#did no one on the street see a coffin fly out the window??

[sandushengshou]

Interview with the Vampire | 1.06 "Like Angels Put in Hell by God"

[mel-the-fangirl]

The Witch & The Freak

Eddie Munson x Reader

Words: 5,132 (oh, boy...)

My first Eddie fic! I really could not help but stan this guy because, let's admit it, he's pretty adorable. I know we're well into November but I'm still feeling the Halloween vibes so this might get just a smidge creepy. It's long as hell, there's a little slice-of-life action, I just went with it but I hope you all enjoy!

Please like, reblog, or leave me a comment if you liked it!

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October 31, 1986

Somewhere in Salt Lake City, USA

Eddie Munson tightened his grip on the steering wheel, paying no mind as his knuckles turned white. His mind was obviously somewhere else, trying his hardest not to dwell on the fact that he was so totally lost. He had been driving on the same stretch of road for about half an hour now but not a single car had passed by him.

“Fuckin’ Henderson.” Eddie hissed, cursing his friend for getting him in this situation

Since when was he the babysitter anyway? Wasn’t that Harrington’s job? What was he doing wasting his Halloween playing chauffeur to Dustin Henderson when he could have been playing a killer Halloween setlist at the Hideout. He told Steve just as much but when he heard that Dustin didn’t have a ride back to Hawkins since his car was in the shop, Eddie was pretty much out the door without a second thought.

He was all huffy and puffy about it, sure. But if he was being honest, he just really needed a distraction from this weird feeling he was having that something was about to happen. He had no idea if it was something bad like a zombie ambushing him and eating his brains, or something good like finally getting off this damn road and back to civilisation.

Wherever this place was, it was giving him major heebie-jeebies. Probably because it was too goddamn quiet. Like the air was sucked out of the whole area. 

“Radio!” he exclaimed, a light bulb finally going off in his head. He fumbled with the dials until the static finally turned into Steve Perry’s “Foolish Heart”

Eddie looked around with an eyebrow quirked up like he was expecting the gang to somehow pop up in the backseat. Once the coast was clear, he sang softly at first, bobbing his head along.

“I need a love that's strong, I'm so tired of being alone..”

As the song reached its peak, Eddie Munson, Eddie the Freak, Eddie the big bad guitarist of Corroded Coffin, belted out with all the passion he had,

“Foolish heart, hear me calling. Stop before you start falling!” he swayed side to side in time with the melody

What a sight to behold. A tried and true metalhead singing his little heart out to a mushy soft rock ballad. As far as everyone he knew was concerned, if it wasn’t metal, Eddie wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. But honestly? He loved all types of music, he was just sure if people knew “Candle in the Wind” made him tear up, all the mean and scary street cred he had would fly out the window.

The music began to fade out and so did the tension in Eddie’s shoulders. He rolled them out, exhaling in relief.

“Nothing to be afraid of, Munson.” he chuckled to himself, “You’ve been through worse than a quiet roadtrip, haven’t ya?”

Instinctively, his free hand wandered to his stomach, tracing the length of marred skin. A constant reminder that no girl would want to see him shirtless ever again.

Just like that, his mind replayed the events of the last few months. Dustin shattering his leg carrying his dead weight back to the portal in the Upside Down, nearly losing Max forever, his month-long stay at the hospital, his very public trial and acquittal not long after, finally graduating.

He never was able to give Principal Higgins that one finger salute, not to his face at least but he did flip him one behind his back, the whole crew hooting and cheering for him from the stands.

Getting wrapped up in all those memories, Eddie didn’t even notice that “Total Eclipse of the Heart” started playing. It was another one of his guilty pleasure power ballads, only to be listened to using headphones, with his door and window firmly closed.

Turn around,

Every now and then I get a little bit lonely

And you're never coming 'round

Turn around…

Turn around…

Turn around…

What?

Eddie eyed his stereo warily as the lyric repeated over and over, he kept his hand on one of the dials but no matter how much he turned it, the station never changed, Bonnie Tyler’s voice just kept getting lower and lower until it was almost demonic.

TURN AROUND!

The volume maxed out of nowhere. Static and feedback mixing together at varying pitches, Hell's choir harmonising. Every hair on Eddie’s body stood on end and his hands started to shake. The calm he had built within himself shattering into pieces. 

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.” he tried his hardest through his trembling hands to turn off the damn thing but to no avail

He pushed his foot into the gas, speeding along the deserted road, hoping it was just a really fucked up signal patch. 

The distance did manage to get rid of the demon choir on his stereo but the damn thing still wouldn't turn off. The static, the fucking static was making him lose his mind. The screeching sound filled the entirety of the van and was close to crawling into his head. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Be cool, Munson. Be fucking cool.” he breathed in and out steadily

Just as he was starting to have some semblance of calm, his engine started sputtering until gradually and agonisingly slowly, the van halted to a complete stop. Eddie could have sworn someone had it out for him. He got out of the van on shaky legs, his Reeboks crunching on the gravel as he lifted the hood of the van up.

A flashlight would've been handy. The streetlights did nothing to help him see any of the wiring. He couldn’t help but slam the hood down in frustration, the harsh sound echoing off into the night. Of course, something like this was happening to him. Noticing what was across the empty street only confirmed his beliefs that he was probably the unluckiest bastard to walk the earth. 

A fucking cemetery of all the fucking places to be. At night. On Halloween. Smack dab in the middle of nowhere, USA.

“Just my fucking luck.” he exhaled, placing one hand flat on the slightly heated hood and the other on his chest, Eddie screwed his eyes shut and tipped his head forward, curly locks falling all around him

How did it get like this?

There he was, quietly making his way to his teenage friend who needed a ride home, a chivalrous act. Next thing he knows, he's a sitting duck right in the middle of the road. Easy prey for whoever wanted a piece of him. Of course, they'd have to go around the parts that haven't already been picked at.

He snorted at that. 

Nothing like a bit of self-deprecating humour to get him up and running again. He raised his head and finally got his thoughts in order.

Obviously, the van was busted and he was stuck. That much was clear. According to his watch, it was thirty past one in the morning. He still had hours to go until dawn so he should probably get some rest. The rollercoaster of emotions he'd just been through was enough to drain whatever energy he had left.

"And so, it was decided," Eddie narrated in his Dungeon Master voice, climbing back in the van. 

"Eddie the Banished would spend the night in his faithful but useless van, clutching in his grasp, the 2x4 he could never be bothered to throw away. Guess it came in handy in the end."

What was also handy were the blankets and pillows he stored in the back. He'd have to thank El for coming up with the idea after he took the gang out to a drive-in and literally everyone complained about how uncomfortable it was.

Oddly enough though? Eddie was comfortable. Having the van break down right across the street from a cemetery and that freaky thing with the stereo aside, being nestled in those blankets in the darkness of his van was actually kind of cozy. Hugging the 2x4 like a teddy bear, he drifted off to sleep, hoping he wouldn't have to use it.

…

A dull thud roused Eddie from his sleep. He shifted around in his blankets, nearly taking his eye out with the edge of the 2x4 he forgot he was cradling in his arms.

He groaned, cracking his knuckles above his head. He almost forgot where he was. 

The realisation was like a cold bucket of water down his shirt. He let his guard down for God knows how long. What could be lurking out there? What if he was surrounded by enemies already? He shot up, crawling to the passenger’s side window. Eddie muttered his own version of a prayer under his breath and very cautiously took a look across the road.

Everything was pitch black beyond the rusty cemetery gates, save for a few lit candles. He could make out the flickering flames in the distance but other than that, not a fucking thing. Even the goddamn lamps perched on the gate didn’t seem to be working.

Eddie craned his neck to get a view farther along the moss covered stone wall that bordered the property. Nothing but rustling bushes and darkness.

Wait.

Rustling… Bushes?

Thankfully, his eyes were starting to adjust. He kept his gaze glued to one spot, hoping to catch whatever critter was in those bushes. Suddenly, a flashlight poked through the leaves. It circled the ground until it abruptly shone in the direction of the van. Eddie dove out of sight, immediately regretting the move. He was sure his cover was blown. 

Army crawling back under his blankets, Eddie tried his best to peep out of the van's rear windows this time. The light in the bushes was gone and there wasn't anyone in sight. 

He sighed in relief. Safe for now but his mind was running wild with theories of who could be in the bushes

A squatter, maybe? 

Someone trying to set up camp for the night? 

This wasn't exactly a camper's hot spot but who knows, right? Nine times out of ten, Eddie's morbid curiosity led him to places he couldn't even imagine.

Out of the quiet, he heard it. A little muffled from his spot inside the van but it was there all the same. 

"GOD DAMN IT!" the voice from outside yelled

Eddie froze, brown eyes bigger than even thought possible.

Not much had changed outside. The light was still gone, the bush was still moving. No other cars had passed by. Though that little expletive was confirmation that there was a person in the bushes.

What he was going to do with that information was still up for debate.

He could just leave it alone… Really though, what good was it going to get him if he left the safety of his van? 

But then again, what if they needed help? No one in their right mind would be poking around cemetery bushes if they weren’t in some form of distress. If there was something that Eddie learned from what he went through, it was never to run away.

He was still fucking scared though, don’t get him wrong. But he wasn’t going anywhere.

With a deep exhale, he stepped out of the van, trusty 2x4 in hand.

His pulse thumped uncomfortably in his ears, like at any time his eardrums would burst. Every step he took to close the distance between him and the cemetery gate, he felt like he was being watched by unseen eyes.

“Christ.” he muttered, trying not to look straight at the candle-speckled darkness that lay ahead

His footsteps went unheard as his mystery lurker continued to… Well, lurk in the bushes, moving to and fro along a particular stretch of grass.

“Uh, hello? Do you need any help?” his voice wavered ever so slightly at the end of his sentence

The rustling stopped. For Eddie, it seemed like everything stopped in those few seconds where he thought he was going to die for real this time.

That was until, you finally poked your head out.

Then everything stopped for Eddie a second time.

You had to be a ghost or something right? Because there was no way. NO WAY. Anyone alive could look as ethereal and unreal as you. Sure, there were leaves stuck in your hair and dirt streaked on your cheek but to Eddie that just made you look even more heart-stopping.

“Uh,” you cleared your throat, rising to your feet and dusting yourself off as best you could

Taking stock of your sudden companion, you mentally checked off a list. 

Long shaggy hair, check. The devil on his shirt, check. And finally, big brown eyes, check. Though your powers of divination were improving, they still didn't work well enough to find the damn crystal you dropped. 

“Hi, um. I’m sure this looks a little strange,” you gestured to the bushes you’ve been searching through for the past fifteen minutes or so.

“But I, well I dropped something around here and I’m having a real tough time finding it as you can see.” you chuckled breathily, patting at your jeans, knees covered in grass stains

“Oh, uh,” Eddie stepped towards you, feeling a weird sort of gravitational pull. “When’d you lose it? The caretakers might’ve done away with it, y’know.”

“That’s not it.” you waved your hand dismissively, returning your gaze to the grass beneath your sneakered feet. “I lost it just now when I fell off that damn gate.”

Something was totally off, Eddie could feel it. For starters, he kept involuntarily walking towards you, completely disregarding the bush right in front of him. He couldn’t even see his Reeboks underneath the leaves anymore. Second, his eyes were practically glued to the ground. Every time he'd try to raise his head, it was like there was a hand pushing it back down again, forcing him to search for something but he had no idea what.

“Just uh,” he walked along the line of bushes just as you did, squinting at the ground. “Just now, huh? What’re you even doing here at this time? It’s uh, it isn’t safe.”

He crouched down and began poking at the bushes with his 2x4. The intent look on his face made you giggle, he was an easy one to influence.

“While I appreciate the concern, I can take care of myself just fine, thank you. Now, be a doll and look over there..”

Like a little marionette, Eddie made his way over to the bush you were pointing at. He couldn’t even stop to question why the hell he was just blindly following your orders, his brain was covered in a thick fog. His one-track mind concerned only with finding what you had lost.

“It would be really helpful if I knew what I was looking for.” he whispered to himself. 

Before he could even blink, you were only two steps away from him. How the hell did you do that?

"You'll know it when you see it." you said, watching him closely

The close proximity was making Eddie's head spin, if he was being honest. The scent of warm cinnamon sugar mixed with the dewy grass you fell in wafted off you and invaded his senses. Not even the pricier stuff in his stash could make him feel this way.

This had to stop. Somehow his hijacked brain connected the dots, whatever effect you had on him would only stop if he found what you were looking for. He took the flashlight from your hand and got on his knees. 

"That's a bit much, isn't it?" you remarked, tilting your head to see how he was doing

"You're.. You're doing something to me." Eddie struggled to get the words out. His lips were barely moving, like they’d been glued together and it was just starting to dry

"Huh. Intuitive." you thought. Perhaps shutting him up was a bit much but you were exhausted and really wanted to get home.

As he swung the flashlight to search somewhere else, a glint partially obscured by a fallen leaf caught Eddie's eye. He bent down and flicked the leaf out of the way, revealing a shiny, palm sized pink stone of some sort. As he picked it up, it felt warm to the touch.

“Rose quartz.” you filled him in, closing your hand over his

Of course Eddie had no fucking idea what that was but you had his full attention, you were only about a hair’s breadth away from each other now. 

“Eddie Munson.” you smiled slowly, noticing how your heart was beating a little too fast

At the mention of his name, he could feel the haze that had settled in his mind starting to lift. He nodded, still not able to produce any words with your hand still in his. You weren’t sure if he could feel it, but the rose quartz began to vibrate under your entwined hands.  

What that meant, you weren’t entirely sure.

In one fluid movement, you managed to take your crystal out of his hand and step away.

You cleared your throat and dropped your crystal into your bag with the others, "The love crystal." 

“What?” Eddie’s lips were finally functioning again but he felt out of breath

“The one you picked up. It’s also called the love crystal.” you clarified, kicking at some pebbles with the tip of your shoe

“Crystal…” he shook his head, looking at you apprehensively. “What the hell did you just do to me back there? Are you some kind of witch or something?"

"If I’m being totally honest, I find that term offensive and I don’t like being called that. It’s so goddamn archaic…" 

"Wait, hold on-"

"...I mean, what is this? The 17th century? You gonna report me to the Witchmaster General too?" 

"SHUT UP!" Eddie yelled, his voice echoing all throughout the empty street

His sudden outburst caused you to let go of your bag of crystals, the lot of them clattering to the ground. You tsk-ed in annoyance before dropping to your knees to round them all up again. 

"Was just trying to make conversation. Didn't have to fucking yell at me." you muttered, occasionally shooting nasty looks at him

He joined you on the ground, hurriedly picking up your crystals. "Shit, um. Look, I'm sorry. I just.. Well, how the hell do I even put this. You're-You're a witch? Like an actual real life witch? Is that how you knew my name?"

"No, you idiot. I watched your trial a few months back. I bet everyone in America knows your fucking name.”

“Oh.”

“But I am a witch.”

“Oh.”

The thing about him is his wit was always quicker than his common sense. The quip was already tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

“Hey, I thought you didn’t like being called a witch?”

“I don’t.” you almost growled at him

Oh, man, if looks could kill… There would definitely be a grave at that cemetery with Eddie’s name right on it but his brain-to-mouth filter wasn’t going to start working just because of that.

“Alright, alright.” he put his hands up in mock defence, “You got a name or should I just call you Sabrina?” 

The silence stretched long between you, both of you sizing the other up. Then, much to Eddie’s relief, you burst out in laughter. He wasn’t exactly sure what that meant for him but the sound made him smile anyway.

“Oh, you’re funny,” you held out a small bag towards him, “Drop my stuff in here please.”

“Not gonna lie, I was a hundred percent expecting you to sock me in the jaw.” he chuckled, doing as he was told.  The sound of the crystals knocking together was kind of soothing for him.

“I really wanted to.”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t.”

“I’m glad too.”

You two stood there for a beat, saying nothing, just awkward half-smiles and heads filled with scrambled thoughts. Most of them consisted of wondering how someone could be this pretty.

“That must be some name if you’re gonna keep me waiting this long.” he stuffed his hands in his pockets, a playful twinkle in his brown eyes

Heat rose to your cheeks in an instant. “It’s Y/N. You can call me Y/N.”

Call it sleep deprivation or being under the light of the moon too much but the sound of your name automatically plastered a smile onto his face. God, if the kids could see him now acting all cheesy. He’d never hear the end of it.

“Well, I guess I don’t need to tell you my name.”

“Nope.” you shook your head

Warmth flooded your body as you kept your gaze on his smiling brown eyes. Oh, he was cute.

“Sooo,” he began, swaying while placing his hands behind his back

You in turn, crossed your arms over your chest and raised an eyebrow, the move made him want you to step on him. He didn’t even care that you only knew his name because of all the murders it was associated with.

“Sooo?”

He scoffed, throwing his arms up, “Come on! You’re really not going to tell me what you were doing? In the bushes? At this time of night?”

The rise in his pitch was definitely starting to sound like a whine, a small smirk played on your lips.

"I thought you got the gist already." you teased, gently shaking your bag of crystals

Would you believe that he actually pouted? You were struggling to keep your eyes off his plump pink lips.

“Well, would you be kind enough to enlighten me?” he whined some more, completely melting away your defences

“Since you asked so nicely,” you smiled, reaching into your little bag

The first crystal you held up to the moonlight was the exact one you'd hoped for, Tiger's Eye. It glowed in different shades of brown. Almost the exact same shade as Eddie's eyes. You made eye contact with him and winked which made him blush in return. 

"It’s nothing complicated," you began, "People use crystals for a lot of different things so just like a human would, they get worn out."

"So, the moonlight.. Recharges them or something?" Eddie ventured a guess

"Exactly! Very good, Eddie. We might make a warlock of you yet."

Ah, praise. A surefire way to get on his good side. Not that you weren't already.

"And the cemetery?" he asked, already wondering if ghosts had something to do with it. Could you see ghosts too? Would you be offended if he asked?

“I was coming from a party. I cut through the cemetery and figured I’d do a cleansing since the moon was full.” you shrugged nonchalantly

The simplicity of it all made Eddie laugh out loud, soon enough you found yourself laughing along too.

“Maybe I should have said something cooler, like oh the spirits of the dead fuel the crystals with more energy.”

He wiped at his eyes, feeling his cheeks hurt from smiling too much. “No, no. I, uh, I appreciate your honesty.”

“And you?” you nodded to his van across the street, “Camping?”

“Ah, something like that, madame,” he replied in a mock posh accent, “I’m afraid my faithful steed has let me down tonight.”

You looked at the van pensively while Eddie admired the slopes and angles of your face like a dorky schoolkid looking at his first crush.

“Mind if I take a look?”

“Huh?” he blushed hard, hoping you didn’t notice him drooling all over you. “Oh, uh, yeah. You know about cars? Or is there like, a crystal for car trouble?”

It was a completely innocent question, his tone filled with curiosity. Absolutely nothing like the other mocking questions and judgmental looks you usually got when people found out your beliefs. You couldn’t help but walk a little closer to Eddie’s side as you made your way over to the van.

“Not car trouble, but there is one to ward off car accidents and stuff like that.” you answered, lifting up the hood and producing a mini flashlight from your back pocket

Eddie tried, like he really tried not to be a creep but you were just so goddamn pretty. The shadows that continually moved across your face as you moved your flashlight across the engine reminded him of this nightlight he had that spun around, sending stars all over his dark room. But tonight instead of stars, he had you and he preferred that more.

“Eddie, could you try starting it up, please?” your brows knitted together as you shut the hood

He could’ve lassoed the damn moon if you asked.

To his surprise, the van roared to life with the radio blasting the chorus of “I Wanna Know What Love Is” deep into the night. Eddie scrambled to get it under control while you doubled over in laughter.

“I didn’t peg you as the power ballad type, Eddie.” you walked over to the driver’s side and perched your arms on the lowered window

“Well, I didn’t peg you as the mechanic type, Y/N.” he countered, cheeks burning but he still found it in himself to bring his face closer to yours

He could pinpoint the exact second your pupils dilated and Eddie figured it was as good a time as ever to finally do what he'd been thinking about all night since seeing you. 

"Thank god for that fucking rose quartz." Eddie mumbled before softly pressing his lips to yours

It was almost as if your lips were covered in a million tiny live wires, sending your entire body alight with sensation. The air was positively snap-crackle-and popping all around you, all that was missing were the actual sparks.

Eddie pulled away for a second to jump out of the van and take you in his arms, he smelled of leather, soap, and a hint of smoke. It was almost second nature to you, wrapping your arms around his waist and letting him kiss you once again.

Despite your disdain for the term, you were a witch. That much was true. You had abilities, you studied, and you practised. But this right here, kissing Eddie. That was a whole other sort of magic all together.

Once you found it in yourselves to pull away, breathing hard and smiling like fools, you hopped in the van.

“What did you do to get her running again?” Eddie asked, making sure you fastened your seatbelt

“Nothing. There wasn’t even anything wrong.”

He decided to leave it at that. Eddie just pecked you on the cheek before pulling back into the road with you guiding him on the right track to the Bingham House which surprisingly, you didn't live far from.

As the sky changed from midnight blue to a purple-dusted orange, you and Eddie watched and talked as the sun began to peek just over the horizon. He told you about his life in Hawkins and about what really happened, the whole demobats took a pound of flesh from him truth, not the censored bullcrap the authorities told him to stick with. He didn't doubt it when you said you believed him. 

You told him all about your abilities, about all the people who just didn't understand, how you really did make him do your bidding back there and how you foresaw that he'd be coming for you. It all flowed out, the easiest conversation either of you had in your lives.

"Quite a pair we are, huh?" he nudged you affectionately, an easy smile on his face

You nodded, reaching over to lace your fingers through his, "The witch and the freak."

"The witch and the freak." he agreed, bring your hand to his lips

… 

"So, just take the next left then straight on till morning, Eddie." you kissed him one last time before hopping out of the van

"Aw, c'mon, Y/N." he whined and pouted

Him whining and pouting was quickly becoming one of your weaknesses. 

"It's just one more block, why won't you come with me? Had enough of me already?" 

"Because, Eddie! My mom's going to kill me if she catches me sneaking in. Don't worry, we'll be seeing each other again soon."

Eddie knew the finality in your voice wasn't for nothing, you've probably already seen how this was going to go but still, he loved pushing your buttons.

He scooted to the passenger's seat, "And how are you so sure about that, hm?" he puckered his lips at you

With a chuckle, you planted a big 'ol smooch on his waiting lips. Already visualising what the next time you'd see each other would be like.

"Because I'm sure! Now go! The Binghams usually serve a feast for breakfast. I hope you like kids!" you waved him off, already knowing that you didn't need to consult your cards to see if you were right or not.

You blew him a kiss which he playfully stuffed in the pocket of his jean jacket before slipping quietly into your house.

"Oh, what a night," Eddie shamelessly sang along to Frankie Valli, shimmying his hips as much as he could while seated

"What a lady, what a nigh-Oh shit!" he slammed his foot on the brakes, tires squealing against the pavement

He forgot to ask for your phone number. 

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Eddie hissed, bonking his head on the wheel

Just as he was about to turn back around, he noticed something on the passenger's seat that definitely wasn't there five seconds ago. 

A crystal that Eddie recognised was the colour of your eyes and a note.

"When did she have the time to write this?" he wondered

It seemed like you already knew he was going to think that. 

"I'm a witch, remember?" the note began, making Eddie shake his head in awe

You're under strict rules to keep this crystal with you at all times, Eddie. It will protect you and hopefully make you think of me. We will be seeing each other again very soon. 

Love, Y/N.

You also had the foresight to scrawl your number on the back along with, 

Can't believe you forgot to ask!! >:(

Which made Eddie Munson giggle. Thank God no one was around to witness it or else he'd never live it down. 

Having everything he needed, Eddie started up the radio again and went on his way to the Bingham's. 

Those fingers in my hair

That sly come-hither stare

That strips my conscience bare

It's witchcraft. 

"You got that right, Frank," Eddie placed a kiss on the crystal you left him, "You got that right."

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

Manuscript Search Tag

Thanks for tagging me, @oh-no-another-idea and @spuddlespud! :D

Words: window, clamber, hot, clay, awning, tree, mirror, footstep, hand and hair. These are from The Power and the Glory:

Window:

When she next opened her eyes the sun was high overhead. Kitri sat up and looked out the window. From here she could see all the roads approaching the bridge, and there were no monsters in sight anywhere. The ones ahead had by now had plenty of time to get well out of her way.

Clamber:

Down in the crypt the stone coffin stood empty. Its lid was propped against the wall. Its former occupant clambered stiffly up the stairs. As soon as she was safely out on level ground she ran at a surprising speed to find and defend her creator.

Hot:

Abi thought of the fire that usually surrounded her wings. It never burnt her, but it was certainly hot enough to leave scorch marks on anything she touched. She tried to summon that fire. Nothing happened. Apparently it only worked when she had wings. Instead she tried pressing her hand against the lock and willing it to heat up until it melted. It did indeed heat up, but at a certain point it got too hot for her to keep her hand against it. As soon as she drew back with a pained wince the metal returned to its normal coldness.

Clay:

Abi thought quickly. She wasn't stupid enough to claim she'd developed a newfound love for ornamental pieces of clay. She also couldn't admit she just wanted an excuse to visit Haliran-rúdaun.

Awning Curtain:

Over the endless droning Abi heard a faint sound down in the street. She looked at the spaceship, judged that its lights weren't shining directly onto her and no one aboard was likely to notice her, and crept on her hands and knees over to the window. She had to sit up to get a good look at the street. In case someone happened to be looking at this window in particular she hid behind the curtain and craned her neck to see round it without being seen.

