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haravath0t · 4 years

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Peace of Mind and Heart

Pairing: Wakanda!Bucky x Reader

Warnings: an adorable Bucky, Bucky finally being a happy boi, fluff!

Word Count: 2.6K (oops)

A/N: @lookiamtrying MINA! My lovely Sammy! Thank you thank you for requesting this in! FINALLY THIS IS OUT! Gahhh I knew right off the bat that I would love writing this for you and good ol’ Bucket! Our Bucky deserves so much happiness, especially with reader! Ahhh! There are so many ways to go about all of this, but I hope you like this one! I got too carried away 😂Happy reading, everyone!

Request: For a sweet drabble can I request Wakanda!Bucky preparing to propose to reader? He’s finally found some peace and it’s because of her and he gets all nervous thinking she might say no. Ooohh maybe he proposes to her at sunset like the second gif? Okaaay thank you.

*Italics indicate flashbacks!

A big, shaky sigh leaves Bucky’s lips as he sits within the comfort of his hut, twisting the velvet box around with his fingers. He could not help the nervousness that was flowing through his veins as his flesh thumb pried the box open, showing the wonderful engagement ring that he had picked out alongside Steve. Little to your knowledge, Bucky had been carrying this for a while now, finding the right ways to propose, but with no idea coming to his head.

“Mr. Barnes, Y/N said that she will come over with dinner for you both in ten minutes.” One of the Dora Milaje notifies him, walking away from his hut when she sees him nod in acknowledgement, muttering a small thank you.

He can’t help but recall the day he first laid his eyes on you. He remembered how you were struggling to speak to the locals in the market as he was buying his plums. He recalled the uncharacteristic action of him stepping in and helping you out, you getting extremely shy and embarrassed as you said thank you. He remembered how you said that you came here for work, that you were new, and trying to make your way around Romania before you started. He remembered the smile that had kissed his lips from the similarity of the situation of you both.

“I came here for a fresh start too,” He replied, causing you to look up at him in surprise.

“Really? You don’t sound like it, though. Your Romanian sounds amazing!” You compliment, causing the brooding super soldier to have a light pink tint on his cheeks. “Oh. I think I just do pretty good at hiding in the crowd, that’s all.” He answers quietly with a shrug. That made way for a nice conversation between you both, one that didn’t require much work. You kept talking until you realized you had to return to your place. “How can I repay you, though? You practically helped me with my grocery shopping at that rate.” You ask, truly feeling ashamed at your lack of knowledge of Romanian, or Romania in general.

“Maybe by being a friend?”

“C-coffee, maybe? At the cafe down the block? At 9 tomorrow morning?” He offers, shyly, “I’ll pay!” You smile even more and nod in approval. “Yes… I… I didn’t catch your name.” He realized that too.

“Ummm… Bucky… I’m Bucky…”

You smile.

“I’m Y/N.”

“Y/N,” he repeats, with a smile once again forming on his face. It was a truly beautiful name that matched you. “Would you care if I walked you back? There’s some pickpockets around here in Bucharest, you have to be careful.” You agreed it was for the best, having had that experience before. Not that long later, you had finally arrived at your apartment. “That’s funny,” Bucky remarks quietly, making you look up at him in curiosity. “What?”

“I guess I just met my neighbor” He chuckles quietly, motioning to his door that was across the hall. This only made you smile even more.

“Well, gee… Glad that we are friends, neighbor.”

He was scared that he was a burden to you. You had always come to check up on him if you heard him have nightmares. You invited him over to your place during those nights, stayed up with him, cooked you both a midnight snack, and let him take his time to talk to you about what was on his mind. The closer you two got, you even let him sleep in the spare bedroom in your place. Unbeknownst to you both, the friendly gesture only caused him to fall for you and the characteristics of you that made you. He adored you for your gentility, your kindness, your playful nature, your wit, and so much more. You didn’t waver when you found Captain America in the front of your neighbor’s door.

“Y/N, listen to me,” he says swinging his backpack over his arm. “You’re in danger. You gotta leave.” “Bucky… your hand…. What…” He looked almost ashamed and worried over your reaction. “I’ll explain if I can, but not now.” Is what he responds before looking at Steve. “Wait for me at our cafe tomorrow, if you want. If I see that you’re there, I’ll know the answer.” Is the last thing he says for the day before chaos erupted.

By the next day, you managed to pack whatever you could in your little apartment, waiting in the cafe. You were about to leave until you saw a tall blond, in a cap and jacket approaching you. “Y/N L/N?” He asks. It was Captain America again. “Yes?”

“I’m afraid Buck can’t be present with you right now. I don’t think it’s safe for you to be here, since you’re associated with him. The Avengers can offer you a place to stay, a new place to work, if you’d like. You can talk to Buck before you make that decision if you want.”

You never agreed to anything so fast. You were worried more than angry and afraid. Even though you put two and two together and remembered that he was the Winter Soldier. Steve had told you along the way as he was helping you with your baggage, further confirming your theory. You couldn’t help but understand the immense pain and trauma that he was facing for so long.

“You must be disgusted by me now.” You looked away from the quinjet’s window to look over at the wounded brunet next to you with wide eyes, shaking your head as you grabbed a moist towel to wipe off some of the blood that remained on his skin. “Scared? Yes… Doubtful? Yes… but to be repulsed by you? No.”

“If it made you scared, doubtful, all that… What made you wanna stay around?

That’s true… What made you stay?

“Maybe because I knew that it’s not the guy that I met at the market. I met Bucky Barnes that day.” You start off, upset because that was clearly not summing up the way your heart raced and leapt at his presence this whole time. It didn’t sum up the way you dreamt about that simple, gentle blue-eyed brunet man. You shakily inhaled and exhaled.

“Maybe because I feel… I feel something more than a friend should feel.”

He looks up at you, in shock and denial, shaking his head. “Y-You. You feel it too, huh?” You nod. He groaned and let out a tiny smile. “Why do I gotta fall in love with a gal like you. You can do better than me, YN.”

“I don’t want better, Buck. I want you. I want those late nights. I wanna comfort you. I wanna watch movies with you. I wanna have breakfast with you. I want all that. I don’t want that to stay in Romania. Don’t you see that?”

His dirtied flesh hand cups your cheek as if it’s like glass: careful and with care. His eyes were meeting yours, the end of his lips curling up in a little smile. “I’m telling you, Y/N. I… I think once you say yes to this, we’re basically asking you to leave that old life behind, ya know? I don’t wanna keep that from you-”

“That’s the point you’re not getting, Buck. I want this to work. I want to try. Especially since I now know we are on the same page.”

Bucky couldn’t help the small chuckle that left his once blood-stained lips. He admired that stubbornness of yours. He even saw Steve chuckle at this from the other side of the quinjet. Never did he ever think your cute stubbornness to things would be directed to staying with him.

“But this is something new-”

“Yes it is. It’s new to us both. I’m willing, Buck. I’ll learn. Maybe I can be somehow a helper of a sort, I don’t know how this Avengers thing works, but I’d wanna learn with you!”

And so you did. You didn’t waver even when they had made the decision to have him stay in Wakanda to recover. You kept to your word, staying alongside Natasha and Steve and training for self-defense. They found out that you worked in the medical field and you were happy that you were able to help when you could. That being said, you were so determined to help alongside Shuri with Bucky’s recovery. You always held a strong image that was quite the contrary to his current state.

Yet, deep down, he knew you didn’t do this to baby him, or because you pitied him. He knew it in his heart that you two did share a love for each other that was soft, unspoken, and steadfast. You both shared a stubborn desire to make this work no matter the unforeseen circumstances.

“Buck? I’m here! I brought dinner!” He heard you exclaim, his worries vanishing almost immediately as he got up from his bed, tucking the velvet box in his pocket before getting the blanket next to his bed and meeting your wonderful smile. “Hi, sweetheart,” He says, almost with relief as he instinctively exchanges a small kiss with you. “Hey, darling. Got the blanket I see! Here, I’ll lay it all out!”

There was a different air to this dinner. Something that made him feel like he was on Cloud 9. He couldn’t put his finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that you brought cute accessories to match the aesthetic of the picnic blanket. Maybe it was because you cooked both of your favorite meals for tonight. Could it be because he was loving your excitement as you told him the new things that you had learned while you were apart? Could it be the fact that the sky had never been so beautiful as it set? Maybe it was because he was able to imagine this life with you. Maybe it’s because every time you two met up to catch up, he’d always imagine what it was like to be able to experience your radiant glow for decades to come. Maybe it’s because today he was much more appreciative of the growth of your relationship. It seemed right to pop out the question, but his thoughts stopped him. Maybe she’s waiting for the right moment to back out. Maybe he hasn’t done anything yet to make you go away. Maybe you’ll think that you were impulsive on your decision to be with him.

“Maybe she’ll say no… maybe it’s not the right time, Steve. What if she doesn’t want me at all?” He sighs, looking at the beautiful diamond ring that he had handpicked for you. “Oh, nonsense, Buck,” Steve replies as he looks at the goats in the pasture “I think if anything, she’d be over the moon about it. I have a feeling you’ll know when the time is right.”

“You think so?”

“Sure, I do. I see the way you two look at each other. Sounds like you both are always in your little world. It’s cute. Everyone can see it. You have a soft spot for her, and she has a soft spot for you. She even plans what to do when you both meet up.” Bucky’s eyebrows raise. “She really… does that?” A chuckle leaves Steve’s lips as he nods and fiddles with his fingers. “Of course. Trust me, I’ve waited too long to do something that you’re planning on doing. Know that you deserve this. The time is gonna come where you are dying to ask her. I know she’ll say yes.”

“You’re thinking about something, aren’t you?”

“Huh?” He asks, snapping out of his thoughts, making you smile and shake your head. “What’s on your mind sweetheart?” You question softly, subconsciously playing with his dark locks with your delicate fingers.

Boy, did Steve’s words ring so true at this moment.

He adored how the sunlight made your complexion look almost golden. Your hair was blowing softly in the wind, framing your beautifully shaped face. Your kind smile was knocking his lungs out. It was nicely paired with the beautiful body of water that was in front of you both. Once again, he felt like he was in paradise.

“You.” He whispers, smiling as he instinctively leans to your touch, watching you as you’re caught by surprise. “What about me?” you ask as your cheeks slowly heat up at his simple response. “Everythin’ about you sweetheart. From the time we met at the market, the quinjet, everything.” He says, tears welling up in his eyes as the amount of love that he’s received from you hits him full force. As if it was a wave, growing bigger and bigger as his memories of you both flash before his eyes. “I wanna keep feelin’ this way. No one does these things for me, no one is willing to stay for this long. Everyone fears me. Not you. You didn’t waver, Y/N. You stayed.” He whispers, voice cracking at the thought.

Tears managed to fall down your face, nuzzling your nose with his. “You gave me a sense of peace that I haven’t felt in decades, sweetheart.” He sniffs, allowing himself to feel you, allowing his feelings to take control. “You make me feel like I can be Bucky. Even if I’m figuring it out, I know you’re helping me a whole lot. Can’t believe I got a wonderful gal like you, Y/N.” You cried even harder, proud of how far you two have come, no ounce of regret towards your decision. “I’m glad you were stubborn to want to try, because I want to try for you too, Y/N. I wanna keep being this way with you, where we both find peace. Imagine that huh? One day, we can have a little house, with our children… whether it be actual kids, plants, animals, you name it.” He whispers into your lips, running his hands through your hair, loving the feel of you.

“Maybe we can get that cat you’ve mentioned wanting to have too,” you giggle softly and breathily with a smile as you scoot closer to him. “Yeah, maybe we can. We can have picnics, movie nights. Oh, doll. That’s the dream, isn’t it?” “Buck, you have no idea how much I think of that. When this is over, I’d love to do just that.” You whisper with confidence, tears continuing to fall as you both bask in that fantasy. “I love you, YN,”

“I love you too, Buck… so so much.”

“Then, will you marry me?”

Wait.

You looked up at him in shock, gasping at the realization of the fact that he proposed to you. You barely registered that his hand was no longer in your hair, but instead, on a velvet box with a beautiful diamond ring that shone brightly against the sunset. You cried even harder and nodded, heart racing fast. “Yes, Buck… yes. Yes!” You wail, watching as his hand carefully slipped the ring into your ring finger. His smile reciprocated yours, beaming as he cried tears of joy and relief as you tightly embraced him, peppering his face with kisses. You pulled back a bit, admiring the brunet once again, happy that he looked as peaceful as you felt, for now, you two were one step closer to achieving a paradise of your own.

“Let’s try, Buck. I’m not going anywhere,” you whisper before your lips lock with his, burying themselves once again in his hair. You two could feel each other’s happiness in the kiss through your smiles. You two have reached Cloud 9 once again.

“For you, sweetheart? I’m gonna give you my all.”

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httpknjoon · 4 years

Text

once again │myg; 1

plot│ How can an eight year relationship turned as a bitter past? Can such thing can be rekindled once again? After your friend invited you to come to your home country after a long time, you decided to visit for three weeks. In three weeks, many things can happen. Including meeting Min Yoongi once again.

genres│ angst, little fluff over there, exes!au

word count│3.4k

pairings │yoongi x reader, taehyung x reader (esp in this chapter)

masterlist | once again — preview

Are you nervous? Happy? Excited? Sad? Or angry?

You don’t know.

Wheels were rolling everywhere. Some people seem to be struggling and hurrying with their own kinds of stuff. While others are just sitting peacefully, knowing that they are still early for their flights. On the other side, you were sitting on a cold, metal, airport seating. Looking around, you were waiting for someone to arrive before you leave.

“Is everything okay? I mean, your stuff? You already have everything you should bring right?”

You panned your eyes to your side. Naeun, your best friend, is looking at you worriedly with her puffed eyes. You nodded with a tight-lipped smile and wandered your eyes around the place again. Naeun watched you at first. She knew you were waiting for someone. And she was also aware that you were nervous based on how your fingers fidget on your luggage’s handle. You kept on biting your lower lip unconsciously.

“Did you two talked already? Did he said he’s going?” Naeun asked.

“Yes and no.” You answered, already knowing who she was talking of. “Yes, we talked. I told him that we can work on our relationship as long as we have our phones or laptops. But, you know how Yoongi feels about goodbyes, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But, I am just hoping that maybe he will drop by to hug or kiss me for one last time.” You sighed deeply, looking down.

A month ago, you were over the moon after receiving an e-mail that you passed for a job as a column writer for a magazine. It was your dream job. Plus, you will be traveling to a new country, Canada. You were literally going to the other side of the world, a thousand miles away. The main reason why your boyfriend was literally against you, accepting this job, in the first place. You and Yoongi have been together for eight years but this will be the first time that you two will be far from each other.

“Good evening, passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight YYZ 2308 to Toronto, Canada. We are now inviting passengers to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes. Thank you.”

Only ten minutes left. You were still hoping for Yoongi to come. Squeezing your eyes close, you secretly prayed for him to maybe arrive somewhere here.

“I think you should go,” Naeun said.

“No, I still have a few minutes.” You tried to sound positive and waited over and over until...

“This is the final boarding call for passengers booked on flight YYZ 2308 to Toronto, Canada. Please proceed to gate 2 immediately. The final checks are being completed and the captain will order for the doors of the aircraft to close in approximately ten minutes. I repeat. This is the final boarding call for passengers booked on flight YYZ 2308. Thank you.”

“Okay.”

That was your final call. You and Naeun stood up from your seats. Naeun began crying once again as she hugs you before you board your flight.

“Take care there, Y/N. Don’t overwork yourself. Don’t skip meals, okay?” Your best friend told you, sounding like a parent to her child.

“Thank you so much, Naeun. I’ll try calling you when I arrive there. I will miss you and everyone. Tell them that I’ll miss them too.” You hugged her tightly.

The hug did not last long and you are now proceeding to Gate Two. The attendant greeted you after you handed your boarding pass and identification card.

“Wait, Y/N.”

Yoongi was the one who runs to you since you were already in the line. His chest was heaving as he hugged you.

“You came.” You were still in disbelief.

“Yeah, I’m kinda late but I want to see you before you leave,” Yoongi whispered. “Take care of yourself while being there, okay? Do well with your job. Call me when you get there.”

That’s when you cried. Two weeks ago, you and Yoongi have been fighting since he cannot let you go there. But you explained your reasons and goals. Back then, Yoongi just agreed with a nod, not saying much and already admitting your win. Now, Yoongi is here, cheering you for your plans. You two hugged as tight as you can before leaning your foreheads together.

“I love you so much. Thank you so much, Yoongi.” You sobbed.

“I love you too,”

For the last time, both of you shared a short but sweet kiss. You smiled as you let go. The flight attendant smiled at you after handing you your identification card. You knew she already has seen a hundred of this same scene you and Yoongi made. You looked at Yoongi for the last time and you wave him a hand while showing you his gummy smile. It made you smile more, knowing that he supports you and you will be calling him once you landed in Canada.

The loud ringing of your phone woke you up. You shuffled on your bed, looking for that noisy device. Your face scrunched. It took you two more minutes to finally find it under some pillows. It was only 6:30 AM, you can't think of someone who will call you this early. But, your eyes immediately lit up as you read who was calling you early in the morning.

“Good morning!” You are already in good vibes as you greeted the caller.

“Good morning, love. Did I call you too early?” His voice is still raspy, indicating that maybe he just woke up too.

“No, it’s fine. I did not hear my alarm clock minutes ago.” You answered, now sitting on your bed.

“Nice! Let’s go to work together, okay? I’ll pick you up later. Let’s buy breakfast on the way.”

“Okay, okay. Love you.”

After the call ended, you immediately went straight to your bathroom. This is how your day began. It has been four years since you had your job as a column writer and you no longer work in Canada. Three years ago, you were offered to work in the magazine’s main office in New York City. And of course, you said yes. It was the total dream that came true for you. You haven’t visited Seoul ever since you left. You were busy and after things changed in between those years, you never had plans of coming back again. You and your best friend, Naeun, never lost in touch anyways. You two always talk through video calls with her little girl, Jina.

‘Will be there in five minutes.’

You read your boyfriend’s text just after you just blow dry your hair. Your makeup was already done and you started fixing your hair for a simple side braid. Minutes later, you were already leaving your apartment in your office clothes and classic black heels. Your eyes were quick to spot the familiar black car in front of your apartment building. One of its windows rolled down, revealing your boyfriend.

“Let’s go?”

You smiled before opening the door to the passenger seat. As soon as you got in, you gave him a quick kiss on his lips.

“So, where do you want to have breakfast?” He asked as he drove.

You went silent and started thinking, “Maybe we should drive-thru into that coffeehouse.”

“You said that you don’t drink coffee.”

“I don’t. But, I heard that they sell great pastries too, Tae.” You responded.

Taehyung did not say anything and turned the wheel to the coffeehouse. He was the one who ordered after you told him what you want. You almost squealed because of excitement when you smelled the delicious smell of freshly baked muffins that you got.

“Thank you, love.” You placed a kiss on his cheek before giving a bite of the chocolate chip muffin. “So good.”

Taehyung could not help but giggle at how cute you look. Tiny crumbs of the bread were left on the side of your lips.

“Hey, be careful about eating. You might re-do your make up after that."

"Then, I will re-do it later. It's just so good."

You grinned once again, not aware that there is some evidence of chocolate on your front teeth. Your boyfriend just laughed and continued driving. Not long after, you two arrived in your office building. You work in the same magazine. Taehyung’s job is a creative director, suited for his artistic mind.

“Was the chocolate gone? How do I look?” You asked him after cleaning yourself up.

“Lovely.” He smiled.

You rolled your eyes, “Yeah, I remembered that I should not have asked you.”

“What? Why?”

“You will always say I look great even though I look shitty.”

You heard him chuckle, “You do look great anytime, love!”

The two of you strolled side by side inside your building. You met your other co-workers in the elevator. When the door opened to the fifteenth floor, the whole place is still quiet and empty. Each of you went to your own cubicle and desks. Since you have been working in this magazine for three years now, your working place was already personalized by you. Many neon-colored sticky notes were placed on the wall. A picture frame sat beside your computer desktop, showing an image of you and Taehyung.

After fixing your things, you began working on your last document. The topic that was given to you was quite hard for you though you experienced a few parts of it. You tried researching and interviewing other people about it, hoping that you will be able to make something from it. But, you found it hard. So, you just type whatever in your head. You thought of asking Claire, your editor in chief, to change your topic. But, on the other side, you also thought that maybe it can help you to explore more. You tried processing every information you got and type it all away. You got busy that you did not notice a phone notification from a particular person.

"Hey, Y/N."

You looked up from your computer screen. It was Jane, your co-worker, and friend.

"Me and Henry’s eating out for lunch. Do you and Taehyung want to join?” She invited you.

"Hmm? What time is it already?" You asked since you never really bothered watching your time while working.

"It's almost one in the afternoon."

“Oh, okay. I’ll join it.”

You stood up from your chair and secured your document to your computer. You picked up your phone and wallet from your bag.

“But, I will still ask Tae if he is joining.” You added.

Taehyung is in his shared office with the magazine’s design team. Since they have a glass wall, you already spotted your boyfriend all alone focused on his desktop. It looks like his other colleague already left for lunch. You knocked three times on the glass, making him look up to you. You mouthed ‘let’s have lunch’. Taehyung was quick to get your sentence and left his work.

“You seem so focused there, love.” You told him as you and Taehyung stay behind your two friends.

"Yeah, the team decided a new theme for this month's issue. I had to change many things with my latest work."

Taehyung kept on talking while you thought of checking your phone. And there, you finally noticed the message you received a couple of hours ago. It was from Naeun, asking you to give her a call in your free time. You and Naeun never lost communication in between those years and it’s not new that she messaged you like this. This time, you feel like Naeun has something to tell you. But after checking the time there in Seoul, you thought that maybe you should call her later.

