#augh it hurts. it hurts so bad i need an hour to cry in my cave | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ziracona · 4 years ago

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[FGO AU -- The Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ?)

“…Still nothing?” Her hands are perfectly still, muscles tensed and brow furrowed with all the concentration I ever seen on any mage, but, I think she can tell the answer before I give her a sympathetic smile. “AUGH,” she exclaims, flinging herself back unhappily into her seat, “Why! I’m trying my hardest! I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong!”

The mage folds over like a camp chair and deflates with unhappy sounds, sliding back against her own seat.

“Hey, come on now,” I try reassuringly, “It’s not so bad. I don’t know any magic at all, but pretty much all skills take more than an hour to come together.”

She lets out another long sigh and blows some hair out of her face, then straightens up a little. “Yeah, I know,” she admits, “But it’s not like I only tried today. Actually, I’ve…been trying to practice it like all week. So I’d be ready…”

Whoa.

I…guess I shouldn’t be surprised—I keep underestimating her, and her level of plannin’. She strikes me as impulsive, and she is—to the core—but, she’s smart too, and reasonable. Knows how it works, and thinks, just, goes for the long shots anyway. It’s a combination of traits I both like and can relate to.

“Still,” I offer, “You ain’t got a teacher, ‘n mage stuff’s complicated to learn.” She still looks incredibly down, but she nods as she stares vacantly through the bed past me. “…’Sides,” I add, “That medicine you gave me’s helpin’ a lot already—I’m feelin quite a bit better. And you don’t need to worry about havin’ to heal me, sooner or later. I’m getting’ a steady supply of mana from you, even if it’s slow, so my spirit core’s rebuildin’. It’s just gonna take it a little time. It won’t be like a real—human—bullet wound would be to heal.”

“Really?” she asks, perking up immediately.

“…Yeah.” I’m kinda surprised she didn’t know that. Girl seems to have a roulette-wheel of a library about my kind in her head. “At this pace, I should be back on my feet by mornin’.” Crap, it is morning. I forgot. I give the blinds a glance. “Or, --I mean a few hours.”

“That fast?” she asks, eyes widening.

I shrug, which hurts. Ow. Why…do I keep doing that? OW. DAMN it, Bill. When I’m not moving, I forget how much the entire left side of my chest is in agony when I do. “Not back to normal, but, on my feet,” I manage with my teeth clenched, trying not to let on how much that hurt.

She nods, thinking that over. “Can I do anything to help speed it up?”

I still can’t get used to that.

Kid’s so….fervent, and sincere. And nice to me. I’ve been awake for maybe an hour with her now, and I’m still not remotely used to it.

I refocus quick, and give her a smile. “Not more than you already have.”

“I could get you more food,” she suggests eagerly.

That’s probably true, actually, and I could use it. Just. “…Well, if you got some,” I stutter out. I am not used to feeling flustered, but I am realizing quick I am even less used to people bein nice to me. The odd heroic spirit maybe, but humans? Feels totally off now. Like I’ve snuck in somewhere I’m not supposed to be.

Happy, the kid snags her tray, but before she can leave I say, “—Actually though, uh, --before you go—I’m realizin spectacularly late here you still haven’t told me your name.”

She freezes with her hand on the tray and her face turns red. “CRAP, YOU’RE RIGHT!” the mage whips around to face me and gives a distressed bow. “I’m so sorry—I can’t believe—”

“—I-It’s fine, really,” I assure her, “Just you got me at a little bit of a disadvantage right now-”

“—Right! I-I’m sorry. I totally forgot! I’m Ritsuka Fujimaru,” she says, offering me a hand. It takes me a second to get she wants me to shake it, and I awkwardly do.

“Ritsuka Fujimaru,” I echo, “Well, you already know my name, but seein’ as I got several to pick from, Billy’s good. –Oh, uhm—you got a name you prefer me to call you?”

“Uh.” She gives me a glazed stare like someone looking at an oncoming train. “My…friends in high school called me ‘Gudako’ sometimes.”

I stare right back and forget to take back my hand from our handshake. Damn!! “…Your friends weren’t too nice, huh?” I offer sympathetically.

Her face turns crimson and she gives me a look saying she was praying and expecting that I wouldn’t know what that meant and is crying on the inside that I do, and I feel real bad for her that we spirits get such decent language translation built into us on summon. “No,” she offers in a tiny, beaten voice, staring past me.

It’s real hard not to grin, but I beat the impulse down internally with a shovel and give a sympathetic smile instead. “Well, I really just meant ‘do you prefer ‘Ritsuka’ or ‘Fujimaru’,’” She turns a deeper shade and I see her wish for death a little. “But if it’s any consolation, I would definitely not describe you as boring.”

The kid finally looks me in the eye again, a bit like a kicked dog, but she smiles back after a second and seems to bounce back with it. We both remember we’re still holding hands then and let go.

“Well, thank you,” she says like she means that, “I guess I’m not this week anyway.”

“Hardly,” I agree with a smile.

She returns it and takes the tray and goes back into the kitchenette I gotta assume is back there somewhere, and I get another second to think alone.

I’m doin’ better—a lot, I think. So far I think I’ve been up something close to an hour. All this is very strange to me, and it’s not been a great couple of months, but I’m feelin’ less and less dead by the minute, and the answer to ‘does pain medication work on Heroic Spirits’ seems to be a solid ‘yes’—which—considerin alcohol still does and I knew that, in retrospect shouldn’t be such a surprise to me. A glad one though, for sure. Still.

What now? That’s the real question.

Kid says she just wants to help, and at this point I mostly believe that. There’s usually a catch somewhere down the line, but maybe not. I do think at the least she thinks she means it right now. …And…and. I wish that was all I had to worry about. But, the less pain I feel, the clearer I’m starting to think, and either way, she’s right; I can’t just go back to the throne, or I’ll get resummoned. I’m stuck here like this, tied to her right now. But I can’t stay here indefinitely, and neither can she—actually, come to think of it, if they got any kind of security at that workshop, she might be in danger now, for breaking me out. Mages are…known for their ruthlessness. There could be people already on the way to deal with her. Okay. Better find that out, and fast.

Then, third and last on the list of things for me to figure out and deal with is those mages themselves. And that’s the big one. I’m not the only one of us that’s gonna happen to, if it ain’t already happened to more of us, and I can’t leave the place like that. If they have more spirits already, I need to break them out. And either way, I need to destroy that research and probably the people in charge, so they don’t just rebuild, or they absolutely will. And fast. Not sure this new master is just gonna let me go on a wild murder tear either, though, no matter my motives. Which is a problem…

She’s back then, though, so I’m out of time to focus.

“More okayu, plus some chocolate, if you’re feeling good enough,” she offers hopefully, setting her tray back down, “and I brought you some tea too.”

See that’s the problem, I think mournfully at the sight, I can’t do nothin’, but I can’t just betray her after this either, even if I got a good reason! No one’s ever been this good to me—I can’t just go lie to her and then pull a bunch of bloodshed on her dime—even if she don’t sign off on it, she’ll find out, and she’ll feel responsible, and she’s a kid, I’ll have done that to her! I don’t wanna give some kid who saved me a bunch of guilt trauma! After all this? …Hell. I… But I can’t do nothin’ –I can’t. I got friends in the Throne, and even if I didn’t, I ain’t about to allow that to keep on goin’. We don’t deserve that; it ain’t right. But if I tell her what I got in mind, she might use a command spell and bind me, so. …But still. I can’t… I can’t…do either, but. …Maybe I could convince her to absolve the contract, and get it done after that and before I vanish, just, once I got more strength? I got my Independent Action that could keep me goin’ for a little—even Gunner, I got a lot of my Archer traits, so, once I’m healed, it might be enough to get- …No. Ain’t enough. She’d still see what happened, and know the only reason I got it done was her. Same problem as before. Shit. Shit, this sucks… I’ll be doing somethin terrible no matter what, then…

And I know myself. And that the thing I’m eventually gonna do is not leave that place standin’ with people like me trapped dyin’ inside it. As much regret and guilt as that’s gonna buy me too…

“What?”

I glance up, and she’s got her head cocked. I gotta stop bein’ an open book here. Let me think…

“About Ur-shanabi,” I start hesitantly, “Master, did—”

Her expression changes drastically to distress and she immediately cuts me off. “—Oh, please don’t call me that.”

I forgot I even said it, so it takes me a second to get what she means. “’Master’?”

“Please?” she says again, “I know you’re supposed to, and I’m supposed to call you my servant, but I really hate that.”

Everything else I’ve been thinkin’ about just kinda shuts off and I stare at her, blink. … Y…yeah, me too. Always…

“You’re all heroes, or famous artists, or explorers, or fighters, and we’re just mages. –I mean, even if it was different, I’m pretty sure I’d still hate it,” she continues with a sigh, somewhere deep in thought in her own head, but she comes back and meets my gaze, “But please don’t. I don’t want you to have to think of me that way either. I guess I don’t know how this all usually works in a lot of detail, and I know you’re stuck bound to me right now, but I don’t want you to worry I’m gonna try to make you obey me. I won’t! That’s not why I helped you!” She looks so intense. Leaned forward, one palm on the bed, look on her face that makes me believe she means it. “I want you to know I’m never gonna do that; I mean it. I won’t ever use a command spell on you to make you do something you don’t want to do, I promise.”

Her eyes are amber and bright like coals and full of intent. I find it impossible to look away.

“Not ever. I don’t want to try to use you or control you; I. …I’m…really just trying to help…” She finishes, pulling back once she’s made her statement and looking just a little embarrassed only now it’s done.

“…Well, good,” I finally find my voice, “Because I’ve never been much for the Master-Servant thing anyway. Can’t ever seem to stick to it, and it tends to cause problems down the road.”

She smiles back, happy with my answer and that I’ve accepted her proposal.

Some kind of a mage... This is…almost too much to really even understand right now, but I think she…meant it. She thinks she did. I’m beginin to think calling her a mage at all was plain off. She’s somethin’ else. I always think the kid’s thrown me for about as many loops as she can, and then I get knocked down again, and it’s been less than a day. Don’t bode well and really does for me at the same time.

“’Boss’ then?” I suggest, but I can instantly sense her dislike.

“’Partner?’” she counters hopefully.

That does have a much better ring to it, I gotta say. “Partner,” I concede with a wink, “If you’re sure that’s what you want.”

Never had a master that wanted me to un-know my place before.

“Well, you could also call me ‘Ritsuka’,” she says hopefully and then immediately becomes embarrassed. “Uhm,” she hurries, glancing away when I grin at her, “A-And you’re sure you prefer ‘Billy’? Not Henry?”

Lord it’s been a while since anyone called me that. Sends me a long, long way back. And not really in a good way. I appreciate the thought though.

“No,” I reply.

She seems surprised a little, but I can tell she’s not gonna press me, so, there’s really no reason to say this, but for some reason I want to tell her.

“That’s my middle name, actually,” I say.

“Huh?” says the girl.

“Henry,” I clarify, “Middle name. It’s William Henry McCarty, actually.”

Her brow furrows. “…But I thought…?”

“Step-dad had the same name, and it was too many for one household, so mine got shortened,” I gloss over, “Took it back when I picked my own name on the lamb.”

“So. …You outlaw-named yourself … ‘Your Name The Hot One’?”

It’s my turn to suffer nickname shame, though I’m not too ashamed of that, because it’s pretty funny. Does suckerpunch me a little to get called on it more than 100 years later.

“…I-I don’t know…” I answer automatically before thinking of what to say, “Maybe. …yeah.”

She almost chokes on a laugh. I grin.

“I mean, if you got the opportunity—wouldn’t you? I’m just sayin,” I say casually, past the slight amount of embarrassment I felt and pretty proud of myself again. It was a slick name.

“It’s got flair,” she says approvingly.

“Thank you,” I reply.

“So, what were you gonna ask—before I interrupted you?” she asks, picking up the cup of tea and offering it to me. I take it, feeling immense guilt as our hands touch for a second and I’m stuck thinkin about all the things she’s done for me for no reason other than bein’ kind, and the fact I’m definitely going to turn on that and her, and how awful that is.

I…wonder if it would make things some kind of right if I came back and let her kill me after? No. No, that’d make it worse. Mage or not, I don’t think this kid’s ever hurt anyone. I don’t know what I can do to soften taking this kind of kindness and drawing blood with it, but…

“Ur-shanabi,” I say quietly, working hard to pass off my internal distress as distraction as I hold the little clay cup and feel the warmth. It smells good. I know I have to drink it, and I’ll feel physically better, but everything nice I accept is piling on guilt.

…I wish. I wish I had a choice here, but I can’t let them keep this goin’. I wish I knew a way to make that right, or at least explain to you I’m sorry. And everything she says and does just makes this worse! I don’t want to hurt her. I really don’t. In any other situation, I wouldn’t, but I have to, and I hate it. I don’t want to betray her. I don’t want to make her regret showing me kindness. I don’t want her to feel the way it feels to not do something cold but safe, and then get shot for it.

Hot water slips over the top of my hand and I jerk back and just spill more of the tea, sucking in a sharp breath at the unexpected pain.

“Whoa! –Are you okay?” she asks worriedly, passing me a napkin and leaning over to catch onto my hand and help steady the cup and what’s left inside it, “What happened? Are you feeling worse again?”

Hell! My hands are shaking and I can’t quite get them to stop. Calm down. You don’t gotta do anything right now. You can feel bad later. Just think a second.

“Nah—s-sorry,” I manage, trying to smile at her and not quite sure how well I do, “I uh—I guess I’m just still a little weaker than I thought. I’m fine now.”

“Here,” she says, brow all scrunched up in concern, taking back the tea and passing me the ice pack to set on my hand.

I hate this. I’m terrible. It ain’t fair—it ain’t wrong for me to go back, I gotta, but. I hate this. I hate it.

I take the pack and try to look grateful. “Thanks.”

“Sorry about your hand,” she says.

I wave it off. “It’s already done hurting.”

“…” She waits a second, leaned a little forward expectantly, and I forget what for until she prompts me again. “What? About Ur-shanabi?”

“Oh,” I say. Right. “I was gonna ask how much you know about their operation. –How you even ended up in the right place at all.”

“Oh,” she says, and she loses some color.

Huh?

“Uhm,” she glances away, then back, and seems more herself, but I’m not sure I buy it this time. I don’t think she’s lyin’, per-se, but there’s something else she’s not saying. “Well. I’m from a mage family, but, not a ‘mage’ family—we know about magic, I did—growing up. But, I didn’t ever get any formal training, or anything. So I guess it was more like mage-adjacent in a lot of ways. There was this test I heard about from a friend—a research project on magical circuits, and I was curious.” She glances down at her legs again, but this time she looks far away and almost happy, like she’s revisiting a better moment in her head. “I’d always been curious about myself and magic, and I was excited, because if you participated in the research project, you got to know stuff they found out about your magical circuits—stuff you might be good at.” She glances up at me and gives me an embarrassed smile. “It sounded really cool. I had wanted to know for so long, and I thought—I still think—it would be really great to learn how to do more magic. So, I went.”

The girl—nope—Ritsuka, thinks for a second, then holds out her hand and looks at it. “Apparently I’ve got really unusual circuits.”

“Unusual?” I echo, kind of intrigued. I know jack-all about magic, but I am curious.

She glances over and nods. “Yeah. I thought I did really badly in the study, because I didn’t know any real spells at all, and everyone else did. They pulled me aside after and I thought they were just going to kick me out before we even got results, but, apparently my circuits were so unusual they wanted to do a case study. I’ve got ‘Almost no practical control or ability to utilize them, but possess a nearly inhuman amount of mana.’”

“Really?” I ask. I can’t feel that at all. I’m getting enough to keep me sustained, sure, but that’s it.

“I know, right?” she agrees, nodding and leaning forward, “That’s what I said! But apparently I do. They asked me if I’d come in to do more studies, and I said yes, because I was also curious. And that was Ur-shanabi. I’ve been going there for a while now,” she adds, then stops, gives me a guilty look, then looks away and keeps going in an almost dejected tone. “Uh. But I worked, or, was allowed in, I guess, a totally different part of the building. You were up on the 12th floor. I was on the 4th, R&D testing labs.”

“Oh,” I say, very confused by this reaction from her, and a little concerned by it too if I’m honest, “What brought you up to the 12th?”

“The mage I met with the most was named Nakata. He worked in a lot of projects more important than mine too. I think that was maybe the only time I was ever on the 12th floor,” she answers, “That day, I showed up and waited for a couple hours, and he never showed up in R&D. There were other people who wanted to use the room we usually used for another test, so I asked if I should go home, and the secretary said yes, but I bumped into Dr. Nakata in the elevator on my way out. He said he’d been swamped by a last-minute schedule change, and still wanted to do our test, but he’d be maybe another hour, and that I should just wait for him by his office. Which, is on the 12th floor. I was just standing there, and this big group of mages went into a large room at the end of the hall, so I was curious and watched them, and.” She shrugs.

Yeah, I can fill in the rest.

“I guess you don’t know a lot about what they were doing with me, then,” I say, a little disappointed. Any new information would have been useful. I don’t know that I expected another answer, though.

“…Actually, yes,” says Ritsuka, looking uncomfortable. I glance at her in surprise and she looks flustered and guilty and glances away again. “Uhm. After I saw you, I asked Dr. Nakata what was going on up here, and who you were.”

You coulda been killed, I think in a frozen kind of horror. What were you thinking?

“He told me,” she says simply, “You were a heroic spirit, and they were doing tests on things you could do using them. He even told me what the test was.”

I don’t know what to think or how to feel about that, so I just listen. I wonder why on earth he’d tell her?

She glances up and holds my gaze this time, an undercurrent of almost…incensed feeling somewhere deep in her eyes. “He said they had found a way to keep a summoned spirit away from the throne for a long time at low mana cost, and instead use the connection to their Saint Graph and essence as a fixed unit outside of time now, to generate a potentially limitless source of energy. To…make a heroic spirit into a battery.” I can tell while the rest of it was her echoing, the last statement is her own, and she’s bitter. “I asked how, and he told me,” she continues, “He said you had to trap one right between life and death, so they would give as little presence as possible to anything looking, and wouldn’t find a way to escape or retaliate on their own, but couldn’t actually vanish either. ‘An art and a science, to find the perfect thread to stop at, and keep them in place on the edge of death.’ Stuck. In pain, and too weak to fight back, but here.”

She lets out a long sigh and glances at me and says, “I said that sounded awful, and what about the spirits, and he told me a lot of stuff about heroic spirits being familiars that are meant to serve mankind in whatever way they’re summoned for, no matter how painful, and aren’t people anymore and that’s their intended use.”

Ow. I mean, it’s not new; I hear this from mages all the time, but it’s never fun to hear one say it right to your face. Fuckin mages…

“But, I think he could tell I didn’t like it, even though I was a little scared by then and trying not to seem as much like it,” she continues, glancing down at her hands, “And he told me ‘Don’t trouble yourself. You’re new to this, but it’s a normal part of being a mage. If it helps you rest easier, the one we summoned was Billy the Kid, an outlaw and a murderer from the old American west,’ a-and. That…” her voice gets quieter, like suddenly she thinks maybe she shouldn’t have said any of this, “…I could think of it as divine punishment, in a way. And not have to feel bad.”

…

That. It really shouldn’t bother me to hear. People always act like that to me. Even when I was alive. I think about being sent to hang for a murder I didn’t commit for a moment. I had so many murders on my record by the end of it, but I’ve never pulled a trigger that wasn’t in self-defense or a last resort. But it’s never mattered. You are what people make of you, in the public eye, and in history I guess, no matter what the truth is. And eventually that tends to push you to an ending written about the person you’re described as. I never thought of any of the fights I was in as murder. I guess it’s been a long time since I could even pretend that mattered to anyone but me, though.

…I still hate it.

It hurts. Not so much people sayin’ that—don’t care too much what people think; I know who I am. But, the fact that it just straight up don’t matter what’s true, at all. Even a little… I could have lived a completely different life and not been remembered as any worse at all.

“He thought I’d agree with that.” Her voice is angry. I glance back up, train of thought broken, and Ritsuka looks as mad as she sounded, somewhere else in her head too. It’s a quiet, deep anger. “I didn’t.”

There’s something about how she looks, like she’s an embodiment of what she’s saying, and again it becomes hard to look away if I’d wanted.

“He was wrong. I guess there are some people who deserve to die,” she continues, “I’ve thought about that. About if I think if…if someone killed my family or something, I’d want them to have to die too for it. If I think that’s fair, and right. But. …Even if some people probably deserve to die, nobody deserves to be just kept in pain forever. Even the worst people. I don’t know how anyone could think after more than a day anybody at all could possibly know it’s right to go on hurting someone. Not even the worst person.” She looks distressed by that for a moment, then glances back at me and smiles a little. “I decided that, and that I was going to try to do something, and then I went home and looked you up, and you didn’t even sound that bad.” Her eyes go big immediately and she looks mortified. “—Wait—That sounded bad! I’m sorry! I-I said that wrong. I—I meant—I didn’t—I just mean—he’d said—uh—a-and you didn’t sound like—it seemed like you weren’t so—like stuff went wrong for you more than you were a bad person actually, a-and you didn’t seem like you were really a murderer—"

The poor kid is sweating buckets now. I think she thinks she’ll have offended me sayin’ that, but it’s very much the opposite.

“—I should stop talking. I’m sorry. I-I just—uhm. You were different sounding than I thought before I looked you up is the only thing I was trying to say—I’m so sorry I don’t know why I said any of it at all!” She gives up and hunches over apologetically in shame.

“…I ain’t mad,” I try to assure her after a second.

Ritsuka glances up between her bangs and gives me a sorrowful, worried look.

“…I…think I actually appreciate that,” I continue after a second, figuring it out as I go and then giving her a smile, “I ain’t sure what you read about me, or how true it was, but I’ll take what goodwill I can get.” She raises her head a little more, but still looks worried, so I keep going. “Ain’t offended me—I get it. You were already thinkin of doin’ something dangerous. Gotta know what you’re in for best you can, with a heroic spirit. Only smart to try’n be prepared.”

Looking a little better, she cautiously un-hunches. “Yeah. …I really didn’t mean to say it how I did, though. I don’t think you’re bad! I mean, I know I don’t know you, but I-”

I hold up a hand. I feel like after all this, I really oughta let her off the hook.

“Don’t worry about it,” I say with a sure smile, “You don’t gotta explain yourself, or tell me what you thought, or what you think now. I don’t have to know. I’m aware you’re takin’ a risk on me, especially with my kind of record, and I appreciate it. Probably ain’t easy for you.”

Shit, haven’t thought about that before, but it’s true. Kid might have command seals, but I’m quick, and she’s not experienced. Pretty much any heroic spirit she summoned that wanted to could kill her easy. She didn’t think to use one immediately to order me to not. I’ve been so strung out and nervous of her, I haven’t thought for a second about the fact she’s probably scared of me.

“…Uhm. In light of that, Ma- Partner,” I correct, “I’d like to set a few things straight for you, if you don’t mind?”

She seems to recover a little, straightens up and gives me a very serious nod.

“If you’re worried about me, don’t be. Whatever you heard, truth is I never killed anybody except when it was them or me, or I was defendin’ someone else. I never was a fan of it, either. Only crimes I ever set out to commit were thefts, mostly outa need,” I say, “Where I grew up, once you had a reputation, that was all you had left. I stole food when I was on my own at sixteen, and there weren’t no turning back after that. ‘Bout that simple.”

The gal’s listening attentively, head cocked. Takin this serious. And I’m still thinkin over how this has probably been for her. Angering a group of powerful mages is scary enough. Now she’s contracted to an outlaw spirit, and she’s apparently a mage who’s got no real practice usin spells. She’s basically just a civilian. She’s all alone here too, and somethin like sixteen or seventeen, and she’s got no real idea what I’m gonna be like, or want, or do. I’m not in great shape, but I’m still a heroic spirit, and a lot more powerful than her, and I’ve killed people. That’s a pretty good reason to be scared. I don’t want her to be, though. At all.

“I know all you got’s my word on this,” I say, working hard to convey my sincerity, “But it is the truth. More importantly, you saved my life, and I owe you. I really am grateful. I got no plans to try and hurt you; I promise—you got nothing to worry about.”

FUCK. What I’ve just said hits me like a ton of bricks. Fuck, I should’ve phrased that differently!—no no no—damn it damn it; I should have thought about it first! Hell! I am gonna hurt her! Probably. Not physically, which is what I was thinkin’ about when I said that, and meant, but it’s not technically what I said, shit shit shit, I just promised her something I’m gonna break—oh great, and I must have some amount of that showin’ on my face because she actually does look nervous now. I lied and I actually made her more afraid of me. Great job! Damn it damn it damn it.