Tree (warning for referenced animal cruelty):

When he released his control on the bird it flew back up into the tree overhead and squawked indignantly down at him. Imrahil blinked. He'd snapped its neck. It had been dead and shouldn't be moving around without his magic controlling it. He reached out warily with his magic and found the bird was both alive and perfectly healthy. There wasn't so much as a fracture in its neck.

Mirror:

Imrahil looked at the mirror. He was just in time to see something -- a shadow, or a colour that had never been there before -- leave his eyes before he could get a good look at it. He blinked. Strange. That had never happened before.

Footstep:

Heavy footsteps outside announced Arafaren's return. He stomped down the hallway, threw open the door of the record room, and made a point of treading very heavily on the floorboards as he stalked in. This backfired on him. His footsteps disturbed the dust and made it fly up into his face. For several minutes he coughed and spluttered.

Hand:

Abi didn't hesitate before answering. On the one hand this made her answer more convincing. On the other, as became painfully clear a few seconds later, it meant she didn't think before speaking. "I'm not talking to him because he's a doctor. He's engaged to Mirio."

Hair:

Abi barely heard that part. She was much more preoccupied by worrying about whether or not anyone could tell what had happened to Ilaran. She stared at him intently. Was he paler than normal? He had always been so pale that it wasn't really noticeable. Was his wound visible? No, he had his hair draped over his left shoulder so it concealed his neck. All the same she waited on tenterhooks for someone to ask if something was wrong with him. No one did. She only really relaxed when her grandparents left the sitting room.

Tagging @blind-the-winds, @bardic-tales, @penspiration-writing, @writingpotato07, @dreamywritblr, and anyone else who wants to do this! :D Can’t be bothered to think of new words, so just pick any (or all) of these ones!

[britishassistant]

What happens if Yuu goes on vacation or needs to leave the city for business?

Would they just leave and not tell the villains? Leaving them to wonder where they went and potentially tear the city apart?

Would they tell them and risk the full time villains showing up? Or Vil/Kalim/Jamil/Riddle to show up for business purposes?

Who hopes to catch them in a bathing suit?

@mister-jedblack said: I wonder what if Yuu and Yuuken took a vacation to Yuu’s parents house and they didn’t told the NRC villains that they’ll be gone for two weeks. What’s their reaction about it.

Thank you for the ask, dear anon and mister-jedblack!

Yuu and Yuuken decide to use their saved up holiday to go back to Yuu’s parents’ place for the week of Yuu’s birthday so they can actually celebrate with some peace and quiet and puppies rather than Yuu just being getting kidnapped and being unable to celebrate altogether.

Only Uncle Divvy knows what they’re doing, and was the one who came up with the whole idea in the first place.

Amazingly, nothing happens on the journey out of the city, and they enjoy a quiet drive to the country with very little traffic, debating playfully about what music they should be listening to.

Waterboy breaks into Yuu’s apartment on the evening before their birthday to see that it’s empty. Yuu isn’t at any of the other locations Snake Charmer told him to check if Yuu wasn’t at the apartment either. Even Grim can’t tell Kalim where Yuu is, depite promising the monster cat the best tuna money can buy.

Kalim panics.

He calls Tsunotaro and begs him to give Yuu back if he’s taken them, because he and Jamil have a really cool scheme that they wanna show Yuu, but he can’t find them anywhere! Please, please Tsunotaro, give Yuu back? They’ll only keep them for like, an hour tops, he promises!

Malleus, who does not have Yuu, is very confused. And once he figures out what Waterboy is yammering about, very, very panicked.

Malleus orders Sebek to call those two Card Soldier minions Yuu is hanging around all the time and see if Royal Flush doesn’t have Yuu in his grip.

Ace and Deuce are very confused when Sebek texts each of them and orders them to call and put Yuu on the phone. Ace and Deuce both that Yuu isn’t there, shouldn’t Sebek just call their apartment if he wants to talk to them?

Sebek is not good at hiding the fact that Yuu may be missing.

Ace goes to scope out Yuu’s apartment while Deuce messages Jack and Epel, asking if Yuu is in the King or Poison Queen’s lair. When Royal Flush, Trey and Cater assemble for dinner and ask Deuce where Ace has gone, he’s not able to lie very well to his boss and seniors.

Now Royal Flush is calling Ace every 3.25 minutes and demanding status updates on the search for Yuu. Meanwhile, Jack and Epel have questioned their respective seniors and employers to ascertain that Yuu definitely isn’t in their lairs. Leona and Vil aren’t stupid though, and this line of questioning inspires both of them to send their lieutenants out to investigate.

Vil calls Tsunotaro just to make sure Yuu isn’t just out on another odd gargoyle sightseeing walk somewhere abandoned. Meanwhile, Leona calls Leviathan to see if the creepy octo bastard has tied up the reporter in his basement to feed to his eels or something, fully willing to lay siege if this is the case.

While all this is spiraling out of control, since Malleus doesn’t have Yuu, Kalim has called Jamil in a tizzy, clutching Grim who’s similarly freaked out, blabbering about how Yuu’s gone, no one knows where they are, what if they’ve been kidnapped, what if they’re gone forever, what do they do?!?

Jamil spends thirty minutes trying to calm Kalim and Grim and himself down, before making the executive decision to get into contact with the one supervillain who could possibly find the missing reporter in the shortest amount of time.

Snake Charmer calls Charon and asks him for the current location of Yuu’s cell phone.

Idia is immediately sus of the request, not quite buying the fact that Yuu is with Snake Charmer and worried that they’ve lost it. His hackles are only raised when he does use the tracking app he covertly installed and sees Yuu’s cell phone is somehow miles out into the country. He answers Snake Charmer’s question more out of confusion than anything else, only to be met with a dial tone as Jamil suddenly hangs up on him.

The final nail in the coffin is when Leviathan then calls him, worry in his voice barely covered by the smarm turned all the way up to demand the same thing Snake Charmer just asked him. He tells Ortho to fly out to these coordinates with his tablet to see wtf is going on.

Meanwhile, Jamil, Kalim and Grim have stolen one of the Asim company cars and are speeding out of the city. They end up driving by where Ace, Ruggie and Rook are caught in a standoff, with Rook recognizing the occupants of the car thanks to his keen eyesight. Rook immediately calls Vil and tells him he’s in pursuit of a car with this licence plate.

Ace and Ruggie refuse to let him leave peacefully and not lose the car unless they get to go with him, so the three of them end up piled on the back of a moped to give chase.

Vil cuts off Malleus’ rambling to order Epel to get in the Queen Machine and get going. Malleus, suspicions roused, commands Lilia, Sebek and Silver to follow the Pomefiore villains in the Dragon Mark ‘59 Copter that Lilia bought on a whim because he said it “looked perfectly evil!”

This vehicle is much more like a dune buggy with a propeller on top than an actual helicopter, so Malleus and Sebek are forced to crouch on either side of the “cockpit” while Silver drives and Lilia gleefully hangs upside down from the undercarriage and freaks out passersby below.

Ortho is understandably shocked when he sees them flying alongside him, Sebek screaming above the wind to ask if they’re going the right way.

Riddle receives Ace’s text that he’s en route out of the city following a car that might have Yuu inside, and rallies Trey, Cater and Deuce onto the first train out the city in that direction available. It’s awkwardly packed with tired workers at this time of night who do not appreciate Cater’s attempts to document the journey through selfies.

Meanwhile Leona and Jack are having a standoff with Azul and the Leech twins over the bus that Jack and Leona are trying to steal to follow Ruggie’s directions. Jade suggested that if they couldn’t get an answer out of Idia, that they hitch a ride with one of the seven other supervillains who are all rapidly leaving the city, and Leona and Jack were the poor saps generous allies they found!

The poor bus driver who is caught in the middle of this conflict is almost glad when Azul tosses him a wad of cash and Floyd throws him out the doors, Jade taking his place behind the wheel. According to Jack, they’re very behind everyone else on the trail of the wayward reporter, so Jade obligingly steps on it.

The bus smashes through a closed mall and several speed limits on it’s journey out of the city. On the plus side, they catch up to the Queen Machine, Jamil’s stolen car, and the overloaded moped in practically no time at all!

All of these methods arrive at roughly the same moment, though the Heartslaybul villains are forced to frantically push their way off the train and run the mile from the station to get there on time. Poor Trey is very winded.

Whatever nefarious place they expected Yuu to be held, this certainly wasn’t it. A modest, two-story house in the middle of a street full of other houses just like it (and very confused neighbors taking pictures of the menagerie of vehicles from their windows). Still, whatever upstart thought that he could kidnap their reporter out from underneath the noses of the seven most feared supervillains in the city has got another thing coming to him.

The mass of villains and henchmen march up the drive and knock on the door—

Only to be met with Divus Crewel answering it in decidely more casual clothes than he would ever be caught dead in at work, glaring down at them all with a very full glass of red wine in his hand, as more Dalmatians than it seems reasonable to own try to jump up and get out the door to greet the new people behind him.

“Uncle Divvy, who is it?” Yuu calls from inside.

“No one, Yuu.” Divus calls back, one arm pointing imperiously and eyes screaming ‘Go right now and don’t come back, or I swear to the Seven you’ll all be waking up with baboon livers’. “Just someone trying to sell something.”

He waits until all the supervillains have sheepishly shuffled down out of the driveway to firmly shut and lock the door in their faces. They’re not dumb enough to try and infiltrate another way, not if Crewel’s in that house and probably has it filled to hidden traps and defenses up to the gills.

Well, everyone but Grim isn’t dumb enough. He’s currently making his way into the utility room, where he will soon be surrounded by a dozen dogs that want to play with and chase this new cat-like thing! It’s only Yuuken’s intervention later that evening that prevents anyone from getting hurt.

The others are all trying to work out how they’re going to get back to the city. Idia is rapidly firing off questions to Malleus through his tablet about the manufacture of the vintage copter they arrived in. The moped’s out of gas, and the train station is closed, so Azul volunteers the bus for the Heartslaybul villains too. Leona and Jack put their foot down on Jade being behind the driver’s wheel on the way back though. Rook is delighted to be able to go back in the comfort of the Queen Machine!

“Hey Ja—Snake Charmer?” Kalim asks suddenly. “Was it just me or did you see birthday decorations for Yuu in there?”

Yuu sneezes inside the house, wondering what the sudden cold feeling down their spine is.

[hanibalistic]

#67509E | HWANG HYUNJIN.

genre | fluff

word count | 1889

warning | appearances of vampire fangs, mention of blood sucking

tag | @fluffyskzclub​

note | i miss hyunjin.

hyunjin pouted like he was throwing a tantrum—well, to a certain degree, he was throwing a small tantrum.

he curled himself around the fluffy blanket that you two left on the couch from yesterday's spontaneous movie night as he pouted at you bitterly. he tried to fit his tall body within the blanket, but his long legs awkwardly jutted out of the end corner, unable to bend enough to curl himself into a tiny ball. his head poked out of the blanket he draped around his shoulder and over his head.

"must you open the curtains all the time?" he whined with furrowed brows, lightly kicking his feet against the couch. "i hate the sun, you know that!"

you rolled your eyes as you closed the curtains after being drowned in his mindless complaints about the last half an hour. you had opened them so the plants could soak in some sunlight. you even took into consideration that hyunjin would be asleep for longer like he always does, otherwise, you would have never let the sunlight into your shared apartment. but for some reason, he decided to leave his stupid coffin earlier today.

to listen to the birds' chirp perhaps. that's the kind of leisure activity a hundred-year-old would like, you bet.

the same thing happens every time you open the blinds, which is that hyunjin does not shut up about him disliking the sun and how it weakens his vampirism as opposed to it actually killing him. he would not stop until you close the curtains and turn on the lights, which often made you scoff. not only was he annoying, for a vampire who was supposed to burn under the sun, he sure does speak of it a lot.

"we will need sunlight somehow, hyunjin," you said as you turned around to glare at him. "the plants you stole, from outside, in the morning, will need sunlight."

you emphasized your words to make sure he knew of all the heinous frustrations he has caused you. the puppy pout on his face, as well as the pitying glint in his eyes, only deepened with each emphasis of your voice, his body flinching and shrinking when he could tell that you were upset with him.

watching him, there was a rush of conflict brewing like bubbles in you. you weren't sure if you felt more annoyed or endeared about the fact that hyunjin, a not quite literally ancient but old enough to feel ancient vampire, gained such comfortability from you that he was fine with throwing a childish tantrum in front of you.

he looks cute, surely! he always does. but sometimes, you genuinely could not stand another second of him whining.

"stop yelling at me! you know what the sun does to a vampire!" he retorted.

oh, god—blah, blah, blah.

"yeah, a vampire that doesn't have an accessory of the sigil," you said cleverly as you moved over to him. you yanked the blanket off his body, ignoring his protest, and you pointed at his neck. "like the necklace you never take off!"

"i only got this recently! the witch would have never sold me this if you hadn't come with me," he argued, pulling the blanket around him again. "i'm not used to the sun yet, just let me have a little more time."

you pursed your lips together, your neck turning sour at his poor mumble as you softened. he did only just get the necklace—by just, it was about two to three months ago. however, while that alone may seem like a long period, comparing that to almost a whole decade of no sunlight, perhaps he really just needed more time to adjust.

but! zooming past the streets, leaving normal people wondering where the sudden gust of wind came from, and hiding in the apartment that leaves no room for any traces of sunlight was not the way to go about it!

"how about just a little bit, hmm?" you said then, suggesting a compromise casually while you walked toward the window. "take it little by little!"

hyunjin widened his eyes in disbelief as you moved farther away from him. he shook his legs in protest, his body moving animatedly on the cushiony couch as he protested loud and clear. "hey! you better not open the curtains, [name]!"

you grabbed the hem of the curtains, your mind occupied with calculating the correct amount you would flip open. it has to be a very small amount, to a point where the sunlight could only hit one leaf of the plant on the window rail, or just one square of your marble floor. it has to be the form of sunlight that could not hurt even a fly, so you could show him just how goddamn dramatic he was being.

"[name], i swear!"

"oh, bite me," you muttered under your breath.

there was a gust of wind—a familiar kind. it blew at the tip of your hair, making it waft around, and the hem of your thin shirt also danced at the breeze of hyunjin's vampiric speed.

blinking consciously, you loosened your grip on the curtains and turned around. immediately, upon feeling the heat of his face, you flinched back and closed your eyes to settle yourself.

"jesus–what the hell, hyunjin?" you muttered with a hand on your chest before you slowly opened your eyes.

hyunjin was glaring at you; no malice, just alluring intensity. his hair fell over his face prettily. the sunlight that he didn't seem to care much for now shone a soft haze over half of his face, making him glow and glitter naturally.

"those are some reckless words to say to a vampire," he said lowly, tilting his head to the side lightly as he arched a brow, "don't you think?"

your heart pounced.

the matter of blood, or just his general nature as a vampire, like his need to feed off of human beings, has only come up once.

he mentioned it to you when he was applying to be your roommate, having a foul plan to erase your memories in case the truth was not well-received by you. he told you that he has been a vampire for a while so he knew how to control his urges, therefore you would not be in any harm, and the matter was never spoken of again.

he held up his words. he has never discussed blood with you, he has never shown any blood-thirsty behavior at all. he acted like any other roommates you have had; being too loud at night, eating cereal in the living room and eyeing your bed-head with a judgemental gaze, knocking at your door and asking if you wanted to pick a takeout place.

if he used his powers less, you would have forgotten about his vampiric side.

why was your heart thumping then? was he too pretty for your own good? or was he standing too close for familiar comfort? or perhaps both?

you scoffed, making your thoughts vanish. "you won't bite me."

hyunjin softened in a way you couldn't catch. deep within the tender wash of his eyes was a sea of wildfires he hid behind closed doors.

you were right, he won't bite you, but he wants to, especially because the smell of your blood happened to be more enticing than others because he likes you.

the art of blood sharing (in a sense) is done between lovers; consider it like leaving a love mark, of a sort. it is an act of claiming and reassurance, and hyunjin has been wanting to sink his fangs into your flesh for a while so he could leave a bite mark.

but he could never do that. that was a desire trapped in his throat, urging to be let out and to be voiced, and hyunjin would not allow it. there were too many risks of unleashing the deep-seated yearning in his chest. it lingered in his head in withdrawal, cautiously threading through his mind to keep his urges contained.

he puts his want elsewhere. his want to taste your blood, to kiss your neck, has to grow somewhere, so he has to put it somewhere, and he puts in it his daydream which that manifests gently when he is with you, and ferociously when you were away.

"i won't," he muttered under his breath, to which you relaxed at. but then he grinned, and he opened his mouth to speak first, "doesn't mean i can't, though."

you widened your eyes when black veins draped beneath his eyes and his sharp fangs appeared. it was a terrifying sight, but you were only shocked to see it than scared. rationally, you reached your hands up and slapped your palms against his cheeks, startling him.

"hmmm... " you grumbled, sounding thoughtful as you surveyed his shocked expression.

the veins under his eyes retreated and the colors returned to his face. the innocence flooded back into him, bright and boyish, and he dared not move an inch under the pressure of your gaze—beneath your touch hyunjin is but a gentle boy hapless in love.

"ah...aah...wha–" he closed his eyes slightly and opened them with furrowed brows, confused and helpless with his head slightly tilted up. his words were muffled but jot too hard to understand. "[name]–why–uhh–"

you pushed at his upper lip with your thumb and looked at his fangs, wondering why they did not retreat with the dark haze of his eyes. then, ignoring hyunjin's muffled questions, you carefully poked at the tip of his teeth—razor-sharp, but very real.

he was whining again. his hands reached out to the hem of your shirt and desperately, as well as timidly, tugged at it. meanwhile, he put on a defeated face. as much as he would with your thumbs poking his fangs, that was.

"ahh, please stop–[name], stop touching my fangs–why," he feigned a sob, shaking his head as a blush reached his cheeks, "they're just teeth."

"teeth that puncture," you commented when you let go. the way your thumbs briefly smoothed over his top lip was not lost on him.

seeing his pout, you pursed your lips with faint guilt. rubbing the back of your neck, you shrugged. "sorry about that, i just got curious."

"it's okay," he waved you off quickly, "i was curious too when i first got them."

hyunjin looked at you when you giggled under your breath; soft, hearty giggles that tried to conceal themselves without the anticipation for his vampiric hearing. gentle, funny giggles that never once questioned his problematic past. lovely, adoring giggles that are here before and after he revealed who he is to you.

he came to your apartment begging for a home where he could be himself, and you allowed him safety with you.

"alright," you said with a curt smile, "i'm going to go change, need to get grocery."

"i–i'll come with!"

you seemed shocked for a moment, accessing him like a trick question. then you relaxed and nodded with nonchalance. "yeah, whatever."

he melted despite the lackluster reaction. it was the excitement that counted. smiling to himself, he twirled and twisted his body shyly as the sun shone from outside.

yeah. hyunjin truly is but a simple boy in love with you.

[the-anxious-gay-drummer]

Agnes' JatP fics masterpost

Thought I might as well clump together all the thingies I wrote for this fandom so far.

*all fics that are not marked otherwise are completed

UPDATED: 16 March 2021

ASHES WE ARE AND FROM ASHES WE RISE

Bobby/Alex/Luke/Reggie

4.8k words

Supernatural elements, polyamory, love confessions, angst with happy ending

Mom catches him after sundown, copper bowls laden with candles and fruit and herbs clutched to his chest and steers him back inside the house with a firm hand on his shoulder. She doesn’t yell and she doesn’t lecture and Bobby asks her, “How did you know?”

“Because,” she tells him, putting away the bowls, “death is also lonely.” She turns to face him, draped into the sunset colors slipping in through the window, her eyes dark and strong, and says, “You need to learn to put things to rest.”

BOBBY'S SEXUALITY CRISIS SUMMER

Bobby/Reggie

3.8k words

Coming out, fluff and humor (attempted?)

The tank top is black, Reggie's skin is pale, shoulders and face pinked from the Sun. And his arms are not as scrawny as Bobby remembers them being. He blames tingly, tight feeling in his chest on the fact that Alex is a drummer and Luke has been prancing around in his cutoffs since they hit puberty and Bobby had to ask Carrie to open his peanut butter jar yesterday because he couldn't do it.

GENTLE HAUNTING

Willie/Alex

2.6k words

5+1, near death experiences, happy ending

As he loses his balance, there’s a dull noise of wheels rolling over the sidewalk and in his periphery, a splash of bright colors- yellows and blues and reds and greens- so vibrant that, for a moment, Alex forgets that he’s falling.

AKA "Five times Alex sees Willie while he's alive and one time they finally meet as ghosts"

KISSING THE LIGHTS

Willie/Alex

1.1k words

Fluff, kissing

“What are you doing?” He asks quietly, not wanting to disrupt the soft, quiet atmosphere. He feels too lazy to open his eyes.

“Nothing,” Willie whispers in response, voice tilting like he’s smiling. “I’m just watching.”

1k of pure fluff and soft ghost boyfriends

COLORS BURST AS I CLOSE MY EYES

Willie/Alex

1k words

Fluff and angst, boys kissing, implied/referenced homophobia, cemetery

If Willie finds it strange that he’s lying on his own grave- his body six feet below him, rotten along with the coffin and reclaimed by the earth- he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he says, “Hey, Hotdog,” and gets down on his knees near Alex’s shoulder. His hair is spilling down around his face in soft waves and looking at him feels like looking at an old photograph, bleached into golds and browns and bronzes by the light.

PEANUT GALLERY

Willie/Alex

800 words

Fluff, Christmas fic, movie night, outsider POV

He turns to his right, hoping to commiserate with Alex, who now has a hot boyfriend and thus is assumably over his teenage movie crush- and then he freezes, mid-chew.

NO ONE LEAVES HOME

Alex & Bobby

1.3k words

Angst and fluff, friendship, implied/referenced homophobia

He strides to Bobby’s car with purpose and drops his backpack on the floor of the passenger seat before asking, “How do you feel about skipping the first period?”

Bobby, who was sucking on a mint until now, bites down on it. Alex hears it crunch as Bobby’s eyebrows shoot up. “Okay,” he says despite his surprise.

I needed some Alex&Bobby friendship. So.

ANGELS CAN FLY INTO THE SUN

Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters

1.5k words

Cathartic blasphemy, religious imagery & symbolism, implied/referenced homophobia

Luke won’t tell him where they’re going, but eventually, the streets morph into a familiar path, down past his parents’ house that stands unchanged despite everything, and then Bobby is parking them in front of Alex’s old church.

EXISTENCE SLIPPED LIKE SAND THROUGH OUR HANDS (BUT NOT ANYMORE)

Willie/Alex

2k words

Fluff, kissing in the rain

“Hm, looks like it’s going to rain,” Willie comments, head tipped back. Everything around them is colored in monochrome; reality is a far-away, unimportant concept, all the edges blurred and softened. It’s a good day to be content and in love, Alex thinks, touching the tips of his fingers to his breastbone.

YEARS I SPENT ON THE EDGE OF DISAPPEARANCE

Willie/Alex

SPN & JatP crossover

53k words

WIP (work in progress)

Alex spent 4 years living in Los Angeles (during which he met only the best people ever and found his passion for music) so his oldest brother and father could check up on his other brother (which is a healthy way of saying "stalking him"). When everything goes downhill and he's forced to move away with his family, he runs away to pursue his dream.

And then he fucking dies. Which would actually be a minor hitch in their plans- if Dean could just stop investigating his death.

I think it's safe to say SPN crossovers are my writing niche now, and I'm absolutely obsessed with JATP and Alex rn. So. This is what I have to offer to you guys.

[miraculouscontent]

If you've already got a text summary of the special written up, it'd be awesome if you posted it. The only clip I've seen so far is of the magic hot dog guy; I'm curious what else happened.

No problem, here you go!

(note: I make some idly comments just because I never planned to post this, so sorry about that if it bothers you!)

- Mr. Pigeon is akumatized again and is trying to take the Eiffel Tower to space. Ladybug and Chat Noir use the pink (space) macarons to fly after him (there is no fanfare made about this by the way).

- Post-battle, yellow rose scene happens where Chat finds a "loophole" to Ladybug telling him not to give her flowers by insisting that it means friendship (I’m not sure what the obsession is with putting a label on their relationship?). Obvious shipping fuel follows with Ladybug absolutely PRAISING Chat Noir for being such a good partner+friend, which clearly strokes Chat Noir's ego.

- Marinette is going to school when she stops to take a picture of a new Adrien poster. Tikki groans and whines at her about it (”I thought you stopped taking pictures of Adrien”), but Marinette tries to say that it's different.

- What I’m gathering is that she's making an attempt to move on from "Miracle Queen" or has said that she's doing it but hasn't made the full leap.

- We’re shown a weird French-American sock puppet short that the students all made together pre-field trip. Miss Bustier says that she can't come on the trip because she's pregnant. The students loudly whine about Ms. Mendeleiev (who is peeking her head in so they haven't seen her), which Ms. Mendeleiev is hurt by.

- Sadrien (get used to Sadrien by the way) reveals that he can't come either because of his father. Lila tries to "comfort" him by saying that she can't go because of charity work and Marinette interrupts to give a speech about how she WILL convince Adrien's father to let him come because Adrien's her friend (”I-I mean, OUR friend!”; for some reason, the special like to stress Marinette differentiating between Adrien being Marinette’s friend versus everyone’s friends and it’s a little heavy-handed even though I know it’s Marinette’s nerves at work).

- Next scene is Alya and co. teasing/mocking Marinette for her crush and her calling Adrien a "friend". Marinette tries to talk about how exhausting it was crushing on him and it's easier just being friends. (I also have to add that it TICKS ME OFF because Marinette lists off the things that she's no longer doing and then Alix has to make a comment about things that she's probably still doing). Alya points out how "rOMaNtIc" a trip to New York will be and if Marinette's going to be okay with it. Marinette's priorities, however, are on convincing Gabriel.