Henry and Jane lead you to the newly opened restaurant, not too far in your building. You only ordered a chicken salad and tomato soup. While eating, they started talking about what they are currently working on. The four of you shared ideas and opinions to help one another until they asked you about yours.

“My topic is extremely hard for me right now.” You told them.

“Oh, that’s new. You always do good research with your subjects.” Henry responded.

“That’s right. Why? What is it all about?” Taehyung also asked.

You did not hesitate to answer since you expected that maybe they can share their own experiences too. But what Jane had told you took you back for a bit.

“Hey, I think that’s easy. I’m sure you got through a break up before. Hmm? You will get some pointers from that.”

It’s true that you already got through a breakup before. But, you are sure that you will not get anything from it. Your article topic was completely missing with the first and only break up you have encountered. The old memories from the past crashed inside your head again. Your heart began beating like crazy again as you

“Love?”

Suddenly, Taehyung held your unconsciously balled fist. You were clutching it too tight that your knuckles turned white. A hint of worry was found in his expression.

“Are you okay?”

You sighed before nodding slowly. Taehyung played with your fingers by pinching each one of it softly, a thing he always does to calm you down when stuff like this happens. The lunch did not take any longer. You and your friends went back to your jobs.

“Are you okay now?” Taehyung asked as you sat back to your swivel chair.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." You said sincerely.

You felt sorry that he still has to deal with you having an issue from your past. But Taehyung held your hand again and left a kiss on your forehead.

"You don't have to be sorry. I will always understand."

The day went on. You ended up writing nothing since you cannot focus. You tried anything to type something. Your article was left just like what it was before you had your lunch break. It felt like your head is going to burst while forcing it to focus on your article.

The whole ride back home with Taehyung was silent, only the radio produces a noise. You chose to stay in Taehyung's place for dinner. He said he will order some fast food meals. As soon as you got home and get changed with your boyfriend's clothes, Taehyung called for a food delivery while you contact Naeun. Maybe it will help you to think less.

"Finally! I thought you did not read my message." Naeun said on the other line.

"Well, sorry. I thought that maybe I should call you after you wake up there. Remember? Time difference?" You scoffed.

"Oh, okay. Sorry. Anyways, Y/N, can I ask you a favor?"

You can imagine Naeun acting cute with her puppy eyes just for her tone.

"Sure, just don't make it something illegal or what." you joked, making you both giggle.

"Can you please, please, pretty please come here in Seoul? Maybe just a visit?"

"What?" you almost whispered.

You did not expect that even though you know you should have. It was the first time Naeun begged you like this after you left and you understood her. It's been years.

"Come on, Y/N. Everyone here misses you! Especially the gang. Jina, Me, Seokjin, Namjoon, and... Yoongi." She was obviously unsure of the last one since the tone of her voice changed.

"Yeah?"

That was the only thing you can say. There is a part of you who wants to say yes because of course, you miss them too. But there is also the other half of you who is extremely anxious and just wants to decline Naeun's request. You are afraid to see Yoongi again after four years. And you hate how crumbled your mind is.

You heard Naeun let out a big air from the other line, "Listen, if this is about Yoongi, I swear. It's been years! I'm sure he will be happier to see you again than act something bad because you guys broke up. I'm sure that everything will be cool."

"Are you sure?" You were biting the insides of your cheeks. Still, you're glad that she's aware of you and Yoongi.

"Of course! We just want to see you again! You can bring your boyfriend if you want."

As if he heard it, Taehyung sat beside you on the couch. He is playing something on his phone. You looked at him as you talked again.

"Yeah?" You were still unsure. "I-I will think about it or check my schedule or something."

"Okay, Y/N. We just really miss having you here. Love you. Miss you so much!"

"Miss you too."

That's when you ended the call. Taehyung stopped with his game when you noticed you were done already with the call. He can see how troubled you are.

"Naeun and my friends want me to visit them there." You opened up.

"Oh, that's great. Right?" He smiled but you frowned even more.

"Yup, but I'm having thoughts again." You fiddle on the hem of his big shirt you're wearing.

"Well, do you want to talk about it?" Taehyung's voice was gentle.

You looked at him, thinking if he will be comfortable with this conversation you two are having.

"Are you sure?" you asked him and he smiles once again. "I mean, I know I should not be anxious about this. Especially now that I have you and we are together. But, my ex is there and I don't know what can happen."

Taehyung engulfed you with a warm hug. You rested your head on his chest while he repeatedly slides his hand with your hair.

"I know that you feel kind of awkward for telling me these kinds of stuff about your ex but remember that I am your best friend too. I am willing to hear anything and everything from you. I am happy that you are opening up to me like this and I think it would be a great idea to go visit them again."

"Really?" You asked, still snuggled under his neck.

"Yes. It was your home and they are your friends. I am sure you miss them so much too."

You removed yourself from and looked at him.

"And what about Yoongi? Are you okay with him? I mean, we are in one circle of friends. Will it be fine for you?"

Taehyung cupped both of your cheeks, "Love, I trust you. I understand that you two have been together for almost a decade but I trust you. I know that you will never do such a thing. Right?"

You can see how Taehyung is sincere with everything he said. He gave you a peck on your lips and hugged you again.

"Anyways, think about it. If you're uncomfortable with going back there. Then, it's fine. They will understand."

You hugged him back. The amount of comfort Taehyung gave you for today was amazing. Even though every trouble you had today was connected to your past.

Yoongi.

He is now a part of your past, right?

You thought. Reflecting on what Taehyung said. Maybe visiting your old place will be a great idea. Maybe it will result in something wonderful despite the past.

Maybe.

"Three weeks leave?"

Your editor in chief, Claire, looked up from you after reading your letter. You felt a little nervous though Claire was never strict. But, it was your first time requesting leave and you thought that maybe the days you requested were too long.

"Uhm, yes. But, I will still write and pass my articles and research through e-mail. I am just staying back home for weeks." You explained.

"Okay, I see." Claire nodded, looking back to your letter. "I think this was the first time you ask for a leave. Please, correct me if I'm wrong."

"Oh, yes. This is the first time."

"Okay. You can take your leave. Just send your works through e-mail and we'll be fine." She smiles friendly. "When will you be taking your leave?"

"Three days from now."

Three days later, you are now standing in the line for boarding with your luggage. You took a cab going to the airport. Taehyung cannot come with you since he still has to go to work but he lets you wear a hoodie of his to make you feel he is 'with you'. That's what he said. He asked you to update him with your departure and arrival. Even now, before you leave, you sent him a picture of you pouting. It willl be a fourteen-hour flight and you cannot text him between those hours.

Now, you sat on your seat inside the plane. There's an extremely tiny voice inside your body that says, "No, don't go back there. Past is past." But there was also the larger one who blocks it with "Go, Y/N. It's time to face the past again."

Your head was a little less messy than last week. And you hope that staying in Seoul for three weeks will only bring good memories. You hope that you'll finally find an answer to the article topic you still writing on.

🍒 taglist 🍒 < @ladykadyrova @scalubera @biaswreckeedbybts @scentedsope @whocaresarchives @craftymoonchaos > <and if you anted to be added for next chapter's taglist, leave a reply 🦋>

author’s note │i hope you enjoyed the first chapter of once again! this one may be full of taehyung and y/n moments but next following chapters will include more yoongi and their gang. let me know your thoughts!!

masterlist

#bts au #bts angst #bts smut #bts fluff #bts imagine #yoongi angst #yoongi smut #yoongi fluff #min yoongi #once again #httpknjoon #bts x reader #bts

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desiree-harding-fic · 4 years

Text

A TAZ Cinderella AU

You guessed it, folks, this is the full arc of what my Cinderella!au would have been for the Adventure Zone, if I had the time/inspiration to write the whole thing. Just imagine that all of this is paced out over a bunch of chapters of very pretty words, ok? ;)

That said, enjoy! I’m actually very proud of the thing I concocted in my my head for this!

To begin, a quick run-down of the situation as it stands at the beginning of the fic: Mostly Taakitz-centric, Blupjeans as a side plot. Kravitz is the Crown Prince of Faerun, his mother the Raven Queen current ruler of the kingdom, and him as her only son. Taako and Lup’s parents are both dead, and they live with their mother’s father: their grandfather Tostaada, along with the many aunts and uncles and cousins from Tostaada’s other children.

Tostaada has a house, several days travel (at least) from Neverwinter, a typical country home for the well-to-do. He’s somewhere between gentry and nobility, but his wealth has been in decline, as is often the case in these stories. His mistreatment of Taako and Lup comes from a disdain for their father. And it provides a convenient excuse not to pay servants.

Summary of the arc proper under the cut:

So we begin with a prologue (posted here) in which we see Kravitz and Taako, around the early teenage years (14-ish) and just get a little taste of how different their lives are.

Chapter one (also here) kicks off with Kravitz sneaking out of the castle in the early morning for a ride, musing at how busy he is and how stressful his life is trying to be in charge of a whole kingdom, etc. Upon his return, Barry, the royal head arcanist, and Kravitz’s friend, is waiting for him, and informs him that he has a meeting scheduled this morning with the Royal Council.

The Royal Council was originally meant to be a B plot in the story, something to help drive the thing forward, in part because I couldn’t think of a reason as to why the Raven Queen, who adores her son, would force him into marriage. There had to be an outside pressure. So the council was born.

The council was created during the reign of Kravitz’s grandfather, as a way of giving the people a say and lessening the power of absolute monarchy in Faerun, which was falling out of fashion. That was the intent, but, as we find out in the first chapter, the council is now filled with noblemen who haven’t really got the people’s best interests in mind, at least in Kravitz’s humble opinion, and get a good deal of say over what he does. There was never anything enacted that would allow Kravitz to either disband the council or enact term limits, and now, if he were to put such a thing to a vote, it would never go through.

The original council consisted of: Lord Sterling (Artemis’s father), Jenkins, Gundren & Jack (both recently deceased at the opening of the story), Governor Kalen, and Davenport. I promise this will be relevant later.

So in our first chapter the Raven Queen pulls Kravitz aside after his meeting and tells him, over a very tense tea, that he is turning 25 in a couple of months, and the council, as well as foreign powers, are getting nervous that he has no martial prospects yet, and as the Raven Queen has no other relations to carry on the monarchy in Kravitz’s stead, they kind of need to get a move on. Having it so that the Royal line could die out any minute isn’t great for cultivating confidence in the people of your kingdom.

Kravitz is understandably upset, being the romantic that he is (I love him), and he wants nothing less than to be married as the result of some political power play. And yet, there is low probability, at least in his mind, that anyone that will be “suitable” according to his mother, the council, and the people both in Faerun and abroad, will be anyone that he will even remotely like. But what can he do? He agrees to begin the process of finding a spouse at this year’s Harvest Ball, which will coincide closely with his 25th birthday.

Barry is actually the one that gives Kravitz the idea of throwing the doors open to the whole of Faerun, and Kravitz, seeing it as an opportunity to meet men who aren’t stuffy nobles he hates, strikes a bargain with his mother: a masked ball, three nights long. Kravitz will not know (in theory) who is wealthy and powerful and who is not, and will be able to choose at his discretion someone that he would like to pursue. Shockingly, the Queen agrees.

*~*~*~*~*

SMASHCUT to Tostaada’s country home. We see Lup and Taako going about their morning routine, making breakfast for the family, lighting the fires in the hearth, generally working their asses off. Mid-breakfast, there’s a knock at the door, one that Taako goes to answer. (This is a no-no. He’s meant to be more of a behind-the-scenes servant, Lup being the one who is seen. She’s slightly more favored by Tostaada. Taako is hated. But Lup is in the middle of something, so...) It’s a letter from the Raven Queen, an invitation actually, to the family Taaco, to come to Neverwinter for the three-night Harvest Ball.

The Queen’s intentions of finding her son a husband are not directly stated, but Tostaada is a shrewd, terrible old man, and it does not take him a moment to catch on. The family packs up, Taako and Lup and all, and heads to Neverwinter, the ball two weeks away.

While they’re packing, Lup pulls Taako aside and tells him her plan. They’ll be in Neverwinter for almost two weeks, ball included. And the whole kingdom will be swarming to the city for this, it will be more crowded than ever, and therefore will give them the perfect opportunity to run away from Tostaada. He’ll be so preoccupied he’ll never be able to track them down in the chaos of this event. Taako hesitates for just a second before he’s on board. They’ll run away mid-ball, when the family is gone, and by the time Tostaada realizes anything, it’ll be too late.

*~*~*~*~*

SMASHCUT back to Krav, chilling in the palace, it’s now two weeks before the ball (around the same time that Taako and co. get the letter, actually,) and preparations are well underway. During another busy day of overseeing some of the prep for the upcoming Massive Festival (TM), Kravitz runs across Captain Davenport, just returned from a long stint at sea.

They have a conversation about the state of affairs in the kingdom, Kravitz expressing his frustration at not only the ineptitude but corruption on the council, and his worries about this marital plan. He knows that Lord Sterling is going to throw his son Artemis at him relentlessly, but he hates the kid, and wants nothing to do with him, etc.

Davenport merely expresses that he has faith in Kravitz’s ability to turn it all around and make for a good king. That the recent loss of Gundren and Jack and the dragging on of the council replacing them doesn’t bode well, but that he needs to see the thing through.

He unfortunately agrees with the rest of the council, however, that Kravitz needs to be married, and soon. There’s only so long they can go dragging this out. Kravitz sees the sense in this and agrees, albeit reluctantly. At least he has the opportunity to find someone he actually likes.

Meanwhile, Taako, Lup, Tostaada and the family have arrived in Neverwinter and will be staying in a fine manor house in the upscale residential part of the city, and the family immediately sets out to find tailors and seamstresses who can get them all dressed up for the inevitable ball. The house is in shambles on the inside, the only way Tostaada could get it cheap, and Lup and Taako spend the afternoon trying to fix it up to live-able standards and clean it enough so that should the family be called upon, they’ll at least look respectable.

In the meantime, no one is home, and they begin to plan their escape.

They plan it for the third night of the ball. Tostaada will be furious if they leave sooner, being left with no servants to assist any upcoming nights. The third night, once the family leaves for the party, they’ll be in the clear. If Tostaada manages an advantageous match for any one of the cousins, he won’t bother with Taako and Lup anymore, and get better servants. It’s highly likely that in the next two weeks he’ll make several matches, so after the party is done they should be as safe as possible given their plan.

*~*~*~*~*

Everyone spends a week getting ready.

Istus, friend of the Raven Queen from a neighboring kingdom, arrives to the palace. She will be staying for the celebration, and for a while on either end. She and the Raven Queen have a conversation, in which the Raven Queen expresses her anxiety about the upcoming matchmaking process for her son. She does not want his marriage to end up like hers (loveless, purely political). She asks Istus if she will use some of her divination skills to look into the future. Istus agrees, and it is clear that she sees something very intriguing in Kravitz’s future. She does not say what it is, but she assures her Majesty not to worry.

The day of the ball arrives.

Now by some trick of fate, one of the cousins has received the wrong suit by accident, and Lup simply must go to the tailor and send it back, and retrieve the one he was supposed to receive at any cost. So Lup goes, and Taako doesn’t think much of it until she bursts back into the attic that evening, two garment bags in her hands. She says that there was a mistake, and that a noble man and woman didn’t pick up their garments for whatever reason; the week has been so chaotic anyway, and there was talk of them falling ill and being unable to attend the ball tonight, and the woman at the tailor shop felt so bad about the mistaken order she offered to alter them to fit Tostaada’s family for free, as a sort of “so sorry about the mistake” thing, and Lup said she would just take them, and isn’t it exciting Taako, we can use these and go to the ball tonight!

Taako is reluctant to accept this plan, but Lup says they’ll only go one night, just to see the spectacle, and then they can be home for the other two and prepare to run away, and besides, they’re starting a new life and this will be a fun way to kick it off, and the outfits even come with masks, Taako, please?

Taako finally relents, and they spend the rest of the afternoon getting the cousins ready to go to the ball themselves, along with the aunts and uncles and Tostaada himself, who is in one of his moods. It’s awful, but they finally get a moment away, and they sneak up to the attic to pull out their garments...

And they get caught. Tostaada never comes upstairs, but he was calling for them, one of the cousins having forgotten a brooch or something, they weren’t answering, and when he comes upstairs and sees them, he takes the garments, drags the twins downstairs, and lets the cousins laugh at them until they’re in tears, and the family rip the dress and the suit to shreds.

The thought that they would even show themselves is so repulsive to Tostaada, and he gets angry at the presumption of it all, and he locks them downstairs in the kitchen for the duration of the evening, the door swinging shut behind him with a heavy clang.

Lup is furious, Taako more resigned, as the house quiets with the eventual departure of the family.

An hour passes with them sitting in the kitchen under the house, Lup cursing her luck. If not for her stupid idea to go, they wouldn’t be in here, locked in, and they could work on their preparations to leave two nights hence. But now they’re completely useless.

The latch on the door to the outside of the house, the small yard in the back with the meager kitchen garden, comes undone, and swings open of its own accord.

A woman is there. Or at least it looks like a woman; she is cloaked, head to toe, even her face obscured, but there’s a shimmer in the air around her that they recognize immediately as magic.

Taako and Lup have been learning magic, little by little. Taako stole a book from the village a little over a year ago, but it’s slow going, especially with Tostaada always trying to catch them doing something “indecent.”

They’ve never seen anything like this.

The mysterious woman tells them she heard Lup’s frustrated shouting while walking by and wanted to see if they needed any help. Once they thank her for letting them out, she asks them why they haven’t decided to go to the ball; two young people like them at home on a night like this seems strange. Lup scoffs, says they thought about going for a moment, but they have nothing to wear.

Istus (for by now the reader surely knows it is Istus) cocks her head and says that that won’t do, will it? And raises her hands.

And in a moment their clothes are transformed, and Lup is dressed in a gorgeous gown in reds and golds, and feathered mask is on her face, and Taako’s in a finely made suit, his mask vaguely rodential. And the woman says that now they are well-suited for a ball. Taako and Lup are just gaping at her, but she shoos them along. Go, she says, and Taako feels a peculiar prickle up his spine when she tells them, when she tells him, it feels like, to amuse himself, to have a good time, to meet new people.

She warns them that while her magic is powerful, which is evident, it is sensitive to time. Wherever they are, at the stroke of midnight, the magic will fade, and their appearances will revert to what they were before.

Lup and Taako, wanting to go only for a few laughs and to spite Tostaada, say that this is more than enough time.

And they go.

When they arrive at the palace, it’s positively swarmed with people. They agree to meet by the front doors at a half hour before midnight, giving them plenty of time to get out without being seen.

And they go in.

They’re being jostled on all sides, and well, as much as they’d like to stick together it doesn’t really work out that way, and before he knows it, Taako is in the midst of a ballroom looking for Lup, and following the flow of the crowd -

And suddenly he’s face-to-face (or, well, mask-to-mask) with a very handsomely dressed man with a skull for a face.

A skull mask, to be exact, all silver and gold filigree and done up with rubies and diamonds, and his suit is fine, dark velvet in rich blacks and deep, deep reds, and he bows and Taako does, too, because he feels as though it’s the thing to do, and when the man straightens up he and Taako trade the typical small-talk befitting a prince and his guest (because, Taako realizes, with as many people seem to be looking at them, that is surely who this must be), and Taako says something witty that makes Kravitz laugh which I will not write here, because this is a summary, which means all I have to do is say when the jokes happen; I don’t actually have to write them.

Long story short, Kravitz pulls off his mask, and he asks Taako to dance.

The anonymity Kravitz was hoping to be afforded by throwing a masked ball has not really panned out. Everyone can tell exactly which mask the prince is behind, and once the receiving line began to form, there was really nothing for it. He likes the Mongoose-masked stranger, though, and would very much like to know him better. And so what if he’s abandoning the rest of the line? He’s the prince, thank you very much, and he can do what he likes.

Taako is sold the moment the prince pulls his mask off, because the prince is hot, and Taako feels rather gorgeous himself, and maybe this is the first night in a while that he’s had any kind of serious fun and he’s feeling a bit reckless, so he pulls his mask off too and they have a dance.

Or two.

Or three, talking all the while.

After the third, the prince bows respectfully and says he must see to his other guests, but that he hopes to see Taako again, and Taako, maybe just a little flustered, wanders over to the food.

Meanwhile, Lup entered the ballroom, having gotten a bit lost on the way in, shortly after the fateful meeting itself and what does she see but her brother, unmasked, dancing with a man who is most unmistakably the prince.

Which is really just perfect, isn’t it?

She pouts for a minute because one beautiful elf will hardly draw any attention in this crowd, except Taako’s dancing with the crown prince, so every eye in the assembly is fixed upon him, and seeing an identical twin will definitely lead to some word getting around. So Lup is confined to remaining masked for the duration of the ball.

Which isn’t so bad, since she was expecting that, after all, but neither is she looking forward to it.

She skirts the edge of the ballroom, finds her way to some refreshment tables, and she’s lucky her mask leaves most of the bottom half of her face free as she nibbles on the hors d’oeuvres set out and generally enjoys the spectacle. She is propositioned to dance a few times but after the prince removes his mask a large portion of the assembly does as well, and Lup rather sticks out for keeping hers on.

She isn’t given much more attention, then, as all of the other people around seem to write off the mask as a wish to stay hidden and therefore ignored, and while they aren’t wrong, Lup isn’t enjoying the ball half as much as she thought.

And then things go from bad to worse.

Some moron completely knocks into her and sends her drink, a strong red wine, all down the front of her, granted, magical and temporary, but very nice dress.