“I’m really not the kind of person to do that,” I add quickly, trying hard to save it. This is bad this is bad. “I wouldn’t have a reason to anyway, but you definitely don’t gotta worry about me—” Everything I am thinking to say is wrong. All of it. ‘turning on you’ – a lie. ‘repaying that by making you sorry’ – a bigger lie. Shit. And I feel like it now too, more than before. I’m the worst—I’m terrible. I know I don’t have an alternative, and I have to go back, but this is awful, and I feel very appropriate amounts of guilt about it. I deserve this. “attacking you or something,” I go with, even though it sounds weird in my ears, because I don’t want to outright lie again, and even this much is making me feel miserable. “after you’ve been good to me.”

I hate this. I hate myself. Maybe. …Maybe there’s another way, maybe I can… Can…

She smiles for a moment, happy I said that I think, then slowly looks worried. “You look worried.”

Oh. I guess I’m the one who looks worried.

I…

I can’t. There’s nothing I can do to work this out better than it’s gonna be. I just. …I just…

…Fuck it.

“I am,” I say honestly, turning my head to look at her. She’s so sincere, and so worried. She’s been so good to me. I just. … I just… “I’m worried about Ur-shanabi,” I say, so sure I’m going to regret this in seconds, but doing it anyway because of some deep inherent flaw in who I am, “I’m okay right now, but I figure with me gone, they’ll just take another one of us and do the same thing. If they haven’t already.”

I watch slow horror creep over her face as that clicks. “…I. Would…? Oh. They will. And it’ll be my fault.” she says, glazed-over expression on her face.

What? “No!” I say immediately, “That it’s someone else and not me? It ain’t your fault. It’s theirs—they’re the only ones doin’ it, aren’t they?”

She comes back to herself a little and looks at me, but her face is still drained of color.

“It won’t be your fault,” I say again, “That’s ridiculous, and you know it. …They will keep doin’ it, though. Probably to more and more of us, if they can. Probably they’ll sell the idea to other mages too.” I hesitate, give myself one last solid chance to reconsider this, and don’t. Just pray for luck. I’ve gotten a lot of it the last 24 hours—maybe I have a pinch left. “…Unless I find a way to go back and stop them pretty fast. It’s that, or this is gonna keep happening to us. And it’s only gonna get worse. …I got friends, in the throne. …I don’t want that to happen to any of them. Even for the ones I don’t know, even the ones I don’t like, it’s like you said: nobody deserves that. So. I think. …I gotta go back.”

Her eyes are huge and I can see her running what this means, trying to process it all. I’m praying she’ll agree with me, but it’s such a long shot to get from an idealistic teen.

“Please!” I try, going for the best pitch I can before she decides to force me not to, “I-I know you’ve met those people, and I’m askin’ a lot, but at least think about it. You helped me because you knew what they were doing was wrong—I know it too, and I’m the only one in a position to shut it down. I can’t do nothing, and this is the only way to end it. You don’t know what it’s like. We-“ I’m getting to desperate, and I know it, but I hold up a hand and plow on because so long as I keep talking, she isn’t, and I don’t know what else to try. “—Our bodies are pretty close to what they were before; we feel pain the same, we can just survive more of it. I-I’m lucky, I got shot—I’ve known spirits who were bled to death, or hung, or burned, or decapitated—you can’t imagine what it would be like to be stuck chained down forever with your head just not quite severed all the way enough to kill you. I know it’s not your fight, and it’s not fair for me to ask this, but I have to try and stop them. And I—can’t. Without an anchor. Please...”

Maybe this won’t be a terrible idea. Maybe it won’t backfire on me immediately. Maybe she’ll let me go. Maybe she’ll understand. Maybe I won’t have to—

For a moment, she stares at me, motionless. Then her eyes well up.

Damn it. Damn it; I knew! I knew she’d feel like she had to stop me, and I showed her my hand because I felt bad, and now promise or no, she—

“I’m so sorry…” she whispers, and I’m fully expecting the threat of a command spell to follow that, but instead she tucks her knees up to her chest and folds over into a little ball and starts crying again.

I don’t…rightly know what to do about that, so for a second I just stare at her like an idiot.

“I know it was bad,” I hear muffled and choked up from the little bundle she’s made herself into, “I. I don’t—don’t know how awful it was, I know, but I know it was—I know it was so bad. And it’s my fault it was you.”

What?

“You have to go back?” she asks pleadingly, looking up at me for a second from over her knees, like she’s asking me if I gotta go die in a war, “What if they catch you and put you back where you were? O-or kill you and just summon you into a trap again? I’ll never get back in if—”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘your fault’?” I ask, still stuck on that and very lost again. So much so she’s halfway through her next paragraph before I even clock that me potentially getting trapped again is the only thing she has immediately objected to.

Ritsuka looks at me with her big, tearful eyes, then looks defeatedly at her knees. “…I. One day, several months ago, I showed up for a research day and Doctor Nakata had these boxes on the table, and a bunch of papers.” The kid looks and sounds completely miserable, and exhausted. “I didn’t know what any of it was, so I asked him. He said it was for another project, and to just wait a few minutes while he packed it up. …And then he changed his mind, and said actually, would I come over? He told me they were deciding between a few candidates for a project, and at this point it didn’t really matter which one they started with, and would I like to pick one. I asked what the project was, and he said it was a secret. But, it looked so important, and cool, and I wanted to be involved, so I said yes please, and I went up and picked. I didn’t know what they were.”

Ritsuka grimaces and looks sadder, rests her chin on her knees and exhales slowly. “No, I think I did. I just didn’t know what they were for. I could sense they were all magical, and they were all odd, and specific. An old little clay vase. A shuriken. An earring. A coin. A letter. And a photograph.”

I stare. She makes herself look up at me, and I can see how sorry she feels. “I picked the photograph.”

Ah.

“He even told me later,” she adds quietly, all the spunk gone, “That I picked you. When I asked, after seeing—”

“Good.”

She looks up quickly, surprised.

“I appreciate you feelin’ bad for me,” I continue sympathetically, “But it ain’t your fault, what happened to me. You didn’t know what was goin’ on, and if it hadn’t been me, it’d have just been someone else. Luck of the draw; just how life happens. On top of that, they’d have gone after every one of us on that list eventually, and if I hadn’t been here and now with you, I might not have ever gotten out.” It’s true, and I give her a smile. “Also, this whole thing is a pretty big relief.”

“A relief?” she echoes, confused.

I nod. “You get summoned with a catalyst, ain’t much you can do but show up, like it or not, but I wanted to answer the call when I got it. Up till now I thought my sixth sense had plain stopped workin’ or something. I guess it was actually just because I thought I was answerin’ your call.”

She looks confused for a moment, then smiles slowly. “…Really?”

I give a little head tilt. “Best I can guess.” I honestly don’t know if a summon can work that way at all, but I’d like to think so, and why not? Makes us both feel better.

I meet her gaze and try and get her to smile back, and this time it works.

“I really am sorry,” she says, “even if you’re not mad.”

“Well thank you,” I say, accepting the apology, “But consider it behind us.”

Something she said earlier that I had running in the back of my head comes through hard, and I feel the bottom of my stomach drop out.

“…You said a coin?” I ask, really, really, really hoping my gut feeling is wrong for once.

She nods, catching my expression and getting sympathetically worried along with me.

“…Was it kinda silver, with a face on one side, and a short cross and some words on the back?” I ask.

“Uh. I only saw one side, but it did have a face,” she says nervously.

“Was there a scratch across it? Deep? Diagonal on the face?”

“Yeah,” she says, surprised, “How did you know? What is it?”

Oh no. Oh shit that’s bad. Okay. Okay, this is gonna be okay. I can figure this out. He might not even be here yet, and I can snag the coin and he’ll be fine. All this means for sure is that I have to figure this out, more than before now.

“A friend,” I answer when I remember I need to, “—a catalyst to summon one, I mean.”

“Oh,” she says in a voice like I feel.

For a moment, we look at each other in silence. I got no idea what she’s thinking, but my mind’s far away and frantic, trying to piece together some kind of plan.

“…What do we do?” she asks.

“Huh?”

“You said you gotta go back in,” says Ritsuka as I refocus on her, and I can see she’s come to some kind of decision, “And need me to help, and now you know they’re gonna hurt your friend unless we can stop them. I’ll help you, but I don’t know how. How do we go back and stop them?”

I gape.

“…You…want to help me?”

She gives a nod, looking confused that I’d ask her.

“You-? I mean—it might. …I might have to…shoot someone,” I say. Wow. Great job Billy you sure did sugar coat that and make it sound real fine. Nicely done.

Her eyes widen, and she glances away, hesitates. Then says slowly, “…But if we don’t, they’ll keep torturing heroic spirits for energy.” Working through it herself.

“That’s about it,” I agree sympathetically. It…can’t be easy for her. She’s a civilian, a kid. And she seems like a bleedin’ heart who doesn’t want to hurt anyone. She’s already been a lot more understanding towards my perspective than I expected.

“…So it’ll be bad either way,” she says finally, looking back and meeting my gaze.

I’m kind of taken aback that she’s put it into almost the same words I did to myself, but I nod.

“…That sucks,” she says to herself sadly.

“Yeah,” I agree quietly, looking at my own knees and thinking it over.

“…Is there a way to do it without killing anyone?” she asks after a second, hopeful.

Probably not. Even if I destroyed the whole building, there’s the people in charge who know how to do it, and can and will rebuild. I think she can see that on my face, because her expression falls.

“I…don’t know for sure,” I answer, “But. I think…probably not. … They’d rebuild. –Not all of them—not all of them would know how, but, at least a few will.”

She stares off at nothing, thinking.

I feel worse, somehow. Thought I was doing the nicer thing, basically giving her a chance to stop me, and risking my success. But. Now I think maybe I’ve accidentally been more heartless.

She shouldn’t have to carry a choice like this. Life ain’t fair, and I know that, but I’m finding I like being on the giving end of that even less than the receiving.

“…How old are you?”

The mage turns and looks at me, surprised, and flushes a little. “…I. S-seventeen?”

“Yeah?” I ask.

She nods.

Seventeen. She’s about the age I was when my life started really fallin apart. I hate being a part of that for someone else. I don’t want to.

“You don’t have to have anything to do with it,” I offer quietly, “You could dissolve our contract. Fifty-fifty chance I get the job done before I vanish, fifty—”

“—No!” she cuts in adamantly before I’m even halfway through my pitch, “No way! You’d get trapped there again! That’d be even worse! I made a deal with you to protect you if you trusted me! I’m not just gonna abandon you now.”

I blink. Tilt my head, taken aback by her fervor.

Did you? Is that what the contract was to her? I try to recall her words. ‘My soul becomes your will; your spirit becomes my destiny.’ Right, she said that wrong. But what I want to remember is before that. I try hard. “Please—If you die, they’ll summon you back! I-I can ground you! I can keep you here!” I can’t see much in the image in my head, but I can hear it, I can feel it—the pain and her hand on mine.

…I guess she did.

I don’t know how to respond to that. Look down at my own hand, playing it again in my head.

The kid is thinking still, her brow furrowed with worry. Taps the edge of the little bedside table agitatedly with a finger. “…So. Either we find a way to destroy their research, and get any other spirits they have out, and…maybe fight some of the people in charge,” she says finally, “…or they keep on doing this to you all, forever. There’s no other way things can go? You’re sure?”

I’ve already thought about it, but she’s so sincere and sad I think again, and then nod.

She sees that and glances at her hands and then back at me. “Then. …I guess we have to go back and stop them. You’re right.”

I stare at her. A-are you serious? Even as such a bleeding heart, you really—?

“But nobody gets hurt that doesn’t have to, okay?” she adds fervently, “And. I-I want to try to talk to the people in charge first! I know they won’t change their minds and it’s probably a waste, but.”

“—We can try,” I agree readily, overcome with relief, “Are you sure, though? You don’t have to stay contracted to me, and you sure as hell don’t have to come. You—you’ve already taken a lot of risks for me, big ones, and I know I’m basically returnin that favor by involving you in bloodshed. I don’t want to do that.”

It’s her turn to look surprised, and she blinks and tilts her head right back at me, and for some reason it makes me feel a whole lot better and a whole lot worse at the same time. But also more like I understand her.

“You’re not doing anything to me,” she says simply, “They’re the ones doing something that has to be stopped. It’s not your fault you’re the one who knows about it.”

I…guess that’s true. Feel like I’m getting my own words thrown back at me; maybe I am.

“It sucks,” she adds, “And I’m scared. I don’t want to hurt anybody, or get anyone else hurt. But. Mom and Dad always said it’s just as bad to stand by and let somebody be hurt as it is to hurt them yourself, if you could have done something about it. So. I want to help you, and I will.”

“You’re sure?” I ask again, “It’s…it’s a whole lot, and it ain’t gonna be easy, or safe, and you’re—” If I say ‘a kid’ I think she’s gonna get offended because I would have when I was seventeen. “Young. It shouldn’t be on you to fix.”

“Well, you’re young too,” she says.

Ow. I’m twenty-one. I know I’m short, but at least I’m an adult.

“And you’re mostly dead, so let’s just agree it’s unfair for both of us, but we’re partners, and someone has to do it, and we’re here, so that’s us,” she says very diplomatically.

I give up and sigh, then offer her a hand. “If you’re sure, Partner.”

She takes my hand and shakes it.

“So, what can I do?” she asks as she lets go.

“Well, anything you know about the building’s layout’ll help, and what defenses they might have. Mostly, I just need to get back to fighting shape,” I answer.

She nods. “Food, then?”

I give in again and smile. “Thanks.”

#fate grand order AU #fate series #fate fic #writing #billy the kid #ritsuka fujimaru #fate go #The Kid #The Kid (fic)#I wish I had as much time as my heart wants for writing :'-]#'Gudako' basically means 'boring girl'. and Billy called himself William Bonney which is Irish for 'William Attractive' more or less so they #deserve to both be roasted but in the most loving way possible also Ritsuka my dear I'm so sorry your friends suck

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strawberrysoup · 5 years ago

Text

Let’s Review || Chapter 6

Peter Parker knew that his big sister would do anything for him to be safe and happy. She’d given up everything for him twice over already and would do it again in a heartbeat. And that’s why, when the criminal mastermind Tony Stark started inextricably following him around, he didn’t say a word. Because he knew without a doubt Penny would do whatever she had to if it meant keeping Peter safe. He had to protect her, just like she always protected him. He never considered what would happen if Stark decided both Parker siblings were worth taking. Never considered who else in Stark’s inner circle would agree. He just wanted to protect her and yet somehow, they both ended up with needles in their necks.

relationship: Steve Rogers/Original Female Character/Bucky Barnes, background Peter Parker/Tony Stark rating: Explicit warnings: Dark Steve Rogers, Dark Bucky Barnes, Dark Tony Stark, Dark Avengers, kidnapping, non-con/dub-con elements, underage Peter Parker, emotional and psychological abuse, very dark. extra warnings for abduction and creepy interactions with a minor.

God, Penny had a brutal fucking headache. The light coming through the window meant that once again she’d forgotten to pull the curtains shut before passing out on the couch. She must’ve fallen asleep crying again, it would explain the serious dry mouth and pounding head.

“Peter?” She called out, groaning in pain immediately after, “augh… Peter, are you getting ready for school?”

There was no reply and she couldn’t hear him shuffling around in his room, which was a bad sign. She must’ve forgotten to set her alarm and Peter had probably slept through his own. Swallowing hard, she raised her arms and dug her palms into her closed eyes.

“Peter, you gotta wake up babe,” trying to raise her head made a wave of nausea roll through her body and she clapped a hand over her mouth just in case.

She might’ve been sick, could it be food poisoning? If she was sick, Peter was probably also sick. That must’ve been why he wasn’t getting ready for school. Oh, fuck she needed to call into her job at the daycare, there was no way she’d be able to deal with screaming babies with low immune systems for six hours. Blindly reaching down over the edge of the couch, she furrowed her brow in confusion when her hand didn’t hit the floor. The couch was low and uncomfortable, she was barely off the floor at the best of times.

Prying her eyes open was going to hurt and she really, really didn’t want to invite that level of pain into her life. Assuming her sense of space was off because of her sickness, she just reached further down. And further. And further. Until she reached too far and pitched herself off the edge of the couch. Hitting the ground was bone jarring and stirred a memory just out of reach, of falling and slamming her head into the hard wood flooring. It wasn’t an usual occurrence, she fell and hit her head all the time, but the carpet she landed on was weird. Super weird, they didn’t have carpet in their apartment.

Penny’s eyes snapped open, letting in the brutal light and also the terrifying revelation that she wasn’t in her apartment. She hadn’t fallen off her couch. She’d fought with Tony Stark in her apartment and smashed her head against the ground before they stuck a needle in her neck. They, there had been a second man who’d come out of nowhere.

Immediately she forced her knees under her and pushed up to her feet. She didn’t know whether it was the blow to the head or the drugs but her entire sense of balance was off and she went careening into the wall, smashing her head for the second time in what she assumed was a single day, against a shelf. A yelp and a crash later she was on the floor again, both hands clutching the side of her head that had gone into the corner of the wood. Was she bleeding? Fuck she was probably bleeding.

“Oh sweetheart,” she hadn’t heard a door open or any footsteps but suddenly a pair of heavy arms came around her, lifting her carefully off the ground and setting her on what she now realized was a bed, “stay still, you’re bleeding. J, call Bruce, Penny might need stitches.”

“Right away, sir. He asked me to inform you he must run to the medical wing to retrieve supplies but will be in shortly. ”

Her eyes were clenched shut, against the pain and the fear, but Penny recognized Tony Stark’s voice immediately. He was sitting next to her, holding her tight to his side with a towel or something pressed to her bleeding wound. He was making a hushing sound, petting her head with his unused hand.

“Off,” she choked, squirming in his hold, “fuck—get, get off of me.”

“Calm down, Penny—”

“No!” it came out as a shriek and she curled her hands into fists, lashing out in his general direction, “get off of me you fucking bastard! Get away from me!”

One of her hits must’ve landed because he yelped abruptly, arms going slack from where they’d held her and she launched herself off the bed. Once again she realized her entire sense of equilibrium was gone and collapsed on the floor, forcing her eyes to stay open despite the nausea and started to crawl towards the only door she could see.

“Damn, Penny, that’s one hell of a left hook,” arms wrapped around her waist and hauled her up and backwards, causing her to screech in fury and indignation, “Don’t make me tie you up, sweet girl, cause I will.”

“So, I take it she’s not a docile kidnapping victim?”

Her head snapped around, eyes landing on a man now standing in the doorway in shock. He was about Stark’s age, hair graying slightly about the temples and some wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes.

“She’s a spitfire, Brucie bear, a real shit kicker,” Tony grunted as he forcefully manipulated her onto the bed again, this time keeping her in his lap with her extremities restrained by his own, “you’re so small, where is all this force coming from—Jesus!” he ducked his head to the side swiftly, just barely avoiding the back of her skull slamming into his nose.

He brought his arms up, still holding her wrists, and tucked her head tightly between his shoulder and neck while keeping her wound exposed for Bruce to look at.

“Her head went into the corner of the shelf over there, I’d show you the spot but my hands are full at the moment.” The bastard was making jokes . She had been drugged and kidnapped and was being bodily restrained after waking up in a strange room and he was making fucking jokes .

Penny hadn’t considered ‘murder’ to be a logical solution to her Tony Stark problem but maybe it should’ve been her go to. Actually, now that she thought of it, there was still time.

“Wow, I can literally hear how badly you want to kill me right now,” Stark pressed the side of his face against hers, “what kind of expression is on her face right now Bruce? Does she look like a murder kitten?”

“She definitely doesn’t look happy Tony,” he rolled his eyes, leaning against the bed to get a better look at Penny’s scalp, “I’m sorry we’re meeting like this Penny, I’m Bruce. Any bumps and bruises around here go through me, anything serious needs to go to medical though. Other than this, how are you feeling? Dizziness, nausea?”

For a moment, Penny almost answered just based on instinct. She hadn’t been to the doctor in ages, but he gave off the same vibe as a pediatrician. Instead, Penny pressed her lips together and averted her eyes, not that she’d been able to see him well with her head pinned against Stark’s neck anyway. Bruce hadn’t been one of her kidnappers but he was obviously, painfully complicit. He knew everything and wasn’t trying to help her escape.

“Come on baby, you can tell Bruce,” Stark tucked both of her wrists in one of his hands and brought the other up to cup her face, stroking his thumb along her jaw line, “he just wants to make sure you’re okay. It looked like she was having trouble staying on her feet—J, any observations?”

“ Ms. Parker seemed to wake in acute pain, movements suggest nausea and light sensitivity. Potential for dizziness and vertigo, and a loss of balance. ”

“Hm, she might have a concussion. Tones, you said she hit her head, right?”

“Twice now, once at her apartment and just now off the shelf.”

“Let’s get her to medical, I want to run a CT scan just in case,” Bruce shifted to bring himself into Penny’s line of vision, “I’m sure you have a concussion. Usually, I wouldn’t bother with a CT scan at this point, but since you hit your head twice in such a short period of time I want to make sure there’s no bleeding in your brain. Have you ever had a CT scan before?”

A moment of silence passed before Tony sighed, pressing his thumb firmly into the joint of her jaw, “answer, Penny.”

The threat in his movement was clear and Penny swallowed heavily, “no.”

“Good girl,” a slow, victorious smile crossed Tony’s lips at her response and he moved his thumb, continuing to stroke her face softly, “J, call the soldiers, we’ll need help to transport her safely and I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to assist.”

“They’ve been pacing the living room for the last three hours, I’m sure they’ll be here in half a minute, tops.”

Soldiers. Tony Stark employed soldiers. Of course he did. He had the government and the police in his pocket, why not the fucking military too. It was all a goddamn conspiracy and holy mother of God, Penny’s head was throbbing so bad.

She must’ve made a noise or something, because Stark was back to cooing at her a moment later, turning his head to nuzzle his face against hers, “we’ll get you some medicine soon, angel, just hang on.”

Penny pressed her eyes shut tightly, wishing he’d stop with the pet names. What was it with assholes and pet names? They’d been effectively ruined for her, if she ever got out of this she’d make everyone call her Penelope forever, no exceptions.

The door to the room opened with so much force it crashed into the wall with a bang. If she hadn’t been so tightly restrained in Stark’s grip, she would’ve jumped. Instead her muscles just went rigid and she prepared to be manhandled further as they brought her to ‘medical’.

“Oh, doll,” why was that voice so familiar, why did it feel like she’d been electrocuted by a 50-volt battery, “our poor baby.”

“Just wait until she tries to beat the shit out of you, Barnes, you won’t be cooing over her then,” Stark snorted, turning Penny’s face again and tapping her nose, “she’s a Hellcat.”

“She’s tried to beat the shit out of you multiple times now, Tony, and you’re still ‘cooing’ over her,” Bruce shot back, his voice fond.

He laughed and stood up with her still clutched in his arms, causing her eyes to pop open as her equilibrium shifted for the 80 th time that day. Penny’s head lolled slightly, until her eyes caught sight of the two men moving towards her.

She wasn’t sure when the culmination of her bad luck would come, when it would all wrap up in a grisly end. Soon, hopefully, because as the blows kept coming she wondered if she was going to be able to keep up.

Bucky and Steve, from the fucking coffee shop, were apparently the soldiers Stark had summoned to assist with her transit. If she’d been rigid before, it was nothing compared to the way her muscles pulled taught at the realization. A complete, overwhelming sense of fight or flight began pulsing through her veins—it had been a setup, everything at the coffee shop had been staged.

“So, the bad news is that I think she recognizes you,” Stark’s voice was full of laughter as he felt her begin gearing up for a throw down, “the good news is I think if I let go she’d hit the floor before she managed to hit one of you.”

No, Penny thought carefully, the bad news was that she might’ve been a dumbass but she wasn’t stupid enough to try to fight four men at the same time while half incapacitated. The bad news was that Penny had been a real shit kicker when she was in high school and maybe hadn’t grown out of it quite as well as she thought. The bad news was that at some point, they were going to let their guards down.

Penny was a little ball of chaos, but every inch of her was patient. She could wait.

***

The paranoia had started setting in around noon, when Penny had stopped answering his text messages abruptly. It would’ve been one thing if she’d been at work, but Peter knew she’d called out.

She was unusually available even at work, so it was extremely weird of her not to answer when she had the day off. By 1pm he’d placated himself by deciding she must’ve been getting her nails done like she’d said earlier and couldn’t answer because her hands were busy. But it didn’t take that long to get a manicure and when another hour passed without an answer, Peter felt his chest begin to tighten.