- Gabriel and Nathalie are watching a news broadcast of a museum in New York and Nathalie points out an eagle miraculous. Marinette then shows up at the gate and, after being let in, Gabriel accepts her demand for Adrien to go. He later tells Nathalie that it's simpler than trying to hide his absence from him while he goes to New York himself.

- Kagami and Adrien are fencing. Sadrien is sulking after being beaten and vents to Kagami about how he wished that he could go on the trip. Kagami admits that she's sad for him, but happy for “him and her” because it means that they'll get to practice more. She kisses his upper lip (earning a brief smile from Adrien), then leaves.

- Marinette is excited about getting to go to New York with Adrien and is loudly cheering about it while skipping down the street. She catches Tikki grinning at her cheekily and tries to calm himself. Tikki then asks who's going to protect Paris while they're gone (I FEEL LIKE THIS WOULD'VE BEEN A GOOD QUESTION TO ASK A LONG TIME AGO??) and Marinette assures Tikki that she has a plan.

- At night, Ladybug tells Chat Noir about how she's going to be away but can't tell him any more than that. Chat groans about it because "sEcReT iDeNtItIeS" but agrees. Ladybug gives him a little ladybug-themed remote and shows him a cat toy she has. When he presses the button on the remote, the cat vibrates, so that's how he can warn her if something happens (she stresses seriously to him that it's only for emergencies).

- The next day, Gabriel is telling Adrien that he can go on the trip and Adrien nervously tries to refute by asking about his fencing/Chinese lessons. Gabriel points out that Nathalie packed his bags already and we get Sadrien again (they really did just make Gabriel wait a day to tell him so we could get Sadrien twice oh my gosh--) because he promised Ladybug he'd protect Paris. Plagg encourages him to go and Adrien eventually agrees on the pact of "what she doesn't know won't disappoint her," because Adrien has the akuma alert on his phone and the space macaron to "fly back quickly."

- Cue generic scene of Gabriel monologuing to Emilie ("mY lOvE, iT pAinS mE tO sEpArAtE fRom yOu fOr sO lOnG bUt--") and setting a rose on her coffin.

- Marinette is apparently running late for the bus. Luka is riding her there on his bike and insists that they'll make it because of how important the trip is to her. Marinette agrees, but asks if he means that it's important because of Adrien and tries to deny it. Luka simply smiles (not a sarcastic/mocking one that everyone else gives her) and waits for the bus to stop to explain that the importance he was referring to was this trip being used for getting her some clarity. She smiles, thanks him, and kisses his cheek before stepping onto the bus, continuing to look at Luka before the doors close. She turns afterward, sees Adrien, then blushes uncomfortably and smiles nervously as she walks along.

- There was some mini-plot about Chloe not wanting to go and then being forced to go but it's just there to stall for time really.

- On the plane, Adrien tries to find some media to look at but everything is basically either Ladybug+Chat Noir based or some film about Paris being destroyed. Marinette is looking for her seat and it turns out that she's sitting next to Adrien. Marinette is nervous and Alya teases/mocks Marinette again (get used to this) about "ohhh go sit next to your fRiEnD (get used to this especially), Marinette, for a vERY lOnG and cLoSE flight!"

- Marinette is even more nervous now (hm, wonder why) and sits next to Adrien, but is clearly panicked and struggling to breathe. Adrien tries to ask what's wrong, to which Marinette claims that it's hot. She tries to make things cooler by turning some knobs above her and Adrien puts his hands right over hers and insists that she let him help. Her panic in response ends with her seat flopping back and Adrien landing on top of her.

- She freaks out more and rushes to Alya to say that she can't do it and will need more help being "just a friend" to Adrien. Alya says that she can "just get off the plane" because of how romantic New York is and starts listing off scenarios. Marinette screams in horror and says that she has to "get out of here," to which Alya calls out for Ms. Mendeleiev to say that Marinette is getting airsick and should sit closer to the middle (Marinette literally just admits that she has to get out so I guess Alya's whole thing about getting off the plane was a lie) and Ms. Mendeleiev refuses until the students start complaining that "Miss Bustier would've let her move." Ms. Mendeleiev softens (this plot point goes nowhere by the way) and moves so Marinette can have her seat. Marinette tries to distract herself, but the magazine in front of her has Adrien's picture on it.

- Note: there's a running gag about Gorilla doing nothing for this whole special because he's airsick and has his player continuously going to relax him. It will cut back to him multiples times while they're in New York with him doing nothing but relaxing.

- Cut to the plane post-takeoff. Marinette wakes up at night to Mr. Damocles spilling popcorn on her because he's asleep. He falls over her and she gets up to sigh. She goes past all the ships (DJWifi, Myvan, and Julerose) then goes to the bathroom to clean up. However, the plane jostles and she gets soaked; her shirt is wet and she has toilet paper in her hair. Thoroughly miserable, she tries to go back to her seat, but Mr. Damocles is sleeping on it, so she goes out to the plane's nearest window to look at the sunrise. Adrien shows up out of nowhere to talk about how beautiful it is and the plane jostles to force them together. Alya conveniently wakes up and looks to see Marinette and Adrien together (now standing normally next to each other). Alya wakes up Nino and they watch them together.

- Blatant shipping fuel time: "*softly* You've got something, Marinette." "S-something?" "*now obliviously* Yeah, there, in your hair."

- Alya is annoyed and Nino goes on about how Adrien has a hard time understanding the signals people send him. Alya argues "what signals?? Marinette isn't exactly sending them clearly!" Nino wishes that the trip could "finally help Adrien come out of his shell" while Alya wishes that Marinette "could be more honest with herself and clear about her feelings." They then get a simultaneous idea for "Operation: New York"

- Adrien hugs Marinette in thanks for what she did to get him on this trip and she's nervously babbling about "oh sure what are friends for" and makes some comment about Adrien's cologne. The plane then jostles, forcing them apart.

- A supervillain (Techno Pirate) is attacking the plane. Cue Alya basically introducing everyone (Majestia, Knightowl, Uncanny Valley, and Sparrow) while the plan is being saved. Marinette and Adrien considered transforming but end up not having to (Mr. Damocles goes to turn into his "superhero persona" but the day is already saved once he comes back).

- More exposition on the bus ride around New York as Marinette points to something off-screen and Alya explains that it's a superhero directing traffic because "there's a superhero for everything around here." However, she quickly diverts to asking Marinette about her "friend" (she's done this like thrice by now and two of them have been with airquotes and I'm extremely annoyed). Marinette brushes it off that it was "just as friends" and Alya seethes in frustration.

- Meanwhile, Nino stops Adrien from looking at his phone (he's looking at Paris news) by grabbing his face and turning his gaze towards Marinette, saying that Adrien should "open his eyes and take it all in" (Alya is very non-subtly pointing at Marinette). Adrien turns his gaze elsewhere and agrees that it's beautiful.

- Once the students are in the building they’ll be staying in, Aeon (an android and Uncanny Valley’s civilian form) is scanning all the students with her Special Eyes™️, but notices that two students are missing. She looks to see that Marinette and Adrien are stuck between two sets of double doors because the second set isn't opening, leaving them in a relatively small space. Marinette tries to get it open, but just slams face-first into the glass. Adrien tries to help but she panics at his touch. Aeon opens the door while Marinette happens to be leaning on it, so Marinette falls forward onto the floor and her luggage spills everywhere.

- A male teenager notices Marinette (oddly doesn’t laugh at her which was nice) and recognizes her and the others as "the cool kids who made that sock puppet movie" (from the beginning). Adrien is helping Marinette with her things and their hands brush, leading Marinette to pull away nervously.

- A small distance away, Jessica (Aeon’s friend and Sparrow’s civilian form) is groaning about "watching a bunch of kids" while Aeon points out Adrien and Marinette and says that "they're made for each other". Jessica angrily tells her "not again" (Aeon argues that she "was programmed to help people”) and tells her to stop interfering with people's private lives, to which Aeon relents and agrees to just protect the students.

- Ms. Mendeleiev gives everyone a curfew and they groan about it, but go off to their room anyway. The guy from earlier whispers to them and explains that he and his buds are throwing a party on the roof later that night. He also winks at Sabrina, who blushes and gets teased by Alya (who still finds a way to be like, "and you, Sabrina, might make a fRiEnD *nudges Marinette, who looks very done right now, as do I*"). Chloe then interrupts to complain about the idea and march off.

- Alya and Marinette get stuck in the same room as Chloe and Sabrina (this goes nowhere and is literally only brought up in this one scene). Aeon and Jessica are spying on them and Jessica is, again, groaning about how boring this all is.

- Cut to later that night when everyone is sneaking out. Ms. Mendeleiev hears them and goes to investigate, so Alya+Nino and Adrien+Marinette duck into separate rooms. Adrien and Marinette happened to stumble into Aeon and Jessica's room (Aeon is admiring them like her ship is happening). Marinette nervously greets them and is all "this is my friend Adrien who is just a friend." Aeon leans towards Jessica and whispers that "see? they're made for each other," to which Jessica sighs and just tells Adrien and Marinette how to get to the rooftops without being detected. Aeon waits for them to leave, then asks Jessica why she did that ("I thought we weren't supposed to meddle") but Jessica just says that they might as well have something to watch if they're supposed to keep an eye on them. Jessica picks up her guitar and heads up to the rooftops.

- Meanwhile, Sabrina is sulking in her room when the guy who winked at her earlier opens the window and helps her out so she can come up to the roof. (this also goes nowhere, by the way)

- Everyone is dancing to music when a hotdog superhero appears (Jessica comments that he usually teams up with ketchup and mustard superheroes but is going solo tonight) and offers everyone hot dogs. The hot dogs are magic and make things happen (such as exhaling pretty sparks of light, changing skin color, etcetera). However, by the time Nino+Alya and Adrien+Marinette get to them, there are only two left. Each "ship" takes a single hot dog, but while Marinette tries to just pass it off to Adrien (who then tries to pass it back), Nino breaks it in half and gives it to both of them. Nino and Alya's hot dog gave them high-pitched voices while Marinette and Adrien's makes them fly. Jessica now agrees that Aeon was right and "they really seem to be made for each other."

- Alya approaches at Jessica’s comment to say that the situation is "far from simple." Realizing that Jessica plays guitar, Alya asks her to play a specific song. Jessica does, and Adrien points out to Marinette that it's the song they danced to at Chloe's birthday (excuse me? no it wasn’t) party. Marinette agrees and Adrien asks her to dance again, holding out his hand. The gesture freaks Marinette out and she nearly goes flying off before he grabs her hand and pulls her into a dancing position (just like "Despair Bear," by the way, Marinette hasn't agreed to anything by the time he pulls her into a dancing position). They slowly spin ("dance") together in front of the full moon.

- The next day, Alya is asking Marinette about the dance and Marinette tries to insist it was a friendly dance (Alya is annoyed). Alya then gets sidetracked by the civilian form of "Doorman" (superheroes don’t care much about secret identities in New York) a superhero who creates portals using doors. She leaves to try and get a quote from him for the Ladyblog.

- Cut to later. Jessica looks over and sees that Marinette and Adrien are stuck between two sets of automatic doors (yes, again), with Marinette desperately waving at the sensor to try and get the doors to open. Each time the doors open, however, she tries to go through and the doors slam shut before she gets there, her face smacking against the surface. Jessica groans and Aeon comments that Marinette and Adrien go through "repetitive behaviors."

- Marinette talks to Adrien about how they always seem to "end up together--STUCK together!", to which Adrien is all, "I don't mind being stuck somewhere with a friend like you." (if shipping fuel was tangible, I’d be choking on it by now)

- Jessica comments that it might help if Adrien and Marinette found each other in a "dangerous situation." Alya asks Jessica if she's out of her mind and Aeon comments that "two people confronted with extreme situations often cause their feelings for each other to become strong" (thanks for clarifying how invalid "Oblivio" is I guess??).

- While Marinette is still struggling to force the double doors open and squeeze through, Jessica explains a plan to invent a fake supervillain (who threatens to kidnap anyone who "nobody loves)" and how Alya just needs to get Adrien and Marinette alone in a specific room together. Then, the supervillain would threaten Adrien, and Marinette would confess to show that Adrien isn't unloved. Alya goes through the whole "so stupid it just might work" thing and they agree to help. Nino is impressed and is about to ask how they plan to invent the supervillain, but are cut off by the sound of the double doors. They all look over to see Marinette on top of Adrien, on the floor, and the double doors keep opening and closing on them.

- In a car, Gabriel is explaining some sort of history about the Marquis de Lafayette (Gilbert du Motier) and talking about how the guy had an incredible ability to galvanize people, but he thinks that it was a miraculous at work. Gabriel tells Nathalie to "take care" of Paris while he takes care of New York. He transforms in the car (the license plate says “TSURUGI-1″ for some reason).

- He akumatizes Techno Pirate (who was being driven away by police who I guess must’ve been taking their sweet time) into Techclonizer and tells him to go get the saber that Gabriel and Nathalie were viewing earlier.

- Everyone's at the museum when Alya tells Marinette to go get a picture of the saber. Marinette agrees (suspecting nothing) while Nino pretends to have lost his headphones and asks Adrien to go look for them in a particular room. Doorman (who's in civilian form because everyone knows his identity) is rambling about how much he'd love to get into a specific safe in the Statue of Liberty or something (out of curiosity, not because he's evil) and Alya asks him why he doesn't just make a portal there. He says that superpowers should never be used for personal gain and then talks about how it wouldn't matter because the key is in the Eiffel Tower.

- Adrien and Marinette see each other in the saber room and Aeon closes the doors so they can't get out. Adrien then gets an akuma alert about Robostus terrorizing Paris, but points out that it doesn’t make sense because Markov is with the group. Marinette checks her purse to have Tikki confirm that Chat Noir hasn't contacted her with the cat toy.

- Jessica and Aeon are confused at why nothing is happening between Marinette and Adrien (since they're distracted). Jessica turns the lights off and Aeon makes a hologram of the fake supervillain, only for Hawk Moth's supervillain to bust into the room. Aeon notes that she can't get a read on him, as if magic is interfering with her scanning tools. Jessica and Aeon then touch the matching bracelets they have that instantly transform them into their superhero forms.

- Tikki doesn't know what to do and Plagg is asking Adrien about going back to Paris and warning Ladybug. Everyone else in the museum is finally catching on that something is happening and they flee. Doorman transforms into his superhero self with his own bracelet so he can make a portal for everyone to escape into. Sparrow tries to contact the United Heroes, but her communicator is shot. Uncanny tries to leave via Doorman's portal (Doorman's like "Let the AdULtS handle this!") but the supervillain grabs her and yanks her back. Apparently, his tentacles steal Uncanny's powers, but only some of them(? She can still fly so--?).

- Adrien sees a tower about to collapse on Marinette and transforms, only for Uncanny to plow the supervillain (again, she can still fly) into the pillar that Chat Noir was hiding behind, causing the rubble to fall all over them. Marinette also transforms, then helps Sparrow up, but sees Chat Noir in the process. Chat Noir asks about Marinette and Ladybug says that she got her to safety, but presses on asking Chat Noir about why he's not in Paris.

- Hawk Moth, meanwhile, tells Nathalie to get rid of the sentimonster in Paris. While the teenage heroes are taking the fight with Techclonizer elsewhere, Hawk Moth descends into the room in the museum to steal the eagle miraculous while everyone else is distracted.

- Sparrow asks Chat Noir if they came to help them out and Chat Noir lies and says that they came "in honor of French-American friendship week" (Ladybug rolls her eyes). Ladybug and Chat Noir then charge into battle and Sparrow comments on how Ladybug and Chat "don't need anyone's permission to fight." Ladybug uses the comment to chide Chat Noir because he didn't tell her about going to New York. Uncanny asks Sparrow if she warned the adult heroes and Sparrow says that she couldn't, but they don't need them. Sparrow says that she wants them to prove themselves that they can be just like Ladybug and Chat Noir (cue obvious joke about Sparrow saying, "They're such a great team!" and then faltering at seeing Ladybug and Chat Noir mid-argument).

- Also, as usual, Chat Noir is the one faltering in battle while they're arguing and Ladybug is the one staying on top of things even though she's mid-scolding him.

- "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" "I was afraid you'd get angry!" "And you were right!"

- Chat uses Cataclysm (completely unpromoted) and Ladybug uses Lucky Charm, the latter getting a bicycle pump. Chat asks what she's going to do with it and Ladybug says she has an idea but Chat wouldn't like it (while tapping the bike pump against her hand with a look like "bOY I'M ABOUT TO SMACK U GOOD").

- Chat reiterates that he didn't tell her because he was afraid of losing her trust. Ladybug is basically like, "Uh, yeah??? I can't trust you anymore." Chat, who was in the middle of protecting Sparrow, drops his baton in shock. Techno Piraye targets him, grabbing him and throwing him towards Ladybug.

- Uncanny jumps in front of Ladybug and Chat Noir ends up Cataclysming her by accident, powering her off completely as she rusts with cracks forming in her armor. Everyone is horrified and Majestia (who I presume has psychic powers or some connection to Uncanny despite not showing up earlier to help fight) is heard screaming from up in the sky. Majestia swoops down and punches Techclonizer through a bunch of buildings. Hawk Moth de-akumatizes him and insists that that's enough for now, then approaches in his car and tells the Techno Pirate to get in and leave the saber behind.

- Knightowl descends on the situation, seeing the saber and squinting at it (idk what this is supposed to tell me).

- Majestia is sobbing over Uncanny's... idk, corpse? Uncanny also de-transforms (Ladybug and Chat recognize her and gasp in horror). Majestia's all like, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE" (no, I don't know how she knows that they did anything; also, bold of Majestia to ask that question when she probably just killed a few people in her rage of punching Techno Pirate through several buildings). Chat Noir quietly admits that it's his fault (yeah see she didn't know and just PUNCHED the supervillain so like--????) and Knightowl shows up, asking Sparrow why she (I say “she” but both Knightowl and Sparrow are considered males by the public and use male voice filters in superhero form) didn't call and asking Ladybug and Chat Noir what they're doing there. Ladybug insists that she can help and Knightowl angrily is like, "What?? With your magic bicycle bump?" Ladybug frowns, but is like, "Precisely," then uses Miraculous Ladybug to heal all the damage and thus bring Aeon back.

- Majestia thanks Ladybug, but Knightowl still goes off on Ladybug and Chat Noir. Sparrow tries to defend them, but Knightowl yells at Sparrow for not calling and disobeying (not letting Sparrow get a word in edge-wise). Knightowl demands that Ladybug and Chat revert to their civilian forms and hand her "the source of their powers," which they can have back when they leave town. Ladybug points out that she fixed everything (I presume this includes the people that Majesta may’ve injured or killed) and Knightowl says that if her "power" (she says it very mockingly) is fixing Chat Noir's mistake (dunno how Knightowl heard Chat’s quiet mutter of, “It’s all my fault,” considering that she only came on the scene afterwards), they don't need her. Majestia says it's for the best and is like but what if you couldn't have fixed her or if she wasn't an android??? (gee, I dunno, Majestia, what if she hadn’t fixed the damage YOU did either?)

- Ladybug whispers to Chat Noir that they can't give up their miraculouses. They bail and Knightowl follows them for about five seconds before losing them.

- Ladybug and Chat Noir escaped into the sewers and Ladybug says that they have to get back to take care of Robostus. However, she looks at the news on her yoyo to see that Robostus is gone and Paris is severely damaged. Chat asks if she can just make a Lucky Charm while they're in Paris and Ladybug explains that her power simply makes a magical object that repairs damage caused by a specific villain, but the villain in Paris is already gone, so nothing can be done. They solemnly walk off to separate sides of the sewer (you don't need to see this shot by the way because it's basically a copy of the one from "Mayura").

- Chat Noir says that it's his fault and that Ladybug was perfect as always (I don’t know why the show continues to pretend like Chat thinks Ladybug is perfect when he’s constantly questioned her before), and also that Knightowl was right to try and take his miraculous because he left Paris without telling Ladybug. He also comments that, if Aeon hadn't been a robot, he would've caused "irreparable" harm (how convenient; also, I have no idea what he means by that and need elaboration; Miraculous Ladybug already fixes everything Cataclysm harms - even when Plagg destroyed so much of Paris - so I fail to see why it wouldn’t fix a person).

- Marinette and Adrien de-transform, and Adrien apologizes to Plagg before renouncing him. Marinette is shocked and looks over as she sees the cat being put down on the floor (she doesn't see Adrien; only his arm). He says that he doesn't want to hurt anyone, "least of all [Ladybug]," to which Marinette goes to chase him (”Wait!”) but stops when realizing that she's de-transformed so he’d see her identity. Sadrien runs off crying and Marinette can only tearfully call out to him, getting no response.

- Elsewhere, Gabriel puts on the eagle miraculous and the eagle kwami is summoned. She calls out to "Gilbert" (the Marqee guy) before turning and realizing that the one who put on the miraculous was not in fact her original holder. Gabriel goes on about how he hopes the miraculous can give him what he wants and she (warily) explains that she's "Liiri, the kwami of freedom. My power is basically to free people from anything that prevents them from reaching their full potential, nothing too powerful. [nervous chuckle]". Gabriel points out that it's all he needs to seize Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous and Liiri cowers in fear.

- Ms. Mendeleiev is counting up her students and Nino+Alya point out that Adrien+Marinette aren't around. Meanwhile, Knightowl and Majestia's civilian selves (Barbara and Olympia respectively; Barbara is not anywhere NEAR buff like Knightowl is - to the point where I didn’t recognize her - and I'm disappointed) walk into the building, in the middle of scolding Jessica and Aeon, with Barbara telling them that they were supposed to be watching the students. Aeon basically reveals everything they did, including setting up Adrien and Marinette. Barbara is infuriated and Olympia calms her down. Aeon states that she doesn't understand why they’re upset and quotes the, "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing," line that Majestia always says, to which Olympia says that "doing good doesn't always mean fighting" and how Aeon’s actions put her, Jessica, and the French students in danger. Jessica angrily goes off about how they just wanted something to do because they're "not babysitters" and have nothing to do otherwise. Barbara goes off in return about how they failed to watch the French students, then forbids them both from joining on the hunt for Techno Pirate. Jessica is annoyed and Aeon points out that Ladybug and Chat Noir don't need permission to do things, to which Olympia says that she almost lost Aeon because of it.

- Cut to a rainy scene with Sadrien and Marinette are walking down separate streets back to the student building (I don't know how they conveniently ended up on completely opposite sides at the exact same time but alright, we’ll roll with it). Nino keeps trying to call Adrien but Adrien isn't answering (even though the phone is in Adrien's hand like--??? dude you can ignore your phone but why put it in your hand outside of the sake of a camera angle?). Plagg is sulking in Marinette's purse about how this is his fault for not stopping Chat Noir from leaving Paris. Marinette glumly just says that Chat Noir "made his choice" and "what were we supposed to do?"

- The president is making an announcement on TV about how they’re postponing the French-American friendship event because of how dangerous it is with Techno Pirate running about. The president then transforms into her superhero form and promises that they'll keep patrolling until the supervillain is found.

- Cut to Hawk Moth entering a bathroom, where he's kept his supervillain chained up in a tub (I don't even know anymore). The supervillain demands to be let out and Hawk Moth agrees, also returning the akuma to him. He adds on "an apology" for keeping him locked up in the form of the eagle miraculous, explaining that the transformation phrase is, "Liiri, Wings of Prey!"

- Back to the angst, Alya and Nino catch Adrien and Marinette outside through the windows. Some of the students rush out to see them and Adrien and Marinette stop to stare sadly at each other. A car shows up and Gabriel (in video form on the back of the seat ala "Origins") tells Adrien to get in because it's too dangerous now. Nino tells Adrien to stay and Adrien apologizes to Marinette that her efforts were wasted, repeating the phrase, "I wouldn't have minded being stuck here a little longer with a friend like you." Marinette opens her mouth to say something, but stops and stares at the ground. Adrien's weak smile turns into a frown (I guess he was fishing for expecting something??) and he says that his father was right and that he never should've come to New York.

- Adrien gets in, closes the door, and the car drives off. Alya rushes down the stairs, asking Marinette "What is WRONG with you?" (wow okay we’re doing this now) and "Couldn't you see that he was just WAITING for you to tell him to stay?" (apparently Nino means nothing to Adrien anymore, alright). Marinette tells Alya that "it was his choice" and "what did you expect me to do" (a blatant reference back to what she said about Chat Noir and I'm groaning). Alya angrily goes off about how it didn't matter and what matters is who Adrien is to Marinette; a friend or "more than a friend" (I don’t know how Marinette’s feelings can magically impact how Gabriel feels about taking Adrien home but sure)? She grabs Marinette's shoulders and pressures her, asking if she wants Adrien to leave or stay, to which Marinette turns and rushes off to chase Adrien, screaming for him to stay. She tries to call him ("I already lost Chat Noir, I can't lose him too") but her phone is too low on battery because of course it is.

- Marinette grabs a random bike and helmet off the ground and tries to bike after the car, but doesn't get very far. She tries to make a turn and the bike slips due to the rain, careening away while Marinette rolls and hits the ground face-first. Marinette tearfully looks after the car and whispers, "Adrien, I... love you," before letting her head fall onto her arms.

- Back with the actual plot, the heroes are searching for Techno Pirate when said supervillain (now Miraclonizer) shows himself, pretending to surrender. They're suspicious and Majestia goes in, assuring that "she's the only one he can't harm."

- She approaches (with the other heroes in firing distance) and Miraclonizer unleashes the eagle's power, "Liberation." This causes lights to emerge from his torso and touch all the superheroes, giving Miraclonizer a mental link with them. Visually, the mental link shows his face and the hero's facing each other, eyes closed, then an image of the hero curled up with a link of chains around them, which vanishes after his speech, an example of which is, "Majestia! You're afraid of your own power! I release you from your fears!" The heroes basically all go off from this to do their own thing (Majestia destroying stuff to test the limits of her powers, Knightowl "bringing justice" without morality, etcetera).