Lup’s going to be mad, but the man is so sweet about it, stammering his apologies, and completely red in the face and, frankly, such a dork that she really can’t be mad, and he does about some ridiculous business about trying mop up the wine and it’s completely hopeless, and Lup is bored -

So she tries casting prestidigitation on the stain.

And, somewhat to her surprise, it works.

This catches the man’s attention, who immediately straightens up and starts asking her questions about where she’s learned magic, and what other spells she knows, and what her name is. Lup, in a moment of impulse, introduces herself as Lady Lulu, which she cringes at immediately but sticks with. And the man is nice to talk to, and interesting, and apparently an expert in the arcane, which Lup is thrilled about. Out of all these people she ran into someone actually interesting.

At one point, she invites the man to dance, but he refuses, a bit awkwardly. He says he’s not very coordinated, but he wouldn’t mind taking a walk, if she wouldn’t mind either? Lup is going to say yes, but upon glancing at the clock, sees that it’s almost eleven-thirty, and tells him she has to go.

Taako, meanwhile, has danced with Kravitz twice more, and chatted a bit, and when he tries to extricate himself from his Highness’s presence Kravitz seems genuinely disappointed to see him go, and asks him if he’ll be back tomorrow night.

Taako, suddenly overcome with something that makes him want to make this man smile, says yes.

And then he goes to meet Lup at the front.

They head home, making their way through the streets which are not quite as crowded as the palace was, but are still significantly busy, as those who felt they would not be at home in the palace have taken to celebrating the harvest ball in the streets. Lup and Taako make it home unnoticed, and they chat a little bit about what they saw and what they did, and when Lup teases Taako about the prince, he’s unusually quiet. This worries Lup a bit, but she doesn’t press further.

Their clothes transform when they’re about 3/4 of the way home. When they arrive, they figure they have a few hours until the family gets home to begin making preparations for their escape. Around three, they shut themselves back up in the kitchen. Lup manages to find, from the outside, a way around the locked door that i haven’t decided on yet, because this is just a summary.

Wash, rinse, repeat. The twins are on their best behavior the next day as Tostaada and co. sleep through the morning, having been up late the night before, and while no one comes to call that afternoon, Tostaada still has high hopes for a match. Lup and Taako are locked in the kitchen, manage to get out -

And now, Taako has been nervous all day having promised the prince he would be back, and surprisingly, quite wanting to see him again. He’s pacing the floor when Istus arrives, transforms their clothes, and sends them off.

Lup is more than a little skeptical about this magic woman, but Taako wants to go, so she goes, and tries to put the bizarre-ness of it out of her mind.

Taako goes to the ball, meets up with Kravitz, and this time Kravitz doesn’t leave his side all night. Lup wanders around, still masked, until she runs into Barry again (not literally this time) and makes good on that walk in the gardens he asked her for last night. They both make it to the gates again by eleven-thirty, and make it home.

This night, however, something tips Tostaada off. Maybe it’s the way Taako moves, or maybe it’s his own paranoia, but something happens at the ball that makes him suspicious. I will not hash out what it is at this time because, again: Summary.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

Istus, on the third night, gives Taako his most fabulous ensemble yet, a beautiful thing in deep blue and silver and gives him jewelry set in sapphires and, you guessed it, pink tourmaline (because I’m predictable). Including, most importantly, a pair of bracelets. As Lup is locking up the kitchen to go, Istus pulls Taako aside and hands him the bracelets, and tells him that they will not dissipate at midnight. She hints vaguely at Taako and Lup’s plans to go away after the ball is over, tells him to consider the bracelets a gift. They are two of a kind, she tells him, and perhaps they will fetch a price.

Taako does not know why this woman knows so much about their life, but he’s eager to get to the party, accepts the bracelets, and before he can ask her more, she’s gone.

They head out to the ball for the third time.

It is this night that we get the majority of the material between Taako and Kravitz. Kravitz, this time, is waiting right inside the door to the ballroom, and when Taako arrives he is immediately swept up by the prince into a dance. Although, after a few hours of dancing and eating and generally enjoying themselves in the ballroom, they take a walk in the gardens.

Meanwhile, it is at this time that we get the scene where Barry has been chatting Lup up, quite obliviously, and finally he asks her if she’d like to see his lab, unable to take it anymore, he’s so excited that someone’s interested in his work. Lup, of course, thinks it’s a come-on, as discussed here, but upon going up to Barry’s tower lab she realizes that he actually, genuinely was inviting her up to look at his research which is just... too cute.

Meanwhile, Taako and Kravitz are taking a stroll through the extensive terraced palace gardens, talking all the while and the both of them are just... enamored. Taako feels beautiful and important for the first time in a long time and it’s wonderful. Kravitz has found someone interesting and gorgeous and wonderful, and it’s just... too much. It’s hard to write in short form here that they’re in love, but they like... are. Just trust me. Not fully, because it’s only been a few meetings, a few nights, but there’s something there. There’s a pull that they haven’t felt before, and feels somehow beyond them.

They wander, and the gardens are beautiful, and the moonlight is beautiful, and they end up on a sort of terrace, secluded by trees, and the sea is down below them and they dance again, just the two of them, and then there’s kissing and it’s all very romantic, I promise. There’s a scene from it here.

Then the clock strikes midnight.

And Taako panics.

The time got away from him, he got distracted, and he tries to run, but Kravitz catches his hand and he’s begging Taako to stay but Taako can’t, because Kravitz doesn’t know what’s going on here.

He thinks fast. He unclasps one of the bracelets and places it in Kravitz’s hand and says so fast that if Kravitz wants to see him again he can look for him and Taako will have the other bracelet ok bye and then he runs.

He barely makes it out of the palace in time.

But of course, by this time, Lup is not at the front gates. They planned out a fallback location, less conspicuous, if one of them got held up, and Taako is already late, and he gets there as fast as he can, and Lup is pissed.

(she’s mostly just worried).

She kind of goes at him for being late but Taako just says he lost track of time, and whatever that feeling is in his voice makes Lup back off. She’s never heard Taako sound like that before. She lets it go, but she’s more worried than before.

They make their way home, ready to pick up their packs and run like they were planning. But they open the door to the kitchen, and there’s a thud, and a candle lights, and Tostaada is there, the contents of their packs spread out before him, and absolute fury in his eyes.

It’s awful. After his suspicion, he saw Taako enter the ball tonight. And knew it was him. And he was furious. He came home, headed them off, and yells at them something fierce, locking them in separate closets to deal with them, because they can’t be trusted to be together, they’ll scheme. (Some of the cousins, by the way, are here for this, because fuck the cousins).

They try desperately to break out. Banging on the door, trying to bust out the doorknob, to cast something on the door to unlock it, but they’ve been going three days only getting a couple hours of sleep a night. It finally hits them how exhausted they are. After a while, there’s nothing they can do.

Now you may say to yourself “this is awfully convenient.” And you would be right. But it’s also a fairytale, and this is a summary of a fairytale, so there.

Tostaada, because he fucking sucks, finds some way to separate the twins. Probably something along the lines of dragging Taako out of his “cell” and being like guess what I’ve always hated you and I’m a real bastard so you’re working for this shady caravan now, have a good time. Taako is Not Down to be separated from his sister but he’s also like hey fuck you to Tostaada and is going to dip from that caravan in about 30 seconds so he’s like yeah have a nice life, too, dickweed.

He slips away from the caravan in like... a day. Fuck those guys. He’s gonna go back and get Lup.

And just a bit later, Lup gets let out of the closet, and finds out that Taako’s gone. And she goes fucking berserk. She casts her first fireball (yes I know that’s now how it works in DnD but shhhhhhh it’s fine).

She burns Tostaada’s fucking dumbass city house to the ground. And Tostaada and the cousins are panicking but Lup is honestly like fuck the cousins, and she slips away in the chaos. Fuck Tostaada. Fuck the family. Lup’s going to go find her fucking brother.

*~*~*~*~*

We haven’t checked in on Kravitz in a hot minute, but he’s been completely smitten with Taako from the moment he met him, and has been saying as much to Mama Bird herself, the Raven Queen, who has been... a little less than stoked. She is skeptical because this isn’t going exactly as planned, and on top of that, Kravitz hasn’t even learned this man’s name. He’s an absolute enigma, and Raven worries not only that this man will potentially not be a good asset to the kingdom, but he also might not turn up and completely break Kravitz’s heart.

But Kravitz stands firm. The Queen said he could make his choice, well, he’s going to. He’s going to go after this guy.

...Or so he thinks. See, the Royal Council, as in all things, gets their say. And they’re not happy with this. Generally disapproving when Kravitz tries to make his own decisions, they say absolutely not to his wish to search for Taako. Raven tries to help by talking them down from letting them handle the search and keeping Kravitz in the capital to letting Kravitz go himself but only giving him a few months time. If he hasn’t found Taako by then, he’s going to have to call off the search altogether and look for another match.

It’s not good, but it’s something. Kravitz takes his bracelet and begins seeking out every elf in the land who even vaguely matches Taako’s description.

*~*~*~*~*

The elf in question is, at this point, on his own. Meeting up with your sister when you have no idea where she is and she has no idea where you are, and you’re running back and forth and missing each other, well. It’s difficult.

It takes them a little while to get back together, and I’m sure there are plenty of minor trials and tribulations along the way. I won’t go into them all here, because this is a summary.

*~*~*~*~*

Kravitz is on the move, looking for Taako. He searches and searches and comes up with nothing. It’s been two months. It’s almost the height of winter. He’s running out of his allotted time for his search. And that’s when it happens.

He’s riding through this one town, a ways from the capital, when he sees, there, out of the corner of his eye, a flash of silver and blue and maybe some pink, and he turns his head, and there’s the bracelet. The one Taako gave him.

But it’s not on Taako’s wrist.

Kravitz calls for the guards travelling with him and they stop the woman and they question her as to where she got that bracelet. She says that she bought it off a travelling salesman, and seems rather embarrassed about it. She’s reluctant to give it up, having bought it fair and square, but Kravitz pays her, and gets it back.

Kravitz is, of course, heartbroken. Taako said he would have the other bracelet. He told Kravitz to look for him. He said to look for him. If he gave it up, if he sold it, does it mean he doesn’t want to see Kravitz again after all?

Kravitz wants answers for a minute. But then he listens to reason. Or so he thinks. Discouraged, he returns to the capital, as per Lord Sterling’s suggestion.

Many people and things are trying to keep these two apart. It is at this point that these forces begin to win.

So he goes home, in time for the first snow to cover Neverwinter.

*~*~*~*~*

What Taako and Lup are up to in the meantime:

It’s pretty close to canon in that they mostly hop from job to job, and caravan to caravan, taking odd jobs and cooking and making their way. And it’s hard. It’s really hard. But something about it is good. This is the first time they’ve had, maybe in their whole lives, to just be in charge of themselves. They’re deciding their own destiny now.

Lup can see that Taako is different. Something has changed. The news that the prince is looking for him isn’t a secret at all, so she keeps a careful eye on him for how he feels about that. She brings it up a few times that maybe they could come forward in their own way, maybe let people know that he’s out there, but Taako keeps shutting her down before she can really talk about it.

As for Taako, he’s more than thrilled to finally be free of Tostaada, and to have his sister back after a few months of absence. But the whole thing at the ball and with Kravitz is... weighing on his mind.

I should explain the bracelet fiasco.

See, Taako and Lup returned from the ball, and the whole thing with Tostaada went down. Of course, while he was deciding what to do with Taako he confiscated the bracelet, and sold it off a bit later for whatever he could get. This is how it was able to travel so far from where Taako actually is; the jewelry seller went one way, Taako another, and Tostaada and the family, when they finally left Neverwinter, a third.

This is all running through Taako’s mind of course. It would be nice for Kravitz to find him, sure, but Taako was the one who set up the system of verification through the bracelet. Without it, what credibility does he have? And sure, maybe Kravitz will recognize him, but what if he doesn’t? It was dark, and it was only a few nights, and -

Anyway, Taako’s not going to worry about it. He’s fine, really, and it was only a few nights anyway, and what does he care about the dumb old prince. It’s not like Kravitz said he wanted to marry him. He just said he wanted to see him again. What the hell does that mean? And it’s not like Taako was the only one he spent time with at the ball.

Basically our sweet boy is snackin’ on a big slice of denial pie and it’s very sad.

Taako is saying that he doesn’t care whether he sees Kravitz again or not, but Lup can tell something is wrong. She suggests that they stick around in Faerun, work for the winter, and come spring, they’ll head out. They’ll hitch their way with the caravans, and work their way over the border. New country, new life. Leave all that Tostaada shit and everything behind.

Taako’s on board. They find themselves a job cooking and occasionally tending the bar at an inn, not a gross one but not the fanciest either. They’re going to work up some money, and they’re going to hit the road.

But back to Kravitz.

*~*~*~*~*

Kravitz is back home at the palace in Neverwinter. The first snow on the not-very-aptly named city makes traveling difficult. If Kravitz hadn’t already given up the dream of Taako, it would well and truly be impossible to find him now. No one in their right mind would send a search party out in the winter months.

So he’s essentially on house arrest.

And so begins the parade of potential partners. Everyone knows about the ball. Everyone knows now that the plan of having the prince find a partner there was a colossal failure. Every young and eligible nobleman in the capital who is even remotely interested in men gets thrown at this boy. Artemis Sterling most of all, a spoiled brat of a boy, who, when he’s not being absolutely appalling to people is boring them to death.

Kravitz is fucking miserable.

Does this make him think of Taako? Yes. Does he miss him? Absolutely. Does it only twist the knife of heartbreak in this boy who thought he had found someone good and then that person gave him up? 100 percent.

Kravitz is ready to jump off the cliffs out back the palace into the Stillwater Sea and swim to a new country when the word from Raven’s Roost comes.

Rebellion! Against Kalen, of all people! How could it be?

(Kravitz has hated Kalen for a while, but this certainly is a pickle).

Kalen is ousted, arrives in Neverwinter half-frozen and fuming, a few cronies on his tail, and chaos in the palace ensues. Who to believe? Kalen, who claims he has been unfairly attacked, or the people, claiming Kalen’s long-term abuse.

It all shakes out somehow. This is a summary, though, so I don’t have to say. Julia does something badass. Also she’s not dead. She and Magnus show up in the capital and there’s the whole them vs Kalen before the Raven Queen fiasco and finally she chooses the good people as the correct ones and Kalen is thrown in prison or banished or something lol idk.

And now there are... 3 positions on the royal council empty and it is essentially non-functioning. The kingdom is in governmental crisis. Magnus and Julia are at the palace. This whole rebellion/trial thing has taken most of the winter months.

Barry and Magnus become fast friends, which of course puts Magnus into Kravitz’s orbit more than the Kalen ordeal already has. And they begin talking. And at the prompting of Magnus and Julia being so in love, Taako of course comes up.

Magnus is all omg wow buddy that’s true love u gotta pursue that, and Kravitz is like ok but also consider he probably doesn’t even like me, and also it’s impossible, and also I can’t. To which Magnus says umm how do you know, and also bullshit, and also why not?

And why not indeed?

Well, Barry says, perhaps because the government is in shambles and to abandon everything now would almost certainly trigger all kinds of issues amongst the aristocracy, upon whom your hold is currently tenuous at best.

Kravitz says >:((

And then along comes Merle.

Merle comes moseying up the palace one day like hey guys how’s it goin’ I’m Merle, and the [PLACE WHERE GUNDREN WAS FROM] sent me here to be Gundren’s replacement on the Royal Council, after all I am his cousin, don’t’cha know, and sorry it took us so long, we had some issues to work through. He does not explain what these were, nor does he have to, for this is a summary.

Merle’s addition is a real gamechanger, because not only is he miraculously able to neutralize the more antagonistic personalities on the council (usually through saying something Kravitz can’t decide is crazy or profound), but also he’s a big advocate for let’s get things up and running again, starting with just replacing Kalen with one of these two nice people who Raven’s Roost seems to have elected to represent them.

Magnus goes “oh well I don’t know this is a lot of responsibility-” and before he’s even done talking Julia’s like “I’ll fuckin’ do it.”

This, of course, gets the council running, and, importantly to our plot, creates a majority of people who Want kravitz to Go After A Boy. They work on cleaning up the mess in Raven’s Roost, finally find a replacement for Jack (it’s Cassidy, also by election, which is a shiny new toy for these people) and they iron all of it out by the time Spring has sprung.

Kravitz says now can I go Find A Boy PLEEEAAAAASE I did the governing thing and everything. And most people’s reactions are omg I can’t believe you’re still talking about that but Fine. Take some friends. Kravitz takes Barry and Magnus and (mumble mumble some others idk like avi or someone don’t @ me) and is like BYE MY CONFIDENCE IS RESTORED AND I’M GONNA FIND A BOY.

*~*~*~*~*

So Spring Has Sprung.

Which means Lup and Taako are back on the move. Continuing their slow journey out of Faerun, working on their way (it’s nice to have money saved up, they find, but it’s not A Lot, and they don’t want to totally deplete it.) They usually stop for a week in a town, do some odd jobs, travel, stop for a week. It’s nice.

But they’re on the way OUT OF THE COUNTRY *cue dramatic music*

Will Kravitz Reach Them In Time? If he does, will Taako even Want To Go Back? All these questions and more exist at this point in the narrative.

*~*~*~*~*

Kravitz follows the lead of the bracelet. He does not stop for a week in towns. In fact, he’s pushing pretty hard. He tracks down the woman who points him to the seller who points him to Another travelling seller who points him to a jeweler in town who looks at the bracelet and says oh yeah, I got that from Old Man Tostaada, outside of town, he’s a proud type, but you should ask him.

Well. Kravitz certainly does.

In the nearly six months since Taako and Lup slunk and exploded out of his life, respectively, Tostaada has become an even crochetier, nastier, meaner old man than ever. He has no servants now. The cousins have to do chores, oh the horror. He’s propping his appearance of nobility up on pride alone. The house is in Shambles. It’s a whole Thing™️.

But one fateful springy day, one of the cousins looks out the window…

And Sees An Entire Royal-insignia’d Party Riding Up The Lane.

And promptly Panics.

Well Kravitz and co are ushered into the house with all kinds of Ceremony, and Tostaada is acting very proud, and Kravitz says excuse me sir, I was wondering if you might remember being in possession of this bracelet.

This is Bad News to Tostaada.

I may recall, sir, he says.

There’s a terribly polite and tense conversation after that. Tostaada refuses to say where he got the bracelet, even to royalty, being as old and spiteful as he is, and Kravitz is just about to threaten him with something terrible when one of the cousins breaks, and spills the whole story tearfully, about Taako and Lup and how they were treated and where Tostaada got the bracelet and “we didn’t know you wanted it, we didn’t know it was important, we swear,” and the only thing that keeps Kravitz from Severely Punishing them is that he refuses to waste any time getting to Taako, who he’s very keen to find now. Tostaada has no idea where Taako and Lup are now, though, so he wasn’t helpful in that sense. Only now Kravitz knows that they’ve Been The Fuck Through It, and that Taako didn’t give up the bracelet of his own accord, and so it’s possible that The Boy Still Likes Him.

And with renewed energy, off they go.

Tostaada gets stripped of whatever title he has left, or something, because FUCK him.

Kravitz and the gang are putting out the word that hey, we’re still looking for this elf, if anyone’s seen him, that would be great.

The thing is, this time, they’re getting leads, on account of Lup and Taako sticking around in places long enough to make a friend or two.

*~*~*~*~*

It’s later, and almost Summertime, baby, when Lup and Taako finally hear the news.

The prince is still looking for Taako? Damn. Boy’s serious.

Lup watches Taako’s face carefully when they hear this news. They’re leaving town. They only have one more before they reach the border and slip away. Lup says hey. Are you sure you don’t wanna come forward and say something?

Taako’s like no of course we shouldn’t do that don’t be silly it’s FINE. (It’s not fine, Lup can tell, but she’s not gonna push. This is Taako’s decision to make. They’re gonna make a fresh start in a new place. It’ll be great.

They start hiking to the next town, hobbit style. They make it out into ye woods and find a nice spot to settle down and camp. Make up a fire, get cozy, cook a little dinner, the whole shindig. They settle down to sleep.

Taako wakes up. In the middle of the night. The full moon is shining brightly down into the clearing they’re sleeping in and the fire is no longer the softly smoldering embers it was when he fell asleep. It’s nice crackling along. And sitting there, tending it, is a lady.

Lady is the only way to describe her. She’s in a gown of silvery thread with silvery hair tumbling down her back. She asks Taako if he’d like some tea. He can’t tell if the light in the clearing is from the moon, or the fire, or just from her. She speaks with a voice that just sounds so familiar, but that he doesn’t quite place.

She hands Taako a cup of tea. It’s floral and fragrant and lovely. She asks him what he’s running from. He says she sounds awfully condescending talking like that, and if she knew what he’d been through she wouldn’t act like leaving it all behind was such a bad decision. She says she never said it was a bad decision, she just wonders how much he’s thought about it, is all. There’s a quiet moment, as she sips her tea. She says, quietly, that perhaps Taako ought to be careful, not to run too far too fast.

And taako wakes up again. There’s a teacup sitting beside him. Empty. Clean. There’s no sign that there was any visitor in the night.

To Lup, Taako is acting weird the next day. He seems jumpy. He seems distant. She keeps worrying they’re gonna get jumped on the road, from the way he’s not paying attention to his surroundings. He’s in his head, even more than usual. But they manage to arrive to the next town without incident.

And Taako’s weird over the next few days. And Lup suggests on the fourth that they get a move on. There’s a caravan headed across the border tomorrow, we can go with them.

Taako looks at the drink in his hand for a long moment, not there with her, and she’s about to ask again when he says “maybe just a few more days.”

