Lars, to the contrary, she felt as if she was flying, she truly enjoyed it. She couldn’t feel the cold anymore. Then, he interrupted the kiss.

“Mei…” he said disturbed.

But she kissed him again and again. She didn’t want that kiss finished; she ignored what her conscience told her, forgetting her engagement. They smiled after some more kisses. Then, she put her head on his shoulder and they stayed there, forgetting the rest of the world. When they woke up, the sun was rising. He asked her to go to sleep and he’d do the same.

He accompanied her to her apartment and they said goodbye with another kiss. She felt excited, living a dream and not wanting to wake up. She found Ling sleeping on the couch, and then she woke up when she heard her.

“Where were you?” Ling asked her.

“I was with Lars” Mei said.

“Don’t tell me you spent the night with him?” her cousin asked shocked.

“No! Well, yes, I did, but not in the way you are thinking. We were just talking”

Ling raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

“Ling, don’t jump into conclusions too fast…” Mei sighed and sat next to her.

“What about Feliciano? In the first place, I know you don’t love him, that’s for sure. And Lars? Are you in love with him? I mean he is such a grump, but he is kinda hot too” Ling joked.

Mei smiled. She didn’t know what to do. Maybe, she had made the worst decision of her life, she could to resign herself and become the wife of a rich man and somehow being satisfied because that was her destiny. But no, she had to have that ridiculous dream and get out of her bubble and for the first time, live her life as she wanted.

The situation at work wasn’t easy when she found him waiting for her with a bouquet of tulips. She breathed deeply; it was now or never, if she didn’t tell him the truth, she could break his heart.

“Lars, we need to talk” she asked him softly.

“Sure” he said.

Then, an elegant man got in the store, it was Feliciano. He approached to her and hugged her. Lars was confused, waiting for an explanation. Mei pushed Feliciano aside. Then, he looked at Lars and shook his hand.

“You should be Mei’s boss” he told him.

“Yeah, I am, who are you?”

“I’m Feliciano Vargas, her fiancé. I’m here for her” he said, smiling.

Lars glared at Mei, he seemed angry. She tried to explain him, to tell him everything. The ambiance felt tense.

“Did I say something wrong?” Feliciano asked nervous “I’m going to wait for you outside” he said.

Mei wanted to cry, to hug Lars and tell him how much she loved him, that it was a complex situation, a mere misunderstanding. She couldn’t find the right words; she spoke quickly about her life, her real name, why she was there. Then, Lars complaint angrily:

“You lie to me! Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“Don’t say that! I tried, I swear I tried to tell you” she replied.

“But you didn’t. I don’t know who you are anymore; I can’t believe you used me! You were making fun of me all this time” he said, feeling betrayed.

“Lars, listen to me. I was being honest all the time, the only lie I told you was my surname”

“I don’t need your excuses. Maybe you should leave right now. I don’t want to see you ever again” he said.

Mei felt a lump in her throat. She just opened the door and left.

#nedtai #aph taiwan #aph netherlands #fanfic #btw the song is changes by david bowie :'v

2 notes · View notes

bonafidehero · 4 years ago

Text

Bella the Teenage Witch

Summary: What if Bella Swan was a witch? Taking advanced classes, Bella graduates from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry early. With her mother and Phil traveling so much she decides to move to the sleepy town of Forks and spend some time with her father, who insisted on her attending the local high school to make some “normal” friends. Oh how wrong he would be.

Read on AO3 and FanFiction!

Chapter 5: Friendships and Marathons

That night my owl, Hareton had finally made it to Forks. I'd considered taking him on the flight but he'd had to go in the cargo hold and also, he's an owl. How strange would that look? So I had Renee take care of him until I settled in and got him a new cage; then she sent him on his way with a letter to me. She didn't seem to understand that he'd find me, saying he'd end up missing. But I knew he would, owls; especially magically trained owls were very good at finding whoever it was needed finding.

He flew in through my window, which I'd left open once Renee told me he left and dropped down on my bed. He was a beautiful red screech owl, white and black spots dotting his feathers. He hopped up on my knees which I had pulled up to hold my book on and hooted happily before stretching his head towards me; asking for a scratch.

“Hi Hare!” I squealed, rewarding him with a good scratching behind the ears. “I'm glad you're finally here, how was the trip?”

Hareton puffed his chest out proudly before stretching his leg out for me to remove the note attached. I chuckled, translating that as it being successful. Once the note was removed he nipped my hand affectionately before swooping back out the window for a hunt.

Bella

This is so funny! I feel so strange actually handwriting something, it's like one of those old timey books you love!

Anyways, Hareton seems anxious to get to you. He hasn't seemed too happy since you left. I hope you're having a good time with your father and at school. Keep me updated on all the friends you make and any boys!

We miss you!

Love,

Mom and Phil.

I laughed, folding the letter back up and plopping it into my bedside table drawer. Mom was always one to get right to the point. I got up and filled Hareton's bowl in his cage with some treats that I'd had left over from school. I'd gotten them in the little wizarding community near the school. I'd have to find another community somewhere close so I could stock up on that and other things I'd miss.

Yawning, I went to the bathroom to do my nightly routine. Called down to Charlie goodnight and slipped into my bed ready to get a good night's sleep before I went back to school tomorrow.

The next morning I woke early and took a little more time on my appearance. Carefully brushing my hair into a slight side parting and picking a thick woolen sweater in forest green and jeans. After dressing I stared at my traveling cloak from school, should I wear it? It was still icy and cold outside.

It wouldn't be that odd.

Against my better judgment I snatched it off the hanger and threw it over my shoulders, slipped into my boots and tucking my wand into the side. I always carried it with me, either tucked into my boots or a jacket pocket. My cloak had a built-in wand sheath but I resisted the urge to place it there, if someone happened to hug me too tight or accidentally touch the area they would probably feel it. I'd rather not end up in a tight spot of questioning like I'd gotten myself in the other day in lunch. I clearly was a terrible liar.

Charlie was still here, surprisingly and I greeted him as I made a quick bowl of cereal. I miss the grandiose meals at school. They always had what you wanted and everything you didn't know you did!

“Nice coat, Bells.” Charlie chuckled as he poured a cup of coffee.

I looked up from my bowl, “Do you think it's too much?” I asked worriedly.

He stared at me for a moment and then smiled, “Nah. We're in a small town, there's characters everywhere.” He took a huge gulp and placed the cup in the sink. “I have to get going, lots of paperwork to do today. Have a good day, Bells. Love you!”

He marched out the door and I heard his patrol cars engine roar into life, after a few minutes of warming his car he finally pulled out of the driveway and down the street out of sight.

Once I was finished eating I washed the few dishes in the sink, slung my bag over my shoulder and locked up the house. My chippy red truck sat in the driveway, I turned it on and waited for it to warm. I glanced at the area where Tyler's van collided with the truck, you could barely even notice anything happened. A tiny dent. Whereas Tyler's van looked horrible and mangled. I kind of felt bad, hopefully he'd be able to get a new car.

I parked in my usual spot at school, but this time I stayed in the cab. The likelihood of me being chased down by another stray car was unlikely but with my luck so far I wasn't taking chances. Again I was here early, the lot was filled about half way again but most students were either in their cars or in the buildings. Too cold to mingle outside too long.

I looked over as a car parked down the way from me, this time I knew who's car this was. Edward's silver Volvo. Nobody exited the car, maybe his family didn't want to be in the cold too. I looked back straight ahead and thought about what had happened the day before.

Clearly Edward was not going to break easily, but did I really even want to know? Should I even know? Maybe it wasn't anything crazy. Maybe it was an adrenaline rush, those happened. I'd heard of one where a mother picked up a van to rescue her child, or something like that. It wasn't impossible, I guess.

From the corner of my eye I saw the back doors to the Volvo open and Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper crawled out. They looked back into the car, probably talking to the others before shutting the doors and making their way to the school.

About a minute later the front door opened and Alice stepped out, she looked up at me and caught my eyes. She seemed to hesitate before smiling a small smile. Then Edward's door flew open, he threw a dark look at Alice and then shut the door before stalking off to the school; Alice gliding after him and throwing another small smile my way.

I laughed, Alice seemed nice at least. I suddenly wanted to be her friend. Maybe I would, who cared if Edward didn't like me?

Not me.

I decided that I'd at least be nice to Edward, even if he did break his promise. I couldn't blame him, I had secrets. Maybe it really was an adrenaline rush, maybe he was as frazzled as I was by the events. I got out and made my way for the school. Today would be a good day. I'd make sure of that.

Jessica pounced on me the moment I sat down in Trig, I should have expected it but her ferocity surprised me a bit.

“Bella! What happened yesterday? I heard you were alone with Edward a lot at the hospital. Spill!” She spit it out quickly, staring at me expectantly.

I was a little surprised that she didn't even ask how I was, everyone else had been so concerned all day and begged me to divulge the events. Which I really hated doing, but I stuck to the story Edward asked of me.

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” I said slowly. “He was just... concerned. Making sure I was okay. His dad's a doctor, remember?”

“That's it?” Was it totally romantic? I heard he saved you!” Her eyelashes fluttered dreamily.

“Uh, yeah he did. But it wasn't anything like that!” I said quickly, feeling my face heat up. “Anyone would have done it.”

“Right.” She said annoyed, “So that's it? Nothing more interesting?” Her eyebrows pushed up expectantly, but I was saved from her attacks when Mr. Varner announced the start of class. I shrugged, trying to look disappointed and turned back towards the front of the room.