- Miraclonizer hooks Hawk Moth up to the TV (Hawk Moth literally says, "hook me up" and I want to die) and Hawk Moth gives a speech to "Ladybug and Chat Noir" about how he's in New York and they need to hand their miraculouses over. Aeon (who is watching this with Jessica) drags Jessica off to try and convince her to help (Jessica says that the adults told them not to move and Aeon responds with something about how "being human means knowing when to bend the rules). They run to the rooftops and Jessica is nervous about how no one is there with them. Aeon points out that Ladybug and Chat Noir exist, to which Jessica reminds her that "they" almost de-activated her (gonna throw blame at Ladybug too, a’ight). Aeon says that this is an akumatization they're dealing with, so there's no chance without Ladybug and Chat Noir. Jessica is like "BUT THEY'RE TEENAGERS" to which Aeon is like "And so are we." This immediately convinces Jessica, whose only remaining question is about how they're going to find them. Aeon says that nobody can keep a secret identity from her, so she transforms and flies off.

- Jessica (as Sparrow) goes to scope out the situation, all like "okay I have basic training and minimal weapons and am going against all these superheroes (also, apparently Majestia is pulling a Majora's Mask and trying to shove the moon into the Earth, raising the water levels)... i'll be fine."

- Uncanny descends in front of Marinette and tells her that they need Ladybug. Marinette plays dumb until Uncanny says that Ladybug's "suit of quantum masking" is meant to confuse human minds, but she is not human (so... glamour confirmed??). Apparently, Marinette didn't even see Hawk Moth's video feed (RIP, Hawk Moth’s efforts) as Uncanny has to explain the akumatization to her. Marinette looks down at the ring in her hand and sadly admit, "I can't imagine being Ladybug without... him," (because girl power) to which Uncanny assures her that she’ll take care of it. Marinette smiles confidently at her and hands over the ring.

- Sadrien is flying in a plane back to Paris when he sees Uncanny out the window. Uncanny breaks into the plane and tells him that he's needed, but Adrien is still feeling sorry for himself. Uncanny is all "to err is human apparently" and Adrien insists that his mistakes are unforgivable and he "couldn't bear to see the disappointment in [Ladybug’s] eyes." Uncanny responds by playing a voice clip of Marinette saying the "can't imagine being Ladybug without him" line, then telling Adrien that, "his lady (ugh) is waiting for him." This immediately breaks Adrien out of his funk and he takes the ring back.

- Adrien puts the ring on and Uncanny is confused at him interacting with Plagg. Plagg reminds Adrien that kwami can't be viewed by tech and thus Uncanny can't see nor hear him. He starts making faces at Uncanny for fun and Adrien follows up by transforming.

- Sparrow is fighting against the heroes and Ladybug saves her. She gets them to safety and explains the whole "break the object" thing, suspecting that it's in Miraclonizer’s handcuffs. Sparrow talks about the necklace and Ladybug realizes that it's a miraculous. Uncanny and Chat (who was briefly in space form to fly there) descend and Ladybug rushes to hug him, telling him to "never do that again." Chat apologizes and says that he was stupid and so afraid of disappointing her that he said nothing. They pull away to fistbump.

- Hawk Moth tells Miraclonizer that it's time to get to the next step. Miraclonizer snatches a device from the superhero president and flies off using the wings that the eagle grants him. He perches at the torch of the Statue of Liberty and presses a button, which activates a rocket. Hawk Moth threatens over the monitors that he'll start a World War if the miraculouses aren't handed over to him, adding that they have five minutes (he even does a taunting "tick, tock--")

- Ladybug is making a plan with Chat Noir, Uncanny, and Sparrow. She uses Lucky Charm and gets a Statue of Liberty keychain. Uncanny is skeptical (and Ladybug can't see anything immediately useful), but then Ladybug asks how the Statue of Liberty was built. Uncanny gives Ladybug a diagram and Ladybug gets an idea. She points out that there's a ladder that leads to the torch platform (where the supervillain is), but Chat Noir doesn't know how they're going to get inside. Ladybug and Sparrow look at each other and say in unison, "Doorman!" Uncanny points out that Doorman only uses his powers for himself now (courtesy of "Liberation"), but Ladybug gets the rest of the idea now, and basically:

- Aeon and Jessica (de-transformed) take a picture of a package they put outside a specific door, sending it to Doorman’s (Dean Gate’s) phone "as thanks for the museum. Doorman shows up, unwraps the gift, and sees the keychain inside. It's enough of a hint for him to go to the Eiffel Tower and Ladybug and Chat Noir follow him through the portal. They let him get the key (which is in a random drawer), then wait until he makes a portal back. Once he goes through, they go through too and capture him. Chat Noir uses his belt to tie him up, then he and Ladybug ignore his begging ("at least let me see what's inside the safe!!!") and rush to the torch platform. Ladybug jumps at Miraclonizer and takes the miraculous, knocking Miraclonizer (who I guess is technically Techclonizer again?) off the platform too (he lands fine). She then throws the miraculous to Sparrow, who lands and slips the miraculous on. Liiri calls her "fledgling" and states that the actual transformation phrase is "Wings of Liberty," (which I guess confirms alternate phrases?), so Jessica transforms and says, "Cool down," which stops the "Liberation" power affecting all the heroes.

- Ladybug and Chat Noir refuse to give Techclonizer their miraculouses. Hawk Moth is all, "can't say I didn't warn them," from whatever place he's chillin' at (some random hotel idk; it’s where he was when he had Techno Pirate in the bathtub - again, what? - as well) and Techclonizer launches the rocket. However, Majestia stops it and throws it into the sun.

- Ladybug and Chat Noir are fighting Techclonizer and Ladybug is knocked back. Knightowl helps her up, then entangles Techclonizer and reels him in. Chat Noir Cataclysms the handcuffs and the akuma is freed. Ladybug does her schtick (apparently they felt the need to show Miraculous Ladybug giving Chat Noir's belt back).

- Jessica goes to return the eagle miraculous, but Ladybug tells her to keep it. Jessica points out to Knightowl that she disobeyed again, then asks if that means she won't be getting her weapons back. Knightowl says that she won't need them with the powers of the miraculous, and that she was wrong about Jessica not being ready. Jessica hugs her excitedly and calls her, "Mom," then realizes what she did and apologizes. Knightowl says it's fine and that, with Jessica's new suit, people now know that Sparrow is a female, not a male, and that the "legendary original Knightowl and Sparrow" (we see flashes of a bunch of former Knightowls and Sparrows) are long gone. Knightowl removes her mask and says that maybe it's time for them to embrace who they really are. Majestia also admits that, even if it still worries them, it's best to let them take chances so they can grow. They then thank Ladybug and Chat Noir and ask them to forgive them for misjudging them. The teens all do a fist bump.

- Meanwhile, Hawk Moth is monologuing about how his theory was correct and that there are other lost miraculouses, and how he'll find them no matter where they are.

- Over on the Statue of Liberty’s torch, Ladybug is asking Uncanny about her knowing their secret identities. Uncanny assures them that she'll just delete it from her memory banks after they leave. Chat Noir (in space form again) flies off with Uncanny while telling Ladybug that he'll see her back in Paris.

- Later, Marinette is watching a news report about how the mayor has put forth action to undo what Robostus has done to Paris, going on about how Ladybug and Chat Noir were actually in New York helping out which explains where they went. Alya walks by and goes on about how everyone is waiting for Marinette for the surprise they planned for Adrien, her "friend" (yes, she literally did the airquotes again). Marinette sadly admits that she "doesn't know" (I presume this is referring to her feelings), which Alya brushes off as, "We're going back to Pairs tomorrow, you can ask yourself then." She grabs Marinette’s hands and leads her away.

- The surprise was them holding up a, "Coucou, Adrien!" sign on the news report (presumably from the friendship event thing?). Adrien smiles from his place on the plane and it cuts to fireworks over New York.

- Sabrina (standing next to the guy who winked and took her to the party earlier) tells Chloe how she's happy that Chloe is finally having fun now. Chloe denies it and says that she's just happy that they're leaving tomorrow.

- The scene cuts to Gorilla, still in the room listening to the relaxing voices+music from his device, then the scene cuts back to the fireworks again, now going off behind a French and American flag.

- Scene cuts again, this time to a car pulling into an alley. Four guys come out and one of them is lightly waving a hand fan. Uncanny and Eagle (yes, she's literally just "Eagle") are watching them (Eagle is twirling something on a string but I can't tell what it is; I presume it's her weapon, it's shaped like a small flute/whistle or something) when they hear a voice above them. The source of the voice (another man) shows up with a tan-ish Miracle Box (wooden design) and says that the miraculous must be returned to the box now that it's been found. He tells her that he's come a long way and that she should give it back without a fuss because he's not in the mood. Uncanny says "no" because Eagle's proven that she's worthy, after which Eagle hops up to the man and suggests that he stay so they can create a new generation of heroes together. The man smiles, perhaps intrigued(?).

- End special.

[ilkkawhat]

Can you do a ficlet or a full fanfic where it's Nick hopelessly pining after Greg?