Taako doesn’t ask her for much. Taako seems very serious, and it’s kind of scaring Lup. But she agrees. A few more days is fine. Then they’ll go.

And a few days pass. And Taako’s weird. He keeps looking around corners like he’s expecting something to jump out from around them. He keeps looking down the street like he expects something to come barreling into town. But nothing ever seems to.

Come on, Taako, Lup says, three days later, while Taako’s dropped over a cup of wine in the local inn. Tomorrow some more people are leaving, mid-afternoon, they said, let’s go. Just over those hills and we can start everything over, make a name for ourselves. What do you say?

And Taako agrees.

They go to bed.

And, in the bright-mid morning the next day, Kravitz and the gang come riding into town, Raven Queen standard flying high over their heads, dressed in shining silver on black. Lup’s out on the street, collecting some last-minute supplies when she sees them.

Holy shit, Lup says.

She recognizes the Prince. She recognizes BARRY. And after her moment of gawking in surprise, the prince glances her way, and does a frankly comedic wide-eyed double take.

She does, after all, have Taako’s face.

He hops off his horse and very politely comes over and introduces himself, and identifies her by name (he met her grandfather) and asks, very kindly, if she might know where he can find her brother.

Lup does some quick mental calculus and says “yeah, I can show you where he is.”

That scene can be found HERE. (I truly can’t shortly summarize this one better than I wrote it so yikes secret few thousand words nested in this already monstrous summary, I’m sorry but not really I am sorry that it switches tense like three times, I do not have the energy to correct it).

Needless to say, they are reunited.

But it’s a lot to put on someone, the entire “come home with me I think you’re the love of my life even though we kind of only know each other a little, also if you say yes you might be responsible for governing a whole people” so Taako needs some time to think.

Kravitz leaves him some.

And then Taako and Lup have a long conversation, where Taako makes lots of excuses as to why he shouldn’t go with Kravitz, and Lup listens very patiently and nods and hums along, and then finally asks him if he thinks Kravitz will make him happy.

This stumps Taako for a good long time, standing stock still, looking terrified, before he nods.

Well, Lup says, I think you know what you need to do.

And Taako goes, the evening, as it’s getting late (which is about when he and Lup finished hashing it all out and he got his courage up) to Kravitz’s room in the inn, and Kravitz’s guards let him in, and oh. Oh Kravitz looks lovely, standing there, dressed down, comfortable in his own space. And Kravitz gets up and looks at Taako with wide eyes and Taako says, “I thought about what you said.”

“Yes?” Kravitz says. He might be crying. Taako can’t tell. He looks terrified.

“I think…” Taako says. “I think I want to go with you.”

Kravitz becomes a human embodiment of heart eyes and says “really?”

And Taako says oh my god yes but you have to not be weird.

“I’m not being weird,” says Kravitz, still heart eyes-ing, “I’m so not weird. I’m so normal, see?”

And they KISS.

*~*~*~*~*

Everybody packs up the next morning to head on their merry way home. Kravitz is over the moon. Taako is, kind of, too, but is trying to be chill about it. Lup tells Barry as they leave that she was the one he was hanging with at the ball that one time, good to see him again, and Barry becomes human heart eyes for approximately four seconds before he reigns it in and he’s like oh cool nice to officially meet you, and the two of them spend the rest of the trip circling each other trying not to act in love because like there’s a lot going on and Taako needs lup and all, and Taako and Kravitz are very amused by this.

Taako and Magnus become fast friends. And, he and Kravitz get time to properly get to know each other during all that travel together, and the scary thing is they fit better than they ever thought they would, they really do. Taako likes the boy more by the day. Kravitz is so smitten it’s revolting.

When they get back to Neverwinter, there’s a fair bit of fanfare and the Raven Queen makes a big stink about Kravitz shirking his duties and being irresponsible and whatnot, but he can tell she’s secretly pleased. She comes to like Taako very much.

And well… you know what’s next. After a bit, Taako and Kravitz get married.

*~*~*~*~*

EPILOGUE:

The marriage of King Kravitz to Prince Taako is known as one of the more fortuitous in the history of the nation.

Prince Taako, after his history as one of the working common folk of Faerun, went on to use his new seat on the royal council to champion reforms that changed the lives of working people everywhere. The laws he helped draft that established basic working condition requirements for those in domestic services helped launch a new era of equal pay and treatment for the working classes of Faerun, and a culling of the power of the wealthy.

He helped establish a new nation-wide system of government, based on regional elections, and with King Kravitz, gradually placed more political power in the hands of the people. The minimum requirements for the royal council to balance the number of aristocratic members with those without titles stands to this day.

Prince Taako was known, also, for his aptitude for the arcane. Though never did he manage to surpass his sister and brother-in-law in his lifetime, he is revered as one of the more powerful and skilled mages in Faerun’s history. Though perhaps more famous is his legacy as a great instructor in the arcane sciences, known especially for training Grand Archmage Angus McDonald in his early years.

Though perhaps chief among his achievements was his role in the war against the Hunger in the twenty-third year of King Kravitz’s reign. He was among those who formulated the plan to infiltrate the Hunger’s forces and carry out the assassination of John the Devourer. And when King Kravitz was injured in the final battle against the Hunger’s armies, it was Prince Taako who held the line, and was unmoved in the face of their power. For this, he became known during his reign as Prince Taako the Steadfast, though over the years his long-time connection with Lady Istus was cited as evidence to his improbable marriage and ascension to the throne being an act of Providence, and in many secret circles he was referred to as Prince Taako the Blessed.

Upon his abdication from the throne in the thirtieth year of his reign, Prince Taako and King Kravitz were succeeded by the former’s sister, Queen Lup and Prince Barold, whose daughter, Queen Lilliana, finally dissolved the monarchy in the twelfth year of her reign, thus ending the Faerun’s royal line forever, and ushering the world into a new era of peace and equality.

From: Faerun: A History by Lucretia Moreau, published 538 T.E.

*~*~*~*~*

BIG Thank you to @fandomsnstuff and @her-biness who helped me with this for a Long Time. The little cameo of the blupjeans baby belongs to @lillianabluejeans, and the last name from Lucretia is taken from one of my favorite fics, Bureau of Badass on ao3, by Chemicallywrit and miceenscene.

Bonus points will be given to those who notice the 500 references in here to various adaptations of the cinderella story :)

#taz balance #taakitz #blupjeans #taako taaco #lup taaco #kravitz #barry bluejeans #my writiting #my fic stuff #cinderella au #Thank you for making it all the way to the end #likes charge reblogs cast #(aka if u liked it pls pass it on for me :)))

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mooresomore · 3 years

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Season 5 Wishlist, Part 2

Alright, more Season 5 Wishlist items from me (I told you there’d be more, lol) 😆

-lots of Buck and Jee-Yun moments. Like “Uncle Buck” babysitting, seeing lots of videos that Maddie and/or Chimney send him, etc. (extra points if Eddie stares fondly at Buck, even though Eddie is a little jealous he missed these moments with Christopher. And somehow, Maddie sends Eddie a text once, and all of a sudden, he’s on the Buckley-Han group chat and getting so much Jee-Yun content).

-Eddie learning to cook. (I would love it if it was Bobby trying to teach him at the station.) (ooh, or Buck coming over and trying to teach Eddie breakfast foods for Christopher. And Buck eats every single piece of burnt food Eddie makes.)

-Buck and Bobby having lots of heart-to-heart conversations. I look at Bobby being the dad Buck never had, and I think they both have lots of things to work out.

-Parent-teacher conferences. This time, Buck gets asked to tag along, because Christopher is always mentioning how “his Buck” likes to help him with his homework.

-Lots of co-parent moments. Like Buck putting Christopher to bed, Buck coming over and spending lots of time with his boys, and having to be the bad cop when Christopher tries to get him to do something Eddie said no to.

-Eddie recovery arc (I know we probably won’t get it, but I would love to see him doing the physical (and emotional) therapy, struggling to do things one handed-and calling Buck for help, etc)

-Albert and Buck vying for the title of “Best Uncle Ever”. Cue lots of present-buying competitions, offers of babysitting, and just everything related to that.

-Eddie and Buck watching Jee-Yun for the day. Cue all the cuteness. (And bonus for them taking her and Christopher to somewhere and someone saying “you have a cute family”)

-Abuela inviting Buck over and refusing to take no for an answer, and her teaching him how to cook Eddie’s favorite foods.

-Athena in therapy/facing her attacker in court.

-Bobby letting Athena in regarding his A.A. Meetings. He works on communicating with her better

-karaoke night. (Of course we have Maddie and Chimney. This time though, Buck hops up and does it too. Cue Buck trying to get Eddie to do it too; Eddie is very reluctant, but after everyone convinces him, he does, and wow, the guy can sing).

-Bar-be-airs/family time for the 118 and their families. Give me all the cute content.

-Buck and Eddie holding hands and getting caught by the team. (And Hen wins the bet on how long it took them to get together.)

And how could I forget about the crossover episode with Lone Star? Here’s a couple thoughts on that:

-the 136 comes to the 118. TK shows Buck a picture of Carlos (and teases Buck about the conversation from the fire in Texas); Buck mods. TK figures out Buck is pining for Eddie (and Eddie is pining just as bad for Buck), and tries to steer them in the right direction.

-Owen and Bobby talk about captaining their teams (bonus: bonding over their reckless sons, even though Buck isn’t Bobby’s biological son).

-Marjan finally gets to meet Christopher and falls in love with the boy. She realizes Eddie has gone above and beyond to help the boy (and Buck definitely helps a lot).

-Marjan sneaks a picture of Buck and Eddie doing a crazy rescue (and the scheming for the rescue, where their heads are pressed together, and they are pointing at something on the map together) and posts it on her Instagram, and it blows up.

Ok, I think that’s all now. :)

#season 5 wishlist #part 2 #I had a lot more thoughts LOL #I can't believe I forgot the crossover in my first post #Buddie #My brain is working in overdrive now

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talpup · 4 years

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Summary: Yami Sukehiro just wanted to join the Magic Knights and make his mentor proud. He knew there would be trails. He knew trouble would come his way. Knew he would be faced with discrimination for being a foreigner and a peasant. What he didn’t know. Didn’t expect. Was that literal Chaos would come his way. That he and his mentor’s sister would be at the center of world ending trouble. Or that he would fall in love with his mentor’s sister and face more than discrimination; but the jealously of Nozel Silva who loved the same woman he did.

Please remember this fic is rated mature and has warnings of violence, abuse, sexual tension, eventual sexual behavior, and other possible triggers. For a full list of story tags please check the fics AO3 (link to that at the top of my tumblrs homepage).

Chapter 89

“Why do I have to go?” Yami questioned yet again.

“Cause your the one that found the girl and you haven’t seen her since Bran’s family took her in.” Venice said as they flew.

“You say that like it answers my question.” Yami said.

Aggravated herself, Teris didn’t have the patience to deal with Yami’s foul mood. Flying beside him, she said. “How about cause Jax said you had to go.”

At Yami’s deepening frown, Tobin offered. “How about this? It’s a reason to slack off and drink.”

“I can do that at home.” Yami said.

“You people are going about this all wrong.” Olsen said. He looked over at Yami. “Even if the Captain wasn’t making you go. You’d be going anyway. Why? Because your lovely lady is going.”

Yami glared at the Water Mage but said nothing.

“See?” Olsen smiled at the others. “Easy.”

Yami resisted the urge to knock Olsen off his broom. Instead, he found something else to complain about. “Why is the Lion Cub coming?”

“Because Vanessa invited him.” Teris’ tempered tone put an end to that complaint.

“And your letter of Vanessa’s invitation said that Zora would be there too.” Fuegoleon added, interested in seeing how both Vanessa and Zora were fairing.

Teris scowled at her cousin, none too please by his presence either. She flew closer beside Yami. “Why are you in such a mood?”

“Just hate flying. That’s about all Bronn was good for.” Yami grumbled, not sure why he was so irritable.

“Can you please refrain from comments like that? Gilly will be there.” Teris said.

Yami huffed. “It’s not like Gilly didn’t know Bronn was an ass.”

“Yami.” Teris scolded.

Yami looked at her expectantly.

Teris’ expression harden. What was with him today? Finally she said. “If you don’t have something nice to say, just don’t speak at all.”

The Black Bulls shared various expressions of amusement. Even Fuegoleon raised a wry eyebrow.

Tobin outright laughed. “He’ll never talk again.”

Ignoring Tobin, Teris told Yami. “Just in Bronn’s case. Just for today. For Gilly and Jax. Please.”

Olsen opened his mouth to tell Teris she’d get better results asking Yami to behave for her; but Yami silenced him.

“Shut up, Water Fairy.” Yami looked back at Teris. His angry expression softening slightly. “I’ll try.”

“Thank you.” Teris breathed. Yami trying was the best she could hope for given his terrible mood.

Teris wondered what had put Yami in such a bad mood. Whatever it was had to have happened upstairs in the guys wing; because Yami had been sour since the moment he sat down for breakfast. Jax bailing out on coming to Vanessa’s birthday party while telling Yami he had to go, certainly hadn’t helped. Neither had Fuegoleon’s appearance. Though admittedly Fuegoleon’s attendance hadn’t helped her mood either.

Yami flew closer to Teris. “What’s with you?”

Teris turned to him and scoffed. “Me?”

“You’ve been quiet and testy all day.” Yami said.

Teris blinked, unable to believe Yami’s nerve at calling her testy when he’d been nothing short of an angry bear all day. He had literally growled at Tobin for accidentally elbowing him at the breakfast table before they left for Bran’s family home before sunrise this morning.

“Well? You gonna tell me what’s up?” Yami asked, impatient with her silence.

Teris ground her teeth. “Only if you tell me why you’ve been such an ass.”

“Language, Teris.” Fuegoleon rebuked.

“Screw you.” Teris snapped.

Fuegoleon opened his mouth to scold again but was stopped by Tobin.

“I’d leave it, Lion Cub. Teris has been in a mood since morning.” Tobin said.

Venice frowned at her boyfriend. “As if Yami’s been any better.”

“They’ve both been angry ass’.” Abril said.

“Excuse you.” Fuegoleon turned to Abril in clear disapproval. He and Teris may not have made up since their fight before the Star Awards over a month ago. But they were still family and nobody bad mouthed his family.

“Irritable.” Olsen said, soothing the offense. “They’ve both been irritable.”

“We can hear you, you know.” Teris said.

“So then tell us. What’s the matter with you two? You have a fight or something?” Tobin asked.

“Don’t be stupid.” Yami snapped.

They flew in silence after that.

Teris thought of Zora. Bran’s parents had been kind enough to let her invite him. And Zora’s Aunt had said Zora could go. It would be her first time seeing Zora since she learned the truth of Zara’s murder. She hoped Zora wouldn’t ask about Magic Investigations supposed findings and conclusion. Teris didn’t want to perpetuate the falsehood. Nor did she think she could look Zora in the eye and repeat such a lie. But the truth was so terrible Teris didn’t think she could tell Zora that either. She had been tempted not to invite Zora at all just to avoid the chance of such questions. But she needed to see him. Friend bond bracelet or not, she had promised to be Zora’s friend. Zara had been her friend. She owed it to Zara to make sure his son was doing alright.

“We’re here!” Bran sped on ahead with Abril right behind him.

Gendry’s already brooding expression darkened.

Teris tilted her head in Gendry’s direction and asked Yami. “What’s the matter with him?”

Yami glanced at Gendry and shrugged. “How should I know?”

“Cause he’s one of your closest friends.” Teris said.

Yami looked her over. “You’re my closest friend.”

Teris ducked her head trying to hide her blush; but her hair had been tied back for the flight. “Fine. Cause he’s one of your close friends.”

“Don’t pay much attention to my close friends. Just my closest friend.” Yami toyed.

Teris shook her head. “You’re impossible, Sukehiro.”

“And you’re beautiful.” Yami told, loving how her blush deepened and spread to her neck and ears.

Landing their brooms, Yami was once again struck at how child-like Bran could still be. The guy was just a couple months out from turning seventeen. Yet the excitable way Bran pulled his mother along to meet them reminded Yami of the way Julius got when he saw new magic.

“Mum. This is Yami” Bran introduced.

There was a moment of silence.

Yami’s eyes darted to Teris; the rest of the Black Bulls waiting for Bran to go on.

Attempting to cover for her son, Melody Host smiled at Yami. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Is this some met the parents dinner date we didn’t know about? Yami, I thought you were with Teris not Bran.” Tobin joked.

Yami elbowed Tobin in the gut, and rubbed the back of his neck. He had known Bran idolized him; but hadn’t realized it was this bad. The way Bran introduced him and his mother said it was nice to finally meet him made it seem as if Bran wrote home about him. Oh mana please, he hoped Bran didn’t write home about him.

“And this is Teris, Julius Nova’s sister.” Bran belatedly went on, embarrassed blush in his cheeks.

“She’s also co-Vice Captain and the woman I’m gonna marry.” Yami added.

Tobin, Venice, Abril, and Olsen cheered in various levels. Fuegoleon frowned.

Teris turned beet red. Yami might’ve confessed that he wanted to marry her a year ago, but they hadn’t talked about it since; a fact she was thankful for. She didn’t want to pull Yami into the mess of her refusing to wed Nozel, and still thought she could avoid doing so. Finding her voice, she told. “And a person in my own right.”

“That too.” Yami grinned, loving her red cheeks and sputtering response. Tearing his eyes away from Teris, he turned back to Bran’s mother. “Nice to meet you Bran’s Mom.”

“Melody. Please.” Melody said.

“Yeah. I’m not gonna remember that.” Yami said.

“Yami.” Teris scolded.

“What? I’m just being honest. You’ve heard him tell how big his family is.” Yami said.

“Yami’s right. There’s no way I’m going to remember all those names.” Tobin agreed.

Teris turned back to Melody. “Thank you for taking Vanessa in. We’re sorry our Captain couldn’t make it.”

“Vanessa’s been… interesting.” Melody said. She looked the rest of the Black Bulls over. “Forgive me. But I’m with Yami and this other young man. There’s little chance I’ll remember all of your names with a single introduction, so why don’t you just make yourselves at home until it’s supper time.”

Teris’ eyes widened. “Oh. We can’t do that.” She glanced at Yami and Tobin in particular. “It’s best we think of ourselves as guests.”

Melody patted Teris’ hand. “This farm has survived my children, and my husbands siblings before that. There isn’t a wall in that farmhouse or any of the outbuildings that hasn’t been rebuilt because of a little roughhousing. So don’t you worry about your people breaking things.”

“Where’s Papa?” Bran asked.

“Where’s Ricte?” Abril questioned.

“Where’s Vanessa?” Yami wondered.

Venice looked at Abril. “Who’s Ricte?”

Melody eyed Bran. “Have you forgotten what a proper workday looks like? Your father's out in the fields. He’ll be in at the usually dinner time come sundown.”

It struck Teris that they might've disturbed the Host family's regular schedule since the dinner they’d been invited to for Vanessa would start in a couple hours, well before sundown.

Answering Venice, Abril told. “He’s Bran’s friend. I met him when we came to drop off Vanessa. We’ve been writing each other ever since.”

“Writing to each other.” Venice echoed, casting a glance toward Gendry.

Well that explained Gendry's ill-humor, Teris thought.

“It’s not like that!” Abril asserted. She looked at Gendry, growling when he avoided her gaze.

Looking at Yami, Melody answered. “Vanessa is--”

“Yami!”

“--right there.” Melody finished.

89.2

It was late afternoon and the Black Bulls base was quiet for once. Jax sat in his favored chair in the great room trying to read. It was actually too quiet. All of the Bulls except he and Iban had gone to Bran’s parents. The flight there long enough that they would be staying the night and wouldn’t return until just before supper time tomorrow.

Jax had stayed because he wasn’t ready to see Gilly again. But in the houses silence, his thoughts were too loud to ignore. Had he been wrong to stay home? Surely Bronn would've wanted him to go check in on Gilly. Make sure what she said in her letters about doing alright was true. But Jax didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to see her and be reminded of the happiness he had taken from her.

Book forgotten, Jax sat talking himself sick with the same argument he’d been having with himself for three days straight. Finally he got to his feet. It was pointless to think about it anymore. He had made his choice. The others would soon arrive at Bran’s parents, if they weren’t there already.

Leaving the book on the chair, Jax made his way down to Iban’s lab.

Though the lab shared a wall and blocked door to the kitchens, the place was cold and dark even in the middle of summer. He ducked beneath rows of herbs hung to dry and came face to face with the golden eyed Blood Mage.

“Captain. What an unexpected surprise.”

“Tell me exactly how you and Yami are getting along.” Jax ordered.

Work, Jax thought. If he focused on his job as Captain he wouldn’t have to deal with haunting memories, or shame-filled regret.

“He hasn’t cut off anymore of my fingers.” Iban offered.

A wry smile tugged at Jax’s lips. “Always a good thing. Other than not cutting off parts of your anatomy, how are things between the two of you?”

“Out of self preservation and respect for the force that is strengthening within him, I do my best to stay out of co-Vice Captain Yami’s way. That, along with following his decree to stay away from co-Vice Captain Teris has seen us exist amicably enough.”

A cold prickle shot up Jax’s spine. “You said the force that’s strengthening inside him.”

Iban inclined his head.

“That sounds like terminology the Agents of Chaos would use.”

Iban’s eyes glittered darkly in the low light. “Trust me, Captain. The Agents of Chaos currently interested in Yami and Teris are far from the first to speak in such ways.”

Jax stood stock still, dazed for a moment. The barest vibration rumbled underneath the men's boots. The Black Bulls Captain ran a hand roughly over his face, struggling to get his mana under control.