The rest of the day went by much the same, everyone asked what happened. Thankfully since I stuck to my story people began to get bored by lunch. Apparently my story had be spread around and everyone had accepted it.

I looked over at the Cullen's once during lunch, I couldn't help my curiosity. Would he still be hostile like he was yesterday? But when I glanced over none of the Cullen's looked, they played with their food, having some unheard conversation. Emmett's booming laugh broke out and the others smiled softly. I turned back to my group and tried to focus in on what they talking about.

Mike and I entered the biology classroom, Mike bidding me farewell as he took his seat and I took mine. Edward was already here, staring straight ahead and not meeting me eyes as I sank into my chair.

Alright. Hostile still it seemed. Or at least indifferent?

“Hello, Edward.” I said pleasantly, he could be grumpy but I would not sink that low.

He nodded back, barely moving his face towards me before turning stock-still back towards the front. Effectively letting me know he did not want to talk.

I guess that friendship died quick. I thought wryly. Why save me if you regret it so? He was so strange...

The month past quickly, Edward continued to ignore me and so I did the same. Trying to enjoy this time I had at a muggle school, meeting muggle kids. I did feel like I was stepping in line with the group I'd found. While I felt vastly different from them most of the time, some of them were kind and loyal. Which I appreciated.

One day at lunch they were all talking about their favorite movies, something I could actually relate to a bit. Movies were always Renee and my thing, we would try and see all the blockbuster hits every summer when I was home.

“My top has to be Fight Club or maybe The Godfather!” Mike enthused.

“Ugh, too much blood and gore.” Jessica mumbled, “What about you, Eric?”

Eric's eyes lite up and he thought for a second, “Definitely Lord of the Rings.”

“Dork!” Mike laughed

Lauren rolled her eyes, “Yeah, that's pretty lame.” and her and Jessica snickered.

“Girls don't like lame fairy movies like that,” Mike said “You gotta like manly movies, action and blood!”

Wow, what shit friends. I thought, I had to help Eric out. Plus I actually did like Lord of the Rings.

“No, actually that's really cool.” I said confidently. “My mom and I love those movies, we would go see them opening night.”

Everyone looked up at me, Eric's face was about to burst with gratitude. Jessica and Lauren looked surprised. Ben and Angela smiled softly at me and Mike's face morphed into one of determination.

“Oh, oh yeah. Uh those movies. Yeah, they're cool.” He hurried out, “Now that I think about it, there was a lot of cool fight scenes in there. Hey Bella, we should have a marathon one weekend. Just the two of us?” He asked hopefully.

“Oh, uh might as well make it a group thing, right? It's only fair. Eric, you'd go, right?” I asked hurriedly.

“No doubt, that'd be awesome!” He examined.

“I'd go.” Angela said quietly.

Ben glanced at her. “Me too, would be fun.”

“How bout you guys?” I asked Jessica and Lauren, although I was pretty sure I knew their answers.

Lauren glanced at Jessica, “Oh, no. Probably not, we'd probably be busy. Like shopping or something, right Jessica?”

Jessica seemed to be battling with herself, she finally blurted out. “No, I'd go. Why not? Could be funny.”

Lauren just rolled her eyes and returned to her food.

That weekend we actually did do that marathon. Charlie seemed extremely happy I'd had some friends over, even if we'd taken the TV and he would miss some games.

I realized quickly that the only reason Jessica had agreed to come was to try and get Mike's attention. She liked him, I could tell. But Mike wouldn't give her the time of day. Instead sitting as close to me as I'd allow, trying to pry me into a conversation whenever the movie got too boring for him. Jessica was steaming and once it was over and everyone was leaving she honestly look really sad.

I felt bad, I didn't like Mike at all. He was everything I didn't like in a boy. I'd have to try and get that message across to him some day soon.

Why make him think there was a chance?

Maybe some matchmaking was in the future. I smiled to myself, thinking about the ridiculous love potions some girls would use at school. I wouldn't do that, they were fucked up on so many levels. But maybe I could push him in the right direction...

#Bella the Teenage witch #Fic #Fanfic #Fanfiction #Twilight Saga #Twilight #BellaxEdward #Bella Swan #Edward Cullen #Harry Potter #Crossover #myfic

0 notes

fulloflesbeans · 7 years ago

Text

Hazel Eyes & Cake Pops [Ch. 17]

Read on Ao3 here

I was lying on the couch, restless and still fiddling with the bracelet. I still wasn't over the fact that she gave me her favorite color. It was eleven, Chloe left to HUE sf again and Rachel already went to sleep, leaving me in the dark and staring at the bright TV screen. I was getting up to check on my phone that was charging and to see if Kate sent any messages. She has sent a few during my car ride back, but all she said was that she put the polaroid in a book as a bookmark and reminding me how she had a great time today.

When it was around eleven-thirty, I took a chance and decided to sleep. Throughout the night, I kept waking up every thirty minutes. I was becoming more exhausted every single time. I think I heard Chloe come home at one point. I was definitely anxious for tomorrow, having to photograph Rachel and Chloe with an elite fashion team, and it'll be published on millions of covers. I was able to get about two hours of sleep, tops.

"WAKE UP, MAX!" I heard yelling, banging pots and pans, and someone shaking me all at once. I woke up so disoriented, I thought I was going to die in that moment. Chloe was the one shaking me, stopping me once I sat up.

"Sorry, Max," Rachel stopped banging the pots in her hands, "We're working like me for a day."

"What time is it?" I asked through a yawn.

"It's almost five in the morning."

They were still in their pajamas, so I could only assume they just leaped out of bed and then came to me. My head was still spinning from all the commotion.

"You wake up to pots banging?"

"In the beginning," she nodded and grabbed my arms, pulling me up, "Alright Max, time to get ready."

I took a really long shower and threw on my favorite blue jeans and a boring white shirt. My hair was still a mess, but I still put it up. Lastly, I grabbed my Polaroid camera, simply because of wanting memories. Chloe felt the exact same way and it showed in her eyes. She sat next to me on the couch, looking very grumpy and had her arms folded tightly. Her time at the club was not kind to her. Somehow at this hour, Rachel was glowing and happily skipping around.

"You did this every day?" I rested my head on Chloe's shoulder.

"It's usually earlier, but thank god it's at six, am I right?" She said gleefully.

Chloe and I groaned at the same time.

Sadly, for Chloe, she had to drive. Rachel stayed in the back with me so I could stay awake. It was becoming sunrise yet it was still dark blue; it was rather haunting from the streetlights to the empty street. It was picture perfect moment—though, I chose not to.

"Are you ready?" Rachel asked.

"I think so? I need some coffee and then I'll be able to take your pictures."

"Well yeah, but after that!"

"Yes, Rache, ready as I’ll ever be. Is it an official "we're a couple" kinda thing?"

"Yeah, my manager was like, "might as well.'"

I lightly snickered and smirked, "I'll try to make you guys pretty. I haven't had to use a professional camera in a while."

"You'll do amazing. Trust me, you'll have the time of your life and it's one more thing on your resume."

"That is very true." I had to agree, since I haven't had anything to add to a resume, therefore, was grateful for this opportunity. I took deep breaths to keep myself awake, but there were plenty of times where I passed out for a minute then regain consciousness again. We arrived at a large white building, with only a sign that stated it was a studio on the side.

"Is this legit?"

"I've done some shoots here before. Don't be scared already, Max! We haven't even gotten inside."

"I'm just asking." I shrugged my shoulders.

On the inside, it was what I expected: bright lights, white background, stylists, makeup artists, and another crew to look at pictures on separate screens. I knew it was going to be fast paced and pose-after-pose with a lot of yelling, but I tried my keep my composure and to stop my hands from shaking so much.

"Rachel, you're here!" A man sitting at the computer screens announced loudly, standing up and going to Rachel, kissing her cheeks in some weird greeting.

"Charmed," she shined her best smile, "This is Chloe and, the best photographer I know, Max."

"Best photographer, huh? You call yourself that?" He was very flamboyant, but he terrified me.

"No, sir, only Rachel calls me that."

He groaned, "So formal and awkward. Anyways, get to hair and makeup, we need to get this show on the road!"

He pranced away to help with lights. I sighed. I really had something to prove to everyone in this room. I've learned lots of things about fashion photography, which was a lot of work from lighting to specific poses for different colors and themes.

As I was taught to set up the fancy Nikon camera by another person, Rachel and Chloe sat in makeup chairs surrounded by groups of men and women with brushes and makeup palettes. It was a plain white background, some black and white stools on the side, and studio lights from both sides. I had plenty of ideas, but I had to wait until I see the outfits. In fact, I wouldn't want to use the plain background, but that probably wasn't allowed.

I tested out the camera and, though not my style, it was exciting. It was so clear and everything looked so bright through the lens.

I watched as Rachel and Chloe were getting their makeup done, but it wasn't over the top, it was more of a natural look, so to speak. I could see Rachel's highlight from the other side of the room. Chloe's discomfort was obvious too. I went up to them, at a reasonable distance so I didn't get in the way. However, I did use my Polaroid to capture them in that moment.

"Are you okay, Chloe?" I raised my voice.

"I'm alright!"

It was typical eyeliner and nude colors. Rachel sat incredibly still and looking at her phone while Chloe was gripping the arm rests and her feet kept shifting around. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I walked away from them.

I'm sorry Max! I took your shirt!

kek It's okay Kate. We were tired and you looked pretty comfortable in it.

I was. I can give it back to you before class.