gonna call this one “a night that we can’t replace” on ao3, bit of a retelling and expansion on another fic I wrote called “what’s it gonna be? cause I can’t pretend”

~~~~~~~~~~~

There are a lot of things that changed for Nick in the summer of 2005. 

A burial that he’s still digging his way out of, his hands blindly reaching out for anything, anybody for him to grab onto with desperate fingers and a pounding heart that hasn’t stopped beating no matter how much damage was done to it. 

Lucky for him, plenty of people were reaching for him, too.

He connected with a lot of people after his latest near death experience, and it was hard not to given the circumstances. He couldn’t have prevented his parents from flying in when they were told about the kidnapping—though if it were up to him, they would be none the wiser just as they hadn’t known about the many gunpoint incidents or the stalker and they had come very close to finding out about the window fall before he made a rash decision to change his emergency contacts to someone who was in the city of Las Vegas that he trusted more than his own flesh and blood. 

He couldn’t have prevented the whole damn department showing up to the hospital, haunting the halls as they both protected him from harm and looked in on him to witness this miracle; the man who was buried in a coffin, alive, and lived to tell the tale. 

And he most certainly wouldn’t have prevented the core team from reuniting over his bedside in a vigil that he told them they needn’t waste in doing. He was fine. He wasn’t going anywhere. He’s happy to see them, and happy to be alive.

One by one they took their leave at his insistence—Warrick was the hardest to convince, and Nick knew that the minute he closed his eyes and opened them back up, he’d be back in a heartbeat and he loved him for that—but he asked Greg to stay, just for a minute.

He had a lot of time to think in the box, until an infestation tore apart any of the life revelations he may have had...all except one. 

The one where he realized, that Nick Stokes loves Greg Sanders. 

He didn’t know how to go about saying it but at the same time he felt it didn’t need to be said in a verbal sense; before Greg could get a single, nervous word in, his clammy, bumpy hands reached out and latched themselves onto Greg’s arms and pulled him into the box—No, he’s not in the box, not anymore, he’s in a bed, a bed with Greg—and stole the air from his body because he’s suffocating and the fan is dead and he needs Greg, he needs to be with Greg, he needs Greg to want him back—

The one-sided kiss is broken off by Nick when he realizes that he could easily just be making a mistake, that Greg is just frozen in shock and not reciprocating, that this is all just a symptom of his oxygen-starved brain and soon his eyes will really open to expose the truth of his perpetual entrapment into a closeted darkness with only a green glowstick to give him any sort of light, because he shot out his chances a long time ago.

Perhaps he came on too strong, he thinks, when Greg does what he expected and runs out of the room.

He doesn’t talk to Greg for days. For weeks. For months and it drives him mad. Grissom keeps sticking him on cases with somebody else, he keeps seemingly avoiding Nick whenever they see each other in the lab, and it’s not until he, Sara and Greg embark on a road trip for a case out of town that they finally confront each other.

But every moment in between a night he regrets and a night that he can’t replace is filled with a feeling he’s never quite felt before.

He’s had crushes, sure, and has moped around his house in his teenage years out of loneliness, and carved his name with another’s on tables and trees, and had wet dreams with whispers that can be heard by the eye that watches him from above, but he’s never struggled harder with his lust than his crush on Greg.

Looking back on it, he was helpless from the start. Hovering over shoulders, stolen glances from across the hall. Playful, teasing flirts that had a large amount of weight. The nicknames, the offerings and requests for assistance. The physical contact that only Nick can initiate or else it feels weird to him, but he’s never grabbed anybody’s shoulders as hard, or kept his hand on someone’s back as a show of support for longer than a second without making it weird.

And it's not like the other crushes he's had in the past, where he realizes that perhaps it wasn't a crush on the person he thought and yet another one that was right in front of him the whole time—his first homosexual experience and attraction to somebody was born out of his supposed crush on a sorority chick across the street—but this time, his admission of love has done nothing but haunted him and somehow made it worse.

"Bro, you gotta stop doing that," Warrick told him one day while they were eating lunch in the breakroom.

"Doing what?"

"Those wide ass puppy dog eyes. Y'ain't gonna run outta soup cause you keep drooling into it. Just go and talk to him, man."

Nick shook his had.

"I can't. I-I made it too weird already."

"So? Sanders is weird enough as it is."

Nick nearly knocked over his bowl of soup.

"How do you know it's about Greg?" he choked.

"Oh, come on, Nicky, you make it so obvious. Just go and talk to him," Warrick repeated.

"Warrick," Nick growled.

"Look, here he comes now!" Warrick whispered, nudging Nick from across the table as Greg approached them.

"Hey, guys—"

"Hey, G!" Nick got up from his feet, a little too quickly, and Warrick slaps his arm and gestures for him to sit back down.

"Hey..." Greg started with a little more hesitation. "Grissom just handed us this case in Lincoln County. Sara said she'd meet us there, I figured to save gas maybe we could carpool?"

"I'll carpool with you!" Nick smiled with almost too much exuberance. "A-and hey, maybe we can save on motels, get a room together too—"

"It's...a quadruple homicide," Greg furrowed his eyebrows with a frown on his face.

"Yeah, good idea, Greg, we'll meet you in the garage," Warrick broke the tension and once Greg left, turned to Nick and asked with wild eyes, "What the hell are you doing?"

He really had no idea, just as he had no idea how the car ride would go anywhere other than a complete train-wreck, but to his absolute surprise, a miracle happened instead.

Warrick decided to drive out with Sara, using his wife as an excuse which is not the first time and wouldn't be the last, which left Nick and Greg alone to drive together to a small little town in Nowhere, Nevada. A life changing case for Nick that begins before they even leave Vegas.

"Greg, listen, I-I think before we go, we-we gotta talk..."

"Well, three hour drive, I figured that's what we'd be doing," Greg laughs. "Why have you been acting so weird lately?"

"Me? You're the one acting weird!" Nick squeaks. "It's-it's like you've been avoiding me ever since..."

"The hospital?"

"Yeah," Nick gulps.

"Nick...listen I just...I needed time, to you know...catch up to you. I mean, you got a head start, after all."

"Guess I did," Nick smiled sadly. "So...what do you—?"

Greg cuts Nick off with a kiss, not unlike the same one Nick gave him in the hospital. He breaks it off and leaves Nick hopelessly lingering for more.

"There's a lot I have to tell you, how I came to this...conclusion that I came to."

"Oh, really? And what exactly was that...conclusion?" Nick asks with another seductive lean towards Greg, a coy smile on his face because he knows exactly what Greg is thinking, because he's thinking it too.

Still, he wouldn't mind hearing it.

"How about I begin at the beginning?"

[undertaker1827]

Heyyy can I request Ciel, Sebastian, and Undertaker with a female S/O who trains really hard and just completely destroys their body most of the time? Like maybe she does it so she can defend herself and be a little badass!!

OMG I’m so sorry this took so long, I really loved writing them!! Life is so busy!! Also this is my first Ciel fanfic so I hope he’s not too OOC. Again I’m so sorry, hope you enjoy!

-

Ciel

The young earl was briskly walking through Phantomhive Manor, trying to find you. He checked all of the rooms where you usually were, but you weren’t there today. That was when he realised. You were training. Again.

It wasn’t that he minded your training, in fact he approved greatly, given how dangerous the world was. It was just how you went about doing it. It was nothing for you to reappear after hours of your favourite pastime nursing a fractured wrist or with an added limp to your usual stride. Ciel let out a sigh of frustration. Truthfully, he wasn’t frustrated at all, just concerned for your wellbeing. Not that he would admit it to anyone else.

The earl’s cane and shoes tapped rhythmically on the superbly polished floors as he made his way to the back of the mansion. Once outside, he rounded a corner to the place which had been designated as your training area. He took a moment to observe you before approaching.

Your hair was pushed back from your glistening forehead and your eyes glinted in the sunlight. Blood was running down the side of your face and a tear in your trousers allowed a purple bruise to shine through. You were fiercely staring down your opponent, a DIY training dummy. The remains of its brethren were littering the ground at your feet.

“Y/N!” He called out, just as you swung your sword to decapitate your target. The perfect kill shot completed, you spun to face him, sword held in a defensive pose. You spun and twirled it a couple of times when you saw your audience.

“Hey Ciel!” You smiled and made your way over, embracing him despite his protestations, then turned to look at the damage you had done to the ‘enemy army’. “Not bad for a day’s work, huh?” You joked, turning to face him only to be met with an even more serious expression than usual. You slowly raised an eyebrow, attempting to work out what was going through his mind.

“You have got to stop doing this to yourself.” Well that wasn’t what you were expecting. When you asked what he meant, he gave around ten minute’s worth of monologue on how although fighting skills and defence were incredibly important and useful things to have, it wasn’t worth putting your body through so much to get them. Whilst you disagreed vehemently with this point, you dialled your response down quite significantly. He was showing that he cared about you, after all; that was no cause to be angry. Especially considering how often (or less so) he outwardly showed that kind of emotion.

You loved your work though, you truly enjoyed it and thought it was worth every scar. Besides, the best fighters are the most awesome people, everyone knows that. In light of this, you knew full well that you wouldn’t be giving up on this fighting any time soon and as of yet, you still dreamed of the day you could put it to good use.

-

A few hours later, you had made your goodbyes and were on your way back to your own home. Your brisk pacesjad just left the manor and made it onto the street when you sensed something flying towards your head. Within seconds, you had twirled to avoid it and unsheathed your sword to use it as a counterbalance. As you spun to face whatever had almost hit you, you were met with the barrel of a hand gun. The guy holding it seemed quite young and fairly inexperienced when it came to what he was doing; his hand was trembling slightly and his eye was fixed on the gun, not you. You smirked.

Before he could react, you flicked your sword up underneath his gun so when he fired it out of reflex, the bullet soared over your head. You gave a punch to his jaw with the other hand, then used the sword to knock the gun from his grip entirely. You hooked a boot behind his knee to throw his leg forward, simultaneously throwing the heel of your palm into the vulnerable part of his shoulder to floor him. With a boot planted firmly against his chest and the tip of your sword resting at his throat, you took a moment to think back over what had just happened.

You still help this pose about a minute later when butler and earl rushed down the drive in hot pursuit of whoever was firing bullets. They stopped abruptly on seeing it was you who had apprehended the assailant.

“My, my, Lady Y/N. All those hours spent training do seem to have paid off, wouldn’t you agree, Young Master?” Sebastian commented, eyes flicking from you to Ciel, who was standing flabbergasted, mouth agape.

“What’s the matter?” You questioned, a glimmer in your eyes, “You just realised why you should worry less and encourage me to train more often?”

Sebastian

Sebastian had finally managed to get away from the Young Lord for long enough to address the situation at hand, that being the fact that you were training. He fancied he could smell your blood all the way from the manor. The demon was all in favour of you being able to protect yourself, especially given the inevitable danger likely to arise from the fact that you were with him. However, your method of doing it meant he felt he had to check up on you regularly.

It took him barely any time at all to get to your house, whereupon he let himself in with the key you’d entrusted to him (he wouldn’t dare break a lock on your door or window, despite his rush) and walked straight through to the outdoor area where you spent so much time. Sebastian opened the back door gently, not wanting to startle you. As it was, you were so enthralled in your expert workout regime that you didn’t notice his arrival. This being the case, he spent an appreciative few moments watching you in your element. Your face was slightly flushed from the extended period of exertion. Your workout clothes glimmered and every muscle tensed as you made your way through a DIY obstacle course of barrels, water, wooden planks and anything else you could get your hands on. It was after you finished this latest round that you felt someone watching you. You grinned when you realised who it was, rushing over to Sebastian and telling him how much you’d missed him. The demon’s arms locked around you immediately, but he soon pulled away.

His crimson eyes flashed as they ran over your body, taking in every injury, however minor, and calculating how best to help it heal, how long you would take to fully recover. Far too long for the demon’s liking. You raised a hesitant eyebrow at the staring which quickly wilted again when he met your gaze. He sighed gently, running a hand back through your hair as his eyes stayed fixed to yours.

“You should be more careful,” he murmured quietly, holding eye contact to gauge your reaction. You gave a lopsided, playful grin.

“Oh I’m sorry,” you replied with a sarcastic lilt, “I thought you were the one who said this was a good idea~” Sebastian couldn’t keep the smirk off his lips.

“I believe I did, didn’t I... Well it simply wouldn’t do for me to change my opinion now, hmm?” You pulled the best posh and proper stance you could manage.

“I’m afraid it would not,” you mimicked, to a light shaking of his head.

“On a serious note, though, humans can die from the most inconsequential of injuries. I have seen plenty fall from wounds you likely wouldn’t even notice you had obtained.” You nodded, conceding his point.

“But you know I’m going to carry on like this, right?” You confirmed, having no intention of giving up your favourite thing.

“Oh I’m well aware. I just wish you to know that I intend to be here to clean every wound and heal every injury.” You smiled. You could never help but feel privileged when you were exposed to this softer side of Sebastian, as though you were one of a very small number who he allowed to see it. You truly appreciated the trust he put in you.

“Thanks, love,” you replied, “I’m glad.” Instead of answering in words, he rested his forehead against yours, only for you to feel his gloved fingers curl around the handle of your sword, over your own hand. You the smile brightened your face by its own will, you had no choice in the matter. You took in every minor detail of the demon, the way the sun sent ethereal streaks through his pitch black hair, how his crimson eyes seemed to glow. One day, you thought, you fully intended to fight by his side, once the opportunity presented itself. Something was telling you you wouldn’t have to wait too long.

Undertaker

You knocked on the door of the familiar funeral parlour, waiting for its owner to let you in. When he did, Undertaker curled a gentle hand around the back of your head, the other arm wrapped around your comparatively small shoulders to draw to you into his chest. You closed your eyes and hugged him back, hard, having not seen him for over a week. Work had been too busy for you to get away.

“Missed you, love,” the mortician murmured into your hair, breathing your scent in deeply. You smiled happily.

“I missed you too,” you said replied, squeezing your arms again to reinforce what your words. He did the same in return. Without letting go, you both stepped back into the shop, Undertaker kicking the door shut with the heel of his boot. You moved to one of the many coffins on the shop floor, him sitting down and pulling you to rest on his lap. You huffed out a laugh, moving one hand to weave it through his hair. He pressed a gentle kiss to your lips, tilting his head to the side so that his bangs split over one eye. You stared into it intently, gaze locked and finding yourself unable to look away, as was always the case when you saw his eyes. He knew full well the effect they had on you, meaning he made sure you always did.

After a few more moments, the mortician suggested making tea for you both. You stayed in the front room, but it only took you a few moments to decide he was taking too long.

When Undertaker walked into the front of the parlour on hearing the noise of something breaking, he hadn’t exactly been expecting to see you using his candles, positioned in various heights and places, as target practice. Apparently, to refine to your skills, you had set the candles alight and were neatly separating the burning wicks from the wax in which they were secured. He didn’t mind in the slightest - the room wasn’t exactly what you would call regularly cleaned and death was lurking everywhere anyway. However, he knew from the millisecond that the foot you were going to use to propel yourself from one of the coffins started to slip that he was about to have some excellent teasing material.

As you started to fall, dagger extending from your palm in a doomed attempt to save yourself, Undertaker stepped calmly forward and wrapped a precise arm beneath your ribs, bringing your rapid descent to a halt before you could land awkwardly on the very coffin that that had caused you to trip. To make matters better (for the reaper) you had let out an incredibly uncharacteristic squeak as he rescued you. The grin had already suffused his features as he hauled you back upright and into his chest.

“My, my love,” he giggled, one eye partially visible and locked with yours, “I guess you could say you’ve fallen for me!” Unable to contain himself further, the mortician burst into raucous laughter, clutching you to him even tighter as a result. Of course, attempting to escape was futile, which you knew by now anyway, so you did your best to allow the very amused yet vaguely embarrassed effect of your failure fade whilst he was still distracted. It went off quickly, as Undertaker’s laughter was nothing if not infectious. In no time at all, you had joined in and we’re both falling about together.

With the laughing fit mostly over, you managed to flip the dagger around and the sharpened blade away from you both so that you could embrace Undertaker properly in return. This time when you looked at him, you could see both vibrant green eyes looking playfully back at you. You raised a hand to comb it back through his bangs, pushing them further to one side, intending to just stay quiet for a minute. In fact, seeing his whole face just made matters worse as the giggles that had been hastily hidden resurfaced in mere seconds. Again, you couldn’t help but do the same and before you knew it, Undertaker had jumped up.

“You should’ve-” he gasped desperately for air, “Should’ve seen your face, love!!” He was practically cackling at this point, watching you with your face in your hands and your shoulders shaking as you wheezed. You glanced up as you heard him step again, only to fall backwards with tears running down your face as he did an impression of your fall from greatness.

Hours later, and decidedly later than you had intended, you were both curled up in the back room together, still laughing about the day’s events.

[bellemorte180]

The First Miss Mystic Falls

Caroline Forbes had not been back to Mystic Falls in over a century. When she got wind of a living doppelgänger, Klaus sends her to check the credibility of their information. Seeing the doppelgänger for herself, Caroline creates a scheme to not only get a missing item back for the Original Family, but to ensure that Klaus and Elijah put aside a decades old feud, all in time for the sacrifice that would break Klaus's curse.

It just so happens that the doppelgänger is a contestant in the Miss Mystic Pageant and Caroline always did have a fondness for it.

She was the first Miss Mystic Falls, after all.

Follow up to - The Madness of Jonathan Gilbert

June 2020 Bingo- Prompt "Miss Mystic Falls" @klaroline-events

Mystic Falls 2010

Caroline sat in the black, nondescript Sedan. The tinted windows prevented her from being seen and people of Mystic Falls bypassed the car as though it was nothing out of the ordinary. Caroline ensured that it had a Virginia’s license plate just to be thorough. She did not want to be noticed nor did she want to make a scene. For now, she was watching and checking on the information Anna re-laid to her and that was easier done if she had no one in her way.

It had been one hundred and forty-six years since she last step foot in this god forsaken town. It had changed over the century and a half; modernized as most of the world was. Gone where the carriages pulled by horses down a dirt road. Gone were the corsets and dresses and southern manners. Yet, the differences Caroline found that the town still remained the same in some ways before she was run out of it.

The founding families, one of them she had once belonged to, still held the counsel against vampires. The only downside is almost everyone on the council did not realize that the Salvatore brothers were vampires, except for one member, and Damon somehow found a way to gain a seat on it. She was surprised; Damon she knew was not exactly one for forward thinking. Then there was Stefan, falling all over the Katherine look-a-like once again; Damon sending longing looks her way as well.

Elena Gilbert. The whole reason she stepped foot in Mystic Falls again. Two weeks ago, Caroline was enjoying a nice blood infused bottle of wine on yacht in the Caribbean when she got the call. Klaus was trailing his tongue down her flat stomach and she almost didn’t answer Anna’s call.

Almost; but she was glad she did.

Now she sat in a hot car staring at a more boring version of Katherine. At least Katherine had been interesting when Caroline had known her as a human. Granted they were not close, for the old vampire was too involved with Damon and Stefan to really get close to Caroline. Not that she cared; her relationship with Damon and Stefan was nothing more than polite smiles and maybe a dance at a formal event when they were human. Neither knew that Caroline had been turned mere weeks after they themselves left Mystic Falls.

Elena was sitting on a bench across the street talking to a young woman Caroline realized was Emily’s descendent. Caroline made a note to stay away from that one. As far as Caroline can tell, Elena was not at all remarkable other than being a Gilbert; a family Caroline decided she hated; seeing that it was Jonathan Gilbert who smothered her with a pillow and ruined all of her and Klaus’s plans for a smooth transition in New Orleans. Fucking Gilberts.

Caroline pulled out her smart phone and raised it in order to take a photo of Elena. She saved it to her phone and quickly typed out a message. She attached the photo and hit send. She did not have to wait long before her phone started to ring. Klaus’s name flashed on the screen and Caroline smiled.

“Hello Love.” Caroline purred into the phone. Her eyes were still on Elena who was laughing at something the witch said. “Receive any interesting pictures?”

“So, it is true then? There is another doppelgänger?” Klaus’s voice was smoldering, and Caroline knew him well enough that she could hear the excitement in his tone. Her smile grew wide, knowing that he was happy. He had all but lost hope on ever breaking his curse long before she met him. She knew it tore at him, having that part of him locked away and Caroline wanted nothing more than to set him free. “I didn’t think it possible.”

“Katherine had to have had a child at some point. Probably before she was tossed out of Bulgaria.”

“Clearly.” Klaus replied. “Well, I suppose I can drive up from New Orleans and be there by morning. The full moon isn’t for another three weeks so there is no rush. I’ll have Greta and Maddox fly in as well.” Caroline bit her lip, a thought passing through her head. “We will have to keep this quiet. The last thing we need is my brother getting wind of this.” Caroline said nothing and by the sigh on the other end of the line, Klaus knew that she had an ulterior plan. “Sweetheart? What is it?”

“What if we asked him, for you know. Help.” Caroline stated and pushed forward before Klaus could reply. “I know things are rocky for the two of you and frankly, I love you, but it was all your doing. Yes. Elijah pushed your buttons, but you really did not need to tell him you dumped the coffins in the ocean. So, I get why he is mad at you.”

“Caroline-“

“Please Klaus?” Caroline all but begged him. While the relationship between Caroline and Elijah had always been frosty since she was turned. However, he accepted that Klaus loved Caroline and therefore they were a package deal. Since the massive argument between Elijah and Klaus in 1933, neither brother had spoken to the other; no matter how hard Caroline pushed Klaus to reach out to his brother. “For me.”

“Fine.”

*

Two days later Caroline found herself walking down the street heading towards the Mystic Grill. Her heels echoed off the pavement. It was in the middle of the day and she knew that the doppelgänger would be attending classes at the high school, along with Stefan. Caroline scoffed at the idea of going to high school; no thank you. She saw no appeal in the concept, especially when there were finer things in life than mundane lessons from humans who had no real concept of what they spoke.

Caroline paused when she reached the entrance of the Grill; her eyes scanning the only decent establishment in town. Her eyes landed on a flyer that was pinned to a corkboard near the entrance. She pulled it down and smiled; adding a new layer to her plan. She folded the flyer and stuck it in her bag before looking around for her target.

Bingo. Sitting in a booth in the far corner all alone. Perfect.

Caroline strolled over at a leisurely pace, his back was towards her and he did not hear her coming. When she reached him, she placed her hand on his shoulder and quickly moved it down his arm; gracing his hand with her fingertips, removing his ring without notice.

“Hello John.” John Gilbert startled and looked at her with wide eyes. He looked nothing like his ancestor and that pleased Caroline; the last thing she wanted was a Jonathan Gilbert look-a-like. He looked her over and she could see him visibly swallow. He knew who she was and that made her very happy. Caroline sat down across from him and tossed him her favorite Miss Mystic Fall smile; she was the first one after all. “Where you expecting company? No? Perfect.”

“I didn’t realize you had returned. I thought it was just the Salvatore boys.” John replied stiffly, not taking his eyes from her. She reached over and picked up a French fry, popping it into her mouth. “Does Liz know you’re here?”

“My cousin? No. She does not.” Caroline told him. She eyed him and she could see a series of plans calculating behind his eyes. “And she isn’t going to know John. By your reaction, you know who I am affiliated with.”

“The Original Family.”

“Yes.” Caroline leaned forwarded, tossing him a predatory look. “When Klaus and I fled this town over a century ago, we were forced to leave something behind. Something valuable. Now, I‘ve made it my business to study up on the founding families and I know that a certain ancestor of yours passed it down through your family.” John just looked at Caroline, unmoving and unblinking. “Very good, you know exactly to what I am referring.”

“I’m not giving it to you.” John told her and she was expecting that answer. Caroline planned for it and adjugated her plans accordingly. No good plans worked without leverage, so she ensured that she had multiple layers of leverage planned; forcing John to bend to her will. “I would be a fool to give it to you.”

“Then I suppose you will never see this again.” Caroline raised her hand to show John the ring that was no longer on his finger. He tried to reach across the table and take it from her, but she was faster; laughing at his failed attempt. “Interesting things, these rings. Making it so the person who wears it will come back to life if they die a supernatural death. I can understand why it would be very valuable to you. If you want it back, I suggest giving me what I want. And if this isn’t enough of leverage, I understand that you’re rather close to that nephew of yours. I wonder how he tastes.”

“Stay away from Jeremy.”

“Do we have a deal?” Caroline asked pleasantly and John glared at her as though he was contemplating her offer. He wasn’t foolish enough to think she was bluffing; and she wasn’t. If he was not willing to bed to her rules, Jeremy would be dead before the week was out.

“When?”

“Knew you would come around.” Caroline tossed him a wide smile and pulled out the flyer that she had plucked from the corkboard at the entrance out of her purse; sliding it over to him. “The Miss Mystic Falls pageant. Did you know that I was the first ever Miss Mystic Falls? It would be poetic to have our exchange there, don’t you think.” John didn’t respond, his eyes glued to her purse, where she had casually tossed the ring into it. Knowing that her job was done, Caroline stood to leave; pausing just slightly to look at John. “Oh, and if the council gets winds of this and they try and dispose of me. Just imagine the havoc Klaus will wreck if I do not return. Blood will flow and everyone in this godforsaken town will burn.”

Caroline did not have to look back to know that John believed her.

*

The Miss Mystic Falls pageant was scheduled for the end of the week and Caroline kept a low profile till then. She watched the Salvatore brothers continue to fawn over Elena and how everything seemed right as rain. She looked in on her distance cousin, Liz, who was the sheriff and noticed that she seemed none the wiser about her reappearance in town; for Caroline was the Forbes’s family’s dirty little secret. John kept his word and Caroline was almost feeling charitable enough to give him a gift. She wouldn’t kill him; or at least not permanently.

She bought a skintight, short green dress that enhanced her curves. The black lacey lingerie she wore underneath her dress was so scandalous, that she snapped a photo of her partly naked body and sent to Klaus; ensuring that he would be waiting for her when she returned from the pageant. She smiled. It had been over a week since she had been in his bed and it was far too long for either of them. That and if their eventual plans came to fruition, it would be important for him to come to Mystic Falls.

He would come.

Klaus was not a man who could turn down Caroline in lingerie.

Caroline pulled up to the Lockwood manner in a flashier car, a sleep black Maserati, compared to the Sedan she had been driving previously. She no longer cared about blending in or hiding the fact that she was in town. Soon enough, it will be irrelevant and the entire town; or at least in the supernatural ‘know’, will shake with Klaus’s arrival.

As Caroline stepped out of the sports car, she saw Anna standing in front of the porch with her arms crossed and her head shaking. Caroline had run into Anna a few times over the last century. The two had an understanding. Klaus and Caroline let Anna do what she will in exchange for information. If Caroline’s plan worked and Klaus broke his curse, then Anna, nor her mother, would never have to fear anything at all.

“I thought you wanted to keep a low profile.” Anna asked, her dark eyes raising in question towards the car.

“There is no point in hiding now. Klaus is coming.” Caroline told her and the two vampires strolled up the stairs of the Lockwood manner. The mayor was standing by the door, willing to greet any and all to the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. Gaining an invitation into the home was easy and Caroline rolled her eyes. For a town who knew about vampires, one would think that they would not be so cavalier with their invitations.

Caroline was ready to part from Anna, but the latter grabbed ahold of her wrist. Caroline narrowed her eyes at Anna. The other vampire was older and could easily kill Caroline if she wanted but she would not be so thoughtless. Anna knew that killing the blonde was an automatic death sentence for herself and her mother….and anyone else she cared for.

“Our deal?”

“Stands.” Caroline flashed her a smile. “I promise you that if you and your mother stay out of our way, we will let you build this little idealic life you and your mother want.” Anna wasn’t convinced. “If Klaus disagrees with the deals I have made, then I have many ways of persuading him.” A movement from up the stair got her eye and she saw Damon Salvatore go into a room that she assumed belonged to the contestants. Caroline pulled out her phone and shot two separate text messages out. “I have to go.”

“Caroline! Wait, Elena’s brother-“

Tuning out Anna’s plea, Caroline grabbed a champagne glass and walked up the marble stairwell. Not a single person stopped her, and it was too easy to follow Damon into the room. She listened closely enough to hear the conversation brewing between Damon and the latest doppelganger. Apparently, they thought Stefan was missing, probably off on a blood binge and that was something Caroline found interesting. A note to use later down the line. She missed Ripper Stefan. He was more fun as a murderous bloodaholic than he had been human; or this broody version she had been watching for days.

No longer willing to wait, Caroline pushed open the door to Elena’s changing room and strolled right in. Elena jumped in surprise, her brown curled hair bouncing and bright brown eyes bulging. Damon’s jaw dropped in a comical manner, as though he could not process what and who he was seeing.

“Damon! How are you? It has been an age.”

“What?! How? What?”

Caroline ignored him and strolled over to Elena, taking in her appearance. It was one thing to see her from afar and through photos but to be up close and personal was another story. She did not just resemble Katherine; it was as though she was a carbon copy of her. No wonder Stefan and Damon were in love with her.

“They said the doppelgangers were flawless copies of one another, but this is uncanny.” Caroline cocked her head, studying Elena who she could tell was becoming uncomfortable under her scrutiny. Caroline held out her hand, gripping Elena’s in greeting. “Caroline Forbes. I grew up with Damon and Stefan.”

“You’re a vampire?”

“Obviously.”

“Who the hell would turn you?” Damon’s voice cut in and Caroline turned her head to him. The surprise was still written on his face. He was completely taken aback at her sudden appearance and Caroline would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it. “You were an annoying little twit as a human. If anyone would fail at being a vampire, it would be you.”