Never once had Iban spoke of knowing the beliefs the Agents of Chaos held about Yami and Teris. Never once had he mentioned anything about the supposed Light and Darkness that was in them. Not even when he had questioned Iban after the Summer Solstice; asking if he had ever heard or knew the meaning of a seventh son of a seventh son of a seventh son.

Then again that wasn’t how Iban Halvor worked. The Blood Mage didn’t volunteer information. Even when questioned directly, Iban often spoke in riddles.

This was his fault, Jax thought. He should've asked. It didn’t matter that he had no reason to question Iban. He was Captain. He should have known.

Gathering himself enough to speak, Jax asked. “What do you know of it?”

“Only what my Grandmother told me.” Iban said.

Jax’s eyes lifted. “What did she tell you?”

“A lot of things--”

Jax grabbed Iban’s shirt collar, pushing him back against the opposite worktable. Disturbed clay jars and glass vials rolled along the tables surface. A couple fell to the floor, breaking.

“Don’t toy with me! I’ll don’t care what memory mage I have to use. I’ll know everything you do even if it leaves you drooling and catatonic.” Jax said.

“Just make sure you don’t call upon Advisor Ellara Shaw.” Iban said, hands lifted in yielding submission.

Jax’s eyes widened. Then widened again when he realized he had physically attacked a member of his squad. He released Iban’s shirt and stepped back. He didn’t apologize. Though he did scold himself for the outburst.

Iban straightened. He didn’t bother smoothing his hair or clothes. Instead he turned to the tipped over jars and vials, tisking at the mess.

Righting some of the more costly and difficult to make brews, Iban stated. “You have questions, Captain.”

“Damn right I do!”

Iban turned back to him. “All you need to do is ask. I’ll gladly tell you whatever you wish to know.”

“No.” Jax scowled. “We’re not playing your games. Not in this. People have died.”

“Ah, yes. Bronn. It’s a shame the Vice Captain died for nothing.”

The house trembled around them. Jax swallowed thickly, battling his own will. A part of him didn’t want to get control of his mana.

The exterior stone wall of the partially subterranean room opened up to the outside. The stones reshaped to form into a stairway leading up to the back lawn. It would be safer for the both of them if they continued this outside.

“Climb.” Jax ordered.

Outside, Jax faced Iban and demanded. “Tell me everything.”

“There’s not much I can tell.”

“I highly doubt that. Now talk.”

Taking a deep breath, Iban told the Captain the same thing he had told Yami about his family’s past.

“Your third great grandfather was the Leader of those crazies!” Jax stormed when Iban was finished.

“They were hardly the radicals you are currently dealing with who are foolish enough to believe ending this existence will bring about the next.” Iban said.

Jax thought back to the information Sir Jorah and Marx had said the Clover Kingdom had on the Agents of Chaos. That over a hundred years ago there was a change in the group that saw the Agents of Chaos going dark. That it led many to think the group had disbanded or been taken out by a rival faction; leaving the group to eventually be forgotten about entirely, until now.

He shook his head, the Agents of Chaos’ past didn’t matter. What mattered was Iban could tell them Alowishus’ plans.

“If you think I can help you, Captain, I am sorry to say you are sorely mistaken.”

“Your family was a part of them. Your grandmother’s grandfather the Master of the group. You know about force strengthening inside Yami.”

Iban rolled his head, sighing. “I know-- how is it those of this kingdom phrase it?”

Jax didn’t say that Iban and his parents were of this kingdom. He knew Iban and his family kept to themselves and refused to assimilate. It’s why Iban still had a Spade Kingdom accent despite him and his parents being born and raised in the Clover Kingdom.

“I know enough to get myself in trouble.” Iban said, recalling the phrase.

“In trouble with who?” Jax asked.

“The truth is, Captain. I do not know what Alowishus Spade’s plan is passed that of using Vice Captain's Yami and Teris to awaken Chaos.”

“Isn’t that enough.” Jax growled.

“Not if you are wanting details. My Grandmother was young when they were cast out of Sanctuary. And though she did her best to teach me the family’s ways, the Agents of Chaos my Grandmother came from is quite different from the Agents of Chaos you are facing. My grandmother’s grandfather was the third sequential Master of Chaos who didn’t agree with a long ago and previous Master who sought to awaken Chaos. As such he was the third Master to steer the group away from such apocalyptic aims.”

“So what? The Agents of Chaos your ancestor led wanted to save the world from hell and create a utopia?” Jax scoffed, in disbelief.

“Utopia could still be hell depending on whose utopia is brought about.” Iban said. Watching the Captain, he told. “The order of the Agents of Chaos is old. Ancient. And every subsequent Master since the Master of Master's has sought to mold the group into their own interpretation of what the Master of Master's taught.”

“And what is that?”

“That Chaos is the beginning and the end. And it is only a matter of Time before Death’s rise and Chaos descends.”

Jax tamped down a shiver. Silly as it was, he wondered if that was capital ‘t’ time; as if time was some primordial force. Though no one had ever mentioned time was a primordial force, nor had any group of crazies even shown an interest in Julius; Jax opened his mouth to ask.

Before he could pose the questioned, Iban spoke first.

Looking about the yard, Iban sighed. “I can tell you what my grandmother’s grandfather believed, but it has no significance on what interests you. More then that, I literally cannot tell you what little I know of previous Master’s of Chaos or what I suppose Alowishus Spade might be planning. I cannot even speak my Grandmother’s name or her grandfather’s name.”

Jax’s eyebrows pulled together, his question forgotten for another. “Why?”

“Remember what I said about knowing enough to get myself in trouble?”

Jax’s breath caught, realization dawning. “Alowishus came to you. Threatened, or did something to you.”

“Yes. He came and offered a deal I could not refuse. A binding vow that took the words from me so I cannot speak or write them. And if I were to try despite not being able to, my family whom he so graciously allows to live, would die.”

“We can find a way around it. To stop or undo it.” Jax said.

“There is no way, Captain. It was binding vow made in blood. For the sake of my family, I went into it willingly.”

“If your family was threatened you were hardly willing.” Jax argued.

Iban smiled at the Captain's innocence. “Do you truly think black magic vows stop to consider such inconsequential things as morals or coercion? No, Captain. For the sake of my family, I will be of no help to you. Though take heart, whatever help I could have provided would not have been of any significance anyway. Truly, I know no details of his plans. That said, there is something that might be of assistance.”

89.3

Though Melody Host had been against it, saying no guest of hers would be put to work, Yami had gone out with Bran to help repair a downed fence. Fuegoleon, Tobin, and Gendry had offered to assist, Olsen’s offer notably absent; but Yami had waved them off. He had been meaning to speak to Bran, and with Bran at ease on the farm he grew up on, Yami figured now was the perfect time.

Walking through the field back to the farmhouse, Bran glanced over at Yami. “Thanks for helping. My brother-in-laws would usually see to the repair before my father had a chance to ask for help. But it’s a busy time of year for all of them.”

Uncomfortable at the gratitude, Yami replied. “You’re their eldest son and I’m your Vice Captain.” As if that alone was enough to explained why Bran should see to the matter and why he had helped him.

“Still. It means a lot.” Bran persisted.

“Stop.”

Bran stopped walking.

“No.” Yami snapped. “Stop thanking me. Stop venerating me. I’m no one to look up to.”

Bran’s expression fell. “I just want to be your friend.”

“I have three friends too many already.” Yami huffed, thinking of Tobin, Gendry, and Jack.

“You can never have too many friends.” Bran said.

Yami’s eyes narrowed. “Since when did you start challenging me?”

Bran’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean to! I—I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. If you wanna be my friend you gotta have a backbone. Know when to stand up to me.”

“But you just said you had too many--”

“And when not to talk back.” Yami added over him.

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ve got a job for you.”

Bran’s head lifted, eyes full of hopeful excitement.

Looking over the twilight field, Yami went on. “It’s off books. Personal. So you don’t have to take it.”

“I’ll take it!”

“Hold your horses. You don’t even know what it is.”

“If it’s for you its got to be important.”

“Have you met me?” Yami laughed. “If it’s for me. Chances are it’s to fetch me another ale.”

“Is it to fetch you an ale?”

Yami couldn’t tell if Bran was being sarcastic or honestly asking and willing to get him one. After skipping out on the Host’s early family dinner to fix that fence, he could sure use a drink. He shook away the tempting thought. “It could land you in trouble. Possibly in danger if you’re caught.”

Bran sobered at that.

“Still want to say yes without knowing what it is?” Yami questioned.

“If it’s for you. I’ll do it.” Bran told, firmly.

Irritated, Yami darkened. “What did I just tell you about venerating me?”

“This has nothing to do with looking up to you.” Bran argued. “I trust you. And not just cause you’re my Vice Captain. If you’re asking me to do something dangerous that might get me in trouble there has to be a reason. It must be important.”

Yami sighed. Bran was right in that. If it weren’t important, he wouldn’t be asking. He didn’t like asking others for help. Didn’t like putting people in dangerous, potentially deadly situations. He realized that that was what being a Magic Knights Captain pretty much was. Sending your squad out on missions they might never return from. Bronn didn’t come back and the bastard had been Jax’s best friend.

“Loyal idiot.” Yami muttered, about both Bran and Bronn. Looking at Bran, he grumbled. “Fine.”

“Why are you acting like this is a favor for me?”

“Who said anything about favors?”

“Well, if it’s personal and off the books…” Bran said with a shrug.

“Shut up. This isn’t a favor. If you do this, I owe you nothing.” Yami said.

“I wasn’t asking for anything. I only said--”

“I told you to shut up.”

Bran clamped his mouth shut.

“I need you to keep an eye on Olsen and Iban.”

Bran’s eyes widened. “Why? What are they--”

Yami scowled.

Bran fell silent.

“You can spy, right? Watch and listen in on stuff with your magic while controlling mice and bugs and stuff?”

“Bees are best for listening. They’re really sensitive to vibrations and I can somehow interpret it when people speak. I’ve tried listening with smaller mammals. But their higher brain function and awareness makes it hard. I can’t listen in through them for long and it takes a lot of mana.”

Yami frowned. So maybe this wouldn’t be as perfect and easy as he had hoped.

“Why do you want me to listen in on Olsen and Iban?” Bran asked.

“I need you to tell me if and when they meet with Advisor Ellara.”

“Advisor Ellara!” Bran balked.

“And if either of them say anything about the Agents of Chaos or Teris and I.” Yami went on.

“To Advisor Ellara?” Bran asked.

“In general.”

“Do you think--”

“I can’t tell you more than that.” Yami interrupted.

Yami’s jaw tightened, hands curling into fists. He remembered how secrets had been keep from him and Teris. He told himself that this was different. That none of this was about Bran. That none of this concerned him. But if Bran agreed to do this, then if would concern him.

“Sorry.” Yami apologized, hating how he felt like a total hypocrite.

“Don’t be. I know there’s a lot of stuff surrounding you and Teris that can’t be talked about. I’m just sorry that it sounds like Iban and Olsen might be suspect. Especially Olsen.”

“Yeah. Iban’s a creepy bastard. There’s not a bad thing I wouldn’t suspect him of.” Yami muttered.

“Is it true he used his magic on you and Teris during your first year? That you’re the reason he’s missing some of his fingers?” Bran asked.

“He hurt Teris.” Yami said, by way of explaining why he had done such a thing.

Bran nodded in understanding. “You really love her.”

Yami open his mouth to say he loved Teris more than life itself. That he would do anything for her. But he caught and stopped himself. Easy to talk to brat, Yami thought scowling at Bran. “So will you do it?”

“I already said I would.” Bran told.

“That was before you knew what I was asking.”

“You’re my Vice Captain. Personal or not. I’ll do what you ask.”

“Loyal idiot.” Yami said again, hoping he wouldn’t get Bran killed.

“I take it no one can know.”

“No one.” Yami said.

“Even Teris?”

Yami thought of Teris’ insatiable curiosity. Of what she might do if she learned about Iban’s past family connection to the Agents of Chaos. Of what she might think of him if she learned that he had considered whatever black magic thing Iban said would allow him to remember the communicative dreams with the page of Chaos.

Looking at Bran, Yami told. “Especially not Teris.”

89.3.2

Teris sat next to Zora under a tree. With most of Bran’s family having returned to their homes an hour or so after supper, things had finally settled down enough for the two to have a quiet moment.

“Have you been able to talk to Fuegoleon at all?” She asked.

“A bit.” Zora muttered.

Teris looked across the open field. Fireflies blinking in and out of the darkening twilight. She wasn’t a mother figure. She hadn’t the faintest idea what to say. Still, the silence wasn’t as uncomfortable as one would have thought.

Finally, Zora mumbled. “They said they couldn’t find my father’s killers.”

Teris frowned. Getting justice for Zara was an added reason why she had to make Magic Knights Commander. Swallowing her anger and guilt, she told. “It may not be how either of us would’ve liked. But I promise. I’ll see him avenged.”

“Not if I get to them first.” Zora gritted, fists clenching.

Teris turned him. “And how would you go about that?”

“By killing the men who killed him.” Zora said.

Teris blinked, breath catching in surprised dread. “If the report said--”

“I don’t need no report.” Zora seethed. “I just need to see them again. I’ll know them when I see them.”

Hope welled in Teris’ chest. “You saw them? When? That night? Zora. If you know something--”

“You think they’ll believe me? A peasant?” Zora spat, thinking of the laughing nobles he had seen and heard at his father's grave sight. “They’ll just call me a liar and cover up the truth.” His eyes lowered, the toe of his boot kicking at a tuft of grass. “The life of a peasant, even one who’s a Magic Knight, means nothing compared to a nobles.”

Teris reached out, hand hovering over his shoulder a moment before she pulled back. “Zora...”

“I’m not asking anything of you!” Zora yelled, fists trembling. He took a shaky breath and looked away. “I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone.”

“We all need someone, Zora. I promised to be your friend. Remember?”

“You want to be my friend? Then train me.”

“Train you? Train you in what?”

Zora glared out over the field. “You’re a Magic Knight. You have to work by the law. Abide by what they say. I don’t.”

“Zora!”

“I don’t need you! I certainly don’t need your approval! I just need you to train me.” Zora said, fiercely.

Zora’s outburst took her back to the first time Julius had returned home after their mother’s death. She had yet to go live with the Vermillion’s. And though Fyntch rarely came out of their father's office, he had made her life miserable in the orders and expectations he had for her. She had shouted something similar at her eldest brother. Telling Julius that she didn’t want him home. That they didn’t need him. And then begged him to stay.

The contradiction didn’t strike her then, just as it probably didn’t strike Zora. Zora’s words made her realize just how heart wrenching her own words to Julius had been. Cause even though she knew Zora didn’t mean what he said about not needing her; it showed just how much he was hurting.

“When I turn fifteen and get my grimoire, I’ll begin my search. Till then I’ll bide my time working on my technique and strengthening my natural magic.”

Teris released a breath. If Zora meant what he said, that at least gave her a few years before she had to worry about him striking out to get revenge. The plan was honestly fairly mindful. Most would have simply acted already and gotten themselves arrested or killed.

“You’re right. Because I’m a Magic Knight there’s little I can do. But if ever I become Knights Commander--” Teris shook her head. Telling Zora her own plans would only get his hopes up and possibly endanger him.

“I don’t blame you.” Zora told.

Teris’ shoulders eased some at that. “I see you still wear the friend bond bracelet I gave you.”

Blue eyes darted to her wrist. It was the first thing Zora had noticed upon seeing her again. That she still wore the thread bracelet he made and given her. “If you’re really my friend, you’d help train me.”

Thinking aloud, Teris murmured. “It’s not like I can lock you away or stop you from doing what you think you must.”

Zora looked at her with expectant, hope filled eyes.

Teris stared back, expression stern. “I need you to promise me, Zora Ideale. Promise that you’ll wait to do anything. At least until you get your grimoire. Even if you see one of them before that. You wait.”

“And what do you promise in return?” Zora asked.

Teris blinked at his boldness. Then again, if her father had been murdered...

Zora took her moment of silence as hesitance and pressed. “Train me. It doesn’t have to be often. So long as we meet up at least twice, preferably four times a year. You can evaluate me and give me tips and pointers. Agree to that and I’ll agree to wait until I get my grimoire no matter what.”

“Zora. Proper training takes more than two to four meet ups a year.”

“Fine. Then don’t call it training. Call it instruction. Direction. Whatever you like. Start giving me homework in the letters you write. I promise I’ll start writing back. Tell me what I’m doing wrong and how to fix it. What I have to do to get better. Give me goals to reach. Books to read. Give me battle scenario’s that I have to figure out so I learn how to think about and look at stuff. Please, Teris. I swear I’ll be the best student you ever had.”

“Even if this were to work. Which it won’t. This isn’t right. Your father wouldn’t want this. Me training you to get revenge...”

“It’s better than me trying to learn on my own. Getting my grimoire and going after them.” Zora argued. “I’d likely die at the hands of the first person I faced. You think my father would want you to leave me to that fate?”

Teris looked away. She knew Zara would want what was best for his son. But she could talk herself dizzy trying to figure out what Zara would've considered best for Zora in this situation. If she did as Zora asked, he’d likely get himself killed or imprisoned. But if she didn’t help him, he’d definitely get himself killed or imprisoned. Rubbing her forehead she wondered what Julius would do. No. In this circumstance, that wasn’t the right question. What would Commander Greywright or Jax do?

“Alright.” Teris said, at length. “But you have to keep your word. No seeking these people out. No doing anything against them. Even if they cross your path. Not until you’re fifteen and have your grimoire.”

Zora held out his hand. “Deal.”

Teris looked at the friend bond bracelet hanging on the wrist of his outstretched hand. Squinting a grimacing eye shut, she silently apologized to Zara and shook Zora’s hand.

89.4

Julius exited his office, grateful to call it an early day. “Commander?” His heart dropped at Greywright’s brooding expression. “What’s going on?”

Greywright pushed passed Julius to enter the Azure Deers Captain's office, sitting heavily before the desk.

Julius and Jon shared a look. The Captain turned and stepped back into his office, while Jon sighed and returned to his desk outside his Captain's office, keeping watch.

“Can I get you anything, sir?” Julius offered, closing the door.

“Answers.”

“Sir?” Julius moved around the desk.

“What are you and Jax up to? I clearly remember stating I wanted to know any and everything the two of you learned, dealt with, or planned regarding the Agents of Chaos or this mess with Ellara.”

Julius stared at the Knights Commander in confusion as he sank into the chair behind his desk.

“Jax took off.” Greywright told.

“Well there was that party for the young Witch Yami found--”

“I know about that.” Greywright snapped, temper made short in his concern. “Who do you think approved his ask to give all but one member of his squad two days off so they could go to that thing.”

“Jax was debating about going himself. Gilly was going to be there. Maybe he decided to go last minute?” Julius continued after the Commander's interruption.

Greywright frowned, realizing Julius knew nothing of Jax’s plans. Though relieved that the two Captain's hadn’t disobeyed and kept anything from him; he was also further distressed.

“No.” The Knights Commander pulled Jax’s hastily penned letter from his cloak. “I returned to my office a couple hours ago to find this. Lucky for Jax, he was already long gone.” He handed Julius the letter.

Julius opened the missive and read: Learned of something that might help. Going to fetch it. Be back in a few days.

“Learned of what?” Julius asked, brows furrowed.

“That’s what I was hoping you’d tell me.”

“I don’t know.”

“I figured out that much, Julius, thank you.”

Julius read the three short sentences over again. “He doesn’t even give a date for his return. Just saying he’ll be back in a few days.”

“I’m aware.” Greywright said, tapping down his worry. After losing Bronn to this mess, Jax going off on his own, without giving date of his expected return…

Julius dropped the letter on his desk and simmered. “He’s going to get an earful when he gets back. Going off on his own without saying where he’s going, for what, or when he’ll be back… He knows better. With everything’s that’s happened and dangers still out there--” He stopped, not wanting to voice his fears as if doing so would bring them to fruition. “This isn’t what friend's do.”

Comments are VERY MUCH appreciated and really make my day. Thank you to those who have left hearts. And a special THANK YOU to those who have recently commented or re-blogged. It really means a lot.

Next chapter snippet:

Eager to get back to Teris, Yami closed and latched the gate. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s go back.”

Dark eyes glinting in the moonlight, Ellara told. “You’re not going anywhere, Vice Captain.”

#yami sukehiro #julius novachrono #zora ideale #vanessa enoteca #fuegoleon vermillion #Black Clover #light in the darkness

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levinneheart · 4 years

Text

Partner in Crime

— A scenario to celebrate this blog hitting the 100 follower mark!!!

➳ Description: This is a story between enemies; a middle school friend turned salty, a high school partner turned full debate sessions, and an unfortunate girl stuck in the middle… it seems there is going to be trouble ahead.

➳ Pairing: Akaashi Keiji x F!Reader

➳ Prompt: Enemies to Lovers, Shy Confessions, Scenario

➳ Genre: FLUFF, ANGST

➳ Word count: 2k+

➳ Disclaimer: Pictures used are not ours and are all credited to their owners. Haikyuu characters are owned by Haruichi Furudate.

Prologue: Trouble Ahead

Alt Route: Wit’s End (Tsukishima Route)

➳ Recap: (Y/n) had a choice to make. Go after her broken friendship with a childhood friend, or stay with the new and intriguing project partner…

She decided to stay with Akaashi as her grades were at stake and she wanted to at least get along with the latter since she was going to be the Fukurodani’s manager after the 3rd years have graduated.

I could always talk to Tsukishima later. (Y/n) thought before snapping out of her reverie when she heard a familiar voice.

“Okay. Let’s discuss it after our practice match.” The vice-captain calmly replied. “Is that okay?” To which (y/n) immediately responded with a nodding of agreement. Akaashi shot her with a small smile before walking away and joining his team who looked on with a slight smirk on their faces.