It was their last real day together for what could be forever. She should’ve been glued to her phone the way he was, desperate to live in his pocket for just a little while longer. He wanted to tell her about the gross apple he’d bought during lunch and how the soap dispenser was out in his favourite bathroom and ask if she knew about geomagnetic reversal.

By the time school was out, he heavily considered skipping academic decathlon practice to just go straight home. He’d be shipped off to Oregon in a few days anyway, so what was the point? But he forced himself to go anyway, if only to spend a little more time with MJ and Ned. And Flash wasn’t there, since MJ had punched him so hard in the stomach earlier that the asshole puked. Peter’s cheek still twinged from where Flash had punched him over the stupid chemistry test.

Practice had stretched on half way past forever and he’d hugged both of his friends for a solid minute before literally running away. The idea of really saying goodbye to either of them made him want to throw up and he couldn’t look at them any longer without breaking down. So he’d ignored Ned’s shouting and bolted for the subway as fast as he could.

Penny’s solution to his Tony Stark problem was insane. Peter wasn’t even sure if it would work, or if Tony would somehow intervene. He had so many connections, it was like running from an entire army instead of just one man.

Peter hadn’t actually seen Tony since Penny had caught them walking near the apartment complex. He almost wondered if Tony had been scared off by someone seeing them together, as if worried about being caught. Caught. Because Peter was 17 and there was no reason for a 40-year-old man to have any interest in him unless it was creepy and Stark needed to be caught .

But he knew that Tony wouldn’t be dissuaded by something so simple. If Penny was right, and he was almost sure she was because she always was somehow, then Tony was immune from the law. That’s why they were going to such extreme measures to get out of his grasp, because there was no other way to stop him. There was no way Tony had stopped following him, had stopped watching him. He was simply doing it at a distance now.

For some reason.

Peter really didn’t want to think about what that reason was.

A bone deep chill ran down his spine as he buzzed himself into the apartment and started up the stairs. He kept his phone in his hand, still hoping it would vibrate with a text message any second now. It was almost 5 o’clock, why hadn’t she answered his texts for 5 whole hours?

All three locks were done up on the door when he arrived at his apartment, which eased his tension somewhat. Penny was either still out and about for whatever reason, or she was safely tucked away in the apartment. Maybe she’d laid down to take a nap and not set an alarm— her schedule was so irregular she could sleep for hours and hours whenever the opportunity arose.

Another reassurance came when he saw her purse and keys sitting on the table just inside the doorway. She was home safe, her phone was probably just in her purse and she’d forgotten about it. It would bother him if she just hadn’t answered, but at least she’d be okay.

“Pen?” He called out, dropping his backpack onto the floor under the table and quickly digging into her purse, “are you awake?”

No phone in her purse, Peter sucked his lip into his mouth and worried it with his teeth. She must’ve fallen asleep on the couch and her phone was on the floor charging. He stepped swiftly down the hall and into the living room, crossing the hardwood floor quickly and peered over the back of the couch. Panic began to shoot through him when she wasn’t there. She might’ve been in the bathroom, maybe, or she could’ve laid down in his bed to rest instead—

“You lied to me, baby.”

Icy terror dripped down Peter’s spine, every hair on his body rising in unison. He wasn’t sure if it was the statement itself, or the tone, or the implication. Half a dozen apologies stuck to the roof of his mouth, spicy like cinnamon. Suddenly, a single thought began to race through his brain on repeat: Where is Penny?

“You told me you lived alone, off of an inheritance. Made me think you were all alone. Did you want me to think you were vulnerable, Peter? Did you think it would make keeping my attention easier? Because if you just wanted more attention, you should’ve told me baby boy,” the swish of fabric betrayed Stark’s otherwise silent movements as he shifted around in the kitchen, directly behind Peter.

“I… I told you I moved here after my aunt died, with money from family.”

“Do you really want to argue lies of omission with me, baby? I’m really good at arguing,” he was much closer now, Peter could almost feel the taller man’s body heat against his back.

“M-Mr. Stark, where is—”

“Penelope?” Stark cut him off before he could even ask, sending another nauseating spike of terror through his entire body, “does she prefer Penny or is that just what everyone calls her? She seems pretty averse to sweetheart.”

“Where—”

“She asks a lot of questions too, Petey,” his arms wrapped around Peter’s torso and pulled him back against his chest, carefully running his palm over the teenager’s sternum, “like ‘how did you get into my apartment?’ and ‘why won’t you leave my brother alone?’ That last one threw me for sure, baby. She was so scared but would hardly say anything but ‘please leave him alone’ half the time.”

“What did you do with her?” He could barely breathe, there was ice in his lungs, was he having an asthma attack?

“Nothing you need to worry about, baby boy. Why don’t you explain why you didn’t tell me about Penelope Parker, big sister extraordinaire?”

“P-please, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, j-just tell me she’s okay first,” tears were welling in Peter’s eyes, threatening to spill out at any second accompanied by loud sobbing.

“It’s cute you think you’re in a position to negotiate, precious. You’ve already earned yourself a punishment for lying, are you going to dig this hole deeper by being naughty? Answer me, now.”

Fuck, fuck he’d alluded to punishments and rules before but it had never seemed real. It all seemed like a bad dream most of the time, something that gave him nightmares but hadn’t actually happened. Wouldn’t ever lead to anything happening.

“I didn’t want to you know about her,” he whispered after a moment.

“Why Peter?”

Another hesitation, swiftly brought to an end by Tony’s teeth near his ear, “a-at first because she’d just… she’d just been hurt really bad and I didn’t want anyone near her. But later—later it was because I didn’t want you to have any leverage over me. Any more than you al.. already did.”

“Leverage, huh?” The man hummed quietly, both still very close to Peter’s ear, “You think I would’ve, what? Threatened to hurt her if you didn’t do what I said, threatened to kill her if you told?”

Peter nodded, a few tears escaping over his lash line to run down his cheeks. He’d been right too, Tony had taken advantage of Penny’s existence to hurt him. Where ever Penny was, she was there because of Peter. Whether she was hurt or scared or please not dead it was Peter’s fault because Tony Stark should’ve never been in their lives to begin with.

“Well naughty boy, you’ve earned yourself at least one and a half punishments, by my calculations. Silly thing, thinking I would hurt the person who took such good care of you for me. Now it’s my turn to take care of you, baby boy.”

“Please, where is she?” Peter sobbed, curling over the arm around his waist slightly, “is she okay?”

“Penny hit her head pretty hard, so she’s getting a CT scan right now and some medicine to help her sleep it off,” Tony’s unused hand began carding through Peter’s hair, tickling the back of his neck carefully, “You can see her sometime tomorrow, if she’s up for visitors. Cap might get over protective, we’ll have to wait and see.”

“W-Who is Cap, why can’t I see her now—”

“Uh, uh, uh, baby,” long fingers suddenly grew uncomfortably tight against Peter’s scalp, pulling his head back in one slow drag, “no more questions from you. It’s time for your punishments, and the only words I better hear from you are ‘thank you, sir’.”

#steve rogers x oc x bucky barnes #bucky barnes x oc #steve rogers x oc #dark!steve rogers #dark!bucky barnes #dark!tony stark #dark!mcu #let's review #let's review chapter 6

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gaamagirl565 · 5 years ago

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MotH S2 Finale

Matters of the heart Season 2 episode 15 Fanning the flames {OPENING CREDITS} {open to Isaiah and Benny being led into the hideout with their hands bound; behind them, Gaia is being pulled in with a muzzle around her snout; Isaiah looks tiredly around at the hideouts stone walls before coming to a large wooden door; once it’s opened a cult member kicks him from behind} Cult member 1: Get moving kid! {Isaiah glares at them but does as told and walks into the large tactical room; Larkspur turns around and faces them} Larkspur: What is this!? Vergus! Vergus: Forgive me mistress. we did obtain the supplies we set out to collect but we also found some other points of interest. {Larkspur walks up to them and bends over to meet Isaiah face to face} Larkspur: I'm surprised you survived... and judging from your deteriorated state I'm guessing you still have the power, yes? {Isaiah spits at her} Larkspur: Insolent little-! {She smacks him to the side; Isaiah harshly hits the ground} Isaiah: AUGH! Benny: Isaiah!! Larkspur: and who is this one? Vergus: we don't know she appears to have been traveling with the child. but she's quite strong for a little girl. she wasn't easy to capture. {Cult member 2 holds up his bitten hand} Cult member 2: really not easy… Larkspur: whatever the cost it was worth it. good job you three. we finally have the upper hand. we tried to do this peacefully but you people of Corona love making things so very difficult. you just had to ruin things, didn't you? Isaiah: you're the only one ruining things… Larkspur: do you want another crack to the face?... I thought not. I have spent the last few weeks trying to figure out how to best your kingdom once again. and now I think I finally have an idea. your father has always been a thorn in my side. but now I have you. Isaiah: in case you haven't noticed…. I'm not exactly in the best state right now... how can I possibly be of any use? Larkspur: see that's the best part you don't have to do anything. you said so yourself you're too weak to do anything. meaning I can do whatever I want to you and you can't fight back for the life of you. {Larkspur looks up at the Vergus} Larkspur: so here's my plan. Vergus, you stay here with a few members and keep an eye on the boy and the Vessel. meanwhile I'm going to take a small group and go to Corona. I think it's about high time I invited Varian to a little soiree! but this isn't just going to be any little shindig. for what he's done to us that Alchemist deserves to burn. will let him see his precious Boy again and will even remove the power from him. Vergus: Mistress? Larkspur: however once the main event is done how about we play a little party game. Benny: p-party game? Larkspur: that's right sweetheart a fun little party game. The Alchemist will have his son back free of any power. and we will have the moonstone shard. However the ending to this game will turn in our favor. once we have The Shard in our clutches why don't we play a little game of family Massacre? Isaiah: *gasp* Larkspur: well I never said it'd be fun for you... take them to the cells. and make sure they’re locked good and tight. Vergus: Yes mistress. {They start dragging Isaiah to the cells; once there the throw Isaiah, Benny, and Gaia into different cells; Isaiah lands harshly in the cell next to Cassandra; Cassandra gasps and runs to the side of her cell} Cassandra: Isaiah! how on Earth are you here!? {Isaiah lies still groaning slightly} Benny: those bad guys captured us and took us here… Cassandra: he doesn't look good... it's becoming too much for him. Benny: what is? Cassandra: he doesn't have much left... look, little girl… Benny: Benny! Cassandra: sorry... Benny... Isaiah is very sick and the fact that he's here means that the bad people that brought you here are planning something really bad. Benny: can we stop them? {Cassandra looks down at Isaiah and back at benny} Cassandra: I don't know.. I really don't. {Cut to Zapada resting in a chair in the parlor with baby Sterling in her arms and Rapunzel at her side} Rapunzel: Ohhhh! He’s so cute! Zapada: Yes he was born a bit sooner than I thought he'd be... but the village physician says that he's healthy so I suppose it's all right. Rapunzel: you just have to remember to keep him warm especially with fall just getting here. early birds like this one are prone to getting sick. Yes, you are! Yes, you are! {Rapunzel boops Sterling’s nose; off to the side of the room Varian and Eugene watch them} Eugene: I’ll hand it to you he's a cute little guy. Varian: I'm just happy that they're both okay. speaking of that I know this is a tender moment but I think we should focus on what our plan is now that we have the hideouts location. Eugene: you're right. we need to make a plan. we shouldn't just be running headfirst into a battle. Varian: yeah about that… Eugene: that's exactly what you were going to do isn't it? Varian: originally yes... I'll admit I got a bit overzealous… Eugene: look I know what they did to your family is terrible but we have to keep our heads if we run in there right now with absolutely no plan we’ll be walking right into their hands. Varian: That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I want to apologize if I've come off as... you know… {Eugene looks downtrodden and pulls him out into the hall} Varian: Eugene? Eugene: I should have said this before... I'm sorry too. Varian: for what? Eugene: Rapunzel and I came up with a plan to meet the cult on the North Shore cliffs. we came up with the plan to Ambush them. I promised I'd always protect the kid. I know that... no amount of apologies could ever replace what you and Zapada have lost but- {Varian pulls him into a hug} Varian: Eugene none of this was your fault. you were doing what you thought was right as king and captain of the Guard. I am always going to miss my son. that is never going to change but I'm not going to let you sit here and blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault. I've been down that road. It’s not fun. {Eugene smiles at him before hearing the main door open; he looks up and his face contorts in horror; Varian whips around to see Larkspur entering} Larkspur: What a touching little moment that I just walked in on. sorry to spoil it. You two Go. {Two cult members shove past Varian and Eugene into the parlor: Zapada screams as she and Rapunzel have swords put against their throats} Varian: NO! {Eugene unsheathes his sword; Noremoth comes running down the stairs} Larkspur: Norie! Noremoth: Larkspur? Larkspur: I'm so happy to see that you're okay! {She goes to hug him but he moves away from her} Larkspur: aww are we still sour about the Battle? Noremoth: you left me behind to die of course I'm still sour! I will never not be sour! Varian: What are you doing here and what do you want!? Larkspur: so rude. I came all this way just to see you. I have a little gift. {Noremoth narrows his eyes} Larkspur: however you see this gift is quite tedious to carry around so if you wouldn't mind coming back to my place to receive it. it would be a huge help. Varian: We’ll never go anywhere with you! for all we know we could be walking straight into a trap! Larkspur: I thought you might say that. {Larkspur snaps her fingers and a cult member rips Sterling from Zapada’s arms} Zapada: NO! Rapunzel: PUT HIM DOWN! Varian: DON’T HURT HIM! Noremoth: Larkspur that is enough! Return the child to it’s mother immediately! Larkspur: Ah ah ah! I think you forget who has the upper hand here. with one word my men here could dispose of the two women and the little baby. I don't think you have a choice but to listen to my demands. {Varian looks at Eugene} Eugene: what do you want? Larkspur: just as I said I want to take Varian and his family back to my place so that they can see the little gift I prepared for them. however you and the queen will stay here. and if I suspect anybody of following us just the slightest little hint and I will destroy all of them. do I make myself clear your majesty? Varian: Trust me he understands. we’ll do as you say. Eugene: Varian! Varian: Eugene we do not have a choice. we'll be fine. Noremoth: I request that I come along as well. Larkspur: oh does little Norie what to re-join our ranks? Noremoth: don't put words in my mouth.I'm coming along to make sure that you don't get ahead of yourself. Larkspur: excuse me? Noremoth: these people have done more for me in 2 weeks then you have done for me my entire time in your little cult. Larkspur: and you honestly think you could defeat all of us? Noremoth: I'd go down trying at least. Larkspur: find then you can come along but we're doing things my way… {She snaps her fingers and cult member cuffs him} Varian: noremoth! Noremoth: you are just not a nice lady! what did I ever see in you!? Larkspur: come on let's get moving. Varian: wait! Zapada just had a baby... she can't walk very far. she needs to rest. if you want all of us to arrive there alive you'll give her one of the horses {Larkspur glares him down but smirks} Larkspur: Alright...Prepare a horse. Noremoth: no tying her to the horse, Larkspur! Larkspur:...killjoy...finneee... {The cult member returns Sterling to Zapada and she holds him tightly crying; Varian rushes over and picks her up bridal style and follows the cult outside} Zapada: Varian? Varian: we're going to be okay... I promise. {Cut back to the cells at the hideout; Isaiah coughs and wheezes before rolling over} Cassandra: he's getting worse… Benny: what was your first hint? the coughing, the fever, or the relentless groaning? Cassandra: all right this isn't a time for sass little girl. Benny: sorry but we have to do something! at this rate he's going to die. {Isaiah opens his eyes to see Cassandra reaching through the bars to stroke his hair; he gasps before coughing and backing away} Isaiah: Miss...Cass? Cassandra: Hey kid... nice to see you again. Isaiah: How long have I been out? Cassandra: a few hours maybe? it's hard to tell time in here. Isaiah: what's happening to me? Cassandra: Zhan tiri’s power... it's becoming too much for you to handle. your body is giving out on you. Isaiah: I have to find... a way out of here… {He tries to get up and move toward the cell door} Cassandra: there is no way you are going anywhere in that state. Isaiah: that's what you think... Benny are you okay to move? Benny: mmhmm! Isaiah: okay good... I'm going to try and find something to pick the lock and then- augh! {He coughs up more black liquid and it runs down his chin; his new claw-like nails scratch at the stone floor leaving marks} Cassandra: don't push yourself, kid! { Isaiah glares up at her with a blackened mouth} Isaiah: I don't take orders from you… {The door to the room opens and Vergus walks in} Vergus: are we having fun? getting along okay? Cassandra: if you’ve just come to patronize us get out… Vergus: cranky today, sweet vessel? Cassandra: call me that again and see what happens! Vergus: oooh! we are feisty today! anyway I'm not here for either of you. I'm here for this one. {Turns and looks at benny} Isaiah: Benny! {Benny gets in a defense position} Vergus: HA! isn't that cute? This tiny tot actually thinks she can fight me. that's just adorable. but I'm not here for that either I'm actually here to offer you a proposition. Benny: what's a..propo- Cassandra: a proposition... he's making you an offer of some sort. Benny: What do you want? Vergus: well most of our group are older people. adults who have nothing left to lose. that's why they join us. Society has treated them wrongly for many years. We’re just evening the playing field. Cassandra: get to the point, Vergus! Vergus: my point is you've had it quite rough. I can tell. those Rags you're wearing, your small frame. you haven't had a good meal in ages have you. probably haven't slept in a nice bed and quite a while. we have all of those here. and we'd protect you. Benny: what are you saying? {Vergus unlocks the cell door and holds it open} Vergus: join us. we can teach you all the tricks. make sure you grow up right. you'll be the first of a new generation in a new Society. you'll have a family. {Benny looks up at him and he smirks. She looks over at Isaiah and walks over to the open door} Isaiah: No...benny.. {Benny places a hand on the cell door bars; she contemplates for a minute before glancing up at Vergus with rage; she slams the door closed on his fingers with her inside the cell} Vergus: AAAAUUUUGGHHHH!!! Benny: I'd rather be with Isaiah then be big old ugly meanie like you! {Vergus clutches his broken and bruised fingers} Vergus: URRGHH! ROT IN HERE FOR ALL I CARE! {He storms out; Benny’s legs give out} Isaiah: Benny... are you okay? Benny:...I-I’m okay… Cassandra: kid... you just did what I wish I could have done a million times over. I like your spunk. {cut to Varian walking with the group; Noremoth walks up next to him} Noremoth: When we get there try not to be yourself. Varian: what? Noremoth: you like to be snarky... especially when you're in battle. Varian: what do you want me to do? roll over like a dog? Noremoth:... just this once? Varian: …I can't believe this. Noremoth: if not for me do it for your family. Larkspur isn't like me. she doesn't have a code or anything when it comes to fighting. she kills without Mercy. you should already know that. Varian: trust me... that I already know. {They reach the hide out entrance; a large stone door is carved into the side of the mountain; Larkspur knocks in a rhythm and it opens} Larkspur: hurry up. let's not diddle daddle. Opps! sorry did that bring back some, I know the word “dad” was in that word. Varian: son of a- {Noremoth holds him back; Larkspur walks in giggling} Varian: you carved your hideout into the mountain? Larkspur: actually know these tunnels were already here. this used to be a mine. we just added some personality. some blood here, a skull over there... you know to really breathe life into the place. {A skeleton with his skull off to the side slumps in the corner of the hall; Zapada winces and holds onto Sterling} Larkspur: What? oh him? yes obtaining this place was a bit tedious. the original owner of the mine was still here. Luckily Norie took care of that as you can see. {Noremoth bites his lip; Larkspur throws open the doors to the main commons room; all of the cult looks over in shock; Larkspur steps up on a small stone stage} Larkspur: gather around everyone! there's a lot of fun to be had today! {Varian helps zapada off the horse} Larkspur: right. you there you can take the horse back to the Stables. and where is Vergus? Cult member: he was seriously injured earlier we were forced to amputate some of his fingers. Larkspur: oh for the love of... you leave them alone for 5 minutes. you know what I'm talking about Varian, haha! {Varian growls} Larkspur: anyway could somebody please go to the cells and take everyone out. I want you to bring them here. Cult member: Yes, mistress! {They run out the door} Varian: are you going to tell us what we're here for now? Larkspur: Patience Varian! you can't just jump right into the main event! you have the moonstone Shard yes? {Varian glares at her} Larkspur: I'll take that as a yes. how's about we make a deal? Zapada: a deal? Larkspur: yes... an exchange of sorts! I have something you want and you have something I want! Varian: knowing you whatever you have is certainly not something I want. Larkspur: oh I beg to differ! you can come in now! don't leave us waiting! {The cult member walks in with Cassandra and Benny whilst practically dragging Isaiah; Varian’s eyes widen and his pupils dilate} Isaiah: D-dad? Varian: IF THIS IS YOUR IDEA OF A JOKE- Larkspur: not at all! aren't you happy to see him? I assure you he's real. Isaiah: DADDY! {Varian tears up and sobs; he goes to run to him but is held back by various cult members} Varian: LET ME GO! Noremoth: Larkspur what is your game here!? Larkspur: you see I sent some people to regain some supplies from the damage you did to us those weeks ago. and what do they find instead but your precious little boy. being the Good Samaritan I am I brought him back here and treated him as an honored guest. he got the nicest cell! Zapada: Copilul meu! Larkspur: well, I did find your son but he seems to be in Dire Straits. seems like the magic is finally working its power. his body can only hold out for so long. if you give me the moonstone Shard I'll be more than happy to remove his affliction and let you go on your way. what do you say? I'm being more than generous. { Varian looks around at everyone and then at his son; with a sigh, he removes the vial with the shard} Larkspur: very good Alchemist! and just to make sure things stay even. Noremoth! I want you to bring me the shard and someone else can bring me the child. no wrong moves here. don't take advantage of my good nature. {noremoth walks over to Varian} Noremoth: give me The Shard... Varian she's not kidding she will slit Isaiah's throat in front of you if she suspects anything.you have one shot to actually get your son back here don't blow it. Varian: how can I be sure that's really Isaiah? Larkspur: excuse me? {Isaiah looks tiredly over at his father} Varian: I want to believe that is my son. I really do. I won't deny that this is a dream come true for me right now. but I saw him die. Larkspur: no. you saw him fall off a cliff. my only guess is that the power triggered itself like a defense mechanism. afraid that its host was going to perish. that's the only reason your boy survived. but since you're so insistent. {She snaps her fingers; a cult member makes a small cut on Isaiah’s arm} Isaiah: AHH! Varian: STOP! PLEASE! OKAY! Larkspur: see? he's real! he bleeds! Varian:.. I... I'm sorry buddy. {Varian hands over the vial to Noremoth; Isaiah is dragged up on stage; Noremoth brings over the shard and takes it out of the vial} Noremoth: you have the Blasted shard. now... do what you promised. {Larkspur takes out the vial of potion and roughly grips Isaiah’s mouth, forcing it open} Isaiah: ah! {she pours the liquid into his mouth and shoves him to the ground; Isaiah swallows the iron tasting concoction; his eyes glow bright green and pink and crackles of magic appear around him} Benny: ‘Saiah!! {He claws at his chest coughing and hacking; Varian pulls Zapada and Sterling close; Larkspur sits looking at her nails; Isaiah coughs up a black substance onto the ground and gasps for air} Larkspur: There! all better? his Affliction has been removed. {Isaiah shakily gets up} Varian: Isaiah? Isaiah: Dad? DADDY! {Isaiah jumps off the stage and runs into his family’s arms: sobbing all the while} Isaiah: Dad! I mi-missed you so much! Varian: My boy...you’re really here…my little boy. {he cups his sons face and wipes his tears away} Zapada: oh Copilul meu! I thought you gone! Isaiah: I’m here Zapada... {Noremoth and Cassandra smile warmly} Larkspur: aw What a touching family reunion! now what do you say? Varian:... thank you… Larkspur: oh trust me Varian... you're going to wish you hadn't thanked to me. {Noremoth notices her pull a sword from the stand behind her; Noremoth gasps and shoves her over} Noremoth: IT’S A TRAP! {larkspur gets up} Larkspur: KILL THE- AH! {Larkspur turned around to see Benny holding rocks as she has just thrown one at her} Larkspur: Little brat! Noremoth: VARIAN! {He tosses a sword at him; Varian catches it; Cassandra looks up at the chandelier in the room and then back at Benny} Cassandra: how many of those rocks do you have? Benny: umm... like maybe six? Cassandra: good enough! { she grabs Benny and throws her up to the chandelier} Benny: WHOA! Hehe! Lets do that again! Cassandra: start throwing the rocks at everyone! {Cassandra Goes to run into battle but her own power starts taking her over} Cassandra: augh! Varian: Cassandra! {Isaiah grabs more rocks and helps benny by chuck stones at the cult members; he hits one in the head and watches them drop} Isaiah: bullseye! {Cut to Noremoth fighting Larkspur} Larkspur: So should I take this as your official resignation from our little group? Noremoth: what do you think!? {She blocks and parries him} Larkspur: you want to know what I think!? I think your roast duck was always dry! Noremoth:.... oh now that's just hurtful! {Varian protects Zapada the best he can by fending off multiple attacks} Zapada: Varian! Let me do something! Varian: like what!? Zapada; ummmm {she looks around and gets an idea} Zapada: grab my waist! {Varian blushes} Zapada: oh stop it and just do it! {He does so} Varian: Okay I have your waist and now what!? Zapada: spin. Varian: what? Zapada: spin! { he spins and Zapada kicks her legs out kicking the ones surrounding them in the face} Zapada: I learned that one from the princess. and all with a newborn in my arms. {Sterling giggles; Cut to Benny on the Chandelier; she hears cracking and looks up to see the chandelier getting ready to fall} Benny: oh that's not good! {she jumps just as it starts falling} Benny: AHHH- OOF! {Isaiah catches her} Benny: ‘SAIAH! Isaiah: you know I've heard of taking the quick way down but that was ridiculous. Noremoth: AUGHHH! {Everyone turns to look just as Cassandra has run Noremoth through with a sword; Noremoth coughs and sputters before falling to his knees} Varian: NOREMOTH! Larkspur: well... this is what happens when you betray the people closest to you. and without further ado! {she forces the Moonstone Shard into Cassandra's chest; A bright light shines it envelops her; Cassandra screams in response; what was once just a shard starts reforming into a corrupt Stone; Sandra's eyes flickering color as she starts losing her own conscience} Larkspur: HAHAHA! YES! FINALLY! { some of the cult members back away and even run} Isaiah: Dad! what do we do!? { Varian looks on in horror at what he's witnessing; he rushes over and swings Noremoth’s arm over his shoulder} Varian: RUN! { the walls of The Hideout start cracking and rocks begin falling from the ceiling as Zhan tiri’s power takes over Cassandra’s mind; her eyes turn a bright purple; Isaiah grabs Benny and runs out with his family just as the entrance to the mine collapses; they all look back at the Fallen rocks that are now blocking what was the entrance to the mine} Zapada: is everyone all right? Isaiah:Yeah... I think I am. Benny are you okay? Benny: i’m okay… Isaiah: What about Noremoth? {Varian takes out an alchemy sphere and releases it over Noremoths wound cauterizing it} Noremoth: NNGH! Varian: it's all I can do for right now... it'll stop the bleeding at least. he's going to have to see the doctor in Corona. {Isaiah hugs them both} Isaiah: I missed you guys so much! Varian: we missed you too... more than you'll ever. I'm so happy to see that you're alive. how did you survive? Isaiah: I don't know! I don't remember much. I remember falling into the water but then one of my attacks started happening. then I remember waking up on a ship and then. they took me to the dark Kingdom! I got to see the dark Kingdom dad! oh by the way some really furry Hunter guy and the captain that saved me says hi. {Varian laughs} Varian: hi! Ahaha! Isaiah: By the way I was wanting to ask but we were in the middle of a battle so I didn't think it was the best time but.. who is this? {Isaiah looks at Sterling and both Varian and Zapada smile} Zapada: Copilul meu... meet your little brother, Sterling. Isaiah: sterling!? I have a little brother and you used my name!? {Sterling giggles and smiles} Isaiah: hi! hi little guy! I promise I'm going to be the best big brother I could ever be! { Varian looks over at Benny who's standing in the background} Varian: Isaiah? who is that? Isaiah: oh! Benny c’mere! Dad this is Verbena or benny! she helped me when I was in the dark Kingdom! I wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for her! Benny: hi… Zapada: Where are your parents? surely they're worried sick! Isaiah: Benny is an orphan… {Zapada gasps and looks over at Varian; Varians face sofens} Varian: How old are you Benny? Benny: seven… Varian: 7 years old and surviving on your own? you shouldn't be forced to do that. tell you what. we have an extra room in the house. it seems like she is grown quite fond of you and you seemed quite fond of him. if you want you could always join our- {Benny tackles him} Varian: oof! haha! I'll take that as a yes! Benny: I finally have a mama and Daddy again! and I gets siblings!? YES! {The all hug each other; fade to the entrance of old Corona; Rapunzel walks up to Lily, Akina, and Nathaniel Rapunzel: Anything yet? Akina: Nothing ye- OH WAIT! {Everyone gets up; off in the distance Varian and family ride in on horseback} Akina: they're here! it looks like they returned safely! and- wait… Adira: what is it small one? Akina: it can't be… all: WHAT!? Akina: it's Isaiah... he's with them. Eugene: what!? {he grabs the eyeglass from her and looks through it; Eugene chokes up and laughs} Eugene: she's not kidding. he's alive! he's there with them! {Lily stands up} Lily: ISAIAHHH! {Isaiah singles his horse to gallop and the rest of the family follows with everybody else running up to the horses as well; once they reach each other Isaiah jumps off of the horse and tackles Lily to the ground with is two other friends joining in} Lily: You’re alive! You’re really here! {She sobs into him} Isaiah: yeah I'm really here. and I have something that I've been wanting to do since I left! Lily: wha-!? {Isaiah kisses her} Eugene: He-what..H-he's kissing my daughter. he's kissing my girl! hold up- wait- no. he is kissing Lily! Lance: Eugene let them have this. {Isaiah pulls away} Lily: okay I can officially say I am a happy princess… {Isaiah hugs all of his friends; awesome the distance at the entrance of the mine the rocks blocking it shift} {END CREDITS}

#tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel’s tangled adventure #Rapunzel #TTS #RTA #tts oc #rta oc #matters of the heart #MotH #Varian #Isaiah #Eugene Fitzherbert #Noremoth #Zapada

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fluffballgremmie · 6 years ago

Text

Monsters Fate (full story)

“Zane!”

I shouted towards the red-head as I jogged over to his spot. He was listening to something, probably fall out boys, and had just slipped on his hood as I came up so he didnt notice me at first. I tapped him on the head to get his attention and he jumped a little.

“Wha?!-oh hey DF! Didn't notice you there! How are you doing?”

I smiled at Zane. Zane usually has his head in the clouds and tends to not pay attention to his surroundings. Sometimes it worries me since he's had a bad history with daydreaming. Back before he became my roommate he had been living with his abusive mother and had been punished for it. When he was old enough to move out he asked me if he could become my roommate. Since we had been friends since he was 5, and I knew about his mother, I didn't refuse. And I must admit though, ever since he's moved in I have tended to be a bit protective over him.

“I’m doing good. Are you ready to go home?”

“I have been ready for over an hour you dolt.”

“HEY! Don't call me a dolt you dolt. Plus I couldn't wait to get this,”

I retorted back as I flashed the tattoo that I had gotten.

It was a small tattoo on my shoulder of three wolves. Each were slightly different in shape and size as well as coat texture. One of the wolves was slightly smudged so it seemed more like a shadow or if it was a fake wolf.

He playfully punched my arm as the bus arrived. We rode the bus to our apartment building walked up two flights of stairs and opened the door to our third-floor apartment. I walked down the main hall and headed for my room where I dropped off my bag full of merch and turned back to the door and walked towards the living room. Zane was already perched on the couch scrolling through Netflix trying to find his favorite series, Voltron.

“Still working on that cartoon?” I teased as he gave me a triggered look.

“For your information it's called a animated series, thank you very much.” he huffed as the introduction played.

Deciding that I didn't want to push him any further I plopped down next to him and watched the show.After watching two to three episodes I decided to head off to bed.

****

“Man that test was easy!”

I had just finished my driving test and was holding my new licenses.

“You better not lose that, you just got it after all.” Zane teased as I slipped it into my pocket.

“Hey I won't lose it!” I retorted as we walked past a alleyway.

That's when I noticed two guys were towering over a poor kitten kicking it over, and over, and over. The kitten was mewling in pain and I felt a bitter rage come over me.

“Hey! Knuckleheads! Stop hurting an innocent animal!”

The one on the right turned to us with a annoyed expression visible on his dog-like face.

“Why don't you shut your trap , pretend this never happened, and walk away,” he growled as he stomped towards my direction.

He easily towered me by like three feet, But I have dealt with worse knuckleheads than these. In one swift movement I punched him in the jaw and kicked him where it hurts. He groaned in pain while the guy on the left swiftly turned and, in a blink of an eye, was right next to me. Then there was darkness.

I woke up to find myself in a weird looking warehouse. The glass windows that I could see were tinted to be darker and it smelled mildewy from what I could tell. I tried to move but found that I was being restrained by chains. The bite of metal against my skin helped me wake up more. I struggled against the bonds with all my force. The room echoed with the sound of rattling chains.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.” a smooth, yet dark, voice pierced the silence.

That's when a feeble, yet illuminating, light was turned on to reveal both the guys who kicked the cat with Zane across from us. Zane was slightly paler than usual and the chains bound around him were much tighter. When he looked up he seemed dazed, as if they had drugged him or worse.

“ZANE! Did they hurt you?,”I asked before I directed my gaze to the two men.

“THEY BETTER NOT HAVE! I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DID!” I yelled baring my teeth and struggling on my bonds more.

“Tch-tch-tch, looks like we got a fighter Ross,” The guy on the left smirked as he continued “ Don't worry we haven't hurt your zaney-pie yet but we will if you don't calm down and be a good pet.”

He sauntered up to me and patted my head as I tried, vainly, to snap at his hand.

“Feisty one to, this one is definitely going to make a good pet for you Ross. I’ll take the quiet one.”He then unchained me and forced me into a leash and collar. He then forcefully tugged at the leash, cutting off my air.

“HEY! Were not animals! You can't treat us like this!” I protested as I gasped for breath and rubbed the parts of my neck that were not covered by the collar. he then attached the same type of collar to Zane.

“We get to treat you however we want.” the other guy-Ross I think, purred?, no growled in pleasure more like, as he yanked me towards him. He was a lot rougher than the first male and by the time I could see again we were somewhere else. He led me down a hall I didn't notice before and pushed me into a room. It was a bedroom of sorts. It had a king sized bed and a desk with a laptop on top of the dusty surface. I noticed that once we entered the room Ross seemed to treat me much nicer than he did when he was with his ‘companion’. His hand loosened on the leash and his feature softened into a more mellow expression.

“You can sit on the bed if you want, pet.” he said as he, himself lowered onto its surface. The bed groaned in protest as he sat down. I was still suspicious of him and he seemed to notice it and scooted himself near the front of the bed as he tugged me towards the other far side. I gingerly sat down and stared at him for any sign of ill intent but he seemed more kind and not as rough now that there were not any other being except for us.

I decided to get information . “So who’s your “friend”?”

“Oh him, he's not my friend; more like a jailor if you will. He seems to go by the name Geno.”

Ross’s face seemed to cloud over with anger.

“He claims to be a vampire lord and he said he needed a loyal partner. At the time I was an idiot to think that I would be treated fair by a vamp ,since I’m a werewolf, and accepted his offer.”

Were Wolves,Vampires? I gasped in disbelief at his words. How can they be real?

“W-wait they exist!?”

Ross then gave me a look that I couldn't read.

“Of course they do.”

I closed my eyes so I could wrap my head around this. Maybe they were psychopaths? Yeah that's it.But Ross seemed so sure of himself. Maybe he was psychologically tortured or something as a kid and it messed him up.

When I opened my eyes two bright yellow eyes were staring back. I wanted to look away but for some reason they seemed to keep me stuck in place. I was shocked. So supernatural creatures are real. Ok then. Normally I wouldn't quickly grasp an idea, but his eyes looked to real to be contacts.

“Are you scared of me?” Ross asked as he leaned back. His yellow eyes flicked to my own then to the ground as he prepared for my answer.

“No.” He looked up in surprise as I continued. “Let me guess. He wants you to turn me into a werewolf and he will turn Zane into a vampire.”

He looked ashamed, but he didn't deny it.

I was surprised that I guessed correctly, but it was the answer that made the most sense. The way Geno called us pets and how he looked at Zane as if he was his next 5 star meal also helped tipped me off. Ugh this sounds so stereotypical it would be funny if it wasn't for the fact that this was Zane and I instead of some other people.

“I have already failed two other times; I have to do it or else I die…”

I was shocked. He dies if he doesn't change me?

“Geno is a horrible cruel Vamp who will kill all who become useless to him.”

That statement upset me. A lot. I know it is weird to feel sorry for your captor but ever here of stockholm syndrome?

Im kidding, just kidding! In reality what made it so that I felt sorry for him was the fact he was as much of a victim that I was in that place.

And at that exact moment Geno decided to barge in with a scared, crying, and disbelieving Zane. That shook me out of my thoughts quite quickly, as well as the jerk of the leash.

“Ross! Have you changed him yet?”

“N-no I haven't…”

“Augh you know what. Follow me.”

Geno starting pulling us towards another room. As we were tugged along I asked Zane if he was okay.

“Yeah Im okay. He tried to bite me but I was able to avoid him. He was pissed”

I sighed in pure relief when he said this. Geno then kicked opened the door to a room and dragged me to the wall and locked my arms in chains. I then heard him do the same to Zane in another room. I also heard Zane and Geno have a scuffle before the clack of metal telling me that Zane was as locked up as I was. I strained as hard as I could against the chains, but they wouldn't budge.

Geno re-entered the room and turned to Ross.

“Are you going to turn him or what?”

“No Geno, Never!”

He sighed,“Since you wont turn your pet by yourself I guess I will have to force you.” and with that sentence Geno sealed my fate. He walked over to Ross and took out a syringe. Ross tried to fight him but Geno grabbed him and had him in a death grip. He stabbed Ross with the syringe and then with a last “See you in your new life.” to me left the room.

At that moment only one thought raced through my head.

“NOOOOOOO,” I screamed.

My head dropped as I looked towards the ground. I could hear his grunts of pain and the ripping of clothes. I tried to prie my chains off me when I heard a growl so animal like it made me freeze. I looked up to find a full grown werewolf staring right back at me.

“R-Ross?...”

He growled and the next thing I know I am out of my chains and Ross is on top of me. He was a monstrous sight. His body as a werewolf was covered in scars and his eyes made him look even more feral. His fur was all sorts of shades of grey.

“Ross! Stop it! It's me!” That seemed to snap him out of it a little bit but not much. He whined as if pleading with me to just accept my fate. At that moment I heard screaming from the other room. It was Zane. I was thrown into a animal like fury struggling to get Ross off me as I shouted threats and cuss words at Geno for hurting Zane. His screams were nerve wracking and I could almost feel the fear that he felt. Then like someone muting a TV everything went silent in the other room. Ross was still growling but had been waiting for me to stop struggling. I sobbed as I weakly struggled. My strength left me with that last struggle and my head flopped on the floor. I was to weak to do anything then swing my head to look up at Ross as he looked down at me in a hungry/sad manner. He lowered his head towards the end of my neck and seemed to sniff it,then he licked the nape of my neck. It tickled slightly. Ross then bit down. As I felt his teeth tear through my flesh I screamed in pain.

****

I woke up gasping for breath. where am I?Am I a werewolf now? Is Zane okay? All of these questions raced through my head. The I noticed a alarm clock and when I looked down I realized I was in a bed I recognized. I was back in my apartment and it was 12:00 and we were safe yet again. I felt at my neck to find it wrapped in bandages. I was to weak to get up so I just sat there in numb silence.

I guess I must have fallen asleep because I was back in the warehouse place watching Zane get sucked dry right in front of me as Geno said ”see you in the next life kids.” I woke up with arms wrapped around me. I tried to get out of the grip thinking it was Geno but then Zane's voice was coming from the person holding me.

“Df, DF, DF its okay its just me.” He said in a soft voice. I stopped struggling and leaned into his embrace.

“I-I-I am so happy to see you.” I said into his stomach as he put my head in his lap.

I cried in Relief for a little as he carded his fingers through the fringe of my hair. It was so good to see him safe and sound. His hands were steady and his presence was a strong way to relieve my stress.

“How long have I been out?” I finally asked sniffling a little.

“Three weeks.”

I couldn't believe I had been out for that long. I only had two questions left.

“Are we…?” I tried to ask but it got stuck in my throat. Thankfully he seemed to get my point.

“Yes I got turned by Geno and Ross seemed to lose all humanity and turned you.”

“O-oh.”

“Yeah... But I must admit you really pull of the ears and tail.”

“W-WAIT WHAT!” I shouted as I blushed in pure embarrassment. I did not understand what he meant and tried to ask, but he raised a finger to silence me.

“Yeah... you seem to have wolf ears and a tail even when your not in a actual werewolf form. I would let you get up to see but if you did you would probably collapse. Your to weak right now.”

He then got up and left for a short period of time and then came back with a hand mirror and gave it to me.

“Here take a look!”

I looked in the mirror to see two big, fluffy, Dark gold wolf ears with blue highlights perched on my head that twitched in curiosity as I stared at them. I was shocked. They were real! It was strange. After a little of staring in the mirror I looked back up to see Zane smirking.

“I never knew you were this narcissistic DF.” Zane teased.

I gave him a mock hurt look as I whined in annoyance. The whine sounded quite dog- like. Zane chuckled and then a strangely hungry looked flashed over his face as he suddenly stood up.

“Um-I-I have to g…”

He broke off as I spun him around to see to blood red eyes staring at me with a intense hunger. Oddly enough I wasn't really worried.

“I forgot that you were a vampire.You haven't eaten at all have you?” I asked. He didn't answer. I started to get a little nervous.

“Zane ar-” I got cut off as Zane climbed on top of me. I froze as his hair brushed my face but then it turned into one of amusement.

“Hungry much? Well….. I guess I could let you feed off of me. Maybe. But... you have to promise to take care of me until I feel better.” That seemed to break him out of his trance long enough to ask me two questions.

“Won't you get turned into a werepyre or something if I feed off of you? And second of all why didn't you at least try to stop me from trying to chomp you? I could have killed you!”

I responded with “First of all you need to eat and I know you are not comfortable with randomly drinking some strangers plasma and second of all if I remember correctly werewolf blood is technically a delicacy to vamps.”

“Really? Where did you learn that? If I remember you didn't know monsters exist until 3 weeks ago.”

“I actually had to do an essay on vampire diets for a fan-fiction convention. I am hoping they are correct so that I can appear to know a thing or two. Now will I have to force you to eat or will you man up and do it yourself.”

At that sentence Zane blushed a little. It was weird seeing him blush at such a silly sentence. His blush was also different. Instead of an extreme rosy tint it mostly made Zane look like he is actually alive. But in a few seconds my thought completely left me as he lowered his head and licked a sensitive part of my neck.

I whimpered at the weird sensation of being licked higher on my neck than Ross did when he bit me. It made a tingle rush up and down my body. I then felt something sharp pierce my neck and I felt Zane tense a little at the smell of blood. He then lifted my head as blood pooled out of the wound. Even though it hurt I was silent. I then felt his tongue against my neck as he lapped up the deep red liquid. A weird instinct to growl welled up in my mind. As I tried to keep the sound down it escaped my throat. I noticed something was off about this growl. I wasn't very informed on wolf growls but I knew that wolves normally growl sharper. This growl was to muted for a normal growl, it was more of a sort of a placated growl, no hostile. Like it was more comforting. I kept growling as I grew weaker and weaker with every lick and suck from Zane. When Zane sealed my wound I stopped growling After that both him and I just layed there. Not in discomfort or in embarrassment just in placated silence. I glanced at him and saw that he was staring at me. He then blushed beet red as he looked away.

“I am so sorry!”

“

Oh shut it already.”

He looked at me in surprise as I closed my eyes and succumbed to sleep.

****

I got a glass of water as I opened the fridge. My mouth watered as the smell of summer sausage assaulted my nose. I noticed that my sense of smell allowed me to smell all of the foods even if the were sealed tightly. I liked how I could maneuver throughout the dark house without bumping into anything or making a single sound.

That's when I remembered my tail and ears . It was to easy for me to forget that they were there. I watched my tail sway as I appreciated that I, we, were still alive. I then went to the bathroom and stared at my ears as they twitched on top of my head. I didn't notice that Zane was right next to me until he tapped my arm. I jumped a little and started to panic but calmed down just as fast. He had started petting my head. It was actually quite a calming sensation.

“Sorry for scaring you. I forgot that I don’t own a reflection anymore.”

He chuckled as he continued to pet my ears. I had started doing that weird growling thing again and Zane had noticed it for the first time. He at first stopped, worried that I was about to attack him, but then he noticed my expression and decided to investigate. He went back to petting my ears but more halfheartedly. I gave him a uncomfortable look as I edged away from him and went into the living room and sat on the couch. He followed me and went back to petting my ears, this time doing a better job, after a few second the growl came back. He chuckled.

“Hey DF I think you have your own purr.”

“Really?”

I then noticed that unlike the growl I had when Zane was feeding off of me this one held a slight crooning note to it. It made me sound like I was a little pup.

“It's kinda cute.” Zane admitted as he giggled at my triggered look.

“I wonder if your werewolf form is actually just a pup… I guess we will find out tonight.”

“TONIGHT!”

My shout startled Zane, his fists were clenched and he looked like a wild animal but he still kept my gaze. panic seized me. I couldn't believe it. Tonight was a full moon!?Zane calmed down and his expression turned into a more mellowly worried look as I started pacing.

“DF it's going to be okay. If were correct than you should just turn into a pup.”

“But what if I go full form?! What if I am a full grown were wolf instead of an innocent doe-eyed pup?! what if I attack someone?! Or I end up hurting you?!” I replied with a less intense panicked tone in my voice.

“You won't hurt anyone okay!” Zane said as he hugged me tightly. And with that we waited until the faithful moment.

****

I was feeling weird. It felt like I had a fever and a cold at the same time. Zane had led me to my room, which I thought was strange but at the time I did not question it, and I was curled up into a ball on my bed trying to go to sleep. My alarm clock showed that it was 9:30. I then felt something pop as I groaned in pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zane

As I heard Df groan in pain worry flashed through my mind. Is he going to be okay? Is my prediction going to be true? I started towards his room. I cautiously opened the door a crack as I heard small sniffs coming from the room. I then controlled my fear and pushed open the door all the way.

There he was in the middle of the room. He had jerked around so that he could see who was entering. I couldn't help but inwardly sigh in relief and sorta giggle at the sight in front of me. I was right, he was a pup. He was about the size of a golden retriever and had gold and blue swirled fur all over him. His eyes were two different colors, one yellow the other blue-grey. He gave me a tiny growl as he approached. I held perfectly still as he tried to find out if I was friend or foe. With a bark of happiness he confirmed me as a friend. I relaxed a bit as he pranced around me.

DF was quite big for a wolf but not quite big enough to be called a werewolf. I decided to sit down on his bed and as I did so he jumped up and snuggled into my stomach like he did when he was human. I started to pet his back and he gave a pleased whimper.

We then heard my stomach growl as I wince in pain. He then jumped off the bed and started to guide me out of his room.

DF whined at me as he dragged me to the entrance to our apartment. “Woah DF no way!” I yelped as he tried to open the door “I can't just let you run down there! You would scare the heck out people!” He gave me an exasperated look as my stomach growled again, this time even louder.

As he kept glaring at me I finally realized what he was trying to relay to me.

I contemplated on how I was going to be able to eat/feed tonight. I didn't want to hurt an innocent person and DF wasn't in the right state of mind so that I could just ask him to donate. He perked up his ears as we hear some birds that our neighbors own chirped. He then looked at me again and the second thing he was trying to relay finally sunk in.

As I mulled it over the idea seemed to get better and better. But I didn’t know if animal blood would kill me or not. Then pulling a ,what I think now was, stupid move I googled “Can animal blood kill a vampire?”. It came up with a whole page stating that it didn’t kill vamps. I know that not all myths about a vampire are true but with all the people saying yes I could bet that at least one or two vampires might be one of the many writers saying that it is ok.

I then felt a wave of hunger and happiness flood over me. “Ok DF I will take us outside as long as one. You only kill squirrels and other SMALL creatures and Two. You don't try to scare people ok?”

I marveled at my improved eyesight and hearing. I could hear the rustling of the trees and even sounds of the tiniest animals you could imagine. I could also see the tiny details in DF’s fur as he stood, his ears erect on his head as he listened and scented for prey.

Letting my hunger take slight control I used my new sense of smell to see if I could find any prey. DF flashed by me as he hunted a mouse that just streaked by. I wasn’t very worried. DF as a Were seemed moderately confident in his abilities. I then caught the scent of a squirrel. My mouth suddenly watered as I imagined biting into the small body as the blood dripped into my mouth, I cringed.