“Ouch.” Caroline said in mock hurt, her hand messaging her chest over the place her heart was. “I will have you know that I excel at being a vampire. All those controling tendencies I had as a human were magnified. I mastered being a vampire within a week. Can’t say that for either of you, now can I? Oh, where is Stefan?”

“How are you a vampire?” Damon asked again. Caroline smirked at him, noticing that he was not willing to speak of his brother. Stefan was not important at the moment, but he could come in use later, especially if he was going off the rails.

“I died with vampire blood in my system. That is how vampires are made. Did you not know that?” Caroline tossed him a winning smile. Damon was growing frustrated and Caroline rolled her eyes. “Short version? After Stefan murdered his father...” Elena gapped at her in surprise. “He bit his head off, right from his shoulders, literally. Quite the brut, your boyfriend is.”

“Caroline...” Damon warned her, his eyes full of concern for Elena who was processing the knowledge of news of the man she loved killing his own father. Elena sat down on the sofa, questions running through her mind.

“Still no fun I see.” Caroline drank a sip of her champagne. “The town held the first Miss Mystic Falls pageant after the two of you fled town. I won, of course.” Caroline turned to Elena and did a small curtsy. “The first Miss Mystic Falls at your service.” Caroline turned her head back to Damon, sensing the presences of someone new heading up the stairs. “There were two men in attendance that were not from Mystic Falls. They claimed to be wealthy merchants from Louisiana interested in trading with the town. However, they were not merchants…. where you Elijah?”

Damon, Elena and Caroline turned their heads to see a tall man who was dressed impeccably. He had brown hair, dark eyes and wore a suit that cost more than everything the room combined. He was fixing his cufflinks and appearing bored. He stepped through the door, closing it behind him, his eyes bypassing Caroline and landing on Elena.

“No. We were not.” Elijah moved to stand directly in front of Elena; eyeing her. “My brother and I came to see if Katerina had really locked herself in tomb. Quickly we realized she had not. My brother took a fancy to Ms. Forbes.”

“Who is Katerina? And who are you?” Elena asked, in a small voice. Elijah’s eyes looked at her and Caroline could see a flicker of something behind them. Caroline bit back the urge to groan; especially since Damon noticed Elijah’s focus.

“You know her as Katherine Peirce, but her real name was Katerina Petrova.” Elijah told Elena in a gentle tone. “I’m told that Mr. Salvatore is familiar with her?”

“Unfortunately.” Damon muttered and Caroline heard the distinct sounds of the words lying bitch reach her ears.

“As charming as Katherine is, shall I continue? I do hate being interrupted. Elijah’s brother and I began having an affair. We had planned to marry and leave town before he turned me, but Jonathan Gilbert discovered that I was having sex with a vampire and smothered me in my sleep. I had vampire blood in my system and here we are. Official story is that I ran off and eloped. Truth is I was run out of town when my father, who was the sheriff at the time, learned I was a vampire.” Caroline drank from her glass again, watching as Elijah gaze at Elena who was becoming uncomfortable under his scrutiny. “She looks like her. Doesn’t she? What was the one you loved named? Tatia? Is it unnerving to see the face of the woman you love but it not be her at all?”

“Do not speak of things you do not understand Ms. Forbes.”

“A hundred and forty-six years with Klaus and I understand a great deal.”

“Do you have what you promised me?”

“Not yet; but it will be here soon.” Elijah turned to look at Caroline, as though to retort but a knock sounded at the door and the imagine of Carol Lockwood appeared. She was wearing a nice dress and her hair was done in a fashioned that gave off the aura of a wealthy wife.

“Elena honey... oh, I did not realize you were not alone. You really should not have guest up here. The pageant is just about to start.” Carol told her, giving a false smile at the guest. “I think it would be best if you wait downstairs with the rest of the guests.”

“I’m sorry Mrs. Lockwood.” Caroline moved towards the older woman. “We just wanted to come up and wish Elena good luck. We will be out of your hair.” With a flash, Caroline was upon Carol, tiling her neck to the side and savagely biting into her neck. Her hand was pressed against Carol’s mouth; preventing her from screaming. Elena screamed out and Damon moved to stop Caroline, but Elijah gripped the young man by the neck; stopping him from moving forward. When Caroline was done feeding, she let Carol’s body drop to the floor. Caroline turned back to the others and smiled. “Damon, put the body in the closet please.”

Elijah dropped Damon as Caroline made her way over to the vanity. She sat down and cleaned her lips in the mirror. Elena was staring at her and Caroline caught her eye. Caroline refused to break the gaze between them in their reflection as she cleaned her lips of Carol’s blood. Damon dragged the body and stuffed her into the closet.

“Must you make a mess everywhere you go?” Elijah asked, giving her an insufferable sigh. Caroline spun around on the stool and crossed her legs. “My brother seems to have corrupted you even further.”

“That is just your bitterness talking Elijah.” Caroline pulled out her phone and began typing; she pulled up a series of photos. She handed the phone over to Elijah and waited. Elijah scrolled through each of the photos, his eyes growing wider. “If you look at the date on the newspaper, you will see that they were taken just this morning.”

“He said-“

“The two of you were fighting and you know how he likes to lash out. He would have said anything to get under your skin. I swear I have never seen brothers fight the way the two of you do and I grew up with them.” Caroline snapped, pointing at Damon; who looked as though he wanted to be affronted. However, Caroline did not allow him the chance. “Do you honestly think he would drop them in the ocean? That I would allow him to?”

“Niklaus does what he wants.”

“Klaus does what I want if he ever wants sex again.” Caroline snapped at him. She aimed to continue but stopped when she heard the creaking of the stairs. A knock sounded a few moments later and the door pushed open. John Gilbert stood in the doorway with a box in his hand, viewing every single person in the room. “Right on time John. Do you have what I want?”

“Uncle John?” Elena muttered in a small tone, fear still etched on her face. John looked at her and then back to Caroline; knowing that she had Elena there for a reason. He took in the rest of the room and stiffened at the sight of Elijah.

“Do you have my ring?” John replied before looking at Elijah. “Who is your friend?” John asked, seizing Elijah up. There was a flicker of understanding in John’s eyes and a healthy dose of fear echoing in them. Sensing it made Caroline smile. She gazed at the box and stood from her seat, walking towards John in an almost seductive manner.

“Do you honestly think that I would not show up without back up?” Caroline taunted. “Show it to me.” John did not move, and Caroline rolled her eyes. She pulled at the chain around her neck, revealing the ring that was resting in her cleavage. She removed the chain from her neck and dangled it in front of him. “One ring that will bring you back from the dead. Now open the box.” John did as he was told and opened the wooden box. Nestled inside was a silver dagger and a small bottle of white oak ash. “Elijah. Is this it?”

“You have seen the others. You know that answer Caroline.”

“Very well.” Caroline took the box from John and tossed the ring at him. If she wasn’t so focused on the silver dagger, she might have laughed at seeing John scramble for it. “Although, I would be careful John, those rings are dangerous.”

“You’re only saying that because my ancestor was the one who killed you.” John replied, feeling braver now that his ring was firmly back on his finger. Caroline turned to him and glared. She did not like being reminded of her death. The end result was the same, but it ruined her perfectly laid plans. Not only that, she wanted Klaus to be the one to take her life, not Jonathan Gilbert’s “Maybe I’ll have the same pleasure.”

“Doubtful.” Caroline reached out and stroked his cheek before gripping his chin and snapping his neck. John’s body fell to the ground and Caroline had to give Elena credit; she did not shriek this time. Instead she just jumped into Damon’s arms; who did not seem put off by it. It was not like John’s death would be permanent.

“You’re a monster.” Elena hissed out through clenched teeth.

“Oh honey, I’m the queen of the monsters.” Caroline gave her a smile before turning back to Elijah. She handed the box to him and he took it easily. “It’s yours. We will never ask for it back nor will it be used again, unless you use it one someone else.” Elijah smirked at that and she is winning him over, she can see it. “Will you help us?”

“The others?”

“I’ll try and convince him to pull them out.”

“I thought you said Klaus did as you commanded.”

“Mostly. I might have embellished a little bit.” Caroline smiled at him, fluttering her eyes; knowing that it would not work on him. She was never able to get what she wanted completely from him like she could from Klaus. “Pretty please.”

“When is the full moon?”

“Two weeks. Klaus will be arriving tonight. I sent him an incentive.” Caroline smiled. “I have a feeling Katherine will be in town soon. She is never one to ignore the chance at freedom. Klaus will be willing to consider it in exchange for the stone. Once we have that, everything will be in place.”

“Very well. I will come and speak with my brother in the morning. I’m sure the two of you will be occupied tonight.” Elijah told her but sounded grave. He turned to both Damon and Elena. “It was a pleasure making your acquaintance. I’m sure we will be seeing each other soon. Caroline?”

“Coming.” Elijah extended his elbow and Caroline happily looped through it. “Elena, I’m sure you will win the pageant. I do hope you enjoy wearing the crown. I most certainly did.”

“Wait!” Damon called out, still baffled at the exchange and the two dead bodies in the room. Neither Caroline nor Elijah paid him any mind; choosing to ignore his outburst. “Who the fuck is Klaus!?”

[semete-ningen-rashiku]

The Happy Prince

High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince.  He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.

He was very much admired indeed.  “He is as beautiful as a weathercock,” remarked one of the Town Councillors who wished to gain a reputation for having artistic tastes; “only not quite so useful,” he added, fearing lest people should think him unpractical, which he really was not.

“Why can’t you be like the Happy Prince?” asked a sensible mother of her little boy who was crying for the moon.  “The Happy Prince never dreams of crying for anything.”

“I am glad there is some one in the world who is quite happy,” muttered a disappointed man as he gazed at the wonderful statue.

“He looks just like an angel,” said the Charity Children as they came out of the cathedral in their bright scarlet cloaks and their clean white pinafores.

“How do you know?” said the Mathematical Master, “you have never seen one.”

“Ah! but we have, in our dreams,” answered the children; and the Mathematical Master frowned and looked very severe, for he did not approve of children dreaming.

One night there flew over the city a little Swallow.  His friends had gone away to Egypt six weeks before, but he had stayed behind, for he was in love with the most beautiful Reed.  He had met her early in the spring as he was flying down the river after a big yellow moth, and had been so attracted by her slender waist that he had stopped to talk to her.

“Shall I love you?” said the Swallow, who liked to come to the point at once, and the Reed made him a low bow.  So he flew round and round her, touching the water with his wings, and making silver ripples.  This was his courtship, and it lasted all through the summer.

“It is a ridiculous attachment,” twittered the other Swallows; “she has no money, and far too many relations”; and indeed the river was quite full of Reeds.  Then, when the autumn came they all flew away.

After they had gone he felt lonely, and began to tire of his lady-love.  “She has no conversation,” he said, “and I am afraid that she is a coquette, for she is always flirting with the wind.”  And certainly, whenever the wind blew, the Reed made the most graceful curtseys.  “I admit that she is domestic,” he continued, “but I love travelling, and my wife, consequently, should love travelling also.”

“Will you come away with me?” he said finally to her; but the Reed shook her head, she was so attached to her home.

“You have been trifling with me,” he cried.  “I am off to the Pyramids.  Good-bye!” and he flew away.

All day long he flew, and at night-time he arrived at the city.  “Where shall I put up?” he said; “I hope the town has made preparations.”

Then he saw the statue on the tall column.

“I will put up there,” he cried; “it is a fine position, with plenty of fresh air.”  So he alighted just between the feet of the Happy Prince.

“I have a golden bedroom,” he said softly to himself as he looked round, and he prepared to go to sleep; but just as he was putting his head under his wing a large drop of water fell on him.  “What a curious thing!” he cried; “there is not a single cloud in the sky, the stars are quite clear and bright, and yet it is raining.  The climate in the north of Europe is really dreadful.  The Reed used to like the rain, but that was merely her selfishness.”

Then another drop fell.

“What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off?” he said; “I must look for a good chimney-pot,” and he determined to fly away.

But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked up, and saw—Ah! what did he see?

The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears were running down his golden cheeks.  His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.

“Who are you?” he said.

“I am the Happy Prince.”

“Why are you weeping then?” asked the Swallow; “you have quite drenched me.”

“When I was alive and had a human heart,” answered the statue, “I did not know what tears were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans-Souci, where sorrow is not allowed to enter.  In the daytime I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the Great Hall.  Round the garden ran a very lofty wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful.  My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness.  So I lived, and so I died.  And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot chose but weep.”

“What! is he not solid gold?” said the Swallow to himself.  He was too polite to make any personal remarks out loud.

“Far away,” continued the statue in a low musical voice, “far away in a little street there is a poor house.  One of the windows is open, and through it I can see a woman seated at a table.  Her face is thin and worn, and she has coarse, red hands, all pricked by the needle, for she is a seamstress.  She is embroidering passion-flowers on a satin gown for the loveliest of the Queen’s maids-of-honour to wear at the next Court-ball.  In a bed in the corner of the room her little boy is lying ill.  He has a fever, and is asking for oranges.  His mother has nothing to give him but river water, so he is crying.  Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, will you not bring her the ruby out of my sword-hilt?  My feet are fastened to this pedestal and I cannot move.”

“I am waited for in Egypt,” said the Swallow.  “My friends are flying up and down the Nile, and talking to the large lotus-flowers.  Soon they will go to sleep in the tomb of the great King.  The King is there himself in his painted coffin.  He is wrapped in yellow linen, and embalmed with spices.  Round his neck is a chain of pale green jade, and his hands are like withered leaves.”

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “will you not stay with me for one night, and be my messenger?  The boy is so thirsty, and the mother so sad.”

“I don’t think I like boys,” answered the Swallow.  “Last summer, when I was staying on the river, there were two rude boys, the miller’s sons, who were always throwing stones at me.  They never hit me, of course; we swallows fly far too well for that, and besides, I come of a family famous for its agility; but still, it was a mark of disrespect.”

But the Happy Prince looked so sad that the little Swallow was sorry.  “It is very cold here,” he said; “but I will stay with you for one night, and be your messenger.”

“Thank you, little Swallow,” said the Prince.

So the Swallow picked out the great ruby from the Prince’s sword, and flew away with it in his beak over the roofs of the town.

He passed by the cathedral tower, where the white marble angels were sculptured.  He passed by the palace and heard the sound of dancing.  A beautiful girl came out on the balcony with her lover.  “How wonderful the stars are,” he said to her, “and how wonderful is the power of love!”

“I hope my dress will be ready in time for the State-ball,” she answered; “I have ordered passion-flowers to be embroidered on it; but the seamstresses are so lazy.”

He passed over the river, and saw the lanterns hanging to the masts of the ships.  He passed over the Ghetto, and saw the old Jews bargaining with each other, and weighing out money in copper scales.  At last he came to the poor house and looked in.  The boy was tossing feverishly on his bed, and the mother had fallen asleep, she was so tired.  In he hopped, and laid the great ruby on the table beside the woman’s thimble.  Then he flew gently round the bed, fanning the boy’s forehead with his wings.  “How cool I feel,” said the boy, “I must be getting better”; and he sank into a delicious slumber.

Then the Swallow flew back to the Happy Prince, and told him what he had done.  “It is curious,” he remarked, “but I feel quite warm now, although it is so cold.”

“That is because you have done a good action,” said the Prince.  And the little Swallow began to think, and then he fell asleep.  Thinking always made him sleepy.

When day broke he flew down to the river and had a bath.  “What a remarkable phenomenon,” said the Professor of Ornithology as he was passing over the bridge.  “A swallow in winter!”  And he wrote a long letter about it to the local newspaper.  Every one quoted it, it was full of so many words that they could not understand.

“To-night I go to Egypt,” said the Swallow, and he was in high spirits at the prospect.  He visited all the public monuments, and sat a long time on top of the church steeple.  Wherever he went the Sparrows chirruped, and said to each other, “What a distinguished stranger!” so he enjoyed himself very much.

When the moon rose he flew back to the Happy Prince.  “Have you any commissions for Egypt?” he cried; “I am just starting.”

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “will you not stay with me one night longer?”

“I am waited for in Egypt,” answered the Swallow.  “To-morrow my friends will fly up to the Second Cataract.  The river-horse couches there among the bulrushes, and on a great granite throne sits the God Memnon.  All night long he watches the stars, and when the morning star shines he utters one cry of joy, and then he is silent.  At noon the yellow lions come down to the water’s edge to drink.  They have eyes like green beryls, and their roar is louder than the roar of the cataract.”

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “far away across the city I see a young man in a garret.  He is leaning over a desk covered with papers, and in a tumbler by his side there is a bunch of withered violets.  His hair is brown and crisp, and his lips are red as a pomegranate, and he has large and dreamy eyes.  He is trying to finish a play for the Director of the Theatre, but he is too cold to write any more.  There is no fire in the grate, and hunger has made him faint.”

“I will wait with you one night longer,” said the Swallow, who really had a good heart.  “Shall I take him another ruby?”

“Alas!  I have no ruby now,” said the Prince; “my eyes are all that I have left.  They are made of rare sapphires, which were brought out of India a thousand years ago.  Pluck out one of them and take it to him.  He will sell it to the jeweller, and buy food and firewood, and finish his play.”

“Dear Prince,” said the Swallow, “I cannot do that”; and he began to weep.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “do as I command you.”

So the Swallow plucked out the Prince’s eye, and flew away to the student’s garret.  It was easy enough to get in, as there was a hole in the roof.  Through this he darted, and came into the room.  The young man had his head buried in his hands, so he did not hear the flutter of the bird’s wings, and when he looked up he found the beautiful sapphire lying on the withered violets.

“I am beginning to be appreciated,” he cried; “this is from some great admirer.  Now I can finish my play,” and he looked quite happy.

The next day the Swallow flew down to the harbour.  He sat on the mast of a large vessel and watched the sailors hauling big chests out of the hold with ropes.  “Heave a-hoy!” they shouted as each chest came up.  “I am going to Egypt”! cried the Swallow, but nobody minded, and when the moon rose he flew back to the Happy Prince.

“I am come to bid you good-bye,” he cried.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “will you not stay with me one night longer?”

“It is winter,” answered the Swallow, “and the chill snow will soon be here.  In Egypt the sun is warm on the green palm-trees, and the crocodiles lie in the mud and look lazily about them.  My companions are building a nest in the Temple of Baalbec, and the pink and white doves are watching them, and cooing to each other.  Dear Prince, I must leave you, but I will never forget you, and next spring I will bring you back two beautiful jewels in place of those you have given away.  The ruby shall be redder than a red rose, and the sapphire shall be as blue as the great sea.”

“In the square below,” said the Happy Prince, “there stands a little match-girl.  She has let her matches fall in the gutter, and they are all spoiled.  Her father will beat her if she does not bring home some money, and she is crying.  She has no shoes or stockings, and her little head is bare.  Pluck out my other eye, and give it to her, and her father will not beat her.”

“I will stay with you one night longer,” said the Swallow, “but I cannot pluck out your eye.  You would be quite blind then.”

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “do as I command you.”

So he plucked out the Prince’s other eye, and darted down with it.  He swooped past the match-girl, and slipped the jewel into the palm of her hand.  “What a lovely bit of glass,” cried the little girl; and she ran home, laughing.

Then the Swallow came back to the Prince.  “You are blind now,” he said, “so I will stay with you always.”

“No, little Swallow,” said the poor Prince, “you must go away to Egypt.”

“I will stay with you always,” said the Swallow, and he slept at the Prince’s feet.

All the next day he sat on the Prince’s shoulder, and told him stories of what he had seen in strange lands.  He told him of the red ibises, who stand in long rows on the banks of the Nile, and catch gold-fish in their beaks; of the Sphinx, who is as old as the world itself, and lives in the desert, and knows everything; of the merchants, who walk slowly by the side of their camels, and carry amber beads in their hands; of the King of the Mountains of the Moon, who is as black as ebony, and worships a large crystal; of the great green snake that sleeps in a palm-tree, and has twenty priests to feed it with honey-cakes; and of the pygmies who sail over a big lake on large flat leaves, and are always at war with the butterflies.

“Dear little Swallow,” said the Prince, “you tell me of marvellous things, but more marvellous than anything is the suffering of men and of women.  There is no Mystery so great as Misery.  Fly over my city, little Swallow, and tell me what you see there.”

So the Swallow flew over the great city, and saw the rich making merry in their beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the gates.  He flew into dark lanes, and saw the white faces of starving children looking out listlessly at the black streets.  Under the archway of a bridge two little boys were lying in one another’s arms to try and keep themselves warm.  “How hungry we are!” they said.  “You must not lie here,” shouted the Watchman, and they wandered out into the rain.

Then he flew back and told the Prince what he had seen.

“I am covered with fine gold,” said the Prince, “you must take it off, leaf by leaf, and give it to my poor; the living always think that gold can make them happy.”

Leaf after leaf of the fine gold the Swallow picked off, till the Happy Prince looked quite dull and grey.  Leaf after leaf of the fine gold he brought to the poor, and the children’s faces grew rosier, and they laughed and played games in the street.  “We have bread now!” they cried.

Then the snow came, and after the snow came the frost.  The streets looked as if they were made of silver, they were so bright and glistening; long icicles like crystal daggers hung down from the eaves of the houses, everybody went about in furs, and the little boys wore scarlet caps and skated on the ice.

The poor little Swallow grew colder and colder, but he would not leave the Prince, he loved him too well.  He picked up crumbs outside the baker’s door when the baker was not looking and tried to keep himself warm by flapping his wings.

But at last he knew that he was going to die.  He had just strength to fly up to the Prince’s shoulder once more.  “Good-bye, dear Prince!” he murmured, “will you let me kiss your hand?”

“I am glad that you are going to Egypt at last, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “you have stayed too long here; but you must kiss me on the lips, for I love you.”

“It is not to Egypt that I am going,” said the Swallow.  “I am going to the House of Death.  Death is the brother of Sleep, is he not?”

And he kissed the Happy Prince on the lips, and fell down dead at his feet.

At that moment a curious crack sounded inside the statue, as if something had broken.  The fact is that the leaden heart had snapped right in two.  It certainly was a dreadfully hard frost.

Early the next morning the Mayor was walking in the square below in company with the Town Councillors.  As they passed the column he looked up at the statue: “Dear me! how shabby the Happy Prince looks!” he said.

“How shabby indeed!” cried the Town Councillors, who always agreed with the Mayor; and they went up to look at it.

“The ruby has fallen out of his sword, his eyes are gone, and he is golden no longer,” said the Mayor in fact, “he is litttle better than a beggar!”

“Little better than a beggar,” said the Town Councillors.

“And here is actually a dead bird at his feet!” continued the Mayor.  “We must really issue a proclamation that birds are not to be allowed to die here.”  And the Town Clerk made a note of the suggestion.

So they pulled down the statue of the Happy Prince.  “As he is no longer beautiful he is no longer useful,” said the Art Professor at the University.

Then they melted the statue in a furnace, and the Mayor held a meeting of the Corporation to decide what was to be done with the metal.  “We must have another statue, of course,” he said, “and it shall be a statue of myself.”

“Of myself,” said each of the Town Councillors, and they quarrelled.  When I last heard of them they were quarrelling still.

“What a strange thing!” said the overseer of the workmen at the foundry.  “This broken lead heart will not melt in the furnace.  We must throw it away.”  So they threw it on a dust-heap where the dead Swallow was also lying.

“Bring me the two most precious things in the city,” said God to one of His Angels; and the Angel brought Him the leaden heart and the dead bird.

“You have rightly chosen,” said God, “for in my garden of Paradise this little bird shall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shall praise me.”

[highqueenofelfhame]

when we were kids, five.

The thing that woke her up wasn’t necessarily the sun coming through the window, or the pounding in her head. It was that when she rolled over, something crinkly and uncomfortable mashed against her face enough that she opened her eyes and braved the bright beams that poured through the window. Papers attached to a manilla envelope with a precise and neat signature stared back at her and she couldn’t believe it.

It was over. He had finally given her the divorce she’d been asking for for years. And she couldn’t decide if it was a relief or a weight on her chest.

What was a weight on her chest was the way she had acted last night. Like a complete drunken, blubbering fool that he didn’t deserve to put up with. They may have been technically married but that didn’t mean that she was his anything to take care of, and if his date or relationship with that girl had been real and she had ruined it…

Well, she owed him an apology and that was absolutely certain. The other certainty in her life? That she likely looked like complete and utter shit.

When she managed to pull herself out of bed and stagger to the bathroom, her thoughts were confirmed. Mascara marred the space beneath her eyes looking very much like someone had taken the ‘fill’ tool on Microsoft Paint and filled her bags in with murky gray. Even her hair and eyes were somehow dull under the bathroom lighting, the hangover plaguing her entire being and not just her aching head.

It was a necessary decision when she slipped into the shower and turned the heat almost all the way up, relishing in the way the water nearly melted her skin. The heat was rejuvenating, thawing the aches and pains she felt all over. She was in the shower until the water started to cool. It was only then that she got out and braided her damp hair down her back and changed into presentable clothes for the day.

By the time she had changed, eaten, and hydrated enough to be a functional human, her hair was mostly dry and hanging in messy waves around her face. She was in her rental car and driving down the bumpy road to Rowan’s house soon after pouring a fresh cup of coffee into a traveler mug, and she was off.

When she first got to Rowan’s, he wasn’t there so she decided to wait it out by walking through the back yard down to where the beach was. Something, though, caught her eye under the large willow tree that they had spent many days relaxing under in the spring while she read and he doodled in a sketchbook.

Under the tree there was a large cross protruding from the ground at the base of the trunk.

Fleetfoot was burned into the wood and Aelin felt her heart stutter to a complete stop. Her mind raced, thinking back over the last few days how every time she addressed the dog it didn’t acknowledge her. It never came up to her when she called, it never responded to her or showed that it knew her in any way. Aelin had initially chalked it up to her being gone for so long but this… she hated the hollow ache in her chest that told her that this was where her dog lay. Rowan had simply got a new companion after she was gone.

Suddenly it became too hard to keep herself stitched up at the seams. So hard as she fell to her knees and pressed her palms against the cool grass. Hot tears began to fall from her cheeks, the pain growing and growing until there wasn’t an out anymore.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered to the dirt, fingers running over the ground in search of any sort of stone to lay at the foot of the cross. “I didn’t know. If I had known I - oh gods.”

It was like the dam she had built over the last eight years burst and she couldn’t keep any of it inside anymore. Something about losing not one, but two babies ripped her soul clean in half while she pressed her forehead to the dirt.

For the first time in eight years, Aelin allowed herself to think about why she left. About the joy and panic she had felt when she and Rowan found out they were pregnant with their first child. About the devastation that had thoroughly wrecked her when she woke up to her stomach hurting, to blood staining emerald sheets. She thought of the shoebox sized coffin they had buried in the cemetery down the street in the baby’s honor, and how she laid in bed and grieved while Rowan did his best to hold them both together.

“You never did anything wrong,” she whispered to the dirt, to the baby, to Fleetfoot, to Rowan. “It was only ever me afraid to face my losses that I could not and cannot face because I am a coward. I am a coward and I am so sorry.”

A twig snapping had her jumping to her feet and whipping her head around to see Rowan approaching. She wiped at her face then swiped her palms down her jeans leaving streaks of mascara behind. It didn’t matter that she looked like a mess. It never had, not with Rowan. She gave him a watery, sad smile and gestured toward the cross unable to find any words.

“I didn’t know how to tell you and if you were leaving soon I thought maybe it would be better if you thought she was doing okay,” he said softly, hands slipping into his pockets. The look on his face told her he had heard everything she had whispered to the earth. For some reason it made her angry, but these days it was starting to feel like everything he did made her angry. “I signed your papers, Aelin. I thought you’d be gone by now.”

“I came by to... I don’t know,” she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly not knowing what to do with her hands. His face looked so broken and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was her doing. If it was her words from last night, or if he had heard everything, then he’d heard what she’d said about the baby. They’d never really talked about it before, aside from last night when she’d told him he suffocated and stifled out whatever flame she’d had inside her.

It was something that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Rowan had never stifled her, only encouraged her and supported her however she needed. In truth, Rowan had always been the most supportive person in her life. More than her parents, more than her friends… more than Chaol. From the moment she had been born he’d been a solid constant. And now that it was just going away… She wasn’t sure how she felt.

“I didn’t mean any of it,” she finally admitted, twisting her fingers around her hands. “I’ve been harboring this anger toward myself for so many years but it was easier to pin it on you. I couldn’t come back because if I did, I would have to face all of that. Face you. And I just couldn’t do it. I know my apologies don’t mean much, but I’m sorry.”

“Can I show you something?” He asked her, green eyes searching her face.

“Show me what?”

“I just want to take you somewhere, show you… something.”

Aelin’s arms folded over her chest and she shook her head. “I can’t.”

“You can’t come with me or you won’t come with me?” His hands slid into his pockets, the muscles of his forearms shifting. Tucking her bottom lip between her teeth, she contemplated how to answer.

“Both,” she shrugged, sliding her own hands into her back pockets as she took a step backward. Rowan nodded, and without another word she disappeared up the path.

~*~