It was gone, that unfamiliar way his heart babbles at her sudden actions. What was it? Either way, she was kinda cu—

Akaashi shook his head softly to hide his red tinted cheeks whilst (y/n) looked on and smiling softly at herself before starting to help the other managers on setting everything out: the chairs, the water bottles, the towels, etc.

Later after practice, they did talk about their topic and settled on the Development of Documentaries in Volleyball as both have aspects of Volleyball and Film. Their interaction was stiff and awkward but they did sort of makeup so (y/n) counts it as a win.

When the night came, Bokuto saw (y/n) walk past the gym he and Akaashi were practicing at. “Hey (l/n)!” Bokuto called out, gaining the younger girl’s attention “Do you wanna watch our practice with Nekoma’s captain? You could assess our skills and gain experience from it!”

(Y/n) thought about it for a minute before smiling brightly. “Sure, Bokuto-kun! I can only stay for a couple hours though, since we managers are gonna cook for you all tonight.” She reasoned out before adding, “Oh! Lemme get my clipboard real quick!” as she runs off to retrieve said item.

Akaashi raised a brow in suspicion at his friend who just smiled innocently at him before the ravennette began playing with his fingers as they invited two more people to practice with them.

(Y/n) came back with her clipboard after a few minutes, she was greeted by a surprising sight: Akaashi is tossing for Bokuto and Kuroo guiding Tsukishima while whipping Lev to shape by making him practice on receiving.

When did the two of them look so cool when playing volleyball? Especially Akaashi. She asked herself as she felt her cheeks heat up. I guess I haven’t paid much attention to him when I became a manager. She rationalized, nodding slightly as if to convince herself.

After their practice, Tsukishima approached (y/n) with Yamaguchi urging him to sincerely apologize while she did the same, bowing her head slightly. “Tsukki, I’m so sorry for not talking to you.”

“No, it’s fine. I didn’t take any effort too.” Tsukishima replies while Akaashi nods to you both as he walks past and stepped out of the gym with a heavy heart.

He had heard about they’re situation from the others and he wanted to give them space to sort out their differences but at the same time, something told him he didn’t like the way they got close to each other.

They may be friends but I’m— Akaashi stopped on his tracks, his eyes widening slightly in realization. It explained everything; the bubbling feeling and the heaviness on his chest. How could he not have known? The answer was in front of him the whole time, yet he didn’t notice.

Reason 1: He wasn’t the type to fight someone.

Reason 2: He could’ve agreed to her suggestion on the topic, yet he didn’t.

Reason 3: She was younger than him, which meant that she was stubborn and yet he couldn’t stop being cheeky and kept on bickering.

Reason 4— Akaashi suddenly realized something that shook his whole core, he only argued to get a response from her… Since they didn’t interact at all from the day they were partnered up.

With this new found information, Akaashi now sees (y/n) in a different light as he begins walking again with a small smile whilst a warm feeling spreads throughout his chest.

(Y/n) sighed after eating dinner with the five schools. Making dinner for all of them was tiring and she immediately felt exhausted from keeping up with the hyper first years that Karasuno and Nekoma have. All she wanted to do now was fall onto her sleeping mat and sleep as she made her way to where the girls room was and knocked before entering. She laid out her sleeping mat while the two third years put on their pajamas before changing into her pajamas herself.

The next day came sooner than (y/n) would have liked. She groaned softly as she turned from her side to her back, her head popped out of the covers before pulling the blanket off her.

(Y/n) stared blankly at the ceiling before blinking once or twice and stretching her limbs to fully wake her up. A yawn escaped from her parted lips as she slowly sat up before dragging herself out of the comfort of sleeping in for the day.

All the managers and coaches gathered around the lounge area as they all prepared for breakfast before eating with the boys then practicing, and the process repeats for lunch and dinner. This became a routine everyday during the training camp.

As days of the training camp passed by, you and Akaashi mostly kept their interactions civil. Although, there’s still occasional bickering between them – it’s not as bad as before.

And when they did argue, the 3rd years would often tease them by remarking ‘how they quarrel like an old married couple’ to which (y/n) immediately denies, effectively and ultimately forgetting about the little squabble with Akaashi while the latter shakes his head in disappointment.

(Y/n) actually developed a somewhat okay-ish friendship with her project partner while her relationship with everybody else is like being the team’s little sister as she is the youngest. While she, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi remained close. Occasionally, meeting up once in a while.

Bokuto started it all. He immediately bombarded (y/n) with his hyper energetic attitude, slightly overwhelming her with it since she wasn’t used to it as a certain someone from middle school was mean to her.

Then, Kaori and Yukie teaches (y/n) about everything she need to know about managing, including managing Bokuto’s mood swings while Washio occasionally gives (y/n) some wisdom on how to cheer their captain up or gives her encouragement which she appreciate, she actually look up to him and see him as her older surrogate brother.

Sarukui and Konoha offer (y/n) to teach her how to play volleyball while telling her about other team’s strengths and weaknesses, giving her tips and tricks on certain plays.

Ahanori and Onaga immediately became (y/n)’s friends, the three are always seen talking to each other or sitting next to each other during breaks and in between practices as the two males were easier to talk and approach.

On the last day, Tsukishima approached her. “Can we talk somewhere private for a minute?” (Y/n) agreed as he led her somewhere but Akaashi got curious so he followed them. “This isn’t easy for me. I’ve never… not like this. But. You matter to me. A lot.” Tsukishima started.

“Ok? I get that our fight wasn’t easy but you’re my friend—”

“I like you.” He interrupted, cornering her against the wall. “No, I’m not expecting a reaction, I’m just stating the fact that I like you. I’ve been in denial for years now, denying these feelings in my heart but I’m done. I like you. There. It’s out in the world.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “I like you, and if you don’t feel the same, that’s okay too. I’m not expecting you to like me back.”

(Y/n) gaped, her whole face turning beet red before gulping hard at the lump forming in her throat. “Oh, I see. I— uh...“ She shifted uncomfortably, looking everywhere for help.

Tsukishima slammed a hand against the brick wall. Halfway closing her in, but still giving her an out if she so chose. “You what?” he taunted. “Come on, (y/n). You know, you can form coherent words better than that.”

Akaashi stepped in and pulled (y/n) behind him, shielding her protectively as she pecked out from behind, holding his arm before looking at Tsukishima with an expression that said ‘I’m sorry’. He glanced between them and sighed in understanding, he gave (y/n) a wry smile and gave Akaashi a respectful nod before walking off.

For the rest of the day, Akaashi kept an eye on (y/n) and when they all got inside the bus, he sat beside her and held her hand throughout the day. He was doing something on his phone and noticed something heavy on his shoulder, he looked down and saw (y/n) leaning on it. Akaashi smiled, shifting slightly so they can both be comfortable before watching the scenery pass by the window until they reached the Fukurodani grounds.

Akaashi shook her lightly to wake her up, offering his open hand. “(Y/n), wake up. We’re here.” to which she woke up to, instinctively accepting his hand as she didn’t mind the way his hand fits snuggly in hers.

They continue their project; Akaashi does the research on his part while (y/n) does hers while co-editing it to fit their topic together perfectly. They don’t fight as much as before besides the occasional vague remarks from Akaashi that seemed kind of flirtatious?

(Y/n) can’t really tell as she never could figure out how the mind of her project partner works but she did notice that their interactions seemed to be getting more enjoyable. Back then, she was miserable as he pointed out all her weaknesses and mistakes like he already memorized them mentally. Now, he was sort of polite and humbled down in a way.

She approached him to confront him about it. “Do you regret it?”

“What?”

“You know..” she trailed off, struggling to find the correct words. “Everything…?”

He was quiet for a long moment. Heat flooded her face as she opened her mouth to tell him to forget she asked, but he finally said, “Just because we fought doesn’t mean I regretted anything as the matter of fact I didn’t, I enjoyed every single bit of it because I got to be partnered up with you.”

“Yeah.” She said with a bright smile. “Me too.”

Months went by after they got an A+ on their project together, (y/n) was now in the library and looking for a certain book that taught aspiring photographers how to start their own businesses from scratch. She found it on a shelf as she reached up to it, she discovered that she couldn’t reach it. She tiptoed in an attempt to somehow reach over it but failed miserably and when she was about to give up and move on, a hand went above her and grabbed the book she was reaching out for.

“Thanks.” She turned around to face the kind stranger only to see Akaashi was the one who helped her out. “Oh, it’s you, my partner in crime.”

He raised a brow at her before shaking his head softly with a small smile. “Always.” Akaashi replied before wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her closer and placing his free hand on the back of her head. “You’re always my partner in crime and I’m yours.”

“Seems I’ve put myself again in a whole lot of trouble ahead.” (Y/n) chuckled softly before leaning towards him.

“That’s one of your weaknesses too,” He started before continuing, “but it’s too late to back out now.” Akaashi’s warm lip met yours in a slow yet sweet kiss before giving her the book she was reaching for and a brand new blue polaroid camera. Later, (y/n) took their first picture of them together in tribute to all the previous love quarrels they made.

Prologue: Trouble Ahead

Alt Route: Wit’s End (Tsukishima Route)

Tagging: @thesecretlifeoflilly @currentconcern cuz we worked so hard on this collab hahaha and @spiritofthescarletwoods hello 💞🌞 anon

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simmonsofshield · 5 years

Text

Broken, Mended Chapter 2

Pairings: Steve Rogers x Reader, Sam Wilson x Reader (platonic)

Summary: After breaking off an engagement, Y/N may have possibly hit rock bottom. But she doesn’t have time to think about it because she gets deployed to Iraq. Leaving their daughter with her friend, Sam Wilson, she’s gone for a year. She doesn’t like talking about her ex-fiance and is unsure if she’ll ever be able to love again. What happens a certain Captain is his literal doppelganger?

Words: 1650+

Warnings: Lies, mentions of death

A/N: This is for @ussgallifreyfics 550 follower writing challenge! Takes place during Civil War.

tag list is open

A couple of weeks pass and Y/N is loving her time with Rosemary (and Sam too, of course). As the sun rises, Y/N rolls over and looks at the clock on the side table. 6:00 am. She wants to go back to sleep and the small body next to her breathing steadily makes it so inviting but she simply can’t. Once she’s awake, she’s awake. She gets out of bed and wanders around the small house, putting together that Sam was probably out on a morning run. She sleepily stalks out to the kitchen where she finds a note on the counter.

In New York. Will text later.

Well, that’s...weird. She puts the note aside and begins making breakfast. By the time it’s done, Rosemary is walking in.

“Smells good mommy.” she looks around, “Where’s Uncle Sam?”

She sets a plate with two pancakes on it in front of her daughter, “I’m not sure honey. Maybe he got called into work.” She definitely knew that wasn’t true, but was unsure of how to answer since she herself didn’t understand the note.

With Sam in New York, or wherever he was, Y/N and Ro had a nice day together. It was nice to relax and not have to worry about anything. It was days like this that Y/N was looking forward to while overseas.

Just getting home from dinner, her phone rings. A restricted number. Rosemary runs to the living room, while she hesitantly answers. “Hello?”

“Is this Y/N L/N?”

“Yes...”

“Johnny.” Her Commanding Officer. She lets out a breath of relief and smiles.

“Oh! I was worried when you came up as a restricted number. Do you need something?”

He chuckles. “I do actually. There’s a UN meeting in Vienna tomorrow. Would you be able to do some security detail?”

A confused look appears on her face. “Don’t the governments attending have people for that? And it’s way above my paygrade anyhow, isn’t it?”

“They do, but I was contacted this morning for recommendations from the Falcon missions. You were the first to come to mind. They want someone up above looking over everything. You would be compensated appropriately.”

“I appreciate the thought, but as you know, I have a daughter. I’d have to find a babysitter or someone to look after her while I’m gone. And I just got home. I don’t want to just up and leave her again.”

It’s silent for a moment while Johnny takes that in. “I understand. Unfortunately, this is an urgent matter, so take a little bit to think about it and get back to me. I need an answer in an hour.”

“Yes, sir.” And with that he hangs up.

Taking a deep breath, Y/N puts her phone back in her pocket and goes to find Rosemary. As expected, she’s laying on her stomach in front of the TV watching her favorite cartoon. Y/N sits on the couch and sighs, rubbing her forehead with her thumb and pointer finger.

Her daughter’s voice takes her out of her moment. “Mama, are you okay?”

She gives her a small smile, “Yeah, flower. Just thinkin’.”

She crawls onto her lap and gets cozy, “What about?”

She couldn’t help but smile at her 4 year old’s curiosity. “My Commanding Officer, my boss, just called me.”

“Do you have to go away again?” She’s smart too.

“I don’t have to if you don’t want me to. I have a choice this time.”

“You should do it.”

The answer surprises her, “Are you sure, hun? I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone. Could be a few days, could be a month, or more.”

She nods matter-of-factly, “I can stay here with Sam. Ooh! Or with Hannah. She has a really big house, remember?”

Y/N cradles her daughter’s face, moving a strand of hair out of the way, “Sometimes I swear you’re 18. I will go if you’re okay with it.”

“I am, Mommy.”

Y/N nods, and sets Rosemary back on the ground, off her lap. She immediately takes her phone out again and texts Sam.

Y/N: Don’t know what the heck you’re doing in NEW YORK, but will you be able to watch Ro for a little bit? CO just called and I’m needed in Vienna for some UN meeting or something. Sam: Vienna? Cool! I can’t watch her though, sorry. Tony Stark wanted to talk to me. Y/N: Iron Man?! What the heck for? Sam: Not sure exactly. He seemed very interested in the Falcon suit. Y/N: How would he even know about that? You’re not making any sense. Sam: I don’t know. He is a tech genius. And has connections. Maybe he just found me. 🤷🏾‍♂️ Y/N: Looks like I’m not the only one with secrets, Mr. Cryptic.

Sending that message, she then calls Julie, Hannah’s mom who is more than happy to take Rosemary. After calling Johnny back, she packs a suitcase and helps Ro get packed and takes her to Hannah’s. Thanking Julie again, she kisses her daughter goodbye and heads to the airport.

Once again, Y/N falls asleep and wakes up on a plane. It’s getting old. Looking at the little screen on the back of the seat in front of her, she can see that they’re only mere minutes from landing. As she probably should have been able to tell by her ears and the change in air pressure.

Landing in Vienna, she gets her luggage and heads to the hotel next to where the meeting is being held and by the looks of it, all the upper floors (maybe even the whole hotel) has been reserved for everyone that is attending. There’s a lot of people dressed in black with earpieces standing outside of certain rooms.

Y/N finds her room and enters it, not even bothering to change and lays on top of the bed. She doesn’t even realize she’s almost asleep until a knock at her door startles her awake. She looks around, remembering that she’s in Vienna in a hotel. There’s another knock and she walks to the door to answer it. Outside is a hotel staff person with a big box on a luggage cart. On it is the Air Force insignia along with the word fragile on one side and handle with care on the other. The staffer looks at her, “Are you Miss Y/N L/N?”

“Yes.”

“Then this is for you.”

She smiles at him, taking the box, “Thank you.”

He leaves and she closes the door. Opening the box, she finds her assumption to be correct- inside it is the Falcon wings. Underneath them in the box however, are a couple extra things with a note. It reads, Just a little upgrade. -J

She pulls the first thing out and it’s a new tactical suit to go with the wings. It’s not like anything she’s seen before. She wonders who Johnny or the Air Force consulted to make this. It’s lighter than anything she’s ever worn, yet looks like it has better protection coverage. It has a holster on each thigh and one on the waist. For this job Y/N isn’t really sure why she would need that much firepower, but it’s nice nonetheless. Beside it was another smaller box, she assumed held the pistols for the holsters.

Waking up and looking at the clock, Y/N realizes she got more of a nap rather than sleep. Some sleep is better than none though. She takes a quick shower, puts her hair up in a tight bun, and gets dressed in the new suit. It’s snug, yet surprisingly comfortable, breathable. She puts on the wing pack and secures the guns. Along with them in the little box was an earpiece, presumably for keeping in contact with one or a few people on the ground. She heads up the hotel stairwell to the roof. She opens the wings and flies to a building across the way so she could see everyone and everything going on.

She sits at her perch and watches as all the news trucks line the street. As camera crews and anchors get themselves set up in front of the building, she brings her hand up to her ear. “If anyone is on this channel, can you contact law enforcement? There’s one truck down on the street that only one person has exited. They didn’t have any camera equipment. White ADS truck.”

There’s a little bit of crackling then a response, “Yes ma’am. We’ve been watching it down here too.”

Only a couple minutes pass before a K9 unit and another policeman approach the vehicle. The dog stands alert, which is never good. She releases her wings again and gets ready. The officer not holding the dog opens the back door and Y/N can tell, even from her high vantage point, that he’s scared. As he backs up, he’s definitely telling people to clear out and get as far back as possible. At this, she immediately jumps off the building and dives towards the ground.

It’s only but another few seconds later that whatever was in the van goes off. It sets off what she assumes is a chain reaction of explosives that goes up the building right to where the UN meeting is being held. The severity of the blast throws her back into the building that she was just on top of and through a window. She grunts at the impact but quickly recovers, flying to the meeting room.

Everyone of course is in a panic. A redhead has seemed to have taken charge, getting everyone out of the room and exiting the building. From what she can see, there was only one casualty, more probably on the ground. She approaches the body and the one holding it, instantly recognizing it at King T’Chaka of Wakanda and his son T’Challa.

She puts a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump slightly. “I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

He doesn’t say anything, only nods. As she begins to walk away she sees him take a ring off his father’s finger and hold it.

tags:

@cake-writes @supraveng @vxidnik @kallafrench @itsallyscorner @polarcrystall

#gallifreys500 #steve rodgers x reader #steve x reader #steve rogers #sam wilson x reader #avengers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers series #captain america #captain america x reader #marvel fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #marvel ff #mcu ff #marvel #mcu

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aratilightwood · 5 years

Text

On the anniversary of Livia Blackthorn’s death.

An Au where Kit never left for Devon and Ty didn’t attend the Scholomance.

Instead of Irene, we have baby turtles!

(A revised and edited version).

...

It was a warm summer evening in Los Angeles, and Kit Herondale was trying to catch up on his sleep.

It had been a very productive day.

Two hours of rune studies was taught by Diana after breakfast, and Kit unsuccessfully tried to remember as many runes as he could.

Another two hours were spent in the training room with Jace so Kit could become familiar with different weapons, as well as master knife throwing.

He was still unsure of which weapons he’d likely choose when going into battle.

It was a relief when he got the opportunity to take a break for lunch. He was hopeful that the educational part of his day was over.

Diana was however firm about Kit learning the histories of the clave. The cold peace was his least favourite.

Finally, after acknowledging that Kit was straining to keep his eyes open while reading old and withered books, Diana decided to call it a day.

But even though Kit was very tired, he struggled to fall asleep.

One year, Kit thought.

He knew that at midday tomorrow, it would be exactly one year since the incident in Idris.

Kit remembered the day as if it was yesterday.

Every time he closed his eyes, he heard the same screams of horror from the council hall. The events played out on a constant loop in his mind.

Given the atmosphere of the institute for the past week, no one else was coping well with the anniversary of Livia Blackthorn’s death.

Her room remained untouched since the Blackthorns left for London when Malcolm Fade posed a threat.

Julian stopped making pancakes for breakfast on Fridays, much to Drusilla and Tavvy’s dismay.

In fact, most meals were take outs ordered from the nearest pizza or Chinese restaurant.

Helen and Aline tried to ease the grief and tense atmosphere. The children became their responsibility after they were appointed co-heads of the institute.

But it was difficult to reconnect with your family, especially if you’d been away from them for five years.

Now Kit tossed and turned on his double bed. He dreaded waking up the next day, and seeing all the Blackthorns drown in their sorrow.

He couldn’t decide how he would provide any comfort to Ty, or anyone else in the Institute.

Being a Herondale, he felt like an outsider, intruding on the privacy of the Institute.

At least in that aspect, he had something in common with Diana and Emma.

Just when Kit was about to fall asleep, there was a sound at his door.

Three knocks.

He sat up in his bed, rubbed his right eye and silently cursed.

Of course he wasn’t the only one unable to sleep.

But who could’ve disturbed Kit at that time of night?

“Who is it?” He asked in his raspy voice.

“Um, it’s Ty... can I come in?”

Kit was wide awake now.

His annoyance was left abandoned.

“Yes, of course.”

Ty entered the room and was wearing a half sleeved black t-shirt, dark jeans and trainers.

His black hair looked unkept, and in need of cutting. He had shadows under his eyes.

It made Kit wonder why he hadn’t changed into his pyjamas already.

It was nearly 12am.

“I need your help,” Ty stated with a troubled expression.

‘What’s wrong?’ Kit asked softly.

He swung his legs out from under the covers, and placed his feet into slippers.

“I was walking along the beach and found this... this nest of turtle eggs.”

“And?”

“They were being raided by a group of stray dogs. Three eggs have already been taken.”

Kit sat there speechless and tried to piece together a coherent response.

“Can you come and help me watch over them?” Ty asked.

Kit didn’t have to think about it twice.

He got out of bed and put a hoodie over his pyjamas.

“I’ll come with you.”

They walked hastily out of the bedroom and Institute, while treading quietly to avoid waking others.

The beach wasn’t far and they were two shadows in the dark.

The sand was soft as a blanket under Kit’s feet.

“We’re nearly there,” Ty claimed.

Kit hurried along as Ty increased his pace, very eager to reach the turtle’s nest.

It wasn’t long before they reached the area on which a turtle had laid nine eggs.

With a closer examination, Kit realised that three of them had been cracked open.