Sure, sounds great.

I was tempted to say she could just keep it. We already have a lot of things to remember yesterday, so maybe clothing was a stretch? I looked at my bracelet and my heart skipped a beat.

What plans do you have for today?

Right, she was still asleep when Rachel told me.

I'm with Rachel and Chloe for a photoshoot. I'm the one taking the shots.

I felt prouder and prouder to say that.

How exciting! I guess I'll leave you be so you could take them.

I'll text you after.

Okay TTYL.

I should have asked what her plans were, but they were most likely either meeting her friends for the film or staying home with her roommate.

I went back to the backdrop to observe it. What poses could be done? Since it was an official way of coming out to the whole world, it had to be intimate yet still them. It was going to be hours before we could actually start, because there was still hair and outfit to be styled, so I went into another area of the building into another room and finally found all the drinks and snacks on an oblong table.

Jackpot.

I spent most of the time walking around with a donut in one hand and coffee in the other. I spoke to a lot of the crew and asking what it was like to work in such a crazy industry. A lot of them were very against the whole super skinny and Photoshop side of it. They praised Rachel and loved her, but were forced to fix something like makeup and hair at the very least. I went up to Rachel and Chloe, who were still sitting in their chairs, but now waiting for everything to set up for hair.

"Wish I could eat..." Rachel sighed as she stared at it in my hand.

"You want a little piece?" I broke off a really small piece and tried to hand it to her, but Chloe took it.

"I saw my outfit. I wouldn't want to bloat even a little bit."

"Oh, crop top, maybe?"

"It's sorta like that bra I wore with the leather jacket." She reminded.

"Does that fit the theme?"

Rachel looked at the backdrop, and then glared at me, "There's a theme?"

"... Maybe, I didn't hear anything about one. I've been trying to think of one because there's practically nothing here."

Rachel hummed, resting her head on her hand as she placed her elbow on her armrest, "Do tell."

"All I see right now is black-and-white colors, so I feel as though everything is so boring? Chloe's hair is going to be the brightest part of it."

"That's a good thing, right?" Chloe didn't seem worried. In fact, she was really happy about it.

"It is! There's contrast, but I need to balance the colors and think about eye movement."

"Now you're talking like a professional!" Rachel pointed at me as she said that.

I chuckled, "I got to. Is there a certain way you would like to be to posed, though?"

"We never modeled together," Rachel reached over and held Chloe's hand, "so, it'll be a lot of experimenting."

"Got it. I might suggest something, so be prepared."

"We're ready for anything!"

After finishing my drink, taking another picture of them on their makeup chairs, doing peace signs and sticking their tongues out, I left to practice more with the fancy and incredibly expensive camera. It had to be portrait, at the right distance, but I haven't found the right pose. It was difficult for me to find one, because one, it'll be awkward instantly if it's completely off, and two, they were a couple, but I didn't want to be too cheesy or forced.

For the next few hours, I was walking around both inside and around the outside. I ended up taking photos randomly like the set on the inside and the cars outside in order to get my brain going. I only had a couple of ideas by the time I went back inside again.

Chloe looked like a different person when I got back inside. They shaved her hair down except for the top, which they cut slightly shorter and wavy, and her hair was a mix of blue and purple. It was a hella gay pixie cut and Rachel's wide eyes spoke louder than words.

"Holy shit, Chloe, you look great." I said in awe.

"You think so? This is new for me." Chloe kept moving her head from side to side as she looked in the mirror.

"I'm hella gay right now..." Rachel tried to say at low volume, but I heard it.

Chloe smirked at her, "That might help with the photoshoot."

I only chuckled as I took another picture of them gazing passionately at each other. They were already in their outfits. Rachel was in black, a bralette and incredibly tight jeans, and Chloe was in white, in a dress shirt unbuttoned halfway to show her chest and a pair of white jeans. White pants didn't quite match her, but it's only for the day. Strangely, they were both barefoot.

"Why can't I button this shit?" Chloe started to button her shirt up again.

"They styled it that way." Rachel then started to unbutton.

Chloe had every right to feel weird about it; she wasn't wearing a shirt or bra under.

"You just want to stare."

"That's the point."

I only rolled my eyes, but cleared my throat, "Did you guys think of any poses you would like?"

"Nope," Rachel turned to me, "Did you?"

"I thought of a couple, but it was hard."

"It is! I don't want this photo to just be fashion. I just want it to look like a normal couple photo. Normal for us."

"I was thinking of that too. I'll try not to make it too cheesy."

"Oh fuck, I hate those." Chloe jeered.

"Which is why, Chloe, I'll try my best to not do that."

"You're the boss, Maxonista."

I chuckled at that, "Anyway, can I take a few practice shots of you guys separately? I would like to warm up."

"Of course, let's get started!" Rachel clapped her hands together.

She went first, since she was the professional. She already knew her angles and her poses, from cute and warm poses to alluring and sexual poses, all in poses from standing and sitting on the stool. She had the look in her eyes, the placement of her hands, the shape of her body, even the flow of her hair, all down pat.

Chloe, on the other hand, was rather stiff in the beginning. Everything was so angled and didn't flow right, her face was stuck on two expressions of either pissed or nothing at all, and placement of hands and feet were awkward. At one point, Rachel had to go in and help her relax a bit, talking to her and feeling on Chloe's arms and sides. Hell, even I knew that she could do better than that.

The man that called me formal and awkward, who was apparently the model coach, was helping her on the side by doing poses and all she had to do was copy them. It took about fifteen minutes before she finally loosened up and started doing poses she was comfortable with. She loved her arms up and she just started dancing around, making me time and wait patiently for the right moment.

"Damn, donut girl's really good at this!" One person at the computer screens complimented.

I let out a breathy laugh. I didn't think anyone actually noticed me eating and walking. Chloe eventually stopped hopping around and looked at me, out of breath, "Are we good now?"

"Yeah, I think we're ready to start for real." I said confidently.

Rachel, Chloe, and I walked up to each other in front of the background. Chloe was sweating and shining under the light, trying to even her breath again. Rachel was rubbing her back, laughing at how winded she got from dancing around.

"Alright, what pose did you have in mind, Max... Barker? Is that the dude's name?" Chloe's face looked very confused.

"Yup!" Rachel replied, "What's on your mind, Maxie?"

"Well," I started, "Since you reminded me of the time we did a mini fashion show and Chloe swept you off your feet, literally, I was thinking to get you two back in that pose again."

"When she carried me? That doesn't sound too bad. Is it a profile shot?"

"Yeah, I have a feeling those pictures I just took will be used on other pages, so don't worry about the outfits. We could try some front shots, but I couldn't think of any that didn't look awkward or not you two, you know what I mean?"

"We got you. What do you say, Chloe?"

"Let's do this," Chloe whooped, "Besides, I know that pose all too well."

They went back to their stage and I grabbed the camera again. I couldn't help but notice that Chloe might have gotten a little taller. She grabbed Rachel right away and wrapped her legs around Chloe's waist in one fluid motion. Chloe's face was pretty much in Rachel's chest.

"That's... interesting." The model coach said.

"I got this, sir." I got closer to change their pose. At this point, Rachel had her arms around Chloe's neck and Chloe was jokingly motor-boating her. They eventually stopped, taking way too long to notice we were all watching. I chuckled and shook my head at them before I started.

"Can you move your hair over? Like, flip it to the other side?" I made a motion with my arm over my head.

Rachel smoothly flicked her head and all her hair moved to the other side, towards the background.

"Hold her a little higher."

Chloe did so, bouncing her upwards.

"Uh, a little lower."

Chloe rolled her eyes, but followed.

"Move your arm, Rachel."

Rachel's arm towards me covered half of Chloe's face. She moved it down slightly.

"That light over there needs to be higher." I pointed to the light on Rachel's side. Some of the workers fixed it up, perfectly aiming it more towards the front of them.

"Alright, now, to make this as natural as possible, make her laugh." I didn't specify who to make who laugh, because one of them was going to regardless. I walked away again, readying my camera… and waited.

Chloe did so right away, I could hear her whispering and Rachel giggling. I watched as it was getting progressively louder and Chloe was starting to have a large grin and laugh herself. It was infectious; everyone else in the room was laughing along with them. I started to take pictures when they, and everyone else, was piqued and at the breaking point. I went with their profile and straight-on, no different angles or heights, and it felt perfect.

I felt like I took about hundred photos of them like this and stopped when Rachel nearly fell off.

"Oh shit!" Rachel exclaimed through her laughter. I wonder what Chloe said that this was the reaction.

"How do they look?" I went and looked at the photos on the screens.

When the guy that called me donut girl wiped a tear off his ear and finally finished he yelled out, "Fucking perfect!"

"It's a wrap!" I announced. The room erupted into a mix of giggles and applause.

ot;Can I �'0�a

#life is strange #max caulfield #kate marsh #chloe price #rachel amber #marshfield #amberprice #tagging them because it gayer #my fanfiction

4 notes · View notes

iishmael · 7 years ago

Note

I wish you would write a fic where mick Schumacher is the main character

I did hehe!! Read it [here] on ao3 or under the cut :)

Mick’sheart was beating so fast when he entered the Mercedes AMG Formula 1 buildingin Brackley, he felt it thumping against his ribs and his ears were ringing.

He waspretty sure he hadn’t been this anxious for anything in his entire life, noteven for his first kart race. It didn’t even make sense that he was so excitedthat it bordered on nervousness; he wouldn’t even get to drive the car today.But it was his official first day as a Formula 1 driver. And he was the firstrookie that Mercedes had accepted so there was a lot of pressure… Mick triedto shake his head to get his thoughts back in order; he needed to be cool andconcentrate.