Why am I thinking like this?! I stalked the squirrel into a corner. Then with a slash of claws that sprang from my nails the squirrel was dead. As blood gushed from the slash marks my mouth watered as his hunger took me over all the way. I drained the squirrel and searched for more. The blood tasted good, but not as good as DF’s I thought . I cringed a little at that thought but shook it off as he thought well I’ll have to deal with the weird thoughts from now on. By the time I was done feeding DF was back and my watch said that it was 12:00 a.m.

I then led DF back to the apartment and lifted him onto his bed. Df started to whimper in sadness as I left and I turned around and saw him looking at me with big puppy eyes. I went back over to him and brushed a twig out of his fur.

“I will be right back DF, I just have to wash my hands and take a shower then I will come back, ok?”

He whimpered again but seemed to relax as I explained. I then went into the bathroom washed my hands and turned on the shower. I scrubbed my hair and enjoyed the heat of the water. I smiled at the fact that even though all my other senses were improved, my ability to soak up and feel heat was still the same.

I got out and went into my room and got dressed into my galaxy shirt and black shorts. I went back to DFs room to see him waiting for me. He seemed to smile as he pulled his lips up to show a row of teeth so sharp it looked like it could rip through steel.

I then Turned on his TV as I got on his bed. He crawled towards me and snuggled into my stomach. I watched Voltron and did some research as I fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up to a very warm something under me and Pidge screaming at something. I looked up to find Zane sleeping in his galaxy shirt and petting my back. I then looked towards the TV to find Voltron playing. I got up to see that I was butt naked and got into a new set of clothes.

It consisted of my favorite “Potato Life” shirt and black jeans. I was slightly embarrassed at waking up in my birthday suit, but was more concerned about what happened last night.

I did not want to wake Zane up though, since he looked so peaceful sleeping there, so I went down stairs with my phone and headphones and made myself breakfast while the music drifted out of the head phones and into the room. I felt silly for picking the headphones up since I didn't have the ears for it but I thought it would be a good idea to use them to make it so then I don't wake Zane . When I thought about Zane I had this happy feeling that kept washing over me.

(in this universe vampire can eat normal food as well as blood but they can only survive if the drink blood so Zanes just eating them for the flavor and to appear normal.) He looked happy to see me .

“So how was the transformation?” I asked nervously.

His reply was slow, since his mouth was stuffed with the tasty meal, but he swallowed and finally answered with, “It was actually really fun and interesting. You were not actually the were-pup that I thought you would look like; you looked like a wolf. There was the fact I to feed on a squirrel but I got over it. You also snuggled with me.”

I at another bite of my pancakes as I relaxed. I didn't go full werewolf so I am fine from now on. It was interesting hearing him narrate the story on our hunting trip and I smiled at how he kept over thinking things.

Zane continued “ I have done some research on a few things for your werewolf since you now have a few extra perks and instincts.”

“What do you mean?” I asked slightly confused.

Zane pulled out his phone and opened something I couldn't see and read/paraphrased something out loud.

“Well the problem is that your werewolf form is about the age where it is going through “ wolf puberty,”

I went beet red when he said puberty. I know its a childish reaction but I didn't want one of the many “Talks”. He noticed this and rolled his eyes.

“Anyways that means that you will get more defensive and easily provoked during this period of time. Especially to those you care deeply for. You will also become extremely snuggly,clingy, and kind to either your mate if you have one, which you don't, or in some cases you can get attached to a certain person, no matter what species, who becomes sort of your interspecies mate/companion. They are the most important when it comes to your transformation because they are the only ones who can understand and control you in that form.” Zane read.

We had been walking into our living room and had just sat on the couch when he said that. I tensed a little and he petted my ears to calm me down. We sat down on the couch as he rubbed behind my ears as my happy growl rumbled around the room. I had this feeling I couldn't describe and I suddenly found myself in his lap licking his neck as he giggles. I wanted to stop but my instinct told me to continue. I nuzzled deeper into his neck and kept licking a certain spot. He let out a huff of air and I came back from what I thought at the time was my affectionate puppy trance.

I looked at his face and it was covered with a deep blush and he was huffing quite a bit. I blushed a deep red as I apologized for my actions. While I stuttered he grabbed my hands and pulled me into a hug.

“Its okay, I knew you didn't have control over your actions and my neck is really sensitive there ever since Geno bit me”

He wasn't huffing anymore and was smiling softly. I felt a bitter feeling well up when he talked about Geno biting him. I then realized that I was imagining replacing Geno’s with my own bite.

I internally smacked myself for thinking like that. As I scolded myself I realized that I had been snuggling into Zane. It actually felt comfortable.

We cuddled all morning and afternoon as we watched our favorite shows on Netflix. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zane

I had noticed the DF had gotten weird this morning. It was quite weird being licked by him. The cuddling was actually nice though. even though we are both guys and not dating.

I decided to slip away when he fell asleep. I noticed that his ears and tail were still out and they curled a bit in his sleep. It was kinda cute. I headed towards my room and went online. I had quit from my old job because I couldn't do the day shift any more and all the night shifts were taken so I decided to see what online jobs I could do. I have a Bachelors in computer programing/editing and knew of a few youtubers who needed a new editor.

Jacksepticeye had posted a video saying he needed a new editor and I decided to send an email with a few references and my resume to him hoping he would be Ok with a out of country editor since he also had Robin/Pixlpit. I was now waiting for a response.

I had found out that I still appear in photos and video, just not in mirrors, since I had to take a selfie IRL for jack.

I thought it was slightly funny but was relieved. I heard the familiar tone of a new email and opened up my email. I couldn't believe it. He had accepted!! He even sent me my first video to edit and his phone number so I could call him to talk about details and such. I fanboyed for a few minutes and then went to work.

****

I had just finished it and sent the edited version back to him. It was 12 Am here and 7:00 their so I plugged his number into my phone and shot him a text.

Fangy boi: umm hello?

Septiceye BOSS: Hey! Its Zane right?

Fangy Boi: yeah… so did I do well?

Septiceye BOSS: You did great editing!! I liked all the references you conveniently placed. Anyways I need to tell you something important.

Fangy Boi: What?

Septiceye BOSS: So something happened to Merk and he called me and asked me to come to the merica’s to help him out with it. Since you live in L.A and he

does as well I thought I could come and meet you if I have time.

Fangy Boi: RLLY!! Umm I will have to ask my flat- I mean roommate first but he will probably say yes.

Septiceye Boss: k.

I couldn't believe it. He was coming to LA!! I was fanboying a little more as DF slipped into my room. He looked like he just woke up. He walked over to me and laid his head on my shoulder as he blearily read my texts. His ears were still curled and his pupils were blown quite wide from sleep. He made a rumbling sound from his chest and I found myself answering with my own.

“You work for Jacksepticeye?”

“Yeah…?”

“And you do realize that he wants us to meet him?”

“Yeah…?”

“You know we will have to make up an excuse for my ears and tail right?”

I pondered for a few seconds,“We could always buy you a hat to wear to hide them and you could tuck your tail into your shirt until you learn to control you shifting in and out of wolf.”

DF grin was so bright I felt like I could melt from it,“Zane you are a genius. OK he can come as long as you keep my ears hidden and you eat enough so that you do not try to suck him dry.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had been wondering about what problem THE Markiplier was having that required THE Jacksepticeye to come to america for. I also was proud of Zane for getting the editing job.

I kept cooing praise at him when we hang out. My instincts has quieted down ever since last week. I was happy that nothing awkward happened between us. I like Zane and I didnt want to hurt our friendship that way.

He has been recently using his new powers of speed that he discovered to get himself a blood supply. He refrained from killing and used his speed to steal blood bags from a hospital. I joke about his new mini blood drive fridge that he has now and he is always joking around about my wolf instincts.

He said that he is also able to withstand sunlight if he eats a certain mineral. It was funny to imagine him eating a jem like a dragon.

Zane and I were on the couch, me laying my head on his lap, when he received a text. It was Jack. As Zane read the text his expression became worried.

“What's wrong Zane?”

“Jack says that if I can I need to head over to Marks house as quick as I can. Even through text he seems anxious.”

I got up and went to go get my shoes on.

“Where are you going?!”

“Arnt we going to go see him?”

Recently my parents bought me a car for a present since I had been doing well in school and also doing well financially so I grabbed the keys, my license, and my wallet and headed down the stairs to the car. Before that I had put on a beanie that had a slightly pointed ears and had stuffed my tail into my pants. It was slightly uncomfortable but was tolerable.

As I drove through the L.A streets Zane gave me directions to Marks house. When we got there we saw Jack standing in the driveway. He was paler than usual and was in his huge PMA hoodie even though it was hot outside. In a weird way he sort of mirrored Zane, who wore clothes that covered his skin from the sun. As we got out of the car Jack waved and smiled tiredly.

“Hello Zane, I am guessing this young man to your left is DF?” Jack spoke quieter than he does in his videos and that made me slightly nervous.

n many of his videos he does say he is quieter in real life, but he said he still quite a bit louder then everyone else. I nodded at his question and stuck out my hand to give him a hand-shake. He returned it. On his arm under a bunch of bracelets I saw a bandage. He didn't seem to notice me staring as he shook Zanes hand.

“So Jack, what's wrong?” Zane inquired. “Your texts made it sound quite serious.”

Jack Nervously rubbed the arm that had the bandage on it.

“First come in. I don't feel like talking out here.”

Zane and I nodded and we entered the house. It was really dark and smelled like dog and something else that I couldn't place. With my werewolf sense of smell I finally identified it as the smell of blood. Zane could smell it to by the way he looked. In front of us I could here Jack taking deep breaths in and out and slightly huffing. We shared a confused look but continued following Jack all the way to what seemed like the living room.

The living room had really comfy couches and a big flat screen TV. Chica, Mark’s dog, bounded towards us to say hello. When she smelled me she barked and I saw her tail was wagging extra hard. Jack stared at me as I bent down and petted her soft fur. Chica licked my face and neck and nuzzled my shoulder. It sort of reminded me of how I acted earlier that week, Licking Zane, except it was much more quick and seemed more “hello friend!” like then how it was with Zane.

Zane chuckled as he watched me get attention from Chica and then asked again, “So what's up Jack? What's the problem?”

Jack sighed then said “So you may not believe this but, about a week ago Merk and I were walking home after going on a walk around LA when we got stopped by this man and what appeared to be his pet dog. He asked us if we could help him get directions to a certain location. As Merk and I were looking it up on his phone the guy grabbed me and sicked his dog on Merk. Then the guy bit me on the arm! I passed out from the pain and woke up here. At first I thought it was all a dream and went to the bathroom to look in the mirror. When I looked up my reflection was gone! I ran out of the room to find Merk. When I entered his room instead of finding Merk I found a WereWolf! That's when I realized Merk and I had been bitten by a WereWolf and I a Vampire,” He finished slowly and looked down, I am guessing to prepare for our rebuttals of disbelief.

Zane and I stood there in shock. They got turned as well! I looked at Zane and conveyed with my eyes should we tell him? Zane nodded.

I spoke up “Jack… about four weeks ago Zane and I got turned into vampire and werewolf ourselves.”

Jacks head shot up in disbelief.

“Re-ealy?!”

I nodded my head. And to give him proof I took off my hat and pulled my tail out of my pants. Chica barked excitedly and started bouncing around inviting me to play as she realized that I was finnally showing my full self. It seemed as though she branded me as her kin, and in a way, I technically am. Jack stared at my ears and tail in awe as they twitched.

Zane, with a weird expression on his face, then asked “Where is Mark, Jack?”

Jack looked towards him and beckoned us to follow.

He led us down a hall with Chica in the lead.She had decided that She was going to lead, not Jack. She seemed to bounce with every step towards where Mark was, as if she were excited to show us her master and our new friend. Jack then stopped in front of what looked like a door to a bedroom. He quietly knocked on the door and after hearing a response, entered the room.

There in the middle of the room lying on the bed was a fully grown werewolf. Its fur was a chocolatey brown and had a reddish hue that only anyone with a supernatural sense of sight could see. Chica ran up to the bed and made a boofing sound. The werewolf looked up at chica and gave a pleased grumble as he licked here head in greeting. It then looked up at the others and cocked its head to the side in curiosity. I then stepped up and held out my hand. The Were first sniffed my hand and then shook it with its paw. The others gasped in surprise.

“Merk! I didn't know you were fully in there!” Jack said in surprise. Mark looked up, rolled his eyes at Jack, and went back to sniffing me.

“ Anyways,as you can see Mark is still a werewolf…”

I looked at mark in confusion.

“How?”

Mark didn't answer and seem busy trying to identify the others from a distance.

Jack decided to answer for him.

“I think it was because his transformation took multiple hours. He was trying to fight it and did not try to except it. It must've affected his transformation.”

I frowned.

“That doesn't sound good. My transformation from what Zane said to 30 minutes. I guess accepting the transformation must make it go quickly.” I said. Mark was getting off the bed and when he stood up he towered the three of us. He looked a lot more friendly then Ross did as a werewolf, but instead of being an actual wolf like I was he was a bipedal combo of a wolf and human.

Jack furrowed his brows.

“So somehow accepting your wolf side allows you to change faster and not feel a lot of pain? But if accepting it only lets you be in your form for the short amount of time is it also a bad thing…?”

Jack trailed off a little and then turned to talk to Zane. Chica and Mark both were sniffing around and then they turned to each other and seemed to have a mental conversation. They both were staring at each other and occasionally Mark would nod his head or make a tiny noise. The two creatures seemed to have a connection that allows them to communicate on another level.

I was pretending to watch Zane and Jack mull over the issue but I actually was watching them. Ever since I got here I have felt a subconscious pull towards them. My Were-Cub side seemed perk up a lot when I was around them. I have decided that I should title my other side my ‘Were-cub’ side since it was more of another conscience as well as new instincts that I have to adjust to. It was weird finally noticing that I had two sets of instincts. I had also been feeling quite warm as well as the fact I was more sensitive to scents. Everyone's scents in here were relaxing and calming, especially Zanes.

As I thought about it more I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of Mark and Chica barking quietly to get my attention. I noticed Marks bark was a lot deeper than Chicas and sounded like a really friendly, bigger, breed of dog instead of a wolf. I turned to see them motioning to follow them out of the room. My Were-cub side’s instinct made me even more curious to follow.

As I followed them to the living room I giggled at what Chica was doing.

She seemed to be trying to look intimidating, growling and raising her lip over her teeth, but her adorable nature made it look more like she was about to lick someone to death. Mark looked amused for the moment and then he crouched down and growled back. Chica then pounced on Mark and the play-fight began.

I noticed that Mark was very gentle, and when Chica pounced on him he just rolled her off carefully. They then turned and started play fighting with me. I was slightly slower then they were, but I still put up a good “fight”. He and Chica would carefully jump on their opponents and to attack they just batted each other with either paws, Marks case, or their head, Chicas case. When we were done we collapsed into a big pile. I was smiling quite derp-like and my Were-cub side was filling me extreme happiness.

I guess in a way it was satisfied with the fact that I was willing to follow its instinct.

I also felt as if someone had place me on a fluffy cloud in the middle of the most peaceful place they could find. There was another emotion/feeling that I had but I couldn't identify it and even though I was slightly worried about it I was to out of it to care.

I did feel a bit warmer then before but I dismissed it again, especially since I just did something quite strenuous.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zane

Jack and I talked as we walked down the hall. He and I had been talking about what each of us learned and I found out that Jack had fed on Mark instead of looking for food. He then said that after that he felt to guilty and decided not to take anymore. I offered him some blood bags and he accepted them gratefully.

I was not paying attention to where we were going and when Jack stopped I sort of ran into him. I then looked up to see what was up and stood there in shock.

There DF was, in the middle of the dog-pile, smiling like a four-year-old that had gotten his first dog. It was quite adorable to see him so happy and I felt my chest bloom with an emotion I couldn't exactly fully identify. It was a mix of joy and… affection but as well as something that made me want to fight anyone who tried to hurt him? I was confused but I did not stop the feeling. I felt in that moment I was two beings in that moment. One that was sane and just like me while the other a primal, savage, beast.

After a moment I realized Jack was giggling and as Jack headed over to Mark and Chica, I headed over to DF.

“Hey~” DF said in a voice that seemed a bit deeper than normal.

I noticed that unlike the usual both blue eyes he normally had was replaced with the one bright whitish-yellow eye and one a deeper in color grey-blue.

I smiled and replied with “Hello to you to~” in the deepest voice I could make. For a second I thought DF’s pupils had grown bigger at that, but in the next second I found that he had pulled me to the ground next to him.

I snorted and started petting his head. His purr growl came back at this and he cuddled up to me. I am actually taller than DF by 6 inches so it made cuddling with him quite easy. Chica came over and boofed at me in a friendly way. She the licked my face once, making me scrunch up my nose, and walked away.

I heard Jack and, I think Mark, chuckle and I looked up.

There Jack and Mark stood, It appeared that Mark was grinning in a dog-ish way and Jack was giving a knowing smile. Mark was still in his full werewolf form and I saw that Jack stood quite close to him. Mark then started to come over to help us up. I felt an emotion well up in me and I acted upon it.

I hissed at them

It was not an innocent kitty-angry hiss it was a dangerous-animal-will-attack-you hiss. The sound startled

both of them and they stepped back a little.

I then stood up, carrying DF, and protectively wrapped my arms around him as I then started to run. I was feeling that savage burn to protect that I didn't question what I was doing.

Mark and Jack called for me to stop but I as they did I felt the weird emotion take full control and the next thing I knew I was carrying DF to his bedroom and then nothing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I felt pure bliss.

I felt like I was high on happiness, I felt so good. I felt dopey, puppy like, and safe in Zane’s arms.

I couldn't understand what was happening and it seemed like my comprehension skills went out the window. I felt myself be lifted off the ground and the next thing I knew, we were back home.

I felt myself lower onto a surface that I finally identified as my bed and I snuggled into its plush surface. I had my vision back so I looked towards Zane. I saw that his eyes were bright crimson instead of his normal brown.

I felt a weird bark well up in my throat and I released it. From what Zane says later it was a mix between a whimper and a sort of chirp in a way. Zane also told me about how he couldn't seem to remember actually hearing it. Zanes head whipped to me and he walked towards me. He did not say anything but he started to pet my head again. As he did so I fell into the clutches of slumber.

****

I woke up to find myself wrapped in Zanes arms and licking his neck again. I groaned and sat up.

I looked over to Zane to find that his appearance had changed. His hair was slightly longer, and I could see that black had been mixed with the reds of his hair. His nails were longer as well as sharper. The biggest change was the fact that he had leathery bat wings that stretched out and draped over the bed. I noticed that one of the wings was covering me like a blanket and I stroked it. The wing was soft and felt quite thick. I still felt out of it and the Were-cub instincts were still running strong so I leaned back into the bed and snuggled into the wing.

I couldn't understand what happened.

I had been feeling weird ever since the play fight with Chica and Mark and when Zane picked me up it was if I got dunked in pure happiness. But imagine if that pure happiness, after the fact, feels fake and creepy instead of normal and nice.

I was overwhelmed with fear in that moment and a whimper escaped my throat. It sounded like a wounded animal and I felt my Were-cub sides influence so strongly right now that it hurt.

Zane stirred and then, with what was probably, great difficulty on his part, turned to face me. His eyes were a bright crimson and his gaze felt more animalistic then human. He lifted his hand and brushed a piece of my hair out of my face as he made a weird cooing noise.

I felt relief wash over me and then I found myself cuddled up into Zanes side, and I nuzzled the flesh that was in front of my face. As I did so, I could smell a nice aroma come from him. It was calming and made me feel like he could protect me from anything. Feeling my Were-cubs conscious meld with my own calmed me even more and my mind was filled with only one thought.

Mate.

I fell asleep with that thought strong in my mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zane

I woke up to DF rubbing himself up against me.

I was slightly groggy since I had just woken up but I still was awake enough to realize two things.

One, DF was extremely sweaty and that sweat left sticky feeling against me.

And two, he was mumbling the word mate in his sleep.

I then noticed that he was wrapped up in bat wings. I went to scramble away when I realized that they were mine. I stared in shock. The bat wings twitched with the shaking of my body and that's when I noticed that the tiny fur on them swirled in a pattern. Brown,black, and grey swirled together to make the most beautiful wings you could ever see.

As I shook myself out of my trance I transfered my sight to DF. He was nuzzling his sweaty body up to mine and I noticed that he kept nipping at air. It was then that I was hit with a powerful scent.

It was beautiful in a way. The smell of cherry blossoms and smoke assaulted My nose. I was quite surprised that two drastically different scents could come together to smell so divine.

I knew in that moment what DF was….

My Mate.

And I knew what I had to do now…

Take care of my Mate.

****

#werewolves #vampire #oc #zane #DarkFlash

3 notes · View notes

gumnut-logic · 7 years ago

Text

This is the first half of Two. This is hurting to write, so I thought I would share the pain. Sorry, guys. That and it seems like I haven’t posted decent fic in ages. So still WIP, but worth reading, I hope. ::cries at what I have done to the brothers:: I think this is rock bottom - I think I wanna cry :( Warnings: Spoilers for S2, Sotto Voce. Discussion of suicide.

-o-o-o-

Virgil!

Her scream shot through his mind like a bullet from a gun and suddenly she was everywhere.

He was breathing in the material of her dress, his hair was aflame with her anger, his ears rung with her screams.

No! you can’t have him!

There was light, searing light, red hair, pale skin. Fire.

And an inky black.

It dripped between the flames and where it touched him, it burned.

God, it burned.

He struggled pulling backwards, but there was nowhere to go. There was no way out.

Eos screamed his name again.

And eyes so green, so like her father’s, flashed in front of him, her expression one of pure terror. Virgil, no!

And he was being pulled forward. He was being pulled out. The light was blinding.

NO! YOU CAN’T! A blanket of roaring sound washed over him, taking all thought, taking everything.

He stumbled, a kiss brushed his cheek, and his world burst into flame.

He burned. Everything burned. A wind tore around him and whipped up all the darkness, wrapping it in white fire. It spun into a whirlwind, its ferocity shredding all before it as it tore away into the whiteness.

Virgil blinked and it was all gone. Silence. There was only white, pulsating white, pulling gently.

Eos?

No answer.

EOS?!

Nothing.

His breath hitched.

No. No. He felt around. She had to be here somewhere. EOS?!

He took a step backwards and stumbled again.

This time he fell.

-o-o-o-

“EOS!”

Scott yelped as his brother sat up suddenly, narrowly missing a painful headbutt. But a moment later, he had to hurriedly reach out and catch Virgil as he wavered, groaning.

“Eos, no. Hurts.” Virgil pushed the palms of his hands into his eye sockets. “No. No. No. Please. No.”

“Virgil.”

“No. No. Eos. No.” There was a note of hysteria in his voice so foreign to Virgil’s character, Scott’s heartbeat doubled.

“Virgil.”

Shock-filled eyes looked up at him. “She’s gone. I can’t find her. She’s gone!” Those eyes turned inwards, darting around in panic. “She’s gone. She’s gone. I have to find her.”

And his brother’s eyes rolled up in their sockets. This time Scott was able to catch him before he hit the floor.

-o-o-o-

There was white again.

It throbbed.

He felt around. She had to be here.

But there was nothing.

The white pulsed like a heartbeat.

He took a step in the direction of its pull.

And found himself elsewhere.

Virgil stumbled.

And he was peering down. He blinked. “John?”

-o-o-o-

John looked up. “Virgil?”

The hub was drenched in code. John couldn’t find Eos. She simply wasn’t there.

But there was a single green light lit on her camera above.

He whipped up another window, accessing Eos’ support systems, the cradle that kept her safe on Thunderbird Five. The programs were functioning, but there was no sign of Eos.

Something else was being cradled. A mess of non-code. It ran like a river across his screen, completely unintelligible.

An invader?

He activated the computer’s security regime.

“Ow! What the hell? It bit me!” That single green light flickered.

“Virgil?!”

And the code he had spent so many hours writing to protect Thunderbird Five fragmented and collapsed. The multi-level program corrupted beyond repair.

“Virgil?”

“John?” That green light flickered again. “I can’t find Eos.”

John eyed the strange non-code. “Virgil, where are you?”

No answer.

“Virgil?!”

The lights flickered.

Hell.

“Virgil!”

Still no response.

John hit his comms. “Scott, where is Virgil?”

The voice that answered was hardly that of his level-headed eldest brother. “John? What happened? Virgil is unconscious. He was yelling for Eos.”

The lights flickered again and John swallowed. “I think he is up here.” Hesitant. “In the computer.”

“What?!” A harsh breath. “How is that possible?”

Still looking around somewhat nervously. “I don’t know.”

“What happened?!”