Aelin couldn’t find her phone anywhere, and had given up on looking for it in her rental and in her parent’s house. So instead of boring herself with searching for it in high places, she decided to head to low ones to see if anyone had seen her phone last night. There was a fall festival downtown, and despite herself she wanted to go and partake in the harmless fun for the first time in almost a decade.

Hundreds of booths lined the streets and thousands of people milled about them. For awhile, she let herself wind up and down the street, taking in all the vendors for big and small local businesses. She bought truffles from a patisserie and couldn’t resist the smell of the kettle corn that was being freshly made in giant copper kettles. She even bought accessories and jewelry from several other vendors, doing what she could as a celebrity to support small businesses.

“Princess,” a low voice drawled behind her, and she turned to find Fenrys prowling toward her. With a grin, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “How are you? You okay?”

“Nursing the hangover of the century but these chocolates are curing my ailments.”

“I’m just impressed you didn’t miss a bullseye until after you were neck deep in alcohol.” They both laughed, Aelin looping an arm through his despite all her bags. They walked back toward her car so she could drop them all off, chatting about things they’d missed along the way.

It felt so easy to be here. To remember all the times that they had spent laying on a trampoline counting stars or double-jumping each other until they were flying so high she’d felt like a bird taking flight for the first time. The memories just poured back into her mind and she couldn’t stop the flood gates that opened wide and threatened to swallow her whole.

By the time she locked eyes with Rowan under a canopy of lanterns, it was dark and her heart was pounding in her chest as she remembered the soft warmth of his lips on hers while he kissed her goodnight. Or had it been a kiss goodbye?

“Hey,” she said softly, shivering from the slight chill that always came with fall nights in Orynth.

“Hey.” He fell into step beside her, walking until they reached the edge of the woods, the only light coming from the moon and far away street lamps. She didn’t know why she’d led them here when she knew how dangerous it was to be so alone with Rowan. Aelin just didn’t want to admit it to anyone, not even herself the way her stomach knotted every time she looked at him. The way her chest had squeezed so tightly when she saw his name signed on those papers.

When she’d first arrived in Orynth, it had been easy to believe that it wouldn’t matter. That it wouldn’t hurt when he signed the papers, that it would be a relief. Instead, her heart had seized in her chest for a moment as a blind panic struck her like lightning but she’d chalked it up to relief. Intense relief of it ending. But it hadn’t been that at all.

“When I saw that you were engaged in the magazines, I was at the grocery store picking up milk and eggs. Waiting in line, minding my own business, but I always ended up searching the covers for anything about you. Anything that would tell me you were doing okay because you changed your number and I couldn’t ever get through. And I tried, Aelin. I called that disconnected number every few days until someone else answered and told me I had the wrong number like a godsdamn fool.” His laugh was harsh and anything but funny. “And then I saw you were engaged. The eggs slipped from my hands, the milk jug exploded over the floor. I was standing in a puddle of egg yolks and whole milk staring at that damn magazine until the manager asked me to move.”

Aelin hadn’t even considered what it would have been like for Rowan to see the photos. Her main concern at the time was her parents and getting the divorce. At the time, she hadn’t particularly cared about his feelings. But now she did, and she could imagine the way the color must have drained from his face, that light headed feeling that came with an intense shock to your heart. She knew what it felt like because the same thing had happened to her when she walked into the bar last night and saw Lyria perched on his lap. It had hurt.

“I didn’t want it to get out until I got home, but I’d forgotten to take the ring off before the premiere.” Voice barely above a whisper, she couldn’t put much more sound behind it. She couldn’t get herself to meet his gaze, either, but she could see him nod out of the corner of her eye. Her fingers spun the diamond ring around her finger anxiously, and some piece of her wanted to tear it off and throw it into the woods behind them. Instead, she carefully picked up Rowan’s hand and turned his palm over, ran her fingertips over the lines that she knew better than she knew her own.

“What do you want, Aelin?” His voice was soft.

“I just wanted you to sign my — ”

“Not yesterday. Or the day before that. What do you want right now?” Hard. Rowan’s voice was hard, turning so quickly from an easy-going conversation and making it something else entirely. It was as hard as the fist he curled his hand into, capturing one of her fingers between his own. Aelin looked up at him, brow furrowed.

“I don’t know.”

“Gods above, woman. You are so… gods you infuriate me.”

“Yeah, well, right back at ya, asshole.” Completely done with Rowan and whatever he had to offer, she turned to leave but he was faster. His hands took her face between them and his lips were on hers before she could even think or process. The harsh bark of the tree he backed her up against dug into her shirt as hard as her fingers twisted into his hair.

It felt so good, so, so good to kiss him. It was like waking up, like coming alive, like being set on fire and burning and burning and never wanting to stop despite the pain that covered your skin. She wanted more of it, more of his lips that were soft and warm against hers. More of his fingers that were now digging into her hips, more, more, more —

But then he was pushing her away, shaking his head and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Go home, Aelin.”

It was quiet for a beat before she heard footsteps approaching but she didn’t break eye contact with Rowan. Rowan, whose chest was heaving and his lips were swollen and red from hers.

“Aelin?” Her heart stuttered and faltered and stopped and started all at the same time.

“Chaol,” she said, eyes still on her now ex-husband for a moment before she turned to look at her fiance. When she looked back at Rowan, he was shaking his head at her before he started to walk away, only stopping before Chaol for a moment. He towered over him, out-muscled him, and for half a second Aelin was worried about Chaol being laid out on the ground by Rowan’s fist.

“You and I are in love with two very different people,” he said softly, and then he was gone, stalking back toward the festival with his head hanging low and hands deep in his pockets.

“What’s he talking about?” Aelin inhaled sharply, rubbed at the tension headache between her brows. “There were photos of you on every gossip site in the country and all over social media of you leaving some bar holding hands with that guy. I thought you came back to tell your parents, Aelin. You came back to have a godsdamned affair?”

“What? No! No. Gods above, no. He - I… he’s my husband.” Aelin swallowed hard, the next words going down like stones. “Ex-husband.”

@starseternalnighttriumphant @musicmaam @city-of-fae @kandasboi @the-regal-warrior @empire-of-wildfire @tangledraysofsunshine  @lorcansalvaterree @valarian-trash @hey-its-grey @sleeping-and-books @thephilosophyofblank @breezyfreezey @westofmoon @tonystarksbish @mariamuses @thereaderandfangirl​ @silvermindedwarrior @rosesandglass @xxhopelesspeachesxx​ @maraadyyer @flowerspringsea​ @the-bookloving-girl​ @vartineh @mis-lil-red @but-she-was-aelin-galathynius​ @dreamcatchersimss​ @chemicha @vi0let-femmes @ttakeitbacknoww @dressedindustandshadows @lowhangingtreebranches @bamchickawowow​

@damnthisjam

[magnolia-penn]

A Shining Shield

Kakyoin x Reader

This is a Part 2 to. A Helping Hand requested by the lovely @lilsushicinnamonroll a while back. Sorry it took so long, Angst isn't mt forte.

Warnings: Angst, Death. MEGA PART 3 SPOILERS, Dio's Simp House, let me know if I missed something.

You're going to want some confort food. I cried writing this.

Let's go.

□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■

You and Kakyoin had been dating for about two weeks now. After that night in the desert, the two of you became inseparable. Except when you stayed in a hotel. In that case, you got your own room while Kakyoin shared with Joseph, who kept him bound to the bed by Hermit Purple. Neither of you minded, though. As long as you two were together and as safe as you could be while on the hunt for a hundred-year-old vampire, you were happy.

 

Both of you were injured in the fight with N’Doul. You promised to meet up in Cairo when you were discharged from the hospital. The hospital staff was kind enough to let you stay in the same room, although you did get scolded for being too loud. You were both released on the same day and hightailed to Cairo. 

 

You were on your way to the rendezvous spot when You ran into Iggy, the newest member of the team. He was bloody, bruised, and missing a leg. Kakyoin patched him up and had him lead you to the others. 

 

You followed Iggy through the streets of Cairo, dread building with every step. Soon enough, you found them. They were happy to see you, but the joy was short-lived. You still had DIO to defeat. 

 

          You made it to the doors of DIO’s simp house, and the gates were wide open, oppressive and ominous like the awaiting jaws of a horrible beast.

 

          Kakyoin pulled you to the side before you could enter the gate. “Y/N-”

 

          “Don’t even say it.” You cut him off. “No, ifs. We will make it out. We all will.”

 

          You saw tears prick the corners of your beloved’s eyes and struggled to suppress your own. Kakyoin pressed a kiss to your forehead and pulled you into a sincere hug.

 

          “Yeah. We all are making out. No, ifs.” He repeated. “DIO’s ass is ours.”

 

          You chuckled despite the heavy weight in your chest. You knew better than to believe such far-fetched fantasies, you both did, but it gave you a sense of power like everything wasn’t about to end horribly.

 

          Kakyoin pressed his forehead against yours and whispered, “Ai shiteru.”

 

          You gasped a little at that. You knew how strong that phrase was in the Japanese language, and that married couples could go years without saying that to each other. 

 

          “Ai shiteru.” You repeated. 

 

          And with that, the two of you released one another. Taking Kakyoin’s hand, you walked side by side together through the gates of hell.

 

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

 

          Within minutes, you and Kakyoin got separated. He was pulled through a portal while trying to save Jotaro and Joseph, while you were left with Avdol, Iggy, and Polnareff.

 

          The four of you set off to find DIO. Avdol used Magician’s Red to search for any people while you used Magenta Sunset to search for any long-ranged Stands. You all noticed it was too quiet.

 

          In an instant, your Stand reacted to an unseen force, pushing Avdol out of the way. Whatever was attacking you took a big chunk of your upper arm. You used your Stand to locate Vanilla Ice. Still, even with the combined force of all four of you and damn near twenty minutes, it took stupidly walking into the sunlight with his new vampire form to beat the purple-clad Stand user.

 

          You encounter DIO on the staircase to the next level. He challenged Polnareff to take another step up the stairs, only to have the Frenchman brought down a step or two. The World, DIO’s Stand, managed to paralyze you, but you could still see what he was doing.

 

          You were about to manifest you Stand against the vampire, but a voracious yell from the other side of the wall startled all of you. There was the sound of cracking stone, and the staircase was flooded with late afternoon sunlight as Star Platinum punched his way into the building.

 

          DIO fled to his tower with your team hot on his tail. You could feel Kajyoin’s eyes on your wound. Polnareff wrapped it up, but it still hurt like a bitch.

 

          DIO was finally cornered at the top of his tower. The burning hatred and malevolence emanating from the vampire was almost palpable. You flinched as you felt yourself lose feeling throughout your body and cursed inwardly as DIO’s eyes snapped toward you.

 

          “Strange~” He mused. He sent Avdol and Iggy flying, knocking them unconscious against the wall. 

 

          You felt his hands on your face, but no muscles twitched against his touch. His hands slid down your frame and came to rest on your hips.

 

          Feeling returned to your body and you summoned your Stand, but DIO retreated faster than you could attack.

 

          “Y/N~” DIO purred. “You’ve come so far. I believe that you’re finally ready to join me at the top of the world. I’ll forgive you for your… rebellious phase.”

 

          You glared daggers at the vampire. “Like Hell I’d ever join you again. I was naive in the past, but no longer.”

 

          DIO chuckled. “You know that the only alternative is death, right? Come on~ Beauty like you shouldn’t be wasted on such a finite life span. I’ll treat you better than any man you could ever be with.”

 

          “Leave her alone!” Kakyoin yelled, launching a stream of razor-sharp emeralds at DIO.

 

          The vampire easily deflected all of the shards and took a moment to look between you and Kakyoin before bursting into a roaring laugh.

 

          “Oh, Y/N! Don’t tell me that you fell for him? This sorry excuse fo-Urk!”

 

          You cut him off with an attack of your own that sent him crashing into the coffin at the center of the room. He was mere centimeters away from the beam of sunlight streaming in from the window.

 

          “Don’t talk about Nori like that again, or I swear I’ll rip you limb from limb.” You growled.

 

          “Oho? I’d like to see you try.”

 

          With that, DIO lunged at you, claws fully prepared to rip your throat out. Hierophant’s coils wrapped around your waist and yanked you to the side and into the light of the window. 

 

          You were safe for the moment while you powered up your Stand, but the sun was sinking fast, and you knew the light would only protect you for so long.

 

          “Quickly! Out the window!” Joseph yelled, slinging Avdol over his shoulder.

 

          Polnareff grabbed Iggy and dashed toward the window. Jotaro took Kakyoin and pulled him towards the exit. You leaped out the window and slid a bit before catching a ledge.

 

          You dropped the rest of the way and prepared to catch whoever was next. Joseph used Hermit Purple to lower Avdol into your waiting arms before jumping out himself, followed by Polnareff and Iggy, Jotaro, and finally, Kakyoin.

 

          Deciding it was easier to leave Avdol and Iggy behind, they were gently left in the arms of an SPW Foundation agent who was called to the scene just before you entered. The plan was to split up and attack DIO from both sides. Naturally, you were paired grouped with Kakyoin and Joseph.

 

          Kakyoin had managed to surround DIO with the 20-meter Radius Emerald Splash when it happened. You could tell DIO was about to use his Stand after he deflected another round of emeralds.

 

          As you felt your limbs go numb, you could only think of Kakyoin. You knew DIO was at the end of his patience with your beloved, and you doubted he would survive his next encounter with the vampire. 

 

          You desperately didn’t want that to happen. You begged and pleaded with your body to move as DIO sauntered closer to Kakyoin. He raised his arm, fully intent upon piercing the stomach of the smaller male. Suddenly, something inside of you snapped.

 

          “Don’t touch him!” You roared.

 

          You managed to get between DIO and Kakyoin while the former was stunned by your newfound ability to move in stopped time. DIO hesitated but only slightly. At first, you couldn't feel anything. You could tell you were flying backward, but you weren’t sure from what. Then the pain hit you. It was a burning, ripping, throbbing pain in your stomach.

 

          You collided with a water tank on a roof behind you. You coughed up blood, and you started to lose feeling in your extremities. You thought you heard Kakyoin yell your name, but you weren’t sure. Everything sounded so far away under the water.

 

          You could feel something lift you up. You tried to focus your vision on who was touching you. You saw a patch of red and a blur of green. Struggling to make eye contact with lavender orbs, you realized it was Kakyoin. You could see he was crying and you knew you were too. You cried out as a sharp pain was pressed against your wound.

 

          “Y-Y/N, love.” He managed to stutter out as he tried to apply pressure to your wound. “No… You can’t-”

 

          “Hush, Nori.” You shushed him. “There’s no point. Listen to me. Keep living, keep fighting. Find love again. I can only hope and pray that you’ll be able to live without me. I’ll be waiting for you on the other side with open arms, but your ass better be over fifty.”

 

          You chuckled a little at your small joke. “I love you.” You barely managed to get out. You strained and pressed a kiss on his lips.

 

          The kiss was heavy and impossible to describe. You never imagined a kiss could feel this way, and you felt terrible for Kakyoin for having to continue living with the memory of this feeling.  You could feel your life force slipping away, and you noticed, while slow and painful, you were at peace. At peace with your actions, your choices, and those you loved. You thought back to your misadventures with the StarDust Crusaders and your time spent with the love of your life.

 

          The kiss broke, and Kakyin pressed his forehead to yours before whispering, “Ai shiteru,” as he felt your body go limp.

 

          Ask Noriaki Kakyoin about the Battle of Cairo, and he’ll swear the sky wept for the passing of his beautiful, strong, amazing, shining shield.

 

          Your funeral was on a grassy hill surrounded by trees outside of town. The whole community showed up. It was a heavy day upset by the obnoxious cheerfulness of the sky. 

 

          Kakyoin shared tears with your mother and cried harder when he met your little sister. He threw his arms around her and couldn’t stop apologizing. She apologized, too, for making him feel the need to apologize. She was only eight years old and already acted so much like you.

 

          Those two never left each other's side that day. Kakyoin promised to never let anything happen to her, and she promised to never let him be sad again. Everyone cried when you were lowered into the ground. Avdol had to leave with Polnareff, and Jotaro allowed a single tear to trail down his cheek.

 

          As the sun started to droop, the members of your community begun to trickle away, only the Crusaders and your remaining family stayed. 

 

Joseph clasped a hand on Kakyoin’s shoulder before leading a weeping Holly away down the hill, who came to thank you for going on this treacherous journey and sacrificing for her sake. Jotaro pulled the redhead into a full hug and patted his back, quietly offering his condolences before following his family. Iggy, who hadn’t gotten the chance to know you well but could still sense you were a good person, gently headbutted Kakyoin’s leg and refrained from rolling his eyes when he crouched down to pet him. Avdol and Polnareff later caught the teen in a group hug, apologizing for not being able to protect you.

 

Your mother came up to him last, with your little sister at her side. Kakyoi picked her up and accepted her tearful kiss to his cheek. Your mother embraced your beloved and promised there were no hard feelings and that she would always consider him her son.

 

Then, she too, made her way down the hill. There they sat, a heartbroken and devastated teen, and a lost and despaired child, clinging to each other like their lives depended on it. Kakyoin set your sister down before falling to his knees beside the freshly disturbed soil. Your sister wrapped her arms around him, comforting him. In a way, you were still there with him.

 

“Do you think she’s sleeping peacefully?” She asked out of the blue. 

 

Kakyoin sniffed before responding. “I hate to say it, but I’m sure she’s harassing the man who killed her in the afterlife.”

 

“An afterlife well spent, I guess.”

 

Kakyoin chuckled at the thought of you tormenting DIO for the rest of eternity. Your mother called for your sister to return to her, leaving Kakyoin alone on the hilltop. He called out Hierophant Green to allow it to say goodbye. It curled up by the headstone and didn’t move.

 

Kakyoin sat on the ground and looked to the sky. The sun was now low in the air and was turning the atmosphere pinks. A Magenta Sunset, he noticed. He tensed as a strong wind blew across the hill, carrying with it a distinct and familiar smell. Kakyoin chuckled and raised his hand to let the wind wrap around it before whispering, “Ai Shiteru.”

 

          And all around him, the world repeated it.

[cheemerthelizard]

Crusader of Life (Kakyoin x Reader) Chapter 17

It was time. Dio. The man who took Joseph’s grandfather’s body and plotted a world takeover. You would defeat him, no matter what, and you promised yourself that. And with your friends by your side, you knew you could do it.

“Kakyoin, do something about your girlfriend.”

“We’ve just lost some of our teammates and friends, and you expect her to just stop crying?”

“We’re getting close to Dio’s room, and he’s bound to be in there. Her loud crying will alert him. She at least needs to quiet down!”

“Well, that much is true...”

Although you still couldn’t compose yourself, you all agreed that you had to keep moving. But now, as the dark, eerie feeling in your heart grew stronger from his presence alone, you needed to calm down. That was the problem; you couldn’t. With Polnareff’s oh so sympathetic instructions to Kakyoin, you found an arm around your shoulder, pulling you towards the body it was attached to.

“I know it’s hard,” Kakyoin sighed. “I’m sorry it’s hard for you to bottle up your emotions.”

You clutched his body tightly, as you tried (and failed horribly) to stop crying, feeling your throat tighten and your breathing become sharp and sudden. “I-I-I feel like I should’ve b-b-been there,” you chocked out. “I-I-I-I could’ve s-saved... th-them...”

“That may be true,” Kakyoin ran his fingers through your hair, “but none of this could’ve been predicted. Maybe, if you weren’t with us, one of us was killed. You would feel just as guilty.”

“Kakyoin, she’s getting louder!” Polnareff complained. “Just cover her mouth with one of Hierophant’s tentacles or whatever! We’re getting too close to risk anything!”

“Maybe if you would show her some sympathy and try to calm her down instead of trying to shut her up with force,” Kakyoin snapped, “she would be quiet quicker.”

“J-j-just leave m-me beh-h-hind,” you sniffled. “I’m becoming a h-hinderance, anyw-way.”

“And give Dio the chance to take your life while we’re not looking?” Kakyoin objected. “We at least need to be in groups of two, and that’s just for normal enemies. But with Dio, we need to all stick together.”

You nodded, feeling your breathing get a little more steady.

“Hay, look at me,” Kakyoin cupped your chin. “I know we promised to not put the blame on ourselves if one of us died, but know that I’ll try my hardest to prevent that promise from being relevant.”

You stuffed your face into Kakyoin’s uniform and let out all the final cries before wiping the tears away and putting on a tough face. “I’m ready,” you said, eyes stained from the tears and throat still tight.

“Are we almost there, Nukesaku?” Jotaro asked.

“We’re getting there, just be patient!” Nukesaku growled.

After some more walking, you had entered a room that was like a fridge. Even if it were a warm place, the feeling deep inside your soul, the begging of your heart to run away, it confirmed that Dio was in this room.

“Lord Dio,” Nukesaku’s arms trembled as he started to open the lid to his master’s coffin, “please don’t think that I’ve betrayed you. In fact, the only reason I led them all the way here was because you can take care of them easily!”

He had fully opened the lid, and revealed...

“Wh-what?” Nukesaku exclaimed from inside the coffin. “But... I was just opening it! How am I inside?”

The five of you were taken aback, as well. After all, none of you had taken your eyes off of him. That’s when you felt something. A murderous intent. A feeling that, if you didn’t get out of that room right now, you would die. It was the exact same feeling as before, but so strong it overtook every other feeling you had. Strangely, though, it was also relieving, like you had done something that put you in danger, and your loving father was hugging you tightly, comforting you, telling you everything was gonna be okay now, but you knew you were gonna get it when you got home. Apparently, everyone else also felt that, because Joseph shouted, “Everyone, run!”

All of you immediately jumped out of the hole that Star Platinum had punched through just moments ago, Joseph having to grab Polnareff with Hermit Purple.

“What was that?” you shuddered while everyone was still free-falling. “It felt like something was watching me, waiting for the moment to strike, like a predator watching its prey.”

All of you grabbed onto the sides of the mansion, and slowly let yourselves down onto an etch in the building wide enough to sit down on.

“Right, you’ve never felt Dio’s influence before,” Kakyoin said, “although no amount of knowing what it felt like prepared me for the second time.”

“Neither did it for me,” Polnareff agreed. “But I’m done running! I’ll face Dio head on next time!”

“We need to think of a plan first,” Joseph said. “And, I hate to say it, but that might involve running away. We’re going to be helpless until dawn, after all.”

“No!” Polnareff objected. “I told you, I’m done running away! I’ll fight him, even if I have to go off on my own!”

“Don’t you remember where that got you last time?” you argued. “Do you ever learn?”

“Shut up!” Polnareff shouted. “I’ve made up my mind!” And with that, he ran off.

“That man is stubborn,” you grumbled.

“Wait,” Jotaro said. “Maybe we could use that to our advantage. If some of us stay behind, while the others flee, then Dio will be in the perfect place for a pincer attack.”

“That’s a good idea, Jotaro!” Joseph complimented. “I’d expect nothing less from my grandson, though.”

After setting up your teams, you, Joseph, and Kakyoin all made an escape in a truck, while Jotaro went to find Polnareff and tell him the plan. It was decided you should be with the getaway group, because that was the one that Dio would be chasing after, and you would need to use Ace of Pentacles to mend any wounds.

“I can feel him,” Joseph said. “I can feel Dio’s presence gaining on us.”

“Is that some sort of Joestar gift?” you asked, almost jokingly. “Being able to sense a vampire a mile away?”

“Not exactly,” Joseph answered. “It’s more along the lines of, ‘I can sense another Joestar a mile away’. After all, Dio has my grandfather’s body. And with that body, he can probably sense me, but he doesn’t know whether it’s Jotaro or me. Hopefully, he assumes we’re both in the truck.”

“You don’t look very comfortable, (Y/N),” Kakyoin said. “Is it cramped in the middle?”

“I’m fine, I promise,” you reassured him. “After all, were going against Dio. The last thing we need to worry about is my comfort.”

“I feel Dio’s presence closing in on us!” Joseph exclaimed. “He’s in the car behind ours!”

“Hierophant Green!” Kakyoin shouted, summoning his Stand.

“Ace of Pentacles!” you called out your Stand, as well, just in case he got hurt.

“There’s a guy in the car with Dio,” Kakyoin described to the two of you. “That one is driving the car. He’s pretty banged up.”

“I hate it when people use others like it’s no big deal,” you growled. “Make sure Dio gets the worst, Kakyoin!”

“You got it! Emerald Splash!”

You heard glass breaking, then a door flying off.

“What? He brushed it off like it was nothing! I’ll try a more concentrated splash.”

This time, you looked in the back window, and saw the roof of the car break through.

“He still deflected it!” Kakyoin shuddered. “How did he...? Wait, when did he summon his Stand?!”

You saw Hierophant go flying back into multiple street signs, and heard Kakyoin make grunts in pain.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!” you cried. Using Ace, you welded together the wounds all over him.

“Thank you,” Kakyoin breathed hard, touching the now mended spots where he had been hurt, and yelped when he touched them.

“It’ll take a while for your nerves to be used to it,” you told him. “Don’t touch the healed spots.”

“Right,” he grunted.

“Ah, good, the car stopped,” Joseph sighed, still flooring it.

“Mr. Joestar,” Kakyoin gasped, “something’s coming straight at us!”

Sure enough, a man covered in blood was sent hurdling though the back window, making Joseph spin out of control and crash.

Frantically, Kakyoin helped you out of the burning truck. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” you said. “Don’t waste any time checking up on me. We have to get out of here!”

Kakyoin grabbed your waist and used Hierophant to hoist the two of you up to the top of a building right before Dio saw you.

“I think I have an idea,” he muttered. “I know how to figure out the secret of The World! (Y/N), you’ll have to stay with Mr. Joestar.”

You nodded, and Joseph hoisted you up on his back and used Hermit Purple to leap from building to building. Eventually, Dio started chasing after you, but something stopped him.

“Emeralds?” you wondered out loud. You watched as Dio leaped back, but then more emeralds shot from behind him. Of course! This was Kakyoin’s trick to uncovering The World’s secret!

Joseph landed on the roof of a building and set you down, allowing both of you to look at what was really going on. There, you saw a barrier that Hierophant had set up all over the area.

“Now, to see the real identity of The World!” Kakyoin shouted. “Take this, Dio! Twenty-meter radius Emerald Splash!”

The emeralds started to close in on Dio, but he didn’t look the slightest bit worried. “The World!” he yelled. Then, as the emeralds collided, Kakyoin was sent flying back with a huge hole in his abdomen.

“Kakyoin!” you shrieked. “No!” You rushed over to the side of the roof when you were held back by purple thorns.

“Let me go!” you screamed. “I know my limits, Mr. Joestar! I’m not gonna kill myself!”

“I can’t let you just rush off impulsively, (Y/N)!” Joseph cried. However, while he was busy holding your original copy back, you made a new copy of yourself that jumped off of the edge of the building.

“She’ll never make it to him,” Dio cackled. “Nobody can make that jump!”

You knew that. You knew that jumping off was suicide. But you knew what you were doing, and it wasn’t anything suicidal. Ace of Pentacles made a copy of you above, and that copy pushed off of you. Then, that copy did the same thing. Soon enough, multiple copies of yourself were jumping off of each other like a crashing screen on Windows XP, and one of those copies grabbed onto the ledge of the building that Kakyoin had landed on. You climbed up from that ledge, and saw a puddle of red-tinted water near a water tower, and Kakyoin’s motionless body sitting there, eyes barely open.

“Kakyoin!” Your eyes were already welling up. You lifted him from the tower and set him down in a dry spot. “Don’t move,” you ordered, but your wavering voice made it sound more like a plead. “If I mess anything up, you’ll be in constant pain.”

You checked all of his organs, and sighed with relief. None of his organs were completely missing, only damaged. Wiping the tears away from your face, you got to work.

Okay, vital organs first. Lungs, stomach, anything else that he would need. But lungs absolutely first. He’s gonna need to breathe. Ace of Pentacles patched up the missing spots in his lungs, and Kakyoin started breathing heavily.

“T-time...” he croaked out.

“What?”

“The World’s secret... is time...”

And his eyes closed. Frantically, you put your ear to his chest. He couldn’t be dead, he couldn’t be!

The thump in his heart proved you right. You let your tears flow free now, just happy he was still alive. But that wasn’t going to distract you from the task at hand.

Alright, lungs have been mended, now the rest of the organs. Carefully, Ace duplicated the cells, and fixed them up. Next was the bones. It would be hard to move if his ribcage was gone. That was a little easier than the organs, since it was a little more straightforward. But even easier was the muscles and blood vessels, and then, the skin. Soon enough, all of Kakyoin’s body had been restored to its normal state. Despite knowing he wouldn’t wake up for a while, you hugged him tightly. “I won’t let you go,” you whispered. “I won’t let you die. Not after Avdol and Iggy didn’t even get a chance.”

For a while, you held him in your arms, stroking his wet hair, getting some of the water from the puddle and washing off the blood on his arms and legs. You didn’t stop holding him until a helicopter hovered over you. A ladder was slowly let down, along with a woman who was hanging onto that ladder. Upon closer inspection, you noticed she had a SPW hat on. Thank goodness, a Speedwagon worker!

“He looks alright,” the worker shouted to be heard over the copter. “You healed him very well.”

“Thank you,” you shouted back. “Will he be alright?”

“He will be just fine, thanks to you,” the woman smiled. You handed Kakyoin to her, and she carefully held him in her arms. “It’s a long way down,” she told you. “You want a ride?”

“Yes, ma’am,” you replied. You grabbed on to the lowest rung, and the helicopter slowly lowered the ladder even more until you could safely jump to the ground.

“Now, go help the others!” the Speedwagon woman said. “Be the light at the end of the tunnel!”

“I will!” You rushed off, in search of your friends. You had to tell them Dio’s secret, as well. 

You started to run all throughout Cairo, in hopes of finding Dio and the others, but so far, nothing. You wondered if they were alright, or if you could get there in time. What if it was too late? No, you couldn’t think about that now, not while you still had to look for the ones you were so worried about.

Then, a silhouette came into view. Joseph’s silhouette. He seemed to look okay, to your relief. “Mr. Joestar!” you cried out. “Hey! I healed Kak-“

“Don’t come any closer, (Y/N)!” Joseph interrupted. “You too, Jotaro! Both of you, stay back!”

You looked a bit further down, and saw your classmate looking just as surprised as you were.

“Jotaro, Mr. Joestar!” you shouted. “The secret of The World’s ability is time! The World has the ability to stop ti-“

“The World!” Dio shouted. Soon after, he seemed to have teleported again, right next to Joseph, who had a knife puncturing his neck, and was lying on the floor.

“Mr. Joestar!” you screamed. Before you could run towards him, though, Dio teleported behind you, and grabbed your throat. No, not teleported. He stopped time and walked. Still, he had you in his grasp, with a knife in his hand. As much as you tried to struggle, nothing broke you free. You thought he would spare you for a little bit, and would most likely use you more as bait to get Jotaro closer, but you soon realized you were only right about one of those things, as he stabbed the knife through your chest and sliced it open, barely missing the heart. The whole thing made you scream in agony, with tears pouring down the sides of your cheeks. You were in so much pain you almost didn’t realize the mask he put over your face, and him reaching his fingers into the open wound. Wait. Joseph had told you stories of the stone mask, and how putting blood on it activated its powers, and destroyed the victim’s humanity, both morally and physically, making them a creature of the night. Dio wasn’t... Dio couldn’t... would he really... make you a vampire? The very thought of being the same as Dio made your heart thump so hard you could feel it.