He wasabout to meet Lewis Hamilton who was the executive rookie baby sitter forMercedes these days apparently. A big grin flashed over Mick’s face when hepassed through the lobby and saw Mercedes shirts everywhere. What a feeling.

“Hi”,he greeted the receptionist. “I’m here to meet Lewis Hamilton, would yoube so kind and direct me to his office?”

Thereceptionist smiled. “No need to go to his office, he’s in the cafeteriaand told me to send you there.”

Mick noddedand looked around, a little lost in the hope to see a sign that would directhim to the cafeteria.

“It’sthat way”, the receptionist added and pointed at the little atrium with a fountain.Quickly saying his thanks, Mick made his way over to the table where Lewis wassitting – next to Nico Rosberg.

For asecond Mick got even more nervous than before but then he was standing next to the two ex-world champions and he heardhimself say: “Good morning. It’s such an honour to be here today, thankyou.” Blushing, Mick tried to regain his composure and finally stop actingas if this was his first day in formula 1. Which it was. Mentally head-slappinghimself, he shook Lewis’ and Nico’s outstretched hands.

“We’rehappy to have you here and we hope you’ll stay longer than just for today”,Nico answered with a nice smile.

Lewis justgrinned. “Ah, when he’s seen the car he’s never going to leave again.Please, sit down, Mick, today’s still relaxed.”

Mick satdown across the two older men and felt very awkward; he still had butterflies inhis stomach. Or maybe little F1 cars, who knows.

“Areyou nervous?”, Lewis asked, slightly tipping his head to the side andfocusing his gaze on Mick’s face. “There’s nothing to be nervous about.You already got the seat, kiddo.”

“I’mjust a little excited.” Mick shrugged, trying to look as composed aspossible.

“Awwwww”,Lewis cooed which made Nico roll his eyes. “Don’t be condescending or doyou want me to tell Mick what you did at your first day with McLaren?”

Lewisfrowned, but Mick had found some of his sass under all the nervousness andexcitement. “I’d love to hear that story.”

“Ohgood god”, the now pouting Lewis mumbled and shook his head. Nico ignoredhim though and winked at Mick. “He drove with his own car to Woking andtried to be extra cool so he wanted to park in just one move… he managed tohit the curb and damaged the under-floor of his car. Wasn’t the best firstimpression he ever made.”

Mickgiggled. “Well, I guess it’s more important how he performed in theMcLaren anyway.”

“See?”,Lewis commented and gestured in Mick’s direction. “That’s what I tell himevery time he brings this up!”

Nico puthis arm around Lewis’ waist and looked at him with so much love in his eyesthat Mick felt as if he was intruding just by seeing it. “It did turn outwell in the end, so no need to complain, darling.”

Lewis made“mrrph!!”, but his smile betrayed his grumpiness. Nico turned back tolook over at Mick. “And I’m sure all will turn out well for you too, Mick.What do you think, should we go and take a look at the car?”

Mick almostjumped out of his seat and nodded. “Yes, please!” With bright eyesand a beaming smile he followed Lewis and Nico back into the building. If itwas Nico’s stupid story or the distracting fact that he was about to see his own formula for the first time, hisnervous excitement had turned into giddiness. This was about to become hisyear.~

#mick schumacher #brocedes #lewis hamilton #nico rosberg #f1fanfic #myfic #f1 #sweet anon #sam answers things

3 notes · View notes

talesofzero · 7 years ago

Text

Carpe Noctem - Ch. 29

AU; Chapter 29 - Hinc Itur Ad Astra

This was going to be the last chapter, but then…things got out of hand… Maybe next time. In the meantime, enjoy old vampires being petty.

~6400 words

Even conscious, Daiba stuck close. He didn’t cling as much, but he followed me or Harlock around wherever we went. When I asked him why he had any interest in me when we’d just met a few days before, he stared and cocked his head to the side.

“I don’t know,” he answered as I was starting to feel anxious under his gaze. “Anyway, we’re the same blood, so it’s normal.”

I wasn’t so sure, but he had some centuries on me. He would know more about being a vampire. Plus, I learned right away that arguing with Daiba was pointless.

I had hoped he would have found somewhere else to sleep once he was back to himself. Sure, the ship was full, but Harlock’s offer to get him his own bed was shot down.

“I can sleep with you,” he said.

“Well, it’s just, Yama and I are getting married,” Harlock attempted. Actually, we were already married, but we hadn’t mentioned that to anyone else.

Daiba gave him the same stare he gave me, eyes sharp and obstinate. “Yeah?”

Harlock and I both had to back down. I wasn’t sure how to handle him when he wasn’t feral, and Harlock looked far too stressed to go into detail.

I didn’t mind him sharing our bed exactly, but I couldn’t press myself to Harlock with him between us. I liked Daiba. I really did. He was cute and sweet and usually grumpy for no reason, but I just… I…

I really needed some alone time with my husband.

But I couldn’t just kick Daiba out, not after all he’d been through, not after he woke us both up with desperate sobs and gasps for air. I was so startled and groggy at the time that I could only watch as Harlock tried to reach out for him, only for Daiba to scream and cower against me. Harlock froze. Pain bled into his eye. He was blaming himself again.

“Daiba,” I called, as I wrapped my arms around him. He trembled as though fighting off the cold, his gaze lost to the past. “You’re alright. We’ve got you. You’re on the Arcadia. No one’s going to hurt you.” I breathed whatever comforts I could and rocked him until exhaustion claimed him, and he fell back asleep.

If he remembered what happened when we woke again at nightfall, he didn’t want to talk about it. He rolled out of bed, stretching every-which-way like a cat in a sunbeam. “I’m thirsty,” he grumbled as usual. “Can we go get some fresh blood today? I’m tired of this gross, stored stuff.”

“No,” Harlock said, not bothering to hide how his eye flicked over Daiba. “Scouts say Promethium will arrive today. We’re not going anywhere. I want everyone to be prepared”

“Prepared for what?” I asked.

He breathed a near-silent sigh before answering. “War.”

Daiba remained unfazed, but surely he felt my heart hammering. “War!?” I squawked. “What for?”

Harlock shook his head. “It’s just a precaution, Yama. It’s unlikely anything will happen, but I won’t take any chances. Promethium doesn’t like having to split her power with the other lords. She’s been vying for control longer than I’ve been alive, and I’m certain Faust was in her pocket. I took away some of her control, and she won’t be pleased with me. I won’t lie to you. She is intimidating. Try not to let her get the best of you. Avoid her if you can. I doubt I’ll have anything to say to her in private, so you shouldn’t need to carry any messages to her second either. I’m just hoping the meeting will be quick.”

“It had better be,” Daiba said. His shoulders were scrunched by his ears, his arms crossed. It would be the first time he’d be away from us both since Harlock found us.

Again, I found Harlock examining him as though he were a book that could be read. A sense of unease hit me, creeping up my spine and scratching at my chest. Just as I started to say how we should go up to deck, Harlock spoke over me.

“Daiba, I need to know what happened when you were held captive.”

Daiba’s expression flipped to a snarl. His eyes never left the floor as he spoke, icy and slow. “I don’t remember.”

When even I could tell he was lying, he was doing a bad job.

Harlock took a step toward him. “Daiba-”

“You don’t need to know,” Daiba corrected him. When his eyes snapped up, they pinned Harlock’s feet to the floor. “And I don’t remember, so it doesn’t matter now.” He spun on his heel and snagged me by the wrist. “Come on, Yama, I’m starving.”

I felt I needed to say something. “Ah, but-!” But what? I had nothing to fix the rift between them. In the end, I let myself be led away as Harlock remained in the room, looking as though he didn’t know where he was.

Daiba settled us both in the galley, his glare now fixed on the table. Tadashi served us our glasses between games of chasing Mii-kun from the kitchen. One round, my cat somehow carried out as fish as Tadashi threatened his life. Judging by the yells from the hall, Meowdar came to my cat’s rescue.

As I leaned toward the open door, trying to see what was going on, Daiba spoke with a melancholy in his voice that sliced through my heart. “Captain just wants to hurt himself,” he said. “Only wants to know what happened so he can wallow in guilt.”

I looked back to find Daiba swirling the blood around in his glass, his eyes showing his age for the first time. “I think he just wants to know about his brother,” I said. “He didn’t realize there was anything left of Dick. Maybe he just wants to…” I let the thought trail off as Daiba shook his head.

“He wants to know what happened to me. Even if I told him about when Dick was aware and in control, that would only hurt him more. He just wants to blame himself, and I won’t let him.”

Swallowing my anxiety, I asked the question I wanted the answer to as well. “How much do you remember?”

“Everything,” he whispered.

That wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible because it was too painful. Daiba didn’t deserve something like that. “What?” I asked, fighting to keep my voice down. “But when you’re feral-”

“I’ve always remembered. I remember how I died too, but Captain didn’t want to hurt Dick, and I didn’t want to hurt either of them. When Captain lied, I went along with him. It was for the best. Well, I guess it wasn’t. We should have been more careful with Dick.