“As far as I can tell, there was an attack. I think Eos intercepted it.”

“You think?”

“It came through Thunderbird Five, but we weren’t the target.”

There was silence for a moment. “Virgil?”

“That would be my guess.” A shaky indrawn breath. “And Eos intercepted it.”

“Is she okay?”

The question struck him hard and he found himself struggling for control. “No.”

“John?”

Quiet. “I can’t find her.” It was starting to sink in now. Eos was gone, maybe forever. His heart skipped a beat. Then another.

“John?”

“I-“

A disembodied hand appeared on his shoulder and he startled, propelling himself backwards across the room. The hand grew an arm, a shoulder, a familiar green baldric appeared, blue uniform, solid boots, dark hair…all slightly transparent. A hologram.

Of Virgil.

“Are you okay?” It spoke, its lips moving, but its baritone voice issuing from the speakers above. Painfully familiar eyebrows were crumpling in concern. How the hell? “What?”

And it vanished.

The green light blinked out.

-o-o-o-

He was flung backwards and the white returned. It pulsed at him mockingly.

Eos?

But he no longer expected an answer.

A step...

And he found himself surrounded by his brother. Scott was holding him. Gordon was staring at him...fear on his face... “Gordon?” The sound of his own voice stabbed a knife through his skull. “Augh.” He instinctively curled in on himself, his fingers wrapping around his head, eyes squeezed tight. The pain throbbed at him mockingly.

Quiet. “Virgil, you with us?” A finger brushed the hair out of his eyes.

“Hurts.” God, it hurt. Scott’s arms tightened around him. He forced himself to breathe, gain control. “Eos. John.” He squeezed his eyes tight.

“John has it in hand.” Even in his confused state, Virgil could hear the lie.

“She’s gone.”

The arms around him pulled him just a touch closer.

Gain control. His head spun.

Gain control. He was sick of being so weak and such a burden. He forced himself beyond the throb of his head. “I have to-“

“Virgil, stay down.”

“No, I have to-“

Scott’s arms tightened, but Virgil was stronger than his brother. He pushed him off gently, but firmly, sitting up, his very bones protesting. “I have to find her.” TB2’s deck plating dug into his butt.

“How?” Scott’s voice was quiet, but desperate.

Virgil ran his hands over his face, fingers catching in his hair. “I don’t know.” But he had to. “Need to speak to John.” And with that he was struggling to his feet.

Two sets of hands helped him up. “I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not.” Both Scott and Gordon in harmony.

No, he wasn’t, but he’d make the best of it. Pounding head or not.

-o-o-o-

John’s voice was fragile. “I’ve lost her.”

Virgil sat on the lounge just like he had that morning, but the situation was so different. No spritely voice in his head, no laughter at his dopeyness, no niece in his head.

He closed his eyes.

Eos.

A step and he was in the white. It pulsed at him.

Another step and he was once again staring down at John. “John?”

The floating figure startled and spun to stare up at him. “Virgil, what are you doing?!”

“I’m so sorry.” He reached out to his brother and his hand appeared. John flinched, but Virgil reached out to touch him. He so wanted to hug him. “I’m so, so sorry.”

John had all the appearance of a deer stuck in headlights. “Virgil, what are you doing?”

“Virgil!” Scott.

He started and stumbled backwards.

White and the pain returned. “Augh.”

There were hands on his shoulders. “What did you do?”

“I-“

“He was here again.” John.

“How the hell is he doing that?” Gordon.

“That thing in his head.” Alan.

“State the obvious.” Gordon.

“Someone had to say it.” Alan.

“And yes, it always has to be you.” Gordon.

“No-one else here has the guts.”

“Alan!” Scott.

“I warned you.”

“Is this a ‘I told you so’? If so, save your breath.”

“So what are we going to do now? Some asshole is out there who has got it bad for Virgil and doesn’t care who gets in his way. Thunderbird Five’s security is down. Who gets shot down next?”

“I don’t see you offering any suggestions.” Gordon’s tone was scathing.

“I had a solution and you all shot it down!”

“Virgil stays here!” He had never heard Gordon so angry.

“And look what happened!”

“Alan!” John’s voice carried just that hint of space static, but it didn’t dull his fury. “Eos discovered a third breach of security yesterday. It struck while the isolator was on! It still reached Virgil, knocking him unconscious. If we had taken your suggestion and exiled Virgil, cutting him off from Eos, they would have him and he would likely be dead.”

There was silence after that. Virgil’s heart pounded, the pain in his head echoing it. It was obvious. If he had left, Eos would still be with them. He squeezed his eyes tighter.

“Virgil?” Scott’s voice was quiet yet desperate.

“I’m sorry. So, so sorry.”

“Not your fault.” Gordon was firm.

“Doesn’t change the fact that Eos is gone.” Eos is gone. The emptiness echoed in his head.

“Still not your fault.”

“What are we going to do? We’re sitting ducks.”

Virgil opened his eyes and latched them onto Alan. “Do you have any ideas, smart ass? Because other than shooting myself in the head, I’m all out of options.”

Everyone froze. Alan went white.

“No, Virgil. Don’t even think about it.” Scott looked as pale as Alan.

“Why not? You would be safe.”

“NO!” And Scott broke. It was like the snapping of a tree in a storm. His blue eyes screamed pain and they were in his face, hands on his arms. “DON’T YOU DARE!” Scott was shaking him, his grip hurt.

And then his brother was being dragged away, Gordon yelling his name. Alan had his other arm. His brothers forced Scott to sit down, Gordon shoving Alan out of the way to sit in front of him. “Scott, c’mon Virgil didn’t mean it.”

“Didn’t he?” There were tears in Scott’s voice. “Don’t you dare, Virgil. Don’t even think about it. We don’t give up. We will beat this bastard, together.” The words were rote. His brother falling back on their automatic mantra in distress.

Virgil?

He started, his thoughts immediately turning inwards.

Eos?!

But no, it wasn’t his niece. The voice was distinctly male. A familiar voice.

John.

He looked up at his brother in his hologram. He spoke his name again and it echoed in his head. Terror flared up. John was in his head.

It is just me, Virgil, just my voice. I promise. We need to work out how this all works. We need to find a way to defend you.

How?

I tracked you. I’m sending a simple data transmission. Voice only. If we can work out how this works, we can work out a way to prevent unwanted intrusion.

He fought back the bile. John was right. He stared at his brother’s hologram. The expression on his face was full of sadness and apology, but underneath that was love. He never thought it could be so blatant, particularly from his stoic, calm brother, hair blond, uniform black, simply because he cared.

“Guys.” His brothers looked up. “Do me a favour and tell me that that is John.”

Scott’s eyes were red and it was Gordon who stood up and walked over to the holoprojector and checked the signal’s origin. “Yep, that is definitely Johnny.”

“Good.”

We can beat this, Virgil. I promise you. The intensity in his holographic eyes reached across the room and imprinted itself on his soul. You hang in there, big brother.

Okay.

And it was okay. For all of twenty seconds, when the signal from Thunderbird Five was cut dead.

-o-o-o-

TBC

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbrids fanfiction #virgil tracy #scott tracy #john tracy

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thespacequail · 7 years ago

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Darling in the Franxx (ep. 15)

HOLY FREAKING...well, that certainly was a LOT that happened in only 24 minutes. A lot of plot threads, a really good fight scene, a lot of new questions, but most importantly that thing where the OP plays during the climax, amazing. There’s a lot going on here, I’ll probably miss some, but I’ll try. *warning* This is a very long post.

>”Don’t worry Hiro, we’ll be fine.” All I’m thinking at this point is cut to black, Always Sunny in Philadelphia theme playing, “The gang fucking dies.” It was a pretty good scene though, it showed me at least how much more I care about the cast now than I did back in episode 6, which if from “not at all” to “if you kill any main characters I will cry”.

>Huh, so the Nines have the guys and girls in swapped positions, that’s interesting, the guys also have holographic horns that look like 02′s, veeeerrry interesting... But like, are they bad guys? Are they neutral? What’s their angle here? Every time they show up, they just raise more questions.

>Yup, all those dudes at the end of last episode got sucked dry by 02 (*lenny face*), Dr. Franxx you are still one sick puppy, but it’s hard to tell what your end goal is here, you may act like you care about 02′s well-being, but I don’t buy it, you have some ulterior motive and I WILL FIND IT. Eventually. When it’s served up for all to see on a silver platter. BUT THEN I WILL KNOW FOR SURE WHAT YOU ARE ON ABOUT!

>So Papa and his marry group of fucks are still being cryptic as all hell, what wish do they want that needs control of the Gran Crevasse? The heck is a Hringhorni? By pests do you mean Klaxxosaurs, humans, children, all of the above? I don’t get it. But the cut away to Streliza when Dr. Franxx says he wants a front row seat, now thats good editing.

>Now this is a good fight scene! Bright colors, understandable positions of every combatant, not breaking the 180* rule, even the CG wasn’t bad. Where was this quality of animation earlier? Doesn’t matter, we got to see everyone be badass and that’s good for me.

>And now for your requisite Plot ex Machina, an even bigger Klaxxosaur that no one has even heard of. *sigh* I mean, you already burned out the Guttenberg class, and power creep is a thing, this was inevitable...fine...I’m fine...it’s fine...fight a fucking mountain, at least it looks cool. That panning side shot of the internals of the Plantation, now that was really cool looking, I paused the video to look closer at it, highly detailed for a shot only a second long, I respect that. Then Papa tells the red shirts to kamikaze the thing, which is messed up, but it confirms the whole fanaticism thing people have for him, cause despite knowing they’re being told to die outright, they do it anyway, and of course it does effectively nothing at all, good fucking job, you killed a bunch of kids for no evident reason, but you don’t care do you? I’m talking to a brick wall here, let’s just move the fight to a new backdrop yeah?

>Whoa, those are some gnarly horns 02, you feeling ok? Who am I kidding, we all know the answer is “utterly distraught but refusing to show it”, this is actually a really cool design evolution for her, I dig it, but more on that later.

>Slight tangent, how close is the Garden to the briefing room? How long did it take Hiro to calmly get there while a freaking war was taking place? And the bit with the mirror...like, I get it, it’s symbolic, but it fell kinda flat for me, was that really the only kick in the pants you could think to get Hiro down there? And not to mention after taking his sweet time he goes out and finds a training drone to get to 02. THE LAYOUT OF THE PLANTATION MAKE NO SENSE UNLESS THE FIGHT WAS GOING ON FOR HOURS ON END! AND WHO LET HIRO CASUALLY USE THE ELEVATOR IN THIS TIME OF CRISIS!? *ahem* Right, back to the battle.

>Hey look, it’s that old lady from the Zorome episode! She contributes nothing to this scene! Ok, that’s not entirely true, her being there reminds us what Zorome is fighting for, and how his resolve to fight for the adults is probably more than just orders to him. The framing is also really cool, gives some nice perspective on the size of the robots, and the lady watching as Zorome’s robot (I dont know the specific name, and yeah it’s Miku’s too, but this shot is about Zorome) is pretty poignant, provides some payoff for that episode.

>My man Goro! Finally fed up with all the bullshit and taking control. Letting Hiro and Ichigo work this out together was the best way to go about this, and he did it so well, and the bit with Zorome/Miku telling him to stop trying to act all cool was so appropriate for them, lightening the mood before things got heavy.

>And boy does shit get heavy. The mind melding thing was cool, and would you look at that, Ichigo is not a bad character, she just had to be shown what her actions meant, seeing that was a hard pill to swallow, but needed. I really like how 02′s thought captions mirror Hiro’s, but are distorted, capital letters and numbers thrown in at random, it works for her in the state she’s in. Now the fight between them was cool, but let’s be honest, WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DESIGN A ROBOT TO HAVE HAIR UNDER THE HELMET? DID YOU EXPECT IT TO BREAK? WHY DOES IT MOVE LIKE ACTUAL HAIR? EACH LOCK SHOULD BE THE SIZE OF A FREAKING SEDAN! *ahem* It’s just dumb, but whatever, helps distinguish her silhouette against all the Nines who’s robots look kinda similar.

>Before we get to the flashback of sad, it’s time for plot revelations! Yay! Turns out the Klaxxo-cores are humans in some way! Well that was...kinda unexpected, reminds me of the Anti-Spirals from Gurren Laggan a little bit. I do like how the kids are trying to deny it, they don’t want to believe it’s possible, but here it is, right in front of your eyes. And you know what else is in front of your eyes? Papa blowing up Plantations to break the dome, cause he doesn’t give a fuck about any of you, that’s a fun pill to swallow and will definitely effect some character’s perceptions going forward. “Release them from the cages of their bodies.”? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THIS SCENE IS CREEPY AS ALL HELL MAN!

>FLASHBACK TIME! I AM EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE! But I was right about the blood thing! Yes, it was obvious, but still right! GOD BABY 02 YOU ARE MAKING ME SAD! *unintelligible sounds of despair* It’s just a really good scene ok? Then her horns shattering? Beautiful. This is EXACTLY what I want from these characters, their interaction was so raw and good and the kiss, AUGH!

>OH SHIT THEY’RE PLAYING THE OPENING! OH SHIT TRUE FORM UNLOCKED! WOOOOOOO! I am fully aboard the hype train here. Ichigo’s single tear was good, I think she’s come to terms with the fact Hiro wants to be with 02, that they are in love and she has to let him go, it hurts, but it’s for the best. Still not a huge fan of the bird metaphor, but I will take it here cause we got character growth out of it, and I like that.

>A giant...hand? And the Nines knew about it because of course they do. That is one hell of a cliffhanger, I think we are reaching that point, the point in every Trigger show where the plot does a 180* and things get W E I R D, and I am so ready for that.

Ok, that went on way longer than expected, but they packed a whole heck of a lot in this episode, so I had a lot I wanted to talk about. I think this show has definitely “gotten good” and I am super excited to see them start answering some questions as to what in the hell is going on here.

#darling in the franxx #anime #anime review #spring anime 2018 #long post

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umbraastaff · 7 years ago

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I Saw Seven Bounties, chapter 7

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[Ao3]

Phandalin is one of Barry’s most frequented locations as a lich. So, Kravitz reasons, maybe that’s where he comes back to life. Admittedly, he’s never (knowingly) found Barry in living form, but it’s been a slow week for bounties. He’s got a minute to poke around for his most important target, especially with the possibility of finding him at his most vulnerable: alive.

“Poking around” actually ends up entailing slinking around the shadows for a good bit of the day. As fate would have it, there’s a large, cross-country train passing through the city. It’s too perfect of an escape for Barry to take, he’s sure, but Kravitz slips into the darkness beneath the train anyway. What other leads does he have, after all?

He nearly jumps up through the floor the second he feels it-- muffled by flesh, but unmistakably Barry’s soul-- but he has to control himself. Barry isn’t nearing the record for Kravitz’s longest hunt by being a fool, and Kravitz isn’t going to catch him by being one, either.

Nighttime would be best, he decides: fewer witnesses, sleeping target, and of course the advantage of darkness. And so it’s in the early hours after midnight that Kravitz phases up through the floor and creeps towards the door he can feel Barry sleeping behind.

In retrospect, confusing conversations always seem to be Kravitz’s downfall when dealing with Barry. But he always seems so genuine… And then Barry’s tricking him and shoving him and running out the car door.

Kravitz slams against the door with all his weight, but Barry holds steady on the other side. They’re just inches apart, and the energy is deafening-- until it isn’t, suddenly. He shoves the door again, and it swings open easily, letting him stumble into the cold air. He catches a glimpse of movement, below. The bastard jumped. Several seconds later, he sees a red shape rise from the body just as the train takes the chasm out of his view.

There’s no hope for it now, he thinks, shutting the door and slumping against it. Now that Barry’s dead, he’ll be gone in seconds. It would be impossible to catch him here, but at least he’s spooked Barry into dying again; he’s easier to find when the lich stench isn’t buried under blood and bone.

A distinct voice cuts through his thoughts, jolting him. His whole mind goes blank to accept a single sentence: I-i-if you want a fight, Kravitz, I’m on the roof.”

It’s a trap, of course. Barry’s trying to distract him and escape. But Kravitz has nothing better to go off right now, and anyhow, it’s not as if Barry has ever actually done long-term harm to him, even with a planned trap. And if it isn’t a trap, well, punching Barry Bluejeans in the face seems like a rewarding prospect.

He rises up between the train cars. There’s a moment when he can’t hear anything, and he almost stops there. But just above that, he can hear again, as if he’d just passed through the world’s thinnest Silence spell. The wind blows audibly here, but the train now glides soundlessly over the tracks.

He sees Barry, several cars closer to the back of the train, walking towards him. His bright red cloak billows in the wind like fire, no longer obscuring his skull or his jeans. The wind shouldn’t be affecting it, actually-- Barry must be putting effort into making it move. But the energy coming off of him feels too strong to be an illusion.

A terrible rasping voice slices through the wind. “K r a v i t z,” it whispers. It’s Barry, definitely. “Howww dare you interfere… with my plans,” he growls. Kravitz’s eyes widen, just a bit. If he has another emotional explosion right above the train…

“Barry, let’s calm down…” he glances down at the train. “Perhaps we should take this somewhere else?”

Barry follows the downward look. “You don’t--” his voice is back to normal. “Oh, uh, shoot. Um. You don’t think the Silence spell will-- um, do you think we need a shield, too? Over the train? O-or we can move, yeah--”

Kravitz squints at him. “You’re still stable.”

“Yeah.”

“And… you want to fight. Me.”

Barry nods. “Yeah, it- it’s a good way to, uh, get out anger? You seem… mad at me, a whole lot, and I can’t give you-- I mean, I’m not gonna turn myself in, but I c-can do this.”

“You’re legitimately just here for a fight,” Kravitz reiterates blankly, sending out his senses for any sort of trickery. This is Barry in his entirety, though. Just there. Perfection may be unattainable, but this night sure is getting close.

“Y-yeah, uh, I mean-- we don’t have to--”

“Challenge accepted,” Kravitz says, skin melting away as he takes his own skeletal form. Barry will never come near if he fights with his scythe right off the bat, but perhaps Kravitz can wear him down before delivering a final blow. He summons a sword for the moment: long and silver, with black feathers sprouting around a red gem in the hilt.

Barry, startled by the enthusiasm, just barely manages to jump back out of range as Kravitz swings. The sword misses, but the burning energy extending from it manages to clip his hood.

“Agh! O-okay!” Barry shouts as the cloth knits itself back together, still sparking with bits of magic. “Great!” The sparks hop down to coalesce in his skeletal hand, and he points. Kravitz tries to move, but Barry’s finger follows him, and the electric strike shoots through his chest. Ouch. At least he doesn’t have any heart to stop.

In the moment he stumbles back, the ground feels uneven beneath his feet. Then it shoves upwards as soon as he’s off balance, throwing him to the other end of the train car. Of course, when he sits up and looks at the ground, it’s perfectly flat. Barry stays where he is, skeletal face betraying nothing. Waiting for the reaper to make another move.

Kravitz obliges, furious now, hovering back to his feet. They meet eyes, socket to socket, void to void. The darkness between them thickens until Kravitz can shape it, wrapping it tight around Barry to choke out any light.

He extends his senses through the artificial blackness and finds the lich shaking. To Barry’s credit, he tries to get out of range by lifting his feet and letting the train take Kravitz away. Of course, this isn’t something Kravitz will allow. He takes hold of a thread of the darkness to yank Barry back towards the train. Barry resists far less than expected.

He crashes right into Kravitz, radiating a heat and blinding light that shines through cracks in the darkness. Kravitz stumbles backwards, off-balance and blinded, and Barry collapses at his feet. The dark aura surrounding him breaks apart and dissipates.

Kravitz’s scythe materializes, and he slams the blade down. Barry rolls out of the way, passing right through his shins. The heat Kravitz felt before burns his legs with tenfold the strength, and it boils up through him, accompanied by a horrible sensation of being ripped apart from the inside. It isn't in his soul like last time, though-- it feels far too material. It’s eating away at his physical form.

Kravitz feels something shove through his back and through where his heart should be. He looks down to see a skeletal fist coated in flame, sticking right out of his chest. It looks like a ghost passing through him, but it feels like lava in his chest.

Panicked now, Kravitz forces one hand just far enough into the ethereal plane to get a grip on Barry’s wrist, and then he pulls it forward. Barry tumbles right through him and hits the train roof-- caught not by the metal, but by the Silence barrier, being made of magic himself. He looks like a slumped pile of cloth on the ground now, starting to shake with a series of violent coughs.

Kravitz is overwhelmed by a sudden nausea. Barry passing through his core didn’t burn him like the last time, but a lich is still a lich, composed of everything Kravitz is sworn to stop. So instead of taking a swing at his weakened target, he starts coughing as well. Souls were never meant to pass so close together that way.

“Augh, damn,” Barry says between coughs. “Are y-you okay? I’m-- I didn’t mean to hurt-- to, uh, startle you that bad.”

“Oh, startle me?” Kravitz shouts. His movements are too stiff for the energy in his words. “You provoke a fight and suddenly you’re concerned for my emotional well-being?!”

“I- I- I started this be- because- because I was con-- because--”

“I don’t get it, Barry Bluejeans! I don’t understand!” He looms over the lich as he gets to his knees. “Why aren’t you ever angry? Upset?! You’re a lich, for crying out loud! I’m going to drag you to hell, Barry Bluejeans, and you’re concerned for me.”

Barry does spark and twitch through that spiel-- telltale signs of instability-- but it’s more likely just him expelling magic. He says weakly, “I’m-- y- you're the only person that’s-- that I've had a fully lucid con- conversation with in almost… no, over three years, now. Of course I'm-- of course I would--” he puts his hands on his face and looks skywards. “I mean, okay, you-- I assume you usually deal with liches who g-gave up life for power. S-so their whole temperament is kinda-- it's guided by that bond to- to, uh, ambition and destruction. But the problem with that is, um, mental energy fluctuates, so they get an emotional high and then--”

“And then they crash, and the lack of defined purpose makes them explode, yes, this is my job,” Kravitz says, exasperated. “And you're special? You've got some emotionally-immune anchor, Barry? You're composed of emotions by definition!”

“Y- yeah, uh, yes. I can't explain the circumstances, exactly,” Barry says, and Kravitz rolls his eyes, “but my anchors are to my family, to love, which d-doesn't fluctuate the same way. A-and, uh, for better or worse, I'm prone to caring… e-even about people that want to k-kill me, I guess.”

Kravitz snaps back to himself at the last sentence. Neither of them have coughed for at least a minute, now. They're just… sitting around and talking. “You’re something else, Barry.”

He summons his scythe, but Barry barely seems to notice, looking past him instead. “Duck,” says the lich urgently.

Kravitz lets out a second of a laugh. “Ha! Really, again? You think--”

“Duck!” Barry shouts, and this time it's a Command, rattling Kravitz’s brain and loosening his knees.

It’s too late-- something slams into his back before he can fall, and it keeps going, destroying his physical form and leaving his soul scrambling to keep hold of consciousness.

He can't see or hear like this, but he feels a calming force wash over him: an assurance that if he falls asleep now, he will still wake up. Then he is passing through a dimensional rift, and then he is on the ground.

The moment Kravitz is awake enough to do so, he conjures up a basic skeletal form and clambers to his feet. His surroundings are about as dark as the night was around the train, but indoors. He’s in his office, in fact. Barry isn’t here.

Barry casts Command moments too late, and he watches Kravitz get hit by the outer wall of a tunnel the train is passing through. His body dissipates, and a glowing orb is left in its place.

The orb is no longer tethered by the train’s movement, so Barry lets go of the train as well to keep from crashing into it. “Kravitz?” he whispers. It doesn’t respond, but it keeps flickering like-- like it’s running out of energy. Oh no.

On impulse, Barry pulls on some of Merle’s teachings, from a long time ago. A cantrip: Spare the Dying. It’s classified as necromancy, but it requires divine assistance. Barry doesn’t know if the Pan in this world will listen to him, let alone any other gods, but he invites anything to to give him the magic for this one spell.

As a necromancer, of course, Barry knows that opening yourself to any power is a dangerous thing, especially when there are gods at odds with you. But in this split section of a moment, he’s ignoring a century’s worth of learned caution.

Suddenly, he is exhaling a dark fog that carries all of his warmth, and the wind begins crystallizing into ice as it blows through him. The fog surrounds the glowing orb, and then they both disappear.

Barry is suddenly sure of two things as his incorporeal form goes back to not having the nerves to feel cold: firstly, Kravitz will be fine. Secondly, if there were not countless laws in place stopping gods from interfering more directly, Barry might have just made a terrible mistake. He feels very, very small when these thoughts are put into his head, but it is not a new feeling.

Barry sighs and watches the train disappear into the distance. It would be too predictable if he tried to get to his destination now, right after being caught on the way to it.