The premature baby turtles had been snatched from the safety of their temporary homes.

“The dogs have already taken three. I don’t want them taking anymore. We should stay here all night to ensure that doesn’t happen,” Ty said.

Kit regarded the nest and turned his face towards Ty.

“Sounds like a plan.”

He proceeded to sit on top of the sand, before laying back and looking up with a smile.

Ty laid down next to him with a sigh of relief.

At least twenty minutes passed and the two boys stared at the stars in silence.

Kit wondered what life would’ve been like if there was no shadow world and no shadowhunters.

Perhaps he could’ve been a captain on a ship, and faced adventure in different parts of the world.

All the Institute shadowhunters would’ve been his companions, with the exception of Emma, who was terrified of the ocean.

“You know what’s strange?’ Ty asked.

“What?” Kit questioned.

It was so quiet that he thought Ty had already fallen asleep.

Ty, however, kept his focus on the sky above them.

Kit took advantage of this by admiring the side profile of his face.

“When I found this nest, the first person I thought of was Livia.”

Kit felt a pang in his chest and furrowed his eye brows.

“You miss your sister. I understand that.”

Ty shook his head.

“It’s not only that. I mean, I do miss her... but the reason why she came to mind was because of something Jules told me.”

Kit waited for Ty to explain further.

“It must’ve been a month or so after Livvy’s death. Julian told me how much she wanted to run an institute when she was older, and how she would never have the chance to. Livvy was always so caring. She always wanted to have responsibility. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I’d become about how good she would’ve been at that job.”

Kit nodded as if agreeing.

“I’ve no doubt she would’ve been a great Institute head.”

‘“...and when I saw this nest, I immediately thought of how much Livvy would want me to care for and protect it.”

There was a long pause.

“So... you’re doing this for her? For Livia?” Kit asked.

“Partly... you know I’ve always liked animals,” Ty replied with a sad smile.

“Then we’ll stay until they hatch, even if we have to lie here all week.”

There was no reply.

Kit looked at Ty more intently and realised he’d fallen asleep.

“Goodnight Ty.”

Hours passed slowly, and Kit was thankful when he finally saw the sun peaking out from under the horizon.

Sunrise in Los Angeles would’ve made a great landscape for painting with the amalgamation of: orange, red and blue.

It was nearly midday when seagulls began to screech above the shore, and the beach was clustered with mundanes.

Kit had struggled to stay awake all night to keep an eye on the turtle eggs, when Ty fell asleep.

He was impressed with himself, having survived a night of sleeplessness. But was ridden with exhaustion.

Now, Ty stirred in his sleep and groggily opened his eyes.

“Good you’re awake,” Kit said with a smile.

An expression of panic came upon Ty’s face and he sat up immediately.

“I fell asleep... the nest...”

“I stayed awake all night to keep an eye on it.”

Ty looked down at the nest with astonishment.

All six eggs were left unharmed.

“All night? You should’ve woke me up so you could get some sleep.”

“It’s alright, honestly. I wasn’t that tired,” Kit lied.

Ty turned his head and looked towards the ocean.

“What time is it?” Kit asked.

He planned on going to the institute and getting them a bite to eat.

“It just struck 12pm,” Ty replied as he looked at his watch.

As soon as Ty said this, there was a sound of something breaking.

Both boys turned their attention to the nest.

One of the eggs had cracked open, and a tiny head of a turtle peaked out from underneath.

Kit smiled widely, and saw the same expression mirrored in Ty’s face.

Soon the second egg followed, then the third and the fourth.

When all the eggs opened, the turtles climbed out of their nest and made their way to the water.

Kit and Ty walked together slowly after them, and stopped when they reached the shoreline.

The water engulfed the turtles one by one, and invited them into their blue oceanic home.

56 notes · View notes

spaceiplier · 6 years

Text

Just a Myth

Private Skap Refirth was never one for gossip.

Still, when they heard some of the other privates from their graduating class discussing their commanding officer, they couldn’t help but listen in.

“It’s sad, really,” one of them sighed, setting down a small screen. “She was a really good CO.”

The others mumbled their agreement, and Skap started to tune out when they started sharing condolences for the recently departed. They’d never been particularly close to Oscuri. They felt bad for her family, of course, but officers died every day. Oscuri’s death was nothing special.

“Did you hear how she died?” another private asked suddenly, voice hushed with excitement. The others shook their heads.

“Well, you know how she lost her eye several years ago?” The group nodded. “They say that it was the Red-Eyed Velm who took it. I heard it killed her second-in-command and then took her eye and ate it.”

“What does this have to do with how she died?” a slightly younger private asked, sounding queasy. “And do we have to talk about that over lunch?”

“I heard that the Red-Eyed Velm came back to finish her off,” the private continued, whispering for added dramatic effect. “That’s why they won’t tell anyone how she died. It’s a conspiracy!”

“Oh, please,” Skap huffed, turning around in their seat to face the group. “You really believe that junk?” They didn’t wait for any of their old classmates to respond before continuing. “The Red-Eyed Velm is just some story they tell soldiers to keep them in line. It’s like Pazazu or Grain Fae. Just fairy tales to keep you from misbehaving.”

“What about her eye? Or her mysterious death?” the story-telling private countered, looking smug.

“She probably never talked about her eye because it was a sore subject,” Skap replied flatly. “Even if it wasn’t the Red-Eyed Velm, she still lost her closest friend at the same time. I wouldn’t want to talk about it either, if it were me.”

“And her—”

“And her death,” Skap continued, glaring at the other private, “is probably in the rest of her obituary somewhere, since I doubt you read the whole thing.”

One of the other privates picked up the screen that had been laying on the table and scrolled through the article. The story-telling private huffed and crossed his arms.

“Says it was just a faulty boiler,” she said softly, showing the tablet to the others. “An explosion.” They all nodded, Skap more confidently than the others.

“Told you so,” they said, chuckling as they turned back around in their seat to finish their lunch. “The Red-Eyed Velm is just a story. A myth.”

Skap had finally settled into the routine of working on the GS Lakshy when the first break-in occurred.

It was a day just like any other. Skap had been going about his daily duties when a handful of alarms down the hall started going off all of a sudden. Skap sprinted to the storage room closest to the alarms and opened the doors just in time to see a boot scramble up into the ceiling and disappear. Skap rushed to the nearest window and watched helplessly as a small, junky-looking ship took off and disappeared into the distance.

Skap helped a few other officers carry the unconscious guards to the infirmary before making their way to the captain’s quarters. They’d never been particularly close to Captain Zook, but the Vodajas always seemed nice enough, aside from his supposedly legendary temper. Regardless of any rumor, Skap felt responsible to report what they’d seen.

Skap could hear Captain Zook conversing with a couple of others when they knocked on his door. The conversation stopped, and, after a moment or so, Skap was invited in. The two security personnel left as Skap entered, eyeing Skap curiously as they closed the door.

“Well, private,” the captain began, “what can I do for you?” He smiled kindly, his thin mouth stretching across his pale pink face. The fins on the sides of his head drifted lazily, three on one side and two on the other.

“I wanted to report what I saw, sir,” Skap said, standing at attention. They shifted their feet anxiously as they awaited the captain’s response.

“Well, I’ve had a lot of reports today, private,” Zook said, lighting a cigar in his mouth. Skap’s shoulders sagged. “However,” the captain continued, stopping Skap from turning and leaving, “you did come all this way. Let me show you what we’ve got so far, and then you can decide if your information is still… necessary.” He motioned for Skap to join him on his side of the desk as he pulled something up on the screen in front of him.

Skap moved around the captain’s desk until they were standing beside Zook’s chair. On the screen was the footage from one of the cameras in the storage room. Zook leaned back and pressed play.

A couple seconds in, the lights went out. When they came back on, the camera showed Skap opening the door and then disappearing as they ran towards the other window. Zook stopped the recording and turned to look up at Skap.

“We figured out the film was looped in all the cameras pretty quickly,” the captain explained. “So all of our evidence is from the stolen crates. Unfortunately, the job was extremely clean. The guards were all knocked out with some sort of homemade sedative shortly after the lights went out, so none of them saw anything. A couple external cameras may have caught something heading away from the Lakshy, but it’s not enough to be sure.”

“I saw the ship leave,” Skap said hesitantly. “I think I saw the thief too.”

Captain Zook looked up in surprise. “You saw them?” he asked, the eagerness in his voice shocking Skap slightly.

“I think so,” Skap repeated, backing away from the captain’s chair. “I think I saw a boot go into the ceiling of the storage room when I walked in, and then when I went to go look out the window, I saw a small scrappy ship flying away from ours.” Skap moved around back to the other side of the captain’s desk as he thought.

“What did it look like?” Zook asked finally, brow furrowed in thought.

“I didn’t get a really good look at it,” Skap admitted shamefully, “but it looked like it was really old, like it had been patched together using parts that didn’t belong on it.”

“Dammit!” Captain Zook shouted suddenly, slamming his fist on the desk in front of him. Skap flinched and leaned back, even though they knew the explosion of anger wasn’t aimed at them. For a moment the Captain breathed hard before the fins on either side of his face fluttered and relaxed. The captain’s pale face was still slightly flushed pink.

“Is something wrong, sir?” Skap asked nervously, hoping their question wouldn’t set off Zook’s temper again.

Fortunately, the captain simply sighed and took a long drag of his cigar. “It’s not you, private,” Zook huffed, now looking like he was ready for a mid-afternoon nap. “We’ve been targeted by this ship before, and they always manage to get off without us even knowing they were here. We’ve updated our security, increased the number of guards, hell, we’ve even tried bolting down the crates. All of them.” The captain tossed his crisp blue cap back on and rubbed his temples. “Thanks for telling us what you saw, private. Go get some rest, okay?”

“But, sir, it’s only—”

“Well, go back to work, then,” Zook snapped, round face puffing out slightly. “Just get out of my office. I’ve got work to do.”

Skap nodded and walked briskly out of the captain’s quarters, feeling slightly regretful. They didn’t mind having to go back to work, but finding out more about the ship irritated Skap. They were so close. If they had only gotten to the storage room just a moment sooner, they could have stopped the thief. They could have done it.

Skap clenched their fists as the image of the ship flying away from the Lakshy crossed their mind again. They may have failed this time, but next time, they’d catch the thief. They were going to catch the thief if it killed them.

It had taken some extra chores and some late nights, but Skap had finally managed to get their patrol moved to the storage room the thief had been targeting. From what they had gathered, that was where the majority of the storage was, and, presumably, where the thief would strike next. They’d even gotten to speak to one of the guards from the most recent burglary.

“I’m afraid I can’t really help you that much,” Private First Class Ylna Lew said apologetically, pausing buttering her toast to respond to Skap. Her other two arms rested in her lap. “I really don’t remember much.”

Skap huffed and leaned forward on the dining hall table. “Well, tell me what you do remember,” they said impatiently. “You’re the only guard from that burglary that I’ve been able to track down.”

“Alright, alright,” Lew said, setting down her toast to gesture with all four arms. “I remember the lights going out, and trying to find my flashlight. As soon as I’d found it, I felt this weird prick in my upper left arm. A few seconds later, I was out cold. Can’t remember a thing after that until I woke up in the infirmary.” She picked her toast back up and took a bite.

“Thanks, Lew,” Skap sighed, staring dejectedly at their own breakfast. They’d just have to rely on what little information they had to catch the thief.

Despite the dead end with Lew, Skap’s determination to catch the perpetrator only grew during the next few weeks. They just wanted to get this over with. It was weighing on their mind constantly, and every spare thought was focused on getting this criminal turned in and sent to the GLE to pay for their crimes. It didn’t matter what Skap had to do. They were going to capture this thief.

Skap yawned and blinked to wake themself up.

They’d volunteered to watch the largest storage room along with a few other guards. It had been several hours since they’d slept, and Skap wasn’t the only one starting to doze off.

They watched one of the other privates in the group lean back against the wall, balanced by his tails. Skap only rolled his eyes and scanned the rest of the room. The other two guards were more experienced and wide awake. One sleeping private would be no problem. Two sleeping privates on the other hand… Skap shook out their limbs and bounced on their feet. They couldn’t doze off if they wanted to catch the thief, much less keep the guard job.

Suddenly, the single large light illuminating the storage room flickered and shut off, plunging the room into pitch blackness. Skap jumped, yelping as the sudden change left him disorientated.

Skap heard one of the older guards curse, and then the sound of a body hitting the floor. Then another. Skap dropped to the floor, their heart racing. This was it. They couldn’t let the thief knock them out, or all of Skap’s work would go to waste.

They held their breath and listened.

From their position on the ground, Skap could see a small blue light scan the room, then settle on a crate only a few rows down from where Skap was laying. Two somethings landed lightly on the floor several more rows away, and soft footsteps made their way to the blue light. Skap could see two legs and the tip of a dull green tail walk past where Skap was laying.

It was now or never.

“Stop, thief!” Skap leaped to their feet, blaster in shaking hands, pointing it straight at the criminal. A velm, a good four or five inches taller than Skap, stood illuminated by the blue light. He looked tired, and his gaunt features were only accentuated by the harsh light. One of his eyes glowed a dim green.

Another person stood behind the velm. Skap couldn’t make out much of their details in the darkness. Only two glowing yellow eyes and side-swept yellow-green hair covered by a dark grey cap.

“Oh, hey, dude. Didn’t see you here,” the velm said, sounding incredibly relaxed for having a gun pointed at him. “I’ll just be taking this one crate and I’ll be out of your hair, okay?” He patted the crate in question, his partner already halfway through unbolting it.

“I- I can’t let you do that!” Skap shouted, voice quivering. “That’s illegal!”

The thief flinched and his ears twitched. “Keep your voice down, dude,” he hissed. “I don’t want people more experienced than you coming and finding me here.” For a second, Skap thought the velm looked worried about them. “Trust me, just let me take this one crate, and you can pretend you never saw me.”

“W-why should I do that?” Skap asked, lowering their voice slightly. “I need to catch you. I can’t let you get away!” They squared their stance and steadied their hand. The sight was aimed at the velm’s shoulder.

It wouldn’t kill him, but it would be enough to buy Skap some time.

“I wouldn’t do whatever it is you’re planning on doing,” the velm sighed, rubbing his green eye with the heel of his palm. “Look” —The thief paused to rummage around in one of his pockets, and pulled out a small sack— “Just take this, okay? You GAAP dudes like money, don’t you?”

He tossed the bag at Skap, and, out of reflex, Skap caught it. It wasn’t very heavy, and the brown drawstring bag had clearly seen better days. They holstered their weapon and pulled it open. Several coins, a few wadded slips of paper, and a shiny blue necklace fell out into Skap’s hand. Skap separated the necklace into one hand and held it up between their fingers. Closer inspection told them it was fake.

“I’m not—” Skap looked back up to where the velm had been standing only a moment ago, but he was gone. The blue light hovered briefly, still illuminating where the crate had been, than zipped up to the ceiling, turning off halfway there. Where had they— when had they— how—

“Thanks for the crate, dude!” the thief said, whisper-shouting. Skap could hear his chuckle ringing from the vent system as something pricked Skap’s arm. The last thing they heard was something sliding back into place, and then everything went black.

“Oh good, you’re awake.” The nurse standing over Skap looked relieved, and her pointed feline ears twitched. “You’ve been out for about a day. Don’t worry, you won’t be punished for this.”

The infirmary was brightly lit and mostly empty. The rest of the room was clean and sterile, equipment neatly stored in cabinets and cupboards lining the walls. The other guards in Skap’s group were laying in the beds on either side of them, all still fast asleep. Each of them had a single IV drip and a steadily-beating heart monitor. Skap’s monitor beeped slightly faster as they tried to sit up and were forced gently back down by the nurse.

“Where is he?” Skap muttered, their voice hoarse. “Where’d he go?”

“I… I don’t know who you’re talking about, Private,” the nurse said apologetically, her whiskers twitching gently. “Where’s who?”

“The thief,” Skap clarified, propping themself up on one elbow. “The one who stole the crate.”

“They’re long gone, Private Refirth,” the nurse sighed. “The only thing they left behind was the drawstring bag we found by where you were laying. All it had in it was some counterfeit money and a fake necklace from what I heard.”

“Fingerprints?” Skap asked hopefully, sitting up fully. Maybe, if they had fingerprints, they could run it through the GAAP and GLE’s databases and find who the thief was. Then they’d have the thief behind bars in no time.

“I don’t know about that, sorry,” the nurse said, handing Skap a glass of water and a pill. “Take that, wait about ten minutes, and then you can get back to work,” she instructed, glancing at a chart by Skap’s bed. “Maybe you can find out if they found anything else.”

Skap swallowed the pill and the glass of water and leaned back in their bed.

A thousand thoughts raced through their head, making them dizzier than they already were. Who was the thief, really? Why did he try to talk to Skap? Why didn’t he just knock them out right away? Why did his eye glow? Who was the other person with him? What did he need the crate for? Would he be back? Why did he only take one crate when he’d taken at least three every time before? Was it because Skap was there? Did he really think Skap would take the bribe? Had anyone else seen him? Maybe the other private? Or did he get knocked out too?

Skap ran their hands through their hair and let out a long sigh.

They just wanted to have answers. Well, they wanted the answers, and they wanted to catch the thief. Regardless of who the thief was, they were still a crook and needed to face judgement. Skap glared at the clock on the wall. The sooner the ten minutes passed, the sooner they could get at least a few of their questions answered.

“I saw the thief,” Skap said quickly, trying to contain their excitement.

“You saw— what?” Captain Zook raised an eyebrow. “Say that again, Private?”

“I saw the thief,” Skap repeated, forcing their voice to slow down. “I saw him, and I talked to him.” They’d only been waiting a few days to get an opportunity to talk to the captain, but it had felt like weeks. Their superiors had been insistent that they get some rest before stressing themself over the thief anymore, but that had only stressed Skap out more. They needed to talk to the captain, not sweep the storage room ad nauseum.

“But you didn’t capture him?” It was hard to tell if Zook was disappointed or not. His soft white face was practically emotionless.

“Well, no, but—”

“Then why,” Zook sighed, rubbing his ovular shaped head, “are you here? I’ve got better things to worry about than the fact that you saw the thief.”

“He’s a velm, sir,” Skap said awkwardly. “There was someone else with him, but I couldn’t see what they looked like. He made the lights turn off somehow, and he had a floating blue light that scanned the room. He looked… tired? And he had one eye that glowed green. Not super bright or anything. It just sorta… glowed a little.”

For some reason, this grabbed Zook’s attention. The fins on the side of his face straightened and he leaned forward on the desk. It was Skap’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

“Just one eye?”

“Yeah?” Skap answered. The intensity in Zook’s eyes was scaring Skap a little.

“You said he was a velm?”

“Yeah. Why does this matter?”

Zook put his head in his hands. His shoulders started shaking, and Skap couldn’t tell if he was laughing or crying. They weren’t sure which was worse. They were just about to back out of the captain’s quarters when he looked up.

“Well, Private,” Zook chuckled, “you should be glad you didn’t try and shoot him.”

“I mean, I did have my blaster pointed at him, but he didn’t do anything,” Skap admitted. “Why should I be glad?”

“Last I heard about a velm with a green eye,” Zook began, his voice taking on a considerably more serious tone, “someone shot him in the leg, and then his eye turned red and he killed the person who shot him before disappearing.”

Skap couldn’t hold back a groan. Did the captain seriously believe in that story? “With all due respect, captain, I don’t think there’s such thing as the red-eyed velm,” Skap sighed. “That’s just a story they tell to keep trigger-happy officers in line.”

Zook shook his head and shrugged. “Well, I can’t convince you of something I don’t know for sure myself,” the captain said, leaning back in his chair. Skap could have sworn he saw the captain glance at his one missing fin. “Just think of it as a polite warning.”

“Thank you, sir,” Skap said, trying to hide their disappointment. “I’ll, uh, get back to work.”

“Go right ahead,” the captain replied, giving Skap a nonchalant wave. “Try not to strain yourself too much if you’re still waking up from that sedative stuff.”

“Thanks, sir.” Skap turned about-face and walked quickly out the door. They ran their hand through their hair again once the door was closed behind them. Great. Just great. This was, quite possibly, the worst response they could have gotten.

Sure, losing their job would have been worse, but the stupid Red-Eyed Velm story? Surely the captain would be beyond that. It was just a story. If the captain was scared of some cryptid that was, if anything, a prank played by immature officers, Skap was going to lose some respect for the man.

Back at their station, Skap paced around the storage room.

If the velm broke in again, they were going to need a better plan than just to point their weapon at them and tell him to surrender. They found themself staring at where the crate had been stolen. A handful of screws indicated where it had been pulled out of the ground. Skap kicked one of the screws and watched it ricochet off of another nearby crate.

“Android Repair Services, Ventos Gamma,” Skap read aloud off of the crate. Most of the crates in this storage room read the same thing, or some other planet in the Ventos System. All crates full of android replacement parts.

Skap frowned at the crate. Why would this velm need high-end android parts? If he needed them to sell, there were places that were a lot less risky to break into. Why didn’t he just break into some repair shop on some random planet and take those?

Skap would never understand thieves, and they weren’t even sure if their thought process was along the right tracks. Maybe it was just because the thief was a velm. They’d heard around that velm didn’t really like the GAAP that much, but would they really go so far as to break into high security GAAP ships just to steal parts they could get elsewhere?

Skap rubbed their forehead and kicked another screw.

All they could do was wait for the velm to show up again. Then they’d really show him what a private could do. They weren’t going to let the thief escape again. If they dropped to the floor quickly after the lights went out, then they wouldn’t be hit by the sedative. Then, they could sneak up on the thief and apprehend him right then and there. If he tried to run away, Skap would shoot to incapacitate, and then call for help.