“After Gido captured me, I didn’t last long conscious. It was killing people that made me lose it. I couldn’t handle it, so I let myself go feral. At first, it was like I was sleeping. It was like I’d let someone else take over, but then I realized I could open my eyes. The other me still controlled my body. I always felt I could take back over if I wanted to, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. There were only a couple times…”

His features softened with sorrow. I didn’t like the way sadness looked on him. Anger fit him, but this felt wrong. “Sometimes Dick would try to apologize to me,” he continued. “He’d go up to the bars of the cage and let it melt his skin just so he could reach through and try to touch me. My feral side would back away, afraid of Gido, but I would take over enough that I could go up to him. It was exhausting, though. I couldn’t maintain it for long. And it didn’t make a difference if Gido had hypnotized me.”

He looked back to me. “Do you remember? I was the one who tried to kill you. I was the one who threw holy water on Tadashi.”

My eyes shot wide. “I-I didn’t see,” I stammered. “I never realized… But it wasn’t you! You were under Gido’s control.”

Daiba finished his drink and continued frowning as he set the glass down. “Gido really liked that idea,” he said, “using Harlock’s old newblood to kill his new one. Glad it didn’t pan out. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if I’d hurt you.”

But the look in his eyes was the same as Harlock’s. He did blame himself. For what, I couldn’t imagine, but I put my arms around him and pulled him close just like when he had the nightmare. “You protected me, Daiba,” I whispered into his hair. He smelled much like Harlock with a dusty tinge like charcoal. “I was so scared, but you did your best to comfort me and keep me safe. Thank you for that. I don’t care what happened when you were under his control. None of that was your fault. In my eyes, you’ve done nothing but take care of me.”

His hands balled into the back of my shirt as he buried his face in my shoulder. “Yama,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “Come back, okay? You and Captain both. I’m so scared I’ll wake up back in that cell again. I’m so scared you’re a dream.”

He was more nervous about the meeting than I was. My poor little Daiba. “We’ll be right back, safe and sound,” I said, pulling back so he would raise his head. Placing my hands to his cheeks, I pressed my forehead to his. “See? I’m right here. I’ve got you. While we’re gone, you make sure Tadashi doesn’t kill my cat, alright?”

His brows knit as he looked me in the eye, and a spark of determination flashed in his gaze.

I thought it was a good sign until he tilted his head and kissed me.

“Don’t be nervous, Yama. You already know most of the other lords, and they’ll keep things together.”

Still, he kept fidgeting, rubbing his hand across his mouth and leaning from one foot to the other. I was starting to worry I shouldn’t have put so much pressure on him by making him my second.

“Yama, if you-”

He finally looked at me for the first time since nightfall, his heart hammering in my chest. “Daiba kissed me,” he said.

Wait.

I blinked at him as he stood there looking ready to lose his mind. “Is that what you’ve been worried about?” I asked.

“Yes!”

He yelled loud enough that the other lords across the deck glanced over for a moment. We had to meet on Promethium’s daunting ship, as she was the eldest among us, but there was a palpable tension from every one of us.

And then there was Yama, red-faced with his hands slapped over his mouth.

“I’m kind of surprised it took Daiba this long,” I said. “He’s not good at hiding his feelings. He clearly loves you.”

Yama leaned in close and lowered his voice. “But he kissed me. We’re married, Harlock.”

This time all the other lords stared at me as I broke into a laugh. “I suppose we haven’t set ground rules, so it makes sense for you to be so nervous. If you don’t want him to kiss you anymore, just let him know, but I’m not opposed to you two exchanging affection. If you didn’t notice how Wataru and his wife acted, many vampires have open relationships. I can’t say I like the idea of sharing you with any strangers, but I’d be happy if you and Daiba were close. You’re the only person I’ve ever seen able to control him at all.”

Yama stood limp like a stringless puppet. Perhaps this was too much for the church boy’s mind all at once.

“So you’re not mad?” he asked.

“No. Do you want me to be?”

“No.”

“Would you be interested in pursuing a relationship with Daiba, or did you need me to tell him to back off?”

The more he thought about it, the more his expression became troubled. I was starting to think he wasn’t in the best mindset to join the meeting. I would need to calm him down quickly. As much as I would have liked to do so by drowning him in affection, this wasn’t the place for it. Seemed I didn’t have any place for it as of late.

“I don’t know,” he finally answered. “I just met Daiba. And isn’t that being unfaithful?”

“Not if I know about it and say it’s fine. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Yama. Except this meeting. We both have to do this.”

He took a deep breath and released it with a sigh, allowing the tension to ease from his shoulders. “You’re right,” he said.

“I know. I’m always right.”

That got an unimpressed glare out of him. I had to fight not to smile, but he must have seen the amusement in my face regardless. “So how much longer will we be waiting up here?” he asked, crossing his arms. “She’s already had us waiting for ages.”

“Her second said they were setting up the meeting room. She may just be getting dressed. I don’t know.” Promethium had always been one for dramatics. Every time I’d seen her, she wore a crown made of some shining red stone and a dress dark as the void. Rumor had it that she had been a queen of some old empire as a human, but I had a feeling she started that rumor herself.

“That was her second?” Yama asked. “The one with the weird green hair? How is his hair that color anyway? Are there people with green hair?”

“I hear dryads have green hair. Maybe he’s part fae. Who knows?”

Judging by the way his fingers were tapping in annoyance, Yama didn’t believe me. There was still much I needed to show him.

“Or he could dye it,” I said, “but yes, Wataru informed me earlier that he’s Promethium’s second - Daisuke Yamori.” He reminded me a bit of Daiba with the fluffy hair and annoyed expression. He had a few inches on Daiba though.

“Wataru said he’s got quite the temper,” I added, “so try not to pay him too much mind. If anyone bothers you, I’ll step in.”

Yama muttered something about how he could handle himself, and truly, if anyone was going to draw any ire, it would be my father. In the few meetings I’d attended, he’d always gotten the most glares, even when we all hated Promethium far more.

But while I was at it, it seemed like a good idea to do some proper introductions.

“Just so you’re not going in blind, Wataru is known for becoming furious at these meetings.” I glanced toward him so Yama would follow my gaze to where my brother stood. “If he goes quiet and you can feel his heart strongly, that’s our cue to avoid him. I’ve never seen him use that boy Bulge as a second before, so I can’t speak for how he’ll act. Seems like a fairly loyal guard dog.

“My father doesn’t use a second.” Again, I used my eye to point to where he stood alone, leaning on the rail. “Likely what gets him in trouble, but he’s too honest to pass notes like a school child.

“You know Zero.” I nodded toward where he leaned against the mast. Emotions flashed like a storm in Yama’s eyes when he looked to the captain. “He doesn’t act much different at meetings. His second, Marina, is so by-the-book she may be the only one who tries to make the meetings run like meetings.”

I used a twitch of my head to gesture to the woman not far to my left. “That’s Emeraldas. I’m sure you’ve heard about her.”

Yama’s brows shot up as he looked at her. “She’s pretty,” he said. “Isn’t that Tochiro’s girlfriend or something?”

“Or something is more accurate,” I said. Tochiro stood at her side with starry-eyed awe. I would have gotten onto Yama for suggesting the two weren’t a good fit, but honestly, everyone reacted that way. “She won’t talk much, but she may make use of Tochiro as her second often. She likes to do everything behind Promethium’s back. I guess I should mention beforehand - don’t be surprised by how similar they look.”

“Why’s that?” Yama asked.

But I shook my head. I didn’t have time to get into family history, and even if I tried, Emeraldas would sense me telling stories that weren’t mine and would come kick me off the ship. Quite literally.

Yama didn’t press the question, though I could sense his curiosity. He would need to keep a handle on that. The meetings often brought out old grudges.

“The other two groups are wild cards for me,” I said. “The Kodais aren’t even oldbloods. I can’t imagine how Mamoru came to be a lord.” Though considering this was Mamoru’s first meeting as a lord, he may have just lucked into the title. I doubted he would hold it long.

“How can you tell?” Yama asked. “Everyone else always seems to know how old a vampire is. I don’t get it.”

“You’re still a bit young, but you learn to sense it in the air around them. You can feel how old they are by the way the air resonates. Even you’ll be able to feel it around Promethium. She’s ancient, but the Kodais hardly have an aura. I’m not certain they’ve hit their first century.”

“What about Leopard?” Yama asked. “He looks nervous.”

Nervous was a nice way of saying it. Leopard looked like he was close to passing out. Even from across the deck, I could see him trying to keep control of his breath. If he weren’t careful, Promethium would take advantage of his fear.

“It’s his first meeting as a lord,” I said. The first time I met him was as Promethium’s second, all hardened eyes and stiff posture. When he betrayed her, the whole vampire community buzzed with shock. I was still just amazed he’d come out of it alive.

The rest of us excepting Kodai had promised to look after him in the meeting, though we hadn’t told him as much.

“I don’t know his second,” I said before Yama could ask. He was an older-looking man with dark facial hair and a calm, stern demeanor. Perhaps he could keep Leopard stable.

Yama returned to fidgeting with his clothes, new formal wear we’d commissioned. I may have gone overboard, but the shimmering green fabric I’d insisted on for the vest looked so nice on him that I really wanted it off. He kept tugging at his sleeves though, trying to make everything look smooth.

I let him try to work out his nerves for a minute before I stepped in front of him and adjusted his vest and sleeves myself. “You look fine,” I said as I tucked a stray bit of his bangs behind his ear. “We should get you a haircut though. You’re starting to look like Daiba.”

“Like you have any room to talk,” he muttered. The soft smile that graced his features left me hard-pressed not to kiss him. I made do with returning to his side and pressing close to him. He let his hand fall, so I laced our fingers together and listened to the waves wash along the ship’s sides until Yamori reappeared on deck. He seemed to think he had somewhere better to be. “Come on,” he called. “Time to get started.” Without waiting to see if we’d follow, he headed back into the dark belly of ship.