Well, there will always be another chance. He was getting a bad feeling about heading to Glamour Springs anyway.

#i saw seven bounties #the adventure zone #barry bluejeans #kravitz

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prophetparadox · 8 years ago

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Birds of a Feather Chapter 2: Thinking of You (A Prompto x OC Soulmate AU)

Chapter 1 <-/AO3/-> Chapter 3

Word Count: 1,749

All aboard the angst train! First stop: the Fall of Insomnia! But don’t worry, the next chapter will finally get these two interacting with each other and then the fun can begin! All the cute, dorky, obliviousness fun shall be had. But don’t think we’re off the angst train yet because there’s more in store. Oh yeah, since I forgot to mention it last time I might as well do it now. Katia’s name translates to “Pure Iron”. Just a fun fact for you all!

As always, tagging @themissimmortal, @blindbae, @cupnoodle-queen, @nifwrites, @mini-moogle-queen, and @takuahijackedthetardis. And as always, if you want to be tagged when this story updates just let me know and I’ll do so!

"Hey Noct, do we have any cash we can spare?" Prompto asked, standing by the small store in Galdin Quay. The group of four had recently arrived after a long drive and the photographer had practically ran over to the shop, looking over all the things he could find.

"I think we got some leftover gil from the recent hunts, why?" Noctis asked.

Prompto turned away from the store, a sheepish smile on his face. "Well, I've been thinking about what you said yesterday, about how Kat would've wanted to come with us," he started. "And I thought it wasn't fair, you know? So I figured I'd pick up some souvenirs and stuff so she didn't feel left out. Nothing expensive, just a little something to show that we thought about her."

Noctis' all-knowing smirk returned. "You mean to show that you cared, right?" he asked.

"Shut up, she's your friend too, you know." Prompto said.

Noctis walked over to the store, looking at the various trinkets for sale. "So what were you planning on getting her?"

Prompto scanned everything, thinking of what she'd like. "Ooo, how about this?" He picked up a bracelet that had small purple flowers in-between the wooden beads. "It's only 400 gil."

"You sure she'd like that? I don't recall Katia being the kind of person who wears jewelry." Noctis said.

Prompto scoffed. "I think I know her well enough to figure out what kind of gift she'd like," he said. "And this baby is perfect for her, I just know it. She'd think it's great!"

"If you say so," Noctis said. "We should have enough for it. Just don't tell Ignis or he might lecture you on spending habits or something." He handed the gil over to Prompto, who purchased the bracelet and happily put it in his pocket. The thought of giving the gift to Katia brought a smile to his face. Surely she'd be thankful for it, he could already see the smile on her face.

As they stepped away from the store, his happy thoughts were interrupted by another strange pain in his right shoulder. Just what was his soulmate doing to get hurt this often, and why was it only happening now? He'd never felt these pains before. Whoever they were, he just hoped they weren't in too much danger.

"Soulmate bond again?" Noctis asked, seeing his best friend clutch his shoulder.

Prompto nodded his head and let out a sigh. "How can other people deal with this, Noct? It was bad enough when I'd feel the headaches, but now it's like they're getting hurt every two hours!"

Noctis shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't really know. I don't experience those pains like you and Ignis do."

"I just wish they weren't getting so banged up, they know I feel that stuff too, right?"

"I'm sure she does, remember that you're not one to talk here."

Prompto was about to retort when he noticed something peculiar in his words. "Wait, she? What makes you so sure they're a girl?"

"Princely intuition?" Noctis joked. "I just got a good feeling is all."

"Suuuuure you do," Prompto said, unconvinced as he rolled his eyes. Sometimes Noctis would just act so strangely. "Let's just get on that boat to Altissia, Gladio and Ignis are probably waiting for us."

-----------------------------

"Augh, my shoulder's killing me. Guess a good night's rest wasn't the cure for that one. I'll pick up some potions before I go." Katia spoke to herself as she sat in the caravan. It had been a few days since she'd started hunting, and already she felt like she was getting the hang of it. Sure, she still got banged up every now and then, but she couldn't be perfect at fighting creatures she'd never faced before. And the recent phantom pains from her soulmate bond didn't help much either. Thankfully, she'd managed to gather up a good amount of gil and could stay just about anywhere.

She was currently in the region of Duscae, Liede had just gotten too bland for her and she needed a change of scenery. She was lucky she'd found a driver yesterday before it got dark. All she could do now was wait to hear back from the guys so she could make her way to Altissia. Surely they'd make it there soon. And if nothing else, there was a chocobo ranch not too far from the outpost that she could waste some time at. But for now, she needed to get something to eat. "Alright, time for some breakfast!" She pumped her fist in the air, ready to start her day off right.

She stepped out only to be greeted by rain. Just what she wanted to deal with. Hopefully it'd pass soon, hunting in the rain did not sound like a good way to spend her day. As she made her way towards the Crow's Nest, she saw a gathering of people by the store, their faces flooded with shock. Did something happen? Curious, she walked over to where they stood, finding that everyone was holding a newspaper. Before she could ask anything, she heard the murmurs of two women.

"Is this real? Did the Empire really do such a thing?"

"It has to be real, it's right here in the paper!"

"I know but, this just seems unreal. I mean, there was supposed to be a peace treaty."

"Just goes to show that you can't trust Niffs."

"I just hope the prince is alright."

"I doubt it. With Insomnia fallen, I'm sure his death will be reported at any moment."

Katia's heart nearly stopped. Insomnia had fallen? Her home was gone? No, it couldn't be! She grabbed the first paper she could get her hands on, reading the front page article over and over again in the hopes that it was wrong. But every time she read it, she just saw the same thing.

Niflheim attacked Insomnia. King Regis was dead. Insomnia had definitely fallen.

Panic set through her, any thoughts of food forgotten. What happened to her friends and family? She ran back inside the caravan, pulling her phone out of her pocket and dialing the first number she thought of: her father.

She waited and waited as the phone rang, begging to the Astrals that her assumption was wrong and that her only family was okay. It went to voicemail with no answer. Katia wasn't about to give up though. Maybe he just couldn't hear his phone or was busy somehow, yeah, that had to be it. But as much as she tried to reassure herself, the anxiety got stronger as the tears started to slip down her face. Over and over again it went to voicemail. She even tried dialing the number herself just to be absolutely certain it was the right one. After seven tries, she gave up. He wasn't going to answer. He would never answer.

She hit her hand against the table in frustration and sadness. "Six, why?" she muttered, trying to hold back the sobs that desperately tried to escape her throat.

Her thoughts then headed to Noctis and the others. Prompto had told her they were leaving the city a few days ago, but she hadn't heard anything from him since then. It couldn't be that they were... Fear coursing through her veins and one last hope in her heart, she frantically dialed Prompto's number. There's no way she could just text him at a time like this. But to her dismay, all she got was a busy signal.

Katia tried to reassure herself, the phone was just busy, it wasn't like he was dead. She'd just have to wait and try again. But then she switched to the radio. "Moreover, in the wake of the news of King Regis' death, we've now received word that Crown Prince Noctis and the Oracle Lunafreya have also been pronounced dead."

No. No, that couldn't be true. If Noctis was dead than what about the others? What about Prompto?

Unable to hold back any longer, she shut off her phone and fell onto the bed, letting her tears fall freely and her sobs escape into the sheets. This wasn't happening, this couldn't be real! Her entire world couldn't possibly be crashing down on her like this! Her family dead, her best friends pronounced dead, her home gone. What would she do with her life? Where could she go? Was anyone she knew alive? Forget going to Altissia, there'd be no one there waiting for her. All she wanted was to believe the reports weren't true, but there was no way she could prove it for herself. She stupidly never had Noct's number, she'd always thought if she needed to talk to him she could just get a hold of Prompto.

Prompto...

Her hysterical state of mind pushed out all rational thoughts concerning his well being. If Noct was dead, then he would be too, right? It's the only thing that made sense in her anxiety-filled state. She didn't even want to believe that he was dead, but no solace could come to her.

As her thoughts kept turning to the worse, she felt her wrist get warm. Confused, she tried to stop crying as she took the wristband off and stared at the chocobo feather. She didn't understand, why did it feel so warm all of a sudden? It wasn't like the usual warmth either, it felt intense, like it was trying to tell her something. She touched the mark, hoping to understand why this was happening, but nothing seemed to change. But doing so seemed to put hope back in her heart. "Prom's alive..." she whispered to herself, the idea set in her heart and refusing to leave. Her heart just kept beating, filling her with the assurance that Prompto must be alive.

But why did she feel this way suddenly? Was it the mark? None of this made any sense. The thought that he was alive definitely made her feel better, helped her calm down a bit, and even gave her hope that Noctis and the others were alive too. The thought was the only thing she could hold on to at the moment, so she grasped it even if it was just some kind of foolish optimism trying to keep her going. She was probably wrong, but she just didn't want to believe it. She looked outside, the rain still falling on Eos.

"Prom, please be okay..."

#Final Fantasy 15 #Final Fantasy XV #Prompto #Prompto Argentum #Prompto x OC #Prophet posts #Soulmate AU #Silver and Iron

14 notes · View notes

imhayleyappleford · 8 years ago

Text

Horoscopes

aries

they look like don’t mess with mebut actually they’re love me

too smart

they don’t care a lot about emotions… unless their own

one of the easiest ways to lose them is lying to them

cry baby

they talk too much, so it’s hard to know when they’re serious

somehow they can convince people to do the most stupid things

sexually frustrated 24/7

they’re strong like when everything is going to shit they have strength and don’t let themselves get dragged

they move their hands a lot when talking

they’re the kind of people who bite their lips when thinking and accidentally bleeds

taurus

on the outside they look very calm and quiet, but in the inside they burn like hell (they’re too intense)

they don’t lose control easily but they do lose it often

they have a hard time trusting/believing in people’s emotions

they could kill you if you hurt an animal

a great part of them have a great sleeping schedule

they care too much about people they love

they cheat on board games

very good friends

too selective when choosing who to spend their time and energy with

they move their eyebrows a lot in their facial expressions

stubborn

they don’t let people go completely

their hugs are the best hugs when you have a bad day

gemini

emotional mess (they feel nothing in the right way)

they know a lot of useful shit

but they don’t know what sleep means

being bored is the worst thing that can happen to them (they get too mean, like little children)

narcissistic af

they’re never wrong

they express their feelings in thousands of different ways, however none of them seem to work

incomprehensible love for snacks

misunderstood

they cover their feelings with humor/indifference 87% of the time

they can make anyone laugh, no kidding

they lie to themselves

sensitive af, if you spend a lot of time with them you’ll see they’re such babies

very insecure

random happiness/sadness attacks

their brain is an exhaused roller coaster

innocent without wanting to be

they seem to fit everywhere but nowhere at the same time

cancer

they look like love me but actually they’re like i fuck with you or you fuck with me

they don’t know how to handle their feelings, so they don’t

drama,,,drama,,,dRAMa,,..drama

they can be too selfish

unpredictable af

leave me alone, but give me attention

their cellphone is part of their body

their true friends knows their family (even if they have never seen them) because of all the stories they tell, all the time

they victimize themselves a lot

they know how to listen and they give the best advice ever but they don’t use it

that kind of people who their first impulse when doing eye contact with someone is smiling

they care a lot about what other people think

they plat a lot with their hands and lips

the most adorable people when they’re not angry

children loves them

they can tranquilize people quickly

misunderstood because they don’t let anyone understand them

leo

very sharp ideas/way of thinking

high moral

they need constant acceptance/validation

if you do them one you pay ten

always reading your intentions

they tend to joke about other people insecurities

they tend to do good things for people without even realizing

despite being surrounded by people, they still can feel very alone

they talk to themselves when nobody’s whatching

insecure af

a lot of craziness under the calm person they have

they wink a lot

will never cry or look vulnerable in front of others (unless they totally trust that person)

virgo

they always look like they want to kill someone (maybe they do)

public nerds

the most damaged sleeping schedules lol hello it’s 4 am

they read weird things

super committed and and helpful

they get angry when things are not done in their way

they’re the midpoint between introvert and extrovert

they have a great stalking until they have no crush anymore

they can’t tolerate it when someone is angry at them, even if they’re the ones to blame

their favorite acronym is lmao… laughing my anxiety off

they do this face a lot > 😏

libra

they’re always in love

they listen to shitty music but won’t admit it

super emotional

they probably don’t know what is happening right now

they get too weird when they’re not comfortable

a stranger is a person they’re not friends with yet

they have good intentions

creative

they blush easily

they have a hard time saying no

they hide things so they don’t disappoint people they care about

they try to make everyone happy, even if it’s exhausting

scorpio

they try to look rude, actually they’re cry babies

dark mind, bright personality

they have secret hobbies

they crave love

talking to them will make you either appreciate life or want to jump off a bridge

they get easily offended

scary when angry

protective with people they love

they hate being ignored

random laugh attacks

they can make you laugh in the most fucked up moments

they’re that kind of people who give more priority to the problems of those who love than their own

they easily connect with music

sagittarius

ready to disappear in any moment

they have watched every. movie. on netflix

using my emotions? caring about yours? nah, tomorrow… maybe

34 hour-long naps

they fuck up 10 moments and make a very epic one

they have a hard time when apologizing

they have a hard time when asking for help, they believe they can do anything

would yell at strangers if needed

intentionally do things and then say they weren’t planned but went well anyway

they tend to be sad before sleeping

this is probably not a good idea but i’ll do it anyway

very competitive, but never satisfied

capricorn

superiority complex

more party souls than you could imagine

they just want you to shut the fuck up

they’re cute until you’re obstrusive

able to intimidate people for good or for bad

they recognize their mistakes and then apologize without making a lot of drama

they keep their cool in the craziest situations

have random acts of love, like biting, cuddling, etc…

can make you feel important one minute and shit in the next minute

always have backup plans

physical appearance is important

always have weird obsessions

they play a lot with their feet

they need hugs and you to show them love, but will never say it

aquarius

they disappear with no reason

cuter than you

they get confused when choosing between good and bad

everything is overrated for them

they’re addiced to memes

feelings out of control

they’re the special snowflakes

cannabis 23/7

they will know if you lie

they lose their shit often

they think and feel more than they show

rebels

the smartest ones

pisces

they don’t like dealing with their responsabilities

they like music more than they like you

they like attention but not too much

will never accept being the 2nd option for someone

can listen to you for hours, without making it awkward

fake friendliness (sometimes)

too weird but in a sweet way

super funny. their humor is either too simple or too hard to understand

they overwhelm your mind

big heart, even bigger imagination

confused af

if you really analyze them they look like they’re stoned

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marymuft · 8 years ago

Text

Can’t Sleep Survey

Did you cry when you first watched Titanic? I think I teared up.

What was the last thing you did before doing this quiz? Peeing

What would your parents do if you came home with a tattoo? I have four. They just say “Lemme see it” now.

Ever purposely broken your iPod/phone just for a new one? no.

Ever kissed someone with a tongue piercing? No.

Gotten high in the past 24 hours? :)

Has a friend ever made you extremely angry? Yes.

Are your parents divorced? Nope.

If you got kicked out, where would you go? Uhh. Well, I’d text Liz, Diane, Ashley, maybe Dana, and see if they could house me til Damion realizes he’s stupid.

If any of your friends got kicked out, would your parents let them stay with you? I’m sure they would have when I lived with them. They put up some of my brother’s friends.

You’re locked in a room with the last person who hurt you, what happens? I don’t know who that is right now? Ashley’s parents? It’d be fine, we’d play cards.

Injured someone in the last week? Not to my knowledge

Do you like Pokemon? I like the pokemans.

Would you get your feet tattooed? Did that already.

Have you kissed more than ten people this year? Nope.

Have you told anybody you loved them today and meant it? Yes.

What was the last thing you and your mom talked about? What time Evelynn was coming over tomorrow.

Do you know people that smoke weed? Yep.

What was the most boring thing you did today? Woke up.

Last kiss drunk or sober? Not sober.

How do you feel right now? I’m a little tired. Lil wired. Dry throat.

What were you doing last night at midnight? In my bed on my laptop.

You think that stars are people we lost? They’re just big balls of gas.

What are your plans for tonight? Go to sleep.

Is there any band/artist you would love to see right now? The Matches would be so cool to see.

What is/was your worst subject in school? I wasn’t really bad at any of the academic ones. But, GYM, if that counts.

When’s the last time you cried? I def cried this week. Probably... Tuesday.

Would it be more likely of you to fail science or math? Science.

Do you find it rude when people text when they’re talking to you? Only if it’s a serious conversation.

Do you tell your parents everything? Nope.

Do people say you look like a certain celebrity? No, but I have gotten very different ones through the years.

Who do you think you look like? My mom

Name a flaw that you think you have: My teeth.

Name something that you like about yourself: I’m super compassionate.

What’s a word that you overuse? “Okay”

Had a blast from the past recently? I’m in my parents house right now. So yeah.

Ever seen a pregnant woman smoking/drinking? Yes

What’s something you want for your next birthday? Money. Lots of it. And a keyless entry lock.

Do you hate when people talk to you about their relationships? Nah. Unless it’s clear that it’s an inappropriate time or place.

What’s the last thing you said out loud? "Augh.”

Don’t you hate when you get hit on by creepers? Yes.

Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? I don’t think I ever close my closet door.

Do your parents use coupons a lot? Not that I know of. I do thought.

Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Usually on stairs.

What are you doing right now? This. And deciding if I need to pee again.

Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. 5. Maybe a 6.

Do you always seem to lose your bobby pins & hair ties? Nah, i’m pretty aware of them.

Have you ever clogged a public toilet? Friend’s place count?

Have you ever been followed by a stranger when walking home? No, cause then they went their own way.

Do you have any jewelry on currently that came from someone special? “You are my sunshine” ring from my mom.

Have you ever saw someone get run over? No.

Is it currently cold where you live? It’s actually like Hell outside.

Do you put pepper on almost everything you eat? I’m not very good at eating.

Do you own more than 50 different colored eye shadows? I probably do actually... Maybe 30.

Do you always feel like people are staring at you in public places? Yes.

What’s one of your biggest fears? Being thought of as mean and uncaring.

Is there currently any food crumbs on your bed? Maybe.

Have you ever watched the show Bananas in Pajamas when you were young? Yes. It was one my favorite shows!

Do you ever get any compliments on your eye lashes? Yep. I was blessed with perfect ones.

Do you own a pair of converse? Since middle school.

Would you rather be unhappy being single or unhappy being with someone? I would rather be unhappy being single.

What is something obvious about you that everyone notices? ... Uhm. My fishnet stockings.

100 Things You May Not Have Known About Me…

or care to know about me, but here ya go anyway…

1. What is the last alcoholic beverage you drank? Lemon vodka press probs.

2. Do you follow college football? Nope.

3. Who took this survey before you? ???

4. Who was the last person to send you a text message Damion

5. Last time you went swimming in a pool? ...Uhm. Two weeks ago, if just feet count.

6. Are you happy? Not usually.

7. Where was the last place you went shopping? I went to Tom Thumb this afternoon.

8. How do you feel about your hair? It feels nice. I just washed it.

9. Where do you live? ATX bby.

10. Last thing you ate? Little Caesar’s cheese pizza.

11. Do you wish you were some place else right now? Yes and no. I want to be back in the morning. But, impossible givne distance of where I’d like to be.

13. Do you have any expensive jewelry? Not really.

14. AIM or MSN? Was def an AIM kid.

15. What classes are you taking? Next semester I’m taking Graph Theory, Cirriculum, and uh... Specialized Content.

16. How many hours on average do you work a week? 30+

17. Who do you like right now? My dog.

18. Do you watch the olympics? Yeah.

19. Last restaurant you went to? Whole foods count?

21. Who was the last person to call you? My roommate.

22. What’s your sign? Sagittarius.

23. Do you have a favorite number? 16.

24. Last time you did volunteer work or made any donation? I bought a red nose.

25. What do you spend most of your money on? Food.

26. Where does most of your family live? ... Even spread of extended.

27. Are you an only child or do you have siblings? Sibs.

31. Favorite kind of beer? Don’t dig that shit.

32. Have you ever experienced true love? Yes.

33. Did you ever collect Beanie Babies? Nah. I mean I had some, but I wasn’t like super into it.

35. Myspace or Facebook? Facebook.

36. Do you have T-Mobile? No.

37. What is your favorite subject? I enjoyed the fuck out of DiffEQ.

38. Do you sometimes wish you were someone else? Yes. Or just a better version of myself.

40. Are you an outcast in school? I felt like I was, but looking back I was not as much as I felt.

41. Last time you saw your parents? Like, 3 hours ago.

42. Do you have any talents? I’m good at teaching mathematics.

43. Ever been in a wedding? Flower Girl.

44. Do you have any godchildren? No.

45. Last movie you watched? I put on The Bucket List. But, I think the dark tower counts.

46. Are you missing anyone at the moment? Yes.

47. Did you take a nap today? I woke up at 2. NO time for a nap.

49. Ever been on a cruise? Nope.

50. Favorite vacation spot? Snow places.

51. Favorite genre of music? Been grooving to indie alt.

52. Do you have any wealthy friends? Yeah.

53. Ever met anyone famous before? Yes.

54. Would you give your ex a second chance? No, doesn’t seem like a good idea.

55. Are you multi-tasking right now? Nah.

57. Could you handle being in the military? Not at all.

58. Are you hungry or thirsty? I’m thirsty..

59. Favorite fast food restaurant? Panera.

60. Favorite Nightclub? I love Highland.

62. Do you own a camera phone? Yeppp.

63. Ever had to take a sobriety test? No.

65. Can you speak any other languages? Only a little Spanish. I’m only fluent in English.

66. Last time you went to the gym or worked out? Last month.

67. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Like 20..

68. Do you have a photo hosting site that you use? No, google photos?

69. Last place you were at? Tom Thumb.

70. What is your school mascot? Bobcat.

71. Ever been to Las Vegas Nope.

72. Ever been to Mexico for spring break? Nope.

73. Have you ever bought condoms? Yep.

74. Do you have any regrets? I have some.

75. What do you think is your best feature? My eyelashes.

76. Have you ever been gambling? Yeah, love me some Brittney Slots..

77. How old are your parents? 69 and 56.

79. Do you have your wisdom teeth? Unclear. Never had any removed, but not sure if they were there in the first place.

80. Favorite place to be? My bed.

81. Have you ever been to New York City? Once, I need a redo

82. Favorite sit down restaurant? Idk. I go to a few. I always like Olive Garden breadsticks.

83. Ever been to Disney Land/World? Disneyland... I think.

84. Do you have a favorite cartoon character? Tina Belcher.

85. Last thing you cooked? A microwave bowl of soup...

86. How is the weather today? Hot.

87. Do you e-mail? It is how academics communicate. Less awkward.

88. Last letter/piece of mail you received besides junk or a bill? My mom sent me a card.

89. Favorite store? Target.

90. Are you dating someone right now? Nope.

91. Last voicemail you received. Momma.

92. Do you drunk dial? Nope.

93. Stupidest thing you ever did with your cell phone? Dropped it in the toilet once.

94. What is the best city in the state that you have lived in? ATX is the best.

95. Favorite band? I’m gonna go with The Matches. Lyrics are perfect.

96. Last time you were sick? Had a sinus infection a few weeks ago.

97. Are you lactose intolerant or do you have IBS? Nope.

98. What’s the last concert you went to? Oh lord... Warped like. 7 years ago? I can’t remember. I haven’t been to one in a while unless you count happening upon ones as SXSW.

99. Ready for the weekend? I’m ready to see my little nugget of a niece.

100. What did you do last night? Got wired and did things.

0 notes

fluffballgremmie · 7 years ago

Text

Monsters fate #1-5 out of ?

“Zane!”

I shouted to the short red-head as a jogged over to his spot.He was listening to something,probably fallout boys, and had just slipped on his hood as a came up so he didnt notice me at first. I tapped him on the head to get his attention and he jumped a little.

“Wh-oh hey DF!Didn't notice you there! How are you doing?”

I smiled a bit at this.Zane usually has his head in the clouds and tends to not pay attention to his surroundings. Sometimes it worries me since he's had a bad history with daydreaming.Back before He became my roommate he had been living with his abusive mother and had been punished for having a imagination.When he was old enough to move out he asked me if he could become my roommate. Since we had been friends since he was 5 ,and I knew about his mother, I didn't refuse. I must admit though , ever since he's moved in I have tended to be a bit protective over him.

“I am doing good. Are you ready to go home?”

“I have been ready for over an hour you dolt.”

“HEY!Don't call me a dolt you dolt.Plus I couldn't wait to get these.”I retorted back as I flashed Yet Another piercing ,this time snake bites on my mouth.