Skap picked up one of the screws and turned it over in their hand. They were going to catch the thief. Nothing would stop them. Not this time.

Skap took a deep breath and leaned against the wall of the dimly lit storage room. Rows of crates stretched out in front of them, only interrupted by where the thief had taken from.They were starting to lose hope that the thief was going to come back at all. It had been almost a week since he’d showed up last. Had Skap scared him off?

They shook their head. No. He’d come back. He had to. Skap could feel it. They just had to be patient. They couldn’t rush things like this.

Suddenly, just as before, the lights flickered and went out. Skap dropped to the floor instantly. They heard the other guards all hit the floor one after another. Skap held their breath and waited.

Once again, they watched with limited view as the blue light descended from the ceiling and scanned the room, stopping a few crates away from the last one the thief had taken. They heard the same light footsteps as the pair made their way to the light. As they walked, Skap crawled silently closer to the light as well.

Skap stopped a couple rows away and stood up. “Hey! Stop!”

To Skap’s credit, the thief did stop. He froze with his hands just above the crate and turned to face Skap. He relaxed when he saw the private, though, and let out a tired sigh. His partner glanced around anxiously before bending down to start unscrewing the crate.

Skap scowled. Did he really think that Skap was nothing to worry about? Skap pulled their blaster out of their holster and pointed it at the thief.

“Don’t move, or I’ll shoot!” Skap threatened. They forced their hands to steady, keeping the weapon aimed at the thief’s left leg. Something in the thief’s face told Skap that he didn’t believe them, which only made Skap angrier. “Just come with me quietly, and no one will get hurt.”

“Look, dude,” the thief started, eying Skap with sympathy, “you really don’t want to be pointing that at me. Trust me. I’m just taking a few more crates, and I’ll be gone for good.”

Skap’s grip on their blaster tightened. They weren’t some kid. This velm was acting like he was some expert fighter from Skap’s favorite fighting game or something, but Skap figured they could easily take him on. He didn’t seem to be armed, and Skap already had their gun out and ready.

The velm sighed again when Skap didn’t lower their gun. “Don’t do something you—”

BANG!

The thief’s hands were moving toward a pouch on his leg when Skap fired. He’d started to reach for it, and Skap had panicked. They thought he was reaching for a weapon or something. They stared in surprise at their own shaking hands, and then at the velm. He’d fallen to one knee, both hands now clutching where Skap had hit.

Skap dropped the blaster, and watched it hit the floor and bounce a short distance away.

“Dude, don’t say I ́d̀idn͡’͟t҉ war͠n̢ ҉y҉ou,” the thief looked up as his voice shifted to something broken and tense, and bright red and green circuit-like patterns crossed his face. Skap’s heart skipped a beat. The velm’s eye was bright red.

Red… red eye…

They watched in terror as he stood with ease, ignoring the wound in his leg, and gestured something to his partner. A few quiet words were exchanged before the velm turned back to face Skap.

“҉N̕ow̨,” he hissed, pulling a short knife out of his back pocket, “y͏o͝u ͠n̨eed̴ ́tò l̡eàrn̷ to ͘list͠e̷n͢ ̶w̴h͢e͟n͞ ̀p͝e͜o̵pl̢e͡ a͢rè ͘talki͟ng̷.”

Time froze.

This couldn’t be real. Skap was sure they would wake up, any second now. This was just a bad dream. The Red-Eyed Velm was a myth. A story. It wasn’t real. This was impossible. Skap shut their eyes tight, but when they opened them, the Red-Eyed Velm was still there, mouth split open in a large toothy grin that sent shivers down Skap’s spine.

Skap’s eyes went wide as the storybook monster charged at them.

Skap managed to snap out of it just in time to duck out of the way of the knife’s blade aimed straight at their face. They didn’t, however, dodge the sudden left uppercut that knocked them backwards.

The air was knocked out of them as they hit the floor. Luckily, they managed to scramble behind a crate and jump to their feet. They dodged another knife swing and started running, their heart racing a thousand miles a second. They just had to find a way out of the storage room, and they’d be safe.

The other officers could take the Red-Eyed Velm out. They’d be safe if they found help.

They ducked behind a crate to catch their breath and try and gather their surroundings. They’d gotten turned around in the panic of running away, and now they had no clue where the door could be. They were completely disoriented, and the only light sources in the room were the blue light somewhere in the distance and the glowing red eye that hovered only a few rows away. Skap’s eyes had adjusted somewhat to the dark, but they could still only barely make out the rows upon rows of crates. They needed to find the door before the Velm found them.

When had the room gotten so big?

“̛Yo͞ú ̶can̕’͞t hid͝e ̸f͝ore̕v҉e͡ŕ,͜ ͜wo̶rm,̡”͢ the Red-Eyed Velm spat, closer to Skap’s location than they were comfortable with.

Gathering all of their remaining courage, they sprang to their feet again and started running. They weaved through the rows of crates, hoping that their random twists and turns would throw their pursuer off at least slightly. Skap glanced behind themself, and almost tripped when they saw the thief practically soaring over crates, barely touching the top of one before springing off again, making a direct line for Skap.

“Go away!” Skap cried, scrambling as they hit the wall and started running alongside it. “You’re not real! You’re just a story!” Skap screamed as they were shoved suddenly against the wall, held up by one hand. Skap grabbed weakly at the Velm’s arm as his grip tightened.

“̧A̴ st̕or̷y͠,͞ yo̕ų ̛s͏ay?” the Velm growled, still grinning wickedly. “̶Doe̕s th͞is̵ ̀f͢eel l͝ike̢ a S̨TO̶RY̡ TǪ YOŲ?́” He plunged his knife into Skap’s shoulder, twisting it with delight as Skap cried out feebly and tried to squirm out of his grasp. “͟D̨O҉ES̨ I҉T̀?͏!͡”

Choked sobs wrenched out of Skap’s throat as they looked down into the face of their worst nightmare made real. They wanted to be at home. They wanted to see their mother and parent and little brother. They wanted to pretend to sing and dance as they swept the floors of their home. They wanted to reassure their brother that monsters didn’t exist. They wanted to hold him and tell him that things like the Red-Eyed Velm weren’t real. That they were just myths.

But they couldn’t. They were going to die at the hands of the very thing they had denied the existence of their entire life.

The monster ripped its knife out of Skap’s shoulder and pressed it against their neck. The way it looked at them made Skap feel like a piece of prey that the monster was deciding whether or not to kill now or toy with a little longer.

Skap’s breathing quickened, and they pressed their eyes shut, sending a silent prayer to Aphaea that their death would be quick.

“ANTI, that’s enough!”

For a moment, Skap thought that Aphaea herself had actually come to rescue them, but the voice was too masculine. They were probably losing it from panic and blood loss. The voice sounded almost exactly like the thief’s, but more nervous.

Skap dared to open their eyes, everything blurry from tears.

The Red-Eyed Velm was staring angrily up at the blue light, which illuminated another velm from behind. He was hanging down from the ceiling by one hand, yellow-green hair tinted blue. The monster holding Skap snarled and glared at them, then pulled its knife away from their throat.

“They’re just a kid,” Skap’s savior called, voice shaking. “Come on, we’ve got everything we need.” In most other circumstances, Skap would have been offended at being called ‘kid,’ but they’d take any nickname right now if it meant they were going to live.

The Red-Eyed Velm growled again and swiped its knife across the skin Skaps’ cheek, leaving a deep, stinging cut. He dropped them to the floor, knocking the breath out of their lungs once more. Giving them one last snarl, the monster stomped away.

Skap’s cheek and shoulder stung, and they were pretty sure they were about to pass out from loss of blood, but nothing felt better than seeing the monster stalk towards where the blue light shone down.

Skap closed their eyes and let their breathing steady.

They lost consciousness just as alarms started blaring.

Skap groaned softly as they blinked awake, recoiling slightly from the bright lights of the infirmary.

Their left shoulder was completely numb. They could feel something tight pull against their left cheek as they yawned. A heart monitor beeped rhythmically on their right side. They watched it for a moment before dozing off again.

Skap ran their thumb over the lengthy scar on their left cheek as they looked themself over in the bathroom mirror. They sighed and took a step back, looking themself over once more.

The uniform was barely different, but something felt different now that they’d been promoted to Specialist. They’d gained the rank in honor of their bravery and skill in surviving being attacked by the Red-Eyed Velm.

Skap shuddered and rubbed their arms. Even thinking about that monster was enough to send chills down their spine. Even several weeks later, they still had nightmares of being chased down never ending hallways by that thing. They never survived in the dreams, though. They shook their head to clear the remnants of last night’s bad dream and smiled at themself in the mirror.

No time to be thinking about that now.

They had work to do.

Skap saluted their reflection, laughing grimly as they stepped out the door.

#official story #jacksepticeye #antisepticeye #admin crow

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cptnsantiago · 5 years

Text

it’s always better when we’re together

summary: Rosa straight up cackles at that, “On second thought, you might just want to pull a Kylie Jenner, keep it a secret the whole time.” Jake and Amy navigate telling the people closest to them about Baby Santiago-Peralta.

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Their first task, after the kissing and crying and hugging, is going to the store to buy a big ol’ binder. It was Jake’s idea, he was eager to get to researching and preparing but he knew he wouldn’t get the right tabs because there are so many of them. His initiative makes Amy want to pounce him right there in the kitchen but a binder covering the next nine months of their lives is also very appealing.

So now 2 hours later, new binder and special tabs on the table, Amy starts with the contents list. Jake had been reading one of the books he bought when he told Amy he was ready to start trying but now he’s been staring at her for a few minutes now with a smile on plastered his face and his fingers grazing her abdomen.

“Hey, you know we’re going to need a whole section dedicated to figuring out how to tell Charles right?”

Amy snorts lightly at this very real observation, because there’s no way Charles will react in a calm manner. He fainted when they got engaged, so there’s no telling what dramatic reaction he’s going to have. “I’m not sure any amount of preparation will help us with Boyle.” Amy’s smile only grows when Jake takes her laptop to type his idea down, “I think we just need to… Um…”

“Yeah there’s no way we can approach this without him losing his mind!” Jake is laughing and shaking his head. “And everyone else too, this is a pretty big deal.”

“Yeah, we’re having a baby. A real life tiny human, weird right?” She just wants to take the moment in so she closes the laptop and pushes it to the side. He wraps his arms around her waist, hands falling again on her stomach. “I love you so much Jake.”

“I love you so much too.” Jake says, heart eyes ablaze, “And I am so ecstatic, and terrified but I know we’ve got this. We’re a team. Ultra parenting team of geniuses.”

They were really lucky to be where they were, having only been trying for four months. On date night months earlier, Jake had started to telling her how he’d been doing with his therapist. He revealed that in the past weeks they had been discussing his dad issues, but through that he felt ready to try for a baby if she was also ready.

Amy had instantly begun to draft her trying for baby and pregnancy binder out in her head, it had been bliss. There was some interesting attempts when she was ovulating, and weirdly it made their sex life more amazing. Neither thought that was possible.

After months of trying, finally on a Saturday morning, they got around to taking one of their spare pregnancy tests in the bathroom. Missed period, swollen breasts, nausea and almost fainting on duty. They were certain this was it.

Here they are now, on cloud nine of the knowledge of the life forming in her body. “Ames, seriously, you- I’m so happy we’re doing this. You’re gonna be such a great mom, and I never truly thought I could be a dad. But with you, I feel like I can do it all.”

Amy laughs affectionately as she wipes a tear from her face, “I’m so glad I can use pregnancy hormones as an excuse to cry for a while.”

～

It’s just over a month later when people start to get suspicious of Jake and Amy. She struggles to keep the morning sickness under wraps and her temper is a tad out of control at times. Jake checks up on her more than usual, sends her frequent texts. They aren’t so great at the secret keeping thing.

Rosa confronts them first in the break room. “You’re being weird. Why are you weird?”

Amy scoffs, “Weird?”

“Weird? Rosa you’re weird.” Jake adds, chuckling nervously but they’re both such bad liars. His shoulders slump and he looks over at Amy.

“What’s happening?” Rosa sits at the table with them.

“Amy’s pregnant.” Jake admits bashfully, and she’s watching as Rosa’s mouth twitches into a smile.

“That’s dope. Congrats.” Her eyes scan over the both of them, “The weirdness makes a lot of sense.”

“Thanks Rosa.” Amy beams, “You’re going to be such a cool aunt.”

“Tia Rosa. The coolest. And you guys are gonna such great parents.”

“I would ask for a hug but that would be more suspicious.” Jake mumbles quickly, “We need to up our game.”

“Maybe we should just start telling people…” Amy shrugs, “There’s only two weeks until we’re out of the first trimester.”

“Yeah and maybe letting Boyle have his official meltdown over it will help us relax.”

Rosa straight up cackles at that, “On second thought, you might just want to pull a Kylie Jenner, keep it a secret the whole time.”

“Yeah I thought about that but I don’t think it’s possible.” Amy sighs.

“We just gotta rip off the bandaid.” Jake says, “Then once he’s done his freaking out, then we’ll have a nice stern talk about personal space.”

“Good luck mommy and daddy!” Rosa says in a cutesy voice, “That’s just a taste of what you’re in for.”

～

They invite Charles over for dinner a few nights later, and both Jake and Amy were hyped up as if they’re about to tell their parents. He has of course offered to bring dinner, and Amy is hoping there isn’t anything too weird in it because she’d rather not feel nauseous for this. Jake has a copy of their last ultrasound in his pocket, ready to give to Charles.

Minutes before he’s due to arrive, Jake finds Amy in their bathroom brushing her teeth and he can tell that nerves are getting to her. “You feeling okay?” Jake wraps his arm around her, his chin resting on her shoulder.

“Yeah, this is exciting.” Amy says after rinsing her mouth, “It’s a long weekend in front of us. Boyle, then Holt tomorrow night -”

“Wait what?” Jake’s eyes pop out of his head. For him, telling Holt is more exciting than his actual dad, a person he’d prefer not to tell.

“Didn’t I tell you we’re going to his house for rice with Kevin tomorrow?”

“Uh, no babe.” Jake is laughing nervously now, turning Amy around so they’re facing each other.

“Oh god , there’s no way I have baby brain already? I’m so sure I told you yesterday!”

“You didn’t even put it on the calendar? This is shocking.” Jake is poking her sides teasingly and she is trying to make a comeback but only weird noises came out of her mouth before they both hear a knock on the door. “Don’t think we’re not talking about this again later.”

Amy rolls her eyes with a smile and goes to greet Charles at the door. His energy from when he walks through the door is just as usual, and once he’s got his lasagne in the oven to warm up he gives them both warm hugs. “You saw us yesterday, Boyle.” Jake reminds him.

“Always too long to hang out with my favourite couple!” Boyle is bouncing on his heels, and Amy is glancing at him curiously as she gets them all drinks.

They all sit down on their couch and Jake immediately has his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Jake is engaged in a conversation about the day he spent with Nikolaj, and the excitement on his face makes her heart swell. She’s reminded of how great of a father Jake is going to be any time they talk about Nikolaj, or when interacting with Iggy or Terry’s kids. For a moment, all of her energy goes towards not crying.

“So we actually invited you for dinner tonight for a reason.” Jake says, intertwining his hand with hers and she can see Boyle shift to the edge of his seat in excitement.

“Besides seeing our favourite co-worker, we do have something to tell you,” Amy declared, “I’m pregnant!”

The noise that came out of Boyle was loud, however much more tame than either of them expected. “I am so happy for you two, you’re going to be such amazing parents,” Charles chokes out, bringing his hand to his face. He’s jumping over and holding them both in his arms. His reaction is, timid, to say the least.

“You figured it out.” Amy sighs, understanding washing over her.

“WHAT NO THIS IS MY GENUINE REACTION!” Boyle screeches. “Okay fine, I figured it out three weeks ago.”

“How?” Jake murmured, Boyle sitting back down next to them, with a soft smile on his face. “Well, first look at you, you’re glowing all the time!” He gushes, “But also I noticed how you’ve been sick, a bit snappy I guess… And you guys aren’t subtle, at all.”

Boyle tells them about seeing them come from the bathroom one morning, and Jake had been smiling and talking about an apparent dentist appointment, but he had remembered that Jake had already been to the dentist that year. “And Amy didn’t look so good so I put two and two together. You forget I’m an unlicensed doula.”

“How can we forget that?” Amy cringes.

“Wow, I’m surprised you didn’t freak out on us like we expected.” Jake laughed, “You fainted when we got engaged.”

“Well, I know pregnancy can be overwhelming. And… I know that I can be a bit much so I wanted to respect Amy’s space and wait until you decided to tell me.”

“Wow, Charles, thank you. I really appreciate that.” Amy’s chin begins to wobble at the thoughtfulness of their friend.

“Plus Genevieve got the brunt of my excitement, there was a lot of crying.” Boyle laughs. “Nikolaj is very excited to have a little cousin!”

Amy chuckles tearfully at this. “Doesn’t he already have heaps of cousins?”

“Yes but none of those cousins is YOUR BABY!” He shrieks again. “AMERICA’S DREAM BABY!”

～

Usually if they’re late, it is most of the time Jake’s fault. But today, they are 12 minutes late to dinner at the Holt and Cozner household. And it was this damn fetus’ fault. Amy had spent the hour previously upchucking her breakfast and lunch, despite having felt fine all day. Jake had insisted they reschedule but she didn’t want to delay sharing the news with her captain, mentor and friend any longer.

Neither of them comment on their lateness, but offer them drinks instead. Jake shakes his head while Amy asks for a water and they settle at their dining table while Kevin serves up their rice into bowls. “I’m really excited for a nice plain meal tonight.” Amy whispered to Jake with a chuckle.

“How have your weekends been, pleasant I hope?” Holt asks, his tone plain but somehow caring.

“Yes we’ve had some nice downtime, and Charles came for dinner last night.” Amy recalled.

As pleasant conversation began between the group; Jake ate his rice quietly, stuck in his own thoughts. He didn’t have any reason to truly be nervous, Holt (and Kevin, really) had been there for there the debate on children almost a year ago now and he had always been supportive of both him and Amy. But still, the importance their captain had in their lives made him excited and nervous in a way he didn’t expect to be. Telling his mom (and dad, he guesses), had been easier and more exciting; this was their first grandchild, so their happiness was contagious. Telling Victor and Camila was a bit nerve wracking, but they were thrilled for the pair of course. Telling Holt and Kevin was the last of the big people to tell before telling the last of their squad. It was scary.

“Jake?” Kevin repeated.

“Jacob?” Holt attempted to get Jake out of his stupor.

“Babe?” Amy’s hand rests on his shoulder, concern etched on her face. “Hey, it’s okay.”

“What’s going on Jake?” Holt questioned sternly.

“Well, we have some news.” Amy announced, her hand falling on his knee as an attempt to settle his nerves. “We’re having a baby!”

The happiness in his wife’s voice snaps him out of it, a smile creeping up onto his face again. “Yep, Amy’s, uh, preggo! Bun in the oven!”

Holt spares a glance at his husband before looking back at Jake and Amy. “Congratulations, Jake and Amy, on the ‘bun in the oven’.” Kevin comments with a small grin on his face. “I’m sure the two of you will make competent parents.”

Holt is quiet for a moment more before he speaks up, “I am so delighted by this news and I’m so proud of how far you’ve come as people. Congratulations.”

Amy sucks in a deep breath as she attempts to fend off the tears once again, and taking a glimpse over at her husband she sees the tears forming in his eyes and back at Holt she sees his lips are pursed in an emotional smile. She gives into her emotions and allows the tears to fall down her cheeks with a laugh. “Thank you.”

Holt stands up out of his chair and walks over to the pair, and when the both of them stand, he embraces them both one by one. None of them are trying to keep the tears in anymore, and once the hug is over Amy pulls the ultrasound copy out of her pocket to show it to him. The smile that appears on his face is so bright, Amy clasps onto Jake’s arm. “Is this a spare copy?” Amy nods, “May I keep this?”

“Yeah anything for their favourite grandpa? Grandaptain?” Jake babbled, “Or whatever.”

“I’m sure Raymond and I would be delighted to be included in your child’s life.” Kevin cuts in for his speechless husband.

“I would love to be their Grandaptain.” Holt chuckles, placing his free hand on Jake’s shoulder.

～

The rest of the announcements go smoothly over the next few weeks. Gina reacts in a cool, Gina-esque way, but later pulls Amy inside to offer genuine advice and tells her how happy she is for them. Terry envelopes them in a giant bear hug before Amy begs to be let go before she pukes all over him. Hitchcock and Scully offer their babysitting services, which they politely decline. Amy’s squad downstairs cheers loudly for her, congratulations echo through the room and she almost cries at the support.

Once the entire precinct is aware, Rosa begins tabling out bets on different aspects of Jake and Amy’s kid. Birthday and gender, being the main ones. “I’m sorry, but Amy has SEVEN brothers. No way it’ll be a girl.” Boyle says as he puts $100 down.

“Wow, okay. Genetics are stupid . It’s going to be a girl.” Rosa has her arms crossed, grinning as both Jake and Amy walk over to them, “What do the parents think? Boy or girl?”

“Seven brothers. Boy doiiii.” Jake drones lightly, his arm snaking around Amy’s wait to rest on the side of the tiny bump that is hidden by her uniform. “It’s literally safest bet to make.”

Amy’s smile is bright as she laughs at her husband, the bets are out of control but half of the bet money is going to them as a squad gift so she can’t complain. She takes out her wallet takes out a $20 bill and puts it down on the bet jar Rosa is holding.

“I think we might be surprised.”

#peraltiago #my fics #peraltiago fics #b99 #writing #b99 fanfiction #jake x amy fic

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