I didn’t need to look around to see the annoyance the others had for him. Irritation radiated through the air despite Mamoru’s chirp of “He seems fun.”

Promethium had gotten a new ship since last I sat in on a meeting, but this one was just as much of a fortress as the last. The outside had a wall of cannons as long as the horizon. The inside looked a maze, though all we did was traverse the steps. Down and down into the belly of the beast.

Yama drew in a sharp breath when he must have sensed Promethium. She was like a weight against my chest, so I could only imagine how Yama felt. This whole show was for her own benefit - placing the meeting at the base of her ship, making us all walk in to find her already perched at the head of the table.

Her expression was too calm to give anything away, too cold for any shred of comfort.

Honestly, the whole thing just reminded me how annoying and boring the meetings were. I should have skipped out on this one like I always had before. Plopping down in the nearest seat of the massive, round table, I crossed my legs and wondered why there was never any wine at these things.

Wataru and my father bit the bullet and took the seats on either side of Promethium. Undoubtedly, no one else would touch them. That landed me with Mamoru on my right side and Leopard on my left.

Yama stood to my right, slightly behind me, following the example of all the other seconds. Poor Tochiro wasn’t much taller than the table, and Yamori still looked like he’d rather be napping. Couldn’t say I blamed him.

“It has been awhile since there were any new faces at a meeting,” Promethium said. She never let emotions touch her voice when she spoke. Maybe she didn’t have any. “And I cannot recall the last time we had so many new lords at once.”

“Phantom’s not really new,” Father offered.

“True,” she said. “Neither is Leopard.”

Through some impossible courage or combination of drugs and alcohol, Leopard maintained an even stare with her as she looked to him. Luckily, he didn’t have to hold it long as Mamoru made his chipper attitude known.

“I am actually new,” he said, chin in his hand as he leaned against the table. “I didn’t get to introduce myself to you yet, ma’am, but I’m Mamoru Kodai.”

“I see.”

Not put off by her response, Mamoru kept his smile. There was no way this boy had come across a Piece by legitimate means. Still, I found myself unable to dislike him, no matter how hard I tried.

Emeraldas cut off any further chatter in an even voice with an underscore of malice. “If the formalities are over, let us get to the matter at hand. Why did you call this meeting?”

“So many lords gathered in one area, and you expect me not to?”

“Surely you could make sense of what happened through your networks,” Wataru said. “Given that so many of us are of the same blood, I don’t find it unreasonable that we would meet.”

“Yes, three of you,” she said. “Four if you count the dead.”

My whole body bristled with the urge to snap at her. She couldn’t even bother to recall his name. Yama must have felt the angry pulse of my heart because his fingers brushed my arm - just for an instant as he raised his hand to swipe at his nose. Not as subtle as he may have hoped, but it was enough to calm me.

“But you involved others,” she continued, “and though Leopard now holds the Piece, I heard nothing of a proper challenge. It seems to me you overstepped your bounds as lords.”

Her eyes were on me now. Though she pretended to speak to all of us, she wanted me to answer. Fair enough. I would take her challenge.

“Gido initiated a challenge against myself, Wataru, and my father when he sent hypnotized men after us in an attempt to bring us harm.”

“And you have proof these men were hypnotized by him?” she asked.

“You think I wouldn’t recognize the work of my own blood?”

“A weak excuse. By all accounts, you used the other lords to corner and kill another without proper reason or procedure. That is overstepping your bounds.”

I sensed Susumu move to Yama’s side and heard him whisper something into my second’s ear, but I paid them no mind. “If you want the absolute truth,” I said, “Gido killed himself by sunlight. It was not my doing.”

“There is no proof of such allegations. Regardless, he would not have done so had you not intervened.” She loved going to bat for anyone if it meant getting another lord in trouble. She was gunning for an excuse to be allowed to execute me herself. That was the price of meddling in another lord’s affairs. The more she tried to corner me, the more my blood boiled. She knew nothing.

Before I could respond, Yama leaned in and whispered, “Mamoru wants to speak for you. I believe the quote was. ‘Let me shut her up.’”

If he wanted to dig his grave with me, I wouldn’t stop him. Curiosity more than anything led me to turn to him and nod. He flashed me a grin that eased to a polite smile as he looked to Promethium.

“Ma’am, I know the statues of the lords are considered high authority, but are you suggesting they trump the old laws that govern how sires may oversee their newboolds? I have read both written law sets, and the lord set says nothing on the matter of lords being of the same blood. Rather, it states that the old laws should not be trampled on in any way that would benefit the lords exclusively. And, well, old law makes it apparent that sires can kill their newbloods if the newbloods go berserk or are dangerous.”

Promethium said nothing. None of us had anything to say. Even Emeraldas couldn’t hide her surprise. The cogs in Father’s head were spinning as he tried to recall the old books. He and Promethium were the only ones I’d known to actually read them.

Damn, I did like this weird kid.

The hush over the room broke when Yamori yawned, and we remembered we were able to speak.

“What else is on the agenda?” Emeraldas asked.

Promethium snapped her eyes onto Zero like a set of fangs. “I was told you turned a hunter.”

Zero had just finished folding a piece of paper he handed to Marina. “I did,” he answered, his brows pinched.

“Why?” she asked. I wondered if she felt disdain or curiosity or anything at all.

“That is a long story, and while I see no reason why you should need to hear it, you have no need to be concerned of him. I’ll admit to my reasons being largely motivated by spite. I wanted him to have to experience being on the other side. He’s entirely harmless, though.”

The folded note moved to Wataru, who didn’t have anything to write with, so he used his fang to pierce the pad of his thumb. Using the blood like an inkwell, his fingernail scratched some response into the page, no doubt in some code.

“You don’t think he may inform other hunters of what he learns?” Promethium asked. “I do not fear him, but perhaps you should.”

“He can’t even walk,” Zero said. “If he still wants me dead after all that has happened and finds a way to kill me, so be it.”

The note skipped to Father, who must have forgotten the code because he stared at it for a while before responding. Then to Emeraldas. Then Leopard, who didn’t write anything. Then me.

As Promethium continued interrogating Zero, I unfolded the note. It was an old code, but it was a pirate code, explaining why Leopard couldn’t respond. Promethium considered herself above a pirate, and he’d served under her. Undoubtedly Zero had only allowed Leopard to look at the note to make sure she couldn’t decode it if she cared to.

As I skimmed the page, I fought to keep my face placid.

Why is this ship so quiet? Where is her crew?

She must have one. Did they make port and clear the ship?

What port could they have docked at? We would have seen them.

Perhaps she has kept them hidden on the ship to mask her numbers. She does not like to give away information. She may be expecting this meeting to end poorly.

Unprepared like the rest of my family, I responded as Wataru had - in my blood. Maybe she was hoping for a war and that was why she challenged me. If any of you had sided with me or challenged her, she may have considered that grounds to attack our ships.

I folded it back and handed it to Marina, who skipped over a disappointed Mamoru. I couldn’t rule out the possibility that Promethium would find another excuse to attack. She did seem to be stalling.

But Zero was getting tired of it. I doubted reading through our responses helped matters, but he did well to keep his expression even. “Honestly, Promethium, enough digging into my affairs,” he said. “We should move to a topic that actually matters, like passing some sort of law regarding the limits of hypnosis and punishments for going overboard. There are surely more vampires with abilities like Gido.”

“You speak out of turn,” she said.

“Not really. It was my turn to speak, and I was done with that topic. Until we can all agree on some mythical, unbiased moderator, I don’t see why we can’t start a new topic when it’s already our turn.”

People didn’t challenge Promethium often. I suppose Zero lost the ability to care when he lost his arm. Before she could cut into him with some lecture, I heard a whisper behind me. “Ah, my cat!”

My heart shot out of my chest when Promethium’s gaze flicked to Yama. I turned toward him in hopes that he would look to me, but he maintained Promethium’s stare. “Did you speak, Second?” she asked.

Yama should have looked frightened, but all I could piece from his quick heartbeat and reddened cheeks was embarrassment. Either he’d learned to be an actor overnight, or he didn’t realize what a mistake he’d made. Either way, he was killing me slowly. I was dying from stress. Yama needed to stop making a habit of that.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I was just thinking that my cat is really finicky and unbiased. He would make a good moderator. You could have whoever is able to get him to come to them the one with speaking power.”

He still wouldn’t look at me, and I couldn’t speak out of turn as well, or Promethium would jump down my throat. Dammit, Yama, look at me! You’re killing me! You’re murdering your husband!

“Your…cat,” Promethium echoed.

With my focus on Yama, I saw his eyes go wide, so I turned back to Promethium.

She was smiling. Almost like a real person. It was just the smallest curl of her lips, but none of us could hide our surprise. Father kept blinking, and Emeraldas had one brow raised. If even the oldest among us had never seen this, I wasn’t sure whether to be happy for Yama or concerned for his life.

Perhaps it was all just a group hallucination. The smile vanished without a trace as she spoke again. “Second, is it true you were raised in a church?”

Yama’s brows pinched, but his voice remained even. “That’s right.”

“And you were a hunter?”

“I was raised to be a hunter, but I never became one. I didn’t have the stomach for it.”

“I see.”

Though I didn’t care for her sudden interest in Yama, there was little I could do. Seconds could contribute to meetings if called upon by another lord. Most of the other seconds appeared anxious at the prospect, except Yamori, who seemed to be counting the ceiling beams.