He playfully punched my arm as the bus arrived. We rode the bus to our apartment building walked up 2 flights of stairs and opened the door to our third-floor apartment.I walked down the main hall and headed for my room where I dropped of my bag full of merch and turned back to the door and pattered towards the living room.Zane was already perched on the couch scrolling through netflix trying to find his favorite series,voltron.

“Still working on that cartoon?” I teased as he gave me a triggered look.

“For your information it's called a animated series, thank you very much.” he huffed as the introduction played. Deciding that I didn't want to push him any further I plopped down next to him and watched the show.After watching two to three episodes I decided to head off to bed.

“Man that test was easy!”

I had just finished my driving test and was holding my new licenses.

“You better not lose that, you just got it after all.”zane teased as I slipped it into my pocket.

“Hey I won't lose it!” I retorted as we walked past a alleyway.That's when I noticed two guys were towering over a poor kitten kicking it over,and over,and over.It angered me.

“Hey!knuckleheads! Stop hurting an innocent animal!”

The one on the right turned to us with a annoyed expression visible on his dog-like face.

“Why don't you shut your trap , pretend this never happened, and walk away.” he growled as he stomped towards my direction. He easily towered me by like three feet,But I have dealt with worse knuckleheads than these.In one swift movement I punched him in the jaw and kick him where it hurts. He groaned in pain while the guy on the left swiftly turned and,in like a blink of an eye, was right next to me.Then there was darkness.

I woke up to complete darkness.i tried to move but found that I was being restrained by chains.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.” a smooth,yet dark,voice pierced the silence.That's when a feeble yet illuminating light was turned on to reveal both the guys who kicked the cat and zane across from us.

“ZANE! Did they hurt you! THEY BETTER NOT HAVE!I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DID!” I yelled baring my teeth and struggling on my bonds.

“Tch-tch-tch Looks like we got a fighter Ross,” The guy on the left smirked as he continued “ Don't worry we haven't hurt your zaney-pie yet but we will if you don't calm down and be a good pet.” He sauntered up to me and patted my head as I tried,vainly, to snap at his hand. “Feisty one to, this one is definitely going to make a good pet for you Ross. I’ll take the quiet one.”He then unchained me and forced me into a leash.

“HEY! Were not animals! You can't treat us like this!” I protested as he did the same to zane.

“We get to treat you however we want.” the other guy-Ross I think?-purred?-no growled in pleasure more like- as he yanked me towards him.He led me down a hall I didn't notice before and ,surprisingly gentle for a guy who was supposed to be a rough kidnapper, pushed me into a room. It was a bedroom of sorts.It had a king sized bed and a desk with a laptop on top of the dusty surface.I noticed that once we entered the room Ross seemed to treat me much nicer than he did when he was with his companion.

“You can sit on the bed if you want, pet.” he said as he himself lowered himself on it. I was still suspicious of him and he seemed to notice it and scooted himself near the front of the bed as he tugged me towards the far side.

I decided to get information . “So whos your “friend”?”

“Oh him he's not my friend, more like a jailor if you will. He seems to go by the name geno.” Ross’s face seemed to cloud over with anger.”He claims to be a vampire lord and he said he needed a loyal partner.At the time I was an idiot to think that I would be treated fair by a vamp ,since I am a werewolf, and accepted his offer.”

Werewolf,Vampire! I gasped in disbelief at his words.How can they be real.

“W-wait they exist!?”

Ross then gave me a look that i couldn't read.I closed my eyes so I could wrap my head around this.When I opened my eyes two bright yellow eyes were staring back. I wanted to look away but for some reason they seemed to keep me stuck in place.

“Are you scared of me?” Ross asked as he leaned back.His yellow eyes flicked to my own then to the ground as he prepared for my answer.

“No.” He looks up in surprise as I continue. “Let me guess. He wants you to turn me into a werewolf and he will turn zane into a vampire.”

He looked ashamed ,but he didn't deny it.

“I have already failed 2 other times.I have to do it or else I die…”

I was shocked.He dies if he doesn't change me? I was too upset to comprehend what he just said.

And at that exact moment Geno decided to barge in with a scared,crying,and disbelieving Zane.

“Ross! Have you changed him yet?”

“N-no I haven't…”

“Augh you know what.Follow me.”

Geno starting pulling us towards another room . As we were tugged along I asked Zane if he is okay.

“Yeah Im okay.He tried to bite me but I was able to avoid him. He was pissed”

I sighed in pure relief when he said this.Geno then kicked opened the door to the room and dragged us to the wall and locked me in chains .

“Since you wont turn your pet by yourself i guess I will have to force you.” and with that sentence he sealed my fate.He walked over to Ross and took out a syringe. Ross tried to fight him but Geno had him in a death grip.He stabbed Ross with the syringe and then with a last “See you in your new life.” to me left the room.

At that moment only one thought raced through my head.

“NOOOOOOO.” I screamed. Now I know Ross kidnapped me but over the short time I knew him he became my friend.I tried to prie my chains off me when I heard a growl so animal like it made me freeze.I looked up to find a full grown werewolf staring right back at me.

“R-Ross?...”

He growled and the next thing I know I am out of my chains and Ross is on top of me.

“Ross!Stop it! Its me DarkFlash!” That seemed to snap him out of it a little bit but not much.He whined as if pleading with me to just accept my fate.At that moment I heard screaming from the other room.It was zane.I was thrown into a animal like fury struggling to get Ross off me as a shouted threats and cuss words at Geno for hurting zane.Then like someone muting a TV everything went silent. I was to weak to do anything then swing my head to look up at Ross as he looked down at me in a hungry/sad manner.He lowered his head towards the end of my neck and seemed to sniff it,then he licked the -nape?-of my neck then I felt something tear through my flesh as I screamed in pain.

***3 weeks later(time skip brought to you by a person who has no life***

I wake up gasping for breath.where am I?Am I a werewolf now?Is Zane okay?All of these questions ran through my head.The I noticed a alarm clock and when I looked down I realized I was in a bed I recognized.I was back in my apartment and it was 12:00 and we were safe yet a again.I looked at my neck to find it wrapped in bandages.I was to weak to get up so I just sat there in numb silence.I guess I must have fallen asleep because I was back in the warehouse place watching Zane get sucked dry right in front of me as Ross said”see you in the next life kids.”I woke up with arms wrapped around me.I tried to get out of the grip thinking it was Ross but then Zane's voice was coming from the person holding me.

“DF,DF,DF its okay its just me.”He said in a soft voice.I stopped struggling and leaned into his embrace.

“I-I-I am so happy to see you.” I said into his stomach as he put my head in his lap.

“How long have I been out?”

“Three weeks.”

I couldn't believe I had been out for that long.I only had two questions left.

“Are we…?” I tried to ask but it got stuck in my throat. Thankfully he seemed to get my point.

“Yes I got turned by Geno and Ross seemed to lose all humanity.”

“O-oh.”

“Yeah.But I must admit you really pull of the ears and tail.”

“W-WAIT WHAT!” I shouted as I blushed in pure anger and embarrassment.

“Yeah you seem to have wolf ears and a tail even when your not in a actual werewolf form.I would let you get up to see but if you did you would probably collapse.Your to weak right now.”

He then got up and left for a short period of time and then came back with a hand mirror and gave it to me.

“Here take a look!”

I looked in the mirror to see two big,fluffy,Dark blue wolf ears perched on my head that twitched in curiosity as I stared at them.

“I never knew you were this narcissistic DF.” Zane teased.

I gave him a mock hurt look as I whined in annoyance.The whine sounded quite dog- like.Zane chuckled and then a strangely hungry looked flashed over his face as he suddenly stood up.

“Um-I-I have to g…”

He broke off as I spun him around to see to blood red eyes staring at me with a intense hunger.Oddly enough I wasn't really worried.

“I forgot that you were a vampire.You havent eaten at all have you?” I asked.He didn't answer.I started to get a little nervous.

“Zane ar-” I got cut off as Zane climbed on top of me. I froze as his hair brushed my face but then it turned into one of amusement.

“Hungry much?Well I guess I could let you feed off of me but you have to promise to take care of me until I feel better.”That seemed to break him out of his trance long enough to ask me two questions.

“Won't you get turned into a werepyre or something if I feed off of you? And second of all why didn't you at least try to stop me from trying to chomp you?I could have killed you or I could have died!”

I responded with “First of all you need to eat and I know you are not comfortable with randomly drinking some strangers plasm and second of all if I remember correctly werewolf blood is technically a delicacy to vamps.”

“Really? Where did you learn that?If I remember you didn't know monsters exist until 3 weeks ago.”

“I actually had to do an essay on vampire diets so i know a thing or two.Now will I have to force you to eat or will you man up and do it yourself.”

At that sentence Zane blushed a little.It was weird seeing him blush at such a silly sentence but in a few seconds my thought completely left me as he lowered his head and licked a sensitive part of my neck.I whimpered at the weird sensation of being licked higher on my neck than Ross did when he bit me.I then felt something sharp pierce my neck and I felt Zane tense a little at the smell of blood. He then lifted my head as blood pooled out of the wound. Even though it hurt I was silent. I then felt his tongue against my neck as he lapped up the deep red liquid. A weird instinct to growl welled up in my mind. As I tried to keep the sound down it escaped my throat. I noticed something was off about this growl, it was to muted in sort of a placated way, no hostile more comforted.I kept growling as I grew weaker and weaker with every lick. When Zane sealed my wound I stopped growling After that both him and I just layed there. Not in discomfort or in embarrassment just in curiosity.I glanced at him and saw that he was staring at me . He than blushed beet red as he took in what happened.

“I am so sorry!”

“Oh shut it already.”

He looked at me in surprise as I closed my eyes and succumbed to sleep.

#werewolves vampires bromance OCS

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fluffballgremmie · 7 years ago

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Monsters Fate ~Rerun

“Zane!”

I shouted to the short red-head as a jogged over to his spot.He was listening to something,probably fallout boys, and had just slipped on his hood as I came up so he didnt notice me at first. I tapped him on the head to get his attention and he jumped a little.

“Wh-oh hey DF!Didn't notice you there! How are you doing?”

“I am doing good. Are you ready to go home?”

“I have been ready for over an hour you dolt.”

“HEY!Don't call me a dolt you dolt.Plus I couldn't wait to get these.”I retorted back as I flashed Yet Another piercing ,this time snake bites on my mouth.

He playfully punched my arm as the bus arrived. We rode the bus to our apartment building walked up 2 flights of stairs and opened the door to our third-floor apartment.I walked down the main hall and headed for my room where I dropped of my bag full of merch and turned back to the door and walked towards the living room. Zane was already perched on the couch scrolling through netflix trying to find his favorite series,Voltron.

“Still working on that cartoon?” I teased as he gave me a triggered look.

“Man that test was easy!”

I had just finished my driving test and was holding my new licenses.

“You better not lose that, you just got it after all.”zane teased as I slipped it into my pocket.

“Hey I won't lose it!” I retorted as we walked past a alleyway.That's when I noticed two guys were towering over a poor kitten kicking it over,and over,and over.It angered me.

“Hey! Knuckleheads! Stop hurting an innocent animal!”

The one on the right turned to us with a annoyed expression visible on his dog-like face.

I woke up to complete darkness. I tried to move but found that I was being restrained by chains.

“ZANE! Did they hurt you! THEY BETTER NOT HAVE!I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DID!” I yelled baring my teeth and struggling on my bonds.

“HEY! Were not animals! You can't treat us like this!” I protested as he did the same to zane.

I decided to get information . “So who’s your “friend”?”

Werewolf,Vampire! I gasped in disbelief at his words.How can they be real.

“W-wait they exist!?”

“Are you scared of me?” Ross asked as he leaned back.His yellow eyes flicked to my own then to the ground as he prepared for my answer.

“No.” He looks up in surprise as I continue. “Let me guess. He wants you to turn me into a werewolf and he will turn zane into a vampire.”

He looked ashamed ,but he didn't deny it.

“I have already failed two other times.I have to do it or else I die…”

I was shocked.He dies if he doesn't change me? I was too upset to comprehend what he just said.

And at that exact moment Geno decided to barge in with a scared,crying,and disbelieving Zane.

“Ross! Have you changed him yet?”

“N-no I haven't…”

“Augh you know what.Follow me.”

Geno starting pulling us towards another room . As we were tugged along I asked Zane if he is okay.

“Yeah Im okay.He tried to bite me but I was able to avoid him. He was pissed”

I sighed in pure relief when he said this.Geno then kicked opened the door to the room and dragged me to the wall and locked my arms in chains .

“Since you wont turn your pet by yourself I guess I will have to force you.” and with that sentence he sealed my fate.He walked over to Ross and took out a syringe. Ross tried to fight him but Geno had him in a death grip.He stabbed Ross with the syringe and then with a last “See you in your new life.” to me left the room.

At that moment only one thought raced through my head.

“R-Ross?...”

He growled and the next thing I know I am out of my chains and Ross is on top of me.

***3 weeks later(time skip brought to you by a person who has no life)***

I wake up gasping for breath.where am I?Am I a werewolf now?Is Zane okay?All of these questions ran through my head.The I noticed a alarm clock and when I looked down I realized I was in a bed I recognized.I was back in my apartment and it was 12:00 and we were safe yet again.I looked at my neck to find it wrapped in bandages.I was to weak to get up so I just sat there in numb silence.I guess I must have fallen asleep because I was back in the warehouse place watching Zane get sucked dry right in front of me as Ross said”see you in the next life kids.”I woke up with arms wrapped around me.I tried to get out of the grip thinking it was Ross but then Zane's voice was coming from the person holding me.

“DF,DF,DF its okay its just me.”He said in a soft voice.I stopped struggling and leaned into his embrace.

“I-I-I am so happy to see you.” I said into his stomach as he put my head in his lap.

“How long have I been out?”

“Three weeks.”

I couldn't believe I had been out for that long.I only had two questions left.

“Are we…?” I tried to ask but it got stuck in my throat. Thankfully he seemed to get my point.

“Yes I got turned by Geno and Ross seemed to lose all humanity.”

“O-oh.”

“Yeah.But I must admit you really pull of the ears and tail.”

“W-WAIT WHAT!” I shouted as I blushed in pure anger and embarrassment.

“Yeah you seem to have wolf ears and a tail even when your not in a actual werewolf form.I would let you get up to see but if you did you would probably collapse.Your to weak right now.”

He then got up and left for a short period of time and then came back with a hand mirror and gave it to me.

“Here take a look!”

I looked in the mirror to see two big,fluffy,Dark blue wolf ears perched on my head that twitched in curiosity as I stared at them.

“I never knew you were this narcissistic DF.” Zane teased.

I gave him a mock hurt look as I whined in annoyance.The whine sounded quite dog- like.Zane chuckled and then a strangely hungry looked flashed over his face as he suddenly stood up.

“Um-I-I have to g…”

He broke off as I spun him around to see to blood red eyes staring at me with a intense hunger.Oddly enough I wasn't really worried.

“I forgot that you were a vampire.You havent eaten at all have you?” I asked.He didn't answer.I started to get a little nervous.

“Zane ar-” I got cut off as Zane climbed on top of me. I froze as his hair brushed my face but then it turned into one of amusement.

“Really? Where did you learn that?If I remember you didn't know monsters exist until 3 weeks ago.”

“I actually had to do an essay on vampire diets so I know a thing or two.Now will I have to force you to eat or will you man up and do it yourself.”

“I am so sorry!”

“Oh shut it already.”

He looked at me in surprise as I closed my eyes and succumbed to sleep.

*two day time skip brought to you by lenny face steve*

I woke up feeling slightly shaky but much better that I had in days. I got out of bed,careful not to wake the sleeping Zane that was right next to me, and headed slowly toward our kitchen. I got a glass of water as I opened the fridge. My mouth watered as the smell of summer sausage assaulted my nose. I noticed that my sense of smell allowed me to smell all of the foods even if the were sealed tightly. I could also maneuver throughout the dark house without bumping into anything or making a single sound.That's when I remembered my tail and ears . It was to easy for me to forget that they were there. I watched my tail sway as I appreciated that I,we,were still alive.I then went to the bathroom and stared at my ears as they twitched on top of my head. I didn't notice that Zane was right next to me until he tapped my arm.I jumped a little and started to panic but calmed down just as fast. He had started petting my head.It was quite a calming sensation.

“Sorry for scaring you. I forgot that I don’t own a reflection anymore.” He chuckled as he continued to pet my ears.I had started doing that weird growling thing again and Zane had noticed it for the first time.He at first stopped, worried that I was about to attack him, but then he noticed my expression and decided to investigate. He went back to petting my ears but more half heartedly. I gave him a uncomfortable look as I edged away from him and went into the living room and sat on the couch.He followed me and went back to petting my ears, this time doing a better job, after a few second the growl came back.He chuckled.

“Hey DF I think you have your own purr.”

“Really?”

I then noticed that unlike the growl I had when Zane was feeding off of me this one held a slight crooning note to it. It made me sound like I was a little pup.

“It's kinda cute.” Zane admitted as he giggled at my triggered look.

“I wonder if your werewolf form is actually just a pup… I guess we will find out tonight.”

“TONIGHT!”

I shouted as panic seized me. I couldn't believe it. Tonight was a full moon!?Zane gave me a worried look as I started pacing.

“DF it's going to be okay. If were correct than you should just turn into a pup.”

“But what if I go full form? what if I attack someone? Or I end up hurting you?!” I replied with a slight panicked tone in my voice.

“You won't hurt anyone okay!” Zane said as he hugged me tightly. And with that we waited until the faithfull moment.

*LE GRANDE TIMO SKIPPO*

I was feeling weird.It felt like I had a fever and a cold at the same time. Zane had led me to my room, which I thought was strange but at the time I did not question it, and I was curled up into a ball on my bed trying to go back to sleep. My alarm clock showed that it was 9:30. I then felt something pop as I groaned in pain.

*Zane POV*

As I heard Df groan in pain worry flashed through my mind.Is he going to be okay?Is my prediction going to be true?I started towards his room. I cautiously opened the door a crack as I heard small sniffs coming from the room. I then controlled my fear and pushed open the door all the way.

There he was in the middle of the room. He had jerked around so that he could see who was entering. I couldn't help but inwardly sigh in relief and sorta giggle at the sight in front of me. I was right, he was a puppy. He was about the size of a golden retriever and had blueish brownish swirled fur all over him. His eyes were two different colors, one yellow the other blue. He gave me a tiny growl as he approached. I held perfectly still as he tried to find out if I was friend or foe.With a bark of happiness he confirmed me as a friend.I relaxed a bit as he pranced around me. We then heard my stomach growl as I wince in pain.

*WARNING (Mostly for my friendo) ANIMALS ARE GOING TO BE HARMED FOR A GOOD CAUSE CONTINUE READING AT YOUR OWN RISK*

DF then whined at me as he dragged me to the entrance to our apartment. “Woah DF no way!,” I said as he tried to open the door “I can't just let you run down there!You would scare the heck out people!” He gave me an exasperated look as my stomach growled again, this time even louder. As he kept glaring at me I contemplated on how I was going to be able to eat/feed tonight. I didn't want to hurt an innocent person and DF wasn't in the right state of mind so that I could just ask him to donate. He perked up his ears as we hear some birds that our neighbors own chirped. I then got what he was trying to relay to me. As I mulled it over the idea seemed to get better and better. But I didn’t know if animal blood would kill me or not. Then pulling a ,what I think now was, stupid move I googled “Can animal blood kill vampire?”. It came up with a whole page stating that it didn’t kill vamps. I then felt a wave of hunger and happiness flood over me. “Ok DF I will take us outside as long as 1. You only kill squirrels and other SMALL creatures *RIP THE KING OF SQUIRRELS MINION* and 2. You don't try to scare people ok?”

DF gave me a cheerful bark as I opened the door to the main hall to the apartment building. Luckily enough it was late enough that no one was anywhere near the building and the forest behind it.Letting my hunger take slight control I used my new sense of smell to see if I could find any prey. DF flashed by me as he hunted a mouse that just streaked by. I wasn’t very worried. DF as a Were seemed moderately confident in his abilities. I then caught the scent of a squirrel. My mouth suddenly watered as I imagined biting into the small body as the blood dripped into my mouth, I cringed. Why am I thinking like this?! I stalked the squirrel into a corner. Then with a slash of my claws that sprang from my nails the squirrel was dead. As blood gushed from the slash marks my mouth watered as his hunger took me over all the way. I drained the squirrel and searched for more. The blood tasted good, but not as good as DF’s I thought . I cringed a little at that thought but shook it off as he thought well I’ll have to deal with it from now on.By the time I was done feeding DF was back and his watch said that it was 12:00 a.m. I then led DF back to the apartment and lifted him onto his bed.Df started to whimper in sadness as I left and I turned around and saw him looking at me with big puppy eyes.

“I will be right back DF, I just have to wash my hands and take a shower then I will come back ok?”

He whimpered again but seemed to relax as I explained.I then went into the bathroom washed my hands and turned on the shower. I scrubbed my hair and enjoyed the heat of the water. I got out and went into my room and got dressed into my galaxy shirt and black shorts.I went back to DFs room to see him waiting for me. I then Turned on his TV as I got on his bed. He crawled towards me and snuggled into my stomach. I continued watching Voltron as I fell asleep.

*DF’S Pov*

I woke up to a very warm something under me and Pidge screaming at something. I looked up to find Zane sleeping in his galaxy shirt and petting my back.I looked towards the TV to find Voltron playing. I got up to see that I was in only my boxers and got into a new set of clothes.It consisted of my favorite “Potato Life” shirt and black jeans.I was slightly embarrassed at waking up in my boxers but was more concerned about what happened last night. I did not want to wake Zane up though since he looked so peaceful sleeping there, so I went down stairs with my phone and headphones and made myself breakfast while the music drifted out of the head phones and into the room. I felt silly for picking the headphones up since I didn't have the ears for it but I thought it would be a good idea to use them to make it so then I don't wake Zane with (Song he was listening to: music.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsYiLLLbrbwvb (all credit goes to SharraxOfficial) )

The song put me in a good mood as I finished making a stack of pancakes for Zane and I. I sat down and started to eat as Zane shuffled through the kitchen . I giggled at his dazed look as his neck snapped towards me. He shuffled quickly toward the table and sat down and scarfed down the pancakes. (in this universe vampire can eat normal food as well as blood but they can only survive if the drink blood so Zanes just eating them for the flavor and to appear normal.) He looked happy to see me .

“So how was the transformation?” I asked nervously.

He replied “It was actually really fun and interesting. You are actually a werepup like I thought so you looked like a wolf.There was the fact I to feed on a squirrel but I got over it.You also snuggled with me.”

I at another bite of my pancakes as I relaxed. I didn't go full werewolf so I am fine from now on.

Zane continued “We will have to research a few things on your werewolf since you now have a few extra perks and instincts,”

“What do you mean?” I asked slightly confused.

“Well the problem is that your werewolf form is about the age where it is going through “ wolf puberty,” “

“I went beet red when he said puberty. I know its a childish reaction but I didn't want one of the many “Talks”. He noticed this and rolled his eyes.

“Anyways that means that you will get more defensive and easily provoked during this period of time. Especially to those you care deeply for. You will also become extremely snuggly,clingy, and kind to either your mate if you have one,which you don't, or in some cases you can get attached to a certain person,no matter what species, who becomes sort of your interspecies mate/companion.They are the most important when it comes to your transformation because they are the only ones who can understand and control you in that form.” Zane said as he read this from a article.

We had been walking into our living room and had just sat on the couch when he said that.I tensed a little and he petted my ears to calm me down. We sat down on the couch as he rubbed behind my ears as my happy growl rumbled around the room. I suddenly found myself in his lap licking his neck as he giggles.I wanted to stop but my instinct told me to continue.I nuzzled deeper into his neck and kept licking a certain spot. He let out a huff of air and I came back from my affectionate puppy trance. I looked at his face and it was covered with a deep blush and he was huffing quite a bit. I blushed a deep red as I apologized for my actions. While I stuttered he grabbed my hands and pulled me into a hug.

“Its okay, I knew you didn't have control over your actions and my neck is really sensitive there since its where I got bitten.”

He wasn't huffing anymore and was smiling softly. I was curious about something.

“Why were you huffing?”

“It felt weird to have your tongue against my neck. And no that did not happen.” (only people old enough will get this. <I am sorry!> but DF tends to assume inappropriate things sometimes)

I blushed as I internally smacked myself for thinking like that. As I scolded myself I realized that I had been snuggling into Zane.It actually felt comfortable.

*no ones P.O.V*

Zane cuddled with Df all morning and during the afternoon they played games to pass time.They didn't have to worry about school since it was the summer.

*timeskip brought to you by person who is finally writing again*

TBC

#Werewolves Vampires Zane DarkFlash

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