“Such an innocent girl,” Dio smirked. “She wouldn’t be able to survive a week with vampirism. I don’t think she’d feed on blood even if her stomach was eating itself. What do you think, Jotaro?” He spat out that name like it was nasty food. “I just might have to use the mask on her, though, if you won’t get close enough for me to attack.”

That was enough to send Jotaro running towards Dio, fists clenched, Star Platinum summoned. Once again, Dio stopped time, and left you crumpled on the ground while Jotaro went flying back.

“You did the right thing, Jotaro,” Dio sneered. “I would have had the mask clamp around her face, but you saved her just in time.”

The wound on your chest made you much weaker, to the point where you couldn’t even get yourself off the ground. Still, you started crawling to Joseph’s side, summoning Ace of Pentacles. Although your vision was blurred, you could clearly see Dio’s blonde hair whip around, and his body get closer to yours until he picked you up by your neck, cutting off your air.

“Trying to heal him, are you?” Dio snickered. He violently threw you on the ground, and stepped on your head, putting lots of pressure on it. Despite your screeching protests, the pressure kept getting worse and worse, until you heard a cracking sound. Oh, but he wasn’t done, yet. Dio had The World pick you up, and fling you to the other side of the street with ease. You tumbled across the ground until you skidded to a halt. As Dio approached your beaten up body again, you prepared for the worst. However, before he could land another hit on you, Star Platinum sent a devastating punch through The World, making him fly back.

“Get out of here,” Jotaro ordered.

“But, but Mr. Joestar-“ your voice was as loud as you could make it, and even you could barely hear it. Still Jotaro seemed to understand what you were trying to say.

“The old man’ll be fine, just go!” he shouted.

Gradually, you shuffled along the ground, away from the chaos of the battle between Star Platinum and The World. You didn’t get far, though, before all of the pain Dio inflicted on you was catching up. You knew you had to heal yourself, even if it was just a little bit. Sighing, you rolled over, and summoned Ace of Pentacles again. But you had so little energy that you couldn’t even duplicate one cell. On top of that, your ears wouldn’t pick anything up anymore, and your eyes weren’t really seeing anything other than black. Was... was this it? Were you going to die here, alone on the ground? It seemed more than likely.

“Mr. Joestar,” you said aloud, “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to you in time. Jotaro, I’m sorry I didn’t get out of the way in time. Avdol and Iggy, I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me. Polnareff, I’m sorry I lashed out at you on more than one occasion. And Kakyoin... Kakyoin, I’m sorry you didn’t get to say thank you to me for saving your life. Please don’t hold it against yourself.”

With what little vision you had left, you could see Ace of Pentacles flickering away from sight. “I’m sorry,” you whispered. “Ace, I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you alive longer.”

You took in the brilliant night sky one last time as your final view, then closed your eyes. For some reason, your last breaths felt... peaceful. Like you had fulfilled your purpose, and you told your now grown up child to pull the plug on the life support.

“Please fell my parents I loved them,” you said, knowing nobody could hear you.

“Goodbye.”

[thiswreckageivebecome]

The Winter Soldier is Still Here (Part 27- “Kiss Me Deadly”) (Bucky/Winter Soldier x Fem!reader)

Word Count: 4474

Warnings: Violence

Author’s Note: I did a bit of a rewrite and repost on this chapter.

Masterlist

BUCKY POV

————————

"What has he taken from you?" I ventured asking T'Challa after an extended period of silence, my eyes still on (Y/n). He acted as though he didn't want to answer and I could see the pain he held.

"It's a long story."

"Well, I don't recall Africa being that close to D.C. so I'd think we'd have some time. But hey, if you don't want to ta-"

"My father and the love of my life. He is responsible for their deaths. He is the reason I now hold the mantle of king."

"I'm sorry to hear that. How did it happen?" T'Challa took a visible deep breath before continuing.

"He has been working with a man named Klaue. You see, in Wakanda we hold a very precious element and there are multitudes of it. Many in the world search after it. It's called Vibranium."

"Isn't that what Steve's sh-" I began to ask and he nodded.

"Captain America's shield, yes. Your arm, also. It's a powerful element as you well know. It's power can be harnessed for many purposes and used in a large quantity of ways. Some, like Klaue and Charscovsky, want to steal it to use it for weapons that will only bring more harm to the world than there already is. As you can imagine, we don't want this and are attempting to defend it in the best ways we know how."

"I'm sorry for your losses."

"Thank you, Mr. Barnes. When the explosion first occurred, I couldn't even comprehend what was happening. One of my sister's labs contained a new experiment that would not only strengthen the vibranium but turn it into a transparent liquid, as well as giving it the opportunity to turn it into a gaseous form. My sister was working on this so that they could be utilized for medicinal and manufacturing purposes, however, Klaue and HYDRA want it to make new weapons."

"That sounds like HYDRA," I looked over at (Y/n). She was still unconscious but she seemed as though she was resting. I recalled what my resting was like while in cryostasis, though, and that thought almost dropped me to my knees, thinking of what could be going through (Y/n)'s mind. I placed my hand on the wall of the aircraft for support. T'Challa noticed.

"She's the love of your life, yes?" I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Yes, yes I think she is."

NATASHA POV

________________

As the craft moved quickly away, I made it a point to run as quick as my legs would carry me to the vehicle Bucky and I had brought. As soon as I was in, I stepped on it, maneuvering the traffic with quick and aggressive movements. It was at times like these that my driving became less cautious despite all of my training to be cautious in all situations. I had to get back to the tower to inform the rest of the team and get the jet fueled up so we could be ready to move as soon as we got the Wakandan coordinates. I didn't completely mistrust these newcomers, but I didn't fully trust them either. I had no idea what they'd do to them or how they'd help them. Hell, if Tony couldn't help him, what could these strangers do? As soon as I got back into the tower, I ran to the common room and pressed the intercom button on the wall beside the glass floor-to-ceiling window.

"I need anyone and everyone here to report to the common room for an emergency meeting. Now, people!"

It only took a moment for Peter, always gung-ho to get in on any potential action instead of thinking through the dangers involved. As the newest member of the Avenger team, he also was ready and desiring to please in any way, shape, or form. Steve was next to arrive, Sam trailing behind. Wanda showed up, followed by Vision, fingers intertwined. Tony was the last to show up as I already had frantically begun explaining to them what had ocurred.

"Wait, so you're telling me Barnes willingly jumped right back into the arms of Hydra after we've been fighting to get him out from under their grasp?"

"Yes, and no, Tony. God, if you weren't so fucking arrogant and slow-moving, you wouldn't have missed the important bit that (Y/n) was captured by them. That's why he went!"

"So where are they now? How and why are you back without them," Steve's voiced matched mine decimal for decimal with emotion.

"That's what I'm trying to say! They're in Wakanda! I'm waiting now for coordinates and as soon as we get them, we have to go to them. We have to be ready in case it was all a setup. They offered to help her so of course, he went. He wouldn't listen to me." The phone buzzed. Coordinates appeared with instructions to make contact when we were a hundred miles out. I handed the phone to let him read, waiting for his reaction. He looked up, jaw tight, and looked every one of us in the eyes before he said,

"Suit up."

READER POV

___________

Flashes of memories that weren't my own shone throughout my mind. I felt cold but I could not awaken. I felt as though there was a transparent, yet impenetrable cloud covering my entire body as I lay and watch as if it was the projection screen of someone else's life. I watched as people were murdered in the most horrid of ways. I watched, attempting to scream but no sound escaped my throat. I saw police cars and ambulances blow by as I, or who ever's eyes I was viewing this through, sat in wait and patience, and I could feel conflicted pleasure flood my veins. I could feel success but there was something else nagging at that success. It felt like regret, disgusting regret and sorrow. I could see myself move from the window and across the bare room of what seemed an empty apartment to get a better view. I could see medical services and camera crews, running after the Continental. I could feel the smile spread across my lips and the threatening regret bubbling inside attempting to pull those lips down.

The scene changed. I saw flashes of a man one who seemed a friend one who seemed to be by my side. He smiled over at me, grabbed me on the shoulder encouragingly. This man had strong cheekbones and medium bronze-brown hair. His jaw tightened in a flash and his eyes grew vile and all signs of life left them. The surrounding light flickered off and when the light resumed, I watched as he was tossed into a vertical tube and he went under Cryostasis. I felt someone grab the back of my arm and guide me to my own tube. Everything went black.

I sat in darkness for what seemed an eternity. I attempted to scream. I couldn't see where I was but I felt as though I was in a coffin. I attempted to scream, to kick, to fight my way out of the darkness but it was as if none of my efforts were making any difference. I couldn't sleep. Adrenaline pulsed through my system at lightening speeds and while my efforts seemingly did nothing, I could feel the strength of my own hands, arms, and legs reinforcing and growing stronger throughout the fight.

Out of nowhere came a burst of light and I found myself standing under a lampost. I felt the same conflict but this time, it was anxiety and determination. I was waiting for someone, someone I would do irreprable harm to, but I couldn't recall who or why; I suppose because these weren't my own memories, but someone else's, and I couldn't figure out who just yet. I began to walk forward, at a gradual pace so that I could take in the sight of the bar, yet walk by undetected. I saw him and he appeared familiar yet sick. I continued to walk forward once he was in my sights. I positioned myself just inside the opening of the dark alley so that I could be hidden yet I could still observe what I needed to. I waited and the tension inside my chest continued to build. As I waited, the street was quiet and all but empty, except the few drunken strangers leaving the bar and the addicts doing business. Those who were lucky enough to stay off drugs while on the street steered clear of places like this, I practically heard this person say in their mind, so I won't have to worry about sober witnesses. The man I was waiting for stumbled out of the bar. I stepped out of the darkness by only a few inches so that my identity would remain unknown to my incognizent victim. I heard myself say:

"Hey, Jack."

The man turned, apparently whose name was Jack. Across his face was surprise and just a hint of recognition before he collapsed from the bullet I put in his chest. I felt the dull pain in my own chest as I opened Jack's vehicle trunk and stuffed his body inside. I got in the vehicle and drove off before once again, everything went black.

I laid there in the opaque nothing-ness. I felt tears stream down my cheeks. That Jack was the same man who had appeared in the prior vision. I may not have the memories to go with, but I could feel it in the very depths of my soul that this man, this Jack person, had been a friend, a confidante, someone whom this person had been proud of, someone who was like a kid-brother to them. I saw the bleakness in his eyes that mirrored my own pain and self-destruction, whoever's eyes I was seeing through. I saw the desolation in his eyes as he exited that bar and I knew we had suffered similar demons both in our imagination and out in the world. As I felt a sob beginning to crawl its way out of my chest, an explosion of black smoke, orange sparks, and flying debris dashed across my eyes and threw shadows across my face.

After the smoke cleared, I, myself, not the memories of the person I was watching, saw a person I knew standing in front of me with blood across their face, as well as blood stains from bullet wounds I could sense this person's memories I was watching had inflicted. I recognized him immediately. Steve, Steve was standing in front of me, in front of this person, and with the sorrow in Steve's eyes, I knew immediately whose memories I had been living: Bucky's. My sweet Bucky, I was watching the deeds that haunted him. My vision jumped as did my body. I heard Bucky, myself seemingly, say "You're my mission," and I could feel the tension inside his chest, in my own, grow until I thought my own chest would erupt and gush forth the ripping and contradicting emotions filling it. I could feel the pressure of the metal hitting skin, cheekbone and skull. I could feel splatters of blood hitting my face as I raised my arm multiple times until I felt something stop me and I heard Steve's words.

"Then finish it. 'Cause I'm with you 'til the end of the line."

Traversing across my vision there were quick-paced scenes of Steve and myself as Bucky, walking up steps and I could feel the anguish in his chest, unsure how exactly to help Steve in whatever was going on. Then I discovered from the discussion that it must have been when Steve's mom passed and he had no one left. I came back to the present with Bucky. I could sense the recognition set in. Bucky finally knew him. He knew his best friend, Steven Rogers.

BUCKY POV

___________

I could sense an immediate halt in conversation and for it, I was grateful. I walked to the other end of the aircraft and sat beside the table (Y/n) lay upon. I watched her for a few moments until I knew the tears would overflow and be seen by watchful eyes. I chose instead to drop my head and let the tears fall to the floor.

"Shit," I thought. " Now I'll have to wipe them up somehow or someone could fall. (Y/n) could fall if something happened and she awoke before we exited the aircraft. I attempted to wipe my eyes as I brushed back my hair, lifting my head. I decided what I would do would be to sit on the floor of the craft in hopes that no one would realize why and they'd only think I was slightly more odd than they originally thought.

I began to shift to the floor but just as I was about to sit and slide over the petite puddle it seemed to disappear. What kind of place were these people from? I retuned to where I had been sitting and it wasn't long before I heard Okoye announce:

"We're here."

I saw a holographic shield open that wouldn't be seen by the naked eye and soon enough we were landing inside a mounain. It reminded me just slightly of the way Hydra had hidden themselves within the mountains in the Alps. I pushed the thought from my mind quickly. These people had done nothing but help me, help us, thus far. I would remain aware, but I would not object to their assistance for (Y/n)'s sake. When we landed and the door opened, a young woman approached us in white garb that looked like a youthful twist on a doctor's coat and uniform.

"Mr. Barnes," it is a pleasure to meet you. She stretched forth her hand in a friendly notion. I took it and shook lightly. Her petite frame appeared fragile.

"This is my sister, Shuri," T'Challa introduced her. "She is the one who will be assisting in the process of reversing what both you and (Y/n) are victim of."

"But (Y/n), first," I couldn't help but interrupt, my breathing accelerating to a pace it hadn't reached in quite some time, teeming with worry and anxiety. "I don't care about me, but she has to be better. She didn't deserve this. She has-" T'Challa placed a light hand on my shoulder to halt my words.

"Yes, will do all that we can for her, Mr. Barnes. You have my word. We will help her."

Once they saw that I was calming down again, Shuri turned to Okoye.

"Will you escort Mr. Charscovsky to the prisoner's quarters? However, before you do," she pulled a syringe out of the beads on her wrist. "Did you want to question him now, brother?" T'Challa shook his head no. The syringe disappeared once again.

"Okay, well he will remain under for another few days if you do not wish me to dose him with the antidote."

"We will help Ms. (Y/L/n) first. We will give it to him later."

"Where did that come from and where did it go?" I asked, jarred from the technology, something that seemed more like magic, that was being operated before my very eyes. Shuri ignored my question, motioning to Charscovsky to be taken away and then for T'Challa and myself to follow her. She led the way down the corridor to wherever the next step awaited in this mission I was on to save the woman I loved. I tried not to think of how she would probably never be mine again after this, but I would forever love her and do everything in my power to save her from this hell I had inadvertently put her in.

STEVE POV

____________

I couldn't believe Buck left without telling anyone and had walked right into the hands of Hydra. After everything he'd been through, he just walked, ran actually according to Natasha, well within their reach. This girl...she meant even more than I thought possible. God...(Y/n), I can't believe she had to get caught up in all of this. I can't believe she's been turned. I don't know if Buck will make it through this one if these strangers can't help her. We're going to have to-

"Have I mentioned that I fucking hate this," Natasha's biting, yet quiet and anxious tone, broke into my stream of consciousness.

"No, but I didn't imagine you felt much differently." I paused. "For what it's worth, I hate it too." A memory came into my mind, rendering me nervous to broach the subject but there hadn't been a chance before now.

"So, I want to ask, possibly discuss, something that may not be the most comfortable, and if you don't want to talk about it just tell me to shut up, okay?" She side-eyed me.

"Okay."

"I learned something new, at least as long as (Y/n) was telling the truth." I swallowed hard before continuing. "You and Buck?"

"Shit," was all she responded for a moment. "How did that come up? And when?"

"Right before they saw each other in the park. She thought you two had rekindled something. She tried to be happy about it. She said how y'all were better suited for each other." I waited but Nat didn't respond. After a few moments, I continued. "Like I said, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Basically I wanted to apologize for being an idiot. I've probably not made things easier for you when I-"

"Shut up, Steve," she said bluntly. I looked away but happened to see her turn towards me and smirk. "I accept and appreciate your unnecessary apology." She hesitated but then seemed to exhale so much more than words. "I've loved him for years, of course. I thought I had lost him for quite some time, but I still held him in my heart, no matter how much it hurt. Then he came back, he appeared out of nowhere just like he did then and my heart...I didn't think I could take it. I'll be honest, I loathed (Y/n) with all of my being even bef-"

"Oh trust me, we were all aware," I couldn't stop myself from interrupting playfully, to which she only mock gawked before rolling her eyes but persisted with her story.

"Well as I as saying, I loathed her before I knew her, when I met her, even when she left, but when she left, I loathed her less. It didn't have anything to do with her attempting to fight back against the Winter Soldier to save my life-I don't want that to be mistaken as to why- but when Jam-Barnes came back to her...I knew. I knew it was over for us. I can't lie and say that the time she was gone from him, that I didn't hope that I could persuade him to love me once again...to remember me like he remembered her." She trailed off again, her eyes growing glassy. She cleared her throat. "But when she came back, when she was changed...in that warehouse before he accepted that he had to knock her unconcious, I knew-finally knew and accepted- that it would never again come to pass. I had my time with him, but that time is over. Even if she comes out of this unscathed and wants nothing to do with him, I won't pursue him any further. I can't do it. He loves her too much."

"We're about to hit the radius spot," Sam called over his shoulder.

"I'll make contact." Before she could finish the message, however, a voice came back through the jet's PA system.

"Ms. Romanoff, we are presuming." Okoye's voice flooded everyone's nerves, amping them up even more.

"Yes, it's Natasha and the team. Where are Barnes and (Y/n)?"

"They are together, but (Y/n) is still under." T'Challa's voice came through in answer. "We have not yet begun to work on her condition in depth. Charscovsky will be under until we are ready to question him. If you are willing to put your jet on autopilot, we will steer you in. If you prefer, we will send the flight patterns and coordinates to your system." Sam answered without waiting.

"I think I can handle it if you'll send me the positions."

"As you wish," T'Challa paused and spoke to some of his people. "Do as they request. Mr. Wilson, they have just been sent. Do you have them?"

Sam looked at the screens and saw the match. "Got them. We will be there in nine minutes."

"We look forward to greeting you all, and welcome to Wakanda."

All of us were shocked when we looked up and without much notice, everything around us changed. The scenery went from being what you saw on television to a thriving metropolis surrounded by African nature and wildlife. It was a beautiful sight. As Sam made his way toward the landing zone, I could tell he was getting nervous.

"I hope they're right about this. Or we're gonna land a lot faster than you guys want to." The mountain in front of us opened and it was almost reminicent of Hydra which only increased my nerves more. I was more on edge of what this sight may have brought Buck back to, memory-wise. I tried to physically shake the worry from my mind in a slight shiver. Once we landed, the door opened and there were a few waiting on us. I let Nat take the lead since she had supposedly met them prior.

"Ms. Romanoff," T'Challa said, sticking out his hand to shake hers.

"King," she responded without familiarity but with enough respect to get away with it. She introduced each of us to T'Challa and Okoye, his guard, and then came forward another young woman, in different garb.

"This is my sister, Shuri. She is the one who will be running the treatments on (Y/n) and Mr. Barnes."

"Wait, what?"

"I didn't mention that part," Natasha explained. "They intend to reverse what Hydra did to Barnes. I figured if I included that bit of information Tony may not come, too offended that someone else claimed they could do more than him." We both looked at him where he only scoffed in response.

"Mr. Barnes is this way with Ms. (Y/l/n), if you'd like to see them." She turned and led the way, the team following close, still slightly on edge, taking in the wonders of underground Wakanda.

READER POV

____________

Everything faded to black. I felt the remorse in my own chest and I began screaming for Bucky, not for him to rescue me, but for his pain. I never had any true clue as to what he had gone through. These glimpses into parts of his past affected me more than any concept I thought I had previously had of him. After some time of screaming for him, screaming "BUCKY! NO! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry," I realized that I could hear my voice. It wasn't a scream like it was in my mind, but I could hear. I was no longer silenced. I didn't know what had changed. Everything was still pitch black, but I could scream and that made me stop in my tracks, puzzled. The memories flooded back in the silence and I began again, like a looped track: "Bucky. I'm so sorry. I know. I know now. I love you. I know. I'm so sorry." I began to hear something outside of the silence...the faintest of voices.

"(Y/n), (Y/n)? Can you hear me? It's Bucky. I'm here. You're okay. I'm right here." I heard him say seemingly aside. "Oh my God, where is Shuri? Shuri!!"

Who was Shuri? Where were we? I heard the beeping of monitors and I realized it was probably some horrid trick of Hydra. Shuri must be one of theirs. I began to struggle and I could feel my strength compiling and making a difference in my restraints. The grips were loosening.

"LET ME GO! I'll kill every one of you for what you did," I heard my growl. I began struggling and finally my eyes opened. I saw him. My blood ran cold. My target, his face horror-stricken. Good, he should be frightened. I was able to break through the straps then.

BUCKY POV

___________

"It's okay, (Y/n), it's okay. I'm here. Bucky, remember me? I know. Do you hear me? Please, this isn't you. Don't do this. Come back to me!" Her words were echoed in my memory as I spit them back out in her direction, backing away only slightly so that she had room to stand. They seemed to only intensify her anger. In that moment I decided whatever happened, I wouldn't fight back. If she beat me until my death, I would deserve it and if I died because of her touch, I'd die okay with that.

READER POV

___________

I leapt from the table, iv's and chords ripping out of machines and I charged him. He was a traitor. He deserved death. I'd be the one who brought that about. My superiors would be pleased. I pushed him against the far wall and began throwing everything I had at him. A thought occurred to me. Why is he not fighting back? I hit him again, but slower. He was bleeding from the side of his eye, his nose and mouth. He remained conscious. I hit him again.

"FIGHT BACK!" I yelled, sticking my knee into his throat attempting to give him reason to fight for his life. "This makes for much less entertainment if you don't put up a fight." Still he did not do as I suspected. He tapped my thigh lightly, beckoning me to give him the power to speak. I pinned his arms down with my legs, letting go of his throat, feeling the cold metal on my skin. Something pricked in my mind, but I didn't know what it was. It made me angrier.

"I love you, (Y/n). Do it. Kill me. I won't fight you."

[the--sad--hatter]

I Say No (Loki x reader)

FANDOM - MARVEL MCU

PAIRING - LOKI X READER

WARNING - NONE, SMUT IS ALLUDED TO BUT NOT IN DETAIL

SUMMARY - Based on the anon songfic requests for a Loki x reader with the song from the Heathers musical, I say No. 

____________________________________________________________

All your life you felt like you were walking a line, between right and wrong. Part of you wanted to save the world, to do good, to help people but then you’d get angry and that hatred would bubble up inside of you and you’d look around with scorn at your fellow humans.

 When Loki invaded, You were deep in a mission and Shield refused to call you in.                

 "Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on." Fury told you.

 So while aliens attacked New York and the Avengers assembled, you played trophy wife to a weapons dealer.

 You never admitted it out loud but a part of you agreed with Loki. You watched it on the news, his speech in Struttgart and you thought about all the wars, the governments clashing for power and you wondered if he was right. All of humanity, united under one banner? Was that such a bad thing?

But Loki failed and that was the end of that, and your ‘husband’ and his organization was taken down and you got to go back to The Triskelion.

 Then Hydra were revealed and Shield fell and it was the final nail in the coffin of your innocence and hope. Humanity was trash, it was unruly, it was a lost cause. You went along with the new status quo, working with Fury and Hill, being loaned out to the Avengers when it was required but you did it all with a weariness. You were going through the motions, doing what you had always done but your heart wasn’t in it anymore.

 Until Loki returned and Fury sent you to clear the civilians from the streets where his battle with Thor raged.

 “Brother! Do not hide from me!” You heard Thor yell.

 You peered down the alley way carefully, ready to duck back through the door if need be.

 You don’t know who was more startled, you or the god of mischief. Though his was more a bemusement than shock. He was stood there, facing away from you, waiting for his brother. He looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at your loud gasp. Your heart beat almost painfully, squeezing and palpitating and somewhere deep in your bones you could feel the stirrings of fate.

 The thundering footsteps of the god of thunder drew closer and you pulled the door open, looking pointedly between it and Loki until he slowly walked through it with a curious gaze.

 “Loki!”

 You raised a hand and pointed down the alleyway, heaving for breath and clutching your side like you were injured as Thor nodded his thanks and ran past you.

 “How curious… a hero hiding a villain from another hero.” Loki mused from behind you.

 You shook your head in exasperation at yourself and went into the abandoned supermarket. Loki followed, like a dark shadow.

 “Why did you do it? Did you think you could extort a favour from me if I owed you?” He demanded.

 “What could you possibly give me?” You snorted derisively.

 “Vengeance, riches, power, love? I could give you whatever your feeble little mortal heart desires.” He said tantalizingly.

 “Could and would aren’t the same thing.”

 “Clever little thing aren’t you? So if there’s nothing you believe I could give you, why did you assist me?” He pressed.

 You made your way over to the newspapers and grabbed a pile of them, throwing them in front of him.

 “Wars are fought every day, people are driven from their homeland and turned away from sanctuary, there’s famine and murder and rape and every horrible thing you can think of happening every damn day. Humans are savages, we’re children. All the beauty we are capable of gets further out of reach every day, we’re even killing our own planet. Is it really so bad to kneel to a god if it could save our entire race?”

 Loki’s face lit up and he looked you over with awe and consideration.

 “Yes… clever.” He said, vindicated by your words.

 But you were wrong. Loki wasn’t a saviour, he was a brat. As childish as you thought humans were, he was worse. He was just infinitely more powerful. But by the time you realised it, you had fallen in love with the dark god. He made grand promises about saving humanity from themselves, of filling the world with art and beauty and magic and you ate them up, making excuses about the terrible things he did. You told yourself that you had to tear something down before you could build it back up, that he was fighting a war for all the right reasons. And when he slunk into your room, still covered in the blood of his enemies, you closed your eyes and let him slither between your sheets.

 His touch was like a cold fire, consuming you and making you feel alive, making you feel high.

 The more you had him, the more you wanted him. If your morals started to rear their heads, his lips would stifle them. He would twist the truth, convoluting it until it was unrecognisable and you and he were the hero’s of the story. And if still you doubted, his body would consume thoughts of doing the right thing and every thrust of his hips wiped out the girl you used to be until one day you looked at yourself in the mirror. Your hair was tousled, your body covered in bite marks and frost burns but it was your eyes that were alarming. They were cold and hard, calculating and brimming with hatred. They were like his.

 Loki was throwing a temper tantrum of biblical proportions and you were providing shelter for him, holding his hand while the other hand wreaked havoc on your world.

 It had to end.

 He never sensed the change within you, too blinded by the smiles you gave and way you held him close. Even the God of Mischief could be blinded by love it would seem, because even until the final moments, he never saw the betrayal coming.

 “Soon, this world will be ours and nothing will stand in our way.” He whispered in your ear, seconds before the door to your apartment crashed open.

 “Loki! It’s over, stand down!” Captain America ordered.

 You saw Iron Man hovering outside the window, repulsors aimed at the man you loved as one by one, The Avengers circled the dark god, and you who was by his side.  

 “It would appear we have been found out my love.” Loki said smugly, relishing in The Avengers seeing how you were his.

 “Yes, the game is over.” You whispered.

 Thor nodded at you and you slipped the cuff bracelet from your pocket and snapped it over Loki’s wrist before he knew what was happening.

 “What have you done?” He demanded.

 “I lost hope in my race for a long time. I let all the hatred in the world infect my soul but I was wrong. Winning isn’t kneeling, it’s fighting against our nature and that starts with me. I won’t be the bad guy anymore Loki, I won’t.” You said, raising your chin defiantly.

 “You have bound my magic! How…” He looked between you and Thor who both looked stricken.

 “You led them here, you worked with my brother to trap me.” He accused and you nodded.

 “You turned on me. You betrayed me!” He scoffed.

 “You can’t keep acting like a monster and then feeling vindicated when people see it and decide they can’t take it. We don’t get to keep blaming other people for our damage!” You yelled.

 “My love… it is not too late to turn back from this path. Do not turn your back on our love, on me. Remove the bracelet, return my magic.  ” He pleaded.

 “No.” You said and your voice was unwavering, the word ringing out clearly as Thor and Captain America grabbed a hold of their prisoner.

 Loki’s eyes never left your as they started to drag him away and he surged forward but rather than fighting or attempting to escape, he lunged towards you and kissed you one last time.

 “You have impressed me my love, but no mortal, even one I have given my heart to will ever best me.” He whispered against your lips.

 Then all hell broke loose. The bracelet clanged to the floor and Captain Rogers was sent flying into the wall while Thor roared and grabbed for Loki but his arms went through the trickster. You breathed heavily as the chaos surrounded you. Loki was gone, who knows where because the bracelet you had put on him had failed. It wasn’t very surprising when you were cuffed or led away.

 “Agent 12, you are under arrest for aiding the war criminal Loki. Under The Sokovia Accords you have no right to an attorney or trial and will be immediately incarcerated for an indeterminate sentence aboard The Raft.”

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