Second contributions were rarely more than a few words, never more than a simple clarification. Promethium’s next question caught me off guard enough that I had to bite my tongue to keep from interceding on Yama’s behalf.

“Do you believe hunters deserve to die for what they do to us?”

I would have killed to know what was going on in Yama’s head because his expression gave me nothing. His voice was firm as he responded. “I do not consider myself to have any say on who deserves to live or die.”

“Spoken like a true church boy,” Promethium said. “Who do you believe has this authority?”

“That’s an impossible question. Hunters believe they have the authority from god, and in-turn vampires take revenge against them in an endless cycle. It’s not just a problem between hunters and vampires either. Anyone can decide they have the authority to kill. The reality is that no one does. No one should have the ability to choose who lives or dies because if one of us does, we all do. I understand it is an impossible ideal, but it is the truth. Even if there is not a god, no one should try to take his role.”

Promethium eyed him for a few more tense seconds of silence. “Harlock,” she said, making my heart explode from shock. I was too old for this type of stress.

“Yes?” I responded.

“Your second is amusing. Keep him well.”

“I will,” I said automatically.

“I hear you’re getting married. Is that right?”

I didn’t know which way was up anymore. “That’s…right.”

“I suppose I can’t spoil a wedding, but make sure I’m invited.” She gave a nod as though in assent, like when Wataru let me keep a mutt I found on the street. Though I was uncertain what she intended, I felt she had decided to forgive me for today. I was allowed to breathe again.

Not that I wanted Promethium anywhere near my wedding, but if an invitation was all it took to hold back a war, I would live with it.

The rest of the meeting passed in its usual mind-numbing manner. Wataru grew so angry at my father’s suggestions on piracy laws that my brother sat fuming in silence for the rest of the meeting. Yamori somehow fell asleep while standing. Leopard managed to not hyperventilate when Promethium questioned him over how he would carry himself as a lord. For some reason, she didn’t ask Mamoru the same questions, though he needed a distraction from the way he was staring starry-eyed at Yama.

My attempt to send Yama over with a message that I would kill him if he didn’t stop had no effect. Then again, judging by the look Yama threw me, he didn’t carry the message faithfully.

By the time Promethium called the meeting to end, we all had to stretch the kinks from our backs. Yamori jolted awake when Promethium stood and the rest of us were filing out. I had to wonder why she kept him around. Must have been a good guard dog when things got heated.

Everyone separated with grumbles and sighs as we reached the deck. Zero was the only one who remained near Yama and me. “You’re lucky the younger boys were quick to save your ass,” he said.

He was right, but I didn’t need him lording it over me. “I suppose. I’m not sure what her interest in Yama was.”

Zero flashed one of his rare smiles. “I think she just likes cats. But I also think she’s curious about how the other side thinks and Yama pulled the rug out from under her a bit. I certainly wasn’t expecting an answer like that. Yama sure is…” Confusion tied his tongue for a moment as he looked over my shoulder.

I turned to find empty air where Yama had been. Across the deck, Mamoru had an arm draped across Yama’s shoulders and was saying something I needed to kill him for. I wasn’t close enough to hear what. I just knew he needed to die for it.

“Kodai!” I snapped, starting toward them. Zero sighed before trailing after me.

Susumu, who stood a few feet away as though trying not to be associated with his brother, still looked up alongside him.

“We’ve been over this!” I added when Mamoru didn’t let go of Yama.

For his part, Yama was caught somewhere between embarrassment and annoyance. He was tense as a breeze-blown sail and curling to the side much like one in an effort to get away from Mamoru.

That made it easy for me to snatch him away. Caught off balance, Yama stumbled into my chest with a squeak of surprise. I wrapped my arm around his back to hold him tight to me. The pounding of his heart pulsed in my head.

“He was just telling me about your upcoming wedding,” Mamoru said, flashing his usual smile. “Sounds like fun, but he doesn’t have any groomsmen picked out, and that’s tragic.”

“You’re not invited,” I said.

Mamoru’s grin broadened as Yama muttered into my shirt, “I already invited him.”

“He did save you back there, Harlock,” Zero added. “This is going to be one hell of a wedding, eh?”

The last thing I needed was half the damn vampire world at my wedding when half of them already hated me.

“Are you sure we can’t just have the war instead?” I asked.

Yama looked up at me with the least threatening pout I’d seen in my life. “No! We’re getting married, and I’ll make sure you write a letter to Promethium yourself. No wars!”

“I guess seeing you all dressed up as a groom will be worth it,” I sighed before leaning down to kiss him.

His angry retort became muffled whines until I pulled away to see him blushing so hard I could feel the heat radiating off his face.

“Nevermind,” he hissed. “We’re getting a divorce. I’m marrying Daiba.”

Smirking, I brushed another kiss to his forehead. “Your church doesn’t approve of divorces,” I breathed into his bangs, “so you’re stuck with me.”

“And you’re stuck with me!” he snapped.

“And I love you.”

With a huff, he pressed his face against my chest and grumbled a quiet, “Love you too.”

#captain harlock #space pirate captain harlock #harlock fic #yama fic #daiba fic #zero fic #mamoru k fic #promethium fic #and like 17 others #au fic #cg trash fic

10 notes · View notes

sad-af1121 · 8 years ago

Text

Unforgettable Part 3/?

Summary: You thought your life would be played out they way you thought. But due to a tragic event, you left everything, including your soulmate, Bucky Barnes. Pairing: Deadpool x Reader (platonic friendship) Bucky Barnes x Reader (eventually) Word Count: 2.8K Warnings: Language, angst, mentions of blood A/N: The (**) is a flashback mark. There will be numerous flashbacks in the series so that you guys will know the reader’s past and what has happened. I worked really hard on this one so enjoy. Feedback is welcomed 💜

Part 1 Part 2

Sweat seeps on your brows as you fought off the Hydra agents skillfully. The mixture of hand to hand combat and your powers gave you the advantage to bring down every agent in the base. Adrenaline coursed through your bloodstream as you moved around so light as air itself. As you charged towards one of the agents, jumping up, using their body to kick up, and knocking the Hydra trash on his ass. A smirk laid across your face, seeing him fall back, unconscious.

“Steve, what’s your status?” You question through the ear com and look around for Bucky and Wanda.

“All clear, Nova.” Steve says confidently as he keeps his eyes out for any more Hydra rats.

“Thanks C- “You were cut off as someone pushes you against the wall, injecting you with some kind of drug, leaving you limp and weak. Horror and regret plasters your face as you take in the face of the bastard who stabs your lower abdomen multiple times, leaving you to bleed out. Tears stung your eyes and your breathing labored. The last thing you see is Bucky covering your mouth and nose with his metal prosthetic.

“How could you do this to me?”

You jolt awake.

What was a vivid memory turned into a nightmare that repeated in your mind countless of times. Tears form in your eyes as a cold shiver runs down your spine and you hug yourself, shutting your eyes and steadying your breathing. Why is this keep happening? Will you ever be at peace with yourself again? Maybe not, not ever. Your mind kept playing a trick on you, adding or taking away places, people, or events with something worse than it was. You didn’t want to wake Wade, knowing he wouldn’t give a fuck about what the Avengers needed from you. He’d take you away, without saying a word.

But you needed to go. You never back down from anything, so why should you now?

Shutting off your emotions didn’t mean they wouldn’t try resurfacing whenever there was a slight chance to get out. It was getting harder, day by day, keeping them bottled up. You have no choice but to keep it that way. The pain was too much to endure. It was killing you from the inside. On the other hand, you weren’t using your powers as much either. Being afraid that one power would counteract the other, causing some sort of super atomic explosion. You were warned by Bruce that something like that would happen if you didn’t use your abilities evenly. You were constantly forming new atoms called photons, which is the source for the bright blue lights coming from your palms. The blue signifies the temperature at a scorching 20,000 degrees Fahrenheit, enough to wipe off a continent if you experienced overexcitement to your molecular and atomic structure.

You didn’t care. Storing all that energy was safer than releasing it.

The sky was still dark when you awoke from the nightmare so you decided to get up and dressed, packing the things you seemed were a necessity to bringing along. Nightmares are something you weren’t ever going to get used to. They were new or altered every time you shut your eyes. Busying yourself was the only thing that helped which was why you stalked the streets at night, looking for anything to occupy your mind.

Now that you’d be monitored at the Avengers tower, you weren’t sure if you’d get this freedom again. You had no clue how long you’d be staying there. Most of the things you own were useless anyway, except for your weapons and of course, the bracelets Tony invented for you to control your power whenever you freed it. He had it made for you when you’d became an official member of the Avengers.

You looked at the two accessories, moving them around as the faint light of the day highlights them before placing them inside your bag with the remaining things you stuffed in there. After you were all packed, you decided making breakfast for Wade would be a nice gesture so you walked into the kitchen, pulling out the ingredients. You blasted your favorite song and got started on cooking.

You honestly couldn’t wait to get to the tower and see what has changed.

If anything changed…

At the Tower

Bucky woke up, earlier than usual. He groans and sits up, rubbing his face looking at the clock on his nightstand before throwing his legs over the bed, leaning on his forearms that were rested on his thighs. When Steve told him you agreed to help and that you’d be staying here again, he didn’t know how to react or what to express. He simply nodded and made his way back to his room. He shut the door, and sat on his bed, staring into blank space. A part of him was excited, nervous, happy…but anger and sadness resigned in him. Like the others, he never got the closure as to why you left.

Only a note.

That very note was kept inside his drawer, where he would read it over and over again every night, trying to figure out what went wrong. Since the day you came to the Tower, he would always see you smiling or giggling. There was never a dull moment with you. That’s why he fell for you. You were his light whenever he was in the dark.

He sat on the bed, blinking away the sleep from his eyes before he heard a faint knock on the door. He sits up straighter and clears his throat.

“Come in.” Sleep was still evident in his voice.

Natasha walks in with a mug of coffee and a friendly smile played across her face.

“Mornin’ handsome.”

“Good morning Nat.” Bucky chuckles and scoots over for Nat to sit down next to him. She places the mug in his hands and sighs before sitting. Bucky grins at the warmth radiating off the mug. He needed his coffee every morning no matter what. It was something that made it happy amongst other things.

“So…” she drags out and taps her fingers on her knee. “She’s coming today. How do you feel?”

Bucky slowly turns his head, looking at the redhead before looking away and down to the floor, blowing out an exasperated sigh. In all honesty, he was excited, anxious and frightened. It may have been 3 years since you left, but you and Bucky went through a lot. Not only was he your lover, but a partner in missions, best friend, and support to lean on. “What should I be feeling? I’m fine, just nervous as hell.”

She knits her brows and places her hand on his bicep sensing his hesitation and cold shoulder. “Bucky, it’s going to be alright. We’ll let her know gently. I mean, come on. She left you, so what she finds out we’re together. She’ll figure it out the moment she steps in this tower.” She turns his upper torso, concern etched on her features.

“Nat, it’s easier said than done. You heard what Steve said about her. She shut off her emotions and seems to not care. But I know her. Deep down she does. We were once in love. We were…” He pauses and shuts his eyes before opening them back up. He had tears welling up and he quickly blinked them away.

“We were in love and engaged Nat. No one forgets that that easily.”

Nat purses her lips and looks down, taking and interwinding her fingers with Bucky's.

“Buck,” she says with sincerity. “I know it still hurts. Hell, I was her best friend. How do you think she’s going to react to finding out not only you moving on and being with me, but the fact that her best friend is with the man who she saw her future with?”

Buck inspects Nat’s eyes, seeing the ache in her as well.

“She left all of us. We’re all still hurting. I bet you right now, Sam is freaking out because he’s getting his partner in crime back.” They both huff out a laugh and Buck nods his head, flashing her a faint smile.

“We’ll get through this together. I’ll be by your side. I’m sure she has someone special.” As those words leave his lips, it tastes of bittersweet. It stung his heart thinking about you being happy with some other guy, but he’d be glad you found someone to share your life with, even if it wasn’t him. Nat was there to pick up the pieces and put him back together.

He leans in and captures her lips in a soft, gentle kiss. Nat pulls away, her face scrunched with disgust and giggles “Morning breath, Barnes.”

Bucky laughs and shakes his head, licking his lips. “It never stopped you before.” He smirks and pulls her in for another kiss.

“Wade! Get up dickwad!” You shout from the kitchen while twirling and swaying your hips to the music that was playing from your playlist. You made as much breakfast food for about 10 people, knowing how much Wade loved your cooking. You wanted today to be just like any other day, but better.

Wade walks in, still in his red onesie with his stuffed unicorn, eyeing you.

“Why the fuck are you-” He pauses and his grumpy, annoyed self instantly lightens up. “Oh hello. Is it my birthday or did you kill someone again?”

You snort and shake your head, taking Wade’s hands and pulling him towards the table. “It’s my last day here as your roommate so why not?” You raise your brow at him and smile as he sits down.

“I’d rather have a blow job, but you can’t always get what you want.” He says before stuffing his face in pancakes and grabbing the syrup, opening the top and squirting a ton into his mouth.

You roll your eyes and smack the back his head. He recoils his head and gives you a look before continuing his breakfast. You sit on the other end of the table, making yourself a plate. You could feel sadness and anger radiating from Wade. “You’re not coming.” You say bluntly while looking down at your food.

Wade stops his actions and looks at you. “Ah, yes I am. These pancakes got me hard.” Both of you burst out in laughter to where you have tears in your eyes. Wade notices this and his laughter dies out as yours stays the same except, tears are running down your face.

“Y/n…” He sighs and right when he was about to speak, you cut him off, wiping off the tears that spilled.

“It’s alright, Wade. Don’t worry about me. I’m pretty sure you’re going to make stops at the tower. I get there, help capture the shithead they want, and leave. I’ll be back before you know it.” You simply state and flash Wade a bright smile when in the inside you’re screaming and aching. It didn’t help that you had a night terror and now that you’re lying to your best friend. It was like someone set you on fire and there were no escapes, just suffering. You didn’t want to leave but you needed to face them.

You made a mistake the day that changed everything for you

You should have told him.

Ding.

The elevator doors open, signaling your arrival to the floor. You walk out into the empty hallway with Tony right by your side. You sensed people just around the corner, by the amount of emotions you felt. Tony placed a hand on the small of you back and walked you into the common room, seeing the backs of every Avenger, except the demi-god, Thor.

“Hey, listen up children!” Tony’s voices boom around the room and they all turn around facing you. You gulp and look up at Tony who gives you a reassuring smile before speaking. “This is Y/n everyone, Y/n this is the Avengers. I’m guessing you already know who’s who?” He quirks a brow at you and you nod, feeling excited but overwhelmed by everyone staring at you. It was like high school; you make the wrong impression and they’d be on you like prey. You tuck a piece of your hair behind your ear and smile.

“Hi, everyone. I also go by Nova, that’s what Bruce and Tony call me.” They reply all at once and you’re so eager to meet everyone. First up, was Steve Rogers, you knew this by watching the news and seeing him everywhere. He was tall, built, broad shoulders that signified dominance, however, he carries a gentler and sweet look on his face. His piercing blue eyes made you weak in the knees, but you had a simple crush on the super soldier.

“Y/n, I’d like to introduce you to Capsicle aka Steve Rogers.” Tony pats the blonde on the back and walks away. You were about to call him back when Steve spoke up.

“Hey, don’t worry. I don’t bite.” His smile is warm and friendly, which calms your nerves.

“Sorry, I get really nervous around new people.” You chuckle tensely and Steve waves it off.

“You’ll adjust just fine. We heard a lot about you. There wasn’t much background information, only what was given to us.”

You nod your head and blow out a sigh “Yeah, I don’t know much about my past. I’ve been in an orphanage up until I was 13. After that, I was put into a great home, but since I’m different, I wanted to get out and know who and what I really am. My family wasn’t cut out for this life, knowing what I can do. It’s a safer choice to leave them. That’s why Fury wiped anything about them relating to me. I’m just Y/n or Nova. That’s it.”

You saw the look in Steve’s eyes. He felt sorry for you, but he understood. He too carried so much emotion, mainly sadness and lost. But he was happy knowing he had people around him to make new memories with. He was content with his life.

“Well, Y/n. Let’s go meet the rest of the team, shall we?” He gives you a toothy grin and you follow Steve into the lounge where everybody introduces themselves individually. You were absolutely star struck when Wanda introduced herself. You found out both of you had so much in common. You could hear her thoughts, maybe if was the factor that you’re able to absorb what people feel. You two had a mental connection and glad to find someone who was like you. Nat was a little intimidating at first, but she was friendly, seeing how adorable you were every time you met a new member of the team.

When it came to Sam, he was instantly drawn to you. Clearly, he was flirting with you, but it wasn’t serious, more comical. Both of you also had a lot in common and he found out your love of playing video games, every now and then. Clint was very polite and he held an older brotherly characteristic about him.

After talking and bonding with everyone, you still hadn’t met the person who was feeling torn about himself. You were talking with Sam about Call of Duty when Steve leaves the lounge. You excuse yourself and follow Steve out into the hallway.

“Hey Steve, wait-” You stopped mid-sentence when you saw another man coming from a room. His long, chestnut hair curved around his god-like, chiseled cheekbones and jawline, sharp like stone. His penetrating blue-gray eyes met yours and your breath hitched in your throat. His stature was profoundly impressive. You felt your cheeks grow hot when the man gives you a faint smile. You wanted to run away and hide. How could someone be so good-looking enough to make you suffer just from his beautiful face? Words? What were they? You stood there, gawking at the mysterious man then it clicked. The metal prosthetic glistened from the light bouncing off of it and you looked down, smiling wider. The Winter Solider.

“That’s so cool. It looks way better in person.” You didn’t realize you said that out loud and your eyes widen. Fuck, why am I so stupid. Shut up Y/n. Great, how awkward can this get?

You hear him huff out a laugh and instantly you felt his uneasiness turn to happiness and curiosity. But that odd attraction of emotions that engrossed your thoughts earlier grew stronger with a hint of anxiousness? As if they were hesitant to move, or speak, or even breathe.

You saw Steve from the corner of your eye, smiling before walking over to you with the Winter Soldier.

“Hey Y/n, this is Bucky.”

Tags: @thatawkwardtinyperson , @buckybarnesismypreciousplum, @the-violent-peach, @amrita31199, @finallybreathee, @atari-writes, @jezzula, @am-ialive-yet, @that-winchester-hoe, @scarlettsoldier, @tittymuncher69, @elaacreditava, @angelicshinigami, @softwhispers, @wolfechildofslytherin, @cutescreenname , @iamwarrenspeace, @confusedmemelord

(if you want to be tagged, let me know :)

88 notes · View notes